bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of Meridional-Propagating High-Frequency Intraseasonal Oscillation Associated with a Persistent Rainfall over South China
Authors: Zheng Bin , Huang Yanyan
Published: March 2018

The present study divides the intraseasonal variations into high-frequency intraseasonal oscillation (HF-ISO) with a 5–20-day period and low-frequency ISO (LF-ISO) with a 30–60-day period. Here, defined HF-ISO is heavily different from some previous work, because, over south China, persistent rainfall (PR) is not only related to the quasi-biweekly oscillation (10–20-day period), but also connected with the quasi-weekly oscillation (5–10-day period). Associated with a PR over south China during the first half of June 2016 (PR1606), the propagating components of the convections are largely attributed to the HF-ISOs. Moreover, both southward- and northward-propagating HF-ISOs are found in this case. Over southern China, the moisture advection dominated by anomalous flow and mean water vapor plays an important role in the southward propagation of the HF-ISO, and the cloud–radiation effect may be also, at least partially, responsible for the southward shift of the associated convective zone. Nevertheless, two other possible mechanisms are introduced to explain the cause of the northward propagation of the HF-ISO over southern China during the PR1606 period. The first is the vorticity advection, which is a dominant factor. The second mechanism is the wind–evaporation effect that plays a minor role. Over the South China Sea, the northward propagation of the HF-ISO is mainly attributed to the vertical wind shear effect and the vorticity advection effect, and the latter is relatively more important than the former in this case. The moisture advection is a supplementary effect caused by inducing a weak positive moisture tendency north of the convection center.
Heating Effects of Desi Ghee Using Raman Spectroscopy
Authors: Ahmad Naveed , Saleem Muhammad , Ahmed Mushtaq , Mahmood Shaukat
Published: March 2018

Raman spectroscopy as a fast and nondestructive technique has been used to investigate heating effects on Desi ghee during frying/cooking of food for the first time. A temperature in the range of 140–180℃ has been investigated within which Desi ghee can be used safely for cooking/frying without much alteration of its natural molecular composition. In addition, heating effects in case of reuse, heating for different times, and cooking inside pressure cookers are also presented. An excitation laser at 785 nm has been used to obtain Raman spectra and the range of 540–1800 cm−1 is found to contain prominent spectral bands. Prominent variations have been observed in the Raman bands of 560–770 cm−1, 790–1160 cm−1, and 1180–1285 cm−1 with the rise in temperature. The spectral variations have been verified using classifier principal component analysis. It has been found that Desi ghee can be reused if heated below 180℃ and it can be heated up to 30 min without any appreciable molecular changes if a controlled heating can be managed.
Mach–Zehnder Stationary Two-Beam Spectroscopy Using Compound Prisms
Authors: Dávila Abundio , Saucedo-Orozco Bruno , Meneses Marco A , Frausto-Reyes Claudio
Published: March 2018

An interferometric optical setup for diffraction-less spectroscopy is tested as an optical design for control of interference frequency. Its design is based on a Mach–Zehnder interferometer in which a pair of compound prisms is introduced in the interferometer path to obtain interference patterns, which avoids the diffraction phenomena and nonlinear dispersion found on spectrometers that use gratings. Computer simulations of the interference patterns generated by the proposed optical setup are presented, and confirmed by the experimental results of the optical implementation. The theory that describes an ideal optical setup and the experimental results show that in order to reduce the combined uncertainties of wavelength measurement, a precise control in angle deviation and magnification are required for the reduction of measurement uncertainties.
The Ongoing U.S. Health Care Crisis: A Data Update
Authors: Himmelstein David U. , Woolhandler Steffie , Almberg Mark , Fauke Clare
Published: March 2018

While efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act were narrowly defeated, grave problems in health care persist. Twenty-eight million remain uninsured, a number that is likely to increase. Millions more who have coverage cannot afford care because of high cost-sharing requirements. Meanwhile, the corporate takeover of medical care in the United States is at a gallop. This article provides a brief précis of recent data on U.S. health policy.
Of Polluted Spirits and Compromised Identity: Pentecostal Depictions of Causality and the Repositioning of Human Agency in Cameroon
Authors: Tazanu Primus M
Published: March 2018

Thanks to the mass media, specifically television, Pentecostal discourses involving polluted human spirits and defective human agency are captured and disseminated in audio-visual form in Cameroon. These representations are about evil spirits residing in, as well as corrupting, the personality of innocent individuals. Victims of evil spirits are portrayed as colonized vessels incapable of exercising agency without the intervention of an all-powerful pastor. In this article, I expose the ways in which these representations of malevolent forces – that are strongly connected to aspects of African non-church religious beliefs – influence conversations between viewers, particularly to the extent that they express doubt about whether these forces really do affect people’s agency. The narratives doubting human agency as described in this article draw from Emmanuel TV representations of causality. This is further grounded in Cameroonians’ desire to align their spirits with benevolent forces through the intervention of pastor TB Joshua.
Refractive index matching for high light transmission composite systems
Authors: Keaney Erin , Shearer John , Panwar Artee , Mead Joey
Published: March 2018

Transparent optical polymer/filler systems can be produced into complex shapes for a range of applications, such as lenses, shields, and containers. This work used refractive index liquids as a model for polymer matrices to investigate the degree of refractive index match required to maintain high transmission in an inorganic-filled polymer system (cubic calcium fluoride with particle size of 1 to 5 µm) over the visible spectrum. It was determined that in order to achieve a transparent composite (>85% transmission with 10 mm pathlength) with this filler (using literature reported dispersion data), the materials must have a refractive index match within ±0.007 for 1.6 vol.% loading. With a loading of 3.1 vol.%, the matching range required was reduced to approximately ±0.002.
Compressive ratcheting and creep of non-asbestos fibre composite considering temperature effect
Authors: Zheng Xiaotao , Dai Wenchao , Ma Linwei , Wang Wei , Lin Wei , Yu Jiuyang
Published: March 2018

Compressive ratcheting response and creep of non-asbestos fibre composite are tested based on a designed compression–compression clamp for plate-shape specimens. The influences of temperature, stress amplitude and stress rate are discussed in detail. A two-stage constitutive model is developed to describe the compression-resilience relationship of non-asbestos fibre composite. Results present that a crescent-shaped stress–strain relationship of non-asbestos fibre composite is observed under repeated compression, and the proposed two-stage constitutive model can predict the compression-resilience curve for the first cycle very well under various temperatures and stress rates. Additionally, the ratcheting strain of non-asbestos fibre composite obviously enhances with increasing the temperature. However, it has a little change when the stress rate and stress amplitude are varied based on the experimental data. The ratcheting strain rate per cycle reduces promptly during about the first 75 cycles, and it is always less than 1 × 10−4 per cycle during the subsequent cycles and tends to shakedown. Moreover, the ratcheting strain with small stress amplitude is very close to the creep deformation at the same testing time and peak stress under different temperatures. This indicates that the ratcheting strain of non-asbestos fibre composite under fatigue loads with small stress amplitude can be evaluated equivalently by the corresponding creep deformation with high precision.
Curiosity killed the SAT: The role of research in redirecting performativity in initial teacher education
Authors: Stern Julian
Published: March 2018

Some see research as an esoteric, other-worldly, practice only to be completed by those unable to do anything ‘real’. Others – including some academics working in universities – see it as ‘just another thing to do’, a burden on already overworked staff, used as an excuse to set even more performance goals. Within initial teacher education, the challenges of research are often exacerbated by the performance and audit pressures related to professional standards. Nevertheless, some teacher education programmes have given research a central place, with students being systematically trained in action research or research-rich reflective practice – as in the Oxford internship scheme in the UK or the ACE scheme in Israel. Other programmes are described as ‘research-informed’, or as ‘drawing on’ (rather than participating in) research. But debates on the relationship between research and teacher education have rarely portrayed the direct link between academic staff, students of initial teacher education, and school pupils, as researchers. This chapter links the activities of all three groups, through the process of research. It focuses on the virtue of curiosity: the drive to discover, to make sense of the world, common to all people. Teacher education that is driven by curiosity will in turn be modelling the curiosity to be promoted in schools. Encouraging curiosity is a way of undermining or redirecting the performativity so well represented by chasing exam results, such as the UK's SATs (Standard Assessment Tests for 7-, 11- and 14-year-olds) or the USA's SAT (Scholastic Assessment Tests for 18-year-olds). Hence, curiosity can be used in such a way as to kill the power of SATs and other external performance-drivers, and can help return teacher education to a more holistic and virtuous practice.
Do We See Eye to Eye? Moderators of Correspondence Between Student and Faculty Evaluations of Day-to-Day Teaching
Authors: Cain Kathleen M. , Wilkowski Benjamin M. , Barlett Christopher P. , Boyle Colleen D. , Meier Brian P.
Published: March 2018

Students and instructors show moderate levels of agreement about the quality of day-to-day teaching. In the present study, we replicated and extended this finding by asking how correspondence between student and instructor ratings is moderated by time of semester and student demographic variables. Participants included 137 students and 5 instructors. On 10 separate days, students and instructors rated teaching effectiveness and challenge level of the material. Multilevel modeling indicated that student and instructor ratings of teaching effectiveness converged overall, but more advanced students and Caucasian students converged more closely with instructors. Student and instructor ratings of challenge converged early but diverged later in the semester. These results extend our knowledge about the connection between student and faculty judgments of teaching.
A Program to Improve Student Engagement at Research-Focused Universities
Authors: Whillans Ashley V. , Hope Sally E. , Wylie Lauren J. , Zhao Bob , Souza Michael J.
Published: March 2018

Promoting undergraduate engagement is an important and challenging obstacle at large research-focused universities. Thus, the current study evaluated whether a peer-led program of student-geared events could improve engagement among a diverse group of psychology students early on in their degrees. We randomly assigned interested second-year psychology students to participate in the program or to a wait-list. As compared to students who were randomly assigned to the wait-list, students who participated in the program attended more extracurricular events during the year, had higher grades, and reported greater feelings of engagement and enhanced skill learning. These data provide initial evidence that a peer-led program of student events can improve student life for psychology students attending large research-focused institutions.
Using the Movies to Illustrate the Principles of Experimental Design
Authors: Strelan Peter
Published: March 2018

This article presents an innovative technique for teaching the principles of experimental design in a way that is entertaining and engaging for students. Following a lecture on experimental design, students participate in an experiment in which the teacher uses a funny segment from a movie to test the influence of implicit social norms. Randomly allocated “participants” receive either laughter cues from the class (experimenter confederates) or no cues. Condition “hilarity” ratings are compared, and the class as a whole discusses issues relating to experimental design including internal validity, random assignment, and independent and dependent variables. Student feedback, including pre- and postactivity ratings, suggests that the exercise may be useful for enhancing students’ understanding of experimental design. Most importantly, the exercise provides a fertile context for active learning, and the usefulness of the exercise does not rely on the “success” of the experiment itself.
Employee wellbeing: The role of psychological detachment on the relationship between engagement and work–life conflict
Authors: Hamilton Skurak Henrieta , Malinen Sanna , Näswall Katharina , Kuntz Joana C
Published: March 2018

Given the importance of employee wellbeing to performance, organisations have increased their focus on understanding and managing the factors that contribute to wellbeing in the workplace. Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources model, this study tests the direct and indirect effects of engagement, drive and job demands on work–life conflict and wellbeing. The findings indicate that engagement and working overtime were indirectly related to work–life conflict through lack of psychological detachment from work. In addition, being pressured to prioritise work over personal life, work overload, working overtime and experiencing strong drive were indirectly associated with reduced wellbeing through increased work–life conflict. This study demonstrates that to enjoy the benefits of a highly engaged workforce, organisations must enable employee detachment from work.
Pore structure and fractal characteristics of a tight gas sandstone: A case study of Sulige area in the Ordos Basin, China
Authors: Wu Hao , Ji Youliang , Liu Ruie , Zhang Chunlin , Chen Sheng
Published: March 2018

To understand the pore structure and fractal characteristics of tight gas reservoirs, thin sections, nuclear magnetic resonance, rate-controlled mercury injection, microcomputed tomography scanning, and field emission scanning electron microscopy investigations under laboratory conditions were conducted on a suite of core samples from the Middle Permian Shihezi Formation of Sulige area in the Ordos Basin, China. The investigated tight gas sandstones comprise three types of pores, i.e. residual intergranular pore, secondary dissolution pore, and micropore. The pore–throat size distribution is extremely wide and multiscale (10 nm–400 μm) co-existing in tight gas reservoirs. The submicron- and micron-scale pore–throats with radius above 0.05 μm, which are characterized by combining rate-controlled mercury injection with nuclear magnetic resonance, are considered to be the effective pores and throats that dominated the reservoirs flow capacity. Tight gas sandstones have stage fractal characteristics, and the intrusion pressure of approximately 1 MPa is regarded as an inflection point. Fractal dimension is negatively correlated with permeability, average throat radius and mainstream throat radius, positively correlated with heterogeneous coefficient, while there are no obvious relationships with porosity and average pore radius. Additionally, the percolation characteristics of tight gas reservoirs can be characterized by fractal structure. When the pore structure does not follow the fractal structure (i.e. intrusion pressure is lower than 1 MPa), the mercury intrusion saturation is dominated by pores; in contrast, the mercury intrusion saturation is almost solely dominated by throats. This research sheds light on the pore–throat size distribution of tight gas reservoirs by identifying the role of multiple techniques and the relationships between the pore structure parameters and percolation characteristics of tight gas reservoirs and fractal dimension.
Age-Friendly Communities and Life Satisfaction Among the Elderly in Urban China
Authors: Xie Lili
Published: March 2018

This study aims to examine the extent to which older adults’ perceptions of environmental age-friendliness are associated with their life satisfaction. We used a national representative sample ( N = 9,965) with elders aged 60 and above from urban China and structural equation modeling to analyze the relationship among community characteristics, socioeconomic status (SES), and life satisfaction. Results showed that older people’s perceptions of housing conditions, local amenities, and social inclusion were significantly associated with general life satisfaction. Multigroup comparison tests indicated that no disparities in the aforementioned relationships among SES subgroups. However, the socioeconomically disadvantaged elderly population was shown to have the lowest assessment of community age-friendliness. Findings emphasized the potential role of age-friendly communities as having an influential force on older adults’ subjective well-being, regardless of their SES. Meanwhile, policy makers and practitioners should pay special attentions to improve the living environments of disadvantaged elders.
How Contact Experiences Shape Welcoming: Perspectives from U.S.-Born and Immigrant Groups
Authors: Tropp Linda R. , Okamoto Dina G. , Marrow Helen B. , Jones-Correa Michael
Published: March 2018

This research examines how intergroup contact experiences—including both their frequency and their qualities (friendly, discriminatory)—predict indicators of welcoming among U.S.-born and immigrant groups. Analyzing a new survey of U.S.-born groups (whites and blacks) and immigrant groups (Mexicans and Indians) from the Atlanta and Philadelphia metropolitan areas (total N = 2,006), we examine welcoming as a key dimension of social integration. Along with reporting their contact experiences, survey respondents indicated the extent to which they are inclined to welcome and feel welcomed by each of the other groups. Results consistently demonstrated that greater contact frequency predicted greater tendencies to welcome and feel welcomed by each of the other groups. These effects persisted even when demographic characteristics, perceived discrimination, and exposure are included as predictors in the models. Findings also suggested that racial and nativity hierarchies shape how perceived discrimination predicts welcoming others and feeling welcomed by others.
The relationship implications of rejecting a partner for sex kindly versus having sex reluctantly
Authors: Kim James , Muise Amy , Impett Emily A.
Published: March 2018

Romantic partners often have differing levels of sexual interest. In these situations, lower desire partners may engage in sex for avoidance goals (e.g., to avoid disappointing their partner), which are associated with negative relational outcomes. An alternative strategy to sustain relationship quality may be to decline a partner’s sexual advances in positive ways. In two experimental studies and a dyadic daily experience study with a longitudinal follow-up, we examined the relationship outcomes of positive rejection compared to avoidance-motivated sex. Across studies, when people engaged in positive rejection, both they and their partner did not experience lower levels of relationship satisfaction compared to when they had sex for avoidance goals, although this was not true for sexual satisfaction. Chronic pursuit of sex for avoidance goals did, however, have detrimental consequences over time, whereas positive rejection helped sustain relationship satisfaction. Results suggest positive rejection behaviors may be a viable alternative to avoidance-motivated sex.
Regulatory T-cells within bone marrow-derived stem cells actively confer immunomodulatory and neuroprotective effects against stroke
Authors: Neal Elliot G , Acosta Sandra A , Kaneko Yuji , Ji Xunming , Borlongan Cesario V
Published: March 2018

Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) may exert a neuroprotective effect on ischemic stroke by inhibiting both inflammation and effector T-cell activation. Transplantation of human bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) in ischemic stroke affords neuroprotection that results in part from the cells’ anti-inflammatory property. However, the relationship between Tregs and BMSCs in treatment of ischemic stroke has not been fully elucidated. Here, we tested the hypothesis that Tregs within the BMSCs represent active mediators of immunomodulation and neuroprotection in experimental stroke. Primary rat neuronal cells were subjected to an oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R) condition. The cells were re-perfused and co-cultured with Tregs and/or BMSCs. We detected a minority population of Tregs within BMSCs with both immunocytochemistry (ICC) and flow cytometry identifying cells expressing phenotypic markers of CD4, CD25, and FoxP3 protein. BMSCs with the native population of Tregs conferred maximal neuroprotection compared to the treatment conditions containing 0%, 10%, and 100% relative ratio Tregs. Increasing the Treg population resulted in increased IL6 secretion and decreased FGF-β secretion by BMSCs. This study shows that a minority population of Tregs exists within the therapeutic BMSC population, which serves as robust mediators of the immunomodulatory and neuroprotective effect provided by BMSC transplantation.
Quantitative positron emission tomography reveals regional differences in aerobic glycolysis within the human brain
Authors: Blazey Tyler , Snyder Abraham Z , Su Yi , Goyal Manu S , Lee John J , Vlassenko Andrei G , Arbeláez Ana Maria , Raichle Marcus E
Published: March 2018

Glucose and oxygen metabolism are tightly coupled in the human brain, with the preponderance of the brain’s glucose supply used to generate ATP via oxidative phosphorylation. A fraction of glucose is consumed outside of oxidative phosphorylation despite the presence of sufficient oxygen to do so. We refer to this process as aerobic glycolysis. A recent positron emission tomography study reported that aerobic glycolysis is uniform within gray matter. Here, we analyze the same data and demonstrate robust regional differences in aerobic glycolysis within gray matter, a finding consistent with previously published data.
In vivo MRI detection of atherosclerosis in ApoE-deficient mice by using tenascin-C-targeted USPIO
Authors: Li Yan , Liu Jun , Huang Jun-wen , Song Jia-cheng , Ma Zhan-long , Shi Hai-bin
Published: March 2018

Background

Atherosclerosis is the main cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Non-invasive molecular imaging to detect and characterize the plaques is essential for reducing life-threatening cardiovascular events.

Purpose

To investigate the possibility of the anti-tenascin-C-USPIO specific probe as a molecular marker of atherosclerotic plaques detected by 7.0-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Material and Methods

Twenty ApoE-/- mice fed with a high fat diet were used for detecting the aorta arch atherosclerotic plaques by 7.0-T MRI at 16 and 24 weeks. Ten mice in the targeted group were injected with anti-tenascin-C-USPIO and another ten in the control group were injected with pure USPIO (n = 5 each time point in each group). Histopathologic examination was used to evaluate the plaques and immunohistochemistry analysis was used to compare tenascin-C expression.

Results

The relative signal intensity (rSI) changes of the targeted group decreased more than those of the control group (16 weeks: −15.65 ± 0.78% vs. −3.43 ± 2.57%; 24 weeks: −26.38 ± 1.54% vs. −11.12 ± 1.60%, respectively; P < 0.05). Histopathological analyses demonstrated visible atherosclerotic plaques formation and development over time from 16 weeks to 24 weeks. Tenascin-C expression of the plaques at 24 weeks was higher than that at 16 weeks (0.22 ± 0.04 vs. 0.13 ± 0.02, P < 0.05). The MR images correlated well with the progression of atherosclerotic plaques.

Conclusion

Tenascin-C expression increased with the progression of atherosclerosis. Anti-tenascin-C-USPIO could provide a useful molecular imaging tool for detecting and monitoring atherosclerotic plaques by MRI.
Predictive risk factors of failed laryngeal mask airway insertion at first attempt
Authors: Wang Jia , Shi Xiaoping , Xu Tao , Wang Geng
Published: March 2018

Objectives

A failed first attempt at laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion could increase the risk of laryngospasm, hypoxemia, and postoperative sore throat. This study was performed to investigate the risk factors for failed first-attempt LMA placement.

Methods

In total, 461 patients who underwent general anesthesia with a Supreme LMA (Teleflex Medical, Shanghai, China) and who had an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status of I to III were prospectively enrolled. The LMA was inserted after anesthetic induction. We recorded the insertion conditions and each patient’s age, ASA status, body weight, body mass index (BMI), duration of anesthesia, size of LMA, and cuff pressure; the years of work experience of the anesthesiologists; and the use or nonuse of lidocaine gel as a lubricant.

Results

Successful first-attempt placement of the Supreme LMA was achieved in 438 (95.10%) patients, while first-attempt placement failed in 23 (4.99%). Significant risk factors for failure of first-attempt LMA insertion included high age, high body weight, BMI of <20 kg/m2, and insertion without using lidocaine gel.

Conclusions

A patient age of >61 years, high body weight, BMI of <20 kg/m2, and insertion without lidocaine gel could significantly increase the risk of failed first-attempt Supreme LMA insertion.
Analysis of alterations in white matter integrity of adult patients with comitant exotropia
Authors: Li Dan , Li Shenghong , Zeng Xianjun
Published: March 2018

Objective

This study was performed to investigate structural abnormalities of the white matter in patients with comitant exotropia using the tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) method.

Methods

Diffusion tensor imaging data from magnetic resonance images of the brain were collected from 20 patients with comitant exotropia and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The FMRIB Software Library was used to compute the diffusion measures, including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). These measures were obtained using voxel-wise statistics with threshold-free cluster enhancement.

Results

The FA values in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFO) and right inferior longitudinal fasciculus were significantly higher and the RD values in the bilateral IFO, forceps minor, left anterior corona radiata, and left anterior thalamic radiation were significantly lower in the comitant exotropia group than in the healthy controls. No significant differences in the MD or AD values were found between the two groups.

Conclusions

Alterations in FA and RD values may indicate the underlying neuropathologic mechanism of comitant exotropia. The TBSS method can be a useful tool to investigate neuronal tract participation in patients with this disease.
Simulation of key interventions for seasonal influenza outbreak control at school in Changsha, China
Authors: Chen Tianmu , Zhao Bin , Liu Ruchun , Zhang Xixing , Xie Zhi , Chen Shuilian
Published: March 2018

Objective

To use a mathematical model to simulate an influenza outbreak in a school in order to assess the effectiveness of isolation (Iso), antiviral therapeutics, antiviral prophylactics (P), vaccination prior to the outbreak, and school closure (for 1 [S1w], 2 or 3 weeks).

Methods

This study developed a susceptible–exposed–infectious/asymptomatic–recovered model to estimate the effectiveness of commonly used interventions for seasonal influenza outbreaks in school.

Results

The most effective single-intervention strategy was isolation with a total attack rate of 1.99% and an outbreak duration of 30 days. The additional effectiveness of antiviral therapeutics and prophylactics and vaccination (prior to the outbreak) strategies were not obvious. Although Iso+P, P+Iso+S1w, four-, and five-combined intervention strategies had commendable effectiveness, total attack rate decreased only slightly, and outbreak duration was shortened by 9 days maximum, compared with the single-intervention isolation strategy. School closure for 1, 2 or 3 weeks was futile or even counterproductive.

Conclusion

Isolation, as a single intervention, was the most effective in terms of reducing the total attack rate and the duration of the outbreak.
Real-world evidence in metastatic renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Graham Jeffrey , Heng Daniel YC
Published: March 2018

Real-world evidence has played an important role in expanding our knowledge on the treatment and prognostication of advanced renal cell carcinoma. This type of data has been particularly helpful in providing a better understanding of groups that are traditionally excluded from randomized controlled trials. The International mRCC Database Consortium (IMDC) represents the largest collection of real-world data on patients with advanced kidney cancer treated with targeted therapies. The IMDC prognostic model has been used to stratify patients in contemporary clinical trials and to provide risk-directed treatment selection in everyday clinical practice. More recently, it has been shown to predict response to first-line combination immunotherapy in the phase III CheckMate 214 clinical trial. In this review, we highlight the real-world evidence associated with the treatment of mRCC. We focus on first-line therapy, as well as second-line and third-line therapeutic options, including novel immuno-oncology agents. We also address the real-world evidence for the use of cytoreductive nephrectomy in advanced renal cell carcinoma in the targeted therapy era.
Delivering cognitive behavioural interventions in an internet-based healthcare delivery environment
Authors: Nalder Emily , Marziali Elsa , Dawson Deirdre R. , Murphy Kelly
Published: March 2018

Introduction

This exploratory qualitative study assessed the feasibility of transitioning three face-to-face, cognitive behavioural interventions for adults with chronic health conditions to online delivery, by examining clinician and clients' satisfaction with intervention training and delivery.

Method

The interventions adapted for online delivery were: ‘Managing Chronic Disease’, a programme for individuals who were nonadherent to prescribed rehabilitation regimens; ‘Real-World Strategy Training’, an occupation-based intervention for individuals with subjective cognitive decline; and ‘Learning the Ropes’, a memory programme for persons with mild cognitive impairment. Two occupational therapists and one nurse received training in, and then delivered one of the three interventions. Qualitative feedback interviews with participants, and archived video recordings of intervention sessions were analysed thematically.

Results

Key features of each manualised intervention were evident in the online sessions and perceived by clients as enhancing engagement (for example, peer support and strategy training). Clinicians felt that meeting individually with intervention experts was helpful to problem-solve technical issues and ensure adherence to protocols.

Conclusion

Three cognitive behavioural interventions transitioned to online delivery were acceptable to older adults and clinicians. A next step would be to complete randomised controlled trials investigating whether the interventions yield equivalent health benefits, using online and face-to-face delivery.
Compact tension fracture specimen: Experimental and computational implementations on stress intensity factor
Authors: Farahani Behzad V , Tavares Paulo J , Belinha Jorge , Moreira PMGP
Published: March 2018

This work concentrates on the characterization of the stress intensity factor range for a compact tension specimen tested under a uniaxial tensile fatigue loading condition. The experimental solution is obtained using a three-dimensional full-field optical technique, digital image correlation. The deformation field is measured and documented for distinct crack lengths. As a relevant fracture parameter, stress intensity factor is thus experimentally measured combined with a computational overdeterministic algorithm for different crack lengths. Moreover, to verify the performance of the proposed fracture model, the cracked compact tension specimen is elasto-statically resolved using advanced discretization techniques, such as the finite element method, the meshless radial point interpolation method and the meshless natural neighbour radial point interpolation method. The finite element method model is thereby analysed with ABAQUS© to enable computation of mode I stress intensity factor results based on strain energy release rate criterion for different crack measurements in addition to strain contours. Likewise, the resolution pattern is repeated for meshless methods, and analogous numerical solutions are thus obtained. Overall, the experimental and numerical stress intensity factor results are compared with an available solution (ASTM E647) exhibiting a reasonable agreement. The novelty of this investigation is the amalgamation of an experimental digital image correlation procedure with a computational overdeterministic algorithm and, most importantly, the meshless formulation performance in the linear elastic fracture mechanics.
« Une bombe dans la discipline » : l’émergence du mouvement génopolitique en science politique
Authors: Larregue Julien
Published: March 2018

Mobilizing scientometric analyses and semi-structured interviews, this article investigates the emergence of ‘genopolitics’ and the scientific and academic stakes surrounding the study of genetic factors of political behavior. While the first paper on genopolitics was published in 2005, it was not until 2012 that we could observe the stabilization of this scientific movement. Though genopolitics is a relatively homogenous movement, it is nonetheless affected by internal struggles relating to the construction of a scientific programme that would be regarded as legitimate by all of its members, as well as by political scientists and the rest of the scientific field as a whole. Beyond these disagreements concerning the best appellation for, and main goal of, their programme, genopoliticians advocate for the emergence of a new paradigm in political science that would resolve the anomalies observed within empirical research resorting to the dominant rational choice and socio-psychological theories. Paradoxically, one consequence of this attempt at advancing political science is to threaten its epistemological independence, as illustrated by the use of methodological standards borrowed from behavior genetics. At the individual level, genopolitics provides an opportunity for political scientists to contribute to a controversial, but innovative area of research, and thus to ameliorate their position within the scientific field.
Advance Care Planning in Chinese Seniors
Authors: Cheng Hon Wai Benjamin
Published: March 2018

In traditional Chinese culture, death was sensitive and mentioning it was sacrilegious and to be avoided. Many Chinese families object to telling the patient a “bad” diagnosis or prognosis, which may hinder the chance in advance care planning (ACP) discussion. While death remains an inevitable consequence of being born, as such, it is important that human beings recognize its inevitability and plan ahead of a good death. Advance care planning enables patients to assert their care preferences in the event that they are unable to make their own medical decisions. In China, a rapidly aging demographic presents additional challenges to quality end-of-life care. The adoption of palliative care in China has been slow, with a curative approach dominating health-care strategies. In this article, we would summarize China’s current situation in population aging, palliative care development, and Chinese cultural values on death and dying and review the advance directive and end-of-life care preferences among Chinese elderly patients. Current literature recommended the use of indirect communication approaches to determine Chinese seniors’ readiness. In individual practice, using depersonalized communication strategies to initiate the discussion was recommended to determine older Chinese seniors’ readiness.
Developing a coherent strategy to build leadership capacity in Scottish education
Authors: Hamilton Gillian , Forde Christine , McMahon Margery
Published: March 2018

Leadership is central to policy ambitions for improvement in Scottish education with leadership positioned as one of the key drivers for improvement to achieve excellence and equity for all learners. To foster teacher engagement in and leadership of change and to prepare enough teachers for headship, building leadership capacity is crucial. The question we explore is: how is it possible to design a career-long leadership development strategy to secure the capacity necessary to fulfil these policy intentions while fostering the autonomy of teachers in professional learning? First, we examine leadership development in the reform agenda and second, we consider the task of balancing system and individual needs in career-long leadership development. We then detail the approaches used to build a cohesive leadership system and its ongoing development.
Understanding the Essence of Caring from the Lived Experiences of Filipino Informatics Nurses
Authors: Macabasag Romeo Luis A. , Diño Michael Joseph S.
Published: March 2018

Caring is considered a unique concept in nursing because it subsumes all intrinsic attributes of nursing as a human helping discipline. Scholars have argued that caring is usually seen as an encounter between nurses and patients, but how about nurses with minimal or absent nurse-patient encounters, like informatics nurses? In this study, we explored the meaning of the phenomenon of caring to present lived experiences of caring, namely caring as actions of coming in between; caring as expressed within embodied relations; and caring and the path traversed by informatics nurses. The informatics nurse-cyborg-patient triad speaks of Filipino informatics nurses’ insightful understanding of the phenomenon of caring.
Respect: An Integrative Review
Authors: Rewakowski Carrie
Published: March 2018

Feeling respected is a universal human experience. The notion of respect is ubiquitous and discussed at varying levels of discourse. An integrative review of the literature on the phenomenon of respect is discussed. Literature was reviewed from the disciplines of philosophy, psychology, sociology, business, theology, and nursing. Three themes emerged from this literature review: respect honors inherent worth, respect intentionally co-shapes identity, and respect emerges with earned admiration.
Transforming Ethical Thinking With Healthcare Reform: A Nursing Theoretical Perspective
Authors: Milton Constance L.
Published: March 2018

Healthcare reform discussions dominate the global media and legislative priorities. Many ethical straight-thinking questions arise over what the role of healthcare professionals, including nurses, should be in this debate. This article begins a discussion of potential ethical questions surrounding healthcare reform in light of a nursing theoretical humanbecoming community change model perspective.
Toward Becoming a Global Nurse
Authors: Baumann Steven L. , Goldberg Devorah
Published: March 2018

Globalization is a fact of modern life and healthcare that comes with various challenges and opportunities. After telling the story of one nurse’s experience of working with Healthy Kids, Brighter Future in Zambia, the authors of this paper discuss five elements of being a global nurse. The five elements are global: aesthetics, intelligence, ethics, politics, and health. Implications for nursing and nursing education are also discussed.
Love and Responsibility: A New Understanding of Leadership
Authors: Foss Berit , Eriksson Katie , Nåden Dagfinn
Published: March 2018

The purpose of the study is to investigate the importance of substance for the disclosure of ontological evidence. The methodology is inspired by Gadamer’s hermeneutic philosophy and involves clinical application research using a deductive approach. This means that leaders in a clinical context were taught and participated in a discussion about a theoretical model of leadership with caring science and ontological substance. The result shows that the leaders’ attention and focus were primarily directed toward administration, finances, and outer structures. Caring science and ontological substance contributed toward disclosing ontological evidence, and leadership emerged as caring, love, inner responsibility, guilt, and vulnerability. In this study, substance has been combined with teaching and group discussion as a methodical approach. Substance is the guiding issue and has been shown to lead to truth. The method is in a true sense nothing without substance.
The national project Digital Library and Digital Archives
Authors: Kováčik Ján
Published: March 2018

The article introduces the national project Digital Library and Digital Archives (DIKDA) implemented between 2012 and 2015 by the Slovak National Library and its partner the Slovak National Archives. The European Union-funded project is remarkable for its complexity, integrating industrial-scale mass digitisation of printed cultural heritage materials with the improvement of preservation conditions of their physical copies, including their conservation and restoration. The amount of material digitised (over 55 million pages of monographs, serials, articles and special documents so far) and the robust technological infrastructure of mass digitisation make it one of the largest projects of its kind. The article summarises the basic facts about the project and its results and explains in detail its impacts in the area of making the digitised content available to the public, giving special focus to the cultural heritage portal of Slovakiana and related copyright aspects with regard to the out-of-commerce works legislation.
Long-chain alkenone-inferred temperatures from the last deglaciation to the early Holocene recorded by annually laminated sediments of the maar lake Sihailongwan, northeastern China
Authors: Sun Qing , Chu Guoqiang , Xie Manman , Ling Yuan , Su Youliang , Zhu Qingzeng , Shan Yabin , Liu Jiaqi
Published: March 2018

Abrupt temperature changes during the last deglaciation are well recognized in Greenland ice cores and in deep-sea sediment records. On the continent of monsoonal Asia, however, only a few terrestrial temperature reconstructions extend to the Younger Dryas (YD). This hampers the understanding of how the Asian monsoon system responded to large-scale boundary changes in ice-sheet dynamics and reorganizations of atmospheric–oceanic circulation between the last deglaciation and the Holocene. Here, we report an alkenone-inferred temperature record from varved sediments of the maar lake Sihailongwan, northeastern China. Alkenone provides temperatures that represent the water temperature during the growing season when the lake is ice-free. Annually laminated sediments provide a reliable time control. Reconstructed temperatures reveal a distinctive pattern of variations during the last deglaciation: a temperature increase of 6°C at the onset of the Bølling–Allerød, two cold intervals (during the Older Dryas and the intra-Allerød cold period), a relatively minor temperature decrease of 1–3°C during the YD, and a rapid temperature increase of 4–5°C at the early Holocene. The reconstructed temperature records from Lake Sihailongwan and adjacent regions indicate that summer (or growing season) temperature changes were smaller than is evident in Greenland ice core records that are weighted toward winter.
Communication of genetic information in the palliative care context: Ethical and legal issues
Authors: Saulnier Katie M. , Cinà Margherita , Chan Benny , Pelletier Sylvie , Dorval Michel , Joly Yann
Published: March 2018

As scientific understanding of the heritable aspects of cancer deepens, the need to effectively communicate genetic information within the families of cancer patients becomes more acute. In the palliative care context, the question of when and how to disclose a patient’s genetic information raises a host of ethical, legal, and social issues, including the challenges of communicating during the end-of-life stage and complex familial and cultural dynamics. In this paper, the authors outline the legal components of these issues in three civil law jurisdictions with similarly comprehensive approaches to healthcare and palliative care - Quebec, Belgium, and France - and provide insights from bioethics literature and normative documents on the disclosure of genetic information at the end of life. From this research, the authors propose a strategy for palliative care providers who are considering available options to communicate hereditary health information.
Trade unions in a changing political context
Authors: Magnusson Lars
Published: March 2018

A common feature in almost all Western countries over the last 40 years has been the steady decline in trade union membership and subsequently a decline in the power and influence of unions. Moreover, in many countries trade union strength has relied upon longlasting relationships with social democratic parties or, in a minority of cases, communist parties. The trend over the last decades has been a weakening of traditional ‘working-class’ coalitions. The aim of this article is to discuss to what extent such features also exist in Sweden, a country long regarded as a stronghold of powerful social partners, the so-called Swedish Model. We will show that Sweden is also affected by the wider European trends but that there are important countervailing forces. At the moment, much hinges on the parliamentary election in 2018.
International Political Economy of Labour and collective bargaining in the automotive industry
Authors: Las Heras Jon
Published: March 2018

This article shows how International Political Economy of Labour (IPEL) approaches can be fruitful in the study of working class and institutional transformation in contemporary capitalism. It draws from an analysis of variegated union strategies in the Mercedes-Benz-Vitoria Global Value Chain (MBV-GVC), located in the autonomous community of the Basque Country (north Spain). More concretely, it explains how the recurring adoption of micro-corporatist strategies at the car assembly plant undermined and fragmented working conditions whilst, in sharp contrast, the adoption of confrontational strategies in supplier companies led to the empowerment of the workforce, increasing salaries of new entrants well above new assembly workers’. This occurred parallel to Basque unions’ challenge of prevailing institutionalised forms of collective bargaining, especially by questioning the power that Provincial Metal Sector Agreements have in the regulation of salaries and working conditions of medium and small (non-unionised) companies. Thus, in exploring how Spanish and Basque trade unions’ strategies produced different institutional settings, this article argues that IPEL approaches are helpful in providing complex and nuanced accounts of the uneven development of capitalism as a result of labour’s agency.