bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Ensemble-Based Probabilistic Score Approach to Compare Observation Scenarios: An Application to Biogeochemical-Argo Deployments
Authors: Germineaud Cyril , Brankart Jean-Michel , Brasseur Pierre
Published: September 2019

A cross-validation algorithm is developed to perform probabilistic observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs). The use of a probability distribution of “true” states is considered rather than a single “truth” using a cross-validation algorithm in which each member of an ensemble simulation is alternatively used as the “truth” and to simulate synthetic observation data that reflect the observing system to be evaluated. The other available members are used to produce an updated ensemble by assimilating the specific data, while a probabilistic evaluation of the observation impacts is obtained using a comprehensive set of verification skill scores. To showcase this new type of OSSE studies with tractable numerical costs, a simple biogeochemical application under the Horizon 2020 AtlantOS project is presented for a single assimilation time step, in order to investigate the value of adding biogeochemical (BGC)-Argo floats to the existing satellite ocean color observations. Further experiments must be performed in time as well for a rigorous and effective evaluation of the BGC-Argo network design, though some evidence from this preliminary work suggests that assimilating chlorophyll data from a BGC-Argo array of 1000 floats can provide additional error reduction at the surface, where the use of spatial ocean color data is limited (due to cloudy conditions), as well at depths ranging from 50 to 150 m.
Track Uncertainty in High-Resolution HWRF Ensemble Forecasts of Hurricane Joaquin
Authors: Alaka Ghassan J. , Zhang Xuejin , Gopalakrishnan Sundararaman G. , Zhang Zhan , Marks Frank D. , Atlas Robert
Published: September 2019

Hurricane Joaquin (2015) was characterized by high track forecast uncertainty when it approached the Bahamas from 29 September 2015 to 1 October 2015, with 5-day track predictions ranging from landfall in the United States to east of Bermuda. The source of large track spread in Joaquin forecasts is investigated using an ensemble prediction system (EPS) based on the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) Model. For the first time, a high-resolution analysis of an HWRF-based EPS is performed to isolate the factors that control tropical cyclone (TC) track uncertainty. Differences in the synoptic-scale environment, the TC vortex structure, and the TC location are evaluated to understand the source of track forecast uncertainty associated with Joaquin, especially at later lead times when U.S. landfall was possible. EPS members that correctly propagated Joaquin into the central North Atlantic are compared with members that incorrectly predicted U.S. landfall. Joaquin track forecasts were highly dependent on the evolution of the environment, including weak atmospheric steering flow near the Bahamas and three synoptic-scale systems: a trough over North America, a ridge to the northeast of Joaquin, and an upper-tropospheric trough to the east of Joaquin. Differences in the steering flow were associated with perturbations of the synoptic-scale environment at the model initialization time. Ultimately, members that produced a more progressive midlatitude synoptic-scale pattern had reduced track errors. Joaquin track forecast uncertainty was not sensitive to the TC vortex structure or the initial TC position.
Role of Small Islands in UN Climate Negotiations: A Constructivist Viewpoint
Authors: Rasheed Athaulla A.
Published: September 2019

This article is about small island developing states (SIDS) and their role in the United Nations (UN) climate negotiations. It presents a discussion about how a constructivist model of foreign policy analysis and international system design can be used to explain the impact of climate ideas of SIDS on UN climate system. The SIDS have been in the UN climate negotiations since the 1980s, committed to a climate agenda with clear ideas about the challenges they face and the type of solutions they seek from the international policy community. In this respect, this article seeks to explain that climate ideas shared among SIDS have established an intersubjective understanding to promote a compelling common voice at international climate negotiations, which is based on an island vulnerability identity. These ideas have shaped the policy thinking and interests of climate negotiators to design institutional frameworks that have given special consideration to SIDS. It concludes that this observation represents a disproportionate impact of SIDS. Despite the weak material powers for being small islands, their climate agenda has influenced the UN system design to address their concerns.
On Heavy Metal: Existential Rage and the Neurotic Artist
Authors: Whitaker Ashley L.
Published: September 2019

Many artists are seen as neurotic and some believe this occurs because of their underpinning struggle to ameliorate the existential angst that often arises from living out an embodied human life. An art piece can be a means to channel the artist’s neuroticism and potentially alleviate exasperation due to conflicted thoughts about existence. At its extreme, what the author labels as existential rage occurs as a railing against the meaninglessness and disparity of life’s circumstances. Art, especially the heavy metal musical genre, is a dynamic medium that encapsulates and communicates existential rage, a version of existential injury categorized by extreme embitterment toward one’s being in the world. In this way, thoughts can be experienced as coming from outside of the artist as opposed to within the metaphorical inner cracks of their psyche. Heavy metal as a sonic medium of expression is intensely engrossed in existential concerns about existence. Laypersons and mental health practitioners alike stand to benefit from an expanded understanding of heavy metal in discourse on universal concerns within existential philosophy and psychology.
Design of a joint research data platform: A use case for severity assessment
Authors: Talbot Steven R , Bruch Stefan , Kießling Fabian , Marschollek Michael , Jandric Branko , Tolba René H , Bleich André
Published: September 2019

Severity assessment in animal models is a data-driven process. We therefore present a use case for building a repository for interlaboratory collaboration with the potential of uploading specific content, making group announcements and internal prepublication discussions. We clearly show that it is possible to offer such a structure with minimal effort and a basic understanding of web-based services, also taking into account the human factor in individual data collection. The FOR2591 Online Repository serves as a blueprint for other groups, so that one day not only will data sharing among consortium members be improved but the transition from the private to the persistent domain will also be easier.
If Cemeteries Could Talk … A Discourse-Analytical Analysis of Epitaphs
Authors: Heynderickx Priscilla C. , Dieltjens Sylvain M.
Published: September 2019

Death discourse provides interesting material to determine how societies and cultures cope with death and the sorrow of losing a beloved one. Several aspects can be analyzed: content, language, design, and so on. This article describes a diachronic bottom-up analysis of the metaphorical language in 150 epitaphs from Belgian cemeteries. The analysis allows us to determine whether attitudes toward death and the taboo to talk directly about it have changed. Based on the existing frameworks, 13 recurring metaphors were identified and analyzed. Their occurrences are linked to the period in which they were written and the age and the gender of the deceased. Epitaphs are a stable genre on all levels of analysis. The results indicate that people are still reluctant to talk in a straightforward way about death as metaphors with positive connotations prevail.
Two sacred tales in the Seoul metropolis: The gospels of prosperity and development in modernizing South Korea
Authors: Suh Myung-Sahm
Published: September 2019

This article examines the ways in which the emergence of the Seoul Capital Area offered both opportunities and challenges to religious actors in modernizing South Korea. South Korea rebuilt itself from the ruins of the Korean War through an accelerated process of urbanization and industrialization in accordance with a state-led modernization drive. This process, in turn, led to an unprecedented population concentration in Seoul and its surrounding area, where new political and economic centers emerged side-by-side with slums and shantytowns. Amid this turbulent social change, some of today’s most well-known Protestant leaders – especially Pentecostal Cho Yong-gi and Calvinist Kim Chin-hong – joined the caravan of rural-to-urban migration and commenced their ministries in Seoul, adapting their religious messages and practices to address the social aspirations of the growing urban population. This article demonstrates that despite their shared concern for the problem of urban poverty, Cho Yong-gi and Kim Chin-hong faced successes and failures in different ways as they adopted ministerial programs of the gospel of prosperity and the theology of development, respectively.
Always Already Geopolitical: Trans Health Care and Global Tactical Technical Communication
Authors: Edenfield Avery C. , Colton Jared S. , Holmes Steve
Published: September 2019

Transgender persons face many barriers preventing them from accessing and receiving health care. Gender-transition care can be difficult because such care is frequently contingent upon geopolitics, such as location-based health-care policies that exclude transgender community attitudes and values. This article uses rhetorical cluster analysis to explore the combining two conceptual lenses—tactical technical communication and participatory localization—to study the do-it-yourself geopolitical medical literacies of transgender people in one Reddit forum. We found being trans online means to be tactical and geopolitical, encountering and negotiating geopolitical awareness of health-care options, exposing a privilege invisible to cisgender users.
Constructing a Cultural Logic From a Swedish Context
Authors: Bivens Kristin Marie
Published: September 2019

Cultural logics reveal a culture’s way of reasoning or a belief system. When paired with International Patient Experience Design (I-PXD), cultural logics provide insight into cultural contexts to help health and medical communicators design, test, and shape health and medical information across complex, dynamic international contexts. Using a Swedish context, I demonstrate the cultural logic-I-PXD interplay to construct a cultural logic. The process I highlight reveals how a paired cultural logic-I-PXD approach can provide a method to reveal cultural assumptions, expectations, and dynamics that can inform the design and testing of health and medical information in international contexts.
Quality assessment of gas produced from different types of biomass pellets in gasification process
Authors: Mikeska Marcel , Najser Jan , Peer Václav , Frantík Jaroslav , Kielar Jan
Published: September 2019

Gas from the gasification of pellets made from renewable sources of energy or from lower-quality fuels often contains a number of pollutants. This may cause technical difficulties during the gas use in internal combustion gas engines used for energy and heat cogeneration. Therefore, an adequate system of gas cleaning must be selected. In line with such requirements, this paper focuses on the characterization and comparison of gases produced from different types of biomass during gasification. The biomass tested was wood, straw, and hay pellets. The paper gives a detailed description and evaluation of the measurements from a fix-bed gasifier for the properties of the produced gases, raw fuels, tar composition, and its particle content before and after the cleaning process. The results of elemental composition, net calorific value, moisture, and ash content show that the cleaned gases are suitable for internal combustion engine-based cogeneration systems, but unsuitable for gas turbines, where a different cleaning technology would be needed.
Loops in publication citation networks
Authors: Bu Yi , Huang Yong , Lu Wei
Published: September 2019

Traditionally, publication citation networks are regarded as acyclic, that is, no loops in the network as an earlier published article cannot cite a later published article. However, due to the accessibility of pre-print versions of articles, there might be some loops in a publication citation network. This article presents a descriptive statistic on loops in publication citation networks of computer science and physics by employing a network-based indicator, namely, strongly connected component (SCC). By employing computer science and physics disciplines publications from the Web of Science database as examples, this article examines the count of loops, how the count changes over time and how the count relates to the published year difference between publications within the loop in the citation network. Some common structural patterns are also extracted and analysed; we observe that the two disciplines share the most frequent patterns though there exist some minor differences. Moreover, we find that self-citations in terms of authors, authors’ institutions and journals contribute to the formation of loops in publication citation networks.
Prime-Time Television’s First White, Female U.S. President: Gender and Race Discourses of a Feminist Media Artifact
Authors: Moreman Shane T. , Aiello Alexandria J.
Published: September 2019

Commander in Chief is the first prime-time television drama to have a protagonist and an entire plot dedicated to a female U.S. president. Through a transversal discourse analysis, we explain how the series is a feminist artifact that valuably contributes to contemporary discourses of gender—but also of race. First, the study unpacks the show’s publicity that exaggerates essentialist views of White femininity. Second, the study considers ways that Commander in Chief offers protean but insufficiently intersectional representations. Third, the study examines how President Allen provides a third-wave feminist account of women.
Social Immune Mechanisms: Luhmann and Potentialization Technologies
Authors: Åkerstrøm Andersen Niels , Stenner Paul
Published: September 2019

Contemporary discourses of management are full of encouragements to ‘expect the unexpected’ and to celebrate ‘the future of the future’. Many new public managerial technologies of change – such as steering labs, future games, and managerial performance arts – promise the co-creative ‘potentialization’ of employees, citizens and organizations. This paper approaches such potentialization technologies as immune mechanisms which serve to protect the social system from itself. From a perspective inspired by autopoietic systems theory, potentialization technologies provide autoimmunity by problematizing institutional structures and providing ‘anti-structural’ space-times to facilitate transformation. There is a price to pay for this immune function, however, since these immune mechanisms cannot discriminate between productive and unproductive structures. By dissolving the certainty of the expectations that underlie the connectivity of diverse organizational operations, they risk harming the welfare systems that host them.
A date with destiny: Racial capitalism and the beginnings of the Anthropocene
Authors: Saldanha Arun
Published: September 2019

The Anthropocene names the epoch wherein humans have become the main geological agent on the planet’s surface. But which humans, and since when? Dating the onset of the Anthropocene is a political and ontological as much as a scientific act. This essay argues the Anthropocene is inexorably racial because it flows out of a capitalist system which requires racializing populations and environments from early modernity to the present and into the future. The essay contends that racial capitalism should be a central category in explaining the onset of the Anthropocene. The focus will be on investigating whether it makes sense to take the European discovery of the Americas and the genocide against its original inhabitants as threshold of a new geological epoch. Following the radicalization of Marx in the philosophy of Deleuze and Guattari, it will be suggested that though colonization and slavery were essential for modern globalization to emerge, capital embarked on its self-perpetuating destructive trajectory through industrialization. Structural racism was transmuted and continues to characterize the global ecological crisis.
The negotiated order and electronic patient records: A sociomaterial perspective
Authors: Introna Lucas D , Hayes Niall , Al-Hejin Zaina
Published: September 2019

In this article, we consider how the notion of the negotiated order can be reinterpreted by drawing on ideas from sociomateriality. We argue that the negotiated order is an ongoing accomplishment in which a heterogeneous set of situated sociomaterial practices (or actors) are implicated. To do this, we draw upon an in-depth study of the use of a computerised physician order entry system in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. We explore how a computerised physician order entry system, as a new sociomaterial actor, performatively repositions the actors involved and hence offers the conditions of possibility for medical work practices to be renegotiated. We show that it is often contingent, mundane, situated sociomaterial practices that enact the conditions under which the negotiated order becomes re-established in terms of division of labour, legitimacy, collaboration, and social capital. We argue that as the social and material are co-constitutive, or intra-actional, it makes more sense to talk about the negotiated intra-actional order rather than the negotiated order. Importantly, such a change in conceptual vocabulary reveals the empirical and ontological issues at stake; essential for a more nuanced understanding of change/becoming.
Effectiveness of the Theory-Based Educational Interventions on Screening of Breast Cancer in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Bashirian Saeed , Mohammadi Younes , Barati Majid , Moaddabshoar Leila , Dogonchi Mitra
Published: September 2019

Screening plays an essential role in the reduction of mortality and morbidity of breast cancer, which is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide. The aim of this study was to find out whether the use of health education model and theory-based behavioral interventions is effective in women’s breast cancer screening behavior. Applying different search strategies, we searched electronic databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus without time limit from January 12 to March 11, 2017. Keywords included “Breast neoplasm,” Screening,” “Women,” and “Health Education.” First, screening was conducted based on title, abstract, and full text. Then, the studies were screened according to the selection criteria of our study. The relevant and eligible studies were critically appraised by Delphi checklist. In addition, a meta-analysis of eligible studies was conducted with the random-effect approach. Twenty-six of 8,620 initial studies (with sample size of 10,681 in the intervention group and 8,854 in the control group) were included in the final analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the probability of screening behavior in the intervention group is 1.4 times of that in the control group. Furthermore, subgroup analysis by the type of screening behavior indicates that the probabilities of conducting breast self-examination and mammography in the intervention group are 1.9 and 1.4 times of those in the control group. The health education program has a significant impact on breast cancer screening behaviors, particularly breast self-examination. Thus, given the positive effects of the educational screening programs in women, it is suggested that these programs must be continuously pursued with long-term follow-up and increasing rates of screening behaviors should be monitored.
Male Perception and Participation in Family Planning Among Tribal Communities of Maharashtra, India: A Mixed-Method Study
Authors: Jungari Suresh , Paswan Balram
Published: September 2019

This study examined male perceptions and awareness about family planning. The study also investigated male involvement in family planning and contraceptive use decision-making. Furthermore, in this study, we assessed men’s awareness, attitude, and practice of modern contraceptive methods and determined the level of spousal communication. In this study, a field survey was conducted among the tribal population of Maharashtra. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used for data collection. A sample of 385 men whose wives had given birth in the last 2 years were interviewed. Almost two thirds of the surveyed men (64%) had heard about modern family planning. The main source of information for family planning was the multipurpose worker in the village for 48% of men, followed by friends 16% and the auxiliary nurse midwife and accredited social health activist for 11% and 10%, respectively. Results show that the current use of any modern family planning method, including male and female methods, was 18.4%. Among the currently used modern methods, the major modern family planning method was male sterilization (67%), followed by oral pills (11%) and male condom use (10%). This study indicated that the acceptance of male modern family planning methods is very high.
Health anxiety in medical employees: A multicentre study
Authors: Chen Qingsong , Zhang Yuqun , Zhuang Dongyun , Mao Xueqin , Mi Guolin , Wang Dijuan , Du Xiangdong , Yi Zhenghui , Shen Xinhua , Sui Yuxiu , Li Huajie , Cao Yin , Zhu Zufu , Hou Zhenghua , Li Qibin , Yuan Yonggui
Published: September 2019

Objective

The aim of this study was to explore health anxiety (HA) in a sample of hospital medical employees and to identify factors that influence HA.

Methods

A consecutively recruited sample of 1702 medical employees with or without HA was obtained from 13 hospitals across China. Participants’ demographic and clinical characteristics were collected using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. Subjects were divided into a HA and non-HA group according to their scores on the Chinese version of the Short Health Anxiety Inventory. Comparisons between groups were conducted and binary logistic regression was used to identify risk factors of HA.

Results

Total HA prevalence was 30.14%. There were significant differences between the HA and non-HA groups in number of working years, hospital category, sex, marital status, family income, personality, physical disease and education degree. Working in a specialist hospital, being female, being married, low income, introversion, graduate education or above and presence of physical disease were risk factors of HA.

Conclusions

HA is common in medical employees. More investigation of the long-term impact of HA is warranted.
Individual and contextual influences on framing effect: Evidence from the Middle East
Authors: Tabesh Pooya , Tabesh Parnian , Moghaddam Kaveh
Published: September 2019

Framing effect occurs when decision makers choose inconsistent solutions for identical problems based on the way the problems are presented to them. Despite considerable scholarly investigations in this area, the majority of existing work tends to be western-centric and systematically overlooks the characteristics of decision makers and context. Using a sample of Iranian health-care providers, this article addresses these challenges in investigation of framing effect. The results based on responses of 62 decision makers to multiple decision scenarios indicate that framing has a very strong influence on Iranian experts’ choices. Additionally, the findings show that framing interacts with decision makers’ general risk-taking propensity and domain-specific expertise to shape choice. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
“I Could Never Work With Those People . . . ”: Secondary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse Via a Brief Training for Therapists About Pedophilia
Authors: Levenson Jill S. , Grady Melissa D.
Published: September 2019

Sexual abuse prevention efforts should ideally include counseling for people who have attractions to children before they offend. Due to a variety of factors, many therapists do not wish to work with this population. The aim of this pilot project was to create, implement, and evaluate a short training workshop to help prepare clinical therapists ( n = 94) to respond ethically and effectively to individuals seeking counseling for pedophilic interests. Data were collected at four different clinical-therapy professional conferences over the course of 14 months. The pretest/posttest design asked questions about six specific areas of knowledge related to pedophilia, mandatory reporting, treatment needs, and goals for this difficult-to-reach population. In addition, six questions were asked about attitudes toward working with minor-attracted persons and capacity to build a therapeutic relationship. Some significant changes were detected in knowledge and attitudes about clients with pedophilia after receiving training about the topic, indicating increased willingness to work with this population and improved feelings of competence in providing services. Implications for prevention are discussed.
Sir William Osler (1849–1919) and the paternity of William Willoughby Francis (1878–1959): Review of the evidence
Authors: Bryan Charles S , Wright James R
Published: September 2019

It has been suggested that beneath the sunny personality and enormous productivity of Sir William Osler (1849–1919) lurked a deep sorrow. A longstanding rumor suggests this sorrow was a prolonged affair with an older first cousin, Marian Osler (Bath) Francis (1841–1915), which resulted in Osler’s paternity of William Willoughby Francis (1878–1959). Osler treated W.W. Francis like a son. Francis after Osler’s death devoted the rest of his life to preserving Osler’s memory. Osler’s great-great niece Anne Wilkinson (1910–1961) strongly endorses this rumor; Osler scholar George T. Harrell (1908–1999) strongly suggests its truth, while Osler biographer Michael Bliss (1941–2017) dismisses it. Evidence supporting the rumor includes ample opportunities for mating, biographical details, and phenotypic resemblances that are hard to explain otherwise. Barring a DNA-based family study, the truth will probably never be known.
Role of Rubrics and Gifted Students
Authors: Kaplan Sandra N.
Published: September 2019

This column examines the role of rubrics in evaluating gifted students’ performance as a part of examining issues surrounding the overall evaluation of gifted programs. The author examines how rubrics can be responsive to the group of gifted students and still be cognizant of the individual gifted learner who has specific talents, potential, and abilities. Three issues relating to the use of rubrics are discussed: verbiage, point allocations, and student voice.
On the controllers' design to stabilize ground resonance helicopter
Authors: Ignácio da Silva José A. , Bueno Douglas D. , Abreu Gustavo L. C. M. de
Published: September 2019

Ground resonance (GR) in helicopters is a potentially catastrophic instability commonly caused by coalescence of the regressive cyclic blade lag mode with the fuselage motion in certain rotor speed ranges. It can limit the helicopter operational envelope and the design of this type of vehicle can become a difficult task. Although a broad class of actuators allows the use of active and semi-active techniques to design feedback-based control systems, a limited number of works in the literature introduce formulations to compute the controller gain to suppress this phenomenon. Also, commonly, a control approach defines a feedback, particularly to a specific rotor speed. In this context, this work introduces an alternative methodology to design an active control system to stabilize GR of a helicopter. The proposed approach can suppress this instability in all rotor speed ranges by using only one control gain. Two strategies are proposed based on linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The Lyapunov stability criteria are used and the unstable rotor speed is considered as an uncertain parameter to define an associated convex space. Using convex optimization, a robust control gain is computed until all the unstable rotor speed range is stabilized. Numerical simulations are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of this methodology. The results confirm the viability of the proposed approach to design active and semi-active controllers.
Ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachiocephalic vein catheterization in children: Syringe-free in-plane technique with micro-convex probe
Authors: Balaban Onur , Turgut Miray , Aydın Tayfun
Published: September 2019

Central venous catheterization of children is often a challenging procedure due to small anatomical structures. Ultrasound guidance has been shown to reduce complications and improve cannulation success as compared with the landmark-based technique. In-plane techniques allow for longitudinal visualization of the vessels and real-time visualization of needle track during its advancement. When in-plane and syringe-free techniques are combined, advancement of the guidewire can also be visualized. We aim to introduce our supraclavicular approach for brachiocephalic vein cannulation in pediatric patients. A syringe-free and in-plane technique is used to cannulate the patients. The subclavian, jugular, and the brachiocephalic veins were visualized by endocavity micro-convex ultrasound probe as a Y shape during the cannulation procedure. We present a case series of successful cannulation by using this technique.
Optical coherence tomography and multiple sclerosis: Update on clinical application and role in clinical trials
Authors: Lambe Jeffrey , Saidha Shiv , Bermel Robert A
Published: September 2019

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has emerged as a fast, non-invasive, inexpensive, high-resolution imaging technique in multiple sclerosis (MS). Retinal layer quantification by OCT facilitates a ‘window’ into not only local retinal pathology but also global neurodegenerative processes, recognised to be the principal substrates of disability accumulation in MS. While OCT measures in MS have been demonstrated to reflect visual function, inflammatory activity outside of the visual pathways, disability measures including the prediction of disability progression, whole brain atrophy, and the differential neuroprotective effects of disease-modifying therapies, debate continues regarding the clinical utility of OCT in everyday practice. This review presents an overview of the evidence supporting OCT, with particular focus on its application in the MS clinic. We will also discuss the role of OCT in MS clinical trials to develop novel neuroprotective and potential remyelinating therapies.
Public conceptions and constructions of ‘British values’: A qualitative analysis
Authors: Jarvis Lee , Marsden Lee , Atakav Eylem
Published: September 2019

This article draws on original focus group research to explore constructions of ‘British values’, in ‘everyday’ discourse. Two prominent, yet competing conceptions of this term are identified: political/institutional and social/cultural. Although each of these conceptions risks essentialising ‘British values’, this risk is mitigated by publics in at least three ways: (1) explicit recognition of the term’s ambiguities; (2) discussion of its political motivations and exclusionary outcomes; and, (3) identification of qualitative change in the meaning of ‘British values’ over time. As the first exploration of public understandings of this term, their differences, and these complications, the paper offers three contributions: (1) adding breadth to existing studies of everyday nationalism through focus on ‘British values’ specifically; (2) shedding light on this trope’s work in broader conversations around social and political life in the United Kingdom; and (3) facilitating reflection on the reception of, resistance to, and re-making of elite political discourse.
ACE insertion/deletion genetic polymorphism, serum ACE levels and high dietary salt intake influence the risk of obesity development among the Saudi adult population
Authors: Sabir Jamal SM , Omri Abdelfatteh El , Ali Khan Imran , Banaganapalli Babajan , Hajrah Nahid H , Zrelli Houda , Omar Abdulkader M Shaikh , Alharbi Mona G , Alhebshi Alawiah M , Jansen Robert K , Altaf Abdulmalik , Shaik Noor Ahmad , Khan Muhummadh
Published: September 2019

Introduction:

Angiotensin-converting enzyme ( ACE), which contributes to adipocyte growth, differentiation and function, has recently been linked with both salt metabolism and obesity development. Therefore, this study has aimed to investigate the putative relationship between ACE genetic polymorphism, serum ACE levels and salt consumption on the risk of developing obesity in the Saudi population.

Materials and methods:

ACE genotype status of 267 adult Saudi volunteers (124 obese and 143 non-obese) was correlated with their serum ACE activity and dietary salt intake amounts.

Results:

Obesity was more prevalent in deletion-deletion genotype individuals ( p<0.03), under dominant, co-dominant and monoallelic conditions ( p<0.04). Deletion allele corresponds to serum ACE activity in obese patients ( p<0.05). The amount of salt intake (<6 g/d) was significantly associated with obesity and particularly high in deletion-deletion and insertion-deletion genotype carriers ( p<0.001). STITCH analysis underlined interactions of the ACE protein with sodium molecule, REN, ACE2, KNG1 and AGTR1 in a biological network.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest the positive association between ACE deletion genotype, serum ACE activity and sodium intake with risk of obesity development in the Saudi population.
Utilizing the Senior Companion Program as a platform for a culturally informed caregiver intervention: Results from a mixed methods pilot study
Authors: Fields Noelle L , Xu Ling , Richardson Virginia E , Parekh Rupal , Ivey Dorothea , Calhoun Melanie
Published: September 2019

To address the need for accessible, affordable, and sustainable Alzheimer's disease and related dementia caregiver interventions with minority populations, we developed the Senior Companion Program Plus, a three-phase pilot study that used a mixed methods experimental design. The intent was to determine if participation in a lay provider, peer-led psychoeducational intervention designed for African American Alzheimer's disease and related dementia caregivers ( N = 16) improved caregiver burden and/or stress, coping skills, and social support. Focus groups with Senior Companions informed the intervention design. Quantitative results indicated that caregivers experienced improvement in their overall level of social support and well-being in meeting basic needs. Qualitative findings suggested that caregivers experienced improvement in their knowledge about the disease, experienced increased coping with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia caregiving, and reported benefits of using a lay provider model. Overall, the data suggest that the Senior Companion Program Plus is a promising intervention for African American Alzheimer's disease and related dementia caregivers.
Validity and reliability of an optoelectronic system to measure movement velocity during bench press and half squat in a Smith machine
Authors: Muniz-Pardos Borja , Lozano-Berges Gabriel , Marin-Puyalto Jorge , Gonzalez-Agüero Alex , Vicente-Rodriguez German , Casajus Jose A , Garatachea Nuria
Published: September 2019

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of a camera-based optoelectronic system to measure movement velocity during bench press and half squat at different load intensities. A total of 22 active males (age: 28.2 ± 3.9 years; one-repetition maximum bench press: 77.9 ± 19.0 kg; one-repetition maximum half squat: 116.6 ± 22.5 kg) participated in this study. After an initial one-repetition maximum testing session, participants performed five repetitions for each load (40%, 60% and 80% one-repetition maximum) and exercise (bench press and half squat) on a Smith machine in the second testing session. A third testing session was used for the test–retest reliability study. Time, displacement and mean propulsive velocity were simultaneously determined by the reference method (T-Force system) and the Velowin system. In bench press, ordinary least products regression analysis revealed low fixed biases for mean propulsive velocity at 40%, time at 60% and displacement at 80% one-repetition maximum (intercept = 0.065 m s−1, −28.02 ms and 0.87 cm, respectively). In half squat, low fixed biases were also detected for mean propulsive velocity at 40% and 80% one-repetition maximum (intercept = −0.040 and 0.023 m s−1, respectively), time at 40% and 60% one-repetition maximum (intercept = −53.05 and −101.85 ms, respectively) and displacement at 60% one-repetition maximum (intercept = −1.95 cm). Proportional bias was only observed for mean propulsive velocity at 80% bench press. In half squat, there was proportional bias for time and mean propulsive velocity at 40% one-repetition maximum, and also for time at 60% one-repetition maximum. The reliability test showed low and comparable fixed and proportional biases between systems across exercises and intensities. Velowin confirmed to be a valid and reliable system to measure movement velocity across a wide range of intensities (40%–80% one-repetition maximum) for two basic strength exercises through a robust statistical approach. Velowin would provide coaches and trainers with a suitable, affordable and easy-to-use equipment capable of measuring movement velocity in various exercises at different load intensities.
Efficacy of dexlansoprazole-based triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori infections
Authors: Kuo Chia-Jung , Chen Chun-Wei , Le Puo-Hsien , Hsu Jun-Te , Lin Cheng-Yu , Cheng Hao-Tsai , Su Ming-Yao , Lin Chun-Jung , Chiu Cheng-Tang
Published: September 2019

Background:

Dexlansoprazole has been shown to be efficacious for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. However, there is a paucity of data about its efficacy for Helicobacter pylori eradication. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of dexlansoprazole for H. pylori eradication as triple therapy in real-world practice.

Methods:

Adult patients with endoscopically proven H. pylori related peptic ulcer diseases or gastritis were recruited for this study. The eradication status was assessed based on the results of the 13C-urea breath test performed 4 weeks after treatment. According to the different treatment regimens, the patients were allocated to group A: Esomeprazole 40 mg b.i.d. + amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d. + clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d. for 7 days; group B: Esomeprazole 40 mg q.d. + amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d. + clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d. for 7 days, or group C: Dexlansoprazole 60 mg q.d. + amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d. + clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d. for 7 days.

Results:

A total of 215 patients (49% males) were enrolled in this study, with a mean age of 55 years. The eradication rates in group A, B, and C were 94.7% (71/75), 89.6% (69/77), and 93.7% (59/63) ( p = 0.457), respectively. The adverse events were similar between the three groups ( p = 0.068).

Conclusions:

This study suggests that dexlansoprazole-based triple therapy has an acceptable eradication rate for H. pylori infection.
When Cultures Fail: Postmortem Decoy Receptor 3 (DcR3) as a Marker of Antemortem Sepsis
Authors: Thompson Katrina , Connor Joseph
Published: September 2019

Introduction:

Decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) has shown utility as a reliable surrogate marker. Levels of DcR3 in the serum increase and remain elevated in several disease states including cancer and sepsis. In inflammatory conditions, DcR3 is upregulated in inflammatory cells to suppress exponential immune propagation. The use of DcR3 as an indication of sepsis has been documented in the antemortem setting, but its use in the postmortem setting is unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate postmortem DcR3 as a marker of antemortem sepsis.

Methods:

A retrospective investigation was performed to identify patients whose primary cause of death fell into one of four cohorts (control, cancer, culture-positive sepsis, and suspected culture-negative sepsis). Serum was obtained and tested by a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to quantify DcR3 levels.

Results:

Twenty-five of 47 samples contained detectable levels of DcR3 (average 0.75 ± 0.3 ng/mL). Comparing culture-positive sepsis to the control cohort at a cutoff value of 0.26 ng/mL, DcR3 positivity showed a sensitivity of 64% and a specificity of 73%. Compared to each other, patients with cancer had similar values to those with culture-positive sepsis (P = .90). Time of specimen collection had a negative role in detection and quantification (P = .038).

Discussion:

Several studies have shown DcR3 may be a viable antemortem biomarker of sepsis, but its use in postmortem sepsis testing has not been adequately investigated. This study shows that in postmortem testing, DcR3 shows less sensitivity and specificity with a relatively short window for proper testing.
Opioid-Related Deaths in Eastern Ontario from 2011 to 2016
Authors: Parai Jacqueline L. , Castonguay Krista , Milroy Christopher M.
Published: September 2019

There has been a growing opioid crisis in the United States and Canada. The aim of this study was to analyze trends in opioid-related deaths from the Eastern Ontario Regional Forensic Pathology Unit so that prevention strategies for these deaths can be developed. The analyses included examining the opioids involved and demographic characteristics of the individuals in these deaths so that possible risk factors for opioid-related deaths could be identified.

A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the full autopsy and toxicology data between 2011 and 2016 was conducted. Trends regarding the opioids involved in the death, all opioids reported in the toxicology reports and certain nonopioid drugs reported in the toxicology reports were examined. The distribution of opioid-related death by age-group and manner of death was also conducted.

Two hundred seventy-four opioid-related deaths met the inclusion criteria and were examined. The majority of individuals overdosing were male. The most frequent age range for opioid-related deaths was 45 to 54 years with increasing deaths among individuals aged 55 years and older over the period studied. Fentanyl was responsible for most deaths overall when single or multiple opioids were involved. However, hydromorphone involvement was the only opioid to have a statistically significant increase over the time period. Analysis of nonopioid-related drugs revealed extensive use of antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and their metabolites. Accident was the most common manner of death throughout all age groups except for those aged 65 years or older, where suicide was most common.
Nanotechnology Approaches to Modulate Immune Responses to Cell-based Therapies for Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Wiggins Sydney C. , Abuid Nicholas J. , Gattás-Asfura Kerim M. , Kar Saumadritaa , Stabler Cherie L.
Published: September 2019

Islet transplantation is a promising curative treatment option for type 1 diabetes (T1D) as it can provide physiological blood glucose control. The widespread utilization of islet transplantation is limited due to systemic immunosuppression requirements, persisting graft immunodestruction, and poor islet engraftment. Traditional macro- and micropolymeric encapsulation strategies can alleviate the need for antirejection immunosuppression, yet the increased graft volume and diffusional distances imparted by these coatings can be detrimental to graft viability and glucose control. Additionally, systemic administration of pro-engraftment and antirejection therapeutics leaves patients vulnerable to adverse off-target side effects. Nanoscale engineering techniques can be used to immunocamouflage islets, modulate the transplant microenvironment, and provide localized pro-engraftment cues. In this review, we discuss the applications of nanotechnology to advance the clinical potential of islet transplantation, with a focus on cell surface engineering, bioactive functionalization, and use of nanoparticles in T1D cell-based treatments.
Organizational propaganda on the Internet: A systematic review
Authors: Lock Irina , Ludolph Ramona
Published: September 2019

The digital environment alters the way organizations use propaganda and facilitates its spread. This development calls for an outline of the features of propaganda by organizations on the Internet and to reconsider where public relations (PR) stops and propaganda begins. By means of a systematic review of primary research on organizational propaganda online, we propose a definition and describe the ‘five Ws’ of digital organizational propaganda: who employs propaganda, to whom, on which channels, which media are used (where), the objectives of the propaganda strategy (why), and in which contexts it occurs (when). Contrary to the offline setting, organizations engaging in propaganda online do not hide their identity and primarily address (potential) followers with the goal to change attitudes. Based on our findings, we propose a classification of digital organizational propaganda along three dimensions: ethical versus unethical, mutual understanding versus persuasion, and direct versus indirect communication. Digital organizational propaganda is defined as the direct persuasive communicative acts by organizations with an unethical (i.e. untruthful, inauthentic, disrespectful, or unequal) intent through digital channels. Thus, this study addresses the imbalance between the growing primary research on digital propaganda, the missing definition, and the lacking systematic empirical overview of propaganda’s digital characteristics.
Retinal inner nuclear layer volume reflects inflammatory disease activity in multiple sclerosis; a longitudinal OCT study
Authors: Balk Lisanne J , Coric Danko , Knier Benjamin , Zimmermann Hanna G , Behbehani Raed , Alroughani Raed , Martinez-Lapiscina Elena H , Brandt Alexander U , Sánchez-Dalmau Bernardo , Vidal-Jordana Angela , Albrecht Philipp , Koska Valeria , Havla Joachim , Pisa Marco , Nolan Rachel C , Leocani Letizia , Paul Friedemann , Aktas Orhan , Montalban Xavier , Balcer Laura J , Villoslada Pablo , Outteryck Olivier , Korn Thomas , Petzold Axel ,   on behalf of the IMSVISUAL consortium
Published: September 2019

Background

The association of peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness with neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) is well established. The relationship of the adjoining inner nuclear layer (INL) with inflammatory disease activity is less well understood.

Objective

The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship of INL volume changes with inflammatory disease activity in MS. Methods In this longitudinal, multi-centre study, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and clinical data (disability status, relapses and MS optic neuritis (MSON)) were collected in 785 patients with MS (68.3% female) and 92 healthy controls (63.4% female) from 11 MS centres between 2010 and 2017 and pooled retrospectively. Data on pRNFL, GCIPL and INL were obtained at each centre.

Results

There was a significant increase in INL volume in eyes with new MSON during the study ( N = 61/1562, β = 0.01 mm3, p < .001). Clinical relapses (other than MSON) were significantly associated with increased INL volume (β = 0.005, p = .025). INL volume was independent of disease progression (β = 0.002 mm3, p = .474).

Conclusion

Our data demonstrate that an increase in INL volume is associated with MSON and the occurrence of clinical relapses. Therefore, INL volume changes may be useful as an outcome marker for inflammatory disease activity in MSON and MS treatment trials.