bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can Disintegration Be Democratic? The European Union Between Legitimate Change and Regression
Authors: Patberg Markus
Published: September 2019

While the emerging debate about the disintegration of the European Union focuses on descriptive and explanatory questions, this article approaches the phenomenon from the perspective of democratic theory. Building on a concept of disintegration as a form of constitutional politics that includes various possibilities of dismantling supranational polities, I argue that disintegration gives rise to a democratic puzzle. While it must be possible, for democratic reasons, to partially or entirely reverse European integration, any such step threatens the European Union’s democratic achievements. Disintegration seems to be caught between legitimate change and regression. To address this democratic puzzle, I examine to what extent European integration has produced democracy-related ‘ratchet effects’ that limit the scope for legitimate reversal. This analysis leads to three principles of legitimate disintegration that can be applied to any supranational polity and have important implications for the post-Brexit relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Do You Not See the Reason for Yourself? Political Withdrawal and the Experience of Epistemic Friction
Authors: Schaap Andrew
Published: September 2019

The epistemic friction that is generated when privileged subjects are confronted by different social perspectives is important for democratic politics since it can interrupt their active ignorance about oppressive social relations from which they benefit. However, members of oppressed groups might sometimes prefer not to accept the burden of educating the dominant. In circumstances of structural inequality, withdrawing from privileged subjects’ ignorance can be a form of self-preservation. But such withdrawal also has the potential to induce epistemic friction insofar as it depletes the opportunities for active ignorance to reproduce itself. Herman Melville’s tragicomic short story of Bartleby – the legal copyist who ‘would prefer not to’ – has been celebrated by philosophers as emblematic of such resistant withdrawal. Interpreting the story as a dramatisation of the epistemic friction encountered by its narrator makes vivid how such withdrawal can be political.
Partisan-Electoral Cycles in Public Employment: Evidence from Developed Democracies
Authors: Aaskoven Lasse
Published: September 2019

According to both early empirical findings and theoretical expectations of partisan preferences, left-wing parties in government ought to prefer higher levels of public employment for both ideological and opportunistic reasons. In contrast, using country-fixed effects in a panel of 22 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, this article finds no evidence of left-wing governments systematically increasing public employment. However, there is evidence that left-wing governments increase public employment in election years, which gives rise to an opportunistic, partisan-electoral cycle in public employment. In line with the logic of core-voter targeting and political budget cycles, incumbent left-wing parties seem to increase the number of their potential core voters when they are needed most.
Political Elites, Democracy, and Education
Authors: Baliamoune-Lutz Mina
Published: September 2019

We identify conditions under which the political elite may overcompensate for the loss of de jure power by investing too much in de facto power so that the probability to have de facto power is higher under democracy than under nondemocracy. Then, we consider education and show that, under certain assumptions, the political elite may treat democracy and spending on citizens’ education as substitutes. Using African data and a fixed-effects estimator, we obtain empirical evidence in support of this theoretical prediction.
Conversion of the geological model (fine-mesh) to a dynamic (coarse-mesh) hydrocarbon model with the nature approach in the simulation of thermal recovery in a fractured reservoir
Authors: Foroozanfar Mehdi , Rasaei Mohammad Reza
Published: September 2019

The operation and proper management of reservoirs requires the prediction of reservoir performance. This prediction is generally done by computer simulation. Since simulation software generates static models in the number of millions and even billions, dynamic simulation on these models is difficult and sometimes impossible; therefore, multi-scale block generation is necessary. In this study, we introduce a methodology that was inspired by Earth’s pattern to generate multi-scale grids on a multi-phase, heterogeneous reservoir, where the enhanced oil recovery process is steam injection. From a reservoir engineer’s point of view, Earth is equivalent to a multi-scale grid model that could be a pattern for multi-scale grid generation in a hydrocarbon reservoir to minimize central processing unit time for dynamic simulation. The principle of multi-scale grid generation in hydrocarbon reservoirs is as follows: regions with a high Darcy’s velocity should be fine-scale and other segments with low intensity of heterogeneity regions could resize into the up-scale. The intersection of latitude and longitude lines means that Earth’s model could be a practical pattern for dynamic simulation. This intersection creates segments with fine-size blocks, like the South and North Poles, that are equal to the injection and production wells in the reservoir model and other segments that have different intensities of coarse-size blocks. Earth’s magnetic field, which enters from South and exits from the North Pole, leads us to could consider Earth as a hydrocarbon model. The results of the multi-scale grid generation method, which was inspired by Earth’s pattern, were compared with the fine-mesh (geological) model; the results show that the proposed method predicts with high accuracy and less run-time compared with the fine-mesh model.
Modified Fuzzy Rule-Based Classification System for Early Warning of Student Learning
Authors: Zhao Qun , Wang Jin-Long , Pao Tsang-Long , Wang Li-Yu
Published: September 2019

This study uses the log data from Moodle learning management system for predicting student learning performance in the first third of a semester. Since the quality of the data has great influence on the accuracy of machine learning, five major data transmission methods are used to enhance data quality of log file in the data preprocessing stage. Furthermore, the modified FRBCS-CHI (fuzzy rule-based classification system using Chi's technique) algorithm, based on the weighted consequence, is proposed to improve the prediction accuracy of classification. Thereafter, the confusion matrix with two dimensions is employed to illustrate the prediction results, such as false positives, false negatives, true positives, and true negatives, which are further used to produce the parameters of prediction performance, including the precision rate, the recall rate, and the F-measure. From the results of experiment, the proposed modified FRBCS-CHI method will have higher prediction accuracy than the original FRBCS-CHI method.
Characterizing Reactance in Communication Research: A Review of Conceptual and Operational Approaches
Authors: Ratcliff Chelsea L.
Published: September 2019

Psychological reactance, or simply reactance, has become a major concept of interest in communication research. Although this spike in scholarly attention has greatly advanced our understanding of reactance as a communication effect, its growing popularity has been accompanied by lack of conceptual and operational precision and agreement. This review characterizes the wide spectrum of approaches to defining, labeling, and examining reactance in communication research, summarizing major areas of variability. The overall landscape suggests that greater methodological consensus is needed, and there is opportunity to build on prior explications to hone the best approaches to measuring this phenomenon. Ideas for future research are offered to help guide (1) refinement and expansion of current prevailing methodologies, (2) development of measures appropriate to a broader range of communication contexts, and (3) use of more precise and consistent reactance terminology in the communication literature.
Explaining the Relationship Between Personality and Health in a National Sample of African Americans: The Mediating Role of Social Support
Authors: Clark Eddie M. , Williams Randi M. , Park Crystal L. , Schulz Emily , Williams Beverly R. , Knott Cheryl L.
Published: September 2019

Though associations between personality and health have been previously observed, less is known about why such relationships exist. The present study examines whether social support mediated the relationship between personality traits and health among African Americans. We hypothesized that social support would help explain the relationship between each of the five-factor model traits and physical functioning. Data were collected from a national probability sample of 803 African American adults using a telephone survey including measures of the five-factor model personality traits, social support, and physical functioning. Results of mediational analyses suggested that higher openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness, and lower neuroticism predicted higher social support. Higher openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and lower neuroticism, but not agreeableness, predicted higher physical functioning. The relationships between physical functioning and personality traits were at least partially mediated by social support. This study reinforces the importance of identifying the mechanisms underlying the personality-health relationship. This information may be useful to community members and health care providers in developing prevention and treatment strategies for African Americans.
Cultures of Genius at Work: Organizational Mindsets Predict Cultural Norms, Trust, and Commitment
Authors: Canning Elizabeth A. , Murphy Mary C. , Emerson Katherine T. U. , Chatman Jennifer A. , Dweck Carol S. , Kray Laura J.
Published: September 2019

Three studies examine how organizational mindset —whether a company is perceived to view talent as fixed or malleable—functions as a core belief that predicts organizational culture and employees’ trust and commitment. In Study 1, Fortune 500 company mission statements were coded for mindset language and paired with Glassdoor culture data. Workers perceived a more negative culture at fixed (vs. growth) mindset companies. Study 2 experimentally manipulated organizational mindset and found that people evaluated fixed (vs. growth) mindset companies as having more negative culture norms and forecasted that employees would experience less trust and commitment. Study 3 confirmed these findings from more than 500 employees of seven Fortune 1000 companies. Employees who perceived their organization to endorse a fixed (vs. growth) mindset reported that their company’s culture was characterized by less collaboration, innovation, and integrity, and they reported less organizational trust and commitment. These findings suggest that organizational mindset shapes organizational culture.
Why Singles Prefer to Retire Later
Authors: Eismann Maria , Henkens Kène , Kalmijn Matthijs
Published: September 2019

This study goes beyond a purely financial perspective to explain why single older workers prefer to retire later than their partnered counterparts. We aim to show how the work (i.e., its social meaning) and home domain (i.e., spousal influence) contribute to differences in retirement preferences by relationship status. Analyses were based on multiactor data collected in 2015 among older workers in the Netherlands ( N = 6,357) and (where applicable) their spouses. Results revealed that the social meaning of work differed by relationship status but not always as expected. In a mediation analysis, we found that the social meaning of work partically explained differences in retirement preferences by relationship status. We also show that single workers preferred to retire later than workers with a “pulling” spouse, earlier than workers with a “pushing” spouse, and at about the same time as workers with a neutral spouse.
On the construction of identities: An autoethnography from Turkey
Authors: Gençoğlu Funda
Published: September 2019

In this article I analyze, on the basis of my personal experience, the discontents of contemporary Turkish politics; more specifically, neoliberal conservative hegemony, and its three manifestations: stability of instability; a religio-conservative gender regime; and anti-intellectualism. I illustrate how these manifestations are intertwined in the process of identity construction: how an individual’s identity as a citizen, as a woman, as an academic is being constantly constructed/de-constructed/reconstructed in a manner integral to the social and political context. The contribution of this article is threefold: it shows how personal experiences are a legitimate source of knowledge; it enables an understanding of how political identities are in a constant state of making; it challenges dominant conceptions of politics and the political through challenging binaries such as individual/social, personal/political, and emotional/rational.
Submental Island Flap versus Free Flap Reconstruction for Complex Head and Neck Defects
Authors: Jørgensen Mads Gustaf , Tabatabaeifar Siavosh , Toyserkani Navid Mohamadpour , Sørensen Jens Ahm
Published: September 2019

Objective

Complex soft tissue reconstruction of the head and neck requires a viable, versatile, and dependable flap. Free flaps, such as the radial forearm and anterolateral thigh flap, have been the mainstay of complex head and neck reconstruction. However, a local pedicled flap, such as the submental island flap (SIF), could be a more effective and less demanding alternative. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aim to compare free tissue transfer (FTT) with the SIF for head and neck reconstruction.

Data Sources

We performed a systematic search in PubMed and EMBASE databases. Meta‐analysis was performed on outcomes reported in ≥3 studies.

Review Methods

Candidate articles were assessed for eligibility by 2 authors. Three authors performed data extraction and methodological quality of the included studies using the Newcastle‐Ottawa Quality Assessment Form for Cohort Studies.

Results

The search strategy resulted in 450 studies, of which 7 were included in the analysis, yielding 155 SIF and 198 FTT cases. Operating time and length of stay were significantly lower for the SIF than for FTT (P =. 05 and P =. 0008). There was no significant difference between the groups for complete flap loss, debulking revisions, and oncologic recurrence.

Conclusion

These results suggest that the SIF reduces length of stay and operating time as compared with FTT in head and neck reconstruction. These findings suggest that the SIF can be considered an alternative reconstructive option to FTT when evaluating intraoral, lateral facial, skull base, and parotidectomy defects, given comparable defect size and tumor biology.
Added-value porous materials for controlled thymol release obtained by supercritical CO2 impregnation process
Authors: Milovanovic Stoja , Markovic Darka , Ivanovic Jasna
Published: September 2019

This study explores utilization of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers for controlled release of natural bioactive substance. For that purpose, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) beads, cellulose acetate (CA) film, and poly lactic- co-glycolic acid (PLGA) flakes were impregnated with thymol by employing environmentally friendly process of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) impregnation. At selected pressure and temperature, prolongation of operating time increased thymol loading. Pure scCO2 did not affect CA film with average pore diameter of approximately 3 µm, while it enabled change of PCL beads and PLGA flakes into foams with average pore diameter approximately 175 µm and 87 µm, respectively. Additionally to scCO2, thymol acted as a plasticizer increasing pore size of polymers up to three times. Kinetic of thymol release from selected samples was tested using phosphate buffer saline at 37°C and successfully described with Korsmeyer–Peppas, zero-order, first-order, and Higuchi models. The suggested method of PCL, CA, and PLGA supercritical impregnation led to development of porous, solvent free, added-value materials that release thymol in a controlled manner from 5 h to several days.
Economic Growth Rates and Exports of Bangladesh: The Bengal Tiger?
Authors: Islam Mohammad Rafiqul
Published: September 2019

Global images of Bangladesh as a desperately poor country in need of foreign aid require revision in light of recent statistics that confirm impressive economic growth rates despite protracted political problems and climate-related risks. The article presents and discusses statistical evidence relating to recent economic growth rates of Bangladesh in terms of export, import and gross domestic product. This confirms the status of the country as a new tiger economy, moving away from its traditional dependence on agriculture. However, excessive reliance on exports of ready-made garments is found to be risky, while a more balanced growth model with a diverse basket of exports seems advisable.
Intra-articular and meniscal pathology according to anterior cruciate ligament injury pattern: both-bundle tear or selective bundle tear
Authors: Park Jin Hee , Park Hee Jin , Lee So Yeon , Hong Hyun Pyo , Ham Soo Youn , Kang Kyung A , Ahn Jin Hwan
Published: September 2019

Background

Articular cartilage injury and meniscal tear are usually combined with anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Purpose

We investigated the incidence of cartilage injury and traumatic meniscal tear according to the type of combined anterior cruciate ligament tear (both-bundle versus selective bundle tear).

Material and Methods

This retrospective study included 103 patients diagnosed with anterior cruciate ligament tear after knee joint magnetic resonance imaging and who underwent knee joint arthroscopy. Two radiologists evaluated articular cartilage injuries and meniscal tear independently. We used the chi-square test to analyze the association between type of anterior cruciate ligament bundle tear and presence of cartilage or meniscal injury in each reader.

Results

Cartilage injury presented a significantly higher prevalence in both-bundle tear than did selective bundle tear in reader 1 ( P = 0.004). In reader 2, both-bundle tear had a tendency for higher risk of cartilage injury, but this was not statistically significant ( P = 0.178). In meniscal injury, there was a statistically significant increase in the risk of associated meniscal injury in both-bundle tear versus selective bundle anterior cruciate ligament injury ( P = 0.019 and 0.021). The risk of accompanying traumatic meniscal lesion was significantly higher in both-bundle tear ( P = 0.036 and 0.018).

Conclusion

The incidence of accompanying meniscal injury, especially traumatic tears, is higher in both-bundle anterior cruciate ligament tear than in selective bundle tear. There was no significant difference in incidence of cartilage injury between both-bundle tear and selective bundle tear, although one of two readers showed a higher incidence in both-bundle tear.
T2 mapping in orbital masses: preliminary study on differential diagnostic ability of T2 relaxation time
Authors: Zhou Yan , Xu Xiao-Quan , Hu Hao , Su Guo-Yi , Liu Hu , Wu Fei-Yun
Published: September 2019

Background

T2 mapping has been proven to be useful in tumor characterization. As to orbital masses, its diagnostic value needs to be investigated.

Purpose

To evaluate the usefulness of T2 mapping in orbital masses and the ability of T2 relaxation time in differentiating malignant from benign orbital masses.

Material and Methods

Forty-seven patients with solid orbital masses (33 benign and 14 malignant) who underwent T2 mapping examination for preoperative assessment were enrolled in the current study. T2 mapping was acquired using 16 TE values (range 12–192 ms; delta TE 12 ms). Mean T2 relaxation time was calculated based on the whole mass region of interest and compared between the malignant and benign groups using the unpaired t-test. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was adopted to calculate its diagnostic value.

Results

Malignant orbital masses showed significantly lower T2 relaxation time than benign masses (76.4 ± 13.0 ms vs. 119.1 ± 20.4 ms; P < 0.001). If setting a T2 relaxation time of 89.5 ms as the threshold value, optimal differentiating performance could be achieved (area under the curve 0.936; sensitivity 100.0%; specificity 87.9%; accuracy 91.5%; positive predictive value 77.8%; negative predictive value 100%).

Conclusion

T2 mapping and its derived T2 relaxation time could provide quantitative information and serve as a supplementary imaging marker for differentiating malignant from benign orbital masses.
Disseminated peritoneal leiomyomatosis following laparoscopic myomectomy: a case report
Authors: Xiao Jianchun , Zhang Ruopeng , Teng Yue , Liu Beizhan
Published: September 2019

Disseminated peritoneal leiomyomatosis (DPL) is a rare benign disease characterized by tumors derived from smooth muscles throughout the abdominal cavity. DPL has been reported following laparoscopic myomectomy or hysterectomy; however, few reports have described DPL after abdominal myomectomy or hysterectomy. In the present case, two intra-abdominal masses were incidentally discovered on imaging during a routine medical checkup of a 45-year-old woman who had undergone laparoscopic uterine myomectomy 10 years previously. The masses were later found to be near the ascending colon and between the liver and right kidney. A malignancy or stromal tumor was suspected, and the patient underwent exploratory surgery. Histopathologic examination revealed that the masses were leiomyomas. Considering the patient’s history of gynecologic surgery, we believe that this was a rare case of DPL following laparoscopic uterine myomectomy.
Factors affecting retrieval of 12 or more lymph nodes in pT1 colorectal cancers
Authors: Son Seung-Myoung , Woo Chang Gok , Lee Ok-Jun , Lee Sang-Jeon , Lee Taek-Gu , Lee Ho-chang
Published: September 2019

Objective

The aim of this study was to identify clinicopathological factors that affect the number of lymph nodes (LNs) (12 or more) retrieved from patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly those with pathologic T1 (pT1) disease.

Methods

From 429 CRC patients, 75 pT1 cancers were identified and digitally scanned. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the clinicopathological factors affecting the number of LNs retrieved from all 429 patients and from the subset of patients with pT1 CRC.

Results

For the 429 patients, the mean number of harvested LNs per specimen was 20 (median, 19). The number of retrieved LNs was independently associated with maximum tumor diameter > 2.3 cm and right-sided tumor location. The mean number of LNs retrieved from the 75 patients with pT1 CRC was 14 (median, 15); retrieval of 12 or more LNs from this group was independently associated with maximum tumor diameter > 14.1 mm.

Conclusion

The number of LNs retrieved from patients with CRC was associated with maximum tumor diameter and right-sided tumor location. For patients with pT1 CRC, maximum tumor diameter was independently associated with the harvesting of 12 or more LNs.
Correlation between malnutrition and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in elderly Iranian adults
Authors: Khatami Fatemeh , Shafiee Gita , Kamali Koorosh , Ebrahimi Mehdi , Azimi Mahinsadat , Ahadi Zeinab , Sharifi Farshad , Tanjani Parisa Taheri , Heshmat Ramin
Published: September 2019

Objectives

We aimed to evaluate the association of nutritional status and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among elderly Iranian residents.

Methods

We used the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) to assess HRQOL among participants with normal nutrition status, at risk of malnutrition, and malnourished.

Results

Mean group scores for the Physical Component Summary (PCS) of the SF-36 were 44, 36.5, and 29.0 for normal, at-risk, and malnourished groups, respectively; for the Mental Component Summary (MCS), these were 47.1, 40.7, and 34.8, respectively. The PCS and MCS displayed significant positive correlation with malnutrition in three models: crude (I); age- and sex-adjusted (II); and adjusted for age, sex, education, occupation, marital status, and residence. Standardized beta coefficients of PCS in Models I–III were 1.35, 1.27, and 1.14, respectively; for MCS, these were 1.11 in all three models; all results were statistically significant. Estimated results of logistic regression were −6.023 for malnourished versus well-nourished and −2.652 for malnourished versus at risk of malnutrition.

Conclusion

Our analyses revealed the crucial impact of nutritional status on both mental and physical components of HRQOL.
Anti-racist feminism: engaging with the past
Authors: Siddiqui Sophia
Published: September 2019

Two landmark books, originally published during the same era of struggle in the UK, have been republished in 2018: Finding a Voice: Asian women in Britain and Heart of the Race: Black women’s lives in Britain. These books make the history of anti-racism in the UK – and the role of black and Asian women within this that is so often overlooked – accessible to a broad audience and give context to the gendered racism and racialised patriarchies that persist today. Reviewing these reissued texts, the author argues that the UK’s radical history is a powerful tool that can reactivate anti-racist feminism both locally and internationally, pointing to the continued fight to retain BAME domestic violence refuges in the face of austerity cuts in the UK and the unique global solidarity that is coming to the fore as an emboldened far Right attacks women’s rights internationally.
Class in the 21st century: Asset inflation and the new logic of inequality
Authors: Adkins Lisa , Cooper Melinda , Konings Martijn
Published: September 2019

What becomes of class when residential property prices in major cities around the world accrue more income in a year than the average wage worker? This paper investigates the dynamic of combined wage disinflation and asset price inflation as a key to understanding the growth of inequality in recent decades. Taking the city of Sydney, Australia, as exemplary of a dynamic that has unfolded across the Anglo-American economies, it explains how residential property was constructed as a financial asset and how government policies helped to generate the phenomenal house price inflation and unequal capital gains of recent years. Proceeding in close conversation with Thomas Piketty's work on inequality and recent sociological contributions to the question of class, we argue that employment and wage-based taxonomies of class are no longer adequate for understanding a process of stratification in which capital gains, capital income and intergenerational transfers are preeminent. We conclude the paper by outlining a new asset-based class taxonomy which we intend to specify further in subsequent work.
History of the Landscape and Rural Territory among the Indigenous Families of Paposo and Taltal on the Atacama Desert Coast
Authors: Castelleti José
Published: September 2019

Recent ethnographic research undertaken with coastal inhabitants of the Taltal district on the Andean coast of South America facilitates corroboration of the development of a shared territorial map, with the extended family as a basic nucleus. These families, notwithstanding centuries of the imposition of the Encomienda system and mining industry, have historically occupied the rural territory from the housing/productive space of the majada, whose settlement led to a strong system of alliances predating the early historical period. The tracing of local family networks is presented here from the Almendares family registry, currently one of the groups defined as Changos or Camanchacos.
Relationship Between Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Deficit and Medial Elbow Torque in High School Baseball Pitchers
Authors: Smith D. Grace , Swantek Alexander J. , Gulledge Caleb M. , Lizzio Vincent A. , Bermudez Angel , Schulz Brian M. , Makhni Eric C.
Published: September 2019

Background:

Alterations in throwing mechanics have been identified as a risk factor for overuse injuries in baseball players. Glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD) has been found to adversely affect throwing mechanics, but the effect of GIRD on medial elbow torque is unclear.

Purpose:

To investigate the relationship between GIRD and medial elbow torque in high school–aged baseball pitchers.

Study Design:

Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods:

High school baseball pitchers (14-18 years old) were recruited for participation in this study. Players’ height, weight, body mass index, and arm measurements were recorded as well as shoulder and elbow range of motion measurements. GIRD was calculated from the difference between dominant and nondominant shoulder internal rotation. Participants then pitched 5 fastballs at maximum effort while wearing a wireless sensor that recorded elbow torque, arm slot, arm speed, shoulder rotation, and ball velocity. Principal component analysis was performed to determine which variables were associated with elbow torque or ball velocity.

Results:

Twenty-three high school pitchers participated in this study; 35% (n = 8) of participants exhibited GIRD of at least 20°. The mean GIRD was 15.3°± 11.2° and was not a predictor of medial elbow torque ( P = .205) or ball velocity ( P = .333). Ball velocity, age, and height were predictors of medial elbow torque ( P = .012, P = .003, and P = .024, respectively).

Conclusion:

In high school baseball pitchers, GIRD was not associated with medial elbow torque during the pitching motion. Instead, ball velocity, player age, and player height carried greater significance.

Clinical Relevance:

This study suggests that high school pitchers with GIRD do not have an inherently greater risk for increased medial elbow torque during the throwing motion. It is recommended that pitchers instead assess their ball velocity to evaluate for relative differences in medial elbow torque.
Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Total Hip and Knee Replacement in Retired National Football League Athletes
Authors: Davies Madeleine A.M. , Kerr Zachary Y. , DeFreese J.D. , Arden Nigel K. , Marshall Stephen W. , Guskiewicz Kevin M. , Padua Darin A. , Pietrosimone Brian
Published: September 2019

Background:

Osteoarthritis is a substantial cause of disability. Joint replacement prevalence relates to the burden of severe osteoarthritis, and identifying risk factors for end-stage disease may indicate intervention opportunities. American football has high youth and elite participation, and determining risk factors for severe osteoarthritis may support future morbidity prevention.

Purpose:

To (1) determine the prevalence of hip and knee replacement in retired National Football League (NFL) athletes, (2) examine risk factors for replacement, and (3) identify the association between knee injuries and knee replacement.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Retired NFL athletes who participated in a general health survey were included. This historical cohort included those playing between 1929 and 2001. The association between self-reported playing or injury history, and replacement after retirement, was assessed with prevalence ratios (PRs). Models were adjusted for potential confounders of age and weight.

Results:

Data for 2432 retired male NFL players (69.3% response rate) who had participated in football for a mean 15.2 years were included, in which 277 players reported replacement after retirement (11.4%). More participants reported knee replacement (7.7%) than hip replacement (4.6%). The majority of participants reported previous severe knee injury (53%), and the most prevalent was meniscal tear (32.2%). In multivariable models, age (10-year increase, PR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.99-2.51), current weight (PR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.06-1.14), and reporting 1 (PR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.14-2.77), 2 (PR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.16-3.15), or ≥3 knee injuries (PR, 3.44; 95% CI, 2.33-5.09) were associated with knee replacement. Age (10-year increase, PR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.59-2.18), linemen (PR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.03-2.55), and reporting 1 (PR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.05-2.80), 2 (PR, 2.77 95% CI, 1.58-4.84), or ≥3 (PR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.52-3.91) hip injuries were associated with hip replacement. Each reported knee injury type was cross-sectionally associated with replacement after retirement ( P < .05).

Conclusion:

Knee replacement was more prevalent than hip replacement. Risk factors differed between the hip and the knee, with age and severe joint injury associated with hip and knee replacement, weight with knee replacement, and playing position associated with hip replacement. Joint injury and weight management may be prevention opportunities to reduce morbidity and end-stage osteoarthritis in this population.
Categorical Matching as an Organizational Condition for Gender Inequality in the Korean Labor Market
Authors: Kim Young-Mi , Kwon Heiwon , Kwon Hyunji
Published: September 2019

This study investigated the role of a particular organizational mechanism called categorical matching—that is, the matching of a functional category (employment status) to a social category (gender) in organizations’ allocative processes. Using large-scale employer-employee matched data, we attempted to identify the organizational characteristics that are susceptible to categorical matching and the impacts of categorical matching on the gender wage gap. We found a significant association between the degree of categorical matching and the bargaining power of female workers net of the other organizational characteristics. Moreover, we found that the residual gender wage gap is larger in establishments that engage in more extensive categorical matching. Regardless of employment status, female workers experience greater wage penalties when they work in workplaces that match men to standard jobs and women to nonstandard jobs. These findings shed light on the importance of organizational processes in producing the gender wage gap and help explain the remarkably high gender wage gap in Korea.
Solving Homicides: The Influence of Neighborhood Characteristics and Investigator Caseload
Authors: LoFaso Charles A.
Published: September 2019

The primary theoretical perspectives through which homicide clearance is analyzed do not give explicit attention to the neighborhood context in which people are victimized. Indeed, few clearance studies incorporate neighborhood effects. This study investigates whether neighborhood context influences the odds of homicide clearance in Rochester, NY, net of theoretically relevant victim and incident characteristics. The study also incorporates a direct measure of investigator caseload to assess the influence of organizational characteristics on clearance rates. Findings indicate that homicides, particularly of Black victims, were significantly more likely to be cleared in disadvantaged neighborhoods even as witnesses were less likely to cooperate with police in those neighborhoods. However, the odds of clearance decrease as the number of open cases each investigator is carrying increases. Case incident characteristics and the quality of evidence collected remain salient solvability factors regardless of location. Equally important is maintaining adequate staffing and keeping investigator caseloads at manageable levels. Heavy caseloads impose a significant constraint on the time that can be devoted to otherwise solvable cases and as such are analogous to the constraints imposed on prosecutors and courts by their typically heavy caseloads.
Effectiveness Oral Theophylline, Piracetam, and Iron Treatments in Children With Simple Breath-Holding Spells
Authors: Dai Alper I. , Demiryürek Abdullah T.
Published: September 2019

Breath-holding spells (BHS) are common nonepileptic paroxysmal events in children. This is a retrospective study to compare the effectiveness of oral theophylline, piracetam, and iron treatments in children with simple BHS. A total of 146 children (75 girls and 71 boys) with simple BHS were included to this retrospective study. Children were divided into 4 groups: nontreated (no anemia and no treatment), oral theophylline (10 mg/kg/d as a single daily dose), piracetam (40 mg/kg/d in 2 divided doses), and elementary iron (3 mg/kg/d as a single daily dose) treatments. Iron therapy had been given only in children with iron deficiency anemia. Neurologic, cardiologic, and biochemical evaluations were performed for all children. The majority of the patients had cyanotic spells (83.6%). The frequency of attacks/month was markedly decreased with iron (58.8%) and theophylline (82.9%) treatments, but not with piracetam therapy (8.8%) and nontreated group (4.7%). Satisfaction of the parents/caregivers was found to be high in the theophylline group ( P < .001). Our results showed that theophylline was the most effective therapy to decrease the frequency of simple BHS in children.
Bureaucratic Tools in (Gendered) Organizations: Performance Metrics and Gender Advisors in International Development
Authors: Springer Emily
Published: September 2019

This article contributes to a growing conversation about the role of numbers in promoting gendered agendas in potentially contradictory ways. Drawing from interviews with gender advisors—the professionals tasked with mainstreaming gender in development projects—in an East African country, I begin from the paradox that gender advisors articulate a strong preference for qualitative data to best capture the lives of the women they aim to assist while voicing a need for quantitative metrics. I demonstrate that (women) gender advisors come to imagine metrics as expeditious bureaucratic tools able to inspire cooperation from otherwise reluctant (men) coworkers. I argue that development organizations are gendered in ways—acutely seen in how advisors struggle, are sidelined, and attempt to advance their goals with numbers—that lead to the utility of valuing quantitative metrics over qualitative ones. I establish two theoretical contributions: (1) Gendered organizations theory is essential to understanding the adoption and globalization of performance metrics, and (2) in an age of evidence-based decision making, the utility of quantified data to garner resources is heightened, rewarding those who adopt quantified knowledge production. I coin the term “the paradox of quantified utility” to describe how these material advantages encourage even skeptics to value quantitative metrics.
Is the Cutoff of the MoCA too High? Longitudinal Data From Highly Educated Older Adults
Authors: Elkana Odelia , Tal Noy , Oren Noga , Soffer Shani , Ash Elissa L.
Published: September 2019

Background:

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is widely used to evaluate cognitive decline in older individuals. Although, age and education-related norms have been published, the vast majority of diagnostic clinicians use the MoCA cutoff score to identify patients with cognitive impairment.

Aim:

To identify whether the MoCA cutoff is too stringent for cognitively normal older adults.

Methods:

Twenty-seven participants aged 68 to 83 (mean = 75.07, standard deviation [SD] = 4.62), with high education level (mean = 17.14 years, SD = 3.21) underwent cognitive assessment once a year for 5 consecutive years. The cognitive assessment included MoCA; Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test; Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure test; Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Information and Digit Span Subtest; Trail Making Test; Verbal Fluency Test; and Beck Depression Inventory questionnaire. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze all standardized scores as well as MoCA standardized and raw scores across all years.

Results:

Repeated-measures ANOVA for MoCA raw scores yielded significant decline across the years ( P < .05). From the second year and forward, the average MoCA total score was below the cutoff of 26/30. However, in substantial contrast, all other neuropsychological scores and the MoCA standardized scores were within the normal range and even above in all years.

Conclusion:

Our study demonstrates that the currently used MoCA cutoff is too high even for highly educated, cognitively normal older adults. Therefore, it is crucial to use the age- and education-related norms for the MoCA in order to avoid misdiagnosis of cognitive decline.
Clinical and Diffusion Tensor Imaging to Evaluate Falls, Balance and Gait Dysfunction in Leukoaraiosis: an Observational, Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Zhang Weiyi , Shen Huicong , Yao Xiaomei , Liu Fei , Wang Shuo , Yang Yang , Zhang Ning , Wang Chunxue
Published: September 2019

Objective:

To assess the correlation between leukoaraiosis (LA) and falls, to determine the risk factors for falls in patients with LA, and to detect specific white matter tracts are associated with the falls by using the diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) screen.

Methods:

For the elderly patients with LA, we collected demographic information and scores for the Tinetti Balance and Gait Scale, Berg Balance Scale, Timed up-and-go test, and Cognitive, Emotional, Sleep-related Scale. All the patients underwent DTI scanning and were followed up for 1 year.

Results:

Ninety-four individuals were prospectively enrolled. After multivariable analyses, age, history of falls in the past year, antidepressants usage, and LA-Fazekas grade were reported to be risk factors for falls. In patients with severe LA, the fall incidence was higher than in those with mild LA. Tract-Based Spatial Statistics showed that fractional anisotropy values of the corpus callosum, cingulate gyrus, anterior limb of internal capsule, cerebral peduncle, anterior corona, and fronto-occipital fasciculus were significantly reduced in the patients who fell. The body of the corpus callosum and anterior corona radiate were significantly related to balance and gait function.

Conclusions:

Our findings indicated that age, history of falls in the past year, antidepressants usage, and LA-Fazekas grade were risk factors for falls in elderly patients with LA. Leukoaraiosis was relevant for falls, but LA severity had a threshold effect with falls. The loss of integrity of some white matter tracts might influence balance and gait function. The DTI had preeminent clinical application prospects for identifying fall risk in patients with LA.
Tool wear prediction in hard turning of EN8 steel using cutting force and surface roughness with artificial neural network
Authors: SK Thangarasu , Shankar S , T Mohanraj , K Devendran
Published: September 2019

In this work, the flank wear of the cutting tool is predicted using artificial neural network based on the responses of cutting force and surface roughness. EN8 steel is chosen as a work piece material and turning test is conducted with various levels of speed, feed and depth of cut. Cutting force and surface roughness are measured for both the fresh and dull tool under dry cutting conditions. The tool insert used is CNMG 120408 grade, TiN coated cemented carbide tool. The experiments are conducted based on the response surface methodology face central composite design of experiments. The feed rate (14.52%), depth of cut (27.72%) and the interaction of feed rate and depth of cut (50.39%) influence the cutting force. The feed rate (21.33%) and the interaction of cutting speed and depth of cut (26.67%) influence the flank wear. The feed rate (61.63%) has the significant influence on surface roughness. The feed forward back propagation neural network of 5-n-1 architecture is trained using the algorithms like Levenberg Marquardt, BFGS quasi-Newton, and Gradient Descent with Momentum and Gradient descent with adaptive learning rate. The network performance has been assessed based on their mean square error and computation time. From this analysis, the BFGS quasi-Newton back propagation algorithm produced the least mean squared error value with minimum computation time.
A measurement method for the overturning coefficient of high-speed trains passing through complex terrain sections under strong wind conditions
Authors: Lu Zhaijun , Huang Weijia , Zhong Mu , Liu Dongrun , Li Tian , Zhan Huan
Published: September 2019

Real-time monitoring of overturning coefficients is very important for ensuring the safety of high-speed trains passing through complex terrain sections under strong wind conditions. In recent years, the phenomenon of “car swaying” that occurs when trains pass through the complex terrain has brought new challenges to ensuring the safety and riding comfort of passengers. In China, more and more high-speed trains are facing strong wind environments when running in complex terrain sections. However, due to the limitation of objective conditions, so far, only a few economical and effective methods of measurement have been developed that are suitable for real-time monitoring of the overturning coefficient of commercial vehicles. Therefore, considering the applicability and universality of such a monitoring method, this study presents a method for measuring the overturning coefficient of trains using the primary suspension system under strong winds. A vehicle test was carried out to verify the accuracy of the method. The results show that after correction, the overturning coefficient obtained from the primary suspension system is generally consistent with the overturning coefficient obtained from the instrumented wheelset. The method of measuring the overturning coefficient of trains in strong wind environments with the primary suspension system is, thus, proven feasible.
Flexible Bayesian excess hazard models using low-rank thin plate splines
Authors: Quaresma Manuela , Carpenter James , Rachet Bernard
Published: September 2019

Excess hazard models became the preferred modelling tool in population-based cancer survival research. In this setting, the model is commonly formulated as the additive decomposition of the overall hazard into two components: the excess hazard due to the cancer of interest and the population hazard due to all other causes of death. We introduce a flexible Bayesian regression model for the log-excess hazard where the baseline log-excess hazard and any non-linear effects of covariates are modelled using low-rank thin plate splines. Using this type of splines will ensure that the log-likelihood function retains tractability not requiring numerical integration. We demonstrate how to derive posterior distributions for the excess hazard and for net survival, a population-level measure of cancer survival that can be derived from excess hazard models. We illustrate the proposed model using survival data for patients diagnosed with colon cancer during 2009 in London, England.
Processing and thermal characteristics of human hair fiber-reinforced polymer composites
Authors: Nanda Bishnu Prasad , Satapathy Alok
Published: September 2019

Human hair is a biofiber having an exceptional chemical composition, higher strength in tension, and slow decomposition rate. In the present work, composites are fabricated by simple hand layup technique with epoxy matrix and different proportions of hair fiber (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%). Physical, mechanical, microstructural, and thermal characterization of the composite samples has been done by following the proper ASTM standards. A theoretical model has been developed to predict the effective thermal conductivity of the composite. Based on this model, a mathematical correlation between the effective thermal conductivity of the composite and the fiber content is developed. The results obtained from this correlation are in good agreement with the experimental data. This study explores the possibility of fabricating a class of epoxy composites with higher mechanical strength, superior insulation capability, improved glass transition temperature, and a low thermal expansion coefficient.