bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Weakened by the storm
Authors: Walch Colin
Published: February 2018

How do natural disasters affect rebel group recruitment? Some influential research to date suggests that natural disasters – by lowering the opportunity cost of joining an armed movement – are likely to facilitate rebel group recruitment. In contrast, this study argues that natural disasters can negatively affect rebel organization and their recruitment efforts. It posits that natural disasters may weaken rebel groups in two main interrelated ways: (1) by leading to acute scarcity for rebel combatants and supporters, weakening the rebel group’s organizational structure and supply lines, and (2) by increasing government and international presence in areas where the insurgents operate. Empirically, this article explores these suggested mechanisms in two cases of natural disasters in the Philippines (typhoons Bopha in 2012 and Haiyan in 2013), which affected regions partially controlled by the communist rebel group, the New People’s Army (NPA). Based on data from extensive fieldwork, there is no evidence suggesting a boom in rebel recruitment in the wake of the typhoons. Rather, the NPA was temporarily weakened following the tropical storms, significantly impacting the civil war dynamics in the Philippines.
Developing the Construct of General Self-Efficacy1
Authors: Shelton Suzanne H.
Published: February 2018

The theory of general self-efficacy is still in the early stages of development. There are few scales designed to measure increments of general self-efficacy, and the research on these scales and general self-efficacy is only slowly increasing. The challenge of general self-efficacy theory is that the construct is global unlike Bandura's 1977 theory of specific self-efficacy. Self-efficacy began as a domain-rooted construct and was easily operationalized and studied. General self-efficacy is less developed and its potential has yet to be fully realized. The purpose of this article was to summarize the literature on self-efficacy, both in its specific form and in its general form. The definitions of specific and general self-efficacy are made clear as well as their conceptualized relationship.
The Role of Migration Policies in the Attraction and Retention of International Talent: The Case of Indian Researchers
Authors: Toma Sorana , Villares-Varela María
Published: February 2018

Governments are increasingly implementing policies aimed at attracting or retaining highly skilled migrants. While a growing number of studies examine the effectiveness of these efforts, the actual mechanisms through which migration policies may operate have not been questioned. Drawing on an aspirations-capability framework for mobility, this article explores the role of migration policies in the geographic mobility decisions of researchers, a highly skilled group that has been specifically targeted by such policies. Focusing on Indian researchers and using qualitative methodology ( N = 40), we examine their decisions to study and/or work abroad, to stay or move elsewhere. The article shows that while migration policies do not seem to be influential in the attraction of students and researchers, they do play a role in the retention and subsequent moves of international talent.
Ethical Lapses and the Military Profession
Authors: Crosbie Thomas , Kleykamp Meredith
Published: February 2018

In a recent issue of this journal, we published an article titled “Fault Lines of the American Military Profession”. Donald S. Travis subsequently wrote a Dipustatio Sine Fine rejoinder that raised a number of criticisms of our piece and suggested several ways forward. For our part, we detect three serious problems in Travis’s analysis and offer a single syncretic response. Our solution builds on the insights of Travis’s critique while avoiding the pitfalls of his specific line of reasoning. We conclude by urging others to continue to debate and research these very consequential and timely issues.
Optimizing thermal comfort considerations with electrical demand response program implementation
Authors: Aghniaey Sama , Lawrence Thomas M , Mohammadpour Javad , Song WenZhan , Watson Richard T , Boudreau Marie C
Published: February 2018

Maintaining thermal comfort within an occupied building requires energy; thus, optimized solution methods for balancing energy use with indoor environmental quality (adequate thermal comfort, lighting, etc.) are needed. Current building temperature control systems do not adequately take in account the adaptive capability of the occupants, but this concept can be used advantageously during implementation of demand response. Demand response programs can affect both the occupants’ thermal comfort from temporary adjustments to space temperature settings. This paper describes ongoing research and field testing of methods to optimize building energy consumption for heating, ventilation and air conditioning applications accounting for human factors such as the thermal comfort by the occupants. Model predictive controllers could serve as powerful tools to optimize the operation of smart buildings and improve human comfort perceptions while helping to better integrate renewable energy systems with increased grid stability.

Practical application: This work outlines how the operation of cooling systems can be optimized with respect to reducing peak demand while still maintaining thermal comfort within acceptable ranges.
What Information Works Best?: A Comparison of Routing Methods
Authors: Sari Halil Ibrahim , Raborn Anthony
Published: February 2018

There are many item selection methods proposed for computerized adaptive testing (CAT) applications. However, not all of them have been used in computerized multistage testing (ca-MST). This study uses some item selection methods as a routing method in ca-MST framework. These are maximum Fisher information (MFI), maximum likelihood weighted information (MLWI), maximum posterior weighted information (MPWI), Kullback–Leibler (KL), and posterior Kullback–Leibler (KLP). The main purpose of this study is to examine the performance of these methods when they are used as a routing method in ca-MST applications. These five information methods under four ca-MST panel designs and two test lengths (30 items and 60 items) were tested using the parameters of a real item bank. Results were evaluated with overall findings (mean bias, root mean square error, correlation between true and estimated thetas, and module exposure rates) and conditional findings (conditional absolute bias, standard error of measurement, and root mean square error). It was found that test length affected the outcomes much more than other study conditions. Under 30-item conditions, 1-3 designs outperformed other panel designs. Under 60-item conditions, 1-3-3 designs were better than other panel designs. Each routing method performed well under particular conditions; there was no clear best method in the studied conditions. The recommendations for routing methods in any particular condition were provided for researchers and practitioners as well as the limitations of these results.
Managerial Ideologies Dividing the Corporate Elite: A process study of the rise and fall of a counter-ideology
Authors: Mees-Buss Jacqueline , Welch Catherine
Published: February 2018

In this paper we refocus attention on managerial ideology. We analyze the dynamics of an ideological conflict among members of the transnational corporate elite in a large multinational corporation. Specifically, we trace the rise and fall of a counter-ideology. We identify the discursive, cognitive and social mechanisms driving ideological change and provide a model for ideological contestation inside the organization. Such multidisciplinary explanations have been missing in extant literature, which has either focused on more reductionist explanations of ideological change or on how ideological hegemony is maintained. We contribute a method to ‘excavate’ ideology – a deep sensemaking structure – from narratives. We conclude that managerial ideology is a useful, but often overlooked, concept for understanding how the ambiguity of managerial decision-making can lead to polarization and conflict.
Queering Queer Theory in Management and Organization Studies: Notes toward queering heterosexuality
Authors: Rumens Nick , de Souza Eloisio Moulin , Brewis Jo
Published: February 2018

This article suggests new possibilities for queer theory in management and organization studies. Management and organization studies has tended to use queer theory as a conceptual resource for studying the workplace experience of ‘minorities’ such as gay men, lesbians and those identifying as bisexual or transgender, often focusing on how heteronormativity shapes the discursive constitution of sexualities and genders coded as such. This deployment is crucial and apposite but it can limit the analytical reach of queer theory, neglecting other objects of analysis like heterosexuality. Potentially, MOS queer theory scholarship could be vulnerable to criticism about overlooking queer theory as a productive site for acknowledging both heterosexuality’s coercive aspects and its non-normative forms. The principal contribution of our article is therefore twofold. First, it proposes a queering of queer theory in management and organization studies, whereby scholars are alert to and question the potential normativities that such research can produce, opening up a space for exploring how heterosexuality can be queered. Second, we show how queering heterosexuality can be another site where queer theory and politics come together in the management and organization studies field, through a shared attempt to undermine sexual and gender binaries and challenge normative social relations. The article concludes by outlining the political implications of queering heterosexuality for generating modes of organizing in which heterosexuality can be experienced as non-normative and how this might rupture and dismantle heteronormativity.
Histomorphologic Analysis of the Late-term Rat Fetus and Placenta
Authors: Charest Phanie L. , Vrolyk Vanessa , Herst Pauline , Lessard Maryse , Sloboda Deborah M. , Dalvai Mathieu , Haruna Julius , Bailey Janice L. , Benoit-Biancamano Marie-Odile
Published: February 2018

Histological examination of the rat placenta and fetus is uncommon. Toxicological studies mainly rely on gross examination of the fetus and on fetal and placental weights. These are often insufficient to assess the fetal and placental toxicity of xenobiotics. The small size of the fetus makes its dissection labor-intensive. Thus, our objective was to develop a simple and accurate technique to evaluate the rat fetus and placenta. Sprague-Dawley rat fetuses at gestational day 19.5 ( n = 18) and their placentas ( n = 32) were fixed in formalin. Placentas were cut transversally in the center. Fetuses were cut following a freehand whole-body serial sectioning diagram adapted from Wilson’s method. Sections were stained with hematoxylin–eosin–phloxine–saffron, and histomorphometry was used to measure the area of the fetal placental region (27.2 ± 1.7 mm2), including the labyrinth (22.2 ± 1.0 mm2) and the basal zone (4.8 ± 0.8 mm2). Our whole-fetus serial sectioning technique resulted in 12 precise cutting planes that fit on 3 histological slides, enabling the examination of most organs without labor-intensive dissection. Quantitative analysis of placental areas improves the understanding of the pathogenesis of treatment-related changes. This technique provides a standardized method for future research in pertinent fields such as developmental biology and toxicology.
Who leads and who follows? The symbiotic relationship between UKIP and the Conservatives – and populism and Euroscepticism
Authors: Bale Tim
Published: February 2018

The UK Independence Party (UKIP) is not so much a populist party that became Eurosceptic as a Eurosceptic party that became populist. However, careful tracing of a sequence that began in the late 1990s reveals that it was not UKIP but the Conservative Party that first fused populism and Euroscepticism. David Cameron’s decision in 2006 to temporarily abandon both approaches, just as Nigel Farage became UKIP’s leader, turned out, in historical institutionalist terms, to be a critical juncture. It provided UKIP with an opportunity to fill the gap, after which the Conservatives were unable, as Europe was hit by successive economic and migration crises, to regain the initiative. As a result, and as Cameron’s coalition government failed to meet its promises to control immigration, UKIP enjoyed increasing electoral success. This allowed it to exert significant, if indirect, pressure on the Tories, eventually helping to force Cameron into promising an in/out referendum – a promise that did neither him nor his party any good. The UK case, therefore, reminds us that anyone wanting to understand populist Euroscepticism needs to appreciate that the relationship between the radical right and its mainstream, centre-right counterpart is more reciprocal, and even symbiotic, than is commonly imagined.
The ultimate shock absorber
Authors: Fellowes Eleanor
Published: February 2018

Since the publication of its strategy in 2012, the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway continues to develop across the National Probation Service and prison estate. The relational crux of the Pathway exists between the probation officer and service user, with the former holding the lead professional role. This study aimed to develop an understanding of practitioners’ experience of inhabiting this role, in order that enhanced insight into the relationship at the centre of the Pathway could emerge. Discussion focuses on the implications of the findings for enabling relational security and psychologically informed practice in complex and risk averse systems.
The impact of wrist fracture, surgical repair and immobilization on patients: a qualitative study
Authors: Watson Narelle J , Martin Sally A , Keating Jennifer L
Published: February 2018

Objective:

To investigate patients’ experience following wrist fracture, surgical repair and immobilization.

Design:

A qualitative investigation involving individual participant interviews.

Setting:

A metropolitan trauma service.

Subjects:

In all, 31 participants were consecutively recruited from three groups within a randomized controlled trial comparing immobilization for one ( n = 11), three ( n = 10) or six weeks ( n = 10) following surgical treatment for wrist fracture.

Intervention:

Individual interviews were conducted within three months of cast removal. Questions prompted discussion of the experience of fracture, surgery and immobilization. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim. At least two independent researchers performed coding and theming following principles of thematic analysis.

Results:

Two themes were identified: (1) impact of the injury varies widely and (2) health care consumers want trustworthy dialogue. Participant reports indicated that recovery from wrist fracture, surgery and immobilization is challenging with significant changes to social role and increased dependence. For many, lack of empathy from health professionals and limited acknowledgement of the personal impact of injury led to dissatisfaction. Health professionals did not consistently tailor communication or adopt strategies to address specific needs for pain management, education and support requirements. There was no evidence that processes were implemented to enhance participant recall and comprehension. Most participants experienced their cast as a barrier to function. However, within the group of participants immobilized for one week, a number felt the cast was removed too soon.

Conclusion:

Participant reports indicate that recovery from surgically repaired wrist fracture is challenging. Opportunities exist to refine care in pain management, education and active engagement of patients in their care.
Circumstances of hospital admissions in palliative care: A cross-sectional survey of patients admitted to hospital with palliative care needs
Authors: Robinson Jackie , Gott Merryn , Frey Rosemary , Ingleton Christine
Published: February 2018

Background:

On average, people will experience 2.28 hospital admissions in the last year of life with the likelihood of a hospital admission increasing in the last 2 weeks of life. Reducing hospital admissions has become a focus for high-income countries as they work to manage the financial implications of an ageing population. However, the circumstances by which patients with palliative care needs are admitted to hospital remain poorly understood.

Aim:

To explore the circumstances of hospital admissions for patients with palliative care needs.

Design:

Cross-sectional survey design using face-to-face questionnaires.

Setting/participants:

In total, 116 patients aged >18 years admitted to a tertiary hospital with palliative care needs.

Results:

Those with a non-cancer diagnosis and those aged over 75 years were less likely to have hospice involved prior to the admission ( x2 (1, n = 116) = 10.19, p = 0.00). Few patients recognised community services as having a role in enabling them to remain at home. Those with cancer placed a significantly higher priority on receiving information about their illness ( t(114) = 2.03, p = 0.04) and receiving tests and investigations ( t(114) = 2.37, p = 0.02) in hospital.

Conclusion:

This study has demonstrated the complexity of hospital admissions in palliative care. Further research is needed to explore patient perceptions of care at home and the role of community services to enable them to remain at home. Understanding the motivation to come to hospital in the context of an incurable illness and limited treatment options may help to inform the development of services that can enable better care at home.
Integrated palliative care networks from the perspectives of patients: A cross-sectional explorative study in five European countries
Authors: den Herder-van der Eerden Marlieke , Ebenau Anne , Payne Sheila , Preston Nancy , Radbruch Lukas , Linge-Dahl Lisa , Csikos Agnes , Busa Csilla , Van Beek Karen , Groot Marieke , Vissers Kris , Hasselaar Jeroen
Published: February 2018

Background:

Although examining perspectives of patients on integrated palliative care organisation is essential, available literature is largely based on administrative data or healthcare professionals’ perspectives.

Aim:

(1) Providing insight into the composition and quality of care networks of patients receiving palliative care and (2) describing perceived integration between healthcare professionals within these networks and its association with overall satisfaction.

Design:

Cross-sectional explorative design.

Setting/participants:

We recruited 157 patients (62% cancer, 25% chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 13% chronic heart failure, mean age 68 years, 55% female) from 23 integrated palliative care initiatives in Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, Hungary and the Netherlands.

Results:

About 33% reported contact with a palliative care specialist and 48% with a palliative care nurse. Relationships with palliative care specialists were rated significantly higher than other physicians ( p < 0.001). Compared to patients with cancer, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (odds ratio = 0.16, confidence interval (0.04; 0.57)) and chronic heart failure (odds ratio = 0.11, confidence interval (0.01; 0.93)) had significantly lower odds of reporting contact with palliative care specialists and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (odds ratio = 0.23, confidence interval (0.08; 0.71)) had significantly lower odds of reporting contact with palliative care nurses. Perceptions of main responsible healthcare professionals or caregivers in patient’s care networks varied across countries. Perceived integration was significantly associated with overall satisfaction.

Conclusion:

Palliative care professionals are not always present or recognised as such in patients’ care networks. Expert palliative care involvement needs to be explicated especially for non-cancer patients. One healthcare professional should support patients in understanding and navigating their palliative care network. Patients seem satisfied with care provision as long as continuity of care is provided.
Family carers’ experiences of coping with the deaths of adults in home settings: A narrative analysis of carers’ relevant background worries
Authors: Thomas Carol , Turner Mary , Payne Sheila , Milligan Christine , Brearley Sarah , Seamark David , Wang Xu , Blake Susan
Published: February 2018

Background:

Internationally, evidence on the support needs of family carers who look after a terminally ill adult in home settings is incomplete.

Aim:

To illustrate the relevance of ‘relevant background worries’ in family carers’ accounts of caring at home for a dying adult.

Design:

A qualitative cross-sectional observational study was conducted in England, United Kingdom, in 2011–2013 on the experiences of adult family carers ( n = 59) of older dying adults (aged 50+ years) with malignant and/or non-malignant conditions. Interviews occurred post-bereavement. This article reports on a subset of participants’ interview transcripts ( n = 30) where narrative analysis was undertaken.

Setting/participants:

Carers were interviewed in their home setting, having been purposively recruited via general practitioner practices in two study sites in England. The subset of participants ( n = 30) was purposively selected from the parent sample with reference to carers’ age, relationship to the patient, family circumstances and study sites.

Results:

Evidence is provided on the importance of what we conceptualise as carers’ ‘relevant background worries’; these varied in nature, significance and impact. Four case studies are presented where these worries constituted psychosocial factors that impacted on caregivers’ actions and emotional well-being. Two themes are discussed: (1) whether relevant background worries are important enough to be identified and responded to and (2) how such worries could be picked up and managed by professionals.

Conclusion:

It is argued that the quality of clinical practice could be improved if specialist palliative care teams in community contexts both identified and responded to significant support needs associated with family carers’ relevant background worries.
Clinical correlates of longitudinal MRI changes in CADASIL
Authors: Ling Yifeng , De Guio François , Jouvent Eric , Duering Marco , Hervé Dominique , Guichard Jean Pierre , Godin Ophélia , Dichgans Martin , Chabriat Hugues
Published: February 2018

Previous studies showed that various types of cerebral lesions, as assessed on MRI, largely contribute to the clinical severity of CADASIL. However, the clinical impact of longitudinal changes of classical markers of small vessel disease on conventional MRI has been only poorly investigated. One hundred sixty NOTCH3 mutation carriers (mean age ± SD, 49.8 ± 10.9 years) were followed over three years. Validated methods were used to determine the percent brain volume change (PBVC), number of incident lacunes, change of volume of white matter hyperintensities and change of number of cerebral microbleeds. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the independent association between changes of these MRI markers and incident clinical events. Mixed-effect multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess their association with changes of clinical scales. Over a mean period of 3.1 ± 0.2 years, incident lacunes are found independently associated with incident stroke and change of Trail Making Test Part B. PBVC is independently associated with all incident events and clinical scale changes except the modified Rankin Scale at three years. Our results suggest that, on conventional MRI, PBVC and the number of incident lacunes are the most sensitive and independent correlates of clinical worsening over three years in CADASIL.
Bridging Theory and Practice in an Applied Retail Track
Authors: Lange Fredrik , Rosengren Sara , Colliander Jonas , Hernant Mikael , Liljedal Karina T.
Published: February 2018

In this article, we present an educational approach that bridges theory and practice: an applied retail track. The track has been co-created by faculty and 10 partnering retail companies and runs in parallel with traditional courses during a 3-year bachelor’s degree program in retail management. The underlying pedagogical concept is to move retail education from simple dissemination of knowledge toward the production of learning by way of experiential, situated, and skill-based learning. Overall, we believe that this learning approach has helped to create a win-win-win situation for students, retailers, and faculty. Students gain unique insights from retail practice to complement their topically oriented course-based learning, thus enhancing their attractiveness to employers after graduation. Retailers gain in-depth knowledge about the competencies of young prospective employees, and faculty and retailers jointly benefit from exchanging ideas about contemporary challenges in retailing. This article describes the program’s main features and successes and offers recommendations for others seeking to implement all or some of its components.
Lateral Augmentation Procedures in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Anatomic, Biomechanical, Imaging, and Clinical Evidence
Authors: Weber Alexander E. , Zuke William , Mayer Erik N. , Forsythe Brian , Getgood Alan , Verma Nikhil N. , Bach Bernard R. , Bedi Asheesh , Cole Brian J.
Published: February 2018

Background:

There has been an increasing interest in lateral-based soft tissue reconstructive techniques as augments to anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). The objective of these procedures is to minimize anterolateral rotational instability of the knee after surgery. Despite the relatively rapid increase in surgical application of these techniques, many clinical questions remain.

Purpose:

To provide a comprehensive update on the current state of these lateral-based augmentation procedures by reviewing the origins of the surgical techniques, the biomechanical data to support their use, and the clinical results to date.

Study Design:

Systematic review.

Methods:

A systematic search of the literature was conducted via the Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, SportDiscus, and CINAHL databases. The search was designed to encompass the literature on lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) procedures and the anterolateral ligament (ALL) reconstruction. Titles and abstracts were reviewed for relevance and sorted into the following categories: anatomy, biomechanics, imaging/diagnostics, surgical techniques, and clinical outcomes.

Results:

The search identified 4016 articles. After review for relevance, 31, 53, 27, 35, 45, and 78 articles described the anatomy, biomechanics, imaging/diagnostics, surgical techniques, and clinical outcomes of either LET procedures or the ALL reconstruction, respectively. A multitude of investigations were available, revealing controversy in addition to consensus in several categories. The level of evidence obtained from this search was not adequate for systematic review or meta-analysis; thus, a current concepts review of the anatomy, biomechanics, imaging, surgical techniques, and clinical outcomes was performed.

Conclusion:

Histologically, the ALL appears to be a distinct structure that can be identified with advanced imaging techniques. Biomechanical evidence suggests that the anterolateral structures of the knee, including the ALL, contribute to minimizing anterolateral rotational instability. Cadaveric studies of combined ACLR-LET procedures demonstrated overconstraint of the knee; however, these findings have yet to be reproduced in the clinical literature. The current indications for LET augmentation in the setting of ACLR and the effect on knee kinematic and joint preservation should be the subject of future research.
Instruction of Digital Reading Strategies Based on Eye-Movements Modeling Examples
Authors: Salmerón Ladislao , Llorens Ana
Published: February 2018

During the last decade, several studies have proposed and tested different instructional methods for teaching digital reading strategies to young students. In this study, we have tested the effectiveness of a program combining eye-movements modeling examples (EMMEs) and contrasting cases to instruct ninth-grade students how to plan, evaluate, and monitor their digital reading. EMMEs are videos that display a dot representing the eye movements of a model and an oral transcription of her thoughts while answering a specific question in a hypertext. Students in the EMME condition obtain higher comprehension scores in a posttest performed 1 week after the instruction, as compared with a control group that have received a control instruction using written case examples. Students working with EMMEs also spend more time reading the main digital document, but they do not differ in terms of visits and time to relevant and irrelevant pages. Our study suggests that EMMEs can be used to foster literacy strategy instruction.
State entropy–based fluctuation analysis mechanism for quality state stability in data-driven manufacturing process
Authors: Hu Sheng , Zhao Liping , Yao Yiyong
Published: February 2018

Intelligent quality state analysis is a promising tool to deal with manufacturing big data due to its ability in efficiently processing state signals and providing accurate warning results. Inspired by the idea that uses the change of entropy flow to characterize the quality state change, this article proposes a fluctuation analysis mechanism for quality stability based on state entropy in data-driven manufacturing process. First, the multidimensional space cloud model with a three-tuple feature is constructed to describe quality state fluctuation in which the digital features of entropy and hyper-entropy represent the fluctuations’ uncertainty of quality state. Furthermore, in order to quantitatively analyze the fluctuation degree of process state, the entropy change mechanism is introduced into the manufacturing quality state to calculate the state fluctuation degree. The proposed method is validated by a fan blade machining process dataset, and the result shows that the approach could well monitor the quality state fluctuation and show good effect for process stability analysis, which will provide theoretical evidence for the real-time warning and evaluation for abnormal quality state in manufacturing process.
Passivity-based attitude control with input quantization
Authors: Lang Xiaoyu , Damaren Christopher J , Cao Xibin
Published: February 2018

A passivity-based controller with quantization for spacecraft attitude control is developed. This passive control scheme includes two parts which are a proportional controller for quaternion feedback and a strictly positive real controller for the angular velocity. To alleviate the errors caused by quantization, a special modification for the nonlinear quantized input is employed in the strictly positive real controller. Asymptotic stability can be guaranteed with the presented controller structure. A guideline for the controller parameter selection is provided with sensitivity analysis for the control scheme. Numerical simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.
Statistical measures for proportional–integral–derivative control quality: Simulations and industrial data
Authors: Domański Pawel D
Published: February 2018

This article focuses on investigation of statistical approaches to the task of control performance assessment. Different statistical measures with Gaussian and non-Gaussian probabilistic distributions are taken into consideration. Analysis starts with the observations for simulated proportional–integral–derivative control error histograms followed by its statistical investigation using selected probabilistic distribution functions. Simulation experiments are followed by the analysis of control data originating from real industrial loops. Shadowing effect of long-tail control error histograms is identified, as it may significantly disable proper loop quality assessment. Results show that non-Gaussian approach with Cauchy or α-stable distributions seems to be reasonable assessment alternative in case of disturbances existing in industrial processes.
Reconstructing human–landscape interactions in the ancient Mediterranean harbour of Cartagena (Spain)
Authors: Torres Trinidad , Ramallo Sebastián , Sánchez-Palencia Yolanda , Ros Milagros , Ortiz José E , Navarro Francisca , Cerezo Felipe , Rodríguez-Estrella Tomás , Manteca Ignacio
Published: February 2018

Here, we sought to reconstruct the Pleistocene and Holocene evolution of Cartagena Bay. Therefore, 16 borehole cores were analysed with the following aims: (1) to define a chronological framework; (2) to obtain data on the palaeoenvironment; and (3) to establish the relationship with human activities, especially focused on the reconstruction of the Carthago Nova (also known as Qart Hadasht) conquest. A total of 147 samples were recovered for amino acid racemisation (AAR) dating; 32 for radiocarbon dating (14C); and 159 for sedimentological, palaeontological, and biomarker determination. These approaches allowed us to elucidate the evolutionary phases of the palaeolandscape in Cartagena. The simultaneous use of AAR and 14C dating allowed the discrimination of spurious ages and the establishment of a chronological scale. During the Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 7 and 5, the sea level (SL) in Cartagena Bay was almost the same as today. An alluvial plain developed in the northern area, and a delta was formed by an ephemeral river. In contrast, during MIS4, after a fall in SL, a wide sandy coastal plain emerged, leading to the accumulation of colluvial and aeolian deposits. The Holocene transgression was reflected in the hinterland in a late and temporarily floodable marsh fed by alluvial fans and creeks, producing a salinity gradient from freshwater to brackish and saline waters. Along the sea front, the marine influence was evident but not dominant, grading up and landwards to saline and freshwater marshes. Therefore, at the time of Scipio’s conquest, the geography of Carthago Nova was quite different from that described by Polybius. The Roman’s sudden attack seized Qart Hadasht from the south-west, avoiding the marshy area and not crossing a fast and deep ebb stream as it never existed on the Mediterranean Iberian coast.
Visual brokerage: Communicating data and research through visualisation
Authors: Allen William L.
Published: February 2018

Researchers increasingly use visualisation to make sense of their data and communicate findings more widely. But these are not necessarily straightforward processes. Theories of knowledge brokerage show how sociopolitical contexts and intermediary organisations that translate research for public audiences shape how users engage with evidence. Applying these ideas to data visualisation, I argue that several kinds of brokers (such as data collectors, designers and intermediaries) link researchers and audiences, contributing to the ways that people engage with visualisations. To do this, I draw on qualitative focus groups that elicited non-academic viewers’ reactions to visualisations of data about UK migration. The results reveal two important features of engagement: perceptions of brokers’ credibility and feelings of surprise arising from visualisations’ content and design. I conclude by arguing that researchers, knowledge brokers and the public produce – as well as operate within – a complex visualisation space characterised by mutual, bi-directional connections.
Monitoring and addressing global poverty: A new approach and implications for Australia
Authors: Saunders Peter
Published: February 2018

Tony Atkinson’s death at the beginning of 2017 deprived economics of one of its leading contributors to research on public economics, inequality, poverty and the welfare state. This article focuses on his last official role, as Chair of the World Bank Commission on Global Poverty. The report of the Commission – already referred to as the Atkinson Commission – proposes a new approach to measuring and monitoring the global poverty reduction targets established as part of the Sustainable Development Goals agreed by the United Nations in 2015. Atkinson developed the framework and provided the academic impetus to the work of the Commission and wrote much of its report, assisted by comments provided by an Advisory Board of eminent experts in the field and a smaller working group of selected members. The article describes some of the main features of the report’s 21 recommendations, focusing on the measurement of poverty in both monetary and non-monetary dimensions and its attempt to draw together national and global efforts to measure and reduce poverty in all its forms. It concludes with a discussion of the implications of the new approach for Australia, which like many other developed countries has so far failed to engage actively with the debate over addressing extreme global poverty.
Who let the dogs out? Therapy dogs in clinical practice
Authors: Jones MG , Rice SM , Cotton SM
Published: February 2018

Objectives:

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a growing field in Australia, and therapy dogs are becoming increasingly common in clinical settings. This paper aims to highlight the current issues facing AAT in Australia and to make recommendations on how to progress the field. We acknowledge that there are several ways that therapy dogs may enhance treatment outcomes for clients, such as reductions in stress and acute anxious arousal, and improvements in engagement and rapport. These psychological and physiological advantages, however, may not be sustained once interaction with the dog ceases. Clinicians require adequate training and support to develop and implement interventions that are based on sound theoretical foundations, and take advantage of the adjunctive benefits of animal presence.

Conclusions:

A series of recommendations are made for the professionalisation of AAT, including the development of consensus definitions, clinical governance, accreditation, research and evaluation.
Case formulation using pattern-based formulation methodology: clinical case 3
Authors: Fernando Irosh
Published: February 2018

Objective:

The objective of this study is to determine if pattern-based formulation (PBF) can accurately contribute to case formulation.

Conclusions:

The application of three PBFs accurately contributed to the development of this patient’s case formulation. The case formulation demonstrated here, and the patterns introduced in this paper, will serve as educational materials for teaching psychiatric case formulation.
Review of nano piezoelectric devices in biomedicine applications
Authors: Salim Mohammed , Salim Dhia , Chandran Davannendran , Aljibori Hakim S , Kherbeet A Sh
Published: February 2018

The piezoelectric devices, based on micro–nano electromechanical systems, are well known nowadays due to their small features, ability for integration with the integrated circuit in a single platform, robust, and easily fabricated in bulk. The enhanced performance of piezoelectric systems, which is soft, flexible, and stretchable made them have unique opportunities to be used in bio-integrated applications as nanodevices for energy harvesting, sensing, actuation, and cell stimulation. The selection of optimized configurations depends on thin geometries, neutral mechanical plane construction, and controlled buckling, while inorganic piezoelectric materials are preferred for interfaces with human bodies. The key considerations in designs, the analytical derivations for voltage and displacement, and the effect of the voltmeter resistance on the voltage measurements are presented. Devices for energy harvesting from natural motions of internal organs, sensors, and actuators for medical applications are reviewed. The PMN-PT energy harvester that produced current of 0.22 mA is higher than the rest of the discussed harvesters. Thus, it is more suitable to be used as a sufficient source of energy in biomedical applications. The use of piezoelectric nanowires and ribbons proved successful, and the dual features of device (sensor and actuator) seem advantageous.
Glucocerebrosidase and Parkinson Disease: Molecular, Clinical, and Therapeutic Implications
Authors: Balestrino Roberta , Schapira Anthony H. V.
Published: February 2018

Parkinson disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease characterised by multiple motor and non-motor symptoms. In the last 20 years, more than 20 genes have been identified as causes of parkinsonism. Following the observation of higher risk of PD in patients affected by Gaucher disease, a lysosomal disorder caused by mutations in the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene, it was discovered that mutations in this gene constitute the single largest risk factor for development of idiopathic PD. Patients with PD and GBA mutations are clinically indistinguishable from patients with idiopathic PD, although some characteristics emerge depending on the specific mutation, such as slightly earlier onset. The molecular mechanisms which lead to this increased PD risk in GBA mutation carriers are multiple and not yet fully elucidated, they include alpha-synuclein aggregation, lysosomal-autophagy dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Moreover, dysfunction of glucocerebrosidase has also been demonstrated in non-GBA PD, suggesting its interaction with other pathogenic mechanisms. Therefore, GBA enzyme function represents an interesting pharmacological target for PD. Cell and animal models suggest that increasing GBA enzyme activity can reduce alpha-synuclein levels. Clinical trials of ambroxol, a glucocerebrosidase chaperone, are currently ongoing in PD and PD dementia, as is a trial of substrate reduction therapy. The aim of this review is to summarise the main features of GBA-PD and discuss the implications of glucocerebrosidase modulation on PD pathogenesis.
Parental Influence on Adolescent Preference for Television Public Affairs Content: A South Korean Panel Study
Authors: Kim Minchul
Published: February 2018

In this study, I examined parental influence on the development of preference for television public affairs content as a component of political socialization that empowers adolescents to acquire information about politics and civic affairs. A pooled sample ( N = 795) constructed from multiple survey waves (2011-2014) from the annual Korean Media Panel Study was used for the data analysis. The findings showed that mothers—not fathers—had an influence on adolescent preference for public affairs content regardless of their children’s gender. The study thus unmasked a gendered mechanism of parental influence on adolescent television habits.
On a consistent dynamic finite-strain shell theory and its linearization
Authors: Song Zilong , Wang Jiong , Dai Hui-Hui
Published: February 2018

In this paper, a dynamic finite-strain shell theory is derived, which is consistent with the three-dimensional (3-D) Hamilton’s principle with a fourth-order error under general loadings. A series expansion of the position vector about the bottom surface is adopted. By using the bottom traction condition and the 3-D field equations, the recursive relations for the expansion coefficients are successfully obtained. As a result, the top traction condition leads to a vector shell equation for the first coefficient vector, which represents the local momentum-balance of a shell element. Associated weak formulations, in connection with various boundary conditions, are also established. Furthermore, the derived equations are linearized to obtain a novel shell theory for orthotropic materials. The special case of isotropic materials is considered and comparison with the Donnell–Mushtari (D-M) shell theory is made. It can be shown that, to the leading order, the present shell theory agrees with the D-M theory for statics. Thus, the present shell theory actually provides a consistent derivation for the former one without any ad hoc assumptions. To test the validity of the present dynamic shell theory, the free vibration of a circular cylindrical shell is studied. The results for frequencies are compared with those of the 3-D theory and excellent agreements are found. In addition, it turns out that the present shell theory gives better results than the Flügge shell theory (which is known to provide the best frequency results among the first-approximation shell theories).
Noteworthy Literature published in 2017 for Congenital Cardiac Anesthesiologists
Authors: Ing Richard J. , Twite Mark D.
Published: February 2018

This review focuses on the literature published during the 13 months from December 2016 to December 2017 that is of interest to anesthesiologists taking care of children and adults with congenital heart disease. Five themes are addressed during this time period and 100 peer-reviewed articles are discussed.
Noteworthy Literature published in 2017 for Abdominal Organ Transplantation
Authors: Zerillo Jeron , Smith Natalie K. , Sakai Tetsuro
Published: February 2018

In 2017, we identified more than 400 peer reviewed publications on the topic of pancreas transplantation, more than 500 on intestinal transplantation, more than 4000 on renal transplantation, and more than 4700 on liver transplantation. This annual review highlights the most pertinent literature for anesthesiologists and critical care physicians caring for patients undergoing abdominal organ transplantation. We explore a wide range of topics, including risk for and prediction of perioperative complications, recommendations on perioperative management, economic analyses, and education of the trainees in abdominal transplantation anesthesia and critical care.
The Pertinence of Studying Neuroethology in Nonhuman Primates for Human Behavior in Groups and Organizations
Authors: Meunier Hélène
Published: February 2018

Are we the only living beings endowed with a complex communicative system and sharp sociocognitive skills? How did these remarkable abilities develop? Even raised several centuries ago, those questions are still nourishing the current research and debates. A relevant approach for identifying the dynamics in the evolution of humans’ social and communicative abilities appears to study our closest living relatives, the nonhuman primates. In this article I focus on two abilities that drove the building of our unique sociality and are still playing a crucial role in daily human behaviors in groups and organizations: (a) the origins of human language, through the study of nonhuman primates gestures, vocalizations, and facial expressions and (b) the precursors and underpinning neural mechanisms of our ability to assess others’ mental states, that is, theory of mind. In each part, examples illustrate the advantages and limitations of the different methodological approaches used in research on nonhuman primates’ communication and social abilities and discuss the results in light of the current hypotheses and still open debates on what make the singularity of our species.