bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A triple‐band high‐gain planar dipole with double interdigital structure for indoor LTE and WLAN base stations
Authors: Archevapanich Tuanjai , Chomtong Pongsathorn , Chutchavong Vanvisa , Akkaraekthalin Prayoot 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThis paper presents a triple‐band antenna using interdigital technique based on dipole structure at a frequency of 1.8 GHz. Using this technique, harmonic frequency bands can be generated as desired, resulting in the resonance frequencies of the second and third harmonics at 2.4 and 5.2 GHz, respectively. The proposed antenna consists of two square brass plates with an overall size of 63 × 64 mm2. The antenna bandwidths are found to be 410 MHz (1.59–2.00 GHz), 70 MHz (2.40–2.47 GHz), and 790 MHz (4.99–5.78 GHz), and the gains obtained are 9.63, 8.95, and 8.97 dB, respectively. The radiation patterns are directional at all frequency bands. Therefore, the proposed antenna can be appropriately used for indoor long‐term evolution (LTE) and wireless local area network (WLAN) base stations. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Non‐affine fiber kinematics in arterial mechanics: a continuum micromechanical investigation
Authors: Morin Claire , Avril Stéphane , Hellmich Christian 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThere is growing experimental evidence for non‐affine deformations occurring in different types of fibrous soft tissues; meaning that the fiber orientations do not follow the macroscopic deformation gradient. Suitable mathematical modeling of this phenomenon is an open challenge, which we here tackle in the framework of continuum micromechanics. From a rate‐based analogon of Eshelby's inhomogeneity problem, we derive strain and spin concentration tensors relating macroscopic strain rate tensors applied to the boundaries of a Representative Volume Element (RVE), to strain rates and spins within the tissue microstructure, in particular those associated with fiber rotations due to external mechanical loading. After presenting suitable algorithms for integrating the resulting rate‐type governing equations, a first relevance check of the novel modeling approach is undertaken, by comparison of model results to recent experiments performed on the adventitia layer of rabbit carotid tissue.
Does the Road to Happiness Depend on the Retirement Decision? Evidence from Italy
Authors: Deiana Claudio , Mazzarella Gianluca 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThis study estimates the causal effect of retirement decision on well-being in Italy. To do so, the authors exploit the exogenous variation provided by the changes in the eligibility criteria for pensions that were enacted in Italy in 1995 (Dini’s law) and in 1997 (Prodi’s law, from the names of the prime ministers at the time of their introduction). A sizeable and positive impact of retirement decision is found on satisfaction with leisure time and on frequency of meeting friends. Furthermore, the results are generalized, allowing for the estimation of different moments from different data sources.
Use of Administrative Data for Counterfactual Impact Evaluation of Active Labour Market Policies in Europe: Country and Time Comparisons
Authors: d’Hombres Beatrice , Santangelo Giulia 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe purpose of this chapter is to document how widespread is, across Europe, the use of administrative data for counterfactual impact evaluations of active labour market policies. The analysis, based on published articles and working papers issued between 2000 and 2016, suggests that the interventions subject to counterfactual impact evaluations are unevenly distributed across Europe, with Germany and the Nordic countries being over-represented, while the opposite is found for East European countries. It is also found that counterfactual impact evaluations based on administrative data tend to (1) measure the effect of active labour market policies on several outcome variables, (2) estimate heterogeneous effects across subgroups and (3) examine short- as well as long-term impacts. In contrast, survey-based counterfactual impact evaluations are usually less comprehensive.
From ‘Intruders’ to ‘Partners’: The Evolution of the Relationship Between the Research Community and Sources of Official Administrative Data
Authors: Jackson Paul 
Published: October 2018

AbstractOver the past 30 years, national producers of official statistics have addressed the integrity of their data and outputs and improved public trust in them. It was necessary to protect unpublished data and to demonstrate independence. A distance grew between producers of official statistics and the research community, to the extent that researchers were sometimes excluded from using unpublished microdata altogether. However, since around 2000, significant improvements in the legal, policy, and administrative framework have been made. This means our present and our future can be a partnership of the various skills and perspectives of the official statistics and the research communities, to the benefit of our economy and society.
Long distance behavior of O(N)-model correlators in de Sitter space and the resummation of secular terms
Authors: Nacir Diana López , Mazzitelli Francisco D. , Trombetta Leonardo G. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractWe analyze the long distance behavior of the two-point functions for an interacting scalarO(N) model in de Sitter spacetime. Following our previous work, this behavior is analyzed by analytic continuation of the Euclidean correlators, which are computed by treating the homogeneous zero mode exactly and using a partial resummation of the interactions between the zero and the non-zero modes. We focus on massless fields and present an alternative derivation of our method, which involves a double expansion in 1/Nand the coupling constant of the theory. This derivation is simpler than the previous one and can be directly extended for fields with negative squared-mass. We extend our previous results by computing the long wavelength limit of the two-point functions at next-to-leading order in 1/Nand at leading order in the coupling constant, which involves a further resummation of Feynman diagrams (needed when the two-point functions are analitically continued). We prove that, after this extra resummation, the two-point functions vanish in the long distance limit.
Oncolytic virus immunotherapies in ovarian cancer: moving beyond adenoviruses
Authors: Hoare Joseph , Campbell Nicola , Carapuça Elisabete 
Published: October 2018

Abstract
Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cancer in UK women with a high relapse rate. The overall survival for ovarian cancer has remained low for decades prompting a real need for new therapies. Recurrent ovarian cancer remains confined in the peritoneal cavity in >80% of the patients, providing an opportunity for locoregional administration of novel therapeutics, including gene and viral therapy approaches. Immunotherapy is an expanding field, and includes oncolytic viruses as well as monoclonal antibodies, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and therapeutic vaccines.
Oncolytic viruses cause direct cancer cell cytolysis and immunogenic cell death and subsequent release of tumor antigens that will prime for a potent tumor-specific immunity. This effect may be further enhanced when the viruses are engineered to express, or coadministered with, immunostimulatory molecules. Currently, the most commonly used and well-characterized vectors utilized for virotherapy purposes are adenoviruses. They have been shown to work synergistically with traditional chemotherapy and radiotherapy and have met with success in clinical trials. However, pre-existing immunity and poor in vivo models limit our ability to fully investigate the potential of oncolytic adenovirus as effective immunotherapies which in turn fosters the need to develop alternative viral vectors. In this review we cover recent advances in adenovirus-based oncolytic therapies targeting ovarian cancer and recent advances in mapping immune responses to oncolytic virus therapies in ovarian cancer.
Evaluation of the pelvic floor muscles training in older women with urinary incontinence: a systematic review
Authors: Rocha Flávia , Carvalho Joana , Jorge Natal Renato , Viana Rui 
Published: October 2018

Abstract

Background:
Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined as any involuntary urine loss that predominantly affects older women. There is evidence that pelvic floor muscles training (PFMT) program is effective on the treatment of pelvic floor (PF) dysfunctions and is considered to be first-line treatment. The evaluation of pelvic floor muscles (PFM) function and strength is central to validate the effectiveness of the training protocol in UI decrease. The Oxford Grading Scale and manometry are fundamental to evaluate the PFM function and strength.

Objective:
The aim of the study was to systematize the scientific evidence about the effects of PFMT in older women, assessing the PF function and strength through Oxford Grading Scale and manometry.

Methods:
The research of randomized controlled clinical trials was performed through B-on, EBSCO, PEDro, Pubmed, and SciELO data carried out from 2003 to 2016.

Results:
A total of 35 studies were identified, 26 of these were selected and fully analyzed. From the analyzed studies (n = 26), 20 were excluded for not meeting the criteria for inclusion, and only 6 studies were classified as high methodological quality, scoring an overall 4 points according the PEDro scale.

Conclusion:
The PFMT seems to be effective in treating UI in older women; the Oxford Grading Scale and manometry are considered the most reliable in the random and controlled clinical trials results. However, future investigations with high methodological quality with older women are necessary to support these results.
FARMER PERCEPTIONS OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY BENEFITS
Authors: THOMPSON NATHANAEL M. , BIR COURTNEY , WIDMAR DAVID A. , MINTERT JAMES R. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe objective of this research was to evaluate producers’ perspectives of four key precision agriculture technologies (variable rate fertilizer application, precision soil sampling, guidance and autosteer, and yield monitoring) in terms of the benefits they provide to their farms (increased yield, reduced production costs, and increased convenience) using a best-worst scaling choice experiment. Results indicate that farmers’ perceptions of the benefits derived from various precision agriculture technologies are heterogeneous. To better understand farmers’ adoption decisions, or lack thereof, it is important to first understand their perceptions of the benefits precision agriculture technologies provide.
Mental illness in primary care: a narrative review of patient, GP and population factors that affect prescribing rates
Authors: Tobin H. , Bury G. , Cullen W. 
Published: October 2018

BackgroundMental illness poses a large and growing disease burden worldwide. Its management is increasingly provided by primary care. The prescribing of psychotropic drugs in general practice has risen in recent decades, and variation in prescribing rates has been identified by a number of studies. It is unclear which factors lead to this variation.AimTo describe the variables that cause variation in prescribing rates for psychotropic drugs between general practices.MethodsA narrative review was conducted in January 2018 by searching electronic databases using the PRISMA statement. Studies investigating causal factors for variation in psychotropic prescribing between at least two general practice sites were eligible for inclusion.ResultsTen studies met the inclusion criteria. Prescribing rates varied considerably between practices. Positive associations were found for many variables, including social deprivation, ethnicity, patient age and gender, urban location, co-morbidities, chronic diseases and GP demographics. However studies show conflicting findings, and no single regression model explained more than 57% of the variation in prescribing rates.DiscussionThere is no consensus on the factors that most predict prescribing rates. Most research was conducted in countries with central electronic databases, such as the United Kingdom; it is unclear whether these findings apply in other healthcare systems. More research is needed to determine the variables that explain prescribing rates for psychotropic medications.
Hyperkinetic disorder in a community service for people with intellectual disability
Authors: Patel Sonn , Yacoub Evan 
Published: October 2018

BackgroundThere appears to be a higher rate of prevalence of hyperkinetic disorder in the intellectual disability (ID) population, although there is a large variability in rates in previous studies. Hyperkinetic disorder can be a challenge to diagnose in a population with ID and can present a barrier to the development of the activities of daily living in an already vulnerable population.ObjectivesOur objective was to examine the point prevalence of hyperkinetic disorder in the ID population in a community ID service and also to determine the prevalence of hyperkinetic disorder based on the level of ID.MethodsA cross-sectional review of the Online Information Service ‘OLIS’ database was undertaken to establish the total number of patients with ID and those with comorbid hyperkinetic disorder. The overall point prevalence and prevalence based on the level of ID was calculated from the collected data.ResultsThe point prevalence of hyperkinetic disorder in the population with ID was similar to that found in studies in the general population at 3.1% in adults and 32.6% in children. When divided by the level of disability, the calculated point prevalence in both adults and children was highest in the population with mild ID and decreased as the level of disability increased.ConclusionThis report contributes to previous research establishing the rates of hyperkinetic disorder in an ID population and establishes the point prevalence of hyperkinetic disorder in individuals diagnosed with ID in a clinical sample.
Opportunities for Corrective Feedback During Study Abroad: A Mixed Methods Approach
Authors: Bryfonski Lara , Sanz Cristina 
Published: October 2018

ABSTRACTThe provision of corrective feedback during oral interaction has been deemed an essential element for successful second language acquisition (Gass & Mackey, 2015a). However, corrective feedback—especially corrective feedback provided by peer interlocutors—remains understudied in naturalistic settings. The present mixed methods study aimed to identify the target and type of corrective feedback provided by both native-speaker and peer interlocutors during conversation groups while abroad. U.S. study abroad students (N= 19) recorded group conversations with native speakers (N= 10) at the beginning, middle, and end of a 6-week stay in Barcelona, Spain. Results indicate a significant decrease in the provision of corrective feedback by both native speakers and peer learners over the course of the program. Qualitative analyses revealed that both learners and natives alike engage in negotiations for meaning throughout the program, which for learners resulted in successful recall on tailor-made quizzes. The use of the first language by both the study abroad students and the native speakers promoted these opportunities in some instances. Results are discussed in terms of their contribution to the study abroad literature as well as to research into the effects of feedback on second language development.
Task-Based Learning in Task-Based Teaching: Training Teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language
Authors: Han ZhaoHong 
Published: October 2018

ABSTRACTTask-based language teaching (TBLT) is increasingly becoming known for its distinct edge in developing learners’ functional competence. Although its potential in promoting content learning has yet to be realized and explored, it should be high, given TBLT's primary attention to meaning. To what extent does the potential play out in foreign language teacher education, a domain involving much content learning, is both an intellectually stimulating and practically meaningful question. This article reports on a semester-long study investigating task-based learning in a Chinese language teacher-training program that promotes TBLT. The participants were three Chinese-speaking trainees, who, while being exposed to TBLT, performed ongoing tasks. Data from one task—writing weekly reading journals—were analyzed for both content and language, quantitatively (using robust automated tools) and qualitatively. The results show tangible gains on both counts—understanding TBLT (content) and the ability to articulate it (language). The conceptual and methodological implications of the findings are discussed for future research.
Learning Chinese through Contextualized Language Practices in Study Abroad Residence Halls: Two Case Studies
Authors: Kinginger Celeste , Wu Qian 
Published: October 2018

ABSTRACTA key question about study abroad concerns the relative benefits and qualities of various living arrangements as sites for learning language and culture. A widely shared assumption seems to be that students choosing homestays enjoy more opportunities for engagement in high-quality interactive settings than do those who opt for residence halls. However, research on outcomes has to date produced only weak evidence for a homestay advantage, suggesting a need to understand the nature of language socialization practices in various living situations. While a number of studies have examined the nature of homestay interaction, only a few have focused on language use in residence halls or other settings where students may interact with peers who are expert second language users. Informed by a Vygotskian approach to the study of development, this article examines the specific qualities of contextualized language practices through two case studies of U.S.-based learners of Mandarin in Shanghai and their Chinese roommates. In the first case, a friendly relationship emerged from routine participation in emotionally charged conversational narrative. In the second, both participants’ interest in verbal play and humor led to enjoyment as well as profoundly intercultural dialogue. In each case, there is evidence to show that all parties enjoyed opportunities to learn. These findings suggest that residence halls can be very significant contexts for learning in study abroad settings.
Language Use Across International Contexts: Shaping the Minds of L2 Speakers
Authors: Kroll Judith F. , Dussias Paola E. , Bajo María Teresa 
Published: October 2018

ABSTRACTBilingualism is a complex life experience. Second language (L2) learning and bilingualism take place in many different contexts. To develop a comprehensive account of dual-language experience requires research that examines individuals who are learning and using two languages in both the first language (L1) and second language (L2) environments. In this article, we review studies that exploit the presence of an international research network on bilingualism to investigate the role of the environment and some the unique characteristics of L2 learning and bilingual language usage in different locations. We ask how the context of learning affects the acquisition of the L2 and the ability to control the use of each language, how language processing is changed by the patterns of language usage in different places (e.g., whether bilinguals have been immersed in the L2 environment for an extended period of time or whether they code-switch), and how the bilingualism of the community itself influences learning and language use.
Experiences of International Language Teachers at a Turkish University
Authors: Kahraman Hasibe , Pipes Ashleigh 
Published: October 2018

ABSTRACTUsing a multiple case study approach, this short research article describes the experiences of three teachers (of German, French, and Korean) in a Turkish university where English is also mandatorily taught. Three themes common to the participants’ experiences emerged: use of the Turkish language, integrative adaptability, and international self-awareness. We suggest that understanding these themes may help teachers, students, and administrators better understand the rich and potentially unique fonts of knowledge that international teachers could bring into Turkish language classrooms in a university context.
Longitudinal effects of acculturation and enculturation on mental health: Does the measure matter?
Authors: Meca Alan , Schwartz Seth J. , Martinez Charles R. , McClure Heather H. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractA great deal of research has focused on acculturation and enculturation, which represent the processes of adapting to a new culture. Despite this growing literature, results have produced inconsistent findings that may be attributable to differences in terms of the instruments used to assess acculturation and enculturation. Utilizing a 3-year longitudinal data set (with 1-year lags between assessments), the present study explored the psychometric properties of the Bicultural Involvement Questionnaire—Short Version (BIQ-S) and the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans II (ARSMA-II) and examined the overlap between changes in these measures as they relate to internalizing and externalizing problem behavior. The present sample consisted of 216 immigrant Latino youth (43% boys; mean age 13.6 years at baseline; SD = 1.44 years, range 10 to 17). Exploratory structural equation modeling identified factor structures for the BIQ-S and ARSMA-II that diverged from their hypothesized structure. Growth curve models also indicate divergence between the BIQ-S and ARSMA-II in terms of change in acculturation and enculturation processes. Finally, the present findings emphasized that measures of acculturation and enculturation are not equivalent in terms of their effects on internalizing and externalizing problems.
Maturational gene upregulation and mitochondrial activity enhancement in mouse in vitro matured oocytes and using granulosa cell conditioned medium
Authors: Zand Elnaz , Fathi Rouhollah , Nasrabadi Mitra Heydari , Atrabi Mohammad Jafari , Spears Norah , Akbarinejad Vahid 
Published: October 2018

SummaryThe high miscarriage rates that result following transfer of embryos derived from in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes necessitate improvements in the processes involved. This study aimed to improve the quality of in vitro matured oocytes using granulosa cell conditioned medium (GCCM) as the culture medium. In this work, germinal vesicle (GV)-stage oocytes from NMRI mice were collected and cultured using three types of culture medium: Base medium (BM) (control), 50% granulosa cell conditioned medium (GCCM50) and 100% GCCM (GCCM100). After IVM, the mitochondria activity potential and viability of metaphase II (MII) oocytes were evaluated by JC-1 and trypan blue staining, respectively. Maturational gene expression levels of CyclinB1, Cdk1 and Gdf9 in the control, GCCM50 and GCCM100 samples were analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The viability rate of in vitro matured oocytes was highest in the GCCM50 group. JC-1 staining showed that GCCM50 enhances mitochondrial activity more than the other groups (P < 0.05). Gene expression levels of Cdk1 and Gdf9 were higher in the group with GCCM50 treatment, than in the control and GCCM100 groups (P < 0.05), while the expression level of CyclinB1 did not differ among the groups. The results indicated that a 50% concentration of GCCM in combination with BM components enhanced MII and viability rates and mitochondria activity of mouse immature oocytes.