bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fabrication of dense polymer‐derived silicon carbonitride ceramic bulks by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis processes without losing piezoresistivity
Authors: Ma Baisheng , Wang Yiguang 
Published: January 2018

AbstractDense polymer‐derived silicon carbonitride (SiCN) ceramic bulks were fabricated by powder consolidation following precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) densification. The density and open porosity of the ceramics varied from 1.42 g/cm3 and 32.75% before the PIP to 2.29 g/cm3 and 3.64% after the PIP, respectively. The electrical conductivity of the ceramics sharply increased from 6.26 × 10−10 S/cm before the PIP process to 3.20 × 10−7 S/cm after the 1st cycle of PIP and then gradually increased to 6.89 × 10−6 S/cm after four cycles of PIP. However, the piezoresistive coefficient did not change with the PIP. The Raman and electron paramagnetic resonance results show that the graphitization level of free carbon in ceramics derived from PIP was higher than the ceramics derived from powder consolidation. The high graphitization level of free carbon leads to a high conductivity, and thus the conductivity of ceramics increased significantly after the PIP process. The carbon cluster size, which is related to the gauge factor of piezoresistivity, did not change significantly after the PIP process; thus, the gauge factor did not change significantly. Dense, large‐scale polymer‐derived ceramics were fabricated by combined conventional powder consolidation and PIP without the loss of piezoresistivity. These ceramics have potential application as both structural and functional components that can bear loads as well as monitor variations in external stress.
Realism and Pragmatism in a mixed methods study
Authors: Allmark Peter , Machaczek Katarzyna 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAimA discussion of how adopting a Realist rather than Pragmatist methodology affects the conduct of mixed methods research.BackgroundMixed methods approaches are now extensively employed in nursing and other healthcare research. At the same time, realist methodology is increasingly used as philosophical underpinning of research in these areas. However, the standard philosophical underpinning of mixed methods research is Pragmatism, which is generally considered incompatible or at least at odds with Realism. This paper argues that Realism can be used as the basis of mixed methods research and that doing so carries advantages over using Pragmatism. A mixed method study into patient handover reports is used to illustrate how Realism affected its design and how it would have differed had a Pragmatist approach been taken.DesignDiscussion Paper.Data sourcesPhilosophers Index; Google Scholar.Implications for nursingThose undertaking mixed methods research should consider the use of Realist methodology with the addition of some insights from Pragmatism to do with the start and end points of enquiry.ConclusionRealism is a plausible alternative methodology for those undertaking mixed methods studies.
The existential experience of everyday life with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Larsen Janni Lisander , Hall Elisabeth O. C. , Jacobsen Søren , Birkelund Regner 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAimTo explore from the perspective of women the nature of basic existential conditions while living with systemic lupus erythematosus.BackgroundSystemic lupus erythematosus has an unpredictable disease course and is documented to cause an existential rearrangement of life. The significance of changes in existential conditions and related experiences are unclear in the context of nursing and women with systemic lupus erythematosus.DesignA qualitative design guided by Van Manen's hermeneutic‐phenomenological methodology.MethodIndividual in‐depth interviews with 15 women diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus and of various ages, disease durations and severities were undertaken from September 2013 ‐ October 2015. Data were analysed following van Manen's phenomenological approach and using drawing as an interpretive tool.FindingsThe main existential experience was interpreted as a person “moving with the waves of systemic lupus erythematosus” constituted by the themes “oscillating between presence and absence of systemic lupus erythematosus,” “recognizing space and bodily possibilities and limitations” and “being enriched through relationships and activities.” When systemic lupus erythematosus was flaring, well‐being was threatened and a laborious time to escape the feeling of a setback‐in‐life persisted long after the disease was medically under control.ConclusionDaily life with systemic lupus erythematosus is conditioned by a prominent need to be in existential motion, related to the absence and presence of systemic lupus erythematosus. The experience of a setback‐in‐life by illness might challenge well‐being and indicates that periods of disease flares or disturbing symptoms are critical time points to provide support.
An evolutionary concept analysis of futility in health care
Authors: Morata Lauren 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAimTo report a concept analysis of futility in health care.BackgroundEach member of the healthcare team: the physician, the nurse, the patient, the family and all others involved perceive futility differently. The current evidence and knowledge in regard to futility in health care manifest a plethora of definitions, meanings and interpretations without consensus.DesignConcept analysis.Data SourcesDatabases searched included Medline, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Academic Search Premier, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and PsycINFO. Search terms included “futil*,” “concept analysis,” “concept,” “inefficacious,” “non‐beneficial,” “ineffective” and “fruitless” from 1935–2016 to ensure a historical perspective of the concept. A total of 106 articles were retained to develop the concept.MethodsRogers’ evolutionary concept analysis was used to evaluate the concept of futility from ancient medicine to the present.ResultsSeven antecedents (the patient/family autonomy, surrogate decision‐making movement, the patient–family/physician relationship, physician authority, legislation and court rulings, catastrophic events and advancing medical technology) lead to four major attributes (quantitative, physiologic, qualitative, and disease‐specific). Ultimately, futile care could lead to consequences such as litigation, advancing technology, increasing healthcare costs, rationing, moral distress and ethical dilemmas.ConclusionFutility in health care demonstrates components of a cyclical process and a consensus definition is proposed. A framework is developed to clarify the concept and articulate relationships among attributes, antecedents and consequences. Further testing of the proposed definition and framework are needed.
GP73 promotes invasion and metastasis of bladder cancer by regulating the epithelial–mesenchymal transition through the TGF‐β1/Smad2 signalling pathway
Authors: Yang Han‐Jie , Liu Ge‐Liang , Liu Bo , Liu Tian 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThis study investigated the effects of Golgi membrane protein 73 (GP73) on the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and on bladder cancer cell invasion and metastasis through the TGF‐β1/Smad2 signalling pathway. Paired bladder cancer and adjacent tissue samples (102) and normal bladder tissue samples (106) were obtained. Bladder cancer cell lines (T24, 5637, RT4, 253J and J82) were selected and assigned to blank, negative control (NC), TGF‐β, thrombospondin‐1 (TSP‐1), TGF‐β1+ TSP‐1, GP73‐siRNA‐1, GP73‐siRNA‐2, GP73‐siRNA‐1+ TSP‐1, GP73‐siRNA‐1+ pcDNA‐GP73, WT1‐siRNA and WT1‐siRNA + GP73‐siRNA‐1 groups. Expressions of GP73, TGF‐β1, Smad2, p‐Smad2, E‐cadherin and vimentin were detected using RT‐qPCR and Western blotting. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were determined using MTT assay, scratch testing and Transwell assay, respectively. Compared with the blank and NC groups, levels of GP73, TGF‐β1, Smad2, p‐Smad2, N‐cadherin and vimentin decreased, and levels of WT1 and E‐cadherin increased in the GP73‐siRNA‐1 and GP73‐siRNA‐2 groups, while the opposite results were observed in the WT1 siRNA, TGF‐β, TSP‐1 and TGF‐β + TSP‐1 groups. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion notably decreased in the GP73‐siRNA‐1 and GP73‐siRNA‐2 groups in comparison with the blank and NC groups, while in the WT1 siRNA, TGF‐β, TSP‐1 and TGF‐β + TSP‐1 groups, cell migration, invasion and proliferation showed the reduction after the EMT. These results suggest that GP73 promotes bladder cancer invasion and metastasis by inducing the EMT through down‐regulating WT1 levels and activating the TGF‐β1/Smad2 signalling pathway.
Where Less Is More: Reducing Variable Annuity Fees to Benefit Policyholder and Insurer
Authors: Bernard Carole , Moenig Thorsten 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIn the United States, variable annuities (VAs) are popular long‐term personal investment vehicles. Recently, however, sales have begun to dwindle. In fact, financial advisers have long argued against investing in VAs due to the products’ high fees. VA providers charge these fees—typically at a constant rate throughout the policy period—to cover their expenses and the costs of embedded guarantees, and lowering this constant fee rate could make the VA unprofitable. Instead, we propose and analyze a simple change to the fee “structure” that would lower fee rates overall (and thus make the product more attractive to investors) without reducing the insurer's profit. The key insight is that this time‐dependent fee rate (with moderate front‐loading) implicitly discourages policy lapses and exchanges, which reduces the providers’ policy acquisition expenses. Taking into account financially optimal lapse (and reentry) decisions, we determine the optimal timing and rate of the fee reduction for a competitive as well as for an innovative VA provider. An important characteristic of this feature is that it can be implemented easily and effectively to both new and existing VA policies.
Validation of the hedonic threshold methodology in determining the hedonic rejection threshold
Authors: Lima Filho Tarcísio , Della Lucia Suzana Maria , Minim Luis Antônio , Silva Rita de Cássia dos Santos Navarro da , Minim Valéria Paula Rodrigues 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe hedonic thresholds methodology was recently proposed which allows for determination of two new sensorial thresholds, the compromised acceptance threshold and the hedonic rejection threshold (HRT). For a new methodology to be accepted by the scientific community, its ability to produce reliable results must be demonstrated. Thus, this study sought to validate this new methodology when used to calculate the HRT. In order to do so, the analytical performance indices of precision (repeatability, intermediate precision, and reproducibility), accuracy and robustness for the results for the HRT calculation were measured. The results of seven experiments demonstrated that the methodology possesses high repeatability, intermediate precision and robustness, and satisfactory accuracy and reproducibility. It was therefore concluded that the HRT determination methodology satisfactorily met the analytical performance criteria evaluated, therefore generating reliable results.Practical applicationsThe hedonic thresholds methodology (HTM) has numerous applications, including the application of a more severe thermal treatment to obtain greater microbial or enzymatic inactivation, the determination of food shelf life based on its sensory acceptance, the reduction of specific, expensive ingredients in food formulations, reduction of ingredients that are harmful to health when consumed in excess (e.g., sucrose, sodium, and fat), determination of the maximum “defect” threshold that may be present in food and others. The HTM is a recently proposed methodology; therefore, the reliability of the values of the hedonic rejection threshold must be validated, calculated via the HTM. Reliability of the HRT results was confirmed when HTM validation was performed. Thus, the methodology can undoubtedly be applied for the intended purpose.
Victorian media studies, history, and theory
Authors: Wong Amy R. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThis article gives an account of Victorian media studies as a sub‐field that emerged primarily from investigations of nineteenth‐century communication technologies and the century's accompanying preoccupations with transmission and the idea of in‐betweenness. Owing to unprecedented developments such as the rise of the universal postal system, telegraphy, phonography, photography, and mass print media, historicist inquiries have proven fruitful for the sub‐field. At the same time, continuities between how Victorians (such as the journalist and editor W. T. Stead) imagined communication's unifying reach across Britain and the globe and twentieth‐century media theory's critique of this same reach have ensured the sub‐field's grounding in theoretical engagements. The second part of the article considers how alternative frameworks for understanding media beyond communication (such as immersion, virtuality, and media archaeology) are currently redefining Victorian media studies in the twenty‐first century, continuing the sub‐field's robust dialectical engagements of history and theory.
Intraosseous mandibular xanthomas – an interesting diagnostic dilemma?
Authors: Whitehouse L.L.E. , Bobinskas A.M. , Chengot P. , Ong T.K. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIntraosseous xanthomas are rare, benign entities and may present a diagnostic challenge to clinicians, radiologists and histopathologists due to the non‐specific features of this lesion. Presented here is the first definitive reported recurrence of an intraosseous xanthoma, which was previously diagnosed as a granular cell odontogenic tumour. We include a review of the existing literature and discuss the diagnostic pitfalls in navigating the differences between granular cell odontogenic tumour and intraosseous xanthoma.
Mirror neurons and intention understanding: Dissociating the contribution of object type and intention to mirror responses using electromyography
Authors: Ruggiero Maura , Catmur Caroline 
Published: January 2018

AbstractSince their discovery in the monkey and human brain, mirror neurons have been claimed to play a key role in understanding others' intentions. For example, “action‐constrained” mirror neurons in inferior parietal lobule fire when the monkey observes a grasping movement that is followed by an eating action, but not when it is followed by a placing action. It is claimed these responses enable the monkey to predict the intentions of the actor. These findings have been replicated in human observers by recording electromyography responses of the mouth‐opening mylohyoid muscle during action observation. Mylohyoid muscle activity was greater during the observation of actions performed with the intention to eat than of actions performed with the intention to place, again suggesting an ability to predict the actor's intentions. However, in previous studies, intention was confounded with object type (food for eating actions, nonfood for placing actions). We therefore used electromyography to measure mylohyoid activity in participants observing eating and placing actions. Unlike previous studies, we used a design in which each object (food, nonfood) could be both eaten and placed, and thus participants could not predict the actor's intention at the onset of the action. Greater mylohyoid activity was found for the observation of actions performed on food objects, irrespective of intention, indicating that the object type, not the actor's intention, drives the mirror response. This result suggests that observers' motor responses during action observation reflect the presence of a particular object, rather than the actor's underlying intentions.
Border carbon adjustments and unilateral incentives to regulate the climate
Authors: Sanctuary Mark 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIt is suggested that trade measures should be used to induce exporters to adopt more ambitious climate policy and reduce global emissions. However, a tariff and the exporter's emission tax are likely substitutes, which would undermine the rationale for these trade measures. This paper examines incentives to regulate the climate under border carbon adjustment (BCA), defined as an import duty of a magnitude determined by the difference in emission taxes between trade partners. Unlike a tariff, a BCA can induce the exporter to adopt a higher tax, suggesting that the BCA and tariff are not equally effective at targeting global emission levels and that the features of the border measure matter in assessing the effectiveness of trade policy in targeting global emissions.
Unsociability in Chinese adolescents: Cross‐informant agreement and relations with social and school adjustment
Authors: Zhang Linlin , Eggum‐Wilkens Natalie D. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractWe examined cross‐informant agreement of unsociability and associations of unsociability with social and school adjustment. Participants were 229 (48% girls; Mage = 14.25, SD = .78 years) seventh‐ and eighth‐graders in Liaoning, China. Unsociability and shyness were assessed with self‐reports and peer nominations. Social and school adjustment data were obtained from multiple sources (self‐, peer‐, teacher‐reports). Peer‐reported unsociability was not significantly correlated with self‐reported unsociability, but was positively correlated with self‐reported shyness. Path models indicated that controlling for shyness and demographic covariates, peer‐, but not self‐reported, unsociability was associated with low peer acceptance, high peer rejection and exclusion, low school liking, and low academic performance and achievement. The findings suggest that unsociable Chinese adolescents may have multifaceted adjustment difficulties with peers and at school, but only when perceived as unsociable by peers. Methodological and theoretical implications of the results and the lack of correspondence between self‐ and peer‐reports were discussed.
Transplanting corporate culture across international borders: Foreign direct investment and female employment in Japan
Authors: Kodama Naomi , Javorcik Beata S. , Abe Yukiko 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThis paper examines the effect of foreign ownership on gender‐related employment outcomes and work practices in Japan. The data indicate that the proportion of females among workers, managers, directors and board members is higher in foreign affiliates than in domestic firms of comparable size operating in the same industry. Foreign affiliates are also more likely to offer flexible working arrangements, telecommuting and childcare subsidies as well as employ foreign workers. These effects are visible almost exclusively in older affiliates. The analysis of foreign acquisitions combining propensity score matching with a difference in differences suggests that increase in the female labour share takes place a few years after the ownership change. All these patterns are in line with the view that it takes time to transplant corporate culture to an overseas affiliate.
Pharmacokinetic evaluation and safety of topical 1% morphine sulfate application on the healthy equine eye
Authors: Gordon Emma , Stang Bernadette V. , Heidel Jerry , Poulsen Keith P. , Cebra Christopher K. , Schlipf John W. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractObjectiveTo determine if corneal epithelial cell integrity is detrimentally affected by short‐term administration of 1.0% morphine sulfate. Additionally, we sought to determine if topical 1.0% morphine applied to the equine cornea would result in ocular or systemic absorption.Animal studiedSix healthy horses.ProcedureMorphine sulfate (1.0%) was applied topically to one eye every four hours for 72 h before horses were euthanized. Serum samples were collected at varying time points during the study and aqueous and vitreous humor were collected immediately after euthanasia. Morphine quantification in serum, aqueous, and vitreous humor was performed by ELISA. Treated and control corneas were submitted for histopathology. Horses were monitored for adverse ocular and systemic effects throughout the study period.ResultsAll horses developed mild mucoid ocular discharge in the treated eye. One horse developed a fever during treatment. Morphine was detected in the aqueous humor of the treated eye for all horses with mean ± standard deviation of 165.18 ng/mL ± 87.69 ng/mL. Morphine was detected in vitreous humor of the treated eye of 5 of 6 horses with mean ± standard deviation of 4.87 ± 4.46 ng/mL. Morphine was detected in the serum of 5 of 6 horses at varying time points. Maximum systemic concentration reached in a single horse was 6.98 ng/mL. Corneal histopathology revealed no difference in microscopic appearance between morphine‐treated and control corneas.ConclusionsTopical administration of 1.0% morphine sulfate did not appear to cause any significant ocular or systemic adverse effects. Topical ophthalmic morphine application resulted in both ocular and systemic absorption.
Genetic structuring and diversity patterns along rivers – local invasion history of Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asteraceae) along the Danube River in Vienna (Austria) shows non‐linear pattern
Authors: Kropf M , Huppenberger A S , Karrer G 
Published: January 2018

SummaryAmbrosia artemisiifolia is an annual weed from North America that nowadays is invasive in many countries worldwide. In Austria, numerous populations of A. artemisiifolia are located along the Danube River, especially along the ‘New Danube’ (Vienna). This area is characterised by ruderal and riparian sites, which are regularly flooded. To better understand the spread of A. artemisiifolia and its colonising behaviour along the Danube River, we analysed genetic structure and diversity based on 23 populations linearly arranged along the Viennese Danube riverbed and upstream, utilising the Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprint method. We generated 284 polymorphic AFLP markers across 446 A. artemisiifolia plants. The genetic diversity within populations was higher (HW = 0.091) than among populations (HB = 0.007). This result indicates A. artemisiifolia introductions from similar mixtures of sources or spread from a single already mixed introduction. Within our local setting, we were unable to identify neither source or sink populations nor an obvious linear genetic structuring. Genetic among‐population differentiation was low to moderate (amova‐derived FST = 0.124). Lack of geographical structuring is indicative of highly dynamic gene flow, which is further supported by the absence of an isolation‐by‐distance pattern. Multiple introductions and non‐directional gene flow are most likely promoted by anthropogenic disturbance and human‐mediated dispersal. Our results demonstrate the ability and speed of A. artemisiifolia to settle in newly disturbed areas and the difficulties to predict invasion directions, as downstream river dispersal was negligible.