bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of shielding plates on dynamical response of HL-2M vacuum vessel due to electromagnetic force during a plasma disruption
Authors: Wang Kaiqiang , Xie Shejuan , Yuan Hongwei , Pei Cuixiang , Chen Zhenmao , Li Weixin 
Published: September 2017

Purpose
In this paper, numerical modelling and dynamical response analysis were performed for the HL-2M vacuum vessel (VV) and shielding plates (SPs) during a plasma disruption by using an updated ANSYS parametric design language (APDL) code developed by the authors. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the SPs on the dynamical response of VV owing to a transient electromagnetic (EM) force and to optimize the design of SPs in view of the minimization of the structural dynamic response.

Design/methodology/approach
The Lagrangian approach, i.e. the moving coordinate scheme developed by the authors, was updated to tackle the EM-mechanical coupling effect in the dynamic response analysis of the VV-SPs system due to the transient EM force during plasma disruptions. To optimize the structural design of HL-2M SPs, the influence of the key parameters of SPs, i.e., the side length, thickness and material properties, was clarified on the basis of the numerical results and an optimized design of SPs was obtained.

Findings
The updated APDL code of the Lagrangian approach is efficient for the transient dynamical response analysis of the VV-SPs system owing to the EM force. The SP of a smaller side length, larger thickness tungsten material better mitigates the dynamical response of the VV-SPs system.

Originality/value
The Lagrangian approach was updated for the EM–mechanical coupling dynamical response analysis of the VV-SPs system, and the influence of the SP parameters on the dynamical response of the VV-SPs system of HL-2M Tokamak was clarified.
School personnel-student racial congruence and the achievement gap
Authors: Moore Allison B. , MacGregor Cynthia , Cornelius-White Jeffrey 
Published: September 2017

Purpose
This paper aims to examine the relationship between student achievement and racial congruence of school personnel and students to help educators and policy makers narrow the achievement gap.

Design/methodology/approach
This quasi-experimental, correlational study used publicly available data from 158 elementary schools in the Houston Independent School District. The authors analyzed the level of congruence of school personnel and students in relation to reading, math and science scores with the fifth-grade students.

Findings
Controlling for the percentage of economically disadvantaged students, separate univariate ANCOVAs on the outcome variables revealed significant effects of racial congruence levels on reading scores, F(2, 153) = 3.73, p = 0.026 and math scores, F(2, 153) = 3.977, p = 0.02.

Research limitations/implications
The operationalization of racial congruence had not been previously used. African-Americans and Hispanics were labeled as non-white, Asian-Americans (who do not show the achievement gap) were grouped with white students, and other minority groups were excluded. The study was a natural experiment without randomization or intervention.

Practical implications
Findings can be used to narrow the achievement gap by encouraging recruitment of Hispanics and African-Americans educators and influencing administrators as they decide where to place hired personnel.

Originality/Value
Using a much larger sample size than previous studies, this study found a factor to narrow the achievement gap.
Survival of Islamic education in a secular state: the madrasah in Singapore
Authors: Mohd Nor Mohd Roslan , Senin Nurhanisah , Mohd Khambali Hambali Khadijah , Ab Halim Asyiqin 
Published: September 2017

Purpose
This paper attempts to explore the transformations taken by madrasah, especially in preparing students both in religious and academic field. Besides, this paper aims to demonstrate measures taken by madrasah in instilling the religious and racial cohesion far from conservatism and extremism that has always been labeled to their students.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper is qualitative in nature. It is a library research and uses historical method in collecting the data. Some relevant literatures and data have been analyzed and presented in this paper.

Findings
Madrasah in Singapore has always been perceived in a negative nuance because of its ineffectiveness and irrelevant roles in economic building. The conservative and traditional madrasah education system is also seen to impede Singapore’s religious and racial cohesion. The struggle increases prior to the implementation of compulsory education (CE) policy in 2001, where madrasah was almost forced to closure.

Originality/value
Islamic education in Singapore can be observed evolving through three phases: colonial period where it adopted the secular system, post-colonial with the traditional system and, currently, the transformation period with its integrated syllabus.
How do empowering conditions lead to empowered behaviours? Test of a mediation model
Authors: Pigeon Marilyne , Montani Francesco , Boudrias Jean-Sebastien 
Published: September 2017

PurposeBehavioural outcomes of empowerment are not often studied comprehensively and in a specific manner in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to test a research model that specifies how two empowering conditions (empowering leadership and job autonomy) influence specific behavioural outcomes expected from empowered subordinates (discretionary-empowered behaviours and participation in decision making). A mediated model through psychological empowerment is hypothesised.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional questionnaire study relying on 141 dyads of subordinates-supervisors was conducted. Subordinates provided information on psychological empowerment and empowering leadership, while supervisors assessed job autonomy and behavioural outcomes.FindingsStructural equation modelling analyses lent partial support to the hypothesised model. Psychological empowerment completely mediated the relationships between empowering leadership and behavioural outcomes. However, psychological empowerment was a partial mediator of the relationships between job autonomy and behavioural outcomes. A strong direct link was found between job autonomy and participation in decision making.Originality/valueThis study enables to extend the empowerment literature by showing how job design and leadership factors contribute to boost two types of specific empowered behaviours. The contribution is particularly original in the case of subordinates’ participation in decision making that is not often considered as a subordinate’s empowered behaviour.
A Switchable Linker‐Based Immunoassay for Ultrasensitive Visible Detection of Salmonella in Tomatoes
Authors: Hahn Jungwoo , Kim Eunghee , You Young Sang , Gunasekaran Sundaram , Lim Seokwon , Choi Young Jin 
Published: September 2017

AbstractOn‐site detection for sensitive identification of foodborne pathogens on fresh produce with minimal use of specialized instrumentation is crucial to the food industry. A switchable linker (SL)‐based immunoassay was designed for ultrasensitive on‐site detection of Salmonella in tomato samples. The assay is based on large‐scale aggregation of gold nanoparticles (GNPs), induced by a quantitative relationship among the biotinylated Salmonella polyclonal antibody (b‐Ab) used as the SL, the functionalized GNPs, and Salmonella. Important factors such as the concentration of SLs, time required for large‐scale aggregation, and selectivity of b‐Ab were optimized to minimize the detection time (within 45 min with gentle agitation) and achieve the lowest limit of detection (LOD; 10 CFU/g in tomato samples) possible. This SL‐based immunoassay with its relatively low LOD and short detection time may meet the need for rapid, simple, on‐site analysis of pathogens in fresh produce.Practical ApplicationThe novel switchable linker‐based immunoassay is a rapid, specific, and sensitive method that has potential applications for routine diagnostics of Salmonella in tomato products. These advantages make it a practical approach for general use in the processing industry to detect Salmonella rapidly and to implement appropriate regulatory procedures. Furthermore, it could be applied to other fresh products including cantaloupe, strawberry, and cucumbers.
Information Asymmetry and Voluntary SFAS 157 Fair Value Disclosures by Bank Holding Companies During the 2007 Financial Crisis
Authors: Weiss Renee , Shon John 
Published: September 2017

AbstractWe hand‐collect SFAS 157 voluntary fair value disclosures of 18 bank holding companies. The SEC's Division of Corporate Finance likely targeted these entities in 2008 through their “Dear CFO” letters in which they requested specific, additional disclosure items. We collect disclosures that match the SEC recommendations and create eight common factor disclosure variables to examine the effect of such disclosures on information asymmetry. We find that disclosure variables about the use of broker quotes or prices from pricing services and the use of market indices and illiquidity adjustments are related to lower information asymmetry. However, disclosure variables about valuation techniques and asset‐backed securities are related to greater information asymmetry. We also document that disclosure complexity, and disclosure tone (uncertainty and litigious) is related to greater information asymmetry. These findings are consistent with criticism that corporate disclosures are voluminous; management may obfuscate unfavorable information which in turn increases market participants’ assessment of uncertainty associated with the fair value measures. We caveat that the setting of the financial crisis and a small sample size may limit the ability to generalize these inferences to other time periods or other financial firms.
Neural correlates of tobacco cue reactivity predict duration to lapse and continuous abstinence in smoking cessation treatment
Authors: Owens Max M. , MacKillop James , Gray Joshua C. , Beach Steven R.H. , Stein Michael D. , Niaura Raymond S. , Sweet Lawrence H. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractIt has been hypothesized that neural reactivity to drug cues in certain limbic/paralimbic regions of the brain is an indicator of addiction severity and a marker for likelihood of success in treatment. To address this question, in the current study, 32 participants (44 percent female) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging cigarette cue exposure paradigm 2 hours after smoking, and then enrolled in a 9‐week smoking cessation treatment program. Neural activation to smoking cues was measured in five a priori defined limbic/paralimbic regions previously implicated with cue reactivity across substances. These included regions of the ventral striatum, anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala. Cox proportional hazard modeling was conducted to predict the number of days to first smoking lapse by using neural activation in these regions. Greater neural activation during pre‐treatment exposure to smoking cues in the right ventral striatum, the left amygdala, and the anterior cingulate was associated with longer periods of abstinence following cessation. A similar pattern was present for continuous abstinence for the full duration of treatment. While baseline levels of nicotine dependence were strongly associated with treatment outcome, activation in the right ventral striatum predicted duration of abstinence beyond level of nicotine dependence. These results suggest that pre‐treatment reactivity to smoking cues in areas associated with cue reactivity may be associated with successfully maintaining abstinence during treatment. This is consistent with models that propose that as addiction becomes more severe, motivational processing shifts from regions that subserve reward salience and learning to regions responsible motor behavior and habit learning.
Benefits of Well‐Being Training in Healthy Older Adults
Authors: Cantarella Alessandra , Borella Erika , Marigo Cinzia , De Beni Rosanna 
Published: September 2017

IntroductionSeveral studies have shown that psychological well‐being (PWB) can be promoted through positive psychological interventions (PPIs). Although these interventions have shown promising results in clinical settings, only a few studies have investigated their effectiveness in older adults, and they have rarely considered an active control group. In addition, generalisation effects of thePWBtraining to quality of life (QoL) and to untrained cognitive abilities have never been considered.ObjectiveIn this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a six‐sessionPWBintervention aiming specifically to improvePWB, and sought any transfer effects on an aspect related toPWB, QoL. Transfer effects on a high‐level cognitive process, working memory (WM), were also investigated.MethodsThirty‐two older adults (61–82 years old) volunteered to take part in the study and were randomly assigned to either a training group or an active control group.ResultsOnly the trained group, once controlled for variability, reported larger gains inPWBand inWMperformance after the training.ConclusionsThis pilot study suggests thatPWBtraining can be effective in older adults, with a positive generalisation effect on cognition (WM). The discussion focuses on the need to developPPIs tailored to older adults’ needs and resources.
Steroid phobia, Chinese medicine and asthma control
Authors: Ip Ka Ian , Hon Kam Lun , Tsang Kathy Yin Ching , Leung Theresa Ngan Ho 
Published: September 2017

AbstractBackgroundInhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the mainstay of treatment for asthma. Corticosteroid (CS) phobia and fears are prevalent, and these may influence therapeutic efficacy and asthma control.AimThe aim of this study was to evaluate if CS fear is associated with asthma control in children.MethodsPatients aged >4 years with asthma at a pediatric outpatient clinic were surveyed, and the Asthma Control Test (ACT) was used for the assessment of asthma control.ResultsNinety‐eight patients and their parents were interviewed. Thirty‐four (35%) parents reported moderate or significant CS fear. They were more likely than those with no or little fear to have poorer asthma control (mean ACT scores 21.3 ± 4.0 vs 23.1 ± 3.3, P = 0.02), discuss their fears with their doctors (P < 0.001), request CS sparing medications (P = 0.044) and resort to Chinese medicine (CM) usage (P < 0.001). Backward binomial logistic regression showed parents with moderate/significant fears were more likely to discuss their fears with their doctors (OR: 5.21; 95% CI: 1.86‐14.59; P = 0.002) and have used CM (OR: 4.28; 95% CI: 1.61‐11.41; P = 0.004). CS fear was not translated to reduced self‐reported compliance in the prescribed ICS. About 40% of the respondents had ever used Chinese Medicine (CM) with 82% of the users reported having used Chinese herbal medicine and 49% had used cold moxibustion.ConclusionsCS fear and CM usage are prevalent. Parents with CS fear were more likely to have children with poorer asthma control and have used Chinese medicine. Physicians caring for children with asthma should be aware of parents with CS fear, prepared to address the fear or concerns and offer evidence‐based alternative treatment.
Towards physiologically meaningful water‐use efficiency estimates from eddy covariance data
Authors: Knauer Jürgen , Zaehle Sönke , Medlyn Belinda E. , Reichstein Markus , Williams Christopher A. , Migliavacca Mirco , De Kauwe Martin G. , Werner Christiane , Keitel Claudia , Kolari Pasi , Limousin Jean‐Marc , Linderson Maj‐Lena 
Published: September 2017

AbstractIntrinsic water‐use efficiency (iWUE) characterizes the physiological control on the simultaneous exchange of water and carbon dioxide in terrestrial ecosystems. Knowledge of iWUE is commonly gained from leaf‐level gas exchange measurements, which are inevitably restricted in their spatial and temporal coverage. Flux measurements based on the eddy covariance (EC) technique can overcome these limitations, as they provide continuous and long‐term records of carbon and water fluxes at the ecosystem scale. However, vegetation gas exchange parameters derived from EC data are subject to scale‐dependent and method‐specific uncertainties that compromise their ecophysiological interpretation as well as their comparability among ecosystems and across spatial scales. Here, we use estimates of canopy conductance and gross primary productivity (GPP) derived from EC data to calculate a measure of iWUE (G1, “stomatal slope”) at the ecosystem level at six sites comprising tropical, Mediterranean, temperate, and boreal forests. We assess the following six mechanisms potentially causing discrepancies between leaf and ecosystem‐level estimates of G1: (i) non‐transpirational water fluxes; (ii) aerodynamic conductance; (iii) meteorological deviations between measurement height and canopy surface; (iv) energy balance non‐closure; (v) uncertainties in net ecosystem exchange partitioning; and (vi) physiological within‐canopy gradients. Our results demonstrate that an unclosed energy balance caused the largest uncertainties, in particular if it was associated with erroneous latent heat flux estimates. The effect of aerodynamic conductance on G1 was sufficiently captured with a simple representation. G1 was found to be less sensitive to meteorological deviations between canopy surface and measurement height and, given that data are appropriately filtered, to non‐transpirational water fluxes. Uncertainties in the derived GPP and physiological within‐canopy gradients and their implications for parameter estimates at leaf and ecosystem level are discussed. Our results highlight the importance of adequately considering the sources of uncertainty outlined here when EC‐derived water‐use efficiency is interpreted in an ecophysiological context.
Fast extraction methodologies for the determination of toxic arsenic in meat
Authors: Ruiz‐de‐Cenzano Manuela , Cava‐Montesinos Patricia , Cervera Maria Luisa , de la Guardia Miguel 
Published: September 2017

SummaryA nonchromatographic analytical procedure has been developed for the determination of arsenic in meat samples including the major toxic arsenic species arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimetylarsinic acid (DMA). The method is based on the extraction of arsenic species in mild conditions, selective trivalent hydride formation and final determination by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (HG‐AFS). Different extractant agents and two different procedures, microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasound assisted extraction at room temperature, were evaluated for As species extraction. The method provided a limit of detection of 0.013 ng mL−1 and a mean relative standard deviation in actual samples of 0.3%. Data found for toxic As in meat samples varied from 0.42 ng g−1 in chicken muscle to 68 ng g−1 in pork liver. Percentage of toxic As respect to total As varied in the 9–46% range depending on the meat product.
Deep tissue loads in the seated buttocks on an off‐loading wheelchair cushion versus air‐cell‐based and foam cushions: finite element studies
Authors: Peko Cohen Lea , Gefen Amit 
Published: September 2017

AbstractFor wheelchair users, a common injury is a sitting‐acquired pressure ulcer (PU) which typically onsets near the interface between the ischial tuberosity (IT) and the overlying soft tissues. The risk of developing PUs can be reduced considerably if an adequate cushion is placed on the wheelchair in order to protect tissues from PUs by minimising interface mechanical loads between the body and cushion and also, exposure to internal soft tissue loads. In this work, we studied the biomechanical performances of an off‐loading (OL) cushion with limited adjustability, in comparison to a standard foam cushion and a fully adjustable air‐cell‐based (ACB) cushion. These different cushion design approaches were methodologically and quantitatively analysed and compared here using a finite element (FE) modelling framework. We determined the internal mechanical deformations, strains and stresses in soft tissues of the seated buttocks during symmetric sitting, in a specific anatomy of a person with a spinal cord injury that was acquired during sitting in an open, magnetic resonance imaging configuration. Our results have shown that strains and stresses in muscle, fat and skin tissues are orders of magnitude lower for the ACB cushion with respect to the standard foam and OL cushions. The OL cushion design has taken the approach of protecting at‐risk sites of the buttocks by transferring local internal tissue loads away from the ITs and towards the greater trochanters, at the price of increasing exposure to internal tissue loads at sites other than the ITs. The ACB cushion design, however, has taken a different approach, that is, immersion and envelopment of the entire buttocks structure, which is useful for minimising the exposure to internal tissue loads throughout the whole buttocks. Quantifying performances of wheelchair cushions using FE modelling provides insights into deep tissue loads, which is essential for informed decision‐making in developing sitting solutions for individuals at risk, as well as for patient groups.
Short‐term safety and efficacy of left atrial appendage closure with the WATCHMAN device in patients with small left atrial appendage ostia
Authors: Venkataraman Ganesh , Strickberger S. Adam , Doshi Shephal , Ellis Christopher R. , Lakkireddy Dhanunjaya , Whalen S. Patrick , Cuoco Frank 
Published: September 2017

AbstractIntroductionLeft atrial appendage (LAA) closure with the WATCHMAN device, according to FDA labelling, is recommended in patients with a maximal LAA ostial width between 17 and 31 mm. The safety and efficacy of LAA closure in patients with a maximal LAA ostial width < 17 mm has not been evaluated.The goal of this study was to determine the acute and short‐term safety and efficacy of LAA closure with the WATCHMAN device in patients with a maximal LAA ostial width < 17 mm.Methods and resultsThirty‐two consecutive patients with a maximal LAA ostial width < 17 mm as determined by a screening transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) underwent LAA closure with the WATCHMAN device between March 2015 and November 2016 at five medical centers, and were included in this study.Mean age, body mass index (BMI), and CHA2DS2‐VASC score were 70.8 ± 8.6 years, 29.3 ± 6.5 kg/m2, and 3.9 ±1.2, respectively. At the screening TEE, mean maximal LAA ostial width and depth were 15.6 ± 0.6 mm (range 14–16) and 23.2 ± 4.5 mm (range 13–31), respectively.Successful LAA closure with the WATCHMAN device was achieved in 31 of 32 patients (97%), with no major complications. TEE performed 45 days after LAA closure demonstrated no peridevice leak > 5 mm and no device related thrombi. Warfarin was discontinued in all 31 patients 45 days after LAA closure.ConclusionsLAA closure with the WATCHMAN device can be successfully and safely achieved in patients with a maximal LAA ostial width < 17 mm.