bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effects of the number of natural teeth and posterior occluding pairs on the oral health‐related quality of life in elderly dental patients
Authors: Somsak Kwanrutai , Kaewplung Orapin
Published: March 2014

Objectives

To compare between the oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) of Thai elderly dental patients at the Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University with at least 20 natural teeth (NT) and those with less than 20 NT, and between those with at least 4 posterior occluding pairs (POP) and those with less than 4 POP.

Background

Thai government recommended that elderly people should have at least 20 NT and 4 POP.

Materials and methods

The participants comprised 240 Thai elderly dental patients who were interviewed and had their OHRQoL determined using the Oral Impacts on Daily Performances Index (OIDP). Higher OIDP score indicates poorer OHRQoL. We counted the functional NT and POP in each participant.

Results

Participants with less than 20 NT or less than 4 POP had significantly higher OIDP scores than those with at least 20 NT or at least 4 POP. Moreover, when we evaluated one by one tooth loss, we found the first and the last significant differences between the OIDP scores in the participants with at least 23 teeth and with less than 23 teeth, and those in the participants with at least 5 teeth and with less than 5 teeth, in consequently.

Conclusion

Thai elderly participants with at least 20 NT or at least 4 POP had greater OHRQoL than those with less than 20 NT or less than 4 POP, and in our study sample, we observed that 5 teeth may be an important clinical threshold for Thai elderly dental patients' quality of life.
Science Studies Perspectives on Animal Behavior Research: Toward a Deeper Understanding of Gendered Impacts
Authors: Jackson J. Kasi
Published: March 2014

This case study examines differences between how the animal‐behavior‐research fields of ethology and sociobiology account for female ornamental traits. I address three questions: 1) Why were female traits noted in early animal‐behavior writings but not systematically studied like male traits? 2) Why did ethology attend to female signals before sexual‐selection studies did? 3) And why didn't sexual‐selection researchers cite the earlier ethological literature when they began studying female traits? To answer these questions, I turn to feminist and other science‐studies scholars and philosophers of science. My main framework is provided by Bruno Latour, whose model I position within relevant feminist critique (Latour 1999). This approach provides an interactive account of how scientific knowledge develops. I argue that this embedded approach provides a more compelling reading of the relationship between gender and science than does focusing on androcentric biases. My overall aim is to counter arguments by some feminist biologists that feminist tools should emphasize the correction and removal of biases, and to address their fears that more rigorous critiques would lead to relativism or otherwise remove science as a tool for feminist use.
The therapeutic environment and team approach at the Menninger Hospital
Authors: MENNINGER ROY W.
Published: March 2014

Good treatment for difficult patients in contemporary psychiatric practice requires a collaborative approach by the mental health professionals responsible for that patients care and treatment. This form of practice, defined as team treatment, uses the special strengths of team members from each mental health discipline. Properly focused, a treatment team can ensure a thorough diagnostic review of individual patient's problems and the development of a comprehensive treatment plan. A well‐operating therapeutic team, effectively managed by a team leader who understands group process, disciplinary strengths and differences, and the psychodynamic process, can provide a protective, analytic context in which the troubled behavior of the patient can be examined carefully and treated appropriately. Even as the treatment context shifts to an ambulatory setting, an effective team can ensure competent, cost‐effective, goal‐focused treatment of high quality. This paper describes the history of team treatment at the Menninger Foundation, outlines the primary features of team treatment, discusses the issues involved in this form of collaboration, and defines the benefits to treatment that this approach can bring.
Psychotherapy, today and tomorrow: Status quo of behavior and cognitive therapy and its efficacy
Authors: YAMAGAMI T.
Published: March 2014

This paper reviews the development of behavior therapy, its applications, and the characteristics that make this form of therapy unique and applicable to a wide range of problems. Behavior therapy started from learning theory. It has adopted other theoretical bases and produced numerous techniques as a result of efforts to apply its principles to clinical problems. Recently, cognitive techniques of behavior therapy have been growing. The characteristics of behavior therapy are: (i) problem oriented and practical; (ii) emphasis on real life and living skills; and (iii) concrete viewpoint and techniques. These characteristics enable wide application. Today, many studies show the superior efficacy of behavior therapy for various mental and physical problems. Some well‐documented techniques can be performed by non‐professionals. The techniques and the viewpoint of behavior therapy would be accepted widely in Pacific Rim countries in the future.
Psychiatric epidemiology in Japan: Towards psychological understanding of the etiology of minor psychiatric disorders
Authors: KITAMURA TOSHINORI
Published: March 2014

Epidemiological studies of psychiatric disorders using structured interviews and operational diagnostic criteria in a community population are rare in Japan. In our community study with mainly middle‐aged people (Kofu Study), the lifetime prevalence of Major Depressive Episode was 19%. The prevalence was about twice as high in women as in men. The prevalence of Major Depressive Episode showed a tendency to increase as the subjects became younger. No sex difference in the lifetime prevalence of Major Depressive Episode was observed among an adolescent population (Gotemba Study), due to the equally high prevalence of this disorder among male adolescents. The figures were 24% for men and 23% for women. In a follow‐up study of pregnant women (Kawasaki Study), risk factors of depression during pregnancy and after childbirth are different and, in some instances, reversed. Therefore, we speculate that the combination of psychological risk factors of the onset of depression may differ from one situation to another. Specificity of the combination of risk factors may be more important than single risk factors in the etiology of mild‐form depression.
Surveys on the pregraduate and postgraduate education on child and adolescent psychiatry in Japan
Authors: HAYASHI M. , YAMAZAKI K.
Published: March 2014

The aim of the study is to clarify the results of Survey‐1993 conducted by the commitee on the education system in Japanese Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry regarding the present situation of education on child and adolescent psychiatry in Japan, and to compare these with the results of Survey‐1982 conducted by late Professor Makita (Tokai University). The questionnaire, originally designed by Makita, consists of two parts of pregraduate and postgraduate education, and is sent to chairpersons of the psychiatric departments of all the 80 medical schools in Japan. The response rate was 74% in Survey‐1993 and 78% in Survey‐1982. With regard to pregraduate and postgraduate education, the results between Survey‐1993 and Survey‐1982 did not show a remarkable change. This indicates that Japan has many unresolved problems in responding to increasing social needs to supply trained psychiatrists for children and adolescents.
Current status of and challenges for dementia in Japan
Authors: MD TOSHIO OTSUKA.
Published: March 2014

With an increase in the elderly population in Japan, the number of elderly with dementia increases each year. There were about 1.26 million elderly people with dementia in 1995. Dementia is untreatable, requiring protracted care. Enhancing and improving the social services for the demented elderly are strongly recommended. The available social services for the elderly with dementia in Japan are measures for health and institutional care. In the former, there are consultations, guidance services and welfare services (home help services, day services, short stay services). The latter mainly consists of mental hospitals, hospitals for the elderly, health facilities for the elderly and special nursing homes for the elderly. As future challenges to improve measures for the demented elderly, the following measures must be offered to demented elderly: (i) urgent, quantitative improvements in social services; (ii) establishing a comprehensive service system in the community; (iii) clarifying the concept of role sharing and closer co‐operation among hospitals and institutions; (iv) training human resources in the fields of health medical care and welfare to give expertise and skill; (v) improvement of the system for dementia research; and (vi) securing and training volunteers for home care.
Clinical research on the therapeutic effect of the electro‐acupuncture treatment in patients with depression
Authors: LUO HECHUN , MENG FANQIANG , JIA YUNKUI , ZHAO XUEYING
Published: March 2014

Electro‐acupuncture (EA) stimulation has been found to influence the brain (norepinephrine metabolism in experimental animals). Preliminary clinical research has shown that EA treatment is as effective as amitriptyline for patients with depression. In this study, two consecutive clinical studies on the treatment of depression with EA are conducted. The first study was double blind placebo controlled, in which 29 depressed inpatients were recruited. Patients were randomly divided into three groups: EA + placebo; amitriptyline; and EA + amitriptyline. They received EA and/or amitriptyline treatment for 6 weeks. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Clinical Global Impression and ASBERG scales for the side effect of antidepressants were used to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and side effects. Based on the results and research protocol of the first study, a multi‐centered collaborative study was conducted, in which 241 inpatients with depression were recruited. Patients were randomly divided into two treatment groups: the EA+ placebo and the amitriptyline groups. The results from both studies showed that the therapeutic efficacy of EA was equal to that of amitriptyline for depressive disorders (P > 0.05). Electro‐acupuncture had a better therapeutic effect for anxiety somatization and cognitive process disturbance of depressed patients than amitriptyline (P < 0.05). Moreover, the side effects of EA were much less than that of amitriptyline (P < 0.001). The article suggested that EA treatment was an effective therapeutic method for depressive disorders. Particularly, it was a treatment of choice for depressed patients who were unable to comply with the classic tricyclic antidepressants because of their anticholinergic side effects. The possible mechanism of EA treatment is discussed.
The activities of the Tokyo Center
Authors: MATSUSHIMA E. , KOJIMA T. , ODAYASHI S. , OHTA K. , ANDO K. , TORU M. , SHIMAZONO Y. , TAKEBAYASHI H. , TAKAHASHI S. , XIA M‐L. , OHKURA T. , YOSHINO M. , OKUBO Y. , MATSUURA M. , ANDO H.
Published: March 2014

The main World Health Organization (WHO) activities of the Tokyo Center are as follows: (1) It performed the research project entitled ‘A Bio‐Psycho‐Social Study on Children with Emotional and Behavioral Problems’ in cooperation with the Beijing and Seoul Centers from 1985 to 1987. These results suggested that the deviant behavior of children in the general population had no biological background, but presumably stemmed from psychosocial disadvantages. (2) It has participated in a field trial for the proposed draft for chapter V of the ICD‐10 as the Field Trial Coordinating Center in Japan since 1986 and the first Japanese edition of the ICD‐10 Classification of Mental and Behavioral Disorders: Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines were published in 1993. (3) It proposed the collaborative project exploratory eye movements in patients with schizophrenia in 1989 and has promoted the project with the cooperation of six centers that included Beijing, Casablanca, Montreal, Munich, Prague and Sapporo. The findings of the present project indicated that exploratory eye movements may be specific to schizophrenia and can be practically used to discriminate schizophrenia without significantly depending on language.
Psychosocial rehabilitation models in the Asia — Pacific region
Authors: DEVA M.P.
Published: March 2014

Mental illnesses and mental health have, out of ignorance and fear, evoked a low priority in healthcare systems the world over. The concept that all mental illnesses were synonymous with madness has its origins in the beginnings of ignorance and fear. To a large extent, these have contributed to the marginalization of psychiatry and neglect of the mentally ill. The kings of old, seeing the ill‐treatment of the mentally ill, built asylums for them, but again, the prejudice soon was overwhelming and care of the mentally ill was often given to those who were not the best administrators and carers. The long and controversial tradition of mental asylum care for the mentally ill was also brought about by the lack of specific treatments for mental illnesses. With the advent of chlorpromazine in the 1950s and other psychotropics afterwards, the need for incarceration in asylums became largely redundant. However, what also became obvious soon after was the fact that the psychotropics only helped to control symptoms and not to cure diseases of the mind. Although considerable research has gone into attempts at correcting supposed defects in neurotransmission, the cure of mental illness seems some way off. The need for rehabilitating or re‐housing those with mental illnesses especially those needing long‐term care and those whose cure seems difficult has been recognized for a long time. It was Phillipe Pinel who almost 200 years ago unchained the mental patients at an asylum in Paris and proposed work therapy and humane care. Psychosocial rehabilitation of the mentally ill is not, therefore, a new concept. The need for methods of changing the behavior, thinking and functioning of those with severe mental illnesses using psychological, social, occupational, behavioral and medical methods is called psychosocial rehabilitation. This method, although developed in stages over the past two centuries, has undergone changes and deterioration and development in different parts of the world with different priorities and emphasis.
A preliminary study of the mental health of young migrant workers in Shenzhen
Authors: SHEN QIJIE , LU YA‐WEN , HU CHI‐YI , DENG XIAO‐MING , GAO HUAN , HUANG XIAN‐QING , NIU EN‐HONG
Published: March 2014

The aim of this study is to examine the mental health status of young migrant workers in Shenzhen. Using the Symptoms Check List‐90 (SCL‐90), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Social Support Scale and Mental Health Questionnaire for Laborers, 371 migrant workers who came from inland areas of China and 100 local workers were investigated. The SCL‐90 profile of migrant workers was also compared to the SCL‐90 norms provided by general people in China. The SCL‐90 results showed that the total scores, the average scores of the positive symptoms, the three factor scores of obsessionality, interpersonal sensitivity and phobia in migrant workers were significantly higher than those in the local workers. According to the multivariate analysis, the amount of contribution to mental health, in descending order, was neuroticism, psychological pressure, income, home sickness, marital or love problems, extroversion and introversion, living conditions and social status. The mental health status of young migrant workers in Shenzhen was poorer than that of their local counterparts, as well as people in China on the SCL‐90. It is recommended that mental health workers should help migrant workers adjust to the new urban environment by providing psychological counseling and other relevant treatment facilities.
Social Exclusion of Children: Developmental Origins of Prejudice
Authors: Abrams Dominic , Killen Melanie
Published: March 2014

Over the past decade, developmental and social psychological research has explicitly adopted a developmental intergroup framework, integrating social and developmental psychology fields to understand the origins of social exclusion and prejudice. This article argues that a social developmental analysis of how groups and individuals experience, evaluate, and understand exclusion is essential for a complete picture of the human experience, interpretation, and consequences of exclusion. What has been missing in much of the social psychological research on exclusion is an incorporation of developmental perspectives; likewise, what has been missing in development psychological research is a focus on group identity and group dynamics for understanding the basis for exclusionary behavior in childhood. Yet, the roots of adult forms of exclusion can be documented in childhood, and children who experience exclusion are particularly at risk for negative outcomes, and especially when exclusion is based on group membership. Moreover, interventions designed to ameliorate social problems associated with exclusion need to be based on an understanding of how, why, and under what conditions, children and groups make decisions to exclude others, how they experience this exclusion, and how exclusion originates and changes over the course of the lifespan. Thus, a growing body of psychological work, exemplified in this issue of the Journal of Social Issues (2014), highlights implications for theory in psychology and related social sciences, and for interventions and policies to tackle social exclusion.
Of Affect and Ambiguity: The Emergence of Preference for Arbitrary Ingroups
Authors: Dunham Yarrow , Emory Jason
Published: March 2014

What cognitive and affective processes underlie the all‐too‐human tendency toward group‐based affiliation and exclusion? Using a paradigm in which children are randomly assigned to previously unfamiliar and meaningless “minimal” social groups, we investigate the developmental origins of the tendency to prefer and positively evaluate the actions of social ingroup members. Using a procedure derived from evaluative priming as well as children's verbal descriptions of intergroup encounters, we show that 6‐year olds but not 3‐year olds manifest robust ingroup preference. These results suggest that the mechanisms underlying the wide range of human social group affiliations undergoes a striking increase in generality between ages 3 and 6, perhaps driven by a shift from an individual‐level to a group‐level or “sociocentric” orientation.
How Young Children Evaluate People With and Without Disabilities
Authors: Huckstadt Lauren K. , Shutts Kristin
Published: March 2014

How do preschool‐age children evaluate people with disabilities, and does social contact make children more positive toward those who are different from them? To answer these questions, typically developing (TD) 3‐ to 5‐year‐old children completed tasks designed to measure their social preferences for, and judgments about the actions of, unfamiliar individuals with and without disabilities. Participants preferred pictures of TD children over children in wheelchairs, but did not prefer children who were described with disabilities over those who were described with mildly negative facts. In a third task, participants evaluated actions that violated norms more negatively than those that did not, regardless of whether the actors had a disability. Children's participation in inclusion programs did not appear to affect their responses. We consider possible explanations for children's responses—including the absence of social contact effects—in the discussion.
Identification, Model Updating, and Validation of a Steel Twin Deck Curved Cable‐Stayed Footbridge
Authors: Bursi* Oreste S. , Kumar Anil , Abbiati Giuseppe , Ceravolo Rosario
Published: March 2014

To perform a realistic reliability analysis of a complex cable‐stayed steel footbridge subject to natural hazard and corrosion, this article addresses a rational process of modeling and simulation based on identification, model updating, and validation. In particular, the object of this study is the Ponte del Mare footbridge located in Pescara, Italy; this bridge was selected as being a complex twin deck curved footbridge because it is prone to corrosion by the aggressive marine environment. With the modeling and simulation objectives in mind, a preliminary finite element (FE) model was realized using the ANSYS software. However, uncertainties in FE modeling and changes during its construction suggested the use of experimental system identification. As a result, the sensor location was supported by a preliminary FE model of the footbridge, although to discriminate close modes of the footbridge and locate identification sensor layouts, Auto Modal Assurance Criterion (AutoMAC) values and stabilization diagram techniques were adopted. Modal characteristics of the footbridge were extracted from signals produced by ambient vibration via the stochastic subspace identification (SSI) algorithm, although similar quantities were identified with free‐decay signals produced by impulse excitation using the ERA algorithm. All these procedures were implemented in the Structural Dynamic Identification Toolbox (SDIT) code developed in a MATLAB environment. The discrepancies between analytical and experimental frequencies led to a first update of the FE model based on Powell's dog‐leg method that relied on a trust‐region approach. As a result, the identified FE model was capable of reproducing the response of the footbridge subject to realistic gravity and wind load conditions. Finally, the FE was further updated in the modal domain, by changing both the stationary aerodynamic coefficients and the flutter derivatives of deck sections to take into account the effects of the curved deck layout.
Josef Fuchs' Revised Natural Law: Possibilities for Social Ethics
Authors: O'Sullivan James P.
Published: March 2014

In the second half of the twentieth century Josef Fuchs put forward a major re-visioning of the natural law, but this re-visioning did not include a robust social ethic. In this paper the author first undertakes an explication of the development, context, and major features of Fuchs’ theory. Next, in order to locate it within other twentieth century developments in natural law theory, Fuchs’ theory is related to Jacques Maritain's re-visioning of natural law, with its clear social-ethical implications. Finally, the author draws out some of the potential implications and applications of Fuchs’ revised natural law for social ethics.
Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser–Assisted Drug Delivery of Topical Timolol Solution for the Treatment of Deep Infantile Hemangioma: A Pilot Study
Authors: Ma Gang , Wu Pinru , Lin Xiaoxi , Chen Hui , Hu Xiaojie , Jin Yunbo , Qiu Yajing
Published: March 2014

Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are benign vascular tumors of infancy. Topical timolol has recently been reported to be an effective treatment for superficial IHs, although it failed to have an effect on deep IHs. This prospective study was aimed at evaluating the feasibility of ablative fractional laser–assisted drug delivery for enhancing topical timolol permeation into deep IHs. Nine patients ages 1 to 6 months with deep IHs were enrolled. A fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser system was applied to the skin surface of deep IHs using the DeepFx mode (25–30 mJ/pulse, 5% density, single pulse) at 1‐week intervals. Topical timolol maleate 0.5% ophthalmic solution was applied under occlusion for 30 minutes four to five times per day for an average treatment duration of 14.2 weeks. Clinical improvement was evaluated according to a global score and the Hemangioma Activity Score (HAS). Four patients (44.4%) demonstrated excellent regression, four (44.4%) showed good response, and one (11.1%) experienced moderate regression. The HAS declined from 4.1 ± 0.7 at baseline to 1.7 ± 0.7 at 1 week (p < 0.001) and 1.4 ± 0.7 at 3 months (p = 0.03) after the last treatment procedure. Plasma timolol concentration was not detected in any of the patients after the first administration of topical timolol. No systemic complication or skin side effects were observed in any of the patients. Ablative fractional laser–assisted transdermal delivery of topical timolol is a safe and effective method for the treatment of deep IHs.
Hair Follicle Nevus of the Abdominal Skin: An Unusual Extracephalic Presentation
Authors: Jedrych Jaroslaw , Akilov Oleg , Gehris Robin , Ho Jonhan
Published: March 2014

Hair follicle nevus (HFN) is a rare hamartoma typically diagnosed on the face of infants, where it may clinically mimic an accessory tragus. We report a 6‐month‐old boy who presented with a congenital fleshy, bilobed papule in the midline of his upper abdomen that upon excision was classified as an HFN based on detailed histopathologic examination. Our report documents a previously undescribed extracephalic location of the HFN and therefore expands the spectrum of clinical presentations of this rare hamartoma.
A Golden Formula in Neoclassical‐Growth Models with Brownian‐Motion Shocks
Authors: Dai Darong
Published: March 2014

In the paper, a Golden Formula, which does not depend on the specification of production and preference functions, is established to reveal that time‐average of the growth rate of optimal capital accumulation will converge to a constant, which is endogenously determined by relevant parameters, almost surely. The Golden Formula naturally implies surprisingly interesting and also intrinsic economic relations between some important macroeconomic variables; for example, it serves as a direct bridge between the modified Golden Rule and the modified Ramsey Rule. Furthermore, it indeed subsumes and hence substantially extends the classical Golden Rule in deterministic theory.
Presence of nucleotide substitutions in transcriptional regulatory elements such as the erythroid cell‐specific enhancer‐like element and the ABO promoter in individuals with phenotypes A3 and B3, respectively
Authors: Takahashi Y. , Isa K. , Sano R. , Nakajima T. , Kubo R. , Takahashi K. , Kominato Y. , Michino J. , Masuno A. , Tsuneyama H. , Ito S. , Ogasawara K. , Uchikawa M.
Published: March 2014

Background and objectives

An erythroid cell‐specific regulatory element, referred to as the +5.8‐kb site, has been identified in the first intron of the human ABO blood group gene. Subsequent studies have revealed involvement of deletion or mutation at the site in phenotypes Am, Bm and ABm. We investigated the molecular mechanisms involved in the A3 and B3 phenotypes.

Materials and methods

Genomic DNAs were prepared from peripheral blood of seven A3 individuals and twelve B3 or AB3 individuals, and the nucleotide sequences were investigated using PCR and sequencing. Promoter assays were performed with K562 cells.

Results

Two single point‐mutations at +5893 or +5909 in the site on the A‐allele were found in A3 individuals, while promoter assays revealed decreased activity at the site as a result of each substitution. In two B3 individuals, a single point‐mutation at −77 in the ABO promoter on the B‐allele was found, and the substitution was demonstrated to reduce the promoter activity.

Conclusion

Nucleotide substitutions in the transcriptional regulatory elements such as the +5.8‐kb site and the ABO promoter appear to decrease transcription from the A‐ and B‐alleles, resulting in reduction in A‐ and B‐antigen expression in A3 and B3, respectively.
Addressing sample identification errors in a multispecialty tertiary care hospital in Bangalore
Authors: Sindhulina C. , Joseph N. J.
Published: March 2014

Background and Objectives

Errors in sample identification contribute to patient mismanagement and erroneous administration of blood and blood products. This report describes the rate of sample identification errors over 2 years in a multispecialty hospital in India and possible measures to decrease these errors.

Materials and Methods

Various measures were taken to reduce the risk of identification errors during sample collection, laboratory processing and administration of blood. The bedside blood grouping method by the slide agglutination technique was also introduced along with other measures in December 2011 as a risk mitigation step to prevent an ABO incompatible transfusion, as well as to provide a method of surveillance for possible errors during transfusion.

Results

The rate of sample identification errors was 48 and 45 per 1 000 000 among the total tests billed in 2011 and 2012, respectively. In the blood bank alone, the sample identification error rate was 0·96 in 2011 and 0·46 in 2012 per 1000 bags of blood and blood components issued after the various steps to prevent such errors in the blood bank were introduced. 81% of these errors (26 out of 32) have been reported in the inpatient setting. 15·6% (5 out of 32) were repeat errors made by the same technicians.

Conclusions

Among the various measures used to reduce sample identification errors, bedside blood grouping allows prevention of ABO incompatible transfusions when performed by trained technicians and may also be used as a method of active surveillance for sample identification errors in hospitals.
Robust Sideslip Angle Estimation for Lightweight Vehicles Using Smooth Variable Structure Filter
Authors: Huang Xiaoyu , Wang Junmin
Published: March 2014

In the design of vehicle stability control (VSC) systems for ground vehicles, sideslip angle plays a vital role and its estimation has long been an active research topic. Accurate estimation of sideslip angle is more difficult for lightweight vehicles (LWVs) because their parameters are prone to significant changes with loading conditions — the amount and position of the payload. In this paper, a robust sideslip angle estimator based on a recently emerging smooth variable structure filter (SVSF) is presented. This sideslip angle estimator is suitable for LWVs because it is almost non-sensitive to the changes of the system parameters. A four-state vehicle lateral dynamic model including a pseudo-Burckhardt tire model is employed in the filter design. Compared with the widely utilized extended Kalman filter (EKF), the SVSF shows much better robustness against modeling errors. It is also more favorable in terms of tuning effort and computational speed. Simulation studies were conducted based on a high-fidelity vehicle model in CarSim®, where the vehicle took the form of a lightweight electric ground vehicle with independent in-wheel motors. The performance of the SVSF was shown by comparisons against the EKF under different settings for model parameters.
Flatness-Based Open Loop Command Tracking for Quasistatic Microscanners
Authors: Janschek Klaus , Schroedter Richard , Sandner Thilo
Published: March 2014

This paper describes a nonlinear command tracking scheme for an electrostatic laser scanning micromirror assembly. The results are based on an innovative gimballed comb transducer concept developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems. The outer mirror axis is designed as a Staggered Vertical Comb (SVC) in out-of-plane configuration and it shall provide a quasistatic operation with large deflection angles for triangular trajectories. The challenges for trajectory design and open loop command tracking are determined by the inherently nonlinear transducer characteristics and the lightly damped mass-spring dynamics. In this paper a flatness-based trajectory design is presented that considers the nonlinear transducer dynamics as well as the nonlinear elastic mechanical suspension with model parameters derived from ANSYS analysis. The paper discusses design constraints and detailed design considerations and it shows proof of concept performance results based on experimental verification with a real microscanner assembly.
Regulation of 3D Human Arm Impedance Through Muscle Co-Contraction
Authors: Patel Harshil , O’Neill Gerald , Artemiadis Panagiotis
Published: March 2014

Humans have the inherent ability of performing highly dexterous and skillful tasks with their arms, involving maintenance of posture, movement, and interaction with the environment. The latter requires the human to control the dynamic characteristics of the upper limb musculoskeletal system. These characteristics are quantitatively represented by inertia, damping, and stiffness, which are measures of mechanical impedance. Many previous studies have shown that arm posture is a dominant factor in determining the end point impedance on a horizontal (transverse) plane. This paper presents the characterization of the end point impedance of the human arm in three-dimensional space. Moreover, it models the regulation of the arm impedance with respect to various levels of muscle co-contraction. The characterization is made by route of experimental trials where human subjects maintained arm posture while their arms were perturbed by a robot arm. Furthermore, the subjects were asked to control the level of their arm muscles’ co-contraction, using visual feedback of their muscles’ activation, in order to investigate the effect of this muscle co-contraction on the arm impedance. The results of this study show a very interesting, anisotropic increase of arm stiffness due to muscle co-contraction. These results could lead to very useful conclusions about the human’s arm biomechanics, as well as many implications for human motor control-specifically the control of arm impedance through muscle co-contraction.
Simple Clothoid Paths for Autonomous Vehicle Lane Changes at the Limits of Handling
Authors: Funke Joseph , Gerdes J. Christian
Published: March 2014

This paper demonstrates that an autonomous vehicle can perform emergency lane changes up to the limits of handling through real-time generation and evaluation of bi-elementary paths. Path curvature and friction limits determine the maximum possible speed along the path and, consequently, the feasibility of the path. This approach incorporates both steering inputs and changes in speed during the maneuver. As a result, varying path parameters and observing the maximum possible entry speed of resulting paths gives insight about when and to what extent a vehicle should brake and turn during emergency lane change maneuvers. Tests on an autonomous vehicle validate this approach for lane changes at the limits of handling.
Use of non evaporable getter pumps to ensure long term performances of high quantum efficiency photocathodes
Authors: Sertore Daniele , Michelato Paolo , Monaco Laura , Manini Paolo , Siviero Fabrizio
Published: March 2014

High quantum efficiency photocathodes are routinely used as laser triggered emitters in the advanced high brightness electron sources based on radio frequency guns. The sensitivity of “semiconductor” type photocathodes to vacuum levels and gas composition requires special care during preparation and handling. This paper will discuss the results obtained using a novel pumping approach based on coupling a 20 l s−1 sputter ion getter pump with a CapaciTorr® D100 non evaporable getter (NEG) pump. A pressure of 8⋅10−8 Pa was achieved using only a sputter ion pump after a 6 day bake-out. With the addition of a NEG pump, a pressure of 2⋅10−9 Pa was achieved after a 2 day bake-out. These pressure values were maintained without power due to the ability of the NEG to pump gases by chemical reaction. Long term monitoring of cathodes quantum efficiencies was also carried out at different photon wavelengths for more than two years, showing no degradation of the photoemissive film properties.
Developmental Considerations in Youth Athlete Burnout: A Model for Youth Sport Participants
Authors: Harris Brandonn S. , Watson Jack C.
Published: March 2014

Recent research has used self-determination theory to examine athlete burnout among adults. However, there is a dearth of theory-driven research investigating burnout among young athletes, particularly as it pertains to its sociological influences. With research suggesting that motives for sport (dis)continuation vary among athletes of different ages, this study assessed the utility of self-determination theory (SDT) and Coakley’s model for youth burnout while examining developmental differences. Participants included swimmers of ages 7–17. Analyses revealed a model that approached adequate ft indices and accounted for 70% of the burnout variance. Results supported utilizing these theories to understand youth burnout while accounting for developmental differences.
Emergence of G186D Mutation in the Presence of R292K Mutation in an Immunocompromised Child Infected with Influenza A/H3N2 Virus, Treated with Oseltamivir
Authors: Lee Hong Kai , Tang Julian Wei-Tze , Loh Tze Ping , Kong Debra Han-Lin , Lau Yew-Weng , Yap Hui Kim , Koay Evelyn Siew-Chuan
Published: March 2014

An immunocompromised child with influenza A/H3N2 virus infection, treated with oseltamivir from day 1, had nasal swabs taken on days 1, 4, 7, and 10 of the illness. Pyrosequencing showed increasing proportions of viruses with R292K (neuraminidase gene) and G186D (hemagglutinin gene) mutations, resulting in a viral load rebound by day 10.
Virulence-Associated Genome Mutations of Murine Rotavirus Identified by Alternating Serial Passages in Mice and Cell Cultures
Authors: Tsugawa Takeshi , Tatsumi Masatoshi , Tsutsumi Hiroyuki
Published: March 2014

Although significant clinical efficacy and safety of rotavirus vaccines were recently revealed in many countries, the mechanism of their attenuation is not well understood. We passaged serially a cell culture-adapted murine rotavirus EB strain in mouse pups or in cell cultures alternately and repeatedly and fully sequenced all 11 genes of 21 virus samples passaged in mice or in cell cultures. Sequence analysis revealed that mouse-passaged viruses that regained virulence almost consistently acquired four kinds of amino acid (aa) substitutions in VP4 and substitution in aa 37 (Val to Ala) in NSP4. In addition, they gained and invariably conserved the 3′ consensus sequence in NSP1. The molecular changes occurred along with the acquisition of virulence during passages in mice and then disappeared following passages in cell cultures. Intraperitoneal injection of recombinant NSP4 proteins confirmed the aa 37 site as important for its diarrheagenic activity in mice. These genome changes are likely to be correlated with rotavirus virulence.

IMPORTANCESerial passage of a virulent wild-type virusin vitrooften results in loss of virulence of the virus in an original animal host, while serial passage of a cell culture-adapted avirulent virusin vivooften gains virulence in an animal host. Actually, live attenuated virus vaccines were originally produced by serial passage in cell cultures. Although clinical efficacy and safety of rotavirus vaccines were recently revealed, the mechanism of their attenuation is not well understood. We passaged serially a murine rotavirus by alternating switch of host (mice or cell cultures) repeatedly and sequenced the eleven genes of the passaged viruses to identify mutations associated with the emergence or disappearance of virulence. Sequence analysis revealed that changes in three genes (VP4, NSP1, and NSP4) were associated with virulence in mice. Intraperitoneal injection of recombinant NSP4 proteins confirmed its diarrheagenic activity in mice. These genome changes are likely to be correlated with rotavirus virulence.
Nuclear-Cytoplasmic Partitioning of Cucumber Mosaic Virus Protein 2b Determines the Balance between Its Roles as a Virulence Determinant and an RNA-Silencing Suppressor
Authors: Du Zhiyou , Chen Aizhong , Chen Wenhu , Liao Qiansheng , Zhang Hengmu , Bao Yiming , Roossinck Marilyn J. , Carr John P.
Published: March 2014

TheCucumber Mosaic Virus(CMV) 2b protein is an RNA-silencing suppressor that plays roles in CMV accumulation and virulence. The 2b proteins of subgroup IA CMV strains partition between the nucleus and cytoplasm, but the biological significance of this is uncertain. We fused an additional nuclear localization signal (NLS) to the 2b protein of subgroup IA strain Fny-CMV to create 2b-NLS and tested its effects on subcellular distribution, silencing, and virulence. The additional NLS enhanced 2b protein nuclear and nucleolar accumulation, but nuclear and nucleolar enrichment correlated with markedly diminished silencing suppressor activity in patch assays and abolished 2b protein-mediated disruption of microRNA activity in transgenicArabidopsis. Nucleus/nucleolus-localized 2b protein possesses at least some ability to inhibit antiviral silencing, but this was not sufficient to prevent recovery from disease in younger, developing leaves inArabidopsis. However, enhanced nuclear and nucleolar accumulation of 2b increased virulence and accelerated symptom appearance in older leaves. Experiments withArabidopsislines carrying mutantDicer-likealleles demonstrated that compromised suppressor activity explained the diminished ability of 2b-NLS to enhance virus accumulation. Remarkably, the increased virulence that 2b-NLS engendered was unrelated to effects on microRNA- or short interfering RNA-regulated host functions. Thus, although nucleus- and nucleolus-localized 2b protein is less efficient at silencing suppression than cytoplasm-localized 2b, it enhances CMV virulence. We propose that partitioning of the 2b protein between the cytoplasmic and nuclear/nucleolar compartments allows CMV to regulate the balance between virus accumulation and damage to the host, presumably to maximize the benefit for the virus.

IMPORTANCEIn this work, the main finding is that nucleus/nucleolus-localized 2b protein is strongly associated with CMV virulence, which is independent of its effect on small RNA pathways. Moreover, this work supports the contention that the silencing suppressor activity of CMV 2b protein is predominantly exerted by that portion of the 2b protein residing in the cytoplasm. Thus, we propose that partitioning of the 2b protein between the cytoplasmic and nuclear/nucleolar compartments allows CMV to regulate the balance between virus accumulation and damage to the host, presumably to maximize the benefit for the virus.
Question design in nurse-led and GP-led telephone triage for same-day appointment requests: a comparative investigation
Authors: Murdoch Jamie , Barnes Rebecca , Pooler Jillian , Lattimer Val , Fletcher Emily , Campbell John L
Published: March 2014

Objective

To compare doctors’ and nurses’ communication with patients in primary care telephone triage consultations.

Design

Qualitative comparative study of content and form of questions in 51 telephone triage encounters between practitioners (general practitioners (GPs)=29; nurses=22) and patients requesting a same-day appointment in primary care. Audio-recordings of nurse-led calls were synchronised with video recordings of nurse's use of computer decision support software (CDSS) during triage.

Setting

2 GP practices in Devon and Warwickshire, UK.

Participants

4 GPs and 29 patients; and 4 nurses and 22 patients requesting a same-day face-to-face appointment with a GP.

Main outcome measure

Form and content of practitioner-initiated questions and patient responses during clinical assessment.

Results

A total of 484 question–response sequences were coded (160 GP; 324 N). Despite average call lengths being similar (GP=4 min, 37 s, (SD=1 min, 26 s); N=4 min, 39 s, (SD=2 min, 22 s)), GPs and nurses differed in the average number (GP=5.51, (SD=4.66); N=14.72, (SD=6.42)), content and form of questions asked. A higher frequency of questioning in nurse-led triage was found to be due to nurses’ use of CDSS to guide telephone triage. 89% of nurse questions were oriented to asking patients about their reported symptoms or to wider-information gathering, compared to 54% of GP questions. 43% of GP questions involved eliciting patient concerns or expectations, and obtaining details of medical history, compared to 11% of nurse questions. Nurses using CDSS frequently delivered questions designed as declarative statements requesting confirmation and which typically preferred a ‘no problem’ response. In contrast, GPs asked a higher proportion of interrogative questions designed to request information.

Conclusions

Nurses and GPs emphasise different aspects of the clinical assessment process during telephone triage. These different styles of triage have implications for the type of information available following nurse-led or doctor-led triage, and for how patients experience triage.
How can the criminal law support the provision of quality in healthcare?
Authors: Yeung Karen , Horder Jeremy
Published: March 2014

Background

The egregious failings in patient safety at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust between 2005 and 2009 identified by Sir Robert Francis QC in his public inquiry prompted him to recommend the introduction of a new criminal offence into English law in circumstances where a patient dies or is seriously harmed by a breach of fundamental standards. The authors evaluate whether, from the perspective of fairness and justice, a new criminal offence in this context is necessary and desirable.

Methods

The authors considered the basic principles and functions of the criminal law and compared them with the principles and functions of the civil law. They then identify two primary tasks for the criminal law to perform in healthcare settings: (a) to establish primary duties to patients consisting of appropriately graded offences targeted at conduct that harms patients or unjustifiably poses risks to patients, and (b) to establish secondary duties to patients, consisting of offences aimed at punishing and deterring instances in which healthcare management and workers undermine the goals of regulation by lying or giving misleading information to regulatory officials or by obstructing their work. The authors focus on the first of these functions, identifying the scope of existing regulatory schemes that may give rise to criminal liability in English law when applied to healthcare contexts to identify whether a new criminal offence is needed.

Results

A gap in the existing regime of criminal liability is identified, and it is this gap which a new criminal offence seeks to fill. The authors suggest how such an offence should be structured, drawing primarily upon foundational principles of criminal liability. It is suggested that a new general offence of wilfully neglecting or ill-treating a patient that can be committed by any healthcare organisation or worker (appropriately defined) is warranted.

Conclusions

The criminal law has an important role to play in the healthcare context. Its central function is not primarily to deter and coerce people into complying with standards of behaviour deemed desirable. Rather, its central function lies in its symbolic and expressive significance, publicly proclaiming that the highly culpable mistreatment of others is wrongful and worthy of public censure and sanction.