bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Depression in Older Adults in Primary Care
Authors: Lill Sheila
Published: February 2015

Depression in older adults is a problem often encountered in primary care. While depression is evident in all populations in the primary care setting, assessment and care are more complicated in the older adult due to factors such as comorbidities, clinical presentation, adverse drug effects and drug interactions, and psychosocial factors. Due to these complications, it is essential to incorporate both conventional and alternative methods in assessment and treatment. This article aims to define depression in older adults, present the epidemiology, discuss clinical presentation and screening, and offer an integrative approach to intervention, including both pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods. Providing holistic and integrative care to older adults diagnosed with depression in the primary care setting is essential to promote healing and recovery. This article aims to provide insight for nurses, nurse practitioners, and other providers regarding the holistic and integrative care of depression in older adults in the primary care setting.
Robust fault-tolerant control for uncertain robot manipulators based on adaptive quasi-continuous high-order sliding mode and neural network
Authors: Van Mien , Kang Hee-Jun
Published: February 2015

This paper investigates a robust fault-tolerant control scheme for uncertain robot manipulators. The proposed scheme is designed via active fault-tolerant control method by combining a fault estimation scheme with a novel robust adaptive quasi-continuous second-order sliding mode (AQC2S) controller, so as to accommodate not only system failures but also uncertainties. First, a neural network based fault estimation is designed to online approximate the unknown uncertainties and faults. The estimated uncertainty and fault information are then used to compensate in advance for the effects of uncertainties in fault-free operation and both uncertainties and faults in fault operation. To eliminate the neural network compensation error, QC2S with adaptation gain, named as adaptive QC2S (AQC2S), is proposed. By integrating the advantages of the neural network observer and the AQC2S controller, the integrated scheme has a good capability to accommodate both the uncertainties and faults with chattering-free, higher position tracking accuracy, and no requirement of prior knowledge of the fault information. The stability and convergence of the proposed fault-tolerant control system is proved theoretically. Simulation results for a PUMA560 robot demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
The assessment of active vibration isolation performance of rotating machinery using power flow and vibrational energy: Experimental investigation
Authors: Qiao Baijie , Zhao Tong , Chen Xuefeng , Liu Jinxin
Published: February 2015

The aim of vibration isolation for rotating machinery is to reduce the energy from the vibration source through transfer paths into the receiver structure. However, the direct measurement of energy characteristics that have been thoroughly researched in theory and numerical simulation is always difficult to implement. In this paper, power flow combined with vibrational energy is applied to assess the performance of active vibration isolation of rotating machinery. The indirect measurement methods associated with both power flow and vibrational energy are proposed and a link between them is established. As the first step in experimental investigation, a simple test rig is performed to verify the proposed measurement methods. The power flow into the foundation is calculated by the proposed time averaged, fundamental frequency and second harmonic frequency methods; the vibrational energy of the foundation is estimated by the driving impedance and mobility methods. The second step is to build another experimental rig for imitating the rotating machinery with active vibration isolation. Under multiple excitations, the power flow from the unbalanced rotor excitation through each actuator into the foundation is calculated by the proposed fundamental frequency method; the vibrational energy is calculated by the proposed mobility matrix method. Finally, comparison of assessing the performance of active vibration isolation between using acceleration and force and using the two energy characteristics are carried out.
Design and performance analysis of a circular-arc gear pump operating at high pressure and high speed
Authors: Zhou Yang , Hao Shuanghui , Hao Minghui
Published: February 2015

This paper presents a high-pressure and high-speed gear pump for aerospace application and introduces a circular-arc tooth profile that has no trapping feature and whose gears are in continuous one-point contact in the plane of rotation. Basic dimensions are determined and performance parameters of the gear pump are obtained by structural design of the gear pump. The performance parameters are discussed for different tooth profiles. A disc tool and hob are designed to generate the circular-arc tooth profile. A computer-aided design (CAD) system for the design of the circular-arc gear pump is developed with features of tooth profile design, tool design, and numerical control. The test gears were processed to verify the correctness of CAD system. A study of the outlet pressure of the circular-arc gear pump reveals that the developed high-pressure and high-speed gear pump has low outlet pressure fluctuations.
Testosterone induces apoptosis in cardiomyocytes by increasing proapoptotic signaling involving tumor necrosis factor-α and renin angiotensin system
Authors: do Nascimento AM , de Lima EM , Boëchat GAP , Meyrelles SDS , Bissoli NS , Lenz D , Endringer DC , de Andrade TU
Published: February 2015

Anabolic androgenic steroids lead to cardiac complications and have been shown to exhibit proapoptotic effects in cardiac cells; however, the mechanism involved in those effects is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess whether apoptosis and the activation of caspase-3 (Casp-3) induced by testosterone in high concentrations involves increments in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) concentrations and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in cardiomyocytes (H9c2) cell cultures. Cardiomyocytes were treated with testosterone (5 × 10−6 mol/L), doxorubicin (9.2 × 10−6 mol/L), testosterone + etanercept (Eta; 6.67 × 10−5 mol/L), testosterone + losartan (Los; 10−7 mol/L), and testosterone + AC-DEVD-CHO (10−5 mol/L; Casp-3 inhibitor). Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and by the proteolytic activity of Casp-3. We demonstrated that incubation of H9c2 cells for 48 h with testosterone causes the apoptotic death of 60–70% of the cells and co-treatments with Eta, Los, or AC-DEVD-CHO reduced this effect. Testosterone also induces apoptosis (concentration dependent) and increases the proteolytic activity of Casp-3, which were reduced by co-treatments. TNF-α and ACE activities were elevated by testosterone treatment, while co-treatment with Los and Eta reduced these effects. We concluded that an interaction between testosterone, angiotensin II, and TNF-α induced apoptosis and Casp-3 activity in cultured cardiomyocytes, which contributed to the reduced viability of these cells induced by testosterone in toxic concentrations.
Scientific research related to calcium channel blockers poisoning
Authors: Zyoud SH , Al-Jabi SW , Sweileh WM , Waring WS
Published: February 2015

Purpose:

Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) were the most common agents associated with a significant morbidity and mortality rate. The main objective of this study was to examine the publication pattern related to CCBs poisoning at the global level using bibliometric analysis of articles published in SciVerse Scopus online database.

Methods:

Data were searched for documents that contained specific words regarding CCB poisoning as keywords in the title. No time period limitations were specified in the search regarding the starting year. The ending date of the search was 31 December 2012.

Results:

The criteria were met by 713 publications from 53 countries. The largest number of articles associated with CCBs was from the United States (30%), followed by the United Kingdom (7.4%), Japan (6%), and Germany (5.6%). No data related to CCBs were published from 159 (75%) of 212 countries registered in World Bank online database. There was no correlation between the number of published articles in the country and its population size ( r = 0.03, p > 0.926). United Kingdom and Australia were the leading countries in terms of number of CCBs publications per million inhabitants (0.83 and 0.82 articles per million inhabitants, respectively), followed by the United States (0.68). Countries with a large population, such as India, tended to rank relatively low (0.01 articles per million inhabitants). The total number of citations at the time of data analysis (23 October 2014) was 6462, with an average of 9.1 citations per document. The highest median (interquartile range) number of citations was 8 (8–18) for the United States, followed by 6 (1–21) for Australia, 5 (1–15) for the United Kingdom, and 5 (1–24) for Canada. The h-index of the retrieved documents was 37.

Conclusions:

Scientific production on CCBs poisoning is increasing; nonetheless, the international collaboration is still rare. The amount of CCBs-based research activity was low or not available in most countries. More regional epidemiological studies are required to bridge the gap in CCBs-based research and to promote better evaluation of CCBs poisoning worldwide.
Perinatal risk factors for future SLE: a population-based nested case-control study
Authors: Arkema E V , Simard J F
Published: February 2015

Objective

To investigate the association between perinatal characteristics and the offspring’s risk of lupus using population-based registers in Sweden.

Methods

We conducted a nested case-control study, identifying systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) cases from the National Patient Register and controls sampled from the general population matched on birth year, sex, and residential county. We obtained data on the mother’s health and age during pregnancy and characteristics of labor and delivery from the Medical Birth Register (births from 1973 through 2008) for cases and controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using conditional logistic regression models overall and separately for males and females.

Results

We identified 774 cases and 3337 controls. Age at which SLE was first observed ranged from 0 to 36 years old. High birth weight was not a risk factor for SLE and did not differ by sex. Males had a 2.4-fold increased odds of SLE if born preterm (<37 weeks; OR = 2.41; 95% CI 1.09, 5.36). Birth order was significantly associated with SLE, particularly among females (first born vs. not OR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.64, 0.94; continuous birth order OR = 1.12. 95% CI 1.02, 1.24).

Conclusion

Being born first was associated with reduced odds of SLE and the odds of SLE increased by 12% for every additional birth. Preterm birth was associated with increased odds in males only. Unlike previous work, high birth weight was not a risk factor for SLE.
Challenges of Basic Public Health Services Provided by Village Doctors in Guizhou, China
Authors: Zhang Yin , Chen Minxing , Shi Xiu-Quan
Published: February 2015

This study was undertaken to uncover the challenges faced by village doctors in providing basic public health services (BPHS) in western rural areas of China. This field research for BPHS, with 12 managers and 82 village doctors of county Y in Guizhou province, was conducted in July 2012 using a combination of random and purposive sampling methods. Quantitative and qualitative methods were applied for data collection. EpiData 3.1, SPSS 15.0, and NVivo 10.0 were used to analyze the data. The results showed that the main challenges in delivering BPHS include heavy workload, poor working conditions, low income, lack of social security, and insufficient cooperation from rural residents. The Chinese government officials and policy makers can consider these challenges and focus on improving the quality and equity of BPHS by developing relevant strategies.
Sexual orientation–based wage gaps in Australia: The potential role of discrimination and personality
Authors: La Nauze Andrea
Published: February 2015

This article reports a research finding that lesbians in Australia earn an unexplained wage premium of 0%–13%, whereas gay men experience an unexplained negative wage gap of 8%–18%. Based on data from the Australian household panel Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia, the article is the first to establish these gaps in Australia, and to examine the degree to which credence can be afforded to claims that endowments such as personality traits may help explain such wage differentials. Using ordinary least squares and Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition methods, the study explicitly includes the battery of Big Five personality traits in wage regressions and estimates the contribution of endowments and returns to these traits. The finding is that personality traits and returns to them do not differ along lines of sexual orientation. Gay men in particular suffer a substantial unexplained wage penalty in the workplace. Such unexplained differences suggest that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, though unlawful, may exist in Australia.
A radical psychiatrist and the law: the forensic career of Reg Ellery
Authors: Kaplan Robert M
Published: February 2015

Objective:

To explore the medico-legal work of Melbourne psychiatrist Reg Ellery.

Conclusion:

Ellery, a radical activist, attacked judges on the grounds that they could not be relied on to produce proper judgements or understand the social and psychiatric basis from which crime arose. Ellery’s views were strongly influenced by his support for communism, and he regarded the Soviet Union as a model society that should be emulated. Ellery paid the penalty of losing his hospital position. However, there is no evidence that this affected his medico-legal work, and he continued to assess forensic cases until the end of his career. Some of Ellery’s more interesting cases are discussed.
Improving Stock-Flow Reasoning With Verbal Formats
Authors: Fischer Helen , Degen Christina , Funke Joachim
Published: February 2015

Background.Stock-flow (SF) problems are ubiquitous in nature, ranging from the accumulation of water in a tub to the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere. However, research on SF failure repeatedly demonstrates that people have severe difficulties understanding even the most basic SF problems.

Purpose. This study tested the hypothesis that people’s understanding of SF problems depends on the presentation format used. Specifically, we expect SF failure to decrease when avoiding previously used scientific formats comprising coordinate systems and graphs, and SF problems are presented in verbal formats.

Method. Participants ( N = 107) solved a range of different SF problems with experimentally varied presentation formats (verbal vs. graphic). We assessed fundamental understanding of graphs and graphical versus verbal production of stocks and in- and outflows.

Results. Solution rates show that (a) SF failure is at least partially caused by specifics of the presentation format used previously; (b) fundamental misunderstandings in the construction of graphs can explain previous findings; and (c) the majority of participants arrived at the correct solution when SF problems were presented verbally.

Conclusion. The present study indicates that people are able to solve SF problems when they are presented in accessible formats. This result bears implications for simulation-based learning and assessment, and for the communication of SF problems.
Myxoinflammatory Fibroblastic Sarcoma of the Scalp
Authors: Vroobel Katherine , Miah Aisha , Fisher Cyril , Thway Khin
Published: February 2015

Myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma (MIFS) is a rare low-grade malignant soft tissue neoplasm, which usually presents on the distal extremities of adults and sometimes children. It has a characteristic appearance, of a lobulated or multinodular neoplasm of moderately atypical epithelioid or spindled cells, vacuolated cells, and enlarged or bizarre cells with macronuclei, with prominent mixed inflammatory infiltrate, and variably myxoid stroma. However, the proportions of each component vary, making diagnosis difficult, particularly when tumors arise at unusual nonextremity sites. We describe a case of MIFS occurring as a primary neoplasm on the scalp of an 80-year-old male, which recurred locally after 2 years and developed extensive bilateral cervical lymph node metastases. MIFS is exceptionally rare in the head and neck, and it has been described only once on the scalp. This case showed classical histologic features, and additionally a high mitotic index and atypical mitoses, which may be suggestive of a poorer prognosis. This case highlights the need to consider MIFS in the differential diagnoses of pleomorphic tumors of the head and neck, and it adds to the small number of MIFS showing highly aggressive behavior.
Influence of Fragment Size and Postoperative Joint Congruency on Long-Term Outcome of Posterior Malleolar Fractures
Authors: Drijfhout van Hooff Cornelis Christiaan , Verhage Samuel Marinus , Hoogendoorn Jochem Maarten
Published: February 2015

Background:

One of the factors contributing to long-term outcome of posterior malleolar fractures is the development of osteoarthritis. Based on biomechanical, cadaveric, and small population studies, fixation of posterior malleolar fracture fragments (PMFFs) is usually performed when fragment size exceeds 25-33%. However, the influence of fragment size on long-term clinical and radiological outcome size remains unclear.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort study of 131 patients treated for an isolated ankle fracture with involvement of the posterior malleolus was performed. Mean follow-up was 6.9 (range, 2.5-15.9) years. Patients were divided into groups depending on size of the fragment, small (<5%, n = 20), medium (5-25%, n = 86), or large (>25%, n = 25), and presence of step-off after operative treatment. We have compared functional outcome measures (AOFAS, AAOS), pain (VAS), and dorsiflexion restriction compared to the contralateral ankle and the incidence of osteoarthritis on X-ray.

Results:

There were no nonunions, 56% of patients had no radiographic osteoarthritis, VAS was 10 of 100, and median clinical score was 90 of 100. More osteoarthritis occurred in ankle fractures with medium and large PMFFs compared to small fragments (small 16%, medium 48%, large 54%; P = .006). Also when comparing small with medium-sized fragments ( P = .02), larger fragment size did not lead to a significantly decreased function (median AOFAS 95 vs 88, P = .16). If the PMFF size was >5%, osteoarthritis occurred more frequently when there was a postoperative step-off ≥1 mm in the tibiotalar joint surface (41% vs 61%, P = .02) (whether the posterior fragment had been fixed or not). In this group, fixing the PMFF did not influence development of osteoarthritis. However, in 42% of the cases with fixation of the fragment a postoperative step-off remained (vs 45% in the group without fixation).

Conclusion:

Osteoarthritis is 1 component of long-term outcome of malleolar fractures, and the results of this study demonstrate that there was more radiographic osteoarthritis in patients with medium and large posterior fragments than in those with small fragments. Radiographic osteoarthritis also occurred more frequently when postoperative step-off was 1 mm or more, whether the posterior fragment was fixed or not. However, clinical scores were not different for these groups.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, retrospective case series.
Microgliosis in the Injured Brain
Authors: Li Ting , Zhang Shengxiang
Published: February 2015

Microgliosis is an intense reaction of CNS microglia to pathogenic insults. One of the characteristic features of microgliosis is an increase in the number of activated microglia at the site of lesion. Ontogenically, microglia are considered to be of mesodermal lineage in the adult CNS, but the origin of the accumulated microglia in pathological conditions remains controversial. Some studies indicate that circulating cells from the bloodstream can infiltrate the CNS and contribute to microglial pool, but some studies suggest that local expansion of reactive microglia is the sole source for parenchymal microglia. Recent data suggest that latent progenitors may also exist in the CNS. Available evidence suggests that multiple sources of microglia may exist under various neurological conditions. In this review, we compare the prevalent views and supporting evidence from different experimental models and provide an overview on the origins of microgliosis.
Boundary control of harmonic disturbances on flexible cantilever beams using piezoelectric patch actuators
Authors: Karagiannis Dimitrios A , Clayton Garrett M , Nataraj C
Published: February 2015

This work addresses the control of vibrations in flexible structures caused by external harmonic disturbances using a boundary control method. The research is motivated by practical systems where beam-like structures require vibration suppression to prevent fatigue and system damage, or to increase efficiency. Importantly, this paper addresses a practical constraint of the actuation points being at the boundaries only. The method presented here is an open-loop control scheme which requires knowledge of the harmonic disturbance and a model of the flexible system. The controller uses the model, developed using the Rayleigh–Ritz method, to predict the reaction of the beam to the known input disturbance and compute an optimized control input which reduces the steady state vibration in the system. By properly choosing the cost function, the controller can be used to reduce the total vibration or to reduce the vibration in certain spatial locations. The method's vibration reduction capabilities are studied over a range of frequencies; data collected from experiments on a physical beam model is used to validate the predicted behavior of the system.
Damping of periodic bending structures featuring nonlinearly interfaced piezoelectric elements
Authors: Lallart Mickaël , Yan Linjuan , Richard Claude , Guyomar Daniel
Published: February 2015

This paper presents the combination of periodic structures with nonlinearly interfaced piezoelectric elements for vibration control purposes. The nonlinear treatment consists of quickly inverting the piezoelectric voltage when the latter reaches either a maximum or a minimum value, hence shaping a voltage with a higher magnitude and reduced phase with the speed. It is shown that the nonlinear interface not only dramatically increases the damping abilities of periodic structures in stopband, but also permits significantly enlarging the latter, hence providing a very adaptive, efficient vibration damping system. Theoretical and experimental investigations on a clamped–clamped periodic beam are conducted, showing the very good abilities for efficiently damping the mechanical vibrations over a very wide frequency band.
Quasi-P and quasi-S waves in a self–reinforced medium under initial stresses and under gravity
Authors: Chatterjee Mita , Dhua Sudarshan , Chattopadhyay Amares
Published: February 2015

The present paper is concerned with the propagation of plane waves in self–reinforced media. The velocities of quasi-P and quasi-S waves in an unbounded self–reinforced medium under initial stresses and under gravity field have been derived. Also the reflection coefficients and the partition of energy of reflected quasi-P and quasi-SV waves due to incident quasi-P and quasi-SV waves have been obtained under the influence of initial stress and gravity field. It has been noticed that the velocities, reflection coefficients and energy coefficients not only depend on the initial stress and gravity but also on the direction of propagation. The results are in agreement with the classical case in the absence of initial stresses and gravity. In presence of initial stresses and gravity field, the velocities, reflection coefficients and energy coefficients of quasi-P and quasi-S waves are calculated numerically and are presented by means of graphs.
Optimal cross-spectrum of road loads on vehicles: theory and experiments
Authors: Ammanagi S , Manohar CS
Published: February 2015

The random vibration analysis of a four-wheeled vehicle traveling on parallel road tracks with random unevenness is considered. The two parallel road track roughnesses are modeled as a vector of homogeneous, non-isotropic, Gaussian random fields with known auto-power spectral density (PSD) functions but unknown cross–PSD functions. Questions on bounds on the response, when the unknown cross-PSD functions are varied over their permitted ranges, are considered. An exact solution to this problem, based on principles of random vibrations, is arrived at. Based on this theoretical solution, an experimental procedure to determine these response bounds on automotive structural response, without involving mathematical idealization of structural matrices, is developed. Illustrations involving numerical modeling and laboratory testing (using a four-post test rig) of vibratory behavior of a four-wheeled vehicle due to random road loads are presented.
Maternal Autobiography as a Site of Feminist Negotiation and Resistance
Authors: Hager Tamar
Published: February 2015

How can I use my writing to tackle my conflicting experiences as a writer, a mother, a feminist activist in Israeli academia? How can words combine the routine exhausting work and pleasures of motherhood; my struggles against injustice done to the Arab minority in my country, torn by unrelenting conflict; and the need to turn my back on all these obligations and efforts to write? As the normative expectation of mothers is to identify with the maternal role, activism which involves resistance and thus social and political hazards may be considered a threat to maternal work. But whereas one could argue that activism is, in fact, a social and communal extension of motherhood, writing is over and over again perceived as a neglect of maternal duties. In this article, I introduce feminist autobiography as a literary form which has enabled me as mother-writer-activist to create a space where social, cultural, political, and psychological conflicts and contradictions can intermingle, creating an alternative maternal subjectivity and voice.
Not So Innocent Anymore
Authors: Nordstrom Susan Naomi
Published: February 2015

The purpose of this article is to throw into radical doubt the material-discursive practices of recording devices (e.g., tape and digital recorders) used in qualitative interviews. To do this work, I first present a Baradian diffractive reading, a reading across epistemological and ontological differences that matter, of recording devices in qualitative research. I explore how recording devices have become a normalized material-discursive practice in which recording devices are both part of and result from an objectivist epistemology and realist ontology. Then, I share four irruptive moments from my study about family history genealogists’ use of objects (e.g., photographs, documents, and artifacts) that called into question such a material-discursive practice. Last, I situate recording devices in Barad’s agential realism, an onto-epistemological framework in which recording devices intra-act with humans, nonhumans, culture, and discourse to generate entangled meanings and knowledge in a constantly shifting world(s).
Tracing Mom
Authors: Jago Barbara J.
Published: February 2015

This three-part autoethnographic short story explores the materiality of loss.
Short Message Service Can Be a Promising Tool for Psychiatric Patients and Clinicians
Authors: Vernig Peter M. , Repique Renee John R.
Published: February 2015

Short message service (SMS), commonly referred to as text messaging, allows instantaneous communication between mobile telephones and other systems via 160-character messages. SMS has a wide reach, and thus researchers and public health officials have considered using this platform for health-related communication. Today, as our society continues to integrate components of automation in various forms and levels of human interaction, and with the increasing ubiquity of mobile technology in health care, technology-delivered health interventions such as SMS offer a creative alternative that can be a valuable tool to assist mental health patients in their own treatment and recovery and for the mental health clinicians who are responsible for providing care and its delivery.
Preference for Smaller Sooner Over Larger Later Rewards in ADHD: Contribution of Delay Duration and Paradigm Type
Authors: Yu Xue , Sonuga-Barke Edmund , Liu Xiangping
Published: February 2015

Objective: Individuals with ADHD preferentially choose smaller sooner (SS) over larger later (LL) rewards, termed impulsive choice. This has been observed to different degrees on single-choice and more complex discounting tasks using various types of rewards and durations of delays. There has been no direct comparison of performance of ADHD children using these two paradigms. Method: Two experimental paradigms, single-choice and temporal discounting, each including two delay conditions (13 and 25 s), were administered to 7- to 9-year-old children with ADHD ( n = 17) and matched controls ( n = 24). Results: Individuals with ADHD chose more SS rewards than controls on both tasks, but in the long delay condition only. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that delay durations rather than paradigm types determine laboratory-based measures of choice impulsivity in ADHD.
Adjuvant chemotherapy with mitoxantrone for cats with mammary carcinomas treated with radical mastectomy
Authors: Cunha Simone CS , Corgozinho Katia B , Souza Heloisa JM , Silva Kássia VGC , Ferreira Ana Maria Reis
Published: February 2015

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate the disease-free interval, survival time and adverse events of a combined treatment approach in cats with mammary malignant tumors using radical mastectomy and adjuvant mitoxantrone.

Methods

All cats underwent surgery to remove the mammary chain containing the tumors. A 3 cm margin was obtained around removed tumors. For staging purposes, regional inguinal lymphadenectomy was performed in all cases. After histopathology, cats were staged according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) staging system. Chemotherapy with mitoxantrone was started 15–30 days after surgery (6 mg/m2 IV every 21 days for four cycles) with the objective of delaying metastasis.

Results

Three cats were intact, one cat was early spayed, four cats were late spayed and four cats were spayed at an unknown age. Based on the WHO’s staging system, six cats were classified as stage I and six cats as stage III. The median disease-free interval and survival time were 360 and 480 days, respectively. Four (33%) cats received four doses of mitoxantrone, four (33%) cats received three doses and four (33%) cats received only one dose. The most frequent adverse effects of chemotherapy were azotemia, anorexia, leukopenia and vomiting.

Conclusions and relevance

Adjuvant mitoxantrone chemotherapy may be an option for feline mammary tumors. Further, sufficiently powered, randomized prospective trials are necessary to determine if mitoxantrone is superior, inferior or equivalent to doxorubicin in the adjuvant setting.
Prevalence and degree of thyroid pathology in hyperthyroid cats increases with disease duration: a cross-sectional analysis of 2096 cats referred for radioiodine therapy
Authors: Peterson Mark E , Broome Michael R , Rishniw Mark
Published: February 2015

Objectives

Hyperthyroidism is common in cats, but there are no reports that evaluate its severity or underlying thyroid tumor disease based on disease duration (ie, time from original diagnosis). The objective of this study was to compare serum thyroxine (T4) concentrations and thyroid scintigraphic characteristics of cats referred for radioiodine treatment based on disease duration.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study of 2096 cats with hyperthyroidism. Cats were divided into five groups based on time from diagnosis: ⩽1 year (n = 1773); >1–2 years (n = 169); >2–3 years (n = 88); >3–4 years (n = 35); and >4–6.1 years (n = 31). Methimazole, administered to 996 (47.5%) cats, was stopped at least 1 week prior to examination to allow for serum T4 testing. Each thyroid scintiscan was evaluated for pattern (unilateral, bilateral, multifocal), location (cervical, thoracic inlet, chest) and size (small, medium, large, huge) of the thyroid tumor, as well as features suggesting malignancy.

Results

Median serum T4 concentration increased with increasing disease duration from 100 nmol/l (⩽1 year) to 315 nmol/l (>4–6.1 years) ( P <0.001). Prevalence of unilateral thyroid disease decreased, whereas multifocal disease (three or more tumor nodules) increased ( P <0.001) with increasing disease duration. Median tumor volume in the five groups increased from 1.6 cm3 (⩽1 year) to 6.4 cm3 (>4–6.1 years). Prevalence of large (4–8 cm3) and huge (>8 cm3) thyroid tumors increased from 5.1% (⩽1 year) to 88.6% (>4–6.1 years), while the prevalence of intrathoracic tumor tissue increased from 3.4% (⩽1 year) to 32.3% (>4–6.1 years). Prevalence of suspected thyroid carcinoma (characterized by severe hyperthyroidism; huge, intrathoracic, multifocal tumors; refractory to methimazole treatment) increased with increasing disease duration from 0.4% (⩽1 year) to 19.3% (>4–6.1 years).

Conclusions and relevance

Our results indicate that the prevalence of severe hyperthyroidism, large thyroid tumors, multifocal disease, intrathoracic thyroid masses and suspected malignant disease all increase with disease duration in cats referred for radioiodine therapy.
Student perspectives of grading in physical education
Authors: Zhu Xihe
Published: February 2015

Recent state and federal legislations on educational accountability push evaluation and grading to the frontline. This study examined students’ perspectives of grading in physical education. The participants included students ( N = 39) from two middle schools. Data were collected through observation, student profile grading sheets and interviews. The grading sheet profiled athletic, participative, popular, knowledgeable and well-behaving students, respectively. Participants were asked to grade the profiles and were interviewed immediately thereafter. The profiles’ grades were analyzed descriptively. The interview data and observation notes were analyzed using constant comparison. Students voiced that being athletic or popular should not earn the highest grade in physical education; they favored the participative, knowledgeable and behaving profiles. A profile analysis showed that the latter three profiles earned significantly higher average grades than the athletic and popular ones ( p < .05). Overall, students assigned relatively high grades for all the profiles, from a self-endorsing perspective. Student perspectives of grading are not completely consistent with the official standards or their own conception of achievement in physical education, which are likely shared by their teachers. These findings have implications for evaluation and grading in physical education.
Evaluating the effects of six alcohol-related message frames on emotions and intentions: The neglected role of disgust
Authors: Collymore Natalie N , McDermott Mark R
Published: February 2015

A total of 120 18- to 56-year-olds, divided into six groups containing equal numbers of men and women, were shown a textual message and associated photograph featuring alcohol-related behaviour. Subsequently, questions were answered about intentions to reduce consumption, to drink moderately and how positive and negative the messages made participants feel. Loss-framed messages, in particular those featuring health-related disgust, were the most effective for increasing intentions to reduce alcohol intake. In conclusion, studies have over-focused on fear-loss frames, neglecting the utility of disgust-loss frames in health messages. This study suggests that disgust-loss frames deserve equivalent attention.
Photovoice in mental illness research: A review and recommendations
Authors: Han Christina S , Oliffe John L
Published: February 2015

In the past few decades, photovoice research has gained prominence, providing context rich insights through participants’ photographs and narratives. Emergent within the field of photovoice research have been health studies embracing diverse illness issues. The goal of this scoping review article was to describe the use of photovoice in mental illness, paying particular attention to the following: (1) the study design and methods, (2) empirical findings, and (3) dissemination strategies. Nine qualitative studies (seven drawing from primary and two secondary analyses) featuring diverse approaches to analysis of data comprising individual and/or focus group interviews using participant-produced photographs were included in the review. Described were participant’s experiences of living with mental illness and/or substance overuse, including feelings of loneliness and being marginalized, along with their support care needs (e.g. physical, emotional, and spiritual) to garner self-confidence, respite, and/or recovery. Empirically, the reviewed articles confirmed the value of participant-produced photographs for obtaining in-depth understandings about individual’s mental illness experiences while a focus on stigma and recovery was prominent. In terms of dissemination, while most of the published articles shared some participants’ photographs and narratives, less evident were strategies to actively engage the public or policymakers with the images. Recommendations for future photovoice research include conducting formal analyses of participant photographs and strategically lobbying policymakers and raising public awareness through virtual and “in person” photo exhibitions while de-stigmatizing and affirming the experiences of those who are challenged by mental illness.
Analyzing count variables in individuals and groups: Single level and multilevel models
Authors: Aiken Leona S. , Mistler Stephen A. , Coxe Stefany , West Stephen G.
Published: February 2015

We address two challenges in data analysis of group research. First, data may be clustered (i.e., responses of individual group members are correlated). Second, some dependent variables may consist of integer counts of number of occurrences of an event. Familiar ANOVA and regression models provide nonoptimal analyses in both cases. Standard multilevel (mixed) models yield accurate inference for clustered normally distributed data. Generalized linear models (GLMs), specifically Poisson regression and related models, yield accurate inference for nonclustered count data. New generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) integrate GLMs with multilevel models, addressing both challenges and yielding accurate inferences for grouped count outcomes. To provide the necessary background for understanding GLMMs, we first introduce GLMs, with detailed coverage in an example of Poisson regression. We then introduce multilevel models. Finally, we develop GLMMs and illustrate in an example their application to clustered count data. Group research may benefit from the flexibility provided by GLMMs.
Federal funding and the local political culture
Authors: Phillips Scott W , Gayadeen S Marlon
Published: February 2015

This study explored the behavior of police administrators in the face of the pro-federalism environment of 2009. Using an institutional theory framework, specifically coercive isomorphism, this research sought to determine if the local political environment influences the behavior of local-level police administrators to access federal grants. Data were provided by the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, supplemented with congressional records and public voting results for the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. When county-level presidential voting results are used to operationalize the local environment, an equal number of Republican and Democrat police agencies received COPS grants. Findings suggest that crime and economic interest trump political ideology.
Analyzing seat belt usage from accident data
Authors: Morgan Mark Alden
Published: February 2015

Intensive traffic enforcement has been shown to promote the compliance of roadway motorists and reduce traffic violations. However, prior research on seat belt enforcement has generally neglected the analysis of belt usage in non-fatal accidents, usage by backseat passengers, and usage during nighttime hours. In addition, few studies have examined the effectiveness of blitz campaigns and, to date, none has included usage statistics involving accident victims—individuals at an increased risk of belt non-use. This study sought to include these factors in evaluating whether Ohio’s annual Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign positively impacted belt use in a 60 day, pretest/post-test experiment over five separate years: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. Data were collected from all 88 Ohio counties based upon official police reports of seat belt usage by occupants in motor vehicle accidents regardless of crash severity, occupant seating, or time of day. The results indicate that belt usage increased significantly after the 2005 and 2008 campaigns, but no impact was found among the remaining years. In addition, the data suggest that belt usage may have been maintained at optimal levels according to previous research. These findings are discussed along with the possible policy implications of transitioning Ohio to a primary seat belt law State to increase compliance.
E-campaigning on Twitter: The effectiveness of distributive promises and negative campaign in the 2013 Italian election
Authors: Ceron Andrea , d’Adda Giovanna
Published: February 2015

Recent studies investigated the effect of e-campaigning on the electoral performance. However, little attention has been paid to the content of e-campaigning. Given that political parties broadcast minute-by-minute the campaign messages on social media, this comprehensive and unmediated information can be useful to evaluate the impact of different electoral strategies. Accordingly, this article examines the electoral campaign for the 2013 Italian general election to assess the effectiveness of positive and negative campaigning messages, measured through content analysis of information published on the official Twitter accounts of Italian parties. We evaluate their impact on the share of unsolicited voting intentions expressed on Twitter, measured through an innovative technique of sentiment analysis. Our results show that negative campaign has positive effects and its impact is stronger when the attacker is meanwhile under attack. Conversely, we only find a circumstantial effect of positive campaign related to clientelistic and distributive appeals.
Barriers to leisure participation for people with dementia and their carers: An exploratory analysis of carer and people with dementia’s experiences
Authors: Innes Anthea , Page Stephen J , Cutler Clare
Published: February 2015

Leisure has emerged as a prominent research theme within the growing body of knowledge on dementia, with a focus on physical activity. Yet participation in any form of leisure presupposes an ability to freely choose to partake in activities and to negotiate one’s way around key barriers. In the case of dementia, the ability to undertake leisure activities is subject to a greater range of barriers, structured in a hierarchical manner that contributes to social exclusion if not addressed. This study based on focus groups with people with dementia and their family members conducted in Dorset, UK illustrates a range of barriers to leisure participation. How to create or maintain leisure opportunities for those living with dementia where households affected by dementia do not adopt avoidance behaviour, compounding a sense of isolation and exclusion is a challenge. Leisure can be an important strategy framed as a form of resistance to the social disabilities experienced by those living with dementia and it is potentially isolating impact.
Forms in search of substance: Quality and evaluation in Romanian universities
Authors: Geven Koen , Maricut Adina
Published: February 2015

Romania’s integration into the European Union is fraught with cultural stereotypes. One dominant narrative is that the country creates ‘forms without substance’: meaningless institutions without adequate personnel or intellectual capital. In this paper, we investigate whether this popular stereotype adequately describes higher education reforms in recent years. We ask, ‘what is the meaning of “quality” in the reforms of Romanian universities?’ We present our findings based on an analysis of policy documents and 186 semi-structured interviews with administrators, professors and students in five universities. The results show that people in universities have engaged in a process of interpretation and negotiation with the new quality standards. They are ‘forms in search of substance’, as meaning is created within and around the new institutional structures. We argue that ‘quality’ has come to mean ‘scoring high in evaluations’. This is not without problems for the actors in universities; the evaluation standards contain many contradictions, while evaluations themselves have important limitations. Such findings reflect earlier studies on the ‘audit culture’ in university life.
Identity and cross-border student mobility: The mainland China–Hong Kong experience
Authors: Lingling Xu Cora
Published: February 2015

This article is drawn from research in an ongoing multiple case study of the identity constructions of tertiary-level border-crossing students from mainland China to Hong Kong. It begins by outlining the contextual and conceptual background of the study, followed by the presentation and discussion of the three aspects of identity being constructed, including contestation against place-of-origin stereotypical identification, passive resistance against power regulations exerted by the original context and critical critiques of the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese societies. This paper argues that, compared with the Bologna process, the parallel but inverse-directional characteristics of the border crossing between mainland China and Hong Kong have significant implications on student mobility across the internal and external European borders, which are greatly influenced by the global context, against a background of the internationalisation of higher education worldwide.
What future for educational research in Europe? Political, epistemological and ethical challenges
Authors: Grimaldi Emiliano
Published: February 2015

This article reflects on the future of European educational research (EER) and its politics of knowledge. EER is interpreted as a field of power/knowledge, where a hegemonic epistemic framework is raised that assembles an evidence-based epistemology, a ‘what works’ political rationality and a technocratic model of educational research. This implies the marginalization of the debates around the social, political and epistemological stakes of EER.

The article argues for the centrality of these issues into the debate and identifies some challenges for EER. Firstly, a point is made for an aesthetics of educational research work that has criticism as its inspiring principle and combines a problematizing disposition with the practice of research as inquiry. This implies also the extensive engagement of the EER community in a democratic and open normative dialogue with all those with a stake in education. Secondly, the article identifies two related epistemological challenges: (a) the making of epistemological pluralism as a distinctive trait of EER; (b) the exploring of the potentials involved in the practising of specific epistemological ruptures that concern the reframing of time, space and difference as constitutive categories through which we understand educational reality.