bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CCN1 secretion and cleavage regulate the lung epithelial cell functions after cigarette smoke
Authors: Moon Hyung-Geun , Kim Sang-Heon , Gao Jinming , Quan Taihao , Qin Zhaoping , Osorio Juan C. , Rosas Ivan O. , Wu Min , Tesfaigzi Yohannes , Jin Yang
Published: June 2014

Despite extensive research, the pathogenesis of cigarette smoking (CS)-associated emphysema remains incompletely understood, thereby impeding development of novel therapeutics, diagnostics, and biomarkers. Here, we report a novel paradigm potentially involved in the development of epithelial death and tissue loss in CS-associated emphysema. After prolonged exposure of CS, CCN1 cleavage was detected both in vitro and in vivo. Full-length CCN1 (flCCN1) was secreted in an exosome-shuttled manner, and secreted plasmin converted flCCN1 to cleaved CCN1 (cCCN1) in extracellular matrix. Interestingly, exosome-shuttled flCCN1 facilitated the interleukin (IL)-8 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release in response to cigarette smoke extract (CSE). Therefore, flCCN1 potentially promoted CS-induced inflammation via IL-8-mediated neutrophil recruitment and also maintained the lung homeostasis via VEGF secretion. Interestingly, cCCN1 abolished these functions. Furthermore, cCCN1 promoted protease and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 production after CSE. These effects were mainly mediated by the COOH-terminal fragments of CCN1 after cleavage. Both the decrease of VEGF and the elevation of MMPs favor the development of emphysema. cCCN1, therefore, likely contributes to the epithelial cell damage after CS. Additionally, CSE and cCCN1 both stimulated integrin-α7 expressions in lung epithelial cells. The integrin-α7 appeared to be the binding receptors of cCCN1 and, subsequently, mediated its cellular function by promoting MMP1. Consistent with our observation on the functional roles of cCCN1 in vitro, elevated cCCN1 level was found in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from mice with emphysematous changes after 6 mo CS exposure. Taken together, we hypothesize that cCCN1 promoted the epithelial cell death and tissue loss after prolonged CS exposure.
Sensor Relocation Technique Based Lightweight Integrated Protocol for WSN
Authors: Winston J. Joy , Paramasivan B. Balan
Published: July 2014

While deploying sensor nodes for sensitive services, we need to focus on both the coverage and connectivity. The sensor relocation scheme had been proposed earlier, where the sensors themselves move towards the required position to make proper coverage and connection. From our experimental results, we noted that this work achieves good coverage. However, this approach fails to focus on connectivity issue due to node migration and secured communication too, which may compromise our collecting data. To address these serious issues, we proposed an efficient sensor relocation technique based lightweight integrated protocol (LIP). We have implemented and studied thoroughly our proposed work. From our experimental results, our proposed work LIP outperforms the existing sensor relocation scheme in terms of network connectivity, coverage, throughput, packet delivery fairness, energy consumption, energy loss, network resiliency, and secured communication. It is also noted that our proposed model maximizes the lifetime of wireless sensor networks.
Associations of Stressful Life Events and Social Strain With Incident Cardiovascular Disease in the Women's Health Initiative
Authors: Kershaw Kiarri N. , Brenes Gretchen A. , Charles Luenda E. , Coday Mace , Daviglus Martha L. , Denburg Natalie L. , Kroenke Candyce H. , Safford Monika M. , Savla Tina , Tindle Hilary A. , Tinker Lesley F. , Van Horn Linda
Published: June 2014

Background

Epidemiologic studies have yielded mixed findings on the association of psychosocial stressors with cardiovascular disease (
CVD
) risk. In this study, we examined associations of stressful life events (
SLE
) and social strain with incident coronary heart disease (
CHD
) and stroke (overall, and for hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes) independent of sociodemographic characteristics, and we evaluated whether these relationships were explained by traditional behavioral and biological risk factors.

Methods and Results

Data from approximately 82 000 Women's Health Initiative Observational Study participants were used for the
SLE
and social strain analyses, respectively. Participants were followed for events for up to 18.0 years (median, 14.0). Separate Cox proportional hazards models were generated to estimate associations of each stress measure with incident
CVD
. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and depressive symptoms, higher
SLE
and social strain were associated with higher incident
CHD
and stroke (each
P
trend <0.05). Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were 1.12 (1.01, 1.25) for incident
CHD
and 1.14 (1.01, 1.28) for incident stroke among participants reporting high versus low
SLE
. Findings were similar for social strain. Associations were attenuated with further adjustment for mediating behavioral and biological risk factors. Findings were similar for associations of
SLE
with ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke, but social strain was only associated with ischemic stroke.

Conclusions

Higher
SLE
and social strain were associated with higher incident
CVD
independent of sociodemographic factors and depressive symptoms, but not behavioral and biological risk factors.
Different Degrees of NADPH Oxidase 2 Regulation and In Vivo Platelet Activation: Lesson From Chronic Granulomatous Disease
Authors: Carnevale Roberto , Loffredo Lorenzo , Sanguigni Valerio , Plebani Alessandro , Rossi Paolo , Pignata Claudio , Martire Baldassarre , Finocchi Andrea , Pietrogrande Maria Cristina , Azzari Chiara , Soresina Anna Rosa , Martino Silvana , Cirillo Emilia , Martino Francesco , Pignatelli Pasquale , Violi Francesco
Published: June 2014

Background

In vitro study showed that
NADPH
oxidase (
NO
x), the most important enzyme producing reactive oxygen species (
ROS
), plays a role in the process of platelet activation. However, it is unclear if changes in its activity affect platelet activation in vivo.

Methods and Results

In vivo and ex vivo experiments assessing platelet activation were investigated in healthy subjects, obese patients, and subjects with different low rates of
NO
x2 activity, namely X‐linked chronic granulomatous disease (X‐
CGD
) patients and X‐
CGD
carriers. We included 27 X‐
CGD
patients, 31 women carriers of hereditary deficiency of
NO
x2, 31 obese women, and 62 healthy subjects matched for sex and age. Plasma levels of soluble sCD40 L (
sCD
40L) and soluble P (
sP)
‐selectin, 2 markers of in vivo platelet activation, were reduced in X‐CGD patients (
sCD
40L=−55%;
sP
‐selectin=−51%,
P
<0.001) and in X‐CGD carriers (
sCD
40L=−41%;
sP
‐selectin=−57%,
P
<0.001) compared with respective controls. Conversely, obese women, who disclosed NOx2 upregulation, had significantly higher plasma levels of
sCD
40L (+47%,
P
<0.001) and
sP
‐selectin (+70%,
P
<0.001) compared with controls. Ex vivo study showed platelet isoprostane downexpression and enhanced platelet NO generation in both X‐CGD patients and X‐CGD carriers compared with controls; opposite findings were observed in obese patients. Correlation analysis showed that platelet NOx2 regulation was directly associated with plasma levels of
sCD
40L (
R
=0.336,
P
<0.001) and
sP
‐selectin (
R
=0.441;
P
<0.001).

Conclusions

The study provides the first evidence that in vivo platelet activation is significantly and directly associated with
NO
x2 activity. Platelet
NO
x2 may be a novel target for platelet activation inhibition.
Jewish Performance as a Means for Constructing the Society of “Living Together”
Authors: Roda Jessica
Published: June 2014

In this article, I propose an ethnography of the Festival Internacional Murcia Tres Culturas, and more particularly of the performance of the Sandra Bessis Trio to reflect on the means, role and impact of the representation of Jewish identity in a Spanish World Art/World Music festival. On one hand, we discern that the festival organizers sacralize the time of Convivencia to create a cosmopolitan event; and on the other that the Trio plays between the desacralization and the sacralization of this past, by using various performance strategies that mobilize instruments, language, repertoire and musicians identity to proceed it.
Frequent callers to crisis helplines: Who are they and why do they call?
Authors: Spittal Matthew J , Fedyszyn Izabela , Middleton Aves , Bassilios Bridget , Gunn Jane , Woodward Alan , Pirkis Jane
Published: June 2014

Objective:

Frequent callers present a challenge for crisis helplines, which strive to achieve optimal outcomes for all callers within finite resources. This study aimed to describe frequent callers to Lifeline (the largest crisis helpline in Australia) and compare them with non-frequent callers, with a view to furthering knowledge about models of service delivery that might meet the needs of frequent callers.

Method:

Lifeline provided an anonymous dataset on calls made between December 2011 and May 2013. We assumed calls from the same (encrypted) phone number were made by the same person, and aggregated call level data up to the person level. Individuals who made 0.667 calls per day in any period from 1 week to the full 549 days for which we had data (i.e. 4.7 calls in 7 days, 20 calls in 30 days, 40 calls in 60 days, etc.) were regarded as frequent callers.

Results:

Our analysis dataset included 411,725 calls made by 98,174 individuals, 2594 (2.6%) of whom met our definition of frequent callers. We identified a number of predictors of being a frequent caller, including being male or transgender, and never having been married. The odds increased with age until 55–64 years, and then declined. Suicidality, self-harm, mental health issues, crime, child protection and domestic violence issues all predicted being a frequent caller.

Conclusions:

Collectively, frequent callers have a significant impact on crisis lines, and solutions need to be found for responding to them that are in everybody’s best interests (i.e. the frequent callers themselves, other callers, telephone crisis supporters who staff crisis lines, and those who manage crisis lines). In striking this balance, the complex and multiple needs of frequent callers must be taken into account.
A Religion of the Book? On Sacred Texts in Hinduism
Authors: Leach Robert
Published: June 2014

In this article I provide an overview of the identity, role and function of sacred texts in Hinduism. Hinduism’s tremendous diversity extends to the numerous ways in which different types of texts have been identified as sacred and used by Hindu practitioners. It would be a mistake to attempt to summarise the role of sacred texts in the lives of Hindus, since different texts have had different roles and performed different functions. In the following, therefore, I address what I identify as the four major types or categories of sacred text in Hinduism independently of each other, while noting the commonalities they share, and some of the ways in which texts belonging to the different categories have engaged with one another. The first three of the four categories of text I address consist of Sanskrit works, and the names of the categories are Sanskrit terms which have been applied by Hindus to their own literature ( Veda/ Śruti; Smṛti; Tantra, Āgama and Stotra). In the final section, I depart from using “insider” terminology and address “sacred texts in vernacular languages”.
How to cope with anxiety in hospital settings: Evaluation of a professional training
Authors: Roessler Kirsten K. , Lindemann Friedrich-Wilhelm
Published: June 2014

The objective of the present study was to examine the impact of a communication-oriented approach to disease and anxiety management in hospitals. Based on a five-step model of short-termed communication, we describe the importance of supportive relationships for health care staff, patients, and family members by means of selected examples. The study has wider implications for pastoral care.
Thermophysiological comfort properties of different knitted fabrics used in cycling clothes
Authors: Özkan Esra Taştan , Meriç Binnaz
Published: June 2014

In this paper, we measured the thermal and moisture management properties of six different types of polyester knitted fabrics that are used in the production of summer cycling clothes. The test samples were selected from the most commonly used fabric structures according to the results of a survey on a cycling team in Bursa. The fabrics were compared to determine which fabrics were more convenient for cyclists. Thus, we carried out objective fabric tests to determine the thermal resistance, water vapor resistance, air permeability and moisture management properties. Good moisture comfort, low water vapor resistance and good moisture management properties were preferred, especially in summer clothes. In the final evaluations of the fabrics, it was found that Type 6 Warp knitted raschel fabric was more convenient for summer cycling clothing because of its good air permeability, low thermal resistance, low water vapor resistance and good moisture management properties.
Intelligent adaptive backstepping control for MIMO uncertain non-linear quadrotor helicopter systems
Authors: Mohd Basri Mohd Ariffanan , Husain Abdul Rashid , Danapalasingam Kumeresan A
Published: June 2014

Designing a controller for multi-input–multi-output (MIMO) uncertain non-linear systems is one of the most important challenging works. In this paper, the contribution is focused on the design and analysis of an intelligent adaptive backstepping control for a MIMO quadrotor helicopter perturbed by unknown parameter uncertainties and external disturbances. The design approach is based on the backstepping technique and uses a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) as a perturbation approximator. First, a backstepping controller optimized by the particle swarm optimization is developed for a nominal helicopter dynamic model. Then, the unknown perturbations are approximated based on the universal approximation property of the RBFNN. The parameters of the RBFNN are adjusted through online learning. To improve the control design performance further, a fuzzy compensator is introduced to eliminate the approximation error produced by the neural approximator. Asymptotical stability of the closed-loop control system is analytically proven via the Lyapunov theorem. The main advantage of the proposed methodology is that no prior knowledge of parameter uncertainties and disturbances is required. Simulations of hovering and trajectory tracking missions of a quadrotor helicopter are conducted. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed approach.
On Feeling Torn About One’s Sexuality
Authors: Windsor-Shellard Ben , Haddock Geoffrey
Published: June 2014

Three studies offer novel evidence addressing the consequences of explicit–implicit sexual orientation (SO) ambivalence. In Study 1, self-identified straight females completed explicit and implicit measures of SO. The results revealed that participants with greater SO ambivalence took longer responding to explicit questions about their sexual preferences, an effect moderated by the direction of ambivalence. Study 2 replicated this effect using a different paradigm. Study 3 included self-identified straight and gay female and male participants; participants completed explicit and implicit measures of SO, plus measures of self-esteem and affect regarding their SO. Among straight participants, the response time results replicated the findings of Studies 1 and 2. Among gay participants, trends suggested that SO ambivalence influenced time spent deliberating on explicit questions relevant to sexuality, but in a different way. Furthermore, the amount and direction of SO ambivalence was related to self-esteem.
Experience with the Avalon® bicaval double-lumen veno-venous cannula for neonatal respiratory ECMO
Authors: Speggiorin S , Robinson SG , Harvey C , Westrope C , Faulkner GM , Kirkland P , Peek GJ
Published: June 2014

Objective:

We report a single centre experience of neonatal respiratory ECMO using the Avalon® double-lumen venous cannula and compare it with reports in the literature.

Results:

Between 2008 and 2012, the Avalon® cannula was used in 72 neonates: median age at cannulation was 1.8 days (IQR 1.2-2.8 days) and bodyweight 3.4 Kg (3.0–3.7 Kg). Meconium aspiration syndrome (61.1%), persistent hypertension of the newborn (25%) and congenital diaphragmatic hernia (5.6%) were the most common diagnoses. Complications occurred in 19 patients (26.4%): cannula site bleeding in 6 (8.3%), the cannula perforating the right atrial wall and requiring emergency midline sternotomy in 5 (6.9%) and the cannula needing repositioning in 3 (4.2%). Overall survival at discharge or transfer to the referring hospital was 88.8%. Successful wean off ECMO occurred in 68 patients (94.4%) after a median of 90.5 hours (63.4 – 136.11). ECMO support was withdrawn in 4 patients (5.6%).

Conclusions:

The Avalon® dual-lumen veno-venous cannula can be used for respiratory ECMO in the neonatal population. However, as the incidence of right atrial perforation is not negligible, we suspended its used in this group of patients.
Knot-tying with four-piece fixtures
Authors: Bell Matthew P. , Wang Weifu , Kunzika Jordan , Balkcom Devin
Published: June 2014

We present a class of fixtures that can be disassembled into four pieces to extract the loosely tied knot. We prove that a fixture can be designed for any particular knot such that the knot can be extracted using only simple pure translations of the four fixture sections. We explore some of the issues raised by our experimental work with these fixtures, which show that simple knots can be tied extremely quickly (less than half a second) and reliably (99% repeatability) using four-piece fixtures.
Sampling-based robotic information gathering algorithms
Authors: Hollinger Geoffrey A. , Sukhatme Gaurav S.
Published: June 2014

We propose three sampling-based motion planning algorithms for generating informative mobile robot trajectories. The goal is to find a trajectory that maximizes an information quality metric (e.g. variance reduction, information gain, or mutual information) and also falls within a pre-specified budget constraint (e.g. fuel, energy, or time). Prior algorithms have employed combinatorial optimization techniques to solve these problems, but existing techniques are typically restricted to discrete domains and often scale poorly in the size of the problem. Our proposed rapidly exploring information gathering (RIG) algorithms combine ideas from sampling-based motion planning with branch and bound techniques to achieve efficient information gathering in continuous space with motion constraints. We provide analysis of the asymptotic optimality of our algorithms, and we present several conservative pruning strategies for modular, submodular, and time-varying information objectives. We demonstrate that our proposed techniques find optimal solutions more quickly than existing combinatorial solvers, and we provide a proof-of-concept field implementation on an autonomous surface vehicle performing a wireless signal strength monitoring task in a lake.
Altered cortical and subcortical local coherence in PTSD: evidence from resting-state fMRI
Authors: Zhong Yuan , Zhang Ruiting , Li Kai , Qi Rongfeng , Zhang Zhiqiang , Huang Qingling , Lu Guangming
Published: June 2014

Background

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often characterized by region-specific brain activation/deactivation and functional abnormalities in corticolimbic circuitry, as elucidated by task-dependent functional neuroimaging. However, little is known about the abnormalities in the local coherence of cortical and subcortical activity occurring during the resting state.

Purpose

To evaluate the functional discrepancy of local coherence between cortical and subcortical regions in PTSD patients using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Material and Methods

Resting-state fMRI (RS-fMRI) was performed on 14 outpatients with PTSD, along with 14 age- and sex-matched normal control subjects. Regional homogeneity (ReHo), a measurement of the coherence of spontaneous RS-fMRI signal oscillations within spatially neighboring voxels, was examined.

Results

Compared with the normal controls, PTSD patients showed increased local coherence in subcortical regions, including amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, and putamen, and decreased local coherence in cortical regions, including medial prefrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Moreover, a correlation analysis of the ReHo measurement versus the severity of the disorder was performed, and highly positive correlation were observed in the right amygdala.

Conclusion

The present study identified a functional discrepancy of local coherence between cortical and subcortical regions in PTSD patients compared with normal controls. The findings revealed that resting-state abnormalities might lead to further improvement of the understanding of the neural substrates of cognitive impairment and symptoms in PTSD.
The Rise of the Humanitarian Drone: Giving Content to an Emerging Concept
Authors: Sandvik Kristin Bergtora , Lohne Kjersti
Published: June 2014

This article explores and attempts to define the emerging concept of the humanitarian drone by critically examining actual and anticipated transfers of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, from the global battlespace to the humanitarian emergency zone. Focusing on the relationship between the diffusion of new technology and institutional power, we explore the humanitarian drone as a ‘war dividend’ arising from the transfer of surveillance UAVs, cargo-carrying UAVs and weaponised UAVs. We then reflect on the ways in which military practices and rationales guiding drone deployment may also shape humanitarian use, giving particular attention to the concept of surgical precision, the implications of targeting logic, and the ambiguous role of distance. Next, we consider the broader implications for humanitarian action, including the promise of global justice and improved aid delivery. Finally, we analyse the most difficult aspect of the humanitarian drone: namely, its political currency as a ‘humanitarian weapon’ in conflict scenarios.
Capitalism, Crisis, and Class
Authors: Dufour Mathieu , Orhangazi Özgür
Published: June 2014

The literature on the outcomes of the financial crisis in low- and middle-income countries in the post-1980 era presents three broad findings: first, the burden of crises falls disproportionately on labor in general and low-income segments of the society in particular. Wages and the labor share of income fall, unemployment increases, the power of labor declines, and income inequality and poverty increase. Capital, on the other hand, recovers quickly and gains more ground. Second, government policies favor capital, especially financial capital, at the expense of the larger public. Crises also present opportunities for further deregulation and liberalization in financial markets and the rest of the economy. Third, following financial crises, foreign capital inflows may increase as international capital seeks to take advantage of the crisis and acquire assets at fire-sale prices. The 2008 U.S. financial crisis provides an opportunity to extend this analysis to a leading high-income country. By examining the experience of the United States after the financial crisis in terms of the questions and issues typically raised in examinations of low- and middle-income countries, this paper makes an original contribution, while, at the same time, contributing to the gradually emerging literature on the consequences of the U.S. financial crisis. We first look at the distributional effects of the financial crisis and compare this with the impacts of the crisis on capital. Then, we investigate the changes in income shares of labor and capital before shifting our attention to changes in inequality and poverty. Next, we focus on the role of government policies through an analysis of government taxation and spending policies. Finally, we examine the changes in capital inflows before concluding with a discussion of our overall findings and further research areas.
Labor Process and the Social Structure of Accumulation in China
Authors: Li Zhongjin , Qi Hao
Published: June 2014

Inspired by the interplay between social structure of accumulation theory and labor process theory, this paper is to specify the particular mechanism that labor institutions take in accomplishing China’s rapid capital accumulation in the reform era. The paper starts by proposing a framework to understand the relation among overtime work, labor process, and the wage gap and presents the puzzling contradiction between low wages and the need to sustain the reproduction of labor power for Chinese workers. The paper then details the bi-directional determination between the subordination of labor in the workplace and the wage gap, and further analyzes the critical conditions for the stability of the current labor institutions and sustaining capital accumulation.
Neoclassical Economics and Federal Policies
Authors: Bechtold Brigitte H.
Published: June 2014

In the United States, commentators and politicians demonstrate a deep-rooted persistent adherence to a neoclassical model of the labor market, where a minimum wage increase is seen as an inevitable cause of unemployment, as it is assumed to occur at a point where the labor market was initially in equilibrium. The work of the Minimum Wage Study Commission (1981) uncovered the small size of the unemployment inflation effect, and the new minimum wage research also has corroborated this. Seen against these findings, the persistent rhetoric of sizeable “unemployment effects” of minimum wage increases simply shows the power of employers in a capitalist system. This paper suggests that counteracting the rhetoric is best done by recognizing the agency of the minimum wage worker and portraying this worker not as one who may “suffer unemployment” under a wage increase but who chooses to work fewer hours if hourly wages and benefits become sufficient.
Adolescent Street Harassment in Querétaro, Mexico
Authors: Meza-de-Luna Maria-Elena , García-Falconi Sulima
Published: June 2014

This document studies street harassment in Queretaro, Mexico. We characterize and determine its prevalence and the age at which adolescents begin to receive it and to exercise it. A mixed methods research was conducted using 13 focus groups and 528 questionnaires. Street harassment was characterized by the level of proximity and its associated intentions. Half (49.8%) of the adolescents had experienced harassment at an average age of 11.2 years. However, women were harassed 2.65 times more often than men. The findings may provide guidelines for social workers’ efforts to counteract this form of gender violence.
Feminist Social Work
Authors: Pandya Samta P.
Published: June 2014

Based on an analysis of the work done by a field action project addressing issues of violence against women which then went on to become a national state sponsored scheme, this article talks about the flavor of feminist social work that it has proposed in the Indian context. The dimensions of feminist social work and the nuances such as working with women, men, families, and communities and addressing the systems and structure have been discussed. Finally, what it means for social work education in Indian context has been deliberated.
Trophies of Surplus Enjoyment
Authors: Krier Daniel , Swart William J.
Published: June 2014

Megaspectacles are theorized as markets for a special economic object: trophies of surplus enjoyment. Attendees at megaspectacles were found to focus their activity upon trophy markets, trophy hunting and anticipated trophy display rather than spontaneous enjoyment of the staged event. Veblen’s theory of trophies as invidious objects, and insights from Goffman, Lacan and Žižek, are used to explain these counterintuitive findings. Trophies function as distorting mirrors, reflective surfaces in which viewers misrecognize the trophy owner’s apparent experience of legendary pleasures as their own dispossessed surplus enjoyment. Megaspectacles produce and sustain envy inducing legends and ritually load trophies with three forms of potential envy: status trophies (envy of symbolic prowess), action trophies (envy of imaginary risk taking) and trophies of jouissance (envious yet repressed desire for libidinal pleasure). Megaspectacles do not directly pleasure their attendees, but provide them with trophies of surplus enjoyment to disturb and disrupt the pleasure of others.
Five Dimensions of Wellness and Predictors of Cognitive Health Protection in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: Strout Kelley A. , Howard Elizabeth P.
Published: June 2014

Wellness is associated with cognitive health protection; however, findings are limited because they only examine variable(s) within one dimension of wellness. This research examined the association between multiple dimensions of wellness and cognition among aging adults. The sample included 5,605 male and female community-dwelling adults 60 years and older. Four dimensions of wellness demonstrated a statistically significant higher mean difference in cognitively healthy older adults compared to cognitively impaired older adults, F(4, 5,595) = 47.57, p < .001. Emotional wellness demonstrated the strongest association with cognitive health, followed by physical and spiritual wellness, F(5, 5,372) = 50.35, p < .001. Future research is needed to examine the cognitive protective benefits of wellness using longitudinal, prospective designs that control for the potential temporal relationship between wellness and cognition.
A novel artificial ecological niche optimization algorithm for car sequencing problem considering energy consumption
Authors: Zhang Sanqiang , Yu Daoyuan , Shao Xinyu , Wang Shaojun , Zhang Chaoyong , Lin Wenwen
Published: June 2014

This article proposes a novel artificial ecological niche optimization algorithm for car sequencing problem considering energy consumption to satisfy the requirements of the paint shop and the assembly line. Energy consumption, which is an important issue, is often neglected during the production process. In this article, the mathematical model of car sequencing problem with energy consumption is established. A new artificial ecological niche optimization algorithm that imitates natural ecosystem is proposed to solve this problem. The car sequence is considered as an ecosystem. Ecological niche theory, niche overlap and niche differentiation principles are applied in this algorithm, which leads the ecosystem to adapt itself to a more ecological balance condition accompanying less violence appear in the car sequence. Energy consumption in the scheduling process of ring sorting buffer was considered as biogenic migration in the algorithm. The proposed algorithm is verified on a set of instances provided by the French car manufacturer Renault. The computation results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Design approach for maximising contacting filament seal performance retention
Authors: Jahn Ingo HJ
Published: June 2014

Good sealing is a key requirement for modern efficient turbomachinery such as steam and gas turbines. A class of seals that promise better performance, compared to conventional labyrinth seals, are contacting filament seals such as brush, leaf, or finger seal. When new, these filament seals offer better performance; however, if poorly designed they wear excessively, resulting in leakages higher than a comparable labyrinth seal. This paper outlines a design methodology for selecting ideal contacting filament seal properties for a given operating cycle or set of operating cycles. Following this approach ensures the seal performs well, the seal retains its performance, and performance is retained if the operating cycle is altered. In the approach, the seals are described by four generic properties (stiffness, blow-down, cross-coupling, and build clearance), which are then used for a performance evaluation based on a number of test cycles. Once the ideal seal properties for a given operating cycle have been identified, a seal to match these can be designed. The approach is evaluated with a generic gas turbine cycle and recommendations for ideal contacting filament seal properties for this cycle are made.
Stall margin improvement of a centrifugal compressor utilizing various stepped tip gap configurations
Authors: Taghavi-Zenouz Reza , Solki Ehsan , Afshari Hadi
Published: June 2014

Aerodynamic performance of a centrifugal compressor is investigated under various casing treatment configurations of stepped tip gap type, numerically. This technique is introduced as an effective method for improvement of compressor stall margin and consequent enhancement of the compressor overall performance. In this respect, flow field within the proposed compressor was simulated by solving the Navier–Stokes equations utilizing the well-known k-ɛ turbulence model. Different geometries of the compressor stepped tip gap were examined to be able to obtain the optimum configuration. Results of velocity contours and streamlines patterns on various azimuthal and meridional planes showed that the stepped tip gap can weaken the tip leakage flow strength and reduce the blockage to the main stream near the casing. Hence, it can be concluded that using stepped tip gap can extend the stable operating range of the compressor and delay the occurrence of stall phenomenon. For small clearances, stepped tip gap was found to improve the stall margin of the proposed compressor at different rotor speeds without any negative effects on its efficiency, except to high flow conditions. But, inclusion of the stepped tip gap with large clearances tends to increase the stall margin with considerable reduction in the compressor efficiency.
The life of John Cedric Goligher (1912–1998) revisited
Authors: Campos Fábio Guilherme , Nahas Sérgio Carlos , Cecconello Ivan
Published: June 2014

John Cedric Goligher was one of the great figures in British surgery. Although he practised general surgery as well, the medical community around the world elected him the pre-eminent colon and rectal surgeon of his time. Technically he was considered a master surgeon with enormous personal experience that was expressed in many papers and books written throughout his life. As the Chairman of the University Department of Surgery at the General Infirmary at Leeds, he developed many prospective controlled studies that granted him a national and international reputation. This paper aims to render him posthumous credit by remembering his career, literature contributions and the importance of his legacy to the surgical community.
Aprepitant Reduces Chemotherapy-Induced Vomiting in Children and Young Adults With Brain Tumors
Authors: Duggin Kelly , Tickle Kelly , Norman Gina , Yang Jie , Wang Chong , Cross Shane J. , Gajjar Amar , Mandrell Belinda
Published: June 2014

Purpose: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting are common and distressing side effects in patients with brain tumors and may be associated with radiation and the administration of highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC). Pediatric antiemetic guidelines recommend administration of a 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 (5HT3) receptor antagonists and the addition of aprepitant, a neurokinin 1 (NK1) antagonist with corticosteroids for the treatment of HEC. However, challenges persist in treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with brain tumors as corticosteroids are contraindicated due to potential impairment of the blood–brain barrier permeability. The objective was to determine whether a 5HT3 receptor antagonist and the addition of aprepitant, an NK1 antagonist without a corticosteroid, were effective in reducing HEC vomiting in pediatric brain tumor patients. Method: A retrospective review found that 18 patients with a history of high-grade vomiting during radiation were prescribed a 5HT3 receptor antagonist and aprepitant without a corticosteroid during their first course of HEC. To determine the efficacy of aprepitant without a corticosteroid, each recipient was matched with 2 controls who did not receiv aprepitant. Results: During HEC, controls without aprepitant were more likely to have Grade 2 or higher vomiting than the aprepitant recipients ( P = .03; odds ratio = 4.15; 95% confidence interval = 1.59-10.82), after controlling for radiation-associated vomiting toxicity. Discussion: Significantly less vomiting was identified in children receiving HEC and prescribed a 5HT3 receptor antagonist and aprepitant. Findings suggest that the addition of an NK1 antagonist may be beneficial to emetic control in this highly vulnerable population.
Analysis of vibration reduction effect of steel spring floating slab track with finite elements
Authors: Lei Xiaoyan , Jiang Chongda
Published: June 2014

A model for dynamic analyses of a steel spring floating slab track is developed with finite elements. Based on the model, modal analyses are performed with respect to the different kinds of the density, the thickness and the length of the floating slab as well as the isolator stiffness. To comprehensively understand the vibration reduction effects of the steel spring floating slab track, the harmonic response analyses are carried out, and the influence of varying parameters upon the vibration reduction rate is investigated. The results show that the stiffness and the damping of the isolator are the governing factors, whereas the stiffness and the damping of the rail pad are generally not important. The reasonable values for the steel spring floating slab track should meet the requirements of 50–120 MN/m and ≥30 kN·s/m for rail pad stiffness and damping, 5–10 MN/m and 50–100 kN·s/m for isolator stiffness and isolator damping, and 1.25 m for isolator spacing, in order to achieve the satisfactory effect of vibration reduction.
How Friendship Generates Key Research Questions That Help to Overcome Gender-Based Violence
Authors: Gómez Aitor
Published: June 2014

The concept of new alternative masculinities (NAM) is an alternative to the dominant traditional masculinity (DTM) and oppressed traditional masculinity (OTM) concepts. The difference between these three concepts is that while the NAM constitutes a way to overcome gender-based violence, the OTM and DTM lead to its perpetuation. This ideal typology emerges from decades of interdisciplinary research. The three concepts were articulated in the first “masculinities and attractiveness” conference organized by the group Men in Dialogue. This group started in 2007, 1 year after the death of Jesús Gómez, who created the communicative methodology and who, through his research approach, inspired the NAM. Drawing on a personal narrative that connects friendship to methodology, this article delves into the way transformative friendship has enabled the rise of critical questions and reflection. These reflections were the prelude to what years later would be demonstrated by research on gender-based violence and sexual-affective relationships.
Fostering Healthy Lifestyles in the African American Population
Authors: Murimi Mary , Chrisman Matthew S. , McAllister Tiffany , McDonald Olevia D.
Published: June 2014

Approximately 8.3% of the U.S. population (25.8 million people) is affected by type 2 diabetes. The burden of diabetes is disproportionately greater in the African American community. Compared with non-Hispanic Caucasian adults, the risk of diagnosed type 2 diabetes was 77% higher among non-Hispanic Blacks, who are 27% more likely to die of diabetes complications than either Caucasians or Hispanics. The purpose of this longitudinal community intervention was to promote healthy lifestyles among African American participants through multiple channels, including individualized point-of-testing counseling, and weekly exercise and nutrition classes led by trained community health mentors. Data collection procedures were guided by the World Health Organization’s STEPS approach, which includes gathering demographic and health information, collecting anthropometric measurements, and analyzing biochemical blood work. Changes in body mass index were assessed from in-person measurements and changes in blood lipids and glucose were examined by biochemical analyses. A total of 157 individuals participated in this study. Results showed that weight gain during the intervention was prevented, glucose levels decreased (−10.88 mg/dL), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased (−8.8 mg/dL), while high-density lipoprotein increased (+3.2 mg/dL). Lifestyle interventions and point-of-testing counseling can be successful in reducing risk factors for type 2 diabetes among the African American population. The results of this intervention indicate that the use of community health mentors and point-of-testing counseling may be effective in fostering healthy lifestyle changes, which can halt the progression of type 2 diabetes among non-Hispanic Black populations.
Gains and losses: African Australian women and higher education
Authors: Harris Anne , Spark Ceridwen , Watts Mimmie Ngum Chi
Published: June 2014

This article argues that African women migrants in Australia are increasingly enrolling in and successfully completing tertiary study, usually at high emotional and financial cost. While this qualitative study has shown that both refugee-background and non-refugee African Australian women’s enrolment in higher education is enabling new forms of participation and belonging in resettlement, it continues to challenge the women’s more traditional cultural roles and identities. This article argues that these gendered negotiations are noted only cursorily (if at all) within education and health contexts, and, importantly, form a primary obstacle facing African Australian women in migration and refugee resettlement transition.
Restorative detention or ‘work on self’? Two accounts of a Belgian prison policy
Authors: Dubois Christophe , Vrancken Didier
Published: June 2014

Besides being known for population overcrowding, prison staff strikes, and prisoner suicides or escapes, which are frequently reported by the press, prison might also be a place for rare innovative projects. One such project can be seen in a penitentiary policy initiated in Belgium in 2000 aimed at re-shaping the culture of detention towards a culture of ‘restorative justice’. What can be said of this attempt at introducing the concepts of victim, restoration, responsibilization, sensitizing and awareness within prison walls? The present article proposes an illustrative and interpretive account of this prison policy. Rather than restoring the broken victim-offender relationship, its implementation has something to do with detainees working on their ‘self’.
Assembling indigeneity: Rethinking innovation, tradition and indigenous materiality in a 19th-century native toolkit
Authors: Pezzarossi Heather Law
Published: June 2014

This paper examines a collection of iron artifacts from the Sarah Burnee/Sarah Boston Site, a late 18th- and early 19th-century Nipmuc home site in Grafton, Massachusetts. While the objects represented have a broad spectrum of purposes, the assemblage is assessed for its utility in the practice of woodsplint basketmaking, an emerging Native trade in 19th-century New England. Native woodsplint baskets were desired and prized by Anglo-American consumers for their authenticity and tradition, yet many of their forms, decorations and the associated toolkit were all developed in the specific economic conditions of post-revolutionary New England and are thus entangled with Euro-American materialities. DeLanda’s (2006) “assemblage theory” is examined as an appropriate concept with which to reconcile the apparent tension of innovation and tradition apparent in this collection, and in Indigenous historical archaeology at large.
Mumbai’s quiet histories: Critical intersections of the urban poor, historical struggles, and heritage spaces
Authors: Nakamura Carolyn
Published: June 2014

Informal and improvised practices of occupation and settlement have been known in the Mumbai region since before the birth of the city. These practices have since evolved into a tactic of the poor as they assert a “right to the city” among various structures of inequality and domination produced by the state and civil society. Heritage preservation, as it is practiced in Mumbai, participates in such state work and its failures render it as an object and instrument of class struggle. Within this context, heritage regimes agitate certain wounds of misrecognition borne by urban marginals and have produced assemblages, such as the Jogeshwari Caves, that assert a demand for their redress. Long pursued practices of “quiet encroachment” have become a generative urban force in Mumbai, but their histories remain understudied and unarticulated. This paper seeks to bring historical attention to these struggles and suggests that archeology can further attend to this project of redress.
The Effectiveness of Psychological Treatment for Reducing Recidivism in Child Molesters
Authors: Walton Jamie S. , Chou Shihning
Published: June 2014

In this systematic review, the effectiveness of psychological treatment interventions for child molesters was examined. Studies were restricted to randomized control trials (RCTs), controlled trials, and cohort designs where recidivism had been used as the outcome variable. ASSIA, NCJRS, Medline, PsychINFO, EMBASE, Pro-requests Dissertations and Theses A&I, and the Cochrane Library were searched. Ten experts were contacted and the reference lists of 12 systematic reviews and 40 primary studies were observed. The number of hits was 3,019, of which 564 duplicates, 2,388 irrelevant references, and 38 that did not meet the inclusion criteria were removed. Fourteen studies using mixed samples had to be omitted because it was not possible to determine the recidivism rates of child molesters in the samples described. One RCT and 9 cohort studies were included in the data synthesis, providing 2,119 participants. In all, 52.1% received the intervention under investigation and 47.9% did not. The reported recidivism rates were 13.9% for the treated child molesters compared to 18.6% for the untreated child molesters. Three studies reported statistically significant lower recidivism rates for treated child molesters. Eight studies were assessed as weak. Four studies were assessed as having bias which increased the chance of finding a treatment effect and four studies were assessed as having bias which reduced the chance of finding a treatment effect. It was not possible to determine the direction of bias for two studies.
Navigational Aids
Authors: Mälkki Kaisu , Green Larry
Published: June 2014

Although the notion of transformative learning points to a desirable destination for educational endeavors, the difficulty in the journey is often neglected. Our intention is to map the experiential micro-processes involved in transformative learning such that the phenomenon is illuminated from a first-person rather than third-person point of view. Employing that point of view, we believe, provides a common frame of reference for both the mentor and the protégé. We employ the notions of liminality, comfort zone, and edge emotions to elucidate the transformative process. The more intimate understandings that result should assist educators to support students who are undergoing such a metamorphosis. In addition, the article will consider some of the challenges encountered by the educator who wishes to support students through this process.