bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wirkungen smartphonegestützter psychosomatischer Rehabilitationsnachsorge (eATROS) bei depressiven Patienten
Authors: Schmädeke Stefan , Bischoff Claus
Published: December 2015

Hintergrund: Ziel der Studie ist es, die Wirkung eines smartphonegestützten kognitiv-behavioralen Rehabilitationsnachsorgeprogramms (eATROS) für Patienten mit depressiven Störungen zu überprüfen, die mit Erfolg an einer stationären psychosomatischen Rehabilitationsmaßnahme teilgenommen hatten. eATROS dient dazu, den Behandlungserfolg zu sichern und Rückfällen vorzubeugen. Die Smartphone-Anwendung soll die Patienten in den ersten 3 Monaten nach Entlassung bei der Umsetzung ihrer antidepressiven Verhaltensstrategien unterstützen. Methoden: Die Studie wurde als prospektive Kontrollgruppenstudie realisiert, mit ambulanter, poststationärer Regelversorgung (TAU) als Kontrollbedingung (KG) und einer Experimentalgruppe (EG), die zusätzlich Nachsorge mit eATROS erhielt. In die Studie aufgenommen und den beiden Versuchsgruppen in wochenweise gebildeten Kohorten zufällig zugewiesen wurden Patienten mit affektiven Störungen als Hauptbehandlungsdiagnose, die im Zuge der Behandlung eine einzelfallstatistisch signifikante Besserung ihrer depressiven Symptomatik erzielt hatten. Patienten der EG erhielten das Angebot, eATROS in den ersten 3 Monaten nach ihrer Entlassung in Anspruch zu nehmen. Am Anfang und Ende dieser poststationären Phase wurden die Depressivität und depressionsrelevante Selbstregulationskompetenzen als Zielgrößen erhoben. Ergebnisse: Im Vergleich zu den Patienten der KG (n = 42) gelang es den Patienten der EG (n = 50) ihre während der stationären Rehabilitationsmaßnahme erreichte Reduktion der Depressionssymptomatik besser aufrechtzuerhalten. Hinsichtlich der Selbstregulationskompetenzen ließ sich die Überlegenheit der eATROS-Nachsorge gegenüber der KG für 2 der 5 eingesetzten Skalen nachweisen: Die Patienten der eATROS-Nachsorge wiesen eine günstigere Entwicklung ihrer Kompetenzen auf, sich selbst zu motivieren und Absichten umzusetzen, als die Patienten der KG. Diskussion: Die Wirkkomponenten der eATROS-Intervention werden diskutiert und Möglichkeiten und Grenzen für den Transfer in die Versorgungspraxis erörtert. Schlussfolgerung: Die Ergebnisse sprechen - mit methodischen Einschränkungen - für die Überlegenheit der smartphonegestützten Rehabilitationsnachsorge gegenüber poststationärer Regelversorgung allein.
Non-Verbal and Verbal Fluency in Prodromal Huntington's Disease
Authors: Robins Wahlin Tarja-Brita , Luszcz Mary A. , Wahlin Åke , Byrne Gerard J.
Published: December 2015

Background: This study examines non-verbal (design) and verbal (phonemic and semantic) fluency in prodromal Huntington's disease (HD). An accumulating body of research indicates subtle deficits in cognitive functioning among prodromal mutation carriers for HD. Methods: Performance was compared between 32 mutation carriers and 38 non-carriers in order to examine the magnitude of impairment across fluency tasks. The predicted years to onset (PYTO) in mutation carriers was calculated by a regression equation and used to divide the group according to whether onset was predicted as less than 12.75 years (HD+CLOSE; n = 16) or greater than 12.75 years (HD+DISTANT; n = 16). Results: The results indicate that both non-verbal and verbal fluency is sensitive to subtle impairment in prodromal HD. HD+CLOSE group produced fewer items in all assessed fluency tasks compared to non-carriers. HD+DISTANT produced fewer drawings than non-carriers in the non-verbal task. PYTO correlated significantly with all measures of non-verbal and verbal fluency. Conclusion: The pattern of results indicates that subtle cognitive deficits exist in prodromal HD, and that less structured tasks with high executive demands are the most sensitive in detecting divergence from the normal range of functioning. These selective impairments can be attributed to the early involvement of frontostriatal circuitry and frontal lobes.
Interactive Sensor-Based Balance Training in Older Cancer Patients with Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Schwenk Michael , Grewal Gurtej S. , Holloway Dustin , Muchna Amy , Garland Linda , Najafi Bijan
Published: December 2015

Background: Cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) have deficits in sensory and motor skills leading to inappropriate proprioceptive feedback, impaired postural control, and fall risk. Balance training programs specifically developed for CIPN patients are lacking. Objective: This pilot study investigated the effect of an interactive motor adaptation balance training program based on wearable sensors for improving balance in older cancer patients with CIPN. Methods: Twenty-two patients (age: 70.3 ± 8.7 years) with objectively confirmed CIPN [vibration perception threshold (VPT) >25 V] were randomized to either an intervention (IG) or a control (CG) group. The IG received interactive game-based balance training including repetitive weight shifting and virtual obstacle crossing tasks. Wearable sensors provided real-time visual/auditory feedback from the lower limb trajectory and allowed the perception of motor errors during each motor action. The CG received no exercise intervention and continued their normal activity. Outcome measures were changes in sway of ankle, hip, and center of mass (CoM) in both mediolateral and anteroposterior (AP) directions during 30-second balance tests with increasing task difficulty [i.e. standing in feet-closed position with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC), and in semi-tandem position with EO] at baseline and after the intervention. Additionally, gait performance (speed, variability) and fear of falling [Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I)] were measured. Results: Training was safe despite the participants' impaired health status, great severity of CIPN (VPT 49.6 ± 26.7 V), and great fear of falling (FES-I score 31.37 ± 11.20). After the intervention, sway of hip, ankle, and CoM was significantly reduced in the IG compared to the CG while standing in feet-closed position with EO (p = 0.010-0.022, except AP CoM sway) and in semi-tandem position (p = 0.008-0.035, except ankle sway). No significant effects were found for balance with EC, gait speed, and FES-I score (p > 0.05). Conclusions: This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that older cancer patients with CIPN can significantly improve their postural balance with specifically tailored, sensor-based exercise training. The training approach has potential as a therapy for improving CIPN-related postural control deficits. However, future studies comparing the proposed technology-based training with traditional balance training are required to evaluate the benefit of the interactive joint movement feedback.
Dietary and Lifestyle Factors Associated with Colorectal Cancer Risk and Interactions with Microbiota: Fiber, Red or Processed Meat and Alcoholic Drinks
Authors: Tuan Juan , Chen Ying-Xuan
Published: December 2015

Background: Diets and lifestyles have been strongly associated with colorectal cancer (CRC). In the past several decades, emerging evidence has suggested that the gut microbiota may have a role in the development of CRC. Its interaction with diets and lifestyles could affect the carcinogenesis of CRC. Summary: This review presents the most recent epidemiologic and experimental evidence of three factors that may convincingly have a role in CRC, including fiber, red or processed meat, and alcohol, focusing on potential mechanisms and their interactions with the gut microbiota. Key Message: High consumption of fiber, low consumption of red or processed red meat as well as minimizing alcohol intake have been associated with a lower risk of CRC. Many microbial metabolites formed from those three substances may mediate the microbial diversity and the composition and abundance of the gut microbiota, which eventually affects the balance between health and disease, including CRC. Practical Implications: Based on our synthetic review, clinicians may probably offer some recommendations and explanations to their patients who may want to modulate their diet and lifestyle to prevent CRC. As an easily modifiable environmental factor, it may be possible that applying dietary or lifestyle intervention could effectively protect against the development of CRC in the future.
Natural Products as a Vital Source for the Discovery of Cancer Chemotherapeutic and Chemopreventive Agents
Authors: Cragg Gordon M. , Pezzuto John M.
Published: December 2015

Throughout history, natural products have played a dominant role in the treatment of human ailments. For example, the legendary discovery of penicillin transformed global existence. Presently, natural products comprise a large portion of current-day pharmaceutical agents, most notably in the area of cancer therapy. Examples include Taxol, vinblastine, and camptothecin. These structurally unique agents function by novel mechanisms of action; isolation from natural sources is the only plausible method that could have led to their discovery. In addition to terrestrial plants as sources for starting materials, the marine environment (e.g., ecteinascidin 743, halichondrin B, and dolastatins), microbes (e.g., bleomycin, doxorubicin, and staurosporin), and slime molds (e.g., epothilone B) have yielded remarkable cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Irrespective of these advances, cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Undoubtedly, the prevention of human cancer is highly preferable to treatment. Cancer chemoprevention, the use of vaccines or pharmaceutical agents to inhibit, retard, or reverse the process of carcinogenesis, is another important approach for easing this formidable public health burden. Similar to cancer chemotherapeutic agents, natural products play an important role in this field. There are many examples, including dietary phytochemicals such as sulforaphane and phenethyl isothiocyanate (cruciferous vegetables) and resveratrol (grapes and grape products). Overall, natural product research is a powerful approach for discovering biologically active compounds with unique structures and mechanisms of action. Given the unfathomable diversity of nature, it is reasonable to suggest that chemical leads can be generated that are capable of interacting with most or possibly all therapeutic targets.
Private Governance Undermined: India and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
Authors: Schleifer Philip
Published: December 2015

Are emerging markets undermining private environmental governance? In the past, most trade in agricultural commodities occurred between developed and developing countries, but in recent years the volume of South-South trade has increased significantly. The booming demand from emerging markets for food, feed, and fiber is now a key driver behind agricultural expansion, causing large-scale deforestation and biodiversity loss in the tropics. By examining the case of palm oil, this article argues that existing private governance institutions are not well equipped to deal with this crisis. They continue to operate on the basis of a North-South trade model, trying to leverage the market power of big-brand companies to achieve their sustainability goals. However, the effectiveness of this mechanism is increasingly undermined by the rise of South-South trade and the different structure and institutional context of emerging market value chains.
Global, National, or Market? Emerging REDD+ Governance Practices in Mozambique and Tanzania
Authors: Palmujoki Eero , Virtanen Pekka
Published: December 2015

This article examines emerging governance practices in the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) initiative. We examine three different general governance practices (neoliberal, post-national, and government-led practices) that have been applied in the interaction between international organizations and two REDD target countries: Mozambique and Tanzania. In these countries, we find that emerging REDD+ governance practices are a mixture of international organizations’ procedural practices and the target country’s established governance practices, whereas neoliberal practices are weakly expressed. These findings call into question the simplified assumption of reduced state authority.
Modulation of Frontoparietal Neurovascular Dynamics in Working Memory
Authors: Ardestani Allen , Shen Wei , Darvas Felix , Toga Arthur W. , Fuster Joaquin M.
Published: December 2015

Our perception of the world is represented in widespread, overlapping, and interactive neuronal networks of the cerebral cortex. A majority of physiological studies on the subject have focused on oscillatory synchrony as the binding mechanism for representation and transmission of neural information. Little is known, however, about the stability of that synchrony during prolonged cognitive operations that span more than just a few seconds. The present research, in primates, investigated the dynamic patterns of oscillatory synchrony by two complementary recording methods, surface field potentials (SFPs) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The signals were first recorded during the resting state to examine intrinsic functional connectivity. The temporal modulation of coactivation was then examined on both signals during performance of working memory (WM) tasks with long delays (memory retention epochs). In both signals, the peristimulus period exhibited characteristic features in frontal and parietal regions. Examination of SFP signals over delays lasting tens of seconds, however, revealed alternations of synchronization and desynchronization. These alternations occurred within the same frequency bands observed in the peristimulus epoch, without a specific correspondence between any definite cognitive process (e.g., WM) and synchrony within a given frequency band. What emerged instead was a correlation between the degree of SFP signal fragmentation (in time, frequency, and brain space) and the complexity and efficiency of the task being performed. In other words, the incidence and extent of SFP transitions between synchronization and desynchronization—rather than the absolute degree of synchrony—augmented in correct task performance compared with incorrect performance or in a control task without WM demand. An opposite relationship was found in NIRS: increasing task complexity induced more uniform, rather than fragmented, NIRS coactivations. These findings indicate that the particular features of neural oscillations cannot be linearly mapped to cognitive functions. Rather, information and the cognitive operations performed on it are primarily reflected in their modulations over time. The increased complexity and fragmentation of electrical frequencies in WM may reflect the activation of hierarchically diverse cognits (cognitive networks) in that condition. Conversely, the homogeneity in coherence of NIRS responses may reflect the cumulative vascular reactions that accompany that neuroelectrical proliferation of frequencies and the longer time constant of the NIRS signal. These findings are directly relevant to the mechanisms mediating cognitive processes and to physiologically based interpretations of functional brain imaging.
Innovation System and Increasing Reformulation Practices in the Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sector of South India
Authors: Madhavan Harilal
Published: December 2015

This article emphasises the role of domestic knowledge capabilities and networks in shaping an incentive structure for innovation and research. I combine an analysis of in-house research activities by ayurvedic firms in South India with their inter-firm and inter-institutional relations in the establishment of a new innovation regime aiming to promote growth in the ayurvedic sector. The tensions typical of this competitive environment are discussed by paying attention to the absence of contingent regulatory practices and the recent efforts in this direction as illustrated by the use of the ‘Magical Remedies Act’ to curtail the claims of many firms in the market. The ayurvedic pharmaceutical company Oushadhi owned by the Government of Kerala as well as the private firmssnaOushadhasala Pvt. Ltd. and Vaidyaratnam Oushadhasala Pvt. Ltd. (all from Thrissur district of Kerala) are analysed to delineate their research priorities and bottlenecks for innovations. The data of this ayurvedic sector is contrasted with the case of the Kani tribe and the ways in which their traditional knowledge has been reformulated into an industrial ayurvedic product. Through this exploration, the paper attempts to offer an economic explanation for increasing reformulation practices in Ayurveda.
Thanking the Greeks: The Crisis of the Rule of Law in eu Enlargement Regulation
Authors: Basheska Elena , Kochenov Dimitry
Published: December 2015

This paper showcases the weaknesses of eu enlargement law and demonstrates how one Member State – namely, Greece – is notable for abusing this weakness, for harming the candidate countries, the eu, and the institutions alike, for stripping the eu position of its predictability, and for undermining the eu Commission’s efforts. Accordingly, Greece has severely incapacitated the key procedural rule of law component of the eu’s enlargement regulation, turning it into a randomised political game and ignoring any long-term goals of stability, prosperity, and peace that the process is to stand for. Following a walk through Greece’s engagement throughout a number of enlargement rounds, the paper concludes that the duty of loyalty – which is presumably able to discipline Member States that undermine the common effort – should find a new meaning in the context of eu enlargement.
A new Amazonian species of Ficus L. (Moraceae)
Authors: Pelissari Gisela , Romaniuc Neto Sergio
Published: December 2015

A new species of Ficus L. sect. Americanae Miq. is described and illustrated in this paper as Ficus nigrotuberculata. It is characterized mainly by the surface of the syconium, which is covered with small black protuberances, and ostiole tubiform, and shows morphological similarities with F. pertusa L.f., F. trachelosyce Dugand and F. tubulosa Pelissari & Romaniuc. A key of these related species is also presented.
Silene crassiuscula (Caryophyllaceae), a new species from Sicily
Authors: Brullo Salvatore , Brullo Cristian , Cambria Salvatore , Bacchetta Gianluigi , Giusso del Galdo Gianpietro , Ilardi Vincenzo
Published: December 2015

Silene crassiuscula,, a new species of S. sect. Dipterosperma, is described and illustrated from North-Western Sicily. It is an annual halophyte with succulent growing on carbonatic or calcarenitic rocks of coastal stands. From the morphological point of view , S. crassiuscula appears to be similar to the species belonging to the S. colorata group especially to S. nummica, from Sardinia, from which it differs in several features chiefly regarding the habit, leaves, inflorescences, floral pieces and seed micro-morphology. An analytical key of the taxa belonging to this section is also provided.
A new species and notes on the genus Aphelocheirus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Aphelocheiridae) from China
Authors: XIE TONG-YIN , LIU GUO-QING
Published: December 2015

This paper provides the description of a new species, Aphelocheirus menglaensis sp.nov. from Yunnan Province. A. gularis Horváth, 1918 and A. inops (Horváth, 1918) are reported from China for the first time. We also reviewed A. ellipsoideus Liu & Ding, 2005, include its macropterous forms and brachypterous female. Dorsal habitus photographs of the new species and A. ellipsoideus are provided and are accompanied by illustrations of male genitalic structures of both species and the ventral aspect of posterior abdominal segments of the female of only the new species.
Climatology, Synoptic Conditions, and Misanalyses of Mississippi River Valley Drylines
Authors: Duell Rebecca S. , Van Den Broeke Matthew S.
Published: December 2015

The dryline is an important focal point for convection initiation. Although drylines most commonly occur on the southern Great Plains, dryline passages and subsequent severe weather outbreaks have been documented in the Mississippi River valley. This study presents a 15-yr (1999–2013) climatology of these Mississippi River valley drylines and associated severe weather. Additionally, synoptic patterns are identified that may result in drylines moving atypically far eastward into the Mississippi River valley. In total, 39 Mississippi River valley drylines (hereafter referred to as MRV drylines) were identified from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) dataset through the study period. Mean and anomaly synoptic composites were created for these drylines. MRV dryline events typically occur under synoptically active conditions with an amplified upper-air pattern, a 500-hPa shortwave trough to the west or northwest of the dryline, and a strong surface cyclone to the north. These boundaries are often misanalyzed or inconsistently analyzed as cold fronts, stationary fronts, or trough axes on surface maps; of the 33 cases of identified MRV drylines for which the Weather Prediction Center archived analyses were available, only 6 were correctly analyzed as drylines. Drylines moving into the Mississippi River valley often result in severe weather outbreaks in the Mississippi River valley, the Midwest, and the southeastern United States.
Rainwater effect on bearing strength of glass–epoxy laminated composite pinned joints
Authors: Sayman Onur , Esendemir Ümran
Published: December 2015

Composite materials are used in areas that have varying environmental conditions due to their advantages such as generally higher stiffness- and strength-to-weight ratio, and corrosion resistance compared to metallic alloys. This experimental study is carried out to investigate the bearing strengths and failure modes of woven glass–epoxy composite pinned joints subjected to rainwater. The specimens were immersed in rainwater in a closed plastic container indoors for 20 month periods at room temperature. The ratio of edge-distance-to-hole diameter (E/D) and the ratio of the specimen width-to-hole-diameter (W/D) were selected as parameters. Failure modes were determined by observing the failure regions on the specimens. Damage of immersed and unimmersed specimens was examined using scanning electron misroscopy for the same failure load. Experimental results showed that the bearing load values obtained from the specimens immersed in rainwater decreased in comparison to unimmersed specimens.
FGM/Cutting
Authors: Jefferson Michael
Published: December 2015

This paper seeks to present issues relating to female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM) in a manner which is more socio-legal than is usual in this journal, partly because, while there is an important new statute, the Serious Crimes Act 2015, the accepted view of FGM across the world (e.g. mention is made below of Egypt) is that criminal law alone is most unlikely to prevent or deter FGM; this approach is very much that recently adopted in England and Wales and indeed in the other countries within the UK. Changing criminal law affecting women and girls at risk of FGM in the UK is, moreover, of little use if ‘vacation cutting’ (see below) takes place. Non-coercive means within a comprehensive strategy, including cross-agency action and utilising NGOs, seem in this arena to be more successful than coercive ones. Criminal law is dealt in this article within this socio-legal context and not in a freestanding manner as is usual.
Photoinitiating characteristic of erythrosine B derivatives and its application on pigmented visible photo-curing ink of textile digital printing
Authors: Nan Xuying , Sun Guangdong , Huang Yi , Fan Qinguo , Yao Yuhua , Shao Jianzhong
Published: December 2015

Eight visible photoinitiators composed of a series of erythrosine B derivatives with different structures, combined with ethyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoate and diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate, were evaluated for their photoinitiating characteristic and the tensile properties of photo-curing films initiated by them, to acquire the relationship between structure and performance. The visible photoinitiator was the key component for the pigmented visible photo-curing ink of textile digital printing. So, based on the experimental results, the preferred photoinitiator was incorporated into three pigmented photo-curing inks (red, yellow and blue) to perform textile digital jet printing. After photo-curing under visible light irradiation, the printed fabric samples showed excellent dry–wet rubbing fastness, and possessed a consistent hue with the samples initiated by the photoinitiator containing camphorquinone.
An environmentally friendly method for the isolation of cellulose nano fibrils from banana rachis fibers
Authors: Mukwaya Vincent , Yu Weidong , Asad Rabie AM , Yagoub Hajo
Published: December 2015

Cellulose nano fibrils (CNFs) were isolated from banana rachis bran using enzyme hydrolysis with subsequent ultra-sonic treatment. The CNFs and bran were characterized by particle size distribution (only the CNFs), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy; the morphology of the banana rachis fiber and CNFs was observed using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The furnished nano fibrils had an average diameter of 14.02 ± 2.10 nm and length of 619.6 ± 90.7 nm. The aspect ratio of the CNFs is in the range of long fibrils, that is 44.18. XRD studies revealed that CNFs (48.83%) were more crystalline than the banana bran (27.76%). TGA and derivative thermogravimetry thermograms showed that CNFs were more thermally stable than the bran.
Associations between Attachment and Emotion-Specific Emotion Regulation with and without Relationship Insecurity Priming
Authors: Clear Sarah J. , Zimmer-Gembeck Melanie J.
Published: December 2015

Attachment theory and previous research on emotion regulation (ER) suggest that ER will be associated with adult attachment orientation, with the expectation of different associations of attachment avoidance, anxiety, and security with specific ER patterns. In addition, research has shown that the emotion under consideration and the context may matter to patterns of ER and associations between attachment and ER. In the present study, we examined associations between attachment representations, and emotion specific (sadness, worry, and anger) ER among late adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 23 years ( M = 19.6, SD = 1.58). In addition, to consider context, participants were randomly assigned to report ER following insecurity priming or no priming. Participants were 383 (181 male, 202 female) students who completed a self-report questionnaire. As expected, multivariate regression results examining all attachment orientations simultaneously showed that attachment anxiety was associated with greater dysregulation (sadness, worry, and anger), but also more anger suppression. In contrast, attachment avoidance was associated with greater suppression (sadness and worry), but also more anger dysregulation. Attachment security was associated with less dysregulation (sadness, worry, and anger), and less sadness and worry suppression. Finally, sadness and anger dysregulation were higher when reported after insecurity priming compared to the standard no prime condition, but few associations between attachment orientations and ER were moderated by condition. The results suggest that individuals’ attachment representations are associated with ER, with security a benefit to adaptive ER, and anxiety and avoidance playing different roles in maladaptive ER for different emotions.
The Blackbird Whistling or Just After? Vygotsky’s Tool and Sign as an Analytic for Writing
Authors: Imbrenda Jon-Philip
Published: December 2015

Based on Vygotsky’s theory of the interplay of the tool and sign functions of language, this study presents a textual analysis of a corpus of student-authored texts to illuminate aspects of development evidenced through the dialectical tension of tool and sign. Data were drawn from a series of reflective memos I authored during a seminar for new doctoral students designed to encourage the development of their identities as educational researchers. In an effort to understand how the tool and sign functions played out in this developmental context, I employed three methods of analysis: (a) I parsed them into evidential units of induction or deduction, (b) I positioned each unit on semantic differential scales to indicate the assumptions and authorial roles manifested, and (c) I examined how these positions were discursively realized through problematizing, intertextual reach, procedural membership, and reciprocal membership. The analysis demonstrates how examining the dialectical relationship of tool and sign illuminates the developmental trajectory of a student writer.
Racial Differences in the Effect of Stress on Health and the Moderating Role of Perceived Social Support
Authors: Sheffler Julia , Sachs-Ericsson Natalie
Published: December 2015

Objective: The current study examined racial differences in the relationship between late-life stress and health functioning and the moderating role of perceived social support (PSS) in older adults. Method: A biracial sample of community-dwelling older adults (65+) from the first two waves of the Duke University’s Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE; N = 2,952) was analyzed. Baseline levels of PSS and stress were obtained. Health status was assessed at baseline and follow-up. Results: Analyses revealed a positive effect of PSS on health functioning. There was a three-way interaction among race, stress, and PSS on health functioning. Probing the interaction, for Caucasians, PSS was beneficial at low stress, but not high stress. For African Americans, PSS had a positive effect regardless of stress level. Discussion: PSS is an important protective factor for preserving positive health in late-life; however, benefits may differ by race and intensity of stressor.
A study of co-reaction mechanism and properties of propenyl-substituted monomer/bismaleimide system
Authors: Qu Chunyan , Liu Ping , Liu Changwei , Wang Dezhi , Zhang Yang , Xiao Wanbao , Hou Xiang
Published: December 2015

A practical modifier, 4,4′-bis[2-(1-propenyl)phenoxy]benzophenone (MT), has been synthesized and copolymerized with 4,4′-bismaleimidodiphenylmethyene (4,4′-BMI) to yield a low-temperature cure bismaleimide resin. Structural information of MT was obtained using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (proton and carbon) spectroscopy, elemental, and mass spectrometry analyses. The differential scanning calorimetric curve of the MT/4,4′-BMI system shows two exothermic peaks at 164°C and 210°C, respectively. This value was compared with other polymerization reactions involving diallyl bisphenol A (DP) and diallyl bismaleimide (DBMI), with an exothermic peak at around 257°C. Unlike normal bismaleimide resins with DP postcured at 250°C for about 4–8 h, the MT/4,4′-BMI resin was cured at 230°C for a total of 6 h (i.e. MBMI-230) or at 200°C for 6 h (i.e. MBMI-200). Furthermore, the resins exhibit high thermal resistance, excellent mechanical properties, and exceptionally low dielectric loss. For MBMI-230 and MBMI-200, the dielectric loss values are all in the range of 0.0024–0.0054 from 7 GHz to 18 GHz and feature excellent thermal stabilities (5% weight loss temperature ( Td5) > 415°C under nitrogen atmosphere) and thermo-oxidative stabilities ( Td5 > 425°C in air atmosphere). Additionally, the cured resins also display a high bending modulus (>3.2 GPa) at room temperature and an excellent mechanical stability at high temperature.
Coordinative traction control of vehicles based on identification of the tyre–road friction coefficient
Authors: Zhao Jian , Zhang Jin , Zhu Bing
Published: December 2015

Traction control, which can be performed by different types of chassis control system, plays an important role in vehicle motion control. Since the propulsive force is actually produced by the friction between the tyre and road, information on the tyre–road friction is crucial for traction control. In this paper, a robust and effective tyre–road friction coefficient identification algorithm for straight acceleration is proposed, and a coordinative traction control method is designed by integrated usage of gear shifting control, engine control and braking control. For different driving conditions, the tyre forces were observed by a sliding-mode observer or calculated from the states of the vehicle directly, and the tyre–road friction coefficients were estimated by the recursive least-squares method or calculated from the linear characteristics between the friction coefficient and the slip ratio consequently. Based on the estimated tyre–road information, a practical and systematic coordinative traction control algorithm was designed to integrate shifting control, engine torque control and braking pressure control. Finally, the proposed methods are verified by both simulations and road tests. The results show that the estimation algorithms can identify the variation in the road conditions with considerable accuracy and response speed, and the controller successfully adjusted the slip ratios of the driving wheels in the stable region with good performances on different types of road.
Photovoice in Kenya
Authors: Kingery Francesca P. , Naanyu Violet , Allen William , Patel Pradip
Published: December 2015

Photovoice, a community-based participatory research method, was utilized to delineate the health-related needs of a small rural community in Kenya. Within the Cherangany Constituency, 13 women were recruited and trained in digital photography and appropriate ethical conduct in photography (respect for privacy, consent, and confidentiality). Both individual and group interviews were conducted with the participants, and data were transcribed and analyzed for common themes by both the participants and the researcher. Common themes present in the photos were coded and prioritized in order of importance: (a) school fees, (b) water, (c) hospital fees, (d) sanitation, (e) orphans, (f) widows, (g) lack of jobs/capital, (h) disabilities, and (i) presence of disease. Data from this study will be utilized for (a) development of culturally competent health education, (b) site-specific education/training of incoming medical teams, and (c) informative meetings with local leaders regarding health and associated challenges.
Going Up in Dreams and Esteem
Authors: Besnoy Kevin D. , McDaniel Sara C.
Published: December 2015

Mentoring programs are an effective way to offer gifted students authentic learning opportunities. Although there are many mentoring models, the fundamental relationship between mentor and mentee has remained consistent throughout the ages. One mentoring model that has recently grown in popularity is the cross-age mentoring model. In this model, the mentor is an older student who is paired with a younger elementary or middle school–age mentee. This article describes the effectiveness of the Crimson G.U.I.D.E. (Going Up In Dreams and Esteem) Program. The Crimson G.U.I.D.E. Program utilized the cross-age mentoring model by matching gifted high school students with struggling elementary school students in a structured after-school mentoring program. The program provided gifted high school students an opportunity to develop the leadership skills necessary for lifelong success. Suggestions for replicating this mentoring program are offered.
Wavelets as a tool for systems analysis and control
Authors: Abuhamdia Tariq , Taheri Saied
Published: December 2015

This survey presents the broad range of research on using wavelets in the analysis and design of dynamic systems. Though wavelets have been used with all types of systems, the major focus of this survey is mechanical and electromechanical systems in addition to their controls. However, the techniques presented can be applied to any category of dynamic systems such as economic, biological, and social systems. Wavelets can be classified into three different types: orthogonal, biorthogonal, and pseudo, all of which are employed in dynamic systems engineering. Wavelets-based methods for dynamic systems applications can be divided into vibrations analysis and systems and control analysis. Wavelets applications in vibrations extend to oscillatory response solutions and vibrations-based systems identification. Also, their applications in systems and control extend to time–frequency representation and modeling, nonlinear systems linearization and model reduction, and control design and control law computation. There are serious efforts within systems and control theory to establish time–frequency and wavelets-based Frequency Response Functions (FRFs) parallel to the Fourier-based FRFs, which will pave the road for time-varying FRFs. Moreover, the natural similarity of wavelets to the representation of neural networks allows them to slip into neural-networks-based and fuzzy-neural-networks-based controllers. Additionally, wavelets have been considered for applications in feedforward and feedback control loops for computation, analysis, and synthesis of control laws.
Performing Betweener Autoethnographies Against Persistent Us/Them Essentializing
Authors: Diversi Marcelo , Moreira Claudio
Published: December 2015

How to write our history interlaced with the history of so many oppressed humans from so many singularities and shared universalities? We search for an autoethnography that is performative and transgressive in face of brutal inequalities, obvious injustice, and lame justifications by those with more privilege and power “to name the world.” We search for a form of being and writing that goes, without apologies, after the structures of power that shape and maintain such systems of oppression. We search in our autoethnography an alternative model of writing that exposes the breaks and cracks of our existence in neo-colonial times. We see betweener autoethnography as a way of being and writing ourselves into the history of resistance against oppression, injustice, and exclusion, one that starts from our common humanity in betweener identities. We write, here, a joint betweener autoethnography against essentialist representations in name of justice.
Methodological Drag
Authors: Nordstrom Susan Naomi , Happel-Parkins Alison
Published: December 2015

The authors, the only two qualitative research specialists in their college of education, discuss and analyze their performances in methodological drag. Drawing on Butler’s concepts of performativity and performance, methodological drag is a performance in which qualitative methodologists convincingly masquerade as situated within epistemological, theoretical, and methodological frameworks, even those that they may not situate themselves in personally or professionally. Depending on a particular power/discourse network and setting, methodologists perform the subject position differently. In this way, methodological drag as pedagogical performance becomes a strategy in which methodologists make themselves intelligible to themselves and others in various settings (e.g., teaching qualitative research classes, mentoring students, interacting with other faculty in committee meetings, and conducting their own research). In so doing, methodological drag enacts a strategic counter discourse to a stable conception of methodologist and, by extension, qualitative research pedagogy.
What Happened in Sandtown-Winchester? Understanding the Impacts of a Comprehensive Community Initiative
Authors: Rosenblatt Peter , DeLuca Stefanie
Published: December 2015

We use multiple longitudinal data sources and propensity score matching to assess the long-term outcomes of the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI) in the Sandtown-Winchester community of Baltimore. This comprehensive community initiative, implemented in the 1990s, remains one of the most well-known urban revitalization projects in the country, due to its significant funding (more than $100 million) and comprehensive approach to neighborhood redevelopment, including housing construction, education reform, and employment services. We find significant increases in homeownership and reductions in unemployment in Sandtown. However, there were limited gains elsewhere, as poverty remained high and local schools did not show sustained improvement. Our findings speak to the durability of social inequality in high-poverty and racially segregated neighborhoods, and underscore the need to further develop rigorous standards for research that evaluates community-level interventions.
Modern Orthopedic Inpatient Care of the Orthopedic Patient With Diabetic Foot Disease
Authors: Bateman Antony H. , Bradford Sara , Hester Thomas W. , Kubelka Igor , Tremlett Jennifer , Morris Victoria , Pendry Elizabeth , Kavarthapu Venu , Edmonds Michael E.
Published: December 2015

In this article, we describe emergency and elective pathways within our orthopedic multidisciplinary inpatient care of patients with diabetic foot problems. We performed a retrospective cohort review of 19 complex patients requiring orthopedic surgical treatment of infected ulceration or Charcot feet or deformity at our institution. A total of 30 admissions (19 emergency, 11 elective) were included. The pathways were coordinated by a multidisciplinary team and comprised initial assessment and investigation and a series of key events, which consisted of emergency and elective surgery together with the introduction, and change of intravenous antibiotics when indicated. Patients had rigorous microbiological assessment, in the form of deep ulcer swabs, operative tissue specimens, joint aspirates, and blood cultures according to their clinical presentation as well as close clinical and biochemical surveillance, which expedited the prompt institution of key events. Outcomes were assessed using amputation rates and patient satisfaction. In the emergency group, there were 5.6 ± 3.0 (mean ± SD) key events per admission, including 4.2 ± 2.1 antibiotic changes. In the elective group, there were 4.8 ± 1.4 key events per inpatient episode, with 3.7 ± 1.3 antibiotic changes. Overall, there were 3 minor amputations, and no major amputations. The podiatric and surgical tissue specimens showed a wide array of Gram-positive, Gram-negative, aerobic and anaerobic isolates and 15% of blood cultures showed bacteremia. When 9 podiatric specimens were compared with 9 contemporaneous surgical samples, there was concordance in 2 out of 9 pairs. We have described the successful modern care of the orthopedic diabetic foot patient, which involves close clinical, microbiological, and biochemical surveillance by the multidisciplinary team directing patients through emergency and elective pathways. This has enabled successful surgical intervention involving debridement, pressure relief, and stabilization, with low rates of amputation.
l-Arginine metabolism in cardiovascular and renal tissue from hyper- and hypothyroid rats
Authors: Rodríguez-Gómez Isabel , Moliz Juan N , Quesada Andrés , Montoro-Molina Sebastian , Vargas-Tendero Pablo , Osuna Antonio , Wangensteen Rosemary , Vargas Félix
Published: December 2015

This study assessed the effects of thyroid hormones on the enzymes involved in l-arginine metabolism and the metabolites generated by the different metabolic pathways. Compounds of l-arginine metabolism were measured in the kidney, heart, aorta, and liver of euthyroid, hyperthyroid, and hypothyroid rats after 6 weeks of treatment. Enzymes studied were NOS isoforms (neuronal [nNOS], inducible [iNOS], and endothelial [eNOS]), arginases I and II, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), ornithine aminotransferase (OAT), and l-arginine decarboxylase (ADC). Metabolites studied were l-arginine, l-citrulline, spermidine, spermine, and l-proline. Kidney heart and aorta levels of eNOS and iNOS were augmented and reduced ( P < 0.05, for each tissue and enzyme) in hyper- and hypothyroid rats, respectively. Arginase I abundance in aorta, heart, and kidney was increased ( P < 0.05, for each tissue) in hyperthyroid rats and was decreased in kidney and aorta of hypothyroid rats ( P < 0.05, for each tissue). Arginase II was augmented in aorta and kidney ( P < 0.05, for each tissue) of hyperthyroid rats and remained unchanged in all organs of hypothyroid rats. The substrate for these enzymes, l-arginine, was reduced ( P < 0.05, for all tissues) in hyperthyroid rats. Levels of ODC and spermidine, its product, were increased and decreased ( P < 0.05) in hyper- and hypothyroid rats, respectively, in all organs studied. OAT and proline levels were positively modulated by thyroid hormones in liver but not in the other tissues. ADC protein levels were positively modulated by thyroid hormones in all tissues. According to these findings, thyroid hormone treatment positively modulates different l-arginine metabolic pathways. The changes recorded in the abundance of eNOS, arginases I and II, and ADC protein in renal and cardiovascular tissues may play a role in the hemodynamic and renal manifestations observed in thyroid disorders. Furthermore, the changes in ODC and spermidine might contribute to the changes in cardiac and renal mass observed in thyroid disorders.
Overlapping irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease: less to this than meets the eye?
Authors: Quigley Eamonn M. M.
Published: December 2015

Though distinct in terms of pathology, natural history and therapeutic approach, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have some features in common. These include shared symptomatology and largely similar demographics. However, in most instances, clinical presentation, together with laboratory, imaging and endoscopic findings will readily permit the differentiation of active IBD from IBS. More problematic is the situation where a subject with IBD, in apparent remission, continues to complain of symptoms which, in aggregate, satisfy commonly employed criteria for the diagnosis of IBS. Access to methodologies, such the assay for levels of calprotectin in feces, now allows identification of ongoing inflammation in some such individuals and prompts appropriate therapy. More challenging is the IBD patient with persisting symptoms and no detectable evidence of inflammation; is this coincident IBS, IBS triggered by IBD or an even more subtle level of IBD activity unrecognized by available laboratory or imaging methods? Arguments can be advanced for each of these proposals; lacking definitive data, this issue remains unresolved. The occurrence of IBS-type symptoms in the IBD patient, together with some data suggesting a very subtle level of ‘inflammation‘ or ‘immune activation‘ in IBS, raises other questions: is IBS a prodromal form of IBD; and are IBS and IBD part of the spectrum of the same disease? All of the available evidence indicates that the answer to both these questions should be a resounding ‘no’. Indeed, the whole issue of overlap between IBS and IBD should be declared moot given their differing pathophysiologies, contrasting natural histories and divergent treatment paths. The limited symptom repertoire of the gastrointestinal tract may well be fundamental to the apparent confusion that has, of late, bedeviled this area.