bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutation in cardiac troponin T (R95H) attenuates length-dependent activation in guinea pig cardiac muscle fibers
Authors: Mickelson Alexis V. , Chandra Murali
Published: August 2017

The central region of cardiac troponin T (TnT) is important for modulating the dynamics of muscle length-mediated cross-bridge recruitment. Therefore, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutations in the central region may affect cross-bridge recruitment dynamics to alter myofilament Ca2+sensitivity and length-dependent activation of cardiac myofilaments. Given the importance of the central region of TnT for cardiac contractile dynamics, we studied if hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-linked mutation (TnTR94H)-induced effects on contractile function would be differently modulated by sarcomere length (SL). Recombinant wild-type TnT (TnTWT) and the guinea pig analog of the human R94H mutation (TnTR95H) were reconstituted into detergent-skinned cardiac muscle fibers from guinea pigs. Steady-state and dynamic contractile measurements were made at short and long SLs (1.9 and 2.3 µm, respectively). Our results demonstrated that TnTR95Hincreased pCa50(−log of free Ca2+concentration) to a greater extent at short SL; TnTR95Hincreased pCa50by 0.11 pCa units at short SL and 0.07 pCa units at long SL. The increase in pCa50associated with an increase in SL from 1.9 to 2.3 µm (ΔpCa50) was attenuated nearly twofold in TnTR95Hfibers; ΔpCa50was 0.09 pCa units for TnTWTfibers but only 0.05 pCa units for TnTR95Hfibers. The SL dependency of rate constants of cross-bridge distortion dynamics and tension redevelopment was also blunted by TnTR95H. Collectively, our observations on the SL dependency of pCa50and rate constants of cross-bridge distortion dynamics and tension redevelopment suggest that mechanisms underlying the length-dependent activation cardiac myofilaments are attenuated by TnTR95H.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Mutant cardiac troponin T (TnTR95H) differently affects myofilament Ca2+sensitivity at short and long sarcomere length, indicating that mechanisms underlying length-dependent activation are altered by TnTR95H. TnTR95Henhances myofilament Ca2+sensitivity to a greater extent at short sarcomere length, thus attenuating the length-dependent increase in myofilament Ca2+sensitivity.
Enhanced hemodynamic responses to angiotensin II in diabetes are associated with increased expression and activity of AT1 receptors in the afferent arteriole
Authors: Zhang Jie , Qu Helena Y. , Song Jiangping , Wei Jin , Jiang Shan , Wang Lei , Wang Liqing , Buggs Jacentha , Liu Ruisheng
Published: August 2017

The prevalence of hypertension is about twofold higher in diabetic than in nondiabetic subjects. Hypertension aggravates the progression of diabetic complications, especially diabetic nephropathy. However, the mechanisms for the development of hypertension in diabetes have not been elucidated. We hypothesized that enhanced constrictive responsiveness of renal afferent arterioles (Af-Art) to angiotensin II (ANG II) mediated by ANG II type 1 (AT1) receptors contributes to the development of hypertension in diabetes. In response to an acute bolus intravenous injection of ANG II, alloxan-induced diabetic mice exhibited a higher mean arterial pressure (MAP) (119.1 ± 3.8 vs. 106.2 ± 3.5 mmHg) and a lower renal blood flow (0.25 ± 0.07 vs. 0.52 ± 0.14 ml/min) compared with nondiabetic mice. In response to chronic ANG II infusion, the MAP measured with telemetry increased by 55.8 ± 6.5 mmHg in diabetic mice, but only by 32.3 ± 3.8 mmHg in nondiabetic mice. The mRNA level of AT1 receptor increased by ~10-fold in isolated Af-Art of diabetic mice compared with nondiabetic mice, whereas ANG II type 2 (AT2) receptor expression did not change. The ANG II dose-response curve of the Af-Art was significantly enhanced in diabetic mice. Moreover, the AT1 receptor antagonist, losartan, blocked the ANG II-induced vasoconstriction in both diabetic mice and nondiabetic mice. In conclusion, we found enhanced expression of the AT1 receptor and exaggerated response to ANG II of the Af-Art in diabetes, which may contribute to the increased prevalence of hypertension in diabetes.
A checklist of butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera) from Taleigao Plateau, Goa, India
Authors: Bowalkar Dipak , Michael Nadar Anal Gracy , Gaude Kiran , Pai I. K.
Published: August 2017

In a recent survey at the Taleigao plateau in Goa, a total of 98 species of butterflies belonging to 72 genera under five families were recorded.  This amounts to around 39% of the total reported butterfly fauna of the state. Nymphalidae with 34 species was the most dominant family followed by Lycaenidae (25 spp.), Hesperiidae (16 spp.), Pieridae (13 spp.), and Papilionidae (11 spp.).  Findings of the present study underline the importance of Taleigao plateau as a preferred habitat for butterflies.
Angiosperm diversity in Doaba region of Punjab, India
Authors: Kaur Kuljinder , Sidhu M.C. , Ahluwalia A.S.
Published: August 2017

The angiosperms diversity was studied in Doaba region of Punjab, India. A total of 464 species belonging to 337 genera and 99 families were recorded during this study. Of these, 88% are dicots and the remaining (12%) are monocots. The data contain wild, cultivated and ornamental species. Fabaceae is the most dominant family with 60 species followed by Asteraceae (33), Poaceae (29), Euphorbiaceae (20), Amaranthaceae (18), Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae (17 each). Amongst all the recorded species, 255 were herbs, 65 shrubs, 85 trees and 59 climbers. Six species have been added to the flora of Punjab. Present investigation has indicated that, Doaba region of Punjab has rich angiosperm diversity and need of the hour is its documentation and conservation.
A reassessment of the avian species diversity in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, after the Vernay Survey
Authors: David J. Patrick , Daniels R.J. Ranjit , Balasubramanian Vinoth
Published: August 2017

The Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu have been poorly surveyed for birds.  The best known bird survey in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu (EGTN) was by V.S. LaPersonne who carried out the the Surveys in Tamilnadu Eastern Ghats between 08th April, 1929 and 25th July 1929. This was reported by WHistler & Kinnear.  Thereafter information about birds in EGTN has come only from checklists published from time to time, by researchers, whose primary focus was not birds.  Hence, to fill this lacuna, a comprehensive survey of birds was undertaken in the EGTN from March 2012-–--February 2015.  The objectives of the study were to document the avian richness and abundance in EGTN, put them in perspective to the Vernay Survey conducted more than 80 years back, and identify priority sites for bird conservation.  The study covered the hills and forests of Tamil Nadu spanning nine districts.  In total, 262 species of birds were recorded during the survey.  Eight species of birds fall under the threatened category.  Species such as Square-tailed Bulbul Hypsipetes (lecocephalus) ganeesa, Rufous Woodpecker Micropternus brachyurus, Asian Fairy Bluebird Irena puella, and Malabar Whistling Thrush Myophonus horsfieldii still persist in the same old sites reported in the Vernay Survey.  The top five abundant species were the Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer, White-browed Bulbul Pycnonotus luteolus, Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus, Common Iora Aegithina tiphia, and Purple-rumped Sunbird Leptocoma zeylonica.  The Vaniyar riparian tract in the Shevroys, from its origins in the hills to the Vaniyar dam downstream, is a potential bird conservation site in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu.
A rare sighting of the Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Aves: Anseriformes: Anatidae) over a four-week period in northwestern India: first detailed scientific documentation in 73 years
Authors: Jamwal Pushpinder S. , Chandan Pankaj , Rattan Rohit
Published: August 2017

The Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis is a circumpolar species, breeding in North America, Europe and Asia, however, it is currently among the rarest ducks in Asia, and assessed as globally Vulnerable. Conservation actions explicitly include improved monitoring efforts in Asia.  We report the second sighting of this species at the Gharana Wetland Reserve the third in northwestern India, in over 73 years, and have carefully documented our findings over four weeks.
First records of Zinaspa todara distorta de Nicéville, 1887 and Arhopala rama ramosa Evans, 1925 (Lycaenidae: Theclinae) butterflies in Bangladesh
Authors: Khan Tania , Babu Mohammad Quamruzzaman , Hasan Mohammad Ashraf Ul , Shihan Tahsinur Rahman , Debbarma Prosenjit
Published: August 2017

Zinaspa todara distorta de Nicéville, 1887 and Arhopala rama ramosa Evans, 1925 were recorded during the field survey from March 2016 to August 2016.  A total of four individuals were recorded in the Adampur Forest and Satchari National Park of Sylhet Division in northeastern Bangladesh.  These are the first records of these subspecies from Bangladesh.
Additional record and conservation measures of Ceropegia odorata Nimmo ex J. Graham from Gujarat State, India
Authors: Patel S. K. , Punjani B. L. , Desai P. R. , Pandey V. B. , Chaudhary Y. S. , Joshi P. N.
Published: August 2017

Ceropegia odorata Nimmo ex J. Graham (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) a Critically Endangered plant species from India was recorded in Gujarat after about 45 years in Vijaynagar forest of Sabarkantha District (northern Gujarat).  It was first collected from Pavagadh in central Gujarat.  Long-term conservation and participatory approaches, details on macro- and micro-habitats, associated species, landscape level monitoring programs are suggested for the new recorded locality and hill ranges.
Costal and Auricular Cartilage Grafts for Nasal Reconstruction: An Anatomic Analysis
Authors: Ho Thuy-Van Tina , Cochran Thomas , Sykes Kevin J. , Humphrey Clinton D. , Kriet J. David
Published: August 2017

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to measure the length, width, and surface area of costal and auricular cartilage harvested for grafting in rhinoplasty and nasal reconstruction. We also compared the sizes of ear cartilage grafts harvested from the anterior and posterior approaches.

Methods:

Fifty-eight nasal reconstructive surgeries requiring rib or ear cartilage were performed by 2 facial plastic surgeons from February 2015 through January 2016. Among the 57 cases that met inclusion criteria, they comprised of 33 costal cartilage grafts and 24 auricular cartilage grafts (17 via anterior approach and 7 via posterior approach).

Results:

The mean length, width, and surface area for the auricular cartilage grafts were 3.39 cm, 1.22 cm, and 4.38 cm2, respectively. The mean length, width, and surface area of the costal cartilage grafts were 4.21 cm, 1.46 cm, and 17.87 cm2, respectively. The differences in length, width, and surface area between the anterior versus posterior approach groups were all statistically significant.

Conclusions:

In our study, ear cartilage grafts harvested from the posterior approach had significantly greater length, width, and surface area. While this analysis has several limitations, it sets quantitative norms for costal and auricular cartilage harvest that can aid in surgical planning.
The Governance of Digital Technology, Big Data, and the Internet: New Roles and Responsibilities for Business
Authors: Flyverbom Mikkel , Deibert Ronald , Matten Dirk
Published: August 2017

The importance of digital technologies for social and economic developments and a growing focus on data collection and privacy concerns have made the Internet a salient and visible issue in global politics. Recent developments have increased the awareness that the current approach of governments and business to the governance of the Internet and the adjacent technological spaces raises a host of ethical issues. The significance and challenges of the digital age have been further accentuated by a string of highly exposed cases of surveillance and a growing concern about issues of privacy and the power of this new industry. This special issue explores what some have referred to as the “Internet-industrial complex”—the intersections between business, states, and other actors in the shaping, development, and governance of the Internet.
High Aspirations Amidst Challenging Situations: Narratives of Six Vulnerable Primary School Children in Swaziland
Authors: Motsa Ncamsile Daphne , Morojele Pholoho Justice
Published: August 2017

Informed by social constructionism, this article explores the educational aspirations, fears and support mechanisms required to enhance the schooling experiences of vulnerable children in one rural school in Swaziland. It uses data from semi-structured interviews and photovoice based on a qualitative study of six vulnerable children, aged between 11 and 15 years. Vulnerable children viewed education as a vehicle for their aspired better adult life. These children held anxieties regarding anticipated lack of support to complete further education. Support mechanisms included the need for the community and teachers to assist with basic survival necessities like candles, clothing, and general parental guidance.
Effectiveness of a Training Program to Enhance Clinical Supervision of State Vocational Rehabilitation Personnel
Authors: Herbert James T. , Schultz Jared C. , Lei Puiwa , Aydemir-Döke Deniz
Published: August 2017

A training program to improve clinical supervision behavior, knowledge, self-efficacy, and working alliance among state vocational rehabilitation supervisors (SVRS) was studied. SVRS ( n = 180) were randomly assigned to either the control or experimental group. To further validate training effectiveness, counselors ( n = 350) who were assigned to both groups of supervisors also completed parallel outcome measures evaluating their supervisors’ performance. Results indicate differential impact when comparing changes across baseline, Posttest 1 (approximately 6 weeks after baseline), and Posttest 2 data collection (approximately 6 months after baseline) between both supervisory groups. Specifically, in comparison with the control group, supervisors who received the training reported greater changes at Posttest 1 regarding time spent in individual supervision, frequency, and time devoted to group supervision as well as perceived value in providing clinical supervision. Posttest 2 evaluation between groups noted differences in clinical supervision knowledge and behavior, frequency of individual supervision sessions, and time spent in group supervision. In contrast, counselors assigned to one of the supervisory groups reported few differences in parallel outcome measures. Although the intervention provided some support for its effectiveness for supervisors, further modifications are needed before a valid training model exists for rehabilitation counseling.
Nurses’ Burnout: The Influence of Leader Empowering Behaviors, Work Conditions, and Demographic Traits
Authors: Mudallal Rola H. , Othman Wafa’a M. , Al Hassan Nahid F.
Published: August 2017

Nurse burnout is a widespread phenomenon characterized by a reduction in nurses’ energy that manifests in emotional exhaustion, lack of motivation, and feelings of frustration and may lead to reductions in work efficacy. This study was conducted to assess the level of burnout among Jordanian nurses and to investigate the influence of leader empowering behaviors (LEBs) on nurses’ feelings of burnout in an endeavor to improve nursing work outcomes. A cross-sectional and correlational design was used. Leader Empowering Behaviors Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were employed to collect data from 407 registered nurses, recruited from 11 hospitals in Jordan. The Jordanian nurses exhibited high levels of burnout as demonstrated by their high scores for Emotional Exhaustion (EE) and Depersonalization (DP) and moderate scores for Personal Accomplishment (PA). Factors related to work conditions, nurses’ demographic traits, and LEBs were significantly correlated with the burnout categories. A stepwise regression model–exposed 4 factors predicted EE: hospital type, nurses’ work shift, providing autonomy, and fostering participation in decision making. Gender, fostering participation in decision making, and department type were responsible for 5.9% of the DP variance, whereas facilitating goal attainment and nursing experience accounted for 8.3% of the PA variance. This study highlights the importance of the role of nurse leaders in improving work conditions and empowering and motivating nurses to decrease nurses’ feelings of burnout, reduce turnover rates, and improve the quality of nursing care.
A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Parents With an Adult Child Who Has a Severe Disease: Existential Questions Will Be Raised
Authors: Benkel Inger , Molander Ulla
Published: August 2017

A prominent existential concept is that elderly parents should naturally become severely ill or die before a younger person does. If the reverse should happen, it may influence the parent’s existential view of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the existential issues during illness time. This was a qualitative study with in-depth interviews and was conducted in a University Hospital in western Sweden. Eleven parents agreed to participate in individual interviews at baseline and 1 year later. The total number of interviews completed was 19. The study identified 5 areas according to an existential perspective: life took the wrong path, the age of the child, difficult to see the child as sick, worrying about the child, and the relationship with the adult child. Existential questions are often present in those circumstances and can be raised in conversations with parents. Existential questions began to arise for the parent when the child was diagnosed with the severe illness. The situation of having a severely ill child caused both fear and anxiety that the worst-case scenario they could imagine, that the child will die, might happen. Further research is required on this rarely investigated subject of having an adult child with a severe disease.
Union Business Leave Practices in Large U.S. Municipalities: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Reilly Thom , Singla Akheil
Published: August 2017

This article examines union business leave (UBL) or official time practices among the 77 largest municipalities in the United States. Specifically, it evaluates UBL practices as articulated in 231 collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) of police, firefighter, and nonsafety public employee unions. Results indicate that UBL is prevalent as 72% of unions receive some kind of UBL, most frequently paid leave financed by the city or through cost-sharing arrangements. Empirical findings suggest these practices are driven by political factors, and that resource constraints or the state or regional-level environment are nonsignificant. The article discusses these results and offers a series of policy recommendations.
Assessing Global Learning in Short-term Study Abroad: Population, Environment, and Society in Shanghai
Authors: Core Rachel S.
Published: August 2017

This teaching note suggests that a short-term study abroad program embedded within a longer course can be a tool for enhancing global learning. The work uses the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Global Learning VALUE rubric to evaluate student work from a spring break seminar to Shanghai, China. The seminar was embedded in a semester-long course examining the connections between demographic, environmental, and social change. After exploring the overlap between two dimensions of global learning and the sociological imagination, I describe the semester-long class and the Shanghai seminar. I then use the perspective taking dimension of the rubric to evaluate student work on China’s aging population and the personal and social responsibility dimension to examine student work on consumption. I conclude with suggestions for deepening global learning that might be employed in other classrooms.
New Careers for the Poor: Human Services and the Post-Industrial City
Authors: Dunning Claire
Published: August 2017

In the 1960s, a new and popular theory of “new careers” proposed to address urban poverty and deindustrialization by growing the human services sector and hiring so-called nonprofessional workers to aid the delivery of those services. This strategy gained traction in social scientific, philanthropic, and bureaucratic circles and shaped Great Society legislation, which allocated federal grants to create entry-level jobs and professionalizing career ladders in the fields of health, education, and welfare. The implementation of this strategy had consequences for the human service organizations that received federal funds, as well as for the people hired into the new positions. Instead of building ladders to professional employment, efforts produced dead-end positions that left the predominantly African American women hired as aides in poverty. Even as the new careers experiment helped usher in a post-industrial economy, it reinforced the stratification of the labor market along lines of race, gender, and credentials.
Self-Regulation of Weight After Sleeve Gastrectomy
Authors: Madeira Teresa , do Carmo Isabel , Bicha Castelo Henrique , Santos Osvaldo
Published: August 2017

Bariatric surgery is recognized as the most effective method for achieving relevant weight loss in subjects with severe obesity. However, there is insufficient knowledge about weight self-regulation and quality of motivation in these patients. The main goal of this study was to characterize the association between the percentage of excess weight loss (%EWL) and the motivation to manage weight, at least 1 year after sleeve gastrectomy (SG). This is an observational longitudinal retrospective study. All patients corresponding to predefined inclusion criteria who underwent SG from January 2008 to July 2010 at a main general hospital were invited. A version of the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (TSRQ) was used to assess patients’ quality of motivation: TSRQ concerning continuing the weight self-management program. Clinical data were collected from patients’ records. Overall, 81 patients participated (16 men and 65 women, 25-64 years old). The average body mass index was significantly reduced from 45.3 ± 7.0 kg/m2 preoperatively to 32.7 ± 6.9 kg/m2 postoperatively. Autonomous self-regulation was higher than externally controlled self-regulation, regarding motives to keep managing weight after SG. Postoperatively, %EWL correlated negatively with external self-regulation. SG was found to be associated with the quality of motivation for losing weight. External motivations were associated with worse results. These findings support the importance of multiprofessional teams in the assessment and treatment of patients, aiming for the promotion of weight self-regulation after bariatric surgery.
Using Automatic Item Generation to Create Solutions and Rationales for Computerized Formative Testing
Authors: Gierl Mark J. , Lai Hollis
Published: August 2017

Computerized testing provides many benefits to support formative assessment. However, the advent of computerized formative testing has also raised formidable new challenges, particularly in the area of item development. Large numbers of diverse, high-quality test items are required because items are continuously administered to students. Hence, hundreds of items are needed to develop the banks necessary for computerized formative testing. One promising approach that may be used to address this test development challenge is automatic item generation. Automatic item generation is a relatively new but rapidly evolving research area where cognitive and psychometric modeling practices are used to produce items with the aid of computer technology. The purpose of this study is to describe a new method for generating both the items and the rationales required to solve the items to produce the required feedback for computerized formative testing. The method for rationale generation is demonstrated and evaluated in the medical education domain.
‘I get up in the night to cry’: The impact of homelessness on higher education students in London, UK
Authors: Mulrenan Patrick , Atkins Julia , Cox Simon
Published: August 2017

While the higher education landscape has changed radically since the late 1980s, a consistent feature of government policy has been to widen participation to students who were disproportionately excluded previously. Post-1992 universities in particular have experienced a substantial change in their student intake, but challenges remain in ensuring the retention and success of these students. This article argues that student homelessness is a significant and an under-researched barrier to students reaching their potential. The problem is explored here, illuminated by a focus group and a series of interviews involving 16 students from one school at a London post-1992 university. The impact of homelessness was far-reaching in terms of their emotional wellbeing and ability to fully participate in university life, including pressure on time and financial resources, inability to fully focus on studies, and limited engagement with fellow students and the wider university experience.
Rethinking Double Jeopardy: Differences in the Gender Disadvantage between Organizational Insiders and Outsiders in Korea
Authors: Kim Young-Mi
Published: August 2017

This study examines the distinctive patterns of gender inequality in the primary and secondary labor markets in Korea. Previous studies that analyzed multiple disadvantages in the labor market tended to focus on comparing the gender wage gap between groups. By failing to distinguish the gender gap from discrimination, these studies often underestimate the severe within-job discrimination that women in minority positions experience. Using the wage gap decomposition method, this study analyzes the gender wage gap according to separate labor market positions. The results indicate that the size of the gender wage gap is greater in the primary labor market than in the secondary market, but that a sizable amount of the gap in the primary market can be explained by demographic differences between male and female workers. In the secondary labor market, the gender wage gap is relatively small, but mostly caused by within-job wage discrimination against women. The divergent pattern of gender inequality—large gap-small discrimination among organizational insiders and small gap-large discrimination between organizational outsiders—shows how the segmented labor market provides a structural condition to create the complexity of gender inequality, in which women experience different forms of disadvantage depending on their positions in the labor market.
Life Course Pathways From Adverse Childhood Experiences to Adult Physical Health: A Structural Equation Model
Authors: Nurius Paula S. , Fleming Christopher M. , Brindle Eleanor
Published: August 2017

Objective: This study examines pathways from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to physical health, directly and indirectly through lower income, health risk behaviors, social support, and adult adversity within a theoretical framework postulating stress proliferative and biological trajectories of cumulative adversity. Method: Data were obtained from 12,549 adult respondents of a state Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Multigroup structural equation modeling elucidated pathways differentiated by sex and age (older/younger than 45). Results: Good model fit was achieved in each test, indicating consistency with stress theorizing that ACEs significantly contribute to poorer physical health through direct and mediated paths. Younger adults evidenced direct ACE pathway to poor health suggesting early biological erosion, whereas paucity of social support among older adults was directly associated. Discussion: Findings indicate that stress process roles in eroding physical health and experience of wellness. Addressing early adversity is an important strategy toward reducing preventable health problems.
Scientists’ views about communication objectives
Authors: Besley John C. , Dudo Anthony , Yuan Shupei
Published: August 2017

This study looks at how United States–based academic scientists from five professional scientific societies think about eight different communication objectives. The degree to which scientists say they would prioritize these objectives in the context of face-to-face public engagement is statistically predicted using the scientists’ attitudes, normative beliefs, and efficacy beliefs, as well as demographics and past communication activity, training, and past thinking about the objectives. The data allow for questions about the degree to which such variables consistently predict views about objectives. The research is placed in the context of assessing factors that communication trainers might seek to reshape if they wanted get scientists to consider choosing specific communication objectives.
Micromechanics determination of effective material coefficients of cement-based piezoelectric ceramic composites
Authors: Saputra Albert Artha , Sladek Vladimir , Sladek Jan , Song Chongmin
Published: August 2017

Determination of effective composite properties for a real distribution of piezoelectric particles in cement matrix is considered using a representative volume element. The scaled boundary finite element method is proposed to analyse cement-based piezoelectric ceramic composites. Quadtree hierarchical meshing structure is utilized to provide a mesh that captures the material variation in the representative volume element effectively based on the colour of the piezoelectric composite’s image. Analyses with carefully selected boundary conditions are performed to obtain the effective material properties of various samples.
Operational space control of a lightweight robotic arm actuated by shape memory alloy wires: A comparative study
Authors: Quintanar-Guzmán Serket , Kannan Somasundar , Aguilera-González Adriana , Olivares-Mendez Miguel A. , Voos Holger
Published: August 2017

This article presents the design and control of a two-link lightweight robotic arm using shape memory alloy wires as actuators. Both a single-wire actuated system and an antagonistic configuration system are tested in open and closed loops. The mathematical model of the shape memory alloy wire, as well as the kinematics and dynamics of the robotic arm, are presented. The operational space control of the robotic arm is performed using a joint space control in the inner loop and closed-loop inverse kinematics in the outer loop. In order to choose the best joint space control approach, a comparative study of four different control approaches (proportional derivative, sliding mode, adaptive, and adaptive sliding mode control) is carried out for the proposed model. From this comparative analysis, the adaptive controller was chosen to perform operational space control. This control helps us to perform accurate positioning of the end-effector of shape memory alloy wire–based robotic arm. The complete operational space control was successfully tested through simulation studies performing position reference tracking in the end-effector space. Through simulation studies, the proposed control solution is successfully verified to control the hysteretic robotic arm.
Breaking Boundaries: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Provider Framing of Preventive Care
Authors: Agarwal Vinita
Published: August 2017

This textual examination extends understandings of how complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers constitute preventive care in their discourse by identifying the frame of breaking boundaries referencing relational, structural, and philosophical orientations in their practice with their clients. Analysis of semistructured, in-depth interviews with CAM providers ( n = 17) reveals that the frame of breaking boundaries was comprised of three themes: finding one’s own strength; I don’t prescribe, so I’m exploring; and ground yourself, and have an escape route. The themes describe preventive care by identifying how CAM providers negotiate their relational positionality in connecting with clients, structural positionality within the field of health care, and philosophical positionality within the ontological understandings that guide how health is defined and conceptualized. The study contributes toward enhancing diverse understandings of constituting preventive care in practice and suggests pragmatic implications for addressing biomedical provider communication with their patients seeking CAM care alongside conventional treatments.
Management Education and Transformational Learning: The Integration of Mindfulness in an MBA Course
Authors: Kuechler William , Stedham Yvonne
Published: August 2017

Most management classes are taught by modified traditional techniques in which the acquisition of facts and rote skills is primary. However, traditional pedagogies fall short when the desired result is not inculcating knowledge about a subject, but rather constructively altering worldviews and behaviors. Leadership, ethics, strategic management, and communications are some of the subjects for which worldview change is imperative and traditional, knowledge-inculcating pedagogies are inadequate. The type of cognitive restructuring required for deep understanding of these subjects is termed transformational learning. This article presents an instructional innovation in which transformational learning is facilitated by incorporating mindfulness practice into an MBA course. Specifically, we suggest that mindfulness increases learners’ awareness of their own and others’ perspectives and decreases resistance to novel ways of seeing and doing things. This increases the likelihood that transformational learning will occur. We evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness practice in inducing transformational learning in the course.
Vancomycin Prophylaxis for Prevention of Clostridium difficile Infection Recurrence in Renal Transplant Patients
Authors: Splinter Lindsey E. , Kerstenetzky Luiza , Jorgenson Margaret R. , Descourouez Jillian L. , Leverson Glen E. , Saddler Christopher M. , Smith Jeannina A. , Safdar Nasia , Redfield Robert R.
Published: August 2017

Background: Incidence of primary and recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is higher in solid-organ transplant recipients than in the average hospitalized patient. Strategies for preventing recurrent CDI are limited. Prophylaxis with oral vancomycin (VPPx) for preventing recurrent CDI may be beneficial, but there is limited evidence supporting its use. Objective: To examine the impact of VPPx (125 mg twice daily) for the prevention of recurrent CDI in renal transplant recipients (RTX) receiving high-risk broad spectrum antibiotics (BSAs). Methods: Adult RTX with history of CDI, hospitalized with receipt of BSAs during a unit-specific CDI outbreak period—January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2015—were divided into 2 matched cohorts: patients who received VPPx concomitantly with BSAs and patients who did not. The primary objective was incidence of CDI recurrence, defined as CDI occurring ≤30 days after receipt of BSAs but ≥48 hours after beginning VPPx. Univariate analysis was performed. Results: Baseline characteristics were similar; however, the VPPx group had more severe primary CDI and were receiving BSAs for more severe infections. There were no cases of CDI recurrence in the VPPx group (0% [0/12] vs 8% [2/24], P = 0.54). Conclusion: Although sufficient power was not obtained to detect statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups, a 0% incidence of recurrent CDI while receiving VPPx in this high-risk patient population is compelling because it pertains to the avoidance of CDI-related morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients. Future prospective studies are needed to better evaluate the impact of this preventive strategy.
High-Dose Acyclovir for Cytomegalovirus Prophylaxis in Seropositive Abdominal Transplant Recipients
Authors: Jorgenson Margaret R. , Descourouez Jillian L. , Leverson Glen E. , McCreary Erin K. , Lucey Michael R. , Smith Jeannina A. , Redfield Robert R.
Published: August 2017

Background: Following abdominal solid organ transplant (aSOT), valganciclovir (VGC) is recommended for cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis. This agent is associated with efficacy concerns, toxicity, and emergence of ganciclovir resistance. Objective: To evaluate the incidence of high-dose acyclovir (HD-A) prophylaxis failure in seropositive aSOT recipients (R+). Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center study of R+ transplanted without lymphocyte-depleting induction between January 1, 2000, and June 30, 2013, discharged with 3 months of HD-A prophylaxis (800 mg 4 times daily). The primary outcome was incidence of prophylaxis failure. Secondary outcomes were incidence of biopsy-proven tissue-invasive disease and prophylaxis failure for each allograft subgroup. Results: A total of 1525 patients met inclusion criteria: 944 renal (RTX), 108 simultaneous pancreas-kidneys (SPK), 462 liver (LTX), and 11 pancreas (PTX) transplant recipients. The composite rate of HD-A prophylaxis failure was 7%; incidence of tissue-invasive disease was 0.4%. Failure rates were 4.5%, 6.1%, 11%, and 20% in the RTX, SPK, LTX, and PTX populations, respectively; tissue-invasive disease rates were 0.2%, 0%, 0.7%, and 10%. Failure occurred more frequently in the LTX and PTX populations ( P < 0.0001, HR = 2.6; P = 0.04 HR = 4.4). Incidence of tissue-invasive disease was minimal and not different in the RTX, LTX and SPK populations ( P = 0.34). When evaluating recipients of seronegative allografts (D−), the composite failure rate was 3.4% with no significant difference between allograft subgroups ( P = 0.45). Conclusion: HD-A may be a reasonable prophylaxis alternative for D−/R+ recipients, in the absence of lymphocyte-depleting induction, if low incidence viremia is tolerable. Future studies are needed to determine the long-term impact of CMV viremia in the setting of this prophylaxis approach.
Presidential Leadership, the News Media, and Income Inequality
Authors: Eshbaugh-Soha Matthew , McGauvran Ronald J.
Published: August 2017

Most research on media in the post-broadcast age of politics focuses on how media affect the public, not on the interinstitutional relationships between the presidency and news media. This study tackles this important topic by studying news coverage of and presidential attention to the issue of income inequality. We use web scraping and text analysis software to build a dataset of weekly news coverage from 1999 through 2013, across traditional and nontraditional media, including newspapers, broadcast and cable television transcripts, and online news websites. The data show that presidential attention to income inequality influences the income inequality news agenda across all sources except network television and affects the tone of newspaper coverage. Presidential influence of tone is especially pronounced on income inequality issues that have an international focus. The implications of this paper are significant not only for understanding how media and the presidency interact in the post-broadcast age but also for the prospects for federal policies that may combat income inequality.
The thermoelastic contact problem for wavy surfaces with a heat-conducting medium in interface gaps
Authors: Chumak Kostyantyn
Published: August 2017

This paper presents a study on the thermoelastic contact between a wavy surface and a flat surface in the presence of a heat-conducting interstitial medium in interface gaps. The influence of applied mechanical and thermal loads on the deformation of the gaps is taken into account. The contact problem is reduced to a system of singular integro-differential equations for a temperature jump across the gaps and the height of the gaps. Solutions are obtained for the cases of thermoinsulated and heat-conducting gaps. It is shown that, in contrast to the thermoinsulated gap model, the use of the heat-conducting gap model makes it possible to construct a physically correct solution of the contact problem. It is revealed that the wavy interface with heat-conducting gaps exhibits thermal rectification. The effects of the medium’s thermal conductivity, the pressure and heat flow magnitudes and the waviness amplitude on the effective thermal contact resistance and the level of thermal rectification are analysed.
Language learner autonomy in a tertiary context: Teachers’ beliefs and practices
Authors: Borg Simon , Alshumaimeri Yousif
Published: August 2017

This questionnaire study examined the beliefs, practices and constraints related to learner autonomy reported by 359 teachers (mainly expatriate) working on an English Preparatory Year Programme (PYP) at a university in Saudi Arabia. The teachers associated learner autonomy primarily with notions of independence and control and saw it as the ability and motivation to complete tasks, individually and/or collaboratively, in and/or outside the classroom, and with no/little teacher involvement. They believed that promoting learner autonomy was a desirable goal and described how they tried to achieve this goal in their teaching. Most were, however, less positive about the feasibility of promoting learner autonomy and explained this in relation to curricular, societal and, above all, learner factors (such as lack of motivation and independence and low proficiency in English). In discussing these findings, several avenues for further research are identified and through which teachers’ conceptualizations of learner autonomy can be understood using mixed methods research and with reference to a range of socio-cultural, intercultural, professional, occupational and institutional forces.
Language as a determinant of participation rates in Finnish health examination surveys
Authors: Tolonen Hanna , Koponen Päivikki , Borodulin Katja , Männistö Satu , Peltonen Markku , Vartiainen Erkki
Published: August 2017

Aim: A high participation rate is considered as a prerequisite for representative survey results, especially when it is known that non-participation is selective. In many countries migration is increasing and the proportion of people speaking other language(s) than the official language(s) of the country is also increasing. How does this affect survey participation rates? Methods: Data from four cross-sectional health examination surveys (the FINRISK Study) were used to evaluate the effect of the registered mother tongue to participation in the survey. Results: Finland has two official languages (Finnish and Swedish). Between 1997 and 2012, the proportion of the population with some other language as their registered mother tongue has increased significantly. Participation rates in the health surveys have been highest among the Finnish language group (68% in men in 1997 and 76% in women in 1997), while lowest among the foreign language group (43% in men in 1997 and 57% in women in 1997). In 2012, the participation rates had declined in all language groups: for men, 58%, 62% and 41% for Finnish, Swedish and foreign groups respectively, and for women 68%, 75% and 56%. Conclusions: The participation rate for the foreign language group was significantly lower than for the Finnish and Swedish groups. In future surveys it will be important to include actions to promote participation, e.g. providing survey material in several languages. These actions will increase costs but will be essential to ensure high participation rates and reliable results for the total population.
Austerity and the new age of population health?
Authors: Green Mark A.
Published: August 2017

The Great Recession of 2007–2008 saw the largest period of economic downturn since the Second World War or the Great Depression of the 1930s. Recessions, however, tend not to have a significant impact on population health. Rather it is how society and governments respond to a recession that has a larger impact on their populations. The dominant political response to the Great Recession was the introduction of austerity programmes aimed at reducing the size of the state. In this Commentary, I briefly review the state of evidence on the changes in population health during austerity. Although the negative impact of austerity on overall population health has been well documented across Europe, there remains a paucity of evidence on within-country differences in health. The slowing down of improvements in life expectancy, correlated to the level of austerity, raises uncomfortable questions as to whether we are beginning to transition from the era of consistently improving population health to a new age characterised by an instability in population health largely dictated by the social and political determinants of health.
PROMsBase: Web-based repository portal for patient-reported outcome measures in orthopaedics
Authors: Tirosh Oren , Tran Phong , Renouf Jesse , Pergaminelis Nicholas , Purdie Christa Noelle , Ho Andy , Gibbens Amy
Published: August 2017

Patient-reported outcome measures lead to better communication and decision-making between clinicians and patients. Applying a web-based repository system for data collection was previously suggested, but such system is not available. This article introduces the development and implementation of a new web-based application, PROMsBase, in orthopaedics clinical practice. PROMsBase was developed using a web interface, allows access using both desktop and mobile devices. Between 2013 and 2016, a total of 3192 pre-surgery questionnaires were collected. In total, 238 patients completed their post-surgery questionnaire online from home. PROMsBase was well embedded into routine practice without disrupting clinical workflow and overloading clinicians’ and researchers’ workload. Tablets were not more useful and only 37 per cent of the patients completed the questionnaire online. PROMsBase provided a platform to easily collect and store data in clinical practice. If properly integrated, this could promote better care and communication between providers and patients.
Local and Extensive Neuroplasticity in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Resting-State fMRI Study
Authors: Lu Ye-Chen , Zhang Han , Zheng Mou-Xiong , Hua Xu-Yun , Qiu Yan-Qun , Shen Yun-Dong , Jiang Su , Xu Jian-Guang , Gu Yu-Dong , Xu Wen-Dong
Published: August 2017

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a most common peripheral nerve entrapment neuropathy characterized by sensorimotor deficits in median nerve innervated digits. Block-design task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have been used to investigate CTS-related neuroplasticity in the primary somatosensory cortices. However, considering the persistence of digital paresthesia syndrome caused by median nerve entrapment, spontaneous neuronal activity might provide a better understanding of CTS-related neuroplasticity, which remains unexplored. The present study aimed to investigate both local and extensive spontaneous neuronal activities with resting-state fMRI. A total of 28 bilateral CTS patients and 24 normal controls were recruited, and metrics, including amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and voxel-wise functional connectivity (FC), were used to explore synaptic activity at different spatial scales. Correlations with clinical measures were further investigated by linear regression. Decreased amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuation were observed in the bilateral primary sensory cortex (SI) and secondary sensory cortex (SII) in CTS patients (AlphaSim corrected P < .05). This was found to be negatively related to the sensory thresholds of corresponding median nerve innervated fingers. In the voxel-wise FC analysis, with predefined seed regions of interest in the bilateral SI and primary motor cortex, we observed decreased interhemispheric and increased intrahemispheric FC. Additionally, both interhemispheric and intrahemispheric FC were found to be significantly correlated with the mean ALFF.