bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examination of Gravity Waves Associated with the 13 March 2003 Bow Echo
Authors: Adams-Selin Rebecca D. , Johnson Richard H.
Published: May 2013

Numerical simulations of the 13 March 2003 bow echo over Oklahoma are used to evaluate bow echo development and its relationship with gravity wave generation. Multiple fast-moving (with speeds of 30–35 m s−1) gravity waves are generated in association with fluctuations in the first vertical mode of heating in the convective line. The surface impacts of four such waves are observed in Oklahoma Mesonet data during this case. Observations of surface pressure surges ahead of convective lines prior to the bowing process are reproduced; a slower gravity wave produced in the simulation is responsible for a prebowing pressure surge. This slower gravity wave, moving at approximately 11 m s−1, is generated by an increase in low-level microphysical cooling associated with an increase in rear-to-front flow and low-level downdrafts shortly before bowing. The wave moves ahead of the convective line and is manifested at the surface by a positive pressure surge. The pattern of low-level vertical motion associated with this wave, in conjunction with higher-frequency gravity waves generated by multicellularity of the convective line, increases the immediate presystem CAPE by approximately 250 J kg−1 just ahead of the bowing segment of the convective line. Increased presystem CAPE aids convective updraft strength in that segment despite amplified updraft tilt due to a stronger cold pool and surface-based rear-to-front flow, compared to updraft strength in other, nonbowing segments of the convective line.
Polysomnographic Study of the Prevalence of Sleep Bruxism in a Population Sample
Authors: Maluly M. , Andersen M.L. , Dal-Fabbro C. , Garbuio S. , Bittencourt L. , de Siqueira J.T.T. , Tufik S.
Published: May 2013

The goal of the current study was to estimate the prevalence of sleep bruxism (SB) in the general population using a representative sample of 1,042 individuals who answered questionnaires and underwent polysomnography (PSG) examinations. After PSG, the individuals were classified into 3 groups: absence of SB, low-frequency SB, and high-frequency SB. The results indicated that the prevalence of SB, indicated by questionnaires and confirmed by PSG, was 5.5%. With PSG used exclusively as the criterion for diagnosis, the prevalence was 7.4% regardless of SB self-reported complaints. With questionnaires alone, the prevalence was 12.5%. Of the 5.5% (n = 56) with confirmed SB, 26 were classified as low-frequency SB, and 30 as high-frequency. The episodes of SB were more frequent in stage 2 sleep, and the phasic bruxism events were more frequent than tonic or mixed events in all sleep stages in individuals with SB. A positive association was observed between SB and insomnia, higher degree of schooling, and a normal/overweight body mass index (BMI). These findings demonstrate the prevalence of SB in a population sampled by PSG, the gold standard methodology in the investigation of sleep disorders, combined with validated questionnaires (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00596713).
Computerized Dental Injection Fear Treatment
Authors: Heaton L.J. , Leroux B.G. , Ruff P.A. , Coldwell S.E.
Published: May 2013

One in four adults reports a clinically significant fear of dental injections, leading many to avoid dental care. While systematic desensitization is the most common therapeutic method for treating specific phobias such as fear of dental injections, lack of access to trained therapists, as well as dentists’ lack of training and time in providing such a therapy, means that most fearful individuals are not able to receive the therapy needed to be able to receive necessary dental treatment. Computer Assisted Relaxation Learning (CARL) is a self-paced computerized treatment based on systematic desensitization for dental injection fear. This multicenter, block-randomized, dentist-blind, parallel-group study conducted in 8 sites in the United States compared CARL with an informational pamphlet in reducing fear of dental injections. Participants completing CARL reported significantly greater reduction in self-reported general and injection-specific dental anxiety measures compared with control individuals ( p < .001). Twice as many CARL participants (35.3%) as controls (17.6%) opted to receive a dental injection after the intervention, although this was not statistically significant. CARL, therefore, led to significant changes in self-reported fear in study participants, but no significant differences in the proportion of participants having a dental injection (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00609648).
Cluster-randomized Trial of Infant Nutrition Training for Caries Prevention
Authors: Chaffee B.W. , Feldens C.A. , Vítolo M.R.
Published: May 2013

The objective of this study was to estimate the caries impact of providing training in infant feeding guidelines to workers at Brazilian public primary care clinics. In a cluster-randomized controlled trial (n = 20 clinics), health care workers either were trained in guidelines for infant nutrition, stressing healthful complementary feeding, or were assigned to a ‘usual practices’ control, which allowed for maternal counseling at practitioner discretion. Training occurred once; the amount of counseling provided to mothers was not assessed. Eligible pregnant women were enrolled to follow health outcomes in their children. Early childhood caries (ECC) was measured at age three years (n = 458 children). The overall reductions in ECC (relative risk, 0.92; 95%CI, 0.75, 1.12) and severe ECC (RR, 0.87; 95%CI, 0.64, 1.19) were not statistically significant. There was a protective effect among mothers who remained exclusively at the same health center (S-ECC RR, 0.68; 95%CI, 0.47, 0.99) and among those naming the health center as their principal source of feeding advice (S-ECC RR, 0.53; 95%CI, 0.29, 0.97). Health care worker training did not yield a statistically significant reduction in caries overall, although caries was reduced among children of mothers more connected to their health centers (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00635453).
Dental Therapists
Authors: Phillips E. , Shaefer H.L.
Published: May 2013

Dental therapists are members of the dental team in many countries, where they perform a limited number of irreversible restorative procedures. In the United States, they practice only in Alaska and Minnesota, though other states are considering adding them in an effort to improve access to care. While critics of this workforce model cite concern for patient safety, proponents argue that dental therapists provide treatment that is as technically competent as that provided by dentists. Though nearly 2 dozen studies from industrialized countries address this subject, this article systematically reviews all 23 of them. Of these reports, all but 2 conclude that dental therapists perform at an acceptable level. Every study that directly compared the work of dental therapists with that of dentists found that they performed at least as well. Regardless of whether dental therapists would be the most effective intervention for improving access to oral health care in the United States, the evidence clearly suggests dental therapists are clinically competent to safely perform the limited set of procedures that falls within their scope of practice.
Caregivers’ Health Literacy and Their Young Children’s Oral-health–related Expenditures
Authors: Vann W.F. , Divaris K. , Gizlice Z. , Baker A.D. , Lee J.Y.
Published: May 2013

Caregivers’ health literacy has emerged as an important determinant of young children’s health care and outcomes. We examined the hypothesis that caregivers’ health literacy influences children’s oral-health-care–related expenditures. This was a prospective cohort study of 1,132 child/caregiver dyads (children’s mean age = 19 months), participating in the Carolina Oral Health Literacy Project. Health literacy was measured by the REALD-30 (word recognition based) and NVS (comprehension based) instruments. Follow-up data included child Medicaid claims for CY2008-10. We quantified expenditures using annualized 2010 fee-adjusted Medicaid-paid dollars for oral-health–related visits involving preventive, restorative, and emergency care. We used descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate statistical methods based on generalized gamma models. Mean oral-health–related annual expenditures totaled $203: preventive—$81, restorative—$99, and emergency care—$22. Among children who received services, mean expenditures were: emergency hospital-based—$1282, preventive—$106, and restorative care—$343. Caregivers’ low literacy in the oral health context was associated with a statistically non-significant increase in total expenditures (average annual difference = $40; 95% confidence interval, -32, 111). Nevertheless, with both instruments, emergency dental care expenditures were consistently elevated among children of low-literacy caregivers. These findings provide initial support for health literacy as an important determinant of the meaningful use and cost of oral health care.
Patient Risk Factors’ Influence on Survival of Posterior Composites
Authors: van de Sande F.H. , Opdam N.J. , Da Rosa Rodolpho P.A. , Correa M.B. , Demarco F.F. , Cenci M.S.
Published: May 2013

This practice-based retrospective study evaluated the survival of resin composite restorations in posterior teeth, focusing on the influence of potential patient risk factors. In total, 306 posterior composite restorations placed in 44 adult patients were investigated after 10 to 18 yrs. The history of each restoration was extracted from the dental records, and a clinical evaluation was performed with those still in situ. The patient risk status was assessed for caries and “occlusal-stress” (bruxism-related). Statistical analysis was performed by the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox-regression multivariate analysis. In total, 30% of the restorations failed, of which 82% were found in patients with 1 or 2 risk factors. Secondary caries was the main reason of failure within caries-risk patients, whereas fracture was the main reason in “occlusal-stress-risk” patients. The patient variables gender and age did not significantly affect survival, but risk did ( p < .001). Tooth type ( p < .001), arch ( p = .013), and pulpal vitality ( p = .003) significantly affected restoration survival. Within the limits of this retrospective evaluation, the survival of restorations is affected by patient risk factors, which should be included in survival analyses of restorations.
Expanding the Foundation for Personalized Medicine
Authors: Garcia I. , Kuska R. , Somerman M.J.
Published: May 2013

Personalized medicine aims to individualize care based on a person’s unique genetic, environmental, and clinical profile. Dentists and physicians have long recognized variations between and among patients, and have customized care based on each individual’s health history, environment, and behavior. However, the sequencing of the human genome in 2003 and breakthroughs in regenerative medicine, imaging, and computer science redefined “personalized medicine” as clinical care that takes advantage of new molecular tools to facilitate highly precise health care based on an individual’s unique genomic and molecular characteristics. Major investments in science bring a new urgency toward realizing the promise of personalized medicine; yet, many challenges stand in the way. In this article, we present an overview of the opportunities and challenges that influence the oral health community’s full participation in personalized medicine. We highlight selected research advances that are solidifying the foundation of personalized oral health care, elaborate on their impact on dentistry, and explore obstacles toward their adoption into practice. It is our view that now is the time for oral health professionals, educators, students, researchers, and patients to engage fully in preparations for the arrival of personalized medicine as a means to provide quality, customized, and effective oral health care for all.
Using Electronic Dental Record Data for Research
Authors: Liu K. , Acharya A. , Alai S. , Schleyer T.K.
Published: May 2013

Anecdotal evidence suggests that, during the clinical care process, many dental practices record some data that are also collected in dental practice based research network (PBRN) studies. Since the use of existing, electronically stored data for research has multiple benefits, we investigated the overlap between research data fields used in dental PBRN studies and clinical data fields typically found in general dental records. We mapped 734 unique data elements from the Dental Information Model (DIM) to 2,487 Common Data Elements (CDE) curated by the NIDCR’s PBRNs in the Cancer Data Standards Registry and Repository (caDSR). Thirty-three percent of the DIM data elements matched at least one CDE completely and 9% partially, translating to about 9% and 2%, respectively, of all data elements used in PBRN studies. The most frequently used CDEs found in the DIM included data about dental anatomy, medications, and items such as oral biopsy and caries. Our study shows that a non-trivial number of data elements in general dental records can be mapped either completely or partially to data fields in research studies. Further studies should investigate the feasibility of electronic clinical data for research purposes.
Longitudinal Analyses of Early Lesions by Fluorescence
Authors: Ferreira Zandoná A. , Ando M. , Gomez G.F. , Garcia-Corretjer M. , Eckert G.J. , Santiago E. , Katz B.P. , Zero D.T.
Published: May 2013

Previous caries experience correlates to future caries risk; thus, early identification of lesions has importance for risk assessment and management. In this study, we aimed to determine if Quantitative Light-induced Fluorescence (QLF) parameters—area (A [mm2]), fluorescence loss (∆F [%]), and ∆Q [%×mm2]—obtained by image analyses can predict lesion progression. We secured consent from 565 children (from 5-13 years old) and their parents/guardians and examined them at baseline and regular intervals over 48 months according to the International Caries Detection Assessment System (ICDAS), yearly radiographs, and QLF. QLF images from surfaces with ICDAS 0/1/2/3/4 at baseline that progressed (N = 2,191) to cavitation (ICDAS 5/6) or fillings and surfaces that did not progress to cavitation/fillings (N = 4,141) were analyzed independently for A, ∆F, and ∆Q. Linear mixed-effects models were used to compare means and slopes (changes over time) between surfaces that progressed and those that did not. QLF A, ∆F, and ∆Q increased at a faster rate for surfaces that progressed than for surfaces that did not progress ( p = .0001), regardless of type of surface or baseline ICDAS score. AUC for ICDAS ranged from 0.65 to 0.80, but adding QLF information improved AUC (0.82-0.87, p < .0005). We concluded that faster changes in QLF variables can indicate lesion progression toward cavitation and be more clinically relevant than actual QLF values.
Can Sustainability Enhance Business District Attractiveness? A Survey of Corporate Property Decisions in France
Authors: Nappi-Choulet Ingrid , Decamps Aurelien
Published: May 2013

This paper analyses the rising importance of sustainable principles in property decisions and its impact on attractiveness for business districts in France. A behavioural survey of a large sample of corporate property managers and a multiple correspondence analysis highlight key factors indicating the influence of sustainable principles alongside more traditional determinants of territorial attractiveness. This approach enables the drawing up of a typology of companies according to the influence of sustainability issues, showing the rise in importance placed on sustainability in location decisions made by listed companies, companies that own their head offices and companies located in the main business districts of the Paris metropolitan area.
Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
Authors: Sinaceur Marwan , Maddux William W. , Vasiljevic Dimitri , Nückel Ricardo Perez , Galinsky Adam D.
Published: May 2013

Although previous research has shown that making the first offer leads to a distributive advantage in negotiations, the current research explored how the timing of first offers affects the creativity of negotiation agreements. We hypothesized that making the first offer later rather than earlier in the negotiation would facilitate the discovery of creative agreements that better meet the parties’ underlying interests. Experiment 1 demonstrated that compared with early first offers, late first offers facilitated creative agreements that better met the parties’ underlying interests. Experiments 2a and 2b controlled for the duration of the negotiation and conceptually replicated this effect. The last two studies also demonstrated that the beneficial effect of late first offers was mediated by greater information exchange. Thus, negotiators need to consider the timing of first offers to fully capitalize on the first offer advantage. Implications for our understanding of creativity, motivated information exchange, and timing in negotiations are discussed.
Birds of a feather? Not when it comes to sexual permissiveness
Authors: Vrangalova Zhana , Bukberg Rachel E. , Rieger Gerulf
Published: May 2013

Prior research finds that sexually permissive individuals are judged more negatively than nonpermissive peers, placing them at risk of social isolation. Based on the positive assortment principle (i.e., preferences for similarity in attributes in close relationships), we examined whether participants’ own permissiveness mitigated negative judgments of permissive others in the same-sex friendship context. College students ( N = 751) evaluated a hypothetical same-sex target with either 2 (nonpermissive) or 20 (permissive) past sex partners on 10 friendship-relevant outcomes. Participant permissiveness attenuated some negative evaluations. However, preferences were rarely reversed, and no moderation was found in five outcomes, suggesting the role of permissiveness-based positive assortment is limited, and evolutionary concerns may take precedence. Partial support for the sexual double standard was also found.
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection: is there a metabolic association?
Authors: Liang JJ , Skalski JH , Mankad R
Published: May 2013

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is an uncommon cause of chest pain and acute myocardial infarction, occurring most classically in young women without cardiovascular risk factors. We present a case of a man presenting with chest pain and arrhythmia found to have multivessel spontaneous coronary artery dissection and hyperhomocysteinemia and we raise the possibility of a potential link between the two conditions.
De-societalizing the school: On the hegemonic making of moral persons (citizenship) and its disciplinary regimes
Authors: Chun Allen
Published: May 2013

In Asylums, Erving Goffman once famously said that what is prison-like about prisons is found in institutions whose members have broken no law. In Discipline and Punish, Michel Foucault gave a more sociological spin on the normality of the prison, by saying that the apparatus of sequestration must manufacture a behavior that characterizes individuals; it must create a nexus of habits through which the social ‘belongingness’ of individuals to a society is defined, that is to say, it manufactures something like norms. Thus, what is sociology, if not the study of society based on the functioning of normative institutions, such as prisons and schools, predicated on integrating individuals into the whole? What is pedagogy, if not the methodology of putting into practice a system of education that represents at the same time the routinization of an ethical world view and the socialization of individuals in the making of society? Foucault’s genealogy in short gave birth to a critical perspective on the evolution of modernity, pointing not only to institutions that sublimated overt spectacles of power but also to the problematic role of the social sciences in policing all aspects of society. In East Asia, education was not just the evolution of a modern regime made compatible with all other socializing institutions, such as the family, military and workplace. Above all, it was a systematic construction of the state, with historical lineages in an imperial system that reproduced a mandarin meritocracy. The omnipresence of the Ministry of Education epitomizes ultimately the hegemonic role of education, especially in the making of the nation-state. More than just socializing, it manufactures a normality of belonging where culture, citizenship and structured modes of routinized behavior perform overlapping disciplinary functions.
Beyond carbon colonialism: Frontier peasant livelihoods, spatial mobility and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Hoefle Scott William
Published: May 2013

Regional trends of global significance involving frontier peasants in deforestation are seen through the eyes of those who produce them in remote places of the Amazon, where during their lives thousands of settlers from the underdeveloped North-east of Brazil have moved from frontier farming to gold prospecting and back again. Going beyond simplistic environmental rhetoric blaming slash-and-burn agriculture for global problems with carbon emissions, local perceptions of life paths and rural livelihoods are scrutinized to show how settlers escaped from desperate poverty in their place of origin but wound up living in degrading conditions of gold prospecting and finally arrived at their current situation as struggling but independent frontier farmers in western Pará state. As this relative improvement in livelihood comes at a cost of deforestation due to the unsustainable nature of frontier farming and risks recreating the social problems of the North-east in the North, it is argued that proposed solutions to reduce environmental degradation and poverty in the Amazon will also have to address issues of underdevelopment in the North-east in order to overcome the problems which compel so many peasants to emigrate from that region.
Congressional ‘drug warriors’ and U.S. policy towards Colombia
Authors: Tate Winifred
Published: May 2013

In the late 1990s, the Colombian National Police became the central channel for U.S. material and symbolic support to that country, thanks in large part to the work of a cohort of Republican members of Congress known as the ‘drug warriors.’ In the Congressional sphere, debates over the impact of illicit drug use often began with the abused bodies of American youth, but debates over the appropriate response frequently focused on the bodies of Colombian police and military as the site of suggested state intervention. Drawing on Judith Butler’s analysis of what deaths are grievable in the public sphere, I examine how the Colombian National Police came to be positioned as the central object of policymaker solidarity. Travel played a central role in the construction of distinct sensory, affective and moral geographies: Congressional delegations focused on militarized technology, weaponry and enacted scenarios of counternarcotics operations. These excursions were channeled into larger political fields valorizing militarized expertise and delineating the boundaries of appropriate policy debates. This analysis illuminates the ways in which Congressional debate and practice played a central role in U.S. foreign policy during this period, through an examination of how Congressional expertise was constructed and deployed, which foreign policy actors were selected as the object of U.S. official solidarity, and how the boundaries of policy debate was constructed through a focus on military knowledge.
Negotiating the Past
Authors: Rovinello Marco
Published: May 2013

If reconstructing the past has been demonstrated to be an effective means of consolidating a sense of belonging to history-based groups, such as families and nations, then selective memory can be also a helpful tool in making, un-making, and remaking identities. This article examines the multifaceted, crucial role played by autobiographies and family histories in identities’ construction and deconstruction by focusing on the stories of about 100 foreigners settled in Restoration Naples. The negotiations over citizenship between these migrants and the Neapolitan government are investigated in order to demonstrate the inextricable relationships between family ties, family histories, nationhood, and citizenship in 19th-century Europe and to ascertain to what extent narrating the past helped people to manipulate their personal and national identities, despite the innovative technical and conceptual means introduced to identify individuals and distinguish citizens from foreigners throughout the revolutionary period.
Biomechanical Evaluation of Physeal-Sparing Fixation Methods in Tibial Eminence Fractures
Authors: Anderson Christian N. , Nyman Jeffry S. , McCullough Kirk A. , Song Yanna , Uppuganti Sasidhar , O’Neill Kevin R. , Anderson Allen F. , Dunn Warren R.
Published: May 2013

Background:

Tibial eminence fractures occur most commonly in skeletally immature children. Several techniques using physeal-sparing fracture fixation have been described, but their structural properties have not been evaluated.

Purpose:

To determine the strength and resistance to displacement of physeal-sparing techniques used to fix tibial eminence fractures.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Skeletally immature porcine knees were randomized into 4 treatment groups: (1) ultra–high molecular weight polyethylene suture–suture button (UHMWPE/SB), (2) suture anchor, (3) polydioxanone suture–suture button (PDS/SB), and (4) screw fixation. A prospective analysis of bone mineral density using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry was performed on all specimens. Fracture fragments were created in a standardized manner and measured for size comparison. After fracture fixation, biomechanical testing was performed with cyclical and load-to-failure protocols by loading the tibia with an anterior shear force.

Results:

In load-to-failure testing, screw fixation had a significantly lower median peak failure load (186.4 N; lower quartile [LQ], 158.4 N; upper quartile [UQ], 232.6 N) than did UHMWPE/SB (465.8 N; LQ, 397.8 N; UQ, 527.8 N), suture anchors (440.5 N; LQ, 323.0 N; UQ, 562.3 N), and PDS/SB (404.3 N; LQ, 385.9 N; UQ, 415.6 N). UHMWPE/SB demonstrated a significantly higher median yield load (465.8 N; LQ, 397.8 N; UQ, 527.8 N) than did PDS/SB (306.7 N; LQ, 271.4, N; UQ, 405.7 N) and screw fixation (179.0 N; LQ, 120.2 N; UQ, 232.5 N). During cyclical testing, screw fixation demonstrated significantly lower percentage survival of specimens (0%) compared with the other groups (UHMWPE/SB, 100%; suture anchor, 78%; PDS/SB, 78%). After 1000 cycles of loading, PDS/SB fixation had significantly more median creep (6.76 mm; LQ, 6.34 mm; UQ, 8.28 mm) than did UHMWPE/SB (4.43 mm; LQ, 3.80 mm; UQ, 4.73 mm) and suture anchor fixation (3.06 mm; LQ, 2.59 mm; UQ, 4.28 mm). The lowest median stiffness was observed in the PDS/SB group (48.6 N/mm; LQ, 45.3 N/mm; UQ, 54.2 N/mm). UHMWPE/SB fixation demonstrated a significantly higher median peak failure load after cyclic testing (469.0 N; LQ, 380.6 N; UQ, 507.2 N) than did PDS/SB (237.7 N; LQ, 197.3 N; UQ, 298.3 N) and screw fixation (132.4 N; LQ, 123.7 N; UQ, 180.9 N). Suture anchor fixation had significantly more variance, as demonstrated by width of interquartile range, in peak failure load, yield load, and creep than did other techniques.

Conclusion:

Physeal-sparing fixation of tibial eminence fractures with UHMWPE suture–suture button is biomechanically superior to both PDS suture–suture button and a single screw at the time of surgery and provides more consistent fixation than do suture anchors.

Clinical Relevance:

Suture anchors provide inconsistent fixation for tibial eminence fractures.
Individual and Contextual Factors Influencing Special Education Teacher Learning in Literacy Learning Cohorts
Authors: Brownell Mary T. , Lauterbach Alexandra A. , Dingle Mary P. , Boardman Alison G. , Urbach Jennifer E. , Leko Melinda M. , Benedict Amber E. , Park Yujeong
Published: May 2013

In this study, researchers operated from cognitive and situated perspectives to understand how individual qualities and contextual factors influenced elementary special education teachers’ learning in a multifaceted professional development (PD) project, Literacy Learning Cohort, focused on word study and fluency instruction. Grounded theory methodology was used to analyze qualitative interviews, cohort meetings, and classroom observations. Participants included five special educators who taught reading to students with disabilities in Grades 3 to 5. Results highlighted the central role of teachers’ ability to analyze their current instructional practice in developing integrated knowledge of word study and fluency instruction and crafting more integrated instruction. Teachers’ individual qualities, contextual factors, and PD components also worked in concert with teachers’ propensity to analyze instruction and ultimately influenced teacher learning (i.e., degree of integrated knowledge and practice demonstrated). Implications of these findings for designing effective PD efforts are discussed.
A sustainability analysis of an incineration project in Serbia
Authors: Mikic Miljan , Naunovic Zorana
Published: May 2013

The only option for municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment adopted so far in Serbia is landfilling. Similarly to other south-eastern European countries, Serbia is not recovering any energy from MSW. Fifty percent of electricity in Serbia is produced in coal-fired power plants with emission control systems dating from the 1980s. In this article, the option of MSW incineration with energy recovery is proposed and examined for the city of Novi Sad. A sustainability analysis consisting of financial, economic and sensitivity analyses was done in the form of a cost–benefit analysis following recommendations from the European Commission. Positive and negative social and environmental effects of electricity generation through incineration were valuated partly using conversion factors and shadow prices, and partly using the results of previous studies. Public aversion to MSW incineration was considered. The results showed that the incineration project would require external financial assistance, and that an increase of the electricity and/or a waste treatment fee is needed to make the project financially positive. It is also more expensive than the landfilling option. However, the economic analysis showed that society would have net benefits from an incineration project. The feed-in tariff addition of only €0.03 (KWh)−1 to the existing electricity price, which would enable the project to make a positive contribution to economic welfare, is lower than the actual external costs of electricity generation from coal in Serbia.
Microscopic Polyangiitis Presenting With Hemorrhagic Stroke
Authors: Iglesias Estíbaliz , Eleftheriou Despina , Mankad Kshitij , Prabhakar Prab , Brogan Paul A.
Published: May 2013

Microscopic polyangiitis associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies directed against myeloperoxidase rarely affects the central nervous system, and this is common in the presence of other organ involvement. The authors report the case of a 12-year-old girl who presented with multiple acute parieto-occipital hematomas as the only manifestation of presumed microscopic polyangiitis. Early treatment with immunosuppression resulted in complete recovery and a favorable outcome.
Graphene oxide–polyamide 6 nanocomposites produced via in situ polymerization
Authors: Dixon Dorian , Lemonine Patrick , Hamilton Jeremy , Lubarsky Genady , Archer Edward
Published: May 2013

Single layer graphene oxide (GO)–polyamide 6 (PA6) nanocomposites were produced via the in situ polymerization of ∊-caprolactum dissolved in a water-based dispersion of single layer GO. As prepared GO and nanocomposites containing 0, 0.035, 0.076, 0.44 and 0.65 wt% GO in PA6 were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman thermal analysis and tensile testing. XPS, AFM and TEM analyses confirmed that the modified Hummers method used to prepare the GO resulted in sheets of oxidized single layer graphene. It was observed using AFM that the in situ polymerization resulted in an efficient poly chain grafting and a reduction in the lateral dimensions of the sheets. The GO/PA6 nanocomposites showed an increased degradation temperature relative to neat PA6, which is an indicative of high levels of interfacial interaction and dispersion. It was observed that the addition of GO reduced the average PA6 molecular weight and acted as nucleation agent for α-form crystallinity while suppressing the formation of γ-form crystals. Mechanical reinforcement was also observed, with a tensile strength of 60.6 MPa recorded for PA6, rising incrementally with increased GO loading to 64.9 MPa at 0.65 wt%.
Experimental study of the processing parameters of polymer conductive semicrystalline polymer composites with carbon black
Authors: Ibarrola Jose Manue Ayala , López Susana Hernández , Santiago Enrique Vigueras , Alaniz-Pérez Javier , Pérez-Valverde Maritza Iveth
Published: May 2013

This work presents how the optimization of polymer conductive composites constituting the semi-crystalline polymer matrix (low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and isotactic polypropylene (it-PP)) and carbon black (CB) by melt-mixing process, has an important influence not only in diminishing the resistivity of the composite but also in reducing the critical concentration of CB. The experimental procedure consists of studying the influence of processing parameters such as mixing temperature, time, and speed on the electrical resistivity values. Optimal parameters are considered as those obtained with the lowest standard deviation for electrical resistivity and a reduction in resistivity in comparison with the arbitrary conditions established as preliminary or reference. The control of those parameters allows in attaining an important reduction (7%) in the critical CB concentration at threshold percolation in both the studied composites in comparison with those obtained under unfavorable conditions or even with those obtained under reference conditions.
Pultrusion of flax/poly(lactic acid) commingled yarns and nonwoven fabrics
Authors: Linganiso Linda Z , Bezerra Renato , Bhat Shrikant , John Maya , Braeuning Ruediger , Anandjiwala Rajesh D
Published: May 2013

The article reports on the successful processing of flax-reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) profiles by thermoplastic pultrusion into ‘sandwich’ structures consisting of commingled yarns as outer layers and layers of nonwoven material in the core section. The results showed that a good quality matrix impregnation was obtained. The profiles produced from only commingled yarns had higher impact strengths due to yarns in the middle of the profiles; the matrix of which did not melt during pultrusion. The flexural properties of the composites improved with increasing nonwoven layers. Good PLA impregnation improved the flexural properties. The tensile strength of the ‘sandwich’ structures was much lower than that of commingled yarn-based composites, this being attributed to the poor distribution of flax fibres and poor interfacial adhesion leading to poor stress transfer from matrix to fibres. Crystallinity decreased as the number of nonwoven layers increased presumably due to blockage of nucleating sites essential for crystal growth. The storage modulus of composites reinforced with commingled yarns was greater than that of the composites reinforced with ‘sandwich’ material, confirming effective transfer of stress from matrix to the commingled flax yarns and indicating that increasing nonwoven layers decreased adhesion between reinforcement and the matrix. The effects of a wide range of pultrusion process parameters on the mechanical properties of resulting profiles were investigated. Higher die temperatures (290°C) and lower pulling speeds (0.5 m min−1) improved the mechanical properties due to better melting and lower viscosity of the matrix, enabling increased penetration within the reinforcement. Flexural and tensile properties of microwave-heated samples were very low due to fibre degradation. Scanning electron microscopic images showed that fibre impregnation was good in ‘sandwich’ systems, but fibre distribution remained a challenge.
Processing, characterization, and wear analysis of short glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites filled with blast furnace slag
Authors: Padhi Prasanta Kumar , Satapathy Alok , Nakka Anand Mohan
Published: May 2013

Blast furnace slag (BFS) is a major solid waste in iron industries that results from the fusion of fluxing stone with coke and the siliceous and aluminous residues remaining after the reduction and separation of iron from the ore. Using this BFS in different proportions (0, 10, 20, and 30 wt%) in thermoplastic polypropylene matrix base, hybrid composites are prepared with and without 20 wt% short glass fiber reinforcement, by injection-molding route. The composites are characterized in regard to their physical and mechanical properties and their dry sliding wear characteristics are studied experimentally. For this, a standard pin on-disk test set-up and Taguchi’s orthogonal arrays are used. Taguchi’s experimental design method eliminates the need for repeated experiments and thus saves time, materials, and cost. It identifies the significant control factors predominantly influencing the wear rate. From the experimental findings, optimal combinations of control factors are obtained for minimum wear rate and on that basis, predictive correlations are proposed. The morphology of worn surfaces is then examined by scanning electron microscopy and possible wear mechanisms are discussed. Furthermore, a model based on artificial neural networks (ANN) for the prediction of sliding wear properties of these thermoplastic polymer composites is implemented. The ANN prediction profiles for the characteristic wear properties exhibit very good agreement with the measured results demonstrating that a well-trained network has been created. The simulated results explaining the effect of significant process variables on the wear rate indicate that the trained neural network possesses enough generalization capability of predicting wear rate even beyond the experimental range.
‘Stressed out of my box’: employee experience of lean working and occupational ill-health in clerical work in the UK public sector
Authors: Carter Bob , Danford Andy , Howcroft Debra , Richardson Helen , Smith Andrew , Taylor Phil
Published: May 2013

Occupational health and safety (OHS) is under-researched in the sociology of work and employment. This deficit is most pronounced for white-collar occupations. Despite growing awareness of the significance of psychosocial conditions – notably stress – and musculoskeletal disorders, white-collar work is considered by conventional OHS discourse to be ‘safe’. This study’s locus is clerical processing in the UK public sector, specifically Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, in the context of efficiency savings programmes. The key initiative was lean working, which involved redesigned workflow, task fragmentation, standardization and individual targets. Utilizing a holistic model of white-collar OHS and in-depth quantitative and qualitative data, the evidence of widespread self-reported ill-health symptoms is compelling. Statistical tests of association demonstrate that the transformed work organization that accompanied lean working contributed most to employees’, particularly women’s, ill-health complaints.
Arendt and the politics of theory and practice: Beyond ivory towers and philosopher-kings
Authors: Sindic Denis
Published: May 2013

This paper draws on Hannah Arendt’s political thought to question the relationship between theory and practice in psychology and the public role of psychologists. One of Arendt’s main contributions to political theory was to underline the specificity of political action, and to stress that politics should not be ruled by pure theoretical reason or reduced to the technical management of social issues. Applied to psychology, a view of the relationship between theory and practice that ignores this specificity may well lead to efficacious applications, but it has a certain number of politically problematic consequences. These include the a priori disqualification of opinions, a loss of common sense, the a priori definition of the world as a set of variables, and the a priori definition of people as “material” to be shaped rather than as political actors. Such consequences are problematic insofar as they can lead to the exclusion of people from the public realm and undermine the very possibility of genuine political action. These points are illustrated and discussed through examples drawn from psychoanalysis and experimental social psychology.
Withdrawal syndrome caused by naltrexone in opioid abusers
Authors: Hassanian-Moghaddam H , Afzali S , Pooya A
Published: May 2013

Study objective:

Naltrexone is a competitive opioid receptor antagonist acting at the µ- and k-opioid receptors that blocks the euphoric effects of exogenous administered opioids. When used in opioid-dependent patients, naltrexone can cause acute and severe withdrawal symptoms.

Methods:

This was a cross-sectional study conducted from December 2007 to March 2008 and consisted of patients who had used naltrexone accidentally or deliberately and were referred to Loghman-Hakim Poison Hospital, Tehran, Iran. All symptoms and signs were assessed and the relationship between the dose of naltrexone, opioid dependence, and outcome was evaluated.

Results:

In 132 patients referred to our hospital, the most frequently reported symptoms and signs occurring in more than 10% of patients were agitation (96.2%), altered level of consciousness (38.6%), nausea (28%), vomiting (27.3%), abdominal pain (24.2%), diarrhea (16.7%), bone and muscle pain (15.9%), tachycardia (12.9%), and dilated pupils (11.4%). Being the most prominent symptom, the agitation was the most difficult aspect of withdrawal to manage. Except for agitation, no relationship was found between the presence of these symptoms and the dose of naltrexone used. Outcome of the patients (classified as complete recovery, partial recovery, death, and no follow-up) was related to the substance of addiction ( p < 0.05) but not to the naltrexone dose.

Conclusion:

Emergency physicians should be aware of the potential for severe agitation from naltrexone-precipitated hyperacute withdrawal and its appropriate management. Opioid-dependent patients who wish to continue withdrawal and abstinence must be encouraged to visit trained physicians and be warned about misuse of naltrexone.
Effect of escitalopram on cardiomyopathy-induced anxiety in mice
Authors: Anwar M. J. , Pillai K.K. , Samad A. , Vohora D.
Published: May 2013

The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of escitalopram on anxiety following doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiomyopathy, a rodent model for heart failure (HF), in mice. The study was carried out in Swiss albino mice. DOX was used at a dose of 10 mg/kg intravenously. Escitalopram was administered at the doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg orally for 7 days pre- and 7 days post-DOX. Anxiety was measured on day 8 and on day 14 using elevated plus maze and Vogel’s conflict test. On day 14, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was estimated. The mice were then killed and their hearts were dissected out for the estimation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and for the transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies. Our results showed that the DOX administration induced cardiomyopathy in mice. This was evidenced by the increased levels of serum LDH and tissue MDA and was also confirmed by TEM. Escitalopram (20 mg/kg) not only reversed the anxiety-like effects induced by DOX but also DOX-induced increase in LDH and MDA as well as the morphological alterations induced by DOX in TEM studies. Escitalopram, thus, appears to be a good candidate for alleviating anxiety in patients with HF.
Antiapoptotic effects of cerium oxide and yttrium oxide nanoparticles in isolated rat pancreatic islets
Authors: Hosseini A. , Baeeri M. , Rahimifard M. , Navaei-Nigjeh M. , Mohammadirad A. , Pourkhalili N. , Hassani S. , Kamali M. , Abdollahi M.
Published: May 2013

Type I diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease caused by the impairment of pancreatic β-cells mainly mediated through oxidative stress and related apoptosis. Islets transplantation seems a promising treatment for these patients, but during islets transplant, various types of stresses related to the isolation and transplantation procedure compromise the function and viability of islets. We recently hypothesized that the combination of cerium oxide (CeO2) and yttrium oxide (Y2O3) nanoparticles with a potential free radical scavenger behavior should be useful to make isolated islets survive until transplanted. In the present study, oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in isolated rat pancreatic islets exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the protective effects of CeO2 and Y2O3 nanoparticles were investigated. Exposure of islets to H2O2 (50 µm, 2 h) increased intracellular oxidant formation such as reactive oxygen species and subsequently apoptosis and decreased viability, glucose-induced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Pretreatment with CeO2 and/or Y2O3 nanoparticles reduced the oxidant formation and apoptosis and increased viability, glucose-induced ATP production and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. These results suggest that this combination may protect β-cell apoptosis by improving the oxidative stress-mediated apoptotic pathway.
Inhalation toxicity of 316L stainless steel powder in relation to bioaccessibility
Authors: Stockmann-Juvala H , Hedberg Y , Dhinsa NK , Griffiths DR , Brooks PN , Zitting A , Wallinder I Odnevall , Santonen T
Published: May 2013

The Globally Harmonized System for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) considers metallic alloys, such as nickel (Ni)-containing stainless steel (SS), as mixtures of substances, without considering that alloys behave differently compared to their constituent metals. This study presents an approach using metal release, explained by surface compositional data, for the prediction of inhalation toxicity of SS AISI 316L. The release of Ni into synthetic biological fluids is >1000-fold lower from the SS powder than from Ni metal, due to the chromium(III)-rich surface oxide of SS. Thus, it was hypothesized that the inhalation toxicity of SS is significantly lower than what could be predicted based on Ni metal content. A 28-day inhalation study with rats exposed to SS 316L powder (<4 µm, mass median aerodynamic diameter 2.5–3.0 µm) at concentrations up to 1.0 mg/L showed accumulation of metal particles in the lung lobes, but no signs of inflammation, although Ni metal caused lung toxicity in a similar published study at significantly lower concentrations. It was concluded that the bioaccessible (released) fraction, rather than the elemental nominal composition, predicts the toxicity of SS powder. The study provides a basis for an approach for future validation, standardization and risk assessment of metal alloys.