bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychiatric Penguins
Authors: Miller Gavin
Published: May 2015

The British mass-market publisher Penguin produced a number of texts on psychiatric topics in the period c.1950– c.1980. Investigation of editorial files relating to a sample of these volumes reveals that they were shaped as much by the commercial imperatives and changing aspirations of the publisher as by developments and debates in psychiatry itself. A number of economic imperatives influenced the publishing process, including the perennial difficulty in finding psychiatrists willing and able to enter the popular book market; the economic pressures exerted on peer-review protocols; and the identification of a niche market in popular psychiatry, latterly of a politically radical flavour. As well as offering a materialist standpoint for the study of popular psychiatric texts, this investigation allows an opportunity to adapt, apply and assess theoretical approaches to mass-market publishing by psychiatrists.
Effects of functionalized graphene nanoplatelets on the morphology and properties of epoxy resins
Authors: Wang Fuzhong , Drzal Lawrence T. , Qin Yan , Huang Zhixiong
Published: May 2015

Graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) were successfully functionalized with a liquid rubber, amine-terminated poly(butadiene- co-acrylonitrile) (ATBN), and the functionalized GnPs (ATBN-GnP) were characterized by microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Different amounts of ATBN-GnP and pristine GnP were individually incorporated into an epoxy resin to fabricate epoxy composites. Compared with the pristine GnP, ATBN-GnP demonstrated stronger ameliorating effects due to an enhanced GnP-epoxy interfacial adhesion. At 5.0 wt% GnP content, the flexural modulus of GnP/epoxy composite increased by 18.1%, whereas the ATBN-GnP improved the flexural modulus by 22.1% at the same fraction. A remarkable enhancement of quasi-static fracture toughness was obtained at 5.0 wt% GnP and 5.0 wt% ATBN-GnP with 76.2% and 92.8% increase, respectively. Incorporation of 5.0 wt% ATBN-GnP improved thermal conductivity of the neat epoxy by 133.6%, and the thermal conductivity of 5.0 wt% ATBN-GnP/epoxy is about 16% higher than that of the pristine GnP/epoxy. The superior reinforcement of ATBN-GnP is attributed to the strong interfacial bonding between ATBN-GnP and epoxy matrix as confirmed by microscopic observations.
An experimental and theoretical investigation into the roll-over of tracked vehicles
Authors: Purdy David J , Simner David , Diskett David , Duncan Andrew , Wormell Patrick J H , Stonier Chad
Published: May 2015

The use of high-speed tracked vehicles results in a number of accidents each year, some of which cause the vehicle to roll-over. Rollover caused by striking a low object, e.g. a kerb or tree stump (tripped), is normally thought to be the case but video evidence exists which shows that roll-over is initiated on a flat horizontal surface while the vehicle undergoes a 90° turn (untripped). This work looks at the initiation of roll-over in a tracked vehicle by increasing the lateral coefficient of friction with load transfer. A four-degree-of-freedom vehicle-and-track model is developed to investigate the problem. This work shows that the initiation of roll-over is possibly caused by increasing the lateral coefficient of friction between the track and the ground.
Virtual testing environment tools for railway vehicle certification
Authors: Bezin Yann , Funfschilling Christine , Kraft Soenke , Mazzola Laura
Published: May 2015

This paper describes the work performed in Work Package 6 of the European project DynoTRAIN. Its task was to investigate the effects that uncertainties present within the track and running conditions have on the simulated behaviour of a railway vehicle. Methodologies and frameworks for using virtual simulation and statistical tools, in order to reduce both the cost and time required for the certification of new or modified railway vehicles, were proposed. In particular, the project developed a virtual test track (VTT) toolkit that is capable of both generating a series of test tracks based on measurements, which can be used in vehicle virtual testing using computer simulation models, and also automatically handling the output results. The toolkit is compliant with prEN14363: 2013. The VTT was used as an experimental tool to analyse cross-correlations between track data (input) and matching vehicle response (output) based on data recorded using a test train. This paper discusses the issues encountered in the process and suggests avenues for future developments and potential use in the context of European cross-acceptance. The VTT offers benefits to the areas of design development and regulatory certification.
The stiffness of unsaturated railway formations
Authors: Otter Louise , Clayton Christopher Robert I , Priest Jeffrey A , Gräbe Petrus J
Published: May 2015

The rational design of a substructure to support a rail track requires an estimation of the stiffness value of the formation on which it is to be built. Stiffness values derived from back-analyses of deformations of the ground beneath the track have been found by the authors to be much higher than those predicted from laboratory element testing on saturated specimens. This may be because of differences in compaction between field and laboratory, or because suctions created by lack of saturation play a key role in controlling stiffness, and therefore the performance of the track when in use.

To test the latter hypothesis a laboratory study has been carried out on material representative of that found in South African railway formations. This was tested at constant dry density and various water contents, with matric suctions determined using different established techniques, and very-small-strain stiffness levels obtained from resonant column testing. A suction stress characteristic curve was developed to identify the contribution of suction to the overall effective stress for this material.

The results show that suction can indeed be an important contributing factor to the magnitude of stiffness. For material tested at constant dry density, the stiffness initially increases with reducing compaction water content, and therefore with increasing suction. It subsequently reduces back towards the saturated value as the compaction water content approaches zero, even though the matric suction continues to increase. The relative increase in very-small-strain stiffness due to suction depends, to a large extent, on the net normal stress during the stiffness measurement. The effect of matric suction is proportionately greatest at the low net normal stress levels that apply for shallow infrastructures such as rail formations. Also, the operational stiffness depends not only on the current water content (and therefore suction), but also on the water content at which the material has been compacted.
Preparing for pre-exposure prophylaxis: perceptions and readiness of Canadian pharmacists for the implementation of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis
Authors: Yoong Deborah , Naccarato Mark , Sharma Malika , Wilton James , Senn Heather , Tan Darrell HS
Published: May 2015

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission but has the potential to cause harm if not used properly. Pharmacists are well-positioned to foster PrEP’s efficacy but little is known whether they would endorse it as an HIV prevention tool. The objective of the study was to determine Canadian HIV pharmacists’ support for PrEP and to identify current barriers to promoting PrEP. Canadian pharmacists with experience in HIV care were invited to complete an online survey about their experiences, opinions, and learning needs regarding PrEP from December 2012 to January 2013. Among the 59 surveys received, 48 met criteria for final analysis. Overall, 33 (69%) respondents would provide education positively supporting the use of PrEP and 26 (54%) believed Health Canada should approve PrEP for use in Canada. Familiarity with the concept of PrEP and practice characteristics examined did not appear to be significantly associated with support for PrEP in univariable analyses. The principal barriers to promoting PrEP included inadequate drug coverage and insufficient knowledge to educate others. Many Canadian HIV pharmacists would endorse PrEP for high-risk patients; however, wider dissemination of information and lower drug costs may be needed to make PrEP more widely promoted.
Wittgenstein’s later philosophy and “pictures” of mixed-method research in psychology: A critical investigation of theories and accounts of methodological plurality
Authors: Sullivan Gavin B.
Published: May 2015

Wittgenstein’s philosophical method and later writings help psychologists to identify and work through “pictures” evoked and used in our linguistic practices especially when these representations appear to be self-evident and they promote fundamental misconceptions. This article applies Wittgenstein’s later philosophy to theories and accounts of combinations of quantitative and qualitative methods in psychology, many of which have now been extended to mixtures of qualitative methods with contrasting theoretical assumptions. In contrast to pragmatist, realist, and social constructionist stances, a Wittgensteinian approach examines metatheoretical and metamethodological pictures of methodological plurality in a treatment of issues that are traditionally explored in terms of epistemological, ontological, interpretative, and paradigm differences. Arguments that Wittgenstein’s work can strengthen existing forms of personal, methodological, and deconstructive reflexivity in psychological research practices are exemplified with a specific example of combining psychosocial and discursive qualitative methods.
Environmental imprints of landscape evolution and human activities during the Holocene in a small catchment of the Calanques Massif (Cassis, southern France)
Authors: Romey Carole , Vella Claude , Rochette Pierre , Andrieu-Ponel Valérie , Magnin Fréderic , Veron Alain , Talon Brigitte , Landuré Corinne , D’Ovidio Anne-Marie , Delanghe Doriane , Ghilardi Matthieu , Angeletti Bernard
Published: May 2015

This paper is based on a multidisciplinary study using both paleoenvironmental methods (biological, sedimentological, magnetic and geochemical) and archaeological data in order to characterize landscape and hydrological network changes as well as human impact on a littoral catchment in the Western Mediterranean area. Sedimentary records obtained around a coastal alluvial plain (Cassis, Southeastern France) reveal local environmental changes and human activities since the Neolithic (ca. 6000 cal. BP). Anthropogenic impact is already noticeable in the earliest record, and we follow its evolution through time. According to biological markers, the Holocene landscape of the Calanques is dominated by a mosaic of open herbaceous formations partly generated by human activity. The prevalence of Cernuella virgata in malacofauna successions and of coprophilous fungal spores in the pollen record testifies to the spread of agro-pastoral activities. Two increases of anthropogenic impact are highlighted during the Roman (ca. 2000 cal. BP) and Modern (from ca. 1450 to today) periods. Lead isotope analyses indicate an anthropogenic release of lead, possibly originating from the Greek Cyclades (ca. 2000 cal. BP). Hydrographic and agricultural work is also enhanced during the Roman period. Magnetic parameters and lead isotopes indicate that the Modern anthropogenic impact may be associated with high temperature activities (e.g. lime kiln, fossil fuel).
Interpreting interfluvial landscape transformations in the pre-Columbian Amazon
Authors: Stahl Peter W
Published: May 2015

Despite evidence for the protracted presence of humans in the Amazon Basin, its vast interfluvial habitats are frequently depicted as having survived until recently as ‘wild’ landscapes with neither human settlement nor substantial human land use. Related research interests of paleoecology and archaeology share parallel histories in the development of explanatory paradigms for understanding processes contributing to neotropical ecology, as both emerged from earlier periods dominated by models based on stability and equilibrium to a contemporary advocacy of dynamic stability and change. Recent paradigms accommodate humans as keystone species and implicate their role in past and present landscape management. This is particularly important in the neotropics where it is argued that an extensive and ancient indigenous agroforestry employed intermediate disturbance in the management of interfluvial landscapes. This is contrasted with a critical discussion of recent paleoecological research in central and western Amazonia, which argues that interfluvial landscapes were devoid of pre-Columbian populations and survived as relatively pristine relic landscapes throughout most of the Anthropocene.
Anthropogenic burning and the Anthropocene in late-Holocene California
Authors: Lightfoot Kent G , Cuthrell Rob Q
Published: May 2015

This paper examines the hypothesis that human landscape modifications involving early agriculture contributed to greenhouse gas emissions in preindustrial times, a proposal that has significant implications for the timing of the Anthropocene era. In synthesizing recent papers that both advocate and challenge this hypothesis, we identify a major bias in the ongoing debate, which focuses on the land clearance practices of agrarian people, with insufficient consideration of a diverse range of hunter-gatherer societies who regularly utilized landscape-scale burning for various purposes. Employing California as a case study, we examine how the exclusion of hunter-gatherers from this debate may have shortchanged estimates of human biomass burning in preindustrial times. We also suggest that human population size may be a poor proxy for the degree of land clearance and anthropogenic burning, and we describe how previous approaches to these questions may have underplayed the importance of variation in the timing and magnitude of depopulation in different regions of the Americas.
Cause Lawyering and Resistance in Israel
Authors: Weizman Elian
Published: May 2015

This article traces the unique dynamic of cause lawyering in the context of a settler-colonial situation in which justice is framed ethnically but operates within the framework of liberal democratic institutions, such as the case of the State of Israel presents. It does so through the examination of the work of one of the most prominent Palestinian Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) engaged in legal activism: ‘Adalah – The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel’. Using interviews with legal activists and scholars in Adalah and beyond, combined with the analysis of legal documents and publications, this article offers an evaluation of the efficacy of legal resistance, addressing its advantages and limits within the Israeli scenario. This article argues that the law has an important role in this struggle; whilst its capacity to affect political change is indeed limited, it should not be dismissed outright. Sometimes the law is one of the few meaningful sources of influence, and much of the time it serves to expose the contradictions in the hegemonic system, thereby uncovering its weaknesses and forcing it to reveal its oppressive nature. Yet, since the utilization of the legal sphere for resistance is a practice found in between submission and subversion, this article analyses the ways in which this tension can be overcome.
Felicjan Sławoj-Składkowski (1885–1962): The only known doctor–soldier–politician with an outdoor-wooden-toilet named after him
Authors: Ohry Avi
Published: May 2015

Felicjan Sławoj-Składkowski was a Polish physician, General and politician who served as Polish Minister of Internal Affairs and was the last Prime Minister of Poland before the Second World War. The lack of basic sanitation in many of Poland’s villages caused him to issue a decree that every household in Poland must have a latrine in working order. Wooden sheds were built in the backyards, subsequently named ‘sławojkis’.
Dorothy Davison (1890–1984): Manchester medical artist and her work for neurosurgeon Sir Geoffrey Jefferson (1886–1961)
Authors: Mohr Peter D
Published: May 2015

Miss Davison was a medical artist at the Manchester Royal Infirmary and the University of Manchester from around 1918 until her retirement in 1957. She illustrated books and scientific papers on anthropology, anatomy and surgery, and became well known for her striking pictures produced by the ‘Ross board technique’– a difficult process that she helped pioneer from the 1930s and which forms the bulk of the work she undertook for neurosurgeon Geoffrey Jefferson during the 1930s–1950s. His Neurosurgical Department became the main base for her work until his retirement in 1953. She was an active member of the Medical Artist Association (MAA) which she helped found in 1949.
Louis Pasteur's three artist compatriots—Henner, Pointelin, and Perraud: A story of friendship, science, and art in the 1870s and 1880s
Authors: Hansen Bert , Weisberg Richard E
Published: May 2015

Biographers have largely ignored Louis Pasteur's many and varied connections with art and artists. This article is the second in a series of the authors' studies of Pasteur's friendships with artists. This research project has uncovered data that enlarge the great medical chemist's biography, throwing new light on a variety of topics including his work habits, his social life, his artistic sensibilities, his efforts to lobby on behalf of his artist friends, his relationships to their patrons and to his own patrons, and his use of works of art to foster his reputation as a leader in French medical science. In a prior article, the authors examined his unique working relationship with the Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt and the creation of the famous portrait of Pasteur in his laboratory in the mid-1880s. The present study documents his especially warm friendship with three French artists who came from Pasteur's home region, the Jura, or from neighboring Alsace. A forthcoming study gives an account of his friendships with Max Claudet and Paul Dubois, both of whom made important images of Pasteur, and it offers further illustrations of his devotion to the fine arts.
Louis Pasteur (1822–1895), his friendships with the artists Max Claudet (1840–1893) and Paul Dubois (1829–1905), and his public image in the 1870s and 1880s
Authors: Hansen Bert , Weisberg Richard E
Published: May 2015

Biographers have largely ignored Louis Pasteur's many and varied connections with art and artists. This article is the third in a series of the authors' studies of Pasteur's friendships with artists. This research project has uncovered data that enlarge the great medical chemist's biography, throwing new light on a variety of topics including his work habits, his social life, his artistic sensibilities, his efforts to lobby on behalf of his artist friends, his relationships to their patrons and to his own patrons, and his use of works of art to foster his reputation as a leader in French medical science. In their first article, the authors examined his unique working relationship with the Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt and the creation of the famous portrait of Pasteur in his laboratory in the mid-1880s. A second study documented his especially warm friendship with three French artists who came from Pasteur's home region, the Jura, or from neighbouring Alsace. The present study explores Pasteur's friendships with Max Claudet and Paul Dubois, both of whom created important representations of Pasteur. These friendships and others with patrons reveal an active pursuit of patronage and reputation building from 1876 into the late 1880s. Yet, although Pasteur actively used public art to raise his status, it becomes clear in these stories that for Pasteur beauty was an ideal and art a pleasure for its own sake.
John P Peters (1887–1955): McCarthyism and the Unfinished Revision of Quantitative Clinical Chemistry
Authors: Rocco Richard M
Published: May 2015

John P Peters is considered one of the founders of modern clinical chemistry. In more than 200 research articles, he brought clinical biochemistry to the bedside, advancing the use of laboratory medicine in diagnosis and disease management. His two-volume landmark textbook Quantitative Clinical Chemistry, coauthored with Donald Dexter van Slyke (1883–1971) and released in 1931–1932, defined clinical chemistry as a distinct professional discipline within medicine. A three-volume revision was begun in 1937. Peters took on the task of revising Volumes I and II but never finished Volume II. His outspoken public advocacy for social reform, world peace, and universal health care made him a target in the era of McCarthyism. Three times between 1949 and 1953 he was brought before the Loyalty Review Board with charges of being a communist and a sympathetic supporter of subversive organizations. According to his family, the turmoil of the McCarthyism persecution shortened his life and prevented him from completing the one thing he wanted to do in his professional life, finish the revision of his landmark clinical chemistry textbook.
Frederick, Duke of York (1763–1827) – Medical Patron
Authors: Bolton Margaret
Published: May 2015

Frederick, Duke of York, was the hardest working prince of his day. He was Commander-in-Chief of the British Army for almost the entire period of the French revolutionary and Napoleonic wars and he used his position to implement important reforms to benefit the health of troops. He encouraged hygiene initiatives and improved medical treatment, steadily seeking to enhance the quality of medical officers and facilities. Frederick was particularly involved in the spread of vaccination, authorising the very earliest clinical trials of the process and doing all he could to promote the practice. He also played an active role in the fight to prevent and treat the ophthalmia that was decimating the British Army. As the favourite son of George III and ultimately his carer, he developed an interest in mental health and he sponsored the pioneering work of Alexander Morison (1779–1866) to expand understanding of the subject. Although not a medical man himself, Frederick was one of the most important patrons of the day and his efforts were the key to enabling others to make important advances that saved thousands of lives.
Alexander Falconer Sr Seamen’s missionary in New Zealand, son Alexander Falconer medical superintendent for mentally ill, grandson Murray Falconer neurosurgeon
Authors: Hawgood Barbara J
Published: May 2015

Alexander Falconer Sr (1843–1915) came from Scotland to New Zealand. A practical Christian, he set up places of relaxation for miners, sailors and soldiers; he became the Seamen’s Missionary. Son, Dr Alexander Falconer (1874–1955) trained at Otago University Medical School. As medical superintendent for the mentally ill, he urged the early introduction of psychotherapy. His son, Murray Falconer (1910–1977) was the first Nuffield Dominions Clinical Fellow, training in neurosurgery in Oxford. He was the first director of the Guy’s-Maudsley Neurosurgical Unit in London and was internationally known for the surgical management of temporal lobe epilepsy in adults and children.
Contributions of Antoine Barthélémy Clot (1793–1868): A historiographical reflection of public health in Ottoman Egypt
Authors: Aboul-Enein Basil H , Puddy William
Published: May 2015

This paper reviews the selected historiographic and contemporary literature that discussed the medical and public health contribution of Antoine Barthélémy Clot (Clot Bey) and how these contributions shaped modern public health in Ottoman Egypt, and the major features that led to the development of the public health infrastructure of early modern Egypt based on the contributions of Clot Bey . The literature discussed the establishment of Egypt’s first modern public health and medical schools under the direct administration and guidance of Clot Bey, and his major contribution in the fields of vaccination, quarantine, the development of a culturally congruent curriculum for medical students, and the public health policies and practices enacted during the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha that addressed major communicable diseases affecting Egypt. With considerable support from the viceroy of Egypt despite popular resistance, Clot Bey significantly modernized Egyptian medicine, medical education and reformed the public health infrastructure. He became one of the preeminent medical figures of nineteenth century Ottoman Egypt.
Merlin’s ‘invalid or gouty chair’ and the origin of the self-propelled wheelchair
Authors: Weiner Marie-France , Silver John R
Published: May 2015

Wheelchairs are a major advance in enabling independence for people with walking difficulties. The first self-propelled wheelchair has been attributed to John Joseph Merlin, the ‘ingenious mechanick’, in the early 19th century and his ‘gouty chair’ is exhibited at Kenwood House. Research would suggest that comparable chairs existed in France as early as 1751 and the French Revolutionary, Georges Couthon, used one to get around Paris. A later design, also attributed to Merlin, the invalid wheelchair, features large wheels with outer hoops for the occupant to grasp and this is the true ancestor of the modern wheelchair.
Serendipity: a personal tale of two biographies, William Richard Gowers (1845–1915) and his son Ernest (1880–1966)
Authors: Scott Ann
Published: May 2015

Between 2004 and 2012, the author wrote two biographies, the first of 20th century civil servant Ernest Gowers and the second of his father the Victorian neurologist William Richard Gowers. This article describes the author’s experience conducting the research for two biographies at a time when the research tools available were rapidly shifting from paper-based to digital records. Technological aids have made the preliminary research of historians easier, but they have not taken the place of hard copy archive-based research. While the paper will focus primarily on the biography of William Richard Gowers, the author describes the research methods she employed to help reveal the personalities, strengths and weaknesses of both men, each of whom left his own intellectual legacy.
Investigating difficulties and failure in early-stage rural cooperatives through a social capital lens
Authors: Kasabov Edward
Published: May 2015

Rural cooperatives are assumed to contribute to economic development, regeneration, service delivery and local democracy. This paper examines the problems of setting up early-stage rural cooperatives, the difficulties experienced by them, and antecedents of their failure by complementing extant research with an empirical study of existing and recently failed early-stage Welsh cooperatives. Factors inhibiting early-stage rural cooperative growth and survival encompass various aspects of negative and antithetical social capital, exacerbated by management and marketing weaknesses, as well as regional and national institutional conditions. Such factors are relevant to theory development, cooperative management practice and public sector policy, and are theorised from rural cooperation, social capital and rural development perspectives.
Utilizing Discourse in the Development of Strategic Readers in the Content Areas
Authors: Spies Tracy G.
Published: May 2015

The impetus behind the design and implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was to establish nationwide criteria in preparing students to be college or career ready by the end of high school. The standards require students to comprehend, analyze, and evaluate text across a wide range of disciplines. Essential to the mastery of the standards, students must have a deep understanding of the larger bodies of language, or the academic discourse related to the academic discipline. This article examines the role of discourse within the development of academic language in the content areas and provides educators with a content area discourse analysis tool to identify high-priority areas for explicit discourse instruction for learners with exceptional language needs.
Embracing Life
Authors: McAdory Thomas , Elswick Susan E. , Lennon-Dearing Robin , Nick Deanna , Edis Alice , Scott Jamé , Maley Jennifer
Published: May 2015

Hospice and palliative care is based on a biopsychosocial–spiritual model, yet there are very few studies or evaluations of programing designed to improve emotional well-being in terminally ill clients. This article reports on a program evaluation describing the Gift of a Day program offered by Crossroads Hospice. The Gift of a Day program seeks to celebrate life with each individual client by providing a customized client-centered event that encompasses activities that are enjoyable and important to them. Results suggest that participating in activities that are pleasurable and personally meaningful may improve clients’ emotional well-being at the end of life.
“Research You Cannot Talk About”
Authors: Turner Denise
Published: May 2015

This article takes as its starting point the author’s personal experience of sudden, unexpected child death and the impetus this provided for research exploring the topic. The article charts the isolation which parents may experience following a sudden, unexpected child death and situates this within a cultural taboo around dying. The author further discusses her involvement as a researcher combining personal experience and academic study in a way which formed potentially “dangerous knowledge.” The article concludes with a discussion of how certain forms of knowledge may become segregated from research and provides ways forward from this.
Survivors of Suicide
Authors: Honeycutt Amy , Praetorius Regina Trudy
Published: May 2015

A questionnaire was administered to a national sample of 293 people receiving the American Association of Suicidology’s Surviving Suicide to learn (a) who self-identifies as bereaved by suicide (survivors), (b) their coping strategies, and (c) what they prefer to be called. Findings suggest that (a) there are many different relationships in which people are bereaved, (b) survivors use many coping strategies, and (c) they use numerous terms to describe themselves. Implications include outreach to survivors should go beyond the immediate family, the suicide support group should not be the sole suggestion for services, and many prefer the term suicide survivor.
Health Beliefs and Practices of African Immigrants in Canada
Authors: Cooper Brathwaite Angela , Lemonde Manon
Published: May 2015

A purposive sample of 14 immigrants living in Ontario, Canada, participated in two focus groups. The researchers used semi-structured interviews to collect data and five themes emerged from the data: beliefs about diabetes were centered on diverse factors, preserving culture through food preferences and preparation, cultural practices to stay healthy, cultural practices determined number of servings of fruit and vegetables per day, and engaging in physical activity to stay healthy. Findings indicated how health beliefs and cultural practices influenced behavior in preventing type 2 diabetes (T2D). Future research should focus on other high-risk minority groups (South Asian, Caribbean, and Latin American) to examine their health beliefs and cultural practices and use these finding to develop best practice guidelines, which should be incorporated into culturally tailored interventions.
Erythropoietin Reverses Sepsis-Induced Vasoplegia to Norepinephrine Through Preservation of α1D-Adrenoceptor mRNA Expression and Inhibition of GRK2-Mediated Desensitization in Mouse Aorta
Authors: Kandasamy Kannan , Choudhury Soumen , Singh Vishakha , Addison M. Pule , Darzi Sazad Ahmad , Kasa Jaya Kiran , Thangamalai Ramasamy , Dash Jeevan Ranjan , Kumar Tarun , Sultan Faheem , Singh Thakur Uttam , Parida Subhashree , Mishra Santosh Kumar
Published: May 2015

We investigated the effect of erythropoietin (EPO) posttreatment on survival time and vascular functions in a mouse model of sepsis. Sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture. After 20 ± 2 hours of sepsis, thoracic aorta was isolated for assessing its reactivity to norepinephrine (NE) and acetylcholine (ACh). We also measured the tissue nitric oxide (NO) level, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2), and α1D adrenoceptor messenger RNA (mRNA)/protein expression. In septic mice, EPO moderately improved the survival time from 19.68 ± 0.75 to 34.7 ± 3.2 hours. Sepsis significantly decreased the aortic contractile response to NE along with reduced α1D mRNA and protein expression. Erythropoietin significantly preserved the α1D receptor expression and restored NE-induced contractions to control levels in septic mice. Further, it attenuated the aortic α1D receptor desensitization in sepsis which was evident from reduced GRK2 mRNA expression. Accordingly, a selective GRK2 inhibitor markedly restored the contractile responses to NE in sepsis. Erythropoietin treatment attenuated iNOS mRNA expression and iNOS-induced overproduction of NO, but improved endothelium-dependent relaxation to ACh associated with increased eNOS mRNA expression. In conclusion, EPO seems to reverse sepsis-induced vasoplegia to NE through the preservation of α1D adrenoceptor mRNA/protein expression, inhibition of GRK2-mediated desensitization, and attenuation of NO overproduction in the mouse aorta.
Numerical investigations of ultrasound wave propagating in long bones using a poroelastic model
Authors: Rosi Giuseppe , Nguyen Vu-Hieu , Naili Salah
Published: May 2015

Ultrasonic responses probed from an axial transmission test (ATT) may provide useful information about material and structural properties of cortical bone. For the mathematical modeling of ultrasonic wave propagation in long bones, most of studies assumed an (visco-)elastic behavior for cortical bone tissue by neglecting the interstitial pressure in the pores presented within this material. Here, a functionally graded anisotropic poroelastic model is proposed for describing the behavior of long bones in the ultrasonic frequency range. The simulation of time-domain wave propagation can efficiently be carried out by using a semi-analytical finite element method. The proposed model allows us investigate the influence of the presence of the pores, as well as their distribution in a bone layer on the speed of sound propagated in a cortical bone layer coupled with the marrow and the soft tissue. The effects of emitted signal’s frequency will also be examined.
Adults’ Experience of an Asperger Syndrome Diagnosis
Authors: Powell Trevor , Acker Louise
Published: May 2015

This study explores the impact on 74 adults attending an Asperger syndrome diagnosis clinic. Feedback forms containing quantitative and qualitative measures were completed 3 months post-assessment. Qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Regarding questions about their emotional response, participants reported themes of “Relief,” “Feeling better about self,” “Mixed feelings,” “No clear feelings,” and “Negative feelings.” Regarding the impact of the diagnosis on their lives, participants reported themes of “Understanding and explanation,” “Self-acceptance,” “Social interaction,” and “Support.” A “sub-clinical threshold” group reported a theme of “Diagnostic disappointment” relating to their experience of not receiving a full diagnosis. There were no differences between pre- and post-assessment on standardized measures of anxiety, depression, or satisfaction with life. However, on a self-report Likert-type scale, participants who received a full diagnosis reported a significantly more positive effect of the diagnosis on their lives, compared with those who did not.
Preliminary Randomized Trial of Function-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to Treat Obsessive Compulsive Behavior in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Vause Tricia , Neil Nicole , Jaksic Heather , Jackiewicz Grazyna , Feldman Maurice
Published: May 2015

Individuals with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently experience obsessions and/or compulsions that are similar to those specified in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, little research exists on effective interventions for OCD-like behaviors (referred to as OCBs) in ASD. In a preliminary randomized controlled trial (RCT; N = 14), a manualized function-based cognitive-behavior therapy (Fb-CBT) consisting of traditional CBT components (psychoeducation and mapping, cognitive-behavioral skills training, exposure, and response prevention) as well as function-based behavioral assessment and intervention significantly decreased OCBs in 8- to 12-year-old children with ASD at post-treatment and 5-month follow-up. This multi-component treatment shows considerable promise, and a larger RCT is needed to further validate and expand these findings.
Finnish primary and secondary school students’ interest in music and mathematics relating to enjoyment of the subject and perception of the importance and usefulness of the subject
Authors: Tossavainen Timo , Juvonen Antti
Published: May 2015

Based on an expectancy-value theoretical framework and data ( n = 1654) collected in 29 Finnish municipalities using a structured questionnaire, this study examines primary (grades 5–6), lower secondary (grades 7–9) and upper secondary (grades 10–12) students’ motivation in music and mathematics. It explores in detail the students’ interest in music and mathematics inside and outside school, primarily from the point of view of enjoyment of the subject and the perceptions about the importance and usefulness of the subject. However, it also investigates the respondents’ view of the difficulty of the subject, the popularity of the subject, self-competence in the subject, and gender. The main results are: 1) In general, music is a more interesting subject than mathematics, but it is more interesting outside school than in school. Mathematics is more interesting in school and girls are more interested in music, whereas boys are more interested in mathematics, 2) Interest in music and mathematics inside and outside school can be explained by the enjoyment related to studying the subjects and the view of the importance and usefulness of the subjects, and 3) An intrinsic motivation in mathematics strengthens a positive relationship with music.
Becoming music-making music teachers: Connecting music making, identity, wellbeing, and teaching for four student teachers
Authors: Pellegrino Kristen
Published: May 2015

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to examine the developing music teacher identity of four student music teachers by exploring the meanings of music making and the intersections of music making and teaching. Participants all had dual student teaching placements: elementary general music and secondary band. Data were generated through background surveys, three individual interviews per participant, video recording of participants’ music making inside the classroom, and participant journals. Individual interviews occurred before, during and after the student teaching experience. Videos of participants using their own music making inside the classroom during one class of their choice were jointly viewed during the second interview. Music making intersected with participants’ personal and professional identities, wellbeing, and their teaching. For example, the intersections of music making and wellbeing included feeling connected to self, to others, and to their spirituality while music making, as well as music making being an expressive tool, stress management tool, and mood enhancer. Music making also contributed to teaching as an efficient pedagogical tool (to enhance student learning) and classroom management tool (to promote student engagement). Participants used music making inside the classroom to excite and inspire their students and themselves, to bring students’ attention to the teacher and the music, to gain credibility and establish expertise, and to model technique and musicality in the instrumental classrooms and musical concepts and improvisation in the general music classrooms. Through music making inside the classroom, participants developed their professional identity, realizing what kind of music teachers they wanted to become: excited about music and music teaching, and music teachers who use music making to inspire students to be excited and engaged in music learning.
Improving the representational strategies of children in a music-listening and playing task: An intervention-based study
Authors: Gil Vicent , Reybrouck Mark , Tejada Jesús , Verschaffel Lieven
Published: May 2015

This intervention-based study focuses on the relation between music and its graphic representation from a meta-representational point of view. It aims to determine whether middle school students show an increase in meta-representational competence (MRC) after an educational intervention. Three classes of 11 to 14-year-old students participated in the teaching experiment: one experimental class (E) and two control classes (C). An intervention on MRC was carried out on the E class during the hours that were allocated for the regular music lessons, while students from the C classes followed the regular music curriculum. E and C classes were given the same pretest and posttest, which measured students’ MRC by means of six representational criteria. One month after the posttest, all classes completed a retention test. The results reveal an overall effect in favour of the E group, despite the negative results for two representational criteria. Moreover, the overall gain, to a great extent, was due to a decrease in the score of the C classes, while the gains in the E class were rather small. Theoretical, methodological and educational implications are discussed.
A systematic review of the use of telehealth in speech, language and hearing sciences
Authors: Regina Molini-Avejonas Daniela , Rondon-Melo Silmara , de La Higuera Amato Cibelle Albuquerque , Samelli Alessandra Giannella
Published: May 2015

Introduction

We conducted a systematic literature review to investigate the domain of speech-language and hearing sciences (SLHS) in telehealth.

Methods

The databases used for the literature search were Web of Knowledge, Pubmed, Scopus, Embase and Scielo. The inclusion criteria consisted of papers published up to August 2014. Papers without peer-review evaluation, and those without abstracts or available full texts were excluded.

Results

A total of 103 papers were selected. The selected studies have focused primarily on hearing (32.1%), followed by speech (19.4%), language (16.5%), voice (8.7%), swallowing (5.8%), multiple areas (13.6%) and others (3.9%). The majority of the studies focused on assessment (36.9%) or intervention (36.9%). The use of telehealth in SLHS has been increasing in many countries, especially in the last 5 years. The country with the largest number of published studies was the United States of America (32.03%), followed by Australia (29.12%). The remaining studies were distributed in lower numbers among other countries.

Discussion

The advancement of information and communication technologies provides more favourable conditions for providing distance care in several areas. Most of studies concluded that the telehealth procedure had advantages over the non-telehealth alternative approach (85.5%); however, 13.6% reported that it was unclear whether the telehealth procedure had advantages. Some barriers still need to be overcome, such as technology, training, regulation, acceptance and recognition of the benefits of this practice by the public and professionals. The need for speech-language pathologists and audiologists to adapt to this new health care modality is evident.
The impact of a text messaging service on orthopaedic clinic Did Not Attend rates
Authors: Rohman Lebur , Maruswezki Daniel , Boyce Cam Nicholas
Published: May 2015

Background

Missed clinic appointments cause delays in treatment of other patients, under utilization of clinical manpower or facilities and impact upon hospital finances.

Aims

The primary aim of this study is to evaluate whether a text messaging reminder service reduces the Did Not Attend rate. The secondary aim is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a mobile text message reminder service.

Methods

The study focused on the outpatient department of a district general hospital. In January 2011 a patient text messaging reminder service was implemented across the outpatient departments in the trust. Data were collected prospectively 24 months prior and 24 months following the implementation of this service. A reminder was sent to patients one week prior to the scheduled appointment as a text message. All patients attending the orthopaedic department were included in the study. Patients who had an appointment and cancelled/rescheduled it prior to their original consultation date were excluded. Children were also excluded from the study.

Results

The overall Did Not Attend rate was reduced by 12% following the intervention ( p < 0.0001). The new appointment follow-up rate was reduced by 2% ( p = 0.74) and the follow-up rate decreased by 13.7% ( p < 0.0001). The economic analysis revealed a saving of £19,853 over a two-year period following the intervention.

Conclusion

Thus mobile technology is a feasible tool in improving attendance rates at outpatient clinics and is economically viable.
Association of time on outcome after intravenous thrombolysis in the elderly in a telestroke network
Authors: Zerna Charlotte , Siepmann Timo , Barlinn Kristian , Kepplinger Jessica , Pallesen Lars-Peder , Puetz Volker , Bodechtel Ulf
Published: May 2015

Background

Recent studies showed that the safety and benefit of early intravenous (IV) thrombolysis on favourable outcomes in acute ischemic stroke are also seen in the elderly. Furthermore, it has shown that age increases times for pre- and in-hospital procedures. We aimed to assess the applicability of these findings to telestroke.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed 542 of 1659 screened consecutive stroke patients treated with IV thrombolysis in our telestroke network in East-Saxony, Germany from 2007 to 2012. Outcome data were symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) by ECASS-2-criteria, survival at discharge and favourable outcome, defined as a modified Rankin scale (mRS) of 0–2 at discharge.

Results

Thirty-three percent of patients were older than 80 years (elderly). Being elderly was associated with higher risk of sICH ( p = 0.003), less favourable outcomes ( p = 0.02) and higher mortality ( p = 0.01). Using logistic regression analysis, earlier onset-to-treatment time was associated with favourable outcomes in not elderly patients (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.18; 95% CI 1.03–1.34; p = 0.01), and tended to be associated with favourable outcomes (adjusted OR 1.13; 95% CI 0.92–1.38; p = 0.25) and less sICH (adjusted OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.76–1.03; p = 0.11) in elderly patients. Age caused no significant differences in onset-to-door-time ( p = 0.25), door-to-treatment-time ( p = 0.06) or onset-to-treatment-time ( p = 0.29).

Conclusion

Treatment time seems to be critical for favourable outcome after acute ischemic stroke in the elderly. Age is not associated with longer delivery times for thrombolysis in telestroke.