bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physiological and Pathophysiological Implications of Synaptic Tau
Authors: Regan Philip , Whitcomb Daniel J. , Cho Kwangwook
Published: February 2016

Tauopathies encompass a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases featuring extensive neuronal death and cognitive decline. However, research over the past 30 years has failed to significantly advance our understanding of how tau causes dementia, limiting the design of rational therapeutics. It has become evident that we need to expand our understanding of tau in physiology, in order to delineate how tau may contribute to pathology. This review discusses recent evidence that has uncovered a novel aspect of tau function, based on its previously uncharacterized localization to the synapse. Here, multiple streams of evidence support a critical role for synaptic tau in the regulation of synapse physiology. In particular, long-term depression, a form of synaptic weakening, is dependent on the presence of tau in hippocampal neurons. The regulation of tau by specific phosphorylation events downstream of GSK-3β activation appears to be integral to this signaling role. We also describe how the regulation of synapse physiology by tau and its phosphorylation may inform our understanding of tauopathies and comorbid diseases. This work should provide a platform for future tau biology research in addition to therapeutic design.
The Benefits and Challenges of the Influenza Vaccination Among Home Health Care Workers
Authors: Rosati Robert J. , Zales Michael , Landers Steven
Published: February 2016

Home health care agencies provide services to some of the most vulnerable patients and must encourage influenza vaccinations of their employees. The current study assessed the impact of increasing employee compliance with vaccinations and aimed to determine why certain employees refuse vaccinations. This was an observational study that looked at employee vaccination rates, employee sick days, and responses to an employee survey of those who refused vaccinations. Data were collected at a large not-for-profit home health care agency in the northeast that provides services primarily to Medicare patients. Vaccination compliance and sick days information were collected on all employees of the home care agency over three flu seasons (2012-2015). Survey data were collected on employees ( n = 240) who refused the influenza vaccination during the 2014-2015 flu season. The agency more than doubled vaccination rates from 38% to 88% and found a corresponding reduction in staff sick time. By surveying the “refusers,” it was found that the common reasons for avoiding vaccinations were beliefs of not being in a high-risk group, not needing vaccine, being healthy and never getting the flu, and not liking injections. It is clear that a concerted effort to increase employee influenza vaccination rates can be successful and possibly decrease staff sick days. However, there seems to be a small group of employees who refuse vaccination. Better education of these employees should help eliminate the common reasons people decline vaccination.
Finding Efficiency in the Design of Large Multisite Evaluations
Authors: Westine Carl D.
Published: February 2016

Little is known empirically about intraclass correlations (ICCs) for multisite cluster randomized trial (MSCRT) designs, particularly in science education. In this study, ICCs suitable for science achievement studies using a three-level (students in schools in districts) MSCRT design that block on district are estimated and examined. Estimates of ICCs, by district, are computed for unconditional two-level (students in schools) hierarchical linear models using student-level science achievement raw scores as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills in 2010–2011 for Grades 5, 8, 10, and 11. The average within-district ICCs for MSCRTs of science achievement range from 0.0781 to 0.0982 across grades. For Grade 5, a significant difference is found in the ICC estimate suitable for MSCRTs with many districts versus only a few districts. Consequently, evaluators of science education interventions should exhibit care when selecting ICC estimates for three-level MSCRT designs that block on district.
Spaces for Youth Participation and Youth Empowerment
Authors: Tsekoura Maria
Published: February 2016

This article discusses the empowering potential of spaces that enable youth participation. It proposes that a perspective on participation as a process of learning rather than as control over resources opens up novel insights on the ways participatory processes unfold. Drawing from empirical work in the UK and Greece, the article looks at the dynamic potential of youth participation as it is expressed through social practices and social relations in given spaces, to identify distinct facets of participation such as performative, managerial and creative. It concludes that youth participation can be empowering when it is linked to other domains of young people’s experience and when its capacity to produce diverse processes and outcomes is recognized.
Understanding the experiences of fathers of children with congenital heart disease: An interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Gower Carla , Higgins Aiveen , Doherty Nicola , McCormack David
Published: February 2016

Little is known about the experiences of fathers of children with congenital heart disease. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, the lived experiences of six fathers were explored. Two master themes emerged: ‘relinquishing and reclaiming control’ and ‘living in the shadow of illness’. Subordinate themes included playing the support act, a pragmatic/emotional dichotomy, and becoming the child’s protector. Other themes included living in limbo and redefining ‘normality’ to encompass the condition. Theoretical links are made between these findings and existing literature while clinical implications include the need to involve fathers in decision-making and to respect their need to maintain control.
The use of neurocognitive methods in assessing health communication messages: A systematic review
Authors: Kaye Sherrie-Anne , White Melanie J , Lewis Ioni
Published: February 2016

We review 20 studies that examined persuasive processing and outcomes of health messages using neurocognitive measures. The results suggest that cognitive processes and neural activity in regions thought to reflect self-related processing may be more prominent in the persuasive process of self-relevant messages. Furthermore, activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the superior temporal gyrus and the middle frontal gyrus were identified as predictors of message effectiveness, with the medial prefrontal cortex accounting for additional variance in behaviour change beyond that accounted for by self-report measures. Incorporating neurocognitive measures may provide a more comprehensive understanding of the processing and outcomes of health messages.
The interactive effects of patient control beliefs on adherence to fluid-intake restrictions in hemodialysis: Results from a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Howren M Bryant , Cozad Ashley J , Christensen Alan J
Published: February 2016

This study examined the interactive role of perceived control and preference for control on adherence in a sample of patients with chronic kidney disease. As part of a randomized controlled trial assessing adherence to fluid-intake restrictions, 119 hemodialysis patients completed measures of these constructs; results indicated that patients with high perceived control and high preference for control demonstrated the most favorable adherence. This suggests that patients who believe health-related outcomes are a function of one’s own behaviors—and having the opportunity to exert control over aspects of treatment—may be most adherent to complex regimens in which self-management is key.
Invisible streams
Authors: Hyvönen Ari-Elmeri
Published: February 2016

For Hannah Arendt, some of the most distinctive features of the modern age derived from the adoption of a process-imaginary in science, history, and administration. This article examines Arendt’s work, identifying what it calls the ‘process-frame’ in her criticism of imperialism, economy, and the biologization of politics. It discusses an interpretation in which ‘natality’ presents a completely alternative mode of temporality, a resistance to the process-frame. This interpretation, it is argued, needs to be specified by taking into account that political action both interrupts and starts processes of its own. To confine and overcome the negative effects of process-framing, it is important to emphasize action as a world-building activity – something capable of establishing a relatively stable area of the common world by initiating processes of its own. Second, it is also important to cultivate ways of thinking and perceiving particular acts as meaningfully independent of all-embracing processes.
Self-management-support in dementia care: A mixed methods study among nursing staff
Authors: Verkaik Renate , van Antwerpen-Hoogenraad Paulien , de Veer Anke , Francke Anneke , Huis in het Veld Judith
Published: February 2016

Background

Self-management in patients and family caregivers confronted with dementia is not self-evident. Self-management skills may be limited because of the progressive cognitive decline of the patient and because family caregivers are often also very aged. Self-management support by nursing staff is therefore of paramount importance.

Objectives

To gain insight into how nursing staff perceive their self-management support tasks, and how they put them into practice. Research questions are: ‘What are the opinions and experiences of Dutch nursing staff working in home care or residential elderly care regarding self-management support for people with dementia and their family caregivers?' and ‘Do nursing staff feel sufficiently trained and skilled for self-management support?’.

Methods

A mixed methods approach was used, combining cross-sectional quantitative survey data from 206 Dutch nursing professionals with qualitative interviews among 12 nursing staff working in home care or residential elderly care in The Netherlands.

Results

Nursing staff working in home care experienced self-management support of people with dementia as a part of their job and as an attractive task. They consider ‘helping people with dementia to maintain control over their lives by involving them in decisions in daily care’ the essence of self-management support. Nursing staff saw family caregivers as their main partners in providing self-management support to the patient. They were less aware that family caregivers themselves might also need self-management support. Nursing staff often felt insufficiently trained to give adequate self-management support. RN’s and CNA’s did not differ in their opinions, experiences and training needs.

Conclusions

Nursing staff in home care do consider self-management support an important and attractive task in dementia care. Their skills for providing self-management support to patients with dementia and family caregivers need improvement.

Recommendations

Nursing staff need sufficient training to enable the proper provision of self-management support for people with dementia. More attention should also be given to the support of self-management for family caregivers.
Girls’ education, development and social change
Authors: Porter Shirley Anne
Published: February 2016

This literature review will trace the recent history of the globalisation of human rights with reference to education, particularly for girls and women, but also looking more broadly to include education for boys and men. The main paradigms – traditional, neo-liberalism and philanthrocapitalism – for providing education in developing countries will be defined. This will be followed by a consideration of the lack of forethought and the difficulties encountered in providing education for females, along with techniques suggested for addressing the issues. There will be a brief look at the way forward. This is a fluid, changing area as conferences and committees around the world are continually meeting, and new ideas, values and goals are being proposed for consideration.
Filipino American college students at the margins of neoliberalism
Authors: Hernandez Xavier J
Published: February 2016

This article analyzes the various ways that Filipino American students have navigated the system of higher education in lieu of expanding neoliberal public policies. In an era where neoliberalism has sought to minimize minority difference within a universal “common sense” pursuit of individual freedoms, the academic, economic, social, cultural, and political actions of Filipino Americans have served as continual reminders that the holistic contexts of under-served and under-represented student populations continue to significantly shape educational inputs, environments, and outcomes in ways neoliberalism cannot fully take into account. A review of the historical formation of the Filipino American identity, combined with contemporary Filipino American higher education experiences, collectively establishes the inability to reduce the Filipino American identity to an objective marker of social difference. Moving forward, implications of this research illustrate an inherent paradox in the neoliberal concept of “diversity” in higher education, wherein colleges and universities actively forge a dually marginalized Filipino American identity that exemplifies the continued significance of race, in spite of higher education institutions’ growing attempts to downplay the correlations between race and educational access and attainment.
Engines without fuel? – Empirical findings on Finnish higher education institutions as education exporters
Authors: Schatz Monika
Published: February 2016

In 2010, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture formulated Finland’s first education export strategy. This policy document attributed Finnish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) a significant role in the emerging sector by declaring them as ‘engines’ of education export. Situated in a phenomenological approach towards policymaking, this paper empirically investigates how HEIs perceive their role as education exporters. A case study is presented in order to give voice to those who are supposed to implement the education export strategy. The data was gathered from HEIs’ international offices across Finland and analysed by means of content analysis. The findings indicate a gap between vision and reality and thus challenge the existing policy discourse.
Modeling Cooperation in an Address-register-based Telephone/Face-to-face Survey
Authors: Lipps Oliver
Published: February 2016

I analyze the effects of household sociodemography, interviewer performance in the current survey, and fieldwork characteristics on cooperation in a central telephone survey, where households with no publicly listed landline number receive face-to-face visits. Using the 2013 refreshment sample of the Swiss Household Panel, I employ household–interviewer cross-classified multilevel models and analyze first and later contacts separately. Some sociodemographic groups are less cooperative in the first contact only, others in both the first and later contacts, and still others in later contacts only. I offer recommendations about which households should be finalized at the first contact, which should be transferred to the face-to-face sample instead of being worked by telephone, and which interviewers should work which household groups.
Ultra-wideband textile antenna with circular polarization for GPS applications and wireless body area networks
Authors: Karimiyan-Mohammadabadi M , Dorostkar MA , Shokuohi F , Shanbeh M , Torkan A
Published: February 2016

In this paper, a novel textile antenna with a semi elliptical ground plane is designed for ultra-wideband applications. Conductive woven fabric made of stainless steel/polyester (80/20%) spun yarn with 158 Ω/m linear resistance is used to design the ground and the patch of antenna. Moreover, the warp density and weft density of woven fabric are selected in a way that it gets high value of surface conductivity. The surface conductivity of woven fabric was 0.088 Ω/sq. The proposed antenna is made of triangle patch within a transmission line and its dimensions are optimized using the genetic algorithm. Results show that the proposed antenna achieves multi impedance bandwidth ranging from 1.4 to 1.6 GHz, 1.8 to 2.4 GHz, and 3.4 to 11.6 GHz (reflection coefficient <−10 dB). The antenna in both bands from 1.4 to 1.6 GHz and 1.8 to 2.4 GHz is circularly polarized. This impedance bandwidth makes it appropriate for many wireless communication systems such as GPS, Wifi, PCS-1900, IMT-2000/UMTS, and ultra-wideband applications.
Tensile characteristics of flexible PU-coated multi-axial warp-knitted fabrics
Authors: Jing Lingxiao , Guo Nangkuo , Xu Haiyan , Jiang Jinhua , Zhang tonghua , Chen Nanliang
Published: February 2016

In practice, the coated fabric is available in many shapes and sizes, not just rectangle and plane. In order to increase the shape-shifting abilities of coated fabrics, polyurethane-coated multi-axial warp-knitted fabric (PU-CMWKF) is developed. In this paper, the tensile characteristics of PU-CMWKF were investigated. Five groups of tensile experiments, with off-axial angles of 0°, 22°, 45°, 67.5°, and 90°, were conducted under constant velocity. The failure mechanism was explored by analyzing the damaged specimens. Additionally, the deformation behavior of PU-CMWKF in three regions was investigated by utilizing the digital image correlation (DIC) system, and an orthogonal anisotropic model was used to predict the modulus and Poisson’s ratio of 22.5° and 67.5°. Research results showed that the apparent modulus of PU-CMWKF strongly depended on the cut of directions. And the failure mechanism under in-plane direction loading suggests that tensile and shear failure act together. The analytical model is validated along five directions in the representation of elastic constant under corresponding small strain.
Securing unmanned autonomous systems from cyber threats
Authors: Madan Bharat B , Banik Manoj , Bein Doina
Published: February 2016

Unmanned systems, with and without a human-in-the loop, are being deployed in a range of military and civilian applications spanning air, ground, sea-surface and undersea environments. Large investments, particularly in robotics, electronic miniaturization, sensors, network communication, information technology and artificial intelligence are likely to further accelerate this trend. The operation of unmanned systems, and of applications that use these systems, are heavily dependent on cyber systems that are used to collect, store, process and communicate data, making data a critical resource. At the same time, undesirable elements of our society and adversarial states have also realized the high value of this resource. While enormous efforts have been made to secure data and cyber systems, lack of rigorous threat modeling and risk analysis can lead to more specific, rather than generic, security solutions relevant to the cyber system to be protected. This scenario has created an urgent need to develop a holistic process for protecting data and cyber systems. This paper deals with the development of different pieces of this process. We first identify the security requirements of unmanned autonomous systems, and follow this up with modeling how attacks achieve their objectives. We argue that a large number of threats that can materialize as attacks and the costs of managing these attacks in cost effective ways require ranking threats using cyber threat modeling and cyber risk analysis techniques. The last segment of the paper describes a structured approach to mitigate high-risk threats.
Mechanical thrombectomy in acute basilar artery occlusion: A safety and efficacy single centre study
Authors: Werner Mariano , Lopez-Rueda Antonio , Zarco Federico , Román Luis San , Blasco Jordi , Amaro Sergio , Carrero Enrique , Fontanals Jaume , Oleaga Laura , Macho Juan , Bargallo Nuria
Published: February 2016

Objectives

The objective of this study was to add more evidence about the efficacy and safety of mechanical thrombectomy in patients with basilar artery occlusion and secondarily to identify prognostic factors.

Methods

Twenty-two consecutive patients (mean age 60.5 years, 15 men) with basilar artery occlusion treated with mechanical thrombectomy were included. Clinical, procedure and radiological data were collected. Primary outcomes were the modified Rankin scale score with a good outcome defined by a modified Rankin scale score of 0–2 and mortality rate at three months.

Results

The median National Institutes of Health stroke scale at admission was 24 (interquartile range 11.5–31.25). Twelve patients (54.5%) required tracheal intubation due to a decreased level of consciousness. Successful recanalisation (modified treatment in cerebral ischaemia scale 2b–3) was achieved in 20 patients (90.9%). A favourable clinical outcome (modified Rankin scale score 0–2) was observed in nine patients (40.9%) and the overall mortality rate was 40.9% (nine patients). Haemorrhagic events were observed in three patients (13.63%). A decreased level of consciousness requiring intubation in the acute setting was more frequent in patients with poor outcomes (84.6%) than in patients with favourable outcomes (11.1%), and in patients who died (100%) compared with those who survived (23.1%), with a statistically significant difference ( P = 0.002 and P = 0.001, respectively).

Conclusion

Mechanical thrombectomy is feasible and effective in patients with acute basilar artery occlusion. A decreased level of consciousness requiring tracheal intubation seems to be a prognostic factor and is associated with a poor clinical outcome and higher mortality rate. These initial results must be confirmed by further prospective studies with a larger number of patients.
ARTS (Aspiration–Retriever Technique for Stroke): Initial clinical experience
Authors: Massari Francesco , Henninger Nils , Lozano Juan Diego , Patel Anand , Kuhn Anna Luisa , Howk Mary , Perras Mary , Brooks Christopher , Gounis Matthew J , Kan Peter , Wakhloo Ajay K , Puri Ajit S
Published: February 2016

Background

A new generation of highly navigable large-bore aspiration catheters and retriever devices for intracranial mechanical thrombectomy has markedly improved recanalization rates, time and clinical outcomes. We report collected clinical data utilizing a new technique based on combined large lumen aspiration catheter and partially resheathed stent retriever (ARTS: Aspiration (catheter)–(stent) Retriever Technique for Stroke). This technique is applied, especially in presence of bulky/rubbery emboli, when resistance is felt while retracting the stent retriever; at that point the entire assembly is locked and removed in-toto under continuous aspiration with additional flow arrest.

Methods

A retrospective data analysis was performed to identify patients with large cerebral artery acute ischemic stroke treated with ARTS. The study was conducted between August 2013 and February 2015 at a single high volume stroke center. Procedural and clinical data were captured for analysis.

Results

Forty-two patients (median age 66 years) met inclusion criteria for this study. The ARTS was successful in achieving Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) ≥2b revascularization in 97.6% of cases (TICI 2b = 18 patients, TICI 3 = 23 patients). Patients’ median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at admission was 18 (6–40). A 3-month follow-up modified Rankin Scale value of 0–2 was achieved in 65.7% of the successfully treated patients (average 2.4). Two patients (4.8%) developed symptomatic intraparenchymal hemorrhages. Six procedure unrelated deaths were observed.

Conclusions

We found that ARTS is a fast, safe and effective method for endovascular recanalization of large vessel occlusions presenting within the context of acute ischemic stroke.
The mediating role of principals’ transformational leadership behaviors in promoting teachers’ emotional wellness at work
Authors: Berkovich Izhak , Eyal Ori
Published: February 2016

The present study aims to examine whether principals’ emotional intelligence (specifically, their ability to recognize emotions in others) makes them more effective transformational leaders, measured by the reframing of teachers’ emotions. The study uses multisource data from principals and their teachers in 69 randomly sampled primary schools. Principals undertook a performance task to allow assessment of their emotion recognition ability; half the teachers’ sampled ( N = 319) reported on principals’ leadership behaviors and the other half ( N = 320) on teachers’ subjective perceptions of principals as promoting teachers’ reframing of negative emotions into more positive ones. Data were analyzed through multilevel structural equation modeling. Findings indicated a cross-level relationship between principals’ transformational leadership behaviors and teachers’ emotional reframing, as well as a relationship between principals’ emotion recognition ability and their transformational behaviors. Furthermore, the study revealed that principals’ emotion recognition ability has an indirect effect on teachers’ emotional reframing through principals’ transformational leadership behaviors. The results provide empirical support for the claim that transformational leadership promotes emotional transformation. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.
A ‘fair cop’: Queer histories, affect and police image work in Pride March
Authors: Russell Emma K
Published: February 2016

This article investigates how proactive police image work contends with the politics of queer history by drawing from aspects of affect theory. It asks: How does police image work engage with or respond to ongoing histories of state violence and queer resistance? And why does this matter? To explore these questions, the article provides a case study of the Victorian Pride March in 2002. It analyzes textual representations of Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon’s participation in the parade to show how histories of homophobic police violence can be used strategically to fortify a positive police image among LGBT people and the wider community. Police image work carried out at Pride March becomes a means of legitimizing past policing practices with the aim of overcoming poor and antagonistic LGBT-police relations. The visibility of police at Pride March, this analysis suggests, contributes to the normalization of queerness as a site to be continually policed and regulated. Image work here also buttresses police reputation against the negative press associated with incidents of police brutality. This investigation contributes to the literature on police communications and impression management by demonstrating how police can mobilize negative aspects of their organizational history as an important part of police image work in the present.
A behavior change program to increase outings delivered during therapy to stroke survivors by community rehabilitation teams: The Out-and-About trial
Authors: McCluskey Annie , Ada Louise , Kelly Patrick J , Middleton Sandy , Goodall Stephen , Grimshaw Jeremy M , Logan Pip , Longworth Mark , Karageorge Aspasia
Published: February 2016

Background

Australian guidelines recommend that outdoor mobility be addressed to increase participation after stroke.

Aim

To investigate the efficacy of the Out-and-About program at increasing outings delivered during therapy by community teams, and outings taken by stroke survivors in real life.

Method

Cluster-randomized trial involving 22 community teams providing stroke rehabilitation. Experimental teams received the Out-and-About program (a behavior change program comprising a training workshop with barrier identification and booster session, printed educational materials, audit, and feedback). Control teams received printed clinical guidelines only. The primary outcome was the percentage of stroke survivors receiving four or more outings during therapy. Secondary outcomes included the number of outings received by stroke survivors during therapy and undertaken in real life.

Results

At 12 months after implementation of the behavior change program, 9% of audited experimental group stroke survivors received four or more outings during therapy compared with 5% in the control group (adjusted risk difference 4%, 95% CI − 9 to 17, p = 0.54). They received 1.1 (SD 0.9) outings during therapy compared with 0.6 (SD 1.0) in the control group (adjusted mean difference 0.5, 95% CI − 0.4 to 1.4; p = 0.26). After six months of rehabilitation, observed experimental group stroke survivors took 9.0 (SD 3.0) outings per week in real life compared with 7.4 (SD 4.0) in the control group (adjusted mean difference 0.5, 95% CI − 1.8 to 2.8; p = 0.63).

Conclusion

The Out-and-About program did not change team or stroke survivor behavior.
Diagnosis of asthma
Authors: White Katie , Cunningham Claire , Gompertz Simon
Published: February 2016

Asthma is a common and potentially life-threatening respiratory condition, which often presents in early childhood and can be a lifelong chronic health problem. Over a patient’s life, they will attend primary care for regular monitoring of their chronic disease, for repeat prescriptions and during acute exacerbations. The current national UK guidelines on the management of asthma produced by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and British Thoracic Society were updated in 2014. This article will focus on the diagnosis of asthma in adults and children and is directly applicable to primary care.
A novel spray generator for low-energy oil burners
Authors: Etzold M , Han Y , Durst F
Published: February 2016

Outcomes of development work that resulted in a spray generator which yields spray droplets of small Sauter diameters at very low flow rates through the spray-generating nozzle are reported. This nozzle produces a liquid jet that operates in two modes to switch on or switch off the spray production. To achieve this, a liquid jet impinging on a flat surface is employed. The jet is operated at Ohnesorge–Reynolds numbers that do not yield a spray. The conditions for this state of operation are given. The spray production is, in a second mode of operation, initiated by triggering the Rayleigh instability of this jet so that the impingement on the flat plate occurs in the form of drops. As the drops are initiated, an intermittent spray is produced by the flat surface, that is, each droplet results in a spray leaving the flat surface. This is demonstrated experimentally and measurement results are presented to show that droplets of small Sauter mean diameters are produced in this way. The influence of the jet-generating nozzle diameter on the Sauter diameter is also reported. Comparisons of the droplet-generated sprays are carried out for various other forms of spray generators, keeping the nozzle diameter and the flow rate the same as those for the droplet sprays.
Mechanism of gas explosion suppression through the use of vacuum chamber with different volumes
Authors: Hao Shao , Shuguang Jiang , Zhengyan Wu , Weiqing Zhang , Kai Wang
Published: February 2016

A vacuum chamber is used as a new method to suppress gas explosion. Explosion propagation characteristics were studied in a system composed of rectangular pipes and a vacuum chamber. The volume of the vacuum chamber was adjusted by inserting PVC sheets into it. Two groups of explosion suppression experiments were conducted. In one group, the distance between the vacuum chamber and the explosive source point was 3 m and in the other group, this distance was 4 m. The results demonstrated that the effect of explosion suppression of the vacuum chamber is related to the vacuum chamber’s critical volume. When the volume of the vacuum chamber was greater than the critical volume, the chamber exhibited a good explosion suppression effect. When the volume of the vacuum chamber was less than the critical volume, it could not suppress the explosion, and the explosive pressure and flame were stronger than those measured in the absence of the vacuum chamber. On the basis of the experimental results, we further analyzed the suppression mechanism of the vacuum chamber and concluded that stretching of the explosion flame front as well as alteration of the composition of the explosive gas led to the explosive flame being extinguished.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Adherence
Authors: de Bock Martin , Cooper Matthew , Retterath Adam , Nicholas Jennifer , Ly Trang , Jones Timothy , Davis Elizabeth
Published: February 2016

Aims:

This study reports continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) adherence patterns and contributing factors in patients who were part of a 6-month clinical trial using sensor augmented pump therapy with low glucose insulin suspension.

Methods:

CGM data from 38 patients using sensor augmented pump therapy for 6 months were analyzed. CGM adherence was defined by having a working sensor available and determined by the time it was switched on as a proportion of available time for the 6 month study period with allowance for practical CGM use. Age, gender, HbA1c, duration of diagnosis, capillary blood glucose testing frequency, sensor accuracy, and insulin pump alarm frequency were characterized and examined for an association with CGM adherence.

Results:

Overall CGM adherence was 75% (range: 35% to 96%), CGM adherence was demonstrated to fall after 9 to 11 weeks before reaching a steady rate. CGM adherence patterns showed substantial variation. Mean adherence differed ( P < .01) between age groups 72% (<12 years), 69% (12-18 years), and 88% (≥18 years). Sensor accuracy predicted adherence, where every 1% decline in mean absolute difference in a given week was associated with a 0.5% decline in sensor adherence ( P < .01). Gender, HbA1c, duration of diagnosis, capillary blood glucose testing frequency, and insulin pump alarm frequency were not associated with CGM adherence.

Conclusions:

CGM adherence and patterns of use are individualized. However, a predictable fall in adherence at 9 to 11 weeks may present an opportunity for timed interventions to increase CGM use. Adolescent age and sensor accuracy predict CGM adherence.
The role of patient navigators: Case studies in Singapore
Authors: Mustapha Nur Zarifah Binte , Yi Xu , Mohd Razali Mas Rizalynda Binte , Najumudin Nasrifudin Bin , Barman Haslinda Binte
Published: February 2016

In 2014, a patient navigator (PN) program was initiated in a healthcare cluster in Singapore. The program was set up to improve care coordination and facilitate continuity of care of patients. PNs are trained nurses who act as a clinical liaison between the patients, family, staff and the healthcare system to coordinate patients’ treatment plans and ensure continuity of care provision from the acute to the community setting. PNs care for patients with chronic diseases and their role includes resolving caregiver disputes, eliminating barriers to treatment, exploring financial assistance options, facilitating terminal discharge and providing end-of-life counseling. This article describes the activities performed by PNs in the acute care setting. The case studies demonstrate the depth and breadth of navigation activities and illustrate how hospital-based navigators help patients seek treatment earlier, access resources and receive care at the appropriate healthcare setting.
The intimate and the stranger: Approaching the “Muslim question” through the eyes of female converts to Islam
Authors: Mossiere Geraldine
Published: February 2016

Drawing on an ethnography among Quebecois and French female new Muslims, I consider how converts epitomize and embody the “encounter” between Muslim and western societies. By choosing Islam, converts position themselves on the margins, giving them a unique perspective on the “West.” My participants’ reflexive narratives hinge on continuity/disruption dialectics that dissolve the commonly held dichotomy between Sameness and Otherness. In analyzing these narratives, I view subjectivity as a rhetorical construction and elaborate upon converts’ daily intimate encounters and dialogues with Otherness in social spaces. In light of Simmel’s figure of the Stranger based on distance and proximity, I show that converts’ experiences echo the “pacific coexistence” that Muslim and European populations have experienced historically. I argue that narratives are crucial to understanding how Islam—as a political and symbolic language of Otherness—can help frame and profile emergent western subjects and identities.
Rhinogenic intracranial complication with postoperative frontal sinus pyocele and inverted papilloma in the nasal cavity: A case report and literature review
Authors: Kawada Michitsugu , Yokoi Hidenori , Maruyama Keisuke , Matsumoto Yuma , Yamanaka Hidetaka , Ikeda Tetsuya , Shiokawa Yoshiaki , Saito Koichiro
Published: February 2016

We report a patient who had rhinogenic intracranial complication with postoperative frontal sinus pyocele and inverted papilloma in the nasal cavity. A 72-year-old woman had undergone surgery for frontal sinusitis via external incision at another hospital 13 years previously. Left-sided hemiparesis appeared in the patient and gradually worsened. Five days later, she exhibited disorientation, abnormal behavior, poor articulation, and difficulty in standing. Therefore, she was taken to the neurosurgery department by ambulance. An extensive frontal sinus pyocele was suspected, and a cerebral abscess and edema of the frontal lobe were observed on magnetic resonance imaging. After antibiotics, steroid and glycerol were administered for a few weeks; disorientation and left hemiparesis improved. Next, craniotomy for complete removal of the brain abscess by neurosurgeons and endoscopic endonasal surgery by otolaryngologists were carried out at the same surgery. From the analysis of the pathological mucosa sample taken from the right ethomoidal sinus during surgery, an inverted papilloma was diagnosed. The patient completely recovered and is currently receiving follow-up examination. Regarding rhinogenic intracranial complications, ascertaining clinical condition in order to determine the need for either immediate radical surgery, or for curative surgery after waiting for improvement of the overall body condition by conservative management, is still needed.
Breast Density Knowledge and Awareness
Authors: Santiago-Rivas Marimer , Benjamin Shayna , Jandorf Lina
Published: February 2016

Objectives: We reviewed the literature on breast density knowledge and breast density awareness to explore what challenges are faced by this area of research. Method: A review of PubMED, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases was performed. Studies were published in peer-reviewed journals (in all years available) and written in English. The broad search terms used were [“breast density”] AND [“knowledge” OR “awareness”]. Eligible articles were included in the final analysis after meeting the following inclusion criteria: (1) the records had to quantitatively examine and report breast density knowledge and awareness, (2) the number of participants in the sample had to be clearly specified, and (3) studies reporting differences in breast density knowledge and awareness between racial and ethnic groups were included in the review. Results: Of the 277 articles identified, only 5 met inclusion criteria and addressed breast density knowledge and awareness. Characteristics of studies and results were examined. Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to determine a pattern of breast density knowledge and awareness in women. More quality studies are needed that focus on how well women understand the relationship between breast density, breast cancer risk, and breast cancer screening, especially in diverse populations.
The Contingent Effects of Mental Well-being and Education on Volunteering
Authors: Andersson Matthew A. , Glanville Jennifer L.
Published: February 2016

Mental health or well-being provides individuals with an enhanced agentic capacity for formal volunteering. However, this capacity may be realized more effectively through the structural resources for volunteering provided by education. Analyzing white respondents from the 1995-2005 National Survey of Midlife Development Panel Study (N = 1,431), we examine the contingent effects of mental well-being and education on the probability of formal volunteering. In longitudinal models, we find that mental well-being has a role in volunteering only at higher levels of education and that deficits in mental well-being reduce the effect of education. This holds across three representative indicators of mental well-being capturing the absence of negative symptoms as well as the presence of thriving or positive emotion. As a whole, our findings suggest that agency and structure are intertwined in determining who volunteers.
“A plus Dans le Bus”
Authors: Louit-Martinod Nathalie , Chanut-Guieu Cécile , Kornig Cathel , Méhaut Philippe
Published: February 2016

In France, as in many other countries, considerable attention has been paid to health and safety at work and more particularly to the psycho-social risks associated with work. A case study carried out among bus drivers in urban environments in five companies belonging to one of the largest French public transport groups reveals that drivers’ health and well-being at work has deteriorated even though the machinery and equipment they use have improved and working time has been reduced. Besides the usual risks to which bus drivers are exposed, new forms of work intensification have emerged, linked to budgetary constraints, urban policies, quality control, geolocation, and verbal and physical assaults. These factors influence working conditions and workloads. This raises the question of the resources deployed by the drivers and/or their representatives. Following Hirschman, various forms of exit are identified, although the new protective rights that have been introduced, which can be likened to a form of voice, do not seem strong enough to reduce the psycho-social risks.
Inconsistency of Sentinel Events and No Gender Difference in the Measurement of Work-Related Stress
Authors: Andrisano-Ruggieri Ruggero , Capunzo Mario , Crescenzo Pietro , Savastano Riccardo , Truda Giovanna , De Caro Francesco , Pennisi Manuela , Boccia Giovanni
Published: February 2016

Usually, sentinel events and gender are useful variables to propose appropriate intervention strategies for promoting public health. The Italian legislation has incorporated aspects of the scientific literature of stress into law 81/08 and the ministerial circular of November 18, 2010, obliging the detection of work-related stress with specific reference to gender and working environment characteristics. Specifically, the Italian law requires the discovery of sentinel events in the working environment. This study evaluates the role of sentinel events in the detection of work-related stress in relation to gender. The sample includes 249 Italian subjects of a debt collection company divided into two groups (male and female) and distributed in two different categories: Inside Sentinel Events and Outside Sentinel Events. A multifactorial questionnaire, the Organizational and Psychosocial Risk Assessment (OPRA), was administered. The application of two-way ANOVA did not show any statistically significant differences due to gender between the subjects who belonged to the sentinel events group and those who did not belong, as assessed by the Risk Index, the Inventory of Source of Risk, and variables linked to work conditions (work function and seniority). Significant differences were found between men and women only on the index of physical and mental health. Subsequently, three performed linear regression confirm the same results.
Evidence Translation in a Youth Mental Health Service
Authors: Bailey Alan P. , Simmons Magenta B. , De Silva Stefanie , Hetrick Sarah E. , Parker Alexandra G.
Published: February 2016

An evidence–practice gap is well established in the mental health field, and knowledge translation is identified as a key strategy to bridge the gap. This study outlines a knowledge translation strategy, which aims to support clinicians in using evidence in their practice within a youth mental health service ( headspace). We aim to evaluate the strategy by exploring clinicians’ experiences and preferences. The translation strategy includes the creation and dissemination of evidence translation resources that summarize the best available evidence and practice guidelines relating to the management of young people with mental disorders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 youth mental health clinicians covering three topics: experiences with evidence translation resources, preferences for evidence presentation, and suggestions regarding future translation efforts. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Themes were both predetermined by interview topic and identified freely from the data. Clinicians described their experiences with the evidence translation resources as informing decision making, providing a knowledge base, and instilling clinical confidence. Clinicians expressed a preference for brief, plain language summaries and for involvement and consultation during the creation and dissemination of resources. Suggestions to improve the dissemination strategy and the development of new areas for evidence resources were identified. The knowledge translation efforts described support clinicians in the provision of mental health services for young people. The preferences and experiences described have valuable implications for services implementing knowledge translation strategies.
Everyday Life as a Text
Authors: Lahey Michael
Published: February 2016

This article explores how audience data are utilized in the tentative partnerships created between television and social media companies. Specially, it looks at the mutually beneficial relationship formed between the social media platform Twitter and television. It calls attention to how audience data are utilized as a way for the television industry to map itself onto the everyday lives of digital media audiences. I argue that the data-intensive monitoring of everyday life offers some measure of soft control over audiences in a digital media landscape. To do this, I explore “Social TV”—the relationships created between social media technologies and television—before explaining how Twitter leverages user data into partnerships with various television companies. Finally, the article explains what is fruitful about understanding the Twitter–television relationship as a form of soft control.
A Critical and Comprehensive Sociological Theory of Race and Racism
Authors: Golash-Boza Tanya
Published: February 2016

This article contests the contention that sociology lacks a sound theoretical approach to the study of race and racism, instead arguing that a comprehensive and critical sociological theory of race and racism exists. This article outlines this theory of race and racism, drawing from the work of key scholars in and around the field. This consideration of the state of race theory in sociology leads to four contentions regarding what a critical and comprehensive theory of race and racism should do: (1) bring race and racism together into the same analytical framework; (2) articulate the connections between racist ideologies and racist structures; (3) lead us towards the elimination of racial oppression; and (4) include an intersectional analysis.