bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using continuous sedation until death for cancer patients: A qualitative interview study of physicians’ and nurses’ practice in three European countries
Authors: Seymour Jane , Rietjens Judith , Bruinsma Sophie , Deliens Luc , Sterckx Sigrid , Mortier Freddy , Brown Jayne , Mathers Nigel , van der Heide Agnes ,   on behalf of the UNBIASED consortium, Addington-Hall Julia , Anquinet Livia , Brown Jayne , Bruinsma Sophie , Deliens Luc , Mathers Nigel , Mortier Freddy , Payne Sheila , Raus Kasper , Rietjens Judith , Seale Clive , Seymour Jane , Smithson W. Henry , Sterckx Sigrid , Janssens Rien , van der Heide Agnes
Published: July 2014

Background:

Extensive debate surrounds the practice of continuous sedation until death to control refractory symptoms in terminal cancer care. We examined reported practice of United Kingdom, Belgian and Dutch physicians and nurses.

Methods:

Qualitative case studies using interviews.

Setting:

Hospitals, the domestic home and hospices or palliative care units.

Participants:

In all, 57 Physicians and 73 nurses involved in the care of 84 cancer patients.

Results:

UK respondents reported a continuum of practice from the provision of low doses of sedatives to control terminal restlessness to rarely encountered deep sedation. In contrast, Belgian respondents predominantly described the use of deep sedation, emphasizing the importance of responding to the patient’s request. Dutch respondents emphasized making an official medical decision informed by the patient’s wish and establishing that a refractory symptom was present. Respondents employed rationales that showed different stances towards four key issues: the preservation of consciousness, concerns about the potential hastening of death, whether they perceived continuous sedation until death as an ‘alternative’ to euthanasia and whether they sought to follow guidelines or frameworks for practice.

Conclusion:

This qualitative analysis suggests that there is systematic variation in end-of-life care sedation practice and its conceptualization in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Narcissistic Symptoms in German School Shooters
Authors: Bondü Rebecca , Scheithauer Herbert
Published: July 2014

School shooters are often described as narcissistic, but empirical evidence is scant. To provide more reliable and detailed information, we conducted an exploratory study, analyzing police investigation files on seven school shootings in Germany, looking for symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) in witnesses’ and offenders’ reports and expert psychological evaluations. Three out of four offenders who had been treated for mental disorders prior to the offenses displayed detached symptoms of narcissism, but none was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder. Of the other three, two displayed narcissistic traits. In one case, the number of symptoms would have justified a diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder. Offenders showed low and high self-esteem and a range of other mental disorders. Thus, narcissism is not a common characteristic of school shooters, but possibly more frequent than in the general population. This should be considered in developing adequate preventive and intervention measures.
Should Women Applicants “Man Up” for Traditionally Masculine Fields? Effectiveness of Two Verbal Identity Management Strategies
Authors: Wessel Jennifer L. , Hagiwara Nao , Ryan Ann Marie , Kermond Christine M. Y.
Published: July 2014

Due to gender-based bias, women can be at a disadvantage when trying to enter into traditionally masculine fields (e.g., engineering) or job positions (e.g., top management). The present study examined the effectiveness of two verbal gender presentation strategies that women might be able to use to improve their evaluations in traditionally masculine hiring contexts: verbalizing agentic traits (describing oneself in terms of stereotypically masculine traits) and gender acknowledgment. In a laboratory study, 674 participants evaluated either a female or a male applicant applying for a traditionally masculine position in a traditionally masculine field (engineering manager). Results showed that verbalizing one’s agentic traits resulted in favorable fit evaluations for the female applicant but not the male applicant. Further, acknowledging one’s gender resulted in negative personal evaluations for both female and male applicants. Our findings suggest that applicants’ decisions concerning how to manage their gender presentation can influence how they are evaluated and that women seeking entry into traditionally masculine occupations may want to describe themselves in agentic terms and avoid acknowledging their gender.
Kinetic study of a bismaleimide resin curing process by differential scanning calorimetry and rheological analysis
Authors: Guo Qi-wei , Zhang Guo-li , Li Jia-lu
Published: July 2014

Curing reaction of a bismaleimide resin was investigated by dynamic differential scanning calorimetry at different heating rates. Activation energy was determined to be 91.861 kJ/mol on average by the Kissinger method and the Ozawa method. A piecewise fitting model was developed to describe the curing kinetic process. The piecewise model fitting results indicated a shift in the kinetic reaction mechanism from the Kamal model within the degree of cure range α < 0.6 to the n-order model when α exceeds 0.6. Rheological measurements including nonisothermal and isothermal testing were performed and the Arrhenius empirical model was applied to establish the chemorheolog model of the bismaleimide resin. The model obtained was proved to be in good agreement with experimental data.
A pyrolysis study for the thermal and kinetic characteristics of an agricultural waste with two different plastic wastes
Authors: Çepelioğullar Özge , Pütün Ayşe E
Published: July 2014

In this study, thermochemical conversion of plastic wastes (PET and PVC) together with an agricultural waste (hazelnut shell) was investigated. In order to determine the thermal and kinetic behaviours, pyrolysis experiments were carried out from room temperature to 800 °C, with a heating rate of 10 °C min-1 in the presence of a N2 atmosphere in a thermogravimetric analyzer. With the obtained thermogravimetric data, an appropriate temperature was specified for the pyrolysis of biomass–plastic wastes in a fixed-bed reactor. At the second step, pyrolysis experiments were carried out at the same conditions with the thermogravimetric analyzer, except the final temperature which was up to 500 °C in this case. After pyrolysis experiments, pyrolysis yields were calculated and characterization studies for bio-oil were investigated. Experimental results showed that co-pyrolysis has an important role in the determination of the pyrolysis mechanism and the process conditions while designing/implementing a thermochemical conversion method where biomass–plastic materials were preferred as raw materials.
Evaluation of adenoviral vascular endothelial growth factor-activated chitosan/hydroxyapatite scaffold for engineering vascularized bone tissue using human osteoblasts: In vitro and in vivo studies
Authors: Koç Aysel , Finkenzeller Günter , Elçin A Eser , Stark G Björn , Elçin Y Murat
Published: July 2014

Bone tissue is dependent on an efficient blood supply to ensure delivery of nutrients and oxygen. One method to acquire a vascular-engineered bone tissue could be the use of an angiogenic gene-activated scaffold. In the current study, porous chitosan/hydroxyapatite (C/HA) scaffolds were fabricated via freeze-drying with desired pore size, and then combined with the adenoviral vector encoding vascular endothelial growth factor and green fluorescence protein (Ad-VEGF). Human osteoblasts were cultured and seeded on characterized scaffolds. The attachment, proliferation, and differentiation of cells on gene-activated and unactivated C/HA scaffolds were evaluated in vitro and in vivo by histo- and immunohistochemistry. Findings confirmed that human osteoblasts cultured on gene-activated C/HA scaffold secreted vascular endothelial growth factor, besides maintaining its characteristic phenotype with specific extracellular matrix production. In vivo experiments indicated that scaffolds were tissue biocompatible, and that gene-activated scaffold provided a suitable environment for neovessel formation by recruiting host endothelial cells into the newly forming ectopic bone-like tissue. This study revealed that the Ad-VEGF-activated C/HA composite scaffold has potential for vascular bone regeneration applications.
Where Are We Headed? What’s in Our Way? How Can We Get There? Thoughts From Directors of Women’s and Gender Studies Programs
Authors: Armstrong Anita Harker , Huber Jamie
Published: July 2014

We are at a critical time in determining the trajectory of the discipline of Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS). This article explores how WGS programs are marginalized within the academy, and alternately, by what means they have succeeded. We additionally take stock of predictions for the future of this highly dynamic discipline, drawn from the perspectives of those uniquely positioned to carve out these spaces and new territories—the directors of WGS programs. Data were gathered through a census of WGS programs at large 4-year institutions across the United States and Canada and supplemented by 24 in-depth follow-up interviews.
Childhood Abuse and Postpartum Psychosis
Authors: Kennedy Stephanie C. , Tripodi Stephen J.
Published: July 2014

Postpartum psychosis (PPP) is a serious mental health issue associated with maternal suicide and infanticide. Although a growing research base suggests that childhood abuse is predictive of psychosis, bipolar disorder, and postpartum depression, the link between abuse and PPP is less clear. Currently, prevention and treatment strategies are pharmacological and require hospitalization once symptoms arise. Unfortunately, these strategies are not ideal for affected women and their infants. Testing the relationship between experiences of childhood abuse and PPP may reveal abuse variables to be both statistically and clinically meaningful predictors of the disorder. A dose–response model suggests that women who report more severe abuse or multivictimization will be more likely to develop PPP. The authors suggest trauma screening in psychiatric, obstetrical, and community practice settings to identify women at risk for PPP and advocate for the addition of gender-responsive and trauma-focused psychotherapy to pharmacological interventions for this population.
Predictors of Low Milk Volume among Mothers Who Delivered Preterm
Authors: Murase Masahiko , Nommsen-Rivers Laurie , Morrow Ardythe L. , Hatsuno Misato , Mizuno Katsumi , Taki Motohiro , Miyazawa Tokuo , Nakano Yuya , Aizawa Madoka , Itabashi Kazuo
Published: July 2014

Background:

Factors associated with successful provision of mother’s own milk (MOM) for premature infants in a Japanese neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) context are not well known.

Objective:

We determined the independent risk factors for low milk volume at day 4 postpartum and formula feeding at the time of NICU discharge.

Methods:

We reviewed the medical records of mothers who delivered at < 32 weeks’ gestation. We determined maternal, premature infant, and milk expression variables predictive of (1) day 4 postpartum milk volume being less than the cohort median and (2) formula feeding at the time of NICU discharge, reported as adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval).

Results:

Among 85 dyads, median (quartile range) milk volume on day 4 postpartum was 153 (34-255) mL. The rate of formula feeding at discharge was 42%. Mothers delivering by cesarean (vs vaginal) delivery had 4.3-fold (1.5-12.4) greater odds of day 4 milk volume < median ( P < .01). Pregnancy-induced hypertension, delayed milk expression initiation, and low pumping frequency were strongly associated with cesarean delivery. Subsequently, mothers with day 4 milk volume < median (vs ≥ median) had 7.1-fold (2.6-19.5) greater odds of formula feeding at discharge ( P < .01).

Conclusion:

Cesarean delivery is associated with lower milk volume on day 4 but may represent a composite of underlying risk factors for low milk volume in the early postpartum period. Further, low milk volume on day 4 is a strong correlate of lack of exclusive breast milk feeding at NICU discharge.
Doing Intersectionality
Authors: Lépinard Éléonore
Published: July 2014

Intersectionality has been adopted as the preferred term to refer to and to analyze multiple axes of oppression in feminist theory. However, less research examines if this term, and the political analyses it carries, has been adopted by women’s rights organizations in various contexts and to what effect. Drawing on interviews with activists working in a variety of women’s rights organizations in France and Canada, I show that intersectionality is only one of the repertoires that a women’s rights organization might use to analyze the social experience and the political interests of women situated at the intersection of several axes of domination. I propose a typology of four repertoires that activists use to reflect on intersectionality and inclusiveness. Drawing on a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the interview data, I show that hegemonic repertoires about racial or religious identity in one national context shape the way activists and organizations understand intersectionality and its challenges. The identity of organizations, as well as their main function (advocacy or providing service), also shape their understanding of intersectional issues.
Maximising leadership capacity and school improvement through re-alignment of children’s services
Authors: Tarpey Christine , Poultney Val
Published: July 2014

This article emerges from work undertaken with leaders from a local authority who took part in a programme entitled ‘Advanced Leadership in Integrated Children’s Services Environment’ or ALICSE programme. The aim of this course was to engage leaders and managers in thinking differently about their roles and to consider how they could make changes to their leadership practices to cope with the fast pace of change now enforced on the educational landscape. Through co-construction of work-based knowledge and the application of integrated leadership theory with a local Higher Education Institution (HEI) during 2012, this research offers some insight into how a group of Local Authority (LA) teams have provided a de-centralised service for vulnerable families whilst maintaining and improving educational standards across the City’s primary schools. A range of leadership, improvement and process strategies are currently being piloted with inner city schools and presented in this paper as a series of vignettes which exemplify these strategies. By taking a more holistic, integrated approach to working with key personnel at both local authority and school level it has been possible to demonstrate a greater alignment between the different LA teams in respect of the support they are offering to the schools. These outcomes have arisen as a result of professional teams working on the development of a more autonomous approach to leadership based on a ‘can do’ attitude firmly embedded within a morally focused culture.
Immaterial Labor and the Determination of Social Class
Authors: Valencia Adrián Sotelo
Published: July 2014

In this article the concept of immaterial labor is dialectically related to the cycle of material labor in the production and reproduction of capital and bourgeois society. The article reflects on how this affects the dynamics of social classes and their struggles in contemporary capitalist society. Immaterial labor, like its manual counterpart, is also subject to capitalism’s essential contradictions as well as its processes and tendencies. Various authors, including Latin American Marxists, are drawn upon to explore further this historical process.
Structural-controlled synthesis of polyaniline nanoarchitectures using hydrothermal method
Authors: Zhu Xuyang , Hou Kun , Chen Chun , Zhang Weiqiang , Sun Huaming , Zhang Guofang , Gao Ziwei
Published: July 2014

Three new polyaniline (PANI) micro/nanostructures featuring square nanosheets, microspheres and microdisks are successfully synthesized via hydrothermal method. Uniform sizes and thickness of highly crystalline PANI square structural nanosheets can be tuned by the oxidation polymerization in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a template. Mechanistic studies indicate that concentrations of aniline and CTAB, reaction temperature and time have great influence on the morphology of PANI polymers. Particularly, CTAB is essential to determine the morphology of synthetic PANI. In aqueous solution at extremely high temperature and pressure, CTAB provides various self-assembly of micelles, such as spherical micelle, planar bilayer, and lamellar phase, in which corresponding micro/nanostructures are formed. This hydrothermal fabrication gives an excellent example for the preparation of well-defined two-dimensional PANI micro/nanomaterials and potentially for other synthetic polymers.
Prediction of energy consumption and environmental implications for turning operation using finite element analysis
Authors: Pervaiz Salman , Deiab Ibrahim , Rashid Amir , Nicolescu Mihai
Published: July 2014

This article is concerned with the experimental and numerical investigation of energy consumption involved in the turning of Ti6Al4V titanium alloys. Energy consumption of a machining process is considered as an important machining performance indicator. This article aims to propose an approach for the prediction of energy consumption and related environmental implications using finite element modeling simulations. Machining experiments were conducted using uncoated carbide tools under dry cutting environment. DEFORM-3D software package was utilized to simulate finite element–based machining simulations. Experimental validation was mainly conducted by focusing on the cutting forces and power consumption measurements. Simulated results of the cutting force and power consumption were found in a good agreement with the experimental findings. The amount of CO2 emission resulting from energy consumption during the machining phase is highly dependent on the geographical location. This study also incorporated the energy mix of United Arab Emirates for the environmental calculations. Finally, in the light of proposed methodology, possible future directions and recommendations have also been presented.
A linear friction welding process model for Carpenter Custom 465 precipitation-hardened martensitic stainless steel: A weld microstructure-evolution analysis
Authors: Grujicic Mica , Yavari R , Snipes JS , Ramaswami S
Published: July 2014

Our recently developed fully coupled thermo-mechanical finite element–based process model for linear friction welding has been combined with a newly constructed microstructure-evolution model in order to predict the type, the extent, and the temporal evolution and spatial distribution of microstructural changes within different portions of the weld. The newly constructed microstructure-evolution model is based on the key physical metallurgy concepts and principles of the workpiece material and includes the basic thermodynamics and kinetics of various interacting and competing phase transformations, which may take place within the weld region. The microstructure-evolution model is subsequently applied to Carpenter Custom 465, H1000, a high-strength/high-corrosion resistance, precipitation-hardened martensitic stainless steel. Combined use of the thermo-mechanical process model and the workpiece material microstructure-evolution model enabled establishment of the basic relationships between the linear friction welding process parameters (e.g. friction pressure, reciprocating amplitude, reciprocating frequency, and forging pressure), temporal evolution and the spatial distribution of the as-welded material microstructure. Examination of the results yielded by the model clearly revealed: (a) the presence of three zones within the weld, that is, (1) a contact interface region, (2) a thermo-mechanically affected zone, and (3) a heat-affected zone and (b) the fact that the relative size and the extent of the associated microstructural changes are controlled by the selected linear friction welding process parameters. While there are no publicly available reports related to Carpenter Custom 465 linear friction welding behavior, to allow experimental validation of the attendant microstructure-evolution model, these findings are consistent with the results of our ongoing companion experimental investigation.
Multi-constrained optimization in ultrasonic-assisted turning of hardened steel by electromagnetism-like algorithm
Authors: Farahnakian Masoud , Razfar Mohammad Reza , Biglari Farid Reza
Published: July 2014

Ultrasonic-assisted machining is a method used to improve the machining technologies and overcome some problems in recent decades. To achieve optimal machining performance during hard turning, proper selection of turning parameters is considered as an important issue. The process becomes more complicated when methods such as ultrasonic-assisted machining are applied and ultrasonic vibration variables are also extracted. In this research work, a methodology is proposed to optimize ultrasonic-assisted turning process during machining of hardened steel AISI 4140. Neural network was employed to model process outputs (surface roughness and cutting force). Then electromagnetism-like algorithm was coupled to neural network to maximize the material removal rate with regard to outputs of process as constraints to achieve the machined part requirements. Experimental design technique was also used to obtain the needed experimental data for training neural network to predict process outputs. Material removal rate constitutes the main function of the electromagnetism algorithm; cutting force and surface roughness were applied as the constraints of the electromagnetism-like algorithm function. The unconstrained objective function that was created using penalty method was then optimized by the electromagnetism-like algorithm and genetic algorithm codes. It was observed that electromagnetism-like algorithm has more accurate results in comparison to genetic algorithm. Finally, the obtained optimum variables were experimentally tested in order to examine the mentioned method. Good compatibilities are observed between the values of optimization method and the experimental measurements.
Cost-effective track geometry maintenance limits
Authors: Arasteh khouy Iman , Larsson-Kråik Per-Olof , Nissen Arne , Kumar Uday
Published: July 2014

In the past, railway maintenance actions were usually planned based on the knowledge and experience of the infrastructure owner. The main goal was to provide a high level of safety, and there was little concern about economic and operational optimisation issues. Today, however, a deregulated competitive environment and budget limitations are forcing railway infrastructures to move from safety limits to cost-effective maintenance limits to optimise operation and maintenance procedures. By so doing, one widens the discussion to include both operational safety and cost-effectiveness for the whole railway transport system. In this study, a cost model is proposed to specify the cost-effective maintenance limits for track geometry maintenance. The proposed model considers the degradation rates of different track sections and takes into account the costs associated with inspection, tamping, delay time penalties, and risk of accidents due to poor track quality. It draws on track geometry data from the Iron Ore Line (Malmbanan) in northern Sweden, used by both passenger and freight trains, to estimate the geometrical degradation rate of each section. The methodology is based on reliability and cost analysis and facilitates the maintenance decision-making process to identify cost-effective maintenance thresholds.
Modelling and model validation of an electropneumatic brake on subway trains
Authors: Luo Zhuojun , Wu Mengling , Zuo Jianyong , Tian Chun
Published: July 2014

In this paper, a model of the electropneumatic brake used on subway trains is developed; it facilitates brake system analysis, fault diagnosis and controller design. This objective is met by decomposing an electropneumatic brake into smaller modules and developing detailed models at three levels. The basic subcomponent models of the electropneumatic brake are built using a lumped parameter method. Then individual models are developed based on the subcomponent models. Finally, a complete model of the electropneumatic brake is developed by assembling all the valve models. Simulation models of these three levels are built using Matlab-Simulink. Important subcomponent models are verified by comparison with experimental results. Furthermore, a test rig is set-up to validate the complete brake model. Experimental and simulated results suggest that the model is able to closely predict the behaviour of the electropneumatic brake: brake filling and releasing time differences between experimental and simulated results are less than 10%; the cause of steady state pressure error of a real electropneumatic brake can be explained using the model; other behaviour of a real electropneumatic brake (sharp pressure jump and drop, pressure oscillation, thermal exchange) can be predicted and better understood using the proposed model.
Estimation of the damping effects of suspension systems on railway vehicles using wedge tests
Authors: Shi Huai-long , Wu Ping-bo , Luo Ren , Zeng Jing
Published: July 2014

The damping ratios of suspension systems on a railway vehicle were estimated in terms of the free-decay responses obtained by applying the logarithmic-decrement method to data obtained in wedge tests. The characteristics of the free-decay responses were measured both for motor and trailer cars experiencing either the tare loading (AW0) or crush loading (AW3) condition and either inflated or deflated air springs. The considered cases included bouncing, pitching, rolling and lateral motions. A dynamic model was established and the simulation results were compared with the experimental results. For the vertical cases, the time cycles and displacement amplitudes of the free-decay response are related to the state of the air springs and the vehicle load. The damping ratio of the secondary suspension for inflated air springs is about three to five times higher than for when the air springs are deflated. For the primary suspension, it is two to four times higher. Also the heavier the carbody loads, the much more severe is the divergence. Furthermore, the damping ratios have their largest values for the pitching modes, followed by the bouncing modes and finally the rolling modes. For the lateral cases, the free-decay responses have similar characteristics to those of the vertical responses but with smaller amplitudes. All the tests show good agreement with one another, and the primary and secondary suspensions show similar regularities. The simulations show a good agreement with the test results and highlight that the initial velocity has only a limited effect on the test results.
Post-derailment dynamic behavior of railway vehicles travelling on a railway bridge during an earthquake
Authors: Wu Xingwen , Chi Maoru , Gao Hao , Ke Xinmeng , Zeng Jing , Wu Pingbo , Zhu Minhao
Published: July 2014

This study developed a post-derailment dynamic model of railway vehicles to investigate their post-derailment dynamic behavior when travelling on a railway bridge during an earthquake. The model is composed of three parts: multi-body dynamic model of the railway vehicle, a collision detection model, and a contact force model. The dynamic model considered all the various kinds of contacts that may occur during the derailment, such as wheel/track slab contacts, wheel/fastener contacts, and brake-disc/rail contacts. A collision detection model that was based on the tight-fitting oriented bounding box trees approach was adopted to detect the collision situations during the derailment. The contact force model was used to calculate the contact force based on a Hertz spring-damper and the Coulomb friction law. Using this model, the post-derailment dynamic behavior of railway vehicles travelling on a railway bridge experiencing earthquake excitations was investigated. First, a seismic response analysis of the railway bridge was conducted in order to obtain the seismic response of the railway bridge; it was subsequently used as the input to the post-derailment dynamic model. Then the derailment postures of the vehicle and contact situations were fully analyzed to understand the post-derailment dynamic behavior of railway vehicles during the earthquake. The obtained results show that the brake disc adopted in the model has the ability to limit the deviation of the wheelsets after the derailment.
Peer Effects in Early Childhood Education
Authors: Justice Laura M. , Logan Jessica A. R. , Lin Tzu-Jung , Kaderavek Joan N.
Published: July 2014

There has been a push in recent years for students with disabilities to be educated alongside their typically developing peers, a practice called inclusion. In this study, we sought to determine whether peer effects operate within early-childhood special-education (ECSE) classrooms in which preschoolers with disabilities are educated alongside typical peers. Peer effects specific to language growth were assessed for 670 preschoolers (mean age = 52 months) in 83 ECSE classrooms; 55% of the children had disabilities. We found that the average language skills of classmates, as assessed in the fall of the year, significantly predicted children’s language skills in the spring (after controlling for their relative skill level in the fall); in addition, there was a significant interactive effect of disability status (i.e., the presence or absence of a disability) and peers’ language skills. Peer effects were the least consequential for children without disabilities whose classmates had relatively strong language skills, and the most consequential for children with disabilities whose classmates had relatively poor language skills.
Tidal stream power in the Pentland Firth – long-term variability, multiple constituents and capacity factor
Authors: Adcock Thomas AA , Draper Scott , Houlsby Guy T , Borthwick Alistair GL , Serhadlıoğlu Sena
Published: July 2014

The Pentland Firth, Scotland, is one of the World’s prime locations for the eventual installation of large farms of tidal stream turbines. This paper seeks to improve the upper bound estimate of available power output obtained by Adcock et al . (2013) who used a depth-integrated numerical model of the region containing the Pentland Firth with the outer boundary forced solely by M2 and S2 tidal constituents. Herein, the analysis is extended to include six additional tidal constituents and the model run for 11.5 years, more than half of the 18.6-year lunar nodal cycle, to allow variations over this to be analysed. The consequent increase in available power is estimated, and the variation in power output over an 11-year period is examined. Although further power could theoretically be extracted from the additional six tidal constituents, this would require the tidal turbine farm to have such a low capacity factor that it would probably be economically unfeasible.
Numerical investigations of impeller–diffuser interactions in a transonic centrifugal compressor stage using nonlinear harmonic method
Authors: Liu Baojie , Zhang Bo , Liu Yangwei
Published: July 2014

Numerical investigations have been conducted on a transonic centrifugal compressor stage with a vaned diffuser. Due to the high loading and small radial gap between the impeller and diffuser, the unsteady impeller–diffuser interactions can be very large compared with axial compressors, and this has a significant impact on the time-averaged performance of a centrifugal compressor stage. Steady, unsteady and NonLinear Harmonic (NLH) simulations have been carried out to study the interactions in a transonic centrifugal compressor. Comparisons have been made against the overall performance and flow details. The distribution of deterministic correlations are extracted and compared to show the effect of unsteadiness due to impeller–diffuser interactions. All of these analyses show that the NLH method gains more accuracy compared with the steady-state mixing plane simulation and saves CPU time compared with an unsteady time-accurate computation. NLH and unsteady methods are in good agreement in overall performance predictions compared with the steady-state mixing plane method while small differences still exist in flow details. In general, the NLH method obtains good accuracy in terms of both deterministic stress and enthalpy correlations which are sufficiently accurate to be directly used in model development in the average-passage equation system instead of the more time-consuming unsteady simulation.
Diallyl trisulfide ameliorates arsenic-induced hepatotoxicity by abrogation of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in rats
Authors: Sumedha NC , Miltonprabu S
Published: July 2014

The present study investigates the possible ameliorative effects of diallyl trisulfide (DATS) against arsenic (As)-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats. The four experimental groups evaluated include: (1) vehicle control; (2) As (5 mg/kg/day); (3) DATS (80 mg/kg/day) + As; and (4) DATS. Induction of As in rats caused severe hepatotoxicity as evidenced by an elevation of serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities and increased total bilirubin concentration, indicating hepatic function abnormalities. Histopathological examination revealed various structural changes in the liver, characterized by hepatocyte degeneration/necrosis, congestion, sinusoidal dilatation, vacuolation, and inflammatory cell infiltration. The significant decrease in reduced glutathione content, catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase activities and the significant increase in lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substance) and protein oxidation (protein carbonyl) contents indicated that As-induced hepatotoxicity was mediated through oxidative stress. As intoxication also elevated the levels of Cas-3 and nitric oxide and increased the expression of nuclear factor-κB p65 in the liver. In contrast, DATS pretreatment significantly improved As-induced serum biochemical, immunohistochemical, and histopathological alterations reflecting hepatic dysfunction. These results may contribute to a better understanding of the hepatoprotective role of DATS, emphasizing the influence of this garlic trisulfide in the diet for human health, possibly preventing the hepatic injury associated with As intoxication, presumably due to its ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and restoration of antioxidant status.
Neuroleptics and enrichment environment treatment in memory disorders and other central nervous system function observed in prenatally stressed rats
Authors: Ratajczak P , Nowakowska E , Kus K , Danielewicz R , Herman S , Woźniak A
Published: July 2014

It is believed that the most effective method of treatment in schizophrenia is pharmacotherapy, in particular, the use of atypical neuroleptics like aripiprazole (ARI) and olanzapine (OLA). Moreover, studies of many authors have shown that enriched living conditions and tobacco smoke exposure can also affect the cognitive functions that are disturbed in the course of schizophrenia. The aim of the study was to find whether tobacco smoke and enrichment living conditions have the influence on cognitive functions in the newborn offspring of prenatally stressed rats and whether drugs such as ARI (1.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.)) and OLA (0.5 mg/kg ip) in single and chronic treatment modify those functions (Morris water maze). The study (in the same conditions) also analyses immobility time (Porsolt test) and motor activity of animals that received ARI and OLA. It has been shown that ARI and OLA as well as enriched environment reduce cognitive function disorders and modify cognitive functions in rats exposed to tobacco smoke. In turn, current research has shown that nicotine has increased cognitive function disorders compared to the previous study (animals without tobacco smoke exposure).
Methylphenidate misuse in adult patients and the impact of therapeutic use
Authors: Jensen LS , Pagsberg AK , Dalhoff K
Published: July 2014

Objective:

Methylphenidate (MPH) prescription rates for adults increase, but the extent of a parallel rise in toxic exposures and their causes and distribution between different MPH trade names are unexplored.

Method:

We retrospectively analyzed adult MPH exposures reported to the Danish Poison Information Centre from January 2006 to July 2012 and the association with MPH sales and the number of patients prescribed MPH.

Results:

Of the 394 exposures (57% males, median age 27 years) reported, MPH status was available in 249 of whom 65.5% were prescribed MPH. Exposure was in 54% motivated by suicidal attempt and in 40% by recreational use (based on 375 cases). Exposure was dominated by one trade name and exposure incidence correlated significantly with sales (  p = 0.001) and prevalence of MPH-treated patients (  p = 0.0008).

Conclusions:

The increase in MPH exposures parallels the prescription rates (particularly Ritalin®/Ritalin® Uno). Most exposures were intentional and motivated by suicide attempts or recreational use.
Statistical methods for incomplete data: Some results on model misspecification
Authors: McIsaac Michael , Cook RJ
Published: July 2014

Inverse probability weighted estimating equations and multiple imputation are two of the most studied frameworks for dealing with incomplete data in clinical and epidemiological research. We examine the limiting behaviour of estimators arising from inverse probability weighted estimating equations, augmented inverse probability weighted estimating equations and multiple imputation when the requisite auxiliary models are misspecified. We compute limiting values for settings involving binary responses and covariates and illustrate the effects of model misspecification using simulations based on data from a breast cancer clinical trial. We demonstrate that, even when both auxiliary models are misspecified, the asymptotic biases of double-robust augmented inverse probability weighted estimators are often smaller than the asymptotic biases of estimators arising from complete-case analyses, inverse probability weighting or multiple imputation. We further demonstrate that use of inverse probability weighting or multiple imputation with slightly misspecified auxiliary models can actually result in greater asymptotic bias than the use of naïve, complete case analyses. These asymptotic results are shown to be consistent with empirical results from simulation studies.
Attitudes to genetically modified food over time: How trust in organizations and the media cycle predict support
Authors: Marques Mathew D. , Critchley Christine R. , Walshe Jarrod
Published: July 2014

This research examined public opinion toward genetically modified plants and animals for food, and how trust in organizations and media coverage explained attitudes toward these organisms. Nationally representative samples ( N = 8821) over 10 years showed Australians were less positive toward genetically modified animals compared to genetically modified plants for food, especially in years where media coverage was high. Structural equation modeling found that positive attitudes toward different genetically modified organisms for food were significantly associated with higher trust in scientists and regulators (e.g. governments), and with lower trust in watchdogs (e.g. environmental movement). Public trust in scientists and watchdogs was a stronger predictor of attitudes toward the use of genetically modified plants for food than animals, but only when media coverage was low. Results are discussed regarding the moral acceptability of genetically modified organisms for food, the media’s role in shaping public opinion, and the role public trust in organizations has on attitudes toward genetically modified organisms.
Source diversity among journals cited in Science Times
Authors: Kiernan Vincent
Published: July 2014

A content analysis of The New York Times’ Science Times section from 1998 to 2012 found evidence of increased source diversity in use of scientific journals as news sources. Science Times increased the frequency at which it cited journals, the number of different journals that it cited, and the number of disciplines represented by cited journals. The results suggest that online availability of a wide array of scientific journals has changed sourcing behaviors.
Transnationalism and Hypertension Self-Management Among Haitian Immigrants
Authors: Sanon Marie-Anne , Spigner Clarence , McCullagh Marjorie C.
Published: July 2014

Purpose: Transnationalism—maintenance of transborder activities—has important implications for the health status of contemporary immigrants. Yet little is known about how such interconnectivity interacts with health. Design: In this critical ethnography study, 31 Haitian immigrants discussed the influences of transnationalism on their hypertension management. Transcripts of the semistructured individual interviews were analyzed and coded with the assistance of the Atlas.ti 6 software. Findings: Two major themes emerged: social support and financial obligation, both framed within the obligation to send monetary remittances. A duality emerged where social support facilitated hypertension self-management but consequently represented a financial burden. Discussion and implications: The study evidenced that transnationalism, although positively influencing immigrants’ psychosocial well-being can negatively affect their experience with disease management. Health providers are urged to account for this transnationalism–disease management interaction when caring for this immigrant group. Future studies are needed to explore this phenomenon among other immigrant populations.
A procedure for creating actuated joints via embedding shape memory alloys in PolyJet 3D printing
Authors: Meisel Nicholas A , Elliott Amelia M , Williams Christopher B
Published: July 2014

Additive manufacturing’s layer-by-layer fabrication approach allows the user to access the entire volume of the part throughout the build process. This allows for the embedding of functional components and actuators to enable the fabrication of complex systems in a single process. A process for the embedding of shape memory alloy actuating wire within direct PolyJet 3D printed parts is presented in this article. A series of “Design for Embedding” considerations are presented for achieving successful and repeatable embedding results. These considerations include guide channel design, design of shape converters for irregularly shaped elements, and design of wire fixation points. The embedding process is demonstrated with two case studies: a simple compliant joint specimen with a straight shape memory alloy wire and an antagonistic joint design with spring-shaped shape memory alloys. The process is characterized through an exploration of the potential for surface defects in the final specimens, as well as basic quantitative and qualitative evidence regarding performance of the final embedded actuators.
Examining Change in Therapeutic Alliance to Predict Youth Mental Health Outcomes
Authors: Duppong Hurley Kristin , Van Ryzin Mark J. , Lambert Matthew , Stevens Amy L.
Published: July 2014

The objective of the study was to examine the link between therapeutic alliance and youth outcomes. The study was conducted at a group home with 112 youth with a disruptive-behavior diagnosis. Therapeutic alliance was collected routinely via youth and staff report. Outcome data were collected using youth and staff reports of externalizing behavior as well as behavioral incidents occurring during care. Outcome data were collected following intake into services and at 6 and 12 months of care. Data were analyzed to examine (a) whether youth behavior problems at intake were predictive of therapeutic alliance and (b) whether changes in alliance were predictive of subsequent youth outcomes. These were conducted with a 6-month service-delivery model and replicated with a 12-month model. There was some support for the first hypothesis, that initial levels of youth externalizing behavior would be related to alliance ratings; however, most of the effects were marginally significant. The second hypothesis, that changes in therapeutic alliance would be related to subsequent youth outcomes, was supported for the 6-month model, but not the 12-month model. Changes in therapeutic alliance may be predictive of youth outcomes during care. Additional research into examining therapeutic alliance trajectories is warranted to improve mental health services for youth.
An IRT Analysis of the Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Emmert-Aronson Benjamin O. , Brown Timothy A.
Published: July 2014

This study examines the psychometric properties of a major depressive episode using a large sample ( N = 2,907) of outpatients with mood and anxiety disorders. A two-parameter logistic model yielded item threshold and discrimination parameters. A two-group confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate gender bias. Item thresholds fell along a continuum with the core features of depressed mood and anhedonia, along with fatigue, endorsed at lower levels of depression, and change in appetite and suicidal ideation endorsed at more severe levels. Item discriminations were highest for depressed mood and anhedonia, and lowest for change in appetite and suicidal ideation. The data indicate that the symptoms of depression assess a range of severity, with varying precision in discriminating depression. No gender differences were observed. Three exploratory symptom sets were compared with the full symptom set for depression, offering quantitative evidence that can be used to modify the psychiatric classification system.
Platelet Reactivity in Patients With Stroke and Hyperlipidemia, GPIbα Assessment
Authors: Pawelczyk Malgorzata , Chmielewski Henryk , Kaczorowska Beata , Przybyła Monika , Baj Zbigniew
Published: July 2014

The aim of this study was to assess platelet reactivity in patients after ischemic stroke and to investigate the influence of hyperlipidemia (HL) on platelet activity markers. A total of 41 patients after ischemic stroke were divided into the following 2 groups: patients with HL and patients with normolipidemia. Expression of CD42b on resting, thrombin-activated blood platelets, and fibrinogen level was assessed. The CD42b-positive platelets were analyzed using the flow cytometer, anti-CD61, and anti-CD42b monoclonal antibodies. The results confirmed increased platelet reactivity to thrombin in all patients after ischemic stroke manifested by significantly lower CD42b expression and percentage of CD42b(+) platelets after activation by thrombin. The influence of HL on the expression of CD42b on resting and thrombin-activated platelets was not found. However, increased level of fibrinogen but no influence of HL on fibrinogen concentration was observed in patients after ischemic stroke. Increased susceptibility to platelet agonists was found in patients after ischemic stroke in the convalescent phase.