bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biomechanical Characteristics of Osteochondral Defects of the Humeral Capitellum
Authors: Mihata Teruhisa , Quigley Ryan , Robicheaux Grant , McGarry Michelle H. , Neo Masashi , Lee Thay Q.
Published: June 2013

Background:

The repetitive, excessive compression forces in the radiocapitellar joint caused by elbow valgus stresses during throwing motions can result in osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the humeral capitellum in adolescent athletes.

Purpose:

To assess the effect of elbow valgus torque on contact pressure in the radiocapitellar joint and that of central and lateral capitellar osteochondral defects on radiocapitellar joint contact pressure, elbow valgus laxity, and ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) strain.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

In 8 matched pairs of fresh-frozen cadaveric upper limbs, lateral osteochondral defects of the humeral capitellum (5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-mm diameters) were evaluated in one side, and central defects were evaluated in the contralateral side. Radiocapitellar joint contact pressure, elbow valgus laxity, and UCL strain were all measured with and without 2 N·m of valgus torque at 30°, 60°, and 90° of elbow flexion in neutral forearm rotation.

Results:

Applying valgus torque increased contact pressure in radiocapitellar joints with intact or damaged capitula. Contact pressure in joints with 15-mm (90° of elbow flexion) and 20-mm (60° and 90° of elbow flexion) lateral capitellar defects was greater than that in joints with intact capitula. Radiocapitellar contact pressure was greater with a 20-mm lateral capitellar defect than in the same-sized central defect at 60° and 90° of elbow flexion. In both central and lateral defect groups, elbow valgus laxity increased as the size of the capitellar defect increased, and UCL strain remained unchanged regardless of the size of the capitellar defect.

Conclusion:

Elbow valgus torque increases contact pressure in the radiocapitellar joint. Capitellar osteochondral defects increase elbow valgus laxity and contact pressure without increasing UCL strain. When valgus torque is applied, contact pressure in the radiocapitellar joint is greater with a lateral defect than with a central defect.

Clinical Relevance:

Adolescent baseball players with capitellar OCD should stop throwing, even if the UCL is intact, to prevent exacerbating the osteochondral defect. Lateral capitellar OCD is more severe than central capitellar OCD.
Defining the Terms Acute and Chronic in Orthopaedic Sports Injuries
Authors: Flint James H. , Wade Alana M. , Giuliani Jeffrey , Rue John-Paul
Published: June 2013

Background:

Although many authors report on acute injuries and chronic injuries in the orthopaedic literature, the actual terms are seldom explicitly defined.

Hypothesis:

Much of the literature pertaining to sports injuries that are acute or chronic does not define these terms. It is believed that definitions will provide clarity and specificity in future literature.

Study Design:

Systematic review.

Methods:

A systematic review of 116 articles was conducted to determine whether and how the terms acute and chronic were defined as they pertain to several commonly treated conditions: Achilles tendon rupture, distal biceps tendon rupture, pectoralis major tendon rupture, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, anterior shoulder instability, and acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocation. Articles were isolated from various databases and search engines by use of keywords to identify relevant literature.

Results:

This study determined that the terms acute and chronic for each injury are defined, respectively, as follows: Achilles tendon rupture: <1 week, >4 weeks; distal biceps tendon rupture: <6 weeks, >12 weeks; pectoralis major tendon rupture: <6 weeks, >6 weeks; ACL tear: <6 weeks, >6 months; anterior shoulder instability: <2 weeks, >6 months; AC joint dislocation, <3 weeks, >6 weeks.

Conclusion:

The current literature varies greatly in defining the terms acute and chronic in common sports injuries. The vast majority of authors imply these terms, based on the method of their studies, rather than define them explicitly. Injuries involving tendons showed greater consistency among authors, thus making a definition based on consensus easier to derive. The literature on ACL and shoulder instability in particular showed great variability in defining these terms, likely representing the more complex nature of these injuries and the fact that timing of surgery in the majority of patients does not particularly affect the complexity of the surgical approach and treatment.

Clinical Relevance:

Defining injuries as acute or chronic is clinically relevant in many cases, particularly concerning tendon injuries, where these terms have implications regarding the anatomic pathologic changes and tissue quality, which may necessitate augmentation and alter the initial surgical plan. In cases where these terms are less pertinent to operative treatment considerations, they bring clarity to the discussion of the acuity of the injury (as it pertains to time from insult).
Different Plasticity Patterns of Language Function in Children With Perinatal and Childhood Stroke
Authors: Ilves Pilvi , Tomberg Tiiu , Kepler Joosep , Laugesaar Rael , Kaldoja Mari-Liis , Kepler Kalle , Kolk Anneli
Published: June 2013

Plasticity of language function after brain damage can depend on maturation of the brain. Children with left-hemisphere perinatal (n = 7) or childhood stroke (n = 5) and 12 controls were investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The verb generation and the sentence comprehension tasks were employed to activate the expressive and receptive language areas, respectively. Weighted laterality indices were calculated and correlated with results assessed by neuropsychological test battery. Compared to controls, children with childhood stroke showed significantly lower mean scores for the expressive ( P < .05) and receptive ( P = .05) language tests. On functional magnetic resonance imaging they showed left-side cortical activation, as did controls. Perinatal stroke patients showed atypical right-side or bilateral language lateralization during both tasks. Negative correlation for stroke patients was found between scores for expressive language tests and laterality index during the verb generation task. (Re)organization of language function differs in children with perinatal and childhood stroke and correlates with neurocognitive performance.
Defining Encephalopathy in Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis
Authors: Fridinger S. E. , Alper Gulay
Published: June 2013

The International Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group requires the presence of encephalopathy to diagnose acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. Clinical characteristics of encephalopathy are inadequately delineated in the pediatric demyelinating literature. The authors’ purpose was to better define encephalopathy in pediatric acute disseminated encephalomyelitis by describing the details of the mental status change. A retrospective chart review was conducted for 25 children diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis according to the International Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Study Group guidelines. Frequency of encephalopathy-defining features was determined. Clinical characteristics, cerebrospinal fluid findings, and electroencephalography (EEG) findings were compared between patients with different stages of encephalopathy. The authors found irritability (36%), sleepiness (52%), confusion (8%), obtundation (20%), and coma (16%) as encephalopathy-defining features in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. Twenty-eight percent had seizures, and 65% demonstrated generalized slowing on EEG. Approximately half of the patients in this study were diagnosed with encephalopathy based on the presence of irritability and/or sleepiness only. Such features in young children are often subtle and transient and thus difficult to objectively determine.
Electroretinographic Responses in Epileptic Children Treated With Vigabatrin
Authors: Bakhshandeh Bali MK , Taheri Otaghsara SM , Soltansanjari Mostafa , Sadighi Nadia , Nasehi Mohammad Mahdi , Ashrafi Mahmoud Reza , Karimzadeh Parvaneh , Taghdiri Mohammad Mahdi , Ghofrani Mohammad
Published: June 2013

Vigabatrin is an antiepileptic drug that results in higher gamma-aminobutyrate levels in the brain and retina. Vigabatrin-induced visual field defects are usually asymptomatic and only detectable by perimetry. Further, perimetry requires good cooperation, and children aged under 10 years cannot do it. Electroretinogram response amplitude to full-field 30-Hz flicker shine has been offered to be more specific in predicting visual field defects. This study is scheduled to investigate the vigabatrin-associated visual complications in 67 epileptic children taking vigabatrin using full-field electroretinogram. Electroretinographic surveys showed normal range parameters despite 3 months of vigabatrin treatment, and just 3 (4.47%) children had been visually impaired at the end of 6-month treatment. Among these 3 cases, 1 patient had persistent electroretinogram abnormality despite vigabatrin discontinuation. Our study suggests that vigabatrin is secure for short-term pediatric antiepileptic treatment, with few cases of visual impairments and that are often reversible.
Blind Bedside Placement of Postpyloric Feeding Tubes by Registered Dietitians
Authors: Rollins Christina M.
Published: June 2013

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success rate, outcomes, and cost‐effectiveness of blind bedside placement of postpyloric feeding tubes by registered dietitians. Feeding tubes placed by a physician using fluoroscopy were used to benchmark certain study parameters. Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent postpyloric feeding tube insertion between June 1, 2007, and May 31, 2011, were included in the study. Medical charts were reviewed for the time span between physician order and procedure documentation, bedside feeding tube tip location, number of radiographic images to confirm placement of tubes placed at the bedside, physician clearance to use the feeding tube when applicable, and reported complications. Patient charges for each procedure were also compared. Results: Data were collected on 729 patient encounters, with 285 encounters per study group and 159 encounters excluded for incomplete documentation. The average time span to bedside procedure completion was 3.7 hours compared with an average of 4.2 hours for insertion using fluoroscopy. Dietitians achieved postpyloric access 73% of the time, and an additional 16.8% of bedside tubes were deemed appropriate for use for gastric feeding. The majority of bedside insertion encounters required 1 abdominal radiograph to confirm placement, and no reported complications were associated with either technique. A 66% reduction in patient charges was associated with bedside tube insertion. Conclusion: Based on this sample, blind bedside postpyloric feeding tube insertion by registered dietitians may be a safe, cost‐effective method for achieving short‐term feeding tube access in the hospitalized patient.
Feasibility of the Cut‐and‐Push Method for Removing Large‐Caliber Soft Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Devices
Authors: Agha Adnan , AlSaudi Dib , Furnari Manuele , Abdulhadi Ali Mamdouh M. , Morched Chakik Rafaat , AlSaudi Islam , Savarino Vincenzo , Giannini Edoardo G.
Published: June 2013

Introduction: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the method of choice for long‐term nutrition in patients with longstanding eating difficulties due to pathological entities that impair swallowing. The feeding catheters are designed to be removed by external traction or by endoscopy. Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of the cut‐and‐push method as a possible safe alternative to the pullout method for removal of soft PEG devices with a large caliber. Methods: Patients with 20 French (Fr) or larger soft PEG system were enrolled for PEG removal by the cut‐and‐push technique. The replacement catheters were 2 Fr larger than the original ones. Patients were observed at 24 and 72 hours via home nursing care and then weekly for 1 month for signs of intestinal obstruction, tube leakage, or blockage. Results: Seventy‐nine patients (52 men; mean age 67 years) underwent the procedure: 42 due to leakage and 37 due to blockage. Mean time before tube removal was 4.8 months (range, 3–8). PEG devices were 20 Fr and 24 Fr in 57 (72.2%) and 22 (27.8%) cases, respectively. Collection of the inner component from stool was reported within 48 hours in 63 cases (80%). No cases of intestinal obstruction or other severe adverse events due to the inner component being eliminated throughout the intestine were observed in any patient during the study. Conclusions: The cut‐and‐push method employed for removal of a soft PEG tube with a large caliber seems to be safe and can be performed when removal by external traction may determine the occurrence of peristomal complications or jeopardize PEG replacement.
An improved biofunction of Titanium for keratoprosthesis by hydroxyapatite-coating
Authors: Dong Ying , Yang Jingxin , Wang Liqiang , Ma Xiao , Huang Yifei , Qiu Zhiye , Cui Fuzhai
Published: June 2013

Titanium framework keratoprosthesis has been commonly used in the severe corneal blindness, but the tissue melting occurred frequently around titanium. Since hydroxyapatite has been approved to possess a good tissue integration characteristic, nanostructured hydroxyapatite was coated on the surface of titanium through the aerosol deposition method. In this study, nanostructured hydroxyapatite coating was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and auger electronic spectrometer. Biological evaluations were performed with rabbit cornea fibroblast in vitro and an animal model in vivo. The outcomes showed the coating had a grain-like surface topography and a good atomic mixed area with substrate. The rabbit cornea fibroblasts appeared a good adhesion on the surface of nanostructured hydroxyapatite in vitro. In the animal model, nanostructured hydroxyapatite-titanium implants were stably retained in the rabbit cornea, and by contrast, the corneal stroma became thinner anterior to the implants in the control. Therefore, our findings proved that nanostructured hydroxyapatite-titanium could not only provide an improved bond for substrate but also enhance the tissue integration with implants in host. As a promising material, nanostructured hydroxyapatite-titanium–based keratoprosthesis prepared by the aerosol deposition method could be utilized for the corneal blindness treatment.
Ten Years on: Making Relatives and Making Meaning in the Borderlands
Authors: Gurr Barbara
Published: June 2013

This article utilizes an auto-ethnographic approach to consider some of the tensions inherent in the requirements of sociology as an industry. Short production timelines, high expected output, and classical notions of objectivity continue to organize sociological inquiry, even as critical sociologists continue to question these very relations of ruling. This essay contributes to ongoing critical analyses of sociology’s disciplinary paradigm and offers a consideration of the interstitial spaces potentially produced by ‘slow sociology’ as one possible antidote to these limitations. Productive of a borderlands epistemology, slow sociology resists the ruling relations of sociology and encourages nuanced translation work between cultures of study, cultures of habitation, and cultures of disciplined inquiry, fostering links between public society and academic endeavors.
Non-contact transportation of heavy load objects using ultrasonic suspension and aerostatic suspension
Authors: Liu Jianfang , Jiang Hai , You Hui , Jiao Xiaoyang , Chen Hongxia , Liu Guojun
Published: June 2013

In order to realize non-contact transportation of a heavy load object that is more than 3N at a stable speed, a new hybrid suspension transportation utilizing both ultrasonic and aerostatic suspension is put forward. The resonant frequency of the hybrid suspension system, the fixed position of transducer and the matching impedance are analyzed using ANSYS software, Eular–Bernouli beam theory and equivalent circuit principle of transducer, respectively. Several physical parameters that influence the driving ability of traveling wave are also analyzed. Based on the optimal results obtained, the prototype of hybrid suspension is designed and manufactured in the experiment. The experimental system result shows that the hybrid suspension utilizing both ultrasonic and aerostatic suspension can realize non-contact transportation of heavy load objects at the stable speed and experimental results coincide well with the theoretical analysis results. The test result shows that the transport speed of suspended objects under hybrid suspension is larger than that only under ultrasonic suspension. A 75 × 60 mm object of 432 g, with surface density of 96 kg/m2, is transported at the stable speed of 4.2 cm/s when excitation voltage is 300 V and inlet pressure is 0.15 MPa.
Living Apart Together (LAT) and Law
Authors: Lyssens-Danneboom Vicky , Eggermont Sven , Mortelmans Dimitri
Published: June 2013

This article focuses on individual perceptions of the legal protection afforded to living apart together (LAT) partners in Belgium. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 54 individuals engaged in an LAT partnership, this study explores the meaning LAT individuals attach to their union and investigates the relationship between their understanding of their relationship, their legal expectations and views on legal reform. Our findings indicate that, in Belgium, LAT individuals do not expect marriage-like family law legal provisions within their union. On the other hand – given the nature of their relationship – LAT individuals believe they should be granted the same family-based benefits as those enjoyed by their cohabiting or married counterparts. A differential between LAT-individuals’ legal expectations and views exists according to their socioeconomic status. Relationship expectations play a role as well, albeit indirectly, with transitional and undecided LAT individuals being somewhat more concerned about legal issues than individuals in permanent LAT arrangements.
Micromechanical modeling of magnetoelectroelastic composite materials with multicoated inclusions and functionally graded interphases
Authors: Bakkali Abderrahmane , Azrar Lahcen , Ali Aljinaidi Abdulmalik
Published: June 2013

In this article, micromechanical modeling of magnetoelectroelastic composites with multicoated inclusions and functionally graded interphases are elaborated. The integral equation taking into account the continuously varying interphase properties as well as the multifunctional coating effects is introduced based on Green’s tensors and interfacial operators. Magnetoelectroelastic composites with functionally graded interphases are analyzed, and the effective properties are derived. Based on the Mori–Tanaka, Self-Consistent, and Incremental Self-Consistent models, the numerically predicted effective properties of magnetoelectroelastic composites are presented with respect to the volume fractions, shapes of the multicoated inclusions, and the thickness of the coatings. The multicoating and functionally graded interphase concepts can be used to optimize the effective properties of multifunctional composites. This can be used to design new multifunctional composite materials with higher coupling coefficients.
Coupled rate-dependent superelastic behavior of shape memory alloy bars induced by combined axial-torsional loading: a semi-analytic modeling
Authors: Andani Masood Taheri , Alipour Amin , Elahinia Mohammad
Published: June 2013

In this article, the coupled thermomechanical response of superelastic shape memory alloy bars and tubes in combined tension and torsion is studied both analytically and experimentally. Using the Gibbs free energy as the thermodynamic potential and choosing appropriate internal state variables, a three-dimensional phenomenological macroscopic constitutive model for shape memory alloys is derived. Taking into account the effect of latent heat during the forward and reverse martensitic phase transformation, the appropriate form of the energy balance relation is obtained. The three-dimensional coupled relations for the energy balance in the presence of the internal heat flux and the constitutive equations are reduced to a two-dimensional form for the tension-torsion case. An explicit finite difference approach is utilized to discretize the governing boundary conditions of bars. An empirical expression for the free heat convection from the surface of a shape memory alloy bar was proposed and experimentally validated. Several sets of experiments were then carried out to evaluate the mechanical and thermal responses of the model for a shape memory alloy tube subjected to uniaxial, pure torsion and non-proportional tension and torsion loading–unloading conditions. The approach could be used in the design of shape memory alloy devices undergoing combined loads with high strain rates or in the fatigue design of shape memory alloy devices subjected to cyclic loading.
A slot spiral in carbon-fibre composite laminate as a conformal load-bearing antenna
Authors: Daliri Ali , Wang Chun H , Galehdar Amir , Tian Xue T , John Sabu , Rowe Wayne ST , Ghorbani Kamran
Published: June 2013

Conformal load-bearing antenna structures, which afford load-bearing structures with radar capability, are a promising technology to reduce weight and drag of air vehicles. This article presents an investigation of the mechanical and electromagnetic performance of slot log-spiral antenna in carbon-fibre composite structures. Compared with traditional rectangular slots, equiangular slot spiral antenna is found to offer broader bandwidth and better mechanical strength. Through experimental testing and finite element analyses, a new tip design is proposed that can significantly reduce the stress concentration of the non-load-bearing log-spiral antenna. Results of mechanical tests also show that the compressive strength of a carbon-fibre composite plate featuring a spiral slot is comparable with that pertinent to a plate with a circular hole of the same size. Filling the slots with epoxy resin can further enhance the compressive strength.
Precise positioning and active vibration isolation using piezoelectric actuator with hysteresis compensation
Authors: Badel Adrien , Le Breton Ronan , Formosa Fabien , Hanene Snoussi , Lottin Jacques
Published: June 2013

This article investigates precise positioning at the micrometer scale using piezoelectric actuators. A special focus is given to the rejection of ambient vibration disturbances. An original experimental setup composed of two superposed piezoelectric actuator stages is used to evaluate the performances of the proposed approach. The bottom one is devoted to the disturbance generation, whereas the upper one allows position tracking and active stabilization. The experimental dynamic and hysteretic characterizations of the top actuator are performed. Based on the identified dynamic model, a linear controller is designed. Its performances are improved with a hysteresis compensation method. Such methods usually imply either simple symmetrical hysteresis (e.g. General Maxwell Slip) or operators able to model asymmetric loops (e.g. Preisach) at the cost of more memory usage and computational time. In the present study, a previously published lightweight asymmetric operator hysteresis is successfully used for the first time within a piezoelectric positioning closed-loop control.
Design and performance of variable-shaped piezoelectric energy harvesters
Authors: Ben Ayed Samah , Abdelkefi Abdessattar , Najar Fehmi , Hajj Muhammad R
Published: June 2013

We investigate the effects of shape variations of a cantilever beam on its performance as an energy harvester. The beam is composed of piezoelectric and metallic layers (unimorph design) with a rigid mass attached to its free end. A reduced-order model based on a one-mode Galerkin approach is derived. Solutions for the tip displacement, generated voltage, and harvested power are then obtained. Linear and quadratic shape variations are considered in order to design piezoelectric energy harvesters that can generate energy at low frequencies and maximize the harvested energy. The results show that the fundamental natural frequency and mode shape are strongly affected when the shape of the beam is varied. The influence of the electrical load resistance and the shape parameters at resonance on the system’s performance is discussed. It is determined that for specific resistance values, the quadratic shape can yield up to two times the energy harvested by a rectangular shape.
A modeling and uncertainty quantification framework for a flexible structure with macrofiber composite actuators operating in hysteretic regimes
Authors: Hu Zhengzheng , Smith Ralph C , Burch Nathanial , Hays Michael , Oates William S
Published: June 2013

Macrofiber composites are low cost, durable, and flexible piezoceramic devices that are presently being considered for applications that include shape control of airfoils for improved flight performance, vibration, and noise suppression and energy harvesting. However, macrofiber composites also exhibit hysteresis and constitutive nonlinearities that need to be incorporated in models and model-based control designs to achieve their full capability. In this article, we combine constitutive relations, constructed using the homogenized energy model for ferroelectric hysteresis, with Euler–Bernoulli theory to construct a dynamic macrofiber composite model that quantifies a range of rate-dependent hysteretic behavior of macrofiber composites. Using homogenizing strategies, the macrofiber composite patch is treated as a monolithic material with effective parameters. We initially calibrate the model by estimating parameters through a least squares fit to a subset of the measured data. We find that the estimated parameters yield very accurate fits for quasi-static hysteresis. The estimated parameters also provide reasonably accurate predictions for a range of frequencies that include the first two harmonics. Second, we employ an adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to construct densities and analyze the correlation between parameters. The kernel density estimates derived from the Markov chain Monte Carlo chains imply that most of the model parameters exhibit non-Gaussian distributions.
The stability analysis and active control of a composite laminated open cylindrical shell in subsonic airflow
Authors: Yao Guo , Li Feng-Ming
Published: June 2013

The stability analysis and active control of a composite laminated open cylindrical shell in subsonic airflow are conducted using piezoelectric material. The equation of motion of the shell with piezoelectric patch is derived from Hamilton’s principle and transformed into the ordinary differential equations using Galerkin’s method. The linear potential flow theory is applied to derive the aerodynamic pressure. The displacement and acceleration feedback control strategies are used to obtain the active stiffness and mass by applying an appropriate external control voltage to activate the piezoelectric patch. The natural frequencies of the system are calculated, from which the flow velocity for the open cylindrical shell under instability can be obtained. The effects of the ply angles of the shell and the feedback control gains on the stability properties of the structural system are discussed. From the results, it can be seen that when the flow velocity becomes sufficiently high, the open cylindrical shell exhibits instability of the divergence type and the instability velocity decreases with the increase in the ply angle. The stability of the system can be improved by the displacement feedback control strategy. With the increase in the displacement feedback control gain, the instability velocity of the system increases. For the acceleration feedback control strategy, the instability velocity of the system remains unchanged, which illustrates that the active mass induced by the acceleration feedback has no effect on the instability velocity of the composite laminated open cylindrical shell.
A trapezoidal flexoelectric accelerometer
Authors: Huang Wenbin , Kwon Seol-Ryung , Zhang Shujun , Yuan Fuh-Gwo , Jiang Xiaoning
Published: June 2013

In this article a new acceleration sensor using flexoelectric barium strontium titanate cantilever was designed, fabricated, and tested for vibration monitoring. The flexoelectric sensors were configured as a trapezoidal unimorph with a barium strontium titanate layer bonded onto a steel substrate. Seismic mass was attached to the unimorph tip to amplify the transverse flexoelectric response of the barium strontium titanate layer. The theoretical model was developed and validated by vibration tests using the prototyped flexoelectric unimorph. The prototyped accelerometer with thickness of 0.1 mm and length and width in millimeters showed a stable sensitivity of 0.84 pC/g over the frequency range of 100 Hz–1.6 kHz. The aging property of the flexoelectric material was demonstrated to be much better than that of the reported piezoelectric materials right after poling. Scaling effect analysis was also performed for flexoelectric unimorphs. The test results and initial scaling effect analysis indicate that micro/nano flexoelectric sensing holds promise for a broad range of applications.
Frequency tunable vibration and shock isolator using shape memory alloy wire actuator
Authors: Jeong Ho-Kyeong , Han Jae-Hung , Youn Se-Hyun , Lee Juho
Published: June 2013

Launch vehicles and satellites experience severe dynamic loads during flight phases. In particular, pyroshock generated from several separation events could result in malfunctions in the electric components in the launch vehicles. Shock isolators are generally applied in order to attenuate these severe shock environments; however, these isolators could amplify the low-frequency vibration generated by the engine thrust and aerodynamic loads and reduce the payload stability. When the natural frequency of the isolator is increased in order to avoid the low-frequency vibration amplification, sufficient shock attenuation could not be obtained. Thus, the isolators used in launch vehicles need to be designed with trade-offs between the low-frequency vibration amplification and the pyroshock attenuation. This article presents a novel frequency tuning method for the isolator in order to achieve both shock attenuation performance and avoidance of the vibration amplification. Compressed mesh washer isolators using the pseudoelasticity of shape memory alloy were adopted for easier attainment of the frequency tuning with a high performance in the shock attenuation.
Black Parents’ Beliefs, Attitudes, and HPV Vaccine Intentions
Authors: Bryer Jennifer
Published: June 2013

This study examined the determinants of Black parents’ intention to have their daughters receive the HPV vaccine. Relationships between behavioral beliefs regarding the HPV vaccine, HPV vaccine attitudes, and HPV vaccine intentions among Black parents were explored. A descriptive correlational design and mediation model were used to explain the hypothesized relationships. HPV parental attitudes were significantly related to vaccine intention ( r = .865, p < .001). A significant relationship between HPV vaccine behavioral beliefs and HPV vaccine attitudes was found among Black parents ( r = .239, p < .001). Parental vaccine attitudes completely mediated the relationship between HPV vaccine behavioral beliefs and parental HPV vaccine intention. Understanding relevant factors associated with parental intent to have their daughters vaccinated are essential to reducing opposition to the HPV vaccine and increase vaccination rates among Black female adolescents.
Ghosts of the Open City
Authors: Allon Fiona
Published: June 2013

Since reunification, Berlin has been celebrated as both a creative, cosmopolitan “Open City” (the “new Berlin”) and as a project for demonstrating the diversity and openness of the “new Germany.” But this reinvention of urban space has heralded a selective vision that entails the willful forgetting and deletion of some marginal histories, at the very same time as other “sexier” urban identities and pleasures are promoted. This article explores these simultaneous processes of branding and erasure in relation to the symbolic cultural economy at play in Berlin as an aspiring “world city,” and in the context of contested patterns of urban development, regeneration and gentrification. It also considers the possibility that practices of urban citizenship allow for new rights to the city to emerge from these contestations of space, while often masking other ongoing forms of dispossession.
Candidate campaigning in parliamentary systems
Authors: Karlsen Rune , Skogerbø Eli
Published: June 2013

The individualization of politics is usually studied in relation to party leaders. Using new data from the Norwegian Candidate Survey 2009 and in-depth interviews with 29 top candidates, in this article we study whether candidates in the Norwegian 2009 parliamentary election ran party-centred or individualized campaigns. We distinguish between the organizational aspects and the communicative focus of the candidates’ campaigns. Moreover, we argue theoretically and show empirically how campaigns can be localized but still party-centred. The analysis shows that there are low levels of individualized campaigning in Norway, but that there are differences between candidates, especially based on party affiliation. Moreover, the differences are first and foremost related to the communicative focus, not the organizational aspects. While candidates highlight the importance of localizing the campaign, the results show that this is mostly about ‘translating’ the national campaign strategy to the regional or local level, not about independent local strategies.
Parties for hire
Authors: Kellam Marisa
Published: June 2013

I argue that political parties oriented towards particularistic goods affect coalition government in presidential systems. Particularistic parties hire out their support on some item(s) of the presidential agenda in exchange for locally targeted policies or resources under the control of presidents. They are relatively cheap coalition partners for presidents in policy terms and their representation in the legislature provides presidents with coalitional flexibility. My empirical analysis of cabinets in 10 Latin American countries shows that when particularistic parties hold a larger share of the legislative seats minority presidents are less likely to form majority governments and more likely to change the party composition of their cabinets.
The survival of the Democratic Party outside the South
Authors: Knuckey Jonathan
Published: June 2013

Partisan change outside of the South has not been studied as extensively as in the 11 states of the Old Confederacy. Given the partisan advantage that the Democratic Party enjoys outside of the South, understanding the dynamics of party support among non-southerners appears to be important to study in its own right – not just as a point of contrast to that of the South. The goal of this article is to update and expand on one of the few pieces of scholarship to probe the reasons for the survival of the Democratic Party outside of the South. Using data from the American National Election Studies, the article concurs with these findings, that the Democratic Party has been successful in maintaining support among low income whites outside the South. However, a class-based explanation offers a partial explanation for the Democratic advantage in party identification. Ideological realignment has also expanded the Democratic base among middle and high income liberals and moderates. Overall, the findings of the article suggest that the electoral prospects of the Democratic Party outside of the South should be favourable for some time to come. The Democratic Party has not just survived outside of the South, it has prospered, and this provides a decided advantage for the party in national elections.
Bringing salience back in
Authors: Klüver Heike , Spoon Jae-Jae
Published: June 2013

What explains when Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) defect from their EP party group? While previous research has focused on the policy distance between an MEP’s national party and her party group, it has been overlooked that not all issues are equally important to national parties. As parties prioritize certain issues over others, we argue that it is both the distance and the salience of the issue for the MEP’s national party that explains defection. To test our theoretical claim, we explore more than 400,000 vote decisions across 1,948 different roll-call votes in four issue areas – agriculture, environment, social policy and external trade – from 1979 until 1999. To measure policy salience and distance, we combine roll-call analysis with data from the Euromanifestos Project. Our findings have important implications for understanding the dynamics of party competition and the role that national parties play in the European Parliament.
Left–right reversed
Authors: Aydogan Abdullah , Slapin Jonathan B
Published: June 2013

Existing analyses of the Turkish party system suggest that it is unique in several respects. Upper-class voters tend to support the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the centre-left social democratic party, while poorer voters support the right. Unlike party systems in Western democracies, expert surveys find that a religious–secular divide, and not a socio-economic divide, best explains the general left–right dimension. Qualitative literature stresses Turkey’s uniqueness due to the long history of the CHP, its close ties to the bureaucracy and military, and the role of the military in politics. Lastly, existing quantitative measures of policy positions disagree about the placement of major parties. We estimate the principal dimension of Turkish party competition using electoral manifestos as data by applying the Wordfish scaling algorithm. We find that ideology in Turkish politics is reversed, with the nominally centre-left CHP employing more populist rhetoric typically associated with right-wing parties in the West, and vice versa.
Binge eating in obese adolescents: Emotional and behavioral characteristics and impact on health-related quality of life
Authors: Pasold Tracie L , McCracken Andy , Ward-Begnoche Wendy L
Published: June 2013

Purpose:

This study explored binge eating among an adolescent obese population to ascertain the prevalence of bingeing, the relationship between binge eating and body mass index (BMI), and to evaluate significant relationships between binge eating, emotional/behavioral functioning, and health-related quality of life.

Methods:

Participants included 102 overweight adolescents aged 12–17 years presenting to a multidisciplinary outpatient obesity clinic. Data obtained included height, weight, and self-report questionnaire data on emotional and behavioral functioning.

Results:

Binge eating prevalence included 33% moderate to severe binge eating. Binge eating was significantly positively related to BMI and depression, negative mood, feelings of ineffectiveness, negative self-esteem and significantly negatively related to somatic complaints and all aspects of health-related quality of life. Important demographic differences emerged with regard to the impact of binge eating on health-related quality of life with Caucasians, females, and older groups experiencing more pervasive impact.

Conclusions:

This research suggests that bingeing behaviors have pervasive and important implications for health-related quality of life for obese adolescents.
Diagnostic vertigo: The journey to diagnosis in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Price Elizabeth , Walker Elizabeth
Published: June 2013

Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) is a complex condition characterised by wide ranging symptoms that are sometimes transient in nature. This makes recognising and diagnosing lupus particularly challenging for both patients and practitioners. The diagnostic process in this condition is a complex interplay between the boundaries of knowledge and power, control, integrity and legitimacy, which are (re)constructed and (re)negotiated between contemporary medicine, the patient and practitioner. Utilising data generated through a qualitative research design, this article illustrates some of the challenges lupus presents in the clinical encounter. We argue that the diagnosis of lupus is not a clinical event or a ‘diagnostic moment’. Rather, it constitutes a journey in and of itself, one which, for many of the respondents in this study, has no diagnostically satisfying conclusion. We conclude that uncertain diagnoses, such as lupus, illustrate the extent of both embodied and clinical doubt in, what might be termed, contemporary conditions and, concomitantly, throw into sharp relief the nature of the diagnostic process. This process, in the context of lupus, and other uncertain conditions, generates, we would argue, a sense of diagnostic vertigo.
The relationship between mothers’ coping patterns and children’s anxiety about their hospitalization as reflected in drawings
Authors: Burns-Nader Sherwood , Hernandez-Reif Maria , Porter Maggie
Published: June 2013

This study explored the relationships between hospitalized children’s anxiety level, mothers’ use of coping strategies, and mothers’ satisfaction with the hospital experience. Twenty-four hospitalized children and their mothers participated in this study. Children were asked to draw a person in the hospital, which was then coded as a projective measure of anxiety; mothers were asked to complete questionnaires on their coping behaviors and their satisfaction with their child’s hospital experience. The use of more coping strategies by the mothers was related to less anxiety in the children. In addition, the more coping strategies the mothers used, the higher they reported their satisfaction. The findings suggest the importance of providing resources aimed at increasing maternal coping and satisfaction with the quality of care of a child’s hospitalization in order to minimize the negative effects of the hospitalization on the children.
Factors influencing the diabetes-specific health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Lukács Andrea , Varga Beatrix , Kiss-Tóth Emőke , Soós Andrea , Barkai László
Published: June 2013

This study aimed to investigate the association of the anthropometric, clinical variables and maximal oxygen uptake (Vo2max) with diabetes-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in youths with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and to find the predictors of HRQoL and blood glucose control. A total of 239 youths with diabetes (124 boys and 115 girls) were recruited from diabetes-based summer camps. HRQoL assessment was carried out with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ 3.0 Diabetes Module (Information Resources Centre, Mapi Research Trust, France); Vo2max was evaluated by conducting the 20-m shuttle run test. Higher Vo2max and the insulin pump therapy were significant predictors of the HRQoL in the multiple regression analysis; other clinical and anthropometric variables had no effect. The better blood glucose control was explained only by the higher Vo2max. The good cardiorespiratory fitness (expressed by Vo2max) has clinical and QoL benefits for paediatric patients with T1DM.
A as in atmosphere, Z as in Zeitgeist: Trajectories in Helsinki dance club symbolism in the 1990s
Authors: Seppälä Pauliina , Hellman Matilda
Published: June 2013

The article gives insights into the evolution of the dance club scene in the growing urban region of the Finnish capital of Helsinki in the 1990s. The development of two different club cultures – techno and house – is accounted for. Techno culture was to a large degree made meaningful through the social change towards a computerized information society. Its popularity grew rapidly, but this was followed by a steep decline. In comparison, house culture was legitimized through more subtle strategies and slowly built up its symbolic capital, excluding direct references to a social structural meaning-making. Both styles were eventually to become recognized beyond their young clubbing audiences, and were utilized in significations of other value systems. The study shows the interplay between the symbolics associated with the city’s club venues and historical and social developments, and how actors in the field of club culture reposition themselves over time.
Coproduction or cohabitation: Are anonymous online comments on newspaper websites shaping news content?
Authors: Nielsen Carolyn E
Published: June 2013

The technology that allows readers to post anonymous online comments on newspaper websites gives readers unprecedented opportunities to participate, but poses challenges to the journalistic value of transparency, practice of gatekeeping, and conception of expertise. This nationwide survey of 583 US journalists explores whether the technology has affected their work practices, workplaces, or news coverage. The study, grounded in social shaping of technology theories, finds that journalists are not opposed to sharing their web platforms with readers’ comments, but dislike user anonymity and ignore reader input. Despite the technological affordance that provides journalists a means to receive instant, global feedback from readers, journalists are maintaining their jurisdiction over news content and are not participating with readers in mutual shaping. This study finds that journalistic norms and conceptions of expertise prevent journalists from engaging with readers.
Political consumerism: Civic engagement and the social media connection
Authors: de Zúñiga Homero Gil , Copeland Lauren , Bimber Bruce
Published: June 2013

An ongoing debate concerns the extent to which political consumerism constitutes political behavior. To address this debate, researchers have examined several predictors of political consumerism, but have not focused on its communicative dimensions, especially with respect to digital media. In this study we conceptualize political consumerism as a form of civic engagement, and we theorize that people who use social media are more likely to engage in political consumerism than those who do not. Using original survey data collected in the US, we find that political consumerism is more closely related to civic engagement than it is to political participation, and that use of social media mediates the relationship between general Internet use and political consumerism.
Two eras of civic information and the evolving relationship between civil society organizations and young citizens
Authors: Wells Chris
Published: June 2013

This article explores the communicative relationship between civic organizations and young citizens as a clue to understanding the potential for youth re-engagement through digital communication. It develops a framework of two ‘civic information styles’ that contrasts the expectations of information in the mass media era with those emerging today, and proposes that one source of contemporary disconnect may be that many civic groups remain entrenched in a mass media information paradigm—and so fail to communicate in ways that resonate with young people. Existing literature suggests that recently created, online organizations will be most likely to embrace a newer, more youth-friendly communication style; those organizations working within the formal political realm may be most reticent. A study of 60 organizations’ communications through Facebook mainly confirms these expectations, but low levels of youth-friendly communications across the sample raise doubts about the likelihood of a civil society resurgence through social media.