bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In vitro construction and in vivo regeneration of esophageal bilamellar muscle tissue
Authors: Hou Lei , Gong Changfeng , Zhu Yabin
Published: January 2016

In order to induce esophageal muscle cells’ orientation, the silicon wafer with prototype 1 and prototype 2 was designed. Prototype 1 has micro-channels of 200 µm width and 30 µm depth with 30 µm wide wall as the interval. Prototype 2 has channels of 100 µm width and 30 µm depth with a discontinuous wall which has 30 µm gap for each 100 µm channel. The poly(ester urethane) scaffolds with pattern prototype 1 and prototype 2 were fabricated using solution casting method and abbreviated as PU1 and PU2, respectively. Silk fibroin was grafted individually on PU1 and PU2 surface (PU1-SF, PU2-SF) using our previous protocol, aiming at improving scaffolds’ biocompatibility. The primary esophageal smooth muscle cell was seeded to evaluate the scaffolds’ cytocompatibility in vitro. Characterizations like MTT assay, immunocytochemistry, scanning electron microscope, and Western blotting were applied. After that, poly(ester urethane) scaffolds with double patterns, prototype 1 on the exterior, and prototype 2 in the lumen were implanted into the rabbit esophagous to test the regeneration of the muscle tissue. Results from these preliminary tests showed that the growth and differentiation of primary smooth muscle cells were promoted, but also the muscle tissue with endocircular and exolongitudinal architecture was in regenerating, against non-constitution in the animals without the patterned scaffold or with poly(ester urethane) plane membrane at the defaulted sites. This micro-channel pattern together with silk fibroin grafting and vascular endothelial growth factor coating greatly promoted the regeneration of esophageal muscle with normal histological structure.
Leaders, Leadership and Democracy - are they compatible?
Authors: Schostak John
Published: January 2016

This article is taken from a talk given by John Schostak at the Co-Operative Head Office, Manchester on 25 September 2015.
The Influence of Stressor Exposure and Psychosocial Resources on the Age–Anger Relationship
Authors: Brown Robyn Lewis
Published: January 2016

Objectives: This study examined the processes linking age, stressor exposure, psychosocial coping resources, and two dimensions of anger proneness (i.e., experienced anger and expressed anger). Method: Longitudinal change regression analysis of data from a two-wave community panel study including a sample of people aged 18 to 93 ( N = 1,473) is performed. Results: Age is significantly associated with declines in both experienced anger and expressed anger over the 3-year study period. These associations are substantially mediated by the lower levels of chronic stressors and discrimination-related stressors experienced among older adults. In contrast, self-esteem amplifies the association between age and expressed anger. Discussion: These findings clarify the circumstances in which age matters most for changes over time in the experience and expression of anger. They highlight how certain forms of stressor exposure and psychosocial resources are linked with anger proneness and in ways that vary by age.
Stiffness modelling and comparison of the 5-UPS/PRPU parallel machine tool with its non-redundant counterpart
Authors: Zhou Xin , Xu Yundou , Yao Jiantao , Zheng Kuijing , Zhao Yongsheng
Published: January 2016

This article presents a derivation of the stiffness matrix of a general redundantly actuated parallel mechanism based on the overall Jacobian. The Jacobian of the constraints and actuations is derived using reciprocal screw theory. Based on the mapping relationship between constraint, actuated and external forces combined with the principle of virtual work, a compatibility equation for the deformation of all of the limbs is achieved, and the stiffness model of the general redundantly actuated parallel mechanism is derived. The 5-UPS/PRPU redundantly actuated parallel machine tool is used to illustrate this method. The parallel machine tool comprehensively reveals the effect of the elastic deformation of active–passive joints and some basic transmission parts. The stiffness model is further validated by experimental data. Moreover, the global stiffness matrix of the general redundantly actuated parallel mechanism can be separated into two parts via matrix decomposition. The first part is the stiffness matrix of the corresponding non-redundant parallel mechanism, and the second part is the stiffness matrix of the redundantly actuated limbs (actuators). The redundantly actuated 5-UPS/PRPU parallel machine tool is also investigated for further analysis. The different stiffness characteristics of the machine tool and its corresponding non-redundant 5-UPS/PRPU parallel machine tool are compared. Actuation redundancy is found to improve the stiffness performance of the machine tool efficiently.
Energy efficiency of machining operations: A review
Authors: Moradnazhad Mariyeh , Unver Hakki Ozgur
Published: January 2016

Manufacturing processes are among the most energy intensive on earth. As negative ecological and economic impacts increase, reducing energy consumption is becoming critically important. In this article, a comprehensive overview of energy-saving strategies and opportunities for increasing energy efficiency in manufacturing operations is presented, with a focus on metal cutting processes. The issues and approaches involved in energy efficiency of machine tools and machining operations are reported in the literature and a structured research methodology is proposed for this purpose including prediction and modelling of machine energy consumption, determining the relationship between process energy consumption and process variables for material removal processes and optimization of cutting parameters in order to reduce energy consumption. Numerous techniques for increasing energy efficiency in manufacturing processes are identified and summarized, strengths and weaknesses of previous studies are discussed and potential avenues for future research are suggested.
Effect of focus position and shear stresses on the crack sectional shape in semiconductor laser linear cutting glass
Authors: Zhao Chunyang , Zhang Hongzhi , Wang Yang , Yang Lijun , Fu Xihong
Published: January 2016

In laser-induced thermal-crack propagation, thermal stresses control the crack propagation mode and the quality of the crack surface. In this article, the 1064-nm semiconductor laser as a volumetric heat source is used for symmetry and asymmetry cutting glass. One of the problems in laser asymmetry linear cutting glass with laser-induced thermal-crack propagation is the quality of the crack surface which gets worse than that in symmetry cutting. This study lays great emphasis on analyzing the effect of the focus position and shear stresses on the crack sectional shape in semiconductor laser asymmetry linear cutting glass. This article indicates the volumetric heat flux formula, which simulates the temperature distribution from the material above or below the focal point. The heat source should be positioned above the focal point. Optical microscope photographs of the crack surface and sectional shape are obtained to examine the surface quality which is explained from the results of the stress fields using the extended finite element method simulation. In asymmetry cutting, shear stress is parallel to the crack surface and perpendicular to the cutting direction, which makes the crack surface smooth but uneven.
The position effect on electrical field intensity for metal deposition process
Authors: Huang Bo Wun , Tseng Jung-Ge , Huang Wen-Ye , Chiu Neng-Hsin , Huang Zhi-Yin
Published: January 2016

Material characteristics, such as electric potential, distance between target material and substrate, and so on, are important parameters for vacuum metal films deposition (sputtering) system. Properly controlling these parameters during the sputtering process can reduce the residual stress after deposition and can effectively improve the deformation of substrate and density of metal thin film. This study aims at simulating a vacuum metal film deposition system for substrate application with normal metal material. Both the copper foil, as a target material, and the substrate that is placed on a carrier platform are included in a vacuum chamber. The argon ion gas is excited by a radio frequency power generator to form the plasma source in the sputtering system. “Glow Discharge” of the “Paschen Curve” during plasma generation process is employed to excite the argon ion gas to bombard the target material. The ejected atoms of target material are deposited on the substrate surface to form the desired thin films. Several different parameters, such as radio frequency power, electric field intensity, distance between the target materials and the substrate, and so on, are discussed in this article. Numerical analysis results indicate that the distance between the substrate and target materials may affect the density of metal film significantly. The MATLAB simulation results can provide the technique of finding better workpiece height and high coating quality for the semi-conduction industrial adopting sputtering system for metal thin film production.
State recognition method for machining process of a large spot welder based on improved genetic algorithm and hidden Markov model
Authors: Wang Bing , Yan Ping , Zhou Qiang , Feng Libing
Published: January 2016

Large spot welder is an important equipment in rail transit equipment manufacturing industry, but having the problem of low utilization rate and low effectlvely machining rate. State monitoring can master its operating states real time and comprehensively, and providing data support for state recognition. Hidden Markov model is a state classification method, but it is sensitive to the initial model parameters and easy to trap into a local optima. Genetic algorithm is a global searching method; however, it is quite poor at hill climbing and also has the problem of premature convergence. In this paper, proposing the improved genetic algorithm, and combining improved genetic algorithm and hidden Markov model, a new method of state recognition method named improved genetic algorithm–hidden Markov model is proposed. In the proposed method, improved genetic algorithm is used for optimizing the initial parameters, and hidden Markov model as a classifier to recognize the operating states for machining process. This method is also compared with the other two recognition methods named adaptive genetic algorithm–hidden Markov model and hidden Markov model, in which adaptive genetic algorithm is similarly used for optimizing the initial parameters, however hidden Markov model (in both methods) as a classifier. Experimental results show that the proposed method is very effective, and the improved genetic algorithm–hidden Markov model recognition method is superior to the adaptive genetic algorithm–hidden Markov model and hidden Markov model recognition method.
On the solution of asymptotic impact problems with significant localised indentation
Authors: Big-Alabo Akuro , Cartmell Matthew P , Harrison Philip
Published: January 2016

A major challenge in studying impact problems analytically is solving the governing equations of impact events, which are mostly in the form of nonlinear ODEs. This paper focuses on the solution of nonlinear models for impact problems in asymptotic cases, where local indentation is significant. The asymptotic cases consist of both half-space and infinite plate impacts, which cover a wide range of practical impact events. A so-called force–indentation linearisation method (FILM), first described in a previous study, is reformulated here in a more general form in order to broaden its scope of application. The generalisation of the FILM facilitates stable and convergent solutions even when complex nonlinear contact models are used to estimate the impact force. Simulations based on the FILM approach are validated using numerical solutions.
Simplified modelling and development of a bi-directionally adjustable constant-force compliant gripper
Authors: Hao Guangbo , Mullins John , Cronin Kevin
Published: January 2016

This paper proposes the design of a wholly mechanical constant-force gripper that can accommodate the imprecise manipulation of brittle/delicate objects by the actuation. This was achieved by designing a constant-force mechanism as the jaw that allowed a constant force to be applied to the grasping objects regardless of the displacement of the mechanism. The constant-force mechanism is attached to the end effector of the gripper via a parallelogram mechanism which ensures that the jaws remain in parallel. The constant-force mechanism combines the negative stiffness of a bistable mechanism and the positive stiffness of a linear spring to generate a constant force output. By preloading the positive stiffness mechanism, the magnitude of the constant force can be adjusted to be as low as zero. The constant-force mechanism has been fully modelled and simulated using finite element analysis. A normalised force-displacement curve has been developed that allows to obtain the simplified analytical negative stiffness of the bistable mechanism. The design formulation to find the optimal configuration that produces the most constant force has been developed. Illustrated experiments prove the concept of the design although the discrepancies between finite element analysis results and testing results exist due to bistable beam manufacturing error.
A class of reconfigurable parallel mechanisms with five-bar metamorphic linkage
Authors: Tian Chunxu , Fang Yuefa , Guo Sheng , Qu Haibo
Published: January 2016

This paper presents a planar five-bar metamorphic linkage which has five phases resulting from locking of motors. Reconfigurable limbs are constructed by integrating the five-bar metamorphic linage as sub-chains. The branch transition of metamorphic linkage is analyzed. By adding appropriate joints to the planer five-bar metamorphic linkage, reconfigurable limbs whose constraint can switch among no constraint, a constrained force and a constrained couple are obtained. Serial limb structures that can provide a constraint force and a constraint couple are synthesized based on screw theory. Reconfigurable limbs that have five configurations associated with the five phases of the five-bar metamorphic linkage are assembled with 4-DOF (degrees-of-freedom) serial chains. A class of reconfigurable parallel mechanisms is derived by connecting the moving platform to the base with three identical kinematic limbs. These parallel mechanisms can perform various output motion modes such as 3T, 3R, 2T1R, 1T2R, 3T1R, 2T2R, 1T3R, 2T3R, 3T2R and 3T3R. Finally, the potential application of the proposed mechanisms is analyzed and conclusions are drawn.
Modelling of damping in lubricated line contacts – Applications to spur gear dynamic simulations
Authors: Ankouni M , Lubrecht AA , Velex P
Published: January 2016

The various damping mechanisms in elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication contacts are investigated with the objective of deriving damping models representative of the lubricant contributions which can readily be used in gear dynamic simulations. Several simplified models are proposed which make it possible to simulate the damping caused by tooth friction and lubricant squeezing by the teeth with and without momentary contact losses and impacts. A one-degree-of-freedom gear dynamic model is set up which combines these lubricant damping sources along with structural damping. A number of comparisons with benchmark experimental evidence are presented for a range of operating conditions and gear geometries which prove that the proposed approach is sound in the case of spur gears. It is shown that the damping associated with lubricant squeezing contributes for the most part when contact losses and shocks between the teeth occur at critical speeds. For permanent contact conditions, however, structural damping appears as the major contributor to the overall system damping.
Stagnation point flow of MHD chemically reacting nanofluid over a stretching convective surface with slip and radiative heat
Authors: Makinde OD , Khan WA , Khan ZH
Published: January 2016

This paper investigates the combined effects of buoyancy forces, homogeneous chemical reaction, thermal radiation, partial slip, heat source, Thermophoresis and Brownian motion on hydromagnetic stagnation point flow of nanofluid with heat and mass transfer over a stretching convective surface. The stretching velocity and the ambient fluid velocity are assumed to vary linearly with the distance from the stagnation point. Using similarity transformation, the governing nonlinear partial differential equations are reduced to a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations which are solved numerically by employing by shooting method coupled with Runge–Kutta Fehlberg integration technique. Graphical results showing the effects of various thermophysical parameters on the velocity, temperature, nanoparticle concentration, local skin friction, local Nusselt number and local Sherwood number are presented and discussed quantitatively.
Robust constraint backstepping control for high-performance aircraft with account of unsteady aerodynamic effects
Authors: Zhou Chijun , Zhu Jihong , Lei Humin , Yuan Xiaming , Wang Wufan
Published: January 2016

This paper presents a robust constraint backstepping control scheme for high performance aircraft attitude tracking in the presence of physical constraints, model uncertainties and unsteady effects. The six-degree-of-freedom aircraft model with unsteady aerodynamics is first established, of which the characteristics are investigated through open-loop analysis. Based on the immersion and invariance approach, a state observer is developed to estimate the unmeasurable unsteady aerodynamic states. The unsteady effects are then compensated in the controller design where the bounds of estimate errors and model uncertainties are used to increase robustness. In addition, a command filter is introduced to impose physical constraints on states and control inputs and overcome the ‘explosion of terms’ problem. An auxiliary system of which the states are applied to the controller design is constructed as well to evaluate the constraint effects. Furthermore, stability of the closed-loop system and convergence of the tracking error are proven by Lyapunov stability theorem. Finally, several numerical simulations are performed to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control scheme.
Ocular involvement in an HIV-infected patient: not always an infectious disease. An interesting case without apparent cause
Authors: Mozzo Elena , Donà Daniele , Zannin Maria Elisabetta , Giaquinto Carlo , Rampon Osvalda
Published: January 2016

We describe the case of a young girl with vertically-transmitted HIV infection who presented with chronic ocular inflammation characterized by several relapses and remissions. Good viral and immunological status made infective or neoplastic causes unlikely; the diagnosis was challenging and finally spontaneous remission was observed after several months. Clinical and histopathological findings made idiopathic orbital inflammatory syndrome the most probable diagnosis for our patient.
Psychiatric governance, völkisch corporatism, and the German Research Institute of Psychiatry in Munich (1912–26). Part 1
Authors: Engstrom Eric J , Burgmair Wolfgang , Weber Matthias M
Published: January 2016

This is the first of two articles exploring in depth some of the early organizational strategies that were marshalled in efforts to found and develop the German Research Institute of Psychiatry ( Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Psychiatrie) in 1917. After briefly discussing plans for a German research institute before World War I, the article examines the political strategies and networks that Emil Kraepelin used to recruit support for the institute. It argues that his efforts at psychiatric governance can best be understood as a form of völkisch corporatism which sought to mobilize and coordinate a group of players in the service of higher biopolitical and hygienic ends. The article examines the wartime arguments used to justify the institute, the list of protagonists actively engaged in recruiting financial and political support, the various social, scientific and political networks that they exploited, and the local contingencies that had to be negotiated in order to found the research institute.
The chronic damage in systemic lupus erythematosus is driven by flares, glucocorticoids and antiphospholipid antibodies: results from a monocentric cohort
Authors: Conti F , Ceccarelli F , Perricone C , Leccese I , Massaro L , Pacucci V A , Truglia S , Miranda F , Spinelli F R , Alessandri C , Valesini G
Published: January 2016

Objectives

Literature data suggest a significantly higher mortality in patients affected by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) developing chronic damage. Therefore, damage prevention is a major goal in the management of SLE patients. In the present study, we assessed damage by means of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) damage index (SDI), in a large cohort of SLE patients. Additionally, we aimed at evaluating its association with demographic and clinical features as well as with disease activity and laboratory findings.

Patients and methods

We enrolled consecutive patients affected by SLE diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1997 revised criteria. Chronic damage was determined by SDI calculated at the last examination in all patients with at least six months of follow-up. Disease activity was assessed by the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K); flare was defined as an increase of SLEDAI-2K ≥ 4 compared with the previous visit.

Results

We evaluated 349 SLE patients (M/F 25/324, mean age ± SD 42.7 ± 12.4 years, mean disease duration ± SD 164.9 ± 105.2 months). Among the enrolled patients, 125 (35.8%) showed a SDI ≥ 1 (mean SDI ± SD 1.7 ± 0.9, range 0–5). The musculo-skeletal was the most frequently involved organ/system in SDI score (41/349 patients, 11.7%), with deforming/erosive arthritis in 21/349 (6.0%). The presence of chronic damage was associated with age ( P < 0.001), disease duration ( P < 0.001), number of flares ( P = 0.02) and with the use of glucocorticoids ( P = 0.02). The logistic regression analysis revealed the association between neuropsychiatric damage and antiphospholipid syndrome ( P = 0.01, OR = 3.9) and between the presence of cardiovascular damage and anti-β2GPI antibodies ( P = 0.01, OR 6.2).

Conclusions

In the present study chronic damage was identified in about one third of SLE patients. The association between SDI and the number of flares claim for a thigh-control of the disease activity in order to prevent the chronic damage. The possible role of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in the development of neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular damage may suggest a more careful assessment of such aPL positive patients.
Herpes zoster infection in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus patients: a large multicenter study
Authors: Ferreira J C O A , Marques H H , Ferriani M P L , Gormezano N W S , Terreri M T , Pereira R M , Magalhães C S , Campos L M , Bugni V , Okuda E M , Marini R , Pileggi G S , Barbosa C M , Bonfá E , Silva C A
Published: January 2016

Objective

The aim of this multicenter study in a large childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) population was to assess the herpes zoster infection (HZI) prevalence, demographic data, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, treatment, and outcome.

Methods

A retrospective multicenter cohort study (Brazilian cSLE group) was performed in ten Pediatric Rheumatology services in São Paulo State, Brazil, and included 852 cSLE patients. HZI was defined according to the presence of acute vesicular-bullous lesions on erythematous/edematous base, in a dermatomal distribution. Post-herpetic neuralgia was defined as persistent pain after one month of resolution of lesions in the same dermatome. Patients were divided in two groups for the assessment of current lupus manifestations, laboratory findings, and treatment: patients with HZI (evaluated at the first HZI) and patients without HZI (evaluated at the last visit).

Results

The frequency of HZI in cSLE patients was 120/852 (14%). Hospitalization occurred in 73 (61%) and overlap bacterial infection in 16 (13%). Intravenous or oral aciclovir was administered in 113/120 (94%) cSLE patients at HZI diagnosis. None of them had ophthalmic complication or death. Post-herpetic neuralgia occurred in 6/120 (5%). After Holm–Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, disease duration (1.58 vs 4.41 years, p < 0.0001) was significantly lower in HZI cSLE patients compared to those without HZI. Nephritis (37% vs 18%, p < 0.0001), lymphopenia (32% vs 17%, p < 0.0001) prednisone (97% vs 77%, p < 0.0001), cyclophosphamide (20% vs 5%, p < 0.0001) and SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (6.0 (0–35) vs 2 (0–45), p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in the former group. The logistic regression model showed that four independent variables were associated with HZI: disease duration < 1 year (OR 2.893 (CI 1.821–4.597), p < 0.0001), lymphopenia <1500/mm3 (OR 1.931 (CI 1.183–3.153), p = 0.009), prednisone (OR 6.723 (CI 2.072–21.815), p = 0.002), and cyclophosphamide use (OR 4.060 (CI 2.174–7.583), p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

HZI is an early viral infection in cSLE with a typical dermatomal distribution. Lymphopenia and immunosuppressive treatment seem to be major factors underlying this complication in spite of a benign course.
Treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematosus: current practice variations
Authors: Reich A , Werth V P , Furukawa F , Kuhn A , Szczęch J , Samotij D , Szepietowski J C
Published: January 2016

The treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematous (CLE) remains a challenge. Most of the therapeutic options used in CLE have not been tested in randomized controlled studies and to date no agent has been approved. Therefore, CLE treatment is mostly based on personal experience. To better characterize therapeutic habits among physicians treating CLE patients, a questionnaire-based study about various aspects of topical and systemic treatment for CLE has been performed. The questionnaire was distributed among CLE experts, mostly from Japan, the USA, and Europe. A total of 82 completed questionnaires were assessed. High-potent and potent corticosteroids as well as calcineurin inhibitors were the most often recommended topical treatment for all CLE subtypes. The most relevant factors for initiation of systemic therapy were severity of skin lesions, concomitant involvement of internal organs, CLE subtype and lack of response to topical therapies. Corticosteroids and antimalarials were considered as the most suitable and effective systemic drugs for CLE patients. However, significant differences were observed between various CLE subtypes and between different countries regarding the assessment of various topical and systemic treatment options. In conclusion, great variability of obtained answers underlines the need of development of CLE treatment guidelines suitable for different disease subtypes.
Drugs used in incident systemic lupus erythematosus – results from the Finnish nationwide register 2000–2007
Authors: Elfving P , Puolakka K , Kautiainen H , Virta L J , Pohjolainen T , Kaipiainen-Seppänen O
Published: January 2016

The objectives of the study were to examine the initial, first-year anti-rheumatic outpatient therapy in patients with incident SLE, as well as the concomitant use of drugs for certain comorbidities, compared to the use in the general population. The Finnish nationwide register data on special reimbursements for medication costs was screened to identify the inception cohort of 566 adult SLE patients (87% females, mean age 46.5 ± 15.9 years) over the years 2000–2007. The patients were linked to the national Drug Purchase Register. Of those, 90% had purchased at least once some disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) during the first year. Hydroxychloroquine was the most common (76%), followed by azathioprine (15%) and methotrexate (13%). With the exception of increase in mycophenolate mofetil, the proportions remained stable over the whole study period 2000–2007. Drugs for cardiovascular diseases, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism and obstructive pulmonary disease were more frequently purchased than in the sex- and age-adjusted population, with rate ratios ranging from 1.6 to 7.8. Over the years 2000–2007, almost all the patients with incident SLE in Finland started with a DMARD. Higher percentages of SLE patients were on medication for several common chronic diseases than in the population as a whole.
Evaluating the effect of three teaching strategies on student nurses’ moral sensitivity
Authors: Lee Hsiao Lu , Huang Shu-He , Huang Chiu-Mieh
Published: January 2016

Background:

The Taiwan Nursing Accreditation Council has proposed eight core professional nursing qualities including ethical literacy. Consequently, nursing ethics education is a required course for student nurses. These courses are intended to improve the ethical literacy. Moral sensitivity is the cornerstone of ethical literacy, and learning moral sensitivity is the initial step towards developing ethical literacy.

Objectives:

To explore the effect of nursing ethics educational interventions based on multiple teaching strategies on student nurses moral sensitivity. Based on the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic model, three strategies were developed for determining the programme components and corresponding learning styles.

Research design:

This was a quasi-experimental study.

Participants:

A total of 234 junior-college student nurses participated in this study. All participants were aged 18–19 years.

Ethical considerations:

The study protocol was approved by the institutional review boards of Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital. Only the participants who signed an informed consent form took part in the study. The participants were permitted to withdraw from the study at any point if they wished to do so without affecting their academic score.

Results:

The scores of Modified Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire for Student Nurses were significantly improved after the intervention of integrating multiple teaching strategies ( p = .042). Significant relationships were observed between the satisfaction scores of two teaching strategies and moral sensitivity. The results indicated that using multiple teaching strategies is effective for promoting nursing ethics learning.

Conclusion:

This strategy was consistent with the student nurses’ preferred learning style and was used to correct their erroneous ethical conceptions, assisting in developing their ethical knowledge.
Effect of patients’ rights training sessions for nurses on perceptions of nurses and patients
Authors: Ibrahim Sanaa A , Hassan Mona A , Hamouda Seham Ibrahim , Abd Allah Nama M
Published: January 2016

Background:

Patients’ rights are universal values that must be respected; however, it is not easy to put such values and principles into effect as approaches and attitudes differ from individual to individual, from society to society, and from country to country. If we want to reach a general conclusion about the status of patient rights in the world as whole, we should examine the situation in individual countries.

Objective:

To study the effect of training sessions for nurses about patients’ rights on the perceptions of nurses and patients in two Egyptian hospitals.

Methods:

Quasi-experimental with pre- and posttest design was used in this study. Two groups of participants were included in the study: the first with 97 nurses and the second with 135 patients. A questionnaire sheet was used for nurses and patients to assess their perceptions about patients’ rights before starting sessions. The training sessions were developed based on the baseline information gathered in the assessment phase and related literature. After the implementation of the sessions, a posttest was immediately conducted for nurses, while for patients the posttest was conducted 1 month after implementation to evaluate the effect of the nurses’ training sessions on the patients’ perceptions. The same tools were used in pretest and posttest.

Ethical considerations:

Written approval was sought and obtained from the administrators of the studied hospitals prior to conducting the study. Oral consent was obtained from nurses and patients willing to participate. Confidentiality and anonymity of the participants were strictly maintained through code numbers on the questionnaires.

Results:

The improvement in nurses’ knowledge and perceptions about patients’ rights after implementation of the training sessions was remarkable. Moreover, an improvement in patients’ perceptions regarding their rights was reported.

Conclusion:

Repetition of the training sessions is suggested to achieve continuous improvement. Provision of posters and booklets about a bill of patient rights within the hospitals and conduction of further study to examine nurses’ performance and patients’ satisfaction based on code of ethics are recommended.
Financialization and housing: Between globalization and Varieties of Capitalism
Authors: Fernandez Rodrigo , Aalbers Manuel B
Published: January 2016

In the literature, one finds various explanations for the rise of financialized capitalism. In the different strands of financialization literature, housing either plays a minor role or is simply seen as one of the bearers of financialization. The relations between housing and financialization are under-researched and under-theorized. This article, first, looks at the rise of housing finance as an integral part of macro-economic policy, and second, at the role of financial globalization in the rise of housing finance. Housing is seen as an absorber of a ‘wall of money’, but the absorption of finance by housing is a very uneven process. Four trajectories of national institutional structures are suggested, and it is discussed how capital flows are absorbed in each of these trajectories. Finally, it is discussed what this tells about the geographies of financialized capitalism, and its relations to debt, housing, mortgage markets and the spatial fix.
‘Nurse specialling’: Direct nursing observation in the emergency department compared to other wards of an urban teaching hospital in Sydney
Authors: Portelli Maryssa , White Bethany , Wand Timothy , Haber Paul S , Glozier Nicholas
Published: January 2016

Objective:

This study examined the patterns of direct observation of patients by nursing staff (‘nurse specials’) and compared those required for mental health/drug health (MH/DH)-related presentations to other patient groups in different care settings.

Methods:

A retrospective review of nurse special shifts requested during the 2014 calendar year at an urban teaching hospital.

Results:

Hospital-wide 14,021 8-hour nursing shifts were ordered for special observation of patients, an average of 39 per day. Of these, 30% were requested for MH/DH-related presentations, with the majority (70%) required for medically unstable patients. However, of the 1917 shifts required in the emergency department, 1841 (96%) were for MH/DH presentations compared to 76 (4%) for patients with unrelated medical conditions (odds ratio 98.2; 95% confidence interval 77.71–124.06, P<0.0001).

Conclusions:

In contrast to the rest of the hospital, emergency department-based nurse special requests were significantly more likely to be for MH/DH presentations. This figure represents a considerable staff and financial burden and may be reduced by diversion or more rapid transfer of such presentations to an appropriate inpatient ward.
Clinical assessment of the late-career medical practitioner
Authors: Wijeratne Chanaka
Published: January 2016

Objectives:

This paper is a guide to the general psychiatric assessment of the late career medical practitioner (LCP) from a clinical viewpoint.

Conclusions:

Late career is a specific developmental stage in medical practitioners, a time of transition towards retirement. The treating psychiatrist should be mindful of the welfare of the practitioner, the public and the profession during the assessment, which is conducted from a complex therapeutic and regulatory viewpoint. It is important to assess the physical, psychological and cognitive health of the LCP. Although rates of burnout, depression and suicidal ideation are lowest in Australian doctors over 60, only a small minority of LCPs over 75 are likely to perform at a cognitive level similar to that of younger colleagues. There are a number of therapeutic challenges, including the practitioner’s acceptance of their own ageing.
Detection of fundamental shear horizontal mode in plates using fibre Bragg gratings
Authors: Harish Achar V , Ray Pabitro , Rajagopal Prabhu , Balasubramaniam Krishnan , Srinivasan Balaji
Published: January 2016

Shear horizontal guided waves are attractive for structural health monitoring applications in view of the non-dispersive behaviour of the fundamental mode, possibly higher frequencies of operation and a less complex multi-modal structure. One of the key issues with the deployment of shear horizontal guided waves of modes for structural health monitoring applications is the general non-availability of techniques to sense this family of modes effectively. This article demonstrates the detection of fundamental shear horizontal waves in an aluminium plate by placing a fibre Bragg grating along a direction perpendicular to that of propagating guided elastic waves. In order to uniquely identify the three fundamental plate-guided modes, we map the experimentally measured group velocities as detected by the fibre Bragg grating to theoretically obtained group velocity dispersion curves. We find that the experimentally measured group velocity values using time-of-flight measurements from a perpendicularly placed fibre Bragg grating are in agreement with the theoretical curve for the [Formula: see text] mode. Possible extension of these results to feature-guided modes is also discussed.
Reference Accuracy Among Research Articles Published in Research on Social Work Practice
Authors: Wilks Scott E. , Geiger Jennifer R. , Bates Samantha M. , Wright Amy L.
Published: January 2016

Objective:

The objective was to examine reference errors in research articles published in Research on Social Work Practice. High rates of reference errors in other top social work journals have been noted in previous studies.

Methods:

Via a sampling frame of 22,177 total references among 464 research articles published in the previous decade, a sample of 500 references were randomly selected and verified against the original work for accuracy in the following fields: author name(s), publication year, article title, journal title, volume, and page number(s).

Results:

Almost 27% of references contained at least 1 error (0.35 errors per reference); 173 errors in total. The plurality of errors occurred in article titles (13.2%). Two factors significantly related to the likelihood of error: reference age and number of authors.

Conclusion:

Comparison to reference error rates in other social work journals is discussed, as are suggestions to authors, editors, and educators regarding error reduction.
They’re Not All at Home
Authors: Chen Chin-Chih , Culhane Dennis P. , Metraux Stephen , Park Jung Min , Venable Jessica C. , Burnett T. C.
Published: January 2016

Using an integrated administrative data set, out-of-home residential placements (i.e., child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health) were examined in a sample of early adolescents in a large urban school district. Out-of-home placements were tracked across Grades 7 to 9 in a population of 58,000 youth. This included 10,911 students identified for special education (7,028 with learning disabilities, 1,247 with serious emotional disturbance, 1,245 with intellectual disabilities, 804 with speech and language impairments, and 587 with other disabilities). Students who received special education were twice as likely to experience out-of-home placements. The rates and types of out-of-home placements were differentially related to specific special education classifications. In particular, youth with serious emotional disturbance were more likely to experience out-of-home placements and to be involved in multiple sectors. Findings are discussed in relation to the development of intensive emotional and behavioral interventions for early adolescents who receive special education services.
Comparison of Performance on ADHD Quality of Care Indicators: Practitioner Self-Report Versus Chart Review
Authors: Gordon Megan K. , Baum Rebecca A. , Gardner William , Kelleher Kelly J. , Langberg Joshua M. , Brinkman William B. , Epstein Jeffery N.
Published: January 2016

Objective: This study compared practitioner self-report of ADHD quality of care measures with actual performance, as documented by chart review. Method: In total, 188 practitioners from 50 pediatric practices completed questionnaires in which they self-reported estimates of ADHD quality of care indicators. A total of 1,599 charts were reviewed. Results: The percentage of patients for whom practitioners self-reported that they used evidence-based care was higher in every performance category when compared with chart review, including higher use of parent and teacher rating scales during assessment and treatment compared with chart review. Self-reported use of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) criteria during assessment was also higher than by chart review. The actual number of days until the first contact after starting medication was nearly three times longer than self-report estimates. Conclusion: Practitioners overreport performance on quality of care indicators. These differences were large and consistent across ADHD diagnostic and treatment monitoring practices. Practitioner self-report of ADHD guideline adherence should not be considered a valid measure of performance.
Improving Our Understanding of Moderation and Mediation in Strategic Management Research
Authors: Aguinis Herman , Edwards Jeffrey R. , Bradley Kyle J.
Published: January 2016

We clarify differences among moderation, partial mediation, and full mediation and identify methodological problems related to moderation and mediation from a review of articles in Strategic Management Journal and Organization Science published from 2005 to 2014. Regarding moderation, we discuss measurement error, range restriction, and unequal sample sizes across moderator-based subgroups; insufficient statistical power; the artificial categorization of continuous variables; assumed negative consequences of correlations between product terms and its components (i.e., multicollinearity); and interpretation of first-order effects based on models excluding product terms. Regarding mediation, we discuss problems with the causal-steps procedure, inferences about mediation based on cross-sectional designs, whether a relation between the antecedent and the outcome is necessary for testing mediation, the routine inclusion of a direct path from the antecedent to the outcome, and consequences of measurement error. We also explain how integrating moderation and mediation can lead to important and useful insights for strategic management theory and practice. Finally, we offer specific and actionable recommendations for improving the appropriateness and accuracy of tests of moderation and mediation in strategic management research. Our recommendations can also be used as a checklist for editors and reviewers who evaluate manuscripts reporting tests of moderation and mediation.
Hydrodynamic lubricating characteristics of water flooded single screw compressors based on two types of meshing pair profile
Authors: Li Ting , Huang Rui , Feng Quan-ke , Wu Wei-feng , Liu Fei-long , Yu Xiao-ling
Published: January 2016

Reliability of the traditional single screw compressor (SSC) is poor since its discharge capacity decreases sharply. This is because that the lubrication between the screw and the gate-rotor meshing pair is poor, which leads to a rapid abrasion of the meshing pair. In this paper, a simulation model is established to analyze the lubrication problem of the meshing pair in the SSC. Based on the traditional single straight line enveloped meshing pair profile and the new proposed multi-columns-enveloped meshing pair profile, the hydrodynamic lubricating characteristics of the water-flooded single screw compressor are investigated. Results show that the water film can keep the gate-rotor tooth from contacting the screw thread flank during the meshing process in the optimized multi-columns-enveloped meshing pair, but the water film cannot keep the gate-rotor tooth from contacting the screw thread flank during the meshing process in the single straight line enveloped meshing pair. A prototype of the water flooded SSC with the optimized multi-columns-enveloped meshing pair was developed and has passed a 2000-h endurance test without discharge capacity reduction.
New party performance after breakthrough
Authors: Bolleyer Nicole , Bytzek Evelyn
Published: January 2016

Parliamentary entry on the national level is a crucial achievement for any new party. But its repercussions are not necessarily beneficial. This article assesses the electoral consequences of parliamentary breakthrough by theorizing factors that shape (a) a new party organization’s capacity to cope with pressures generated by parliamentary entry and (b) the relative intensity of the new functional pressures a new party is exposed to after breakthrough. To test our hypotheses derived from these two rationales, we apply multilevel analyses to a new data set covering 135 organizationally new parties that entered national parliament across 17 advanced democracies over nearly five decades (1968–2015). Our findings stress the importance of party organizational characteristics (party origin, time for party building and leadership continuity) for parties’ capacity to sustain electoral support after breakthrough. In contrast, the intensity of functional pressures as generated by government participation immediately after breakthrough does not have significant effects on parties’ performance at the follow-up election.
The impact of participation in extra-curricular physical activity on males from disadvantaged schools
Authors: Belton Sarahjane , Prior Paul , Wickel Eric , Woods Catherine
Published: January 2016

Extra-curricular physical activity (ECPA) may have an important role to play in the health and well-being of adolescents, but the actual benefits are relatively unknown. This study examined ECPA participation amongst adolescent males (age 12–15 years) from disadvantaged backgrounds, and evaluated its impact on overall physical activity (PA) accumulation and psychological well-being. At three time points over a single academic year, participants from four schools ( n = 174) wore a pedometer for seven days and completed a questionnaire assessing habitual PA, frequency of ECPA participation, barriers to ECPA participation and seven psychosocial subscales. An average year-long score was calculated for each participant, for each variable. Across seasons, 84% of participants reported regular (≥ twice a week) or occasional (once a week) participation in ECPA. Those reporting regular participation in ECPA were significantly ( p < .01) more active (steps/day) and scored higher ( p < .01) on each psychosocial subscale. Results of multinomial regression analysis showed that perceived physical competence ( p < .001) had a significant main effect on ECPA participation. Our study results indicate that students from disadvantaged backgrounds whom participate in ECPA at least once a week are significantly more physically active and have a higher level of psychological well-being than those who never participate.