bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adolescent Mental Health, Behavior Problems, and Academic Achievement
Authors: McLeod Jane D. , Uemura Ryotaro , Rohrman Shawna
Published: November 2012

Prior research on the association of mental health and behavior problems with academic achievement is limited because it does not consider multiple problems simultaneously, take co-occurring problems into account, and control for academic aptitude. We addressed these limitations using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health ( N = 6,315). We estimated the associations of depression, attention problems, delinquency, and substance use with two indicators of academic achievement (high school GPA and highest degree received) with controls for academic aptitude. Attention problems, delinquency, and substance use were significantly associated with diminished achievement, but depression was not. Combinations of problems involving substance use were especially consequential. Our results demonstrate that the social consequences of mental health problems are not the inevitable result of diminished functional ability but, rather, reflect negative social responses. These results also encourage a broader perspective on mental health by demonstrating that behavior problems heighten the negative consequences of more traditional forms of distress.
The Transnational Politics of Warfare Accountability: Human Rights Watch versus the Israel Defense Forces
Authors: Vennesson Pascal , Rajkovic Nikolas M.
Published: November 2012

Transnational human rights networks span the globe, and have become more numerous and influential since the 1970s. Yet we still know relatively little about the strategic interaction between transnational advocates and their targeted state actors. Focusing on such a strategic interaction, we argue that transnational advocacy is less a diffusion of authority away from state actors than a change in the ways in which the politics of accountability is conducted between sophisticated state and non-state actors. In particular, we show that targeted actors (e.g. impugned states) can develop their own discursive capacities to challenge the facts and interpretations offered by transnational advocates and ‘turn the tables’ on them, expanding the scope of accountability to include the conduct of NGOs themselves. Empirically, we examine the efforts made by Human Rights Watch (HRW) to make the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) accountable during the Second Lebanon War of 2006 and the Gaza war of 2008–9.
China and Japan’s Quest for Great Power Status: Norm Entrepreneurship in Anti-Piracy Responses
Authors: Black Lindsay , Hwang Yih-Jye
Published: November 2012

In responding to piracy in the Gulf of Aden, both Chinese and Japanese policymakers have acted as norm entrepreneurs who intend to transform the dominant norms of international society. Chinese and Japanese norm entrepreneurship is grounded in the ways in which foreign policy actors construct and reconstruct their state identity. In China’s case, policymakers have projected China’s self-image as a responsible and benevolent Great Power that derives from the Chinese conception of Tianxia. Japanese foreign policy actors, on the other hand, have advanced the notion of Japan as a bridge that mediates between East and West, developing and developed states, members and non-members of international society. Although we do not advocate that Chinese or Japanese norm entrepreneurship should be accepted uncritically, we do maintain that there exist opportunities to combine and develop the multiple approaches that different states promote to problems. This article has shown that dealing with Somali piracy is one such case.
Power Shifts, Economic Change and the Decline of the West?
Authors: Cox Michael
Published: November 2012

It has become the new truth of the early twenty-first century that the Western world we have known is fast losing its pre-eminence to be replaced by a new international system shaped either by the so-called BRICs comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China, the ‘rest’, or more popularly by that very broadly defined geographical entity known as Asia. This at least is how many economists, historians and students of world politics are now viewing the future of the larger international system. This essay does not dispute some self-evident economic facts. Nor does it assume that the world will look the same in 50 years time as it does now. It does, however, question the idea that there is an irresistible ‘power shift’ in the making and that the West and the United States are in steep decline. Specifically, it makes a number of critical arguments concerning the new narrative. First, it suggests that this story, by reasonably focusing on what is obviously changing in the world, unfortunately ignores what is not; as a result, it underestimates what might loosely be termed the continued structural advantages still enjoyed by the United States and its major Western allies. Second, while it is true that many new states are assuming a bigger role in the world economy, their rise needs to be looked at more carefully than it has been so far; indeed, when such an examination is undertaken, it becomes increasingly clear that the rise of others – including China – is still hemmed in by several obstacles, internal as well as external. Third, though the Asian region, and China as part of it, is assuming an ever more important role in the wider world economy, this development should not be seen as marking the beginning of a new Asian Century. This now popular idea is not only conceptually problematic, it inevitably leads to an underestimation of other key areas in the world including incidentally the Transatlantic region. Finally I suggest that if the dubious idea of a power shift is taken to be true, this could very easily lead to greater international insecurity and conflict. Understanding the modern world better than many seem to be doing right now is therefore not only intellectually important; it is strategically necessary too.
Effect of Poor Sleep Quality and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness on Factors Associated With Diabetes Self-Management
Authors: Chasens Eileen R. , Korytkowski Mary , Sereika Susan M. , Burke Lora E.
Published: November 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of impaired sleep quality and daytime sleepiness on self-reported diabetes control and psychological and social factors that affect diabetes self-management.

Methods

Participants were 107 adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) with self-reported daytime sleepiness. Subjective sleepiness was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS); sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Global score and its 3 factors of Perceived Sleep Quality, Sleep Efficiency, and Daily Disturbances. The Diabetes Care Profile (DCP) scales (Control Problems, Social and Personal Factors, Positive Attitude, Negative Attitude, Self-Care Adherence, and Diet Adherence) were used to measure difficulty in maintaining glycemic control and factors important for diabetes control.

Results

Poor sleep quality was associated with significantly worse scores on the DCP scales, with lower diabetes control, negative attitude, decreased positive attitude, lower self-care adherence, and decreased adherence to dietary adherence. Hierarchal linear regression modeling revealed no significant associations between diabetes control problems and age, education, gender, and daytime sleepiness. Being married or partnered significantly decreased glycemic control problems, whereas poor sleep quality increased diabetes control problems. Further examination of PSQI factors (perceived sleep quality, sleep efficiency, and daily disturbances) found that being married or partnered significantly decreased diabetes control problems, whereas of the 3 factors of the PSQI, only the Daily Disturbances factor was significantly associated with increased diabetes control problems.

Conclusions

Impaired sleep quality and daytime sleepiness are associated with decreased diabetes self-management in adults with T2DM.
Barriers to Insulin Progression Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Polinski Jennifer M. , Smith Benjamin F. , Curtis Bradley H. , Seeger John D. , Choudhry Niteesh K. , Connolly John G. , Shrank William H.
Published: November 2012

Purpose

Treatment guidelines recommend insulin progression (switching from basal to a premixed insulin regimen, adding bolus doses, and/or increasing dosing frequency) to achieve A1C targets as type 2 diabetes progresses, but fewer patients are being progressed than would be indicated based on their disease status. This systematic review proposes 2 questions regarding insulin progression among patients with type 2 diabetes: (1) What are the patient, provider, and health system barriers to insulin progression? (2) Do insulin progression barriers differ between insulin-naive and insulin-experienced patients?

Methods

We conducted a systematic review in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases through July 2011.

Results

Of 745 potentially relevant articles, 10 met inclusion criteria: 7 evaluated patient and 2 evaluated provider barriers, and 1 was an intervention to reduce barriers among physicians. Patients with prior insulin experience had fewer barriers arising from injection-related concerns and worries about the burden of insulin progression than did insulin-naive patients. Physician barriers included concerns about patients’ ability to follow more complicated regimens as well as physicians’ own inexperience with insulin and progression algorithms. The cross- sectional nature, narrow scope, and failure of all studies to examine patient, provider, and health systems barriers concurrently limited both barrier identification and an assessment of their impact on progression.

Conclusions

Patient and physician experience with insulin and diabetes/insulin education were associated with fewer perceived barriers to insulin progression. Future studies should use multilevel longitudinal designs to quantify the relative impact of potential patient, provider, and health system factors on progression and health outcomes.
Short- and Long-Term Performance Feedback and Absorptive Capacity
Authors: Ben-Oz Chanan , Greve Henrich R.
Published: November 2012

Research on organizational learning from performance feedback has produced findings on how organizational change is influenced by performance relative to aspiration levels, but has focused on short-term goal variables. In this article, we examine how short- and long-term goals are related to short- and long-term actions, respectively. We do so by predicting changes in absorptive capacity from performance relative to aspiration levels, and by testing whether long-term goals mainly affect potential absorptive capacity, which has long-term effects, while short-term goals mainly affect the realized absorptive capacity, which has short-term effects. Using data from surveys of 252 decision makers representing 129 Israeli early-stage high-tech organizations, our analysis yields supportive empirical findings. The findings imply that performance relative to aspiration levels has effects on long-term strategic actions as well as short-term ones, and thus argue against strict myopia.
Hierarchies of social location, class and intersectionality: Towards a translocational frame
Authors: Anthias Floya
Published: November 2012

This article evaluates the potential found within two approaches that recognize the complexity of social hierarchy in different ways. First, it looks at the revival of class analysis within culturally inflected approaches to class. These have incorporated a number of societal relations, broadly referred to as the symbolic, the social and the cultural, into the analysis. Second, the article assesses attempts to theorize the intersections of gender, ethnicity and class through the intersectionality framework. It considers the potential for developing more integrated analytical frameworks for understanding social hierarchy through cross-referencing these debates. It proposes an intersectional framing which centres on social location and translocation.
Accuracy of Acromioclavicular Joint Injections
Authors: Wasserman Bradley R. , Pettrone Sarah , Jazrawi Laith M. , Zuckerman Joseph D. , Rokito Andrew S.
Published: November 2012

Background:

Injection to the acromioclavicular (AC) joint can be both diagnostic and therapeutic.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of in vivo AC joint injections.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Thirty patients with pain localized to the AC joint were injected with 1 mL of 1% lidocaine and 0.5 mL of radiographic contrast material (Isovue). Radiographs of the AC joint were taken after the injection. Each radiograph was reviewed by a musculoskeletal radiologist and graded as intra-articular, extra-articular, or partially intra-articular.

Results:

Of the 30 injections performed, 13 (43.3%) were intra-articular, 7 (23.3%) were partially articular, and 10 (33.3%) were extra-articular. When the intra-articular and the partially articular groups were combined, 20 patients (66.7%) had some contrast dye in the AC joint.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrates that despite the relatively superficial location of the AC joint, the clinical accuracy of AC joint injections remains relatively low.
From the Shop Floor to the Kitchen Floor
Authors: Yetis-Bayraktar Ayse , Budig Michelle J. , Tomaskovic-Devey Donald
Published: November 2012

Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics we explore the relationship between current and early maternal occupational complexity and preadolescent children’s academic achievement in mathematics and reading. We measure white-collar occupational complexity with an index that incorporates task complexity, authority, and autonomy. Blue-collar occupational complexity is observed with a measure of task complexity with things. Controlling for differential selection into employment, we find that current maternal occupational complexity has positive associations with reading and mathematics scores for children, with stronger associations for sons. We find mixed associations between early maternal employment and children’s academic achievement, suggesting that the influence of early maternal employment on child development declines as children age.
Examining Burnout and Engagement in Layoff Survivors
Authors: Cotter Elizabeth W. , Fouad Nadya A.
Published: November 2012

This study investigates burnout and work engagement in layoff survivors. Layoff survivors are defined as individuals who remain working at organizations that have recently had layoffs. Job demands (job insecurity and work overload) and job and personal resources (social support, optimism, career adaptability, and career management self-efficacy) are examined as predictors of burnout and engagement. The sample consists of 203 adults currently working at organizations that downsized within the past year. As hypothesized, job demands had positive relationships with burnout, while social support, optimism, and career management self-efficacy had positive relationships with engagement. Contrary to hypotheses, career adaptability was not positively related to engagement. Engagement also mediated the relationships between several resources and burnout. This study makes a unique contribution to the literature, as little research has examined personal strengths of layoff survivors, in addition to job characteristics.
Evaluation of bending critical speeds of hydrogenerator shaft lines using the transfer matrix method
Authors: Barbosa Rodrigo , Albuquerque da Fonseca e , Barbosa Danilo Lopes
Published: November 2012

In this study, the transfer matrix method is used to predict bending critical speeds of hydrogenerator shaft lines. A computer routine was developed for the calculations and this code is applied to two industrial hydrogenerators. The obtained results are compared with the data/guarantees from the equipments’ manufacturers. It is concluded that the present approach is a useful tool for rotor dynamics analysis at early design phases of hydrogenerator shaft lines.
Extent and characteristics of self-reported pain in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Waldheim E , Elkan A-C , Bergman S , Frostegård J , van Vollenhoven R , Henriksson E Welin
Published: November 2012

Objective:

Patients' own experiences of subjective symptoms are scarcely covered, and the objective of this study was to investigate the extent and characteristics of self-reported pain in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods:

This study comprised a cross-sectional design where 84 patients with SLE were asked to complete self-assessments: visual analogue scale of pain and the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Medical assessments, including ESR, SLAM, SLEDAI, and SLICC, were also performed.

Results:

Of the study population, 24% reported higher levels of SLE-related pain (≥40 mm on VAS). This group had a significantly shorter disease duration, higher ESR, and higher disease activity, according to the SLAM and SLEDAI, compared to the rest of the study population. This group mainly used the words “tender,” “aching,” and “burning” to describe moderate and severe pain, and they used a greater number of words to describe their pain. Of the patients with higher levels of pain, 70% reported their present pain as “distressing.” The most common pain location for the whole patient population was the joints. Patients rated their disease activity significantly higher than physicians did.

Conclusion:

These findings expand the current knowledge of the extent of SLE-related pain and how patients perceive this pain. The results can contribute to affirmative, supportive and caring communication and especially highlight SLE-related pain in patients with a short disease duration and high disease activity.
Causes of mortality among inpatients with systemic lupus erythematosus in a tertiary care hospital in North India over a 10-year period
Authors: Sharma A , Shamanna SB , Kumar S , Wanchu A , Bambery P , Singh S , Varma S
Published: November 2012

Introduction:

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disorder with significant morbidity and mortality. The present study was undertaken to identify the causes of in-hospital mortality of patients with SLE.

Methods:

This was a retrospective study. The hospital records of patients with SLE who died between 1998 and 2007 were reviewed. Demographic details, organ involvement, treatment received and evidence of infection were recorded. Disease activity was calculated using the SLE Disease Activity Index. The cause of death of each patient was determined and this information was classified into either deaths caused primarily due to SLE, deaths caused due to infection or those that were multi-factorial.

Results:

Seventeen patients with SLE who were diagnosed according to the revised American College of Rheumatology criteria died between 1998 and 2007. Fifteen of these patients were female and two were male. The median age was 25 years. The average duration of hospital stay was 10.29 days. Seven patients (41%) died of active SLE (three from pulmonary hemorrhage, two had renal failure, one had myocarditis and one had severe thrombocytopenia with upper gastrointestinal bleed), three patients (18%) died from infections (one contracted Staphylococcal septicemia, another contracted tuberculous meningitis and the third patient had Pseudomonas septicemia) and in seven patients (41%) the etiology was multi-factorial (these showed both active SLE and evidence of infection). In total 10 patients had evidence of infection, two of these were community-acquired and the rest were hospital-acquired.

Conclusion:

Active SLE and/or infection are the major causes of death in hospitalised patients with SLE. To reduce patient mortality improvements in supportive care for patients with active SLE and measures to prevent hospital-acquired infections are required.
Democracy and Infant Mortality in India’s ‘Mini-democracies’: A Preliminary Theoretical Inquiry and Analysis*
Authors: Pushkar
Published: November 2012

A number of cross-national studies find that democratic rule has beneficial effects on the health of nations. These studies, however, sidestep the key role of state governments—especially in federal systems like India—in providing those public goods and services that have an impact on health outcomes. Like national governments, state governments differ in the quantity and quality of public goods they provide. Consequently, interstate variations in health outcomes are quite common and even substantial. This article examines infant mortality rates (IMRs) in India’s 29 states—or ‘mini-democracies’—to show that many Indian states have achieved good/moderate IMRs, but others lag behind. To explain such divergent health outcomes across India’s states despite six decades of democratic rule, the article scrutinises the causal logic of three mechanisms that are said to activate the democracy-good health link: (1) political competition; (2) civil society activism; and (3) ideational changes. The discussion points to a long list of other enabling factors—whose presence varies across India’s states—that are necessary for democracy’s virtuous effects to be realised.
The Impact of India’s Regional Parties on Voter Turnout and Human Development
Authors: Joshi Devin K.
Published: November 2012

While some analysts fear that regional parties in federal democracies are narrow in orientation, Indian experience has shown that regional parties can sometimes improve both voter turnout and human development (HD) in their region. Based on the experience of the South Indian states of Kerala and Tamilnadu, this article develops a theory of how regional parties in developing countries may occasionally succeed at these goals while identifying five obstacles that may prevent HD improvement even if voter turnout expands. Testing this theory across Indian states over the period from 1970 to 2000, I discover that regional parties significantly increased voter turnout. Utilising pooled regression analysis of the human development index (HDI), I find that HD performance was largely determined by initial conditions, social spending, agricultural yield and gender equality, but the evidence also suggests a small but positive relationship between regional party control of state governments and HDI improvement.
Social Relationships and Rural Livelihood Security in Afghanistan
Authors: Kantor Paula , Pain Adam
Published: November 2012

This article examines the importance of a range of types of social relationships, characterised by differing levels of privilege, power, obligation and reciprocity, to rural Afghan livelihood security. Specifically, it explores how rural Afghan households in Kandahar and Badakhshan provinces negotiate within their diverse social environments, characterised by varied forms of institutional weakness and local power structures, to achieve some measure of physical and economic security. It draws from household case study data to assess how households are integrated into social relationships of variable quality and usefulness and under what conditions these relationships facilitate autonomous versus dependent security. In doing so, the article explores the importance of context, linking the details of household experiences to their village and provincial locations. The findings provide an understanding of the local social hierarchies and relations with which development actors must engage to successfully design and deliver poverty reduction programming, something which has been little evident to date, particularly in national policymaking processes and post-2014 transition strategies.
Old Age Financial Security in the Informal Sector: Sex Work in India
Authors: Mahal Ajay , Seshu Meena , Mane Shashikant , Lal Shanti
Published: November 2012

We assess old age financial security in a sample of sex workers in India. Our analysis, based on primary data for 240 former sex workers and 340 current sex workers in the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra, highlights three features of their economic situation. First, former sex workers economically outperform female-headed households in the general population. Second, old age security for sex workers is hampered by limited access to mechanisms to invest their savings productively during working ages, their incurring of high levels of out of pocket expenses for ill health and borrowing costs. Third, traditional sources of support in old age such as children are limited, in contrast to what we know about family-based support for the elderly in India. The article concludes by examining recent policy developments in India and their relevance for economic security among older sex workers.
Putting Your Best Mic Forward
Authors: Thompson Douglas Earl
Published: November 2012

Music educators commonly use microphones for live and recorded sound applications. To achieve optimal results in each application, a basic understanding of microphones is necessary. This article discusses each application’s challenges and recommends the best mic to use for optimum sound. Recommendations for further learning are included.
Why Women Object to Male Circumcision to Prevent HIV in a Moderate-Prevalence Setting
Authors: Kelly Angela , Kupul Martha , Aeno Herick , Shih Patti , Naketrumb Richard , Neo James , Fitzgerald Lisa , Kaldor John M. , Siba Peter M. , Vallely Andrew
Published: November 2012

Adult male circumcision has been shown to reduce the transmission of HIV. Women’s acceptability of male circumcision is important in Papua New Guinea’s preparedness to introduce male circumcision, and in ethical considerations of its use as a biomedical technology for HIV prevention. We conducted 21 focus group discussions and 18 in-depth interviews with women in all four regions of Papua New Guinea. The majority of women objected to the introduction of male circumcision for three main reasons: circumcision would result in sexual risk compensation; circumcision goes against Christian faith; and circumcision is a new practice that is culturally inappropriate. A minority of women accepted male circumcision for the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and for the benefit of penile hygiene and health. Women’s objections to circumcision as a biomedical method of preventing HIV reemphasize the importance of sociocultural and behavioral interventions in Papua New Guinea.
From Hope to Despair, and Back
Authors: Hamama-Raz Yaira , Zabari Yonit , Buchbinder Eli
Published: November 2012

In this study we examined the meaning of being the wife of a vegetative patient over time. The research was based on semistructured interviews with 12 wives of husbands who were diagnosed with persistent vegetative state between 1 year 2 months and 10 years prior to the interview. We found that there were two contradicting forces common to all of the wives across time. First, there was a process of finding significance in the situation based on acceptance of the husband’s condition and focusing on positive emotions and values such as love, commitment, and loyalty. Second, the wives described an increase in negative emotions such as sadness, pain, loneliness, loss, and grief. These findings are discussed in the context of research and theoretical literature about coping processes and the meaning of caring for patients in a persistent vegetative state.
Interpreters in Cross-Cultural Interviews
Authors: Björk Brämberg Elisabeth , Dahlberg Karin
Published: November 2012

Our focus in this article is research interviews that involve two languages. We present an epistemological and methodological analysis of the meaning of qualitative interviewing with an interpreter. The results of the analysis show that such interviewing is not simply exchanging words between two languages, but means understanding, grasping the essential meanings of the spoken words, which requires an interpreter to bridge the different horizons of understanding. Consequently, a research interview including an interpreter means a three-way coconstruction of data. We suggest that interpreters be thoroughly introduced into the research process and research interview technique, that they take part in the preparations for the interview event, and evaluate the translation process with the researcher and informant after the interview.
Mental Health Risks in the Local Workforce Engaged in Disaster Relief and Reconstruction
Authors: Wang Xiao L. , Chan Cecilia L. W. , Shi Zhan B. , Wang Bin
Published: November 2012

To build a sustainable workforce for long-term disaster relief and reconstruction, more effort must be made to promote local relief workers’ mental health. We conducted 25 semistructured interviews with local relief officials 10 months after the 2008 earthquake in China to investigate the stress and coping experiences in their personal lives as survivors. We conducted thematic analysis of interview transcripts. Traumatic bereavement and grief, housing and financial difficulties, and work–family conflict were the three main sources of stress in the respondents’ personal lives. The coping themes were finding meaning and purpose in life through relief work, colleagues’ support and understanding, suppression or avoidance of grief, appreciation for life, hardiness, optimism, letting nature take its course, and making up for loss. We suggest that relief work has a double-edged-sword effect on workers’ coping abilities. We discuss the implications of this effect for work–life balance measures and trauma and grief counseling services.
Control of shunt active power filter using soft computing techniques
Authors: Ponnusamy Thirumoorthi , Narri Yadaiah
Published: November 2012

This paper presents two soft computing techniques, fuzzy logic and neural network, to design a new control scheme for switching a shunt active power filter (APF). This control scheme consists of three control loops, namely a voltage loop, current loop and reference generator. The reference current signal generated by this controller is used to generate gating pulses for APF switches. The reference generator is based on neural network or fuzzy logic. The performance of the proposed neural controller is evaluated and compared with a linear control scheme, incorporating a resonant selective linear reference generator. Simulations are carried out using Matlab Simulink and the results show that the proposed system is capable of compensating the harmonic current to a minimum level.
Performance of earth-moving machinery cab with hydraulic mounts in low frequency
Authors: Sun Xiaojuan , Zhang Jianrun
Published: November 2012

The purpose of this study is to explore the low-frequency advantages and characteristics of the hydraulic mounts used for vibration isolation of an earth-moving machinery cab. For the feature of the cab’s center of mass being relatively high above the cab’s supporting surface, the pitch and roll vibrations of the cab are prone to generate in the low frequency range. A six-degree-of-freedom (d.f.) model of the cab supported by hydraulic mounts with quadratic damping is set up in this paper. And the simulation which compares performance of the hydraulic mounts and the rubber mounts used in the cab is carried out. It shows that the cab system with quadratic damping hydraulic mounts has remarkable efficiency to mitigate the vibrations and in turn to enhance the cab comfort, but its nonlinear damping characteristic has almost no effect on the natural frequencies of the cab system. A new approach is also proposed, which considers the absolute displacement of the pitch motion of the cab besides the traditional absolute accelerations, to improve the indications of the ride comfort for the suspended cab with a high-positioned mass center in the isolation design of the earth-moving machinery cab.
A method for obtaining the operational matrix of fractional Jacobi functions and applications
Authors: Kayedi-Bardeh Amin , Eslahchi MR , Dehghan Mehdi
Published: November 2012

In this paper we first introduce fractional orthogonal Jacobi functions then we obtain a new fractional derivative operational matrix for these orthogonal functions. It is based on the relationship between the coefficients of the fractional Taylor series and fractional Jacobi function expansions. We also apply this new operational matrix to the collocation method for solving general multi-order fractional differential equations (FDEs) and nonlinear fractional integro–differential equations (FIDEs). We also present several test problems. The numerical results show that our new scheme is very effective and convenient for solving FDEs and FIDEs.
Why Have All the Boys Gone? Gender Differences in Prosecution Acceptance of Child Sexual Abuse Cases
Authors: Edelson Meredyth Goldberg
Published: November 2012

Cases of child sexual abuse (CSA) referred to the District Attorney (DA) are not necessarily accepted for prosecution. Two pilot studies sought to investigate whether there were gender differences in whether cases of CSA referred to the DA’s office were accepted by the DA and, if they existed, what might account for gender differences in decisions to accept cases and file charges. The results of the first study indicated that cases involving male victims were significantly less likely to be accepted for prosecution than cases involving female victims. Comparisons of acceptance rates were based on expected frequencies given CSA prevalence rates by gender in the literature and on the proportion of males and females seen at a Child Abuse Assessment Center (CAAC) from where the DA referrals were obtained. The second study assessed both disclosure-related variables (assessed by content analyses of disclosures made at a CAAC) and abuse-related variables (that occurred at or near the time of the abuse) that might explain these differences. Few variables were found to significantly differentiate males’ and females’ cases; these were the relationship of the child to the perpetrator, whether the child was offended by a juvenile, whether the child told someone of the abuse, pornography exposure, whether the child displayed concerning behaviors, and whether the child was questioned about possible abuse. Implications of these results are discussed.
Jitter Reduces Response-Time Variability in ADHD
Authors: Lee Ryan W. Y. , Jacobson Lisa A. , Pritchard Alison E. , Ryan Matthew S. , Yu Qilu , Denckla Martha B. , Mostofsky Stewart , Mahone E. Mark
Published: November 2012

Objective: “Jitter” involves randomization of intervals between stimulus events. Compared with controls, individuals with ADHD demonstrate greater intrasubject variability (ISV) performing tasks with fixed interstimulus intervals (ISIs). Because Gaussian curves mask the effect of extremely slow or fast response times (RTs), ex-Gaussian approaches have been applied to study ISV. Method: This study applied ex-Gaussian analysis to examine the effects of jitter on RT variability in children with and without ADHD. A total of 75 children, aged 9 to 14 years (44 ADHD, 31 controls), completed a go/no-go test with two conditions: fixed ISI and jittered ISI. Results: ADHD children showed greater variability, driven by elevations in exponential (tau), but not normal (sigma) components of the RT distribution. Jitter decreased tau in ADHD to levels not statistically different than controls, reducing lapses in performance characteristic of impaired response control. Conclusion: Jitter may provide a nonpharmacologic mechanism to facilitate readiness to respond and reduce lapses from sustained (controlled) performance.
Impaired Behavioral Inhibition in Implicit Sequence Learning in Adult ADHD
Authors: Pedersen Anya , Ohrmann Patricia
Published: November 2012

Objective: Deficits in explicit learning and memory have consistently been reported in adult ADHD, but it is less clear whether these deficits reflect deficient attentional processes or specific dysfunctions in memory processes. Studies on implicit learning and memory, which are less dependent on the allocation of attention, have rarely been conducted on adult ADHD. Method: We implemented a modified serial reaction-time task that involves distracting stimuli to investigate implicit sequence learning in 32 adult participants with ADHD and in 32 matched healthy control participants. Results: The participants with ADHD revealed unimpaired implicit learning performance, but they made significantly more errors than the control participants. There was no evidence for impaired error monitoring in the participants with ADHD reflected by a comparable degree of double errors and post-error slowing in the two groups. Conclusion: Reduced efficiency of the inhibition of incorrect responses in implicit sequence learning supports previous findings of impaired behavioral inhibition in adult ADHD.
Economies of moral fibre? Recycling charity clothing into emergency aid blankets
Authors: Norris Lucy
Published: November 2012

This article examines the complex interweaving of moral values, material goods and market economies arising where unwanted clothing donated to Western charities is transformed through industrial fibre recycling in India into millions of aid blankets distributed worldwide as humanitarian relief. The commoditisation of the donor’s gift, its destruction, transformation and subsequent use as a gift once more reveals how the moral values of Western donors, charities, relief agencies and aid recipients are negotiated through the global used-textile economy. In contrast to contemporary moral discourses on thrift and sustainable consumption practices that promote values associated with longevity, durability and resourcefulness, the ephemerality of the aid blanket made from recycled fibres materialises the tensions and uncertainties surrounding social and economic reconstruction in crisis zones. Through its qualities and affordances, the material is deeply implicated in the construction of moral economies.
Small devices, memory and model architectures: Carrying knowledge
Authors: Evans Christopher
Published: November 2012

Documenting instances of model-rendering amongst the Gurung communities of central Nepal (and, also, now in London), the article considers issues relating to information-transfer in non-/subliterate and past archaeological circumstances. It variously reflects upon ‘play’, craft reproduction and the limitations of memory, as well as scientific/technological representation and, particularly, Himalayan modes of ritual substitution.
Cosmopolitan memory and national memory conflicts: On the dynamics of their interaction
Authors: Ryan Lorraine
Published: November 2012

Levy and Sznaider’s positing of a global cosmopolitan memory has negated the reductionism inherent in classifying national memory cultures as homogeneous, globalized phenomena by redefining the interaction between the two as a coalescence of the two elements rather than a superimposition of the global on the national with the attendant eradication of the latter. A survey of countries that have adopted the edicts of cosmopolitan memory, however, indicates that this coalescence can take the form of either a strained dialectic or a relatively easy symbiosis. By examining primarily the interaction between cosmopolitan memory and national memory conflicts in Ireland and Austria, this article aims to ascertain the constituent elements of the national memory conflict which serve to increase or diminish the strength of the influence of global cosmopolitan memory.
Child Caregivers’ Contingent Responsiveness Behaviors During Interactions With Toddlers Within Three Day Care Contexts
Authors: Rhyner Paula M. , Guenther Katie L. , Pizur-Barnekow Kris , Cashin Susan E. , Chavie Amy L.
Published: November 2012

Increasingly, children spend much of their day in the care of adults other than their parents, such as child care providers. Consequently, it is important to analyze nonparental adults’ use of strategies suggested to foster language development, such as contingent responsiveness, during interactions with young children. This study examined child caregivers’ contingent responsiveness behaviors that followed toddlers’ communicative attempts within unstructured, semistructured, and structured daycare contexts. Child caregiver behaviors were coded as (a) no response (appropriate), (b) no response (inappropriate), (c) noncontingent response (appropriate), (d) noncontingent response (inappropriate), (e) contingent response and termination of the interaction (appropriate), (f) contingent response and termination of the interaction (inappropriate), and (g) contingent response leading to maintenance of the communicative interaction. Important similarities and differences in child caregivers’ contingent responsiveness behaviors for the three contexts suggest a need to prepare child caregivers to use strategies such as contingent responsiveness across contexts to facilitate language development.
The Anabolic Steroid Nandrolone Enhances Motor and Sensory Functional Recovery in Rat Median Nerve Repair With Long Interpositional Nerve Grafts
Authors: Ghizoni Marcos Flávio , Bertelli Jayme Augusto , Grala Carolina Giesel , da Silva Rosemeri Maurici
Published: November 2012

Background. Recovery from peripheral nerve repair is frequently incomplete. Hence drugs that enhance nerve regeneration are needed clinically. Objectives. To study the effects of nandrolone decanoate in a model of deficient reinnervation in the rat. Methods. In 40 rats, a 40-mm segment of the left median nerve was removed and interposed between the stumps of a sectioned right median nerve. Starting 7 days after nerve grafting and continuing over a 6-month period, we administered nandrolone at a dose of 5 mg/kg/wk to half the rats (n = 20). All rats were assessed behaviorally for grasp function and nociceptive recovery for up to 6 months. At final assessment, reinnervated muscles were tested electrophysiologically and weighed. Results were compared between rats that had received versus not received nandrolone and versus 20 nongrafted controls. Results. Rats in the nandrolone group recovered finger flexion faster. At 90 days postsurgery, they had recovered 42% of normal grasp strength versus just 11% in rats grafted but not treated with nandrolone. At 180 days, the average values for grasp strength recovery in the nandrolone and no-nandrolone groups were 40% and 33% of normal values for controls, respectively. At 180 days, finger flexor muscle twitch strength was 16% higher in treated versus nontreated rats. Thresholds for nociception were not detected in either group 90 days after nerve grafting. At 180 days, nociceptive thresholds were significantly lower in the nandrolone group. Conclusions. Nandrolone decanoate improved functional recovery in a model of deficient reinnervation.
Spatiotemporal, Kinematic, and Kinetic Effects of a Peroneal Nerve Stimulator Versus an Ankle Foot Orthosis in Hemiparetic Gait
Authors: Sheffler Lynne R. , Bailey Stephanie Nogan , Wilson Richard D. , Chae John
Published: November 2012

Background. The relative effect of a transcutaneous peroneal nerve stimulator (tPNS) and an ankle foot orthosis (AFO) on spatiotemporal, kinematic, and kinetic parameters of hemiparetic gait has not been well described. Objective. To compare the relative neuroprosthetic effect of a tPNS with the orthotic effect of an AFO using quantitative gait analysis (QGA). Design. In all, 12 stroke survivors underwent QGA under 3 device conditions: (1) no device (ND), (2) AFO, and (3) tPNS. A series of repeated-measures analyses of variance (rmANOVAs) were performed with dorsiflexion status (presence or absence of volitional dorsiflexion) as a covariate to compare selected spatiotemporal, kinematic, and kinetic parameters for each device condition. Post hoc pairwise comparisons and/or subset analysis by dorsiflexion status were performed for significant effect. Results. Stride length was improved with both the AFO ( P = .035) and the tPNS ( P = .029) relative to ND. Those with absent dorsiflexion had longer stride length with the tPNS relative to ND ( P = .034) and a higher walking velocity with a tPNS relative to the AFO ( P = .015). There was no device effect on dorsiflexion angle at initial contact; however, a significant Device × Dorsiflexion status interaction effect favored the AFO relative to ND ( P = .025) in those with dorsiflexion present. Conclusion. This study suggests that level of motor impairment may influence the relative effects of the tPNS and AFO devices in chronic hemiparetic gait; however, the small sample size limits generalizability. Future studies are necessary to determine if motor impairment level should be considered in the clinical prescription of these devices.
Bayesian adaptive design for device surveillance
Authors: Murray Thomas A , Carlin Bradley P , Lystig Theodore C
Published: November 2012

Background

Postmarket device surveillance studies often have important primary objectives tied to estimating a survival function at some future time [Formula: see text] with a certain amount of precision.

Purpose

This article presents the details and various operating characteristics of a Bayesian adaptive design for device surveillance, as well as a method for estimating a sample size vector (determined by the maximum sample size and a preset number of interim looks) that will deliver the desired power.

Methods

We adopt a Bayesian adaptive framework, which recognizes the fact that persons enrolled in a study report their results over time, not all at once. At each interim look, we assess whether we expect to achieve our goals with only the current group or the achievement of such goals is extremely unlikely even for the maximum sample size.

Results

Our Bayesian adaptive design can outperform two nonadaptive frequentist methods currently recommended by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance documents in many settings.

Limitations

Our method’s performance can be sensitive to model misspecification and changes in the trial’s enrollment rate.

Conclusions

The proposed design provides a more efficient framework for conducting postmarket surveillance of medical devices.
Using scratch card technology for random allocation concealment in a clinical trial with a crossover design
Authors: Beksinska Mags E , Joanis Carol , Smit Jenni A , Pienaar Jacqueline , Piaggio Gilda
Published: November 2012

Background

To avoid selection bias in clinical trials, random allocation concealment is crucial to ensure that participants and or researchers remain unaware of assignments.

Purpose

We aimed to design an allocation concealment method that reduced the possibility of selection bias for a randomized, open-label, crossover trial to evaluate device function of four female condom (FC) types.

Methods

Using scratch card technology, we devised a simple method of concealment, whereby the treatment sequence was printed on a single card for each participant, and the codes for each treatment in the sequence were concealed beneath foil squares on a stiff A6-sized card. On the first and subsequent follow-up visits, the foil corresponding to that visit was scratched from the square to reveal the condom type allocation for the next condom-use period. Staff in the South African and Chinese trial sites were trained in use and care of the card, and on completion of the study completed a questionnaire on their experience of use.

Results

Research staff in both countries found the card easy to use and those who had previously used the sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes (SNOSE) system for random allocation reported the scratch card easier to use. Research staff most commonly used a coin to remove the foil square and some used their fingernails. In both South Africa and China, no errors in allocation sequence were found during study monitoring.

Limitations

Scratch card system of allocation cannot be printed in-house.

Conclusions

This novel, effective method of concealment for a crossover random allocation was well liked by study staff. The most important advantage of this method is the ability to conceal consecutive allocations of a crossover design using a single card, thus eliminating the need for multiple envelopes per participant. While we used this method in a clinical trial of FCs, it could be employed in a range of other clinical trials and other randomized studies.