bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Moving ahead in the study of the development of emotion regulation
Authors: Cole Pamela M.
Published: February 2014

This special section on the development of emotion regulation highlights several important new directions for research. Specifically, the findings of these studies indicate that: (1) emotion regulation develops across the lifespan and not just in early childhood and does so in complex ways, (2) it is necessary to distinguish among emotions to fully understand emotion regulation, and (3) at all ages emotion regulation is socially regulated. In addition, the limitations of the studies point to additional new directions, including the (4) need for a sophisticated conceptualization of the role of gender, (5) the acute need to incorporate cultural variations into the research, and (6) the need to define emotion regulation as a process.
Learning time-sensitive domain ontology from scientific papers with a hybrid learning method
Authors: Ren Feiliang
Published: February 2014

Large numbers of available scientific papers makes the research of ontology construction an attractive application area. However, there are two shortcomings for most current ontology construction approaches. First, implicit time properties of domain concepts are rarely taken into account in current approaches. Second, current automatic concept relation extraction methods mainly rely on the local context information that surrounds current considered concepts. These two problems prevent most current ontology construction methods from being employed to their full potential. To tackle these problems, we propose a hybrid learning method to integrate concepts’ global information and human experts’ knowledge together into ontology construction, among which concepts’ temporal attributes are taken into account. Our method first divides each concept into four time periods according to their attribution distribution on a time axis. Then global time-related attributions are collected for each concept. Finally, concept relations are extracted with a hybrid learning method. We evaluated our method by testing it on Chinese academic papers. It outperformed a baseline system based on only hierarchical concept relations, showing the effectiveness of our approach.
Systematically retrieving research in the digital age: Case study on the topic of social networking sites and young people’s mental health
Authors: Best Paul , Taylor Brian , Manktelow Roger , McQuilkin Janice
Published: February 2014

Online information seeking has become normative practice among both academics and the general population. This study appraised the performance of eight databases to retrieve research pertaining to the influence of social networking sites on the mental health of young people. A total of 43 empirical studies on young people’s use of social networking sites and the mental health implications were retrieved. Scopus and SSCI had the highest sensitivity with PsycINFO having the highest precision. Effective searching requires large generic databases, supplemented by subject-specific catalogues. The methodology developed here may provide inexperienced searchers, such as undergraduate students, with a framework to define a realistic scale of searching to undertake for a particular literature review or similar project.
Exploiting reviewers’ comment histories for sentiment analysis
Authors: Basiri Mohammad Ehsan , Ghasem-Aghaee Nasser , Naghsh-Nilchi Ahmad Reza
Published: February 2014

Sentiment analysis is used to extract people’s opinion from their online comments in order to help automated systems provide more precise recommendations. Existing sentiment analysis methods often assume that the comments of any single reviewer are independent of each other and so they do not take advantage of significant information that may be extracted from reviewers’ comment histories. Using psychological findings and the theory of negativity bias, we propose a method for exploiting reviewers’ comment histories to improve sentiment analysis. Furthermore, to use more fine-grained information about the content of a review, our method predicts the overall ratings by aggregating sentence-level scores. In the proposed system, the Dempster–Shafer theory of evidence is utilized for score aggregation. The results from four large and diverse social Web datasets establish the superiority of our approach in comparison with the state-of-the-art machine learning techniques. In addition, the results show that the suggested method is robust to the size of training dataset.
The Training Camp
Authors: McLeod Chris , Lovich Justin , Newman Joshua I. , Shields Rachel
Published: February 2014

In this article, we use the theories of Giorgio Agamben to conceptualize the contemporary American football training camp as a material and metaphorical “camp”—a “space of exception” or a zone of indistinction where bare life is produced and the exception becomes the rule. Our aim is not to sportingly trivialize the horrors of those camps about which Agamben has written extensively (i.e., the concentration camps of the Third Reich), nor do we set out to hyperbolize the events, logics, or methods of the football training camp. Instead, we move to answer Agamben’s call to “learn to recognize [the camp] in all its metamorphoses.” In the process, we hope to address some of the criticisms leveled at Agamben’s work and move toward reconceptualizing a biopolitics of human movement, vitality, potentiality, and action. It is our contention that “the camp” provides an important site through which to understand the (corpo)realities of contemporary American football as hyper-physical and hyper-commodified body spectacles defined by protective equipment turned into damaging weapon, players as “hitmen” with bounties on the heads of opponents, and “heterotopias of survival,” which produce exceptional and measurable bodies, silent bodies, broken bodies, bodies that die the most banal, unheroic, and (un)acceptable deaths.
Neonatal repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection and lung agenesis
Authors: Kaku Yuji , Nagashima Mitsugi , Matsumura Goki , Yamazaki Kenji
Published: February 2014

Here we report a neonatal case of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection with left lung agenesis. Diagnostic imaging demonstrated that the left pulmonary veins were totally absent and the right pulmonary veins connected with the common pulmonary chamber. Drainage from the common pulmonary venous chamber entered the persistent left suerior vena cava. In addition, it revealed complete absence of the left main bronchus and left lung vessels. The neonate successfully underwent surgical repair 18 days after birth.
“We’ll only see parts of each other’s lives:” The role of mundane talk in maintaining nonresidential parent–child relationships
Authors: Rodriguez Stephanie Rollie
Published: February 2014

Research on relational maintenance shows that mundane day-to-day talk is important in sustaining relationships. This study explores how absence associated with the visitation process shapes nonresidential parents’ communication with their children. Participants’ open-ended responses indicate that several factors facilitate and constrain interaction with their children during absence including their philosophy about communication boundaries, technology, and their relationship with the other parent. Participants who have limited interactions struggle to “know” their children, while those with frequent interaction with their children have access to the mundane stories of their children’s lives, which helps to maintain the relationships. This research suggests that the process of updating about what occurs during absence may be central to maintaining relationships.
Pathways to romantic relationship success among Chinese young adult couples
Authors: Johnson Matthew D. , Nguyen Linh , Anderson Jared R. , Liu Wenli , Vennum Amber
Published: February 2014

Using dyadic data from 200 young adult couples (aged 18–31 years) in Mainland China and guided by the Development of Early Adult Romantic Relationships model (Bryant & Conger, 2002), the current study evaluated direct and indirect associations between family of origin dysfunction and intimate relationship success via the potential mediators of mental health problems and negative couple interaction. Results demonstrated male partner family dysfunction was associated directly and indirectly with lower relationship success via negative couple interaction. Female partner family dysfunction was related to their own reduced relationship success via mental health problems and less relationship success for male partners via mental health problems and negative couple interaction. Implications for intervention, theory development, and future research are discussed.
How does love magic work? The regulation of closeness and affect by magical thinking
Authors: Niemyjska Aleksandra
Published: February 2014

Sympathetic magic and attachment theory enable the drawing of a parallel between functions of material possessions that are used in the absence of parents and a romantic partner. The ascribing of magical significance to objects may be a coping strategy facilitated by dispositional anxieties and situational threats. The aim of this research was to examine whether romantic magical thinking (MT) comforts individuals by regulating the perceived distance from a loved one. Study 1 confirmed that perceived closeness mediated the positive association between MT and safe/relaxed emotions. Study 2 revealed that induced MT about a partner’s photograph resulted in increased feelings of this person’s presence, which mediated the link between MT and safe/relaxed emotions. The coping potential of MT is discussed.
Heart sound segmentation based on homomorphic filtering
Authors: Hassani K , Bajelani K , Navidbakhsh M , Doyle DJ , Taherian F
Published: February 2014

Background:

Phonocardiography, the digital recording of heart sounds, is becoming increasingly popular as a primary detection system for diagnosing heart disorders and is relatively inexpensive. The electrocardiogram (ECG) is often used when recording the phonocardiogram in order to help identify the systolic and diastolic components. In this study, a heart sound segmentation algorithm has been developed which automatically separates the heart sound signal into these component parts.

Methods:

100 patients with normal and abnormal heart sounds were studied. The algorithm uses homomorphic filtering to produce time-domain intensity envelopes of the heart sounds and separates the sounds into four overlapping parts: the first heart sound, the systolic period, the second heart sound and the diastolic period.

Results:

The performance of the algorithm was evaluated using 14,000 cardiac periods from 100 digital phonocardiographic recordings, including normal and abnormal heart sounds. In tests, the algorithm was over 93 percent correct in detecting the first and second heart sounds.

Conclusion:

The automatic segmentation algorithm presented uses wavelet decomposition and reconstruction to select a suitable frequency band for envelope calculations and has been found to be effective in segmenting phonocardiogram signals into four component parts without using an ECG reference.
Guidelines of the First International Consensus Conference on Endovenous Thermal Ablation for Varicose Vein Disease – ETAV Consensus Meeting 2012
Authors: Pavlović Miloš D , Schuller-Petrović Sanja , Pichot Olivier , Rabe Eberhard , Maurins Uldis , Morrison Nick , Pannier Felizitas
Published: February 2014

Aim:

Endovenous thermal ablation (ETA) procedures are catheter-directed, ultrasound (US)-guided thermal methods for treatment in varicose veins disease. Radiofrequency, laser or steam energy thermally denatures vein wall collagen, leading first to vein wall inflammation, then fibrosis and finally to occlusion. The aim of this guideline is to give evidence-based recommendations for ETA procedures.

Methods:

These guidelines were drafted during a consensus meeting of a group of experts in the field of ETA in June 2012 (Hvar, Croatia) under the auspices of the International Union of Phlebology (IUP). These guidelines review the present state of knowledge as reflected in peer-reviewed published medical literature. The recommendations of these guidelines are graded according to the American College of Chest Physicians Task Force recommendations on Grading Strength of Recommendations and Quality of Evidence in Clinical Guidelines.

Results:

Recommendations on the use of ETA procedures were made based on the quality of evidence for efficacy, safety, tolerability, cosmetic outcome, patient satisfaction/preference and, where appropriate, on the experts' opinion. Health economics were not considered, since differences in national health systems and pricing make it difficult to form general conclusions that are relevant at an international level.
Local municipalities’ involvement in promoting the internationalisation of SMEs
Authors: Teixeira Aurora Castro , Barros Maria João
Published: February 2014

Despite extensive research on decentralisation, the role of local governments in promoting the internationalisation of firms has been rather neglected in the literature. Based on a sample of 144 Portuguese municipalities, and resorting to logistic econometric estimations, we found that: (1) the majority of municipalities have been involved in activities to promote economic development and the internationalisation of firms; (2) municipalities are essentially involved in the branding of regions (image building) or in organising fairs and trade missions and (3) municipalities more active in promoting the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) tend to be more peripheral, with a relatively high area and population density, higher purchasing power, higher proportion of population with secondary schooling, lower density entrepreneurial context but with higher amounts of exports. Although there is still a long way to go for a more profound and comprehensive decentralisation at this level in Portugal, given the knowledge municipalities possess about the firms that are located in their vicinity, we contend that it would be desirable that more decentralised efforts be put towards the implementation of information, and education/training-related programmes aiming at promoting SMEs internationalisation.
What justifies a hospital admission at the end of life? A focus group study on perspectives of family physicians and nurses
Authors: Reyniers Thijs , Houttekier Dirk , Cohen Joachim , Pasman H Roeline , Deliens Luc
Published: February 2014

Background:

Despite a majority preferring not to die in hospital and health policies aimed at increasing home death, the proportion of hospital deaths remains high. Gaining insight into professional caregiver perspectives about what justifies them could be helpful in understanding the persistently high rates of such hospital admissions and hospital deaths.

Aim:

To explore the perspectives of nurses from nursing homes, home care and hospitals, and family physicians concerning hospital admissions at the end of life and the circumstances in which they consider them to be justified.

Design:

Focus groups, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a constant comparative approach.

Setting/participants:

Five focus groups were held with family physicians (n = 39), two focus groups (n = 16) with nurses from different care settings (nursing home, home care and hospital) and one with nursing home nurses (n = 7) in Belgium.

Results:

Participants indicated that although they considered death at home or in the nursing home of residence the most preferable outcome, there are a number of scenarios that they consider to justify a hospital admission at the end of life: when the patient prefers a hospital admission, when the caring capacity of the care setting is considered to be inadequate and when one of a number of acute medical situations occurs.

Conclusion:

A number of situations have been identified in which nurses and family physicians consider a hospital admission to be justified. Adequate advance care planning and improved psychosocial support to both family and professional caregivers could reduce the number of hospital deaths.
Early identification of palliative care needs by family physicians: A qualitative study of barriers and facilitators from the perspective of family physicians, community nurses, and patients
Authors: Beernaert Kim , Deliens Luc , De Vleminck Aline , Devroey Dirk , Pardon Koen , Van den Block Lieve , Cohen Joachim
Published: February 2014

Background:

There is a growing recognition that a palliative care approach should be initiated early and not just in the terminal phase for patients with life-limiting diseases. Family physicians then play a central role in identifying and managing palliative care needs, but appear to not identify them accurately or in a timely manner.

Aim:

To explore the barriers to and facilitators of the early identification by family physicians of the palliative care needs.

Design, setting, and participants:

Six focus groups (four with family physicians, n = 20, and two with community nurses, n = 12) and 18 interviews with patients with cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, and dementia were held. Thematic analysis was used to derive themes that covered barriers and facilitators.

Results:

Key barriers and facilitators found relate to communication styles, the perceived role of a family physician, and continuity of care. Family physicians do not systematically assess non-acute care needs, and patients do not mention them or try to mask them from the family physician. This is embedded within a predominant perception among patients, nurses, and family physicians of the family physician as the person to appeal to in acute and standard follow-up situations rather than for palliative care needs. Family physicians also seemed to pay more often attention to palliative care needs of patients in a terminal phase.

Conclusion:

The current practice of palliative care in Belgium is far from the presently considered ideal palliative care approaches. Facilitators such as proactive communication and communication tools could contribute to the development of guidelines for family physicians and policymakers in primary care.
Verbally coerced sex
Authors: Tamborra Tracy L , Dutton Leila B , Terry Karen J
Published: February 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of a sexual encounter that involved verbal sexual coercion (VCS). The study assessed how respondents perceived a hypothetical heterosexual sexual exchange in which the female resists the male’s advances without saying ‘no’. In addition, the effects of two situational factors − the woman’s reputation and the status of the relationship between the woman and the perpetrator − on perceptions of the sexual exchange were measured. Finally, the study examined the effect of gender on perceptions of the sexual exchange. Results revealed that the exchange was viewed as verbally coercive, and that the relationship status of the woman to the perpetrator as well as the gender of the participant significantly affected perceptions of VCS.
A compliant, underactuated hand for robust manipulation
Authors: Odhner Lael U. , Jentoft Leif P. , Claffee Mark R. , Corson Nicholas , Tenzer Yaroslav , Ma Raymond R. , Buehler Martin , Kohout Robert , Howe Robert D. , Dollar Aaron M.
Published: February 2014

This paper introduces the iRobot-Harvard-Yale (iHY) Hand, an underactuated hand driven by five actuators that is capable of performing a wide range of grasping and in-hand repositioning tasks. This hand was designed to address the need for a durable, inexpensive, moderately dexterous hand suitable for use on mobile robots. The primary focus of this paper will be on the novel simplified design of the iHY Hand, which was developed by choosing a set of target tasks around which the hand was optimized. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of underactuated fingers that are capable of both firm power grasps and low-stiffness fingertip grasps using only the compliant mechanics of the fingers. Experimental results demonstrate successful grasping of a wide range of target objects, the stability of fingertip grasping, and the ability to adjust the force exerted on grasped objects using high-impedance actuators and underactuated fingers.
Religiously Motivated Desistance
Authors: Hallett Michael , McCoy J. Stephen
Published: February 2014

This article examines the life-history narratives of 25 successful ex-offenders professing Christianity as the source of their desistance. Unstructured in-depth life-history interviews from adult male desisters affirm use of a “feared self” and “cognitive shifts” regarding perceptions of illegal behavior. “Condemnation scripts” and “redemption narratives,” however, differ radically from those uncovered in previous research. Stories of behavior change and identity transformation achieved through private religious practice and energetic church membership dominate the narratives. Findings suggest there are diverse phenomenologies of desistance and that by more narrowly tailoring research to explore subjectivities in the desistance process, important discrepancies in perceptions of agency and structure are revealed. Three prominent desistance paradigms—Making Good, Cognitive Transformation, and Identity Theory—are used to examine the narratives.
On the Potential Implications of Reports of Fictitious Drug Use for Survey Research on Juvenile Delinquency
Authors: Meldrum Ryan Charles , Piquero Alex R.
Published: February 2014

A variety of methodological issues have been raised over self-reports of delinquency and its correlates. In this study, we call attention to the provision of untruthful information and provide an investigation of this issue using a survey item that assesses a respondent’s use of a fictitious drug in relation to reports of delinquency and traditional criminological correlates. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted based on data drawn from a probability sample of middle and high school students in Florida. Results show (a) there are important differences on key criminological variables between respondents who report use of a fictitious drug and those who do not; (b) the internal consistency of a variety index of delinquency is particularly sensitive to the inclusion of respondents reporting the use of a fictitious drug; and (c) the effect size of some criminological variables on delinquency may be sensitive to controlling for reports of fictitious drug use. Overall, the inclusion of fictitious drug use items within etiological models may serve as a useful approach to further establishing the reliability and validity of information provided by survey respondents.
Dynamic forecasts of financial distress of Australian firms
Authors: Kim Maria H. , Partington Graham
Published: February 2014

Dynamic forecasts of financial distress have received far less attention than static forecasts, particularly in Australia. This study, therefore, investigates dynamic probability forecasts for Australian firms. Novel features of the modelling are the use of time-varying variables in forecasts from a Cox model. Not only is this one of relatively few studies to apply dynamic variables in forecasting financial distress, but to the authors’ knowledge it is the first to provide forecasts of survival probabilities using the Cox model with time-varying variables. Forecast accuracy is evaluated using receiver operating characteristics curves and the Brier Score. It was found that the dynamic model had superior predictive power, in out-of-sample forecasts, to the traditional Cox model and to the logit model.
Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging–conditional robotic devices for therapy and diagnosis
Authors: Fisher Taylor , Hamed Abbi , Vartholomeos Panagiotis , Masamune Ken , Tang Guoyi , Ren Hongliang , Tse Zion T H
Published: February 2014

Magnetic resonance imaging presents high-resolution preoperative scans of target tissue and allows for the availability of intraoperative real-time images without the exposure of patients to ionizing radiation. This has motivated scientists and engineers to integrate medical robotics with the magnetic resonance imaging modality to allow robot-assisted, image-guided diagnosis and therapy. This article provides a review of the state-of-the-art medical robotic systems available for use in conjunction with intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging. The robot functionalities and mechanical designs for a wide range of magnetic resonance imaging interventions are presented, including their magnetic resonance imaging compatibility, actuation, kinematics and the mechanical and electrical designs of the robots. Classification and comparative study of various intraoperative magnetic resonance image guided robotic systems are provided. The robotic systems reviewed are summarized in a table in detail. Current technologies for magnetic resonance imaging–conditional robotics are reviewed and their potential future directions are sketched.
Backstepping boundary control: An application to rod temperature control with Neumann boundary condition
Authors: Boonkumkrong Nipon , Kuntanapreeda Suwat
Published: February 2014

This article presents a backstepping boundary control technique to stabilize the temperature of a rod. The rod is modeled by a parabolic partial differential equation with a Neumann boundary condition at one end of rod and a Dirichlet boundary condition at the other end. The rod also includes an internal heat generator to emulate an unstable behavior. Based on backstepping boundary control, a partial differential equation gain kernel of the system is determined. It is calculated numerically by using a finite difference method and then used in a control law. Since the control law requires temperatures along the rod for feedback, a Luenberger-like observer is used to estimate the temperatures. A copper rod with a heater installed inside the rod is used as an experimental plant. The control setup is anticollocation. The temperature signal at one end is sent to the observer for estimation of the temperatures along the rod. The estimated values are then fed to the controller. Simulation results using a finite difference method and experimental results are compared and used to confirm the effectiveness of the control method.
Soft polymer membrane micro-sensor arrays inspired by the mechanosensory lateral line on the blind cavefish
Authors: Kottapalli Ajay Giri Prakash , Asadnia Mohsen , Miao Jianmin , Triantafyllou Michael
Published: February 2014

This article reports the development of flexible arrays of soft membrane microelectromechanical system pressure sensors that are inspired by the functional implications of the lateral line organ present in the blind cavefish. Being blind, this fish relies on the lateral line of pressure gradient sensors present on its body to sense the surrounding obstacles. A flexible, low-powered, lightweight, sensitive yet robust microelectromechanical system sensor array is fabricated using liquid crystal polymer material. Such arrays can guide an autonomous underwater vehicle to navigate in unsteady and dirty-water environments. The object detection abilities of the blind cave characin fish are investigated through proof-of-concept experiments conducted on the live fish. Similarly, the abilities of the microelectromechanical system array in determining the velocity and distance of an underwater object are investigated by testing them in water tunnel. Experimental results demonstrate the array’s ability to detect the velocity of moving underwater objects with a high accuracy and an average error of only 2.5%.
Equivalent electrical circuits for advanced energy harvesting
Authors: Elvin Niell G
Published: February 2014

Energy harvesting is now an established field, and the linear equivalent circuit models for single- and multiple-degree-of-freedom systems are being routinely used to assess the energy harvesting efficiency of various interface and electronic circuits. However, as the field of energy harvesting moves toward more complex systems such as nonlinear energy harvesting and fluidic energy harvesting, modified equivalent circuits are required to effectively capture the behavior of these devices. This article presents two general methods (a system-level approach and a dependent source equivalent approach) that can adequately model the behavior of more advanced harvesters. These approaches can also be easily used to model single- and multiple-degree-of-freedom linear harvesters. Equivalent circuits for both piezoelectric and electromagnetic harvesters are discussed. Four case studies are presented to illustrate the application of these equivalent circuit approaches including the following: (1) a piezoelectric Duffing harvester, (2) an electromagnetic Duffing harvester, (3) a simplified aeroelastic harvester, and (4) a piezoelectric Duffing harvester with a rectifier circuit.
Numerical and analytical analyses for active fiber composite piezoelectric composite materials
Authors: de Medeiros Ricardo , Rodríguez-Ramos Reinaldo , Guinovart-Díaz Raul , Bravo-Castillero Julián , Otero José A , Tita Volnei
Published: February 2014

This study consists of the calculation of the effective properties for active fiber composites made of either circular or square cross-section fibers not only by using finite element analysis and representative volume elements, but also based on the asymptotic homogenization method. Thus, there is an investigation about different approaches, which have specific mathematical formulations and unique characteristics. The comparison between numerical and analytical approaches shows that the numerical results are in good agreement with investigations performed by both analytical and semi-analytical methods, mainly the predictions for loading applied in fiber direction. For active fiber composites made of circular cross-section fibers, the maximum difference between asymptotic homogenization method and finite element analysis is from 1.29% to 5.49% for mechanical and piezoelectric effective properties, respectively, considering representative volume element in square arrangement. However, for active fiber composites made of square cross-section fibers, the maximum difference between semi-analytical method and finite element analysis is from 2.15% to 17.09% for mechanical and piezoelectric effective properties, respectively, considering representative volume element in square arrangement.
Sensor fault detection in structural health monitoring using null subspace–based approach
Authors: Rao A Rama Mohan , Kasireddy Varun , Gopalakrishnan N , Lakshmi K
Published: February 2014

It is essential to have a robust sensor fault detection and isolation algorithm integrated with successful online continuous structural health monitoring scheme to avoid false alarms. In this work, a sensor fault detection and isolation technique based on null subspace method is presented. The robustness of the proposed sensor failure detection and isolation algorithm is demonstrated using the vibration data obtained from an experimental study of a scaled down bridge model. Studies presented in this article clearly indicate that the proposed method is robust in identification of exact time instant of sensor fault and also isolation of faulty sensor. The proposed algorithm is equally good for all possible types of sensor faults (both additive and multiplicative) and also capable of isolating multiple sensor faults in spatial location of the structure.
Hedonic Estimates of Neighborhood Ethnic Preferences
Authors: Yinger John
Published: February 2014

This article uses a new hedonic technique to examine households’ ethnic preferences and help assessors estimate the impact of neighborhood ethnicity on housing prices. A hedonic function, which relates housing and neighborhood characteristics to house values, is the envelope of households’ bids for these characteristics. This article derives this envelope by combining theories about household sorting across neighborhoods with constant-elasticity demand functions for neighborhood characteristics and housing. Estimates for the Cleveland area in 2000 find that some households prefer neighborhoods without black or Hispanic residents, whereas others prefer largely black or Hispanic neighborhoods, and that house values reflect ethnic preferences.
The challenges of linking health insurer claims with electronic medical records
Authors: West Suzanne L , Johnson William , Visscher Wendy , Kluckman Marianne , Qin Yue , Larsen Ann
Published: February 2014

This article explores the challenges inherent in linking data from disparate sources—electronic medical records (EMR) and health insurer claims—and the probable benefits of doing so to evaluate several quality measures associated with diabetes. Using the business associate agreement provision of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, we were able to link health insurer claims with EMR data; however, when restricting the linked data to patients with at least one medication and one diagnosis in the evaluation year, we lost 90 percent of our linked population. Whether this loss was due to difficulties in extracting the data from site EMRs, to changes in insurer coverage over time, or to both was not discernible. Because linking EMR data to health insurer claims can produce a clinically rich longitudinal data set, assessing the completeness and quality of the data is critical to health services research and health-care quality measurements.
Structured interviews examining the burden, coping, self-efficacy, and quality of life among family caregivers of persons with dementia in Singapore
Authors: Tay Kay Chai Peter , Seow Chuen Chai Dennis , Xiao Chunxiang , Lee Hui Min Julian , Chiu Helen FK , Chan Sally Wai-Chi
Published: February 2014

Dementia is a global health issue and the effects on caregivers are substantial. The study aimed to examine the associations of burden, coping, self-efficacy with quality of life among family caregivers of persons with dementia in Singapore. Structured interviews were conducted in a convenience sample of 84 family caregivers caring and seeking clinical care for the persons with dementia in an outpatient clinic of a public hospital in Singapore. The outcome measures included the Family Burden Interview Schedule, Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale, General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale, and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale – Brief Version. In general, significant correlations were observed between the quality of life scores with coping strategy and family burden scores, but not between the coping strategy and family burden scores. Compared to demographic factors such as caregiver age and household income, psychosocial factors including family burden, coping strategies, and self-efficacy demonstrated greater association with quality of life in the participants. However, the dynamics of these associations will change with an increasing population of persons with dementia, decreasing nuclear family size, and predicted changes in family living arrangements for the persons with dementia in future. As such, it necessitates continuous study examining the needs and concerns of family caregivers and the relevance of ongoing interventions specific to caregivers of persons with dementia.
The experience of self and threats to sense of self among relatives caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Skaalvik Mari Wolff , Norberg Astrid , Normann Ketil , Fjelltun Aud-Mari , Asplund Kenneth
Published: February 2014

This study explored how the relatives of people with Alzheimer’s disease expressed Self 2 and Self 3 according to Harré’s social constructionist theory of selfhood. Having a relative with Alzheimer’s disease affects one’s life. In this study, we concentrated on how close relatives of people with Alzheimer’s disease experienced their sense of self. This study was descriptive and qualitative. Interviews were conducted with 20 relatives of 10 people with Alzheimer’s disease from 2009 to 2011. The data were analysed according to Harré’s social constructionist theory of selfhood including Selves 2 and 3. Participants reported that Alzheimer’s disease challenged their personal attributes, relations and positioning. Understanding how Alzheimer’s disease affects the sense of self among close relatives is important, as this knowledge is pivotal for supporting these relatives who are often informal caregivers in ways that enable a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Durability of vacuum insulation panels in the cavity of an insulating glass unit
Authors: Gubbels Frédéric , Santi Davide Dei , Baily Victor
Published: February 2014

The durability of vacuum insulating panels included in the cavity of insulating glass panels has been studied using a heat flow meter to monitor the thermal conductivity evolution upon accelerated aging. The study highlighted that, thanks to the high degree of protection of the inner cavity against moisture, the vacuum insulation panel maintains its thermal insulation performances even after 25 weeks of cycling from −20°C to 80°C and from 10% to 90% relative humidity. In comparison, unprotected vacuum insulation panels show a steady increase of thermal conductivity, which is setting them close to the end of their theoretical service lifetime. Comparing the slopes of the thermal conductivity evolution over time, the calculated degree of protection provided by such an assembly is superior to 10 in comparison to unprotected panels. This mode of protection could be useful to extend the lifetime of vacuum insulation panels in various building applications.
Health and well-being in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). What public health support do SMEs really need?
Authors: Holt Maxine , Powell Susan
Published: February 2014

Aims:

Health and well-being in the workplace is a concept that is understood as a fundamental business case for a productive, happy and healthy workforce. The workplace is also a setting by which knowledge and skills about health can be disseminated to assist people, in improving their health and well-being. Public health professionals are in a position to develop workplace health and well-being interventions, which support those in jobs and those seeking employment. They can also influence the extent to which work and the workplace affects health and well-being outcomes. This article aims to identify the main health and well-being needs of a sample of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Greater Manchester and the support that public health professionals can offer.

Methods:

The research adopted a Health Needs Assessment (HNA) approach using convenience and opportunistic sampling methods, from the list of SMEs in Greater Manchester. The SMEs varied in size and type of business, and 91 telephone interviews, using semi-structured questions, were used to collect data which identified the health and well-being needs of a sample of SMEs in Greater Manchester. This research resulted in qualitative data using thematic analysis.

Results:

Two key themes emerged from the study. Acute seasonal sickness was the most pressing reason for employee absence from work (viruses, flu, seasonal disorders) for the SMEs in this research. This accumulated to the theme of sickness presenteeism. This research highlighted that employees will present at work with acute illness that requires rest, is easily transmitted to other employees and most likely will take a longer time to recover from as cross infection and re-infection occur. A subsidiary theme was that of authenticity and the reporting of sickness, contributing further to sickness presenteeism as employees seek to legitimise their illness.

Conclusion:

This article provides issues which are specific to SMEs in Greater Manchester. In particular, the pressing problem of sickness absence and sickness presenteeism is related to seasonal illness and the effects these have on SMEs in Greater Manchester. Public health preventative services such as the provision of flu vaccines may be one way of supporting SMEs with acute seasonal episodes of illness.
Public health reform and health promotion in Canada
Authors: Kirk Megan , Tomm-Bonde Laura , Schreiber Rita
Published: February 2014

More than 25 years have passed since the release of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. This document represented a substantial contribution to public health in its emphasis on the economic, legal, political and cultural factors that influence health. With public health renewal underway across Canada, and despite overwhelming support in the public health community for the Ottawa Charter, how much its principles will be included in the renewal process remains unclear. In this paper, we present the historical understanding of health promotion in Canada, namely highlighting the contributions from the Lalonde Report, Alma Ata Declaration, the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and the more recent population health movement. We discuss public health renewal, using the province of British Columbia in Canada as an example. We identify the potential threats to health promotion in public health renewal as it unfolds.
Effect of Principal Heuristics on Accuracy of Property Valuation in Nigeria
Authors: Iroham Chukwuemeka Osmond , Ogunba Olusegun Adebayo , Oloyede Samuel Adesiyan
Published: February 2014

Valuation inaccuracy has been attributed amongst others to behavioural issues such as the usage of Anchoring and Adjustment Heuristics. There is however a dearth in the research of the other principal heuristics namely availability, representative and positivity. This research is hereby aimed at discovering the effects of these heuristics on the accuracy of property valuation. To accomplish this, the study undertook a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 159 of the 270 Head Offices of Estate Surveying and Valuation firms in Lagos Metropolis, while 29 and 30 questionnaires were distributed to the Head Offices of the entire Estate Surveying and Valuation Firms in Abuja and Port Harcourt respectively. For ease of coverage, Lagos Metropolis was stratified into six zones; thereafter respondents were selected randomly. The respondents were required to carry out simulated valuations using each of the four types of heuristics and also with supplied current market data. The T-test at the 95 per cent confidence interval was employed to test for inaccuracy in heuristically determined values relative to the sale values (values of the ‘control’ properties). The result reveals that heuristic-determined values, particularly that of representative, are not as accurate as those derived from supplied current market data. The authors recommended more focus on research of representative heuristics while consistent usage of heuristics should be dissuaded, to prevent loss of clients’ confidence in valuation reports.
Growth and Determinants of Employment in Indian Agriculture
Authors: Behera Deepak Kumar , Tiwari Mitali
Published: February 2014

Accelerating economic growth, transition from an agrarian economy to an industrial or modern economy would depend on how well the agricultural sector enables this transition. Recognizing that the majority of workers are employed in agriculture where labour productivity is low, a faster growth of agriculture is necessary to make employment more remunerative. While no significant increase in the number of workers can be expected in Indian agriculture, greater use of underemployed and unemployed persons becomes important. Taking this into consideration, the present paper examines the employment dynamics in agriculture by looking at the trends in growth and empirically estimates the effects of determining factors by using the data from 1972–73 to 2009–10. Considering the Keynesian theoretical explanation about the change in employment which depends on expected output or change in output, the empirical estimations corroborate the view that performance of agriculture determines the capacity to generate employment in the sector where employment is positively influenced by High Yielding Varieties (HYV), terms of trade and public investment and variables like non-agricultural output and productivity have a negative relation with labour in the sector. It is necessary for the agricultural sectors to absorb the underemployed and unemployed persons so as to induce the technology, investment and favourable terms of trade.
Access to Basic Amenities
Authors: Kumar Arjun
Published: February 2014

This article examines the changes in access to basic amenities like drinking water, sanitation, electricity, housing qualities and drainage arrangement for rural and urban India during 1993, 2002 and 2008–2009 using National Sample Survey’s Housing Conditions unit record data across social and economic groups. With respect to all the indicators of basic amenities, improvement was observed between 1993 to 2008–2009 with acceleration during 2002 and 2008–2009. Basic amenities such as drinking water facility, sanitation facilities and drainage arrangement require special attention in both rural and urban areas with more focus towards rural areas. Even for identical economic groups (poor and non-poor), SCs and STs were found lagging behind in reducing the gap with lower rate of improvement than others and also in the existing levels in 2008–2009. It indicates that even if same economic conditions prevail there is variation in attainment by different social groups. Results suggest that there are factors acting as constraints based on social backgrounds leading to denial on access to basic amenities. Findings of this study implies that various policies on basic amenities needs to be supplemented with pro poor and group specific policies (social) for raising the overall standard of life and well-being.
Agro-Economic Indicators—A Comparative Study of North-Eastern States of India
Authors: Nandy S.N.
Published: February 2014

Economic development is directly related to human development of any region or country. A proper understanding of this relationship may help to improve quality of life in general, and reduce poverty in particular for underdeveloped region. The present paper is an effort to study the agrarian economy of north-east India, which is an underdeveloped region in the country. A comparative state-wise analysis of some economic parameters and population pressure on the agricultural sector along with district-wise agricultural productivity in the region has been carried out. The spatial distribution of land productivity as well as labour productivity has been mapped across the districts of the region using a GIS tool. The study reveals a general trend of the region, but there exist significant variations among sates and districts. Although these analyses are based on the secondary data of some macro-economic indicators and population/agriculture census, yet it makes an attempt to map the extent of disparity, especially on the agro-economic front.
Sen’s Capability Approach
Authors: Anaafo David
Published: February 2014

Poverty is a vexed concept almost lacking a solution. While several approaches exist to measure poverty in diverse situations, there is no universal consensus on what constitutes poverty and how it should be measured. To one group basic needs approach to poverty measurement is the most appropriate; to another, income measures are the most accurate and to some others the capability approach hold better prospects. To accurately assess poverty, however, it is important to ensure that the approach being adopted is in sync with the outcomes of the poverty intervention tools being implemented. Land reforms are one of the tools used in different countries to improve the land access and use rights of the poor and hence reduce poverty. In this paper I have argued that it is only within the capability space that the environmental (climate, geographical location and changes in the quality of the land resource base) and social (public policies, social norms or power structures and relations) conversion factors that influence the ability of the poor to live meaningful lives in land reform environments can be adequately ascertained.