bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is early integration of palliative care feasible and acceptable for advanced respiratory and gastrointestinal cancer patients? A phase 2 mixed-methods study
Authors: Costantini Massimo , Apolone Giovanni , Tanzi Silvia , Falco Francesco , Rondini Ermanno , Guberti Monica , Fanello Silvia , Cavuto Silvio , Savoldi Luisa , Piro Roberto , Mecugni Daniela , Di Leo Silvia
Published: September 2017

Background:

There is evidence that early integration of palliative care improves quality of life, lowers spending and helps clarify preferences and goals for advanced cancer patients. Little is known about the feasibility and acceptability of early integration.

Aim:

Assessing feasibility of early integration of palliative care, and exploring concerns perceived and problems encountered by patients, relatives and oncologists.

Design:

A phase 2 mixed-methods study ( ClinicalTrials.Gov :NCT02078700).

Methods:

Oncologists of two outpatient clinics offered a specialised palliative care intervention integrated with standard oncological care to all consecutive newly diagnosed metastatic respiratory/gastrointestinal cancer patients. We interviewed samples of patients, relatives and oncologists to explore strengths and weaknesses of the intervention.

Results:

The intervention was proposed to 44/54 eligible patients (81.5%), 40 (90.1%) accepted, 38 (95.0%) attended the first palliative care visit. The intervention was completed for 32 patients (80.0%). It did not start for three (7.5%) and was interrupted for three patients who refused (7.5%). The Palliative Care Unit performed 274 visits in 38 patients (median per patient 4.5), and 24 family meetings with relatives of 16 patients. All patients and most relatives referred to the usefulness of the intervention, specifically for symptoms management, information and support to strategies for coping. Oncologists highlighted their difficulties in informing patients on palliative intervention, sharing information and coordinating patient’s care with the palliative care team.

Conclusion:

Early integration of palliative care in oncological setting seems feasible and well accepted by patients, relatives and, to a lesser extent, oncologists. Some difficulties emerged concerning patient information and inter-professional communication.
Clinical outcome and subsequent sequelae of cement extravasation after percutaneous kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty: a comparative review
Authors: Semaan Hassan , Obri Tawfik , Bazerbashi Mohamad , Paull Daniel , Liu Xiaochen , Sarrouj Marah , Elgafy Hossein
Published: September 2017

Background

Injection of cement during vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty can leak into surrounding structures and could be symptomatic.

Purpose

To identify the sites and incidence of cement extravasation after kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty, and to evaluate their impacts on clinical outcomes.

Material and Methods

A retrospective review of 316 patients treated with kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty; 411 cases were included (223 kyphoplasty and 188 vertebroplasty). Cement extravasation was evaluated postoperatively by computed tomography (CT) scan of the spine. Clinical outcomes were assessed by visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI).

Results

There was a statistically significant difference in the incidence rate of cement extravasation between vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty groups ( P < 0.04). The most common site of cement extravasation was in paravertebral soft tissues for vertebroplasty (n = 33, 40.7%) and for kyphoplasty (n = 30, 30%). In the subgroup where cement leaked into the intradiscal space, adjacent vertebral body fractures occurred in 3/26 vertebrae (11.5%) in the vertebroplasty group and in 2/18 vertebrae (11.1%) in the kyphoplasty group. Both groups showed a statistically significant decrease in both VAS ( P < 0.001) and ODI scores ( P < 0.001). There was no significantly difference in patient satisfaction between those who had cement extravasation and those who did not, in both groups.

Conclusion

Kyphoplasty has an advantage in terms of less risk of cement extravasation. However, this factor did not reflect on subsequent sequelae or final clinical outcomes. This study did not find a distinct correlation between intradiscal cement extravasation and increased risk of adjacent vertebral fractures.
Depressive disorders in patients with pharmaco-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy
Authors: Gonçalves Eleonora Borges , de Oliveira Cardoso Tania Aparecida Marchiori , Yasuda Clarissa Lin , Cendes Fernando
Published: September 2017

Objectives

To assess depressive disorders in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) refractory to medical treatment.

Methods

Adult patients with refractory MTLE completed two questionnaires (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) had a semi-structured psychiatric interview and a high resolution MRI scan. For complete neuropsychiatric diagnosis, as per International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), the results were combined with clinical history and additional information from the patients’ family.

Results

Of the 40 patients identified for this case series study which took place from 2008–2012, 31 (77.5%) had a depressive disorder: 14 had dysthymia, 11 had recurrent depressive disorder and 6 had bipolar disorder. Of the nine patients without a firm diagnosis of mood disorder, seven had isolated symptoms of depression or anxiety and two presented with mixed depression/anxiety symptoms. Only 8/31 (25.8%) patients were receiving antidepressant treatment. There was no association between BDI scores and seizure frequency. No significant difference was found between patients with and without depression and the presence or laterality of HA.

Conclusions

Depressive disorders are common, underdiagnosed and undertreated in patients with refractory MTLE.
Screening of Sceptridium ternatum for antitussive and antiasthmatic activity and associated mechanisms
Authors: Huang Ping , Xin Wenxiu , Zheng Xiaowei , Luo Fang , Li Qinglin , Lv Guiyuan
Published: September 2017

Objectives

Sceptridium ternatum is an expectorant in traditional Chinese medicine and is prescribed for the treatment of asthma. The study aim was to screen Sceptridium ternatum for ingredients with antitussive and antiasthmatic effects and to study their associated mechanisms.

Methods

Cough in mice was induced using ammonia. Cough latency and the number of coughs within 3 minutes were determined. Airway responsiveness was assessed using ovalbumin as a sensitizer and characteristic asthma indicators were measured.

Results

Chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts significantly reduced the number of coughs within 3 minutes, tidal volume, and the percentage of eosinophilic granulocytes, lymphocytes and neutrophils. All extracts decreased airway responsiveness in asthmatic mice compared with the untreated group. Petroleum ether, chloroform and n-butanol extracts lowered the Penh values of asthmatic mice. Petroleum ether and ethyl acetate extracts greatly reduced interleukin-4 expression and the interleukin-4/interferon gamma ratio. Compared with the model group, all extracts reduced mRNA expression of the cysteinyl leukotriene receptor-1 (CysLT1).

Conclusions

Chloroform extract and ethyl acetate extract displayed obvious antitussive effects and reduced airway inflammation. Thus, these two extracts contain the effective ingredients of Sceptridium ternatum. The active mechanism was ascribed to inhibition of mRNA expression of the CysLT1 receptor in mice with bronchial asthma.
Health geographies I
Authors: Andrews Gavin J.
Published: September 2017

This progress report – the first in a series of three – examines the places and versions of hope in health geography. It pays attention to scholars’ hopes that arise within the research process, and also to those held by the subjects of studies themselves in their diverse health circumstances and contexts (and how scholars’ hopes parallel and expose these). Its take-home message is that although hope might at first seem a little too vague and general as a concept to provide useful insights – and is certainly rarely an explicit topic of academic conversation and debate – it is nonetheless ever-present across health geography: something that binds and motivates the sub-discipline from behind the scenes, keeping scholars plugging away both as individuals and collectively, pulling them towards specific goals. This report exposes hopes, but also the need to think critically about them.
A modified Neuber’s rule for welded cruciform joints under low-cycle actions
Authors: Feng Liuyang , Qian Xudong
Published: September 2017

This article presents a modified Neuber’s rule to estimate the inelastic stress and strain at the toe of welded plate connections under large-scale cyclic yielding, caused by the low-cycle fatigue loadings. In contrast to the original Neuber’s rule, which usually overestimates the notch-tip elastic–plastic stress and strain as the applied nominal stress approaches or exceeds the material yield strength, the modified Neuber’s rule provides a convenient and accurate estimation of the stress and strain at the weld toe as an alternative to the time-consuming numerical computation. The numerical study covers the variations in both the geometric configuration and the material properties in the modified Neuber’s rule. This article also provides closed-form expressions for the two critical parameters in the modified Neuber’s rule to facilitate engineering applications.
Does the Arthroscopic Latarjet Procedure Effectively Correct “Off-Track” Hill-Sachs Lesions?
Authors: Plath Johannes E. , Henderson Daniel J.H. , Coquay Julien , Dück Klaus , Haeni David , Lafosse Laurent
Published: September 2017

Background:

The glenoid track concept describes the dynamic interaction of bipolar bone loss in anterior glenohumeral instability. Initial studies have successfully demonstrated this concept’s application in clinical populations. In clinical practice, the Latarjet procedure is commonly the preferred treatment in addressing “off-track” Hill-Sachs lesions. The effectiveness of this procedure in restoring such lesions to an “on-track” state, however, has not yet been evaluated or described in the literature.

Hypothesis:

The Latarjet procedure would transform “off-track” Hill-Sachs lesions to “on-track” lesions. Lesions would remain “on-track” during follow-up, despite glenoid remodeling.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Patients with “off-track” Hill-Sachs lesions treated with the arthroscopic Latarjet procedure between March 2013 and May 2014 were included. Glenoid track and coracoid graft contact surface area measurements using 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) were performed preoperatively and at 6-week, 6-month, and at least 12-month (final) follow-up. The mean final follow-up was 23 months. The glenoid diameter, as a percentage of the native glenoid, was also calculated from this imaging.

Results:

Twenty-six patients met the inclusion criteria. 3D-CT scans were available for all patients preoperatively and postoperatively, with 21 patients (81%) undergoing 6-month follow-up CT and 19 patients (73%) undergoing final follow-up CT. Hill-Sachs lesions remained “on-track” at all follow-up time points. The mean glenoid diameter changed significantly from 84.6% preoperatively to 122.8% at 6 weeks ( P < .001) and from 120.5% at 6 months to 113.9% at final follow-up ( P = .005). This was also reflected in significant remodeling seen in the coracoid graft articular contact area (6 weeks to 6 months, P = .024; 6 months to final follow-up, P = .002). This persisting glenoid arc enlargement at final follow-up avoided “off-track” Hill-Sachs lesions in 6 of 19 patients (32%), which would otherwise have occurred had the coracoid graft remodeled to native glenoid dimensions.

Conclusion:

The Latarjet procedure provides an effective treatment for “off-track” engaging Hill-Sachs lesions, despite an evident glenoid remodeling process. At a mean of 23 months postoperatively, a mean persisting enlargement of the glenoid arc of 14% beyond native dimensions remained, avoiding a recurrent “off-track” lesion in 32% of patients, which would otherwise have occurred with complete remodeling.
Novel Tenascin-C Haplotype Modifies the Risk for a Failure to Heal After Rotator Cuff Repair
Authors: Kluger Rainer , Huber Klaus R. , Seely Philipp G. , Berger Christian E. , Frommlet Florian
Published: September 2017

Background:

Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TNC gene have recently been found to be associated with degenerative rotator cuff tears.

Hypothesis:

Exonic SNPs in the TNC gene are related to the risk for a failure to heal after rotator cuff repair.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A total of 302 patients from the Vienna area and European Caucasian ancestry underwent mini-open rotator cuff repair for a full-thickness superior or posterosuperior tear and were assessed for the integrity of the repair 1 year postoperatively with a real-time 7.5- to 10-MHz ultrasound linear array transducer. Outcomes were classified as intact (complete footprint coverage), small (<200 mm2), or large (≥200 mm2) recurrent defect. Patients were genotyped for 15 previously identified risk SNPs within a 49-kbp segment of the TNC gene with the KASP genotyping technology or the Ion-Torrent Personal Genome Machine System.

Results:

All recurrent defects were atraumatic failures, and the overall failure rate was 39.7%. Of the traditional risk factors, only the initial tear size was significantly associated with a failure to heal. In a multinomial logistic regression model, the T allele at rs1138545 [C>T] was protective for a large recurrent defect (odds ratio = 0.16; 95% CI, 0.09-0.31). The role of rs1138545 was further backed by haplotype analysis, which showed that the combination of the C allele at rs1138545 [C>T], the A allele at rs2104772 [A>T], and the G allele at rs10759752 [A>G] formed the risk-related haplotype [CAG]. The CAG haplotype was associated with large recurrent defects ( P < .0001; haplotype frequency, 0.394; haplotype score, 4.518). Exonic marker rs1138545 transcribed into all isoforms of the TNC protein, whereas exonic marker rs2104772, which has been associated with Achilles tendinopathy before, transcribed only into large isoforms of the TNC protein.

Conclusion:

Recurrent defects after rotator cuff repairs are clinically relevant, and a heritable component of the disorder is plausible on the basis of a genetic association with 8 TNC variants. Characterization of TNC sequences that favor tendon healing will help engineer new products in regenerative medicine.
Key technology network model for the industrialization of research output: A university patent perspective
Authors: Chang Shu-Hao
Published: September 2017

In recent years, university patents have been substantially developed mainly because topics on the industrialization of university research outputs have received considerable attention. Previous studies on university patents have mostly focused on factors influencing the production of those patents, but have not yet distinguished between industrialized university patents and unindustrialized university patents. In addition, previous studies have not clearly recognized university patents with commercial value, technological networks, or key technologies that promoted industrialization. Moreover, a few studies have focused on the national dimension attached to university patent technological networks. In this study we incorporate several countries into our model and identify the technological niche positions of those countries. Here, Japan and the United States are playing critical roles in the worldwide technology network of university patents. The results of our study can serve as a reference point for universities worldwide in their allocation of resources and promotion of novel technologies.
Review of the pretreatment methods for wheat straw building materials
Authors: Elbashiry Elsafi MA , Chen Jinxiang , Tuo Wanyong , Ren Yizhe , Guo Zhensheng
Published: September 2017

This paper reviews the pretreatment methods for wheat straw building materials and classifies the main methods according to their characteristics. The results indicate that the steam cooking and steam explosion treatment methods are relatively better than other methods and that particleboard and medium-density fiberboard manufactured using pretreated wheat straw possess correspondingly superior physical and mechanical properties. However, deficiencies in internal bonding, tensile strength, dimensional instability (swelling) and high moisture absorption remain. Thus, the present study proposes improving the pretreatment method and measurement and suggests a future development direction for the pretreatment of wheat straw building materials.
Family-Friendly Policies, Gender, and Work–Life Balance in the Public Sector
Authors: Feeney Mary K. , Stritch Justin M.
Published: September 2017

Family-friendly policies and culture are important components of creating a healthy work environment and are positively related to work outcomes for public employees and organizations. Furthermore, family-friendly policies and culture are critical mechanisms for supporting the careers and advancement of women in public service and enhancing gender equity in public sector employment. While both policies and culture can facilitate women’s participation in the public sector workforce, they may affect men and women differently. Using data from a 2011 study with a nationwide sample of state government employees, we investigate the effects of employee take-up of leave policies, employer supported access to child care, alternative work scheduling, and a culture of family support on work–life balance (WLB). We examine where these variables differ in their effects on WLB among men and women and make specific recommendations to further WLB among women. The results inform the literature on family-friendly policies and culture in public organizations.
Antioxidative and haematoprotective activity of coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E against cadmium-induced oxidative stress in Wistar rats
Authors: Paunović Milica G , Matić Miloš M , Ognjanović Branka I , Saičić Zorica S
Published: September 2017

Cadmium (Cd) is a major environmental pollutant, which exerts adverse effects mainly by inducing oxidative stress. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and vitamin E (VE), naturally occurring antioxidants, improve health condition by inactivating free radicals and enhancing antioxidative defence. The aim of our study was to investigate the protective role of CoQ10 and/or VE pretreatment against Cd-induced haematotoxicity. Wistar albino rats were intramuscularly injected with CoQ10 (20 mg/kg b.w.) and/or VE (20 IU/kg b.w.) or with saline (control group). After 24 h, Cd was injected intraperitoneally (0.4 mg/kg b.w.) and 1 day after, animals were sacrificed. Acute Cd intoxication caused significant changes in haematological and biochemical parameters and altered the glutathione cycle, leading to the formation of lipid peroxidation, while the concentrations and activities of antioxidants (vitamins C and E, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase) were decreased. CoQ10 and/or VE significantly maintained these values to near-normal levels, afforded additional protection by reducing lipid peroxidation and improved the levels of antioxidants in the blood. Plasma CoQ10 and VE levels negatively correlated with oxidative damage parameters while positively correlated with antioxidative defence parameters. Regarding their effects, CoQ10 and VE were in synergistic interaction. The present study suggested that CoQ10 and VE combination may be beneficial in protecting from Cd-induced haematotoxicity and may be used as a preventive against acute Cd intoxication of exposed people.
Malathion and dithane induce DNA damage in Vicia faba
Authors: Arya Shashi Kiran , Ghosh Ilika , Banerjee Ritesh , Mukherjee Anita
Published: September 2017

The increasing use of pesticides such as malathion and dithane in agriculture causes environmental mutagenicity. However, their genotoxicity in edible crops is seldom assessed. In this study, the genotoxic potential of malathion and dithane was evaluated in the roots of Vicia faba L. All three concentrations (0.05, 0.1, and 0.2%) of malathion and dithane tested resulted in a significant decrease in root length and inhibited seed germination. Cytological observations showed that the mitotic frequency in the root meristematic cells decreased parallel to the increase in concentrations, and the increase in chromosome aberrations and micronuclei frequency was concentration dependent. Alkaline comet assay revealed significant onset of DNA damage at all tested concentrations. For the randomly amplified polymorphic (RAPD)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses, 10 random RAPD primers were found to produce 116 unique polymorphic RAPD band fragments of 223–3139 bp. Each primer generated 3–15 RAPD bands on an average. The percentage of polymorphic DNA fragments was higher in malathion-exposed plants than dithane ones. The changes in RAPD profiles included disappearance and/or appearance of DNA bands in malathion and dithane treatment. Hence, DNA damage observed by the cytogenetic endpoints and comet assay corroborated with RAPD-PCR analysis. A total of 15 new protein bands of molecular weight ranging 11.894–226.669 kDa were observed in roots of Vicia plants that were exposed to the pesticides. The number of new protein bands was higher in malathion-treated DNA samples than in dithane-treated ones. Based on the results, we conclude that the pesticides can alter genomic template stability and change protein profiles. Malathion was more genotoxic than dithane. Therefore, RAPD assays can be useful in determining genotoxicity of pesticides in V. faba and other crops along with other quantitative parameters.
Examining the Relationship Between Economic Abuse and Mental Health Among Latina Intimate Partner Violence Survivors in the United States
Authors: Davila America L. , Johnson Laura , Postmus Judy L.
Published: September 2017

Currently, Latinos constitute the second largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States. Among this population, one in every six Latinas experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in her lifetime. Research has documented significant detrimental effects of physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological IPV on the physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being of various cultural/ethnic groups; however, few studies have focused on economic abuse, which may include tactics of economic control, economic exploitation, and employment sabotage. Research examining economic abuse against racial/ethnic minorities, particularly Latinos, is needed. To address these gaps, baseline data from a larger treatment outcome study were used to examine the associations between economic abuse and the mental health symptoms reported by 245 Latina IPV survivors in the United States. When examining the economic abuse experiences reported by Latinas in this sample, the results indicated that the most commonly reported form of economic abuse was economic control (e.g., restricting access to money and financial information). Multiple regression analyses revealed that economic abuse did not uniquely predict mental health after accounting for other forms of IPV victimization and sociodemographic characteristics. Limitations of this study are discussed, and directions for future research designed to enhance our understanding of economic abuse against various racial/ethnic groups (such as Latinas) are presented.
Rape Myth Acceptance Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Mostly Heterosexual College Students
Authors: Worthen Meredith G. F.
Published: September 2017

Although there is a wealth of existing research on various correlates and patterns of rape myth acceptance (RMA), including how RMA relates to homophobia (i.e., antigay and antilesbian perspectives) and negativity toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) men and women rape victims, no research to date has specifically focused on RMA among LGB and “mostly heterosexual” men and women. The current study examines how gender, sexual identity, personal experiences with rape (i.e., knowing/being a survivor), feminist identity, patriarchal gender norms, attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, and the interactions among these relate to LGB college students’ ( n = 389; 24% gay/lesbian, 19% bisexual, 57% mostly heterosexual) RMA using the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale–Short Form. Findings show that being a woman, being LGB, identifying as a feminist, and knowing/being a survivor are all negatively related to RMA, whereas patriarchal gender norms are positively related to RMA. Attitudes toward LGBT people had differing effects whereby attitudes toward gay men were unassociated with RMA, attitudes toward lesbian women and trans men were negatively associated with RMA, and attitudes toward bisexual men and women and trans women differed depending on the comparison reference group (exclusive heterosexuals, n = 1,551, mostly heterosexuals, n = 222). Furthermore, the interacting effects of these identities, experiences, and perspectives also revealed significant findings that add complexity to these relationships. Overall, this research seeks to fill the gaps in the literature, expand our knowledge about rape myths, and contribute to new lines of inquiry that focus on LGB people’s perspectives to work toward a deeper understanding of rape myths, so that ultimately, these damaging perspectives can be dispelled.
The Relationship Between Emotional Support and Health-Related Self-Efficacy in Older Prisoners
Authors: Noujaim Deborah , Fortinsky Richard H. , Barry Lisa C.
Published: September 2017

Objective: To determine whether emotional support, and proportion of emotional support provided by specific sources (e.g., family, other prisoners, clinicians), is associated with health-related self-efficacy among older prisoners. Method: Cross-sectional study of 140 older prisoners age ≥50 with chronic medical illness who completed face-to-face interviews. Logistic regression, controlling for demographic, incarceration, and clinical/behavioral factors evaluated the association between emotional support, operationalized as a score and as a proportion of total emotional support from specific sources, and health-related self-efficacy. Results: Higher emotional support scores, and greater proportion of support from clinicians, were associated with lower likelihood of poor health-related self-efficacy. Those with >50% of their emotional support coming from other prisoners had higher likelihood of poor self-efficacy. Discussion: Among older prisoners with chronic illness, higher emotional support, particularly from clinicians, is associated with lower likelihood of poor self-efficacy; relying on other prisoners for emotional support is associated with poor health-related self-efficacy.
The unfailing machine
Authors: Jones-Imhotep Edward
Published: September 2017

This article explores how the pre-eminent public psychology of the French Revolution – sentimentalism – shaped the necessity, understanding and construction of its most iconic public machine. The guillotine provided a solution to the problem of public executions in an age of both sentiment and reason. It was designed to rationalize punishment and make it more humane; but it was also designed to guard against the psychological effects of older, more variable and unpredictable methods of public execution on a sentimental public. That public, contemporaries argued, required executions performed by an unfailing technology. Rather than focus on the role of the guillotine after 1793, the article explores how the implacable mechanical action that helped produce the Reign of Terror and multiply the cadavers of medical science was demanded by the guillotine’s origins as a sentimental machine.
Rorschach tests and Rorschach vigilantes
Authors: Hubbard Katherine , Hegarty Peter
Published: September 2017

One of the clearest signs that Psychology has impacted popular culture is the public’s familiarity with the Rorschach ink-blot test. An excellent example of the Rorschach in popular culture can be found in Watchmen, the comic/graphic novel written by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1987). In the mid-20th century Psychology had an especially contentious relationship with comics; some psychologists were very anxious about the impact comics had on young people, whereas others wrote comics to subvert dominant norms about gender and sexuality. Yet historians of Psychology have had almost nothing to say about this popular and critically acclaimed novel. We read Watchmen here for its narratives that most concern the history of Psychology. We focus on such themes as anti-psychiatry, sexual violence, homophobia, lesbian erasure and social psychological research on bystander intervention. We argue it is possible to align Psychology and comics more closely despite their sometimes contentious history. In doing so we demonstrate the active role of the public in the history of the Rorschach, and the public engagement of Psychology via comics, and also reveal what is possible when historians consider comics within their histories.
Albert Ellis, rational therapy and the media of ‘modern’ emotional management
Authors: Stark Luke
Published: September 2017

This article explores the development of therapeutic psychological techniques for emotional management as exemplified by Albert Ellis’s development of rational therapy (RT) in the 1950s and 1960s. A precursor to contemporary Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), rational therapy conceptualized emotion as manageable through scientific self-narration. The article examines how Ellis’s immersion in media techniques and forms accessible to a general audience shaped his focus on a new language for clinical practice inspired by behaviorist principles, and how much this ‘clarified’ language exemplifies the application of ‘high modernist ideology’ to the treatment of the postwar American psychological subject.
Multi-objective crashworthiness optimization of vehicle body using particle swarm algorithm coupled with bacterial foraging algorithm
Authors: Wang Dengfeng , Cai Kefang
Published: September 2017

Crashworthiness and lightweight design are two main challenges in the early body in white (BIW) design stage. An implicit parametric model of BIW was built by using SFE-CONCEPT to allow for larger geometrical modifications and more flexible design space. A physical test was then conducted to verify the validity of the implicit parametric model. A hybrid method coupling the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with the bacterial foraging optimization (BFO) algorithm has been proposed to improve the crashworthiness and lightweight design. This method aims to obtain the Pareto sets to guide designers in selecting the optimal solution according to different demand. Meanwhile, a comparison between the proposed hybrid method and other widely used intelligent methods (PSO, BFO, and PSO–GA) was performed to illustrate the advantages of the hybrid method in solving complex, nonlinear, and multi-objective optimization problems. The results indicate that the proposed hybrid method has significant potential to optimize the crashworthiness and to guide lightweight design of BIW.
On-board thermochemical energy recovery technology for low carbon clean gasoline direct injection engine powered vehicles
Authors: Fennell Daniel , Herreros Arellano Jose Martin , Tsolakis Athanasios , Wyszynski Miroslaw , Cockle Kirsty , Pignon John , Millington Paul
Published: September 2017

Exhaust gas fuel reforming is a catalytic process that reclaims exhaust energy from the high temperature engine exhaust stream to drive catalytic endothermic fuel reforming reactions; these convert hydrocarbon fuel to higher enthalpy hydrogen-rich gas known as reformate. This technique has the potential to improve the thermal efficiency of internal combustion engines, as well as to simultaneously reduce gaseous and particulate emissions. This study demonstrates a novel, prototype exhaust gas fuel reformer integrated with a modern, turbocharged, 4-cylinder gasoline direct injection engine and analyses the effects on engine performance, combustion characteristics and emissions. The results suggest that exhaust gas fuel reforming raises the engine fuel efficiency through a combination of: exhaust energy recovery; improved engine thermal efficiency; and enhanced combustion at highly dilute operation, which considerably reduces NOx emissions by up to 91% and improves engine fuel consumption by up to 8%. The presence of hydrogen and exhaust gas diluents in the combustion charge also reduces particle formation for lower total particulate matter emissions (up to 78% and 84% for number and mass, respectively).
X-ray pulsar-based navigation method using one sensor and modified time-differenced measurement
Authors: Wang Yidi , Zheng Wei , Zhang Dapeng , Zhou Qinyong , Xin Shijun
Published: September 2017

X-ray pulsar-based navigation method using one sensor (XNAVO) could fix the position of satellites by sequentially observing X-ray pulsars at the cost of loading one X-ray sensor, which drops the demand on the loading capability of satellite and is feasible for practice. However, subjected to the current research status of astronomical measure and the radiation mechanism of pulsar, there are unexpected systematic biases in XNAVO, which would greatly worsen the positioning performance of XNAVO. In addition, the systematic biases compensation methods previously proposed for X-ray pulsar-based navigation using three sensors would fail when being applied to XNAVO, due to the sequential observation strategy. In order to solve the problem, this paper introduces a positioning algorithm for XNAVO based on the modified time-differenced measurement. The propagation of systematic biases is analysed, revealing the systematic biases behave a quasi-periodical variation. Thus, a modified time-differenced measurement is proposed in accordance of the quasi-periodicity. A navigation filter that propagates sigma points to generate the improved time-differenced measurement model without linearisation has been given. The results of simulation have shown that the proposed method could reduce the major impact of investigated systematic biases.
Unusual presentation of secondary syphilis: membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis andmuco-cutaneous lesions
Authors: Tognetti Linda , Cinotti Elisa , Tripodi Sergio , Garosi Guido , Rubegni Pietro
Published: September 2017

The worldwide re-emergence of secondary syphilis which happened in the last decade, has led to an increase in primary and secondary syphilis cases, along with the presentation of atypical forms. Nevertheless, reports of renal syphilis with mucosal and/or cutaneous manifestations are nowadays increasing. Typically, secondary syphilis infection in adults causes nephrotic syndrome due to a membranous glomerulonephritis. Here, we report a case of a 30-year-old immunocompetent man presenting with skin rash, oral and perianal erosions and nephritic syndrome. Laboratory investigations revealed a form of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis secondary to Treponema pallidum infection. Therapy with benzathine penicillin brought prompt and complete remission of the disease. Although well described for congenital syphilis, this histopathologic pattern of renal involvement is very rarely reported in adult patients. In case of detection of an otherwise unexplained nephritic syndrome in sexually active patients with mucosal and/or anal lesions, an unrecognized syphilis infection should be suspected.
Influence of T-shape tip clearance on performance of a mixed-flow pump
Authors: Lei Tan , Zhifeng Xie , Yabin Liu , Yue Hao , Yun Xu
Published: September 2017

Influence of original and T-shape blade end on performance of a mixed-flow pump is investigated by using experimental measurement and numerical simulation. The new proposed T-shape blade end is formed at 95%–100% blade height with a linear increase of blade thickness. In comparison with original blade end, the efficiency of pump with T-shape blade end increases by 1.86%, and the leakage flow decreases by 15.95%. Space streamlines across the blade tip clearance can be divided into three beams with different movement trajectories, and the swirl motions of streamlines directly correspond to the swirling strength. The highest amplitude of pressure fluctuation appears at the blade leading edge along the tip clearance. In comparison with original blade end, the highest amplitude of pressure fluctuation for T-shape blade end decreases by 27.45%. The dominant frequencies of the pressure fluctuations in tip clearance region for original blade end and T-shape blade end are both five times of the axis rotation frequency, corresponding to the impeller blade number of five.
Morality at dinnertime: The sense of the Other as a practical accomplishment in family interaction
Authors: Galatolo Renata , Caronia Letizia
Published: September 2017

Since Garfinkel brought our attention to the moral order implied in everyday activities, studies on social interaction have described the practices through which members constitute the moral dimensions of everyday life. Drawing on Duranti’s notion of the ‘sense of the Other’, this article illustrates how mundane morality is presupposed and (re)constructed in the micro-order of everyday life. Examples of video-recorded family dinner interactions are discussed, adopting a conversation analytic approach. The analysis illustrates how the sense of the Other is made relevant by parents as an organizing principle of ongoing activities and ‘talked into being’ to manage ordinary tasks (e.g. pursuing synchronicity and distributing food). The analysis reveals that parents use siblings as a resource to embody the ‘generalized other’ and socialize children to take the other’s perspective. Our study contributes to demonstrating the relevance of looking at ordinary practices as powerful means through which members orient to a moral version of the world and treat it as a natural one.
The Social Side of Sleep: Elucidating the Links Between Sleep and Social Processes
Authors: Gordon Amie M. , Mendes Wendy Berry , Prather Aric A.
Published: September 2017

Sleep problems have become a public health epidemic with recent data suggesting that more than 69% of U.S. adults get less sleep than they need. Despite the important role that sleep plays in our lives, sleep as a variable of interest in interpersonal processes has been historically absent from the psychological literature. Recently, however, researchers have shed some light on the link between sleep and a wide array of social processes. This work illuminates the important role that sleep plays in our social experiences, from basic social perception to complex social interactions. We outline a working model for the bidirectional link between sleep and social processes, including underlying mechanisms; review the recent research that informs this model; and use it to elucidate important next steps to bring together sleep and social psychological research. We also address the pragmatics of measuring sleep for non–sleep researchers.
Book Review: Laxman Kumar Behera, Indian Defence Industry: An Agenda for Making in India
Authors: Bhonsle Rahul
Published: September 2017

Laxman Kumar Behera, Indian Defence Industry: An Agenda for Making in India. New Delhi: Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses/Pentagon, 2016, pp. 220, ₹995 (Hardback). ISBN: 978-8-18274-905-4
Sport and social movements: Lilí Álvarez in Franco’s Spain
Authors: Valiente Celia
Published: September 2017

Leaders and activists of social movements at times have a background of world-class achievements in sport. How does this high-profile sport background affect their activism? This article argues that in both democracies and dictatorships, a personal past of elite sport accomplishments frequently influences activist athletes’ consciousness and subsequently the selection of goals to be reached through collective action, and also the very definition of those goals. Such a background often provides their holders with publicity, public stature and social and political connections, which are factors conducive to movement success. To investigate the above propositions, this article presents a case study based on published documents, archival records, interviews and secondary sources: that of Lilí Álvarez (1905–1998) in Spain during the right-wing dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. Álvarez was a self-proclaimed feminist who individually and together with other women tirelessly advocated for women’s rights. However, she was better known for her national and international multi-sport achievement, most notably reaching the Wimbledon singles finals in three consecutive years in the late 1920s. Her sporting background inspired Álvarez to demand that girls and women practise sport. Her athletic experience influenced her social consciousness in unexpected ways and on issues other than sport, such as religion and feminism. She defended a type of Catholicism comprising a positive conception of the body (derived from her sporting past) at a time when negative conceptions of the body (especially of women’s bodies) prevailed. This type of thinking led her to ask for respect and autonomy for women within the Church and in society. Álvarez’s sport record gave her – and the causes she fought for – visibility and respectability.
A simplified model for high-rate actuation of shape memory alloy torque tubes using induction heating
Authors: Saunders Robert N , Boyd James G , Hartl Darren J , Calkins Frederick T , Lagoudas Dimitris C
Published: September 2017

Shape memory alloy actuators deliver high forces while being compact and reliable, making them ideal for consideration in aerospace applications. Induction heating of shape memory alloy actuators, specifically tubes that twist about the longitudinal axis, has recently been studied experimentally and computationally using finite element analysis. Reduced-order models for the torsional behavior of shape memory alloy tubes and induction heating of general metallic tubes exist, and thus, it is possible for these thermal and mechanical models to be combined and numerically solved. This work develops and implements an engineering model for inductively heated shape memory alloy tubes based on the reduction of the governing partial differential equations in space and time to an ordinary differential equation in time. An example solution is compared to finite element analysis results and agrees well. Finally, the ordinary differential equation is linearized and solved analytically. The linearized model agrees well with the nonlinear ordinary differential equation and finite element model.
Psychoeducation Group on Improving Quality of Life of Mild Cognitive Impaired Elderly
Authors: Young Daniel Kim-wan , Ng Petrus Yat-nam , Cheng Daphne
Published: September 2017

Purpose:

This research study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a psychoeducation group, which is founded on an Eastern approach to health care, in improving the quality of life of Chinese people with mild cognitive impairment (PwMCI).

Method:

In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), 40 Chinese PwMCI were randomly assigned to either a 10-session psychoeducation group or the control group.

Results:

A paired sample t test indicated that the treatment group ( n = 18) showed significant improvement in their World Health Organization Quality of Life Measure (WHOQOL) score, while the control group ( n = 22) did not. Moreover, an independent t test showed that the treatment group was more effective than the control group to improve their WHOQOL score. A reduction in the depressive symptoms was related to the improvement in WHOQOL score.

Conclusions:

This RCT provides evidence to support the feasibility and effectiveness of psychoeducation groups for improving the overall quality of life of PwMCI.
Questioning Centralized Organizations in a Time of Distributed Trust
Authors: Seidel Marc-David L.
Published: September 2017

Imagine meeting a stranger and entering into a trusted economic exchange without needing a third party to vouch for you. What changes in your theoretical perspective in such a world? That model of interaction is what distributed trust technologies such as blockchain bring. I introduce the basic concept of distributed trust, describe some early instances, and highlight how organizational theories need to be updated to no longer rely upon fundamental assumptions about trust which are becoming outdated. Distributed trust fundamentally transforms boundaries of organizations and challenges assumptions about internalizing organizational functions to overcome market trust coordination issues. Implicit assumptions about the legitimacy and power of central network positions no longer ring true. This is very fertile ground for organizations research as the core tenet of the field—what roles and functions should group together within an organization—is being called into question at the most fundamental level.
An elastic–plastic damage model considering capillary effect for petrol–water saturated sandstone
Authors: Yang HQ , Liu JF , Luo C , Zhou XP
Published: September 2017

The mechanical behavior of surrounding rock mass is key important to the water-sealed petrol storage caverns because of the two phase environment. To investigate the strength and damage mechanism of rock mass under petrol–water immersion circumstance, an elastic–plastic damage constitutive model is proposed. The deformation work of rock mass is derived according to the mixture theory and averaging methods. In order to further study the capillary action influence of petrol–water liquid phase on the strength and stiffness of rock mass, the plastic yield condition considering petrol–water circumstance is proposed. Then, the stress–strain increment expression under the influence of both liquid and solid phase is deduced through the consistency condition. Meanwhile, the damage conditions of the rock mass under tensile and compressive stress differ a lot, so the rock mass damage model under petrol–water circumstance is established combining the tensile and compressive damage criterion and the damage evolution law. The proposed constitutive model is adopted to simulate the mechanical property and damage evolution feature of rock mass under axial compression. The results suggest that the increase in the petrol pressure leads to the improvement of the axial strength for rock mass and meanwhile, the occurrence of damage is also advanced. In addition, the elastic–plastic property of the rock material has been well developed below the stress peak point during this process. Ultimately, the proposed elastic–plastic damage constitutive model was verified by making comparisons between the theoretical calculating results and experimental results.
Content Area Literacy in Ensemble Music Education: The Before-During-After Instructional Framework
Authors: Weidner Brian N.
Published: September 2017

Teacher licensure policies and state standards for English/language arts have made content area literacy a necessary component for most music teacher education programs. Unlike teachers in other areas of the school curriculum, music educators have not broadly integrated literacy into their instructional practices. The Before-During-After (B-D-A) instructional framework is commonly used in content area literacy and provides a powerful tool for promoting student critical thinking and metacognitive awareness. B-D-A is supported by content area literacy strategies that can be used across the curriculum, and music educators can use them to encourage student engagement with authentic music texts by focusing on the artistic processes of responding and connecting. Adoption of content area literacy and B-D-A into music ensemble methods coursework can aid preservice and in-service music teachers as they engage students in music learning, support cross-curricular collaboration and professional development, and promote overall student literacy.