bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Best Friendships of Adolescents with Visual Impairments: A Descriptive Study
Authors: Rosenblum L. Penny
Published: June 2019

This study of 40 adolescents with visual impairments and 23 of their best friends found that adolescents with visual impairments are successful in establishing and maintaining reciprocal, intimate best friendships. The friends engaged in activities together that were typical of adolescents without disabilities. Although some participants stated that the visual impairments affected the activities the friends could do together, they also noted that these limitations did not have a strong negative impact on their friendships.
Echolocation Reconsidered: Using Spatial Variations in the Ambient Sound Field to Guide Locomotion
Authors: Ashmead Daniel H. , Wall Robert S. , Eaton Susan B. , Ebinger Kiara A. , Snook-Hill Mary-Maureen , Guth David A. , Yang Xuefeng
Published: June 2019

This article presents an acoustical model and evidence from four experiments that children with visual impairments use the buildup of low-frequency sound along walls to guide locomotion. The model differs from the concept of echolocation by emphasizing sound that is ambient, rather than self-produced, and of low, rather than high, frequency.
Stress, Coping, and Adjustment of Adventitiously Blind Male Veterans with and without Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Upton Linda R. , Bush Beverly A. , Taylor Robert E.
Published: June 2019

This study compared the coping strategies, psychological stressors, and adjustment of 40 elderly male veterans with diabetic retinopathy and 40 with vision loss from other causes. The presence of diabetes, the recent onset of vision loss, coping by escape-avoidance, blaming oneself, and the absence of planful problem solving were associated with difficulties in daily activities, a diminished sense of well-being, and symptoms of depression. The psychological symptoms were usually of mild severity.
Employment Outcomes and Educational Backgrounds of Legally Blind Adults Employed in Sheltered Industrial Settings
Authors: Fireison Cara Kim , Moore J. Elton
Published: June 2019

This study investigated the relationship between type of school attended and postemployment outcomes (braille literacy, gross salary, job satisfaction, and work preference) of 270 legally blind adults who were employed in 24 industries associated with National Industries for the Blind. Those who attended specialized schools for blind persons made significantly less money than did those who attended public schools. However, a significantly greater proportion of persons who attended specialized schools (72.2%) could read braille than could those who attended either public schools (19.7%) or a combination of types of schools (46.6%).
Social Cognition in Children with Visual Impairments
Authors: Pring Linda , Dewart Hazel , Brockbank Margaret
Published: June 2019

This article reports on a study of children's understanding of the intentions of characters in a series of stories, found in previous research to be impaired in children with autism but here investigated in 16 children with visual impairment and 16 sighted children. The children with visual impairment gave fewer correct justifications based on mental states than did the sighted children. A small subgroup, identified on the basis of their cognitive style on a reading task and predominantly children with congenital visual impairment, showed the most difficulty on this social cognition task.
Reading Environment at Home and at School of Swedish Students with Visual Impairments
Authors: Fellenius Kerstin
Published: June 2019

This study of the reading performance of 9-year-old sighted and visually impaired readers in Sweden revealed that the two groups of students were in a more equivalent environment in school than at home. The greatest differences between the two groups were found in their statements about their interactions with family members at home, particularly for readers with specific reading media, such as braille and closed-circuit televisions. In addition, readers with severe low vision had less knowledge about letters and words when they started school and were an at-risk group among young readers with visual impairments.
Schools and Family Involvement: Attitudes among Latinos who have Children with Visual Impairments
Authors: Milian Madeline
Published: June 2019

This article presents the results of a survey of 183 Latino family members of students with visual impairments. Although the family members expressed positive attitudes toward schools and teachers and believed that families need to be involved in the education of their children, they were not as positive about their ability to help their children in reading and math. Student variables associated with differences among respondents were age and reading mode, and variables specific to the respondents were language and educational level.
Use of Low Vision Aids by Children Attending a Centralized Multidisciplinary Visual Impairment Service
Authors: Zammitt Nicola , O'Hare Anne , Mason Jeff , Elliott Geraldine
Published: June 2019

This article discusses the prescription and effective use of low vision aids in a population of children in Scotland. The use of low vision aids was low among these children, especially in school, despite the integrated clinical and educational practice. A number of improvements in the management of low vision aids for this population are discussed.
Visual Development in Students with Visual and Additional Impairments
Authors: Mamer Linda
Published: June 2019

This study investigated the visual behaviors of 10 students with visual and additional impairments aged of 9–21 who were given a systematic structured program of planned visual stimulation. Although the program improved the students’ visual acuity scores, it did not produce changes in their visual behaviors (eye blink, visual fixation, shift of gaze, turning away from and reaching toward objects).
The Effect of Extended Acoustic Training on Spatial Updating in Adults who are Congenitally Blind
Authors: Easton Randolph D. , Bentzen Billie Louise
Published: June 2019

This study investigated whether extended training in an acoustically rich environment could enhance the spatial updating ability of 12 adults who were congenitally blind. After training, the adults’ distance perception from a home-base location and novel locations was superior to that of a sighted control group, whereas their direction perception was comparable.
Parents, Adolescents, and Career Plans of Visually Impaired Students
Authors: McConnell John
Published: June 2019

This article describes a model program that included parents of students who are blind or visually impaired in structured career planning exercises. Students confirmed career choices, became more aware of career values, and were encouraged to explore future career alternatives. The comments of the parents suggested that they had acquired understanding of their child's career choices.
Employment Barriers for People with Visual Impairments
Authors: O'Day Bonnie
Published: June 2019

This study of the perceived employment barriers of 20 unemployed adults who are legally blind found that the participants experienced personal, societal, and programmatic barriers to employment. It also found that some participants were actively seeking work, some were resigned to their unemployment, and others were looking for work but losing hope. Thus, policies must address both the barriers to employment and the specific needs of each group of unemployed people with visual impairments.
Development of an Instrument to Measure Manual Dexterity in Children with Visual Impairments Aged 6–12
Authors: Reimer Annemeike M. , Smits-Engelsman Bouwien C. M. , Siemonsma-Boom Marieke
Published: June 2019

This article describes the development of the Test for Manual Dexterity in Visually Impaired Children. The test was used to chart the manual skills of children with visual impairments (those who were blind or had low vision) and a control group of sighted children in the Netherlands and to compare the development of children who were blind or had low vision.
Personnel Preparation Programs in Visual Impairments: A Status Report
Authors: Corn Anne L. , Silberman Rosanne K.
Published: June 2019

This article is the third in a series of studies of personnel preparation programs and their faculties. It reports on issues that were included in the first two studies, such as the availability of programs, type of faculty, and salaries, and also addresses issues that were added to reflect changes in the field of visual impairment, such as program delivery models. Responses from 39 programs in the United States that prepare personnel to work with children and adults with visual impairments showed that a variety of nontraditional models are available for delivering preservice education and that there is a decline in the percentages of tenure-track faculty since the first two studies, which were published in 1989 and 1996.
Frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry reactivity: Exploring changes from baseline to still face procedure response
Authors: Gartstein Maria A.
Published: June 2019

Electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry has been widely studied across the lifespan, with multiple studies conducted in infancy. However, few have investigated frontal EEG asymmetry in the context of emotional-eliciting tasks, controlling for baseline to focus on an experimental episode response. The present study was designed to address this gap in research, predicting frontal EEG asymmetry response in the context of the Still Face procedure (SFP), examining mother–infant interaction quality and infant temperament attributes as potential contributors. Moderation by infant temperament was also considered. Results indicated that intensity and tone of parent–child interactions as well as Surgency/Positive Affectivity (and component scales of Approach and Activity Level) predicted frontal EEG asymmetry during SFP, controlling for baseline. Importantly, moderation was noted for Surgency/Positive Affectivity and its Approach component, reflected in significant interaction terms and follow-up simple slope tests. That is, the effect of intensity in mother–infant interactions was qualified by child overall surgency, and approach more specifically – infants demonstrating higher levels of Surgency/Positive Affectivity and Approach in particular were protected from the right frontal EEG response to SFP noted in the context of intense concurrent exchanges with mothers.
Personal identity development in cultural context: The socialization of master narratives about the gendered life course
Authors: McLean Kate C. , Boggs Samantha , Haraldsson Kristin , Lowe Alexandra , Fordham Chelsea , Byers Staci , Syed Moin
Published: June 2019

The present studies focused on the role and socialization of biographical master narratives – cultural narratives that prescribe the types and ordering of events that should occur in one’s personal life identity narrative – by focusing on adolescent and emerging adult gender identity development. We employed a combined explanatory and triangulation mixed methods design. Study 1a ( n = 414) was a survey study examining the expected biographical master narrative events for men and women, and the content of master narrative deviation and conformity in an emerging adult sample. In Study 1b ( n = 14) we interviewed participants from Study 1a about their conformity and deviation narratives, as well as their socialization experiences regarding gendered biographical master narratives. In Study 2 mothers and adolescents ( n = 11 pairs), engaged in conversation about expected life course events, as well as a follow-up interview about their conversation. We first found that there are more gender differences in the personal experiences of conformity to and deviation from master narratives compared to the expectations of the life course (Study 1a). Second, deviating is related to more engagement in identity processes (Study 1a). Third, emerging adults report contradictions in retrospective reports of socialization messages regarding expectations (Study 1b), a finding confirmed in a discourse analysis of mothers and their adolescents (Study 2). Overall, across the studies, we see that (a) adolescents and emerging adults are engaged in a delicate balance of negotiating between various cultural and familial messages, as well as personal experiences, about gender identity particularly in regards to gender equality and, (b) there is a complex relation between socialization messages about gender equality that may make some biographical master narratives about the expected life course events for men and women more resistant to change.
Intersubjectivity, Normativity, and Grammar
Authors: Raymond Chase Wesley
Published: June 2019

Interactants depend on background knowledge and commonsense inferences to establish and maintain intersubjectivity. This study investigates how the resources of language—or more specifically, of grammar—can be mobilized to address moments when such inferences might risk jeopardizing understanding in lieu of promoting it. While such moments may initially seem to undermine the normative commonsensicality of the particular inference(s) in question, the practice examined here is shown to legitimize those inferences through the very act of setting them aside. It is ultimately argued that grammar and other normative systems in social life (e.g., heteronormativity) mutually shape one another, with normative associations being routinely reconstituted as “by-products” in the pursuit of in-the-moment shared understanding.
Flanders Ahead, Wallonia Behind (But Catching Up): Reconstructing Communities Through Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Making
Authors: Van Oudheusden Michiel , Charlier Nathan , Delvenne Pierre
Published: June 2019

Drawing on a documentary analysis of two socioeconomic policy programs, one Flemish (“Vlaanderen in Actie”), the other Walloon (“Marshall Plans”), and a discourse analysis of how these programs are received in one Flemish and one Francophone quality newspaper, this article illustrates how Flanders and Wallonia both seek to become top-performing knowledge-based economies (KBEs). The article discerns a number of discursive repertoires, such as “Catching up,” which policy actors draw on to legitimize or question the transformation of Flanders and Wallonia into KBEs. The “Catching up” repertoire places Flanders resolutely ahead of Wallonia in the global race toward knowledge, excellence, and growth, but suggests that Wallonia may, in due course, overtake Flanders as a top competitive region. Given the expectations and fears that “Catching up” evokes among Flemish and Walloon policy actors, the repertoire serves these actors as a flexible discursive resource to make sense of, and shape, their collective futures and their regional identities. The article’s findings underline the simultaneity of, and the interplay between, globalizing forces and particularizing tendencies, as Flanders and Wallonia develop with a global KBE in region-specific ways.
Associations of lymphocyte percentage and red blood cell distribution width with risk of lung cancer
Authors: Ma Cong , Wang Xiaoyan , Zhao Rui
Published: June 2019

Objective

There is ample evidence to indicate that inflammation is involved in tumorigenesis. Lymphocyte percentage (LYM%) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) are easily measured indicators of systemic inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the associations between LYM% and RDW and the risk of lung cancer.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 430 patients with lung cancer and 158 healthy individuals (control group). Twenty clinical characteristics were analyzed, including LYM% and RDW. Significant laboratory indices were determined by univariate analysis and logistic regression was conducted to identify independent predictors of lung cancer risk.

Results

Patients with lung cancer had significantly lower LYM% and higher RDW levels compared with healthy controls. LYM% and RDW were confirmed to be independent predictors of lung cancer risk. LYM% also differed significantly among different histological subtypes of lung cancer.

Conclusion

A high risk of lung cancer was closely correlated with low LYM% and high RDW. LYM% and RDW are easily measured and may therefore aid the assessment and timely screening of lung cancer risk.
Evaluation of Bus-Bicycle and Bus/Right-Turn Traffic Delays and Conflicts
Authors: Keeling Katherine L. , Glick Travis B. , Crumley Miles , Figliozzi Miguel A.
Published: June 2019

This research evaluates conflicts and delays caused by interactions among buses, bicycles, and right-turning vehicles at a mixed traffic corridor in Portland, OR. The study site has a near-side bus stop and a right curbside lane designated for buses and right-turning vehicles. Next to the bus/right-turn lane is a bicycle lane with a bicycle box ahead of the bus stop (i.e., between the intersection and the bus stop). This research examines two concerns caused by these overlapping bus, bicycle, and automobile facilities; the first is the number of bus-bicycle conflicts (as a proxy for safety) and the second is bus delay. Video data was collected and analyzed to quantify conflicts, travel time, and delay. For every bus passing through the study site, the mixed traffic scenario that the bus incurs was categorized as one of 72 different combinations of bus, bicycle, and automobile interactions. Video count data was weighted according to seasonal, weekly, and hourly bicycle volume data to estimate the number of annual bus–bicycle conflicts. A regression analysis was performed to identify potential sources of delays. The results indicate that each bicycle crossing the intersection after the bus (within 60 ft of bus) contributes to bus delay. No statistically significant delay was found from the bicycles stopped in the bicycle box, bicycles stopped behind the bicycle box, bicycles that cross the intersection before the bus, or the presence of right-turning vehicles.
Numerical modeling of continuous-flow left ventricular assist device performance
Authors: Telyshev Dmitry , Petukhov Dmitry , Selishchev Sergey
Published: June 2019

Responses of five rotary blood pumps, namely HeartAssist 5, HeartMate II, HeartWare, Sputnik 1, and Sputnik 2, were extensively assessed in six test cases using a mathematical model of the cardiovascular system. Data for the rotary pumps were derived from pressure–flow curves reported in the literature. The test cases were chosen to attempt to cover most common clinical conditions, such as partial or full support or transitions between different levels of ventricular support. The investigated parameters are collected in a table and presented in figures, such as pressure–volume loops, H-Q curves, pump flow, and aortic pressure waveforms. HeartAssist, Sputnik 1, and Sputnik 2 pumps provide comparable level of aortic pressure, pump flow pulsatility PI(QP), and aortic pressure pulsatility PI(AoP) due to the similarity of pressure–flow characteristic curves of these pumps. HeartMate II provides a minimal backflow among other investigated rotary blood pumps due to the maximum pressure head at zero flow. HeartWare provides minimal pulsation of flow, which is confirmed by a flow range from −2 to 7 L/min in case 1. At the same time, the greatest degree of unloading was demonstrated by the HeartWare due to the flatness of the pressure–flow curve shape. The conclusions were made based on the obtained results, including the influence of pressure–flow curve shape on the pump performance and occurrences of adverse events, such as backflow or suction. For example, the increase of the pressure head at zero flow decreases the likelihood of backflow through the pump, and with it, increasing the flow under minimal pressure head increases the likelihood of suction.
Occipital Nerve Blocks for Relief of Headaches in Patients With Ventriculoperitoneal Shunts: A Case Series
Authors: Kim Eugene , Cucchiaro Giovanni
Published: June 2019

Pediatric patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunts commonly present with headaches. We report 7 children with ventriculoperitoneal shunts and occipital headaches who received occipital nerve blocks. Eighty-six percent of patients had a history of at least 1 ventriculoperitoneal shunt revision. Headaches improved in every patient after the block. Two patients (29%) were symptom free 11 and 12 months after the block. Four patients (57%) required repeat occipital nerve blocks. Two underwent pulsed radiofrequency ablation. No complications were noted. When patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunts present with headaches, a detailed physical examination is necessary. Persistent occipital headaches with tenderness and radiation in the path of the occipital nerves can be indicative of occipital neuralgia resulting from the shunt having crossed over the path of the greater or lesser occipital nerve. Occipital nerve blocks can help as both diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in these patients.
Assessing Extravascular Lung Water With Ultrasound: A Tool to Individualize Fluid Management?
Authors: Nair Sunil , Sauthoff Harald
Published: June 2019

Aggressive fluid resuscitation has become standard of care for hypotensive patients with sepsis. However, sepsis is a syndrome that occurs in patients with diverse underlying physiology and a one-size-fits-all approach to fluid administration seems misguided. To individualize fluid management, several methods to assess fluid responsiveness have been validated, but even in fluid responsive patients, fluid administration may still be harmful and lead to pulmonary edema. Hence, to individualize fluid management, in addition to fluid responsiveness, fluid tolerance needs to be assessed. This article examines whether lung ultrasound can be useful to detect excess extravascular lung water (EVLW) and thus assess fluid tolerance. The physiology of EVLW and the principles of lung ultrasound are briefly described. Articles examining the correlation between EVLW and lung ultrasound findings in various clinical settings are carefully reviewed. Overall, lung ultrasound has been found to be an excellent tool to detect EVLW, but large outcome studies investigating lung ultrasound-guided fluid management are still lacking.
Urban Spatial Structure and Travel in China
Authors: Hu Lingqian , Yang Jiawen , Yang Tianren , Tu Yuanjie , Zhu Jing
Published: June 2019

This article first provides a critical scoping review of empirical literature on the relationship between urban structure and travel in China. The review finds that residential suburbanization alone increases travel, polycentric development has mixed effects, and jobs–housing balance reduces travel. Second, this article compares the empirical findings of the urban structure–travel relationships in China with those observed in other countries, and it identifies contextual factors that can explain the differing relationships in China. We suggest that future research improve data and methodology and broaden the research scope to investigate the complex mechanisms that affect the urban structure–travel relationship in China.
Geographies of Sexual Assault: A Spatial Analyses to Identify Neighborhoods Affected by Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Authors: Muldoon Katherine A. , Galway Lindsay , Reeves Allegra , Leach Tara , Heimerl Melissa , Sampsel Kari
Published: June 2019

Emergency departments are a common access point for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), but very little is known about where survivors live and the neighborhoods they return to. The objectives of this study were to describe the patient population that present for a sexual or partner-based assault and explore the geographic distribution of cases across the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Data for this study were extracted from the Sexual Assault and Partner Abuse Care Program (SAPACP) case registry (January 1 to December 31, 2015) at The Ottawa Hospital. Spatial analyses were conducted using six-digit postal codes converted into Canadian Census Tract units to identify geographic areas with concentrated cases of SGBV. Concentrated areas were defined as Census Tracts with seven or more SGBV cases within a single calendar year. In 2015, there were 406 patients seen at the SAPACP and 348 had valid postal codes and were included in the analyses. More than 90% of patients were female and 152 (43.68%) were below 24 years of age. More than 70% knew their assailant and the most common locations of the assault were at the survivors’ home (31.03%), assailants’ home (27.01%), or outdoors (10.92%). Eight concentrated areas were identified including three in the downtown entertainment district, three lower income areas, one high-income neighborhood, and one suburb more than 20 km from downtown. The findings from this study describe the typical clinical presentation of sexual and domestic assault survivors and also challenge geographic stereotypes of where survivors live and what areas of the city are most affected by SGBV. Using residential information provides a survivor-centric approach that highlights the widespread nature of SGBV and supports the need for population-based approaches to improve care for survivors.
Seven-Year Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms and Their Predictors Among Older Americans
Authors: Xiang Xiaoling
Published: June 2019

Objective: This study examined the trajectories of depressive symptoms and associated factors in older adults using an enhanced group-based trajectory modeling. Method: The study sample consisted of 7,573 adults aged ≥65 years from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (Rounds 1-7). Depressive trajectories were estimated using a group-based trajectory modeling accounting for nonrandom attrition. Results: A four-trajectory model including “persistently low” (77.7%), “increasing” (7.9%), “declining,” (5.5%), and “persistently high” (8.9%) was the best fit using methods accounting for nonrandom attrition. In comparison, methods not accounting for attrition estimated that only 3.2% of older adults were on the “persistently high” trajectory. There were significant differences in depressive trajectories by age, race/ethnicity, sex, physical, and cognitive functioning, and social connections. Discussion: Persistently high depressive symptoms affected a larger proportion of older adults than previously estimated. Depression had a more long-term and increasing course in the oldest-old.
Domesticating the Beast: A “Resource Profile” Framework of Power Relations in Nonprofit–Business Collaboration
Authors: Bouchard Mathieu , Raufflet Emmanuel
Published: June 2019

Researchers have addressed the implications of power imbalance for nonprofits engaging in collaborations with businesses. Yet as nonprofit–business collaboration intensifies, nonprofit managers’ perceptions of power asymmetry in these relationships remain scantly studied. We argue that investigating these perceptions can sharpen the understanding of determinants and processes of power relations from a nonprofit perspective. To do so, we studied nonprofit–business collaboration in a network of international cooperation nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Based on our findings, we designed a nonprofit-centric “resource profile” framework of power relations in cross-sector collaborations. This framework provides an empirically grounded tool to inform nonprofit managers’ decision making as they engage in collaborations with businesses. Based on this framework, we elaborate a set of theoretical propositions to integrate existing knowledge and guide further nonprofit-centric research on power dynamics in cross-sector collaboration.
Competing signals in the judicial hierarchy
Authors: Strayhorn Joshua A
Published: June 2019

Political principals often face information deficits. This is especially true of the US judicial hierarchy; extant theories of ideological monitoring in this setting have therefore explored informational cues such as lower court ideology or dissent. Canonical models of this setting, however, have omitted litigants, implicity assuming they are not an important source of information. This paper develops a formal model that considers whether litigants can credibly signal information about noncompliance, and how litigants’ signals interact with the cues of ideology and dissent. The model shows that litigant signals can be highly informative about doctrinal compliance, sometimes even crowding out the need for other signals. By contrast, litigants face difficulty communicating information about case importance; dissent, however, can be highly informative on this dimension. Accordingly, some informational cues may only influence limited aspects of the high court’s case selection process.
Mode control of electro-mechanical suspension systems for vehicle height, levelling and ride comfort
Authors: Kwon Baek-soon , Hyun Young-jin , Yi Kyongsu
Published: June 2019

This paper proposes a mode control algorithm of electro-mechanical suspension for vehicle height, attitude control and improvement of ride quality. The proposed control algorithm consists of mode selector, upper-level and lower-level controllers, and suspension state estimator. The mode selector determines the present driving mode using vehicle signals, such as longitudinal speed, steering wheel angle, accelerator pedal position, brake pedal position and vertical acceleration of wheels. The upper-level controller determines the desired suspension state using the present driving mode. The lower-level controller derives the desired stroke speed of the actuator in each suspension by linear quadratic control theory. The suspension state estimator has been designed using accessible sensor measurement by discrete-time Kalman filter theory. The control and estimation algorithms have been developed based on a novel reduced-order vehicle model that includes only the vehicle body dynamics. The model enables the observer to completely remove the effect of unknown road disturbance on the estimation error. The performance of the proposed control algorithm has been evaluated via computer simulation study. The simulation results show that the proposed control algorithm is effective at controlling the electro-mechanical suspension systems. The paper also shows that the considered actuator is suited for vehicle height and levelling control, but not for improvement of ride comfort, due to voltage input constraints.
Performance evaluation of electric vehicle brushless direct current motor with a novel high-performance control strategy with experimental implementation
Authors: Dahbi Mohamed , Doubabi Said , Rachid Ahmed , Oulad-Abbou Driss
Published: June 2019

In this article, a new control strategy for electric vehicle battery autonomy and performance improvements is proposed. This method is based on the use of a DC-DC converter combined with a brushless DC motor as an electric vehicle propulsion engine. First, an analysis of the three-phase brushless DC motor performance based on analytical modeling is addressed. This model stands on the derivative of the commutated and non-commutated phase currents from which the speed response is induced. The proposed model presents different brushless DC motor pulse width modulation control modes and allows highlighting the most appropriate mode with lower current ripple and power loss, higher efficiency and faster response. Furthermore, a DC-DC boost converter is integrated in the motor control scheme, to describe after, how the electric vehicle performance is increased when implementing this control mode. Evaluation of the analytic results has been validated through simulations on MATLAB/Simulink. The evaluation focuses on speed response for different pulse width modulation control modes, current ripple rate in addition to the electric vehicle performance with and without DC-DC converter. In addition, an experimental validation using a laboratory designed platform is performed. The proposed method demonstrates a better electric vehicle performance in terms of increasing the battery autonomy and speed range.
Oleuropein modulates glioblastoma miRNA pattern different from Olea europaea leaf extract
Authors: Tezcan G , Aksoy SA , Tunca B , Bekar A , Mutlu M , Cecener G , Egeli U , Kocaeli H , Demirci H , Taskapilioglu MO
Published: June 2019

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most prevalent and deadliest subtype of glioma. Despite current innovations in existing therapeutic modalities, GBM remains incurable, and alternative therapies are required. Previously, we demonstrated that Olea europaea leaf extract (OLE) kills GBM cells by modulating miR-181b, miR-137, miR-153 and Let-7d expression. However, although oleuropein (OL) is the main compound in OLE, its role in the antitumour effect of OLE remains unknown. This study determined the effect of OL on GBM cell line T98G and compared the results with our previous findings regarding the effect of OLE on the same cell line. The antiproliferative activity of OL and its effect on temozolomide (TMZ) response were tested inT98G cells using WST-1 assay. OL inhibition was evaluated using one-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s post hoc test. The effect of OL on miR-181b, miR-137, miR-153 and Let-7d expression was assessed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Fold differences in expression between untreated, OL or OL + TMZ-treated samples were calculated using 2−ΔCt method. Significance was evaluated using an independent sample t-test. Treatment with 277.5 and 555 µM OL resulted in 39.51% and 75.40% reductions in T98G cells within 24 h. Coadministration of 325 µM TMZ and 277.5 or 555 µM, OL caused 2.08- and 2.83-fold increases, respectively, in the therapeutic effect of TMZ. OL + TMZ significantly increased microRNA expression, particularly Let-7d, than OLE. In conclusion, OL has an antitumour effect on GBM cells mainly via regulation of Let-7d expression. The present results also indicate other minor compounds in OLE play important anticancer roles.
A Twitter campaign against pseudoscience: The sceptical discourse on complementary therapies in Spain
Authors: Cano-Orón Lorena
Published: June 2019

The main objective of this article is to analyse the sceptical movement’s discourse on complementary therapies in Spain, as well as comprehend its mobilisation against these therapies. Over the past 2 years, the Spanish sceptical movement, constituted by citizen’s associations against unconventional therapies and in favour of evidence-based medicine, has increased its activism which, as a result, is now more familiar to the public. To perform this study, three sources of information were selected: (a) the #StopPseudociencias campaign, with a corpus of 6252 tweets; (b) 153 news articles published during the study timeline and (c) 7 interviews with members of the sceptical movement, journalists and politicians. The results of the content and discourse analyses have shown that the sceptical movement occupies a dominant discursive position on Twitter, while the perspective is more balanced in digital dailies.
Setting the Record Straight: Scharnhorst and the Origins of the Nineteenth-Century Prussian General Staff
Authors: White Charles Edward
Published: June 2019

Scharnhorst established the modern general staff. He was among the first anywhere to comprehend the transformation of war wrought by the citizen armies of the French Revolution. As early as 1793, then a captain in the Hanoverian army, Scharnhorst recommended combining organization and intellect into a collective or corporate genius called the General Staff with Troops. After Prussia’s defeat in 1806, he was able to lay the foundations of the modern general staff. Using primary and secondary source material, this article analyses the tremendous contribution of Gerhard von Scharnhorst to modern military history.
Efficiency and Its Determinants: Firm-level Evidences from Micro Enterprises in Dibrugarh District of Assam
Authors: Nomani Rubab Fatema , Sen Alok
Published: June 2019

This study estimates technical efficiency and examines its determinants in the micro-manufacturing enterprises in Dibrugarh, one of the most developed districts in the state of Assam in India. It is based on cross-sectional firm-level primary data, collected through a field survey from 115 micro-manufacturing enterprises in the district. The results of the data envelopment analysis suggests that the average technical efficiency score of the firms is quite low, which indicates a high degree of technical inefficiency in the production process. Further efficiency in the enterprises is more due to the inefficient conversion of inputs into outputs rather than due to scale inefficiency. An attempt has also been made to identify some firm-specific and entrepreneurial background variables responsible for inefficiency using the maximum likelihood Tobit regression model. The study reveals that skilled labour, firm-age, firm-size, experience of entrepreneur and gender of entrepreneur have a positive association with efficiency but the magnitude of influence is small. From a policy perspective, it is recommended that policies for rational downsizing of existing firms, along with their rehabilitation and reorganisation should be adopted to promote firm’s efficiency performance. The empirical evidences also point to the need for industry-specific policy guidelines.
Memory clinic survey in New Zealand: a second look
Authors: Stone Constance , Copeland Bronwyn , Collier Cheryl , Cheung Gary
Published: June 2019

Objective:

To investigate the changes in publicly funded memory clinics in New Zealand’s since the last survey in 2008.

Method:

We conducted an online survey of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) and gathered information on the recently discontinued or established memory clinics.

Results:

We found dedicated memory clinics in the seven DHBs that have the largest older persons populations in New Zealand. Those DHBs that had discontinued their memory clinics did so because they opted for a more integrated approach using their primary care based dementia care pathway. Increased waiting times, low staffing ratios, variance in cognitive screening tests and patient demographics were reported.

Conclusions:

There is significant variability in the structure of memory clinics in New Zealand. These clinics could benefit from collaboration and bench-marking of their services.
Understanding Racial Differences in Diagnosing ODD Versus ADHD Using Critical Race Theory
Authors: Ballentine Kess L.
Published: June 2019

Although both oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are associated with poor long-term outcomes, ODD may lead to worse outcomes. While epidemiological literature suggests similar prevalence of ODD and ADHD across racial groups, a review of studies assessing “real-world” diagnostic practice suggests Black children may be over-diagnosed with ODD. Critical race theory (CRT) is applied to determine the etiology and sequelae of a racial effect in diagnostic practice to explain this disparity in findings. Social work practice implications include encouraging examination of professional diagnostic training and procedures for racial bias, active questioning of ODD diagnoses, research to build counter-narratives to that of the dangerous Black child, and advocacy for structural changes to disrupt racism.
Undergraduate Students Prefer Learning Text and Broadcast Skills Sequentially Versus Concurrently, But Assessments of Their Final Projects Are Mixed
Authors: Castañeda Laura , Haggerty Rebecca
Published: June 2019

This study examined two sections of “Reporting and Writing I.” One taught writing for text and broadcast concurrently, whereas the other taught these skills sequentially. A student survey found a strong preference for learning subjects sequentially. Outside evaluators assessing final stories rated text projects from students taught sequentially slightly higher than text stories from students taught concurrently, but rated broadcast stories from students taught concurrently slightly higher than broadcast stories from students taught sequentially.
Partner Disagreement on the Occurrence of Intimate Partner Violence Among a National Sample of Heterosexual Young-Adult Couples
Authors: Kuijpers Karlijn F.
Published: June 2019

To assess the extent and patterns of partner disagreement on the occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) among a young-adult couple sample, the Add Health Romantic Pairs data are used ( N = 1,183 heterosexual couples). Among young-adult couples in which IPV is reported, substantial partner disagreement is the norm. Moreover, women are more likely to report their own perpetration of minor and physical IPV than men. For injurious and sexual IPV, no gendered patterns are observed. In conclusion, IPV prevalence rates vary depending on which partner’s self-reports are being considered. Prior research may have suffered from a reporting bias and to obtain accurate estimates of IPV both partners of a couple should be included in future research.
Increased Incidence of Villitis in Placentas Exposed to Chemotherapy During Pregnancy: Is There a Correlation?
Authors: Kantarovich Diana , Archer Sydney , Khoshnam Nasim , Al-Haddad Eman , Moncaleano Daniela , Demian Sherry , Jacob Angela M , Shehata Bahig M
Published: June 2019

We have identified 9 pregnant patients who were diagnosed with malignancy and initiated chemotherapy during their second trimester (cervical cancer [n = 3], leukemia [n = 3], breast cancer [n = 2], and Hodgkin’s lymphoma [n = 1]). Five of the patients’ placentas were small for gestational age (SGA). Pathologic examination revealed inflammatory changes in 4 of the placentas: 2 from the SGA placentas and 2 from non-SGA placentas. Examination revealed 3 placentas with villitis of unknown etiology (VUE) and 1 with intervillositis; all were negative for bacterial and viral cultures and by immunohistochemical (IHC) stains. In the VUE cases, IHC stains showed positivity of CD25+/FOXP3+ with focal positivity and CD3 and CD4 IHC were focally to strongly positive. Literature suggests that the use of chemotherapy during pregnancy can be detrimental to both the mother and the fetus; however, there has been limited focus on the effects of chemotherapy on the placenta. We suggest that the inflammatory process noted in the placentas is due to chemotherapy-induced toxic effects.
Phototoxic maculopathy due to extreme usage of infrared illuminator–assembled night-vision handheld scope
Authors: Ozer Muhammet Derda , Batur Muhammed , Seven Erbil , Tekin Serek , Savasan Mesut
Published: June 2019

Night-vision handheld scopes are of wide use in military operations at dark conditions. In some cases in the battlefield, as in our case report, if there is no light coming from any source (neither from Moon nor from Stars), infrared light-emitting diode illumination can be coupled with night-vision goggles. Reflected illumination from the target is mostly blue filtered through the night-vision goggles objective lens. Retinal damage induced by unfiltered blue light and visible light has been previously reported. We described a phototoxic maculopathy induced by night-vision handheld scope assembled with infrared light-emitting diode illuminator in two soldiers who are on duty at nights for nearly two-thirds of the last year. The phototoxic maculopathy can represent with typical optical coherence tomography findings such as intraretinal hyperreflective accumulation particularly located on the surface of outer retinal segments defect or presumably in the vicinity of the light passageway. Here, we presented a unique factor causing phototoxic maculopathy.
Serum Chemerin Levels Correlate With Determinants of Metabolic Syndrome in Obese Children and Adolescents
Authors: Ba Hong-Jun , Xu Ling-Ling , Qin You-Zhen , Chen Hong-Shan
Published: June 2019

Objectives:

This study aimed to investigate serum chemerin concentrations in obese children and adolescents and to investigate the associations of chemerin with body mass index (BMI), lipid levels, and insulin sensitivity.

Methods:

Forty-eight obese and 40 nonobese Chinese children and adolescents were included in the study. BMI and levels of chemerin, lipids, glucose, and insulin were measured following an overnight fast. The Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and BMI standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) were determined for all participants.

Results:

Serum chemerin levels were found to be significantly higher in obese children and adolescents than in control group members (94.83 ± 5.99 ng/mL vs 56.43 ± 4.16 ng/mL, P < .001). There were significant correlations between chemerin and age, BMI, BMI-SDS, total triglyceride (TG) levels, insulin levels, and HOMA-IR. After controlling for age, we found that chemerin levels were also significantly correlated with BMI-SDS (r =+ 0.284, P = .008) and HOMA-IR (r =+ 0.241, P = .034). In a stepwise multiple regression analysis, we observed only BMI-SDS to be an important determinant of chemerin level.

Conclusions:

In our sample of Chinese children and adolescents, chemerin levels were significantly higher in the obese group than in the control group. Chemerin levels were positively correlated with BMI-SDS and HOMA-IR and negatively correlated with age. We thus believe that further study is necessary to investigate the risk of metabolic abnormalities in young obese children and adolescents.
Appeasement and rewards: Explaining patterns of party responsiveness towards activist preferences
Authors: Kaltenegger Matthias , Heugl Katharina , Müller Wolfgang C
Published: June 2019

Intra-party democracy calls for party elites being responsive towards party activists. Yet, empirically, we know relatively little about how responsive parties are towards their rank and file and the factors influencing these processes. This article investigates drivers of party responsiveness towards activists, using a novel data source. Following a case study approach, the article analyses how motions submitted at 41 post-war party congresses of the Austrian Social Democratic Party were treated by party elites ( n = 3249). Results indicate that elite responsiveness is a means to appease activists when the party underperforms in party competition. Elites vary responsiveness across intra-party groups. They are more ready to accept the demands of those groups that are affected most by the party’s failure to deliver. Party elites are also more responsive towards electorally successful subunits.
Barriers to post-diagnostic care and support in minority ethnic communities: A survey of Danish primary care dementia coordinators
Authors: Nielsen T Rune , Nielsen Dorthe S , Waldemar Gunhild
Published: June 2019

Background

People from minority ethnic groups are under-represented in dementia diagnosis, treatment, and care. The aim of this study was to examine barriers to accessing post-diagnostic care and support in minority ethnic communities from the perspective of primary care dementia coordinators in Denmark.

Method

A survey questionnaire investigating issues related to provision of care and support services in minority ethnic communities was conducted among 41 primary care dementia coordinators representing all Danish geographic regions. Responses were primarily based on five-point Likert scales. Results from geographic regions with different rates of people from minority ethnic communities with dementia were compared.

Results

Among the surveyed dementia coordinators, 95% generally thought that providing dementia care and support services to minority ethnic service users was challenging. Strategies for overcoming cultural and linguistic barriers were generally sparse. Uptake of most post-diagnostic services was perceived to be influenced by service users’ minority ethnic background. Communication difficulties, poor knowledge about dementia among minority ethnic service users, inadequate cultural sensitivity of care workers, and a lack of suitable dementia services for minority ethnic communities were highlighted as some of the main barriers. Not surprisingly, 97% generally found minority ethnic families to be more involved in provision of personal care and support compared to ethnic Danish families.

Conclusion

There is a need to develop methods and models for post-diagnostic care and support that include cultural awareness and diversity for interacting with different cultural communities.