bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multiphase modeling of tsunami impact on building with openings
Authors: Ghosh D , Mittal AK , Bhattacharyya SK
Published: June 2016

The estimation of wave pressure on structures is complex during tsunami due to its unpredictable velocity and direction which depends on various ocean parameters. In this context, some tsunami mitigation strategy can be adopted, so that damage to structures during tsunami may be minimized. The effectiveness of different opening sizes in buildings to reduce wave pressure is investigated numerically in the present study. These results may also be applicable to simulate the tsunami impact on breakaway wall of a building. The effectiveness in tsunami force reduction is quantified in terms of pressure reduction throughout the building height. Computational fluid dynamics technique is used to analyze the wave impact on buildings. Solitary wave is generated in numerical platform by controlling discharge in a channel inlet. Three-dimensional Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes model is used to solve the governing equitation of fluid flow. Realizable k–ɛ turbulence model is applied for turbulence modeling. Multiphase volume of fluid modeling technique is adopted to track the free surface movement and air–water interaction. The tsunami wave characteristics are validated against the internationally reported results. Two types of wave conditions are considered in the study to evaluate the dependence between wave height and pressure on building.
Role of Mfa5 in Expression of Mfa1 Fimbriae in Porphyromonas gingivalis
Authors: Hasegawa Y. , Iijima Y. , Persson K. , Nagano K. , Yoshida Y. , Lamont R.J. , Kikuchi T. , Mitani A. , Yoshimura F.
Published: June 2016

Fimbriae are protein-based filamentous appendages that protrude from the bacterial cell surface and facilitate host adhesion. Two types of fimbriae, FimA and Mfa1, of the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis are responsible for adherence to other bacteria and to host cells in the oral cavity. Both fimbrial forms are composed of 5 proteins, but there is limited information about their polymerization mechanisms. Here, the authors evaluated the function of Mfa5, one of the Mfa1 fimbrial accessory proteins. Using mfa5 gene disruption and complementation studies, the authors revealed that Mfa5 affects the incorporation of other accessory proteins, Mfa3 and Mfa4, into fibers and the expression of fimbriae on the cell surface. Mfa5 is predicted to have a C-terminal domain (CTD) that uses the type IX secretion system (T9SS), which is limited to this organism and related Bacteroidetes species, for translocation across the outer membrane. To determine the relationship between the putative Mfa5 CTD and the T9SS, mutants were constructed with in-frame deletion of the CTD and deletion of porU, a C-terminal signal peptidase linked to T9SS-mediated secretion. The ∆CTD-expressing strain presented a similar phenotype to the mfa5 disruption mutant with reduced expression of fimbriae lacking all accessory proteins. The ∆ porU mutants and the ∆CTD-expressing strain showed intracellular accumulation of Mfa5. These results indicate that Mfa5 function requires T9SS-mediated translocation across the outer membrane, which is dependent on the CTD, and subsequent incorporation into fibers. These findings suggest the presence of a novel polymerization mechanism of the P. gingivalis fimbriae.
Risk of individual malignant neoplasms in patients with sickle cell disease: English national record linkage study
Authors: Seminog Olena O , Ogunlaja Oyindamola I , Yeates David , Goldacre Michael J
Published: June 2016

Objective

Case reports suggest that there may be an increased risk of some cancers associated with sickle cell disease. However, population-based studies are scarce and there is no comprehensive enumeration of the risks across the whole range of site-specific cancers. Our aim was to provide this.

Design

We used an English national dataset of linked statistical records of hospital admissions and deaths from 1999 to 2011 to undertake a retrospective cohort study.

Setting

England.

Participants

Records of all hospital admissions in England with SCD or with conditions included in the control cohort.

Main outcome measures

Rate ratios were calculated comparing rates of cancer in a sickle cell disease cohort and a control cohort, confining the analyses to people whose ethnicity was recorded as Black.

Results

Comparing the sickle cell disease cohort with the cohort without sickle cell disease, the rate ratio for all cancers combined was 2.1 (95% confidence interval 1.7–2.5). There were significantly high rate ratios for haematological malignancies, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma (rate ratio 3.7, 1.5–8.4), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (2.6, 1.3–4.8), multiple myeloma (5.5, 2.8–10.1), lymphoid leukaemia (3.3, 1.3–8.0) and myeloid leukaemia (10.0, 4.6–21.5). Four solid tumours showed elevated rate ratios: colon cancer (2.8, 1.2–5.5), non-melanoma skin cancer (4.4, 1.3–12.2), kidney cancer (5.4, 2.3–11.5) and thyroid cancer (5.1, 1.3–15.4).

Conclusions

The risk of some malignancies may be raised in patients with sickle cell disease. However, this study was based on administrative data without the scope to validate these against patients’ full clinical records. Our findings need confirmation or refutation. If confirmed, work to elucidate, at the genetic and molecular level, why people with sickle cell disease have elevated risks of individual cancers might make contributions to the fundamental understanding of carcinogenesis.
Determination of fat content in goat milk using annular photoelectric sensor system
Authors: Zhu Xingyue , Zhao Zhimin , Zhang Wenjie
Published: June 2016

In this paper, a new method for quantitative determination of fat content in goat milk at room temperature (25°C), based on the annular photoelectric sensor system, has been developed. The measurement system consists of an annular photoelectric sensor, thermoelectric cooler (TEC), amplifier, A/D converter, microprocessor and other components. Based on Mie theory, the diffuse reflection light intensity is adopted as the optical parameter representing the fat content in goat milk. In this way, the standard model of the system can be established and loaded into the processor to realize data acquisition, processing and output. The proposed method has been tested on goat milk samples with variable fat content in the prediction experiment. The results show that the fitting equation is y=−0.366 x+0.295 ( R2=0.987) and measurement errors are within ±3%, which indicates that the presented method has high prediction performance and can measure the fat content in goat milk accurately and in real time.
“Cool” Topic: Feeding During Moderate Hypothermia After Intracranial Hemorrhage
Authors: Dobak Stephanie , Rincon Fred
Published: June 2016

Background: Therapeutic moderate hypothermia (MH; Tcore 33°C–34°C) is being studied for treatment of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Nutrition assessment begins with accurate basal metabolic rate (BMR) determination. Although early enteral nutrition (EN) is associated with improved outcomes, it is often deferred until rewarming. We sought to determine the accuracy of predictive BMR equations and the safety and tolerance of EN during MH after ICH. Materials and Methods: Patients were randomized to 72 hours of MH or normothermia (NT; Tcore 36°C–37°C). Harris‐Benedict (BMR‐HB) and Penn‐State equation (BMR‐PS) calculations were compared with indirect calorimetry (IC) at day (D) 0 and D1–3. Patients with MH received trophic semi‐elemental gastric EN. Occurrences of feeding intolerance, gastrointestinal (GI)–related adverse events, and ventilator‐associated pneumonia (VAP) were analyzed with a double‐sided matched pairs t test. Results: Thirteen patients with ICH participated (6 MH, 7 NT). Mean time to initiate EN: 29.9 (MH) vs 18.4 (NT) hours (P = .046). Average daily EN calories received D0–3: 398 (MH) vs 1006 (NT) (P < .01). Three patients with MH experienced high gastric residuals prior to prokinetic agents, 1 had mild ileus, and 1 patient with NT vomited. No GI‐related adverse events were reported. One patient with MH and 1 patient with NT had VAP. Two patients with MH received IC, and from D0 to D1–3, BMR‐HB remained stable (1331 kcal), BMR‐PS decreased (1511 vs 1145 kcal, P = .5), and IC decreased (1413 vs 985 kcal, P = .2). Conclusions: In patients with ICH undergoing MH, resting energy expenditure is decreased and predictive equations overestimate BMR. EN is feasible, although delayed EN initiation, high gastric residuals, and less EN provision are common. Future studies should focus on EN initiation within 24 hours, advanced EN rates, and postpyloric feeds during hypothermia.
Home Parenteral Nutrition in Adult Patients With Chronic Intestinal Failure: The Evolution Over 4 Decades in a Tertiary Referral Center
Authors: Brandt Christopher Filtenborg , Hvistendahl Mark , Naimi Rahim M. , Tribler Siri , Staun Michael , Brøbech Per , Jeppesen Palle Bekker
Published: June 2016

Background/Aims: In Denmark, the public healthcare system ensures patients with intestinal failure (IF) the same rights for a life‐saving treatment as patients with other organ failures. This study reports the epidemiological data from the largest Danish IF center. As one of the pioneering centers in treating IF with home parenteral nutrition (HPN), this study documents the HPN evolution and describes the demographics and outcome in one of the world's largest single‐center cohorts. Methods: We included patients with IF discharged with HPN from 1970–2010. Data were extracted according to European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism classifications from the Copenhagen IF database. Results: Over the decades, we observed an exponential increase in the number of HPN patients. The 508 patients with IF collectively received HPN for 1751 years. While receiving HPN, 211 patients with IF (42%) died. Only 24 deaths were HPN related: sepsis (n = 10), liver disease (n = 12), central venous thrombosis (n = 1), and a complicated catheter placement (n = 1). The HPN‐related mortality was as low as 0.014 deaths/HPN year. In the first decade, HPN was mainly provided to younger, intestinally resected adult patients with IF with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but numerically, they were subsequently outnumbered by elderly patients with IF with cancer or complications from non‐IBD, noncancer abdominal surgery. Despite these demographic changes, the HPN‐related mortality has decreased in the past decade. Conclusion: Evolving from being a rare, experimental treatment in the 1970s, HPN at present is safe with a low treatment‐related mortality in the experienced center, despite HPN being more widely used in a more elderly population.
Leveraging the London 2012 Paralympic Games
Authors: Brittain Ian , Beacom Aaron
Published: June 2016

The International Paralympic Committee, U.K. Government, and the Organizing Committee for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games all contended that the London 2012 Paralympic Games would positively impact the lives of disabled people in the United Kingdom, particularly with regard to changing nondisabled attitudes toward disability. All three have claimed partial success during the course of the 4-year period (Olympiad) separating the London and Rio Paralympic Games. However, this is at odds with the findings of Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs) and the experiences of disabled individuals. This article considers the claims of both sides against a backdrop of public policies that are targeting large-scale benefit cuts, the media coverage of which actually appears to be hardening attitudes toward anyone on benefits and negating any positive impacts from the Games themselves. It argues that the continued predominance of “ableist” perspectives on disability underpins many of the challenges faced by disabled people. The article adopts a historical perspective on the development of legacy-based foundations upon which the disability sport and Paralympic movements originated. It contends that the gradual move toward an elite “Olympic” sports model of competition has actually served to undermine these foundations.
History in Early Indian Traditions: A Deconstructive Exploration into Inter-textuality
Authors: Gurukkal Rajan
Published: June 2016

Romila Thapar, The Past Before Us: Historical Traditions of Early North India, Permanent Black, New Delhi, 2013, i–xvii + 758 pp., Harvard University Press, 2013. Hardcover: ₹3684, Paper Back: ₹945.
Book Review: Rana P. Behal, One Hundred Years of Servitude: Political Economy of Tea Plantations in Colonial Assam
Authors: Saikia Arupjyoti
Published: June 2016

Rana P. Behal, One Hundred Years of Servitude: Political Economy of Tea Plantations in Colonial Assam, Tulika Books, New Delhi, 2014, xiii + 387 pp., ₹ 900.
Dealing with the Complexity of Causes of Societal Innovativeness: Social Enabling and Disabling Mechanisms and the Case of China
Authors: Redding Gordon , Drew Antony
Published: June 2016

Societies progress by the influence of two forces: innovativeness and cooperativeness. A capacity for enabling these forces constitutes a society’s transformative capacity. The article proposes a vocabulary for certain universal requirements for use in comparing the various societal trajectories aiming towards shared prosperity. Progress to date has in consequence normally seen the growth of empowerment and of more benevolent forms of domination over time. Economic action fosters the sharing of prosperity when systems encourage competition to cooperate. Studies that stress the heritage of ecological context in shaping relevant responses in the present-day social psychology are considered. The specific field of innovativeness is considered by an analysis of Silicon Valley. From this, and from other studies, seven features are identified for an ideal type of societal system high on innovativeness. These are capacity to scale up, worker creativity, individual autonomy, property rights and incentive, open society, stable institutional order and rationality. China is assessed against these criteria, and found to have certain inadequacies that are currently the subject of policy attention.

JEL: Z1, N00, O01, P5
Resveratrol preconditioning induces cerebral ischemic tolerance but has minimal effect on cerebral microRNA profiles
Authors: Lopez Mary S , Dempsey Robert J , Vemuganti Raghu
Published: June 2016

The health benefits of the plant-derived polyphenol resveratrol were established in multiple disease systems. Notably, pre-treatment with resveratrol was shown to be neuroprotective in several models of cerebral ischemia. Mechanisms of resveratrol-mediated neuroprotection have been explored in the context of canonical resveratrol targets, but epigenetic and non-coding RNA processes have not yet been evaluated. Resveratrol was shown to alter microRNAs in cancer and cardiac ischemia. Previous studies also showed that ischemic preconditioning that induces ischemic tolerance significantly alters cerebral microRNA levels, particularly those that target neuroprotective pathways. Therefore, we tested if resveratrol-mediated ischemic tolerance also alters microRNA expression with a goal to identify microRNAs that are amenable to manipulation to induce neuroprotection after cerebral ischemia. Hence, we tested the microRNA profiles in mouse brain following intraperitoneal administration of resveratrol that induced significant tolerance against transient focal ischemia. We analyzed microRNA profiles using microarrays from both Affymetrix and LC Sciences that contain probes for all known mouse microRNAs. The results show that there is no consistent change in any of the microRNAs tested between resveratrol and vehicle groups indicating that microRNAs play a minimal role in resveratrol-mediated cerebral ischemic tolerance.
The sensory power of cameras and noise meters for protest surveillance in South Korea
Authors: Kim Eun-Sung
Published: June 2016

This article analyzes sensory aspects of material politics in social movements, focusing on two police tools: evidence-collecting cameras and noise meters for protest surveillance. Through interviews with Korean political activists, this article examines the relationship between power and the senses in the material culture of Korean protests and asks why cameras and noise meters appeared in order to control contemporary peaceful protests in the 2000s. The use of cameras and noise meters in contemporary peaceful protests evidences the exercise of what Michel Foucault calls ‘micro-power’. Building on material culture studies, this article also compares the visual power of cameras with the sonic power of noise meters, in terms of a wide variety of issues: the control of things versus words, impacts on protest size, differential effects on organizers and participants, and differences in timing regarding surveillance and punishment.
States of violence: Indigenous women migrants in the era of neoliberal multicriminalism
Authors: Speed Shannon
Published: June 2016

The oral histories of indigenous women migrants from Latin America relate human rights violations at every step: in their homes, where violence and impunity compel them to migrate; as they cross the wide expanse of Mexico, encountering a gamut of dangers and a vast sea of impunity, and once they enter the United States, where as asylum seekers they are incarcerated under laws designed to impeded terrorism, or face new vulnerability to partners or strangers if they are undocumented. This is not what was supposed to happen. The multicultural reforms of the 1990s in various Latin American countries that recognized a range of rights for indigenous peoples generated hope and unprecedented social mobilization for indigenous women seeking to fully access their human rights. However since that time, life has gotten more difficult. The promises of neoliberal multiculturalism of the 1990s, however constrained, now seem a distant memory. Theorists have dedicated significant effort to understanding the limitations of neoliberal rights regimes for indigenous peoples, but today, the generalized irrelevance of those regimes suggests that we need to shift our lens. Based on migrant women’s oral histories, I explore how indigenous women are being interpellated by states and other social actors in ways that render even their most basic human rights unattainable. Further, I expand on that analysis to consider how state and non-state power is working in the current moment, which I argue is characterized not so much by neoliberal multiculturalism, as by neoliberal multicriminalism in which violent, corrupt, and lawless states are driven by profit motives in massive scale illegal economies that lack any reasonable regulation or protection of basic human rights.
Timing the Mode Switch in a Sequential Mixed-Mode Survey
Authors: Wagner James , Schroeder Heather M. , Piskorowski Andrew , Ursano Robert J. , Stein Murray B. , Heeringa Steven G. , Colpe Lisa J.
Published: June 2016

Mixed-mode surveys need to determine a number of design parameters that may have a strong influence on costs and errors. In a sequential mixed-mode design with web followed by telephone, one of these decisions is when to switch modes. The web mode is relatively inexpensive but produces lower response rates. The telephone mode complements the web mode in that it is relatively expensive but produces higher response rates. Among the potential negative consequences, delaying the switch from web to telephone may lead to lower response rates if the effectiveness of the prenotification contact materials is reduced by longer time lags, or if the additional e-mail reminders to complete the web survey annoy the sampled person. On the positive side, delaying the switch may decrease the costs of the survey. We evaluate these costs and errors by experimentally testing four different timings (1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks) for the mode switch in a web–telephone survey. This experiment was conducted on the fourth wave of a longitudinal study of the mental health of soldiers in the U.S. Army. We find that the different timings of the switch in the range of 1–4 weeks do not produce differences in final response rates or key estimates but longer delays before switching do lead to lower costs.
Effect of cutting parameters on surface quality during diamond turning of micro-prism array
Authors: Wu Dongxu , Zhang Peng , Wang Huiming , Qiao Zheng , Wang Bo
Published: June 2016

In order to achieve the high-quality roller mold used in roll-to-roll fabrication of optical prism films, this article investigates the effects of cutting parameters on surface quality during diamond turning of micro-prism array, and some cutting experiments are carried out on home-made ultra-precision drum roll lathe. The surface defects such as micro pits and burrs are presented and discussed at different cutting parameters. The experimental results show that, when the cutting depth is more than 4 µm, the plowing force becomes the dominant factor to remove material, which may cause the generation of micro pits on the side surface of micro prism. During multiple-step diamond turning of micro-prism array, the final cutting depth is recommended not to exceed 2 µm; in this case, there is no generation of micro pits and the height of burr is less than 13.6 nm. Moreover, the well-controlled cooling and chip evacuation can effectively improve the influence of cutting speed on surface quality. Finally, micro-prism array with pitch of 40 µm is successfully machined without apparent surface defects.
Characterization of multi-hole nozzle sprays and internal flow for different nozzle hole lengths in direct-injection diesel engines
Authors: Dong Pengbo , Nishida Keiya , Ogata Youichi
Published: June 2016

Multi-hole nozzles have a wide range of application in the fuel supply system of modern diesel engines, although single-hole nozzles dominate basic internal flow and spray research. The parameters of the nozzle geometry are crucial factors that can alter the internal flow dynamics of the nozzle and the consequent spray behaviours. The novelty of this study lies in implementing the application of practical prototype mini-sac multi-hole diesel nozzles to experimental and numerical studies. The internal flow and spray characteristics generated by practical multi-hole (10-hole) nozzles with different sac wall thicknesses (0.4 mm, 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm) were investigated in conjunction with a series of experimental and computational methods using a constant injection quantity (2 mm3/hole). Globally, the analysis mainly concentrated on different nozzle flow dynamics, different injection processes and different spray morphologies. Specifically, the high-speed video observation method was applied to visualize the injection processes and the spray evolution of different nozzles inside a high-pressure vessel. Furthermore, numerical simulations were conducted to reveal the three-dimensional nature of the internal flow inside different configurations; this was instructive in helping us to understand better the mechanism behind the spray behaviours. The results indicate that intense cavitating, turbulent and spiral rotating flow patterns occur inside practical multi-hole nozzles, and the consequent sprays emerging from the nozzles are perturbed, asymmetrical and unstable in both the near field and the far field. Moreover, a decrease in the nozzle hole length can increase the effects of cavitation, turbulence, the void fraction and the axial and radial injection velocity components on the nozzle hole exit; this is accompanied by an intriguing longer injection duration, wider near-field and far-field spray widths, a lower injection rate, and overlapping or even shorter spray propagation. However, these changes are not linear, and different parameters have different sensitivities to the variation in the nozzle hole length.
A simplified transfer matrix of multi-layer piezoelectric stack
Authors: Zhang Yangkun , Tu Zhen , Lu Tien-Fu , Al-Sarawi Said
Published: June 2016

Multi-layer piezoelectric stack is a transducer stacked by numerous thin piezo layers which can convert an electrical energy into a mechanical energy in transmitter mode (actuators or vibrators) and can also convert a mechanical energy into an electrical energy in receiver mode (sensors and energy harvesters). Modelling vibrations of multi-layer piezoelectric stack plays a key role in design, fabrication and optimization of many multi-layer piezoelectric stack–based applications. In this article, a simplified transfer matrix of multi-layer piezoelectric stack, which considers the whole multi-layer piezoelectric stack to be an equivalent homogenous bulk, is proposed and formulated to model multi-layer piezoelectric stack–based vibration. When compared with a direct analytical method, the proposed transfer matrix greatly facilitates derivation of analytical solutions or direct calculations when multi-layer piezoelectric stack is stacked with other structures. Compared with using the transfer matrix proposed in the literature, which is subjected to individual piezo layer in multi-layer piezoelectric stack, the proposed simplified transfer matrix contributes to a much simpler form of analytical solution and greatly reduces the computational effort. Case studies have been carried out, which validate the effectiveness of the proposed simplified transfer matrix of multi-layer piezoelectric stack in both transmitter mode and receiver mode.
Comparison of 2 Population Health Management Approaches to Increase Vitamin B12 Monitoring in Patients Taking Metformin
Authors: Matthews David E. , Beatty Stuart J. , Grever Gail M. , Lehman Amy , Barnes Kelli D.
Published: June 2016

Background: Population health management uses proactive, targeted interventions to improve health outcomes. Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of and time required for 2 pharmacist-driven population health management interventions to improve vitamin B12 monitoring in patients taking metformin. Methods: Physicians were randomized to 1 of 2 population health management interventions. For all patients of physicians assigned to the patient portal intervention, a pharmacist communicated need for vitamin B12 monitoring directly to the patient using an electronic patient portal. For all patients of physicians assigned to the office visit intervention, a pharmacist communicated monitoring recommendations to the physician prior to a scheduled office visit through the electronic health record. The proportion of patients in each group who received vitamin B12 monitoring 30 days after the intervention was quantified. Results: A total of 489 patients of 26 physicians within 5 general internal medicine clinics who had taken metformin for at least 1 year and had not received vitamin B12 monitoring within the past year were identified. The intervention delivered as part of an office visit resulted in increased serum vitamin B12 monitoring compared with the intervention using electronic communication through a patient portal (odds ratio = 4.05; 95% CI = 1.22, 13.46; P = 0.03). The office visit intervention and the patient portal intervention took an average of 8.2 and 0.9 minutes per patient, respectively. Conclusions: Population health management completed during the course of office visits was more effective at increasing vitamin B12 monitoring and required more time than an intervention delivered through an electronic patient portal.
Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Depressive Symptoms in HIV-Positive Individuals
Authors: Ravi Saeedeh , Khalili Hossein , Abbasian Ladan , Arbabi Mohammad , Ghaeli Padideh
Published: June 2016

Background: The antidepressant effect of omega-3 fatty acids has been described in the non-HIV population. The effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the mood status of HIV-positive patients has not been evaluated yet. Objective: In this study, the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on depressive symptoms was evaluated in HIV-positive individuals. Method: A total of 100 HIV-positive patients with Beck Depression Score ≥16, were assigned to receive either omega-3 fatty acids or placebo twice daily for 8 weeks. Depressive symptoms of each participant were evaluated at baseline (month 0) and at the end of months 1 and 2 of the study. Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition, depression subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire were used for assessment of depressive symptoms. Results: Reduction in mean ± SD of all depression scores during the study period was statistically significant within the omega-3 group and when compared with the placebo group (for both comparisons, P < 0.001). Also, the mean differences of all depression scores were decreased significantly during the intervals: months 0, 1, and 2 ( P < 0.001 for all comparisons). Among the participants, 7 (7%) and 4 (4%) patients in the omega-3 and the placebo group, respectively, experienced mild gastrointestinal problems, but the incidence of adverse drug reactions related to the interventions was not statistically different between the groups ( P = 0.09). Conclusion: Omega-3 fatty acids improved depressive symptoms in HIV-positive individuals without any significant adverse reaction.
Pain Resolution After Hallux Valgus Surgery
Authors: Chen Jerry Yongqiang , Ang Benjamin Fu Hong , Jiang Lei , Yeo Nicholas Eng Meng , Koo Kevin , Singh Rikhraj Inderjeet
Published: June 2016

Background:

Although more than 1500 publications on hallux valgus can be found in the current literature, none of them have reported on the course of pain resolution after hallux valgus surgery. Thus, this study aimed to investigate pain resolution after hallux valgus surgery and to identify predictive factors associated with residual pain at 6 months after surgery.

Methods:

We prospectively followed up 308 patients who underwent hallux valgus surgery at a tertiary hospital at 6 months and 2 years after surgery. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors associated with residual pain after surgery.

Results:

Ninety-four patients (31%) had some degree of residual pain at 6 months after surgery. After excluding 4 patients who developed osteoarthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint over the next 18 months, 73 of the remaining 90 (81%) experienced improvement in visual analog scale (VAS) by the 2-years follow-up. Their median VAS improved from 4 (interquartile range [IQR] 3, 5) at 6 months to 0 (IQR 0, 3) at 2 years ( P < .001). A higher preoperative VAS increased the risk of having persistent pain at 6 months after sugery (odds ratio [OR] 1.388, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.092, 1.764, P = .007), whereas a higher preoperative Mental Component Score of SF-36 (MCS) reduced this risk (OR 0.952, 95% CI 0.919, 0.987, P = .007).

Conclusions:

As much as 31% of patients will have residual pain at 6 months after surgery. Preoperative VAS and MCS are predictors for residual pain. However, these patients will continue to improve over the next 18 months, with 71% of them being pain free at 2 years after surgery.

Level of Evidence:

Level II, prospective comparative study.
Guided Note Taking and Student Achievement in a Media Law Course
Authors: Blom Robin
Published: June 2016

In a quasi-experimental setting, a group of U.S. college students in an introductory media law course had higher test scores when the instructor provided access to guided worksheets than a group of students without access to guided worksheets. It also allows educators in journalism and mass communication to cover more materials during courses and/or spend more time elaborating on complex issues to accomplish all learning outcome objectives. The results are comparable with studies that collected evidence in support of the effectiveness of guided note taking on student performance in other academic fields.
From Newsworthiness to Shareworthiness
Authors: Trilling Damian , Tolochko Petro , Burscher Björn
Published: June 2016

People increasingly visit online news sites not directly, but by following links on social network sites. Drawing on news value theory and integrating theories about online identities and self-representation, we develop a concept of shareworthiness, with which we seek to understand how the number of shares an article receives on such sites can be predicted. Findings suggest that traditional criteria of newsworthiness indeed play a role in predicting the number of shares, and that further development of a theory of shareworthiness based on the foundations of newsworthiness can offer fruitful insights in news dissemination processes.
Retrospective application of Program to Access and Review Trending iNformation and Evaluate coRrelation to Symptoms in patients with Heart Failure criteria for the remote management of patients with cardiac resynchronisation therapy
Authors: Brasca Francesco MA , Franzetti Jessica , Rella Valeria , Malfatto Gabriella , Brambilla Roberto , Facchini Mario , Parati Gianfranco , Perego Giovanni B
Published: June 2016

Aim

The Program to Access and Review Trending iNformation and Evaluate coRrelation to Symptoms in patients with Heart Failure (PARTNERS HF) trial elaborated a multiparametric model for prediction of acute decompensation in advanced heart failure patients, based on periodical in office data download from cardiac resynchronisation devices. In this study, we evaluated the ability of the PARTNERS HF criteria to detect initial decompensation in a population of moderate heart failure patients under remote monitoring.

Methods

We retrospectively applied the PARTNERS HF criteria to 1860 transmissions from 104 patients (median follow up 21 months; range 1–67 months), who were enrolled in our programme of telemedicine after cardiac resynchronisation therapy. We tested the ability of a score based on these criteria to predict any acute clinical decompensation occurring in the 15 days following a transmission.

Results

In 441 cases, acute heart failure was diagnosed after the index transmission. The area under the curve (AUC) of the score for the diagnosis of acute decompensation was 0.752 (confidence interval (CI) 95% 0.728–0.777). The best score cut-off was consistent with the results of PARTNERS HF: with a score ≥2, sensitivity was 75% and specificity 68%. The odds ratio for events was 6.24 (CI 95% 4.90–7.95; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

When retrospectively applied to remote monitoring transmissions and arranged in a score, PARTNERS HF criteria could identify HF patients who subsequently developed acute decompensation. These results warrant prospective studies applying PARTNERS HF criteria to remote monitoring.
The joint contribution of diabetes and work disability to premature death during working age: a population-based study in Sweden
Authors: Lallukka Tea , Ervasti Jenni , Mittendorfer-Rutz Ellenor , Tinghög Petter , Kjeldgård Linnea , Pentti Jaana , Virtanen Marianna , Alexanderson Kristina
Published: June 2016

Aims: We aimed to examine how newly diagnosed diabetes and work disability jointly predict death during working age. Methods: We used prospective population-based register data of 25–59-year-old adults who had lived in Sweden since 2002. All those with onset of diabetes recorded in 2006 were included ( n=14266). A 2% random sample ( n=78598) was drawn from the general population, comprising people with no indication of diabetes during 2003–2010. Net days of sickness absence and disability pension in 2005–2006 were examined; the follow-up time for mortality was 2007–2010. Cox regression models were fitted (hazard ratios, HR, 95% confidence interval, CI) adjusting for sociodemographics and time-dependent health conditions. Results: Individuals with diabetes and work disability for over 6 months were at a higher risk of premature death (HR=14.2, 95% CI 12.0–16.8) than their counterparts without diabetes and work disability. A high risk was also observed among people without diabetes but equally prolonged work disability (HR=6.4, 95% CI 5.4–7.6). Diabetes was associated with premature death even without work disability (HR=3.5, 95% CI 2.8–4.4). The associations were particularly attenuated after adjustment for health conditions assessed over the follow-up. Conclusions:Diabetes and work disability jointly increase the risk of death during working age. Diabetes with long-term work disability is associated with the highest risk of premature death, which highlights the importance of their prevention and early detection.
Digital belongings: The intersections of social cohesion, connectivity and digital media
Authors: Marlowe Jay M , Bartley Allen , Collins Francis
Published: June 2016

The rapid proliferation and ongoing transformation of digital technologies and social media platforms have had a substantial influence on the participatory cultures of young people and their associated social connections. This social/digital nexus raises important questions of social cohesion, with digital technologies at once augmenting social interaction whilst simultaneously creating an uneven landscape of access for participation. To address this interface of the digital and the social, this paper presents a qualitative study of 24 tertiary students from ethnic minority backgrounds living in Auckland, New Zealand, who use social media. Incorporating a pre-screening questionnaire, a one-week social media diary and semi-structured interviews, this study presents the ways in which digital belongings influence participants' practices of friendship and family. The ways that connective media influence, and even constrain interaction alongside the politics of belongings, are theorised to further examine the meanings and experiences behind participants' social media usage and social contact. By integrating these ideas, this paper presents the ways in which young university students use social media and the extent to which digital interaction and networking influence social participation and social cohesion.
Groupism and the politics of indigeneity: A case study on the Sámi debate in Finland
Authors: Valkonen Jarno , Valkonen Sanna , Koivurova Timo
Published: June 2016

The article addresses the problems of defining an indigenous people by deconstructing the Sámi debate in Finland, which has escalated with the government’s commitment to ratify ILO Convention No. 169. We argue that the ethnopolitical conflict engendered by this commitment is a consequence of groupism, by which, following Rogers Brubaker, we mean the tendency to take discrete groups as chief protagonists of social conflicts, the tendency to treat ethnic groups, nations and races as substantial entities and the tendency to reify such groups as if they were unitary collective actors. The aim of the article is to deconstruct groupist thinking related to indigenous rights by analytically separating the concepts of group and category. This allows us to deconstruct the ethnicised conflict and analyse what kinds of political, social and cultural aspects are involved in it. We conclude that indigeneity is not an ethnocultural, objectively existing fact, but rather a frame of political requirements.
Numerical simulation of solitary wave interaction with wave wall of breakwater using arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method
Authors: Wang Huan-huan , Jin Xian-long
Published: June 2016

The arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method is used to simulate solitary wave interacting with wave wall of a rubble mound breakwater. The Navier–Stokes equations in arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian description are solved using operator splitting technique. The penalty-based coupling method is introduced to analyze the coupling of structure and fluid. A piston-type wave maker generating the incident solitary wave is set up in the computational domain. In order to evaluate the numerical model’s performance, a set of experimental studies are carried out in a wave flume using solitary waves at a 1:25 scale. The accuracy of simulation of the solitary wave is verified by comparing with the theoretical value and testing data of the wave surface. Wave transformation, impact and overtopping on the breakwater are simulated in this numerical flume, and the time history of pressure on the wave wall is analyzed. The distributions of maximum impact pressure for solitary waves with different wave heights from the numerical simulations show a good agreement with the experimental results. Based on the dynamic response of the breakwater, the stress distribution and the deformation of the wave wall are discussed. The numerical model can be used as a complementary tool for the design of this kind of structures.
The Party Politics of the ‘New English Regionalism’
Authors: Mycock Andrew
Published: June 2016

This article explores the potential that ongoing regional devolution in England might transform the so-called ‘party politics of Englishness’, complicating and potentially compromising the emergence of a nascent English political nationalism. It provides a primary examination of the extent to which conceptual and normative intersections between nationalism and regionalism are reordering both the constitutional architecture and the party political landscape of England. The article argues that politicised manifestations of ‘new English regionalism’ raise new and important challenges to how the two main Union-wide political parties, the Conservatives and Labour, frame and articulate issues of English national party organisation, policy development and identity. The article concludes by noting that the emergence of national and regional forms of identity politics in England is undermining the plurinational organisation and political unity of both parties.
Avulsion of the Distal Sealing Stent of a Zenith Aortouni-iliac Stent-Graft
Authors: Jones Steven M. , Torella Francesco
Published: June 2016

Purpose: To describe a life-threatening complication during endovascular aneurysm repair that was caused by a series of errors. Case Report: A 64-year-old man received a Zenith aortouni-iliac stent-graft for a 61-mm saccular aortic aneurysm. During retrieval of the delivery system, the sheath became dislodged from the common femoral artery. Reintroduction caused the top cap to disengage from the pusher rod because the pin vice had not been tightened as per the instructions for use. Subsequent traction was applied but the delivery system could not be withdrawn from the sheath, thus it was decided to remove the delivery system and sheath en masse. On removal, the distal sealing stent was found deformed and wedged between the top cap and the sheath. Perforation of the common iliac artery by the avulsed stent was treated with iliac limb extension before contralateral iliac plug and femorofemoral bypass graft were performed as planned. The patient made an uneventful recovery. Conclusion: Trapping of the distal sealing stent between the top cap and the pusher rod of the Zenith graft is possible and can be prevented by securing the pin vice prior to retrieval. Description of this complication may prevent similar occurrences in future.
Utility and Usability of the Rapid Assessment of Hospital Procurement Barriers in Donation (RAPiD) as a Tool for OPO Hospital Development Staff
Authors: Alolod Gerard P. , Traino Heather M. , Siminoff Laura A.
Published: June 2016

Context:

Few systematic assessment tools are available to organ procurement organizations (OPOs) for evaluating donation climates of hospitals in their donation service areas (DSAs). The Rapid Assessment of hospital Procurement barriers in Donation (RAPiD) was developed for OPO hospital development staff to assess the organ donation climate of hospitals.

Objective:

To implement a national test of the RAPiD to examine its efficacy and usability by OPO hospital development staff.

Design:

Two-arm randomized design, comparing implementation of RAPiD protocol between qualitatively trained researchers (n = 7) and OPO hospital development staff (n = 24); all evaluators received the same training assessments of high-yield hospitals.

Setting:

A total of 77 hospitals in DSAs of 8 OPOs.

Participants:

A total of 2552 health-care providers (HCPs) in high organ donor potential units.

Main Outcome Measures:

Twenty-four donation-related attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors.

Results:

More HCPs interviewed in the autonomous condition were positive toward the concept of organ donation. However, HCPs in the assisted condition were more candid about and critical of the OPO. As for knowledge, fewer HCPs in the autonomous condition reported familiarity with the donation process, need for donors, and generally accepted timely referral criteria. With respect to behaviors, more respondents in the autonomous condition reported frequent or occasional contact with the OPO and routine or occasional referral criteria use. Due to issues of bias, inadequate research experience, conflicts of interest, and ongoing OPO hospital development initiatives, the RAPiD’s usability by OPO-based hospital development staff is questionable and not recommended in its current form. A next generation of the RAPiD is described for future consideration.
Decision Errors and Accidents
Authors: Strauch Barry
Published: June 2016

When faced with dynamic and often ill-structured situations, experienced decision makers can quickly recognize and respond to the situations they encounter, a process referred to as naturalistic decision making. Naturalistic decision-making research has addressed decision-making errors in complex systems, including those that have resulted in accidents, and explained the decision making that led to the errors. Although much research has been suggested by accident investigations, little has been written about how accident investigators apply naturalistic decision-making research to decision-making errors in the accidents they investigate. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the contribution of naturalistic decision making to accident investigation by describing how investigators explicated decision making in an accident that lacked much of the data that investigators and researchers have typically depended on to examine errors and determine accident causation.
Fluid mechanics calculations in physics of droplets – IV: Head-on and off-center numerical collisions of unequal-size drops
Authors: Acevedo-Malavé Alejandro , Loaiza Nelson
Published: June 2016

In this study, the finite volume method is employed to simulate the coalescence collision between water drops immersed in a continuous phase (n-heptane). For that purpose, it is chosen a range of values for the velocity of collisions for the finite volume calculations may yield different possible outcomes of the collision process. It can be seen for head-on collisions that when the velocity of collision is 0.2 m/s and 3.5 m/s, the little drop induces the formation of a hole in the bigger drop, until the surface tension forces to restore the circular form of the resulting drop. For a velocity of collision of 16.0 m/s, the little drop deforms the bigger one, and the system is converted into a thin ligament with the evolution of the dynamics. In this case, a little mass of n-heptane is trapped between the two drops, but at the end of the dynamics it drains to the continuous phase. For off-center collisions, two different values for the velocity of collisions were chosen, and the drops exhibit a lot of waves on the droplets’ surface. The streamlines are calculated for the process of coalescence of drops. These streamlines allow the understanding of the dynamics of the droplets immersed on the n-heptane phase. The effect of the interfacial tension it is showed due to the oscillations that the droplet exhibits. When the coalescence has begun, the streamlines form circular patterns at the zone of contact between the drops which explain the increment of the thickness of the bridge structure of the fluid between the two drops. At the end of the dynamics, when the velocity is of 0.2 m/s, the bigger drop reaches a circular form approximately, but when the velocity is of 3.5 m/s the drop reaches an elongated form.