bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Following in the footsteps of the wolf: connecting scholarly minds to ancestors in Indigenous language revitalization
Authors: Rosborough T’łat’łaḵuł Patricia , Rorick čuucqa Layla
Published: February 2017

The authors’ respective experiences as Indigenous people, scholars, language activists, and Kwak’wala (Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw/Kwakiutl language) and ḥiḥiškʷiiʔatḥa (Hesquiaht dialect of the Nuu-chah-nulth/Nootka language) adult language learners and teachers are discussed in relation to the literature on spirituality and the supernatural. Using dialogic and autoethnographical voices, the authors highlight the long-term effects of metaphysical interaction on learning, as well as acknowledging its role in Indigenous research as a foundational and continuous part of Indigenous search for knowledge. Indigenous cultural principles and the narrative research practice of Indigenous scholars guide the authors in drawing on the traditions of teaching through story, centering relationships, and practicing reciprocity in the context of where Indigenous researchers stand in continual relationship to their Indigenous communities.
Native American studies: a place of community
Authors: Lee Tiffany S
Published: February 2017

Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico in the USA aims to practice a pedagogy of community, which facilitates students’ engagement and contribution to community. I first examine Native American Studies’ growth in the USA toward nurturing a collective and intellectual learning community. Then, I share students’ viewpoints to demonstrate how Native American Studies practices a pedagogy of community. Students exhibit critical Indigenous consciousness, which is the embodiment of perspectives beyond individualistic goals and places the significance of their education on community well-being. Students also display an inward gaze, a necessity for implementing a pedagogy of community. An inward gaze is a critical examination of our communities and how they might be perpetuating the hegemonic, oppressive, and assimilationist conditions under which colonialism has placed them. Practicing a pedagogy of community is about community sustainability.
The existential dimensions of the paradox of becoming in the process turn in organisation studies
Authors: Segal Steven
Published: February 2017

This article offers a theory of becoming a manager which goes beyond Maslow and Rogers’ theory of self-actualisation. Based on two process perspectives in the context of organisations and management, it argues that becoming is less about ‘inner-self’ but emerges out of the dialectical interaction between a person and the world: a manager only becomes a manager as they engage with the world. Based on existential philosophers, it argues that the dialectical activity of becoming a manager through interacting with the world presupposes the willingness to leap through the anxiety of the unfamiliar and unknown so that a managerial identity and way of being can emerge. Existentialism and Organization Studies–based process theory are brought together by the way in which Karl Weick uses a quotation from Kierkegaard: ‘Life is lived forward and understood backward’. This statement is also used as a basis for suggesting a way of working with the relationship between theory and practice in management.
Rethinking cultural diversity in the UK film sector: Practices in community filmmaking
Authors: Malik Sarita , Chapain Caroline , Comunian Roberta
Published: February 2017

Academic, policy and industry debates have tended to focus on the mainstream film sector when discussing cultural diversity. One of the persistent challenges for the sector has been how to diversify cultural representation and participation. This article suggests that participatory modes of community filmmaking make an important contribution to cultural diversity. Drawing on an evidence base derived from qualitative research conducted in three English regions, the article shifts the spotlight away from the mainstream and onto the margins of the film sector in order to explore more ‘bottom-up’ approaches to cultural diversity. It examines how community filmmakers interpret and engage with questions of cultural diversity and how this connects to the participatory and business practices that they adopt. The findings highlight the significance of processes of practice in how mediated cultural diversity manifests itself and the value of community filmmaking in contributing to wider cultural diversity debates and practices.
Emotional responses to disfigured faces and Disgust Sensitivity: An eye-tracking study
Authors: Stone Anna , Potton Anita
Published: February 2017

Facial disfigurement attracts attention and evokes negative emotion, but evidence is lacking for a link between these two reactions. The present experiment ( n = 29) investigated emotional and attentional reactions to photographs of people with disfigured faces. An eye-tracker was used to measure fixation on internal expressive features and on the forehead. Disfigurement to the internal expressive features invoked a stronger emotional reaction than disfigurement to the forehead. Attention in the area of disfigurement was associated with negative emotion (embarrassment, sympathy, disgust, repulsion) as well as surprise. Attention to the disfigurement, and negative emotion, was related to the trait of Disgust Sensitivity.
Exploring variation in reading comprehension among young adult Spanish–English bilinguals: The role of environmental language contact and attitudes toward reading
Authors: Smith Sara Ashley , Briggs Jessica G , Pothier Holly
Published: February 2017

Aims:

The goal of this study was to investigate diversity among Spanish–English bilingual university-level students’ reading outcomes and the impact of reading attitudes, motivation, and variation in language environment.

Design:

The current study included 50 Spanish–English bilingual undergraduate students, mean age 21.8 years, from a university in the western United States. Participants were administered a battery of standardized assessments including measures of executive function, English reading comprehension, working memory, non-verbal IQ, and questionnaires addressing language environment, language behaviour, and attitudes toward reading in English and Spanish.

Data and analysis:

Hierarchical linear regression models regressing reading performance on questionnaire responses were performed.

Findings:

Spanish–English bilingual university students showed differential reading comprehension outcomes, which were significantly predicted by differences in attitudes toward reading, extrinsic and/or instrumental motivation, and environmental language usage. A combined model of IQ, working memory, perceived English reading skills, and composite of positive attitudes toward reading in Spanish and English accounted for the most variance in reading comprehension scores, 38.5%, F(2,502), p = .03. Greater Spanish use for workplace customer communication significantly predicted higher English reading comprehension.

Originality:

Distinct from previous research, learners’ perceived value of Spanish reading and use of Spanish in the workplace accounted for variance in English reading outcomes.

Significance:

Our findings that individual and environmental factors influence variation in reading outcomes indicates further heterogeneity among Spanish–English bilingual university students, with potential implications for reading development and university success.
Language anxiety in the immigrant context: Sweaty palms?
Authors: Sevinç Yeşim
Published: February 2017

Aims and objectives:

This is a proof-of-concept study designed to evaluate the level of language anxiety among immigrants by assessing autonomic arousal associated with heritage language anxiety and majority language anxiety among three generations of Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands. It examines the possible relationship between physiology, bilingual speech, language background variables and language anxiety.

Design:

Two measures of electrodermal activity – skin conductance level (SCL) and skin conductance response (SCR) – were recorded during a video-retelling task in six experimental phases: baseline (2×), free (bilingual) mode (2×), monolingual heritage-language (Turkish) mode, and monolingual majority-language (Dutch) mode. Participants ( n=30) ranked their level of language anxiety after the Turkish monolingual mode and Dutch monolingual mode. A Likert scale-based questionnaire was used to gather information on language background variables (i.e. age of acquisition, oral language proficiency and frequency of language use).

Findings:

Third-generation bilinguals, to a greater extent than first- and second-generation bilinguals, demonstrated greater autonomic arousal during the Turkish monolingual mode than during the Dutch one. Participants’ SCLs/SCRs in monolingual modes were strongly correlated with their self-reports on heritage and majority language anxiety. Higher levels of SCLs/SCRs in the Turkish monolingual mode were negatively correlated with participants’ Turkish oral proficiency levels and frequency of daily use of Turkish. The correlations between SCLs/SCRs in the Dutch monolingual mode and participants’ Dutch oral proficiency levels and frequency of daily use of Dutch, on the other hand, were low to non-significant. These findings suggest that language anxiety is also related to social and psychological factors, rather than only self-perceived low language proficiency.

Implications:

The outcome confirms the presence of language anxiety in immigrant contexts. An interdisciplinary approach that applies physiological measures together with social factors and self-reports can shed further light on language anxiety.

Originality:

The study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of language anxiety in immigrant contexts and provides evidence for the relationship between anxiety, bilingual speech and autonomic arousal.
Hybrid simulation of a carbon fibre–reinforced polymer-strengthened continuous reinforced concrete girder bridge
Authors: Tian Shizhu , Jia Hongxing , Lin Yuanzheng
Published: February 2017

The behaviour of bridge columns strengthened using carbon fibre–reinforced polymer composites has been studied extensively. However, few investigations have been conducted regarding the influence of carbon fibre–reinforced polymer-strengthened columns on the seismic behaviour of reinforced concrete continuous girder bridges. This article details the hybrid simulations of a continuous reinforced concrete girder bridge whose columns are strengthened by carbon fibre–reinforced polymer jackets. In the hybrid simulations, one ductile column is selected as the experimental element, which is represented by a 1/2.5-scale specimen, and the remaining bridge parts are simultaneously modelled in OpenSees (the Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation). After combining the experimental element and the numerical substructure, the hybrid analysis model is developed with the established hybrid simulation system. The displacements of the bridge and the lateral force–displacement response of the experimental element in hybrid simulation are obtained. Compared with the results of numerical simulation, the stability and accuracy of the established hybrid simulation system are demonstrated. Meanwhile, the comparative hybrid simulation results of the as-built bridge and the carbon fibre–reinforced polymer-strengthened bridge also prove the effectiveness of the carbon fibre–reinforced polymer jackets’ confinement in the continuous reinforced concrete girder bridge.
Influence of synthetic fibers on the shear behavior of lightweight concrete beams
Authors: Ababneh Ayman , Al-Rousan Rajai , Alhassan Mohammad , Alqadami Mohammed
Published: February 2017

Incorporating discontinuous structural synthetic fibers in general enhances the performance of concrete and increases its durability by minimizing its potential to cracking and providing crack arresting mechanism. Synthetic fibers are non-corrosive, alkali resistant, simple to apply, and added in small quantities due to their low density; thus, a substantial number of uniformly distributed fibers are added. In this research, an experimental program was undertaken to investigate the shear behavior of lightweight concrete beams containing discontinuous structural synthetic fibers. The studied parameters include fiber content and shear reinforcement. The tests were conducted under four-point loading in a simply supported span of 0.85 m. The beams were divided into three groups based on shear reinforcement. Group 1 was designed without shear reinforcement, Group 2 with closed vertical stirrups placed at d/4 spacing (where d is the effective depth), and Group 3 with closed vertical stirrups placed at d/2 spacing. Each group contains four identical specimens except in terms of the fiber content: 0, 3, 5, and 7 kg/m3 equivalent to fiber volume fractions of 0%, 0.33%, 0.55%, and 0.77%, respectively. The experimental results showed that the discontinuous structural synthetic fibers improve the ultimate shear strength, ductility, stiffness, and toughness of lightweight concrete beams significantly. Therefore, design codes are encouraged to consider their contribution to shear strength and revise the maximum stirrups spacing when discontinuous structural synthetic fibers are used. The results also showed that addition of discontinuous structural synthetic fibers reduces the crack width of lightweight reinforced concrete beams. The effectiveness of the discontinuous structural synthetic fibers decreases as the stirrups spacing decreases.
Public faces? A critical exploration of the diffusion of face recognition technologies in online social networks
Authors: Norval Aletta , Prasopoulou Elpida
Published: February 2017

In recent years, we have witnessed a rapid spread of biometric technologies from the security domain to commercial and social media applications. In this article, we critically explore the repercussions of this diffusion of face recognition to everyday contexts with an in-depth analysis of Facebook’s “tag suggestions” tool which first introduced the technology to on-line social networks. We use Nissenbaum’s framework of contextual integrity to show how the informational norms associated with biometrics in security and policing - their contexts of emergence - are grafted on-line social networks onto their context of iteration. Our analysis reveals a process that has inadvertently influenced the way users understand face recognition, precluding critical questioning of its wider use. It provides an important deepening of contextually-driven approaches to privacy by showing the process through which contexts are co-constitutive of informational norms. Citizens are also offered a critical tool for understanding the trajectory of biometrics and reflect on the data practices associated with the use of face recognition in social media and society at large.
Against the implicit politics of service-dominant logic
Authors: Hietanen Joel , Andéhn Mikael , Bradshaw Alan
Published: February 2017

Few recent topics in marketing have met such immediate popularity and critique as Vargo and Lusch’s service-dominant logic (SDL). While many have criticized SDL scholarship for a lack of cultural sophistication, coherence, and relevance, it has nevertheless maintained and expanded its own distinct stream of ideas. Recently, Vargo and Lusch have proposed that SDL could be extended into a theory of society. We criticize this notion by contrasting their views on commodity value with Marxist and post-Marxist literatures, finding SDL ill-equipped to understand consumer culture, but also continuing to propagate simplistic and misguided views of “value” in commodity markets. We conclude by challenging SDL’s suitability as candidate for all-encompassing social theorizing because of its tacit neoliberalism.
Managing performance evaluation uncertainties in schools: When teachers become struggling performers
Authors: Englund Hans , Frostenson Magnus
Published: February 2017

Performative technologies are increasingly relied upon as a means of controlling the work of teachers. As noted in the literature, one possible outcome of this trend is the performer, a teacher identity that presupposes the internalization of, and adaptation to, a performative logic. Based on the findings from an empirical study of a Swedish upper secondary school, we suggest that teachers who actually submit to the underlying logic of performative technologies – i.e. who intentionally strive towards a performative identity – will encounter a number of performance evaluation uncertainties, due to how performative technologies may: (a) reflect and recognize teacher performances based on qualitative judgements, (b) fail to take into account their entrepreneurial endeavours, (c) depict essentially collective effects as individual performances, and (d) reflect and recognize performances in a relativizing way. Such performance evaluation uncertainties will, in turn, provoke perceived tensions as performative teachers want to be (perceived as) performers but become uncertain as to when and why they did (not) perform well. And importantly, we find that such tensions tend to turn the ongoing reproduction of a performative identity into a cognitive struggle. Based on this, we introduce and elaborate on a particular type of performative teacher identity; the struggling performer.
Intimate Partner Violence in Male Survivors of Child Maltreatment: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Godbout Natacha , Vaillancourt-Morel Marie-Pier , Bigras Noémie , Briere John , Hébert Martine , Runtz Marsha , Sabourin Stéphane
Published: February 2017

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health concern. Yet, despite an increasingly extensive literature on interpersonal violence, research on male victims of IPV remains sparse and the associations between different forms of child maltreatment (CM) and IPV victimization and perpetration in men remains unclear. The present meta-analysis evaluated five different forms of CM (sexual, physical, and psychological abuses, neglect, and witnessing IPV) as they predicted sexual, psychological, and physical IPV perpetration and victimization in men. Overall, most available studies examined men as perpetrators of IPV, whereas studies of victimization in men were relatively scarce. Results reveal an overall significant association ( r = .19) between CM and IPV. The magnitude of this effect did not vary as a function of type (perpetration vs. victimization) or form (sexual, psychological, or physical) of IPV. Although all forms of CM were related to IPV, with effect sizes ranging from .05 (neglect and IPV victimization) to .26 (psychological abuse and IPV victimization), these associations varied in magnitude according to the type of CM. Findings suggest the importance of expanding research on CM and IPV to include a range of different kinds of abuse and neglect and to raise concerns about the experience of men as both victims and perpetrators of IPV.
Negative Affective Language in Politics
Authors: Utych Stephen M.
Published: February 2017

How do the words we use to talk about politics influence political attitudes and evaluations? I focus specifically on negative affective language—words which individuals have preexisting negative reactions toward. Considering the Affect Infusion Model (AIM), processing style influences how individuals use affect when making decisions. The impact of affective language depends upon the complexity of the decision. In simpler processing tasks, individuals will use affect as a heuristic. This causes a misattribution of generalized negative affect onto a political target, leading to harsher evaluations. When a decision is complex, affective language influences how new information is stored in memory, along with improving information recall and abstract thinking. For those who are exposed to negative affective language, negative evaluations of politicians persist more strongly in memory, while these evaluations fade away when affect is used as a heuristic.
Indoor Air Quality and Asthma
Authors: Golden Robert , Holm Stewart
Published: February 2017

Numerous contaminants in indoor air and their potential to cause or exacerbate asthma continue to be a subject of public health concern. Many agents are causally associated with or can exacerbate asthma, particularly in children. For formaldehyde, an established respiratory irritant based on numerous studies, the evidence for an association with asthma is still considered only limited or suggestive. However, there is no evidence that indicates increased sensitivity to sensory irritation to formaldehyde in people often regarded as susceptible such as asthmatics. Acrolein, but not formaldehyde, was significantly associated with asthma in a large cohort of children. This prompted an evaluation of this highly irritating chemical that had never previously been considered in the context of the indoor air/childhood asthma issue. Because acrolein is more potent than formaldehyde as a respiratory irritant and ubiquitous in indoor air, it is plausible that previous studies on potential risk factors and childhood asthma may be confounded by formaldehyde acting as an unrecognized proxy for acrolein.
Dynamic properties of an axially moving sandwich beam with magnetorheological fluid core
Authors: Wei Minghai , Sun Li , Hu Gang
Published: February 2017

Dynamic properties and vibration suppression capabilities of an axially moving sandwich beam with a magnetorheological fluid core were investigated in this study. The stress–strain relationship for the magnetorheological fluid was described by a complex shear modulus using linear viscoelasticity theory. First, the dynamic model of an axially moving magnetorheological fluid beam was derived based on Hamilton’s principle. Then, the natural frequency of the sandwich beam for the first mode was determined. Later, the effects of the speed of the axial movement, axial force, applied magnetic field, skin–core thickness ratio, and their combination on the dynamic properties of the sandwich beam with a magnetorheological fluid core were investigated. It was found that these parameters have significant effects on the dynamic properties of the sandwich beam. Moreover, the results indicate that the active control ability of magnetic field has been influenced by the axial force, moving speed, and increasing skin–core thickness ratio.
An element-free Galerkin method for electromechanical coupled analysis in piezoelectric materials with cracks
Authors: Li Xiao Lin , Zhou Li Ming
Published: February 2017

We present an element-free Galerkin method for electromechanical coupled fracture analysis in piezoelectric materials. Singularity terms were introduced into the approximation function of the new method to describe the displacement and electric fields near the crack. The new method requires a smaller domain to describe the crack-tip singular field compared with the finite element method. Then, we computed the J-integrals of piezoelectric materials and investigated the effects of crack length on the computational precision. Numerical examples were used to highlight the accuracy of the new method compared with the analytical solutions and finite element method.
Decomposed dynamic control for a flexible robotic arm in consideration of nonlinearity and the effect of gravity
Authors: Yin Haibin , Li Yongguang , Li Junfeng
Published: February 2017

This article presents a nonlinear dynamic model of a flexible robotic arm considering nonlinearity from elastic deformation and the effect of gravity. The dynamic model can be decomposed into separate flexible and rigid subsystems. A decomposed dynamic control, including flexible and rigid dynamic controls, is proposed for the controller of the flexible robotic arm. Optimization is used in this flexible dynamic control to obtain the desired trajectory and can deal offline with strong nonlinearity, but it is excessively dependent on the accuracy of the model, so it is not robust enough and has poor disturbance-rejection capabilities. The rigid dynamic control, by contrast, is expected to be sufficiently robust to compensate for uncertain factors. Therefore, a hybrid sliding mode control is proposed to track the desired trajectory and further suppress residual vibration. Additionally, the actual flexible modes are estimated to accurately calculate the component of the proposed controller. This study addresses the theoretical derivation and experimental verification of the proposed controller.
Differential-drive mobile robot control using a cloud of particles approach
Authors: Lages Walter Fetter , Alves Jorge Augusto Vasconcelos
Published: February 2017

Common control systems for mobile robots include the use of some deterministic control law coupled with some pose estimation method, such as the extended Kalman filter, by considering the certainty equivalence principle. Recent approaches consider the use of partially observable Markov decision process strategies together with Bayesian estimators. These methods are well suited to handle the uncertainty in pose estimation but demand significant processing power. In order to reduce the required processing power and still allow for multimodal or non-Gaussian uncertain distributions, we propose a scheme based on a particle filter and a corresponding cloud of control signals. The approach avoids the use of the certainty equivalence principle by postponing the decision on the optimal estimate to the control stage. As the mapping between the pose space and the control action space is nonlinear and the best estimation of robot pose is uncertain, postponing the decision to the control space makes it possible to select a better control action in the presence of multimodal and non-Gaussian uncertainty models. Simulation results are presented.
Pedestrian detection algorithm in traffic scene based on weakly supervised hierarchical deep model
Authors: Cai Yingfeng , He Youguo , Wang Hai , Sun Xiaoqiang , Chen Long , Jiang Haobin
Published: February 2017

The emergence and development of deep learning theory in machine learning field provide new method for visual-based pedestrian recognition technology. To achieve better performance in this application, an improved weakly supervised hierarchical deep learning pedestrian recognition algorithm with two-dimensional deep belief networks is proposed. The improvements are made by taking into consideration the weaknesses of structure and training methods of existing classifiers. First, traditional one-dimensional deep belief network is expanded to two-dimensional that allows image matrix to be loaded directly to preserve more information of a sample space. Then, a determination regularization term with small weight is added to the traditional unsupervised training objective function. By this modification, original unsupervised training is transformed to weakly supervised training. Subsequently, that gives the extracted features discrimination ability. Multiple sets of comparative experiments show that the performance of the proposed algorithm is better than other deep learning algorithms in recognition rate and outperforms most of the existing state-of-the-art methods in non-occlusion pedestrian data set while performs fair in weakly and heavily occlusion data set.
Remember like humans
Authors: An Ning , Sun Shi-Ying , Zhao Xiao-Guang , Hou Zeng-Guang
Published: February 2017

Visual tracking is a challenging computer vision task due to the significant observation changes of the target. By contrast, the tracking task is relatively easy for humans. In this article, we propose a tracker inspired by the cognitive psychological memory mechanism, which decomposes the tracking task into sensory memory register, short-term memory tracker, and long-term memory tracker like humans. The sensory memory register captures information with three-dimensional perception; the short-term memory tracker builds the highly plastic observation model via memory rehearsal; the long-term memory tracker builds the highly stable observation model via memory encoding and retrieval. With the cooperative models, the tracker can easily handle various tracking scenarios. In addition, an appearance-shape learning method is proposed to update the two-dimensional appearance model and three-dimensional shape model appropriately. Extensive experimental results on a large-scale benchmark data set demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art two-dimensional and three-dimensional trackers in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and robustness.
Use of temperature-controlled laminar airflow in the management of atopic asthma: clinical evidence and experience
Authors: Warner John O.
Published: February 2017

Avoidance of allergens in the treatment of asthma has hitherto not achieved significant benefit despite the strong evidence that allergy both increases severity and contributes to exacerbations of asthma. House dust mite, cat and dog allergens are the most common perennial allergic triggers and most avoidance strategies have focused on reducing exposures in bedrooms. Cochrane reviews have suggested that they neither significantly reduce allergen levels nor improve asthma. While the lack of efficacy may be assumed to be a consequence of exposures occurring outside the bedroom, prolonged sleep is associated with increased susceptibility to bronchospasm and airway inflammation. Thus, if efficient reductions in allergen exposure could be achieved during sleep, it might be expected that this would result in significant improvements in control of asthma. The temperature-controlled laminar airflow (TLA) is a system which can be employed over beds in a domestic environment and results in massive reductions in particulate exposure of recumbent subjects, including highly respirable allergens such as Fel. D1 from cats. Trials of TLA have demonstrated highly significant improvements in asthma quality of life and reductions on airway inflammation as monitored by exhaled nitric oxide levels. Furthermore, in patients with the worst disease, severe exacerbation frequency was significantly reduced. Based on UK health-service costs, the use of TLA falls well below the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) threshold for the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) per quality adjusted life year (QALY). Indeed, for those with frequent exacerbations, it is cost saving and should be prescribed for such allergic asthmatic patients.
Scabies outbreak among healthcare workers in a German acute care hospital
Authors: Leistner Rasmus , Buchwald Dirk , Beyer Marc , Philipp Sandra
Published: February 2017

Background:

This article reports on a scabies outbreak among healthcare workers (HCW) in an acute care hospital. The outbreak was associated with a patient suffering from a chronic skin disease that was later diagnosed as crusted scabies.

Objective:

The objective was to determine the outbreak drivers and define a prevention strategy against future outbreaks.

Methods:

All staff that had contact with the patient were treated with 5% permethrin ointment. An interdisciplinary outbreak investigation team was established. The team conducted a questionnaire-based case-control study.

Findings:

After the permethrin treatment, no further case was found. Twenty-seven HCWs who had contact with the index patient answered the questionnaire (response rate 73%). The outbreak questionnaire revealed 13 cases of secondary scabies among HCWs. In the multivariable analysis, a lack of glove use (odds ratio [OR], 9.8; P value = 0.036) and frequent close physical contact (OR, 8.151; P value = 0.038) were associated with increased risk of scabies acquisition.

Discussion:

The scabies outbreak was most likely driven by three factors: an index patient with crusted scabies; a delayed diagnosis of this patient; and close physical contact without gloves during his hospital stay. The use of disposable gloves for patients with unclear dermatological diagnosis have the potential to limit future scabies outbreaks.
The Design, Prototyping, and Formative Evaluation of an Assistive Robotic Table (ART) for Stroke Patients
Authors: Threatt Anthony L. , Merino Jessica , Brooks Johnell O. , Healy Stan , Truesdail Constance , Manganelli Joseph , Walker Ian , Green Keith Evan
Published: February 2017

Objective:

This article presents the results of an exploratory study in which 14 healthcare subject matter experts (H-SMEs) in addition to four research and design subject matter experts (RD-SMEs) at a regional rehabilitation hospital engaged in a series of complementary, participatory activities in order to design an assistive robotic table (ART).

Background:

As designers, human factor experts, and healthcare professionals continue to work to integrate assistive human–robot technologies in healthcare, it is imperative to understand how the technology affects patient care from clinicians’ perspectives.

Method:

Fourteen clinical H-SMEs rated a subset of conceptual ART design ideas; participated in the iterative design process of ART; and evaluated a final cardboard prototype, the rehabilitation hospital’s current over-the-bed table (OBT), an ART built with true materials, and two therapy surface prototypes. Four RD-SMEs conducted a heuristic evaluation on the ART built with true materials. Data were analyzed by frequency and content analysis.

Results:

The results include a design and prototype for the next generation ART and a pneumatically controlled therapy surface, a broadened list of specifications for the future design and implementation of assistive robotic furniture, and final observations.

Conclusion:

When compared to the rehabilitation hospital’s current OBT, the developed ART in this study was successful. Designing novel features is dependent upon ensuring patient safety. The inclusion of clinicians in the participatory iterative design and evaluation process and the use of personas provided a broadened list of specifications for the successful implementation of assistive robotic furniture.
Venous Thromboembolic Prophylaxis in Foot and Ankle Surgery: A Review of Current Literature and Practice
Authors: Weisman Martin H. S. , Holmes James R. , Irwin Todd A. , Talusan Paul G.
Published: February 2017

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a well-known and feared complication following foot and ankle surgery, as it is a source of morbidity and mortality in the perioperative phase. The most recent CHEST guidelines recommended against the use of chemoprophylaxis and the majority of the literature has found a low incidence of VTE following foot and ankle surgery. Some authors prefer screening patients for risk factors and recommend the use of chemoprophylaxis on a case-by-case basis. Interestingly, studies that found high incidence of VTE were unable to determine a statistically significant difference between the prophylaxis and placebo groups. Major limitations of retrospective reviews is they are only able to study symptomatic VTE because no routine screening is typically performed. In a survey study, up to 98% of foot and ankle surgeons responded that they use prophylaxis in high-risk patients. Despite evidence-based recommendations, a significant number of foot and ankle surgeons are routinely using some form of VTE prophylaxis without taking risk factors into account.

Levels of Evidence: Clinical, Level IV: Review Article
Fulminant Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome
Authors: Suchdev Kushak , Norris Gregory , Zak Imad , Mohamed Wazim , Ibrahim Mohammed
Published: February 2017

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is increasingly being recognized as a diagnosis in patients presenting with thunderclap headaches. In the vast majority of the cases, the syndrome follows a benign course and patients recover completely without any significant therapeutic intervention. In the rarest of cases, RCVS follows a monophasic course with rapid worsening, severe neurological deficits, and poor outcomes. We present the case of a 25-year-old female who presented with headaches which were worsening over 1 week. She was admitted to the hospital and rapidly worsened to develop severe neurological deficits over the next day. Initial computed tomography scan showed areas of hemorrhage and multiple ischemic strokes. Computed tomography angiogram and a conventional cerebral angiogram both revealed multifocal vasoconstriction, highly suggestive of RCVS. Despite aggressive medical and surgical management, the patient continued to worsen and eventually died. Autopsy findings did not show evidence of vasculopathy or any other underlying disorder, further supporting the diagnosis of RCVS. The RCVS is usually a benign self-remitting condition which commonly affects young females and presents with an insidious onset of headaches. Rarely, it can have a fulminant course with devastating outcomes. This case illustrates an exceptionally uncommon clinical course of RCVS and the challenges in its treatment.
Anterior spinal artery aneurysm in aortic stenosis of different etiology: Report of three cases
Authors: Singh Vivek , Naik Suprava , Bhoi Sanjeev K , Phadke RV
Published: February 2017

Isolated aneurysms of spinal arteries are rare. Spinal artery aneurysms are commonly found in association with spinal cord arteriovenous malformation and coarctation of aorta and rarely with aortic arch interruption and Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. Spinal angiograms are the gold standard for diagnosing these spinal artery aneurysms but with the advances in computed tomography technology these aneurysms can also be very well demonstrated in computed tomography angiograms. We describe three cases of anterior spinal artery aneurysm, those are flow related aneurysms, associated with coarctation of aorta and with Takayasu arteritis.
Keeping Safe: Intra-individual Consistency in Obstacle Avoidance Behaviour Across Grasping and Locomotion Tasks
Authors: Kangur Karina , Billino Jutta , Hesse Constanze
Published: February 2017

Successful obstacle avoidance requires a close coordination of the visual and the motor systems. Visual information is essential for adjusting movements in order to avoid unwanted collisions. Yet, established obstacle avoidance paradigms have typically either focused on gaze strategies or on motor adjustments. Here we were interested in whether humans show similar visuomotor sensitivity to obstacles when gaze and motor behaviour are measured across different obstacle avoidance tasks. To this end, we measured participants’ hand movement paths when grasping targets in the presence of obstacles as well as their gaze behaviour when walking through a cluttered hallway. We found that participants who showed more pronounced motor adjustments during grasping also spent more time looking at obstacles during locomotion. Furthermore, movement durations correlated positively in both tasks. Results suggest considerable intra-individual consistency in the strength of the avoidance response across different visuomotor measures potentially indicating an individual’s tendency to perform safe actions.
Acceptance of televideo technology by adults aging with a mobility impairment for health and wellness interventions
Authors: Mitzner Tracy L , Stuck Rachel , Hartley Jordan Q , Beer Jenay M , Rogers Wendy A
Published: February 2017

Televideo technology (e.g., Skype) has potential to support adults as they age by facilitating their interactions with people remotely; this potential may be even greater for adults aging with pre-existing mobility impairments, who face challenges interacting with others in person due to lack of transportation or accessibility. Our research employed questionnaire and interview methodologies to investigate this understudied population about their attitudes toward televideo technology for supporting social engagement, healthcare provider access, and physical activity. Participants were 14 adults aging with self-reported mobility impairments (50–70 years of age). Overall, participants were open to accepting televideo technology for social engagement, healthcare provider access, and physical activity. Participants perceived these technologies to be useful and perceived additional benefits, including the feeling of “being there” by enabling the viewing of facial expressions and the environment of the other person. Concerns included perceptions that televideo technologies lack security and privacy. Participants also expressed concerns that these technologies are difficult to use and are difficult to learn to use. The findings have implications for education, training, and deployment of televideo technology for home-based interventions for adults aging with pre-existing mobility impairments.
A Multitypological Approach to the Relationship Between Welfare States and Globalization
Authors: Pankratz Curt
Published: February 2017

This article argues that understanding the relationship between welfare states and globalization can benefit from a “multi-typological” approach, in which a number of typologies are applied side-by-side as summaries of the relationships between particular aspects of social policy and globalization. Findings suggest that different welfare state typologies predict different aspects of globalization. The article concludes that the analysis of the connection between welfare states and globalization can benefit not from attempting to identify the most accurate welfare state typology, but from understanding the unique contributions made by each one.
Correlation between anatomy of the scapula and the incidence of rotator cuff tear and glenohumeral osteoarthritis via radiological study
Authors: Miswan Mohd Fairudz bin Mohd , Saman Mohd Shahril bin Ahmad , Hui Teo Seow , Al-Fayyadh Mohamed Zubair Mohamed , Ali Mohamed Razif bin Mohamed , Min Ng Wuey
Published: February 2017

Introduction:

We conducted a study to elucidate the correlation between the anatomy of the shoulder joint with the development of rotator cuff tear (RCT) and glenohumeral osteoarthritis (GHOA) by using acromioglenoid angle (AGA).

Materials and Methods:

The AGA is a new measured angle formed between the line from midglenoid to lateral end of the acromion with the line parallel to the glenoid surface. The AGA was measured in a group of 85 shoulders with RCT, 49 with GHOA and 103 non-RCT/GHOA control shoulders. The AGA was compared with other radiological parameters, such as, the critical shoulder angle (CSA), the acromion index (AI) and the acromiohumeral interval (AHI). Correlational and regression analysis were performed using SPSS 20.

Results:

The mean AGA was 50.9° (45.2–56.5°) in the control group, 53.3° (47.6–59.1°) in RCT group and 45.5° (37.7–53.2°) in OA group. Among patients with AGA > 51.5°, 61% were in the RCT group and among patients with AGA < 44.5°, 56% were in OA group. Pearson correlation analysis had shown significant correlation between AGA and CSA ( r = 0.925, p < 0.001). It was also significant of AHI in RCT group with mean 6.6 mm (4.7–8.5 mm) and significant AI in OA group with mean 0.68 (0.57–0.78) with p value < 0.001 respectively.

Conclusion:

The AGA method of measurement is an excellent predictive parameter for diagnosing RCT and GHOA.
Does the parental stretching programs improve metatarsus adductus in newborns?
Authors: Eamsobhana Perajit , Rojjananukulpong Karn , Ariyawatkul Thanase , Chotigavanichaya Chatupon , Kaewpornsawan Kamolporn
Published: February 2017

Background:

Metatarsus adductus (MA) is a common pediatric foot deformity. Current recommendations suggest observation until 4–6 months, then casting if the deformity persists. Based on our review of the literatures, no randomized controlled trial has been conducted to study the effectiveness of parental stretching in the correction of MA in newborn.

Material and methods:

Ninety-four newborn feet that were diagnosed as MA by clinical examination were enrolled. Feet were randomized into two groups: observation group and stretching group. Outcome measurements were performed to compare success rate between groups.

Results:

According to Pearson’s χ2 test, there were no statistically significant differences between groups with regard to the overall success of the parental stretching program ( p = 0.191). There was also no significant difference between groups for mild degree or moderate-to-severe degree ( p = 0.134, p = 0.274, respectively). A more rapid success rate was observed in the stretching group at the first month follow-up, but rate of improvement then decreased. The stretching group tended to have a lower success rate compared to the observation group in moderate-to-severe feet, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

Parental stretching program found no benefit over observation group in this study. Parental stretching program should not be applied for newborn babies with moderate-to-severe MA as the result from the study appeared to have lower success rate compared to observation group. Observe until 4–6 months, then corrective casting for the persisting deformity is recommended.
Infection after fracture osteosynthesis – Part I
Authors: Fang Christian , Wong Tak-Man , Lau Tak-Wing , To Kelvin KW , Wong Samson SY , Leung Frankie
Published: February 2017

Bone and surgical site infections after osteosynthesis are notoriously difficult to manage and pose a tremendous burden in fracture management. In this article, we use the term osteosynthesis-associated infection (OAI) to refer to this clinical entity. While relatively few surgically treated fractures become infected, it is challenging to perform a rapid diagnosis. Optimal management strategies are complex and highly customized to each scenario and take into consideration the status of fracture union, the presence of hardware and the degree of mechanical stability. At present, a high level of relevant evidence is unavailable; most findings presented in the literature are based on laboratory work and non-randomized clinical studies. We present this overview of OAI in two parts: an examination of recent literature concerning OAI pathogenesis, diagnosis and classification and a review of treatment options.
Arthroscopic extended rotator interval release for treating refractory adhesive capsulitis
Authors: Tsai Ming-Jr , Ho Wei-Pin , Chen Chih-Hwa , Leu Tsai-Hsueh , Chuang Tai-Yuan
Published: February 2017

Purpose:

To present the clinical results of arthroscopic extended rotator interval release with a stretching program for treating refractory adhesive capsulitis.

Study design:

Case series; level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Arthroscopy-assisted extended rotator interval tissue release including anterior capsular was performed in 26 patients with refractory adhesive capsulitis. All rotator interval tissues, except the medial sling of the biceps, were excised and the excursion of the subscapularis tendon was restored and freely mobilized. The preoperative mean passive forward flexion was 101°, whereas external rotation at the side was 10°. Patients were followed for a minimum of 2 years and their visual analog scale for pain, muscle power, range of motion, Constant score, modified American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Shoulder Evaluation Form score, and modified University of California at Los Angeles score were recorded.

Results:

Visual pain scale and the aforementioned clinical scores improved postoperatively. The patients exhibited a significant postoperative difference in forward flexion, external rotation, and internal rotation. Postoperative mean passive forward flexion was 172°, whereas external rotation at the side was 58°. There was no difference in the muscle power postoperatively including abduction, internal rotation, and external rotation.

Conclusions:

Our study revealed satisfactory subjective and objective clinical results after a 2-year follow-up. Arthroscopy-assisted extended rotator interval release with a stretching program could be an alternative treatment for refractory adhesive capsulitis.