bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Community‐based interventions to promote management for older people: an integrative review
Authors: Anuruang Sakuntala , Hickman Louise D , Jackson Debra , Dharmendra Tessa , Van Balen Jane , Davidson Patricia M
Published: December 2013

Aims and objectives

To review community programmes promoting self‐care or self‐management for older people with chronic disease in Thailand.

Background

Identifying successful elements of culturally appropriate and effective community‐based interventions to promote self‐care with chronic illness is increasingly important.

Design

Integrative review.

Data sources

CINAHL, Medline, Health Source Nursing Academic databases.

Methods

Integrative review of peer‐reviewed articles written between 1946–2012. Articles were included if they described self‐care, self‐management, chronic disease and community care interventions targeting older people in Thailand.

Results

Of the 58 articles retrieved, only 13 articles met the eligibility criteria. Elements of effective interventions included: (1) providing culturally sensitive information, (2) including approaches of shared decision‐making and mutual goal setting and (3) flexibility within the intervention to adapt to participant needs.

Conclusions

Shared decision‐making and mutual goal setting between interventionists and patients improved health behaviours and outcomes. Moreover, the flexibility to adopt the intervention to local characteristics demonstrated positive results.

Relevance to clinical practice

Promoting effective self‐care and self‐management behaviours is critical to improving outcomes for chronic conditions. The tailoring and targeting of interventions appropriate to individuals and communities are likely to be most effective in leveraging behaviour change. This review has identified that mutual goal setting improved health behaviours. The flexibility to adopt self‐care interventions to community‐based settings showed improved patient outcomes.
Effectiveness of an e‐learning tool for education on pressure ulcer evaluation
Authors: Morente Laura , Morales‐Asencio José M , Veredas Francisco J
Published: December 2013

Aims and objectives

To evaluate the effectiveness of information and communication technologies in the undergraduate students' pressure ulcer training as a learning tool, compared with traditional teaching methods.

Background

Pressure ulcers constitute one of the great challenges faced by nursing professionals. Currently, pressure ulcer training is based on traditional on‐campus teaching, involving lecture‐style classes with frequent use of photographs of the wounds. This traditional training has some important weaknesses that can put the efficacy of the training at risk.

Design

A randomised controlled trial was developed including undergraduate nursing students.

Methods

The intervention group used an adaptive self‐learning e‐learning tool developed by the research team (ePULab) for pressure ulcer assessment and treatment. The control group received a traditional on‐campus class on the same topic. Pretest and post‐test questionnaires were designed to assess the students' ability in pressure ulcer diagnosis and treatment.

Results

The educational intervention based on the use of the ePULab tool produced significantly better learning acquisition results than those obtained by traditional lecture‐style classes: the total score improved in the control group from 8·23 (SD 1·23)–11·6 (SD 2·52) after the lecture, whereas in the intervention group, the knowledge score changed from 8·27 (SD 1·39)–15·83 (SD 2·52) (p = 0·01) with the use of ePULab.

Conclusions

The results show a higher effectiveness of the devised e‐learning approach for education on management of pressure ulcers.

Relevance to clinical practice

Our results reveal the suitability of the ePULab e‐learning tool as an effective instrument for training on assessment of and treatment for pressure ulcers and its potential impact on clinical decision‐making.
Changes in decisional conflict and decisional regret in patients with localised prostate cancer
Authors: Chien Ching‐Hui , Chuang Cheng‐Keng , Liu Kuan‐Lin , Li Chia‐Lin , Liu Hsueh‐Erh
Published: December 2013

Aims and objectives

To identify the changes and associated factors in decisional conflict and regret in patients with localised prostate cancer up to six months postprimary treatment.

Background

Various treatments of differing qualities can be used for patients with localised prostate cancer; these treatments may cause conflicts in treatment decision‐making and post‐treatment regret.

Design

A quantitative longitudinal study.

Methods

A total of 48 patients were recruited from a 3700‐bed medical centre in northern Taiwan and assessed at pretreatment and one and six months post‐treatment. Demographic characteristics, clinical information and results from the psychosocial adjustment to illness scale, decisional conflict scale and decision regret scale were collected. Data were analysed based on the generalised estimating equations models.

Results

The overall decisional conflict substantially improved over time. However, the feeling of being less informed was high and did not improve considerably during the study period. Education level, decision preferences and psychosocial adjustment were associated with decisional conflict and influenced decision‐making. The feeling of ineffective decision‐making and decisional regret was low, post‐treatment. Psychosocial adjustment was associated with effective decision‐making and decisional regret.

Conclusion

In patients with localised prostate cancer, decisional conflict reduced considerably up to six months post‐treatment. Moreover, the patients were satisfied with their treatment decision‐making and believed that they had made the correct choice up to six months post‐treatment. However, patients may have experienced feelings of being less informed pre‐ and post‐treatment, particularly those with lower education levels, a preference for passive roles, or inferior psychosocial adjustment. Consequently, health professionals must provide adequate medical information and psychosocial intervention to help patients in the decision‐making process.

Relevance to clinical practice

Nurses and healthcare providers must provide localised prostate cancer patients with adequate information and psychosocial intervention to reduce decisional conflict.
Unexpected deaths in medical wards during night shifts: a narrative analysis of nursing experiences
Authors: Palese Alvisa , Petean Marco , Cerne Diana
Published: December 2013

Aims and objectives

To explore nurses’ narratives of unexpected patient deaths during nightshifts.

Background

Despite the importance of patient care and safety during the night, little attention has been paid to this issue in scientific literature. Very few studies have investigated the outcome of night‐time nursing care in patients, and there is a distinct paucity of knowledge regarding the experiences of nurses who discover a patient who has died unexpectedly during a night shift.

Design

A qualitative study design using semi‐structured interviews, interpreted by a narrative inquiry methodology, was adopted.

Methods

A purposeful sample of 15 nurses working in Italian medical wards who had found a patient who had died unexpectedly during a night shift, and who had given their informed consent were interviewed in the period from 2009–2011. An inductive content analysis of the narrated experiences was performed.

Findings

A patient's unexpected death during a night shift is something that nurses fear, and when it occurs, the experience is remembered as a nightmare. From the narratives of the participant nurses, five categories described what happened at night when a patient who had died unexpectedly was discovered: (1) the night started by nurses selecting patients needing intensive surveillance; (2) patients were reprioritised for intensive surveillance; (3) nurses were deceived by apparently normal findings; (4) nurses realised the failure of their protective role; and (5) as a consequence, more intrusive surveillance measures were adopted after the event.

Conclusions

From the narratives, a number of failures in cumulative and individual surveillance occurred during the night when a patient died unexpectedly. The deaths were recognised late, causing intense pain in nurses; this experience affected the following night shifts, when the nurses’ surveillance was more intensive, insistent and intrusive towards patients, even if this was unnecessary.

Relevance to clinical practice

The continuing belief that the night shift is a time when fewer nurses are needed means that the number of registered nurses is reduced and reliance is placed on nursing aides instead, placing patients at risk by compromising the effectiveness of surveillance and the consequent clinical decisions made by nurses and physicians.
Care for community‐dwelling frail older people: a practice nurse perspective
Authors: Bindels Jill , Cox Karen , Widdershoven Guy , van Schayck Onno CP , Abma Tineke A
Published: December 2013

Aims and objectives

To evaluate care programmes for community‐dwelling frail older people from a practice nurse perspective and gain a deeper understanding of their role within the programmes.

Background

In response to the increasing frail population, three regions in the Netherlands implemented care programmes, in which a proactive approach is used to identify frail older people in the community and provide them with the appropriate care and support.

Design

A constructivist grounded theory approach.

Methods

A formative process evaluation was performed, in which study participants were practice nurses (n = 23) focusing on the identification of and care for frail older people in primary care settings. Based on the principles of grounded theory, data were collected via semi‐structured interviews and focus groups and analysed.

Results

The practice nurses explain that ‘building a trusting relationship’ with the older person and ‘making connections’ between older people, family and other professionals are key elements of good care in the programmes. ‘Targeting the wrong audience’ and ‘providing good care’ reflect the doubts and feelings of insecurity the practice nurses have about the screening and selection procedures and their own role and expertise in the programme.

Conclusion

According to the experiences of practice nurses, a trusting relationship with the older people is necessary to provide good care. Practice nurses feel they should receive more support and education to conquer issues concerning social problems in frail older people. Moreover, practice nurses considered the screening and selection procedures to be unsuccessful in identifying frail older people who do need care.

Relevance to clinical practice

A trusting relationship should be given high priority in the care for community‐dwelling frail older people. To improve the care programmes, screening and selection procedures need adjustments. Practice nurses should receive more support in dealing with older people with psychosocial problems.
‘Sometimes it feels as if the world goes on without me’: adolescents' experiences of living with chronic fatigue syndrome
Authors: Winger Anette , Ekstedt Mirjam , Wyller Vegard B , Helseth Sølvi
Published: December 2013

Aims and objectives

To explore the experience of being an adolescent with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Background

Despite ample research, chronic fatigue syndrome is still poorly understood, and there are still controversies related to the illness. Adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome are often unable to attend school and lose social relations with friends. The challenges they face will affect their quality of life.

Design

A qualitative, phenomenological hermeneutical design.

Method

Six boys and twelve girls, aged 12–18, were interviewed, emphasising their own experiences living with chronic fatigue syndrome. Analyses were performed using a phenomenological hermeneutical method.

Results

The core theme, ‘Sometimes it feels as if the world goes on without me’, encompasses the feelings an adolescent living with chronic fatigue syndrome might have about life. The core theme was supported by four subthemes: ‘On the side of life – locked in and shut out’; ‘the body, the illness and me’; ‘if the illness is not visible to others, does it exist?’; and ‘handling life while hoping for a better future’. The subthemes reflect the experience of social isolation, their own and others’ understanding of the illness and hope for the future.

Conclusions

Not being able to be with friends, or attend school, made the adolescents feel different and forgotten. They felt alienated in their own bodies and were struggling to be visible to themselves and to their surroundings. Spending less time with friends and more time with their parents constituted a threat to independence and development. Yet they managed to envision a better future despite all the difficulties.

Relevance for clinical practice

To provide effective support and constructive relations to adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome, all health professions involved need insight from the persons who are themselves ill. Health centres could function as resource centres for patients and healthcare professionals.
Validity of the Chinese Version of the Brief Index of Sexual Functioning for Women with a New Scoring Algorithm and Comparison of Normative and Recurrently Depressed Han Chinese Population
Authors: Han Zili , Gan Zhaoyu , Han Hongying , Chen Jun , Li Kanglai , Guan Nianhong
Published: December 2013

Introduction

The Brief Index of Sexual Functioning for Women (BISF-W) is proved to be a useful instrument to assess female sexual function, but the validation information of its Chinese version is still unavailable. It has not been used to assess female sexual function among Han Chinese women with recurrent depression.

Aim

This study aims to validate the Chinese version of BISF-W (C-BISF-W) with a new scoring algorithm and evaluate the impact of recurrent depression on sexual function among Han Chinese women.

Methods

Three groups of subjects, 63 unmedicated patients with recurrent depression, 50 medicated remitted patients with recurrent depression, and 92 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Sexual function was assessed with C-BISF-W. A new scoring algorithm was developed to provide an overall composite score (G) and seven dimension scores: desire (D1), arousal (D2), frequency of sexual activity (D3), orgasm (D4), sexual interaction (D5), relationship dissatisfaction (D6), and problems affecting sexual function (D7).

Main Outcome Measures

Psychometric analyses were conducted.

Results

Four factors whose Eigenvalues were higher than 1 were extracted, explaining 61.426% of the total variance. Compared with healthy age-matched control, unmedicated cases scored significantly lower in G, D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5, whereas these were higher in D6 and D7. No significant difference was found in the scores of G, D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5 between remitted cases and control, but the former scored higher in D6 and D7 than the latter. In comparison with unmedicated cases, medicated remitted cases got a higher score in G, D1, D2, and D5. For the healthy control, sexual function (G) was negatively correlated with age.

Conclusions

With the new scoring algorithm, C-BISF-W is proved to be a validated instrument to assess female sexual function. The impact of recurrent depression on female sexual function is negatively profound and extensive.
The 4‐cysteine zinc‐finger motif of the RNA polymerase regulator DksA serves as a thiol switch for sensing oxidative and nitrosative stress
Authors: Henard Calvin A. , Tapscott Timothy , Crawford Matthew A. , Husain Maroof , Doulias Paschalis‐Thomas , Porwollik Steffen , Liu Lin , McClelland Michael , Ischiropoulos Harry , Vázquez‐Torres Andrés
Published: December 2013

We show that thiols in the 4‐cysteine zinc‐finger motif of DksA, an RNA polymerase accessory protein known to regulate the stringent response, sense oxidative and nitrosative stress. Hydrogen peroxide‐ or nitric oxide (NO)‐mediated modifications of thiols in the DksA 4‐cysteine zinc‐finger motif release the metal cofactor and drive reversible changes in the α‐helicity of the protein. Wild‐type and relA spoT mutant Salmonella, but not isogenic dksA‐deficient bacteria, experience the downregulation of r‐protein and amino acid transport expression after NO treatment, suggesting that DksA can regulate gene expression in response to NO congeners independently of the ppGpp alarmone. Oxidative stress enhances the DksA‐dependent repression of rpsM, while preventing the activation of livJ and hisG gene transcription that is supported by reduced, zinc‐bound DksA. The inhibitory effects of oxidized DksA on transcription are reversible with dithiothreitol. Our investigations indicate that sensing of reactive species by DksA redox active thiols fine‐tunes the expression of translational machinery and amino acid assimilation and biosynthesis in accord with the metabolic stress imposed by oxidative and nitrosative stress. Given the conservation of Cys114, and neighbouring hydrophobic and charged amino acids in DksA orthologues, phylogenetically diverse microorganisms may use the DksA thiol switch to regulate transcriptional responses to oxidative and nitrosative stress.
4E‐BP1 regulates the sensitivity of human glioma cells to chemotherapy through PI3K/Akt/mTOR‐independent pathway
Authors: Zhu Hui‐Li , Xie Si‐Ming , Fang Mao , Zhang Ji‐Jun , Weng Ze‐Ping , Zhong Xue‐Yun
Published: December 2013

Drug resistance is one of the most formidable obstacles for treatment of glioma. Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E‐binding protein (4E‐BP1), a key component in the rate‐limiting step of protein translation initiation, is closely associated with poor prognosis in multiple tumor types. However, it is unclear whether 4E‐BP1 is involved in the drug resistance of human glioma. Herein we show that the expression of 4E‐BP1 in human SWOZ2‐BCNU drug‐resistant glioma cells is significantly lower than that of the parent SWOZ2 cell line. Moreover, down‐regulation of 4E‐BP1 by short interfering RNA significantly impaired the sensitivity of SWOZ2 and U251 cells to carmustine (BCNU). Furthermore, overexpression of 4E‐BP1 with plasmid transfection regained this sensitivity. Clinical studies showed that the expression levels of 4E‐BP1 in primary glioma tissues were markedly higher than those of recrudescent glioma tissues. Taken together, our results suggest that 4E‐BP1 is a novel protein that contributes to acquired drug resistance and it may be a potential target for reversing drug resistance in human glioma.
The activation pattern of macrophages in giant cell (temporal) arteritis and primary angiitis of the central nervous system
Authors: Mihm Bernhard , Bergmann Markus , Brück Wolfgang , Probst‐Cousin Stefan
Published: December 2013

To determine if the pattern of macrophage activation reflects differences in the pathogenesis and clinical presentation of giant cell arteritis and primary angiitis of the central nervous system, specimens of 10 patients with giant cell arteritis and five with primary angiitis of the central nervous system were immunohistochemically studied and the expression of the macrophage activation markers 27E10, MRP14, MRP8 and 25F9 was determined in the vasculitic infiltrates. Thus, a partly different expression pattern of macrophage activation markers in giant cell arteritis and primary angiitis of the central nervous system was observed. The group comparison revealed that giant cell arteritis cases had significantly higher numbers of acute activated MRP14‐positive macrophages, whereas primary angiitis of the central nervous system is characterized by a tendency toward more MRP8‐positive intermediate/late activated macrophages. Furthermore, in giant cell arteritis comparably fewer CD8‐positive lymphocytes were observed. These observations suggest, that despite their histopathological similarities, giant cell arteritis and primary angiitis of the central nervous system appear to represent either distinct entities within the spectrum of granulomatous vasculitides or different stages of similar disease processes. Their discrete clinical presentation is reflected by different activation patterns of macrophages, which may characterize giant cell arteritis as a more acute process and primary angiitis of the central nervous system as a more advanced inflammatory process.
Neuropathologic analysis of hematomas evacuated from patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage
Authors: Dye Justin A. , Rees Galya , Yang Isaac , Vespa Paul M. , Martin Neil A. , Vinters Harry V.
Published: December 2013

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating cause of morbidity and mortality. Intraparenchymal hematomas are often surgically evacuated. This generates fragments of perihematoma brain tissue that may elucidate their etiology. The goal of this study is to analyze the value of these specimens in providing a possible etiology for spontaneous ICH as well as the utility of using immunohistochemical markers to identify amyloid angiopathy. Surgically resected hematomas from 20 individuals with spontaneous ICH were examined with light microscopy. Hemorrhage locations included 11 lobar and nine basal ganglia hemorrhages. Aβ immunohistochemistry and Congo red stains were used to confirm the presence of amyloid angiopathy, when this was suspected. Evidence of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) was observed in eight of the 20 specimens, each of which came from lobar locations. Immunohistochemistry confirmed CAA in the brain fragments from these eight individuals. Patients with immunohistochemically confirmed CAA were older than patients without CAA, and more likely to have lobar hemorrhages (OR 3.0 and 3.7, respectively). Evidence of CAA was not found in any of the basal ganglia specimens. One specimen showed evidence of CAA‐associated angiitis, with formation of a microaneurysm in an inflamed segment of a CAA‐affected arteriole, surrounded by acute hemorrhage. In another specimen, Aβ immunohistochemistry showed the presence of senile plaques suggesting concomitant Alzheimer's disease (AD) changes. Surgically evacuated hematomas from patients with spontaneous ICH should be carefully examined, paying special attention to any fragments of included brain parenchyma. These fragments can provide evidence of the etiology of the hemorrhage. Markers such as Aβ 1–40 can help to identify underlying CAA, and should be utilized when microangiopathy is suspected. Given the association of (Aβ) CAA with AD, careful examination of entrapped brain fragments may also provide evidence of AD in a given patient.
Katian (Upper Ordovician) conodonts from Wales
Authors: Ferretti Annalisa , Bergström Stig M. , Barnes Christopher R.
Published: December 2013

Middle and upper Katian conodonts were previously known in the British Isles from relatively small collections obtained from a few localities. The present study is mainly based on 17 samples containing more than 17 000 conodont elements from an approximately 14‐m‐thick succession of the Sholeshook Limestone Formation in a road cut near Whitland, South Wales, that yielded a diverse fauna of more than 40 taxa. It is dominated by representatives of Amorphognathus, Aphelognathus/Plectodina and Eocarniodus along with several coniform taxa. Representatives of Decoriconus, Istorinus and Sagittodontina are reported from the Ordovician of UK for the first time. The fauna is a typical representative of the British Province of the Atlantic Realm and includes a mixture of taxa of North American, Baltoscandic and Mediterranean affinities along with pandemic species. Based on the presence of many elements of Amorphognathus ordovicicus and some morphologically advanced specimens of Amorphognathus superbus, the Sholeshook Limestone Formation is referred to the lower A. ordovicicus Zone. Most of the unit is also coeval with Zone 2 of the Cautleyan Stage in the British regional stage classification, and stage slice Ka3 of the middle Katian Stage in the global stratigraphical classification, an age assignment consistent with data from trilobites, graptolites and chitinozoans. The unusually large collection of M elements of Amorphognathus provides insight into the complex morphological variation in this element of some Katian species of this genus. The Sholeshook conodont fauna is similar to those of the Crûg and Birdshill limestones, but differs in several respects from the slightly older ones from the Caradocian type area in the Welsh Borderland. Although having some species in common, the Sholeshook conodont fauna clearly differs from coeval Baltoscandic faunas and is even more different in composition compared with equivalent North American Midcontinent faunas.
Pediatricians manage anaphylaxis poorly regardless of episode severity
Authors: Derinoz Oksan , Bakirtas Arzu , Arga Mustafa , Catal Ferhat , Ergöcen Salih , Turktas Ipek , Demirsoy M Sadik
Published: December 2013

Background

No information exists on how the knowledge or the practice of pediatricians regarding anaphylaxis episodes vary with episode severity. The aim of this study was to assess and compare pediatrician knowledge on the management of mild and severe anaphylaxis using clinical scenarios and to determine factors that affect their decisions.

Methods

A questionnaire consisting of eight questions on the diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis was distributed at two national congresses. A uniform answer box including possible response choices was given below each question, and respondents were asked to check the answers that they thought appropriate. The management of mild and severe anaphylaxis was examined using two clinical case scenarios involving initial treatment, monitoring, and discharge recommendations.

Results

Four hundred and ten questionnaires were analyzed. The percentage of pediatricians who correctly answered all questions on the management of mild and severe anaphylaxis scenarios was 11.3% and 3.2%, respectively. Pediatricians did significantly better with initial treatment, but they were less knowledgeable with respect to observation time and discharge criteria in the mild anaphylaxis case scenario compared with the severe one (both P < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis identified only working in an emergency department or intensive care unit as significantly predicting correct diagnosis of anaphylaxis among pediatricians (P = 0.01, 95% confidence interval: 0.11–0.57). No pediatrician‐related factors predicted physician knowledge on the management of anaphylaxis.

Conclusions

Pediatricians have difficulty with different steps in managing mild and severe anaphylaxis. Their deficiencies in management may result in failure to prevent recurrences of mild anaphylaxis and may increase mortality in severe anaphylaxis.
Seasonal Variation of 25‐Hydroxyvitamin D among non‐Hispanic Black and White Pregnant Women from Three US Pregnancy Cohorts
Authors: Luque‐Fernandez Miguel Angel , Gelaye Bizu , VanderWeele Tyler , Ferre Cynthia , Siega‐Riz Anna Maria , Holzman Claudia , Enquobahrie Daniel A. , Dole Nancy , Williams Michelle A.
Published: December 2013

Background

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been associated with increased risk of complications and adverse perinatal outcomes. We evaluated seasonal variation of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] among pregnant women, focusing on patterns and determinants of variation.

Methods

Data came from three cohort studies in the US that included 2583 non‐Hispanic Black and White women having prenatal 25(OH)D concentrations determined. Fourier time series and generalised linear models were used to estimate the magnitude of 25(OH)D seasonality. We modelled seasonal variability using a stationary cosinor model to estimate the phase shift, peak–trough difference, and annual mean of 25(OH)D.

Results

We observed a peak for 25(OH)D in summer, a nadir in winter, and a phase of 8 months, which resulted from fluctuations in 25(OH)D3 rather than 25(OH)D2. After adjustment for covariates, the annual mean concentrations and estimated peak–trough difference of 25(OH)D among Black women were 19.8 ng/mL [95% confidence interval (CI) 18.9, 20.5] and 5.8 ng/mL [95% CI 4.7, 6.7], and for non‐Hispanic White women were 33.0 ng/mL [95% CI 32.6, 33.4] and 7.4 ng/mL [95% CI 6.0, 8.9].

Conclusions

Non‐Hispanic Black women had lower average 25(OH)D concentrations throughout the year and smaller seasonal variation levels than non‐Hispanic White women. This study's confirmation of 25(OH)D seasonality over a calendar year has the potential to enhance public health interventions targeted to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes.
Acoustic startle reactivity while processing reward‐related food cues during food deprivation: Evidence from women in different menstrual cycle phases and men
Authors: de Sá Diana S. Ferreira , Plein Debora E. , Schulz André , Oitzl Melly S. , Blumenthal Terry D. , Schächinger Hartmut
Published: December 2013

Previous research has shown that food deprivation enhances the acoustic startle reflex when it is elicited during presentation of visual food cues. Frustrative nonreward may explain this effect, since visual food cues are also rated to be more appetitive and arousing during food deprivation. However, the impact of menstrual cycle and sex on this effect remains unclear, and it is also not known whether this effect is influenced by hunger and motivation to eat. According to a within‐study design, 20 healthy women in different menstrual cycle phases and 14 healthy men participated twice, in normal and food‐deprived conditions. After 18 h of food deprivation, acoustic startle was attenuated by appetitive nonfood foreground pictures, but enhanced by presentation of food pictures. No differences between menstrual cycle phases and sexes appeared. The effect correlated with hunger changes, suggesting that motivational factors play a role.
Genetic population structure of buckeye butterflies (Junonia) fromArgentina
Authors: BORCHERS TANJA E. , MARCUS JEFFREY M.
Published: December 2013

There are nine named species of buckeye butterflies (genusJunoniaHübner) in theWesternHemisphere. There is considerable geographic variation withinJunoniaspecies, and possible ongoing hybridization between species, suggesting thatJunoniamay be a ring species, but also making this a very difficult group to define taxonomically. We tried to determine whether two forms ofJunoniafromArgentina – conventionally referred to asJunonia genoveva hilarisC. &R. Felder, the light buckeye butterfly, andJunonia evarete flirtea(Fabricius), the dark buckeye butterfly – were genetically distinct species or simply colour forms of a single species using morphological characters, mitochondrialcytochrome oxidase I(COI)DNAbarcodes, nuclearwingless(wg) locusDNAsequences, and anonymous nuclearRandomlyAmplifiedFingerprints (RAF). Phylogenetic analysis ofCOIidentified two distinct mitochondrial haplotypes that differ by about 4% sequence divergence; one confined to light‐colouredJunoniaspecimens and one shared between some light‐colouredJunoniaand all of dark‐colouredJunoniaspecimens. Analysis of nuclearwinglesssequences revealed 32 alleles among 22Junoniaspecimens and showed significant genetic differentiation between light‐coloured and dark‐colouredJunonia. Analysis ofRAFgenotypes suggests that there are actually three genetically distinctJunoniapopulations inArgentina: two with light wing coloration, and one with dark wing coloration. Genetic evidence of recent hybridization among these populations was also observed, consistent with the ring species hypothesis. Careful comparisons of morphological characters betweenArgentinianJunoniaandJunoniaspecies from elsewhere inSouthAmerica suggests that the two light‐coloured populations correspond toJ. genovevaand either a genetically disparate population of the same species or an undescribed crypticJunoniaspecies, The dark‐coloured population may correspond toJ. wahlbergiBrévignon. Our data suggest thatCOI DNAbarcodes by themselves are not very useful for studyingJunoniataxonomy, population structure or evolution.
First Report of Human Trypanosoma cruzi Infection Attributed to TcBat Genotype
Authors: Ramírez J. D. , Hernández C. , Montilla M. , Zambrano P. , Flórez A. C. , Parra E. , Cucunubá Z. M.
Published: December 2013

Chagas disease is an endemic disease of the American continent caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and divided into six discrete typing units (TcI – TcVI). Nearly 10 million people harbour the infection representing a serious issue in public health. Epidemiological surveillance allowed us to detect a bat‐related T. cruzi genotype (henceforth named TcBat) in a 5‐year‐old female living in a forest area in northwestern Colombia. Molecular tools determined a mixed infection of T. cruzi I and TcBat genotypes. This represents the first report of TcBat infection in humans; the epidemiological consequences of this finding are discussed herein.
Comparison of Graph Generation Methods for Structural Complexity Based Assembly Time Estimation
Authors: Namouz Essam Z. , Summers Joshua D.
Published: December 2013

This paper compares two different methods of graph generation for input into the complexity connectivity method to estimate the assembly time of a product. The complexity connectivity method builds predictive models for assembly time based on 29 complexity metrics applied to the product graphs. Previously, the part connection graph was manually created, but recently the assembly mate method and the interference detection method have introduced new automated tools for creating the part connectivity graphs. These graph generation methods are compared on their ability to predict the assembly time of multiple products. For this research, eleven consumers products are used to train an artificial neural network and three products are reserved for testing. The results indicate that both the assembly mate method and the interference detection method can create connectivity graphs that predict the assembly time of a product to within 45% of the target time. The interference detection method showed less variability than the assembly mate method in the time estimations. The assembly mate method is limited to only solidworks assembly files, while the interference detection method is more flexible and can operate on different file formats including IGES, STEP, and Parasolid. Overall, both of the graph generation methods provide a suitable automated tool to form the connectivity graph, but the interference detection method provides less variance in predicting the assembly time and is more flexible in terms of file types that can be used.
The Interplay of Heat Transfer and Endothermic Chemistry Within a Ceramic Microchannel Reactor
Authors: Murphy Danielle M. , Parker Margarite , Sullivan Neal P.
Published: December 2013

Ceramic microchannel heat-exchanger and reactor technology is capable of achieving high performance while operating under high-temperature, corrosive, and/or oxidative environments. This work describes two computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling studies which examine the coupling of heat transfer and endothermic methane-steam-reforming chemistry within a ceramic microchannel reactor. These modeling tools are then applied to improve microchannel-reactor design and performance. Within the reactor, methane is converted to syngas through steam reforming; the thermal requirements for this endothermic chemistry are provided by heat transfer from hot-inert gas on adjacent layers. Fluid flow, heat transfer, and complex elementary surface chemistry are all simulated using the ANSYS FLUENT models. CFD studies reveal the substantial chemical contribution of reforming on thermal gradients across and within the reactor. Improved control of the reforming temperature is also discovered through stack-design analysis, where an odd number of inert-gas layers are found to create more-uniform reactive wall temperatures. Model results provide insight on the interplay of conjugate heat transfer and chemical kinetics in reactor design.
A Theoretical Assessment of Surface Defect Machining and Hot Machining of Nanocrystalline Silicon Carbide
Authors: Goel Saurav , Bin Rashid Waleed , Luo Xichun , Agrawal Anupam , Jain V. K.
Published: December 2013

In this paper, a newly proposed machining method named “surface defect machining” (SDM) was explored for machining of nanocrystalline beta silicon carbide (3C-SiC) at 300 K using MD simulation. The results were compared with isothermal high temperature machining at 1200 K under the same machining parameters, emulating ductile mode micro laser assisted machining (μ-LAM) and with conventional cutting at 300 K. In the SDM simulation, surface defects were generated on the top of the (010) surface of the 3C-SiC work piece prior to cutting, and the workpiece was then cut along the 〈100〉 direction using a single point diamond cutting tool at a cutting speed of 10 m/s. Cutting forces, subsurface deformation layer depth, temperature in the shear zone, shear plane angle and friction coefficient were used to characterize the response of the workpiece. Simulation results showed that SDM provides a unique advantage of decreased shear plane angle which eases the shearing action. This in turn causes an increased value of average coefficient of friction in contrast to the isothermal cutting (carried at 1200 K) and normal cutting (carried at 300 K). The increase of friction coefficient, however, was found to aid the cutting action of the tool due to an intermittent dropping in the cutting forces, lowering stresses on the cutting tool and reduced operational temperature. Analysis shows that the introduction of surface defects prior to conventional machining can be a viable choice for machining a wide range of ceramics, hard steels and composites compared to hot machining.
L1 Adaptive Controller for a Class of Nonlinear Systems
Authors: Luo Jie , Cao Chengyu
Published: December 2013

This paper presents an extension of the L1 adaptive controller to a class of nonlinear systems where the control effectiveness is time-varying and unknown, but with a known sign. Moreover, this class of nonlinear systems contains time-varying and unknown state-dependent nonlinearities. The proposed L1 adaptive controller consists of three components, a state predictor used to estimate real states, an adaptive law used to update the adaptive parameters in the state predictor, and a low-pass filtered control law. First, the stable closed-loop reference system is constructed. Then, the estimation errors between estimated states and real states are proved to be arbitrarily small by increasing the adaptation rate. After that, we further prove that the adaptive controller ensures uniformly bounded transient and asymptotical tracking of the reference system. The performance bounds can be systematically improved by increasing the adaptation rate. Simulation results on a single-link nonlinear robot arm verify the theoretical findings.
Evaluation of Pressure Drop Performance During Enhanced Flow Boiling in Open Microchannels With Tapered Manifolds
Authors: Kalani Ankit , Kandlikar Satish G.
Published: December 2013

Boiling can provide several orders of magnitude higher performance than a traditional air cooled system in electronics cooling applications. It can dissipate large quantities of heat while maintaining a low surface temperature difference. Flow boiling with microchannels has shown a great potential with its high surface area to volume ratio and latent heat removal. However, flow instabilities and low critical heat flux (CHF) have prevented its successful implementation. A novel flow boiling design is experimentally investigated to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages while presenting a very low pressure drop. The design uses open microchannels with a tapered manifold (OMM) to provide stable and efficient operation. The effect of tapered manifold block with varied dimension is investigated with distilled, degassed water at atmospheric pressure. Heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop results for uniform and tapered manifolds with plain and microchannel chips are presented. The OMM configuration yielded a CHF of over 500 W/cm2 in our earlier work. In the current work, a heat transfer coefficient of 277.8 kW/m2 °C was obtained using an OMM design with an inlet gap of 127 μm and an exit gap of 727 μm over a 10 mm flow length. The OMM geometry also resulted in a dramatic reduction in pressure drop from 158.4 kPa for a plain chip and 62.1 kPa for a microchannel chip with a uniform manifold, to less than 10 kPa with the tapered OMM design. A tapered manifold (inlet and exit manifold heights of 127 and 727 μm, respectively) with microchannel provided the lowest pressure drop of 3.3 kPa.
Contractile Pneumatic Artificial Muscle Configured to Generate Extension
Authors: Woods Benjamin K. S. , Boyer Shane M. , Hocking Erica G. , Wereley Norman M. , Kothera Curt S.
Published: December 2013

Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) are comprised of an elastomeric bladder surrounded by a braided mesh sleeve. When the bladder is inflated, the actuator may either contract or extend axially, with the direction of motion dependent on the orientation of the fibers in the braided sleeve. Contractile PAMs have excellent actuation characteristics, including high specific power, specific work, and power density. Unfortunately, extensile PAMs exhibit much reduced blocked force, and are prone to buckling under axial compressive loading. For applications in which extensile motion and compressive force are desired, the push-PAM actuator introduced here exploits the operational characteristics of a contractile PAM, but changes the direction of motion and force by employing a simple internal mechanism using no gears or pulleys. Quasi-static behavior of the push-PAM was compared to a contractile PAM for a range of operating pressures. Based on these data, the push-PAM actuator can achieve force and stroke comparable to a contractile PAM tested under the same conditions.
Molecular Simulation on Explosive Boiling of Water on a Hot Copper Plate
Authors: Mao Yijin , Zhang Yuwen
Published: December 2013

In this paper, molecular dynamics simulation is carried out to study the explosive boiling of liquid water film heated by a hot copper plate in a confined space. A more physically-sound thermostat is applied to control the temperature of the metal plate and then to heat water molecules that are placed in the elastic wall confined simulation domain. The results show that liquid water molecules close to the plate are instantly overheated and undergo an explosive phase transition. A huge pressure in the region between liquid film and hot copper plate formed at the beginning and leads to a low density vapor region by partially vaporizing water film. A non-vaporization molecular layer, with a constant density of 0.2 g/cm3, tightly attached to the surface of the plate is observed. The z-component of COM (center of mass) trajectory of the liquid film in the confined space is tracked and analyzed. The one-dimensional density profile indicates the water film have a piston-like motion after short period of explosive boiling. Temperatures at three corresponding regions, which are vapor, liquid, and vapor from the top plate surface, are also computed and analyzed along with the piston-like motion of the bulk liquid film.
The Effect of Upstream Thermal Boundary Condition on Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient on a Film-Cooled Flat Plate
Authors: Mayhew James E. , Sowders D. Andrew , Fuller Benjamin B.
Published: December 2013

The convection heat transfer coefficient on a film-cooled flat plate with and without upstream surface heating is investigated using liquid crystal thermography. The experiments were conducted with a turbulent boundary layer and low freestream turbulence at mass flux ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 and density ratio of unity, using cylindrical holes at a 30° injection angle. Results show that upstream surface heating produces a lower convective heat transfer coefficient as expected, and the spanwise-averaged heat transfer enhancement factor is increased by up to 5% over approximately 60% of the film-cooled region. As blowing ratio increased, this area of increased enhancement factor moved further downstream of the holes.
Modeling Approach of Thermal Decomposition of Salt-Hydrates for Heat Storage Systems
Authors: Fopah Lele Armand , Kuznik Fréderic , Rammelberg Holger Urs , Schmidt Thomas , Ruck Wolfgang K. L.
Published: December 2013

Heat storage systems using reversible chemical solid-fluid reactions to store and release thermal energy operates in charging and discharging phases. During last three decades, discussions on thermal decomposition of several salt-hydrates were done (experimentally and numerically) [1,2]. A mathematical model of heat and mass transfer in fixed bed reactor for heat storage is proposed based on a set of partial differential equations (PDEs). Beside the physical phenomena, the chemical reaction is considered via the balances or conservations of mass, extent conversion and energy in the reactor. These PDEs are numerically solved by means of the finite element method using Comsol Multiphysics 4.3a. The objective of this paper is to describe an adaptive modeling approach and establish a correct set of PDEs describing the physical system and appropriate parameters for simulating the thermal decomposition process. In this paper, kinetic behavior as stated by the ICTAC committee [3] to understand transport phenomena and reactions mechanism in gas and solid phases is taking into account using the generalized Prout-Tompkins equation with modifications based on thermal analysis experiments. The model is then applied to two thermochemical materials CaCl2 and MgCl2 with experimental activation energies and a comparison is made with TGA-DSC measurement results.
Thermal Performance of a Flat Plate Heat Pipe With Gradient Wettability
Authors: Chen Ping-Hei , Chen Hung-Hsia , Huang Bo-Rui , Kuo Long-Sheng
Published: December 2013

Many studies have been performed on the flat-plate heat pipes with sintered wick. It was found that during the evaporation process, the heat transfer characteristics of hydrophilic surface performed better than hydrophobic surface. This work investigated the heat transfer characteristics of flat-plate heat pipes in which the bottom surface was modified with various gradient contact angles by a sol-gel method. This method was applied to create a gradient surface on copper-plate surface. The coated nanoparticles were immobilized on the surface after the surface was heated in a furnace at a working temperature of 120°C. The thermal resistance results of flat plate heat pipes with either homogeneous superhydrophilic surface or a gradient wettability are reported in this study.

For the gradient wettability, the evaporation region was super-hydrophilic and the condense region was super-hydrophobic. The heat transfer ability was both increased in evaporation region and condense region. Furthermore, the reflux ability of the working fluid was performed better due to the unbalanced surface tension on the gradient surface and the impact of gravity force of inclination angle (α). By manipulating different surfaces with different contact angles (gradient surface, contact angle = 150 ° /110 ° /20 ° /10 ° and uniform surface, contact angle <10°) and different inclination angles (α = 0°, 10°), we managed to find the better combination to improve the thermal performance of flat-plate heat pipe.

The results indicated that the thermal performance of flat plate heat pipe with a gradient wettability is better than homogeneous superhydrophilic surface. The evaporation resistance of gradient wettability surface (gradient & α = 10°) has achieved to 0.098 °C /W, and reduced 30% than homogenous superhydrophilic surface (CA <10° & α = 0°). The gradient wettability surface in this work performed as well as the traditional sintered wick flat-plate heat pipe.