bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nucleation rates of droplets in supersaturated steam and water vapour–carrier gas mixtures between 200 and 450 K
Authors: Hrubý Jan , Duška Michal , Němec Tomáš , Kolovratník Michal
Published: April 2018

We compare experimental nucleation rates for water vapour in various carrier gases, estimated nucleation rates for steam, and nucleation rates obtained from molecular simulations. The data for steam are deduced from empirical adjustments of the classical nucleation theory developed by various authors to reproduce pressure and optical data for condensing steam flows in converging-diverging nozzles and turbine stages. By combining the data for nucleation in carrier gases and the data for steam nucleation, an unprecedented temperature range of 250 K is available to study the temperature dependence of nucleation rate. Original results of molecular dynamic simulations for TIP4P/2005 force field in the NVE (system constrained by number of particles, volume and energy) conditions are provided. Correction of classical nucleation theory for non-isothermal nucleation conditions is applied to experimental and simulated data. The nucleation rate data for steam follow a similar temperature trend as the nucleation rate data for water vapour in carrier gases at lower temperatures. The ratio of observed nucleation rates to classical nucleation theory predictions decreases more steeply with temperature than the empirical correlation by Wölk et al. ( J Chem Phys 2002; 117: 4954–4960). On the contrary to experimental data, the ratios of nucleation rates computed from molecular simulations to classical nucleation theory predictions do not show a significant temperature trend.
Attitudes of heat plant managers as one of the key obstacles to district heating decarbonization in Poland
Authors: Juroszek Zbigniew , Juroszek Weronika
Published: April 2018

The decarbonization of district heating in Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries is disappointingly slow. One of the reasons is the lack of expertise in the field of external environmental costs among heat plant managers. The empiric research presented in the work shows that most of them chose coal because of the false belief that it is cheap, while in reality its social cost is high. Helping heat plant managers to improve their expertise in energy production externalities may change their attitudes and accelerate the district heating decarbonization process in that part of Europe. The goal seems to be realistic since the research proves that most heat plant managers are willing to progress in this field.
Incremental direct medical costs of systemic lupus erythematosus patients in the years preceding diagnosis: A general population-based study
Authors: McCormick N , Marra C A , Sadatsafavi M , Aviña-Zubieta J A
Published: April 2018

Objective

We estimated the incremental (extra) direct medical costs of a population-based cohort of newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) for five years before and after diagnosis, and the impact of sex and socioeconomic status (SES) on pre-index costs for SLE.

Methods

We identified all adults newly diagnosed with SLE over 2001–2010 in British Columbia, Canada, and obtained a sample of non-SLE individuals from the general population, matched on sex, age, and calendar-year of study entry. We captured costs for all outpatient encounters, hospitalisations, and dispensed medications each year. Using generalised linear models, we estimated incremental costs of SLE each year before/after diagnosis (difference in costs between SLE and non-SLE, controlling for covariates). Similar models were used to examine the impact of sex and SES on costs within SLE.

Results

We included 3632 newly diagnosed SLE (86% female, mean age 49.6 ± 15.9) and 18,060 non-SLE individuals. Over the five years leading up to diagnosis, per-person healthcare costs for SLE patients increased year-over-year by 35%, on average, with the biggest increases in the final two years by 39% and 97%, respectively. Per-person all-cause medical costs for SLE the year after diagnosis (Year + 1) averaged C$12,019 (2013 Canadian) with 58% from hospitalisations, 24% outpatient, and 18% from prescription medications; Year + 1 costs for non-SLE averaged C$2412. Following adjustment for age, sex, urban/rural residence, socioeconomic status, and prior year's comorbidity score, SLE was associated with significantly greater hospitalisation, outpatient, and medication costs than non-SLE in each year of study. Altogether, adjusted incremental costs of SLE rose from C$1131 per person in Year –5 (fifth year before diagnosis) to C$2015 (Year –2), C$3473 (Year –1) and C$6474 (Year + 1). In Years –2, –1 and +1, SLE patients in the lowest SES group had significantly greater costs than the highest SES. Unlike the non-SLE cohort, male patients with SLE had higher costs than females. Annual incremental costs of SLE males (vs. SLE females) rose from C$540 per person in Year –2, to C$1385 in Year –1, and C$2288 in Year + 1.

Conclusion

Even years before diagnosis, SLE patients incur significantly elevated direct medical costs compared with the age- and sex-matched general population, for hospitalisations, outpatient care, and medications.
Determining risk factors that increase hospitalizations in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Li D , Madhoun H M , Roberts W N , Jarjour W
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex disease that is associated with significant mortality and an increased risk of hospitalization. Several validated instruments are available to measure disease activity in SLE patients. However, these instruments were not designed to screen for SLE patients at an increased risk of hospitalization. These instruments also fail to incorporate some data that are easily obtainable from electronic health records, such as the frequency of missed outpatient appointments.

Methods

All patients at a single academic medical center with an International Classification of Disease (ICD-10) code for SLE (M32) that were seen at least once between 2010 and 2017 were identified. Of these 3552 patients, 813 were randomly selected for chart review using a random number generator, and 226 were verified to have seen an outpatient rheumatologist and met the American College of Rheumatology Classification Criteria for SLE. Physician notes, laboratory values, and appointment information were reviewed, and relevant data were extracted. Weighted Cox regression models were used to estimate the risk of hospitalization and develop a screening algorithm, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the algorithm.

Results

There were 160 patients with no lupus-related hospitalizations and 66 patients with such a hospitalization. In a multivariate analysis accounting for age, gender, and race, serum creatinine >1.20 mg/dL, white blood cell count > 10 (thousand)/µL, hemoglobin <11 g/dL, platelets < 180 (thousand)/µL, high risk immunosuppression use, missing between 0 and 20% of appointments, and missing ≥ 20% of appointments were associated with an increased risk of hospitalizations. Our proposed screening algorithm does well identifying SLE patients at risk of hospitalization (area under the curve (AUC): 0.90, 95% CI: 0.86–0.94). We recommend flagging patients with a score of ≥ 3 (sensitivity: 0.95; specificity: 0.54).

Conclusions

A new screening algorithm accounting for serum creatinine, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, platelets, high-risk immunosuppression, and the proportion of missed appointments may be useful in identifying SLE patients at an increased risk of hospitalization. Missing appointments may be a proxy for an underlying variable (such as access to health care) that is directly related to an increased risk of hospitalization.
Impact of an Adult Literacy Programme on the Personal and Public Lives of Women
Authors: Chadha Nishant , Wadhwa Soma
Published: April 2018

About half of Indian women above the age of 15 continue to be illiterate. Inaction in promoting adult literacy is foregoing significant gains that can be made with simple interventions. This article studies the impact of an adult literacy programme (ALP) on women from the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in India. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design, we show that the benefits of this ALP go beyond the acquisition of literacy skills, to impact the personal and public lives of its participants positively. We provide evidence that the programme participants have improved self-image, increased mobility, changed attitudes towards domestic violence, better interaction with their children and are more engaged in the social and political life of the village. The programme design could provide insight into policymaking for adult education.
Islam’s role in Bangladesh–Pakistan Alignment against India under the BNP’s Rule
Authors: Mannan Md. Abdul
Published: April 2018

This article engages with Bangladesh’s policy of seeking alignment with Pakistan, pursued by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government in different tenures from the 1990s on. In this endeavour, the article takes into account the BNP’s politics of Islamic identity as a key variable of analysis. This identity factor tacitly presents Bangladesh, Pakistan and India as ‘Muslim Bangladesh’, ‘Muslim Pakistan’, and ‘Hindu India’, respectively. It frames ‘Muslim Pakistan’ as a mutual ally of ‘Muslim Bangladesh’ and shares with Pakistan a view of ‘Hindu India’ as the enemy-other. It operates in foreign policy through domestic politics in Bangladesh, wherein for the BNP, being anti-Indian is synonymous with being pro-Islam. It is claimed in this article that this politics of Islamic identity draws Bangladesh into an alignment with Pakistan, dragging Bangladesh into Pakistan’s own conflict with India.
The Effects of Apparent Temperature on Cardiovascular Mortality Using a Distributed Lag Nonlinear Model Analysis: 2005 to 2014
Authors: Moghadamnia Mohammad Taghi , Ardalan Ali , Mesdaghinia Alireza , Naddafi Kazem , Yekaninejad Mir Saeed
Published: April 2018

The relationship between apparent temperature and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality was studied in Rasht, Iran, from 2005 to 2014. The effects of apparent temperature on CVD mortality were investigated using the distributed lag nonlinear model. Data on all types of cardiovascular mortality cases according to the International Classification of Diseases were collected from the only cardiovascular hospital in Rasht, and the meteorological variables were obtained from Rasht Meteorological Center during the period of study. Our findings showed that low temperatures had significant impacts on CVD mortality, and a reverse J-shaped temperature-mortality relationship was found. Moreover, immediate effects of hot temperatures on CVD mortality with the strongest effects on the same day but delayed effects of cold temperature was observed. This study showed that exposure to both hot and cold apparent temperatures was associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in Rasht.
Recent Trends in Weight Loss Attempts: Data From the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Authors: Lim Hyoung-Ji , Kang Hee-Taik , Lee Jae-Woo
Published: April 2018

Obesity is global health concern. It is important to understand trends in weight loss attempts from a preventive health standpoint. This study aimed to investigate trends in weight loss attempts among Korean adults. Data from 81 605 adults ≥18 years who participated in the 2005 to 2015 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. Participants were classified into 5 groups by body mass index. The percentage of weight loss attempts was standardized with the 2010 Korean Housing Census. The percentage of weight loss attempts increased significantly over time in both sexes. Stratified subgroups showed various trends in the percentage of weight loss attempts by the subjects. In particular, older men aged 60 to 69 years and ≥80 years and women aged 70 to 79 years showed significant increasing trends in the percentage of weight loss attempts. More obese subjects attempted to lose weight more frequently during the entire survey period in both sexes.
Changes in Central Line–Associated Bloodstream Infection Rates Among Children With Immune Compromised Conditions: An 11-Year Review
Authors: Linder Lauri A. , Gerdy Cheryl , Jo Yeonjung , Wilson Andrew
Published: April 2018

This article describes changes in central line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates among common causative organisms over an 11-year period on a pediatric inpatient unit prior to and following CLABSI reduction strategies. The setting for this descriptive cohort design study was a 32-bed inpatient unit in a tertiary pediatric hospital serving children with immune compromised conditions, including cancer and recipients of hematopoietic stem cell and solid organ transplants. Between January 2006 and December 2016, 265 CLABSIs involving 189 patients were reported. Data were organized into three time periods: 5-year preintervention baseline (2006-2010), implementation of maintenance care bundles (2011-2012), and addition of formalized supportive care practices to the maintenance care bundles (2013-2016). Organisms were categorized into four groups based on the National Health Safety Network organism list. Time-by-class Poisson regression models evaluated changes in CLABSI rates. Characteristics of patients who developed CLABSIs were unchanged. Infections occurred most frequently among patients with hematologic malignancies and neutropenia. Significant log rate decreases in CLABSI rates were observed with the implementation of maintenance care bundles plus enhanced supportive cares compared to preintervention baseline for the following organisms: (1) common commensal organisms (−1.05, p = .005), (2) mucosal barrier injury (MBI) organisms common to the mouth (−.708, p = .007), and (3) other noncommensal/non-MBI pathogens (−.77, p = .005). Rates were unchanged for MBI organisms common to the lower gastrointestinal tract. Central line maintenance care bundles and formalized supportive care practices resulted in sustained decreased CLABSI rates. Additional interventions are needed to reduce CLABSIs involving MBI-associated organisms common to the lower gastrointestinal tract.
A Family-Centered Program to Break the Cycle of Addiction
Authors: Sparks Shirley N. , Tisch Rosemary
Published: April 2018

Celebrating Families!™ (CF!) is a manualized family-centered program focused on the goal of breaking the cycle of generational substance use disorders (SUDs). It is one of the few evidence-based family-focused practices listed on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices. Compared to another evidence-based program, Strengthening Families, CF! showed significant impact on family organization, positive parenting, parent involvement, and alcohol and drug use reduction. CF! is shown to be successful in unifying families from family dependency courts and as a prevention program for SUDs when offered by community social service agencies. A preliminary efficacy study illustrates changes within participating families consistent with the goal. The study’s purpose was to test the hypothesis that a family skills program such as CF! changed behavior by reducing risk factors and increasing protective factors. Data from 20 cycles of the program revealed that parents ( N = 263), referred from family drug court, expressed significant behavior changes toward their children in ways that increased protective factors after the 16-week program, and youth ( N = 106) showed better understanding of SUDs. Results suggest that this family skills program can be an intervention program for families at-risk for perpetuating the cycle of addiction, as well as prevention of family violence, abuse, and neglect. Agencies that serve families at risk can use the program to prevent costly foster care placements and SUDs by providing such programs.
Education and Social Inclusion: An Evaluation of a Dropout Prevention Intervention
Authors: Balenzano Caterina , Moro Giuseppe , Cassibba Rosalinda
Published: April 2018

Purpose:

The article describes an evaluation study to test the effectiveness of “Storie in gioco” project (Stories in Play, Storie in gioco [SIG]), a dropout prevention intervention aimed to prevent early school leaving (ESL) in at risk students.

Method:

The research used a mixed-method approach: in the quantitative phase, a two-group pre-/post evaluation design involving 230 students was used to estimate SIG outcomes; in the qualitative step, stakeholders’ focus group discussions and interviews have been used to interpret results.

Results:

Even if SIG appears to impact scholastic self-esteem and peer relationships, no effect was found when a comparison group matched for baseline measures was used. Based on qualitative data, the article identifies mechanisms influencing SIG outcomes and provides key insights into improving it.

Conclusions:

The authors emphasize the priority to develop programs to reduce intergenerational transmission of educational poverty and express methodological and theoretical considerations regarding SIG effectiveness and ESL prevention interventions.
Providing Palliative Care in the Medical ICU: A Qualitative Study of MICU Physicians' Beliefs and Practices
Authors: Gatta Brittany , Turnbull Jessica
Published: April 2018

Context:

With the current and projected shortage of palliative care (PC) specialists, an integrative model of PC will be needed to meet the needs of patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Prior studies of PC interventions suggest that success depends upon meeting the needs of individual institutions or ICUs.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to qualitatively explore the beliefs and practices of one institution’s medical ICU (MICU) physicians in regard to providing an integrative model of PC.

Methods:

This qualitative study used semistructured interviews of 17 physicians within a Department of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine at one large academic hospital. Interviews were conducted, transcribed, and coded according to qualitative research methods. Selected interviews were tested for interrater reliability and negotiated agreeability.

Results:

All critical care physicians interviewed affirmed that providing PC was part of their job, and the majority expressed that providing PC gave them professional or personal satisfaction. Physicians also identified many ways that PC consultants enhance patient care in the MICU. They discussed several motivations for obtaining a PC consult, with the most frequently acknowledged motivation being lack of time.

Conclusion:

Developing an integrative model of PC in the ICU ought to take into account both studied interventions shown likely to be effective in the ICU setting and the specific needs and barriers to PC in that unit. This study demonstrates one way that needs and barriers can be identified and provides important findings that might be applicable to other institutions.
Trends in Enteral Access Placement Among Patients With Oral Clefts: Evaluation of 46 617 Patient Admissions
Authors: Boonipat Thanapoom , Adams Nicholas S. , Shoemaker Allen L. , Mann Robert J. , Polley John W. , Girotto John A.
Published: April 2018

Objective:

It is well known that patients with oral clefts have challenges with feeding. Enteral feeding access, in the form of gastrostomy, is often utilized to supplement or replace oral intake. Although commonly performed, these procedures have reported complication rates as high as 83%. We intend to discover rates of enteral access in patients with oral clefts and report-related outcomes.

Design:

The Healthcare Cost Utilization Project Kids’ Inpatient Database from 2000 to 2012 was analyzed using patients with oral clefts and enteral access procedures. The χ2 test was used for univariate analyses of proportions, and linear regression was used to analyze trends. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze odds ratios.

Results:

Of the 46 617 patient admissions included, 14.6% had isolated cleft lip (CL), 51.7% cleft lip and palate (CLP), and 43.7% isolated cleft palate. The rates of enteral access in the oral cleft population increased from 3.7% in 2000 to 5.8% in 2012 ( P < .001). Increased rates were identified in patients with ( P = .019) and without ( P < .001) complex conditions. A significant increase in the rate of enteral access was seen in patients with CLP ( P < .001) and isolated cleft palate ( P < .001). No difference was seen in the isolated CL group ( P = .096). Patients with complex conditions were at a 4.4-fold increased risk and those admitted to urban, teaching hospitals were at a 4.7-fold risk of enteral access placement.

Conclusions:

The rates for enteral feeding access increased significantly from 2000 to 2012. The reasons for the increased incidence are unclear. Invasive enteral access procedures have been shown to have a multitude of complications. Careful patient selection should be done before placement of invasive enteral access.
Going Local on a Global Platform
Authors: Demant Jakob , Munksgaard Rasmus , Décary-Hétu David , Aldridge Judith
Published: April 2018

Objective:

There is broad agreement in the literature on the transformative potential of drug cryptomarkets that allow sourcing on a global market and consequently the circumvention of existing supply chains between producer and end user. We examine whether the transformative potential of drug cryptomarkets has been realized in two ways: Are cryptomarket drug sellers found in production and transit countries? and Do we see the increased use of shipping across international borders over time?

Method:

Using data collected by the DATACRYPTO software tool between 2013 and 2016, we characterize cryptomarket buyer behavior through the product reviews (i.e., sales transactions) posted on 15 cryptomarkets.

Findings:

Cryptomarket drug sellers are predominantly based in countries of Europe, North America, and Oceania. For both cannabis resin and cocaine sold on cryptomarkets, we find that known production and transit countries are not the primary sources of supplied drugs but rather key countries of consumption. In the case of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, we observe that the Netherlands, a known production country, is the largest supplier. We further observe tendencies over time toward increased localization of cryptomarkets with regard to product destinations.

Discussion:

Though cryptomarkets offer a potentially global platform for drug distribution, they do not tend to be used as such. We explain our results with reference to buyers’ preferences regarding safety, risk, and convenience, alongside structural limitations for cryptomarket use such as bitcoin availability.
Fathers’ Lived Experiences of Miscarriage
Authors: Wagner Nathaniel J. , Vaughn Colin T. , Tuazon Victor E.
Published: April 2018

A phenomenological study was conducted to examine the lived experiences of fathers who have experienced miscarriage. Miscarriage is defined as pregnancy loss prior to 24 weeks of gestation. Eleven fathers participated and discussed their personal experiences before, during, and after the pregnancy and miscarriage. Six major themes emerged that depicted fathers shared experiences including (a) expectations of fatherhood, (b) conceptions of the pregnancy and personhood, (c) impact of the miscarriage setting, (d) immediate response to the event, (e) perceptions of support from others, and (f) overall experiences of disenfranchisement. Implications for family therapists working with families that have experienced miscarriage and future research recommendations are discussed.
Predictive Value of Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein/β2-Glycoprotein-I Complexes (oxLDL/β2GPI) in Nonautoimmune Atherothrombosis
Authors: Ames Paul R. J. , Di Girolamo Giuseppe , D’Andrea Giovanna , Lopez Luis R. , Gaeta Giovanni , Iannaccone Luigi , Maraglione Maurizio
Published: April 2018

Introduction:

Lipid oxidation is a definite feature of atherosclerosis, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) is not only highly immunogenic but toxic to several cell types. Beta-2-glycoprotein-I (β2GPI) dampens oxLDL toxicity by forming binary oxLDL/β2GPI complexes. We evaluated whether circulating oxLDL/β2GPI complexes are associated to atherosclerosis-related events (ARE) and to venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Methods:

In a cross-sectional case–control study, cases were (a) 57 consecutive patients (male/female [M/F] 33/24, mean age 57 [10] years) attending a thrombosis unit for ARE (myocardial infarction [MI] n = 20, peripheral vascular disease n = 7, and ischemic strokes n = 30); (b) 52 consecutive patients (M/F 22/30, mean age 55 [17] years) attending the same unit for unprovoked (VTE); (c) normal controls comprised 90 participants (M/F 35/55, mean age 41 [15] years); and (d) oxLDL/β2GPI complexes were measured by immunoassay and resulting levels divided into quartiles.

Results:

The odds ratio (OR) of ARE was greater in the fourth and second quartiles than in the first quartile (8.5 and 6.0, respectively); the OR of developing MI was greatest in the fourth quartile (17.8). By multivariable analysis with age, sex, smoking, lipid status, statin, and ARE phenotypes as independent variables and oxLDL/β2GPI as the dependent variable, only MI predicted oxLDL/β2GPI ( P < .0001).

Conclusions:

OxLDL/β2GPI may be regarded as a marker of ARE, in particular of MI.
The Extended Contact Hypothesis: A Meta-Analysis on 20 Years of Research
Authors: Zhou Shelly , Page-Gould Elizabeth , Aron Arthur , Moyer Anne , Hewstone Miles
Published: April 2018

According to the extended contact hypothesis, knowing that in-group members have cross-group friends improves attitudes toward this out-group. This meta-analysis covers the 20 years of research that currently exists on the extended contact hypothesis, and consists of 248 effect sizes from 115 studies. The aggregate relationship between extended contact and intergroup attitudes was r = .25, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [.22, .27], which reduced to r = .17, 95% CI = [.14, .19] after removing direct friendship’s contribution; these results suggest that extended contact’s hypothesized relationship to intergroup attitudes is small-to-medium and exists independently of direct friendship. This relationship was larger when extended contact was perceived versus actual, highlighting the importance of perception in extended contact. Current results on extended contact mostly resembled their direct friendship counterparts, suggesting similarity between these contact types. These unique insights about extended contact and its relationship with direct friendship should enrich and spur growth within this literature.
Investigation of the bonding strength of the stainless steel 316L/polyurethane/stainless steel 316L tri-layer composite produced by the warm rolling process
Authors: Kamali Andani Mehran , Daneshmanesh Habib , Jenabali Jahromi Seyed Ahmad
Published: April 2018

In this study, a metal/polymer tri-layer composite was produced by direct adhesion (without adhesive), and mechanical locks were created using the warm rolling process. The effect of the process parameters including preheating temperature, rolling speed, thickness reduction, surface roughness, and the orientation of the surface scratches on the bond strength between layers was investigated. The results indicated that the suitable polymer fluidity and penetration, to provide stronger mechanical locks and higher bond strengths, could be achieved at an optimum preheating temperature and a rolling speed of 240°C and 36 r/min, respectively. In addition, the most appropriate surface pretreatment was obtained in the wire brush in the rolling direction mode with the surface roughness of 0.65 µm, so that the failure mechanism in this case was cohesive and the optimum thickness reduction was achieved at 40%. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the sandwich sheet with highest bonding strength were evaluated.
M-mode Diagnosis of Tachyarrhythmia Can be Erroneous Owing to “Pseudo 1:1 Atrioventricular Movement” of the Atrial Wall Adjacent to the Atrioventricular Valve Possibly due to Atrioventricular Constraint: A Case of Neonatal Atrial Flutter With 2:1 Atrioventricular Conduction
Authors: Kawano Akiko , Oshima Ayumi , Masutani Satoshi , Ishiguro Akio , Iwamoto Yoichi , Ishido Hirotaka , Taketazu Mio , Senzaki Hideaki
Published: April 2018

M-mode echocardiography has been playing an important role in the diagnosis of fetal tachyarrhythmia. We recently encountered a neonatal case of atrial flutter with 2:1 atrioventricular conduction. However, M-mode erroneously indicated 1:1 atrioventricular movement. While the movement of the atrial wall far from the atrioventricular valve was much faster than that of the ventricular wall, the atrial wall adjacent to the atrioventricular valve fully synchronized to that of the ventricular wall. Thus, to avoid this novel pitfall, it would be important to add an additional assessment focusing on the movement of the atrial wall far from the ventricle.
The generation mechanism and morphological characterization of cutting debris based on the finite element method
Authors: Wang Shuo , Wu Tonghai , Cheng Jun , Han Yu , Yao Ting
Published: April 2018

Micro-cutting is a material removal mechanism with cutting debris generation, where the condition monitoring of the mechanism is important in a wear process. As a useful technique, wear debris analysis has been widely adopted for identifying the wear mechanisms in a running machine. However, there is no corresponding relationship between wear particle features and wear conditions. This paper investigates the generation mechanism of cutting debris by simulating a micro-cutting process. In particular, this study is to establish a quantitative relationship between their morphologies and cutting conditions. A three-dimensional model with a rigid pyramid sliding on the surface of #45 steel has been developed. The deformation and failure criteria of the steel are the Johnson–Cook and shear failure model, respectively. The conditions for producing cutting wear debris are studied and then the morphological features of wear debris are extracted. The main findings are as follows: (1) the critical conditions for cutting wear particle generation is jointly determined by the attacking angle and the cutting depth; (2) the width and curvature of cutting wear debris are mainly correlated with the normal load, which determines the indentation depth of the pyramid; (3) the curvature of cutting wear debris depends mainly on the sliding velocity. The understanding of the relationship between the cutting wear conditions and the morphologies of wear debris is useful for supporting debris-based wear monitoring.
‘Conquest from barbarism’: The Danube Commission, international order and the control of nature as a Standard of Civilization
Authors: Yao Joanne
Published: April 2018

In recent years, International Relations scholarship has looked back to the 19th century as a watershed epoch for the formation of the current international order and the development of ‘Standards of Civilization’ to legitimate that order. However, limited attention has been paid to the role played by society’s relationship with the natural world in constructing these civilizational standards. This article argues that the control and exploitation of nature as a standard of civilization developed in the 19th century to constitute membership in a civilized European international society. The standard dictated that civilized polities must both demonstrate internal territorial control and uphold external obligations towards other actors. In examining 19th-century political contestations over the Danube River as a natural highway between Europe and the near periphery, I demonstrate that in the eyes of Western Europe, Russia failed to uphold the taming of nature as a civilizational standard, contributing to the delegitimization of its authority over the Danube. In its place, the Western powers following the Crimean War created an international commission to manage the Danube delta — a rational and scientific body to rectify the troublesome absence of civilized authority. These civilizational assumptions underpin the 1856 Danube Commission as an early international organization, and through its success, continue to have implications for today’s international order.
Minimal clinically important differences in treadmill, 6-minute walk, and patient-based outcomes following supervised and home-based exercise in peripheral artery disease
Authors: Gardner Andrew W , Montgomery Polly S , Wang Ming
Published: April 2018

We estimated minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) for small, moderate, and large changes in measures obtained from a standardized treadmill test, a 6-minute walk test, and patient-based outcomes following supervised and home-based exercise programs in symptomatic patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). Patients were randomized to either 12 weeks of a supervised exercise program ( n=60), a home-based exercise program ( n=60), or an attention-control group ( n=60). Using the distribution-based method to determine MCIDs, the MCIDs for small, moderate, and large changes in peak walking time (PWT) in the supervised exercise group were 38, 95, and 152 seconds, respectively, and the changes in claudication onset time (COT) were 35, 87, and 138 seconds. Similar MCID scores were noted for the home-based exercise group. An anchor-based method to determine MCIDs yielded similar patterns of small, moderate, and large change scores in PWT and COT, but values were 1–2 minutes longer than the distribution approach. In conclusion, 3 months of supervised and home-based exercise programs for symptomatic patients with PAD results in distribution-based MCID small, moderate, and large changes ranging from 0.5 and 2.5 minutes for PWT and COT. An anchor-based approach yields higher MCID values, ranging from a minimum of 73 seconds for COT to a maximum of 4 minutes for PWT. The clinical implication is that a goal for eliciting MCIDs in symptomatic PAD patients through a walking exercise intervention is to increase PWT and COT by up to 4 minutes, which corresponds to two work stages during the standardized progressive treadmill test.
Intentional music use to reduce psychological distress in adolescents accessing primary mental health care
Authors: McFerran Katrina Skewes , Hense Cherry , Koike Asami , Rickwood Debra
Published: April 2018

Rationale:

Many young people turn to music as a way of exploring and managing their moods and emotions. The literature is replete with studies that correlate music preferences and mental health, as well as a small but increasing interest in uses of music to promote well-being. Recent studies have shown that music use is often unconscious, thus difficult to influence without therapeutic conversations. No study has yet tested whether it is feasible to increase awareness of music use in young people who tend to ruminate with music, and test whether increased awareness can reduce distress.

Design:

This feasibility study aimed to determine whether involvement in a brief music-based intervention was engaging and acceptable to a small sample of young people, and whether their levels of distress decreased and insight into music uses increased. A mixed methods approach was adopted, merging scores of distress and self-reported experience of the intervention to foster interpretation.

Results:

Convergent analysis of the different data forms suggests that at least some of the measurable decreases in distress captured for all of the participants were related to participation in the sessions, according to the self-report of a number of the young people in interviews. This is demonstrated through descriptive data compiled under two key themes (Agency and Changed Uses) and illustrated through three case examples that were drawn largely from the words of the young people.

Conclusion:

This feasibility study suggests that young people’s relationship with music provides a powerful platform for leveraging engagement in services and improvements in distress, when well timed and carefully scaffolded.
Counter-carceral acoustemologies: Sound, permeability and feminist protest at the prison boundary
Authors: Russell Emma K , Carlton Bree
Published: April 2018

This article provides an analysis of sonic protest strategies used by anti-carceral feminist coalitions in Melbourne, Australia. Our research demonstrates that sound is a particularly powerful boundary-crosser that can challenge the exclusionary spatial ordering of the prison. Under certain political and geographical conditions, the carceral soundscape, which increasingly restricts ‘who gets to hear what’, can be temporarily breached, altered and re-made by protest noise, rhythm and music, and radio technology. Counter-carceral acoustemologies create alternative ‘soundtracks’ of resistance that both reveal and momentarily displace carceral-spatial control, re-patterning the aural environment of the prison. Such breaches can be countered, however, by various modes of boundary fortification over time. We propose that a more nuanced understanding of carceral space and soundscapes—as relational and in flux—provides greater opportunities for denaturalizing the prison and challenging its seeming permanence in our political and cultural landscapes.
Bread and butter or bread and circuses? Politicisation and the European Commission in the European Semester
Authors: van der Veer Reinout A , Haverland Markus
Published: April 2018

Does domestic contestation of European Union legitimacy affect the behaviour of the European Commission as an economic and fiscal supervisor? We draw on theories of bureaucratic responsiveness and employ multilevel and topic modelling to examine the extent to which the politicisation of European integration affects the outputs of the European Semester: the Country-Specific Recommendations. We develop two competing sets of hypotheses and test these on an original large-N data set on Commission behaviour with observations covering the period 2011–2017. We detect a twofold effect on the Commission's recommendations: member states that experience greater politicisation receive recommendations that are larger in scope but whose substance is less oriented towards social investment. We argue that this effect is best explained as an outcome of the Commission's institutional risk management strategy of regulatory ‘entrenchment’. The supranational agent issues additional recommendations while simultaneously entrenching on a stronger mandate substantively, which allows it to maintain its regulatory reputation and signal regulatory resolve to observing audiences.
Deciding about the unknown: The effect of party and ideological cues on forming opinions about the European Union
Authors: Torcal Mariano , Martini Sergio , Orriols Lluis
Published: April 2018

This article contributes to the literature on political heuristics by reporting two survey experiments conducted in Spain in 2014–2015 on party and ideology cues regarding preferences on a range of European Union and domestic issues in European and general elections. The findings reveal that party cues increase voters’ competence to take positions on European Union issues more than ideological ones. Cues increase competence in a similar fashion regardless of the nature of the topic, although the effect of cues that parties provide on European Union issues seems to be stronger than that of cues on domestic policies. Party cueing effects are also consistent across different electoral arenas (national vs. European), and for all types of parties regardless of their age or positions toward the European Union integration process.
An autoethnography of a neurotypical adoptive mother’s journey through adoption into the world(s) of intellectual variety in the early years of the U.S. Education System
Authors: Comerford Susan A
Published: April 2018

This narrative is my story of being catapulted from a distanced space of relative naïveté and unknowing about the lives and challenges that children with disabilities face in the school system. It is also a tale about my increased radicalization birthed from witnessing my daughter’s school experiences and the informal social relations of childhood. Mine is one of many stories that could be told about this set of experiences. Taking an evocative, autoethnographic approach, and blending the evocative and analytical traditions provides me with a unique reflexive vehicle. It allows a critical connection and reflection on my own experiences and the literature, as my family identifies, deconstructs, and responds to the cultural, social, and political dimensions of our daughter’s life in the geography she has inhabits as a “child with special needs.” The focus in this work is on her early years including placement, infancy, pre-school, and kindergarten.
Chronic bronchitis: High prevalence in never smokers and underdiagnosis— A population-based study in Colombia
Authors: Gonzalez-Garcia Mauricio , Caballero Andres , Jaramillo Claudia , Torres-Duque Carlos A
Published: April 2018

The objective of the article was to establish the prevalence, underdiagnosis, and risk factors of chronic bronchitis (CB) in a general population in five Colombian cities. Cross-sectional study using a probabilistic sampling technique in five Colombian cities was adopted. The CB definition was “cough and expectoration for three or more months per year for at least two consecutive years.” Underdiagnosis was considered in subjects with clinical definition without previous medical diagnosis. Univariate χ2 or Student’s t-test and logistic regression analysis were used. The study included 5539 subjects. The prevalence was 5.5%, the underdiagnosis 50.3%, and 33.7% of the cases were in nonsmokers (53.6% in women vs. 16.9% in men, p < 0.001). The adjusted risk factors were living in Bogota, current smoking, male, age ≥ 64 years, low education, indoor wood smoke exposure, and occupational exposure to vapors, gases, dust, and fumes. CB is a common disease among adults in Colombia. The underdiagnosis was high and there were a large proportion of cases in nonsmokers, particularly in women. Our findings support the association of CB with indoor wood smoke and occupational exposures.
Current Status of Distal Embolization in Femoropopliteal Endovascular Interventions
Authors: Cannavale Alessandro , Santoni Mariangela , Gazzetti Marianna , Catalano Carlo , Fanelli Fabrizio
Published: April 2018

The application of advanced endovascular techniques in very complex femoropopliteal atherosclerotic lesions has shown to expose patients to a higher risk of distal embolization (DE). This complication can affect both the short- and long-term outcomes, leading to worsening ischemia, early minor/major amputation, and longer hospital stay. Recently, there has been an increasing body of evidence on pathophysiology and clinical–radiological management of DE that however has not been systematically addressed by guidelines. The aim of this review was to analyze the current evidence outlining definition and classification, risk assessment, prevention, and management strategies of DE in femoropopliteal endovascular interventions.
Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial of Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis. Part 2: Effect on White Matter Integrity
Authors: Barghi Ameen , Allendorfer Jane B. , Taub Edward , Womble Brent , Hicks Jarrod M. , Uswatte Gitendra , Szaflarski Jerzy P. , Mark Victor W.
Published: April 2018

Background. Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is a method of physical rehabilitation that has demonstrated clinical efficacy in patients with chronic stroke, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective. This pilot randomized controlled trial tested whether CIMT can also induce increases in white matter integrity in patients with MS. Methods. Twenty adults with chronic hemiparetic MS were randomized to receive either CIMT or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment (reported in the first article of this pair). Structural white matter change was assessed by tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS); measures included fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). Results. CIMT and CAM groups did not differ in pretreatment disability or expectancy to benefit. As noted in the companion paper, the motor activity log (MAL) improved more after CIMT than CAM ( P < .001); the within-group effect size for CIMT was 3.7 (large d′ = 0.57), while for CAM it was just 0.7. Improvements in white matter integrity followed CIMT and were observed in the contralateral corpus callosum (FA, P < .05), ipsilateral superior occipital gyrus (AD, P < .05), ipsilateral superior temporal gyrus (FA, P < .05), and contralateral corticospinal tract (MD and RD, P < .05). Conclusion. CIMT produced a very large improvement in real-world limb use and induced white matter changes in patients with hemiparetic MS when compared with CAM. The findings suggest in preliminary fashion that the adverse changes in white matter integrity induced by MS might be reversed by CIMT.

Clinical trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01081275)
A critical reflection of current trends in discourse analytical research on leadership across disciplines. A call for a more engaging dialogue
Authors: Schnurr Stephanie , Schroeder Andreas
Published: April 2018

This paper takes the frequently lamented state of current leadership research in business and organisational sciences as a starting point and argues for a more open and engaging dialogue with leadership researchers in applied linguistics and pragmatics. Focusing on current debates around terminological issues and methodological questions that are particularly prominent in critical leadership studies, we show that research in applied linguistics and pragmatics has the potential to make important contributions by providing the analytical tools and processes to support critical leadership researchers in their quest to challenge hegemonic notions of leadership by moving beyond simplistic and often problematic leader–follower dichotomies and by providing empirical evidence to capture leadership in situ thereby feeding into current theorisations of leadership.
Fencer’s perception of affordances of an opponent’s attack
Authors: Chen Yin-Hua , Liu Yeou-Teh
Published: April 2018

We investigated fencers’ perception of affordances of the opponent by asking them to estimate the reach-ability (length of lunge) of the opponent that varied in height and moved toward them in different paces. Their task was to initiate a backward step at the moment that they perceived to be reached by the opponent in a lunge attack. All trials were recorded by a video camera for data digitizing process and analyses. The results revealed that the opponent’s approaching velocity, but not the opponent’s stature, influenced fencers’ estimates, suggesting that action-related characteristics of the observed person were more influential on perceiver’s perception of affordances of the observed person. Moreover, fencers’ perception of “time-to-contact by the opponent” changed as a function of the opponent’s velocity, suggesting that in the context of combat sports that time-to-contact could be a useful variable for the control of actions when interacting with a moving opponent.
My 40-year perspective on hand surgery
Authors: Hovius Steven E. R.
Published: April 2018

The author presents his transition of his preferred methods for managing acute trauma and degenerative and congenital conditions of the hand. Based on his career-long experience, he discusses conceptual evolution and current status of treatment of Dupuytren’s disease and several congenital anomalies of the hand.