bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
To sign or not to sign? Union strategies towards provincial metal sector agreements in the Catalan and Basque automotive industries
Authors: Heras Jon Las
Published: July 2018

I compare collective bargaining in the Basque and Catalan automotive industries to show that since the early 2000s, two contrasting bargaining frameworks have emerged. The two largest Spanish unions have followed ‘top-down’ strategies in Catalonia, in which organizing the rank and file was secondary to signing the provincial agreement. This has created a relatively passive membership with little capacity to confront management. By contrast, the main Basque union refused to give priority to signing a provincial agreement and adopted a devolved strategy, resulting in higher unionization rates and more frequent strikes. I conclude, first, that union (renewal) strategies do in fact matter in the regulation of global industries and, second, that when unions modify their strategies, the organizational and bargaining dynamics also change, producing institutional configurations that embody new contradictions and dilemmas.
Ghar Mein Kām Hai (There is Work in the House)
Authors: Chambers Thomas , Ansari Ayesha
Published: July 2018

This article examines the utilization of female Muslim factory workers, in a North Indian woodworking industry, as domestic labour in the homes of their employers. The ethnography illustrates the importance of considering hidden forms of domestic-sector employment where workers are coopted into domestic tasks. The illumination of ‘coopted domestic labour’ has implications for understanding the breadth and scope of the sector and contributes to debates around its regulation, definition, growth and feminization. Female Muslim factory workers did not see ‘coopted domestic labour’ as a livelihood ‘choice’ but as exploitation enabled through employers’ tactics, such as the use of advance payments, forms of ‘neo-bondage’, and through structural continuity across domestic and industrial contexts which situated women at the bottom of the labour hierarchy. It also involved complex negotiations around reputation, character and practices of purdah (veiling) which, whilst already an issue for those working in factories, became intensified when entering the homes of others. The article develops its contribution by introducing the category of ‘coopted domestic labour’ and empirically illustrating its intersection with gender norms, Islam, forms of neo-bondage and structural considerations.
Trump and the Ascension of Western Realism: A Critical Discussion on the Western Realists’ and Western Liberalists’ Evaluation of Globalisation
Authors: Kamal Rifat Darina , Kaiser Z. R. M. Abdullah
Published: July 2018

The Western realists and Western liberalists evaluate the universal interdependence and globalisation from distinct political and theoretical standpoints. This article critically examines Western realism and Western liberalism—the two genetic theoretical streams that comprise a converse version of the globalisation of world politics. It exemplifies the effects, the impacts, the benefits and the challenges of globalisation from different angles—not from a particular aspect. In addition, it attempts to critically explicate the role of the Trump administration in order to understand this regime’s motive towards globalisation.
Trump and West Asia: Policy Departures and Geopolitical Implications
Authors: Quamar Md. Muddassir
Published: July 2018

The first year and half of Trump’s presidency has demonstrated a visible departure from the Obama’s policy in West Asia. While the basic premise of the two administrations of protecting American national interest remains, their methods are significantly different. Obama wanted to move away while Trump has retrenched the USA in regional affairs. While Trump is being accused of taking rash decisions and pushing the region into further chaos, Obama’s hands-off policy did not prevent the regional turmoil either. The common chord between Obama’s legacy and Trump’s policies in West Asia is that the USA is losing ground to emerging global powers, such as Russia and China despite remaining the predominant security guarantor.
Academic independence, freedom and ‘enlightenment’: The case of accounting research
Authors: Barnes Paul
Published: July 2018

This article examines the problem of academic freedom in a rather unlikely area: accounting and historical accounting research. It discusses some cases in the United States and the United Kingdom where accounting research led to controversy and tells the story of a PhD student (the author) sued for libel in 1986 for his research concerning a policy issue, the subject of public debate, and related to conflicts of interest for directors of a mutual organization (a building society) and their use of its funds. It shows how ‘managerial diversion’ was discovered, how the libel suit was successfully defended and how the law was changed. While academic independence issues have always existed and across disciplines, the case and discussion largely relate to the 1980s in the United Kingdom when universities suffered savage cutbacks in public funding and the imposition of ‘reforms’. The case study illustrates, and the article discusses these issues as they relate to the state of modern universities and the pressures on academics.
Australia’s anti-democratic ‘foreign interference’ Bills
Authors: Head Michael
Published: July 2018

A package of five Bills to criminalise any involvement in ‘foreign interference’ in Australian political and economic life is aimed, in particular, against China, as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made clear in his second reading speech. Despite amendments made before the Bills were passed, they have profound implications for free speech and political dissent. This article describes features of the Bills and argues that they should be scrapped because of their far-reaching implications for freedom of speech and political communication.
On the cooperative and competitive aspects of strategic monitoring
Authors: Arce Daniel G.
Published: July 2018

Strategic monitoring occurs in myriad situations such as principal–agent relationships, law enforcement and treaty verification. Such situations are generally known as enforcement or inspection games, with the focus largely being on the (counterintuitive) properties of their associated mixed strategy Nash equilibrium. This article instead characterizes the cooperative resolution of the mixed motives of the players involved. It does so through an illustrative decomposition of the enforcement/inspection game into its cooperative and competitive constituent parts. The results are interpreted within an efficiency wage context and the distribution of the saved monitoring costs that cooperation engenders.
Strain energy-based multiaxial fatigue life prediction under normal/shear stress interaction
Authors: Zhu Shun-Peng , Yu Zheng-Yong , Liu Qiang , Ince Ayhan
Published: July 2018

Through characterizing the interaction of normal/shear stress–strain behavior on material planes of TC4 alloys, a new strain energy critical plane model describing mean stress effects is proposed for life prediction under tension–compression, pure torsion, and tension–torsion loadings. Moreover, a modified Ince–Glinka model is elaborated through considering crack surface close to the maximum shear strain plane. Three simple solutions are presented to determine cracking failure mode using the concepts of life, damage, and strain. Comparing with lifing models of Liu, Smith–Watson–Topper, and modified Ince–Glinka, the proposed model provides more accurate life predictions for TC4 and a compressor turbine disc by full-scale fatigue testing.
Hematoxylin: Mesoamerica’s Gift to Histopathology. Palo de Campeche (Logwood Tree), Pirates’ Most Desired Treasure, and Irreplaceable Tissue Stain
Authors: Ortiz-Hidalgo Carlos , Pina-Oviedo Sergio
Published: July 2018

Hematoxylin is a basic dye derived from the heartwood of Palo de Campeche ( Haematoxylum campechianum), the logwood tree native to Mexico and Central America. Haematoxylum means “bloodwood” in reference to its dark-red heartwood and campechianum refers to its site of origin, the coastal city of Campeche on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Hematoxylin is colorless but it turns into the color dye hematein after oxidation (ripening). The dyeing property of logwood was well-known to the natives of the Yucatan Peninsula before the arrival of the Spaniards who brought it to Europe shortly after the discovery of the Americas. An important trade soon developed related to growing and preparing hematoxylin for dyeing fabrics. Pirates discovered that one shipload of logwood was equivalent to a year’s value from any other cargo, and by 1563, more than 400 pirate vessels wandered the Atlantic Ocean and attacked Spanish galleons transporting gold, silver, and logwood from the Americas to Europe. Hematoxylin and eosin is a staining method that dates back to the late 19th century. In 1865 and 1891, Böhmer and Meyer, respectively, first used hematoxylin in combination with a mordant (alum). Later, with the use of anilines by Ehrlich, the repertoire of stains expanded rapidly resulting in the microscopic descriptions of multiple diseases that were defined by their stainable features. Today hematoxylin, along with eosin, remains the most popular stain in histology.
The Local Impacts of World Bank Development Projects Near Sites of Conservation Significance
Authors: Buchanan Graeme M. , Parks Bradley C. , Donald Paul F. , O’Donnell Brian F. , Runfola Daniel , Swaddle John P. , Tracewski Łukasz , Butchart Stuart H. M.
Published: July 2018

We evaluated the local impacts of World Bank development projects on sites of recognized conservation significance (Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas [IBAs]) using tree cover change data and in situ state, pressure, and response monitoring data. IBAs adjacent to World Bank project locations and a matched set of IBAs distant from World Bank project locations had similar rates of tree loss and similar in situ measurements of conservation outcomes. Thus, we did not detect any significant net negative impacts of World Bank projects on tree cover or conservation outcomes. These results are encouraging because 89% of World Bank projects that are close to IBAs are environmentally sensitive projects (so-called Category A and Category B projects) subjected to the organization’s most stringent safeguards. However, the limitations of our evaluation design do not allow us to rule out the possibility that World Bank projects had positive or negative effects that were undetectable.
Free vibrations of nonlocally elastic rods
Authors: Mikhasev G. , Avdeichik E. , Prikazchikov D.
Published: July 2018

Several of the Eringen’s nonlocal stress models, including two-phase and purely nonlocal integral models, along with the simplified differential model, are studied in the case of free longitudinal vibrations of a nanorod, for various types of boundary conditions. Assuming the exponential attenuation kernel in the nonlocal integral models, the integro-differential equation corresponding to the two-phase nonlocal model is reduced to a fourth-order differential equation with additional boundary conditions, taking into account nonlocal effects in the neighbourhood of the rod ends. Exact analytical and asymptotic solutions of boundary-value problems are constructed. Formulas for natural frequencies and associated modes found in the framework of the purely nonlocal model and its ‘equivalent’ differential analogue are also compared. A detailed analysis of solutions suggests that the purely nonlocal and differential models lead to ill-posed problems.
Influence of sucrose concentration on electric conductivity of banana pulp during ohmic heating
Authors: Poojitha P , Athmaselvi KA
Published: July 2018

Ohmic heating is a substitutive rapid heating method for food products. In this study, banana pulp with different concentrations of sugar is ohmically heated and the influence of sucrose concentration on electrical conductivity was investigated. The electrical conductivity, pH, total soluble solids, acidity, ascorbic acid content before and after ohmic heat treatment were also analysed. As the sucrose concentration increased, heating time at various voltage gradients 13.33, 20 and 26.66 V/cm increased, and the electrical conductivity decreased. As the voltage gradient increased, the pH and TSS of treated pulp with different sugar concentration increased followed by decrease in colour and acidity.
A Transnational Urban Political Ecology of Water Infrastructures: Global Water Policies and Water Management in Hanoi
Authors: Wright-Contreras Lucía
Published: July 2018

Using the lens of a transnational urban political ecology of water infrastructures in Vietnam, this article contributes to the understanding of the intersections between urbanization patterns, socioecological problems, financial schemes, and the power relations embedded in Hanoi’s urban water supply through politics of scale that aim to ensure safe drinking water. With the analysis of global water policies and their implications in the Southeast-Asian context, the objectives of this work are to (a) reveal the scalar nature of Hanoi’s water infrastructures by situating water management processes in a broader context of developmental issues, and (b) review lessons and prospects of past and future global targets of access to safe drinking water. The evidence of multilevel water governance processes and cross-sectoral challenges of safe water provision emphasizes the need for global networks of cooperation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6 and contribute to other sectors aiming to “transform our world.”
Men’s Muscularity Image—The Role among Polish Young Population
Authors: Zarzycki Marcin Zygmunt , Słyk Stanisław , Price Szymon , Flaga-Łuczkiewicz Magdalena
Published: July 2018

For many young men, enhancing their attractiveness as perceived by the opposite sex could be a potential reason for beginning physical activity. The aim of the study was to assess how women perceive male muscularity and how it could affect social relations between sexes. The intention was also to compare this assessment with the male view of the issue. An anonymous survey was conducted in electronic form and shared to Polish students. The questionnaire was completed by 5,190 respondents (4,043 women and 1,147 men). Women preferred a less muscular body than men. All muscle groups apart from the buttocks were also rated as more important by men than by women. The social role of muscularity, for example, in forming relationships with women was exaggerated by men. Men’s perception of their muscularity is not coherent with the way females perceive it.
A sharper conversation: book publishers’ use of social media marketing in the age of the algorithm
Authors: Nolan Sybil , Dane Alexandra
Published: July 2018

This article explores developments in book publishers’ use of social media (SM) as a marketing tool, particularly the rise of customer-focused marketing. Surveying the literature about publishers’ engagement with SM marketing (SMM), we argue that discourse modes of publishers’ SM practice, and the larger marketing ecologies of which this practice forms a part, have been transformed by contextual changes in the mediascape wherein publishing professionals are implicated through their sustained SMM activities. These changes include the rise of algorithmic filtering and paid-for content on Facebook and Twitter, industry’s embrace of data analytics, and the connection between them. The article explores the growing divide between small and large publishers in terms of their financial and cultural investment in data analytics, and concludes that the notion of SM as an equal-opportunity marketing tool in book publishing has proven demonstrably false because of this divide. The authors offer further avenues for much-needed research in this field.
Altered nuclei-specific thalamic functional connectivity patterns in multiple sclerosis and their associations with fatigue and cognition
Authors: Lin Fuchun , Zivadinov Robert , Hagemeier Jesper , Weinstock-Guttman Bianca , Vaughn Caila , Gandhi Sirin , Jakimovski Dejan , Hulst Hanneke E , Benedict Ralph HB , Bergsland Niels , Fuchs Tom , Dwyer Michael G
Published: July 2018

Background:

The thalamus, affected early in multiple sclerosis (MS), is a heterogeneous composition of functionally distinct nuclei and is associated with fatigue, cognition, and other outcomes. However, most previous functional imaging studies considered the thalamus only as a whole.

Objective:

To investigate MS-related abnormalities in nuclei-specific thalamic functional connectivity (FC) and their associations with fatigue and cognitive outcomes.

Methods:

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was analyzed in 64 MS patients and 26 healthy controls (HC). Whole-brain FC maps for four thalamic subregions seeds were computed for each subject. FC maps were compared between groups, and group by FC interaction effects were assessed for fatigue and cognitive measures.

Results:

MS patients had decreased FC between the left medial thalamic nuclei and left angular gyrus and reduced FC between the left posterior thalamic nuclei and left supramarginal gyrus, as well as decreased right medial thalamic nuclei connectivity with bilateral caudate/thalamus and left cerebellar areas ( p < 0.05 corrected). MS patients had increased FC between the left anterior thalamic nuclei and anterior cingulate cortex bilaterally. There were significant relationships between connectivity alterations and fatigue and cognitive measures between groups ( p < 0.05 corrected).

Conclusion:

FC alteration is nuclei-specific and is differentially associated with fatigue and cognition.
Impact of remote biometric monitoring on cost and hospitalization outcomes in peritoneal dialysis
Authors: Lew Susie Q , Sikka Neal , Thompson Clinton , Magnus Manya
Published: July 2018

Introduction

Peritoneal dialysis is a home-based therapy for individuals with end-stage renal disease. Telehealth, and in particular – remote monitoring, is making inroads in managing this cohort.

Methods

We examined whether daily remote biometric monitoring (RBM) of blood pressure and weight among peritoneal dialysis patients was associated with changes in hospitalization rate and hospital length of stay, as well as outpatient, inpatient and overall cost of care.

Results

Outpatient visit claim payment amounts (in US dollars derived from CMS data) decreased post-intervention relative to pre-intervention for those at age 18-54 years. For certain subgroups, non- or nearly-significant changes were found among female and Black participants. There was no change in inpatient costs post-intervention relative to pre-intervention for females and while the overall visit claim payment amounts increased in the outpatient setting slightly (US$511.41 (1990.30) vs. US$652.61 (2319.02), p = 0.0783) and decreased in the inpatient setting (US$10,835.30 (6488.66) vs. US$10,678.88 (15,308.17), p = 0.4588), these differences were not statistically significant. Overall cost was lower if RBM was used for assessment of blood pressure and/or weight (US$–734.51, p < 0.05). Use of RBM collected weight was associated with fewer hospitalizations (adjusted odds ratio 0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.33–0.89) and fewer days hospitalized (adjusted odds ratio 0.46, 95% confidence interval 0.26–0.81). Use of RBM collected blood pressure was associated with increased days of hospitalization and increased odds of hospitalization.

Conclusions

RBM offers a powerful opportunity to provide care to those receiving home therapies such as peritoneal dialysis. RBM may be associated with reduction in both inpatient and outpatient costs for specific sub-groups receiving peritoneal dialysis.
Effect of the linguistic complexity of the input text on alignment, writing fluency, and writing accuracy in the continuation task
Authors: Peng Jinfang , Wang Chuming , Lu Xiaofei
Published: July 2018

Previous studies demonstrated that the continuation task has great language learning potential and that various task-related factors may affect the extent to which the potential can be exploited (e.g. Wang & Wang, 2015). This study investigates the effect of one understudied factor, the linguistic complexity of the input text, on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ alignment, writing fluency, and writing accuracy in the continuation task. Two comparable groups of Chinese undergraduate EFL learners read and continued a simplified and unsimplified version of the same incomplete story whose linguistic complexity matched and exceeded their production ability, respectively. Compared to the unsimplified version, the simplified version resulted in more automatic alignment and greater improvement in writing fluency and accuracy. The implications of these findings for writing pedagogy are discussed.
Oral corrective feedback: Pre-service English as a second language teachers’ beliefs and practices
Authors: Kartchava Eva , Gatbonton Elizabeth , Ammar Ahlem , Trofimovich Pavel
Published: July 2018

This study investigated the relationship between pre-service English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and their actual teaching practices. To determine the nature of this relationship, 99 teachers-in-training with little or no teaching experience were asked to complete a questionnaire seeking information about their teaching beliefs, particularly about oral corrective feedback (i.e. teachers’ responses to students’ language errors). The teachers’ responses were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis which revealed several dimensions underlying their beliefs. To examine how these beliefs affect classroom performance, 10 of the teachers were first asked to indicate how they would correct language errors illustrated in hypothetical (videotaped) classroom scenarios and were then observed teaching an authentic ESL class. The classes were video-recorded and 30-minute teacher-fronted communicative segments from the lessons were analysed for the number and type of errors learners made and the teachers addressed. Results indicate a multifarious relationship between stated beliefs and actual teaching practices in that while the teachers corrected fewer errors than they believed they would, they preferred the same corrective techniques in both hypothetical and actual teaching situations. Most notably, the study suggests that the complexities of the language classroom and the pre-service teachers’ lack of experience at integrating theoretical knowledge and practical skills, lead them to behave overall as native-speaking interlocutors, not as language teachers. Implications for teacher training are discussed.
Reverse breathing in diesel engines for aftertreatment thermal management
Authors: Ramesh Aswin K , Odstrcil Troy E , Gosala Dheeraj B , Shaver Gregory M , Nayyar Soumya , Koeberlein Edward , McCarthy James
Published: July 2018

Approximately 40% of typical heavy-duty vehicle operation occurs at loaded idle during which time conventional diesel engines are unable to maintain aftertreatment component temperatures in a fuel-efficient manner. Fuel economy and thermal management at this condition can be improved via reverse breathing, a novel method in which exhaust gases are recirculated, as needed, from exhaust to intake manifold via one or more cylinders. Resultant airflow reductions increase exhaust gas temperatures and decrease exhaust flow rates, both of which are beneficial for maintaining desirable aftertreatment component temperatures while consuming less fuel via reduced pumping work. Several strategies for implementation of reverse breathing are described in detail and are compared to cylinder deactivation and internal exhaust gas recirculation operation. Experimental data demonstrate 26% fuel consumption savings compared to conventional stay-warm operation, 60 °C improvement in turbine outlet temperature and 28% reduction in exhaust flow compared to conventional best fuel consumption operation at the loaded idle condition (800 r/min, 1.3 bar brake mean effective pressure). The incorporation of reverse breathing to more efficiently maintain desired aftertreatment temperatures during idle conditions is experimentally demonstrated to result in fuel savings of 2% over the heavy-duty federal test procedure drive cycle compared with conventional operation.
Articulating practice through Provenance
Authors: Hill Geof W , Lloyd Cathryn
Published: July 2018

Professional practice literature acknowledges the value for practitioners inquiring into and critically reflecting on their professional practice . This approach to professional practice inquiry, initiated and undertaken by the professionals themselves, has been labelled ‘practitioner research’ in educational literature and ‘first-person action research’ in research literature. The approach can also be seen as a response to Davide Nicolini’s call for broader than ethnographic methodologies within the ‘practice-turn’.

The paradigm dialogue’s people-centred inquiry approach generated multiple alternative investigative methodologies to the scientific method, an approach which until that time had dominated research practices. Several of the alternate approaches were relevant for professional practice investigation. The propositions within this paper are contextualised within one of the posited alternate methodologies, ‘practice-led inquiry’ , distinguished from other forms of practitioner research by its starting or initiating point within the inquirer’s own practice. This defining feature is problematic for some practitioners who have difficulty describing their practice, and specifically describing it in ways that open the practices to interrogation and inquiry and generate new knowledge and theory.

This paper posits Provenance as a strategy/process within practice-led inquiry to enable practitioners to recognise knowledge about practice arising from their own experiences and utilise that in their theory building. The term Provenance describes the history and ownership of a given artefact, and the artisans who have informed its making. We discuss professional’s utilisation of Provenance’s within practice-led inquiry to identify origins of their practice through nominating critical incidents and literature that have informed development of their practice . Provenance thus creates a starting point and scaffold for practice-led inquiry, enabling a professional to interrogate their practice to build meaning about how a given professional practice can be understood and undertaken. This stands to contribute to the growing discourse about professional practice. Provenance can also support extended inquiry into a practice by scaffolding solicitation of other professional stories about a given professional practice.

Provenance resonates with action inquiry, both in iterative cycles of action and reflection and in the use of ‘first-person action inquiry’ . It allows professionals to connect back and identify turning points in their own professional development. It affirms the practitioner/inquirer’s own understanding and knowledge of their practice. The narrative that evolves from initial consideration of critical events, and sometimes literature that have informed development of professional practice, can be repeatedly revisited to remember, reflect and change more and more detail, generating new knowledge about the practice.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anger and Aggression in a Child With Tourette’s Syndrome
Authors: Tudor Megan E. , Bertschinger Emilie , Piasecka Justyna , Sukhodolsky Denis G.
Published: July 2018

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by vocal and motor tics. Children with TS often also exhibit disruptive behaviors including sudden anger outbursts accompanied by verbal and physical aggression. This case study presents cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) treatment of anger and aggression in a 9-year-old girl with TS, co-occurring generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). At initial assessment, tics were well-managed and disruptive behavior concerns, including near-daily tantrums lasting 20 min to 1 hr, were primary clinical concerns. The child and her mother received 12 weekly sessions of CBT for anger and aggression, with select supplements and modifications that related to the context of TS. Posttreatment assessment indicated a significant decrease in noncompliance, anger outbursts, and aggressive behavior. CBT for anger and aggression can be a useful treatment for the disruptive behaviors that often co-occur with TS.
An Intensive Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Authors: Neziroglu Fugen , Bonasera Brittany , Curcio Desiree
Published: July 2018

Body dysmorphic disorder affects 2.4% of the U.S. adult population, with the most common age of onset between 12 and 13 years. However, research in the area of adolescent BDD is minimal. This case study describes the intensive approach of treatment used for a 14-year-old female diagnosed with BDD. Treatment included an individualized course of cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure and response prevention. BDD symptoms decreased after 27 full-day sessions in an outpatient clinic. In addition, general levels of anxiety decreased and level of functioning increased. Tailoring standard treatments and utilizing developmentally appropriate techniques were significant factors for the adolescent’s success. Implications for future research and treatment are discussed.
Is There Any Relationship Between Body Image Perception, Eating Disorders, and Muscle Dysmorphic Disorders in Male Bodybuilders?
Authors: Devrim Aslı , Bilgic Pelin , Hongu Nobuko
Published: July 2018

Bodybuilding has increasingly become popular between males since male body shape has become a subject of interest in the last decades. Bodybuilders have desired to gain more muscle and paid attention to their body shape. Based on this purpose, they have string rules that include restrictive eating and excessive exercise program. Recent research has demonstrated that desiring more muscular body shape exhibits eating behavior problems and body dissatisfaction issues in bodybuilders. Limited research exists on the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in male bodybuilders. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between body image disturbance and eating disorders in 120 male bodybuilders. The Eating Attitude Test (EAT-40) was used to determine eating disorders, the Muscle Dysmorphia Disorder Inventory was used to determine bigorexia symptoms, and Bodybuilder Image Grid-Original (BIG O) and Scaled (BIG S) forms were used to detect the factors associated with body dissatisfaction. There was a positive relationship between Eating Attitude Test and Muscle Dysmorphia Disorder Inventory total scores. Eating Attitude Test was positively correlated with both fat and muscle dissatisfaction. Our results indicated that eating disorder psychopathology is positively related to body dissatisfaction and body dysmorphic disorders in male bodybuilders.
Radial Plate Fixation of Distal Radius Fracture
Authors: Dabash Sherif , Potter Eric , Pimentel Elizabeth , Shunia Juan , Abdelgawad Amr , Thabet Ahmed M. , Pirela-Cruz Miguel
Published: July 2018

Background: A radial incision with radial plate fixation for distal radius fracture has historically been avoided due to its risk to the superficial branch of the radial nerve (SBRN). With careful technique, it is possible to avoid injury to the SBRN, thereby minimizing the soft tissue injury associated with other approaches. We compare subjective and objective functional outcomes of radial plate fixation surgeries that we performed with those of dorsal and volar plate fixation in current literature. Methods: Patients at a single center who underwent radial plate fixation for an AO type A or AO type B distal radius fracture between December 2006 and December 2014 were enrolled in the study. Postoperative grip strength and 3-digit pinch strength were measured systematically in the injured and uninjured wrists. Patients also completed a Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire to assess subjective outcomes. Results: Thirty-six patients met our inclusion criteria and had available medical records. Postoperative grip strength in the injured wrist was significantly lowered—68% compared with the uninjured wrist. After subgroup analysis of dominant and nondominant wrist injuries, there was no significant difference in grip strength between injured and uninjured wrists. There was no significant decrease in postoperative 3-digit pinch strength in the injured wrist—89% compared with the uninjured wrist. The mean QuickDASH score for our study participants was 20.9. Conclusions: Radial plate fixation is an effective approach for distal radius fractures. Objective and subjective outcomes are noninferior to those of a dorsal or volar approach.
Assessment of Pronator Quadratus Repair Integrity Using Dynamic Ultrasonography Following Volar Plate Fixation for Distal Radius Fractures
Authors: Hinds Richard M. , Montero-Lopez Nicole , Brock Kenneth , Adler Ronald , Sapienza Anthony , Capo John T. , Paksima Nader
Published: July 2018

Background: Previous work evaluating the pronator quadratus (PQ) muscle following volar plate fixation (VPF) of distal radius fractures (DRF) suggests that PQ repair often fails in the postoperative period. The purpose of this investigation was to assess PQ repair integrity following VPF of DRF using dynamic musculoskeletal ultrasonography. Methods: Twenty adult patients who underwent VPF of DRF with repair of the PQ with a minimum follow-up of 3 months underwent bilateral dynamic wrist ultrasonography. The integrity of the PQ repair, wrist range of motion (ROM) and strength, and functional outcome scores were assessed. Results: Mean patient age at the time of surgery was 59 ± 14 years, and 50% underwent VPF of their dominant wrist. Patients were evaluated at a mean 9 ± 4 months after VPF. All patients had an intact PQ repair. The volar plate was completely covered by the PQ in 55% of patients and was associated with a larger PQ when compared to patients with an incompletely covered volar plate ( P = .026). The flexor pollicis longus tendon was in contact with the volar plate in 20% of patients, with those patients demonstrating a trend toward significantly increased wrist flexion ( P = .053). No difference in ROM, strength, or outcome scores was noted among wrists with completely or incompletely covered volar plates. Conclusions: The PQ demonstrates substantial durability after repair following VPF. Wrist ROM, strength, and functional outcomes are similar in wrists in which the volar plate is completely or incompletely covered by the repaired PQ.
Accuracy of Carpal Tunnel Injection: A Prospective Evaluation of 756 Patients
Authors: Green David P. , MacKay Brendan J. , Seiler Steven J. , Fry Michael T.
Published: July 2018

Background: Corticosteroid injection into the carpal tunnel is both a diagnostic test and a therapeutic modality in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Many injection techniques are described in the literature. Improper placement of injection may result in damage to neurovascular structures in the carpal canal or decrease efficacy of the test and/or therapy. The purpose of this study is to determine if carpal tunnel injection using anatomic landmarks is reproducible and safe. A review of the senior author’s injection technique is presented. Methods: Over 8 years, there were 756 attempted placements of a 25-gauge needle into the carpal tunnel in a simulated carpal tunnel injection prior to open carpal tunnel release. The needle was inserted at the wrist crease, just ulnar to palmaris longus. Open carpal tunnel release was subsequently performed, and position of the needle was recorded. Results: In 572 patients (75.7%), the needle was found to be in the carpal tunnel without penetration of contents. The needle was in the carpal tunnel but piercing the median nerve in 66 attempts (8.7%). The carpal tunnel was missed in 118 attempts (15.6%). Conclusions: This is the largest study looking at accuracy of carpal tunnel injection using anatomic landmarks. Our injection accuracy (75.7%) is less than reported in previous studies, which note 82% to 100% accuracy using the same injection technique. This may indicate that carpal tunnel injection is less reliable than previously thought. Safety of carpal tunnel injection remains an important concern. The median nerve was penetrated in 8.7% of attempts.
Review of Internal Radiocarpal Distraction Plating for Distal Radius Fracture Fixation
Authors: Vakhshori Venus , Alluri Ram Kiran , Stevanovic Milan , Ghiassi Alidad
Published: July 2018

Internal radiocarpal distraction plating is a versatile tool in the treatment of distal radius fractures that are not amenable to nonoperative treatment or operative fixation with standard volar or dorsal implants. Internal distraction plates may also be indicated in the setting of polytrauma or osteopenic bone. The plate functions as an internal fixator, using ligamentotaxis to restore length and alignment while providing relative stability for bony healing. The plate can be fixed to either the second or the third metacarpal, and anatomic and biomechanical studies have assessed the strengths and weaknesses of each strategy. This operative fixation technique leads to acceptable radiographic results and functional outcomes. Following fracture union, the plate is removed, and wrist range of motion is resumed.
Two Cases of Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury With Complete Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Paul Aaron W. , Spinner Robert J. , Bishop Allen T. , Shin Alexander Y. , Rhee Peter C.
Published: July 2018

Background: Traumatic brachial plexus injury (BPI) in patients with complete spinal cord injury (SCI) such as paraplegia or tetraplegia is a very rare and debilitating combined injury that can occur in high-energy traumas. Management of a BPI should be aimed at regaining strength for self-transfers and activities of daily living to restore independence. However, brachial plexus reconstruction (BPR) in this unique patient population requires considerable planning due to the combined elements of upper and lower motor neuron injuries. Methods: We present 2 cases of traumatic complete SCI with concomitant BPI with mean follow-up of 42 months after BPR. The first patient had a left C5-7 BPI with a T2 complete SCI. The second patient sustained a left C5-8 BPI with complete SCI at C8. Results: The first patient underwent BPR including free functioning muscle, intra- and extraplexal nerve transfers, and tendon transfers resulting in active elbow flexion and active elbow, finger, and thumb extension, but no recovery of shoulder function. While the second patient underwent extra-plexal nerve transfer to restore elbow flexion yet did not recover any function in the left upper extreimty. Conclusions: Because extensive upper and lower motor neuron injuries are present in these combined injuries, treatment strategies are limited. Expectations should be tempered in these patients as traditional methods to reconstruct the brachial plexus may result in less than ideal functional outcomes due to the associated upper motor neuron injury.
The Epidemiology of Scapholunate Advanced Collapse
Authors: Murphy Blake D. , Nagarajan Mahalakshmi , Novak Christine B. , Roy Mélissa , McCabe Steven J.
Published: July 2018

Background: Scapholunate advanced collapse (SLAC) is the most common pattern of wrist arthritis. Sparse data exist regarding the SLAC wrist pattern of arthritis. This study aimed to document the epidemiology of advanced SLAC in terms of patients’ sociodemographics and possible association with trauma. Methods: Sixty-one patients with severe SLAC wrist were included. Baseline sociodemographic characteristics were reviewed. To evaluate the relationship to injury, this group of cases was compared with a control group of 61 patients with first carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC OA). The following data were collected for both groups: age, gender, history of traumatic injury, history of manual labor, duration of symptoms, and dominant hand involvement. Pearson chi-square tests for categorical variables and independent samples t test for continuous variables were performed to determine differences between groups. Results: Patients with SLAC wrist were more likely to be male (80.3% vs 31.1%; p<0.001), have a history of a traumatic injury (69.5% vs 25.9%, P < .001), have longer symptom duration (10.3 ± 13.3 vs 3.5 ± 2.5 years, P = .001), be involved in a manual labor job (49.0% vs 20.0%, P = .002), and be younger (53.1 ± 10.4 vs 58.3 ± 9.8; P = .006) compared with patients with CMC OA. There was no difference in dominant hand involvement (49.2% vs 53.3%; P = .571) between the groups. Conclusions: This study identified the characteristics of patients with advanced SLAC wrist. Compared with a control cohort of CMC OA, patients with SLAC wrist were more likely to be male, have a history of a traumatic injury, and be younger.
A novel non-collision trajectory planning algorithm based on velocity potential field for robotic manipulator
Authors: Xu X , Hu Y , Zhai JM , Li LZ , Guo PS
Published: July 2018

This article presents a non-collision trajectory planning algorithm in three-dimensional space based on velocity potential field for robotic manipulators, which can be applied to collision avoidance among serial industrial robots and obstacles, and path optimization in multi-robot collaborative operation. The algorithm is achieved by planning joint velocities of manipulators based on attractive, repulsive, and tangential velocity of velocity potential field. To avoid oscillating at goal point, a saturated function is suggested to the attractive velocity potential field that slows down to the goal progressively. In repulsive velocity potential field, a spring damping system is designed to eliminate the chattering phenomenon near obstacles. Moreover, a fuzzy logic approach is used to optimize the spring damping coefficients for different velocities of manipulators. Different from the usual tangential velocity perpendicular to the repulsive velocity vector for avoiding the local minima problem, an innovative tangential velocity potential field is introduced that is considering the relative position and moving direction of obstacles for minimum avoidance path in three-dimensional space. In addition, a path priority strategy of collision avoidance is taken into account for better performance and higher efficiency when multi-robots cooperation is scheduled. The improvements for local minima and oscillation are verified by simulations in MATLAB. The adaptabilities of the algorithm in different velocities and priority strategies are demonstrated by simulations of two ABB robots in Robot Studio. The method is further implemented in an experimental platform with a SCARA and an ABB robot cooperation around a stationary obstacle and a moving object, and the result shows real time and effectiveness of the algorithms.
Arts-based interventions to promote transition outcomes for young people with long-term conditions: A review
Authors: Callinan J , Coyne I
Published: July 2018

Objectives

To conduct a systematic review of arts-based interventions promoting transition from paediatric to adult services for young people (Note: The term young people refers to adolescents and young adults.) with long-term conditions and to explore their effectiveness.

Interventions

Arts-based interventions included studies of young people who were actively participating in the intervention rather than passive observers. Visual arts interventions included film/video production, time-based media, photography, animation, sculpture, audio, installation, sound recordings, painting, textiles, print, mixed media, multimedia. Arts-based interventions included creative writing, poetry, dance, choreography and storytelling.

Main outcome measures

We included all outcome measures relevant to transition and any chronic condition. These included: self-care knowledge and skills, autonomy, continuity of care, adherence to treatment and attendance at appointments.

Results

Seven studies reported arts-based interventions promoting outcomes that are relevant to transition. These studies showed that arts-based interventions may influence young people with long-term conditions self-esteem, confidence and self-expression. The findings must be treated with caution as the evidence was weak with studies using qualitative measures and of poor methodological quality.

Conclusions

There is a need for further research of arts-based interventions for children and adolescents with long-term conditions that incorporate objective measurements or validated tools to assess outcomes relevant to the transition process.
An initial validation of a new quality of life measure for adults with intellectual disability: The Mini-MANS-LD
Authors: Raczka Roman , Theodore Kate , Williams Janice
Published: July 2018

There is an appropriate increasing focus on the need to ensure the voices of people with intellectual disability are captured as part of assessing individuals’ quality of life; however, there remains a lack of a consensus on ways to achieve this. This article describes the development of a self-report measure of quality of life for people with intellectual disability, the ‘Mini-MANS-LD’, based on the concepts of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Following use with 33 individuals with intellectual disability, the Mini-MANS-LD was found to have acceptable psychometric properties, including moderate congruent validity and acceptable internal consistency. Administrators’ feedback suggested good acceptability and feasibility, and the measure was relatively quick to administer, easy to use and acceptable to service users. Despite a small sample size, this initial study suggests that the Mini-MANS-LD may present a conceptually relevant, feasible and acceptable self-report measure of quality of life for people with intellectual disability.
The role of social attention in older adults’ ability to interpret naturalistic social scenes
Authors: Grainger Sarah A , Steinvik Henriette R , Henry Julie D , Phillips Louise H
Published: July 2018

Age-related differences on theory of mind (ToM) tasks are well established. However, the literature has been criticised for predominantly relying on tasks with poor ecological validity, and consequently it remains unclear whether these age differences extend to tasks with greater realism. In addition, we currently have a limited understanding of the factors that may contribute to age-related declines in ToM. To address these issues, we conducted two studies that assessed age differences in ToM using multimodal social scene stimuli. Study 1 also examined eye movements to assess whether biases in visual attention may be related to age-related difficulties in ToM, and Study 2 included an assessment of social attention (as indexed by biological motion perception) and working memory to assess whether these capacities may explain age difficulties in ToM. In both studies, the results showed that older adults performed worse than their younger counterparts on the ToM tasks, indicating that age-related difficulties in ToM extend to measures that more closely represent everyday social interactions. The eye-tracking data in Study 1 showed that older adults gazed less at the faces of protagonists in the social scenes compared with younger adults; however, these visual biases were not associated with ToM ability. Study 2 showed that older age was associated with a reduced ability to detect biological motion cues, and this mediated age-related variance in ToM ability. These findings are discussed in relation to competing theoretical frameworks of ageing that predict either improvements or declines in ToM with age.