bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of hardwood biochar as a replacement for wood flour in wood–polypropylene composites
Authors: DeVallance David B , Oporto Gloria S , Quigley Patrick
Published: June 2015

The overall goal of this project was to combine biochar (BC) with plastic and wood residue to create novel composite products. Little to no research has been conducted on combining BC with other materials to form a composite. In this research, BC was used as a partial and full replacement material for wood flour and was combined with polypropylene to manufacture composite materials. The resulting wood/BC/plastic composites were evaluated for various mechanical and physical properties. The composites fabricated with 25% BC had the highest average flexural strength and modulus of elasticity. Composites fabricated with 5% BC had the highest average tensile strength and tensile elasticity. Composites fabricated with 40% BC had the lowest average 24- and 48-h water absorption percentage. The findings suggested that BC has the potential to be a replacement for traditional wood in a variety of composite applications.
Power Heightens Sensitivity to Unfairness Against the Self
Authors: Sawaoka Takuya , Hughes Brent L. , Ambady Nalini
Published: June 2015

Power is accompanied by a sense of entitlement, which shapes reactions to self-relevant injustices. We propose that powerful people more strongly expect to be treated fairly and are faster to perceive unjust treatment that violates these expectations. After preliminary data demonstrated that power leads people to expect fair outcomes for themselves, we conducted four experiments. Participants primed with high (vs. low) power were faster to identify violations of distributive justice in which they were victims (Study 1). This effect was specific to self-relevant injustices (Study 2) and generalized to violations of interpersonal justice (Study 3). Finally, participants primed with high power were more likely to take action against unfair treatment (Study 4). These findings suggest a process by which hierarchies may be maintained: Whereas the powerless are comparatively less sensitive to unfair treatment, the powerful may retain their social standing by quickly perceiving and responding to self-relevant injustices.
Challenges to developmental regulation across the life course
Authors: Heckhausen Jutta , Wrosch Carsten
Published: June 2015

We discuss the major processes involved in individuals’ motivation and self-regulation of goal striving throughout the life course. While much is regulated based on the biological and societal scaffolding of lifespan development, certain challenges for motivation and self-regulation are more substantial and need to be managed by the individual, providing opportunities for researchers for testing the limits of individual capacities in developmental regulation. These challenging circumstances include major changes in age-graded opportunities for goal pursuit, uncertain or obfuscated opportunities, and major unexpected losses of control. Under such challenging circumstances, the consequences of individual differences in motivational self-regulation, such as optimism, action vs. state orientation, and goal-disengagement capacity are enhanced and may contribute to adaptive patterns of developmental regulation.
End User Comparison of Anatomically Matched 3‐Dimensional Printed and Virtual Haptic Temporal Bone Simulation
Authors: Hochman Jordan Brent , Rhodes Charlotte , Kraut Jay , Pisa Justyn , Unger Bertram
Published: June 2015

Objective

Simulation has assumed a prominent role in education. It is important to explore the effectiveness of different modalities. In this article, we directly compare surgical resident impression of 2 distinct temporal bone simulations (physical and haptic).

Study Design

Research Ethics Board–approved prospective cohort study.

Setting

A haptic voxel‐based virtual model (VM) and a physical 3‐dimensional printed temporal bone model (PBM) were developed. Participants rated each construct on a number of parameters and performed a direct comparison of the simulations using a survey instrument that employed a 7‐point Likert scale and rank lists.

Subjects and Methods

Ten otolaryngology residents dissected anatomically identical, matched physical and virtual models. Data for both simulations originated from 10 unique cadaveric micro–computed tomography images.

Results

Subjects rated the PBM drill quality as being more similar to cadaveric temporal bone than the VM (cortical bone mean: 5.5 vs 3.2, P =. 011; trabecular bone mean: 5.2 vs 2.8, P =. 004) and with better air cell system representation (mean: 5.4 vs 4.5, P =. 003). Subjects strongly agreed that both simulations are effective educational tools, but they rated the PBM higher (mean: 6.7 vs 5.4, P =. 019). Notably, subjects agreed that both modalities should be integrated into training, but they were more favorably inclined toward the PBM (mean: 7.0 vs 5.5, P =. 002). In direct comparison, the PBM was the preferred simulation in 7 of 9 educational domains.

Conclusions

Appraisal of a PBM and a VM found both to have perceived educational benefit. However, the PBM was considered to have more realistic physical properties and was considered the preferred training instrument.
Expression of Surfactant Protein–A during LPS‐Induced Otitis Media with Effusion in Mice
Authors: Li Li , Guo Xiangrui , Olszewski Emily , Fan Zhaomin , Ai Yu , Han Yuechen , Xu Lei , Li Jianfeng , Wang Haibo
Published: June 2015

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and role of surfactant protein (SP) in the middle ear throughout lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced otitis media with effusion (OME).

Study Design

Randomized case‐controlled animal model.

Setting

Shandong University, Jinan, China.

Subjects and Methods

SP expression was monitored using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in normal mice (n = 5). Two groups, control phosphate‐buffered saline–injected mice (n = 5) and LPS‐injected mice (n = 5), were euthanized 5 days following injection. RNA was extracted for reverse transcription PCR and real‐time PCR, and temporal bone samples were used for hematoxylin and eosin staining. LPS was injected into mice, and 5 mice per test were euthanized at 0, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours following injection. For mRNA expression quantification, reverse transcription PCR and real‐time PCR were performed, and proinflammatory cytokine levels were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

SP‐A and SP‐D expression was detected in normal murine Eustachian tubes. SP‐A expression was up‐regulated after LPS‐induced OME (P =. 01). At various time points after LPS injection, concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor–α [TNF‐α], interleukin (IL)–1β, and IL‐6) in the middle ear increased significantly (P <. 05) and correlated with changes in SP‐A expression.

Conclusion

SP‐A and SP‐D exist in the murine middle ear. The expression of SP‐A and TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐6 was up‐regulated in the middle ear of the LPS‐induced OME animal model.
Giant primary mediastinal liposarcoma: A rare cause of atrial flutter
Authors: Arrarás-Martínez Miguel J , Rieger-Reyes Cristina , Panadero-Paz Carolina , Landa-Oviedo Hugo S , García-Tirado Javier
Published: June 2015

We report the case of a 68-year-old man who presented with atrial flutter and was observed radiologically to have a large mass in the posterior mediastinum. During surgical removal, spontaneous recovery of sinus rhythm occurred. There was no late recurrence of arrhythmia. The diagnosis was mediastinal liposarcoma of mixed type (extremely rare). Supraventricular arrhythmia associated with mediastinal tumors is exceptional. Surgery appears to be the only potentially curative treatment for these tumors. In cases like ours presenting with arrhythmia, surgery is considered essential for control of the arrhythmia.
Succeeding against the odds
Authors: Lo Cecilia C , Yuen Mantak
Published: June 2015

This small-scale exploratory study identified strategies used by three intellectually very able university students with specific learning difficulties for maintaining motivation on their path to achievement. All three participants were located in Hong Kong. The research questions were: (a) What coping strategies are used by intellectually very able university students with specific learning difficulties? (b) What are the critical influences driving and supporting their motivation to achieve? A narrative inquiry method was used to obtain and analyze data. Two gifted university graduates and one undergraduate, all with specific learning difficulties, were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire and open discussion. Data indicated that they developed strategies to cope largely in response to adverse learning environments. The support of significant persons, such as parents and teachers, were also seen to be essential for sustaining their motivation to achieve. Implications for supporting university students with specific learning difficulties are briefly discussed.
Policy and practice tensions in tackling alcohol abuse and violence in probation settings
Authors: Broad Rose , Lightowlers Carly
Published: June 2015

This article explores recent policy development and resulting tensions that emerge in a neo-liberal climate of widespread availability and use of alcohol and a parallel move towards the marketization of offender management. We argue that these trends threaten the quality of treatment and supervision offered to those whose alcohol use is linked to their violent offending and unduly criminalizes those behaving disorderly as a result of their drinking in the context of ever more coercive frameworks.
Caring for continence in stroke care settings: a qualitative study of patients’ and staff perspectives on the implementation of a new continence care intervention
Authors: Brady MC , Jamieson K , Bugge C , Hagen S , McClurg D , Chalmers C , Langhorne P
Published: June 2015

Objectives:

Investigate the perspectives of patients and nursing staff on the implementation of an augmented continence care intervention after stroke.

Design:

Qualitative data were elicited during semi-structured interviews with patients ( n = 15) and staff (14 nurses; nine nursing assistants) and analysed using thematic analysis.

Setting:

Mixed acute and rehabilitation stroke ward.

Participants:

Stroke patients and nursing staff that experienced an enhanced continence care intervention.

Results:

Four themes emerged from patients’ interviews describing: (a) challenges communicating about continence (initiating conversations and information exchange); (b) mixed perceptions of continence care; (c) ambiguity of focus between mobility and continence issues; and (d) inconsistent involvement in continence care decision making. Patients’ perceptions reflected the severity of their urinary incontinence. Staff described changes in: (i) knowledge as a consequence of specialist training; (ii) continence interventions (including the development of nurse-led initiatives to reduce the incidence of unnecessary catheterisation among patients admitted to their ward); (iii) changes in attitude towards continence from containment approaches to continence rehabilitation; and (iv) the challenges of providing continence care within a stroke care context including limitations in access to continence care equipment or products, and institutional attitudes towards continence.

Conclusion:

Patients (particularly those with severe urinary incontinence) described challenges communicating about and involvement in continence care decisions. In contrast, nurses described improved continence knowledge, attitudes and confidence alongside a shift from containment to rehabilitative approaches. Contextual components including care from point of hospital admission, equipment accessibility and interdisciplinary approaches were perceived as important factors to enhancing continence care.
Safety of gadoxetate disodium: results from six clinical phase IV studies in 8194 patients
Authors: Endrikat Jan , Kim So Yeon , Sakaguchi Toshiaki , Dohanish Susan , Breuer Josy
Published: June 2015

Background

Safety data on routine clinical use of gadoxetate disodium for liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not reported yet.

Purpose

To assess the safety profile of gadoxetate disodium for liver MRI in the routine clinical setting.

Material and Methods

Six multicenter studies were performed in Europe, USA, Australia, and Asia to evaluate the safety and efficacy of gadoxetate disodium (Primovist®/Eovist®) enhanced liver MRI. Patients received a single intravenous bolus injection of the standard approved dose of 0.025 mmol/kg body weight (0.1 mL/kg). The number of patients, the characteristics of adverse events, related adverse events, and serious adverse events were analyzed.

Results

A total of 8194 patients were included in the database. A total of 141 patients (1.7%) reported 230 AEs of which 129 were considered being related to the use of gadoxetate disodium by the investigators. None of the AEs in the pediatric population ( n = 52) were related. The most frequent AEs independent of relationship to the drug included dyspnea (25/0.31%), nausea (22/0.27%), liver disorders (13/0.16%), and renal disorders (9/0.11%). Nine related SAEs were recorded. No patient died during the studies.

Conclusion

Gadoxetate disodium for liver MRI is safe and well tolerated in the routine clinical setting.
Innovations in the Pedagogy of Food System Planning
Authors: Greenstein Rosalind , Jacobson Amanda , Coulson Meredith , Morales Alfonso
Published: June 2015

The food system now occupies a prominent place in planning, and food systems pedagogical practice embraces virtually every planning subdiscipline, mirroring the central, and ever differentiating, role of food in society. This article tracks changes in food system pedagogical practices. We provide an analysis of prevailing themes in the pedagogical methods used in food systems classes, and why these particular strategies are suited to food planning education. Our conclusion examines other research opportunities in food system pedagogy and describes the need for research and practice on the career trajectories of food planning professionals.
For the Boys in the Family: An Investigation Into the Relationship Between “Honor”-Based Violence and Endogamy
Authors: Payton Joanne L.
Published: June 2015

Germaine Tillion’s classic work of ethnology My Cousin, My Husband related so-called “honor”-based violence (HBV) to the institution of cousin marriage as a response to women’s entitlement to inheritance within the Greater Mediterranean Region. This article will scrutinize Tillion’s position using original survey data gathered in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, finding that although there is a correlation between HBV and cousin marriage, Tillion’s association of this with inheritance laws is inadequate. An alternative position is proposed, in which the relationship between HBV and cousin marriage is situated in coercion around marriage, intergenerational tensions, and in-group exclusivity, exacerbated by the contemporary politics of nationalist neopatrimonialism and an economy based in oil rentierism.
The Costs of Policing Violence: Foregrounding Cognitive and Emotional Labor
Authors: Evans Louwanda , Feagin Joe R.
Published: June 2015

This article examines the connections between systemic racism, racial framing, and police violence. While media saturation of recent and highly publicized events of police violence against black males has taken center stage, most of these analyses have focused on “riots” and “protests” without much consideration of the emotional and cognitive costs to communities and people of color. In contrast to mainstream notions that policing violence is increasing, we center the discussion of police brutality in systemic racism by examining the historical relationship between African Americans, violent policing, and resistance. In this article, we introduce and conceptualize emotional and cognitive labor as consequences for people of color as they navigate everyday life, including interactions with policing agents.
Novel photoactive poly(aryl ether)s containing bisazobenzene pendants for optical storage
Authors: Zhang Jingjing , Zhang Haibo , Zhang Qing , Jiang Zhenhua , Chen Qidai , Zhang Yuxuan
Published: June 2015

A series of novel poly(aryl ether)s containing bisazobenzene moieties (bisazo-PAEs) have been synthesized based on a new bisazobenzene monomer, 4-(4-(4-nitrophenyl)diazenylphenyl)diazenylphenyl)-2,6-difluorobenzenesulfonate. Their chemical structures and properties were characterized by means of infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopies. These polymers show good thermal stability with glass transition temperatures above 160°C. the bisazo-PAEs show significant photoisomerization effect after irradiation with 405 nm light. By exposing the bisazo-PAEs films to an interference pattern of laser beams at modest intensity, significant surface-relief gratings can be formed.
Determination of the collision speed of a vehicle from evaluation of the crush volume using photographs
Authors: Han Inhwan , Kang Heejin
Published: June 2015

In accident reconstruction analysis of a collision between modern vehicles which have a three-dimensional frontal shape, classical two-dimensional crush measurement and modelling have apparent limits. In this paper, a new model which can calculate the collision speed from the three-dimensional crush volume estimated using two-dimensional photographic data of the collision crush shape is presented. The equation for the crush volume and the collision speed include the mass of the vehicle, and it is composed as a single equation, disregarding the size of the vehicle. The optimal coefficients were obtained through least-squares curve fitting using National Highway Traffic Safety Administration collision test data, and they were validated through actual vehicle collision tests. Additionally, a photogrammetry method using only photographic data of the collision is suggested for immediate application in reconstruction analysis of an actual accident, which can make the measurement of the crush volume relatively convenient and accurate.
Opportunities and limits to market-driven sanitation services: evidence from urban informal settlements in East Africa
Authors: O’Keefe Mark , Lüthi Christoph , Tumwebaze Innocent Kamara , Tobias Robert
Published: June 2015

The improvement of sanitation conditions in slums(1) is difficult in part because of economic and institutional environments that often prevent private or public investment in infrastructure. This analysis of sanitation conditions in informal settlements in Nairobi and Kampala compares user practices. It also identifies the main actors involved in the provision of overlapping sanitation systems, involving a multitude of small-scale providers, along with the challenges these present. The paper goes on to describe a new market-based approach in Nairobi, developed by a social enterprise, Sanergy, which is responsible for the construction of facilities and the collection and treatment of wastes. The system improves user satisfaction, community wellbeing and environmental quality, pointing to a clear opportunity for such market-based interventions where a customer base already pays for sub-standard services. There remain challenges, however, around the ability to scale up and finance these providers, especially in complex operating environments that increase transactional costs for companies.
Object Persistence Enhances Spatial Navigation
Authors: Liverence Brandon M. , Scholl Brian J.
Published: June 2015

Violations of spatiotemporal continuity disrupt performance in many tasks involving attention and working memory, but experiments on this topic have been limited to the study of moment-by-moment on-line perception, typically assessed by passive monitoring tasks. We tested whether persisting object representations also serve as underlying units of longer-term memory and active spatial navigation, using a novel paradigm inspired by the visual interfaces common to many smartphones. Participants used key presses to navigate through simple visual environments consisting of grids of icons (depicting real-world objects), only one of which was visible at a time through a static virtual window. Participants found target icons faster when navigation involved persistence cues (via sliding animations) than when persistence was disrupted (e.g., via temporally matched fading animations), with all transitions inspired by smartphone interfaces. Moreover, this difference occurred even after explicit memorization of the relevant information, which demonstrates that object persistence enhances spatial navigation in an automatic and irresistible fashion.
Variability Modifies Life Satisfaction’s Association With Mortality Risk in Older Adults
Authors: Boehm Julia K. , Winning Ashley , Segerstrom Suzanne , Kubzansky Laura D.
Published: June 2015

Greater life satisfaction is associated with greater longevity, but its variability across time has not been examined relative to longevity. We investigated whether mean life satisfaction across time, variability in life satisfaction across time, and their interaction were associated with mortality over 9 years of follow-up. Participants were 4,458 Australians initially at least 50 years old. During the follow-up, 546 people died. After we adjusted for age, greater mean life satisfaction was associated with a reduction in mortality risk, and greater variability in life satisfaction was associated with an increase in mortality risk. These findings were qualified by a significant interaction such that individuals with low mean satisfaction and high variability in satisfaction had the greatest risk of mortality over the follow-up period. In combination with mean life satisfaction, variability in life satisfaction is relevant for mortality risk among older adults. Considering intraindividual variability provides additional insight into associations between psychological characteristics and health.
A comparison of nonlinear actuator disk methods for the performance analysis of ducted marine propellers
Authors: Bontempo R , Cardone M , Manna M , Vorraro G
Published: June 2015

This paper presents the validation of a generalised semi-analytical actuator disk model as applied to the study of the flow around ducted propellers. The method, which returns the exact solution as a superposition of ring vortex, duly accounts for the rotation of the wake, the convergence of the slipstream, and the nonlinear mutual interaction between the duct and the propeller. Furthermore, it can deal with an arbitrary radial distribution of the load and ducts of general shape. In order to validate the previously mentioned actuator disk model, results obtained through it are compared with those provided by the so-called “CFD actuator disk method”. The latter is a widely diffused tool for the analysis of the flow around open and ducted propellers which models the rotor by means of radial profiles of blade forces distributed over a disk surface. In this paper, evidence has been given of the excellent agreement between the results of the two methods. Thanks to its extremely reduced computational cost the semi-analytical method is well suited to be integrated into design systems based on the repeated analysis scheme of hierarchical type.
Anti-CII antibody as a novel indicator to assess disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: He C , Mao T , Feng Y , Song T , Qin C , Yan R , Feng P
Published: June 2015

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects a variety of organ systems. Anti-dsDNA Abs and complement factors have been used as indicators of lupus activity for more than 50 years. A novel indicator of activation in SLE is reported in this paper. Anti-collagen type II (CII) Ab was obviously elevated in patients with SLE compared to those patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and healthy controls (HCs). Anti-CII-Ab-positive patients with SLE showed significantly higher levels of serum IgG and higher titers of ANA but lower levels of C3 and C4 than controls. A positive correlation was demonstrated between anti-CII Ab and serum IgG in SLE patients ( r = 0.50, p < 0.0001). The negative correlations of anti-CII Ab with C3 and C4 were observed in SLE patients ( r = –0.36, p = 0.0013; r = –0.37, p = 0.0006, respectively). The reduced anti-CII Ab level was accompanied by decreased level of serum IgG and increased levels of C3 and C4 after regular treatment. Therefore, anti-CII Ab could be a novel indicator for monitoring activity of SLE.
New approaches for studies of Muslim women and sport
Authors: Toffoletti Kim , Palmer Catherine
Published: June 2015

This article offers a new approach for examining Muslim women in sport, which combines the domains of sporting participation, consumption and representation. It proposes moving beyond a sports development paradigm and deficit model of sports participation, whereby marginal communities are incorporated into the mainstream by playing sport, to take account of other ways that people engage with sport as consumers and fans. Conceptually, this approach is informed by transnational feminist perspectives, which foreground the role of power hierarchies in the production of knowledge about the sporting female Other. It suggests that sport practitioners, scholars and policy makers pay greater theoretical attention to how Muslim women are constructed within sport discourses. By widening the research focus to consider consumption and representation, possibilities emerge to expand on the narrow research and policy fields of ‘ethnicity’ and ‘well-being’ focused on physical health outcomes through which Muslim women’s engagement with sport is commonly framed.
Using Experimental Paradigms to Examine Alcohol’s Role in Men’s Sexual Aggression
Authors: Abbey Antonia , Wegner Rhiana
Published: June 2015

The goals of this article are to review the major findings from alcohol administration studies that use sexual aggression proxies and to encourage additional experimental research that evaluates hypotheses about the role of alcohol in the etiology of men’s sexual aggression. Experiments allow participants to be randomly assigned to drink conditions, therefore ensuring that any differences between drinkers and nondrinkers can be attributed to their alcohol consumption. One of the biggest challenges faced by experimental researchers is the identification of valid operationalizations of key constructs. The tension between internal and external validity is particularly problematic for violence researchers because they cannot allow participants to engage in the target behavior in the laboratory. The strengths and limitations associated with written vignettes, audiotapes, videotapes, and confederate proxies for sexual aggression are described. Suggestions are made for future research to broaden the generalizability of the findings from experimental research.
Inattention Symptoms Are Associated With Academic Achievement Mostly Through Variance Shared With Intrinsic Motivation and Behavioral Engagement
Authors: Plamondon André , Martinussen Rhonda
Published: June 2015

Objective: The main goal of the current study is to investigate whether intrinsic motivation and behavioral engagement mediate the association between inattention symptoms and academic achievement (reading, writing, and mathematics), as well as to document the extent to which inattention symptoms contribute to academic achievement due to variance overlapping with intrinsic motivation and behavioral engagement. Method: Participants were 92 children (Grades 1-4). Data were gathered using a combination of parent and teacher reports as well as objective assessments. Results: Results did not support the mediating role of intrinsic motivation and behavioral engagement. A commonality analysis showed that 77.44% to 82.10% of the variance explained in each academic achievement domains was due to variance shared by inattention symptoms, intrinsic motivation, and behavioral engagement. Conclusion: These results suggest more commonality than differences between inattention symptoms, intrinsic motivation, and behavioral engagement with regard to their association with academic achievement. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Meta-Analysis of Case-Control and Family-Based Associations Between the 5-HTTLPR L/S Polymorphism and Susceptibility to ADHD
Authors: Lee Young Ho , Song Gwan Gyu
Published: June 2015

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) L (long)/S (short) polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to ADHD. Method: We conducted a meta-analysis of case-control associations and the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) between the 5-HTTLPR L/S polymorphism and ADHD. Results: A total of 19 comparison studies were included in this meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis of the case-control studies showed no association between ADHD and the 5-HTTLPR S allele, for all study participants (odds ratio [OR] = 1.075, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.990, 1.167], p = .085), or for the European or Asian population. The TDT indicated no association between ADHD and the 5-HTTLPR S allele, for all study participants (OR = 1.078, 95% CI = [0.962, 1.207], p = .196). Conclusion: This meta-analysis of case-control studies and TDT showed a lack of association between the 5-HTTLPR L/S polymorphism and ADHD.
Mechanisms of Identity Conflict
Authors: Hirsh Jacob B. , Kang Sonia K.
Published: June 2015

Social identities are associated with normative standards for thought and action, profoundly influencing the behavioral choices of individual group members. These social norms provide frameworks for identifying the most appropriate actions in any situation. Given the increasing complexity of the social world, however, individuals are more and more likely to identify strongly with multiple social groups simultaneously. When these groups provide divergent behavioral norms, individuals can experience social identity conflict. The current manuscript examines the nature and consequences of this socially conflicted state, drawing upon advances in our understanding of the neuropsychology of conflict and uncertainty. Identity conflicts are proposed to involve activity in the Behavioral Inhibition System, which in turn produces high levels of anxiety and stress. Building upon this framework, four strategies for resolving identity conflict are reviewed.
Is Environmental Policy by Public Procurement Effective?
Authors: Lundberg Sofia , Marklund Per-Olov , Strömbäck Elon
Published: June 2015

Advocates of green public procurement (GPP) argue that the public sector can use its purchasing power to influence producers and consumers to reduce their negative impact on the environment. Our aim is to assess GPP as an environmental policy instrument and its ability to lead to the achievement of environmental objectives. Central to our analysis is the extent to which polluting firms choose to adapt to the public sector’s environmental requirements and to invest in greener technologies. Our theoretical finding is that the potential of GPP to function as an objective effective instrument of environmental policy is limited and can actually be counterproductive. From an environmental policy point of view, it is crucial that the GPP aims for an environmental standard beyond the technology of the polluting firms and is designed with reference to defined environmental objectives.
Validation of the dorsal approach for the blockade of the femoral nerve using ultrasound and nerve electrolocation in cats
Authors: Haro Paulina , Laredo Francisco , Gil Francisco , Belda Eliseo , Ayala María D , Soler Marta , Agut Amalia
Published: June 2015

Objectives

This study was conducted to validate the dorsal approach for femoral nerve (FN) blockade in cats and to verify the efficacy of the sole use of peripheral nerve electrolocation (PNE) or ultrasound (US)-guided technique to achieve the block.

Methods

This study was carried out in two phases. In phase 1, five adult experimental cats were used to validate the approach. In each cat, one FN was located by US and the accuracy of this location confirmed by PNE. Then, 2 mg/kg lidocaine 2% (diluted in saline to a final volume of 1 ml) was injected around the target nerve and the success of the blockade was evaluated. In phase 2, four adult experimental cats were included in two groups to verify the reliability of this approach to block eight FNs by the sole use of PNE (group 1) or US-guided technique (group 2). Evidence of motor blockade, time required to perform the blockade, onset time and duration of the blockades were determined.

Results

The FN was successfully located by US in all cats enrolled in phase 1, as confirmed by PNE in all cases. The success rate was clinically higher in group 2 (87.5%) than in group 1 (75.0%). The US-guided technique required less time to perform and produced blocks of longer duration. Recovery was uneventful in all cases.

Conclusions and relevance

The combined use of PNE and US-guided technique enabled validation of the dorsal approach for the FN blockade as it provided a successful FN blockade in all cases. The sole use of a US-guided technique may offer some advantages over the use of a sole PNE-guided technique to perform these blocks.
‘Oh, was that “experiential learning”?!’ Spaces, synergies and surprises with Kolb’s learning cycle
Authors: Tomkins Leah , Ulus Eda
Published: June 2015

We share findings from empirical research into Kolb’s experiential learning approach, using our reflections as teachers and data from our undergraduate management students. The experiential learning experience emerges as a space where bodies, feelings and ideas move and develop in intimate relationship with one another. This is a space where teachers exercise authority over, and commitment to, the here-and-now, risking corporeal and intellectual exposure. We probe the concept of experience in experiential learning, suggesting that teachers require a kind of ‘experiential expertise’ to draw both on embodied felt sense and on what one has done in one’s own career to role-model the transformation of experience into knowledge, which is at the heart of Kolb’s theory. We explore a blurring of experiential agency, and the tendency for students to appropriate the teacher’s experience rather than dwell on or develop their own. For us, experiential learning is more usefully seen as ‘relationship-centred’ than ‘student-centred’, and we contrast this relational focus with the way experiential learning seems to have been popularised as anti-interventionist, a kind of educational ‘laissez-faire’. Based on these reflections, we suggest powerful connections between phenomenology and theories of space as a way of conceptualising the complexities and richness of teaching and learning experiences.
Influence of control logic on variation of indoor thermal environment for residential buildings
Authors: Woo Moon Jin , Lee Ji–Hyun , Kim Sooyoung
Published: June 2015

This study proposes an advanced thermal control method that employs artificial neural network (ANN) models for predictive and adaptive thermal control. Two predictive and adaptive control logic approaches were proposed to simultaneously control indoor temperature and humidity as well as predicted mean vote (PMV) in a residential building. Their thermal performance was analysed and compared with that of non-ANN-based counterparts to evaluate architectural variables such as envelope insulation and building orientation. A numerical computer simulation method was used for the tests after demonstration of its validity based on comparison with results of field measurement. Analysis results revealed that the proposed predictive and adaptive control methods conditioned the indoor temperature, humidity and PMV effectively. The periods during which each thermal factor was in a comfortable range increased, and overshoots and undershoots out of the targeted comfortable ranges were reduced when using the ANN model. The results demonstrate the functionality of the proposed method for variation in architectural variables and that the ANN model has the potential to be successfully applied to building thermal controls.
China’s road to the construction of labor rights
Authors: Chen Feng
Published: June 2015

The stage of state-building in the labor sector at which a working-class movement arose is crucial for the subsequent development of state–labor relations. In contrast with the experience of western countries and authoritarian developing nations, the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) strong pre-existing labor institutions pre-empted organized labor mobilization at the beginning of capitalist development. The state has since then carried out a bifurcated strategy that confers individual rights on workers but restricts their collective rights. The practice leads to a labor institution built on a hybrid of the old Leninist political structure of labor control and a one-dimensional labor rights regime, which has contributed to the lack of organized labor movements in contemporary China.
The prevalence of stalking: Current data from a German victim survey
Authors: Hellmann Deborah F. , Kliem Sören
Published: June 2015

The present study, as part of a large-scale victim survey, examines the prevalence and nature of stalking in a representative German quota sample ( N = 5779). Applying a broad definition of stalking, the lifetime prevalence added up to 15 percent, depending on respondents’ age, gender, and immigrant background, as well as household size and relationship status. Conditional inference trees revealed that gender, relationship status, and household size were key factors in identifying victims of stalking. Offenders mostly committed stalking against the opposite gender. This pertains especially to female ( vs. male) victims. In most cases the offender and victim knew each other prior to the stalking. The results are compared with national and international findings. Implications and potential limitations are discussed.
Physical activity in people with asbestos related pleural disease and dust-related interstitial lung disease
Authors: Dale Marita T , McKeough Zoe J , Munoz Phillip A , Corte Peter , Bye Peter TP , Alison Jennifer A
Published: June 2015

This study aimed to measure the levels of physical activity (PA) in people with dust-related pleural and interstitial lung diseases and to compare these levels of PA to a healthy population. There is limited data on PA in this patient population and no previous studies have compared PA in people with dust-related respiratory diseases to a healthy control group. Participants with a diagnosis of a dust-related respiratory disease including asbestosis and asbestos related pleural disease (ARPD) and a healthy age- and gender-matched population wore the SenseWear® Pro3 armband for 9 days. Six-minute walk distance, Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were also measured. Fifty participants were recruited and 46 completed the study; 22 with ARPD, 10 with dust-related interstitial lung disease (ILD) and 14 healthy age-matched participants. The mean (standard deviation) steps/day were 6097 (1939) steps/day for dust-related ILD, 9150 (3392) steps/day for ARPD and 10,630 (3465) steps/day for healthy participants. Compared with the healthy participants, dust-related ILD participants were significantly less active as measured by steps/day ((mean difference 4533 steps/day (95% confidence interval (CI): 1888–7178)) and energy expenditure, ((mean difference 512 calories (95% CI: 196–827)) and spent significantly less time engaging in moderate, vigorous or very vigorous activities (i.e. >3 metabolic equivalents; mean difference 1.2 hours/day (95% CI: 0.4–2.0)). There were no differences in levels of PA between healthy participants and those with ARPD. PA was reduced in people with dust-related ILD but not those with ARPD when compared with healthy age and gender-matched individuals.
Finite element modeling and experimental validation of 2D reinforcement braided thin wall structures under internal pressure at various braid angles
Authors: Hajrasouliha J , Sheikhzadeh M , Moezzi M , Babaeian Amini A
Published: June 2015

Reinforcement of the thin-wall structures under internal pressure by braiding method has many applications in different industries. In this way, the effective braid angle determination will be important in achieving a stable and resistant structure. The main aim of this work was finite element modeling and experimental validation of these structures under internal pressure. Therefore, a thin silicon pipe as the core was covered with different braid angles in braiding machine and then was subjected to internal pressure. After that, a finite element model was implemented for a repeatable part of the samples as a unit cell using ANSYS software to calculate the pressure–diameter diagram of the samples. Finally, in order to verify the accuracy of the finite element models was recorded the increase in braided pipes diameter up to rupture by camera and prepared pressure–diameter diagram for all samples by image processing method. The comparison of the finite element method results and image processing showed a good agreement with high accuracy. Also was observed in finite element modeling that the relationship between diameter-pressure in 55 degrees was rather linear, generating forces in the pipe surface of thin silicon due to internal pressure along braid strands direction as confirmed by image analysis.
Investigation of sonic pulse velocity in evaluation of knitted fabrics
Authors: El Messiry Magdi , Ibrahim Sayed
Published: June 2015

Sonic velocity of knitted fabric samples was measured by Dynamic Modulus Tester, and the relationship between changes in the mechanical properties and their sonic velocity was investigated. Through the measurements, sonic velocity was found to be highly correlated not only with fabric static elastic modulus but also with fabric breaking strength, breaking extension, and work of rupture. Sonic velocity, as found, depends on the direction of measurement, walewise or coursewise, and is a linear function of the number of wales and courses per centimeter and loop-shaped factor. Furthermore, the effect of applying dynamical loading on the fabric leads to changes in fabric mechanical and structural properties, which can be patterned through the measurement of their sonic velocity. The dynamic modulus tester measured the velocity of sonic pulses in materials. This technique will help in prediction of the change in mechanical properties of the fabric tensioned structures during their service life.
Consequences of Intermodality Registration Errors for Intramodality 3D Ultrasound IGRT
Authors: van der Meer Skadi , Seravalli Enrica , Fontanarosa Davide , Bloemen-van Gurp Esther J. , Verhaegen Frank
Published: June 2015

Intramodality ultrasound image-guided radiotherapy systems compare daily ultrasound to reference ultrasound images. Nevertheless, because the actual treatment planning is based on a reference computed tomography image, and not on a reference ultrasound image, their accuracy depends partially on the correct intermodality registration of the reference ultrasound and computed tomography images for treatment planning. The error propagation in daily patient positioning due to potential registration errors at the planning stage was assessed in this work. Five different scenarios were simulated involving shifts or rotations of ultrasound or computed tomography images. The consequences of several workflow procedures were tested with a phantom setup. As long as the reference ultrasound and computed tomography images are made to match, the patient will be in the correct treatment position. In an example with a phantom measurement, the accuracy of the performed manual fusion was found to be ≤2 mm. In clinical practice, manual registration of patient images is expected to be more difficult. Uncorrected mismatches will lead to a systematically incorrect final patient position because there will be no indication that there was a misregistration between the computed tomography and reference ultrasound images. In the treatment room, the fusion with the computed tomography image will not be visible and based on the ultrasound images the patient position seems correct.
Vaccinations for travel
Authors: Aftab Rabia
Published: June 2015

It is estimated that 7 300 000 people travel abroad each year from the UK, with potential exposure to a range of health risks. Although many of these risks are not vaccine-preventable, health professionals should be aware of these risks, be familiar with outbreaks of prevalent diseases in common destinations of travellers and be able to give advice on all preventative measures, including vaccinations.
Polyethylene glycol plus an oral sulfate solution as a bowel cleansing regimen for colon capsule endoscopy: a prospective, single-arm study in healthy volunteers
Authors: Kashyap Pankaj K. , Peled Ravit
Published: June 2015

Objectives:

As with colonoscopy, adequate bowel cleansing is essential prior to colon capsule endoscopy (CCE). Because CCE requires that the capsule traverse the entire gastrointestinal tract during the examination, laxative ‘boosters’ are used. The objective of this prospective, single-center, single-arm study was to evaluate the safety of a bowel preparation consisting of polyethylene glycol (PEG) plus an oral sulfate solution.

Methods:

Subjects were healthy volunteers aged 50–75 years old with normal baseline serum chemistry. The bowel preparation consisted of 4 Senna tablets, 4 liters of PEG (split dose), 10 mg metoclopramide, 2 oral sulfate solution boosters (6 oz. and 3 oz.), and 10 mg bisacodyl. Serum chemistry was performed at baseline, following PEG intake, 24 hours after bisacodyl administration, and at 7 days post procedure (in subjects with abnormal 24 hour results). The primary endpoints were the percentage of subjects with a clinically significant change in serum chemistry at the last test and the adverse event (AE) rate.

Results:

A total of 25 subjects were enrolled. The serum chemistry was normal in all subjects at the final evaluation. One subject showed a slight elevation in creatinine (1.08 mg/dl 7 days post procedure from 0.84 mg/dl at baseline), deemed not clinically significant. Another subject had a transient elevation in serum creatinine (from 1.01 mg/dl at baseline to 1.45 mg/dl at 24 hours after the bowel preparation); values returned to near baseline at 7 days post procedure (1.06 mg/dl). There were no serious AEs, three moderate AEs related to the bowel preparation (nausea, headache, elevated creatinine) and two mild unrelated AEs (chills, abdominal cramping).

Conclusions:

A bowel cleansing regimen of PEG plus an oral sulfate solution can be used in healthy volunteers. These data provide support for the continued study of this regimen in future CCE clinical trials and in medical practice.