bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synergistic effect on the degradation rate of pultruded glass fiber-reinforced polymer bridge panel after 20 years of exploitation
Authors: Stankiewicz B , Mossety-Leszczak B , Byczynski L , Kisiel M
Published: December 2017

Glass fiber-reinforced polymer pultruded profiles have great potential in the construction industry, presenting certain advantages when compared with traditional materials, including the potentially improved durability under fluctuating levels of environmental factors. The paper presents analysis of glass fiber-reinforced polymer composite, acquired from cable-stayed Fiberline Bridge exploited for 20 years in the fjord area of Kolding, Denmark. Fragment of composite material used for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic mechanical analysis tests was therefore subjected to natural aging as a result of temperature amplitudes, permanent solar radiation as well as aggressive impact of sea salt contained in the moisture in the air around the coastal area. Complex comparative analysis presented in this paper, and based on Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic mechanical analysis tests, pertained to both unspool composite glass fiber-reinforced polymer material (composite 1) and the one after 20 years of natural aging (composite 2). Dynamic mechanical analysis was allowed to detect thermal effects based on the changes in the modulus or damping behavior. The differential scanning calorimetry experiments were performed on the glass fiber-reinforced polymer material in order to determine the mass variation and the energy changes suffered by the materials, as a function of temperature and time.
TiO2 ceramic particles-reinforced aluminum matrix composite prepared by conventional, microwave, and spark plasma sintering
Authors: Ghasali Ehsan , Alizadeh Masoud , Ebadzadeh Touradj
Published: December 2017

Aluminum-10 wt% TiO2 metal matrix composites were fabricated with conventional, microwave, and spark plasma sintering processes. Aluminum and nano-sized TiO2 powders were mixed using a high-energy mixer, and the sintering process was done at 450℃ by spark plasma sintering and 600℃ under both microwave and conventional heating. The results showed microwave sintering led to form Al3Ti intermetallic compounds with flaky shape, while in the conventional heating at the same sintering temperature, Al3Ti was formed and confirmed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope investigations. Moreover, the nano-sized TiO2 particles as reinforcement with no additional phase were obtained by spark plasma sintering at the lowest sintering temperature. The maximum bending strength of 254 ± 12 MPa and Vickers hardness of 235 ± 13 were measured for samples sintered in microwave as a consequence of Al3Ti formation. The SEM and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses showed uniform distribution of Al3Ti particles in the microstructure of microwave sintered samples and nonuniform distribution of agglomerated Al3Ti particles and porosities in samples sintered by spark plasma sintering and conventional heating.
(Where) Is Functional Decline Isolating? Disordered Environments and the Onset of Disability
Authors: Schafer Markus H.
Published: December 2017

The onset of disability is believed to undermine social connectedness and raise the risk of social isolation, yet spatial environments are seldom considered in this process. This study examines whether unruly home and neighborhood conditions intensify the association between disability onset and several dimensions of social connectedness. I incorporate longitudinal data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, which contains environmental evaluations conducted by trained observers ( N = 1,558). Results from Poisson, ordinal logistic, and linear regression models reveal heterogeneous consequences of disablement: disability onset was associated with reduced core network size, fewer friends, lower likelihood of social interaction, and less overall social connectedness—though mainly when accompanied by higher levels of household disorder. There was limited evidence that neighborhood disorder moderated consequences of disability. Findings point to the importance of the home as an environmental resource and underscore important contextual contingencies in the isolating consequences of disability.
On the Weak Mortality Returns of the Prison Boom: Comparing Infant Mortality and Homicide in the Incarceration Ledger
Authors: Light Michael T. , Marshall Joey
Published: December 2017

The justifications for the dramatic expansion of the prison population in recent decades have focused on public safety. Prior research on the efficacy of incarceration offers support for such claims, suggesting that increased incarceration saves lives by reducing the prevalence of homicide. We challenge this view by arguing that the effects of mass incarceration include collateral infant mortality consequences that call into question the number of lives saved through increased imprisonment. Using an instrumental variable estimation on state-level data from 1978 to 2010, this article simultaneously considers the effects of imprisonment on homicide and infant mortality to examine two of the countervailing mortality consequences of mass incarceration. Results suggest that while incarceration saves lives by lowering homicide rates, these gains are largely offset by the increases in infant mortality. Adjusted figures that count the number of increased infant deaths attributable to incarceration suggest that the mortality benefits of imprisonment over the past three decades are 82% lower than previously thought.
Trauma and Recovery: Finding the Ordinary Hero in Fictional Recovery Narratives
Authors: Gumb Lynn
Published: December 2017

Our desire to speak, to tell the stories of our personal and communal suffering, offered literature myriad tales spanning continents and histories. Traumatic experience has been recorded for historical reference and has been represented in fiction as individual and collective stories. The word “trauma” is so broadly used in contemporary vernacular that it is difficult to wrangle it into a simple definition. Literary theory, informed by the fields of social psychology, neurobiology, psychology, and psychiatry, has developed contradictory theories of trauma, and contentious debates continue as theorists try to capture what has become an almost indefinable term. Links between trauma and heroism exist in trauma fiction which can be teased from existing literary canons or from contemporary novels. Traditional notions of heroism, much like the concept of trauma, are complex and weighted with a catalogue of elements that may serve to complicate an already multifarious field of study. Notions of heroism can be integrated within a new trauma narrative that reveals a new subject, the recovery process. I argue for a shift from the focus on trauma stories of wounding, or on suffering, and revenge narratives to repositioning literary trauma studies toward more life-affirming subjectivities emerging from recovery narratives. It is my view that recovery narratives consist of three associated elements: resilience, reconciliation, and resistance. I demonstrate how trauma survivors can be read as heroes in their own tales of recovery, and how the story of the hero can be infused into the trauma narrative, or teased from existing texts, to create a productive and progressive narrative rather than the destructive and degenerative approach that focusses on extreme responses to trauma. It is my position that recovery from trauma, as depicted in literary fiction, can be productively read as a tale of “ordinary” heroism.
A particular case of accidental asphyxiation
Authors: D’Ovidio Cristian , Rosato Enrica , Bonelli Martina , Carnevale Aldo , Marsella Luigi T
Published: December 2017

The case reported involved a 60-year-old man with psychiatric illness who was found dead at his home. He was almost naked and showed signs of death by violent asphyxiation, which led to the suspicion of homicide. Autopsy findings showed foreign material in the trachea and larynx. However, the partially digested content in his stomach, the study of the gastric content and the microscopic analysis of the airways made it possible to define this as accidental death due to inhalation of material from a diaper. Toxicological analysis detected the presence of phenytoin, valproic acid, and phenobarbital in his blood, with values within the therapeutic ranges. This is certainly a peculiar case, as particularly evident after careful review of the literature on deaths by asphyxiation in psychiatric patients. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of a full autopsy and microscopic evaluation of any foreign bodies.
Supporting Graduate Student Writers With VoiceThread
Authors: Gonzalez Michelle , Moore Noreen S.
Published: December 2017

This qualitative case study examined the influence of the use of VoiceThread technology on the feedback process for thesis writing in two online asynchronous graduate courses. The influence on instructor feedback process and graduate student writers’ perceptions of the use of VoiceThread were the foci of the study. Master’s-level students ( n = 18) in two different degree programs received and responded to multiple rounds of instructor feedback on their thesis paper via VoiceThread technology for one semester. Instructor and student comments on VoiceThread and an open-ended survey of students’ experiences using VoiceThread in the course were analyzed. Findings show that VoiceThread promoted a two-way dialogue between the instructors and the students during the revision process, students had a generally positive perception of the use of the technology, and that instructors’ feedback processes were impacted in different ways by the use of the technology.
Psychological assessment of acute schizophrenia patients who experienced seclusion either alone or in combination with restraint
Authors: Eguchi Rika , Onozuka Daisuke , Ikeda Kouji , Kuroda Kenji , Ieiri Ichiro , Hagihara Akihito
Published: December 2017

Objective

Numerous studies on the effects of seclusion and/or restraint in acute psychiatric treatment have reported both positive and negative effects. However, no studies to date have evaluated the effects of seclusion and/or restraint on schizophrenia patients using a rating scale. Thus, to examine the effects of seclusion and/or restraint on schizophrenia patients, we used the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and assessed the psychological condition of patients.

Methods

Factor analysis was conducted to create subscales of Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, and psychiatric changes were assessed with respect to each subscale using multiple logistic regression analyses. Analyses were performed on three groups (i.e. entire, higher functioning, and lower functioning groups) involving a total of 1559 schizophrenia patients aged 18 to 65 years.

Results

In the entire and lower functioning groups, seclusion was a significant predictor of improvements related to the “hostility/suspiciousness” subscale. Seclusion combined with restraint was associated with improvements related to the “psychosis/thinking disorder” subscale. In the higher functioning group, there were no significant predictors.

Conclusions

It is implied that seclusion and/or restraint is related to improved psychiatric symptoms only among patients whose functioning is impaired. To verify the present findings, further studies involving multiple sites and additional psychiatric measures are necessary.
Irritable bowel syndrome and quality of life in a community-dwelling population in Japan
Authors: Sugawara Norio , Sato Ken , Takahashi Ippei , Satake Ryu , Fukuda Shinsaku , Nakaji Shigeyuki , Yasui-Furukori Norio
Published: December 2017

Objective

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders and is characterized by recurrent abdominal pain or abnormal defecation. This investigation evaluated the relationship between IBS and self-reported quality of life in a community-dwelling population in Japan.

Methods

For this cross-sectional survey, we enrolled 1002 volunteers who participated in the Iwaki Health Promotion Project in 2013. IBS symptoms were evaluated using the criteria from the Japanese version of the Rome III Questionnaire. The assessments included an interview to obtain sociodemographic data, the second version of the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between IBS symptoms and scores on the SF-36.

Results

A total of 59 subjects (5.9%) were classified as having IBS. Scores for all eight domains of the SF-36, the physical component summary, and the mental component summary were significantly and negatively associated with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scores. Physical functioning, role physical, vitality, mental health, and physical component summary scores were significantly and negatively associated with IBS.

Conclusions

The burden of IBS symptoms affects both physical and mental wellbeing, even after adjusting for confounders. Our findings suggest that screening for IBS symptoms and evaluating the need for medical care is important for community health workers.
Associations among comorbid anxiety, psychiatric symptomatology, and diabetic control in a population with serious mental illness and diabetes: Findings from an interventional randomized controlled trial
Authors: Aftab Awais , Bhat Chetan , Gunzler Douglas , Cassidy Kristin , Thomas Charles , McCormick Richard , Dawson Neal V , Sajatovic Martha
Published: December 2017

Objective

Serious mental illness and type II diabetes mellitus have a high comorbidity, and both have a higher prevalence of anxiety disorders compared to the general population. Targeted Training in Illness Management is a group-based self-management training approach which targets serious mental illness and type II diabetes mellitus concurrently. This analysis examines data from a randomized controlled trial of Targeted Training in Illness Management intervention to examine the impact of comorbid anxiety on baseline psychiatric symptomatology and diabetic control, and on longitudinal treatment outcomes.

Methods

We conducted secondary analyses on data from a prospective, 60-week, randomized controlled trial testing Targeted Training in Illness Management versus treatment as usual in 200 individuals with serious mental illness and diabetes. Primary outcomes included measures related to serious mental illness symptoms, functional status, general health status, and diabetes control. Measures were compared between those participants with anxiety disorders versus those without anxiety at baseline as well as over time using linear mixed effects analyses.

Results

Forty seven percent of the participants had one or more anxiety disorders. At baseline, those with an anxiety diagnosis had higher illness severity, depressive, and other psychiatric symptomatology and disability. Diabetic control (HbA1c) was not significantly different at baseline. In the longitudinal analyses, no significant mean slope differences over time (group-by-time interaction effect) between those with anxiety diagnoses and those without in treatment as usual group were found for primary outcomes. Within the Targeted Training in Illness Management arm, those with anxiety disorders had significantly greater improvement in mental health functioning. Those with anxiety comorbidity in the Targeted Training in Illness Management group demonstrated significantly lower HbA1c levels compared to no anxiety comorbidity and also demonstrated a greater improvement in HbA1c over the first 30 weeks compared to those without anxiety comorbidity.

Conclusion

Comorbid anxiety in serious mental illness and type II diabetes mellitus population is associated with increased psychiatric symptomatology and greater disability. Individuals from this population appear to experience greater improvement in functioning from baseline with the Targeted Training in Illness Management intervention. Anxiety comorbidity in the serious mental illness and type II diabetes mellitus population does not appear to have a negative impact on diabetic control. These complex relationships need further study.

Clinical Trials Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: Improving outcomes for individuals with serious mental illness and diabetes (NCT01410357).
Evaluation of the value of team-based psychiatric consultation in a general hospital setting
Authors: Orsak Catherine , Thomas Abey , Bush Paul , Brown E Sherwood
Published: December 2017

Background

With the increase use of pay for performance in healthcare, 30-day readmissions after discharges are critically important.

Objective

A team-based psychiatric consultation approach was tested in an inpatient hospital setting. This is the first study that examines 30-day readmission rate with this approach.

Methods

In this quality improvement study, 164 patients received a team-based psychiatric consultation that included daily meetings during the weekdays between psychiatrists and hospitalists and 436 received care of treatment-as-usual or traditional consultation–liaison services.

Results

Overall 30-day readmission rate was not significantly different between intervention and nonintervention groups. However, in subgroups with high risk of mortality or severe illness, the intervention group had a 0% 30-day readmission rate for both high risk of mortality and severe illness subgroups, while the nonintervention group’s readmission rate was 5% for high risk of mortality group and 3% for severely ill patients. Annual hospital cost saving is estimated between a quarter million and 1.5 million dollars for these subgroups.

Conclusion

The team-based psychiatric consultation approach demonstrated the potential for substantial cost savings in providing care for patients with high risk of mortality and severe illness. Thus, this intervention may be very useful in caring for patients with complex chronic conditions.
“Seven Theses”: Notes by a Brazilian Translator in the Twenty-first Century
Authors: Lima Roberto
Published: December 2017

Rodolfo Stavenhagen’s classic “Seven Erroneous Theses about Latin America” seems not only to have endured but to have gained explanatory power in relation to a variety of topics in Brazil today: the relationship between the middle class (and the elite) and the Southeastern states in the last election, the government’s options vis-à-vis major projects such as Belo Monte, the Workers’ Party advocates’ rhetoric in defense of the growth of the middle class, the disputes over the rights of indigenous peoples, and even the discourse of social movement leaders, co-opted by the Lula administration. Although the fourth thesis appears to have lost its strength, it still substantiates one of the key arguments in the text—that internal colonialism is critical for understanding Latin America.

O clássico “Sete teses equivocadas sobre a América Latina,” de Rodolfo Stavenhagen, parece não somente ter resistido ao tempo, mas ter ganho capacidade explicativa em relação a uma variedade de tópicos no Brasil contemporâneo: o relacionamento entre a classe media (e a elite) e os estados do Sudeste na última eleição, as opções do governo vis-à-vis grandes projetos como Belo Monte, a retórica dos defensores do Partido dos Trabalhadores em defesa da ampliação da classe média, as disputas sobre os direitos dos povos indígenas, e até mesmo o discurso de líderes de movimentos sociais, estes últimos sob o controle do governo Lula. Mesmo que a quarta tese pareca ter perdido força, ela ainda corrobora um dos principais argumentos do texto: o colonialismo interno é fundamental para que se entenda a América Latina.
Class-level risk factors for bullying and victimization in Portuguese middle schools
Authors: Coelho Vitor Alexandre , Sousa Vanda
Published: December 2017

The aim of the present study was to examine whether class-level characteristics, such as class size and gender ratio, could contribute to explaining different levels of bullying, victimization, and perception of defending between classes. Seven-hundred-and-sixty-three students ( M age = 12.96, SD = 1.22; 54.4% boys) from 42 Portuguese middle school classes participated in the current study. Bullying, victimization, and perception of defending were assessed through a self-report questionnaire. In order to account for the clustered nature of the data with students nested within classes, multilevel models were used. After controlling for age and gender at the individual level, gender ratio contributed to explaining between-class variance in bullying and victimization, while class size was a significant predictor of the perception of defending. Thus, the results suggested that both bullying and victimization are more frequent in classes with a high concentration of boys, while in larger classes there is a higher perception of defending. The results of the present study support the importance of taking into account class-level characteristics when developing anti-bullying interventions, and of establishing gender balanced classes in middle school. The results also highlight the relevance of using multilevel modelling when conducting research on bullying and victimization in schools.
“Going to the Gym Is Not Congolese’s Culture”: Examining Attitudes Toward Physical Activity and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes Among Congolese Immigrants
Authors: Ilunga Tshiswaka Daudet , Ibe-Lamberts Kelechi D. , Whembolua Guy-Lucien S. , Fapohunda Abi , Tull Eugene S.
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions and attitudes around physical activity among immigrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo and examine the influence of Congolese cultural beliefs on physical activity practice.

Methods

In-depth interviews were conducted and augmented by photo-elicitation among 20 Congolese immigrants, distributed equally by gender, aged 35 years or older. The PEN-3 model was used as the cultural conceptual framework.

Results

Using both the Relationships and Expectations dimension (Perceptions, Enablers, and Nurturers) and Cultural Empowerment dimension (Positive, Existential, and Negative) of the PEN-3 model, emergent themes were categorized around knowing the benefits of being physically active (perceptions), doctor encouragement to be more physically active (enablers), and the habit and local tradition of consuming beer after a soccer match (nurturers). Other emergent themes included Congolese loves to dance (positive), going to the gym is not Congolese culture (existential), and the challenge of increased physical activity (negative).

Conclusions

Congolese have their intrinsic cultural perceptions and attitudes around types of physical activity. The study disclosed a much more pronounced willingness to dance (as a potential source of increased physical activity) than to go to a gym. As such, if one wants to advocate a regimen of increased physical activity to offset the risk for type 2 diabetes, dance is an alternative to consider among some immigrants.
Comparing Attitudes Across Groups: An IRT-Based Item-Fit Statistic for the Analysis of Measurement Invariance
Authors: Buchholz Janine , Hartig Johannes
Published: December 2017

Questionnaires for the assessment of attitudes and other psychological traits are crucial in educational and psychological research, and item response theory (IRT) has become a viable tool for scaling such data. Many international large-scale assessments aim at comparing these constructs across countries, and the invariance of measures across countries is thus required. In its most recent cycle, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2015) implemented an innovative approach for testing the invariance of IRT-scaled constructs in the context questionnaires administered to students, parents, school principals, and teachers. On the basis of a concurrent calibration with equal item parameters across all groups (i.e., languages within countries), a group-specific item-fit statistic (root mean square deviance [RMSD]) was used as a measure for the invariance of item parameters for individual groups. The present simulation study examines the statistic’s distribution under different types and extents of (non)invariance in polytomous items. Responses to five 4-point Likert-type items were generated under the generalized partial credit model (GPCM) for 1,000 simulees in 50 groups each. For one of the five items, either location or discrimination parameters were drawn from a normal distribution. In addition to the type of noninvariance, the extent of noninvariance was varied by manipulating the variation of these distributions. The results indicate that the RMSD statistic is better at detecting noninvariance related to between-group differences in item location than in item discrimination. The study’s findings may be used as a starting point to sensitivity analysis aiming to define cutoff values for determining (non)invariance.
An immanent critique of the prison nation
Authors: Boodman Eva
Published: December 2017

More women are currently incarcerated than at any other time in US history. Though the United States has begun to acknowledge mass incarceration as an international embarrassment, the discourse has centered on men of color, and the experiences and consequences of US mass incarceration for women of color have been largely ignored. This is the case in spite of a now strong mainstream, institutionalized movement to end violence against women, and a growing prison reform movement ostensibly meant to help vulnerable women. This paper uses the method of immanent critique to explain why women of color have been left behind by reform strategies, and to make a normative argument for abolitionist strategies. I use Beth E. Richie’s analysis of the failure of the feminist anti-violence movement to protect poor women of color, to expose the contradictory circumstance that turns “public safety” and “anti-violence” against the women they claim to protect, and to argue that reform is not enough.
Introduction: State capacity and elections in the study of authoritarian regimes
Authors: Croissant Aurel , Hellmann Olli
Published: December 2017

Studies of multiparty elections in authoritarian regimes have proliferated in recent years. Nevertheless, the available evidence remains inconclusive in terms of when, where, or why elections work to sustain or undermine authoritarian rule. The contributions to the special issue ‘State Capacity, Elections and the Resilience of Authoritarian Rule’ argue that analyzing the extent to which the effect of elections on authoritarian regime resilience is mediated through the factor of state capacity helps to solve this puzzle. This introduction lays out the analytical foundation for this discussion by reviewing key terms and concepts, and by highlighting possible theoretical connections between the state capacity literature on the one hand and the electoral authoritarianism literature on the other. Furthermore, it considers the contributions in this special issue, and points out areas of agreement and disagreement between the authors, while simultaneously placing the different arguments within the broader field of enquiry.
Extended urbanization, “disjunct fragments” and global suburbanisms
Authors: Keil Roger
Published: December 2017

Urbanization today, now that it has become generalized, is mainly suburbanization in its manifold differentiation. As suburbanization becomes the form and suburbanism becomes the life of much of the urban revolution, we are entering an age of postsuburbanization. This means, for example, that the notion of suburbanization as dependent on one centre has to be discarded as the form and life of the global suburb take shape in a general dynamics of multiple centralities and decentralities. It includes a maturation of classical suburbia, a more splintered and fragmented urbanism. This paper reviews aspects of a Lefebvrian discussion around these issues and focuses in on the explosion and subsequent reassembly of “disjunct fragments” of the urban in a world of global suburbanisms. In so far as it challenges the traditional view of the central-peripheral urban dialectics, it intersects with debates on planetary urbanization. The paper ends with speculations on the horizontalization of sub/urban form and practice in a globalizing world.
Loneliness and social isolation of older adults: Why it is important to examine these social aspects together
Authors: Newall Nancy E. G. , Menec Verena H.
Published: December 2017

Research shows that social isolation and loneliness are important health issues for older adults. This message is increasingly being recognized by policy makers and service providers. Although the concepts of loneliness and social isolation are often discussed and compared with one another, they are largely examined separately, even if they are both included in the same study. In the present article, we argue for bringing together these two related concepts. For example, focusing only on social isolation overlooks differences between those older adults who are socially isolated and lonely versus socially isolated but not lonely. Consequently, we discuss four groups of older adults: isolated, but not lonely; lonely in a crowd; isolated and lonely; and not isolated or lonely. We argue that considering loneliness and social isolation together will aid in the understanding of the social situation of older adults and can provide new directions for research and intervention programs for older adults.
Interactive Malaria Education Intervention and Its Effect on Community Participant Knowledge: The Malaria Awareness Program in Vhembe District, Limpopo, South Africa
Authors: Cox Sarah N. , Guidera Kathryn E. , Simon Molly J. , Nonyane Bareng Aletta Sanny , Brieger William , Bornman Maria Susanna , Kruger Philippus Stephanus
Published: December 2017

Malaria is preventable and treatable, yet remains the most prevalent parasitic endemic disease in Africa. This article analyzes prospective observational data from the Malaria Awareness Program (MAP), an interactive malaria education initiative led by home-based care workers to improve participant knowledge of malaria as a precursor to increased uptake of malaria control interventions in the Vhembe District, Limpopo, South Africa. Between 2012 and 2016, 1,330 individuals participated in MAP. MAP's effectiveness was measured through pre- and post-participation surveys assessing knowledge in malaria transmission, symptoms, prevention, and treatment. The primary analysis assessed differences in knowledge between individuals who completed MAP ( n = 499) and individuals who did not complete MAP ( n = 399). The adjusted odds of correct malaria knowledge score versus partially correct or incorrect score among MAP completers was 3.3 and 2.8 times greater for transmission and prevention, respectively ( p values<.001). A subanalysis assessed knowledge improvement among participants who completed both pre- and post-MAP intervention surveys ( n = 266). There was a 21.4% and 10.5% increase in the proportion of participants who cited correct malaria transmission and prevention methods, respectively. Future research should assess behavioral changes toward malaria prevention and treatment as a result of an intervention and examine incidence changes in the region.
Exceptional Experiences Following Exposure to a Sham “God Helmet”: Evidence for Placebo, Individual Difference, and Time of Day Influences
Authors: Simmonds-Moore Christine , Rice Donadrian L. , O’Gwin Chase , Hopkins Ron
Published: December 2017

It has been claimed that applying weak complex electromagnetic patterns to the temporal lobes in a “God Helmet” stimulates the intrusion of right-hemispheric processes to awareness, resulting in exceptional experiences (ExEs). We explored the roles of wearing a sham helmet, time of day, and individual differences (paranormal belief, synesthesia, locus of control, hyperesthesia, and prior anomalous experiences) in alterations in consciousness and ExEs in the absence of neural stimulation. Thirty-two skeptics and 35 paranormal believers completed baseline, sham (morning), and sham (afternoon) conditions. Participants relaxed in a Faraday chamber for 30 minutes. Exit interviews explored subjective experiences and participants completed the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI). A mixed-model analysis of covariance found that believers scored higher than skeptics on some PCI dimensions, there was no influence of study conditions on PCI scores, and there was no interaction between belief and study conditions. An inductive thematic analysis identified a coding scheme for ExE. Believers reported more ExEs than skeptics. Regression models supported roles for hyperesthesia in alterations in consciousness and synesthesia in ExEs.
Chemical exergy of ideal and non-ideal gas mixtures and liquid solutions with applications
Authors: Pal Rajinder
Published: December 2017

Exergy or availability, although not a recent concept, is receiving extensive coverage in scientific publications due to its vast applications in different scientific and engineering fields. Exergy of a system consists of two parts: thermo-mechanical exergy and chemical exergy. While thermo-mechanical exergy of systems is covered to a certain extent in modern undergraduate textbooks on engineering thermodynamics, chemical exergy is mentioned only briefly. In particular, the theoretical and conceptual developments related to chemical exergy are not covered in any detail. The focus of this article is the chemical exergy of materials. Special attention is given to the theoretical treatment of non-ideal gas mixtures and liquid solutions. The equations necessary to estimate the chemical exergy of ideal and non-ideal mixtures and solutions are developed from the fundamental concepts. Where necessary, numerical examples are given to illustrate the concepts for the benefit of the students. Finally, a practical problem dealing with the furnace/boiler unit of a practical steam power plant is solved using the concepts of chemical exergy and exergy analysis. As the material presented in this article involves advanced level concepts in thermodynamics, it is most suitable for the second, advanced level, course in engineering thermodynamics in third year, after the students have completed a full one-term course on introductory thermodynamics in their second year.
Planning, value(s) and the market: An analytic for “what comes next?”
Authors: Holman Nancy , Mossa Alessandra , Pani Erica
Published: December 2017

For 30 years, planning has been attacked both rhetorically and materially in England as governments have sought to promote economic deregulation over landuse planning. Our paper examines two new moments of planning deregulation. These are the loosening of regulation around short-term letting in London and the new permitted development rights, which allow for office to residential conversion without the need for planning permission. Whilst these may be viewed as rather innocuous reforms on the surface, they directly and profoundly illustrate how planners are often trapped between their legal duty to promote public values as dictated by national planning policy and the government’s desire to deregulate. We argue that viewing these changes through a value-based approach to economy and regulation illuminates how multiple and complex local values and understandings of value shape planners’ strategies and actions and thus vary national policies in practice. In so doing, the paper demonstrates how planners have, at least, the opportunity to develop a critical voice and to advocate for policy interpretations that can help to create better outcomes for local communities.
Legal geography 1: Court materiality
Authors: Jeffrey Alex
Published: December 2017

This report examines the spatiality of court processes, connecting interdisciplinary work that has considered the physical processes of trials with geographical work that has deepened our understanding of the substance and properties of the material world. The specific focus of this discussion is the built materiality of courts, tracing the emergence of work on the nature of trial spaces, court architecture and the arrangement of courtrooms. Rather than a review of progress in an already-defined intellectual field, I am bringing together an interdisciplinary set of works with the aim of tracing the future pathways for work on the geography of trials.
Biomechanical Comparison of 3 Glenoid-Side Fixation Techniques for Superior Capsular Reconstruction
Authors: Pogorzelski Jonas , Muckenhirn Kyle J. , Mitchell Justin J. , Katthagen J. Christoph , Schon Jason M. , Dahl Kimi D. , Hirahara Alan M. , Dines Joshua S. , Adams Christopher R. , Dooney Thomas , Denard Patrick J. , Turnbull Travis Lee , Millett Peter J.
Published: December 2017

Background:

Superior capsular reconstruction (SCR) was recently introduced as a treatment for irreparable superior rotator cuff tears in younger patients.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The purpose was to assess the biomechanical strength of 3 methods for fixation of the graft to the glenoid for SCR. It was hypothesized that a 4-anchor technique would provide greater load to failure than 3-anchor techniques.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Thirty-six cadaveric specimens were randomized into 3 groups of previously established glenoid-side graft fixation techniques: (1) three 3.5-mm knotless screw-in anchors, (2) three 3.0-mm knotless push-in anchors, and (3) a 4-anchor hybrid construct with two 3.0-mm knotted push-in anchors and two 2.9-mm knotless push-in anchors. The repairs were cyclically loaded at 0.5 Hz from 10 to 200 N, then pulled to failure. Elongation, stiffness, maximum load at failure, and mode of failure were recorded and calculated.

Results:

There were no significant differences in graft elongation or stiffness among the 3 techniques ( P > .37 and P > .26, respectively). Maximum load to failure was significantly greater in technique 1 (mean ± SD, 427.85 ± 119.70 N) than technique 3 (319.5 ± 57.60 N) ( P = 0.024). There were no significant differences in load to failure between techniques 1 and 2 or between techniques 2 and 3.

Conclusion:

Glenoid-side graft fixation with 3 threaded 3.5-mm suture anchors showed a significant superior pull-out strength when compared with a 4-anchor hybrid technique and thus might be recommended in SCR for patients with irreparable superior rotator cuff tears to achieve maximum stability.

Clinical Relevance:

SCR presents a novel alternative for treatment of irreparable superior rotator cuff tears in younger patients. Glenoid fixation is essential to provide adequate fixation of the graft to prevent the humeral head from rising and to restore normal biomechanics.
Coverage and Consumption of Micronutrient Powders, Fortified Staples, and Iodized Salt Among Children Aged 6 to 23 Months in Selected Neighborhoods of Nairobi County, Kenya
Authors: Leyvraz Magali , David-Kigaru Dorcus M. , Macharia-Mutie Catherine , Aaron Grant J. , Roefs Marlene , Tumilowicz Alison
Published: December 2017

Background:

Intake of micronutrient-rich foods among children aged 6 to 23 months in Nairobi is low.

Objective:

This study aimed to assess existing coverage and utilization of micronutrient powders (MNPs), fortified staples, and iodized salt among children aged 6 to 23 months prior to implementation of an MNP program.

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey among caregivers of children aged 6 to 23 months (n = 618) was implemented in 7 neighborhoods within Nairobi County, representing the implementation area of the new MNP program.

Results:

Results for MNP coverage and utilization showed 28.5% of all caregivers were aware of MNP, 18.5% had ever received MNP for their child, and 10.8% had fed MNP to their child in the previous 7 days. Effective coverage (ie, the child had been given the MNP at least 3 times in the previous 7 days) was 5.8%. Effective coverage of infants and young children with poor feeding practices was significantly lower as compared to those with non-poor feeding practices (coverage ratio, 0.34; confidence interval, 0.12-0.70). Most households purchased iodized salt (96.9%), fortified oil (61.0%), and fortified maize flour (93.9%). An estimated 23.9% of vitamin A requirements of children (6-23 months) were provided from fortified oil and 50.7% of iron from fortified maize flour. Most households consumed processed milk (81%).

Conclusion:

Coverage of MNPs in the surveyed neighborhoods was low. Coverage of fortified salt, oil, and maize flour was high and provided significant amount of micronutrients to children. Processed milk has potential as a vehicle for food fortification.
How Could Agronomic Biofortification of Rice Be an Alternative Strategy with Higher Cost-Effectiveness for Human Iron and Zinc Deficiency in China?
Authors: Zhang Cheng-Ming , Zhao Wan-Yi , Gao A-Xiang , Su Ting-Ting , Wang Yan-Kun , Zhang Yue-Qiang , Zhou Xin-Bin , He Xin-Hua
Published: December 2017

Background:

Iron and zinc deficiencies affect human health globally, especially in developing countries. Agronomic biofortification, as a strategy for alleviating these issues, has been focused on small-scale field studies, and not widely applied while lacking of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA).

Objective:

We conducted the CEA of agronomic biofortification, expressed as USD per disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) saved, to recommend a cost-effectiveness strategy that can be widely applied.

Methods:

The DALYs were applied to quantify the health burden due to Fe and/or Zn deficiency and health cost of agronomic biofortification via a single, dual, or triple foliar spray of Fe, Zn, and/or pesticide in 4 (northeast, central China, southeast, and southwest) major Chinese rice-based regions.

Results:

The current health burden by Fe or Zn malnutrition was 0.45 to 1.45 or 0.14 to 0.84 million DALYs for these 4 regions. Compared to traditional rice diets, the daily Fe and/or Zn intake from Fe and/or Zn-biofortified rice increased, and the health burden of Fe and/or Zn deficiency decreased by 28% and 48%, respectively. The cost of saving 1 DALYs ranged from US$376 to US$4989, US$194 to US$2730, and US$37.6 to US$530.1 for the single, dual, and triple foliar Fe, Zn, and/or pesticide application, respectively, due to a substantial decrease in labor costs by the latter 2 applications.

Conclusions:

Agronomic biofortification of rice with the triple foliar spray of Fe, Zn, and pesticide is a rapidly effective and cost-effectiveness pathway to alleviate Fe and Zn deficiency for rice-based dietary populations.
Placing Collaborative Circles in Strategic Action Fields: Explaining Differences between Highly Creative Groups*
Authors: Parker John N. , Corte Ugo
Published: December 2017

Collaborative circles theory explains how innovative small groups develop and win acceptance of their creative work but assumes a single type of circle and would benefit from considering how circles are affected by the strategic action fields in which they operate. We do so by synthesizing research on art, science, philosophy, and social movements to identify five field characteristics that influence circles and their creative potentials (i.e., attention space, consensus, social control, resources, and organizational and geographical contexts). We then use primary and secondary data on science circles (the Resilience Alliance and Phage Group), combined with previous research on circles and group creativity, to show how field-level differences explain systematic variations in the structure and dynamics of art and science circles. We close by arguing that there exists of a family of circles operating in different fields, formulating a refined definition of circles, and postulating four propositions informing future research.
Effects of Technology in Mathematics on Achievement, Motivation, and Attitude: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Higgins Kristina , Huscroft-D’Angelo Jacqueline , Crawford Lindy
Published: December 2017

Several studies show that using technology as an intervention tool in mathematics influences student outcomes, motivation to learn, and attitude about learning. However, no meta-analysis exists that examines all three of these characteristics combined along with several facets of the interventions. Understanding how motivation and attitude changes and influences student learning when technology is involved is essential in effectively using technology to enhance mathematical achievement. The current study uses a systematic review process to determine the effects of technology use on student achievement, motivation, and attitude. Different aspects of the intervention are examined (type of intervention, type of treatment, duration of the intervention, mathematical content area, and context of the learning environment). Results from 24 articles (4,522 subjects) indicate a significant overall impact of technology on student achievement, motivation, and attitudes; however, results vary based on the different aspect of the intervention examined.
An Exploration of Palliative Care Needs of People With End-Stage Renal Disease on Dialysis
Authors: Maddalena Victor , O’Shea Fiona , Barrett Brendan
Published: December 2017

Patients with end-stage renal disease supported on dialysis experience high morbidity and mortality. Little is known about family caregiver experiences during the disease. Qualitative research methods were used to explore the experiences of family caregivers caring for patients receiving dialysis. In-depth, semi-structured, in-person interviews were completed with 18 family caregivers in rural and urban settings. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic and descriptive analysis. Major themes identified included challenges navigating the health system, caregiver burden, perceptions of palliative care, symptom management, and decision-making. Caregiver burdens are significant including physical, emotional, social, and economic dimensions. There is a need to recognize and improve support for family caregivers and increase collaboration with nephrology and palliative care services from commencement of dialysis until death and into bereavement.