bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ion Channels and Transporters in Cancer: Pathophysiology, Regulation, and Clinical Potential
Authors: Pedersen Stine Falsig , Stock Christian
Published: January 2013

Over the last 15 years it has become increasingly clear that dysregulated expression, splicing, and/or function of ion channels and transporters (ICT) occur in all cancers. Being linked to the widely accepted hallmarks of cancer, ICTs represent novel therapeutic, diagnostic, and prognostic targets. To discuss the current status of the field, a colloquium on “Ion Transport and Cancer” was held, covering the roles of ICTs in cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, motility, and invasion, and in both the generation of and the interaction of the cancer cells with the tumor environment. Additional sessions dealt with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and transport protein–based therapeutic and diagnostic concepts. There was overall consensus that essential contributions of ICT dysregulation to the cancer process have been demonstrated. Future research should be directed toward further elucidating the mechanisms and developing therapeutic applications. Cancer Res; 73(6); 1658–61. ©2012 AACR.
Borrowing Information across Subgroups in Phase II Trials: Is It Useful?
Authors: Freidlin Boris , Korn Edward L.
Published: January 2013

Because of the heterogeneity of human tumors, cancer patient populations are usually composed of multiple subgroups with different molecular and/or histologic characteristics. In screening new anticancer agents, there might be a scientific rationale to expect some degree of similarity in clinical activity across the subgroups. This poses a challenge to the design of phase II trials assessing clinical activity: Conducting an independent evaluation in each subgroup requires considerable time and resources, whereas a pooled evaluation that completely ignores patient heterogeneity can miss treatments that are only active in some subgroups. It has been suggested that approaches that borrow information across subgroups can improve efficiency in this setting. In particular, the hierarchical Bayesian approach putatively uses the outcome data to decide whether borrowing of information is appropriate. We evaluated potential benefits of the hierarchical Bayesian approach (using models suggested previously) and a simpler pooling approach by simulations. In the phase II setting, the hierarchical Bayesian approach is shown not to work well in the simulations considered, as there appears to be insufficient information in the outcome data to determine whether borrowing across subgroups is appropriate. When there is strong rationale for expecting a uniform level of activity across the subgroups, approaches using simple pooling of information across subgroups may be useful. Clin Cancer Res; 19(6); 1326–34. ©2012 AACR.
Topotecan and Doxorubicin Combination to Treat Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: The Influence of Drug Exposure Time and Delivery Systems to Achieve Optimum Therapeutic Activity
Authors: Patankar Nilesh A. , Pritchard Julia , van Grinsven Mariska , Osooly Maryam , Bally Marcel B.
Published: January 2013

Purpose: To provide proof-of-concept data to support use of Doxil–liposomal topotecan (Topophore C) combinations to treat ovarian cancer.

Experimental Design: ES-2, OVCAR-3, and SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell lines were treated with doxorubicin–topotecan combinations by exposing the cells to drugs from 1 to 72 hours. Pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted following administration of liposomal formulations of these drugs alone and in combination. Efficacy assessments were completed in ES-2 and SKOV-3 ovarian cancer models.

Results: On the basis of drug doses capable of achieving 50% reduction in cell viability over 72 hours, doxorubicin–topotecan combinations were additive in SKOV-3 but highly synergistic in ES-2 and OVCAR-3 cells. Favorable drug–drug interactions increased with increased drug exposure time. Topophore C pharmacokinetic remained unaffected when co-administered with Doxil. In the ES-2 model, Doxil at maximum tolerated dose (MTD 7.5 mg/kg) in combination with free topotecan (MTD 15 mg/kg) did not enhance median survival time (MST) over that achieved with topotecan alone. In contrast, MST was increased to 52 days with combination of Topophore C (MTD 2.5 mg/kg) and Doxil (7.5 mg/kg) compared with untreated animals (MST 18 days) or those treated with Topophore C alone (MTD 5 mg/kg, MST 40 days). In the SKOV-3 model, combination treatments showed better therapeutic efficacy than the individual drugs.

Conclusions: Topotecan–doxorubicin combinations produced additive or synergistic effects which were best achieved when the tumor cells were exposed to drugs over extended time. Doxil–Topophore C combinations are therapeutically superior as judged in two ovarian cancer models. Clin Cancer Res; 19(4); 865–77. ©2012 AACR.
Effects of Ginger Supplementation on Cell-Cycle Biomarkers in the Normal-Appearing Colonic Mucosa of Patients at Increased Risk for Colorectal Cancer: Results from a Pilot, Randomized, and Controlled Trial
Authors: Citronberg Jessica , Bostick Roberd , Ahearn Thomas , Turgeon D. Kim , Ruffin Mack T. , Djuric Zora , Sen Ananda , Brenner Dean E. , Zick Suzanna M.
Published: January 2013

To estimate the effects of ginger on apoptosis, proliferation, and differentiation in the normal-appearing colonic mucosa, we randomized 20 people at increased risk for colorectal cancer to 2.0 g of ginger or placebo daily for 28 days in a pilot trial. Overall expression and distributions of Bax, Bcl-2, p21, hTERT, and MIB-1 (Ki-67) in colorectal crypts in rectal mucosa biopsies were measured using automated immunohistochemistry and quantitative image analysis. Relative to placebo, Bax expression in the ginger group decreased 15.6% (P = 0.78) in the whole crypts, 6.6% (P = 0.95) in the upper 40% (differentiation zone) of crypts, and 21.7% (P = 0.67) in the lower 60% (proliferative zone) of crypts; however, there was a 19% increase (P = 0.14) in Bax expression in the upper 40% relative to the whole crypt. While p21 and Bcl-2 expression remained relatively unchanged, hTERT expression in the whole crypts decreased by 41.2% (P = 0.05); the estimated treatment effect on hTERT expression was larger in the upper 40% of crypts (−47.9%; P = 0.04). In the ginger group, MIB-1 expression decreased in the whole crypts, upper 40% of crypts, and lower 60% of crypts by 16.9% (P = 0.39), 46.8% (P = 0.39), and 15.3% (P = 0.41), respectively. These pilot study results suggest that ginger may reduce proliferation in the normal-appearing colorectal epithelium and increase apoptosis and differentiation relative to proliferation—especially in the differentiation zone of the crypts and support a larger study to further investigate these results. Cancer Prev Res; 6(4); 271–81. ©2012 AACR.
The Blurry Line Between Humans and Gods
Authors: Segal Robert A.
Published: January 2013

Abstract

The conventional view is that at least in the West there is a clear-cut and insurmountable divide between human beings and God. This article argues that the divide is neither clear-cut nor insurmountable. Three disparate cases are considered: the conception of God in the Hebrew Bible, traditional and contemporary conceptions of heroism, and the status of celebrities.
A Different Cut? Comparing Attitudes toward Animals and Propensity for Aggression within Two Primary Industry Cohorts—Farmers and Meatworkers
Authors: Richards Emma , Signal Tania , Taylor Nik
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Previous research has examined a range of demographic variables that have been shown to influence an individual’s attitude toward, and in turn their treatment of, animals. Little is known, however, about the effect of certain occupations upon these attitudes. The current study examines attitudes toward animals and the propensity for aggression within a sample of farmers and meatworkers in Queensland, Australia. Recent findings and publicity around the effects of employment (and cases of deliberate animal cruelty) within these industries indicates that this is an area in need of investigation from both human and animal welfare perspectives. The implications of the current findings for the meat-working industry and for the field of human-animal studies are discussed.
Bullies, Victims, and Animal Abusers: Do They Exhibit Similar Behavioral Difficulties?
Authors: Sanders Cheryl E. , Henry Bill C. , Giuliani Christine N. , Dimmer Lisa N.
Published: January 2013

Abstract

Two hundred forty-four male undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory psychology class completed surveys assessing animal abuse tendencies, bullying behaviors, and victimization by bullying during their K-12 school experience. Participants also completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, which evaluated their behavioral difficulties. Results revealed a significant relationship between animal abuse and bullying and victimization experiences. Moreover, animal abusers, bullies, and victims of bullying displayed significantly more behavioral problems when compared to nonabusers, nonbullies, and nonvictims. Multivariate analysis revealed a complex pattern of main effects for animal abuse, bullying, and victimization on the SDQ subscales. In addition, a three-way interaction between animal abuse, bullying, and victimization was identified for the SDQ Conduct Problems subscale. These results can be utilized to help identify areas of psychological functioning that may be of concern for this population.
The tribe Dysoniini part II: The genus Markia (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae), new species and some clarifications
Authors: CADENA-CASTAÑEDA OSCAR J.
Published: January 2013

This paper clarifies the status of the species of the genus Markia White, 1862, also providing new distribution data. It describes M. erinaceus from Peru, M. arizae n.sp. from the Amazonian foothills of Colombia and Ecuador, M. sarriai n.sp. from the Colombian Biogeographic Chocó, M. espinachi n.sp. from Costa Rica; as well as the true male of M. major (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878), clarifying the real distributional range this latter species. M. longivertex n. syn., is proposed as a synonym of M. major. The colour polymorphism in M. hystrix (Westwood, 1844) is discussed and its distribution range is defined. A key to the species of Markia is provided.
First female description of Glyphonotus sinensis Uvarov, 1939 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Tettigoniinae) from China
Authors: LIU CHUN-XIANG
Published: January 2013

First description of the female of Glyphonotus sinensis from China is provided. Detailed characteristics of head, pronotum, leg spination, wings, and female abdominal apex are given. Important and necessary illustrations of female of the species are presented.
Essential Unidimensionality Examination for Multicomponent Scales
Authors: Raykov Tenko , Pohl Steffi
Published: January 2013

A procedure for examining essential unidimensionality in multicomponent measuring instruments is discussed. The method is based on an application of latent variable modeling and is concerned with the extent to which a common factor for all components of a given scale accounts for their correlations. The approach provides point and interval estimates of the proportion of observed measures interrelationships that is explained by the common factor, the proportion explained by possible additional factors, and of the difference in these two proportions. The procedure is readily used in empirical research using the popular software Mplus and is illustrated with a numerical example.
Trade union responses to ageing workforces in the UK and Germany
Authors: Flynn Matthew , Upchurch Martin , Muller-Camen Michael , Schroder Heike
Published: January 2013

Ageing workforces are placing conflicting pressures on European trade unions in order to, on the one hand, protect pensions and early retirement routes, and, on the other, promote human resource management (HRM) policies geared towards enabling their older members to extend working life. Using interviews from German and United Kingdom (UK) trade unions, we discuss how unions are both constrained and enabled by pre-existing institutional structures in advocating approaches to age management. In Germany, some unions use their strong institutional role to affect public policy and industrial change at national and sectoral levels. UK unions have taken a more defensive approach, focused on protecting pension rights. The contrasting varieties of capitalism, welfare systems and trade unions’ own orientations are creating different pressures and mechanisms to which unions need to respond. While the German inclusive system is providing unions with mechanisms for negotiating collectively at the national level, UK unions’ activism remains localized.
Commentary: The future of work and retirement
Authors: Phillipson Chris
Published: January 2013

Changing patterns of work and retirement raise major questions for social policy in the 21st century. A key issue concerns how to handle the legacy of the 20th century – namely the institutionalization of retirement as a major part of the life course. The acceptance of early retirement in the 1970s and 1980s accelerated the growth of post-work lifestyles, consolidated by the cohort of ‘first wave’ baby boomers (those born in the 1940s and early 1950s). Both aspects are now in collision with the drive to delay retirement and put in place later pension ages. The various articles discussed in this Special Issue explore a number of questions affecting the future of work and retirement, including developments in the policy arena, factors influencing career decisions in middle and late life, and changing transitions from work to retirement. The discussion concludes with an assessment of the new research agendas emerging from debates about extending working life and the future of retirement.
Police accountability, the Irish peace process and the continuing challenge of secrecy
Authors: Holder Daniel
Published: January 2013

Following a symposium in June 2012, on ‘Policing communities: race, class and the state’ (organised by the Institute of Race Relations and the Power, Conflict and Justice Research Group, Edge Hill University, in conjunction with the Tottenham Defence Campaign), the author traces how police accountability has evolved following the reforms promised on the back of the Good Friday Agreement. He demonstrates how this relates to the current ‘secret justice’ agenda, whereby the UK government is trying to extend ‘closed material procedures’ to most civil court cases. The Belfast-based human rights organisation, Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), with an interest in both of these areas, has lobbied extensively for the creation of a genuinely independent police complaints mechanism and campaigned for an end to ‘emergency’-type legislation rather than its normalisation. Much of its recent efforts have related to preventing the rollback of what was actually progressed or promised following the Agreement. For a wider discussion of issues raised at the symposium, see the article by Liz Fekete in her commentary, ‘Total policing: reflections from the frontline’, in this issue.
Palestinian actualities
Authors: Abu-Manneh Bashir
Published: January 2013

This review article explores the escalating racism and intensifying colonialism of the Israeli state and its circumscription of Palestinian lives and aspirations. Under such increasingly brutal circumstances, it asks what it means to be Palestinian today. How is the systematic reduction of human possibility, enacted over generations since the nakba, experienced by its victims? This is the question addressed by the three books reviewed here: Arthur Neslen, In Your Eyes a Sandstorm; Dina Matar, What it Means to Be Palestinian; and Ilan Pappé, The Forgotten Palestinians. The short answer is, it depends on their relationship to Israel: whether as second-class citizens in Israel; as occupied and now variously disengaged in the West Bank and Gaza (dominated, but no longer exploited, as cheap labour since Oslo); as semi-incorporated in an annexed East Jerusalem; or, finally, as completely excluded refugees exiled outside historic Palestine. Beginning with the experiences of Palestinians in Israel-Palestine, it then moves out to the Arab world, where, it concludes, not only most of the remainder of the Palestinian refugees reside, but also perhaps the most compelling answer to the riddle of the Palestinian question.
Fasciotomy and Surgical Tenotomy for Recalcitrant Lateral Elbow Tendinopathy
Authors: Koh Joyce S.B. , Mohan P.C. , Howe T.S. , Lee Brian P. , Chia S.L. , Yang Zixian , Morrey Bernard F.
Published: January 2013

Background:

The optimal choice for intervention for recalcitrant lateral elbow tendinopathy remains unclear as various treatment modalities have documented comparable results in the literature.

Purpose:

To explore the safety, tolerability, and early efficacy of a new minimally invasive mode of treatment that delivers focused, calibrated ultrasonic energy, effectively microresecting the pathological tendon and removing only pathological tissue.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Seven male and 13 female patients aged 33 to 65 years averaging 12.5 months (range, 4-48) of failed nonoperative therapy underwent the ultrasonic microresection procedure in an outpatient clinic setting. The procedure involved a sterile, ultrasound-guided percutaneous microresection with a proprietary device (TX1) performed through a stab incision under local anesthesia. The duration of the procedure and complications of the device or procedure were assessed. Outcome parameters included patient satisfaction; visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores; Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scores at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months; and ultrasound assessment at 3 and 6 months.

Results:

The median duration for the sterile confirmatory ultrasound examination (phase 1) was 88.5 seconds (range, 39-211; SD, ±47.6), the median duration of the procedure proper (phase 2) was 10.1 minutes (range, 4.1-19.4; SD, ±3.7), and the median energy time (duration the TX1 device was activated) was 32.5 seconds (range, 18-58; SD, ±11.0). No complications were encountered. A significant improvement in VAS score (from 5.5 to 3.3; P < .001) occurred by 1 week, and significant improvements in both DASH-Compulsory (from 21.7 to 11.3; P = .001) and DASH-Work (from 25.0 to 6.3; P = .012) scores occurred by 1 month. The VAS scores further improved at 3, 6, and 12 months (from 2.0 to 1.0 to 0.50; P = .003 and .023). The DASH-Compulsory score improved significantly from 3 to 6 months (from 8.6 to 4.6; P = .003), and both the DASH-Compulsory and DASH-Work scores were sustained by 12 months. Sonographically reduced tendon thickness (19 patients), resolved or reduced hypervascularity (17 patients), and reduced hypoechoic area (18 patients) occurred by 6 months. Nineteen of the 20 patients (95%) expressed satisfaction with the procedure, with 9 patients being very satisfied with their overall experience at 6 months after the procedure, 10 patients somewhat satisfied, and 1 patient neutral.

Conclusion:

Ultrasonic microresection of diseased tissue with the TX1 device provides a focally directed, safe, specific, minimally invasive, and well-tolerated treatment for recalcitrant lateral elbow tendinopathy in an office-based or ambulatory surgical setting with good evidence of some level of efficacy in 19 of 20 patients (95%) that is sustained for at least 1 year.
Cumulative Incidence of ACL Reconstruction After ACL Injury in Adults
Authors: Collins Jamie E. , Katz Jeffrey N. , Donnell-Fink Laurel A. , Martin Scott D. , Losina Elena
Published: January 2013

Background:

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common and potentially disabling and frequently prompt surgical reconstruction. The utilization of ACL reconstruction among ACL-injured patients has not been examined rigorously.

Purpose:

This study reports the 3-year cumulative incidence of ACL reconstruction among adults with ACL injury and compares demographic and clinical characteristics of ACL-injured patients who do and do not go on to undergo ACL reconstruction.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A tertiary health care system patient data repository was used to identify patients diagnosed with an ACL injury between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2007. Follow-up data were obtained to determine how many patients with ACL injury underwent ACL reconstruction within 3 years of ACL injury diagnosis. Stratified analyses were used to examine incidence rates separately by sex, age, race, primary language, socioeconomic status (SES), and health insurance status. Multivariable logistic regression models were built to examine the association of patient characteristics with utilization of ACL reconstruction.

Results:

There were 2304 patients, with a mean age of 47 years, diagnosed with an ACL injury between 2001 and 2007. The 3-year cumulative incidence of ACL reconstruction after ACL injury diagnosis was 22.6% (95% CI, 20.9%-24.3%). Eighty-six percent of patients undergoing reconstruction did so within 6 months of injury diagnosis, while 94% underwent reconstruction within 1 year. In multivariable models, several patient features were independently associated with a higher adjusted odds of undergoing ACL reconstruction, including male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.7), younger age (aOR per decade, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.7-2.0), white race (aOR, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.94-1.9), higher SES (aOR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.04-1.8 for high vs low SES; aOR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.02-1.8 for medium vs low SES), and private health insurance versus self-pay (aOR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.04-3.5).

Conclusion:

Less than a quarter of patients with a diagnosed ACL injury underwent ACL reconstruction in the 3 years after diagnosis. The odds of having surgery were higher for men, whites, younger patients, patients with higher SES, and patients with private health insurance.
Extended Field Efforts to Reduce the Risk of Non-response Bias
Authors: Hall Julia , Brown Victoria , Nicolaas Gerry , Lynn Peter
Published: January 2013

We examine the effects on survey estimates of extended interviewer efforts to gain survey response, including refusal conversion attempts and attempts to make contact with difficult-to-contact sample members. Previous research on this topic has identified that extended efforts do appear to affect estimates, and in ways that seem consistent with bias reduction. We extend the previous research in three ways. First, we provide the first study of changes over time in the effects of extended efforts on estimates. We study change in the UK over a ten-year period. Second, we use a more precise measure of the difficulty of contact and third, we assess the effects of extended efforts conditional on weight adjustments for non-response estimates as well as on unweighted sample statistics.
Les médias et l'opinion- Eléments théoriques et méthodologiques pour une analyse du débat sur l'identité nationale
Authors: Marty Emmanuel , Marchand Pascal , Ratinaud Pierre
Published: January 2013

The Media and Public Opinion - Theoretical and Methodological Analysis of the Debate on National Identity: This article deals with the “great debate on national identity” initiated by the Ministry of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Mutually-Supportive Development in the winter of 2009-2010. Using the theory of framing (Bateson, 1972; Entman, 1993; Chong and Druckman, 2007 ), it seeks to identify the relationship between permeability and public debate as it is shown on the Web and the media coverage of the latter. To do this, a crossed lexicometric analysis of two corpora was done: on one hand, the 18,240 contributions posted on the dedicated ministerial site; on the other, the 1,436 press articles published from 25 October to 2 December 2009. A descending hierarchical classification was done with the Iramuteq software and identified, by their lexicon, places of permeability between personal and media frameworks in the apprehension of the debate, but also the specific universes of discourse to one or other corpora. We present them here in a detailed manner while proposing explanatory approaches of their dynamics.
Bref rappel de trois problèmes méthodologiques de l’histoire de vie en sociologie
Authors: Hamel Jacques
Published: January 2013

Brief Review of Three Methodological Problems of Life Histories in Sociology: This article reviews the popularity of life histories in sociology in the early 1970s, especially in light of the work done at that time by Daniel Bertaux. Forty years later, what can be said of it? After a brief historical overview, we consider: 1. The issue of representativeness; 2. The status conferred on common sense; and 3. The rigor of the analysis developed on the basis of a life history in the framework of grounded theory. These three topics are discussed so as to show possible solutions to the methodological problems they raise. A simple example of the analysis of a life history illustrates this point.
Meta-analysis for Sociology – A Measure-driven Approach
Authors: Roelfs David J. , Shor Eran , Falzon Louise , Davidson Karina W. , Schwartz Joseph E.
Published: January 2013

Meta-analytic methods are becoming increasingly important in sociological research. In this article we present an approach for meta-analysis which is especially helpful for sociologists. Conventional approaches to meta-analysis often prioritize “concept-driven” literature searches. However, in disciplines with high theoretical diversity, such as sociology, this search approach might constrain the researcher’s ability to fully exploit the entire body of relevant work. We explicate a “measure-driven” approach, in which iterative searches and new computerized search techniques are used to increase the range of publications found (and thus the range of possible analyses) and to traverse time and disciplinary boundaries. We demonstrate this measure-driven search approach with two meta-analytic projects, examining the effects of various social variables on all-cause mortality.
Work–Family Conflict, Resources, and Role Set Density
Authors: Kulik Liat , Liberman Gabriel
Published: January 2013

We explored the relationships between the experience of work–family conflict and levels of distress in the family and at work among a sample of 227 Israeli working mothers. We also examined how role set density (RSD, the number of roles they perform) and personal and environmental resources are related to the women's experience of distress. Work–family conflict resulting from interference of work with family roles (WIF) and from interference of family with work roles (FIW) correlated positively with distress in the family and at work. RSD correlated negatively with distress at work but did not correlate with distress in the family. Perceived social support and personal resources correlated negatively with the women's experience of distress. WIF mediated the relationship between social support and women's experience of distress as well as the relationship between RSD and distress.
Franchising as a Strategy for Combining Small and Large Group Advantages (Logics) in Social Entrepreneurship
Authors: Beckmann Markus , Zeyen Anica
Published: January 2013

This article develops a Hayekian perspective on social franchising that distinguishes between the end-connected logic of the small group and the rule-connected logic of the big group. Our key claim is that mission-driven social entrepreneurs often draw on the small-group logic when starting their social ventures and then face difficulties when the process of scaling shifts their operations toward a big-group logic. In this situation, social franchising offers a strategy to replicate the small group despite systemwide scaling, to mobilize decentrally accessible social capital, and to reduce agency costs through mechanisms of self-selection and self-monitoring. By employing a Hayekian perspective, we are thus able to offer an explanation as to why social franchising is a suitable scaling strategy for some social entrepreneurship organizations and not for others. We illustrate our work using the Ashoka Fellow Wellcome.
A novel semi-heuristic planning approach for automated conceptual design synthesis
Authors: Li Xiang , Zhang Zhi-Nan , Liu Ze-Lin , Xie You-Bai
Published: January 2013

Automated conceptual design often shows significant promise for generating conceptual solutions automatically through searching and synthesizing known principle solutions for a desired function. However, existing automated conceptual design systems lack an efficient heuristic search strategy and a knowledge-based planning mechanism, which lead to less chance of finding promising principle solutions within a limited time. This article proposes a novel semi-heuristic planning approach for automated conceptual design which comprises two successive steps, i.e. DESIGN PLAN and DESIGN COMBINATION. During the stage of DESIGN PLAN, the planning-graph technique is employed to extract a design plan from a planning graph, which is composed of various principle solution clusters. Under the guidance of the design plan, in the second stage, DESIGN COMBINATION combines compatible principle solutions from the principle solution clusters in the design plan until finding promising conceptual solutions. A prototype system and design case illustrate that the proposed semi-heuristic planning approach can successfully achieve an automated conceptual design synthesis.
Real-time controller for foot-drop correction by using surface electromyography sensor
Authors: Al Mashhadany Yousif I. , Abd Rahim Nasrudin
Published: January 2013

Foot drop is a disease caused mainly by muscle paralysis, which incapacitates the nerves generating the impulses that control feet in a heel strike. The incapacity may stem from lesions that affect the brain, the spinal cord, or peripheral nerves. The foot becomes dorsiflexed, affecting normal walking. A design and analysis of a controller for such legs is the subject of this article. Surface electromyography electrodes are connected to the skin surface of the human muscle and work on the mechanics of human muscle contraction. The design uses real surface electromyography signals for estimation of the joint angles. Various-speed flexions and extensions of the leg were analyzed. The two phases of the design began with surface electromyography of real human leg electromyography signal, which was subsequently filtered, amplified, and normalized to the maximum amplitude. Parameters extracted from the surface electromyography signal were then used to train an artificial neural network for prediction of the joint angle. The artificial neural network design included various-speed identification of the electromyography signal and estimation of the angles of the knee and ankle joints by a recognition process that depended on the parameters of the real surface electromyography signal measured through real movements. The second phase used artificial neural network estimation of the control signal, for calculation of the electromyography signal to be stimulated for the leg muscle to move the ankle joint. Satisfactory simulation (MATLAB/Simulink version 2012a) and implementation results verified the design feasibility.
In the Land of the Free, Interdependent Action Undermines Motivation
Authors: Hamedani MarYam G. , Markus Hazel Rose , Fu Alyssa S.
Published: January 2013

Today’s most pressing social challenges require people to recognize their shared fate and work together—to think and act interdependently. In the three studies reported here, we found that appeals for increased interdependence may undermine the very motivation they seek to inspire. We examined the hypothesis that invoking interdependent action undermines motivation for chronically independent European Americans but not for bicultural Asian Americans who are both chronically independent and chronically interdependent. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that priming interdependent rather than independent action undermined European Americans’ motivation to perform challenging mental and physical tasks. Study 3 showed that framing an appeal for environmental sustainability in terms of interdependent rather than independent action led to decreased motivation and resource allocation among European Americans. Motivation was not undermined for Asian Americans, which reveals how behavior is divergently shaped, in the land of the free, by foundational sociocultural schemas of independence and interdependence. This research has the novel implication that it may be necessary to invoke independent behaviors in order to successfully motivate interdependence.
Descriptive theories of behaviour may allow for the scientific measurement of psychological attributes
Authors: Kyngdon Andrew
Published: January 2013

Trendler (2009) argued that psychological attributes cannot be measured, as the experimental manipulation and control necessary for the application of measurement theory cannot be achieved. It is argued that Trendler’s conclusion ignored deeper issues. The scientific measurement of psychological attributes depends not only upon adequate stimulus control, but also upon descriptive theories of psychological systems and the demonstration of pure differences in degree (magnitude) within attributes hypothesized to be quantitative. For some classes of stimuli, where descriptive theories of the response process exist and where quantitative features in the stimuli themselves can be empirically manipulated, the demonstration of pure differences in degree is plausible and the scientific measurement of the relevant attributes credible. Where attribute differences between stimuli have identified qualitative causes, stimuli cannot be engineered to produce equivalent magnitudes of the relevant attribute. Here is where Trendler’s Millean Quantity Objection has force.
Development of a pediatric body mass index using longitudinal single-index models
Authors: Wu Jingwei , Tu Wanzhu
Published: January 2013

As a measure of human adiposity, the body mass index, defined as weight/height2, has been widely used in clinical investigations. For children undergoing pubertal development, whether this function of height and weight represents an optimal way of quantifying body mass for assessing of specific health outcomes has not been carefully studied. In this study, we propose an alternative pediatric body mass measure for prediction of blood pressure based on recorded height and weight data using single-index modeling techniques. Specifically, we present a general form of partially linear single-index mixed effect models for the determination of this new metric. A methodological contribution of this research is the development of an efficient algorithm for the fitting of a general class of partially linear single-index models in longitudinal data situations. The proposed model and related model fitting algorithm are easily implementable in most computational platforms. Simulation demonstrates superior performance of the new method, as compared to the standard body mass index measure. Using the proposed method, we explore an alternative body mass measure for the prediction of blood pressure in children. The method is potentially useful for the construction of other indices for specific investigations.
Hospital Care of Assisted Living Residents by an Assisted Living Based Primary Care Team
Authors: Mills William R. , Robertson Steven P. , Ogard Kyley L. , Musni Sheralei R. , Tran Hung , Poltavski Dmitri V. , Kendis Daniel R.
Published: January 2013

The objective of this article is to characterize inpatient-related outcomes and measures of efficiency for hospitalized assisted living residents managed by an assisted living-based primary care (ALPC) team. Between 2010 and 2012, 1594 assisted living residents received ALPC. An ALPC team member served as hospital attending physician to 377 assisted living residents at three community hospitals. Several inpatient metrics were compared between the hospitalized ALPC cohort and those reported in the National Hospital Discharge Survey. Hospitalized assisted living residents who received inpatient hospital care by an ALPC team member had lower inpatient mortality, 30-day readmission rates, and shorter length of stay compared to published averages. The authors determined that an ALPC team who follows its patients in the hospital may achieve improved inpatient outcomes.
The Provider’s Role in Promoting Hope for Patients in Clinical Encounters
Authors: Rowe Rev. Jimmy , Kellam Charles
Published: January 2013

The purpose of this article is to provide health care providers with a set of core strategies to situate hope into the context of their clinical encounters with patients. This article further stresses that providers should know how to be a compassionate presence, convey dignity, and attend to the spiritual needs of the patient. If providers are to be fully present to the patient, they must prepare through reflection on their own sense of transcendence, meaning, purpose, call to service, and connectedness to others. This article represents a nontechnical approach to understand some of the dynamics in the clinical encounter in health care settings.
Perceptions of Contextual Features Related to Implementation and Sustainability of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support
Authors: McIntosh Kent , Predy Larissa K. , Upreti Gita , Hume Amanda E. , Turri Mary G. , Mathews Susanna
Published: January 2013

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceived importance of specific contextual variables for initial implementation and sustainability of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS). A large, national sample of 257 school team members completed the School-Wide Universal Behavior Sustainability Index: School Teams, a research-validated measure of variables influencing sustainability of schoolwide behavior interventions. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were used to assess perceptions of the most and least important variables for initial implementation and sustainability, as well as variables perceived as more important to sustainability than initial implementation. Across quantitative and qualitative analyses, results indicated that administrator support and school team functioning were rated as the most important features for both initial implementation and sustainability, whereas barriers to SWPBS were rated as relatively less important. Staff support, integration into typical practice, and parent involvement were rated as significantly more important to sustainability than initial implementation. These results were consistent across types of raters and schools. Implications for enhancing implementation and sustainability of SWPBS are discussed.
Cooperation makes it happen: Imagined intergroup cooperation enhances the positive effects of imagined contact
Authors: Kuchenbrandt Dieta , Eyssel Friederike , Seidel Sarah Katharina
Published: January 2013

Imagined intergroup contact represents a new indirect contact strategy to reduce intergroup bias. Extending the literature on imagined contact, we tested whether the inclusion of cooperation into the imagination task would outperform the standard imagined contact scenarios used in previous research. 87 participants were instructed to imagine a neutral versus a positive versus a cooperative interaction with an out-group member. As predicted, after imagining a cooperative intergroup interaction, participants showed more empathy and trust toward the out-group than participants in the remaining experimental conditions. Furthermore, they also reported reduced prejudice and intergroup anxiety. Taken together, implementing cooperation in the imagined contact paradigm reduced intergroup bias, above and beyond basic imagined contact effects. Finally, the perceived quality of the imagined interaction with an out-group member mediated the experimental effects. Theoretical and practical implications of these novel findings will be discussed.
Acoustic wave propagation through a functionally graded material plate with arbitrary material properties
Authors: Moghaddam A Mortazavi , Ahmadian MT , Kheradpisheh A
Published: January 2013

In this article, the propagation of one-dimensional stress waves in a plate made of functionally graded materials excited by a harmonic force is studied. The material properties of the functionally graded material plate are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction according to a power law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. The governing equations are based on stress–strain relation and the equation of motion. Keeping generality, the functionally graded material plate is assumed as a multilayer with linear material property in each layer while arbitrary exponential material property through the thickness. A plate made of aluminum and alumina is considered as an example to illustrate the effects of the volume fraction exponent and number of layers on the wave propagation characteristics. Results indicate that by changing the exponent values ( M), stress distribution can be controlled. Also at every certain power law ( M), there exist a number of layers beyond which no variation in stress can be detected on the plate response. Furthermore, the wave in time domain is also investigated and the effects of material distribution on the wave speed are examined.
Optimal Poisson’s ratios for laterally loaded rectangular plates
Authors: Lim Teik-Cheng
Published: January 2013

Although most materials used in practice possess positive Poisson’s ratio in the range 0 to ½, there has been increasing number of auxetic materials being developed and investigated. The counter-intuitive property of auxetic materials opens up the possibility of solids and structures that behave in ways that have been overlooked in the past but are nevertheless consistent with physical laws. This article investigates how the auxeticity of a plate material influences the stresses and moments arising from lateral loads. Using classical plate theories, the optimal Poisson’s ratio of simply supported rectangular plates under lateral loads are obtained on the basis of (a) stress minimization from the maximum bending and shearing stresses, and (b) moment minimization from the maximum bending and twisting moments. Results from stress minimization shows that the optimal Poisson’s ratio is strongly influenced by the relative plate thickness and plate aspect ratio. Using the example of a simply supported rectangular plate under sinusoidal load, the optimal Poisson’s ratio becomes more negative for higher aspect ratio. In addition, the optimal Poisson’s ratio becomes more negative, until a limit of −1 is reached, for decreasing relative plate thickness. Results from moment minimization reveal that the optimal Poisson’s ratio is strongly influenced by the load distribution. For a square plate, the optimal Poisson’s ratio is a negative value if the load distribution is more concentrated than a sinusoidal load or if the central square patch of uniform load takes up less than 43% of the plate area. These results suggest the usefulness of auxetic materials for lowering the stresses and moments in rectangular plates under most loading conditions.
A tale of two cultures: The Omani–Indian encounter in the literature classroom
Authors: Heble Ayesha , Mehta Sandhya Rao
Published: January 2013

The inclusion of cultural and contextual approaches in the study of literature has long been accepted as imperative in the literature classroom, fostering, as it does, the sensitization of students to diverse worldviews. This article aims to explore the way in which literature could affect students' preconceived notions of communities and people by using a specific context within the Middle East, that of the Indian community in Oman. The historical relationship between Oman and India is a complex one, including as it does a little-known historical narrative and a contemporary reality which includes stereotypes of the Indian community. Using the example of a classroom experience, this study looks into the ways in which literary texts, when dealt with in a contextual manner, afford a critical understanding of communities and succeed in correcting misconceptions by allowing for a dynamic relationship between two groups of people whose encounters with each other become layered and complex.
Evaluation of an Innovative, Cordless Ultrasonic Dissector
Authors: Tsirline Victor B. , Lau Kelvin N. , Swan Ryan Z. , Montero Paul N. , Sindram David , Martinie John B. , Iannitti David A.
Published: January 2013

Ultrasonic thermal energy is commonly used for dissection and vessel ligation. This study compared HARMONIC ACE and Sonicision Cordless Ultrasonic Dissector (SCUD). The devices were used in an in vivo porcine model to coagulate 189 arteries up to 5 mm. Seal times were similar: SCUD, 5.2 ± 1.7 s; ACE, 4.9 ± 1.5 s ( P = .20). Burst pressures for SCUD and AVE were 578 ± 284 and 605 ± 288 mm Hg, respectively ( P = .48). Stratification by vessel diameter yielded similar results. In all, 17 applications resulted in seal failure on either the proximal or distal side, with no difference between SCUD (4.4%) and ACE (6.6%; P = .37). Histological examination of 48 specimens showed similar thermal spreads: 1.06 ± 0.05 versus 1.08 ± 0.05 mm for SCUD and ACE, respectively ( P = .82). In 41 timed mesenteric transections, SCUD required 24.8 ± 4.9 s, which was significantly less than the 33.8 ± 5.4 s for ACE ( P < .0001), with no bleeding in either group. SCUD and ACE showed similar vessel seal times, burst pressures, thermal spreads, and seal failure rates. SCUD was more efficient than ACE in mesenteric transection.
Determinants of Family Planning Use Among Turkish Married Men Who Live in South East Turkey
Authors: Zeyneloğlu Simge , Kısa Sezer , DelibaŞ Leyla
Published: January 2013

This study assesses the determinants of family planning methods use by Turkish married men in South East Anatolia. A descriptive and cross-sectional survey research design was used among 1,352 men aged 20 to 52 years who lived in South East Turkey. A pilot-tested questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and multivariate regression analysis were used. The rate of nonusage of contraceptive methods among the participants was 60.4%. Within the nonusers, 34.9% reported a religious prohibition and 9.4% had misconceptions about family planning. Chi-square analysis determined four factors that were significantly related to the men’s usage of contraception. These factors are the following: the men’s age, educational level, number of existing children, and their perception of their household income level. These four factors were also subjected to multivariate regression analysis, the results of which were used to compute odds ratios for each value of each factor indicating the likelihood for using contraception by men within each group. Male-specific family planning programs can make an important contribution to the overall efforts to improve the usage of contraceptives by men. It is important to note that family planning services and education programs related to family planning should be appropriate for men.