bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mobile Masculinities: Migrant Bangladeshi Men in South Africa
Authors: Pande Amrita
Published: May 2017

In this ethnography of Bangladeshi men living and working in South Africa, I draw on the intersection of three sets of literatures—masculinities studies, mobility studies, and the emerging body of work on migrant masculinities— to argue that migrant mobility shapes and is shaped by relational performances of racialized masculinities. I analyze three particular moments of such “mobile masculinities.” The first is in the home country wherein migration is seen as a mandatory rite of passage into manhood. The second moment is in transit, where the relational masculinity of migrant men and “traffickers” (men who smuggle migrants across borders) is performed and (re)made. The final moment is in South Africa, wherein we observe two contrasting forms of masculinities: hyper masculinity (the idealization of violence and misogyny) and Ummah masculinity (the immersion in God and Islamic Ummah). Both kinds of masculinity in the final moment are attempts by the migrants to recuperate masculinity within a situation of extreme powerlessness. This article invokes the need for mobility research within gender studies, and an attention to a complex, processual construction of identities wherein gender, race, and other differences define the identities of migrants but also the discourses and narratives of masculinities.
The Economic and Career Effects of Sexual Harassment on Working Women
Authors: McLaughlin Heather , Uggen Christopher , Blackstone Amy
Published: May 2017

Many working women will experience sexual harassment at some point in their careers. While some report this harassment, many leave their jobs to escape the harassing environment. This mixed-methods study examines whether sexual harassment and subsequent career disruption affect women’s careers. Using in-depth interviews and longitudinal survey data from the Youth Development Study, we examine the effect of sexual harassment for women in the early career. We find that sexual harassment increases financial stress, largely by precipitating job change, and can significantly alter women’s career attainment.
Family Firm(s) Outcomes Model: Structuring Financial and Nonfinancial Outcomes Across the Family and Firm
Authors: Holt Daniel T. , Pearson Allison W. , Carr Jon C. , Barnett Tim
Published: May 2017

Family firms are distinguished theoretically from nonfamily firms due to their pursuit of unique, family-related aspirations and goals. The pursuit of these aspirations and goals leads many family firms to define success or failure in terms of a broader set of outcomes than nonfamily firms. Despite this, family firm research has generally taken a constricted view of family firm outcomes by concentrating on narrowly defined financial performance as measured by accounting and/or market-based indicators. We contend that this somewhat myopic focus has slowed the field’s development to some degree, by constraining our ability to test its fundamental tenets. To address this, we draw on several disciplines to systematically order family firm outcomes within a family firm(s) outcomes model that encompasses both financial and nonfinancial dimensions. While financial performance is important in research and practice, herein we refer to both financial and nonfinancial outcomes and explain how these outcomes map on the family unit and the family firm. Furthermore, we suggest measures that can be used and explain how the model can be applied when researchers select financial and nonfinancial outcomes important to family members as the family firm’s success or failure is gauged.
Dynamic responses of an engine front-end accessory belt drive system with pulley eccentricities via two spatial discretization methods
Authors: Zhu Hao , Hu Yumei , Zhu Weidong , Long Haiqiang
Published: May 2017

In this study, a generic mathematical model for calculating the natural frequencies and the dynamic responses of a typical front-end accessory drive system with any number of pulleys and arbitrary configurations of the tensioner and pulleys is established. The belt bending stiffness and the pulley eccentricities are considered in this model, and their influences on the natural frequency and the dynamic responses of the front-end accessory drive system are examined. A generic spatial discretization method and a Galerkin discretization method, which uses Lagrange multipliers to enhance the boundary conditions, are presented to discretize the continuous belt spans and to transform the governing partial differential equations into ordinary differential equations. The accuracies of the generic spatial discretization method and the Galerkin discretization method are validated by modal tests, and the advantages of the generic spatial discretization method with respect to the efficiency and the convenience of implementation are assessed by comparing the generic spatial discretization method with the Galerkin discretization method and the two-layer iteration approach. The dynamic responses of the typical front-end accessory drive system at different operational velocities are calculated from the governing ordinary differential equations derived from these two methods. It is shown that large vibration amplitudes occur in certain belt spans owing to the resonance conditions or the beat phenomena in certain operational conditions and that the belt bending stiffness has a negligible influence on the vibrations of the belt drive system because its value is small.
Application of dynamic vibration absorbers in designing a vibration isolation track at low-frequency domain
Authors: Zhu Shengyang , Yang Jizhong , Cai Chengbiao , Pan Zili , Zhai Wanming
Published: May 2017

This paper aims to develop a low-frequency vibration isolation track based on passive vibration isolation theory and vehicle–track interaction analysis. First, a preliminary low-frequency vibration isolation track is proposed by attaching multiple dynamic vibration absorbers to a discontinuous floating slab track, and the optimal design parameters of the multidynamic vibration absorber are determined by searching the minimum values of two assessment functions. Further, a three-dimensional coupled dynamic model of a metro vehicle and the low-frequency vibration isolation track is established by using Ansys Parametric Design Language, where the equations of motion of the vehicle subsystem and the wheel–rail contact calculations are incorporated in the software Ansys using the Ansys Parametric Design Language, and the low-frequency vibration isolation track subsystem is directly created by using common elements in Ansys. The vibration isolation performance of the preliminary low-frequency vibration isolation track with multidynamic vibration absorber is investigated under harmonic load and vehicle dynamic load, respectively. Results show that the slab acceleration and supporting force are significantly reduced at low frequencies of 10–20 Hz compared with those of the traditional floating slab tracks. Finally, an improved low-frequency vibration isolation track is developed for actual manufacturing and practical application, and simulations show that the improved low-frequency vibration isolation track exhibits a more robust vibration isolation performance even if optimal design parameters have variations due to manufacturing errors or material deterioration.
Three-dimensional model predictive controller design for approach to landing with microburst encounter
Authors: Hassanpour A , Pourtakdoust Seid H
Published: May 2017

Microburst is considered an extreme powerful hazard for aircrafts, especially during takeoff, approach and landing phases of flight. Current airborne piloting practices involve taking alternative routes, if early detection of microburst wind shear (MBW) for its effective avoidance is possible. In this respect, design and analysis of precision automatic flight path control systems for microburst penetration are of outmost importance whose success can significantly reduce crash risks and thus enhance the flight safety. The current study is focused on the design and analysis of a three-dimensional model predictive controller for a wide body transport type aircraft encountering MBW in approach to landing phase of flight. This task is performed utilizing the full nonlinear six degrees of freedom aircraft equations of motion and the most complete 3D model of the MBW and its gradients. The results are promising for online applications as the proposed model predictive controller-based controller has effectively guided and kept the aircraft on the approach glide path with negligible deviations against aircraft initial lateral displacements, sharp edge gust disturbance as well as the MBW.
State of the art review on design and manufacture of hybrid biomedical materials: Hip and knee prostheses
Authors: Bahraminasab Marjan , Farahmand Farzam
Published: May 2017

The trend in biomaterials development has now headed for tailoring the properties and making hybrid materials to achieve the optimal performance metrics in a product. Modern manufacturing processes along with advanced computational techniques enable systematical fabrication of new biomaterials by design strategy. Functionally graded materials as a recent group of hybrid materials have found numerous applications in biomedical area, particularly for making orthopedic prostheses. This article, therefore, seeks to address the following research questions: (RQ1) What is the desired structure of orthopedic hybrid materials? (RQ2) What is the contribution of the literature in the development of hybrid materials in the field of orthopedic research? (RQ3) Which type of manufacturing approaches is prevalently used to build these materials for knee and hip implants? (RQ4) Is there any inadequacy in the methods applied?
Influence of Spousal Communication about Family Planning and HIV/AIDS-related Issues on Modern Contraceptive Use in Nigeria
Authors: Fagbamigbe Adeniyi Francis , Ojebuyi Babatunde Raphael
Published: May 2017

Contraceptive use in Nigeria at 15 per cent is low, despite a high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence of 3.4 per cent and fertility rate of 5.7 per cent. We assessed the levels of spousal communication on family planning and contraception (FPC) and HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), influence of demographic characteristics on this communication and association between this communication and the respondents’ health behaviours. We used a cross-sectional and nationally representative data on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS-related issues from randomly selected 30,752 men and women of reproductive age. Descriptive statistics, Pearson chi-square (c2) and logistic regression were used to analyze the data at 5 per cent significance level. About 61 per cent of the respondents were 25–49 years old and mostly from rural areas (65 per cent). Only 20 per cent of the respondents discussed HIV/AIDS with their spouses within 12 months preceding the survey while 15 per cent discussed FPC. A discussion of both HIV/AIDS and FPC among spouses was reported among 9 per cent compared to 26 per cent who reported discussing either. Respondents aged 35–39 years had higher odds of discussing HIV/AIDS (Odds Ratios [OR] = 7.06:6.16–8.09) than those aged 15–19 years. Urban dwellers also had higher odds (OR = 1.24:1.16–1.31) of HIV/AIDS discussions than rural respondents. Modern contraceptive use was 35 per cent and 23 per cent among respondents who discussed FPC and HIV/AIDS compared to 8 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively, among those who did not. Spousal communication on FP and HIV/AIDS was low and has influenced contraceptive use and HIV positivity in Nigeria. There is a need to encourage spousal discussion on FP and HIV/AIDS, especially among the rural dwellers and the poor and uneducated as a strategy for improving modern contraceptive use.
Analysis of Infant Mortality Rate in Indian States
Authors: Jain Pragati , Jain Prerna
Published: May 2017

The aim of this research is to explore the status of infant mortality at the state level, rate of change over the study period (1981–2011) and regional variation in infant mortality rate (IMR) and present a case as to how health status can be improved through targeting goals as in the case of IMR by the health planners and policymakers. The achievement of each of the 15 states on the basis of IMR is examined on the basis of divergence reduction. Sigma and beta absolute convergence measures used to determine the nature of change in the degree of regional inequality in IMR show positive results in achieving regional convergence. This confirms that the government policy and programmes to control and reduce IMR have been successful. IMR is frequently questioned as a measure of health status as infant mortality turns out to be the main focus of health policy; however, the entire population’s health possibly will be ignored in achieving the policy targets. However, the brighter side to it is that the entire gamut of health indicators can be targeted in a phased manner to achieve the overall improvement in the health status.
Revisiting the Determinants of Child Anthropometric Indicators in India Using Seemingly Unrelated Regressions Model
Authors: Naline G. , Viswanathan Brinda
Published: May 2017

This study uses the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) data to estimate Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) model for height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ) and weight-for-height (WHZ) to understand how the determinants of intergenerational transmission, feeding and care practices, and the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) vary in their impact when these commonly used measures of child nutritional status are considered together in a systems framework. As expected mother’s height, BMI and anaemia levels are all highly important in explaining the variations with large impact of height on HAZ, of BMI on WAZ and of anaemia on WHZ. Initiation of breastfeeding within an hour of child’s birth, exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months and inclusion of protein rich diets for the older children has a large impact on HAZ, and so does access of daily food supplements from the ICDS by rural children. Other predictors such as wealth status, safe water access, sanitation and use of clean cooking fuel by the households are found to be strongly associated with all the indicators. The results from this study strengthen the evidence that though multiple determinants play a role in a child’s growth, the key factors are in the mother to child transmission and in quality of early child care of feeding habits and preventive and curative health care practices.
Long non-coding RNA UCA1 can predict tumor lymph node metastasis
Authors: Wang Yuan-Hang , Wang Fang , Zhang Lan , Lu Jia-Chun
Published: May 2017

Numerous studies suggested that long non-coding RNA UCA1 was highly expressed and played critical roles in the development and progression of various cancerous tissues and cells. However, little is known about the association between UCA1 and tumor lymph node metastasis. In our study, a systematic review was conducted to evaluate the association between UCA1 expression and tumor lymph node metastasis and explore whether UCA1 can be a potential molecular marker for predicting the multiple tumor lymph node metastasis. The meta-analysis result showed that the number of lymph node metastasis in different tumorous types of UCA1 high-expression group was significantly higher compared with UCA1 low-expression group (pooled odds ratio = 2.13, 95% confidence interval: 1.60–2.84, p < 0.05). To verify whether the above result was still valid in specific tumor type, we conducted a meta-analysis including four articles on colorectal cancer (pooled odds ratio = 2.07, 95% confidence interval: 1.28–3.34, p < 0.05). Based on the existing results, it can be explained that the long non-coding RNA UCA1 was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and both the results revealed that compared with UCA1 low-expression group, the lymph node metastasis rate of UCA1 high-expression group was statistically significantly elevated. Therefore, long non-coding RNA UCA1 has the potential of being a biological marker for predicting lymph node metastasis.
Stimulatory role of interleukin 10 in CD8+T cells through STATs in gastric cancer
Authors: Xi Jianjun , Xu Mingzheng , Song Zongchang , Li Hongqiang , Xu Shumin , Wang Chunmei , Song Haihan , Bai Jianwen
Published: May 2017

CD8+T cells are considered to be critical in tumor surveillance and elimination. Increased CD8+T cell frequency and function is associated with better prognosis in cancer patients. Interleukin 10 is a cytokine with controversial roles in CD8+T cell–mediated anti-tumor immunity. We therefore examined the interleukin 10 expression and consumption in CD8+T cells harvested from the peripheral blood and resected tumors of gastric cancer patients of stages II–IV. We found that the gastric cancer patients presented significantly elevated frequencies of interleukin 10–expressing cells in both CD4+and CD8+T cells compared to healthy controls. But distinctive from the interleukin 10–expressing CD4+T cells, which increased in frequency in advanced cancer, the interleukin 10–expressing CD8+T cells did not increase with cancer stage in the peripheral blood and actually decreased with cancer stage in resected tumor. Interleukin 10 and interleukin 10 receptor expression was also enriched in interferon gamma–expressing activated CD8+T cells. Compared to interleukin 10–nonexpressing CD8+T cells, interleukin 10 receptor–expressing CD8+T cells secreted significantly elevated interferon gamma levels. Treatment of anti-CD3/CD28-stimulated, purified CD8+T cells with interleukin 10 alone could significantly enhance CD8+T cell survival, an effect dependent on interleukin 10 receptor expression. Interleukin 10 also increased CD8+T cell proliferation synergistically with interferon gamma but not alone. Analysis of downstream signal transducer and activator of transcription molecules showed that interleukin 10 treatment significantly increased the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 to lesser extent. Together, these results demonstrate that interleukin 10 possessed stimulatory roles in activated CD8+T cells from gastric cancer patients.
MicroRNA-124 suppresses proliferation and glycolysis in non–small cell lung cancer cells by targeting AKT–GLUT1/HKII
Authors: Zhao Xiaojian , Lu Caiping , Chu Weiwei , Zhang Bing , Zhen Qiang , Wang Renfeng , Zhang Yaxiao , Li Zhe , Lv Baolei , Li Huixian , Liu Jiabao
Published: May 2017

Non–small cell lung cancer accounts for 85% of all types of lung cancer and is the leading cause of worldwide cancer-associated mortalities. MiR-124 is epigenetically silenced in various types of cancer and plays important roles in tumor development and progression. MiR-124 was also significantly downregulated in non–small cell lung cancer patients. Glycolysis has been considered as a feature of cancer cells; hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha/beta and Akt are key enzymes in the regulation of glycolysis and energy metabolism in cancer cells. However, the role of miR-124 in non–small cell lung cancer cell proliferation, glycolysis, and energy metabolism remains unknown. In this research, cell proliferation was investigated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; furthermore, glucose consumption and lactic acid production were assessed; adenosine triphosphate content and NAD+/NADH were also detected. These tests were conducted using the normal non–small cell lung cancer cell line A549, which was transfected variedly with miR-mimics, miR-124 mimics, miR-124 inhibitor, pc-DNA3.1(+)-AKT1, and pc-DNA3.1(+)-AKT2 plasmid. Here, we show that miR-124 overexpression directly decreased cell growth, glucose consumption, lactate production, and energy metabolism. MiR-124 also negatively regulates glycolysis rate–limiting enzymes, glucose transporter 1 and hexokinase II. Our results also showed that miR-124 negatively regulates AKT1 and AKT2 but no regulatory effect on hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha/beta. Overexpression of AKT reverses the inhibitory effect of miR-124 on cell proliferation and glycolytic metabolism in non–small cell lung cancer. AKT inhibition blocks miR-124 silencing–induced AKT1/2, glucose transporter 1, hexokinase II activation, cell proliferation, and glycolytic or energy metabolism changes. In summary, this study demonstrated that miR-124 is able to inhibit proliferation, glycolysis, and energy metabolism, potentially by targeting AKT1/2–glucose transporter 1/hexokinase II in non–small cell lung cancer cells.
Psychodynamic formulation in the era of the brain – towards integration
Authors: Newman Louise K
Published: May 2017

Objective:

The objectives of this study were to describe advances in neurosciences and their relationship to psychodynamic models of psychopathology and to present an integrative approach to psychodynamic formulation which incorporates the neurobiological underpinnings of self-functioning and a model of relational trauma.

Conclusion:

Developmental psychopathology is now better able to describe the significance of early developmental periods and the interpersonal context of self-development. These findings contribute to an integrated biopsychosocial psychodynamic formulation based on core principles of early development.
Quantitative and qualitative analyses of mechanical behavior and dimensional stability of styrene-based shape memory composites
Authors: Al Azzawi Wessam , Islam Mainul M , Leng Jinsong , Li Fengfeng , Epaarachchi Jayantha A
Published: May 2017

The effect of glass fiber reinforcement on the mechanical properties and geometrical shape stability during the thermomechanical cycle of the shape memory polymer composite has been investigated. A substantial improvement in the mechanical properties due to glass fiber reinforcement has been realized. However, unexpected deformation has been observed during heating process, particularly in the first thermomechanical cycle. This unanticipated deformation negatively affects the geometrical shape stability of the composite, and as a consequence the geometry preciseness of the structural parts manufactured with shape memory polymer composites will be reduced. In this article, the unanticipated thermal deformation in the shape memory polymer composites during the heating has been observed experimentally, and constitutive relationships to describe this behavior have been developed. Furthermore, an application of a constant tensile load during the heating process on the shape memory polymer composite part was found to be a reliable solution to reduce the thermal distortion effect and improve the geometric stability of the composite. The results showed that developed constitutive relations have shown a good agreement with the experimental results. Furthermore, the proposed applied tensile load has shown significant improvement in the shape memory polymer composite samples’ geometrical shape stability when subjected to a temperature increase.
Fundamental characteristic of novel actuation system with variable viscoelastic joints and magneto-rheological clutches for human assistance
Authors: Okui Manabu , Iikawa Shingo , Yamada Yasuyuki , Nakamura Taro
Published: May 2017

In this study, a variable viscoelastic joint system with a clutch for human assistance was proposed. The variable viscoelastic joint system comprised antagonized artificial muscles and magneto-rheological fluid brake. This system enabled the human assisting device, such as exoskeletons, to retain structural softness when compared with the existing devices driven by motor and reduction gear, which could only achieve superficial softness. In addition, a clutch system that provided high back-drivability to the wearer by structurally separating the device from the wearer was proposed. As an initial step in designing the human assisting device, a prototype with the proposed variable viscoelastic joint system for knee assistance is developed. Also, its control method was developed. Furthermore, experiments were conducted to confirm the influence of the proposed viscoelastic joint system and control method on the wearer.
Experimental and numerical investigations on the size effect of moderate high-strength reinforced concrete columns under small-eccentric compression
Authors: Jin Liu , Ding Zixing , Li Dong , Du Xiuli
Published: May 2017

The paper deals with an experimental investigation and numerical simulation of moderate high-strength reinforced concrete (RC) columns subjected to a small-eccentric compressive loading ( e0 = 0.25 h0). A series of tests on the behavior of 12 geometrically similar moderate high-strength reinforced concrete columns with two different stirrups ratios (i.e., 0% and 0.66%) were conducted. The maximum structural size of the square reinforced concrete columns was 800 mm. A 2D mesoscale method for the simulation of the behavior of reinforced concrete columns was established. The numerical tests on the reinforced concrete columns with larger stirrup ratios (1.2% and 2.4%) were carried out complementarily, based on the fact that the simulation results were consistent with the available test observations. The failure patterns, the nominal compressive stress–strain relationships, the nominal compressive strength, and the post-peak softening behavior of the reinforced concrete columns were studied. Furthermore, the influence of stirrups on failure behavior and size effect of the reinforced concrete columns was revealed. One can conclude that (1) the size effect exists in the nominal compressive strength of the eccentrically loaded high-strength reinforced concrete columns with the four different stirrup ratios; (2) comparison of the present test results and the “size effect law” proposed by Bažant shows good agreement; (3) the presence of stirrups improves the nominal strengths, makes the failure of columns less brittle, and weakens the size effect; and (4) the proposed mesoscale numerical method is capable of describing the mechanical behavior of eccentrically loaded reinforced concrete columns.
Incident Use of a Potentially Inappropriate Medication and Hip Fracture in Community-Dwelling Older Persons With Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Hyttinen Virva , Taipale Heidi , Tolppanen Anna-Maija , Tanskanen Antti , Tiihonen Jari , Hartikainen Sirpa , Valtonen Hannu
Published: May 2017

Background: Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) increase the risk of adverse drug reactions and events and have been associated with greater health care service use, such as an increased risk of hospitalization. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between PIM use and hip fractures in a nationwide cohort of community-dwelling persons ≥65 years old with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: The study, which is based on the Finnish nationwide MEDALZ cohort, included all persons diagnosed with AD between 2005 and 2011 (n = 70 718). After a 1-year washout period for PIM use and exclusion of persons with previous hip fracture before AD diagnosis or those who had been hospitalized, we included 47 850 persons ≥65 years old with AD. PIM use was identified using Finnish criteria. Associations between PIM use and hip fracture were analyzed with Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Of the study population, 12.3% (n = 5895) initiated PIMs during the follow-up (maximum follow-up 2921 days and total number of person-years 139 538.7). Of those, 103 (1.7%) persons had hip fractures during the PIM use period. The results suggest that PIM use was only associated with an increased risk of hip fracture with incident PIM use (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.31; 95% CI = 1.06-1.63; P = 0.014). Conclusions: PIM use is associated with increased risk of hip fracture when a person uses PIMs for the first time. However, the association between PIM use and hip fracture should be investigated more comprehensively in future studies.
Unveiling the subject behind diversity: Exploring the micro-politics of representation in ethnic minority creatives’ identity work
Authors: Zanoni Patrizia , Thoelen Annelies , Ybema Sierk
Published: May 2017

Much literature on the cultural industries celebrates ethnicity as a source of creativity. Despite its positive connotation, this discourse reduces ethnic minority creatives to manifestations of a collective ethnic identity automatically leading to creativity, creating a paradox of creativity without a creative subject. Approaching creatives with an ethnic minority background as agents, this article investigates how they self-reflectively and purposely discursively construct ethnicity as a source of creativity in their identity work. Empirically, we analyze interviews with well-established creatives with an ethnic minority background active in Belgium. Most respondents construct their ethnic background as ‘hybrid’, ‘exotic’, or ‘liminal’ to craft an identity as creatives and claim creativity for their work. Only few refuse to discursively deploy ethnicity as a source of creativity, crafting more individualized identities as creatives. Our study contributes to the literature on power and ethnicity in the creative industries by documenting ethnic minority creatives’ discursive micro-struggle over what is creative work and who qualifies as a creative. Specifically, we show their counterpolitics of representation of ethnicity in the creative industries through the re-signification of the relation between the ‘west’ and the ‘other’ in less disadvantageous terms. Despite such re-signification, the continued relevance of the discourse of ethnicity as a key marker of difference suggests that ethnicity remains a principle of unequal organization of the creative industries.
Ineffectiveness of commercial weight-loss programs for achieving modest but meaningful weight loss: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: McEvedy Samantha M , Sullivan-Mort Gillian , McLean Siân A , Pascoe Michaela C , Paxton Susan J
Published: May 2017

This study collates existing evidence regarding weight loss among overweight but otherwise healthy adults who use commercial weight-loss programs. Systematic search of 3 databases identified 11 randomized controlled trials and 14 observational studies of commercial meal-replacement, calorie-counting, or pre-packaged meal programs which met inclusion criteria. In meta-analysis using intention-to-treat data, 57 percent of individuals who commenced a commercial weight program lost less than 5 percent of their initial body weight. One in two (49%) studies reported attrition ≥30 percent. A second meta-analysis found that 37 percent of program completers lost less than 5 percent of initial body weight. We conclude that commercial weight-loss programs frequently fail to produce modest but clinically meaningful weight loss with high rates of attrition suggesting that many consumers find dietary changes required by these programs unsustainable.
‘Health psychology’ or ‘psychology for health’? A history of psychologists’ engagement with health in South Africa
Authors: Yen Jeffery , Vaccarino Oriana
Published: May 2017

In contrast to the institutionalization of health psychology in North America and Europe, much psychological work on health issues in South Africa emerged as part of a critical revitalization of South African psychology as a whole, coinciding with the dismantling of Apartheid and global shifts in health discourse. The field’s development reflects attempts to engage with urgent health problems in the context of rapid sociopolitical changes that followed democratic transition in the 1990s, and under new conditions of knowledge production. We provide an account of these issues, as well as reflections on the field’s future, as inflected through the experiences of 12 South African psychologists whose careers span the emergence of health-related psychology to the present day.
Mass imagineering, mass customization and mass production: Complementary cultures for creativity, choice and convenience
Authors: Fox Stephen
Published: May 2017

Do-it-yourself trends, such as self-broadcasting, music self-publishing and personal manufacturing, involve combining human imagination and automated engineering. In particular, automated engineering enabled by artificial intelligence algorithms is used for pattern recognition and other highly complex tasks across physical, virtual and social media. Together, multiple do-it-yourself trends driven by human imagination combined with automated engineering bring mass imagineering. It has been claimed that this new potential for individuals to create what they imagine will bring revolutionary disruption to existing paradigms for production and consumption, which will benefit individuals greatly. Conversely, others have claimed that whatever change occurs will advance organizations within existing paradigms at the expense of individuals. In this article, it is explained that mass imagineering has limited potential to bring revolutionary disruption to mass production and mass customization. Rather, it can facilitate their enrichment for the benefit of both organizations and individuals by better enabling complementary cultures for creativity, choice and convenience.
Toward identifying crack-length-related resonances in acoustic emission waveforms for structural health monitoring applications
Authors: Bhuiyan Md Yeasin , Bao Jingjing , Poddar Banibrata , Giurgiutiu Victor
Published: May 2017

In this study, we focus on analyzing the acoustic emission waveforms of the fatigue crack growth despite the conventional statistics-based analysis of acoustic emission. The acoustic emission monitoring technique is a well-known approach in the non-destructive evaluation/structural health monitoring research field. The growth of the fatigue crack causes the acoustic emission in the material that propagates in the structure. The acoustic emission happens not only from the crack growth but also from the interaction of the crack tips during the fatigue loading in the structure. The acoustic emission waveforms are generated from the acoustic emission events; they propagate and create local vibration modes along the crack faces (crack resonance). In-situ fatigue and acoustic emission experiments were conducted to monitor the acoustic emission waveforms from the fatigue cracks. Several test specimens were used in the fatigue experiments, and corresponding acoustic emission waveforms were captured. The acoustic emission waveforms were analyzed and distinguished into three types based on the similar nature in both time and frequency domains. Three-dimensional harmonic finite element analyses were performed to identify the local vibration modes. The local crack resonance phenomenon has been observed from the finite element simulation that could potentially give the geometric information of the crack. The laser Doppler vibrometry experiment was performed to identify the crack resonance phenomenon, and the experimental results were used to verify the simulated results.
Impact of Angioscopic Evaluation for Femoropopliteal In-Stent Restenosis Before and After Excimer Laser Atherectomy
Authors: Idemoto Akiko , Okamoto Naotaka , Tanaka Akihiro , Mori Naoki , Nakamura Daisuke , Yano Masamichi , Makino Nobuhiko , Egami Yasuyuki , Shutta Ryu , Tanouchi Jun , Nishino Masami
Published: May 2017

In-stent restenosis (ISR) is a prevalent problem following stenting of femoropopliteal lesions. A potential novel treatment modality for ISR including excimer laser atherectomy (ELA) has become available. We performed ELA for in-stent chronic total occlusion (CTO) of femoropopliteal lesions and evaluated lesion morphology before and after ELA by angioscopy in 2 patients. The angioscopic findings clearly showed removal of in-stent thrombi after ELA. Thus, ELA may be effective for in-stent CTO of femoropopliteal lesions. This is the first report describing the direct visualization of ELA effect for vaporization of thrombi in femoropopliteal in-stent lesions by angioscopy.
Team Composition, Distributed Leadership, and Performance: It’s Good to Share
Authors: Karriker Joy H. , Madden Laura T. , Katell Leah A.
Published: May 2017

The contemporary work environment encourages new models of leadership that support influential behavior across teams. Leadership shared in this way improves team effectiveness and performance and is of interest to both scholars and practitioners. We examine shared leadership influences in the presence of other characteristics that distinguish teams, namely, team size and sex diversity. Using hierarchical multiple regression tests on information gathered from 241 teams during a strategy simulation exercise, we find evidence of a positive relationship between shared leadership and performance over and above the influence of team size and sex diversity. Additionally, we dimensionalize performance to examine impacts of team characteristics on different desirable outcomes and find that team size has a positive relationship with financial performance but a negative relationship with strategic performance. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Toward a “Meaningful Self” at the Workplace: Multinational Evidence From Asia, Europe, and North America
Authors: Busse Ronald , Kwon Seungwoo , Kloep Hans-Arno , Ghosh Koustab , Warner Malcolm
Published: May 2017

The quest for meaning has long concerned thinkers of all cultures. According to Austrian Jewish neurologist and Nazi death-camp survivor Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997), man’s search for meaning is our paramount motivational driving force. It has become common knowledge that experiencing meaning is positively associated with well-being in general. The main focus of the present article, however, is the workplace as the scene where it arguably makes a difference whether workers are able to materialize their inherent will to meaning. Extrinsic reward systems often constitute a psychological quid pro quo contract between managers and employees in the workforce. Although incentives are well established, accepted, expected, and easily deployable, their value is both deficient and unsustainable for employee motivation, for employee performance, and subsequently for firm performance. Firms therefore need to counterbalance the above negative ends. The counterweight this work comes up with is meaning at work as a key driver of intrinsic motivation. In the course of a territory-mapping, large-scale, around-the-globe investigation, we offer a ranking of framework conditions that are most fruitful to promote the management of meaning. On the basis of fresh primary data from Europe, America, and Asia (specifically from China, Germany, India, Korea, and the United States), the perception of the relation between self and leaders is identified as the most important facilitator of a meaningful self at the workplace. Our findings are discussed, limitations are admitted, and future research avenues are illuminated.
Efficacy and safety of daily mirabegron 50 mg in male patients with overactive bladder: a critical analysis of five phase III studies
Authors: Tubaro Andrea , Batista José E. , Nitti Victor W. , Herschorn Sender , Chapple Christopher R. , Blauwet Mary Beth , Siddiqui Emad , Huang Moses , Oelke Matthias
Published: May 2017

Background:

Oral pharmacotherapies to treat overactive bladder (OAB) are used less in men despite a similar prevalence of storage symptoms as women. The efficacy and safety of once-daily mirabegron 50 mg was evaluated in male OAB patients from five phase III studies that included placebo or antimuscarinic (tolterodine ER 4 mg or solifenacin 5 mg) as a comparator.

Methods:

Three pooled 12-week placebo-controlled studies (mirabegron 50 mg versus placebo) and one 12-week non-inferiority phase IIIb study (BEYOND; mirabegron 50 mg versus solifenacin 5 mg) were used for efficacy (daily micturition frequency, urgency and incontinence episodes) and safety analyses. An additional 52-week active-controlled phase III safety study (mirabegron 50 mg versus tolterodine ER 4 mg) was included in the safety analysis. Male patients aged ⩾18 years with OAB for ⩾3 months were included in the analyses. Patients may also have a history of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)/benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) or concomitant use of α1-blockers.

Results:

In the pooled studies, mirabegron 50 mg demonstrated superiority versus placebo (treatment difference: −0.37 [95% confidence interval (CI): −0.74, −0.01]) for reducing micturition frequency; improvements in urgency and incontinence were not significantly different between mirabegron 50 mg and placebo. In BEYOND, mirabegron 50 mg was comparable with solifenacin 5 mg for reducing micturition frequency, urgency, and incontinence episodes. Mirabegron was well tolerated at 12 and 52 weeks and overall treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) were similar to those with placebo.

Conclusions:

In a male OAB population with or without LUTS associated with BPH/BPE, mirabegron 50 mg provided similar improvements in urgency, frequency, and incontinence as solifenacin 5 mg, and is a well-tolerated alternative to antimuscarinics. In the three pooled 12-week studies, significant differences were not seen for urgency and incontinence versus placebo, although mirabegron 50 mg did demonstrate significant improvements versus placebo for frequency.
Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) inhibitors in the treatment of nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis: current evidence and place in therapy
Authors: Rios Rodriguez Valeria , Poddubnyy Denis
Published: May 2017

Nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) and radiographic SpA (also known as ankylosing spondylitis) are currently considered as two stages or forms of one disease (axial SpA). The treatment with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) inhibitors has been authorized for years for ankylosing spondylitis. In recent years, most of the anti-TNFα agents have also been approved for the treatment of nonradiographic axial SpA by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and similar authorities in many countries around the world (but not in the US), increasing the number of possible therapies for this indication. Data from several clinical trials have demonstrated the good efficacy and safety profiles from those anti-TNFα agents. Presently, a large number of patients achieve a satisfactory clinical control with the current therapies, however, there remains a percentage refractory to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and TNFα inhibitors; therefore, several new drugs are currently under investigation. In 2015, the first representative of a new class of biologics [an interleukin (IL)-17 inhibitor] secukinumab, was approved for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis; a clinical trial in nonradiographic axial SpA is currently underway. In this review, we discuss the recent data on efficacy and safety of TNFα-inhibitors focusing on the treatment of nonradiographic axial SpA.
Is there a role for vitamin D in the treatment of chronic pain?
Authors: Martin Kathryn R. , Reid David M.
Published: May 2017

Chronic pain is highly prevalent in the developed world, and levels of vitamin D are often lower among those with chronic pain conditions than those without. Supplementation of vitamin D has been investigated as a potential independent treatment for chronic pain. This paper presents an overview of the scientific evidence and provides recommendations for use of vitamin D in clinical practice with chronic pain patients.
Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Densities When Injected as Suspension in Joints with Osteochondral Defects
Authors: Mahmoud Elhussein Elbadry , Kamei Naosuke , Kamei Goki , Nakasa Tomoyuki , Shimizu Ryo , Harada Yohei , Adachi Nobuo , Misk Nabil Ahmed , Ochi Mitsuo
Published: May 2017

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate an intraarticular injection of different doses of autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for improving repair of midterm osteochondral defect.

Design

At 4 weeks postoperative marrow stimulation model bilaterally (3 mm diameter; 4 mm depth) in the medial femoral condyle, autologous MSCs were injected into knee joint. Twenty-four Japanese rabbits aged 6 months were divided randomly into 4 groups ( n = 6 per group): the control group and and MSC groups including 0.125, 1.25, and 6.25 million MSCs. Repaired tissue was assessed macroscopically and histologically at 4 and 12 weeks after intraarticular injection of MSCs.

Results

At 12 weeks, there was no repair tissue in the control group. The gross appearance of the 1.25 and 6.25 million MSC groups revealed complete repair of the defect with white to pink tissue at 12 weeks. An osteochondral repair was histologically significantly better in the 1.25 and 6.25 million MSC groups than in the control and 0.125 million MSC groups at 4 and 12 weeks, due to presence of hyaline-like tissue in the deep layer at 4 weeks, and at 12 weeks hyaline cartilage formation at the periphery and fibrous tissue containing some chondrocytes in the deep layer of the center of the defect. Subchondral bone was restructured in the 1.25 and 6.25 million MSC groups, although it did not resemble the normal bone.

Conclusion

An intraarticular injection of 1.25 or 6.25 million MSCs could promote the repair of subchondral bone, even in the case of midterm osteochondral defect.
Problematizing child-centeredness: Discourses of control in Waldorf education
Authors: Wilson Marguerite Anne Fillion
Published: May 2017

Contributing to recent work in the critical sociology of childhood, this article presents an ethnographic and discursive analysis of the multitude of cultural meanings associated with child-centeredness in US American early childhood education. Specifically, the article focuses on Waldorf education, a private educational alternative focused on “protecting childhood” from the perceived dangers of modern society. Although marketed as an alternative to the standardized and testing-laden environment of public education, the Waldorf philosophy has much in common with dominant US American ways of constructing childhood that reifies a Western, White, middle-class protected childhood as the most legitimate and healthy context of development. However, being “child-centered” does not necessarily mean the liberation of the child from regulatory discourses and practices; in fact, child-centeredness can often function to shape children in specific, adult-sanctioned ways. Instead, I argue, the field could benefit from a move toward discourses and practices of child liberation.
Tax Perception and Tax Evasion
Authors: Deb Rajat , Chakraborty Sourav
Published: May 2017

The study attempts to report the factors that are responsible for people’s perceptions about taxation, in general, and tax evasion, in particular. The study frames a model, based on which research hypotheses are derived. Adopting crosssectional research design, a survey was carried out on a sample of 125 respondents. A pre-test was also carried out to test the reliability and validity of the interview-schedule before the actual survey was executed. Factor analysis was applied for data reduction. Results of inferential statistics show the influence of selective demographics on tax perception and tax evasion, with other factors such as provisions for penalty and prosecution and rates of tax also influencing the taxpayers’ decisions. While acknowledging a few shortcomings, the relevance of the study in policy-making has been enumerated. In conclusion, a road map for further studies has been indicated.