bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrical and mechanical properties of PA11 blended with nanographene platelets using industrial twin-screw extruder for selective laser sintering
Authors: Gaikwad S , Tate JS , Theodoropoulou N , Koo JH
Published: October 2012

The broader goal of this research is to develop a commercially viable material system and manufacturing method to mass produce functional parts using selective laser sintering, a rapid manufacturing method, for electrostatic charge dissipation applications. The specific objective of this research is to produce and characterize polyamide 11/ nanographene platelets nanocomposites that have improved electrical conductivity for electrostatic charge dissipation applications and better thermal stability to be used in selective laser sintering manufacturing. Polyamide 11 and nanographene platelets were blended using industry size co-rotating twin-screw extrusion. Four batches were prepared containing 1 wt%, 3 wt%, 5 wt% and 7 wt% of nanographene platelets. Microsctrucre of nanocompoistes was studied using scanning electron microscopy. Thermal characterization of nanocomposites was conducted using thermogravimetric analysis at three heating rates 5, 20, 40℃/min. Electrical resistivity was measured using the Hioki Megaohmmeter Instrument four probe method. Mechanical characterization includes tensile, flexure, and Izod-impact properties. Flammability property was measured using UL94 test.
Modified maximum stress failure criterion for composite π joints
Authors: Zhao Libin , Qin Tianliang , Zhang Jianyu , Shenoi Ramanand Ajit
Published: October 2012

Composites are being widely used because of their high strength and stiffness, low density and high formability for creating complex shapes. An all-composite π joint is a structural connector known for its ability to reduce the weight and assembly cost while retaining a good load-carrying capability. Based on the material characteristics of unidirectional fiber composites used in composite π joints, a modified maximum stress failure criterion, which is able to assess damage onset, propagation and final failure, is presented for unidirectional fiber composites. The stiffness and strength of four types of composite π joints under tensile and bending loads are simulated by progressive damage models, involving a finite element analysis, failure criteria and a material degradation model. Numerical results from the application of this criterion in nonlinear element analysis show good agreement with experimental outcomes.
Impact of Protease Inhibitors on Dentin Matrix Degradation by Collagenase
Authors: Kato M.T. , Leite A.L. , Hannas A.R. , Calabria M.P. , Magalhães A.C. , Pereira J.C. , Buzalaf M.A.R.
Published: October 2012

This proof-of-concept study assessed whether the reduction of the degradation of the demineralized organic matrix (DOM) by pre-treatment with protease inhibitors (PI) is effective against dentin matrix loss. Bovine dentin slices were demineralized with 0.87 M citric acid, pH 2.3, for 36 hrs. In sequence, specimens were treated or not (UT, untreated) for 1 min with gels containing epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG, 400 µM), chlorhexidine (CHX, 0.012%), FeSO4 (1 mM), NaF (1.23%), or no active compound (P, placebo). Specimens were then stored in artificial saliva (5 days, 37°C) with the addition of collagenase ( Clostridium histolyticum, 100 U/mL). We analyzed collagen degradation by assaying hydroxyproline (HYP) in the incubation solutions (n = 5) and evaluated the dentin matrix loss by profilometry (n = 12). Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey’s test (p < 0.05). Treatment with gels containing EGCG, CHX, or FeSO4 led to significantly lower HYP concentrations in solution and dentin matrix loss when compared with the other treatments. These results strongly suggest that the preventive effects of the PI tested against dentin erosion are due to their ability to reduce the degradation of the DOM.
From Minimum to Maximum: Impact of the London Parking Reform on Residential Parking Supply from 2004 to 2010?
Authors: Guo Zhan , Ren Shuai
Published: October 2012

This research examines residential parking supply in London before and after the minimum off-street parking standard was replaced by a maximum one in 2004. Based on 11 428 residential developments after and 216 developments before the reform, it is found that parking supply was reduced by approximately 40 per cent. Ninety-eight per cent was caused by the removal of the minimum standard, while only 2 per cent was due the imposition of the maximum standard. However, the parking supply is actually higher in areas with the highest density and the best transit service than in the areas immediately outside; the adopted maximum standard follows a similar pattern. The market-oriented approach to parking regulation can reduce excessive parking, but it depends on the particular sub-markets. Complementary policies such as strict parking maxima, on-street parking controls and parking taxes are often necessary to form an efficient parking market.
Spaces Recovered by Memory
Authors: Medina-Sancho Gloria
Published: October 2012

The Chilean documentary Estadio Nacional (Carmen Luz Parot, 2001) conflates present and past by testifying, through different voices and images, to the National Stadium’s conversion into a concentration camp immediately after the September 11, 1973, coup d’état. Analysis of the way in which the stadium is critically revisited by victims of the dictatorship who were tortured there calls attention to the importance of the representation of space as a sort of archaeological work of memory that allows victims both to work through their traumatic experiences and to denounce the atrocities committed by their captors. In this sense, the film can be seen as a simulacrum of a pending judicial investigation in that it turns the public into a witness of this unfinished trial.

El documental chileno Estadio Nacional (Carmen Luz Parot, 2001) combina el presente y el pasado atestiguando, por medio de distintas voces e imágenes, la conversión del Estadio Nacional en un campo de concentración inmediatamente después del golpe de estado del 11 de Septiembre de 1973. Un análisis del modo en que el estadio es críticamente examinado por las víctimas de la dictadura que fueron torturadas allí se enfoca en la importancia de la representación del espacio como forma de trabajo arqueológico de la memoria que permite a las víctimas enfrentar sus traumas y denunciar las atrocidades cometidas por sus captores. En este sentido, la película puede verse como el simulacro de una investigación judicial pendiente que convierte al público en testigo de este juicio inacabado.
The game frame and political efficacy: Beyond the spiral of cynicism
Authors: Pedersen Rasmus Tue
Published: October 2012

Several observational and experimental studies have confirmed the ‘spiral of cynicism’ hypothesis: the tendency of the news media to cover politics through a game frame, which focuses on political strategy instead of political issues, leads to cynicism about election campaigns and politicians among the electorate. However, such cynicism may in itself be somewhat inconsequential, and so this article suggests that we move beyond cynicism regarding specific electoral campaigns or politicians, and that we turn our attention towards political efficacy. This is done in an empirical study, which is based on a survey among the electorate and a content analysis of political coverage in newspapers. The study shows that exposure to the game frame is indeed associated with lower levels of internal efficacy, even when controlling for potentially confounding variables.
Does gender determine journalists’ professional views? A reassessment based on cross-national evidence
Authors: Hanitzsch Thomas , Hanusch Folker
Published: October 2012

Research into journalism and gender to date has found somewhat contradictory evidence as to the ways in which women and men practice journalism. Some scholars claim that women have inherently different concepts and practices of journalism and that this has led to a feminization of journalism, others have found little evidence to suggest that men and women differ significantly in terms of their role conceptions. While numerous studies have been conducted into this issue around the world, few have taken a truly comparative approach. This article presents results from a large-scale comparative survey into gender differences in journalists’ professional views in 18 countries around the world. Results suggest that women and men do not differ in any meaningful ways in their role conceptions on either the individual level or in newsrooms dominated by women, or in sociocultural contexts where women have achieved a certain level of empowerment.
Ulcerative Umbrellar Lesions in Captive Moon Jelly (Aurelia aurita) Medusae
Authors: LaDouceur E. E. B. , Garner M. M. , Wynne J. , Fish S. , Adams L.
Published: October 2012

Over a period of 6 months, dozens of moon jelly ( Aurelia aurita) medusae from a single-species exhibit at the California Science Center (CSC) developed exumbrellar ulcers. Ulcers were progressive, causing umbrellar creases that expanded radially to the bell rim and occasional adoral erosions that extended into gastrovascular cavities. Husbandry interventions, including addition of ultraviolet light sterilizers, repopulation with fresh cultures, and enclosure disinfection, did not arrest the recurrence of lesions. Biopsies or whole specimens representing 17 medusae (15 affected and 2 grossly unaffected) from CSC and 2 control medusae from Aquarium of the Pacific were submitted to a private diagnostic laboratory and processed for light and electron microscopy. Microscopic lesions were present in all CSC medusae and were not observed or negligible in control medusae. Lesions included ulceration, necrosis, and hyperplasia in all umbrellar layers, with most severe lesions in the exumbrella and amoebocyte infiltration in the underlying mesoglea. Special stains, electron microscopy, and fungal culture did not associate microorganisms with the lesions. Bacterial cultures from the CSC population consistently grew Shewanella and Vibrio spp, both of which were considered commensal. Trauma and environmental stress are proposed as possible causes for the ulcers.
Outcomes of Arthroscopic Repair of Panlabral Tears of the Glenohumeral Joint
Authors: Ricchetti Eric T. , Ciccotti Michael C. , O’Brien Daniel F. , DiPaola Matthew J. , DeLuca Peter F. , Ciccotti Michael G. , Williams Gerald R. , Lazarus Mark D.
Published: October 2012

Background:

Combined lesions of the glenoid labrum involving tears of the anterior, posterior, and superior labrum have been infrequently reported in the literature.

Purpose:

To evaluate the clinical outcomes of arthroscopic repair of these lesions in a general population using validated scoring instruments, presence of complications, and need for revision surgery.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Fifty-eight patients who had arthroscopic labral repair of tears involving the anterior, posterior, and superior labrum (defined as a panlabral repair) were identified at our institution by retrospective review. All patients underwent arthroscopic labral repair with suture anchor fixation by a uniform approach and with a standardized postoperative protocol. Forty-four patients had a minimum 16-month postoperative follow-up. Outcomes were assessed postoperatively by the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score and the Penn Shoulder score. Complications were also documented, including need for revision surgery.

Results:

The mean age at the time of surgery was 32 years (range, 15-55 years) in the 44 patients. Presenting shoulder complaints included pain alone (40%), instability alone (14%), or pain and instability (45%). Mean number of anchors per repair was 7.9 (range, 5-12). Mean follow-up was 42 months (range, 16-78 months). Mean ± standard deviation ASES score at final follow-up was 90.1 ± 17.7 (range, 22-100), and mean Penn Shoulder score was 90.2 ± 15.3 (range, 38-100). Three of the 4 patients with outcome scores of 70 or less at final follow-up had undergone prior surgery. Thirteen postoperative complications (30%) occurred, with 3 (7%) requiring a second surgery. Five patients (11%) had an instability event following panlabral repair, but only 1 of these patients (2%) required revision surgery for a recurrent labral tear.

Conclusion:

Combined tears of the anterior, posterior, and superior glenoid labrum represent a small but significant portion of labral injuries. Arthroscopic repair of these injuries can be performed with good postoperative outcomes and a low rate of recurrent labral injury.
Testing the efficacy of quercetin in mitigating bisphenol A toxicity in liver and kidney of mice
Authors: Sangai Neha P , Verma Ramtej J , Trivedi Mrugesh H
Published: October 2012

Quercetin (3,5,7,3′,4′-pentahydroxy flavone) is a potent antioxidant found in various fruits and vegetables. The present investigation was an attempt to evaluate the mitigatory effect of quercetin on the damage caused by bisphenol A (BPA; 2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane), a well-known xenoestrogen, on liver and kidney of mice. Swiss strain adult male albino mice were orally administered with 120 and 240 mg/kg body weight (bw)/day BPA with or without quercetin (60 mg/kg bw/day) for 30 days. On the completion of the treatment period, animals were killed; organs were isolated and used for the study. Results revealed that oral administration of BPA for 30 days caused significant and dose-dependent decrease in body weight. Absolute and relative organ weights, total lipid and cholesterol contents were significantly increased in liver and kidney of mice when compared with vehicle control. BPA treatment also caused, when compared with vehicle control, a statistically significant reductions in the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione- S-transferase as well as in glutathione and total ascorbic acid contents; however, significant increase was found in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Histopathological studies revealed hepatocellular necrosis, cytoplasmic vacuolization and decrease in hepatocellular compactness in liver as well as distortion of the tubules, increased vacuolization, necrosis and disorganization of glomerulus in the kidney of BPA-treated mice. All these effects were dose-dependent. Co-treatment with quercetin (60 mg/kg bw) and BPA (low dose and high dose) alleviates the changes in body weight, as well as absolute and relative organ weights of mice. It also ameliorates the oxidative stress created by BPA by lowering MDA levels and by increasing enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants as well as it brings back the normal histoarchitecture of liver and kidney of mice. The present results revealed that graded doses of BPA caused oxidative damage in liver and kidney of mice, which is mitigated by quercetin.
Anti-inflammatory potential of curcumin and quercetin in rats
Authors: Heeba Gehan H , Mahmoud Magda E , Hanafy Amr A El
Published: October 2012

Flavonoids are group of compounds that have been shown to possess potent anti-inflammatory effects in both cellular and animal models of inflammation. In the current study, the single and combined effects of the two flavonoids, curcumin and quercetin, against carrageenan-induced acute inflammation in rats were evaluated with emphasis on the role of oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory enzyme, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and proinflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Curcumin (50 mg/kg), quercetin (50 mg/kg) and a combination of both were orally administered for 14 days before carrageenan injection in rats and compared with the reference nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, indomethacin (10 mg/kg). The percentage increase in paw thickness was calculated. Frozen hind paws were used for the estimation of lipid peroxides (malondialdehyde, MDA), nitric oxide (NO), reduced glutathione (GSH), TNF-α level and HO-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. Formalin-fixed hind paws were used for histopathological examination. Results showed that both curcumin and quercetin caused reduction in carrageenin-induced edema and lymphocytes infiltration along with the decrease is being even higher in case of their combination. Additionally, both flavonoids reduced MDA and NO formation, and restored GSH contents in the paw. Furthermore, both flavonoids increased HO-1 mRNA expression and decreased the elevated TNF-α level. Results showed that both flavonoids moderately lowered inflammation, while their combination was more effective. Accordingly, this study suggests that the reduction in oxidative stress and modulation of HO-1 mRNA expression and TNF-α release by curcumin and quercetin may contribute to the synergistic anti-inflammatory effects of these two flavonoids upon combination.
Quercetin protected isolated human erythrocytes against mancozeb-induced oxidative stress
Authors: Balaji Bhaskar , Rajendar Bandi , Ramanathan Muthiah
Published: October 2012

Mancozeb is a fungicide belonging to the ethylene-bisdithiocarbamate group and is widely used in agriculture. The aim of this study was to examine the protective effect of quercetin (QRN) against oxidative stress induced by mancozeb in human erythrocytes. In order to verify this, 5 ml of venous blood was collected and the erythrocytes were separated and divided into equal parts. One part was incubated with different concentrations of mancozeb (0, 10, 30, 100 µM) for 4 h at 37°C. The other part was preincubated with QRN (40 and 80 μM) for 30 min, followed by mancozeb (0, 10, 30, 100 µM) incubation for 4 h. We found reduction in the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione (GSH) along with elevated levels of lipid peroxide (LPO) in erythrocytes incubated with 30 and 100 µm of mancozeb. Pre-incubation with QRN (80 μM) reversed oxidative stress induced by mancozeb (30 μM) and inhibited LPO induced at 100 μM by 64.36%. QRN also reduced the haemolytic effect on erythrocytes but could not prevent the induction of haemolysis by mancozeb. Therefore, these results suggest that QRN may play a role in preventing the oxidative stress induced by mancozeb in human erythrocytes.
Comparative Analysis of Two Musical Genres Within a Multisensory Environmental Intervention
Authors: Dunn Karen S. , Riley-Doucet Cheryl K.
Published: October 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any differences in the behavioral responses of persons with dementia while listening to nonreligious and religious music within a multisensory environment. Research Design: A within-subjects, repeated measures design was used. Method: Participants were exposed to both musical genres during multiple sessions over a 4-week period. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were recorded before and after the musical intervention. Behavioral responses to the music were recorded while listening to themusic. Findings: No significant difference was found between the numbers of neuropsychiatric behaviors observed before and after the participants listened to the nonreligious and religious music. A significant difference was found between the musical interventions as a whole and the number of agitated behaviors before and after intervention. No significant difference was found in the observed behavioral responses with the nonreligious and religious music. Conclusions: Music can be a useful intervention to reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms in persons with dementia.
Black mothers’ experiences of violence in Rio de Janeiro
Authors: Rocha Luciane de Oliveira
Published: October 2012

This exploratory essay approaches gendered aspects of anti-black violence through the experiences of black mothers whose children were the victims of homicide in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Commonly understood to primarily affect black men, urban violence in Brazil has less-visible effects on black women. Their struggles to survive encompass not only their own fights against poverty, discrimination, and race and gender discrimination, but it also entails the consequences of violent acts perpetrated or facilitated by the state upon black men in their families. However, these experiences are either invisibilized or not taken into consideration in traditional analyses of violence. How can black women’s experiences deepen the analysis of anti-black violence and enrich African diaspora studies? Do the violent deaths of their relatives contribute to black women’s radicalization and activism? What are the main components of their political struggles? This essay addresses these issues in the framework of African diaspora scholarship and black feminist theory.
Feasibility of discontinuous electrification on the Great Western Main Line determined by train simulation
Authors: Hoffrichter Andreas , Silmon Joseph , Schmid Felix , Hillmansen Stuart , Roberts Clive
Published: October 2012

The UK has a number of main line railway routes that are not yet electrified. Some of these routes are under active consideration for electrification and the UK Government has recently announced the electrification of the Great Western Main Line (GWML). Railway electrification requires a large capital investment in infrastructure. Areas with limited clearance, such as tunnels and sections through overbridges, are particularly expensive to electrify. In this paper, train performance on the GWML, from London Paddington to Cardiff and vice versa, is modelled for three cases: no electrification; full electrification; and electrification that does not include tunnels, most notably the Severn Tunnel. The modelled trains were: the High Speed Train hauled by pairs of Class 43 diesel-electric locomotives; the nine-car Class 390; and Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trains formed as straight electric or bi-mode multiple units. Bi-mode trains combine electric and diesel traction in the same train. The considered IEP trains included both five-car and eight-car bi-mode options. Journey time, energy consumption and CO2 emissions were determined in each case. Electrification of the route will result in a reduction in energy consumption, carbon emissions and journey time, with the longest trains offering the greatest benefit. Under normal conditions, all modelled trains were able to complete the journey under discontinuous electrification. However, a small reduction in entry speed into the Severn Tunnel resulted in stalling of the exclusively electric trains. Bi-mode rail vehicles completed the journey in all cases and, as to be expected, also when tunnel entry speed is reduced; journey time, energy consumption and carbon emissions are not majorly impacted compared to exclusively electric operation.
A dissimilarity-based multiple classifier system for trabecular bone texture in detection and prediction of progression of knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Woloszynski Tomasz , Podsiadlo Pawel , Stachowiak Gwidon , Kurzynski Marek
Published: October 2012

There is a growing need for classification systems that can accurately detect and predict knee osteoarthritis (OA) from plain radiographs. For this purpose, a system based on a support vector machine (SVM) classifier and distances measured between trabecular bone (TB) texture images was developed and tested in previous work. Unlike other systems, it allows an image classification without the calculation and selection of numerous texture features, and it is invariant to a range of imaging conditions encountered in a routine X-ray screening of knees. Although the system exhibited 85.4% classification accuracy in OA detection, which was higher than those obtained from other systems, its performance could be further improved. To achieve this, a dissimilarity-based multiple classifier (DMC) system is developed in this study. The system measures distances between TB texture images and generates a diverse ensemble of classifiers using prototype selection, bootstrapping of training set and heterogeneous classifiers. A measure of competence is used to select accurate (i.e. better-than-random) classifiers from the ensemble, which are then combined through the majority voting rule. To evaluate the newly developed system in OA detection (prediction of OA progression), TB texture images selected on standardised radiographs of healthy and OA (non-progressive and progressive OA) knees were used. The results obtained showed that the DMC system has higher classification accuracies for the detection (90.51% with 87.65% specificity and 93.33% sensitivity) and prediction (80% with 82.00% specificity and 77.97% sensitivity) than other systems, indicating its potential as a decision-support tool for the assessment of radiographic knee OA.
Development and evaluation of an image-free computer-assisted impingement detection technique for total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Renkawitz Tobias , Haimerl Martin , Dohmen Lars , Woerner Michael , Springorum Hans-Robert , Sendtner Ernst , Heers Guido , Weber Markus , Grifka Joachim
Published: October 2012

Periprosthetic or bony impingement in total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been correlated to dislocation, increased wear, reduced postoperative functionality with pain and/or decreased range of motion (ROM). We sought to study the accuracy and assess the reliability of measuring bony and periprosthetic impingement on a virtual bone model prior to the implantation of the acetabular cup with the help of image-free navigation technology in an experimental cadaver study. Impingement-free ROM measurements were recorded during minimally invasive, computer-assisted THA on 14 hips of 7 cadaveric donors. Preoperatively and postoperatively the donors were scanned using computed tomography (CT). Impingement-free ROM on three-dimensional CT-based models was then compared with corresponding, intraoperative navigation models. Bony/periprosthetic impingement can be detected with a mean accuracy limit of below 5° for motion angles, which should be reached after THA for activities of daily living with the help of image-free navigation technology.
Understanding Intentions
Authors: Chiavarino Claudia , Apperly Ian A. , Humphreys Glyn W.
Published: October 2012

We provide converging evidence from developmental, imaging, and lesion studies that intentions can be processed at three distinct levels: a mirroring level, which infers immediate action goals on the basis of observed actions; a representational level, which is concerned with the psychological—rather than merely behavioral—representation of the mental states that underlie those actions; and a conceptual level, which allows people to reason about the semantic and logical properties of mental states. Together, the representational and conceptual levels form what is currently referred to as the mentalizing system. We argue that although the mirroring and mentalizing systems may work independently of each other, within the mentalizing system, the representational level subserves the conceptual level.
Pigeons, Humans, and the Monty Hall Dilemma
Authors: Herbranson Walter T.
Published: October 2012

The Monty Hall Dilemma is a probability puzzle that is notorious for eliciting suboptimal decisions from humans. A participant is given a choice from among three doors, one of which conceals a valuable prize. After an initial selection, one of the remaining, nonwinning doors is opened, and the participant is given a chance to switch to the other unopened door. The probability of winning is higher if the participant switches. Pigeons maximize their wins by switching on virtually all trials of a Monty Hall Dilemma analogue, whereas humans utilize a suboptimal strategy involving probability matching. Possible reasons for the difference between these two species’ performance are considered.
Running on Empty? How Folk Science Gets By With Less
Authors: Keil Frank C.
Published: October 2012

Despite having highly impoverished understandings of the world at the mechanistic level, children and adults alike have strong interests in mechanistic explanations. These interests in mechanisms may support the development of folk-scientific understandings by enabling even the very young to build a sense of causal patterns that exist far above the level of mechanisms. That sense of causal patterns then works in combination with strategies for identifying and evaluating both experts and their explanations, enabling lay people of all ages to supplement their highly incomplete knowledge by accessing and relying on the divisions of cognitive labor that exist in all cultures.
Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, Suicidal Behavior, and Their Co-occurrence as Viewed Through the Lens of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide
Authors: Joiner Thomas E. , Ribeiro Jessica D. , Silva Caroline
Published: October 2012

Suicidal and nonsuicidal self-injurious behaviors represent perplexing yet highly prevalent public health problems. Though the behaviors are differentiable, they frequently co-occur. The nature of the association between them, however, remains poorly understood. The interpersonal theory of suicide (Joiner, 2005; Van Orden et al., 2010) offers one viable framework for enhancing our understanding in this domain. In this review, we provide an overview of the literature on nonsuicidal self-injury, its relation to suicidal behavior, and how the interpersonal theory of suicide conceptualizes this relationship. Alternative perspectives and future directions are also discussed.
Integrating stimulus responsive materials and microfluidics: The key to next-generation chemical sensors
Authors: Ziółkowski Bartosz , Czugala Monika , Diamond Dermot
Published: October 2012

New generations of chemical sensors require both innovative (evolutionary) engineering concepts and (revolutionary) breakthroughs in the fundamental materials chemistry, such as the emergence of new types of stimuli responsive materials. In recent years, intensive research in those fields has brought interesting new concepts and designs for microfluidic flow control and sample handling that integrate high-quality engineering with new materials. In this article, we review the recent developments in this fascinating area of science, with particular emphasis on photoswitchable soft actuators and their incorporation into fluidic devices that are increasingly biomimetic in nature.
Non-linear thermoelectrical stability analysis of functionally graded piezoelectric material beams
Authors: Komijani Mohammad , Kiani Yasser , Eslami Mohammad R
Published: October 2012

In this article, non-linear stability analysis of monomorph functionally graded piezoelectric material beams is investigated based on the Ritz formulation of the finite elements method. Each thermo–electro–mechanical property of the beam is assumed to be graded across the thickness based on a power law form. Geometrically non-linear behaviour of the structures is included based on the von-Karman simplifications of the complete Green strain tensor. Timoshenko beam theory and trigonometric distribution of electrical potential assumptions are held to obtain the governing equations, describing the equilibrium state of the beam. Non-linear equilibrium equations are solved based on both Newton–Raphson and Picard iterative techniques. It is shown that response of a monomorph functionally graded piezoelectric material beam cannot be considered as a bifurcation-point behaviour. While in some types of boundary conditions, there are critical temperatures through the load–deflection path of the beam.
Using Computer-Aided Text Analysis to Elevate Constructs
Authors: McKenny Aaron F. , Short Jeremy C. , Payne G. Tyge
Published: October 2012

Applying individual-level constructs to higher levels of analysis can be a fruitful practice in organizational research. Although this practice is beneficial in developing and testing theory, there are measurement and validation concerns that, if improperly addressed, may threaten the validity and utility of the research. This article illustrates how computer-aided text analysis might be utilized to facilitate construct elevation while ensuring proper validation. Specifically, we apply a framework to develop organizational-level operationalizations of individual-level constructs using the psychological capital construct as an example.
Ascertaining children’s wishes and feelings about hospital life
Authors: Coyne Imelda , Kirwan Lisa
Published: October 2012

It is increasingly accepted that children have the right to have their views taken into consideration by healthcare providers. Children’s opinions and experiences of hospitalisation are essential for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of health services provision. In this paper we report on children’s views and wishes about hospital and healthcare professionals. The children held both positive and negative views of hospital and healthcare professionals. Dissatisfaction was caused by insufficient information, lack of involvement, and inadequate play facilities. Their wishes were mainly concerned with the need for more information and more involvement in communication interactions with doctors and nurses. They wished to express their opinions, ask questions and receive information about care and procedures. They recommended that healthcare professionals make a better effort to listen and to take account of their views.
‘Making the bad things seem better’
Authors: Randall Duncan , Hallowell Leanne
Published: October 2012

The focus of children’s healthcare literature has been the delivery of services to children and their parents, little attention has been paid to how children cope with receiving such care. In this paper we use a literature scoping method to bring together the literature on how medical talk can engage or isolate children, consider the environmental factors which can help children to be engaged and discuss an ethical symmetry approach. We propose that an ethical symmetry approach would provide a framework for healthcare teams to explore how to optimize children’s engagement with their healthcare.
Gibbsite scaling on polymer surfaces
Authors: Enright Eoin P , Curtin Teresa , Haines John , Stanton Kenneth T
Published: October 2012

Gibbsite scale build up was studied over a range of polymer surfaces in real Bayer process conditions. For all samples there was an initial slow rate of scale growth and there was evidence that this growth proceeded along scratches on the polymer surfaces. The high density polyethylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polypropylene homopolymer took up to 3 days to scale while the polyvinylchloride, Nylon 6 and ultra high molecular weight polyethylene required over 7 days to fully scale. Once scale had formed, the mass gain proceeded at a linear rate with time, indicating scale on scale growth. Polishing the surface of the polymers had a dramatic effect on the scale formation. Indeed little or no scaling was observed for the polished samples following 7 days exposure, with the exception of the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene sample. The scaling observed by the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene sample may be related to the instability of this polymer in the conditions observed in the Bayer process. This was the only sample that showed considerable degradation under these conditions. The strength of attachment of the scale to the polymer samples was significantly lower than that observed for steel samples.
The Today programme and the banking crisis
Authors: Berry Mike
Published: October 2012

This research examines how BBC Radio 4’s Today programme reported on the 2008 banking crisis. Six weeks of coverage were analysed in order to identify patterns of source access and how these impacted on the range of debate offered to listeners. Results indicated that City sources dominated coverage, particularly during the two-week period around the British bank rescue plan. The consequence of this was that listeners were offered a prescribed range of debate on the UK government’s bank rescue plan and possible reforms to the financial sector. The research raises key questions regarding impartiality and balance in public service broadcasting.
Downloading disaster: BBC news online coverage of the global financial crisis
Authors: Schifferes Steve , Coulter Stephen
Published: October 2012

The financial crisis that began in autumn 2008 has attracted considerable attention in regard to the role of the media. This article examines both the audience and the content of the coverage of the crisis on the BBC News website, the largest online news provider in the UK. It demonstrates that online news was a significant part of the overall media coverage of the crisis. Online consumption patterns are very different from those of other media, but the claim that online audiences are ‘dumbed down’ or that they were not provided with a sophisticated range of information and analysis is critically examined. The study also questions whether the content of news coverage was as negative as has been suggested. The research is based on unique access to the BBC News web server-logs, which allow researchers to track audiences not only for the online site as a whole, but also for individual stories, and to match that to content analysis. It makes an important contribution to providing evidence-based research to examine the competing claims that have been made about the role of the business media in the financial crisis.
Reading Intervention Using Interactive Metronome in Children With Language and Reading Impairment
Authors: Ritter Michaela , Colson Karen A. , Park Jungjun
Published: October 2012

This exploratory study examined the effects of Interactive Metronome (IM) when integrated with a traditional language and reading intervention on reading achievement. Forty-nine school-age children with language and reading impairments were assigned randomly to either an experimental group who received the IM treatment or to a control group who did not. Both groups received language and reading intervention, and the experimental group received an additional four hours of IM treatment during a four-week period. Although both groups made gains in reading rate/fluency and comprehension, the extent of the gains was much larger in the IM group. IM training may be useful for promoting the reading rate/fluency and comprehension of children with language and reading impairments.
Evaluation of Longitudinal Clinical Outcomes and Adherence to Care among HIV-Infected Refugees
Authors: Winston Susanna E. , Montague Brian T. , Lopez Michael J. , Delong Allison , LeMarchand Chloe , Bedoya Armando , Gillani Fizza S. , Beckwith Curt G.
Published: October 2012

Background: HIV-infected refugees resettled in the United States face many challenges. Longitudinal data regarding HIV-specific outcomes in this population are limited. Methods: We reviewed charts of 51 HIV-infected sub-Saharan African refugees matched to 102 nonrefugees. Outcomes analyzed included CD4 counts, viral loads (VLs), antiretroviral treatment (ART) use, appointment adherence, opportunistic infections, and resistance mutations. Results: The ART initiation was similar. Appointment adherence was similar in year 1, but refugees were significantly less adherent beyond year 3. Refugees and nonrefugees spent similar amounts of time in care suppressed (83% vs 80%, P = .93). Refugees had higher odds of viremia following undetectable VL (OR 2.3, P < .05). Discussion: Initially, sub-Saharan African HIV-infected refugees have comparable appointment adherence, ART use, and VL suppression to nonrefugees. Overtime refugees were less adherent to appointments and more likely to have postsuppression viremia. The support services provided to refugees early in care may be important for retention in care and treatment success.
Leadership and Team Dynamics in Senior Executive Leadership Teams
Authors: Barnett Kerry , McCormick John
Published: October 2012

As secondary school environments become increasingly complex, shifts are occurring in the way leadership is being practised. New leadership practices emphasize shared or distributed leadership. A senior executive leadership team with responsibility for school leadership is likely to be one of the many, varied forms of new leadership practices adopted in secondary schools. However, research has shown that many teams do not reach their potential and many more fail. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the processes that underlie senior executive leadership team performance and effectiveness. A multi-case study design was used. Three randomly selected senior executive leadership teams from government secondary schools within the Sydney metropolitan area, in New South Wales, Australia participated. Data were obtained from individual, digitally recorded face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The findings from this exploratory study suggest that complex environmental events necessitated a shift from single leader to team centred leadership in these three schools. Principals in the study played a critical role, fulfilling the role of team leader, and applying leadership functions flexibly to enable team development, management and effectiveness. Further, the results provide insights into the innate complexity of leadership conducted synchronously by a collective.
Contextualizing a University-School STEM Education Collaboration
Authors: Hudson Peter , English Lyn D. , Dawes Les , Macri Jo
Published: October 2012

Implementing educational reform requires partnerships, and university-school collaborations in the form of investigative and experimental projects can aim to determine the practicalities of reform. However, there are funded projects that do not achieve intended outcomes. In the context of a new reform initiative in education, namely, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, this article explores the management of a government-funded project. In a university-school partnership for STEM education, how can leadership be distributed for achieving project outcomes? Participants included university personnel from different STEM areas, school teachers and school executives. Data collected included observations, interviews, resource materials, and video and photographic images. Findings indicated that leadership roles were distributed and self-activated by project partners according to their areas of expertise and proximal activeness to the project phases, that is: (1) establishing partnerships; (2) planning and collaboration; (3) project implementation; and (4) project evaluation and further initiatives. Leadership can be intentional and unintentional within project phases, and understanding how leadership can be distributed and self-activated more purposefully may aid in generating more expedient project outcomes.
Updates on Clinically Isolated Syndrome and Diagnostic Criteria for Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Marcus Jacqueline F. , Waubant Emmanuelle L.
Published: October 2012

Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is a central nervous system demyelinating event isolated in time that is compatible with the possible future development of multiple sclerosis (MS). Early risk stratification for conversion to MS helps with treatment decisions. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is currently the most useful tool to evaluate risk. Cerebrospinal fluid studies and evoked potentials may also be used to assess the likelihood of MS. Four clinical trials evaluating the benefits of either interferon β (IFN-β) or glatiramer acetate (GA) within the first 3 months after a high-risk CIS demonstrate decreased rates of conversion to clinically definite MS (CDMS) and a lesser degree of MRI progression with early treatment. In the 3-, 5-, and 10-year extension studies of 2 formulations of IFN-β, the decreased conversion rate to CDMS remained meaningful when comparing early treatment of CIS to treatment delayed by a median of 2 to 3 years. Diagnostic criteria have been developed based on the clinical and MRI follow-up of large cohorts with CIS and provide guidance on how to utilize clinical activity in combination with radiographic information to diagnose MS. The most recent 2010 McDonald criteria simplify requirements for dissemination in time and space and allow for diagnosis of MS from a baseline brain MRI if there are both silent gadolinium-enhancing lesions and nonenhancing lesions on the same imaging study. The diagnostic criteria for MS require special consideration in children at risk for acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), in older adults who may have small vessel ischemic disease, and in ethnic groups that more commonly develop neuromyelitis optica (NMO).
Perceptions and Practices of Adults With Asthma
Authors: Andrews Kelly L. , Jones Sandra C. , Mullan Judy
Published: October 2012

This article describes a qualitative study that investigated the experiences, attitudes, and opinions of adults with asthma regarding self-managing their disease. Focus groups were conducted with 22 adults living in metropolitan and regional New South Wales, Australia. Key findings were that the perceived stigma of asthma, the need for social support, and the need for “asthma-friendly general practitioners” concerned participants more than formal self-management procedures such as written Asthma Action Plans and medication regimes. Social cognitive theory was used to explain the fluid relationship between persons with asthma, their environment, and their behavior in relation to self-management strategies and in identifying patient-centered approaches. This qualitative research suggests that asthma is viewed as a specific, individualized condition best managed from the perspective of patients’ disease experience and environmental context and not one that is appropriately represented by collective, generic self-management recommendations. The authors’ findings suggest that self-management outcomes can be improved by recognizing the variance in self-efficacy levels between individuals and tailoring environmental and social support strategies around these.
Oral Allergy Syndrome Precipitation and Sprouted-Grain Bread
Authors: Ellis Ashley W. , Jenkins Anastasia Ballas
Published: October 2012

Oral allergy syndrome (OAS), a class 2 food allergy, occurs when individuals sensitized to plant pollens ingest foods containing allergens homologous to the plant pollen. Common trigger foods include fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and when consumed, they result in oropharyngeal pruritis, tingling, and edema. Here, we report the case of a 28-year-old female with a history of allergy and exercise-induced asthma who presented with oral urticaria, lower lip edema, and tingling of the lips, mouth, and tongue after switching her daily consumption of whole-wheat bread to sprouted-grain bread. The patient discussed the symptoms with her pharmacist, who suggested OAS as a possible diagnosis and an elimination diet as an initial treatment. She removed fruits and vegetables from her diet, but coincidentally noticed that the ingestion of sprouted-grain bread consumed only during her work week triggered the reaction. The diagnosis of OAS and the implementation of an elimination diet that excluded the spouted-grain bread provided a successful treatment strategy for the OAS in this patient, and such therapy can be easily carried out by a wide variety of practitioners who are well positioned to offer such assistance.