bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vulnerable consumers and satisfaction with public services: does country matter?
Authors: Clifton Judith , Díaz-Fuentes Daniel , Fernández-Gutiérrez Marcos
Published: June 2017

Within Public Administration, increased attention is being paid to ‘vulnerable citizens’ – groups of citizens who, for reasons beyond their control, are disadvantaged in comparison to other citizens – when consuming public services. Initial research focused on how citizens’ socio-economic background shapes their behaviour and satisfaction. Citizens, however, take decisions within a context, but we know little about how their experiences differ depending on their country of residence. We comparatively analyse the experience of vulnerable citizens in telecommunications and electricity markets in three large European Union countries, selected to represent ‘advanced’, ‘intermediate’ and ‘laggard’ stages of reform. We first establish that citizens’ socio-economic characteristics matter for patterns of expenditure and perceptions of service affordability and then show how citizen vulnerability differs depending on country context. Results are useful to practitioners seeking to target regulation to improve the experiences of vulnerable citizens.

Points for practitioners

Practitioners recognize that public service reform has brought with it greater market complexity and choice, and that this poses challenges to citizens, particularly vulnerable citizens. Initial empirical work demonstrated that citizens’ socio-economic background affects their satisfaction; however, we know little about how this vulnerability is shaped by country context. We analyse electricity and telecommunications markets in three large European Union countries, establishing that consumers’ socio-economic background matters for citizens’ expenditure and perceptions of service affordability, and then demonstrating that country context also influences these experiences. Less-educated, elderly and non-employed citizens experience more frequent problems with these services than other citizens, and the country context conditions these experiences significantly.
Merit-based recruitment boosts good governance: how do European Union agencies recruit their personnel?
Authors: Egeberg Morten , Gornitzka Åse , Trondal Jarle
Published: June 2017

Studies show that public administrations that practise merit-based recruitment of their personnel are significantly less marked by corruption than administrations that do not recruit in this manner. While we know a lot about how EU member states score with regard to the degree of merit-based recruitment within their administrations, and also how the European Commission administration performs in this respect, recruitment practices within the increasing number of European Union regulatory (decentralized) agencies seem to remain a white spot in the literature so far. In this article, we make a first step in mapping recruitment practices within the secretariats of such agencies. We also investigate if it matters whether a European Union agency is located in a country marked by a non-meritocratic administrative culture or not. The article shows that European Union agencies seem to overwhelmingly apply meritocratic instruments when hiring people, regardless of their location.

Points for practitioners

This article argues and shows that recruitment based on merit enhances good and non-corrupt governance. The case in point is European Union agencies. The data presented illuminate that these agencies generally apply meritocratic instruments when hiring administrative staff. The study also shows that recruitment practices are not affected by the geographical location of European Union agencies. These agencies tend to practise the common merit-based European Union standards regardless of their location since agencies are components of the European Union administration.
Suicide Attempts Among Individuals With Specific Learning Disorders: An Underrecognized Issue
Authors: Fuller-Thomson Esme , Carroll Samara Z. , Yang Wook
Published: June 2017

Several studies have linked specific learning disorders (SLDs) with suicidal ideation, but less is known about the disorders’ association with suicide attempts. This gap in the literature is addressed via the 2012 nationally representative Canadian Community Health Survey ( n = 21,744). The prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts among those with an SLD was much higher than those without (11.1% vs. 2.7%, p < .001). In comparison with their peers without SLDs, adults with SLDs had 46% higher odds of having ever attempted suicide, even after adjusting for most known risk factors (e.g., childhood adversities, history of mental illness and substance abuse, sociodemographics; odds ratio = 1.46, 95% CI [1.05, 2.04]). The largest attenuation in the association between SLD and suicidal attempts was accounted for by adverse childhood experiences. Among those with SLDs ( n = 745), a history of witnessing chronic parental domestic violence and ever having had a major depressive disorder were associated with substantially higher odds of suicide attempts.
Revising Psychology Misconceptions by Integrating a Refutation-Style Text Framework Into Poster Presentations
Authors: Lassonde Karla A. , Kolquist Molly , Vergin Megan
Published: June 2017

Refutation-style texts have been considered a viable strategy for changing psychological misconceptions. The current study aims to integrate refutation-style texts into a classroom-based method of learning. Psychology students were administered a true/false misconception survey and then viewed several refutation-style poster presentations containing information describing a misconception as false. Posters were created with the intent to revise psychological misconceptions. After the poster presentations, participants took the same true/false posttest survey and then were asked to explain their answer choice. Participants took the posttest survey several days later to assess long-term retention. Results revealed that the refutation-style poster presentations were successful in revising knowledge for psychology misconceptions. The benefits of integrating refutation-based learning into classroom and laboratory studies are discussed.
Hospital Inpatient Admissions With Dehydration and/or Malnutrition in Medicare Beneficiaries Receiving Enteral Nutrition: A Cohort Study
Authors: Drake Rachel , Ozols Audrey , Nadeau William J. , Braid‐Forbes Mary Jo
Published: June 2017

Background: Enteral nutrition (EN) supports many older and disabled Americans. This study describes the frequency and cost of acute care hospitalization with dehydration and/or malnutrition of Medicare beneficiaries receiving EN, focusing on those receiving home EN. Methods: Medicare 5% Standard Analytic Files were used to determine Medicare spending for EN supplies and the proportion and cost of beneficiaries receiving EN, specifically home EN, admitted to the hospital with dehydration and/or malnutrition. Results: In 2013, Medicare paid $370,549,760 to provide EN supplies for 125,440 beneficiaries, 55% of whom were also eligible for Medicaid. Acute care hospitalization with dehydration and/or malnutrition occurred in 43,180 beneficiaries receiving EN. The most common principal diagnoses were septicemia (21%), aspiration pneumonitis (9%), and pneumonia (5%). In beneficiaries receiving EN at home, >one‐third (37%) were admitted with dehydration and/or malnutrition during a mean observation interval of 231 ± 187 days. Admitted patients were usually hospitalized more than once with dehydration and/or malnutrition (1.73 ± 1.30 admissions) costing $23,579 ± 24,966 per admitted patient, totaling >$129,685,622 during a mean observation interval of 276 ± 187 days. Mortality in the year following enterostomy tube placement was significantly higher for admitted compared with nonadmitted patients (40% vs 33%; P = .05). Conclusion: Acute care hospitalizations with dehydration and/or malnutrition in Medicare beneficiaries receiving EN were common and expensive. Additional strategies to reduce these, with particular focus on vulnerable populations such as Medicaid‐eligible patients, are needed.
Authoritarian elections, state capacity, and performance legitimacy: Phases of regime consolidation and decline in Suharto’s Indonesia
Authors: Mietzner Marcus
Published: June 2017

Political scientists have recently debated the extent to which strong state capacity helps authoritarian regimes to win elections and extend their rule. This article proposes that it is not only important to disaggregate the various forms of state capacity mobilized for that purpose, but also to analyze the sequence with which autocracies deploy them. Using Suharto’s New Order regime in Indonesia as a case study, I argue that regimes mobilize different forms of state capacity in distinct phases of their development, and that the sequencing of this deployment can have implications for the regime’s endurance. Suharto, for example, gradually reduced the importance of coercion as he increasingly focused on the state’s ability to facilitate elite co-optation and economic patronage. This helped to extend the regime’s endurance as long as the economy flourished, but also made it vulnerable to the fluctuations in the world economy that caused its demise in 1998.
Direct comparison of tricyclic and serotonin-reuptake inhibitor antidepressants in randomized head-to-head trials in acute major depression: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Undurraga Juan , Baldessarini Ross J
Published: June 2017

Background:

A comparison across trials conducted over several decades suggested superior efficacy of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) over selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, this outcome may reflect a selective secular decline of responses after randomization to placebo. Remaining uncertainty encouraged direct comparison of the drug-types in trials involving randomized, head-to-head comparisons.

Methods:

We systematically identified reports of randomized trials of TCAs versus SSRIs for major depression in several digital databases, and applied standard meta-analytic and multiple-factor regression methods to analyze and pool the findings.

Results:

In 89 head-to-head trials, there was no detectable overall difference in responder rates or percent-improvement between TCAs and SSRIs. In addition to non-difference between drug-types, outcomes were unrelated to reporting-year, trial-size or nominal duration, proportion of women participants, initial depression ratings, rating scales, subjects/arm, imipramine-equivalent mg/day drug dose, or dropout rate. Trial size and duration increased significantly over the years 1980–2016.

Conclusions:

Previous evidence suggesting superior benefits of TCAs over SSRIs for the treatment of acute major depression is probably an artifact of a selective secular decline in responses to placebo, as no difference was found in a large series of direct comparisons of these antidepressant-types.
Socio-Technical Transitions and Institutional Change
Authors: Kemper Joya A. , Ballantine Paul W.
Published: June 2017

Obesity, climate change and poverty are some of the most serious health, environmental and social issues of the 21st century. Current initiatives to address these wicked issues typically focus on the individual and community, with social marketing being a common tool. However, the effectiveness of social marketing in helping to combat these wicked issues has been mixed at best. We use the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions (MLP) to further our understanding of how macro-social marketing might be used to address the wicked problem of obesity. In doing so, we further conceptualize how formal and informal institutions might contribute to the emerging field of macro-social marketing.
Simultaneous ABO-incompatible living-donor liver transplantation and splenectomy without plasma exchange in China: Two case reports
Authors: Chen Guoyong , Sun Janjun , Wei Sidong , Chen Yongfeng , Tang Gaofeng , Xie Zhantao , Xu Huaen , Chen Janbin , Zhao Huibo , Yuan Zhenhua , Wang Weiwei , Liu Guangbo , Wang Bing , Niu Biao
Published: June 2017

ABO-incompatible (ABO-i) living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is performed if an ABO-compatible graft cannot be obtained. However, a perfect desensitization protocol has not been established worldwide, especially for simultaneous ABO-i LDLT and splenectomy. We herein report two cases of ABO-i LDLT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of ABO-i LDLT in an adult patient in China. Splenectomy and T-cell-targeted immunosuppression (basiliximab) was used to overcome the blood group barrier in these recipients. The patients had good graft function without signs of antibody-mediated rejection throughout the 12-month follow-up. Thus, ABO-i LDLT with splenectomy is undoubtedly life-saving when an ABO-compatible graft cannot be obtained for patients in critical condition.
Rawification and the careful generation of open government data
Authors: Denis Jérôme , Goëta Samuel
Published: June 2017

Drawing on a two-year ethnographic study within several French administrations involved in open data programs, this article aims to investigate the conditions of the release of government data – the rawness of which open data policies require. This article describes two sets of phenomena. First, far from being taken for granted, open data emerge in administrations through a progressive process that entails uncertain collective inquiries and extraction work. Second, the opening process draws on a series of transformations, as data are modified to satisfy an important criterion of open data policies: the need for both human and technical intelligibility. There are organizational consequences of these two points, which can notably lead to the visibilization or the invisibilization of data labour. Finally, the article invites us to reconsider the apparent contradiction between the process of data release and the existence of raw data. Echoing the vocabulary of one of the interviewees, the multiple operations can be seen as a ‘rawification’ process by which open government data are carefully generated. Such a notion notably helps to build a relational model of what counts as data and what counts as work.
A Family “Much Afflicted with Conscience”
Authors: Manchester Margaret
Published: June 2017

The Verins emigrated to Massachusetts Bay in 1636. When Jane Verin disobeyed her husband by attending prayer services, he beat her severely. The residents of Providence subsequently disenfranchised him for having violated her liberty of conscience. This case study of one family reveals that, like other Non-Conformists who challenged the established Church of England before emigrating, they continued to face important personal dilemmas brought on by the dictates of their conscience even after their arrival in New England. Families split over issues of conscience, governance of the commonwealth, and maintaining order in the family household.
Existential Perspective of Biography-related Reflection in the Intergenerational Narrative Messages
Authors: Fabiś Artur , Wąsiński Arkadiusz , Tomczyk Łukasz
Published: June 2017

This article presents the results of a qualitative research study on intergenerational messages of Polish female seniors. Letters from seniors to the younger generation were investigated. In their narratives, the seniors focused a lot on self-reflection about death and dying—this is due to the theme which was to inspire the letters: My life—my death. The messages exposed an affirmative attitude toward the old age, the significance of faith and religion along with the simultaneous awareness of the fragility of life, and the necessity to face one’s own finiteness. The seniors also pointed out to family and relationships with their loved ones as the key value.
Infantile Spasms and Injuries of Prematurity: Short-Term Treatment-Based Response and Long-Term Outcomes
Authors: Wallace Adam , Allen Victoria , Park Kristen , Knupp Kelly
Published: June 2017

The association of infantile spasms and periventricular leukomalacia and/or intraventricular hemorrhage is well documented. Data regarding early treatment-based and long-term outcomes are limited. A retrospective chart review identified children with infantile spasms born prematurely (<37 weeks) with diagnoses of periventricular leukomalacia and/or intraventricular hemorrhage. Thirteen children were included. Median gestational age was 30 weeks and age of onset of infantile spasms was 8 months. Nine children had intraventricular hemorrhage, 10 had periventricular leukomalacia, and 6 children had both. Twelve of 13 children had resolution of spasms. In responders, the successful medication was adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in 7, topiramate in 3, and vigabatrin in 2. Follow-up after a median of 7.1 years found that all patients had developmental delay but only 1 had refractory epilepsy. Standard therapies (ACTH and vigabatrin) appeared to be more effective than other treatments. Developmental delay is common in children with periventricular leukomalacia / intraventricular hemorrhage and infantile spasms, but refractory epilepsy might be less frequent.
Nutrient Deficiencies Are Common Prior to Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Frame‐Peterson Leigh A. , Megill Robin D. , Carobrese Suzanne , Schweitzer Michael
Published: June 2017

Obesity, defined as a body mass index >30 kg/m2, is a growing worldwide epidemic currently effecting 1 in 10 adults, with rates as high as 40% in the United States. The only proven long‐term treatment of severe obesity on a population level is surgical modification of the gastrointestinal anatomy to induce weight loss, termed bariatric surgery. With adequate physician guidance and appropriate candidate criteria, bariatric surgery is an option for effective long‐term treatment of obesity and its related comorbidities. Complications of bariatric surgery can be seen in patients who are not compliant to the recommended lifestyle and dietary changes required following bariatric surgery, including nausea, vomiting, dumping syndrome, acid reflux, and nutrition deficiencies. Despite caloric density, the diet of patients prior to bariatric surgery is often of poor nutrition quality and does not meet recommended dietary guidelines for micronutrient intake, making this an at‐risk population for micronutrient malnutrition. Currently, improvements are needed in standardization of nutrition assessment as well as micronutrient cutoffs for deficiency and insufficiency. In the meantime, utilizing our current tools to conduct nutrition assessment at baseline and implement supplementation where necessary may improve the nutrition status of patients undergoing bariatric surgery, both before and after surgery, which may improve their surgical outcomes.
A Qualitative Analysis of Physically Aggressive Conflict Episodes Among a Community Sample
Authors: Testa Maria , Petrocelli Laura T. , Crane Cory A. , Kubiak Audrey , Leonard Kenneth E.
Published: June 2017

Intimate partner aggression among community couples has been conceptualized as representing an occasional, situationally provoked response to a conflict. Yet, relatively few studies have considered the situational factors that contribute to the occurrence of an aggressive episode. The present study used thematic analysis to understand how episodes of physical aggression come about from the participant’s perspective. We examined narrative descriptions of relationship conflicts that included physical aggression to gain insight into the types of aggressive incidents experienced, the reasons and motives behind the aggression, and the meaning of these events. Married and cohabiting couples (ages 18-45 at baseline) were recruited from the community to participate in a longitudinal study of relationships. Heavy drinking couples were oversampled. At Wave 3, participants were asked to describe the most severe conflict they had experienced over the past year and to answer questions about severity and impact. Narratives that described use of partner physical aggression by one or both partners were subject to thematic analysis. Using narratives provided by 27 male and 29 female respondents (representing 51 different couples), we identified three primary motives or reasons for aggression: Expressive, Instrumental, and Punishment. Narratives suggested as a primary theme that participants view partner violence as unusual, undesirable, and hence, meaningful. This was particularly true for male-to-female violence, which appeared objectively and subjectively different from female-to-male violence. Findings provide unique insight into the function and meaning of partner violence, including its gendered nature, within a community sample. Implications for measurement of partner aggression are also discussed.
Classes of Intimate Partner Violence From Late Adolescence to Young Adulthood
Authors: Saint-Eloi Cadely Hans , Pittman Joe F. , Pettit Gregory S. , Lansford Jennifer E. , Bates John E. , Dodge Kenneth A. , Holtzworth-Munroe Amy
Published: June 2017

Researchers do not agree on how intimate partner violence (IPV) emerges and changes from adolescence to young adulthood. This may be because change in these behaviors varies across individuals. The present study uses a longitudinal, person-centered approach to examine whether there are multiple classes or patterns of change in the perpetration of IPV during the transitional period from adolescence (age 18) to young adulthood (age 25) using data collected annually from a community sample of 484 participants. Latent class analysis was the analytic approach used. Results revealed three patterns for psychological IPV (Little-to-None, Minor/Increasing, and Extensive/Increasing) and two patterns for physical IPV (Little-to-None and Extensive). Patterns varied greatly in number of representatives, although they were more balanced in size for psychological than physical IPV. Variations in IPV behaviors were also revealed across classes, although as expected in a community sample, minor forms of IPV were more common than severe forms. In addition, classes differed in demographic and relationship status variables. These findings suggest that IPV may occur in multiple distinct patterns as opposed to one average pattern across a population. This suggests that interventions for IPV may need to be geared to differences in patterns to enhance their efficacy.
Are Commercial Complementary Food Distributions to Refugees and Migrants in Europe Conforming to International Policies and Guidelines on Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies?
Authors: Theurich Melissa Ann , Grote Veit
Published: June 2017

In 2015, more than one million migrants and refugees arrived in Europe. Commercial complementary foods, processed foods marketed for infants and young children 6-23 months of age, were distributed by various humanitarian actors along migrant routes and in European refugee camps. Unsolicited donations and distributions of commercial complementary food products were problematic and divergent from international policies on infant and young child feeding during humanitarian emergencies. Interim guidance regarding commercial complementary foods was published during the peak of the emergency but implemented differently by various humanitarian actors. Clearer and more technical specifications on commercial complementary foods are needed in order to objectively determine their suitability for operational contexts in Europe and emergency nutrition assistance in the future.
Fit for Practice: Analysis and Evaluation of Watson’s Theory of Human Caring
Authors: Pajnkihar Majda , McKenna Hugh P. , Štiglic Gregor , Vrbnjak Dominika
Published: June 2017

The aim of the authors of this paper is to analyze Watson’s theory of human caring for its usefulness and worth in education, practice, and research. The reason for undertaking this analysis is to evaluate if Watson’s theory would be useful for nursing in those countries where such theories were not an established part of the nursing curriculum. Furthermore, in some European countries, their political past or cultural influences led to an unquestioned adoption of the biomedical model. As their political culture changes, many social structures have had to be revisited, and for nursing, this has meant the introduction of theoretical reasoning, teaching, and practice.
Linking the Unitary Paradigm to Policy through a Synthesis of Caring Science and Integrative Nursing
Authors: Koithan Mary S. , Kreitzer Mary Jo , Watson Jean
Published: June 2017

The principles of integrative nursing and caring science align with the unitary paradigm in a way that can inform and shape nursing knowledge, patient care delivery across populations and settings, and new healthcare policy. The proposed policies may transform the healthcare system in a way that supports nursing praxis and honors the discipline’s unitary paradigm. This call to action provides a distinct and hopeful vision of a healthcare system that is accessible, equitable, safe, patient-centered, and affordable. In these challenging times, it is the unitary paradigm and nursing wisdom that offer a clear path forward.
Ethics and Discovering New Meanings With Metaphors
Authors: Milton Constance L.
Published: June 2017

Metaphors are widely understood concepts or structures of human understanding undergirded with transformational creativity. The usages of metaphors are ubiquitous; they are used to convey unique meaning messages in healthcare disciplines. This article begins an ethical straight-thinking discussion of the defining aspects of metaphors and their usage in the discipline of nursing. The humanbecoming paradigm is used to discover new meanings of the metaphor hands-on and its ethical implications for understanding in the discipline of nursing.
Kinematic calibration and error compensation of a hexaglide parallel manipulator
Authors: Guo Jiangzhen , Wang Dan , Fan Rui , Chen Wuyi , Zhao Guohua
Published: June 2017

A calibration method of a hexaglide parallel manipulator is presented to improve its accuracy. A prototype of the hexaglide parallel manipulator is first proposed and its kinematics is analyzed. Through differentiating kinematic equations, 54 geometric error parameters are generated to present the pose error of the moving platform, on which an iterative algorithm for the calibration is based. The experiment starts with the data acquisition. All of measuring poses are newly selected based on the orthogonal design, and the deviations in each pose are measured by a laser tracker. Subsequently, 54 actual geometric parameters are identified by least squares method and compensated to the nominal kinematic model, which is assessed by 25 configurations to obtain the accuracy of the calibrated hexaglide parallel manipulator. It is discovered that the pose errors of the calibrated hexaglide parallel manipulator are significantly reduced and illustrate the validity of the calibration method to improve its accuracy. Finally, we discussed the feasibility of implementing this method in high-accuracy calibration of variant-scale parallel mechanisms.
Potential of microcredit as a source of finance for development of Sri Lankan biogas industry
Authors: Hes Tomáš , Mintah Samuel , Sulaiman Haiyan , Arifeen Tuan , Drbohlav Petr , Salman Ali
Published: June 2017

The study serves to clarify doubts on the potential of commercial microcredit as a strategic vehicle of implementing of small-scale biogas plants in Sri Lanka, as an alternative to subsidy-based process. The quantified sum of unsubsidized microloan interest born by the biogas users in a modeled situation of maximum potential of the biogas sector financed through microfinance institutions is compared with national technology savings on a macro level. The analysis concludes that an economic justification for the microfinance-fuelled implementation of small-scale biodigesters employing a market-based approach does exist. Annual savings on macroeconomic level surpass the annual cost expressed as a sum of unsubsidized interest. The study furthermore proposes a three-party credit contract, which prevents credit defaults caused by the lack of customary after-sales care by integrating the provision of service providers into a contractual agreement with both the user and the financing source, thus assuming part of credit responsibility.
Exact Bayesian p-values for a test of independence in a 2 × 2 contingency table with missing data
Authors: Lin Yan , Lipsitz Stuart R , Sinha Debajyoti , Fitzmaurice Garrett , Lipshultz Steven
Published: June 2017

Altham (Altham PME. Exact Bayesian analysis of a 2 × 2 contingency table, and Fisher’s “exact” significance test. J R Stat Soc B 1969; 31: 261–269) showed that a one-sided p-value from Fisher’s exact test of independence in a 2 × 2 contingency table is equal to the posterior probability of negative association in the 2 × 2 contingency table under a Bayesian analysis using an improper prior. We derive an extension of Fisher’s exact test p-value in the presence of missing data, assuming the missing data mechanism is ignorable (i.e., missing at random or completely at random). Further, we propose Bayesian p-values for a test of independence in a 2 × 2 contingency table with missing data using alternative priors; we also present results from a simulation study exploring the Type I error rate and power of the proposed exact test p-values. An example, using data on the association between blood pressure and a cardiac enzyme, is presented to illustrate the methods.
Getting to Know Your Students and an Educational Ethic of Care
Authors: Hawk Thomas F.
Published: June 2017

In the 10 years since Hawk and Lyons published, “Please Don’t Give Up on Me: When Faculty Fail to Care” in Journal of Management Education, much has changed about the nature of pedagogical caring, relational learning, and the instructor–student relationship per se. The landscape of expectations for the type and depth of relationships faculty will have with students has shifted toward a blurring of relational boundaries and roles. Chory and Offstein’s article in the first Journal of Management Education issue of 2017, “‘Your Professor Will Know You as a Person’: Evaluating and Rethinking the Relational Boundaries Between Faculty and Students” draws on Hawk and Lyons and critically examines the advisability of extending an ethic of care to situations outside the classroom setting. In this essay, I engage with Chory and Offstein’s work and the three rejoinders that accompanied it in Journal of Management Education, Volume 41, Issue 1, and share specific ways in which faculty can “get to know their students” that directly benefits student learning.
Giant Bullous Emphysema With Placental Transmogrification: A Case Report of a 14-Year-Old With Right Middle- and Lower-Lobe Involvement
Authors: Lowenthal Brett M. , Saenz Nicholas C. , Lin Grace Y. , Newbury Robert O.
Published: June 2017

Giant bullous emphysema with placental transmogrification is an extremely rare entity, with 30 previously reported cases. Of these reported cases, it is typically identified with varied clinical and radiological impressions, presents in young adulthood to elderly, is always unilateral, and usually involves just one lobe. Despite the unknown pathogenesis, this diagnosis carries an excellent prognosis and is curative with complete resection. The pulmonary placental transmogrification is histologically indistinguishable from placental origin. Although not necessary to utilize because of the male predominance and no reported association, immunohistochemical stains can be used to prove lung origin. We report an extremely rare case of 2-lobe involvement of giant bullous emphysema with placental transmogrification in a boy 14 years of age, who is the youngest diagnosed patient with this lung abnormality.
Debating Our Way Toward Stronger Thinking
Authors: Field Kathryn
Published: June 2017

Teachers often find it challenging to incorporate higher order thinking skills in ways that both inspire student interest and allow for meaningful differentiation. Structured debate is an activity that can facilitate all of these goals. This article explains, in detail, how debates can be structured to promote a variety of critical thinking skills and intrinsic motivation to learn. Concrete suggestions are provided for how to design a high-quality debate and how to avoid pitfalls that allow students to evade higher level thinking.
Study on structural optimization design and cascade PID control of maglev actuator for active vibration isolation system
Authors: Hu Yefa , Chen Changhao , Wu Huachun , Song Chunsheng
Published: June 2017

In view of the nonlinear output characteristics of actuators, and due to necessary large strokes for low-frequency vibration isolation platforms in microgravity environment, a method for structural optimization design and cascade PID control of maglev actuators was put forward based on the principle of Lorentz force. Furthermore, the method was utilized to design a magnetic circuit in accordance with the self-demagnetization effect and to multi-objectively optimize the structure parameters of a coil. A mathematical model was established of the remarkably nonlinear output force, due to the nonuniform magnetic fields to optimize its output force and current, so that the time-varying output requirements of controllers may be satisfied. System identification was performed to obtain the mathematical model of its control channel and design cascade PID controllers. This method was applied to lower the phase lag and equivalent time constant of a closed secondary circuit system so that not only the system stability and response rate may be improved, but also the growth of the gain of the controller may lead to growth of the damped natural frequency of the cascade control system; thus, the system settling time may fall and the system control quality may be improved. Simulation was also carried out to the cascade PID control corresponding to the mathematical model so that the cascade PID controller may have a relatively good control effect on disturbing acceleration signals. Experiments were carried out to cascade PID control of maglev actuators to further verify vibration control performances. Comparisons of the measured and simulated acceleration transmissibility data are basically consistent within the band 1–25 Hz. Measured and simulated results indicate that application of the cascade PID control method may attenuate the control object in the range −22.522 to −2.189 dB within the band 1–25 Hz and perform effective vibration control.
Injury prevention in physical education teacher education students: Lessons from sports. A systematic review
Authors: Goossens Lennert , De Ridder Roel , Cardon Greet , Witvrouw Erik , Verrelst Ruth , De Clercq Dirk
Published: June 2017

Sports injuries are a considerable problem in physical education teacher education (PETE) students. They have important consequences and might affect the attitude that PETE students have towards sports and physical activity. Up to now, several efficacious injury prevention programmes have been developed for various sports disciplines. There is a high probability that several components of those prevention programmes are transferable to the PETE environment. A systematic review was conducted to identify intrinsic components that are potentially applicable in PETE programmes. The databases PubMed and Web of Science were searched for articles published between 1974 and 1 February 2015. The systematic study selection resulted in the inclusion of 59 studies. Seventeen studies were rated as having a low risk of bias. Efficacy of the applied programme was proven in 11 of these. Analysis led to guidelines for an injury prevention programme for PETE students. A multiple preventive intervention should include an awareness programme, functional strength training, stretching, warm-up, core stability and dynamic stability exercises of the lower limbs. This multiple preventive intervention preferably has a gradual build-up, makes use of no or only simple materials and is executed around three times per week.
Insurgent safety: Theorizing alternatives to state protection
Authors: McDowell Meghan G
Published: June 2017

In the United States, public safety is embraced as an unquestioned social good. Broadly speaking, the criminal justice system is tasked with administering and maintaining public safety through the use of law enforcement, the courts, and prisons. First, through a focus on racialized police violence, this article develops a critique of the dominant model of public safety practiced in the United States—identified herein as ‘carceral safety’. Second, through an analysis of findings from the (Re)imagining Public Safety Project (RPSP), this article seeks to sketch out an alternative model and practice of safety that does not rely on banishment, policing, or mass criminalization. In contradistinction to the forms of state protection exercised under the seemingly innocuous rhetoric of ‘public safety’, RPSP participants conceptualized what I am calling ‘insurgent safety’: locally determined, anti-capitalist practices and ethics for reducing, and responding to harm.
Does attending classes help foster human values in college students?
Authors: Cheruvalath Reena
Published: June 2017

Attending classes develops an ability in students to understand others’ perspectives and help them to interact with their fellow peers in more adaptive ways. Teacher–student interaction and student–student interaction in a classroom facilitate students’ participation in various class activities, which in turn oblige them to regard human values. The arguments for and against mandatory attendance focus only on the academic performance of students, and not on the value gained from being in the classroom, itself. A study was conducted among 160 college students. The result showed that students attending at least 40% of their classes were most likely to endorse human values in comparison to students attending fewer classes.
Effect of using smartphones as clickers and tablets as digital whiteboards on students’ engagement and learning
Authors: Remón Javier , Sebastián Víctor , Romero Enrique , Arauzo Jesús
Published: June 2017

This work addresses the use of tablets and smartphones to enhance both student learning and engagement. Tablets were tested as potential substitutes for digital whiteboards, while smartphones were tested as potential survey media in the classroom using a question and answer method. Two teaching strategies were evaluated and compared: (1) traditional, which includes the use of the blackboard together with PowerPoint presentations and (2) interactive, where lessons are taught with the aid of a tablet, using interactive activities and digital materials. Measures of performance outcomes achieved with these strategies were made using the question and answer method at two points, during the classes and during the end-of-term examination. Three different question and answer methodologies were studied and compared, ranging from the very traditional method where students raise their hand to answer a question to the most modern where students use their smartphones to answer. The findings demonstrated higher outcomes with interactive lessons than with traditional learning (PowerPoint included). Tablets proved to be an effective and cheaper substitute for interactive whiteboards during lessons. The results suggested that the use of interactive procedures increased student participation. Furthermore, the students were very receptive to the use of smartphones as survey media. The use of smartphones as clickers is an interesting and instant way for both teachers and students to check students’ learning and perceived engagement. Considering that students are advanced users of smartphones and/or tablets, the use of these may be considered as more convenient than clickers. In addition, it is economically more acceptable than some other audience response systems.
Mechanical and vibration response of insulated hybrid composites
Authors: Bhudolia Somen K , Kam Kenneth KC , Joshi Sunil C
Published: June 2017

Electrically nonconductive composites are required in various engineering applications ranging from radome, antenna and many more. This research aims at investigating the mechanical properties of electrically non-conductive hybrid composites (thin carbon non-crimp fabric, Kevlar and E-glass fabrics) in combination with thermosetting epoxy resin. The composites comprise of multi-axial textile reinforcement carbon fabrics in the middle section with symmetrical quasi-isotropic layup, sandwiched with Kevlar fibre for improved impact performance and E-glass fibre at the outermost parts for electrical insulation. The fabrics are injected with room-temperature-cure epoxy using economical and energy saving resin transfer moulding manufacturing process. Electrical continuity tests and mechanical properties including vibration damping response, flexure and impact were studied to investigate the performances of the manufactured hybrid composites. Three hybrid laminate configurations were manufactured, and experimental results showed that hybrid composite with more number of Kevlar layers performed better for vibration and flexure testing. For impact performance, results showed that the absorbed impact energy improved with the inclusion of more glass layers, whereas configuration with more Kevlar layers experienced greater peak load to failure. The details of the composites fabrication, manufacturing and experiments conducted and the related findings with underlying reasons for the improvement offered by particular group of laminate configuration are discussed in the article.
CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling-mediated ERK1/2 activation in spinal cord contributes to the pathogenesis of postsurgical pain in rats
Authors: Xing Fei , Kong Cunlong , Bai Liying , Qian Junliang , Yuan Jingjing , Li Zhisong , Zhang Wei , Xu Ji-Tian
Published: June 2017

Background

It has been demonstrated that upregulation of CXCL12 and CXCR4 in spinal cord involves in the pathogenesis of neuropathic, inflammatory, and cancer pain. However, whether CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling contributes to postsurgical pain remains unknown. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in the genesis of postsurgical pain and the underlying mechanism.

Results

Plantar incision in rat hind paw resulted in increased expressions of CXCL12 and CXCR4 in spinal dorsal horn. Double immunofluorescence staining revealed that CXCL12 expressed in neurons and astrocytes, and CXCR4 exclusively co-localized with neuronal cells. Prior administration of AMD3100, a specific antagonist of CXCR4, or CXCL12 neutralizing antibody, intrathecally attenuated plantar incision-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. Plantar incision also augmented the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 in spinal cord. Pre intrathecal (i.t.) injection of PDTC, a specific NF-κB activation inhibitor, alleviated plantar incision-induced postsurgical pain and reduced the expression of CXCL12 in spinal cord. Correlated with the upregulation of CXCL12 and CXCR4, plantar incision also resulted in an increased phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and Akt in spinal cord. Prior i.t. administration of AMD3100 prevented extracellular signal-regulated kinase, but not Akt, activation in spinal cord. Rats when given a repetitive i.t. PD98059, a specific extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitor, started 30 min before surgery also ameliorate plantar incision-induced mechanical and thermal pain hypersensitivity.

Conclusion

Our results suggests that plantar incision-induced activation of NF-κB signaling may mediate upregulation of CXCL12 in spinal cord, and CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling via extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation contributes to the genesis of postsurgical pain.
Parallel algorithm of multiobjective optimization harmony search based on cloud computing
Authors: Li Wenjing , Du Wenhong , Tang Weifeng , Pan Ying , Zhou Jie , Lin Zhongming
Published: June 2017

In order to solve the problems of traditional harmony search in complex function multiobjective optimization, such as low precision, slow convergence, and easy to fall into local optimum, this article proposes a multiobjective optimization harmony search parallel algorithm based on cloud computing. First, according to the characteristics that the traditional harmony search algorithm uses a single harmony library for storing and processing the memory harmony, and it is divided into multiple harmony sublibraries according to different harmony. At the same time, the roulette selection and dynamic trade-off factor strategies are used for the dynamic setting of harmony memory library value-taking probability, pitch fine-tuning probability, pitch fine-tuning bandwidth, and other parameters which the traditional harmony search algorithm mainly relies on. Then, MapReduce programming model is used to establish Map and Reduce core parallel computing functions, to construct the parallel algorithm of dynamic parameter harmony search based on cloud computing. Finally, the algorithm optimization comparison test is conducted on Hadoop platform and compared with several existing optimal harmony search algorithms, the searching precision of this algorithm is improved by eight orders of magnitude, and the iteration number on the convergence speed is reduced by 6500 times, and the parallel achieves the linear acceleration ratio. Experimental results show that the optimization efficiency of this algorithm is higher than several existing optimal harmony search algorithms.
Extensive Assessment of Blood Glucose Monitoring During Postprandial Period and Its Impact on Closed-Loop Performance
Authors: Biagi Lyvia , Hirata Bertachi Arthur , Conget Ignacio , Quirós Carmen , Giménez Marga , Ampudia-Blasco F. Javier , Rossetti Paolo , Bondia Jorge , Vehí Josep
Published: June 2017

Background:

Closed-loop (CL) systems aims to outperform usual treatments in blood glucose control and continuous glucose monitors (CGM) are a key component in such systems. Meals represents one of the main disturbances in blood glucose control, and postprandial period (PP) is a challenging situation for both CL system and CGM accuracy.

Methods:

We performed an extensive analysis of sensor’s performance by numerical accuracy and precision during PP, as well as its influence in blood glucose control under CL therapy.

Results:

During PP the mean absolute relative difference (MARD) for both sensors presented lower accuracy in the hypoglycemic range (19.4 ± 12.8%) than in other ranges (12.2 ± 8.6% in euglycemic range and 9.3 ± 9.3% in hyperglycemic range). The overall MARD was 12.1 ± 8.2%. We have also observed lower MARD for rates of change between 0 and 2 mg/dl. In CL therapy, the 10 trials with the best sensor spent less time in hypoglycemia (PG < 70 mg/dl) than the 10 trials with the worst sensors (2 ± 7 minutes vs 32 ± 38 minutes, respectively).

Conclusions:

In terms of accuracy, our results resemble to previously reported. Furthermore, our results showed that sensors with the lowest MARD spent less time in hypoglycemic range, indicating that the performance of CL algorithm to control PP was related to sensor accuracy.