bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self-cured phthalonitrile resin via multistage polymerization mediated by allyl and benzoxazine functional groups
Authors: Xu Mingzhen , Jia Kun , Liu Xiaobo
Published: December 2015

Self-curing allyl-functional phthalonitriles-containing benzoxazine (DABA-ph) has been designed and synthesized. These formed a resin through a curing process involving the sequential polymerization of allyl moieties, ring-opening polymerization of oxazine rings, and ring-forming polymerization of nitrile groups. The introduction of allyl moieties was found to improve the processability as the process started at a lower temperature of 160–200°C than is needed for related resins. After self-curing, the resins exhibited high cross-linking degrees and excellent thermal stabilities. The glass transition temperature ( Tg) was increased compared to similar resins to 380°C with good thermal stability (5% weight loss temperature > 490°C). These outstanding properties suggest the DABA-ph polymers are suitable candidates as matrices for high-performance composites.
Quantification of the lateral forces in concrete sleeper fastening systems
Authors: Williams Brent A , Holder Donovan , Edwards J Riley , Dersch Marcus S , Barkan Christopher PL
Published: December 2015

Consistent increases in cumulative freight tonnages, combined with the move towards increased higher-speed intercity passenger rail operation, have placed greater demands on North American railroad infrastructure. Concrete sleepers and fastening system components are known to fail at a wide range of life cycle intervals when subjected to demanding loading environments. Such failures can cause track geometry defects, require repetitive maintenance procedures, and present critical engineering challenges. Rail seat deterioration, the degradation of the concrete material beneath the rail, has been identified through a survey of North American Class I railroads to be the most-critical engineering challenge for concrete sleepers. Shoulder/fastener wear or fatigue was identified by the same survey as the second-most-critical engineering challenge related to concrete sleepers. Lateral forces transferred through the fastening system are thought to be a primary cause of degradation of insulators. The objective of this study is to quantify the demands on the insulator through analysis of the transfer of lateral wheel loads into the fastening system by measuring the magnitude of the lateral forces entering the shoulder, a component of the fastening system adjacent to the insulator. The lateral load evaluation device (LLED) was developed at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign to quantify these forces. Data captured by the LLED will assist the rail industry in moving towards the mechanistic design of future fastening systems, by quantifying the lateral forces in the fastening system under representative loading conditions. Information gained through this study will also lead to a better understanding of the frictional forces at key interfaces in the fastening system. Preliminary results show that the transfer of lateral wheel loads into the fastening system is highly dependent on the magnitude of the lateral wheel loads and the frictional characteristics of the fastening system.
Extended state observer–based fractional order proportional–derivative controller for precision trajectory tracking control of a novel linear motor
Authors: Shi Xinxin , Huang Jiacai , Li Hongsheng
Published: December 2015

An extended state observer–based fractional order proportional–derivative controller is presented to realize precision trajectory tracking control of a novel linear motor in this article. Structure, working principle, and mathematical model of the linear motor are demonstrated. Fractional order calculus, extended state observer, proportional–derivative control, and feedforward control are combined to accomplish high trajectory tracking accuracy. Comparative simulations and experimental results indicate that the proposed controller is robust to parameter variations and uncertain disturbances, and high tracking performance of the novel linear motor for different desired sinusoidal trajectories has been obtained.
Patients with antiphosholipid syndrome and thrombotic recurrences: A real world observation (the Piedmont cohort study)
Authors: Bazzan M , Vaccarino A , Stella S , Sciascia S , Montaruli B , Bertero M T , Carignola R , Roccatello D ,   for the Piedmont APS Consortium
Published: December 2015

Background

Patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) often have thrombotic recurrences, sometimes despite appropriate ongoing anticoagulant treatment. Identifying APS vascular patients at high risk for thrombotic recurrences is still an unsolved issue.

Objectives

To report the real-life experience of thrombotic recurrences in APS patients included in the Piedmont observational cohort study, and evaluate clinical and laboratory risk factors for thrombotic recurrences.

Patients

A multi-centre observational study was performed by enrolling 177 patients with vascular APS (primary APS in 99 subjects (56%)); the median follow-up was five years (range 1–26 years).

Results

The observed thrombotic recurrence rate was about 7.5/100 patient years in the first five years after the first thrombotic event. While the first recurrence often occurred (45%) in patients who were not on oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT), the second recurrence mainly occurred despite ongoing OAT (80%). However, due to the real-life observational nature of this study, treatment was based on the treating physician’s judgement, and no structured therapeutic protocol was applied. Moreover, compliance with OAT was not available. No differences in antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) profile were observed between patients with or without thrombotic recurrences, but a high risk aPL profile (Miyakis type 1 and 2a) was present in 96% of our patients, 26% of whom had triple positivity. Diabetes ( p < 0.01, OR 10), inherited thrombophilia ( p < 0.0078, OR 4) and OAT withdrawal were independent risk factors for recurrences.

Conclusions

With the limit of a real-life observational cohort study, the thrombotic recurrence rate in APS was as high as 7.5/100 patient years in the first five years after the first thrombotic event. OAT discontinuation, diabetes and inherited thrombophilia, when associated with a high-risk aPL profile, are risk factors for thrombotic recurrences.
Addressing Empathic Failures
Authors: Zaki Jamil , Cikara Mina
Published: December 2015

Empathy is critical for social functioning, but it often wanes when it is needed most. Resulting empathic failures precipitate and worsen social conflict. Accordingly, conflict-reduction interventions prioritize developing empathy in order to achieve harmony. Recent research has indicated that such interventions can benefit from a more nuanced understanding of empathy. First, empathy is a multidimensional construct, including understanding, sharing, and feeling concern for others’ emotions. The expression of these empathic processes is further influenced by psychological factors that “tune” people toward or away from empathy. Interventions must therefore diagnose the specific nature and precursors of empathic failures and tailor interventions appropriately. Second, empathy alone may be insufficient to produce prosocial behavior, especially when parties differ in status or power. In these cases, interventions should promote equitable goals and norms in addition to empathy. By understanding its component processes and boundary conditions, practitioners can work to promote empathy in maximally effective ways.
The Role of Agency and Morality in Reconciliation Processes
Authors: Shnabel Nurit , Nadler Arie
Published: December 2015

According to the needs-based model of reconciliation, transgressions threaten victims’ sense of agency and perpetrators’ moral image. Consequently, victims and perpetrators experience heightened needs for empowerment and acceptance, respectively. Exchange interactions (e.g., expressions of apologies and forgiveness) through which victims and perpetrators satisfy each other’s needs facilitate reconciliation. We present research that has supported the model in both interpersonal and intergroup contexts. We then extend the model to “dual” conflicts, in which both parties transgress against each other and compete over the victim status, and to intergroup contexts of structural inequality. Finally, we discuss need satisfaction outside the victim-perpetrator dyad as an intriguing avenue for future research.
Storing Verbal Information in Working Memory
Authors: Camos Valérie
Published: December 2015

Recent reexaminations of the storage of verbal information in working memory have distinguished two mechanisms of maintenance. While a language-based mechanism of rehearsal was long considered the specific means of maintaining verbal information in the short term, another attention-based mechanism of refreshing has been more recently described. New evidence has established that these two mechanisms are affected by different constraints inherent to their respective language-based and attentional natures, have different impacts on recall performance, and are sustained by distinct brain networks. Moreover, adults can use either one or the other mechanism based on strategic choice or instructions. This dissociation presents some similarities with a dichotomy put forward in the ’70s between mechanisms permitting short-term versus long-term maintenance, but many questions remain about the functioning of these mechanisms and their interplay.
Conjoint Analysis of Option and Volatility Models
Authors: Singh Vipul Kumar
Published: December 2015

This study endeavours to find an impeccable option-pricing model to meet the requirements of ‘Options’ practitioners during a tumultuous period. It encompasses ‘smile’ and ‘skew’ characters exhibiting price bias across moneyness and maturity. For the same, we compared and contrasted the classical Black–Scholes model with deterministic and stochastic volatility models. In order to make applicability of models more prominent, the hypothetical model has been put into practical implication of Nifty index options of India. Also, to ensure the model’s all-round applicability, they all have been passed through the most dramatic phase of the Indian financial economy spanning 2006–11, an ideal time to examine the sustainability of such models. Accuracy of model prices has been testified relative to the market, using the well-known error metrics. This research suggests that the deterministic volatility function (DVF) is the most suitable framework to price the Nifty index options. It not only out passes the benchmark Black–Scholes model but also dominates its stochastic counterpart the stochastic alpha, beta and rho (SABR) model.

JEL Classification: C01, C13, C52, C53, G17
A Markov-Switching Model for Indian Stock Price and Volume
Authors: Chaudhuri Kausik , Kumar Alok
Published: December 2015

Using weekly data from the Indian stock market, we examine the relationship between stock price and trading volume. Our framework is Markov Switching-Vector Error Correction Model (MS-VECM). We justify the use of nonlinear model using the Brock, Dechert and Scheinkman (BDS) test and the information criteria. The long-run dynamics are characterised by one cointegrating vector relating the price to trading volume. We find that stock price is weakly exogenous only in the high volatility regime. The MS-VECM with two regimes provides a good characterisation of the Indian stock market and performs well relative to the other linear and nonlinear models.

JEL Classification: C32, G12, E32
The theology of religions revisited
Authors: O’Collins Gerald
Published: December 2015

This article begins by responding to the challenges and criticisms coming from those who reviewed The Second Vatican Council on Other Religions. It insists on the need to examine other living faiths as ways not only of salvation but also of (divine) revelation (which elicits human faith). A positive view of other religions (1) does not undermine missionary proclamation, and (2) should be strengthened by invoking the intercessory priesthood of Christ (the ‘sacerdotal principle’) and the force of love that empowers prayer for others. To conclude, the article pleads for an integral interpretation of Vatican II texts that examines not only the authorial intentions but also the reception of the texts and the insights coming from readers (including popes, bishops and theologians).
Sacred and secular in Australian social services
Authors: Oslington Paul
Published: December 2015

Church-related not-for-profit organizations deliver approximately half of social services in Australia through contracting arrangements with governments. The religious dimensions have attracted remarkably little attention, but along with religious schooling and hospitals, social services are at the front line of the sacred–secular interactions in Australia. This will become even more so with the advent of the National Disability Scheme. In contemporary social services contracting we have a peculiarly Australian religious settlement where government draws on the benign and useful elements of religion while bypassing difficult and potentially dangerous theological and interdenominational disputes. However, the government, in some cases with the acquiescence of religious social service providers, is attempting to go beyond this to detach service delivery from the theological ideas, and the personal and communal practices, which sustain it. The combination of shortcomings of the economic incentive design of the contacting arrangements and lack of appreciation of the religious dimensions of the organizations involved are currently leading to erosion of quality of client service, inflexibility, transfer of risk, staffing problems, gender imbalances, and lack of innovation in the sector. There are also important religious threats to the Australian settlement. Better understanding of the religious dimensions would help ensure the efficiency and sustainability of high-quality social services in Australia, to the benefit of the mission of the churches, the government, and many vulnerable people served by the agencies.
Picture This
Authors: De Groot Elizabeth , Nickerson Catherine , Korzilius Hubert , Gerritsen Marinel
Published: December 2015

Corporate documents increasingly rely on visual rhetoric to complement text. Although previous studies have indicated that companies’ local culture may be reflected in the images they employ, scholars have never systematically investigated the use of visual rhetoric as it is used across different business cultures. This study analyzes visual rhetoric using a new model of visual metadiscourse—a set of devices that designers use to convey meaning in order to influence the audience’s interpretation of the text. The study compares the visual metadiscourse in photos used in English management statements in the annual reports of Dutch and U.K. companies. The results show that metadiscourse is inherent not only in the written text of a corporate document but also in the visuals that a design team chooses to include. The results also indicate that despite some similarities, Dutch-based and U.K.-based statements contain differences in their use of visual metadiscourse. Several of these differences can be attributed to cultural differences between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The study underlines the applicability of the new model and warns international text designers not to overlook cultural differences in visual metadiscourse.
Hilbert low-pass filter of non-stationary time sequence using analytical mode decomposition
Authors: Wang Zuo-Cai , Xin Yu , Xing Jin-feng , Ren Wei-Xin
Published: December 2015

In this paper, the recently developed analytical mode decomposition with a constant or time-varying cutoff frequency is extended into the decomposition of a non-stationary discrete time sequence. The discretization of the signal and the selection of the cutoff frequency may cause the failure of low frequency component extraction. In this study, to eliminate the effects of the signal discretization, the one-step, two-step, and four-step low-pass filters with cutoff frequencies are proposed. Based on the theoretical derivation, the previous one-step low-pass filter is effective only when the cutoff frequency is not greater than a quarter of the sampling frequency and the maximum frequency of the signal not greater than a half of the sampling frequency. In this study, if the cutoff frequency is less than or equal to a quarter of the sampling frequency, a two-step low-pass filter is proposed to extract the low frequency component. If the cutoff frequency is greater than a quarter of the sampling frequency, a four-step low-pass filter with frequency shifting process is proposed. When the time-varying cutoff frequency is not always larger than or less than a quarter of the sampling frequency, a sufficient condition, which is the sampling frequency is greater than four times of the maximum frequency of the signal component, is provided in this study. Two numerical examples are used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed low-pass filters. Both the theoretic derivation and numerical simulations show that the proposed filters can analytical extract the discrete low frequency component with an appropriate cutoff frequency.
Free vibration characteristics of a 3d mixed formulation beam element with force-based consistent mass matrix
Authors: Soydas Ozan , Saritas Afsin
Published: December 2015

In this analytical study, free vibration analyses of a 3d mixed formulation beam element are performed by adopting force-based consistent mass matrix that incorporates shear and rotary inertia effects. The force-based approach takes into account the actual distribution of mass of an element in the derivation of the mass matrix. Moreover, the force-based approach enables accurate determination of free vibration frequencies of members with varying geometry and material distribution without any need for specification of different displacement shape functions for each individual case. This phenomenon is justified by comparing free vibration frequencies of cantilever beams that have circular and rectangular cross-sections and various mass distribution configurations. Vibration frequencies of the mixed formulation element are compared with the frequencies obtained from closed-form solutions and finite element analyses. Fundamental frequency is computed with only one element per member span and higher order frequencies are determined with two or four elements with considerable accuracy by employing 3d mixed element and force-based consistent mass matrix.
Cardiotoxicity in targeted therapy for breast cancer: A study of the FDA adverse event reporting system (FAERS)
Authors: Wittayanukorn Saranrat , Qian Jingjing , Johnson Brandon S , Hansen Richard A
Published: December 2015

Purpose

Cancer chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity is concerning. Certain anthracyclines and targeted therapies are known to have potential for cardiotoxicity, but existing trial evidence is inadequate to understand real-world patterns of cardiotoxicity with newer targeted therapies and their common combinations with older agents. This study evaluated chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity reports for targeted therapies and their combinations in breast cancer patients.

Methods

The US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database from January 2004 through September 2012 was used to summarize characteristics of reported cardiotoxicity events and their health outcomes. Disproportionality analyses with reporting odds ratios (ROR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were conducted to detect event signals using a case/non-case method for each targeted therapy and combination.

Results

A total of 59,739 cases of cardiotoxicity reports were identified; 937 cases identified targeted therapy as the suspect drug. Trastuzumab had the highest number of reports followed by bevacizumab and lapatinib. Proportions of reports of death and disability outcomes for each targeted therapy were approximately 20–25% of the total reports of serious events. Trastuzumab had the highest ROR as a single agent (ROR = 5.74; 95% CI = 5.29–6.23) or combination use of cyclophosphamide (ROR = 16.83; 95% CI = 13.32–21.26) or doxorubicin (ROR = 17.84; 95% CI = 13.77–23.11). Relatively low cardiotoxicity reporting rates were found with lapatinib, regardless of use with combination therapy.

Conclusions

Analysis of FAERS data identified signals for adverse cardiotoxicity events with targeted therapies and their combinations. Practitioners should consider factors that may increase the likelihood of cardiotoxicity when assessing treatment. Findings support continued surveillance, risk factor identification, and comparative studies.
Serum 25-OH Vitamin D Level in Psoriatic Patients and Comparison With Control Subjects
Authors: Maleki Masoud , Nahidi Yalda , Azizahari Sahar , Meibodi Naser Tayyebi , Hadianfar Ali
Published: December 2015

Background:

Vitamin D has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects, and previous studies have proposed a role of vitamin D deficiency in multiple autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis.

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to investigate serum vitamin D levels in psoriatic patients and compare them with levels in controls.

Methods:

This study was carried out in 50 psoriasis patients. Serum vitamin D was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results:

The mean serum vitamin D levels in psoriatic patients and controls were 14.92 ± 6.31 and 12.52 ± 4.54 ng/mL, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant ( P = .06). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) was 84.0% in psoriatic patients and 93.0% in controls ( P = .21).

Conclusions:

Most of the patients with psoriasis had vitamin D deficiency, which may have contributed to the evolution of their psoriasis. However, considering the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Iran, no difference was noted between the psoriatic patients and the controls.
Experimental investigation on tribological behaviour of Al-TiCp composite under sliding wear conditions
Authors: Josyula Sravan Kumar , Narala Suresh Kumar Reddy
Published: December 2015

Cryogenic technology is used in various engineering and industrial applications such as aerospace, automotive, defence and medical fields due to its better cooling and /or lubrication action. Conventional materials used in cryo-techniques are substituted with metal matrix composites (MMCs) due to their high strength-to-weight ratio. Aluminium-reinforced titanium carbide particulate (Al-TiCp) composite has gained attention due to its superior thermomechanical and tribological characteristics, but the effect of cryogenic temperature technology on Al-TiCp MMC, have not been studied substantially. So an effort has been made in this current research work to bridge the gap. To determine the cryogenic tribological behaviour of Al-TiCp composite, sliding wear tests are conducted. A customised cryogenic-tribo setup has been developed by attaching cryogenic system to pin-on-disc configuration. Nozzle arrangement to the cryogenic-tribo setup feeds cryogenic fluid (liquid nitrogen: LN2) exactly into sliding contact with a restricted flow rate and constant pressure for better cooling and lubrication. Wear studies have been carried out under different applied loading and sliding velocities under LN2, cryogenic chilled air and dry environment. The present analysis reveals that the weight loss of composite sample increases linearly with increase in normal load and sliding distance whereas decreases with increase in sliding velocity. Auxiliary observations revels that presence of LN2 in sliding contact offers significant reduction in friction and wear values when compared to other environments. The performance improvement with LN2 could be due to the hydraulic pressure of trapped LN2 into the sliding contact which takes away a part of normal load resulting in reduced apparent friction coefficient and wear rate. Microscopic images of worn surfaces showed the cracks and fracture in the wear track over sliding surfaces is high in dry than compared to LN2 condition.
Numerical analysis of spiral grooved opposed-hemisphere gas bearings: A parametric study
Authors: Guangwei Yang , Weiping Ge , Jianjun Du , Tun Liu
Published: December 2015

Although the spiral grooved opposed-hemisphere gas bearings have been widely applied in supporting the spin axis of inertial grade gyroscopes, the accurate prediction of the performance characteristics of the bearings is still very difficult because of their structural complexity. In this paper, the static characteristics of the bearings considering the coupling effects between the journal and two hemisphere bearings are obtained theoretically. The Reynolds equations modeling the journal and hemisphere bearings are solved simultaneously by the finite element method satisfying the continuous boundary conditions between these three bearings. The fluctuations of the bearing load and reaction torque caused by rotating grooves are shown and can be neglected at large number of grooves. The results show that neglecting the coupling effects between the journal and two hemisphere bearings will result in large discrepancies at high rotational speeds and large eccentricity ratios. And the hydrodynamic effect can be divided into two regions for spiral grooved gas bearings: the groove effect domain region and the converged wedge effect domain region. A parametric study provides efficient guidance for the optimal design of the opposed-hemisphere gas bearing.
What about the workers? Roles and skills for employees in hotels of the future
Authors: Solnet David , Baum Tom , Robinson Richard N.S. , Lockstone-Binney Leonie
Published: December 2015

Hotels are diverse and constantly evolving, changing over time, inter alia, in their shape and appearance, their size, purpose, location and, perhaps above all, their representation of luxury and comfort. These changes have been and, intuitively, will continue to be driven by a complex amalgam of drivers. Representations that depict hotels of the future accommodate the consequences of change in varying ways – design, service, interaction with systems and technology among other considerations. This article is concerned less with the consumer and the physical properties of the establishment but rather seeks to focus consideration primarily on the possible changing roles of service workers within various conceptions of what hotels in the future may look like through to 2030 and beyond. The article applies a qualitative approach involving a literature review and subsequent Delphi method to develop and examine in depth three key drivers affecting the roles and skills of employees in hotels of the future. The attendant alternative workforce implications of each are discussed in turn.
The associations between personality traits, education, occupation and the occurrence of eczema in adulthood
Authors: Cheng Helen , Treglown Luke , Montgomery Scott , Kornilaki Ekaterina N , Tsivrikos Dimitrios , Furnham Adrian
Published: December 2015

There were 5834 participants with complete data on parental social class at birth, childhood cognitive ability tests scores at 11 years, educational qualifications at 33 years, the Big Five-Factor personality traits, occupational levels and eczema (measured at age 50 years). Results showed that eczema in childhood, educational achievement and occupational levels were significantly associated with the occurrence of reported eczema in adulthood. Emotionally Stable people (non-neurotic) were less likely to have eczema, but those with high Agreeableness and Openness more likely to have eczema. Childhood cognitive ability was significantly and positively associated with eczema in adulthood.
Reflections on co-investigation through peer research with young people and older people in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Porter Gina
Published: December 2015

This article reflects on a series of collaborative studies led by the author where co-investigation with peer-researchers has played a central role. The first concerns work with young people, trained to enable them to participate as peer-researchers in a child mobility study in Ghana, Malawi and South Africa; the second a research project on youth and mobile phones, in which some of those young peer-researchers have a continued involvement; the third a study of older people’s mobility in Tanzania, conducted in collaboration with an international NGO. Experience in these projects illustrates the complexities of co-investigation, not least the ethical concerns which have to be addressed when working with commonly marginalized people, whatever their age, but it also highlights the potential rewards which such collaborations can bring to individual peer-researchers, to academic research quality and, in the longer term, towards better policy and practice.
Gazed and subdued? Spectacle, spatial order and identity in the contested city
Authors: Hocking Bree T
Published: December 2015

From 2012–2013, Northern Ireland was rocked by loyalist protests over limits placed on flying the British flag at Belfast City Hall. The sometimes-violent manifestations were roundly condemned by officials and business leaders as an assault on ‘Brand Northern Ireland’, a threat to the province’s reputation as a successful model of post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction. Accordingly, this article revises and updates Goffman’s concept of ‘a veneer of consensus’ to show how new regimes of political repression are inaugurated in the name of ‘tourism’. With the tourist gaze invoked by local officials as both neutral arbiter and economic imperative, the protests are subsequently assessed as a form of power negotiation, whereby symbolic contestation over the right to define the image of place in both physical and virtual spaces assumed an intensely political role.
Yoga for Trauma and Related Mental Health Problems: A Meta-Review With Clinical and Service Recommendations
Authors: Macy Rebecca J. , Jones Elizabeth , Graham Laurie M. , Roach Leslie
Published: December 2015

Health and human service providers have expressed growing interest in the benefits of yoga to help individuals cope with the effects of trauma, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite the growing popularity and strong appeal of yoga, providers must be mindful of the evidence regarding the efficacy of yoga in treating trauma effects as well as trauma-related mental health symptoms and illnesses. Therefore, our research team sought to answer two questions: (a) What is the evidence regarding yoga as a treatment for trauma effects, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD and (b) what are the clinical and service recommendations for using yoga with trauma-exposed individuals? Our initial scans identified a substantial body of research, including reviews. Rather than replicate earlier efforts, we undertook a systematic meta-review of 13 literature reviews, one of which included a meta-analysis. We determined the 13 reviews examined 185 distinct studies. Findings show that the evidence regarding yoga as an intervention for the effects of trauma as well as the mental health symptoms and illnesses often associated with trauma is encouraging but preliminary. Overall, the body of research is lacking in rigor as well as specificity regarding trauma. Review results also only allow for the recommendation of yoga as an ancillary treatment. Further, the reviews had considerable differences in their methods and limitations. Nonetheless, the results yielded findings concerning how clinicians and service providers can use yoga in their own practices, which is an important step for building an evidence base in this area.
Rigid–elastic-thermal coupling dynamics and its application
Authors: Song Haiyan , Hou Gangling , Sun Hai , Liang Lifu
Published: December 2015

Spacecraft dynamics belongs to rigid–elastic coupling dynamics in general. If thermal stress and thermal effect are further considered, it will cause the more complex rigid–elastic-thermal coupling dynamics. For the aforementioned kind of coupling dynamics, it is difficult to establish the basic equations directly. It has proved that a suitable way to study complex coupling problems is by work–energy theorem and the law of conversation of energy. Using the energy method, Hamilton principle of rigid–elastic-thermal coupling dynamics is established. The stationary value conditions of Hamilton principle of rigid–elastic-thermal coupling dynamics are derived. The physical meaning of the stationary value conditions is indicated. As an application of rigid–elastic-thermal coupling dynamics, the actual example of spacecraft is given to reveal that there existed thermal stiffening or softening problems in rigid–elastic-thermal coupling dynamics, just like dynamic hardening or softening problems in spacecraft dynamics.
The determinants of time spent on self-care
Authors: Forbes Hannah , Sutton Matt , Richardson Gerry , Rogers Anne
Published: December 2015

Purpose

More input from the individual into the management of their health has the potential to reduce demand on the formal care system and improve health outcomes. A variety of interventions have been developed to encourage such ‘self-care', particularly for populations with long-term conditions. However the equity consequences of such initiatives are relatively unknown as there is little evidence on the social and economic determinants of time spent on self-care.

Key methods

We estimate the social and economic determinants of time spent on self-care. We also examine whether patients spend time on self-care because they are compensating for lack of access to formal health care. We undertook regression analyses of eight self-care and formal care measures from a dedicated survey of 300 patients with long-term conditions.

Main results

We found that higher income is associated with less time spent on self-care. Various measures of access to formal health care are found to not be associated with time spent on self-care.

Main conclusion

People from a lower socioeconomic position spend more time managing their condition even when there is universal entitlement to health care.
Mr. Mothercountry: The Rule of Law as Practice
Authors: McBride Keally
Published: December 2015

The rule of law is understood as a clear benchmark or achievement in contemporary international politics. But the rule of law is better understood as an invariably messy, contingent, and incomplete process or practice. This article examines how one man, Sir James Stephen, oversaw the rule of law in British colonial territories in the first half of the 19th century. He offers clear lessons in why the rule of law can never be definitively achieved, and the importance of approaching law’s administration with humility.
Decontamination of breast pump milk collection kits and related items at home and in hospital: guidance from a Joint Working Group of the Healthcare Infection Society & Infection Prevention Society
Authors: Price E , Weaver G , Hoffman P , Jones M , Gilks J , O’Brien V , Ridgway G
Published: December 2015

Introduction:

A variety of methods are in use for decontaminating breast pump milk collection kits and related items associated with infant feeding. This paper aims to provide best practice guidance for decontamination of this equipment at home and in hospital. It has been compiled by a joint Working Group of the Healthcare Infection Society and the Infection Prevention Society.

Methods:

The guidance has been informed by a search of the literature in Medline, the British Nursing Index, the Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature, Midwifery & Infant Care and the results of two surveys of UK neonatal units in 2002/3 and 2006, and of members of the Infection Prevention Society in 2014. Since limited good quality evidence was available from these sources much of the guidance represents good practice based on the consensus view of the Working Group.

Key recommendations:

Breast pump milk collection kits should not be reused by different mothers unless they have been sterilized in a Sterile Services Department between these different users. When used by the same mother, a detergent wash followed by thorough rinsing and drying after each use gives acceptable decontamination for most circumstances, as long as it is performed correctly. Additional decontamination precautions to washing, rinsing and drying may be used if indicated by local risk assessments and on advice from the departmental clinicians and Infection Prevention and Control Teams. The microbiological quality of the rinse water is an important consideration, particularly for infants on neonatal units. If bottle brushes or breast/nipple shields are used, they should be for use by one mother only. Decontamination should be by the processes used for breast pump milk collection kits. Dummies (soothers, pacifiers or comforters) needed for non-nutritive sucking by infants on neonatal units, should be for single infant use. Manufacturers should provide these dummies ready-to-use and individually packaged. They must be discarded at least every 24 hours or immediately if soiled with anything other than the baby’s saliva. No attempt should be made to decontaminate the dummies, either before or during use.

Conclusion:

This guidance provides practical recommendations to support the safe decontamination of breast pump milk collection kits for healthcare professionals to use and communicate to other groups such as parents and carers.
Pharmacologic Therapies for Pediatric Concussions
Authors: Halstead Mark E.
Published: December 2015

Context:

Pediatric concussions are common, and emphasis on correct diagnosis and management is stressed in consensus guidelines. Medications may have a role in management of concussion, but no consensus exists regarding appropriate pharmacologic therapy.

Evidence Acquisition:

Nonsystematic review.

Study Design:

Clinical review.

Level of Evidence:

Level 4.

Results:

There is limited evidence for hypertonic saline to improve posttraumatic headache in the emergency department setting. There is essentially no evidence for the use of any other medication in management of pediatric sport-related concussion.

Conclusion:

Further research is necessary to determine whether there is benefit to the use of any pharmacotherapy in the management of pediatric-aged athletes with concussions.
The Perception of Cooperativeness Without Any Visual or Auditory Communication
Authors: Chang Dong-Seon , Burger Franziska , Bülthoff Heinrich H , de la Rosa Stephan
Published: December 2015

Perceiving social information such as the cooperativeness of another person is an important part of human interaction. But can people perceive the cooperativeness of others even without any visual or auditory information? In a novel experimental setup, we connected two people with a rope and made them accomplish a point-collecting task together while they could not see or hear each other. We observed a consistently emerging turn-taking behavior in the interactions and installed a confederate in a subsequent experiment who either minimized or maximized this behavior. Participants experienced this only through the haptic force-feedback of the rope and made evaluations about the confederate after each interaction. We found that perception of cooperativeness was significantly affected only by the manipulation of this turn-taking behavior. Gender- and size-related judgments also significantly differed. Our results suggest that people can perceive social information such as the cooperativeness of other people even in situations where possibilities for communication are minimal.
Preoperative PDE5i use is a prognostic metric for poor postoperative erectile function in men undergoing radical prostatectomy: An addition to patient counseling
Authors: Akinola Oluwaseun , Ginsburg Lauren , Welliver Charles , Mechlin Clay W , Fisher Hugh AG , Mian Badar M , Kaufman Ronald P , McCullough Andrew R
Published: December 2015

Objective:

In patients scheduled for radical prostatectomies (RP), preoperative (pre-op) erectile function (EF) characterization may be complicated by social and medical factors. We investigated pre-op use of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i) as a simple metric for predicting long-term postoperative EF.

Materials and methods:

Electronic medical records (EMRs) for consecutive men who underwent RP between January 2004 and March 2009 at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Data extracted included demographics, pre-op PDE5i use, cancer treatment details, post-op EF and ED treatment. Predictor variable data were categorical pre-op PDE5i use (pre-op PDE5i use vs. pre-op PDE5i naïve). ANOVA and Chi squared test were used.

Results:

A total of 250 individuals out of 436 charts met inclusion criteria. Mean follow-up length was 4.2 years (range 2–7). Thirty-seven men (15%) used PDE5i preoperatively. There were no differences in mean age at RP, type of nerve-sparing surgery (NSS), or medical comorbidities between groups. No men with pre-op PDE5i use regained unassisted EF but 37% regained PDE5i-assisted EF after bilateral nerve sparing (BNS). No men with pre-op PDE5i use regained unassisted or PDE5i-assisted EF after unilateral (UNS) or non-nerve-sparing surgery (NNS).

Conclusions:

Pre-op PDE5i use predicts poor long-term EF outcomes after RP and should be included in pre-op patient counseling.
Contextualizing Depressive Contagion
Authors: Guan Win , Kamo Yoshinori
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine microsocial and macrosocial contextual moderators of adolescent depressive contagion. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), the authors find evidence supporting the depressive contagion thesis. This effect is observed above and beyond key social relationship and sociodemographic controls. To examine the role of social context in moderating the effect of depressive contagion, the authors utilize a longitudinal mixed effects model using Wave 1 and Wave 2 of the Add Health survey. The results reveal that depressive contagion is more salient for adolescents who are embedded in dense peer networks and attend schools with high network density and mutuality. Furthermore, popular students, measured as the number of received friendship nominations, are more vulnerable to depressive contagion. Overall, the findings in this study demonstrate a differential vulnerability to depressive contagion dependent on microsocial and macrosocial context.
Court Backlogs and Crime in India
Authors: Amaral Sofia , Bandyopadhyay Siddhartha
Published: December 2015

We analyze the relationship between a ‘weak judiciary’, as measured by the percentage of pending trials, and the propensity to engage in criminal activities. Using state-level panel data for India from 1995 to 2007, we look at the relationship between crime and court backlogs. Our estimations show that there is a positive relationship between backlogs of cases in state High Courts and property crimes but not violent crimes. We argue that policies that increase the number of judges and justice and policing staff per capita are likely to reduce case backlogs by increasing the speed of investigations and case procedures. This in turn would reduce certain categories of crime.
Impact of Microfinance on Poor Women: Lessons from Sabarkantha, Gujarat
Authors: Amarnani Arpita , Amarnani Neeraj
Published: December 2015

Microfinance, in simple terms, can be defined as financial services for the poor. Currently, the policy-makers all over the globe are increasing their emphasis on microfinance. At this point of time, considering the energy and money being channelized to this sector, one of the issues that need to be addressed is that of effectiveness of the various models of microfinance delivery. With this backdrop in mind, the present study is an attempt at carrying out an impact assessment of microfinance. This cross-sectional research has been conducted in the Sabarkantha district of the state of Gujarat among the women living below the poverty line (BPL), where the control group comprises new entrants, while the treatment group has old participants of the programme. The study involves both quantitative and qualitative data analysis at the household level and the individual level.

The study found that microfinance increases the income of the poor clients who are into the programme for more than two years. It also found that consumption expenditure came down during the initial period of participation as the participants learnt financial prudence, and after that, the change was negative but insignificant. At the individual level, it was found that participation in the programme improved the financial security for the clients and the proportion of daughters attending school to those eligible for schooling. However, there was no significant change in the financial decision-making process.

The impact assessment concluded that microfinance does impact the poor women positively, but in order to improve the quality of their lives and to sustain this improvement over a period of time, further interventions at the social and human level are required.
Analysis of Aadhaar: A Project Management Perspective
Authors: Pati Rupesh Kumar , Kumar Vipin , Jain Nishtha
Published: December 2015

Increasing Indian population, migration from neighbouring countries as well as numerous variants of identity cards like ration card, voter ID card forced Government of India to form ‘Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)’. The primary responsibility of the UIDAI is to issue Unique Identification Number (UID) or Aadhaar number to Indian residents which can be used for all the government transactions/benefits schemes like gas subsidy, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act (MGNREGA). This study conducts a systematic review of the materials/articles available through secondary sources such as newspapers, research papers and government reports on Aadhaar project. This has been categorized as a developmental project in the study due to high uncertainty associated with it in various dimensions. An attempt has been made through this study to understand the planning and implementation stage of Aadhaar Project till 2014. The study also attempts to identify potential risks (diamond framework has been used to provide interesting insights) and suggest a contingency plan for this and similar government projects in future, to ensure a better success rate. This study identifies various gaps and recommends a plan of action as well as appropriate process changes to enhance project success of Aadhaar Project in future. Based on the insights from this study a model to enhance the success rate of similar projects has also been proposed.
Early Grade Teacher Effectiveness and Pre-K Effect Persistence
Authors: Swain Walker A. , Springer Matthew G. , Hofer Kerry G.
Published: December 2015

In recent years, states have significantly expanded access to prekindergarten (pre-K), and federal policy makers have proposed funding near-universal access across the country. However, researchers know relatively little about the role of subsequent experiences in prolonging or truncating the persistence of benefits for participants. This study examines the interaction between pre-K participation and one of our most important educational interventions—teaching quality. We pair student-level data from a statewide pre-K experiment with records of teacher observation scores from Tennessee’s new formal evaluation program to assess whether a student’s access to high-quality early grade teachers moderates the persistence of pre-K effects. Our analyses indicate a small positive interaction between teaching quality and state pre-K exposure on some but not all early elementary cognitive measures, such that better teaching quality in years subsequent to pre-K is associated with more persistent positive pre-K effects.