bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhancing municipal solid waste recycling through reorganizing waste pickers: A case study in Nanjing, China
Authors: Chen Fu , Luo Zhanbin , Yang Yongjun , Liu Gang-Jun , Ma Jing
Published: April 2018

Waste pickers (WPs) play an indispensable role by helping to control municipal solid waste (MSW). However, they constitute the entry-level workforce of the waste recycling industry and receive little attention from the general public. In China, approximately 4 million WPs make their living by collecting MSW recyclable materials. To assess the role of WPs, an extensive social survey including urban management decision-makers, recycling industrial circle insiders, WPs, as well as common citizen respondents has been conducted in the city of Nanjing, China. The results confirmed that 70–80% of recyclable MSW materials were collected by WPs in the informal sector, which are an integral component of the waste recycling system. In Nanjing, the recyclable material collected annually by WPs is about 505,000 tons, which creates annual economic value of about 78.6–84.7 million USD. However, WPs account for only 6.8–7.3% of the entire industrial chain of the recycling economy. In Nanjing, WPs are able to save an annual MSW disposal cost of about 17.6–22.0 million USD. The resource recovery rate is also increased by 1.9–8.0%. The survey results support the experience of establishing a community-based semi-official picker organizational framework, accompanied by relevant laws, regulations, and preferential policies that would improve the resource recovery rate and pickers’ living and working conditions in order to achieve more effective and hazard-free MSW resource utilization. It is anticipated that the results of this research will be instrumental for the improvement of the MSW recycling system and WP management in other cities in China and other developing countries.
Interpretation and Use of the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener: A Latent Transition Approach
Authors: Iaccarino Stephanie , von der Embse Nathaniel , Kilgus Stephen
Published: April 2018

Detecting mental illness in school students may prevent poor school outcomes. Clinicians often use universal behavioral screeners to identify students at risk for mental illness. This study examined the applicability of Kane’s interpretation and use argument (IUA) to the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener–Teacher Rating Scale (SAEBRS-TRS). Using an imputed sample of N = 1,357 students, latent transition analysis was employed to understand the IUA framework on this sample and the stability of the latent classes of student risk over time. Results provide initial support for the interpretation and use of the SAEBRS-TRS, and suggest that student risk statuses remain relatively stable across time. Future directions and implications for practice are discussed.
Adult Learning in the Control Society: Digital Era Governance, Literacies of Control, and the Work of Adult Educators
Authors: Smythe Suzanne
Published: April 2018

This article reports on a study of adult literacy and learning in a public computing center where people contend with the new literacy demands of online government and other automated technologies. The study asks, (1) What literacy and learning practices are associated with digital governance? (2) What pedagogies support people to navigate digital government and automated technologies? (3) What are the broader implications of digital government for the work of adult educators? Bringing together sociomaterial theories of learning and methodologies of ethnographic case study, the study maps the literacies and pedagogies of digital government in the context of Deleuze’s society of control, arguing that digital-era governance spurs new forms of cognitive labor, new digital literacies and new pedagogies that are reshaping adult learning and the work of adult literacy educators. The article considers potential openings to “more than human” research and pedagogies that reconfigure adult literacy research and practice as sites of resistance to the control society.
Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Black Male Special Education Teachers
Authors: Scott LaRon A. , Alexander Quentin
Published: April 2018

In 2015, the National Goals Conference for and with people with intellectual disability encouraged the field of special education to recruit and retain more Black teachers. In this grounded theory study, 18 Black men were interviewed to learn more about experiences surrounding recruitment and retention in special education teacher-preparation programs (SETPPs) and for teaching careers in special education. Findings led to the development of a theory based on three constructs: (a) motivations for becoming a special education teacher, (b) attractions to SETPPs, and (c) focused strategies for recruitment and retention that indicated several strategies that SETPPs and school divisions should consider (e.g., funding, distance education program, mentorship) when attempting to recruit and retain Black males into training programs and for special education careers. The implication for the special education teacher workforce and potential for future research are discussed.
Perceived Barriers to Goals of Care Discussions With Patients With Advanced Cancer and Their Families in the Ambulatory Setting
Authors: Ethier Josee-Lyne , Paramsothy Thivaher , You John J. , Fowler Robert , Gandhi Sonal
Published: April 2018

Background:

Earlier goals of care (GOC) discussions in patients with advanced cancer are associated with less aggressive end-of-life care including decreased use of medical technologies. Unfortunately, conversations often occur late in the disease trajectory when patients are acutely unwell. Here, we evaluate practitioner perspectives of patient, family, physician, and external barriers to early GOC discussions in the ambulatory oncology setting.

Methods:

A previously published survey to assess barriers to GOC discussions among clinicians on inpatient medical wards was modified for the ambulatory oncology setting and distributed to oncologists from 12 centers in Ontario, Canada. Physicians were asked to rank the importance of various barriers to having GOC discussions (1 = extremely unimportant to 7 = extremely important).

Results:

Questionnaires were completed by 30 (24%) of 127 physicians. Respondents perceived patient- and family-related factors as the most important barriers to GOC discussions. Of these, patient difficulty accepting prognosis or desire for aggressive treatment were perceived as most important. Patients’ inflated expectation of treatment benefit was also considered an important barrier to discontinuing active cancer-directed therapy. While physician barriers were ranked lower than patient-related factors, clinicians’ self-identified difficulty estimating prognosis and uncertainty regarding treatment benefits were also considered important. Patient’s refusal for referral was the most highly rated barrier to early palliative care referral. Most respondents were nonetheless very or extremely willing to initiate (90%) or lead (87%) GOC discussions.

Conclusion:

Oncologists ranked patient- and family-related factors as the most important barriers to GOC discussions, while clinicians’ self-identified difficulty estimating prognosis and uncertainty regarding treatment benefits were also considered important. Further work is required to assess patient preferences and perceptions and develop targeted interventions.
Availability of Dutch General Practitioners for After-Hours Palliative Care
Authors: Plat Fredrik M. , Peters Yvonne A.S. , Giesen Paul , Smits Marleen
Published: April 2018

Background:

Continuity of care is important for palliative patients in their end of life. In the Netherlands, after-hours primary care for palliative patients is either provided by large-scale general practitioner (GP) cooperatives or GPs choose to give palliative care by themselves while they are not on duty.

Aim:

To examine the availability of, perceived problems by, and attitude of Dutch GPs regarding providing palliative care for their own patients outside office hours.

Design and Setting:

Cross-sectional observational study among 1772 GPs from 10 Dutch regions.

Method:

Online questionnaire among GPs affiliated with 10 GP cooperatives.

Results:

Five hundred twenty-four (29.6%) eligible questionnaires were returned. Of the GPs, 60.8% were personally available outside office hours for their own palliative patients on their own private cell phone and performed home visits if needed. In 33.0%, GPs were willing to make home visits in private time instigated by the GP cooperative and 26.8% were only accessible for telephone consultation by the GP cooperative. In 12.2%, the GP delegated after-hours palliative care completely to the GP cooperative. The GPs predominantly reported “time pressure” problems (17.3%) as a barrier and 61.7% stated that after-hours palliative care is the responsibility of the own GP.

Conclusion:

The large majority of Dutch GPs is personally available for telephone consultation and/or willing to provide palliative care for their own patients outside office hours. For the future, it is important to maintain the willingness of GPs to remain personally available for their palliative patients.
Longitudinal Patterns of Electronic Teen Dating Violence Among Middle School Students
Authors: Cutbush Stacey , Williams Jason , Miller Shari , Gibbs Deborah , Clinton-Sherrod Monique
Published: April 2018

We investigated rates and developmental trends of electronic teen dating violence (TDV) perpetration and victimization overall and by gender. Data were collected from a single cohort of seventh-grade students from four schools using paper-and-pencil surveys administered at 6-month intervals ( N = 795). Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and longitudinal growth models to estimate change over time in TDV. Overall, 32% of youth reported electronic TDV perpetration, and 51% reported electronic TDV victimization. Victimization was more prevalent for boys (42%) than for girls (31%) at baseline only ( t = 2.55, p < .05). Perpetration did not differ at any wave. Perpetration and victimization each decreased significantly from the beginning of seventh grade to the end of eighth grade, β = −.129 (.058), p < .05, for perpetration, and β = −.138 (.048), p < .01, for victimization. Gender moderated the decrease in reported victimization, with simple slopes indicating girls showed almost no change in victimization, β = .006 (.066), ns, whereas boys decreased significantly over the 2 years, β = −.292 (.069), p < .001. Although moderation by gender of change in perpetration was not conventionally significant, the simple slopes revealed that girls again showed a nonsignificant change in TDV across seventh and eighth grades, β = −.067 (.078), ns, whereas boys showed a significant decline in reported electronic TDV perpetration, β = −.197 (.083), p < .05. The high prevalence of electronic TDV underscore the need for addressing these behaviors within TDV prevention interventions.
A Qualitative Exploration of the Experiences of Veterans Who Are Serving Sentences in Custody
Authors: Unwin Michele , Winder Belinda
Published: April 2018

The focus on veterans in research is not a novel topic; however, the majority of studies are related to trauma, employment, mental health, suicide, and substance misuse. The criminal justice system involvement with veterans is a topic that has yet to be examined to a great extent. This study, conducted with adult male prisoners, elicited information from six veterans regarding their experiences of being in the armed forces, leaving the armed forces, and becoming involved in the criminal justice system. Responses were evaluated using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and three main themes were identified: “you’re baptized into the army,” “them and us,” and “operational mind-set”; each of which comprised a number of superordinate themes. The research highlights that although it is important to acknowledge the heterogenic nature of this group, it is equally important to note that much of their thinking and behavior may be similar to those that have not had these experiences. As such, there is a need to reduce the notion that they are separate and different to other prisoners, requiring different treatment. The study highlights that many of the offending behavior programs and interventions already available to prisoners would be appropriate for this group. The current research supports the merit in creating a service in prisons that will allow ex-servicemen to meet together and access the support that is available to them. The implications of the research are discussed further.
Job Evaluation Versus Market Pricing: Competing or Combining Methods of Pay Determination?
Authors: Armstrong Michael , Brown Duncan
Published: April 2018

The authors review what is happening to job evaluation today and conclude that while formal job evaluation schemes are still common, especially in the United Kingdom, research shows that the trend is towards simpler approaches. It is noted that market pricing dominates the U.S. scene, but in the United Kingdom, while market pricing is practiced extensively, achieving internal equity and demonstrating equal pay are still a major concern reported by practitioners: hence the prevalence evident in surveys of analytical job evaluation schemes. However, the trend in the United Kingdom is to consign point factor schemes into a subsidiary or supporting role and rely more on analytical matching or levelling techniques. The authors end their article with illustrations of the pragmatic approaches being adopted by U.K. organizations in combining traditional and market-driven pay determination approaches, as reported by respondents to a special e-reward research survey.
Thermal properties and degradability of low density polyethylene microcrystalline cellulose composites
Authors: Mubarak Yousef Ahmad , Abdulsamad Raghda Talal
Published: April 2018

The effect of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) on the thermal properties (melting and crystallization temperatures and percentage crystallinity) and degradation of low density polyethylene (LDPE)–MCC blends were investigated. Weight percentages of MCC were varied at 0, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 30 wt%. The thermal properties of the composites were studied using differential scanning calorimetry while the degradation test was carried out using soil burial method; the weight loss of LDPE/MCC composites was measured and analyzed over a period of 120 days. It has been found that the addition of MCC to LDPE increased the crystallization temperature from 99°C to 103.5°C and decreased the melting temperature from 117°C to 113.6°C. A rule of a nucleating agent has been given as an interpretation to this increase in the crystallization temperature and intensity of crystals by the increase of MCC content. The dramatic reduction was in the percentage crystallinity where the value reduced from 58% for neat LDPE to about 11% for LDPE/30 wt% MCC. On the other hand, the addition of MCC has a little effect on degradation of LDPE; the weight loss did not exceed 1.5% over a period of 120 days. It seems that even at high MCC concentration, LDPE long carbon chains restrict and increase the resistance to microorganism attack and hence, reduce the hydrolysis and degradability.
Lifelong learning, human capital development and the career advancement of women in the telecommunications industry in South Africa
Authors: Dosunmu Akinola George , Adeyemo Kolawole Samuel
Published: April 2018

This article offers insights into the concepts of lifelong learning and human capital development (HCD). It highlights HCD as the core of career advancement and lifelong learning for women as an important mechanism for progressing to senior management positions. The two concepts are considered in relation to women’s career choices and their professional advancement in South Africa. This approach is premised on the understanding that access to learning is critical to HCD. Methodologically, quantitative research methods was used. Questionnaires were administered to 133 junior workers at a mobile telecommunications network in South Africa. The findings show that continuous learning may offer a defence against gender discrimination and may create pathways for women to build their careers. The authors argue that HCD and lifelong learning are critical in creating opportunities for women to become leaders in the workplace and society. However, for this to happen, there must be supportive leadership, a conducive organizational culture and management integrity.
Industrial internet platforms: A conceptual evaluation from a product lifecycle management perspective
Authors: Menon Karan , Kärkkäinen Hannu , Wuest Thorsten , Gupta Jayesh Prakash
Published: April 2018

Industrial Internet platforms have the ability to access, manage and control product-related data, information and knowledge across all the lifecycle phases (beginning of life, middle of life and end of life). Traditional product lifecycle management/product data management software have many limitations when it comes to solving product lifecycle management challenges, like interoperability for instance. Industrial Internet platforms can provide real-time management of data and information along all the phases of a product’s lifecycle. Platform openness in combination with the above-mentioned industrial internet platform characteristics helps solve the product lifecycle management challenges. This article describes the product lifecycle management challenges in detail from the existing literature and presents solutions using industrial internet platform openness and related dimensions as well as sub-dimensions. A wide pool of platforms is narrowed down to specific platforms that can solve the documented product lifecycle management challenges and allow the manufacturing companies to collaborate as well as enhance their business. We also present in detail managerial implications toward long-term and sustainable selection of industrial internet platform.
Tyre–road friction μ-estimation based on braking force distribution
Authors: Paul Deepak , Velenis Efstathios , Humbert François , Cao Dongpu , Dobo Tamas , Hegarty Simon
Published: April 2018

In this work, we develop a rules-based µ-estimation algorithm which is independent of any tyre model and may be employed independently by brake control systems of the vehicle. The algorithm proposed herein aims at estimating the tyre/road friction coefficient during braking, in particular when one or more of the tyres approach the limit of adhesion. The proposed algorithm avoids the use of any particular tyre model and the need to identify several parameters of such models. It uses measurements of variables that are typically available in modern vehicles, namely, vehicle demanded and actual deceleration and wheel angular velocity, as well as the brake force distribution applied by the brake system. The algorithm is validated through implementation in high-fidelity vehicle dynamics simulation and by experimental data collected during experiments with a brake-by-wire electric vehicle.
Real-time application of a fuzzy adaptive control to one level in a three-tank system
Authors: Bahita Mohamed , Belarbi Khaled
Published: April 2018

In this experimental work, a fuzzy combined control method has been described and applied to test the ability of the artificial intelligence technique in controlling nonlinear systems in real-time applications. A direct feedback linearization ideal control law is approximated with a Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy inference system. The adaptation law of the Takagi–Sugeno controller parameters is computed based on a fuzzy approximation term of the control error. This approximation is computed using a Mamdani fuzzy system. The experiment is applied on one level in a three-tank system and a test of the controller ability against perturbations is considered. The obtained results were compared to those leaded by a classical proportional–integral controller. The basic idea of this work is the use of the control error (between the actual control signal and the perfect control signal) instead of the tracking error (between the output of the one level in a three-tank system and the reference signal). As our approach is model free, that is, we do not use the mathematical model of the three-tank system, in the application part of this work, the output of the constructed Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy controller is injected to the real three-tank system.
Hormesis and radiation safety norms: Comments for an update
Authors: Jargin SV
Published: April 2018

Hormesis can be explained by evolutionary adaptation to the current level of a factor present in the natural environment or to some average from the past. This pertains also to ionizing radiation as the natural background has been decreasing during the time of the life existence. DNA damage and repair are normally in a dynamic balance. The conservative nature of the DNA repair suggests that cells may have retained some capability to repair damage from higher radiation levels than that existing today. According to this concept, the harm caused by radioactive contamination would tend to zero with a dose rate tending to a wide range level of the natural radiation background. Existing evidence in favor of hormesis is substantial, experimental data being partly at variance with results of epidemiological studies. Potential bias, systematic errors, and motives to exaggerate risks from low-dose low-rate ionizing radiation are discussed here. In conclusion, current radiation safety norms are exceedingly restrictive and should be revised on the basis of scientific evidence. Elevation of the limits must be accompanied by measures guaranteeing their observance.
Lost in the aftermath
Authors: Lisle Debbie , Johnson Heather L
Published: April 2018

What happens when violence disappears? What is left in the backwash of crisis? Who attends to the emotional, material and ideational detritus of closing borders? Like many, we are working in the aftermath of the recent and deadly intensification of EU migration. We contest the widespread account that the ‘crisis’ is now over – that policymakers have effectively ‘solved’ the problem of migration by gathering undocumented subjects into infrastructures of containment. We focus instead on the painful traces of EU migration that continue to be produced by global structures of citizen/alien, legal/illegal, friend/enemy. We do not produce a comprehensive diagnosis, normative argument or critical framework. Instead, we rest awhile in the aftermath of the crisis – specifically on the Greek island of Kos – to think about questions of abandonment, erasure and displacement. This is a visual essay representing a conversation between two researchers as they interact with the aftermath of the refugee crisis on Kos. Reflecting on select images from September 2016, we present a dialogue that directly speaks to a core theme each image raises. In doing so, we question some of the basic assumptions about how to do critical analysis on migration, security and borders, and therefore seek to disrupt dominant modes of academic writing as well as the practice of research itself.
State-led gentrification in previously ‘un-gentrifiable’ areas: Examples from Vancouver/Canada and Frankfurt/Germany
Authors: Mösgen Andrea , Rosol Marit , Schipper Sebastian
Published: April 2018

Through an analysis of two international cases from Canada and Germany, this paper highlights the role of the state in governing gentrification and displacement in areas previously thought to be unattractive for profit-seeking capital, that is, ‘un-gentrifiable’. With this, we seek to contribute to the debate on how the role of the local state has changed from securing affordable housing for low-income households into becoming an essential player involved in real estate speculation. Taking Little Mountain in Vancouver as the first example, we examine the privatization and demolition of the public housing complex and thus the withdrawal of the state. Our second example, Ostend in Frankfurt, investigates the restructuring of a working-class neighbourhood through active state-led interventions including massive public investment. We analyse the two empirical examples along five dimensions: causal drivers and mechanisms that have led to the changing role of the state in governing urban transformations; policy instruments used by state agencies to encourage gentrification; strategies to legitimize state-led gentrification; outcomes in terms of direct and exclusionary displacement; and the forms of contestation and protest. We maintain that both cases, although presenting a stark contrast, follow the same rule, namely state-led gentrification.
Alexander Galagan: Russian titan of the Enlightenment in the history of accounting
Authors: Kuter Mikhail I , Gurskaya Marina M , Kuznetsov Alexander V
Published: April 2018

The purpose of the article is to analyze the characteristic features of the Enlightenment in Russian accounting in relation to the activity of its outstanding representative Alexander Galagan, who followed the motto, proclaimed in the essay “An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?” by Immanuel Kant, “Sapere aude!” (Dare to know!). For the first time in the English language literature, Galagan is spoken about not only as a theorist but as an accounting historian and a teacher. A detailed description of his works and views is presented. The article’s attention is focused on Galagan’s main aim: improving the status of accounting as a science. Following the results of the research, the following hypothesis has been advanced: which period of time should be regarded in Russian accounting as the Enlightenment? It has also been explained why Alexander Galagan can be considered as a model of Enlightenment.
Death Acceptance in Vietnamese Cancer Patients: A Phenomenological Study
Authors: Long Nguyen Hoang , Thanasilp Sureeporn , Doutrich Dawn Liam
Published: April 2018

Introduction: To date, death acceptance is not well investigated in the Vietnamese population. Cultural influences may affect death acceptance. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe Vietnamese cancer patients’ lived experience with death acceptance. Method: Eleven Vietnamese patients with various cancer diagnoses participated in the study. Data were analyzed using the Giorgian method of data analysis. Results: Themes of death acceptance found were (1) accepting destiny, (2) knowing and sacrificing the self, (3) believing in living persons and handing over responsibilities, (4) accepting death while continuing to fight for life, and (5) looking for a “role model death.” Discussion: Death acceptance is a contextually bound concept, which needs further investigation. To help patients with their death acceptance, nurses should include spiritual support and the involvement of loved ones in patients’ care plans.
Vibration control of a flexible rotor suspended by shape memory alloy wires
Authors: Alves Marco Túlio Santana , Steffen Valder , Castro dos Santos Marina , Savi Marcelo Amorim , Enemark Søren , Santos Ilmar Ferreira
Published: April 2018

The present contribution is devoted to the study of the influence of shape memory alloys on the dynamic behavior of flexible rotors. In this sense, a suspension composed by pseudoelastic shape memory alloy wires that are connected to a rotor-bearing test rig was designed. To evaluate the performance of the system, both numerical and experimental investigations are carried out. The suspension stiffness can vary, especially in the pseudoelastic region, so that this variation takes place per a hysteretic cycle denoting energy dissipation whenever the loading magnitude is sufficient to induce a phase transformation. The constitutive model used to describe the shape memory alloy behavior is a modified version of the Brinson model for the one-dimensional case. To provide all thermomechanical properties of shape memory alloy wire, a complete characterization process was performed. Due to numerical reasons, the size of the model of the rotating system was reduced. Finally, numerical and experimental results demonstrate the success of shape memory alloy applied to the suspension of rotating machines as an interesting alternative for vibration control.
Using Pinterest to Find and Share Evidence-Based Practices
Authors: Cleaver Samantha L. , Wood Charles L.
Published: April 2018

Pinterest is a social media platform that allows users to “pin” resources from the Internet and includes hundreds of connections to education sites. Pinterest is a popular and trusted resource for many teachers, making it a potential way to share evidence-based practices. This column describes how teachers can use Pinterest to share evidence-based practices that enhance instruction for students with disabilities and work toward eliminating the research-to-practice gap.
Meridian Cuffing Exercises Improved Functional Fitness and Cardiopulmonary Functioning of Community Older Adults
Authors: Tung Hsiao-Ting , Lai Chi-Chieh , Chen Kuei-Min , Tsai Han-Ya
Published: April 2018

This study was aimed to test the effects of a meridian cuffing exercise, the Healthy Beat Acupunch (HBA) regimen, on the functional fitness and cardiopulmonary functioning of community older adults. A single-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted. We randomly allocated eight community care centers to the intervention or control group and recruited 228 participants who completed the study (intervention: four centers, n = 111; control: four centers, n = 117). The intervention group underwent a 40-min session of HBA regimen 3 times per week for 6 months. Functional fitness and cardiopulmonary functioning were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months of the intervention. The intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in functional fitness and cardiopulmonary functioning than the control group between baseline and either 3 months or 6 months. We suggest that activities designed to promote health among community older adults include acupunch exercises.
The History, Policy Implications, and Knowledge Gaps of the CCTV Literature: Insights for the Development of Body-Worn Video Camera Research
Authors: Piza Eric L.
Published: April 2018

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) and body-worn video cameras (BWVCs)  have rapidly spread throughout policing. Such widespread deployment has heightened the importance of identifying best practices for both of these technologies. The research community has worked toward the identification of such best practices, with bodies of knowledge emerging for both CCTV and BWVCs  over recent decades. Given its earlier emergence, research on CCTV is more developed. Nonetheless, the BWVC literature is quickly becoming robust, with BWVC research developing at a much more rapid pace than research on most other police technologies. This essay reviews the CCTV and BWVC literatures across four main areas of inquiry: (1) program effect and common outcome measures, (2) contextual factors influencing program effect, (3) intervention costs, and (4) implementation issues. Specific attention is paid to knowledge gaps within the CCTV literature and how BWVC  research can avoid (or, in certain cases, already has avoided) similar knowledge gaps.
Ketamine as an Analgesic Adjuvant in Adult Trauma Intensive Care Unit Patients With Rib Fracture
Authors: Walters Mary K. , Farhat Joseph , Bischoff James , Foss Mary , Evans Cory
Published: April 2018

Background: Rib fracture associated pain is difficult to control. There are no published studies that use ketamine as a therapeutic modality to reduce the amount of opioid to control rib fracture pain. Objective: To examine the analgesic effects of adjuvant ketamine on pain scale scores in trauma intensive care unit (ICU) rib fracture. Methods: This retrospective, case-control cohort chart review evaluated ICU adult patients with a diagnosis of ≥1 rib fracture and an Injury Severity Score >15 during 2016. Patients received standard-of-care pain management with the physician’s choice analgesics with or without ketamine as a continuous, fixed, intravenous infusion at 0.1 mg/kg/h. Results: A total of 15 ketamine treatment patients were matched with 15 control standard-of-care patients. Efficacy was measured via Numeric Pain Scale (NPS)/Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) scores, opioid use, and ICU and hospital length of stay. Safety of ketamine was measured by changes in vital signs, adverse effects, and mortality. Average NPS/BPS, severest NPS/BPS, and opioid use were lower in the ketamine group than in controls (NPS: 4.1 vs 5.8, P < 0.001; severest NPS: 7.0 vs 8.9, P = 0.004; opioid use: 2.5 vs 3.5 mg morphine equivalents/h/d, P = 0.015). No difference was found between the cohort’s length of stay or mortality. Average diastolic blood pressure was higher in the treatment group versus the control group (75.3 vs 64.6 mm Hg, P = 0.014). Conclusion: Low-dose ketamine appears to be a safe and effective adjuvant option to reduce pain and decrease opioid use in rib fracture.
Bivariate Fourier-series-based prediction of surface residual stress fields using stresses of partial points
Authors: Wang Fengyun , Mao Kuanmin , Wu Shanguo , Li Bin , Xiao Gang
Published: April 2018

Surface residual stresses are critical parameters for evaluating the surface quality and can have an influence on many mechanical properties of solids. These stresses inevitably arise in almost all engineering components during manufacturing. However, most experimental and finite element approaches cannot obtain a complete surface residual stress field in a mechanical part. In this study, we propose a predictive method to determine surface stress fields, depending on residual stresses being self-equilibrating. The effectiveness of the approach is verified using a numerical surface of a beam example with ideal measurements and a casting–milling surface with experimental data. Using the proposed method, surface residual stress fields can be obtained from the stresses of a limited number of points including boundary points to solve the governing equations via a Fourier series bivariate polynomial as an Airy stress function with the Tikhonov regularization method. Our method does not require simulations of the residual stress generation process. This method is suitable for complex engineering parts where the manufacturing process is difficult to recreate in detail. The predicted stress field can be imported into a finite element solver as initial stresses to promote the design, manufacturing, and assessment of mechanical components.
Nonepithelial Tumors and Tumor-like Lesions of the Skin and Subcutis in Children
Authors: Dehner Louis P , Gru Alejandro A
Published: April 2018

This overview of mesenchymal tumors presenting in the skin and/or subcutis in children brings together the range of neoplasms and hamartomas which are seen in this age-group. It is not surprising from the perspective of the pediatric or general surgical pathologist that vascular anomalies, including true neoplasms and vascular malformations, are the common phenotypic category. Since there is considerable morphologic overlap among these lesions, clinicopathologic correlation may be more important than for many of the other mesenchymal tumors. The skin and subcutis are the most common sites of clinical presentation for the infantile myofibroma which is the most common of fibrous mesenchymal tumors in children. Several of the other mesenchymal tumors are more common adults-like dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, but nonetheless have an important presence in children, even as a congenital neoplasm. A lipomatous tumor in a young child should be considered as a possible manifestation of an overgrowth syndrome.
Between Responsibility and Positioning: A Study About Young People’s Interactions in Social Media
Authors: Eek-Karlsson Liselotte
Published: April 2018

This article examines young people’s argumentation about their communication in social media. The purpose is to uncover what is taken for granted in their experiences and illuminate discursive patterns in their representation of everyday life online. Thirty-two youths (14–15 years old) were interviewed. The result shows that there are three discourses involved that in different ways condition the youths’ acting space online. The discourses are called ‘taking responsibility’, ‘saving face’ and ‘social positioning’. There is a struggle between the discourses and they take on different power positions depending on the relation between three parameters: with whom the interaction takes place, the content that is to be published and the online characteristics. The discourse ‘taking responsibility’ is superior in interactions with close friends, unlike interactions with peripheral friends, where ‘social positioning’ is superior. The discourse ‘saving face’ is found in interactions with both close and peripheral friends.
β-Guanidinopropionic Acid Stimulates Brain Mitochondria Biogenesis and Alters Cognitive Behavior in Nondiseased Mid-Age Mice
Authors: Gureev Artem P , Shaforostova Ekaterina A , Starkov Anatoly A , Popov Vasily N
Published: April 2018

β-guanidinopropionic acid (β-GPA) has been used as a nutritional supplement for increasing physical strength and endurance with positive and predictable results. In muscles, it works as a nonadaptive stimulator of mitochondria biogenesis; it also increases lipid metabolism. There are data indicating that β-GPA can be also neuroprotective, but its mechanisms of action in the brain are less understood. We studied the effects of β-GPA on animal behavior and mitochondrial biogenesis in the cortex and midbrain of mid-age healthy mice. We found that even short-term 3-week-long β-GPA treatment increased the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in the cortex and ventral midbrain, as well as the expression of several key antioxidant and metabolic enzymes—indicators of mitochondria proliferation and the activation of Nrf2/ARE signaling cascade. At the same time, β-GPA downregulated the expression of the β-oxidation genes. Administration of β-GPA in mice for 3 weeks improved the animals’ physical strength and endurance health, ie, increased their physical strength and endurance and alleviated anxiety. Thus, β-GPA might be considered an adaptogene affecting both the muscle and brain metabolism in mammals.
A network approach to the analysis of psychosocial risk factors and their association with health
Authors: Elovainio Marko , Hakulinen Christian , Pulkki-Råback Laura , Juonala Markus , Raitakari Olli T
Published: April 2018

We modeled early psychosocial risks as a network of interconnected variables to study their associations with later depressive symptoms and cardiometabolic outcomes. The participants were a nationally representative sample of 2580 men and women aged 3–18 years in 1980. Their parents reported the psychosocial risks in 1980, including the following: (1) child-specific life events, (2) parental health behavior, (3) parental socioeconomic status, and (4) parental psychological problems. Adulthood depressive symptoms and cardiometabolic outcomes were measured in 2007–2012. The most central risks (most number of connections to other risks) were socioeconomic risks that also predicted health outcomes more consistently than others.
Pronunciation in foreign language classrooms: Instructors’ training, classroom practices, and beliefs
Authors: Huensch Amanda
Published: April 2018

The goal of this work was to explore the training, classroom practices, and beliefs related to pronunciation of instructors of languages other than English. While several investigations of this type have been conducted in English as a second/foreign language contexts, very little is known about the beliefs and practices of teachers of languages other than English. It is unknown whether recent shifts to focusing on intelligibility, as advocated by some pronunciation scholars, are borne out in foreign language classrooms. To fill this gap, instructors of Spanish ( n = 127), French ( n = 89), and German ( n = 80) teaching basic language courses (i.e. the first four semesters) at 28 large (e.g. more than 15,000 students), public universities in the United States completed an online survey reporting on their training, classroom practices, and beliefs. Similar to ESL/EFL contexts, the results indicated that instructors believe it is important to incorporate pronunciation in class and that it is possible to improve pronunciation. However, the findings also indicated that instructors have goals which simultaneously prioritize intelligibility and accent reduction. Implications include the need for research on which pronunciation features influence intelligibility in languages other than English and for materials designed to target these features.
Analysis of sudden infant death syndrome coverage in Canadian newspapers
Authors: Ahmed Sadia , Mitchell Ian , Wolbring Gregor
Published: April 2018

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS; also known as crib death) describes the sudden unexpected death of an infant under one year of age, which remains unexplained after a thorough investigation. SIDS is a public health concern. It is the fourth leading cause of infant death in Canada. Newspapers are a major source of health information for the public, shape public perceptions and can direct the discussion around issues. Despite the potential influence of newspapers, no study has examined the portrayal of SIDS in Canadian newspapers over time. The purpose of our study was to gain an understanding of SIDS coverage in Canadian English language newspapers using the Canadian Newsstream database from 1970 to 2015 and the historical database: The Globe and Mail from 1844 to 1977. Generating descriptive quantitative and qualitative data, we noted a decline in SIDS coverage over time. Blame and misdiagnosis were two dominant themes in the coverage of SIDS with many other aspects around SIDS missing; for example, indigenous people, who are at higher risk for SIDS, were rarely mentioned. Our findings suggest problems in the content and frequency of coverage of SIDS that have the potential to shape the public understanding of SIDS.
Building the journalistic paradigm: Beyond paradigm repair
Authors: Vos Tim P , Moore Joseph
Published: April 2018

This essay posits a corollary to the notion of paradigm repair that explores how a journalistic paradigm gets built and formed over time. The essay seeks to historicize paradigm repair, showing that paradigm repair might be but one moment in the longer history of paradigm work. This essay uses US journalism history to point to five periods or activities of paradigm building: paradigm experimentation, inception, formalization, normalization, and reconsideration. Paradigm repair is a phenomenon of paradigm normalization. The essay considers implications for future paradigm work.
The poetics of restoring Glen Canyon: the ‘desert imagination’ of Ellen Meloy and Terry Tempest Williams
Authors: Smith Laura
Published: April 2018

There has been a literary tradition supporting the restoration of Glen Canyon in southern Utah ever since construction began on Glen Canyon Dam in the late 1950s, and the canyons began to disappear behind the rising waters of Lake Powell. While some of Glen Canyon’s literary protagonists put forward a strong political and anarchical refrain for a ‘Glen Canyon restored’, this article considers those writers and texts that instead look to the power of appeals to emotion in defense of the desert. In particular, this article considers the evocative capacity of environmental writing to convey emotional and affective landscapes. This article examines the desert writings of Ellen Meloy and Terry Tempest Williams, and the ways in which they employ rhetoric, myth, story, motifs, metaphor, symbolism, and allegory to speak back to the environmental condition, and the ongoing call to restore Glen Canyon. Meloy’s and Williams’ works present individual testimonies molded by personal engagement, experience, and investigation in the desert – but also contribute to ecological and political discourse in the Glen.
Veterans and violence: An exploration of pre-enlistment, military and post-service life
Authors: Banks James , Albertson Katherine
Published: April 2018

Despite growing criminological interest in the many ex-service personnel mired within the UK’s criminal justice system, there remains a paucity of qualitative research studies examining the (violent) veteran offender. In response, this paper mobilizes the voices of veterans to explore the key life events that can shape their offending behaviour. Countering reductionist explanations of violent crime committed by ex-service personnel, we contend that veterans’ violence may be rooted within personal biographies and psyches, conditioned by military experiences and represent the psychosocial consequences of the socioeconomic transformations of advanced capitalism.
Social Media for Hepatitis B Awareness: Young Adult and Community Leader Perspectives
Authors: Cohen Chari , Alber Julia M. , Bleakley Amy , Grossman Suzanne , Freeland Catherine , Alarcon Kristine , Merchant Raina M.
Published: April 2018

Screening for hepatitis B (HBV) among high-risk young adults can help prevent its transmission and lead to earlier treatment and better long-term health outcomes. Yet few interventions have focused on increasing HBV awareness among young adults. Social media (SM) may be an effective method for disseminating information and engaging young adults about HBV. In this pilot study, qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to collect information on current use and perceptions toward SM through semistructured interviews and focus groups with young Chinese and Vietnamese adults and community leaders from local organizations in Philadelphia. Additionally, survey items were collected during the interviews and focus groups to provide quantitative data. Results from the interviews provided evidence that young adults and local organizations are already using SM and are open to using it to share general health information that is specific to their community. The focus groups suggested that using group pages or chats could be most appropriate for reaching young adults and that credible sources should be used to deliver messages that are tailored to the audience. The findings from this study will support the development of an SM intervention aimed at increasing HBV awareness.
Policy, Politics, and Public Attitudes Toward the Supreme Court
Authors: Ansolabehere Stephen D. , White Ariel
Published: April 2018

We assess the importance of the public’s policy agreement with the Supreme Court on public approval of the court. Using survey data on a range of recent court cases, we measure respondents’ perceived ideological closeness to the court. Then, we test various theories of court approval (doctrinal, functional, attitudinal). People who believe the court has decided recent cases as they themselves would have done, or that judges share their partisanship, report higher court approval than those who perceive the court as ideologically distant from them. We compare these findings with similar effects of policy agreement on Congressional and Presidential approval.
Differences Between APOE Carriers and Non-APOE Carriers on Neurocognitive Tests: Jensen Effects?
Authors: Nijenhuis Jan te , Choi Kyu Yeong , Choi Yu Yong , Lee Jang Jae , Seo Eun Hyun , Kim Hoowon , Lee Kun Ho
Published: April 2018

Background:

Being a carrier of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele is a clear risk factor for development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). On some neurocognitive tests, there are smaller differences between carriers and noncarriers, while other tests show larger differences.

Aims:

We explore whether the size of the difference between carriers and noncarriers is a function of how well the tests measure general intelligence, so whether there are Jensen effects.

Methods:

We used the method of correlated vectors on 441 Korean older adults at risk for AD and 44 with AD.

Results:

Correlations between APOE carriership and test scores ranged from −.05 to .11 (normal), and −.23 to .54 (AD). The differences between carriers and noncarriers were Jensen effects: r = .31 and r = .54, respectively.

Conclusion:

A composite neurocognitive score may show a clearer contrast between APOE carriers and noncarriers than a large number of scores of single neurocognitive tests.