bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Polish Women With Disabilities Challenge the Meaning of Motherhood
Authors: Wołowicz-Ruszkowska Agnieszka
Published: August 2015

In this qualitative study, I offer a feminist reflection on motherhood from the perspectives of 25 women with various types of physical and sensory disabilities. Disability was treated not only as an individual experience but also as a social construct. I conducted 25 non-standardised narrative interviews with women with various types of physical disabilities. Using grounded theory method, with a particular emphasis on symbolic interactionism, I identified three important themes from the non-standardised narrative interviews: the effects of insufficient health care on pregnant women, the lack of acceptance and support for mothers, and a welfare system inadequate to the needs of mothers. These themes affect the way Polish women with disabilities experience motherhood. Findings highlight the different ways that mothers with disabilities challenge the prevailing normative categories of gender and disability and, in so doing, demythologise and delegitimise the traditional Polish model of motherhood. While this study points to needed reforms in Poland to support women with disabilities, it also reveals a model of motherhood based on interdependence and mutual care. The women with disabilities in this study identify new possibilities for all families.
Impaired Quadriceps Rate of Torque Development and Knee Mechanics After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Patellar Tendon Autograft
Authors: Kline Paul W. , Morgan Kristin D. , Johnson Darren L. , Ireland Mary Lloyd , Noehren Brian
Published: August 2015

Background:

Rate of torque development (RTD) measures the ability of a muscle to produce torque quickly. Decreased quadriceps RTD may impair performance of sporting tasks after surgery. Currently, little is known about variations in quadriceps RTD between anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)–reconstructed and noninjured limbs.

Purpose:

To determine the differences in RTD of the quadriceps, the rate and timing of knee extensor moment (KEM) development, and knee flexion excursion during running after ACL reconstruction with patellar tendon autograft.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

This study involved 21 patients (11 female) 6 months after ACL reconstruction with patellar tendon autograft (median [IQR]: age, 18 [16-20] years; mass, 68.18 [61.34-75] kg; height, 1.74 [1.66-1.78] m). Patients performed four 5-second maximal voluntary isometric strength trials of both limbs on an isokinetic dynamometer. RTD was calculated as the mean slope of the torque-time curve between 20% and 80% of total time to peak torque. Then, patients underwent 3-dimensional motion analysis while running on an instrumented treadmill at a self-selected running speed (mean ± SD, 2.68 ± 0.28 m/s). The rate of knee extensor moment (RKEM) was calculated as the mean slope of the moment curve between 10% and 30% of stance phase. Between-limb comparisons were determined with a paired t test for peak KEM, RKEM, knee flexion excursion during 10% to 30% of stance, and time to generate KEM.

Results:

In the reconstructed limb, deficits in the peak rate of quadriceps torque development compared with the noninjured limb existed both isometrically (RTD, 257.56 vs 569.11 Nm/s; P < .001) and dynamically (RKEM, 16.47 vs 22.38 Nm/kg·m·s; P < .001). The reconstructed limb also generated a KEM later in the stance phase compared with the noninjured limb (11.37% vs 9.61% stance; P < .001) and underwent less knee flexion excursion (15.5° vs 19.8°; P < .001).

Conclusion:

After ACL reconstruction with patellar tendon autograft, patients have lower RTD and RKEM in the reconstructed limb. Deviations in RTD and the timing of the KEM can change the way the knee is loaded and can potentially increase injury risk and future development of posttraumatic osteoarthritis. Rehabilitation should consider exercises designed to improve RTD and prepare the limb for the demands of sport performance.
Becker Meets Braverman
Authors: Roy William G.
Published: August 2015

What are the potentials and limits of culture (in the sense of arts) to mitigate the alienation of manual work? How are these potentials and limits different in contrasting modes of production? Dudley's Guitar Makers epitomizes not only Becker's insistence that the art objects help explain how art operates but also Braverman's focus on the labor process in the social relations around the production of fine acoustic guitars. Korczynski's Songs of the Factory crosses the Becker/Braverman bridge from the other side, demonstrating how the workers at a blinds-making plant created a culture of sustenance and resistance through song and humor. The two books together reveal how music affords opportunities for mitigating alienation. A relational perspective is applied to conceptualize the social nature of music and work.
Persisting Issues in Pedagogical Agent Research
Authors: Schroeder Noah L. , Gotch Chad M.
Published: August 2015

Virtual characters have become ubiquitous in multimedia applications, appearing in numerous contexts such as characters in video games, avatars in immersive worlds, or tutors in multimedia learning environments. One type of virtual character is known as a pedagogical agent. Pedagogical agents are lifelike characters present in multimedia learning environments in order to facilitate learning. Pedagogical agents have been researched for nearly two decades, yet the effectiveness of including an agent in a learning environment remains debatable. The purpose of this study was to critically examine persisting issues in pedagogical agent research that examines the use of an agent to a nonagent condition. Our analysis of the literature highlights three persisting issues and provides promising future research directions.
Education Level of Catholic Hispanic Deacons
Authors: Ferrari Joseph R.
Published: August 2015

The present study assessed self-reported religiosity, spirituality, faith-related behaviors, leadership styles, and personality dimensions of 156 Hispanic Catholic deacons, based on varied educational degrees assisting in Hispanic ( n = 91) or non-Hispanic ( n = 65) parishes. Results found no significant differences on any self-reported variables for congregation ethnic status and similar reported rates for religious commitment, spiritual transcendence beliefs, leadership styles, and most faith-related practices. Highly educated deacons (i.e., those with graduate degrees; n = 49) reported lower rates of enthusiasm for worship but higher rates of conscientiousness and openness to experience than bachelor ( n = 38) or less educated ( n = 67) Hispanic deacons. It appears that clergy of color across educational levels (but regardless of their congregation’s ethnic identity), practice and hold varied faith-based beliefs and personality styles.
Rapid Adjustment of Circadian Clocks to Simulated Travel to Time Zones across the Globe
Authors: Harrison Elizabeth M. , Gorman Michael R.
Published: August 2015

Daily rhythms in mammalian physiology and behavior are generated by a central pacemaker located in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the timing of which is set by light from the environment. When the ambient light-dark cycle is shifted, as occurs with travel across time zones, the SCN and its output rhythms must reset or re-entrain their phases to match the new schedule—a sluggish process requiring about 1 day per hour shift. Using a global assay of circadian resetting to 6 equidistant time-zone meridians, we document this characteristically slow and distance-dependent resetting of Syrian hamsters under typical laboratory lighting conditions, which mimic summer day lengths. The circadian pacemaker, however, is additionally entrainable with respect to its waveform (i.e., the shape of the 24-h oscillation) allowing for tracking of seasonally varying day lengths. We here demonstrate an unprecedented, light exposure–based acceleration in phase resetting following 2 manipulations of circadian waveform. Adaptation of circadian waveforms to long winter nights (8 h light, 16 h dark) doubled the shift response in the first 3 days after the shift. Moreover, a bifurcated waveform induced by exposure to a novel 24-h light-dark-light-dark cycle permitted nearly instant resetting to phase shifts from 4 to 12 h in magnitude, representing a 71% reduction in the mismatch between the activity rhythm and the new photocycle. Thus, a marked enhancement of phase shifting can be induced via nonpharmacological, noninvasive manipulation of the circadian pacemaker waveform in a model species for mammalian circadian rhythmicity. Given the evidence of conserved flexibility in the human pacemaker waveform, these findings raise the promise of flexible resetting applicable to circadian disruption in shift workers, frequent time-zone travelers, and any individual forced to adjust to challenging schedules.
The Eye on Mitochondrial Disorders
Authors: Finsterer Josef , Zarrouk-Mahjoub Sinda , Daruich Alejandra
Published: August 2015

Ophthalmologic manifestations of mitochondrial disorders are frequently neglected or overlooked because they are often not regarded as part of the phenotype. This review aims at summarizing and discussing the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of ophthalmologic manifestations of mitochondrial disorders. Review of publications about ophthalmologic involvement in mitochondrial disorders by search of Medline applying appropriate search terms. The eye is frequently affected by syndromic as well as nonsyndromic mitochondrial disorders. Primary and secondary ophthalmologic manifestations can be differentiated. The most frequent ophthalmologic manifestations of mitochondrial disorders include ptosis, progressive external ophthalmoplegia, optic atrophy, retinopathy, and cataract. More rarely occurring are nystagmus and abnormalities of the cornea, ciliary body, intraocular pressure, the choroidea, or the brain secondarily affecting the eyes. It is important to recognize and diagnose ophthalmologic manifestations of mitochondrial disorders as early as possible because most are accessible to symptomatic treatment with partial or complete short-term or long-term beneficial effect. Ophthalmologic manifestations of mitochondrial disorders need to be appropriately diagnosed to initiate the most effective management and guarantee optimal outcome.
Intervening Globally
Authors: Perry Barbara
Published: August 2015

Deriving insights from the array of papers delivered across the course of the conference, this article highlights proactive and reactive approaches to hate crime from across the globe. It addresses both state-level and nongovernmental organization (NGO) responses, including legislation, police policy and practice, education, and public awareness initiatives. It also considers the potential limitations associated with some of these.
Factors Associated With Enhanced Knowledge and Use of Secondary Transition Evidence-Based Practices
Authors: Plotner Anthony J. , Mazzotti Valerie L. , Rose Chad A. , Carlson-Britting Kinsey B.
Published: August 2015

Students with disabilities lag behind peers without disabilities in most postsecondary outcome areas such as employment, postsecondary education, and independent living. Numerous initiatives aimed at supporting students as they transition from school to adult life have received attention over the last few decades. These initiatives include those that focus on preparing secondary special educators and transition personnel to be better equipped to facilitate these transitions. In this study, the authors examined the extent to which middle and high school educators ( n = 280) and direct-service transition professionals (e.g., transition specialists, rehabilitation counselors; n = 203) reported level of knowledge and modes of access to this knowledge related to secondary transition evidence-based practices (EBPs). In addition, this study examined if there is a difference in educators and direct-service transition professionals in reported use of EBPs. Results indicate that few educators and direct-service transition professionals believe their professional development opportunities fully prepared them with the knowledge and skills to use secondary transition EBPs. Implications and future research directions are also presented.
From Connection to Distance
Authors: Vanover Charles
Published: August 2015

This autoethnography describes the process of inquiry that led to the development of a series of ethnodramas that evoke teachers’ experience in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). I discuss the methods I used to conduct a set of interviews with two groups of elementary school teachers in CPS: beginning teachers who had never worked a classroom as a full-time job and accomplished teachers who spent many years of their lives teaching students of color. I discuss the use of arts-based research methods to engage with these data, and I describe the interpretive journey I undertook as I wrote and produced ethnodramas about CPS teachers’ experience. A major dilemma for my analysis was communicating the structural inequalities that shaped the teachers’ narratives, particularly the Chicago system’s inability to create working conditions necessary to support the retention and professional development of teachers in the city’s high poverty schools. I describe how the conversation and inner dialogue generated by arts-based methods helped me recognize different patterns within the data, and inspired me to reframe my interpretation. In the conclusion, I discuss the limits of my approach as a researcher and an artist. Excerpts from two playscripts are woven throughout the article to convey the commitment that guided the teachers’ work and to evoke the social forces that shaped life in their classrooms.
Study of Spirituality in Elderly With Subjective Memory Complaints
Authors: Trivedi Surbhi C. , Subramanyam Alka A. , Kamath Ravindra M. , Pinto Charles
Published: August 2015

Subjective memory complaints are very common among elderly. They can be due to depression, cognitive decline, or be a part of normal aging process. Spirituality is another important dimension in elderly, and it is believed to help them cope with various adversities. This study was done to find out whether any relation exists between these 2 variables in elderly. A total of 120 elderly individuals, presenting with subjective memory complaints, were divided into 3 groups — controls, elderly with depression, and elderly with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Spirituality in them was studied by dividing it into the subdomains of self-transcendence, presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, and locus of control. Spirituality was the highest in controls, followed by MCI group, and then depression group. Spirituality had a direct negative relationship with severity of depression, while relationship of spirituality with severity of cognitive decline was more complex. Relationship of spirituality with mental health status in elderly patients seemed bidirectional, that is, cause as well as effect relationship.
Spanish High School Students’ Interests in Technology
Authors: Inda-Caro Mercedes , Rodríguez-Menéndez Carmen , Peña-Calvo José-Vicente
Published: August 2015

The authors have examined the relative contribution of personal (emotional state, gender-role attitudes), contextual (perceived social supports and barriers), and cognitive (self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations) variables to technological interests in a sample ( N = 2,364) of 10th-grade Spanish students. The results of path analysis supported social cognitive career theory (SCCT), indicating that technological self-efficacy contributed to technological interests and technological outcome expectations. Perceived social support and perceived social barriers were related to technological self-efficacy, technological outcome expectations, and technological interests. However, the results did not support the hypothesis that outcome expectations contribute to interests. Contrary to expectations, there was no influence of gender-role attitudes on technological self-efficacy, but gender-role attitudes did determine technological interests. Finally, our study demonstrated that emotional state influenced technological self-efficacy beliefs, technological outcome expectations, and technological interests. This research extends previous work in this area by examining an understudied group, Spanish teenage students.
An Exploratory Investigation of Communication Technologies to Alleviate Communicative Difficulties and Depression in Older Adults
Authors: Ruppel Erin K. , Blight Michael G. , Cherney Maura R. , Fylling Samantha Q.
Published: August 2015

Objective: To explore associations between older adults’ communicative difficulties, depressive symptoms, and e-mail and telephone use with adult children. Method: We examined these associations using data from 1,634 participants (age M = 71.16, SD = 0.89; 54% female) in the 2011 wave of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Results: Better vision and worse speech were associated with more frequent e-mail contact with the selected child. Worse hearing was associated with more depressive symptoms for participants with low e-mail use but not for those with average or high e-mail use. Telephone use was not associated with communicative difficulties or depressive symptoms. Discussion: This study provides preliminary evidence that older adults might use communication technologies such as e-mail in their close relationships to compensate for communicative difficulties. The text-based format of e-mail might also help older adults mitigate hearing impairments and associated depressive symptoms.
Safety at the workplace: accidents and illnesses
Authors: Cioni Martina , Savioli Marco
Published: August 2015

The topic of work safety is a very relevant and multifaceted problem for workers, firms and policy makers. Differing from other narrow-scope studies, this article aims to enrich the understanding of workplace safety as a whole by applying econometric techniques on data from the Italian Labour Force Survey. Findings show poor working conditions are the most significant determinants of accidents and illnesses occurring at work, while having a fixed-term (temporary) contract is not significant. Other significant determinants of work safety are: not being new to the workforce; dissatisfaction with the current job; gender; and a latent proneness observed with occurrence of accident on the way to work. This article also highlights that work related accidents and illnesses are two deeply correlated phenomena and that there is a structural break after three years on the job.
Debt, consumption and freedom
Authors: Marron Donncha
Published: August 2015

The article explores a range of social scientific representations of credit and debt in the United States and Britain and how these have been organized around the problem of freedom. On the one hand, credit is projected as productive, embodying and securing liberal values of individual autonomy and self-determination. On the other, debt is portrayed as consumptive, ensnaring the individual, subverting her or his will and undermining the capacity for self-determination. The classic cultural injunction against consumer borrowing is captured under the rubric of the Puritan ethic which portrays indebtedness as contrary to the values of individual freedom and autonomy; however, it is shown here how the meanings attached to credit and debt have always been ambiguous in practice. Over the 20th century, and continuing today, a number of economic writers have attempted to legitimize the development of consumer credit by demonstrating how it contributes towards freedom and security. However, it is shown how these accounts shift in response to changing economic discourses as well as credit’s growing pervasiveness. In contrast, sociological writers have tended to criticize the accumulation of debt as damaging to both individual autonomy and societal welfare. Again, these accounts also manifest a notable change in emphasis over time in response to shifting constructions of the problem of social change. Finally, recent empirical work is drawn upon to demonstrate the ways in which freedom itself can be a contingent and contextual element in the production of consumer credit.
Estimation of fractal dimension and surface roughness based on material characteristics and cutting conditions in the end milling of carbon steels
Authors: Zuo Xue , Zhu Hua , Zhou Yuankai , Yang Jianhua
Published: August 2015

Cutting parameters and material properties have important effects on the quality of milled surface, which can be characterized by fractal dimension and surface roughness. The relationships between two surface parameters (surface roughness and fractal dimension) and material hardness, elongation, spindle speed and feed rate were investigated, respectively, in this study. Four carbon steels, that is, AISI 1020, Gr 50, 1045 and 1566, were milled with five spindle speeds and four feed rates on a computer numerical control machine. The surface topographies were measured with a three-dimensional profiler. The surface profiles were obtained by re-sampling the data points on the surface topography in the measurement direction. The surface roughness and fractal dimension were calculated from the two-dimensional profiles, where the fractal dimension was obtained by the root-mean-square method. The results showed that for specific spindle speed and feed rate, the roughness of the milled surface decreased with the workpiece hardness, whereas the elongation and fractal dimension increased with the hardness. Based on the material hardness and elongation, spindle speed and feed rate, empirical formulae were established to quantitatively estimate the surface roughness and fractal dimension. Moreover, the spindle speed and feed rate can be easily calculated from the empirical formulae to achieve a surface with the desired surface roughness and fractal dimension. The empirical formulae have been demonstrated with the experiments and were shown to be applicable in estimating the surface roughness and fractal dimension for all carbon steels in end milling. The results are instructive for the fractal dimension estimation of the machined surfaces of carbon steel, which has not been previously studied.
A novel identification approach for shearer running status through integration of rough sets and improved wavelet neural network
Authors: Si Lei , Wang Zhongbin , Liu Xinhua
Published: August 2015

In order to accurately and conveniently identify the shearer running status, a novel approach based on the integration of rough sets (RS) and improved wavelet neural network (WNN) was proposed. The decision table of RS was discretized through genetic algorithm and the attribution reduction was realized by MIBARK algorithm to simply the samples of WNN. Furthermore, an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm was proposed to optimize the parameters of WNN and the flowchart of proposed approach was designed. Then, a simulation example was provided and some comparisons with other methods were carried out. The simulation results indicated that the proposed approach was feasible and outperforming others. Finally, an industrial application example of mining automation production was demonstrated to verify the effect of proposed system.
Experimental study on the effects of the ignition parameters on the spark characteristics and the flame propagation of premixed methane–air mixtures
Authors: Wei Ruonan , Li Chunyan , Zhou Rongfang , Zhou Zhujie , Wu Xiaomin
Published: August 2015

The charging time and the electrode gap distance are very important ignition parameters for the spark ignition process. The effects of these two parameters on the spark characteristics and the flame propagation of premixed methane–air mixtures were investigated experimentally at a constant pressure and a constant temperature by using a constant-volume bomb and a high-speed schlieren system. The parameters of the spark characteristics, including the spark voltage, the spark current, the spark duration and the lean burn ignition limit, were experimentally measured, and the spark resistance and the ignition energy were calculated on the basis of these parameters. By comparing the schlieren photographs of laminar flame propagation in different conditions taken by the high-speed schlieren devices, the effects of the ignition parameters on the cross-sectional area of the flame, the flame radius and the speed of flame propagation were analysed. The results show that the charging time and the electrode gap distance have important influences on the early kernel formation. Increasing the charging time or the electrode gap distance can significantly increase the influences of the effective radius of ignition and the original kernel size, can increase the ignition energy and can promote kernel development and flame propagation. Increasing the charging time or the electrode gap distance can effectively increase the lean burn ignition limit but, when the electrode gap distance increases to a certain extent, only increasing the charging time can increase the lean burn ignition limit further.
The attitude estimation of three-axis stabilized satellites using hybrid particle swarm optimization combined with radar cross section precise prediction
Authors: Zhong Wei-Jun , Wang Jia-Song , Ji Wei-Jie , Lei Xin , Zhou Xiao-Wei
Published: August 2015

An attitude estimation approach based on the hybrid particle swarm optimization (HPSO) and radar cross section (RCS) precise prediction for the three-axis stabilized satellites in space is presented in this paper. The modified strategies with quantum behavior operator and cloud mutation based on the multi-phase particle swarm optimization are used to increase the diversity of particles, reduce the objective function evaluation times and improve the global searching ability. The simulated RCS sequences of three-axis stabilized satellites at the specified epoch are determined by the method combined the precise orbit and the RCS of satellites calculated by fast multipole method. The mean square error between measured RCS sequences and simulated RCS sequences is considered as the objective function. The attitude estimation problem is transferred to an optimization problem by minimizing the objective function with attitude angles, which is solved by HPSO. The operation procedure is shown clearly, and the set of measurement is analyzed. The numerical results of optimizing the test functions showing better behavior of the proposed algorithm method than standard particle swarm optimization in terms of accuracy are provided. Representative examples validate the accuracy and the anti-noise jamming ability of the proposed algorithm for attitude estimation of three-axis stabilized satellites.
A fast mutant fault detection method of underwater integrated navigation
Authors: Liu Yi-ting , Xu Xiao-su , Liu Xi-xiang , Sun Jin , Zhang Tao , Li Yao , Li Pei-juan
Published: August 2015

The concepts of the mean of residual and the sum of absolute residuals are introduced in this paper. Both of them along with the fault detection function are used to detect mutant fault of the assisted navigation devices in underwater integrated navigation system. (1) The traditional residual χ2 detection method is improved according to the structural characteristics of the underwater navigation system. (2) The mean of residual and the sum of absolute residuals are introduced as the characteristics of mutant faults. (3) The improved residual χ2 detection method is used to make sure of the happening of the mutant fault firstly. Then the residual mean and the sum of residual absolute values are used to distinguish the noise mutant system fault and the information mutant system fault. The results of simulations and the vehicle tests show that: (1) the mutant fault of the sub-system can be detected and the faulty sub-system can be isolated immediately when the fault appears with our novel method; (2) The noise mutant fault and the information mutant fault can be distinguished efficiently according to characteristics of the mean of residuals and the sum of the absolute residuals.
Numerical analysis of flow separation and side loads of a conical nozzle during staging
Authors: Jia Ruyan , Jiang Zhenyu , Zhang Weihua
Published: August 2015

The objective of this effort is to numerically investigate the effect of the fire-in-the-hole staging event on the start-up flow separation and side loads of a conical nozzle during flight. The axisymmetric transient flow structure in nozzle was examined by time-accurate numerical method with time-varying chamber pressure and separation gap width. Three-dimensional time-accurate computations to examine the side loads due to non-nominal staging movement were conducted for two particular cases: misalignment between two stages and the angle of the nozzle thrust vector direction. Each asymmetry case comprised several specific staging state points which determined the corresponding chamber pressure and staging gap width. As presented by the simulation results, the flow separation in nozzle is significantly prolonged and intensified by the obstruction of the lower stage dome. When the flow separation location moves close to the nozzle exit, a strenuously axial oscillation of the separation shock appears and lasts for a period of time. In the three-dimensional asymmetric computations, in spite of strenuous oscillation, the time-average of nozzle side loads indicate that the asymmetric staging situation could lead to large sustained lateral disturbance forces. An essential ingredient driving the flow unsteadiness and asymmetry is related to the deflected and reversed supersonic flow by the dome and interstage wall corner of lower stage.
A method for in vitro regional aerosol deposition measurement in a model of the human tracheobronchial tree by the positron emission tomography
Authors: Lizal Frantisek , Belka Miloslav , Adam Jan , Jedelsky Jan , Jicha Miroslav
Published: August 2015

Researchers have been studying aerosol transport in human lungs for some decades. The overall lung deposition can be predicted with sufficient precision nowadays. However, the prediction of local deposition remains an unsolved problem. Numerical modeling of aerosol transport can provide detailed data with such precision and spatial resolution which were unavailable in the past. Yet, the necessary validation of numerical results represents a difficult task, as the experimental data in a sufficient spatial resolution are hardly available. This article introduces a method based on positron emission tomography, which allows acquisition of detailed experimental data on local aerosol deposition in a realistic model of human lungs. The method utilizes the Condensation Monodisperse Aerosol Generator modified for a safe production of radioactive aerosol particles and a special measuring rig. The scanning of the model is performed on a positron emission tomography–computed tomography scanner. The evaluation of aerosol deposition is based on a volume radioactivity analysis in a specialized, yet publicly available software. The reliability of the method was tested and its first results are discussed in the article. The measurements performed using the presented method can serve for validation of numerical simulations, since the presented lung model digital geometry is available.
Running With the Pack
Authors: Allen Joseph P. , Uchino Bert N. , Hafen Christopher A.
Published: August 2015

This study assessed qualities of adolescent peer relationships as long-term predictors of physical health quality in adulthood. In an intensive multimethod, multireporter study of a community sample of 171 individuals assessed repeatedly from the ages of 13 to 27 years, physical health quality in adulthood was robustly predicted by independent reports of early-adolescent close-friendship quality and by a pattern of acquiescence to social norms in adolescent peer relationships. Predictions remained after accounting for numerous potential confounds, including prior health problems, concurrent body mass index, anxious and depressive symptoms, personality characteristics, adolescent-era financial adversity, and adolescent-era physical attractiveness. These findings have important implications for understanding the unique intensity of peer relationships in adolescence.
Age of Entry Into Early Childhood Education and Care as a Predictor of Aggression
Authors: Dearing Eric , Zachrisson Henrik Daae , Nærde Ane
Published: August 2015

Socioemotional risks associated with nonparental care have been debated for decades, and research findings continue to be mixed. Yet few studies have been able to test the causal hypothesis that earlier, more extensive, and longer durations of nonmaternal care lead to more problems. To examine the consequences of age of entry into nonparental care for childhood aggression, we used prospective longitudinal data from Norway, where month of birth partly determines age of entry into Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers. In this sample of 939 children followed from ages 6 months through 4 years, ECEC teachers reported the children’s aggression when they were 2, 3, and 4 years old. We found some evidence that age of entry into ECEC predicted aggression at age 2, albeit modestly and not robustly. Between the ages of 2 and 4 years, the effect of age of entry on aggression faded to negligible levels. The implications for psychological science and policy are discussed.
Online optimization of automotive engine coldstart hydrocarbon emissions control at idle conditions
Authors: Azad Nasser L
Published: August 2015

In this work, we propose a model-based scheme for the online optimization of coldstart hydrocarbon emission control strategy of an automotive spark-ignited engine during its idle operating conditions. First, the existing model-based control schemes to reduce the coldstart emissions are reviewed and classified. Then, the proposed scheme and the related control-oriented engine model validated by experimental data are introduced. At the heart of the suggested scheme, there is a new optimal control problem formulation for the coldstart that can be solved rapidly using the Pontryagin’s minimum principle. This formulation is based on a redefined objective function with weighted terms for the coldstart key variables, that is, the engine-out hydrocarbon emission and the exhaust gas temperature. The weighting numbers for these dominant factors in the redefined objective function are tuned such that the optimum solution becomes close to the minimum of the cumulative tailpipe hydrocarbon emissions. The use of the redefined objective function reduces significantly the computational efforts, resulting in an order of magnitude faster convergence rate than solving the original coldstart hydrocarbon emission minimization problem with a complex form. This important property is demonstrated with some simulation results based on the above-mentioned engine model. This feature makes the new formulation a good fit to the proposed scheme, where measured or estimated state variables of the engine model can be fed back to the control unit to re-calculate online the input profiles, such as the spark timing and the air/fuel ratio. Through online modification of the pre-determined input trajectories obtained from off-line calculations, the control performance degradation in practice due to the plant/model mismatch, which is equivalent to a significant increase of the tailpipe hydrocarbon emissions, can be reduced considerably.
Mundane science use in a practice theoretical perspective: Different understandings of the relations between citizen-consumers and public communication initiatives build on scientific claims
Authors: Halkier Bente
Published: August 2015

Public communication initiatives play a part in placing complicated scientific claims in citizen-consumers’ everyday contexts. Lay reactions to scientific claims framed in public communication, and attempts to engage citizens, have been important subjects of discussion in the literatures of public understanding and public engagement with science. Many of the public communication initiatives, however, address lay people as consumers rather than citizens. This creates specific challenges for understanding public engagement with science and scientific citizenship. The article compares five different understandings of the relations between citizen-consumers and public issue communication involving science, where the first four types are widely represented in the Public Understanding of Science discussions. The fifth understanding is a practice theoretical perspective. The article suggests how the public understanding of and engagement in science literature can benefit from including a practice theoretical approach to research about mundane science use and public engagement.
Developing organisational ethics in palliative care
Authors: Sandman Lars , Molander Ulla , Benkel Inger
Published: August 2015

Background:

Palliative carers constantly face ethical problems. There is lack of organised support for the carers to handle these ethical problems in a consistent way. Within organisational ethics, we find models for moral deliberation and for developing organisational culture; however, they are not combined in a structured way to support carers’ everyday work.

Research objective:

The aim of this study was to describe ethical problems faced by palliative carers and develop an adapted organisational set of values to support the handling of these problems.

Research design:

Ethical problems were mapped out using focus groups and content analysis. The organisational culture were developed using normative analysis and focus group methodology within a participatory action research approach.

Main participants and research context:

A total of 15 registered nurses and 10 assistant nurses at a palliative unit (with 19 patient beds) at a major University Hospital in Sweden.

Ethical considerations:

The study followed standard ethics guidelines concerning informed consent and confidentiality.

Findings:

We found six categories of ethical problems (with the main focus on problems relating to the patient’s loved ones) and five categories of organisational obstacles. Based on these findings, we developed a set of values in three levels: a general level, an explanatory level and a level of action strategies.

Discussion:

The ethical problems found corresponded to problems in other studies with a notable exception, the large focus on patient loved ones. The three-level set of values is a way to handle risks of formulating abstract values not providing guidance in concrete care voiced in other studies.

Conclusion:

Developing a three-level set of values adapted to the specific ethical problems in a concrete care setting is a first step towards a better handling of ethical problems.
Book Review: V. Kumaraswamy. 2014. Making Growth Happen in India: A Road Map for Policy Success
Authors: Kaur Har Sandeep
Published: August 2015

V. Kumaraswamy. 2014. Making Growth Happen in India: A Road Map for Policy Success. New Delhi: SAGE Publications, pp. xxvi + 272. ₹ 650. ISBN: 978-81-321-1792-6 (PB).
Perceived Job Stress and Presence of Hypertension Among Administrative Officers in Sri Lanka
Authors: Gamage Anuji Upekshika , Seneviratne Rohini De Alwis
Published: August 2015

A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 275 and 760 randomly selected senior officers (SOs) and managerial assistants (MAs) aged between 30 and 60 years. Sum of scores of efforts, rewards, and overcommitment and effort–reward ratio assessed job stress. Blood pressure was measured and classified using JNC-7 guidelines. The response rates of SOs and MAs were 98.9% and 97.2%, respectively. The prevalence of job stress based on high effort–rewards imbalance among SOs and MAs was 74.6% and 80.5%, respectively. The prevalence of overcommitment among SOs and MAs was 35.3% and 29%, respectively. Statistically significant differences ( P = .05) were observed between the prevalence of effort–reward imbalance and overcommitment among SOs and MAs. Multivariate analysis indicated effort–reward imbalance (odds ratio [OR] = 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-7.4), high efforts (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.2-5.3), and overcommitment (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.1-5.6) were significantly associated with hypertension among SOs. Similarly, effort–reward imbalance and high efforts increased the risk of hypertension by 2-fold (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.1-4.2) and 3-fold (OR = 3.02; 95% CI = 1.9-4.8), respectively, among the MAs. A significant number of administrators are afflicted by job stress, and job stress was significantly associated with hypertension.
Level of Physical Activity in Population Aged 16 to 65 Years in Rural Kerala, India
Authors: Aslesh O. P. , Mayamol P. , Suma R. K. , Usha K. , Sheeba G. , Jayasree A. K.
Published: August 2015

Kerala is a state in India with a high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. In order to control these diseases, the prevalence of modifiable risk factors such as low physical activity need to be studied. For this a cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the level of physical activity among 240 residents aged between 15 and 65 years in Kulappuram, a village in north Kerala. Low level of physical activity was seen in 65.8% of the study participants. The average duration of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity per day in different domains such as work, travel, and recreation were 40.5, 10.1, and 12.7 minutes, respectively. The average duration of sedentary activities was 284.3 minutes per day. The level of physical activity was more among those engaged in unskilled work (adjusted odds ratio = 4.32; confidence interval = 1.38-13.51) and unmarried persons (adjusted odds ratio = 3.65; confidence interval = 1.25-10.65). No statistically significant difference in physical activity level was seen in different age, education, religious, and economic categories. The study concludes that the physical activity level was low in the study population.
Professional socialization and institutional change: German corporate leaders in transition
Authors: Freye Saskia
Published: August 2015

Recent institutional approaches have granted actors more strategic space in coping with their structural environment, but they largely neglect to conceive actors as social entities, thereby reducing the relation between actors and institutions mostly to interaction effects. This article underscores the dialectical and mutually constitutive relation between actors and institutions by taking a more actor-centred perspective. Empirically, the article analyses the professional socialization of corporate leaders in Germany in the context of the changing face of German capitalism. Drawing on insights from the literature on social agency and the sociology of management, it is argued that the professional socialization of corporate leaders, which facilitated a more consensus orientation, persisted over a long period, but eroded after the 1980s. The more conflictual interpretation of institutions and economic relations by today's corporate leaders is not only linked to (internal and external) political and economic structural changes but also to the managers' new professional experience.
A Culturally Adapted Smoking Cessation Intervention for Korean Americans
Authors: Kim Sun S.
Published: August 2015

Korean Americans have the highest smoking rate within the Asian American population. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally adapted telephone cessation intervention for Korean Americans. Participants were recruited from advertisements on a Korean radio station channel in New York City. All received a combination of telephone cessation counseling and nicotine patches. Thirty-one (2 women and 29 men) participated in the study. At 3-month follow-up, 14 (45.2%) reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence and 13 (41.9%) achieved 3-month prolonged abstinence. Except for two who lived alone, self-reported abstinence was corroborated by a family member. The findings point to the direction that a nationally centralized Korean-language quitline service should be established to help Korean Americans quit smoking. Furthermore, the service should be adapted at a deep level of the culture.
Modeling and analysis of reversible shape memory adaptive panels
Authors: Bodaghi M , Damanpack AR , Liao WH , Aghdam MM , Shakeri M
Published: August 2015

The aim of this article is to model and analyze reversible shape adaptive panels integrated with one-way shape memory alloy actuators and to examine the effects of martensite variants reorientation. A robust three-dimensional macroscopic model is implemented to simulate shape memory effect, pseudo-elasticity, and ferro-elasticity features of shape memory alloys. The shape memory alloy constitutive model provides analytical closed-form solutions for self-accommodation and martensite reorientation mechanisms while proposing an iterative solution scheme for martensite transformation or orientation assuming an exponential form for transformation kinetics. The finite element formulations are derived based on the first-order shear deformation theory considering the modified Sanders shell assumptions and including geometrical nonlinearity in the von Kármán sense. An iterative incremental procedure on the basis of the elastic-predictor inelastic-corrector return mapping algorithm is introduced to solve the coupled governing equations of equilibrium with both material and geometrical nonlinearities. The numerical illustrations emphasize the feasibility of reversible shape adaptive panels integrated with thermally activated pre-strained one-way shape memory alloy ribbons or layers. Effects of martensite reorientation, pre-strain, temperature, arrangement, and dimension of shape memory alloys as well as of thermal cycles are investigated, and their implications on the performances of reversible shape adaptive spherical panels are highlighted, and pertinent conclusions are outlined.
Conflicted Identification in the Sex Education Classroom
Authors: Williams Elizabeth A. , Jensen Robin E.
Published: August 2015

Despite enormous resources spent on sex education, the United States faces an epidemic of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among young people. Little research has examined the role sex educators play in alleviating or exacerbating this problem. In this study, we interviewed 50 sex educators employed by public schools throughout a Midwestern, U.S. state about their experiences in the sex education classroom. Twenty-two interviewees communicated feelings of conflicted identification and provided examples of the ways in which they experienced this subjectivity in the context of their employment. We find these interviews shed light on the as-yet-understudied communicative experience of conflicted identification by delineating key sources of such conflict and discursive strategies used in its negotiation. Our results suggest that those who experience conflicted identification and who have a sense of multiple or nested identifications within their overarching professional identity may be safeguarded to some extent from eventual organizational disidentification.
Impact of a Centralized Inpatient Hospice Unit in an Academic Medical Center
Authors: Jegier Briana J. , O’Mahony Sean , Johnson Julie , Flaska Rita , Perry Anthony , Runge Mary , Sommerfeld Teri
Published: August 2015

Objective:

Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) and Horizon Hospice opened the first centralized inpatient hospice unit (CIPU) in a Chicago academic medical center in 2012. This study examined if there was a difference in cost or length of stay (LOS) in a CIPU compared to hospice care in scattered beds throughout RUMC.

Study Design and Methods:

This retrospective, cross-sectional study compared cost and LOS for patients admitted to the CIPU (n = 141) and those admitted to hospice scattered beds (SBM) throughout RUMC (n = 56).

Results:

The CIPU patients had a median LOS of 6.0 days versus 2.0 days for SBM patients.

Conclusions:

The CIPU patients had longer hospice LOS but lower hospital costs. Academic medical centers may benefit from aggregating hospice beds.