bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge about prevention and management of acute diarrhoea among caregivers of children aged under 5 years treated at an emergency department in Pernambuco, Brazil
Authors: dos Santos Yuri FC , de B Correia Jailson , Falbo Ana R
Published: December 2014

Background

The World Health Organization stresses the need for training families in the adequate management of acute diarrhoea to reduce child mortality and morbidity. This study analysed caregiver knowledge about diarrhoea prevention and management in north-east Brazil.

Methods

Cross-sectional study of 213 children aged under 5 years treated at a public emergency department in Pernambuco, Brazil. Caregiver knowledge was assessed with a questionnaire.

Results

Caregivers believed that breastfeeding until age 6 months, not using tap water for food preparation, vaccination against rotavirus and other diseases help prevent diarrhoea. Regarding treatment, caregivers reported taking children to the hospital at the first sign of diarrhoea (57.3%), administering medication (68.1%) and withholding solids (63.7%). Only 40.8% knew how to prepare oral rehydration solution; 78.4% believed it could cure diarrhoea. Only 43.9% of caregivers mentioned one or more signs of dehydration.

Conclusions

Caregivers in this region had limited knowledge of appropriate diarrhoea management.
Transport of sick neonates to a tertiary care hospital, south India: condition at arrival and outcome
Authors: Rathod Deepak , Adhisivam B , Bhat B Vishnu
Published: December 2014

Objective

To describe the transport of sick neonates to a tertiary care hospital and evaluate their condition at arrival and outcome.

Methods

This descriptive study included 303 extramural neonates who were transported to a tertiary care hospital in south India. Demographic parameters, transport details and clinical features at arrival were recorded. All neonates were followed up till discharge or death. Transport and clinical variables were correlated with outcome.

Results

Sepsis and birth asphyxia were the major indications for transport. Only 11% were transported by 108 ambulances (free government service). One-fifth of all neonates died and among them 76% were hypothermic and 10% hypoglycemic on admission. Prematurity, pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), prolonged rupture of membranes (PROM), respiratory distress, grunting, bleeding, abdominal distension and a positive blood culture correlated with a poor outcome.

Conclusion

Stabilisation prior to transport is essential and the principles of neonatal transportation are independent of distance. Hypothermia and hypoglycaemia should be prevented in neonates during transport as they adversely affect the outcome.
The Microfoundations of Policy Inertia
Authors: Tortola Pier Domenico
Published: December 2014

It is widely acknowledged that a key cause of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)’s longevity is its feedback effect on federal policy making via the creation of a large coalition of beneficiaries. Much less is known about the “microfoundations” of this self-perpetuating logic, namely, the city-level mechanisms directing local preferences toward preserving the grant. As a first attempt to fill this gap, this article identifies three such mechanisms and tests them on the cases of Arlington, VA, and Baltimore, MD. The study aims to contribute to a more fine-grained picture of the CDBG’s dynamics and suggest new avenues for the reform of this program.
Validating the Slovenian national alignment to CEFR: The case of the B2 reading comprehension examination in English
Authors: Ilc Gašper , Stopar Andrej
Published: December 2014

The paper examines the results of the CEFR alignment project for the Slovenian national examinations in English. The authors aim to validate externally the standard-setting procedures by adopting a socio-cognitive model of validation (Khalifa & Weir, 2009; Weir, 2005) to analyse the scoring, context and cognitive validity of three reading subtests: the Slovenian B2 national examination and the international examinations FCE and CAE, aligned with B2 and C1 respectively. The relative comparability between the three subtests is determined by analysing the results of tests that have been administered to a group of 80 test-takers (expected CEFR level: B2). The placement of the test-takers also reveals to what extent the judgements of the Slovenian panellists about CEFR levels coincide with those reported for FCE and CAE. The study thus also explores whether the high degree of agreement between the judges on the alignment panel can be solely attributed to their adequate and precise understanding of CEFR descriptors – which is directly mirrored in their setting of the cut scores and relating the examination to relevant CEFR levels – or whether it can also be ascribed to their shared educational, national and cultural background. The answers to these questions are paramount because they reveal the descriptive adequacy of CEFR descriptors and because different interpretations of CEFR levels can significantly affect national testing policies and, consequently, language teaching and testing.
Oxy-RVAD: rescue in pulmonary complications after LVAD implantation
Authors: Mohite P N , Sabashnikov A , De Robertis F , Popov A F , Simon A R
Published: December 2014

Pulmonary complications after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation seldom occur; however, if present, they may prove catastrophic. An Oxy-RVAD (oxygenator in right VAD circuit) is a lifesaving technique in such cases and allows freedom of introducing and removing an oxygenator into the RVAD circuit without opening the chest and competing with LVAD flow.
Use of Brand Community Markers to Engage Existing Lifestyle Consumption Communities and Some Ethical Concerns
Authors: Gordon Ross , Jones Sandra , Barrie Lance , Gilchrist Heidi
Published: December 2014

This study explores how alcohol brands use markers of brand community (consciousness of kind, rituals and traditions, and moral responsibility) to engage existing lifestyle consumption communities. Drawing on consumption community and ethics theory, the article examines the interface between brands and a lifestyle consumption community, and explores ethical issues and implications from this phenomenon. A mixed methods research case study examining alcohol sports sponsorship of the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) is presented to generate understanding of the live context and explore the use of markers of brand community to engage adolescent members of the NRL lifestyle consumption community. Evidence of consciousness of kind, and rituals and traditions relating to brand activity, was identified, but was less evident in relation to moral responsibility. The study also identified some important theoretical, practical, and ethical implications. This research addresses a significant gap in the current literature by identifying how community markers can be used by brands to engage existing lifestyle consumption communities, and distinguishing ethical implications that warrant attention.
Alteration patterns of brain glucose metabolism: comparisons of healthy controls, subjective memory impairment and mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Song In-Uk , Choi Eun Kyoung , Oh Jin Kyoung , Chung Yong-An , Chung Sung-Woo
Published: December 2014

Background

Some groups have focused on the detection and management of subjective memory impairment (SMI) as the stage that precedes mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, there have been few clinical studies that have examined biomarkers of SMI to date.

Purpose

To investigate the differences in glucose metabolism as a prodromal marker of dementia in patients with SMI, MCI, and healthy controls using brain F-18 fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET).

Material and Methods

Sixty-eight consecutive patients with SMI, 47 patients with MCI, and 42 age-matched healthy subjects were recruited. All subjects underwent FDG-PET and detailed neuropsychological testing. FDG-PET images were analyzed using the statistical parametric mapping (SPM) program.

Results

FDG-PET analysis showed glucose hypometabolism in the periventricular regions of patients with SMI and in the parietal, precentral frontal, and periventricular regions of patients with MCI compared with healthy controls. Interestingly, hypometabolism on FDG-PET was noted in the parietal and precentral frontal regions in MCI patients compared to SMI patients.

Conclusion

The results suggest that hypometabolism in the periventricular regions as seen on FDG-PET may play a role as a predictive biomarker of pre-dementia, and the extension of reduced glucose metabolism into parietal regions likely reflects progression of cognitive deterioration.
Sustaining cyborgs: Sensing and tuning agencies of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators
Authors: Oudshoorn Nelly
Published: December 2014

Recently there has been a renewed interest in cyborgs, and particularly in new and emerging fusions of humans and technologies related to the development of human enhancement technologies. These studies reflect a trend to follow new and emerging technologies. In this article, I argue that it is important to study ‘older’ and more familiar cyborgs as well. Studying ‘the old’ is important because it enables us to recognize hybrids’ embodied experiences. This article addresses two of these older hybrids: pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators inserted in the bodies of people suffering from heart-rhythm disturbances. My concern with hybrid bodies is that internal devices seem to present a complex and neglected case if we wish to understand human agency. Their ‘users’ seem to be passive because they cannot exert any direct control over the working of their devices. Technologies inside bodies challenge a longstanding tradition of theorizing human–technology relations only in terms of technologies external to the body. Cyborg theory is problematic as well because most studies tend to conceptualize the cyborg merely as a discursive entity and silence the voices of people living as cyborgs. Inspired by feminist research that foregrounds the materiality of the lived and intimate relations between bodies and technologies, I argue that creating these intimate relations requires patients’ active involvement in sustaining their hybrid bodies. Based on observations of these monitoring practices in a Dutch hospital and interviews with patients and technicians, the article shows that heart cyborgs are far from passive. On the contrary, their unique experience in sensing the entangled agencies of technologies and their own heart plays a crucial role in sustaining their hybrid bodies.
The imperialism of race: class, rights and patronage in the Philippine city
Authors: Magno Christopher N. , Parnell Philip C.
Published: December 2014

Decisions by the US Supreme Court at the end of the Spanish American War facilitated US colonial expansionism by laying the foundations for a two-tiered system of rights in the Philippines. In tandem with establishing the legal boundaries of citizenship, politicians and media extended a race-based system of governance through speeches and graphic caricatures that racialised Filipinos as underdeveloped and threatening. Both the law and a patron-client system served to create a new Filipino elite that collaborated with the colonial authorities and entrenched cultural imperialism; the racial patterning of white American/Filipino relations was then transduced into class relations among Filipinos that continue to stratify Philippine society, with the Filipino elite replacing the colonial administrators in this two-tiered system of rights. Today, this racial categorisation and organisation of people continues to appear in popular imagery; and the replacement of race by class in a rights-based bifurcation of Philippine society shapes the ways in which penal law in metropolitan Manila is practised and administered so that the poor (some 40 to 50 per cent of the population) experience a diminished, second-class form of citizenship.
Ken Saro-Wiwa: a hero for our times
Authors: Brittain Victoria
Published: December 2014

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Eight, executed by the Nigerian state after a trial overseen by judges loyal to the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha. Here, we reproduce a selection of Saro-Wiwa’s poems and an extract from his final speech to the tribunal that sentenced him to death. The author goes on to consider the legacy of Saro-Wiwa’s struggle against the ecological destruction of his homelands wrought by Big Oil’s Shell. Despite the results of a landmark legal action against Shell, resolved in favour of the plaintiffs, those living in the Niger Delta continue to pay a heavy toll for decades of oil extraction, for which Shell still evades responsibility. While Shell has yet to implement a programme of environmental recovery, and corruption in Nigeria remains endemic, the author argues that impunity is rendered unsustainable by Saro-Wiwa’s enduring impact on the political consciousness of the Ogoni people and others, and the growing connectedness of environmental justice struggles the world over.
Rewiring fascists: behind the cult of Exit
Authors: Fekete Liz
Published: December 2014

The European Commission is advocating Exit programmes for White Supremacists as part of its counter-radicalisation programme. The author critically examines the experiences of Sweden and Germany in using Exit with far-right extremists since the 1990s, and finds anti-racism itself being blamed by its practitioners who tend to see their clients as new victims. The programmes themselves have no effective evaluation mechanism of fascist disengagement and the fact that those who are ‘turned’ by Exit not only avoid sanctions but also can be made into public experts-cum-celebrities, is also problematic. But for governments this apolitical and malleable counter-radicalism industry, that distances itself from traditional anti-fascist values, is attractive.
Factors Predictive of Concomitant Injuries Among Children and Adolescents Undergoing Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery
Authors: Newman Justin T. , Carry Patrick M. , Terhune E. Bailey , Spruiell Murray D. , Heare Austin , Mayo Meredith , Vidal Armando F.
Published: December 2014

Background:

The timing of treatment for pediatric anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries remains controversial. The risks of delaying reconstruction and the differences between age groups are poorly defined.

Purpose:

To investigate factors that contribute to the prevalence and severity of concomitant chondral and meniscal injuries among patients aged 14 to 19 years versus those aged ≤14 years at the time of ACL reconstruction. The hypothesis was that concomitant injuries would be more prevalent in older versus younger subjects. Also, a delay in surgery would be predictive of the presence and severity of concomitant knee injuries requiring additional operative procedures.

Study Methods:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

All subjects who underwent primary ACL reconstruction at a single tertiary pediatric hospital between 2005 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. The location, severity, and treatment of all concomitant knee injuries were recorded. Chi-square tests were used to compare the prevalence of chondral and meniscal injuries in the older (age, 14-19 years; n = 165) versus younger (age, ≤14 years; n = 66) cohorts. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors related to the presence of a concomitant injury that required additional treatment. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to explore the relation between time to surgery and meniscal injury severity.

Results:

There was a significant relationship between time to surgery and the development of an irreparable meniscal injury ( P < .05 for all) in both the younger and older groups. Time to surgery correlated with severity of chondral injury in the younger cohort ( P = .0343) but not in the older cohort ( P = .8877). In the younger cohort, only a delay in surgery >3 months (odds ratio [OR] = 4.8; 95% CI, 1.7-14.4; P = .0027) was significantly predictive of the presence of an injury that required additional operative procedures. In the older patients, a return to activity before surgery (OR = 3.8; 95% CI, 1.52-11.9; P = .0034) and obesity (OR = 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-7.4; P = .0381) were significantly predictive of an injury that required additional operative procedures.

Conclusion:

Compared with younger subjects, the prevalence of concomitant knee injuries as well as the need for additional operative procedures was greater among older subjects. A delay to surgery correlated with increased severity of injury among both older and younger populations. A delay in surgery >3 months was the strongest predictor of the development of a concomitant injury in the younger cohort. A return to activity and obesity were significantly related to the presence of a concomitant knee injury in the older cohort.
Computational analysis and material selection in cross-section of a composite wind turbine blade
Authors: Theotokoglou Efstathios E , Balokas Georgios A
Published: December 2014

In wind turbines, blades are critical design members because performance depends on blade material, shape, twist angle, etc. The problem of internal, mechanical design and material selection for a prototypical high-power horizontal axis wind turbine blade under static, flap-wise loading is investigated in this study. At first a materials selection methodology has been proposed. A very detailed computational analysis based on finite element modes is developed representing the load-carrying box girder of the blade with a given airfoil shape, size, and the type and position of the interior load-bearing longitudinal beams–shear webs. Results concerning displacements and stresses are generated using both plane and shell elements with linear and nonlinear analyses.
Micromechanical analysis of stochastic fiber/matrix interface strength effect on transverse tensile property of fiber reinforced composites
Authors: Shang Yi-Bo , Shi Hui-Ji
Published: December 2014

The effect of Weibull distribution-based stochastic fiber/matrix interface strength on the transverse tensile strength and failure process of long fiber reinforced composites was numerically investigated in represent volume elements. The transverse tensile strength and failure strain of the stochastic interface strength models are much lower than the identical interface strength cases, indicating that transverse tensile strength calculated from the identical interface strength model will lead to an overestimation. In the stochastic interface strength model, failure path goes along interfaces of lower strength but not always the lowest strength, and variation of fiber location distribution will lead to a different failure process. Influence of the two Weibull parameters on the transverse tensile strength was also investigated. The transverse tensile strength improves with the increase of Weibull scale parameter and shape parameter. A small value of shape parameter will lead to a scattered interface strength distribution and much lower transverse tensile strength.
Electronic Information Systems Use in Residential Care Facilities
Authors: Davis Jullet A. , Zakoscielna Karolina , Jacobs Lindsey
Published: December 2014

The use of electronic information systems (EISs) including electronic health records continues to increase in all sectors of the health care industry. Research shows that EISs may be useful for improving care delivery and decreasing medical errors. The purpose of this project is twofold: First, we describe the prevalence of EIS use among residential care facilities (RCFs), and second, we explore utilization differences by ownership status and chain affiliation. We anticipate that RCFs that are non-profit and non-chain will use more EIS than other categories of RCFs. Data for this project come from the 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities. The sample consists of 2,300 facilities. Overall use of EIS was greatest among RCFs that are non-profit and chain-affiliated. Conversely, the use was lowest among for-profit RCFs that were also non-chain affiliated. This may suggest that these facilities lack the necessary resources or motivation to invest in information systems.
Educational Credentialing of an Aging Workforce
Authors: Isopahkala-Bouret Ulpukka
Published: December 2014

This study investigates the educational attainment of an aging workforce from the perspective of educational credentialing. The research questions are defined as follows: Why are workers over age 50 attaining university degrees? How do they narratively construct the rational for pursuing well-recognized credentials in midlife? The specific focus is on Finnish professionals who pursued master’s degrees in their 50s. The basic motive for studying was to earn a recognized degree, which provides eligibility for professional jobs, validates past successes at work, and enables aging workers to maintain a good occupational position. At the same time, the interviewees questioned the power of educational credentials to define the status at work and in society at large. To prevent social exclusion of aging workers, it is necessary to question the normative faith on ever-increasing importance of educational credentials and address accompanying ageist practices.
What Do Citizens Have to Do? Parents’ and Adolescents’ Messages About Civic Duty
Authors: Oosterhoff Benjamin , Metzger Aaron , Babskie Elizabeth
Published: December 2014

The current study examined demographic and civic behavior correlates of observed messages concerning civic duty coded from dyadic, semi-structured interactions between 160 adolescents ( Mage = 14.42, range = 12-18) and their parents (144 mothers, 52 fathers). Anecdotal statements are provided to illustrate the eight themes that emerged within parent-adolescent civic discussion. Three themes concerned community and political involvement— community service, voting, and other standard political involvement (e.g., keeping up with current events)—and five themes concerned informal civic duties— be productive (e.g., working and becoming educated), follow regulations, help others, respect country, and respect others. In mixed-effect logistic regression models, coding categories were differentially associated with parent and adolescent demographic characteristics and parent-reported civic behavior.
Mechanism underlying acute lung injury due to sulfur mustard exposure in rats
Authors: Xiaoji Zhu , Xiao Meng , Rui Xu , Haibo Chu , Chao Zhao , Chengjin Lian , Tao Wang , Wenjun Guo , Shengming Zhang
Published: December 2014

Sulfur mustard (SM), a bifunctional alkylating agent that causes severe lung damage, is a significant threat to both military and civilian populations. The mechanisms mediating the cytotoxic effects of SM are unknown and were investigated in this study. The purpose of this study was to establish a rat model of SM-induced lung injury to observe the resulting changes in the lungs. Male rats (Sprague Dawley) were anesthetized, intratracheally intubated, and exposed to 2 mg/kg of SM by intratracheal instillation. Animals were euthanized 6, 24, 48, and 72 h post-exposure, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissues were collected. Exposure of rats to SM resulted in rapid pulmonary toxicity, including partial bronchiolar epithelium cell shedding, focal ulceration, and an increased amount of inflammatory exudate and number of cells in the alveoli. There was also evidence that the protein content and cell count of BALF peaked at 48 h, and the alveolar septum was widened and filled with lymphocytes. SM exposure also resulted in partial loss of type I alveolar epithelial cell membranes, fuzzy mitochondrial cristae, detachment and dissociation of ribosomes attached to the surface of rough endoplasmic reticulum, cracked, missing, and disorganized microvilli of type II alveolar epithelial cells, and increased apoptotic cells in the alveolar septum. The propylene glycol control group, however, was the same as the normal group. These data demonstrate that the mechanism of a high concentration of SM (2 mg/kg) induced acute lung injury include histologic changes, inflammatory reactions, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and nuclear DNA damage; the degree of injury is time dependent.
Melatonin controlled apoptosis and protected the testes and sperm quality against bisphenol A-induced oxidative toxicity
Authors: Othman Azza I , Edrees Gamal M , El-Missiry Mohamed A , Ali Doaa A , Aboel-Nour Mohamed , Dabdoub Banan R
Published: December 2014

Epidemiological reports have indicated a correlation between the increasing bisphenol A (BPA) levels in the environment and the incidence of male infertility. In this study, the protective effects of melatonin on BPA-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis were investigated in the rat testes and epididymal sperm. Melatonin (10 mg/kg body weight (bw)) was injected concurrently with BPA (50 mg/kg bw) for 3 and 6 weeks. The administration of BPA significantly increased oxidative stress in the testes and epididymal sperm. This was associated with a decrease in the serum testosterone level as well as sperm quality, chromatin condensation/de-condensation level, and the percentage of haploid germ cells in the semen. BPA administration caused a significant increase in apoptosis accompanied by a decrease in the expression of the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 in the testes and epididymal sperm. The concurrent administration of melatonin decreased oxidative stress by modulating the levels of glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase as well as the malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide concentrations in the testes and sperm. Melatonin sustained Bcl-2 expression and controlled apoptosis. Furthermore, melatonin maintained the testosterone levels, ameliorated histopathological changes, increased the percentages of seminal haploid germ cells, and protected sperm chromatin condensation process, indicating appropriate spermatogenesis with production of functional sperm. In conclusion, melatonin protected against BPA-induced apoptosis by controlling Bcl-2 expression and ameliorating oxidative stress in the testes and sperm. Thus, melatonin is a promising pharmacological agent for preventing the potential reproductive toxicity of BPA following occupational or environmental exposures.
Backlash for Breaking Racial and Ethnic Breaking Stereotypes
Authors: Peguero Anthony A. , Jiang Xin
Published: December 2014

This research examines if and how social and cultural stereotypes insulate or aggravate the risk for adolescent victimization and partially explain racial and ethnic disparities with being a victim of violence at school. Analyses that draw on the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 and use multilevel analytical techniques suggest important results. Most notably, increased educational achievement, academic involvement, and having White American friendships are potential victimization risk factors for Black/African American and Latino American adolescents at urban and/or suburban schools. In addition to discussing the findings, this study underscores the importance of investigating the complexities associated with race and ethnicity when addressing adolescent victimization.
The Effects of Cumulative Violence Clusters on Young Mothers’ School Participation
Authors: Kennedy Angie C. , Adams Adrienne E.
Published: December 2014

Using a cluster analysis approach with a sample of 205 young mothers recruited from community sites in an urban Midwestern setting, we examined the effects of cumulative violence exposure (community violence exposure, witnessing intimate partner violence, physical abuse by a caregiver, and sexual victimization, all with onset prior to age 13) on school participation, as mediated by attention and behavior problems in school. We identified five clusters of cumulative exposure, and found that the HiAll cluster (high levels of exposure to all four types) consistently fared the worst, with significantly higher attention and behavior problems, and lower school participation, in comparison with the LoAll cluster (low levels of exposure to all types). Behavior problems were a significant mediator of the effects of cumulative violence exposure on school participation, but attention problems were not.
College Students’ Definitions of Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Jiao Yanpeng , Sun Ivan Y. , Farmer Ashley K. , Lin Kai
Published: December 2014

Although a large number of studies have been conducted worldwide to examine various aspects of intimate partner violence (IPV), comparative study of people’s views on such violence in Chinese societies has been scarce. Using survey data collected from more than 850 college students in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, this study specifically assessed the impact of attitudes toward gender role and violence, personal and vicarious experience, demographic characteristics, and locality on students’ definitions of IPV. The Taiwanese students were most likely to define a broader range of abusive behavior as IPV, followed by Hong Kong and Beijing students. Gender role and violence attitudes appeared to be most important predictors of IPV definitions. College students who supported the notion of male dominance were more likely to have a narrower definition of IPV, whereas those who viewed domestic violence as crime were more inclined to have a broader definition of IPV. Implications for future research and policy were discussed.
Deterring Spammers
Authors: Kigerl Alex C.
Published: December 2014

This study sought to evaluate the deterrent impact the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN SPAM) Act has had on email spam rates over time. A sample of 5,490,905 spam emails was collected and aggregated into a monthly time series. Thirteen measures of CAN SPAM Act enforcement were coded from news articles and included in a time-series regression. The results suggest a possible deterrent effect of prosecutions, convictions, and lengthy jail sentences for spammers, but an emboldening effect of short jail sentences. The penalties under the CAN SPAM Act focus on fines more than prison terms. The results find no deterrent effect for fines, as spammers tend to earn a large income from sending spam. The Act might be revised to include prison sentences, especially longer ones to avoid the emboldening effect found. A deterrent impact was found for prosecutions, even though the CAN SPAM Act is under-enforced. Expanding enforcement might also be advisable.
The Ecuadorian Resource Dilemma: Sumak Kawsay or Development?
Authors: Lalander Rickard
Published: December 2014

This article examines the tensions between constitutional rights, welfare politics and extractivism in Ecuador. In practice, the rights of nature risk being subordinated to other human values amidst strategic State interests in economic development and social programs, due to the government’s pragmatic approach toward environmental rights. The Ecuadorian Constitution of 2008 has been celebrated for being the most radical in the world regarding the specific rights of nature and the indigenous peoples. The central framing of the Constitution is the indigenous concept of Sumak Kawsay regarding humans being in harmony with nature. The Rafael Correa government launched a groundbreaking initiative to protect biodiversity and indigenous peoples in the oil rich national park of Yasuní, adding to the image of Ecuador as an ecological alternative to follow and a challenge to global capitalism. Far-reaching welfare programs have been implemented during the Correa administration, but resource extraction has increased. In light of the Ecuadoran experience, substantial questions remain as to whether Sumak Kawsay can be a path for socialist transformation and ecologically solvent development.
The Dancing Nurses and the Language of the Body
Authors: Winther Helle , Grøntved Susanne Næsgaard , Kold Gravesen Eva , Ilkjær Ingeborg
Published: December 2014

At first glance, dance and movement may appear foreign to the idea of nurse education. On closer inspection, it could be high time. The flow of words may stop, but the body is always in movement—always communicating. Still, the language of the body, and certainly movement, is an often overlooked potential in education. This is also true for nurse education: in spite of the often bodily close meetings with vulnerable and crisis-stricken patients. These meetings make great demands on the nurse to both contain own feelings and be able to “read” and understand patients’ often only sense-based communication. This dimension of the nursing profession can be overwhelming, touching, and shocking for young nursing students. This research project examines, whether a course composed of theory, dance and movement lessons, and increased focus on the bodily communication between students and patients may be developmental for the nursing students’ beginning embodied professionality. Results from the project have innovative educational potentials. They also give concrete indications of how nursing educations can develop new holistic anchored embodied training in a very accessible, as well as essential, ancient, and unavoidably present part of the nursing profession.
Numerical determination of reliability in probabilistic design
Authors: Catic Dobrivoje M , Nikolic Ruzica R , Glisovic Jasna D
Published: December 2014

The paper gives a numerical procedure for determining the reliability, based on known theoretical models for distribution of the working stress and the corresponding mechanical properties of materials. The procedure is based on one of the transformed forms of the general equations for the analytical determination of reliability. Along with a presentation of the method, a detailed explanation is given of the algorithm that the created computer program is based on. The verification procedure is performed as an example for a combination of normal distributions of the working and the critical stresses. At the end of the paper is presented a discussion on impact of each of the factors that influence the accuracy of solutions of the considered method.
Study on design and simulation analysis of the double horse-head pumping unit based on the compound balance structure
Authors: Fu Hailong , Zou Longqing , Wang Yue , Feng Zhipeng , Song Zhenhua
Published: December 2014

Double horse-head pumping unit, being one of the most classical mechanical equipment, has high efficiency and good balance ability during the oil extraction owing to its horse-head structure connecting with the rod by the steel wire rope. But its characteristic of energy consumption reduction is limited because of the motor torque fluctuation and negative torque appearing while the pumping unit is working in the upstroke and downstroke. The compound balance design is applied to the double horse-head pumping unit by the crank balance and walking beam balance, which is completed by the equal energy principle during the up and down circulation of the oil suction unit. The finite element model of the whole equipment is built, and the simulation analysis is completed by the software ADAMS, under the conditions of the compound balance and that of the crank balance. The output torque of the crank, the forces from the back horse-head rope, and the connection pin are calculated. From the viewpoint of system design to compare with the traditional crank balance pumping unit, the compound balance design can reduce the torque fluctuation greatly, decrease the forces of steel wire rope connecting with the back horse-head, and get rid of the structure problems from the traditional pumping unit. The stress test of the double horse-head pumping unit designed by the compound balance method is completed in the oilfields. It has proved the correctness and reasonability of the compound balance design. The methodology of the compound balance design is helpful in improving the work efficiency and reliability and bringing about better abilities of energy consumption reduction for the pumping unit during its work circulation.
Mode-switching-based active control of a powertrain system with non-linear backlash and flexibility for an electric vehicle during regenerative deceleration
Authors: Lv Chen , Zhang Junzhi , Li Yutong , Yuan Ye
Published: December 2014

Regenerative braking provided by an electric powertrain is very different from conventional friction braking with respect to the system dynamics. During regenerative decelerations, the powertrain backlash and flexibility excite driveline oscillations, causing the vehicle driveability and the blended brake performance to deteriorate. In this article, system models, including a powertrain model with non-linear backlash and flexibility, and a hydraulic brake system model, are developed. The effects of the powertrain backlash and the flexibility on the vehicle driveability during regenerative deceleration are analysed. To improve the driveability and the blended braking performance of an electric vehicle further, a mode-switching-based active control algorithm with a hierarchical architecture is developed providing compensation for the backlash and the flexibility. The proposed control algorithms are simulated and compared with the baseline strategy under the regeneration braking process. The simulation results show that the vehicle driveability and the blended braking performance can be significantly enhanced by the developed active control algorithm.
Post-socialist acceleration: Fantasy time in a multinational bank
Authors: Chelcea Liviu
Published: December 2014

This article describes the transformations of work-discipline and time in a large Romanian state bank privatized to a European bank in the early 2000s. Building on ethnographies of skilled service workers’ experience of time, I describe the sudden process of disciplining the post-socialist workforce and the instilling of a new sense of daily routine. Based on data collected from middle managers, human resources personnel and socialist-era employees, I describe the post-privatization transformations of time and work. These include a sharper separation of work and life, greater standardization of time-keeping, individualization of work space, colonization of personal time by organizational time, and the dumping of personal plans into an indefinite future. The mixture of perpetual, high-paced present and a diffuse “long-term” future where meaningful plans and self-promises are located might be called “fantasy time.”
Identifying and Overcoming Threshold Concepts and Conceptions
Authors: Burch Gerald F. , Burch Jana J. , Bradley Thomas P. , Heller Nathan A.
Published: December 2014

Educators have been challenged to identify threshold concepts and develop transformed students. This stands in stark contrast to many curriculum design and delivery models that currently view students as repositories of knowledge. In this article, we argue that educators can reach both goals, identify stumbling blocks and transforming students, through purposeful and insightful blending of a curriculum design and delivery using a conception-focused curriculum (CFC) to design courses built on the integration of concepts and viewing them through the lens of the discipline. This process takes advantage of the student’s previous knowledge and their natural learning tendencies. Educators that use the CFC model will identify threshold concepts, design learning activities that support learning outcomes, access prior knowledge and understandings, and guide students to overcome learning barriers.
Interrelations Between Siblings and Parents in Families Living With Children With Cancer
Authors: Kobayashi Kyoko , Hayakawa Akira , Hohashi Naohiro
Published: December 2014

Having a child diagnosed with cancer is a stressful event for the family. This exploratory multimethod study utilized both quantitative and qualitative multiinformant methodologies to investigate the relationships between parental family functioning and siblings’ health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and to describe interrelations between the experiences of parents and siblings of children with childhood cancer. A total of 14 Japanese families participated in the quantitative study, and 4 families of the 14 participated in the qualitative study. In-depth, semistructured interviews revealed three family-unit stages during the time course of the ill child’s treatment that included particular parent–sibling interrelations. We also found strong correlation between parental family functioning and siblings’ HRQOL in the quantitative study. The results suggest the importance of family nursing interventions directed to individual family members and the family unit that focus on strengthening the parent–sibling relationship and supporting families who are experiencing childhood cancer.
Progressively Engaging
Authors: Segaric Cheryl Ann , Hall Wendy A.
Published: December 2014

In this grounded theory study, informed by symbolic interactionism, we explain how nurses, patients, and family members construct relationships in acute care settings, including managing effects of work environments. We recruited participants from 10 acute care units across four community hospitals in a Western Canadian city. From 33 hr of participant observation and 40 interviews with 13 nurses, 17 patients, and 10 family members, we constructed the basic social-psychological process of progressively engaging. Nurses, patients, and family members approached constructing relationships through levels of engagement, ranging from perspectives about “just doing the job” to “doing the job with heart.” Progressively engaging involved three stages: focusing on tasks, getting acquainted, and building rapport. Workplace conditions and personal factors contributed or detracted from participants’ movement through the stages of the process; with higher levels of engagement, participants experienced greater satisfaction and cooperation. Progressively engaging provides direction for how all participants in care can invest in relationships.
To create a cleanroom controlled environment using a mobile air decontamination unit for the preparation of antineoplastic drugs
Authors: Lecordier Julien , Plivard Claire , Gardeux Michel , Daouadi Karim , Lahet Jean-Jacques
Published: December 2014

Objectives

To use a mobile air decontamination unit (MADU) for a microbial destruction and decreased particle burden making a cleanroom controlled environment in a Centralized Chemotherapy Preparation Unit (CCPU). Good manufacturing practices (GMP) in France specify that the ambient air in the vicinity of a class III biosafety cabinet (isolator) complies with air cleanliness ISO 8 level in CCPU. This guideline has a significant impact because implementing a dedicated air handling unit (AHU) brings some engineering constraints and generates substantial additional costs.

Methods

Authors have previously studied some technical and economical aspects to evaluate the feasibility of the MADU option.

Results

Using a MADU was the chosen option. Qualification of the CCPU showed that results were in compliance with the French GMP. After one year of use, the efficiency of the MADU was confirmed. According to these results, using a MADU constitutes a beneficial option for CCPU previously equipped with an isolator when compared to renovation work involving a standard built-in AHU.
New micromechanical estimates of the interaction energy for shape memory alloys modeled by a two-phases microstructure*
Authors: Bernardini Davide , Masiani Renato
Published: December 2014

The interaction energy is a fundamental ingredient in the modeling of the macroscopic behavior of shape memory alloys and several attempts have been carried out to derive explicit formulas for it by micromechanical methods. The available models vary in sophistication according to the level of detail in the description of the underlying microstructure. There is, however, a common issue with most micromechanical estimates: they tend to overestimate the values of the interaction energy. While various solutions to this problem can be envisaged in the framework of multi-variant models by enriching the description of the microstructure, it seems that similar remedies are not yet available in the two-phases setting. In this work the quantitative relevance of this effect is evaluated, in a sample case, showing that it may lead to violations of the second law of thermodynamics. A new class of micromechanical estimates based on a two-phases microstructure is then proposed and used to model, in an overall way, the secondary accommodation phenomena that take place around product phase regions. The proposed expressions for the interaction energy turn out to yield physically plausible values, consistent with the thermodynamical bounds.
Serum ionised calcium as a prognostic risk factor in the clinical course of pancreatitis in cats
Authors: Dias Claúdia , Carreira L Miguel
Published: December 2014

Objectives

The aims of the study were to assess the possible effects of sex, age and breed on the evolution of pancreatitis, and to understand if low values of serum ionised calcium ([Ca2+i]) can be considered as a prognostic risk factor for determining the clinical course of the disease.

Methods

A sample of 24 cats (n = 24) with pancreatitis was used and grouped according to the disease progress into two groups: (i) non-fatal (NF) for those that recovered and (ii) fatal (F) for those that died. Quantification of [Ca2+i] and feline pancreatic lipase (fPL) was carried out for each patient at two different times: T1 (day of diagnosis) and T2 (day of recovery or death). For statistical analysis, P values  <0.05 were considered significant.   

Results

At T1, 58.3% of patients presented with hypocalcaemia, 33.3% with normocalcaemia and 8.3% with hypercalcaemia. The [Ca2+i] mean values were higher in the F group than in NF. At T2, 75.0% of patients showed normocalcaemia and 25.0% hypocalcaemia. The mean value of [Ca2+i]   for F at T2 was 0.88 ± 0.23 mmol/l, whereas for NF it was 1.10 ± 0.11 mmol/l. There was no sex or age predisposition for disease development, but a breed effect was noted (domestic shorthair cats were more prone to developing pancreatitis).

Conclusions and relevance

The results suggest that hypocalcaemia is common in patients with pancreatitis and that [Ca2+i] may be used as a prognostic risk factor for predicting the clinical course of the disease, with values ⩽1 mmol/l corresponding to a poor prognosis.
The incidence and prevalence of comorbid gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, ocular, pulmonary, and renal disorders in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review
Authors: Marrie Ruth Ann , Reider Nadia , Stuve Olaf , Trojano Maria , Sorensen Per Soelberg , Cutter Gary R , Reingold Stephen C , Cohen Jeffrey
Published: December 2014

Background:

As new disease-modifying therapies emerge a better knowledge of the risk of comorbid disease in multiple sclerosis (MS) is needed.

Objective:

To estimate the incidence and prevalence of comorbid gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, ocular, pulmonary, and renal disorders in MS.

Methods:

We systematically reviewed the world literature by searching PUBMED, EMBASE, SCOPUS, the Web of Knowledge, and reference lists of retrieved articles. For selected articles, one reviewer abstracted data using a standardized form. The abstraction was verified by a second reviewer. The quality of all selected studies was assessed. For population-based studies we quantitatively assessed studies using the I2 statistic, and conducted random effects meta-analyses.

Results:

Study designs were heterogeneous with respect to populations, case definitions, and methods of ascertainment. Incidence of the studied comorbidities was rarely reported. Irritable bowel syndrome and chronic lung disease had a prevalence of more than 10% in the MS population. Irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, cataracts and glaucoma were more common than expected in the MS population.

Conclusion:

Although they have been the subject of less study than other comorbidities, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, and chronic lung disease are common in the MS population and occur more often than expected when compared to the general population.