bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Summary of What We Know about Social Mobility
Authors: Hout Michael
Published: December 2014

Academic research on social mobility from the 1960s until now has made several facts clear. First, and most important, it is better to ask how the conditions and circumstances of early life constrain adult success than to ask who is moving up and who is not. The focus on origins keeps the substantive issues of opportunity and fairness in focus, while the mobility question leads to confusing side issues. Second, mobility is intrinsically symmetrical; each upward move is offset by a downward move in the absence of growth, expansion, or immigration. Third, social origins are not a single dimension of inequality that can be paired with the outcome of interest (without signiﬁcant excluded variable bias); they are a comprehensive set of conditions describing the circumstances of youth. Fourth, the constraints of social origins vary by time, place, and subpopulation. These four “knowns” should inform any attempt to collect new data on mobility.
Analyses of Intergenerational Mobility
Authors: Torche Florencia
Published: December 2014

This article reviews the sociological and economic literature on intergenerational mobility. Findings on social class, occupational status, earnings, and income mobility are discussed and discrepancies among them are evaluated. The review also examines nonlinearities in the intergenerational association, variation in mobility across advanced industrial countries, and recent mobility trends in the United States. The literature suggests an association between inequality and economic mobility at the country level, with the United States featuring higher inequality and lower mobility than other advanced industrial countries. However, mobility has not declined in the United States over the recent decades in which inequality has expanded. The inequality-mobility relationship fails to emerge when occupational measures of mobility are used, likely because these measures do not fully capture some mechanisms of economic reproduction.
Social Mobility in an Era of Family Instability and Complexity
Authors: Tach Laura
Published: December 2014

Families play a central role in the study of social mobility—they are units of analysis for measuring social class as well as settings that shape the intergenerational transmission of resources. The American family has undergone important changes since the mid-twentieth century. Divorce, nonmarital childbearing, and cohabitation increased dramatically. The rise in divorce and cohabitation made the family a less stable unit of socialization and led to a proliferation of step and blended family arrangements with complex configurations of residential and biological ties. As a result of these changes, less than half of children spend their entire childhood in an intact, two-biological parent household, and families are no longer defined solely by shared residence or biology. The instability and complexity of family life requires stratification scholars to rethink how they measure origin and destination class and to consider how parents in nontraditional families transmit class-specific resources to the next generation.
A New Infrastructure for Monitoring Social Mobility in the United States
Authors: Grusky David B. , Smeeding Timothy M. , Snipp C. Matthew
Published: December 2014

The country’s capacity to monitor trends in social mobility has languished since the last major survey on U.S. social mobility was fielded in 1973. It is accordingly difficult to evaluate recent concerns that social mobility may be declining or to develop mobility policy that is adequately informed by evidence. This article presents a new initiative, dubbed the American Opportunity Study (AOS), that would allow the country to monitor social mobility efficiently and with great accuracy. The AOS entails developing the country’s capacity to link records across decennial censuses, the American Community Survey, and administrative sources. If an AOS of this sort were assembled, it would open up new fields of social science inquiry; increase opportunities for evidence-based policy on poverty, mobility, child development, and labor markets; and otherwise constitute a new social science resource with much reach and impact.
Political Mobility and Political Reproduction from Generation to Generation
Authors: Brady Henry E. , Schlozman Kay Lehman , Verba Sidney
Published: December 2014

The American creed stresses political equality and political involvement, but substantial political inequality still persists from one generation to the next. Despite the importance of political inequality, not enough is known about the mechanisms that reproduce it. Political socialization research has focused on the transmission of political attitudes and culture across generations, but it has paid scant attention to how family transfers of economic resources, human capital, and social capital reproduce and perpetuate unequal patterns of political involvement and political authority. This article argues that more attention should be paid to measuring the persistence of political identity, political participation, civic engagement, and political influence networks over time and across generations. Special attention should be devoted to learning more about how the passage of family resources (economic resources, human capital, social capital, and cultural capital) from parents to children reproduces political inequality and reduces the opportunity for political mobility. Current data sources fall far short of what is needed to answer these questions, but linking the proposed American Opportunity Study with public voting records and with the American National Election Studies would provide a rich and powerful dataset for studying them.
The Opportunities and Challenges of Using Administrative Data Linkages to Evaluate Mobility
Authors: Johnson David S. , Massey Catherine , O’Hara Amy
Published: December 2014

Since Alan Krueger’s christening of the Great Gatsby curve, there has been increased attention given to the relationship between inequality and intergenerational social mobility in the United States. Studying intergenerational mobility (IGM) requires longitudinal data across large spans of time as well as the ability to follow parents and children over multiple generations. Few longitudinal datasets meet this need. This article surveys available data and the current and potential issues surrounding the use of administrative records to vastly extend the study of IGM. First, we describe the U.S. Census Bureau’s current uses of administrative records in the linkage of households across household surveys such as the Current Population Survey (CPS), American Community Survey (ACS), Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), and the decennial censuses. Then, we describe the possibilities of creating additional parent-child linkages using the SIPP linked to decennial censuses and the ACS. Last, we outline our model to create linkages across earlier census data (e.g., 1980 and 1990) and contemporary surveys.
Life of Pi and the Moral Wound
Authors: Allen Thomas E.
Published: December 2014

The “moral wound,” rendered symbolically in the form of the tiger in Life of Pi, is a complex trauma in which the victim, in order to survive in life-threatening circumstances, commits an ethical transgression against his or her deeply held values. Pi experiences such a trauma and deals with it by dissociating it in the form of the tiger and then has to simultaneously both preserve the tiger and wish it to disappear. Jonathan Shay’s work relating the experiences of returning Vietnam veterans to Homer’s Odyssey is used to further an understanding of both Life of Pi and American soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Reasons are considered for the possible delayed effect of trauma as a factor in the increased suicide rate of older veterans. Finally, the concept of the “moral wound” is discussed, with an eye to its treatment.
Freud’s Jewish Identity and Psychoanalysis as a Science
Authors: Richards Arnold D.
Published: December 2014

Ludwik Fleck, the Polish philosopher of science, maintained that scientific discovery is influenced by social, political, historical, psychological, and personal factors. The determinants of Freud’s Jewish identity are examined from this Fleckian perspective, as is the impact of that complex identity on his creation of psychoanalysis as a science. Three strands contributing to his Jewish identity are identified and explored: his commitment to the ideal of Bildung, the anti-Semitism of the times, and his “godlessness.” Finally, the question is addressed of what it means that psychoanalysis was founded by a Jew. For Freud, psychoanalysis was a kind of liberation philosophy, an attempt to break free of his ethnic and religious inheritance. Yet it represented at the same time his ineradicable relationship with that inheritance. It encapsulated both the ambivalence of his Jewish identity and the creativity of his efforts to resolve it.
Vietnamese Australians' perceptions of the trustworthiness of police
Authors: McKernan Helen , Weber Leanne
Published: December 2014

Trust is a central concern in the policing of ethnically and racially identified communities. A challenge for contemporary policing research on trust, as for related concerns such as confidence or cooperation, is to relate the quality of personal police trust encounters to public views about the trustworthiness of the policing institution. Within the criminological literature on policing, many quantitative empirical studies are directed towards the measurement and comparison of how confidence, trust, effectiveness and fairness are related to community perceptions of police practice. Overall, there is a general scarcity of integrated frameworks applied to empirical studies of trustworthiness although the organisation and leadership literature offer some models. In this qualitative study, a sociological framework is used to explore Vietnamese Australian's perceptions of police trustworthiness. The paper investigates the key factors that influence Vietnamese Australians' perceptions of police trustworthiness using dimensions of trustworthiness described by Sztompka, namely, reputation, performance, appearance and accountability.
Effect of alternating R-ratios loading on fatigue life of woven fabric carbon/epoxy laminates
Authors: Kawai M , Yang K , Oh S
Published: December 2014

Effect of alternating R-ratios loading on fatigue life of a woven fabric carbon/epoxy laminate has been studied. Variable R-ratio fatigue tests are carried out in which stress ratio of fatigue loading alternates between two different values, R1 and R2. Fatigue life under alternating R-ratios loading is examined for different pairs of stress ratio ( R1, R2) at different constant levels of maximum or minimum fatigue stress. Experimental results demonstrate that for all the pairs of stress ratio ( R1, R2) tested, the fatigue lives Nf( R1, R2) are approximately distributed in the range from min{ Nf( R1), Nf( R2)} to two times the value. It is also found that the Miner sum of cycle ratios for constant R-ratio loadings at R1 and R2 included by a given alternating R-ratios loading approximately takes a value in the range from 0.5 and 2. The latter observation suggests that the Miner rule is applicable to prediction of fatigue life for alternating R-ratios loading. Based on these observations, an engineering fatigue live prediction methodology for composites is proposed which is based on the anisomorphic constant fatigue diagram and the Miner rule. Finally, it is shown that the fatigue life prediction methodology developed is applicable in alternating R-ratios loading of the woven fabric carbon/epoxy laminate with accuracy by a factor of two.
Detecting and Treating Occlusal Caries Lesions
Authors: Schwendicke F. , Stolpe M. , Meyer-Lueckel H. , Paris S.
Published: December 2014

The health gains and costs resulting from using different caries detection strategies might not only depend on the accuracy of the used method but also the treatment emanating from its use in different populations. We compared combinations of visual-tactile, radiographic, or laser-fluorescence–based detection methods with 1 of 3 treatments (non-, micro-, and invasive treatment) initiated at different cutoffs (treating all or only dentinal lesions) in populations with low or high caries prevalence. A Markov model was constructed to follow an occlusal surface in a permanent molar in an initially 12-y-old male German patient over his lifetime. Prevalence data and transition probabilities were extracted from the literature, while validity parameters of different methods were synthesized or obtained from systematic reviews. Microsimulations were performed to analyze the model, assuming a German health care setting and a mixed public-private payer perspective. Radiographic and fluorescence-based methods led to more overtreatments, especially in populations with low prevalence. For the latter, combining visual-tactile or radiographic detection with microinvasive treatment retained teeth longest (mean 66 y) at lowest costs (329 and 332 Euro, respectively), while combining radiographic or fluorescence-based detections with invasive treatment was the least cost-effective (<60 y, >700 Euro). In populations with high prevalence, combining radiographic detection with microinvasive treatment was most cost-effective (63 y, 528 Euro), while sensitive detection methods combined with invasive treatments were again the least cost-effective (<59 y, >690 Euro). The suitability of detection methods differed significantly between populations, and the cost-effectiveness was greatly influenced by the treatment initiated after lesion detection. The accuracy of a detection method relative to a “gold standard” did not automatically convey into better health or reduced costs. Detection methods should be evaluated not only against their criterion validity but also the long-term effects resulting from their use in different populations.
Elevated Serum 25(OH)-Vitamin D Levels Are Negatively Correlated with Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization
Authors: Kühnisch J. , Thiering E. , Kratzsch J. , Heinrich-Weltzien R. , Hickel R. , Heinrich J. ,   for the GINIplus study group,   the LISAplus study group, Wichmann HE , Heinrich J , Sausenthaler S , Zutavern A , Chen C-M , Schnappinger M , Rzehak P , Berdel D , von Berg A , Beckmann C , Groß I , Koletzko S , Reinhardt D , Krauss-Etschmann S , Bauer CP , Brockow I , Grübl A , Hoffmann U , Krämer U , Link E , Cramer C , Behrendt H , Heinrich J , Wichmann HE , Sausenthaler S , Chen CM , Schnappinger M , Borte M , Diez U , von Berg A , Beckmann C , Groß I , Schaaf B , Lehmann I , Bauer M , Gräbsch C , Röder S , Schilde M , Herbarth O , Dick C , Magnus J , Krämer U , Link E , Cramer C , Bauer CP , Hoffmann U , Behrendt H , Grosch J , Martin F
Published: December 2014

To date, the precise etiology of molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is uncertain. Vitamin D plays a key role in hard tissue formation. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the relationship between serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) status and dental health data obtained from 1,048 children in a 10-year follow-up of the Munich GINIplus and LISAplus birth cohorts. The dental examination included the diagnosis of MIH and recording of (non-)cavitated caries lesions in primary and permanent teeth. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were taken from blood samples of the 10-year investigation and measured with a fully automated, modular system. Different logistic regression and Poisson hurdle models were calculated. MIH was diagnosed in 13.6% of the study population. Approximately 16.4% of the children demonstrated caries-related defects (D3-4MFS > 0). The mean season-adjusted concentration of 25(OH)D was 75.8 nmol/l (standard deviation 22.0 nmol/l). After adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, parental education, equivalent income, and television/personal computer (TV/PC) viewing hours, a 10 nmol/l increase in serum 25(OH)D concentrations was significantly associated with a lower odds ratio of having MIH (OR = 0.89; P = 0.006). Furthermore, higher 25(OH)D values were associated with a lower number of caries-affected permanent teeth. It is concluded that elevated serum 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with better dental health parameters.
Nonstandard employment and nonwork activities, time alone and with others: Can weekend workers make up lost time?
Authors: Craig Lyn , Brown Judith E
Published: December 2014

To what extent can weekend workers reschedule nonwork activities or time with significant others to weekdays? From the Australian Bureau of Statistics Time Use Survey 2006, a sample of employed persons aged 15–64 ( n = 3860) is drawn to examine associations between weekend work and time spent in nonwork activities, time spent alone, and time spent in the company of family (partners, children, nonresident family, and elders) and friends, on days worked and over the following week. All analyses examine differences by gender. Workers’ lost weekend time is not recovered over the week; rather, in some instances there are persistent negative effects. Sunday workers are most affected. The findings add to knowledge about work–family conflict and gender differences in managing boundaries between employment and private life. There are implications for workplace policy, as the results offer support for penalty rate payments for weekend work.
The Impact of Global Budgets on Pharmaceutical Spending and Utilization
Authors: Afendulis Christopher C. , Fendrick A. Mark , Song Zirui , Landon Bruce E. , Safran Dana Gelb , Mechanic Robert E. , Chernew Michael E.
Published: December 2014

In 2009, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts implemented a global budget-based payment system, the Alternative Quality Contract (AQC), in which provider groups assumed accountability for spending. We investigate the impact of global budgets on the utilization of prescription drugs and related expenditures. Our analyses indicate no statistically significant evidence that the AQC reduced the use of drugs. Although the impact may change over time, early evidence suggests that it is premature to conclude that global budget systems may reduce access to medications.
Impact of violent video games on the social behaviors of adolescents: The mediating role of emotional competence
Authors: You Sukkyung , Kim Euikyung , No Unkyung
Published: December 2014

Recently, research studies and media have reported on the detrimental effects violent video games have on the social behaviors of adolescents. For example, previous studies have found that playing video games is positively associated with aggressive behaviors and negatively associated with prosocial behaviors. However, very few studies have examined the mediating effects of personal characteristics between students playing video games and their social behaviors. Thus, using a sample of 1,242 seventh, eighth, and ninth grade Korean students, the authors aimed to determine how playing video games is related to aggressive and prosocial behaviors and whether the emotional competencies of adolescents, such as empathy, emotional regulation, and behavioral self-control, mediate this relationship. The results indicated that violent video games have a significant direct effect on aggressive behaviors, and a significant indirect effect on prosocial behaviors. Specifically, empathy and behavioral self-control were found to mediate the relation between playing violent video games and prosocial behaviors. These results suggest different prevention and intervention approaches to reduce aggressive behaviors and increase prosocial behaviors in students exposed to violent video games. The limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.
Multiple venous aneurysms in a patient with hypereosinophilic syndrome
Authors: Malskat WSJ , Racz E , ten Raa S , Lugtenburg PJ , Hegt V Noordhoek , de Maeseneer MGR
Published: December 2014

Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is a diverse group of rare disorders, defined by persistent peripheral blood eosinophilia (>1500 per mm3), the absence of a primary cause of eosinophilia (such as parasitic or allergic disease), and evidence of eosinophil-mediated end-organ damage. Arterial aneurysms have been previously reported in these patients. This is the first report of a patient with HES and multiple venous aneurysms, causing recurrent pulmonary thromboembolism. Venous aneurysms can represent eosinophil-mediated, potentially fatal end-organ damage in patients with HES.
When Movies Matter
Authors: Greenwood Dara , Long Christopher R.
Published: December 2014

The present study utilized retrospective, autobiographical methodology to investigate the social psychological significance of specific movies, identified as memorable or meaningful for a sample of emerging adults ( N = 83). Participants identified a movie and responded to a series of open-ended prompts including why the movie was chosen, the valence and socio-emotional context of the viewing experience, and its perceived emotional impact. Qualitative coding revealed three themes: Life Lessons ( inspiration, social comparison, coping, and negative contemplation), Character Connections ( identification and idealization), and Social Relationships ( joy, gratitude, and loss). Life Lessons were associated with mixed-valence viewing experiences, significant life events, and ongoing emotional impact. Results highlight the role of movies in the social and emotional development of emerging adults.
Effects of prenatal exposure to single-wall carbon nanotubes on reproductive performance and neurodevelopment in mice
Authors: Ivani Saeed , Karimi Isaac , Tabatabaei Seyed Reza Fatemi , Syedmoradi Leila
Published: December 2014

Carbon nanotubes with extraordinary properties may become a novel drug and gene delivery tool in nanomedicine; however, insufficient information is available regarding their biosafety. Therefore, this work was performed to study the effect of prenatal exposure of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on reproductive and neurobehavioral endpoints in mice. Thirty pregnant female mice were assigned to three groups ( n = 10 for each group). The two treated groups were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 1 or 10 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) of SWCNTs suspended in 1 ml of phosphate buffer saline (PBS) on gestational days 0 and 3. The control group was injected i.p. with an equal volume of PBS. The neurobehavioral ontogeny of pups was evaluated using a modified Fox battery. A decrease in litter size on postnatal day 2 was observed in the group treated with 10 mg/kg b.w. of SWCNTs whereas no significant differences between groups were observed in any other parameters. The behavioral development of pups did not show significant differences during growth except for the surface righting reflex, which showed significant delay compared to control in the group treated with 1 mg/kg b.w. SWCNTs. Moreover, exposed offspring (10 mg/kg b.w. SWCNTs) displayed enhanced anxiety in the elevated plus maze; however, other ethological analysis (Morris water maze and open field test) did not show behavioral changes in the experimental groups. In conclusion, the present results demonstrated small changes in offspring sensory and motor development following exposure to SWCNTs and support the idea that SWCNT risk assessment merits further investigation.
A Pilot Study of Reasons and Risk Factors for “No-Shows” in a Pediatric Neurology Clinic
Authors: Guzek Lindsay M. , Fadel William F. , Golomb Meredith R.
Published: December 2014

Missed clinic appointments lead to decreased patient access, worse patient outcomes, and increased healthcare costs. The goal of this pilot study was to identify reasons for and risk factors associated with missed pediatric neurology outpatient appointments (“no-shows”). This was a prospective cohort study of patients scheduled for 1 week of clinic. Data on patient clinical and demographic information were collected by record review; data on reasons for missed appointments were collected by phone interviews. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression to assess risk factors for missed appointments. Fifty-nine (25%) of 236 scheduled patients were no-shows. Scheduling conflicts (25.9%) and forgetting (20.4%) were the most common reasons for missed appointments. When controlling for confounding factors in the logistic regression, Medicaid (odds ratio 2.36), distance from clinic, and time since appointment was scheduled were associated with missed appointments. Further work in this area is needed.
Using Circos Data Visualizer to Analyze Trade Data
Authors: Myers Rodd
Published: December 2014

Type: Software Review; Software title: Circos; Version reviewed: Circos Online; Requirements: The reviewed version requires a web browser; Review setup: This review used Safari 7.0.6 on Mac OS 10.9.5 and Microsoft Excel 2011 Version 14.4.5; Price: Circos is free and distributed under GPL; Summary: This software review examines Circos, data visualization software deigned for genome sequencing but explained here for use with international trade data. The review includes how to process data to put it into Circos and how to interpret the visualization for trade analysis
Motivations to Volunteer and Their Associations With Volunteers’ Well-Being
Authors: Stukas Arthur A. , Hoye Russell , Nicholson Matthew , Brown Kevin M. , Aisbett Laura
Published: December 2014

Volunteerism is a key form of community involvement that can provide both physical and mental health benefits for volunteers as well as positive outcomes for the community. However, volunteers become involved for different reasons and recent studies suggest that other-oriented volunteers may accrue greater health benefits than self-oriented volunteers. To investigate this possibility, we surveyed 4,085 Australian volunteers about their motivations using the Volunteer Functions Inventory, together with their well-being using measures of self-esteem, well-being, self-efficacy, social connectedness, and social trust. As predicted, these individual differences in well-being proved to be differentially associated with other-oriented and self-oriented motivations. Furthermore, other-oriented motives were positively correlated, and self-oriented motives were negatively correlated, with satisfaction and intentions to continue. We discuss implications of these patterns for organizations that work with volunteers.
Adapting, defending and transforming ourselves
Authors: Karakayali Nedim
Published: December 2014

Self practices – mental and bodily activities through which individuals try to give a shape to their existence – have been a topic of interest in the social science literature for over a century now. These studies bring into focus that such activities play important roles in our relationship to our social environment. But beyond this general insight we still do not have a framework for elucidating what kind of roles/uses have been attributed to self practices by social theorists historically. Through an analysis of the works of 5 major contributors to the literature (Durkheim, Mauss, Simmel, Giddens and Foucault), the article highlights three distinct conceptualizations, which draw attention to the adaptive, defensive and transformative uses of self practices. Adaptive uses allow individuals to adjust their conduct to collective norms; defensive uses serve the maintenance and protection of self-identity despite de-individualizing pressures; and transformative self practices target the development of alternative ways of living. It is further suggested that the framework developed in the article can provide important clues about the different ‘practical’ solutions offered by social theorists to the problems that modern individuals face in constituting themselves as autonomous subjects.
Citizens at work
Authors: Lafuente Enrique , Loredo José Carlos , Castro Jorge
Published: December 2014

The work of the American educator and academic Arland D. Weeks (1871–1936) constitutes an interesting effort to contribute to the reform of society on the basis of an adequate knowledge of the human mind. He was a political progressivist, and his writings are representative of the prevailing pragmatist, functionalist ‘spirit of the times’. Deeply concerned with the making of good citizens, he approached the field of work with a critical eye, making specific recommendations and proposals for improving the efficiency and fostering the personal development of the individual worker. The aim of this article is to analyse such proposals in the light both of their psychological bases and of the ideological and social environment to which they were addressed.
Thermal–mechanical coupling model-based dynamical properties analysis of a motorized spindle system
Authors: Zhang Peng , Chen Xiaoan
Published: December 2014

The thermal expansion phenomenon of bearings happening on a motorized spindle has a great effect on its dynamical properties. Hence, there is a vital need to analyze the relationship between its cooling condition and dynamical behaviors for the system. A thermal–mechanical coupling model of a motorized spindle system is presented in this article, which consists of three coupling sub-models: bearing, thermal and spindle dynamical model. The bearings, taking the thermal expansion into count, provide the shaft with support stiffness which influences the spindle dynamical properties. And their power loss is one of the main heat sources of the system while the other one is from the motor. In the thermal model, the cooling condition and heat generation jointly determine the temperature rise and thermal expansion. Thus, all of the sub-models interact and the system becomes an integrated thermal–mechanical coupling model. The proposed model is investigated by a solution procedure and validated experimentally. And the effects of the rotational speed, cooling water flow rate and oil-air pressure on the spindle dynamical properties are provided by this mathematical model as well as the experiments. The good agreement of results from them indicates that this model is capable of predicting the dynamical properties of the motorized spindle system. Then some feasible methods to improve the dynamical behaviors of the system are obtained.
Thermographic method for very high cycle fatigue design in transportation engineering
Authors: Crupi V , Epasto G , Guglielmino E , Risitano G
Published: December 2014

With the increasing progress of the technological development in the transport industry, the required fatigue life has increased, so it is very important to determine a safe fatigue strength for 109 cycles. Nowadays, the very high cycle fatigue constitutes one of the main fatigue design criteria for applications in transport industry. In this paper, the infrared thermography and an energetic approach were applied to investigate a tool steel in very high cycle fatigue regime. The traditional energetic approach was developed in order to extend it in very high cycle fatigue regime and to predict the S-N curves. The failure mechanism of the investigated steel was evaluated by means of scanning electron and optical microscopies in order to assess if the nature of microstructure and the metallurgical defects, in terms of inclusions and pores, can influence the crack initiation.
An interval-fuzzy two-stage stochastic programming method for filter management of hydraulic systems
Authors: Ji Hui , Nie Songlin , Huang Yeqing
Published: December 2014

An interval-fuzzy two-stage stochastic programming model for filter management of hydraulic system under uncertainties is proposed in this paper. The interval-fuzzy two-stage stochastic programming model integrates the two-stage stochastic programming, fuzzy programming, and interval parameter nonlinear programming into an optimization model of contamination control in hydraulic system. For a typical hydraulic system, it can be used for expressing the uncertainties existed in the purchase cost of filters, contamination ingression and generation rates, and contamination-holding capacity as probability functions, interval numbers, and fuzzy sets. The developed method is applied to examining the decisions on the adoption of bypass filter and selection of filters within multi-segments, multi-period, and multi-option context. All potential scenarios of filters management policy associated with different economic penalties, objectives, and reliability of system are analyzed. The results of the illustrative example show that the reasonable solutions are generated, including binary and continuous variables which help the decision maker identify optimal strategies for filter allocation and selection, planning the adoption of bypass filter under different working conditions.
Formulation of a three-dimensional shear-flexible bimaterial beam element with constant curvature
Authors: Dragoni Eugenio , Bagaria William J
Published: December 2014

This paper presents the closed-form formulation for a three-dimensional curved beam element with round bimaterial section. The formulation includes the effects of shear forces on displacements and stresses and of the beam curvature on the distribution of bending and torsional stress over the cross section. The element is coherent with the well-known theory for straight beams, which is obtained exactly as the curvature radius becomes infinite. The numerical predictions for a test case compare favourably with published analytical and experimental results and with the outcome of a purposely developed, large-scale FE brick model.
General mathematical model of spiral bevel gears of continuous pure-rolling contact
Authors: Tan Rulong , Chen Bingkui , Peng Changyan
Published: December 2014

Sliding contact has negative influence for the performance of gears in most situations, such as frictional loss, pitting, micro-pitting, etc. To avoid sliding contact, this paper discusses the fundamental geometrical characteristics of spiral bevel gears of continuous pure-rolling contact. Differential geometry, gearing kinematics, and conjugate curve meshing method are used to derive the general mathematical model of spiral bevel gears of continuous pure-rolling contact. Simplified equations that continuous pure-rolling contact bevel gears must satisfy are derived. An example is represented to explain and verify this model. The theoretical results benefit further studies on design and manufacturing of spiral bevel gears of heavy loads and high efficiency.
A standardized representation of spinal quality of motion
Authors: Zirbel Shannon A , Stolworthy Dean K , Howell Larry L , Bowden Anton E
Published: December 2014

The experimentally determined torque–rotation curve of the lumbar spine is mathematically described with a proposed dual-inflection point Boltzmann equation. The result is a method for describing functional spinal unit motion data. The benefit of the model is that each of the coefficients has a specific meaning in relation to the torque–rotation curve: the points [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] identify the respective minimum and maximum rotations of the functional spinal unit, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] indicate the inflection points of the curve where the stiffness changes markedly, and [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are associated with the rates of change of the curve at [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively. The dual-inflection point Boltzmann captures the full quality of motion of the spinal segment and can also be used to derive relevant parameters such as range of motion, midrange stiffness, and hysteresis.
Investigations of wear particles and selected cytokines in human osteoarthritic knee joints
Authors: Wang Meiling , Ketheesan Natkunam , Peng Zhongxiao
Published: December 2014

Inflammation of the synovial membrane (synovitis) is considered to drive the process that leads to osteoarthritis. However, the relationships between the mediators of inflammation and the properties of wear particles are not fully understood. In this study, the levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were assessed in different grades of osteoarthritis to determine whether their concentrations in the synovial fluid correlate with specific characteristics of wear particles. This study has found that the size, adhesion and nano-surface roughness of wear particles have medium strong to strong correlations with IL-6 and IL-8. This study provided evidence that the characteristics of wear particles contain valuable information for grading the disease process and the need for further evaluation of the association of properties of wear particles and the inflammatory process.
Human herpes virus-8-associated multicentric Castleman’s disease in an HIV-positive patient presenting with relapsing and remitting hyponatraemia
Authors: Sasaki Hiroaki , Maeda Takuya , Hara Yu , Osa Morichika , Imai Kazuo , Moriguchi Kota , Mikita Kei , Fujikura Yuji , Kaida Kenichi , Kawana Akihiko
Published: December 2014

We report a case of human herpes virus-8-associated multicentric Castleman’s disease in an HIV-positive patient with hyponatraemia. A 65-year-old man was admitted with relapsing and remitting fever, scattered skin eruptions and hepatosplenomegaly following combination antiretroviral therapy for his HIV infection. Based on histopathological findings, he was diagnosed as having human herpes virus-8-associated multicentric Castleman’s disease and was treated with four-weekly infusions of rituximab. Prior to receiving chemotherapy, we observed several suspected biomarkers of disease activity, positive correlations between plasma human herpes virus-8 viral load and the levels of plasma interleukin-6, C-reactive protein and soluble interleukin-2 receptor, and negative correlations between platelet count, albumin levels and especially serum sodium levels. We hypothesize that non-osmotic release of plasma antidiuretic hormone is a cause of hyponatraemia in human herpes virus-8-associated multicentric Castleman’s disease and that relapsing and remitting hyponatraemia could be correlated with plasma human herpes virus-8 viral load.
Paradoxical Benefits of Dual-Task Contexts for Visuomotor Memory
Authors: Song Joo-Hyun , Bédard Patrick
Published: December 2014

It is generally thought that increased attention helps when one is learning a new task. However, using a dual-task paradigm, we showed that the rate of visuomotor learning was the same regardless of attentional distraction caused by a secondary task. Yet, when participants were tested later, a motor skill learned under distraction was remembered only when a similar distraction was present; when participants were tested without the distracting task, their performance reverted to untrained levels. This paradoxical result, in which the level of performance decreases when more attentional resources are available, suggests that the dual-task context, or the lack thereof, acts as a vital context for learning. This task-context-dependent “savings” was evident even when the specific secondary task or sensory modality differed between learning and recall; thus, the dual tasking, rather than the specific stimuli, provides context. This discovery suggests that the success of learning and rehabilitation programs may be diminished if they are developed without consideration of the role of task contexts.
The transmission of gender stereotypes in the discourse of public educational spaces
Authors: Romera Magdalena
Published: December 2014

This article investigates the extent to which classical gender stereotypes are transmitted in the public space of higher education institutions and how this contributes to maintaining a social vision in which an unequal distribution of gender persists. This study analyzes, from a multimodal perspective, posters hung on walls in secondary schools and a university in a Spanish city over a period of several months. Results show that although the linguistic messages used in these posters avoid any reference to gender, images continue to represent classical stereotypes in a subtle and an inexplicit way. Images depict daily life activities, unexceptional and apparently without gender ideology. However, they still associate gender with classical roles. In this context, the explicit institutional educational discourse contrasts with the still persistent implicit transmission of a sexist idea of the genders in the visual representations analyzed.
Expression of dopamine transporter in the different cerebral regions of methamphetamine-dependent rats
Authors: Hong S-J , Zhang D , Zhang L-H , Yang P , Wan J , Yu Y , Wang T-H , Feng Z-T , Li L-H , Yew DTW
Published: December 2014

Objectives:

To observe the expression of the dopamine transporter (DAT) in six cerebral regions of a methamphetamine (MA)-dependent rat, which were frontal cortex, nucleus accumbens septi, striatum, hippocampus, substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area.

Methods:

The rats were administrated intraperitoneally with 10 mg/kg/day of MA for 10 days consecutively; the behaviour changes were measured via the conditioned place preference (CPP), and the scores of stereotyped behaviour (SB) were used to confirm animal addiction. Then, the animals were further injected with MA respectively for 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks to establish different periods of MA-dependent models. The expressions of DAT and DAT messenger RNA in six cerebral regions were detected.

Results:

The results of CPP and SB scores were significant different when comparing all four experimental groups with the control group ( p < 0.05). Comparing between different experimental groups, the expression of DAT mainly decreased and had dynamic changes in the same regions ( p < 0.05). Comparing the different regions with each other in the same experimental group, the expression of DAT also had significant difference in several regions p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

The expression of DAT mainly decreased and had different in the six cerebral regions at the same MA-dependent time period as well as at different time periods in the same cerebral region. It was speculated that DAT might play a crucial role in the mechanism of MA dependence.
Serum adiponectin, leptin, and interleukin 6 levels as adipocytokines in children with febrile seizures
Authors: Güven AS , Icagasioglu FD , Duksal F , Sancakdar E , Alaygut D , Uysal EB , Akkar İ , Oflaz MB , Kaya A
Published: December 2014

Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines have an important role in the pathogenesis of febrile seizures (FS). Adipocytokines like interleukin 6 (IL-6), leptin, and adiponectin released from adipose tissue play a role in inflammation. This study aimed to assess the probable role of adipose tissue in children with FS. We measured serum IL-6, leptin, and adiponectin levels and evaluated clinical and laboratory findings in children with FS ( n = 32) and compared the results with the values of children of the same age with febrile illness without seizures (febrile control, FC; n = 26) and healthy control group (HC; n = 29). The serum levels of white blood cells, C-reactive protein, IL-6, leptin, and adiponectin were found to be significantly higher, while serum hemoglobin (Hb) levels were found to be significantly lower in FS and FC groups than in the HC group ( p < 0.001). When we compared the FS with the FC group, the serum Hb levels were significantly lower in the FS group than those in the FC group ( p = 0.001). There was no significant difference between the FS and FC group with regard to the serum levels of these adipocytokines ( p > 0.05). Our data showed that elevated levels of these adipocytokines as acute phase reactants in FS and FC groups did not contribute to the development of FS.
Cerebral sinovenous thrombosis in neonatal antiphospholipid syndrome: a new entity?
Authors: De Carolis M P , Salvi S , Botta A , Cocca C , Garufi C , Lanzone A , De Carolis S
Published: December 2014

Neonatal antiphospholipid syndrome (neonatal APS) seems to be exceedingly rare, as the antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) related thrombosis in the neonatal period. The pathogenesis of perinatal aPL related thrombosis may be explained both by the transplacental passage of the maternal antibodies and by the production of de novo antibodies by the neonate. However, few cases of neonatal APS are reported in the literature, especially regarding arterial thrombotic events. In particular, only two cases of neonatal aPL related isolated cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT) are described in the literature. Despite its frequency, CSVT results in significant mortality and morbidity, probably also due to the difficulty in early diagnosis and then in correct managing in the neonatal period. A diagnosis of neonatal APS should be considered in the evaluation of neonates with CSVT, as well as in any case of neonatal thrombosis, to correctly manage the affected neonates and counsel the mother for future pregnancies.
Effectiveness of narrative pedagogy in developing student nurses’ advocacy role
Authors: Gazarian Priscilla K , Fernberg Lauren M , Sheehan Kelly D
Published: December 2014

Background:

The literature and research on nursing ethics and advocacy has shown that generally very few nurses and other clinicians will speak up about an issue they have witnessed regarding a patient advocacy concern and that often advocacy in nursing is not learned until after students have graduated and begun working.

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness of narrative pedagogy on the development of advocacy in student nurses, as measured by the Protective Nursing Advocacy Scale.

Design:

We tested the hypothesis that use of a narrative pedagogy assignment related to ethics would improve student nurse’s perception of their advocacy role as measured by the Protective Nursing Advocacy Scale using a quasi-experimental nonrandomized study using a pre-test, intervention, post-test design. Data collection occurred during class time from October 2012 to December 2012. The Protective Nursing Advocacy Scale tool was administered to students in class to assess their baseline and was administered again at the completion of the educational intervention to assess whether narrative pedagogy was effective in developing the nursing student’s perception of their role as a patient advocate.

Ethical considerations:

Students were informed that their participation was voluntary and that the data collected would be anonymous and confidential. The survey was not a graded assignment, and students did not receive any incentive to participate. The institutional review board of the college determined the study to be exempt from review.

Setting:

School of Nursing at a small liberal arts college in the Northeastern United States.

Participants:

A consecutive, nonprobability sample of 44 senior-level nursing students enrolled in their final nursing semester was utilized.

Findings:

Results indicated significant differences in student nurse’s perception of their advocacy role related to environment and educational influences following an education intervention using an ethics digital story.

Conclusion:

Using the Protective Nursing Advocacy Scale, we were able to measure the effectiveness of narrative pedagogy on nursing student’s perception of the nurse’s advocacy role.