bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Technical and Clinical Evaluation of a New Asymmetric Polysulfone Membrane (Biosulfane®)
Authors: Ronco C. , Brendolan A. , Crepaldi C. , Bettini M.C. , Scabardi M. , Cappellari F. , Tasinazzo L. , Fortunato L. , La Greca G.
Published: April 2018

First generation asymmetric polysulfone membranes had high hydraulic permeability (kf=40 ml/h/mmHg/sqm) but a low diffusive permeability due to the hydrophobic nature and wall thickness of 75–100 microns. We have tested a new polysulfone membrane with a wall thickness of 40 microns in a series of in vitro and in vivo dialysis session experiments. The new “Biosulfane®” membrane presented a Kf of 45.8 with constant performance up to 240 mins. The koA was 760 and the clearance value at 350 ml/min of Qb in hemodiafiltration was 255 ml/min for urea, 210 for creatinine, 225 for phosphate, 76 for inulin. In high flux dialysis the clearances were similar except for inulin which was 32% lower due to the lower convection amount. Beta-2 microglobulin clearance was 22 ml/min in high flux dialysis and 37 in hemodiafiltration. Solute sieving coefficients were close to 1 for the majority of the studied solutes in a wide range of molecular weights and slight variations were observed for charged solutes due to Donnan's effect. The sieving for Inulin was 0.96 while that for Beta-2 microglobulin was not measurable due to a large molecule adsorption on the inner structure of the fibres. The good performances of this membrane are probably due to reduced wall thickness and a consequent improvement in diffusive permeability to small size solutes.
A Model for Non-Invasive Estimation of in Vivo Dialyzer Performances and Patient's Conductivity during Hemodialysis
Authors: Petitclerc T. , Goux N. , Reynier A.L. , Béné B.
Published: April 2018

On-line monitoring of hemodialysis sessions requires a non-invasive estimation of the parameters concerning the patient's status and the dialyzer performances. We describe here a model based on a new method for non-invasive dialysance and patient conductivity measurements. In this technique the same probe measures alternately the conductivity at the dialysate inlet and outlet for two different dialysate conductivity values. From these data, an appropriate model allows to determine the patient's conductivity as well as the effective dialysance of ionised solutes, that is to say the dialysance corrected for recirculation. A strong correlation is evidenced between the effective dialysance measured by this method and the urea clearance measured by conventional methods (r=0.98 for in vitro solutions; r=0.82 in in vivo situations).
Myoglobin Elimination in End Stage Kidney Disease Patients on Renal Replacement Treatment
Authors: Stefanović V. , Bogićević M. , Mitić M.
Published: April 2018

Increased serum myoglobin levels were previously found in patients with chronic renal failure. In this report we have studied the effects of dialysis on myoglobin elimination in patients on CARD, IPD, cuprophan and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane hemodialysis. Peritoneal dialysis removed a significant amount of myoglobin, CAPD 480 ± 65 μg/day, IPD 270 ± 25 μg/12 h treatment, while with cuprophan dialysis none, and with PAN dialysis only an insignificant amount of myoglobin. The serum myoglobin levels were 250 ± 18 and 264 ± 14 μg/l on cuprophan and a 3 month dialysis on PAN membrane, respectively. Markedly increased serum levels were also found in CAPD and IPD patients on peritoneal dialysis, 227 ± 25 and 286 ± 32 μg/l respectively. This study has shown that there is an increased serum myoglobin concentration in end-stage kidney disease patients on dialysis. Although peritoneal membrane is permeable to myoglobin, a relatively small amount is removed, and the serum level in CAPD and IPD patients was not significantly different from the serum myoglobin concentration in hemodialysis patients. Furthermore myoglobin could not be removed by hemodialysis membrane and an analysis of its important extrarenal catabolism level points were analyzed.
Nonenzymatic versus Enzymatic Hepatocyte Isolation from Pig Livers for Larger Scale Investigations of Liver Cell Perfusion Systems
Authors: Gerlach J.C. , Brombacher J. , Courtney J.M. , Neuhaus P.
Published: April 2018

A comparison of nonenzymatic and enzymatic hepatocyte isolation was performed on pig livers. The collagenase perfusion showed superior results: mean viability 72 ± 10% versus a maximum viability of 21% using EDTA-perfusion. A five-step collagenase perfusion technique, developed for pig livers enables larger scale investigations, in order to develop methods for hepatocyte cultures in therapeutical liver cell perfusion systems.
Plasma-exchange in Chronic Peripheral Neurological Disorders
Authors: Mazzi G. , Raineri A. , Zucco M. , Passadore P. , Pomes A. , Orazi B.M.
Published: April 2018

We investigated 19 patients affected by chronic peripheral neurological disorders treated with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) to verify the efficacy of the therapeutic protocol used in these diseases.

Every patient was clinically considered after 5 TPE. Those who showed an improvement started chemotherapy and continued TPE at the rate of 2 procedures/week for 2 weeks, then 1 procedure/week for 1 month and finally 1 procedure every 2 weeks for 2 months. Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) were infused at the end of apheretic treatment in one of the patients affected by neurological disorders due to monoclonal gammopathy undetermined significance. HCV-positive patients with cryoglobulins were treated with α-interferon (α-IFN) for 6 months before TPE. Eleven patients (58%) had a symptomatic improvement, 2 (1.5%) stopped TPE treatment owing to side effects and 6 (31.5%) did not respond to apheretic therapy.

In order to improve the advantages of TPE we suggest using IVIg at the end of apheretic therapy, while in HCV-positive patients, at least one year of α-IFN therapy is required before initiating TPE.
The “Aachen” Keratoprosthesis: A New Approach towards Successful Keratoprosthesis-Surgery
Authors: von Fischern T. , Langefeld S. , Yuan L , VÖlcker N. , Reim M. , Kirchhof B. , Schrage N. F.
Published: April 2018

Background

None of the keratoprostheses available today is absolutely successful in the long term, neither the problems of extrusion, retroprosthetic membrane formation and intraocular pressure rise are yet solved. A new type of keratoprosthesis is required which can show improved ingrowth characteristics and allow intraocular pressure measurements. In order to possibly meet the above mentioned requirements we developed a flexible silicone keratoprosthesis with scleral fixation and chemical surface modification.

Methods

The one-piece keratoprosthesis is made of silicone rubber. Its optical zone has a diameter of 11 mm and is 0.3 mm thick. The surface-modified haptic consists of a scleral rim and eight branches for scleral fixation. A ridge at the back of the keratoprosthesis fitting into the trephination hole shall avoid leakage and retroprosthetic membrane formation. Optical and mechanical qualities are characterised by tensile tests, spectrophotometry and topography.

Results

A method for keratoprosthesis-production was established. The optical quality of the device was improved by submicron lathing of the mould. Spectrophotometry showed high visible and ultraviolet light transmission of the silicone. Mechanical tests with silicone samples revealed high tensile strength and elongation at break. The mechanical properties were not impaired by surface modification.

Conclusions

The production of a flexible silicone keratoprosthesis with high optical and mechanical properties was established. Its use both for the treatment of permanently opacified corneas and as temporary keratoprosthesis seems to be possible.
The Deficient Worker: Skills, Identity, and Inequality in Service Employment
Authors: Otis Eileen , Wu Tongyu
Published: April 2018

Skill is central to inequality in the workplace, as a basis of material reward and status recognition. While much research treats skill as a set of abilities possessed—or not—by a worker, scholars have yet to grasp the organizational processes whereby jobs come to be taken as rudimentary and the worker performing them unskilled and therefore deficient. To illuminate these processes, we travel to Beijing, China, where workers are loquacious about inequalities confronted in relatively new forms of labor. By juxtaposing two service workplaces where similar sets of work tasks carry contradictory value, we discover the social relations that demote workers and their jobs based on identities, femininity in one workplace, rurality in another. We argue that formulating job tasks as skilled or unskilled is itself a kind of organizational work, which recruits the efforts of managers, colleagues, and customers. Unskilled workers do not appear in the workplace already deficient, but become so through organizational processes.
Bending behavior of single hat-shaped composite T-joints under out-of-plane loading for lightweight automobile structures
Authors: Hou Wenbin , Xu Xianzhe , Wang Haifeng , Tong Liyong
Published: April 2018

This paper presents an analytical, numerical, and experimental study on the failure behavior of single hat-shaped T-joints made of plain woven carbon fiber polymer (T300/epoxy 618) and subjected to out-of-plane bending. The T-joint is manufactured by vacuum bag molding process at room temperature. An analytical model is developed to analyze the experimental results and to establish the associated failure criteria. Two failure modes: (a) laminate buckling and (b) laminate crushing are considered, and the theoretical relationships for predicting the failure load associated with each of the two modes were developed. The experimental data correlate closely with the analytically predicted behavior, including failure mode and bending stiffness. In particular, both laminate buckling and laminate crushing are observed during the experiment with laminate crushing being the final failure mode, which can be considered to be the most important failure mode of the fabricated T-joint. In addition, numerical simulations based on the finite element method and the Hashin damage criteria also accurately predict the flexural modulus, the peak load, and failure locations of the T-joint obtained in the test.
The Impact of Natural Disasters on Neighborhood Poverty Rate: A Neighborhood Change Perspective
Authors: Lee Dalbyul
Published: April 2018

Neighborhoods change over time through an underlying systematic mechanism. Natural disasters change the socioeconomic characteristics of neighborhoods by causing physical damage, after which outside resources are brought in to support recovery efforts, thereby impacting the natural processes by which neighborhoods change. This study examines the impact of a natural disaster on neighborhood poverty rate and its differential impacts according to neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics. The results show that natural disasters cause a shift in the pattern of the neighborhood poverty rate trajectory and that disasters’ impacts on neighborhood poverty rates are differential across neighborhoods. In particular, natural disasters impact the poverty rates of low-income neighborhoods most adversely.
Tau-independent Phase Analysis: A Novel Method for Accurately Determining Phase Shifts
Authors: Tackenberg Michael C. , Jones Jeff R. , Page Terry L. , Hughey Jacob J.
Published: April 2018

Estimations of period and phase are essential in circadian biology. While many techniques exist for estimating period, comparatively few methods are available for estimating phase. Current approaches to analyzing phase often vary between studies and are sensitive to coincident changes in period and the stage of the circadian cycle at which the stimulus occurs. Here we propose a new technique, tau-independent phase analysis (TIPA), for quantifying phase shifts in multiple types of circadian time-course data. Through comprehensive simulations, we show that TIPA is both more accurate and more precise than the standard actogram approach. TIPA is computationally simple and therefore will enable accurate and reproducible quantification of phase shifts across multiple subfields of chronobiology.
Synthesis and properties of polyimide nanocomposite containing dopamine-modified graphene oxide
Authors: Qin Songlv , Qiu Shihui , Cui Mingjun , Dai Zhendong , Zhao Haichao , Wang Liping
Published: April 2018

Polyimide (PI)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites with different loads of polydopamine-modified graphene oxide (PI/PDA-GO) were prepared. Meanwhile, the as-prepared PI/PDA-GO nanocomposites were compared with pure PI in terms of their morphologies, thermal and mechanical properties. Only a minor mass fraction of PDA-GO was required to enhance the mechanical and thermal properties of PI. The tensile strength of 1 wt% PDA-GO/PI was increased by 12% and the tensile modulus of 1 wt% PDA-GO/PI nanocomposites was increased by 25% compared to those of pure PI. Vickers hardness of the PI hybrid films increased with PDA-GO load and the maximum enhancement in Vickers hardness was observed at 2 wt% PDA-GO loading. On the other hand, the storage modulus of 1 wt% PDA-GO/PI was increased by 54% than that of neat PI. In consideration of the facile preparation of PDA-coated GO, superior physical properties over neat PI, PI/PDA-GO nanocomposites showed promising applications as functional films or composites.
Thermal and water ageing effect on mechanical, rheological and morphological properties of glass-fibre-reinforced poly(oxymethylene) composite
Authors: Kuram Emel
Published: April 2018

In this study, the ageing behaviour of glass-fibre-reinforced poly(oxymethylene) composite at different conditions was investigated. The ageing was performed in various controlled environments, namely in air at room temperature, in water at room temperature and in an oven at the temperature of 100 ℃. Tensile and flexural tests were conducted to determine the mechanical properties, melt flow index was measured to determine the rheological property and scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the morphological property of unaged and aged poly(oxymethylene) samples. A reduction in both tensile and flexural strength was observed with all ageing environment. The worst strength retention was obtained with water ageing. Water absorbed by glass-fibre-reinforced poly(oxymethylene) composite had a detrimental influence on the tensile and flexural strength. Tensile strength was affected by the ageing environments. The decrease in the tensile strength of air and thermally aged poly(oxymethylene) was slower than that of water aged poly(oxymethylene), and the tensile strength of aged samples decreased as the ageing time increased. The combined actions of heat, air and water (thermal + water + air ageing) did not further degrade glass-fibre-reinforced poly(oxymethylene) compared to only water ageing at the room temperature. All tensile stress–strain and flexural load–deflection curves showed the similar tendency and did not change with ageing environments and time. All aged samples showed higher melt flow index values than that of unaged sample and the changes in melt flow index could be an indicator of degradation.
Human iPS Cell–based Liver-like Tissue Engineering at Extrahepatic Sites in Mice as a New Cell Therapy for Hemophilia B
Authors: Okamoto Ryota , Takayama Kazuo , Akita Naoki , Nagamoto Yasuhito , Hosokawa Daiki , Iizuka Shunsuke , Sakurai Fuminori , Suemizu Hiroshi , Ohashi Kazuo , Mizuguchi Hiroyuki
Published: April 2018

Instead of liver transplantation or liver-directed gene therapy, genetic liver diseases are expected to be treated effectively using liver tissue engineering technology. Hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) generated from human-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are an attractive unlimited cell source for liver-like tissue engineering. In this study, we attempted to show the effectiveness of human iPS cell–based liver-like tissue engineering at an extrahepatic site for treatment of hemophilia B, also called factor IX (FIX) deficiency. HLCs were transplanted under the kidney capsule where the transplanted cells could be efficiently engrafted. Ten weeks after the transplantation, human albumin (253 μg/mL) and α-1 antitrypsin (1.2 μg/mL) could be detected in the serum of transplanted mice. HLCs were transplanted under the kidney capsule of FIX-deficient mice. The clotting activities in the transplanted mice were approximately 5% of those in wild-type mice. The bleeding time in transplanted mice was shorter than that in the nontransplanted mice. Taken together, these results indicate the success in generating functional liver-like tissues under the kidney capsule by using human iPS cell–derived HLCs. We also demonstrated that the human iPS cell–based liver-like tissue engineering technology would be an effective treatment of genetic liver disease including hemophilia B.
‘Devils that suck the blood of the Malayan People’: The Case for Post-Revisionist Analysis of Counter-insurgency Violence
Authors: Hack Karl
Published: April 2018

This article addresses the ‘revisionist’ case that post-war Western counter-insurgency deployed widespread, exemplary violence in order to discipline and intimidate populations. It does this by using the Malayan Emergency of 1948–60 as a case study in extreme counter-insurgency ‘violence’, defined as high to lethal levels of physical force against non-combatants’ (civilians, detainees, prisoners, and corpses). It confirms high levels of such violence, from sporadic shooting of civilians to the killing of 24 unarmed workers at Batang Kali. Yet it also demonstrates that there were more varieties of and nuances in extreme force than is sometimes realized, for instance with multiple and very different forms of mass population displacement. It also concentrates more effort on explaining how such violence came about, and shows a marked trend over time towards greatly improved targeting, and towards methods that did not cause direct bodily harm. This case study therefore suggests the need for a ‘post-revisionist’ form of counter-insurgency analysis: one that can take into account the lifecycles of multiple types of violence, and of violence-limitation, and emphasize explanation for extreme violence over its mere description. Such a post-revisionist analysis need not necessarily imply that there was more, or less, violence than suggested by previous accounts. Instead, it requires a more nuanced and contextualized account, clearly differentiated by technique, place, and period.
The decolonization war in Indonesia, 1945–1949: War crimes in Dutch veterans’ egodocuments
Authors: Oostindie Gert , Hoogenboom Ireen , Verwey Jonathan
Published: April 2018

Between August 1945 and December 1949, the Netherlands deployed some 220,000 military in the Indonesian decolonization war. Both during and long after this war, the Dutch government has denied that its armed forces engaged in war crimes, apart from a limited number of identified transgressions characterized as ‘exceptional’. This position has increasingly been criticized by scholars and in public debates, but it remains a daunting task to present conclusive evidence. This paper, based on an exhaustive analysis of all published egodocuments of Dutch soldiers and veterans, is a first attempt at quantification and confirms earlier suggestions that war crimes formed a structural ingredient of Dutch warfare. This extensive and unique corpus also discloses valuable information about the context in which such crimes were perpetrated.
Roadside drug testing: Incoherent policy or uncertainty by design?
Authors: Ricketts Aidan
Published: April 2018

Roadside drug testing regimes being implemented around Australia have been presented as essential for road safety but are compromised by significant policy incoherence. Prosecution based upon driving impairment has been replaced with prosecution based upon mere detection of a specified substance. The conflation of road safety and prohibition as the jurisprudential rationale for penalty by legislators is producing significant negative side effects for the criminal justice system and for the social legitimacy of the roadside testing process generally. Genuine impairment testing for drivers is important but it is not being achieved by the current procedures in place around Australia.
Epistemic injustice on Palm Island
Authors: Maxwell Jack
Published: April 2018

This article examines the recent decision in Wotton v Queensland (No 5) through the lens of epistemic injustice. In Wotton, the Federal Court found that police contravened the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 in their response to the death of an Aboriginal man in custody on Palm Island in 2004. The decision is a landmark for police accountability, but it also provides a striking example of an Australian court confronting and condemning epistemic injustice: the distinctive wrongs that may be done to a person as a knower.
Violence risk assessment and Indigenous Australians: A primer
Authors: Shepherd Stephane
Published: April 2018

Violence risk assessment instruments are widely utilised in Australian medico-legal settings to help estimate an individual’s level of risk for future violence or offending. This introductory Brief discusses the extant cross-cultural research on risk instruments and the current applicability of the instruments to Australian Indigenous people.
Plantar Pressure Measurements and Geometric Analysis of Patients With and Without Morton’s Neuroma
Authors: Naraghi Reza , Slack-Smith Linda , Bryant Alan
Published: April 2018

Background:

The purpose of this research was to see if there were any differences in peak pressure, contact time, pressure-time integrals, and geometric variables such as forefoot width, foot length, coefficient of spreading, and arch index between subjects with Morton’s neuroma (MN) and control subjects.

Methods:

Dynamic peak plantar pressure, contact time, pressure-time integral, and geometric data were extracted using the EMED-X platform in 52 subjects with MN and 31 control subjects. Differences in peak pressure, contact time, pressure-time integral, and geometric data between participants with and those without MN were determined using independent-samples t tests. There were no significant differences in age, weight, height, and body mass index between patients with MN and control subjects.

Results:

There were no significant differences in the peak pressures of all masked areas and pressure-time integrals under metatarsal 2 to 4 heads between patients with MN and control subjects. In addition, no significant differences were observed between patients with MN and control subjects in geometric measurements of forefoot length, width, coefficient of spreading, foot progression angle, and arch index.

Conclusion:

No relationship was found in this study between peak pressure, contact time, and pressure-time integral under the metatarsal heads, forefoot width, foot length, coefficient of spreading, and foot progression angle in a symptomatic MN group compared with a control group. The need to perform osteotomies to treat MN not associated with other lesser metatarsal phalangeal joint pathologies is questionable.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, Case-Control Study
Determining Psychoneuroimmunologic Markers of Yoga as an Intervention for Persons Diagnosed With PTSD: A Systematic Review
Authors: Kelly Ursula Ann , Evans Dian Dowling , Baker Helen , Noggle Taylor Jessica
Published: April 2018

There is a growing body of research on yoga as a therapeutic intervention for psychological symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) accompanied by speculations on underlying physiologic mechanisms. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify, qualitatively evaluate, and synthesize studies of yoga as an intervention for PTSD that measured physiologic outcomes in order to gain insights into potential mechanisms. The focus is on studies evaluating yoga as a therapeutic intervention for PTSD rather than for trauma exposure, PTSD prevention, or subclinical PTSD. Multiple databases were searched for publications from the past two decades using terms derived from the question, “In people with PTSD, what is the effect of yoga on objective outcomes?” Eligibility criteria included yoga-only modalities tested as an intervention for formally diagnosed PTSD with at least one physiologic outcome. Results of this review confirmed that, though much of the published literature proposes physiological mechanisms underlying yoga’s effects on PTSD, very few studies ( n = 3) have actually evaluated physiological evidence. Additionally, several studies had methodological limitations. In light of the limited data supporting yoga’s beneficial effects on autonomic nervous system dysregulation, we present a theoretical model of the psychoneuroimmunologic processes associated with PTSD and the effects yoga may have on these processes to guide future research. Gaps in the literature remain for mechanisms related to activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and inflammation. Additional rigorous mechanistic studies are needed to guide development of effective yoga interventions for PTSD to augment existing evidence-based PTSD treatments.
Positive Effects of a Short-Term Intense Elastic Resistance Training Program on Body Composition and Physical Functioning in Overweight Older Women
Authors: Fritz Nicole B. , Juesas Álvaro , Gargallo Pedro , Calatayud Joaquín , Fernández-Garrido Julio , Rogers Michael E. , Colado Juan C.
Published: April 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a resistance training program (RTP) in older overweight women (OOW) using two different types of elastic devices. Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial with pre- and postintervention measures. Participants included OOW, aged 60–85 years, with no medical history of disease that would preclude them from engaging in physical exercise. Participants were randomly divided into the following groups: elastic tubes with handles group (ETG; n = 22), traditional elastic bands group ( n = 21), and control group (CG; n = 20). Exercise groups (EGs) performed the following supervised RTP: 8 weeks, twice weekly, six overall body exercises, and 3–4 sets of 10 repetitions at a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of 7–9 on the OMNI-Resistance Exercise Scale of perceived exertion. The controls did not change their usual lifestyle. Outcome measures included body composition (BC; total and regional percentage of fat mass [FM] and fat-free mass [FFM]) and physical performance (PP; dynamic and isometric strength, flexibility, agility/dynamic balance, and endurance). Results: Both EGs exhibited significantly reduced FM in the upper limbs (ULs) and trunk and increased FFM in the UL, while the ETG exhibited a significantly increased trunk FFM. Both EGs improved in PP, and there were no intergroup differences. Trunk FM and FFM and meters walked differed significantly between the ETG and CG. The CG did not exhibit any significant changes. Conclusion: Training with elastic devices at a moderate–high RPE produces short-term improvements in BC and PP in OOW.
Negative Correlation of Serum Adiponectin Levels With Carotid–Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity in Patients Treated With Hemodialysis
Authors: Hou Jia-Sian , Wang Chih-Hsien , Lai Yu-Hsien , Lin Yu-Li , Kuo Chiu-Huang , Subeq Yi-Maun , Hsu Bang-Gee
Published: April 2018

Purpose:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum adiponectin levels and carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Method:

Blood samples were obtained from 120 HD patients. cfPWV was measured with a validated tonometry system (SphygmoCor; AtCor Medical, West Ryde, Australia). Serum adiponectin levels were measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.

Results:

By univariate linear analysis of cfPWV in HD patients, we found that diabetes ( r = .281, p = .002), pre-HD body weight ( r = .194, p = .033), post-HD body weight ( r = .192, p = .036), waist circumference ( r =.210, p = .022), and body fat mass ( r = .194, p = .034) were positively correlated, whereas adiponectin level ( r = −.254, p = .005) was negatively correlated with cfPWV in HD patients. Multivariate forward stepwise linear regression analysis showed that diabetes (β = .274, p = .006) and adiponectin level (β = −.215, p = .016) were independent predictors of cfPWV in HD patients. Moreover, post-HD body weight (β = −.274, p = .041), waist circumference (β = −.311, p < .001), logarithmically transformed triglyceride level (log-TG; β = −.186, p = .031), and log-glucose (β = −.225, p = .008) were negatively associated with adiponectin levels in HD patients after multivariable forward stepwise linear regression analysis.

Conclusions:

Among HD patients, serum adiponectin level was inversely associated with cfPWV level, and post-HD body weight, waist circumference, log-TG, and log-glucose were negatively associated with adiponectin level.
Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and invariance assessment of the perceived powerlessness scale among youth in Baltimore
Authors: Lim Sahnah , Powell Terrinieka W , Xue Qian-Li , Towe Vivian L , Taylor Ralph B , Ellen Jonathan M , Sherman Susan G
Published: April 2018

Generalized perceived powerlessness is an important psychosocial construct that determines a wide range of health behaviors and outcomes. This study has two aims: (1) examine the structure of the newly developed perceived powerlessness scale using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and (2) assess the scale’s invariance across key demographic variables using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis among a random household sample of African American and White youth (aged 15–24 years) residing in Baltimore, MD. Our study results demonstrated that the powerlessness scale is valid among a demographically diverse sample of urban youth, showing promise for use in future health behavior and outcome studies.
Capturing public interest toward new tools for controlling human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection exploiting data from Google Trends
Authors: Mahroum Naim , Bragazzi Nicola Luigi , Brigo Francesco , Waknin Roy , Sharif Kassem , Mahagna Hussein , Amital Howard , Watad Abdulla
Published: April 2018

Human immunodeficiency virus vaccination and pre-exposure prophylaxis represent two different emerging preventive tools. Google Trends was used to assess the public interest toward these tools in terms of digital activities. Worldwide web searches concerning the human immunodeficiency virus vaccine represented 0.34 percent, 0.03 percent, and 46.97 percent of human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome treatment–related Google Trends queries, respectively. Concerning temporal trends, digital activities were shown to increase from 0 percent as of 1 January 2004 percent to 46 percent as of 8 October 2017 with two spikes observed in May and July 2012, coinciding with the US Food and Drug Administration approval. Bursts in search number and volume were recorded as human immunodeficiency virus vaccine trials emerged. This search topic has decreased in the past decade in parallel to the increase in Truvada-related topics. Concentrated searches were noticed among African countries with high human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome prevalence. Stakeholders should take advantage of public interest especially in preventive medicine in high disease burden countries.
Vibration of deploying rectangular cross-sectional beam made of functionally graded materials
Authors: Zhao Feng-Qun , Wang Zhong-Min
Published: April 2018

Transverse vibration and stability of deploying rectangular cross-sectional cantilever beam made of functionally graded material are investigated. The functionally graded material beam is assumed to be constructed with ceramics and metal phases, and the corresponding equivalent parameters of functionally graded material are found to continuously vary across the cross-sectional height with a simple power law. The differential equations of motion of deploying functionally graded material cantilever beam are derived by Hamilton’s principle. Based on the assumed modal method, the beam deflection function is expanded into a series, in which each term is expressed to admissible function multiplied by generalized coordinate. The eigenfunctions of cantilever beam in which the length of the beam is time-dependent are chosen as admissible functions. Galerkin method is employed to discretize the differential equation to a set of time-coordinate-dependent ordinary differential equations, and then the eigenvalue problem depending on time is obtained. The deployment motion of beam is considered as a constant speed in this study, and some numerical results, which are variations of tip deflection response and complex frequencies, are obtained. Finally, the effects of gradient index of functionally graded material, deploying speed, initial length and protruded length, the cross-sectional height on dynamical characteristics, and divergence instability of the deploying functionally graded material beam are discussed.
Formalizing consumer tribes: Towards a theorization of consumer-constructed organizations
Authors: Mamali Elizabeth , Nuttall Peter , Shankar Avi
Published: April 2018

Marketing theory on consumer tribes explores how these ephemeral collectives can grow into more formal, organizational systems that become subject to the various demands of the market. But how tribal doctrines endure in communities that are formalizing their market engagement remains under-theorized. To address this, we draw from literature on hybrid organizations and ethnographic data from an art-house cinema tribe that is formalizing its operations into what we conceptualize as a ‘consumer-constructed organization’ (CCO). We theorize CCOs as dynamic, hybrid organizational forms that balance the doctrines and characteristics of consumer tribes with their role as market actors. In addition to introducing CCOs as a theoretical and empirical point of reference in consumer research literature, we contribute by theorizing the ongoing tensions that unravel as tribal doctrines persevere or dissipate in the face of market demands and organizational formalization.
Inspiring desire: A new materialist bent to doctoral education in Arts and Humanities
Authors: Carter Susan , Gunn Vicky
Published: April 2018

Doctoral learning entails transition from experienced student to stance-defending researcher, exposed to international critique: a disorientation and reorientation into a new identity. Arts and Humanities candidates typically navigate these moves without much of a map, choosing their own topics, avoiding the more externally defined approach available to STEM students, and mapping out their own research routes. They are often driven by desire and passion for their topic. Much of each candidate’s core identity will be inflected by this transition of emergence, a transition that involves their embodiment, emotion and social persona. With intense and sometimes uncomfortable transition in mind, and desire as driver, new materialism, namely nomadic feminism and queer theory, can inform doctoral pedagogy in Arts and Humanities. The destabilization of normativity opens the potentials and challenges of inhabited and performed identity. Queer theory’s longstanding negotiation of social and personal tensions gives a heuristic model for understanding doctoral identity transition.
Weathering a violent storm together – Witnessing and co-constructing meaning in collaborative engagement with those experiencing psychosis-related challenges
Authors: Nolte Lizette
Published: April 2018

The experience of psychosis can sweep into a life like a violent storm. In this paper, I first attempt to fully imagine the experience of such a storm by drawing on first person accounts and then consider the clinical encounter between mental health practitioners and those who find themselves amidst this storm. I reflect on ways we can better support meaning-making of, and purposefully living with, these potentially intensely distressing and disturbing experiences. Drawing on narrative and collaborative practices, I consider grounding the embodied experiences related to psychosis, honouring the stories of severe and enduring mental health problems and the life experiences that lead to them, accompanying people in their meaning-making of these experiences and joining in the fight against stigma. In particular, the importance of walking alongside those in the throes of the storm and bearing witness to their suffering is highlighted. Finally, the implications for the training of mental health professionals are considered.
Knowing the past affectively: Screen media and the evocation of intergenerational trauma
Authors: Dragojlović Ana
Published: April 2018

This article explores the relationship between the affective intensities of screen media and its potential to serve as an affective force for the transmission of intergenerational trauma. I explore how watching a documentary portraying historical atrocities that preceded the birth of the documentary’s viewers yet affected their lives in profound ways, is one of the manifold engagements in genealogy and memory work that seeks to know the past affectively. My focus is on Indisch (Indonesian-Dutch) viewers whose relatives suffered through various atrocities that took place in Indonesia in the 20th century. By ethnographically exploring Indisch affective engagements with Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary, The Act of Killing (2012), I show how such engagements need to be analysed as occurring across human and non-human interactions and beyond the subject–object distinction. I argue that the affectivity of screen media (in particular, documentaries) that showcase instances of historical violence that have never received much public representation needs to be understood with particular historical contingencies. This article alerts us to how processes of getting to know the past affectively reveal the fragility of the embodied self in the wake of cataclysmic violence.
Stories, narratives, scenarios in Medicine
Authors: Parker Jan
Published: April 2018

This Medical Humanities Special Issue critiques and reflects on narrative practices around medical, psychiatric and trauma care. This introductory article explores the affordances of patient experience narratives and scenarios to illuminate lives interrupted by medical and psychological crises while raising questions about the medical ethics, epistemological frameworks and potential pathologising of diagnosing complex conditions. It discusses the problematics and ethics of ‘re-presenting’ trauma in art, photography, film or music and the potential for theatre to raise difficult issues in and beyond medical training.
The Roehampton Campus Project: Using campus, collections and memories of the university as a learning and teaching resource for Humanities students
Authors: Behr Charlotte , Nevin Sonya
Published: April 2018

In this article, we present a newly developed undergraduate module that is taught in the Humanities Department of the University of Roehampton. Campus and university themselves are the topics of the module. The module provides an opportunity for the students to engage academically with their environment. They study not only many interesting stories related to the campus, its buildings and artworks and the history(ies) of the university and its constituent colleges, they also explore their historical contexts. They have the rare chance to engage with original artefacts and archival materials directly unmediated by editorial and scholarly work. For their assignments, the students conduct research projects that are based on the resources of campus and university. They are required to present the results of their research in a public forum to provide them, early in their university studies, with experience of public engagement.
Interobserver reliability of the ankle–brachial index, toe–brachial index and distal pulse palpation in patients with diabetes
Authors: Álvaro-Afonso Francisco Javier , García-Morales Esther , Molines-Barroso Raúl J , García-Álvarez Yolanda , Sanz-Corbalán Irene , Lázaro-Martínez José Luis
Published: April 2018

Objective:

We conducted a prospective pilot study in patients with diabetes to analyse the interobserver reliability of the ankle–brachial index, toe–brachial index and distal pulse palpation depending on the training of the professional involved.

Materials and Methods:

The ankle–brachial index, toe–brachial index and distal pulses were assessed by three clinicians with different levels of experience on the same day. Measurements were supervised and recorded by a fourth clinician.

Results:

Twenty-one patients (42 ft) were included in this study. We observed moderate agreement between clinicians in the palpation of posterior tibial arteries (K = 0.45, p < 0.001) and low agreement in dorsalis pedis arteries (K = 0.33, p < 0.001). The measurement of ankle–brachial index had moderate agreement between clinicians in patients with medial arterial calcification (K = 0.43, p < 0.001) and low agreement in patients with normal ankle–brachial index (K = 0.4, p < 0.001). The measurement of toe–brachial index had moderate agreement between clinicians in patients with a normal toe–brachial index (K = 0.4, p < 0.001) and in patients with medial arterial calcification (K = 0.60, p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Palpation of distal pulses, ankle–brachial index and toe–brachial index determination in patients with diabetes are not highly reproducible and reliable between clinicians with different levels of experience under routine conditions.
Micro converter with a high step-up ratio to drive a piezoelectric bimorph actuator applied in mobile robots
Authors: Xu Ziming , Wang Yiding , Chen Chen
Published: April 2018

In this study, a micro converter for driving a piezoelectric actuator is designed and implemented. The converter can produce 100 V, 80 Hz AC voltage from 3.7 V DC voltage. With regard to the requirements of micro mobile robots, the main contributions of this study are the design and implementation of a circuit topology supplying power for micro mobile robots at low power and the miniaturization of this topology to make it suitable for driving a centimeter-level robot. The 91 mg mass (excluding printed circuit board mass), 14 × 12 × 4 mm size, and 84.6% efficiency of the converter indicate that this circuit could be applied in micro mobile robots driven by piezoelectric actuators.
Prevalence and reporting of recruitment, randomisation and treatment errors in clinical trials: A systematic review
Authors: Yelland Lisa N , Kahan Brennan C , Dent Elsa , Lee Katherine J , Voysey Merryn , Forbes Andrew B , Cook Jonathan A
Published: April 2018

Background/aims

In clinical trials, it is not unusual for errors to occur during the process of recruiting, randomising and providing treatment to participants. For example, an ineligible participant may inadvertently be randomised, a participant may be randomised in the incorrect stratum, a participant may be randomised multiple times when only a single randomisation is permitted or the incorrect treatment may inadvertently be issued to a participant at randomisation. Such errors have the potential to introduce bias into treatment effect estimates and affect the validity of the trial, yet there is little motivation for researchers to report these errors and it is unclear how often they occur. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of recruitment, randomisation and treatment errors and review current approaches for reporting these errors in trials published in leading medical journals.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of individually randomised, phase III, randomised controlled trials published in New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association, Annals of Internal Medicine and British Medical Journal from January to March 2015. The number and type of recruitment, randomisation and treatment errors that were reported and how they were handled were recorded. The corresponding authors were contacted for a random sample of trials included in the review and asked to provide details on unreported errors that occurred during their trial.

Results

We identified 241 potentially eligible articles, of which 82 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. These trials involved a median of 24 centres and 650 participants, and 87% involved two treatment arms. Recruitment, randomisation or treatment errors were reported in 32 in 82 trials (39%) that had a median of eight errors. The most commonly reported error was ineligible participants inadvertently being randomised. No mention of recruitment, randomisation or treatment errors was found in the remaining 50 of 82 trials (61%). Based on responses from 9 of the 15 corresponding authors who were contacted regarding recruitment, randomisation and treatment errors, between 1% and 100% of the errors that occurred in their trials were reported in the trial publications.

Conclusion

Recruitment, randomisation and treatment errors are common in individually randomised, phase III trials published in leading medical journals, but reporting practices are inadequate and reporting standards are needed. We recommend researchers report all such errors that occurred during the trial and describe how they were handled in trial publications to improve transparency in reporting of clinical trials.
Multiple domains of social support are associated with diabetes self-management among Veterans
Authors: Gray Kristen E , Hoerster Katherine D , Reiber Gayle E , Bastian Lori A , Nelson Karin M
Published: April 2018

Objectives

To examine, among Veterans, relationships of general social support and diabetes-specific social support for physical activity and healthy eating with diabetes self-management behaviors.

Methods

Patients from VA Puget Sound, Seattle completed a cross-sectional survey in 2012–2013 ( N = 717). We measured (a) general social support and (b) diabetes-specific social support for healthy eating and physical activity with domains reflecting support person participation, encouragement, and sharing ideas. Among 189 self-reporting diabetes patients, we fit linear and modified Poisson regression models estimating associations of social support with diabetes self-management behaviors: adherence to general and diabetes-specific diets and blood glucose monitoring (days/week); physical activity (< vs. ≥150 min/week); and smoking status (smoker/non-smoker).

Results

General social support was not associated with diabetes self-management. For diabetes-specific social support, higher healthy eating support scores across all domains were associated with better adherence to general and diabetes-specific diets. Higher physical activity support scores were positively associated with ≥150 min/week of physical activity only for the participation domain.

Discussion

Diabetes-specific social support was a stronger and more consistent correlate of improved self-management than general social support, particularly for lifestyle behaviors. Incorporating family/friends into Veterans’ diabetes self-management routines may lead to better self-management and improvements in disease control and outcomes.