bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contact problem for wavy surfaces in the presence of an incompressible liquid and a gas in interface gaps
Authors: Kozachok Oleh , Martynyak Rostyslav
Published: June 2018

This paper presents a study on smooth elastic contact between two semi-infinite elastic bodies, one of which has a wavy surface, for the case when there are an incompressible liquid, not wetting the surfaces of the bodies, at the central region of each interface gap and a gas under constant pressure at the edges of each gap. Due to the surface tension of the liquid, a pressure drop occurs in the liquid and the gas, which is described by the Laplace formula. The formulated contact problem is reduced to a singular integral equation (SIE) with the Hilbert kernel, which is transformed into a SIE with the Cauchy kernel for a derivative of a height of the gaps. A system of transcendental equations for a width of each gap and a width of the gap region filled with the liquid is obtained from the condition of boundedness of the contact stresses at the gap ends and the condition of liquid amount conservation. It is solved numerically, and the dependences of the width and shape of the gaps, the width of the gap regions filled with the liquid and the contact approach of the bodies on the applied load and the surface tension of the liquid are analyzed.
Discordance of Twin Placentas for Multifocal Eosinophilic/T-cell Chorionic Vasculitis
Authors: Nohr Erik W , Wright James R
Published: June 2018

Eosinophilic/T-cell chorionic vasculitis (ETCV) is an idiopathic placental lesion characterized by chorionic vasculitis composed predominantly of eosinophils and CD3+ T lymphocytes. It usually presents as a unifocal lesion, but a subset have multifocal involvement. We report 4 Di-Di and 2 Di-Mo twins sharing fused placental discs with discordant circulatory involvement by multifocal ETCV. The findings are difficult to explain by sampling alone. The limitation of ETCV to 1 fetus’s vascular territory in monozygotic twin pregnancies is difficult to explain but could provide insights into the fetal immune system and the etiology of ETCV.
Dynamic stability analysis of microcomposite annular sandwich plate with carbon nanotube reinforced composite facesheets based on modified strain gradient theory
Authors: Mohammadimehr M , Emdadi M , Rousta Navi B
Published: June 2018

In this article, dynamic stability of annular sandwich plate with carbon nanotubes reinforced composite facesheets and an isotropic homogeneous core are presented based on first-order shear deformation theory and modified strain gradient theory. The generalized rule of mixture is employed to predict mechanical properties of microcomposite sandwich plate. The equations of motion are derived from Hamilton’s principle and solved by differential quadrature method. The fast rate of convergence of the method is shown and the results are compared against existing results in the literature. The results indicate that volume fraction of carbon nanotubes in facesheets and dimensionless length scale parameter has significant effects on the dynamic stability region and the parametric resonance. Dynamic stability region increases with considering of dimensionless length scale parameter, increasing of volume fraction of carbon nanotubes, and static load factor. Also, the influence of inner-to-outer radius ratios, radius-to-thickness ratios, and core-to-facesheets ratios are considered. The results can be employed for design of materials science, in junction high pressure micropipe connections, solid-state physics, micro-electro-mechanical systems, and nano electromechanical systems such as microactuators and microsensor.
Music value and participation: An Australian case study of music provision and support in Early Childhood Education
Authors: Barrett Margaret S. , Flynn Libby Maree , Welch Graham F.
Published: June 2018

There is a growing body of evidence that early engagement in active music-making impacts beneficially on children’s wider development. Recent research indicates that individual and shared music-making in family settings contributes to positive parenting practices and identity development in young children. Children who participate in shared music-making at age 3 are better prepared for school experiences at age 5. These findings suggest music should be a compulsory requirement in any early childhood programme. This article reports the findings of a case study investigation of the provision of music in an Australian Early Childhood Education Centre. Findings suggest that music provision is best supported when there is a high value for music amongst staff, there is a range of value-added as well as integrated uses of music, and there is sustained music professional development for all staff.
In the limelight: Utilizing clinical simulations to enhance music teacher education
Authors: Dotger Benjamin , Dekaney Elisa , Coggiola John
Published: June 2018

In field placements, preservice music teachers (PMTs) rarely have the opportunity to communicate one-to-one with parents/caregivers. Situated within a clinical environment, this study examines how PMTs engage with a concerned mother whose daughter did not have a successful audition for a school musical. We approach this inquiry from a unique perspective, drawing on a pedagogy comprehensively used to prepare physicians, and using it with our own PMTs. We begin by outlining medical education’s use of simulations with standardized patients to prepare future medical professionals to effectively engage with patients. Then, we turn attention to the music simulation designed for our PMTs, the challenges they all faced from the same concerned mother, and the data resulting from their face-to-face conversations. Implications center on the use of clinical simulations as a pedagogy to enhance music teacher preparation.
Commentary on Al Hussona et al. ‘New-onset seizures as a sole clinical presentation of multiple sclerosis’
Authors: Chard Declan T
Published: June 2018

Despite the now significant contribution of magnetic resonance imaging, the accurate and timely diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still clinically challenging. Al Hussona et al., with their case series, highlight the complexities of attributing paroxysmal, and in particular cortical, symptoms such as epileptic seizures to inflammatory demyelinating lesions, and establishing a diagnosis of MS based on them. In such circumstances an MS diagnosis is likely to be more tentative than for more typical MS presentations, and treatment choices should be weighed accordingly.
Queer women’s experiences of patchwork platform governance on Tinder, Instagram, and Vine
Authors: Duguay Stefanie , Burgess Jean , Suzor Nicolas
Published: June 2018

Leaked documents, press coverage, and user protests have increasingly drawn attention to social media platforms’ seemingly contradictory governance practices. We investigate the governance approaches of Tinder, Instagram, and Vine through detailed analyses of each platform, using the ‘walkthrough method’ (Light, Burgess, and Duguay, 2016 The walkthrough method: An approach to the study of apps. New Media & Society 20(3).), as well as interviews with their queer female users. Across these three platforms, we identify a common approach we call ‘patchwork platform governance’: one that relies on formal policies and content moderation mechanisms but pays little attention to dominant platform technocultures (including both developer cultures and cultures of use) and their sustaining architectures. Our analysis of these platforms and reported user experiences shows that formal governance measures like Terms of Service and flagging mechanisms did not protect users from harassment, discrimination, and censorship. Key components of the platforms’ architectures, including cross-platform connectivity, hashtag filtering, and algorithmic recommendation systems, reinforced these technocultures. This significantly limited queer women’s ability to participate and be visible on these platforms, as they often self-censored to avoid harassment, reduced the scope of their activities, or left the platform altogether. Based on these findings, we argue that there is a need for platforms to take more systematic approaches to governance that comprehensively consider the role of a platform’s architecture in shaping and sustaining dominant technocultures.
Drugs, Brains and Other Subalterns: Public Debate and the New Materialist Politics of Addiction
Authors: Fraser Suzanne , valentine kylie , Ekendahl Mats
Published: June 2018

Over the last few decades feminists, science and technology studies scholars and others have grappled with how to take materiality into account in understanding social practices, subjectivity and events. One key area for these debates has been drug use and addiction. At the same time, neuroscientific accounts of drug use and addiction have also arisen. This development has attracted criticism as simplistically reinstating material determinism. In this article we draw on 80 interviews with health professionals directly involved in drug-related public policy and service provision in three countries to identify the main ways the neuroscience of addiction (and thus the agency of the brain) is understood. We analyse these understandings using contemporary posthumanist theory to develop new options for conceptualizing matter in public responses to addiction. We close by calling for a new approach to addiction and the brain based on a process model of materiality and public debate.
Flower, soil, water, stone: Biblical landscape items and Protestant materiality
Authors: Bielo James S
Published: June 2018

Protestants mobilize objects such as ‘Holy Land’ flowers, Jordan River stones, vials of Dead Sea water, sand from Lake Tiberias, and Golgotha soil as potent metonymic resources, promising a kind of direct access to the scriptural past and its sacred stories. This article uses this case of biblical landscape items to reflect on the historic ambivalence that characterizes Protestant relations with religious materiality. Building on scholarship that has demonstrated the prolific role of religious materiality in Protestant ritual and everyday lifeworlds, the author extends this analysis by asking: under what conditions do Protestants experience materiality as untroubled and under what conditions is a more anxious disposition activated? To differentiate among conditions, the author proposes that it is helpful to conceptualize Protestant engagements with materiality vis-à-vis legitimized frames (e.g. pedagogy, devotion, evangelism, entertainment). Drawing together archival and ethnographic data, primarily among US Protestants, the article argues that when Protestants function within legitimized frames they are prone to embrace biblical landscape items, but when they find themselves out of frame, their engagement with this particular species of materiality becomes troubled.
Morphological ability among monolingual and bilingual speakers in early childhood: The case of two Semitic languages
Authors: Asli-Badarneh Abeer , Leikin Mark
Published: June 2018

This study examines the possible effects of bilingualism, mother tongue and type of morphology on morphological awareness of Arabic- and Hebrew-speaking preschoolers (mean age – 5:4). Four groups of children participated in the study: (1) 50 Arabic-speaking monolingual speakers; (2) 50 Hebrew-speaking monolingual speakers; (3) 50 Arabic/Hebrew bilingual speakers; and (4) 50 Hebrew/Arabic bilingual speakers. Participants from the bilingual groups were sequential non-balanced bilingual speakers who started learning a second language at ages 3–4 in a bilingual Arabic/Hebrew kindergarten. All children performed two tasks on inflectional morphology and three tasks on derivational morphology in one or both languages. To examine inflectional morphology, domain plural nouns were chosen because of their linear nature in both Hebrew and Arabic and because inflectional plural-noun morphology is acquired very early. In derivational morphology, the focus was on the verbs because of their high token frequency, early acquisition compared to nominal morphology, and its importance for Semitic languages. The results demonstrate significant effects of mother tongue, bilingualism and type of morphology on the children’s performance. The better results were obtained in Hebrew-speaking monolinguals and in Arabic-speaking bilinguals. Monolingual Hebrew speakers performed better in Hebrew than Arabic-speakers did in Arabic. At the same time, Arabic-speaking bilingual children demonstrated significantly better results in Hebrew (second language) than Hebrew speakers did in Arabic (second language). Analysis of the findings also shows that differences in performance among the bilingual and monolingual groups seem to relate not only to psycholinguistic factors such as linguistic complexity but also to sociolinguistic factors (e.g. diglossia in Arabic).
Theoretical and testing investigation of wind–rain coupling loads on some typical bluff bodies
Authors: Chang Ying , Zhao Lin , Ge Yaojun
Published: June 2018

The article presents a mathematical theoretical framework and fitting parameters with aspects of joint probability distribution of wind and rain, separate wind and rain action, and coupled wind and rain effects on steady and unsteady forces acting on some typical bluff bodies. Gumbel and copula functions were first selected to describe the joint probability distribution of wind speed and rain intensity. Then, two models, a raindrop impact model and an equivalent air density model, were adopted to quantify the loading action considering only separate wind and rain action, and simplified coupled effects with superimposition of wind and rain show that it would be accurate enough to neglect separated rain influence in steady wind and rain loading conditions. Furthermore, wind tunnel testing has been carried out under coupled wind and rain conditions with the help of a high-precision raining simulation system in TJ-1 wind tunnel on various reduced-scale models with some typical cross sections, such as circular and rectangular, thin plate, and streamlined box, and their aerodynamic loading and wind–rain-induced performance have been systematically compared. It has thus been found that the coupling effects of wind and rain should not be neglected in steady and unsteady force models.
Dementia and road traffic accidents among non-institutionalized older people in Denmark: A Danish register-based nested case-control study
Authors: Petersen Jindong Ding , Siersma Volkert Dirk , Depont Christensen René , Storsveen Maria Munch , Nielsen Connie Thurøe , Vass Mikkel , Waldorff Frans Boch
Published: June 2018

Aim: We used register-based data to estimate the effect of all-type dementia on road traffic accidents (RTAs) risk, combined with comorbidities or sedative medicines, among non-institutionalized older people in Denmark. Methods: The source population was all residents in Denmark aged 65 years and older, alive as of January 1, 2008 ( n = 853,228). Cases were those who had any type of RTA in 2009–2014. Each case was matched for age, sex and geographic location to 4–6 controls. All-type dementia was ascertained using the International Classification of Diseases version 10 (ICD-10) diagnosis supplemented with prescribed medicine records. Eight chronic diseases were selected to assess comorbidities. Four types of medicines were categorized as sedative medicines for analysis. Conditional logistic regression with adjustment for education and marital status as well as either the number of comorbidities or sedative medications use was performed using STATA software. Results: Older people with dementia had lower RTAs risk compared to their controls (odds ratio = 0.43, 95% confidence interval (0.32–0.60), p < 0.001). Significant interaction was observed between dementia and the number of comorbidities for RTAs estimation. Conclusions: The significantly lower RTAs risk for older individuals with dementia observed in our study may be due to people with dementia living at home having a lower frequency of outdoor activities; that is, less exposure to traffic. However, this, together with the interaction between dementia and comorbidities as well as sedative medications, should be investigated further.
Work as a government ‘scientist’: Professional status security during organisational change and downsizing
Authors: Glennie Miriam , O’Donnell Michael , Benson John , Brown Michelle
Published: June 2018

An increasingly complex and competitive funding environment has led many public research organisations to intervene in the organisation of scientists’ work. Government scientists represent a major component of the public research workforce but little is known of how workers in this sector have fared amid institutional and organisational change. Government scientists have applied research objectives but must still meet the profession’s requirements for legitimisation through independent research and peer-reviewed publishing to be recognised professionally as ‘scientists’. This study examines the impact of organisational change and downsizing in an Australian government science agency on the professional status security of its scientists. It uses a mixed method approach involving one focus group, 22 in-depth interviews and 803 survey responses. It finds that structural change reduced scientists’ professional status security and that a context of job insecurity and limited external employment opportunities inhibits individual scientists’ capacity to resist adverse changes to their work conditions.
The impact of relaxed traveller allowances
Authors: Stafström Martin
Published: June 2018

Aim:

To analyse to what extent the gradual relaxation of traveller allowances for alcoholic beverages 2001–2004 changed consumer behaviours and subsequent alcohol consumption patterns within a longitudinal panel data population study in Southern Sweden.

Methods:

General population random sample panel data study with repeated measurements were collected in 1999, in 2005, and in 2010 in the county of Scania. The study analyses answers from 9770 individuals, who in 1999 were 18–80 years old. A fixed-effects modelling was applied to assess the association between consumer behaviour and change in alcohol use across the study period.

Results:

Cross-border shopping for alcoholic beverages was associated, on average, with a 3.1% ( p < 0.001) increase in alcohol use. Buying imported alcohol from a private person was associated with a mean increase of 2.6% ( p < 0.001), with a total additive effect of 5.7%. Furthermore, when stratified for gender, age, and location, significant fixed effects were found. The magnitude was greater among women, younger and older ages, and in particular in the Northeast and Central regions. Both consumer behaviours – cross-border trading ( OR 1.6, CI 95% 1.28–1.92) and buying alcohol from a private person ( OR 1.4, CI 95% 1.12–1.73) – were significantly associated with heavy alcohol use.

Conclusion:

The fixed-effects analyses identified significant associations between consumer behaviours and alcohol consumption. The uptake of behaviours that developed because of a relaxation of the Swedish alcohol policy has contributed to an overall long-term increase in alcohol use and higher prevalence of heavy alcohol use within this general population study sample.
Acoustic impedance tuning with active disturbance rejection control
Authors: Cheng Xu , Wu Zhenlong , Li Donghai , Zhu Min
Published: June 2018

An anechoic end is desired to be implemented on an acoustic test rig. The acoustic impedance can be tuned with active control, such as phase shift control. A precise mathematical description of a system is necessary for phase shift control. However, in some cases, the mathematical model is inaccurate and even impossible to obtain. To overcome the weakness, active disturbance rejection control is proposed as a model-independent strategy and is tested on an identified model and test rig for comparison to phase shift control. The results of the simulation and the experiment show that the performance of phase shift control is strongly influenced by the accuracy of the model, and active disturbance rejection control achieved good performance in the absence of a proper model. Furthermore, a Lyapunov function is constructed to prove the asymptotic stability of active disturbance rejection control, thus ensuring the stability and robustness of the control system.
Wine tourism and hedonic experience: A motivation-based experiential view
Authors: Bruwer Johan , Rueger-Muck Edith
Published: June 2018

This study adopts the experiential and more specifically a hedonic view of tourism consumption to examine the nature of wine tourist motivations in a wine region destination. It also determines the effect of destination factors such as the perceived characteristics of the wine region, previous visitation, buying behavior, and age generational cohorts. Information was obtained from a random sample of 513 visitors to the Barossa Valley Region in Australia. The most important destination characteristic is the regional landscape’s scenic beauty. The strong impact of the landscape confirms an experiential research approach can yield valuable insights and that a memorable wine tourism experience does not only evolve inside a winery’s cellar door. The wine tourism engagement decision is generally impulsive, and motivations guiding visitors’ behavior predominantly hedonic in nature. Wine tourists are a highly attractive group of consumers who are well-educated, affluent, and eager to buy when they experience “pleasure.”
Dynamic cylinder activation in diesel engines
Authors: Gosala Dheeraj B , Allen Cody M , Shaver Gregory M , Farrell Lisa , Koeberlein Edward , Franke Brian , Stretch Dale , McCarthy James
Published: June 2018

Cylinder deactivation has been recently demonstrated to have fuel savings and aftertreatment thermal management benefits at low to moderate loads compared to conventional operation in diesel engines. This study discusses dynamic cylinder activation as an effective variant to fixed diesel engine cylinder deactivation. The set of inactive and active cylinders varies on a cycle-by-cycle basis during dynamic cylinder activation. This enables greater control over forcing frequencies of the engine, thereby allowing the engine to operate away from the drivetrain resonant frequency at all engine speeds, while maintaining similar fuel savings, thermal management, and emission characteristics as fixed cylinder deactivation. Additional benefits of dynamic cylinder activation include a reduction in the consecutive number of cycles a given cylinder is deactivated, and more even cylinder usage. Enablement of engine operation without exciting drivetrain resonant frequencies at similar fuel efficiency and emissions as fixed cylinder deactivation makes dynamic cylinder activation a strong candidate to augment the benefits already demonstrated for fixed cylinder deactivation.
Territorial boundaries and history
Authors: Stilz Anna
Published: June 2018

This article evaluates the theory of boundary legitimacy put forward in A. J. Simmons’ recent book Boundaries of Authority. I believe Simmons is correct to hold that questions about the legitimacy of political boundaries are distinct from questions about the justice of political institutions. But I argue that Simmons’ own theory makes legitimate boundaries depend far too strongly on historical processes in the past, with implausible implications. I conclude with some thoughts about how a broadly Kantian theory might take on board the most important insights of Simmons’ work.
A transmittance-based methodology for damage detection under uncertainty: An application to a set of composite beams with manufacturing variability subject to impact damage and varying operating conditions
Authors: Poulimenos Aggelos G , Sakellariou John S
Published: June 2018

Oftentimes, the complexity in manufacturing composite materials leads to corresponding structures which although they may have the same design specifications they are not identical. Thus, composite parts manufactured in the same production line present differences in their dynamics which combined with additional uncertainties due to different operating conditions may lead to the complete concealment of effects caused by small, incipient, damages making their detection highly challenging. This damage detection problem in nominally identical composite structures is pursued in this study through a novel data-based response-only methodology that is founded on the autoregressive with exogenous (ARX) excitation parametric representation of the transmittance function between vibration measurements at two different locations on the structure. This is a statistical time series methodology within which two schemes are formulated. In the first, a single-reference transmittance model representing the healthy structure is employed, while multiple transmittance models from a sample of available healthy structures are used in the second. The model residual signal constitutes for both schemes the damage detection characteristic quantity that is used in appropriate hypothesis testing procedures with the likelihood ratio test. The methodology is experimentally assessed via damage detection for a population of composite beams which are manufactured in the same production line representing the half of the tail of a twin-boom unmanned aerial vehicle. The damage detection results demonstrate the superiority of the multiple transmittance models based scheme that may effectively detect damages under significant manufacturing variability and varying boundary conditions.
Integration of Primary Health-Care Services in Women’s Shelters: A Scoping Review
Authors: Mantler Tara , Jackson Kimberley T. , Walsh Edmund J.
Published: June 2018

Women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) have significant detrimental physical and mental health consequences associated with the violence as well as numerous barriers to health-care and social service utilization. Service integration offers a solution to help support women who have experienced violence overcome negative health consequences as well as barriers to system navigation and use. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine research activity pertaining to IPV and primary health-care and women’s shelters integration. Namely, the aim was to determine the extent, range, and nature of research related to the effects of integrating primary health-care services and women’s shelters. Nineteen sources were identified as potentially relevant from four electronic databases, with four articles meeting the inclusion criteria of integration of primary health-care and women’s shelter services where outcomes were presented related to the efficacy of primary health-care received and integration. Numerical analysis revealed considerable homogeneity among articles in terms of methodological approaches, patient populations, and type of integration. Inductive thematic content analysis revealed three themes that resulted from integration: (1) increased access to and acceptability of services, (2) bridge back to health-care, and (3) decreasing future health-care burden. The findings from this scoping review represent a first attempt to summarize the literature, indicate a need for additional research, and suggest implications for practice.
The Ability of Five Children With Developmental Language Disorder to Describe Mental States in Stories
Authors: Brinton Bonnie , Fujiki Martin , Asai Naomi
Published: June 2018

This study described the ability of five children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) to relate the mental states of story characters in two conditions: spontaneous story generation and in response to direct questions. Children spontaneously generated stories from wordless picture books. Subsequently, they were prompted, “What was (character) thinking” and “How does (character) feel?” for each story illustration. For each condition, the number of internal responses, internal plans, and emotion words that children produced were identified and analyzed for accuracy according to the pictured story content. Descriptions of story characters’ internal states, especially emotions, increased in response to prompts, but the accuracy of those descriptions decreased. In response to the prompts, children frequently conveyed emotion words that did not reflect the pictured story content accurately. The ability to relate internal states in story generation was constrained not only by linguistic deficits but also by limited social and emotional knowledge.
Attitude of Upper Egypt Health-Care Professionals Toward Living Liver Donation and Transplantation
Authors: Makhlouf Nahed A. , Abdel-Monem Shaimaa Arafat , Farghaly Ahlam Mohamed , Helmy Ahmed
Published: June 2018

Background:

In Egypt, there is no legislation for deceased donor transplant; therefore, programs provide living donation only. One possible barrier against living liver donation may be the attitude of the health-care professional. This study aimed to (1) assess the level of knowledge and attitude toward liver donation and transplantation among health-care professional in an University Hospital in Upper Egypt and (2) analyze the variables that affect such an attitude.

Materials and Methods:

This was a cross-sectional survey study with 300 health-care professionals.

Results:

The mean (standard deviation) age was 27.4 (5.3) years. Two hundred (66.7%) were females, and 257 (85.7%) were Muslims. A total of 222 (74%) were residents in University Hospitals. Of the sample, 104 (34.7%) would donate a living liver part, 122 (40.7%) discussed the matter of organ donation and transplantation with their family, and 134 (44.7%) did not discuss this issue with their family. About 40% knew the attitude of their religion toward organ donation. Most (94.7%) health professionals were <40 years and did not know the attitude of their religion toward this issue. Single persons had more correct information regarding living organ donation and transplantation. More Muslims know the attitude of their religion toward living organ donation and transplantation.

Conclusions:

Independent predictors of accepting living liver donation are being younger, knowledge of religion attitude, and media coverage satisfaction ( P = 0.006, odd ratio [OR] = 0.2; P = 0.000, OR = 0.39; and P = 0.016; OR = 0.38).
Variance and Reliability in Special Educator Observation Rubrics
Authors: Crawford Angela R. , Johnson Evelyn S. , Moylan Laura A. , Zheng Yuzhu
Published: June 2018

This study describes the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Recognizing Effective Special Education Teachers (RESET) observation instrument. The study uses generalizability theory to compare two versions of a rubric, one with general descriptors of performance levels and one with item-specific descriptors of performance levels, for evaluating special education teacher implementation of explicit instruction. Eight raters (four for each version of the rubric) viewed and scored videos of explicit instruction in intervention settings. The data from each rubric were analyzed with a four facet, crossed, mixed-model design to estimate the variance components and reliability indices. Results show lower unwanted sources of variance and higher reliability indices with the rubric with item-specific descriptors of performance levels. Contributions to the fields of intervention and teacher evaluation are discussed.
Toward A Structured, Tri-Domain Model Of Companioning In Christian Formation By Pastoral Agents In A Congregational Setting: A Preliminary Report On An International Research Project
Authors: Pembroke Neil , Coyle Suzanne , Gear Janet , Gubi Peter , Kelly Ewan , Louw Daniel , McMillan Lex , Niven Alan , Thierfelder Constanze , Schmidt William , van den Berg Jan-Albert
Published: June 2018

A preliminary report is presented by an international project team working on developing a model for a structured and holistic approach to companioning parishioners in the journey of formation in the Christian life. A holistic model involves working in three domains: positive psychology, spirituality, and personal and social ethics. Structure is provided by utilizing four self-assessment instruments to inform the work the pastor and the parishioner do together.
A Study of the Self-Reported Resilience of APC Chaplains
Authors: Oliver Ronald , Hughes Brian , Weiss Geoffrey
Published: June 2018

Approximately 5000 members of the Association of Professional Chaplains were surveyed using the Professional Quality of Life instrument in order to assess levels of Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue and its associated subscales, Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress; 1299 surveys were completed. The most significant finding of this study is that Board Certified Chaplains have remarkably low scores of Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress and significantly high levels of Compassion Satisfaction.
Setting the Scene: Partners’ Leadership Behavior and Employees’ Perceptions of Work Performance in Professional Service Firms
Authors: Sandvik Alexander M. , Selart Marcus , Schei Vidar , Martinsen Øyvind L.
Published: June 2018

The effect of leadership behavior on work performance is highly context sensitive. We address this notion by investigating leadership behavior in one important but understudied organizational context—namely, professional service firms (PSFs). We examine how partners’ leadership behavior in a PSF relates to employee self-leadership, creative climate, and work performance (N = 442). The results show that partners’ consideration leadership behavior is positively related to employees’ perceived work performance. Moreover, partners’ consideration and intellectual stimulation leadership behavior are especially important drivers of self-leadership and creative climate in a PSF, which in turn are positively related to employees’ work performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Organizational Culture Mitigates Lower Ratings of Female Supervisors
Authors: Roebuck Adam , Thomas Adrian , Biermeier-Hanson Benjamin
Published: June 2018

The present study addresses a lack of literature examining contextual factors when investigating gender norms and leader effectiveness. Supervisor–subordinate dyads were assessed for gender dissimilarity effects on ratings of leadership effectiveness. The effect of organizational culture as a moderating force on these effects was also investigated. Results bolster relational demography theory, such that supervisors who fit existing norms (i.e., male supervisors) were rated higher than supervisors that do not (i.e., female supervisors). However, lower ratings for female supervisors were mitigated by effective organizational cultures.
Latent Schizencephaly With Psychotic Phenotype or Schizophrenia With Schizencephaly? A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Tylš Filip , Brunovský Martin , Šulcová Kateřina , Kohútová Barbora , Ryznarová Zuzana , Kopeček Miloslav
Published: June 2018

Objectives. Although schizencephaly belongs to the class of neurodevelopmental disorders, which are a well-known predisposing factor for psychosis, there is a lack of relevant studies and diagnostic guidelines on this relationship. Method. A case report of first-episode psychosis with persistent negative symptoms associated with schizencephaly is described and compared with 7 other cases found in the literature. Results. We found perinatal pathology, cognitive deficit, and EEG abnormality in a patient with atypical initial symptoms of psychosis such as olfactory hallucinations. Abnormal EEG findings (left frontal spikes and frontal intermittent rhythmic delta activity) called for magnetic resonance imaging, which revealed left parieto-occipital closed-lip schizencephaly. The patient exhibited a partial response to low-dose amisulpride treatment. Conclusion. We conclude that schizencephaly in our patient was at first asymptomatic and later developed into clinically manifest schizophrenia-like disorder. Both magnetic resonance imaging and EEG were essential tools for establishing this diagnosis.
Levodopa Reduces the Phase lag Index of Parkinson’s Disease Patients: A Magnetoencephalographic Study
Authors: Cao Chunyan , Li Dianyou , Zeng Ke , Zhan Shikun , Huang Peng , Li Xiaoli , Sun Bomin
Published: June 2018

Objectives. As a method of measuring the phase difference between 2 signals, the phase lag index (PLI) of the alpha and beta bands in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) was investigated by using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Methods. Eighteen PD patients were measured by MEG in the state of overnight withdrawal of levodopa and after levodopa treatment; meanwhile, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III scale was evaluated. Results. Compared with healthy controls, alpha (8-13 Hz) PLI in the frontal and parietal areas elevated in PD patients, while the elevation was reversed by the levodopa treatment. The alterations of the UPDRS III total scale ( rs = 0.552, P = .013, n = 16) and the changes of akinesia scale ( rs = 0.622, P = .005, n = 16) were correlated to the change of beta (13-30 Hz) PLI in the left parietal area. The change of the UPDRS total scale was negatively correlated to duration of disease ( rs = 0.432, P = .047, n = 16). There was a negative correlation between the age of PD patients and the change of alpha PLI in the left frontal area ( rs = 0.519, P = .020, n = 16). Conclusions. PD patients showed a higher mu PLI in the sensorimotor area relative to the healthy controls. The improvement of motor symptoms of PD patients by levodopa was correlated to the inhibition of beta PLI in the sensorimotor area.
Statistics and Baseball Fandom: Sabermetric Infrastructure of Expertise
Authors: Burroughs Benjamin
Published: June 2018

Baseball is a rich mélange of tradition, spectatorship, evaluation, and fandom. Statistical fandom is presented as a cultural infrastructure, which influences how all fans perceive the game including what is valued in the game, how the game itself is played, and Major League Baseball as an industry. In building off of Halverson’s conception of a fantasy plane of baseball fandom, this research theorizes an additional statistical plane. Sabermetrics serve as a microcosm for a larger statistical turn in sports and reporting. The labor of saberfans builds a cultural algorithm through statistical analysis that shapes all fan engagement. Sabermetric inputs become an infrastructure of expertise through which the larger sporting public understands and evaluates baseball and culture.
Biopsychosocial benefits of movement-based complementary and integrative health therapies for patients with chronic conditions
Authors: Bolton Rendelle E , Fix Gemmae M , VanDeusen Lukas Carol , Elwy A Rani , Bokhour Barbara G
Published: June 2018

Objectives

Complementary and integrative health practices are growing in popularity, including use of movement-based therapies such as yoga, tai-chi, and qigong. Movement-based therapies are beneficial for a range of health conditions and are used more frequently by individuals with chronic illness. Yet little is known about how patients with chronic conditions characterize the health benefits of movement-based therapies.

Methods

We conducted focus groups with 31 patients enrolled in yoga and qigong programs for chronic conditions at two VA medical centers. Transcripts were analyzed using conventional content analysis with codes developed inductively from the data. Participants’ descriptions of health benefits were then mapped to Engel’s biopsychosocial model.

Results

Participants described improvements in all biopsychosocial realms, including improved physical and mental health, reduced opiate and psychotropic use, enhanced emotional well-being, and better social relationships. Changes were attributed to physical improvements, development of coping skills, and increased self-awareness.

Discussion

Patients with chronic illnesses in our sample reported multiple benefits from participation in movement-based therapies, including in physical, mental, and social health realms. Providers treating patients with complex comorbidities may consider referrals to movement-based therapy programs to address multiple concerns simultaneously, particularly among patients seeking alternatives to medication or adjunctive to an opiate reduction strategy.
The long-term outcome of simple trapeziectomy
Authors: Yeoman Thomas F. M. , Stone Oliver , Jenkins Paul J. , McEachan Jane E.
Published: June 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term outcome of simple trapeziectomy by a single surgeon and to compare this with pre-operative function. Two hundred and five patients completed the shortened disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand questionnaire (QuickDASH) and the EuroQoL five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D) scores at a mean of 8.2 (range 3.5–17) years after simple trapeziectomy. There were no pre-operative scores available, so case controls were selected from our prospective database to compare pre- and post-operative patient-reported outcome measures. The mean QuickDASH score of the post-operative matched group was 37 (SD 17.0) and the mean EQ-5D was 0.56 (SD 0.31). The mean QuickDASH score of the pre-operative group was 54 (SD 17.0). The mean difference in QuickDASH between the pre- and post-operative groups was 17 (95% CI: 8 to 26, p = 0.0003). This study demonstrated a significant and sustained improvement in patient-reported function after simple trapeziectomy. It supports that simple trapeziectomy is a simple, safe and effective treatment for advanced trapeziometacarpal joint arthritis.

Level of evidence: IV
Evaluation of the impact of body mass index on warfarin requirements in hospitalized patients
Authors: Tellor Katie B. , Nguyen Steffany N. , Bultas Amanda C. , Armbruster Anastasia L. , Greenwald Nicholas A. , Yancey Abigail M.
Published: June 2018

Background:

Despite well established empiric dose adjustments for drug and disease-state interactions, the impact of body mass index (BM) on warfarin remains unclear. The objective of this study is to evaluate warfarin requirements in hospitalized patients, stratified by BMI.

Methods:

This retrospective review included two cohorts of patients: cohort A (patients admitted with a therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR)) and cohort B (newly initiated on warfarin during hospitalization). Exclusion criteria included: age under 18 years, pregnancy, INR (goal 2.5–3.5), and warfarin thromboprophylaxis post orthopedic surgery. The primary outcome was mean total weekly dose (TWD) of warfarin based on weight classification: underweight (BMI <18 kg/m2), normal/overweight (BMI 18–29.9 kg/m2), obese (BMI 30–39.9 kg/m2), and morbidly obese (BMI ⩾ 40 kg/m2). Data were extracted from two community hospitals in reverse chronologic order during July 2015–June 2013 until both study institutions evaluated 100 patients per cohort in each BMI classification or until all patients had been evaluated within the prespecified timeframe.

Results:

A total of 585 patients were included in cohort A (26 underweight, 200 normal/overweight, 200 obese, 159 morbidly obese). There was a statistically significant difference in TWD as determined by one-way analysis of variance ( p < 0.05). A Tukey post hoc test revealed a statistically significantly higher TWD in morbidly obese (41.5 mg) compared with underweight (25.6 mg, p < 0.05), normal/overweight (28.8 mg, p < 0.05) and obese patients (32.4 mg, p < 0.05). In cohort B, 379 patients were evaluated (9 underweight, 166 normal/overweight, 152 obese, 52 morbidly obese). Overall, 191 patients had a therapeutic INR on discharge (88.9% underweight, 52.4% normal/overweight, 44.1% obese, 55.8% morbidly obese, p = 0.035). Of those, there was a statistically significant difference in TWD ( p = 0.021) with a higher TWD in the morbidly obese (41 mg) compared with underweight patients (24.4 mg, p = 0.017).

Conclusions:

Based on the results of this study, morbidly obese patients may require higher TWD to obtain and maintain a therapeutic INR.
Preparation and photocatalytic activity analysis of nanometer TiO2 modified by surfactant
Authors: Wu Wenzheng , Zhang Longjian , Zhai Xiaojie , Liang Ce , Yu Kaifeng
Published: June 2018

Combining the advantages of the sol–gel method and solvothermal method, the single anatase phase of nano-titanium dioxide (TiO2) with high crystallinity had been prepared by means of the sol–solvent thermal improved process, in which butyl titanate was used as titanium source; anhydrous ethanol as solvent; concentrated nitric acid as inhibitor; and cationic surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), and nonionic surfactant polyethylene glycol (PEG) as dispersants. The analysis results of Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy characterizations indicated that CTAB-modified TiO2 with the optimum ratio had the most apparent dispersibility and the highest specific surface area compared with unmodified TiO2, SDBS-modified TiO2, and PEG-modified TiO2. At the same time, the photocatalytic degradation rate of methyl orange could be improved to 99.16%. It indicated that the modification effect of CTAB was significantly better than those of SDBS and PEG, which made the nanoparticles uniformly dispersed, resulting in higher photocatalytic activity.
Accuracy of HbA1c as Monitored by External Quality Assessment and Compared With Patient Mean Values
Authors: Nordin Gunnar
Published: June 2018

Background:

The accuracy and trueness of results from a laboratory test, such as the HbA1c test, should not be taken for granted but must be checked continuously. A tool for this is the participation in external quality assessment (EQA) for all laboratories performing the HbA1c-test. An additional possibility to detect changes in trueness is to monitor variations in patient cohort mean or median values that is not explained by changes in treatment or selection of patients.

Methods:

Results reported to an EQA scheme for HbA1c during 20 years have been extracted from Equalis database. The results are compared to current analytical performance specifications (APS) and to the mean HbA1c levels for the Swedish population of persons with type 2 diabetes.

Results:

The accuracy of the HbA1c test has improved during the period. The hospital lab methods used in Sweden now fulfil APS agreed by professional organizations in Sweden. The accuracy for point-of-care tests (POCT) methods vary over time and fulfil APS for some periods. The bias found for some of the methods might explain changes seen in patient mean values for HbA1c in Sweden during the period 2007-2017.

Conclusions:

The global standardization of HbA1c has resulted in an improved comparability for HbA1c-results worldwide. But even small variation in trueness for the methods in use might have important impact on mean HbA1c values for cohorts of patients. When a systematic error is observed for a specific method it is therefore essential that manufacturers correct the method without delay.