bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perpetration and Victimization of Intimate Partner Violence Among Young Men and Women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Authors: Mulawa Marta , Kajula Lusajo J. , Yamanis Thespina J. , Balvanz Peter , Kilonzo Mrema N. , Maman Suzanne
Published: January 2016

We describe and compare the baseline rates of victimization and perpetration of three forms of intimate partner violence (IPV)—psychological, physical, and sexual—among sexually active men ( n = 1,113) and women ( n = 226) enrolled in an ongoing cluster-randomized HIV and gender-based violence prevention trial in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. IPV was measured using a modified version of the World Health Organization Violence Against Women instrument. We assess the degree to which men and women report overlapping forms of IPV victimization and perpetration. Sociodemographic and other factors associated with increased risk of victimization and perpetration of IPV are examined. Within the last 12 months, 34.8% of men and 35.8% of women reported any form of IPV victimization. Men were more likely than women to report perpetrating IPV (27.6% vs. 14.6%, respectively). We also found high rates of co-occurrence of IPV victimization and perpetration with 69.7% of male perpetrators and 81.8% of female perpetrators also reporting victimization during the last year. Among men, having ever consumed alcohol and experiencing childhood violence were associated with increased risk of most forms of IPV. Younger women were more likely to report perpetrating IPV than older women. We found evidence of gender symmetry with regard to most forms of IPV victimization, but men reported higher rates of IPV perpetration than women. Given the substantial overlap between victimization and perpetration reported, our findings suggest that IPV may be bidirectional within relationships in this setting and warrant further investigation. Implications for interventions are discussed.
Stroke Symptoms With Absence of Recognized Stroke Are Associated With Cognitive Impairment and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults With Diabetes
Authors: Passler Jesse S. , Clay Olivio J. , Wadley Virginia G. , Ovalle Fernando , Crowe Michael
Published: January 2016

Self-reported stroke symptoms may represent unrecognized cerebrovascular events leading to poorer cognitive and mental health. We examined relationships between stroke symptoms, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms in a high-risk sample: 247 adults aged ≥65 with diabetes. Stroke symptoms were assessed using the Questionnaire for Verifying Stroke-free Status, cognitive impairment was measured with the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status, and depressive symptoms were measured using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. In 206 participants without history of stroke/transient ischemic attack, 27.7% reported stroke symptoms, with sudden loss of comprehension most frequently reported (11.7%). Having >1 versus 0 stroke symptoms was associated with greater odds of cognitive impairment (odds ratio = 3.04, 95% confidence interval 1.15-8.05) and more depressive symptoms ( b = 2.60, P < .001) while controlling for age, race, gender, education, diabetes duration, diabetes severity, and cardiovascular comorbidities. Better recognition and treatment of cerebrovascular problems in older adults with diabetes may lead to improved cognition and mental health.
Assessment of Postgraduate Year 2 Pharmacy Residency Programs Within the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System
Authors: Naples Jennifer G. , Mantovani Emily H. , Rothrock-Christian Tracie , Brown Jamie N.
Published: January 2016

Purpose:

Despite the increasing importance placed on advanced training for clinical pharmacists, literature describing postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) residency opportunities is limited. The objective of this study was to describe characteristics of PGY2 programs within the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system.

Methods:

An online survey addressing attributes of PGY2 residency programs was electronically distributed to VA residency program directors (RPDs).

Results:

Responses from 27 (32.9%) VA PGY2 residency programs were included, representing 11 distinct PGY2 specialties. Growth and recruitment trends were similar across programs, with most programs projecting additional expansion. Staffing requirements were uncommon, but opportunities to precept and earn teaching certificates were prevalent. RPDs had been licensed pharmacists an average of 16.9 years, and most had at least 1 advanced certification. The majority of programs had a formal residency advisory committee and required preceptors to attend regular development meetings.

Conclusion:

Although multiple postgraduate specialties were represented, the requirements and opportunities available for PGY2 pharmacy residents were similar across VA facilities. By comparing residency programs in a nationally integrated health-care system, this study may promote growth of existing PGY2 programs, facilitate the establishment of new programs, and provide a framework for prospective residents to evaluate programs of interest.
Levodopa Withdrawal Presenting as Fever in a Critically Ill Patient Receiving Concomitant Enteral Nutrition
Authors: Whitman Craig B. , Ablordeppey Enyo , Taylor Beth
Published: January 2016

Nutritional protein may decrease levodopa absorption and has resulted in withdrawal and neuroleptic malignant-like syndromes in critically ill patients. A 72-year-old male was admitted with shortness of breath. His medical history included Parkinson’s disease for over 30 years for which he took carbidopa/levodopa 5 times daily. The patient’s home medications were continued. On day 2, he was intubated and transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU). He was extubated the next day and reintubated on day 4. Enteral nutrition was initiated at 85 mL/h overnight. The patient’s carbidopa/levodopa was administered to limit coadministration with nutrition. Throughout his ICU stay, the patient did not demonstrate changes in mental status. Despite resolution of his pneumonia, he developed fever after administration of one dose overlapping with nutrition, with defervescence throughout the rest of the day. On hospital day 10, that dose was empirically increased. After this dosing change, the patient failed to develop fever during the rest of his hospital stay. On day 16, the patient was discharged to a long-term care facility without any other complications. Our case highlights the interaction between levodopa and enteral nutrition and the potential of fever as the sole sign of withdrawal.
Docetaxel/Cyclophosphamide-Induced Phototherapy Recall
Authors: Ludlow Steven P. , Chehab Sarah S.
Published: January 2016

Phototherapy recall can occur unexpectedly as a result of treatment with commonly used medications and chemotherapy. These reactions are rare. The recall reaction is an inflammatory response that is triggered by many medications. Cyclophosphamide and docetaxel are widely used chemotherapeutic agents that are useful in the management of many different malignancies. The pathophysiology of phototherapy recall is not clearly understood. This case highlights the need for practitioners to be aware of this potential reaction, even though UV exposure may have occurred in the distant past. We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first phototherapy recall dermatitis that occurred years after UV exposure induced by cyclophosphamide and docetaxel. The frequency of administration of this drug and the profound implications of this adverse effect make this case an important contribution to the medical literature.
Sleep Difficulty and Disease in a Cohort of Very Old Women
Authors: Leigh Lucy , Hudson Irene L. , Byles Julie E.
Published: January 2016

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between chronic diseases and sleep difficulty in older women. Method: A total of 10,721 women from The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, aged 70 to 75 years at baseline (1996), who answered sleep questionnaire data over 15 years follow-up, were surveyed. Longitudinal sleep difficulty class was regressed on baseline diseases. Results: Arthritis and heart disease were the strongest predictors of sleep difficulty; odds ratios for belonging to the greatest sleep difficulty class were 2.27 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.98, 2.61]) and 1.8 (95% CI [1.5, 2.16], respectively. Bronchitis/emphysema, osteoporosis, asthma, diabetes, and hypertension also predicted greater sleep difficulty. Conclusion: Older women diagnosed with the aforementioned significant diseases may also be at greater risk of sleep difficulty. These women may need counseling or treatment for their sleep difficulty, to prevent depression, cognitive function decline, falls, frailty, and increased mortality, as well as greater risk of nursing home placement, well known to be reinforced by sleep trouble, and the associated health care costs and societal impacts poor sleep quality has for older adults.
A stepper-piezo-based co-actuation paradigm for tool positioning in parallel spark micro-electro-discharge machining
Authors: Kumar Rajulapati Vinod , Pal Aniruddha , Saha Sucharita , Mandal Soumen
Published: January 2016

We report a new method for tool positioning in micro-electro-discharge machining with multiple electrodes for generating parallel spark employing a combination of stepper motor and piezoactuator-based co-actuation method. The stepper motor was used for coarse positioning and the inequality arising due to difference in the tool size of multiple tools used in micro-electro-discharge machining was equated employing piezoactuation followed by electrical continuity test. Simultaneous sparks for two different electrodes could be observed employing this method. The voltage waveforms across the tool–workpiece interface also confirm the generation of simultaneous and parallel sparks across both the electrodes.
Electro-magneto wave propagation analysis of viscoelastic sandwich nanoplates considering surface effects
Authors: Ghorbanpour Arani A , Jamali M , Ghorbanpour-Arani AH , Kolahchi R , Mosayyebi M
Published: January 2016

The original formulation of the quasi-3D sinusoidal shear deformation plate theory (SSDPT) is here extended to the wave propagation analysis of viscoelastic sandwich nanoplates considering surface effects. The sandwich structure contains a single layered graphene sheet as core integrated with zinc oxide layers as sensors and actuators. The single layered graphene sheet and zinc oxide layers are subjected, respectively, to 2D magnetic and 3D electric fields. Structural damping and surface effects are assumed using Kelvin–Voigt and Gurtin–Murdoch theories, respectively. The system is rested on an elastic medium which is simulated with a novel model namely as orthotropic visco-Pasternak foundation. An exact solution is applied in order to obtain the frequency, cut-off and escape frequencies. A displacement and velocity feedback control algorithm is applied for the active control of the frequency through a closed-loop control with bonded distributed zinc oxide sensors and actuators. The detailed parametric study is conducted, focusing on the combined effects of the nonlocal parameter, magnetic field, viscoelastic foundation, surface stress, applied voltage, velocity feedback control gain and structural damping on the wave propagation behavior of nanostructure. Results depict that with increasing the structural damping coefficient, frequency significantly decreases.
Analysis and simulations of the dynamic behaviour of an automotive powertrain during gearshifts
Authors: He Wei , Xiang Changle , Liu Hui , Ma Yue
Published: January 2016

The objective of the article is to develop an analytical model to investigate the dynamic behaviour of an automotive powertrain during gearshifts. First, an integral model is proposed by incorporating lumped-mass component models, and its compatibility with previous control-oriented models is experimentally validated. Second, gearshifts that induce dynamic behaviour including clonk, contact loss and clutch stick–slip are numerically simulated. The mechanism and impact source of the dynamic behaviour and also the coupling characteristic between different dynamic behaviours are studied. The dynamic characteristics of the behaviour are studied by obtaining the wavelet transform of the output torque. Finally, the impacts of the system parameters on the dynamic behaviour are examined by using the proposed model.
Thermodynamics-based mean-value engine model with main and pilot injection sensitivity
Authors: Lee Byungchan , Jung Dohoy
Published: January 2016

This paper presents a thermodynamics-based mean-value engine model that predicts the temperature and pressure at the end of each discrete combustion phase, the peak temperature and pressure, and the indicated mean effective pressure. The model has sensitivities to the engine speed, the main and pilot injection quantities and timings, and the temperature and pressure conditions in the intake and exhaust manifolds. Mathematical relationships are established between the input variables and the output variables through the thermodynamic principles of the modified ideal-gas-limited pressure cycle. Modifications to the ideal-gas cycle include the pilot combustion stage, the effective compression ratio based on the fuel injection timing and start of combustion, the effect of the constant-volume burn ratio on combustion, and the exhaust valve opening timing. The model is also augmented with empirical correlations for the ignition delay, the constant-volume burn ratio, and the heat transfer in order to improve the fidelity of the model. It is validated using test data from a Ford 6.7 l diesel engine. Unlike most data-regression-based mean-value engine models, the model presented in this paper does not sacrifice essential details of the underlying physics while providing a computationally efficient simulation tool.
Attitude and position determination based on craters for precision landing
Authors: Shao Wei , Gao Xizhen , Xi Sha , Leng Junge , Gu Tianhao
Published: January 2016

According to the problem of autonomous optical navigation, this paper presents an easy and high-precision algorithm to estimate the attitude and position of a lander by using at least three extracted marginal elliptic curves of craters. The geometric and algebraic constraints between the marginal elliptic curves of craters and its 2D images are derived, and then the linear equations about lander’s motion are established by using Kronecker product. Consequently, the laner’s attitude and position relative to targeted features are uniquely acquired from the linear equations. In particular, the algorithm is easy to carry out because all computations involved in this algorithm are linear matrix operations. The extensive experiments over simulated images and parameters demonstrate the robustness, accuracy and effectiveness of our method.
A non-nested collaborative optimization method for multidisciplinary design optimization and its application in satellite designs
Authors: Huang Hai , An Haichao , Wu Beibei , Zhang Lingyan
Published: January 2016

As a decomposition-based multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) method, collaborative optimization (CO) has been widely applied in aerospace design systems. During the execution process of CO method, subsystem optimizations are nested into the system optimization, and numerous subsystem analyses are thus required to achieve the consistency for entire system. For this problem, a non-nested collaborative optimization (NNCO) method is presented in this paper. In this method, system and subsystem optimizations are conducted sequentially and repeatedly, and system consistency is then coordinated with the use of a loop process by updating penalty parameters. The feasibility of this method was firstly tested in solving common analytical problems, and it was further applied in two MDO problems of an observation satellite as well as a maneuver satellite. All of the results have demonstrated the efficacy of this proposed NNCO method, which indicates that it is effective and suitable for dealing with practical multidisciplinary design problems.
Effects of tip cavity geometries on the aerothermal performance of the transonic turbine blade with cavity tip
Authors: Li Jun , Du Kun , Song Liming
Published: January 2016

The inevitable transonic tip leakage flow in unshrouded high pressure gas turbines induces aerodynamic loss and gives rise to heavy thermal loads on the blade tip. In the pursuit of superior gas turbine engine, cavity tips are widely used in high-pressure turbines to reduce the over-tip leakage flow. The present research aims to numerically investigate the influence of the depth of cavity and thickness of squealer rim on the aerothemal performance of the transonic turbine blade. Three-dimensional (3D) Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with Spalart-Allmaras turbulence were solved to perform the simulation. The obtained results indicate that the variations of the cavity depth and squealer rim thickness have significant effects on the aerothermal performance of the transonic turbine blade tip regions. The phenomena in this transonic setup are different from the results obtained in subsonic condition. This study quantified that the improvement of aerodynamic efficiency contributed to the enhancement of heat flux on the blade tip in transonic condition by changing the geometry of tip cavity.
The protective effects of carvacrol and thymol against paracetamol–induced toxicity on human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HepG2)
Authors: Palabiyik SS , Karakus E , Halici Z , Cadirci E , Bayir Y , Ayaz G , Cinar I
Published: January 2016

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose could induce liver damage and lead to acute liver failure. The treatment of APAP overdoses could be improved by new therapeutic strategies. Thymus spp., which has many beneficial effects and has been used in folk medicine, is one such potential strategy. In the present study, the hepatoprotective activity of the main constituents of Thymus spp., carvacrol and thymol, were evaluated in light of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. We hoped to understand the hepatoprotective mechanism of these agents on the antioxidant system and pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitro. Dose-dependent effects of thymol and carvacrol (25, 50, and 100 µM) were tested on cultured HepG2 cells. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) was tested as positive control. We showed that APAP inhibited HepG2 cell growth by inducing inflammation and oxidative stress. Incubating APAP-exposed HepG2 cells with carvacrol and thymol for 24 h ameliorated this inflammation and oxidative stress. We also evaluated alanine transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase levels of HepG2 cells. We found that thymol and carvacrol protected against APAP-induced toxicity in HepG2 cells by increasing antioxidant activity and reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 1β. Taking together high-dose thymol and carvacrol treatment has an effect close to NAC treatment in APAP toxicity, but thymol has better treatment effect than carvacrol.
Response to “Discourse over a contested technology on Twitter: A case study of hydraulic fracturing”—Word choice as political speech
Authors: Grubert Emily
Published: January 2016

Hopke and Simis ( Public Understanding of Science, online 4 October 2015) find that #fracking, the most popular of five shale-related hashtags analyzed from a 2013 period, is associated with pro-shale attitudes only 13% of the time and note that the dominant voice of the activist community, coupled with a lack of engagement from industry, is unexpected. This comment offers additional perspective on the sentiment- and actor-skewed result by noting that the term “fracking” is highly political, specifically because the spelling “frack” versus “frac” is associated with activism. Furthermore, in public speech, the industry tends to deemphasize the hydraulic fracturing process in favor of the product, consistent with the findings that #natgas is a relatively pro-industry hashtag.
Executive Constraints and Repression in Democratic Contexts
Authors: Mackin Anna E.
Published: January 2016

This paper uses Brazilian subnational panel data for 1997–2005 to examine how electoral and partisan pressures affect the ways in which state governors respond to protests over agrarian reform. The results are broadly consistent with the theoretical prediction that governors with precarious political positions are less likely to promote repressive policing strategies. A governor’s party’s share of seats in the state legislature is a significant positive predictor of both harsh and mild forms of repression. The percentage of votes attained in the first round of the previous election is an additional significant positive predictor of mild repression only.
Mode shapes and frequencies of thin rectangular plates with arbitrarily varying non-homogeneity along two concurrent edges
Authors: Lal Roshan , Saini Renu
Published: January 2016

Analysis and numerical results are presented for free transverse vibrations of isotropic rectangular plates having arbitrarily varying non-homogeneity with the in-plane coordinates along the two concurrent edges on the basis of Kirchhoff plate theory. For the non-homogeneity, a general type of variation for Young’s modulus and density of the plate material has been assumed. Generalized differential quadrature method has been used to obtain the eigenvalue problem for such model of plates for four different combinations of boundary conditions at the edges namely, (i) fully clamped, (ii) two opposite edges are clamped and other two are simply supported, (iii) two opposite edges are clamped and other two are free, and (iv) two opposite edges are simply supported and other two are free. By solving these eigenvalue problems using software MATLAB, the lowest three eigenvalues have been reported as the first three natural frequencies for the first three modes of vibration. The effect of various plate parameters on the vibration characteristics has been analysed. Three dimensional mode shapes have been plotted. A comparison of results with those available in literature has been presented.
Time domain damage localization and quantification in seismically excited structures using a limited number of sensors
Authors: Bagheri Abdollah , Zare Hosseinzadeh Ali , Rizzo Piervincenzo , Ghodrati Amiri Gholamreza
Published: January 2016

This paper presents a new algorithm to determine the occurrence, location, and severity of damage in structures subjected to earthquakes. The algorithm is based on the analysis of the time series associated with displacement or acceleration, and provided by a limited number of sensors. The algorithm is formulated in terms of an optimization problem. An objective function is defined based on the moment generating function for a segment of the time histories and an evolutionary optimization strategy, based on the competitive optimization algorithm, is employed to detect damage. The efficiency of the proposed method is numerically validated by studying the response of some structures subjected to the 1940 El-Centro earthquake and the 1994 Northridge earthquake. In order to simulate real conditions, different levels of noise are added to the response’s signals, and then the discrete wavelet transform is used to de-noise the signals. Moreover, the robustness of the method is evaluated by considering an error in the model of the structures. Overall, we find that the proposed algorithm detects and localizes damage even in presence of noisy signals and errors in the model.
Active vibration control of a nonlinear three-dimensional Euler–Bernoulli beam
Authors: He Wei , Yang Chuan , Zhu Juxing , Liu Jin-Kun , He Xiuyu
Published: January 2016

In this paper, boundary control is designed to suppress the vibration of a nonlinear three-dimensional Euler–Bernoulli beam. Considering the coupling effect between the axial deformation and the transverse displacement, the dynamics of the beam are modeled as a distributed parameter system described by three partial differential equations (PDEs) and 12 ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Firstly, model-based boundary control is designed based on a mathematical model of the system. Subsequently, adaptive control is proposed when there are parameter uncertainties in the model. The uniform boundedness and uniform ultimate boundedness are proved under the proposed control laws. Finally, numerical simulations illustrate the effectiveness of the results.
Effect of two viscosity models on lethality estimation in sterilization of liquid canned foods
Authors: Calderón-Alvarado MP , Alvarado-Orozco JM , Herrera-Hernández EC , Martínez-González GM , Miranda-López R , Jiménez-Islas H
Published: January 2016

A numerical study on 2D natural convection in cylindrical cavities during the sterilization of liquid foods was performed. The mathematical model was established on momentum and energy balances and predicts both the heating dynamics of the slowest heating zone (SHZ) and the lethal rate achieved in homogeneous liquid canned foods. Two sophistication levels were proposed in viscosity modelling: 1) considering average viscosity and 2) using an Arrhenius-type model to include the effect of temperature on viscosity. The remaining thermodynamic properties were kept constant. The governing equations were spatially discretized via orthogonal collocation (OC) with mesh size of 25 × 25. Computational simulations were performed using proximate and thermodynamic data for carrot-orange soup, broccoli-cheddar soup, tomato puree, and cream-style corn. Flow patterns, isothermals, heating dynamics of the SHZ, and the sterilization rate achieved for the cases studied were compared for both viscosity models. The dynamics of coldest point and the lethal rate F0 in all food fluids studied were approximately equal in both cases, although the second sophistication level is closer to physical behavior. The model accuracy was compared favorably with reported sterilization time for cream-style corn packed at 303 × 406 can size, predicting 66 min versus an experimental time of 68 min at retort temperature of 121.1 ℃.
Hyper-IgE Syndrome in an Infant
Authors: Giberson Mariah , Finlayson Laura
Published: January 2016

Background:

Hyper–immunoglobulin E syndrome (HIES) is a rare primary immunodeficiency disorder that affects multiple systems. One of the early findings is a papulopustular rash, which has a wide differential diagnosis.

Method:

The authors report the case of a male newborn diagnosed with HIES. He presented with papulopustular dermatitis on the scalp. The authors also present a review of current theory on the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management of HIES.

Conclusion:

Although HIES is a multisystem disorder, many of the manifestations of HIES may present after the neonatal period. The cutaneous manifestations of HIES are usually present shortly after birth, and the presentation of pustules in a newborn may be one of the reasons a dermatologist would be asked to assess a patient in the neonatal period.
Challenges to multiparty governments
Authors: Klüver Heike , Spoon Jae-Jae
Published: January 2016

How does governing in coalitions affect coalition parties’ responsiveness to voters? In this article, we seek to understand the relationship between political parties’ participation in multiparty governments and their responsiveness to voters. We argue that the extent to which coalition parties respond to policy priorities of voters is influenced by the divisiveness of policy issues within the cabinet and the ministerial responsibility for policies. To test our hypotheses, we combine data on the issue attention of 55 coalition parties from the Comparative Manifestos Project with data on government composition and data on the policy priorities of voters from the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems and various election studies in 45 elections across 16 European countries from 1972 to 2011. While we find that intra-cabinet divisiveness decreases coalition parties’ responsiveness, we find no effect for portfolio responsibility. Our findings shed light on the relationship between party competition and coalition governments and its implications for political representation.
Does sex influence the diagnostic evaluation of autism spectrum disorder in adults?
Authors: Wilson C Ellie , Murphy Clodagh M , McAlonan Grainne , Robertson Dene M , Spain Debbie , Hayward Hannah , Woodhouse Emma , Deeley P Quinton , Gillan Nicola , Ohlsen J Chris , Zinkstok Janneke , Stoencheva Vladimira , Faulkner Jessica , Yildiran Hatice , Bell Vaughan , Hammond Neil , Craig Michael C , Murphy Declan GM
Published: January 2016

It is unknown whether sex influences the diagnostic evaluation of autism spectrum disorder, or whether male and female adults within the spectrum have different symptom profiles. This study reports sex differences in clinical outcomes for 1244 adults (935 males and 309 females) referred for autism spectrum disorder assessment. Significantly, more males (72%) than females (66%) were diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder of any subtype (x2 = 4.09; p = 0.04). In high-functioning autism spectrum disorder adults (IQ > 70; N = 827), there were no significant sex differences in severity of socio-communicative domain symptoms. Males had significantly more repetitive behaviours/restricted interests than females ( p = 0.001, d = 0.3). A multivariate analysis of variance indicated a significant interaction between autism spectrum disorder subtype (full-autism spectrum disorder/partial-autism spectrum disorder) and sex: in full-autism spectrum disorder, males had more severe socio-communicative symptoms than females; for partial-autism spectrum disorder, the reverse was true. There were no sex differences in prevalence of co-morbid psychopathologies. Sex influenced diagnostic evaluation in a clinical sample of adults with suspected autism spectrum disorder. The sexes may present with different manifestations of the autism spectrum disorder phenotype and differences vary by diagnostic subtype. Understanding and awareness of adult female repetitive behaviours/restricted interests warrant attention and sex-specific diagnostic assessment tools may need to be considered.
Stability of early risk assessment for autism spectrum disorder in preterm infants
Authors: Yaari Maya , Yitzhak Neta , Harel Ayelet , Friedlander Edwa , Bar-Oz Benjamin , Eventov-Friedman Smadar , Mankuta David , Gamliel Ifat , Yirmiya Nurit
Published: January 2016

Stability and change in early autism spectrum disorder risk were examined in a cohort of 99 preterm infants (⩽34 weeks of gestation) using the Autism Observation Scale for Infants at 8 and 12 months and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule—Toddler Module at 18 months. A total of 21 infants were identified at risk by the Autism Observation Scale for Infants at 8 months, and 9 were identified at risk at 12 months, including 4 children who were not previously identified. At 18 months, eight children were identified at risk for autism spectrum disorder using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule—Toddler Module, only half of whom had been identified using the original Autism Observation Scale for Infants cutoffs. Results are discussed in relation to early trajectories of autism spectrum disorder risk among preterm infants as well as identifying social-communication deficiencies associated with the early preterm behavioral phenotype.
Digital mapping interfaces: From immutable mobiles to mutable images
Authors: Lammes Sybille
Published: January 2016

In this article, I discuss how digital mapping interfaces ask users to engage with images on screens in far more performative and active ways and how this changes the immutable status of the map image. Digital mapping interfaces invite us to touch, talk and move with them, actions that have a reciprocal effect on the look of the image of the map. Images change constantly through absorbing our mobile and physical actions. I approach digital mapping interfaces as mediators: They do not so much collect information as create spatial transformations for the user of the interface, thus instigating new moves on his or her part that are fed once again into the interface. I argue that it is therefore short-sighted to view digital mapping interfaces as mere points of passage. They are better understood as mediators that create spatial meanings by translating between and inviting movements of users, vehicles, programs and so on.
Research translation through participatory research: The case of two community-based projects in low-income African settings
Authors: Isobell Deborah , Lazarus Sandy , Suffla Shahnaaz , Seedat Mohamed
Published: January 2016

In the context of a call for public health research to address social challenges and transform communities and society, research translation has increasingly become an imperative in South Africa. Research translation seeks to improve real-world settings and enhance quality of life by applying research-generated knowledge. These goals are shared by proponents of participatory action research (PAR). However, the way in which research is pursued constitutes a major focus for PAR, where the paradigmatic position influences how we relate to knowledge and people, and whether and how we achieve the goals concerned. This article contrasts the meta-theoretical positioning of PAR with that of research translation as it is pursued within public health circles, and then argues how PAR both challenge and optimise the espoused goals of research translation through its accent on co-learning, knowledge co-construction, social action and the dialectic between research and action. We offer two African-centred examples of community-engaged research focusing on violence prevention, and safety and peace promotion to illustrate how the participatory mechanisms of empowerment and agency, knowledge co-construction and knowledge sharing foster research translation. Attention to power dynamics, exemplified through researcher reflexivity is emphasised as a key challenge for researchers wishing to address public health challenges.
New route for development of electromagnetic shielding based on cellulosic nanofibers
Authors: Gouda M , Hebeish AA , Aljaafari AI
Published: January 2016

A radically new innovation was established for development of electromagnetic interference shielding. The innovation emphasis synthesis of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), carboxymethyl cellulose composite containing different metal nanoparticles (CMC-MNPs), and carboxymethyl cellulose nanofiber mat (CMC-NF) and carboxymethyl cellulose containing metal nanofiber mat (CMC-MNPs nanofiber mat) by electrospinning technique. Metal nanoparticles used include copper nanoparticles, iron nanoparticles, zinc nanoparticles, cadmium nanoparticles, and cobalt nanoparticles. Synthesized CMC–MNPs were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy coupled with high-energy dispersive X-ray and UV–visible spectroscopy that was used for confirmation of nanoparticles formation. The scanning electron microscopy images clearly showed regular flat shape with semiporous surface. All metal nanoparticles were well distributed inside the backbone of the cellulose without aggregation. The average particle diameter was 29–39 nm for zinc nanoparticles, 29–33 nm for cadmium nanoparticles, 25–33 nm for cobalt nanoparticles, 23–27 nm for copper nanoparticles, and 22–26 nm for iron nanoparticles. Electrospun carboxymethyl cellulose and CMC–MNPs nanofiber mats were synthesized by electrospinning technique and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and transmission electron microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy images of electrospun carboxymethyl cellulose and CMC–MNPs nanofibers reveal smooth and uniformly distributed nanofibers without bead formation with average fiber diameters in the range of 300–450 nm. Moreover, the diameters of electrospun carboxymethyl cellulose nanofiber mat were not affected by the presence of metal nanoparticles. Metal nanoparticles’ content inside the electrospun CMC–MNPs nanofibers was investigated by using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Electromagnetic interference shielding of electrospun carboxymethyl cellulose and CMC–MNPs nanofiber mats was evaluated. Data showed that the EMI-SE was increased in presence of metal nanoparticles and depending on both the metal nanoparticle contents and the electrical conductivity of metal nanoparticles.
Association of Dementia and Peptic Ulcer Disease
Authors: Hsu Chih-Chao , Hsu Yi-Chao , Chang Kuang-Hsi , Lee Chang-Yin , Chong Lee-Won , Lin Cheng-Li , Kao Chia-Hung
Published: January 2016

Objective:

We determine the association between dementia and the subsequent peptic ulcer disease (PUD).

Methods:

We identified patients with diagnosed dementia in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. A comparison cohort without dementia was frequency-matched by age, sex, and comorbidities, and the occurrence of PUD was evaluated in both cohorts.

Results:

The dementia and control cohort consisted of 6014 patients with dementia and 17 830 frequency-matched patients without dementia, respectively. The incidence of PUD (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.37; P < .001) was higher among patients with dementia. Cox models showed that being female, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were independent risk factors for PUD in patients with dementia.

Conclusion:

Dementia might increase the risk of developing PUD.
Impact of a University-Community Partnership Approach to Improving Health Behaviors and Outcomes Among Overweight/Obese Hispanic Adults
Authors: Tucker Carolyn M. , Smith Tasia M. , Wippold Guillermo M. , Whitehead Nicole E. , Morrissette Tara A. , Williams Jaime L. , Ukonu Nwakaego A. , Arthur Tya M. , Sealy Yvette M. , Crosier Benjamin S.
Published: January 2016

Objective. To examine the impact of a community-informed and community-based Health-Smart Church (HSC) Program on engagement in health promoting behaviors (healthy eating and physical activity) and health outcomes (body mass index, weight, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure). Design. A total of 70 overweight/obese Hispanic adults participated in an intervention group (n = 37) or a waitlist control group (n = 33) in 2 Hispanic churches in Bronx, New York. Results. Post-intervention the intervention group significantly increased in frequency of healthy eating and physical activity compared to the waitlist control group. Although no significant changes in body mass index or systolic blood pressure were found for either group, the intervention group decreased significantly in weight from pre-intervention to post-intervention. Conclusions. The results of the present study add to the growing body of literature evidencing the successful use of community-engaged and community-based participatory health promotion interventions with racial/ethnic minority populations and highlight important practices and considerations for similar health promotion interventions with these communities.
Synchronization investigation of vibration system of two co-rotating rotor with energy balance method
Authors: Hou Yongjun , Fang Pan , Nan Yanghai , Du Mingjun
Published: January 2016

The key technology of vibrating screens’ design is how to ascertain the synchronous state of vibrating systems. The occurrence of synchronization of a model, two co-rotating rotors fast excited by induction motors installed in a vibrating body, is treated in this article. The synchronization condition and stability criterion of the system are first derived by the energy balance method. The synchronization zones and stable phase difference are then estimated by the two co-rotating rotors operated in synchronous state. Moreover, the energy balance mechanism of the system is explained. The transfer of energy between the rotors by the vibrating body is presented as well. Finally, numerical studies of the dynamics are performed by Runge–Kutta method to verify the theoretical analysis. The results indicated that the synchronous state of the vibrating system is mainly determined by installation distance coefficient rl, installation angular β, symmetric coefficient δ, and electromagnetic torque Tei, but little influenced by mass ratios η and rm.
Thermal-hydraulic analysis under partial loss of flow accident hypothesis of a plate-type fuel surrounded by two water channels using RELAP5 code
Authors: Iliuk Itamar , Balthazar José Manoel , Tusset Ângelo Marcelo , Piqueira José Roberto Castilho
Published: January 2016

Thermal-hydraulic analysis of plate-type fuel has great importance to the establishment of safety criteria, also to the licensing of the future nuclear reactor with the objective of propelling the Brazilian nuclear submarine. In this work, an analysis of a single plate-type fuel surrounding by two water channels was performed using the RELAP5 thermal-hydraulic code. To realize the simulations, a plate-type fuel with the meat of uranium dioxide sandwiched between two Zircaloy-4 plates was proposed. A partial loss of flow accident was simulated to show the behavior of the model under this type of accident. The results show that the critical heat flux was detected in the central region along the axial direction of the plate when the right water channel was blocked.
A hybrid swarm intelligence of artificial immune system tuned with Taguchi–genetic algorithm and its field-programmable gate array realization to optimal inverse kinematics for an articulated industrial robotic manipulator
Authors: Huang Hsu-Chih , Xu Sendren Sheng-Dong , Wu Chang Han
Published: January 2016

This article presents a hybrid swarm intelligence of artificial immune system tuned with Taguchi–genetic algorithm and its field-programmable gate array realization to optimal inverse kinematics for a 5-degree-of-freedom industrial robotic manipulator using system-on-a-programmable-chip technology. This hybridization strategy with a Taguchi–genetic algorithm parameter tuner improves the performance in conventional artificial immune system paradigms. The field-programmable gate array realization of the proposed artificial immune system tuned with Taguchi–genetic algorithm is more effective in practice for real-world embedded applications. This system-on-a-programmable-chip–based artificial immune system tuned with Taguchi–genetic algorithm is then applied to the optimal inverse kinematics redundancy solver of a 5-degree-of-freedom robotic manipulator. The optimal joint configuration is obtained by minimizing the pre-defined affinity function in artificial immune system tuned with Taguchi–genetic algorithm for real-world embedded robotics application. The experimental results and comparative works are presented to show the effectiveness and merit of the proposed system-on-a-programmable-chip–based artificial immune system tuned with Taguchi–genetic algorithm intelligent inverse kinematics redundancy solver for a 5-degree-of-freedom industrial robotic manipulator. This system-on-a-programmable-chip–based artificial immune system tuned with Taguchi–genetic algorithm solver outperforms the conventional solvers, such as geometric solvers, Jacobian-based solvers, hybrid genetic algorithm solvers, and particle swarm optimization solvers.
Electrochemical micromachining: An introduction
Authors: Leese Rebecca J , Ivanov Atanas
Published: January 2016

Electrochemical machining is a relatively new technique, only being introduced as a commercial technique within the last 70 years. A lot of research was conducted in the 1960s and 1970s, but research on electrical discharge machining around the same time slowed electrochemical machining research. The main influence for the development of electrochemical machining came from the aerospace industry where very hard alloys were required to be machined without leaving a defective layer in order to produce a component which would behave reliably. Electrochemical machining was primarily used for the production of gas turbine blades or to machine materials into complex shapes that would be difficult to machine using conventional machining methods. Tool wear is high and the metal removal rate is slow when machining hard materials with conventional machining methods such as milling. This increases the cost of the machining process overall and this method creates a defective layer on the machined surface. Whereas with electrochemical machining there is virtually no tool wear even when machining hard materials and it does not leave a defective layer on the machined surface. This article reviews the application of electrochemical machining with regards to micro manufacturing and the present state of the art micro electrochemical machining considering different machined materials, electrolytes and conditions used.
Analytical simulation of the cantilever-type energy harvester
Authors: Mei Jie , Tao Menglun , Xiao Hanbin , Chen Dingfang , Li Lijie
Published: January 2016

This article describes an analytical model of the cantilever-type energy harvester based on Euler–Bernoulli’s beam theory. Starting from the Hamiltonian form of total energy equation, the bending mode shapes and electromechanical dynamic equations are derived. By solving the constitutive electromechanical dynamic equation, the frequency transfer function of output voltage and power can be obtained. Through a case study of a unimorph piezoelectric energy harvester, this analytical modeling method has been validated by the finite element method.
Insider/Outsider
Authors: Kersen Thomas M.
Published: January 2016

Sociologists and other social scientists confront a number of trends in American society and even inside the academic world such as anti-intellectualism and a preference for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Often, people in the public have a misperception about what social sciences are and what sociologists do. However, a number of important people such as Martin Luther King offered an explicit vision of the mission for social scientists. That vision entails social scientists as progressive social change agents. Two sociologists who fit that vision are Ernst Borinski and Howard Becker. These public scholars spent a lot of time understanding in-group/out-group dynamics. They also took on the insider/outsider roles to conduct their research and pursue other endeavors. Becker and Borinski and other sociologists were able to show the public why sociology is important in the day-to-day lives of individuals. Drawing on the works of Becker and Borinski, the author offers some suggestions on how to convey insights from the discipline to reporters, writers, and other opinion leaders.