bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incorporating Information Exposure Into a Theory of Planned Behavior Model to Enrich Understanding of Proenvironmental Behavior
Authors: Witzling Laura , Shaw Bret , Amato Michael S.
Published: July 2015

This study proposes including variables related to information exposure as background variables in a theory of planned behavior (TPB) model. Minimizing the spread of aquatic invasive species by anglers provides context. A survey was administered to anglers that included TPB and information channel items. Regression analysis found that exposure to information from different channels was associated with TPB variables, though the direction and strength varied. Including information exposure in a TPB model may clarify underlying mechanisms in environmental behavior change campaigns.
Free vibration analysis of FG-CNT reinforced composite straight-sided quadrilateral plates resting on elastic foundations using the IMLS-Ritz method
Authors: Zhang LW , Lei ZX , Liew KM
Published: July 2015

The vibration behavior was investigated of thin-to-moderately thick functionally graded carbon nanotube (FG-CNT) reinforced composite quadrilateral plates resting on elastic foundations. In the study, transverse shear and rotatory inertia were incorporated through first-order shear deformation theory. The improved moving least-squares-Ritz method was employed to derive the eigenvalue equation of the plate vibration. The study examined the effects of the elastic Winkler medium, CNT ratios, distributions of CNTs, boundary conditions, side angles, thickness-to-width ratios, and the relative plate aspect ratios on the vibration response of the FG-CNT reinforced composite plates. A set of vibration frequencies and mode shapes for the FG-CNT reinforced composite quadrilateral plates is presented. Additionally, a comprehensive parametric study and vivid mode shape plots demonstrate details of the vibration spectrum of the FG-CNT reinforced composite plates.
Advances in dynamic instability: can a beam-column undergo tensile flutter?
Authors: Caddemi S , Caliò I , Cannizzaro F
Published: July 2015

Tensile instability in beam-like structures has been highlighted in very few papers; the studies reported in the specific literature are limited to beam-columns characterised either by high shear deformation or by the presence of a single structural junction allowing a transversal displacement discontinuity. Moreover, to the authors’ knowledge, the flutter instability associated to tensile axial load has not yet been disclosed. This work aims to offer further contribution to the knowledge of tensile instability of beam-columns by considering the dynamic instability of an Euler Bernoulli beam in presence of an arbitrary number of internal sliders endowed with translational elastic springs. The use of the generalised functions allows an exact evaluation of the eigensolution, provided in closed form, both for conservative and nonconservative axial load. In particular, the following relevant question is posed: Can a beam-column undergo tensile flutter instability? A comprehensive parametric analysis conducted in this work gives an affirmative answer to the asked question.
Assessing the Representativeness of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Inpatient Utilization Data for Individuals With Psychiatric and Nonpsychiatric Conditions
Authors: Slade Eric P. , Goldman Howard H. , Dixon Lisa B. , Gibbons Brent , Stuart Elizabeth A
Published: July 2015

Sampling and reporting biases in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) survey could render data on inpatient utilization that are not representative for individuals with severe psychiatric conditions. The authors assessed the representativeness of MEPS data on psychiatric inpatient utilization, by comparing MEPS estimates of total annual psychiatric and nonpsychiatric inpatient admissions and bed days, and mean length of stay, for nonelderly U.S. adults in calendar years 2005 to 2010 ( N = 9,288) to estimates from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), a nationally representative inpatient care database derived from hospitals’ administrative records ( N = 21,934,378). Compared with the NIS, the MEPS indicated 34% as many psychiatric admissions and 86% as many nonpsychiatric admissions, while mean psychiatric length of stay was greater in MEPS than in NIS. In MEPS data, underrepresentation of psychiatric inpatient utilization at community hospitals may result in measurement distortions for commonly used statistics on psychiatric inpatient utilization and costs.
Are Demographics Adequate Controls for Cell-Phone-Only Coverage Bias in Mass Communication Research?
Authors: Watson Brendan R. , Zamith Rodrigo , Cavanah Sarah , Lewis Seth C.
Published: July 2015

Cell-phone-only (CPO) households differ along key variables from non-CPO households, creating potential coverage biases in landline-only random-digit-dialing (RDD) surveys. Researchers have attempted to correct for this by weighting their data based on demographic differences. Previous research, however, has not examined CPO coverage biases in media-use surveys—an important oversight as cell phone use is itself a media choice. This article presents a secondary analysis of Pew’s 2012 media consumption survey and concludes that demographics alone are not adequate controls for the CPO bias in media-use surveys.
Work-Related Intimate Partner Violence, Acculturation, and Socioeconomic Status Among Employed Mexican Men Enrolled in Batterer Intervention Programs
Authors: Galvez Gino , Mankowski Eric S. , Glass Nancy
Published: July 2015

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been shown to have considerable effects on women’s employment and health. The purpose of this study was to examine work-related IPV, acculturation, and socioeconomic status (SES) among Latinos enrolled in batterer intervention programs. Findings indicate that 55% of men interfered with their partner’s ability to get to their work, to do their work, and to maintain their job. Positive relationships between acculturation and work-related IPV were observed, and some support was found for a moderating role of SES. Implications for employers and for the conceptualization of violence against women in an employment context are discussed.
Violence Against Women in Hong Kong
Authors: Bouhours Brigitte , Broadhurst Roderic
Published: July 2015

In Hong Kong, nearly 1,300 women participated by telephone in the International Violence Against Women Survey in 2006. One in five respondents had experienced violence since age 16. Sexual violence (13.4%) was more frequent than physical violence (11.7%). Women were more likely to be abused by men they knew (13.5%) than by strangers (8%). Compared with other surveyed countries, Hong Kong recorded among the lowest rates of violence by both intimate partners and non-partners. These results suggest that cultural influences linked to the interaction of modernization and some protective factors found in the adherence to traditional Chinese values are relevant.
Stability of lenalidomide suspension after preparation by a simple suspension method for enteral tube administration
Authors: Morita Tomoko O , Yamaguchi Ayumi , Kimura Sadaaki , Fujii Hirofumi , Endo Kazushi , Izumi Keishiro , Saito Shinichiro , Minami Hironobu
Published: July 2015

Purpose

A simple suspension method has been developed for tube administration, in which tablets (and capsules) are disintegrated in hot water (55℃) without grinding (or opening) them. In the present study, we evaluated the feasibility of this simple suspension method for the preparation of lenalidomide (Celgene, Summit, New Jersey and USA) suspension by testing the stability of this drug at 55℃ and its adsorbability on the tube.

Methods

We examined, by high-performance liquid chromatography, the time-dependent changes in the concentration of lenalidomide in suspensions of the drug prepared by the simple suspension method. The high-performance liquid chromatography analyses of lenalidomide were performed on Prominence LC-20AB/SPD-20 A (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) with a ZORBAX SB-C18 RR analytical column (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, California, USA; particle size: 2.1 × 100 mm, 3.5 µm) at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. A solvent system consisting of 10 mM ammonium acetate (pH 7.0)/acetonitrile was used as the eluent and the eluate was detected by UV at 254 nm.

Results

Lenalidomide was confirmed to remain stable in hot water at 55℃ for 24 h in the prepared suspension by the simple suspension method, and more than 99% of the drug could be recovered from the suspension. In addition, 94.5–98.0% of the drug amount could pass through a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube. Lenalidomide was scarcely adsorbed on to the percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube made of polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride.

Conclusion

Lenalidomide was found to be stable even in hot water and was not adsorbed on to the percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube.
Evaluation of incidence and risk factors for high-dose methotrexate-induced nephrotoxicity
Authors: Wiczer Tracy , Dotson Emily , Tuten Amy , Phillips Gary , Maddocks Kami
Published: July 2015

Introduction

High-dose methotrexate (doses ≥1 g/m2) is a key component of several chemotherapy regimens used to treat patients with leukemia or lymphoma. Despite appropriate precautions with hydration, urine alkalinization, and leucovorin, nephrotoxicity remains a risk which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Current reports of risk factors for nephrotoxicity focus on patients with nephrotoxicity with a lack of comparison to those without toxicity. This study aimed to describe the incidence of high-dose methotrexate-induced nephrotoxicity at our institution and determined risk factors for high-dose methotrexate-induced nephrotoxicity by examining characteristics of patients with and without nephrotoxicity.

Methods

This was a retrospective, single-center, chart review. Adult patients with a diagnosis of leukemia or lymphoma who received high-dose methotrexate were included. Serum creatinine values were used to evaluate nephrotoxicity according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events criteria v4.03. Data related to the following proposed risk factors were collected: age, sex, body mass index, methotrexate dose, number of high-dose methotrexate exposures, leucovorin administration route, baseline renal function, albumin, hydration status, Clostridium difficile infection, urine pH, and concomitant interacting and nephrotoxic medications. The primary endpoint was evaluated with exact binomial methods and risk factors were identified using multivariable random-effects logistic regression.

Results

Final analyses included 140 patients with 432 high-dose methotrexate exposures. There were no differences in baseline demographical characteristics. Fifty-four patients (38.6%) experienced nephrotoxicity of any grade: 27.9% with grade 1, 5.7% with grade 2, 3.6% grade 3, 0% with grade 4, and 1.4% with grade 5 toxicity. More patients in the toxicity group received doses of methotrexate ≥3 g/m2 (58.3% versus 57.2%, p < 0.001), had an albumin level <3 g/dL (31.9% versus 15.9%, p = 0.04), and received an interacting medication during high-dose methotrexate clearance (44.4% versus 24.7%, p = 0.003). Male gender (OR 2.3, 95% CI: 1.27–4.18, p = 0.006), albumin (OR 0.44, 95% CI: 0.26–0.75, p = 0.002), number of drug interactions (OR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.15–2.21, p = 0.005), and use of furosemide (OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.46–4.48, p = 0.001) were all independent risk factors for the development of nephrotoxicity.

Conclusions

Nephrotoxicity is a possible complication of therapy with high-dose methotrexate with most instances comprising grade 1–2 toxicity. Male gender, low albumin, and administration of interacting drugs or furosemide during high-dose methotrexate clearance may predispose patients to nephrotoxicity.
The effects of stress inoculation training on perceived stress in pregnant women
Authors: Khorsandi Mahboubeh , Vakilian Katayon , Salehi Bahman , Goudarzi Maryam Torabi , Abdi Mansour
Published: July 2015

A total of 64 pregnant women were assigned into two groups of cases and controls. Both groups filled out the Perceived Stress Scale at pre-test. Cognitive-behavioral coping skill training was delivered to the case group. After the end of the intervention, both groups completed the same scale again. The results showed that the mean perceived stress of the cases and controls was 27.77 ± 6.033 and 18.97 ± 3.268, respectively ( p = 0.001). Therefore, midwives are recommended to plan educational interventions to decrease perceived stress in pregnant women.
Concealment, communication and stigma: The perspectives of HIV-positive immigrant Black African men and their partners living in the United Kingdom
Authors: Owuor John OA , Locke Abigail , Heyman Bob , Clifton Andrew
Published: July 2015

This study explored the perspectives of Black men, originally from East Africa, living in the United Kingdom and their partners on what it means to live with diagnosed HIV. This article reports on concealment of HIV-positive status as a strategy adopted by the affected participants to manage the flow of information about their HIV-positive status. Analysis of the data, collected using in-depth interviews involving 23 participants, found widespread selective concealment of HIV-positive status. However, a few respondents had ‘come out’ publicly about their condition. HIV prevention initiatives should recognise concealment as a vital strategy in managing communication about one’s HIV-positive status.
Public health promotion of “local food”: Constituting the self-governing citizen-consumer
Authors: Derkatch Colleen , Spoel Philippa
Published: July 2015

This article explores how the recent and growing promotion of local foods by public health units in Ontario, Canada, rhetorically interpellates the “good” health citizen as someone who not only takes responsibility for personal health but, through the consumption and support of “local food,” also accepts and fulfills her responsibilities to care for the local economy, the community’s well-being, and the natural environment. Drawing on Charland’s concept of constitutive rhetoric, we analyze a selection of public health unit documents about local food to develop a textured account of the complex, multifaceted forms of health citizenship they constitute. Our analysis reveals that, despite their appeals to environmental sustainability and community well-being, these materials primarily characterize the ideal health citizen as an informed consumer who supports the interests of the neoliberal state through individualized lifestyle behaviors, consuming goods produced and distributed through private enterprise. By exhorting individuals to “buy local,” public health discourse therefore frames responsible health citizenship principally in consumerist terms that constrain the range of available options for citizens to engage in meaningful action vis-à-vis their food systems.
Comparative standards of legal advice privilege for tax advisers and optimal reform proposals for English law
Authors: Mitchell Rebecca
Published: July 2015

The widely accepted rationale for legal advice privilege between client and lawyer applies equally to tax advisers giving their clients fiscal legal advice. This article undertakes a comprehensive comparative analysis of standards of legal advice privilege for tax advisers in the United States, New Zealand and Australia. It then reviews the current limited tax advisers’ privilege found in Sched. 36 to the Finance Act 2008. Based on evaluation of these comparative models, optimal proposals are made for a tax advisers’ privilege in English law.
Threat as justification of prejudice
Authors: Bahns Angela J.
Published: July 2015

When people feel prejudice toward a group, they can justify their prejudice by perceiving the group as threatening. Three experiments tested the hypothesis that prejudice causes threat perception, using affective conditioning to create new prejudice toward unfamiliar groups. The experimentally created prejudice increased threat perception (Experiments 1–3), except when threat information was inconsistent with conditioned affect (Experiment 3). Consistency of affect and threat information is necessary in order for threat to be a plausible justification of prejudice. Mere prejudice can cause perception of threat in the absence of information about the group; this finding suggests threats are not necessarily inherent to the characteristics of the group. Threat perception can be used as a way to explain the experience of prejudice, rather than forming the source of the prejudice itself.
Doing data: The status of transcripts in Conversation Analysis
Authors: Ayaß Ruth
Published: July 2015

This article discusses the status of transcripts in Conversation Analysis. Repeatedly, the function and the epistemic state of transcripts have been the subject of discussions and reflections in Conversation Analysis. Drawing on a range of empirical examples taken from various authors, this article discusses the question of how present forms of visuality and multi-modality in the data material or the handling of artifacts can be captured in transcripts and how the problem of ‘representation’ of complex and interactive situations can be solved. It turns out that the evolution of recording media along with the medium shift in Conversation Analysis has altered the status of transcripts, effecting a twofold ‘in-between-ness’: transcripts inhabit the conceptual space between orality and literacy on the one hand and between artwork and figure on the other hand. This oscillating hybrid nature proves to be the central property of transcripts in present-day Conversation Analysis. Transcripts are described as scientific ‘objects of knowledge’ and discussed with respect to their methodological and epistemic status.
Social transfers and poverty in middle- and high-income countries – A global perspective
Authors: Ferrarini Tommy , Nelson Kenneth , Palme Joakim
Published: July 2015

This study investigates an old question that has re-emerged in social policymaking and in analyses of global social development: to what extent does targeting and size of social transfers matter for poverty? Using multilevel logistic regression and Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg (LIS) income data for 40 middle- and high-income countries, we show that the size of transfer income has greater explanatory value for cross-country differences in poverty than the degree of targeting of transfer income. The results are remarkably robust in terms of estimated individual-level and country-level compositional and confounding factors.
Civic engagement and the arts and humanities: An Australian perspective
Authors: Jones Adrian
Published: July 2015

An Australian scholar in the Arts and Humanities responds to recent US models emphasizing civic-engaged learning as a way to renew the humanities in undergraduate education. Policy contexts and curriculum initiatives of kindred trends in recent Australian undergraduate education in the humanities are contrasted in this essay. The Australian experience reiterates the worth of a turn towards engaging undergraduates in active learning contexts which take them out of classrooms and libraries.
Civic engagement and the arts and humanities: A UK perspective
Authors: Gallagher Tony
Published: July 2015

Higher education in the UK is in a state of flux and this is having particular impact on the humanities. On the one hand, the pressure to support a STEM agenda is seen by some as forcing higher education down a narrow economic agenda, while government requirements for assessing the social and economic impact of research have raised concerns about excessive utilitarianism and a downgrading of ‘disinterested enquiry’. This paper argues that these concerns may be misplaced. The research impact agenda has the potential to promote more socially engaged research and more democratic engagement in the creation and dissemination of knowledge. In the US, concerns about the democratic role of higher education more often seem to focus on the student experience. By contrast, in the UK concerns about citizenship education and democratic participation more often focus on high school students, perhaps because university students are more likely to have a formal role in institutional governance. This paper concludes that the papers in this forum have a very American feel, but the issues they address resonate on a much wider scale.
“A step away from complacent knowing”: Reinvigorating democracy through the humanities
Authors: Musil Caryn McTighe
Published: July 2015

“A step away from complacent knowing” argues that the humanities have long been understood as enhancing civic life and human intellectual and moral development. At moments when democratic societies seem at risk, however, such as the birth of the new US Republic, the aftermath of World War II, and in the face of an anemic twenty-first-century American democracy, the humanities have been deployed with special urgency to cultivate democratic values and practices. The 2012 report, A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy's Future, underscores how central the humanities are in such a stratified, diverse, and globally linked world. The report both cited and launched a vibrant creativity within the academy. Civically enriched, student-centered humanities designs illuminate a path for reinvigorating democracy while also rejuvenating the humanities themselves.
Predictors of Student Satisfaction with University Psychology Courses: A Review
Authors: Green Heather J. , Hood Michelle , Neumann David L.
Published: July 2015

Student satisfaction at university is receiving increasing attention. While academic discipline has been associated with student satisfaction in many studies, we found no previous reviews of student satisfaction within psychology, a discipline with among the largest undergraduate enrolments. In this paper, we review the student satisfaction literature, with a focus on undergraduate psychology. Searches of relevant databases and reference lists were used to source articles for this narrative review. Evidence regarding institutional, teaching, and student variables associated with student satisfaction is discussed. Teaching variables, particularly teaching quality and expertise, tend to show the strongest relationships with student satisfaction. Institutional variables, such as services, facilities, image, and research activity, are also important. Individual student characteristics including achievement and attitudes have been associated with psychology students' satisfaction. Recommendations to improve satisfaction include helping psychology students to develop accurate expectations of courses, facilitating teaching quality and style that matches psychology students' preferred thinking styles, and assisting students to develop self-efficacy and other positive attitudes. Further research to understand and improve psychology students' satisfaction would be beneficial.
Scientific Competencies in the Social Sciences
Authors: Dietrich Heike , Zhang Ying , Klopp Eric , Brünken Roland , Krause Ulrike-Marie , Spinath Frank M. , Stark Robin , Spinath Birgit
Published: July 2015

The aim of the present study was to introduce a general theoretical model of scientific competencies in higher education and to adapt it to three social sciences, namely psychology, sociology, and political science, by providing evidence from expert interviews and program regulations. Within our general model, we distinguished and specified four building blocks of scientific competencies: input, operations, and output, as well as personal characteristics. We defined input as content students are exposed to in their respective domains, operations as cognitive processes stated by Anderson et al. (2001), and output as content students create as a result of applying operations on input. We considered scientific competencies to be the constructive use of operations on input and the creation of output thereby. Furthermore, we considered personal characteristics that are relevant for competency acquisition and for working in a scientifically competent manner. In the present article we provide main results for the four building blocks of scientific competencies in psychology, sociology, and political science. Furthermore, we discuss limitations of our current model such as the necessity to determine criteria to further clarify what the constructive use of operations on input looks like in the different cycles of higher education.
Optimized lens design for small angle uniform illumination from an extended source
Authors: Xue T , Su CY , Feng ZY , Zhang CH , Wang WJ
Published: July 2015

Based on the edge-ray principle of non-imaging optics, an optical design method for a lens producing small angle, uniform illumination from a high-power light-emitting diode light source has been developed. The energy correspondence between the light-emitting diode light source and the illuminance distribution on a target plane was established, and a number of discrete points for freeform profile curves which could achieve uniform illumination over a small angle were calculated and fitted to create a lens. Finally, simulations were performed using software. The influence of the size of light source on the emitting angle under uniform illumination was also investigated. The results show that the optical system can achieve uniform illumination with an extended source, the divergence angle being controlled within a minimum range by the optical design method.
The relationship between vitamin D status and cardiac autonomic neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Jung Chan-Hee , Jung Sang-Hee , Kim Kyu-Jin , Kim Bo-Yeon , Kim Chul-Hee , Kang Sung-Koo , Mok Ji-Oh
Published: July 2015

Objective:

This study evaluates cardiac autonomic neuropathy and heart rate variability according to the vitamin D status in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods:

A total of 163 patients were recruited. Cardiac autonomic neuropathy was assessed using five tests according to Ewing’s protocol. The time and frequency domains of the heart rate variability were also evaluated. Patients were separated into three groups: vitamin D sufficient [25(OH)D ⩾ 20 ng/mL], vitamin D insufficient [10 ⩽ 25(OH)D < 20] and vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D < 10] groups.

Results:

Both standard deviation of normal-to-normal RR intervals and square root of the average of the sum of the squares of the differences between adjacent NN intervals in the supine position were significantly lower in vitamin D deficient group. Low frequency/high frequency ratio in the upright position was significantly higher in the vitamin D deficient group. 25(OH)D levels are positively correlated with standard deviation of normal-to-normal RR intervals in the supine position. In multivariate logistic analysis, patients with vitamin D levels of 10 < 25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL showed borderline significantly lower cardiac autonomic neuropathy risk than those with 25(OH)D levels <10 ng/mL (odds ratio = 0.45 (0.23–1.01), p = 0.051).

Conclusion:

Vitamin D deficiency was significantly correlated with heart rate variability parameters. However, there was only borderline significant association between vitamin D concentration and presence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy. Therefore, future studies are required to establish a relationship between vitamin D levels and cardiac autonomic neuropathy.
A Two-Way Street on Iraq
Authors: Bailey Michael A. , Wilcox Clyde
Published: July 2015

To the extent voters respond at all to presidential policy positions, they may do so by changing their views on the policy or by changing their views of the president. Presidents need to account for both changes as they care both about citizen approval and citizen policy views. We explore this dynamic in response to the Iraq War using multiple statistical methods. We find consistent evidence that citizen views of President Bush influenced their support for the war even as citizen views of the war affected their approval of Bush. Net changes in aggregate public opinion were smaller than gross changes because of simultaneous movement in both directions on both the war and the president. Recognizing this two-way movement of opinion helps us to better understand the challenges facing presidents in leading public opinion.
License to Kill
Authors: Reeves Joshua
Published: July 2015

This essay presents two complementary culprits in the death of Trayvon Martin. First, Zimmerman’s acquittal under Florida’s self-defense codes demonstrates how simple communicative rites allow citizens to undergo a subjective transformation by which they are empowered to act “above the law.” Second, this transformation illustrates a darker side of our cultural dichotomization of speech and violence. Although this dichotomy generally functions to enforce the state’s exclusive privilege of violence, it also has the effect of constructing an escalatory logic between speech and violent acts. Fostered by vague self-defense codes, this escalatory logic of exception—by which the supposed failure of speech effortlessly escalates into its exceptional other—contributes to a cultural climate in which interpersonal conflicts easily escalate into lethal violence.
Mothering a Black Son Who Dreams of Another Country
Authors: Pillow Wanda S. ,   Family
Published: July 2015

This narrative traces the experiences of mothering a Black child coming to consciousness about the role and place of Blackness in the United States. Working from a pedagogy of pain and love, Pillow seeks out an endarkened, embodied praxis of mothering that allows Black youth places of “disidentifications” to imagine other spaces and futurities. Utilizing Sara Ahmed’s discussion of “strange encounters,” Pillow reviews how Blackness is intimately linked to stranger danger and stranger fetishization in the United States, the depths of which played out in Trayvon Martin’s death. She suggests that José Estaban Muñoz’s theory of “disidentification” offers a critique of hetero-patriarchy lacking in current research on Black youth racial identity and that such a critique is necessary not only to build new forms of resilience for Black youth but also to develop structural critiques of racialized systems, discourses, knowledge, and practices.
Sustaining Latina Student Organizations
Authors: Castellanos Michelle
Published: July 2015

Utilizing the exploratory case study methodology, the author examines the conditions that support and limit a Latina-based student organization at a predominately White institution of higher education. Seven organizational structures were found to influence the organization’s ability to advance its aims, from interviews, documents, observations, and focus groups with students and university personnel. Implications for future researchers, student affairs administrators, and university policy makers are discussed.
Location Matters
Authors: Brock Matthew E. , Schaefer John M.
Published: July 2015

Despite decades of advocacy, most students with developmental disabilities continue to spend the majority of the school day in self-contained special education classrooms. However, there is tremendous variability of educational placement across the United States. Identification of geographic trends that explain this variability could provide opportunities for targeted advocacy. Using state-level data in Ohio, we tested the hypothesis that urbanicity predicts educational placement. Through mapping and multivariate analysis of variance, we found that students in urban districts tended to spend less time in general education classrooms, and students in rural districts tended to spend more time in general education classrooms. Furthermore, the urban districts with the largest enrollments tended to place an even lower proportion of students in general education classrooms. Given their disproportionate influence on state trends and propensity toward more self-contained and segregated placements, large urban districts offer a unique opportunity for targeted advocacy and change.
The Assessment of Distortion in Neurosurgical Image Overlay Projection
Authors: Vakharia Nilesh N. , Paraskevopoulos Dimitris , Lang Jozsef , Vakharia Vejay N.
Published: July 2015

Background. Numerous studies have demonstrated the superiority of neuronavigation during neurosurgical procedures compared to non-neuronavigation-based procedures. Limitations to neuronavigation systems include the need for the surgeons to avert their gaze from the surgical field and the cost of the systems, especially for hospitals in developing countries. Overlay projection of imaging directly onto the patient allows localization of intracranial structures. A previous study using overlay projection demonstrated the accuracy of image coregistration for a lesion in the temporal region but did not assess image distortion when projecting onto other anatomical locations. Our aim is to quantify this distortion and establish which regions of the skull would be most suitable for overlay projection. Methods. Using the difference in size of a square grid when projected onto an anatomically accurate model skull and a flat surface, from the same distance, we were able to calculate the degree of image distortion when projecting onto the skull from the anterior, posterior, superior, and lateral aspects. Measuring the size of a square when projected onto a flat surface from different distances allowed us to model change in lesion size when projecting a deep structure onto the skull surface. Results. Using 2 mm as the upper limit for distortion, our results show that images can be accurately projected onto the majority (81.4%) of the surface of the skull. Conclusion. Our results support the use of image overlay projection in regions with ≤2 mm distortion to assist with localization of intracranial lesions at a fraction of the cost of existing methods.
Cancer Mortality Among People Living in Areas With Various Levels of Natural Background Radiation
Authors: Dobrzyński Ludwik , Fornalski Krzysztof W. , Feinendegen Ludwig E.
Published: July 2015

There are many places on the earth, where natural background radiation exposures are elevated significantly above about 2.5 mSv/year. The studies of health effects on populations living in such places are crucially important for understanding the impact of low doses of ionizing radiation. This article critically reviews some recent representative literature that addresses the likelihood of radiation-induced cancer and early childhood death in regions with high natural background radiation. The comparative and Bayesian analysis of the published data shows that the linear no-threshold hypothesis does not likely explain the results of these recent studies, whereas they favor the model of threshold or hormesis. Neither cancers nor early childhood deaths positively correlate with dose rates in regions with elevated natural background radiation.
Investigation on frictional characteristic of deep-groove ball bearings subjected to radial loads
Authors: Wang Yuchao , Lin Fuyan , Jiang Huazhuang , Yuan Wenming
Published: July 2015

Radial load is of great significant influence on friction characteristic and fatigue life of rolling bearings. A frictional torque analysis was performed on the radially loaded SKF-6205 deep-groove ball bearings. The frictional torque formula was proposed as the sum of the frictional torques caused by elastic hysteresis, elastic hydrodynamic lubrication, differential slip, spinning friction of balls, friction between the balls and the cage pockets, and friction between the cages and the guiding lands. The experiments were carried out with the bearing with lubrication and the other one without lubrication under different radial loads and rotational speeds. In order to avoid the frictional torque measurement errors caused by the unequal length of arms, a positive–negative test method is employed to test bearing frictional torque. The experimental results showed that the frictional torque caused by radial loads played a leading role in all the frictional torque components of the bearing. Ultimately, a special theoretical model of frictional torque for deep-groove ball bearings was verified through comparing with the experimental results and SKF torque model. A reasonable correlation exists between the experiment results and the theoretical model.
Investigation into dynamic response of a three-point bend specimen in a Hopkinson bar loaded fracture test using numerical methods
Authors: Javed Raja Ahsan , Shifan Zhu , Guo Chunhuan , Vecchio Kenneth S , Jiang Fengchun
Published: July 2015

Dynamic fracture toughness of engineering materials at loading rates greater than [Formula: see text] is widely investigated using the modified Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus. For accurate measurement of dynamic fracture toughness, it is essential to thoroughly understand the dynamic effects excited by the stress wave, such as stress wave propagation characteristics in bars/cracked specimen, the contact situation between the specimen and loading point or supports, and the dynamic response of the fracture specimen. In this work, full transient dynamic analysis techniques are used to comprehend “loss of contact” situation of cracked fracture specimen with an incident bar (impactor) and a transmission bar (supports) in a Hopkinson bar loaded two-bar/three-point bend test. A modified Hopkinson bar loaded experimental setup, including striker, incident, and transmission bars and three-point bend fracture specimen, is modeled using the commercial software ANSYS. The dynamic responses of the specimens made of titanium alloy, high-strength steel, and aluminum alloy are analyzed, and the specimen contact states with the incident and transmission bars are investigated using stress state contours of the specimen along with nodal displacement of the specimen and the bars. The dynamic fracture toughness values for the three specimens are also calculated and compared with the experimental results. The simulation results from the current two-bar/three-point bend test indicated that no “loss of contact” occurs during the first load duration as is previously proved experimentally.
Tribological and oxidational properties of porous high-pressure crystallized and vitamin E–incorporated ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene as an artificial cartilage
Authors: Chou Chau-Chang , Wang Yang-Zhi , You Jyun-Hao , Wu Cheng-Lun
Published: July 2015

The material properties of porous high-pressure crystallized ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene containing vitamin E as a plasticizing agent and an antioxidant were studied. Two porous ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene samples, with and without vitamin E, were produced by mixing ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene powder and sodium chloride micro particles before the high-pressure crystallized process. A solid ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene without vitamin E additive was made as a benchmark. The porosities of both porous samples were evaluated by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis of cross-sectional areas. The crystallinity of the composites was examined by thermal (differential scanning calorimetry) and spectral (X-ray diffraction) analyses. The short-term and long-term oxidative stabilities of porous ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylenes, with or without incorporated vitamin E, were investigated, respectively, by evaluations of differential scanning calorimetry oxidation induction time and Fourier transform infrared oxidation index. The tribological performance was also studied by a pin-on-disk test under lubrication with normal saline. The particulate size distribution of wear debris demonstrated the better biocompatibility of ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylenes with higher porosity. However, the antiwear capability and the oxidation resistance of the porous ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene were inferior to those of the solid one. These drawbacks were significantly reduced by the influence of the vitamin E agent.
The Hidden Challenge
Authors: Zschau Toralf , Collins Codey , Lee Hosuk , Hatch Daniel L.
Published: July 2015

Research on drug courts over the past decades has focused primarily on individual predictors of success and/or has examined the effectiveness of various judicial as well as therapeutic intervention strategies. To broaden our understanding of recovery as it occurs within the context of social networks, the following paper discusses the application of a new network-based framework of recovery capital. Participants in a small rural southeastern Adult Drug Court filled out a series of questionnaires and participated in a number of semi-structured interviews that assessed the availability of network-based recovery capital. The findings of this exploratory study suggest that participants possess restrictive resource portfolios and tend to over-rely on therapeutic (artificial) networks for support. Select implications for future research and treatment interventions are discussed.
Divide and diffuse: Comparing digital divide and diffusion of innovations perspectives on mobile phone adoption
Authors: Rice Ronald E. , Pearce Katy E.
Published: July 2015

Integrating digital divide and diffusion of innovations approaches, this study analyzes individual-level and market-level influences on the 8-year cumulative adoption of the mobile phone in one developing country. Considering each year separately, as tests of the typical digital divide model, age, education, economic condition, Internet access, and household size were significant divides in all years; employment, marital status, and urbanness were so only in about half the years, and sex in none of the years. However, a diffusion of innovations approach revealed some differences in demographic influences on mobile phone adoption across three adoption categories. Changing mobile phone market conditions were associated with varying adoption levels, and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita correlated with percent adoption except during the global economic crisis.
Blepharitis due to Cryptococcus neoformans in a cat from northern Portugal
Authors: Pimenta Paulo , Alves-Pimenta Sofia , Barros João , Pereira Maria J , Maltez Luís , Maduro A Paula , Cardoso Luís , Coelho Ana C
Published: July 2015

Case summary We report a clinical case of blepharitis due to Cryptococcus neoformans yeasts in a 2-year-old stray cat from northern Portugal (Vila Real) without concurrent naso-ocular signs. Ophthalmological examination revealed mucopurulent discharge from an open wound in the right upper and lower lids. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy showed a normal anterior segment, and intraocular pressure was within the normal reference interval. No fundoscopic alterations were detected in either eye by direct and indirect ophthalmoscopic examination. Cytological examination of an appositional smear showed numerous polymorphic neutrophils and macrophages, together with spherical yeast cells compatible with Cryptococcus species. Molecular analysis by means of PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism identified C neoformans genotype VNI. The cat was treated with itraconazole, and amoxicillin and clavulanic acid, combined with a commercial ear ointment and an imidacloprid/moxidectin spot-on application for bilateral parasitic otitis caused by Otodectes cynotis. One month after treatment, the clinical signs were completely resolved. Localised cutaneous lesions, as in the present case, probably result from contamination of cat-scratch injuries with viable encapsulated yeasts.

Relevance and novel information This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first clinical report of feline blepharitis due to C neoformans without concurrent naso-ocular signs. The current findings, together with those from recent reports of the infection in domestic animals, should alert the veterinary community both in Portugal and in Europe to this underdiagnosed disease.
Selective fatty replacement of the exocrine pancreas in a domestic shorthair cat: histopathological findings with long-term outcome
Authors: Dobromylskyj Melanie J , Dobromylskyj Peter
Published: July 2015

The clinical, histopathological findings and eventual outcome of a cat with marked and selective fatty replacement of the exocrine pancreas are described in this case report. A 9-year-old female neutered domestic shorthair cat presenting with polyphagia, weight loss and intermittent vomiting was diagnosed on histopathology with severe exocrine pancreatic atrophy, with relative sparing of the endocrine pancreas and replacement of the acinar cells by mature adipose tissue. This case report discusses the histological findings in this case and the eventual outcome, as well as the potential underlying causes of this histological change.
Hypertrophic osteopathy in a cat with a concurrent injection-site sarcoma
Authors: Salgüero Raquel , Demetriou Jackie , Constantino-Casas Fernando , Herrtage Michael
Published: July 2015

Case summary An 11-year old neutered female domestic shorthair cat presented for investigation of a large, partially ulcerated skin mass in the area of the left scapula. The cat had been vaccinated 6 weeks previously in the same area. Haematology showed a marked neutrophilia and monocytosis. Tru-cut biopsies were taken and histopathology was consistent with a high-grade soft tissue sarcoma. Thoracic radiographs and abdominal ultrasound revealed no abnormalities. Moderate mixed (palisading, brush border and smooth) periosteal reaction was seen on the diaphysis of long bones at the time of the radiographic examination. Magnetic resonance imaging of the mass showed infiltration within deeper tissues and the owners elected euthanasia. Post-mortem examination confirmed the presence of hypertrophic osteopathy with a concurrent injection-site sarcoma. No evidence of intra-thoracic or intra-abdominal disease was found.

Relevance and novel information To our knowledge, this is the first report where hypertrophic osteopathy has been described in a cat with a soft tissue sarcoma, most likely an injection-site sarcoma.
A Debate of Work Protection Among Informal Wage Earning Women Workers in Bengal
Authors: Basu Sohini
Published: July 2015

The conceptualization of work security provision in universal labor standards does not really question the reasons of powerlessness and vulnerabilities that poor households are exposed to. As a consequence, the work protection in India does not necessarily ensure work security provision to the poorest. This article captures the problem of work security from the life experiences of women workers who earn their livelihood from informal wage work. An important focus of the study remains on the institutional negotiations. Broadly, the article through the experiences of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act implementation in India has focused on the changing reasons of marginalization and powerlessness.