bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Progressive Pedagogy for Online Learning With High-Ability Secondary School Students: A Case Study
Authors: Wan Ng  , Nicholas Howard
Published: May 2010

This article describes a case study of a group of ten 14-year-old students who engaged with an online extended-learning project as an extracurricular activity for about 6 months. The students were physically located in Australia, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. The facilitation and online learning made use of a progressive pedagogy that moved from structured, whole group online participation to a more individual, open approach to learning. The study investigated students’ motivation to participate in the online learning and explored the nature of the interactions in an online learning environment. The findings show that students interacted differently online, depending on the task at hand. Seven of the 10 students completed the final task of creating learning products. The implications of the study for online learning with high-ability school students are discussed.

Putting the Research to Use

This research demonstrates that online support for high ability students is both possible and practical. Implementing this approach requires a structured approach to move the students progressively to more open-ended enquiry. This incremental approach reduces the extent of student drop-out and increases task completion when compared to more challenging open-ended tasks. Teachers or schools seeking to provide this kind of support to overcome geographic isolation of high ability students need to (a) plan carefully for the structured engagement with topics and with other students (b) remain closely involved in the initial stages of engagement and (c) only gradually remove their scaffolding as students demonstrate capacity to sustain independent interactions. Having a public purpose for the activity is also important.
Review of the evidence for oral health promotion effectiveness
Authors: Satur Julie G , Gussy Mark G , Morgan Michael V , Calache Hanny , Wright Clive
Published: May 2010

Dental caries, periodontal diseases, tooth loss and oral cancers have significant burden of disease effects *, quality of life and cost implications for the Australian community. Oral health promotion is a key approach to addressing these conditions endorsed as part of the National Oral Health Plan. Understanding the evidence for effectiveness of oral health promotion is integral to strategic planning for both oral and general health settings.

Objective: The objective of this article is to report the key findings of a systematic review of the evidence for oral health promotion commissioned by the Victorian Department of Human Services in 2006.

Methods: Evidence was collected and evaluated using a combined approach incorporating the Cochrane Public Health and Health Promotion Field Handbook and the Health Gains Notation in order to a develop a synthesis approach to reporting, framed around the Ottawa Charter.

Findings: Findings included evidence supporting the continued fluoridation of water supplies, interventions aimed at early childhood and aged care settings, smoking cessation and capacity building with non-oral health care providers. Emerging evidence supporting multi-strategy community based approaches is also reported along with gaps in the evidence.

General Conclusions: The authors conclude that, while there is good support for the incorporation of oral health into general health promotion, it will be important to monitor the outcomes in oral health terms.
Young people’s use and views of a school-based sexual health drop-in service in areas of high deprivation
Authors: Ingram Jenny , Salmon Debra
Published: May 2010

Objective: To describe patterns and reasons of attendance and young people’s views of the drop-in service.

Design: Analysis of a prospective database, questionnaire survey and qualitative interviews and discussions.

Setting: Sexual health drop-in clinics in 16 secondary schools (including three pupil-referral units) in deprived areas of a city in South West England

Methods: Nurse-completed consultations with young people; self-report questionnaires distributed by youth workers at the clinics; and interviews with young people in personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons and at lunchtimes.

Results: 515 young people made 1,303 visits over 15 months for nurse consultations (mean age 14.7 years). The mean age of first sex was 13.8 years (range 10 to 16 years). The service attracted ‘hard-to-reach’ young people, including boys, those less academically able, and those engaging in sexual intercourse at younger ages. A wide range of services were taken up including contraception, emergency contraception, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) testing and treatment, pregnancy tests, and referral to other services. Young people reported high levels of satisfaction with staff attitudes and clinic environment. Youth workers saw a younger age group than nurses, giving advice prior to sexual activity, about relationships, ‘safer sex’ and delaying sex. Barriers to use included: worries about embarrassment, cultural issues, and confidentiality.

Conclusions: Locating sexual health drop-in clinics in schools within deprived communities makes them accessible to many vulnerable young people. Those having sex early attended, often before they had sex, and a large number of boys came for advice and condoms.
Health beliefs about osteoporosis and osteoporosis screening in older women and men
Authors: Nayak Smita , Roberts Mark S , Chang Chung-Chou H , Greenspan Susan L
Published: May 2010

Objective: To examine older adults’ beliefs about osteoporosis and osteoporosis screening to identify barriers to screening.

Design: Cross-sectional mailed survey.

Setting: Western Pennsylvania.

Methods: Surveys were mailed to 1,830 women and men aged 60 years and older. The survey assessed socio-demographic characteristics, osteoporosis and general health-related characteristics, and beliefs about osteoporosis severity, susceptibility, screening self-efficacy, and screening response efficacy. Analyses included Wilcoxon rank-sum tests to compare belief dimension scores, and multivariable ordinal logistic regression analyses to evaluate association between osteoporosis beliefs and potential explanatory variables.

Results: Surveys were completed by 1,268 individuals (69.3 per cent). Mean age of respondents was 73.3 years, and most were female (58.7 per cent). Individuals demonstrated greatest belief in the severity of osteoporosis and least belief in personal susceptibility (P < .001). Older individuals believed less strongly than younger individuals in osteoporosis severity (OR, 0.95 per one year increase in age; 95 per cent CI, 0.92—0.97) and response efficacy (OR, 0.97 per one year increase in age; 95 per cent CI, 0.95—0.99). Women believed more strongly than men in osteoporosis susceptibility (OR, 1.87; 95 per cent CI, 1.38—2.53) and screening self-efficacy (OR, 2.87; 95 per cent CI, 1.17—7.07). Individuals with high self-rated health status had greater belief than those with low self-rated health status in screening self-efficacy (OR, 3.59; 95 per cent CI, 1.89—6.83).

Conclusion: Older adults demonstrate several beliefs that may be barriers to osteoporosis screening, including low belief in susceptibility to osteoporosis. These beliefs should be targeted with patient education to improve screening rates.
Integrating the chronic care model into a novel medical student course
Authors: Block Robert C , Tran Bill , McIntosh Scott
Published: May 2010

Objective: To determine whether integration of the Chronic Care Model into undergraduate medical education is associated with anticipated use of the Model and whether student perceptions match actual integration of the Model into their community projects.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study using qualitative and quantitative data.

Setting: A novel fourth-year medical student community health improvement course.

Method: The study included 45 students who had enrolled in the course before introduction of the Model and 32 formally introduced to the Model through a lecture. Perceptions were measured through a survey and a focus group with data analysed amongst and between cohorts. Projects were reviewed for actual integration of Model elements and these data were compared with reported student perceptions.

Results: Although they were in general utilizing most elements of the Model, student perceptions of their use of Model elements significantly differed from actual use of particular elements ( p < 0.001). For instance, whereas the majority believed that their projects focused on the element of Community Resources, most projects actually focused on Self-Management Support. Students formally introduced to the Model trended toward the belief that it would enhance their ability to care for patients more than students without formal exposure to it ( p = 0.0516).

Conclusions: Although medical students may not recognize it, they may already focus their actions and thinking regarding health improvement toward patient self-management of their chronic disease. Although students require education and training if the Model is to be widely used, they may be naturally attracted to it.
Vast-scale Outdoor Navigation Using Adaptive Relative Bundle Adjustment
Authors: Sibley Gabe , Mei Christopher , Reid Ian , Newman Paul
Published: May 2010

In this paper we describe a relative approach to simultaneous localization and mapping, based on the insight that a continuous relative representation can make the problem tractable at large scales. First, it is well known that bundle adjustment is the optimal non-linear least-squares formulation for this problem, in that its maximum-likelihood form matches the definition of the Cramer—Rao lower bound. Unfortunately, computing the maximum-likelihood solution is often prohibitively expensive: this is especially true during loop closures, which often necessitate adjusting all parameters in a loop. In this paper we note that it is precisely the choice of a single privileged coordinate frame that makes bundle adjustment costly, and that this expense can be avoided by adopting a completely relative approach. We derive a new relative bundle adjustment which, instead of optimizing in a single Euclidean space, works in a metric space defined by a manifold. Using an adaptive optimization strategy, we show experimentally that it is possible to solve for the full maximum-likelihood solution incrementally in constant time, even at loop closure. Our approach is, by definition, everywhere locally Euclidean, and we show that the local Euclidean estimate matches that of traditional bundle adjustment. Our system operates online in realtime using stereo data, with fast appearance-based loop closure detection. We show results on over 850,000 images that indicate the accuracy and scalability of the approach, and process over 330 GB of image data into a relative map covering 142 km of Southern England. To demonstrate a baseline sufficiency for navigation, we show that it is possible to find shortest paths in the relative maps we build, in terms of both time and distance. Query images from the web of popular landmarks around London, such as the London Eye or Trafalgar Square, are matched to the relative map to provide route planning goals.
Mouse Models of Human T Lymphotropic Virus Type-1–Associated Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma
Authors: Zimmerman B. , Niewiesk S. , Lairmore M. D.
Published: May 2010

Human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1), the first human retrovirus discovered, is the causative agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and a number of lymphocyte-mediated inflammatory conditions including HTLV-1–associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. Development of animal models to study the pathogenesis of HTLV-1–associated diseases has been problematic. Mechanisms of early infection and cell-to-cell transmission can be studied in rabbits and nonhuman primates, but lesion development and reagents are limited in these species. The mouse provides a cost-effective, highly reproducible model in which to study factors related to lymphoma development and the preclinical efficacy of potential therapies against ATL. The ability to manipulate transgenic mice has provided important insight into viral genes responsible for lymphocyte transformation. Expansion of various strains of immunodeficient mice has accelerated the testing of drugs and targeted therapy against ATL. This review compares various mouse models to illustrate recent advances in the understanding of HTLV-1–associated ATL development and how improvements in these models are critical to the future development of targeted therapies against this aggressive T-cell lymphoma.
Pains of Probation: Effective Practice and Human Rights
Authors: Durnescu Ioan
Published: May 2010

This article explores the experience of offenders while under probation supervision and analyses the “pains of probation” in connection to rehabilitation aspirations. The article has two main parts. In the first part of the article, the experiences of probationers are examined using thematic analysis, and eight different pains of probation are identified. In the second part of the article, these pains of probation are examined from two different perspectives: human rights and the Good Lives Model. The conclusion is that these two perspectives support each other and can help reduce the frustrations and deprivations experienced by individuals on probation. By implementing these two perspectives, probation services may overcome the obstacles toward desistance and earn more legitimacy in the eyes of probation recipients.
An Examination of the Divergent General, Specific, and Other Criminogenic Risk/Needs Across Neuropathic and Psychopathic Pathways to Homicide
Authors: Gilligan D. G. , Lennings C. J.
Published: May 2010

The social learning theory underlying Andrews and Bonta’s Psychology of Criminal Conduct model has generally been seen as guiding risk assessment, with good relevance to mentally ill as well as non–mentally ill offenders. The current study reports a novel approach to qualitative assessment of 26 murderers found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI), divided into two groups—neuropathic offenders characterised by frontal lobe deficits and psychosis and psychopathic murderers characterised by high scores on psychopathy and an absence of neuropathic factors. The findings of the present research support the notion that the two pathways are embedded in two diverging theoretical frameworks of psychopathology and social learning theory, with each corresponding to the neuropathic and psychopathic pathways, respectively. Models of social learning theory may have limited utility to the total mentally disordered offender population overall as they apply more specifically to offenders within special offender groups or perhaps more specifically to offenders with psychopathic characteristics. However, the significantly greater association of the other social, physical, and mental health risk/needs with the neuropathic pathway suggests that pathological models are important for understanding the neuropathic pathway in relation to homicide offence and risk of future violence in NGRI samples.
Resilient Youths Use Humor to Enhance Socioemotional Functioning During a Day in the Life
Authors: Cameron E. Leslie , Fox Janice D. , Anderson Michelle S. , Cameron Catherine Ann
Published: May 2010

In order to extend previous early years humor research into early adolescence, the authors adapted an innovative ecological research method such that at-risk adolescents could be filmed during an entire waking day in their life. Community youth advocates nominated one 15-year-old female and one 14-year-old male as doing well despite adverse circumstances. We examined the types and functions of these youths’ humor within their social contexts. Their humor included joking, teasing, physical play, light tones, irony, sarcasm, and mocking/parody. Humor served many socioemotional roles, such as navigating complex socially sensitive topics and situations, and facilitating affiliation with friends and family. Humor assists in traversing challenging social terrain and can serve as a protective factor under risky circumstances.
A Nationwide Survey of State-Mandated Evaluation Practices for Domestic Violence Agencies
Authors: Riger Stephanie , Staggs Susan L.
Published: May 2010

Many agencies serving survivors of domestic violence are required to evaluate their services. Three possible evaluation strategies include: a) process measurement, which typically involves a frequency count of agency activities, such as the number of counseling hours given; b) outcome evaluation, which measures the impact of agency activities on clients, such as increased understanding of the dynamics of abuse; or c) performance measurement, which assesses the extent to which agencies achieve their stated goals. Findings of a telephone survey of state funders of domestic violence agencies in the United States revealed that most states (67%) require only process measurement, while fewer than 10% require performance measurement. Most (69%) funders reported satisfaction with their evaluation strategy and emphasized the need for involvement of all stakeholders, especially grantees, in developing an evaluation.
Characteristics of Elderly and Other Vulnerable Adult Victims of Homicide by a Caregiver: National Violent Death Reporting System—17 U.S. States, 2003-2007
Authors: Karch Debra , Nunn Kelly Cole
Published: May 2010

Homicides of dependent elderly and nonelderly adults by their caregivers violate trust and have long-term consequences for families. A better understanding of the characteristics of homicide by caregivers may provide insights that can inform prevention efforts. Data collected in the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) between 2003 and 2007 are used to characterize victims, perpetrators, and caregiver roles, and circumstances that precipitated homicides by a caregiver. A total 68 incidents are categorized into either homicide by neglect ( n = 17), intentional injury of the victim only ( n = 21), or homicide followed by suicide of the perpetrator ( n = 30). Demographics, mechanism of injury, location of injury, and victim—suspect relationship variables are supplemented by narrative accounts of incidents. In general, findings show that adult homicide victims of a caregiver were widowed (42.6%), non-Hispanic (97.1%), White (88.2%), women (63.2%) killed in their homes (92.6%) with a firearm (35.3%) or by intentional neglect (25.0%) by a husband (30.9%) or a son (22.1%). Nearly half were aged 80 years and older (48.5%), 42.6% were aged 50 to 79 years, and 0.9% were aged 20 to 49 years. Many homicide by caregiver incidents are precipitated by physical illness of the victim or caregiver, opportunity for perpetrator financial gain, mental illness of the caregiver, substance use by the caregiver, or an impending crisis in the life of the caregiver not related to illness. Understanding the vulnerabilities of victims, the characteristics of suspects, and the multiple types of motivations is key to developing effective prevention efforts.
Employment Status and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Following Compensation Seeking in Victims of Violence
Authors: Kunst Maarten J. J.
Published: May 2010

The current study was developed to explore the associations between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), level of compensation for pain and suffering, and employment status in a sample of victims of violence ( n = 226) who had held a full-time job at time of victimization and had filed a claim with the Dutch Victim Compensation Fund (DVCF) thereafter. Based on previous research, it was expected that PTSD would be associated with current unemployment. If a relationship between the two were to be found, the study would explore whether this should be ascribed to the presence of a sense of foreshortened future. Results confirmed this hypothesis and indicated that participants with PTSD were more prone to be currently unemployed than non-PTSDs. Additional analyses revealed that PTSD symptom severity and symptom cluster scores were also positively associated to higher unemployment rates. The observed relationships were not merely due to a high level of compensation for pain and suffering and failed to remain significant after adjusting for sense of foreshortened future. Implications for policy practice as well as strengths and limitations of the study were discussed.
Victim Confidentiality on Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART)
Authors: Cole Jennifer
Published: May 2010

The purpose of this study is to examine how professionals and paraprofessionals involved with a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) understand and navigate different professional statutory requirements for victim confidentiality. Telephone surveys are conducted with 78 professionals: medical (27.8%), criminal justice (44.3%), and victim advocacy (27.8%). The majority of participants (58.2%) disagree with the statement that maintaining victim confidentiality posed a challenge to coordination on SART, 10.1% were neutral, and 31.7% agreed with the statement. Significantly more victim advocates than criminal justice and medical professionals perceive that maintaining victim confidentiality posed a challenge to coordination on SART. Consensus on how best to conceptualize victim confidentiality within SART has not been attained. Findings show that not all criminal justice and medical professionals understood the statutory provision of privilege to communications between rape crisis victim advocates and victims. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
Trials in primary care: statistical issues in the design, conduct and evaluation of complex interventions
Authors: Lancaster GA , Campbell MJ , Eldridge S. , Farrin A. , Marchant M. , Muller S. , Perera R. , Peters TJ , Prevost AT , Rait G.
Published: May 2010

Trials carried out in primary care typically involve complex interventions that require considerable planning if they are to be implemented successfully. The role of the statistician in promoting both robust study design and appropriate statistical analysis is an important contribution to a multi-disciplinary primary care research group. Issues in the design of complex interventions have been addressed in the Medical Research Council’s new guidance document and over the past 7 years by the Royal Statistical Society’s Primary Health Care Study Group. With the aim of raising the profile of statistics and building research capability in this area, particularly with respect to methodological issues, the study group meetings have covered a wide range of topics that have been of interest to statisticians and non-statisticians alike. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the statistical issues that have arisen over the years related to the design and evaluation of trials in primary care, to provide useful examples and references for further study and ultimately to promote good practice in the conduct of complex interventions carried out in primary care and other health care settings. Throughout we have given particular emphasis to statistical issues related to the design of cluster randomised trials.
Applying an ethical decision-making tool to a nurse management dilemma
Authors: Toren Orly , Wagner Nurith
Published: May 2010

This article considers ethical dilemmas that nurse managers may confront and suggests an ethical decision-making model that could be used as a tool for resolving such dilemmas. The focus of the article is on the question: Can nurse managers choose the ethically right solution in conflicting situations when nurses’ rights collide with patients’ rights to quality care in a world of cost-effective and economic constraint? Managers’ responsibility is to ensure and facilitate a safe and ethical working environment in which nurses are able to give quality care to their patients. In nursing it is frequently declared that managers’ main obligations are to patients’ needs and their rights to receive quality care. However, managers’ ethical responsibilities are not only to patients but also to the nurses working in their institution. This article describes a real (but disguised) situation from an Israeli health care context to illustrate the dilemmas that may arise. The question is posed of whether nurse managers can maintain patients’ and nurses’ rights and, at the same time, fulfill their obligation to the conflicting demands of the organization. The article also offers a way to solve conflict by using an ethical decision-making model.
Dignity of older people in a nursing home: Narratives of care providers
Authors: Jakobsen Rita , Sørlie Venke
Published: May 2010

The purpose of this study was to illuminate the ethically difficult situations experienced by care providers working in a nursing home. Individual interviews using a narrative approach were conducted. A phenomenological-hermeneutic method developed for researching life experience was applied in the analysis. The findings showed that care providers experience ethical challenges in their everyday work. The informants in this study found the balance between the ideal, autonomy and dignity to be a daily problem. They defined the culture they work in as not supportive. They also thought they were not being seen and heard in situations where they disagree with the basic values of the organization. The results are discussed in terms of Habermas’s understanding of modern society. Care settings for elderly people obviously present ethical challenges, particularly in the case of those suffering from dementia. The care provider participants in this study expressed frustration and feelings of powerlessness. It is possible to understand their experiences in terms of Habermas’s theory of modern society and the concept of the system’s colonization of the life world.
Literature review: Status and trends of research ethics in Swedish nurses’ dissertations
Authors: Kjellström Sofia , Fridlund Bengt
Published: May 2010

Research ethics is increasingly formally regulated, but little is known about how ethical considerations are reported in dissertations. The aim of this literature study was to describe the status and trends of ethical considerations in Swedish doctoral dissertations written by registered nurses. A total of 77 dissertations from 1987, 1997, and 2007 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Ethical considerations were mostly overlooked in 1987, but almost ubiquitous by 2007. All dissertations in 2007, except one, had a section on ethical considerations; however, these were short, lacking in references, and short on content. The most common topic was informed consent and approval from research ethics review boards, followed by confidentiality and ethical aspects of methodological issues. Our results imply that the quantity and quality of ethical considerations must be improved in order to assure ethical soundness for participants, patients, researchers, and society.
Experiential learning of empathy in a care-ethics lab
Authors: Vanlaere Linus , Coucke Trees , Gastmans Chris
Published: May 2010

To generate empathy in the care of vulnerable older persons requires care providers to reflect critically on their care practices. Ethics education and training must provide them with tools to accomplish such critical reflection. It must also create a pedagogical context in which good care can be taught and cultivated. The care-ethics lab ‘sTimul’ originated in 2008 in Flanders with the stimulation of ethical reflection in care providers and care providers in training as its main goal. Also in 2008, sTimul commenced the organization of empathy sessions as an attempt to achieve this goal by simulation. The empathy session is a practical and fairly straightforward way of working to provoke care providers and care providers in training to engage in ethical reflection. Characteristic of the empathy session in the care-ethics lab is the emphasis on experience as a basis for ethical reflection.
Practical ethical theory for nurses responding to complexity in care
Authors: Fairchild Roseanne Moody
Published: May 2010

In the context of health care system complexity, nurses need responsive leadership and organizational support to maintain intrinsic motivation, moral sensitivity and a caring stance in the delivery of patient care. The current complexity of nurses’ work environment promotes decreases in work motivation and moral satisfaction, thus creating motivational and ethical dissonance in practice. These and other work-related factors increase emotional stress and burnout for nurses, prompting both new and seasoned nurse professionals to leave their current position, or even the profession. This article presents a theoretical conceptual model for professional nurses to review and make sense of the ethical reasoning skills needed to maintain a caring stance in relation to the competing values that must coexist among nurses, health care administrators, patients and families in the context of the complex health care work environments in which nurses are expected to practice. A model, Nurses’ Ethical Reasoning Skills, is presented as a framework for nurses’ thinking through and problem solving ethical issues in clinical practice in the context of complexity in health care.
Research on ethics in nursing care for older people: A literature review
Authors: Suhonen Riitta , Stolt Minna , Launis Veikko , Leino-Kilpi Helena
Published: May 2010

The aim of this review was to analyse the empirical studies that focus on ethics in nursing care for older people, scoping the need and areas for further study. A search of the MEDLINE and CINAHL databases (earliest to August 2009) was conducted using the the keywords: ethic* and nursing or care or caring and elderly or aged or older. After a four-stage process, 71 empirical articles were included in the review, with informants ranging from elderly people to relatives, caregivers, managers and students in care settings. The review focusses on the concepts, contexts, methods and validity of these studies. Based on the analysis, the reviewed research seems to be fragmented and multifaceted, focussing on selected issues such as autonomy, self-determination and informed consent. No large research programs or research traditions were found so it was not possible to draw any conclusions about suitable methods, study designs or instruments of measurement for use in this research area.
Structural Vibration Reduction by Switch Shunting of Piezoelectric Elements: Modeling and Optimization
Authors: Ducarne J. , Thomas O. , Deü J.-F.
Published: May 2010

This work deals with the reduction of structural vibrations by means of synchronized switch damping techniques on piezoelectric elements. Piezoelectric patches are attached to the vibrating structure and connected to an electrical circuit that includes a switch. The latter allows to continuously switch the piezoelectric elements from an open-circuit state to a specific electric impedance, synchronously with the mechanical oscillations. The present study focuses on two goals: (i) the quantification of the added damping, (ii) the optimization of the electric circuit parameters, carried out on a one degree of freedom model. The free and forced responses of one mode of the mechanical structure are studied in detail. The precise time response of the system is obtained with semi-analytical models for the two cases where the electrical impedance is a simple resistance (synchronized switch damping on short circuit) or a resistance in series with an inductance (synchronized switch damping on inductor). The damping added by the device is estimated. In all cases, the main result of the study is that the piezoelectric coupling factor is the only parameter to optimize and has to be maximized in order to maximize the added damping. An optimal value of the electric circuit quality factor is obtained when using an inductance, for free and forced response.
Magnetoelectric Effects in Multiferroic Bilayers for Coupled Flexure and Extension
Authors: Zhang C.L. , Yang J.S. , Chen W.Q.
Published: May 2010

Magnetoelectric (ME) effects in two configurations of piezomagnetic/piezoelectric bilayers in coupled flexure and extension are studied. Static and frequency-dependant ME effects are obtained. Compared to the ME effects in pure extension of multiferroic plates, the ME effects in the coupled motion are twice as high in static cases and three times as high in harmonic motions.
Neuro-fuzzy Modeling of Temperature- and Strain-rate-dependent Behavior of NiTi Shape Memory Alloys for Seismic Applications
Authors: Ozbulut O.E. , Hurlebaus S.
Published: May 2010

This article proposes a neuro-fuzzy model of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) wires for use in seismic applications. First, in order to collect experimental data, uniaxial tensile tests are conducted on superelastic wires in the temperature range of 0—40°C, and at the loading frequencies of 0.05—2 Hz with five different strain amplitudes. Then, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is employed to construct a model of SMAs based on experimental input—output data pairs. The fuzzy model employs strain, strain-rate, and temperature as input variables, and provides stress as single output. Gaussian membership functions (MFs) are assigned to each input variables. A total of 12 if—then rules are used to map these MFs to output characteristic. The model obtained from ANFIS training is validated by using an experimental data set that is not used during training. The developed model is capable of simulating behavior of superelastic SMAs at various temperatures and at various loading rates while it remains simple enough to realize numerical simulations. These features of the model make it attractive for numerical studies on vibration control of structures.
Understanding Risk Communication Through Patient Narratives About Complex Antithrombotic Therapies
Authors: Andreas Dorothy C. , Abraham Neena S. , Naik Aanand D. , Street Richard L. , Sharf Barbara F.
Published: May 2010

The purpose of this study was to explore how patients use narratives to create coherent understandings of risks associated with complex antithrombotic therapies. We led four focus groups consisting of patients older than 65 years of age who had a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and were using a prescription for cardioprotective agents, such as aspirin, anticoagulants, and/or antiplatelets. The participants’ stories were retrospective accounts about physician and patient interactions and adverse events organized in the plot structure of a trial-and-error story. The trial-and-error narrative structure emphasizes patients’ idiosyncrasies and reasons why they expect to experience adverse events from changes in treatment. Any fears that they might have had about these risks were mitigated by physician expertise, patient responsibility, and medical technology. Patients who expressed concern about not having sufficient access to medical expertise (e.g., physicians, laboratory tests) seemed less willing to accept risks. The trial-and-error risk narratives helped patients deal with ambiguity and uncertainty about the outcomes of their therapies, and revealed patients’ orientations to the risks they faced.
Do Differing Types of Victimization and Coping Strategies Influence the Type of Social Reactions Experienced by Current Victims of Intimate Partner Violence?
Authors: Sullivan Tami P. , Schroeder Jennifer A. , Dudley Desreen N. , Dixon Julia M.
Published: May 2010

This study examines whether differing types of victimization and coping strategies influence the type of social reactions experienced by 173 current victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Results of path analyses showed that psychological and sexual IPV victimization were related to positive social reactions, whereas physical, psychological, and sexual IPV victimization were related to negative social reactions. Indirect relationships between victimization and social reactions differed by types of coping strategies (social support, problem solving, and avoidance) examined. Implications are discussed regarding the development of interventions with women’s support networks and the augmentation of services to help victims modify their coping strategies.
Meaningful work? Nonprofit marketization and work/ life imbalance in popular autobiographies of social entrepreneurship
Authors: Dempsey Sarah E. , Sanders Matthew L.
Published: May 2010

As social entrepreneurship gains increasing acclaim and institutional support, there is a need for greater critical assessment of its practices and effects, including how it relates to current concerns about meaningful work. Our critical analysis of popular autobiographies of social entrepreneurs provides insight into how marketization forces are shaping the construction of meaningful work within the US nonprofit context. Our findings illustrate that although popular portrayals of social entrepreneurship offer a compelling vision of meaningful work centred on solving pressing social problems, they also celebrate a troubling account of work/life balance centred on self-sacrifice, underpaid and unpaid labour and the privileging of organizational commitment at the expense of health, family and other aspects of social reproduction. In focusing critical attention on popular autobiographies, our analysis contributes to ongoing efforts to understand how popular culture assists in reproducing problematic assumptions about work and professional life.
The ethnography of new media worlds? Following the case of global poker
Authors: Farnsworth John , Austrin Terry
Published: May 2010

This article relates the current transformation of ethnographic practice to the emergence of new media technologies. It contrasts multi-sited ethnography with actor network theory’s method of following the construction of new media worlds through chains of mediators. The authors exemplify this through the extraordinary emergence of global poker and its shifting constitution across the entire spectrum of traditional and new media technologies. They argue that poker vividly illustrates how following makes sense of these emergent new worlds while at the same time it is an excellent vehicle for problematizing key issues of ethnographic practice.
Communication media diffusion and substitutions: longitudinal trends from 1980 to 2005 in Korea
Authors: Nam Yoonjae , Barnett George A.
Published: May 2010

This study analyzes longitudinal trends in Korean use of (1) domestic mail, (2) international mail, (3) domestic telephone calls, (4) international outgoing telephone calls, (5) telex, (6) mobile telephones, (7) televisions and (8) the internet to examine the media’s displacement or supplementary effects.The results show that international mail, domestic telephone and telex can be best described by a quadratic indicating they are undergoing disadoption while the trends for domestic mail and international telephone calls show exponential growth. Correlations confirmed that new media have displaced international mail, domestic telephone and telex, yet they do not substitute for domestic letters and international telephone calls. Finally, television, mobile telephones and the internet are at the exponential or logistic growth stage and supplement each other.
The norm of the ‘good’ netizen and the construction of the ‘proper’ wired self: The case of Chinese urban youth
Authors: Fengshu Liu
Published: May 2010

The strong concern in Chinese society about young people and the internet suggests a norm about how to relate to the net, reflecting and transcending the tension found in other societies between the societal expectations of the internet and young people’s actual uses of it. This article explores how the tension between different internet discourses in China is being played out in young people’s negotiation of a ‘proper’ wired self. Adopting a discourse analysis approach, the study shows that the participants drew on three interrelated dual interpretative repertoires. The duality inherent in these repertoires allows the informants to position themselves either as the rational, responsible and mature users or the opposite, and people who use the net differently from themselves as the ‘other’.
Clinical Implications of Tai Chi Interventions: A Review
Authors: Weimo Zhu  , Shangyi Guan  , Yubing Yang
Published: May 2010

Tai Chi, a Chinese body-mind exercise, has been used in China for thousands of years for both prevention and therapeutic purposes. In the 1990s, the Western research community started to examine the effectiveness of Tai Chi interventions using scientific research design and standardized outcome measures. A number of reviews of these studies have been published. Based on an extensive literature search, this state-of-the-art review identified 25 such reviews published since 2000, provides a description of them, and summarizes what was learned from these reviews. Although there is still a need to understand more about Tai Chi interventions, especially Tai Chi’s mechanism, it is concluded that Tai Chi is a very useful exercise format that can be used for a variety of chronic disease conditions. It requires no equipment and little space, and it can be practiced anytime, anywhere, and by older adults and individuals with chronic diseases. Since short forms (eg, 10 or 24 forms) have been shown to have similar benefits as longer ones, beginners should start using simple, short forms first. Like other exercise interventions, regular practice is a must to be able to gain maximal benefits. Tai Chi can be used safely as a complementary addition to conventional medical treatment, physical therapy, and rehabilitation, as well as with other exercise interventions.
Complexity Theory, School Leadership and Management: Questions for Theory and Practice
Authors: Morrison Keith
Published: May 2010

Complexity theory (CT) has had a meteoric rise in management literature and the social sciences. Its fledgling importation into school leadership and management raises several questions and concerns. This article takes one view of CT and argues that, though its key elements have much to offer school leadership and management, caution has to be exercised in accepting CT too readily, as it: (1) is unclear on its own novelty, nature and status; (2) can be regarded as disguised ideology in conflating description and prescription; (3) confuses explanation with prediction; (4) is relativist, undermining its own status; (5) contains problems in its advocacy of self-organization; (6) neglects the ethical and emotional dimensions of leadership and management; and (7) risks exonerating school leaders and managers from reasonable expectations of accountability and responsibility. The article concludes that there are questions to CT at the levels of theory, ontology, deontology and ethics, but that it offers useful challenges for school leadership and management.
‘We Are in Transylvania, and Transylvania Is Not England’: Location as a Significant Factor in International School Micropolitics
Authors: Caffyn Richard
Published: May 2010

This article looks at research undertaken into two international schools focusing on micropolitics and the importance of school location. Location appears to have a significant impact on the behaviour of those associated with each school, such as reactions to physical environment, local culture and clientele. These affect the micropolitical interplay between groups, as well as cause the creation of enclaves and subgroups, where individuals develop patterns of behaviour and lifestyle. Location offers a useful lens to understand both international school micropolitics and the pressures faced by management and leadership.
No Teacher Left Behind: Subject Leadership that Promotes Teacher Leadership
Authors: Ghamrawi Norma
Published: May 2010

This article presents some of the findings derived from a two-year qualitative study compromised of 51 semi-structured interviews with principals, subject leaders and classroom teachers belonging to three private K-12 schools in Beirut, Lebanon. In the context of investigating teacher leadership, this study highlights the aspects of the role of subject leaders in establishing and nourishing teacher leadership in their departments, particularly, three salutary research findings that portray how subject leaders impede or support such establishment are identified and explained. These are: (1) creating sub-cultures of professional collaboration and distributed leadership; (2) establishing bartered leadership structures; and (3) walking the talk of a shared system of teacher monitoring and evaluation.
Sperm banking and the cancer patient
Authors: Williams Daniel H.
Published: May 2010

The current concepts, recommendations, and principles of sperm banking as it pertains to the comprehensive care of young men of reproductive age with cancer are reviewed. Obstacles to sperm banking are addressed as well as future directions for fertility-preserving technologies. All cancer therapies—chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery—are potential threats to a man’s reproductive potential. In addition, cancer itself can impair spermatogenesis. Thus, sperm cryopreservation prior to initiating life-saving cancer treatment offers men and their families the best chance to father biologically related children and should be offered to all men with cancer before treatment. Better patient and provider education, as well as deliberate, coordinated strategies at comprehensive cancer care centers are necessary to make fertility preservation for male cancer patients a priority during pretreatment planning.
Review: Treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly
Authors: Maione Paolo , Rossi Antonio , Sacco Paola Claudia , Bareschino Maria Anna , Schettino Clorinda , Ferrara Marianna Luciana , Falanga Marzia , Ambrosio Rita , Gridelli Cesare
Published: May 2010

More than 40% of cases of all lung cancers are diagnosed in patients over the age of 70 years. Elderly patients have more comorbidities and tend to be less tolerant to toxic medical treatments than their younger counterparts. Thus, clinical data obtained in a younger population cannot be automatically extrapolated to the great majority of nonselected elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The bulk of prospective clinical data regarding chemotherapy and molecularly targeted therapy for elderly NSCLC patients come from studies in advanced disease. In elderly advanced NSCLC patients, single-agent chemotherapy with third-generation agents (vinorelbine, gemcitabine, taxanes) is to be considered the routine standard of care for unselected patients, based on phase II and III trials specifically designed for this special population. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy with cisplatin at attenuated doses has been demonstrated to be an active and feasible option in phase II trials. Among targeted therapies, the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, erlotinib and gefitinib, have relevant phase II prospective data showing activity and good tolerability as first-line treatment in this population. Concerning the antivascular endothelial growth factor monoclonal antibody, bevacizumab, combined with chemotherapy, particular care must be taken for elderly patients because of the higher incidence of cardiovascular comorbidities. The lack of data on octogenarians suggest that clinicians should exercise caution when applying the existing data on chemotherapy and targeted therapies for patients aged 70-79 years to those aged >80 years. Further specifically designed clinical trials are needed to optimize medical treatment of NSCLC in elderly patients.