bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Orthotopic Transplantation of Achilles Tendon Allograft in Rats
Authors: Aynardi Michael , Zahoor Talal , Mitchell Reed , Loube Jeffrey , Feltham Tyler , Manandhar Lumanti , Paudel Sharada , Schon Lew , Zhang Zijun
Published: April 2018

The biology and function of orthotopic transplantation of Achilles tendon allograft are unknown. Particularly, the revitalization of Achilles allograft is a clinical concern. Achilles allografts were harvested from donor rats and stored at −80 °C. Subcutaneous adipose tissue was harvested from the would-be allograft recipient rats for isolation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs were cultured with growth differentiation factor-5 (GDF-5) and applied onto Achilles allografts on the day of transplantation. After the native Achilles tendon was resected from the left hind limb of the rats, Achilles allograft, with or without autologous MSCs, was implanted and sutured with calf muscles proximally and calcaneus distally. Animal gait was recorded presurgery and postsurgery weekly. The animals were sacrificed at week 4, and the transplanted Achilles allografts were collected for biomechanical testing and histology. The operated limbs had altered gait. By week 4, the paw print intensity, stance time, and duty cycle (percentage of the stance phase in a step cycle) of the reconstructed limbs were mostly recovered to the baselines recorded before surgery. Maximum load of failure was not different between Achilles allografts, with or without MSCs, and the native tendons. The Achilles allograft supplemented with MSCs had higher cellularity than the Achilles allograft without MSCs. Deposition of fine collagen (type III) fibers was active in Achilles allograft, with or without MSCs, but it was more evenly distributed in the allografts that were incubated with MSCs. In conclusion, orthotopically transplanted Achilles allograft healed with host tissues, regained strength, and largely restored Achilles function in 4 wk in rats. It is therefore a viable option for the reconstruction of a large Achilles tendon defect. Supplementation of MSCs improved repopulation of Achilles allograft, but large animal models, with long-term follow up and cell tracking, may be required to fully appreciate the functional benefits of MSCs.
Clinical Cell Therapy Guidelines for Neurorestoration (IANR/CANR 2017)
Authors: Huang Hongyun , Young Wise , Chen Lin , Feng Shiqing , Zoubi Ziad M. Al , Sharma Hari Shanker , Saberi Hooshang , Moviglia Gustavo A. , He Xijing , Muresanu Dafin F. , Sharma Alok , Otom Ali , Andrews Russell J. , Al-Zoubi Adeeb , Bryukhovetskiy Andrey S. , Chernykh Elena R. , Domańska-Janik Krystyna , Jafar Emad , Johnson W. Eustace , Li Ying , Li Daqing , Luan Zuo , Mao Gengsheng , Shetty Ashok K. , Siniscalco Dario , Skaper Stephen , Sun Tiansheng , Wang Yunliang , Wiklund Lars , Xue Qun , You Si-Wei , Zheng Zuncheng , Dimitrijevic Milan R. , Masri W. S. El , Sanberg Paul R. , Xu Qunyuan , Luan Guoming , Chopp Michael , Cho Kyoung-Suok , Zhou Xin-Fu , Wu Ping , Liu Kai , Mobasheri Hamid , Ohtori Seiji , Tanaka Hiroyuki , Han Fabin , Feng Yaping , Zhang Shaocheng , Lu Yingjie , Zhang Zhicheng , Rao Yaojian , Tang Zhouping , Xi Haitao , Wu Liang , Shen Shunji , Xue Mengzhou , Xiang Guanghong , Guo Xiaoling , Yang Xiaofeng , Hao Yujun , Hu Yong , Li Jinfeng , AO Qiang , Wang Bin , Zhang Zhiwen , Lu Ming , Li Tong
Published: April 2018

Cell therapy has been shown to be a key clinical therapeutic option for central nervous system diseases or damage. Standardization of clinical cell therapy procedures is an important task for professional associations devoted to cell therapy. The Chinese Branch of the International Association of Neurorestoratology (IANR) completed the first set of guidelines governing the clinical application of neurorestoration in 2011. The IANR and the Chinese Association of Neurorestoratology (CANR) collaborated to propose the current version “Clinical Cell Therapy Guidelines for Neurorestoration (IANR/CANR 2017)”. The IANR council board members and CANR committee members approved this proposal on September 1, 2016, and recommend it to clinical practitioners of cellular therapy. These guidelines include items of cell type nomenclature, cell quality control, minimal suggested cell doses, patient-informed consent, indications for undergoing cell therapy, contraindications for undergoing cell therapy, documentation of procedure and therapy, safety evaluation, efficacy evaluation, policy of repeated treatments, do not charge patients for unproven therapies, basic principles of cell therapy, and publishing responsibility.
Generating distrust through intelligence work: Psychological terror and the Dutch security services in Indonesia, 1945–1949
Authors: Luttikhuis Bart
Published: April 2018

In insurgent wars, gaining reliable intelligence is of essential importance to both sides of the conflict. This paper examines the functioning of Dutch intelligence and security services in the Indonesian decolonization war (1945–1949), focusing in particular on their practices of arresting people to be questioned or interrogated. On the basis of interrogation reports produced by the various intelligence and security services, it argues that the arrest and interrogation practices of the intelligence apparatus itself should be seen as a form of violence. These practices created a psychological terror that forced ‘ordinary’ citizens to choose a side, exposing them to retribution from the other. The consequence was increasing social distrust, with potentially long-lasting effects.
Colonial Containment? Repression of Pro-Independence Street Demonstrations in Algiers, Casablanca and Paris, 1945–1962
Authors: House Jim
Published: April 2018

This article draws on three examples of the violent repression of pro-independence nationalist street demonstrations: Casablanca, 7–8 December 1952; Algiers, 10–13 December 1960; Paris, 17 October 1961. Changes in the urban landscape due to migration, urban planning and housing policy brought the threat perceptions of the colonial authorities to centre upon certain poor districts and their inhabitants, in the context of strengthening pro-independence nationalism. These developments help explain where and how this lethal repression took place, as well as its key objectives (containment, punishment, deterrence). The late colonial authorities experienced great difficulties in spatially containing pro-independence demonstrations and urban mobility more widely.
Trajectories of development and the global clothing industry
Authors: Nattrass Nicoli , Seekings Jeremy
Published: April 2018

Clothing production increasingly occurs in global value chains. Industrial policies typically recommend ‘upgrading’ (increasing labour productivity by becoming more skill- and capital-intensive and producing higher valued products) yet firms can and do move up and down the value chain when profitable opportunities arise. This paper uses United Nations Industrial Development Organisation data on remuneration, output and employment to identify recent national development trajectories for the clothing industry. Upgrading trajectories can be pro-labour (have a rising wage share of value added) or pro-capital (a rising profit share). Pro-labour trajectories can deliver rising average wages and employment (e.g. India and China) or higher average wages for fewer workers (e.g. Sri Lanka). Pro-capital trajectories can also deliver higher average wages and employment growth (e.g. Vietnam) or rising wages for fewer workers (e.g. South Africa). Downgrading trajectories are typically associated with falling average wages but can be associated with rising average wages (as in Turkey). The desirability of a particular development trajectory depends on the economic context, especially labour market conditions. Upgrading trajectories are to be expected when unemployment is low and there is upward pressure on wages. Where unemployment is high, employment objectives are most quickly met through downgrading trajectories in which aggregate labour productivity falls as labour-intensive activities expand.
Public sector employees and the freedom of political communication
Authors: Gray Anthony
Published: April 2018

This article considers the Australian Public Service guidelines on public comment on social media in terms of the constitutionally protected freedom of political communication. It argues the guidelines are excessively broad, and go beyond legitimate government interests, significantly affecting the speech of government employees. Such employees have a significant contribution to make to the kind of political debates that are necessary in a functional democracy. It argues there is a real question regarding the compatibility of the guidelines with the constitutionally implied freedom of political communication.
Human rights for conservation: A rights-based approach to fisheries governance
Authors: Zheng Gina
Published: April 2018

The sustainable management of fishery resources in the Pacific region will greatly influence the long-term development of many Melanesian nations. This article will demonstrate that the incorporation of a rights-based approach to fisheries governance would facilitate the achievement of conservation objectives by encouraging sustainable behaviour amongst fishing communities. The significant role of legal stewardship will be highlighted thus emphasising the importance of robust law for both sustainability and human rights.
Beyond the Vexatious Proceedings Act: Victoria's unfinished business
Authors: van Balen Clare
Published: April 2018

This article explores the strengths and limitations of the Vexatious Proceedings Act 2014 (Vic). The author evaluates the capacity of the legislation to balance substantive access to justice with efficiency and effectiveness, highlighting the extra-legal needs of vexatious litigants, and exploring the operation of the Act on vulnerable populations and intervention order litigants. This article argues there is a need to re-visit the broader aims of the Inquiry into Vexatious Litigants Report (2008) beyond implementation of what is otherwise model legislation.
Using a penalty term to deal with spurious oscillations in second gradient finite elements
Authors: Soufflet Marc , Jouan Gwendal , Kotronis Panagiotis , Collin Frédéric
Published: April 2018

It is well known that it is necessary to introduce a length scale parameter in a continuum damage mechanics model to correctly simulate strain localization. The second gradient model, a special case of kinematically enriched continua, considers an internal length parameter by taking into account the second-order derivatives of the displacements in the virtual power principle. In this paper, we show that the original second gradient finite element of Chambon and co-workers can present spurious oscillations, especially for mode I crack propagation problems. After providing the plane stress second gradient constitutive law, we propose to add a penalty term in the original formulation in order to improve numerical convergence and to avoid spurious oscillations in the local variables distributions. Two numerical examples using classical damage mechanics laws, a three-point reinforced concrete beam and a trapezoidal notched specimen are used to test the performance of the formulation. Parametrical studies are also shown on the influence of the penalty parameter. The problem of unrealistic damage spreading for damage values close to 1, occurring often in mode I crack propagation problems, is finally discussed.
Results of External Fixation and Metatarsophalangeal Joint Fixation With K-Wire in Brachymetatarsia
Authors: Peña-Martínez Víctor Manuel , Palacios-Barajas Dionisio , Blanco-Rivera Juan Carlos , Arnaud-Franco Ángel , Elizondo-Rodríguez Jorge Alberto , Acosta-Olivo Carlos , Vílchez-Cavazos Félix , Morales-Avalos Rodolfo
Published: April 2018

Background:

Brachymetatarsia is a rare foot deformity caused by the premature closure of the metatarsal physis. It may result in functional as well as cosmetic alterations, which may require operative management.

Methods:

A prospective study examining outcomes of 48 cases of brachymetatarsia with gradual bone lengthening at a rate of 1 mm/d using an external fixator and metatarsophalangeal joint fixation was performed. The difference between the length before treatment and after external fixator removal was measured. The patients were assessed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks postoperatively; at the end of the period of distraction; and 1 year after surgery. The total number of patients was 26, and surgery was performed in 48 metatarsals. The mean age was 17.0 ± 4.1 (range, 11-24) years, and all were female.

Results:

The fourth metatarsal was the most frequently affected, representing 98% of the cases; the third metatarsal represented the other 2%. The average length gained was 18.6 ± 6.7 mm, and the average length gained as a proportion of the original metatarsal length was 38.2% ± 3.1% (range, 13%-24%). The mean healing time was 71.0 (range, 64-104) days, and the mean healing index (healing time divided by centimeters of length gained [d/cm]) was 38.4 (range, 38.2-50.1) d/cm.

Conclusion:

Gradual bone lengthening at a rate of 1 mm/d using an external fixator and intramedullary nailing was a safe and efficient method, representing a minimally invasive procedure with a low incidence of complications and satisfactory results for the patient.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, retrospective case series.
Analysis of vibration band gaps in an Euler–Bernoulli beam with periodic arrays of meander-shaped beams
Authors: Hajhosseini Mohammad , Ebrahimi Saeed
Published: April 2018

In this study, an Euler–Bernoulli beam carrying periodic arrays of meander-shaped beams is introduced. Each meander-shaped beam consists of several connected beam elements. Two models with different number of beam elements are considered. In each model, the effects of geometrical parameters on the lower and upper edges of the first three band gaps are investigated using the Adomian decomposition method. Results show that the wide band gaps at low frequency ranges can be obtained by changing the geometrical parameters. Furthermore, the band gaps are very close to each other for specific values of the geometrical parameters. Another advantage of this periodic beam is that its length is shorter than other types of periodic beams. These features make this periodic beam very useful in different applications of the band gap phenomenon such as vibration absorption. The finite element simulation (ANSYS software) is used to validate the analytical results and good agreement is found.
Visual War: A Content Analysis of Clinton and Trump Subreddits During the 2016 Campaign
Authors: Hale Brent J. , Grabe Maria Elizabeth
Published: April 2018

U.S. political party genderization (Republicans as masculine; Democrats as feminine) is well-documented in research. To determine if Hillary Clinton may have disrupted these patterns as the first female major-party presidential nominee, Reddit posts during the 2016 election campaign were analyzed. Most studies focus on professional news or candidate self-presentations concocted by image handlers. We departed from this tradition, focusing on (a) gender qualities that Redditors assign to candidates on this platform and (b) statistical tracking of these patterns over time. The results provide insight into how the electorate presented the two candidates and Donald Trump’s largely unexpected victory.
Axisymmetric equilibrium of an isotropic elastic solid circular finite cylinder
Authors: Rahnama H. , Shokrieh M. M.
Published: April 2018

Axisymmetric equilibrium of an elastic solid circular finite cylinder is one of the oldest problems in the theory of linear elasticity. Crosswise superposition is a well-known method that is used to solve this boundary value problem (BVP); however, technical realization of its underlying ideas still seems to be vague and the solution obtained by this method suffers from some convergence issues. In this study, we follow two main objectives via analyzing a benchmark problem where an isotropic elastic solid circular cylinder of finite length is subjected to normal lateral loading. The first goal is to add more insight into the method of crosswise superposition by extending the ideas that are used for solving classical BVPs via the superposition principle. For this purpose, a new unified approach that naturally gives rise to the subtle concept of corner conditions (CCs) in the context of crosswise superposition method is introduced. Another goal is to demonstrate the influence of CCs on the convergence of the solution obtained by the method of crosswise superposition. In this avenue, the Love function approach is used to convert the Navier equations for an isotropic elastic material to a single axisymmetric biharmonic equation. Next, a general solution for the axisymmetric biharmonic equation consisting of separable and non-separable solutions is presented in cylindrical coordinates. These two classes of solutions are used to construct the Love function and associated elastic fields through the unified approach. Numerical results reveal that considering the CCs can significantly affect the convergence rate of the solution on the boundaries of the cylinder. Furthermore, it is observed that the solution does not converge to the boundary data at the rims without considering the CCs. Far enough from the boundaries of the cylinder, the solution does not seem to be much different with or without taking the CCs into account.
Quilting a journey: decolonizing instructional design
Authors: DeLorme Carolyn M.
Published: April 2018

In many Indigenous communities, the star quilt is a symbol of honor given as a gift to recognize something about which the community is proud. The star quilt was used as a metaphor in this study to critically examine the practices of an instructional designer working in a tribal college context to identify culturally relevant instructional design practices. Instructional design is the systematic process of planning and developing learning environments, such as courses, curricula, or educational software. The researcher utilized an Indigenous approach to autoethnography as methodology to establish the community as the norm by which to critique the practices of the instructional designer—the researcher herself. The study findings culminated in the Star Quilt Framework for Culturally Competent Instructional Design, a relational person model for practice that incorporates the role of the instructional designer as an actor in the design process.
The declining dependence of ski lift operators on natural snow conditions
Authors: Falk Martin , Lin Xiang
Published: April 2018

This study tests for a structural shift in the relationship between revenues of ski lift operators and natural snow conditions. The analysis is based on time series data for the Swedish ski lift industry spanning from 1980 to 2017. Since 1970, snow depth in winter sport destinations has decreased markedly by about 5 cm per decade. Estimations based on the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model show that revenues (in constant prices) of ski lift operators are significantly positively related to natural snow conditions, given the impact of relative prices and real GDP. However, ARDL estimations with rolling windows reveal that the sensitivity of revenues from ski lift ticket sales to variations in snow depth is declining over time. For the subsamples starting at the end of 1980s onward, revenues no longer significantly depend on natural snow depth. This is likely due to the implementation of adaptation measures such as investments in snowmaking facilities.
A survey of mobile phone use in the provision of palliative care services in the African region and priorities for future development
Authors: Allsop Matthew J , Namisango Eve , Powell Richard A
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Palliative care (PC) services in the African region need to adapt to manage rising numbers of patients with cancer or other life-limiting conditions. Mobile phone use in healthcare delivery (mHealth) is at an early stage of development for PC, but may provide new approaches to supporting patients regionally, particularly those with non-communicable diseases.

Methods

We conducted an online survey of 51 PC providers across 21 countries in the African region to identify: (i) current mHealth use in PC service delivery; (ii) potential barriers to mHealth use; and (iii) provider priorities for research development.

Results

mHealth approaches were reported across 71.4% of services in which respondents were based. Barriers to mHealth research include patients not having access to phones, mobile network access, and limited access to expertise and hardware required for mHealth. Research priorities were identified which included exploring ways of incorporating mHealth into patient care and ensuring access and relevance of mHealth for patients and health professionals.

Discussion

mHealth approaches are present across PC services in the African region, but so too are barriers to their use. Further work is required to explore how existing mHealth activities might be further developed and aligned with priority areas for PC development. Crucially, user engagement that seeks to understand the preferences and priorities of patients with PC needs, their caregivers, and those involved in the provision of PC should remain central to these efforts.
The professional experiences and training needs of probation officers in Turkey
Authors: Erdem Gizem , Tuncer Ayşe Esra , Safi Ommay Aiman , Çankaya Banu , Ergin Murat , Aydoğan Ramazan
Published: April 2018

The current study uses a series of focus groups and participatory methodology to investigate the work experiences and needs of Turkish probation officers and their directors. All participants were employed at an office of Parole and Probation in Istanbul, Turkey. During the concurrent focus groups, officers ( n = 57) discussed their daily work experiences and needs (Phase I). A follow-up focus group was conducted ( n = 25) to discuss potential interpretations of the themes and generate solutions (Phase II), followed by a mini-focus group with the directors ( n = 5) to explore their experiences with the probation system and officer training (Phase III).

Findings

Officers identified needs for training, improvements of the work environment, professional support, and more thorough risk assessment tools. The follow-up focus group revealed that officers were highly motivated to improve their rehabilitative skills but felt constrained in supervising offenders in the punitive justice system. Several solutions generated through focus groups included mentoring programs to support novice officers, training programs to acquire interviewing skills, and team building activities and events to increase morale.

Application

The current study bridges the gap between officers and directors in the probation system and generates solutions to the occupational needs of officers. Researchers communicated those needs to the directors, and the study initiated action toward implementing rehabilitative training programs for officers with a particular focus on risk assessment and basic clinical skills. The study has direct implications for the improvement of probation practice and supervision in Turkey.
Blended English: Technology-enhanced teaching and learning in English literary studies
Authors: Milthorpe Naomi , Clarke Robert , Fletcher Lisa , Moore Robbie , Stark Hannah
Published: April 2018

This article provides an account of a collaborative teaching and learning project conducted in the English programme at the University of Tasmania in 2015. The project, Blended English, involved the development, implementation, and evaluation of learning and teaching activities using online and mobile technologies for undergraduate English units. The authors draw on the project’s findings from survey and focus group data, and staff reflective practice and peer review, to make the case for increasing technology-enhanced teaching and learning in English literary studies. The blended approach described in this article has the capacity to enhance disciplinary learning; increase accessibility for students in remote and regional areas; facilitate deeper scholarly enquiry; and encourage staff to develop innovative, collaborative, and flexible teaching and learning practices. Appendix 1 presents examples of the project’s practical outcomes, as well as outlines of and reflections on three of the activities developed during the project.
Shifts in the treatment of knowledge in academic reading and writing: Adding complexity to students’ transitions between A-levels and university in the UK
Authors: Baker Sally
Published: April 2018

Although “transition” is an established area of educational research, there has been little empirically exploration of how shifts in the ways that knowledge is packaged and valued impact on students’ reading and writing as they transition into higher education. This article draws on a longitudinal ethnographic study that traced the experiences, practices and understandings of 11 students from their last year of A-levels through to their second year of undergraduate study. Analysis shows that the forms of knowledge privileged and the ways that knowledge is packaged vary significantly between the two educational contexts, impacting on students’ engagement with texts (both reading and writing) as they transition into university. This article further illustrates that as a result of shifts in what counts as knowledge between these levels, students face challenges adapting to undergraduate literacies, which disrupts the simplistic notion of transition evoked in the dominant positioning of “the transition to university”.
Putting authentic learning on trial: Using trials as a pedagogical model for teaching in the humanities
Authors: Riddell Jessica
Published: April 2018

Research on authentic learning has been predominantly focussed on skills-based training: there is a paucity of research on models of authentic learning available for adaptation in the humanities undergraduate classroom. In this article, I will seek to address this gap by proposing that legal trials are ideal models for designing authentic learning scenarios in undergraduate teaching and learning contexts, with a specific focus on the humanities. First, I discuss why and how the structure of legal trials can produce authentic learning environments. Second, I present an undergraduate classroom project that combined two disciplinary fields – Shakespearean drama and criminal law – in an effort to enhance student learning and engagement. I outline how the authentic learning scenario (ALS) was implemented and evaluated and, finally, reflect on the barriers, challenges and potentially transformative effect of authentic learning environments on students and educators. This new intervention combines legal studies and English literature in order to create authentic learning environments to increase interactions amongst students, enhance students’ learning, and foster conditions for transformative learning.
Whither the humanities?— Reinterpreting the relevance of an essential and embattled field
Authors: Campion Corey
Published: April 2018

Contrary to the narrative of collapse that attends much of the discussion of the humanities today, recent data suggest that for many programs in the United States, at least, stagnation is the real challenge. Committed to teaching models that support faculty rather than student needs, graduate programs, in particular, are struggling to extend their reach beyond an established constituency of students interested in traditional disciplinary specialization and academic research. By emphasizing the teaching of empathy and communication, which underlie the various humanities disciplines, pursuing inter- and transdisciplinary teaching within and beyond the humanities, and securing administrative support for academic innovation, programs can find and serve a larger graduate student audience. Facing unique financial pressures, smaller colleges may prove more open to such innovation and merit greater attention in the discussion of the future of humanities graduate education.
Listening to what cannot be said: Broken narratives and the lived body
Authors: Kokanović Renata , Stone Meredith
Published: April 2018

The core of this special issue of Arts and Humanities in Higher Education emerged from the Broken Narratives and the Lived Body conference held in 2016. The ‘Broken Narrative’ essays included in this issue open up a critical space for understanding and theorising illness narratives that defy a conventional cognitive ordering of the self as a bounded spatial and temporal entity. Here, we discuss how narratives might be ‘broken’ by discourse, trauma, ‘ill’ lived bodies and experiences that exceed linguistic representation. We trouble distinctions between coherent and incoherent narratives, attending to what gaps, silences and ‘nonsenses’ can convey about embodied illness experiences. Ultimately, we suggest that ‘breaks’ are in fact a continuation of embodied narration. This is shown in the ‘Art and Trauma’ forum of essays, which reveal how narrative silences can ‘infect’ other embodied subjects and be transformed, achieving musical or visual representation that allow us to apprehend the ‘constitutive outside’ of narratives of illness or trauma.
The Pilgrimage Project: Speculative design for engaged interdisciplinary education
Authors: Osborn J.R. , Barba Evan , Henderson Gretchen E , Strong Lisa M , Kadish Lesley H
Published: April 2018

This article presents the Pilgrimage Model as a template for educators wishing to lead students on site-specific studies of engaged learning. During the 2015–2016 academic year, a group of Georgetown University students, faculty, and staff pursued the Pilgrimage Project, a year-long pedagogical experiment in interdisciplinary education and speculative design. Students researched Georgetown’s historic Old North building from a variety of disciplinary angles and presented the results of their collective research in an on-site multimedia exhibit. The article analyzes the Pilgrimage Project from a practical perspective, as an effective means of delivering robust educational experiences, and from a theoretical perspective, as an example of speculative method in education research. As a model of interdisciplinary education, the Pilgrimage Model effectively merges disciplinary-specific course goals, in-depth student-led research, and student skill development in digital design and multimedia production.
Isolation in studio music teaching: The secret garden
Authors: Burwell Kim , Carey Gemma , Bennett Dawn
Published: April 2018

In comparison with classroom settings that are more accessible to the scrutiny of researchers and institutional monitoring, the one-to-one setting of instrumental and vocal studio teaching has been described as a ‘secret garden’. The physical isolation of the music studio has deep roots within the traditions of apprenticeship and embodies aspects of conservatoire culture that are sometimes carried over into other musical styles. With a focus on higher education, this paper explores the nature and significance of isolation for the studio, alongside some of the benefits, limitations, and challenges that it offers. The authors contend that the physical disposition of the studio within the institution gives implicit support to the attitudes and assumptions that sustain traditional approaches to music performance teaching, and that making them explicit can help to open those approaches to further challenge, review and development.
Aesthetic cognitivism: Towards a concise case for doctoral research through practices in the visual arts
Authors: Riley Howard
Published: April 2018

This article addresses a question still frequently posed in the context of UK universities which offer courses in the visual arts: Does the PhD research model of contributing new knowledge fit art, where there are no definitive answers and the main strength of the research is its ability to question?, answering in the positive by distinguishing between propositional knowledge and understanding. It acknowledges the range of work already published on this topic and distils an aesthetic cognitivist position from which the visual arts are construed as powerful means of deepening our understanding, a source of non-propositional knowledge on a par with, although qualitatively different from, the way that the sciences are construed as the means to propositional knowledge. The distinguishing feature of the article is its attempt to provide a relatively concise overview of the background and structure of the case for the inclusivity of research through visual arts practices at doctoral level in the universities, based upon an aesthetic cognitivist position which I hope will support research supervisors and others charged with advocating the viability of practice-based or practice-led doctoral proposals 1 in university cross-disciplinary research degrees’ committees.
Model verification of material properties of wound composite rods in tensile loading
Authors: Novotná Martina , Kulhavý Petr
Published: April 2018

The aim of this work is to find a suitable reinforcement in terms of mutual compatibility, surface microstructure, and mechanical properties of the resulting carbon composite parts. Two types of samples in layout + 45° / 0° / ± 45° / 0° / −45° and + 45° / 0° / −45° with a total thickness of 1.8 mm, wound on a rounded polyurethane core from several carbon rovings, were experimentally tested in the area of low elastic deformation up to 1 mm. In order to obtain basic engineering constants the tensile tests of whole parts failure have been carried out. Subsequently, several material and numerical models were developed in order to describe the problem of composite tensile loading. The model was solved by two approaches, specifically a layered shell and a layered solid. Considerable differences have been found in the properties of the real (experimental) and theoretical model based on the declared properties of the individual components. Probably due to the manufacturing imperfections and the porosity in the resulting material, the values of the basic engineering constants of the laminate of the resulting laminate reach lower values. This had to be solved by adjusting the material model of the used dispersion and matrix. The real arising failures were described by using the failure criteria for several time steps of the model solution and compared to the real experiment with quite good agreement.
A People-as-Means Approach to Interpersonal Relationships
Authors: Orehek Edward , Forest Amanda L. , Barbaro Nicole
Published: April 2018

Interpersonal relationships and goal pursuit are intimately interconnected. In the present article, we present a people-as-means perspective on relationships. According to this perspective, people serve as means to goals—helping other people to reach their goals in a variety of ways, such as by contributing their time; lending their knowledge, skills, and resources; and providing emotional support and encouragement. Because people serve as means to goals, we propose that considering relationship processes in terms of the principles of goal pursuit can provide novel and important insights into the ways that people think, feel, and behave in these interpersonal contexts. We describe the principles of means-goals relations, review evidence for each principle involving people as means, and discuss implications of our approach for relationship formation, maintenance, and dissolution.
‘I didn’t have to tackle humungus people’: An ecological investigation into a dispensation policy in New Zealand Junior Rugby
Authors: Cassidy Tania
Published: April 2018

The purpose of the study was to gain insight into the perceptions, experiences and practices of stakeholders, i.e. players, coaches and parents, involved in players being dispensated to play down a grade due to their small stature at one New Zealand metropolitan rugby union club. The discussion is organized around the perceptions, experiences, and practices of the various stakeholders and provides insight into how the various stakeholders perceive and experience the dispensation process. Bronfenbrenner’s work was used to inform the design of the current study and the subsequent analysis because his ecological systems model of development is a generative and evolving conceptual framework for analysing human development throughout the life course as well as providing opportunities for development to be studied from the perspective of the person and their environment. The findings of this study provide insight for those involved in sports where playing numbers drop off round the teenage years. In addition, the findings contribute to further understanding the role emotions play in sport coaching, the ‘birthdate effect’, and ‘relative age effect’, the importance of developing connection, competence and confidence when focusing on youth development, the weight young people place on playing with friends as motivation to continue to playing sport.
Professor Krystyna Kotełko and her contribution to the study of Proteus endotoxin
Authors: Różalski Antoni W
Published: April 2018

Professor Krystyna Kotełko was working as a microbiologist at the University of Łódź (Poland). Her main object of study was the LPS (endotoxin) of opportunistic urinary pathogens from the genus Proteus. She demonstrated, for the first time, the presence of uronic acids and amino acids, as well as two heptoses (L- glycero-D- manno-heptose and D- glycero-D- manno-heptose) and hexosamines in Proteus LPS, and developed a classification scheme of the Proteus LPS into chemotypes. Prof Kotełko also initiated studies on the chemical structure of Proteus O-specific polysaccharide and investigations on the serological specificity of this part of LPS, as well its core region. She also analysed the virulence factors of these bacteria, such as haemolysin and invasiveness.
Measuring functional, interactive and critical health literacy of Chinese secondary school students: reliable, valid and feasible?
Authors: Guo Shuaijun , Davis Elise , Yu Xiaoming , Naccarella Lucio , Armstrong Rebecca , Abel Thomas , Browne Geoffrey , Shi Yanqin
Published: April 2018

Health literacy is an increasingly important topic in the global context. In mainland China, health literacy measures mainly focus on health knowledge and practices or on the functional domain for adolescents. However, little is known about interactive and critical domains. This study aimed to adopt a skills-based and three-domain (functional, interactive and critical) instrument to measure health literacy in Chinese adolescents and to examine the status and determinants of each domain. Using a systematic review, the eight-item Health Literacy Assessment Tool (HLAT-8) was selected and translated from English to Chinese (c-HLAT-8). Following the translation process, a cross-sectional study was conducted in four secondary schools in Beijing, China. A total of 650 students in Years 7–9 were recruited to complete a self-administered questionnaire that assessed socio-demographics, self-efficacy, social support, school environment, community environment and health literacy. Results showed that the c-HLAT-8 had satisfactory reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.79; intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.72) and strong validity (translation validity index (TVI) ≥0.95; χ2/ df = 3.388, p < 0.001; comparative fit index = 0.975, Tucker and Lewis’s index of fit = 0.945, normed fit index = 0.965, root mean error of approximation = 0.061; scores on the c-HLAT-8 were moderately correlated with the Health Literacy Study-Taiwan, but weakly with the Newest Vital Sign). Chinese students had an average score of 26.37 (±5.89) for the c-HLAT-8. When the determinants of each domain of health literacy were examined, social support was the strongest predictor of interactive and critical health literacy. On the contrary, self-efficacy and school environment played more dominant roles in predicting functional health literacy. The c-HLAT-8 was demonstrated to be a reliable, valid and feasible instrument for measuring functional, interactive and critical health literacy among Chinese students. The current findings indicate that increasing self-efficacy, social support and creating supportive environments are important for promoting health literacy in secondary school settings in China.
Radiotherapy and checkpoint inhibitors: a winning new combination?
Authors: Ko Eric C. , Formenti Silvia C.
Published: April 2018

Immune checkpoint blockade has recently emerged as an important therapeutic approach to the management of malignancies across multiple disease settings. Concomitantly, there has been an increasing appreciation for the role of radiotherapy in eliciting and promoting tumor-directed immune responses. In this review, we discuss the clinical evidence to date on combinations of radiotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors, both from the standpoint of safety and efficacy. We highlight important but yet-unanswered questions for this combination approach, as well as their implications for future prospective studies.
Seedling Community in a Patchy Tropical Vegetation Under the Influence of Bamboos
Authors: Rother Débora C. , Gorgens Eric , Guerin Natalia , Rodrigues Ricardo R. , Pizo Marco A.
Published: April 2018

As a group adapted to invade disturbed sites, bamboos can dominate extensive areas and, thus, alter vegetation structure and dynamics. However, the effect of bamboo expansion associated to human activity on seedling communities in tropical forests remains poorly known. We investigated the correlation of the native bamboo Guadua tagoara presence for a year on the abundance, richness, diversity, dominance, evenness, emergence, mortality, and growth of the first months of the native seedlings establishment in an Atlantic forest area, São Paulo State, Brazil. Bamboo presence favored the initial establishment of the palm Euterpe edulis seedlings but altered seedling community structure as a whole. Species richness did not differ between bamboo and nonbamboo dominated habitats, but abundance, diversity, and evenness did. Bamboo habitats showed higher seedling abundance, emergence, and mortality than in habitats without bamboos. However, diversity was lower in these habitats. Our results shed light on the role of bamboo presence in limiting early establishment of native seedlings but favoring the first months of establishment of E. edulis, the dominant species in bamboo habitats (70%). Therefore, the monitoring of more specific variables could be included (i.e., bamboo culm density, soil type, decomposition of organic matter, fauna living, or foraging in bamboos) in future studies to better understand the consequences of bamboo dominance on the recruitment and dynamics of tropical forests biodiversity in the long term.
Impact of dextrose dose on hypoglycemia development following treatment of hyperkalemia
Authors: Farina Nicholas , Anderson Christopher
Published: April 2018

Background:

Hyperkalemia is an electrolyte abnormality that may cause ventricular dysrhythmias and cardiac arrest. The presence of hyperkalemia may necessitate prompt treatment via intravenous insulin and dextrose. One notable complication of this therapy is the development of hypoglycemia. Previous trials have examined the impact of altering the insulin dose administered on hypoglycemia development; no trials to date however, have examined the impact of altering the dextrose dose.

Methods:

This was a multicenter, retrospective, matched cohort study of patients who received intravenous insulin and dextrose for reversal of hyperkalemia. Patients received either 25 g or 50 g of dextrose in addition to 10 units of insulin. Study populations were matched based on preexisting rates of acute kidney injury, end-stage renal disease, and diabetes mellitus. Blood glucose levels were measured at 60 and 240 min following treatment.

Results:

A total of 240 patients were included in the analysis. At 60 min following treatment, 15.8% of patients who received 25 g of dextrose developed hypoglycemia, as opposed to 8.3% of patients who received 50 g of dextrose ( p = 0.11). Hyperglycemia was more common in patients who received 50 g of dextrose at 60 min posttreatment; however, this difference did not persist at 240 min. Potassium reduction at 60 min did not differ between groups. In patients with a pretreatment blood glucose <110 mg/dl or without diabetes, rates of hypoglycemia were significantly lower when 50 g of dextrose was administered.

Conclusion:

In the overall patient population, use of 50 g of dextrose instead of 25 g does not reduce hypoglycemia incidence. However, it may be beneficial is select patient populations, such as patients without type 2 diabetes or patients with a baseline blood glucose <110 mg/dl. Administration of 50 g of dextrose did not appear to place patients at significant risk for hyperglycemia however and could be considered during treatment of hyperkalemia.
Stochastically modulated inter-pulse intervals to increase the efficiency of functional electrical stimulation cycling
Authors: Aksöz EA , Luder MA , Laubacher M , Riener R , Binder-Macleod SA , Hunt KJ
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Functional electrical stimulation cycling has various health benefits, but the mechanical power output and efficiency are very low compared to volitional muscle activation. Stimulation with variable frequency showed significantly higher power output values in experiments with a knee dynamometer. The aim of the present work was to compare stochastic modulation of inter-pulse interval to constant inter-pulse interval stimulation during functional electrical stimulation cycling.

Methods

Seventeen able-bodied subjects participated ( n = 17). Quadriceps and hamstring muscle groups were stimulated with two activation patterns: P1-constant frequency, P2-stochastic inter-pulse interval. Power output was measured on functional electrical stimulation ergometer.

Results

Overall, mean power output with the stochastically modulated pattern P2 was lower than with P1 (12.57 ± 3.74 W vs. 11.44 ± 3.81 W, P1 vs. P2, p = 0.022), but no significant differences during the first 30 s and the last 30 s were observed.

Conclusions

This study showed that stimulation strategies that use randomized modulation of inter-pulse intervals can negatively affect power output generation during functional electrical stimulation cycling. To minimise voluntary contractions, power measurement and assessment should be focused on the periods where only the quadriceps are stimulated.
Mental Health and the Role of Religious Context among Inmates in State and Federal Prisons: Results from a Multilevel Analysis
Authors: Drakeford Leah
Published: April 2018

Inmates confined to correctional institutions are exposed to stressors that induce psychological distress. One factor that may be important for inmate mental health is religion. Accordingly, scholars have examined the role of participation in religious activities on inmate mental health. Yet, the role of the religious concentration of prisons on inmate mental health remains unexamined, in spite of research showing that religious contexts impact adjustment to prison. Using data from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities, this paper presents a multilevel analysis of mental health and religion. The results indicated a mostly positive yet slightly inconsistent relationship between individual religious practice and mental distress. Findings regarding the religious context of prisons indicated a curvilinear relationship whereby inmates in highly religious and highly nonreligious prisons were less likely to report mental distress, while inmates in facilities more evenly mixed between religious and irreligious inmates were most likely to report distress. These findings yield insight into the operation of religion within total institutions.