bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Silicon Carbide-Coated Stents: Clinical Experience in Coronary Lesions with Increased Thrombotic Risk
Authors: Heublein Bernd , Özbek Cem , Pethig Klaus
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To report the results of a prospective, nonrandomized, multicenter study of a semiconductor-coated stent in coronary lesions at high risk for stent thrombosis.

Methods:

A balloon-expandable tantalum stent was coated with silicon carbide to enhance thromboresistance (Tensum). Patients were enrolled in an observational study that compared coronary stenting with the Tensum stent in patients at low risk for stent thrombosis against those with factors predisposing to local thrombosis (acute myocardial infarction, small vessel diameter, recanalized chronic total occlusion, saphenous vein bypass grafts, and coronary allograft vascular disease).

Results:

In 294 patients with 364 coronary lesions, 111 patients with 142 lesions were assigned to the high-risk group. Overall, 406 Tensum stents were implanted (94% procedural success) using antiplatelet medication only after the procedure. The stent thrombosis rate (2.7% overall) in the high-risk group (3.6%) was not significantly different from that of the low-risk patients (2.1%).

Conclusions:

Silicon carbide coating on coronary stents may inhibit acute/subacute stent thrombosis even in patients at high risk. Randomized trials are underway for further evaluation of this promising coated stent.
Intravascular Ultrasound in Endovascular Stent-Grafts for Peripheral Aneurysm: A Clinical Study
Authors: van Sambeek Marc RHM , Gussenhoven Elma J. , van Overhagen Hans , Honkoop Jan , van der Lugt Aad , du Bois Nico AJJ , van Urk Hero
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To evaluate the potential diagnostic information of intraprocedural intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in patients undergoing endovascular stent-grafting for peripheral aneurysm.

Methods:

IVUS was used in 17 patients preprocedurally to measure the diameter of the proximal and distal neck and the length of the aneurysm. Balloon and stent-graft sizes were selected based on these measurements. Following stent-graft deployment, angiography and IVUS were used to document stent apposition and the configuration and diameter of the stent-graft.

Results:

Stent-graft insertion was considered successful in 8 patients based on angiography and IVUS images. In 9 others, both imaging modalities showed inadequate results, necessitating 12 additional procedures: balloon angioplasty for stent-graft stenosis (2) and inadequate stent-graft apposition (1); an additional stent-graft (4); an extra stent (1); thrombectomy (2); and conversion (2) for inadequate stent-graft position and a graft rupture. In these patients, intraprocedural IVUS was superior to angiography in contributing vital information to aid in the selection of the additional interventions.

Conclusions:

During management of peripheral aneurysms with endovascular stent-grafts, IVUS monitoring was a useful adjunct when the initial procedure was unsatisfactory and/or when intraprocedural angiographic studies were inconclusive.
Diameter of Large Balloons Used in Endoluminal Graft Deployment Varies with Inflation Pressure
Authors: Chaufour Xavier , White Geoffrey H. , Yu Weiyun , May James , Stephen Michael S.
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To evaluate the characteristics of large-diameter balloon catheters used during endoluminal repair of aortic aneurysms.

Methods:

Thirty-three large balloon dilatation catheters in the diameter range of 15 to 30 mm were measured at controlled pressures from 1 to 4 atm. The balloons were inflated with water using an inflation syringe connected to a pressure transducer. Diameters at stable pressure and pressure changes against time were recorded for each balloon.

Results:

Dilation catheters in the range of 15 to 20 mm in diameter were significantly smaller (p < 0.005) than their nominal diameter at 1 and 2 atm; they reached nominal diameter only at the relatively high pressure of 4 atm. Most larger diameter balloons (25 and 30 mm) did not attain their nominal diameter even with pressures up to 4 atm. All sizes of balloon catheters tested became relatively compliant at pressures > 3 atm.

Conclusions:

The large balloon catheters tested in this study were designed for arterial angioplasty or valvuloplasty. They attained a significantly smaller size than their nominal diameter at pressures < 3 atm and became compliant at pressures exceeding 3 atm. Interventionists should be aware of these characteristics when using balloon catheters such as these during endoluminal graft deployment. Large balloons that reach predictable diameter at lower pressures should be designed specifically for use in endoluminal graft procedures.
Iliofemoral Venous Thrombosis Caused by Compression of an Internal Iliac Artery Aneurysm: A Minimally Invasive Treatment
Authors: Rosenthal David , Matsuura John H. , Jerius Hilde , Clark Michael D.
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To report the success of a minimally invasive treatment for phlegmasia cerulea dolens without gangrene caused by compression from an internal iliac artery aneurysm.

Methods and Results:

An 81-year-old male with a 1-month history of paralysis owing to a hemorrhagic stroke presented with massive edema and skin mottling of the right lower extremity. Imaging confirmed right iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis caused by compression from a 4-cm internal iliac artery aneurysm. With thrombolysis ruled out, a minimally invasive treatment plan was undertaken, featuring percutaneous coil embolization of the aneurysm and surgical venous thrombectomy with proximal arteriovenous fistula creation and iliac vein stent placement. Failure of the coils to embolize the iliac aneurysm prompted the use of an endovascular graft to exclude the aneurysm. The patient's symptoms subsided, and he has a patent right iliofemoral venous system and internal iliac artery at his latest (16-month) follow-up.

Conclusions:

This case demonstrates that minimally invasive endovascular and open techniques can be combined to achieve an optimum outcome in patients at high risk for standard surgical approaches.
Torsion and Kinking of Unsupported Aortic Endografts: Treatment by Endovascular Intervention
Authors: Boyle Jonathan R. , Thompson Matthew M. , Clode-Baker Edward G. , Green Jeremy , Bolia Amman , Fishwick Guy , Bell Peter R.F.
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To describe the management strategies used to deal with twisted aortic endografts.

Methods and Results:

Two patients with successfully excluded aortic aneurysms developed symptoms referable to previously undetected twists in their endografts (one EndoVascular Technologies [EVT] and one customized aortomonoiliac device). The limb graft occlusion in the EVT graft was treated surgically with a femorofemoral bypass, but the aortomonoiliac endograft was salvaged with percutaneous implantation of a Wallstent. During another aortomonoiliac procedure, suboptimal flow through the endograft was traced to contortion of the endograft as it passed over an angulated proximal aneurysm neck. An X-large Palmaz stent was deployed to support the graft at this point.

Conclusions:

Unsupported aortic endografts may develop twists and kinks during deployment that can lead to low outflow and graft occlusion. Endovascular techniques are available to repair these defects postoperatively, although more precise intraoperative assessment tools may identify these problems so that they can be corrected at the initial intervention.
Outpatient Endovascular Intervention: Is it Safe?
Authors: Criado Frank J. , Abdul-Khoudoud Omran , Twena Mordechai , Clark Nancy S. , Patten Peggy
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To evaluate the feasibility and safety of outpatient percutaneous endovascular intervention in the treatment of arterial occlusive disease.

Methods:

The records of 134 patients who underwent 151 outpatient endovascular procedures between 1992 and 1997 were reviewed retrospectively. According to established protocol, focal lower limb (n = 145) and subclavian (n = 6) arterial lesions requiring relatively straightforward endoluminal interventions were appropriate for outpatient management provided the patients were free of significant comorbidities. A percutaneous transfemoral approach was used for lower limb lesions, while subclavian angioplasty was performed via a brachial access. Heparin anticoagulation was administered conservatively. Patients were discharged 3 hours after sheath removal.

Results:

The majority (98%) of patients were discharged as planned. Three (2%) patients were observed overnight in the hospital for treatment of acute iliac artery thrombosis, puncture-site bleeding, and suboptimal angioplasty. No patient required hospitalization following discharge. Periprocedural morbidity Was confined to 2 (1.5%) groin hematomas and 1 (0.7%) femoral pseudoaneurysm.

Conclusions:

Outpatient endovascular intervention appears safe; however, proper case selection and technical excellence are inseparable components for the success of this strategy.
Aortoenteric Fistula Caused by a Ruptured Stent-Graft: A Case Report
Authors: Norgren Lars , Jernby Bengt , Engellau Lena
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To report a case of aortoenteric fistula secondary to endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) exclusion using the Stentor bifurcated endovascular graft.

Methods and Results:

Seventeen months after a successful endovascular AAA procedure, a male patient developed upper gastrointestinal bleeding. An aortoenteric fistula was diagnosed. At operation, the endograft fabric was found to be ruptured in an area of suture disruption between the nitinol stents. Coincidentally, a pre-existing inflammatory process might have caused adhesions between the bowel and the aortic wall, predisposing to fistula formation. The patient recovered after placement of a conventional aortic graft.

Conclusions:

Suture disruption between the internal support stents is a recognized complication in the first-generation Stentor device. Although the case described here is probably not typical of the consequences of this sequela, it does reinforce the need for continual periodic imaging to check for signs of graft disruption in Stentor endografts.
Late Aortic Arch Perforation by Graft-Anchoring Stent: Complication of Endovascular Thoracic Aneurysm Exclusion
Authors: Malina Martin , Brunkwall Jan , Ivancev Krasnodar , Lindblad Bengt , Malina Janne , Nyman Ulf , Risberg Bo
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To describe a fatal case of late aortic perforation by an endograft-anchoring stent.

Methods and Results:

A 69-year-old woman presented 2 years after thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair with a 9-cm dilatation of the descending thoracic aorta proximal to the conventional aortic graft. A 38-mm Dacron graft with multiple Gianturco Z-stents sutured inside was placed transluminally across the aortic arch such that part of the uncovered portion of the proximal stent was partially across the left subclavian orifice. Four months later, the patient died from massive hemorrhage. Autopsy showed that the uncovered portion of the proximal stent had perforated the aortic arch.

Conclusions:

This case stresses the need for low-profile stent-grafts and smaller, more flexible introducer systems. Anchoring stents must be flexible, less traumatic, and strong enough to create a watertight seal even in tortuous vessels. To avoid aortic arch damage by thoracic stent-grafts, the proximal stent should be fully covered by the fabric.
Type III and Type IV Endoleak: Toward a Complete Definition of Blood Flow in the Sac after Endoluminal AAA Repair
Authors: White Geoffrey H. , May James , Waugh Richard C. , Chaufour Xavier , Yu Weiyun
Published: March 2015

In this document the authors continue to refine their seminal categorization of endoleak, a major complication of endovascular aneurysm repair. In addition to type I (related to the graft device itself) and type II (retrograde flow from collateral branches) endoleak, they propose two new categories: endoleak due to fabric tears, graft disconnection, or disintegration would be classified type III, and flow through the graft presumed to be associated with graft wall “porosity” would be categorized as type IV endoleak.
Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Using the EVT Device: Limited Increased Utilization with Availability of a Bifurcated Graft
Authors: Sarkar Rajabrata , Moore Wesley S. , Quiñones-Baldrich William J. , Gomes Antoinette S.
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To determine if the availability of a bifurcated graft would increase the percentage of patients eligible for endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs).

Methods:

One hundred eighty-five consecutive patients were evaluated prospectively for endovascular AAA repair at a university referral center. Data were collected on eligibility for tube or bifurcated endovascular grafts, reasons for exclusion, aneurysm morphology, and the interventions performed.

Results:

Forty-six (25%) patients were eligible for endovascular treatment using the first-generation Endovascular Technologies (EVT) system: 19 (10%) for a tube graft and 27 (15%) for a bifurcated device. An unsuitable proximal neck was the reason for exclusion in 48% of patients (excess diameter in 27%, inadequate length in 21%). Unsuitable iliac configuration was present in 41% of those excluded; 29% of the common iliac arteries were enlarged or aneurysmal, while 12% were small or tortuous.

Conclusions:

Although a bifurcated graft more than doubles the eligibility of AAA patients for endovascular repair, the configuration of the proximal neck and iliac disease excluded the majority of AAA patients from endovascular therapy using the first generation EVT device.
Concurrent Multivessel Stenting in a Patient with Multifocal Arterial Disease
Authors: Vlahopoulos Panagiotis , Papageorgiou George , Balas Panagiotis , Ioannou Nikos , Masouridou Efi
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To report the concurrent endovascular treatment of multiple stenoses in different vascular territories.

Methods and Results:

A 45-year-old male presented with an aortic arch syndrome, renovascular hypertension, and Leriche syndrome. Intra-arterial digital arteriography disclosed occlusion of the left subclavian artery and stenoses in the left common carotid artery (CCA), the right CCA at the bifurcation, the left renal artery, and both iliac arteries. In a single procedure, the patient received 5 stents in 2 carotid, 1 renal, and 2 iliac arteries. At 3-month follow-up, color flow duplex imaging confirmed continued patency of all stented arteries.

Conclusions:

This case illustrates the feasibility, safety, and cost effectiveness of treating multivessel stenoses using a single-session endovascular approach executed by experienced interventionists.
Endovascular Repair of an Aortoenteric Fistula in a High-Risk Patient
Authors: Deshpande Arvind , Lovelock Mark , Mossop Peter , Denton Michael , Vidovich John , Gurry John
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To describe the endovascular repair of an aortoenteric fistula in a high-risk patient.

Methods and Results:

A Vanguard tube stent-graft was deployed at the upper anastomotic suture line of a secondary aortoenteric fistula, successfully sealing the communication between the aorta and the third part of the duodenum without occlusion of the renal arteries.

Conclusions:

Endovascular stent-graft repair of aortoenteric fistulae is possible, but further evaluation of this technique will determine its role in the management of this complication.
Acute Toxicity From Breast Cancer Radiation Using Helical Tomotherapy With a Simultaneous Integrated Boost
Authors: Wojcieszynski Andrzej P. , Olson Anna K. , Rong Yi , Kimple Randall J. , Yadav Poonam
Published: March 2015

Purpose:

To evaluate 2 simultaneous integrated boost treatment planning techniques using helical tomotherapy for breast conserving therapy with regard to acute skin toxicity and dosimetry.

Methods:

Thirty-two patients were studied. The original approach was for 16 patients and incorporated a directional block of the ipsilateral lung and breast. An additional 16 patients were planned for using a modified approach that incorporates a full block of the ipsilateral lung exclusive of 4 cm around the breast. Dose–volume histograms of targets and critical structures were evaluated. Skin toxicity monitoring was performed throughout treatment and follow-up using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events.

Results:

Treatment was well tolerated with patients receiving a median dose of 59.36 Gy. Of the 16 patients in both groups, 8 had grade 2 erythema immediately after radiation. On 3-week follow-up, 10 and 7 patients in the original and modified groups showed grade 1 erythema. On 3- and 6-month follow-up, both groups had minimal erythema, with all patients having either grade 0 or 1 symptoms. No grade 2 or 3 toxicities were reported. Mean treatment time was 7.5 and 10.4 minutes using the original and modified methods. Adequate dose coverage was achieved using both methods (V95 = 99.5% and 98%). Mean dose to the heart was 10.5 and 1.8 Gy, respectively ( P < .01). For right-sided tumors, the original and modified plans yielded a mean of 8.8 and 1.1 Gy ( P < .01) versus 11.7 and 2.4 Gy for left-sided tumors ( P < .01). The mean dose to the ipsilateral lung was also significantly lower in the modified plans (11.8 vs 5.0 Gy, P < .01).

Conclusions:

Tomotherapy is capable of delivering homogeneous treatment plans to the whole breast and lumpectomy cavity using simultaneous integrated boost treatment. Using the treatment methods described herein, extremely low doses to critical structures can be achieved without compromising acute skin toxicity.
Targets but not Victims
Authors: Mendez Julian J. , Cabrera Nolan L.
Published: March 2015

This study examines the experiences of 18 Latina/o students attending the University of Arizona in the wake of SB 1070 (anti-immigrant) and HB 2281 (anti-Mexican American Studies). Students experienced a hostile campus climate; however, many channeled their frustrations into political engagement. Findings indicate that despite anti-Latina/o legislation and a hostile campus racial climate, students do not necessarily become racial victims. Practitioners should create opportunities for students to engage in dialogue, which critically analyzes racial policies.
A Community-Level Assessment of Barriers to Preventive Health Behaviors Among Culturally Diverse Men
Authors: Davis Jenna L. , Rivers Brian M. , Rivers Desiree , Tucker Carolyn M. , Desmond Frederic F. , Arthur Tya M. , Wippold Guillermo M. , Green B. Lee
Published: March 2015

There are significant gender disparities in health outcomes and health care utilization in the United States, with men experiencing more of these disparities. It is critical to ascertain the interplay between societal conditions, health behaviors, and access to services and the impact of these factors on health outcomes and utilization of health care. The present study is part of a larger initiative titled, The Men’s Health Study: Addressing Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors, which has two purposes—to annually assess the motivators of and barriers to health-promoting behaviors among culturally diverse men attending the Men’s Health Forum (MHF) and to use this information to develop an intervention program that facilitates healthy lifestyle behaviors among men. The MHF is a community-driven initiative for medically underserved men in Tampa, Florida that offers free health screenings and wellness exhibitors in order to empower men to lead a healthy lifestyle. The purpose of this article is to identify barriers to engaging in health-smart behaviors (e.g., cancer screenings, physical activity) among culturally diverse men who participated in the MHF and to detect any demographic differences among these barriers. A total of 254 men participated in the study. Findings identify that age was the only demographic variable that had a statistically significant association with any of the cancer-screening barriers. Some cancer-screening barriers appear to exist among all demographic groups since no statistical demographic differences were discovered. Income and education were significantly associated with barriers to engaging in health-smart behaviors. This may give researchers, health educators, and providers information needed to customize interventions to promote health and preventive health care among culturally diverse men.
Bioinspired design of a ridging shovel with anti-adhesive and drag reducing
Authors: Zhang Zhijun , Jia Honglei , Sun Jiyu
Published: March 2015

Learning from the microstructure of the convex (concave) and ridging (triangle and arc-shaped) shapes of fresh lotus leaves and shark skin, bionic ridging shovels was designed with the characteristics of adhesion and resistance reduction. Ten ridging shovel models were established, and the interaction process with the soil by ANSYS is discussed. Stress analysis results showed that the bionic ridging shovel was more obvious in visbreaking and in the resistance reduction effect. An indoor soil bin experiment with the bionic ridging shovel and the prototype ridging shovel was operated as follows: the ridging resistance of the three types of ridging shovel was tested under the condition of two soil moistures (18.61% and 20.9%) and three different ridging speeds (0.68, 0.87, and 1.11 m/s). In this article, the structure, the mechanism, and their relationship to the functions are discussed. The results of this study will be useful in practical application in the field of agricultural machinery toward practical use and industrialization.
Study on stress intensity factors for crack on involute spur gear tooth
Authors: Cai Jian , Han Xinghui , Hua Lin , Deng Song
Published: March 2015

Investigating the stress intensity factors has a great importance to predict the fatigue damage for the involute spur gears. The aim of this article is to reveal the variation laws of stress intensity factors for crack on the involute spur gear tooth. For this purpose, a three-dimensional finite element model for calculating the stress intensity factors of the involute spur gear containing a surface crack is established using the finite element code ABAQUS. Based on the established three-dimensional finite element model, the influences of several parameters, such as torque, friction coefficient, crack depth, crack initial location, and crack size, on mode I, mode II, and mode III stress intensity factors are investigated numerically. The results of the study provide valuable guidelines for enhanced understanding of stress intensity factors for the crack on the involute spur gear tooth.
The effect of roll with passive segment on the planetary rolling process
Authors: Zeng Qing-Ling , Zang Yong , Qin Qin
Published: March 2015

In three-roll planetary rolling process, there is secondary torsion phenomenon that may lead to rolling instability. This article proposed a new idea to alleviate the secondary torsion phenomenon by dividing the secondary torsion segment out of the roll as an independent and passive one. To study the performance of the roll with passive segment, the three-dimensional finite element models of planetary rolling process using actual roll or new roll with passive segment involving elastic–plastic and thermal–mechanical coupling were established by the software ABAQUS/Explicit, and a series of analysis had been done successfully. The rolling temperature and rolling force of planetary mill were in good agreement with the measured results, which indicated that the finite element method would supply important reference merit for three-dimensional thermo-mechanical simulation of the three-roll planetary rolling process. Comparing the simulation results of the two models, the results indicated that the change in the roll structure had just a little influence on the metal deformation, temperature, and rolling force, but it lessened the secondary torsion deformation effectively and improved the outside roundness of the rolled tube slightly. The research provided a new idea for the roll design of three-roll planetary mill (PSW).
Dynamic design of stiffeners for a typical panel using topology optimization and finite element analysis
Authors: Zhou Yadong , Fei Qingguo
Published: March 2015

The design of stiffeners is an effective approach to enhance the stiffness of panel-type structures. However, the stiffness–mass efficiency depends largely on the spacing, orientation, and cross-section of the stiffeners. In order to improve the stiffness–mass efficiency, this article presents a combined use of topology optimization and finite element analysis to the dynamic design of stiffeners for a typical panel. Finite element models of a flat and a stiffened rectangular panel were constructed. Modal analysis was conducted on the two panels to obtain the basic dynamic properties. Topology optimization model of the stiffened panel, so-called initial structure, was built based on the variable density method. According to the loading case and the predominant mode of the system, the objective function was determined to maximize the fundamental frequency of the panel. The stiffeners were chosen as the design domain. Optimal material density distributions of the stiffeners were obtained at different mass fraction. The finite element model of the optimal stiffened panel was built to reanalyze the dynamic properties and responses. An increase in the relative rate of change in the fundamental frequency versus mass was observed between before and after the optimization.
A study of novel regenerative braking system based on supercapacitor for electric vehicle driven by in-wheel motors
Authors: Jin Li-qiang , Zheng Ying , Li Jian-hua , Liu Yu-long
Published: March 2015

Taking supercapacitor and battery pack as the energy storage unit, a novel type of regenerative braking system for electric vehicle driven by in-wheel motors is presented, and a braking energy regeneration control strategy is set up. Then, a co-simulation test based on CRUISE and Simulink is conducted. The results of simulation show that the novel type of system can ensure the safety of battery pack and significantly improve the rate of energy regeneration.
Experimental and numerical investigation of heat transfer, temperature distribution, and louver efficiency on the dimpled louvers fin banks
Authors: Sangtarash Farhad , Shokuhmand Hossein
Published: March 2015

Numerical models have been developed by commercial package Fluent 6.3 to simulate the air flow through single dimple, simple, and dimpled louvers in low and medium Reynolds numbers. Experiments have also been conducted to measure the temperature and heat transfer in these geometries. Heat transfer augmentation of 8% has been observed by implying dimples on louver at the same mass flow rate. For accurate investigation of the effect of dimple, a single dimpled surface has been modeled numerically and experimentally. The simulation revealed that these heat transfer and temperature augmentations occur due to existence of a circulation region created by dimple. Additionally, the effects of louver’s thermal resistance on temperature distribution over the louver surface have been considered to gain the actual contours. Continuous temperature gradients have been observed over the louver surface with the highest temperature at the base of the louver and the lowest temperature at the middle of the louver. Louver efficiency has been introduced to assess the dimpled louver performance for low and medium Reynolds numbers. It has been observed that dimpled geometry has satisfactory louver efficiency. Good agreement has been observed between experimental and numerical models.
Research on rigid–flexible coupling dynamic characteristics of boom system in concrete pump truck
Authors: Tang Hongbin , Ren Wu
Published: March 2015

Concrete pump truck plays an important role in infrastructure construction and national economic development. In recent years, its boom system becomes longer, and its dynamic and control become more complicated. In order to study the dynamic characteristics of boom system, three dynamic models such as multi-rigid-body model, rigid–flexible coupling model, and rigid–flexible coupling model with equivalent hydraulic cylinder were built in this work. Simulation analysis and experimental analysis were done, and they show that we should not only consider the large-range motion but also consider the small flexible deformation to study the dynamic characteristics of boom system precisely. It provides the theoretical basis to vibration control, trajectory prediction, and life assessment for boom system and such structures.
Parameters matching requirements for diesel free piston linear alternator start-up
Authors: Li Yan-xiao , Zuo Zheng-xing , Feng Hui-hua , Jia Bo-ru
Published: March 2015

It is important to identify the relationship between the starting requirements and the structure parameters of the diesel free piston linear alternator on the structural design stage. In this article, the forces applied on the moving part during the starting process are analyzed, and an oscillation model is established. The numerical simulation results of the oscillation model are presented, and the energy-transfer mechanism is analyzed. Then, the oscillation model is simplified by utilizing the energy balance theory. Expressions of the achieved starting frequency and required starting force are derived and the effects of different design variables on them are investigated. The results show that the achieved compression ratio is determined by the energy balance between the friction consumption and the energy supplied by the starting force. The starting frequency achieved and starting force required are associated with the cylinder bore, the moving mass, and effective stroke of the engine, which can be applied to the matching design and optimization of the prototype.
Influence predictions of geometric parameters on face gear strength
Authors: Li Zhengminqing , Wu Hao , Zhu Rupeng
Published: March 2015

Strength research is always one of the study focuses of face gear drives. However, a strength calculation solution, in which bending stresses, contact stresses, and bulk temperatures are included, combined with gear design standards for face gear drives, is still not constructed due to complex face gear teeth. Thus, in this study, an equivalent face gear tooth is proposed by assessment of geometric characteristics of face gear teeth and tooth contact analysis, and a strength calculation solution of face gear drives, which is based on ISO 6336 standard associated with the proposed equivalent face gear teeth, is constructed. The fidelity of the proposed strength calculation solution of face gear drives is verified by comparing its results with the benchmark of results by finite element methods. Furthermore, the impact of geometric parameters on the strength of face gear drives is investigated, and some design suggestions are extracted. These contributions would benefit the improvement of engineering applications of face gear drives.
Investigation of machining stability in micro milling considering the parameter uncertainty
Authors: Cao Ziyang , Li Hua
Published: March 2015

Micro milling can fabricate miniaturized components using micro end mill at high rotational speeds. A major obstacle that limits the productivity in machining operations is the presence of machine tool chatter. The analysis of machining stability in micro milling plays an important role in characterizing the cutting process, in estimating the tool life and optimizing the process. But the majority of the traditional models used to predict chatter stability assume that parameters remain unchanged. In reality, the parameters affecting the machining stability vary with the high spindle speed and dynamic characteristic of the milling system. A numerical analysis and experimental method is present to investigate the machining stability in micro end milling process considering the parameter uncertainty. A robust chatter stability model based on the analytical chatter stability milling model is developed, and the edge theorem and the zero exclusion condition are used. The method is verified experimentally for micro milling operations while considering a changing cutting coefficient and natural frequency.
Vibration reduction in electric bus during acceleration and gear shifting
Authors: Chen Jia-Shiun
Published: March 2015

Electric vehicles have replaced many gasoline vehicles in urban environments. The magnitude of vibrations and emissions from electric vehicles are less than those from conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. However, electric vehicles still have mechanical vibrations, such as those created by the power system. During vehicle acceleration, driveline vibration is very prominent. This work focuses on vehicle vibration caused by the electric powertrain in electric vehicles under rapid acceleration/deceleration and gear shifting. Since the dynamic response of an electric motor is rapid, driving torsional vibration arising from acceleration/deceleration and gear shifting is typically transmitted from driveline to vehicle’s body, adversely affecting a driver’s comfort. This work presents a novel effective control logic that reduces vibrations from an electric driveline system. This system controls the electric motor to suppress driveline torsional vibration transmitted to the driver’s seat, effectively reducing vertical vibrations and enhancing driver comfort. This work conducts simulations and hardware tests. In the development of the driveline and motor control logic, Adaptive Modeling Environment for Simulation analytical software is applied to create the driveline system model. To model structural vibrations, HyperMesh is used, and LS DYNA is applied to simulate free vibration and forced vibration. The analytical results for free vibration are compared with empirical data. The analytical results for driveline dynamics are applied as input for the finite element model to analyze forced vibration. Vibrations from the electric driveline move through the motor mount and frame to the driver’s seat track. The simulation results demonstrate this control logic strategy applied to an electric bus motor controller effectively reduces fluctuation in driveline torque during acceleration by up to 84.19% and during gear shifting by up to 44.96%. The reduction in vibration of the driver’s seat track during fixed-gear acceleration was maximal at 45.96%, and the reduction during gear shifting was 24.11%.
Integration and reintegration: Comparing pathways to citizenship through asylum and criminal justice
Authors: Kirkwood Steve , McNeill Fergus
Published: March 2015

The development of scholarship related to particular categories of people who are subject to different forms of social control often results in subfields that become or remain isolated from each other. As an example, theory and research relating to the reintegration of ex-offenders and the integration of asylum seekers have developed almost completely independently. However, both processes involve people who are marginalized and stigmatized through legal and social processes, and policies and practices in the two fields share somewhat similar concepts and goals. This article therefore seeks to identify insights through a critical comparison of these two areas of research, theory and practice, with the intention of enriching our understanding of both. This comparison highlights that the frameworks reviewed here enable us to move beyond a narrow focus on service user’s behaviours, needs or risks, and into an examination of questions of identity, belonging and justice.
Judicial power in Russian print media: Strategies of representation
Authors: Dubrovskaya Tatiana , Dankova Natalia , Gulyaykina Svetlana
Published: March 2015

This study examines discursive representations of judicial power in Russian print media. The data are drawn from governmental and oppositional newspapers and cover a six-month period during 2013. Using an approach that is informed by Critical Discourse Analysis and a pragma-dialectical perspective on argumentation, the authors distinguish strategies and specific linguistic means as well as argumentation fallacies that journalists employ in the articles to construct the representation which is consistent with a newspaper’s ideology.
How Often Does Currently Felt Emotion Predict Social Behavior and Judgment? A Meta-Analytic Test of Two Theories
Authors: DeWall C. Nathan , Baumeister Roy F. , Chester David S. , Bushman Brad J.
Published: March 2015

Emotions play a prominent role in social life, yet the direct impact of emotions on behavior and judgment remains a point of disagreement. The current investigation used meta-analysis to test two theoretical perspectives. The emotion-as-direct-causation perspective asserts that current emotions guide behavior and judgment, whereas the emotion-as-feedback perspective asserts that anticipated emotions guide behavior and judgment. Although the emotion-as-direct-causation perspective was frequently tested, only 22% of tests were significant. Although the emotion-as-feedback perspective was rarely tested, 87% of tests were significant. Our findings suggest that empirical evidence is weak for the default assumption that emotion is the proximal cause of behavior and judgment. Our preliminary findings also suggest that anticipated emotion reliably impacts social behavior and judgment.
Management of inferior vena cava tumor thrombus in locally advanced renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Psutka Sarah P. , Leibovich Bradley C.
Published: March 2015

The diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma is accompanied by intravascular tumor thrombus in up to 10% of cases, of which nearly one-third of patients also have concurrent metastatic disease. Surgical resection in the form of radical nephrectomy and caval thrombectomy represents the only option to obtain local control of the disease and is associated with durable oncologic control in approximately half of these patients. The objective of this clinical review is to outline the preoperative evaluation for, and operative management of patients with locally advanced renal cell carcinoma with venous tumor thrombi involving the inferior vena cava. Cornerstones of the management of these complex patients include obtaining high-quality imaging to characterize the renal mass and tumor thrombus preoperatively, with further intraoperative real-time evaluation using transesophageal echocardiography, careful surgical planning, and a multidisciplinary approach. Operative management of patients with high-level caval thrombi should be undertaken in high-volume centers by surgical teams with capacity for bypass and invasive intraoperative monitoring. In patients with metastatic disease at presentation, cytoreductive nephrectomy and tumor thrombectomy may be safely performed with simultaneous metastasectomy if possible. In the absence of level one evidence, neoadjuvant targeted therapy should continue to be viewed as experimental and should be employed under the auspices of a clinical trial. However, in patients with significant risk factors for postoperative complications and mortality, and especially in those with metastatic disease, consultation with medical oncology and frontline targeted therapy may be considered.
Unearned Preferential Treatment
Authors: Zhang Lu , Hanks Lydia
Published: March 2015

Although upgrading an airline seat or a hotel room may seem like a simple way to delight a customer, it can sometimes have unintended consequences. Satisfaction with an unexpected upgrade could be lessened if others did not also receive it, particularly if those others were friends of the upgraded customer. Using a between-subjects design with a scenario and survey, we found that power moderated the effect of relationship status on individuals’ satisfaction and behavioral intentions, such as repurchase and recommendation, when receiving unearned preferential treatment. Participants in the powerless condition exhibited lower satisfaction and behavioral intention when they were with friends who did not receive an upgrade, as compared with when they were with strangers. However, such a difference was not observed among participants in the powerful conditions. Managerial implications and ideas for future research are discussed.
Hearts and minds
Authors: Chattopadhyay Prithviraj , George Elizabeth , Ng Carmen Kaman
Published: March 2015

We develop a theoretical framework to explain why individuals respond differently to dissimilarity from their coworkers. We draw on regulatory focus theory to explore how chronic regulatory motivations cause individuals to view dissimilarity in terms of potential gains or losses. We use this argument to explain the mixed findings in previous research. We also use regulatory focus theory to predict individuals’ cognitive and affective responses to dissimilarity, and consequently to outcomes like relationships with coworkers, altruism, conflict in workgroups, and withdrawal from the workgroup. Finally we use regulatory focus theory to explore how situational features like the diversity climate of the organization and whether the focal individual is a token in the workgroup shape their responses to dissimilarity by triggering different regulatory motivations. Taken together our motivational model of relational demography provides an overarching framework for understanding how attributes of the individual and the situation predict how they will respond.
Understaffing
Authors: Hudson Cristina K. , Shen Winny
Published: March 2015

Workers often identify understaffing as a major stressor in their work lives. Despite this, relatively little conceptual and empirical work on understaffing exists. This paper describes a new, multidimensional conceptualization of understaffing, specifying that there are three dimensions underlying the understaffing domain: severity of (under)staffing, type of resource shortage, and length of exposure. Drawing upon theory and research on workplace demands and self-regulation, we further argue that different types of understaffing are differentially related to workplace outcomes. After specifying what understaffing is, we then compare and contrast understaffing with conceptually similar or related constructs in the industrial-organizational/organizational behavior (IO/OB) literature to assist in explaining what understaffing is not. Finally, we address practical issues in the study and measurement of understaffing. Implications for future research and theory are discussed.
The Decline of Military Adventurism in the Conservative Big Tent
Authors: Wagner Richard
Published: March 2015

It is now clear that the American conservative movement can no longer be easily categorized as “hawkish” on foreign policy. This essay examines the different perspectives, ranging from intellectuals and experts to grassroots conservatives and popular political culture, to grasp the widening range of foreign policy preferences that currently make up the conservative movement (or conservative big tent). Second, this essay considers the challenges that these hawks, mainly the neoconservatives, are likely to face due to the realities of generational politics. This essay will therefore provide a useful analysis of the different foreign policy preferences in the American conservative movement in the 21st century.
On the Sidelines
Authors: Falzone Joseph S.
Published: March 2015

For more than a century, labor force participation rates of men have been falling, representing one of the most significant trends in the labor market. The concomitant rise in non-participation of prime age men has been attributed to both cyclical and structural factors. Over the past two decades, participation rates of prime age men have fallen by almost 5%, representing both a problem and a paradox. The author describes changes in men’s labor force participation, focusing on human capital and demographic variables, and then estimates non-participation of prime age men over selected years. A model of labor/leisure choice and estimation of non-participation over selected years is presented using a probit model.
Brief Report
Authors: Schofield Timothy P. , Deckman Timothy , Garris Christopher P. , DeWall C. Nathan , Denson Thomas F.
Published: March 2015

When predominantly White participants in Western countries are asked to shoot individuals in a computer game who may carry weapons, they show a greater bias to shoot at outgroup members and people stereotyped as dangerous. The goal was to determine the extent to which shooter biases in the Middle East would vary as a function of target ethnicity and culturally appropriate or inappropriate headgear. Within a sample of 37 male Saudi Arabian residents, we examined shooter biases outside of Western nations for the first time. Targets in this task were either White or Middle Eastern in appearance, and wore either American style baseball caps or a Saudi Arabian style shemagh and igal. Our results replicated the bias to shoot racial outgroup members observed in Western samples; we found a bias to shoot White over Middle Eastern targets. Unexpectedly, we also found a bias for Saudi participants to shoot at people wearing culturally appropriate traditional Saudi headgear over Western style baseball caps. To explain this latter finding, we cautiously speculate that relative perceptions of dangerousness in the Middle East may be influenced by media exposure and changing social conditions in the region.
Cocaine
Authors: Hirachan Padam , Agarwal Ravindra , Wagner Brent
Published: March 2015

Cocaine abuse is commonly associated with myocardial ischemia, mesenteric ischemia, and cerebrovascular accidents. Renal infarction is an uncommon complication of cocaine abuse. Various mechanisms have been postulated for this cocaine-related injury. There are only 15 cases reported on cocaine-induced renal infarction. Among the cases with available data, very few cases had left kidney involvement. We report a case of a 65-year-old African American man with history of cocaine abuse who presented with left flank pain and had left renal infarction.
Middle Range Theory of Traumatic Childbirth
Authors: Beck Cheryl Tatano
Published: March 2015

A middle range theory of traumatic childbirth was developed using Morse’s method of theoretical coalescence. The scope of this qualitative theory was increased by formalizing the connections between 14 individual studies all conducted by the same researcher on the same topic, with different groups, using different research designs and different types of analyses. Axioms were derived from this research program along with attributes of traumatic childbirth, posttraumatic stress, and secondary traumatic stress. This middle range theory addresses the long-term chronic consequences of a traumatic birth for mothers including its impact on breastfeeding, subsequent childbirth, and the anniversary of birth trauma. The impact on fathers and clinicians present at the traumatic birth is highlighted as secondary traumatic stress comes into play. Troubling glimpses of difficulties in mother–infant bonding are revealed.
How I treat hyperleukocytosis in acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Röllig Christoph , Ehninger Gerhard
Published: March 2015

Hyperleukocytosis (HL) per se is a laboratory abnormality, commonly defined by a white blood cell count >100 000/µL, caused by leukemic cell proliferation. Not the high blood count itself, but complications such as leukostasis, tumor lysis syndrome, and disseminated intravascular coagulation put the patient at risk and require therapeutic intervention. The risk of complications is higher in acute than in chronic leukemias, and particularly leukostasis occurs more often in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) for several reasons. Only a small proportion of AML patients present with HL, but these patients have a particularly dismal prognosis because of (1) a higher risk of early death resulting from HL complications; and (2) a higher probability of relapse and death in the long run. Whereas initial high blood counts and high lactate dehydrogenase as an indicator for high proliferation are part of prognostic scores guiding risk-adapted consolidation strategies, HL at initial diagnosis must be considered a hematologic emergency and requires rapid action of the admitting physician in order to prevent early death.