bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determination of The Scattering Parameters of Fittings in Industrial Buildings for Use in Computer Based Factory Noise Prediction Models: Part 1 – Theoretical Background
Authors: Aldi H.A. , Oldham D.J.
Published: January 2017

In this the first of two companion papers, it is established that the accepted view amongst researchers is that models in which the scatterers of sound in industrial buildings are defined in terms of a mean scattering cross section and absorption coefficient are the most accurate. At the present time there exists no method of determining these parameters. From consideration of the behaviour of sound in a proportionate live room (reverberation chamber) it is shown that the scatterers with a low mean coefficient of absorption the product of mean scattering cross section and absorption coefficient is equal to one quarter of the effective area of absorption of the fitting.

The results of computer simulation employing the RAYSCAT model suggest that, although individual values of the two parameters are required as input data, it is actually the product of the two parameters which determines the sound propagation characteristics of a room containing scattering fittings. The results obtained from further simulations suggest that if the equivalent area of absorption of fittings is known, then the sound propagation characteristics of a room containing those fittings can be predicted to a high degree of accuracy by employing an estimated a value of mean absorption coefficient and a value of mean scattering cross section calculated as equal to the effective area of absorption divided by four times the estimated value of the absorption coefficient.

In the companion paper which is to follow, the validity of these hypotheses is examined by means of measurements made on acoustic scale models.
Double Perforated Honeycomb Panel as a Low Frequency Acoustic Absorber
Authors: Ng C.F. , Hao-Ming Qin
Published: January 2017

This report deals with a theoretical and experimental study of the low frequency sound absorption characteristics of perforated honeycomb sandwich panels. The derivations of formulae for absorption in terms of double perforation ratio and air gap are presented. Results show that the honeycomb absorber, with double perforated sheets, can be an effective low frequency absorber for frequencies down to 63 Hz. In addition, honeycomb panels have advantages over other low frequency absorbers in that they are light weight and strong.
Predicted and Measured Low Frequency Response of Small Rooms
Authors: Maluski Sophie , Bougdah Hocine
Published: January 2017

The sound level difference of party walls at low frequencies [25–200 Hz] has been shown to be strongly dependent on the modal characteristics of the sound fields of the separated rooms. The modal characteristics can be modelled by numerical methods and a Finite Element Method has been selected to model sound transmission between adjacent rooms separated by a party wall. The numerical eigenfrequencies were compared with the theoretical eigenfrequencies to select a mesh model for which the eigenfrequencies are processed within an acceptable error range.

As a prelude to the study of sound transmission between dwellings, the simulation of one single room, modelled with the selected mesh model, was validated by predicting the frequency response and comparing values with measured frequency response of a 1:4 scale room model. Results show promising agreement and establish the reliability of the work.
An AI Approach to Noise Prediction
Authors: Brown A.G.P. , Coenen F.P. , Shave M.J. , Knight M.W.
Published: January 2017

The goal of the work described here is to produce a computationally efficient technique, with output of data that can be easily visualised, for problems involving noise prediction.

An AI (Artificial Intelligence) approach is adopted. The particular techniques being applied as a part of the approach here involves, firstly, defining the geometry of the volume that we are interested in (the Geographical Space) and then later elements within that space such as objects and constraints. This is the aspect of the work which is particularly interesting since we use a technique which effectively linearises three dimensional space. The result is a significant reduction in computational requirements and a consequent increase in speed and efficiency of analysis. The technique used here for spatial representation is termed Tesseral Addressing.

This technique can be combined with that for performing analysis (more correctly reasoning) within the Geographical Space. The application of the combined techniques is illustrated in the form of an analysis of a potential noise pollution problem at a residential building.
Transmission of Sound through Tied Walls: An Experimental Study
Authors: Birlik Gülin
Published: January 2017

Experimental work on the prediction of sound transmission loss, TL, of brick cavity walls, plastered on both faces, is presented. First double brick walls having either 2 cm or 5 cm cavity widths were subjected to a diffuse sound field. Then tied walls were tested. In order to assess the effect of the wall ties on TL values, two types of ties, namely unit and continuous reinforcement, were investigated. The low frequency TL of the walls was observed to be highly affected by the presence of ties. High frequency TL values were not strongly influenced by the ties. When the leaves of the double brick walls having 5 cm cavity depth were tied, regardless of the type of tie used, their Sound Transmission Class was decreased by 5 points.
Pooled historical MRI data as a basis for research in multiple sclerosis - a statistical evaluation
Authors: Schach S. , Scholz M. , Wolinsky J.S. , Kappos L.
Published: January 2017

Pooled data from placebo groups of different trials can serve as historical control for ongoing or future therapeutic studies and as a reference for power calculations. In order to assess their usefulness for this purpose, we investigated the degree of heterogeneity of placebo arm data from 14 controlled studies included in the database of the Sylvia Lawry Centre for Multiple Sclerosis Research. Since different criteria for the inclusion/exclusion of patients were used in these studies, an attempt was made to adjust the distribution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures for the differences in the study populations. The analyses showed that, even after adjustment, significant differences remained. This heterogeneity does not reduce the usefulness of the database for statistical analysis of inter-relationships between variables, provided that it is explicitly taken into account as a stratification factor. However, care must be taken when trying to compare the results of a newly treated group with the patients of this pool. Heterogeneity in some MRI variables was greatly reduced when only studies from the same image analysis centre were compared. Multiple Sclerosis 2007; 13: 509-516. http://msj.sagepub.com
Predictors of response to first-line immunosuppressive therapy in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders
Authors: Kim Su-Hyun , Hyun Jae-Won , Joung AeRan , Park Eun Young , Joo Jungnam , Kim Ho Jin
Published: January 2017

Background:

Azathioprine (AZA) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) are the most commonly used first-line therapies for patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). However, some patients experience a relapse following AZA or MMF treatment.

Objectives:

To identify factors that predict a response to AZA or MMF in NMOSD.

Methods:

We retrospectively evaluated medical records from 116 patients who were initially treated with AZA or MMF for at least 6 months. Poor response was defined as ⩾2 relapses or ⩾1 severe relapse.

Results:

Among the 116 patients, 40 (34%) were classified as poor responders. Logistic regression analyses revealed that a poor response was independently associated with a pre-treatment history of a severe attack ( p < 0.001) and a younger age at disease onset ( p = 0.022). Among the 40 patients with a poor response, 29 (73%) switched to rituximab, and only 3 (10%) had a poor response to rituximab.

Conclusion:

Patients with a pre-treatment history of a severe attack and a younger age of onset exhibited an increased risk of a poor response to AZA or MMF therapy. Identifying patients who are unlikely to respond to AZA or MMF therapy may allow for treatment with more potent therapies that improve treatment outcomes.
Therapeutic expectations of patients with multiple sclerosis upon initiating interferon beta-lb: Relationship to adherence to treatment
Authors: Mohr D C , Goodkin D E , Likosk W , Gatto N , Neilley L K , Griffin C , Stiebling B
Published: January 2017

This study, conducted in three separate outpatient health care delivery settings, examined the therapeutic expectations of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) before they initiated interferon beta-lb therapy, the results of current educational procedures to correct unrealistic expectations, and the relationship between post-education expectations and discontinuing therapy. Ninety-nine consecutive patients were seen in a university based outpatient MS clinic, an academic group practice outpatient MS clinic, or a health maintenance organization outpatient neurology clinic Before the educational sessions, 57% of the patients expressed unrealistically optimistic expectations regarding reduction in attack rate and 34% expressed unrealistically optimistic expectations regarding improvement in functional status. Educational procedures significantly altered unrealistic expectations but the results were sub-optimal since 33% of the patients maintained overly optimistic expectations regarding reduction in attack rate. Post-education unrealistic expectations of improvement in functional status were significantly related to discontinuing therapy within 6 months. Three adverse effects of therapy also were related independently to adherence to treatment depression and flu-like symptoms were related to discontinuing therapy while soreness at injection site was related to continuing therapy.
Treatment of spasticity with repetitive magnetic stimulation; a double-blind placebo-controlled study
Authors: Nielsen Jorgen F , Sinkjaer Thomas , Jakobsen Johannes
Published: January 2017

The effect of repetitive magnetic stimulation on spasticity was evaluated in 38 patients with multiple sclerosis in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. One group was treated with repetitive magnetic stimulation (n=2l) and the other group with sham stimulation (n=l7). Both groups were seated twice daily for 7 consecutive days. Primary end-points of the study were changes in the patients self-score, in clinical spasticity score, and in the stretch reflex threshold. The self-score of ease of daily day activities improved by 22% (P=0.007) after treatment and by 29% (P=0.004) after sham stimulation. The clinical spasticity score improved 3.3±4.7 arbitrary unit (AU) in treated patients and 0.7±2.5 AU in sham stimulation (P-0.003). The stretch reflex threshold increased 4.3±7.5 degls in treated patients and-3.8±9.7 degls in sham stimulation (P=0.001). The data presented in this study supports the idea that repetitive magnetic stimulation has an antispastic effect in multiple sclerosis. Future studies should darify the optimal treatment regimen.
Recognizing religion: Politics, history, and the “long 19th century”
Authors: Agensky Jonathan C.
Published: January 2017

Analyses of religion and international politics routinely concern the persistence of religion as a critical element in world affairs. However, they tend to neglect the constitutive interconnections between religion and political life. Consequently, religion is treated as exceptional to mainstream politics. In response, recent works focus on the relational dimensions of religion and international politics. This article advances an “entangled history” approach that emphasizes the constitutive, relational, and historical dimensions of religion — as a practice, discursive formation, and analytical category. It argues that these public dimensions of religion share their conditions of possibility and intelligibility in a political order that crystallized over the long 19th century. The neglect of this period has enabled International Relations to treat religion with a sense of closure at odds with the realities of religious political behavior and how it is understood. Refocusing on religion’s historical entanglements recovers the concept as a means of explaining international relations by “recognizing” how it is constituted as a category of social life. Beyond questions of the religious and political, this article speaks to renewed debates about the role of history in International Relations, proposing entanglement as a productive framing for international politics more generally.
Scaffolding student–coaches’ instructional leadership toward student-centred peer interactions
Authors: Farias Cláudio , Hastie Peter Andrew , Mesquita Isabel
Published: January 2017

This study was the first in sport education to provide a yearlong, in-depth examination of the scaffolding processes used by a teacher during student participation in four consecutive seasons. Given the peer teaching format of the learning activities and curriculum ownership allocated to students, a focus was placed on the preparation of the students in the role of team coaches to conduct instruction in student-centred interactions (active engagement of teammates in problem-solving, discovery, and the construction of knowledge). Twenty-six seventh grade students participated in four consecutive seasons of sport education (basketball, handball, soccer, and volleyball). The research involved four action-research iterative cycles of planning, acting, monitoring, and reflecting. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with teams and exclusively with the student–coaches, lesson observations, and a field diary kept by the first author, who assumed the role of practitioner–researcher. Findings showed the scaffolding of the student–coaches’ instructional leadership was a non-linear process contingently adjusted in reference to aspects such as student–coaches’ progress in the mastery of instructional processes, the complexity of the domain-specific content, and the nature of the sports. As the student–coaches developed knowledge of content and instruction, they became increasingly self-assisted in the conduct of the learning activities. The ability to use simplified questioning to scaffold teammates’ prior learning experiences, to prompt teammates’ analysis and active discovery of solutions to game problems, and independent adjustment of instruction to the particular context were the key achievements. Specific training is necessary if student–coaches are to engage teammates actively in learning interactions.
The effects of telehealth use for post-acute rehabilitation patient outcomes
Authors: Hicks Stephanie A , Cimarolli Verena R
Published: January 2017

Introduction

Previous research has shown that home telehealth services can reduce hospitalisations and emergency department visits and improve clinical outcomes among older adults with chronic conditions. However, there is a lack of research on the impact of telehealth (TH) use on patient outcomes in post-acute rehabilitation settings. The current study examined the effects of TH for post-acute rehabilitation patient outcomes (i.e. discharge setting and change in functional independence) when controlling for other factors (e.g. cognitive functioning).

Methods

For this retrospective study, electronic medical records (EMRs) of 294 patients who were discharged from a post-acute rehabilitation unit at a skilled nursing facility were reviewed. Only patients with an admitting condition of a circulatory disease based on ICD-9 classification were included. Main EMR data extracted included use of TH, cognitive functioning, admission and discharge functional independence, and discharge setting (returning home vs. returning to acute care/re-hospitalisation).

Results

Results from a regression analysis showed that although TH use was unrelated to post-acute rehabilitation care transition, it was significantly related to change in functional independence. Patients who used TH during their stay had significantly more improvement in functional independence from admission to discharge when compared to those who did not use TH.

Discussion

Findings indicate that TH use during post-acute rehabilitation has the potential to improve patient physical functioning.
Telecardiology and its settings of application: An update
Authors: Molinari Giuseppe , Molinari Martina , Di Biase Matteo , Brunetti Natale D
Published: January 2017

Among the wide range of medical specialties in which telemedicine has been successfully applied, cardiology can be considered as one of the most important fields of application. Through the transmission of clinical data and the electrocardiogram, telecardiology allows access to a real-time assessment (teleconsultation) without any need to travel for both patient and cardiologist. This review discusses the impact of telecardiology in different clinical settings of application. Pre-hospital telecardiology has proved to be useful either in the clinical management of remote patients with acute coronary syndrome or in supporting the decision-making process of general practitioners. In the setting of in-hospital telecardiology, most of the applications refer to real-time echocardiography transmissions between rural small hospitals and tertiary care centres, particularly for the diagnosis or exclusion of congenital heart disease in newborns. Finally, many trials show that post-hospital telecardiology improves outcomes and reduces re-admissions or outpatient contacts in patients with heart failure, arrhythmias or implantable devices.
Thromboangiitis Obliterans (Buerger's Disease)
Authors: Aqel Mahmoud B , Olin Jeffrey W
Published: January 2017

Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) is a nonatherosclerotic segmental inflammatory obliterative disease that most commonly affects the small- and medium-sized arteries and veins in both upper and lower extremities. In the past, TAO was exclusively a disease confined to men; however, recently more women have been diagnosed with TAO. Most patients are heavy users of tobacco, and usually cigarette smokers.
The mediating role of resilience in the relationship between personality and adjustment to disease in patients with a drainage enterostomy
Authors: Temprado María Dolores , Agut Sonia , Collado Eladio
Published: January 2017

An understanding of what variables are involved in a better adjustment to chronic disease makes it possible to implement more suitable community healthcare interventions. It also allows the design of educational programmes aimed at increasing the independence of these patients, thereby enabling them to achieve a better health status. Both the personality and the resilience of the patient have been shown to play an important role in the process of adjusting to the new living conditions that result from having a chronic disease. Yet, to date, little research has been conducted in this area. This study uses structural equation modelling to explore the relationships among the personality factors, resilience and the variables of adjustment to disease (i.e. quality of life and level of self-care). The sample consists of 125 patients with a drainage enterostomy. Results show that the relationship model with the best fit is the one that considers resilience as a mediating variable in the relation between personality and disease adjustment variables. The implications of the findings and the limitations of the study are also discussed.
Punk Shamanism, revolt and break-up of traditional linkage: The waves of cultural production in post-Soviet Kazakhstan
Authors: Kudaibergenova Diana T
Published: January 2017

This article analyses new waves of cultural production in the late Soviet and post-Soviet period. It focuses on contemporary artists’ self-perception and self-positioning in the new realities of the postsocialist cultural realm and national awakening discourses. Independent contemporary artists of the post-Soviet period form new artistic movements, such as Punk Shamanism in Kazakhstan, to produce alternative truth and authentic discourses on nation and its history. This production is juxtaposed to the production of state-sponsored artists and writers. The article focuses on this struggle for defining the nation and claiming power in the discursive realm. It contributes to further conceptualization of the power of contemporary artists and non-state-sponsored cultural elites to participate in the processes of alternative and powerful discourses on nation and national imagination that become successful domestically and abroad. Through the discussion and production of Punk Shamanism – a new wave of cultural production identified with the search for lost memory and cultural codes, the article demonstrates how this cultural struggle developed in post-1991 Kazakhstan.
Managing “dis-ease”: Print media, medical images, and patent medicine advertisements in colonial Korea
Authors: Park Jin-kyung
Published: January 2017

Over the past several decades, cultural studies scholars have shown a keen interest in the symbiosis between mass media and medicine, paying substantial attention to the capacity of media to construct meanings and images of health and disease and their material effects. In this article, I attempt to extend the insights of this scholarship into the historical context of colonial Korea under the non-western imperial power of Japan in the early 20th century. I critically analyze medical images and health discourses in print media to interrogate the ways in which these images and texts were interwoven in the production of novel ideas, metaphors, and notions of health, illness, and the body in the colonial modernity of Korea under Japanese rule (1910–45). Medical illustrations, along with texts in the vernacular newspapers and their patent medicine advertisements, powerfully forged visions of “ideal” male and female bodies at the intersection of Japanese colonialism, Korean nationalism, and modernity.
Intraoperative Frozen Section for Margin Assessment in Breast Conserving Surgery
Authors: Dener C. , Inan A. , Sen M. , Demirci S.
Published: January 2017

Background and Aims:

When excisional biopsy or lumpectomy is performed without margin assessment in early breast cancer, further surgery are required if positive margins exist. We evaluated the role of the intraoperative frozen section in breast conserving surgery (BCS). Clinicopathologic factors associated with re-excision were searched.

Material and Methods:

190 tumors in 186 patients with early invasive breast cancer treated by BCS. Breast tumor was excised with 2 cm macroscopic margin, and microscopic margins examined by intraoperative frozen section.

Results:

After frozen section, 160 cases had negative margins (no re-excision), but 30 patients (16%) underwent re-excision because of close/positive margins. Negative margins were obtained in 24 patients but six patients underwent mastectomy due to persistent involved margins. Local recurrence was 2.1% and systemic recurrence was 2.6% with mean 62 months follow-up. Tumor type, tumor size, extranodal extension and extensive intraductal component were significant predictors of re-excision by multivariate analysis. Re-excision procedures haven't an impact on local recurrence.

Conclusions:

Intraoperative frozen section is an effective procedure in reducing the need of second operation. We have observed lower recurrence rates than other studies because of our 2 cm macroscopic margin width and > 2 mm microscopic negative margin which obtained by intraoperative frozen section.
Virtual Reality Laparoscopic Simulator as an Aid in Surgical Resident Education: Two Years' Experience
Authors: Kössi J. , Luostarinen M.
Published: January 2017

Background and Aims:

Virtual reality (VR) laparoscopic simulator training has been shown to augment the learning of skills needed in real laparoscopic operations. We report here our two-year experience of using a VR simulator in the training of surgical residents.

Methods:

A VR laparoscopic simulator was purchased for Päijät-Häme Central Hospital at the end of November 2005. From 1 December 2005 onwards surgical residents in our hospital were encouraged to voluntarily practise with the VR simulator. After the VR simulator had been in use for two years all the data stored in the simulator's computer memory was collected and analysed.

Results:

In this two-year period a total of 79 persons practised with the simulator. The total number of performed tasks stored in the computer was 2,090. The training activity varied greatly between residents (6–171 tasks). The performance in simulator tasks differentiated between residents and GI surgeons. The learning curve of the residents in basic tasks was steep but their performance failed to reach the level of experienced laparoscopic surgeons in most tasks.

Conclusions:

The VR simulator was well used. Practising with a VR simulator on a voluntary basis can result in inadequate training. The VR laparoscopic simulator differentiates between subjects with different laparoscopic skills and shows good construct validity.
Thromboprophylaxis following Surgery for Colorectal Cancer — Is it Worthwhile after Hospital Discharge?
Authors: Varpe P. , Huhtinen H. , Rantala A. , Grönroos J.
Published: January 2017

Background:

The efficacy of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE) after surgery for colorectal cancer is well documented, but the optimal duration of postoperative thromboprophylaxis is not known. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the occurrence of symptomatic VTE after surgery for colorectal cancer in patients in whom LMWH was continued only until hospital discharge.

Methods:

During 2003–2006 a total of 494 patients underwent abdominal surgery for colorectal cancer at our institution. Enoxaparin (Klexane® 40mg s.c.) prophylaxis was started 12 hours before surgery and continued once a day until hospital discharge. The median duration of thromboprophylaxis was 11 days. The follow-up data were collected retrospectively from electronic archives and analyzed up to three months after the operation.

Results:

Only three (0.6%) symptomatic VTEs occurred during the follow-up period. One patient presented with pulmonary embolism, while the remaining two had proximal deep-vein thrombosis. The 30-day-mortality was 1.6%. None of the deaths were obviously associated with VTE.

Conclusion:

LMWH given for a median of 11 days until hospital discharge seems to provide sufficient thromboprophylaxis after surgery for colorectal cancer combined with the use of graded compression stockings and early mobilization.
Treatment Options in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Today
Authors: Livraghi T. , Mäkisalo H. , Line P.-D.
Published: January 2017

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer related death worldwide. As over 90% of HCCs arise in cirrhotic livers preventive methods and surveillance policies have been adopted in most countries with high prevalence of hepatitis B or C infected people. Poor prognosis of HCC has shown some improvement during the last years. Targeted therapy with radiofrequency ablation (RFA), hepatic resection (HR), liver transplantation (LT), and transcatheter arterial chemoembolisation (TACE) seems to have an influence on this development. The heterogeneity of cirrhotic patients with HCC is still a big challenge. A patient with a small tumour in a cirrhotic liver may have a worse prognosis than a patient with a large tumor in a relatively preserved liver after “curative” HR. The choice of the treatment modality depends on the size and the number of tumours, the stage and the cause of cirrhosis and finally on the availability of various modalities in each centre.
Laparoscopic Liver Surgery: New Frontiers
Authors: Edwin B. , Nordin A. , Kazaryan A. M.
Published: January 2017

Laparoscopic liver resection (LHR) has shown classical advantages of minimally invasive surgery over open counterpart. In spite of introduction in early 1990's only few centres worldwide adapted LHR to routine practice. It was due to considerable technical challenges and uncertainty about oncologic outcomes.

Surgical instrumentation and accumulation of surgical experience has largely enabled to solve many technical considerations. Intraoperative navigation options have also been improved. Consequently indications have been drastically expanded nearly reaching criteria equal to open liver resection in expert centres.

Recent studies have verified oncologic integrity of LHR. However, mastering of LHR is still a quite demanding task limiting expansion of this patient friendly technique. This emphasizes the necessity of systematic training for laparoscopic liver surgery. This article reviews the state of the art of laparoscopic liver surgery lightening burning issues of research and clinical practice.
“A window into shock, pain, and attempted recovery”: A decade of blogging as a coping strategy in New Orleans
Authors: Watson Brendan R
Published: January 2017

Interviews with bloggers examine the ongoing use of blogs to cope with the persistent community stress New Orleans has experienced post-Hurricane Katrina. Previously, the field of media studies has overlooked blogs’ coping role. Cyber psychology has explored blogs’ role in individual and emotional coping, but not task-oriented efforts to ameliorate sources of community stress. Among other insights, the unique intersection of media studies and cyber psychology explored in this study illuminates the double-edged sword that is the imagined audience. While a positive source of social support, efforts to attract and maintain an audience can impose the perceived pressure to “keep face” and maintain an angry blogging persona beyond its useful cathartic value. Combining perspectives from cyber psychology and media studies, this study contributes a more multifaceted understanding of how residents may use social media to cope with individual and community stress than has been explored in previous research.
Personalization, social media, and voting: Effects of candidate self-personalization on vote intention
Authors: McGregor Shannon C
Published: January 2017

Scholars have documented growth in media coverage and popular discourse focusing on politicians’ personal lives— personalization. Candidates use social media and personalization to circumvent mainstream news media, disrupting conventional processes. This personalization arguably increases voters’ reliance on personal characteristics as voting heuristics. An online experiment exposed more than a thousand US adults to personalized or policy/campaigning tweets from a male or female US Senator running for re-election. Candidates who personalized elicited higher evaluations of social presence and parasocial interaction. For female candidates who shared a supported party with a respondent, personalization leads to feelings of perceived presence and parasocial interaction. Ultimately, the feelings of intimacy created by personalized tweets led respondents to express support for personalizing candidates, but this effect is contingent upon the gender and in-party status of the candidate.
Influence of material inhomogeneity on the mechanical response of a tempered martensite steel
Authors: Li M , Sun FW , Barrett RA , Meade E , Li DF , O’Donoghue PE , Leen SB , O’Dowd NP
Published: January 2017

Failure in steel weldments operating at high temperatures often occurs in the heat-affected zone adjacent to the weld. Such failures can be a result of material inhomogeneity within the heat-affected zone and in the case of tempered martensite steels have been linked with regions of untransformed α (ferrite) phase or over-tempered martensite within the intercritical region of the heat-affected zone. In this work, two-dimensional Voronoi tessellation is used to construct polygonal Voronoi cells to represent the microstructure of the heat-affected zone of a weld in a tempered martensite steel. The Voronoi construction is treated as a representative volume element of the material and is discretised by 8-node linear brick elements, with periodic boundary conditions. The lattice orientation at each material point is specified by three Euler angles, which are assumed to be randomly distributed, to represent the initial lack of texture in the intercritical region of the heat-affected zone. The constitutive response is represented by a nonlinear, rate-dependent, finite-strain crystal plasticity model. The results indicate that small amounts of ferrite can induce significant enhancements in stress and inelastic deformation at the interface of the ferrite and martensite grains. This localisation of stress and strain may be critical for microcrack and/or void formation and may be a contributory factor to Type IV cracking.
Thermo-mechanical stresses distribution on bone drilling: Numerical and experimental procedures
Authors: Fernandes Maria G , Fonseca Elza M , Jorge Renato N
Published: January 2017

In bone drilling, the temperature and the level of stresses at the bone tissue are function of the drilling parameters. If certain thresholds are exceeded, irreversible damages may occur on the bone tissue. One of the main challenges in the drilling process is to control the associated parameters and even more important, to avoid the surrounding tissue damage. In this study, a dynamic numerical model is developed to determine the thermo-mechanical stresses generated during the bone drilling, using the finite element method. The numerical model incorporates the geometric and dynamic characteristics involved in the drilling processes, as well the developed temperature inside the material. The numerical analysis has been validated by experimental tests using polyurethane foam materials with similar mechanical properties to the human bone. Results suggest that a drill bit with lower drill speed and higher feed rate can reduce the strains and stresses in bone during the drilling process. The proposed numerical model reflected adequately the experimental results and could be useful in determination of optimal drilling conditions that minimise the bone injuries.
Parents at their best: The ethopolitics of family bonding in France
Authors: Roux Sébastien , Vozari Anne-Sophie
Published: January 2017

In France, the concept of ‘parentality’ has become a key notion in the field of social work since the mid-1990s. This idea serves mostly as a basis for professional evaluations of parents’ ability. However, it does not only prescribe behaviors and implement norms; it has also transformed the way people consider their own family attachments, and adjust individually to new ethical definitions of selves. Based on two complementary ethnographic field studies – one looking at the administrative management of adoption and the other at medical care provision for maternal mental health – this article shows how discourses and practices about parentality serve a policy of self-reform. This article therefore questions how politics of control and regulation that are deployed in the privacy of the family sphere act on an ethical level by inviting subjects to reform themselves for their own good and for the good of others.
Social and Solidarity Economy in South American regional governance
Authors: Saguier Marcelo , Brent Zoe
Published: January 2017

The article analyzes the scaling up of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) agenda in the regional integration processes of Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and MERCOSUR. We ask how the SSE is being used in processes of regional policy cooperation and what implications this has for the construction of regional governance frameworks supportive of social development. Our argument is that the regional processes in the contexts of UNASUR and MERCOSUR adopt a narrow concept of SSE that defines it as a social policy instrument to combat poverty. This limits the transformative potential of the SSE agenda, a more expansionist interpretation of which would otherwise herald the strengthening of socio-productive practices as an alternative to extractivist development in the region.
Simultaneous improvement of exhaust emissions and fuel consumption by optimization of combustion chamber shape of a diesel engine
Authors: Kim Sang-kyu , Fukuda Daisuke , Shimo Daisuke , Kataoka Motoshi , Nishida Keiya
Published: January 2017

In order to achieve clean exhaust gas emissions and high fuel efficiency in diesel engines, a new combustion chamber concept called “egg-shaped piston bowl” was proposed and its effectiveness was validated by engine experiments using a single-cylinder research engine. Numerical simulations of combustion processes and exhaust gas emissions were carried out on different piston bowl geometries using GTT-CHEM code, which is a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics code coupled with detailed chemical kinetics. In this code, a combustion model taking account of the auto-ignition process of a non-homogeneous mixture and a detailed phenomenological soot model was incorporated. In the detailed phenomenological soot model, particle inception from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, surface growth/oxidation and particle coagulation processes were considered. In addition, to investigate the soot formation characteristics with different piston bowl geometries, experimental measurements by the two-color method were conducted with a constant-volume vessel under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions. As a result of the engine experiments and the numerical simulations, it was confirmed that simultaneous reduction in exhaust gas emissions and fuel consumption was able to be achieved by the egg-shaped piston bowl concept.
Shifting uncertainties in the pre-diagnostic trajectory of early-onset dementia
Authors: Hoppe Silke
Published: January 2017

This article argues that people with early-onset dementia and their family members experience shifts when it comes to dealing with uncertainty in the pre-diagnostic illness trajectory. The empirical data show that these shifts follow three patterns. Upon the appearance of first symptoms, people with early-onset dementia and their family members, in a collaborative effort, maintain uncertainty in order to continue living the lives they know. Following this, various explanations, all with a temporal character, are sought to explain changed behaviour. Finally, when relationships are threatened or health is perceived to be at stake, people seriously start to seek medical advice. This article is based on 41 qualitative interviews with seven people with early-onset dementia and 39 family members in the Netherlands, conducted between 2014 and 2015. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analysed identifying key topics.
Withdrawal experience and possible way-outs from withdrawal behavior in young people
Authors: Li Tim MH , Liu Lucia , Wong Paul WC
Published: January 2017

The term NEET (not in employment, education, or training) has been increasingly applied to young people in Europe not engaged in the three systems mentioned. Young people who seclude themselves at home and progress to social withdrawal can be considered a NEET subgroup—the “disengaged.” This phenomenon was first identified in Japan, where such reclusive individuals are referred to as hikikomori, but youth social withdrawal has also been reported in other countries, including South Korea and Hong Kong. Research on youth social withdrawal has mainly focused on describing and identifying contributing factors to this withdrawal behavior. Very few studies have examined the transitional processes from the initial self-seclusion to later help-seeking. Examining the mechanisms behind the engagement process for helping professionals is important to guide social work services for this unique group of young people. We conducted a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with 30 socially withdrawn young people in Hong Kong. Thematic analysis conceptualized their social withdrawal processes into three subthemes: private status, de-friending spiral, and suspension of experiences. Three reasons for changing their withdrawal behavior were also identified: rebalancing one’s ideal self with reality, reconnecting with tuned-in people, and regaining momentum in life. This study provides practical implications for social workers to develop approaches to engage withdrawn young people.
A photophone-based remote nondestructive testing approach to interfacial defect detection in fiber-reinforced polymer-bonded systems
Authors: Cheng Tin Kei , Lau Denvid
Published: January 2017

Externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer is an increasingly popular material to be used in strengthening and retrofitting aging structures. In such structures, debonding defects may occur at or near the interface between fiber-reinforced polymer and concrete. As such debonding in fiber-reinforced polymer-bonded systems is generally brittle in nature, there is a need of a reliable inspection technique that can provide early warning of interfacial defects such that premature failure of fiber-reinforced polymer-strengthened structures can be avoided. A remote nondestructive testing approach based on the working principle of a photophone is presented here as an economical alternative to laser Doppler vibrometry for detecting interfacial defects. Concrete specimens retrofitted with fiber-reinforced polymer are excited acoustically by white noise, while the surface of the structure is illuminated by a light source. If an interfacial defect exists beneath the surface, the surface will exhibit a frequency response different from an intact surface. The surface of the fiber-reinforced polymer portrays the role of flexible mirror in a photophone, which encodes information about surface vibration into amplitude-modulated light signal. A light detector then captures the irradiance of the reflected beam, and the amplitude modulation is converted into frequency domain in post-processing. With this technique, defect dimensions and thus damage extent can be inferred from the frequency spectrum obtained. The obtained results correspond well with the theoretical calculation, demonstrating the robustness and the applicability of the proposed technique in civil infrastructure.
Association of GWAS Top Genes With Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease in Colombian Population
Authors: Moreno Diana Jennifer , Ruiz Susana , Ríos Ángela , Lopera Francisco , Ostos Henry , Via Marc , Bedoya Gabriel
Published: January 2017

Objective:

The association of variants in CLU, CR1, PICALM, BIN1, ABCA7, and CD33 genes with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) was evaluated and confirmed through genome-wide association study. However, it is unknown whether these associations can be replicated in admixed populations.

Methods:

The association of 14 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in those genes was evaluated in 280 LOAD cases and 357 controls from the Colombian population.

Results:

In a multivariate analysis using age, gender, APOE∊4 status, and admixture covariates, significant associations were obtained ( P < .05) for variants in BIN1 (rs744373, odds ratio [OR]: 1.42), CLU (rs11136000, OR: 0.66), PICALM (rs541458, OR: 0.69), ABCA7 (rs3764650, OR: 1.7), and CD33 (rs3865444, OR: 1.12). Likewise, a significant interaction effect was observed between CLU and CR1 variants with APOE.

Conclusion:

This study replicated the associations previously reported in populations of European ancestry and shows that APOE variants have a regulatory role on the effect that variants in other loci have on LOAD, reflecting the importance of gene–gene interactions in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases.
Resisting Violence: The Construction of Tactics Among Thai Women Who Inject Drugs
Authors: Haritavorn Niphattra
Published: January 2017

This study examines the range of tactics used by Thai women who inject drugs in their attempts to lessen the impact of gendered structural violence. Participant observation and in-depth interviews with 35 Thai women who inject drugs were conducted. The women’s tactics to cope with structural violence included leaving home, adopting masculine traits, engaging in various forms of work, and having a drug partner. These tactics are a means of balancing gender and drug use, which are complicated by living under the threat of violence, aspects of embodied experiences that are trapped in powerful conventional roles of masculinity and femininity.
Epidural Lipomatosis and Associated Spinal Stenosis—The Impact of Weight Loss: A Case Report
Authors: Beckworth William J. , McCarty Erin J. , Garcia-Corrada Jose E. , Holbrook John F.
Published: January 2017

Lumbar stenosis is a common radiographic finding that sometimes can be symptomatic. It usually results from a degenerative process of hypertrophic facets, ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, and disc involvement. A prominence of fat in the epidural space, epidural lipomatosis, can also be a contributing factor. This case report presents a 55-year-old man with radiographic improvement of epidural lipomatosis and stenosis from dietary weight loss. Given the rising obesity epidemic, practitioners should be cognizant of epidural lipomatosis and consider weight loss as a possible treatment option.
Symptomatic Occipital-Vertebral Anastomosis
Authors: Harada J. , Kuwayama N. , Nishijima M. , Okamoto S. , Kubo M. , Endo S.
Published: January 2017

Occipital-vertebral anastomosis (O-V anastomosis) is a common collateral anastomosis between the external carotid and the vertebro-basilar system. But symptomatic O-V anastomosis is rare. We report a case with syncope and vertebrobasilar insufficiency caused by O-V anastomosis. It was thought that the vertebral steal phenomenon through this anastomotic channel caused these symptoms.
Thoracic Disc Herniation Presenting with Transient Anterior Spinal Artery Syndrome
Authors: Guest J.D. , Griesdale D.E. , Marotta T.
Published: January 2017

This report is a clinical and radiologic correlation of anterior spinal arterial distribution ischemia with a thoracic disc herniation affecting the artery of Adamkiewicz. We could only find one other similar reported case.

A 38-year-old woman developed sudden onset of severe back pain and radiculopathy, followed by rapidly evolving paraparesis. The neurological examination was consistent with a deficit caused by anterior spinal artery ischemia. MRI revealed T2 signal change in the thoracolumbar spinal cord and a laterally placed, non-calcified disc herniation. Selective spinal angiography performed 30 hours after onset revealed displacement of the left T9 radicular feeding artery by the disc herniation; at this time the artery was patent. The patient experienced some resolution of symptoms within the first 24 hours and was managed conservatively and made a significant recovery within two weeks.

Appropriately located thoracic disc herniations can disturb the blood supply to the thoracolumbar spinal cord.
Transarterial Embolisation of Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Involving an Isolated Segment of the Superior Petrosal Sinus
Authors: Alleyne C.H. , Numaguchi Z. , Wang H.Z.
Published: January 2017

This case report illustrates a relatively rare case of dural arteriovenous fistula (AVF) involving direct supply to an isolated segment of the superior petrosal sinus (SPS). Successful transarterial obliteration of the lesion was accomplished with only a liquid embolic agent with long-term angiographic and clinical cure.