bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct-Service Providers and Burnout
Authors: Streepy Joan
Published: May 2018

A study designed to investigate the incidence of worker burnout examined worker, client, job, and agency characteristics in twelve family service agencies. Emphasis was placed on identifying factors associated with burnout so that steps can be devised to work toward its prevention or elimination.
Adopting the Abused Child: Love is Not Enough
Authors: Braden Josephine A.
Published: May 2018

The contrasts in the expectations of the adoptive parents and the abused child must be understood before placement is discussed. Important assets and liabilities in the functioning of adoptive applicants are described. The diagnostic work-up prior to placement, the placement process, and postplacement are addressed.
The Role of Discretion in the Legal and Social Service Systems
Authors: Gaskins Richard
Published: May 2018

New legislation regulating social services is based on judicial models of fairness and due process. These models are, however, inadequate because they are founded on a misleading analogy between discretion in the judicial system—where cure may be procedural—and the more complex discretion found in social work.
Assessing Practice: A Critical Look at the Single-Case Design
Authors: Ruckdeschel Roy A. , Farris Buford E.
Published: May 2018

The single-case analysis design has been advocated as the model most appropriate for evaluation of clinical practice. However, the assumptions underlying this case design are scientifically simplistic, and tend to restrict intervention. A qualitative case-analysis model is presented here as an alternative approach.
A Model for Working with the Elderly in Institutions
Authors: Cook Alicia S.
Published: May 2018

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of human needs provides a useful operating framework for professionals working with residents of long-term care institutions. The difficulties and obstacles that the elderly often encounter in these facilities are addressed and discussed for each level of the theoretical model.
Crisis Consultation: Preventive Implications
Authors: Webb Nancy Boyd
Published: May 2018

The close relationship between crisis intervention and prevention is examined in the context of social work consultation with preschool and senior citizen centers. The location of service in community settings provides opportunities to reach “nonclient” populations facing either anticipated or unanticipated crises.
Use of Work in the Assessment and Intervention Process
Authors: Vigilante Florence Wexler
Published: May 2018

The client in the work setting must cope with multiple demands which can and usually do affect his or her total functioning. The work experience of the client may be an important dynamic in the intervention process. Differential means of coping with work can be useful in helping the client to adapt to other parts of his or her life.
Protective Services Reanalyzed: Does Casework Help or Harm?
Authors: Dunkle Ruth E. , Poulshock S. Walter , Silverstone Barbara , Deimling Gary T.
Published: May 2018

The Blenkner research was interpreted to mean that casework had a negative effect on the elderly. Recent analysis of original data shows that these findings were not justified. The research did, however, generate important hypotheses that remain to be tested through a strong alliance between research and practice.
Sex Counseling with Groups in a General Hospital
Authors: Macaluso Ellen , Berkman Anne H.
Published: May 2018

Meeting a need not served by many hospitals, a sex counselor and a social worker developed a small group program to help patients deal with a health-related sexual problem. Its effectiveness indicates that it can serve as a model for a cost-effective, hospital-wide sex counseling program.
The Problem of Resistance in Nursing Home Consultation
Authors: Gutheil Irene A.
Published: May 2018

A nontraditional approach to social work consultation in a nursing home may pose a threat to established roles and routines. Resistance to such consultations is examined in terms of one home's hidden dynamics. A way in which a consultant can work within the system is proposed.
The Changing Adult: An Integrated Approach
Authors: Erickson V. Lois , Martin Joshua
Published: May 2018

Although phase theory and structural theory both contribute to understanding adult development, each theory presents only a limited picture of the complexity of the changing adult. This article proposes an integration of the theories as an improved guide for practice.
Support Networks for Adolescent Mothers
Authors: De Anda Diane , Becerra Rosina M.
Published: May 2018

A comparative study of Hispanic and white adolescent mothers in California indicates that the persons most supportive of them were their mothers and their husbands or boy friends. It also shows differences in support networks of Hispanic mothers who speak English and those who speak Spanish.
Ethical Assessment
Authors: Lewis Harold
Published: May 2018

This article develops guidelines to assist social workers in making ethical assessments in practice. It provides an understanding of the necessary background information to guide such assessments and proposes a procedure to help in making choices in ambiguous situations.
Applying Social Epidemiology to Child Abuse
Authors: McClelland Robert W. , Battle Stanley F.
Published: May 2018

By the time clients are treated by social workers, their problems are often well-advanced. Prevention can be as crucial in social work as it is in public health. An epidemiological model—using child abuse as its example—demonstrates how intervention might shift from amelioration to prevention.
Religion and the Rural Population: Implications for Social Work
Authors: Meystedt Diana M.
Published: May 2018

Religion plays a particularly significant part in the lives of many rural people, but the importance of this characteristic in social work has not been adequately explored. Workers need to know that religion offers useful resources for service and an important avenue for understanding and treating clients.
Procedure for Court Consultations on Child Custody Issues
Authors: Hoorwitz Aaron N. , Burchardt Carol J.
Published: May 2018

Mental health consultants need consistent, objective procedures for arriving at custody recommendations requested by a court. A procedure is presented which examines a set of variables relevant to custody issues and demonstrates how to employ them according to specific rules.
Who Responds to Follow-up Studies?
Authors: Sirles Elizabeth A.
Published: May 2018

Agencies frequently mail a follow-up questionnaire to clients who have received service. But some kinds of clients are more likely to respond than others. A study examining the factors that influence response reveals that the results of such follow-up are likely to be biased.
Josephine Brown's Classic Book Still Guides Rural Social Work
Authors: Davenport Joseph , Davenport Judith A.
Published: May 2018

Her The Rural Community and Social Case Work, published more than fifty years ago, is little known today. Yet in perceptiveness, practicality, and breadth of view, it continues to be highly relevant. Rural social work owes a lasting debt to a woman too quickly forgotten.
Pet Therapy with Terminal Cancer Patients
Authors: Muschel Irene Jeanette
Published: May 2018

A pilot study, conducted to learn the possible benefits of animal visits for terminal cancer patients in a nursing home, revealed in addition the personality traits which enabled some patients to gain a sense of greater well-being from the contact with animals.
Time-Limited, Goal-Focused Parent Aide Service
Authors: Miller Katharine , Fein Edith , Howe George W. , Gaudio Christine P. , Bishop Gerrie V.
Published: May 2018

The use of parent aides in cases of child abuse and neglect is recognized as efficient management. That efficiency may be improved through a program that emphasizes short-term treatment directed toward specific goals. Staff coordination is essential.
Empirically Based Treatment for Parent-Adolescent Conflict
Authors: Hall James A.
Published: May 2018

Conflict between parents and adolescents is a common problem faced by social workers. Various treatment approaches for such conflict are examined and an empirically based practice model is proposed. Issues for the evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment are discussed.
The Cult Clinic Helps Families in Crisis
Authors: Addis Marsha , Schulman-Miller Judith , Lightman Meyer
Published: May 2018

Families losing children to cults experience severe stress that traditional therapeutic approaches do not address. The Cult Clinic offers counseling and educational services to these families, and has developed techniques to treat related family dysfunctions.
Enhancing the Social Supports of Teenage Mothers
Authors: Barth Richard P. , Schinke Steven Paul
Published: May 2018

Although social supports provide numerous advantages for teenage parents and their children, many young mothers lack the skills and knowledge to use them. The group training program described here assists adolescent mothers in learning to build, use, and maintain networks of social supports.
Helping Children Express Grief through Symbolic Communication
Authors: Segal Robert M.
Published: May 2018

Communication barriers erected by grieving children delay problem resolution. Use of the expressive arts—music, art, and body movement—in symbolic communication helps them to express overwhelming feelings and cope with trauma and stress.
American Indian Values: Critical Factor in Casework
Authors: DuBray Wynne Hanson
Published: May 2018

Recent studies have revealed differences between American Indian and Anglo-American values. Four categories of value orientation—activity, relational, time, and man/nature—were tested at the empirical level with results that have implications for social work education and services.
Mother-Child Interaction Group: Model for Joint Treatment
Authors: Phillips Norma Kolko
Published: May 2018

The health-oriented group described here provides joint treatment of mothers and high-risk infants and toddlers by meeting with them in an environment that provides opportunities for firsthand observations of interactions and on-the-spot supportive interventions.
A Survey of Attitudes about Family Life Education
Authors: Barozzi Ronald L. , Engel John W.
Published: May 2018

A group of family service agencies was surveyed to ascertain characteristics of FLE programs and measure attitudes toward FLE among board and staff members. This article identifies relationships between the two sets of variables and discusses them in terms of the future of FLE programming.
Psychodynamic Group Therapy with Older Women
Authors: Shulman Susan C.
Published: May 2018

Although therapy groups are often assumed to be unsuitable for older patients, this article reports the effectiveness of one such group. The clinician was able to enhance the members' coping skills, their acceptance of good and bad, and their ability to share within the group.
Bulimia: An Expanded Definition
Authors: Saunders Ronna
Published: May 2018

Bulimia, a progressive, potentially fatal disorder involving a basic life process, eating, resists conventional treatment. An approach to reestablish personal control over eating, which utilizes behavioral techniques with social workers as primary care providers, makes bulimia treatable, if not curable.
Stress in Social Workers: The Impact of Setting and Role
Authors: Sze William C. , Ivker Barry
Published: May 2018

A study of the impact of work setting and role on stress and strain in social workers showed that approximately 60 percent of respondents had experienced increased stress in the last two years. Levels of stress, measured by increases in stress-related symptoms, seemed to be associated with both work setting and work role.
The Microcomputer Millennium: Transforming the Small Social Agency
Authors: MacFadden Robert James
Published: May 2018

Microcomputers can provide sophisticated data base management and decision-support systems, budget calculations, word processing, and telecommunication networks. Agencies that develop expertise in microcomputer technology will make a larger contribution to the communities they serve.
The Family Therapy Chronogram: An Aid to Supervision
Authors: Cohen Ben-Zion , Shlomy Orly
Published: May 2018

Complex family therapy sessions have given rise to a need for structured and innovative supervisory techniques. One, the family therapy interaction chronogram, provides a framework for workers to organize and analyze the interactional data of therapy sessions under the direction of a supervisor.
Counseling Bereaved Children: Stages in the Process
Authors: Warmbrωd Mary Elizabeth Taylor
Published: May 2018

The three stages of grief counseling suggest guidelines about what to expect and what the counselor can do to assist the bereaved child and parent. The first stage focuses on the time of death, the second explores memories of the deceased, and the third considers present arrangements and future plans.
Licensure: Help or Hindrance to Women Social Workers
Authors: Iversen Roberta Rehner
Published: May 2018

It is generally believed that licensure benefits the social work profession. In this article, the author argues that licensure both positively and negatively affects the employment of women in the social work profession and that the issue of licensure should be closely studied.
Empowerment: A Social Work Approach for Asian Immigrants
Authors: Hirayama Hisashi , Cetingok Muammer
Published: May 2018

Asian immigrants and refugees are often powerless in American society. Thus client empowerment should be a major goal in working with this population group. Workers should help these clients adapt to their environment without abandoning their ethnic heritage, values, and beliefs.
Effectiveness of Rural Natural Helpers
Authors: Patterson Shirley L. , Germain Carel B. , Brennan Eileen M. , Memmott Jay
Published: May 2018

The authors studied the perceived effectiveness of 200 natural helpers in two geographic regions of the United States. Results indicated that helper effectiveness was associated with helper gender, age, relationships, problem type, and helping style. Clinicians and helpers agreed that the help was effective.
Involving Grandparents in Family Therapy
Authors: Ingersoll-Dayton Berit , Arndt Bonnie , Stevens Dixie
Published: May 2018

The authors describe intergenerational approaches to family treatment. The theories of five intergenerational practitioners are briefly discussed. Findings from a research project that examined the relative effectiveness of two different intergenerational approaches are provided.
Women and AIDS: Countertransference Issues
Authors: Macks Judy
Published: May 2018

Countertransference responses among health care providers pose a great challenge for social workers who provide services to people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–related concerns. Countertransference reactions in professionals who work with women with HIV are discussed.
Children and AIDS
Authors: Lewert George
Published: May 2018

Children with AIDS are a small but growing population who present unique policy and practice challenges. Social workers must develop an understanding of the needs of this population and their families. Social supports must be created and worker skills must be developed.
AIDS and the Inner City: Critical Issues
Authors: Honey Ellen
Published: May 2018

AIDS affects people of every race and economic group. The author discusses the psychosocial impact of AIDS on the predominantly poor, ethnic minority populations of the inner city in an effort to dispel misconceptions about the sociological issues these individuals face.
AIDS-Dementia Complex: Implications for Practice
Authors: Buckingham Stephan L. , Van Gorp Wilfred G.
Published: May 2018

AIDS and the dementia associated with it have created new challenges for social workers. The authors identify unique issues around the AIDS-dementia complex. Implications for social work practice are discussed, and recommendations for assisting the growing population with this complex are made.
Inpatient Care of Persons with AIDS
Authors: Napoleone Sandra
Published: May 2018

The author discusses inpatient care of persons with AIDS based on her experience at Davies Medical Center, San Francisco. Issues and concerns of patients and families are discussed, and the role of the social worker is described, especially with regard to first hospitalization.
Teaching Family Therapy
Authors: Zilversmit Charlotte
Published: May 2018

Family agencies are faced with the task of teaching new workers to use a family model. The author presents a model for training in which aspects of the training group's process are used as a training tool that parallels the family treatment process.
Eldercare in the Workplace
Authors: Kola Lenore A. , Dunkle Ruth E.
Published: May 2018

Experts have predicted that eldercare will be an important fringe benefit issue in the 1990s. The authors discuss research dealing with the perceptions of employers and employee caregivers of the elderly. Implications for the development of policies and practices are also discussed.
Coping with Extreme Stress and Aging
Authors: Harel Zev
Published: May 2018

The author discusses the conceptual and methodological issues around stress and extreme stress in the aged. The mental health consequences of stress and extreme stress are discussed as well as coping styles and strategies and the interactions of stress, aging, and social support.
Chronicity in Mental Disorders: Evolution of a Concept
Authors: Jimenez Mary Ann
Published: May 2018

The author traces the historical evolution of the concept of chronicity of mental disorders. She suggests that belief in chronicity is a social construction that developed as psychiatry moved toward a scientific model of mental disorder in the early twentieth century.
Cable plating with a single strut allograft in the treatment of periprosthetic fractures of the femur
Authors: Manara Jonathan R , Mathews John A , Sandhu Harvey S
Published: May 2018

Background:

Hip arthroplasties are increasing worldwide resulting in an increasing number of periprosthetic fractures. These fractures are difficult to treat with various the different fixation or revision options described, many of which have high complication rates.

Purpose:

To investigate whether our described method of treating periprosthetic fractures is an effective, safe and reproducible method of treating patients.

Methods:

We describe the largest series of a cable plate fixation system combined with a single cortical strut allograft to treat patients with periprosthetic fractures of the hip (Unified Classification System B1 and selected B2, C and D).

Results:

Between July 2006 and March 2015, 28 patients were treated using this method. The mean follow-up was 2.2 years (3 months to 9 years). The mean Oxford Hip Score (OHS) at final follow-up was 32 and the mean modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) 67. There were 3 complications including 1 failure that required revision surgery, 1 case of infection successfully treated with debridement, antibiotics and retention, and a case of discomfort from the metalwork which we managed conservatively.

Conclusion:

This method of anatomical restoration of the femur with dual-plane fixation is a highly effective method of treating this complex group of patients, and should be considered as a first line of treatment. It shows that there is a role for successful treatment with internal fixation of certain B2, C and D fractures with this technique.
Incidence, risk factors and prognosis of transient pseudosubluxation after total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Cha Yong-Han , Jo Woo-Lam , Lee Young-Kyun , Ha Yong-Chan , Parvizi Javad , Koo Kyung-Hoi
Published: May 2018

Introduction:

Pseudosubluxation is a transient separation of the prosthetic femoral head from the acetabular liner during the anaesthetic period after total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, little is known about the frequency, pathomechanism, risk factors or natural history.

Methods:

To determine the incidence, direction of the displacement, risk factors and subsequent instability of pseudosubluxation, we evaluated 1099 primary cementless THAs (943 patients), which were performed during 8 years at one institution. Immediately after THA, postoperative radiographs were obtained for all hips. If a subluxation was noted, the operated hip was examined by fluoroscope within 1 hour of the detection and repeat radiographs were taken on the postoperative day 1.

Results:

The pseudosubluxation was identified in 2.6% (28/1059). All of the 28 heads subluxed anteriorly and reduced in flexion-internal rotation. In multivariate analysis: (1) operative decrease of the femoral offset (odds ratio; 1.161 (95% confidence interval [CI]; 1.077–1.251), p = 0.001); and (2) medialisation of acetabular cup (odds ratio; 3.402 (95% CI; 1.482–7.813), p = 0.009) were found as risk factors for pseudosubluxation. None of the 28 hips dislocated during 3- to 8-year follow-up.

Conclusions:

Our results provide information about the incidence, risk factors and natural history of pseudosubluxation after primary THA. Surgeons should be aware of the risk of pseudosubluxation when performing THA in patients with coxa vara, who have a large femoral offset, and in those with dysplastic or deficient acetabulum, who have a lateral centre of rotation.
Isokinetic dynamometry and gait analysis reveal different hip joint status in patients with hip dysplasia
Authors: Sørensen Henrik , Nielsen Dennis B , Jacobsen Julie S , Søballe Kjeld , Mechlenburg Inger
Published: May 2018

Background:

Objective assessment of hip dysplasia patients’ functional hip joint status routinely involves gait analysis or isokinetic dynamometry. However, these methods have shown equivocal results and have not been employed in the same groups of patients and controls.

Purpose:

To assess hip flexor and abductor moments by isokinetic dynamometry in the dysplasia patient and controls, for which we previously reported smaller flexor and slightly larger abductor moments during gait in patients compared to controls.

Methods:

The study was designed as a prospective cohort study (Level of Evidence II) and conducted in a biomechanics laboratory at Aarhus University, Denmark, during 2011. Participants comprised 32 dysplasia patients and 32 age and gender matched controls. Outcome measures were static peak hip flexion moment at 15, 45 and 75° hip flexion; dynamic eccentric and concentric peak hip flexion moment at 60° and 120°/second; dynamic eccentric and concentric hip abductor moment at 30° and 60°/second.

Results:

Hip dysplasia patients had smaller eccentric peak flexion moments and smaller eccentric and concentric peak abduction moments at all tested velocities.

Conclusion:

Although dysplasia patients have weaker hip flexion and abductor muscles than controls, their abductor muscles are sufficiently strong to ensure normal function during gait. Hence, gait analysis alone might not reveal the true, subnormal hip joint status in dysplasia patients. We suggest that comprehensive assessment of hip joint function in dysplasia patients should include more strenuous activities than gait, particularly in young(er) patients who are likely to prefer a more active lifestyle.
Decomposing the Apoptosis Pathway Into Biologically Interpretable Principal Components
Authors: Wang Min , Kornblau Steven M , Coombes Kevin R
Published: May 2018

Principal component analysis (PCA) is one of the most common techniques in the analysis of biological data sets, but applying PCA raises 2 challenges. First, one must determine the number of significant principal components (PCs). Second, because each PC is a linear combination of genes, it rarely has a biological interpretation. Existing methods to determine the number of PCs are either subjective or computationally extensive. We review several methods and describe a new R package, PCDimension, that implements additional methods, the most important being an algorithm that extends and automates a graphical Bayesian method. Using simulations, we compared the methods. Our newly automated procedure is competitive with the best methods when considering both accuracy and speed and is the most accurate when the number of objects is small compared with the number of attributes. We applied the method to a proteomics data set from patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Proteins in the apoptosis pathway could be explained using 6 PCs. By clustering the proteins in PC space, we were able to replace the PCs by 6 “biological components,” 3 of which could be immediately interpreted from the current literature. We expect this approach combining PCA with clustering to be widely applicable.
When the Numbers Don’t Add Up: Accommodating Data Journalism in a Compact Journalism Programme
Authors: Green Sue
Published: May 2018

Journalism educators recognize the need to prioritize teaching data journalism to ensure their students are industry-ready, particularly given the exponential growth in data, data availability, collection and analysis. However, research indicates that falling staff numbers and skill levels, lack of available sessional expertise and insufficient room in existing course curricula are among the problems faced in accommodating data journalism. This article outlines the efforts of Swinburne University of Technology’s journalism programme to meet these challenges and the solutions implemented. The programme staff sought expertise through their existing international contacts and within their own university but also reached beyond the silos of their own department and faculty into computer science disciplines. The outcome means students in a programme which promotes its practical nature and industry-experienced staff will be taught by staff with data analytics expertise but limited journalism experience. This has, however, opened up the possibilities for collaboration between the analytics and journalism staff members and a team approach to the teaching of data journalism.
Watchdogs or Masters? The changing role of the Canberra Press Gallery
Authors: Chubb Philip , Brookes Stephanie , Simons Margaret
Published: May 2018

This Special Issue tackles increasing urgent questions about the role and performance of the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery, a unique and valuable institution central to Australian political journalism. These questions about the Press Gallery’s contribution to political life include: how might we understand the changing authority and effectiveness of the Press Gallery? Has Australia entered an era when media failures are damaging the country’s ability to affect reform? Are we witnessing a twin assault on the quality of Australian democracy from politicians and the media? The articles gathered here offer a variety of tools and perspectives useful for thought and action in this moment in history – when political reporting is fundamentally disrupted, and with it the democratic forms that have grown up in lockstep with mass media. They chart changes and longer-term trends, and particularise broader shifts in political journalism and communication, providing both information and theoretically engaged analysis.
Retaliation against the outgroup: The role of self-uncertainty
Authors: Niedbala Elizabeth M. , Hohman Zachary P.
Published: May 2018

Outgroups who threaten the core aspects of one’s identity, such as one’s social group and its values, may make group members feel self-uncertain. Because past research associates uncertainty with defensive behavior, we propose that self-uncertainty will drive aggressive retaliation against a threatening outgroup. Two experiments tested the role of self-uncertainty in retaliation motivation. In Experiment 1, university students were threatened by their school rival and then reported self-uncertainty and willingness to retaliate. The threat evoked anger and caused male group members to feel significantly more self-uncertain, which was associated with significantly greater retaliation motivation. In Experiment 2, we manipulated Americans’ feelings of self-uncertainty and threat from a terrorist group, ISIS. Uncertain males were significantly more willing to retaliate against ISIS after threats that caused anger and fear. For male group members, outgroup threat increases self-uncertainty, which then motivates them to be more willing to violently retaliate.
Seismic reliability analysis of reinforced concrete bridge pier using efficient response surface method–based simulation
Authors: Ghosh Shyamal , Ghosh Swarup , Chakraborty Subrata
Published: May 2018

Seismic reliability analysis of bridge structures during and succeeding an earthquake event is of significant importance. The more accurate and robust approach of seismic reliability analysis is based on direct Monte Carlo simulation technique. But it is computationally challenging due to the requirement of large number of nonlinear time history analyses. The response surface method–based metamodeling approach is a viable alternative in such situation. This study explores the advantage of moving least squares method–based adaptive response surface method compared to the usually applied least squares method–based response surface method for improved seismic reliability analysis of multi-span bridge pier. The nonlinear time history analyses of the bridge pier are performed in the OpenSees with fibre sections considering a ground motion bin corresponding to the specified hazard level of the bridge site. The seismic reliability analysis results obtained by the usual least squares method and the proposed moving least squares method–based response surface method are compared with that of obtained by more accurate direct Monte Carlo simulation technique to elucidate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Life-cycle cost evaluation of steel structures retrofitted with steel slit damper and shape memory alloy–based hybrid damper
Authors: NourEldin Mohamed , Naeem Asad , Kim Jinkoo
Published: May 2018

In this study, the seismic capacity of a hybrid damper, composed of a steel slit plate damper and two shape memory alloy bars, is investigated through fragility analysis and life-cycle cost evaluation of a steel frame retrofitted with the damper. The nonlinear time history analysis model frames show that the seismic responses of the frames equipped with hybrid damper are significantly lesser than the frames retrofitted with conventional slit dampers. The enhancement in the seismic performance of frames retrofitted with hybrid damper is because of extra stiffness, energy dissipation, and self-centering capability provided by the shape memory alloy bars. It is also observed that the life-cycle cost of the frames equipped with hybrid dampers is smallest compared with the life-cycle cost of the bare frames and the frames equipped with slit dampers, even though the initial cost is of the hybrid damper is higher than that of the conventional slit damper.
Association between parental hospital-treated somatic illnesses in childhood and later mental disorders among offspring up to early adulthood: An explorative study in the 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort
Authors: Merikukka Marko , Räsänen Sami , Hakko Helinä , Ristikari Tiina , Gissler Mika , Niemelä Mika
Published: May 2018

Aims: Earlier studies on the associations between parental somatic illnesses and children’s psychological wellbeing have focused on the most common somatic illnesses or on specific groups of illnesses. In this study, we aimed to systematically examine whether parental somatic illnesses, diagnosed during an offspring’s childhood, are associated with later mental disorders of the offspring and, if so, identify which parental somatic illnesses in particular increase the likelihood for later mental disorders among the offspring. Methods: The 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort study yields longitudinal nationwide follow-up data that include a complete census of children born in a single year. Children have been followed over time through to the year 2012 using official registers maintained by the Finnish authorities. Parental diagnoses of specialised hospital inpatient care were identified from the Hospital Discharge Register after children’s birth and followed up until the end of 1995. Children’s psychiatric diagnoses from specialised hospital care were identified from the same register for the periods 1996/1998–2012. Logistic regression analyses were used to calculate sex-specific odds ratios for associations of mental disorders with maternal and paternal somatic illnesses using parental death, education, social assistance and psychiatric inpatient care as covariates. Results: Parental somatic illnesses during an offspring’s childhood seem to increase the risk for later mental disorders. Several previously unreported somatic parental illnesses were found to be significantly associated with offspring’s later mental health. Conclusions: Parental somatic illnesses should be considered as a significant adverse childhood life event, calling for preventive actions and child-centred support in adult healthcare.
Speaking for and about a spouse with dementia: A matter of inclusion or exclusion?
Authors: Nilsson Elin , Ekström Anna , Majlesi Ali Reza
Published: May 2018

This study analyses sequences where people with dementia are positioned as third parties in stories about their own lives. Previous research emphasises how people with dementia are frequently excluded from social encounters, and how others tend to speak for or about them in their co-presence. Drawing on conversation analytic methods when analysing 15 video recorded interviews with Swedish couples living with dementia, we argue that telling stories in which a spouse with dementia is positioned as a third party in his or her co-presence does not have to be an activity of exclusion. Rather, among couples, third-party positioning is a multifaceted activity where couples employ different practices to organise participation frameworks and manage both inclusion and exclusion in talk-in-interaction. Furthermore, we show how participants display joint speakership and counteract actions of exclusion by making use of various communicative resources such as gaze, touch and bodily orientation.
Grassroots movements and the entrepreneurial city
Authors: Wolf Patricia , Amstutz Sibylla , Schuchert Christian Lars , Minder Bettina , Willener Alex
Published: May 2018

Becoming more entrepreneurial in their government approaches is a concept aimed at supporting today’s cities in dealing with complex challenges. However, to date, knowledge about how cities can apply such approaches still remains a puzzle. This article presents the case study of the Neubad Lucerne initiative in order to contribute to the generation of a comprehensive picture and of instructive knowledge for city municipalities on their way toward an entrepreneurial city. It asks particularly how city governments and municipalities can stimulate grassroots initiatives toward an entrepreneurial city in a play way instead of a managerial way. The focus is therefore on playful rather than managerial city government processes that stimulate the emergence and activities of grassroots initiatives, the role and organizing mechanisms of networks that develop, and the role of temporary spaces in enabling activity and the construction of social identity.
Experiencing Transformative Learning in a Counseling Masters’ Course: A Process-Oriented Case Study With a Focus on the Emotional Experience
Authors: Nogueiras Gloria , Iborra Alejandro , Kunnen Saskia E.
Published: May 2018

This case study investigates the transformative learning process and outcomes of a female master’s student in a semester-long counseling skills training course based on experiential learning. The data included the student’s longitudinal accounts (11 questionnaires on the emotions experienced in every session and three blog posts) and retrospective accounts (a final reflective written activity and an interview) of her experience in the course. Through a thematic holistic analysis, we identified (1) five phases in the student’s learning process, which illustrated her evolving meaning-making of the challenging demands and related changes in her emotional experience and (2) two learning outcomes, including the student’s insights into the meaning of learning and her increasing self-awareness. The findings are discussed with an emphasis on the value of tracking learners’ emotional experience to understand their transformative changes, the contribution of experiential approaches to trigger such changes, and the potential of a process-oriented approach to investigate transformation.
Experimental trade-offs between different strategies for multihop communications evaluated over real deployments of wireless sensor network for environmental monitoring
Authors: Felici-Castell Santiago , Pérez-Solano Juan J , Segura-Garcia Jaume , García-Pineda Miguel , Soriano-Asensi Antonio
Published: May 2018

Although much work has been done since wireless sensor networks appeared, there is not a great deal of information available on real deployments that incorporate basic features associated with these networks, in particular multihop routing and long lifetimes features. In this article, an environmental monitoring application (Internet of Things oriented) is described, where temperature and relative humidity samples are taken by each mote at a rate of 2 samples/min and sent to a sink using multihop routing. Our goal is to analyse the different strategies to gather the information from the different motes in this context. The trade-offs between ‘sending always’ and ‘buffering locally’ approaches were analysed and validated experimentally, taking into account power consumption, lifetime, efficiency and reliability. When buffering locally, different options were considered such as saving in either local RAM or FLASH memory, as well different alternatives to reduce overhead with different packet sizes. The conclusion is that in terms of energy and durability, the best option is to reduce the overhead. Nevertheless, sending larger packets is not worthy when the probability of retransmission is high. If real-time monitoring is required, then sending always is better than buffering locally.
Robust deadlock control for automated manufacturing systems with a single type of unreliable resources
Authors: Wu Yunchao , Xing Keyi , Zhou Mengchu , Feng Yanxiang , Liu Huixia
Published: May 2018

In automated manufacturing systems, resource failures are often inevitable. They reduce the number of available resources and may cause some processing routes of parts to halt and sometimes the whole system to shutdown. This article focuses on the robust deadlock control problem in automated manufacturing systems with multiple resource failures. To obtain such a robust controller, we first put forward a new concept of blocked states of automated manufacturing systems. From such a state, the production of some part types through one of their routes is blocked as caused by resource failures, and only after some failed resources are repaired, these parts can resume their normal processing. Then, these blocked states are characterized in terms of emptied siphons caused by resource failures. In order to prevent the system from deadlocks and blocked states, a robust controller is proposed by the following two steps. First, for siphons without unreliable resources, optimal deadlock control places are added. Then for siphons which contain unreliable resources, new control places are devised to ensure that they could be marked even when resource failures happen. It is proved that the proposed controller can guarantee that all types of parts can be processed repeatedly as long as one unit of unreliable resources can still work. This means that the proposed controller is of greatest robustness, that is, it can tolerate a maximum number of resource failures. Some examples are provided to illustrate the proposed method and show the advantage over the previous ones.
The development and present status of the SOP model of associative learning
Authors: Vogel Edgar H , Ponce Fernando P , Wagner Allan R
Published: May 2018

The Sometimes Opponent Processes (SOP) model in its original form was especially calculated to address how expected unconditioned stimulus (US) and conditioned stimulus (CS) are rendered less effective than their novel counterparts in Pavlovian conditioning. Its several elaborations embracing the essential notion have extended the scope of the model to integrate a much greater number of phenomena of Pavlovian conditioning. Here, we trace the development of the model and add further thoughts about its extension and refinement.
‘I know this whole market is based on the trust you put in me and I don’t take that lightly’: Trust, community and discourse in crypto-drug markets
Authors: Lorenzo-Dus Nuria , Di Cristofaro Matteo
Published: May 2018

This study uses a Corpus Assisted Discourse Studies methodology to provide the first systematic analysis of how trust is discursively constructed in crypto-drug markets. The data come from two purpose-built corpora. One comprises all the forum messages posted on the flag ship crypto-drug market Silk Road during the years in which it traded on the hidden net (c. 250 million words). The other corpus comprises all the reports published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) during the same period (c. 153,000 words). Our analysis of trust focuses on the identities of those buying and selling drugs. The findings reveal that the Silk Road community members (a) regularly discussed vendors’ identities alongside a continuum of trust–risk calculation, explicitly identifying both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ practices and hence engaging in self-regulatory discourses, and (b) mainly constructed drug users’ identities in relation to values of expertise, integrity and benevolence. The findings also suggest that hard law enforcement activity, such as crypto-drug market closure, may encourage technological innovation within these markets. Moreover, our results show a disconnect between the discursive reality of the policy-making documents we examined and the very crypto-drug markets that they seek to legislate.
A corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis of news reporting on China’s air pollution in the official Chinese English-language press
Authors: Wang Guofeng
Published: May 2018

This corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis of news reports on air pollution published from 2008 through 2015 by China Daily, China’s largest official English-language newspaper, reveals a significant attitudinal shift around the end of 2011 as regards public awareness of increasing air pollution levels in China and related public criticism. It also constructs a clear image of the increasing determination and resolve of the Chinese central government over the course of this 8-year period to take action to effectively reduce air pollution. This study highlights the submissive role played by the official Chinese press in their reporting on air pollution under the strict censorship system of the Communist Party of China (CPC), as well as the socio-political role that international sporting events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games played in raising both public and governmental awareness of environmental issues.
Is Delayed Weightbearing After Matrix-Associated Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation in the Knee Associated With Better Outcomes? A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Kraeutler Matthew J. , Belk John W. , Carver Trevor J. , McCarty Eric C.
Published: May 2018

Background:

Proper rehabilitation after matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) is essential to restore a patient’s normal function without overloading the repair site.

Purpose:

To evaluate the current literature to assess clinical outcomes of MACI in the knee based on postoperative rehabilitation protocols, namely, the time to return to full weightbearing (WB).

Study Design:

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods:

A systematic review was performed to locate studies of level 1 evidence comparing the outcomes of patients who underwent MACI with a 6-week, 8-week, or 10/11-week time period to return to full WB. Patient-reported outcomes assessed included the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Tegner activity scale, Short Form Health Survey–36 (SF-36), and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain frequency and severity.

Results:

Seven studies met the inclusion criteria, including a total of 136 patients (138 lesions) who underwent MACI. Treatment failure had occurred in 0.0% of patients in the 6-week group, 7.5% in the 8-week group, and 8.3% in the 10/11-week group at a mean follow-up of 2.5 years ( P = .46). KOOS, SF-36, and VAS scores in each group improved significantly from preoperatively to follow-up ( P < .001).

Conclusion:

Patients undergoing MACI in the knee can be expected to experience improvement in clinical outcomes with the rehabilitation protocols outlined in this work. No significant differences were seen in failure rates based on the time to return to full WB.
A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Cohort Studies Examining Unintentional Injury in Young Children
Authors: Zonfrillo Mark R. , Linakis James G. , Yang Eunice S. , Mello Michael J.
Published: May 2018

Objective. Injury is the leading cause of death and long-term disability in children. Longitudinal cohorts are designed to follow subjects longitudinally in order to determine if early-life exposures are related to certain health outcomes. Methods. We conducted a systematic review to identify studies of children from birth through 5 years who were followed longitudinally with unintentional injury as an outcome of interest. Results. Of the 1892 unique references based on the search criteria, 12 (published between 2000 and 2013) were included. The studies varied on the population of focus, injury definition, and incidence rates. Existing studies that longitudinally follow children aged 0 to 5 years are limited in number, scope, and generalizability. Conclusions. Further study using population-based longitudinal cohorts is necessary to more comprehensively estimate incidence of injury in young children.