bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Air contamination during medical treatment results in deposits of microemboli in the lungs: An autopsy study
Authors: Forsberg Ulf , Jonsson Per , Stegmayr Bernd
Published: April 2019

Introduction:

Microbubbles of air may enter into patients during conventional hemodialysis, infusions of fluids, or by injections. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the air that enters the patient during hemodialysis can be detected in the lungs after death, and if so, whether this may be related to tissue damage.

Methods:

The material consisted of lung tissue from five chronic hemodialysis patients who died either during (two) or after hemodialysis (range 10 min from start until 3333 min after the last hemodialysis session); as reference group tissue was taken from seven patients who died due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The lung tissue was investigated by microscopy after autopsy using a fluorescein-marked polyclonal antibody against fibrinogen as a marker for clots preformed before death.

Results:

All five hemodialysis patients had microbubbles of air in the lung tissue, whereas two of seven amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients had such findings (Fisher’s test p = 0.0278, relative risk = 3.5, confidence interval: 1.08–11.3). There were more microbubbles of air/10 randomly investigated microscopic fields of tissue in the hemodialysis patients than the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients (Student’s test, p < 0.05). All hemodialysis patients had a medium graded extent of pulmonary fibrosis that was not found in any of the ALS patients. The microbubbles of air were surrounded by fibrin as a sign of development of clots around the air bubbles while the patients were still alive.

Conclusion:

Exposure to microbubbles of air during various treatments such as hemodialysis may result in microemboli. Future studies should clarify whether microbubbles of air contribute to tissue scarring. We suggest preventive measures against the exposure to microbubbles of air during especially repeated exposures such as hemodialysis.
Bystander, ‘mitläufer’, collaborator—a personal reflection on crossing borders between politics and psychotherapy
Authors: Gölz Angelika
Published: April 2019

This article explores the tension between our political, ethical, moral and clinical responsibilities as group analysts working with large groups, in the context of facing issues of wrong-doing. It seems clear that when working with small groups or individuals that we are aware of our responsibility concerning safeguarding. But what if we are faced with political violence, wars and atrocities committed and present in the matrix of our large groups?

This article draws on an experience of conducting a group raising questions about our responsibility as group psychotherapists. Do we become bystanders, collaborators or ‘mitläufer’? The article also draws on the author’s personal history growing up in post-war Germany to engage with these and other questions.
Characterisation of wastes collected from beaches, coastlines, marine surface cleaning processes and ships: A case study of Istanbul
Authors: Bilgili Mehmet Sinan , Adar Elanur , Yildiz Senol , Sezer Kadir
Published: April 2019

Marine waste management is crucial for Istanbul because of the significant location for intercontinental transition, international trade, tourism, industry and shipping. This study is the first one realised in Turkey for the detailed characterisation of marine waste. The amount and characteristics of solid wastes originating from beaches, coastlines, sea surface cleaning processes and ships (both cargo and cruise ships) were determined. It was observed that marine wastes includes a significant amount of recyclable materials. Although, it was ascertained that the amount and composition of waste differs according to the collecting sources, the majority of wastes are composed of different types of plastics. The average calorific value of marine waste was determined as 2500 kcal kg-1, which is higher than that of mixed municipal solid waste. There is a lack of studies on the pathways of disposal alternatives of marine waste after collection. As landfilling is the common pathway for disposal after collecting, it is clear that recycle/reuse and energy recovery options are possible for marine waste.
Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) in Spatial Planning Research and Related Disciplines: A Systematic Literature Review of Applications
Authors: Verweij Stefan , Trell Elen-Maarja
Published: April 2019

Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is a potentially interesting method for spatial planning researchers. Although increasingly used, its application in spatial planning research is lagging behind other disciplines. We conducted a systematic literature review of QCA applications in spatial planning and related disciplines (SPARD), addressing two questions: when, where, and how is QCA used in SPARD and what are the main advantages of QCA for spatial planning research? We found that the main reasons why QCA is used in SPARD are its sensitivity to context, its ability to use small-/medium- n cases, and its attention to causal complexity.
Predictors of Treatment Access and Initiation Among Diverse, Low-Income Victims of Violence Offered a Trauma-Focused Evidence-Based Psychotherapy
Authors: Ghafoori Bita , Hansen Marissa C. , Garibay Erika
Published: April 2019

Many victims of violence may benefit from trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs), but fail to utilize treatment. The current study investigated factors associated with treatment access and treatment initiation in a low-income, racially and ethnically diverse, urban population of victims of violence who were screened for EBPs. The sample consisted of 941 adults, mean age = 35.87 ( SD = 12.8), who were screened for mental health treatment and offered an EBP. Overall, 55.7% of individuals accessed treatment by attending an in-person screening appointment and intake, and 79.0% of the individuals who accessed treatment then initiated treatment by attending the first EBP session. Analysis revealed higher age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [1.04, 1.09]) and lower expression of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms predicted higher rates of accessing treatment (OR = 0.20, 95% CI = [0.05, 0.82]). Higher global severity of distress (OR = 3.22, 95% CI = [1.14, 9.10]), poor quality of life in the area of psychological health (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = [0.81, 1.00]), and better quality of life in the area of physical health significantly predicted initiation of treatment (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = [0.998, 1.24]). Findings suggest that low-income, ethnically and racially diverse victims of violence may effectively utilize trauma-focused EBPs offered in a community setting.
The Role of Illicit Drug Use in Family and Domestic Violence in Australia
Authors: Coomber Kerri , Mayshak Richelle , Liknaitzky Paul , Curtis Ashlee , Walker Arlene , Hyder Shannon , Miller Peter
Published: April 2019

Drug use has been shown to interact in complex ways with the occurrence and prevalence of family and domestic violence (FDV), with illicit drug use being associated with an increased risk for FDV. The current study aims to extend upon the literature by investigating the role of illicit drugs in intimate partner violence (IPV), family violence (FV), and other violence (violence between people other than partners or family) within a representative Australian sample ( n = 5,118). Participants were recruited through an online survey panel and completed an online self-report survey assessing the role of alcohol and other drugs on violence, with a specific focus on FDV. Binary logistic regression showed that respondents who reported having used any illicit drug in the past 12 months (with or without alcohol use) had over three times the odds of experiencing any violence in the past 12 months (OR = 3.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [2.25, 4.48]) compared with those not using illicit drugs. Furthermore, drug involvement in FDV (IPV or FV) was significantly more likely than other violent incident types (OR = 1.65, 95% CI = [1.25, 2.19]). For the most recent FDV incident, age group was the only significant demographic predictor of drug involvement at this incident; younger age groups were over twice as likely to report drug involvement than those over 65 years of age. Drug involvement at the most recent FDV incident was also associated with over twice the odds of injury (OR = 2.38, 95% CI = [1.67, 3.38]) and significantly greater negative life impact. The findings that drug use increases both the risk for and impact of FDV indicate the need for policy that advocates for interventions addressing both drug use and violence in combination.
Thermal postbuckling behavior of CNT-reinforced composite sandwich plate models resting on elastic foundations with tangentially restrained edges and temperature-dependent properties
Authors: Long Vu Thanh , Van Tung Hoang
Published: April 2019

Buckling and postbuckling behaviors of sandwich plates reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotube (CNT), rested on elastic foundations and subjected to uniform temperature rise, are investigated in this article. CNT is embedded into matrix phase through uniform or functionally graded distributions. The properties of constituent materials are assumed to be temperature-dependent, and effective properties of nanocomposite are determined by extended rule of mixture. Two models of sandwich plates with face sheets and core layer reinforced by CNTs are presented. Formulations are based on the first-order shear deformation theory taking geometrical nonlinearity, initial geometrical imperfection, plate-foundation interaction, and elasticity of tangential edge constraints into consideration. Analytical solutions of deflection and stress function are assumed, and Galerkin method is applied to derive nonlinear temperature–deflection relation from which buckling temperatures and thermal postbuckling paths are obtained through an iteration algorithm. Numerical examples show the effects of CNT volume fraction, distribution patterns, in-plane edge constraint, elastic foundations, geometrical ratios, initial imperfection, and temperature dependence of properties on thermal postbuckling behavior of nanocomposite sandwich plates. The most important finding is that sandwich plate constructed from CNT-poor nanocomposite core layer and thin homogeneous face sheets with partially movable edges bring the best capacities of thermal buckling resistance and postbuckling load carrying.
Influence of the European Semester on national public sector reforms under conditions of fiscal consolidation: The policy of conditionality in Italy 2011–2015
Authors: Di Mascio Fabrizio , Natalini Alessandro , Ongaro Edoardo , Stolfi Francesco
Published: April 2019

This article applies the Schimmelfennig and Sedelmeier “governance by conditionality” framework to public sector reform in a European Union (EU) country subject to implicit rather than explicit conditionality in the context of severe fiscal consolidation. It analyses the reform programmes of the governments that alternated in power in Italy over 2011–2015, focusing on three major areas of public sector reform – fiscal consolidation, labour market reform and liberalization – in the context of the Country-Specific Recommendations–National Reform Plan (CSR-NRP) cycle. We show that the EU has influenced governance (budget institutions and the governance structure of the NRP process) as well as the content of reforms. These results are consistent with the Schimmelfennig and Sedelmeier framework regarding the importance of external incentives in explaining adoption and implementation of reforms. Our findings confirm not only the importance of material conditions and their credibility in explaining the fit between EU recommendations and domestic reforms, but also the significance of the strategic usage of Europe by domestic policy makers, which has become more important as the legitimacy of the EU has decreased among voters. We conclude with some reflections on the implications of our research for the ongoing debate on the reform of the European Semester, in particular with regard to the question of how to ensure a higher fit between EU recommendation and domestic policies.
Actions, contexts, mechanisms and outcomes in macroprudential policy design and implementation
Authors: Bakir Caner
Published: April 2019

Causal mechanisms have received significant attention within the social sciences, and policy design and implementation occupy a prominent place in public policymaking. However, one area that has not received much attention in this literature is the causal mechanisms that are able to link policy instruments with outcomes due to operating within the appropriate contexts. This article seeks to fill this gap in the literature. Drawing on realistic evaluation and comparative historical institutionalism, and an exploratory case study on macroprudential regulation in Turkey between June 2011 and September 2016, this article argues that the success of macroprudential instruments in securing of macrofinancial stability is most likely when they trigger causal mechanisms that operate within the appropriate contexts.
EU-driven public sector reforms
Authors: Ongaro Edoardo , Kickert Walter
Published: April 2019

This paper is the introduction article to the special issue on EU-driven public sector reforms. European Union (EU) governance has dramatically changed since the outburst of the financial, economic and fiscal crises in 2007–2008. The dramatically changed circumstances have led to heightened EU influence in the field of the organization of the public sector of Member States, leading to major reforms of the public sector of Member States under conditions of radical fiscal consolidation. We call these ‘EU-driven public sector reforms’. The Greek, Hungarian, Irish and Italian cases of reform of the public sector in recent years, accounted for in this special issue, are different instances, with diverse outcomes, of this phenomenon. This article reviews the theoretical perspectives that can be employed for the study of EU-driven public sector reforms – these include notably the policy of conditionality; Europeanization; and a combination of learning, leadership and multiple streams theories – and the evidence about the features, doctrinal contents and effects of such reforms arising from the four case studies in the special issue.
A commercial ELISA for detection of interferon gamma in white rhinoceros
Authors: Chileshe Josephine , Goosen Wynand J. , Buss Peter E. , van Helden Paul D. , Warren Robin , Parsons Sven D. C. , Miller Michele A.
Published: April 2019

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is endemic in Kruger National Park, South Africa, home to the largest population of white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum) in the world. In 2016, the first cases of naturally occurring bTB were reported in white rhinoceros; however, there is a lack of understanding of infection and disease process in this species. Prevention and control of transmission depends on the availability of accurate tools to detect M. bovis infection. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) assays are a reliable detection method for TB in other animal species, and studies have indicated that these tests can be used in white rhinoceros. We sought to screen and optimize a commercial IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect endogenous white rhinoceros IFN-γ in mitogen-stimulated whole blood as a basis for developing a test for M. bovis infection. Optimizations included identifying ELISA antibodies and determining the effect of sample matrix, ELISA plate incubation temperature, ELISA linearity, assay reproducibility, and the assay’s limit of quantification. The optimized assay employed an equine IFN-γ antibody pair that was used to create a commercial ELISA kit. This ELISA had a linear response to recombinant equine and endogenous rhinoceros IFN-γ (range: 7.8–125 pg/mL). When incubated at 37°C, the ELISA was highly reproducible, with an optimal recovery and a low limit of quantification, indicating that the Mabtech equine IFN-γ ELISAPRO kit is a robust assay for measuring white rhinoceros IFN-γ.
“Their Sleep Means More Harmony”: Maternal Perspectives and Experiences of Preschoolers’ Sleep in Ethnically and Socioeconomically Diverse Families in Aotearoa/New Zealand
Authors: Muller Diane , Paine Sarah-Jane , Wu Lora J. , Signal T. Leigh
Published: April 2019

Viewing sleep through a socioecological lens, maternal perceptions, and experiences of preschoolers’ sleep were explored using semistructured interviews with 15 Māori (indigenous) and 16 non-Māori mothers, with low- and high socioeconomic position. Thematic analysis identified four themes: child happiness and health, maternal well-being, comfort and connection, and family functioning and harmony. Mothers perceived healthy preschooler sleep as supporting children’s mental and physical health, parents’ sleep/wake functioning, family social cohesion and emotional connectedness, and poor preschooler sleep as negatively influencing child, maternal and family well-being. Although many experiences were shared, some perceptions of sleep and sleep practices differed between mothers. Influences included health paradigms, socioeconomic circumstances, maternal autonomy, employment, parenting approaches, and societal expectations. Healthy preschooler sleep is valued by mothers and may play a protective role in family health and resilience. Preschooler sleep initiatives need to be responsive to maternal perspectives and address societal drivers of sleep experiences.
Comparison of Intermediate-Term Outcomes of Total Ankle Arthroplasty in Patients Younger and Older Than 55 Years
Authors: Lee Gun-Woo , Seon Jong‑Keun , Kim Nack-Sung , Lee Keun-Bae
Published: April 2019

Background:

Total ankle arthroplasty is often not recommended to younger patients with ankle arthritis because of their high functional demands. The purpose of this study was to compare intermediate-term clinical and radiographic outcomes and survivorship rates of total ankle arthroplasty between patients younger and older than 55 years.

Methods:

A total of 117 consecutive patients (123 ankles) who underwent primary total ankle arthroplasty using Hintegra prosthesis with a mean follow-up of 78 months were enrolled and divided into 2 age groups: under 55 years (38 ankles; mean age 45 years) and over 55 years (85 ankles; mean age 65 years).

Results:

Clinical scores of Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale pain and disability, American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot, Short Form–36 Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary, and visual analog scale were not significantly different between the 2 age groups at the final follow-up ( P > .05). There were no significant differences in complications and survivorship rates between the two at a mean follow-up of 78 months ( P > .05).

Conclusions:

Clinical and radiographic outcomes and survival rates of total ankle arthroplasty in patients under age of 55 years were satisfactory and comparable to those in patients older than 55 years in the intermediate-term follow-up. Therefore, total ankle arthroplasty may be considered as a viable treatment option in young patients with end-stage ankle arthritis.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, comparative series, therapeutic.
System integration and control design of a maglev platform for space vibration isolation
Authors: Gong Zhaopei , Ding Liang , Yue Honghao , Gao Haibo , Liu Rongqiang , Deng Zongquan , Lu Yifan
Published: April 2019

Micro-vibration has been a dominant factor impairing the performance of scientific experiments which are expected to be deployed in a micro-gravity environment such as a space laboratory. The micro-vibration has serious impact on the scientific experiments requiring a quasi-static environment. Therefore, we proposed a maglev vibration isolation platform operating in six degrees of freedom (DOF) to fulfill the environmental requirements. In view of the noncontact and large stroke requirement for micro-vibration isolation, an optimization method was utilized to design the actuator. Mathematical models of the actuator's remarkable nonlinearity were established, so that its output can be compensated according to a floater's varying position and a system's performance may be satisfied. Furthermore, aiming to adapt to an energy-limited environment such as space laboratory, an optimum allocation scheme was put forward, considering that the actuator's nonlinearity, accuracy, and minimum energy-consumption can be obtained simultaneously. In view of operating in 6-DOF, methods for nonlinear compensation and system decoupling were discussed, and the necessary controller was also presented. Simulation and experiments validate the system's performance. With a movement range of 10 × 10 × 8 mm and rotations of 200 mrad, the decay ratio of −40 dB/Dec between 1 and 10 Hz was obtained under close-loop control.
Learning to See at the Intersections of Body, Gender, Geography, and Nationality
Authors: Lavie-Ajayi Maya
Published: April 2019

In this performance autoethnography, the writer explores how a person, a young woman, opens her eyes to the occupation of the Palestinian territories, patriarchal values, her social privilege and her positioning as both oppressed and as an oppressor. The writer attempts to sequence her personal and sexual biographies, while resisting the dichotomies of personal/political, privilege/oppressive, and pleasure/pain; contextualizing one’s sexual, gendered, and ethnic body, at different positions of ignoring and resisting power relations.
From Equivocality to Reflexivity in Biodiversity Protection
Authors: Quarshie Anne , Salmi Asta , Wu Zhaohui
Published: April 2019

This article focuses on the silent conversations by individual change makers reflecting on their concerns in relation to their social and natural worlds. We investigate the internal and external deliberations that informants have by using a qualitative theory-building approach in the empirical context of a biodiversity protection issue field in Finland. We conduct 27 interviews with individual change makers representing three types of organizations: government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and businesses. We seek to understand how change makers advancing biodiversity protection reflexively manage the uncertainty and equivocality they face in the interstitial issue field in the course of their change efforts. Our results show that change makers engage in three iterative actions around the issue of biodiversity: filtering, modeling, and translating. They therefore find nuanced ways to convey the biodiversity issue to their stakeholders and, in this way, promote the engagement of other organizational and individual actors in its protection.
Influence of venipuncture point and port chamber site on the risk of catheter fracture in right internal jugular port placements
Authors: Matsunari Kazuya , Watanabe Kota , Hishizume Norihiro , Fujisawa Hidefumi
Published: April 2019

Background:

For subcutaneously implanted central venous ports, some complications due to prolonged placement have been reported. We investigated the appropriate puncture points and port placement sites to prevent catheter fracture in right internal jugular port placement.

Methods:

This retrospective study included 709 patients who underwent right internal jugular vein puncture and port implantation in the right precordium between 1 May 2012 and 31 March 2018. The cases were divided into undamaged catheter group and damaged catheter group comprising normal and fracture cases, respectively. The catheter angle, distance from the clavicle, tip position, and curvature radius were measured from fluoroscopic images obtained at the time of implantation. The t-test was used in statistical analysis.

Results:

Median angles were 91.6° in the undamaged catheter group and 58.0° in the damaged catheter group. Median distances were 26.0 mm in the undamaged catheter group and 36.6 mm in the damaged catheter group. Median tip positions were 51.6 mm in the undamaged catheter group and 37.5 mm in the damaged catheter group. Median curvature radii were 9.2 R in the undamaged catheter group and 7.1 R in the damaged catheter group. Significant differences were found in the angle, height, and curvature radius between the two groups.

Conclusion:

Our results indicate that a venipuncture as close to the clavicle as possible (less than 3 cm) and a gentle catheter curve (close to 90° angle) are associated with a lower risk of catheter fracture.
Becoming part of the gang? Established and nonestablished populist parties and the role of external efficacy
Authors: Krause Werner , Wagner Aiko
Published: April 2019

In this article, we examine the extent to which the influence of external efficacy on support for populist parties is conditional on the degree to which a populist party is an established player in a given party system. We do so using a two-step regression approach that allows us to investigate the varying effect of external efficacy in a multilevel setting. Making use of data on 23 European Union member states, we empirically demonstrate that the nature of support for populists varies depending on the extent to which these parties are established actors in their national party systems. This is true for Western and Eastern European populist parties. These findings make an important contribution to the broader literature on the success and survival of populist parties. They indicate that these parties do not keep up their image as radical opponents of the national political establishment the more they become electorally successful and join government coalitions.
The effect of psychological distress on health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies
Authors: Barry Vaughn , Stout Mary E , Lynch Mary Ellen , Mattis Shanna , Tran Duc Q , Antun Ana , Ribeiro Maria JA , Stein Sidney F , Kempton Christine L
Published: April 2019

Distress effects are widely examined in cross-sectional studies with less known about effects on future health. This review summarizes distress impacts on health among adults in prospective studies and describes available distress measurement tools. Four inter-disciplinary databases were searched. Effects of distress on mortality and other outcomes were reviewed and estimated in a meta-analysis. A total of 19 studies were assessed which incorporated 10 distress tools. Distress had a detrimental effect on health regardless of the population studied, distress tool used, and health outcome examined. There was an increased mortality risk among those reporting high versus low distress (pooled hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) = 1.29 (1.15–1.46)).
Incidence of injuries in Norway: linking primary and secondary care data
Authors: Ohm Eyvind , Holvik Kristin , Madsen Christian , Alver Kari , Lund Johan
Published: April 2019

Aims: Most studies of injury incidence underestimate the total burden of injury, as they do not include injuries treated in primary care. The aim of this study was to measure the total incidence of medically treated injuries in Norway. We further investigated the epidemiology of injuries treated in primary and secondary care. Methods: We collected individual-level data on injury diagnoses from the Norwegian Patient Registry and the national registry dataset for reimbursement of primary care providers for the period 2009–2014, and estimated the annual incidence of patients registered with an injury diagnosis in either or both of these registries. We also converted ICD-10 codes in secondary care into ICPC-2 codes to compare the types of injuries treated in primary and secondary care. Results: The annual incidence of medically treated injuries in Norway was 125 patients per 1000 inhabitants. Fifty-five per cent of injured patients received treatment exclusively in primary care. We observed stable time trends over the six-year period. Incidence rates were higher in primary care for the youngest children and in middle adulthood, but were higher in secondary care for older people. Overall, injury incidence was higher for men, but women became more injury prone with age. We only observed this gender reversal in secondary care. With the exception of fractures, all injury types were predominantly treated in primary care. Conclusions: A substantial proportion of injured patients in Norway are treated exclusively in primary care. The demographic profile of these patients differs from those treated in secondary care.
Physical-work ability and chronic musculoskeletal complaints are related to leisure-time physical activity: Cross-sectional study among manual workers aged 50–70 years
Authors: Norheim Kristoffer L. , Samani Afshin , Hjort Bønløkke Jakob , Omland Øyvind , Madeleine Pascal
Published: April 2019

Aims: To investigate the associations between both high- and low-intensity leisure-time physical activity on physical-work ability and chronic musculoskeletal complaints among manual workers aged 50–70 years. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1763 manual workers (mean age 57.1, SD ± 4.7 years) replied to questions about leisure-time physical activity, physical-work ability, chronic musculoskeletal complaints as well as health and lifestyle factors. Ordinal and binomial logistic regression models were constructed to assess the influence of the duration of both low- and high-intensity physical activity on physical-work ability and chronic musculoskeletal complaints, respectively. Models were adjusted for gender, age, smoking, alcohol intake, body mass index, physical-work demand, work experience, chronic disease and, regarding physical-work ability, also for chronic musculoskeletal complaints. Results: A statistically significant association between greater physical-work ability and high-intensity physical activity was found for workers engaged in 3–4 h/wk and ⩾ 5 h/wk (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.15–2.19 and OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.10–2.22, respectively). For both high- and low-intensity physical activity, a duration of 3–4 h/wk was associated with lower odds of reporting chronic musculoskeletal complaints in the knees (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.42–1.00 and OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.38–0.99, respectively). Conclusions: Engaging in ⩾ 3 h/wk of high-intensity leisure-time physical activity was associated with greater physical-work ability among manual workers aged 50–70 years. Both high- and low-intensity physical activity related to lower odds of having chronic musculoskeletal complaints in the knees.
Feelings, opinions and experiences of Turkish women with infertility: A qualitative study
Authors: Mete Samiye , Fata Sevcan , Aluş Tokat Merlinda
Published: April 2019

Many studies have shown that women’s experiences, feelings and opinions during their infertility treatment play an important role in treatment outcomes. This qualitative study aimed to reveal the experiences, feelings and opinions of Turkish women with infertility. The data were collected from two Internet forums between October 2016 and November 2016, and the writings of 26 women were explored. The key words “woman with infertility,” “feelings, opinion, experience and blogs” and “infertility and blogs” were browsed. The obtained data were analyzed using the method of content analysis. Those expressing feelings, opinions and experiences were underlined and codes, subthemes and themes were created by three researchers separately. Then they came together, discussed the codes and agreed on the thematic statement. The themes which emerged were psychological changes, changes in social life and changes related to treatment themes. Holistic approach and patient-specific interventions can help turn the abovementioned vicious cycle into positive.
Experimental analysis on the axial crushing and energy absorption characteristics of novel hybrid aluminium/composite-capped cylindrical tubular structures
Authors: Praveen Kumar A
Published: April 2019

In recent years, aluminium-composite hybrid tubular structures, which combine the stable and progressive plastic deformation of the aluminium metal with light-weight composite materials, are obtaining increased consideration for meeting the advanced needs of crashworthiness characteristics. This research article presents the experimental outcomes of novel aluminium/composite-capped cylindrical tubes subjected to quasi-static and impact axial loads. The influence of various capped geometries in the aluminium segment and three different fabrics of the composite segment in the cylindrical tube are investigated experimentally. The outcomes of the impact crushing test are also correlated with the quasi-static results of the proposed aluminium/composite-capped cylindrical tubes. The overall outcomes revealed that the crashworthiness characteristics of crushing force consistency and specific energy absorption of the aluminium-composite hybrid tubes are superior to those of the bare aluminium tubes. When the glass fabric/epoxy composite is wrapped to aluminium cylindrical tubes, the specific energy absorption increases about 23–30%, and the wrapping of hybrid glass/kenaf fabrics increases the specific energy absorption of almost 40–52%. Such a hybrid tubular structures would be of huge prospective to be used as effective energy-absorbing devices in aerospace and automotive applications. A further benefit of the composite-wrapping approach is that the composite might be retro-fitted to aluminium tubes, and the energy absorption capability is shown to be significantly enhanced by such utilization.
The Feasibility of Recruiting and Training Lay Leaders During Real-World Program Delivery and Scale-up: The Case of Walk With Ease
Authors: Conte Kathleen P. , Held Fabian , Pipitone Olivia , Bowman Sally
Published: April 2019

Introduction. To maximize limited resources, many health promotion programs are designed to be delivered by volunteer lay leaders. But this model poses challenges to implementation in real-world settings and barriers to successfully scaling-up programs. This study examines the current lay leader training model for Walk With Ease, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–funded evidence-based arthritis program delivered at-scale. Method. Recruited volunteers ( n = 106) opted into free online or in-person training and agreed to deliver one Walk With Ease program within the following year—only 49%, however, did. Using logistic regression models and qualitative interviews, we explored predictors of volunteer delivery. Results. Volunteers had higher odds of delivering programs if they trained online (odds ratio [OR] = 9.04, 95% confidence interval [CI: 2.30, 48.36]), previously taught health programs (OR = 15.52, 95% CI [3.51, 103.55]) or trained in the second year of implementation (OR = 27.08, 95% CI [2.63, 415.78]). Qualitative findings underscored that successful volunteers were readied by their previous health education experience. Conclusions. While online training modes appear effective to prepare experienced volunteers, lay leaders required additional support. This calls into question whether lay-led delivery models are suitable for scaling-up programs with limited resources. Given the many lay-led health interventions for chronic disease self-management, investing in common training and infrastructures for lay leader development could advance the quality and sustainability of real-world program delivery.
A Comparative Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial With Language Training in People With Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Poptsi Eleni , Lazarou Ioulietta , Markou Nefeli , Vassiloglou Maria , Nikolaidou Evdokia , Diamantidou Alexandra , Siatra Vassiliki , Karathanassi Elina , Karakostas Anastasios , Zafeiropoulou Fotini Kounti , Tsiatsos Thrasyvoulos , Tsolaki Magda
Published: April 2019

Background:

Although cognitive training is effective for people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), it is not clear which format is more effective.

Objective:

To compare the effectiveness of the same language programs when carried out via computer, paper/pencil and orally in people with MCI.

Methods:

Seventy-one participants with MCI were randomly classified in 3 experimental and 2 control groups. The experimental groups attended 48 sessions of language training for 6 months. The control groups attended either unstructured sessions or they were on waiting list.

Results:

Mixed measures analysis of variance, at the follow-up, showed a significant cognitive abilities improvement among the experimental versus control groups. At the end of the language training, the 3 groups presented improvement in cognitive abilities and daily function, while the control groups remained at the same performance level.

Conclusion:

All 3 cognitive language training methods were equally significantly effective.
Risk of Psychiatric Morbidity in Psychosexual Disorders in Male Patients: A Nationwide, Cohort Study in Taiwan
Authors: Tzeng Nian-Sheng , Yeh Hui-Wen , Chung Chi-Hsiang , Chang Hsin-An , Kao Yu-Chen , Chiang Wei-Shan , Chien Wu-Chien
Published: April 2019

This study aimed to investigate the association between males with psychosexual disorders (PSDs) and the risk of developing psychiatric disorders. A total of 34,972 enrolled patients, with 8,743 subjects who had suffered from PSD and 26,229 controls (1:3) matched for age and index year, from Taiwan’s Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) from 2000 to 2015, selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). After adjusting all the confounding factors, the multivariate Cox regression model was used to compare the risk of developing psychiatric disorders, between the PSD and non-PSD groups, during the 15 years of follow-up. Of the all enrollees, 1,113 in the PSD cohort and 2,611 in the non-PSD cohort (1,180.96 vs. 954.68 per 100,000 person-year) developed psychiatric disorders. Multivariate Cox regression model survival analysis revealed that, after adjusting for gender, age, monthly income, urbanization level, geographic region, and comorbidities, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 2.448 (95% CI [2.227, 2.633], p < .001). PSD has been associated with the increased risk in anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, sleep disorders, and psychotic disorders, respectively. Sexual dysfunctions, paraphilia, and gender identity disorders were associated with the overall psychiatric disorders with adjusted HRs as 1.990 ( p < .001), 11.622 ( p < .001), and 5.472 ( p < .001), respectively. Male patients who suffered from PSD have a higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders, and this finding should be considered as a timely reminder for the clinicians to provide much more attention for these patients because of their mental health issues.
Feature extraction and dynamic identification of driving intention adapting to multi-mode emotions
Authors: Wang Xiao-yuan , Liu Ya-qi , Xu Qing , Xia Yuan-yuan , Zhao Hai-xia , Liu Shi-jie , Han Jun-yan
Published: April 2019

Accurate identification of driving intention and reasonable control of driver’s behavior is seen as an important mean to reduce man-made traffic accidents for the intelligent vehicle. However, the intention identification processes associated with driving emotion-related impact have received very little attention. With the aim of uncovering the emotional impact on driving intention identification, the car-following condition was taken as an example, and multi-source and dynamic data of human–vehicle–environment under different driving emotional states were obtained through the experiments of emotions induction, actual driving, and virtual driving in this study. The feature extraction and dynamic identification models based on rough set theory and back-propagation artificial neural network were built to recognize driving intentions. The results showed that there were some differences in driving intention identification under different emotional modes. The differences were mainly manifested in the complexity and accuracy of intention feature vectors. The rationality and validity of the intentions feature extraction and identification models were verified by the actual driving experiments, virtual driving experiments, and interactive simulation experiments. The research results can provide theoretic basis for the emotional intelligence research of advanced vehicle, driving assist systems, and unmanned vehicles.
A control solution for closed-form mechanisms of relative manipulation based on fuzzy approach
Authors: Van Toan Nguyen , Khoi Phan Bui
Published: April 2019

Closed-form mechanisms of relative manipulation robot is an effective structure which helps to improve the accuracy and flexibility in technological processes. Unfortunately, the requirement about knowledge of exact dynamics of closed-form mechanisms of relative manipulation robot is arduous since it consists of numerous joints and links, and the identification of the kinematic relationship of closed-form structure is also complicated. This causes several shortcomings for controlling closed-form mechanisms of relative manipulation robot by using vector control algorithms because these methods require exactly dynamical equations of control systems. In contrast, the fuzzy controllers do not require knowledge of detailed mathematical equations of the control system since the fuzzy sets aim to capture the semantics of natural linguistic terms present in the fuzzy controller knowledge. Moreover, they have capability of handling uncertain and noisy signals, this helps to deal with the external environmental forces. This article proposes a fuzzy-based controller for closed-form mechanisms of relative manipulation robot to overcome mentioned problems by eliminating the identification of exact dynamics and kinematic constraints of closed-form structure. To verify the performance of the proposed method, the fuzzy-based controller is applied to a welding task by using a model of two-component mechanism which includes one closed-form manipulator and one serial manipulator. The welding task is also conducted by using conventional controllers in which the detailed dynamical equation is applied for the proportional–derivative (PD)-type and proportional integral derivative (PID)-type computed torque controllers, whereas the fuzzy-based controller just uses several nominal parameters.
An adaptive fuzzy sliding mode controller for the depth control of an underactuated underwater vehicle
Authors: Chen Yuan , Yan Yinpo , Wang Kangling , Liu Shuqi
Published: April 2019

An adaptive fuzzy sliding mode controller is proposed for the depth control of an underactuated underwater vehicle based on the state-dependent Riccati equation. An adaptive fuzzy control algorithm is embedded into the sliding mode controller to solve the buffering and mismatched uncertain problems in the robust sliding mode variable structure controller, where an auxiliary fuzzy control unit is designed to automatically adjust the scale factor of the main fuzzy controller output. Based on Lyapunov stability theory and final value bounded theorem, the stability and convergence properties of the closed-loop system are demonstrated. Numerical simulations are carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.
Why the whole is more than the sum of its parts: Salience-driven overestimation in aggregated tactile sensations
Authors: Cataldo Antonio , Ferrè Elisa Raffaella , di Pellegrino Giuseppe , Haggard Patrick
Published: April 2019

Experimental psychology often studies perception analytically, reducing its focus to minimal sensory units, such as thresholds or just noticeable differences in a single stimulus. Here, in contrast, we examine a synthetic aspect: how multiple inputs to a sensory system are aggregated into an overall percept. Participants in three experiments judged the total stimulus intensity for simultaneous electrical shocks to two digits. We tested whether the integration of component somatosensory stimuli into a total percept occurs automatically, or rather depends on the ability to consciously perceive discrepancy among components (Experiment 1), whether the discrepancy among these components influences sensitivity or/and perceptual bias in judging totals (Experiment 2), and whether the salience of each individual component stimulus affects perception of total intensity (Experiment 3). Perceptual aggregation of two simultaneous component events occurred both when participants could perceptually discriminate the two intensities, and also when they could not. Further, the actual discrepancy between the stimuli modulated both participants’ sensitivity and perceptual bias: increasing discrepancies produced a systematic and progressive overestimation of total intensity. The degree of this bias depended primarily on the salience of the stronger stimulus in the pair. Overall, our results suggest that important nonlinear mechanisms contribute to sensory aggregation. The mind aggregates component inputs into a coherent and synthetic perceptual experience in a salience-weighted fashion that is not based on simple summation of inputs.
The Strategic, Shifting Work of Market Devices: Selective Stories and Oriented Knowledge
Authors: Singer Amy E
Published: April 2019

For the producers of food products originating in the tropics, far from consumers and their local farmers’ markets, vital processes of interacting and storytelling necessarily take place in grocery store aisles and rely on food product packages as vehicles for valuable stories. As a result, specialty food entrepreneurs are dependent upon food packages—market devices—to communicate about the goods they contain in order to create symbolic value on behalf of those goods. Packaging stories thus contribute to the contextualization of products whose qualities are not inherent, but are, rather, the outcome of ongoing processes of strategic qualification. Without them and the valuable discursive details they provide, the market of singularities could not function. In this article, I read closely the textual data contained on a nearly complete collection of a case-study firm’s food packages (N=75) that represents the firm’s longitudinal attempts to tell selective, oriented stories about a variety of Indonesian food products. I find three primary types of productive labor represented in the sample of packaging stories. I further describe the emergence and disappearance of such stories and their discursive details, given the timing of the release or revision of their market devices. By redirecting analytical attention toward the origins and production of market devices—rather than on their impact on consumers—this article investigates the strategic and shifting storytelling work of specialty food entrepreneurs who gain access to cultural intermediation through their own branded market devices.
Strength of Pulvertaft modifications: tensile testing of porcine flexor tendons
Authors: Strandenes Eivind , Ellison Peter , Mølster Anders , Gjerdet Nils R. , Moldestad Irene O. , Høl Paul J.
Published: April 2019

The aim of the study was to present two new modifications of the Pulvertaft weave, allowing a higher number of weaves without the need for a longer overlap. The mechanical properties were measured and compared with the traditional technique. Forty-five pairs of porcine flexor tendons were randomized to a Pulvertaft repair with three weaves, a Double Pulvertaft and Locking Pulvertaft repairs. In the last two repairs one of the tendons in each repair was split in two before weaving. A difference in the maximum stiffness was observed between the three groups ( p = 0.024). All repairs failed by the sutures being sheared through the tendons splitting the tendon fibres longitudinally. The two modifications were both stronger than the Pulvertaft weave and provide an alternative when a strong connection is needed and a longer overlap is impossible.