bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Longitudinal Examination of Stages of Change Model Applied to Mammography Screening
Authors: Lee-Lin Frances , Nguyen Thuan , Pedhiwala Nisreen , Dieckmann Nathan F. , Menon Usha
Published: December 2015

Application of behavior change theories to ethnically diverse groups is limited. In a secondary analysis of intervention study data, we tested the validity of the transtheoretical model (TTM) of change among Chinese American immigrant women. Three hundred mammography non-adherent women were randomized to an intervention or control group. Compared with contemplators (60%), precontemplators reported higher perceived mammography barriers ( p < .001) and lower breast cancer susceptibility ( p < .01). Baseline contemplators were 1.5 times more likely to have a mammogram post intervention compared with precontemplators. Upward shift in stage of change was higher in the intervention than the control group at 3 months (odds ratio [OR] = 6.14), 6 months (OR = 4.82), and 12 months (OR = 2.85). Women with an upward shift at 3 months were more likely to complete mammography at 12 months (OR = 15.44). The results supported the TTM stages of change. Education targeted to Chinese women’s stages of change has significant potential to decrease breast cancer screening disparities.
Managing Menstruation
Authors: Kennett Deborah J. , O’Hagan Fergal T. , Meyerhoff Tanya J.
Published: December 2015

Although research has examined women’s thoughts toward menstruation, the role passive and active coping strategies play in the acceptance of menses and getting-on with daily activities remains relatively unexplored. In total, 217 undergraduate females having normal regular monthly menstrual periods completed inventories assessing severity of menstrual symptoms, cognitive and emotional representation of health state, general and specific coping strategies, and acceptance. It was found that women having a more emotionally focused representation of menstruation (passive coping style) had a heightened belief that menstruation is debilitating and bothersome and, regardless of symptom severity, scored lower in acceptance of menstruation. Conversely, women using more active strategies to cope with menstrual symptoms were observed to be more generally resourceful and to conjunctively use more palliative coping strategies. More importantly, for women experiencing high levels of menstrual discomfort, use of active coping was associated with better acceptance and getting-on with everyday activities.
Non-communicable diseases, mental ill-health
Authors: Crawford Michel A
Published: December 2015

The rise in brain disorders and mental ill-health is the most serious crisis facing the survival of humanity. Starting from an understanding of the origins of the nervous system and the brain, together with its nutritional requirements, the present direction of the food system since World War II (WWII) can be seen as departing from the biological essence of brain chemistry and its nutritional needs. Such advances in the food system would lead to epigenetic changes. Improper maternal/foetal nutrition is considered in this manner to lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes in later life. Is there any reason why the brain would not be similarly susceptible to a nutritional background departing from its specific needs? The changing food system likely bears responsibility for the rise in mental ill health that has now overtaken all other burdens of ill health. Its globalisation is threatening civil society.
Evaluation of Knee Donor and Elbow Recipient Sites for Osteochondral Autologous Transplantation Surgery in Capitellar Osteochondritis Dissecans
Authors: Vezeridis Alexander M. , Bae Donald S.
Published: December 2015

Background:

Osteochondral autologous transplantation surgery (OATS) has been advocated for treatment of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the capitellum in adolescents. However, little information is available regarding the optimal knee harvest site to match the contour and cartilage thickness of the recipient elbow lesion.

Purpose:

To characterize the capitellar anatomic structure in adolescents with and without OCD and to compare these measurements to normal adolescent knees to identify the optimal site for osteochondral graft harvest.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Twenty-one patients with OCD were analyzed. Twenty-two patients with normal elbows and 25 age-, weight-, and height-matched patients with normal knees were also identified. Cartilage radii of curvatures (ROCs) in the sagittal and coronal-axial planes were measured on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of normal capitella and 5 sites (posterior lateral femoral condyle, medial and lateral middle trochlear ridges, and medial and lateral inferior trochlear ridges) in normal knees. Differences in ROC between the knee donor and capitellar recipient sites were calculated based on a 10-mm osteochondral plug diameter.

Results:

Overall, the mean apex differences between graft and recipient sites ranged from 0.4 to 0.9 mm, and mean edge differences ranged from 0.5 to 1.4 mm in the coronal-axial dimension. Of all knee sites tested, the posterior lateral femoral condyle had average ROCs (19.1 mm sagittal; 14.1 mm axial) most like the capitellum (10.6 mm sagittal, 12.6 mm coronal-axial), resulting in minimal apex and edge differences (apex difference = −0.6 mm; coronal-axial side difference = −0.5 mm; no sagittal side difference). Of the anterior nonweightbearing sites, the inferior medial trochlear ridge (28.3 mm sagittal ROC; 13.2 mm coronal-axial ROC) demonstrated the lowest apex and side differences when compared with the capitellum (apex difference = −0.8 mm; coronal-axial side difference = −0.8 mm; no sagittal side difference). The frequently used middle lateral trochlear ridge (28.8 mm sagittal; 8.7 mm coronal-axial ROCs) had the largest side difference (apex distance = −0.8 mm; coronal-axial side difference = −1.4 mm; no sagittal side difference).

Conclusion/Clinical Relevance:

In cases where a large single-plug OATS is considered, a 10-mm plug from the anterior nonweightbearing aspect of the distal femur is calculated to result in ≤1 mm of articular incongruity at the recipient capitellum. The inferior medial trochlear ridge should be considered as a donor site for OATS procedures for OCD given its accessibility and favorable geometry.
Location-Based Fear of Crime
Authors: Luo Fei , Ren Ling , Zhao Jihong Solomon
Published: December 2015

Fear of crime has been a central issue in criminological research from the 1970s onward. The salience of geographic location in shaping individuals’ fear of crime has been well documented in the research literature. Most such research concerns neighborhood effects, but the specific location of home has been largely overlooked to date as a distinct influence. Using two waves of telephone survey data collected in Houston, TX, this study examines location-based fear of crime with respect to both neighborhood and location of one’s home. Results from a structural equation model analysis indicate that residents do distinguish between fear in the neighborhood and fear at home. Furthermore, location effects on fear of crime vary significantly across racial/ethnic groups. The importance of these findings and the policy implications that stem from them are highlighted.
Measurement Invariance of the Brief Symptom Inventory in Survivors of Torture and Trauma
Authors: Raghavan Sumithra S. , Rosenfeld Barry , Rasmussen Andrew
Published: December 2015

The United States accepts more refugees than any other industrialized nation. As refugee populations grow, mental health professionals must implement culturally and ethnically appropriate strategies to assess and treat individuals from diverse backgrounds. Culture can exert a powerful and often misunderstood influence on psychological assessment, and few structured measures have been demonstrated to have adequate cross-cultural validity for use with diverse and vulnerable populations such as survivors of torture. This study examined the factor structure and equivalency of underlying construct(s) of psychological distress as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) in three samples who had survived torture and other severe trauma from Tibet, West Africa and the Punjab region of India. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for configural invariance of a two-factor model across the three samples, suggesting that the two latent factors of Complex Dysphoria and Somatic Distress were present in each subgroup. The data provide additional support for the strict invariance model in the West African–Tibetan dyad suggesting that scores are comparable across those two groups. Implications for research and treatment are discussed.
Religious Beliefs and Public Support for Prisoner Reentry
Authors: Garland Brett , Wodahl Eric , Smith Rebecca Gretchen
Published: December 2015

The sustainability of the modern prisoner reentry movement may rest heavily upon public support. Although little is known about how public opinion toward reentry is shaped, religion is potentially a key contributor. Several studies indicate that religious perspectives affect public attitudes toward punishment and rehabilitation. The current study aims to determine whether religious beliefs contribute to support for or opposition against three distinct approaches to prisoner reentry. Using survey data obtained from a randomly selected sample of a nationally representative Midwestern state, multivariate regression models were used to examine whether feelings of religious forgiveness and belief in a punitive God affected attitudes toward transitional programming, transitional housing, and assisting post-release offenders through housing agencies. Respondents who felt greater religious forgiveness and had less belief in a punitive God more strongly supported transitional programming and transitional housing and expressed greater opposition to denying housing assistance for recently released offenders. Both advocates and opponents of reentry initiatives should consider religious beliefs when attempting to gain support for their respective positions.
From facial expressions to bodily gestures
Authors: Pichel Beatriz
Published: December 2015

This article aims to determine to what extent photographic practices in psychology, psychiatry and physiology contributed to the definition of the external bodily signs of passions and emotions in the second half of the 19th century in France. Bridging the gap between recent research in the history of emotions and photographic history, the following analyses focus on the photographic production of scientists and photographers who made significant contributions to the study of expressions and gestures, namely Duchenne de Boulogne, Charles Darwin, Paul Richer and Albert Londe. This article argues that photography became a key technology in their works due to the adequateness of the exposure time of different cameras to the duration of the bodily manifestations to be recorded, and that these uses constituted facial expressions and bodily gestures as particular objects for the scientific study.
Performance improvement of a high pressure ratio centrifugal compressor by integrated cooling
Authors: Mostafa Moosania Seyed , Zheng Xinqian
Published: December 2015

Centrifugal compressors with high pressure ratio have been widely used in small gas turbines, industrial compressors and turbochargers. High mechanical stress and high temperature of the impeller and large compression power required are the key factors that limit the pressure ratio achieved by centrifugal compressors. Cooling is an effective way to reduce the required compression power and the impeller temperature and it is widely used in gas turbines and industrial compressors. In this work, a cooling method named integrated cooling was employed in a high pressure ratio centrifugal compressor. The effects of the integrated cooling on the compressor performance were studied by three-dimensional steady simulation with conjugate heat transfer method using ANSYS CFX commercial solver. It is found that integrated cooling is capable of improving the compressor performance with respect to pressure ratio, efficiency, compression power as well as the impeller maximum temperature. With a cooling temperature of 300 K, the pressure ratio increased by 11.0% and efficiency by about 2.44% at the design condition. Besides, the maximum impeller temperature decreased by about 67 K. This considerable improvement of the compressor performance justifies the integrated cooling, which helps to advance the design of high pressure ratio centrifugal compressors.
Individual Differences in Nonsymbolic Ratio Processing Predict Symbolic Math Performance
Authors: Matthews Percival G. , Lewis Mark Rose , Hubbard Edward M.
Published: December 2015

What basic capacities lay the foundation for advanced numerical cognition? Are there basic nonsymbolic abilities that support the understanding of advanced numerical concepts, such as fractions? To date, most theories have posited that previously identified core numerical systems, such as the approximate number system (ANS), are ill-suited for learning fraction concepts. However, recent research in developmental psychology and neuroscience has revealed a ratio-processing system (RPS) that is sensitive to magnitudes of nonsymbolic ratios and may be ideally suited for supporting fraction concepts. We provide evidence for this hypothesis by showing that individual differences in RPS acuity predict performance on four measures of mathematical competence, including a university entrance exam in algebra. We suggest that the nonsymbolic RPS may support symbolic fraction understanding much as the ANS supports whole-number concepts. Thus, even abstract mathematical concepts, such as fractions, may be grounded not only in higher-order logic and language, but also in basic nonsymbolic processing abilities.
Optimal motion planning of redundant planar serial robots using a synergy-based approach of convex optimization, disjunctive programming and receding horizon
Authors: Sabbagh Novin Roya , Tale Masouleh Mehdi , Yazdani Mojtaba
Published: December 2015

This paper is focused on the optimal motion planning of redundant planar serial robots, by avoiding obstacles within its workspace. A synergy-based algorithm between convex optimization, disjunctive programming and receding horizon is proposed to the end of achieving advantages such as finding the global optimum solution and low computational time. For the purpose of the problem, different cost functions can be considered, including among others, transition time, energy usage or path length. In addition, kinematic and dynamic relations of the robots under study are expressed as constraints of the problem and since they are non-convex functions, they are approximated by convex constraints. The proposed algorithm is simulated for 3-DOF and 4-DOF redundant planar serial robots in the presence of static and dynamic obstacles using the CVX package in MATLAB and the Gurobi optimization package in the Qt Creator environment. Finally, the proposed approach is implemented on a real 4-DOF planar serial robot via the Gurobi optimization package using the C++ programming language. Results reveal that using a moving horizon is a proper and reliable method to be used for real-time purposes compared with other approaches suggested in the literature. The average computational time at each step is less than 0.3 seconds.
Educating Parents About Pediatric Research
Authors: Marceau Lisa D. , Welch Lisa C. , Pemberton Victoria L. , Pearson Gail D.
Published: December 2015

A gap in information about pediatric clinical trials exists, and parents remain uncertain about what is involved in research studies involving children. We aimed to understand parent perspectives about pediatric clinical research after viewing the online Children and Clinical Studies (CaCS) program. Using a qualitative descriptive study design, we conducted focus groups with parents and phone interviews with physicians. Three themes emerged providing approaches to improve parent’s understanding of clinical research by including strategies where parents (a) hear from parents like themselves to learn about pediatric research, (b) receive general clinical research information to complement study-specific details, and (c) are provided more information about the role of healthy child volunteers. Parents found the website a valuable tool that would help them make a decision about what it means to participate in research. This tool can assist parents, providers, and researchers by connecting general information with study-specific information.
The Relationship of Financial Pressures and Community Characteristics to Closure of Private Safety Net Clinics
Authors: Li Suhui , Dor Avi , Pines Jesse M. , Zocchi Mark S. , Hsia Renee Y.
Published: December 2015

In order to better understand what threatens vulnerable populations’ access to primary care, it is important to understand the factors associated with closing safety net clinics. This article examines how a clinic’s financial position, productivity, and community characteristics are associated with its risk of closure. We examine patterns of closures among private-run primary care clinics (PCCs) in California between 2006 and 2012. We use a discrete-time proportional hazard model to assess relative hazard ratios of covariates, and a random-effect hazard model to adjust for unobserved heterogeneity among PCCs. We find that lower net income from patient care, smaller amount of government grants, and lower productivity were associated with significantly higher risk of PCC closure. We also find that federally qualified health centers and nonfederally qualified health centers generally faced the same risk factors of closure. These results underscore the critical role of financial incentives in the long-term viability of safety net clinics.
The Artistic Process and Arts-Based Research
Authors: Blumenfeld-Jones Donald S.
Published: December 2015

Arts-based research (ABR) leverages art practice for performing inquiry. An important component of art practice is the inner life of the artist. However, in the literature, this inner life, what the author terms process, is not much discussed although method finds voice there. This distinction grounds the phenomenology presented. The phenomenology is an Husserlian–van Manen mixed account of the artistic process that, the author claims, provides a basis for performing ABR. The phenomenology is cast as a nested set of ways of awareness characterized by feeling of various sorts (Husserlian) and is accompanied by narrative renderings of the process (van Manen).
“Shades of Foreign Evil”
Authors: Shier Allie , Shor Eran
Published: December 2015

This article compares murder cases labeled “honor killings” with cases labeled “family/spousal murders” in the Canadian news media, exploring the construction of boundaries between these two practices. We conducted a systematic qualitative content analysis, examining a sample of 486 articles from three major Canadian newspapers between 2000 and 2012. Our analysis shows that “honor killings” are framed in terms of culture and ethnic background, presenting a dichotomy between South Asian/Muslim and Western values. Conversely, articles presenting cases as “family/spousal murders” tend to focus on the perpetrators’ personalities or psychological characteristics, often ignoring factors such as culture, patriarchy, honor, and shame.
Comprehensive description of deformation and fracture of solids as wave dynamics
Authors: Yoshida Sanichiro
Published: December 2015

A field theory of deformation and fracture is presented. Applying the principle of local symmetry to the law of elasticity, this theory is capable of describing elastic deformation, plastic deformation, and fracture of solids based on the same theoretical basis. Using the Lagrangian formalism, the theory derives field equations analogous to the Maxwell equations of electrodynamics. The field equations yield wave solutions that represent the spatiotemporal behaviors of the velocity and rotation fields of solids under deformation. The dynamics of elastic deformation and plastic deformation are differentiated by the form of the longitudinal force acting on a unit volume. In the field equations, this longitudinal effect acts as the source term. In the elastic dynamics, the source term represents a restoring (energy-conservative) force proportional to the displacement from the equilibrium, and in the plastic dynamics it represents an energy-dissipative force proportional to the local velocity. Both effects are interpreted as the solid’s reaction to the external load. Fracture is characterized by the final stage of deformation, where the solid loses both energy-conservative and energy-dissipative reaction mechanisms. These behaviors are observed as different forms in the wave characteristics of the dynamics. Elastic deformation is characterized by longitudinal compression waves, while plastic deformation is characterized by transverse decaying waves. In the transitional stage from the elastic to the plastic regime, a solitary wave is generated if a certain condition is satisfied. Experimental observations of solids that exhibit these wave characteristics of the deformation field are presented.
Balancing exercises: Subjectivised narratives of balance in cancer self-health
Authors: MacArtney John I
Published: December 2015

Having a ‘balanced lifestyle’ is often promoted as one way to manage the competing demands of contemporary life. For people with cancer, those demands are often multiplied, particularly when they use self-health approaches that seek to bring together an array of biomedical and complementary and alternative medicine therapies and practices. Yet, how balance is used in this complex healthcare milieu and the affects it has on experiences of illness are less well understood. In order to follow the polyphonic narratives involved, two case studies of women with breast cancer who used cancer self-health approaches were analysed. By exploring different modes of subjectivation in the case studies, balance was found to affect experiences of health in contemporary society in multiple ways. In particular, it was one way through which participants saw themselves as being able to maintain a critical engagement not just with their healthcare, but with their self and life.
Online weight-loss services and a calculative practice of slimming
Authors: Niva Mari
Published: December 2015

This study examines the slimming practice produced by Internet-based weight-loss services and their use. Drawing on theories of practice, the study analyses the script of use that is constructed by the services, and the meanings, materialities and competences that are enacted in their use. Based on 20 semi-structured interviews with women who were users of two Finnish online weight-loss services, the study concludes that the services transform food into quantitative depictions of calories and nutrition. They configure slimmers as calculative agents and slimming as a practice based on incessant recording and monitoring. For online slimmers, the services acted in the double role of a control device with a focus on calorie restriction, and a learning device used to develop a skill of healthy eating. In the latter role, online slimming was hoped to result in an internalisation of a lifestyle change that would make calculation and constant monitoring unnecessary and the services redundant for their users. The results suggest that for its practitioners, online slimming is temporary rather than long-standing, but it may and is expected to act as a mediary in establishing other practices related to healthy lifestyles.
Falling behind a jet ski: A sad end to a pleasure ride
Authors: Atlas Ilan , Jerdev Michael , Younis Johnny S , Khateeb Mohanna , Shlomo Izhar B , Nicola Adeeb
Published: December 2015

We report three cases of serious combined rectovaginal injuries, from a forceful waterjet after falling backwards with legs abducted from the back of a jet ski. In all cases, the passengers were unaware of this risk and did not wear protective clothing. In one case, massive fecal spillage to the lower and upper retropritoneum led to death within 33 h, despite laparotomy, colostomy and retroperitoneal lavage. We recommend increasing the awareness of jet ski drivers and passengers to this particular danger, using protective suits and enforcement of adequate boating regulation by the local authorities. Hospitals located near recreational boating amenities must maintain higher alertness and capability of dealing with such particular serious and complicated injuries.
The use of cricoid pressure during rapid sequence induction in trauma patients – UK and European practice compared
Authors: Gwinnutt Matthew , Gwinnutt Jennifer , Robinson David
Published: December 2015

Introduction

There is ongoing debate and conflicting evidence surrounding the place of cricoid pressure (CP) as part of a rapid sequence induction (RSI) of anaesthesia. This study investigated the current use of CP during trauma RSI and compared reported practice in the UK with the rest of Europe.

Methods

An anonymised, web-based survey was sent to all clinicians registered as European Trauma Course instructors.

Results

CP use was reported by 83.1% of UK respondents and 39.4% from the rest of Europe, with an overall reported use of 49.8%. Anaesthetists use CP less commonly (35.6%) than clinicians from other specialties (63.6%). The most common reason given for not using CP (76.7%) was a perceived lack of evidence of effectiveness.

Conclusion

Generally the use of CP appears to be in decline with only half of all clinicians reporting to use it; however it remains much more commonly used in the UK than the rest of Europe.
Internet (non-)use types and motivational access: Implications for digital inequalities research
Authors: Reisdorf Bianca C , Groselj Darja
Published: December 2015

Research into digital inequalities has shifted from a binary view of Internet use versus non-use to studying gradations in Internet use. However, this research has mostly compared categories of users only. In addition, the role of attitudes in digital inequalities has been largely overlooked. This article addresses these limitations by performing a systematic analysis of factors that distinguish low Internet users from non-users, regular users, and broad users. In addition to socio-demographic characteristics, we examine attitudinal variables. Results drawn from multinomial regressions indicate that attitudes play at least as large a role as socio-economic factors in determining the likelihood of belonging to specific (non-)user categories. This identifies positive attitudes toward technologies and the Internet as a crucial step toward Internet adoption. Hence, digital inequality research needs to consider factors other than traditional socio-economic ones to draw a complete picture.
Task Cube: A three-dimensional conceptual space of user tasks in visualization design and evaluation
Authors: Rind Alexander , Aigner Wolfgang , Wagner Markus , Miksch Silvia , Lammarsch Tim
Published: December 2015

User tasks play a pivotal role in visualization design and evaluation. However, the term ‘task’ is used ambiguously within the visualization community. In this article, we critically analyze the relevant literature and systematically compare definitions of ‘task’ and the usage of related terminology. In doing so, we identify a three-dimensional conceptual space of user tasks in visualization, referred to as the task cube, and the more precise concepts ‘objective’ and ‘action’ for tasks. We illustrate the usage of the task cube’s dimensions in an objective-driven visualization process, in different scenarios of visualization design and evaluation, and for comparing categorizations of abstract tasks. Thus, visualization researchers can better formulate their contributions which helps advance visualization as a whole.
Rawls, republicanism, and the adequacy–equity debate
Authors: Burroughs Nathan A.
Published: December 2015

In this article, I critique the foremost proponents of the adequacy and equity approaches to educational equality. I identify tensions within the adequacy approach related to positionality in education, fostering a democratic elite through higher education, and its defense of private schooling. In contrast, equity theorists are vulnerable to the leveling down critique and place too much emphasis on education as a private good. This article sketches out strategy for integrating these principles inspired by Rawls’ lexically ordered two principles of justice. Concerns about the bases of equal status as citizens can ground an adequacy standard and prevent leveling down, while a ‘level playing field’ conception for educational opportunities addresses positional competition and promotes the long-term stability of favorable background conditions. The privileging of the first principle of justice over the second also emphasizes education as a public good.
Risk for Sleep Disorder Measured During Students’ First College Semester May Predict Institutional Retention and Grade Point Average Over a 3-Year Period, With Indirect Effects Through Self-Efficacy
Authors: Gaultney Jane F.
Published: December 2015

The present study used a validated survey to assess freshmen college students’ sleep patterns and risk for sleep disorders and then examined associations with retention and grade point average (GPA) over a 3-year period. Students at risk for a sleep disorder were more likely to leave the institution over the 3-year period, although this association was weakened when covariates were added to the model. Risk for sleep disorder also predicted GPA at the end of Years 1 and 2. Indirect effects emerged through self-efficacy but not depression. When depression and self-efficacy were entered sequentially, a significant indirect effect on GPA emerged through depression followed by motivation in Year 1, but not when the order of mediators was reversed. The data suggested that risk for sleep disorders among freshmen should be considered as a possible modifiable predictor of retention and academic success and that self-efficacy might explain some indirect effects on GPA.
Pyoderma Gangrenosum in a Patient With Hereditary Spherocytosis
Authors: Kwon Hyoung Il , Paek Jun Oh , Kim Jeoung Eun , Ro Young Suck , Ko Joo Yeon
Published: December 2015

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare, relapsing cutaneous disease with 4 distinctive clinical manifestations: ulcerative, bullous, pustular, and vegetative lesions. It mainly occurs in adults and is frequently associated with systemic diseases, most commonly inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatologic disease, or hematological dyscrasias. However, there have been no previous reports of PG in a patient with hereditary spherocytosis, a common inherited hemolytic anemia. We report here a unique case of PG in a 15-year-old boy with underlying hereditary spherocytosis.
Professional Discretion and the Predictive Validity of a Juvenile Risk Assessment Instrument
Authors: McCafferty James T.
Published: December 2015

The ability for professionals to override the results of an actuarial risk assessment tool is an essential part of effective correctional risk classification; however, little is known about how this important function affects the predictive validity of these tools. Using data from a statewide sample of juveniles from Ohio, this study examined the impact of professional adjustments on the predictive validity of a juvenile risk assessment instrument. This study found that the original and adjusted risk levels were significant predictors of recidivism, but the original risk levels were stronger predictors of recidivism than the adjusted risk levels that accounted for overrides.
Building Worlds
Authors: Pellicone Anthony , Ahn June
Published: December 2015

Digital gameplay is enacted across many social platforms that can be described as affinity spaces, meaning informal learning environments where players share resources and knowledge. This article examines the ways that a young gamer stitches together several different spaces to play Minecraft. Our study focuses on the play of a single participant, collecting ethnographic data about how he enacts play across several different technologies as both a player and a server administrator. We find that Skype serves as the primary technology that enables gameplay between other spaces (e.g., building a server, playing on that server, and recording gameplay to upload onto YouTube). Relatedly, Skype’s prominence as a communication technology causes some difficulties with backgrounding personal identities during gameplay. Our findings show how everyday interactions in gaming spaces are carried out across affinity spaces and the implications that networked play has for access to the learning opportunities inherent in play.
Methods-in-Place
Authors: Barwin Lynn , Shawande Marjory , Crighton Eric , Veronis Luisa
Published: December 2015

A collaborative research project with Noojmowin Teg Health Centre on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, examined the impacts of traditional medicine workshops on participants’ perceptions of culture, health, and environment. Methods used in this research turned out to be as revealing as the results themselves. This article examines how geography and the social, physical, and affective elements of place inform research methodology and challenges the idea that qualitative methods can be applied generically irrespective of the context. While researchers reflect on the role of (social) place in influencing the research process and results, we argue that the place of research should also be taken into account to adopt and develop methodologies and data collection methods that are locally and culturally relevant. We discuss how “art voice” was a highly appropriate method in a community that has a rich history and contemporary culture of visual art. This article contributes to the growing movement toward seeking culturally relevant, community-based decolonizing methods, particularly in the context of Indigenous health research.
The effects of forward rotation of posture on computer-simulated 4-km track cycling: Implications of Union Cycliste Internationale rule 1.3.013.
Authors: Caddy Oliver , Fitton William , Symons Digby , Purnell Anthony , Gordon Dan
Published: December 2015

The aim of this research was to indicate improvements in 4-km cycling performance that may be gained as a function of reduced frontal surface area ( A) when Union Cycliste Internationale rule 1.3.013 is contravened. In 10 male cyclists age 26 ± 2 (mean ± standard deviation) years, height 180 ± 5 cm and body mass 71 ± 6 kg, entire cycling posture was rotated forward from where the nose of the saddle was 6 cm rearward of the bottom bracket spindle (P6) to 4, 2 and 0 cm (P4, P2 and P0); contravening Union Cycliste Internationale rule 1.3.013. Using computerised planimetry, A was estimated and a forward integration model was compiled to simulate 4-km track cycling end time ( T4km) when a fixed power profile was applied. At P2, there was a significant but non-meaningful reduction compared to P6 ( p < 0.05, d < 0.02). There were small but significant reductions in A and T4km between P6 and P0; −0.007 ± 0.004 m2 and −1.40 ± 0.73 s, respectively ( p < 0.001, d = −0.259). There were no significant differences between P4 and P6 for A and T4km. These results suggest that at the most forward position (P0), a small but significant increase in 4-km performance can be expected compared to the legal position (P6). Moreover, the mean difference in T4km between P6 and P0 is greater than the winning margin at the Union Cycliste Internationale 4-km pursuit world championships four times in the previous 10 years.
Utilizing “Big Data” to Improve the Hotel Sector’s Energy Efficiency
Authors: Kahn Matthew E. , Liu Peter (Peng)
Published: December 2015

Hotel chains have access to a treasure trove of “big data” on individual hotels’ monthly electricity and water consumption. Benchmarked comparisons of hotels within a specific chain create the opportunity to cost-effectively improve the environmental performance of specific hotels. This paper describes a simple approach for using such data to achieve the joint goals of reducing operating expenditure and achieving broad sustainability goals. In recent years, energy economists have used such “big data” to generate insights about the energy consumption of the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Lessons from these studies are directly applicable for the hotel sector. A hotel’s administrative data provide a “laboratory” for conducting random control trials to establish what works in enhancing hotel energy efficiency.
From garamut to mobile phone: Communication change in rural Papua New Guinea
Authors: Watson Amanda H A , Duffield Lee R
Published: December 2015

This article presents the attitudinal response of rural villagers in Papua New Guinea to mobile telephony, based on a threshold study made during the early stages of its adoption. The research indicates that the introduction of mobile telecommunications has generally been viewed positively, with mobile phones affording social interaction with loved ones. Nonetheless, negative concerns have been strongly felt, notably financial costs and anxiety about mobile phones aiding in the coordination of extramarital liaisons and criminal activities. The communities investigated previously had scant access to modern communication technologies, some still using traditional means such as wooden slit drums, known locally as garamuts. The expansion of mobile network coverage has introduced into communal village life the capability to communicate dyadically and privately at a distance. Investigation into the adoption of mobile phones thus promotes understanding about traditional means of communication and notions of public and private interactions.
Resection of Intrapericardial Rhabdomyosarcoma in a Child
Authors: Mongé Michael C. , Walterhouse David O. , Kalapurakal John A. , Rigsby Cynthia K. , Backer Carl L.
Published: December 2015

We describe successful surgical resection of an intrapericardial rhabdomyosarcoma, which was accomplished with the aid of cardiopulmonary bypass, in a three-year-old girl. The patient completed adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and has no evidence of disease at one-year follow-up.
Vasopressin After the Fontan Operation
Authors: Kumar T. K. Susheel , Kashyap Pooja , Figueroa Mayte , Zurakowski David , Allen Jerry , Ballweg Jean A. , Sathanandam Shyam , Ali Mohammed , Knott-Craig Christopher J.
Published: December 2015

Background:

Prolonged pleural effusion following Fontan operation is common and increases morbidity and hospital length of stay. Vasopressin (VP), a neurohypophysial hormone, has numerous effects on the cardiovascular system. The most notable is increased peripheral vascular resistance, but it may also reduce capillary leakage by tightening endothelial intercellular junctions and reducing capillary hydrostatic pressure We reviewed our experience with the perioperative administration of VP following Fontan operation.

Methods:

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 62 consecutive patients who underwent Fontan operation from January 2004 to June 2014. In January 2010, VP was introduced as part of the standard perioperative management of patients undergoing Fontan operation at our center. For this retrospective observational study, patients were grouped according to the use (VP; N = 40) or nonuse (non-VP; N = 22) of VP (0.3-0.5 mU/kg/min) in the perioperative period. The primary end point analyzed was chest tube output. Secondary end points analyzed included fluid balance and length of hospital stay, with groups compared using Mann-Whitney U test.

Results:

There was no hospital mortality. Median total chest tube output was 22 mL/kg in the VP group and 68 mL/kg in the non-VP group ( P < .001). The median total duration of chest tube indwelling time was five days in the VP group and was 11 days in the non-VP group ( P < .001). Median fluid balance on first postoperative day was 13 and 38 mL/kg, respectively ( P < .001). Median hospital stay for VP and non-VP groups was 9 and 16 days, respectively ( P = .002).

Conclusions:

The more recent group of patients undergoing Fontan operations, all of whom received VP perioperatively, had less chest tube output and shorter duration of chest tube drainage after the Fontan operation relative to the earlier patient group whose perioperative management did not include VP. They also experienced less positive fluid balance in the early postoperative period and shorter hospital length of stay than the patients from the earlier era.
Novel Pulmonary Artery Reduction Plasty for Pulmonary Artery Aneurysm With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Shin Hong Ju , Suh Young Joo
Published: December 2015

We present the case of a 60-year-old female with pulmonary artery aneurysm (PAA) associated with an atrial septal defect and pulmonary arterial hypertension. There is no standard therapeutic approach for PAA at the present time. We performed a novel surgical repair of a 67-mm PAA consisting of internal plication of the pulmonary artery to reduce the diameter and approximation of remnant unfolding pulmonary artery to reinforce the stability of the pulmonary artery and prevent bleeding.
Low Rates of Genetic Testing in Children With Developmental Delays, Intellectual Disability, and Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Peabody John , DeMaria Lisa , Tamandong-LaChica Diana , Florentino Jhiedon , Acelajado Maria Czarina , Burgon Trever
Published: December 2015

To explore the routine and effective use of genetic testing for patients with intellectual disability and developmental delay (ID/DD), we conducted a prospective, randomized observational study of 231 general pediatricians (40%) and specialists (60%), using simulated patients with 9 rare pediatric genetic illnesses. Participants cared for 3 randomly assigned simulated patients, and care responses were scored against explicit evidence-based criteria. Scores were calculated as a percentage of criteria completed. Care varied widely, with a median overall score of 44.7% and interquartile range of 36.6% to 53.7%. Diagnostic accuracy was low: 27.4% of physicians identified the correct primary diagnosis. Physicians ordered chromosomal microarray analysis in 55.7% of cases. Specific gene sequence testing was used in 1.4% to 30.3% of cases. This study demonstrates that genetic testing is underutilized, even for widely available tests. Further efforts to educate physicians on the clinical utility of genetic testing may improve diagnosis and care in these patients.
Temperature and tortuosity effect on gas migration in a high-level waste disposal tunnel
Authors: Justinavicius D. , Poskas P.
Published: December 2015

Corrosion of steel canisters, disposed of in a repository for high-level waste (HLW), leads to generation of hydrogen gas for a long period after the repository's closure. The accumulation of hydrogen gas may lead to significant desaturation and unacceptable build-up of pressure in the backfilled disposal tunnels if the gas cannot escape through the low-permeability host rock. Consequently, the investigation of gas migration is of high relevance in the assessment of the repository's performance.

In this paper, the results of numerical investigations on gas migration performed using the computer code TOUGH2 (USA) are presented. The objective was to investigate migration of gas generated in a single disposal tunnel of a conceptual geological repository in a clay formation, which was suggested for benchmark studies in the European Commission project FORGE (Fate Of Repository GasEs). The analysis was focused on evaluation of the impact of an initial temperature in the repository and of different tortuosity models on gas migration. It was revealed that gas migration results were dependent on tortuosity model, while temperature variation in the repository had minor impact.
Herbert's Quarry, South Wales – an analogue for host-rock alteration at a cementitious radioactive waste repository?
Authors: Moyce Elizabeth B. A. , Milodowski Antoni E. , Morris Katherine , Shaw Samuel
Published: December 2015

Cement in radioactive waste repositories will produce leachates of pH > 10 which may alter the host rock, affecting its ability to act as a barrier to radionuclide migration. To complement the many laboratory and modelling studies of rock alteration in cement leachates, analogue sites have been investigated to understand reactions at time scales relevant to geodisposal. However, analogue site histories may be poorly constrained and these systems may be influenced by site specific factors. Therefore increasing the number of sites studied is important to minimize uncertainty in the applicability of results. Herbert's Quarry has been characterized and assessed as a potential anthropogenic analogue. Streamwater sampling at the site identified Ca-rich fluids, ≤ pH 12, analogous to cement leachates. However, rock and sediment samples exhibited extensive CaCO3 precipitation in these fluids and no reaction of silicate rock. The streamwaters were also found to be oxidizing, unlike the reducing conditions expected at a repository, and temperatures were 15–25°C below those predicted for repositories. Therefore, Herbert's Quarry is believed to have limited applicability as an analogue in this context.
Microbial degradation of isosaccharinic acid under conditions representative for the far field of radioactive waste disposal facilities
Authors: Kuippers Gina , Bassil Naji Milad , Boothman Christopher , Bryan Nicholas , Lloyd Jonathan R.
Published: December 2015

It is UK Government policy to dispose of higher activity radioactive waste through geological disposal into an engineered deep underground geological disposal facility (GDF; DECC, 2014). Those wastes include low-level (LLW) and intermediate-level (ILW) radioactive wastes that are very heterogeneous, containing a range of inorganic and organic materials, the latter including cellulosic items. After closure of the GDF, eventual resaturation with groundwater is expected, resulting in the development of a hyperalkaline environment due to the proposed use of a cementitious backfill. Under these high-pH conditions, cellulose is unstable and will be degraded chemically, forming a range of water-soluble, low molecular weight compounds, of which the most abundant is isosaccharinic acid (ISA). As ISA is known to form stable soluble complexes with a range of radionuclides, thereby increasing the chance of radionuclide transport, the impact of microbial metabolism on this organic substrate was investigated to help determine the role of microorganisms in moderating the transport of radionuclides from a cementitious GDF. Anaerobic biodegradation of ISA has been studied recently in high-pH cementitious ILW systems, but less work has been done under anaerobic conditions at circumneutral conditions, more representative of the geosphere surrounding a GDF. Here we report the fate of ISA in circumneutral microcosms poised under aerobic and anaerobic conditions; the latter with nitrate, Fe(III) or sulfate added as electron acceptors. Data are presented confirming the metabolism of ISA under these conditions, including the direct oxidation of ISA under aerobic and nitrate-reducing conditions and the fermentation of ISA to acetate, propionate and butyrate prior to utilization of these acids during Fe(III) and sulfate reduction. The microbial communities associated with these processes were characterized using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. Methane production was also quantified in these experiments, and the added electron acceptors were shown to play a significant role in minimizing methanogenesis from ISA and its breakdown products.