bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Motion-Based Prediction Is Sufficient to Solve the Aperture Problem
Authors: Perrinet Laurent U. , Masson Guillaume S.
Published: June 2012

In low-level sensory systems, it is still unclear how the noisy information collected locally by neurons may give rise to a coherent global percept. This is well demonstrated for the detection of motion in the aperture problem: as luminance of an elongated line is symmetrical along its axis, tangential velocity is ambiguous when measured locally. Here, we develop the hypothesis that motion-based predictive coding is sufficient to infer global motion. Our implementation is based on a context-dependent diffusion of a probabilistic representation of motion. We observe in simulations a progressive solution to the aperture problem similar to physio-logy and behavior. We demonstrate that this solution is the result of two underlying mechanisms. First, we demonstrate the formation of a tracking behavior favoring temporally coherent features independent of their texture. Second, we observe that incoherent features are explained away, while coherent information diffuses progressively to the global scale. Most previous models included ad hoc mechanisms such as end-stopped cells or a selection layer to track specific luminance-based features as necessary conditions to solve the aperture problem. Here, we have proved that motion-based predictive coding, as it is implemented in this functional model, is sufficient to solve the aperture problem. This solution may give insights into the role of prediction underlying a large class of sensory computations.
Space–Time Spectral Analysis of the Southern Hemisphere Daily 500-hPa Geopotential Height
Authors: Sun Cheng , Li Jianping
Published: June 2012

In this paper the authors use the NCEP–Department of Energy (DOE) Reanalysis 2 (NCEP2) data from 1979 to 2004 to expand the daily 500-hPa geopotential height in the Southern Hemisphere (SH, 90°–20°S) into a double Fourier series, and analyze the temporal frequency characteristics of the expansion coefficients over various spatial scales. For the daily series over the whole year, the coefficient series of the extratropical-mean height is characterized by a significant low-frequency (10–30 day) variation. For zonal waves with (k, l) = (1–5, 1), where k and l are the zonal and meridional wavenumbers, respectively, the low-frequency variability is most pronounced for zonal wavenumbers 3 and 4; while the short wave with zonal wavenumber 5 has significant high-frequency (4–8 day) variability. For meridional waves with (k, l) = (0, 2–6), the meridional dipole (l = 2) makes a major contribution to the low-frequency variability, consistent with the intraseasonal space–time features of the southern annular mode (SAM). The meridional tripole (l = 3) also exhibits low-frequency variability. For two-dimensional waves (k, l) = (1–5, 2–6), the dipole is a preferred meridional structure for intraseasonal modes with large zonal scales, indicating an out-of-phase relationship between low-frequency planetary-scale waves at mid- and high latitudes. The diagnostic results outlined above can be explained, to a certain extent, by the dispersion relation for Rossby waves. Theoretical analysis indicates that zonal wavenumber 3, zonally symmetric flow such as SAM, and planetary-scale waves with meridional dipole structures may be interpreted as low-frequency eigenmodes of the atmosphere.
Urinary Sodium to Creatinine Ratio in Healthy Infants
Authors: Mann Michelle , Waz Wayne , Poupoulos James , Kadle Rohini , Korn Ariella , Vaughan Russell , Borowitz Drucy
Published: June 2012

Rationale

Sodium is essential for adequate growth; the daily requirement in infants is 2 to 3 mmol/kg/d.

Objectives

The study aimed to establish a reference range for the ratio of urinary sodium (UNa) to creatinine (UCr) in healthy infants in a suburban setting in the United States.

Methods

UNa and UCr were measured in healthy infants and UNa:UCr was calculated. Daily sodium intake was estimated by parental report.

Results

Mean estimated sodium intake in the 71 infants was 1.34 mEq/kg/d (95% confidence interval = 1.23-1.44). The mean UNa:UCr was 11.73 (95% confidence interval = 10.24-13.23) and did not differ significantly in age-groups. There was no direct correlation between sodium intake and UNa:UCr in healthy infants.

Conclusions

The UNa:UCr was 11.73 in this population of healthy infants. This likely reflects the appropriate physiologic response to sodium intake in the study population, which was at the lower end of the usual estimated needs for infants.
Incidental Findings on Computed Tomography Scans in Children With Mild Head Trauma
Authors: Ortega Henry W. , Vander Velden Heidi , Reid Samuel
Published: June 2012

Background

Computed tomography (CT) scans are frequently used in managing traumatic brain injuries in children.

Objective

To assess incidental findings in children with head trauma undergoing CT scan and to describe any associated clinical ramifications.

Materials and methods

Retrospective review of 524 children treated in 2 emergency departments for closed head injury who received a CT scan.

Results

Overall, 137 (26.2%) patients had an incidental finding on CT scan. The most common incidental finding was sinus opacification with an air fluid level (115/137, 83.9%). Thirty-five interventions were reported in children with incidental findings. Children 2 years old or younger were more likely to receive a prescription for antibiotics (relative risk [RR] = 2.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08-6.51) and be referred to a specialist (RR = 10.26, 95% CI = 3.56-29.56) than older children.

Conclusion

Incidental findings in minor head trauma are common. Clinicians should be prepared to address these findings if clinically indicated.
The Association of Black Psychologists
Authors: Obasi Ezemenari M. , Speight Suzette L. , Rowe Daryl M. , Clark Le Ondra , Turner-Essel Laura
Published: June 2012

The Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) was founded on September 2, 1968, in San Francisco, California, in response to the American Psychological Association’s failure to address the mental health needs of the Black community. This revolutionary idea was borne out of the efforts of Black early career psychologists and student activists from across the United States. ABPsi, as the first national ethnic psychological association, has led the field of psychology in the areas of racial/ethnic identity, cultural psychology, multicultural competencies, positive psychology, and social justice. ABPsi publishes a peer-reviewed journal ( Journal of Black Psychology) and a quarterly newsletter ( Psych Discourse). More recently, ABPsi has established a licensing, certification, and proficiency program in African-centered Black psychology. A brief history of ABPsi and its relationship to the field of counseling psychology is discussed.
‘Everyone Must Give’: Explaining the Spread and Persistence of Bridegroom Price among the Poor in Rural Telangana, India
Authors: Jakimow Tanya
Published: June 2012

Bridegroom price is extracting a heavy toll on the poor in rural Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, India. Poor households are becoming indebted and losing assets to pay the increasing amounts demanded by grooms at the time of their daughters’ weddings. Bridegroom price is a relatively recent phenomenon in the area, first practiced amongst scheduled and backward caste groups less than two decades ago. This article draws upon practice theory and cultural neo-institutionalism to offer an alternative explanation for the emergence and persistence of bridegroom price as a time, space and socially specific institution. Using empirical material from in-depth qualitative interviews in two villages in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh in 2010, it suggests that bridegroom price emerged as a result of shifts in the subjectivities of low-caste men, and in particular the evaluation of the self in relation to the social whole. The article seeks to contribute to existing explanations for bridegroom price and dowry, while also arguing that theoretically informed approaches are necessary in order to develop effective measures to combat these institutions.
Mechanical properties of polypropylene composites filled with the straw of oilseed rape infested by the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Authors: Paukszta Dominik , Jedryczka Malgorzata , Binkiewicz Michal
Published: June 2012

Considerable quantities of residual oilseed rape straw are available as lignocellulosic fillers in composites of thermoplastic polymers. Composites manufactured from polypropylene filled with crushed oilseed rape straw have favourable mechanical properties and increased sound absorption. Unfortunately, the straw of oilseed rape is frequently infested with the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, which causes sclerotinia stem rot. In studies carried out so far no attempts have been made to investigate effects of colonising microbes on the suitability of plants as a source of lignocellulose. The aim of this paper was to compare mechanical properties of polypropylene composites containing straw of oilseed rape with and without plant infestation by S. sclerotiorum. In order to obtain composites, parenchyma was removed from oilseed rape straw, which was subsequently ground to 1–2 mm sized particles and then, the technique of extrusion and injection moulding was employed with the addition of 30% of infested plant material using two winter oilseed rape ( Brassica napus L.) cultivars of different genetic backgrounds and plant growing habits. The following parameters were determined: maximal tensile strength, elongation at maximal strain, strength and elongation at rupture, strain at plasticity limit 0.2%, Young modulus, Izod impact strength as well as Brinell’s impact test. The performed investigations revealed that composites with the addition of the straw of oilseed rape infested with S. sclerotiorum had mechanical parameters comparable to those recorded in samples filled with healthy lignocellulosic material. It allows the application of plant fillers without the necessity of selection of straw obtained in field conditions.
Past-Tense Morphology and Phonological Deficits in Children With Dyslexia and Children With Language Impairment
Authors: Robertson Erin K. , Joanisse Marc F. , Desroches Amy S. , Terry Alexandra
Published: June 2012

The authors investigated past-tense morphology problems in children with dyslexia compared to those classically observed in children with oral language impairment (LI). Children were tested on a past-tense elicitation task involving regulars ( look-looked), irregulars ( take-took), and nonwords ( murn-murned). Phonological skills were also assessed, using tests of nonsense word reading and phoneme elision. Analyses focused on whether children with dyslexia and LI showed overlapping patterns of morphological and phonological difficulties compared to controls with typical reading and language levels. Both the groups with LI and dyslexia had difficulty generating past tenses overall, although the deficit was less pronounced in dyslexia. Both groups also showed similar problems with phonological processing. The results have important implications for the theory that both language and reading problems involve oral language processing deficits. Specifically, our data support the theory that the phonological deficits observed in both dyslexia and LI are related to deficits in morphological processing. However, some important differences between dyslexia and LI are also discussed.
Social Class and School Music
Authors: Bates Vincent C.
Published: June 2012

This article takes a practical look at social class in school music by exploring the manifestations and impact of three of its dimensions: financial resources, cultural practices, and social networks. Three suggestions are discussed: provide a free and equal music education for all students, understand and respect each student’s cultural background, recognize the social forces that perpetuate poverty.
Social Justice and Music Education
Authors: Allsup Randall Everett , Shieh Eric
Published: June 2012

At the heart of teaching others is the moral imperative to care. Social justice education begins with adopting a disposition to perceive and then act against indecencies and injustices. Teachers are public figures entrusted by a democratic society to act in the best interests of the children in their care. Music educators must embrace this social contract by “going public” or “coming out”—reaching beyond incomplete musical engagements and into larger and more intertwined social, artistic, and political domains. The authors refer to this stance as a public music pedagogy.
Missing Faces from the Orchestra
Authors: DeLorenzo Lisa C.
Published: June 2012

There is a surprising lack of black and Latino musicians in major orchestras in the United States as well as in other venues for classical music. Similarly, many American high school performing ensembles reflect the same underrepresentation. This article examines the literature on race, socioeconomic factors, and urban teaching and provides suggestions for active intervention on the part of music teachers.
Music Education behind Bars
Authors: Abrahams Frank , Rowland Miranda M. , Kohler Kristian C.
Published: June 2012

This article describes a music program in a prison where two preservice music education majors conduct a choir of the inmates. The mission of the choir, framed in the context of social justice, is to move beyond barriers to create communities of hope that restore, enlighten, and transform lives through music. It is an outlet for the inmates to express themselves, to be in touch with their innate creativity, and through their singing to create something beautiful for which they can feel pride. Concurrently, the preservice music teachers come to view music not as a subject to be studied but as a powerful agent of change. At the prison, music opens a space where voices and visions can be encouraged, valued, expressed, and heard. They learn that honoring the musics of those in the group is consistent with community music practice and social justice themes. In addition, they grew spiritually as human beings and view music teaching as collaboration where they not only teach their students but learn from them all.
Crime Pays
Authors: Hutcherson Donald T.
Published: June 2012

This study draws on theories of stigma, social and human capital, and opportunity structure to assess the role of prior incarceration on illegal earnings. Tobit regression models are estimated for young adult ex-offenders and nonoffenders using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth for 1997 to 2005. The findings reveal that individuals with an incarceration history earn significantly higher annual illegal earnings than those who do not have such a history. This is true net a variety of predictors of illegal income, including race and ethnicity. The current research indicates that spending significant time in jail or prison may force the ex-incarcerated into illegal opportunity structures to obtain income.
Is Private Time Quality Time? A National Private–Public Comparison of Prison Quality
Authors: Makarios Matthew D. , Maahs Jeff
Published: June 2012

The prison privatization debate has thus far formed around both normative and empirical frameworks. Although not denying the importance of the debate over whether private prisons should exist, the fact that privatization has occurred necessitates empirical examination. We, therefore, use census of federal and state correctional facilities data to compare the quality of confinement across federal, state, and private prisons. After controlling for important institutional differences, we find that across many of the domains of quality, public and private prisons are similar. Public and private prisons did differ on some measures. Private prisons experienced less crowding than either state or federal prisons. Conversely, federal prisons scored higher on measures of activity (work, treatment, education) than privately run institutions.
Incentives for Offender Research Participation Are Both Ethical and Practical
Authors: Hanson R. Karl , Letourneau Elizabeth J. , Olver Mark E. , Wilson Robin J. , Miner Michael H.
Published: June 2012

There is little consistency in policies concerning incentives for offenders to participate in research. With nonoffenders, incentives are routine; in contrast, many jurisdictions and granting agencies prohibit offenders from receiving any external benefits. The reasons for this prohibition are unclear. Consequently, the authors reviewed the ethical and practical concerns with providing incentives to offenders. They conclude that there are no ethical principles that would justify categorically denying incentives for offenders. Research with offenders, however, presents unique practical concerns that need to be considered when determining the magnitude and form of the incentives. In general, the incentives should not be so large as to compel participation of a vulnerable population or to undermine the goals of punishment and deterrence. The authors propose that incentives for offenders should be routinely permitted, provided that they are no larger than the rewards typically available for other socially valued activities (e.g., inmate pay, minimum wage).
Fatigue in Women With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Fritschi Cynthia , Quinn Laurie , Hacker Eileen D. , Penckofer Sue M. , Wang Edward , Foreman Marquis , Ferrans Carol E.
Published: June 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between fatigue and physiological, psychological, and lifestyle phenomena in women with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in order to establish the magnitude and correlates of fatigue in women with T2DM and explore the interrelationships between fatigue and specific diabetes-related factors that may be associated with increased levels of fatigue. These factors included physiological factors (glucose control, diabetes symptoms), psychological factors (diabetes emotional distress, depressive symptoms in general), and lifestyle factors (body mass index, physical activity).

Methods

A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used. Women who reported conditions known to cause fatigue were excluded. Physiological measures included fasting blood glucose (FBG), hemoglobin A1C (A1C), glucose variability, and body mass index (BMI). Women completed questionnaires about health, fatigue levels, diabetes symptoms, diabetes emotional distress, depressive symptoms, physical activity, and current diabetes self-care practices. A subset of the women wore a Medtronic Gold CGM sensor for 3 days for assessment of glucose variability.

Results

Eighty-three women aged 40 to 65 years with T2DM completed the study. Fatigue was significantly related to diabetes symptoms, diabetes emotional distress, depressive symptoms, higher BMI, and reduced physical activity. There was no relationship between fatigue and FBG or A1C. The strongest explanatory factors for fatigue were diabetes symptoms, depressive symptoms, and BMI, which accounted for 48% of the variance in fatigue scores. Glucose variability was not significantly associated with fatigue in these women.

Conclusions

Fatigue is a persistent clinical complaint among women with T2DM and may signal the presence of physiological, psychological, and lifestyle-related phenomena that could undermine diabetes health outcomes.
Friendship standards: The dimensions of ideal expectations
Authors: Hall Jeffrey A.
Published: June 2012

This multi-study investigation identified and confirmed the factor structure of ideal friendship standards. Study 1 ( N = 307) conducted an exploratory factor analysis on 30 existing subscales of friendship expectations. Study 2 ( N = 401) reduced 181 items from past subscales and single-item measures of friendship expectations to 51 items measuring six factors. Study 3 ( N = 668) used an international internet sample to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis on the six factor model. Samples from studies 2 and 3 were combined and factorial invariance was demonstrated by sample, by participant sex, and by age. The six factors of expectations (i.e., symmetrical reciprocity, agency, enjoyment, instrumental aid, similarity, and communion) constitute the ideal standards of friendship.
Prayer and satisfaction with sacrifice in close relationships
Authors: Lambert Nathaniel M. , Fincham Frank D. , Stanley Scott
Published: June 2012

Three studies document the effect of prayer on satisfaction with sacrifice in close relationships. Study 1 ( n = 771) demonstrated that prayer for partner predicted later satisfaction with sacrifice. In Study 2 couples discussed a disagreement and then prayed or engaged in a control activity. Praying increased satisfaction with sacrifice, couple identity and emergent goals, both of which mediated the relationship between prayer for partner and sacrifice. Study 3 ( n = 37) showed that objective observers rated those who were randomly assigned to pray for a partner over a four-week period as being more satisfied with sacrifice than those who daily engaged in positive thoughts about their partner.
Outward bound: transnational capitalism in China
Authors: Harris Jerry
Published: June 2012

This article explores the development of statist transnational capitalism in China by examining the economic activity of large state-owned economic units in energy, finance and manufacturing and their relationship to other transnational capitalists through links in foreign direct investment, joint ventures and stock investments. It also analyses the divisions within China between the neoliberal export sector and the neo-Keynesian transnational fraction that advocates higher wages and more internal consumption, and how this links to other fractions of the transnational capitalist class globally.
‘Missionaries of the new era’: neoliberalism and NGOs in Palestine
Authors: Merz Sibille
Published: June 2012

This article explores the effects of the neoliberal development paradigm on the restructuring of social formations through the external funding and promotion of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Palestine, 1 and more precisely in the West Bank towns of Ramallah and al-Bireh; they are the ‘missionaries of the new era’. 2 It argues that neoliberal rationality aims at transforming societies and subjectivities around the notion of enterprise and weakens the collective national resistance movement.
De-provincialising police violence: on the recent events at UC Davis
Authors: Rodríguez Dylan
Published: June 2012

On 18 November 2011, students at the University of California, Davis staged a protest as part of the Occupy movement. The reaction of the on-site police force was heavy-handed, and images of an officer pepper-spraying the faces of peacefully protesting college students provoked widespread criticism of the police’s repression of non-violent dissent. However, this reaction, the author argues, betrays a deeper racism in the consciousness of the US Left; while this particular scene of policing has provoked liberal anger, it has been isolated from the historical conditions that enabled it. The very similar policing of African Americans is excluded from the narrative of state violence, taking for granted the fundamentally racist structure of US policing. Is it possible, asks the author, that the critical response to events at UC Davis is actually condoning this racist structure rather than challenging it?
Four days in August: the UK riots
Authors: Bridges Lee
Published: June 2012

In August 2011, England experienced widespread public disorders in sixty-six locations following a protest at the shooting dead of a black man in north London by the police. The author examines, inter alia, reports from the Metropolitan Police Service, academics Steve Reicher and Cliff Stott, Tottenham MP David Lammy, the Guardian/London School of Economics, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Ministry of Justice to analyse the riots in London and other cities. He looks at the shooting of Mark Duggan, the immediate trigger, the riots’ deeper causes and the arrests that followed. Instead of a formal inquiry, the government set up the Riots Communities and Victims Panel, which has now reported, blaming the breakdown of families and lack of character in the young, rather than structural issues. While it asks for the community to work out, with the police, ways to reduce the impact of stop and search, the Metropolitan Police Service asks that stops be linked to its intelligence gathering; a sure way, argues the author, not to deal with the alienation of the young.
The role of the neurovascular scalp structures in migraine
Authors: Cianchetti Carlo
Published: June 2012

Aim

To review reports suggesting a role for neurovascular scalp structures in migraine.

Main data reported

(A) Scalp periarterial nervous fibres contain all the main peptides and receptors involved in pain. (B) It is possible to interrupt or alleviate migraine pain with a prolonged compression of the main scalp arteries, which decreases blood flow through the pain-sensitized vessels and probably induces a temporary conduction block of periarterial nociceptive fibres. (C) Painful points are present on the scalp arteries of a considerable percentage of migraine sufferers. (D) It is possible to stop or alleviate pain by intervening on nociceptive periarterial fibres, as for example with the injection of lidocaine or 3–5 ml saline, and with percutaneous application of a capsaicin cream.

Conclusion

The data reported suggest a role for neurovascular scalp structures in at least some patients with migraine. It would be of interest to find a clinical distinction between patients according to the prevalence of an intracranial or extracranial peripheral pain mechanism. This could lead to more efficacious treatments.
Prostaglandin E2 induces immediate migraine-like attack in migraine patients without aura
Authors: Antonova Maria , Wienecke Troels , Olesen Jes , Ashina Messoud
Published: June 2012

Background: Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) has been suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of migraine. In the present experiment we investigated if an intravenous infusion of PGE2 would induce migraine-like attacks in patients with migraine.

Methods: Twelve patients with migraine without aura were randomly allocated to receive 0.4 µg/kg/min PGE2 (Prostin®E2, dinoprostone) or placebo over 25 minutes in a two-way, crossover study. Headache intensity was recorded on a verbal rating scale, middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity (VMCA) was measured by transcranial Doppler (TCD) and diameter of the superficial temporal artery (STA) was obtained by c-series scan (Dermascan C).

Results: In total, nine migraine patients (75%) experienced migraine-like attacks after PGE2 compared to none after placebo ( p = 0.004). Seven out of 9 (58%) patients reported the migraine-like attacks during the immediate phase (0–90 min) ( p = 0.016). Only two patients experienced the delayed migraine-like attacks several hours after the PGE2 infusion stop ( p = 0.500). The VMCA decreased during the PGE2 infusion ( p = 0.005) but there was no significant dilatation of the STA ( p = 0.850).

Conclusion: The migraine-like attacks during, and immediately after, the PGE2 infusion contrast with those found in previous provocation studies, in which the other pharmacological compounds triggered the delayed migraine-like attacks several hours after the infusion. We suggest that PGE2 may be one of the important final products involved in the generation of migraine attacks.
The Open Abdomen
Authors: Friese Randall S.
Published: June 2012

The use of the “open abdomen” as a technique in the management of the complex surgical patient stems from the concept of damage control. Damage control principles underscore the importance of an abbreviated laparotomy focused on control of hemorrhage and gastrointestinal contamination in patients presenting with significant physiologic compromise. Definitive repair of injuries is postponed and the abdomen is temporarily “closed” using one of a number of different techniques. The ultimate goal is formal abdominal fascial closure within 48–72 hours of the initial laparotomy. Frequently, daily trips to the operating room are required for incremental closure of the abdominal fascia. However, in some cases, fascial closure is not possible secondary to ongoing visceral edema and loss of the peritoneal domain. In these cases, the patient is left with an “open abdomen” until skin grafting over the exposed peritoneal organs can be performed. Patients with an open abdomen have peritoneal contents exposed to the atmosphere and require a complex dressing to maintain fascial domain and provide protection to exposed organs. These patients are typically critically ill and managed in the intensive care unit early in the disease process. The open abdomen has become an important tool for the management of physiologically unstable patients requiring emergent abdominal surgical procedures. These patients present unique challenges to the critical care and nutrition support teams. Careful attention to fluid and electrolyte management, meticulous wound care, prevention of enteroatmospheric fistula, and individualized nutrition support therapy are essential to successful recovery in this patient population.
The Six Dimensions of Wellness and Cognition in Aging Adults
Authors: Strout Kelley Ann , Howard Elizabeth P.
Published: June 2012

Objective: Examine how wellness in six dimensions (occupational, social, intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual) protects cognition in aging adults. Background: cognitive impairment increases with age. Baby boomers represent a significant percent of the population at risk for cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment has a negative impact on nursing resources, health care finances, patient mortality, and quality of life. Wellness and prevention is one focus of Institute of Medicine’s vision for the future of nursing. Method: Literature was retrieved from Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and MEDLINE. Research that examined the affect of wellness in each of the six dimensions on cognition in older adults was included. Results: One or more of the following may protect cognition in aging: midlife occupation complexity, marriage, social networks, formal education, intellectual activities, physical activity, healthy nutrition, motivational ability, purpose in life, and spirituality. Conclusion: Wellness in one or more of the six dimensions may protect cognition in aging. The cognitive protective benefits may increase when wellness in more than one dimension is demonstrated. High wellness in one dimension may protect cognition by compensating for low wellness in another dimension. The interconnectedness of each of the dimensions signifies the importance of evaluating older adults holistically. Wellness throughout the life span may result in improved cognition in aging. Application: Future research is needed to examine the relationship between the six dimensions of wellness and cognition, and to determine if one dimension of wellness is a significant predictor of cognitive health in aging adults.
“I’m Just Not That Sick”
Authors: Monsivais Diane B. , Engebretson Joan C.
Published: June 2012

Purpose: To describe the beliefs and attitudes about self-identity and pain medication in a sample of Mexican American women with chronic pain living in the El Paso, Texas, area. The findings are drawn from a larger qualitative study of 15 women describing the expression and communication of chronic pain symptoms, pain-related cultural beliefs, decision making, and treatment preferences of chronic pain. Methods: Participants who had chronic pain syndromes for at least 1 year were recruited from a pain clinic and fibromyalgia support group. In-depth, open-ended interviews, fieldwork, and participant observation were used to gather information using a focused clinical ethnographic approach. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Findings: A shared central theme was controlling the use of pain medications to control perceived negative associations with pain medication. The negative associations resulted in women rejecting use of medication to preserve their legitimate identity. This perception can be destructive and can lead to poor pain control. Conclusion: Providing patients with anticipatory guidance about common barriers to taking pain medication may allow medication use consistent with improved pain control.
Indentation of a transversely loaded functionally graded rectangular plate by a rigid spherical indentor
Authors: Nikbakht Ali , Sadighi Mojtaba , Arezoodar Alireza Fallahi
Published: June 2012

Functionally graded materials are multiphase composites mainly composed of a ceramic and a metal; thus, they merge the heat, oxidation and corrosion resistance typical of ceramics, and the strength, ductility and toughness typical of metals. Many of the present and possible applications of functionally graded materials involve contact loading. Here, the contact problem of a functionally graded simply supported plate with finite dimensions by a rigid spherical punch is studied by an analytical–numerical method. The contact rule will be derived by solving the equations of equilibrium analytically in terms of the displacement field components and by taking advantage of a numerical method in finding the contact parameters. The stress–strain relation is assumed to be linear and is represented by a refined volume fraction based model originally proposed by Tamura–Tomota–Ozawa model. The results of the analytical–numerical approach are validated by using ABAQUS finite element package. The analytical–numerical results are used to investigate the effect of parameters such as material distribution, punch radius, plate span and thickness on the contact rule and stress distribution in the plate. The obtained results show that the influence of the material non-homogeneity on the contact rule and stress distribution is quite significant. In addition, the acquired results illustrate that increasing the indentor diameter and the thickness of the plate increase the contact force for equal amount of indentation.
A train air brake force model: Car control unit and numerical results
Authors: Afshari Ali , Specchia Stefano , Shabana Ahmed A , Caldwell Nelson
Published: June 2012

This and a companion paper focus on the integration of a model of a train’s air brake and a non-linear model of a train’s dynamics based on the use of trajectory coordinate formulations. The forces developed by the air brake depend on various system components, including the automatic brake valve, the brake pipe and the car control unit (CCU). The developed braking forces, which depend on the position of handle of the automatic brake valve, are applied to the wheels using the CCU located along the brake pipe and enter into the formulation of the non-linear dynamic equations for the train in addition to other external forces. In order to develop an efficient computational procedure, simplified valve models, with more straightforward operation modes, are considered in order to reduce the computational overhead. The CCU used in this research has a control valve connected to three main pneumatic components: the auxiliary reservoir, the emergency reservoir and the brake cylinder. The reservoirs are the main storage area of the pressurized air, while the brake cylinder transmits the brake force to the wheels using the mechanical components of the CCU, including the brake rigging and the brake shoes. The communications between different parts connected to the control valve are controlled by its slide valve that can be positioned in the brake application, brake release and lap positions. It is also assumed that the CCU modeled in this study has the emergency portion that enables it to apply emergency braking, including the effect of the CCU’s emergency vent valve. In this paper, a mathematical model for the CCU is developed, while the locomotive automatic brake valve and brake pipe models are developed in a companion paper. The relationship between the main components of the air brake system and the train dynamics is discussed, and the final set of differential equations that includes the two models is presented. Furthermore, different computer simulation scenarios are considered in this paper in order to investigate the effect of the air brake forces on the train’s longitudinal dynamics for cases of different braking modes. The numerical results, obtained in this study, are compared with experimental results published in the literature.
Information beyond the forum: Motivations, strategies, and impacts of citizen participants seeking information during a consensus conference
Authors: Anderson Ashley A. , Delborne Jason , Kleinman Daniel Lee
Published: June 2012

During traditional consensus conferences, organizers control the formal information available to participants—by compiling structured background materials and recruiting expert panelists. Less formally, however, participants are encouraged to bring their own experiences into the deliberations, and in doing so, they often seek outside information. We explore this heretofore understudied phenomenon of information seeking during a deliberative event: the U.S. National Citizens’ Technology Forum (2008), which addressed the convergence of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, and cognitive science on the potential development of human-enhancement technologies. Through interviews with participants and observation of in-person and online deliberations, we identify outside information-seeking strategies and motivations. Our study demonstrates that conceptualizing models of deliberation as standalone settings of communication exchange ignores the reality of the complex information environment from which deliberative participants draw when making sense of technical issues. Future citizen deliberations must incorporate outside information seeking in the design of the exercises.
Another (methodological) look at knowledge gaps and the Internet’s potential for closing them
Authors: Cacciatore Michael A. , Scheufele Dietram A. , Corley Elizabeth A.
Published: June 2012

Members of the World Economic Forum recently identified the economic, health and knowledge disparities between the “haves” and “have-nots” in the world as one of the central risks in the global risk landscape. However, research on the role of communication in reducing knowledge disparities for emerging technologies is rare. More importantly, little research has tracked knowledge gaps about emerging technologies in representative populations over time. In this study we examine U.S. public knowledge levels across different levels of education and media use using data from two nationally representative telephone surveys. Our results show that increased science Internet and television use among low education groups can help narrow, or significantly reduce the growth of knowledge gaps that are forming based on educational disparities.
Application of magnetorheological fluids for a miniature haptic button: Experimental evaluation
Authors: Yang Tae-Heon , Koo Jeong-Hoi , Kim Sang-Youn , Kyung Ki-Uk , Kwon Dong-Soo
Published: June 2012

This study investigates a miniature haptic button actuated by magnetorheological fluids with the aim of conveying kinesthetic information or realistic button sensations to users for small electronic devices. To this end, a prototype haptic button that creates varying kinesthetic sensations was designed and constructed. The design focus was to maximize the resistive force generated by magnetorheological fluids in a given size by using multiple operating modes of the fluids. In order to evaluate the performance of the prototype, a test setup consisting of a microstage and a precision load cell was constructed. Using the setup, the resistive force of the prototype button was measured by changing the indented depth and the input current. The results show that the force rate (defined as the ratio of the difference between the maximum force and the minimum force to the maximum force) is over 72% for all indented depths (up to 1.5 mm). This change is sufficient to create various button sensations, indicating that the proposed haptic button can offer a range of resistive force change that can be conveyed to human operators.
Response time of magnetorheological fluids and magnetorheological valves under various flow conditions
Authors: Sahin Huseyin , Gordaninejad Faramarz , Wang Xiaojie , Liu Yanming
Published: June 2012

In this study, the response times of magnetorheological fluids and magnetorheological fluid valves are studied under various flow configurations. Two types of valving geometries, annular flow and radial flow, are considered in the magnetorheological fluid valve designs. The transient pressure responses of magnetorheological fluid valves are evaluated using a diaphragm pump with a constant volume flow rate. The performance of each magnetorheological valve is characterized using a voltage step input as well as a current step input while recording the activation electric voltage/current, magnetic flux density, and pressure drop as a function of time. The variation of the response time of the magnetorheological valves under constant volume flow rate is experimentally investigated. The Maxwell model with a time constant is employed to describe the field-induced pressure behavior of magnetorheological fluid under a steady flow. The results demonstrate that the pressure response times of the magnetorheological fluid and the magnetorheological valves depend on the designs of the electric parameters and the valve geometry. Magnetorheological valves with annular flow geometry have a slower falling response time compared to their rising response time. Magnetorheological valves with radial flow geometry demonstrate faster pressure response times both in rising and in falling states.
Behavior of thick magnetorheological elastomers
Authors: Gordaninejad Faramarz , Wang Xiaojie , Mysore Praveen
Published: June 2012

In this study, the behavior of thick magnetorheological elastomers is experimentally investigated. Two types of magnetorheological elastomer specimens of varying concentrations, with circular and rectangular shapes having thicknesses from 6.35 mm to a maximum of 25.4 mm, are prepared. The magnetorheological elastomer samples are studied under quasi-static compression and double lap-shear tests. The shear and the Young’s moduli of the magnetorheological elastomers are obtained under different applied magnetic fields. It is observed that the field-induced change in the modulus is independent of the thickness of the magnetorheological elastomer and is only dependent on the iron particle concentration and the magnetic field strength. With the increase in the applied magnetic field, it is observed that the change in modulus varies from a linear behavior at lower applied magnetic fields to a nonlinear one at higher magnetic fields. It is found that compressive and shear moduli only depend on the applied magnetic fields and are independent of the sample thickness. In addition, the maximum induced change in material modulus under compression is shown to be 99%, whereas in shear it is found to be 68% when compared to its off-state.
Modeling and experimental verification on directivity of an electret cell array loudspeaker
Authors: Chen Yu-Chi , Ko Wen-Ching , Chen Han-Lung , Liao Hsu-Ching , Wu Wen-Jong , Chang Pei-Zen , Lee Chih-Kung
Published: June 2012

We propose a model to give us a method to investigate the characteristic three-dimensional directivity in an arbitrarily configured flexible electret-based loudspeaker. In recent years, novel electret loudspeakers have attracted much interest due to their being lightweight, paper thin, and possessing excellent mid- to high-frequency responses. Increasing or decreasing the directivity of an electret loudspeaker makes it excellent for adoption to many applications, especially for directing sound to a particular area or specific audio location. Herein, we detail a novel electret loudspeaker that possesses various directivities and is based on various structures of spacers instead of having to use multichannel amplifiers and a complicated digital control system. In order to study the directivity of an electret loudspeaker based on an array structure which can be adopted for various applications, the horizontal and vertical polar directivity characteristics as a function of frequency were simulated by a finite-element analysis model. To validate the finite-element analysis model, the beam pattern of the electret loudspeaker was measured in an anechoic room. Both the simulated and experimental results are detailed in this article to validate the various assertions related to the directivity of electret cell-based smart speakers.
Strategies for Research Development in Hospital Social Work
Authors: McNeill Ted , Nicholas David Bruce
Published: June 2012

Objectives: This article identifies salient components in the advancement of social work research leadership within health care. Method: Using tenets of a modified retrospective case study approach, processes and outcomes of social work research progression at a pediatric hospital are reviewed. Results: Capacity-building processes were implemented. These processes generally corresponded with clinical, research, and administrative priorities and strategically aligned with social work aims of evidence-based practice and research leadership. Elements contributing to improved capacity include clarity of vision, palatable funding models, and the infusion of PhD-trained researchers within the clinical setting. Conclusions: This case study argues for social work to be proactive knowledge leaders. Such an aim, however, inherently requires deliberate shepherding, including strategies to advance the profession.
Teaching Research and Practice Evaluation Skills to Graduate Social Work Students
Authors: Wong Stephen E. , Vakharia Sheila P.
Published: June 2012

Objective: The authors examined outcomes of a graduate course on evaluating social work practice that required students to use published research, quantitative measures, and single-system designs in a simulated practice evaluation project. Method: Practice evaluation projects from a typical class were analyzed for the number of research references cited, type of client, goals or problems, measures, interventions, single-system designs, and outcomes. Results: More than half of the students conducted self-improvement projects monitored with self-report measures, and goals or problems selected and interventions applied varied widely. More than 80% of the projects were evaluated with simple AB designs, over 45% of which were associated with statistically significant improvements and an additional 43% showed gains that did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: Results suggest that students can be taught techniques and skills needed to formulate interventions derived from published research and to evaluate effects of these interventions using single-system designs.
Speaking Up
Authors: Smart Kathryn A. , Parker Randy Spreen , Lampert Joan , Sulo Suela
Published: June 2012

School nurses provide an important role in the continuity of health care especially for adolescents who are at high risk for significant health concerns. The purpose of this study was to assess adolescents’ health information needs and identify their preferences for accessing health information. Using an inductive qualitative research design, 11 focus groups were conducted with a convenience sample of 101 junior high and high school students in suburban northeastern Illinois. The students identified a variety of health concerns and emphasized the need for accessible, high-quality, and personally relevant information. Most students favored taking an active role in learning about their health. They preferred to directly access information from qualified individuals within comfortable, trusting, and respectful relationships or to indirectly retrieve information from reliable resources. Finally, students emphasized the need for privacy and a variety of learning options depending on the specific health topic.