bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Education Student Perceptions of Virtual Reality as a Learning Tool
Authors: Domingo Jelia R. , Bradley Elizabeth Gates
Published: October 2017

The purpose of this study was to ascertain student perceptions of the use and value of three-dimensional virtual environments. A grounded theory approach was used to gather and examine data. Just over half of student participants reported positive experiences. However, most experienced technical difficulties. Despite the technical challenges of operating within the virtual space, the majority reported positive aspects of using the virtual space, including increased meaningful social interactions and reduced social anxiety. Overall, students reported positive experiences and value of virtual reality, but technical difficulties demonstrate the need for adequate technology and institutional technology support.
Teaching Decision-Making in Multiple Dimensions
Authors: Barneva Reneta P. , Brimkov Valentin E. , Walters Lisa M.
Published: October 2017

In all areas of human activity, decision-making based on data analysis is very important. As the availability of data grows, it becomes critical to educate not only traditional students but also those individuals who are now in the workforce, as many of them are expected to manage the complex data streams and to provide evidence and guidance for organizational action. We consider several technological tools that prepare the learners with data analytic skills. Among them are data analysis and visualization tools, Six Sigma, and operations research methods. We provide a survey of respective software systems suitable for a broad audience.
Introduction: European photography today
Authors: Guerin Frances
Published: October 2017

This introduction briefly sketches the relationship between Europe and photography from its earliest days, through the experiments of the 1920s, and into the post-war years. This history is the background for approaching the contemporary concerns of European photography today. Concerns discussed include: the fluidity of Europe’s borders, the commemoration and integration of mass violence, the marginalization of non-citizens, the fallout of the end of industrial capitalism, and the responsibility of the viewers of the photographs in which these issues are envisioned. In addition, the appropriateness of photography, as well as its inadequacy to the task of documenting and imagining the current challenges to Europe, is discussed.
Seeing through Scandinavian exceptionalism: Tina Enghoff’s photography
Authors: Wolthers Louise
Published: October 2017

In the three works Seven Years (2010), Migrant Documents (2013) and Isolation (2017a), Danish photographer Tina Enghoff addresses the visual and social marginalization of immigrant women caught in abusive relationships, homeless migrants who live outside the welfare system and prisoners in solitary confinement. The article discusses how her projects probe established ideas about Denmark as an ideal Scandinavian welfare state, ostensibly with a high level of social equality and transparency, as well as low levels of injustice, crime and punishment. It is also argued that a photographic practice like Enghoff’s offers original and productive negotiations of questions of representation and visibility embedded in the social documentary genre.
A day in history: Andrea Gjestvang’s 22 July photographs
Authors: Vågnes Øyvind
Published: October 2017

Combining photographic portraits and testimony, Andrea Gjestvang’s En dag i historien: 22. juli concerns the experiences and thoughts of 43 young people who survived the terror attack at the Labour Party youth camp on Utøya Island, outside Oslo on 22 July 2011. Published the year after the events, the book captures a moment in time in which memories of what happened were still very raw, and the various attempts at commemoration in diverse cultural forms were yet to be conceived of, and subsequently contested. Drawing on recent writings on photography (by Ariella Azoulay, Robert Hariman and John Lucaites, Susie Linfield and John Roberts) as well as an interview with photographer Andrea Gjestvang, this article is an attempt to come to terms with how the ‘image-text’ in En dag i historien invites a form of committed spectatorship that unfolds over time.
Lifeworlds at the edge of Europe: photography, place and ireland in the new millennium
Authors: Carville Justin
Published: October 2017

Drawing on the concept of the ‘geographical imagination’ and the phenomenologically based theory of human geography, ‘lifeworlds’, this essay discusses the work of several Irish photographers who circumvent the objectification and polar opposites of inside and outside in representations of place by highlighting the everyday connectedness and sense of belonging of people and their environments. Discussing Irish photography from after the global economic crash of 2008, the essay argues that presence has emerged as a visual trope in recent Irish photography, to explore the everyday social relations between people and place following the transformations to the Irish landscape as a result of the Celtic Tiger economy of the 1990s and the financial collapse of 2008.
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Improves Sleep Quality in Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Sukato Daniel C. , Abramowitz Jason M. , Boruk Marina , Goldstein Nira A. , Rosenfeld Richard M.
Published: October 2017

Objective

Up to 75% of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) suffer with poor sleep quality and reduced quality of life. Endoscopic sinus surgery has demonstrated encouraging results in improving sleep function. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the change in sleep quality after surgery for CRS.

Data Sources

PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE.

Review Methods

An electronic search was conducted with the keywords “sinusitis” or “rhinosinusitis” and “sleep.” Studies were included only when adults underwent endoscopic sinus surgery and were evaluated pre‐ and postoperatively by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Apnea‐Hypopnea Index (AHI), the sleep domain of Sino‐Nasal Outcome Test–22, or the sleep domain of Rhinosinusitis Disability Index.

Results

The database search yielded 1939 studies, of which 7 remained after dual‐investigator screening. The standardized mean differences (95% CI) for the ESS, PSQI, and AHI were −0.94 (−1.63 to −0.26), −0.80 (−1.46 to −0.14), and −0.20 (−0.32 to −0.07), indicating large, moderate to large, and small improvements, respectively. All analyses displayed high heterogeneity (I2 = 95%‐99%).

Conclusion

Sleep quality, as measured by the ESS and PSQI surveys, shows substantial improvement after surgery for CRS, with smaller improvement seen for AHI. Generalizability of our results is limited by high heterogeneity among studies and by broad confidence intervals that cannot exclude small to trivial changes. The findings of this meta‐analysis provide insight into the effect of CRS‐related endoscopic sinus surgery on sleep quality, which should guide future research direction and counseling of patients in the clinical setting.
High‐Level Disinfection of Otorhinolaryngology Clinical Instruments: An Evaluation of the Efficacy and Cost‐effectiveness of Instrument Storage
Authors: Yalamanchi Pratyusha , Yu Jason , Chandler Laura , Mirza Natasha
Published: October 2017

Objectives

Despite increasing interest in individual instrument storage, risk of bacterial cross‐contamination of otorhinolaryngology clinic instruments has not been assessed. This study is the first to determine the clinical efficacy and cost‐effectiveness of standard high‐level disinfection and clinic instrument storage.

Methods

To assess for cross‐contamination, surveillance cultures of otorhinolaryngology clinic instruments subject to standard high‐level disinfection and storage were obtained at the start and end of the outpatient clinical workday. Rate of microorganism recovery was compared with cultures of instruments stored in individual peel packs and control cultures of contaminated instruments. Based on historical clinic data, the direct allocation method of cost accounting was used to determine aggregate raw material cost and additional labor hours required to process and restock peel‐packed instruments.

Results

Among 150 cultures of standard high‐level disinfected and co‐located clinic instruments, 3 positive bacterial cultures occurred; 100% of control cultures were positive for bacterial species (P <. 001). There was no statistical difference between surveillance cultures obtained before and after the clinic day. While there was also no significant difference in rate of contamination between peel‐packed and co‐located instruments, peel packing all instruments requires 6250 additional labor hours, and conservative analyses place the cost of individual semicritical instrument storage at $97,852.50 per year.

Discussion

With in vitro inoculation of >200 otorhinolaryngology clinic instruments, this study demonstrates that standard high‐level disinfection and storage are equally efficacious to more time‐consuming and expensive individual instrument storage protocols, such as peel packing, with regard to bacterial contamination.

Implications for Practice

Standard high‐level disinfection and storage are equally effective to labor‐intensive and costly individual instrument storage protocols.
Randomized controlled trial of chest tube removal aided by a party balloon
Authors: Thitivaraporn Puwadon , Narueponjirakul Natawat , Samorn Pasurachate , Prichayudh Supparerk , Sriussadaporn Sukanya , Pak-art Rattaplee , Sriussadaporn Suvit , Kritayakirana Kritaya
Published: October 2017

Background

Recurrent pneumothorax is one of the most common complications after thoracostomy tube removal. The purpose of this study was to assess the optimal method of thoracostomy tube removal by comparing party balloon-assisted Valsalva and classic Valsalva techniques.

Methods

Trauma patients with indications for tube thoracostomy from 2014 to 2015 were recruited. Exclusion criteria were age < 15- or > 64-years-old, history of chronic lung disease, Glasgow Coma Scale < 13, latex allergy, or tracheostomy. Participants were randomly allocated by randomized block design into 4 groups using different Valsalva maneuvers: group A: classic inspired, group B: classic expired, group C: balloon-inspired; and group D: balloon-expired. The primary and secondary outcomes were recurrent pneumothorax and respiratory complications.

Results

Forty-eight tube thoracostomies were randomized for analysis; 4 patients had bilateral tube thoracostomies. The mean patient age was 38.1 ± 19.9 years. The incidence of recurrent pneumothorax confirmed by chest radiography was 15.4% in group A, 16.8% in group B, and none in groups C and D ( p = 0.31). When group A combined with group B was compared with groups C and D, the incidence was 16% vs. 0%, respectively ( p = 0.11). The thoracostomy tube reinsertion rate in all 4 groups was 0%, 8.33%, 0%, and 0%, respectively, which was not significant ( p = 0.38).

Conclusions

Performing the Valsalva maneuver correctly during full inspiration may be the method of choice for removing thoracostomy tubes. Using a party balloon forces the patient perform the Valsalva maneuver adequately and is simpler to explain.
The Egyptian Temple as a Place to House Collections (from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period)
Authors: Díaz Hernández Roberto A.
Published: October 2017

As did Greek and Roman temples, Egyptian temples preserved collections of valuable objects or nouophores, i.e. ‘bearers of meaning’ (I). Two main types of nouophores can be distinguished in Egyptian temples (II): statues displayed in the temple (III), and ritual objects of costly materials stored in special chambers (IV). An examination of these collections suggests that the Egyptian temple functioned as an institution to collect and preserve the cultural heritage of ancient Egypt (V).
Feminist geolegality
Authors: Brickell Katherine , Cuomo Dana
Published: October 2017

In this paper we outline the case for feminist geolegality, a project that integrates legal geography and feminist geopolitics. The approach captures the myriad ways that law intermeshes with intimate corollaries of geopolitics and geoeconomics. It includes yet surpasses scholarship on international lawfare and military conflict to examine intimate wars that law mediates in the more mundane battlefields of everyday life. The body and home act as heuristic sites to review existing work and future trajectories of feminist geolegality. Its significance is marked further by the era of Trumpism, the gendered spatial and temporal legal implications of which are explored.
Multicenter Analysis of Midterm Clinical Outcomes of Arthroscopic Labral Repair in the Hip: Minimum 5-Year Follow-up
Authors: Hevesi Mario , Krych Aaron J. , Johnson Nick R. , Redmond John M. , Hartigan David E. , Levy Bruce A. , Domb Benjamin G.
Published: October 2017

Background:

The technique of hip arthroscopic surgery is advancing and becoming more commonly performed. However, most current reported results are limited to short-term follow-up, and therefore, the durability of the procedure is largely unknown.

Purpose:

To perform a multicenter analysis of mid-term clinical outcomes of arthroscopic hip labral repair and determine the risk factors for patient outcomes.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Prospectively collected data of primary hip arthroscopic labral repair performed at 4 high-volume centers between 2008 and 2011 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively with the visual analog scale (VAS), modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), and Hip Outcome Score–Sports-Specific Subscale (HOS-SSS) at a minimum of 5 years’ follow-up. Factors including age, body mass index (BMI), Tönnis grade, and cartilage grade were analyzed in relation to outcome scores, and revision rates were determined. Failure was defined as subsequent ipsilateral hip surgery, including revision arthroscopic surgery and open hip surgery.

Results:

A total of 303 patients (101 male, 202 female) with a mean age of 32.0 years (range, 10.7-58.9 years) were followed for a mean of 5.7 years (range, 5.0-7.9 years). Patients achieved mean improvements in VAS of 3.5 points, mHHS of 20.1 points, and HOS-SSS of 29.3 points. Thirty-seven patients (12.2%) underwent revision arthroscopic surgery, and 12 (4.0%) underwent periacetabular osteotomy, resurfacing, or total hip arthroplasty during the study period. Patients with a BMI >30 kg/m2 had a mean mHHS score 9.5 points lower and a mean HOS-SSS score 15.9 points lower than those with a BMI ≤30 kg/m2 ( P < .01). Patients aged >35 years at surgery had a mean mHHS score 4.5 points lower and a HOS-SSS score 6.7 points lower than those aged ≤35 years ( P = .03). Patients with Tönnis grade 2 radiographs demonstrated a 12.5-point worse mHHS score ( P = .02) and a 23.0-point worse HOS-SSS score ( P < .01) when compared with patients with Tönnis grade 0.

Conclusion:

Patients demonstrated significant improvements in VAS, mHHS, and HOS-SSS scores after arthroscopic labral repair. However, those with Tönnis grade 2 changes preoperatively, BMI >30 kg/m2, and age >35 years at the time of surgery demonstrated significantly decreased mHHS and HOS-SSS scores at final follow-up.
Gait Retraining for the Reduction of Injury Occurrence in Novice Distance Runners: 1-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Chan Zoe Y.S. , Zhang Janet H. , Au Ivan P.H. , An Winko W. , Shum Gary L.K. , Ng Gabriel Y.F. , Cheung Roy T.H.
Published: October 2017

Background:

The increasing popularity of distance running has been accompanied by an increase in running-related injuries, such that up to 85% of novice runners incur an injury in a given year. Previous studies have used a gait retraining program to successfully lower impact loading, which has been associated with many running ailments. However, softer footfalls may not necessarily prevent running injury.

Purpose:

To examine vertical loading rates before and after a gait retraining program and assess the effectiveness of the program in reducing the occurrence of running-related injury across a 12-month observation period.

Study Design:

Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods:

A total of 320 novice runners from the local running club completed this study. All the participants underwent a baseline running biomechanics evaluation on an instrumented treadmill with their usual running shoes at 8 and 12 km/h. Participants were then randomly assigned to either the gait retraining group or the control group. In the gait retraining group (n = 166), participants received 2 weeks of gait retraining with real-time visual feedback. In the control group (n = 154), participants received treadmill running exercise but without visual feedback on their performance. The training time was identical between the 2 groups. Participants’ running mechanics were reassessed after the training, and their 12-month posttraining injury profiles were tracked by use of an online surveillance platform.

Results:

A significant reduction was found in the vertical loading rates at both testing speeds in the gait retraining group ( P < .001, Cohen’s d > 0.99), whereas the loading rates were either similar or slightly increased in the control group after training ( P = .001 to 0.461, Cohen’s d = 0.03 to −0.14). At 12-month follow-up, the occurrence of running-related musculoskeletal injury was 16% and 38% in the gait retraining and control groups, respectively. The hazard ratio between gait retraining and control groups was 0.38 (95% CI, 0.25-0.59), indicating a 62% lower injury risk in gait-retrained runners compared with controls.

Conclusion:

A 2-week gait retraining program is effective in lowering impact loading in novice runners. More important, the occurrence of injury is 62% lower after 2 weeks of running gait modification.

Registration:

HKUCTR-1996 (University of Hong Kong Clinical Trials Registry).
Medial Meniscus Resection Increases and Medial Meniscus Repair Preserves Anterior Knee Laxity: A Cohort Study of 4497 Patients With Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Cristiani Riccardo , Rönnblad Erik , Engström Björn , Forssblad Magnus , Stålman Anders
Published: October 2017

Background:

There are still controversies regarding the effects on knee laxity of additional meniscus resection or repair in the setting of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Hypothesis/Purpose:

The purpose was to determine the effects on knee laxity of resection or repair of medial meniscus (MM) or lateral meniscus (LM) injuries in the ACLR knee. The hypothesis was that patients with an additional meniscus resection would have significantly increased postoperative knee laxity versus that of an isolated ACLR, whereas patients with meniscus repair would have laxity comparable to that of an isolated ACLR.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

The KT-1000 arthrometer, with an anterior tibial load of 134 N, was used to evaluate knee laxity preoperatively and at 6-month postoperative follow-up for a total of 4497 patients with primary hamstring tendon ACLR. Patients with isolated ACLR or ACLR with additional MM resection, MM repair, LM resection, LM repair, or MM plus LM resection were compared, with the isolated ACLR group as a control.

Results:

All patients showed a significant reduction of knee laxity preoperatively (3.6 ± 3.1 mm) to postoperatively (1.9 ± 2.2 mm) ( P < 0.0001). Patients who had an ACLR with either an MM resection (2.2 ± 2.55 mm) or MM + LM resection (2.35 ± 2.30 mm) showed significant increased postoperative knee laxity versus isolated ACLR (1.74 mm ± 2.11 mm) ( P < 0.05), whereas patients with MM repair (1.69 ± 2.37 mm) did not show significantly different knee laxity when compared with the control group ( P > 0.05). LM resection or repair did not significantly affect knee laxity. Significantly more surgical failures, defined as side-to-side difference >5 mm, were found in the ACLR + MM resection group and the ACLR + MM + LM resection group.

Conclusion:

In ACLR, additional MM resection increased whereas MM repair preserved knee laxity in comparison with the ACLR knee with intact menisci. Neither LM resection or LM repair showed a significant effect on knee laxity. Surgeons should make every effort to repair the meniscus whenever possible to avoid the residual postoperative laxity present in the meniscus-deficient knee.
The Structure of Psychopathology in Early Adolescence: Study of a Canadian Sample
Authors: Afzali Mohammad H. , Sunderland Matthew , Carragher Natacha , Conrod Patricia
Published: October 2017

Objective:

The current study investigates the correlational structure of psychopathology in a large sample of Canadian adolescents and highlights the association between the psychopathological dimensions and gender.

Method:

Data came from 3826 Canadian adolescents aged 12.8 ± 0.4 y. Five alternative dimensional models were tested using confirmatory factor analysis, and the association between gender, language, and the mean level of psychopathological dimensions was examined using a multiple-indicators multiple-causes model.

Results:

A bifactor model with 1 general psychopathology factor and 3 specific dimensions (internalizing, externalizing, thought disorder) provided the best fit to the data. Results indicated metric invariance of the bifactor structure with respect to language. Females reported higher mean levels of internalizing, and males reported higher mean levels of externalizing. No significant sex differences emerged in liability to thought disorder or general psychopathology. The presence of a general psychopathology factor increased the association between gender and specific dimensions.

Conclusions:

The current study is the first to highlight the bifactor structure including a specific thought disorder factor in a Canadian sample of adolescents. The findings further highlight the importance of transdiagnostic approaches to prevention and intervention among young adolescents.
Ethical issues in health philanthropy
Authors: Reid Lynette
Published: October 2017

Health leaders in Canada face a myriad of challenges with healthcare philanthropy—not just the practical question of how to be successful but also ethical questions. Is fundraising in partnership with companies that are implicated in the so-called lifestyle diseases appropriate? When does appropriate recognition for donors or volunteers cross the line into facilitating preferential access to care? Ethical decision-making in health philanthropy considers appropriate recognition or partnership in donor relations in the context of the public good with which healthcare institutions are entrusted and the fiduciary responsibilities of hospitals and clinicians to patients.
Enhanced mechanical, conductivity, and dielectric characteristics of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer composite filled with carbon nanotubes
Authors: Gaidukovs S , Zukulis E , Bochkov I , Vaivodiss R , Gaidukova G
Published: October 2017

We report high mechanical, dielectric, and thermal performance of carbon nanotubes (CNT) reinforced ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) composites, fabricated using conventional melt extrusion processing. CNT have extremely high stiffness, electrical conductivity, and surface area, ensuring strong interactions with the polymer and effective reinforcement. The addition of CNT to EVA leads to an extremely high yield strength and Young’s modulus of the composites. The EVA composite produced, containing 5 wt% CNT, exhibited an almost 3-fold increase in Young’s modulus and a 2.2-fold improvement of yield strength compared to neat EVA. However, the composite maintained high deformation properties—a ductility of 1300%. Scanning electron microscopy analysis evidences the agglomeration of the CNT in the EVA/CNT composites. The EVA/CNT composites gained excellent electrostatic discharge properties—a surface resistivity in the range of 108 Ω/square. The observed thermal conductivity of the composites was increased by about 30% without losing the electrically insulating performance.
Experimental investigation and modeling of dynamic thermomechanical behavior of 4-harness satin weave carbon/epoxy composites
Authors: Hu Xueyao , Guo Hui , Guo Weiguo , Xu Feng , Chen Longyang , Yuan Kangbo
Published: October 2017

Theoretical and experimental studies on the compressive mechanical behavior of 4-harness satin weave carbon/epoxy composite laminates under in-plane loading are conducted over the temperature range of 298–473 K and the strain rate range of 0.001–1700/s in this article. The stress–strain curves of 4-harness satin weave composites are obtained at different strain rates and temperatures, and key mechanical properties of the material are determined. The deformation mechanism and failure morphology of the samples are observed and analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs. The results show that the uniaxial compressive mechanical properties of 4-harness satin weave composites are strongly dependent on the temperature but are weakly sensitive to strain rate. The peak stress and elastic modulus of the material have the trend of decrease with the increasing of temperature, and the decreasing trend can be expressed as the functional relationship of temperature shift factor. In addition, SEM observations show that the quasi-static failure mode of 4-harness satin weave composites is shear failure along the diagonal lines of the specimens, while the dynamic failure modes of the material are multiple delaminations and longitudinal splitting, and with the increasing of temperature, its longitudinal splitting is more serious, but the delamination is relatively reduced. A constitutive model with thermomechanical coupling effects is proposed based on the experimental results and the increment theory of elastic–plastic mechanics. The experimental verification and numerical analysis show that the model is shown to be able to predict the finite deformation behavior of 4-harness satin weave composites over a wide range of temperatures.
Effect of the packing stage on fiber orientation for injection molding simulation of fiber-reinforced composites
Authors: Tseng Huan-Chang , Chang Rong-Yeu , Hsu Chia-Hsiang
Published: October 2017

During the packing or post-filling stage, a significant flow of polymer inside the cavity may result due to the compressibility of the polymer melt under the higher packing pressure of the injection molding process. In the meantime, the effect of the packing stage on the shell–core structure of the fiber orientation for the fiber-reinforced composites has always been a concern. Even though certain commercial packages have undergone unified simulations of the filling and packing stages, fiber orientation has usually been determined at the end of the filling stage. A recently proposed mathematic model, Improved Anisotropic Rotary Diffusion and Retarding Principal Rate, having incorporated the state-of-the-art technology of 3D injection molding simulation, has demonstrated its ability to provide reliable predictions of fiber orientation. The present numerical results concentrate on comparing and analyzing the difference in fiber orientation between the filling and packing stages, while the important effects of packing time and packing pressure are further revealed. A qualitative comparison of core thickness widths in related experimental investigations is discussed herein.
Morphology design of isotactic polypropylene composites
Authors: Wang Shiwei , Leng Yuting , Zhang Guangan , Wang Ruonan , Ma Shuaijiang , Li Qian
Published: October 2017

In this article, the high-performance polymer composites were prepared based on the morphology designing method. To begin with, the beta transcrystalline morphology in the interfacial region of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) composites supported by single carbon fiber was formed by the induction of beta nucleating agent (NA) and verified using the polarized light microscopy. Then, to further explore the application of the beta transcrystalline morphology, the way of induction by supported NA was introduced into the iPP injection-molded samples. The result showed that a certain number of interfacial beta transcrystallinity was formed in the adjacent region of carbon nanotubes–modified iPP injection-molded samples. Herein, the mechanical properties are closely related to the interfacial beta transcrystalline morphology, the convective evidence was the improvement of the sample’s impact strength by seven times. Therefore, this work gives a new perspective for the preparation of high-performance composites materials via morphology designing.
Morphology and rheology of PP/POE blends in high shear stress field
Authors: Ying Jiru , Xie Xiaolin , Peng Shaoxian , Zhou Huamin , Li Dequn
Published: October 2017

Polypropylene (PP)/polyolefin elastomer (POE; ethylene–octene copolymer) blends with varying weight percentages of POE were prepared in a twin-screw extruder and molded through high shear rate injection-molding process. The morphologies and rheology of the PP/POE blends were systematically investigated based on rheological data and experimental analysis. The results indicate that the polymer blends of plastic and rubber in a high shear stress field result in a multilayered microstructure, which can be divided into skin, transitional, shear, and core layers according to the morphology of the dispersed phase. The morphology formation of the dispersed phase depends on the shear field and temperature field in the processing. Morphological evolution of the dispersed POE phases in PP matrix was described and quantified. A dragging ellipsoid model and capillary number were employed to describe the morphological evolution of the dispersed phase, and the morphological parameters were obtained. The results show that the dragging ellipsoid model is well suited to explain the morphological evolution of the dispersed phase in polymer blends molded under high shear rate.
Preschool Intervention Can Promote Sustained Growth in the Executive-Function Skills of Children Exhibiting Early Deficits
Authors: Sasser Tyler R. , Bierman Karen L. , Heinrichs Brenda , Nix Robert L.
Published: October 2017

This study examined the effects of the Head Start Research-Based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) preschool intervention on growth in children’s executive-function (EF) skills from preschool through third grade. Across 25 Head Start centers, each of 44 classrooms was randomly assigned either to an intervention group, which received enhanced social-emotional and language-literacy components, or to a “usual-practice” control group. Four-year-old children ( N = 356; 25% African American, 17% Latino, 58% European American; 54% girls) were followed for 5 years, and EF skills were assessed annually. Latent-class growth analysis identified high, moderate, and low developmental EF trajectories. For children with low EF trajectories, the intervention improved EF scores in third grade significantly more ( d = 0.58) than in the control group. Children who received the intervention also demonstrated better academic outcomes in third grade than children who did not. Poverty often delays EF development; enriching the Head Start program with an evidence-based curriculum and teaching strategies can reduce early deficits and thereby facilitate school success.
Output derivative feedback vibration control of an integrated vehicle suspension system
Authors: Yazici Hakan , Sever Mert
Published: October 2017

In this article, we present a novel approach to design an L2 gain output derivative feedback controller for active vibration control of a vehicle suspension system. In vibration control problems, state derivative signals such as acceleration and velocity are easier to obtain rather than the state variables such as position and velocity, since the accelerometers are simpler, cheaper and more reliable than position sensors. First, an L2 gain output derivative feedback controller is proposed by taking into account that measuring state derivative signals belong to driver body and electro-hydraulic actuator is not applicable in practice. Then, an L2 gain state derivative feedback controller and an L2 gain static output feedback controller are designed to investigate efficacy of the proposed controller. Performance of the controllers is tested against bump- and random-type road irregularities. A 4-degree-of-freedom integrated vehicle suspension model that includes a quarter vehicle suspension, a seat suspension, a driver body and an electro-hydraulic actuator is used throughout the numerical simulation studies. Simulation results show that proposed L2 gain output derivative feedback controller provides compatible performance improvement in the state derivative feedback control and static output feedback control with more viable feedback strategy.
Book Review: Stefan Ecks, Eating Drugs: Psychopharmaceutical Pluralism in India
Authors: Kottai Sudarshan R. , Ranganathan Shubha
Published: October 2017

The dominance of psychiatric practice in India and the relatively obscured homeopathic and Ayurvedic practices are the major issues explicated in Ecks’ Eating Drugs: Psychopharmaceutical Pluralism in India. Overcoming patients’ resistance to compliance is a major task of the Kolkata psychiatrists interviewed by Ecks, and they sought to deal with this by positing drugs as ‘mind food’. Ayurveda and homeopathy are also gradually sidelining their own philosophies and falling in line with biomedicine with respect to commodification and marketing of drugs. The biopolitics involved in the rising mood disorders in India and the concomitant increase in the prescription of mood medications is evidenced by the propagation of a ‘global monoculture of happiness’ by pharmaceutical companies, who instil the notion that pills have solutions to all social ills.
Instability of a parallel array of orthotropic simply-supported rectangular microplates with interactions
Authors: Wang Xu
Published: October 2017

We study the structural instability of a parallel array of identical elastically orthotropic simply-supported rectangular microplates, each of which interacts with two neighboring plates through surface attractive forces. By means of a Stroh-type formalism and by considering the fact that the shear stress on the surfaces of each plate is zero, a 2×2 transfer matrix for a plate is derived. The transfer matrix can be directly obtained from the 6×6 fundamental elasticity matrix without resolving the Stroh eigenvalue problem. A generalized eigenvalue problem can then be conveniently constructed to determine the critical interaction coefficient. The in-plane edge compression acting on the four sides of each plate can also be incorporated in our analysis. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the effects of material and geometric parameters and edge compression on the critical interaction coefficient and meanwhile to validate the correctness of the solution.
Metabolic counterparts of sodium accumulation in multiple sclerosis: A whole brain 23Na-MRI and fast 1H-MRSI study
Authors: Donadieu Maxime , Le Fur Yann , Maarouf Adil , Gherib Soraya , Ridley Ben , Pini Lauriane , Rapacchi Stanislas , Confort-Gouny Sylviane , Guye Maxime , Schad Lothar R , Maudsley Andrew A , Pelletier Jean , Audoin Bertrand , Zaaraoui Wafaa , Ranjeva Jean-Philippe
Published: October 2017

Background:

Increase of brain total sodium concentrations (TSC) is present in multiple sclerosis (MS), but its pathological involvement has not been assessed yet.

Objective:

To determine in vivo the metabolic counterpart of brain sodium accumulation.

Materials/methods:

Whole brain 23Na-MR imaging and 3D-1H-EPSI data were collected in 21 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients and 20 volunteers. Metabolites and sodium levels were extracted from several regions of grey matter (GM), normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) and white matter (WM) T2 lesions. Metabolic and ionic levels expressed as Z-scores have been averaged over the different compartments and used to explain sodium accumulations through stepwise regression models.

Results:

MS patients showed significant 23Na accumulations with lower choline and glutamate–glutamine (Glx) levels in GM; 23Na accumulations with lower N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), Glx levels and higher Myo-Inositol (m-Ins) in NAWM; and higher 23Na, m-Ins levels with lower NAA in WM T2 lesions. Regression models showed associations of TSC increase with reduced NAA in GM, NAWM and T2 lesions, as well as higher total-creatine, and smaller decrease of m-Ins in T2 lesions. GM Glx levels were associated with clinical scores.

Conclusion:

Increase of TSC in RRMS is mainly related to neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction while dysfunction of neuro-glial interactions within GM is linked to clinical scores.
Safety and efficacy of helminth treatment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: Results of the HINT 2 clinical trial
Authors: Fleming John , Hernandez Gianna , Hartman Leslie , Maksimovic Jane , Nace Sara , Lawler Benjamin , Risa Todd , Cook Thomas , Agni Rashmi , Reichelderfer Mark , Luzzio Christopher , Rolak Loren , Field Aaron , Fabry Zsuzsanna
Published: October 2017

Background:

The hygiene hypothesis suggests that microbial replacement may be therapeutic in allergic and autoimmune diseases. Nevertheless, the results of helminth treatment, including in multiple sclerosis (MS), have been inconclusive.

Objective:

To assess safety and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity in subjects with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) during oral administration of ova from the porcine whipworm, Trichuris suis (TSO).

Methods:

A total of 16 disease-modifying treatment (DMT) naive RRMS subjects were studied in a baseline versus treatment (BVT) controlled prospective study. MRI scans were performed during 5 months of screening-observation, 10 months of treatment, and 4 months of post-treatment surveillance.

Results:

No serious symptoms or adverse events occurred during treatment. For the cohort, there was a trend consistent with a 35% diminution in active lesions when observation MRIs were compared to treatment MRIs ( p = 0.08), and at the level of individuals, 12 of 16 subjects improved during TSO treatment. T regulatory lymphocytes were increased during TSO treatment.

Conclusion:

TSO is safe in RRMS subjects. Potentially favorable MRI outcomes and immunoregulatory changes were observed during TSO treatment; however, the magnitude of these effects was modest, and there was considerable variation among the responses of individual subjects.
Autonomous vehicle with internal combustion drive based on the homogeneous charge compression ignition technology
Authors: Puškár Michal , Fabian Michal , Kádárová Jaroslava , Blišt'an Peter , Kopas Melichar
Published: October 2017

The actual dynamical development of the information technologies is also typical for the area of automotive industry. The autonomous control technology is moving the motorcars into the mobile robot category. The autonomous mobile robotic vehicles, together with new possibilities offered thanks to the mobility services, are improving not only comfort but also safety of transport. Nowadays, application of the homogeneous charge compression ignition technology represents a great progress made in the field of internal combustion drive, taking into consideration more and more rigorous emission standards. This article deals with principles and architecture of the autonomous control, with hybrid drive systems as well as it analyses advantages of the homogeneous charge compression ignition technology, taking into consideration the obtained experimental results.
The Structure of Human Prosociality Revisited
Authors: Böckler Anne , Tusche Anita , Singer Tania
Published: October 2017

In a recent publication, we employed factor analyses to integrate 14 measures of prosocial behavior, proposing four subcomponents of human prosociality: altruistically motivated, norm motivated, strategically motivated, and self-reported prosocial behavior. However, the reported confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) yielded standardized regression weights above 1, resulting from an improper solution (Heywood cases), which precludes straightforward interpretation of results. Here, we present two adjusted CFA models that rectify this problem. Model 1 resolves the issue of Heywood cases by implementing equality constraints, yielding a four-factor structure that is largely similar to the original model. Model 2 accommodates additional methodological considerations and presents a revised structure of prosociality with three subcomponents: altruistically motivated, norm motivated, and self-reported prosocial behavior. We also report minor corrections of descriptive results, none of which alter the pattern of results and interpretations of the original publication.
Effects of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation on neurological and cardiac outcome after ischaemic refractory cardiac arrest
Authors: Cesana Francesca , Avalli Leonello , Garatti Laura , Coppo Anna , Righetti Stefano , Calchera Ivan , Scanziani Elisabetta , Cozzolino Paolo , Malafronte Cristina , Mauro Andrea , Soffici Federica , Sulmina Endrit , Bozzon Veronica , Maggioni Elena , Foti Giuseppe , Achilli Felice
Published: October 2017

Background:

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation is increasingly recognised as a rescue therapy for refractory cardiac arrest, nevertheless data are scanty about its effects on neurologic and cardiac outcome. The aim of this study is to compare clinical outcome in patients with cardiac arrest of ischaemic origin (i.e. critical coronary plaque during angiography) and return of spontaneous circulation during conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation vs refractory cardiac arrest patients needing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Moreover, we tried to identify predictors of survival after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Methods:

We enrolled 148 patients with ischaemic cardiac arrest admitted to our hospital from 2011–2015. We compared clinical characteristics, cardiac arrest features, neurological and echocardiographic data obtained after return of spontaneous circulation (within 24 h, 15 days and six months).

Results:

Patients in the extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation group ( n=63, 43%) were younger (59±9 vs 63±8 year-old, p=0.02) with lower incidence of atherosclerosis risk factors than those with conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In the extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation group, left ventricular ejection fraction was lower than conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation at early echocardiography (19±16% vs 37±11 p<0.01). Survivors in both groups showed similar left ventricular ejection fraction 15 days and 4–6 months after cardiac arrest (46±8% vs 49±10, 47±11% vs 45±13%, p not significant for both), despite a major extent and duration of cardiac ischaemia in extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation patients. At multivariate analysis, the total cardiac arrest time was the only independent predictor of survival.

Conclusions:

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation patients are younger and have less comorbidities than conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but they have worse survival and lower early left ventricular ejection fraction. Survivors after extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation have a neurological outcome and recovery of heart function comparable to subjects with return of spontaneous circulation. Total cardiac arrest time is the only predictor of survival after cardiopulmonary resuscitation in both groups.
Development of a network game for coordination of service delivery to people with a chronic illness
Authors: van den Oord Steven , Bertels Floris , Geurts Jac , Lenstra Remco , Kenis Patrick , Cambré Bart
Published: October 2017

Introduction

In this article, network governance is examined by using a network game that enables participants to interact and communicate about the coordination of service delivery by playing a role in a simulated organizational network.

Methods

The research design can be described as a data-driven inductive approach in which data were collected during two stages based on a participatory model building approach as a form of action science. The data analysis was a reflexive and iterative process of going back and forth to the thematic analysis of the audiovisual recordings and the content analysis of the surveys. We report the interim findings as well as evaluate the network game based on two game sessions each with 18 participants held in 2017.

Results

The interim findings of the two game sessions provide various instances in which participants acknowledged the validity of day-to-day practices of network governance. The findings suggest that appointing a network governance form is necessary to coordinate and integrate interactions among and between networks.

Conclusion

This study presents how a gaming and simulation approach to scholars, public leaders and managers replicates the functioning of organizational networks. Moreover, the approach was experienced as being supportive for informing its participants on how organizational networks are effectively structured, governed and managed in the context of coordinated service delivery for people with a chronic illness in Flanders (Belgium). It is recommended for future research to apply a quasi-experimental research design in which dimensions of network governance are manipulated to examine the behavioral underpinnings of goal-directed networks.
Hand Signs for Lip-syncing: The Emergence of a Gestural Language on Musical.ly as a Video-Based Equivalent to Emoji
Authors: Rettberg Jill Walker
Published: October 2017

Video-based communication is increasingly common online. This article looks at the hand signs that are used in lip-syncing videos on the app musical.ly and argues that they constitute a codified, non-verbal language of pictograms that is equivalent to emoji in text-based communication. Seeing the lip-syncing videos as performances allows us to situate the hand signs as the latest development in a long history of formalized gestures for theatrical performance. By recognizing this emergent gestural language as a performative element of online communication, we can reinterpret emoji and other forms of visual supplement to writing as part of a larger emerging system of communication where visual signs are becoming integrated into verbal language, not only in written language but also in video-based communication.
Who Shares and Comments on News?: A Cross-National Comparative Analysis of Online and Social Media Participation
Authors: Kalogeropoulos Antonis , Negredo Samuel , Picone Ike , Nielsen Rasmus Kleis
Published: October 2017

In this article, we present a cross-national comparative analysis of which online news users in practice engage with the participatory potential for sharing and commenting on news afforded by interactive features in news websites and social media technologies across a strategic sample of six different countries. Based on data from the 2016 Reuters Institute Digital News Report, and controlling for a range of factors, we find that (1) people who use social media for news and a high number of different social media platforms are more likely to also engage more actively with news outside social media by commenting on news sites and sharing news via email, (2) political partisans on both sides are more likely to engage in sharing and commenting particularly on news stories in social media, and (3) people with high interest in hard news are more likely to comment on news on both news sites and social media and share stores via social media (and people with high interest in any kind of news [hard or soft] are more likely to share stories via email). Our analysis suggests that the online environment reinforces some long-standing inequalities in participation while countering other long-standing inequalities. The findings indicate a self-reinforcing positive spiral where the already motivated are more likely in practice to engage with the potential for participation offered by digital media, and a negative spiral where those who are less engaged participate less.