bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correlation between apparent diffusion coefficient and histopathology subtypes of osteosarcoma after neoadjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Wang Jifei , Sun Meili , Liu Dawei , Hu Xiaoshu , Pui Margaret H , Meng Quanfei , Gao Zhenhua
Published: November 2016

Background

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has made limb-salvage surgery possible for the patients with osteosarcoma. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) has been used to monitor chemotherapy response.

Purpose

To correlate the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values with histopathology subtypes of osteosarcoma after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Material and Methods

Twelve patients with osteoblastic (n = 7), chondroblastic (n = 4), and fibroblastic (n = 1) osteosarcomas underwent post-chemotherapy DWI before limb-salvage surgery. ADCs corresponding to 127 histological tissue samples from the 12 resected specimens were compared to histological features.

Results

The mean ADC value of non-cartilaginous viable tumor (38/91, ADC = 1.22 ± 0.03 × 10−3 mm2/s) was significantly ( P < 0.001) lower than that of non-cartilaginous tumor cell necrosis without stroma disintegration (25/91, ADC =1.77 ± 0.03 × 10−3 mm2/s), cartilaginous viable tumor (14/91, ADC = 2.19 ± 0.04 × 10−3 mm2/s), and cystic areas including liquefied necrosis, blood space, and secondary aneurysmal bone cyst (14/91, ADC = 2.29 ± 0.05 × 10−3 mm2/s). The mean ADC value of non-cartilaginous tumor cell necrosis was also significantly ( P < 0.001) smaller than those of viable cartilaginous tumor and cystic/hemorrhagic necrosis whereas the mean ADC values were not significantly ( P > 0.05) different between viable cartilaginous tumor and cystic/hemorrhagic necrosis.

Conclusion

DWI allows assessment of tumor necrosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy by ADC differences between viable tumor and necrosis in fibroblastic and osteoblastic osteosarcomas whereas viable chondroblastic osteosarcoma has high ADC and cannot be distinguished reliably from necrosis.
The relation of music performance anxiety (MPA) to optimism, self-efficacy, and sensitivity to reward and punishment: Testing Barlow’s theory of personal vulnerability on a sample of Spanish music students
Authors: Orejudo Santos , Zarza-Alzugaray Francisco Javier , Casanova Oscar , Rodríguez-Ledo César , Mazas Beatriz
Published: November 2016

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a phenomenon often encountered among professionals and students who make public appearances. This article presents the results of a study carried out on a sample of music students in superior music conservatories in Spain ( N = 434). Our goal was to analyze MPA on the basis of Barlow’s (2000) anxiety theory, supplementing it with further personality constructs such as dispositional optimism, general auto-efficacy, and sensitivity to reward and punishment. Our structural equation modeling (SEM) results reveal that several of those constructs exert their effect via the helplessness factor – the central construct in Barlow’s theory – and that they likewise exert a further series of direct effects on MPA. All in all, the variables taken into consideration account for 45.6% of variance in MPA in males and of 52.1% thereof in females. This study thus upholds Barlow’s theory of anxiety, while broadening it with further explanatory mechanisms.
Pressure and violence: Housing renovation and displacement in Sweden
Authors: Baeten Guy , Westin Sara , Pull Emil , Molina Irene
Published: November 2016

Based on interview material relating to the current wave of housing renovation in Swedish cities, this article will analyse the profit-driven, traumatic and violent displacement in the wake of contemporary large-scale renovation processes of the so-called Million Program housing estates from the 1960s and 1970s. We maintain that the current form of displacement (through renovation) has become a regularized profit strategy, for both public and private housing companies in Sweden. We will pay special attention to Marcuse’s notion of ‘displacement pressure’ which refers not only to actual displacement but also to the anxieties, uncertainties, insecurities and temporalities that arise from possible displacement due to significant rent increases after renovation and from the course of events preceding the actual rent increase. Examples of the many insidious forms in which this pressure manifests itself will be given – examples that illustrate the hypocritical nature of much planning discourse and rhetoric of urban renewal. We illustrate how seemingly unspectacular measures and tactics deployed in the renovation processes have far-reaching consequences for tenants exposed to actual or potential displacement. Displacement and displacement pressure due to significant rent increases (which is profit-driven but justified by invoking the ‘technical necessity’ of renovation) undermines the ‘right to dwell’ and the right to exert a reasonable level of power over one’s basic living conditions, with all the physical and mental benefits that entails – regardless of whether displacement fears materialize in actual displacement or not.
The metropolitan name game: The pathways to place naming shaping metropolitan regions
Authors: Cardoso Rodrigo V , Meijers Evert J
Published: November 2016

The centrality of metropolitan regions in policy and research does not mean they are perceived by their population as having a meaningful identity. This affects their political legitimacy, economic development prospects and place qualities. However, the ongoing scalar expansion of our spatial attachments creates the potential for a metropolitan identity, which can contribute to a stronger metropolitan region vision. As a component of identity formation, place naming becomes relevant both to represent and construct this scale. This article evaluates the geographical, institutional and social factors that shape naming processes in metropolitan regions undergoing integration. We consider historical examples representing different modes of name formation: New York, Stoke-on-Trent, Budapest, Charleville-Mézières, Metroplex and Thunder Bay. We find that metropolitan toponyms emerge from a nexus of interdependent factors, some of which decisively push naming processes into specific paths, and that such processes reflect the socio-political and cultural contexts shaping metropolitan regions. This provides a framework of questions that metropolitan institutions can consider to envision the names they are more likely to develop.
Hip Strength as an Intrinsic Risk Factor for Lateral Ankle Sprains in Youth Soccer Players: A 3-Season Prospective Study
Authors: De Ridder Roel , Witvrouw Erik , Dolphens Mieke , Roosen Philip , Van Ginckel Ans
Published: November 2016

Background:

Numerous epidemiological studies have emphasized the burden of lateral ankle sprains in youth soccer players. However, no prospective study has identified intrinsic physical and modifiable risk factors for these injuries in this particular population. Although injury prevention programs in soccer incorporate proximal hip and core stability exercises, it is striking that the relationship between impaired proximal hip function and ankle sprains has not yet been prospectively investigated in youth soccer players.

Hypothesis:

This prospective study aimed to examine whether hip muscle strength is a risk factor for sustaining a lateral ankle sprain in youth soccer players. We hypothesized that decreased hip muscle strength would predispose youth soccer players to an increased risk of lateral ankle sprains.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

This study included a total of 133 male youth soccer players (age divisions U11-U17) for analysis. At the beginning of the season, anthropometric characteristics were collected and hip muscle strength was assessed using a handheld dynamometer. Injury registration was performed by the team medical staff during 3 consecutive seasons. A principal-component, multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify potential risk factors for sustaining a lateral ankle sprain.

Results:

Twelve participants (18% of all reported injuries) sustained a lateral ankle sprain (0.36 per 1000 athletic-exposure hours). After adjustment for body size dependencies and other hip muscle forces, an increase in hip muscle extension force was associated with a significant decrease in the hazard of the injury (hazard ratio, 0.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.9; P = .028). No other study variable could be identified as a risk factor for lateral ankle sprains.

Conclusion:

Reduced hip extension muscle strength is an independent risk factor for lateral ankle sprains in male youth soccer players. Other hip muscle strength outcomes were not identified as risk factors. Replication in larger samples with more injured cases is warranted to further ascertain the importance of this risk factor.
Exploring the Nature of Compensation Strategies in Individuals With Dyslexia
Authors: Gelbar Nicholas W. , Bray Melissa , Kehle Thomas J. , Madaus Joseph W. , Makel Cheryl
Published: November 2016

Some individuals with developmental dyslexia are able to acquire age-appropriate reading comprehension abilities by the time they reach postsecondary education. This study explored the role that study strategies have with secondary students with dyslexia in achieving age-appropriate reading comprehension skills. The findings of this study indicated that study strategies were not significant predictors of reading comprehension abilities, though cognitive ability was a robust predictor. Furthermore, oral reading fluency was not a significant predictor. These findings further support that as words become more complex, oral reading fluency may not be related to reading comprehension. Practical implications and suggestions for future directions in this area are discussed.
Psychometrics of the Revised College Student Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire
Authors: Renshaw Tyler L.
Published: November 2016

The College Student Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire (CSSWQ) is a 15-item self-report rating scale for measuring four classes of college-specific wellbeing behavior: academic efficacy, academic satisfaction, school connectedness, and college gratitude. The present study investigated the psychometrics of a revised version of this measure, which included an additional item measuring academic satisfaction (for the purposes of balancing the number of items across subscales) and standardized the response options for all items to a unified 7-point Likert-type scale (for the purposes of enhancing administration feasibility and scoring interpretability), with a sample of current U.S. college students ( N = 401). Results indicated that responses to the revised version of the CSSWQ had adequate data–model fit to the proposed higher-order measurement model, that all factors were characterized by strong latent construct reliability, and that the higher-order factor demonstrated convergent validity with several domain-general measures of wellbeing and mental health problems. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Transnational Capital and the Transformation of the State: Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
Authors: Nichols Shawn
Published: November 2016

The fate of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), currently under negotiation, has been called into question. At issue is the inclusion of the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism that has been included in the NAFTA, CAFTA, and many bilateral agreements. Authorizing corporations and investors to bring disputes directly against governments for adopting regulations negatively impacting market share or future profitability, this mechanism has generated significant opposition, particularly in Europe. This paper probes the factors driving the struggle over this political project. Revealing the mechanisms operating to secure the inclusion of ISDS in the TTIP, these findings contribute to the interdisciplinary debates that have emerged around the rise of a transnational capital class and the transformation of the state. These developments have significant normative implications, the analysis of which contributes to a critical tradition that seeks to uncover processes that have been naturalized and reveal strategies for political contestation.
The unintended consequences of The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services pay-for-performance structures on safety-net hospitals and the low-income, medically vulnerable population
Authors: Fos Elmer B
Published: November 2016

Safety-net hospitals are hospitals with patient mix that is substantially composed of the uninsured, underinsured, and low-income, medically vulnerable patient populations. They are the hospitals of last resort for poor patients. This article examined the impact of The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services pay-for-performance reimbursement policies on the financial viability of safety-net hospitals. Studies showed that these policies, which are based on the principle of reward and punishment, might have unintentionally placed safety-net hospitals on financial disadvantage compared to other hospital organizations. Several studies implied that these payment structures might have resulted in a situation where safety-net hospitals that are serving poor patient populations become more susceptible to penalties than hospitals that are serving affluent patients.
Enhancing die corner accuracy using path modification strategy in wire electrical discharge machining of Monel 400
Authors: Selvakumar G , Thiruppathi Kuttalingam KG , Selvaraj M , Manohar J
Published: November 2016

In this study, path modification strategy is used to improve the accuracy of the die corner produced in wire electrical discharge machining process. Based on Taguchi’s L18 array, experiments are performed on Monel 400 alloy. The influence of the machine-controllable factors such as wire tension, open-circuit voltage, pulse-on time, pulse-off time and additional travel and uncontrollable factors namely corner angles and flushing nozzle height on the performance measures such as surface roughness, cutting speed, and corner error are studied. The outcome of this study reveals that the path modification value in terms of additional travel of 0.5 mm improves the corner accuracy of the profile by 35% as compared to the profile machined without adopting path modification strategy. The analyses of scanning electron micrographs are carried out. Finally, an optimal technological guideline is reported for ready industrial use.
Experimentally quantified and computational anisotropic damage rules for flax fabric composites
Authors: Panamoottil SM , Das R , Jayaraman K
Published: November 2016

Continuum damage mechanics models have been used for predicting failure in composites for several years now. However, their application to natural fibre composites is quite recent. In this work, an approach for evaluating damage processes in natural fibre composite has been developed by combining experimentally quantified damage rules with discrete representations of fabric geometry. This approach is demonstrated by predicting the tensile failure of both thermoplastic-based and thermoset-based flax fabric composites. Numerical models have been developed to estimate the damage rules from the fibre, matrix and interface properties incorporated into representative volume element (RVE) models of the composites. While both the experimentally quantified and numerically obtained sets of damage rules yield satisfactory predictions, the use of these numerical rules leads to predictions that are close to, and in some cases, better than those obtained from the quantified rules.
Randomized Controlled Trial to Determine the Efficacy of Early Switch From Vancomycin to Vancomycin Alternatives as a Strategy to Prevent Nephrotoxicity in Patients With Multiple Risk Factors for Adverse Renal Outcomes (STOP-NT)
Authors: Carreno Joseph J. , Kenney Rachel M. , Divine George , Vazquez Jose A. , Davis Susan L.
Published: November 2016

Background: Use of alternative antimicrobials to vancomycin is a potential strategy to reduce acute kidney injury (AKI) in high-risk patients, but current data do not support widespread adoption of this practice. Objective: To determine the efficacy of early switch to a nonnephrotoxic alternative for prevention of AKI in high-risk patients who receive vancomycin. Methods: This was an IRB-approved, prospective randomized controlled trial in a single, tertiary care academic medical center. Patients initially prescribed vancomycin between October 2011 to April 2013 with at least 2 risk factors for AKI were included. Treatment randomization was stratified by indication for therapy. Patients were randomized to continuation of dose-optimized vancomycin or early switch to an alternative antimicrobial agent. The primary end point was nephrotoxicity by consensus guideline definition adjudicated by blinded review; the secondary end point was AKI network–defined AKI. Results: A total of 103 patients were randomized; 100 were included in the modified intent-to-treat population, 51 in the vancomycin group and 49 in the alternative group. The incidence of nephrotoxicity was 6.1% in the alternative therapy arm and 9.8% in the vancomycin group ( P = 0.72). The incidence of AKI was 32.7% in the alternative therapy group and 31.4% in the vancomycin group ( P = 0.89). Conclusions: No significant difference in nephrotoxicity or AKI was detected among patients treated with alternative antimicrobials compared with vancomycin. The use of alternative antimicrobial therapy instead of vancomycin solely for the purpose of preventing AKI in high-risk patients does not appear to be warranted.
Sex and Marriage With Members of Other Ethnic Groups
Authors: Buunk Abraham P. , Dijkstra Pieternel
Published: November 2016

Given the importance of interethnic intimate relationships for the integration of minority groups, the present study examined attitudes toward marriages and sexual relationships with in-group and out-group members among young second-generation immigrants in the Netherlands compared with the Dutch. A sample of 95 ethnically Dutch, 68 Moroccan, and 68 Turkish individuals aged between 15 and 25, living in the Netherlands filled out an online questionnaire. Overall, individuals showed a preference for a marital partner from the same ethnic group as themselves, but a less pronounced preference for a sexual partner from their own ethnic group. Turkish and Moroccan, but not Dutch, men would rather engage in a sexual relationship than in a marriage with a Dutch woman, and rather in a marriage than in a sexual relationship with a woman from their own ethnic group. In contrast, women, especially Moroccan women would rather engage in a marriage than in a sexual relationship, preferably with someone of their own ethnic group. Finally, the more religious they were, the more Turkish and Moroccan women preferred a marital partner from their own ethnic group. Findings are discussed in the light of the integration of different ethnic groups in society.
Parties, mandates and multilevel politics
Authors: Clark Alistair , Bennie Lynn
Published: November 2016

The three main statewide British parties – Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats – all produce different versions of their manifestos in British general elections. Many policies debated in a British general election no longer apply at the subnational level, where separate devolved institutions control large areas of policy. This article therefore assesses the roles of national party manifestos at the subnational level in British general elections. It develops an original theory linking Strom’s alternative party goals to Ray’s typology of mandate/contract manifestos, advertisement manifestos and identity manifestos. It then explores a comparative overview of British parties’ general election manifestos at the subnational level, before focusing in detail on Labour’s 2010 and 2015 general election manifestos, which reflect the party’s strategic difficulties caused by devolution. The expected variation is found between the national and subnational manifestos. In some instances, multiple goals are pursued simultaneously and this is reflected in manifestos which assume elements of more than one manifesto ideal type. This supports the additional conclusion that manifestos can perform multiple functions in complex multilevel systems of government.
Economic evaluation of home-based telebehavioural health care compared to in-person treatment delivery for depression
Authors: Bounthavong Mark , Pruitt Larry D , Smolenski Derek J , Gahm Gregory A , Bansal Aasthaa , Hansen Ryan N
Published: November 2016

Introduction

Home-based telebehavioural healthcare improves access to mental health care for patients restricted by travel burden. However, there is limited evidence assessing the economic value of home-based telebehavioural health care compared to in-person care. We sought to compare the economic impact of home-based telebehavioural health care and in-person care for depression among current and former US service members.

Methods

We performed trial-based cost-minimisation and cost-utility analyses to assess the economic impact of home-based telebehavioural health care versus in-person behavioural care for depression. Our analyses focused on the payer perspective (Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs) at three months. We also performed a scenario analysis where all patients possessed video-conferencing technology that was approved by these agencies. The cost-utility analysis evaluated the impact of different depression categories on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the model assumptions.

Results

In the base case analysis the total direct cost of home-based telebehavioural health care was higher than in-person care (US$71,974 versus US$20,322). Assuming that patients possessed government-approved video-conferencing technology, home-based telebehavioural health care was less costly compared to in-person care (US$19,177 versus US$20,322). In one-way sensitivity analyses, the proportion of patients possessing personal computers was a major driver of direct costs. In the cost-utility analysis, home-based telebehavioural health care was dominant when patients possessed video-conferencing technology. Results from probabilistic sensitivity analyses did not differ substantially from base case results.

Discussion

Home-based telebehavioural health care is dependent on the cost of supplying video-conferencing technology to patients but offers the opportunity to increase access to care. Health-care policies centred on implementation of home-based telebehavioural health care should ensure that these technologies are able to be successfully deployed on patients’ existing technology.
No longer merely “good to think”: The new anthropology of police as a mode of critical thought
Authors: Karpiak Kevin
Published: November 2016

Images of police, punishment, and crime were central to the work of several of the key thinkers of the 20th century: the interpolative hail of the policeman for Althusser; the violence of the policeman in the shadow of law’s excess for Benjamin; the figure of the panopticon and, later, of police as the administration of man internal to the State for Foucault (to name just a few). Police, crime, and punishment were useful to consider a wide swath of issues including subjectivity, inequality, sovereignty, power, and text. If police have been such a productive tool through which to think, how does the emergence of anthropological research projects focused squarely on such practitioners stand to change that thought? Pushing this question more broadly, how does studying such subjects “head on” reshape how we reflect on the larger issues in critical theory today? This collection of articles will attempt to address such questions through ethnographic accounts that interrogate the limits and alternative possibilities for thinking about police. In the process these articles will push us to reexamine the practices of policing at the heart of collective life in such a way that challenges not only our understanding of such critical theorists but also places critical police studies at the center of our understanding of what it means to be human today.
Thermal lag and decrement factor of constructive component reinforced mortar channels filled with soil–cement–sawdust
Authors: Alavéz-Ramírez Rafael , Chiñas-Castillo Fernando , Morales-Domínguez Valentín Juventino , Ortiz-Guzmán Margarito , Caballero-Montes José Luis , Caballero-Caballero Magdaleno
Published: November 2016

In the last years, people has become aware of energy saving and thermal comfort requirements for home buildings in hot and cold seasons. In the present study, hybrid multifunctional constructive components made of a reinforced mortar channel filled with cement–soil–sawdust (CL2MSCAL) were evaluated to experimentally determine their thermal performance (thermal conductivity, thermal time lag and decrement factor). The experimental analysis performed in this study was based on dynamic climatology. Measurements of components surface temperature were conducted to determine temperature damping and temperature wave lag. Monthly average temperature and direct solar radiation data of the site was considered. Measurements of real-scale constructive components were conducted on a fully equipped thermal conductive system and thermal chambers (test cells) built for this purpose. Results are compared to concrete components (CCL) that account for approximately 71.6% of the houses built in Mexico and 43.2% in Oaxaca and reinforced mortar (CML) used as prefabricated housing systems. Best results were found for component CL2MSCAL that has a thermal conductivity of 0.81 W·m−1·K−1, a thermal damping of 81.5% (decrement factor of 0.166) and time lag of 7:37 h compared to CCL that present a time lag of 1 h and decrement factor of 0.9. Thus, it is concluded that CL2MSCAL rooﬁng channel components are an alternative for energy saving and thermal comfort.
Air quality inside motor vehicles' cabins: A review
Authors: Xu Bin , Chen Xiaokai , Xiong Jianyin
Published: November 2016

Among many environments, the motor vehicle cabin microenvironment has been of particular public concern. Although commuters typically spend only 5.5% of their time in vehicles, the emissions from various interior components of motor vehicles as well as emissions from exhaust fumes carried by ventilation supply air are significant sources of harmful air pollutants that could lead to unhealthy human exposure due to their high concentrations inside vehicles' cabins. This review summarizes significant findings in the literature on air quality inside vehicle cabins, including chemical species, related sources, measurement methodologies and control measures. More than 90 relevant studies performed across over 10 countries were carefully reviewed. These comprised more than 2000 individual road trips, where concentrations of numerous air pollutants were determined. Ultrafine particles, aromatic hydrocarbons, carbonyls, semi-volatile organic compounds and microbes have been identified as the primary air pollutants inside vehicle cabins. Air recirculation with high-efficiency air filter has been reported as the most effective measure to lower air pollutant concentrations. Future work should focus on investigating the health risks of exposure to various air pollutants inside different vehicles and further developing advanced air filter to improve the in-cabin air quality.
‘I’ll just text you’: Is face-to-face social contact declining in a mediated world?
Authors: Patulny Roger , Seaman Claire
Published: November 2016

The rise in the network society might lead to a decline in face-to-face contact as people substitute it with more mediated forms, or an increase in both face-to-face and mediated contact as complements, with unknown consequences for social support. This article examines trends in social contact, mediated contact (phone, online, etc.), and social support in 2002, 2006 and 2010, using aggregated ABS General Social Survey data. Results show an aggregate decline in face-to-face contact and rise in mediated contact in Australia between 2002 and 2010, but no aggregate decline in perceived social support, and a strong positive individual-level association between both forms of contact and social support. There are, however, signs of an emerging class-based digital divide, with low-income older men and less educated respondents reporting lower levels of mediated contact and social support by 2010.
Mechatronic suspension design for full rail vehicle system
Authors: Graa Mortadha , Nejlaoui Mohamed , Houidi Ajmi , Affi Zouhaier , Romdhane Lotfi
Published: November 2016

In this paper, an analytical mechatronic dynamic design model of a full rail vehicle system is developed. Based on the rail vehicle motion, its degree of freedom can be reduced to only 38. This reduction is necessary for the model simplicity. The developed model is validated with experimental result and compared with other one from literature. The real characteristics of the actuators are discussed, and its controller is designed. A mechatronic model that expresses the controlled tracking error as function of the vehicle dynamics and the actuator characteristics is developed. This model is used by the linear quadratic regulator approach to identify the mechatronic rail vehicle proportional–integral–derivative controller’s gains. The mechatronic rail vehicle comfort is evaluated in terms of the passenger displacement, acceleration and frequency as a response of a rail irregularities caused by a lateral and two vertical track irregularities. The simulations of vibration analysis are obtained in time and frequency domains and compared with railway vehicle status. The robustness of the designed mechatronic rail vehicle is verified by simulations, carried out for the cases of car body mass variations. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed mechatronic rail vehicle design which improves significantly the transportation of passengers.
Ready to work (yet)? Unemployment trajectories among vulnerable welfare recipients
Authors: Danneris Sophie
Published: November 2016

By analysing changes through time in vulnerable welfare recipients’ perception of their unemployment trajectories, the article revisits the assumption that unemployed clients’ trajectories are linear pathways following a clear and predictable line of causes and effects. The analysis is based on a qualitative longitudinal study in which 25 vulnerable welfare recipients were interviewed and observed repeatedly over the course of a two-year period. The article depicts four main stages – clients step into and out of through time, dependent on their perception of individual agency, institutional role and orientation towards the future. The results show that stages in vulnerable clients’ unemployment trajectories overlap in complicated ways, in which different explanations, effects, unintended consequences and interlocking problems are closely intertwined. By studying social policy reforms through the lenses of the clients, the study challenges current research attempts to find a quick fix or ‘one-size-fits-all’ intervention to improve the employability of vulnerable clients.
Feasibility of high frequency guided wave crack monitoring
Authors: Travaglini Christophe , Bescond Christophe , Viens Martin , Belanger Pierre
Published: November 2016

Ultrasonic guided waves are particularly interesting for SHM applications because they have the ability to propagate long distances with minimal attenuation. Using the baseline subtraction approach, the signal from a defect free structure is subtracted from the actual monitoring signal to detect and characterize defects. Low frequency guided wave SHM and the interaction of the fundamental guided wave modes with various types of defect are well documented in the literature. There are, however, only a very limited number of studies on high order modes. High frequency guided waves may enable the detection of smaller cracks relative to conventional low frequency guided wave SHM. The main difficulty at high frequency is the existence of several modes with different velocities. This study investigates the scattering of high frequency Lamb waves around a through-thickness hole with a view to developing a highly sensitive SHM system for safety-critical components. A 3D finite element model of a 305 × 305 × 1.6 mm aluminum plate was used to determine the scattered field generated by cracks on the circumference of a through-thickness hole in the middle of the plate. Crack properties such as orientation, length and depth were studied. A subset of the finite element simulations were validated against experimental results. The experimental setup comprised a classic contact piezoelectric transducer bonded on the side of the plate and a laser interferometer detector.
Validation of a physics-based model of a rotating machine for synthetic data generation in hybrid diagnosis
Authors: Leturiondo Urko , Salgado Oscar , Galar Diego
Published: November 2016

Diagnosis and prognosis are key issues in the application of condition based maintenance. Thus, there is a need to evaluate the condition of a machine. Physics-based models are of great interest as they give the response of a modelled system in different operating conditions. This strategy allows for the generation of synthetic data that can be used in combination with real data acquired by sensors to improve maintenance. The article presents an electromechanical model for a rotating machine, with special emphasis on the modelling of rolling element bearings. The proposed model is validated by comparing the simulation results and the experimental results in different operating conditions and different damaged states. This comparison shows good agreement, obtaining differences of up to 10% for the modelling of the whole rotating machine and less than 0.6% for the model of the bearing.
Nonlinear dynamics modeling and simulation of two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle
Authors: Liu Yunping , Huang Xijie , Wang Tianmiao , Zhang Yonghong , Li Xianying
Published: November 2016

Two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle system is a kind of naturally unstable underactuated system with high-rank unstable multivariable strongly coupling complicated dynamic nonlinear property. Nonlinear dynamics modeling and simulation, as a basis of two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle dynamics research, has the guiding effect for system design of the project demonstration and design phase. Dynamics model of the two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle is established by importing a TSi ProPac package to the Mathematica software (version 8.0), which analyzes the stability and calculates the Lyapunov exponents of the system. The relationship between external force and stability of the system is analyzed by the phase trajectory. Proportional–integral–derivative control is added to the system in order to improve the stability of the two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle. From the research, Lyapunov exponent can be used to research the stability of hyperchaos system. The stability of the two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle is better by inputting the proportional–integral–derivative control. The Lyapunov exponent and phase trajectory can help us analyze the stability of a system better and lay the foundation for the analysis and control of the two-wheeled self-balancing vehicle system.
Investigating leadership ethnographically: Opportunities and potentialities
Authors: Sutherland Neil
Published: November 2016

Whilst recent years have seen increasingly ethnographic-focussed writings in Organisation Studies, similar developments have not been mirrored within Leadership Studies, where the field is still dominated by positivistic approaches. Various theorists have noted problems with this, often pointing toward ethnography as a way of investigating leadership from new angles. However, to date it remains underrepresented. Potentially, this could be due to the fact that leadership is an ill-defined concept, and this paper suggests developing a clearer understanding of the phenomenon – building on the work of Smircich and Morgan and Fairhurst. That is, understanding leadership as constituted by meaning-making and reality definition, which is performed through discourse (or: intersubjective talk, communication, language and interaction) as well as being influenced by Discourse (or: extrasubjective frames of reference). This paper suggests that ethnographic methodologies are apt for studying both, and may be able to shed new light on leadership practice.
Spinal astrocytic activation contributes to mechanical allodynia in a rat model of cyclophosphamide-induced cystitis
Authors: Liu Bolong , Su Minzhi , Tang ShaoJun , Zhou Xiangfu , Zhan Hailun , Yang Fei , Li Wenbiao , Li Tengcheng , Xie Juncong
Published: November 2016

Background

Previous studies have demonstrated that glial cells play an important role in the generation and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Activated glial cells produce numerous mediators such as proinflammatory cytokines that facilitate neuronal activity and synaptic plasticity. Similarly, bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis shares many characteristics of neuropathic pain. However, related report on the involvement of spinal glia in bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis-associated pathological pain and the underlying mechanisms are still lacking. The present study investigated spinal glial activation and underlying molecular mechanisms in a rat model of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis.

Results

A rat model of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis was established via systemic injection with cyclophosphamide. Mechanical allodynia was tested with von Frey monofilaments and up-down method. Moreover, Western blots and double immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression and location of glial fibrillary acidic protein, OX42/Iba1, P-P38, NeuN, interleukin (IL)-1β, phosphorylation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 (P-NR1), and IL-1 receptor I (IL-1RI) in the L6-S1 spinal cord. We found that glial fibrillary acidic protein rather than OX42/Iba1 or P-P38 was significantly increased in the spinal cord of cyclophosphamide-induced cystitis. L-alpha-aminoadipate but not minocycline markedly attenuated the allodynia. Furthermore, we found that spinal IL-1β was dramatically increased in cyclophosphamide-induced cystitis, and activated astrocytes were the only source of IL-1β release, which contributed to allodynia in cystitis rats. Besides, spinal P-NR1 was statistically increased in cyclophosphamide-induced cystitis and only localized in IL-1RI positive neurons in spinal dorsal horn. Additionally, NR antagonist significantly attenuated the cystitis-induced pain. Interestingly, the time course of the P-NR1 expression paralleled to that of IL-1β or glial fibrillary acidic protein.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated that astrocytic activation but not microglial activation contributed to the allodynia in cyclophosphamide-induced cystitis and IL-1β released from astrocytes might bind to its endogenous receptor on the neurons inducing the phosphorylation of NR1 subunit, leading to sensory neuronal hyperexcitability and pathological pain.
Hippocampal activation of microglia may underlie the shared neurobiology of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain
Authors: Sun Rao , Zhang Zuoxia , Lei Yishan , Liu Yue , Lu Cui’e , Rong Hui , Sun Yu’e , Zhang Wei , Ma Zhengliang , Gu Xiaoping
Published: November 2016

The high comorbidity rates of posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain have been widely reported, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Emerging evidence suggested that an excess of inflammatory immune activities in the hippocampus involved in the progression of both posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. Considering that microglia are substrates underlying the initiation and propagation of the neuroimmune response, we hypothesized that stress-induced activation of hippocampal microglia may contribute to the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder-pain comorbidity. We showed that rats exposed to single prolonged stress, an established posttraumatic stress disorder model, exhibited persistent mechanical allodynia and anxiety-like behavior, which were accompanied by increased activation of microglia and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus. Correlation analyses showed that hippocampal activation of microglia was significantly correlated with mechanical allodynia and anxiety-like behavior. Our data also showed that both intraperitoneal and intra-hippocampal injection of minocycline suppressed single prolonged stress-induced microglia activation and inflammatory cytokines accumulation in the hippocampus, and attenuated both single prolonged stress-induced mechanical allodynia and anxiety-like behavior. Taken together, the present study suggests that stress-induced microglia activation in the hippocampus may serve as a critical mechanistic link in the comorbid relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. The novel concept introduces the possibility of cotreating chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Sensory nerve supply of the distal radio-ulnar joint with regard to wrist denervation
Authors: Hohenberger G. M. , Maier M. J. , Dolcet C. , Weiglein A. H. , Schwarz A. , Matzi V.
Published: November 2016

The objective of this study was to determine the precise departure points of the articular branches innervating the distal radio-ulnar joint from the anterior and posterior interosseous nerves. The study sample consisted of 116 upper limbs from adult human cadavers. The articular branches were prepared under the dissection microscope to take measurements using the radial styloid process as point of reference. The articular branch departed from the anterior interosseous nerve at a mean distance of 2.9 cm proximal to the styloid for a radius length of 20.5 cm, and 3.7 cm for a radius length of 26.5 cm, respectively. For the posterior interosseous nerve, the departure point was at a mean distance of 3.1 cm (radius length of 20.5 cm) and at 4.0 cm (radius length of 26.5 cm). Apart from a single branch from the posterior interosseous nerve, all articular branches were located distal to the proximal border of the pronator quadratus. Results indicate that wrist denervation from the volar approach, if performed at the proximal border of the pronator quadratus, or from the dorsal approach at a distance of 4.8 cm (for a radius length of 20.5 cm) or 6.2 cm (for a radius length of 26.5 cm) proximal to the radial styloid process, will eliminate the nerve supply to the distal radio-ulnar joint in the majority of cases.
Monitoring the Diagnostic Process on an Inpatient Neurology Service
Authors: Dhand Amar , Bucelli Robert , Varadhachary Arun , Tsiaklides Michael , de Bruin Gabriela , Dhaliwal Gurpreet
Published: November 2016

The Institute of Medicine report Improving Diagnosis in Health Care called for tools to monitor physicians’ diagnostic process. We addressed this need by developing a tool for clinicians to record and analyze their diagnostic process. The tool was a secure web application in which clinicians used a structured grading system to assess the relative impact of clinical, laboratory, and neuroimaging data for every new diagnosis. Four neurohospitalists used the tool for 6.5 months on a general neurology ward service at a single tertiary-level teaching hospital. Process measures of tool use included number of diagnoses entered, time spent on each data entry, and concordance of diagnoses compared to the medical record. We also aggregated the data across clinicians to examine the average process scores across common inpatient disorders. The 4 clinicians entered 254 new diagnoses that took approximately 3 minutes per patient. In 50 randomly chosen cases, the neurohospitalists’ diagnoses entered into the tool agreed with 92% of diagnoses in the medical record, which was better than the agreement between billing code and medical record diagnoses (74%). The diagnostic process varied across disease categories, showing a spectrum of clinical-dominant (eg, headache), laboratory-dominant (eg, encephalitis), and neuroimaging-dominant (eg, stroke) disorders. This study demonstrated the feasibility of a clinician-driven diagnostic process monitoring system, along with preliminary characterization of the process for common disorders. The tracking of diagnostic process has the potential to promote reflection on clinical practice, deconstruct neurologists’ clinical decision-making, and improve health-care safety.
A Realistic (Holistic) Approach to Climate Mitigation
Authors: Taylor Graeme
Published: November 2016

At this time, most climate researchers are only using a limited range of futures approaches: for example, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) future scenarios have been developed primarily with empirical predictive methods that extrapolate trends. These seriously underestimate the risk of nonlinear developments and critical failures. This article examines the Paris Climate Conference (COP) 21 agreement on climate mitigation; explains why current efforts are based on false assumptions and likely to fail; argues that holistic, integrative methods are needed to avoid disaster; and uses these methods to develop a practical strategy for accelerating systemic transformation. Despite the impressive diplomatic achievements of the Paris Agreement, there is a dangerous lag between the pace of political, economic, and technological change and the rapid (nonnegotiable) rate of climate change. The challenge is to find ways to manage the conflict between the need to work within existing institutional frameworks and the reality that they are not (and may be structurally incapable of) acting quickly enough to prevent catastrophic outcomes. This dichotomy may be resolved by using a three-track strategy: the first track will focus on accelerating existing climate mitigation efforts by encouraging decision-makers to use holistic, critical-safety risk management methods. The second track will counter ideological opposition with constructive alternative narratives. The third track will help catalyze the global movement needed to empower structural transformation and the emergence of a sustainable global system. It will not be possible to resolve many complex global socioecological problems (climate, water, food, energy, growing inequality, etc.) without transformational change. Integrative, whole-systems methods are now needed to accelerate the evolution of a sustainable global system.
Skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity in people with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Harp Mary Ann , McCully Kevin K , Moldavskiy Marina , Backus Deborah
Published: November 2016

Background

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have functional disability and may have reduced muscle mitochondrial capacity.

Objective

The objective of this paper is to measure muscle mitochondrial capacity of leg muscles using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and compare to functional status.

Materials and methods

People with MS ( n = 16) and a control (CON) group ( n = 9) were evaluated for 25-ft walk time. Mitochondrial capacity of both gastrocnemius muscles were measured with NIRS as the rate of recovery of oxygen consumption in after exercise.

Results

Mitochondrial capacity was lower in the MS group compared to the CON group (rate constants: 1.13 ± 0.29 vs. 1.68 ± 0.37 min−1, p < 0.05). There was a tendency for people with MS who used assistive devices to have lower mitochondrial capacity in the weaker leg ( p = 0.07).

Conclusion

NIRS measurements of mitochondrial capacity suggest a 40% deficit in people with MS compared to CONs and this may contribute to walking disability.