bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Text Mining to Decipher Free-Response Consumer Complaints
Authors: Ghazizadeh Mahtab , McDonald Anthony D. , Lee John D.
Published: February 2014

Objective:

This study applies text mining to extract clusters of vehicle problems and associated trends from free-response data in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle owner’s complaint database.

Background:

As the automotive industry adopts new technologies, it is important to systematically assess the effect of these changes on traffic safety. Driving simulators, naturalistic driving data, and crash databases all contribute to a better understanding of how drivers respond to changing vehicle technology, but other approaches, such as automated analysis of incident reports, are needed.

Method:

Free-response data from incidents representing two severity levels (fatal incidents and incidents involving injury) were analyzed using a text mining approach: latent semantic analysis (LSA). LSA and hierarchical clustering identified clusters of complaints for each severity level, which were compared and analyzed across time.

Results:

Cluster analysis identified eight clusters of fatal incidents and six clusters of incidents involving injury. Comparisons showed that although the airbag clusters across the two severity levels have the same most frequent terms, the circumstances around the incidents differ. The time trends show clear increases in complaints surrounding the Ford/Firestone tire recall and the Toyota unintended acceleration recall. Increases in complaints may be partially driven by these recall announcements and the associated media attention.

Conclusion:

Text mining can reveal useful information from free-response databases that would otherwise be prohibitively time-consuming and difficult to summarize manually.

Application:

Text mining can extend human analysis capabilities for large free-response databases to support earlier detection of problems and more timely safety interventions.
Modeling team knowledge sharing and team flexibility: The role of within-team competition
Authors: He Hongwei , Baruch Yehuda , Lin Chieh-Peng
Published: February 2014

This study examines the role of within-team competition (i.e. team hypercompetition and team development competition) in a team process. We developed and tested a model that associates team collectivism as the antecedent of within-team competition, and knowledge sharing and team flexibility as the outcomes. The model was empirically tested with data from 141 knowledge-intensive teams. The empirical findings showed that team collectivism had a positive relationship with team development competition and a negative relationship with team hypercompetition. Regarding the outcomes, team development competition and team hypercompetition had an indirect relationship with knowledge sharing and team flexibility through team empowerment. We offer a number of original contributions to the team effectiveness literature, especially by showing that team hypercompetition and team development competition have different impacts on team knowledge sharing and team flexibility.
IL-6 Alters Osteocyte Signaling toward Osteoblasts but Not Osteoclasts
Authors: Bakker A.D. , Kulkarni R.N. , Klein-Nulend J. , Lems W.F.
Published: February 2014

Mechanosensitive osteocytes regulate bone mass in adults. Interleukin 6 (IL-6), such as present during orthodontic tooth movement, also strongly affects bone mass, but little is known about the effect of IL-6 on osteocyte function. Therefore we aimed to determine in vitro whether IL-6 affects osteocyte mechanosensitivity, and osteocyte regulation of osteoclastogenesis and osteoblast differentiation. MLO-Y4 osteocytes were incubated with/without IL-6 (1 or 10 pg/mL) for 24 hr. Subsequently, osteocytes were subjected to mechanical loading by pulsating fluid flow (PFF) for 1 hr. Mouse osteoclast precursors were cultured for 7 days on top of IL-6-treated osteocytes. Conditioned medium from osteocytes treated with/without IL-6 was added to MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts for 14 days. Exogenous IL-6 (10 pg/mL) did not alter the osteocyte response to PFF. PFF significantly enhanced IL-6 production by osteocytes. IL-6 enhanced Rankl expression but reduced caspase 3/7 activity by osteocytes, and therefore did not affect osteocyte-stimulated osteoclastogenesis. Conditioned medium from IL-6-treated osteocytes reduced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and Runx2 expression in osteoblasts, but increased expression of the proliferation marker Ki67 and osteocalcin. Our results suggest that IL-6 is produced by shear-loaded osteocytes and that IL-6 may affect bone mass by modulating osteocyte communication toward osteoblasts.
Using an iPad Application to Promote Early Literacy Development in Young Children With Disabilities
Authors: Chai Zhen , Vail Cynthia O. , Ayres Kevin M.
Published: February 2014

This investigation evaluated the effects of using an iPad application to teach young children with developmental delays to receptively identify initial phonemes through 0- to 5-s constant time delay procedures in the context of a multiple-probe design across three sets of behaviors and replicated across three students. The dependent variable was the percentage of unprompted correct receptive identification responses for target phonemes during instruction and probes. All students mastered their target phonemes, generalized the skills across materials, and maintained the skills at or above 50% of accuracy 4 and 7 weeks after the intervention was completed. This study expands the knowledge on using touch screen iPad application for early literacy instruction of young children with disabilities.
A review: effect of conductive polymers on the conductivities of electrospun mats
Authors: Yanılmaz Meltem , Sarac A Sezai
Published: February 2014

The effects of conductive polymers on conductivities and morphologies of electrospun fabrics are analyzed. The factors that affect the conductivities and morphologies are discussed. Some applications of these conductive nanofibers are reported. The introduction of conductive polymers into nanofiber mats has the potential to provide sufficient conductivity for many applications. An improved conductivity can be achieved by maximizing the content of conjugated polymers. The selection of conductive and carrier polymers, solvents, doping agents, oxidizing agents and ratios of them are also important to obtain sufficient properties. Carbon fiber, carbon black and carbon nanotubes are not covered in this review.
Promoting the use of higher level cognitive processes in a quantitative analysis course
Authors: Peters Robert A
Published: February 2014

Students in two iterations of a statistics course were required to develop work-related research questions that could be analyzed by the statistical techniques discussed in class. They were also expected to present the question and other research design components in a manner that could be comprehended by statistical novices. To provide sufficient class time for the groups to begin work on their assignments, the course’s second iteration substituted Kahn Academy videos for a portion of the lecture material. However, observations of the students’ behaviors and qualitative analysis of the responses to open-ended course evaluation questions indicate that efforts to encourage self-directed learning were undermined by an allegiance to stimulus-response learning, i.e. a preference for courses in which students are told what they need to know. Since the preference is based on a desire to maximize the grades generated by a given investment of time, the impending iteration of the course incentivizes self-directed learning by incorporating into the course grade calculation the students’ contributions to their group’s efforts and participation in class discussions. The revised grading structure is intended to encourage self-directed learning in which students teach and learn from one another and thereby engage in deep learning.
Training policy students to hit the ground running
Authors: Chetkovich Carol , Henderson Mark
Published: February 2014

Effective public policy education must prepare students both to integrate the lessons of multiple disciplines and to apply these across diverse substantive areas. How can these objectives best be accomplished? Research on adult learning and professional education points toward applied, problem-based, cooperative, and student-driven pedagogy. This article describes the design and implementation of an integrative core course in which Master of Public Policy (MPP) students work through the stages of policy analysis in a series of current policy problems. The instructor serves as a coach, and a professional “client” for each problem provides feedback grounded in experience. Engaged learning is enhanced through teamwork, peer instruction, and opportunities for reflection and self-assessment. Over time, refinements in problem and client selection and the integration of skills have been informed by practical concerns and formal program assessment.
Whey Peptide–Based Formulas With ω‐3 Fatty Acids Are Protective in Lipopolysaccharide‐Mediated Sepsis
Authors: Tsutsumi Rie , Horikawa Yousuke T. , Kume Katsuyoshi , Tanaka Katsuya , Kasai Asuka , Kadota Takako , Tsutsumi Yasuo M.
Published: February 2014

Background: Sepsis and septic shock syndrome are among the leading causes of death in critically ill patients. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) released by bacteria within the colon may translocate across a compromised epithelium, leading to oxidative stress, inflammation, sepsis, and eventually death. Methods: We examined the effects of a whey‐based enteral formula high in cysteine (antioxidant precursor) and the addition of ω‐3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), against a mouse model of LPS‐induced sepsis. Mice were fed either a whey‐based diet with EPA‐DHA (PAF), a whey‐based diet without EPA‐DHA (PSTD), or a casein‐based control diet (CONT). Results: Mice fed PAF or PSTD were protected against LPS‐induced weight loss. Whey‐based diets suppressed inflammatory cytokine release and oxidative stress damage. Furthermore, PAF and PSTD were able to inhibit autophagy, a mechanism in which the cell recycles damaged organelles. These anti‐inflammatory and antioxidative effects of PSTD and PAF resulted in decreased liver inflammation and intestinal damage and promoted protective microbiota within the intestines. Conclusions: These data suggest a clinical role for whey peptide–based diets in promoting healing and recovery in critically ill patients.
The Impact of Market Orientation on Patient Safety Climate Among Hospital Nurses
Authors: Weng Rhay-Hung , Chen Jung-Chien , Pong Li-Jung , Chen Li-Mei , Lin Tzu-Chi
Published: February 2014

Improving market orientation and patient safety have become the key concerns of nursing management. For nurses, establishing a patient safety climate is the key to enhancing nursing quality. This study explores how market orientation affects the climate of patient safety among hospital nurses. We proposed adopting a cross-sectional research design and using questionnaires to collect responses from nurses working in two Taiwanese hospitals. Three-hundred and forty-three valid samples were obtained. Multiple regression and path analyses were conducted to test the study. Market orientation was defined as the combination of customer orientation, competitor orientation, and interfunctional coordination. Customer orientation directly affects the climate of patient safety. Although the findings only supported Hypothesis 1, competitor orientation and interfunctional coordination positively affected the patient safety climate through the mediating effects of hospital support for staff. Health care managers could encourage nurses to adopt customer-oriented perspectives to enhance their nursing care. In addition, to enhance competitor orientation, interfunctional coordination, and the patient safety climate, hospital managers could strengthen their support for staff members.
Emerging Adulthood
Authors: Sussman Steve , Arnett Jeffrey Jensen
Published: February 2014

Following adolescence and prior to young adulthood is a life developmental period that has been referred to as “emerging adulthood.” This period of life involves an extended duration of learning and experimentation before settling into a career and stable relationship. Risky behaviors may be most tolerated or even promoted during emerging adulthood. Various substance and behavioral addictions are most likely to be realized during this period. Understanding what differentiates emerging adults that develop or do not develop full-blown addictions will assist in the creation of more efficacious prevention and cessation programs.
Parent emotion representations and the socialization of emotion regulation in the family
Authors: Meyer Sara , Raikes H. Abigail , Virmani Elita A. , Waters Sara , Thompson Ross A.
Published: February 2014

There is considerable knowledge of parental socialization processes that directly and indirectly influence the development of children’s emotion self-regulation, but little understanding of the specific beliefs and values that underlie parents’ socialization approaches. This study examined multiple aspects of parents’ self-reported emotion representations and their associations with parents’ strategies for managing children’s negative emotions and children’s emotion self-regulatory behaviors. The sample consisted of 73 mothers of 4–5-year-old children; the sample was ethnically diverse. Two aspects of parents’ beliefs about emotion – the importance of attention to/acceptance of emotional reactions, and the value of emotion self-regulation – were associated with both socialization strategies and children’s self-regulation. Furthermore, in mediational models, the association of parental representations with children’s emotion regulation was mediated by constructive socialization strategies. These findings are among the first to highlight the specific kinds of emotion representations that are associated with parents’ emotion socialization, and their importance to family processes shaping children’s emotional development.
Emotional and adrenocortical regulation in early adolescence
Authors: Spangler Gottfried , Zimmermann Peter
Published: February 2014

The aim of the present study was to examine differences in emotion expression and emotion regulation in emotion-eliciting situations in early adolescence from a bio-psycho-social perspective, specifically investigating the influence of early mother-infant attachment and attachment disorganization on behavioural and adrenocortical responses. The sample consisted of 96 children of the Regensburg Longitudinal Study IV. At age 12 months, attachment security and disorganization were assessed in the Strange Situation. At age 12 years, the adolescents were observed together with their mother during a computer game (eliciting anger) and the “Talk Show Task” (eliciting fear). Analyses included self-ratings and mother-ratings of the adolescents’ emotions (anger and fear), observations of the adolescents’ emotional expression and emotional regulation (social regulation, effective regulation) as well as concurrent maternal emotional support. In addition, adrenocortical activity was assessed from saliva samples before and after observation. The findings revealed different patterns of social-emotional responses depending on early attachment security. Adolescents with secure infant attachment reported more anger, when anger was induced, were rated as less anxious by their mothers, and their emotion self-ratings were more similar to their mothers’ ratings compared to adolescents with an early insecure attachment. An increased adrenocortical response was only found in the group of adolescents with attachment disorganization in infancy, especially with increased fear.
Laryngeal Muscle Activity in Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis Patients Using Electromyography and Coronal Reconstructed Images
Authors: Sanuki Tetsuji , Yumoto Eiji , Nishimoto Kohei , Minoda Ryosei
Published: February 2014

Objective

To assess laryngeal muscle activity in unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) patients using laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) and coronal images.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

University hospital.

Subjects and Methods

Twenty‐one patients diagnosed with UVFP of at least 6 months in duration with paralytic dysphonia, underwent LEMG, phonatory function tests, and coronal imaging. A 4‐point scale was used to grade motor unit (MU) recruitment: absent = 4+, greatly decreased = 3+, moderately decreased = 2+, and mildly decreased = 1+. Maximum phonation time (MPT) and mean flow rate (MFR) were employed. Coronal images were assessed for differences in thickness and vertical position of the vocal folds during phonation and inhalation.

Results

MU recruitment in thyroarytenoid/lateral cricoarytenoid (TA/LCA) muscle complex results were 1+ for 4 patients, 2+ for 5, 3+ for 6, and 4+ for 6. MPT was positively correlated with MU recruitment. Thinning of the affected fold was evident during phonation in 19 of the 21 subjects. The affected fold was at an equal level with the healthy fold in all 9 subjects with MU recruitment of 1+ and 2+. Eleven of 12 subjects with MU recruitments of 3+ and 4+ showed the affected fold at a higher level than the healthy fold. There was a significant difference between MU recruitment and the vertical position of the affected fold.

Conclusions

Synkinetic reinnervation may occur in some cases with UVFP. MU recruitments of TA/LCA muscle complex in UVFP patients may be related to phonatory function and the vertical position of the affected fold.
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Central Sleep Apnea in Infants with Laryngomalacia
Authors: Tanphaichitr Archwin , Tanphaichitr Pattraporn , Apiwattanasawee Polporn , Brockbank Justin , Rutter Michael J. , Simakajornboon Narong
Published: February 2014

Objective

To identify the prevalence of and risk factors for central sleep apnea (CSA) in infants who are diagnosed with laryngomalacia.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Quaternary care pediatric hospital.

Subjects and Methods

We performed a chart review in infants with laryngomalacia. All infants had diagnostic polysomnography (PSG) performed from 2003 to 2012. Infants who underwent supraglottoplasty or other upper airway surgery prior to PSG were excluded. CSA was defined as central apnea index ≥ 5. Demographic data, underlying diseases, and PSG data were reviewed and analyzed.

Results

Fifty‐four patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age at the date PSG was performed was 3.4 ± 2.7 months. The prevalence of CSA in infants with laryngomalacia was 46.3%. Odds ratio (OR) of CSA was above 2.0 in patients with the following risk factors: underlying neurologic disease, hypotonia, or syndrome (OR = 2.5, P =. 13), history of apparent life‐threatening events (OR = 2.7, P =. 19), premature infants (OR = 2.2, P =. 33), and age less than 3 months (OR = 2.3, P =. 15). However, none of the risk factors were statistically significant. Analysis of sleep architecture revealed a decrease in total sleep time (345.4 ± 70.6 minutes vs 393.5 ± 68.3 minutes, P =. 02) and sleep efficiency (67.7 ± 8.9% vs 75.2 ± 9.3%, P =. 004) in the CSA group.

Conclusion

CSA is relatively common in infants with laryngomalacia. There seems to be a higher prevalence of CSA in infants with certain risk factors, but none of the risk factors are statistically significant. The presence of CSA can lead to alteration in sleep architecture. In addition to clinical evaluation, polysomnography may be warranted for the evaluation of infants with laryngomalacia and associated complex medical conditions.
Aquaporin‐1 Promoter Hypermethylation Is Associated with Improved Prognosis in Salivary Gland Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma
Authors: Tan Marietta , Shao Chunbo , Bishop Justin A. , Feng Zhaoyong , Trock Bruce J. , Westra William H. , Ha Patrick K.
Published: February 2014

Objectives

Aquaporin‐1 (AQP1) is a candidate oncogene that is epigenetically modified in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). We sought to (1) assess AQP1 promoter methylation and expression in an ACC cohort, (2) identify correlations between AQP1 and clinical outcomes, and (3) explore the role of AQP1 in tumor progression in vitro.

Study design

Laboratory study, retrospective chart review.

Setting

Academic medical center.

Methods

DNA and RNA were isolated from ACC tumors and control salivary gland tissues. Quantitative methylation‐specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on bisulfite‐treated DNA. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR was performed after cDNA synthesis. Cell lines stably overexpressing an AQP1 plasmid or empty vector were generated. Cell scratch and Matrigel invasion assays were performed. Retrospective chart review was performed for collection of clinical information.

Results

Methylation results from 77 tumors and 30 controls demonstrated that AQP1 was hypomethylated in tumors (P <. 0001). Fifty‐eight tumors (75.3%) displayed AQP1 hypomethylation compared with controls. AQP1 expression levels assessed in 58 tumors and 23 controls demonstrated a trend toward increased expression in tumors (P =. 08). Univariate analysis revealed that AQP1 hypermethylation was associated with increased overall survival. No associations between AQP1 expression level and survival were found. AQP1 overexpression did not affect cell migratory or invasive capacities in vitro.

Conclusion

AQP1 promoter hypomethylation is common in ACC, and AQP1 tends to be overexpressed in these tumors. Increased AQP1 methylation is associated with improved prognosis on univariate analysis, but expression is not associated with outcomes. Further in vitro studies are necessary to clarify the role of AQP1 in ACC.
Secondary Tracheoesophageal Puncture In‐Office Using Seldinger Technique
Authors: Britt Christopher J. , Lippert Dylan , Kammer Rachael , Ford Charles N. , Dailey Seth H. , McCulloch Timothy , Hartig Gregory
Published: February 2014

Objective

Evaluate the safety and efficacy of in‐office secondary tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) technique using transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) and the Seldinger technique in conjunction with a cricothyroidotomy kit for placement.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Academic medical center.

Subject and Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed on 83 subjects who underwent in‐office secondary TEP. Variables that were examined included disease site, staging, histologic diagnosis, extent of resection and reconstruction, chemoradiation, functional voice status (as assessed by speech pathologist in most recent note), and complications directly related to the procedure.

Results

Eighty‐three individuals from our institution met our criteria for in‐office secondary TEP from 2005 to August 2012. Of these, 97.6% (81/83) had no complications of TEP. The overall complication rate was 2.4% (2/83). Complications included bleeding from puncture site and closure of puncture site after dislodgement of prosthesis at the time of puncture. Fluent conversational speech was achieved in 69.9% of all patients (58/83), and an additional 19.3% (16/83) achieved functional/intelligible speech; of those, 3.6% (3/83) were unable to achieve fluent conversational speech due to anatomic defects from previous surgery.

Conclusion

An in‐office TEP can be safely performed using the Seldinger technique with direct visualization using TNE, despite the extent of resection or reconstruction, with functional speech outcomes comparable to other studies available in the literature.
The Interrater and Intrarater Reliability of the Philpott‐Javer Staging System Based on Level of Training
Authors: Parhar Harman S. , Thamboo Andrew , Habib Al‐Rahim , Chang Brent , Gan Eng Cern , Javer Amin R.
Published: February 2014

Objective

The Philpott‐Javer postoperative endoscopic mucosal staging system for allergic fungal rhinosinusitis has previously demonstrated acceptable interrater reliability among rhinologists. There are, however, numerous learners involved in patient care at tertiary centers. This study aims to analyze the interrater and intrarater reliability of this system among learners in otolaryngology at different stages in training.

Study Design

A prospective analysis of retrospectively collected endoscopic photographs.

Setting

A tertiary care teaching hospital (January 2013).

Subjects

Fifty patients undergoing routine follow‐up.

Method

Three photographs from each of 50 patients undergoing routine postsurgical nasoendoscopy were reviewed. Images were played twice, 1 week apart, in 2 differently randomized cycles and scored according to Philpott‐Javer criteria by a rhinologist, a rhinology fellow, a senior otolaryngology resident, a junior otolaryngology resident, and a medical student. Interobserver reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient, while intrarater reliability was assessed by Shrout‐Fleiss κ values. Agreement between each learner and the rhinologist was also assessed using κ values.

Results

The interclass correlation among the 5 raters was 0.7600 (95% confidence interval, 0.6917‐0.8161) for the Philpott‐Javer scoring system, suggesting substantial reliability. Intrarater data showed substantial to almost‐perfect reliability (κ values between 0.668 and 0.815) among all raters using this system. There was also moderate to substantial agreement between the learners and the rhinologist (κ values between 0.534 and 0.710).

Conclusion

Results suggest that the Philpott‐Javer staging system has acceptable intrarater and interrater reliability among learners of differing levels of clinical experience and is suitable for evaluating progress following surgery.
Telecommunication Networks: Economy, Ecology, Rule
Authors: Cubitt Sean
Published: February 2014

This essay deals with technologies, techniques, business models and legal structures governing telecommunications infrastructures. Megacities are especially vulnerable to shifting agencies in telecoms provision. This paper addresses the relation of the economics of growth, built-in obsolescence and product life cycles with the complex determinations of telecommunications governance in relation to the physical environment of megacities. It argues that an ‘environmentalism of the poor’ must be integrated into considerations of both ecological critique and analyses of telecommunications infrastructure and business practice.
Italian Operaismo and the Information Machine
Authors: Pasquinelli Matteo
Published: February 2014

The political economy of the information machine is discussed within the Marxist tradition of Italian operaismo by posing the hypothesis of an informational turn already at work in the age of the industrial revolution. The idea of valorizing information introduced by Alquati (1963) in a pioneering Marxist approach to cybernetics is used to examine the paradigms of mass intellectuality, immaterial labour and cognitive capitalism developed by Lazzarato, Marazzi, Negri, Vercellone and Virno since the 1990s. The concept of machinic by Deleuze and Guattari (1972, 1980) is then adopted to extend Marx’s analysis of the industrial machine to the algorithms of digital machines. If the industrial machine can be described as a bifurcation of the domains of energy and information, this essay proposes to conceive the information machine itself as a further bifurcation between information and metadata. In conclusion, the hypothesis of the society of metadata is outlined as the current evolution of that society of control pictured by Deleuze (1990) in relation to the power embodied in databases.
Diagnostic accuracy of 3D color volume-rendered CT images for peroneal tendon dislocation in patients with acute calcaneal fractures
Authors: Ohashi Kenjirou , Sanghvi Tina , El-Khoury Georges Y , Ahn Joong Mo , Bennett D Lee , Geijer Mats , Inaoka Tsutomu , Berbaum Kevin
Published: February 2014

Background

Use of three-dimensional (3D) color volume-rendered (VR) images has been reported to be more time-efficient compared to that of cross-sectional computed tomography (CT) images for the diagnosis of peroneal tendon dislocation. However, the diagnostic performance of this technique has not been studied.

Purpose

To test diagnostic accuracy of 3D color VR CT images of ankle for peroneal tendon dislocation in patients with acute calcaneal fractures.

Material and Methods

The study consisted of 121 ankle CT studies from 105 consecutive patients (85 men, 20 women; mean age, 42 years; age range, 16–75 years) with acute calcaneal fractures. Peroneal tendon dislocation was diagnosed on multiplanar CT images by consensus of two experienced musculoskeletal radiologists, which served as the reference standard. Three other musculoskeletal radiologists independently reviewed 3D images alone on a workstation. The readers determined whether or not there was peroneal tendon dislocation using three degrees of certainty (definite, probable, and possible). Diagnostic performance of 3D images for peroneal tendon dislocation was evaluated by calculating the sensitivities, specificities, and area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results

Forty-eight (40%) out of 121 studies showed peroneal tendon dislocation based on the expert readings using multiplanar reformatted images. Sensitivities/specificities of 3D images measured 0.92/0.81, 0.88/0.90, and 0.81/0.92 for three readers, respectively. The area under the proper binormal ROC curve based on all three readers (0.93, 0.94, and 0.92) measured 0.93 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.89–0.98.

Conclusion

Diagnostic accuracy of 3D images is comparable to, but not as good as that of MPR images for the diagnosis of peroneal tendon dislocation in patients with acute calcaneal fractures.
Democracy against Neoliberalism: Paradoxes, Limitations, Transcendence
Authors: Ayers Alison J. , Saad-Filho Alfredo
Published: February 2014

Procedural (formal, liberal, capitalist or bourgeois) democracy is the political form of neoliberalism, and it dominates political thought and state practice today. This modality of management of class relations is currently in crisis, expressed through the evacuation of politics, the erosion of civil liberties and the emergence of authoritarian governance. This article offers a Marxist critique of neoliberal democracy, concluding that neoliberalism is incompatible with the expansion of democracy into key areas of social life. This is expressed by six paradoxes of democracy. Conversely, the expansion of democracy can provide an effective lever for the abolition of neoliberalism. This approach is promising for three reasons: first, the expansion of democracy is valuable in itself. Second, the contradictions between economic and political democracy illuminate the limitations of contemporary capitalism. Third, struggles about the nature and content of democracy can throw into question the limitations of capitalism as a mode of production.
A new identification method of the Stribeck friction model based on limit cycles
Authors: Liu LL , Wu ZY
Published: February 2014

This paper presents a new parameter identification method of the Stribeck friction model based on limit cycles. A single degree of freedom mass spring system driven by a belt is studied, and the Stribeck friction model is established between the mass and belt. Limit cycle oscillation will occur when the system is unstable. The limit cycle curve is described by some main shape characteristic parameters using the modified Freeman chain code method. Thus, the Stribeck friction parameters can be identified by using the ergodic search method to minimize the Euclidean distance of the theoretical and identified limit cycle shape characteristic parameters. The parameter identification method based on limit cycles is different from the traditional identification methods. It only needs the displacement and velocity responses of the system instead of the measurement of the friction force or motor voltage/current. All of these works can provide the reference for the research work of the friction parameter identification.
Dynamic simulation for the rollover stability performances of articulated vehicles
Authors: Yao Zongwei , Wang Guoqiang , Li Xuefei , Qu Junna , Zhang Yuxin , Yang Yonghai
Published: February 2014

This paper describes a dynamic model with four degrees of freedom for simulating the rollover stability performances of articulated loaders. The dynamic model considers three translational degrees of freedom and a rotational degree of freedom about the tilting axis and was verified by field experiments and virtual prototype experiments. The field experiments using a scaled articulated loader are detailed, and the experimental data of the lateral load transfer ratio, the lateral acceleration and the roll angle of the vehicle are provided for classification at different speeds and different turning radii. The virtual prototype experiments are modelled on the experimental model as well as the simulation conditions. Comparing the experimental data with the theoretical data shows that the dynamics model is reasonable and that the virtual prototype simulation can be used instead of the field experiments to improve the security of active safety technology development.
Conversion of nitric oxide in an engine exhaust by selective catalytic reduction with a urea spray under steady-state and transient engine-load conditions
Authors: Benjamin Stephen F , Gall Miroslaw , Roberts Carol A
Published: February 2014

Experiments were carried out on the exhaust of an engine on a test bed with a selective catalytic reduction catalyst. The reductant could be introduced either as 5% ammonia in nitrogen gas or as a spray of aqueous urea droplets. Conversion of nitrogen oxides was investigated at temperatures near 488 K (215 °C) and 533 K (260 °C), which are typical of a diesel passenger car exhaust system. The experiments with a urea spray were carried out for three reductant levels, i.e. for two reductant levels that were deficient and for one reductant level that was approximately stoichiometric. The experiments were run to steady state conditions. The spray was introduced into the system in two different ways, sprayed either into a mixing can and nozzle arrangement or into the system via an oblique pipe; in the latter case the spray impinged on an angled plate mixer. A transient case was also investigated where the engine load was ramped up from a brake mean effective pressure of 6 bar to 10 bar over 20 s and, after reaching the steady state, was ramped back down to a brake mean effective pressure of 6 bar over 20 s and allowed to reach a steady state. The nitrogen oxide supplied was 100% nitric oxide in all these experiments. This was achieved by using a palladium diesel oxidation catalyst to remove hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide from the exhaust stream but without oxidising the nitric oxide. Measurements were made with a Fourier transform infrared gas analyser. The steady-state results showed that the percentage nitric oxide conversion observed using a urea spray had a value that was about 10% below the percentage conversion observed with ammonia gas when using either spray configuration. There was evidence that urea droplets were being transported unconverted through the selective catalytic reduction catalyst in both steady-state engine-load tests and transient engine-load tests. The ammonia deficit was 20% or more of the potential amount of ammonia injected by the aqueous urea spray.
Investigation of the combustion and emission characteristics of partially premixed compression ignition in a heavy-duty diesel engine
Authors: Cheng Xiao-Bei , Hu Yang-Yang , Yan Fang-Qin , Chen Liang , Dong Shi-Jun
Published: February 2014

Partially premixed compression ignition in a diesel engine is a combustion mode between diffusion combustion and homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion, the combustion controllability and the emission performances of which are close to those of a homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion engine; the mixing period plays a key role in realizing partially premixed compression ignition, and a long premixed process before combustion is necessary to make the fuel and air mix well. Partially premixed compression ignition combustion in a boosted six-cylinder heavy-duty diesel engine is realized by adjusting the injection timing and the rate of exhaust gas recirculation based on a single injection. The effects of the injection timing, the exhaust gas recirculation rate and the load rate on the combustion and the heat release pattern are studied. The factors which influence the mixing period and the ignition delay and its regularity are researched. Endoscope technology and the two-colour method are also used to gain an insight into partially premixed compression ignition combustion. The results show that both early injection and late injection have a long mixing period, which helps to form a more homogeneous mixture, and no diffusion combustion is found in the heat release rate curves. Premixed combustion and low-temperature combustion are the key factors in reducing the particulate matter emissions and nitrogen oxide emissions simultaneously. However, the low-temperature combustion and the dilute mixture may lead to incomplete combustion; consequently, for relatively late-injection conditions, the hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions increase dramatically and the fuel consumption becomes worse. In these partially premixed combustion patterns, the effect of the injection pressure on the particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions is not clearly observable. At lower load rates, partially premixed compression ignition combustion displays a low-temperature and a high-temperature two-stage heat release. When the engine load rate is increased to 50%, diffusion combustion appears in the early-injection modes, which leads to higher nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions.
Hepatitis C prevalence in HIV-infected individuals: a comparison of inpatient and outpatient care
Authors: Zhu Ziqiang , Dhir Teena , Soe Myat , Green Linda , Jiang Ning
Published: February 2014

Summary

Due to the shared risk factors for viral transmission, coinfection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) is common. This study examined the seroprevalence of HCV among HIV–infected patients in inpatient and outpatient settings. A retrospective chart review of 256 HIV–infected patients was conducted in Prince George's Hospital Center (inpatients from 1 September 2011 to 1 March 2012) and Glenridge Medical Center (outpatients from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012). The mean age of the population was 46 ± 12 and 44 ± 11 for inpatients and outpatients, respectively. HIV–infected men comprised 61.9% inpatients and 64.8% outpatients. The overall prevalence of HCV infection in HIV/AIDS patients was 12.5% (32/256), with a higher prevalence in the inpatient group than that in the outpatient group (24.6% vs 11.2%, p < 0.01). The percentages of drug abuse (43.8% vs 16.5%, p < 0.01) and alcoholism (25.0% and 14.3%, p < 0.05) in HCV/HIV–coinfected patients were higher than those in HIV–monoinfected patients. In addition, only 64.9% of HIV–infected and 50.0% of HCV/HIV–coinfected inpatients were followed up with outside care after discharge. To our knowledge, this study, for the first time, revealed that HCV/HIV coinfection was significantly higher in inpatients compared to outpatients. Considering the high prevalence and comorbidities associated with HCV/HIV coinfection, it is recommended that evaluation of hepatic damage, especially fibrosis, should be initiated during hospitalization as well as outpatient care.
Acceleration of SLE-like syndrome development in NZBxNZW F1 mice by beta-glucan
Authors: Fagone P , Mangano K , Mammana S , Quattrocchi C , Magro G , Coco M , Imene S , Marco R Di , Nicoletti F
Published: February 2014

Beta-glucans are naturally occurring polysaccharides that exert important immunostimulatory activities. In the present study, we evaluated whether beta-glucans could modulate the development and the course of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). To this aim, we employed the classical model of SLE represented by the F1 hybrid between the NZB and NZW mouse strains which develop severe lupus-like phenotypes comparable to that of SLE patients. The administration of beta-glucan was associated to a more aggressive development of the disease and a worse prognosis, as observed from the clinical, biochemical and histopathological data. This finding implies that restraint should be practised in the possible use of beta-glucans as immunomodulators in human therapy in the context of SLE.
Association between anti-U1 ribonucleoprotein antibodies and inflammatory mediators in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Yokoyama T , Fujii T , Kondo-Ishikawa S , Yamakawa N , Nakano M , Yukawa N , Yoshifuji H , Ohmura K , Mimori T
Published: February 2014

Objective

We investigated possible associations between neurotoxic inflammatory mediators (IMs) and anti-U1RNP antibodies (Abs) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE).

Methods

Serum and CSF anti-U1RNP Abs were detected using an RNA-immunoprecipitation assay and CSF anti-U1RNP Ab levels were measured by ELISA. IFN-α, MCP-1 and IL-8 levels in CSF were determined by quantitative multiplex cytokine analysis. IM levels were compared among anti-U1RNP-positive and anti-U1RNP-negative NPSLE as well as other rheumatic disease controls (controls).

Results

Anti-U1RNP Abs were detected in serum (58%) and in CSF (18%) of 82 NPSLE patients. CSF MCP-1 levels were higher in NPSLE than in controls. CSF IFN-α level was higher in CSF anti-U1RNP Ab-positive than in -negative patients or controls. When limited to serum anti-U1RNP Ab-positive patients, however, levels of all three IMs in CSF were higher in CSF anti-U1RNP Ab-positive than in -negative patients. Anti-U1RNP Ab levels in CSF correlated with CSF MCP-1, but not IFN-α and IL-8 levels.

Conclusions

CSF anti-U1RNP Ab positivity is associated with increased level of CSF IFN-α. MCP-1 levels correlated with CSF anti-U1RNP Ab levels, whereas the increased CSF MCP-1 was not specific to CSF anti-U1RNP Ab-positive NPSLE.
Various varying variances: The challenge of nuisance parameters to the practising biostatistician
Authors: Senn Stephen
Published: February 2014

The 1997 Biometrics paper by Mike Kenward and James Roger has become a citation classic (more than 1260 citations by End June 2013 according to Google Scholar) and the solution that they proposed to deal with the problem of significance tests of fixed effects in REML models is now incorporated in many software packages and accepted by all biostatisticians as the method of choice. Nevertheless, it does not solve all problems, since there is more to analysis than just significance and since the problems that models with more than one variance pose arise in many contexts. In this paper, I discuss some problems and applications and make some tentative suggestions as to how they may be tackled. My excuse for raising problems I do not solve is that it may inspire James and Mike to complete what they started.
A Bayesian network for modelling blood glucose concentration and exercise in type 1 diabetes
Authors: Ewings Sean M , Sahu Sujit K , Valletta John J , Byrne Christopher D , Chipperfield Andrew J
Published: February 2014

This article presents a new statistical approach to analysing the effects of everyday physical activity on blood glucose concentration in people with type 1 diabetes. A physiologically based model of blood glucose dynamics is developed to cope with frequently sampled data on food, insulin and habitual physical activity; the model is then converted to a Bayesian network to account for measurement error and variability in the physiological processes. A simulation study is conducted to determine the feasibility of using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods for simultaneous estimation of all model parameters and prediction of blood glucose concentration. Although there are problems with parameter identification in a minority of cases, most parameters can be estimated without bias. Predictive performance is unaffected by parameter misspecification and is insensitive to misleading prior distributions. This article highlights important practical and theoretical issues not previously addressed in the quest for an artificial pancreas as treatment for type 1 diabetes. The proposed methods represent a new paradigm for analysis of deterministic mathematical models of blood glucose concentration.
Evaluating Eyewitness Identification Procedures Using Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis
Authors: Gronlund Scott D. , Wixted John T. , Mickes Laura
Published: February 2014

Eyewitness identification is a pivotal issue in applied research because, in practice, a correct identification can help to remove a dangerous criminal from society, but a false identification can lead to the erroneous conviction of an innocent suspect. Consequently, psychologists have tried to ascertain the best procedures for collecting identification evidence, evaluating them using measures based on the ratio of correct to false identification rates. Unfortunately, ratio-based measures are ambiguous because they change systematically as a function of a witness’s willingness to choose. In other words, a measure thought to index discriminability is instead fully confounded with response bias. A better method involves constructing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Using ROC curves, researchers can trace out discriminability across levels of response bias for each procedure. We illustrate the shortcomings of ratio-based measures and demonstrate why ROC analysis is required. In recent studies, researchers comparing simultaneous and sequential lineup procedures using ROC analyses have provided no evidence for the sequential superiority effect and instead have shown that the simultaneous procedure may be diagnostically superior. It is not yet clear which lineup procedure will prove to be generally superior, but it is clear that ROC analysis is the only way to make that determination.
Fear of Heights in Infants?
Authors: Adolph Karen E. , Kretch Kari S. , LoBue Vanessa
Published: February 2014

Based largely on the famous “visual cliff” paradigm, conventional wisdom is that crawling infants avoid crossing the brink of a dangerous drop-off because they are afraid of heights. However, recent research suggests that the conventional wisdom is wrong. Avoidance and fear are conflated, and there is no compelling evidence to support fear of heights in human infants. Infants avoid crawling or walking over an impossibly high drop-off because they perceive affordances for locomotion—the relations between their own bodies and skills and the relevant properties of the environment that make an action such as descent possible or impossible.
Black and White or Shades of Gray
Authors: Reis Harry T. , Carothers Bobbi J.
Published: February 2014

Sex differences are a perpetually popular topic among scholars and lay audiences, but no research has addressed the underlying structure of these differences. Many people assume that sex differences in social behavior are categorical—that these differences represent fundamental distinctions between two distinct categories (taxa) of humans. Contrasted with this view is the idea that sex differences are dimensional—that differences between men and women indicate nothing more than relative positions along overlapping continuous dimensions. We used taxometric methods to examine whether a variety of well-established sex differences are indicative of taxa or dimensions. The evidence clearly supported the latter. Thus, for the psychological constructs that we examined, there is little support for believing that sex differences are anything more than individual differences that vary in magnitude from one attribute to another.