bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preventable Injury Deaths: A Population-Based Proxy of Child Maltreatment Risk in California
Authors: Putnam-Hornstein Emily
Published: July 2017

Objective.

This study used group variations in child injury fatality rates to assess racial bias in the population of children identified as victims of maltreatment.

Methods.

Injury fatality and maltreatment data from California were compiled for the years 1998–2007. Death and maltreatment risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed by race and age. Rates of excess child injury mortality by race were derived from three different baseline rates of death. Substantiations per excess injury death were calculated.

Results.

Compared with white children, black children faced a risk of substantiated maltreatment that was more than twice as great (black RR: 2.39, 95% CI 2.37, 2.42) and were fatally injured at nearly twice the rate (black RR: 1.89, 95% CI 1.68, 2.12). Per excess death, however, black children had rates of substantiated maltreatment allegations that were equivalent to or lower than the rates for white children.

Conclusions.

These data support claims that, at least in California, black-white racial disparities observed in maltreatment rates reflect real group differences in risk. These data provide no evidence of systematic racial bias in the child protective services' substantiation process.
HIV Testing and Management: Findings from a National Sample of Asian/Pacific Islander Men Who Have Sex with Men
Authors: Wong Frank Y. , Nehl Eric J. , Han Jennifer J. , Huang Z. Jennifer , Wu Yu , Young Darwin , Ross Michael W. ,   The MATH Study Consortium
Published: July 2017

Objectives.

We examined reasons for and barriers to participating in HIV voluntary counseling and testing for Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) men who have sex with men (MSM) in the U.S.

Methods.

We collected data between June 2007 and September 2009 in a study known as Men of Asia Testing for HIV, using a cross-sectional community-based participatory design. This national study was conducted in seven U.S. metropolitan cities through a coalition of seven community-based organizations.

Results.

Participants included 445 self-identified A/PI MSM aged ≥18 years. Perception of being at risk was the number one reason for testing behaviors. For first-time testers, structural barriers (e.g., language barriers with health professionals) and fear of disclosure (e.g., sexual orientation not known to parents) were deterrents for nontesting in the past. Among previously known HIV-positive men, 22% were not seeing a doctor and 19% were not taking any HIV medications.

Conclusions.

HIV testing, care, and treatment policies would be less than optimal without addressing barriers to testing, including stigma related to sexual orientation, among A/PI MSM.
State Health Department Perceived Utility of and Satisfaction with ArboNET, the U.S. National Arboviral Surveillance System
Authors: Lindsey Nicole P. , Brown Jennifer A. , Kightlinger Lon , Rosenberg Lauren , Fischer Marc ,   The ArboNET Evaluation Working Group
Published: July 2017

Objectives.

We assessed the perceived utility of data collected through ArboNET, the national arboviral surveillance system, and evaluated state health department user satisfaction with system function.

Methods.

We used an online assessment tool to collect information about types of arboviral surveillance conducted, user satisfaction with ArboNET's performance, and use of data collected by the system. Representatives of all 53 reporting jurisdictions were asked to complete the assessment during spring 2009.

Results.

Representatives of 48 (91%) jurisdictions completed the assessment. Two-thirds of respondents were satisfied with ArboNET's overall performance. Most concerns were related to data transmission, particularly the lack of compatibility with the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS). Users found mosquito (85%), human disease (80%), viremic blood donor (79%), and veterinary disease (75%) surveillance data to be useful. While there was disagreement about the usefulness of avian mortality and sentinel animal surveillance, only 15% of users supported eliminating these categories. Respondents found weekly maps and tables posted on the U.S. Geological Survey (92%) and CDC (88%) websites to be the most useful reports generated from ArboNET data. Although many jurisdictions were willing to report additional clinical or laboratory data, time and resource constraints were considerations. Most respondents (71%) supported review and possible revision of the national case definition for human arboviral disease.

Conclusions.

As a result of this assessment, CDC and partner organizations have made ArboNET NEDSS-compatible and revised national case definitions for arboviral disease. Alternative data-sharing and reporting options are also being considered. Continued evaluation of ArboNET will help ensure that it continues to be a useful tool for national arboviral disease surveillance.
A Comparison of Two Surveillance Strategies for Selected Birth Defects in Florida
Authors: Salemi Jason L. , Tanner Jean Paul , Kennedy Sara , Block Suzanne , Bailey Marie , Correia Jane A. , Watkins Sharon M. , Kirby Russell S.
Published: July 2017

Objective.

We linked data from two independent birth defects surveillance systems with different case-finding methods in an overlapping geographic area to assess Florida's suveillance of birth defects (e.g., neural tube defects, orofacial clefts, gastroschisis/omphalocele, and chromosomal defects), focusing on sensitivity and completeness of ascertainment measures.

Methods.

Live-born infants identified from each system born during 2003–2006 in a nine-county catchment area with specific birth defects were linked to birth certificates. Using the enhanced surveillance system as a gold standard, we calculated the sensitivity of the Florida Birth Defects Registry (FBDR) for identifying infants. Next, we used capture-recapture models to estimate the completeness of case ascertainment and the prevalence of each birth defect in the catchment area. We used multivariable logistic regression models with backward elimination to estimate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for factors significantly associated with the FBDR's failure to capture infants ultimately identified by enhanced surveillance.

Results.

The FBDR's sensitivity was 89.3%, and the overall completeness of ascertainment was estimated as 86.6%. Defect-specific sensitivity and completeness of ascertainment varied significantly by defect. The combined defect-specific sensitivity for all malformations under study was 86.6%; completeness of ascertainment ranged from 45.6% for anencephaly to 88.6% for Down syndrome, 87.9% for spina bifida without anencephaly, and 87.0% for orofacial clefts.

Conclusions.

For the defects under study, the FBDR captured nearly nine of every 10 infants born with selected birth defects. However, the FBDR's ability to identify specific defects was both more limited and defect dependent with widely varying defect-specific sensitivities.
Understanding Oral Health Promotion Needs and Opportunities of Tobacco Quitline Callers
Authors: McClure Jennifer B. , Riggs Karin R. , St. John Jackie , Cerutti Barbara , Zbikowski Susan
Published: July 2017

Objective.

Improving oral health and oral health care are important public health goals. Tobacco users and smokers are at particularly high risk for oral disease and warrant targeted intervention efforts. We assessed the need for and acceptability of targeting tobacco quitline callers for an oral health promotion intervention.

Methods.

We surveyed 816 Washington State Quitline callers to assess their oral health, relevant self-care behaviors, and interest in oral health promotion intervention.

Results.

Most respondents were female, cigarette smokers, of low socioeconomic status, with no dental insurance. Of the respondents, 79.3% ( n=647) had some or all of their natural teeth (e.g., dentate); however, most of these respondents failed to meet recommendations for daily oral hygiene (brushing and flossing) (83.9%, n=543) and had no dental visits in the past year (52.6%, n=340). Similar findings were observed among respondents with no insurance. Many respondents were interested in learning more about how to improve their oral health (57.4%, n=468), willing to speak with a quitline coach about improving their oral health (48.2%, n=393), and open to receiving additional oral health information by mail (62.7%, n=512) or the Internet (50.0%, n=408). People who were receptive to learning how to improve their oral health were significantly more likely to be nonwhite, have a low income, have no dental insurance, and not have visited a dentist in the past year.

Conclusion.

There is a need and an opportunity to target quitline callers for oral health promotion services, as those most in need of these services were open to receiving them.
Prevalence, Distribution, and Correlates of Hepatitis C Virus Infection among Homeless Adults in Los Angeles
Authors: Gelberg Lillian , Robertson Marjorie J. , Arangua Lisa , Leake Barbara D. , Sumner Gerald , Moe Ardis , Andersen Ronald M. , Morgenstern Hal , Nyamathi Adeline
Published: July 2017

Objective.

We documented the prevalence, distribution, and correlates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among urban homeless adults.

Methods.

We sampled a community-based probability sample of 534 homeless adults from 41 shelters and meal programs in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles, California. Participants were interviewed and tested for HCV, hepatitis B, and HIV. Outcomes included prevalence, distribution, and correlates of HCV infection; awareness of HCV positivity; and HCV counseling and treatment history.

Results.

Overall, 26.7% of the sample tested HCV-positive and 4.0% tested HIV-positive. In logistic regression analysis, independent predictors of HCV infection for the total sample included older age, less education, prison history, and single- and multiple-drug injection. Among lifetime drug injectors, independent predictors of HCV infection included older age, prison history, and no history of intranasal cocaine use. Among reported non-injectors, predictors of HCV infection included older age, less education, use of non-injection drugs, and three or more tattoos. Sexual behaviors and snorting or smoking drugs had no independent relationship with HCV infection. Among HCV-infected adults, nearly half (46.1%) were unaware of their infection.

Conclusions.

Despite the high prevalence of HCV infection, nearly half of the cases were hidden and few had ever received any HCV-related treatment. While injection drug use was the strongest independent predictor, patterns of injection drug use, non-injection drug use, prison stays, and multiple tattoos were also independent predictors of HCV. Findings suggest that urgent interventions are needed to screen, counsel, and treat urban homeless adults for HCV infection.
Methamphetamine Use and Dental Problems among Adults Enrolled in a Program to Increase Access to Oral Health Services for People Living with HIV/AIDS
Authors: Walter Angela W. , Bachman Sara S. , Reznik David A. , Cabral Howard , Umez-Eronini Amarachi , Nath Avantika , Flournoy Minnjuan W. , Young Nancy S.
Published: July 2017

Objective.

We examined the association between methamphetamine (meth) use and dental problems in a large sample of HIV-positive adults.

Methods.

We gathered data from 2,178 interviews across 14 sites of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration HIV/AIDS Bureau's Special Projects of National Significance Innovations in Oral Health Care Initiative from May 2007 to August 2010. We used multivariate generalized estimating equations to test the association between meth use and dental problems, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results.

Past and current meth use was significantly associated with more dental problems. The study also found that poor self-reported mental health status, fewer years since testing positive for HIV, a history of forgoing dental care, less frequent teeth brushing, poor self-reported oral health status, oral pain, grinding or clenching teeth, some alcohol use, more years of education, and self-reported men-who-have-sex-with-men HIV risk exposure (compared with other exposure routes) were significantly associated with dental problems.

Conclusion.

Individuals who are HIV-positive with a history of meth use experience access barriers to oral health care and more dental problems. Our study demonstrated that it is possible to recruit this population into dental care. Findings suggest that predisposing, enabling, and need factors can serve as demographic, clinical, and behavioral markers for recruiting people living with HIV/AIDS into oral health programs that can mitigate dental problems.
Increasing Access to Oral Health Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Rural Oregon
Authors: Jones Jill , Mofidi Mahyar ,   (CDR, U.S. Public Health Service), Bednarsh Helene , Gambrell Alan , Tobias Carol R.
Published: July 2017

Access to oral health care for people living with HIV/AIDS is a severe problem. This article describes the design and impact of an Innovations in Oral Health Care Initiative program, funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration HIV/AIDS Bureau's Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) program, that expanded oral health-care services for these individuals in rural Oregon. From April 2007 to August 2010, 473 patients received dental care (exceeding the target goal of 410 patients) and 153 dental hygiene students were trained to deliver oral health care to HIV-positive patients. The proportion of patients receiving oral health care increased from 10% to 65%, while the no-show rate declined from 40% to 10%. Key implementation components were leveraging SPNS funding and services to create an integrated delivery system, collaborations that resulted in improved service delivery systems, using dental hygiene students to deliver oral health care, enhanced care coordination through the services of a dental case manager, and program capacity to adjust to unanticipated needs.
Accuracy of Physician Reporting in Routine Public Health Surveillance for Hepatitis C Virus Infection
Authors: Jochem Klaus , Leclerc Pascale , Maurais Emilie , Tremblay Claude , Cox Joseph
Published: July 2017

Objective.

From January 2007 to December 2008, the Montréal Public Health Department sent postal questionnaires to physicians and conducted patient interviews for all those newly diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We evaluated physician responses to risk factor questions for non-acute HCV cases.

Methods.

We compared physician and patient responses with each of nine risk factor questions, determined the sensitivity and specificity of physician responses compared with patient responses, and evaluated agreement using Gwet's agreement coefficient (AC1). We ranked risk factors and compared the distributions by principal exposure category according to physician reporting vs. patient interview using the Chi-square test.

Results.

The completeness of physicians' responses (yes, no, or unknown) varied by risk factor question from 90.8% to 96.7%. For risk factors present among more than 5% of cases, sensitivity of physician responses ranged from 26.9% to 87.7% and specificity ranged from 93.0% to 98.6%. The AC1 coefficients for agreement between physician and patient responses to lifetime risk factors considered most important in HCV acquisition were 0.80 for injection drug use, 0.95 for blood transfusion before 1990, and 0.86 for birth in a country with high HCV prevalence. Risk distributions by principal exposure category according to physician reporting vs. patient interview were not statistically different (χ2[4] = 2.17, p=0.704).

Conclusion.

Postal questionnaires completed by physicians appear valid for determining the principal exposure category among non-acute HCV cases. Physician reporting can be a useful and low-cost component of routine HCV surveillance.
A Theoretical Analysis of Host Community Resident Reactions to Tourism
Authors: Jurowski Claudia , Uysal Muzaffer , Williams Daniel R.
Published: July 2017

This research organizes resident reactions to tourism in the context of a theoretical paradigm based on the principles of social exchange theory. A path model based on social exchange theory principles explains how residents weigh and balance seven factors that influence their support for tourism. The analysis demonstrates that potential for economic gain, use of the tourism resource, ecocentric attitude, and attachment to the community affect resident perceptions of the impacts and modify, both directly and indirectly, resident support for tourism.
Clarification of Cumulative Attractivity as a Concept and its Measurement: Comments on Lue, Crompton, and Stewart
Authors: Beaman Jay , Jeng Jiann-Min , Fesenmaier Daniel R.
Published: July 2017

The development of multidestination models is an important area of tourism research in which a very limited number of studies have been published. As was made clear in Lue, Crompton, and Stewart (LCS) (1996) a key concept in this literature is that of cumulative attractivity. Unfortunately, it appears that this concept was inadequately operationalized and therefore a number of inappropriate conclusions were drawn. This commentary challenges three aspects of the research reported in LCS, with the intent of stimulating further research is this area. Specifically, the three issues are: (1) the concept of cumulative attraction was not adequately operationalized; (2) the experimental design was inadequate to address the goal of the research; and (3) the interpretation of results is problematic due to the scaling clamping and the lack of recognizing individual differences.
Hyperalimentation in Primates. A Nutritional Model
Authors: Hobbs Charles L. , Mullen James L. , Gertner Marc H. , Buzby Gordon P. , Rosato Ernest F.
Published: July 2017

To establish the subhuman primate as an effective laboratory animal in parenteral nutrition research, 18 male macaque monkeys were adapted to chronic chair restraint and maintained on intravenous nutrition for 1‐ and 2‐week periods. The animals remained in the restraint chairs for 11.6 ± (2.3) weeks, and the inferior vena cava catheters remained for 53 ± (7.8) days. Catheter and metabolic complications during intravenous nutrition infusion were few and morbidity was low. The animals maintained weight, serum albumin, and serum transferring levels as well as a positive nitrogen balance during the study period. The macaque is a highly suitable model for nutritional studies requiring a controlled environment during long‐term studies.
Plasma Clearance of Fat Emulsion in Trauma and Sepsis: Use of a Three‐Stage Lipid Clearance Test
Authors: Robin Arnold P. , Nordenstrüm Jürgen , Askanazi Jeffrey , Elwyn David H. , Carpentier Yvon A. , Kinney John M.
Published: July 2017

Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is now widely available, but there is relatively little data relating to the optimal substrate support in different types of patients. In critically ill patients who require parenteral nutrition, underlying metabolic alterations will influence the capacity for substrate utilization; in them, fat emulsion may serve as a useful energy source but may also have deleterious effects. The intravenous fat tolerance test has been widely used as a measure of the capacity of the organism to clear exogenous fat from the bloodstream. We have devised and employed a three‐stage lipid clearance test using Intralipid‐10% as a substrate. The rates of infusion are such that First order kinetics are followed during the first two stages yielding fractional removal rates, and zero order kinetics are followed during the third infusion yielding maximal clearance rates. Six injured and 6 infected patients displayed a greater capacity for lipid clearance than 13 normal subjects. Four injured patients who also had received multiple transfusions failed to show this response. Fractional removal rates were influenced by injury and infection to a greater extent than maximal clearance rates. Models are presented utilizing enzyme saturation kinetics and treating endogenous triglyceride as a competitive inhibitor (for the enzyme‐substrate system of lipoprotein lipase‐Intralipid triglyceride). The importance of employing enzyme saturation kinetics in the interpretation of lipid clearance tests is noted. The calculated apparent Michaelis‐Menten constant for Intralipid triglyceride during the lipid clearance test is 521 ± 38 (SEM) μmol/liter. In vitro systems utilizing Intralipid triglyceride as a substrate have yielded values in this range.
European Migration: Push and Pull
Authors: Zimmermann Klaus F.
Published: July 2017

In recent decades Europe has experienced periods of push and pull migration. Whereas pull migration has been seen as economically beneficial, there is concern that push migration will accelerate the employment crisis. This article qualifies this view by arguing that migration may erode institutional constraints. The theoretical framework behind this idea accounts for heterogeneous labor, monopoly union behavior, and unemployment with regulated migration. A review of empirical studies for Europe concludes that migration was largely beneficial in the past. New econometric investigations suggest that immigration from countries that are targeted for recruitment was strongly driven by business cycle effects (demand-pull) and chain migration (supply-push), but that the processes changed with the halt in recruitment in 1973. Contrary to general expectations, (lows of asylum seekers and refugees (supply-push) are also affected by relative economic conditions in the receiving countries.
Applying Theories of Aging to Evaluation of Social Programs for the Elderly
Authors: Litwin Howard
Published: July 2017

This article delineates the development of a methodology for evaluating social programs for the elderly in 60 community centers in Israel. Two theories of aging were applied to the results of a smallest space analysis, and eight potential program types were identified. Centers were found to function primarily in an activity perspective on aging. Expansion of service to include a disengagement view was positively correlated with ease of access to the facility and program longevity.
Reducing Dependence on Central Electric Heating Systems: An Evaluation of an Experimental Program
Authors: Ridge Richard S. , Watts Ronald K.
Published: July 2017

In 1983 a major utility company conducted an experimental program that placed a portable electric heater into each of 140 households with central electric heat. A pretest-posttest control group design was used to determine whether the use of a single portable electric heater could significantly reduce electricity consumption. Analysis of covariance was employed using the 1982 winter kWh consumption and square footage of the home as covariates. The results indicate that the treatment group had an average monthly kWh consumption for the 1983 winter that was 108 kWh lower than the control group.
Assessing Decision-Making Risk and Information Needs in Evaluation
Authors: Brown Robert D. , Prentice David G.
Published: July 2017

The Conflict Model of Decisionmaking (Janis and Mann, 1977) served as the theoretical framework for the development of scales and inventories to assess the decision-making risk, decision context, and information needs for different program dimensions being evaluated. The decision-making risk scale was internally consistent and the comparisons of results on the two program dimensions and correlations with decision context perceptions and with information needs were congruent with the conflict model of decision making. Awareness of the amount of risk and other characteristics of the evaluation decision context can be useful to evaluators seeking to provide useful information for decision making.
Evaluating the Vocational Rehabilitation Program Using Longitudinal Data
Authors: Dean David H. , Dolan Robert C. , Schmidt Robert M.
Published: July 2017

The study presents benefit-cost ratios for 14 disability cohorts served by the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program. The earnings impacts are estimated in a quasiexperimental framework using an internal comparison group. The earnings data are from a unique national panel constructed by linking client data of the Rehabilitative Services Administration with earnings histories from the Social Security Administration. These earnings data accommodate a series of statistical tests that allow us to identify and control for the presence of selection bias when estimating treatment impacts. The results indicate that the VR program is cost-effective in general, although not universally so across specific disabilities.
Describing School Effects with Residual Terms
Authors: Pituch Keenan A.
Published: July 2017

This study attempts to make more accessible an approach that can be used to rank the performance of individual schools using residual terms from a hierarchical linear model. Specifically, the study describes procedures that can be used to summarize the effect of schools when interactions between school practice and student background exist and applies them to a fairly realistic school effects data set. This article also serves as a reminder of the importance of considering differential school effectiveness by illustrating problems that can occur when the school effect is summarized by a single quantitative indicator.
Teaching pragmatics to language-learning disabled children: a treatment outcome study
Authors: Richardson Kimberly , Klecan-Aker Joan S.
Published: July 2017

The purpose of the present investigation was to measure the effects of a treatment programme designed to improve the pragmatic language skills of children with learning disabilities. Subjects were 20 students from a laboratory primary school dedicated to addressing the needs of children with learning disabilities. The children were divided into two groups according to class. Class one consisted of six males and three females, and ranged in age from 7;6 to 9;8. Class two consisted of five males and six females, and ranged in age from 6;5 to 8;1. The methodology consisted of administering a criterion-referenced test measuring language expression, establishing a treatment programme to address the areas of conversation, receptive and expressive internal responses, and qualitative and quantitative descriptions of objects, and measuring the effects of therapy by giving the criterion-referenced test again, under the same conditions as the first administration. Results indicated that the children improved in all three areas targeted.
Hand signalling in dyadic proximal communication: social strengths of children with autism who do not speak
Authors: Whittaker Christopher A. , Reynolds Joanna
Published: July 2017

A hand-signalling procedure was taught to four boys with severe autism and learning disabilities, within dyadic proximal communication with an adult who was a stranger to them. Proximal communication involved rough and tumble play and imitation of the child, with frequent pause/burst phases to encourage him to initiate communication. It builds on the social strengths of the children and is discussed in relation to the prevailing deficit model of autism. High frequencies of hand signalling were shown by each child and sustained over time. A behavioural explanation was rejected in favour of a developmental one involving Piaget’s concept of operational causality.
Facilitating idiom acquisition in children with communication disorders: computer vs classroom
Authors: Abrahamsen Eileen P , Smith Rebeccah
Published: July 2017

This study compared two methods for training idiom acquisition in children with communication disorders. Eight idioms were trained using a computer program in individual withdrawal sessions and eight idioms were trained using a classroom-based intervention model. Results indicate that both methods resulted in significant gains for explaining idioms presented in context. The classroom-based approach was significantly more successful than the computer-based instruction for explaining idioms tested in isolation. Gains in idiom acquisition did not generalize to untrained idioms suggesting that idioms should be taught directly.
Effectiveness of teaching story grammar knowledge to pre-school children with language impairment. An exploratory study
Authors: Hayward Denyse , Schneider Phyllis
Published: July 2017

Narrative intervention is becoming a common feature in clinical treatment. However, there is a lack of research to support clinicians in their endeavour to provide effective and efficient intervention for children with narrative deficits. For the current study, 13 preschool children with language impairment (ages from 4;8 to 6;4) participated in a narrative intervention programme. Narrative intervention activities explicitly taught story grammar components. A mixed group and single-subject experimental design was used. Two measures of content were used to analyse children’s story productions: story information and episode level. As a group, children included more story information and produced more structurally complex stories following intervention. Single-subject data revealed that half the children showed statistically significant improvements for story information and episode level. Although the results of the study are mixed it is clear that the narrative productions of pre-school children with language impairment improve after narrative intervention. Clinically significant results are discussed along with directions for further research.
The Community Balance and Mobility Scale-a balance measure for individuals with traumatic brain injury
Authors: Howe J A , Inness E L , Venturini A , Williams J I , Verrier M C
Published: July 2017

Objective: To provide evidence for the validity and reliability of a new outcome measure of balance, the Community Balance and Mobility Scale, developed for the ambulatory individual with traumatic brain injury.

Design: A validity and reliability study.

Setting: Acute care, in- and outpatient rehabilitation and day hospital settings.

Subjects: Two convenience samples ( n=36, 32) of ambulatory patients with traumatic brain injury.

Main measures: The content and construct validity, test-retest, inter- and intra-rater reliability and internal consistency of the Community Balance and Mobility Scale.

Results: Content validity was demonstrated by the involvement of patients with traumatic brain injury ( n=7) and clinicians ( n=17) in the process of item generation and by physical therapists’ ratings of item relevance. Further support is the correlation of the Community Balance and Mobility Scale scores with physical therapists’ global balance ratings of the patient ( r=0.62). Construct validity was supported by the ability of the measure to differentiate between patients along the continuum of care and also by comparisons with maximal walking velocity ( r=0.64). Patients who scored greater than or less than 50 on the balance measure demonstrated significantly different Community Integration Questionnaire scores ( P=0.004). The Community Balance and Mobility Scale demonstrated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of 0.977, 0.977, 0.975 and Cronbach’s alpha of 0.96 for intra-, inter-, test-retest reliability and internal consistency, respectively.

Conclusion: The Community Balance and Mobility Scale is a valid and reliable outcome measure for the ambulatory individual with traumatic brain injury.
The criterion-related validity of the Northwick Park Dependency Score as a generic nursing dependency instrument for different rehabilitation patient groups
Authors: Plantinga E , Tiesinga L J , van der Schans C P , Middel B
Published: July 2017

Objective: To investigate the criterion or concurrent validity of the Northwick Park Dependency Score (NPDS) for determining nursing dependence in different rehabilitation groups, with the Barthel Index (BI) and the Care Dependency Scale (CDS).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Centre for Rehabilitation of the University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands.

Subjects: Patients after stroke, spinal cord injury, multitrauma, head injury, amputation, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, lung diseases, tuberculosis and coronary artery disease. One hundred and fifty-four patients were included.

Measures: The Northwick Park Dependency Score (NPDS), the Barthel Index (BI) and the Care Dependency Scale (CDS).

Results: The correlation (rho) between the NPDS and the BI for all groups was -0.87; R2=0.76 ( n=154). Per patient group rho varied from -0.70 ( R2=0.49) to -0.93 ( R2=0.86). The overall correlation between the NPDS and CDS was larger than the criterion of rho=0.60 ( r=-0.74; R2=0.55) but was <0.60 in the rheumatoid arthritis and tuberculosis group. The overall correlation between BI and CDS exceeded the criterion ( r=0.75; R2=0.56).

Conclusions: The NPDS is a generic nursing dependency instrument that can be used as a valid measure across various patient groups in rehabilitation.
Nodular Hyperplasia in the Liver of the Dog: An Association with Changes in the Ito Cell Population
Authors: Bergman J. R.
Published: July 2017

The prevalence and morphological features of hyperplastic nodules in the liver of the dog were studied in a series of 50 consecutive post-mortem examinations. Macroscopically visible nodules were present in 35 of 50 dogs (70%), and the prevalence was related to age. The earliest age at which nodules were found was between 6 and 8 years. They were present in all dogs older than 14 or more years. The lesions were focal, multiple and consistently had evidence of a lobular pattern. There was no liver fibrosis. No direct association between previous drug administration or specific extrahepatic disease was found.

Changes in the perisinusoidal fat storing cells (Ito cells) were observed in the dogs in this study. These changes comprised proliferation and hypertrophy and were recorded predominantly in dogs with hepatic nodules. The presence of a ceroid pigment was correlated with these changes. The pigment, together with lipid and macrophages, was present in the form of lipogranulomata. Lipogranulomata were observed in the parenchyma and in the portal areas of dogs with hepatic nodules. These changes may play a role in the pathogenesis of nodular hyperplasia in the liver of the dog.
Clinical and Histological Features of Primary Progressive, Familial Thyroiditis in a Colony of Borzoi Dogs
Authors: Conaway D. H. , Padgett G. A. , Bunton T. E. , Nachreiner R. , Hauptman J.
Published: July 2017

A six-year study of clinical data and the morphologic changes involved in lymphocytic thyroiditis in a colony of related borzoi dogs was conducted. Lesions observed included initial degenerative thyroidal parenchymal changes which progressed to subacute inflammation with subsequent fibrosis and end stage thyroid gland disease. This study encompasses three successive generations of this borzoi colony and documents the progression of the histologic changes from the initial thyroid gland degenerative lesions to the end stage parenchymal atrophy. Spontaneous, familial thyroiditis has not been reported previously in the borzoi breed.
Ultrastructural Morphology of Leukemic Cells From 14 Dogs
Authors: Grindem C. B.
Published: July 2017

Transmission and/or scanning electron microscopic features of leukemic cells from seven dogs with myelomonocytic leukemia, four dogs with monocytic leukemia, and three dogs with lymphocytic leukemia were studied. Few ultrastructural features distinguished normal cells from leukemic cells. Nuclear to cytoplasmic asynchrony, abnormal cytoplasmic granules, nuclear pockets, and cytoplasmic fibrillar bundles were seen more frequently in leukemic cells. Small ridges or ruffles and a few microvilli were surface characteristics of cells from dogs with myelomonocytic leukemia. An occasional cell had large undulating ruffles. Cells from dogs with monocytic leukemia and lymphocytic leukemia usually had smoother surfaces.
Testicular (Sertoli's Cell)-Like Tumors of the Ovary Induced by N-Ethyl-N-Nitrosourea (ENU) in Rats
Authors: Stoica G. , Koestner A. , Capen C. C.
Published: July 2017

N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) administered intraperitoneally or transplacentally to Sprague-Dawley (CD) and BD-IV (Berlin Druckrey IV) rats increased the incidence (26.6%) of an uncommon ovarian tumor with testicular characteristics compared either to controls (3.0%) or rats administered diethylnitrosamine (3.3%). The induced tumors were composed of tubular structures that resembled seminiferous tubules lined by Sertoli's-like cells. The abundant electron-lucent cytoplasm of the tumor cells contained polyribosomes, lipid bodies, and mitochondria but few additional organelles. Sertoli's cell-like tumors appeared to develop from the ovarian stroma in the hilar region of the ovary. They usually were benign and resulted in unilateral enlargement of the ovary. The mean serum concentrations of testosterone, estrone, and estradiol in selected rats with ovarian tumors were elevated above mean serum values in controls. There was not a consistent direct correlation between tumor diameter and circulating hormone level. Ethyl nitrosourea-induced ovarian tumors composed of testicular (Sertoli's-like) cells will provide a reproducible animal model to investigate the histogenesis and hormone secreting properties of this unique gonadal neoplasm.
The Significance of Circumcision
Authors: Goldingay John
Published: July 2017

Circumcision is a gender-exclusive sign of the covenant, but the stories about circumcision draw attention to important questions about male sexuality. They point to the need for the disciplining of procreation, of sexual activity itself and of masculinity. In addition, the circumcision stories along with passages that urge the need of inner circumcision suggest that circumcision turns out to be a sign of spiritual and mental unfitness to belong to the people of promise.
Vision and Voice in Isaiah
Authors: Landy Francis
Published: July 2017

This essay consists of four sections, interwoven with a dilatory commentary on the first few verses of Isaiah. They are concerned with the metaphors of vision and voice in Isaiah, as they relate to the problem of metaphoricity in general, and the ever-presence of death in the book. Vision and voice are metaphors for each other, and opposed terms. If vision suggests clarity and exteriority, voice evokes the interiority of the person, and an intimation beyond the horizon. Both terms are contradicted, and paradoxically enriched, by the injunction not to see or hear in Isaiah, and its transmutations through the book. What is seen and heard is a language, which perhaps is not understood or realized, and which is in any case impossibly difficult. The third section turns to the problem of metaphor in the book; it adduces the theories of Jakobson and Kristeva, and proposes that metaphor may be an instrument of disintegration in the book, of the dissolution and disillusion of the poetic world. The last section treats the encompassing schema of death, as announced in the superscription, in the context of the initial metaphor of filiation. It concludes with the ethical problem of the prophet, and critic, in producing and encountering this text.
Retribution and Revival: Theological Theory, Religious Praxis, and the Future in Chronicles
Authors: Murray Donald F.
Published: July 2017

While accepting that in Chronicles' account of the history of the people of YHWH retribution is a determinant of the future, it is here argued that through the foundational work of David and Solomon Chronicles promotes, in notably non-retributional terms, wholehearted devotion to God articulated in a temple-centred religious praxis as matrix for an idyllic relationship with YHWH. The key elements in this Utopian foundation become, in 2 Chron. 7.13-15, a programme for future revival of the people, when religious decline of the kind all too soon to become manifest in the post-Solomonic era is first envisaged.
Guarding the Parents' Honour—Deuteronomy 21.18-21
Authors: Hagedorn Anselm C.
Published: July 2017

The article argues that Deut. 21.18-21 does not represent an actual law that provides the parents with some guidelines how to proceed with an unruly son. Rather the law aims at guarding the honour of the family. With the help of insights from cultural anthropology it is argued that the law has been constructed to prevent parents abstaining from their duties of raising children and to show them what is at risk if they do, namely the scarce commodity of family honour, a standing in society that can be displayed by having a wise son that listens to his father's discipline. With such an approach it is possible to move beyond the prima facie meaning of the law, allowing its cultural background to be understood more fully.
The Distributional Efficacy of Collaborative Learning on Student Outcomes
Authors: Huynh Kim P. , Jacho-Chávez David T. , Self James K.
Published: July 2017

This study addresses self-selection and heterogeneity issues inherent in measuring the efficacy of voluntary training programs. We exploit data collected from Indiana University's introductory microeconomics course. In conjunction with their class, undergraduates were given the choice to participate in a voluntary training program called Collaborative Learning (CL), which is designed to encourage a self-discovery learning style. To address self-selection and heterogeneity in the effectiveness of CL, program evaluation methods were used to measure student performance. We find, amongst other things, that CL produces heterogeneous results e.g., the bottom 40 percentile of CL participants improved their performance the most, and that students at the higher end of the grade distribution achieve greater improvement in topic understanding. The latter is greater than can be associated with superior innate ability alone. Finally, parametric and non-parametric sensitivity analysis confirmed that the sign of the calculated treatment effects is robust to potential violations of the underlying assumptions.
Why Growth Rates? Which Growth Rate? Specification and Measurement Issues in Estimating Elasticity Values
Authors: Casler Stephen D.
Published: July 2017

In theoretical settings, growth rates are generally based on derivatives, which relate infinitesimal changes in time to changes in a variable's value. In applications of theory, growth occurs over discrete intervals, and a variety of discrete growth measures exist. Therefore, a key question is which discrete measure provides estimates most consistent with true parameter values. In estimating elasticity values, results show that the standard growth rate can be highly inaccurate. The average-base and logarithmic growth rates do a much better job. In addition, when the process generating data is unknown, a linear in growth rates regression equation is found to be more accurate than the widely used linear, logarithmic, logarithmic-linear, and linear-logarithmic specifications.
So Easy a Caveman Can Beat the Football Betting Market
Authors: Kochman Ladd , Goodwin Randy , Bray David
Published: July 2017

An alleged relationship between winning football games and beating the point spread is investigated. Results from the 2003–2012 seasons of the National Football League connected the highest wins-to-bets ratio and the lowest ratio with the teams earning the highest winning percentage and the second-lowest percentage, respectively. Wagers on New England and against Oakland produced a significantly profitable W/B ratio of 61.4 percent. Beating the market by betting on perennial NFL winners and against perennial NFL losers seems so easy a caveman can do it.
Numerical Aspects of a Micromechanical Model of a Cohesive Zone
Authors: Allen David H. , Searcy Chad R.
Published: July 2017

The numerical aspects of a micromechanical model for a viscoelastic cohesive zone are discussed herein. The cohesive forces encountered in the region ahead of a crack tip are represented by a damage dependent traction-displacement law which is both history dependent as well as internal variable-type. An incrementalized form of this traction-displacement law has been integrated numerically, and an example problem has been solved to demonstrate the efficacy of the model.
Approximate Solutions for Stresses around Pin-Loaded Holes in Symmetric Composite Laminates
Authors: Zhang Chao , Hoa Suong V. , Ganesan R.
Published: July 2017

The knowledge of average in-plane stress field in the vicinity of the pinloaded holes is essential for predicting both the failure strength and edge effects of composite laminate pinned joints. In this paper, a simplified technique is proposed to approximately determine the distribution of in-plane stresses in pin-loaded composite laminates based on the values of stresses right at the pin-loaded hole edges using the Reissner variational principle. The research results show that the distribution of stresses can be represented in the forms of power formula or exponential formula, and the corresponding numerical results are in good agreement with the available experimental data.
Heat Transfer Analysis of the Thermoplastic Filament Winding Process
Authors: Shih P. -J. , Loos A. C.
Published: July 2017

The quality of thermoplastic composites depends on the thermal history during processing. Therefore it is important to determine the temperature distribution in the composite during the fabrication process. An ABAQUS transient heat transfer finite element model of the thermoplastic filament winding process was developed and used to predict the temperature inside the composite-mandrel assembly. The model relates the material properties, the winding speed, and the hot-gas heater temperature to thermal response of the composite. The results show that the predicted temperature distributions agree well with the temperature data measured during winding and consolidation.
Interfacial Normal Strength Evaluation in Unidirectional Glass/Epoxy Composites
Authors: Kim R. Y. , Tandon G. P.
Published: July 2017

In this study, the cruciform geometry was utilized to evaluate the interfacial normal strength in unidirectional glass/epoxy composites using single fiber specimens. These model specimens were incrementally loaded in tension to failure using a specially built loading device mounted on the straining stage of a microscope. The initiation and location of interfacial debonding was observed in situ by microscopic examination and inspection of photoelastic fringe patterns and stress-strain data. Analytical modeling using 3-D FEM revealed that the stress concentration factor (value of radial stress at the interface normalized by the externally applied stress) was at maximum and remained fairly constant (within 10 percent) over two-thirds of the central loading region. As a result, interface debonding always occurred in the interior of the sample (region initially free of stress singularities), thus avoiding the influence of free-edge effects on measured debond strengths.
A Discussion of Negative Poisson's Ratio Design for Composites
Authors: Zhang Ruguang , Yeh Hsien-Liang , Yeh Hsien-Yang
Published: July 2017

It is feasible to design laminated composites with negative Poisson's ratio. Although the minimum value of negative Poisson's ratio design can be done via numerical approach, it is possible to use the analytical method in this paper to perform the following tasks: (a) evaluate the approximated ply orientation angles to obtain maximum transverse strain cy, (b) determine the necessary conditions of design negative Poisson's ratio, and (c) investigate the influence of laminae properties on the Poisson's ratio of a composite laminate.

In this study, it is also found that, in general, the ply orientations for obtaining maximum transverse strain, sy, in a composite laminate are close to 70'/20I%.