bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
North Korean Literature and ‘Theoretical Problems of Literary Studies’: Tatiana Gabrousseko’s Soldiers on the Cultural Front
Authors: David-West Alzo
Published: March 2012

Tatiana Gabroussenko’s Soldiers on the Cultural Front is the second book in English after 16 years to deal with North Korean literature. Written as a literary history with a strong focus on biography and policy, the study explains that Soviet Stalinist socialist realism was successfully implanted in North Korea from 1945 to 1960. Soldiers on the Cultural Front, however, neglects the ‘theoretical problems of literary studies.’ The consequence is that subjective value-judgments, extra-literary specialization determinism, and naive induction intrude upon the subject matter, reconfirming that North Korean literary studies in English is still not a well-developed or theoretically self-aware field.
Applicability of solutions for periodic intralaminar crack distributions to non-uniformly damaged laminates
Authors: Loukil Mohamed Sahbi , Varna Janis , Ayadi Zoubir
Published: March 2012

Stiffness reduction simulation in laminates with intralaminar cracks is usually performed assuming that cracks are equidistant and crack density is the only parameter needed. However, the crack distribution in the damaged layer is very non-uniform, especially in the initial stage of multiple cracking. In this article, the earlier developed model for general symmetric laminates is generalized to account for non-uniform crack distribution. This model, in which the normalized average crack-opening and crack-sliding displacements are the main characteristics of the crack, is used to calculate the axial modulus of cross-ply laminates with cracks in internal and surface layers. In parametric analysis, the crack-opening displacement and crack-sliding displacement are calculated using finite element method, considering the smallest versus the average crack spacing ratio as non-uniformity parameter. It is shown that assuming uniform distribution, we obtain lower bond to elastic modulus. A ‘double-periodic’ approach presented to calculate the crack-opening displacement of a crack in a non-uniform case as the average of two solutions for periodic crack systems is very accurate for cracks in internal layers of cross-ply laminates, whereas for high crack density in surface layers, it underestimates the modulus reduction.
Thermal and chemical treatments of recycled carbon fibres for improved adhesion to polymeric matrix
Authors: Greco Antonio , Maffezzoli Alfonso , Buccoliero Giuseppe , Caretto Flavio , Cornacchia Giacinto
Published: March 2012

The aim of this study is the characterization of recycled carbon fibres, in view of their potential application in long-fibre reinforced thermoplastic composite. The fibres were obtained from epoxy matrix composite panels, applying a patented process that includes the pyrolisis of the matrix followed by an upgrading of the fibres. Then, recycled fibres were further subjected to thermal and acid treatments in order to modify their surface morphology and chemistry. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry were used to characterize the morphological and compositional changes of the fibre surface. The fibres were characterized in terms of mechanical properties and adhesion to an epoxy matrix. The fibres treated by thermal processes at high temperatures (600°C) were shown to be too severely damaged, making them unsuitable for the production of fibre-reinforced composites. A thermal treatment at lower temperatures (450°C) involved a very limited damaging without any evident chemical modification of the fibre surface, which in turn involved a limited increase of the adhesion properties to an epoxy matrix. Chemical treatment by nitric acid caused a very limited damage of fibres, coupled with a significant modification of surface chemistry, which in turn involved a further increase of the fibre/matrix adhesion properties.
Microstructural characterization of non-equilibrated 4D carbon/carbon composites in ultrahigh temperature environment
Authors: Li HJ , Li ZQ , Cao CW , Wang J , Zhang SY , Li W
Published: March 2012

A comparative study has been carried out on microstructure, ultrahigh temperature tensile properties, and erosion behavior of non-equilibrated four-directional reinforced carbon/carbon composites, prepared using polyacrylonitrile based carbon fibers as the reinforcement and coal-tar pitch as the matrix, to assess the effect of microstructural changes on the properties of the composites in an ultrahigh temperature environment. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopic analyses suggest that the carbon matrix is highly graphitized, which is composed of mosaic and domain structures. The composites retain superior tensile properties with a visco-plastic behavior at ultrahigh temperature, which is consistent with the observation of mixed microstructural changes, crack propagation, and deflection as well as fiber debonding. The ablation behavior of non-equilibrated four-directional reinforced carbon/carbon composites is mainly dominated by thermo-chemical ablation and mechanical erosion, and different microstructures exhibit distinguished erosion mechanisms.
Security/cost-based optimal allocation of multi-type FACTS devices using multi-objective particle swarm optimization
Authors: Baghaee Hamid Reza , Mirsalim Mojtaba , Gharehpetian Geveorg B , Kaviani Ali Kashefi
Published: March 2012

Flexible alternating current transmission system (FACTS) devices can regulate the active and reactive power as well as voltage-magnitude. Placement of these devices in suitable locations can lead to the control of line power flow, bus voltages and short circuit currents at desired levels and, as a result, improvement of power system security margins. This paper presents an optimal allocation algorithm for FACTS devices based on a novel m-objective particle swarm optimization method considering both power system costs and security. The proposed algorithm has successfully been applied to an IEEE 30-bus power system and the results are presented and discussed.
Effect of ethylene vinyl acetate on physico-mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene and starch biocomposites
Authors: Ramaraj B. , Shit Subhas C. , Nayak Sanjay K.
Published: March 2012

The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) as compatibilizer on physico-mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene (PP)/starch composites. PP/starch composites were prepared by the extrusion of PP resin with potato starch in co-rotating twin-screw extruder by varying starch content from 5 to 20%, where the EVA content was 10 wt% based upon potato starch. It was found that with the increase in starch content from 0 to 20% in the PP matrix, the tensile elongation increased from 19.77 to 32.0%, moisture content increased from 0.013 to 0.062%, water absorption increased from 0.035 to 0.181% and density increased from 0.912 to 0.985 g/cm3, however, the tensile, flexural and impact properties, Rockwell hardness, melt flow index and vicat softening point were found to decrease linearly. Similarly, the incorporation of starch with EVA has reduced the melting temperature of PP matrix from 162.3 to 158.55°C, the heat of fusion (▵ Hf) of PP matrix decreased from 66.52 to 27.05 J/g and so is the percentage crystallization, decreased from 31.83 to 21.45% with increase in starch content from 0 to 20 wt% in the PP matrix.
Liberal democracy and beyond: extending the sequencing debate
Authors: Hobson Christopher
Published: March 2012

The extreme optimism that shaped the nascent democracy promotion community in the 1980s and early 1990s has been strongly tempered by an increasing number of setbacks to the global expansion of democracy. Zakaria’s influential ‘illiberal democracies’ argument was an early example of this trend towards a more uncertain outlook about democracy’s prospects. His argument was useful in focusing attention on the conceptual underpinnings of these practices. Despite the promising starting point, Zakaria reached limited and conservative conclusions, essentially calling for the revival of a Whig approach: liberalism first, democracy later. Furthermore, his conceptual analysis was overly restricted: democracies are liberal or they are illiberal. This article challenges, revises, and extends Zakaria’s arguments, by examining alternative models of democracy that lie both within and beyond liberalism. It is argued that in contrast to Zakaria’s suggestion that democracy promotion may need to be delayed or deferred, considering different democratic models offers a more optimistic prognosis, as the way forward is not through abandoning the support of democracy, but, instead, potentially through advancing a different form of democracy, one more suitable to a precise local context.
The use of learner-generated drawings in the development of music students’ teacher identities
Authors: Bennett Dawn
Published: March 2012

Identity development is a continuous process framed within changing social contexts, and is particularly problematic for musicians and other artists whose work contradicts the mythologized image of the artist. The purpose of this article is to examine the professional growth of music students in relation to developing teacher identities. The article reports on the use of learner-generated drawings and journal reflections produced by music performance and education majors; in particular, the article probes students’ perceptions of teaching within a traditional career hierarchy that favours performance and artistic creation above all else. Whilst initial student drawings illustrated traditional images of the teacher as knowledge giver, these gave way to student-centred images in which students appeared to identify with teaching in new ways. The combination of textual and non-textual data provided insights that would not otherwise have been evident, and the consideration of ‘possible selves’ became a useful tool in the explorations of identity and career.
Social support networks in Spain: The factors that determine models of choice
Authors: Alonso Mercedes Fernández
Published: March 2012

The main goal of this article is to understand social support models in Spain from the perspective of an individual facing a situation of need, whether domestic, economic or emotional. The data used come from the 2001 ‘Social Networks II’ survey of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP). The study shows clear family-oriented models of preference, primarily between the closest members of the nuclear family of origin. The partner is especially important when domestic and emotional help are required, but parents come first when the need is economic. People’s behaviour also shows both traces of the more recent process of individuation in western society and differences based on the variables studied. The explanatory variables par excellence are gender, age, marital status and geographical distance.
The Transformation of Governance
Authors: Park Hun Myoung , Perry James L.
Published: March 2012

The latter 20th and beginning of the 21st century have ushered in new forms of governance, opening the gates to what has been variously described as a “new public service,” a “multisectored public service,” and a “state of agents.” As government authority is dispersed, we increasingly rely on these new public servants for service delivery and policy implementation. But who are now the agents of the state? How might the changed makeup of a new public service alter our expectations about democratic governance? The questions we investigate in this study are, first, now that the public sector has been transformed, what are the characteristics of the agents of the new governance? And are the new public servants, in the words of Charles Goodsell, “ordinary people”? We use the General Social Survey to shed light on our focal question. Our results suggest that public servants in for-profit settings resemble traditional civil servants in many ways. The growing ranks of social, health, and education public servants in nonprofit settings are distinct in many ways from civil servants and for-profit public servants. Implications of the changing composition of the public sector in an era of transformed governance are discussed.
Sexual Sadism in the Context of Rape and Sexual Homicide
Authors: Healey Jay , Lussier Patrick , Beauregard Eric
Published: March 2012

This study investigates the convergent and predictive validity of behavioral crime scene indicators of sexual sadism in the context of rape and sexual homicide. The study is based on a sample of 268 adult males sentenced to a federal penitentiary in Canada. Information regarding crime scene behaviors was gathered from police records, a clinical interview with a psychologist, and a semistructured interview with the offender. A series of logistic regressions were performed to determine whether behavioral crime scene indicators of sexual sadism were associated with an official diagnosis of sexual sadism and were able to distinguish between sexual aggressors against women and sexual murderers. Findings suggest that several crime scene behaviors overlap with an official diagnosis of sexual sadism as well as being able to distinguish between sexual aggressors of women and sexual murderers. Importantly, the majority of crime scene behaviors associated with a clinical diagnosis of sexual sadism are not the same as those associated with sexual homicide.
Can Faith-BasedCorrectional Programs Work? An Outcome Evaluation of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative in Minnesota
Authors: Duwe Grant , King Michelle
Published: March 2012

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (InnerChange), a faith-based prisoner reentry program, by examining recidivism outcomes among 732 offenders released from Minnesota prisons between 2003 and 2009. Results from the Cox regression analyses revealed that participating in InnerChange significantly reduced reoffending (rearrest, reconviction, and new offense reincarceration), although it did not have a significant impact on reincarceration for a technical violation revocation. The findings further suggest that the beneficial recidivism outcomes for InnerChange participants may have been due, in part, to the continuum of mentoring support some offenders received in the institution and the community. The results imply that faith-based correctional programs can reduce recidivism, but only if they apply evidence-based practices that focus on providing a behavioral intervention within a therapeutic community, addressing the criminogenic needs of participants and delivering a continuum of care from the institution to the community. Given that InnerChange relies heavily on volunteers and program costs are privately funded, the program exacts no additional costs to the State of Minnesota. Yet, because InnerChange lowers recidivism, which includes reduced reincarceration and victimization costs, the program may be especially advantageous from a cost-benefit perspective.
The Perception of Meaningfulness and Performance of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living From the Perspectives of the Medically At-Risk Older Adults and Their Caregivers
Authors: Dickerson Anne E. , Reistetter Timothy , Gaudy Jennifer R.
Published: March 2012

The purpose of the study was to understand the impact of chronic disability on the functional ability of older adults. Thirty older adult participants and their caregivers were asked to identify which instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are most meaningful and how their disability affected performance. Data collected through individual analysis indicated that the most important IADL tasks were driving and managing medication. Both older adult participants and their caregivers similarly perceived the health condition as significantly affecting the performance of all of the IADLs. However, there was a difference in the perception of the prior level of functioning for managing medication ( z = 2.45, p = .024) and phone use ( z = 2.26, p = .014). Results arrived at, and to be discussed, were in agreement with previous research findings indicating that complex tasks of daily living, particularly driving, are significant to the older adult’s quality of life.
Functional Outcomes by Age for Inpatient Cancer Rehabilitation
Authors: Hunter Elizabeth G. , Baltisberger Julie
Published: March 2012

Cancer-related impairments result in disabilities similar to those typically encountered in inpatient rehabilitation settings; however, the use of rehabilitation services by cancer survivors is low. This is particularly important for older adults as they are at higher risk for cancer. This retrospective study collected data from medical records from 215 charts of patients admitted to an inpatient physical rehabilitation hospital, within a 5-year period, with a primary diagnosis of cancer. Mean age was 61 years ( SD = 15.7) for 109 (51%) females and 106 (49%) males. Regardless of age, patients achieved significant functional improvement, as shown by their FIM scores ( t = 23.06, p < .0001), from admission to discharge. The results have several important implications related to cancer survivorship among older adults. With a push toward aging in place, maintaining optimal physical functioning is crucial. Physical rehabilitation benefited the functional outcomes of this group of cancer survivors regardless of age.
The Quality of Feeding Assistance Care Practices for Long-Term Care Veterans
Authors: Simmons Sandra F. , Sims Nichole , Durkin Daniel W. , Shotwell Matthew S. , Erwin Scott , Schnelle John F.
Published: March 2012

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the quality of feeding assistance care and identify areas in need of improvement for a sample of long-term care veterans. A secondary purpose was to compare these findings with the results of previous studies in community facilities to determine ways in which the VA sample might differ. A repeated measures observational study was conducted in two VA facilities with 200 long-stay residents. Research staff conducted standardized observations during and between meals for 3 months. There was a trend for better feeding assistance care quality during meals in the VA sample, but there were still multiple aspects of care in need of improvement both during and between meals. Higher licensed nurse staffing levels in the VA should enable effective supervision and management, but observation-based measures of care quality are necessary for accurate information about daily feeding assistance care provision.
Local Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Effectiveness and the Measurement of Program Resources
Authors: Hollister Brooke A. , Estes Carroll L.
Published: March 2012

Local Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs (LLTCOPs) protect the health, safety, welfare, and rights of residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities. This study examines the (a) existing resources available to LLTCOPs in Georgia, California, and New York, (b) relationship of resources to LLTCOP’s reported effectiveness in meeting its federal mandates, and (c) state-specific mediating factors influencing LLTCOPs’ resources and reported effectiveness. Quantitative and qualitative data from the National Ombudsman Reporting System (NORS) and a telephone survey of LLTCOPs in Georgia, California, and New York were collected and analyzed. Resource adequacy, as measured by beds per full-time equivalent staff (beds/FTE), is inconsistently associated with effectiveness in meeting federal mandates across and within the states studied. Analysis of alternate resource measures suggests a threshold of LLTCOP size, under which program effectiveness may be lower. LLTCOPs report the changing LTC environment and additional state mandates as factors influencing resource adequacy.
Development and characterization of PLA-based green composites
Authors: Bajpai Pramendra Kumar , Singh Inderdeep , Madaan Jitendra
Published: March 2012

With increasing environmental awareness and ecological risk, green composites have gained more and more research attention, as they have the potential to be attractive than the traditional petroleum-based composites which are toxic and nonbiodegradable. Because of their lightweight, friendly processing and acoustic insulation, green composites have been used widely ranging from aerospace sector to household applications. The end-of-life concern with many polymeric composites has also limited their application spectrum. The green composites not only replace the traditional materials such as steel and wood but also challenge certain nonbiodegradable polymer composites. The present research initiative aims at highlighting the issues and challenges in the development and characterization of poly lactic acid–based green composites. A few of these important composites and their mechanical properties (tensile, compressive, flexural, and impact strength) have been reported in this study. The focus is the identification of the possible areas for their novel applications. A study has been conducted to categorize the various types of green composites on the basis of their physical, chemical, and mechanical characteristics.
An investigation on new high performance Schiff base polyurethanes
Authors: Kausar Ayesha , Zulfiqar Sonia , Ishaq Muhammad , Sarwar Muhammad Ilyas
Published: March 2012

Novel poly(urethane-azomethine-thiourea)s (PUATs) were synthesized via one-step polymerization from newly prepared diol chain extender (1,4-phenylene bis((E)-1-(4-hydroxobenzylidene)thiourea) (PBHBT)), containing C=S and –C=N– linkages, along with 1,4-phenylene diisocyanate (PDI) as hard segments and 20, 40 and 60 mol.% polyethylene glycol (PEG) forming soft segments. The prepared chain extender and polymers were characterized via elemental, Fourier transform infrared, 1H- and 13C-NMR analyses, and physical properties such as ηinh, solubility, crystallinity, flame retardancy and thermal stability were studied. According to X-ray diffraction patterns, the Schiff base polymers exhibited amorphous morphologies and their molar masses were in the range of 148 × 103–163 × 103 g mol−1. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that PUATs with 20 and 40 mol.% PEG were fairly stable above 500°C having T10 of 511–527°C and had high glass transition temperatures about 249–251°C. In comparison with typical polyurethanes, PUATs with lower polyol content exhibited better non-inflammability, Tg values, chemical and thermal stability owing to rigid hard segment structure.
Autoparametric interaction in a double pendulum system
Authors: Cartmell Matthew P , Kovacic Ivana , Zukovic Miodrag
Published: March 2012

This article investigates a four-degree-of-freedom mechanical model comprising a horizontal bar onto which two identical pendula are fitted. The bar is suspended from a pair of springs and the left-hand-side pendulum is excited by means of a harmonic torque. The article shows that autoparametric interaction is possible by means of typical external and internal resonance conditions involving the system natural frequencies and excitation frequency, yielding an interesting case when the right-hand-side pendulum does not oscillate, but stays at rest. It is demonstrated that applying the standard method of multiple scales to this system leads to slow-time and subsequently steady-state equations representative of periodic responses; however, in common with previous findings reported in the literature for systems of four or more interacting modes, global solutions are not obtainable. This article then concentrates on discussing a proposed new modification to the method of multiple scales in which the effect of detuning is accentuated within the zeroth-order perturbation equations and it is then demonstrated that the numerical solutions from this approach to multiple scales yield results that are virtually indistinguishable from those obtained from direct numerical integration of the equations of motion. It is also shown that the algebraic structure of the steady-state solutions for the modified multiple scales analysis is identical to that obtained from a harmonic balance analysis for the case when the right-hand-side pendulum is decoupled. This particular decoupling case is prominent from examination of both the original equations of motion and the steady-state solutions irrespective of the analysis undertaken. This article concludes by showing that the translation and rotation of the bar are, in this particular case, mutually coupled and opposite in sign.
A tsunami record in the sedimentary archive of the central Algarve coast, Portugal: Characterizing sediment, reconstructing sources and inundation paths
Authors: Costa PJM , Andrade C , Freitas MC , Oliveira MA , Lopes V , Dawson AG , Moreno J , Fatela F , Jouanneau J-M
Published: March 2012

This study describes sedimentation associated with the tsunami generated by the Lisbon earthquake of ad 1755. It is argued here that the tsunami deposited a sand sheet across the Lagoa dos Salgados (central Algarve, Portugal), that is intercalated with late-Holocene estuarine/lagoonal sediments. A wide range of proxies (sedimentological, exoscopic and palaeontological) are used to establish the provenance of the sandy material as well as to constrain the age of the deposit. Stratigraphic criteria are used to distinguish the uniqueness of the event layer. Exoscopic and textural analysis suggest that the source of the event deposit is mainly the dune, beach and underlying layer. Micropalaentological analysis (Foraminifera) indicates a conspicuous increase in diversity and dominance of marine species within the event sediment sheet. The spatial characteristics of the tsunami layer suggests that the barrier prevented widespread overtopping by the incoming tsunami allowing inference of c. 10 m as maximum height at the coast; they also indicate the inlet as the preferential route for both water and sediment transported inland. Dating results (14C, 210Pb and 137Cs) allow extrapolation of an age of deposition compatible with the ad 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami, the most devastating event that affected this coastal area in historical times. Correlations with similar deposits detected in nearby lowlands strengthen the argument that the tsunami sediment layer represents a marker horizon in the coastal stratigraphy along the Portuguese Algarve coast. The stratigraphic uniqueness of this event might have implications in the establishment of millennial scale recurrence intervals for this type of high-energy marine inundation.
Succession and stable isotope composition of gastropods in Holocene semi-arid alluvial sequences (Bardenas Reales, Ebro Basin, NE Spain): Palaeoenvironmental implications
Authors: Murelaga X , Ortega LA , Sancho C , Muñoz A , Osácar C , Larraz M
Published: March 2012

Three alluvial units, ranging from the middle to late Holocene in age, were distinguished in Bardenas Reales Natural Park (Ebro Basin, NE Spain) based on morphosedimentary analysis and radiocarbon data. In this sensitive Mediterranean alluvial system, the succession and isotopic composition of gastropods greatly contribute to establishing the prevailing palaeoenvironmental conditions. The oldest unit (4763±87 to 2848±55 cal. yr BP) represents fluvial channels and swamped areas, includes the greatest proportion of aquatic gastropods ( Ancylus fluviatilis and Lymnaea truncatula) and marsh species ( Vallonia pulchella) and presents the most negative values of δ18O (mean −2.21‰ PDB). The intermediate unit (1403±60 to 836±65 cal. yr BP) shows a high rate of alluvial activity related to irregular torrential rainfall, with sedimentary features of aridity, and this unit includes only dry open ground gastropods ( Xeroplexa sp., Chondrinidae indet. and Granopupa granum) and presents the least negative values of δ18O (mean −1.17‰ PDB). The youngest unit (191±97 to 127±82 cal. yr BP) exhibits a recurrence of flooding events, mostly includes marsh ( Truncatellina callicratis and Lauria cylindracea) and aquatic ( Lymnae truncatula) species and shows a very heterogeneous isotopic signal, with −1.83‰ PDB as the mean value of δ18O. As a consequence, a palaeoenvironmental pattern comprised of an early wetter/colder phase followed by a warmer/drier period and, finally, an increase in both cold conditions and hydrological variability, is deduced for the middle to late Holocene in the Ebro Basin. Gastropod shell δ13C values, related to vegetation, can also be linked to palaeoenvironmental changes. The succession and stable isotope composition of gastropods in alluvial sequences are revealed as very sensitive indicators of rapid Holocene climatic changes in fragile semi-arid landscape systems.
The Third National Health and Morbidity Survey
Authors: Suzana S , Kee CC , Jamaludin AR , Noor Safiza MN , Khor GL , Jamaiyah H , Geeta A , Ahmad Ali Z , Rahmah R , Ruzita AT , Ahmad Fauzi Y
Published: March 2012

Obesity is an emerging public health threat in the elderly population in developing countries. Hence, the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey has assessed 4746 individuals aged 60 years and older recruited through a household survey to determine the prevalence of adiposity using body mass index and waist circumference. The national’s prevalence of overweight and obesity in men was 29.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 27.2-31.3) and 7.4% (95% CI = 6.4-8.6), respectively. However, the prevalence decreased with age. The figures in women were 30.3% (95% CI = 28.5-32.1) and 13.8% (95% CI = 12.5-15.2), respectively. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 21.4% (95%CI = 20.2-22.6), with 7.7% (95% CI = 6.7-9.0) in men and 33.4% (95% CI = 31.4-35.3) in women. Predictors of adiposity include the following: Malay and Indian ethnicity, higher education level, higher household income, from urban area, and being married. In conclusion, adiposity affects about one third of the Malaysian elderly population, especially those of the younger age group, women, and those with higher socioeconomic status.
Client Satisfaction and Unmet Needs Assessment
Authors: Chow Maria Yui Kwan , Li Mu , Quine Susan
Published: March 2012

A mixed-methods approach study was conducted at an ambulatory HIV health care facility in Sydney during 2007/2008. A quantitative self-administered structured questionnaire survey (phase 1) was conducted to assess client satisfaction levels, followed by qualitative semistructured interviews (phase 2) to investigate reasons for satisfaction/dissatisfaction and unmet needs. The mean overall satisfaction score of the 166 respondents in phase 1 was high (86 out of 100). Participants were most satisfied with the “knowledge” and “attitudes” of health care providers (HCP) and “maintenance of confidentiality.” They were least satisfied with “waiting time before consultation.” “Knowledge of HCP” and “rapport, care, and trust towards HCP” emerged as most important aspects of satisfaction. The broad range of HCP and services provided at one location was particularly appreciated. Health care service evaluation by assessing client satisfaction using mixed methods provided valuable insight into health care service quality. It can be applied to a broader range of health care services.
Hepatitis B Infection in Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Van T. T.
Published: March 2012

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major public health problem in Vietnam. Recent studies have found that prevalence of current HBV infection (HBsAg+) ranges from 10% to 20% in the general population and 20% to 40% among injecting drug users and HIV+ patients. However, HBV prevention and control in Vietnam relies heavily on universal infant vaccination program and HBsAg screening for blood donors. Currently, HBV prevention and control is underfunded by the government and receives little support from international agencies. HBV-related liver disease will continue to create a heavy burden for public health in Vietnam in the next several decades unless appropriate interventions are undertaken urgently. Establishment of a national strategy for HBV prevention and control is crucial to develop and implement effective interventions.
Prevalence of Cervical Human Papillomavirus Infection Among Married Women in Hanoi, Vietnam, 2010
Authors: Vu Lan , Le Ha , Luong Oanh , Tran Hanh , Nguyen Ngan , Luu Hong
Published: March 2012

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a necessary cause of cervical cancer. This study examined the prevalence of cervical HPV infection and the distribution of HPV specific types among married women in Hanoi to provide updated data for planning cancer preventive activities. Sample of 750 married women aged 15 to 69 years were interviewed and had gynecological examination. HPV infection status and HPV genotyping tests were done for all participants. Results indicated that the prevalence of cervical HPV infection in among married women in Hanoi was 6.13%. The 5 most common HPV types among Hanoi population were HPV 16, HPV 18, HPV 58, HPV 81, and HPV 45. HPV prevalence was higher among younger ages. The proportion of women infected with high-risk HPV accounted for 91.3% of the positive cases. As HPV infection is associated with cervical cancer, steps should be taken for cervical cancer screening and treatment for Hanoi population.
Coupling of hierarchical piezoelectric plate finite elements via Arlequin method
Authors: Biscani Fabio , Nali Pietro , Belouettar Salim , Carrera Erasmo
Published: March 2012

Coupling of piezoelectric plate elements based on different through-the-thickness expansions and variational principles through the Arlequin method is proposed in this article. Computational cost is reduced assuming refined models only in those zones of the structure where high accuracy is needed. Piezoelectric finite elements are formulated on the basis of a unified formulation. Higher order, layer-wise and mixed finite elements are easily obtained via unified formulation. This formulation is extended to the Arlequin method in the piezoelectric context to derive matrices related to coupling zones. Two electro-mechanical coupling operators are proposed. Multilayered plates are investigated. Numerical results show that the Arlequin method in the context of unified formulation couples sub-domains having different piezoelectric finite elements effectively.
Passive control of n-dimensional chaotic complex nonlinear systems
Authors: Mahmoud Gamal M , Mahmoud Emad E , Arafa Ayman A
Published: March 2012

In this paper we investigate the control of n-dimensional chaotic complex nonlinear systems by using passive control theory. These complex systems have been introduced and studied recently in our investigations. Based on the property of the passive system, an approach is stated to design the passive controller and realize the control of these systems. As an example, we apply this approach to convert the chaotic attractors of the complex Lü system into the trivial, nontrivial equilibrium points, periodic (limit cycle) and quasi-periodic solutions. This example appears in several fields of physics and engineering, e.g. nonlinear electronic circuits and communications. A block diagram of this example using Matlab/Simulink is constructed. The analytical results of the controllers which have been calculated by using this approach are tested numerically and good agreement is obtained.
Hair repigmentation associated with the use of lenalidomide: Graying may not be an irreversible process!
Authors: Dasanu Constantin A , Mitsis Demytra , Alexandrescu Doru T
Published: March 2012

We report the first case of progressive hair repigmentation associated with the use of lenalidomide in an elderly patient with multiple myeloma. The influence of lenalidomide on follicular melanogenesis may involve removing the inhibitory influences of some cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α. In addition, certain endocrine effects of lenalidomide on the hypophyseal-adrenal axis could explain its action on hair pigmentation. We further hypothesize that lenalidomide may be capable of stimulating migration and/or differentiation of melanocytes to promote repigmentation of gray hair follicles. Pending the clarification of how hair repigmentation occurs with lenalidomide, our observation materializes the concept that hair graying may not be an irreversible process, which opens avenues for targeted therapeutics in the fields of cosmetics and anti-aging medicine.
Psychiatric Patients Are at Increased Risk of Falling and Choking
Authors: Allen Diane E. , de Nesnera Alexander , Robinson Deborah A.
Published: March 2012

Acutely ill psychiatric patients experience symptoms and take medications that increase their risk of both falling and choking; however, nurses and other caregivers may not be keenly aware of these risks. This article will provide a brief review of the literature related to risk factors for falls and choking and interventions to prevent falls and choking. Increased education for nursing students and staff employed at inpatient psychiatric units has the potential to reduce both incidence and injuries related to falls and choking.
Assessment of Impact of Medication Use and Dementia on Fall Risk in Clients Receiving Home Health Care
Authors: Chen Shu-Shi , Olson Sharon L. , Gleeson Peggy , Mitchell Katy
Published: March 2012

The objective of this article was to investigate relationships among medication, dementia, and falls in community-dwelling elders with polypharmacy receiving home health care services from a senior services agency. As regards method, medical information on medication, dementia, and falls was obtained from clinical records of 147 clients. Chi-square tests were used to compare psychotropic drug use between elders with and without dementia. Logistic regression was performed to test the hypothesis that psychotropic drugs and dementia predicted falls in this population. Results reveal that this population had high rates of psychotropic drug use (61%), dementia (38%), and falls (37%). No significant differences were found in psychotropic drug use between elders with and without dementia. Neither psychotropic drugs nor dementia predicted falls. Conclusions show that in this population, no relationship was found between dementia, psychotropic drugs, and falls.
Caregiving for Elderly Parents
Authors: Dhar Rajib Lochan
Published: March 2012

Caregiving to elderly parents, in India, is primarily provided by adult children. This study aims at understanding the issues and concerns relating to elderly parental caregiving in the contemporary Indian sociocultural context. Qualitative methods have been used in this study to collect the data based on phenomenological principles. Data for this study was collected through in-depth interviews with 15 couples who were recruited through purposive and snowball method. Finding of the study highlighted five main themes: (a) The emotional bonding; (b) Implications on caregiver; (c) Impact on finance; (d) Who takes the responsibility and (e) Being a daughter. This study has tried to highlight that in India, being a collectivist nation, there are various aspects relating to elderly parental caregiving which affect the caregiver in different ways in the sociocultural context.
Hegemonic Masculinity and Beyond
Authors: Hearn Jeff , Nordberg Marie , Andersson Kjerstin , Balkmar Dag , Gottzén Lucas , Klinth Roger , Pringle Keith , Sandberg Linn
Published: March 2012

This article discusses the status of the concept of hegemonic masculinity in research on men and boys in Sweden, and how it has been used and developed. Sweden has a relatively long history of public debate, research, and policy intervention in gender issues and gender equality. This has meant, in sheer quantitative terms, a relatively sizeable corpus of work on men, masculinities, and gender relations. There is also a rather wide diversity of approaches, theoretically and empirically, to the analysis of men and masculinities. The Swedish national context and gender equality project is outlined. This is followed by discussion of three broad phases in studies on men and masculinities in Sweden: the 1960s and 1970s before the formulation of the concept of hegemonic masculinity; the 1980s and 1990s when the concept was important for a generation of researchers developing studies in more depth; and the 2000s with a younger generation committed to a variety of feminist and gender critiques other than those associated with hegemonic masculinity. The following sections focus specifically on how the concept of hegemonic masculinity has been used, adapted, and indeed not used, in particular areas of study: boys and young men in family and education; violence; and health. The article concludes with review of how hegemonic masculinity has been used in Swedish contexts, as: gender stereotype, often out of the context of legitimation of patriarchal relations; “Other” than dominant, white middle-class “Swedish,” equated with outmoded, nonmodern, working-class, failing boy, or minority ethnic masculinities; a new masculinity concept and practice, incorporating some degree of gender equality; and reconceptualized and problematized as a modern, heteronormative, and subject-centered concept.
Hegemonic Masculinity/Masculinities in South Africa
Authors: Morrell Robert , Jewkes Rachel , Lindegger Graham
Published: March 2012

The concept of hegemonic masculinity has had a profound impact on gender activism and has been taken up particularly in health interventions. The concept was part of a conceptual gendered vocabulary about men which opened up analytical space for research on masculinity and prompted a generation of gender interventions with men. Academic work focused primarily on relations between men, to the neglect of relations with women, while paradoxically acknowledging the power that men had over women. Interventions that drew on theories of masculinities focused on the content of hegemonic masculinity, identifying hegemony with oppressive attitudes and practices. Hegemonic masculinity was considered singular and universal, with little acknowledgment given to research-based work that argued for a model of multiple hegemonic masculinities. An unintended consequence of efforts to promote gender equity through a focus on men and hegemony has been a recent popular discursive backlash. In this, Jacob Zuma and Julius Malema, presidents of the African National Congress (ANC) and the ANC youth league respectively, have sought to valorize an African masculinity that is race-specific, backward-looking, and predicated on the notion of male superiority. In this article, the authors argue that the concept of hegemonic masculinities retains a utility in both scholarship and activism but that its use needs to be located within a broader gendered understanding of society which in turn needs to confront race and class-based national realities.
The Time/Space of Preparedness
Authors: Aradau Claudia , van Munster Rens
Published: March 2012

The “next terrorist attack” has become one of the main fixtures of the collective imagination of catastrophic futures. Reflecting on a series of exercises and scenarios deployed to prepare for terrorist attacks, this article interrogates the co-constitution of temporality and spatiality in such practices. The main argument is that practices of preparedness enact a withdrawal of time, where the temporal uncertainty of the future event is displaced on the management of space. The separation of space and time implies that actions are not focused on understanding the conditions of possibility of the disruptive event but shift attention to the management of spaces and attention to behaviour that is considered out of place.
Feral suburbs: Cultural topologies of social reproduction, Fort McMurray, Canada
Authors: Shields Rob
Published: March 2012

Through case studies drawn from Fort McMurray (Alberta, Canada) near the Athabasca Tar Sands, builders’, residents’ and public officials’ attempts to develop neighbourhoods in the midst of an oil boom and bust economy are considered. Drawing on interviews with these actors, photographs and participant observation, this article considers the production of new suburbs through crown land release and development. Within a highly constrained planning context, the adaptation of land development policy and practice, as well as attempts to stabilize a highly dynamic economic environment, create ‘works-in-progress’; built environments that attempt to materially render the circuits and forces of a global petro-economy habitable in the name of social reproduction. The label ‘feral’ is advanced to highlight how these suburbs transfigure preconceptions of North American suburbia as a cultural form. Residents of Fort McMurray perform novel syntheses which impact on the actualization of cultural forms, including household and community.
Realizing ‘four comforts’ in the urban fringe: the case of White Horse Lake Eco-creative City Project, Hangzhou, China
Authors: Wen Wen
Published: March 2012

This article examines a cultural and creative industries park project – the White Horse Lake Eco-creative City on land outside the urban centre of Hangzhou, China, which uses an imaginary rural lifestyle as its key attraction. By analysing government policies and development plans, and through interviews with initiators, managers and creative practitioners, the article first assesses the geographical position, that is, the impact of locality with regard to both hard and soft infrastructure of the project; it then examines the synergies and tensions embedded in the strategic goals, that is, to build the right city for ‘four comforts’ ( siyi, 四宜) – for residence, for business, for travel and for culture. The article concludes that Chinese-style cultural conversion remains locked in a top-down ideological framework, one that rural residents and the new ‘creative class’ are expected to respect.
‘Blogs give regular people the chance to talk back’: Rethinking ‘professional’ media hierarchies in new media
Authors: Meyers Erin A.
Published: March 2012

New media technologies have reshaped practices of production, distribution and consumption of media, in part, by blurring the lines of distinction between the role of producer and consumer of media. This shift has enabled the rise of a new class of ‘audience/producer’ that exists outside the traditional professional media producer class yet is increasingly threatening the professional’s commercial position and ability to control the creation of content and the cultural production of meaning. This article examines the rise of the celebrity gossip blogger as an example of this sort of audience/producer intervention into an established media industry.
Estimating the economic and social costs of dementia in Ireland
Authors: Connolly Sheelah , Gillespie Paddy , O’Shea Eamon , Cahill Suzanne , Pierce Maria
Published: March 2012

Dementia is a costly condition and one that differs from other conditions in the significant cost burden placed on informal caregivers. The aim of this analysis was to estimate the economic and social costs of dementia in Ireland in 2010. With an estimate of 41,470 people with dementia, the total baseline annual cost was found to be over €1.69 billion, 48% of which was attributable to the opportunity cost of informal care provided by family and friends and 43% to residential care. Due to the impact of demographic ageing in the coming decades and the expected increase in the number of people with dementia, family caregivers and the general health and social care system will come under increasing pressure to provide adequate levels of care. Without a significant increase in the amount of resources devoted to dementia, it is unclear how the system will cope in the future.