bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Airway Obstruction during Drug‐Induced Sleep Endoscopy Correlates with Apnea‐Hypopnea Index and Oxygen Nadir in Children
Authors: Dahl John P. , Miller Craig , Purcell Patricia L. , Zopf David A. , Johnson Kaalan , Horn David L. , Chen Maida L. , Chan Dylan K. , Parikh Sanjay R.
Published: June 2016

Objective

To determine if standardized intraoperative scoring of anatomic obstruction in children with obstructive sleep apnea correlates with the apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI) and lowest oxygen saturation on preprocedural polysomnogram (PSG). A secondary objective was to determine if age, presence of a syndrome, or previous adenotonsillectomy affect this correlation.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Two tertiary care children’s hospitals.

Subjects

Patients with a preprocedural PSG who underwent drug‐induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) over a 4‐year period.

Methods

All DISEs were graded in a systematic manner with the Chan‐Parikh (C‐P) scoring system. AHI and nadir oxygen saturations were extracted from preprocedural PSG. Data were analyzed with a multivariate linear regression model that controlled for age at time of sleep endoscopy, syndrome diagnosis, and previous adenotonsillectomy.

Results

A total of 127 children underwent PSG prior to DISE: 56 were syndromic, and 21 had a previous adenotonsillectomy. Mean AHI was 13.6 ± 19.6 (± SD), and mean oxygen nadir was 85.4% ± 9.4%. Mean C‐P score was 5.9 ± 2.7. DISE score positively correlated with preoperative AHI (r = 0.36, P <. 0001) and negatively correlated with oxygen nadir (r = −0.26, P =. 004). The multivariate linear regression models estimated that for every 1‐point increase in C‐P score, there is a 2.6‐point increase in AHI (95% confidence interval: 1.4‐3.8, P <. 001) and a 1.1% decrease in the lowest oxygen saturation (95% confidence interval: –1.7 to −0.6, P <. 001).

Conclusion

The C‐P scoring system for pediatric DISE correlates with both AHI and lowest oxygen saturation on preprocedural PSG.
The expected impacts of Transforming Rehabilitation on working relationships with offenders
Authors: Evans Emily
Published: June 2016

This article draws on doctoral research undertaken in 2013 to consider the likely impact of the Transforming Rehabilitation changes upon relationships between offenders and probation staff, in the specific context of Integrated Offender Management. Conducted during the initial stages of consultation and roll-out, the research gathered speculative but informed predictions of the impact of Transforming Rehabilitation.
‘It’s relentless’
Authors: Phillips Jake , Westaby Chalen , Fowler Andrew
Published: June 2016

This article uses empirical data to consider the impact that Transforming Rehabilitation has had on National Probation Service (NPS) probation officers in terms of the increased numbers of high-risk offenders on the caseload. It was hypothesised by the researchers that the expectation that NPS probation officers would deal with more high-risk offenders would result in additional pressure on them. While this is certainly the case for some probation officers who work in the newly created NPS, the data show nuance in terms of the effect this dramatic change has had on probation officers. The article shows that there are both benefits and disadvantages to having a caseload comprised primarily of high-risk cases. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the findings in terms of the training and resourcing needs required by those NPS probation officers who are struggling with the shift to primarily high-risk offender management.
‘Personalisation’
Authors: Fox Chris , Marsh Caroline
Published: June 2016

When the Coalition government’s ‘rehabilitation revolution’ was first articulated, innovation was an important theme, encompassing innovation by frontline staff, by organisations working within a mixed economy and even social entrepreneurs. Under Transforming Rehabilitation, innovation remained a stated aim of criminal justice reform, but the scope of innovation envisaged seemed to narrow. This paper describes the early stages of a socially innovative project to develop and implement a personalised approach to offender rehabilitation in the context of Transforming Rehabilitation. It draws on the concept of ‘desistance’. This in turn leads to consideration of community capacity-building and market development that draws on experience from the social care sector. A number of early challenges and plans to overcome them are discussed. Challenges include the inherent uncertainty of the innovation process; the importance of collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders, including service users and local community organisations; innovating during a period of organisational change and wider public sector cuts; and the public presentation of personalised working with offenders. Plans to address these challenges include moving gradually from small-scale prototyping to larger pilots and close collaboration between service providers and evaluators.
Communication profile of primary school-aged children with foetal growth restriction
Authors: Partanen Lea Aulikki , Olsén Päivi , Mäkikallio Kaarin , Korkalainen Noora , Heikkinen Hanna , Heikkinen Minna , Yliherva Anneli
Published: June 2016

Foetal growth restriction is associated with problems in neurocognitive development. In the present study, prospectively collected cohorts of foetal growth restricted (FGR) and appropriate for gestational age grown (AGA) children were examined at early school-age by using the Children’s Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2) to test the hypothesis that FGR children demonstrate poorer communication skills than AGA children. Furthermore, potential differences between FGR children born prematurely and at term were evaluated, as well as the effect of assessment age on CCC-2 performance. The FGR-children demonstrated poorer language structure and language use than the AGA group. Nineteen percent of the FGR children scored below the 15th percentile threshold value in General Communication Composite, compared to 7% of the AGA children, indicating clinically significant problems in communication skills. Furthermore, impaired communication skills became more evident as the FGR children reached ⩾ 9 years of age. Prematurity was associated with low CCC-2 scores. We conclude that FGR, especially in combination with prematurity, is associated with reduced communication skills. With advancing age and increased academic demands the problems become more evident, indicating a need for early recognition, timely interventions and continuous linguistic evaluations of FGR children in order to optimize their long-term outcome in academic and communication skills.
Interventions to achieve ongoing exercise adherence for adults with chronic health conditions who have completed a supervised exercise program: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Jansons Paul S , Haines Terry P , O’Brien Lisa
Published: June 2016

Objective:

To determine which exercise adherence interventions are most effective for achieving ongoing exercise adherence in adults with chronic health conditions who had already completed a supervised short-term program.

Method:

Search of MEDLINE (Ovid Medline 1946 to April 8th, 2016), EMBASE (1980 to April 8th, 2016), CINAHL (1982-April 8th 2016) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted. The chronic health conditions search terms as per the Chronic Disease and Participation in Work AIHW Report, 2008. Included were randomised (or quasi-randomised) trials and observational studies evaluating interventions that aimed to improve exercise adherence in adults with chronic health conditions that had completed a supervised exercise program. Random-effects meta-analyses and random-effects logistic meta-regression were used to examine relationships between exercise adherence strategy and adherence.

Results:

Eleven studies were included with a total of 1231 participants with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease or Osteoarthritis. Methods used for maintaining adherence were categorized post hoc as: centre based programs; home exercise programs with telephone follow-up; home exercise programs with no follow-up; and weaning programs that transitioned patients to an independent, off-site exercise program. There was no difference in the proportion of participants who were fully adherent to an exercise program 12 months between the centre-based follow-up (pooled proportion fully adherent=0.34) and telephone follow-up (pooled proportion fully adherent=0.30, difference p-value=0.75).

Conclusion:

Interventions such as centre-based exercise programs or home exercise programs (with or without telephone follow-up) do not differentially impact exercise adherence for people who have completed a short-term supervised program.
Inhibitory effects of imidazoline receptor ligands on basal and kainic acid-induced neurotoxic signalling in mice
Authors: Keller Benjamin , García-Sevilla Jesús A
Published: June 2016

This in vivo study assessed the potential of the imidazoline receptor (IR) ligands moxonidine (selective I1-IR), BU224 (selective I2-IR) and LSL61122 (mixed I1/I2-IR) to dampen excitotoxic signalling induced by kainic acid (KA; 45 mg/kg) in the mouse brain (hippocampus and cerebral cortex). KA triggered a strong behavioural syndrome (seizures; maximal at 60–90 minutes) and sustained stimulation (at 72 hours with otherwise normal mouse behaviour) of pro-apoptotic c-Jun-N-terminal kinases (JNK) and calpain with increased cleavage of p35 into neurotoxic p25 (cyclin-dependent kinase 5 [Cdk5] activators) in mouse hippocampus. Pretreatment (five days) with LSL61122 (10 mg/kg), but not moxonidine (1 mg/kg) or BU224 (20 mg/kg), attenuated the KA-induced behavioural syndrome, and all three IR ligands inhibited JNK and calpain activation, as well as p35/p25 cleavage after KA in the hippocampus (effects also observed after acute IR drug treatments). Efaroxan (I1-IR, 10 mg/kg) and idazoxan (I2-IR, 10 mg/kg), postulated IR antagonists, did not antagonise the effects of moxonidine and LSL61122 on KA targets (these IR ligands showed agonistic properties inhibiting pro-apoptotic JNK). Brain subcellular preparations revealed reduced synaptosomal postsynaptic density-95 protein contents (a mediator of JNK activation) and indicated increased p35/Cdk5 complexes (with pro-survival functions) after treatment with moxonidine, BU224 and LSL61122. These results showed that I1- and I2-IR ligands (moxonidine and BU224), and especially the mixed I1/I2-IR ligand LSL61122, are partly neuroprotective against KA-induced excitotoxic signalling. These findings suggest a therapeutic potential of IR drugs in disorders associated with glutamate-mediated neurodegeneration.
Gene-set analysis based on the pharmacological profiles of drugs to identify repurposing opportunities in schizophrenia
Authors: de Jong Simone , Vidler Lewis R , Mokrab Younes , Collier David A , Breen Gerome
Published: June 2016

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of novel genetic associations for complex genetic disorders, leading to the identification of potential pharmacological targets for novel drug development. In schizophrenia, 108 conservatively defined loci that meet genome-wide significance have been identified and hundreds of additional sub-threshold associations harbour information on the genetic aetiology of the disorder. In the present study, we used gene-set analysis based on the known binding targets of chemical compounds to identify the ‘drug pathways’ most strongly associated with schizophrenia-associated genes, with the aim of identifying potential drug repositioning opportunities and clues for novel treatment paradigms, especially in multi-target drug development. We compiled 9389 gene sets (2496 with unique gene content) and interrogated gene-based p-values from the PGC2-SCZ analysis. Although no single drug exceeded experiment wide significance (corrected p<0.05), highly ranked gene-sets reaching suggestive significance including the dopamine receptor antagonists metoclopramide and trifluoperazine and the tyrosine kinase inhibitor neratinib. This is a proof of principle analysis showing the potential utility of GWAS data of schizophrenia for the direct identification of candidate drugs and molecules that show polypharmacy.
Modulation of glucose metabolism and metabolic connectivity by β-amyloid
Authors: Carbonell Felix , Zijdenbos Alex P , McLaren Donald G , Iturria-Medina Yasser , Bedell Barry J ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: June 2016

Glucose hypometabolism in the pre-clinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been primarily associated with the APOE ɛ4 genotype, rather than fibrillar β-amyloid. In contrast, aberrant patterns of metabolic connectivity are more strongly related to β-amyloid burden than APOE ɛ4 status. A major limitation of previous studies has been the dichotomous classification of subjects as amyloid-positive or amyloid-negative. Dichotomous treatment of a continuous variable, such as β-amyloid, potentially obscures the true relationship with metabolism and reduces the power to detect significant changes in connectivity. In the present work, we assessed alterations of glucose metabolism and metabolic connectivity as continuous function of β-amyloid burden using positron emission tomography scans from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative study. Modeling β-amyloid as a continuous variable resulted in better model fits and improved power compared to the dichotomous model. Using this continuous model, we found that both APOE ɛ4 genotype and β-amyloid burden are strongly associated with glucose hypometabolism at early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. We also determined that the cumulative effects of β-amyloid deposition result in a particular pattern of altered metabolic connectivity, which is characterized by global, synchronized hypometabolism at early stages of the disease process, followed by regionally heterogeneous, progressive hypometabolism.
The Phenomenology of the Diagnostic Process
Authors: Donner-Banzhoff Norbert , Seidel Judith , Sikeler Anna Maria , Bösner Stefan , Vogelmeier Maria , Westram Anja , Feufel Markus , Gaissmaier Wolfgang , Wegwarth Odette , Gigerenzer Gerd
Published: June 2016

Background. While dichotomous tasks and related cognitive strategies have been extensively researched in cognitive psychology, little is known about how primary care practitioners (general practitioners [GPs]) approach ill-defined or polychotomous tasks and how valid or useful their strategies are. Objective. To investigate cognitive strategies used by GPs for making a diagnosis. Methods. In a cross-sectional study, we videotaped 282 consultations, irrespective of presenting complaint or final diagnosis. Reflective interviews were performed with GPs after each consultation. Recordings of consultations and GP interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a coding system that was based on published literature and systematically checked for reliability. Results. In total, 134 consultations included 163 diagnostic episodes. Inductive foraging (i.e., the initial, patient-guided search) could be identified in 91% of consultations. It contributed an average 31% of cues obtained by the GP in 1 consultation. Triggered routines and descriptive questions occurred in 38% and 84% of consultations, respectively. GPs resorted to hypothesis testing, the hallmark of the hypothetico-deductive method, in only 39% of consultations. Limitations. Video recordings and interviews presumably interfered with GPs’ behavior and accounts. GPs might have pursued more hypotheses and collected more information than usual. Conclusions. The testing of specific disease hypotheses seems to play a lesser role than previously thought. Our data from real consultations suggest that GPs organize their search for information in a skillfully adapted way. Inductive foraging, triggered routines, descriptive questions, and hypotheses testing are essential building blocks to make a diagnosis in the generalist setting.
Decarbonisation at home: The contingent politics of experimental domestic energy technologies
Authors: Bickerstaff Karen , Hinton Emma , Bulkeley Harriet
Published: June 2016

Policy efforts to reduce the carbon intensity of domestic energy consumption have, over the last three decades, been dominated by an almost dichotomous reading of the relationship between technology and social change. On the one hand, there is a conception of personal responsibility that constructs domestic energy users as key actors in the adoption and (appropriate) use of low carbon energy technologies; from this perspective, environmental change becomes a matter of mobilising personal capacities such that individuals make better choices. On the other hand, decarbonising homes is conceived to be an outcome of top-down infrastructural interventions, with householders (or end users) positioned as relatively passive agents who will respond to engineered efficiency in linear and predictable ways. In practice, both positions have been found wanting in terms of accounting for how (and why) change happens and in turn delivering on ambitious policy goals. The argument we develop in this article goes beyond critiquing these problematic framings of technology and the locus of agency. Drawing on three contrasting low carbon energy technology projects in the UK, we present an alternative perspective which foregrounds a more experimental, ad hoc and ultimately provisional mode of governing with domestic energy technologies. We reflect on the meaning and political implications of this experimental turn in transforming (and decarbonising) domestic energy practices.
Telemedicine in the management of non-acute headaches: A prospective, open-labelled non-inferiority, randomised clinical trial
Authors: Müller Kai I , Alstadhaug Karl B , Bekkelund Svein I
Published: June 2016

Objectives

We determined headache patients’ satisfaction with telemedicine and assessed how telemedicine influenced headache burden, compliance with diagnosis and treatment, and need for follow-up consultations.

Methods

During 2.5 years, patients from Northern Norway referred with non-acute headaches for a specialist consultation at Tromsø University Hospital were consecutively randomised to either telemedicine or traditional visits. Baseline data were recorded and compared to data from a three-month follow-up questionnaire (see Supplementary material). The following were evaluated: (1) satisfaction with the consultation; (2) headache status; subjective improvement, average pain intensity, treatment, headache days per month, and Headache Impact Test (HIT-6); and (3) treatment compliance and follow-up visits.

Results

Out of 402 consultations, 348 (86.6%) answered the questionnaire. Satisfaction was similar in the telemedicine and the traditional group (88.8% vs. 92.3%; p = 0.35). Subgroup analyses were not prespecified, but there were no differences in satisfaction among females, migraineurs, rural patients and urban patients. Improvement from baseline after three months was reported equally in the telemedicine and the traditional groups. There were also no differences in treatment compliance, but rural telemedicine patients had less-frequent headache visits at three months’ follow-up (28.9% vs. 48.7%, p = 0.002).

Conclusion

Telemedicine is non-inferior to traditional consultations in patient satisfaction, specialist evaluation, and treatment of non-acute headaches. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02270177.
An Introduction to Post Keynesian Economics
Authors: Harvey John T.
Published: June 2016

Post Keynesian economics is based on the economics of John Maynard Keynes. Unlike Keynesianism, it does not rely on rigidities or imperfections to explain less-than-full employment, a condition that they argue is the rule rather than the exception. One key implication of this is that Post Keynesians do not view economics as being the science of scarcity. In the real world, our most difficult challenge is related to the pervasive and chronic abundance of one particular resource: labor. The consequences of this abundance are significant, widespread, and avoidable. This article explains how they come to such a conclusion.
Energy absorption capability of carbon fiber reinforced plastic tubes with semi-circle grooved external trigger
Authors: Tong Yan , Xu Yuanming , Wang Jidong , Suman Bajracharya
Published: June 2016

For the purpose of improving the energy absorption performance of capped carbon fiber reinforced plastic tubes, a semi-circle grooved crush-cap is proposed and a series of experiments and improvements has been conducted. Tubes, which are respectively built by carbon fiber laminate and carbon fiber woven cloth, with semi-circle grooved crush-caps, combined (notched-end and crush-cap) failure mechanisms were investigated to identify the optimal configuration that would result in the most stable initial peak load while providing the highest possible specific energy absorption. Experimental results show that the new crush-caps lower the initial load, effectively yielding a high specific energy absorption. These results are significantly influenced by the semi-circle radii of the crush-caps. Furthermore, two failure modes have been observed in tests by changing the external trigger and tube material. The failure mode changes from splaying mode to fragmentation mode with the decrease of radii. The combined failure triggers proved the reduction in the initial load without smoothing the load-displacement curve, therefore, they reduce the energy absorption capability of carbon fiber reinforced plastic tubes. In our experiments, the tested tube which is made by T300/5208 woven cloth with R3 trigger is ground into powder, resulting in an specific energy absorption as high as 101.7 kJ/kg also with a smooth load-displacement curve.
Institutional Ecosystems of Housing Support in Chinese, Southeast Asian, and African Philadelphia
Authors: Vitiello Domenic , Acolin Arthur
Published: June 2016

How has the diversity of post-1965 immigration to the United States influenced newcomers’ housing experiences and civil society’s housing support systems? Planning scholars have shown immigration’s role in revitalizing cities and housing markets, but we have done less to parse the variety of housing problems that immigrants experience and the ways civil society addresses them. This article examines the recent history of civil society organizations’ housing support strategies in Chinese, Southeast Asian, and African communities in Philadelphia. We find that the diversity within and between groups has shaped largely distinct “institutional ecosystems” and approaches to housing support.
Prince Edward Island’s School Psychology Report
Authors: Matters Rhonda
Published: June 2016

The Prince Edward Island (PEI) school system has been struggling with issues of recruitment and particularly retention for psychologists. Reasons include concerns about professional autonomy; having more limited roles, which are heavily assessment focused; reduced job satisfaction; and restrictions on additional private practice work. The waiting list for a psychological assessment in the school system is currently more than 3 years. A number of years ago, psychoeducational consults were added to the referral process. During a brief meeting, a decision is made about the waiting list, but additional recommendations are also provided so that further assessments can occur and other interventions are initiated.
Temporary Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Ten-Year Experience at a Cardiac Transplant Center
Authors: Tran Bao G. , De La Cruz Kim , Grant Stuart , Meltzer Joseph , Benharash Peyman , Dave Ravi , Ardehali Abbas , Shemin Richard , Depasquale Eugene , Nsair Ali
Published: June 2016

Objective:

Advances in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) have enabled rapid deployment in a wide range of clinical settings. We report our experience with venoarterial (VA) ECMO in adult patients over 10 years and aim to identify predictors of mortality.

Design:

This is a retrospective analysis of all adult patients undergoing VA ECMO at a tertiary care center from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2013.

Results:

A total of 224 consecutive cases were reviewed. Eighty (35.7%) patients survived to discharge and 144 (64.3%) patients died. Patients requiring ECMO for heart transplant graft failure had lower mortality (51.6%) compared to all other etiologies (69.1%; P = .02). Forty-two percent (94 of the 224) of the patients required cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) preceding ECMO and had higher rate of in-hospital mortality (74.5%) compared with patients without cardiac arrest (56.9%; P = .01). Patients with less than 30 minutes of CPR had a mortality rate of 40.0% compared to 91.4% for CPR > 30 minutes ( P = .001). In all, 24.1% of patients (54 of the 224) experienced ECMO-associated complications without significant increase in mortality, and 22.3% (50 of the 224) of the patients were transitioned to ventricular assist devices (VADs) or transplant. Patients bridged to a VAD including left ventricular assist devices and biventricular assist devices had a mortality rate of 56.1% versus 22.2% when bridged directly to transplant ( P = .01). Paradoxically, patients with an ejection fraction (EF) > 35% had a higher mortality compared to patients with an EF < 35% (75.3% vs 49.4%, respectively, P = .001).

Conclusion:

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with heart transplant graft failure had the best outcome. In patients who had cardiac arrest, prolonged CPR > 30 minutes was associated with very high mortality. Paradoxically, patients with EF > 35% had a higher mortality than patients with EF < 35%, likely reflecting patients with diastolic heart failure or noncardiac causes necessitating ECMO. For transplant candidates, direct bridge from ECMO to transplant could achieve a very good outcome.
Missed Connections
Authors: Kinzer Kirsten
Published: June 2016

Despite the widely shared assumption that public participation impacts planning implementation, empirical research rarely tests this belief. By reviewing what is known about if and how public participation impacts plan and planning implementation, and why we know so little, this review identifies a significant gap in the planning literature. The article synthesizes public participation and planning implementation literature to explain why this gap exists. This review is focused on one central research question: why is our empirical understanding of the overlap between public participation and implementation so limited? Building from these limitations, the article concludes with suggested directions for future research.
American Muslim Women and Domestic Violence Service Seeking
Authors: Oyewuwo-Gassikia Olubunmi Basirat
Published: June 2016

This article reports findings from a literature review of facilitators and barriers to domestic violence service seeking among American Muslim women. Racial, cultural, and ethnic differences were also examined. Facilitators and barriers to domestic violence service seeking were (1) cultural perceptions of abuse; (2) religious perceptions of abuse; (3) children; (4) feelings of embarrassment, fear, and shame; (5) immigration status and language barriers; (6) education level; (7) knowledge and perception of services; and (8) informal supports and support systems. However, the extant literature does not fully capture the diversity of American Muslims. Implications for future research are discussed.
A design of a new miniature device for solder joints’ mechanical properties evaluation
Authors: Tao Quang-Bang , Benabou Lahouari , Vivet Laurent , Tan Ky-Lim , Morelle Jean-Michel , Le Van-Nhat , Ben Ouezdou Fathi
Published: June 2016

This paper makes a focus on the design of a micro-testing machine used for evaluating the mechanical properties of solder alloys. The different parts of the testing device have been developed and assembled in a manner that will facilitate the study of miniature solder joints as used in electronic packaging. A specific procedure for fabricating miniature lap-shear joint specimens is proposed in this work. The tests carried out with the newly developed machine serve to determine the material behavior of solder joints under different controlled loading and temperature conditions. Two new solder alloys, namely SACBiNi and Innolot, are characterized in the study, showing the influence of strain rate and temperature parameters on their respective mechanical responses. In addition, the as-cast and fracture surfaces of the solder joints are observed with a scanning electron microscope to reveal the degradation mechanisms. The SACBiNi solder alloy, which contains less Ni and Sb elements, is found to have smaller shear strength than the Innolot alloy, while its elongation to rupture is significantly improved at the same strain rate level and testing temperature. The highest shear strength is 58.9 MPa and 61.1 MPa under the shear strain rate of 2.0 × 10−2 s−1 and room temperature for the SACBiNi and Innolot solder joints, respectively. In contrast, the lowest shear strength values, 26.6 MPa and 29.5 MPa for SACBiNi and Innolot, respectively, were recorded for the strain rate value of 2.0 × 10−4 s−1 and at temperature of 125℃.
Prototype design, modeling, and experimental research of a novel lower limb powered exoskeleton
Authors: Zhang Lixun , Li Lailu , Chen Zhiming , Song Da
Published: June 2016

In this paper, a new type of lower limb powered exoskeleton is presented, which is based on a screw-nut actuated mechanism to help paraplegics to stand, walk and accomplish activities of daily living. The Denavit–Hartenberg method and the Kane method are adopted to establish a kinematic and dynamic model of novel lower limb powered exoskeleton to analyze the workspace and the control strategy simulation. A double-closed loop control strategy is proposed to ensure precision, and its effectiveness is validated. The results of prototype gait control and patient experiments show that the new type of lower limb powered exoskeleton can enable patients to realize stable and smooth walking.
Simulation-based robust design of complex product considering uncertainties of metamodel, design variables, and noise parameters
Authors: Liu Zhenyu , Peng Xiang , Qiu Chan , Tan Jianrong , Duan Guifang , Cheng Jin
Published: June 2016

The uncertainties of design variables, noise parameters, and metamodel are important factors in simulation-based robust design optimization. Most conventional metamodel construction methods only consider one or two uncertainties. In this paper, a new surrogate modeling method simultaneously measuring all the uncertainties is proposed for simulation-based robust design optimization of complex product. The effect of metamodel uncertainty on product performance uncertainty is quantified through uncertainty propagation analysis among design variables uncertainty, noise parameters uncertainty, metamodel uncertainty, and performance uncertainty. Then, the sampling points are selected and the metamodel is constructed based on the predictive interval of product performance and mean square error of the Kriging metamodel. The constructed metamodel is applied to robust design optimization considering multiple uncertainties. Results of two mathematical examples show that the proposed metamodel considering multiple uncertainties increases the result accuracy of robust design optimization. Finally, the proposed algorithm is applied to robust design optimization of a heat exchanger, and the total heat transfer rate is enhanced under uncertainties of fin structural parameters, operation conditions parameters and simulation metamodel.
An approach for quantifying small effects in regression models
Authors: Bedrick Edward J , Hund Lauren
Published: June 2016

We develop a novel approach for quantifying small effects in regression models. Our method is based on variation in the mean function, in contrast to methods that focus on regression coefficients. Our idea applies in diverse settings such as testing for a negligible trend and quantifying differences in regression functions across strata. Straightforward Bayesian methods are proposed for inference. Four examples are used to illustrate the ideas.
Book Review: Sraban Mukherjee, Corporate Coaching: The Essential Guide
Authors: Chandra V.
Published: June 2016

Sraban Mukherjee, Corporate Coaching: The Essential Guide. New Delhi, India: SAGE Response, 2014, 254 pp., ₹ 495 (ISBN: 978-81-321-1495-6) (Paperback)
Book Review: Shombit Sengupta, Corrugated Slices—The Social Jalebi
Authors: Chandra V.
Published: June 2016

Shombit Sengupta, Corrugated Slices—The Social Jalebi. New Delhi: SAGE Publications, 2015, 305 pp. ₹ 545 (ISBN: 978-81-321-1770-4)
Koechlin’s volume: Perception of sound extensity among instrument timbres from different families
Authors: Chiasson Frédéric , Traube Caroline , Lagarrigue Clément , McAdams Stephen
Published: June 2016

Charles Koechlin’s Traité de l’orchestration ascribes different dimensions to timbre than those usually discussed in multidimensional scaling studies: “volume” or grosseur, related to extensity (the sound’s perceived size), and intensity, related to loudness. Koechlin also provides volume rankings for orchestral instruments in different registers. Studies show that humans, as well as several animal species, perceive extensity for many sound sources, but none has demonstrated its relevance for musical instruments from different families. To test extensity, samples of seven orchestral instruments equalized in pitch, but not in loudness, were used. Task 1 required participants to order eight sets of samples on a largeness (grosseur) scale from “less large” ( moins gros) to “larger” ( plus gros). Task 2 required them to quantify the sounds’ largeness compared to a reference sample on a ratio scale. Both studies show that participants share a common extensity perception for instrument timbres of different families that is very similar to Koechlin’s proposed scale. This perception seems to be related to spectral shape and particularly to acoustic energy in the lower frequencies. Perception of this attribute is unrelated to musical training, native language, and the presence of minor hearing loss, which suggests that extensity could be a universal attribute of timbre perception that is useful in orchestration practice and theory.
The Effectiveness of Crisis Communication Strategies on Sina Weibo in Relation to Chinese Publics’ Acceptance of These Strategies
Authors: Ngai Cindy S.B. , Jin Yan
Published: June 2016

With their timely, interactive nature and wide public access, social media have provided a new platform that empowers stakeholders and corporations to interact in crisis communication. This study investigates crisis communication strategies and stakeholders’ emotions in response to a real corporate crisis—the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214—in order to enhance our understanding of socially mediated crisis communication. The authors examine 8,530 responses from Chinese stakeholders to crisis communication on the Chinese microblogging Web site Sina Weibo. Their findings suggest that the integrated use of accommodative and defensive communication strategies in the early stage of postcrisis communication prevented escalation of the crisis.
Psychometric Properties of the Treatment Perception and Preferences Measure
Authors: Sidani Souraya , Epstein Dana R. , Fox Mary , Miranda Joyal
Published: June 2016

Patient-centered care involves the provision of treatments that are responsive to patients’ preferences. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Treatment Perception and Preferences measure. Participants ( n = 128) completed the measure relative to pharmacological, educational, and behavioral treatments for the management of insomnia. For each treatment, the measure presents a description of its goal, activities, mode and dose of delivery, and nine items to rate its perceived acceptability. All items measuring perception of treatment were internally consistent (α > .85) and loaded on one factor, except the item assessing severity of side effects. Differences in the measure’s scores between groups of participants provided evidence of validity: participants with a preference for a particular treatment rated it more favorably than alternative treatments. The measure provides a systematic and efficient method for eliciting well-informed treatment preferences. Its use in practice should be investigated.
Quality of life of women with urinary incontinence in rehabilitation treatment
Authors: Pereira M Graça , Lynch Brittany , Hall-Faul M , Pedras Susana
Published: June 2016

This article analyzed how sexual satisfaction, suffering, severity and impact of urinary incontinence, and psychological morbidity affected women’s quality of life and whether suffering mediated the relationship between psychological morbidity and quality of life. The study included 80 women diagnosed with urinary incontinence receiving rehabilitation treatment. Regression analysis showed that sexual satisfaction, suffering, and urinary incontinence severity and impact predicted quality of life and that suffering mediated the relationship between psychological morbidity and quality of life. The findings suggest that interventions should be tailored according to the suffering reported by women and the impact of the urinary incontinence on the couple’s sexual relationship.
Task repetition effects on L1 use in EFL child task-based interaction
Authors: Azkarai Agurtzane , García Mayo María del Pilar
Published: June 2016

Research has shown that tasks provide second language (L2) learners with many opportunities to learn the L2. Task repetition has been claimed to benefit L2 learning since familiarity with procedure and/or content gives learners the chance to focus on more specific aspects of language. Most research on task repetition has focused on adult populations, but child learners are an under-researched group. The same goes for first language (L1) use during L2 interaction, which has been mainly studied among adult L2 learners whereas little is known about L1 use among child L2 learners interacting while they complete communicative tasks. This study explores to what extent and for which purposes children in an English as a foreign language (EFL) setting use their shared L1 (Spanish). Furthermore it also considers how task repetition (exact vs. procedural task repetition) influences their L1 use. Forty-two EFL learners worked in pairs while they completed a spot-the-difference task twice. Our findings showed a significant decrease in L1 use when learners repeated the task in the two conditions but a minor effect of task repetition on the functions the L1 served.
The changing public sphere on Twitter: Network structure, elites and topics of the #righttobeforgotten
Authors: Yang Shuzhe , Quan-Haase Anabel , Rannenberg Kai
Published: June 2016

Since the ruling of the European Court of Justice, the right to be forgotten has provided more informational self-determination to users, whilst raising new questions around Google’s role as arbiter of online content and the power to rewrite history. We investigated the debate that unfolded on Twitter around the #righttobeforgotten through social network analysis. The results revealed that latent topics, namely Google’s role as authority, alternated in popularity with rising and fading flare topics. The public sphere, or Öffentlichkeit, that we observed resembles the traditional one, with elite players such as news portals, experts and corporations participating, but it also differs significantly in terms of the underlying mechanisms and means of information diffusion. Experts are critical to comment, relay and make sense of information. We discuss the implications for theories of the public sphere and examine why social media do not serve as a democratising tool for ordinary citizens.
Precise model-based simulation for a deep hybrid transmission with compound planetary gear set
Authors: Zhang Jianwu , Zou Liang , Yu Haisheng
Published: June 2016

Establishing a precise system level model for transmission system is quite necessary and feasible for today’s computer technology. Taking into account of the exact parameters and actual working condition, an accurate model for a new deep hybrid transmission with compound planetary gear set is constructed, which in consideration of the gravity and centrifugal effect. The system level model contains the gears, shafts, bearings, clutches, electric motors and the housings. Few studies are found to investigate structure influence in system level for noise, vibration and harshness performance. Validation for the simulation results with test in three typical working conditions is carried out, which shows a quite well agreement. Furthermore, some parameters for this compound planetary gear set are investigated. The results show that for radial clearance between the ratchet and ring gear the smaller the better, while the axial clearance between the ratchet and ring gear requires cautious consideration to realize a better vibration performance for different planetary gear set. In the case of carrier, the radius of the connection pawl and the thickness of the carrier input shaft have remarkable influence on vibration characteristics. The vibration amplitude is the lowest when these two values equaling to 55 and 7 mm, respectively. Other than that, it is interesting to notice that the carrier position has a significant influence on the system vibration in pure electric drive mode. It is shown that if the planet carrier is fixed and sun gear rotates as input, the position of carrier should keep planet gears at high gravity center and symmetrical distribution on both sides of carrier centerline in the gravitational direction. The vibrational magnitude is the smallest as the carrier rotating 50° along z axis for this compound planetary gear set.
Social worker characteristics associated with perceived meaning in life
Authors: Itzick Michal , Kagan Maya , Ben-Ezra Menachem
Published: June 2016

Meaning in life is an important element in the context of the workplace. The purpose of this study was to explore how certain factors, namely: subjective well-being, professional quality of life (compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, burnout), loneliness, personal work-related subjection to violence, fear of being subjected to violence, age, parental status, and marital status can predict meaning in life among social workers in Israel. An extensive battery of online questionnaires was administered to 501 participants. A hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the association between a series of independent variables and meaning in life among social workers.

Findings

The findings suggest that age, subjective well-being, compassion satisfaction and fear of being personally subjected to violence were positively associated with meaning in life. However, loneliness and burnout were negatively associated with meaning in life. The other variables were not significantly associated with meaning in life.

Applications

Social work educators and managers must consider the importance of meaning in life when developing social care curricula and policies. Social workers must be aware of the importance of enhancing their sense of meaning in life for increasing their job satisfaction as well as improving the service provided to their clients.
Researching resilience: lessons learned from working with rural, Sesotho-speaking South African young people
Authors: Theron Linda C
Published: June 2016

Theories of youth resilience neglect youths’ lived experiences of what facilitates positive adjustment to hardship. The Pathways-to-Resilience Study addressed this by inviting Canadian, Chinese, Colombian, New Zealand and South African (SA) youths to share their resilience-related knowledge. In this article I report the challenges endemic to the rural, resource-poor, South African research site that complicated this Pathways ideal. I illustrate that blind application of a multi-country study design, albeit well-designed, potentially excludes youths with inaccessible parents, high mobility, and/or cellular telephone contact details. Additionally, I show that one-on-one interview methods do not serve Sesotho-speaking youths well, and that the inclusion of adult ‘insiders’ in a research team does not guarantee regard for local youths’ insights. I comment critically on how these challenges were addressed and use this to propose seven lessons that are likely to inform, and support, youth-advantaging qualitative research in similar majority-world contexts.
‘They’re coming’: Precarity and the white nation fantasy among South African migrants in Melbourne
Authors: McKenzie Hamish , Gressier Catie
Published: June 2016

This paper explores the social reproduction of precarity among white South African migrants in Australia. Building on Griffiths and Prozesky’s elucidation of the white South African imaginary and its role in triggering emigration, we draw on ethnographic data on white South Africans living in Melbourne to argue that our informants reproduce what Hage terms a ‘white nation fantasy’. In documenting the ways our informants’ migration experiences can be read as a function of a threatened social imaginary, we suggest that their ‘successful’ resettlement in Australia points to the congruence of their ontological grounding with the white nation fantasy predominating in Australia. Ultimately, however, we argue that the sense of precarity our informants experience in Australia is intrinsically embedded in their reproduction of the white nation fantasy. Our case study therefore serves as a cautionary tale to inflexible constructions of whiteness globally.
Blurring boundaries: An emotionally aware caregiver, social worker, and researcher
Authors: Camacho David
Published: June 2016

In this article, I illustrate lived experiences within my roles as caregiver, clinical social worker, and researcher. Empirical attention has focused on the emotional toll of caregiving and management of emotions as clinical social workers, however, little attention has been given to the impact emotions have on the researcher and how emotional awareness can be useful in the creation of knowledge. Using a personal reflexive account, I “out” myself as an emotionally aware caregiver, clinical social worker, and researcher. Finally, I provide examples of how to incorporate emotion into the research process.
Political Parties and Interest Organizations at the Crossroads: Perspectives on the Transformation of Political Organizations
Authors: Fraussen Bert , Halpin Darren R
Published: June 2016

This article reviews the case for considering the study of parties and interest organizations together, under the umbrella of “political organizations.” While both literatures are rather disconnected at the moment, we believe that they share many commonalities. A common narrative involves the apparent transformation of parties and interest organizations, as both organizations are continuously adapting to changing environments. In this review, we integrate both literatures and assess arguments for organizational convergence vis-à-vis claims of continuing diversity. Building upon recent work that takes a more joined-up approach, we advance a common research agenda that demonstrates the value and feasibility of studying these organizations in tandem.
Overcoming Challenges
Authors: Villalon Ernie
Published: June 2016

Lung donation and transplantation is increasing in volume annually, yet there continues to be a shortage of available organs for transplant. Despite this shortage, suitable lungs are occasionally not transplanted due to logistical issues. Issues such as time and distance can be a major barrier in deceased donor organ recovery and transplantation. This single case study serves as an example of the teamwork and cooperation that resulted in the successful transplantation of lungs in spite of long-distance logistical issues between the donor and the recipient. All of the members who contributed to this collaboration recognized the need and urgency to overcome these challenges. The organ procurement organization’s collaboration with multiple transplant centers across multiple regions resulted in a successful outcome for the lung recipient.