bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neurological, physical and sociodemographic correlates of employment in multiple sclerosis: A meta-analysis
Authors: Gerhard Larissa , Dorstyn Diana S , Murphy Gregory , Roberts Rachel M
Published: February 2018

Illness severity and sociodemographic characteristics of 7,053 employees with multiple sclerosis and 11,043 peers not in the workforce were compared (Hedges’ g with 95% confidence interval and p values). Pooled findings from 25 studies confirmed the main role of a relapsing–remitting disease course and higher education to employment. To a lesser extent, disease duration, fatigue and pain symptoms and age also differentiated the two groups. Vocational interventions for persons with multiple sclerosis should focus on job retention, including mechanisms to accommodate and facilitate functional independence. Longitudinal data are needed to distinguish the characteristics of those who achieve and maintain competitive employment.
Broken bridges—new school transitions for students with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review on difficulties and strategies for success
Authors: Nuske Heather Joy , McGhee Hassrick Elizabeth , Bronstein Briana , Hauptman Lindsay , Aponte Courtney , Levato Lynne , Stahmer Aubyn , Mandell David S , Mundy Peter , Kasari Connie , Smith Tristram
Published: February 2018

Transitioning to a new school is often challenging for students with autism spectrum disorder. Few studies have examined the transition needs of students with autism spectrum disorder or the benefits of specific supports. This review synthesizes research findings on the difficulties that school transitions pose for students with autism spectrum disorder and their parents and teachers, and the strategies used to support students and parents during school transition. The review included 27 studies (10 examining the transition to primary school, 17 the transition to secondary school), with data from 443 students with autism spectrum disorder, 453 parents, and 546 teachers, across four continents (North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia). Studies reported that children with autism spectrum disorder struggled with anxiety and increased social pressure, their parents felt overwhelmed with complex placement decisions and worried about the well-being of their children, and teachers strove to provide appropriate supports to their students with autism spectrum disorder, often with inadequate resources. Findings indicated that the most useful strategies involved helping the student adjust to the new school setting, individualizing transition supports, clarifying the transition process for parents, and fostering communication both between the sending and receiving schools, and school and home.
New analytical method for determining the load-carrying capacity of two-way simply supported concrete slabs
Authors: Wang Yong , Zhang Yajun , Huang Zhaohui , Bisby Luke A
Published: February 2018

This article proposes the use of steel strain difference to analyse the tensile membrane action regions of two-way concrete slabs with relation to deflection while accounting for two failure criteria. The maximum load-bearing capacities and ultimate deflections of two-way slabs are subsequently determined. The proposed approach is compared with other theoretical methods and a numerical model of horizontally unrestrained concrete slabs presented by different authors. The rationality of the proposed method is validated through satisfactory comparison with results from experiments and numerical simulations.
Revisiting the bearing stresses in webs of crane runway girders under wheel loads
Authors: Genshu Tong , Zejun Xuan
Published: February 2018

This article revisited the problem of local bearing stress in webs of I-section girders supporting overhead cranes. Finite element analysis was carried out to determine the equivalent bearing length. It was found that the moment of inertia of the rail and the web thickness of the girder are the two predominant factors. The equivalent bearing lengths by the finite element analysis were found to be significantly smaller than that predicted by the formula in various codes. Analysis revealed that the differences come from the shear deformation in the rail and the load position on the rail. Closed-form solutions for a Timoshenko’s beam on a semi-infinite plane subjected to a concentrated or distributed load were presented in which the Fourier transform is used. After the shear deformation was considered and a widened load distribution length on the centroid axis of the rail, which considered the load dispersion in an angle of 35°–40° from the top of the rail to the centroid axis, are adopted in the Fourier transform solution, the analytical results are in good agreement with finite element analysis. Formulas of equivalent bearing lengths for two types of rails used in China are recommended for practical use.
Application of ring beam stiffness criterion for discretely supported shells under global shear and bending
Authors: Topkaya Cem , Zeybek Özer
Published: February 2018

Silos in the form of a cylindrical metal shell are commonly elevated to provide access to the space beneath. In general, a few discrete column supports at evenly spaced intervals are commonly utilized. The presence of discrete supports results in circumferential non-uniformity in the axial compressive stress above the support. Depending on the size of the structure, several different support arrangements may be chosen. A stiff ring beam is utilized in larger silos to transfer and evenly distribute the discrete forces from the supports into the cylindrical shell wall. A stiffness criterion was developed by Rotter to assess the degree of non-uniformity in axial compressive stresses around the circumference. The stiffness criterion is based on the relative stiffnesses of the ring beam and the cylindrical shell and was verified for loading conditions that produce circumferentially uniform axial stresses around the circumference. A study has been undertaken to investigate the applicability of the stiffness criterion to cylindrical shells under global shear and bending. Pursuant to this goal, extensive finite element analyses were conducted where different ring beam and cylindrical shell combinations are subjected to global shearing and bending actions. The results revealed that the stiffness criterion can be extended to shells under this loading condition. The degree of non-uniformity in axial stresses is quantified and presented as simple formulas that can be readily adopted by design standards.
Backdating German neoliberalism: Ordoliberalism, the German model and economic experiments in eastern Germany after 1989
Authors: Gook Ben
Published: February 2018

Since the 2007–8 financial crisis and subsequent difficulties in the eurozone, Germany’s recent economic history has been much studied. However, less attention has been paid to neoliberalisation in eastern Germany in the early 1990s, when the region became a laboratory for political economic experiments. The results were later spread across the (western) German economy, then into the European Union’s (EU’s) ideological core. As such, a focus on the western ‘German model’ and the EU can miss the way neoliberalism crept into German social and economic life through German re-unification in the 1990s. Re-unification provided conditions in the former East for a ‘natural experiment’ with different modes of economic and social governance – a space of exception from the West German model, whose corporatist features were already fraying in the 1980s. In short, re-unification was a turning point in a drift towards neoliberalism, intensifying moves already quietly under way in West Germany in the 1980s. The contentious nature of this shift has largely been forgotten and sidelined.
Acoustic aspects of synthetic jet generated by acoustic actuator
Authors: Kanase Mahesh M , Mangate Lamikant D , Chaudhari Mangesh B
Published: February 2018

Thermal overstressing as a result of miniaturization is the foremost challenge for the next generation electronic devices. Shrinking size of electronic devices makes this problem even worse. Conventional cooling module which uses fan and a heat sink seems to be inadequate for cooling of electronic devices due to space constraints and higher circuit densities. Synthetic jet is a novel flow technique which synthesizes stagnant air to form a jet and is potentially useful for cooling applications. It results from periodic oscillations of a diaphragm in a cavity such that there is no net mass addition to the system. It is being recently researched as an effective alternative to fan but the existing rules on noise emissions constitute an impediment to the practical use of synthetic jet. Besides several nonauditory health effects, prolonged exposure to high levels of noise can cause noise-induced hearing loss. To adopt ameliorative solutions and for adherence to legislative regulations, it is essential to assess the noise exposure. Present study is embarked on to investigate the effect of excitation frequency and voltage on sound pressure level of synthetic jet for orifices of different diameter and thickness. This jet acoustic research is performed in an imperative and controlled acoustic environment, i.e. acoustic test chamber. Spectrum analysis clearly indicates impedance mismatch between audio amplifier and electric transducer used to generate the jet flow. Over the past few years extensive experimental and analytical results have led to good understanding of synthetic jet but study on impedance mismatch has always been elusive. The results on synthetic jet heat transfer, flow, and acoustic characteristics cannot be faithfully reproduced due to such hurdle. In order to vanquish or conquest over it, matching the impedance between source and the load is inevitable. The conclusion of this paper unveils the necessity of impedance matching for high fidelity measurements of synthetic jet.
Affordances-in-practice: An ethnographic critique of social media logic and context collapse
Authors: Costa Elisabetta
Published: February 2018

Drawing on data gathered during ethnographic fieldwork in Mardin, a medium-sized town in southeast Turkey, this article shows that social media users actively appropriate online platforms and change privacy settings in order to keep different social spheres and social groups apart. Keeping different online social contexts distinct from each other is taken for granted as a way of using social media in Mardin. By contrast, social media scholars have extensively discussed the effects of social media in terms of context collapse. The article highlights how context collapse is the result of patterns of usage within Anglo-American contexts and not the consequence of a platform’s architecture or social media logic. It then suggests a theoretical refinement of affordances, and proposes the concept of affordances-in-practice.
Uncivil and personal? Comparing patterns of incivility in comments on the Facebook pages of news outlets
Authors: Su Leona Yi-Fan , Xenos Michael A , Rose Kathleen M , Wirz Christopher , Scheufele Dietram A , Brossard Dominique
Published: February 2018

Social media and its embedded user commentary are playing increasingly influential roles in the news process. However, researchers’ understanding of the social media commenting environment remains limited, despite rising concerns over uncivil comments. Accordingly, this study used a supervised machine learning–based method of content analysis to examine the extent and patterns of incivility in the comment sections of 42 US news outlets’ Facebook pages over an 18-month period in 2015–2016. These outlets were selected as being broadly representative of national, local, conservative, and liberal-news media. The findings provide the first empirical evidence that both the level and the targets of incivility in the comments posted on news outlets’ Facebook pages vary greatly according to such entities’ general type and ideological stance.
Victims with mild intellectual disabilities in the criminal justice system
Authors: Spaan Nienke A , Kaal Hendrien L
Published: February 2018

People with mild intellectual disabilities are more vulnerable to become victims of crime. Victims with intellectual disabilities can face attitudinal, procedural and practical barriers within the justice system. This exploratory study looked at obstacles encountered by victims of crime with mild intellectual disabilities in effectuating their rights, their vulnerability to secondary victimization and ways to support them. In 2014, 35 respondents from across the Dutch justice system and 10 respondents with mild intellectual disabilities-expertise were interviewed. Inductive and deductive content analysis was carried out. Resonance of findings was checked in an expert meeting.

Findings

Three major problems were identified: (1) victims’ incomprehension about the process and the proceedings; (2) victims’ difficulty meeting system requirements and expectations; and (3) impact of prejudices concerning mild intellectual disabilities. A system adequately set up to deal with victims with mild intellectual disabilities could ease these difficulties. However, additional problems were identified, namely: (1) limited recognition of mild intellectual disabilities; (2) insufficient knowledge and understanding of consequences of mild intellectual disabilities; (3) issues related to accessing and accepting support; (4) communication unsuited for victims’ reading and comprehension-level. These problems influence the ability of victims with mild intellectual disabilities to effectuate their rights and increases risk of secondary victimization.

Applications

Besides the importance of these findings for policymakers, results are of importance for all those working with victims or with people with mild intellectual disabilities. Individually tailored forms of support are required to overcome the identified problems. Awareness of the barriers that victims with mild intellectual disabilities may encounter will aid providing adequate support for victims with mild intellectual disabilities to exercise their rights and protect against secondary victimization.
‘There’s Not Going to Be a Single Solution’: The Role of Resettlement Consortia in Improving the Resettlement Outcomes of Young People Leaving Custody
Authors: Gray Paul , Smithson Hannah , McHugh Richard , Smyth Graham
Published: February 2018

As part of the government’s Transforming Youth Custody programme, in 2014 the Youth Justice Board (YJB) established four new resettlement consortia in four areas in England. This article presents the findings from a process evaluation of the new consortia, paying particular attention to the enablers and/or barriers that affected the implementation of an enhanced resettlement offer. We found that the consortia did appear to improve partnership working and collaboration between key agencies. Yet the delivery of an enhanced offer was often hampered by the geographically dispersed nature of the consortia, along with problems accessing suitable accommodation upon release.
Damage localization with fiber Bragg grating Lamb wave sensing through adaptive phased array imaging
Authors: Tian Zhenhua , Yu Lingyu , Sun Xiaoyi , Lin Bin
Published: February 2018

Fiber Bragg gratings are known being immune to electromagnetic interference and emerging as Lamb wave sensors for structural health monitoring of plate-like structures. However, their application for damage localization in large areas has been limited by their direction-dependent sensor factor. This article addresses such a challenge and presents a robust damage localization method for fiber Bragg grating Lamb wave sensing through the implementation of adaptive phased array algorithms. A compact linear fiber Bragg grating phased array is configured by uniformly distributing the fiber Bragg grating sensors along a straight line and axially in parallel to each other. The Lamb wave imaging is then performed by phased array algorithms without weighting factors (conventional delay-and-sum) and with adaptive weighting factors (minimum variance). The properties of both imaging algorithms, as well as the effects of fiber Bragg grating’s direction-dependent sensor factor, are characterized, analyzed, and compared in details. The results show that this compact fiber Bragg grating array can precisely locate damage in plates, while the comparisons show that the minimum variance method has a better imaging resolution than that of the delay-and-sum method and is barely affected by fiber Bragg grating’s direction-dependent sensor factor. Laboratory tests are also performed with a four–fiber Bragg grating array to detect simulated defects at different directions. Both delay-and-sum and minimum variance methods can successfully locate defects at different positions, and their results are consistent with analytical predictions.
Frequency modification of continuous beam bridge based on co-integration analysis considering the effect of temperature and humidity
Authors: He Haoxiang , Wang Wei , Zhang Xiaofu
Published: February 2018

The variation of the temperature and humidity significantly affects the modal parameters of the structure, and the effect and the quantitative statistics of single environmental factors such as temperature on the frequency of bridge are intensively studied, but the study on the mechanism and the effective model considering the comprehensive effect of multi-environmental factors is relatively rare. The principle and analysis method of co-integration is introduced, and the frequency-modified method based on co-integration is presented. Through the monitoring of a three-span concrete bridge model in the natural environment, the effective monitoring data are analyzed to establish a long-term equilibrium model about “frequency–temperature–humidity” based on co-integration theory. The experimental results indicate that the model has a better fitting ability and accuracy, and it is can be used to predict the variation trend of frequency. Based on the mathematical model of co-integration analysis, the modified frequency model considering multi-environmental factors is proposed, which can eliminate the comprehensive effect of temperature and humidity on frequency, and the variation of dynamic characteristics due to the internal causes of structure is revealed. The extracted sequence can provide effective information for further safety assessment and damage detection of bridge.
Computer vision and deep learning–based data anomaly detection method for structural health monitoring
Authors: Bao Yuequan , Tang Zhiyi , Li Hui , Zhang Yufeng
Published: February 2018

The widespread application of sophisticated structural health monitoring systems in civil infrastructures produces a large volume of data. As a result, the analysis and mining of structural health monitoring data have become hot research topics in the field of civil engineering. However, the harsh environment of civil structures causes the data measured by structural health monitoring systems to be contaminated by multiple anomalies, which seriously affect the data analysis results. This is one of the main barriers to automatic real-time warning, because it is difficult to distinguish the anomalies caused by structural damage from those related to incorrect data. Existing methods for data cleansing mainly focus on noise filtering, whereas the detection of incorrect data requires expertise and is very time-consuming. Inspired by the real-world manual inspection process, this article proposes a computer vision and deep learning–based data anomaly detection method. In particular, the framework of the proposed method includes two steps: data conversion by data visualization, and the construction and training of deep neural networks for anomaly classification. This process imitates human biological vision and logical thinking. In the data visualization step, the time series signals are transformed into image vectors that are plotted piecewise in grayscale images. In the second step, a training dataset consisting of randomly selected and manually labeled image vectors is input into a deep neural network or a cluster of deep neural networks, which are trained via techniques termed stacked autoencoders and greedy layer-wise training. The trained deep neural networks can be used to detect potential anomalies in large amounts of unchecked structural health monitoring data. To illustrate the training procedure and validate the performance of the proposed method, acceleration data from the structural health monitoring system of a real long-span bridge in China are employed. The results show that the multi-pattern anomalies of the data can be automatically detected with high accuracy.
Learning from LA: Australian Responses to Los Angeles Urbanism 1910–1960
Authors: Freestone Robert , James Peggy
Published: February 2018

From the 1910s to the 1950s, Los Angeles was a surprising exemplar of progressive planning for Australian cities. LA’s planned neighborhoods early captured the garden suburb ideal. Regional planning initiatives attracted increasing interest, then transport planning and management of auto traffic. Mechanisms of urban governance and formal alliances between private and public sectors followed. This learning from abroad is set within the paradigm of urban policy transfer, highlighting the selectivity of borrowing within the dominant ideology of town and country planning. From the 1960s, positive connotations would be extinguished by new representations of a sprawling, divided, and polluted metropolis.
Effectiveness of a Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma Prevention Program Among Spanish-Speaking Mothers
Authors: Duzinski Sarah V. , Guevara Luis M. , Barczyk Amanda N. , Garcia Nilda M. , Cassel Jane L. , Lawson Karla A.
Published: February 2018

Introduction:

This study aimed to evaluate participants’ knowledge of and intent to share key messages of the Period of PURPLE Crying abusive head trauma prevention program among a majority Spanish-speaking population.

Methods:

This study was a retrospective review of a postintervention survey administered in the perinatal unit of a community birthing hospital. Surveys were administered to mothers of newborns by perinatal nurses as part of routine process evaluation prior to hospital discharge between May 30, 2014, and May 15, 2015.

Results:

A majority of participants (86.4%) answered all six knowledge questions correctly. Among participants who reported that the father or significant other was not present during the PURPLE education (44.1%), all (100%) reported intending to share the PURPLE information with their partners. The majority of participants (88.1%) intended to share the information with others who take care of their infants.

Conclusion:

The PURPLE abusive head trauma prevention program demonstrated positive preliminary results in knowledge and intended behavior among a population of majority Spanish-speaking participants. These findings offer an important first step toward provision of effective universal abusive head trauma prevention among growing Spanish-speaking populations. Further evaluation is needed of acceptability, retention of messages, and postintervention behavior change among Spanish-speaking participants and nurses.
Accursed Play: The Economic Imaginary of Early Game Studies
Authors: Giddings Seth
Published: February 2018

Revisiting early critical responses to computer and video games as a cultural form—before the establishment of games studies as an academic field in the early 2000s—reveals a consistent fascination with games as economic phenomena. Not just as a new commercial competitor in the established popular media marketplace but as models of economies in their own right, models that mesh with player’s everyday lives, constraining, facilitating, and forming gameplay. This article will identify and explore some of the most salient themes and phenomena in this early games scholarship and will follow them through subsequent enquiry into games as economies either isomorphic with the systems of consumer capitalism and neoliberalism from which they issue or metamorphic—phantasmagorical or ironic inversions of prevailing social and industrial conditions.
Personal Control Over Decisions to Participate in Research by Persons With Histories of Both Substance Use Disorders and Criminal Justice Supervision
Authors: Chen Donna T. , Ko Tomohiro M. , Allen Ashleigh A. , Bonnie Richard J. , Suratt Colleen E. , Appelbaum Paul S. , Nunes Edward V. , Friedmann Peter D. , Lee Joshua D. , Gordon Michael S. , McDonald Ryan , Wilson Donna , Boney Tamara Y. , Murphy Sean M. , O’Brien Charles P.
Published: February 2018

Individuals must feel free to exert personal control over decisions regarding research participation. We present an examination of participants’ perceived personal control over, as well as reported pressures and threats from others, influencing their decision to join a study assessing the effectiveness of extended-release naltrexone in preventing opioid dependence relapse. Most participants endorsed a strong sense of control over the decision; few reported pressures or threats. Although few in number, participants’ brief narrative descriptions of the pressures and threats are illuminating and provide context for their perceptions of personal control. Based on this work, we propose a useful set of tools to help ascertain participants’ sense of personal control in joining research.
Loneliness in Men 60 Years and Over: The Association With Purpose in Life
Authors: Neville Stephen , Adams Jeffery , Montayre Jed , Larmer Peter , Garrett Nick , Stephens Christine , Alpass Fiona
Published: February 2018

Loneliness as a consequence of getting older negatively impacts on the health and well-being of men as they age. Having a purpose in life may mitigate loneliness and therefore positively impact on health and well-being. Limited research into loneliness and purpose in life has been undertaken in older men. This study seeks to understand the relationship between loneliness and purpose in life in a group of older men. Using data from a cross-sectional survey of 614 men aged 60 years and over living in New Zealand, bivariate and multivariate analyses were undertaken to examine the relationship between loneliness and purpose in life using a range of demographic, health, and social connection variables. Bivariate analysis revealed that being unpartnered and having low socioeconomic status, limited social networks, low levels of participation, and mental health issues were associated with loneliness. Multivariate analysis showed that having poor mental health and lower purpose in life were indicators of loneliness. Consequently, improving mental health and purpose in life are likely to reduce loneliness in at-risk older men. As older men are a heterogeneous group from a variety of sociocultural and ethnic backgrounds, a multidimensional approach to any intervention initiatives needs to occur.
The route choice of hazardous material transportation with value-at-risk model using chance measure in uncertain environments
Authors: Wang Zhanzhong , Zhao Liying , Cao Ningbo , Yu Mengmeng , Chen Mingtao
Published: February 2018

This article combines a value-at-risk model with fuzzy theory and proposes a model using chance measure based on the value-at-risk model named chance-value-at-risk (ChVaR). The proposed model considers two measures, probability measure and credibility measure. The objective of this model is to determine the best route schedule that minimizes the risk at certain probability levels and credibility levels. For the proposed model, the correctness of its founding is proven. A detailed solution procedure is presented and tested to solve the ChVaR model. To verify the applicability of the model, two different scale cases are given: the first case indicates that the model can provide a satisfactory solution within a relatively small error range, and the second case routes the path of hazardous material transportation in Changchun, China. According to different probability levels and credibility levels, the ChVaR model provides different paths and multiple alternative choices for a decision maker. This point is important in practical scenarios.
Pharmaceutical industry–physician interaction compliance guidelines: Analysis of contagion wealth effects on large generic firms
Authors: Ghani WaQar , Jambulingam Thani , Sharma Rajneesh
Published: February 2018

Background

This study examines the contagion effect on shareholders’ wealth of large generic firms to the issuance of guidelines by the Office of Inspector General “to efficiently monitor adherence to applicable statutes, regulations and program requirements” of the branded pharmaceutical companies. These guidelines prod pharmaceutical manufacturers to employ internal controls and self-regulation while marketing to the physicians.

Methods

We use a standard event-study methodology to measure the effect on the value of nine large generic firms around four events including the final guidance issued by Office of Inspector General.

Results

The results show that there is a contagion effect with an overall loss in net wealth of large generic firms’ shareholders. The US government’s policy guidance necessitated pharmaceutical industry to reexamine and refine for the better, its marketing practices. The government achieved this change in pharmaceutical industry’s behaviour without actually introducing any regulation suggesting the efficacy of self-regulation.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that there is a contagion effect of Office of Inspector General guidelines on generic drug industry due to facilitated self-regulation by branded pharmaceutical industry. Thus, the direct implication is that any regulatory event that is meant for one firm or a group of firms in the health sector could adversely impact peer firms in the same industry (pharmaceutical) or related industries such as biotechnology or generic industries. In other words, the study shows that government’s public policy initiatives that effect the value of the targeted firms could change not only the firms’/industry’s behavior but also let government achieve its objectives without contemplating additional regulations. This in turn, may accrue significant cost savings for the government in avoiding the regulation and its related measures. Our results also support an argument that a mechanism that combines industry self-regulation with government monitoring, lends the greatest opportunity for the overall welfare of the society.
The sub-supraspinatus recess and superior labral motion: an arthroscopic analysis
Authors: Bouliane Martin , Paul Ryan , Silveira Anelise , Balyk Rob , Beaupre Lauren , Sheps David
Published: February 2018

Background

Minimal information exists regarding the sub-supraspinatus recess superior to the labrum and inferior to the supraspinatus. Furthermore, movement of the superior labrum during glenohumeral range of motion has not previously been defined. The objectives of this arthroscopic study were to describe the (i) sub-supraspinatus recess dimensions and (ii) superior labral motion.

Methods

Forty-four patients were enrolled and underwent standardized arthroscopic assessment. Analysis consisted of static measurement of the sub-supraspinatus recess depth, as well as the amount of labral motion during passive shoulder motion. Labral movement was categorized relative to the glenoid rim (lateral to the rim, to the rim, or medial to the rim).

Results

All patients had a well-defined sub-supraspinatus recess varying from a depth of 0 mm to 5 mm ( n = 10; 22.7%), 5 mm to 10 mm ( n = 23; 52.3%) or >10 mm ( n = 11; 25%). External rotation in abduction demonstrated the greatest labral movement ( p < 0.001) with 28 (80%) shoulders moving medial to the rim.

Conclusions

The sub-supraspinatus recess is consistently present with an average depth of 5 mm to 10 mm. Superior labral motion is present in most patients and is most pronounced in external rotation in abduction. This finding likely has clinical implications for superior labral repair surgery, especially for overhead athletes and laborers who require external rotation in an abducted position for a successful outcome.
A General Critical Discourse Analysis Framework for Educational Research
Authors: Mullet Dianna R.
Published: February 2018

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is a qualitative analytical approach for critically describing, interpreting, and explaining the ways in which discourses construct, maintain, and legitimize social inequalities. CDA rests on the notion that the way we use language is purposeful, regardless of whether discursive choices are conscious or unconscious. CDA takes a number of different approaches and incorporates a variety of methods that depend on research goals and theoretical perspectives. This methodological guide presents a general CDA analytic framework and illustrates the application of that framework to a systematic literature review of CDA studies in education. CDA research studies are no less likely than other forms of scholarly research to reproduce ideological assumptions; qualitative rigor and trustworthiness are discussed.
Evaluation of an EFL Teacher Training Program in Japan
Authors: Yamada Mieko
Published: February 2018

This article presents a study undertaken to evaluate how effectively an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) training program helps Japanese EFL teacher trainees prepare for their future positions. Data were collected via both interviews and surveys. Interviews were first conducted with Japanese teacher trainees enrolled in the program to identify concerns related to their EFL learning and teacher training. Since the interviews revealed potential areas for a new direction in the EFL curricula, surveys were later conducted to focus on the teacher trainees’ perceptions of Japan’s diversity. This article discusses the findings from interviews and surveys, and offers recommendations for further improvement to the Japanese EFL program.
Sociology and Social Work Undergraduates’ Experiences Participating in a Research Project on Campus Sexual Assault and Misconduct
Authors: Donley Sarah , Paige Alexis
Published: February 2018

In this article, we discuss the application of a collaborative, team-based, semester-long research project in undergraduate sociology and social work research methods courses at a midsize southeastern university. The goal of the endeavor was to engage undergraduates in research on students’ perceptions and knowledge about sexual assault and misconduct on their college campus. Surveys focusing on sexual assault and misconduct modeled after the Association of American Universities’ Campus Climate Survey and the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale were distributed to students in introductory classes on campus. The data from the surveys were then used in various assignments in the social work and sociology research methods courses to demonstrate to students the multitude of steps involved in the research process. The assignments culminated in a research paper and presentation at the end of the semester. We use data collected from end of the semester student evaluations to better understand students’ learning experiences by participating in this hands-on research project in the sociology and social work methods courses.
Increasing Perspectival Obliqueness Increases the Leaning Tower Illusion
Authors: Parovel Giulia , Costall Alan
Published: February 2018

The leaning tower illusion is a perceptual illusion in which two identical images of a tower photographed from below appear to diverge when juxtaposed. We manipulated the perceived obliqueness of the (upright) St Mark bell tower in Venice by modifying two parameters both related to the position of the camera with respect to the tower: (a) increasing the peripherality of the tower and (b) reducing the distance between the camera and the tower. The resulting images clearly show that the illusory leaning effect increases as a function of the obliqueness. Another crucial condition for the leaning tower effect must be that the twin images are perceived as parts of a unitary display: The illusion increases when the distance between the photos is progressively increased, but beyond a certain level of separation, the integration of the images should, of course, break down, and the illusion vanish.
Oral health and later coronary heart disease: Cohort study of one million people
Authors: Batty G David , Jung Keum Ji , Mok Yejin , Lee Sun Ju , Back Joung Hwan , Lee Sunmi , Jee Sun Ha
Published: February 2018

Aims

Systematic reviews report an association between poorer oral health and an increased risk of coronary heart disease. This contentious relationship may not be causal but existing studies have been insufficiently well powered comprehensively to examine the role of confounding, particularly by cigarette smoking. Accordingly, we sought to examine the role of smoking in generating the relationship between oral health and coronary heart disease in life-long non-smokers.

Methods and results

In the Korean Cancer Prevention Study, 975,685 individuals (349,579 women) aged 30–95 years had an oral examination when tooth loss, a widely used indicator of oral health, was ascertained. Linkage to national mortality and hospital registers over 21 years of follow-up gave rise to 64,784 coronary heart disease events (19,502 in women). In the whole cohort, after statistical adjustment for age, there was a moderate, positive association between tooth loss and coronary heart disease in both men (hazard ratio for seven or more missing teeth vs. none; 95% confidence interval 1.08; 1.02, 1.14; Ptrendacross tooth loss groups <0.0001) and women (1.09; 1.01, 1.18; Ptrend0.0016). Restricting analyses to a subgroup of 464,145 never smokers (25,765 coronary heart disease events), however, resulted in an elimination of this association in men (1.01; 0.85, 1.19); Ptrend0.7506) but not women (1.08; 0.99, 1.18; Ptrend0.0086).

Conclusion

In men in the present study, the relationship between poor oral health and coronary heart disease risk appeared to be explained by confounding by cigarette smoking so raising questions about a causal link.
Hospital and clinical care costs associated with atrial fibrillation for Medicare beneficiaries in the Cardiovascular Health Study and the Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Delaney Joseph AC , Yin Xiaoyan , Fontes João Daniel , Wallace Erin R , Skinner Asheley , Wang Na , Hammill Bradley G , Benjamin Emelia J , Curtis Lesley H , Heckbert Susan R
Published: February 2018

Background:

Atrial fibrillation is increasingly prevalent as the US population ages and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Care for patients with atrial fibrillation can be costly, US health care costs are comparatively high, and there are few cost estimates available that incorporate detailed measurement of comorbidities and their effects on costs.

Methods and Results:

In the Cardiovascular Health Study and the Framingham Heart Study, participants aged 65 years or older with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation were matched on age and follow-up time to referents free of atrial fibrillation. The total clinical and hospital medical costs paid by Medicare Parts A and B (drug costs from Medicare Part D costs were not included) in the year prior to diagnosis (or matching) were compared with costs in the following year. Estimates were adjusted for other medical conditions and adjusted to 2009 dollars. In the Cardiovascular Health Study, 513 participants were diagnosed with new-onset atrial fibrillation and survived 30 days post-atrial fibrillation diagnosis, and 513 referents (as a control cohort) were identified, with a mean age of 77 years. In the Framingham Heart Study, we identified 336 participants diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, who survived 30 days post-atrial fibrillation diagnosis and matched these participants to 336 referents. We compared these new-onset atrial fibrillation participants with referents, using a difference in difference design to account for both time trends and differences between the two groups. The adjusted incremental cost for participants with atrial fibrillation, compared with referents, was US$18,060 (95% confidence interval: US$14,965–US$21,155) in the Cardiovascular Health Study and US$20,012 (95% confidence interval: US$15,057–US$24,966) in the Framingham Heart Study. The pooled estimate was US$18,601 (95% confidence interval: US$15,981–US$21,234).

Conclusion:

Atrial fibrillation was associated with increased costs in the year after diagnosis in two community-based cohorts, even after careful accounting for age, time period, and systematically measured comorbidities.
Spiritually Integrated Cognitive Processing Therapy: A New Treatment for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder That Targets Moral Injury
Authors: Pearce Michelle , Haynes Kerry , Rivera Natalia R , Koenig Harold G.
Published: February 2018

Background

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder, and current treatments leave the majority of patients with unresolved symptoms. Moral injury (MI) may be one of the barriers that interfere with recovery from PTSD, particularly among current or former military service members.

Objective

Given the psychological and spiritual aspects of MI, an intervention that addresses MI using spiritual resources in addition to psychological resources may be particularly effective in treating PTSD. To date, there are no existing empirically based individual treatments for PTSD and MI that make explicit use of a patient’s spiritual resources, despite the evidence that spiritual beliefs/activities predict faster recovery from PTSD.

Method

To address this gap, we adapted Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), an empirically validated treatment for PTSD, to integrate clients’ spiritual beliefs, practices, values, and motivations. We call this treatment Spiritually Integrated CPT (SICPT).

Results

This article describes this novel manualized therapeutic approach for treating MI in the setting of PTSD for spiritual/religious clients. We provide a description of SICPT and a brief summary of the 12 sessions. Then, we describe a case study in which the therapist helps a client use his spiritual resources to resolve MI and assist in the recovery from PTSD.

Conclusion

SICPT may be a helpful way to reduce PTSD by targeting MI, addressing spiritual distress, and using a client’s spiritual resources. In addition to the spiritual version (applicable for those of any religion and those who do not identify as religious), we have also developed 5 religion-specific manuals (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism) for clients who desire a more religion-specific approach.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Skeletally Immature Patients: Early Results Using a Hybrid Physeal-Sparing Technique
Authors: Willson Robert G. , Kostyun Regina O. , Milewski Matthew D. , Nissen Carl W.
Published: February 2018

Background:

Reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the skeletally immature patient is frequently performed in hopes of preventing new or additional chondral damage and meniscal injuries. Patients within a few years of skeletal maturity are more at risk for ACL injuries than prepubescent patients, about whom several physeal-sparing techniques have been described. Reconstruction techniques in the former higher risk group need to be better understood.

Purpose:

To review a series of adolescent patients with ACL injuries surgically treated with the hybrid physeal-sparing technique.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Surgical logs of ACL reconstructions (ACLRs) performed at a single pediatric/adolescent sports medicine center over a 6-year period were reviewed. Patients with open physes who had undergone ACLR with a femoral physeal-sparing tunnel and transphyseal tibial tunnel were identified. Their demographics, operative reports, rehabilitative course, time to return to play, outcome scores, and postoperative radiographs were collected and analyzed.

Results:

Twenty-three patients with a mean chronological age and bone age of 13.0 and 13.6 years, respectively, were identified. Examination and subjective outcome scores were obtained at a mean of 19 months and overall demonstrated positive results, with a mean Pediatric International Knee Documentation Committee (Pedi-IKDC) score of 96.0 and a mean Anterior Cruciate Ligament–Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) score of 89.1. Full-length mechanical axis films obtained at a mean 21 months postoperatively demonstrated no leg-length discrepancies or angular deformities in 21 of 23 patients. Two patients had an identified growth disturbance in the form of femoral and tibial growth acceleration on the ACL-reconstructed limb.

Conclusion:

The femoral physeal-sparing with transphyseal tibial drilling “hybrid” technique in skeletally maturing patients appears to have a high rate of success with low morbidity. However, the possibility of physeal abnormalities does exist, which demonstrates the importance of a close postoperative follow-up and evaluation until skeletal maturity is achieved. ACLR in skeletally immature patients is performed on an increasingly regular basis. Establishing the best and safest technique to do so is therefore important.
Mentoring Clinical-Year Medical Students: Factors Contributing to Effective Mentoring
Authors: Fallatah Hind I , Soo Park Yoon , Farsi Jamila , Tekian Ara
Published: February 2018

Theory:

Academic mentoring is an effective method of enhancing undergraduate medical student academic performance, research productivity, career planning, and overall satisfaction.

Hypotheses:

This study investigates the relationship between mentor characteristics and mentee academic performance, with an emphasis on identifying students who need special support.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted among fourth-year medical students at King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Medicine undertaking the clinical skills module (CSM) rotation. Mentors included senior and junior faculty members from the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Family Medicine. King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Medicine assigned 1 mentor for every 10 medical students. We organized our mentoring program in the following format: (1) an initial group meeting (mentor with all 10 medical students) and (2) subsequent one-on-one meetings (mentor with each mentee alone). We assessed mentor characteristics, student academic performance and satisfaction, and the rate of mentees referred for special support.

Results:

A total of 184 students completed the CSM rotation. Among these, 90 students responded to the preprogram survey, with 83% reporting that mentoring was important to them. Group meetings and one-on-one meetings were attended by 60% and 49% of all students, respectively. The most frequent type of support required by the participating students was psychological support (12% of mentees). Participation in the mentoring program had no significant effect on student academic performance. Mentor seniority ( P = .024) and motivation ( P = .002) were significantly associated with the rate of student referral for special support.

Conclusions:

This study demonstrated that academic mentoring can be effective in enhancing student outcomes and promoting special support for students. Moreover, mentor and mentee motivation were found to be essential elements of a successful mentoring program.
Research-to-Resource: Facilitating Adult Band Participation Benefits
Authors: Rohwer Debbie
Published: February 2018

Researchers have documented that participation in community band settings can lead to adults’ perceptions of musical and social benefits. Directors who can strategically consider ways to encourage musical and social benefits for their adult band participants may be encouraging these benefits to flourish. This research-to-resource article provides example applications to aid directors with implementing positive musical and social experiences in adult community music settings.