bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Effect of Essential Hypertension on Elasticity of Ascending Aorta in Type 2 Diabetic Mellitus Patients by Echocardiography
Authors: Song Xiang-Ting , Fan Li , Yan Zi-Ning , Rui Yi-Fei
Published: March 2020

Both essential hypertension (EH) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can impair the elasticity of the ascending aorta. We prospectively enrolled 42 patients with T2DM, 44 patients with EH, 45 patients with T2DM and EH (T2DM + EH), and 41 healthy subjects (HS). They all underwent transthoracic echocardiography to measure ascending aorta inner diameters and a brachial blood pressure measurement to calculate aortic elastic parameters (ie, compliance, distensibility, strain, stiffness index, and Peterson elastic modulus). We found that there were no significant differences as regard with age, sex, body mass index, blood lipids and glucose, carotid atherosclerosis, and ascending aorta inner diameters among the 4 groups. The aortic elastic properties were significantly impaired in T2DM, EH, and T2DM + EH patients compared with the HS, and more impaired in EH and T2DM + EH patients than T2DM patients; there were no significant differences between EH and T2DM + EH patients. Our findings suggest that both T2DM and EH can impair aortic elastic properties. Essential hypertension may play a more important role in the process of ascending aorta sclerosis in patients with T2DM + EH.
Perioperative, Postoperative, and Long-Term Outcomes Following Open Surgical Repair of Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Authors: Barakat Hashem M. , Shahin Yousef , Din Waqas , Akomolafe Bankole , Johnson Brian F. , Renwick Paul , Chetter Ian , McCollum Peter
Published: March 2020

We investigated factors that affected perioperative, postoperative, and long-term outcomes of patients who underwent open emergency surgical repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (RAAA). All patients who underwent open emergency surgical repair from 1990 to 2011 were included (463 patients; 374 [81%] male; mean age 74.7 ± 8.7years). Logistic and Cox regression analyses were performed to explore the association of variables with outcomes. Preoperatively, median (interquartile range) hemoglobin was 11.2 (9.5-12.8) g/dL, and median creatinine level was 140 (112-177) µmol/L. Intraoperatively, the median operative time was 2.25 (2-3) hours, and median estimated blood loss was 1.5 (0.5-3) L; 250 (54%) patients required intraoperative inotropes, and a median of 6 (4-8) units of blood was transfused. Median length of hospital stay was 11 (7-20) days. In-hospital mortality rate was 35.6%, and 5-year mortality was 48%. Age, distance traveled, operation duration, postoperative myocardial infarction (MI), and multi-organ failure (MOF) were predictors of in-hospital mortality and long-term outcome. Additionally, postoperative acute renal failure predicted in-hospital mortality. In patients with RAAA undergoing open surgical repair, the strongest predictors of in-hospital mortality and long-term outcome were postoperative MOF and MI and operative duration.
Relationship Between Interface Pressures and Pneumatic Cuff Inflation Pressure at Different Assessment Sites of the Lower Limb to Aid Soft Exoskeleton Design
Authors: Kermavnar Tjaša , O’Sullivan Kevin J. , de Eyto Adam , O’Sullivan Leonard W.
Published: March 2020

Objective

The aim was to develop a means of predicting interface pressure from cuff inflation pressure during circumferential compression at the lower limb, in order to inform the design of soft exoskeletons.

Background

Excessive mechanical loading of tissues can cause discomfort and soft tissue injury. Most ergonomic studies on exoskeletons are of interface pressure, but soft exoskeletons apply circumferential pressures similar to tourniquet cuffs by way of cuff inflation pressure. This study details the relationship between interface and cuff inflation pressures for pneumatic tourniquet cuffs.

Method

Pneumatic cuffs of different widths were inflated to target pressures on (A) a rigid cylinder, (B) the dominant thigh and calf, and (C) knee of healthy participants standing still. Interface pressures were measured under the cuffs using a pressure-sensing mat. Average interface pressures were then compared to cuff inflation pressures. The influence of cuff width, cuff inflation pressure, and participants’ anthropometric data on pressure transmission was assessed.

Results

A strong linear relationship between cuff inflation pressures and interface pressures was observed. Interface pressures were generally higher than cuff inflation pressures. The efficiency of pressure transmission to the lower limb depended on assessment site, adipose tissue thickness, cuff size, cuff inflation pressure, and possibly limb circumference. Regression equations were developed to predict interface pressures at the thigh, calf, and knee.

Conclusion

Interface pressures under pneumatic cuffs are influenced by the cuff size, cuff inflation pressure, and tissue compressibility. Predicted interface pressure from cuff inflation pressure and vice versa can be used to aid the design of soft exoskeletons.
Additive manufacturing of functional polymer-based composite with enhanced mechanoluminescence (ZnS:Mn) performance
Authors: Akintola Tawakalt Mayowa , Tran Phong , Lucien Charissa , Dickens Tarik
Published: March 2020

Triboluminescence (TL) is a phenomenon of light emission induced by impact, stress, fracture, or an applied mechanical force. This phenomenon can be used to detect, evaluate, and predict mechanical failures in composites. In this report, we utilized manganese-doped zinc-sulphide (ZnS: Mn) and Polystyrene (PS) composite to fabricate a TL functional part via additive manufacturing. The morphology of the particles inside the polymer matrix were studied using scanning electron microscopy and micro CT scan. Thermoanalytical techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were carried out to evaluate the thermal transitions and degradation of the composites. The mechanoluminescence performance of the printed samples is evaluated by three-point flexural test and observed to depend on processing conditions that can be utilized to achieve a strong light signal at different mechanical loads. The polymer composite fabrication and processing reduced particle size, enhanced particle dispersion, and altered the mechanical properties of the polymer to help increase the mechanoluminescence response up to 10 times in the 3D printed parts. The unique mechanoluminescence properties of 3D printed luminescent composite have great potential for structural monitoring applications.
“I had (my dreams) on hold, I had to …”: Mexican Descent Youth Discuss Factors That Lead to Leaving High School
Authors: Valencia Bryant G. , Caporale Juvenal , Romero Andrea J.
Published: March 2020

Despite Latinx students having the second highest rates of dropouts compared with other racial/ethnic groups, few studies qualitatively examine how Latinx youth view the academic and family contexts of leaving school. In this study, 16 Mexican descent youth from low-income backgrounds discussed why they felt pushed out of high school in focus groups. Grounded theory analysis revealed that youth perceive a lack of caring within schools and feel that they are blamed for lack of academic progress. Some youth felt they had to put their dreams on hold due to family stressors and lack of school resources—yet, they sustained hope for future career aspirations.
Towards a relational conception of the compact city
Authors: Kjærås Kristin
Published: March 2020

Compact city strategies have become central to the development of urban sustainability politics. Cities across the globe are pursuing high-density, mixed-use developments and energy-efficient transportation systems. However, the correlation between compact city strategies and achieved sustainability is largely taken for granted in public and academic debates. Providing a spatial critique of the theory guiding compact city policy and practice, this article demonstrates how the prioritisation of urban form and territorial boundaries in measuring sustainability ultimately ignores the societal and environmental effects and foundations of current compact city approaches. Building upon this critique, I argue for a relational orientation that can attune research and practice to the compact city’s intensive and extensive constitution and consequently to its actual and potential (re)production. Analysing Oslo’s involvement in the EU network ‘Sub>Urban: Reinventing the Fringe’, and work that has followed from this network, the article develops three critical perspectives to advance compact city theorisation beyond traditional frameworks: (1) the relational topographies of the compact city; (2) the relational intensities of the compact city; and (3) the planetary constitution of the compact city. In doing so, a critical geography of how the compact city is produced – discursively and materially – is proposed.
Effects of Observation With and Without Technology on Learning in Introductory and Advanced Courses
Authors: Dietz Beth , Oswald Barbara
Published: March 2020

Cost and time constraints make it challenging to include hands-on laboratory experiences in psychology courses, yet engaging laboratory experiences can increase scientific literacy and appreciation. The present study tested whether learning by observing could also increase scientific literacy (knowledge of social neuroscience). We additionally assessed whether the technology mattered, by comparing students who participated in a “low-technology” demonstration (finger pulse count) versus a “high-technology” demonstration (pulse recording via psychophysiological recording equipment). Undergraduate students observed pulse rate measures prior to and following a social challenge, in a 2 (Student Type: Introductory vs. Advanced) × 2 (Technology: High vs. Low) factorial design. Results revealed that technology yielded equal effects on scientific literacy, while perceived learning for psychology as a science increased significantly (albeit modestly) for students in the high-technology condition. These data confirm that adding laboratory experiences of any type can facilitate scientific literacy in introductory and advanced psychology students.
Democracy and ethical values from Islamic perspective
Authors: Kadivar Mohsen
Published: March 2020

Inefficiency or inadequateness of Western liberal democracy at home is not the problematic of the rest because they have not experienced it yet! ‘Minimal democracy’ is the problematic of the residents of authoritarian countries. Most of Muslim majority countries are under authoritarian regimes. They struggle to achieve the primary and minimal standards of democracy. The minimal democracy is the necessary condition for providing morality, ethics, justice, fairness, freedom, equality and rule of law. The record of Western liberal democracy for the rest in both periods – colonialism and postcolonialism – is not defendable, neither in support of democracy and human rights abroad nor in support of peace, morality and ethics in the globe. Comparing coexistence of Islam and democracy, Muslim conservatives, Muslim fundamentalists and Orientalists support inconsistency of Islam and democracy, and Muslim reformists advocate their consistency. Almost all of the so-called Islamic law are appropriate to the context of early Islam and do not fit the modern context. According to ethical-based Shari’a, democracy is the best available means for serving the moral purposes of Islam. Democracy offers the greatest potential for promoting justice, protecting human dignity, human freedom and emancipation. In this perspective, Shari’a, that is, ethical virtues, moral norms and standards of life are permanent, immutable, unchangeable and timeless. They are universal aspects of Islam. The Ethical-based Shari’a supports democracy strongly.
Is there another people? Populism, radical democracy and immanent critique
Authors: Kempf Victor
Published: March 2020

This article explores the possibility of a notion of left-wing populism that is conceptually opposed to the identitarian logic of embodiment that characterises right-populist interpellations of ‘the people’. In the first part, I will demonstrate, that in Laclau’s constructivist approach, any populist embodiment of the people actually has a partial, subaltern and performative origin. On this basis, it becomes possible to distinguish between a radical-democratic version of the people that is self-reflexively aware of this origin and a regressive and reified one that ideologically betrays and negates its own subaltern tradition of democratic struggle by proclaiming to embody a positive, pre-established substance of ‘rooted’, ‘well-born’ community. In the second part of the article, I will focus on this self-negation as a starting point for an immanent critique of right-wing populism. Such an immanent critique is promising, because it could overcome the shortcomings of decisionism and moralism that limit the contemporary critique of right-wing populism. However, it remains still an open question how to defend and define a negativist truth of political community and subjectivation that is necessary for developing such a left-Hegelian critique of regressive and reified notions of ‘the people’.
Street lighting and the uneasy coexistence of socialist and capitalist urban imaginaries
Authors: Fox Samantha M
Published: March 2020

This essay examines the partial privatization of street lamps in Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany. Founded in 1950 as Stalinstadt, East Germany’s steel manufacturing hub and socialist utopia, today the city suffers from economic shrinkage and depopulation. In 2014, Eisenhüttenstadt’s government privatized approximately 10% of the city’s street lamps, a response to both the city’s shrunken tax base and to the Energiewende, Germany’s national push toward renewable energy, which has led to the precipitous rise of consumer energy costs. I examine privatized street lamps within the broader context of Eisenhüttenstadt’s technological and sociopolitical development. Drawing on ethnographic and archival research, I show how, during the socialist era, street lamps were an essential instrument in the construction and conceptualization of socialist urban space. Since privatization, they have come to signify the fractured and radically individualized nature of capitalist urban space. As such, I reveal how socialism—and the rupture caused by its abrupt replacement with capitalism—remains present and perceptible in the urban landscape, and how that presence poses challenges for urban planners and municipal officials working in Eisenhüttenstadt today, 30 years after East Germany’s dissolution.
How do highly sensitive persons parent their adolescent children? The role of sensory processing sensitivity in parenting practices
Authors: Goldberg Alon , Scharf Miri
Published: March 2020

This research examines whether sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) in parents is associated with their parenting practices toward their adolescent children and whether attachment insecurity mediates the associations between SPS and parenting practices. One hundred twenty-one parent–adolescent dyads completed self-report questionnaires assessing parents’ SPS, parents’ adult attachment, and parenting practices. Results showed that SPS was positively associated with inconsistency, psychological intrusiveness, and attachment anxiety. Further, attachment anxiety mediated the association between parents’ SPS and harsh parenting and partially mediated the association between parents’ SPS and parental psychological intrusiveness. There is very little research on how highly sensitive individuals parent their children in general and none regarding the parenting of high-SPS individuals during challenging developmental periods such as their children’s adolescence. Findings suggest that parents high in SPS may experience this period as especially stressful and high SPS might contribute to the use of negative parenting. Interventions focused on regulating high-SPS parents’ stress and on facilitating parents in practicing separating their own and their children’s emotions could promote their use of more positive parenting practices.
Polarization and partisanship: Key drivers of distrust in media old and new?
Authors: Suiter Jane , Fletcher Richard
Published: March 2020

Some worry that increased partisanship is lowering trust in the news media, as people increasingly come into contact with cross-cutting news coverage. We use multilevel analysis of online survey data from 35 countries and find that left-right partisans (1) have slightly less trust in the news media in general, (2) slightly higher levels of trust in the news they consume and (3) perceive a larger ‘trust gap’ between the news they use and the rest of the news available within their country. However, we do not find evidence to support the idea that people in more politically polarized countries have less trust in the news, or that the association between partisanship and trust is strengthened in polarized political environments. Although in most cases the relationship between partisanship and trust is weak, it is noticeably stronger in the United States. However, the United States is home to a unique media system, and our analysis highlights the problems of assuming that the processes at work in one relatively well-understood country are playing out in the same way globally.
Income inequality in the post-2000 era: Development, globalization, and the state
Authors: Clark Rob
Published: March 2020

During the late 20th century, income inequality rose in most countries around the world, and by a substantial amount in some cases. By contrast, income disparities have stabilized during the post-2000 era, and have even begun to decline in a small majority of states. What accounts for this recent change? Unfortunately, existing work is not well-positioned to address this question. Researchers commonly restrict their attention to affluent nations or use empirical models that have not kept pace with either the changing landscape or the availability of newer measures, all of which suggests a path forward in this area of research. This article focuses on the post-2000 era, drawing from a large global sample (1284 observations across 129 states), while utilizing novel measures that better reflect the contemporary period. The study reports results from Prais–Winsten regression with panel-corrected standard errors and two-way fixed effects. The models show that income inequality is shaped by the major employment sectors (agriculture, industry, and services), the relative supply of unskilled/skilled labor (as indicated by population growth and tertiary school enrollment, respectively), globalization (international trade and migration), state characteristics (the size of government and regulation of labor), gender dynamics (female participation in paid work and government), and the unemployment rate. In sum, the results reveal a set of equalizing and disequalizing factors that shape each country’s income distribution.
Reliability analysis of a tendon-driven actuation for soft robots
Authors: Jeong Useok , Kim Keunsu , Kim Sang-Hun , Choi Hyunhee , Youn Byeng Dong , Cho Kyu-Jin
Published: March 2020

The reliability of soft robotic devices will be the bottleneck that slows their commercialization. In particular, fatigue failure issues are a major concern. Thus, reliability should be taken into account from the earliest stages of development. However, to date, there have been no attempts to analyze the reliability of soft robotic devices in a systematic manner. When soft robots are employed to force transmission applications, reliability is typically a dominant issue, since soft robotic structures are constructed with soft material components; these materials have highly nonlinear properties that arise due to the large distribution in the material properties. Furthermore, reliability should be analyzed from the robot’s system down to the components using domain knowledge about the system; this requires a systematic approach. This study presents a framework for reliability analysis of soft robotic devices taking into account a probability distribution that has not been considered before and examines a case study of a tendon-driven soft robot. This study focuses specifically on the (a) concept design process, (b) lifetime analysis process, and (c) design and optimization process. A life model that considers distribution is proposed using accelerated life testing based on analysis of the failure mechanism of the tendon-driven system. The tensile stress of the wire was varied during the experiment with different bend angles and output tension. The result was validated with different stress levels using a testbed to simulate an actual application. The proposed reliability analysis methodology could be applied to other soft robotic systems, such as pneumatic actuators, to improve the reliability-related properties during the robot design stage, and the life model can be used to estimate the device lifetime under various stress conditions.
Multi-segment soft robotic fingers enable robust precision grasping
Authors: Teeple Clark B , Koutros Theodore N , Graule Moritz A , Wood Robert J.
Published: March 2020

In this work, we discuss the design of soft robotic fingers for robust precision grasping. Through a conceptual analysis of the finger shape and compliance during grasping, we confirm that antipodal grasps are more stable when contact with the object occurs on the side of the fingers (i.e., pinch grasps) instead of the fingertips. In addition, we show that achieving such pinch grasps with soft fingers for a wide variety of objects requires at least two independent bending segments each, but only requires actuation in the proximal segment. Using a physical prototype hand, we evaluate the improvement in pinch-grasping performance of this two-segment proximally actuated finger design compared to more typical, uniformly actuated fingers. Through an exploration of the relative lengths of the two finger segments, we show the tradeoff between power grasping strength and precision grasping capabilities for fingers with passive distal segments. We characterize grasping on the basis of the acquisition region, object sizes, rotational stability, and robustness to external forces. Based on these metrics, we confirm that higher-quality precision grasping is achieved through pinch grasping via fingers with the proximally actuated finger design compared to uniformly actuated fingers. However, power grasping is still best performed with uniformly actuated fingers. Accordingly, soft continuum fingers should be designed to have at least two independently actuated serial segments, since such fingers can maximize grasping performance during both power and precision grasps through controlled adaptation between uniform and proximally actuated finger structures.
Efficiency in waste collection markets: Changing relationships between firms, informal workers, and the state in urban India
Authors: Luthra Aman
Published: March 2020

Although recent scholarship has provided rich accounts of waste management privatization in urban India, the origins of the policy models that informed privatization remain unexplored. Further, the place of informal workers in the history of waste management policy and programs is more complicated than that provided by linear accounts of a transition from informal to formal in the existing scholarship. In contrast to existing explanations of these shifts, this paper draws attention to the rise of efficiency as a core municipal concern that explains the shifting relationship arrangements between the state, the informal private sector, and the formal private sector in waste collection markets. To address their concerns with cost of service delivery, Indian policy-makers justified privatization by indirectly drawing upon the influential work of E.S. Savas, the American economist credited with empirically substantiating the theory of efficiency gains from privatization in waste collection markets. Yet, informal systems are in practice not only more efficient than formal ones, they also conform well to Savas’ policy prescriptions for structuring waste collection markets. Efficiency could thus serve as a basis for securing informal workers’ claims as legitimate market participants.
Uncertainty Quantification of Simplified Viscoelastic Continuum Damage Fatigue Model using the Bayesian Inference-Based Markov Chain Monte Carlo Method
Authors: Ding Jing , Wang Yizhuang David , Gulzar Saqib , Kim Youngsoo Richard , Underwood B. Shane
Published: March 2020

The simplified viscoelastic continuum damage model (S-VECD) has been widely accepted as a computationally efficient and a rigorous mechanistic model to predict the fatigue resistance of asphalt concrete. It operates in a deterministic framework, but in actual practice, there are multiple sources of uncertainty such as specimen preparation errors and measurement errors which need to be probabilistically characterized. In this study, a Bayesian inference-based Markov Chain Monte Carlo method is used to quantify the uncertainty in the S-VECD model. The dynamic modulus and cyclic fatigue test data from 32 specimens are used for parameter estimation and predictive envelope calculation of the dynamic modulus, damage characterization and failure criterion model. These parameter distributions are then propagated to quantify the uncertainty in fatigue prediction. The predictive envelope for each model is further used to analyze the decrease in variance with the increase in the number of replicates. Finally, the proposed methodology is implemented to compare three asphalt concrete mixtures from standard testing. The major findings of this study are: (1) the parameters in the dynamic modulus and damage characterization model have relatively strong correlation which indicates the necessity of Bayesian techniques; (2) the uncertainty of the damage characteristic curve for a single specimen propagated from parameter uncertainties of the dynamic modulus model is negligible compared to the difference in the replicates; (3) four replicates of the cyclic fatigue test are recommended considering the balance between the uncertainty of fatigue prediction and the testing efficiency; and (4) more replicates are needed to confidently detect the difference between different mixtures if their fatigue performance is close.
Multisectoral Integration of Nutrition, Health, and Agriculture: Implementation Lessons From Ethiopia
Authors: Bach Ashley , Gregor Erin , Sridhar Shela , Fekadu Habtamu , Fawzi Wafaie
Published: March 2020

Background:

The Government of Ethiopia and development partners have invested heavily in nutrition through multisectoral nutrition programs and the recently announced Food and Nutrition Policy. By making nutrition a political priority, the government has enabled multisectoral collaboration.

Objective:

To trace the development of multisectoral nutrition policy in Ethiopia and identify lessons learned from implementation.

Methods:

We utilize the literature and stakeholder interviews across government ministries, donors, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to analyze Ethiopia’s progress toward multisectoral nutrition governance through 5 lenses: coordination and structural accountability, political commitment, financing, human resources, and data monitoring and transparency.

Results:

Despite significant progress, coordination and structural accountability for nutrition activities and outcomes across and within sectors remain challenges. While political will is strong, financing is often insufficient. Ethiopia has a shortage of nutrition policy makers and experts but is investing in education to close this gap. Finally, wider sharing of data across ministries and partners would enable enhanced feedback and improvement upon existing programs. Several lessons are notable for policy makers and partners: (1) making nutrition a national political priority is key to fostering multisectoral collaboration and improving nutrition outcomes; (2) nutrition champions are critical for political prioritization of nutrition; (3) multisectoral collaboration has helped reduce undernutrition in Ethiopia, due to expansion from nutrition-specific to nutrition-sensitive strategies; and (4) accountability structures are vital to effective coordination, monitoring, and evaluation in multisectoral nutrition governance.

Conclusions:

Ethiopia has made significant progress toward multisectoral integration for nutrition. Despite contextual differences, lessons learned from Ethiopia may guide other countries aiming to reduce malnutrition.
The Past and Future of Econ 101: The John R. Commons Award Lecture
Authors: Mankiw N. Gregory
Published: March 2020

The introductory economics course, often called Econ 101, is where most economists get their start and where many students receive their only exposure to the field. This essay discusses the course’s evolution. It first looks back at how economics was taught at Harvard University in the 19th century, based on a textbook by Professor Francis Bowen. It then looks ahead at how the introductory course may change as pedagogical tools improve, as society confronts new challenges, and as the field accumulates new knowledge.

JEL Classification: A2
Knowledge About Alzheimer’s Disease and Awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease–Related Services in Older Korean Americans: The Role of Social Capital
Authors: Park Nan Sook , Jang Yuri , Rhee Min-Kyoung , Yoon Hyunwoo , Chiriboga David A.
Published: March 2020

The purpose of the study was to investigate factors associated with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)-related knowledge and service awareness in older Korean Americans. Considering the importance of social resources in the lives of older immigrants, the focus was on exploring the role of social capital–related factors (e.g., prior exposure to AD, social network, activity participation, and community social cohesion) on AD knowledge and service awareness. Data were drawn from the Study of Older Korean Americans (SOKA; N = 2,150; Mage = 73.41, SD = 7.97). Findings highlight the critical roles of prior exposure to AD and social network influencing both AD knowledge and service awareness, with activity participation also being associated with the latter. Results suggest that particular attention should be paid to individuals who are culturally and socially isolated when considering interventions.
Public opinion, international reputation, and audience costs in an authoritarian regime
Authors: Li Xiaojun , Chen Dingding
Published: March 2020

Does the public in authoritarian regimes disapprove of their leaders’ backing down from public threats and commitments? Answers to this question provide a critical micro-foundation for the emerging scholarship on authoritarian audience costs. We investigate this question by implementing a series of survey experiments in China, a single-party authoritarian state. Findings based on responses from 5375 Chinese adults show that empty threats and commitments expose the Chinese government to substantial disapproval from citizens concerned about potential damage to China’s international reputation. Additional qualitative evidence reveals that Chinese citizens are willing to express their discontent of leaders’ foreign policy blunders through various channels. These findings contribute to the ongoing debate over whether and how domestic audiences can make commitments credible in authoritarian states.
Adjudicating Traditional Wellness
Authors: Terry Paul E.
Published: March 2020

There is no consensus definition for “traditional wellness” but in worksite health promotion, it usually means the wellness program is a health assessment and/or health screening offering followed by some educational programs, usually in the physical health domain. Using the term traditional wellness may belie an unawareness about or lack of appreciation for the quality improvement principles that are as applicable to the health of a profession as they are to the growth of an organization. This editorial examines how the use of the term traditional wellness is a reflection on our professional zeitgeist. Five ideas that attempt to explain misunderstandings about differing approaches to worksite health promotion are offered along with 5 ways we may be able to make peace with traditional wellness.
Synthesis of the four-bar linkage as path generation by choosing the shape of the connecting rod
Authors: Varedi-Koulaei SM , Rezagholizadeh H
Published: March 2020

This paper presents a method for path generation synthesis of a four-bar linkage that includes both graphical and analytical synthesis and both cases of with and without prescribed timing. The advantage of the proposed method over available techniques is that it is easier and does not need the complicated process (especially in graphical case). In an analytical solution, this method needs the solution of the linear equations, unlike the previous methods, in that they have required the solution of the nonlinear equations. Moreover, in the current method, one can choose the shape of the coupler, while, in other methods, the shape of the coupler is the result of the solution process. The proposed algorithm can be used for path generation synthesizing of a four-bar linkage for three precision points.
Evaluation of human osteoblast metabolic activity in modified titanium-conditioned medium
Authors: Lukaszewska-Kuska Magdalena , Idzior-Haufa Malgorzata , Dorocka-Bobkowska Barbara
Published: March 2020

To evaluate human osteoblast metabolic activity cultured in medium conditioned with commercially pure titanium after surface treatments with alumina or ceramic grit-blasting followed by acid etching. Commercially available, pure Grade 4 titanium disks were used and subjected to seven different surface modifications: (1) machined (MA)—used as the control group; (2) blasted with Al2O3 (Al2O3); (3) blasted with sintered ceramic (HAS); (4) blasted with non-sintered ceramics (HA); (5) blasted with Al2O3 and etched with HCl/H2SO4 (Al2O3 DE); (6) blasted with sintered ceramic and etched with HCl/H2SO4 (HAS DE), and (7) blasted with non-sintered ceramic and etched with HCl/H2SO4 (HA DE). A samples roughness evaluation test was carried out with an interference microscope, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was performed to evaluate the presence of aluminum, phosphorus, and calcium deposited during the titanium surface treatment along with carbon contaminants acquired by the surface during processing. A culture medium conditioned with the respective samples was prepared in five dilutions, and its effect on human osteoblast cell viability was evaluated using the relative viability of cells. Human osteoblast metabolic activity was found to be the most intensive for the Al2O3 DE sample. The lowest activity was observed for the HAS DE. The material’s cytocompatibility depended on both the surface roughness and its chemical composition. Etching had a dual effect on cell activity, depending on the chemical composition of the titanium surface after blasting.
Evaluation of mechanical properties and surface roughness of cotton–viscose hybrid composite
Authors: Arunkumar Kuppuraj , Murugarajan Angamuthu
Published: March 2020

Natural-fibre reinforced composite material is an emerging material that has great potential to be used in various industrial aspects and applications. The cotton-viscose-reinforced composite is prepared using a compression moulding process. In addition to it, analysis of its mechanical properties was also carried out, such as tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength and hardness. An attempt was made to process the prepared composite material using abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) under different process parameters (water pressure, nozzle transfer speed and abrasive flow rate) levels to determine the better suitable process conditions to achieve the better surface finish and optimize the machining process. The significance of the optimization process was ensured using the results of the analysis of variance. Morphological analyses of the machined surface were performed using a scanning electron microscope. The surface roughness of 8.28 µm was found to be the optimized process parameter. Optimum process parameters in AWJM are used to improve the surface quality.
The regulation of acupuncture in France and the UK: Shifts and fragmentation in contrasting healthcare systems
Authors: Cloatre Emilie , Ramas Francesco Salvini
Published: March 2020

This article explores the regulation of acupuncture in the UK and France. It focuses on the dilemmas such regulation has raised, and the effects of two contrasting approaches to the regulatory organisation of acupuncture within healthcare systems on practices and care. Although the question of how acupuncture, like other complementary, alternative or traditional therapies, should be regulated has often been reduced to a question of scientific knowledge, it is also dependent on the intricacies of national health system governance, state rationales and professional identities. France and the UK provide exemplary instances of contrasting systems, in which each of these factors has come to shape the regulation of the highly heterodox practice that is acupuncture. Overall, exploring the challenges of regulating acupuncture provides useful perspectives on how the make-up of legitimate therapies is constituted in particular healthcare contexts.
When Brussels meets shadow banking – Technical complexity, regulatory agency and the reconstruction of the shadow banking chain
Authors: Endrejat Vanessa , Thiemann Matthias
Published: March 2020

At the heart of the last financial crisis stood the shadow banking system, a mesh of financial activities and entities that grew outside of bank balance sheets but with the support of the banking sector. These activities were not regulated or supervised like banks, and they were characterized by high maturity mismatches and leverage. Two prime elements were Money Market Mutual Funds and Asset-Backed Commercial Papers, which jointly performed bank-like functions. This paper sheds light on the fate of these entities post-crisis and the regulatory dynamics at play as policymakers shifted their focus from constraining their activities to drafting a European regulatory infrastructure that delivers both stability and growth. Based on expert interviews and document analysis, we show how European policymakers opened up to private experts during this shift to learn about the technical complexity of Money Market Mutual Funds and Asset-Backed Commercial Papers, but in the end were restricted in their efforts to craft such regulation due to competing national factions and the legislative time pressure at the European level. We argue that the process was heavily influenced by, first, nationally held visions about the future role of financial markets that came to the fore at pivotal moments during the negotiations, and, second, the specific European institutional set-up and its electoral cycle.
Experimental study of axial-compressed macro-fiber composite bimorph with multi-layer parallel actuators for large deformation actuation
Authors: Hu Kai-ming , Li Hua , Wen Li-Hua
Published: March 2020

Piezoelectric bimorphs have a promising application in morphing micro air vehicles; however, increasing the actuation displacement is a difficult point. Axial compression can be used to increase the deformation of the piezoelectric bimorph. Compared with piezoelectric ceramics, macro fiber composites offer higher flexibility. In this article, a large displacement actuator of axial-compressed macro fiber composite bimorph is proposed. A multi-layer parallel scheme of macro fiber composite bimorphs is presented to increase the output torque of piezoelectric bimorph within a limited space. The actuation performance of the axial-compressed macro fiber composite bimorph and its multi-layer parallel scheme are verified through quasi-static experiment and displacement tracking control test. The experimental results show that the end-free rotations of both the axial-compressed macro fiber composite bimorph and its multi-layer scheme achieve ±8.1°, which is 60% higher than that of a piezoelectric ceramics bimorph with the same length. The blocking torque of the single-layer macro fiber composite bimorph is 0.028 Nm. The proposed parallel bimorphs method can magnify output torques. In addition, the axial-compressed macro fiber composite bimorph can accurately track any displacement signals in the range of its actuation. It is a continuous and controllable piezoelectric bimorph with large displacement.
Advance Directive as Ulysses Contract: The Application of Stopping of Eating and Drinking by Advance Directive
Authors: Marks Adam D. , Ahronheim Judith C.
Published: March 2020

Increased attention is being paid to “dementia directives,” advance directives tailored to persons with dementia that outline what treatments an individual with dementia might wish to receive or forgo should they lose capacity. Particular focus has been placed on the request to have assisted oral feedings withheld, the so-called Stopping of Eating and Drinking by Advance Directive (SED by AD), the purpose of which is to hasten death. This article reviews the available literature regarding the practice of SED by AD and explores the clinical and ethical aspects as they present at the bedside. Our review aims to show that practical, clinically applicable ways to approach such requests must be developed in order to balance the fundamental principles at play.
Measuring Positive Mental Health in the Postpartum Period: The Bifactor Structure of the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form in Portuguese Women
Authors: Monteiro Fabiana , Fonseca Ana , Pereira Marco , Canavarro Maria Cristina
Published: March 2020

This study aimed to investigate the factor structure of the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC-SF) in the postpartum context using a single-factor model, a correlated three-factor model, and a bifactor model. The reliability and validity of the MHC-SF were also examined. The total sample consisted of 882 postpartum Portuguese women. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the bifactor model yielded a significantly better fit to the data than the other models. The unidimensionality strength indices (explained common variance = .76, percentage of uncontaminated correlations = .69) and the ω H values supported the general factor of positive mental health, which accounted for 91.5% of the reliable variance in the total score. Additionally, the MHC-SF showed high reliability (ω = .96), and its total and subscale scores were significantly correlated with other measures related to mental health. The results of this study suggest a strong general factor of positive mental health and support the use of its total score in this context.
Concordance of Reports of Intimate Partner Violence Across Partners and Measures: The Impact of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Marshall Amy D. , Mattern Alexandra C. , Wong Jennifer D.
Published: March 2020

The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) is frequently used to assess intimate partner violence (IPV), but consistently yields low to moderate interpartner concordance of reports. Interpartner concordance on an alternative measure, the Event History Calendar Interview (EHCI), is largely unknown. We observed limited interpartner concordance of IPV reports on the CTS2 and EHCI, with wives generally reporting more IPV than husbands. Compared with the CTS2, the EHCI detected more cases of IPV, but not differential behavior counts. Partners’ posttraumatic stress disorder severity, a common respondent characteristic and focus of IPV research, was associated with low interpartner concordance of reports on the CTS2, but not the EHCI. Additionally, husbands’ posttraumatic stress disorder severity was associated with wives reporting more husband-perpetrated IPV on the CTS2 than the EHCI. Overall, the EHCI appears to mitigate some of the problems associated with the CTS2 as a measure of IPV, particularly among more highly traumatized samples.
Implement Today! Behavior Management Strategies to Increase Engagement and Reduce Challenging Behaviors in the Classroom
Authors: Simpson Jessica N. , Hopkins Stephanie , Eakle Christopher D. , Rose Chad A.
Published: March 2020

An increasing number of students with emotional and behavioral disorders are being served in general education environments. This article provides general and special education teachers with step-by-step instructions in three classroom management strategies that, when implemented well, can increase academic engagement and reduce challenging behavior for all students in inclusive classrooms, including those with emotional and behavioral disorders. The strategies involve providing behavior-specific praise, directing play of the Good Behavior Game, and providing students with frequent opportunities to respond to academic requests.
Desires and Desirability of Volunteers in CoSA Programs
Authors: Gilliam Mia , Novak Megan , Northcutt Bohmert Miriam , Duwe Grant
Published: March 2020

Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) are comprised of approximately five trained Circle volunteers who provide support during reentry to one core member previously convicted of a sexual offense. In 2008, the Minnesota Department of Corrections implemented the Minnesota Circles of Support and Accountability (MnCoSA). In-depth interviews were conducted with 33 MnCoSA volunteers and 10 core members to gain an understanding of (a) what makes volunteers desirable to core members, as well as (b) what makes CoSA desirable to volunteers. The study finds core members express a desire for the availability and consistency of volunteers, a preference for certain types of volunteers, and consistent with volunteers’ perceptions, a belief that CoSAs offer particular benefits for volunteers. Implications for recruitment of volunteers and optimal structuring of CoSAs are discussed.
Adhesion of an elastic sphere on a tensioned membrane
Authors: Ru CQ
Published: March 2020

Inspirited by the fact that classical models of adhesion contact (such as the Johnson–Kendall–Roberts model, Young’s equation or the Neumann equation) cannot be directly applied to adhesion of an elastic sphere on a membrane, the present work aims to develop an explicit general model for axisymmetric adhesion mechanics of an elastic sphere on a tensioned circular membrane. An explicit expression for the potential energy of the sphere–membrane system is derived, and explicit equations are given to determine the adhesion equilibrium state. The validity and accuracy of the proposed model are verified by good agreement between the predicted results and known results on both adhesion of a rigid sphere on a membrane and the critical condition for full wrapping of a rigid sphere by a membrane of non-zero bending rigidity.