bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Propagation of viscous gravity currents inside confining boundaries: the effects of fluid rheology and channel geometry
Authors: Longo S. , Di Federico V. , Chiapponi L.
Published: May 2015

A theoretical and experimental investigation of the propagation of free-surface, channelized viscous gravity currents is conducted to examine the combined effects of fluid rheology, boundary geometry and channel inclination. The fluid is characterized by a power-law constitutive equation with behaviour index
n
. The channel cross section is limited by a rigid boundary of height parametrized by
k
and has a longitudinal variation described by the constant
b
≥0. The cases

k
⋛
1

are associated with wide, triangular and narrow cross sections. For
b
>0, the cases

k
≷
1

describe widening channels and squeezing fractures;
b
=0 implies a constant cross-sectional channel. For a volume of released fluid varying with time like
t

α

, scalings for current length and thickness are obtained in self-similar forms for horizontal and inclined channels/fractures. The speed, thickness and aspect ratio of the current jointly depend on the total current volume (
α
), the fluid rheological behaviour (
n
), and the transversal (
k
) and longitudinal (
b
) geometry of the channel. The asymptotic validity of the solutions is limited to certain ranges of parameters. Experimental validation was performed with different fluids and channel cross sections; experimental results for current radius and profile were found to be in close agreement with the self-similar solutions at intermediate and late times.
Synthesis, structure and properties of a new three-dimensional interpenetrated metal–organic framework with 3,3′-azodibenzoic acid (H2azdc) and 1,4-bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl)butane (bimb): {[Cd(azdc)(bimb)2]·H2O}n
Authors: Zhong Ya-Qiang , Chen Si-Chun , Zhang Lei , Jing Chu-Yue , Zhang Kou-Lin
Published: May 2015

A new three-dimensional interpenetrated CdII–organic framework based on 3,3′-azodibenzoic acid [3,3′-(diazenediyl)dibenzoic acid, H2azdc] and the auxiliary flexible ligand 1,4-bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl)butane (bimb), namely poly[[bis[μ2-1,4-bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl)butane-κ2N3:N3′][μ2-3,3′-(diazenediyl)dibenzoato-κ2O:O′]cadmium(II)] monohydrate], {[Cd(C14H8N2O4)(C10H14N2)2]·H2O}n, (1), was obtained by a typical solution reaction in mixed solvents (water andN,N′-dimethylformamide). Each CdIIcentre is six-coordinated by two O atoms of bis-monodentate bridging carboxylate groups from two azdc2−ligands and by four N atoms from four bimb ligands, forming an octahedral coordination environment. The CdIIions are connected by the bimb ligands, resulting in two-dimensional (4,4) layers, which are further pillared by the azdc2−ligands, affording a threefold interpenetrated three-dimensional α-Po topological framework with the Schläfli symbol 41263. The thermal stability and solid-state fluorescence properties of (1) have been investigated.
Lasers in manufacturing: a review of technologies and applications
Authors: Bogue Robert
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to provide details of the role that lasers play in manufacturing processes.

Design/methodology/approach

– Following an introduction, this paper first considers laser technologies used in welding, cutting and drilling. Techniques which add material or modify material’s properties, namely, pulsed laser deposition, laser cladding, heat treatment and laser peening are then discussed. A number of specific applications are cited and finally, brief conclusions are drawn.

Findings

– This paper shows that many laser-based processes are used to conduct a range of critical functions in the automotive, electronics, aerospace, power generation, medical and other industries.

Originality/value

– This paper illustrates the importance of lasers in a diversity of manufacturing processes.
Project barriers to Green Belts through critical success factors
Authors: Laux Chad , Johnson Mary , Cada Paul
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to utilize critical success factors (CSF) and identify items Green Belt (GB) practitioners note as barriers to completion of Six Sigma (SS) projects in a major manufacturer setting.

Design/methodology/approach

– The design of this paper is a descriptive study of a single location of a global manufacturer’s internal data and survey of accredited GBs who have completed an SS project for company accreditation utilizing company focus on CSFs.

Findings

– The results demonstrate the GB practitioners have competing priorities, have time constraints and lack project management skills that reduce timely completion of SS projects. Top management responsibility for SS GB projects are defined through the CSFs of leadership, project management and project selection.

Research limitations/implications

– This study pertains to the single manufacturing location of a major, multinational company. The survey of SS GBs is limited to those individuals who have become accredited to company requirements, in the initial stages of strategic implementation, resulting in a small sample size. All GB projects follow the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) methodology. The implications may be reproduced in similar environments where GBs conduct SS projects to test the robustness of the study.

Practical implications

– This study underscores the importance of proper coaching and mentoring of SS practitioners, especially those who are expected to contribute as GBs in a part-time manner. Implementation of SS goes beyond initial deployment and requires active mentoring of GB practitioners to make sure that SS projects get proper focus. The results are relevant to both researchers and practitioners.

Originality/value

– This paper examines SS projects with a GB perspective, an important contribution to SS but lacking in the literature. While GBs are important to SS implementation, and serve as a pathway to fulltime SS personnel, there are few studies that note this work. This study will support practitioners in the importance of wider SS deployment through active support of GBs, where top management responsibility for GB success is defined through CSFs for improvement.
18 comparative aspects between Lean and Six Sigma
Authors: Pacheco Diego , Pergher Isaac , Vaccaro Guilherme Luís Roehe , Jung Carlos Fernando , ten Caten Carla
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to presents a conceptual comparative analysis of Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, highlighting 18 critical aspects between such approaches and their respective implications for management decision-making.

Design/methodology/approach

– Qualitative approach based on the results obtained from literature review about Lean and Six Sigma.

Findings

– The main points of divergence between Lean and Six Sigma have been highlighted based on 18 criteria. Seventeen criteria are proposed as a result of a review of the literature and one criterion, and “quality control”, is suggested by the authors.

Research limitations/implications

– This article mitigates the literature gap regarding whether and how Lean and Six Sigma are synergistic approaches.

Practical implications

– This study enables decision-makers to evaluate the Lean and Six Sigma practices. The results of the analysis performed originated three observations: first, both approaches are predominantly complementary; second, it is possible to create a single model integrating both approaches studied in this research; and third, when Lean is implemented as stand-alone approach, it falls short of specific tools to leverage its full potential according to the complexity of the problem under consideration.

Originality/value

– This paper analyzes which aspects from Lean and Six Sigma can be learnt from organizational change and productivity improvement efforts. The analysis includes a comparison of 18 critical aspects for practical use of Lean and Six Sigma.
Mathematical model for deadlock resolution in multiple AGV scheduling and routing network: a case study
Authors: Fazlollahtabar Hamed , Saidi-Mehrabad Mohammad , Masehian Ellips
Published: May 2015

Purpose

This paper aims to propose and formulate a complicated routing/scheduling problem for multiple automated guided vehicles (AGVs) in a manufacturing system.

Design/methodology/approach

Considering the due date of AGVs requiring for material handling among shops in a jobshop layout, their earliness and tardiness are significant in satisfying the expected cycle time and from an economic view point. Therefore, the authors propose a mathematical program to minimize the penalized earliness and tardiness for a conflict-free and just-in-time production.

Findings

The model considers a new concept of turning point for deadlock resolution. As the mathematical program is difficult to solve with a conventional method, an optimization method in two stages, namely, searching the solution space and finding optimal solutions are proposed. The performance of the proposed mathematical model is tested in a numerical example.

Practical implications

A case study in real industrial environment is conducted. The findings lead the decision-makers to develop a user interface decision support as a simulator to plan the AGVs’ movement through the manufacturing network and help AGVs to prevent deadlock trap or conflicts. The proposed decision support can easily be commercialized.

Originality/value

The benefits of such commercialization are increase in the quality of material handling, improve the delivery time and prevent delays, decrease the cost of traditional handling, capability of computerized planning and control, intelligent tracking and validation experiments in simulation environment.
Counselor education cultural climate: underrepresented master’s students’ experiences
Authors: Baker Caroline A. , Gaulke Kayla , Smith Kenny
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of master ' s students of color in their counselor education graduate programs.

Design/methodology/approach

– Experience narratives, obtained from semi-structured phone interviews, provided transcript data for open- and axial-coding for emergent themes.

Findings

– The reports of nine participants revealed themes of student cultural awareness, representation, support, standards, advocacy and tokenism.

Research limitations/implications

– Qualitative studies are context-bound and lack validity and reliability in the same sense that quantitative studies do, so the findings from this study are only transferable as far as each reader applies them to personal experiences. Further, due to the diversity of the research team, participants made choices about what and how much to share about their counseling program experiences.

Practical implications

– Practical implications involve recruitment and retention of students of color in master’s counseling programs.

Social implications

– Social implications involve the changing demographics of the counseling profession.

Originality/value

– This study is one of few that specifically looks at the cultural climate of counselor education programs for underrepresented students. It aims to reveal areas for growth in cultural competence in graduate training programs in the counseling field.
Experiences of underrepresented doctoral students in counselor education
Authors: Baker Caroline A. , Moore, III James L.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This study aimed to qualitatively examine the perceived cultural competence of counselor education doctoral programs through narratives of 19 racially or ethnically underrepresented students using Critical Race Theory as a theoretical framework.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors used a qualitative study of 19 racially or ethnically underrepresented students.

Findings

– Six major themes were identified: playing the game; individual characteristics and attributes; intersectionality; support; voice; and talk the talk, walk the walk.

Research limitations/implications

– The limitations of the study included the identity of the primary researcher being a White female in a PhD program during the collection of data. While this was disclosed to the participants, it meant that they made decisions about what or how much to share about their experiences regarding race or doctoral study. The findings are only transferable to the reader’s experiences and interpretation and not generalizable to all counselor education programs.

Practical implications

– Practical and social implications for counselor education programs are discussed in the paper, including measures to enhance program climate and proactive behaviors that may contribute to student success.

Originality/value

– The study represents one of few that explore the cultural climate of counselor education programs for underrepresented students.
Navigating the development of pre-service teachers’ intercultural competence and understanding of diversity
Authors: Leh Jayne M. , Grau Maike , Guiseppe John A.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of online intercultural exchange (OIE) to mediate a cross-cultural project with pre-service teachers in two countries.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a population of convenience, students from one American and one German university were assigned to mixed multi-cultural project groups and collaborated outside of class to address the importance of diversity in education; two weeks later, students met face-to-face as a large group and discussed their findings. All students completed pre- and post-surveys to assess cultural preconceptions, pedagogical beliefs regarding technology-mediated instruction and globalization.

Findings

– Pre- and post-surveys and reflective essays indicated that OIE reduced concerns before meeting face-to-face and the process successfully facilitated a deeper understanding of cultural diversity in education.

Research limitations/implications

– Generalizing results given the limited time frame of OIE and face-to-face interactions to other populations is cautioned. Future research should investigate extended interactions.

Originality/value

– These results suggest the value of OIE with these pre-service teachers as an integrated method for teaching language and culture, broadening understanding of cultural diversity, and promoting familiarity in culturally diverse settings prior to an international field experience.
Sex, Gender and Work Segregation in the Cultural Industries
Authors: Hesmondhalgh David , Baker Sarah
Published: May 2015

This chapter addresses work ‘segregation’ by sex in the cultural industries. We outline some of the main forms this takes, according to our observations: the high presence of women in marketing and public relations roles; the high numbers of women in production co-ordination and similar roles; the domination of men of more prestigious creative roles; and the domination by men of technical jobs. We then turn to explanation: what gender dynamics drive such patterns of work segregation according to sex? Drawing on interviews, we claim that the following stereotypes or prevailing discourses, concerning the distinctive attributes of women and men, may influence such segregation: that women are more caring, supportive and nurturing; that women are better communicators; that women are ‘better organized’; and that men are more creative because they are less bound by rules.
Getting in, Getting on, Getting out? Women as Career Scramblers in the UK film and Television Industries
Authors: Wing-Fai Leung , Gill Rosalind , Randle Keith
Published: May 2015

This article looks at the predominance of freelancing in the film and television industries as a lens to examine the persistence of gender inequalities within these fields. Previous research has indicated that women fare better in larger organizations with more stable patterns of employment, and in this article we explore why that might be the case, by focusing on the experiences of female freelancers at a moment when project-based, precarious work and informal recruitment practices are increasing in the UK film and television sector. We highlight in particular the ways in which gender inequality is mediated by age and parental status, and the impact of intersectional identities on women's ability to sustain a career in film and television.
Birds of a Feather: Informal Recruitment Practices and Gendered Outcomes for Screenwriting Work in the UK Film Industry
Authors: Wreyford Natalie
Published: May 2015

The film industry offers an exemplary case study for examining the recruitment processes to which the ‘socialized worker’ ( Gill and Pratt, 2008 ) is subject. Even among the creative industries, film is exceptional in its reliance on networking and word of mouth as its primary – and in many cases only – tool for recruitment and for identifying the ‘right’ candidate for the job ( Blair, 2000a ). Increasingly there is evidence that reliance on personal networks and informal employment practices has different outcomes for men and women ( Grugulis and Stoyanova, 2012 ). Hiring on short-term contracts in a context of ambiguity, risk and uncertainty, necessitates reliance on social networks and informal subjective criteria, with outcomes that reinforce the status quo ( Bielby and Bielby, 1999 ). Fenstermaker, West and Zimmerman argue that to overcome gender inequality ‘we will need to understand the mechanisms by which it is sustained in institutional social arrangements’ ( Fenstermaker et al., 2002 : 38). This article will unpack how recruitment procedures that rely on ‘connections’ and ‘affinities of habitus’ ( Bourdieu, 1984 : 151) can contribute to the way that gender inequality is sustained for screenwriters.
Blowing your own Trumpet: Exploring the Gendered Dynamics of Self-Promotion in the Classical Music Profession
Authors: Scharff Christina
Published: May 2015

This chapter explores the gendered dynamics of self-promotion by drawing on 64 in-depth interviews with female, classically trained musicians in London and Berlin. As in other sectors in the cultural industries, the ability to self-promote is considered key to finding employment. However, many research participants were reluctant to engage in self-promotion. First, it was associated with pushy behaviour that conflicts with normative expectations that women are modest. Second, self-promotion was regarded as a commercial activity and positioned as unartistic. Taking into account that women have been constructed as the artist's Other, engagement in self-promotion may threaten their already tenuous status as artists. Lastly, the notion of selling yourself may evoke the spectre of prostitution due to the sexualization of female musicians and the fact that it is mainly women who sell their bodies. As I will show, these gendered dynamics do not mean that female musicians are unable to pursue self-promotion, but that they engage in a range of discursive strategies to negotiate and secure their identities as female artists.
‘Egotist’, ‘Masochist’, ‘Supplicant’: Charlie and Donald Kaufman and the Gendered Screenwriter as Creative Worker
Authors: Conor Bridget
Published: May 2015

This article offers a gendered reading of the screenwriter as creative worker in the context of the unequal socio-economy of screenwriting work. A number of ideal subject positions for the screenwriter are evoked in screenwriting manuals, pedagogies and representations of writers themselves, in particular, the ‘egotist’, the ‘masochist’ and the ‘supplicant’. These subjects are masculine in orientation although rarely acknowledged in gendered terms. The article draws on findings from a three-year study of British screenwriters but for the purposes of this volume, focuses on on-screen portrayals of screenwriting work. In particular, the analysis looks at the film Adaptation (2002) and the ways in which the film and its characters embody these subject positions. Not only are these ideal types circulated and recirculated in discourse about screenwriting as creative work but they are constitutive of screenwriting as a profession and a representative sphere.
Genre Anxiety: Women Travel Writers' Experience of Work
Authors: Alacovska Ana
Published: May 2015

This article explores how the concept of genre can enrich our understanding of gender inequality in media industries. All media work takes place within genre-specific production worlds, which seem to be gender-segregated. By examining the gendered and gendering ideology of genres, an outcome of genre-gender discursive, historical and cultural crossover, we obtain a holistic view of the complexities of the psycho-biographical gender dynamics of media work. To this end, I trace the ways in which the andocentric genre of travel writing (a genre based on a masculine ideology) causes professional anxiety and constrains female travel writers' biographical identity work. By treating genres as mediators of work experiences and practices, I elucidate how contemporary female travel writers experience and cope with genre-induced anxiety.
Fearing the “Turk” and Feeling the Spirit: Emotion and Conversion in the Early Modern Mediterranean
Authors: Dursteler Eric R
Published: May 2015

The early modern period was an age of expansive religious refashioning and upheaval. In the Mediterranean this was the golden age of the renegade, as converts, particularly from Christianity to Islam, were termed. While fear was almost universally evoked in these cases, there is ample evidence of widespread voluntary conversion in the Mediterranean. Emphasising violence allowed converts, particularly those seeking reconciliation, to situate the locus of agency outside themselves and thus redirect blame to those responsible for their alleged mistreatment. Evoking fear and violence, whether true or not, was a socially acceptable way to justify conversion, was validated by inquisitors as an acceptable motivation for apostasy, and usually led to a quick reconciliation. There is no question that a certain degree of trepidation informed decisions to convert, but we should be cautious in accepting at face value repetitive claims of coercion. It is likely that many of the converts who attributed their conversions to coercion may in fact have been motivated by other factors, and only retrospectively evoked fear to mask their apostasy, or rather to make it more palatable, and to ease their re‐entry into their faith communities.
Low‐affinity TCR engagement drives IL‐2‐dependent post‐thymic maintenance of naive CD4+ T cells in aged humans
Authors: van der Geest Kornelis S. M. , Abdulahad Wayel H. , Teteloshvili Nato , Tete Sarah M. , Peters Jorieke H. , Horst Gerda , Lorencetti Pedro G. , Bos Nicolaas A. , Lambeck Annechien , Roozendaal Caroline , Kroesen Bart‐Jan , Koenen Hans J. P. M. , Joosten Irma , Brouwer Elisabeth , Boots Annemieke M. H.
Published: May 2015

Insight into the maintenance of naive T cells is essential to understand defective immune responses in the context of aging and other immune compromised states. In humans, naive CD4+ T cells, in contrast to CD8+ T cells, are remarkably well retained with aging. Here, we show that low‐affinity TCR engagement is the main driving force behind the emergence and accumulation of naive‐like CD4+ T cells with enhanced sensitivity to IL‐2 in aged humans. In vitro, we show that these CD45RA+CD25dimCD4+ T cells can develop from conventional naive CD25−CD4+ T cells upon CD3 cross‐linking alone, in the absence of costimulation, rather than via stimulation by the homeostatic cytokines IL‐2, IL‐7, or IL‐15. In vivo, TCR engagement likely occurs in secondary lymphoid organs as these cells were detected in lymph nodes and spleen where they showed signs of recent activation. CD45RA+CD25dimCD4+ T cells expressed a broad TCRVβ repertoire and could readily differentiate into functional T helper cells. Strikingly, no expansion of CD45RA+CD25dimCD8+ T cells was detected with aging, thereby implying that maintenance of naive CD4+ T cells is uniquely regulated. Our data provide novel insight into the homeostasis of naive T cells and may guide the development of therapies to preserve or restore immunity in the elderly.
Airway scleromas and their extensions
Authors: Molumi Charles P. , Dubey Siba P.
Published: May 2015

Background

Scleroma is a rare, chronic, granulomatous infectious disease of the respiratory tract mucosa which begins in the nose and spreads to the respiratory tract and adjoining structures. We report on the extensions and the management of 134 cases of scleroma in the Highlands region of Papua New Guinea.

Methods

The charts and treatment records of 134 scleroma cases were retrospectively reviewed from 1995 to 2013. The staging, extensions, treatment and results of treatment were reviewed and analysed.

Results

Of the 134 cases, 72 (53.7%) were females and the age ranged from 6 to 65 years. The disease was confined to the nose and nasopharynx in 71 (53.0%) cases. Extension of the disease from the nose to the Eustachian tube occurred in nine (6.7%) cases and into the middle ear in four (3.0%) cases. Further extensions to the larynx and trachea were seen in 17 (12.7%) cases each and the bronchus in three (2.2%) cases. Primary laryngoscleroma without involvement of the nose and nasopharyngeal stenosis without laryngeal involvement were managed in 11 (8.2%) and nine (6.7%) cases respectively. Others cases treated were ethmoid scleroma with proptosis and scleroma involving the upper lip in one (0.75%) case each. Ninety‐nine (74.9%) patients were treated medically while 35 (26.1%) patients required surgery. Cure were achieved in 83 (61.9%) cases treated medically and 26 (19.4%) had successful surgical outcome.

Conclusion

Scleroma begins in the nose and when not arrested, extends causing obstruction to the airway and cosmetic deformity which requires surgical intervention.
The Hemodynamic Effects of Hemodialysis Needle Rotation and Orientation in an Idealized Computational Model
Authors: Fulker David , Simmons Anne , Kabir Kaveh , Kark Lauren , Barber Tracie
Published: May 2015

Maintaining the patency of vascular access is essential for performing efficient hemodialysis. Appropriate cannulation technique is critical in maintaining the integrity of vascular access. This study focused on analyzing the hemodynamic effect of needle rotation, which is performed to alleviate the pressure if the needle becomes attached to the blood vessel wall. The hemodynamic benefits (normal wall shear stress [WSS] and smooth flow with no oscillatory motion) of this technique are investigated in an idealized model of the cephalic vein in order to determine a needle position that will reduce conditions known to contribute to vascular access failure. A computational fluid dynamics study was conducted, with antegrade and retrograde orientations simulated on the arterial needle, whereas the venous needle is placed in the antegrade orientation. In every case, needle rotation offered no hemodynamic benefit in minimizing the conditions known to cause endothelial damage, a precursor to vascular access failure. Venous needle rotation reduced the maximum WSS by 30%. However, the WSS was above the range, which may damage the endothelial layer. The arterial needle in the antegrade orientation produced a large region of oscillatory shear, whereas a retrograde orientation produced a region of smooth flow in the vicinity of the needle with only a small region of oscillatory shear. The flow through the venous needle back eye was negligible, whereas the arterial needle back eye was more efficient in the retrograde orientation. Therefore, the venous needle should not be rotated, whereas the arterial needle may be rotated to alleviate pressure with consideration given to the orientation of the needle.
Hydration in non‐suckling neonatal Brahman‐cross calves
Authors: Fordyce G , Olchowy TWJ , Anderson A
Published: May 2015

Objective

To identify measures that most closely relate to hydration in healthy Brahman‐cross neonatal calves that experience milk deprivation.

Methods

In a dry tropical environment, eight neonatal Brahman‐cross calves were prevented from suckling for 2–3 days during which measurements were performed twice daily.

Results

Mean body water, as estimated by the mean urea space, was 74 ± 3% of body weight at full hydration. The mean decrease in hydration was 7.3 ± 1.1% per day. The rate of decrease was more than three‐fold higher during the day than at night. At an ambient temperature of 39°C, the decrease in hydration averaged 1.1% hourly. Measures that were most useful in predicting the degree of hydration in both simple and multiple‐regression prediction models were body weight, hindleg length, girth, ambient and oral temperatures, eyelid tenting, alertness score and plasma sodium. These parameters are different to those recommended for assessing calves with diarrhoea. Single‐measure predictions had a standard error of at least 5%, which reduced to 3–4% if multiple measures were used.

Conclusion

We conclude that simple assessment of non‐suckling Brahman‐cross neonatal calves can estimate the severity of dehydration, but the estimates are imprecise. Dehydration in healthy neonatal calves that do not have access to milk can exceed 20% (>15% weight loss) in 1–3 days under tropical conditions and at this point some are unable to recover without clinical intervention.
The proportional odds cumulative incidence model for competing risks
Authors: Eriksson Frank , Li Jianing , Scheike Thomas , Zhang Mei‐Jie
Published: May 2015

We suggest an estimator for the proportional odds cumulative incidence model for competing risks data. The key advantage of this model is that the regression parameters have the simple and useful odds ratio interpretation. The model has been considered by many authors, but it is rarely used in practice due to the lack of reliable estimation procedures. We suggest such procedures and show that their performance improve considerably on existing methods. We also suggest a goodness‐of‐fit test for the proportional odds assumption. We derive the large sample properties and provide estimators of the asymptotic variance. The method is illustrated by an application in a bone marrow transplant study and the finite‐sample properties are assessed by simulations.
Carroll, Jude (2015) Tools for teaching in an educationally mobile worldRoutledge (New York & London) isbn978‐0‐415‐72801‐0 203 pp £26.99 http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415728010/
Authors: Cowan John
Published: May 2015

This splendid book presents ideas for diverse student groups about adjusting and adapting teaching approaches to promote learning more effectively. Given today's circumstances, it will be of immediate use to virtually all university teachers, whatever their professional experience. If the content of this book is likely to be relevant to you – and how can it not be? – I strongly recommend that you buy a copy for your own use.

John Cowan
Parette, Howard & Blum, Craig ed (2013) Instructional technology in early childhoodBrookes Publishing (Baltimore & Eurospan, London) isbn978‐1‐59857‐245‐2 xvi+262 pp £34.95 http://products.brookespublishing.com/Instructional‐Technology‐in‐Early‐Childhood‐P672.aspx
Authors: García Laborda Jesús
Published: May 2015

Parents and teachers of toddlers need a sound guide to the use of information technology (it) in and out of school. This welcome volume offers food for thought and practical tips to help their tutors to implement it with nursery children. It is a must for new and experienced teachers using it in pre‐school (and infants') education. Is this book likely to be really relevant? If so, I recommend that you buy a copy.

Jesús García Laborda
‘What is the impact of birth family contact on children in adoption and long‐term foster care?’ A systematic review
Authors: Boyle Caroline
Published: May 2015

Contact plans for children in adoption and long‐term foster care are decided on a case‐by‐case basis, as directed by the paramountcy principle in the Children Act (1989). The idea that birth family contact helps children resolve issues around attachment, separation and loss, and identity is prevalent in social work practice. However, evidence revealing the detrimental impact of contact has been used to support increasingly restrictive legislation. The current review aims to provide policy‐makers and social workers with a resource to guide decisions in permanency planning by evaluating this evidence and reported outcomes for children. The research question and exclusion/inclusion criteria were formulated and used to develop a search strategy. Of the 412 potential titles returned, 11 were of sufficient quality to include in the thematic synthesis. Results were mixed and significantly influenced by moderator variables such as the pre‐existing relationship between children and their birth families. Outcomes were particularly positive when there was a collaborative approach between birth families and adoptive parents or foster carers. Outcomes tended to be poorest for children who had ongoing contact with maltreating birth parents. The review findings support current policy and previous research in recommending a more reflexive approach to assessing and planning contact.
Mycosis fungoides with epidermal mucinosis: a variant of mycosis fungoides with a spongiosis‐like pattern
Authors: Hu Stephanie W. , Ratech Howard , Naeem Rizwan , Latkowski Jo‐Ann , Kamino Hideko
Published: May 2015

Background

The histopathologic diagnosis of mycosis fungoides (MF) has classically relied on the presence of atypical epidermotropic T‐lymphocytes predominating over spongiosis. However, in some cases of MF, prominent epidermal mucinosis in a spongiosis‐like pattern mimics a spongiotic dermatitis. To our knowledge, only one series in the literature has thus far recognized the presence of epidermal mucinosis in MF.

Methods

We evaluated 30 skin biopsies from 18 patients with the clinical diagnosis of MF, which fulfilled all histopathologic criteria for patch‐ or plaque‐stage MF, but also showed epidermal mucinosis in a spongiosis‐like pattern. A total of 15 specimens were studied by immunohistochemistry, and seven were tested for T‐cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements. Twenty biopsies of spongiotic dermatitides were included as controls.

Results

We confirmed the presence of epidermal mucinosis in all 30 cases of MF with a spongiosis‐like pattern based on histopathologic criteria and the colloidal iron stain for mucin. Immunohistochemistry in 15 specimens showed significant loss of pan‐T‐cell antigens CD5 (10/15) and CD7 (14/15); and TCR clonality was detected in 7 specimens from 6 patients, supporting the diagnosis of MF.

Conclusions

We report helpful histopathologic criteria for distinguishing MF with epidermal mucinosis in a spongiosis‐like pattern from spongiotic dermatitis.
Comorbidity in developmental coordination disorder and active epilepsy
Authors: Cairney John
Published: May 2015

This commentary is on the original article by Reilly et al. on pages 829–834 of this issue.
Tailoring neuromotor interventions for children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Bassan Haim
Published: May 2015

This commentary is on the original article by Rackauskaite et al. on pages 948–954 of this issue.
Take‐up of Free School Meals: Price Effects and Peer Effects
Authors: Holford Angus
Published: May 2015

29% of the 1.4 million eligible children do not participate in the UK's Free School Meals programme. Like other welfare benefits, take‐up of free school meals is affected by stigma and lack of information. This paper uses a fixed‐effect instrumental variables strategy to evaluate the role of peer‐group participation in overcoming these barriers. Identification of endogenous peer effects is achieved by exploiting a scheme that extended free school meal entitlement to all children in some areas. Results show that a 10 percentage point rise in peer‐group take‐up reduces non‐participation by 3.3–4.0 percentage points, or between 29% and 35%.
Neo‐Marxism and Schooling
Authors: Liston Daniel P.
Published: May 2015

(see review in Educational Theory 64, no. 2 [2014]: 179–194; Claudia W. Ruitenberg, On Consumerism, Collective Action, and Whether Art Teaches Anything, and René V. Arcilla, Mediumism: A Philosophical Reconstruction of Modernism for Existential Learning [Albany: State University of New York Press, 2010])
Reframing the Question of Whether Education Can Change Society
Authors: Apple Michael W.
Published: May 2015

Among the most important questions critical educators can ask today are the following: Can schools play a role in making a more just society possible? If not, why not? If so, what can they do? These questions provide the basis for this article by Michael Apple, as well as for the books under discussion here. The books by David Blacker, John Marsh, Mike Cole, and Pauline Lipman discussed in this essay are either Marxist, have been influenced by Marxist and socialist ideas, or are published by presses that have a long history of publishing material with a Marxist and/or socialist orientation. In order to adequately deal with them, Apple devotes much of this essay to a set of arguments about the possibilities and limits of these ideas. After specifying those arguments, he discusses how they are developed in the books themselves. He grounds this discussion in a call for creating a broader “we” that is based on a more historically grounded understanding of the ways in which struggles over schooling actually can make a difference.
The role of rock fragments in crack and soil structure development: a laboratory experiment with a Vertisol
Authors: Gargiulo L. , Mele G. , Terribile F.
Published: May 2015

A large number of factors that influence soil surface cracking behaviour in swell‐shrink soils have been studied, but there are few studies on the influence of rock fragments on crack development. Effects of rock fragments have been investigated with reference to the soil pore system but they have mainly been studied indirectly through measurements of water flow and/or bulk density changes. A laboratory experiment was carried out with repacked soil samples that were prepared by adding rock fragments of three different sizes (2–4, 4–8 and 12–16 mm) to a Vertisol at two different rates (10 and 25% by volume). Soil image analysis procedures were applied in order to describe quantitatively the network of surface cracks and the pore system to a depth of 8 cm below the surface, which developed after wetting‐drying cycles. Mean values and standard deviations of surface crack or pore widths decreased with the increase in rock fragment content and the decrease in rock fragment size, while the density of the ‘skeleton’ of the crack and pore networks increased. Rock fragments also induced vertical homogenization of the soil structure. The number of rock fragments was a key factor in determining some crack network characteristics, inducing inverse variations in mean width and skeleton density of the crack or pore network. Overall results suggested that rock fragments acted as triggering points for crack and pore development in Vertisols. The findings of this work provide a contribution to the understanding of the mechanisms of crack network and soil structure development that are induced by stones in swell‐shrink soils.
Clinical evaluation of a jejunojejunal end‐to‐end anastomosis with skin staples with or without coverage by a mesenteric flap
Authors: Gandini M. , Giusto G.
Published: May 2015

This study describes a novel end‐to‐end‐jejunojejunal‐anastomotic technique using skin staples following resection of compromised small intestine. Five horses were referred with colic and underwent exploratory laparotomy, resection and anastomosis. No long‐term complications were recorded at 12 months. This safe and effective technique may be used in equine gastrointestinal surgery.
Water Level Declines in the High Plains Aquifer: Predevelopment to Resource Senescence
Authors: Haacker Erin M. K. , Kendall Anthony D. , Hyndman David W.
Published: May 2015

A large imbalance between recharge and water withdrawal has caused vital regions of the High Plains Aquifer (HPA) to experience significant declines in storage. A new predevelopment map coupled with a synthesis of annual water levels demonstrates that aquifer storage has declined by approximately 410 km3 since the 1930s, a 15% larger decline than previous estimates. If current rates of decline continue, much of the Southern High Plains and parts of the Central High Plains will have insufficient water for irrigation within the next 20 to 30 years, whereas most of the Northern High Plains will experience little change in storage. In the western parts of the Central and northern part of the Southern High Plains, saturated thickness has locally declined by more than 50%, and is currently declining at rates of 10% to 20% of initial thickness per decade. The most agriculturally productive portions of the High Plains will not support irrigated production within a matter of decades without significant changes in management.
Integrated analysis of safety data from 12 clinical interventional studies of plasma‐ and albumin‐free recombinant factor VIII (rAHF‐PFM) in haemophilia A
Authors: Shapiro A. D. , Schoenig‐Diesing C. , Silvati‐Fidell L. , Wong W. Y. , Romanov V.
Published: May 2015

Introduction

Antihaemophilic factor (recombinant), plasma/albumin‐free method (rAHF‐PFM) is a human recombinant full‐length factor VIII (FVIII) approved worldwide for the control and prevention of bleeding episodes, routine prophylaxis and perioperative management in adults and children with haemophilia A.

Aim

To evaluate rAHF‐PFM safety [including adverse events (AEs) and inhibitor incidence] from 12 interventional studies spanning >10 years.

Methods

The study population comprised 418 treated patients (median age = 18.7 years) with FVIII levels ≤2% of normal, including 55 previously untreated or minimally treated patients (PUPs/MTPs) from all rAHF‐PFM phase I–IV studies, excluding observational safety studies.

Results

Most AEs were non‐serious; only 93 AEs in 45 patients (10.8%) were related to rAHF‐PFM. A total of 106 serious AEs (SAEs) occurred in 69 patients (16.5%); the most common were FVIII inhibitors (4.1%), device‐related infection (1.0%) and pyrexia (0.7%). The 17 SAEs considered related to treatment consisted of FVIII inhibitors in 1 previously treated patient (PTP) (≤5 Bethesda Units [BU]) and 16 PUPs/MTPs [7/55 high titre (>5 BU), 12.7%; 9/55 low titre (≤5 BU), 16.4%]. Overall, the incidence of FVIII inhibitors was 0.36% in PTPs and 29.1% in PUPs/MTPs. No deaths or cases of hypersensitivity related to rAHF‐PFM occurred.

Conclusion

This integrated safety analysis evaluated the safety and tolerability of rAHF‐PFM in children and adults with moderately severe or severe haemophilia A in all interventional studies completed to date. It was important to review consolidated evidence as some AEs are rare. There were no new safety signals in a wide variety of clinical settings.
Collagen‐like peptide sequences inhibit bacterial invasion of root dentine
Authors: Brittan J. L. , Sprague S. V. , Huntley S. P. , Bell C. N. A. , Jenkinson H. F. , Love R. M.
Published: May 2015

Aim

To investigate the effects of peptides derived from the sequence of collagen to inhibit penetration of human or bovine dentine by species of streptococci and enterococci.

Methodology

Blocks of human or bovine root dentine were infected for 14 days with bacterial cultures, in the presence or absence of various collagen‐like peptide sequences. Invasion of dentinal tubules was determined from microscopic images of histochemically stained dentine thin sections. Extent of invasion was expressed as tubule invasion index (TI), or tubule invasion factor (TIF) which, in addition to the density of invasion, took into account the depth of invasion. Data were analysed by two‐way anova.

Results

Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus mutans and Enterococcus faecalis were associated with heavy invasion (TI >2.5, TIF >4) of human or bovine root dentinal tubules, with E. faecalis being the most penetrative. Incorporation of peptides Gly–Pro–Ala or Gly–Pro–Hyp into the in vitro model system significantly reduced (P < 0.05) dentine invasion by the three species of highly invasive organisms. Inhibition of bacterial invasion by the peptides was dose dependent, and the peptides did not inhibit bacterial growth in culture.

Conclusion

Specific collagen‐like peptide sequences inhibited the invasion of dentine in vitro by a range of oral bacteria. The peptides likely act as competitive inhibitors blocking bacterial collagen receptors and could potentially allow for target‐specific control of dentine infections.
Bladder augmentation in children and young adults: a review of published literature
Authors: Doyle Sarah , Carter Bernie , Bray Lucy , Sanders Caroline
Published: May 2015

The objective of this study is to review published literature on bladder augmentation in children and young adults (C&YA) with a neuropathic bladder following a neural tube defect or spinal cord injury to inform nursing practice and patient education. Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and the British Nursing Index were systematically searched to identify studies. The papers reviewed were case studies and medical note review in single centres regarding outcome and post‐operative complications. This limits the generalisability of the findings surrounding outcome and risk of bladder augmentation surgery in C&YA. Evidence suggests irrigation has a role in ongoing bladder management to reduce complications such as bladder calculi. However, data are sparse regarding both appropriate irrigation solutions and the frequency of irrigation necessary to minimise calculi formation. A statistically significant increase is noted in the risk of perforation following bladder augmentation when associated with bladder neck surgery at the time of primary surgery. Limited evidence exists regarding longer term systemic implications of bladder augmentation, such as malignancy or impact on bone mineral density. None of the studies demonstrated an overall improvement in health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) following bladder augmentation. Discrepancies exist between parental and children's HRQoL scores. Bladder augmentation is clinically the standard surgical treatment used to manage refractory neuropathic bladder. However, current evidence demonstrates no improvements to HRQoL following surgery and also describes various complications. Future research in this area is necessary to explore standards of care and most importantly long‐term outcome measures from the patient and professional perspective.
Role of long‐term mechanical circulatory support in patients with advanced heart failure
Authors: Stokes M. B. , Bergin P. , McGiffin D.
Published: May 2015

Advanced heart failure represents a small proportion of patients with heart failure that possess high‐risk features associated with high hospital readmission rates, significant functional impairment and mortality. Identification of those who have progressed to, or are near a state of advanced heart failure should prompt referral to a service that offers therapies in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) and cardiac transplantation. MCS has grown as a management strategy in the care of these patients, most commonly as a bridge to cardiac transplantation. The predominant utilisation of MCS is implantation of left ventricular assist devices (LVAD), which have evolved significantly in their technology and application over the past 15–20 years. The technology has evolved to such an extent that Destination Therapy is now being utilised as a strategy in management of advanced heart failure in appropriately selected patients. Complication rates have decreased with VAD implantation, but remain a significant consideration in the decision to implant a device, and in the follow up of these patients.