bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mentalizing Abilities in Preadolescents’ and Their Mothers’ Autobiographical Narratives
Authors: Scopesi Alda M. , Rosso Anna Maria , Viterbori Paola , Panchieri Erika
Published: May 2014

This study aims to investigate the association between the mental state talk of mothers and their preadolescent children, with the hypothesis that an intergenerational transmission of mentalizing abilities may extend beyond early childhood. The participants were 41 mother−preadolescent child nonclinical dyads. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and the Child Attachment Interview (CAI) were administered to the mothers and their children, respectively, to evaluate the frequency and the quality of their mental state talk. The AAI transcripts were coded according to the Reflective Functioning Scale. Analyses revealed a clear albeit complex relationship between the mentalizing abilities of mothers and their preadolescent children. The correlations between the mental state talk of mothers and children were generally limited. In contrast, children’s use of mental terms was significantly predicted by maternal education and maternal reflective functioning, whereas the production of markers of uncertainty in children was associated with the mothers’ use of markers of uncertainty.
From Policy “Frames” to “Framing”
Authors: van Hulst Merlijn , Yanow Dvora
Published: May 2014

The concept of frames or framing, especially cast as “frame analysis,” has an established history in public policy. Taking off from the work of Donald Schön and Martin Rein, we develop the idea of policy analytic fram ing, the more dynamic of the two terms, in ways that strengthen what we see as its promise for a more process-oriented and politically sensitive understanding of the activities it is used to characterize. We argue that such an approach needs to engage the following aspects of the work that framing does: sense-making; selecting, naming, and categorizing; and storytelling. In addition, frame theorizing needs to engage not only the way issues are framed but also the intertwining of framing and frame-makers’ identities, and the meta-communicative framing of policy processes.
Identifying Consumer Value Co-created through Social Support within Online Health Communities
Authors: Stewart Loane Susan , Webster Cynthia M. , D’Alessandro Steven
Published: May 2014

Consumers increasingly turn to online health communities for health information and social support. Yet, the type of value consumers derive from online health communities is not well understood. This study examines social support as the mechanism through which consumers co-create and experience different types of value. Cutrona and Russell’s typology of social support and Holbrook’s consumer value typology are applied to posts and threads obtained from two online communities for people with Parkinson’s Disease and ALS. Results demonstrate that online health communities give consumers the opportunity to create and experience forms of consumer value that would not otherwise be available in a traditional health delivery system. The results lend support to a re-conceptualisation of medical practice and health delivery for consumers with chronic conditions.
Ultrastructural Abnormalities of the Trabecular Meshwork Extracellular Matrix in Cyp1b1-Deficient Mice
Authors: Teixeira L. B. C. , Zhao Y. , Dubielzig R. R. , Sorenson C. M. , Sheibani N.
Published: May 2014

Cytochrome P450 1B1 ( CYP1B1) is highly expressed in human and murine ocular tissues during development. Mutations in this gene are implicated in the development of primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) in humans. Mice deficient in Cyp1b1 ( Cyp1b1–/–) present developmental abnormalities similar to human primary congenital glaucoma. The present work describes the ultrastructural morphology of the iridocorneal angle of 21 eyes from 1-week-old to 8-month-old Cyp1b1–/– mice. Morphometric and semiquantitative analysis of the data revealed that 3-week-old Cyp1b1–/– mice present a significantly ( P < .005) decreased amount of trabecular meshwork (TM) collagen and higher TM endothelial cell and collagen lesion scores ( P < .005) than age-matched controls. Collagen loss and lesion scores were progressively increased in older animals, with 8-month-old animals presenting severe atrophy of the TM. Our findings advance the understanding of the effects of CYP1B1 mutations in TM development and primary congenital glaucoma, as well as suggest a link between TM morphologic alterations and increased intraocular pressure.
Histology and Clinical Outcome of Benign and Malignant Vascular Lesions Primary to Feline Cervical Lymph Nodes
Authors: Roof-Wages E. , Spangler T. , Spangler W. L. , Siedlecki C. T.
Published: May 2014

A novel form of primary feline hemangiosarcoma and additional cases of plexiform vascularization in the cervical lymph nodes are reported. Sixteen cases of feline lymphadenopathy attributed to abnormal vascular proliferation were identified and evaluated. Most of these lesions were diagnosed histologically as hemangiosarcoma. However, lesions of plexiform vascularization, with and without areas of putative malignant transformation, were also identified. Mean age of the cats was 11 years (range, 3–16 years) with most being domestic shorthair and medium hair (13). Two domestic long hair and 1 Maine Coon were identified. Excisional nodal biopsy was performed in 15 cases and incisional biopsy in 1 case. Six cats were euthanized due to their disease. Survival times ranged from ≤1 month to ≥30 months. We provide a new clinical differential for cervical lymphadenopathy in cats that is not widely recognized. Proper identification of primary nodal vascular lesions in cats will enable further characterization of clinical features and biologic behavior to determine specific therapy.
Health-promoting behaviors in South African music students: A replication study
Authors: Panebianco-Warrens Clorinda R. , Fletcher Lizelle , Kreutz Gunter
Published: May 2014

The study evaluated self-reported health-promoting behaviors and psychosocial well-being of undergraduate music students ( n = 144) and was designed as an attempt to replicate and extend previous studies. The goals were (a) to differentiate those behaviors in undergraduate music students, and (b) to examine the influences of gender and instrument played. Participants completed the health-promoting lifestyle inventory (HPLP-II), the self-efficacy (SES) and the self-regulation (SRS), scales, as well as the positive and negative affect (PANAS) scale. Results show overall deficiencies in music students’ healthy habits, which is in line with previous studies. Generally, low values were found for health responsibility, physical activity, stress management and nutrition. Female students, however, achieved significantly better results for nutrition choices. Keyboard players were found to be the weakest group in health-promoting behaviors. Significant correlations were found between the subscales of the HPLP-II, self-efficacy (SES), self-regulation (SRS) and emotional state (PANAS). These results similar to other studies, moreover, support the assumption that music students’ healthy behaviors generalize across different socio-cultural contexts.
Communicating musical knowledge through gesture: Piano teachers’ gestural behaviours across different levels of student proficiency
Authors: Simones Lilian Lima , Rodger Matthew , Schroeder Franziska
Published: May 2014

Teachers’ communication of musical knowledge through physical gesture represents a valuable pedagogical field in need of investigation. This exploratory case study compares the gestural behaviour of three piano teachers while giving individual lessons to students who differed according to piano proficiency levels. The data was collected by video recordings of one-to-one piano lessons and gestures were categorized using two gesture classifications: the spontaneous co-verbal gesture classification (McNeill, 1992; 2005) and spontaneous co-musical gesture classification (Simones, Schroeder & Rodger, 2013). Poisson regression analysis and qualitative observation suggest a relationship between teachers’ didactic intentions and the types of gesture they produced while teaching, as shown by differences in gestural category frequency between teaching students of higher and lower levels of proficiency. Such reported agreement between teachers’ gestural approach in relation to student proficiency levels indicates a teachers’ gestural scaffolding approach whereby teachers adapted gestural communicative channels to suit students’ specific conceptual skill levels.
RFID technology for hazardous waste management and tracking
Authors: Namen Anderson Amendoeira , da Costa Brasil Felipe , Abrunhosa Jorge José Gouveia , Abrunhosa Glaucia Gomes Silva , Tarré Ricardo Martinez , Marques Flávio José Garcia
Published: May 2014

The illegal dumping of hazardous waste is one of the most concerning occurrences related to illegal waste activities. The waste management process is quite vulnerable, especially when it comes to assuring the right destination for the delivery of the hazardous waste. The purpose of this paper is to present a new system design and prototype for applying the RFID technology so as to guarantee the correct destination for the hazardous waste delivery. The aim of this innovative approach, compared with other studies that employ the same technology to the waste disposal process, is to focus on the certification that the hazardous waste will be delivered to the right destination site and that no inappropriate disposal will occur in the transportation stage. These studies were carried out based on data collected during visits to two hazardous waste producer companies in Brazil, where the material transportation and delivery to a company in charge of the waste disposal were closely monitored.
Lootable resources and third-party intervention into civil wars
Authors: Findley Michael G. , Marineau Josiah F.
Published: May 2014

Third parties intervene in ongoing civil wars frequently and at times with nefarious intentions. In this paper, we consider the possibility that lootable natural resources motivate third parties to intervene in wars on the side of the opposition. Such resources offer a host of benefits to the intervener, including resource extraction and greater likelihood of rebel success. When rebels have access to lootable resources, we hypothesize that third parties will be more likely to intervene on the side of the rebels and simultaneously less likely to intervene on behalf of the government. Rare-events logit and split population (mixture-cure) survival models, in conjunction with close attention to the mechanisms found in individual cases, offer support for the theoretical argument. This paper advances our understanding of the motivations for intervention into civil war by highlighting the largely neglected role of economic factors in motivating opposition-biased interventions. It further adds insights into the role of natural resources in civil wars by shifting emphasis away from domestic combatants towards the motives of outside states.
Jane Doe
Authors: Putnam Frank W.
Published: May 2014

Historically, clinical case reports have played an essential role in the professional communication of medical and psychiatric knowledge. Case reports continue to play important roles in the initial identification of new syndromes or unusual variants of established conditions. Case reports and case series also serve to alert clinicians to preliminary evidence of the efficacy of novel treatments or adaptations to new populations. The Jane Doe Case provides a seminal example of the ethical/medico-legal dilemma arising from a patient’s right to confidentiality versus the principle of independent review/replication as a necessary requirement for scientific credibility. As a result of being the subject of dueling case reports concerning the validity of her delayed recall of childhood sexual abuse, Jane Doe’s identity was revealed. Consequently, she suffered significant emotional distress, bankruptcy, and the end of her career as a naval officer and aviator. Current medical journal guidelines call for protection of confidentiality of the patient’s identity; yet, scientific credibility requires the possibility of an independent outside review if there are legitimate reasons to question facts or claims advanced in a case report. A potential solution is proposed as a starting point for resolving the dilemma posed for case study subjects and authors by the conflicting requirements of patient confidentiality and, if warranted, the possibility of an independent scientific review.
The Influence of Luxury Brands’ Cross-Border Acquisition on Consumer Brand Perception
Authors: Chung Kyunghwa , Youn Chorong , Lee Yuri
Published: May 2014

With global recession and growing international competition among brands, cross-border acquisitions (CBAs) are increasing in the luxury industry. Since country-of-origin (COO) plays a large role in a luxury brand’s image, a CBA that changes the nationality of the company owning the luxury brand and modifies consumer COO knowledge can influence consumer brand perception. This study explores the influence of a luxury brand’s CBA on perceived brand value and the moderation effect of brand loyalty. In the case of a CBA by a company associated with a superior country image, only perceptions of low-loyalty consumers are affected positively by the CBA information. In the case of a CBA by a company associated with an inferior country image, only perceptions of high-loyalty consumers are affected negatively by the CBA information. The result of this study provides a deep understanding of how consumer brand perception is influenced by the changes of brand-country association.
Reflections on Researcher Identity and Power: The Impact of Positionality on Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Processes and Outcomes
Authors: Muhammad Michael , Wallerstein Nina , Sussman Andrew L. , Avila Magdalena , Belone Lorenda , Duran Bonnie
Published: May 2014

The practice of community based participatory research (CBPR) has evolved over the past 20 years with the recognition that health equity is best achieved when academic researchers form collaborative partnerships with communities. This article theorizes the possibility that core principles of CBPR cannot be realistically applied unless unequal power relations are identified and addressed. It provides theoretical and empirical perspectives for understanding power, privilege, researcher identity and academic research team composition, and their effects on partnering processes and health disparity outcomes. The team’s processes of conducting seven case studies of diverse partnerships in a national cross-site CBPR study are analyzed; the multi-disciplinary research team’s self-reflections on identity and positionality are analyzed, privileging its combined racial, ethnic, and gendered life experiences, and integrating feminist and post-colonial theory into these reflections. Findings from the inquiry are shared, and incorporating academic researcher team identity is recommended as a core component of equalizing power distribution within CBPR.
Bataille: The Master, the Slave, and Consumption
Authors: Landa Ishay
Published: May 2014

The aim of the essay is to situate Bataille’s idiosyncratic thought on consumption in the context of the modern debate on this topic, to unravel its vacillations and contradictions, and to tease out its main implications. The modern philosophical and ideological debate on consumption, while highly variegated, can be usefully divided into two main camps, two broad intellectual traditions or lineages, a Marxist and a Nietzschean one. These camps are diametrically opposed in all important respects, including consumption, yet paradoxically enough, Bataille had roots in both. This point is of crucial importance for understanding his position and its striking peculiarities. Bataille’s contradictory political position is explored, a position which overtly embraces radicalism but remains in fact profoundly attached, it is argued, to capitalism.
Holistic Nurses’ Stories of Healing of Another
Authors: Enzman Hines Mary , Wardell Diane Wind , Engebretson Joan , Zahourek Rothlyn , Smith Marlaine C.
Published: May 2014

The purpose of this study was to uncover the essence and meaning of healing through narrative accounts of holistic nurses, using a qualitative, descriptive design integrating narrative and story inquiry. Twenty-five stories were collected. Seven stories revealed personal healing and have been published in a prior article. Eighteen stories, the focus of this analysis, revealed healing of another. A hybrid method blending narrative and story guided the overall process for the study. Nine themes emerged describing healing of another within three story segments: The Call to Healing, The Experience of Healing, and Insights. The theme within The Call to the Healing Encounter was Drawn by Compassion to the Vulnerability and/or Suffering of Another. Five themes describe the Experience of Healing: Connection: Cocreating Relationships; Taking Risks and Dealing With Skeptical Colleagues; Use of Modalities and Actions as Tools in Developing Self as an Instrument of Healing; Profound, Ineffable Events; and Using Metaphor and Rituals to Describe Healing. Three themes describe Insights: Mutual Transformation, Change, and Reciprocity; Gratitude for the Healing Encounter; and Leaving a Legacy. The metastory, a reconstructed story created by the researchers, was the final phase of research synthesizing and demonstrating themes of healing of another. Results were compared to existing healing literature.
The aspirations of Afghan unaccompanied refugee minors before departure and on arrival in the host country
Authors: Vervliet Marianne , Vanobbergen Bruno , Broekaert Eric , Derluyn Ilse
Published: May 2014

This article explores the perspectives of Afghan unaccompanied refugee minors on their own motives and aspirations and on the motives and aspirations of their family and community context at the moment they left their home country and at arrival in the host country. Interviews and questionnaires were used to measure the aspirations of 52 Afghan unaccompanied refugee minors, soon after their arrival in Belgium. Aspirations at departure and evolutions in aspirations over time were examined retrospectively. Finding security and studying particularly influenced their decision to migrate. These aspirations changed over time under the impact of a diversity of factors, such as their own experiences and the opinions of others (e.g. peers, smugglers). Since motives and aspirations might influence the migration trajectories of unaccompanied refugee minors, migration policies and practitioners should take them actively into account so as to improve support for unaccompanied refugee minors.
Official microblogging and social management by local governments in China
Authors: Schlæger Jesper , Jiang Min
Published: May 2014

How does the Chinese government’s adoption of microblogs affect local governance and social contention it is tasked to manage? This case study explores the extent to which government microblogging could serve as: (1) a battering ram to spearhead reforms; (2) a virus bringing unexpected consequences; and (3) a reinforcer of authorities’ existing power, that is, politics as usual. After studying a Chinese municipal government’s microblogs ( weibo 微博) in depth from the perspective of local governance, we find that official microblogs do not in the short run lead to organizational change. Instead, Chinese local government microblogs function largely as ‘beta-institutions’ experimenting with ways to interact and negotiate with their microblog publics and microblog service providers and aimed at improving social management and political legitimacy. Local governments are also evolving gradually from service providers to ‘service predictors’ with enhanced capabilities to deliver individualized services and institute state surveillance via commercial service providers. These developments warrant further studies of the long-term implications of microblogs as part of the government information ecology.
Flow behaviour and rheological properties of M2 high-speed steel in semi-solid state
Authors: Yekta F Hosseini , Sadough Vanini SA
Published: May 2014

In this research, the rheological properties and flow behaviour of M2 high-speed steel have been investigated in low and high solid fractions by compression and rheometry tests. First series of experiments were started by partial remelting of rolled-annealed M2 billet in an argon-controlled atmosphere and holding for an appropriate time to obtain a globular microstructure and then conducting the rapid compression test on the prepared sample. Load versus deformation data were recorded using a high-frequency data acquisition system during the tests. Deformation mechanism of the semi-solid steel alloy and its correlation to rheological properties were then investigated. In the second series of experiments, the material was sheared continuously while cooling down from liquidus state to a semi-solid temperature. The rheology tests were performed using a self-developed concentric cylindrical viscometer under different cooling rates (25 °C/min–35 °C/min) and shear rates. The results revealed that when solid fraction exceeds about 40%, the viscosity increases suddenly and reaches a viscosity of about 20 Pa s. This solid fraction is a critical point when designing the process for industrial applications such as thixocasting.
Simulation and analysis of isothermal forging of AA6063 obtained from material processed by equal channel angular pressing severe plastic deformation
Authors: Salcedo Daniel , Luis Carmelo J , León Javier , Puertas Ignacio , Fuertes Juan P , Luri Rodrigo
Published: May 2014

In this research study, a comparative examination on the mechanical properties of AA6063 has been carried out after having been processed by isothermal forging, using plane-shape dies and starting from different initial deformation states. It introduces the novelty of employing experimental data obtained from the isothermal forging so as to model the flow rules of AA6063 processed by equal channel angular pressing taking temperature into account and using artificial neural networks to this end. Subsequently, these flow rules are employed to model the behaviour of AA6063 by means of finite element simulation. Furthermore, a validation of the experimental results is made with those obtained from the simulations using the flow rules attained with the neural networks. It is shown that it is possible to achieve higher precision than with traditional fitting methods of flow rules. In addition, this study presents the novelty of carrying out a comparative study between different starting material states, prior to forging, including among these material previously processed by the severe plastic deformation process, which is referred to as equal channel angular pressing. Moreover, the experimental results obtained when processing the aluminium alloy by equal channel angular pressing are compared to those states, which correspond to the traditional way of working on aluminium alloys, which can be quenched and aged for the purpose of improving their mechanical properties.
Thermo-physical investigation of the explosive rapid boiling during the contact of a single water drop with liquid methane
Authors: Jahangiri Ali , Biglari Mojtaba
Published: May 2014

Safe transportation of natural gas, mostly in liquid form such as liquefied natural gas to international market is very important. In the case of exterior material contact to liquefied natural gas, intensive boiling and exploding should be anticipated. This paper investigates the thermo-physical contact between a single drop of water (0 ℃ as a fluid with higher temperature) with liquid methane, which is similar to liquefied natural gas, at a very low temperature (−162 ℃). Heat transfer between water drop and liquefied methane results in rapid pressure increase in a vapor film. It causes the generation and rapid growth of methane vapor film which is a result of abrupt evaporation and causes liquid methane explosion. In this situation, the intense vapor explosion phenomena endanger the safety of system. A mathematical model for these phenomena has been developed by assuming saturation condition on interface surface. Then, the effects of the variation of different thermo-physical parameters on the vapor film growth have been investigated. The results show that in some cases, the vapor pressure pulse created in the film can reach more than three times the initial pressure, which can endanger the safety of system.
Testability demonstration for a flight control system based on sequential probability ratio test method
Authors: Qiu Jing , Wang Chao , Liu Guan-jun , Zhang Yong , Li Tian-mei
Published: May 2014

The flight control system plays an important role in adjusting the attitude of manned or auto-pilot aircrafts. To reduce the fault diagnosis time and accelerate the maintenance actions, many flight control systems have adopted the design for testability. Testability demonstration for the flight control system is needed to check the indexes of testability such as fault detection rate and fault isolation rate. Currently, the standards and statistical methods for the testability demonstration planning have the problems such as large sample, long test period and it is not optimal for the flight control systems which are of complex structure and high cost. A testability demonstration planning method based on the sequential probability ratio test method is proposed as it can decrease the sample size with almost the same operation characteristic as the classical method. Firstly, the decision factor and rules of the sequential probability ratio test method and truncated decision rules are introduced. Secondly, the establishment of failure mode set based on the failure rate for the sequential probability ratio test method is illustrated. Finally, the demonstration of fault detection rate for a flight control system is implemented with the given method and steps. Software named testability demonstration and evaluation system which can calculate the decision criteria, plot decision chart, select failure mode and make decisions is used to assist the implementation of the test. The result shows that the fault detection rate passes the test with a credible performance and the actual sample size is remarkably decreased while comparing with the classical method.
Prediction of in vivo joint mechanics of an artificial knee implant using rigid multi-body dynamics with elastic contacts
Authors: Chen Zhenxian , Zhang Xuan , Ardestani Marzieh M , Wang Ling , Liu Yaxiong , Lian Qin , He Jiankang , Li Dichen , Jin Zhongmin
Published: May 2014

Lower extremity musculoskeletal computational models play an important role in predicting joint forces and muscle activation simultaneously and are valuable for investigating functional outcomes of the implants. However, current computational musculoskeletal models of total knee replacement rarely consider the bearing surface geometry of the implant. Therefore, these models lack detailed information about the contact loading and joint motion which are important factors for evaluating clinical performances. This study extended a rigid multi-body dynamics simulation of a lower extremity musculoskeletal model to incorporate an artificial knee joint, based upon a novel force-dependent kinematics method, and to characterize the in vivo joint contact mechanics during gait. The developed musculoskeletal total knee replacement model integrated the rigid skeleton multi-body dynamics and the flexible contact mechanics of the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints. The predicted contact forces and muscle activations are compared against those in vivo measurements obtained from a single patient with good agreements for the medial contact force (root-mean-square error = 215 N, ρ = 0.96) and lateral contact force (root-mean-square error = 179 N, ρ = 0.75). Moreover, the developed model also predicted the motion of the tibiofemoral joint in all degrees of freedom. This new model provides an important step toward the development of a realistic dynamic musculoskeletal total knee replacement model to predict in vivo knee joint motion and loading simultaneously. This could offer a better opportunity to establish a robust virtual modeling platform for future pre-clinical assessment of knee prosthesis designs, surgical procedures and post-operation rehabilitation.
Experimental validation of a new biphasic model of the contact mechanics of the porcine hip
Authors: Li Junyan , Wang Qianqian , Jin Zhongmin , Williams Sophie , Fisher John , Wilcox Ruth K
Published: May 2014

Hip models that incorporate the biphasic behaviour of articular cartilage can improve understanding of the joint function, pathology of joint degeneration and effect of potential interventions. The aim of this study was to develop a specimen-specific biphasic finite element model of a porcine acetabulum incorporating a biphasic representation of the articular cartilage and to validate the model predictions against direct experimental measurements of the contact area in the same specimen. Additionally, the effect of using a different tension–compression behaviour for the solid phase of the articular cartilage was investigated. The model represented different radial clearances and load magnitudes. The comparison of the finite element predictions and the experimental measurement showed good agreement in the location, size and shape of the contact area, and a similar trend in the relationship between contact area and load was observed. There was, however, a deviation of over 30% in the magnitude of the contact area, which might be due to experimental limitations or to simplifications in the material constitutive relationships used. In comparison with the isotropic solid phase model, the tension–compression solid phase model had better agreement with the experimental observations. The findings provide some confidence that the new biphasic methodology for modelling the cartilage is able to predict the contact mechanics of the hip joint. The validation provides a foundation for future subject-specific studies of the human hip using a biphasic cartilage model.
Knowledge management in law firms in Botswana: Some lessons for small law firms
Authors: Fombad Madeleine
Published: May 2014

This article investigates the challenges to knowledge management in small law firms in Botswana and suggests some lessons for enhancing knowledge management. The growing literature on knowledge management has focused largely on insights into its use in large law firms. There is very little writing on techniques of enhancing knowledge management in small law firms. Although large firms may be seen as logical users of sophisticated knowledge management systems, there is an increasing need for small firms to capture and intelligently exploit their knowledge.This is because in the knowledge economy, these firms continue to play a major role in generating gross income and in enhancing economic development. However, not much attention has been given to knowledge management in small firms. This research uses open- and closed-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and a literature review to contribute to the body of knowledge on knowledge management in small firms and promote an awareness of its use amongst small law firms. It also suggests techniques for enhancing knowledge management in small law firms. There is a paucity of research in the use of qualitative and quantitative approaches in understanding knowledge management in small firms.
Three cases of lupus nephritis patients with serum interleukin-32γ detection
Authors: Inoue M , Shoda H , Seri Y , Kubo K , Kanda H , Fujio K , Yamamoto K
Published: May 2014

Purpose

Interleukin-32 (IL-32) is an inflammatory cytokine that is associated with the pathogenesis of several connective tissue diseases. We measured serum IL-32γ concentrations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.

Methods

Serum samples were obtained from SLE patients ( n = 51), and healthy controls ( n = 15). Serum IL-32 concentrations were measured using ELISA. Clinical information was obtained from medical records.

Results

Serum IL-32γ was detectable in three cases of SLE patients, whereas it was not detected in any healthy controls. Case 1: a 44-year-old female with lupus nephritis (LN) (Class II) and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. Serum IL-32γ was 5.1 pg/ml. Case 2: a 30-year-old female with a history of diffuse proliferative LN (Class IV G (A/C)) and pulmonary hemorrhage. Serum IL-32γ was 8.9 pg/ml. Case 3: a 45-year-old female with chronic LN. Serum IL-32γ was 9.1 pg/ml. All three cases of IL-32γ-detectable patients had histories of LN and one had an active disease. In the context of LN, serum IL-32γ was detectable in 18.8% (three of 16) of SLE patients with histories of LN.

Conclusion

We suppose that IL-32γ could contribute to the pathogenesis of renal diseases in some LN patients.
The Hate Threshold
Authors: Mason Gail
Published: May 2014

Hate crime laws have emerged within a climate of penal expansion and identity politics. They contain ideological claims designed to reconfigure social norms and regimes of difference. This article employs the concept of the hate threshold to examine the principles and practices that turn an ordinary crime into a hate crime and the normative messages that flow from this. The hate threshold takes three major elements – emotion, causation and difference – as a framework for analysing how the legal rules are operationalised. Analysis of Australian sentencing aggravation law reveals that courts have set a relatively rigorous standard for offender sentiment and causation. However, the development of a more fluid threshold around the element of difference raises questions about the constitutive implications when law ‘misfires’. This analysis of the law in action provides a material foundation for reflecting on the capacity of hate crime law to engage in larger processes of remoralisation.
Preference of Chinese general public and healthcare providers for a good death
Authors: Haishan Huang , Hongjuan Liu , Tieying Zeng , Xuemei Pu
Published: May 2014

Objectives:

The aim of this study is to find and compare the current situation between common people and healthcare providers’ preferences for a good death in the context of Chinese culture.

Methods:

A cross-sectional anonymous questionnaire survey covering 190 ordinary Chinese people and 323 healthcare providers was conducted. An inventory of the good death was translated and the subjects were surveyed about their attitude toward it.

Ethical considerations:

Permission to conduct the study was granted by department chiefs, nurse managers and the participants themselves. The participants were informed that they took part on a voluntary and anonymous basis, that they could withdraw at any time, that they had the right to ignore questions they did not wish to answer, and that whatever they chose to do would not jeopardize their employment conditions.

Results:

The attributes that were perceived as important by major respondents for a good death were maintaining hope and pleasure, good relationship with medical staff, good relationship with family, independence, environment comfort, being respected as an individual, preparation for death, physical and psychological comfort, dying in a favorite place, and not being a burden to others. And some relatively less important characteristics were life completion, receiving enough treatment, natural death, controlling over the future, unawareness of death, pride and beauty, feeling that one’s life is worth living, and religious and spiritual comfort. We also found that healthcare providers were more likely than general out-patients to perceive “physical and psychological comfort,” “dying in a favorite place,” “good relationship with medical staff,” and “natural death” as important for a good death.

Conclusion:

This study offers healthcare providers in China a fundamental understanding of the normal expectations of the general public for a good death. It is believed that these findings in our study are valuable to improve palliative care in China. We compared the attitudes of Chinese and Westerners and found some differences, which suggested that cultural difference should be an important consideration to achieve a good death in China. We also found that healthcare providers see good death differently from general public, indicating that the criteria for good death warrant further study.
Nurses’ professional values and attitudes toward collaboration with physicians
Authors: Brown Sara S , Lindell Deborah F , Dolansky Mary A , Garber Jeannie S
Published: May 2014

Background:

Growing evidence suggests that collaborative practice improves healthcare outcomes, but the precursors to collaborative behavior between nurses and physicians have not been fully explored.

Research question:

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to describe the professional values held by nurses and their attitudes toward physician–nurse collaboration and to explore the relationships between nurses’ characteristics (e.g. education, type of work) and professional values and their attitudes toward nurse–physician collaboration.

Research design:

This descriptive correlational study examines the relationship between nurses’ professional values (Nurses Professional Values Scale–Revised) and their attitudes toward nurse–physician collaboration (Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician–Nurse Collaboration).

Ethical considerations:

Permission to conduct the study was received from the hospital, and the Institutional Review Boards of the healthcare system and the participating university.

Participants/context:

A convenience sample of 231 registered nurses from a tertiary hospital in the United States was surveyed.

Findings:

A significant positive relationship was found between nurses’ professional values and better attitudes toward collaboration with physicians ( r = .26, p < .01). Attitude toward collaboration with physicians was also positively associated with master’s or higher levels of education ( F(3, 224) = 4.379, p = .005).

Discussion:

The results of this study can be helpful to nurse administrators who are responsible for developing highly collaborative healthcare teams and for nurse educators who are focused on developing professional values in future nurses.
Ethical issues in hospital clients’ satisfaction
Authors: Rocha Elyrose SB , Ventura Carla AA , Godoy Simone de , Mendes Isabel AC , Trevizan Maria A
Published: May 2014

Background:

Health institutions can be considered as complex organizations because they need to be prepared to receive and satisfy patients. This clientele differs from other organizations because the use of hospital services is not a matter of choice. Another motive for this difference is that, most often, the patients do not determine what services and products they will use during their stay. Although they are the clients, usually, health professionals decide which service or product they will consume. Hence, nursing care delivery based on competence, efficiency and ethics represents a challenge.

Objective:

This critical reflection is meant to draw attention to the relevance of the ethical aspects of nurses' actions involving patients' satisfaction with nursing care.

Research design:

This paper highlights the responsibility of nurses to develop ethical actions in their commitment to manage and provide care with quality, commitment and efficiency. Findings and discussion: Possibilities of actions needed emerged from this discussion, such as the provision of reliable and updated information to clients, respect for standards, routines of care, exams and others, as well as clients' education, in order to further their involvement and participation in decisions concerning the care planned for them.

Conclusion:

The adoption of this paradigm entails a change in the performance of nurses' management and care roles, which may have to observe attitudes previously disregarded in most services provided.
Quasi-static nonlinear response of pneumatic artificial muscles for both agonistic and antagonistic actuation modes
Authors: Robinson Ryan M , Kothera Curt S , Wereley Norman M
Published: May 2014

Pneumatic artificial muscles are actuators known for their low weight, high specific force, and natural compliance. Employed in antagonistic schemes, these actuators closely mimic biological muscle pairs, resulting in applications for humanoid and other bio-inspired robotic systems. Such systems require precise actuator modeling and control in order to achieve high performance. In the present study, refinements are introduced to an existing model of pneumatic artificial muscle force-contraction behavior. The force-balance modeling approach is modified to include the effects of non-constant bladder thickness and up to a fourth-order polynomial stress–strain relationship is adopted in order to accurately capture nonlinear pneumatic artificial muscle force behavior in contraction and extension. Moreover, the polynomial coefficients of the stress–strain relationship are constrained to vary linearly with pressure, improving the ability to predict behavior at untested pressure levels while preserving model accuracy at tested pressure levels. Lastly, a detailed geometric model is applied to improve force predictions, particularly during pneumatic artificial muscle extension. By modeling the deformation shape of the actuator ends as sections of an elliptic toroid, pneumatic artificial muscle force predictions as a function of strain are improved. These modeling improvements combine to enable enhanced model-based control in pneumatic artificial muscle actuator applications.
Palliative Care in the Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Kamel Ghassan , Paniagua Miguel , Uppalapati Aditya
Published: May 2014

Palliative care (PC) and end-of-life (EOL) care are gaining importance in the management of critically ill patients in the ICU. Residents form a significant work force in the ICU and most often are the only group that provides round the clock coverage.

Methods:

We conducted a cross sectional study where residents were surveyed to assess their knowledge, skills and perceived barriers towards palliative care in the ICU.

Results:

The most common barrier identified by our residents was discrepancies in goals of care between the medical team and patients/families (18.7%). A palliative care consult was most commonly obtained when the patient was terminally ill (22.9%).

Discussion:

Teaching should focus on overcoming the identified barriers especially communication with patients and their families. More studies are needed to identify the best method to teach Palliative care in the ICU.
Beyond Involvement
Authors: Chan Paula E. , Graham-Day Kristall J. , Ressa Virginia A. , Peters Mary T. , Konrad Moira
Published: May 2014

With many states adopting new standards and evaluation systems, teachers must adopt effective instructional strategies and assessment methods aligned to the rigor of new standards and assessments. One way to improve student achievement is through supporting student ownership of learning, a core component of formative instructional practices. Teaching students to take an active role in their learning can benefit students by promoting student goal setting, self-assessment, and self-determination. As students become meaningfully engaged in their learning, they gain a better understanding of learning targets, how to collect and document evidence of their learning, and how to evaluate and clarify additional learning needs, leading to the ultimate goal of improving student achievement. This article (a) describes how promoting student ownership benefits students, (b) identifies some evidence-based practices that promote student ownership of learning, and (c) illustrates the important role student ownership plays in formative instructional practices.
Mimicry, Miserablism, and Management Education
Authors: Mirvis Philip H.
Published: May 2014

This essay contrasts management education in parts of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with prevailing practices in the U.S. and Western Europe. Case material comes from the International Executive Development Center in Bled, Slovenia (IEDC-Bled) and the association of CEE Management Schools (CEEMAN). Rather than mimic the western model, IEDC-Bled turned to arts-based pedagogy and CEEMAN celebrated innovative teaching and relevant research among its member schools. This oppositional ethic counters the “accumulation of miseries” in management education today and opens new possibilities for management educators to contribute to social progress.
Tensile fracture of ultrafine grained aluminum 6061 sheets by asymmetric cryorolling for microforming
Authors: Yu Hailiang , Tieu Kiet , Lu Cheng , Lou Yanshan , Liu Xianghua , Godbole Ajit , Kong Charlie
Published: May 2014

The size effect on the mechanism of fracture in ultrafine grained sheets is an unsolved problem in microforming. This paper describes a tensile test carried out to study the fracture behavior and the shear fracture angles of both rolled and aged ultrafine grained aluminum 6061 sheets produced by asymmetric cryorolling. A scanning electron microscope was used to observe the fracture surface. The finite element method was used to simulate the tensile test using the uncoupled Cockcroft–Latham and Tresca criteria and the coupled Gurson–Tvergaard–Needleman damage criterion. It was found that the shear fracture angle decreases gradually from 90° to 64° with an increasing number of passes. The results of simulations using the Gurson–Tvergaard–Needleman criterion show trends similar to the experimental ones. The paper also presents a discussion on the fracture mechanism and the size effect during the tensile test.
Autonomic Reactivity to Infant Crying in Maltreating Mothers
Authors: Reijman Sophie , Alink Lenneke R. A. , Block Laura H. C. G. Compier-de , Werner Claudia D. , Maras Athanasios , Rijnberk Corine , IJzendoorn Marinus H. van , Bakermans-Kranenburg Marian J.
Published: May 2014

We examined autonomic reactivity to infant crying in a sample of 42 maltreating and 38 non-maltreating mothers. Exploratively, we tested if differential reactivity was related to child neglect versus the combination of neglect and abuse, and we tested whether mothers’ experiences with maltreatment in their own childhood moderated the association between their current maltreatment status and physiology. During a standardized cry paradigm, mothers listened to cry sounds of various pitches. Heart rate (HR), pre-ejection period (PEP), skin conductance levels (SCLs), and vagal tone (root mean square of successive differences [RMSSD]) were measured as indicators of underlying sympathetic and parasympathetic reactivity. The maltreating mothers showed lower SCL reactivity to the cry sounds than non-maltreating mothers. Furthermore, significant negative correlations between HR and PEP in the non-maltreating group differed from nonsignificant correlations in the maltreating group, which suggests a lack of sympathetic cardiac control in maltreating mothers. We found no differences between neglectful mothers and those who were additionally abusive. Together, our findings support the notion of sympathetic hypoarousal as a risk factor for child maltreatment, which may be indicative of disengagement in a caregiving context. Intervention programs might focus on improving maternal sensitivity to improve responsiveness to child signals.