bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Positive Effects of Basic Training on Cognitive Performance and Mood of Adult Females
Authors: Lieberman Harris R. , Karl J. Philip , Niro Philip J. , Williams Kelly W. , Farina Emily K. , Cable Sonya J. , McClung James P.
Published: January 2014

Objective:

This study investigated whether a stressful military training program, the 9- to 10-week U.S. Army basic combat training (BCT) course, alters the cognitive performance and mood of healthy young adult females.

Background:

Structured training programs including adolescent boot camps, sports training camps, learning enrichment programs, and military basic training are accepted methods for improving academic and social functioning. However, limited research is available on the behavioral effects of structured training programs in regard to cognitive performance and mood.

Method:

Two separate, within-subject studies were conducted with different BCT classes; in total 212 female volunteers were assessed before and after BCT. In Study 1, Four-Choice Reaction Time, Match-to-Sample, and Grammatical Reasoning tests were administered. The Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) was administered in Study 2. The Profile of Mood States (POMS) was administered in both studies.

Results:

In Study 1, reaction time to correct responses on all three of the performance tests improved from pre- to post-BCT. In Study 2, PVT reaction time significantly improved. All POMS subscales improved over time in the second study, whereas POMS subscales in the first study failed to meet criteria for statistically significant differences over time.

Conclusion:

Cognition and mood substantially improved over military basic training. These changes may be a result of structured physical and mental training experienced during basic training or other factors not as yet identified.

Application:

Properly structured training may have extensive, beneficial effects on cognitive performance and mood; however, additional research is needed to determine what factors are responsible for such changes.
Facebook Use and Texting Among African American and Hispanic Teenagers
Authors: Lee E. Bun
Published: January 2014

The present study explores the usage and attitude toward Facebook and text messaging among African American and Hispanic teenagers. It also examines the influence of personality and gender on the new communication technologies. The study further investigates the status of parental monitoring and control. Finally, it examines the possible effect of the new communication tools on the teens’ academic performance. A total of 314 middle and high school students participated in the survey. Nearly 91% had Facebook account and 84% of the students owned cell phone. Fewer Hispanic students own cell phones compared with African American students. There was significant relationship between Facebook use and anxiety, while cell phone owners perceived themselves as more outgoing, cheerful, and sensitive. A significant proportion of teenagers indicated that their cell phone was inextricably wrapped with their identity and even their sense of self-worth. Results from the survey suggested a statistically significant, negative relationship between Facebook activity and math grades of the respondents. Implications for future research on the potential effects of excessive use of Facebook and cell phones on the academic performance are discussed.
Spectral, surface and thermal properties of poly(vinylpyrrolidone)/organo-modified-TiO2/organo-modified-layered silicate ternary nanocomposites containing l-leucine amino acid fabricated by sonication process
Authors: Mallakpour Shadpour , Khani Marziyeh
Published: January 2014

Since a few years ago, a topic of curiosity consists in evolving composites filled with the nanofillers to improve various properties of polymer matrix. This work aims to investigate the structure–property relationship in ternary nanocomposites containing of amorphous poly(vinylpyrrolidone) as the matrix, organo-modified-TiO2 nanoparticles and organo-modified-montmorillonite as the nanofillers. In this regard, poly(vinylpyrrolidone)/organo-modified-TiO2/organo-modified-montmorillonite nanocomposites were prepared by sonication process with 10 wt% of organo-modified-TiO2 and different loadings (3, 5 and 7 wt%) of organo-modified-montmorillonite. Nanostructure characterization and dispersion capacity of nanofillers in the polymer matrix were investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. According to these data, the nanostructure of ternary nanocomposites was predominantly intercalated. Also, incorporation of the organoclay and TiO2 nanoparticles into the poly(vinylpyrrolidone) system was observed to have an obvious effect on the shape and size of polymer matrix. According to thermogravimetric analysis data, the presence of organo-modified-montmorillonite and organo-modified-TiO2 in the poly(vinylpyrrolidone) matrix, caused an improved in the thermal stability of the obtained poly(vinylpyrrolidone) nanocomposites.
Can Militants Use Violence to Win Public Support? Evidence from the Second Intifada
Authors: Jaeger David A. , Klor Esteban F. , Miaari Sami H. , Paserman M. Daniele
Published: January 2014

This article investigates whether attacks against Israeli targets help Palestinian factions gain public support. We link individual-level survey data to the full list of Israeli and Palestinian fatalities during the period of the Second Intifada (2000–2005) and estimate a flexible discrete choice model for faction supported. We find some support for the “outbidding” hypothesis, the notion that Palestinian factions use violence to gain prestige and influence public opinion within the community. In particular, the two leading Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, gain in popularity following successful attacks against Israeli targets. Our results suggest, however, that most movement occurs within either the secular groups or the Islamist groups, but not between them. That is, Fatah’s gains come at the expense of smaller secular factions, while Hamas’s gains come at the expense of smaller Islamic factions and the disaffected. In contrast, attacks by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad lower support for that faction.
Solidarity reconstructed: The impact of the Accord on relations within the Australian union movement
Authors: Buchanan John , Oliver Damian , Briggs Chris
Published: January 2014

Unions’ strength and identity is determined primarily by the extent to which they can nurture effective solidarity amongst wage earners in general and between networks of unions in particular. The experience of inter-union coordination throughout the Accord years has strengthened political solidarity across the movement (demonstrated most recently in the 2007 Your Rights at Work campaign). The movement’s industrial solidarity has been in secular decline since the peak union leadership enthusiastically embraced enterprise bargaining in the final phase of the Accord in the early 1990s. The key challenge for unions today is to broaden the ambit of political solidarity and to revitalise industrial solidarity in an era of increasing workforce diversity and working life transformation.
Strategies to support equality bargaining inside unions: Representational democracy and representational justice
Authors: Briskin Linda
Published: January 2014

The article examines two internal union strategies for improving equality bargaining. The first, representational democracy (RD), highlights the demographic profile of women’s participation in collective bargaining (CB). The discussion presents the existing, albeit imperfect, data on women’s participation. It supports the continuing importance of the gender profiles of negotiators, but also considers the limits of RD via an exploration of essentialism, critical mass and gender composition. It concludes that RD is a limited proxy for voice, and, given the individualism inherent in its claims, an imperfect vehicle for collective agency. The paper then develops the concept of representational justice (RJ), which speaks to collective mechanisms which ensure that women’s interests are represented; in effect, a move from individual equality champions to vehicles for championing equality. As one means to such an end, the article argues for building formal and constitutionalized links between CB and union equality structures. Highlighting internal union strategies to support equality bargaining complements the widespread focus on the substantive issues on the bargaining agenda and takes the discussion of equality bargaining in new directions. Certainly, this approach underscores the importance of unions linking struggles around diversity, equality and representation inside unions to the CB process and agenda.
Fabric friction behavior: study using capstan equation and introduction into a fabric transport simulator
Authors: Kuhm D , Bueno M-A , Knittel D
Published: January 2014

All thin materials, such as textiles, papers, polymers, or metals, are handled on rollers during manufacture and subsequent use. This requires several unwinding and winding processes. The goal of this study was to investigate the friction behavior of fabrics relative to sliding velocity and to introduce friction coefficient evolution in a fabric transport model. For the experimental part, a specific fabric/roll friction bench is presented. The friction coefficient was calculated from the capstan equation. The evolution of the friction coefficient was quantified relative to the sliding velocity for different textile fabrics and also for a polymer and a paper web. The influence of some measurement process parameters was studied: web tension, roll diameter, and wrap angle. The friction coefficient initially increased with sliding velocity and then became constant. This phenomenon can be explained by the deformation of the fabric due to friction, thereby inducing an increase in web tension with the sliding velocity. The relationship between tension and rolling friction behavior of the fabric was investigated. The variability of the friction coefficient was introduced to web/roll simulator, and improvements to the simulator are shown.
Understanding, Evidencing, and Promoting Adolescent Well-Being
Authors: Matthews Nic , Kilgour Lindsey , Christian Polly , Mori Kate , Hill Denise M.
Published: January 2014

The well-being of young people is of considerable concern with many initiatives targeting the health behaviors of this population. Educators are among the professional groups being challenged to understand, evidence, and enhance childhood well-being. Working with a case study U.K. school adolescent subjective well-being (SWB) was examined through the administering of the Personal Wellbeing Index–School Children (PWI-SC; n = 840) and focus groups with pupils ( n = 18). PWI-SC results suggest significant differences in personal well-being between school years ( p < .001). Focus group data indicate that transitional periods associated with adolescence, feeling unsafe, and anxiety over the future were linked to a lowering of SWB. Asset-based well-being strategies that promote health literacy and build on the resources of young people and local communities are considered as a means for schools to promote well-being.
Who Benefits From Gender-Responsive Treatment?
Authors: Saxena Preeta , Messina Nena P. , Grella Christine E.
Published: January 2014

This study explores outcome variation among women offenders who participated in gender-responsive substance abuse treatment (GRT). To identify subgroups of participants that may differentially benefit from this treatment, secondary analyses examined the interaction between randomization into GRT and a history of abuse (physical/sexual) on depression and number of substances used post treatment. The sample consisted of 115 incarcerated women assessed at baseline and 6 and 12 months post parole. Longitudinal regression showed that women reporting abuse randomized into GRT had significantly reduced odds of depression (odds ratio [OR] = .29, p < .05, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.10, 0.86]) and lowered rates of number of substances used (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = .52, p < .05, 95% CI = [0.28, 0.98]), in comparison with those who reported abuse and were randomized to the non-GRT group. Findings suggest that GRT for women offenders who have experienced prior abuse may maximize the benefits of the trauma-informed, gender-sensitive intervention.
Oswald Nagler, HURPI, and the Formation of Urban Planning and Design in South Korea
Authors: Jung Sanghoon
Published: January 2014

As in other postcolonial settings, after its independence, Korean urban planning was still influenced by the Japanese legacy in planning culture, systems of approach, and urban form. However, there was a turning point beginning in the 1960s, led by Oswald Nagler and the Housing, Urban and Regional Planning Institute (HURPI). Nagler applied an interdisciplinary approach to the Korean urban situation and made substantial efforts to apply and localize Western planning principles in accordance with the Korean context, and educated young talented individuals. Even though the institute has been repetitively reported to have exerted a profound influence on the formation of Korean urban planning, its function and specific contribution has largely remained obscure. This study clarifies HURPI’s function and contribution by way of interviews with its members, recovering otherwise lost materials, and analyzing them with a focus on the South Seoul plan in comparison to works done by local planners at the time, as well as later work on the Mok-dong plan.
Effective Policy Implementation in China’s Local State
Authors: Ahlers Anna L. , Schubert Gunter
Published: January 2014

Effective policy implementation is a core component of the Chinese political system’s adaptability and stability. A thorough investigation of local implementation mechanisms, however, is often hindered by an almost exclusive concentration on implementation efficiency. This article introduces a new analytical framework and suggests focusing on the interactions between the different administrative tiers—counties, townships, and villages—to understand local policy implementation in terms of procedural and outcome effectiveness. It argues that the triangle of central policy design, institutional constraints, and strategic agency of local implementers explains cases of effective policy implementation that can be observed throughout China. By way of studying the “Building of a New Socialist Countryside” in four cases, this article shows how effective policy implementation can be the result of what students of local governance have so far rather treated as obstructive factors, namely performance and cadre evaluation, financial scarcity, limited public participation, and the focus on models.
Dietary Fat and Protein Intake Are Not Associated With Incident Biliary Sludge and Stones During Pregnancy
Authors: Mathew Lisa K. , Ko Cynthia
Published: January 2014

Background: Dietary composition can cause insulin resistance, elevated serum lipid levels, and obesity, all of which predispose to gallstone formation. The effects of dietary fat (including individual fatty acids) and protein on gallstone formation are controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of dietary fat and protein intake on incident gallstone disease during pregnancy, a high‐risk time for stone formation. Methods: We prospectively studied 3070 pregnant women who underwent serial gallbladder ultrasound examinations during pregnancy and at 4–6 weeks postpartum. All women had at least 2 study ultrasounds for comparison. A semi‐quantitative food frequency questionnaire was completed by subjects in the early third trimester. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the risk of incident gallbladder disease across quartiles of intake of total fat, individual fatty acids (polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, saturated, and total trans‐fatty acids, as well as cholesterol), protein, and protein subtype (animal or vegetable based). Results: The cumulative incidence of new biliary sludge/stones or progression of baseline sludge to stones was 10.2% by 4–6 weeks postpartum. There was no association between total dietary fat (odds ratio [OR], 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64–2.18 comparing lowest and highest quartiles) or protein intake (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.44–1.22 comparing lowest and highest quartiles) and incident gallbladder disease. There was also no association between individual fatty acids or protein subtype and gallbladder disease. Conclusions: Neither total nor subtype of dietary fat or protein was associated with incident biliary stone or sludge formation in this cohort of pregnant women.
Hostility, Religious Involvement, Gratitude, and Self-Rated Health in Late Life
Authors: Krause Neal , Hayward R. David
Published: January 2014

Objectives: This study evaluates a latent variable model that assesses the relationships among hostility, church attendance, helping others, gratitude, and self-rated health. Methods: The participants come from the sixth wave of a nationwide survey of older adults ( N = 1,011). Results: The data suggest that older individuals who go to church less often help others less frequently, older people who help others less are less grateful, and older adults who are less grateful rate their health in a less favorable manner. In addition, the data indicate that older people with high hostility scores help others less often and are less grateful. The results reveal that the way in which older people view their health may be traced in part to the interplay between personality traits (i.e., hostility) and virtues that are part of most faith traditions (e.g., helping others).
To Stop or Not to Stop
Authors: Droogenbroeck Filip Van , Spruyt Bram
Published: January 2014

While the official retirement age for most Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries is 65 years, the average employee in the majority of OECD countries retires considerably earlier. With the coming retirement of the baby boom generation, increasing life expectancy, and budget restrictions due to the financial crisis, most countries want to motivate employees to work longer. For these reasons, studying early retirement is highly relevant. In this article, we examine the determinants of early retirement among working and retired senior teachers between 45 and 65 years old in Flanders, Belgium. Although a widespread early exit culture exists among teachers and teacher shortages are expected in several countries, little attention has been given to the specific determinants of early retirement among teachers. Using multivariate linear regression analysis, we study the preferred retirement age of working teachers ( n = 1,878) and the actual retirement age of retired teachers ( n = 1,246). Financial factors, feelings of emotional exhaustion, and dissatisfaction with nonteaching-related workload (such as meetings and paperwork) have an important influence on the retirement decision. Results show that the majority of teachers make use of early exit schemes. This illustrates the existence of a widespread early exit culture among senior teachers in Flanders.
The Role of Family Social Background and Inheritance in Later Life Volunteering
Authors: Youssim Iaroslav , Hank Karsten , Litwin Howard
Published: January 2014

Building on a tripartite model of capitals necessary to perform productive activities and on work suggesting that cumulative (dis-)advantage processes are important mechanisms for life course inequalities, our study set out to investigate the potential role of family social background and inheritance in later life volunteering. We hypothesized that older individuals who inherited work-relevant economic and cultural capitals from their family of origin are more likely to be engaged in voluntary activities than their counterparts with a less advantageous family social background. Our main findings from the analysis of a representative sample of community-dwelling Israelis aged 50 and over provide strong support for this hypothesis: the likelihood to volunteer is significantly higher among those who received substantial financial transfers from their family of origin (“inherited economic capital”) and among those having a “white collar” parental background (“inherited cultural capital”). We conclude with perspectives for future research.
Rethinking Global Leadership Development Programmes: The Interrelated Significance of Power, Context and Identity
Authors: Gagnon Suzanne , Collinson David
Published: January 2014

Organization studies scholars have examined leadership development processes on only a handful of occasions. This paper argues that an organizational lens, rather than individualized and decontextualized research, can significantly advance this under-theorized field. A critical organizational framing, in particular, assists not only in problematizing the ‘leader’ identities produced within contemporary leadership development programmes (LDPs), but also in surfacing the ways in which power, context and identity can be inextricably linked within specific practices. The article contributes to critical leadership and organization studies in three main ways. First, it theorizes through a critical identity lens the regulatory practices that constitute an idealized leader self in two separate global LDPs, and which create tensions and paradoxes rarely examined in studies of LDPs and organizations more generally. Second, it examines participants’ considerable resistance to the prevailing models of global leader prescribed in the two programmes. Third, our dual case analysis highlights the role of discursive context, enabling us to compare two particular strategies of leadership development through identity regulation: ‘investiture’ and ‘divestiture’. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of this analysis for rethinking theory and practice, and suggests future research directions for critical organization studies of leadership and LDPs.
Tertiary educators’ voices in Australia and South Africa: Experiencing and engaging in African music and culture
Authors: Joseph Dawn
Published: January 2014

Music tertiary educators can foster positive experiences that promote diversity, enhance intercultural and cross-cultural understanding through our teaching. Through findings of interview data of tertiary music educators’ understandings of multicultural music practice at two South African universities and at an Australia university, I used interpretative phenomenological analysis to analyse the data. Two major themes emerged: why is it important to teach multicultural music like that of Africa, and what are some of the effective ways of preparing students to best teach it? The data provides insights into an appreciation of and respect for music and cultural diversity. In multicultural societies educators cannot deliver courses based solely on one’s own identity and cultural perspective. I argue that music education may be seen as an agent of social change where music teaching and learning can occur through exploring, experiencing, expressing and engaging in the music of our own culture and that of others.
‘Look closely at what I’m doing!’ Scaffolding in individual string lessons: Two case studies
Authors: Küpers Elisa , van Dijk Marijn , van Geert Paul
Published: January 2014

In this article, we provide a process description of scaffolding in music lessons based on the scaffolding model of Van Geert and Steenbeek (2005). Scaffolding is a form of socially mediated learning in which teacher and student constantly adapt their behavior to one another in order to reach a goal. To illustrate this process, data from video-observations of two teacher-student dyads in Suzuki string lessons were analyzed to see how well this data fits the Van Geert and Steenbeek model. Results show the dynamic connection between amount of instruction and instruction type on the one hand and performance level of the student on the other hand. Results also show that the process of socially mediated learning takes the form of an increasing overlap between student and teacher actions, i.e. an increase of the joint action over time.
Understanding intra-regional variation in gender inequality in East Asia: Decomposition of cross-national differences in the gender earnings gap
Authors: Kim Young-Mi , Shirahase Sawako
Published: January 2014

This study examines cross-national differences in gender earnings gaps in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. It applies an extended model of the gender gap decomposition method, and tests four hypotheses, each of which focuses on a different possible source of the cross-national difference in gender gap. The decomposition results support the hypothesis emphasizing the cross-national difference in the distribution of males and females and the hypothesis emphasizing the difference in pay discrimination; the results do not support the hypothesis that the differences occur because of cross-national differences in females’ human capital. The main reasons for the larger gender earnings gaps in Japan and Korea than in Taiwan are higher segregation by gender and higher degrees of within-job pay discrimination in Japan and Korea. Despite similarities in welfare policies toward women, the difference in employment practices creates a substantial intra-regional variation in gender pay inequality in East Asia.
Role of diffusion-weighted MRI in acute pyelonephritis: a prospective study
Authors: Rathod Santosh B , Kumbhar Sachin S , Nanivadekar Avinash , Aman Kumar
Published: January 2014

Background

Imaging is vital in diagnosis of complicated pyelonephritis and has been traditionally performed by computed tomography (CT). However, CT with contrast agents cannot be performed in patients with renal failure. Diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential to overcome this disadvantage.

Purpose

To prospectively evaluate the accuracy of quantitative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values to differentiate nephritis from renal abscesses in patients with pyelonephritis.

Material and Methods

Forty-two patients with clinical and laboratory diagnosis of pyelonephritis underwent CT and DW MRI examinations. Diffusion images were obtained by using a non-breath-hold, single-shot echo-planar sequence with b values of 0, 600, and 1000 s/mm2. Circular regions of interest were places on areas of nephritis, normal renal parenchyma, and renal abscesses as localized by CT and DW MRI images to obtain the ADC values of each of these regions. The ADC values of these three different tissue types were statistically compared using the one-way analysis of variance test for statistical significance. A P value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results

For the diagnosis of pyelonephritis, DW MRI had a higher sensitivity of 95.3% as compared to that of non-contrast CT (66.7%) and contrast-enhanced CT (88.1%). Areas of nephritis had significantly lower ADC values ( P < 0.001) than the normal renal cortical parenchyma. Also, renal abscesses had significantly lower ADC values ( P < 0.001) than areas of nephritis. However, CT is more useful for the diagnosis of renal calculi and emphysematous pyelonephritis.

Conclusion

ADC values derived from the diffusion sequence have significantly lower values in renal abscesses than in areas of nephritis.
Abdominal Wall Mass and Hemoabdomen in a Haflinger Mare
Authors: Girard C. , Macieira S.
Published: January 2014

A 6-year-old Haflinger mare was presented with a history of recurrent hemoabdomen. On necropsy, a firm infiltrative multinodular yellow mass was observed in the wall of the posterior abdomen. Histopathologic examination revealed a proliferation of fibroblastic cells, which were positive for α–smooth muscle actin and vimentin.
Inventing Japan’s ‘robotics culture’: The repeated assembly of science, technology, and culture in social robotics
Authors: Šabanović Selma
Published: January 2014

Using interviews, participant observation, and published documents, this article analyzes the co-construction of robotics and culture in Japan through the technical discourse and practices of robotics researchers. Three cases from current robotics research – the seal-like robot PARO, the Humanoid Robotics Project HRP-2 humanoid, and ‘ kansei robotics’ – show the different ways in which scientists invoke culture to provide epistemological grounding and possibilities for social acceptance of their work. These examples show how the production and consumption of social robotic technologies are associated with traditional crafts and values, how roboticists negotiate among social, technical, and cultural constraints while designing robots, and how humans and robots are constructed as cultural subjects in social robotics discourse. The conceptual focus is on the repeated assembly of cultural models of social behavior, organization, cognition, and technology through roboticists’ narratives about the development of advanced robotic technologies. This article provides a picture of robotics as the dynamic construction of technology and culture and concludes with a discussion of the limits and possibilities of this vision in promoting a culturally situated understanding of technology and a multicultural view of science.
Working data together: The accountability and reflexivity of digital astronomical practice
Authors: Hoeppe Götz
Published: January 2014

Drawing on ethnomethodology, this article considers the sequential work of astronomers who combine observations from telescopes at two observatories in making a data set for scientific analyses. By witnessing the induction of a graduate student into this work, it aims at revealing the backgrounded assumptions that enter it. I find that these researchers achieved a consistent data set by engaging diverse evidential contexts as contexts of accountability. Employing graphs that visualize data in conventional representational formats of observational astronomy, experienced practitioners held each other accountable by using an ‘implicit cosmology’, a shared (but sometimes negotiable) characterization of ‘what the universe looks like’ through these formats. They oriented to data as malleable, that is, as containing artifacts of the observing situation which are unspecified initially but can be defined and subsequently removed. Alternating between reducing data and deducing astronomical phenomena, they ascribed artifacts to local observing conditions or computational procedures, thus maintaining previously stabilized phenomena reflexively. As researchers in data-intensive sciences are often removed from the instruments that generated the data they use, this example demonstrates how scientists can achieve agreement by engaging stable ‘global’ data sets and diverse contexts of accountability, allowing them to bypass troubling features and limitations of data generators.
Revenge
Authors: Grobbink Leonie H. , Derksen Jan J. L. , van Marle Hjalmar J. C.
Published: January 2014

An overview of the literature and theories concerning revenge is presented in this study. The aim is to clarify the boundaries between a healthy and pathological way of dealing with revenge to improve diagnostics, with regard to both theory and clinical practice. Revenge is an intrapersonal phenomenon and the extent to which people need revenge has a certain degree of stability. A healthy way of dealing with revenge may restore the psychological balance that has previously been disturbed. However, the desire for revenge can be long-lasting and dysfunctional due to, among other things, early problems in development and specific personality traits. Consequently, a pathological way of dealing with revenge can be part of a disorder and can lead to destructive acts such as homicide and even mass murder. Some clinical examples are presented and points of attention regarding diagnostics and treatment are discussed.
Effectiveness of Choice Theory Connections
Authors: Grills Cheryl , Villanueva Sandra , Anderson Michelle , Corsbie-Massay Charisse L. , Smith Bradley , Johnson Lester , Owens Kyri
Published: January 2014

In the past 30 years, the rates of incarceration and recidivism for women in the United States have increased dramatically. Choice Theory® Connections (CTC) is a gender-tailored pre-release intervention program based on Choice Theory® (Glasser, 1999), and designed to achieve meaningful and sustainable cognitive and behavioral change. This evaluation examines CTC among 96 female participants in a California state prison enrolled in an introductory ( n = 58) or advanced ( n = 38) course. CTC significantly improved perceived stress, mindfulness, emotion regulation, impulsivity, and well-being on completion; effects were stronger for the introductory cohort, but significant effects also emerged for the advanced cohort. In addition, participants in the advanced cohort reported better scores at baseline, demonstrating the effects of prolonged engagement with the intervention. Results suggest that CTC can improve incarcerated women’s well-being pre-release, a strong predictor of recidivism post-release. Further study and wider use of CTC are encouraged.
Formability of adhesive-bonded steel sheets with artificial finite adhesive defects
Authors: Satheeshkumar V , Narayanan R Ganesh
Published: January 2014

In this investigation, the influence of artificial finite adhesive defects with different shapes and sizes, characterized by (1) aspect ratios, a/ b = 0.5, 1 and 1.5 (where a is transverse axis length of defect; b is longitudinal axis length of defect), (2) number of defects and (3) different locations, in the epoxy adhesive layer on the formability of adhesive-bonded blanks, is analysed. The deep drawing quality cold-rolled steel and stainless steel (SS 316L) sheets were used as base materials. The increase in aspect ratio of adhesive defect reduces the ductility of adhesive layer and thereby decreases the formability of adhesive-bonded blanks. This is due to the early failure of adhesive layer at the location of defect where strain is locally concentrated. The strain hardening exponent ( n) of adhesive-bonded blanks has decreased with increase in aspect ratio of adhesive defect in all the regions of deformation. The limit strain of deep drawing quality and SS 316L sheets constituting adhesive-bonded blanks shows decrement with increase in aspect ratio of adhesive defect. It is postulated that the aspect ratio of the finite adhesive defect influences significantly the formability of adhesive-bonded blanks, but not shape of the finite adhesive defects. There is no considerable effect of number of adhesive defects and different locations of adhesive defects on the formability of adhesive-bonded blanks.
Understanding Unresponsiveness to Tier 2 Reading Intervention
Authors: Toste Jessica R. , Compton Donald L. , Fuchs Douglas , Fuchs Lynn S. , Gilbert Jennifer K. , Cho Eunsoo , Barquero Laura A. , Bouton Bobette D.
Published: January 2014

The purpose of the current study was to examine academic and cognitive profiles of first graders who responded adequately and inadequately to intensive small-group reading intervention (Tier 2), as well as assess how these profiles differ based on the criteria used for classification of unresponsiveness. Nonresponders were identified using two different methods: (a) reading composite with weighted standardized scores for untimed word identification and word attack, timed sight word reading and decoding, and reading comprehension at the end of first grade ( n = 23; 18.4%), and (b) local norms on first grade word identification fluency (WIF; n = 31; 24.8%). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to assess the difference between responders and nonresponders on four separate profiles (i.e., academic and cognitive profiles, with groups identified using reading composite and WIF criteria for unresponsiveness). Significant level effects were found using the first-grade reading composite and the WIF criteria, indicating that the groups differ from one another across domains. Interestingly, there were only significant shape effects found when using the WIF criteria, suggesting relative strengths and weaknesses distinguish the groups. These findings suggest potentially important considerations related to identification and placement of students in appropriately intensive and targeted interventions.
Differing Perspectives on Older Adult Caregiving
Authors: Brank Eve M. , Wylie Lindsey E.
Published: January 2014

Informal older adult caregiving allows older adults to stay in their homes or live with loved ones, but decisions surrounding older adult care are fraught with complexities. Related research and case law suggest that an older adult’s need for and refusal of help are important considerations; the current study is the first to examine these factors experimentally. Two samples (potential caregivers and care recipients) provided responses regarding anticipated emotions, caregiver abilities, and allocation of daily caregiving decision making based on a vignette portraying an older adult who had a high or low level of autonomy and who accepted or refused help. Study findings suggest differing views about caregiving; potential caregivers may not be as well prepared to take on caregiving as the potential care recipients anticipate and potential caregivers may allocate more decisional responsibility to older adults than the care recipients expect. Implications for older adult abuse are discussed.
Comparison between the effects of quercetin on seizure threshold in acute and chronic seizure models
Authors: Nassiri-Asl Marjan , Hajiali Farid , Taghiloo Mina , Abbasi Esmail , Mohseni Fatemeh , Yousefi Farbod
Published: January 2014

Flavonoids are important constituents of food and beverages, and several studies have shown that they have neuroactive properties. Many of these compounds are ligands for γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors in the central nervous system. This study aimed to investigate the anticonvulsant effects of quercetin (3,3′,4′,5,7-pentahydroxyflavone), which is a flavonoid found in plants, in rats treated with pentylenetetrazole in acute and chronic seizure models. Single intraperitoneal administration of quercetin did not show anticonvulsive effects against acute seizure. Similarly, multiple oral pretreatment with quercetin did not have protective effects against acute seizure. However, multiple intraperitoneal administration of quercetin (25 and 50 mg/kg) significantly increased time to death compared with the control ( p < 0.001). However, quercetin pretreatment had no significant effects on the pattern of convulsion development during all periods of kindling. But on the test day, quercetin (100 mg/kg) could significantly increase generalized tonic–clonic seizure onset (GTCS) and decrease GTCS duration compared with the control ( p < 0.01, p < 0.05). We conclude that quercetin has a narrow therapeutic dose range for anticonvulsant activities in vivo, and it has different effects on the seizure threshold. The different effects of quercetin on seizure threshold may occur through several mechanisms.
Making Sense of Denial in Sexual Offenders
Authors: Blagden Nicholas , Winder Belinda , Gregson Mick , Thorne Karen
Published: January 2014

Denial in sexual offenders represents the first barrier to successful treatment a clinician is likely to face. Most sex offender treatment programs devote significant time to overcoming denial, with most programs having a focus on disclosure and “accepting responsibility.” This is the first study that has aimed to make sense of sexual offenders’ denial through a rigorous qualitative analysis. The main objective was to explore the experiences and lived worlds of sexual offenders in denial. A qualitative phenomenological methodology combining interpretative phenomenological analysis and repertory grids was implemented. Ten incarcerated sexual offenders in categorical denial participated in the research. The analysis revealed the narrative, relational, and self-reconstructive properties of denial and discusses the role and function denial may be playing for sexual offenders. The results highlight that denial can be viewed as a form of “sense making” and that clinically relevant treatment targets can be elicited without disclosure. It is concluded that viewing denial as a barrier to treatment impedes constructive work with offenders, and implications for treatment are discussed.
A General Strain Approach to Psychological and Physical Bullying
Authors: Moon Byongook , Jang Sung Joon
Published: January 2014

Although studies have been conducted to examine the applicability of Agnew’s general strain theory (GST) to the explanation of school bullying, GST research on the phenomenon remains limited in number and scope. To fill this gap in research, using data from a sample of 296 middle school students in a southwestern state of the United States, this article examined whether different types of strain and negative emotions are positively associated with psychological, physical, and general bullying. Overall findings of negative binomial regression analyses tended to be consistent with our expectations, while some aspects of GST received more empirical support than others. Strains and negative emotions were mostly related positively either to psychological or physical bullying, with negative emotions, anger and depression, partly mediating the strain-bullying relationship. However, we found mixed patterns of interactions among strains, negative emotions, and conditioning factors. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.
Criminal Recidivism Among Homicide Offenders
Authors: Liem Marieke , Zahn Margaret A. , Tichavsky Lisa
Published: January 2014

Homicide offenders are released to communities in large numbers. Little is known, however, about how these offenders fare after release. The aim of this study is threefold: to examine recidivism patterns among released homicide offenders, to assess to what extent predictors for recidivism are similar to those for other violent offenders, and to study whether the degree of recidivism differs by type of homicide. Using data from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, we extracted all individuals who committed a homicide in Philadelphia between 1977 and 1983 and who were paroled. Data were supplemented with court documents, police department data, and newspaper articles. We examined frequency and severity of recidivism, and used logistic regression analyses and survival analyses to examine the likelihood and time to recidivism. Of the 92 paroled homicide offenders, 54% recidivated; 15% recidivated with a violent offense. Race and original conviction for a financially motivated homicide were significant predictors of recidivism. While socio-demographic predictors of recidivism have theoretical and practical significance, focusing on factors associated with the motive of the original homicide may prove highly beneficial for intervention strategies and post-release planning.
Effect of Cup Feeding and Bottle Feeding on Breastfeeding in Late Preterm Infants
Authors: Yilmaz Gonca , Caylan Nilgun , Karacan Can Demir , Bodur İlknur , Gokcay Gulbin
Published: January 2014

Background:

Cup feeding has been used as an alternative feeding method for preterm infants.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of bottle and cup feeding on exclusive breastfeeding rates at hospital discharge and 3 and 6 months post-discharge in late preterm infants.

Methods:

Included in the study were preterm infants of 32 to 35 weeks’ gestation fed only by intermittent gastric tube at the time of recruitment; 522 infants were randomly assigned to 2 groups: the cup-fed group (n = 254) and bottle-fed group (n = 268). Main outcomes were prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge and 3 and 6 months after discharge, and length of hospital stay.

Results:

Infants randomized to cup versus bottle feeding were more likely to be exclusively breastfed at discharge home (relative risk [RR], 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36-1.83), 3 months after discharge (RR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.42-1.89), and 6 months after discharge (RR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.14-1.63). There was no significant difference between groups for length of hospital stay. The mean hospital stay was 25.96 ± 2.20 days in the bottle-fed group and 25.68 ± 2.22 days in the cup-fed group. There was no significant difference between groups for time spent feeding, feeding problems, or weight gain in hospital.

Conclusion:

Cup feeding significantly increased the likelihood of late preterm infants being exclusively breastfed at discharge and 3 and 6 months after discharge, and cup feeding did not increase the length of hospital stay. Overall, we recommend cup feeding as a transitional method prior to breastfeeding for late preterm infants during hospitalization.
Physical modeling and numerical simulation of V-die forging ingot with central void
Authors: Christiansen Peter , Hattel Jesper H , Bay Niels , Martins Paulo AF
Published: January 2014

Numerical simulation and physical modeling performed on small-scale ingots made from pure lead, having a hole drilled through their centerline to mimic porosity, are utilized to characterize the deformation mechanics of a single open die forging compression stage and to identify the influence of the lower V-die angle on porosity closure and forging load requirements of large cast ingots. Results show that a lower V-die angle of 120° provides the best closure of centerline porosity without demanding the highest forging loads or developing unreasonably asymmetric shapes that may create difficulties in multi-stage open die forging procedures.
Collision avoidance control for a human-operated four-wheeled mobile robot
Authors: Uchiyama Naoki , Dewi Tresna , Sano Shigenori
Published: January 2014

Because the collision avoidance function is indispensable for providing safe and easy operation of human-operated robotic systems, this paper deals with the collision avoidance control for a human-operated mobile robot in unknown environments. A typical four-wheeled mobile robot with infrared distance sensors for detecting obstacles is considered. The robot cannot move in an arbitrary direction owing to a nonholonomic constraint. Therefore, we propose a simple control approach in which a human operator’s control input is modified in real time to satisfy the nonholonomic constraint and avoid collision with obstacles. The proposed controller has steering- and brake-like functions that are adjusted according to the distance sensor information. The stability of the proposed control system is analyzed with a linear model. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by experiments in which several operators control the robot in an environment with obstacles.
Control of dry friction oscillator using semi-active magneto-rheological tuned liquid column damper
Authors: Miandoab Ehsan Maani , Yousefi-Koma Aghil
Published: January 2014

In this paper, first, the dynamic behavior of a nonlinear friction driven oscillator subjected to harmonic external excitations and supported by limited power supply is studied. Dynamic analysis of the system through the variation of excitation frequency reveals that the system has chaotic motion near the fundamental natural frequency. After analyzing the dynamic response of the system, the control of chaotic motion of this system using tuned liquid column dampers (TLCD) and magneto-rheological tuned liquid column damper (MR-TLCD) are analyzed. Time-delay feedback control strategy is used in order to have real-time semi-active vibration control of the block with MR-TLCD. Simulation results show the high performance of both of the proposed methods for chaos elimination and improving the system operation. It is also concluded that the system transient time in semi-active control using MR-TLCDs and based on the new proposed control strategy is less than conventional TLCDs.