bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wear and friction behavior of nanosized TiB2 and TiO2 particle-reinforced casting A356 aluminum nanocomposites: A comparative study focusing on particle capture in matrix
Authors: Karbalaei Akbari M , Rajabi S , Shirvanimoghaddam K , Baharvandi HR
Published: January 2015

In the present study, regarding the theoretical and practical aspects of nanoparticle capture in liquid-state processing of aluminum composite, different volume fractions of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] nanopowders were incorporated into aluminum alloy via stir casting method. Hardness and sliding wear test were carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties of composites. The effects of wear load and reinforcement content on wear rate and friction coefficient of composites were examined. Microstructural studied showed that particle distribution in A356-[Formula: see text] composites was more favorable than that of the A356-[Formula: see text] samples. Results showed that nanoparticles were partially captured by aluminum matrix. With an increase in reinforcement content the amount of porosity and rejected nanoparticles increased. Regarding the wettability features of particles, the amount of introduced [Formula: see text] powders was higher than that of [Formula: see text] particles. A356-[Formula: see text] composites showed higher mechanical properties compared with those of A356-[Formula: see text] samples. Significant improvements in hardness and wear resistance were obtained in A356-1.5 vol.% [Formula: see text] composite. It was observed that the friction coefficient of the composites was lower than that of the non-reinforced alloy. With an increase in normal wear load, wear rate of composites increased and friction coefficient of reinforced samples decreased. Study on surface morphology of the worn surfaces showed both of the mild and sever wear mechanisms. The depth and number of grooves in worn surface of composites decreased with introduction of nanoparticles into matrix. The presence of oxide layers was detected on worn surface. Iron trace was observed in wear debris of samples.
Effect of BN fraction on the mechanical and tribological properties of Cu alloy/BN self-lubricating sleeves
Authors: Chen Suiyuan , Bi Yuning , Zhang Honlon , Liang Jing , Wellburn Dan , Chang-sheng LIU
Published: January 2015

Self-lubricating composite material sleeves were prepared using a powder matrix of 663-tin bronze powder in which boron nitride (BN) of 0 wt%, 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%, 4 wt%, 5 wt%, and 6 wt% was added as a lubricating phase. The microstructure, mechanical properties, and tribological performance of the samples were studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, hardness tests, tensile tests, and wear tests. The results show that the density, hardness, and compressive strength of the samples each decrease gradually with the increase of BN content, and porosity increases with the increase of BN content. The friction coefficient and wear loss both reduced after BN was introduced in the Cu alloy matrix due to BN forming a lubricating film on the friction surface. With a BN content of 2 wt%, the sleeve showed the best combination of properties with a hardness of 55 HV, crushing strength of 302 MPa, density of 7.069 g/cm3, a relatively small friction coefficient and lowest wear loss. The new copper-based/BN self-lubricating composite material has good prospects for application in the manufacturing of frictional sleeves of high-speed sewing machinery.
A triple murder
Authors: Vidanapathirana M , Ruwanpura PR , Ariyaratne D , Karunanayake DSK
Published: January 2015

Three partially burnt bodies were found in a burnt out bedroom. A candle and matches were found on a partially burnt bed, suggesting accidental deaths. Careful scene analysis and forensic post-mortems demonstrated that this was a multiple murder rather than an accident.
‘Quackery’ in the Academy? Professional Knowledge, Autonomy and the Debate over Complementary Medicine Degrees
Authors: Brosnan Caragh
Published: January 2015

In 2012, the group ‘Friends of Science in Medicine’, mostly comprising academic doctors and scientists, lobbied to remove teaching in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) from Australian universities. Seemingly inspired by an earlier UK-based campaign, the group approached vice-chancellors and the media, arguing that CAM degrees promoted ‘pseudo-science’ and ‘quackery’. Although epistemological disputes between biomedicine and CAM are well documented, their emergence in a higher education context is less familiar. This article explores the position-taking of those on each side of the debate, via a thematic analysis of stakeholders’ views as reported in news articles and other outlets. Bourdieu’s concepts of capital and autonomy are used to sketch out the stakes of the struggle. It is argued that the debate is significant not only for what it reveals about the current status of CAM professions in Australia, but for what it suggests more broadly about legitimate knowledge in the university.
Alcohol and the Constitution of Friendship for Young Adults
Authors: MacLean Sarah
Published: January 2015

Friendship, sociologists suggest, is defined by institutionalized rules to a lesser degree than other important relationships. Hence it must be sustained through specific friendship-making practices. Social science literature tends to conceptualize friendship as enhancing the pleasures of alcohol use rather than as central to friendship production. This article examines alcohol as a technology in contemporary young adults’ friendship-making. Interviews with 60 drinkers aged 18–24 years in Melbourne, Australia demonstrate that drinking builds intimacy, particularly when similar levels of intoxication are achieved. Fear in night-time entertainment precincts underlines trust in friends. To manage uncertainty about responsibilities involved in friendship, young adults negotiate how they will care for each other when they are drunk. Providing this care occasionally jeopardizes friendship, in different ways for women and men. Understanding the import of friendship-making in alcohol use helps explain the persistence of heavy drinking and suggest opportunities for harm reduction.
Effectiveness of the “Tezawari” and “Hadazawari” sensory test methods in the evaluation of fine-textured knitted fabrics
Authors: Li Ya-Ning , Kamijo Masayoshi , Yoshida Hiroaki
Published: January 2015

“Tezawari” and “Hadazawari” are two sensory test methods used for fabric texture evaluation in Japan. In this study, the effectiveness of the two sensory test methods in coolness and moistness discrimination was investigated. Three types of single jersey fabrics that were distinct from each other in thermal and moisture properties were chosen as the samples. The coolness and moistness differences between the three types of samples were evaluated by 20 university students with both “Tezawari” and “Hadazawari” test methods. The comparative analysis of “Tezawari” and “Hadazawari” test results revealed that the coolness differences between samples were even more detectable when discriminated with the “Hadazawari” test method; the between-sample differences in perceived moistness correlated very well with the between-sample differences in perceived coolness in both “Tezawari” and “Hadazawari” tests. In conclusion, compared with the “Tezawari” test method, the “Hadazawari” test method is more suitable for coolness and moistness discrimination.
What attracts people to inner city areas? The cases of two post-socialist cities in Estonia and the Czech Republic
Authors: Kährik Anneli , Temelová Jana , Kadarik Kati , Kubeš Jan
Published: January 2015

Since the 1990s the inner city residential areas of CEE post-socialist cities have experienced substantial physical and social transformation. Previous studies have recorded a gradual rehabilitation of inner city housing stock and the displacement of lower status groups by middle and higher social status residents, but they have also shown that diverse social groups continue to live in the inner city. The scholarly emphasis on identifying the macro-scale factors that influence inner city change has resulted in a lack of studies considering micro-scale processes. We therefore herein attempt to address this gap in the literature by providing qualitative insight into the drivers of inner city dynamics at the level of the individual actors concerned. Our study is based on an investigation of two second-tier cities: Tartu in Estonia and České Budějovice in the Czech Republic. We found that, besides supply side factors which emphasise the conditions of urban spatial fabric, relocations to inner cities can best be explained by a combination of household socio-economic, life course and lifestyle factors. We also provide a typology of relocators to post-socialist inner cities, based on our findings.
How Does Employees’ Public Service Motivation Get Affected? A Conditional Process Analysis of the Effects of Person–Job Fit and Work Pressure
Authors: Quratulain Samina , Khan Abdul Karim
Published: January 2015

Organizational experiences can affect employees’ public service motivation (PSM) in a myriad of ways. Drawing on the institutional perspective of PSM theory, we argue that an individual’s PSM gets affected due to feelings of personal fit with the job requirements and indirect effects of perceived fit on job satisfaction is mediated through PSM. We expect that the direct effect of job fit on job satisfaction is contingent on the experience of work pressure, such that the effect would be stronger in low pressure conditions. Similarly, the indirect effect of personal job fit on job satisfaction is also contingent on the experience of work pressures. In conditions of high workload, the strength of the effect of job fit on job satisfaction through PSM may be weaker as compared with low work pressure conditions. Analysis of a survey of 213 respondents supports our hypotheses. Implications of these findings and future research directions are also discussed.
A Novel Behavioral Intervention in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Improves Glycemic Control
Authors: Maranda Louise , Lau May , Stewart Sunita M. , Gupta Olga T.
Published: January 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot-test an innovative behavioral intervention in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) incorporating structured care of a pet to improve glycemic control.

Methods

Twenty-eight adolescents with A1C > 8.5% (69 mmol/mol) were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (care of a Betta splendens pet fish) or the control group (usual care). Adolescents in the intervention group were given instructions to associate daily and weekly fish care duties with diabetes self-management tasks, including blood glucose testing and parent-adolescent communication.

Results

After 3 months, the participants in the intervention group exhibited a statistically significant decrease in A1C level (−0.5%) compared with their peers in the control group, who had an increase in A1C level (0.8%) ( P = .04). The younger adolescents (10-13 years of age) demonstrated a greater response to the intervention, which was statistically significant (−1.5% vs 0.6%, P = .04), compared with the older adolescents (14-17 years of age).

Conclusions

Structured care of a pet fish can improve glycemic control in adolescents with T1DM, likely by providing cues to perform diabetes self-management behaviors.
Personal Branding and Identity Norms in the Popular Business Press: Enterprise Culture in an Age of Precarity
Authors: Vallas Steven P. , Cummins Emily R.
Published: January 2015

The theory of enterprise culture (du Gay, 1996) has provoked one of the more enduring strands of research on organizations and identities. Yet, after a decade and half of debate, the validity of this theory remains mired in ambiguity. In this article we revisit the theory of enterprise culture by exploring shifts in the popular business press and employee responses to them, in an effort to track the identity norms that have impinged on job seekers over time. Scrutinizing career-advice texts published between 1980 and 2010, we do indeed find partial support for the theory of enterprise culture, as the most popular renderings of work and employment have exhibited a marked yet complex turn toward entrepreneurial rhetoric. Interviews with 53 employees and job seekers suggest that a discourse of personal branding is indeed pervasive, and is often uncritically incorporated into the conceptions that job seekers bring to bear on their career horizons. Yet we also find that enterprise discourse has evolved beyond the notion of the “sovereign consumer” on which enterprise theory was initially based. Employees today are advised not merely to be responsive to the wants of customers; now, they must actively shape those wants, emulating corporate marketing techniques in an effort to establish the value of their own personal brands. Homo economicus is alive and well but has elided existing representations.
Spontaneous subclavian venous occlusion before electronic device implantation
Authors: Kodani Takeshi , Mine Takanao , Kishima Hideyuki , Ashida Kenki , Masuyama Tohru
Published: January 2015

Background

Subclavian venous occlusion sometimes precludes the ability to insert leads during placement of a cardiac implantable electronic device. This study was performed to identify the risk factors for spontaneous subclavian venous occlusion prior to placement of an implantable electronic device.

Methods

We studied 446 patients who underwent axillary-subclavian venography to assess for occlusion and/or anomaly of the subclavian vein or associated veins before electronic device implantation.

Results

Six (1.3%) patients had venous occlusion (left subclavian vein in 5, left innominate vein in 1). There was a significantly higher incidence of previous cancer in the occlusion group than in the nonocclusion group (11.5% vs. 50%, p = 0.03).

Conclusions

Subclavian venous occlusion may be present before cardiac implantable electronic device placement. A history of cancer represents a risk factor subclavian venous occlusion, and patients with this risk factor should undergo subclavian venography prior to electronic device placement.
Diagnosing diagnostic language assessment
Authors: Lee Yong-Won
Published: January 2015

Diagnostic language assessment (DLA) is gaining a lot of attention from language teachers, testers, and applied linguists. With a recent surge of interest in DLA, there seems to be an urgent need to assess where the field of DLA stands at the moment and develop a general sense of where it should be moving in the future. The current article, as the first article in this special issue, aims to provide a general theoretical background for discussion of DLA and address some fundamental issues surrounding DLA. More specifically, the article (a) examines some of the defining characteristics of DLA and its major components, (b) reviews the current state of DLA in conjunction with these components, and (c) identifies some promising areas of future research and development of DLA where important breakthroughs can be made in the future. Some of the major obstacles and challenges facing DLA are identified and discussed, along with some possible solutions to them.
On the Cambridge, England, Critique of the Marginal Productivity Theory of Distribution
Authors: Harcourt G. C.
Published: January 2015

The Cambridge critique of the marginal productivity theory of distribution is entwined with the critics’ theories of value, price, distribution, capital, growth, and methodology that occurred alongside it. The article first discusses these dimensions, then the inescapable need to explain the origin and size and rate of profits in any approach to the theory of distribution. The need in the neoclassical approach to have a unit in which to measure capital that is independent of distribution and prices is examined. The alternative classical/Marxian alternative and the relationship of pricing and market structures to systemic relationships in Post-Keynesian theory are analysed. Unresolved debates among the critics of the mainstream are outlined including those between Garegnani and Hahn. Ways forward are suggested in the concluding section.
Civic Engagement Capacity Building
Authors: Mandarano Lynn
Published: January 2015

Planning organizations have recently initiated planning academies to increase citizens’ capacity to effectively engage in city and local planning activities. Yet, the success of these programs is largely unknown. This article seeks to address this gap in knowledge by proposing an assessment framework to identify increased civic engagement capacity using three tiers of outcomes. The results of a multicase study suggest that this model of public outreach and education programming is successful at realizing improvements in individual human and social capitals that translate into effective citizen engagement measured as actions taken by participants to improve community conditions.
Incremental Validity of the Subscales of the Emotional Regulation Related to Testing Scale for Predicting Test Anxiety
Authors: Feldt Ronald , Lindley Kyla , Louison Rebecca , Roe Allison , Timm Megan , Utinkova Nikola
Published: January 2015

The Emotional Regulation Related to Testing Scale (ERT Scale) assesses strategies students use to regulate emotion related to academic testing. It has four dimensions: Cognitive Appraising Processes (CAP), Emotion-Focusing Processes (EFP), Task-Focusing Processes (TFP), and Regaining Task-Focusing Processes (RTFP). The study examined the factor structure of each dimension and the incremental validity of the ERT subscales ( N = 213 undergraduates). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit for CAP and EFP dimensions. TFP and RTFP models had poor fit. The TFP dimension appears to involve a two-factor structure, which may account for why it has been observed to have low internal consistency reliability across studies. Subscales of CAP and EFP dimensions resulted in statistically significant increments in R2 after accounting for self-efficacy for learning and metacognitive self-regulation of learning. The TFP dimension and RTFP subscales did not exhibit incremental validity. The importance of assessing self-regulation of emotion and learning is emphasized.
The Relationship Between Childhood Gender Nonconformity and Experiencing Diverse Types of Homophobic Violence
Authors: D’haese Lies , Dewaele Alexis , Van Houtte Mieke
Published: January 2015

Experiences of homophobic violence seem to differ for various sexual-minority subgroups. Previous research has outlined that experiences differ for men and women, and for gender conforming and nonconforming lesbian, gay, and bisexual men and women (LGBs). In this article, these relationships are studied by making a distinction between four types of homophobic violence: verbal, physical, material, and sexual. In 2013, an online survey was designed to ask Flemish LGBs about their experiences of homophobic violence. The final sample consists of 1,402 Flemish sexual-minority individuals. The results show that gay and bisexual men experienced significantly more physical, material, and sexual violence during their lifetime than lesbian and bisexual women did. Moreover, LGBs who reported more childhood gender nonconformity also reported more homophobic violence, and this positive relationship is confirmed for the four forms of violence. For verbal and physical violence, however, the relationship between childhood gender nonconformity and violence varies according to the gender of the respondents. This relationship is much stronger for gay and bisexual men than for lesbian and bisexual women.
“Non-strategic” Eastern Europe and the Fate of the Humanities
Authors: Cavanagh Clare
Published: January 2015

Until recent events intervened, Eastern European Studies found themselves under attack at my home university and other institutions for being, among other things, “non-strategic.” We see the same notion, if not the same terminology, applied increasingly to the humanities and non-quantitative social sciences, which lose ground daily to the so-called STEM disciplines in both educational policy and practice. How do we defend the study of Eastern European literature and culture in the current academic climate? This essay defends the centrality both of literary and Eastern European studies in the twenty-first-century curriculum.
Behavior of the Newborn during Skin-to-Skin
Authors: Dani Carlo , Cecchi Alessandra , Commare Arianna , Rapisardi Gherardo , Breschi Rita , Pratesi Simone
Published: January 2015

Background:

Early skin-to-skin contact (SSC) significantly increases the breastfeeding rate in healthy term infants.

Objective:

This study aimed to confirm previously described behavioral sequences during SSC.

Methods:

We recorded live and videotaped infant behavioral sequences during SSC in a cohort of healthy term infants, whose outcome was then evaluated.

Results:

We studied 17 mother-infants dyads. While the majority of infants (59%) had behavioral phases that have been previously reported, some of them had alternative sequences. We observed the infant’s massage of the mother’s breast with its hand during SSC, which had not been previously reported. We found no correlations between behavioral sequence during SSC, breastfeeding, and neonatal outcome. Moreover, maternal pain stimuli did not affect the neonatal SSC behavioral sequence.

Conclusion:

Our study confirms that immediate and undisturbed postpartum SSC is characterized by specific behavioral phases whose sequence may vary without affecting the suckling rate at the end of SSC, breastfeeding success, or the short-term neonatal outcome.
Asynchronous Milk Ejection in Human Lactating Breast
Authors: Gardner Hazel , Kent Jacqueline C. , Hartmann Peter E. , Geddes Donna T.
Published: January 2015

Background:

Milk production is under the influence of autocrine control such that the rate of milk synthesis decreases as the breast fills with milk. Effective elimination of milk from the alveoli via the milk ejection reflex will therefore result in increased milk synthesis. It has been assumed that milk ejection occurs in all alveoli simultaneously; however, animal studies have indicated that full alveoli eject milk sooner than less full alveoli, suggesting heterogeneous emptying of the mammary gland.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to determine whether milk ejection occurs asynchronously in the human lactating breast.

Methods:

Retrospective analysis of videos made of ultrasound monitoring of milk ducts during pumping. Six video clips (4 women) of ultrasound monitored milk ejections showed obvious differences in the timing of milk flow between different main milk ducts. Duct diameter was simultaneously measured every second in 2 different ducts that drained 2 separate lobes of the breast.

Results:

For 5 of 6 ultrasound duct monitoring sessions, both duct dilation and visualization of milk flow in the 2 separate main milk ducts differed by 2 to 8 seconds. For the remaining woman, milk was observed to eject from 1 part of the lobe, and when not removed, it flowed in a retrograde fashion into a different part of the lobe.

Conclusion:

Asynchrony of milk ejection occurs in the human lactating breast, suggesting that the timing of myoepithelial cell response differs, resulting in heterogeneous emptying of the gland.
Economic Distress and Resurgence in U.S. Central Cities
Authors: Kodrzycki Yolanda K. , Muñoz Ana Patricia
Published: January 2015

The authors provide a review of the literature on U.S. central city growth and distress during the second half of the twentieth century. The literature reveals that city growth tended to be higher in metropolitan areas with favorable weather, higher growth, and greater human capital, whereas distress was strongly correlated with city-level manufacturing legacy. The article affirms that distress has been highly persistent but that some cities have achieved resurgence through a combination of strong leadership, collaboration across sectors and institutions, clear and broad-based strategies, and significant infrastructure investments. Finally, the article explores measurement issues by comparing two methodologies used to identify poorly performing central cities: comparisons across a comprehensive national cross-section of cities and comparisons within smaller samples of similar cities. It finds that these approaches have produced similar assessments of a city’s status, except in some cases where the city’s progress has been uneven across time or with respect to alternative criteria.
Social Networks and the Success of University Spin-offs
Authors: Hayter Christopher S.
Published: January 2015

This study explores the economic factors that are associated with the success of university spin-offs. Drawing on a unique sample of academic entrepreneurs from research institutions in New York State, the article finds that spin-off success is dependent on both the type and size of the academic entrepreneur’s social network. Specifically, extraregional networks of nonacademic contacts—including investors, researchers from other companies, and advisors—allow academic entrepreneurs access to a broader base of knowledge and other resources important to spin-off success, which leads to regional economic development.
Manufacturing Job Loss in U.S. Deindustrialized Regions—Its Consequences and Implications for the Future
Authors: Wolman Harold (Hal) , Stokan Eric , Wial Howard
Published: January 2015

The loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States has been widely noted in the popular press as well as in public policy debate. We examine several of the most prominently made assertions about manufacturing decline and its consequences for deindustrializing metropolitan areas and find not all of them supported by the data. In particular, we find that, given their industrial structure some of these areas performed better than expected, that long-term economic distress was not inevitable, that manufacturing remains an important component in many metropolitan area economies, and that much of the growth in the service sector is based upon or complementary to the existence of manufacturing. We also find that low growth in these deindustrialized areas was due more to these regions losing their market share of individual industries to other U.S. regions than it was to the areas having an adverse industrial structure, that economies that were more diversified in 1980 did not have greater employment growth from 1980-2011 than those that were less diverse, and that declines in manufacturing did result in a movement of jobs from relatively high-wage to relatively low-wage industries and thus a decline in earnings per jobs.
A Survey of Pharmacists in Academia on the Current Practice of Estimation of Kidney Function for Antimicrobial Dosing in Adults
Authors: Jodlowski Tomasz Z. , Sym Donna , Marziliano Anthony , LaPan-Dennis Gina , Ashby Charles R. , Ruhe Jorg J.
Published: January 2015

Purpose:

To determine the methods used by pharmacists in academia to estimate kidney function for antimicrobial dosing.

Methods:

Stratified by region, a random sample of Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education recognized Colleges of Pharmacy was selected for a total of 40 programs. Identified college Web sites were reviewed for eligible participants using the predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. This was used to create a sampling frame from which 30% and 20% of faculty were randomly chosen and invited to participate via e-mail and mail-administered surveys, respectively.

Results:

Of the responders, 86% (31 of 36) who routinely estimate kidney function utilized the Cockcroft-Gault (CG) equation. In obese patients, 75% utilized the CG equation with or without adjustments. In patients ≥65 years, 42% adjusted serum creatinine to 1 mg/dL and 25% did not make any modifications. The majority of the responders accounted for patients with quadripalegia or bed-bound patients when estimating kidney function. In scenario examples, 51% (18 of 35) dosed an elderly female and 51% (18 of 35) a morbidly obese female as creatinine clearance ≥50 mL/min; however, 49% (17 of 35) did not.

Conclusion:

The majority of responders utilized the CG equation for estimating kidney function with or without adjustments. Although a number of consistencies were noted, discrepancies existed, especially with elderly and obese patients.
Survey Evaluation of Pharmacy Practice Involving Deaf Patients
Authors: Ferguson McKenzie C. , Shan Leah
Published: January 2015

Introduction:

For a patient who is deaf, providing patient care can be more difficult due to communication barriers. This study was conducted in order to better understand pharmacists’ current means of communicating with deaf patients as well as investigating pharmacists’ knowledge of their legal responsibility to these patients.

Methods:

Surveys were used to gather information from pharmacists and were distributed in areas with a large population of deaf patients.

Results:

Of the 73 pharmacists who completed surveys, 50 (68.5%) of them interact with at least 1 to 5 deaf patients monthly. Pharmacists responded that accessibility of interpreters is the most significant barrier to communication and providing written material is the method most used to communicate with deaf patients. None of the 73 pharmacists who completed the survey felt that they have a legal obligation to provide and pay for an interpreter.

Conclusion:

When interacting with a deaf patient, pharmacists may experience communication barriers. Pharmacists should strive to appropriately communicate with the deaf as well as familiarize themselves with legal obligations to this patient population.
Impact of Nursing Education on the Proportion of Appropriately Drawn Vancomycin Trough Concentrations
Authors: Coleman Lindsay K. , Wilson Ashley S.
Published: January 2015

Background:

Few studies have investigated the timing of vancomycin trough concentration collection in the inpatient setting. To date, there are no published studies on the impact of targeted nursing staff education on the appropriate timing of vancomycin trough concentration collection.

Objective:

To evaluate the impact of educational sessions on nursing staff knowledge regarding vancomycin and proper collection of troughs.

Methods:

The nursing staffs of 5 hospital units with a high volume of vancomycin usage were targeted for voluntary vancomycin educational sessions. Comprehension of the educational content was measured by a 5-question pre-/posteducation quiz. Vancomycin trough concentrations were evaluated during a 2-month period pre-/posteducation for appropriate timing of sample draw, defined as ≤45 minutes prior to the next scheduled vancomycin dose.

Results:

A total of 114 nurses participated in the education sessions. The mean pretest score was 3.91 and the mean posttest score was 4.89 ( P < .001). Preeducation, 69% of trough concentrations were collected appropriately. Posteducation, 74% of samples were collected within the 45-minute time frame ( P = .20).

Conclusions:

A significant increase in short-term comprehension regarding vancomycin was seen posteducation. There was a nonsignificant increase in appropriately timed trough concentration collection posteducation. Further education of nursing staffs may be necessary to lessen timing errors.
Serotonin Syndrome Following Methylene Blue Administration During Cardiothoracic Surgery
Authors: Smith Christina J. , Wang Dorothy , Sgambelluri Anna , Kramer Robert S. , Gagnon David J.
Published: January 2015

Introduction:

Despite its favorable safety profile, there have been reports of methylene blue-induced encephalopathy and serotonin syndrome in patients undergoing parathyroidectomy. We report a case of serotonin syndrome following methylene blue administration in a cardiothoracic surgery patient.

Case Report:

A 59-year-old woman taking preoperative venlafaxine and trazodone was given a single dose of 2 mg/kg methylene blue (167 mg) during a planned coronary artery bypass and mitral valve repair. Postoperatively, she was febrile to 38.7°C and developed full-body tremors, rhythmic twitching of the perioral muscles, slow conjugate roving eye movements, and spontaneous movements of the upper extremities. Electroencephalography revealed generalized diffuse slowing consistent with toxic encephalopathy, and a computed tomography scan showed no acute process. The patient’s symptoms were most consistent with a methylene blue-induced serotonin syndrome. Her motor symptoms resolved within 48 hours and she was eventually discharged home.

Discussion:

Only 2 cases of methylene blue-induced serotonin syndrome during cardiothoracic surgery have been described in the literature, with this report representing the third case. Methylene blue and its metabolite, azure B, are potent, reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase A which is responsible for serotonin metabolism. Concomitant administration of methylene blue with serotonin-modulating agents may precipitate serotonin syndrome.
A modified model for estimating the contact length in surface grinding
Authors: Setti Dinesh , Ghosh Sudarsan , Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao
Published: January 2015

The real contact length during the grinding process is considered as an important subject for researchers, mainly because it reflects the intensity of the responses such as grinding forces and temperature generation. In order to measure and assess the real contact length, many experimental techniques and prediction models are available in the literature. Among all these models, the model developed by Rowe and Qi is being used widely by researchers because of its ability to make close predictions with real values. Rowe and Qi coined the term called roughness factor in their model. This factor varies with grinding environments and wheel–work material combinations. To decide it for a new environment, one has to do the laborious experimental work. In this article, the roughness factor has been analysed from the grinding temperature and the heat partition ratio point of view and expressed so that without experimental work prediction of the roughness factor can be done. For this, a new factor called as the thermal factor has been proposed based on the roughness factor modifications. Its good correlation with dimensionless temperature and heat partition ratio under different grinding environments have been presented and discussed in the current communication. It seems that the thermal factor can be helped in an easy and accurate prediction of the contact length during grinding operations.
Parametric study and multi-objective optimization in single-point incremental forming of extra deep drawing steel sheets
Authors: Kurra Suresh , HR Nasih , Regalla Srinivasaprakash , Gupta Amit Kumar
Published: January 2015

Single-point incremental forming is the most economical process to make the sheet metal prototypes and low volume production without any dedicated dies and simple tooling. The surface finish of the parts produced in this process gets affected by various process parameters. To get the proper quality of parts for functional applications, it is important to understand the effect of various process parameters on part quality. Another drawback with this process is long processing time, which also gets affected by different process parameters. Thus, the first objective of this article is to study the effect of various process parameters on surface roughness and manufacturing time. Second objective is to carry out the multi-objective optimization to get optimum process parameters. For this, detailed experiments are conducted using Box–Behnken design. The effects of step depth, tool diameter, wall angle, feed rate and lubricant type on surface roughness and processing time have been investigated. Based on experimental data, mathematical models have been developed for both the response variables, namely, surface roughness and manufacturing time. Since the response variables are mutually exclusive in nature, multi-objective optimization algorithm (non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II) has been used to get optimum process parameters. The Pareto front obtained from this algorithm helps the manufacturing engineer to select optimum process parameters in single-point incremental forming process.
Nonlinear adaptive position tracking of an electro-hydraulic actuator
Authors: Guo Kai , Wei Jianhua , Tian Qiyan
Published: January 2015

This paper deals with position tracking control of a single-rod electro-hydraulic actuator subject to external disturbances and parameter uncertainties. In previous disturbance observer design methodologies for electro-hydraulic actuators, parameter uncertainties have been commonly regarded as disturbances and lumped together with external perturbations. However, in practical electro-hydraulic systems, system parameters are unknown and varying. If considerable parameter uncertainties exist in the system or if the disturbance dynamics induced by parameter uncertainties exceed the bandwidth of the disturbance observer, estimation accuracy will degrade, which will significantly affect system performance. To solve this problem, an extended disturbance observer is proposed in this paper to estimate disturbances while dealing with parameter uncertainties. In addition, a nonlinear position tracking controller is designed for position tracking based on the proposed disturbance observer using a backstepping technique. The proof of the stability of the overall closed-loop system is based on Lyapunov theory. The performance of the proposed controller is verified through simulations and experiments using a shock absorber as a load force generator. A detailed nonlinear physical model of the load force is developed and implemented in the simulation. The results show that the proposed nonlinear position tracking controller, together with the extended disturbance observer, provide excellent tracking performance in the presence of parameter uncertainties and external disturbances.
Attitude of patients with HIV infection towards organ transplant between HIV patients. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey
Authors: Taha Huda , Newby Katie , Das Archik , Das Satyajit
Published: January 2015

This study examined the HIV patients’ attitudes towards the practice of organ transplant between HIV patients using a cross-sectional survey design. In total, 206 patients participated with a mean age of 42 (±8.8) years. The majority (70%) were black African and women (54%), and 83% described themselves as heterosexual. Most participants ( n = 171, 83%) were on treatment, and 159 (93%) had viral load less than 40 copies/ml. Mean duration of illness and mean duration of treatment were 77 (±42.7) and 68 (±41) months, respectively. Of all participants, 128 (62%) reported that they would consider donating either any organ or a specific organ/s to an HIV patient, 33 (16%) would not consider it and 45 (22%) were unsure about donating their organs. Furthermore, 113 (55%) participants would consider receiving an organ from an HIV patient, 37 (18%) would not consider it, and 56 (27%) were unsure. Ninety-eight participants (42%) reported that they would consider both donating and receiving an organ. Multinomial logistic regression analysis found that significantly more Black African than Caucasian participants were unsure about organ donation ( p = 0.011, OR = 3.887). Participants with longer duration of infection were significantly less likely to consider receiving an organ from an HIV patient ( p = 0.036, OR = 1.297). Overall, the study findings indicated that the majority of participants were in favour of organ transplant between HIV patients. Use of HIV-infected donors could potentially reduce current organ waiting list among HIV patients.
The [not so] new digital family: disciplinary functions of representations of children and technology
Authors: Gordo López Angel J , Contreras Pilar Parra , Cassidy Paul
Published: January 2015

The main question for consideration in this paper relates to the functional prerequisites for the construction of the so-called ‘digital family’ in the Spanish context. Taking inspiration from Burman’s (1994; 2008) work we start from two assumptions. Firstly, we assume that representations of children and families are important in terms of power and gender. This leads to our second assumption, that when considering representations of the family we also, necessarily, need to address gender regulatory functions, as much as economic and political trends. We argue that since the middle of the last decade reports there has been an intensification of interest in children and their relations with Information and Communications Technology. We identify how a convergence of discourses around family and gender, enshrined in notions of the ‘digital family’ functions to refold the family structure back in on itself, advocating a return to traditional values in much the same way as in previous eras.
Real-time polymerase chain reaction assays for the detection and quantification of Edwardsiella tarda, Edwardsiella piscicida, and Edwardsiella piscicida–like species in catfish tissues and pond water
Authors: Reichley Stephen R. , Ware Cynthia , Greenway Terrence E. , Wise David J. , Griffin Matt J.
Published: January 2015

Researchers have proposed the adoption of 3 distinct genetic taxa among bacteria previously classified as Edwardsiella tarda; namely E. tarda, E. piscicida, and a taxon presently termed E. piscicida–like. Individual real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays were developed, based on published primers, for E. tarda, E. piscicida, and E. piscicida–like sp. to provide rapid quantitative confirmatory tests for these phenotypically ambiguous bacteria. The qPCR assays were shown to be repeatable and reproducible, with high degrees of sensitivity and specificity. Each assay showed a linear dynamic range covering 8 orders of magnitude and a sensitivity limit of 5 copies of target DNA in a 15-µL reaction. In addition, each assay was found specific to their respective targets with no observed amplification from nontarget organisms, including the closely related E. ictaluri and E. hoshinae. Under the conditions used in this study, the 3 assays had a quantifiable limit ranging from 103 ( E. piscicida) to 102 ( E. piscicida–like and E. tarda) colony forming units in kidney tissue biopsies (approximately 25 mg), pond water samples (35 mL), and broth culture (20 μL). In experimental challenges, the assays were able to detect their respective targets in both clinically and subclinically infected channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus) fingerlings. In addition to quantifying target bacteria from various substrates, the assays provide rapid identification, differentiation, and confirmation of the phenotypically indistinguishable E. tarda, E. piscicida, and E. piscicida–like sp., a valuable tool for diagnostic assessments.
Liposarcoma in animals
Authors: Doria-Torra Georgina , Martínez Jorge , Domingo Mariano , Vidaña Beatriz , Isidoro-Ayza Marcos , Casanova María Isabel , Vidal Enric
Published: January 2015

Liposarcomas are malignant tumors of adipocytes. The current report describes a liposarcoma in a 2.5-year-old, mixed-breed commercial sow that was detected during meat inspection. On gross examination, a firm, whitish, multinodular, 20 cm ×10 cm mass was observed in the perirenal area along with smaller nodules multifocally scattered within the renal parenchyma. Histological examination revealed an anaplastic sarcoma with clear intracytoplasmic lipidic vacuoles that were positive for Sudan black staining. Most of the cells were also positive for S100 and vimentin immunohistochemistry. Based on these results, a diagnosis of a perirenal liposarcoma was established. To the authors’ knowledge, no previous reports of liposarcomas in pigs have been published. This report also includes a review of the literature published on animal liposarcomas.
Multiple oral carcinomas associated with a novel papillomavirus in a dog
Authors: Munday John S. , Tucker Russell S. , Kiupel Matti , Harvey Catherine J.
Published: January 2015

Papillomaviruses (PVs) are well recognized to cause human oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). However, there is currently little evidence that PVs similarly cause oral cancer in dogs. In the present case, a dog developed an invasive SCC and multiple in situ carcinomas within the mouth. Cell changes consistent with PV infection were prominent within the neoplasms and the surrounding gingiva. Immunohistochemical staining revealed PV antigens and intense p16CDKN2A protein (p16) immunostaining within the invasive SCC. Papillomaviral DNA sequences were amplified from the invasive and in situ carcinomas. Sequencing revealed that the DNA was from a novel PV that appears most closely related to canine PV-2 and -7. To the authors’ knowledge, multiple carcinomas have not been previously reported in the mouth of a dog. Additionally, the current study describes PV cytopathology in a canine oral SCC. Whether the PV infection influenced neoplasm development cannot be definitively determined in this case. However, the presence of p16 immunostaining and the development of multiple oral carcinomas support a role of the PV in tumorigenesis in this dog.
Perceived Alienation of, and Social Support for, Siblings of Children With Cancer
Authors: Yu Juyoun , Bang Kyung-Sook
Published: January 2015

This descriptive study was performed to identify the relationships among alienation, general social support, and nurses’ support for the siblings of children with cancer. The participants were 84 siblings of children with cancer. Alienation was measured by the revised version of Dean’s Alienation Scale, and general social support was quantified by the revised version of Dubow and Ullman’s Social Support Appraisal Scale. For nurses’ support, Murray’s Nurse–Sibling Social Support Questionnaire was used. Data were collected from July 2011 to December 2011. The participants’ alienation was not particularly high (mean = 42.24 ± 12.72), but psychosocial vulnerability was identified from their answers to open-ended questions. The participants’ perceived alienation showed a negative correlation with general social support, but no relationship with nurses’ support. Although direct relationships between nurses’ support and the siblings’ alienation were not found in this study, the siblings perceived that the support of nurses was moderately helpful. Nurses can help siblings by providing support.