bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nurses’ ethical conflict with hospitals: A longitudinal study of outcomes
Authors: Gaudine Alice , Thorne Linda
Published: May 2012

This study examined the association of nurses’ ethical conflict with hospitals with organizational commitment, stress, turnover intention, absence and turnover. Participants were 410 nurses working at four different Canadian hospitals. A longitudinal design was used where nurses completed a questionnaire to capture ethical conflict, stress and organizational commitment, and one year later, measures of turnover intention, absence and actual turnover were obtained for the same sample. We found three aspects of nurses’ ethical conflict with hospitals: patient care values, value of nurses, and staffing policy values. Our findings showed that all three aspects of nurses’ ethical conflict are associated with stress and patient care values is associated with actual turnover. We also found that staffing policy values is predictive of turnover intention, and that patient care values is predictive of absenteeism. Thus, our findings show the multidimensionality of nurses’ ethical conflict with hospitals. Further implications of our findings for practice and theory are discussed.
Consequences of clinical situations that cause critical care nurses to experience moral distress
Authors: Wiegand Debra L , Funk Marjorie
Published: May 2012

Little is known about the consequences of moral distress. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical situations that caused nurses to experience moral distress, to understand the consequences of those situations, and to determine whether nurses would change their practice based on their experiences. The investigation used a descriptive approach. Open-ended surveys were distributed to a convenience sample of 204 critical care nurses employed at a university medical center. The analysis of participants’ responses used an inductive approach and a thematic analysis. Each line of the data was reviewed and coded, and the codes were collapsed into themes. Methodological rigor was established. Forty-nine nurses responded to the survey. The majority of nurses had experienced moral distress, and the majority of situations that caused nurses to experience moral distress were related to end of life. The nurses described negative consequences for themselves, patients, and families.
Nurses’ perceptions of and responses to morally distressing situations
Authors: Varcoe Colleen , Pauly Bernie , Storch Jan , Newton Lorelei , Makaroff Kara
Published: May 2012

Research on moral distress has paid limited attention to nurses’ responses and actions. In a survey of nurses’ perceptions of moral distress and ethical climate, 292 nurses answered three open-ended questions about situations that they considered morally distressing. Participants identified a range of situations as morally distressing, including witnessing unnecessary suffering, being forced to provide care that compromised values, and negative judgments about patients. They linked these situations to contextual constraints such as workload and described responses, including feeling incompetent and distancing themselves from patients. Participants described considerable effort to effect change, calling into question the utility of defining moral distress as an “inability to act due to institutional constraints” or a “failure to pursue a right course of action.” Various understandings of moral distress operated, and action was integral to their responses. The findings suggest further conceptual work on moral distress and effort to support system-level change.
New Methods and Old Records: Awareness and Perceptions of the Near East in Hans Tucher’s Account of his Journey to the Holy Land and Egypt
Authors: Meyer Carla
Published: May 2012

Recent German studies on travelogues have shown that the old verdict against this genre of literature to be stereotypical and monotonous is un-justified: A closer look at the texts reveals a broad variety of the travellers’ interests and perceptions, and at the same time an awareness of the outsider’s distinct ability of perception. These disparities have often been interpreted as different authors’ varying powers of observation. Using the example of Hans Tucher’s (1428–91) travelogue, written in 1482 and printed in several editions, this article suggests that the modes of perception could vary even within one text. For that reason, the article compares the passages about Jerusalem as a typical place of (mass) pilgrimage and the later station Cairo, where Hans Tucher and his group had departed from the well-known routes.
Orthodoxy, Dissent and Politics in Medieval France and Anatolia: A Comparative Perspective
Authors: Salgrl Saygn
Published: May 2012

This article makes a comparative study of the relationship between orthodoxy, dissent and politics. It examines primarily the activities of Henry of Lausanne in Le Mans (ca. 1116), the trial of Petrus Maurandus in Toulouse (1179) and the Babai Rebellion in Seljuk Anatolia (1240). The aim is to construct a narrative that historiographically connects these three historically unrelated cases in order to propose a switch of focus from discourses to practices in analysing the overlaps between orthodoxy, dissent and politics. It argues that the social presence of religion in the day-to-day activities of the communities was what made it political on the micro level. Connectedly, the dynamics of the relationship between orthodoxy and dissent are to be sought in the micro-political practices of the social sphere, rather than in the discursive space of theological and ecclesiastical polemics. We need to recognise the production and articulation of such polemics similarly as practices that intended to create political effects within the social sphere.
Narcotics and Drugs: Pleasure, Intoxication or Simply Therapeutic—North India, Sixteenth— Seventeenth Centuries
Authors: Bhargava Meena
Published: May 2012

Narcotics,1 in this article, has been used as synonymous with drugs and drug-like products including mild stimulants and intoxicants like opium, tobacco, alcohol and alcoholic preparations. All three commodities, of great commercial significance, were also major items that were chewed and consumed to generate euphoria, stimulation and intoxication. Seen as symbols of power and authority, they were considered to be facilitators of social bonding and social interaction. Consumed by a wide variety of people, it was around narcotics that hierarchies of class and gender were built. Although used as a therapy in some instances, narcotics came to be linked to health hazard, disease and death. With such a diverse trajectory, narcotics become an integral and an interesting medium to discover and study the lives of many in pre-colonial India.
‘Fathers’ and ‘Sons’: Inscribing Self and Empire at Vijayanagara, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries
Authors: Chekuri Christopher
Published: May 2012

This article examines nᾱyaka political subjectivity and culture in the making of Vijayanagara Empire. It argues that ‘real’ and ‘fictive’ relationships of family produce nᾱyaka kingship in Vijayanagara Empire (1350–1650 AD). In the inscriptions, the nᾱyaka repeatedly projected a genealogical proximity to the emperor and other nᾱyaka. They described themselves as loyal servants, fictive (or political) sons, and agents and bearers of the burden of the kingdom. Nᾱyaka discourses of loyalty, service and filiality are expressive of the political relationships and also constitutive of empire. Conceptually, this project offers a way out of the primarily structuralist and functionalist explanations of nᾱyaka identity and politics. It does not simply view the inscriptions as documents or as records of a social and political reality; instead, following both philological and post-foundational approaches, it looks at the inscriptions as a series of testimonials in a political field which inscribe the nᾱyaka self and state simultaneously.
Advantage men: The sex pay gap in professional tennis
Authors: Flake Collin R , Dufur Mikaela J , Moore Erin L
Published: May 2012

Much of the literature on gender inequality in sport is devoted to media bias and conceptualizations of masculinity and femininity. In comparison, there is a paucity of empirical research on the sex pay gap. Our case study uses publically accessible data for professional tennis players ranked in the top 100 at the end of the 2009 season to determine to what extent a pay gap exists between men and women. We find that median earnings – both in 2009 and over a player’s career – are substantially higher for men than women in the sample. Net of various productivity measures, the average female player earned less than her male counterpart for every singles tournament won in 2009. We also find that while prize money for men and women is equal in prestigious tournaments such as Grand Slam events, women’s prize money is considerably lower in many of the less publicized tournaments. We submit that the sex pay gap among professional tennis players can be explained in part by productivity in 2009, as well as differential payouts for middle- and low-tier tournaments.
Regulation of diversity through discipline: Practices of inclusion and exclusion in boxing
Authors: Dortants Marianne , Knoppers Annelies
Published: May 2012

Boxing gyms in the Netherlands, which were traditionally bastions of ‘white’ men, have become more and more diverse. Since boxers with different ethnic backgrounds and women have joined boxing clubs, trainers need to manage this emerging diversity in their gyms. This empirical study of a gym in the Netherlands, where full participation of women is the norm, attempts to gain insights about practices of and experiences in the regulation of social inclusion and exclusion. We explore points of connection between Foucault’s conceptualization of regulation and disciplinary techniques and the regulatory and embodied practices of boxing. In this case study, observations and interviews were conducted to explore how trainers address diversity of members in training sessions and at matches. The results show how the participation of male and female boxers with different ethnic backgrounds was normalized by trainers. The gym, with a traditional hierarchical and patriarchal culture, enabled trainers to use disciplinary techniques to normalize their construction of what is normal in the gym. These trainers are not all-powerful, however, and had to negotiate their construction of boxers in interaction with others. The use of disciplinary techniques produced both uniformity and differentiation and, through an on-going process of negotiation, they defined who would be included or excluded.
Cognitive function, origin, and evolution of musical emotions
Authors: Perlovsky Leonid
Published: May 2012

Based on recent advancements in cognitive science and mathematical models of the mind, this paper proposes a hypothesis on a fundamental role of music in cognition, and in the evolution of the mind, consciousness, and cultures. The vocalizations of proto-humans split into two types: one less emotional and more concretely semantic, evolving into language, and the other preserving emotional connections along with semantic ambiguity, evolving into music. The proposed hypothesis considers specific mechanisms of the mind-brain, which required the evolution of music in parallel with the evolution of cultures and languages. The evolution of language toward becoming the semantically powerful tool used today has required emancipation from emotional encumbrances. Arguments explore why no less powerful mechanisms required a compensatory evolution of music toward more differentiated and refined emotionality. Due to this common origin, language and music in all cultures still retain both semantics and emotionality; however, in this article we emphasize differences in the functions of music and language. The fast differentiation of knowledge due to language has created cognitive dissonances among knowledge and instincts. Differentiated emotions were needed for resolving these dissonances. Thus the need for refined music in the process of cultural evolution is grounded in fundamental mechanisms of cognition. This is why today’s human mind and cultures cannot exist without today’s music. Empirical data on the parallel evolution of cognition, emotions, consciousness, and music during the last three thousand years are discussed. Data on changes in musical styles parallel to changes in consciousness support the proposed hypothesis. We propose experimental approaches toward verification of this hypothesis in psychological and neuroimaging research.
Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor in a two-year-old paint horse
Authors: Facemire Paul R. , Facemire Lynn M. , Honnold Shelley P.
Published: May 2012

A 2-year-old gelding presented with a history of lethargy and anorexia. Physical examination revealed pleural and abdominal fluid, as well as several masses in the scrotum. The horse became acutely dyspneic despite 7 days of supportive care. Because of the poor prognosis, the owners elected euthanasia. Gross necropsy findings included multiple masses in the scrotum and inguinal canals and along the dorsal peritoneal cavity. The neoplasm infiltrated the kidneys, liver, spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, mesentery, and abdominal surface of the diaphragm. Histologically, the neoplasm is composed of spindle to round cells arranged in densely cellular areas, vague streams, and rare rosettes. Neoplastic cells were immunoreactive for S-100 protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein, neuron-specific enolase, neurofilament protein, and synaptophysin. Based on gross, histological, and immunohistochemical findings, a diagnosis of peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor was made. Primitive neuroectodermal tumors are rarely described in horses that were associated with the eyes.
Antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for detection of different H5 avian Influenza A virus
Authors: Chiu Yi-Chung , Chu Wen-Yu , Tsao Zak , Wang Ching-Ho
Published: May 2012

Avian Influenza A virus (AIV) subtype H5 is divided into American and Eurasian lineages, according to hemagglutinin gene sequences. Although methods for detecting H5 AIVs have been described, no H5 strain–specific detection method has been reported. The purpose of the present study was to develop an antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ACE) to detect and differentiate between the American and the Eurasian H5 AIVs. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the HA fragment of a Eurasian H5N2 AIV were used as the capture antibodies as well as the detector antibodies after labeling with horseradish peroxidase to develop an ACE. One mAb was selected for detecting the American as well as the Eurasian H5 AIVs. The other mAb was used for detecting only the Eurasian H5N2 but not the American H5N2 AIVs, H6N1 AIVs, or Newcastle disease virus. The ACEs developed would be useful for detection and differentiation of H5 AIVs from the Eurasian and the American H5 AIVs.
Infiltrative gastric adenocarcinoma in a chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera)
Authors: Lucena Ricardo Barbosa , Rissi Daniel Ricardo , Queiroz Dulciene Maria Magalhães , Barros Claudio Severo Lombardo
Published: May 2012

A case of infiltrative gastric adenocarcinoma in a 5-year-old female chinchilla ( Chinchilla lanigera) is described. The animal died after a 5-day period of lethargy and anorexia. Gross examination revealed increased gastric volume. The gastric wall was thickened and contained numerous firm, white nodules on the serosal surface. The lumen was obliterated by a firm mass and large amount of white, mucous secretion. Numerous white, irregular plaques and nodules were observed on the mesentery, visceral surface of the diaphragm, renal capsule, and uterine serosa (implantation metastases). Histopathological examination revealed an infiltrative gastric adenocarcinoma composed of neoplastic cells organized in a gland-like pattern interspersed with connective tissue. Neoplastic cells infiltrated the lamina propria, submucosa, and muscular layers, and were positive for cytokeratin. Detection of Helicobacter spp. in the gastric mucosa failed using Warthin–Starry and Steiner silver stains or immunohistochemistry, but a Helicobacter-specific nested polymerase chain reaction followed by sequencing was positive for Helicobacter pylori and showed more than 99% similarity to the 16S ribosomal RNA gene.
Isolation of Equine rhinitis A virus from a horse semen sample
Authors: Johnson Donna J. , Ostlund Eileen N. , Palmer Tiffany J. , Fett Kathryn L. , Schmitt Beverly J.
Published: May 2012

Semen from an apparently healthy 4-year-old American Quarter Horse was submitted to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories for Equine arteritis virus isolation. Visual inspection of the semen sample upon arrival noted it was unusually yellow in color. The semen sample was inoculated onto cell monolayers, and cytopathic effect was observed 5 days postinoculation. The resultant isolate tested negative for Equine arteritis virus, and was subsequently identified as Equine rhinitis A virus. Equine rhinitis A virus has been isolated from horse urine, but has not been described in stallion semen. The present study documents the isolation of Equine rhinitis A virus from stallion semen that was likely contaminated with urine at the time of collection.
Detection of prion protein in the cerebrospinal fluid of elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) with chronic wasting disease using protein misfolding cyclic amplification
Authors: Nichols Tracy A. , Spraker Terry R. , Gidlewski Tom , Powers Jenny G. , Telling Glenn C. , VerCauteren Kurt C. , Zabel Mark D.
Published: May 2012

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been examined as a possible source for preclinical diagnosis of prion diseases in hamsters and sheep. The present report describes the detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the CSF of elk and evaluates its usefulness as an antemortem test for CWD. The CSF from 6 captive and 31 free-ranging adult elk was collected at necropsy and evaluated for the presence of the abnormal isoform of the prion protein that has been associated with CWD (PrPCWD) via protein misfolding cyclic amplification. Additionally, the obex from each animal was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Four out of 6 captive animals were CWD-positive and euthanized due to signs of terminal CWD. The remaining 2 were CWD negative. None of the 31 free-range animals showed overt signs of CWD, but 12 out of 31 tested positive for CWD by IHC. Protein misfolding cyclic amplification detected PrPCWD from 3 of the 4 captive animals showing clinical signs of CWD and none of the nonclinical animals that were CWD positive by IHC. The data suggests that CWD prions can be detected in the CSF of elk, but only relatively late in the course of the disease.
On the maximum damping performance of piezoelectric switching techniques
Authors: Neubauer Marcus , Han Xu , Wallaschek Jörg
Published: May 2012

Synchronized switch damping on inductor offers a high damping performance in a broad frequency range. It consists of an inductor and resistor in a serial configuration, which are connected and disconnected from the piezoceramics in an alternating manner by a switch. When the switch is triggered by the vibration itself, it adapts to different excitation frequencies especially in the low frequency range. This article presents a detailed study of the damping performance of the synchronized switch damping on inductor technique. Calculations are performed in a normalized way. The optimal tuning of synchronized switch damping on inductor network parameters is derived, and the corresponding maximum damping performance is obtained. The results are further compared to standard linear inductance–resistance networks. For a validation of the theoretical results, measurements on a clamped beam test rig are performed. Therefore, the synchronized switch damping on inductor circuit is realized as a synthetic impedance in a DSpace environment. The measurement results are in good agreement with the theoretical calculations.
I’ve Got Rhythm! Fostering Child-Centered Musical Activities for Preschoolers
Authors: Rajan Rekha S.
Published: May 2012

The purpose of this project was to explore young children’s musical behaviors in an informal music class to better facilitate child-centered musical experiences. Through observations and videotapes, the interactions and behaviors of fifteen 3- to 5-year-old children were documented as they engaged in various musical activities during a preschool music class. The 30-minute music classes were held once a week for a period of one year. Through this exploration, and drawing on literature on child-centered philosophies, the author compiles a list of the components requisite for creating and implementing child-centered musical activities for young children. Suggested ideas include singing, playing, movement, and an integration of art and literacy.
Why do Palliative Care Patients Present to the Emergency Department? Avoidable or Unavoidable?
Authors: Wallace Elaine M. , Cooney Mary C. , Walsh Jackie , Conroy Marian , Twomey Feargal
Published: May 2012

Introduction:

Presentations by patients with advanced illness to the Emergency Department (ED) towards the end-of-life can be distressing for both patients and caregivers. With an understanding of why patients present, interventions to avoid these presentations close to the end-of-life may be possible.

Aims:

To identify patients under the specialist palliative care service (SPCS) who attended the ED over 6 months and to determine if these presentations were potentially avoidable. Presentations were deemed avoidable if the problem could have been dealt with in another manner, i.e. by the home care team or by the family physician, or in another setting, such as by admission to the hospice.

Results:

Thirty-five ED presentations by 30 patients were included. Eighteen (60%) male, mean age 68.7 (47-89). Twenty-two (63%) ED presentations were outside working hours. The main reasons for attending were: dyspnea (9, 26%), nausea/vomiting/constipation (6, 17%) and uncontrolled pain (5, 14.5%). Thirty-three (94%) of the 35 presentations resulted in hospitalization. The average length of time spent in the ED was 9.2 hours (3-24). Referral to the hospital SPCS was made in 20 (60%) cases. Fifteen (50%) patients died within one month of presentation. Eighteen (51.5%) ED presentations were deemed potentially avoidable.

Conclusion:

Many ED presentations by palliative care patients may be avoidable. Appropriate sharing of information to on-call doctors, creating confidence in carers and providing extra practical supports is necessary. A comprehensive, coordinated specialist palliative care approach across community and acute services may help ensure patients are not sent to the ED inappropriately.
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and the School Nurse
Authors: Grace Lisa Goldblatt , Starck Maureen , Potenza Jane , Kenney Patricia A. , Sheetz Anne H.
Published: May 2012

As trusted health professionals in the school setting, school nurses are well positioned to identify students who may be victims of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). However, until recently this issue has been clouded by lack of awareness, stigma, and/or denial. Since nationally the average age of entry for girls into the commercial sex industry (specifically prostitution) is 12–15 years old, many of these young people continue to attend school although attendance may be sporadic. Additional continuing education is needed to increase school nurses’ awareness that these young victims might be in their practices, whether they are located in urban, rural, or suburban communities. As primary sources of health care for children throughout the United States, school nurses have a pivotal role in helping an exploited girl move beyond invisibility to a path of safety and support—and a new life.
Developing Continuous Variable Composites for Rorschach Measures of Thought Problems, Vigilance, and Suicide Risk
Authors: Viglione Donald , Giromini Luciano , Gustafson Margaret L. , Meyer Gregory J.
Published: May 2012

Using a multiple regression approach with a large developmental sample ( N = 460) of Rorschach protocols from psychiatric, forensic, and nonclinical control groups, the authors created continuous multivariable Composite scores corresponding to the Comprehensive System (CS) Perceptual-Thinking Index, Hypervigilance Index, and Suicide Constellation. Within a validation sample ( N = 230), these three new scores, called the Thought and Perception Composite, Vigilance Composite, and Suicide Concern Composite were strongly associated with the three original CS Indices. Additional analyses suggest that the new Composite scores were more reliable than and at least as valid as the original Indices. Interpretive guidelines are offered.
The Functional Benefits of Criticality in the Cortex
Authors: Shew Woodrow L. , Plenz Dietmar
Published: May 2012

Rapidly growing empirical evidence supports the hypothesis that the cortex operates near criticality. Although the confirmation of this hypothesis would mark a significant advance in fundamental understanding of cortical physiology, a natural question arises: What functional benefits are endowed to cortical circuits that operate at criticality? In this review, we first describe an introductory-level thought experiment to provide the reader with an intuitive understanding of criticality. Second, we discuss some practical approaches for investigating criticality. Finally, we review quantitative evidence that three functional properties of the cortex are optimized at criticality: 1) dynamic range, 2) information transmission, and 3) information capacity. We focus on recently reported experimental evidence and briefly discuss the theory and history of these ideas.
Cardioprotective Effect of Renalase in 5/6 Nephrectomized Rats
Authors: Baraka A. , El Ghotny S.
Published: May 2012

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic renal disease. It has been recently postulated that the loss or reduced levels of renalase in patients with chronic renal disease are, at least in part, responsible for elevated plasma catecholamine levels, which leads to increased CVD. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate whether renalase administration might serve as a therapeutic drug, decreasing the severity of CVD in 5/6 nephrectomized (Nx) rats. The current study was conducted on 30 male Wistar albino rats divided into the following groups: group I: sham-operated rats that received phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) subcutaneously (s.c.) for 4 weeks following sham operation, group II: rats in which 5/6 Nx was done and then the rats received PBS daily s.c. for 4 weeks following 5/6 Nx, and group III: rats in which 5/6 Nx was done and then the rats received recombinant renalase daily s.c. for 4 weeks following 5/6 Nx. 5/6 nephrectomy resulted in a significant increase in mean arterial pressure, left ventricular (LV)/body weight ratio, LV hydroxyproline concentration, plasma creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and noradrenaline (NA) levels as well as significant decrease in LV papillary muscle developed tension in group II compared with the sham-operated group I. Administration of renalase to group III resulted in significant amelioration of all studied parameters with the exception of plasma creatinine and BUN which were not significantly different from nontreated group II. The results of the current study identify renalase as a new therapeutic modality that might modulate cardiac function and systemic blood pressure in renalase-deficient states like chronic renal disease.
What, Me Worry? The Role of Affect in Information Seeking and Avoidance
Authors: Yang Z. Janet , Kahlor LeeAnn
Published: May 2012

Guided by the risk information-seeking and processing model, this study examines positive and negative affect separately in their influence on information-seeking intentions and avoidance through structural equation analyses. The highlight is that information avoidance seems to be driven by positive affect, while information seeking seems to be more heavily influenced by negative affect. Another interesting finding is that informational subjective norms are positively related to both seeking and avoidance, which suggests that one’s social environment has the potential to strongly influence the way he or she handles climate change information. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Relation of Red Cell Distribution Width With Presence and Severity of Coronary Artery Ectasia
Authors: Isik Turgay , Kurt Mustafa , Ayhan Erkan , Uyarel Huseyin , Tanboga Ibrahim Halil , Korkmaz Ali Fuat , Kaya Ahmet , Sevimli Serdar
Published: May 2012

Red cell distribution width (RDW) is an index that has been shown to be an independent correlate of adverse outcomes in some cardiac conditions. Isolated coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is an abnormality of the coronary anatomy and can cause ischemia. We hypothesized that increased RDW would be associated with isolated CAE because both are associated with inflammation. In this study, 2345 patients who received coronary angiography were retrospectively evaluated. After exclusion, 75 patients with isolated CAE and 96 consecutive patients with normal coronary were included in the study. The severity of isolated CAE was determined according to the Markis classification. Baseline RDW was measured as part of the automated complete blood count. Red cell distribution width was observed to be an independent predictor of both presence and severity of isolated CAE. In conclusion, RDW is associated with both the presence and severity of isolated CAE.
Improving vehicle ride comfort using an active and semi-active controller in a half-car model
Authors: Marzbanrad J , Poozesh P , Damroodi M
Published: May 2012

In this paper, fuzzy logic control of a vehicle suspension with magneto rheological damper on a random road is considered. To simulate road roughness height a filtered white noise is employed and a four degree-of-freedom, half-car model is used in the analysis. A sensor mounted in the front of the vehicle is responsible for measuring the road irregularities at some distances in the front of the vehicle. Some other sensors are used to measure relative velocities of the vehicle body with respect to unsprung masses in wheel travel spaces. All measurements are assumed to be conducted in a noisy environment. The state variable of the simulated vehicle are calculated, using a method which is similar to the Kalman filter. To have a tailored estimation of magneto rheological damper performance a model which is known as Bouc-Wen is adopted. In addition, utilization of genetic algorithm (GA) in elicitation of fuzzy rules and tuning membership function is exhibited. This controller is a combination of fuzzy controller as a feed back and preview controller as a feed-forward controller, so as to anticipate irregularities of the road. Furthermore, GA is used to determine the optimized preview time. The typical parameters of fuzzy controller are encoded into a chromosome represented as an integer string. Then, by evaluating a multi objective function using a non dominated sorting GA II the superior chromosomes are elected and as a result, the optimized fuzzy logic controller can be employed. Also, by implementation of the combined controller which is designed by GA, it is possible to obtain better performances for the Fuzzy Interface System or, at the same performances, a less complex structure for the system. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm has been verified through a series of simulations for a former designed controller.
Effect of application area distributions of mass, force, and support on free and forced vibration behavior of viscoelastically supported plates
Authors: Ergut Abdulkerim , Altintas Gokhan
Published: May 2012

In real world systems, implementation areas of mass, force and supports have considerable quantity, unlike homogenized areas in numerical solutions. In this study, the effect of area distributions of non-structural additional mass, external force and supports on linear vibrating plate systems are analyzed. There are two key questions addressed in this study. First, the majority of the previous works cover the range of a fundamental mode, and do not answer the question of how results of the fundamental analyses can be generalized for the higher modes based on investigated parameters, particularly for the case of forced vibration. Second, how structural safety is threatened by focused idealizations has not been adequately studied before. Numerical results of this study are obtained by using the variational difference method (VDM), which is based on a variational procedure in conjunction with traditional finite difference method. VDM is applied for determining free vibration characteristics and steady-state responses to a sinusoidally varying force applied to a viscoelastically supported plate.

Because the results of the investigated systems showed that the vibration characteristics had a high sensitivity to analyzed parameters (the amount of area distributions of non-structural additional mass, external force and supports), the idealization process of areas must be attentively employed. The study provides insight not only for a fundamental mode but also for higher modes. Obviously the results of this deterministic study have showed that theoretical importance shall be considered in practical applications.
Evaluation of an Innovative Medicaid Health Policy Initiative to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment in Washington State
Authors: Wickizer Thomas M. , Mancuso David , Huber Alice
Published: May 2012

State health policy making is rarely based on evidence derived from empirical analysis. An exception is an innovative policy established in 2005 in Washington State (Senate Bill [SB] 5763) to provide funding (approximately $30 million) to expand access to substance abuse (SA) treatment for Medicaid beneficiaries. The authors analyzed Medicaid claims data and other administrative data over a 7-year period, July 2001 through June 2008, for three cohorts of welfare clients ( n ≈ 44,000) to assess the effect of SA treatment on health care expenditures. Regression analysis showed SA treatment to be associated ( p < .001) with per member per month expenditure savings of approximately $160 to $385 depending on the welfare cohort. The aggregate annualized estimated saving ($16.8 million) equaled the cost-saving goal of SB 5763. While it may be tempting for policy makers to cut funding for SA treatment, this may be counterproductive and in the long-run increase Medicaid costs.
Freedom of Information Laws and Global Diffusion
Authors: Relly Jeannine E.
Published: May 2012

This exploratory study applied Everett Rogers’s diffusion framework to the global phenomenon of countries adopting freedom of information laws. The external influence of geographic proximity and the internal influence of news media were examined over time. The models indicated that a strong environment for news media had a significant influence on legislation adoption in United Nations member states ( N = 192). The models also showed that Europe, followed by the Americas, had the greatest influence on diffusion among the regions, with a predicted trajectory indicating 80% of nations adopting the legislation by 2025 in challenging environments.
Race in Media Coverage of School Shootings
Authors: Park Sung-Yeon , Holody Kyle J. , Zhang Xiaoqun
Published: May 2012

This study investigated news media coverage of the race of the perpetrator in the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, using agenda-setting and framing perspectives. More than one-third of newspaper articles contained racial information. The agenda-setting analysis enabled comparison with coverage of the Columbine shootings, in which race was virtually absent; framing analysis revealed that the media framed the VT incident around the perpetrator’s ethnicity and generalized criminal culpability to his ethnic group. Racial and ethnic references were also sometimes displayed in prominent positions.
Negotiating Fluid Identities
Authors: Razon Na’amah , Ross Karen
Published: May 2012

This article emerges from struggles we, two American–Israeli women, have encountered while conducting research in Israel on issues related to Jewish-Arab dynamics. Since beginning our research we have faced a single question in nearly every interview: “Where are you from?” Embedded in this question are a whole host of other queries: “Are you American? Israeli? Jewish? Arab?” “What is your native language?” This article engages in the methodological consequences of our responses to these questions and broader identity-negotiations during qualitative interviews. What happens when we, as researchers, foreground or background, particular identities? Furthermore, how does the fluidity of our identities inform the specific information we gather? We analyze two case studies in which the fluidity of our identities unfolds during an interview to highlight the coconstruction of interviews and the active process involved in presenting facets of ourselves, a process that conditions subsequent data collection and knowledge production.
Interviewing Elites
Authors: Mikecz Robert
Published: May 2012

This article focuses on the methodological issues arising from interviewing elites, with an emphasis on gaining access, acquiring trust, and establishing rapport. I argue the central importance of preinterview preparation, which is essential to enhance the researcher’s knowledgeability. The success of interviewing elites hinges on the researcher’s knowledgeability of the interviewee’s life history and background. It enhances the researcher’s positionality and decreases the status imbalance between researcher and researched. The researcher’s positionality is dynamic; it shifts over the course of research. Moreover, positionality is not solely determined externally in the context of an insider/outsider dichotomy but is on a continuum that can be proactively influenced by the researcher. These issues are discussed with reference to recent research on postsocialist transition in Estonia, which involved interviews with political and economic elites. These experiences will be of interest to social scientists working on elites because it focuses on meeting the challenges of interviewing elites from establishing contact through to postinterview follow-up.
Love, Sex, Marriage
Authors: Bai Meijiadai
Published: May 2012

This performance of a family history is about women’s agency in love, sex, and marriage. Decent women are supposed to keep their virginity until they get married, and this norm influences all the three generations of women in this performance. Women with premarital sex have to pass as virgins in order to be respected. The burden to keep their sexual life private is almost all on the women because being sexually active before marriage only affects the women’s reputation. This performance is about how the forced silence renders women helpless and the women’s physical and emotional disaster caused by their sexual shame throughout their relationship. Finally, this piece is also about the strength of women as survivors.
Dysfunctional Cognitions and their Emotional, Behavioral, and Functional Correlates in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Authors: Torrente Fernando , López Pablo , Alvarez Prado Dolores , Kichic Rafael , Cetkovich-Bakmas Marcelo , Lischinsky Alicia , Manes Facundo
Published: May 2012

Objective: To investigate the presence of dysfunctional cognitions in adults with ADHD and to determine whether these cognitions are associated with emotional symptoms, maladaptive coping, and functional impairment, as predicted by the cognitive-behavioral model. Method: A total of 35 adult participants with ADHD, 20 nonclinical controls, and 20 non-ADHD clinical controls were assessed with measures of ADHD symptoms, dysfunctional cognitions, depression and anxiety symptoms, coping strategies, and quality of life. Results: ADHD group showed elevated scores of dysfunctional cognitions relative to nonclinical control group and comparable with clinical control group. Dysfunctional cognitions were strongly associated with emotional symptoms. ADHD group also showed elevated scores in maladaptive coping strategies of the escape-avoidance type. Life impairment was satisfactorily predicted in data analysis when ADHD symptoms, dysfunctional cognitions, and emotional symptoms were fitted into a regression model. Conclusion: Cognitive-behavioral therapy model appears to be a valid complementary model for understanding emotional and life impairment in adults with ADHD.
Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Outcomes in Adolescent ADHD
Authors: Antshel Kevin M. , Faraone Stephen V. , Gordon Michael
Published: May 2012

Objective: To assess the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for managing adolescent ADHD. Method: A total of 68 adolescents with ADHD and associated psychiatric comorbidities completed a manualized CBT treatment protocol. The intervention used in the study was a downward extension of the Safren et al. program for adults with ADHD who have symptoms unresolved by medication. Outcome variables consisted of narrow band (ADHD) and broadband (e.g., mood, anxiety, conduct) symptom measures (Behavior Assessment System for Children–2nd edition and ADHD–Rating Scales) as well as functioning measures (parent/teacher ratings and several ecologically real-world measures). Results: Treatment effects emerged on the medication dosage, parent rating of pharmacotherapy adherence, adolescent self-report of personal adjustment (e.g., self-esteem), parent and teacher ratings of inattentive symptoms, school attendance, school tardiness, parent report of peer, family and academic functioning and teacher report of adolescent relationship with teacher, academic progress, and adolescent self-esteem. Adolescents with ADHD with oppositional defiant disorder were rated by parents and teachers as benefiting less from the CBT intervention. Adolescents with ADHD and comorbid anxiety/depression were rated by parents and teachers as benefiting more from the CBT intervention. Conclusion: A downward extension of an empirically validated adult ADHD CBT protocol can benefit some adolescents with ADHD.
Viewing the Viewers
Authors: Hassner Tal , Wolf Lior , Lerner Anat , Leitner Yael
Published: May 2012

Objective: Knowing how adults with ADHD interact with prerecorded video lessons at home may provide a novel means of early screening and long-term monitoring for ADHD. Method: Viewing patterns of 484 students with known ADHD were compared with 484 age, gender, and academically matched controls chosen from 8,699 non-ADHD students. Transcripts generated by their video playback software were analyzed using t tests and regression analysis. Results: ADHD students displayed significant tendencies ( p ≤ .05) to watch videos with more pauses and more reviews of previously watched parts. Other parameters showed similar tendencies. Regression analysis indicated that attentional deficits remained constant for age and gender but varied for learning experience. Conclusion: There were measurable and significant differences between the video-viewing habits of the ADHD and non-ADHD students. This provides a new perspective on how adults cope with attention deficits and suggests a novel means of early screening for ADHD.
Does Stimulant Pretreatment Modify Atomoxetine Effects on Core Symptoms of ADHD in Children Assessed by Quantitative Measurement Technology?
Authors: Wehmeier Peter M. , Dittmann Ralf W. , Banaschewski Tobias , Schacht Alexander
Published: May 2012

Objective: To compare the reduction of ADHD symptoms under atomoxetine (ATX) in patients with and without pretreatment with a stimulant medication using a computer-based Continuous Performance Test (cb-CPT) combined with an infrared motion tracking (MT) device. Method: Double-blind, placebo-controlled study in ADHD patients (6-12 years) treated with ATX (target dose = 1.2 mg/kg per day). The cb-CPT/MT scores were analyzed using ANCOVA (last observation carried forward). Results: Patient data ( n = 125) suggested a differential ATX treatment effect between pretreated and stimulant-naïve patients in terms of three cb-CPT/MT parameters. Conclusion: This secondary analysis provided evidence that ATX reduced ADHD symptom severity measured by cb-CPT/MT parameters regardless of stimulant pretreatment. A few differential effects were seen based on the cb-CPT/MT. However, no clear pattern could be identified and, overall, the observed differences have no larger clinical relevance. The ATX effect in this study seemed to be largely independent of any previous exposure to stimulants.
In Search of “Anything That Would Help”
Authors: Borgelt Emily L. , Buchman Daniel Z. , Weiss Margaret , Illes Judy
Published: May 2012

Objective: This qualitative study explores parents’ perceptions about the future clinical translation of neurotechnologies—neuroimaging and genetic testing separately and together—for instrumentalization in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood ADHD. Method: We conducted in-person, semi-structured interviews with parents of minor children diagnosed with ADHD ( N = 26) and analyzed 11.75 hr of data using constant comparative analysis. Results: Receptivity to technology and anticipation of potential benefits overshadowed discussion of risks or concerns. Four key areas of potential impact on parent experience are (a) insight and acceptance, (b) treatment and adherence, (c) stigma and blame, and (d) the endeavor to access resources. Conclusion: The findings highlight high receptivity to emerging neurotechnologies for ADHD, key areas for which parents anticipate support from these technologies, and ethics challenges to clinical translation in light of parents’ salient hope and minimal consideration of risk in their pursuit of “anything that would help.”
EEG Neurofeedback for ADHD
Authors: Arnold L. Eugene , Lofthouse Nicholas , Hersch Sarah , Pan Xueliang , Hurt Elizabeth , Bates Bethany , Kassouf Kathleen , Moone Stacey , Grantier Cara
Published: May 2012

Objective: Preparing for a definitive randomized clinical trial (RCT) of neurofeedback (NF) for ADHD, this pilot trial explored feasibility of a double-blind, sham-controlled design and adherence/palatability/relative effect of two versus three treatments/week. Method: Unmedicated 6- to 12-year-olds with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) ADHD were randomized to active NF versus sham-NF and to 2X versus 3X/week treatment frequency. Frequency switch was allowed after Treatment 24. Results: In two school years, 39 participants were recruited and 34 (87%) completed all 40 treatments. Child/parent guesses about assigned treatment were no better than chance. At Treatment 24, 38% chose 2X/week and 62% chose 3X/week. Both active NF and sham yielded large pre–post improvement on parent ratings but NF no more than sham. Conclusion: Blinding appears to work, and sham does not prevent recruitment/retention. Treatment frequency of 3X/week seems preferred over 2X/week and was as effective. A large double-blind RCT is feasible and necessary to test specific NF effectiveness.
Interdependence Theory and the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model
Authors: Wickham Robert E. , Knee C. Raymond
Published: May 2012

This work describes an application of the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) that allows researchers to test hypotheses in terms of interdependence theory (IT). The authors’ goal is to move beyond the obvious similarities of these two frameworks by providing a detailed conceptual integration. This analysis demonstrates that aspects of APIM analysis reveal a useful perspective on interdependence not explicitly articulated by IT. They also expand on ideas presented by Kenny and Ledermann by exploring the relationship between their ratio parameter k and IT, and introducing two additional ratios ( h and c) also suggested by IT. A complete worked example of APIM analysis from the perspective of IT, along with a SAS MACRO that produces confidence intervals for k, h, and c, is provided.