bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Age-adjusted glycated albumin accurately reflects blood glucose in patients with neonatal diabetes mellitus: comparison with calculated glycated albumin determined by past blood glucose concentrations
Authors: Suzuki Shigeru , Furuya Akiko , Oshima Miho , Amamiya Satoshi , Nakao Atsushi , Wada Keiko , Okuhara Koji , Hayano Satoshi , Imamoto Aya , Matsuo Kumihiro , Tanahashi Yusuke , Azuma Hiroshi , Koga Masafumi
Published: May 2015

Background

Glycated albumin is a useful glycaemic control indicator for neonatal diabetes mellitus. However, glycated albumin concentrations in infants are lower than those in adults and increase in an age-dependent manner. Based on our investigation of non-diabetic subjects, we proposed the possibility that the reference range for adults may be used regardless of age, provided that age-adjusted glycated albumin is employed. In the present study, we evaluate the usefulness of age-adjusted glycated albumin in neonatal diabetes mellitus patients.

Methods

Six neonatal diabetes mellitus patients (four patients with permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus and two patients with transient neonatal diabetes mellitus) were included. Measured glycated albumin or age-adjusted glycated albumin was compared to calculated glycated albumin, which was determined using calculation formulae we had reported based on past blood glucose over the 50 days before measurement of glycated albumin.

Results

Measured glycated albumin was significantly lower than calculated glycated albumin (20.5 ± 4.9% versus 28.2 ± 6.1%; p < 0.0001), whereas age-adjusted glycated albumin was equivalent to calculated glycated albumin, showing no significant difference (27.5 ± 6.8% versus 28.2 ± 6.1%). Measured glycated albumin concentrations in patients with transient neonatal diabetes mellitus in remission were lower than the reference range for adults, whereas age-adjusted glycated albumin concentrations were within the reference range for adults.

Conclusion

We demonstrated that age-adjusted glycated albumin concentrations were consistent with calculated glycated albumin. Age-adjusted glycated albumin is therefore a useful glycaemic control indicator for neonatal diabetes mellitus patients.
Corporate Social Performance: A Review of Empirical Research Examining the Corporation–Society Relationship Using Kinder, Lydenberg, Domini Social Ratings Data
Authors: Mattingly James E.
Published: May 2015

This article reviews empirical research of corporate social performance (CSP) using Kinder, Lydenberg, Domini (KLD) social ratings data through 2011. The review synthesizes 100 empirical studies, noting consistencies and inconsistencies among studies examining similar constructs. Notable consistencies were that, although accounting measures of financial performance were a positive outcome of CSP, the same was not often true of stock returns. Also, demographics of top management teams (TMTs) increased CSP strengths, but did not reduce concerns, whereas organizational decentralization reduced CSP concerns. Notable inconsistencies were that CEO demographics were not as often related to CSP as were TMT demographics, indicating that managerial discretion may be an important mitigating factor shaping managerial effects on CSP. Also, although CSP for some organizations seemed influenced by institutional pressures, other organizations appeared to be less influenced, perhaps suggesting that some organizations are more able than others to resist institutional pressures. Future research should attempt to probe observed consistencies and inconsistencies, and to test the boundaries of observed relationships, toward a disciplined program of middle-range theory development.
Attitudes of mental health occupational therapists toward evidence-based practice
Authors: Hitch Danielle P.
Published: May 2015

Background.

Evidence-based practice is an important driver in modern health care and has become a priority in mental health occupational therapy in recent years.

Purpose.

The aim of this study was to measure the attitudes of a cohort of mental health occupational therapists toward evidence-based practice.

Method.

Forty-one mental health occupational therapists were surveyed using the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS). Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearman’s rho were used to analyze the data.

Findings.

The occupational therapy respondents had generally positive attitudes toward evidence-based practices comparable to established norms. Respondents with further qualifications beyond their professional degree were significantly more likely to try new interventions ( p = .31). Significant negative correlations were found also for the subscales of Appeal and Openness in relation to years of occupational therapy practice (rho = –.354, p = .023; rho = –.344, p = 0.28) and mental health experience (rho = –.390, p = 0.12; rho = –.386, p = .013).

Implications.

Therapist factors can significantly impact attitudes toward evidence-based practice.
Who Leaves and Who Stays? A Review and Statistical Meta-Analysis of Hurricane Evacuation Studies
Authors: Huang Shih-Kai , Lindell Michael K. , Prater Carla S.
Published: May 2015

This statistical meta-analysis (SMA) examined 38 studies involving actual responses to hurricane warnings and 11 studies involving expected responses to hypothetical hurricane scenarios conducted since 1991. The results indicate official warnings, mobile home residence, risk area residence, observations of environmental (storm conditions) and social (other people’s behavior) cues, and expectations of severe personal impacts, all have consistently significant effects on household evacuation. Other variables—especially demographic variables—have weaker effects on evacuation, perhaps via indirect effects. Finally, the SMA also indicates that the effect sizes from actual hurricane evacuation studies are similar to those from studies of hypothetical hurricane scenarios for 10 of 17 variables that were examined. These results can be used to guide the design of hurricane evacuation transportation analyses and emergency managers’ warning programs. They also suggest that laboratory and Internet experiments could be used to examine people’s cognitive processing of different types of hurricane warning messages.
Pain Assessment in Children With Special Needs
Authors: Quinn Brenna L. , Seibold Esther , Hayman Laura
Published: May 2015

Challenges in assessing the pain of children with special needs are created by the differing abilities of these students to self-report pain presence and intensity. This article reports the results of a literature review examining methods of pain assessment for children with special needs. The authors note the need to foster partnerships with parents and educators when assessing pain in difficult-to-assess students, and identify research priorities, including: obtaining perspectives of school nurses and parents on child perception of pain and challenges encountered during the assessment process, including educators in research, identifying current assessment practices used by school-based caregivers, and including a broader population of children with special needs in pain assessment research.
Narrative identity construction in times of career change: Taking note of unconscious desires
Authors: Hoyer Patrizia , Steyaert Chris
Published: May 2015

Working at the intersection of narrative and psychoanalytic theory, we present in this article an affective conceptualization of identity dynamics during times of career change, incorporating the notion of unconscious desires. We propose that frictions in career change narratives, such as the paradoxical co-existence of coherence and ambiguity, allude to unconscious subtexts that can become ‘readable’ in the narrative when applying a psychoanalytic framework. We point to the analysis of 30 life story interviews with former management consultants who report upon a past and/or anticipated career change for illustration. By linking three empirically derived narrative strategies for combining coherence and ambiguity ( ignoring the change, admitting the ambiguity and depicting a wishful future) with three conceptually informed psychoanalytic ego-defenses ( denial, rationalization and sublimation), we provide an analytic framework that helps to explain why workers in transition may try to preserve both coherence and ambiguity when constructing a sense of self through narrative. The analysis of unconscious subtexts reveals that, in times of career change, people’s identity constructions are driven by conflicting unconscious desires for self-continuity on one hand and openness on the other.
Relationship between dysfunctional attitudes and childhood traumas in women with depression
Authors: Akbaba Turkoglu Sevil , Essizoglu Altan , Kosger Ferdi , Aksaray Gokay
Published: May 2015

Aim:

Psychological traumas in childhood could lead to dysfunctional attitudes causing negative cognitive structuring and mistakes in data processing. In this study, we aimed to research the relation of childhood traumas with dysfunctional attitudes in female patients with depressive disorder.

Method:

Seventy female patients diagnosed with depressive disorder and 50 healthy volunteers participated in the study, and the participants were administered a socio-demographic form, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS).

Results:

Comparing the two groups by median values of CTQ, total CTQ, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect, median values of the patient group were significantly higher compared to the control group, and comparison by median values of DAS revealed that median values of the patient group was significantly lower compared to the control group. In the correlation analysis carried out for finding the relation between CTQ and DAS, there was a significant negative correlation between DAS score and emotional abuse score. In the patient group, all kinds of abuses and neglects except for sexual abuse were at a higher rate in those with a history of depression in the family.

Conclusion:

In our study, a negative correlation was determined between DAS and only emotional abuse leading us to the finding that one of the factors mediating childhood traumas to cause depression could lead to dysfunctional attitudes.
The Limits of Public Service Motivation: Confidence in Government Institutions Among Public Servants
Authors: Cooper Christopher A. , Reinagel Tyler P.
Published: May 2015

Do government employees have more confidence in government than their counterparts in other sectors? The public service motivation (PSM) literature suggests that they should, but this assertion has never been tested. In this paper, we examine how public servants feel about the federal government and compare these feelings with those of employees in other sectors. Although we find that public servants hold some parts of government in higher regard than their counterparts, this finding does not apply to every branch of government. The patterns of confidence in institutions we find among America’s public servants suggest that there is a limit to PSM.
Working conditions and the health of workers: An elaboration of a responsible prevention ratio
Authors: Sirven Nicolas , Cardebat Jean-Marie , Coupaud Marine
Published: May 2015

The coincidence between trends in the decline of workers’ health and the increasing practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seems a paradox. Using data from the French Employment Survey 2005, in this article the authors develop an index of responsible prevention by combining a score of severity of working conditions with a score of risk prevention at the workplace. The authors then explore the influence of this variable on the propensity to stop working for medical reasons. The results show that prevention increases workers’ health status and suggest the existence of an optimal level of social CSR expenditure.
Teacher Narratives and Student Engagement
Authors: Miller-Day Michelle , Hecht Michael L. , Krieger Janice L. , Pettigrew Jonathan , Shin YoungJu , Graham John
Published: May 2015

Testing narrative engagement theory, this study examines student engagement and teachers’ spontaneous narratives told in a narrative-based drug prevention curriculum. The study describes the extent to which teachers share their own narratives in a narrative-based curriculum, identifies dominant narrative elements, forms and functions, and assesses the relationships among teacher narratives, overall lesson narrative quality, and student engagement. One-hundred videotaped lessons of the keepin’ it REAL drug prevention curriculum were coded and the results supported the claim that increased narrative quality of a prevention lesson would be associated with increased student engagement. The quality of narrativity, however, varied widely. Implications of these results for narrative-based prevention interventions and narrative pedagogy are discussed.
The role of pictures and gestures as a support mechanism for novel word learning: A training study with 2-year-old children
Authors: Kapalková Svetlana , Polišenská Kamila , Süssová Martina
Published: May 2015

A training study examined novel word learning in 2-year-old children and assessed two nonverbal mechanisms, pictures and gestures, which are commonly used as communication support. The aim was to (1) compare these two support mechanisms and measure their effects on expressive word learning and (2) to investigate these effects on word production over an extended time period. At baseline, the children’s performance was assessed on vocabulary and grammatical skills, and the groups were matched on these key variables. Eighteen participants were taught novel words either accompanied by a gesture or by a picture. The training consisted of four 20-minute sessions per week over a period of four weeks. Following training, the children were assessed on their ability to produce novel words at three time points: immediately after training, at a 2-week follow-up and at a 6-week follow-up. Gesture training supported word learning significantly better than picture training across all three testing points. Children in both groups showed the best production immediately after training, with a small but nonsignificant decline at 2-week follow-up. There was a significant decline in time 3 compared to time 1, but the children were still able to produce 6.8 out of 10 novel words, suggesting long-term learning. Our findings suggest that gesture may be used to support word learning and could benefit children with late emerging language. The importance of these findings for language development and language intervention are discussed.
The ONCOTYROL Prostate Cancer Outcome and Policy Model
Authors: Mühlberger Nikolai , Kurzthaler Christina , Iskandar Rowan , Krahn Murray D. , Bremner Karen E. , Oberaigner Willi , Klocker Helmut , Horninger Wolfgang , Conrads-Frank Annette , Sroczynski Gaby , Siebert Uwe
Published: May 2015

Background. The ONCOTYROL Prostate Cancer Outcome and Policy (PCOP) model is a state-transition microsimulation model evaluating the benefits and harms of prostate cancer (PCa) screening. The natural history and detection component of the original model was based on the 2003 version of the Erasmus MIcrosimulation SCreening ANalysis (MISCAN) model, which was not calibrated to prevalence data. Compared with data from autopsy studies, prevalence of latent PCa assumed by the original model is low, which may bias the model toward screening. Our objective was to recalibrate the original model to match prevalence data from autopsy studies as well and compare benefit-harm predictions of the 2 model versions differing in prevalence. Methods. For recalibration, we reprogrammed the natural history and detection component of the PCOP model as a deterministic Markov state-transition cohort model in the statistical software package R. All parameters were implemented as variables or time-dependent functions and calibrated simultaneously in a single run. Observed data used as calibration targets included data from autopsy studies, cancer registries, and the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer. Compared models were identical except for calibrated parameters. Results. We calibrated 46 parameters. Prevalence from autopsy studies could not be fitted using the original parameter set. Additional parameters, allowing for interruption of disease progression and age-dependent screening sensitivities, were needed. Recalibration to higher prevalence demonstrated a considerable increase of overdiagnosis and decline of screening sensitivity, which significantly worsened the benefit-harm balance of screening. Conclusions. Our calibration suggests that not all cancers are at risk of progression, and screening sensitivity may be lower at older ages. PCa screening models that use calibration to simulate disease progression in the unobservable latent phase are highly sensitive to prevalence assumptions.
Proportion of Patients Reporting Acceptable Symptoms or Treatment Failure and Their Associated KOOS Values at 6 to 24 Months After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Ingelsrud Lina H. , Granan Lars-Petter , Terwee Caroline B. , Engebretsen Lars , Roos Ewa M.
Published: May 2015

Background:

The proportion of patients perceiving their symptoms as either acceptable or as a failure of treatment after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is unknown. Commonly used outcome scores such as the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) suffer from poor interpretability, and little is known about which scores represent an acceptable or failed postoperative outcome.

Purpose:

To determine the proportion of patients reporting acceptable symptoms or treatment failure at 6 to 24 months after ACLR and to define KOOS values corresponding to the patients’ perceptions of treatment outcome.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

In 2012, a total of 1197 patients were randomly extracted from the Norwegian Knee Ligament Registry at 3 postoperative time points: 397 at 6 months, 400 at 12 months, and 400 at 24 months. The inclusion criterion was unilateral primary ACLR. Questions about acceptable symptoms and treatment failure and the KOOS questionnaire were sent to the patients, and those who answered “yes” to the acceptable symptoms question were considered to have acceptable symptoms. Patients who answered “no” to the same question and “yes” to the treatment failure question were considered to have treatment failure. Mean KOOS values and 95% CIs were calculated for each category.

Results:

A complete data set was obtained from 598 (50%) responders. Fifty-five percent of the patients perceived their symptoms as acceptable at 6-month follow-up versus 66% at 12- to 24-month follow-up. Similarly, 7% at 6-month follow-up perceived their treatment to have failed versus 12% at 12- to 24-month follow-up. Postoperative mean KOOS subscale values ranged from 72 (95% CI, 70-74) to 95 (95% CI, 94-96) for patients with acceptable symptoms and from 28 (95% CI, 22-34) to 71 (95% CI, 65-76) for patients with treatment failure. For both categories, the worst subscale values were seen in the sport and recreation and quality of life subscales and the best in the activities of daily living subscale.

Conclusion:

Only half of the patients at 6 months and about two-thirds at 1 to 2 years perceived their symptoms as acceptable after ACLR. For these patients, KOOS values reflected no problems to mild problems on average, while for patients reporting treatment failure, KOOS values reflected moderate to severe problems.
Registry Data Highlight Increased Revision Rates for Endobutton/Biosure HA in ACL Reconstruction With Hamstring Tendon Autograft
Authors: Persson Andreas , Kjellsen Asle B. , Fjeldsgaard Knut , Engebretsen Lars , Espehaug Birgitte , Fevang Jonas M.
Published: May 2015

Background:

Compared with a patellar tendon autograft (PT), a hamstring tendon autograft (HT) has an increased risk of revision after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). There are no studies analyzing whether this can be explained by inferior fixation devices used in HT reconstruction or whether the revision risk of ACLR with an HT or a PT is influenced by the graft fixation.

Purpose:

To compare the risk of revision and the revision rates between the most commonly used combinations of fixation for HTs with PTs.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

This study included all patients registered in the Norwegian Knee Ligament Registry from 2004 through 2013 who underwent primary PT or HT ACLR with no concomitant ligament injury and known graft fixation. The 2-year revision rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier analysis. Hazard ratios (HRs) for revision at 2 years were calculated using multivariate Cox regression models.

Results:

A total of 14,034 patients with primary ACLR were identified: 3806 patients with PTs and 10,228 patients with HTs; the mean follow-up time was 4.5 years. In the HT group, 5 different combinations of fixation in the femur/tibia were used in more than 500 patients: Endobutton/RCI screw (n = 2339), EZLoc/WasherLoc (n = 1352), Endobutton/Biosure HA (n = 1209), Endobutton/Intrafix (n = 687), and TransFix II/metal interference screw (MIS) (n = 620). The crude 2-year revision rate for patients with PTs was 0.7% (95% CI, 0.4%-1.0%), and for patients with HTs, it ranged between the groups from 1.5% (95% CI, 0.5%-2.4%) for TransFix II/MIS to 5.5% (95% CI, 4.0%-7.0%) for Endobutton/Biosure HA. When adjusted for detected confounding factors and compared with patients with PTs, the HR for revision at 2 years was increased for all HT combinations used in more than 500 patients, and the combinations Endobutton/Biosure HA and Endobutton/Intrafix had the highest HRs of 7.3 (95% CI, 4.4-12.1) and 5.5 (95% CI, 3.1-9.9), respectively.

Conclusion:

The choice of fixation after ACLR with an HT has a significant effect on a patient’s risk of revision. In this study population, none of the examined combinations of HT fixation had a revision rate as low as that for a PT.
A Qualitative Exploration of Date Rape Survivors’ Physical and Psycho-Social Experiences in a Nigerian University
Authors: Ogunwale Akintayo Olamide , Oshiname Frederick Olore
Published: May 2015

Date rape (DR) is a serious but under-recognized public health problem that affects female university undergraduates. The burden of the problem in Nigerian universities is, however, yet to be fully investigated. The study was designed to explore the physical and psycho-social experiences of DR female survivors at the University of Ibadan. The study was qualitative in nature and involved eight consenting DR survivors. A pre-tested In-Depth Interview (IDI) guide that included questions relating to survivors’ personal profile, context of DR experienced, factors that promoted survivors’ vulnerability, reported adverse health consequences, help-seeking behaviors, and effects of the rape episode on dating relationship was used to facilitate the conduct of the narrative interview. The interviews were conducted in accordance to the protocol approved by the Joint University of Ibadan and University College Hospital Ethics Review Committee, and were taped-recorded and subjected to content analysis. Participants’ mean age was 17.3 ± 2.3 years. All the participants were teenagers when they were first raped. Coercive and deceptive means were used to perpetrate the act of rape. Participants’ use of verbal appeals, crying, and physical resistance to prevent being raped proved abortive. The experienced adverse physical health consequences included vaginal bleeding and injury. Major psycho-social effects of the experienced DR included self-blame, depression, hatred for men, and suicidal feelings. DR experiences occurred mainly in isolated settings, and most participants could not seek for medical help and other forms of care due to fear of being stigmatized. Some of the DR survivors continued their dating relationships when apologies were tendered by the perpetrators. DR is a traumatic experience, which is characterized by physical and psycho-social adverse effects. DR survivors, however, rarely seek for help as a result of the fear of being stigmatized. Multiple behavioral change interventions are needed to address the phenomenon.
Experience of Domestic Violence During Childhood, Intimate Partner Violence, and the Deterrent Effect of Awareness of Legal Consequences
Authors: Song Ahyoung , Wenzel Suzanne L. , Kim Jae Yop , Nam Boyoung
Published: May 2015

The concept of intergenerational transmission of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been an important topic of research. Experts have contended that this brutal path in which violence is transmitted to subsequent generations may be avoidable. This study examined whether public perceptions of the legal regulation of IPV and the certainty of sanction deter the prevalence of IPV. Data from 3,800 households were obtained from a nationwide survey conducted in South Korea. Due to a skewed distribution of the prevalence of IPV, this study applied a zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) model, which has been shown to address issues of skewed count variables. In addition, use of a ZIP model allowed us to examine factors associated with the occurrence and frequency of IPV. Results showed that child abuse experience and perceptions of the law were associated with the occurrence of IPV. Individuals who experienced child abuse were more likely to perpetrate IPV, whereas those aware of the law were less likely to perpetrate IPV. Witnessing IPV between parents was associated with an increased frequency of IPV. Results suggest that by increasing awareness of laws against domestic violence, IPV may be reduced or prevented.
Sneers and Leers
Authors: Lois Jennifer , Gregson Joanna
Published: May 2015

Drawing on four years of ethnographic research with romance novel writers, we show how their affiliation with romance—a literary genre known for stories containing sexual content—prompted outsiders to sexually stigmatize them. Our work examines both the application and management of this stigma. We describe how outsiders applied the stigma in two ways: by conveying blatant disapproval through “sneering” and inviting writers to display a highly sexualized self through “leering.” Writers interpreted outsiders’ sneering as slut-shaming rhetoric and responded discursively to manage the stigma; leering, however, sent a more complicated message that was harder for writers to manage. In revealing how these interactions threatened to strip writers of their sexual agency, our analysis suggests gender may be a primary mechanism by which stigma is applied and managed, which has theoretical implications for the stigmatization of women’s sexual selves.
The influence of different length of symmetrical alkyl side chains on the dielectric constant of soluble poly(aryl ether ketone) copolymers
Authors: Huo Pengfei , Ba Jinyu , Zhang Shuling , Zhang Xingrui , Geng Zhi , Liu Yang , Wang Guibin
Published: May 2015

A series of novel amorphous poly(aryl ether ketone) random copolymers containing rigid bulky pendant adamantyl groups and different length symmetrical alkyl side chains were synthesized and characterized. The chemical structures of the copolymers were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. The influence of different length of symmetrical alkyl side chains on the dielectric constant, thermal property, mechanical property, and water uptake was investigated. The result shows that the dielectric constants ( κ) of the copolymer films ( κ = 2.72–2.90 at 1 MHz) are remarkably lower than commercial poly(ether ether ketone) ( κ = 3.27 at 1 MHz), and with the increasing length of symmetrical alkyl side chains of the copolymers, the dielectric constants of the copolymers decrease. The flexibility of the copolymer films exhibits a positive trend as the length of symmetrical alkyl side chains increases. Simultaneously, the copolymers maintain good solubility, low water uptakes, and excellent thermal and mechanical properties.
Reconfiguration of the plane-symmetric double-spherical 6R linkage with bifurcation and trifurcation
Authors: Zhang Ketao , Dai Jian S
Published: May 2015

This study presents a double-spherical 6R overconstrained linkage which is a variant of the Sarrus linkage and investigates its constraint-induced bifurcation and trifurcation. In light of the unique geometry of the double-spherical 6R linkage, which is also a typical plane-symmetric Bricard 6R loop, its parametric constraints are explored. Based on constraint analysis in screw system theory, both design and motion parameters that lead to constraint singularities are revealed and the transitory positions for bifurcation and trifurcation are identified among geometric constraints induced singular positions. The analysis reveals that the presented 6R overconstrained linkage is able to reconfigure its configurations by passing transitory positions and to evolve to distinct motion branches including spherical 4R linkages and serial kinematic chains.
Experimental investigation on the role of indigenous carbon nanotube emulsified fuel in a four-stroke diesel engine
Authors: Singh Narinder , Bharj RS
Published: May 2015

Effect of carbon nanotube emulsified fuel in a single-cylinder water-cooled four-stroke diesel engine was studied. CNT were produced by indigenous flame synthesis method. Water diesel emulsion was prepared in the proportion of 78% diesel, 20% water, and 2% surfactant with a HLB balance of 8. Tween 80 and Span 80 were used as surfactants. CNT in the mass fraction of 50 ppm, 100 ppm, and 150 ppm were blended in the water–diesel emulsion. CNT were dispersed in the water for 35 min with the help of ultrasonicator set at frequency of 40 kHz and ultrasonic power of 120 W, subsequently added in diesel, surfactant mixture to produce CNT blended water diesel emulsion. A mechanical homogenizer was used to produce emulsion at the speed of 3000 r/min for 25 min. The experimental investigation was carried out using single-cylinder diesel engine coupled with eddy current dynamometer and equipped with data acquisition system. An AVL Di-gas analyzer and AVL smoke opacity meter has been used to measure the exhaust emissions. Experiment was conducted at a constant speed of 1500 r/min from no load to full load for all fuel specimens. A comparative study involving combustion characteristics, brake specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency, NOx, CO, HC, CO2 were recorded for pure diesel, water diesel emulsion and CNT-emulsified fuel. The results have shown significant improvement in engine performance, combustions attributes and reduction in emissions using CNT-emulsified fuel.
Sites of entitlement: claim, negotiation and struggle in Mumbai
Authors: McFarlane Colin , Desai Renu
Published: May 2015

This paper develops a conception of “sites of entitlement” as a basis for better understanding how infrastructure and services are perceived and experienced in informal settlements. While legal and policy frameworks are often viewed as the source of entitlements to infrastructure and services, the complexity of provision, access and negotiation in informal settlements demands a conception of entitlement that exceeds those domains. Based on ethnographic research on sanitation and water in informal settlements in Mumbai, we focus on the ways in which people’s everyday experiences, interactions and practices constitute sites of entitlement. These sites are unevenly produced, contested, often in flux and ambivalent, sometimes made through collective struggle and at other times through quiet individual practice, and always constituted by social relations. Sites of entitlement emerge in close relation to moral economies, and are characterized by often profound and – for research, policy and practice – challenging levels of spatial and temporal variation. We argue that sites of entitlement are vital for thinking through the possibilities of realizing the universal right to sanitation and water.
Rethinking situated and embodied social psychology
Authors: Pouw Wim T. J. L. , Looren de Jong Huib
Published: May 2015

This article aims to explore the scope of a Situated and Embodied Social Psychology (ESP). At first sight, social cognition seems embodied cognition par excellence. Social cognition is first and foremost a supra-individual, interactive, and dynamic process (Semin & Smith, 2013). Radical approaches in Situated/Embodied Cognitive Science (Enactivism) claim that social cognition consists in an emergent pattern of interaction between a continuously coupled organism and the (social) environment; it rejects representationalist accounts of cognition (Hutto & Myin, 2013). However, mainstream ESP (Barsalou, 1999, 2008) still takes a rather representation-friendly approach that construes embodiment in terms of specific bodily formatted representations used (activated) in social cognition. We argue that mainstream ESP suffers from vestiges of theoretical solipsism, which may be resolved by going beyond internalistic spirit that haunts mainstream ESP today.
External validation of the prognostic index in acute paraquat poisoning
Authors: Kim DS , Kang C , Kim DH , Kim SC , Lee SH , Jeong JH , Kang TS , Jung SM , Lee SB , Lee KW , Kim RB
Published: May 2015

Objective:

Some studies have evaluated the prognostic indicators associated with acute paraquat (PQ) poisoning. In this study, we externally validated the Yamaguchi index, which showed a good prognostic relevance in predicting the outcome of PQ poisoning.

Methods:

A retrospective analysis of 297 patients was performed. The Yamaguchi index was calculated using the following equation: Eq1 = (K+ × HCO3−)/(Creatinine × 0.088)(mEq/L) against time from PQ ingestion ( T). The patients were divided into three groups: group A: Eq1 > 1500 − 399 × log T, group B: 930 − 399 × log T < Eq1 ≤ 1500 − 399 × log T, and group C: Eq1 ≤ 930 − 399 × log T).

Results:

The overall mortality rate was 65.3% (194 of 297). The mortality rates of the three groups stratified by the Yamaguchi index were 7.1% (2 of 28), 22.4% (15 of 67), and 87.6% (177 of 202). The area under the receiver–operating characteristic curve for predicting mortality from the external validation of the Yamaguchi index was 0.842 (95% confidence interval: 0.795–0.882).

Conclusion:

The Yamaguchi index is a reliable prognostic factor and could be helpful in predicting mortality due to PQ poisoning.
Ethical challenges
Authors: Jakobsen Rita , Sørlie Venke
Published: May 2015

Introduction:

To meet and take care of people with dementia implicate professional and moral challenges for caregivers. Using force happens daily. However, staff also encounter challenges with the management in the units. Managing the caretaking function is also significant in how caretakers experience working in dementia care.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to explore the caregiver’s experiences with ethical challenges in dementia care settings and the significance of professional leadership in this context.

Method:

The design is qualitative, and data appear through narrative interviews. A total of 23 caretakers participated in the study. The transcribed interviews were subjected to a phenomenological-hermeneutical interpretation.

Ethical considerations:

The respondents signed an informed consent for participation prior to the interviews. They were assured anonymity and confidentiality in the publication of the data. Ricoeur’s method for interpretation ensures anonymity as the researcher relates to the data as one collective text. The study is part of a larger research project in ethics, in its entirety approved in line with the Helsinki Convention.

Results:

The findings show that the caretakers experienced inadequacy. Some of them described a negative work atmosphere where they experienced that their leaders did not take them seriously. Because of this, informal negative sub-groups functioned as an exclusive debriefing arena. Some of the informants described the opposite experience where the leaders actively supported them.

Discussion:

The analyses of the findings are discussed in light of the concepts of trust and mistrust in leadership.

Conclusion:

There is a correlation between the leadership and the caregivers’ experience of being in difficult situations.
Clinical group supervision for integrating ethical reasoning
Authors: Blomberg Karin , Bisholt Birgitta
Published: May 2015

Background:

Clinical group supervision has existed for over 20 years in nursing. However, there is a lack of studies about the role of supervision in nursing students’ education and especially the focus on ethical reasoning.

Aim:

The aim of this study was to explore and describe nursing students’ ethical reasoning and their supervisors’ experiences related to participation in clinical group supervision.

Research design:

The study is a qualitative interview study with interpretative description as an analysis approach.

Participants and research context:

A total of 17 interviews were conducted with nursing students (n = 12) who had participated in clinical group supervision in their first year of nursing education, and with their supervisors (n = 5).

Ethical considerations:

The study was based on the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki, and permission was obtained from the Regional Ethical Review Board in Sweden.

Findings:

The analysis revealed that both the form and content of clinical group supervision stimulated reflection and discussion of handling of situations with ethical aspects. Unethical situations were identified, and the process uncovered underlying caring actions.

Discussion and conclusion:

Clinical group supervision is a model that can be used in nursing education to train ethical reflection and to develop an ethical competence among nursing students. Outcomes from the model could also improve nursing education itself, as well as healthcare organizations, in terms of reducing moral blindness and unethical nursing practice.
Magnetic shape anisotropy effect on sensing performance and directional sensitivity in magnetostrictive nickel patch transducer
Authors: Yoo Byungseok , Na Suok-Min , Flatau Alison B , Pines Darryll J
Published: May 2015

This article presents the magnetic shape anisotropy effect on sensing performance and directional sensitivity in a directional magnetostrictive patch transducer using a uniaxial comb-shaped nickel patch, for the use of ultrasonic guided Lamb wave technology in metallic planar structure. The uniaxial comb patch was modified from a disc-shaped patch made of polycrystalline nickel, so that its comb fingers were aligned to a specific radial direction to promote the magnetic shape anisotropy in the nickel patch. Previously, it was found that a magnetostrictive patch transducer using a nickel disc patch appeared to have omnidirectional sensitivity for sensing guided Lamb waves in an aluminum plate due to the isotropic magnetostrictive nature of polycrystalline nickel. In this work, we initially investigated a theoretical approach to determine demagnetization factor change caused by the geometrical shape modification of a nickel patch, which strongly correlated with a specific magnetization characteristic of the patch. Then, experimental guided Lamb wave analysis was followed to demonstrate the directional guided Lamb wave sensitivity of magnetostrictive patch transducers using nickel patches with three different geometrical configurations. We verified from the experimental guided Lamb wave testing that the proposed magnetostrictive patch transducer using the uniaxial comb-shaped nickel patch exhibited excellent directional sensitivity along the comb fingers’ orientation in the aluminum plate.
Simulation of partial closure of a variable width slot with interfacial bonds in end zones in an isotropic medium
Authors: Mirsalimov Vagif M
Published: May 2015

By the methods of elasticity theory, we construct a mathematical model of partial closure in isotropic medium of a variable width slot with end zones at which the cohesive forces of the material act. It is assumed that the interaction of surfaces of the slot under the action of applied volumetric and surface loads may lead to origination of the contact zones of their surfaces. We study the case of origination of several contact areas of the slot faces. Herewith, it is assumed that at some part of the contact area, there arises stick of faces; in the remaining part, slippage may occur. The problem on equilibrium of a slot with partially contacting faces is reduced to the problem of linear conjugation of analytic functions. Definition of the unknown parameters characterizing the partial closure of a variable thickness slot is reduced to the solution of the system of singular integrodifferential equations. The integral equations are transformed into the system of nonlinear algebraic equations solved by the successive approximations method. The contact stresses, the tractions in the interfacial bonds, the sizes of the contact areas, the cohesive zones, and end zones were determined.
VKORC1 -1639 G>A Polymorphism in Romanian Patients With Deep Vein Thrombosis
Authors: Vesa Ştefan Cristian , Trifa Adrian Pavel , Crişan Sorin , Buzoianu Anca Dana
Published: May 2015

Aim:

The purpose of the research was to study the influence of several genetic factors, especially the -1693 G>A polymorphism of the VKORC1 gene, on the risk of acute unprovoked lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Materials and Methods:

The study included 127 patients (median age 63 [53.2; 72] years; 61 [48%] women and 66 [52%] men) who were diagnosed with acute lower extremity DVT and 114 controls (median age 62 [53; 73] years; 64 [56.1%] women and 50 [43.9%] men) without DVT. We recorded data regarding the history of DVT and the presence of varicose veins. We determined the genotypes for factor V Leiden (FVL) mutation, prothrombin G20210A mutation, VKORC1 -1639 G>A mutation, and PAI-1 -675 4G/5G polymorphism.

Results and conclusion:

Varicose veins were found in 67 (52.8%) patients and 29 (25.4%) controls ( P < .001). FVL was present in 29 (22.8%) patients and 10 (8.8%) controls ( P = .005). The VKORC1 (-1693 G>A) GG genotype was found in 42 (33.1%) patients and 41 (36%) controls, the GA genotype in 71 (55.9%) patients and 47 (41.2%) controls, and AA genotype in 14 (11%) patients and 26 (22.8%) controls ( P = .020). Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of varicose veins, FVL, and VKORC1 -1639 G>A was independently associated with the risk of DVT. The VKORC1 (-1693 G>A) AA genotype was associated with fewer cases of DVT (odds ratio = 0.435; 95% confidence interval 0.205-0.991; P = .031).
The influence of a human hand-arm system on the vibrational dynamic behaviour of a compliant mechanical structure
Authors: Perrier Sébastien S , Champoux Yvan , Drouet Jean-Marc
Published: May 2015

The aim of this study is to provide an approach to predicting human influence on a compliant mechanical structure using a substructuring technique. Substructuring techniques allow us to obtain detailed information on the vibrational behaviour of an assembly of structures by characterization of each structure separately. In this manuscript, a hand-arm system is coupled with a vibrating structure using a substructuring technique. A lightweight and compliant vibrating beam is used to demonstrate the concept. To demonstrate the feasibility of accurately predicting the hand-arm systems’ influence on the beam, we selected one position and tested it using four push forces. The characteristics of the hand-arm system for each configuration were coupled with the dynamic characteristics of the beam only over a frequency range of [5; 300] Hz. For each of the four configurations, the coupling predicts the influence of the hand on the vibrational behaviour of the beam. Reliable predictions were obtained for the vibrational behaviour of the assembly. The results indicate that the substructuring approach predicted the vibrational behaviour of the hand-arm-beam assembly with less than 3% error.
Researching Anna’s Drawing
Authors: Schulte Christopher M.
Published: May 2015

Recounting an experience that he had while researching the drawing practice of a three-year-old student, Anna, the author of this article attempts to linger with those subtle yet potent values that he and she accumulated over time and that they elected to remember, curate, wield, and ultimately fashion toward one another in order to institute the kind of change, resistance, understanding, and affirmation that was desired from one moment to the next. In doing so, the author of this article leverages into play an incessant questioning of how and why one’s pedagogical composition materializes and the extent to which it concerns itself with everyday life.
Reactivating ARTIUM’s Collection
Authors: Trafí-Prats Laura
Published: May 2015

This article reflects on a curatorial and pedagogical research project to reactivate ARTIUM’s contemporary art collection (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain) after a decade of acquisitions and institutionalization by seeking experimental involvement with difficult knowledge, through prosthetic pedagogy inspired in the time-image and paradoxical modes of address. Three moments of this project are discussed: (a) the selection and research of a number of artworks from the aforementioned collection; (b) the design of a museum space in ARTIUM’s Sala Este Baja; and (c) the activation of the exhibition space through a Laboratory of logics of vision.
Qualitative Inquiry—2.0 at 20? Developments, Trends, and Challenges for the Politics of Research
Authors: Flick Uwe
Published: May 2015

After 20 years of Qualitative Inquiry, some current trends and challenges are outlined, which might affect the current state and further development of qualitative research in the near future. A central focus is their impact on the politics of qualitative research. Politics of inquiry addressing problems of societal relevance are challenged by the globalization and internationalization of qualitative enquiry or trends to big data in funding. Other relevant trends are expectations about archiving and reanalysis of qualitative data, the new interest in qualitative inquiry in the context of evidence, limitations coming from ethical reviews, and the limitation to mixed methods research. These trends are discussed here by using examples from current research projects. Locating qualitative inquiry in the future is discussed between being pushed aside by citizen research and taking over some (sub)disciplines.
Development and Testing of the Combined Assessment of Psychiatric Environments
Authors: Delaney Kathleen R. , Johnson Mary E. , Fogg Louis
Published: May 2015

BACKGROUND: Inpatient psychiatric treatment satisfaction measures are not constructed from patients’ perspective of hospitalization experiences that they deem meaningful and important. OBJECTIVE: To develop and conduct psychometric testing of a measure that evaluates person-centered care on inpatient psychiatric units, the Combined Assessment of Psychiatric Environments (CAPE). The measure is built on a theoretical framework holding that if optimal care is to be achieved, all major stakeholders (patients and staff) need to experience a positive environment. DESIGN: An instrument development design was used to create the patient/staff nurse versions of the CAPE and to test their dimensions. The pilot versions of the CAPE were tested on six inpatient psychiatric units to determine the psychometrics of the staff/patient versions. RESULTS: The overall reliability of both versions of the CAPE (staff/patient) was .91. The test–retest reliability for both versions was significant at the .01 level. Construct validity was established via factor analysis. Criterion-related validity was demonstrated by correlations of the two versions of the CAPE to instruments that were conceptually related. CONCLUSION: The CAPE is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used to examine practice and the patient experience on inpatient psychiatric units. The CAPE highlights that patient-centered environments of care are intertwined with staff experiences of support for their role.