bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parental Perceptions of the Use of Coercive Measures on Children with Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Saloviita Timo , Pirttimaa Raija , Kontu Elina
Published: March 2015

Background

Children with developmental disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviour are potentially subject to the use of coercive interventions. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of the use of coercive measures by authorities, according to parents’ reports.

Materials and Methods

A postal survey was distributed, as a total population study, to 946 Finnish parents of children with developmental disabilities, between the ages of 5 and 15, and who were entitled to the highest disability allowance.

Results

Of the respondents, 54 (22%) answered ‘yes’ when asked whether their child had been subjected to coercive procedures by authorities. The parents had seldom approved the use of coercive means and often believed that such means had negative effects on their child.

Conclusions

To protect the children's rights, the use of coercive measures should be regulated more strictly, and positive intervention strategies should be taught to teachers and nurses.
Introducing a Low‐Head Dam Fatality Database and Internet Information Portal
Authors: Kern Edward W. , Hotchkiss Rollin H. , Ames Daniel P.
Published: March 2015

Low‐head dams can cause dangerous currents near the downstream face of the structure. Fatalities at low‐head dams with such currents, often referred to as “drowning machines,” are poorly documented. This technical note presents a new database of fatalities at low‐head dams in the United States together with an interactive map and web‐based user interface. The primary purpose of the system is to raise awareness, generate interest, and educate the general public and decision makers regarding these dangerous structures and the need for remediation. The database was designed as a normalized relational database of event dates, severity, location, reporter, and other circumstances. The open‐access user interface allows the general public to browse fatal incidents by geographic location and to read incident circumstances. The system allows submission of new contributions from users including all metadata needed to characterize the incident. The database is structured to include documentation verifying each entry. The site can be viewed at http://dams.byu.edu/.
Congenital microtia in a neonate due to maternal isotretinoin exposure 1 month before pregnancy: Case Report
Authors: Shirazi Mahboobeh , Abbariki Ezzat , Pirjani Reihaneh , Akhavan Setareh , Dastgerdy Ebrahim
Published: March 2015

Isotretinoin is a drug used for treating severe cystic/nodular acne. Severe malformations have been documented in neonates whose mothers had taken isotretinoin during pregnancy. Women who became pregnant one cycle after completing therapy are believed to be at teratogenic risk not higher than baseline. We describe the case of a newborn whose mother had taken the drug for 4 weeks. The woman then had contraception for 4 weeks (after the drug treatment had finished), and became pregnant after that period. The newborn had isolated bilateral microtia due to suspected isotretinoin exposure. His mother also had a history of urine tract infection in the second week of pregnancy that was treated with cephalexin. The parents were not from a consanguineous marriage and had no family history of congenital malformations. To reduce the risk, effective contraception should be continued in fertile women more than 1 month after completing therapy.
Symptom score change and patient versus doctor satisfaction in overactive bladder before and after anti‐muscarinic treatment
Authors: Bunyavejchevin Suvit
Published: March 2015

Aims

To evaluate voiding symptoms and questionnaire score change before and after anti‐muscarinic treatment and evaluate the correlation of agreement in patient and doctor satisfaction after treatment.

Methods

Forty women newly diagnosed with overactive bladder (OAB), attending the urogynecology clinic at Chulalongkorn Hospital during April–June 2011 were recruited. Tolterodine 4 mg orally once daily was given for 4 weeks. A voiding diary and Thai version of the OAB questionnaires eight‐item Overactive Bladder awareness tool (OAB‐v8), Overactive Bladder Symptoms Score (OABSS) and Overactive Bladder QOL (OABq) were completed before and at the end of treatment. At the end of the trial, self‐report patient satisfaction, and doctor satisfaction (according to symptom improvement in the voiding diary) were assessed. Student's t‐test and weighted kappa coefficients were used in statistical analysis. Sample size was calculated from an OAB questionnaire pilot study with 20% addition for loss to follow up.

Results

All voiding parameters and questionnaire scores (OAB‐v8, OABSS and OABq) were improved after treatment. Weighted kappa was only 0.06, between doctor and patient satisfaction.

Conclusion

OAB‐v8 and OABSS questionnaires can be used as screening and follow‐up tools. There is poor agreement between patient and doctor satisfaction. Satisfaction should therefore be measured from the patient's perspective.
Blind vaginal fetal fibronectin swab for prediction of preterm birth
Authors: Farag Amr H. , Mohammed Magdeldin M. , Ellaithy Mohamed I. , Salama Hossameldin A.
Published: March 2015

Aim

To assess the accuracy of blind vaginal swab in diagnosis of preterm labor (PTL) and prediction of subsequent occurrence of preterm birth (PTB).

Methods

Eligible women who presented at 24–34 weeks of gestation with threatened PTL had their cervicovaginal secretions sequentially sampled for fetal fibronectin (fFN) using two types of swabbing techniques. The first swab was a blind vaginal swab collected without the aid of speculum, while the second one was a routine cervicovaginal swab. All participants were followed up until delivery.

Results

fFN in both swabs was significantly higher in women who delivered before term compared with women who delivered at term. On regression analysis, r2 = 0.735 and 0.785 for blind vaginal and cervicovaginal swabs respectively, while on receiver operating characteristic analysis the area under curve was 0.965 and 0.977, respectively, without a statistically significant difference. Using an fFN cut‐off of ≥0.05 μg/dL, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of blind vaginal swab to predict PTB were 53.9%, 91.9%, 70.0% and 85.0%, respectively; while those for cervicovaginal swab were 58.3%, 94.7%, 77.8% and 87.8%, respectively.

Conclusions

In women presenting at 24–34 weeks of gestation with threatened PTL, blind vaginal fFN swab is as effective as cervicovaginal swab to predict PTB, but it is easier to perform and does not require doctor supervision.
Case of early postoperative adhesion in a patient with molimina due to transverse vaginal septum concomitant with imperforate hymen
Authors: Koyama‐Sato Makiko , Hashida Osamu , Nakamura Tomomi , Hirahara Fumiki , Sakakibara Hideya
Published: March 2015

Transverse vaginal septum is a residual vaginal plate composed of the Müllerian duct and urogenital sinus. Imperforate hymen results from failure of perforation of the membrane between the urogenital sinus and vaginal cavity. We report a rare case of concurrence of these two conditions. A 16‐year‐old girl had been treated with puncture several times for hematometra and hematocolpos from 13 years of age because of monthly occurrence of lower abdominal pain without menstrual bleeding and was referred to our hospital. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated hematometra, hematocolpos and expansion of the vaginal fornix. The imperforate hymen was incised and a slight adhesion at the lower vaginal cavity was detached. After that, a complete transverse vaginal septum, which was 5 mm thick, was identified. It was excised after ultrasonography‐guided puncture. Although two cycles of menstrual bleeding took place, molimina recurred. Re‐operation was performed 6 months after the first operation, and recurrence of adhesion in the lower vaginal cavity was identified. A silicon dilator was inserted, but she could not use it at home and instead used a tampon. Cyclic menstrual bleeding is observed 4 months after the second operation.
Neuraxial blockade for external cephalic version: Cost analysis
Authors: Yamasato Kelly , Kaneshiro Bliss , Salcedo Jennifer
Published: March 2015

Aim

Neuraxial blockade (epidural or spinal anesthesia/analgesia) with external cephalic version increases the external cephalic version success rate. Hospitals and insurers may affect access to neuraxial blockade for external cephalic version, but the costs to these institutions remain largely unstudied. The objective of this study was to perform a cost analysis of neuraxial blockade use during external cephalic version from hospital and insurance payer perspectives. Secondarily, we estimated the effect of neuraxial blockade on cesarean delivery rates.

Methods

A decision–analysis model was developed using costs and probabilities occurring prenatally through the delivery hospital admission. Model inputs were derived from the literature, national databases, and local supply costs. Univariate and bivariate sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations were performed to assess model robustness.

Results

Neuraxial blockade was cost saving to both hospitals ($30 per delivery) and insurers ($539 per delivery) using baseline estimates. From both perspectives, however, the model was sensitive to multiple variables. Monte Carlo simulation indicated neuraxial blockade to be more costly in approximately 50% of scenarios. The model demonstrated that routine use of neuraxial blockade during external cephalic version, compared to no neuraxial blockade, prevented 17 cesarean deliveries for every 100 external cephalic versions attempted.

Conclusions

Neuraxial blockade is associated with minimal hospital and insurer cost changes in the setting of external cephalic version, while reducing the cesarean delivery rate.
Adverse airway events in parturient compared with non‐parturient patients. Is there a difference? Results from a quality management project
Authors: Heinrich Sebastian , Irouschek Andrea , Prottengeier Johannes , Ackermann Andreas , Schmidt Joachim
Published: March 2015

Aim

The fear of airway problems often leads to prolonged attempts to obtain neuroaxial (spinal anesthesia or epidural anesthesia) anesthesia in obstetric anesthesia. The aim of this institutional quality management study was to revisit existing anesthesia care in the obstetric department, focusing on the frequency of delayed or failed neuroaxial anesthesia as well as the risk of airway problems in parturient and non‐obstetric patients.

Methods

The clinical records from 8 consecutive years (2005–2013) were analyzed retrospectively. Cases of cesarean delivery with general anesthesia were analyzed and compared with an age‐matched group of female patients undergoing non‐obstetric abdominal or gynecological surgery with rapid sequence induction. Poor laryngeal visualization (Cormack–Lehane grade III or IV) and failed intubation were recorded.

Results

The records of 6393 cesarean deliveries including 851 with general anesthesia were analyzed. In 175 cases insufficient or delayed onset of regional anesthesia led to requirement for general anesthesia. The rate of poor laryngoscopic view in parturient women undergoing cesarean delivery was 14/851, and 4/814 in the reference group (P = 0.023). Failed intubation occurred in three patients undergoing cesarean delivery (0.4%) and in one non‐obstetric patient (0.1%; P = 0.339).

Conclusion

The rate of failed intubations in patients undergoing cesarean delivery may be equivalent to non‐obstetric patients. In time‐challenging cesarean deliveries, delay of conversion from non‐successful neuroaxial anesthesia to general anesthesia in order to avoid adverse airway events does not appear to be justified.
Effect of depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy on risk of obstetric interventions
Authors: Bayrampour Hamideh , Salmon Charleen , Vinturache Angela , Tough Suzanne
Published: March 2015

Aim

The effect of prenatal mental health on the risk of obstetric interventions is unclear. The present study examined the associations between depressive and anxiety symptoms in the second and third trimesters and mode of delivery, epidural use and labor induction in a large community‐based pregnancy cohort, in Alberta, Canada.

Material and Methods

Women who had singleton pregnancies, delivered in hospital, and had medical data were selected (n = 2825). Obstetric intervention data were obtained from the medical records, and depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory. Data were evaluated with multivariate multinomial and logistic regression analyses using a hierarchical modeling.

Results

After accounting for factors known to increase the risk of each intervention, including demographic variables, smoking, hospital site, gestational age, previous history of cesarean delivery, prepregnancy body mass index, assisted conception, and antepartum risk score, the only mental health variable associated with obstetric interventions was depressive symptoms in the third trimester, which increased the risk of emergency cesarean delivery (adjusted odds ratio, 2.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.26–3.29). No associations were found between antenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms and other obstetric interventions.

Conclusion

The present findings support an association between depressive symptoms and adverse obstetric outcomes and suggest that anxiety and depression may have different effects on obstetric outcomes. Understanding the mechanism in which depression increases the risk of emergency cesarean birth needs further research.
Prevalence of conditions causing chronic anovulation and the proposed algorithm for anovulation evaluation
Authors: Chandeying Pitch , Pantasri Tawiwan
Published: March 2015

Aim

This study investigated the prevalence of disease‐causing chronic anovulation and proposes a logical investigation flowchart to facilitate diagnosis in women presenting with chronic anovulation.

Material and Methods

The cross‐sectional retrospective study was performed using 293 reproductive‐aged women who were diagnosed with chronic anovulation at the Gynecologic Endocrinology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University between January 2008 and December 2012. The demographic data, laboratory investigations and diagnoses were collected.

Results

Among 293 patients recruited into the study, the common causes of anovulation were polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (73.4%), prolactin disorder (13.3%) and unexplained chronic anovulation (7.5%). The less common causes were thyroid disorders, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, adrenal tumors and Cushing's disease. There was a strong positive association between the levels of 17‐hydroxyprogesterone and/or dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate with the levels of testosterone and androstenedione. The sensitivity and specificity of serum luteinizing hormone to accurately diagnose PCOS were 29.38% and 55.56% (P = 0.03). The luteinizing hormone/follicle‐stimulating hormone ratio ≥ 3 had a sensitivity and specificity at 18.56% and 92.86% (P = 0.03) for PCOS diagnosis.

Conclusion

Serum androstenedione, testosterone, thyroid‐stimulating hormone, prolactin levels and pelvic ultrasonography should be included in the initial investigations for anovulation. The 17‐hydroxyprogesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels can be used for secondary anovulation evaluations.
Father Involvement and Childhood Injuries
Authors: Nepomnyaschy Lenna , Donnelly Louis
Published: March 2015

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for children in the United States. Parental supervision is a key factor in preventing injuries, but little is known about the role of fathers. Today, one quarter of children live with a single mother, and another third live with a mother and her new partner, resulting in tremendous diversity in the amount and type of paternal involvement in children's lives. The authors examined the effects of involvement by resident biological, nonresident biological, and resident social fathers on the risk of injury among children from birth to age 5 using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 4,352). They found that living with a social father and social fathers' more frequent engagement with children increase risk of injury, but only for the youngest children. Higher levels of fathers' cooperative parenting reduce children's risk of injury regardless of fathers' biological or residential status.
Effect of Low‐Income Unmarried Fathers' Presence at Birth on Involvement
Authors: Bellamy Jennifer L. , Thullen Matthew , Hans Sydney
Published: March 2015

The birth of a child represents a unique window of opportunity to understand and support ongoing father involvement among low‐income unmarried parents. Using data collected as part of a randomized controlled trial of a community‐based home visiting intervention provided to 248 low‐income African American women, a propensity score matching approach was used to estimate the effect of fathers' presence at birth on multiple measures of later father involvement over the first 2 years postpartum. The results indicated that participation in child care activities is the only form of involvement predicted by presence at birth at 4 months, and none of the forms of father involvement measured were predicted at 12 months; however, presence at birth was predictive of all 7 indicators of involvement at 24 months. Engaging fathers in the birth experience may represent an important opportunity to provide services.
Endoscopic evaluation of food bolus formation and its relationship with the number of chewing cycles
Authors: Fukatsu H. , Nohara K. , Kotani Y. , Tanaka N. , Matsuno K. , Sakai T.
Published: March 2015

It is known that solid food is transported to the pharynx actively in parallel to it being crushed by chewing and mixed with saliva in the oral cavity. Therefore, food bolus formation should be considered to take place from the oral cavity to the pharynx. In previous studies, the chewed food was evaluated after the food had been removed from the oral cavity. However, it has been pointed out that spitting food out of the oral cavity interferes with natural food bolus formation. Therefore, we observed food boluses immediately before swallowing using an endoscope to establish a method to evaluate the food bolus‐forming function, and simultaneously performed endoscopic evaluation of food bolus formation and its relationship with the number of chewing cycles. The subject was inserted the endoscope nasally and instructed to eat two coloured samples of boiled rice simultaneously in two ingestion conditions (‘as usual’ and ‘chewing well’). The condition of the food bolus was graded into three categories for each item of grinding, mixing and aggregation and scored 2, 1 and 0. The score of aggregation was high under both ingestion conditions. The scores of grinding and mixing tended to be higher in subjects with a high number of chewing cycles, and the score of aggregation was high regardless of the number of chewing cycles. It was suggested that food has to be aggregated, even though the number of chewing cycles is low and the food is not ground or mixed for a food bolus to reach the swallowing threshold.
Study of pharmacokinetics of an in situ forming gel system for controlled delivery of florfenicol in pigs
Authors: Geng Z.‐X. , Li H.‐M. , Tian J. , Liu T.‐F. , Yu Z.‐G.
Published: March 2015

To reduce florfenicol (FFC) administration frequency in veterinary use, the drug was currently developed into in situ forming gel. Twelve pigs were randomly divided into two groups (six pigs per group). A single i.m. dose of 40 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) was given to pigs, group one was given FFC in situ forming gel, and group two was given FFC conventional injection. High‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine FFC plasma concentrations. There were significant differences (P < 0.01) between FFC in situ forming gel and conventional injection, in pharmacokinetic parameters MRT (mean retention time) (57.79 ± 2.88) h versus (15.94 ± 1.29) h, AUC (area under the concentration–time curve) (421.54 ± 8.97) μg·h/mL versus (168.16 ± 4.59) μg·h/mL, tmax (time of occurrence of cmax) (9.00 ± 2.68) h versus (4.33 ± 0.82) h, cmax (maximum plasma concentration) (6.87 ± 0.66) μg/mL versus (12.01 ± 0.66) μg/mL, t1/2λz (terminal elimination half‐life) (38.04 ± 2.20) h versus (9.15 ± 2.71) h. The results demonstrated that the in situ forming gel system could shorten dosing interval of FFC and thus achieved less frequent administration during long‐term treatment.
Mutant prevention concentration, pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic integration, and modeling of enrofloxacin data established in diseased buffalo calves
Authors: Ramalingam B. , Sidhu P. K. , Kaur G. , Venkatachalam D. , Rampal S.
Published: March 2015

The pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling of enrofloxacin data using mutant prevention concentration (MPC) of enrofloxacin was conducted in febrile buffalo calves to optimize dosage regimen and to prevent the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. The serum peak concentration (Cmax), terminal half‐life (t1/2K10), apparent volume of distribution (Vd(area)/F), and mean residence time (MRT) of enrofloxacin were 1.40 ± 0.27 μg/mL, 7.96 ± 0.86 h, 7.74 ± 1.26 L/kg, and 11.57 ± 1.01 h, respectively, following drug administration at dosage 12 mg/kg by intramuscular route. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration, and MPC of enrofloxacin against Pasteurella multocida were 0.055, 0.060, and 1.45 μg/mL, respectively. Modeling of ex vivo growth inhibition data to the sigmoid Emax equation provided AUC24 h/MIC values to produce effects of bacteriostatic (33 h), bactericidal (39 h), and bacterial eradication (41 h). The estimated daily dosage of enrofloxacin in febrile buffalo calves was 3.5 and 8.4 mg/kg against P. multocida/pathogens having MIC90 ≤0.125 and 0.30 μg/mL, respectively, based on the determined AUC24 h/MIC values by modeling PK/PD data. The lipopolysaccharide‐induced fever had no direct effect on the antibacterial activity of the enrofloxacin and alterations in PK of the drug, and its metabolite will be beneficial for its use to treat infectious diseases caused by sensitive pathogens in buffalo species. In addition, in vitro MPC data in conjunction with in vivo PK data indicated that clinically it would be easier to eradicate less susceptible strains of P. multocida in diseased calves.
Expression of the glycolytic enzymes enolase and lactate dehydrogenase during the early phase of Toxoplasma differentiation is regulated by an intron retention mechanism
Authors: Lunghi Matteo , Galizi Roberto , Magini Alessandro , Carruthers Vern B. , Di Cristina Manlio
Published: March 2015

The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii converts from a rapidly replicating tachyzoite form during acute infection to a quiescent encysted bradyzoite stage that persists inside long‐lived cells during chronic infection. Bradyzoites adopt reduced metabolism and slow replication while waiting for an opportunity to recrudesce the infection within the host. Interconversion between these two developmental stages is characterized by expression of glycolytic isoenzymes that play key roles in parasite metabolism. The parasite genome encodes two isoforms of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH1 and LDH2) and enolase (ENO1 and ENO2) that are expressed in a stage‐specific manner. Expression of different isoforms of these enzymes allows T. gondii to rapidly adapt to diverse metabolic requirements necessary for either a rapid replication of the tachyzoite stage or a quiescent lifestyle typical of the bradyzoites. Herein we identified unspliced forms of LDH and ENO transcripts produced during transition between these two parasite stages suggestive of an intron retention mechanism to promptly exchange glycolytic isoforms for rapid adaptation to environmental changes. We also identified key regulatory elements in the ENO transcription units, revealing cooperation between the ENO2 5′‐untranslated region and the ENO2 intron, along with identifying a role for the ENO1 3′‐untranslated region in stage‐specific expression.
Comparative Study of Approaches to Delineating Built‐Up Areas Using Road Network Data
Authors: Zhou Qi
Published: March 2015

Delineated built‐up areas may be used for applications such as navigation, database enrichment and the identification of urban sprawl. As more road network data have become available, many studies have considered using road network data to delineate built‐up areas. This study investigated the three existing approaches to delineating built‐up areas on a map: the grid‐based approach, kernel density analysis and an approach based on street blocks. These approaches are evaluated and compared from three angles. First, two measures were proposed to quantitatively evaluate the land area of the delineated built‐up areas; second, a questionnaire was designed to visually compare the representations of the delineated built‐up areas; and, third, the time complexity of using each approach was tested. The three approaches were applied to different sets of road network data for New Zealand; data from buildings and residential areas were used as benchmarks. The results showed that: (1) in a quantitative assessment, both the grid‐based approach and kernel density analysis can usually detect more built‐up areas than the approach based on street blocks; (2) on visual inspection, most of the students who completed the questionnaire performed the representations using the approach based on street blocks; and (3) in time complexity, the approach based on street blocks always takes the least time.
Evaluation of Land Suitability for Urban Land‐Use Planning: Case Study Dhaka City
Authors: Ullah Kazi Masel , Mansourian Ali
Published: March 2015

The aim of this research is evaluation of land suitability for urban land‐use planning. Four factors and fourteen criteria were selected for suitability analysis and land‐use planning. Factors and criteria were defined based on literature survey, experts’ opinions, local contexts and availability of data. GIS‐based Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used as a Multi‐criteria Decision Making model. The study was conducted on a selected area of Dhaka city, which is one of the fastest growing mega‐cities of the world. The research result shows that highly suitable area (13%) should be used for urban residential zone; moderately suitable area (35%) should be designated as mixed use zone; low suitable area (42%) should be reserved for agricultural use and open spaces; and not suitable area (10%) should be protected from any types of activities except agriculture. The research approached an urban land‐use planning at a regional scale.
A Back‐Propagation Neural Network‐Based Approach for Multi‐Represented Feature Matching in Update Propagation
Authors: Wang Yanxia , Chen Deng , Zhao Zhiyuan , Ren Fu , Du Qingyun
Published: March 2015

Spatial data infrastructures, which are characterized by multi‐represented datasets, are prevalent throughout the world. The multi‐represented datasets contain different representations for identical real‐world entities. Therefore, update propagation is useful and required for maintaining multi‐represented datasets. The key to update propagation is the detection of identical features in different datasets that represent corresponding real‐world entities and the detection of changes in updated datasets. Using polygon features of settlements as examples, this article addresses these key problems and proposes an approach for multi‐represented feature matching based on spatial similarity and a back‐propagation neural network (BPNN). Although this approach only utilizes the measures of distance, area, direction and length, it dynamically and objectively determines the weight of each measure through intelligent learning; in contrast, traditional approaches determine weight using expertise. Therefore, the weight may be variable in different data contexts but not for different levels of expertise. This approach can be applied not only to one‐to‐one matching but also to one‐to‐many and many‐to‐many matching. Experiments are designed using two different approaches and four datasets that encompass an area in China. The goals are to demonstrate the weight differences in different data contexts and to measure the performance of the BPNN‐based feature matching approach.
Energy System and Thermoeconomic Analysis of Combined Heat and Power High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Systems for Light Commercial Buildings
Authors: Colella Whitney G. , Pilli Siva P.
Published: March 2015

The United States Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is teaming with industry to deploy and independently monitor 5-kilowatt-electric (kWe) combined heat and power (CHP) fuel cell systems (FCSs) in light commercial buildings. Results of an independent evaluation of manufacturer-stated engineering, economic, and environmental performance of these CHP FCSs are presented here. An important contribution of this paper is the precise definition and development of these essential terms for quantifying distributed CHP generator energy use within buildings: (1) electricity and heat utilization, (2) electrical and heat recovery efficiencies, (3) in-use electrical and heat recovery efficiencies, (4) percentage usage of electricity, and (5) percent usage of recoverable heat. Key additional parameters evaluated include the average cost of the CHP FCSs per unit of power and per unit of energy, the change in greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollution emissions with a switch from conventional power plants and furnaces to CHP FCSs, the change in GHG mitigation costs from the switch, and the change in human health costs from air pollution. CHP FCS heat utilization is expected to be under 100% at several installation sites; for six sites, during periods of minimum heating demand, the in-use CHP FCS heat recovery (HR) efficiency based on the higher heating value of natural gas is expected to be only 24.4%. From the power perspective, the average per-unit cost (PUC) of electrical power is estimated to span $15–19,000/kWe (depending on site-specific installation, fuel, and other costs), while the average PUC of electrical and HR power is $7,000–9,000/kW. Regarding energy, the average PUC of electrical energy is $0.38–$0.46/kilowatt-hour-electric, while the average PUC of electrical and HR energy is $0.18–$0.23/kWh. GHG emissions were estimated to decrease by one-third after replacing a conventional system with a CHP FCS. GHG mitigation costs were also proportional to changes in GHG emissions. Estimated human health costs from air pollution emissions decreased by a factor of 1000 with changing to CHP FCS. Reported for the first time here is the derivation of the PUCs of power and energy for a CHP device from both standard and management accounting (MA) perspectives. Results show that the average PUC of combined electrical and HR power is equal to the average PUC of electric power applying an MA approach, and also equal to the average PUC of HR power applying an MA approach. Similar relations hold for the average PUC of energy. Results presented here demonstrate the value of using the equations herein for economic analyses of CHP systems to represent the average PUC of electrical power, HR power, or both, and for energy.
Linear Vehicle Dynamics of the TowPlow, a Steerable Articulated Snowplow, and Its Kinematics-Based Steering Control
Authors: Kang Jae Young , Velinsky Steven A.
Published: March 2015

The TowPlow is a novel type of snowplow, which consists of a conventional snowplow vehicle and a steerable, plow-mounted trailer. The system is used to plow two typical traffic lanes simultaneously. In this paper, a linear dynamic model is developed in order to investigate the dynamic behavior of this system and its stability limits. Dynamic simulations of various maneuvers are performed, and kinematics-based control is implemented to investigate performance of the trailer's corrective steering. The goal is to ensure that the trailer does not intrude into adjacent lanes during plowing operations while also ensuring that both lanes are sufficiently cleared. Even though the control input is obtained from kinematic analysis, which does not take forces and inertia into account, the simulation results clearly show that the corrective steering helps the TowPlow meet its performance goals.
Post-Critical Behavior of Suspension Bridges Under Nonlinear Aerodynamic Loading
Authors: Arena Andrea , Lacarbonara Walter , Marzocca Pier
Published: March 2015

The limit cycle oscillations (LCOs) exhibited by long-span suspension bridges in post-flutter condition are investigated. A parametric dynamic model of prestressed long-span suspension bridges is coupled with a nonlinear quasi-steady aerodynamic formulation to obtain the governing aeroelastic partial differential equations adopted herewith. By employing the Faedo–Galerkin method, the aeroelastic nonlinear equations are reduced to their state-space ordinary differential form. Convergence analysis for the reduction process is first carried out and time-domain simulations are performed to investigate LCOs while continuation tools are employed to path follow the post-critical LCOs. A supercritical Hopf bifurcation behavior, confirmed by a stable LCO, is found past the critical flutter condition. The analysis shows that the LCO amplitude increases with the wind speed up to a secondary critical speed where it terminates with a fold bifurcation. The stability of the LCOs within the range bracketed by the Hopf and fold bifurcations is evaluated by performing parametric analyses regarding the main design parameters that can be affected by uncertainties, primarily the structural damping and the initial wind angle of attack.
Skin Friction Fields and Surface Dye Patterns on Delta Wings in Water Flows
Authors: Liu Tianshu , Makhmalbaf M. H. M. , Vewen Ramasamy RS , Kode S. , Merati P.
Published: March 2015

This paper discusses the relationship between skin friction fields and surface dye patterns in surface luminescent dye visualizations in water flows, providing a theoretical foundation for extraction of high-resolution skin friction fields. The limiting form of the mass diffusion equation at a wall is recast as an optical flow equation connecting skin friction with the luminescent dye intensity. Snapshot solutions are obtained from a time sequence of luminescent intensity images by solving the optical flow equation via the variational method, and then a normalized skin friction field is reconstructed by averaging the snapshot solutions. An error analysis is given to identify the major error sources and the limitations of the technique. To evaluate the feasibility of this technique, surface luminescent dye visualizations on a 65 deg delta wing and a 76/40 deg double-delta wing are conducted in a water tunnel. The extracted skin friction topology on the delta wings and the velocity fields obtained by using particle image velocimetry (PIV) are discussed.
Thermal Predictions of the AGR-3/4 Experiment With Time-Varying Gas Gaps
Authors: Hawkes Grant L. , Sterbentz James W. , Maki John T.
Published: March 2015

A thermal analysis was performed for the Advanced Gas Reactor test experiment (AGR-3/4) with time-varying gas gaps. The experiment was irradiated at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Several fuel irradiation experiments are planned for the AGR Fuel Development and Qualification Program that supports the development of the Very-High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (VHTR) under the Next-Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) project. AGR-3/4 combines two tests in a series of planned AGR experiments to test tristructural-isotropic (TRISO)-coated, low-enriched uranium oxy-carbide fuel. Forty-eight TRISO-fueled compacts were inserted into 12 separate capsules for the experiment (four compacts per capsule). The purpose of this analysis was to calculate the temperatures of each compact and graphite layer to obtain daily average temperatures using time (fast neutron fluence)-varying gas gaps and to compare with experimentally measured thermocouple data. A finite-element heat transfer model was created for each capsule using the commercial code ABAQUS. Model results are compared to thermocouple data taken during the experiment.
Automated Discovery of Lead Users and Latent Product Features by Mining Large Scale Social Media Networks
Authors: Tuarob Suppawong , Tucker Conrad S.
Published: March 2015

Lead users play a vital role in next generation product development, as they help designers discover relevant product feature preferences months or even years before they are desired by the general customer base. Existing design methodologies proposed to extract lead user preferences are typically constrained by temporal, geographic, size, and heterogeneity limitations. To mitigate these challenges, the authors of this work propose a set of mathematical models that mine social media networks for lead users and the product features that they express relating to specific products. The authors hypothesize that: (i) lead users are discoverable from large scale social media networks and (ii) product feature preferences, mined from lead user social media data, represent product features that do not currently exist in product offerings but will be desired in future product launches. An automated approach to lead user product feature identification is proposed to identify latent features (product features unknown to the public) from social media data. These latent features then serve as the key to discovering innovative users from the ever increasing pool of social media users. The authors collect 2.1 × 109 social media messages in the United States during a period of 31 months (from March 2011 to September 2013) in order to determine whether lead user preferences are discoverable and relevant to next generation cell phone designs.
Toughening Graphene With Topological Defects: A Perspective
Authors: Zhang Teng , Gao Huajian
Published: March 2015

The low fracture toughness of graphene has raised sharp questions about its strength in the presence of crack-like flaws. Here, we discuss a number of recent studies that suggest some promising routes as well as open questions on the possibility of toughening graphene with controlled distributions of topological defects.
Cattle veterinary services in a changing world
Authors: Statham Jonathan , Green Martin
Published: March 2015

In the first of a series of feature articles in Veterinary Record discussing the state of different sectors of the veterinary profession in the UK and what the future might hold, Jonathan Statham and Martin Green give their perspective on developments affecting the provision of cattle veterinary services.
Characterizing crown fuel distribution for conifers in the interior western United States
Authors: Ex Seth , Smith Frederick W. , Keyser Tara L.
Published: March 2015

Canopy fire hazard evaluation is essential for prioritizing fuel treatments and for assessing potential risk to firefighters during suppression activities. Fire hazard is usually expressed as predicted potential fire behavior, which is sensitive to the methodology used to quantitatively describe fuel profiles: methodologies that assume that fuel is distributed uniformly throughout crowns have been shown to predict less severe fire behavior than those that assume more realistic nonuniform fuel distributions. We used crown fuel data from seven interior western United States conifer species to characterize within-crown fuel distributions. Fuel was shifted upward and concentrated in crowns in crowded stands compared with crowns in open stands, which suggests that the vertical distribution of fuel is shaped by foliage concentration in favorable light environments near the top of crowns and echoes the predictable relationship between crown ratio and stand density. However, unlike crown ratio, the relationship between within-crown foliage distribution and stand density was independent of the shade tolerance of a species. This implies that there is a general relationship between stand density and within-crown fuel distribution for conifers and that species differences in fuel profiles related to shade tolerance are expressed primarily in the relationship between stand density and crown ratio.
Final state interaction effect in the pure annihilation B→ϕϕ decay
Authors: Talebtash Mohammad Rahim , Mehraban Hossein
Published: March 2015

We analyzed the process of [Formula: see text] decay in quantum chromodynamics factorization (QCDF) and final state interaction (FSI). In QCDF for this decay we have only the annihilation graph and we expected small branching ratio. Then we considered FSI effect as a sizable correction where the intermediate states are [Formula: see text], K+ K–, and [Formula: see text] mesons. To consider the amplitudes of these intermediate states, the QCDF approach was used. The experimental branching ratio of [Formula: see text] is less than 2 × 10–7 and our results are 0.04 × 10–7 and 1.54 × 10–7 from QCDF and FSI, respectively.
Kinematic coefficient ratios, anisotropy parameters, and polarization degrees of L3 X-ray transitions of Bi, Pb, Ta, Lu, and Yb
Authors: Kaçal M.R. , Durak R. , Akman F.
Published: March 2015

The anisotropy parameter values β of the L shell fluorescent X-rays (Lι (L3-M1), Lβ6 (L3-N1), Lα1,2 (L3-M5,4) and Lβ2,15 (L3-N5,4) of Bi, Pb, Ta, Lu, and Yb excited by 22.6 keV photons were measured. These values were used to determine the kinematic coefficient ratios α(Lι/Lα1,2), α(Lι/Lβ6), and α(Lα1,2/Lβ2,15). The Lι and Lβ6 X-rays were found to be anisotropically emitted whereas Lα1,2 and Lβ2,15 X-rays showed less anisotropic spatial distributions. Also, the polarization degrees of Lι and Lα X-rays were measured for the present elements and observed that the Lι lines were found to be strongly polarized whereas the Lα lines showed less polarization.
A global review of the downstream effects of small impoundments on stream habitat conditions and macroinvertebrates
Authors: Mbaka John Gichimu , Wanjiru Mwaniki Mercy
Published: March 2015

The downstream ecological effects of large impoundments have previously been reviewed; however, little is known about the downstream ecological effects of small man-made impoundments. In this review, we examine 94 papers focusing on the effects of small impoundments on stream habitat conditions and macroinvertebrates. Most studies (89.3%) address the effects of small impoundments on physical and chemical habitat conditions, while fewer studies (48.9%) address the effects on macroinvertebrates. In general, most studies report no significant downstream effects of small impoundments on physico-chemical variables, whereas macroinvertebrates richness and abundance increased or decreased. Mean effect sizes (as Cohen’s d) for physico-chemical variables range from −0.82 to 0.68 (small weir: −0.21 to 0.35; run-of-river dam: −0.82 to 0.64; low head dam: −0.49 to 0.68), and from −0.03 to 0.63 for macroinvertebrates abundance and richness. Our assessment of the published literature demonstrates the advantage of combining qualitative and quantitative analyses, and that, while small impoundments may have minimal significant effects on most physico-chemical variables, macroinvertebrates’ richness and density may be affected. This review is relevant for management and scientific communities to identify potential alterations of stream habitats and biota by small impoundments.
Confined Dirac particles in a constant and tilted magnetic field
Authors: Alhaidari Abdulaziz D. , Bahlouli Hocine , Jellal Ahmed
Published: March 2015

We study the confinement of charged Dirac particles in a plane embedded in 3 + 1 space–time due to the presence of a constant magnetic field that is tilted on the given plane. We focus on the nature of the solutions of the Dirac equation and on how they depend on the choice of vector potential that gives rise to the magnetic field. In particular, we select a "Landau gauge" such that the momentum is conserved along the direction of the vector potential yielding spinor wave functions, which are localized in the plane containing the magnetic field and normal to the vector potential. These wave functions are expressed in terms of the Hermite polynomials. We point out the relevance of these findings to the relativistic quantum Hall effect and compare with the results obtained for a constant magnetic field normal to the plane in 2 + 1 dimensions.
Redox behavior of novel nickel and palladium complexes supported by trianionic non-innocent ligand containing β-diketiminate and phenol groups
Authors: Morimoto Yuma , Takaichi June , Hanada Shinichi , Ohkubo Kei , Sugimoto Hideki , Fujieda Nobutaka , Fukuzumi Shunichi , Itoh Shinobu
Published: March 2015

A new type of nickel and palladium complexes with non-innocent β-diketiminate ligand having redox active phenol groups, 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(((1E,2E)-3-((3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)amino)-2-nitroallylidene)amino)phenol ( L H 3, fully protonated form) have been developed, and the structure, physical properties, and reactivity of their one-electron and two-electron oxidized complexes, [MII(L•2-)] and [MII(L-)]+ ( M = Ni II or Pd II ) have been examined in detail. The two-electron oxidized forms of both complexes, [MII(L-)]+, exhibited hydrogen atom abstraction ability from 1,4-cyclohexadiene (CHD) comparable to its copper analog [ Cu II ( L -)]+ (Dalton Trans. 2013; 42: 2438-2444). The one-electron oxidized form of palladium complex, [ Pd II ( L •2-)], was also found to oxidize CHD, whereas the nickel analog, [ Ni II ( L •2-)], exhibited photo-induced oxidation ability of CHD.
The Neural Correlates of Spatial and Object Working Memory in Elderly and Parkinson’s Disease Subjects
Authors: Caminiti Silvia P. , Siri Chiara , Guidi Lucia , Antonini Angelo , Perani Daniela
Published: March 2015

This fMRI study deals with the neural correlates of spatial and objects working memory (SWM and OWM) in elderly subjects (ESs) and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD). Normal aging and IPD can be associated with a WM decline. In IPD population, some studies reported similar SWM and OWM deficits; others reported a greater SWM than OWM impairment. In the present fMRI research, we investigated whether compensated IPD patients and elderly subjects with comparable performance during the execution of SWM and OWM tasks would present differences in WM-related brain activations. We found that the two groups recruited a prevalent left frontoparietal network when performing the SWM task and a bilateral network during OWM task execution. More specifically, the ESs showed bilateral frontal and subcortical activations in SWM, at difference with the IPD patients who showed a strict left lateralized network, consistent with frontostriatal degeneration in IPD. The overall brain activation in the IPD group was more extended as number of voxels with respect to ESs, suggesting underlying compensatory mechanisms. In conclusion, notwithstanding comparable WM performance, the two groups showed consistencies and differences in the WM activated networks. The latter underline the compensatory processes of normal typical and pathological aging.