bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Botulinum Toxin Type A in Dental Medicine
Authors: Muñoz Lora V.R.M. , Del Bel Cury A.A. , Jabbari B. , Lacković Z.
Published: September 2019

Botulinum toxins (BoNTs) are a product of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. By entering nerve endings, they cleave and inactivate SNARE proteins, which are essential for neurotransmitter release. Prevention of acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction causes long-lasting and potentially fatal flaccid paralysis—a major feature of botulism. However, an intramuscular injection of minute amounts of BoNTs, primarily type A (BoNT-A), has useful long-lasting muscle relaxation effects on spastic motor disorders. This characteristic of BoNT-A is widely used in neurology and cosmetics. Over the last few decades, it has been demonstrated that the functions of BoNT-A are not limited to muscle-relaxing or autonomic cholinergic effects but that it can act as an analgesic agent as well. More recently, it was revealed that this antinociceptive effect starts after entering the sensory nerve endings, where these agents are axonally transported to the central nervous system, suggesting that at least part of their analgesic effect might be of central origin. Because of its antinociceptive effect, BoNT-A is currently approved for treatment of chronic migraine; nonetheless, case reports and preclinical and clinical experiments indicating its benefit in numerous potential painful conditions have increased. In the field of dentistry, the US Food and Drug Administration approved BoNT-A for the treatment of sialorrhea only. Legal status of the use of BoNT-A in other countries is less known. However, there are controlled clinical trials suggesting its efficacy in other conditions, such as bruxism, temporomandibular disorders, and trigeminal neuropathic pain. Thereby, using criteria of the American Academy of Neurology, we critically reviewed the uses of BoNTs in oral medicine and found it effective for trigeminal neuralgia (category A) and probably effective in temporomandibular disorders and bruxism.
Hepatitis C Virus Infection in the Dallas County Jail: Implications for Screening, Prevention, and Linkage to Care
Authors: Abe Caroline M. , Aguwa Merilyne , Zhao Michelle , Sullivan Jacqueline , Porsa Esmaeil , Nijhawan Ank E.
Published: September 2019

Objectives:

Screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in jail provides an opportunity to educate and offer care to a high-risk population. We aimed to (1) estimate the prevalence of HCV infection in jail; (2) describe the demographic characteristics, risk factors, and pre-incarceration health insurance status associated with HCV infection; and (3) examine the implementation of HCV screening in jail.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective analysis of an opt-out HCV screening program with HCV RNA confirmation and patient education at the Dallas County Jail from April 1 through November 2, 2017. We extracted data on test results, demographic characteristics, and release destination from electronic medical records. A nurse navigator recorded data on patient self-reported risk factors and pre-incarceration health insurance status.

Results:

Of 4089 incarcerated persons screened, 708 (17.3%) had a positive HCV antibody result. Of these, 641 (90.5%) had an HCV RNA test ordered; 576 (89.9%) had RNA tests completed, of whom 413 (71.7%) had a positive HCV RNA result. Of these 413, 352 (85.2%) received patient education. Half of HCV RNA-positive incarcerated persons (n = 207, 50.1%) were born outside the birth cohort (1945-1965). Among those with HCV infection, commonly reported risk factors were injection drug use (168 of 352; 47.8%) and tattoos (82 of 352; 23.4%). Most incarcerated persons with HCV infection (284 of 350; 81.1%) did not have health insurance. HCV antibody prevalence was higher among incarcerated persons released to prison (232 of 961; 24.1%) than to outside agencies (38 of 403; 9.4%) or the community (178 of 1026; 17.4%).

Conclusions:

Screening for HCV with RNA confirmation in jail provides an opportunity for disease education, transmission prevention, and navigation to HCV treatment. Future efforts should examine post-incarceration linkage to care.
An interesting cause of chronic abdominal pain in a child
Authors: Menon Jagadeesh , Kumar Aditi , Vaiphei Kim , Lal Sadhna
Published: September 2019

We encountered an eight-year-old boy who was subsequently diagnosed with a retroperitoneal ganglioneuroma. In view of the rarity of this tumour and its presentation, we are prompted to report this case.
Deep learning in Arabic sentiment analysis: An overview
Authors: Alharbi Amal , Taileb Mounira , Kalkatawi Manal
Published: September 2019

Sentiment analysis became a very motivating area in both academic and industrial fields due to the exponential increase of the online published reviews and recommendations. To solve the problem of analysing and classifying those reviews and recommendations, several techniques have been proposed. Lately, deep neural networks showed promising outcomes in sentiment analysis. The growing number of Arab users on the Internet along with the increasing amount of published Arabic reviews and comments encouraged researchers to apply deep learning to analyse them. This article is a comprehensive overview of research works that utilised the deep learning approach for Arabic sentiment analysis.
Use of Nerve Conduction Assessments to Evaluate Drug-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Nonclinical Species—A Brief Review
Authors: DaSilva Jamie K. , Arezzo Joseph C.
Published: September 2019

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is subject to a wide range of structural and functional insults including direct damage to axons, loss of myelin, and progressive deficits in saltatory conduction. Drugs that damage the PNS often result in neuropathies that impact the structure and function of targeted nerves. In most cases, both sensory and motor neurons are affected with damage initially evident in the distal extremities. Drug-induced neuropathies are potentially reversible following cessation of treatment, but early stages of neuropathy can be subclinical and asymptomatic making diagnosis difficult. Nerve biopsy is highly validated and provides definitive evidence of nerve injury and corresponding severity; however, it is limited in some respects and electrophysiological measures can complement histopathological assessments and provide a functional measure of potential toxicity. In a drug development setting, nerve conduction assessments are valuable to monitor nerve function longitudinally if nerve damage is suspected or confirmed, and importantly, can be used to monitor progression and/or recovery of a drug-induced neuropathy. This review will summarize the methodology used in nerve conduction assessments as well as discuss data interpretation and considerations for use in nonclinical species. Finally, the use of nerve conduction assessments in nonclinical drug development is discussed.
A Systematic Review of Transition Readiness in Youth with Chronic Disease
Authors: Varty Maureen , Popejoy Lori L.
Published: September 2019

The transition of chronically ill adolescents and young adults to adult health care is poorly managed, leading to poor outcomes due to insufficient disease knowledge and a lack of requisite skills to self-manage their chronic disease. This review analyzed 33 articles published between 2009 and 2019 to identify factors associated with transition readiness in adolescents and young adults with chronic diseases, which can be used to design effective interventions. Studies were predominantly cross-sectional survey designs that were guided by interdisciplinary research teams, assessed adolescents and young adults ages 12–26 years, and conducted in the outpatient setting. Modifiable factors, including psychosocial and self-management/transition education factors, and non-modifiable factors, including demographic/ecological and disease factors, associated with transition readiness were identified. Further research is necessary to address gaps identified in this review prior to intervention development, and there is a need for additional longitudinal studies designed to provide perspective on how transition readiness changes over time.
Setting meaningful goals in rehabilitation: rationale and practical tool
Authors: Dekker Joost , de Groot Vincent , ter Steeg Anne Marie , Vloothuis Judith , Holla Jasmijn , Collette Emma , Satink Ton , Post Lenneke , Doodeman Suzan , Littooij Elsbeth
Published: September 2019

Context:

Goal-setting is a key characteristic of modern rehabilitation. However, goals need to be meaningful and of importance to the client.

Axioms:

Both theories and empirical evidence support the importance of a hierarchy of goals: one or more overall goals that clients find personally meaningful and specific goals that are related to the overall goals. We posit that the client’s fundamental beliefs, goals and attitudes (“global meaning”) need to be explored before setting any rehabilitation goal. A chaplain or other person with similar skills can be involved in doing so in an open-ended way. The client’s fundamental beliefs, goals and attitudes serve as a point of departure for setting rehabilitation goals.

Setting goals:

We set out a three-stage process to set goals: (1) exploring the client’s global meaning (i.e. fundamental beliefs, goals and attitudes), (2) deriving a meaningful overall rehabilitation goal from the client’s global meaning and (3) setting specific rehabilitation goals that serve to achieve the meaningful overall rehabilitation goal.

Conclusion:

This is an extension of current practice in many rehabilitation teams, which may help counter the drive toward exclusively functional goals based around independence.
The Co-occurrence of Mirror-Touch With Other Types of Synaesthesia
Authors: Ward Jamie
Published: September 2019

People with mirror-touch synaesthesia report tactile experiences on their body when seeing other people touched. Although this has been referred to as a type of synaesthesia, it is unknown whether it co-occurs with more commonly accepted variants of synaesthesia (e.g., grapheme-colour). If it did, then this would imply a common or partly shared causal mechanism. To this end, a sample of verified grapheme-colour synaesthetes ( N = 80) were given a recently developed online diagnostic measure of mirror-touch. The prevalence in this group (∼20%) was around 10 times higher than the general population. Moreover, performance on this measure was significantly related to the self-report of mirror-touch given, on average, 3 years earlier.
Social form, social reproduction and social policy: Basic income, basic services, basic infrastructure
Authors: Lombardozzi Lorena , Pitts Frederick Harry
Published: September 2019

Proponents recommend Universal Basic Income as a solution to a trifold crisis of work, wage and social democracy. Synthesising Marxian form analysis with Marxist-feminist social reproduction theory, this article suggests that these crises relate to historically specific capitalist social forms: labour, money and the state. These separate but interlocking crises of social form are temporary and contingent expressions of an underlying, permanent crisis of social reproduction. Mistaking the pervasive crisis of social reproduction in its totality for a temporary or contingent trifold crisis of work, wage or social democracy, Universal Basic Income proposals seek to solve it by moving through the same social forms through which they take effect, rather than confronting the social relations that constitute their antagonistic undertow and generate the crisis of social reproduction. The article considers two other solutions proposed to handle the deeper-rooted crisis with which Universal Basic Income grapples: Universal Basic Services and Universal Basic Infrastructure. Both propose non-monetary ways past the impasses of the Universal Basic Income, addressing much more directly the constrained basis of individual and collective reproduction that characterises capitalist social relations. But they retain a link with capitalist social forms of money and state that may serve to close rather than open the path to real alternatives. The article concludes that the contradictions these ‘abstract universals’ touch upon are best mediated through more bottom-up and struggle-based ‘concrete universals’ that address the manifold crises of work, wage and social democracy that undergird them. Such alternatives would leave open dynamic tensions around work and welfare in contemporary capitalism without promise of their incomplete resolution in the name of a false universality unattainable in a world characterised by antagonism, domination and crisis.
Privacy Risk of Connected Vehicles in Relation to Vehicle Tracking when Transmitting Basic Safety Message Type 1 Data
Authors: Khajeh Hosseini Mohammadreza , Talebpour Alireza , Shakkottai Srinivas
Published: September 2019

Advances in communication technologies and connected vehicles provide excellent opportunities for data exchange between vehicles and infrastructure. The data transmitted by connected vehicles offers valuable information to traffic control centers to improve the safety and operation of the transportation network. However, there are some security concerns associated with the data communicated between vehicles and infrastructure that may affect the privacy of connected vehicle users. The objective of this study is to assess the privacy of connected vehicles concerning the feasibility of reconstructing the travel path of the vehicles from the basic safety messages exchanged between vehicle and infrastructure. This study adopts a mathematical programming approach to identify the paths of vehicles based on their location, speed, and heading. An iterative algorithm is proposed to reconstruct the path of a vehicle, based on the assumption that the new state of the vehicle can be predicted from its previous state. The performance of the proposed algorithm is also evaluated with the increase in the number of vehicles and overlapping paths.
Elevated biogas production from the anaerobic co-digestion of farmhouse waste: Insight into the process performance and kinetics
Authors: Achinas Spyridon , Euverink Gerrit Jan Willem
Published: September 2019

The biodegradable portion of solid waste generated in farmhouses can be treated for energy recovery with small portable biogas plants. This action can be done across the Netherlands and all around the planet. This study aims to appraise the performance of anaerobic digestion of different wastes (cow manure, food waste and garden waste) obtained from a regional farmhouse. Batch reactors were established under mesophilic conditions in order to investigate the impact of ternary mixtures on the anaerobic digestion process performance. Different mixing ratios were set in the batch tests. The upshots from the experiments connoted that ternary digestion with cow manure:food waste:garden waste mixing ratio of 40:50:10 yielded higher biogas amount. The kinetics’ results showed quite good congruence with the experimental study. The results from the kinetic analysis appeared to be in line with the experimental one.
Wear resistance of Ni-Co/SiC composite coating by jet electrodeposition in the presence of magnetic field
Authors: Jiang Wei , Shen Lida , Wang Kai , Wang Zhanwen , Tian Zongjun
Published: September 2019

The Ni-Co/SiC composite coatings were prepared via jet electrodeposition in the presence of magnetic field. The microstructure and texture orientation of the composite coatings were analyzed via field emission scanning electron microscopy, three-dimensional profiling, and X-ray diffraction. The microhardness and wear resistance were characterized by a microhardness tester and a friction–abrasion testing machine. The results indicated that nano-SiC particles improved the surface morphology of the Ni-Co/SiC composite coating. In jet electrodeposition, globular structure aggregation began to form protrusions in the Ni-Co/SiC composite coating due to nanoparticle agglomeration when 6 g/L of nano-SiC was added. The Ni-Co/SiC (6 g/L) composite coating became uniform and densification by jet electrodeposition in magnetic field, with higher microhardness and better wear resistance. The microhardness of the Ni-Co/SiC composite coating increased to 626 ± 14 HV, and the corresponding friction coefficient was as low as 0.317.
Recent advances and test processes in automotive and motorsports aerodynamic development
Authors: Senft V , Gillan MA
Published: September 2019

This article highlights the advances in the aerodynamic development and test processes of both road and motorsports cars over the last two decades, including explaining the main driving forces behind this evolution. The relentless and continuous drive to improve efficiency and correlation between computational fluid dynamics, real-time simulation, wind tunnel testing, and the track is explained. Key enabling technologies are described, such as: continuous motion systems; high-speed data acquisition systems; steel moving belt ground planes with under floor load cells; on-demand robotic particle image velocimetry; pneumatic model tyres with integral sidewall and contact patch deflection systems; driver simulators and rapid prototyped rake systems for track cars. Finally, as aerodynamicists attempt to simulate and test within ever more complex and realistic environments potential future directions and emerging trends are outlined, including gusts, aeroelasticity, adaptive cooling, and cornering.
Effect of bearing thermally induced preload on the efficiency of automotive manual transmission under RDE
Authors: Laderou A , Mohammadpour M , Theodossiades S , Wilson A , Daubney R
Published: September 2019

In order to calculate the efficiency of an automotive manual transmission, taking into consideration the effect of its most power consuming components – gears and bearings – as well as the interactions between them is of high importance. In this paper, a dynamic model has been developed which can predict the frictional losses of a complete gearbox as a system and, thus, its efficiency. The effect of temperature on bearing preload is also considered and taken into account from a system perspective identifying its effect on the bearings frictional losses (as well as the overall efficiency). The operating conditions used are snapshots of the Real Driving Emissions driving cycle, which is a standard metric for automotive manufacturers. Results show that doubling the temperature can lead to 120% increase of the bearing losses and up to 140% increase of the total transmission losses. The effect of the variation of operating conditions (velocity and torque) is also taken into account. The novelty of this paper lays in the development of a dynamic model which takes into account the performance of a complete gearbox under transient operating conditions, as well as the interaction among its main components and the ability to make changes on the influencing factors of transmission efficiency so that their effect on the complete gearbox efficiency can be tracked. This has not been yet reported in the relevant literature which mainly focuses on the influencing factors of transmission power loss and efficiency experimental measurements under various operating conditions for gear pairs instead of complete gearboxes.
Influence of varying altitudes on matching characteristics of the Twin-VGT system with a diesel engine and performance based on analysis of available exhaust energy
Authors: Zhang Zhongjie , Liu Ruilin , Zhou Guangmeng , Yang Chunhao , Dong Surong , Jiao Yufei , Ma Jiaming
Published: September 2019

A variable geometry turbocharger in series with a variable geometry turbocharger (Twin-VGT) system was designed to improve engine power at high altitudes. The influence of altitudes on the performance of the Twin-VGT system was investigated in the perspective of available exhaust energy. The interaction between exhaust flow characteristics of Twin-VGT and openings of Twin-VGT vanes was theoretically analyzed at different altitudes. Meanwhile, a model of a diesel engine matched with the Twin-VGT system was built to study the matching performance of the Twin-VGT system with engine at different altitudes. The optimal opening maps of both high-pressure and low-pressure VGT vanes at high altitudes were obtained to achieve the maximum engine power. The results showed that the optimal openings of high-pressure and low-pressure VGT vanes decreased with increase in altitudes. The operating points of the two-stage compressors located at the high efficiency region and the compressor efficiency region both exceeded 62% at different altitudes. The global expansion ratio increased with increase in altitudes and reached 4.9 at 5500 m. Compared with the VGT in series with a fixed geometry turbocharger on testing bed, exhaust energy of Twin-VGT turbines at low speeds was utilized reasonably and global pressure ratio increased by 0.69–0.94, while brake-specific fuel consumption decreased by 11.24–33.62% under low speeds above altitudes of 2500 m.
A century of anthropogenic environmental change in tropical Asia: Multi-proxy palaeolimnological evidence from Singapore’s Central Catchment
Authors: Fong Letisha S , Leng Melanie J , Taylor David
Published: September 2019

The environmental ramifications of rapid development on the functioning of warm tropical freshwater ecosystems are poorly understood. Here, a multi-proxy palaeolimnological approach is used to examine the nature and degree of anthropogenic environmental change in a tropical lowland reservoir in Singapore. Singapore has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past century, transitioning from a country with a largely agrarian landscape to one that is highly urbanised. Two radiometrically dated sediment cores were retrieved from one of the country’s oldest reservoirs and analysed for spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs), mercury (Hg), atomic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), stable C and N isotopes (δ13C and δ15N), and diatoms. The sedimentary data show clear evidence of atmospheric pollution and nutrient enrichment as a result of human activities in Singapore and the region. During the early stages of Singapore’s development (1900s–1960s), the reservoir was minimally impacted and characterised by oligotrophic conditions. As the country began to industrialise and urbanise (1970s–1990s), the SCP data indicate increasing contamination by air pollutants derived from domestic sources of fossil fuel combustion, while the diatom, C/N, δ13C, and δ15N data suggest that the reservoir was becoming more productive, possibly from N depositions arising from an increase in electricity generation and a rapid expansion in transport infrastructure in Singapore. As the pace of development in Singapore slowed down (1990s–the present), the sedimentary data collectively indicate increasing depositions of atmospheric pollutants and nutrient enrichment mediated by a warming climate. A substantial component of increased atmospheric pollution is likely to be of distal, and thus transboundary, origin.
Impact of a mass media campaign on participation in the Australian bowel cancer screening program
Authors: Durkin Sarah , Broun Kate , Guerin Nicola , Morley Belinda , Wakefield Melanie
Published: September 2019

Objective

To examine the effect of a mass media campaign designed to increase bowel cancer screening participation.

Methods

We assessed weekly participation, from January 2015 to December 2017, in the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program in Victoria, where a seven-week campaign aired in mid-2017, and in the adjacent comparison state of South Australia. Participation, defined as the number of immunochemical faecal occult blood tests returned out of those invited by the Screening Program in the past 16 weeks, was analysed using negative binomial regression.

Results

Compared with non-campaign weeks, there was an increase in the return rate in the campaign state during campaign weeks (adjusted return rates non-campaign weeks = 34.4% vs. campaign weeks = 45.3%, p < 0.01), not observed in the comparison state (38.3% vs. 40.3%, p > 0.05). The increase in the return rate was significantly greater in the campaign state (Rate Ratio of Campaign/Non-Campaign weeks = 1.31, p < 0.01) than the comparison state (1.05, p > 0.05, interaction p < 0.001), and did not differ significantly by age, sex or socio-economic area. The relative increase was greater among never-participants (Rate Ratio of Campaign/Non-Campaign weeks = 1.24) than previous-participants (1.16), interaction p < 0.001).

Conclusions

This mass media campaign increased bowel cancer screening participation, including from never and low participation subgroups. To maximize participation and ensure equitable population benefit, repeated campaigns that reach eligible people about bowel cancer risks and potential life-saving benefits of screening should be standard.
A Qualitative Study on Factors Affecting Adherence Among Indian Haemodialysis Patients at a Tertiary Teaching Hospital of Southern India
Authors: Dsouza Brayal , Prabhu Ravindra A , Unnikrishnan B , Shetty Avinash , Reshmi Bhageerathy
Published: September 2019

Non-adherence to treatment regimen can have a detrimental effect on the heath of dialysis patients, increase mortality, morbidity and increase in healthcare service utilization and cost of hospitalization. This qualitative study explores the factors affecting adherence among the dialysis population visiting a tertiary care teaching hospital in southern India by conducting one-to-one in-depth interviews with the patients as well as key informant interview with the caregivers at the outpatient dialysis facility of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed using ATLAS.ti. Patient factors, health financing, cultural beliefs, caregivers’ burden and health systems factors were identified. Understanding the factors affecting adherence can help the healthcare providers and the government to devise strategies to promote adherence and improved well-being among dialysis patients. Universal health coverage for dialysis, regulations to safeguard employment, creating awareness about opting for critical illness policies through private insurance companies when the disease is not pre-existing can reduce the out-of-pocket expenditure; these are some of the important areas for consideration to promote adherence.
Assessment of Nutritional Status in Sri Lankan Children: Validity of Current Anthropometry Cutoffs?
Authors: Warnakulasuriya Loretta S. , Fernando Manel A. M. , Adikaram A. V. Nihal , Thawfeek A. R. M. , Anurasiri W. M. L. , Elisabet R. , Bergsten Peter , Silva K. D. Renuka Ruchira , Samaranayake Dulani L. , Wickramasinghe Vithanage Pujitha
Published: September 2019

Despite socioeconomic improvement, undernutrition rates stagnate in Sri Lanka, while a slow rise in obesity and noncommunicable diseases (NCD) is seen. Inability to improve undernutrition and detection of NCD could be due to overdiagnosing stunting/wasting and underdiagnosing overweight/obesity. Obesity, being a risk factor for NCDs, needs correct tools for early diagnosis. Although body mass index (BMI) is a commonly used surrogate index, the validity of universal cutoffs is questioned. Evidence shows that body composition varies with ethnic origin and cutoff value reflecting fat mass (FM) varies in different ethnic groups. This study was conducted in 12 788, 5- to 15-year-old children from 8 schools in Negombo, Sri Lanka, to identify the validity of current anthropometric cutoffs. Obesity prevalence identified by body fat content was high. International BMI cutoffs had high specificity but varied sensitivity. Locally developed BMI cutoffs had high sensitivity and specificity. Validity of internationally developed anthropometric cutoffs in South Asian children is unsatisfactory; hence, locally/regionally developed anthropometric tools should be used for screening of obesity.
Social Processes Affecting the Workforce Integration of First-Generation Immigrant Health Care Professionals in Aging Citizens in the Netherlands
Authors: Ham Anita
Published: September 2019

Introduction: Within a Dutch nursing home, the prevailing workforce culture was challenged by new personnel, which caused institutional change, which in turn, affected workforce integration. The purpose of this study was to examine social processes affecting workforce integration of first-generation immigrant health care professionals in aging citizens in a Dutch health institution in the Netherlands. Method: A purposive sample of 10 immigrants and 10 established nurses was recruited. Ethnography was used to guide this study. 105 hours of participant observation, 8 semistructured interviews with 4 immigrants and 4 established nurses, and 2 focus-group discussions with 8 immigrants and 6 established nurses. Results: The study identified various processes that affect culturally congruent care in the nursing home, like the imposing professional norms, the use of “weapons of the weak,” mutual suspicions of indifference, and collective images of “us” versus “them.” Both groups conceived the “others” as the source of their discomfort, however, both had pain of not mattering. Discussion: When recruiting international educated nurses “all nursing staff” face difficulties when going through the precarious process of mutual integration in daily care practices. We recommend that nurse leaders facilitate positive intergroup interactions that promotes reciprocity for all groups of nurses for better health care outcomes for all.
A robust optimum controller for suppressing radiated sound from an intelligent cylinder based on sliding mode method considering piezoelectric uncertainties
Authors: Talebitooti Roohollah , Darvish Gohari Hamed , Zarastvand Mohamadreza , Loghmani Ali
Published: September 2019

In this study, a robust controller against the uncertainties in piezoelectric patches including sensor and actuator is designed based on sliding mode method to control the radiated sound from cylindrical shells. Accordingly, in order to extract and discretize the dynamic equations of a smart cylinder equipped with piezoelectric patches, the Hamilton’s principle and the Rayleigh-Ritz method are, respectively, used . The radiated sound is estimated by the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral and the acoustic structural sensing method. Furthermore, an innovative approach is proposed on sliding mode control to model system uncertainties and design robust control signals against these disturbances. Using effective control signals for each mode is the applied methodology for establishing independent sliding surfaces. In fact, it is attempted to relate between actuator matrix determinant and system control ability in generating the efficient control signals and error reduction due to actuators uncertainties. By the aid of this relation, optimization of the actuators position according to the genetic algorithm is implemented. The obtained results show that by optimizing the actuators position not only the appropriate performance of the system in controlling the radiated sound from the structure is enhanced but also the essential control voltage for each actuator is significantly decreased.
How Children of Parents With Dementia Can Make Their Subject Positions Understandable and Meaningful
Authors: Lövenmark Annica
Published: September 2019

The families of people diagnosed with dementia are commonly first-in-line caregivers. This can have a considerable effect on their lives, health, and relationships. However, few studies have focused on the children in such families. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe how children, in their own narratives, construct themselves as subjects growing up and caring for a parent with dementia. The study applies discourse analysis. The findings show three subject positions: parent to your parent(s), orphan with parents, and time traveler stuck in time. There is a need to support these children, both as children and as young adults. More knowledge is necessary regarding the kind of support they might want or need. For health care professionals, it is important to know that it might not always be easy to ask for information or support as a child caring for a sick parent.
Access to Health Care for Pregnant Arabic-Speaking Refugee Women and Mothers in Germany
Authors: Henry Julia , Beruf Christian , Fischer Thomas
Published: September 2019

Refugee women often encounter multiple barriers when accessing ante-, peri-, and postnatal care. The aim of this study was to investigate how premigration experiences, conceptions about pregnancy and childbirth, health literacy, and language skills influence access to health care, experiences of health care, and childbirth. A total of 12 semi-structured interviews with refugee women from Iraq, Syria, and Palestine were conducted in the city of Dresden. Content analysis was applied using Levesque’s access model as a framework. Results indicate that conceptions of pregnancy and childbirth and premigration experiences influence women’s behaviors and experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. They contribute to barriers in accessing health care and lead to negative health outcomes. In view of limited health literacy, poor language skills, lack of information, and missing translators, female relatives in countries of origin remain an important source of information. Improved access to services for refugee women is needed.
Parent-Implemented Language Intervention for Teaching Enhanced Milieu Teaching Strategies to Parents of Low-Socioeconomic Status
Authors: Hatcher Allison , Page Judith
Published: September 2019

In this study, the authors examined the effects of training four parents from low-socioeconomic environments to use Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT) with their young children with language delay. Parents were taught to use the following EMT strategies during eight to 10 individualized, home-based sessions: matched turns, expansions, time delays, and milieu teaching prompts. A single-case, multiple-baseline design across behaviors replicated across four parent/child dyads was used to evaluate the parents’ use of the EMT strategies. Child language outcomes were also assessed using pre- and post-intervention language samples. All parents learned and demonstrated use of each language support strategy to set criterion levels. Results from this study indicated a functional relationship between the brief parent-implemented language intervention training and parents’ use of language support strategies. In addition, all four children demonstrated gains in expressive language. Additional research is needed to assess fidelity and dosage of parents’ use of strategies on specific child language outcomes and to determine how to facilitate maintenance of parents’ use of strategies over time.
Investigation of the size effect on the resonant behavior of mesoscale cantilever beams
Authors: Wi Daehan , Sodemann Angela
Published: September 2019

A vibrational resonant cantilever beam device is a type of tactile vision substitution device for the visually impaired that has the potential to achieve a high resolution in a small space. In order to realize a device of this type, it is necessary to accurately model the resonant behavior of the mesoscale (0.1–1.0 mm) metal cantilever beams of which the device is composed. Specifically, the natural frequencies and damping ratios of these beams must be analytically modeled in order to design beam dimensions for the device. In this paper, the resonant frequencies and damping ratios of a set of A2 tool-steel mesoscale cantilever beams are obtained using three different methods: calculation based on a mass–spring–damper model of the beams; a forced response experiment; and a free response experiment. The results are compared, and the size effect on stiffness and elastic modulus is investigated. Based on the modified couple stress theory, the length scale parameter is calculated. The damping ratio difference depending on the dimension of material in the mesoscale is also investigated.
Discordance in Reporting of Maternal Aggression: Exploring Differences by Characteristics of Children, Mothers, and Their Environments
Authors: Kremer Kristen P. , Kondis Jamie S. , Kremer Theodore R.
Published: September 2019

This study investigated discordant reports of maternal aggression using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study ( N = 1,606). Multinomial logistic regression models predicted discordant reports of hitting and shouting from child, mother, and environmental characteristics. Compared to dyads in which both mothers and children reported aggression, mothers with a college degree had higher child-only and mother-only reports of both hitting and shouting versus mothers with less than a high school diploma. High-income mothers had higher child-only reports of hitting, while families with past Child Protective Services involvement had higher child-only and mother-only reports of hitting. Additionally, children with lower reading test scores and whose fathers had history of incarceration had higher child-only reports of hitting. Families residing in neighborhoods for which mothers were scared to let children play outside also had higher child-only and mother-only reports of hitting and shouting.
In the Eyes of the Beholder: Experimental Evidence on the Contested Nature of Materiality in Sustainability Reporting
Authors: Reimsbach Daniel , Schiemann Frank , Hahn Rüdiger , Schmiedchen Eric
Published: September 2019

Materiality is an ambiguous concept in sustainability reporting where potential users are more heterogeneous than in financial reporting. Building on decision usefulness and dual process theory, we scrutinize in an experimental setting how two important stakeholder groups react to manipulations of the topic of nonfinancial information while controlling for differences in nonfinancial performance. We find that potential employees consider nonfinancial information as generally more material compared with capital market participants. Furthermore, for capital market participants, the nonfinancial topic of energy is more material than the topic of biodiversity, while for potential employees, both topics are equally material. Capital market participants seem to follow a more analytic decision-making process than potential employees. Capital market participants also adjust their decisions in combination with quantitative performance differences, and their risk assessment of a company mediates their decisions. Our findings show that materiality of nonfinancial information lies in the eye of the beholder.
A Joint Evaluation With Lessons for the Sustainable Development Goals Era: The Joint GEF-UNDP Evaluation of the Small Grants Programme
Authors: Carugi Carlo , Bryant Heather
Published: September 2019

The integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calls for greater synergy, harmonization, and complementarity in development work. This is to be reflected in evaluation. Despite a long and diversified history spanning over almost three decades, joint evaluations have fallen out of fashion. Evaluators tend to shy away from joint evaluations because of timeliness, institutional and organizational differences, and personal preferences. As the SDGs call for more joint evaluations, we need to get them right. This article supports the appeal for more joint evaluations in the SDGs era by learning from the existing long and diversified experience. This article shares lessons from a joint evaluation that is relevant in the context of the SDGs for the United Nations Evaluation Group, the Evaluation Cooperation Group, and the wider international evaluation community.
Immediate Prone Positioning After Massive Gastric Aspiration Reduces Lung Injury Possibly by Attenuating Interleukin-6-Mediated Lung-Tissue Inflammation in Pigs
Authors: Xiao Qian , Wang Yanling , Sun Liu , Lu Sai , Li Jia , Chen Yun , Wu Ying
Published: September 2019

Gastric aspiration, which can cause acute, diffuse, inflammatory lung injury, is of particular concern in critically ill patients. This study aimed to determine the effects of immediate prone positioning on the degree of lung injury and inflammatory response induced by gastric aspiration. Following induction of gastric aspiration by injection of gastric fluid, 16 healthy pigs were randomized to one of two groups: supine position (SP) or prone position (PP). After ventilation and monitoring for 6 hr, all pigs were euthanized. The ratio of the partial pressure of arterial oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FIO2) and the partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) were recorded during the 6-hr study period. Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6 were measured every 2 hr, and the mean optical density (MOD) of IL-6 in lung tissues and lung-injury scores were measured at the end of the experiment. The PP group showed a significantly higher PaO2/FIO2 ratio, lower serum IL-6 concentration ( p = .015), lower lung-injury scores ( p = .012), and lower IL-6 concentration and MOD of IL-6 in lung tissue, especially in dorsal ( p = .001, p = .021, respectively) and nondependent regions ( p = .005, p = .035, respectively) than the SP group. There were no statistically significant differences in PaCO2 between the groups. Lung-injury severity was positively correlated with the IL-6 concentration and MOD of IL-6 in lung tissues ( p < .05). These results suggest that immediate prone positioning alleviated the degree of aspiration-induced lung injury, possibly through mitigating IL-6-mediated lung inflammation.
Introduction: social media and Chinese digital diaspora in Australia
Authors: Yu Haiqing , Sun Wanning
Published: September 2019

This article explores two contested concepts: Chinese digital diaspora and social media. It signposts two issues central to the special issue that analyses the roles of digital and social media in the lives of Chinese migrants in Australia, that is, (1) WeChat and other digital platforms in enabling civic participation in Australian socio-economic, cultural, and political lives; (2) the impact of such digital practices on their identity and citizenship.
Abnormal body weight and food-related behavior in school-aged children as measured by the Children’s Binge Eating Disorder Scale
Authors: Dmitrzak-Węglarz Monika , Tyszkiewicz-Nwafor Marta , Duda Joanna , Paszyńska Elżbieta , Matuszak-Wojciechowska Lidia , Hanć Tomasz , Bryl Ewa , Mamrot Paula , Dutkiewicz Agata , Słopień Agnieszka
Published: September 2019

Obesity in children is becoming a global epidemic. Health and emotional consequences can threaten life and health both during childhood and adulthood. In this study, we aimed to assess the coexistence of overweight and obesity, binge eating disorder and detrimental attitudes toward nutrition among school-age children. We also aimed to determine the usefulness of the Children’s Binge Eating Disorder Scale (C-BEDS) as a screening tool. We examined a group of over 550 healthy children aged 6–12. In all, 15% were overweight, and 6% were obese. A total of 12% of the children presented an increased risk of eating disorders. The examined group of children significantly differed in the number of positive C-BEDS responses compared with the authors of the test. Test reliability as measured by the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was .008. Preliminary results indicate that the problem of excessive body weight affects every fifth child, consistent with previous reports. The C-BEDS used in this study did not permit the identification of children, neither with the risk of Binge Eating Disorder (BED) nor subthreshold BED. This may be due to the relatively low internal consistency of the questions contained in the scale.
Higher risk of depression in individuals with type 2 diabetes and obesity: Results of a meta-analysis
Authors: González-Castro Thelma Beatriz , Escobar-Chan Yudy Merady , Fresan Ana , López-Narváez María Lilia , Tovilla-Zárate Carlos Alfonso , Juárez-Rojop Isela Esther , Ble-Castillo Jorge L , Genis-Mendoza Alma Delia , Arias-Vázquez Pedro Iván
Published: September 2019

The aim of this study was to determine the risk of having significant depressive symptoms in subjects with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus through a meta-analysis. Our results showed that individuals with obesity and diabetes have an increased risk of having significant symptoms of depression. In subgroup analyses, we observed that Caucasian populations have an increased risk of having these symptoms. Our meta-analysis suggests that obesity is associated with an increased risk of having significant depressive symptoms in patients with type 2 diabetes, and they could be even higher in Caucasian populations.
Medicinal Cannabis Users Downplaying and Shifting Stigma: Articulations of the ‘Natural’, of What Is/Is Not a ‘Drug’ and Oppositions with ‘Chemical’ Substances
Authors: Morris Craig
Published: September 2019

While sympathy exists among the public for chronically ill and/or disabled people who use cannabis medicinally, cannabis remains a prohibited substance in the UK. How do medicinal cannabis users negotiate this potential stigma when talking about their use of this substance? I reflect on the spoken discourses of 10 medicinal cannabis users (from a sample of 32), obtained by way of qualitative interviews, adopting a critical discourse analysis approach to the data. Specifically, I focus on their articulations around three related themes: cannabis as a ‘natural’ substance, discursive oppositions between cannabis and other substances, and articulations about what is/is not a ‘drug’. I examine how participants articulated these themes in ways that attempted to negotiate the potential for stigma that talking about their cannabis use involved. I found they used rhetorical strategies that downplay their own deviance, attempt to shift the application of stigma to users of other substances, or both. I argue that the more powerful the discursive resources that are articulated, the less rhetorical work an individual has to do to negotiate positive moral standing in an encounter. I also consider to what degree these articulations involved constructions emphasising individual self-control. I argue participants emphasise their individual self-control by asserting that cannabis is a ‘natural’ substance (connoting less inherent risk).
Indoor environmental conditions in schoolchildren’s homes in central-south China
Authors: Hu Jinhua , Li Nianping , Zou Shenghua , Yoshino Hiroshi , Yanagi U , Yu Chuck Wah , Qu Huaidi
Published: September 2019

A field investigation on indoor environmental conditions was performed in homes with primary school children in Changsha, a city located in central-south China. The main purpose is to obtain more reliable and comprehensive data relating to the health of children. The results showed that the average temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration in October were 20.4°C, 56.7% and 398 ppm, while in January were 10.5°C, 55% and 475 ppm, respectively. The monitored PM2.5 concentrations were greater than the Chinese national standard GB 3095–2012 (75 μg/m3), with a significant difference found between October and January ( p <  0.05). Carbonyl compounds were much lower than the corresponding specified limits. However, total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) in some homes in January exceeded the Chinese standard GB/T 18883–2002 (600 μg/m3). The most common constituents of semi-volatile organic compounds in house dusts were di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and dibutyl phthalate. Furthermore, Cladosporium, Penicillium and Aspergillus were all found in indoor air and house dusts. Children’s daily intake of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and TVOC were primary from their bedrooms rather than living rooms ( p <  0.05). These results would contribute to the public awareness of indoor environmental conditions and possible impacts on school-age children in their homes.