bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The ACRA Anatomy Study (Assessment of Disability After Coronary Procedures Using Radial Access)
Authors: van Leeuwen Maarten A.H. , Hollander Maurits R. , van der Heijden Dirk J. , van de Ven Peter M. , Opmeer Kim H.M. , Taverne Yannick J.H.J. , Ritt Marco J.P.F. , Kiemeneij Ferdinand , van Mieghem Nicolas M. , van Royen Niels
Published: November 2017

Background—

The palmar arches serve as the most important conduits for digital blood supply, and incompleteness may lead to digital ischemia when the radial artery becomes obstructed after cardiac catheterization. The rate of palmar arch incompleteness and the clinical consequences after transradial access are currently unknown.

Methods and Results—

The vascular anatomy of the hand was documented by angiography in 234 patients undergoing transradial cardiac catheterization. In all patients, a preprocedural modified Allen test and Barbeau test were performed. Upper-extremity function was assessed at baseline and 2-year follow-up by the QuickDASH. Incompleteness of the superficial palmar arch (SPA) was present in 46%, the deep palmar arch was complete in all patients. Modified Allen test and Barbeau test results were associated with incompleteness of the SPA (
P
=0.001 and
P
=0.001). The modified Allen test had a 33% sensitivity and 86% specificity for SPA incompleteness with a cutoff value of >10 seconds and a 59% sensitivity and 60% specificity with a cutoff value of >5 seconds. The Barbeau test had a 7% sensitivity and 98% specificity for type D and a 21% sensitivity and 93% specificity for types C and D combined. Upper-extremity dysfunction was not associated with SPA incompleteness (
P
=0.77).

Conclusions—

Although incompleteness of the SPA is common, digital blood supply is always preserved by a complete deep palmar arch. Preprocedural patency tests have thus no added benefit to prevent ischemic complications of the hand. Finally, incompleteness of the SPA is not associated with a loss of upper-extremity function after transradial catheterization.
Persistent Long-Term Structural, Functional, and Metabolic Changes After Stress-Induced (Takotsubo) Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Scally Caroline , Rudd Amelia , Mezincescu Alice , Wilson Heather , Srivanasan Janaki , Horgan Graham , Broadhurst Paul , Newby David E. , Henning Anke , Dawson Dana K.
Published: November 2017

Background:

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an increasingly recognized acute heart failure syndrome precipitated by intense emotional stress. Although there is an apparent rapid and spontaneous recovery of left ventricular ejection fraction, the long-term clinical and functional consequences of takotsubo cardiomyopathy are ill-defined.

Methods:

In an observational case-control study, we recruited 37 patients with prior (>12-month) takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and 37 age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched control subjects. Patients completed the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire. All participants underwent detailed clinical phenotypic characterization, including serum biomarker analysis, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance including cardiac
31
P-spectroscopy.

Results:

Participants were predominantly middle-age (64±11 years) women (97%). Although takotsubo cardiomyopathy occurred 20 (range 13–39) months before the study, the majority (88%) of patients had persisting symptoms compatible with heart failure (median of 13 [range 0–76] in the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire) and cardiac limitation on exercise testing (reduced peak oxygen consumption, 24±1.3 versus 31±1.3 mL/kg/min,
P
<0.001; increased VE/V
co
2
slope, 31±1 versus 26±1,
P
=0.002). Despite normal left ventricular ejection fraction and serum biomarkers, patients with prior takotsubo cardiomyopathy had impaired cardiac deformation indices (reduced apical circumferential strain, −16±1.0 versus −23±1.5%,
P
<0.001; global longitudinal strain, −17±1 versus −20±1%,
P
=0.006), increased native T1 mapping values (1264±10 versus 1184±10 ms,
P
<0.001), and impaired cardiac energetic status (phosphocreatine/γ-adenosine triphosphate ratio, 1.3±0.1 versus 1.9±0.1,
P
<0.001).

Conclusions:

In contrast to previous perceptions, takotsubo cardiomyopathy has long-lasting clinical consequences, including demonstrable symptomatic and functional impairment associated with persistent subclinical cardiac dysfunction. Taken together our findings demonstrate that after takotsubo cardiomyopathy, patients develop a persistent, long-term heart failure phenotype.

Clinical Trial Registration:

URL:
https://clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT02989454.
Structural Integrity of Normal Appearing White Matter and Sex-Specific Outcomes After Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Etherton Mark R. , Wu Ona , Cougo Pedro , Giese Anne-Katrin , Cloonan Lisa , Fitzpatrick Kaitlin M. , Kanakis Allison S. , Boulouis Gregoire , Karadeli Hasan H. , Lauer Arne , Rosand Jonathan , Furie Karen L. , Rost Natalia S.
Published: November 2017

Background and Purpose—

Women have worse poststroke outcomes than men. We evaluated sex-specific clinical and neuroimaging characteristics of white matter in association with functional recovery after acute ischemic stroke.

Methods—

We performed a retrospective analysis of acute ischemic stroke patients with admission brain MRI and 3- to 6-month modified Rankin Scale score. White matter hyperintensity and acute infarct volume were quantified on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and diffusion tensor imaging MRI, respectively. Diffusivity anisotropy metrics were calculated in normal appearing white matter contralateral to the acute ischemia.

Results—

Among 319 patients with acute ischemic stroke, women were older (68.0 versus 62.7 years;
P
=0.004), had increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (21.4% versus 12.2%;
P
=0.04), and lower rate of tobacco use (21.1% versus 35.9%;
P
=0.03). There was no sex-specific difference in white matter hyperintensity volume, acute infarct volume, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, prestroke modified Rankin Scale score, or normal appearing white matter diffusivity anisotropy metrics. However, women were less likely to have an excellent outcome (modified Rankin Scale score <2: 49.6% versus 67.0%;
P
=0.005). In logistic regression analysis, female sex and the interaction of sex with fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity were independent predictors of functional outcome.

Conclusions—

Female sex is associated with decreased likelihood of excellent outcome after acute ischemic stroke. The correlation between markers of white matter integrity and functional outcomes in women, but not men, suggests a potential sex-specific mechanism.
Why Re-enactment is not Empathy, Once and for All
Authors: Retz Tyson
Published: November 2017

The misconception still circulates that Collingwood’s doctrine of re-enactment is a concept of empathy. This claim typically arises from the belief that his philosophy of history shares affinities with the nineteenth-century tradition of Romantic hermeneutics. It supposes that re-enactment consists in a unidirectional recapturing of past mental contents, in which are said to reside the pristine meanings of past texts as intended by their authors. By emphasising the dialectical character of re-enactment, this article makes plain that re-enactment entails no such one-sided transferal. It is right to conceive of Collingwood hermeneutically, but not in the nineteenth-century, empathy-dependent tradition. Rather, as Gadamer illuminated in acknowledging the service that Collingwood’s theories provided in the development of his hermeneutics, Collingwood is better understood as proposing a Hegelian-style integration of past and present thought. He reacted against the individualising psychologism of the anti-Hegelian German historicists and emphasised instead the shared nature of language and thought. A proper account of the context that historical investigation ought to recover involves shifting attention from a methodologically inadequate epistemological conception of re-enactment and empathy to a metaphysical one concerned with exposing the foundations of discourse upon which past agents believed, thought and acted. The myth that re-enactment belongs to a discredited hermeneutics of recovery is set against Collingwood’s attempt to depsychologise historical thinking and within his project to reconcile history and philosophy, epistemology and metaphysics.
Cognitive Accessibility as a New Factor in Proenvironmental Spillover: Results From a Field Study of Household Food Waste Management
Authors: Sintov Nicole , Geislar Sally , White Lee V.
Published: November 2017

An emerging body of literature has contributed to understanding behavioral spillover; however, a limited range of behaviors and psychological pathways have been studied. The current study investigates whether starting to compost, a relatively difficult behavior receiving limited attention in the spillover literature, results in spillover to household waste prevention behaviors, including food, energy, and water waste prevention. It also tests cognitive accessibility as a new mediator in the spillover process, and advances an integrative process model to address methodological inconsistencies in the spillover literature. Data are from a 2015 longitudinal field experiment to increase composting. Participants ( N = 284) were residents of Costa Mesa, California, who received a structural intervention (i.e., curbside organic waste bins) and procedural information about composting. Positive spillover was observed. Additionally, cognitive accessibility partially mediated the relationship between composting and energy and water waste–prevention behaviors. Future research should adopt a consistent definition of spillover and explore additional pathways.
How Does Spiritual Intelligence Relate to Mental Health in a Western Sample?
Authors: Giannone Derek A. , Kaplin Daniel
Published: November 2017

This study investigates a recently developed model of spiritual intelligence in relation to the common mental health concerns of depression, anxiety, and substance use. Three-hundred and fifty-three undergraduate psychology students responded to the Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale–Revised, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and the Drug, Alcohol, and Nicotine scale. We hypothesized spiritual intelligence would be negatively associated with the study’s mental health outcomes. A secondary aim was to examine the contributions of spiritual intelligence model components to mental health. Overall spiritual intelligence was not associated with anxiety, depression, or substance use. Examination of the relationships between spiritual intelligence components and mental health suggested this model lacks cohesiveness in relation to mental health. While the capacity to critically examine existential issues was associated with increased depression and anxiety, the ability to draw meaning and purpose from experience was associated with improvements in all mental health outcomes. These findings cast doubt on the construct of spiritual intelligence and suggest that existential thinking and the production of meaning may be closely related to mental health. Future research should explore differences in spiritual intelligence components and their associations with mental health among varying religious affiliations.
Examining the Relationships Among Self-Compassion, Social Anxiety, and Post-Event Processing
Authors: Blackie Rebecca A. , Kocovski Nancy L.
Published: November 2017

Post-event processing refers to negative and repetitive thinking following anxiety provoking social situations. Those who engage in post-event processing may lack self-compassion in relation to social situations. As such, the primary aim of this research was to evaluate whether those high in self-compassion are less likely to engage in post-event processing and the specific self-compassion domains that may be most protective. In study 1 ( N = 156 undergraduate students) and study 2 ( N = 150 individuals seeking help for social anxiety and shyness), participants completed a battery of questionnaires, recalled a social situation, and then rated state post-event processing. Self-compassion negatively correlated with post-event processing, with some differences depending on situation type. Even after controlling for self-esteem, self-compassion remained significantly correlated with state post-event processing. Given these findings, self-compassion may serve as a buffer against post-event processing. Future studies should experimentally examine whether increasing self-compassion leads to reduced post-event processing.
Empirical Evidence of Revenue Management in the Cruise Line Industry
Authors: Ayvaz-Cavdaroglu Nur , Gauri Dinesh K. , Webster Scott
Published: November 2017

Revenue management (RM) has received considerable attention from both academic and business professionals. It encompasses several techniques regarding capacity allocation, pricing, and resource management of fixed, time-sensitive capacity. RM can be roughly divided into two categories defined by the control mechanism that increases revenue: capacity allocation or price optimization. Our work falls in the latter category. In our model, we allow for partial substitutability among products (e.g., a customer making a purchase decision may consider multiple alternatives—different departure dates, different destinations, different cabin types). We also include marketing expense in addition to prices as a lever for increasing revenue. These features are relevant to dynamic pricing in practice. The method is illustrated with booking data from a cruise company, yielding optimal advertising and prices for 300 products. The application of the model results in an increase in revenue in the range of 8%–20%.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Community Behavioral Health Service Usage: A Comparison of Mental Health Court and Traditional Court Defendants
Authors: Han Woojae , Redlich Allison
Published: November 2017

Mental health courts (MHCs) are diversion programs for offenders with mental illness. Research has demonstrated that MHC participants receive more treatment than traditional court participants. However, little is known about racial/ethnic disparities in community treatment utilization among MHC participants compared with traditional court participants. The present study aimed to fill this gap. Data are from the MacArthur MHC Project which includes objective and subjective information from four MHC samples with traditional court samples at each site. Within the traditional court sample, African Americans were less likely than Whites to receive mental health and substance abuse services. However, significant racial/ethnic disparities were not found for the MHC sample. In an interaction model, African Americans were still less likely to use substance abuse services (but not mental health services) compared with the Whites. However, African American MHC participants utilized more substance abuse services than their counterparts. Policy and practice implications are discussed.
Latent Growth Curve Model of Perceived Family Relationship Quality and Depressive Symptoms During Middle Adolescence in Spain
Authors: Gomez-Baya Diego , Mendoza Ramon , Camacho Ines , de Matos Margarida Gaspar
Published: November 2017

This study aimed to examine longitudinal associations between the perceived quality of family relationships and self-reported depressive symptoms during middle adolescence. A 2-year follow-up study, with three assessments at 1-year intervals, was conducted. A total of 525 Spanish adolescents completed paper-based self-report assessments, which included the 10-item Child Depression Inventory and a brief Likert-type scale to measure the quality of the relationships with their father and their mother separately. The results indicated that a decline in the quality of both adolescent–father and adolescent–mother relationships were related to an increase in depressive symptoms during middle adolescence. Furthermore, adolescent–father relationships were found to be worse for girls than for boys and were observed to be associated with gender differences in depressive symptoms after the follow-up. The results provide longitudinal evidence on the importance of parent–adolescent relationships and gender differences in depressive symptoms during adolescence.
New Technologies of the Observer: #BringBack, Visualization and Disappearance
Authors: Day Sophie , Lury Celia
Published: November 2017

This article explores two examples of non-visibility as a way of describing the specificity of contemporary surfaces of visualization. The two cases are the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the scheduled passenger flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, which lost contact with air traffic control on 8 March 2014 at 01:20 MYT, and the 276 Nigerian girls who went ‘missing’ at about the same time. The analysis is developed through an exploration of these examples in terms of the patterning of vision produced in recursive relations, or relations of feedback with the environment. We argue that changes in the organization of this feedback, which we describe as ‘rendition’, equip contemporary observers with both the capacity to see ‘close up at a distance’ and the capacity to be situated adjacent, next to or ‘beside from above’.
Managing urban diversity through differential inclusion in Singapore
Authors: Ye Junjia
Published: November 2017

This paper interrogates processes of everyday urban diversification by challenging dominant narratives of “diversity” and “integration”. I address the management aspects of urban diversification through the normative and productive categorisations of race, citizenship and civility in shared spaces to highlight the forms of differential inclusion of newcomers, drawing upon ethnographic data from Jurong West in Singapore, to explain subjective inclusion through state-led measures and everyday forms of coexistence. There are two key aspects of differential inclusion discussed here: a) the explicit rules that form the basis of differential state treatment of its population by race, ethnicity and citizenship status and b) the implicit principles in which migrants are included according to normative forms of appropriate behaviour in public spaces. Consequently, social norms and civility become tools of inclusion, and, relationally, exclusion, producing a politicised logic of managing diversity both in structural and everyday spaces. Recognising the profound ways in which differential inclusion shapes space through its subtle yet pervasive ways not only imparts analytical purchase to the study of everyday interactions but also grafts the meaning of belonging and difference onto the ever-changing contours of diversification in the city.
Efficient Monte Carlo Estimation of the Expected Value of Sample Information Using Moment Matching
Authors: Heath Anna , Manolopoulou Ioanna , Baio Gianluca
Published: November 2017

Background. The Expected Value of Sample Information (EVSI) is used to calculate the economic value of a new research strategy. Although this value would be important to both researchers and funders, there are very few practical applications of the EVSI. This is due to computational difficulties associated with calculating the EVSI in practical health economic models using nested simulations. Methods. We present an approximation method for the EVSI that is framed in a Bayesian setting and is based on estimating the distribution of the posterior mean of the incremental net benefit across all possible future samples, known as the distribution of the preposterior mean. Specifically, this distribution is estimated using moment matching coupled with simulations that are available for probabilistic sensitivity analysis, which is typically mandatory in health economic evaluations. Results. This novel approximation method is applied to a health economic model that has previously been used to assess the performance of other EVSI estimators and accurately estimates the EVSI. The computational time for this method is competitive with other methods. Conclusion. We have developed a new calculation method for the EVSI which is computationally efficient and accurate. Limitations. This novel method relies on some additional simulation so can be expensive in models with a large computational cost.
Encoding-Stage Adaptation Effects: Long-Term Memory
Authors: Peacock Candace E. , Gözenman Filiz
Published: November 2017

Given adaptation changes perceptual experience, it probably shapes long-term memory (LTM). Across four experiments, participants were adapted to strongly gendered (male, female: Experiments 1 and 2) or aged faces (old, young: Experiments 3 and 4) before LTM encoding and later completed an LTM test in which the encoded faces were morphed with the opposite end of the relevant continuum. At retrieval, participants judged whether probe faces were more or less male or female or young or old than when presented during encoding. For male, female, and young faces, encoding-stage adaptation significantly shifted the point of subjective equality in the unadapted direction. Additionally, encoding-stage adaptation significantly enhanced recognition of faces during LTM retrieval. We conclude that encoding-related adaptation is reflected in LTM.
Value-creation through spin-offs: Australian evidence
Authors: Chai Daniel , Lin Ziyang , Veld Chris
Published: November 2017

We examine announcement effects and the long-run stock performance associated with spin-offs for companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. The 3-day announcement effect is a significantly positive 2.93%. Contrary to previous studies, we find no differences between ex post completed and non-completed spin-off announcements. The abnormal returns do not seem to be related to factors found significant in previous studies, such as an increase in industrial or geographical focus, information asymmetry, and the amount of bank debt of the parent company. There is some evidence that Australian spin-offs are associated with a positive long-run excess stock performance for up to 24 months after the spin-off. This effect is mostly driven by focus-increasing spin-offs.
Salivary glutamate is elevated in individuals with chronic migraine
Authors: Nam Ji Hye , Lee Hun Seok , Kim Jiyoung , Kim Jinmi , Chu Min Kyung
Published: November 2017

Background

Glutamate has been implicated in migraine pathogenesis, and is elevated in the plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, and saliva in migraineurs. However, no comparison of glutamate levels among chronic migraine, episodic migraine and controls has been reported. The aim is to compare salivary glutamate levels of individuals with chronic migraine with those of individuals with episodic migraine and healthy controls.

Methods

We investigated salivary glutamate level of 46 women with chronic migraine, 50 women with episodic migraine, and 19 healthy controls via enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

The salivary glutamate level of the chronic migraine group (median and interquartile range, 20.47 [15.27–30.15] pmol/mg total protein) was significantly higher than those of the episodic migraine (16.17 [12.81–20.15] pmol/mg total protein, p = 0.008) and control (12.18 [9.40–16.24] pmol/mg total protein, p = 0.001) groups. The salivary glutamate level of the episodic migraine group was marginally elevated from that of the control group (post hoc p = 0.016). Thresholds of 16.58 and 17.94 pmol/mg total protein optimize the sensitivity and specificity to differentiate chronic migraine participants from healthy controls and episodic migraine participants, respectively.

Conclusions

Salivary glutamate level was elevated in chronic migraine participants. These data suggest that salivary glutamate level could be an indicator of CM
Elevated circulating endothelial-specific microRNAs in migraine patients: A pilot study
Authors: Cheng Chun-Yu , Chen Shih-Pin , Liao Yi-Chu , Fuh Jong-Ling , Wang Yen-Feng , Wang Shuu-Jiun
Published: November 2017

Background

Evidence of vascular dysfunction in migraine is increasing. MicroRNAs (miRs) have emerged as important regulators of vascular endothelial functions. This exploratory study investigated whether circulating levels of miRs associated with endothelial function are altered in migraine patients.

Methods

Thirty patients with migraine (20–50 years old) without overt vascular risk factors and 30 sex- and age-matched healthy controls participated. The levels of four miRs that regulate endothelial function (miR-155, miR-126, miR-21, and Let-7g) were quantified and expressed in terms of fold changes (2−ΔΔct) relative to mean levels in the control group. Associations of miRs levels with headache features and syncope comorbidity were explored.

Results

Compared to controls, migraine patients had upregulated expression of miR-155 (6.17-fold, p = 0.018), miR-126 (6.17-fold, p = 0.013), and let-7g (7.37-fold, p = 0.005). Levels of miR-155 (r = 0.375, p = 0.041) and miR-126 (r = 0.375, p = 0.041) were associated with syncope frequency in the past year in migraine patients. Migraine patients with aura have insignificant higher expression of miRs levels compared to those without.

Conclusions

In this pilot study, circulating levels of endothelial-specific miRs appear to be elevated in migraine patients and may be associated with syncope comorbidity.
Effects of evolving quality of landfill leachate on microbial fuel cell performance
Authors: Li Simeng , Chen Gang
Published: November 2017

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a novel technology for landfill leachate treatment with simultaneous electric power generation. In recent years, more and more modern landfills are operating as bioreactors to shorten the time required for landfill stabilization and improve the leachate quality. For landfills to operate as biofilters, leachate is recirculated back to the landfill, during which time the organics of the leachate can be decomposed. Continuous recirculation typically results in evolving leachate quality, which chronologically corresponds to evolution stages such as hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, methanogenesis, and maturation. In this research, variable power generation (160 to 230 mW m˗2) by MFC was observed when leachate of various evolutionary stages was used as the feed. The power density followed a Monod-type kinetic model with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) equivalent of the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) ( p < 0.001). The coulombic efficiency decreased from 20% to 14% as the leachate evolved towards maturation. The maximum power density linearly decreased with the increase of internal resistance, resulting from the change of the conductivity of the solution. The decreased conductivity boosted the internal resistance and consequently limited the power generation. COD removal as high as 90% could be achieved with leachate extracted from appropriate evolutionary stages, with a maximum energy yield of 0.9 kWh m˗3 of leachate. This study demonstrated the importance of the evolving leachate quality in different evolutionary stages for the performance of leachate-fed MFCs. The leachate extracted from acidogenesis and acetogenesis were optimal for both COD reduction and energy production in MFCs.
The Psychometric Properties of the French Version of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Child Short Form
Authors: Stassart C. , Etienne A.-M. , Luminet O. , Kaïdi I. , Lahaye M.
Published: November 2017

The psychometric properties of the French version of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Child Short Form (TEIQue-CSF) were investigated in a sample of 556 children 9 to 13 years of age. The internal consistency and temporal stability were satisfactory. A significant difference for gender, but not for age, was observed. With regard to the factor structure, the best fit was found for a two-factor solution, emotion control and socioemotionality. Regarding convergent validity, positive correlations were found with the total and all except one-factor scores of the Emotion Awareness Questionnaire score (EAQ30). Evidences of concurrent validity were demonstrated, with negative correlations with State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) and childhood anxiety sensitivity index (CASI). Results also showed a positive correlation with Children’s Social Desirability Scale (CSD). In conclusion, these findings provide additional support for the use of the TEIQue-CSF for researchers and practitioners who want to assess emotion-related constructs in children.
Experimental study on fire behaviors of flexible photovoltaic panels using a cone calorimeter
Authors: Ju Xiaoyu , Zhou Xiaodong , Zhao Kun , Peng Fei , Yang Lizhong
Published: November 2017

Photovoltaic arrays are mounted on the surfaces of modern buildings to harness renewable energy. When a building catches fire, burning photovoltaic panels could worsen an already very hazardous environment. This work deals with the effect of building flame radiation on the fire behaviors of flexible photovoltaic panel installed in building-integrated photovoltaic systems. Cone calorimeter tests were conducted in air with a piloted ignition. The influence of heat flux on photovoltaic fire properties was studied. Several characteristic parameters are systematically determined or calculated, including ignition time, critical heat flux, mass loss rate, gasification heat, heat release rate, and effective heat of combustion. Thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry test was conducted to identify the decomposition mechanism. The comparison of fire properties of photovoltaic and polyethylene terephthalate + tedlar-polyester-tedlar and thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry analysis reveal that polyethylene terephthalate is the main component responsible for decomposition and burning of flexible photovoltaic panel.
The Complexities of Intimate Partner Violence: Mental Health, Disabilities, and Child Abuse History for White, Indigenous, and Other Visible Minority Canadian Women
Authors: Tutty Leslie M. , Radtke H. L. , Ateah Christine A. , Ursel E. Jane , Thurston Wilfreda E. (Billie) , Hampton Mary , Nixon Kendra
Published: November 2017

This research examines how mental health issues associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) relate to women’s intersecting identities of race/ethnicity, disability status, and child abuse history. Data ( N = 595) from a Canadian triprovincial study included women who were White ( n = 263, 44.8%), Indigenous ( n = 292, 49.7%), or visible minority ( n = 32, 5.5%). Few demographic differences were found. None of the mental health measures (Symptom Checklist–Short Form [SCL-10], Centre for Epidemiological Studies–Depression [CES-D-10], Posttraumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] Checklist) were in the clinical ranges. In a MANCOVA on the mental health scales, with IPV severity, racial group, disability status, and child abuse history as variables, only disability was significantly associated with more mental health symptoms.
Patterns of Bullying Behavior by Sexual Orientation
Authors: Goldbach Jeremy T. , Raymond Henry Fisher , Burgess Claire M.
Published: November 2017

Bullying has a long-lasting effect on both victims and their perpetrators; however, there is little literature dedicated to understanding the roles of sexual minority adolescents beyond being a victim or the specific types of bullying behaviors (verbal, relational, physical) in which sexual minority adolescents engage. Even less is known about the experiences of mostly heterosexual youth, as distinct from their lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) peers. This exploratory study sought to identify sexual orientation differences in bullying behavior participation using a random cluster sample obtained from a county school district in the Southeastern United States. The sample included 3,463 middle and high school students from 66 schools. Four latent classes of bullies and victims emerged, with similar patterns of behaviors for heterosexual, mostly heterosexual, and LGB groups.
Design optimization of an articulated frame steering system
Authors: Yin Yuming , Rakheja Subhash , Yang Jue , Boileau Paul-Emile
Published: November 2017

The articulated frame-steered vehicles (AFSV) exhibit enhanced maneuverability but reduced yaw stability and greater steering power consumption. Apart from kinematics of the steering system, the dynamics of the actuating system strongly influence the performance of the AFSV, which is generally neglected in the reported studies. In this study, a yaw-plane model of the articulated vehicle coupled with the kinematic and dynamics properties of the steering struts is formulated to identify objective measures of the AFSV under steering inputs. The results suggest that the vehicle yaw oscillation/stability, steering power efficiency and maneuverability can be objectively measured in terms of the strut length, yaw oscillation frequency and damping ratio, steering gain, and steering response rate and overshoot. The layout of steering struts and properties of the steering valve and hydraulic fluid are optimized while employing the weighted-sum method and a combination of pattern search and sequential quadratic programming algorithms. The relative weights of individual performance measures were obtained using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model. The solutions of the optimization problem revealed more compact articulated frame steering (AFS) system design with over 20% reduction in strut length and 24% gain in the yaw oscillation frequency. Increasing the fluid bulk modulus resulted in more compact AFS layout and further increase in the yaw oscillation frequency with lower response overshoot. The optimal design based on weighted sum of various performance measures, however, revealed negligible changes in terms of the steering power efficiency.
Piston temperature model oriented to control applications in diesel engines
Authors: Cho Hoon , van Nieuwstadt Michiel
Published: November 2017

In this paper, the development of a control-oriented piston temperature model for diesel engines is discussed. Using the underlying energy balance at the piston, a one-state piston temperature model was developed based on a thermal resistance concept. The model is composed of five sub-models: an engine model, a heat distribution model, a piston temperature model, an initial piston temperature model, and a maximum piston temperature model. In the engine model, the combustion heat transferred to the engine is calculated based on the energy balance in the cylinder chamber. The heat distribution model, which is a main feature in this model, determines the heat transferred to the piston using two maps as a function of engine speed and fuel depending on the piston cooling jet (PCJ) operation. The energy balance at the piston is applied to calculate the mean piston temperature, and the initial piston temperature is determined by the arbitration between the piston and the oil temperatures. The maximum piston temperature is estimated using a simple linear correction to the mean piston temperature. Integrating all sub-models in the Simulink platform, the model was identified and validated using piston temperature measurements under steady-state fuel steps as well as transient tests. There is a good agreement between the modeled and the measured piston temperatures with less than 4.1°C of root-mean-square-error (RMSE) over transient emissions cycles (FTP-75, LA92, and HWEFT). The modeled piston temperature can be used as an input to the control strategy of variable cooling devices, such as a variable displacement oil pump.
Vehicle side-slip angle estimation on a banked and low-friction road
Authors: Haudum Martin , Edelmann Johannes , Plöchl Manfred , Höll Manuel
Published: November 2017

The effective application of integrated vehicle dynamics control and automatic driving require consistent vehicle state variables and parameters. Considering lateral vehicle dynamics, the yaw rate and (estimated) vehicle side-slip angle are the minimum set of state variables that can give insight into the handling characteristics of a vehicle. Various methods of vehicle side-slip angle (lateral velocity) estimation have been tested in virtual and real world applications, in particular on a horizontal dry road. Vehicle side-slip angle, however, is not only affected by the (steering) commands of the driver, and possibly by a vehicle dynamics controller, but can also arise from a banked road or result from a low-friction surface, changing tyre–road contact. The combined effects require a comprehensive estimation approach, which is less often touched upon in the literature. Based on earlier findings on important aspects of observability, the paper addresses a modular vehicle side-slip angle estimation approach that is particularly focused upon practical aspects of modelling and design. Estimation of the combined vehicle side-slip angle, road bank angle and maximum tyre–road friction coefficient has been broadly tested with a vehicle equipped with an electronic stability control (ESC) and electric power-assisted steering (EPS) sensor configuration, for various road conditions, driving situations and vehicle/tyre setups.
Comparative study of different types of PHEV optimal control strategies in real-world conditions
Authors: Montazeri-Gh Morteza , Pourbafarani Zeinab , Mahmoodi-k Mehdi
Published: November 2017

With increasingly serious global environmental issues and energy shortages, energy conservation in transportation has become a significant, fundamental objective. The objective of the current research is to investigate the impacts of different types of optimal control strategies on the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) performance in real-world conditions. The optimal control strategies according to Pontryagin’s minimum principle (PMP) and optimized rule-based approaches are developed for the optimal pattern of a PHEV energy management system to reduce fuel consumption and emissions simultaneously, without sacrificing the vehicle performance. For this purpose, first, using test data for engine and battery, an experimental map-based model of the parallel PHEV is developed. Then, the powertrain components are sized by using a genetic algorithm (GA), over the real-world driving cycles. Subsequently, GA-fuzzy and PMP controllers are developed for energy management of the PHEV. Simulation results show the significant effectiveness of the proposed optimal control approaches on the fuel consumption and emissions reduction in various driving cycles. The convergence speed and global searching ability of PMP are significantly better than GA-fuzzy for the design of control strategy parameters. The sensitivity of battery initial state of charge, driving cycle, and road grade are analyzed on vehicle emissions and fuel consumption. The findings reveal that PMP could be adapted to different conditions by tuning co-state in a short time. This advantage makes it more adaptable to variation of real-world conditions. On the other hand, a fuzzy controller needs less computational effort and so is more appropriate for a certain condition.
An audit of a novel electronic messaging treatment service for Chlamydia trachomatis at a community pharmacy
Authors: Willetts Sarah J , Cowper Sarah , Cameron Sharon T
Published: November 2017

In 2016, NHS Lothian regional sexual and reproductive health services introduced an electronic pharmacy treatment voucher that could be sent to the mobile phones of patients with Chlamydia trachomatis and their sexual contacts. A retrospective audit of the electronic treatment voucher database was conducted for vouchers issued between April and December 2016. Five hundred and forty-nine vouchers were issued and 56% were redeemed at a pharmacy within one week of issue. This suggests that electronic vouchers are a popular and effective means of providing expedited treatment for uncomplicated C. trachomatis at a community pharmacy.
Household cooking fuel use patterns and determinants across southern Africa: Evidence from the demographic and health survey data
Authors: Makonese Tafadzwa , Ifegbesan Ayodeji P , Rampedi Isaac T
Published: November 2017

Improving access to modern energy sources is critical to enhancing the quality of life of many people in developing countries. In southern Africa, the majority of rural and poor urban households are dependent on solid fuels to meet their cooking needs. To date, there is scarce information in the literature on household cooking fuel patterns across southern Africa. Using household fuel data from the Demographic and Health Survey, this study investigated cooking fuel types and the determinants of their choice by households in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The data on household cooking energy were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. Results show that 25% of sampled households in all seven countries have access to electricity, while 66% rely on biomass for cooking. Chi-Square analyses revealed a statistically significant relationship between place of residence and type of cooking fuel, and between access to electricity and type of cooking fuel. Results from multiple regression analysis showed that socio-demographic factors such as access to electricity, household size, the level of education and wealth index have a positive influence on the type of cooking fuel used in this region. However, access to electricity does not imply that households will negate the use of traditional fuels. These results have implications for household air pollution, health, policy and environmental sustainability. It is recommended that energy interventions in this region need to consider demand factors and have to be less supply driven, advocating for continued use of multiple fuels from a suite of options.
An algorithm for real-time forward kinematics of 6-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanisms
Authors: Gao Changhong , Yang Zhidong , Zheng Shupeng , Cong Dacheng
Published: November 2017

This article proposes a forward kinematics algorithm based on closed-loop feedback solution for real-time pose estimation of 6-degree-of-freedom parallel mechanisms. First, a feedback forward kinematics algorithm with second-order error dynamics built in joint space is presented and its convergence is analyzed. Taking a Stewart platform as an example, fast convergence and high solving accuracy of the algorithm are shown in simulation. However, while applying the algorithm to forward kinematics of a 6-degree-of-freedom redundantly actuated parallel mechanisms, solving errors will be growing slowly and non-convergent, which is caused by redundancy character of the parallel mechanisms. Then a modified algorithm, of which second-order error dynamics is built in Cartesian space, is developed. Considering velocity information is usually difficult to measure or estimate accurately in reality, the performance of feedback forward kinematics algorithm without joint velocity feedforward is also evaluated. Finally, the algorithm is implemented into real-time degree of freedom control of the redundant parallel mechanisms which is calibrated by a coordinate measuring machine. Experiment results show that the proposed algorithm can solve the pose with relatively high accuracy under static conditions and is effective and feasible for real-time pose estimation of parallel mechanisms.
Integrating Item Accuracy and Reaction Time to Improve the Measurement of Inhibitory Control Abilities in Early Childhood
Authors: Magnus Brooke E. , Willoughby Michael T. , Blair Clancy B. , Kuhn Laura J.
Published: November 2017

Efforts to improve children’s executive function are often hampered by the lack of measures that are optimized for use during the transition from preschool to elementary school. Whereas preschool-based measures often emphasize response accuracy, elementary school-based measures emphasize reaction time (RT)—especially for measures inhibitory control (IC) tasks that typically have a speeded component. The primary objective of this study was to test in a preschool-aged sample whether the joint use of item-level accuracy and RT data resulted in improved scoring for three IC tasks relative to scores derived from accuracy data alone. Generally, the joint use of item-level accuracy and RT data resulted in modest improvements in the measurement precision of IC abilities. Moreover, the joint use of item-level accuracy and RT helped eliminate floor and ceiling effects that occurred when accuracy data were considered alone. Results are discussed with respect to the importance of scoring IC tasks in ways that are maximally informative for program evaluation and longitudinal modeling.
Validity of Self-Rated Memory Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Adults: Results From the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)
Authors: Huang Zhiyong , Maurer Jürgen
Published: November 2017

Memory self-ratings are often used in primary care practice and social surveys due to its relative ease of administration. Yet their usefulness to accurately measure individuals’ memory-related cognitive function is largely unknown. This article assesses the construct validity of self-rated memory for measuring memory-related cognitive function among middle-aged and older adults (45+ years) in China using a national sample ( N = 13,690) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. We first compare self-rated memory with a number of well-established memory tests and then investigate the role of sociodemographic factors in determining self-reports conditional on memory test performance. We find that self-rated memory is only weakly correlated with memory test performance and yields low sensitivity and specificity in detecting individuals with relatively poor memory test performance. We also find evidence for substantial differential item functioning across sociodemographic groups. Our results, therefore, caution against the use of simple self-rated memory measures for memory assessments in primary care or survey research.
An alternative demodulation method using envelope-derivative operator for bearing fault diagnosis of the vibrating screen
Authors: Cai Zongyan , Xu Yuanbo , Duan Zhishan
Published: November 2017

The Teager–Kaiser energy operator (TKEO) and Hilbert transform (HT) are widely used as conventional demodulation methods in the signal processing field; however, it is well known that they are sensitive to vibration interference and noise, and these limitations hamper their applications, especially in the presence of strong noise. A vibrating screen is a kind of screening equipment in the field of vibrating machinery, which differs greatly from the rotating machinery in terms of structural characteristics and operational principles. The vibration signal extracted from the vibrating screen is not only comprised of multiple constituents but also a great deal of background noise. Thus, TKEO and HT have a large limitation on bearing fault diagnosis of the vibrating screen. To overcome these shortcomings, an alternative energy operator method named the envelope-derivative operator (EDO) is proposed. The results of simulation and bearing fault diagnosis of the vibrating screen indicate that EDO can effectively extract fault characteristic frequency, certifying its feasibility and superiority in comparison with TKEO and EDO.