bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Christian Education in an African Context: Discipling Cross-Culturally
Authors: Loewen Waldemar
Published: March 2018

Christian Education in an African Context” describes practical lessons learned in the development of a discipleship team of Malawian pastors who travel to churches throughout Malawi, discipling members and training teachers and elders. Distinctions between Western and African cultures and perspectives are emphasized. Problems the team faced, and their solutions to those problems, are explained by way of true stories and biblical principles. “What I have written here is my attempt to share some of the lessons that we learned along the way during our continuous pursuit to advance Christian education and discipleship among believers in Malawi.
In their Own Words: Describing the Assimilation Experiences of New Converts
Authors: Attebery Philip
Published: March 2018

The purpose of the current phenomenological research was to explore the assimilation experiences of adult new converts into churches affiliated with the Baptist Missionary Association of America. Participants included 21 new converts, baptized within the past one to three years, and a leading staff member from seven churches. New converts described their experiences of conversion, what they anticipated or resisted regarding retention and spiritual growth, the effect of church assimilation strategies, and how ministerial leaders and educators might benefit from their experiences. The research attempted to fill a gap in knowledge by seeking the input of new converts regarding assimilation.
Making a Case for Forgiveness as a Major Goal of Christian Education, with Implications for Christian Educators
Authors: Kim Jichan J.
Published: March 2018

Can forgiveness be a major goal of Christian education? Can the common objectives of Christian education be operationalized around the goal of helping congregants exhibit Christ-like love for the ones who have hurt them? In this article, the author attempts to answer these questions by discussing what human forgiveness is and is not, followed by a discussion on how it differs from divine forgiveness, how forgiveness as a major goal of Christian education aligns with the common objectives of Christian education, and finally, how forgiveness can be applied in the congregational educational context.
Book Review: When the Church was a Family
Authors: Kemp Steven J. , Hellerman Joseph H.
Published: March 2018

Today, when many other organizations and institutions would like to promote themselves as “family,” Scripture tells us that in many significant ways, the church is to live its life out like a family. Joseph Hellerman has written two books in this area that Stephen J. Kemp reflects on in this extended book review essay. We hope it will be of help to you in thinking through ways to both better integrate family ministry in the life of the church, and help our churches live out the family relationship God has called us to. - Editor
Light from the “Dark Ages”: Lessons in Faith Formation from before the Reformation
Authors: Lawson Kevin E.
Published: March 2018

This article explores how parish members in the later medieval era in England learned the Christian faith through a variety of means (e.g., preaching, liturgical calendar, art, music, poetry, drama, confessional instruction, spiritual kinship relationships, catechetical instruction) with an eye on what we might learn from this era that could strengthen the church's educational ministry efforts in the present.
Acculturation, Cultural Values, and Breastfeeding in Overweight or Obese, Low-Income, Hispanic Women at 1 Month Postpartum
Authors: Shin Cha-Nam , Reifsnider Elizabeth , McClain Darya , Jeong Mihyun , McCormick David P. , Moramarco Michael
Published: March 2018

Background:

Most Hispanic infants are fed formula during the first 6 weeks, and although 80% of Hispanic women initiate breastfeeding, rates of exclusive breastfeeding are much lower.

Research aim:

The purpose was to examine the influence of acculturation and cultural values on the breastfeeding practices of pregnant women of Mexican descent participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children who were enrolled in a prospective randomized clinical trial that aimed to reduce child obesity. The data were abstracted from a larger randomized clinical trial focused on prevention of child obesity.

Methods:

The sample consisted of 150 women of Mexican origin who were enrolled at the time of these analyses from the randomized clinical trial and had a prepregnancy body mass index of ≥ 25 and spoke English and/or Spanish. All breastfeeding data for this report came from data collection at 1 month postpartum.

Results:

A higher score on the Anglo orientation scale of the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans was associated with less breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum and less exclusive breastfeeding.

Conclusion:

Acculturation plays a role in breastfeeding practice. Exploring acculturation associated with breastfeeding can guide us to design culturally relevant interventions to promote breastfeeding exclusivity among immigrant mothers.
Mapping the intellectual public sphere in China today
Authors: Cheek Timothy , Ownby David , Fogel Joshua
Published: March 2018

The papers in this research dialogue section are the product of a project that examines intellectual life in China since the 1990s – chiefly the efforts by academic public intellectuals to rethink China’s past, present, and future in light of the excesses of Mao’s revolution, the challenges emerging from reform, and the rise of China to the status of world economic power. Chinese scholars, having benefited from China’s openness to the world and the relative relaxation of political pressure in China (until recently), have much to say about China and the world that merits our attention. Through creative collaboration between Chinese and international scholars, the articles collected here explore that intellectual public sphere since the late 1990s. The articles were written in Chinese by young PRC scholars and rendered into English through ‘collaborative translation’ teams that pair these Chinese with non-Chinese scholars based in Canadian universities. The net result, grounded on repeated conversations and revisions, is not a simple translation but a co-production of knowledge about China that aims to capture the discourse of Chinese scholarship in a way to make it meaningful to anglophone readers. The articles themselves are not traditional surveys of academic scholarship. Rather they map significant areas of an intellectual world and the arguments within it. Three widely accepted intellectual streams of thought ( sichao 思潮) organize these soundings: liberals, New Left, and New Confucian. These reports explore connections between and diversity within and beyond each.
The recasting of Chinese socialism: The Chinese New Left since 2000
Authors: Anshu Shi , Lachapelle François , Galway Matthew
Published: March 2018

In post-Mao China, a group of Chinese intellectuals who formed what became the New Left (新左派) sought to renew socialism in China in a context of globalization and the rise of social inequalities they associated with neo-liberalism. As they saw it, China’s market reform and opening to the world had not brought greater equality and prosperity for all Chinese citizens. As part of China Information’s research dialogue on the intellectual public sphere in China, this article provides a historical survey of the development of the contemporary Chinese New Left, exploring the range of ideas that characterized this intellectual movement. It takes as its focus four of the most prominent New Left figures and their positions in the ongoing debate about China’s future: Wang Shaoguang, Cui Zhiyuan, Wang Hui, and Gan Yang.
Lakay se lakay, but where is lakay? Home is home but where is home?
Authors: Trouillot Évelyne
Published: March 2018

In this essay, Évelyne Trouillot reflects on home, history, and the ways her creative writing provides a space to explore the contradictions and bridge the gaps of the human experience particularly as it relates to Haiti and its diaspora. Trouillot is particularly concerned about retrieving stories erased, forgotten, or lost in the gaps of hegemonic histories, such as those of refugees and undocumented migrants. Trouillot discusses her creative process for her novels Absence without Borders (2013) and The Infamous Rosalie (2003) and for her play The Blue of the Island (2012). Trouillot’s quest to convey the humanity of marginalized characters is also about finding home—a place for radical equality—even if it is only in the imagination.
Refugee women and the work of care in Évelyne Trouillot’s Memory at Bay
Authors: Shemak April
Published: March 2018

This article examines the idea of home in relation to care work performed by refugee women of the African Diaspora as portrayed in Évelyne Trouillot’s post-dictatorship novel Memory at Bay (2015) (published in French as La mémoire aux abois (2010). Memory at Bay depicts care work as the labor involved in attending to the needs of patients in a nursing facility on the outskirts of Paris. Through her work as a nurse’s aide in this facility, Marie-Ange confronts her mother’s memories of a traumatic past living under a dictatorship in Quisqueya (a fictionalization of the Duvalier regime in Haiti). Trouillot’s novel asks us to consider what it means for a female refugee to offer care work while still coming to terms with the traumatic past in her nation of origin.
Touching the shores of home: Guyana, Indo-Caribbeanness, feminism, and return
Authors: Outar Lisa
Published: March 2018

This essay considers my personal negotiations of concepts of home in the context of my immigrant Guyanese status, my Indo-Caribbeanness, my feminism, and my scholarship. Reflecting upon a moment of return to Guyana to discuss my academic work, I explore how one constructs shifting and complex ideas of home in the diaspora. Pointing out the fraught space that Indo-Caribbean identity holds in most people’s understanding of indigeneity, the essay traces what constitutes belonging and transnational citizenship for me—as an immigrant woman, as a member of the indentureship diaspora, as a feminist, and as a scholar working in tandem with those in the Caribbean and elsewhere—and in my work. I here highlight the cross-racial, cross-class, transoceanic solidarities that shape my praxis.
Constructing a dub identity: What it means to be “Back Home” in Jamaica
Authors: Semaj-Hall Isis
Published: March 2018

In this essay, Isis Semaj-Hall explores the intersections of being Jamaican, American, black, woman, and mother. Using what she terms a dub aesthetic, Semaj-Hall juxtaposes her circular migration with the Dominican characters in Junot Diaz’s fiction as well as the autobiographical story told by Jamaican author Anthony Winkler. Using Trinidadian-Canadian author Ramabai Espinet as a literary anchor, Semaj-Hall questions how the familiar memory becomes unfamiliar in the moment that it collides with present reality. Finally, Claudia Rankine is brought in as a way for the author to honor the impact that her black American experience with racism shades her perspective on Jamaican colorism. This article takes readers on an unexpected walk through Kingston, Jamaica, revealing Semaj-Hall’s daily negotiations with what it means to be “Back Home” in the place she had for so long nostalgiaized.
Examining the influence of health insurance literacy and perception on the people preference to purchase private voluntary health insurance
Authors: Mathur Tanuj , Das Gurudas , Gupta Hemendra
Published: March 2018

Most studies have associated “un-affordability” as a plausible cause for the lower take-up of private voluntary health insurance plans. However, others refuted this claim on the pretext that when people can afford “inpatient-care” from pocket then insurance premium cost is far less than those payments. Thus, economic factors remain insufficient in clearly explaining the reason for poor private voluntary health insurance take-up. An attempt is being made by shifting the focus towards non-economic factors and understanding the role of perception and health insurance literacy in transforming people preferences to invest in private voluntary health insurance plans. The study findings will conspicuously support decision-makers in developing strategy to increase the private voluntary health insurance take-up.
Public opinion towards targeted labour market policies: A vignette study on the perceived deservingness of the unemployed
Authors: Buss Christopher
Published: March 2018

The issue of welfare targeting is back on the political agenda in European welfare states. Benefit recipients are subject to different rules, depending on age, family status and work. For instance, strict conditions and harsh sanctions apply, in particular, to young unemployed people. This article investigates public opinion towards welfare targeting in three policy areas – unemployment benefits, conditionality of benefits and sanctions – and utilizes a factorial vignette experiment presented within a representative German survey. The results suggest strong support for welfare targeting. Respondents are more likely to offer generous benefits and fewer obligations and sanctions to unemployed people who are elderly, have caring responsibilities, are of German ethnicity and have high job-seeking ambitions. The negative effect of foreign ethnicity is moderated by the ideological standpoint of the respondent, highlighting the mechanisms underlying welfare chauvinism. Accordingly, policy support strongly depends on the individual circumstances of the affected target group.
Participatory Hermeneutic Ethnography: A Methodological Framework for Health Ethics Research With Children
Authors: Montreuil Marjorie , Carnevale Franco A.
Published: March 2018

When conducting ethics research with children in health care settings, studying children’s experiences is essential, but so is the context in which these experiences happen and their meaning. Using Charles Taylor’s hermeneutic philosophy, we developed a methodological framework for health ethics research with children that bridges key aspects of ethnography, participatory research, and hermeneutics. This qualitative framework has the potential to offer rich data and discussions related to children as well as family members and health care workers’ moral experiences in specific health care settings, while examining the institutional norms, structures, and practices and how they interrelate with experiences. Through a participatory hermeneutic ethnographic study, important ethical issues can be highlighted and examined in light of social/local imaginaries and horizons of significance, to address some of the ethical concerns that can be present in a specific health care setting.
Adolescents’ Experience of Stigma When Accessing School-Based PTSD Interventions
Authors: van de Water Tanya , Rossouw Jaco , van der Watt Alberta S. J. , Yadin Elna , Seedat Soraya
Published: March 2018

This qualitative investigation, nested within a randomized controlled trial (RCT), describes the experiences of adolescent participants accessing psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a school-based setting. Supervised nurses provided the psychotherapeutic interventions. Twelve participants who took part in the RCT were invited, and 10 agreed to share their experiences through recorded face-to-face, semistructured, in-depth interviews and treatment-specific focus groups. Basic thematic analysis was applied using Atlas.ti software. Adolescents described a mixed range of perceived poor, ambivalent, and good support experiences when accessing treatment, and were particularly motivated when they had access to a caring adult. During the trial, adolescents used calculated disclosure strategies to reduce their vulnerability to marginalization and stigma. School-based therapy was well received but could be improved if sessions were offered after school hours. This study provides suggestions for improvement and scale-up of school-based PTSD interventions for adolescents.
Micro-Meso-Macro Practice Tensions in Using Patient-Reported Outcome and Experience Measures in Hospital Palliative Care
Authors: Krawczyk Marian , Sawatzky Richard , Schick-Makaroff Kara , Stajduhar Kelli , Öhlen Joakim , Reimer-Kirkham Sheryl , Mercedes Laforest Esther , Cohen Robin
Published: March 2018

This article applies a micro-meso-macro analytical framework to understand clinicians’ experiences and perspectives of using patient-reported outcome and experience measures (PROMs and PREMs) in routine hospital-based palliative care. We structure our discussion through qualitative analysis of a design and implementation project for using an electronic tablet-based tool among hospital-based palliative clinicians to assess patients’ and their family caregivers’ quality of life concerns and experiences of care. Our analysis identified three categories of practice tensions shaping clinicians’ use of PROMs and PREMs in routine care: tensions surrounding implementation, tensions in standardization and quantification, and tensions that arose from scope of practice concerns. Our findings highlight that clinicians necessarily work within the confluence of multiple system priorities, that navigating these priorities can result in irreducible practice tensions, and that awareness of these tensions is a critical consideration when integrating PROMs and PREMs into routine practice.
End-of-Life Plans for African American Older Adults With Dementia
Authors: Moss Karen O. , Deutsch Nancy L. , Hollen Patricia J. , Rovnyak Virginia G. , Williams Ishan C. , Rose Karen M.
Published: March 2018

African Americans are perceived to be least likely of all racial and ethnic groups to prepare for the end of life. However, verbal plans for the end of life are of particular importance to this population and may help understand why they are less likely to possess a formal end-of-life care planning document. The purpose of this study was to determine the number of formal and/or informal end-of-life care plans that existed among a convenience sample of African American older adults with dementia. For this descriptive study, data were collected from African American family caregivers (N = 65) of older adults with dementia. Descriptive statistics were conducted. Caregivers in this sample reported high rates of formal and/or informal end-of-life plans for their care recipients. Agency forms (power of attorney, health-care surrogate, or guardianship forms) had been obtained by 74% of the care recipients, while 63% of them possessed a formal end-of-life care planning document. All combined, 88% of the caregivers possessed at least 1 document or verbal information concerning end-of-life care for their care recipient or at least there was an assigned surrogate. Although limited, these findings reflect more end-of-life planning in this population than previous studies reported and could improve the quality of end-of-life outcomes in this population by giving health-care providers increased understanding of African American end-of-life planning preferences. This may, in turn, help the providers to inform and educate these care recipients and their family caregivers.
Intraocular pressure variation by pneumatic tonometer before and after phacoemulsification
Authors: Rodrigues Francisco W , Silva Camilla de MN , Modesto Déborah C , de Oliveira Antônio WS , da Silva Rodrigo Egidio
Published: March 2018

Objective:

To evaluate the intraocular pressure variation before and after phacoemulsification through pneumatic tonometry in addition to correlating it with the age, gender, and preoperative intraocular pressure of the patients evaluated.

Methods:

This is a cross-sectional observational study. Inclusion criteria were older than 18 years, deep anterior chamber visualized by the slit lamp and estimation of open angle using the Van Herick technique, intraocular pressure less than 21 mmHg, without surgical complications, and without any ocular disease. The intraocular pressure was measured by the pneumatic tonometer. The intraocular pressure assessment was performed at the last consultation before phacoemulsification surgery and 30 days after.

Results:

A sample of 182 eyes was used. The mean age was 68.41 ± 10.84 years. Of the patient, 65% were females and 35% were males. The mean intraocular pressure in the preoperative period was 16.0 mmHg (±3.3 mmHg) and the mean intraocular pressure in the postoperative period was 13.44 mmHg (±3.31 mmHg). There was no correlation between intraocular pressure variations in both eyes (age-matched open angle) and age. There was a statistically significant correlation between the preoperative intraocular pressure value and the intraocular pressure changes in the postoperative period. In the comparison of the intraocular pressure variation between the genders, the female gender presented a statistically significant negative variation.

Conclusion:

We conclude that the cataract surgery is related to the reduction of intraocular pressure in the postoperative period and this reduction is more influenced by its preoperative value. Other studies of high epidemiological impact are needed, which may corroborate that the cataract surgery could directly influence intraocular pressure variation.
Efficacy and comparison of elevation transposition and lipectomy for superficialization of cephalic arteriovenous fistula veins
Authors: Wang Michele S , Wang Shouwen
Published: March 2018

Objective:

Substantial percentages of cephalic arteriovenous fistulas are situated too deep and require superficialization before use for hemodialysis. The superficialization techniques are diverse: tunnel transposition, elevation, elevation transposition, and lipectomy. Since the fistula veins are not mobilized during lipectomy, it is believed that lipectomy produces better outcomes than other techniques. However, no available report directly compares lipectomy with other techniques. The objective of this report is to compare the outcomes of cephalic elevation transposition with lipectomy.

Methods:

The clinical data of patients who underwent second-stage cephalic elevation transposition or lipectomy at an ambulatory surgery center from 2009 to 2017 were analyzed ( n = 153).

Results:

Comparing the cephalic elevation transposition group ( n = 125) with the lipectomy group ( n = 28), the mean body mass index was 36.8 ± 7.6 versus 38.1 ± 7.2 ( p = 0.41); the percentage of upper arm fistulas was 84% versus 61% ( p < 0.01); the mean follow-up was 20.1 ± 17.5 versus 38.6 ± 24.4 months ( p < 0.01); the primary patency rates of the whole fistula conduits were 42% versus 50% at 1 year ( p = 0.08); the secondary patency rates were 99% versus 100% at 1 year ( p = 0.22); the primary patency rates of the superficialized vein segments were 73% versus 68% at 1 year ( p = 0.72); and the mean number of percutaneous interventions required for the superficialized vein segments was 0.49 ± 1.10 versus 0.43 ± 0.71 per access-year ( p = 0.74).

Conclusion:

Cephalic elevation transposition and lipectomy are both reliable techniques for superficialization of cephalic fistula veins and their outcomes are comparable.
Safety and efficacy of the AngioJet device in the treatment of thrombosed arteriovenous fistula and grafts: A systematic review
Authors: Chan Philip GC , Goh Gerard S
Published: March 2018

Purpose:

The AngioJet Hemolytic Thrombectomy Device “AngioJet” (Boston Scientific, Malborough, MA, USA) is a rheolytic thrombectomy device that can be used in the treatment of hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula and graft thrombosis. We aim to appraise the current evidence on AngioJet thrombectomy in hemodialysis vascular access thrombosis, and to determine its safety, including complications and efficacy.

Materials and methods:

An electronic literature search was performed on the MEDLINE and Embase databases. References of retrieved articles were also reviewed. Articles using AngioJet for the treatment of arteriovenous fistula or graft were included. Patients less than 18 years old, non-English articles, single case reports, small case series (<5 cases), conference publications, and nonhuman models were excluded.

Results:

A total of 688 articles were initially evaluated and 10 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria, which included 836 patients with 431 grafts and 234 fistulas. Results were heterogeneously reported. The adjusted mean primary patency rates for 1, 3, 6, and 12 months were 64.6%, 43.8%, 42.5%, and 30.5%, respectively; adjusted mean secondary patency rates for 3, 6, and 12 months were 76.5%, 75.1%, and 74.5%, and assisted primary patency rates were 61.9%, 47.3%, and 35.3%, respectively. There were 126 complications, most were minor. There were seven deaths, but were unable to be attributable to the AngioJet.

Conclusion:

The AngioJet is an effective and safe treatment option for thrombosed fistulas and grafts. However, the quality of the current evidence is poor. Further research with prospective randomized controlled trials using standardized data reporting methods is needed to prove its safety and efficacy.
Can We Predict Which Adolescents Will Engage in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment?
Authors: Christie Grant IG , Bavin Lynda M , Wills Sophie
Published: March 2018

Understanding which adolescents remain in substance abuse treatment may facilitate the development of effective strategies for enhancing engagement and retention. Using clinical service data from a large naturalistic sample of adolescents, we examined whether client characteristics predict retention in outpatient alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment. χ2 tests and multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to examine relationships between sociodemographic and substance use variables and clinic attendance. Client characteristics of ethnicity, sex, age, living situation (whether living with or away from family), and substance use severity were associated with retention in community AOD treatment. Pacific Island youth, females, 13- to 15-year olds, clients living with family, and clients with more severe substance use were generally more likely to be “engaged” with the service (ie, attended 4+ sessions) than their European and Maori, male, 16- to 19-year-old, and living away from home counterparts. These findings may inform more targeted engagement strategies in the future.
Exploring common stressors in physical education: A qualitative study
Authors: Tudor Kate , Sarkar Mustafa , Spray Christopher
Published: March 2018

Daily stressors, or hassles, refer to the everyday environmental demands that constitute a threat or challenge, or exceed an individual’s biological or psychological capacities. Increasing evidence suggests that daily stressors have a significant impact on adolescents’ educational outcomes, for example, performance, wellbeing and negative attitudes toward school; however, there is limited research examining the concept of common stressors in physical education (PE) lessons. As early adolescence is a developmental period associated with decreased engagement in PE, it is important to identify the environmental stressors that may be associated with increased disengagement. The study included 54 secondary school students and six PE teachers from five schools in the English Midlands. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted and a thematic analysis was applied to the interview transcripts. Three higher order themes were identified from the data: the social environment; the physical and organisational environment; and the performance environment. Common stressors within the social environment included: interpersonal transactions between peers; differences in effort levels during PE; and working outside one’s peer group. Stressors within the physical and organisational environment consisted of environmental situations within the changing facilities and the availability of activities. Finally, performance environment stressors included: situations involving the difficult acquisition of physical skills; and situations where physical appearance and physical competencies were exposed. The study extends previous findings by identifying potentially threatening and frustrating environmental demands that have not been identified in the previous literature. The current study is the first to explore the typical stressors that are experienced by students in PE.
Parental Stress Scale: Validation study with a Portuguese population of parents of children from 3 to 10 years old
Authors: Algarvio Susana , Leal Isabel , Maroco João
Published: March 2018

The aim of this study was to validate the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) for Portuguese parents and to further investigate the scale’s criterion-related validity. A two-stage stratified sample of the Portuguese population of parents, with children attending public preschools and primary schools, was obtained, totalizing 3842 parents of children between 3 and 10 years old. Parents completed a Parental Concerns Scale and the Portuguese version of the PSS. Results support the four-factor structure of the Portuguese version of the PSS. Higher levels of parental stress were reported by parents of boys, with lower educational levels; older, divorced or single parents; unemployed mothers; and with a higher number of children. Parental concerns and parental stress’ comparative study reported very low correlations between the two constructs. This study supported evidence for the PSS’ validity with a stratified sample of Portuguese parents of children between 3 and 10 years old. Moreover, our findings reported the scale’s divergent validity with a Parental Concerns Scale. These results point to the importance of assessing both dimensions in family practice.
Effects of structural openings on the buckling strength of cylindrical shells
Authors: Brunesi Emanuele , Nascimbene Roberto
Published: March 2018

Computational models, which follow numerical assessment strategies codified by current European rules for shell buckling, were developed so as to study the buckling and post-buckling response of a large set of cylindrical steel thin-shell prototypes with structural openings. Behavioural changes as a consequence of variations in the cutout configuration, that is, shape, size, location and number, were predicted and the obtained numerical estimates were related to the test data of previous experiments in order to explore critical design aspects. Damage modes and axial force–axial displacement response curves were presented and discussed, decoupling the roles played by material nonlinearity and geometrical nonlinearity, as well as the contribution of initial geometrical imperfections to the buckling mechanism of axially compressed cylindrical thin shells.
Spine injury assessment under spaceflight landing conditions using multibody model
Authors: Pasha Zanoosi AA , Kalantarinejad R , Haghpanahi M
Published: March 2018

The novelty of the study relies on the fact that current simulations of human body to assess spine injury are based on finite element method. Spine injury assessment is an important point in designing spacecraft seat especially during landing. The finite element-based human body simulations are very time-consuming and computationally expensive. These problems make it difficult to perform high computational simulations such as optimization, sensitivity analysis, and so forth. Hence, in this study, it is tried to resolve these problems by developing a multibody model of human body in landing phase of spacecraft. This model makes designers able to perform corresponding simulations faster with acceptable accuracy. This study presents a dynamic multibody model of spacecraft seat-occupant system for spine injury assessment under landing conditions. The landing situation of spacecraft exposes shock loads to the spacecraft and astronaut. Hence, spine injury assessment under landing conditions enables optimal injury design of seat-occupant system. The modeling method is based on using the multibody modeling to achieve a detailed description containing the nonlinear properties and the accuracy of a multibody dynamic model considering whole body comprising stretching of vertebrae. The human body model comprises head, spine, femur, and shank lying on a flexible polyurethane foam as seat cushion. To model the spine, viscera, and pelvis in the sagittal plane, the spine column considered to be rigid bodies accompanied by spring-damper elements. To validate the developed model, the modal analysis and seat-to-head transmissibility of the spine has been validated by comparing with previously published models. Finally, as an application, the developed model has been exposed to a landing shock load for spine injury assessment.
A heuristic synthesis of multistage planetary gearbox layout for automotive transmission
Authors: Bhattacharjee Debraj , Bhola Prabha , Dan Pranab K
Published: March 2018

The automatic transmission system is very crucial for the high-speed vehicles, where the planetary or epicyclic gearbox is a standard feature. With the increase in design intricacies of planetary gearbox, mathematical modelling has become complex in nature and therefore there is a need for modelling of multistage planetary gearbox including the shifting scheme. A random search-based synthesis of three degrees of freedom (DOF) high-speed planetary gearbox has been presented in this paper, which derives an efficient gear shifting mechanism through designing the transmission schematic of eight speed gearboxes compounded with four planetary gear sets. Furthermore, with the help of lever analogy, the transmission power flow and relative power efficiency have been determined to analyse the gearbox design. A simulation-based testing and validation have been performed which show the proposed model is efficient and produces satisfactory shift quality through better torque characteristics while shifting the gears. A new heuristic method to determine suitable compounding arrangement, based on mechanism enumeration, for designing a gearbox layout is proposed here. An important finding on automotive gear shift quality due to closer gear ratio is also reported in this work.
Elements of practice in the analysis of auto-ethnographical cooking videos
Authors: Torkkeli Kaisa , Mäkelä Johanna , Niva Mari
Published: March 2018

This article analyses cooking videos recorded at home by means of the practice-theoretical approach. It employs two conceptualisations of the elements of practice that have stood out in recent applications of practice theories in sociological consumption and food studies. The first conceptualisation comprises understandings, procedures and engagements and the second materials, competences and meanings. To study cooking as a situationally performed mundane practice, auto-ethnographical videos of cooking were filmed using the first author’s family. To analyse the practice of cooking as a composition of doings and sayings, the videos were coded with a video analysis program, Interact, into visual charts, and the discussions related to cooking performances were transcribed. The analysis suggests that the cooking practice involves interplay among the elements of the two conceptualisations: procedures join materials with competences, engagements link competences with meanings and understandings connect meanings with materials. This is visualised as a triangle in which understandings, procedures and engagements represent the sides of the triangle between the apexes of materials, competences and meanings. By combining an auto-ethnographical perspective with a video method and by analysing the practice of cooking as a situational and embodied performance, the study contributes to the current understanding of the elements of practice and introduces a novel empirical application of practice theory.
Forty years of IKEA kitchens and the rise of a neoliberal control of domestic space
Authors: Ledin Per , Machin David
Published: March 2018

This article uses a social semiotic approach to look at the representations and designs of kitchens in the IKEA catalogue from 1975 until 2016. The authors find a shift from function to lifestyle of the order observed by scholars of advertising. But using Fairclough’s concepts of ‘technologization’ in Discourse and Social Change (1992) and Van Leeuwen’s New Writing (2006) concept, they are able to dig deeper to show that there are four stages of kitchen that become, they argue, more and more codified, with increasing prescription over the meaning of space and also regarding what takes place there. Such coding aligns with the ideas, values and identities of neoliberalism: ‘flexible’, ‘dynamic’, ‘creative’, ‘solutions’ and ‘self-management’. The authors show how the features of New Writing allow a suppression of actual causalities and context, and permit symbolic and indexical meanings to take over. Domestic life itself becomes technologized, coded and stripped down to a number of symbols and indexical meanings which assemble easily into the requirements of the neoliberal order.
Black feminism and radical planning: New directions for disaster planning research
Authors: Jacobs Fayola
Published: March 2018

After Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of the United States’ Gulf Coast, conversations about flooding became focused on the interconnections between so-called “natural” disasters, poverty, gender and race. Although research has long shown that women, people of color and low-income communities are more vulnerable to natural hazards, the disproportionate effects of Hurricane Katrina and subsequent federal and state disaster response efforts forced the national spotlight on the institutional and systemic nature of racism, classism and sexism. Using Black feminism and radical planning theory, two lenses that provides a comprehensive framework for understanding racism, classism and sexism, this article examines the concept and literature of social vulnerability. I argue while social vulnerability research has made significant contributions to planners’ understandings of disasters and inequity, it fails to center community knowledge, identify intersectional oppressions and name them as such and encourage community activism, all of which are keys to making meaningful change.
‘I have learnt to love the child and give opportunities to play with peers’: A feasibility study of the training programme to support parents of young children with visual impairment in Malawi
Authors: Lynch Paul , Gladstone Melissa , McLinden Michael , Douglas Graeme , Jolley Emma , Schmidt Elena , Chimoyo Josephine
Published: March 2018

This is a first mixed-methods study, which created, adapted and tested the feasibility of a training programme targeted at parents, community professionals, specialist teachers and volunteers to provide advice on developmental stimulation for children with visual impairment in their homes in rural and urban settings of Malawi. The study followed guidance from the Medical Research Council Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions and drew on a bioecological model to help understand the feasibility of a new intervention in Malawi for 30 children with visual impairment and their carers in three districts of Southern Malawi. We trained 14 community workers and specialist teachers, then piloted the programme, which we linked to Care for Child Development (a World Health Organization/United Nations Children’s training package), over 6 months. In total, 10 observations were carried out to measure fidelity of the intervention at the child’s home. Acceptability was accessed through 20 post-intervention interviews and a focus group discussion with carers. Findings show that the new programme enabled workers and parents to be more positive towards their children with disabilities, improving relationships and responsiveness in their interactions. Drawing on the findings of the feasibility study, outcomes identified for a trial include measures of communication, child development, family care environment, participation and inclusion. This study has significance in providing a methodology that can be drawn upon to develop similar training programmes for use with children with a wider range of disabilities. The article has particular relevance to institutions and organisations working in early childhood development in that it provides a model to aid the development of tailored training programmes for children with visual impairment. It puts forward a table of 10 key messages on how best to prepare young children with visual impairment for life at school and for life after school.
Pre-school numeracy play as a predictor of children’s attitudes towards mathematics at age 10
Authors: Clerkin Aidan , Gilligan Katie
Published: March 2018

Numeracy activities in early childhood have been linked to children’s mathematical performance in subsequent years. However, few studies have examined associations between early numeracy play and children’s subsequent attitudes towards mathematics. This study draws on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 assessment to provide a retrospective snapshot of pre-school numeracy play reported by the parents of 10-year-old children (N = 4560). Most children were found to have engaged frequently in some form of early numeracy activity. However, children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds had less regular engagement with numeracy play, while spatial play (e.g. building blocks) was less common among girls. The extent to which children engaged in pre-school numeracy play was significantly associated with greater confidence and (for children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds) liking of mathematics at age 10, controlling for other factors. The results highlight socioeconomic and gendered differences in children’s early activities about which policy-makers, educators and parents should be aware. They also suggest the potential role of numeracy play in fostering positive attitudes towards mathematics, which should be considered amid efforts to increase participation in science, technology, engineering and maths domains.
Power Up for Health: Pilot Study Outcomes of a Diabetes Prevention Program for Men from Disadvantaged Neighborhoods
Authors: Walker Elizabeth A. , Weiss Linda , Gary-Webb Tiffany L. , Realmuto Lindsey , Kamler Alexandra , Ravenell Joseph , Tejeda Carlos , Lukin Jennifer , Schechter Clyde B.
Published: March 2018

There is a significant evidence base for the Diabetes Prevention Program, a lifestyle intervention to prevent onset of type 2 diabetes among high-risk individuals; however, translation of this intervention for men has been challenging. This report presents outcomes of the pilot study of an adapted 16-week diabetes prevention program entitled “ Power Up for Health.” The study goal was to better engage men of color with prediabetes from disadvantaged neighborhoods of New York City. It was implemented at five different recreation centers located in predominantly low-income neighborhoods across New York City. The curriculum was facilitated by male lifestyle coaches only; one group was conducted in Spanish. Primary outcome was weight loss from baseline to 16 weeks. Other measures included lifestyle activities, depressive symptoms, and self-reported health status. Men ( N = 47) were screened by telephone. Of the 29 eligible men who began the program, 25 attended at least 4 sessions (52% non-Latino Black, 32% Latino, mean age 51.7 ± SD 9.9 years, mean body mass index 35 ± SD 6.9 kg/m2). End of program outcomes ( n = 23) varied by site and included a mean weight loss of 3.8% (9.7 lbs); 3 of the 5 sites had a mean weight loss of 5.6%, meeting the national goal of 5%–7%. Men ( n = 23) attended a mean of 11.6 of 16 sessions. Improvement in depressive symptoms, healthy eating and exercise, and health status were also seen. While recruitment was challenging with many lessons learned, the adapted men’s diabetes prevention program shows promise of success for participants and their coaches.
Predictors of Follow-Up Visits Post Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Khan Saira , Hicks Veronica , Rancilio Danielle , Langston Marvin , Richardson Katina , Drake Bettina F.
Published: March 2018

Long-term follow-up care among prostate cancer patients is important as biochemical recurrence can occur many years after diagnosis, with 20%–30% of men experiencing biochemical recurrence within 10 years of treatment. This study examined predictors of follow-up care among 1,158 radical prostatectomy patients, treated at the Washington University in St. Louis, within 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years post surgery. Predictors examined included age at surgery, race (Black vs. White), rural/urban status, education, marital status, and prostate cancer aggressiveness. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between the predictors and follow-up visits with a urologist in 6 months, the 1st year, and the 2nd year post surgery. In a secondary analysis, any follow-up visit with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test was included, regardless of provider type. Men that were Black ( 6 months OR: 0.60; 95% CI [0.36, 0.99], 1 year OR: 0.34; 95% CI [0.20, 0.59], 2 year OR: 0.41; 95% CI [0.25, 0.68]), resided in a rural residence ( 1 year OR: 0.61; 95% CI [0.44, 0.85], 2 year OR: 0.41; 95% CI [0.25, 0.68]), or were unmarried ( 2 year OR: 0.69; 95% CI [0.49, 0.97]) had a reduced odds of follow-up visits with a urologist. In models where any follow-up visit with a PSA test was examined, race remained a significant predictor of follow-up. The results indicate that Black men, men residing in a rural residence, and unmarried men may not receive adequate long-term follow-up care following radical prostatectomy. These men represent a high-risk group that could benefit from increased support post treatment.
Sensitive Inquiry in Mental Health
Authors: Paton Joy , Horsfall Debbie , Carrington Amie
Published: March 2018

This article presents an innovative tripartite approach for conducting safe and ethical ‘sensitive inquiry’ in the field of mental health recovery. The tripartite approach brings together the principles of recovery with trauma-informed practice and collective impact strategies. Together, these provide a framework for embedding and embodying recovery principles in research design and practice that empowers participants and ‘takes care’ of participants and researchers. The approach was effectively deployed in a 1-year qualitative arts–based study conducted with people living with severe and persistent mental illness. Its success was evident in the high retention rate of participants, despite their ongoing vulnerabilities, and in the elicitation of findings that expand current understandings of mental health recovery from the point of view of people with lived experience. In this article, we discuss the tripartite approach, how this was applied in the study, and what the design achieved in research outcomes and participant experience.
Onboard visual-based navigation system for power line following with UAV
Authors: Cerón Alexander , Mondragón Iván , Prieto Flavio
Published: March 2018

The details of an onboard visual-based navigation system that allows an unmanned aerial vehicle to perform power line following are presented in this article. A histogram of oriented segments method was developed to establish the main angle orientation of power lines. The histogram of oriented segment is also used to discard segments that are not power lines in the images. The components of the unmanned aerial vehicle flight system which include the platform configuration and the hardware used are also presented. A set of tests were designed to validate the methods and the overall system. The system was tested with a sequence of images taken from different perspectives in real inspection tasks. Tests were performed with images taken using an unmanned aerial vehicle with a camera, pointing vertically downward, and also using different kinds of cameras. The techniques developed for unmanned aerial vehicle navigation were employed over power lines using a multirotor. The results showed that a vision system based on the developed techniques is able to give important information to an unmanned aerial vehicle in order to perform autonomous flight missions.