bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of a cross-linking agent on the foamability of microcellular injection molded thermoplastic polyurethane
Authors: Kharbas Hrishikesh A , Ellingham Thomas , Manitiu Mihai , Scholz Guenter , Turng Lih-Sheng
Published: June 2016

Thermoplastic polyurethane is one of the most versatile thermoplastic materials being used in a myriad of industrial and commercial applications. Thermoplastic polyurethane foams are finding new applications in various industries including furniture, automotive, sportswear, and packaging because of their easy processability and desirable, customizable properties. Low bulk density and a good foam microstructure are important properties that affect the mechanical properties, economics, and performance of the final product. In this study, the effect of a cross-linking agent on the foamability of microcellular injection molded thermoplastic polyurethane was studied with an aim to reduce the bulk density while achieving a consistent microstructure. Gel permeation chromatography showed an increase in the weight average molecular weight by 5.0% with the addition of a cross-linking agent. Rheological studies on the materials showed that the addition of a cross-linking agent increased the storage modulus and viscosity, while reducing the tan δ value. Using microcellular injection molding, cross-linked thermoplastic polyurethane could be foamed to a minimum density of 0.159 g/cc at the higher end of the processing window, as compared with a minimum density of 0.193 g/cc for pure thermoplastic polyurethane foam. Scanning electron microscope analyses of the foamed parts showed a bimodal foam structure for thermoplastic polyurethane with a cross-linking agent and a more integral foam structure with less cell coalescence even at higher density reductions.
International Conventions and Nonstate Actors
Authors: Gleditsch Kristian Skrede , Hug Simon , Schubiger Livia Isabella , Wucherpfennig Julian
Published: June 2016

Whether international humanitarian norms are respected during and after civil conflict depends on the behavior of both governments and nonstate actors (NSAs). However, international conventions on the protection of civilians generally do not address NSAs, as such conventions are open only to the representatives of states. In a pioneering initiative, the nongovernmental organization Geneva Call has started to address this problem by soliciting NSAs to sign “deeds of commitment” to ban particular activities violating humanitarian norms. Focusing on the case of antipersonnel mines, we examine why NSAs would choose to sign conventions that limit their autonomy, and whether such conventions can change the behavior of governments and nonstate armed groups. We propose a game-theoretic model of how the interaction between governments and NSAs shape their incentives to commit to and comply with international humanitarian norms. Our empirical evidence highlights the importance of these interdependencies between governments and NSAs in the realm of humanitarian engagements.
A Reconsideration of the Instructional Affordances of Classroom Monitoring in English Language Learning
Authors: Towndrow Phillip A.
Published: June 2016

This article explores teachers’ classroom monitoring in English language learning and asks if it has a role to play beyond what we know and recognize as mainstream classroom management. As part of a larger study of pedagogical practices in classrooms in Singapore, researchers collected and analyzed videographic data on the types and subject-specific content of teachers’ monitoring activities. The findings showed that teachers mostly monitored for supervisory purposes to individuals within a limited set of language learning activities. Overall, there were few occurrences of classroom monitoring for formative purposes and in the subject-specific areas of creative and descriptive writing, expression, conveying information and persuasion. In conclusion, the article suggests that one way to broaden monitoring activities in classrooms would be through setting short- and long-term questioning as an instructional strategy.
Capturing moment-to-moment changes in multivariate human experience
Authors: De Ruiter Naomi M. P. , Van Der Steen Steffie , Den Hartigh Ruud J. R. , Van Geert Paul L. C.
Published: June 2016

In this article, we aim to shed light on a technique to study intra-individual variability that spans the time frame of seconds and minutes, i.e., micro-level development. This form of variability is omnipresent in behavioural development and processes of human experience, yet is often ignored in empirical studies, given a lack of proper analysis tools. The current article illustrates that a clustering technique called Kohonen’s Self-Organizing Maps (SOM), which is widely used in fields outside of psychology, is an accessible technique that can be used to capture intra-individual variability of multivariate data. We illustrate this technique with a case study involving self-experience in the context of a parent–adolescent interaction. We show that, with techniques such as SOM, it is possible to reveal how multiple components of an intra-individual process (the adolescent’s self-affect and autonomy) are non-linearly connected across time, and how these relationships transition in accordance with a changing contextual factor (parental connectedness) during a single interaction. We aim to inspire researchers to adopt this technique and explore the intra-individual variability of more developmental processes, across a variety of domains, as deciphering such micro-level processes is crucial for understanding the nature of psychological and behavioural development.
Strategies to Build Authorship Competence Among PhD Students
Authors: Conn Vicki S. , Jefferson Urmeka , Cohen Marlene Z. , Anderson Cindy M. , Killion Cheryl M. , Fahrenwald Nancy L. , Benefield Lazelle E. , Titler Marita , Topp Robert , Smith Carol E. , Loya Julio
Published: June 2016

Publication in refereed journals is an important responsibility of PhD-prepared nurses. Specialized writing skills are crucial for effective professional publication. The capacity to develop and publish articles is best learned during doctoral education. This Western Journal of Nursing Research Editorial Board Special Article addresses multi-dimensional strategies to develop authorship competence among doctoral students. The article outlines structured PhD program experiences to provide the context for students to develop authorship capacity. The authors identify multi-faceted faculty endeavors and student activities that are essential to foster authorship competence. Students who embrace opportunities to acquire authorship qualifications will be well prepared for their post-graduation role as stewards of the nursing discipline.
Post-cardiotomy open chest management. A single-unit experience
Authors: Haughey Niamh , Booth Karen , Parissis Haralabos
Published: June 2016

Objective

Post-cardiotomy open chest management is used either for salvage or as a planned therapeutic option in patients with low cardiac output, hemorrhage, or intractable arrhythmias. We reviewed our experience with these patients.

Methods

Over a 3-year period, 2534 adult cardiac patients were operated on and 35 (1.4%) had delayed sternal closure. The median age was 72 years (range 46–86 years) and mean logistic EuroSCORE I was 11.29 (range 1.33–84.99). The patients were divided into two groups: group A (22/35, 62.9%) left the operating room without sternal closure due to hemodynamic instability after coming off cardiopulmonary bypass; group B (13/35, 37.1%) had a resternotomy and sternal closure was delayed due to acute deterioration in the cardiac intensive care unit.

Results

The median intensive care unit stay was 17 days (range 2–70 days). Mortality was 25.7% (9 patients). All survivors were followed-up for at least 2 years, with a 2-year survival rate of 57.1%. Overall mortality was broadly similar in both groups. There was a high rate of postoperative complications in both groups, including chest sepsis (77%), liver failure (14.3), renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy (42.9%), sternal wound infection (28.6%), gut ischemia (2.9%), cerebrovascular accident (11.4), and multiorgan failure (31.4%).

Conclusions

Some may argue that open chest management is an acceptable salvage procedure, however, follow-up demonstrated significant adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events in a short period following discharge, thus delayed sternal closure is really a salvage procedure but useful in centers without access to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
Social media, risk and information governance
Authors: Haynes David
Published: June 2016

The use of social media by organizations forms an important component of the information landscape. However, social media governance is often overlooked even though its use needs to be managed in order to avoid some of its pitfalls. Risk management is one way of developing a strategy for regulating the use of social media by employees, and this article argues that it forms the basis for an effective information governance framework.
Respiratory muscle strength training and neuromuscular electrical stimulation in subacute dysphagic stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Guillén-Solà Anna , Messagi Sartor Monique , Bofill Soler Neus , Duarte Esther , Barrera Mª Camelia , Marco Ester
Published: June 2016

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness of inspiratory/expiratory muscle training (IEMT) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to improve dysphagia in stroke.

Design:

Prospective, single-blind, randomized-controlled trial.

Setting:

Tertiary public hospital.

Subjects:

Sixty-two patients with dysphagia were randomly assigned to standard swallow therapy (SST) (Group I, controls, n=21), SST+ IEMT (Group II, n=21) or SST+ sham IEMT+ NMES (Group III, n=20).

Interventions:

All patients followed a 3-week standard multidisciplinary rehabilitation program of SST and speech therapy. The SST+IEMT group’s muscle training consisted of 5 sets/10 repetitions, twice-daily, 5 days/week. Group III’s sham IEMT required no effort; NMES consisted of 40-minute sessions, 5 days/week, at 80Hz.

Main outcomes:

Dysphagia severity, assessed by Penetration-Aspiration Scale, and respiratory muscle strength (maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures) at the end of intervention and 3-month follow-up.

Results:

Maximal respiratory pressures were most improved in Group II: treatment effect was 12.9 (95% confidence interval 4.5-21.2) and 19.3 (95% confidence interval 8.5-30.3) for maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures, respectively. Swallowing security signs were improved in Groups II and III at the end of intervention. No differences in Penetration-Aspiration Scale or respiratory complications were detected between the 3 groups at 3-month follow-up.

Conclusion:

Adding IEMT to SST was an effective, feasible, and safe approach that improved respiratory muscle strength. Both IEMT and NMES were associated with improvement in pharyngeal swallowing security signs at the end of the intervention, but the effect did not persist at 3-month follow-up and no differences in respiratory complications were detected between treatment groups and controls.
Crib song: Insights into functions of toddlers’ private spontaneous singing
Authors: Sole Meryl
Published: June 2016

The aim of this study was to investigate, describe and understand the developmental function (musical and social/emotional) of nine toddlers’ private spontaneous songs. Between the initial interviews with the eight families and follow-up interviews 5 to 6 weeks later, parents observed their child at home twice a week for 4 consecutive weeks. When the child was alone at bedtime, the parents stood outside the bedroom door and completed a written Parent’s Observation and Reflection Form (PORF) describing and contextualizing what they heard on a minute-by-minute basis for the first 15 minutes of each session. Additionally, the parents collected audio recordings of the eight sessions using a smartphone that they placed inside the child’s room. Data sources included transcripts from family interviews, field notes, PORFs, and audio recordings. Findings suggest that many of the toddlers used solitary spontaneous singing at bedtime as a way to demonstrate and practice musical skill, reflect, experiment, self-soothe, and understand their own worlds. Spontaneous singing functioned to support these adaptive strategies during this intense developmental period. Further research is needed to understand the conditions and varieties of toddlers’ private spontaneous crib song.
Elevated temperature forming limit strain diagrams of automotive alloys Al6014-T4 and DP600: A case study
Authors: Saxena Krishna Kumar , Drotleff Klaus , Mukhopadhyay Jyoti
Published: June 2016

The press formability of the automotive materials such as aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys and steels is influenced by forming temperatures. While adjusting the temperature level of die, punch and binder, the lightweight materials can successfully be formed, especially for complex automotive body parts. The objective of this case study is to determine the forming limit curves of Al6014 and DP600 alloy sheet at elevated temperatures in specific range of 200 °C and 250 °C suitable for press operation in long-run production cycles. The focus is set on Al6014 and DP600 as these two materials are widely used in automotive panels due to their high strength and lightweight and improved resistance to corrosion. DP600 is sometimes preheated before forming to avoid cracks. Thus, it is essential to study the effect of preheating temperature on the formability. Experiments were conducted at forming temperatures of 200 °C and 250 °C and at low punch speed. The measurement of train distribution was carried out online using digital image correlation with the optical deformation measurement system GOM Aramis. Both Al6014 and DP600 alloys were found to have good drawability and stretchability. It was found that for Al6014, the forming limit curve level increases with temperature. On the contrary, DP600 showed slight decrease in the level of forming limit curve as temperature was increased. Warm formability for these alloys was further characterized through part depth and percentage thinning measurements.
Efficacy of a Subacromial Corticosteroid Injection for Persistent Pain After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair
Authors: Shin Sang-Jin , Do Nam-Hoon , Lee Juyeob , Ko Young-Won
Published: June 2016

Background:

Corticosteroid injections have been widely used for reducing shoulder pain. However, catastrophic complications induced by corticosteroid such as infections and tendon degeneration have made surgeons hesitant to use a corticosteroid injection as a pain control modality, especially during the postoperative recovery phase.

Purpose:

To determine the effectiveness and safety of a subacromial corticosteroid injection for persistent pain control during the recovery period and to analyze the factors causing persistent pain after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A total of 458 patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair were included in this study. Patient-specific parameters, tear size and pattern, and pain intensity were reviewed. Seventy-two patients were administered a postoperative subacromial corticosteroid injection under ultrasound guidance. The corticosteroid injection was administered to patients who awakened overnight because of constant severe shoulder pain or whose pain was exacerbated at the time of rehabilitation exercises within 8 weeks after surgery. Pain intensity, patient satisfaction, and functional outcomes using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) and Constant scores were compared between the patients with and without a subacromial corticosteroid injection. The retear rate was evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging at 6 months postoperatively.

Results:

In patients with an injection, the mean (±SD) visual analog scale for pain (pVAS) score was 7.7 ± 1.2 at the time of the injection. This significantly decreased to 2.3 ± 1.4 at the end of the first month after the injection, demonstrating a 70.2% reduction in pain ( P < .01). At 3 months after the injection, the mean pVAS score was 1.2 ± 1.8. Functional outcomes at final follow-up showed no significant differences between patients with and without an injection (ASES score: 90.1 ± 14.6 with injection, 91.9 ± 8.2 without injection [ P = .91]; Constant score: 89.1 ± 12.9 with injection, 84.5 ± 13.0 without injection [ P = .17]). Patients with an injection showed no significant increase in the retear rate (6.8% with injection, 18.4% without injection; P = .06). According to the tear pattern, L-shaped rotator cuff tears (41.8%) showed a higher occurrence of severe postoperative persistent pain. Preoperative shoulder stiffness was revealed as a predisposing factor for persistent pain (odds ratio, 0.2; P = .04).

Conclusion:

A subacromial corticosteroid injection can be considered as a useful and safe modality for the treatment of patients having severe persistent pain during the recovery phase after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.
Client engagement in home and community care services
Authors: Kirst Maritt , Elmi Arij , Ray-Daniels Mila , Foster Jennifer
Published: June 2016

A recent study of two Community Care Access Centres in Ontario was conducted to look at how clients can be involved in their own care while, at the same time, enhance their experience overall. This article describes that study and looks at ways of developing a new client engagement strategy moving forward.
On the Margins of Marginalized
Authors: Kattari Shanna K. , Begun Stephanie
Published: June 2016

Transgender and gender-nonconforming (GNC) individuals experience homelessness at higher rates compared to the broader population, with many directly attributing homelessness to their transgender/GNC identities. Homeless individuals often engage in survival sex in exchange for food, housing, and other basic necessities. Few research efforts, however, have examined survival sex specifically among homeless transgender/GNC populations. Utilizing the 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey ( N = 6,454), this exploratory study analyzes relationships between homelessness and survival sex among transgender/GNC individuals. Results suggest these individuals experience homelessness at high rates, and their engagement in survival sex is associated with homelessness. Implications for social work are subsequently discussed.
Lisinopril-Induced Alopecia: A Case Report
Authors: Kataria Vivek , Wang Hueyyoung , Wald Joyce W. , Phan Yvonne L.
Published: June 2016

The American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association (ACCF/AHA) guidelines consider angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors as one of the mainstay therapies in the management of heart failure. The widespread use of ACE inhibitors has been associated with several notable adverse effects such as hyperkalemia and an increased serum creatinine. There are no previous reports of alopecia associated with lisinopril use; however, a few previous cases of alopecia associated with other ACE inhibitors exist. This report discusses a case of lisinopril-induced alopecia of a 53-year-old male presenting to our outpatient heart failure clinic with a chief complaint of a new onset of alopecia. Upon evaluation, it was suspected that the patient’s alopecia was likely medication induced by lisinopril; therefore, lisinopril was discontinued and switched to an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), losartan potassium. Alopecia resolved in 4 weeks after the therapeutic intervention. Our report suggests that the patient likely experienced a medication-induced alopecia, which was successfully resolved through proper identification and removal of the causative agent. Causality assessment between lisinopril and alopecia was determined using the Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale—a total score of 6 was achieved and thus identified the adverse drug reaction as probable. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility that lisinopril may be an offending agent in a patient with unexplained alopecia.
China’s changing environmental governance: Enforcement, compliance and conflict resolution mechanisms for public participation
Authors: Grano Simona A.
Published: June 2016

For more than two decades, under the imperative of ‘developing the country at all costs’, local governments in China have allowed developers and industrialists to set up polluting industries which have had deleterious effects on citizens’ health and the natural environment. However, China appears to have entered a new phase of determined and concerted efforts on the part of both the authorities and the public to tackle environmental problems. The articles in this special issue of China Information examine the main strengths and weaknesses of China’s current system of environmental governance. The central questions linking the case studies reported here are concerned with whether and how environmental policies formulated at the central level are implemented at the local level and how different agents and interests, making use of the available legislative means, influence this implementation process. Engaging a range of political, economic, social and cultural perspectives, the five contributions in this collection concentrate on two broad issues: resolution mechanisms for public participation in environmental governance and the actual enforcement of environmental regulations.
Maintenance of bogie components through vibration inspection with intelligent wireless sensors: A case study on axle-boxes and wheel-sets using the empirical mode decomposition technique
Authors: Trilla Alexandre , Gratacòs Pau
Published: June 2016

The maintenance of bogie components, a critical aspect of railway maintenance, is difficult due to the confined underframe space. This makes it difficult to install traditional monitoring equipment, resulting in a labour-intensive process. Thus, a lot of time has to be expended to conduct these tests, which makes the process both tedious and expensive. Moreover, this approach is somewhat inadequate, since the tests can only be conducted at the depot and thus only when the trains are out of service. We have developed and deployed a non-intrusive solution based on a small wireless sensor network that can be easily installed on the different parts of the bogie and along the whole train. We have worked out a technique to discriminate between the various sources of vibration and can thus monitor the state of several components using only a few sensors. In this paper, we present a case study on how to maintain an axle-box and a wheel-set by attaching a single intelligent sensor to the bogie frame or the bearing cover and using the empirical mode decomposition technique to analyse the generated data. In light of the promising results obtained in this study, we suggest that the proposed approach can lead to a value-added predictive maintenance strategy as long as the test conditions are kept under control. However, we do highlight that the generalization of the approach relies on the flexibility of the system to adapt to new environments and operational scenarios.
Monitoring of strain of in-service railway switch rails through field experimentation
Authors: Cornish Andrew , Smith Roderick A , Dear John
Published: June 2016

In the financial year 2009/10, the Great Britain (GB) rail infrastructure manager, Network Rail, spent £32 million on the failures within switches and crossings. Approximately 53% of those failures occurred within the switch panel. In addition, two major incidents in GB in recent years have highlighted a lack of understanding of the loads and vibrations experienced by, and the consequent rates of deterioration of, switch panels. This paper describes work which has been undertaken to help improve understanding of in-service loads experienced by switch panels and their consequent deterioration rate. Field experimentation has been designed and installed on four sites around GB, with the same design of switch. The change in response to loading, and the rate of deterioration, of the switch panels at each site was monitored over time. The effect of the vehicles and the deterioration were analysed individually before a comparison between the four sites. The analysis from the strain gauge measurements showed that there was an increase in the variance and maximum strains generated on the stock rail with the switch closed compared to when the switch is open. Finite element analysis was used to validate variation recorded by the strain gauges under similar loads.
Holocene ice recession at Polygon Spur, Reedy Glacier, Antarctica
Authors: Hall Brenda , Bromley Gordon , Stone John , Conway Howard
Published: June 2016

The Holocene history of outlet glaciers affords information on the behavior and mechanisms controlling the extent of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Here, we present both new radiocarbon and recalculations of previously published cosmogenic exposure-age data that constrain Holocene ice dynamics along upper Reedy Glacier in the southernmost Transantarctic Mountains. Ice remained at or close to its last glacial maximum position until the early Holocene, at which time it underwent thinning. A period of apparent relative stability in the mid-Holocene led to the formation of ice-dammed proglacial ponds, as well as of moraines located roughly two-thirds of the distance from the maximum position to the present-day ice margin. Renewed thinning began after 3600 yr BP, with ice reaching present-day levels by 2400 yr BP. Ice variations along upper Reedy Glacier likely reflect the balance between upstream propagation of mechanical thinning events at the glacier mouth and regional accumulation changes.
Insecticide chlorpyrifos and fungicide carbendazim, common food contaminants mixture, induce hepatic, renal, and splenic oxidative damage in female rats
Authors: Abolaji AO , Awogbindin IO , Adedara IA , Farombi EO
Published: June 2016

The fungicide carbendazim (CBZ) and insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) are currently applied together by farmers for the control of pests. Here, we investigated the impacts of 7 days oral co-exposure to 10 mg/kg body weight of CPF and 50 mg/kg body weight of CBZ on selected oxidative stress and antioxidant biomarkers in the liver, kidney, and spleen of female rats. The results showed that while the body weight gain and relative organ weights were not significantly affected after separate exposure to CPF and CBZ, there was a significant decrease in the body weight gain with concomitant increases in the relative kidney and spleen weights of rats treated with the mixture. Also, CPF and CBZ co-exposure significantly increased the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea, and creatinine ( p < 0.05) when compared with the groups treated with CBZ or CPF alone and the control. The significant decreases in both antioxidant enzymes activities and nonenzymatic antioxidant level following individual administration of CPF and CBZ to rats were intensified in the co-exposure group ( p < 0.05). Additionally, the marked increases in the levels of oxidative stress indices in liver, kidney, and spleen of rats treated with CPF or CBZ alone were intensified in the co-exposure group ( p < 0.05). Histopathologically, co-exposure to CPF and CBZ exacerbates their individual effects on the liver, kidney, and spleen. These findings showed that co-exposure to CPF and CBZ in rats elicited more severe oxidative damage on the liver, kidney, and spleen of the rats, indicative of an additive effect compared to CPF or CBZ alone and as such, may pose a greater environmental risk to humans.
Agent based Model for Estimating HEVs Market: Focusing on the Case of Korea
Authors: Choi Jinho
Published: June 2016

In this article, I have studied the impact of vehicle prices, subsidies/penalties and tax incentives that affect the hybrid car market penetration in Korea. I have adopted an agent based modelling to analyse dynamic interaction between market participants. To derive the analytical results close to the current, realistic context of Korea, I have used real statistical data from government agencies and private institutions. The analysis results show that the investigated factors affect consumer-purchase. Especially, vehicle price change has highly significant influence on the market share of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in Korea. Subsidy/penalty policy of Korea turns out to have rather less effect on HEV penetration. Furthermore, unlike the research findings for other countries, fuel price changes do not nearly affect the penetration rate.
The Mediating Impact of Parental Support on the Relationship Between Personality and Career Indecision in Adolescents
Authors: Marcionetti Jenny , Rossier Jérôme
Published: June 2016

In the Swiss education system, approximately 55% of adolescents are required to make their first vocational choice at the end of mandatory school. This can induce transitory or long-lasting career indecision that is recognized as being influenced by personal and contextual factors. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationships between career decision-making difficulties and the five-factor model of personality traits, parental support, and self-esteem in 448 Grade 9 Swiss adolescents. We then proceeded to test if these relationships vary according to the adolescent’s educational choice (i.e., whether they attend high school or if they choose an apprenticeship or vocational training). Results have highlighted the importance of neuroticism, conscientiousness, and parental support to predict career decision-making difficulties. Moreover, parental support mediated the relationships between extraversion and agreeableness (fully) and between conscientiousness (partially) and career decision-making difficulties. Finally, the educational choice had no impact on the overall pattern of relationships. Implications for career counselor practices were further discussed.
A semi-active vehicle suspension based on pneumatic springs and magnetorheological dampers
Authors: Morales Angel L , Nieto Antonio J , Chicharro José M , Pintado Publio
Published: June 2016

Semi-active and active suspensions can improve both ride comfort and handling compared to passive suspensions. The authors have proposed a suspension comprising a pneumatic system capable of changing the stiffness of the suspension and a semi-active magnetorheological damper capable of controlling the suspension damping. Eight configurations of this magnetorheological/pneumatic suspension result from combining two possible stiffnesses (compliant and stiff) and four possible means of producing damping (constant low, constant high, on-off skyhook control and on-off balance control). The minimization of a cost function, which considers both ride comfort and handling, leads to decision maps which indicate the most appropriate configuration depending on vehicle velocity and two pieces of information about the road: the international roughness index and the curve radius. All this information can be gathered from a GPS system and toggling between set-ups is fast, efficient, and easily done by simply opening or closing pipes in the pneumatic system and modifying the current supply in the magnetorheological dampers. The proposed magnetorheological/pneumatic suspension achieves the same roll angle levels as in a comparable passive vehicle while improving ride comfort by reducing acceleration by up to 30%.
Identifying parametric variation in second-order system from frequency response measurement
Authors: Hegde A , Tang J
Published: June 2016

Fundamentally, second-order model is the foundation of describing the dynamic characteristics of many mechanical and electrical systems. This paper investigates a parametric identification scheme for single degree-of-freedom second-order model in which the model parameters are subject to normal variation. By utilizing frequency response magnitude and phase angle measurements, we construct a linear-in-the-parameters model and build a related maximum likelihood estimator for both parametric means as well as variances. The validity of the approach is demonstrated through a collection of case analyses, and the results show considerable levels of accuracy in the presence of sufficient data.
Remote home management for chronic kidney disease: A systematic review
Authors: He Ting , Liu Xing , Li Ying , Wu Qiaoyu , Liu Meilin , Yuan Hong
Published: June 2016

Background

Remote home management is a new healthcare model that uses information technology to enhance patients' self-management of disease in a home setting. This study is designed to identify the effects of remote home management on patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods

A comprehensive search of PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was performed in January 2015. The reference listings of the included articles in this review were also manually examined. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) designed to evaluate the effects of remote home management on patients with CKD were included.

Results

Eight trials were identified. The results of this study suggest that the quality of life (QOL) enabled by remote home management was higher than typical care in certain dimensions. However, the effects of remote home management on blood pressure (BP) remain inconclusive. The studies that assessed health service utilization demonstrated a significant decrease in hospital readmission, emergency room visits, and number of days in the hospital. Another favorable result of this study is that regardless of their gender, age or nationality, patients tend to comply with remote home management programs and the use of related technologies.

Conclusions

The available data indicate that remote home management may be a novel and effective disease management strategy for improving CKD patients' QOL and influencing their attitudes and behaviors. And, relatively little is known about BP and cost-effectiveness, so future research should focus on these two aspects for the entire population of patients with CKD.
Psychosocial presentation of female bariatric surgery patients after multiple revisional surgeries: A qualitative study
Authors: Janse Van Vuuren Michele , Strodl Esben , White Katherine M , Lockie Philip D
Published: June 2016

Bariatric surgery is currently the most viable and cost-effective treatment for obesity. This study aimed to understand, from a female patient’s perspective, what contributed to not achieving or maintaining excess weight loss from a primary laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery, leading to subsequent multiple revisional bariatric surgeries. The purposive sample of participants ( N = 17 females) were over 18 years, had a primary failed laparoscopic adjustable gastric band and had more than three revisional procedures. Participants were individually interviewed and data were analysed from a grounded theory methodology to build a causal model with the core category of unrealistic expectations of bariatric surgery and other important conceptual categories.
Good parents, bad parents: Rethinking family involvement in juvenile justice
Authors: Paik Leslie
Published: June 2016

This article proposes a new theoretical model for studying family involvement in youth delinquency cases in juvenile court. It argues that before we can assess the family’s effect on case outcomes, we must first have a clearer understanding about the process by which family involvement is formed to consider the myriad factors that go beyond the idea of a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ parent. Based on qualitative data on families in New York City Family Court, this article shows how family involvement is not a predetermined factor but rather, the result of the institutional process itself as shaped by the family’s interactions with court staff as well as the youths’ behaviors and interactions with parents and staff.
‘My health is my own business’: Radio, television and advice media in post-Mao China
Authors: Sun Wanning , Lei Wei
Published: June 2016

The withdrawal of state funding from public health care in post-Mao China has resulted in individuals taking responsibility for their own health. In this article, we first trace the emergence and development of the main health-related advice genres on radio and television during the latter half of the reform era (from the 1990s onwards). We then discuss the content, form and themes of health information and advice, first on radio and then on television. Drawing on interviews with radio and television producers and audience members, as well as a number of medical practitioners, we take an approach that is at once political-economic and cultural. Our intention is to uncover the distinctive challenges facing Chinese individuals as risk subjects, and the strategies they adopt in response, thus highlighting the major ways in which specific media and cultural forms and practices are constitutive of China’s unique journey to modernization.
Strengthening of moment-resisting frame using cable–cylinder bracing
Authors: Fanaie Nader , Aghajani Saeid , Afsar Dizaj Ebrahim
Published: June 2016

Cable–cylinder bracing (cable bracing system with central cylinder) is one of the modern bracing systems in which a pair of cables passes through a cylinder at their point of intersection. This research focuses on the seismic behaviour of moment-resisting frames which have been strengthened using cable–cylinder bracing. For this purpose, steel moment-resisting frames, with different numbers of storeys, were strengthened with two different types of cable bracing: cable cross-bracing and cable–cylinder bracing, and their seismic performances were compared. After performing verification, the original moment-resisting frames and those strengthened with cable–cylinder bracings and cable cross-bracings were subjected to the scaled records of six well-known earthquakes. The hysteresis, drift distribution and column axial force variation curves were plotted for the storeys at the height of the strengthened frames and compared to those of moment-resisting frames. Moreover, the energy dissipation values were also derived from the mentioned records. Based on the obtained results, the moment-resisting frames strengthened with cable–cylinder bracings performed much better compared to those strengthened by cable cross-bracing.
Effects of manikin model simplification on CFD predictions of thermal flow field around human bodies
Authors: Yan Yihuan , Li Xiangdong , Tu Jiyuan
Published: June 2016

Simplified computational thermal manikins are beneficial to the computational efficiency of computational fluid dynamics simulations. However, the criterion of how to simplify a computational thermal manikin is still absent. In this study, three simplified computational thermal manikins (CTMs 2, 3 and 4) were rebuilt based on a detailed 3D scanned manikin (CTM 1) using different simplification approaches. Computational fluid dynamics computations of the human thermal plume in a quiescent indoor environment were conducted. The predicted airflow field using CTM 1 agreed well with the experimental observations from the literature. Although the simplified computational thermal manikins did not significantly affect the airflow predictions in the bulk regions, they strongly influenced the predicted airflow patterns near the computational thermal manikins. The predictive error of the computational thermal manikin was strongly related to the simplification approach. The computational thermal manikins generated from the surface-smoothing approach (CTM 2) was very close to CTM 1, while the required mesh elements for a stable numerical solution dropped by over 75%. Comparatively, the predictive errors of CTMs 3 and 4 were considerable in the near-body regions. This study has illustrated the importance of keeping the key body features when simplifying a computational thermal manikin. The surface-smoothing-based simplification method was shown to be a promising approach.
Supernatural Creatures, Accidents, and War
Authors: Kruuse Kristiina , Kalmus Veronika
Published: June 2016

This study explored preschool children’s television-related fears through a general study of children’s television-viewing habits. Based on semi-structured interviews with eighteen Estonian preschoolers, the results showed that young children’s fears were represented not only in adult programs but also in seemingly child-friendly cartoons through which children tended to see the fictional story as real. However, children were not passive victims: they took an active role in diminishing their television-related fears by using various coping strategies, including peer mediation. These results support the notion that children are second-level mediators who share with their peers both their own experiences and what their parents have taught them about television.
Pastoral Care and Counseling with Military Families
Authors: Moon Zachary
Published: June 2016

The complex human experience of military service and the stress suffered by millions of military families each time a loved one deploys present unique challenges and opportunities in providing pastoral care and counseling. War and military service impact many facets of our society, as well as generational and interpersonal relationships. This article speaks to both academic and practitioner communities, and provides a vision for effective pastoral care and counseling with military families drawing on resources from family systems theory.
African-American Congregational Care and Counseling: Transcending Universal and Culturally-Specific Barriers
Authors: Armstrong Tonya D.
Published: June 2016

This article addresses two major African-American congregational care needs: (1) helping suffering people to access sustained mental health care, particularly in a large/mega-church; and (2) helping suffering people with multi-layered challenges to access appropriate, skilled care that transcends traditional barriers and is consistent with their faith. One model of congregational care is presented with concrete examples of how cultural, theological, and strategic concerns are discussed, with broad implications for diverse faith communities.
‘Is Grandma Still There?’ A Pastoral and Ethical Reflection on the Soul and Continuing Self-identity in Deeply Forgetful People
Authors: Post Stephen G.
Published: June 2016

This metaphysical and pastoral reflection focuses on a question that over several decades has been posed to me by many family caregivers for deeply forgetful people (persons with dementia). The question may take different forms: Is my loved one still there underneath all of this confusion? Is my loved one’s soul still present? Will she come to rest fully intact in the arms of a Supreme Being? Could she be ‘gone’ but already somewhere experiencing the fullness of divine love? This reflection provides a pastoral response to this big question that has to do with the need to find meaning in caring for deeply forgetful people.
Pneumaplasticity: Rewiring the Human Soul
Authors: Cherwien Karen Martinson
Published: June 2016

We human beings continue to wrestle with our identities as spiritual people, both individually and collectively. This article proposes a synthesized perspective on human spirituality, introducing the concept of pneumaplasticity, which allows us to move beyond the spiritual limits common to several major faith traditions to see how our spiritual selves can adapt and rewire to facilitate meaning-making and continued discernment of our ever-developing senses of identity and meaning. This concept is of particular value to professionals providing spiritual care in any setting.
Combinatorics and resource circuit–based enumeration of reachable states for S3PR
Authors: Hong Liang , Wang AnRong , Jing JunFeng , Li Xun , Zhang Lei
Published: June 2016

Reachability graphs can accurately reflect the state information of bounded Petri nets. However, the complexity of reachability graphs generation is exponential, which makes time waste and sometimes the computation may stop midway after a long time due to exhausted memory. Hence, this work presents combinatorics and resource circuit–based method to estimate the number of reachable states for a class of Petri nets–S3PR. First, by combinatorics, an upper bound of reachable states of an S3PR can be calculated. The upper bound is the sum of reachable states and unreachable states. Hence, the next step is to obtain the number of unreachable states. By analysis, it is found that there exists a close relationship between resource circuits and the unreachable states. Therefore, the number of unreachable states of an S3PR can be found by extracting all the resource circuits. Finally, the resulting number of subtracting the number of unreachable states from the upper bound is the expected result. In addition, example calculation and analysis are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Experimental investigation of wave-driven pore-water pressure and wave attenuation in a sandy seabed
Authors: Zhang Jisheng , Li Qianzhen , Ding Cong , Zheng Jinhai , Zhang Tiantian
Published: June 2016

Wave–seabed interaction has become a big concern of coastal researchers and engineers in the past decades as it may largely contribute to the seabed instability and failure of marine foundations. A series of laboratory experiments are carried out in a wave flume to study the wave-driven pore-water pressure in a sandy seabed and the attenuation of wave height. Waves propagating over a sandy seabed lead to oscillatory excess pore-water pressures within the porous seabed. Amplitude of pore-water pressure within the seabed decreases toward the bottom. A phase lag of pore-water pressure is clearly observed, and it contributes to net upward pressure related to seabed instability. Height of the incident wave is reduced as part of wave energy is dissipated by bottom friction, and a maximum attenuation of the incident wave height is up to 7.23% in the experiments. The influences of wave period and height of the incident wave on pore-water pressure and wave attenuation are also analyzed and discussed.
Theoretical and experimental studies on in-plane stiffness of container structure with holes
Authors: Zha Xiaoxiong , Zuo Yang
Published: June 2016

In practical engineering, the container building usually has an opening and stiffening process to meet the requirements of architectural design. So, the stiffness of the container with holes has been studied and stiffening member has been considered in the process of container stiffness enhancement. First, based on the paper “Theoretical and experimental studies on in-plane stiffness of integrated container structure,” the stiffness of corrugated sheet with window, door, and combined window has been derived and then the stiffness of corrugated sheet with above-mentioned holes has been derived. Thus, through stiffness distribution between frame and corrugated sheet, the stiffness of container with holes has been derived. Second, through finite element software of Abaqus, full-size container model with holes has been established and combined with stiffening members. Through simulation, the load–displacement curve has been got and then compared with theoretical analysis. Finally, through full-size 20- and 40-ft containers with holes and stiffening members, corresponding experimental verification has been done, and by comparison of load–displacement curve with theoretical analysis and finite element simulation, the front study has been verified. Research result has made feasible in design and construction of container building and provided some references to corresponding specification preparation.