bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impediment Profiling for Smoking Cessation: Results of a Pilot Study
Authors: O'Connell Meghan , Lucan Sean C. , Yeh Ming-Chin , Rodriguez Elaine , Shah Dipti , Chan Wendy , Katz David L. 
Published: November 2011

Objective. To test the effectiveness of a smoking cessation program based on “impediment profiling,” the elucidation of an individual participant's personal barriers, with provision of tailored interventions accordingly. Methods. A literature search was conducted to identify established impediments to smoking cessation. A long impediment profiler (LIP) was developed from validated survey instruments and used as a screening tool to identify individuals' barriers to quitting. Once barriers were identified, participants were assigned to up to seven interventions. Self-reported smoking cessation was confirmed with measurements of carbon monoxide concentrations in expired air of ≤10 ppm. Results. Nineteen adults participated in the pilot program. At the year 1 mark, 63.2% of the study population was smoke-free. The mean number of impediments of the study population was 3.5 ± 1.5. There was a negative association between subjects' quit status and the following impediments: stress (p = .0061), anxiety (p = .0445), and depression (p < .001). No single impediment was predictive of quit status. Conclusions. Impediment profiling as a basis for tailored smoking cessation intervention is associated with a high quit rate in this initial study, and it appears promising. Long-term follow-up is warranted, as is replication in a larger cohort with a concurrent control group.
Neighborhood Environment, Access to Places for Activity, and Leisure-Time Physical Activity in a Diverse North Carolina Population
Authors: Huston Sara L. , Evenson Kelly R. , Bors Philip , Gizlice Ziya 
Published: November 2011

Purpose. To examine associations between perceived neighborhood characteristics, access to places for activity, and leisure-time physical activity. Design. Cross-sectional telephone survey. Setting. Cabarrus, Henderson, Pitt, Robeson, Surry, and Wake counties in North Carolina. Subjects. Population-based sample of 1796 adults at least 18 years of age residing in the six counties. Measures. The 133-item questionnaire assessed self-reported leisure-time physical activity and perceptions of neighborhood characteristics (sidewalks, trails, heavy traffic, streetlights, unattended dogs, and safety from crime) and general access to places for physical activity. Results. Trails, streetlights, and access to places were positively associated with engaging in any leisure activity: unadjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]); 1.62 (1.09–2.41), 1.57 (1.14–2.17), and 2.94 (1.91–4.52), respectively. Trails and access to places were positively associated with engaging in the recommended amount of leisure activity: 1.49 (1.00–2.22), and 2.28 (1.30–4.00), respectively). In multivariable logistic regression modeling including environmental factors and demographics, access to places was associated with any activity (2.23 [1.44–3.44]) and recommended activity (2.15 [1.23–3.77]), and trails were associated with recommended activity (1.51 [1.00–2.28]). Conclusion. Certain neighborhood characteristics, particularly trails, and access to places for physical activity may be associated with leisure activity levels. In this study, perceived neighborhood environmental factors and access to places for physical activity were strongly associated with race, education, and income.
Assessing the Perceived Environment among Minimally Active Adolescent Girls: Validity and Relations to Physical Activity Outcomes
Authors: Dunton Genevieve Fridlund , Jamner Margaret Schneider , Cooper Dan Michael 
Published: November 2011

Purpose. This study examined how adolescents' perceptions of exercise resources in the environment relate to physical activity outcomes. Methods. Perceptions of the availability and use of environmental resources, vigorous physical activity (VIG), daily energy expenditure (KCAL), lifestyle activities (LA), and cardiovascular fitness (V̇O2peak) were assessed cross-sectionally among 87 minimally active adolescent girls (ages 14–17). To validate adolescent reports, the perceived availability of environmental resources was also assessed from 47 parents. Results. Adolescent-parent agreement over the availability of resources was modest for the home domain (r = .62, p < .001) and weak for the community domain ( r = .14, p > .05). Adolescents' perceptions of resource availability in both the home and community domains were positively associated with V̇O2peak ( p < .05) but unrelated to VIG, KCAL, and LA. Adolescents' use of home resources was positively correlated with both VIG and LA ( p < .05). Conclusion. Minimally active adolescent girls were more attuned to and likely to use the resources for physical activity located in their home environment as opposed to the community environment.
The Relationship between Convenience of Destinations and Walking Levels in Older Women
Authors: King Wendy C. , Brach Jennifer S. , Belle Steven , Killingsworth Richard , Fenton Mark , Kriska Andrea M. 
Published: November 2011

Purpose. To examine the relationship between physical activity and (1) convenience of destinations, measured by whether destinations (such as a park, trail, businesses, and services) are within walking distance of the home, and (2) participants' perception of the quality of their neighborhood surroundings for walking, captured with a global neighborhood “walkability” rating. Design. Cross-sectional analysis of data obtained in 1999. Setting. Community in southwest Pennsylvania. Subjects. Older Caucasian women (n = 149, mean age = 74.2 years). Response rate = 79%. Measures. Walking levels, leisure-time physical activity, and features of the neighborhood environment were measured with interviewer-administered questionnaires. Physical activity was also measured objectively with a pedometer. Results. Living within walking distance (defined as within a 20-minute walk of home) of a park; biking or walking trail; or department, discount, or hardware store was related to higher pedometer readings ( p < .01). In addition, there was a positive trend between the sum of destinations within walking distance of home and activity levels measured by pedometer and questionnaire ( p < .01). There was also a positive trend between participants' neighborhood “walkability” rating and activity levels measured by pedometer and questionnaire ( p < .01). Conclusion. These findings suggest that the ability to make utilitarian walking trips from home and the perception of having favorable neighborhood surroundings for walking are associated with increased physical activity levels in older women.
Environmental Correlates of Physical Activity in a Sample of Belgian Adults
Authors: De Bourdeaudhuij Ilse , Sallis James F. , Saelens Brian E. 
Published: November 2011

Purpose. This study investigated the variance in sitting, walking, and moderate and vigorous physical activity explained by neighborhood design and recreational environmental variables above and beyond the variance accounted for by individual demographic variables. Design. Cross-sectional analyses of self-reported survey data. Setting. A random sample of inhabitants of Ghent, Belgium, aged 18–65 years, was drawn. Subjects. Five hundred twenty-one adults completed questionnaires (52.1% response rate). The average age of the sample was 41 years, and 48.2% were female. Measures. A questionnaire developed to assess neighborhood design and recreational environmental variables with a total of 81 items was administered. The environmental questionnaire showed acceptable to good reliability and acceptable validity. The previously validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to quantify physical activity in the past 7 days. Additional demographic information was also obtained. Results. Regression analyses showed that environmental variables were related to all types of physical activity in both sexes. However, the range of variance explained by the models including demographic and environmental variables was low, only 5% to 13%. Minutes of walking and of moderate-intensity activity were related to quality of sidewalks and accessibility of shopping and public transportation. Vigorous physical activity was related to presence of activity supplies in the home and number of convenient activity facilities outside the home. Conclusions. Both neighborhood design and recreational environment variables had small but significant associations with multiple types of physical activity in a sample of Belgian adults.
Pattern of Medical Charges after Quitting Smoking among Those with and without Arthritis, Allergies, or Back Pain
Authors: Musich Shirley , Faruzzi Stephanie D. , Lu Chifung , McDonald Timothy , Hirschland David , Edington Dee W. 
Published: November 2011

Purpose. To examine the time frame of changes in medical charges after smoking cessation among (1) those with arthritis, allergies, or back pain and (2) those with none of these chronic conditions. Design. Cross-sectional study using smoking status determined in 1996 and 4-year average medical charges measured from 1996 to 1999. Setting. Nationwide manufacturing corporation (General Motors Corporation). Subjects. A total of 20,332 employees and spouses who completed a health risk appraisal in 1996 were younger than 64 years, were enrolled in indemnity or preferred provider organization health insurance plans during 1996 to 1999, and self-reported no preexisting primary diseases. Measures. Participants were categorized according to 1996 self-reported smoking status into six subgroups: current smokers, former smokers by years since cessation (0–4, 5–9, 10–14, and ≥ 15 years), and never smokers. Average annual medical charges (1996–1999) among those with chronic conditions (arthritis, allergies, or back pain; N = 11,921) or without chronic conditions (N = 8411) were examined independently. Never smokers in each group were compared to respective smoker and former smoker subgroups. Results. Current smokers and former smokers without chronic conditions who quit fewer than 5 years earlier had higher medical charges compared with never smokers ($2613 and $3356 vs. $2203, respectively). Among those with chronic conditions, current smokers, former smokers who quit 0 to 4 years ago, and former smokers who quit 5 to 9 years ago had higher medical charges than never smokers ($4208, $4027, and $4050 vs. $3108, respectively). Conclusions. It took approximately 5 years for former smokers without chronic conditions and nearly 10 years for former smokers with chronic conditions to reduce their medical charges to levels close to their respective never smokers. Health promotion practitioners and other decision makers should consider the impact of chronic conditions on the course of medical savings when implementing smoking cessation programs at the worksite.
2 - Developmental Local Government in Post-Apartheid South Africa? A Feminist Rethinking of the State and Development in the Context of Neo-liberalism
Authors: Samson Melanie 
Published: November 2011

Neoliberal dictates and structural adjustment policies have denuded African states and attempted to limit their role to enabling the building and functioning of markets. These policies have failed to promote development, exacerbated gender inequities, and deepened Africa’s entanglement within exploitative imperialist economic relations. There is, therefore, a pressing need to re-establish a proactive, developmental role for the state in Africa. This article argues that in the current conjuncture such a project must be grounded in a radical reconceptualisation of both development and the state. Previous statist theo- ries of development erred in casting development as a set of outcomes to be delivered by the state to a passive population. Due to their inattentiveness to gender they also reproduced and exacerbated exploitative gender relations. The article argues that in a context where it is difficult to even imagine an alternative to neoliberalism, development should be redefined as building collective capac- ity to envision, create and struggle for a society and economy free of gender, racial and class exploitation. The state must be reconfigured so that it is both strengthened by and helps to build collective capacity through processes of participatory democracy attentive to addressing and overcoming the mutually constituting structural inequalities of gender, race and class.
Amidst the continent-wide retreat of the state from an active role in the development process, the post-apartheid South African policy of ‘developmen- tal local government’ would seem to be grounded in just such a retheorization of the state and development. The policy establishes that the local government must promote development, redress apartheid inequalities and be participatory and gender sensitive. The article argues however that the South African ap- proach is compromised by three fundamental weaknesses at the level of policy formulation. These pertain to the liberal conceptualisation of participation, the reduction of commitments to gender transformation to a focus on the participa- tion of women, and the endorsement of a contracting vision for the local state which eliminates an active role for either the state or the citizenry in the develop- ment process. The article concludes by exploring more successful attempts at gender transformative, participatory approaches to governance and development in other parts of the world and reflecting on the challenges to pursuing them in the South African context.
Energy efficient and controlled flow processing under microwave heating by using a millireactor–heat exchanger
Authors: Patil N. G. , Hermans A.I.G. , Benaskar F. , Meuldijk J. , A. Hulshof L. , Hessel V. , Schouten J. C. , Rebrov E.V. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractA continuously operated microwave heated millireactor setup has been developed for performing reactions of highly microwave absorbing media in a controlled and energy efficient manner. The setup consists of a tubular reactor integrated with a heat exchanger. A microwave transparent liquid was used as coolant to extract the excess heat from the reaction mixture, thus controlling the temperature of the reaction mixture by avoiding overshoots and subsequent boiling. A reactor‐heat exchanger shell and tube unit with a diameter of the inner tube of 3·10−3 m and a shell of 7·10−3 m inner diameter has been manufactured in quartz. The unit size was defined based on simulation with a heat‐transfer model for the microwave cavity part. Microwave heating was incorporated as a volumetric heating source term using the temperature‐dependent dielectric properties of the liquid. Model predictions were validated with measurements for a range of 0.167·10−6 to 1.67·10−6 m3/s flow rates of coolant. The outlet temperature of both the reaction mixture and the coolant, were predicted accurately (tolerance of 3 K), and the process window was determined. The model for the reactor part provided the required length of the reactor for a hetero‐geneously catalyzed esterification reaction. The predicted conversions, based on the obtained temperature profile in the reactor packed with the catalyst bed, known residence times and kinetics of the esterification reaction, were found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. Efficient utilization of microwave energy with heat recovery up to 20% of the total absorbed microwave power and heating efficiencies up to 96% were achieved. It has been demonstrated that the microwave heating combined with millireactor flow processing provides controlled and energy efficient operation thus making it a viable option for a fine chemical production scale of 1 kg/day (24 h period). © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 3144–3155, 2012
Maternal cortisol disproportionately impacts fetal growth in male offspring: Evidence from the philippines
Authors: Thayer Zaneta M. , Feranil Alan B. , Kuzawa Christopher W. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractObjectives:Lower birth weight (BW) reoccurs across generations, but the intermediate mechanisms remain poorly understood. One potential pathway involves cortisol, which may be elevated in women born small and in turn could lead to fetal growth restriction in offspring. To test this possibility, we evaluated whether BW predicts hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) function in the nonpregnant state in a cohort of young Filipino women, and whether differences in HPA function predict offspring BW.Methods:Multiple regression relating maternal BW, adult salivary cortisol profiles and recalled offspring BW (N = 488) among participants of the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey.Results:Maternal BW related inversely to evening cortisol in adulthood (P < 0.04). Maternal BW and evening cortisol were both stronger predictors of male than of female BW (maternal BW: P < 0.0001 for males; P = 0.07 for females; bedtime cortisol: P = 0.003 for males; P = 0.3 for females). Waking and 30‐min postwaking cortisol did not predict offspring BW. Controlling for evening cortisol did not diminish the relationship between maternal and offspring BW in males or females.Conclusions:Being born small predicted higher evening cortisol in adulthood among these young mothers. Lower maternal BW and elevated evening cortisol independently predicted giving birth to lower BW offspring, with effects greatest and only significant among males. We speculate that sex differences in sensitivity to maternal stress hormones could help explain the stronger relationships between BW and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors reported among the males in this and other populations. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Musculoskeletal symptoms and associated risk factors in a large sample of Chinese workers in henan province of China
Authors: Yu Shanfa , Lu Ming‐Lun , Gu Guizhen , Zhou Wenhui , He Lihua , Wang Sheng 
Published: November 2011

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the one‐year prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and associated risk factors in a large sample of Chinese workers in various industrial settings.MethodsA total of 5,338 (3,632 males and 1,706 females) workers from 13 companies participated in this study. Musculoskeletal symptoms in different body regions in the previous year and their risk factors were assessed by a self‐reported questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the individual, work‐related physical and psychosocial risk factors for the musculoskeletal symptoms.ResultsThe most commonly affected body regions among the workers were lower back (59.7%), neck (48.6%), shoulders (38.8%), and wrists (33.5%). Female workers had greater prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck, shoulders, and wrists than male workers. Results of multivariate analyses indicated that individual, work‐related physical and psychosocial factors were associated with the musculoskeletal symptoms.ConclusionThe results suggest that interventions aimed at reducing musculoskeletal symptoms in the Chinese working population should take into account multiple risk areas including individual, physical job characteristics and work‐related psychosocial factors. Am. J. Ind. Med. 55:281–293, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Biodegradable blends based on polyvinyl pyrrolidone for insulation purposes
Authors: El‐Houssiny A. S. , Ward A. A. M. , Mansour S. H. , Abd‐ El‐ Messieh S. L. 
Published: November 2011

AbstractPolyvinyl pyrrolidone/polyvinyl alcohol (PVP/PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone/starch (PVP/St) blends were prepared with different compositions. The compatibility studies indicate that PVP/PVA is compatible while PVP/St is incompatible. The addition of glycerol and glutaraldehyde can improve to some extent the phase separation behavior between PVP and St. The permittivity ε′ and the dielectric loss ε″ were measured in the frequency range 0.01 Hz up to 10 MHz and temperatures from 30 up to 90°C. It is found that the blend ratio (50/50) of both investigated systems is preferable for insulation purposes in comparable with the other blends under investigation. The data of the loss electric modulus M″ was calculated from the dielectric parameters ε′ and ε″and analyzed into three relaxation mechanisms ascribing the cooperative motion of the main and side chains τ1 (αβ), the side chain motion τ2 (β) and the segmental motion of the groups attached to the side chains τ3 (βγ). The activation energy corresponds to the second relaxation process ΔH2 was calculated using Arrhenius equation and found to be in the range which justifies the presumption of β‐relaxation process. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
The invisibility of science publications in hebrew: A comparative database study
Authors: Gordon Avishag 
Published: November 2011

AbstractSince the end of World War II, the English language has become the lingua franca of science publications worldwide. Science publications written in other languages do not gain the same exposure to the international scientific community as does the material in English. In this sense, non‐English articles constitute an “invisible science” for the rest of the scientific world. This study compares publications indexed in the academic‐oriented Hebrew Index of Periodicals (IHP) database with those in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) in order to document the amount of scientific material published in Israel, where Hebrew is the native language. Except for abstracts, which are sometimes given in English, as well as Hebrew, and therefore provide some idea of a paper's content, most of this research remains hidden from the international scientific community. The SCIE and IHP databases for our examination cover the three grand disciplines: the exact and life sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Additionally, the study probes the coverage of medical publications in the two databases. The difference between old and emerging disciplines in the use of a language other than Hebrew is observed and non‐English citation patterns for various disciplines are examined. The results confirm the dominance of English as the lingua franca of science and point to the large number of scientific studies in Hebrew that lack international exposure.
Bioreactor controlled by PI algorithm and operated with a perfusion chamber to support endothelial cell survival and proliferation
Authors: Shkilnyy Andriy , Dubois Justin , Sabra Georges , Sharp Jamie , Gagnon Serge , Proulx Pierre , Vermette Patrick 
Published: November 2011

AbstractThis paper reports the optimization of a perfusion bioreactor system previously reported by us (Chouinard et al., 2009). The implementation of a proportional–integral (PI) controller algorithm to control oxygen concentration and pH is presented and discussed. P and I values used by the controller were first estimated using a First‐Order‐Plus‐Dead‐Time (FOPDT, Matlab Simulink) and then tuned manually. A new gas exchanger design compatible with the PI controller was introduced and validated to decrease interaction between the injected gases and overall inertia of the system. The gas exchanger was used to adjust both pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration. This new bioreactor system allowed real‐time PI control over pH and DO concentration at different flow rates (from 2 to 70 mL min−1). Cell viability and proliferation were investigated to validate the updated bioreactor design and performance. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:1305–1313. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.