bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decentralized governance or passing the buck: the case of resident welfare associations at resettlement sites, Ahmedabad, India
Authors: Mahadevia Darshini , Bhatia Neha , Bhatt Bijal
Published: November 2015

This paper describes the very large numbers of low-income households displaced by development or infrastructure projects in Ahmedabad and their relocation by city government to housing on resettlement sites. It discusses the involvement of the Mahila Housing SEWA Trust (MHT) in setting up the required resident welfare associations (RWAs) in eight of these resettlement sites and the difficulties MHT faced in getting residents to follow the many time-consuming procedures that were necessary. Constraints included distrust by residents of the government agencies and the lack of social networks or leadership structures in the resettlement sites resulting from the housing allocation process, which did not keep neighbours or communities together. The city government’s objective for the RWAs was not to support participatory governance or facilitate improvements in the lives of resettled dwellers but to pass on the costs, maintenance and management responsibilities of the resettlement sites to these associations.
Testing for latent tuberculosis infection using interferon gamma release assays in commercial sex workers at an outreach clinic in Birmingham
Authors: Daly R , Khatib N , Larkins A , Dedicoat M
Published: November 2015

This report demonstrates that using interferon gamma release assays to screen for latent tuberculosis infection in female commercial sex workers in an outreach sexual health clinic is feasible and acceptable. Routine interferon gamma release assay use successfully identified high numbers of latent tuberculosis infection. Innovative approaches to treatment and follow up were required to improve treatment adherence in this group. Direct observation of therapy within the sexual health clinic was also feasible. Successful follow up was dependent on the support of outreach workers, interpreters and tuberculosis nurses.
Print-Speech Convergence Predicts Future Reading Outcomes in Early Readers
Authors: Preston Jonathan L. , Molfese Peter J. , Frost Stephen J. , Mencl W. Einar , Fulbright Robert K. , Hoeft Fumiko , Landi Nicole , Shankweiler Donald , Pugh Kenneth R.
Published: November 2015

Becoming a skilled reader requires building a functional neurocircuitry for printed-language processing that integrates with spoken-language-processing networks. In this longitudinal study, functional MRI (fMRI) was used to examine convergent activation for printed and spoken language (print-speech coactivation) in selected regions implicated in printed-language processing (the reading network). We found that print-speech coactivation across the left-hemisphere reading network in beginning readers predicted reading achievement 2 years later beyond the effects of brain activity for either modality alone; moreover, coactivation effects accounted for variance in later reading after controlling for initial reading performance. Within the reading network, effects of coactivation were significant in bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and left inferior parietal cortex and fusiform gyrus. The contribution of left and right IFG differed, with more coactivation in left IFG predicting better achievement but more coactivation in right IFG predicting poorer achievement. Findings point to the centrality of print-speech convergence in building an efficient reading circuitry in children.
Pronounced variations in Fagus grandifolia abundances in the Great Lakes region during the Holocene
Authors: Wang Yue , Gill Jacquelyn L. , Marsicek Jeremiah , Dierking Anna , Shuman Bryan , Williams John W
Published: November 2015

Mesic tree species such as Fagus grandifolia and Tsuga canadensis experienced multiple abundance declines in eastern North America during the last 8000 years, but the causes remain unclear. This paper presents a new sub-centennial record of Holocene vegetation, fire and sedimentological changes at Spicer Lake, IN, to test hypotheses about the role of fire and hydrological variations on shifts in vegetation composition. Four pollen zones are reported: Abies–Picea forests (15–11.8 ka BP), Pinus-dominated mixed forest (11.8–10.6 ka BP), transitional mixed forest (10.6–6.8 ka BP), and deciduous forest characterized by the expansion and high variability of F. grandifolia (after 6.8 ka BP). Macroscopic charcoal indicates five to seven fires between 6.1 and 4.4 ka BP and no fires between 4.4 and 2 ka BP, despite several large declines in F. grandifolia, and more fires after 1.8 ka BP likely linked to declining F. grandifolia abundances after 1.1 ka BP. Six peaks in mineralogenic sediments are suggestive of hydroclimate variability, but do not consistently correspond to shifts in F. grandifolia abundances. A Bayesian change-point analysis of 15 regional F. grandifolia pollen records identifies peak probabilities of events at 4.8 and 1.1 ka BP, similar in timing to variations in T. canadensis at other sites. Hence, fire can be ruled out as a driver of the mid-Holocene declines of F. grandifolia, but more work is needed to confidently establish the regional timing of F. grandifolia declines and to link them to past droughts and T. canadensis declines in eastern North America.
Financial literacy education in the United States: Exploring popular personal finance literature
Authors: Faulkner Ashley E.
Published: November 2015

As libraries work to define their roles within the global financial literacy education movement, it will serve them well to understand the popular literary component to this movement: the personal finance self-help genre. In this literature study, the author read 12 of the most popular books of this genre, as determined by simulations of likely Google searches, and conveys herein some of the beliefs and strategies these books may have imparted to library patrons. This study will benefit librarians by enhancing their understanding of the personal finance genre, conveying the genre’s interrelation to the current financial literacy movement, and even prompting librarians to question their own understanding regarding certain financial literacy components.
Validation of the Japanese version of the Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire that includes physician-based assessments in a large observational cohort
Authors: Okamoto Y , Katsumata Y , Baba S , Kawaguchi Y , Gono T , Hanaoka M , Kawasumi H , Yamanaka H
Published: November 2015

The Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire (SLAQ) is a patient-reported outcome for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We aimed to translate it into Japanese and further investigate its validity and reliability. The English version of the SLAQ was translated into Japanese and administered to Japanese SLE patients at our university clinic. Physicians assessed disease activity using the SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K). The patients were prospectively followed for repeat assessment a year later. Ultimately, 255 patients participated. The patients’ 10-point ratings of disease activity and SLAQ scores were significantly correlated (Spearman’s ρ = 0.53). The SLAQ score was weakly correlated with the SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K)-nolab (omitting laboratory items; ρ = 0.18) but not with the SLEDAI-2K ( ρ = 0.02). These results suggested its convergent and discriminant validity. The SLAQ demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.80), and good test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.85). The effect sizes and the standardized response means of the SLAQ were as follows: clinical worsening, 0.26 and 0.31, and improvement, −0.39 and −0.41, respectively, which indicated a small but significant responsiveness. The Japanese version of the SLAQ demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity; its performance was comparable to that of the original version.
Youth temporalities and uncertainty: Understanding variations in young Argentinians’ professional careers
Authors: Longo María Eugenia
Published: November 2015

Social class and the labor market, traditional emphases of sociological analysis, are insufficient to explain variations in modes of professional insertion among young people. Arguing against the dominant understanding of young adults as project-less prisoners of presentism and an uncertain labor market in Argentina, this article reveals the existence of multiple forms of youth temporalities underlying the ways in which young adults are able (or not) to project themselves into the future and enter the working world. Drawing from longitudinal qualitative data, I have identified four types of youth temporalities: planners, executers, dormants and opportunists. This typology brings variation to the way subjects experience time and how this experience helps to examine career choices, thereby opening a new analytical path that connects with broader analyses of dominant temporal frames of professional insertion.
Young people’s strategies for coping with parallel imaginings of the future
Authors: Cook Julia
Published: November 2015

Sociological work has often characterized the contemporary future horizon as a space crowded with risks and contingencies. This view has prompted a number of claims that young adults conceptualize the future predominantly in terms of the choices and plans that they make to mitigate against such concerns. As an extension of this logic, a number of studies have suggested that young adults conceptualize the long-term future extending beyond their own lives separately from their more immediate horizon of planning (Leahy et al., 2010; Toffler, 1974 ). This paper discusses how young adults relate to the long-term and more immediate future concurrently, and in doing so considers the points at which the strategies that they use to cope with contingency in their own lives may intersect with the ways that they approach their fears, hopes and imaginings of the long-term future. The data for this paper are drawn from an interview project in which young adults (aged 18–34) were asked to discuss their own futures, and a general idea of the future. The findings are used to form the beginnings of a typology of the approaches that young adults may adopt when engaging with the future, which is then drawn upon to propose that the ways in which they engage with the long-term future are often related to the strategies that they employ when facing their own futures.
The impact of covariate misclassification using generalized linear regression under covariate–adaptive randomization
Authors: Fan Liqiong , Yeatts Sharon D , Wolf Bethany J , McClure Leslie A , Selim Magdy , Palesch Yuko Y
Published: November 2015

Under covariate adaptive randomization, the covariate is tied to both randomization and analysis. Misclassification of such covariate will impact the intended treatment assignment; further, it is unclear what the appropriate analysis strategy should be. We explore the impact of such misclassification on the trial’s statistical operating characteristics. Simulation scenarios were created based on the misclassification rate and the covariate effect on the outcome. Models including unadjusted, adjusted for the misclassified, or adjusted for the corrected covariate were compared using logistic regression for a binary outcome and Poisson regression for a count outcome. For the binary outcome using logistic regression, type I error can be maintained in the adjusted model, but the test is conservative using an unadjusted model. Power decreased with both increasing covariate effect on the outcome as well as the misclassification rate. Treatment effect estimates were biased towards the null for both the misclassified and unadjusted models. For the count outcome using a Poisson model, covariate misclassification led to inflated type I error probabilities and reduced power in the misclassified and the unadjusted model. The impact of covariate misclassification under covariate–adaptive randomization differs depending on the underlying distribution of the outcome.
Governed by marriage law
Authors: McGowan Deirdre
Published: November 2015

Marriage law links the private and the political, connecting the aspirations of individuals to the regulatory ambitions of the state. Marriage has significant social and cultural importance, but the assumptions of stability and care it entails are also useful to government. As a result, marriage law has, both historically and in the present, been offered as the solution to a range of social problems. Using Ireland as a case study example, this essay focuses on the problems that marriage law reform has attempted to address and the political frameworks within which reform took place. It suggests that marriage law is a technique of government that aims to encourage marriage performance in the interests of economic and social stability.
Anti-Trafficking (ILL-)Efforts
Authors: Bradley Clara , Szablewska Natalia
Published: November 2015

Global imaginations on human trafficking have been captured by a robust mythology that constructs the consenting Third World sex worker as simply a victim of trafficking for sexual exploitation. This anti-trafficking discourse has influenced Cambodia’s legal reform, which has resulted in an increase of abuse against sex workers and has denied Cambodian women their right to marry foreign men. Despite evidence indicating the diversity of the sex industry and its correlation to different levels of sex workers’ autonomy, decision-makers have failed to revise the anti-trafficking framework to reflect the reality of the divergent lives of women who engage in sex as a livelihood.
Interval cancers using a quantitative faecal immunochemical test (FIT) for haemoglobin when colonoscopy capacity is limited
Authors: Digby Jayne , Fraser Callum G , Carey Francis A , Lang Jaroslaw , Stanners Greig , Steele Robert JC
Published: November 2015

Objectives

Quantitative faecal immunochemical tests (FIT) for faecal haemoglobin (f-Hb) in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening pose challenges when colonoscopy is limited. For low positivity rates, high f-Hb concentration cut-offs are required, but little is known about interval cancer (IC) proportions using FIT. We assessed IC proportions using an 80 µg Hb/g cut-off.

Methods

In two NHS Boards in the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme, f-Hb was estimated for 30,893 participants aged 50–75, of whom 753 participants with f-Hb ≥ 80 µg Hb/g were referred for colonoscopy. ICs, defined as CRC within two years of a negative result, were identified from the Scottish Cancer Registry.

Results

There were 31 ICs and 30 screen-detected (SD) CRCs, an IC proportion of 50.8% (48.4% for men, 53.3% for women). CRC site distribution was similar between ICs and SD, but ICs were later stage (46.7% and 33.3%, Dukes’ stages C and D, respectively). Of 31 ICs, 23 had f-Hb < 10 µg Hb/g, including six with undetectable f-Hb. A f-Hb cut-off of 10 µg Hb/g would have raised the positivity rate from 2.4% to 9.4%, increased colonoscopy requirement from 753 to 2147, and reduced the IC proportion to 38.3%.

Conclusions

The IC proportion was similar to that seen with guaiac-based FOBT. The later stage distribution of ICs highlights the benefits of lower f-Hb cut-offs, but with 19.4% of ICs having undetectable f-Hb, some cancers would have been missed, even with drastic reduction in the f-Hb cut-off.
Reconsidering Physical Activity Restrictions for Mononephric Survivors of Childhood Cancer
Authors: Okada Maki , Hockenberry Marilyn J. , Koh Chester J. , Meeske Kathleen A. , Rangan Kasey E. , Rodgers Cheryl , Rosenthal Yael , Ruccione Kathleen S. , Freyer David R.
Published: November 2015

Although traditional recommendations for mononephric childhood cancer survivors are to avoid contact sports in order to protect the remaining kidney, review of available evidence suggests that the majority of renal loss is caused by accidents not involving sports. An interdisciplinary team performed a review of the English literature published from 1999 to 2012 within the PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar, and National Guidelines Clearinghouse databases. The level of evidence and proposed recommendations were graded according to an established rubric and GRADE criteria. Our review found that kidney loss is most commonly caused by nonsports activities such as motor vehicle accidents and falls, implying that restrictions on sports-related activity in mononephric pediatric survivors are not well supported. This favors encouraging ordinary sports and related activities without restriction in mononephric childhood cancer survivors because the known benefits of exercise outweigh the exceedingly low risk of renal loss. Accordingly, activity recommendations for mononephric patients have been revised in the most current version of the Children’s Oncology Group Long-term Follow-Up Guidelines for Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers. This has important implications for this and similar populations who may now undertake individual and organized sports without undue regard for their mononephric status.
The Limited English Proficiency Patient Family Advocate Role
Authors: Gil Stephanie , Hooke Mary C. , Niess Dawn
Published: November 2015

Patients and families with limited English proficiency (LEP) face a multitude of barriers both inside and outside the hospital walls. These barriers can contribute to difficulty accessing care and understanding/adhering to treatment recommendations, ultimately placing them at higher risk for poorer outcomes than their English-speaking counterparts. The LEP Patient Family Advocate role was created with the aim of improving access, promoting effective communication, and equalizing care for children with cancer from families with LEP. The goal of this mixed methods study was to describe the level of satisfaction and experiences of parents and health care providers who used the LEP Patient Family Advocate while receiving or providing care. Twelve parents and 15 health care providers completed quantitative surveys and an open-ended question about their experiences. High levels of satisfaction were reported. Themes about the role from qualitative responses included its positive effect on communication, trust, and connectedness between parents and staff. Continuity of care and safety were improved, and parents thought the role helped decrease their stress. The LEP Patient Family Advocate has a positive influence on family-centered cultural care.
Animal-Assisted Activities
Authors: Chubak Jessica , Hawkes Rene
Published: November 2015

Animal-assisted activities (AAA) are increasingly common, yet little is known about practices in pediatric oncology. To address this gap, we surveyed the top 20 pediatric oncology hospitals in the United States in May and June of 2014. Questionnaires were sent via e-mail and generally returned by e-mail or postal mail. Among the 19 responding hospitals, the 18 that offered AAA to pediatric patients formed the basis of our analysis. All sites had written AAA policies. Most programs were restricted to dogs. At 11 hospitals, children with cancer could participate in AAA activities. Outpatient waiting rooms and individual inpatient rooms were the most common locations for AAA with pediatric oncology patients. Safety precautions varied by hospital, but all required hand sanitation after visits and that animals receive an annual health examination, be on a leash or in a carrier, be ≥1 year old, and not be directly from a shelter. Our findings reveal consistencies and variations in practice that may help other hospitals develop their own programs and researchers identify areas of future study.
Periodic metamaterial plates with smart tunable local resonators
Authors: Nouh Mostafa A , Aldraihem Osama J , Baz Amr
Published: November 2015

Vibration band gaps and elastic wave propagation are examined in the metamaterial plates manufactured with periodic locally resonant membranes arranged in a square array. Periodic metamaterials exhibit unique dynamic characteristics stemming from their ability to act as mechanical filters for wave propagation. As a result, waves propagate along the periodic cells only within specific frequency bands called the pass bands, while being blocked within other frequency bands called the stop bands. The proposed metamaterial plates are equipped with sources of local resonances which act as local absorbers of mechanical vibrations. The macroscopic dynamical properties of the resulting periodic structures depend on the resonant properties of substructures which contribute to the rise of interesting effects such as broad stop band characteristics that extend to lower frequencies. Externally excited piezoelectric polyvinylidene difluoride membranes are used to support the local resonators. The stiffness of the piezo-membranes is tunable by means of an external voltage allowing us to control the location and bandwidth of the local resonance frequencies. The predicted band structures are validated by investigating the frequency response of the plate to external mechanical excitations using a comprehensive finite element model of the entire structure. By examining the proposed metamaterial plate, it is shown that it would be possible to actively control the wave propagation both in the spectral and spatial domains in an attempt to steer, stop, and/or confine the propagation of undesirable external disturbances.
Addressing Underrepresentation in Sex Work Research
Authors: Bungay Vicky , Oliffe John , Atchison Chris
Published: November 2015

Men, transgender people, and those working in off-street locales have historically been underrepresented in sex work health research. Failure to include all sections of sex worker populations precludes comprehensive understandings about a range of population health issues, including potential variations in the manifestation of such issues within and between population subgroups, which in turn can impede the development of effective services and interventions. In this article, we describe our attempts to define, determine, and recruit a purposeful sample for a qualitative study examining the interrelationships between sex workers’ health and the working conditions in the Vancouver off-street sex industry. Detailed is our application of ethnographic mapping approaches to generate information about population diversity and work settings within distinct geographical boundaries. Bearing in mind the challenges and the overwhelming discrimination sex workers experience, we scope recommendations for safe and effective purposeful sampling inclusive of sex workers’ heterogeneity.
Aripiprazole
Authors: Prommer Eric
Published: November 2015

Delirium is a palliative care emergency where patients experience changes in perception, awareness, and behavior. Common features include changes in the sleep–wake cycle, emotional lability, delusional thinking, and language and thought disorders. Delirium results from neurotransmitter imbalances involving several neurotransmitters such as dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and serotonin. Untreated delirium causes significant morbidity and mortality. Nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic approaches treat delirium. Current pharmacologic management of delirium involves using agents such as haloperidol or second-generation antipsychotics. Third-generation atypical antipsychotic drugs have emerged as a potential choice for delirium management. Aripiprazole is a third-generation antipsychotic with a dopamine receptor-binding profile distinct from other second-generation antipsychotics. Aripiprazole acts as partial agonist at dopamine D2 and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)1A receptors, stabilizing the dopamine receptor leading to improvement in symptoms. The article reviews the pharmacology, pharmacodynamics, metabolism, and evidence of clinical efficacy for this new antipsychotic agent. This article explores possible roles in palliative care.
Outcomes of In-Hospital Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Among Patients With Cancer
Authors: Zafar Waleed , Ghafoor Irum , Jamshed Arif , Gul Sabika , Hafeez Haroon
Published: November 2015

Objective:

To review all episodes where an emergency code was called in a cancer-specialized hospital in Pakistan and to assess survival to discharge among patients who received a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Methods:

We reviewed demographic and clinical data related to all “code blue” calls over 3 years. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to test the association of clinical characteristics with the primary outcome of survival to discharge.

Results:

A total of 646 code blue calls were included in the analysis. The CPR was performed in 388 (60%) of these calls. For every 20 episodes of CPR among patients with cancer of all ages, only 1 resulted in a patient’s survival to discharge, even though in 52.2% episodes there was a return of spontaneous circulation. No association was found between the type of rhythm at initiation of CPR and likelihood of survival to discharge.

Conclusions:

The proportion of patients with advanced cancer surviving to discharge after in-hospital CPR in a low-income country was in line with the reported international experience. Most patients with cancer who received in-hospital CPR did not survive to discharge and did not appear to benefit from resuscitation. Advance directives by patients with cancer limiting aggressive interventions at end of life and proper documentation of these directives will help in provision of care that is humane and consonant with patients’ wishes for a dignified death. Patients’ early appreciation of the limited benefits of CPR in advanced cancer is likely to help them formulate such advance directives.
Evaluation of shrinkage induced cracking in early age concrete: From ring test to circular column
Authors: Zhang Jun , Gao Yuan , Han Yudong , Wang Jiahe
Published: November 2015

This article focuses on the modeling of shrinkage stress and evaluation of shrinkage induced cracking in early-age concrete. In the modeling, an integrative model for autogenous and drying shrinkage predictions of concrete at early-age is introduced first. Second, a model taking both cement hydration and moisture diffusion into account is used to calculate the distribution of internal humidity in concrete. Using above two models, the distribution of shrinkage stress in concrete ring and column at early-age from concrete cast are calculated. Meanwhile, the ring test is utilized to identify the time of shrinkage cracking of three kinds of concretes with compressive strength at 28 days around 30, 50, and 80 MPa. Based on model and ring test results, the shrinkage induced cracking tendency of concrete columns made of the three kinds of concretes is evaluated individually. The model results show that before drying, a uniform shrinkage strain along radial direction of a concrete column or ring is expected. After surface drying, shrinkage gradient along the radial direction is significant and the maximum and minimum shrinkage occur at the outer surface and the center of column or interior surface of the ring, respectively. The distribution of shrinkage stress along the radial direction of the ring or column is nonlinear and the nonlinearity is strong close to the drying surface. Due to the difference on restraint condition, lower shrinkage induced cracking tendency is expected in concrete column than that of steel restraint concrete ring, even both of them having the exact same outer diameter.
Giant Myelolipoma in the Spleen
Authors: Zeng Ying , Ma Qiang , Lin Li , Fu Ping , Shen Yan , Luo Qing-Ya , Zhao Lian-Hua , Mou Jiang-Hong , Xiao Hua-Liang
Published: November 2015

Myelolipomas are benign tumors, consisting of hematopoietic cells and mature adipose tissue, which mainly occur within the adrenal gland. Extra-adrenal myelolipomas are rare, and fewer than 60 cases have been reported in the literature. Here, we report a case of intrasplenic myelolipoma in a 42-year-old man with more than 1 month of abdominal pain. Computed tomography scanning revealed a giant, heterogeneous, well-demarcated mass in the spleen. Splenectomy was performed, and an intrasplenic giant mass was completely excised. The diagnosis of myelolipoma was made based on morphological examination. To the best of our knowledge, this is the third reported case of myelolipoma in the human spleen.
MiR-155 Knockout in Fibroblasts Improves Cardiac Remodeling by Targeting Tumor Protein p53-Inducible Nuclear Protein 1
Authors: He Wangwei , Huang He , Xie Qiang , Wang Zhiqiang , Fan Yang , Kong Bin , Huang Dan , Xiao Yali
Published: November 2015

Cardiac remodeling caused by acute myocardial infarction (AMI) represents a major challenge for heart failure research. MiR-155 has been identified as a key mediator of cardiac inflammation and hypertrophy. In this study, we investigate the role of miR-155 in cardiac remodeling induced by AMI. We demonstrate that miR-155 expressed in cardiac fibroblasts is a potent contributor to cardiac remodeling. We reveal that in vivo, miR-155 knockout improves left ventricular function, reduces infarct size, and attenuates collagen deposition, whereas overexpression of miR-155 produces the opposite effects. MiR-155 knockout also inhibits cardiac fibroblast proliferation and differentiation into myofibroblasts. In addition, downregulation of tumor protein p53-inducible nuclear protein 1 (TP53INP1) by small interfering RNA reverses the effects of miR-155 knockout on cardiac fibroblasts. Our data reveal that knockout of miR-155 in cardiac fibroblasts improves cardiac remodeling by targeting TP53INP1, which may be a novel treatment strategy for cardiac remodeling.
Relaxin’ the Heart
Authors: Raleigh Juan M. Valle , Toldo Stefano , Das Anindita , Abbate Antonio , Salloum Fadi N.
Published: November 2015

The peptide hormone relaxin has traditionally been linked to the maternal adaptation of the cardiovascular system during the first trimester of pregnancy. By promoting nitric oxide formation through different molecular signaling events, relaxin has been proposed as a pleiotropic and cardioprotective hormone in the setting of many cardiovascular diseases. In fact, preclinical studies were able to demonstrate that relaxin promotes vasodilatation and angiogenesis, ameliorates ischemia/reperfusion injury, and regulates extracellular matrix turnover and remodeling. In the RELAX-AHF phase 3 clinical trial, serelaxin (recombinant human relaxin) was shown to be safe, and it exerted survival benefits in patients with acute heart failure. RELAX-AHF-2 is currently ongoing, and it aims to address a larger population and evaluate harder clinical outcomes. Besides heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, peripheral arterial disease, and stable coronary disease could be target diseases for treatment with serelaxin in future clinical trials.
Do Veterans Health Administration Enrollees Generalize to Other Populations?
Authors: Wong Edwin S. , Wang Virginia , Liu Chuan-Fen , Hebert Paul L. , Maciejewski Matthew L.
Published: November 2015

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has historically served a disproportionately male patient population with lower income and greater rates of mental illness than non-VHA populations. The generalizability of research based on VHA enrollees is unknown because the overlap between VHA and non-VHA populations has never been empirically examined. This study used 2013 National Health Interview Survey data to examine the extent to which VHA enrollees had similar demographic and health characteristics as individuals with Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance coverage, based on propensity score models. A majority of male VHA enrollees were similar to Medicare beneficiaries suggesting greater generalizability of VHA studies than commonly hypothesized. Overlap declined when comparing with Medicaid enrollees or privately insured individuals, suggesting more limited generalizability of VHA studies to these populations.
Low rate of cetuximab hypersensitivity reactions in Northeast Tennessee: An Appalachian effect?
Authors: Adams C Brooke , Street D Sierra , Crass Melanie , Bossaer John B
Published: November 2015

Purpose

Cetuximab is a monoclonal antibody with a known risk of hypersensitivity reactions. Early studies showed hypersensitivity reaction rates of 3%, but there appears to be a higher incidence in the southeastern United States. To confirm the findings from nearby institutions that cetuximab-associated hypersensitivity reactions occur in approximately 20% of patients in the southeastern United States.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was conducted at Johnson City Medical Center in Johnson City, Tennessee. Each patient’s first infusion was analyzed for hypersensitivity reaction, as well as for demographic information such as allergy and smoking history, pre-medications, and malignancy type.

Results

Data from the first infusion of cetuximab were collected for a total of 71 patients with various malignancies. The overall rate of grade 3 or higher hypersensitivity reaction was 1.4%, and total rate of hypersensitivity reaction was 8.5%. These findings more closely correlate to the early clinical trials and package insert. Both severe (p = 0.001) and any-grade (p = 0.002) hypersensitivity reaction occurred less frequently in one Southeastern Appalachian medical center compared to academic medical centers directly to the east and west.

Conclusions

Patients in southern Appalachia may be less likely to develop cetuximab hypersensitivity reactions compared to surrounding areas in the Southeastern U.S. These results lend support to the theory that exposure to lonestar ticks ( Amblyomma americanum) may be responsible for the development of IgE antibodies to cetuximab that cause hypersensitivity reactions. The development of quick and reliable bedside predictors of cetuximab hypersensitivity reactions may aid clinicians considering the use of cetuximab.
The Efficacy of Adapted MBCT on Core Symptoms and Executive Functioning in Adults With ADHD: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Hepark Sevket , Janssen Lotte , de Vries Alicia , Schoenberg Poppy L. A. , Donders Rogier , Kan Cornelis C. , Speckens Anne E. M.
Published: November 2015

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness as a treatment for adults diagnosed with ADHD. A 12-week-adapted mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) program is compared with a waiting list (WL) group. Method: Adults with ADHD were randomly allocated to MBCT ( n = 55) or waitlist ( n = 48). Outcome measures included investigator-rated ADHD symptoms (primary), self-reported ADHD symptoms, executive functioning, depressive and anxiety symptoms, patient functioning, and mindfulness skills. Results: MBCT resulted in a significant reduction of ADHD symptoms, both investigator-rated and self-reported, based on per-protocol and intention-to-treat analyses. Significant improvements in executive functioning and mindfulness skills were found. Additional analyses suggested that the efficacy of MBCT in reducing ADHD symptoms and improving executive functioning is partially mediated by an increase in the mindfulness skill “Act With Awareness.” No improvements were observed for depressive and anxiety symptoms, and patient functioning. Conclusion: This study provides preliminary support for the effectiveness of MBCT for adults with ADHD.
Suicide
Authors: Canetto Silvia Sara
Published: November 2015

Globally, older adults have higher suicide rates than other age-groups. However, it is predominantly men who die of suicide in late adulthood, with variability by culture. In the United States, European-descent men are overrepresented among suicide decedents. In this article, theories and evidence about aging adversities, individual dispositions, and cultural influences were evaluated for their potential to explain the suicide vulnerability of European-descent older men. Aging adversities were not found to account for these men’s suicide proneness. European-descent older men are exposed to less severe aging adversities than older women or ethnic-minority men—though they may be more impacted by them. Rigidity in coping and in sense of self, consistent with hegemonic-masculinity scripts, emerged as individual-level clues. The indignities-of-aging and the masculinity-of-suicide scripts may be cultural influences. This analysis shows how consideration of masculinities and suicide scripts expands our understanding of older men’s suicide as well as, likely, our tools for its prevention.
Effects of Qigong Exercise on Biomarkers and Mental and Physical Health in Adults With at Least One Risk Factor for Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Hung Hsuan-Man , Yeh Shu-Hui , Chen Chung-Hey
Published: November 2015

Current medical technology permits the early detection of risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) in adults, and interventions are available to prevent CAD-related morbidity and mortality. The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a Qigong exercise intervention in improving biomarker levels and mental and physical health outcomes in community-dwelling adults diagnosed with CAD risk factors, in a southern Taiwanese city. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental ( n = 84) group that participated in a 60-min Qigong group session 3 times per week for 3 months or a control ( n = 61) group that did not receive the intervention. Self-perceived mental and physical health assessed with the Chinese Health Questionnaire-12, and body fat percentage were measured at baseline and 6, 12, and 16 weeks. Blood samples were collected at baseline and 12 weeks for analysis of lipid profiles, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and fasting plasma sugar. Linear mixed model analyses revealed that experimental participants had significantly improved perceived mental and physical health and body fat percentage compared to the control group at 6 and 12 weeks but not 16 weeks. The lipid profiles were significantly more improved in the Qigong group than in the control group at 12 weeks. Qigong exercise, however, had no significant effects on hs-CRP, HbA1c, or fasting plasma sugar. Findings suggest that Qigong exercise improves a limited number of CAD risk factors in community-dwelling adults aged 40 years and over.
Neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction in the early disease phase of paediatric multiple sclerosis
Authors: Scheepe Jeroen R , Wong Yu Yi M , van Pelt E Daniëlle , Ketelslegers Immy A , Catsman-Berrevoets Coriene E , van den Hoek Joop , Hintzen Rogier Q , Neuteboom Rinze F
Published: November 2015

Neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) in multiple sclerosis (MS) is highly prevalent in adults, but has not previously been described in paediatric MS. A total of 24 consecutive children with newly diagnosed MS were prospectively assessed for bladder and bowel problems early after diagnosis. Five of 24 children (21%) showed LUTD during assessment. One of these patients did not report voiding complaints. This high prevalence of LUTD indicates that all recently diagnosed patients with paediatric MS should be evaluated early in their disease and treated for urinary problems in order to prevent potential damage to the upper urinary tract.
Effects of distributed practice on the proceduralization of morphology
Authors: Suzuki Yuichi , DeKeyser Robert
Published: November 2015

The present study aimed to examine whether distributed practice works better than massed practice for proceduralization of grammatical knowledge. Learners of Japanese as a second language were trained on an element of Japanese morphology under either massed or distributed practice conditions. Results showed that massed practice led to accurate utterances to the same extent as distributed practice. It was also shown that massed practice may lead to more rapid utterances than distributed practice. A number of potential factors that mediate the effects of distributed practice are discussed.
The existential cancer journey: Travelling through the intersubjective structure of homeworld/alienworld
Authors: Hvidt Elisabeth Assing
Published: November 2015

In the past couple of decades, there has been significant interest in the research literature and patient narratives that focus on describing the cancer journey as involving existential and spiritual transformative experiences. The purpose of this article is to contribute with a new and deepened understanding of the existing literature by offering a philosophical informed analytic conceptualization that highlights the ‘liminal’, transformative and ‘generative’ dimension of the cancer journey. For that purpose, qualitative data drawn from a qualitative study investigating existential experiences of a group of Danish patients in rehabilitation were analysed employing the American phenomenologist Anthony J. Steinbock’s interpretation of the Husserlian concepts homeworld/alienworld ( Heimwelt/Fremdwelt). Data used in this article derived from qualitative interviews (11 individual interviews and 9 focus group interviews) with cancer patients participating in rehabilitation week courses at a Danish rehabilitation centre. The analysis led to the development of three themes: ‘The heavy break with the homeworld’, ‘Realizing a new homefellowship’ and ‘Transformation of the homeworld’. Findings suggest that journeying with cancer involves a ‘liminal’ experiencing of having to navigate in a borderless and unfamiliar territory between a homeworld and an alienworld before ultimately arriving at a sense of transformation in which meaning is derived from both lifeworlds. It is argued that such an understanding of the intersubjectivity between lifeworlds highlights the need for health care professionals communicating with patients throughout their cancer journey about whether and how the illness experiences have been integrated into their lifeworld and whether help is needed in order to achieve existential rehabilitation.
Speed, breakdown, and repair: An investigation of fluency in long-term second-language speakers of English
Authors: Lahmann Cornelia , Steinkrauss Rasmus , Schmid Monika S
Published: November 2015

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions:

The present study investigated which factors would best predict second-language (L2) fluency in a group of long-term L2 speakers of different English varieties with German as their first language.

Design/methodology/approach:

L2 fluency was conceptualized in terms of utterance fluency for which speed, breakdown and repair fluency were distinguished.

Data and analysis:

Multiple measures of utterance fluency were applied to four-minute speech fragments originating from 102 spontaneous oral interviews. Interviewees’ ages of onset ranged from 7 to 17, whereas their ages at interview ranged from 57 to 87. Multifactorial analyses yielded significant effects of age at interview.

Findings/conclusions:

Whereas the mean number of silent pauses and repairs increases, syllable duration decreases. This leaves room for interpretation as to why we find an aging effect. Overall, the evidence suggests that the usual, L2 acquisition-specific factors, such as age of onset or length of residence, are no longer at play to predict L2 fluency.

Originality and significance/implications:

To this point L2 fluency in very advanced, highly proficient L2 speakers has received little attention. The results point to the need for more research into highly proficient L2 users.
Within-speaker variation in passing for a native speaker
Authors: Gnevsheva Ksenia
Published: November 2015

This study quantitatively explores variation in passing for a native speaker of English and also discusses speakers’ passing for a native speaker of the same dialect as the listeners, other dialects, or not passing at all and always being perceived as a non-native speaker. It also examines other factors that may influence variation in passing such as conversational setting (which has been suggested by participants’ self-reports in Piller, 2002). Thirty native-speaking listeners were presented with clips from 24 native and non-native speakers of English and were asked to guess the origin of the speaker. Passing is quantified through the number of times listeners in a perception task believed speakers to be from English-speaking countries. The results of this study suggest that passing for a native speaker of different varieties is quite common, and some speakers pass for a native speaker of another variety as an intermediate step between passing for a native speaker of the same variety and not passing at all. The speakers’ self-reports and quantitative analysis of their production also suggests that there is a considerable amount of intra-speaker variation across different conversational settings. Most studies that focus on passing have been qualitative and/or rely on self-reports (e.g. Piller, 2002), so any claims about variation in passing are not typically supported by actual linguistic production. One particular consideration that is usually omitted is the difference between passing for a native speaker of the same dialect as the listener and that of a different dialect. This study explores situational variability in passing quantitatively and also considers the trends in passing for a native speaker of different dialects. This study is an example of a fruitful combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, to explore the intersection between second language acquisition and sociolinguistics.
An energy-consistent integration scheme for flexible multibody systems with dissipation
Authors: Conde Martín S , García Orden JC
Published: November 2015

This work is concerned with the numerical solution of the equations of the dynamics of flexible multibody systems with dissipative physical mechanisms. Specifically, we consider systems composed of rigid and deformable bodies made of a viscoelastic continuum, that may experience large displacements and strains, connected by joints. Within this framework, we present a novel integration scheme for these types of systems that intrinsically satisfies the laws of thermodynamics and existing symmetries. The resulting solutions are physically accurate since they preserve the fundamental physical properties of the model. Furthermore, the method gives excellent performance with respect to robustness and stability. Justification of these claims as well as numerical examples that illustrate the performance of the scheme are provided.
Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on work engagement in the hospitality industry: Test of motivation crowding theory
Authors: Putra Eka Diraksa , Cho Seonghee , Liu Juan
Published: November 2015

The aim of this study was to examine extrinsic and intrinsic motivations as the antecedents of work engagement and to empirically test the motivation crowding theory using hospitality employees. The findings showed that intrinsic motivation played an important role in improving employees’ work engagement. The study also found that there was no indication that employees’ intrinsic motivation diminished when extrinsic motivation entered. It is also suggested that employers need to understand that creating a comfortable workplace environment and making jobs more interesting and meaningful will increase employees’ intrinsic motivation, which will help employees to engage more at work. Motivational antecedents of work engagement have been rarely studied and no studies have been conducted to research impacts of extrinsic and intrinsic motivators on employees’ work engagement in the hospitality industry, particularly in small restaurant businesses. In addition, empirical studies on motivation crowding theory are needed due to the inconclusive results.