bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Arming the Outlaws: On the Moral Limits of the Arms Trade
Authors: Christensen James
Published: February 2018

There is a general presumption against arming outlaw states. But can that presumption sometimes be overturned? The argument considered here maintains that outlaw states can have legitimate security interests and that transferring weapons to these states can be an appropriate way of promoting those interests. Weapons enable governments to engage in wrongful oppression and aggression, but they also enable them to fend off predators in a manner that can be beneficial to their citizens. It clearly does not follow from the fact that a state is oppressive or aggressive that it will never be a victim of wrongful aggression itself, and while an outlaw state’s primary aim in repelling such aggression will often be the preservation of its own power, its defensive manoeuvres will sometimes also serve its citizens’ interests. In short, supplying weapons to outlaw states may sometimes contribute to the protection of innocents.
One pope, two churches: Refugees, human rights and religion in Croatia and Italy
Authors: Giordan Giuseppe , ZrinŠČak Siniša
Published: February 2018

This article analyses the responses of the Catholic Church in Croatia and Italy to the refugee crisis, particularly the churches’ discourses on human rights issues and positions in public debates on refugees and migrants. Although both Catholic churches followed the Church’s teachings on ‘strangers’, associated with providing concrete help to people in need, the Catholic Church in Croatia pursued what can be classified as a charitable approach, while the Catholic Church in Italy followed solidarity and utilitarian approaches. Equally, the Catholic Church in Croatia remained a silent public actor in the refugee crisis, while the Catholic Church in Italy became a prominent actor in public debates, engaging with human rights discourses. The selective and ambivalent uses of human rights discourses emerged as a factor in understanding these two churches’ different positions on refugees and migrants.
Exploring Difference or Just Watching the Experts at Work? Interrogating Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in a Cancer Research Setting Using the Work of Jurgen Habermas
Authors: Bissell Paul , Thompson Jill , Gibson Barry
Published: February 2018

Patient and public involvement (PPI) has emerged as a key consideration for organisations delivering health research and has spawned a burgeoning literature in the health and social sciences. The literature makes clear that PPI in health research encompasses a heterogeneous set of practices with levels of participation and involvement ranging from relatively minimal contributions to research processes to actively driving the research agenda. In this article, we draw on the work of Jurgen Habermas to explore the ways in which PPI was accomplished in a cancer research setting in England. Drawing on ethnographic data with PPI participants and professional researchers, we describe the ways in which the life-world experiences of PPI participants were shaped by the health research system. We argue that PPI in this setting is less about exploring differences with regard to a plurality of expertise and more about simply watching or supporting the professional researchers at work.
‘Rigid demand’: Economic imagination and practice in China’s urban housing market
Authors: Wang Mengqi
Published: February 2018

China’s socialist market economy is predominated by strong state-owned sectors. In the real estate market, the government further controls land and regulates social services based on property ownership. But how do ordinary market actors perceive this configuration and strategise their economic practice accordingly? Based on 20 months of ethnographic fieldwork, this article explores buyers’ and estate agents’ imagination of and practice in the housing market with a focus on the folk concept of rigid demand. Rigid demand (gangxu) refers to the belief that people have to buy a home regardless of price. Presenting how people invoke a range of referents and contexts when talking about rigid demand, I show that common Chinese market actors understand and approach the housing market not as an end in itself but as a mechanism devised and maneuvered by big market players such as the government and developers. Furthermore, actors believe that the market has a social purpose and is susceptible to agentive interventions. Ultimately, I argue that the social representation of the socialist housing market constructs and contests the legitimacy of certain economic practices and influences market performance accordingly.
Steel slag as low-cost adsorbent for the removal of phenanthrene and naphthalene
Authors: Yang Liyun , Qian Xiaoming , Wang Zhi , Li Yuan , Bai Hao , Li Hong
Published: February 2018

This study investigates the removal effectiveness and characteristics of phenanthrene and naphthalene using low-cost steel slag with batch experiments. The adsorption characteristics of steel slag were measured and analysed using X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The batch experiments investigated the effect of the time gradient, pH, and steel slag dosage gradient on the adsorption of the steel slag. The results show that with time and dosage of steel slag increased, the adsorption capacity of phenanthrene and naphthalene increased and gradually became balanced, but pH had no obvious effect on the adsorption of phenanthrene and naphthalene. The Langmuir isotherm model best describes the phenanthrene and naphthalene removal by the steel slag, which shows the adsorption occurring in a monolayer. The maximum adsorption capacity of the steel slag to phenanthrene and naphthalene is 0.043 and 0.041 mg/g, respectively. A pseudo-first-order kinetic model can better represent the adsorption of phenanthrene and naphthalene by steel slag. The research demonstrates that the steel slag has a certain adsorption capacity for phenanthrene and naphthalene.
Constructing victimhood at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal
Authors: Killean Rachel
Published: February 2018

This paper considers the actors and contexts which frame victimhood within transitional justice mechanisms, using the Khmer Rouge Tribunal as a case study. Drawing on critical victimology’s concern with the cultural, political and legal construction of victimhood, this paper explores how heterogeneous legal and political elites can create layers of exclusion, shaping which victims are seen, and which are unseen, within official responses to atrocity. While the politics of victimhood in domestic and transitional contexts has been acknowledged within the literature, this paper’s actor-oriented approach contributes a thicker understanding of how ‘worthy’ victims are selected from all those who have suffered from mass atrocity. In particular, it considers how political compromises, jurisdictional limits, prosecutorial choices, and the creation of a civil party participation system have shaped victim visibility within the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.
“Everything Is About Balance”: Graduate Education Faculty and the Navigation of Difficult Discourses on Race
Authors: Murray-Johnson Kayon , Ross-Gordon Jovita M.
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this multiple case study was to describe the experiences of graduate education faculty of varying racial/ethnic backgrounds, learning to navigate difficult discourses on race effectively over time. The study employed positionality as a theoretical framework. Findings indicate that faculty balance what we refer to as strategies of self in a bid to work through difficult race talk. In turn, their practice may hold strong potential for influencing a fresh and more holistic approach to engaging in classroom race talk.
Soviet psychiatry and the origins of the sluggish schizophrenia concept, 1912–1936
Authors: Zajicek Benjamin
Published: February 2018

This article seeks to understand the origins of the Soviet concept of ‘sluggish schizophrenia’, a diagnostic category that was used to imprison political dissidents in the post-WWII era. It focuses on the 1920s and 1930s, a period when Soviet psychiatrists attempted to find ways to diagnose schizophrenia at its earliest stages. The new Soviet state supported these efforts, funding new institutions where clinicians encountered types of patients they had not previously studied. Conceptual disagreements arose about what symptoms could be used to diagnose schizophrenia, and how it could be differentiated from other ‘borderline’ mental disorders such as neurosis and psychopathy. Several research groups used their findings to propose new clinical concepts, including ‘mild schizophrenia’ and sluggish schizophrenia. By the early 1930s Soviet psychiatrists no longer shared a basic consensus about schizophrenia. At the same time, the priorities of the Soviet government under Joseph Stalin ceased to support preventative psychiatry. The result was a 1936 ‘discussion’ at which the concept of mild schizophrenia was criticized and sluggish schizophrenia was held up as a model for how the discipline should develop in the future.
Control design and stability analysis of homogeneous traffic flow under time delay: A new spacing policy
Authors: Chehardoli Hossein , Homaeinezhad Mohammad R. , Ghasemi Ali
Published: February 2018

This paper details control design and stability analysis of homogeneous traffic flow by considering it as the interaction between inter-connected vehicular platoons. A third-order linear differential model is used to describe the longitudinal motion of each vehicle. As the lead vehicle of the whole traffic flow may be not available, the inter-platoon communication structure is assumed to be a bidirectional virtual leader following (BDVLF) topology. Both communication and parasitic delays are considered in the system modeling and control design. By employing an appropriate state transformation, the 3 N-order closed-loop dynamics are decoupled to N third-order dynamical equations. The cluster treatment characteristic root (CTCR) method is employed to perform the inter-platoon stability analysis. The intra-platoon communication structure is assumed to be general. Therefore, the eigenvalues of matrix H maybe complex which makes the stability analysis more intricate. By introducing a new decoupling approach and applying a centralized control for each vehicle in the platoon, the necessary conditions on control parameters satisfying intra-platoon stability are presented. The most important merit of this method compared to previous works, is that control parameters are independent of eigenvalues of matrix H. Several simulation studies are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
When Action-Inaction Framing Leads to Higher Escalation of Commitment: A New Inaction-Effect Perspective on the Sunk-Cost Fallacy
Authors: Feldman Gilad , Wong Kin Fai Ellick
Published: February 2018

Escalation of commitment to a failing course of action occurs in the presence of (a) sunk costs, (b) negative feedback that things are deviating from expectations, and (c) a decision between escalation and de-escalation. Most of the literature to date has focused on sunk costs, yet we offer a new perspective on the classic escalation-of-commitment phenomenon by focusing on the impact of negative feedback. On the basis of the inaction-effect bias, we theorized that negative feedback results in the tendency to take action, regardless of what that action may be. In four experiments, we demonstrated that people facing escalation-decision situations were indeed action oriented and that framing escalation as action and de-escalation as inaction resulted in a stronger tendency to escalate than framing de-escalation as action and escalation as inaction (mini-meta-analysis effect d = 0.37, 95% confidence interval = [0.21, 0.53]).
Increased adhesion molecule levels in systemic lupus erythematosus: relationships with severity of illness, autoimmunity, metabolic syndrome and cortisol levels
Authors: da Rosa Franchi Santos L F , Stadtlober N P , Costa Dall'Aqua L G , Scavuzzi B M , Guimarães P M , Flauzino T , Batisti Lozovoy M A , Mayumi Iriyoda T V , Vissoci Reiche E M , Dichi I , Maes M , Colado Simão A
Published: February 2018

Background

This study was performed to assess adhesion molecules in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

This case-control study examined 126 SLE patients and 48 healthy individuals. Blood levels of six adhesion molecules, cortisol, nuclear autoantibody (ANA) and anti-double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) titers were measured, while disease activity was assessed using the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score.

Results

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), E-selectin, P-selectin, and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) were significantly higher in SLE patients than in controls. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that PECAM-1 and PAI-1 predicted SLE with a sensitivity of 86.5% and a specificity of 81.3%. ANA titers were significantly and positively associated with PECAM-1, VCAM-1, E-selectin, and PAI-1, whereas there were no associations between anti-dsDNA titers and adhesion molecules. Cortisol was negatively associated with PCAM-1 and ICAM-1. There were significant associations between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and E-selectin and PAI-1. 14.8% of the variance in the SLEDAI score was explained by the regression on PECAM-1 and MetS.

Conclusions

Our data show that adhesion molecules, especially PECAM-1, are significantly associated with SLE and disease activity, suggesting that they play a role in SLE pathophysiology. While MetS, ANA titers and cortisol levels modulate adhesion molecule levels, these associations do not explain the increased levels of adhesion molecules in SLE. Increased levels of adhesion molecules are new drug targets in SLE.
Reflections of a CEQ Examiner
Authors: Selzer Rob
Published: February 2018

The Critical Essay Question (CEQ) tests some of the key skills necessary for the practice of psychiatry. Many candidates find the CEQ a challenge but there are some basic rules of writing which can help.
Civil forensic psychiatry – Part 1: an overview
Authors: Samuels Anthony H
Published: February 2018

Objectives

This paper provides an overview for general and forensic psychiatrists of the complexity and challenge of working in the civil medico-legal arena. It covers expert evidence, ethics, core concepts in civil forensic psychiatry and report writing.

Conclusions

Civil forensic psychiatry is an important sub-speciality component of forensic psychiatry that requires specific skills, knowledge and the ability to assist legal bodies in determining the significance of psychiatric issues.
Development of magnetorheological elastomers–based tuned mass damper for building protection from seismic events
Authors: Sun Shuaishuai , Yang Jian , Du Haiping , Zhang Shiwu , Yan Tianhong , Nakano Masami , Li Weihua
Published: February 2018

This study investigated and evaluated a semi-active tuned mass damper which incorporated four multi-layered structures fabricated using magnetorheological elastomers. The four magnetorheological elastomer structures formed a square and provided the tuned mass damper variable stiffness used to track the excitation frequencies. This design not only increases the stability of the tuned mass damper but more importantly eliminates the magnetic circuit gap in a design which we used in the past because all four of the magnetic circuits used to control the magnetorheological elastomer isolators are closed circuits. In order to verify the capability of the magnetorheological elastomer–based tuned mass damper to protect a building from earthquake, extensive simulation and experimental testing were conducted. The swept sinusoidal signal and the scaled 1940 El Centro earthquake record were used to excite a scaled three-story building. Both simulation and experiment have verified that the magnetorheological elastomer–based tuned mass damper outperformed all other passive tuned mass dampers under either swept sinusoidal or seismic conditions.
A non-local implicit gradient-enhanced model for thermomechanical behavior of shape memory alloys
Authors: Badnava Hojjat , Mashayekhi Mohammad , Kadkhodaei Mahmoud , Amiri-Rad Ahmad
Published: February 2018

A three-dimensional, implicit gradient-enhanced, fully coupled thermomechanical constitutive model is developed within the framework of thermodynamic principles for NiTi shape memory alloys. This work focuses on unstable behaviors of NiTi samples under different thermomechanical loading conditions. Temperature variation and its coupling effect on non-local behavior of a shape memory alloy during a loading–unloading cycle at different strain rates are considered. The proposed constitutive equations are implemented into the finite element software ABAQUS, and the numerical investigations indicate that the used procedure is an effective computational tool for simulation of several behaviors of NiTi samples including phase front nucleation and propagation, stress–strain–temperature responses, and transformation-induced stress relaxation. The obtained results are shown to be in a good agreement with available experimental and numerical findings in the literature. The effectiveness of the model in removing mesh sensitivity is evaluated by investigating the mesh-dependence issue for the low strain rate problems through numerical examples.
Beyond Tit-for-Tat: Theorizing Divergent Employee Reactions to Customer Mistreatment
Authors: Amarnani Rajiv K. , Bordia Prashant , Restubog Simon Lloyd D.
Published: February 2018

Customer mistreatment is a ubiquitous and pernicious form of interpersonal mistreatment leveled by customers against employees. Service workers’ reactions to customer mistreatment have been traditionally viewed as tit-for-tat reactions in which service workers respond to customers’ aggression with retaliation in kind. However, this tit-for-tat account does not capture the broad range of possible service worker responses to customer misbehavior. We build the case for self-esteem threat as an overarching framework for divergent employee reactions to customer mistreatment, and explain how service workers’ behavioral reactions and emotional labor may systematically vary according to where service workers stake their self-esteem—in performance, in others’ approval, or in status—using contingencies of self-worth theory. Other features of the self-concept are identified as boundary conditions of the process.
A Rare Presentation of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Singh Navneet K , Sweidan Alexander J , Strube Sarah , Carrillo-Nunez Ignacio
Published: February 2018

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs) are a set of demyelinating disorders that primarily target the optic nerves and the spinal cord. Previously thought to be a subset of multiple sclerosis (MS), now is recognized as a distinct entity. We present a 59-year-old female patient who was admitted for acute upper and lower extremity weakness. The patient had woken up from sleep with sudden onset of weakness. Patient was initially diagnosed with a right hemispheric stroke; however, magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine later performed showed abnormal enhancement from C2-C4, representing transverse myelitis. Cerebrospinal fluid was negative for organisms and inflammatory biomarkers. An anti-aquaporin-4 receptor antibody titer was found to be elevated with titers >80 units/mL. The patient was treated with high-dose steroids and plasmapheresis. The NMOSD is a rare entity and, here, we present a rare presentation of the disease. Since its description in 1870, it was confused with MS for years. The advent of anti-aquaporin-4 antibody has been instrumental in differentiating the disease process from MS. This distinction is important, in terms of agents used for treatment and prognostication. The NMOSD is a set of debilitating disease, which requires prompt recognition and appropriate treatment, to avoid the disabling sequelae. Future prospects of the disease include development of novel biological treatment modalities which focus on restoring the loss of immune tolerance which is key to the pathogenesis of the disease.
Cultural concepts of the person and mental health in Africa
Authors: Kpanake Lonzozou
Published: February 2018

People in different cultures have different concepts of the person that underlie self-understanding and self-representation. These concepts influence many aspects of individuals’ life experience, including illness and expectations toward recovery. Psychotherapies aim to promote adaptive change in experience and behavior. This goal is embedded in a social and cultural context that promotes or sanctions a particular notion of personhood. If every system of psychotherapy depends on implicit models of personhood, which varies cross-culturally, then the goals and methods of therapeutic change must consider the cultural concept of the person. This paper reviews cultural concepts of the person in relation to communal values, practices, and systems of thought observed across many African cultural contexts. It presents a practical framework that can inform therapists working with African clients. Many African cultures promote a relational-oriented personhood, in which an individual manifests his or her personhood through connections to three distinct forms of agency: (a) spiritual agency, including God, ancestors, and spirits that influence the person; (b) social agency, including the family, the clan, and the community, with extension to humanity; and (c) self-agency, which is responsible for the person’s inner experience. This distinctive form of personhood underlies concepts of the “normal” person, understandings of mental illness, help-seeking behavior, and clients’ needs and expectations. Implications of this cultural concept of the person for psychotherapy with African clients are discussed.
Mediatization as a combination of push and pull forces: Examples during the 2015 UK general election campaign
Authors: Blumler Jay G , Esser Frank
Published: February 2018

This article introduces a dual perspective to the study of mediatization of politics, a political actor-centric and a media actor-centric perspective. It applies both perspectives to a case study of the 2015 UK General Election campaign. The media actor-centric perspective focuses on push forces of mediatization, manifested in proactive, interventionist reporting methods. The political actor-centric perspective focuses on pull forces of mediatization, referring to how candidates and parties purposefully draw media logic into the political world in order to achieve better their campaign goals. We argue that the Conservative Party and Labour Party, when exposed to equal push forces, employed different pull strategies in the 2015 UK General Election Campaign. The article uses a set of five indicators to recognize push forces that focus on the style of questions used by journalists when interrogating politicians on TV election programmes (reflecting media actor-centric mediatization). It finds clear indications of assertiveness, adversarialism and accountability in the news approach of the BBC. To recognize pull forces, the article uses a set of seven indicators developed from the literature on campaign professionalism (reflecting political actor-centric mediatization) and finds a considerable imbalance in the effective use of pull strategies between the Conservative and Labour Parties. This latter point leads to what we call lop-sided mediatization. The concluding section discusses inplications for mediatization research in times of Brexit and Trumpism.
Green innovation and the development of sustainable communities
Authors: Rossiter Will , Smith David J
Published: February 2018

With nearly one-third of the UK’s total consumption of energy devoted to the domestic household sector, sustainable housing developments have an important part to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to combat climate change. This study analyses a sustainable housing development in the city of Nottingham in the United Kingdom that takes the form not merely of a sustainable housing project, but rather an experiment in developing sustainable communities. In terms of green or eco-innovation, it incorporates innovations in housing design geared to curbing the demand for energy; technological innovations in energy supply centred on a novel community energy system; and innovations in the governance models employed. The scheme is notable for the novel public–private partnership carrying out the development, which specializes in developments characterized by an emphasis on quality urban design and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
The views and perceptions of managers on the role of marketing research in decision making
Authors: Tarka Piotr
Published: February 2018

In this article, the author conducts an empirical diagnosis of managers’ views and perceptions in the context of use of information obtained from marketing research in decision-making processes. It is argued that decision makers who take charge of management, despite their strong declarations and beliefs about the potential and usefulness of information in decisions, in reality prefer solutions based on intuition and irrational thinking. Therefore, the objective of the conducted study is to explore mechanisms of such paradoxes. However, through empirical research, the author endeavored to find the answers associated with the specific factors that are likely to favor such an unreasonable thinking and activities undertaken by managers in decision-making processes. Based on the sample ( N = 213), which contained mainly information users, it was confirmed that managers, faced with a difficulty of information processing (e.g., due to information overloading problems and requirements of analytical thinking), or narrow cognitive capacities, limited memory, and strong reliance on personal experience, look for much simpler solutions in decision making. They preferably move toward the irrational sphere of making choices. Thus, the information, obtained from research, that is available to managers is rather neglected instead of being closely inspected (scrutinized). Moreover, the greater the surprise in information derived from marketing research (i.e., the wider is the discrepancy between the value of information provided by analysts and managers’ expectations), the greater their inclination to reject any information and much greater exposure toward irrational thinking in decision making. As a matter of fact, the problems associated with information adaptation in decisions, as well as the problems of analytical thinking, put the question mark over the entire usefulness of information and further deliberate conducting of the marketing research.
Trap questions in online surveys: Results from three web survey experiments
Authors: Liu Mingnan , Wronski Laura
Published: February 2018

This study examines the use of trap questions as indicators of data quality in online surveys. Trap questions are intended to identify respondents who are not paying close attention to survey questions, which would mean that they are providing sub-optimal responses to not only the trap question itself but to other questions included in the survey. We conducted three experiments using an online non-probability panel. In the first experiment, we examine whether there is any difference in responses to surveys with one trap question as those that have two trap questions. In the second study, we examine responses to surveys with trap questions of varying difficulty. In the third experiment, we test the level of difficulty, the placement of the trap question, and other forms of attention checks. In all studies, we correlate the responses to the trap question(s) with other data quality checks, most of which were derived from the literature on satisficing. Also, we compare the responses to several substance questions by the response to the trap questions. This would tell us whether participants who failed the trap questions gave consistently different answers from those who passed the trap questions. We find that the rate of passing/failing various trap questions varies widely, from 27% to 87% among the types we tested. We also find evidence that some types of trap questions are more significantly correlated with other data quality measures.
The Temporal Impact of Economic Insecurity on Child Maltreatment: A Systematic Review
Authors: Conrad-Hiebner Aislinn , Byram Elizabeth
Published: February 2018

Economically insecure children experience 3–9 times more maltreatment than economically secure children. Although economic insecurity is associated with child physical abuse, neglect, and psychological maltreatment, there have been no systematic reviews dedicated to the relation between familial economic insecurity and child maltreatment. This is problematic because multiple forms of familial economic insecurity—including debt, material hardship, income, unemployment, and income transfers—are related to child maltreatment. These findings, however, are not causal or reliably replicated across studies. Until we identify the state of the evidence concerning the temporal association between economic insecurity and child maltreatment, our ability to reduce child maltreatment may be limited. In this systematic review (PROSPERO registration # CRD42017081445), we searched PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest Dissertations, and the gray literature for English-language, peer-reviewed articles and dissertations published between 1970 and 2016. We synthesized evidence from 26 longitudinal studies on the temporal relation between economic insecurity and child maltreatment. Income losses, cumulative material hardship, and housing hardship were the most reliable predictors of child maltreatment. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.
Geometric Deformations of the Thoracic Aorta and Supra-Aortic Arch Branch Vessels Following Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair
Authors: Ullery Brant W. , Suh Ga-Young , Hirotsu Kelsey , Zhu David , Lee Jason T. , Dake Michael D. , Fleischmann Dominik , Cheng Christopher P.
Published: February 2018

Objective:

To utilize 3-D modeling techniques to better characterize geometric deformations of the supra-aortic arch branch vessels and descending thoracic aorta after thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

Methods:

Eighteen patients underwent endovascular repair of either type B aortic dissection (n = 10) or thoracic aortic aneurysm (n = 8). Computed tomography angiography was obtained pre- and postprocedure, and 3-D geometric models of the aorta and supra-aortic branch vessels were constructed. Branch angle of the supra-aortic branch vessels and curvature metrics of the ascending aorta, aortic arch, and stented thoracic aortic lumen were calculated both at pre- and postintervention.

Results:

The left common carotid artery branch angle was lower than the left subclavian artery angles preintervention ( P < .005) and lower than both the left subclavian and brachiocephalic branch angles postintervention ( P < .05). From pre- to postoperative, no significant change in branch angle was found in any of the great vessels. Maximum curvature change of the stented lumen from pre- to postprocedure was greater than those of the ascending aorta and aortic arch ( P < .05).

Conclusion:

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair results in relative straightening of the stented aortic region and also accentuates the native curvature of the ascending aorta when the endograft has a more proximal landing zone. Supra-aortic branch vessel angulation remains relatively static when proximal landing zones are distal to the left common carotid artery.
“A Work of Mourning: Criticism after Nasser Hussain”
Authors: Culbert Jennifer L.
Published: February 2018

This article recalls and recounts Nasser Hussain’s unique manner of thinking. Focusing on several texts that reflect the extraordinary range of his curiosity and erudition – the book The Jurisprudence of Emergency: Colonialism and the Rule of Law (2003), and two articles, “Hyperlegality” (2007), and “The Sound of Terror: Phenomenology of a Drone Strike” (2013), as well as a co-authored Amici Curiae brief in support of the petitioners in the case of Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. (2011) – the article discusses three areas where Hussain’s work makes the greatest impact: history, jurisprudence, and critique.
CRISPR-Cas9: a promising genetic engineering approach in cancer research
Authors: Ratan Zubair Ahmed , Son Young-Jin , Haidere Mohammad Faisal , Uddin Bhuiyan Mohammad Mahtab , Yusuf Md. Abdullah , Zaman Sojib Bin , Kim Jong-Hoon , Banu Laila Anjuman , Cho Jae Youl
Published: February 2018

Bacteria and archaea possess adaptive immunity against foreign genetic materials through clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) systems. The discovery of this intriguing bacterial system heralded a revolutionary change in the field of medical science. The CRISPR and CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) based molecular mechanism has been applied to genome editing. This CRISPR-Cas9 technique is now able to mediate precise genetic corrections or disruptions in in vitro and in vivo environments. The accuracy and versatility of CRISPR-Cas have been capitalized upon in biological and medical research and bring new hope to cancer research. Cancer involves complex alterations and multiple mutations, translocations and chromosomal losses and gains. The ability to identify and correct such mutations is an important goal in cancer treatment. In the context of this complex cancer genomic landscape, there is a need for a simple and flexible genetic tool that can easily identify functional cancer driver genes within a comparatively short time. The CRISPR-Cas system shows promising potential for modeling, repairing and correcting genetic events in different types of cancer. This article reviews the concept of CRISPR-Cas, its application and related advantages in oncology.
Tracking the viral spread of incivility on social networking sites: The case of cursing in online discussions of Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict
Authors: Song Yunya , Wu Yi
Published: February 2018

Scholars are increasingly concerned with the polarizing nature of incivility which extends from the offline context to interactions on social networking sites. Although this is a common concern in the literature, few studies have empirically tested whether online swearing behaviors are purely individual acts of uttering strong emotion or contagious social practices that may heighten group polarization. Using the case of Hong Kong–Mainland China conflict, the current study taps into the discursive struggles in Sina Weibo discussion over contentious issues that provoke major conflicts between Hong Kong and Mainland China residents, with a focus on the use and diffusion of swear words. To explore the mechanism that underlies the virality of swearing on Sina Weibo, this study links the expressive and social functions of swearing to its linguistic contexts. Our findings show that emotion is not the single motivating factor. Personal pronouns—which the swearers used as positioning devices and identity markers—are the most important predictor. The effects of source cues particular to social networking site settings were also examined.
Cochlear implants and 1.5 T MRI scans: The effect of diametrically bipolar magnets and screw fixation on pain
Authors: Todt Ingo , Rademacher Grit , Grupe Gloria , Stratmann Andreas , Ernst Arne , Mutze Sven , Mittmann Philipp
Published: February 2018

Background

The probability that a patient will need an MRI scan at least once in a lifetime is high. However, MRI scanning in cochlear implantees is associated with side effects. Moreover, MRI scan-related artifacts, dislodging magnets, and pain are often the most frequent complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of pain in patients with cochlear implant systems using 1.5T MRI scans.

Methods

In a prospective case study of 10 implantees, an MRI scan was performed and the degree of pain was evaluated by a visual analog scale. Scans were performed firstly with and depending on the degree of discomfort/pain, without a headband. Four of the cochlear implants contained a screw fixation. Six cochlear implants contained an internal diametrically bipolar magnet. MRI observations were performed with a 1.5 T scanner.

Results

MRI scans were performed on all patients without causing any degree of pain, even without the use of a headband.

Conclusion

Patients undergoing 1.5 T MRIs with devices including a diametrically bipolar magnet or a rigid implant screw fixation, experienced no pain, even without headbands.
Effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors on rating-scale-assessed suicidality in adults with depression
Authors: Näslund Jakob , Hieronymus Fredrik , Lisinski Alexander , Nilsson Staffan , Eriksson Elias
Published: February 2018

Background

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been claimed to elicit or aggravate suicidal ideation.

Aims

To explore the effect of SSRIs on the suicidality item of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD).

Method

We undertook a patient-level mega-analysis of adults with depression participating in industry-sponsored studies of sertraline, paroxetine or citalopram, comparing patients on an SSRI (n= 5681) with those on placebo (n= 2581) with respect to HRSD-rated suicidality. Separate analyses were conducted for young adults (age 18–24;n= 537) and adults(age ≥25;n= 7725).

Results

Among adults, the reduction in mean rating of suicidality was larger and the risk for aggravation of suicidality lower in patients receiving an SSRI from week 1 and onwards. In young adults, SSRI treatment neither reduced nor increased suicidality ratings relative to placebo at the end-point.

Conclusions

The net effect of SSRIs on suicidality appears beneficial in people above the age of 24 and neutral in those aged 18–24.

Declaration of interest

F.H. has received speaker's fees from Servier. E.E. has previously been on the advisory boards and/or received speaker's honoraria and/or research grants from Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Servier and Lundbeck.
Restraint in mental health settings: is it time to declare a position?
Authors: Sethi Faisil , Parkes John , Baskind Eric , Paterson Brodie , O'Brien Aileen
Published: February 2018

The emergence of a drive to reduce restrictive interventions has been accompanied particularly in the UK by a debate focussing on restraint positions. Any restraint intervention delivered poorly can potentially lead to serious negative outcomes. More research is required to reliably state the risk attached to a particular position in a particular clinical circumstance.

Declaration of interest

F.S. is a consultant psychiatrist in Psychiatric Intensive Care at the Maudsley Hospital, London. He is on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Psychiatric Intensive Care and Low Secure Units, and was a member of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Guideline Development Group for the Short-Term Management of Aggression and Violence (2015). J.P. is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Coventry University. E.B. is a consultant and expert witness in violence reduction and the use of physical interventions, independent expert to the High Secure Hospitals Violence Reduction Manual Steering Group and a member of the College of Policing Guideline Committee Steering Group and Mental Health Restraint Expert Reference Group. B.P. is the clinical director for Crisis and Aggression Limitation and Management (CALM) Training and formerly a senior lecturer for the Faculty of Health, University of Stirling. He is a nurse and psychotherapist and presently chairs the European Network for Training in the Management of Aggression. A.O'B. is a consultant psychiatrist, the Director of Educational Programmes for the National Association of Psychiatric Intensive Care and Low Secure Units, and the Dean for Students at St George's University of London.
Serum Lipids in Association With Type 2 Diabetes Risk and Prevalence in a Chinese Population
Authors: Lu Yonghai , Wang Yeli , Zou Li , Liang Xu , Ong Choon Nam , Tavintharan Subramaniam , Yuan Jian-Min , Koh Woon-Puay , Pan An
Published: February 2018

Context

We previously reported an association between lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI) (16:1) and risk for type 2 diabetes in a Chinese population using an untargeted analysis.

Objective

To examine the overall associations of LPIs and their related metabolites, such as nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and acylcarnitines, with incident and prevalent type 2 diabetes using a targeted approach.

Design and Setting

A case-control study was nested within the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Cases and controls were individually matched by age, sex, and date of blood collection. We used both liquid and gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to measure serum metabolite levels at baseline, including 8 LPIs, 19 NEFAs, and 34 acylcarnitines. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations between metabolites and diabetes risk.

Participants

Participants included 160 incident and 144 prevalent cases with type 2 diabetes and 304 controls.

Main Outcome Measure

Incident and prevalent type 2 diabetes.

Results

On the basis of a false discovery rate <0.1, we identified 37 metabolites associated with prevalent type 2 diabetes, including 7 LPIs, 18 NEFAs, and 12 acylcarnitines, and 11 metabolites associated with incident type 2 diabetes, including 2 LPIs and 9 NEFAs. Two metabolites, LPI (16:1) and dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, showed independent associations with incident type 2 diabetes and significantly enhanced the risk prediction.

Conclusions

We found several LPIs and NEFAs that were associated with risk for type 2 diabetes and may improve our understanding of the pathogenesis. The findings suggest that lipid profiles could aid in diabetes risk assessment in Chinese populations.
Expanding primary cells from mucoepidermoid and other salivary gland neoplasms for genetic and chemosensitivity testing
Authors: Alamri Ahmad M. , Liu Xuefeng , Blancato Jan K. , Haddad Bassem R. , Wang Weisheng , Zhong Xiaogang , Choudhary Sujata , Krawczyk Ewa , Kallakury Bhaskar V. , Davidson Bruce J. , Furth Priscilla A.
Published: February 2018

Restricted availability of cell and animal models is a rate-limiting step for investigation of salivary gland neoplasm pathophysiology and therapeutic response. Conditionally reprogrammed cell (CRC) technology enables establishment of primary epithelial cell cultures from patient material. This study tested a translational workflow for acquisition, expansion and testing of CRC-derived primary cultures of salivary gland neoplasms from patients presenting to an academic surgical practice. Results showed that cultured cells were sufficient for epithelial cell-specific transcriptome characterization to detect candidate therapeutic pathways and fusion genes, and for screening for cancer risk-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and driver gene mutations through exome sequencing. Focused study of primary cultures of a low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma demonstrated amphiregulin-mechanistic target of rapamycin-protein kinase B (AKT; AKT1) pathway activation, identified through bioinformatics and subsequently confirmed as present in primary tissue and preserved through different secondary 2D and 3D culture media and xenografts. Candidate therapeutic testing showed that the allosteric AKT inhibitor MK2206 reproducibly inhibited cell survival across different culture formats. By contrast, the cells appeared resistant to the adenosine triphosphate competitive AKT inhibitor GSK690693. Procedures employed here illustrate an approach for reproducibly obtaining material for pathophysiological studies of salivary gland neoplasms, and other less common epithelial cancer types, that can be executed without compromising pathological examination of patient specimens. The approach permits combined genetic and cell-based physiological and therapeutic investigations in addition to more traditional pathologic studies, and can be used to build sustainable bio-banks for future inquiries.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Motor neuron degeneration correlates with respiratory dysfunction in SCA1
Authors: Orengo James P. , van der Heijden Meike E. , Hao Shuang , Tang Jianrong , Orr Harry T. , Zoghbi Huda Y.
Published: February 2018

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is characterized by adult-onset cerebellar degeneration with attendant loss of motor coordination. Bulbar function is eventually impaired and patients typically die from an inability to clear the airway. We investigated whether motor neuron degeneration is at the root of bulbar dysfunction by studying SCA1 knock-in (Atxn1154Q/+) mice. Spinal cord and brainstem motor neurons were assessed in Atxn1154Q/+ mice at 1, 3 and 6 months of age. Specifically, we assessed breathing physiology, diaphragm histology and electromyography, and motor neuron histology and immunohistochemistry. Atxn1154Q/+ mice show progressive neuromuscular respiratory abnormalities, neurogenic changes in the diaphragm, and motor neuron degeneration in the spinal cord and brainstem. Motor neuron degeneration is accompanied by reactive astrocytosis and accumulation of Atxn1 aggregates in the motor neuron nuclei. This observation correlates with previous findings in SCA1 patient tissue. Atxn1154Q/+ mice develop bulbar dysfunction because of motor neuron degeneration. These findings confirm the Atxn1154Q/+ line as a SCA1 model with face and construct validity for this understudied disease feature. Furthermore, this model is suitable for studying the pathogenic mechanism driving motor neuron degeneration in SCA1 and possibly other degenerative motor neuron diseases. From a clinical standpoint, the data indicate that pulmonary function testing and employment of non-invasive ventilator support could be beneficial in SCA1 patients. The physiological tests used in this study might serve as valuable biomarkers for future therapeutic interventions and clinical trials.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Anatomy and physiology, 8. The circulatory system
Authors: Peate Ian
Published: February 2018

The function of the circulatory system—also called the cardiovascular system—is to transport blood around the body. The blood carries a number of other substances required by the body to function. This article provides an overview of this essential body system. The cardiovascular system keeps life pumping through the body. Understanding the functions of the cardiovascular system, along with its various pathways of veins, arteries and capillaries, is essential in the provision of safe and effective care.
A bird's eye view of breakdown in parrot–caregiver relations
Authors: Henley Elaine
Published: February 2018

This article explores the reasons (the term differentials is often used by UK behaviourists) for aggression by pet parrots directed toward caregivers and household members when they attempt to physically interact with the parrot, and consequences that lack of touch may have on the caregiver–parrot relationship. It also outlines the role of a properly trained behaviourist in explaining the aggressive behaviour to the parrot's owner and developing a behaviour modification plan appropriate to the needs of both the parrot and the caregiver. Each owner–parrot relationship is individual, therefore an individual plan is required for each case; it is beyond the scope of this article to detail such plans.
Use of desoxycorticosterone pivalate (DOCP) in the treatment of canine hypoadrenocorticism
Authors: White Constance N
Published: February 2018

Although newly introduced to the UK and EU markets, desoxycorticosterone pivalate (DOCP) has been used successfully for the management of canine hypoadrenocorticism in the US for several decades. This article briefly reviews the history of DOCP use, as well as current dosing and monitoring recommendations, including off-label recommendations for lower initial dosing. Laboratory quality, particularly when using electrolyte ratios, is a critical component of case management.