bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In multiple sclerosis anxiety, not depression, is related to gender
Authors: Théaudin Marie , Romero Kristoffer , Feinstein Anthony
Published: June 2015

Background:

There is a high prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders in multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease 2.5 times more frequent in females. Contrary to the general population, in whom studies have demonstrated higher rates of depression and anxiety in females, little is known about the impact of gender on psychiatric sequelae in MS patients.

Objectives:

We conducted a retrospective study to try to clarify this uncertainty.

Methods:

Demographic, illness-related and behavioral variables were obtained from a neuropsychiatric database of 896 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of MS. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were obtained with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Gender comparisons were undertaken and predictors of depression and anxiety sought with a linear regression analysis.

Results:

HADS data were available for 711 of 896 (79.35%) patients. Notable gender differences included a higher frequency of primary progressive MS in males ( p = 0.002), higher HADS anxiety scores in females ( p < 0.001), but no differences in HADS depression scores.

Conclusion:

In MS, gender influences the frequency of anxiety only. This suggests that the etiological factors underpinning anxiety and depression in MS are not only different from one another, but also in the case of depression, different from those observed in general population samples.
Comparison of viewpoints of health care professionals with or without involvement with formal ethics processes on the role of ethics committees and hospitals in the resolution of clinical ethical dilemmas
Authors: Marcus Brian S , Carlson Jestin , Hegde Gajanan G , Shang Jennifer , Venkat Arvind
Published: June 2015

Objective

Our objective was to evaluate whether those individuals with previous involvement with formal clinical ethics processes differ in their attitudes towards the resolution of prototypical clinical ethics cases than general health care professionals. We hypothesized that those individuals with previous participation in ethics consultation would have significantly different attitudes on the appropriate role of ethics committees in the assessment and resolution of clinical ethical dilemmas than those who have not.

Methods

We conducted a case-based survey of health care professionals at six US hospitals. We administered the survey to health care professionals in a variety of clinical roles at each center and further sub-categorized these by respondents reporting or not reporting their membership on an ethics committee or participation as an ethics consultant/requestor of ethics consult services. Using the analysis of variance test, we present the variation in attitudes using a 5-point Likert scale with 95% confidence intervals and significance set at p ≤ 0.05.

Results

A total of 240 respondents completed the survey (response rate: 63.6%) from all six surveyed centers (128 respondents with involvement with ethics consultation, 112 respondents without). Health care professionals not previously involved with formal clinical ethics processes were less likely to view the ethics committee as having a role in resolving the presented clinical ethical dilemmas ( p = 0.01 for analysis of variance comparison).

Conclusion

In this multi-center survey study, health care providers without previous involvement with formal clinical ethics processes were less likely than those with previous involvement to support a role for ethics committees aiding in ethical case resolution.
Retinal pigment epithelial cell proliferation
Authors: Stern Jeffrey , Temple Sally
Published: June 2015

The human retinal pigment epithelium forms early in development and subsequently remains dormant, undergoing minimal proliferation throughout normal life. Retinal pigment epithelium proliferation, however, can be activated in disease states or by removing retinal pigment epithelial cells into culture. We review the conditions that control retinal pigment epithelial proliferation in culture, in animal models and in human disease and interpret retinal pigment epithelium proliferation in context of the recently discovered retinal pigment epithelium stem cell that is responsible for most in vitro retinal pigment epithelial proliferation. Retinal pigment epithelial proliferation-mediated wound repair that occurs in selected macular diseases is contrasted with retinal pigment epithelial proliferation-mediated fibroblastic scar formation that underlies proliferative vitreoretinopathy. We discuss the role of retinal pigment epithelial proliferation in age-related macular degeneration which is reparative in some cases and destructive in others. Macular retinal pigment epithelium wound repair and regression of choroidal neovascularization are more pronounced in younger than older patients. We discuss the possibility that the limited retinal pigment epithelial proliferation and latent wound repair in older age-related macular degeneration patients can be stimulated to promote disease regression in age-related macular degeneration.
Effects of total gastrectomy on plasma silicon and amino acid concentrations in men
Authors: Tatara Marcin R , Krupski Witold , Szpetnar Maria , Dąbrowski Andrzej , Bury Paweł , Szabelska Anna , Charuta Anna , Boguszewska-Czubara Anna , Maciejewski Ryszard , Wallner Grzegorz
Published: June 2015

The aim of the study was to determine one-year effects of total gastrectomy on plasma silicon and free amino acid concentrations in patients and evaluate changes of volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) in lumbar spine. Eight patients were enrolled to the control (CTR) group. Six patients subjected to total gastrectomy (GX group) were included to the experimental group. vBMD in trabecular and cortical bone was measured in lumbar vertebrae at baseline (before surgery) and one year later using quantitative computed tomography. Plasma concentrations of silicon and free amino acids were determined at baseline and one year later using photometric method and ion-exchange chromatography. Body weights within CTR and GX groups were not different after one-year follow-up when compared to the baseline values ( P > 0.05). An average annual decrease of vBMD in the trabecular bone in the gastrectomized patients reached 15.0% in lumbar spine and was significantly different in comparison to the percentage changes observed in CTR group ( P = 0.02). One-year percentage change of vBMD in the cortical bone in L1 and L2 has shown significantly decreased values by 10.5 and 9.1% in the GX group when compared to the percentage change observed in the controls ( P < 0.05). Plasma concentration of adipic acid was significantly higher by 101.6% one year after total gastrectomy procedure in the patients when compared to the baseline value ( P = 0.01). Plasma concentration of silicon was significantly lowered by 26.7% one year after the total gastrectomy when compared to the baseline value ( P = 0.009). Total gastrectomy in patients has induced severe osteoporotic changes in lumbar spine within one-year period. The observed osteoporotic changes were associated with decreased plasma concentration of silicon indicating importance of exocrine and endocrine functions of stomach for silicon homeostasis maintenance. Gastrectomy-induced bone loss was not related to decreased amino acid concentration in plasma obtained from overnight fasted patients.
A stochastic simulation algorithm for evaluation of seismic pounding response of adjacent structures
Authors: Rahimi Sepideh , Soltani Masoud
Published: June 2015

This article proposes a comprehensive closed-form approach to determine the dynamic response of single-degree-of-freedom and multi-degree-of-freedom systems subjected to stationary and non-stationary Gaussian excitations. The proposed method presents the probabilistic seismic response of adjacent systems under different levels of seismic intensity, in terms of summarized incremental dynamic analysis curves, and has the ability to consider the seismic pounding effect based on the standard deviation of the response of adjacent systems. In comparison with the incremental dynamic analysis procedure, the proposed approach shows acceptable results with much less computational time and cost.
The management of dry eye
Authors: Roberts David
Published: June 2015

Dry eye syndrome, also called keratoconjunctivitis sicca, is a very common condition; its prevalence is up to 33% in the UK population, with women being 50% more likely to suffer from it than men. Furthermore, it remains difficult to treat since it can be difficult to achieve concordance between doctors and patients regarding therapy. The causes of dry eye are multifactorial and therefore the effective treatment needs to be nuanced. This article reviews the aetiology and management of dry eye.
Citizenship for a changing global climate: Learning from New Zealand and Norway
Authors: Hayward Bronwyn , Selboe Elin , Plew Elizabeth
Published: June 2015

Young citizens under the age of 25 years make up just under half of the world’s population. Globally, they face new, interrelated problems of dangerous environmental change, including increasing incidence of severe storms associated with a changing climate, and related new threats to human security. Addressing the complex challenge of climate change will require new understandings of citizen rights and responsibilities. In this context, we were interested in comparing and contrasting how young citizens currently conceive their rights and responsibilities in two high-consumption societies with sharply contrasting democratic contexts: New Zealand’s market liberal democracy and the social democratic state of Norway. Discussion reflects on youthful expectations of citizen rights and responsibilities and the implications of their assumptions in a changing climate.
Global Financial Crisis and educational restructuring
Authors: Peters Michael A , Besley Tina , Paraskeva João M
Published: June 2015

“Financialisation” is a term that describes an economic system or process that attempts to reduce all value that is exchanged (whether tangible, intangible, future, or present promises, etc.) either into a financial instrument or a derivative of a financial instrument. The original intent of financialization is to be able to reduce any work product or service to an exchangeable financial instrument. It is an aspect of increased symbolization, mathematization, and computerization of financial markets that are trends within knowledge capitalism. Neoliberalism is an expression of the power of finance that has gathered pace with the internationalization of capital and the globalization of markets. Some scholars suggest that neoliberalism and globalization are themselves expressions of finance, closely tied to the development of derivatives markets and the evolution of an international financial system where the international rentiers have managed to significantly increase their share of national income on the basis of systematic fraud, corruption, and widespread criminalization of financial practices. The current financial crisis is a systemic crisis of the entire capitalistic system based on interconnected global financial markets. This is a fundamental shift that represents the financialization of the reproductive sphere of life itself. Under this regime, the monopolization and privatization of knowledge and education has proceeded rapidly. One of the effects of financialization and the economic crisis has been to popularize a debate on budget cuts and “austerity politics” across the board for public services provided at the state level with massive cuts to education in all aspects, attacks on collective bargaining, and the sacking of thousands of teachers. This paper will explore education in the age of financialization and the Global Financial Crisis.
Bilateral papillitis and unilateral focal chorioretinitis as the presenting features of syphilis
Authors: Benson Christy Elizabeth , Soliman Mohamed Kamel , Knezevic Alexander , Xu Daisy Ding , Nguyen Quan Dong , Do Diana V
Published: June 2015

Background

Syphilis is a multisystem bacterial infection caused by Treponema pallidum. The incidence of infection in the United States has risen by more than 75% since the year 2000, when it was at a low of 2.1 per 100,000 people. Ocular involvement may occur in any stage of infection and may present in a variety of ways, with posterior uveitis being the most common manifestation. We report a case of ocular syphilis infection with an unusual presentation of bilateral non-granulomatous panuveitis with papillitis and unilateral focal chorioretinitis.

Findings

This is a retrospective case report with literature review. A 39-year-old Caucasian female presented with a 2-week history of bilateral ocular flashes and left eye pain. Dilated fundus examination revealed mild optic disc edema in both eyes, the right eye more than the left. In the left eye, there was an area of retinal elevation and whitening involving the peripheral retina. Fluorescein angiography, B-scan ultrasonography, and ocular coherence tomography were performed, and laboratory tests were ordered based on the clinical presentation. After rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-Abs) were positive, syphilitic uveitis was confirmed, and the patient was admitted for a 14-day course of high-dose intravenous penicillin G.

Conclusions

The first signs and symptoms of syphilis may be ocular, which can lead to a diagnostic challenge. A high index of suspicion is the key for early diagnosis of ocular syphilis. Prompt treatment with intravenous penicillin G is highly effective in resolving the infection.
Gut and sublingual microvascular effect of esmolol during septic shock in a porcine model
Authors: Jacquet-Lagrèze Matthias , Allaouchiche Bernard , Restagno Damien , Paquet Christian , Ayoub Jean-Yves , Etienne Jêrome , Vandenesch François , Dauwalder Olivier , Bonnet Jeanne-Marie , Junot Stéphane
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Esmolol may efficiently reduce heart rate (HR) and decrease mortality during septic shock. An improvement of microcirculation dissociated from its macrocirculatory effect may a role. The present study investigated the effect of esmolol on gut and sublingual microcirculation in a resuscitated piglet model of septic shock.

Methods

Fourteen piglets, anesthetized and mechanically ventilated, received a suspension of live Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They were randomly assigned to two groups: the esmolol (E) group received an infusion of esmolol, started at 7.5 μg⋅kg−1⋅min−1, and progressively increased to achieve a HR below 90 beats⋅min−1. The control (C) group received an infusion of Ringer’s lactate solution. HR, mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac index (CI), stroke index (SI), systemic vascular resistance (SVR), arterio-venous blood gas and lactate were recorded. Oxygen consumption (VO2), delivery (DO2) and peripheral extraction (O2ER) were computed. Following an ileostomy, a laser Doppler probe was applied on ileal mucosa to monitor gut microcirculatory laser Doppler flow (GMLDF). Videomicroscopy was also used on ileal mucosa and sublingual areas to evaluate mean flow index (MFI), heterogeneity, ratio of perfused villi and proportion of perfused vessels. Resuscitation maneuvers were performed following a defined algorithm.

Results

Bacterial infusion induced a significant alteration of the gut microcirculation with an increase in HR. Esmolol produced a significant time/group effect with a decrease in HR (P <0.004) and an increase in SVR (P <0.004). Time/group effect was not significant for CI and MAP, but there was a clear trend toward a decrease in CI and MAP in the E group. Time/group effect was not significant for SI, O2ER, DO2, VO2, GMLDF and lactate. A significant time/group effect of ileal microcirculation was found with a lower ileal villi perfusion (P <0.025) in the C group, and a trend toward a better MFI in the E group. No difference between both groups was found regarding microcirculatory parameters in the sublingual area.

Conclusions

Esmolol provided a maintenance of microcirculation during sepsis despite its negative effects on macrocirculation. Some parameters even showed a trend toward an improvement of the microcirculation in the gut area in the esmolol group.
99m-Technetium binding site in bone marrow mononuclear cells
Authors: Suhett Grazielle Dias , de Souza Sergio Augusto Lopes , Carvalho Adriana Bastos , de Pinho Rachid Rachel , da Cunha-E-Silva Narcisa Leal , de Carvalho Antonio Carlos Campos , da Fonseca Lea Mirian Barbosa , dos Santos Goldenberg Regina Coeli , Gutfilen Bianca
Published: June 2015

Introduction

The increasing interest in 99m-technetium (99mTc)-labeled stem cells encouraged us to study the 99mTc binding sites in stem cell compartments.

Methods

Bone marrow mononuclear cells were collected from femurs and tibia of rats. Cells were labeled with 99mTc by a direct method, in which reduced molecules react with 99mTc with the use of chelating agents, and lysed carefully in an ultrasonic apparatus. The organelles were separated by means of differential centrifugation. At the end of this procedure, supernatants and pellets were counted, and the percentages of radioactivity (in megabecquerels) bound to the different cellular fractions were determined. Percentages were calculated by dividing the radioactivity in each fraction by total radioactivity in the sample. The pellets were separated and characterized by their morphology on electron microscopy.

Results

The labeling procedure did not affect viability of bone marrow mononuclear cells. Radioactivity distributions in bone marrow mononuclear cell organelles, obtained in five independent experiments, were approximately 38.5 % in the nuclei-rich fraction, 5.3 % in the mitochondria-rich fraction, 2.2 % in microsomes, and 54 % in the cytosol. Our results showed that most of the radioactivity remained in the cytosol; therefore, this is an intracellular labeling procedure that has ribosomes unbound to membrane and soluble molecules as targets. However, approximately 39 % of the radioactivity remained bound to the nuclei-rich fraction. To confirm that cell disruption and organelle separation were efficient, transmission electron microscopy assays of all pellets were performed.

Conclusions

Our results showed that most of the radioactivity was present in the cytosol fraction. More studies to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the cellular uptake of 99mTc in bone marrow cells are ongoing.
Towards decision analytics in product portfolio management
Authors: Otten Sjors , Spruit Marco , Helms Remko
Published: June 2015

An important strategic decision within the food industry is to achieve the optimal product portfolio allowing an organization to support its customers in the best possible way. Numerous models exist to categorize products based on their relative metrics like revenue, volume, margin or constructed scores. In order to make a more profound decision whether to keep or to remove a product from the portfolio a closer look into product interdependencies is desirable. Hence, by exploring existing DM-techniques through literature and evaluating those DM-techniques that seem suited in a PPM-context by applying each to a dataset, we aim to identify those techniques that complement a Product Portfolio Management process in the food industry. Three DM-techniques were selected: Dependency Modeling, Change and Deviation Detection, and Classification. Of these three techniques, two were found to be of complementary value in a PPM-context, Dependency modeling and Classification, respectively. Change and deviation detection was found to be of no complementary value in a PPM-context due to it forecasting future data points based on historical data, which results in future data points never exceeding the maximum historical data points. However, change and deviation detection could be of complementary value in another context. Finally, we propose an algorithm to visualize the data-driven product classifications in a standard portfolio matrix which portfolio managers can intuitively understand.
The acute effect of exercise modality and nutrition manipulations on post-exercise resting energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio in women: a randomized trial
Authors: Wingfield Hailee L , Smith-Ryan Abbie E , Melvin Malia N , Roelofs Erica J , Trexler Eric T , Hackney Anthony C , Weaver Mark A , Ryan Eric D
Published: June 2015

Background

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exercise modality and pre-exercise carbohydrate (CHO) or protein (PRO) ingestion on post-exercise resting energy expenditure (REE) and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) in women.

Methods

Twenty recreationally active women (mean ± SD; age 24.6 ± 3.9 years; height 164.4 ± 6.6 cm; weight 62.7 ± 6.6 kg) participated in this randomized, crossover, double-blind study. Each participant completed six exercise sessions, consisting of three exercise modalities: aerobic endurance exercise (AEE), high-intensity interval running (HIIT), and high-intensity resistance training (HIRT); and two acute nutritional interventions: CHO and PRO. Salivary samples were collected before each exercise session to determine estradiol-β-17 and before and after to quantify cortisol. Post-exercise REE and RER were analyzed via indirect calorimetry at the following: baseline, immediately post (IP), 30 minutes (30 min) post, and 60 minutes (60 min) post exercise. A mixed effects linear regression model, controlling for estradiol, was used to compare mean longitudinal changes in REE and RER.

Results

On average, HIIT produced a greater REE than AEE and HIRT (p < 0.001) post exercise. Effects of AEE and HIRT were not significantly different for post-exercise REE (p = 0.1331). On average, HIIT produced lower RER compared to either AEE or HIRT after 30 min (p < 0.001 and p = 0.0169, respectively) and compared to AEE after 60 min (p = 0.0020). On average, pre-exercise PRO ingestion increased post-exercise REE (p = 0.0076) and decreased post-exercise RER (p < 0.0001) compared to pre-exercise CHO ingestion.

Conclusion

HIIT resulted in the largest increase in REE and largest reduction in RER.
All the Possible Variations and Positions
Authors: Davis Ryan M.
Published: June 2015

This profile traces the creative trajectory of the queer choreographer and performance maker Miguel Gutierrez. Drawing on José Esteban Muñoz’s theories of queer futurity and resistance, it analyzes the ways in which Gutierrez and his dancers defy reductive constraints on sexual, artistic, and political expression. It explores the politics of personality, style, and the male body as a site of desire.
Apocalypse and Amnesia, or Adrift in Our Own Garbage
Authors: Graham-Jones Jean
Published: June 2015

This introduction to the author’s translation of Rafael Spregelburd’s play situates both text and production within the Argentine artist’s oeuvre and poetics and analyzes them as critiques of contemporary globalized society. The article argues that Spam proposes language as a tool by which to retrieve humanity and explains how the subsequent translation strives to honor the play’s lyricism and linguistic precision while also revealing translation’s own connection to globalization’s ill effects.
Akt signaling dynamics in individual cells
Authors: Gross Sean M. , Rotwein Peter
Published: June 2015

The protein kinase Akt is a key intracellular mediator of many biological processes, yet knowledge of Akt signaling dynamics is limited. Here we have constructed a fluorescent reporter molecule in a lentiviral delivery system to assess Akt kinase activity at the single cell level. The reporter, a fusion between a modified FoxO1 transcription factor and clover, a green fluorescent protein, rapidly translocates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in response to Akt stimulation. Because of its long half-life and the intensity of clover fluorescence, the sensor provides a robust readout that can be tracked for days under a range of biological conditions. Using this reporter, we find that stimulation of Akt activity by IGF-I is encoded into stable and reproducible analog responses at the population level, but that single cell signaling outcomes are variable. This reporter, which provides a simple and dynamic measure of Akt activity, should be compatible with many cell types and experimental platforms, and thus opens the door to new insights into how Akt regulates its biological responses.
Locomotor corollary activation of trigeminal motoneurons: coupling of discrete motor behaviors
Authors: Hänzi Sara , Banchi Roberto , Straka Hans , Chagnaud Boris P.
Published: June 2015

During motor behavior, corollary discharges of the underlying motor commands inform sensory-motor systems about impending or ongoing movements. These signals generally limit the impact of self-generated sensory stimuli but also induce motor reactions that stabilize sensory perception. Here, we demonstrate in isolated preparations of Xenopus laevis tadpoles that locomotor corollary discharge provokes a retraction of the mechanoreceptive tentacles during fictive swimming. In the absence of sensory feedback, these signals activate a cluster of trigeminal motoneurons that cause a contraction of the tentacle muscle. This corollary discharge encodes duration and strength of locomotor activity, thereby ensuring a reliable coupling between locomotion and tentacle motion. The strict phase coupling between the trigeminal and spinal motor activity, present in many cases, suggests that the respective corollary discharge is causally related to the ongoing locomotor output and derives at least in part from the spinal central pattern generator; however, additional contributions from midbrain and/or hindbrain locomotor centers are likely. The swimming-related retraction might protect the touch-receptive Merkel cells on the tentacle from sensory over-stimulation and damage and/or reduce the hydrodynamic drag. The intrinsic nature of the coupling of tentacle retraction to locomotion is an excellent example of a context-dependent, direct link between otherwise discrete motor behaviors.
Excitonic Feature in Hybrid Perovskite CH3NH3PbBr3 Single Crystals
Authors: Kunugita Hideyuki , Hashimoto Tsubasa , Kiyota Yuki , Udagawa Yosuke , Takeoka Yuko , Nakamura Yuiga , Sano Junro , Matsushita Tomonori , Kondo Takashi , Miyasaka Tsutomu , Ema Kazuhiro
Published: June 2015

We have measured the temperature dependence of the reflection and photoluminescence spectra of a lead bromide hybrid material (CH3NH3PbBr3) using high-quality macroscopic single crystals. Single crystals provide clear and sample-independent reflection spectra that permit discussion of the properties of the photoexcited carriers. We have found that excitons still exist in CH3NH3PbBr3, even at room temperature. We have also determined the temperature dependence of the exciton resonance energy and the line width.
Immunofluorescent visualization of mouse interneuron subtypes
Authors: Molgaard Simon , Ulrichsen Maj , Boggild Simon , Holm Marie-Louise , Vaegter Christian , Nyengaard Jens , Glerup Simon
Published: June 2015

The activity of excitatory neurons is controlled by a highly diverse population of inhibitory interneurons. These cells show a high level of physiological, morphological and neurochemical heterogeneity, and play highly specific roles in neuronal circuits. In the mammalian hippocampus, these are divided into 21 different subtypes of GABAergic interneurons based on their expression of different markers, morphology and their electrophysiological properties. Ideally, all can be marked using an antibody directed against the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, but parvalbumin, calbindin, somatostatin, and calretinin are also commonly used as markers to narrow down the specific interneuron subtype. Here, we describe a journey to find the necessary immunological reagents for studying GABAergic interneurons of the mouse hippocampus. Based on web searches there are several hundreds of different antibodies on the market directed against these four markers. Searches in the literature databases allowed us to narrow it down to a subset of antibodies most commonly used in publications. However, in our hands the most cited ones did not work for immunofluorescence stainings of formaldehyde fixed tissue sections and cultured hippocampal neurons, and we had to immunostain our way through thirteen different commercial antibodies before finally finding a suitable antibody for each of the four markers. The antibodies were evaluated based on signal-to-noise ratios as well as if positive cells were found in layers of the hippocampus where they have previously been described. Additionally, the antibodies were also tested on sections from mouse spinal cord with similar criteria for specificity of the antibodies. Using the antibodies with a high rating on pAbmAbs, an antibody review database, stainings with high signal-to-noise ratios and location of the immunostained cells in accordance with the literature could be obtained, making these antibodies suitable choices for studying the GABAergic system.
Project Stakeholder Engagement: Theoretical Approaches Review
Authors: ����������  , Ponomareva T. , �������  , Gergert Dmitriy
Published: June 2015

Recently, organizational challenges and the need to achieve sustainable

development make it more important to engage with all the necessary and

relevant participants of the economic and social processes.

Furthermore, the imperatives of sustainable development reinforce the

need to engage with stakeholders to realize specific organizational goals,

as well as to meet broader social, environmental and economic changes.

A company has many stakeholders, each with distinct types and levels of

involvement, and often with diverse and sometimes conflicting interests

and concerns. Like any other business function, stakeholder engagement

needs to be managed. Stakeholder engagement has always been crucial

to a company�s performance and recently has become an important tool

to transfer responsibility to management practice and corporate strategy.

The academic literature includes many attempts at classifying stakeholders

using various criteria and definitions. The ambiguity and the vagueness

of the stakeholder concept are discussed from the different scientific approaches.

The criticisms of stakeholder theory have already been thoroughly

analyzed and widely commented on in the scientific literature.

The stakeholder model has been constantly expanding and now includes

more than two dozen groups. However, over the years, the uncontrolled

broadening of its scope and applications, the multiplication of the numerous

stakeholder definitions, have created confusion. A strong need for clarification

and a clear delimitation of the stakeholders was thus urgently needed.

Moreover businesses should scale their stakeholder engagement strategies

relative to the risks. The company should identify and map stakeholders in

regard to all of its activities, products, services and projects

There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to stakeholder engagement.

The type of relationship the private sector should try to develop with

its stakeholders, and the resources and level of effort that it should invest,

will differ according to the nature, location, and scale of the project; the

phase of its development; and the interests of the stakeholders themselves.

In this article the authors present a review of different methods and scientific

approaches to the stakeholder engagement theory and make an attempt to

establish the significance of stakeholder engagement tools and modes in

the process of project management.
Does the timing of deinfibulation for women with type 3 female genital mutilation affect labour outcomes?
Authors: Albert Juliet , Bailey Elizabeth , Duaso Maria
Published: June 2015

Objective:

To determine whether timing of deinfibulation influences obstetric outcomes for women with type 3 female genital mutilation (FGM).

Design:

A retrospective observational study comprising 94 women with type 3 FGM who gave birth from 2008–2012.

Method:

Outcomes described in maternity notes of women with deinfibulation performed prior to labour (n=62) compared with ‘not deinfibulated before labour’ (n=32). Secondary analysis was then performed excluding women who had caesarean sections.

Findings:

Women who were ‘not deinfibulated before labour’ had a significantly greater risk of episiotomy (RR 1.67, P<0.05) and prolonged hospital stay of >2 days (RR 1.33, P<0.05). They also had non-significant increased risk of a postpartum haemorrhage (RR 1.15, P=0.58); prolonged second stage (RR 1.77, P=0.16); and required vaginal packing in theatre (RR 2.6, P =0.17). Apgar scores were no different, and both groups had higher than the national average rates for emergency caesarean section and instrumental birth.

Conclusion:

Type 3 FGM is associated with morbidity in childbirth. When deinfibulation is deferred until labour the risk of morbidity increases.
Falls prevention interventions in older adults with cognitive impairment: A systematic review of reviews
Authors: Booth Vicky , Logan Pip , Harwood Rowan , Hood Victoria
Published: June 2015

Aim:

This critical review explores the review material on falls prevention interventions in older adults with cognitive impairment, such as dementia.

Method:

A systematic review of reviews was conducted using the following bibliographic databases: PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL and the Cochrane electronic library. The search terms used were: ‘falls’; ‘rehabilitation’; ‘falls prevention’; ‘interventions’; ‘cognitive impairment’; ‘dementia’; and ‘Alzheimer's disease’. All available studies were marked against predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results:

Of the seven review articles that met the inclusion criteria, only one had a homogenous population of adults with a cognitive impairment. The most reported intervention was exercise, which was included in all seven reviews of 91 studies. Multifactorial and multicomponent falls prevention programmes were also frequently reported. Reports of efficacy were inconsistent for all the interventions reported.

Conclusion:

Evidence for falls prevention interventions for adults with cognitive impairment is varied and inconclusive. When compared with the literature on falls interventions in healthy older adult populations, both primary and synthesis studies in older adults with cognitive impairment are lacking in number, quality and homogeneity of sample population and interventions. Promising results are emerging but clinical recommendations cannot be made at this time.
Make the most of the Mandarin experience
Authors: Francis-Pester Dawn
Published: June 2015

You do not need to be a language specialist to introduce Mandarin to your pupils. In fact, its grammar can be easier to learn than that of many European languages.
Plant the first seeds of computing knowledge
Authors: Rachel  , Bosley Mark
Published: June 2015

You don't need touchscreens to introduce key stage 1 children to concepts such as algorithms and programs. Activities such as gardening can lay the foundations.
How Mathletics spurs them on to work harder
Authors: McKeown Sal
Published: June 2015

With its gaming credentials, 3P Learning's Mathletics is a winner in many schools, offering a rigorous but fun maths program, with opportunities for speedy progress.
Succeed in your interview
Authors: Donohoe Tom
Published: June 2015

Worried about what you might be asked in your job interview? Tom Donohoe provides a practise run that covers all bases and provides tips for success.
Biochemical Marker Reference Values across Pediatric, Adult, and Geriatric Ages: Establishment of Robust Pediatric and Adult Reference Intervals on the Basis of the Canadian Health Measures Survey
Authors: Adeli Khosrow , Higgins Victoria , Nieuwesteeg Michelle , Raizman Joshua E , Chen Yunqi , Wong Suzy L , Blais David
Published: June 2015

BACKGROUND

Biological covariates such as age and sex can markedly influence biochemical marker reference values, but no comprehensive study has examined such changes across pediatric, adult, and geriatric ages. The Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) collected comprehensive nationwide health information and blood samples from children and adults in the household population and, in collaboration with the Canadian Laboratory Initiative on Pediatric Reference Intervals (CALIPER), examined biological changes in biochemical markers from pediatric to geriatric age, establishing a comprehensive reference interval database for routine disease biomarkers.

METHODS

The CHMS collected health information, physical measurements, and biosamples (blood and urine) from approximately 12 000 Canadians aged 3–79 years and measured 24 biochemical markers with the Ortho Vitros 5600 FS analyzer or a manual microplate. By use of CLSI C28-A3 guidelines, we determined age- and sex-specific reference intervals, including corresponding 90% CIs, on the basis of specific exclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Biochemical marker reference values exhibited dynamic changes from pediatric to geriatric age. Most biochemical markers required some combination of age and/or sex partitioning. Two or more age partitions were required for all analytes except bicarbonate, which remained constant throughout life. Additional sex partitioning was required for most biomarkers, except bicarbonate, total cholesterol, total protein, urine iodine, and potassium.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding the fluctuations in biochemical markers over a wide age range provides important insight into biological processes and facilitates clinical application of biochemical markers to monitor manifestation of various disease states. The CHMS-CALIPER collaboration addresses this important evidence gap and allows the establishment of robust pediatric and adult reference intervals.
Black nationalism and opposition to organized labour in 1930s New York City
Authors: Ayers Oliver
Published: June 2015

Modern historiography emphasizes the importance of black nationalism in an ongoing ‘long’ civil rights movement, particularly during the Garvey and Black Power eras in the 1920s and 1960s. While not as prominent as these movements, this article shows that nationalism did not disappear during the 1930s. This is demonstrated by a case-study of the Harlem Labor Union (HLU), a black-only protest group formed out of remnants of the Garvey movement in 1935. Accused of being racketeers by opponents, this article finds that the HLU gained a hearing among the wider Harlem community through their willingness to rail against racist practices of white-dominated trade unions and to take the fight for jobs ‘onto the street’. A defining characteristic of the HLU was its fierce rejection of the interracial unionism espoused by newly vocal pro-union leaders, but the group achieved only patchy results on their own. Some attempts were made in later years to participate in broader protest coalitions. The fractious interactions with other organizations that resulted highlighted broader difficulties sustaining coordinated protests against discrimination in employment in this period. Consequently, the HLU’s story problematizes the ‘long’ thesis’ argument that black protest underwent a successful shift to the left during the New Deal era.
Superhero or vigilante? A matter of perspective and brand management
Authors: Marazi Katherine
Published: June 2015

Vigilantism is a recurring theme in superhero narratives where, objectively speaking, all superheroes are vigilantes. Nevertheless, the fictional nature of superheroes allows one to contemplate the ideological grey area and connotations of vigilante. This article will focus on three specific ‘human’ superheroes who display a strong brand identity in order to examine the theme of vigilantism in connection with brand identity and brand management so as to display the oscillating power struggle between individual and the collective, between the private corporate sector and government power. Drawing on the position of power from which one speaks or is prompted to speak, as advocated by Michel Foucault, as well as the practices of brand management and postmodern marketing as advocated by Adam Arvidsson, this article views vigilantism as occupying an ideological grey area due to the brand presence of the superheroes, thus displaying a convoluted relationship between a brand governing authority and a government authority. The question at hand is whether the character wants to be perceived as a vigilante due to a context he has set, or is deemed as such, because a different authority cannot infiltrate said context so as to control and conform him to the opposite effect.
Framing the Islamic State on Al Jazeera English and the BBC websites
Authors: Satti Mohamed
Published: June 2015

This study examines the media coverage of the Islamic State (IS) currently vying to establish a caliphate in the Middle East. The websites of Al Jazeera English (AJE) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) were scrutinized in order to determine how they framed IS. This study suggests eight framing devices to this media coverage: the Islamic fundamentalist; religious differences/intolerance; crimes against humanity; the aggressive nature of IS; the aggressive nature of coalition forces; a desire for peace; religious tolerance; and humanitarian. Results suggested that both AJE and the BBC frame IS as an aggressive entity with fundamentalist tendencies, whose main agenda centres on fighting against those who stand in its way. The study also highlights how the coalition forces are similarly framed as having an aggressive nature, although this aggressiveness is warranted, since they are ‘the forces of good fighting against evil’. Results also suggest that IS is framed as an extremist organization that exhibits considerable religious intolerance. Coverage by AJE and the BBC also tended to humanize the victims and to dehumanize those who were victimized.
Jordanian journalists’ awareness of the concepts and standards of journalistic quality within Jordanian media institutions
Authors: Tweissi Basim Mohammed , Suleiman Raid Jameel , Al-Garrallah Aiman Sanad
Published: June 2015

This study aims to identify Jordanian journalists’ awareness of the basic concepts of journalistic professionalism by addressing four sets of media quality standards, as abstracted from several studies. Notable among those sets are journalistic content standards, the performance quality standards of newsrooms, institutional standards, and standards of news selection. Furthermore, the study attempts to identify the difference between an awareness of specific standards of professionalism and quality, and a realization of media institutions’ actual practices. The responses of 200 journalists revealed a reasonable awareness of the basic concepts of quality and professionalism. However, there was a gap between Jordanian journalists’ ­realization of quality and professionalism standards and media institutions’ actual applications of those standards. By way of concluding, this study recommended that media institutions should adopt quality concepts. In addition, they should bridge the gap between standards and actual media practices by means of independence protection; separation between ownership and editing; and restraining external intervention. Also, media institutions should work towards increasing the level of their performance quality with respect to localism standards, their use of sources, pluralism, accuracy, social responsibility, criteria of news selection, and preparing relevant guidelines.
Resolving Religious Conflicts Through Expanding Inter-Religious Communication: Issues and Challenges
Authors: Suwarno Peter
Published: June 2015

Konflik yang terkait dengan isu keagamaan sering timbul dengan sangat mudah. Tanpa menafikan hadirnya oknum provokator, konflik ini biasanya muncul karena rendahnya sikap saling pengertian dan terbatasnya komunikasi antar agama. Dalam artikel ini, penulis berpandangan bahwa mediasi –sebagai salah satu jalan keluar yang popular untuk mengatasi konflik keagamaan, yang lebih menekankan terwujudnya kesepakatan damai antar pemeluk agama– kurang cocok untuk kondisi di Indonesia. Berdasarkan analisis atas usaha untuk resolusi konflik keagamaan di Indonesia, upaya yang lebih cocok untuk dilakukan adalah yang mengarah pada upaya saling memahami antar kelompok agama yang berbeda-beda. Hal itu dapat diusahakan melalui peningkatan komunikasi antar pemeluk agama, termasuk melalui jalur pendidikan formal, dialog antar agama, hingga memperluas ruang publik untuk pengembangan tradisi peace building.
Book Review: Beberapa Tema Reformasi dalam Islam
Authors: Syamsuddin Sahiron
Published: June 2015

Buku yang akan diperkenalkan kepada pembaca ini merupakan kumpulan artikel yang memaparkan secara singkat biografi dan pokok-pokok pikiran beberapa pemikir reformis Muslim kontemporer, baik dari kalangan konservatif maupun liberal, dari beberapa negara. Meskipun hanya merupakan preliminary research, buku ini menyajikan informasi-informasi yang sangat menarik dan segar dan tentunya sangat bermanfaat bagi para pembaca yang ingin melakukan penelitian lebih mendalam tentang pemikiran tokoh-tokoh yang disebutkan dalam buku ini. Memuat 19 artikel, buku ini dibagi ke dalam 5 tema besar, yakin (1) wajah Islam di Eropa, (2) konsep demokrasi religius, (3) ruang gerak reformasi syariat, (4) pemahaman rasional terhadap al-Quran, dan (5) aktivisme Islam dalam hal pembelaan terhadap hak asasi manusia dan hak kaum wanita.
Image of the braid groups inside the finite Iwahori–Hecke algebras
Authors: Brunat Olivier , Magaard Kay , Marin Ivan
Published: June 2015

The Iwahori–Hecke algebras of typeAare deformations of the group algebras of the symmetric groups, and can be defined as quotients of the group algebras of the braid groups. We determine the image of the braid groups inside these algebras, when defined over a finite field, in the semisimple case, and for suitably large (but controllable) order of the defining (quantum) parameter.
Public Research Support for an Innovative Integrated Payment Model of Service Delivery
Authors: Bracaglia Antonio , Monetta Giulia , Vanobberghen William
Published: June 2015

This paper introduces an entrepreneurial innovation supported by public research. TITAN is an R&D project funded by European Structural Funds with the National Operational Program for “Research and Competitiveness” 2007–2013 (NOP for R&C). General purpose of TITAN project is to achieve a multi-application and multi-channel platform to manage value-added services (VAS) and e-payments. From the EPAS protocols perspective of standardizing the electronic payment, VAS data management will be included in the current financial messages (CAPE – ISO 20022). In order to improve the process of card payment transactions through the delivery of new VAS was born the cooperation between EPASOrg and TITAN’s team. This cooperation would facilitate the examination and submission to ISO 20022 of data components related to the provision of added-value services meeting the requirements of those new contactless applications developed in the framework of the project. This is the principal and most entrepreneurial innovation concentrated on the integration of payment and VAS that draws attention to a new model delivering the VAS on a multi-application device used by both payment and VAS, during the same payment transaction. The latter result has led a Change Request to ISO in order to allow the extension to the VAS on the standard ISO 20022 related to card payment. The innovative model proposed is validated through a sample scenario and, finally, the conclusions summarize the next steps and underlines possible implications for future business and technological developments.