bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Free vibration analysis of functionally graded fiber reinforced cylindrical panels by a three dimensional mesh-free model
Authors: Soltanimaleki A , Foroutan M , Alihemmati J
Published: February 2015

In this paper, free vibration analysis of functionally graded fibers reinforced cylindrical panels is carried out by a three-dimensional mesh free model. Moving least squares shape functions in cylindrical coordinates are used for approximation of displacement field in the weak form of motion equations. Two kinds of variations of the mechanical properties in the thickness direction are considered. In the first model the fibers are assumed to be oriented in the axial direction and volume fractions of the fibers and matrix are changed continuously according to the power-law distribution. In the second model the volume fractions of constituents are constant and the fibers orientation is changed continuously in the thickness direction according to the power-law distribution. For each model various boundary conditions are considered and effects of boundary conditions, fibers orientation, exponent of volume fractions and the panel geometry on the natural frequencies are investigated.
Myth as Propaganda in World War I
Authors: Collins Ross F.
Published: February 2015

This historical research builds on the literature of myth, war, and international journalism. It considers the power of myth as propaganda, and how this narrative was constructed using a specific segment of Americans, those who volunteered in France during World War I. Despite American neutrality, young men from mostly elite families volunteered to fight for the Allies. This research considers these men as the press portrayed them in the country they adopted as volunteers, France. Historians have studied these volunteers in fair detail. But no research has considered the presence and propaganda role of these volunteers in the international press.
Dialogic Interviewing and Flickers of Transformation
Authors: Way Amy K. , Kanak Zwier Robin , Tracy Sarah J.
Published: February 2015

This article identifies practices in qualitative interviews that evoke research participant reflexivity and change. By engaging interviews in a dialogic manner, researchers can encourage participant perspective-taking and non-judgmental involvement that can lead to flickers of transformation. The study draws on empirical material from three different projects to locate critical incidents of dialogic interviewing. We propose a typology of dialogic interviewing strategies that accompany reflexivity—namely, (a) probing questions, (b) member reflections, and (c) counterfactual prompting. These strategies illustrate the transformative power of dialogic interviewing and serve as a guide for researchers who desire their interviews to not only be methods for gathering knowledge but also methods for intervention and critical reflection.
Queering the Body Politic
Authors: Jones Richard G.
Published: February 2015

This essay presents personal narratives co-constructed with queer men regarding their experiences of queerness and maleness. As the narrators chart their journeys toward identifying as queer, they recount incongruity between and within identities, which the author argues creates queer consciousness. Intersectional and reflexive queer consciousness is demonstrated in narratives that recount how critically evaluating identities led the narrators to contest elements of misogyny, effemimania, hypermasculinity, and other discourses and practices that have implications for our bodies. Espousing a queer identification opens up new discursive and material spaces for queer men to critically explore our bodies, while remaining cognizant of and reflexive about the messy and contradictory aspects of queerness.
When the Chips Are Down
Authors: Kushner Saville
Published: February 2015

Barry MacDonald died in 2013 of an irony—a public mind slowly cloistered by encroaching dementia. Barry was one of the original founders of case study evaluation in the early 1970s. Case study was the methodology of choice for his democratic approach to curriculum and program evaluation. In this article, I explore his core methodological belief that evaluation was based on understanding the individual in innovation. This article was presented at his memorial seminar in April 2014. Barry had always found inspiration in Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. In fact, he was a public eye where Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe were private eyes.
Preclinical Studies on the Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Toxicology of Oxfendazole
Authors: Codd Ellen E. , Ng Hanna H. , McFarlane Claire , Riccio Edward S. , Doppalapudi Rupa , Mirsalis Jon C. , Horton R. John , Gonzalez Armando E. , Garcia H. Hugo , Gilman Robert H.
Published: February 2015

A 2-week study in rats identified target organs of oxfendazole toxicity to be bone marrow, epididymis, liver, spleen, testis, and thymus. Female rats had greater oxfendazole exposure and exhibited toxicities at lower doses than did males. Decreased white blood cell levels, a class effect of benzimidazole anthelmintics, returned to normal during the recovery period. The no observed adverse effect level was determined to be >5 but <25 mg/kg/d and the maximum tolerated dose 100 mg/kg/d. The highest dose, 200 mg/kg/d, resulted in significant toxicity and mortality, leading to euthanization of the main study animals in this group after 7 days. Oxfendazole did not exhibit genetic toxicology signals in standard Ames bacterial, mouse lymphoma, or rat micronucleus assays nor did it provoke safety concerns when evaluated for behavioral effects in rats or cardiovascular safety effects in dogs. These results support the transition of oxfendazole to First in Human safety studies preliminary to its evaluation in human helminth diseases.
Men’s Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence in Vietnam
Authors: Yount Kathryn M. , Higgins Eilidh M. , VanderEnde Kristin E. , Krause Kathleen H. , Minh Tran Hung , Schuler Sidney Ruth , Anh Hoang Tu
Published: February 2015

Using the survey responses of 522 married men (eighteen to fifty-one years) in Vietnam, we explored how gendered social learning in boyhood and challenges to men’s expected status in marriage may increase the risk that men perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV) against their wives. Over one-third (36.6 percent) of the participants reported having ever perpetrated psychological, physical, or sexual IPV against their current wife. Accounting for other characteristics of men in the sample, witnessing IPV as a boy, being physically maltreated as a boy, and being the same age or younger than one’s wife were associated with almost two to three times higher odds of perpetrating any IPV. Men with thirteen to eighteen completed grades of schooling had about half the adjusted odds of ever perpetrating any IPV than men with twelve or fewer completed grades (aOR = 0.56). The determinants of men’s perpetration of physical IPV and psychological IPV were, largely, similar. Programs to prevent men’s perpetration of IPV should address the parenting practices of boys that legitimize men’s aggression and gendered status expectations in marriage, which when challenged, may lead husbands to respond with violence. Engaging men to endorse nonviolent masculinities is an important consideration for future intervention.
Evaluation Practice and Theory
Authors: Leviton Laura C.
Published: February 2015

Debra Rog presented the 2014 Eleanor Chelimsky Forum address, offering ways to integrate evaluation theory and practice by abundant use of practice examples. These examples illustrate the effective use of the Ladder of Abstraction from semantics, working from the concrete to the abstract and back again.
Left lateral liver lobe torsion in a cat with moderate pectus excavatum
Authors: Haider Georg , Dokic Zelimir , Petritsch Birgitt , Lorinson Dragan
Published: February 2015

A 6-year-old neutered female domestic shorthair cat weighing 3.1 kg was referred to the clinic owing to a 2 day history of anorexia. On physical examination, a pectus excavatum (PE) was apparent, and a cranial abdominal mass was palpated. Serum biochemical analysis showed severely elevated liver enzymes. On radiography, the PE was graded as moderate, and a 5 × 3 cm soft tissue density mass was detected in the cranial abdomen. Using duplex ultrasonography, the mass was identified as an enlarged liver lobe with vascular thrombosis. The diagnosis of liver lobe torsion (LLT) was confirmed surgically, and the affected left lateral lobe was resected. On follow-up, performed 1 and 6 months postoperatively, no further abnormalities were found on clinical examination or serum biochemical analysis. At follow-up examination, the PE did not appear to cause any additional clinical signs, indicating that treatment of moderate PE in older animals is not obligatory. This is the first reported case of LLT with concurrent PE, and the second feline case of LLT treated surgically. Animals with anatomical malformation of the diaphragm caused by PE may be at higher risk of developing LLT. Early diagnosis and surgical intervention of LLT can produce a good clinical outcome without further repercussions.
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder as a paraneoplastic manifestation of lung adenocarcinoma expressing aquaporin-4
Authors: Iorio Raffaele , Rindi Guido , Erra Carmen , Damato Valentina , Ferilli Michela , Sabatelli Mario
Published: February 2015

Background:

The observations of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) occurring in the setting of cancer suggest that aquaporin-4 (AQP4) autoimmunity may in some cases be paraneoplastic.

Results:

We describe a 72-year-old patient who developed a longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis associated with AQP4 autoantibodies in the setting of a lung adenocarcinoma recurrence. AQP4 expression was demonstrated in tumor cells. IgG in patient’s cerebrospinal fluid bound to tumor cells co-localizing with AQP4 immunoreactivity.

Conclusions and relevance:

This case expands the spectrum of paraneoplastic AQP4 autoimmunity highlighting the importance of considering an oncological screening in patients with late-onset NMOSD.
Web-based interventions for comorbid depression and chronic illness: a systematic review
Authors: Charova Ekaterina , Dorstyn Diana , Tully Phillip , Mittag Oskar
Published: February 2015

Summary

Web-based interventions offer potential benefits for managing and treating depression in the context of chronic physical illness, however their use with this population has yet to be quantitatively assessed. The present systematic review examined the biopsychosocial data from 11 independent studies ( N = 1348 participants), including randomised controlled and quasi-experimental designs most commonly performed with diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Study quality was evaluated using the Downs and Black (1998) index, with most studies being statistically underpowered although internal validity was demonstrated. Treatment outcomes were quantified using Cohen’s d effect sizes. Results indicated significant short-term improvements in depression severity ( dw = 0.36, CI = 0.20-0.52, p < 0.01), in addition to quality of life, problem-solving skills, functional ability, anxiety and pain-related cognitions ( d range = 0.23 to 1.10). Longer-term outcomes could not be determined based on the limited data. Further robust studies are required before wider adoption of web techniques takes place.
From headache to tumour: An examination of health anxiety, health-related Internet use and ‘query escalation’
Authors: Singh Karmpaul , Brown Richard J
Published: February 2015

The current study aimed to explore the phenomenon of disease-related ‘query escalation’ in high/low health anxious Internet users ( N = 40). During a 15-minute health-related Internet search, participants rated their anxiety and the perceived seriousness of information on each page. Post-search interviews determined the reasons for, and effects of, escalating queries to consider serious diseases. Both groups were found to be significantly more anxious after escalating queries. The high group was significantly more likely to escalate queries. Evaluating personal relevance of material was the main reason for escalations and moderated anxiety post-escalation. We conclude that searching for online disease information can increase anxiety, particularly for people worried about their health.
Cognitive dissonance and attitudes toward unpleasant medical screenings
Authors: Ent Michael R , Gerend Mary A
Published: February 2015

Two studies suggest that cognitive dissonance can lead people to adopt negative attitudes toward beneficial—yet unpleasant—medical screenings. People who thought that they were candidates for an unpleasant medical screening reported less favorable attitudes toward the screening than people who thought that they were ineligible (Study 1). The unpleasantness of a medical screening affected candidates’ attitudes toward the screening to a greater extent than non-candidate’s attitudes (Study 2). Limitations, including ambiguity regarding the extent to which participants’ attitudes were affected specifically by dissonance, are discussed. This preliminary research suggests people attempt to reduce dissonance associated with their anticipated behavior.
Sex differences in pre-diagnosis concerns for children later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Hiller Rachel M , Young Robyn L , Weber Nathan
Published: February 2015

In the absence of intellectual impairment, girls are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder significantly less and later than boys. This study explored potential reasons for why autism spectrum disorder may be more difficult to identify in girls, based on carer concerns during the pre-diagnosis period. Carers of 92 boys and 60 girls diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder from school age completed an online survey addressing concerns regarding the child’s development during the pre-school years (pre-diagnosis). Significant sex differences were evident in key early concerns, as well as the strategies used to navigate pre-school social situations, and the types of restricted interests. Findings suggest, from carer perspective, that girls who went on to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder presented differently when compared to boys, providing insight into why the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder may be more difficult to make with cognitively able girls.
‘Putting femininity to work’: Negotiating hypersexuality and respectability in sex tourism, Brazil
Authors: Carrier-Moisan Marie-Eve
Published: February 2015

Feminist scholars have documented the ways in which racialized women make strategic use of their hypersexualized bodies in the global sex industry. In this article, I build on these claims to examine how this unfolds in the context of sex tourism, drawing on ethnographic research conducted in the city of Natal, Brazil. I propose that in Natal, young, racialized Brazilian women seek to establish both their hypersexuality and respectability through various processes of distinction, given the potential for mobility, migration, and marriage that comes with sex with foreigners. These women thus ‘put their femininity to work’, a form of embodied capital and one of the few resources they have at their disposal.
‘We hid porn magazines in the nearby woods’: Memory-work and pornography consumption in Finland
Authors: Paasonen Susanna , Kyrölä Katariina , Nikunen Kaarina , Saarenmaa Laura
Published: February 2015

This article presents the key findings of a Finnish memory-work project conducted in 2012 on consumer experiences and associations related to pornography. The memory-work material points to a high degree of reflexivity in definitions of pornographic preference as well as to drastic shifts in the ubiquity of pornography from the pre-1990s ‘age of scarcity’ to the current ‘age of plenty.’ At the same time, contributors' narratives of childhood experiences of finding and collecting pornography complicate public concerns on early access to porn as specific to digital media. By drawing on original research, the article considers the possibilities of memory-work as a method for exploring the connections between personal everyday encounters with pornography, technological developments, and transformations in media regulation across decades.
The power of things! A ‘new’ ontology of sexuality at school
Authors: Allen Louisa
Published: February 2015

This article contributes to the mapping of a ‘new’ ontology of sexuality at school. Drawing on new feminist materialist thinking from Barad (2007), Bennett (2004) and Lenz Taguchi (2013), it analyses photographs from a project on the sexual cultures of schooling in a way that takes ‘things’ or ‘matter’ seriously. Seeking to disrupt the idea that humans represent the only site for, and expression of sexuality, it explores how matter and meaning are co-constitutive in sexuality's becoming at school. Instead of seeing sexuality as discursively constituted through a plethora of schooling processes and practices, another proposition is offered. Sexuality does not pre-exist matter/meaning but comes into being via their relation.
Childhood maltreatment and personality disorders in patients with a major depressive disorder: A comparative study between France and Togo
Authors: Kounou Kossi B. , Dogbe Foli Ayoko A. , Djassoa G. , Amétépé Léonard K. , Rieu J. , Mathur A. , Biyong I. , Schmitt L.
Published: February 2015

Few studies have examined the association between childhood maltreatment (CM) and personality disorders (PDs) in adulthood in two different cultural contexts, including sub-Saharan Africa. The aims of this study were to compare the frequency of CM between patients in treatment in France and Togo for a major depressive disorder (MDD), to explore the link between CM and PDs, and to examine the mediating effect of personality dimensions in the pathway from CM to PDs in 150 participants (75 in each country). The 28-item Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the International Personality Item Pool, and the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ-4+) were used to assess CM, personality dimensions, and PDs respectively. Togolese participants reported sexual and physical abuse (PA) and emotional and physical neglect significantly more frequently than French participants. In Togo, severe PA was associated with schizoid, antisocial, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive, depressive, and negativist PDs whereas in France, PA was only linked to paranoid PD. In Togo, emotional instability partly mediated the relationship between CM and PDs while in France, no personality dimension appeared to mediate this link. Our results support the hypothesis that CM is more common in low-income countries and suggest that the links between CM and PDs are influenced by social environment.
Oral health status, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours among marginalized children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Burnett Delia , Aronson Jane , Asgary Ramin
Published: February 2015

Data on oral health status in Ethiopia are scarce. We assessed the prevalence of dental decay and gum disease and oral health practices and its barriers. We performed a cross-sectional study using comprehensive questionnaires and oral examination of 132 children aged 6–15 years in Addis Ababa. Mean age was 10 years and 50% were females. A significant number of children were HIV positive and orphaned. Forty-eight percent did not brush teeth and 43% brushed only once daily. The majority consumed sugary food despite knowing its relationship with dental decay. Seventy-four percent had between 1 and 13 dental caries and 52% showed evidence of bleeding upon brushing. Seventy-eight percent did not clean between teeth and were more likely to consume sugary food ( p < 0.05) with oral pain within past six months ( p < 0.01). In logistic regression, bleeding upon brushing and caries were not predicted by age or gender. We provided oral health trainings with illustrative flip-book, games and interactive discussions. Marginalized children suffer from poor oral health. We recommend national oral health strategies, targeted health education tailored towards Ethiopian societal norms and resources, improving access to local preventive tools and provision of oral care by training community health workers in the World Health Organization basic oral care package.
Hidden: Studying media dislike and its meaning
Authors: Gray Jonathan , Murray Sarah
Published: February 2015

Audience research in media and cultural studies has developed alongside a moral economy of fandom, like and love that risks casting intense suspicion upon dislike and disengagement. An inquiry into audiences’ dislikes, though, will at times tell us a great deal about their expectations of, hopes for, and preferred uses of the media. Building on a discussion of the largely Bourdieu-ian framing in media and cultural studies literature of dislike as social ill, and drawing from qualitative interviews, the article moves past ‘poaching’ to see what active dislike tells us about audiences’ relationships to television. In particular, it focuses on audiences who use dislike as a resource to articulate both to others and themselves positions of marginalization and exclusion from a perceived televisual norm.
Neighborhood environment and physical activity among young children: A cross-sectional study from Sweden
Authors: Weimann Hanna , Björk Jonas , Rylander Lars , Bergman Patrick , Eiben Gabriele
Published: February 2015

Aims: The aims of this study were to investigate the association between the neighbourhood environment and physical activity among young children in a Scandinavian setting, and to assess the influences of seasonal variations, age, sex and parental education. Methods: Physical activity was assessed with an accelerometer and neighbourhood resources were estimated using geographic information systems for 205 Swedish children aged 4–11 years. Neighbourhood resources were generated as the sum of three neighbourhood attributes: (a) foot and bike paths, (b) non-restricted destinations and (c) recreational area, all within 300 m of each child’s home. Physical activity was assessed as: (a) total volume of physical activity (i.e. counts per minute), (b) sedentary time and (c) moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The association between neighbourhood resources and physical activity was analysed using mixed linear models weighted by measurement time and adjusted for sex, age, season of activity measurement, type of housing and parental education. Results: Children were more physically active in areas with intermediate access to neighbourhood resources for physical activity compared to areas with worst access, while the difference between intermediate and best neighbourhood resource areas was less clear. The association between physical activity and neighbourhood resources was weaker than with seasonal variations but compatible in magnitude with sex, age, type of housing and parental education. Among specific neighbourhood attributes, the amount of foot and bike paths was associated with less sedentary time and more MVPA. Conclusions:This study provides some, not entirely consistent, evidence overall for an association between the neighbourhood environment and physical activity among young children in Scandinavia.
Bile duct injuries following laparoscopic cholecystectomy
Authors: Viste A. , Horn A. , Øvrebø K. , Christensen B. , Angelsen J.-H. , Hoem D.
Published: February 2015

Introduction:

Bile duct injuries occur rarely but are among the most dreadful complications following cholecystectomies.

Methods:

Prospective registration of bile duct injuries occurring in the period 1992–2013 at a tertiary referral hospital.

Results:

In total, 67 patients (47 women and 20 men) with a median age of 55 (range 14–86) years had a leak or a lesion of the bile ducts during the study period. Total incidence of postoperative bile leaks or bile duct injuries was 0.9% and for bile duct injuries separately, 0.4%. Median delay from injury to repair was 5 days (range 0–68 days). In 12 patients (18%), the injury was discovered intraoperatively. Bile leak was the major symptom in 59%, and 52% had a leak from the cystic duct or from assumed aberrant ducts in the liver bed of the gall bladder. Following the Clavien–Dindo classification, 39% and 45% were classified as IIIa and IIIb, respectively, 10% as IV, and 6% as V. In all, 31 patients had injuries to the common bile duct or hepatic ducts, and in these patients, 71% were treated with a hepaticojejunostomy. Of patients treated with a hepaticojejunostomy, 56% had an uncomplicated event, whereas 14% later on developed a stricture. Out of 36 patients with injuries to the cystic duct/aberrant ducts, 30 could be treated with stents or sphincterotomies and percutaneous drainage.

Conclusion:

Half of injuries following cholecystectomies are related to the cystic duct, and most of these can be treated with endoscopic or percutaneous procedures. A considerable number of patients following hepaticojejunostomy will later on develop a stricture.
Social media and protests: An examination of Twitter images of the 2011 Egyptian revolution
Authors: Kharroub Tamara , Bas Ozen
Published: February 2015

Whereas the role of social media in political activism has received much attention in recent years, the role of social media images remains largely understudied. Given the potential of emotional and efficacy-related visual content for motivating activism, this exploratory content analysis examined the content of Twitter images of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. The analysis of 581 images revealed more efficacy-eliciting (crowds, protest activities, national and religious symbols) than emotionally arousing (violent) content, especially posted by Egyptian users. However, emotionally arousing content decreased, whereas efficacy-eliciting content increased at times of instability. Furthermore, popularity of images was more associated with user information than the content itself. Images posted by activists and users outside Egypt received the most attention. The findings are discussed in terms of possible explanations for the content patterns and their potential impact on Twitter audience, as well as their contributions toward establishing a theory of user-generated content during political movements.
Me versus them: Third-person effects among Facebook users
Authors: Tsay-Vogel Mina
Published: February 2015

The immense popularity of Facebook with more than 1 billion active users continues to spark the attention of communication scholars. While much is known about Facebook members’ motivations, usage patterns, and gratifications obtained from this social networking site (SNS), minimal attention has been given to examine the perceived consumption and impact of Facebook on users themselves versus others. Applying the third-person effect (TPE) hypothesis to the context of social media, this research uniquely investigates the (a) difference in estimated Facebook effects on self versus others, (b) relationship between perceptions of Facebook use and estimated Facebook effects on self versus others, and (c) association between perceived desirability of Facebook as a social medium and estimated Facebook effects on self versus others. The aforementioned relationships are also moderated by gender and age. Implications for the relevance of TPE on users of SNSs are discussed.
Reduced-order numerical model for transient reacting diesel sprays with detailed kinetics
Authors: Knox Benjamin W , Genzale Caroline L
Published: February 2015

A reduced-order model of transient diesel spray combustion is presented that utilizes simplified fluid mechanics and detailed chemical kinetics, premised on the similarity between dense turbulent gaseous jets and diesel sprays at engine conditions. The presented model offers a new capability for detailed chemistry predictions in transient diesel sprays since the use of large chemical mechanisms is prohibitively expensive in more detailed modeling approaches such as multidimensional computational fluid dynamics. The numerical model is validated against Engine Combustion Network spray-H experimental data. Predictions of vapor penetration, axial mixture fraction distribution, ignition delay, axial location of cool-flame reaction, and end-of-injection combustion recession show excellent agreement with experimental measurements. The model is applied to study modern diesel injection strategies that involve significant transient mixing and combustion behavior, including fuel injection rate shaping and close-coupled split-injection strategies. In general, the model is shown to enable a detailed examination of modern diesel injection strategies and the expected impact of these strategies on emissions. A slow ramp down of fueling rate at the end of injection is found to limit over-mixing in the near field of the injector, enabling recession of second-stage ignition toward the injector after end of injection. This is advantageous for consumption of unburned hydrocarbons and improved combustion efficiency. Compared to slow ramp-down injection strategies, close-coupled split injections are less effective for unburned hydrocarbon reduction due to a strong end-of-injection entrainment wave that accompanies both injections, causing rapid over-leaning and no recession of second-stage ignition.
Karl Popper, critical rationalism, and the Positivist Dispute
Authors: Albert Hans
Published: February 2015

This article comments on the Positivist Dispute from the point of view of Critical Rationalism. It shows that the basic arguments of the Frankfurt School against the position of Popper and his followers are based on misunderstandings or fail due to logical or epistemological errors. It confirms the positions of Critical Rationalism about the fallibility of reasoning and the requirements for a desirable social order.
Re-imagining Justice for Girls: A New Agenda for Research
Authors: Sharpe Gilly
Published: February 2015

This article argues that justice for girls has been narrowly conceived as the delivery of gender-specific interventions within a correctional framework. I contend that the translation of feminist pathways research into gender-specific programming (GSP) has inherent logic flaws and that GSP makes unwarranted assumptions about girls’ routes into and out of offending. In addition, by translating girls’ victimisation histories into individualised intervenable risks/needs, state welfare (non-)responses to them are ignored. I argue that a new feminist research agenda is required which implies a more expansive conceptualisation of justice and which investigates meso-level welfare institutional cultures and practices with troubled girls.
Quality education improvement: Yemen and the problem of the ‘brain drain’
Authors: Muthanna Abdulghani
Published: February 2015

This paper presents an overview of the problems that hinder improvement of the quality of education in Yemen, with a particular focus on higher education institutions. It discusses in particular the problem of the brain drain and why this phenomenon is occurring in Yemen. Semi-structured interviews with three professors at higher education institutions were conducted. Analysis identified two main factors that compel many Yemeni professors to leave the country. The first is associated with lack of fairness and respect among instructors in Yemeni universities; the second is concerned with the instructors’ deep dissatisfaction with their financial income. It is argued that unless the university administrators and the government as a whole reconsider the salaries of those in both secondary and higher education institutions, and provide and impose rigorous rules for regulating academic life inside and outside the institutions, many other instructors will leave Yemen, their country of origin, action which will cause further weaknesses in the nation’s higher education institutions.
Development discourses on the educational system of Iran: A critical analysis of their effects
Authors: Mahdi Sajjadi Seyed
Published: February 2015

Three decades have passed since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and, entering the fourth decade, major changes are apparent in the structure and content of the nation's education system. Because of the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran and the regime change and formation of an Islamic state, the changes in the educational system have been necessary to fulfill the ideals and goals of the new Islamic government. There have been discourses for each of these four decades, which controlled and directed the process of change in the education system. A comparative study of these changes shows that none of the four discourses following the Islamic Revolution have been helpful in the creation of real change of the educational system; and, hence, the educational system of Iran has not been able to achieve the fundamental reforms in social, political, cultural and religious fields. The aim of this paper is to present and explain the four discourses which have dominated the four decades of the Islamic revolution, how and why these discourses prevented the emergence of a changed and successful educational system and, ultimately, suggest ways to solve the problems that have arisen with regard to the educational system.
Assessing Organizational Readiness for a Participatory Occupational Health/Health Promotion Intervention in Skilled Nursing Facilities
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Flum Marian , West Cheryl , Punnett Laura
Published: February 2015

The long-term care sector is characterized by high morbidity and employee turnover, along with associated costs. Effective health protection and health promotion are important to improve physical and psychosocial well-being of caregivers. Assessment of organizational readiness for change is an essential precursor to the successful implementation of workplace programs addressing work climate, structure of tasks and relationships, and other issues that may be perceived as challenging by some within the institution. This study qualitatively assessed readiness of five skilled nursing facilities for a participatory occupational health/health promotion intervention. Selection criteria were developed to screen for program feasibility and ability to conduct prospective evaluations, and information was collected from managers and employees (interviews and focus groups). Three centers were selected for the program, and the first year of formative evaluation and intervention experience was then reviewed to evaluate and modify our selection criteria after the fact. Lessons learned include adding assessment of communication and the structure of problem solving to our selection criteria, improving methods to assess management support in a concrete (potentially nonverbal) form, and obtaining a stated financial commitment and resources to enable the team to function. Assessment of organizational readiness for change is challenging, although necessary to implement effective and sustainable health promotion programs in specific organizations.
College Students’ Perceptions of Attributes Associated With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Payne Jaimie L. , Wood Carla
Published: February 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine college students’ perceptions of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and identify contributing factors that influence perceptions and reactions to students with ASD. Participants included 1,185 college students who responded to a survey in class or online. Trends in responses suggested that experience and exposure to ASD were positively associated with sympathy and helping reactions given a simulated scenario that included challenging behavior. Conversely, experience and exposure to ASD were associated with lower anger, perceived controllability, and punitive reactions. Multiple regression analyses indicated that punitive intentions were largely predicted by feelings of anger toward the behaviors. Feelings of sympathy significantly contributed to reactions of wanting to help the child (vs. punishing).
Trends and Correlates of Consenting to Provide Social Security Numbers
Authors: Kim Jibum , Shin Hee-Choon , Rosen Zohn , Kang Jeong-han , Dykema Jennifer , Muennig Peter
Published: February 2015

Privacy and confidentiality are often of great concern to respondents answering sensitive questions posed by interviewers. Using the 1993–2010 General Social Survey, we examined trends in the provision of social security numbers (SSNs) and correlates of those responses. Results indicate that the rate of SSN provision has declined over the past three decades, that is, from about 60% in 1993–1994 to 20% after 2004. Although younger, unmarried, and less-educated respondents are more likely to provide SSNs, an indicator of trust toward others is not a significant predictor of SSN provision. Further, those who refuse to report their income and who receive an incentive are less likely to provide their SSN. Our findings have implications for studies involving sensitive questions as well as privacy and confidentiality issues.
Living With Mild to Moderate Alzheimer Patients Increases the Caregiver’s Burden at 6 Months
Authors: Raccichini Alessandra , Spazzafumo Liana , Castellani Simona , Civerchia Patrizia , Pelliccioni Giuseppe , Scarpino Osvaldo
Published: February 2015

The objective of our study was to demonstrate that living with a person affected by mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease can lead to an increased perception of the caregiver’s burden using the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI). The sample consisted of 153 dyads, caregiver–patient. At baseline, a greater perception of the caregiver’s burden was observed in the live-in caregivers. A further increase in the total burden of the live-in caregivers was noticed at the 6-month follow-up. More specifically, with the inclusion of correction factors such as the caregiver’s age and the CBI subscales at baseline, the social and emotional burden becomes statistically significant ( P < .001). The present paper confirms our hypothesis that live-in caregivers perceive a greater burden than nonlive-in, and this difference increases further after 6 months. The difference in involvement between live-in and nonlive-in caregivers could be the foundation to tailor more specific interventions.
Transdifferentiation of Umbilical Cord–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Into Epidermal-Like Cells by the Mimicking Skin Microenvironment
Authors: Chen Deyun , Hao Haojie , Tong Chuan , Liu Jiejie , Dong Liang , Ti Dongdong , Hou Qian , Liu Huiling , Han Weidong , Fu Xiaobing
Published: February 2015

Human umbilical cord–derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) are multipotent, primitive, and have been widely used for skin tissue engineering. Their transdifferentiation is determined by the local microenvironment. In this study, we investigated the potential epidermal differentiation of UC-MSCs and the formation of epidermis substitutes in a 3-dimensional (3D) microenvironment, which was fabricated by UC-MSCs embedded into collagen–chitosan scaffolds (CCSs) combined with an air–liquid interface (ALI) culture system. Using fluorescence microscope, we observed that UC-MSCs were spindle-shaped and evenly distributed in the scaffold. Methyl thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide assay and Live/Dead assay indicated that the CCSs have good biocompatibility with UC-MSCs. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting assay showed that UC-MSCs on the surface of the CCSs were positive for the epidermal markers cytokeratin 19 and involucrin at 14 days. In addition, hematoxylin–eosin staining indicated that multilayered epidermis substitutes were established. The constructed epidermis substitutes were applied to treat full-thickness wounds in rats and proved to promote wound healing. In conclusion, manipulating the 3D microenvironment is a novel method for inducing the epidermal differentiation of MSCs to engineer epidermal substitutes, which provides an alternative strategy for skin tissue engineering.
Recombinant rat CC16 protein inhibits LPS-induced MMP-9 expression via NF-κB pathway in rat tracheal epithelial cells
Authors: Pang Min , Wang Hailong , Bai Ji-Zhong , Cao Dawei , Jiang Yi , Zhang Caiping , Liu Zhihong , Zhang Xinri , Hu Xiaoyun , Xu Jianying , Du Yongcheng
Published: February 2015

Clara cell protein (CC16) is a well-known anti-inflammatory protein secreted by the epithelial Clara cells of the airways. It is involved in the development of airway inflammatory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. Previous studies suggest that CC16 gene transfer suppresses expression of interleukin (IL)-8 in bronchial epithelial cells. However, its role in the function of these cells during inflammation is not well understood. In this study, we evaluated the effect of CC16 on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated rat tracheal epithelial cells and its underlying molecular mechanisms. We generated recombinant rat CC16 protein (rCC16) which was bioactive in inhibiting the activity of phospholipase A2. rCC16 inhibited LPS-induced MMP-9 expression at both mRNA and protein levels in a concentration-dependent (0–2 µg/mL) manner, as demonstrated by real time RT-PCR, ELISA, and zymography assays. Gene transcription and DNA binding studies demonstrated that rCC16 suppressed LPS-induced NF-κB activation and its binding of gene promoters as identified by luciferase reporter and gel mobility shift assays, respectively. Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining analyses further revealed that rCC16 concentration dependently inhibited the effects of LPS on nuclear increase and cytosol reduction of NF-κB, on the phosphorylation and reduction of NF-κB inhibitory IκBα, and on p38 MAPK-dependent NF-κB activation by phosphorylation at Ser276 of its p65 subunit. These data indicate that inhibition of LPS-mediated NF-κB activation by rCC16 involves both translocation- and phosphorylation-dependent signaling pathways. When the tracheal epithelial cells were pretreated with chlorpromazine, an inhibitor of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, cellular uptake of rCC16 and its inhibition of LPS-induced NF-κB nuclear translocation and also MMP-9 production were significantly abolished. Taken together, our data suggest that clathrin-mediated uptake of rCC16 suppresses LPS-mediated inflammatory MMP-9 production through inactivation of NF-κB and p38 MAPK pathways in tracheal epithelial cells.
Insurance Expansion and the Utilization of Inpatient Surgery
Authors: Ellimoottil Chandy , Miller Sarah , Davis Matthew , Miller David C.
Published: February 2015

Introduction. The impact of insurance expansion on the currently insured population is largely unknown. We examine rates of elective surgery in previously insured individuals before and after Massachusetts health care reform. Methods. Using the State Inpatient Databases for Massachusetts and 2 control states (New York and New Jersey) that did not expand coverage, we identified patients aged 69 and older who underwent surgery from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2010. We studied 5 elective operations (knee and hip replacement, transurethral resection of prostate, inguinal hernia repair, back surgery). We examined statewide utilization rates before and after implementation of health care reform, using a difference-in-differences technique to adjust for secular trends. We also performed subgroup analyses according to race and income strata. Results. We observed no increase in the overall rate of selected discretionary inpatient surgeries in Massachusetts versus control states for the entire population (−1.4%, P = .41), as well as among the white (−1.6%, P = .43) and low-income (−2.2%, P = .26) subgroups. We did, however, find evidence for a woodwork effect in the subgroup of nonwhite elderly patients, among whom the rate of these procedures increased by 20.5% ( P = .001). Among nonwhites, the overall result reflected increased utilization of all 5 individual procedures, with statistically significant changes for knee replacement (18%, P < .01), back surgery (18%, P = .05), transurethral resection of the prostate (28%, P = .05), and hernia repair (71%, P = .03). Conclusion. Our findings suggest that national insurance expansion may increase the use of elective surgery among subgroups of previously insured patients.
Analysis of Research Ethics Board Approval Times in an Academic Department of Medicine
Authors: Tsang Teresa S. M. , Jones Meaghan , Meneilly Graydon S.
Published: February 2015

As part of an ongoing effort to better understand barriers to academic research, we reviewed and analyzed the process of research ethics applications, focusing on ethics approval time, within the Department of Medicine from 2006 to 2011. A total of 1,268 applications for approval to use human subjects in research were included in our analysis. Three variables, risk category (minimal vs. non-minimal risk), type of funding, and year of submission, were statistically significant for prediction of ethics approval time, with risk status being the most important of these. The covariate-adjusted mean time for approval for minimal risk studies (35.7 days) was less than half that of non-minimal risk protocols (76.5 days). Studies funded through a for-profit sponsor had significantly longer approval times than those funded through other means but were also predominantly (87%) non-minimal risk protocols. Further investigations of the reasons underlying the observed differences are needed to determine whether improved training for research ethics board (REB) members and/or greater dialogue with investigators may reduce the lengthy approval times associated with non-minimal risk protocols.
Time for Lifestyle Medicine to Take Injury Prevention Seriously
Authors: Teitge Braden D. , Francescutti Louis Hugo
Published: February 2015

Over 2 decades ago, the United States National Academy of Sciences described injuries as “the most under-recognized major public health problem facing the nation.” Our progress since then has been limited. Injuries still account for nearly 1 out of every 10 deaths in the world, and the global burden of injury is projected to increase over the next decade, predominately in low- and middle-income countries. Despite this, injury prevention receives scant attention from legislators, the education system, and, most strikingly, the health care system. The lifestyle medicine community, however, is beginning to focus on injury prevention and will play an increasing role in helping control the burden of injury. Lifestyle medicine practitioners are in a tremendous position to promote injury prevention. Physical activity and positive lifestyle changes can be accompanied with an increased focus on preventing injury. Lifestyle medicine can prevent injuries by supporting legislation, advancing medical advocacy, providing community education, and linking clinical care with injury prevention.
Patients’ experiences of home enteral tube feeding (HETF) – a qualitative study
Authors: Bjuresäter Kaisa , Larsson Maria , Athlin Elsy
Published: February 2015

Use of home enteral tube feeding (HETF) has increased in Western countries but research is scarce, especially about patients’ experiences of daily life when being treated with HETF. This study aimed to explore what it means to live with HETF and how the situation can be managed. A qualitative method was carried out according to Grounded Theory. In total, 22 interviews were performed with 11 patients treated with HETF for between 8 weeks and 2 years, using open-ended questions. Sampling, data collection and data analysis were carried out simultaneously. To be treated with HETF was experienced as positive as it meant survival, but the most prominent finding told about experiences of restrictions, practical problems and distress in the patients’ daily lives. How daily life turned out seemed to depend on the patient’s ability to manage problems, but was also strongly related to the amount and quality of information and support they received from health professionals. Lacking preparation before discharge as well as lacking support at home meant insecurity and uncertainty. The findings stress the need for comprehensive preparation and support from health professionals, and improvements are needed to facilitate HETF patients’ daily life.