bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Motives, Timing, and Targets of Corporate Philanthropy: A Tripartite Classification Scheme of Charitable Giving
Authors: Ricks Joe M. , Peters Richard C.
Published: September 2013

Although corporate philanthropy has been an important part of American business for more than a century, the motives and consequences of corporate philanthropy are not well understood. This paper develops a richer classification scheme of philanthropic activity, to aid in theory development and management. Examining simultaneously the domains of why firms give (motive), when they give (timing) and to whom they give (target), a conceptual model identifying distinct categories of philanthropic activity is developed and its implications to present and future research discussed.
Pleistocene sandur rhythms, cycles and megacycles: Interpretation of depositional scenarios and palaeoenvironmental conditions
Authors: Pisarska‐Jamroży Małgorzata , Zieliński Tomasz
Published: September 2013

The Drawa sandur, which is the largest, coarse‐grained sandur in Poland, dates from the Pomeranian phase of the Weichselian glaciation (c. 16 ka BP). Using Markov chain analysis we infer that five cycles and five rhythms occur in its proximal part. The cycles dominated by Gt and St lithofacies in the lower part of the sandur succession and by a GDm lithofacies in the upper part, are fining‐upward cycles deposited in braided channels during large ablation floods. Three groups of cycles are distinguished based on their genesis: (i) cycles due to channel‐sheet evolution during large floods; (ii) cycles due to braid‐bar development during initial and advanced diminishing of floods; and (iii) cycles developed in the thalweg or interbar channels. The succession as a whole forms a large‐scale coarsening‐up megacycle (‘sandur megacycle’) which corresponds to a phase of ice‐sheet advance. Because the cyclicity was evident from Markov chain analysis of the sedimentary succession, we suggest that this statistical tool is valuable for reconstruction of glacifluvial sedimentary conditions, particularly as it can shed new light on the palaeogeographical development of sandar.
Visual Short‐Term Memory for Complex Objects in 6‐ and 8‐Month‐Old Infants
Authors: Kwon Mee‐Kyoung , Luck Steven J. , Oakes Lisa M.
Published: September 2013

Infants' visual short‐term memory (VSTM) for simple objects undergoes dramatic development: Six‐month‐old infants can store in VSTM information about only a simple object presented in isolation, whereas 8‐month‐old infants can store information about simple objects presented in multiple‐item arrays. This study extended this work to examine the development of infants' VSTM for complex objects during this same period (N = 105). Using the simultaneous streams change detection paradigm, Experiment 1 confirmed the previous developmental trajectory between 6 and 8 months. Experiment 2 showed that doubling the exposure time did not enhance 6‐month‐old infants' change detection, demonstrating that the developmental change is not due to encoding speed. Thus, VSTM for simple and complex objects appears to follow the same developmental trajectory.
Beginnings of Place Value: How Preschoolers Write Three‐Digit Numbers
Authors: Byrge Lisa , Smith Linda B. , Mix Kelly S.
Published: September 2013

Place value notation is essential to mathematics learning. This study examined young children's (4‐ to 6‐year‐olds, N = 172) understanding of place value prior to explicit schooling by asking them write spoken numbers (e.g., “six hundred and forty‐two”). Children's attempts often consisted of “expansions” in which the proper digits were written in order but with 0s or other insertions marking place (e.g., “600402” or “610042”). This partial knowledge increased with age. Gender differences were also observed with older boys more likely than older girls to produce the conventional form (e.g., 642). Potential experiences contributing to expanded number writing and the observed gender differences are discussed.
Patients' experiences after bariatric surgery: a qualitative study at 12‐month follow‐up
Authors: da Silva Susana Sofia Pereira , Maia Ângela da Costa
Published: September 2013

This study used a qualitative approach to understand patients' experiences in post‐surgery adaptation related to bariatric surgery, 12 months after this procedure. The study population included 30 obese adults, with a mean age of 40.17 years, who were interviewed 12 months after bariatric surgery. Individual interviews, using open‐ended questions, were audiotaped, transcribed and coded according to the grounded theory methodology. The data showed that the subjects described themselves as belonging to one of two opposite and separate groups: success or failure. In both groups, two core categories emerged from the data: outcomes and treatment. Previous expectations were reached by the patients who described themselves as successful, with some remaining concerns related to future weight maintenance and aesthetics issues. The failure group emphasized their unmet expectations and the expectancy that surgery would change their lives remained. Treatment in the successful cases integrated lifestyle changes and bariatric surgery, highlighting the personal commitment required to achieve the objectives. The failure group emphasized bariatric surgery without personal commitment, and healthy eating behaviour was understood as a sacrifice. The post‐surgical adaptation experiences were diverse: the cases that were described as a success highlighted lifestyle changes, personal efforts and commitment with the global treatment process. External understanding and the desire for a miracle surgery characterized the cases described as a failure. According to these results, it is necessary to promote adequate information about the whole process and skills required to ensure commitment in all treatment dimensions.
Giant cell angiofibroma or localized periorbital lymphedema?
Authors: Lynch Michael C. , Chung Catherine G. , Specht Charles S. , Wilkinson Michael , Clarke Loren E.
Published: September 2013

Giant cell angiofibroma represents a rare soft tissue neoplasm with a predilection for the orbit. We recently encountered a mass removed from the lower eyelid of a 56‐year‐old female that histopathologically resembled giant cell angiofibroma. The process consisted of haphazardly arranged CD34‐positive spindled and multinucleated cells within an edematous, densely vascular stroma. However, the patient had recently undergone laryngectomy and radiotherapy for a laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. A similar mass had arisen on the contralateral eyelid, and both had developed several months post‐therapy. Lymphedema of the orbit can present as tumor‐like nodules and in some cases may share histopathologic features purported to be characteristic of giant cell angiofibroma. A relationship between giant cell angiofibroma and lymphedema has not been established, but our case suggests there may be one. The potential overlap of these two conditions should be recognized, as should other entities that may enter the differential diagnosis.
The effect of physical activity on mediators of inflammation
Authors: Nimmo M. A. , Leggate M. , Viana J. L. , King J. A.
Published: September 2013

Being physically active and undertaking exercise on a regular basis are critical lifestyle behaviours which protect against the development of numerous chronic metabolic conditions. One of the key mechanisms by which physical activity exerts favourable health effects appears to be due to its capacity to reduce chronic low‐grade inflammation. Single bouts of exercise have a potent anti‐inflammatory influence with recent advances describing important effects of acute exercise on inflammatory mediators produced within skeletal muscle (myokines), adipose tissue (adipokines) and leucocytes. The accumulated effects of physical activity or exercise training on systemic inflammation have been studied widely within epidemiological research; however, information from intervention trials is still emerging. Current data suggest that the most marked improvements in the inflammatory profile are conferred with exercise performed at higher intensities, with combined aerobic and resistance exercise training potentially providing the greatest benefit. The purpose of this review is to describe recent advances in our understanding surrounding the acute and chronic effects of physical activity on key mediators of inflammation. Within this, particular attention is given to the interleukin‐6 system owing to its apparent centrality in mediating the anti‐inflammatory effects of exercise.
Metagenome and metabolism: the tissue microbiota hypothesis
Authors: Burcelin Rémy , Serino Matteo , Chabo Chantal , Garidou Lucile , Pomié Celine , Courtney Michael , Amar Jacques , Bouloumié Anne
Published: September 2013

Over the last decade, the research community has revealed the role of a new organ: the intestinal microbiota. It is considered as a symbiont that is part of our organism since, at birth, it educates the immune system and contributes to the development of the intestinal vasculature and most probably the nervous system. With the advent of new generation sequencing techniques, a catalogue of genes that belong to this microbiome has been established that lists more than 5 million non‐redundant genes called the metagenome. Using germ free mice colonized with the microbiota from different origins, it has been formally demonstrated that the intestinal microbiota causes the onset of metabolic diseases. Further to the role of point mutations in our genome, the microbiota can explain the on‐going worldwide pandemic of obesity and diabetes, its dissemination and family inheritance, as well as the diversity of the associated metabolic phenotypes. More recently, the discovery of bacterial DNA within host tissues, such as the liver, the adipose tissue and the blood, which establishes a tissue microbiota, introduces new opportunities to identify targets and predictive biomarkers based on the host to microbiota interaction, as well as to define new strategies for pharmacological, immunomodulatory vaccines and nutritional applications.
Tricuspid Atresia Associated with Truncus Arteriosus versus Aortopulmonary Window: Combining Fetal and Postnatal Echocardiography to Make the Diagnosis
Authors: Hauck Amanda , da Cruz Eduardo M. , Jaggers James , Jone Pei‐Ni
Published: September 2013

The coincident occurrence of tricuspid atresia and aortopulmonary window (APW) is exceedingly rare, with one previous case reported in the literature. We present a patient with tricuspid atresia, pulmonary atresia, and APW. Postnatal echocardiograms demonstrated no visible pulmonary valve, and additional defects including a bicuspid aortic valve, right aortic arch and anomalous coronary arteries raised suspicion for tricuspid atresia with persistent truncus arteriosus. However, fetal echocardiography and direct visualization of the anatomy confirmed the alternate diagnosis. The patient underwent successful palliation consisting of APW repair, atrial septectomy and a 3.5 mm modified Blalock–Taussig shunt, followed by a bidirectional cavopulmonary connection.
The role of naturally occurring organic compounds in causing soil water repellency
Authors: Mainwaring K. , Hallin I. L. , Douglas P. , Doerr S. H. , Morley C. P.
Published: September 2013

In previous studies, extracts from water‐repellent soils have been applied to wettable substrates to examine the role of organic matter in causing water repellency, but the effects of individual compounds found in water‐repellent soils have not been examined. To address this research gap, acid‐washed sand (AWS) and wettable sandy soil were coated with a range of hydrophobic organic compounds that had been identified by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) analysis of extracts from a range of water‐repellent soils in previous published work. Saturated and unsaturated long chain acids, alkanes, amides, esters, cholesterol and β‐sitosterol were applied at various loadings to investigate the effects of chain length, molecular shape, functional group, heating, particle size and packing efficiency on soil wettability. No single compound induced repellency on AWS at loadings equivalent to the level of detection of individual compounds in water‐repellent soils by GC‐MS. The extent of water repellency induced on AWS varied considerably with compound type, suggesting that it depends more on the presence of specific compounds rather than their quantity. A combination of long chain acid and alkane was found to be the most effective at inducing water repellency. Heating at 105°C for 24 hours caused a marked increase in repellency. Particle size had no effect on degree of induced repellency across the approximately 2.5 times variation in diameter examined.
Effect of pine wood biochar on ammonium nitrate leaching and availability in aSouthAfrican sandy soil
Authors: Sika M. P. , Hardie A. G.
Published: September 2013

Biochar has shown potential in reducing inorganic nitrogen (N) leaching losses from inorganic and organic fertilizer sources in coarse‐textured soils. Little information, however, is available on the effect of biochar on the availability of the retained inorganicNin biochar‐amended sandy soil. The objective of our study was to determine the potential of pine wood biochar to reduce the leaching of ammonium nitrate fertilizer (100 kg N ha−1) from sandy soil (W.Cape,SouthAfrica) and to quantify the exchangeable inorganicN(2 mKCl) remaining after intensive leaching. Laboratory columns containing sandy soil and biochar (0, 0.5, 2.5 and 10.0% w/w) were leached weekly over a period of six weeks simulating heavy winter rainfall. Biochar (0.5, 2.5 and 10.0% w/w) significantly reduced the cumulative amount of ammonium (12, 50 and 86%, respectively) and nitrate (26, 42 and 96%, respectively) leached relative to the control soil. Despite the observed strong reduction in inorganicNleaching, the leached biochar‐amended soils contained only small amounts of exchangeable ammonium (0–7.3 mg kg−1) and nitrate (5.8–8.0 mg kg−1). The results show that pine wood biochar can strongly reduce not only the amount of ammonium and nitrate leached from sandy soils, but also the amount of recoverable exchangeable ammonium and nitrate after leaching. Furthermore, the 2.5 and 10.0% biochar application rates led to over‐liming. This raises some concerns as to the practical use of biochar in improvingNfertilizer‐use efficiency of plants.
ACTA and the Enforcement of Copyright in Cyberspace: the Impact on Privacy
Authors: Ievdokymova Iryna
Published: September 2013

As the reach of the Internet expands, governments increasingly seek to introduce initiatives aimed at controlling individuals' online activity. One such initiative, aimed, inter alia, at introducing enhanced online copyright enforcement standards, is the Anti‐Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). The paper analyses a possible effect of Art. 27(3) of the agreement on the data protection and privacy rights, as spelled out in the EU legal order. Firstly, the EU legal framework on Internet surveillance for copyright enforcement will be addressed. Next, the principles and safeguards applicable to data processing in the context of communications surveillance will be illustrated with reference to the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. It will be argued that ACTA, if interpreted broadly and implemented without safeguards, would provide an incentive for graduated response systems, which, as it will be shown on the example of the French graduated response, may trump privacy rights on a massive scale.
The excluded volume effect induced by poly(ethylene glycol) modulates the motility of actin filaments interacting with myosin
Authors: Munakata Shinsuke , Hatori Kuniyuki
Published: September 2013

To examine the motility of actomyosin complexes in the presence of high concentrations of polymers, we investigated the effect of poly(ethylene glycol) on the sliding velocities of actin filaments and regulated thin filaments on myosin molecules in the presence of ATP. Increased concentrations and relative molecular masses of poly(ethylene glycol) decreased the sliding velocities of actin and regulated thin filaments. The decreased ratio of velocity in regulated thin filaments at − log[Ca2+] of 4 was higher than that of actin filaments. Furthermore, in the absence of Ca2+, regulated thin filaments were moderately motile in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol). The excluded volume change (∆V), defined as the change in water volume surrounding actomyosin during the interactions, was estimated by determining the relationship between osmotic pressure exerted by poly(ethylene glycol) and the decreased ratio of the velocities in the presence and absence of poly(ethylene glycol). The ∆V increased up to 3.7 × 105 Å3 as the Mr range of poly(ethylene glycol) was increased up to 20 000. Moreover, the ∆V for regulated thin filaments was approximately two‐fold higher than that of actin filaments. This finding suggests that differences in the conformation of filaments according to whether troponin–tropomyosin complexes lie on actin filaments alter the ∆V during interactions of actomyosin complexes and influence motility.
Resilience: a Conceptual Lens for Rural Studies?
Authors: Scott Mark
Published: September 2013

This paper examines the concept of resilience and its increasing application within rural studies in the face of both economic uncertainty and ecological crisis. Two approaches to resilience are firstly explored: an equilibrium (or bounce‐back) approach, based on ‘return to normal’ assumptions, and an evolutionary (or bounce‐forward) approach characterised by an emphasis on adaptive capacity and transformation. While resilience overlaps with the existing literature within rural studies and rural development, the paper argues that resilience thinking opens up new perspectives and provides the potential to ‘re‐frame’ rural studies debates, provides a bridging concept. Two key contributions of resilience are identified: Firstly, resilience offers alternative analytical methods and insights for rural studies, particularly when drawing on evolutionary economic geography ideas of path dependencies and path creation, a relational perspective of rural space, and identification of place attributes which may enhance or undermine resilience. Secondly, resilience provides an alternative policy narrative for rural development practice. This includes an emphasis on adaptive networked governance, embedding ecological concerns into rural development practices and a call for blending the local and global in rural development processes. The paper concludes by identifying future research directions for rural resilience.
Energy and economic values of greenhouse sheds to replace winter grazing in northwestern China
Authors: Zheng Yang , Takahashi Taro , Kemp David
Published: September 2013

To demonstrate that winter grazing in northwestern China is counterproductive to animal production, 40 ewes from two farms were kept throughout a winter inside makeshift greenhouse sheds while another 40 ewes were left grazing in the traditional manner. Results show that the average temperature inside the greenhouse was 10, 14 and 4°C higher than outside at 9 am, 12 noon and 9 pm, respectively (all P < 0.001), and that ewes inside the greenhouse lost 3 kg less bodyweight than those outside (P < 0.001). An analysis using the authors' bioeconomic model suggests that the proposed method can save 2.4 MJ day−1 head−1 of metabolizable energy and, at the gross economic benefit of 1191 yuan or $189 year−1, the initial cost of 3000 yuan or $477 can be paid off within three seasons.
‘Listen to the Child’: Law, Sex, and the Child Wife in Indian Historiography
Authors: Pande Ishita
Published: September 2013

The scholarship on the history of family, marriage and sexuality in India has proliferated in the last two decades. The child – as the presumed target of health care, education or family law – haunts these histories, but rarely comes into focus. In contrast to the careful historicization of ‘woman’ as a subject of law, or the vehicle for various political ideologies, the child has, by and large, been treated as an a priori category of analysis, or an object without history. This essay considers how the figure of the child‐wife might be historicized by foregrounding age as a category of analysis, on the one hand, and points to the important theoretical and methodological insights that feminist historiography can offer to historians of childhood, on the other. In revisiting the ‘incidental’ histories of childhood produced by the feminist historiography on the child‐wife, this essay hints at some directions for the history of childhood by turning to Michel Foucault's provocative argument on the need to include the child as a key figure upon which modern sexuality was conceptualized, and by attending also to his muted suggestion that we “listen to the child.” It argues that the very issue of sexuality drives a wedge between what might be described as the discrete accounts of children and childhood in history. The two histories – of “real children living in the time and space of particular societies,” on the one hand, and of ideologies of childhood or the “the ideational and figurative force of their existence,” on the other – part ways as a result of a profound paradox in pursuing the subject of sexuality with regards to the child, whether in the legal courtroom or the colonial archive: any attempt to listen to the child's testimony on these matters runs against the grip of childhood as a normative category that signals incapacity, vulnerability and innocence.
Historical Perspectives on Child Sexual Abuse, Part 1
Authors: Smaal Yorick
Published: September 2013

This article reviews histories of child sexual abuse in Australia. While it is national in its focus, the historical problems, methods, and approaches explored here resonate globally, especially in the Anglosphere. Given the transnational dimensions of sex and gender politics, child welfare and protection, and the development of common law, any local historiographic survey is best located within the international context. This article argues that defining and interpreting sex with children is a significant problem in the historical literature. The cleavage between constructions of innocence and paradigms of abuse remains prominent in contemporary scholarship although assimilating these schools of thought is neither feasible nor fruitful. The first part of this article explores the feminist rediscovery of child sexual abuse in the late twentieth century, considering the extent to which the problem had been earlier erased from the public domain. Paying particular attention to law and socio‐legal histories, it investigates definitional problems around children and crime, and examines how the criminal justice system and media have been used to recover histories of abuse.
The clinicopathological significance and relationship of Gli1, MDM2 and p53 expression in resectable pancreatic cancer
Authors: Sheng Weiwei , Dong Ming , Zhou Jianping , Li Xin , Liu QingFeng , Dong Qi , Li Feng
Published: September 2013

Aims

To study the expression of Gli1, MDM2 and p53 for clinical significance in pancreatic cancer (PC), and their functional relationship in regulating the biological behaviour of PC cells.

Methods and results

Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of Gli1, MDM2 and p53 was much higher in 57 cases of PC than in paired normal pancreatic tissues, and was positively associated with tumour UICC stage and T stage (P < 0.05). Patients with expression of Gli1 only or coexpression of Gli1 and MDM2 had significantly worse overall survival than patients with negative expression (P < 0.05). RNA interference showed that p53 knockdown increased the protein level of Gli1 but decreased the level of MDM2, and enhanced cell invasion and migration in wild‐type p53 Capan‐2 cells; whereas Gli1 or MDM2 knockdown did not change p53 expression, but decreased the protein level of MDM2 or Gli1, respectively, and inhibited cell invasion and migration in mutant p53 PANC‐1 cells.

Conclusions

Overexpression of Gli1, MDM2 and mutant p53 contributes to the development and progression of PC, and plays an important role in predicting PC patients’ prognosis. Moreover, we report a positive association between Gli1 and MDM2 in PC cells, but their relationship with p53 is dependent on wild‐type or mutant p53 status.
Mutation of Acetobacter pasteurianus by UV irradiation under acidic stress for high‐acidity vinegar fermentation
Authors: Qi Zhengliang , Wang Wu , Yang Hailin , Xia Xiaole , Yu Xiaobin
Published: September 2013

To obtain a mutant with higher vinegar production, a wild‐type industrial strain Acetobacter pasteurianus CICIM B7003 was pretreated in 50 g L−1 acetic acid for 1 h and cultured for 12 h without adding any acetic acid; then, the enriched cells were mutated by UV under acidic stress (60 g L−1 acetic acid). Using this method, A. pasteurianus CICIM B7003‐02, a mutant exhibiting best performance, was obtained. Notably, after repeated experiments, it was confirmed that B7003‐02 accumulated 103.81 ± 1.17 g L−1 acetic acid within 160‐h batch cultivation in Erlenmeyer flasks, which was 49.2% higher than that of the wild type. Repeated batch fermentations with A. pasteurianus B7003‐02 were carried out for several runs in a Frings 8‐L acetator, and high‐acidity vinegars (90 ± 0.39 g L−1) were produced. This work reveals the potential value for improvement in industrial vinegar production.
Susceptibility of Escherichia coli O157 to chitosan‐arginine in beef liquid purge is affected by bacterial cell growth phase
Authors: Lahmer Rabya A. , Jones David L. , Townsend Stacy , Baker Shenda , Williams Arwel Prysor
Published: September 2013

Here, we evaluated the impact of bacterial growth stage on the effect of chitosan‐arginine (Ch‐arg) on Escherichia coli O157:H7 cell numbers and metabolic activity within contaminated beef juice held at room temperature. Using a lux‐marked metabolic reporter strain of E. coli O157:H7, the results showed that Ch‐arg was most bioactive against cells in the lag phase and exponential phase. In comparison, there was a reduced, although still significant, inhibitory effect of Ch‐arg on the viability and metabolic activity of E. coli O157 held in stationary phase. Ch‐arg reduced, but did not eliminate E. coli O157 growth in the meat juice over 48 h. Based on the evidence presented here and elsewhere, we conclude that Ch‐arg can limit the growth and activity of food spoilage bacteria; however, it cannot completely eliminate bacterial contaminants originally present. Ch‐arg should therefore be viewed as a potentially protective measure rather than a biocidal agent that completely eliminates the risk of pathogen transfer in the food chain.
Role of magnetic resonance imaging in defining a biopsy strategy for detection of prostate cancer
Authors: Ridout Ashley J , Kasivisvanathan Veeru , Emberton Mark , Moore Caroline M
Published: September 2013

Prostate cancer is the second most common male cancer worldwide. It has a broad spectrum, from low‐risk, clinically indolent disease, to high‐risk aggressive cancer. This variety conveys certain diagnostic and management challenges. The use of prostate‐specific antigen as a screening test for prostate cancer is increasing the diagnosis of low‐grade, low‐volume disease. By targeting biopsies towards suspicious areas on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging, we can accurately diagnose clinically significant prostate cancer, reducing identification of low‐risk, clinically indolent disease. This could avoid the radical treatment of histopathological cancer that might never have become clinically apparent. In the present review, we consider the use of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging to inform the biopsy strategy. By identification of suspicious lesions on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging, biopsy targets can be identified, and the sampling bias associated with blind standard transrectal prostate biopsy can be reduced. We consider the reliability of these radiological lesions for detection of clinically significant prostate cancer, and the methods of targeting them to ensure the radiological lesion is accurately sampled. Evidence suggests that targeted biopsy is efficient and accurate for diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer. By rationalizing diagnosis, and subsequently preventing overtreatment of clinically insignificant disease, magnetic resonance imaging‐informed prostate biopsy can provide a method for streamlining the diagnostic pathway in prostate cancer.
Dental sealants and composite restorations and longitudinal changes in immune function markers in children
Authors: Maserejian Nancy N. , Shrader Peter , Brown Olivia A. , Trachtenberg Felicia L. , Soncini Jennifer , Hauser Russ , Shenker Bruce J.
Published: September 2013

Objective

Resins used in dental composites, derived from bisphenol‐A (BPA), have been shown to alter immune cells. The objective of this study was to explore children's immune function changes in relation to resin composite treatment.

Design

We conducted secondary data analysis of the New England Children's Amalgam Trial immune function substudy (N = 59). Immune function was measured pre‐treatment and up to five times post‐treatment through 5‐year follow‐up. Multivariable generalized linear regression models were used to estimate the association between three classes of resin composites (bisphenol‐A‐diglycidyl‐dimethacrylate [BisGMA]‐based flowables used for preventive sealants; urethane dimethacrylate [UDMA]‐based compomer restorations; bisGMA‐based restorations) and changes in immune function markers measured annually.

Results

Total white blood cell counts and responsiveness of T cells or neutrophils were not appreciably altered by composite treatment levels. Changes in B cell responsiveness were greater throughout follow‐up among children with more bisGMA‐based composite restorations, which opposed findings for amalgam treatment levels. Monocyte responsiveness changes were decreased at 6 months with greater treatment, but not over longer follow‐up.

Conclusions

Results of this analysis showed no overt immune function alterations associated with resin composites. Additional research regarding lymphocyte activation may be warranted given the consistency of results within these analyses and with a prior study showing increased B cell activation.
Unusually high impact of influenza B during the early 2012–2013 influenza season in Wales – epidemiology and clinical analysis of the first 100 cases
Authors: Cottrell Simon L. , Moore Catherine , Dexter Laura , Thomas Daniel Rh. , Salmon Roland L.
Published: September 2013

Background

Influenza B is often regarded as the milder form of the disease. The early 2012–2013 season in Wales saw the highest rate of influenza B‐associated primary care consultations since 1994–1995 and considerable hospitalisations.

Objectives

This report summarises features of the first 100 confirmed cases during 2012–2013 in Wales.

Methods

Case information was sourced from routine laboratory testing and virological surveillance.

Results and conclusions

Influenza B (Yamagata lineage) viruses dominated, mainly affecting younger adults, admission to critical care was unexpectedly common. Low vaccine uptake amongst at‐risk patients may have contributed to the burden of influenza in secondary care in Wales.
Density and seasonal movements of forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis, Matschie) in Bia National Park, Ghana
Authors: SHORT J. C.
Published: September 2013

The density of forest elephants in Bia National Park, Ghana was calculated using dropping counts. Density averaged 0.33 km‐2. This result is compared to estimated densities of elephants in a variety of habitats, including forest in other parts of Africa, and to densities of the Asiatic elephant, in forest or partly forested habitat.

Local densities of elephants at Bia fluctuated between 0.13 and 0.44 km‐2. High densities appeared to be related to the local availability of ripe fruit of favoured tree species. The hypothesis that elephants moved out of primary rainforest into surrounding farmland and secondary forest to feed during the wet season was not supported by the available evidence.

La densité de population des éléphants de forêt dans le P.N. de Bia au Ghana fut calculée sur base de comptage des excréments; cette densité moyenne est de 0.33 km‐2. Elle est comparée uax densités estimées dans divers biotopes, y compris la forêt, dans d'autres parties de l'Afrique, ainsi qu'aux densités de population d'éléphants d'Asie en forêt ou en territoire partiellement forestier.

Les densités de populations locales à Bia fluctuent entre 0.13 et 0.44 km‐2. Ces densités élevées semblent être liées ai la disponibilitê de fruits mûrs de certaines espeices favorites d'arbres. L'hypothese que les éléphants migrent de la forêt primaire humide dans les zones agricoles et les forêts secondaires pour se nourrir durant la saison des pluies ne peut se baser sur des constatations convaincantes.
Understanding Short‐ versus Long‐Run Risk Premia
Authors: Buraschi Andrea , Carnelli Andrea
Published: September 2013

This paper studies the link between short‐ and long‐run risk premia. We extract short‐term risk premia from contemporaneous information on short‐term futures and cash equity markets under the assumption of no arbitrage. Predictability regressions reveal that short‐term risk premia capture different information from long‐run risk premia. Counter to the intuition that a high price of risk commands high returns, high short‐run risk premia on dividend claims predict low returns on the index. While inconsistent with models featuring either habit persistence or long‐run risk, the results may be reconciled with some models of uncertainty aversion.
Religious Denomination, Religious Involvement, and Modern Contraceptive Use in Southern Mozambique
Authors: Agadjanian Victor
Published: September 2013

The relationship between contraceptive use and religion remains a subject of considerable debate. This article argues that this relationship is rooted in context‐specific institutional and organizational aspects of religious belonging and involvement. Drawing upon unique recent data from a population‐based survey of women conducted in a predominantly Christian high‐fertility area of Mozambique, this study examines the connections between religion and contraception from two complementary angles. First, differences in current use of modern contraceptives across main denominational groups are analyzed. The results show higher prevalence of modern contraceptive use among Catholics and, to a lesser extent, traditional Protestants net of other individual‐ and community‐level factors. Second, an analysis of religious involvement reveals that frequent church attendance has a net positive association with modern contraceptive use regardless of denominational affiliation. These findings are situated within the historical context of religious, demographic, and socio‐political dynamics of Mozambique and similar sub‐Saharan settings.
A New Parameter Estimation Method for Solute Transport in a Column
Authors: Wang Quanrong , Zhan Hongbin , Tang Zhonghua
Published: September 2013

To study contaminant transport in groundwater, an essential requirement is robust and accurate estimation of the transport parameters such as dispersion coefficient. The commonly used inverse error function method (IEFM) may cause unacceptable errors in dispersion coefficient estimation using the breakthrough curves (BTCs) data. We prove that the random error in the measured concentrations, which might be described by a normal distribution, would no longer follow the normal distribution after the IEFM transformation. In this study, we proposed a new method using the weighted least squares method (WLSM) to estimate the dispersion coefficient and velocity of groundwater. The weights were calculated based on the slope of the observed BTCs. We tested the new method against other methods such as genetic algorithm and CXTFIT program and found great agreement. This new method acknowledged different characteristics of solute transport at early, intermediate, and late time stages and divided BTCs into three sections for analysis. The developed method was applied to interpret three column tracer experiments by introducing continuous, constant‐concentration of sodium chloride (NaCl) into columns filled with sand, gravel, and sand‐gravel media. This study showed that IEFM performed well only when the observed data points were located in the linear (intermediate time) section of BTCs; it performed poorly when data points were in the early and late time stages. The new WLSM method, however, performed well for data points scattering over the entire BTCs and appeared promising in parameter estimation for solute transport in a column.
Multifunctional Properties of Multistage Spark Plasma Sintered HA–BaTiO3‐Based Piezobiocomposites for Bone Replacement Applications
Authors: Dubey Ashutosh Kumar , EA Anumol , Balani Kantesh , Basu Bikramjit
Published: September 2013

This work reports the processing–microstructure–property correlation of novel HA–BaTiO3‐based piezobiocomposites, which demonstrated the bone‐mimicking functional properties. A series of composites of hydroxyapatite (HA) with varying amounts of piezoelectric BaTiO3 (BT) were optimally processed using uniquely designed multistage spark plasma sintering (SPS) route. Transmission electron microscopy imaging during in situ heating provides complementary information on the real‐time observation of sintering behavior. Ultrafine grains (≤0.50 μm) of HA and BT phases were predominantly retained in the SPSed samples. The experimental results revealed that dielectric constant, AC conductivity, piezoelectric strain coefficient, compressive strength, and modulus values of HA‐40 wt% BT closely resembles with that of the natural bone. The addition of 40 wt% BT enhances the long‐crack fracture toughness, compressive strength, and modulus by 132%, 200%, and 165%, respectively, with respect to HA. The above‐mentioned exceptional combination of functional properties potentially establishes HA‐40 wt% BT piezocomposite as a new‐generation composite for orthopedic implant applications.
Synthesis of Cerium‐Doped Gd3(Al,Ga)5O12 Powder for Ceramic Scintillators with Ultrasonic‐Assisted Chemical Coprecipitation Method
Authors: Luo Zhaohua , Jiang Haochuan , Jiang Jun
Published: September 2013

Cerium‐doped Gd3(Al,Ga)5O12 powders have been synthesized with ultrasonic‐assisted chemical coprecipitation method (UACC), and the traditional chemical coprecipitation method (CC) was also employed for comparison. The structure and morphology of powders were investigated by XRD, BET, and TEM. The powders were used for preparing ceramics at different temperatures. The specific surface areas of UACC and CC powders calcined at 800°C were 66 and 29 m2/g, respectively. Ceramics derived from UACC and CC powders were sintered at 1600°C, and the densities are 6.67 and 6.48 g/cm3, respectively. UACC is an attractive method for synthesizing GAGG powder for preparing ceramic scintillators.
An integrative review of self‐efficacy and patient recovery post acute injury
Authors: Connolly Fiona R. , Aitken Leanne M. , Tower Marion
Published: September 2013

Aim

To present an integrative literature review examining the relationship between self‐efficacy and patient recovery post acute injury.

Background

Self‐efficacy is a belief in one's ability to perform a set of actions; the greater a person's confidence, the more likely they will initiate and continue activity that will produce a positive outcome in terms of recovery. Increasingly, research indicates that application of self‐efficacy theory into clinical practice is likely to promote recovery in the rehabilitation setting. This review examines self‐efficacy in the post acute injury group.

Design

Integrative literature review.

Data sources

A database search was conducted in PSYCHINFO, MEDLINE and CINAHL between 1990–2012.

Review methods

Whittemore and Knafl's theoretical framework was used to guide the review in conjunction with a critical appraisal template. Findings from studies were extracted, critically examined and grouped into key themes under factors (interventions) and outcomes relating to self‐efficacy.

Results

Eighteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Level of education may be a significant factor related to self‐efficacy. Educational, physical and psychological interventions to improve self‐efficacy emerged, but few interventions led to significantly enhanced self‐efficacy. Self‐efficacy was found to influence outcomes, including pain and disability, adherence to discharge instructions, locomotion recovery and quality of life.

Conclusion

Interventions addressing the connection between physical and psychological health with respect to mood, emotion, stress, fear and anxiety to improve the psychological response to acute injury may enhance self‐efficacy and patient recovery.
The role of support antecedents in nurses' intentions to quit: the case of Australia
Authors: Shacklock Kate , Brunetto Yvonne , Teo Stephen , Farr‐Wharton Rod
Published: September 2013

Aims

The study used Social Exchange Theory as a lens to examine associations between nurses' support antecedents (supervisor–nurse relationships and perceived organizational support) and their job attitudes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment and engagement).

Background

Similar to many other westernized countries, there is a shortage of nurses working as nurses in Australia. The attrition of nurses from the workplace continues to be a challenge for many countries, with resultant calls for improved retention rates.

Design

The design employed in this study was a Survey.

Methods

A self‐report survey of 1600 nurses employed in five private sector hospitals throughout Australia was completed during 2010–2011, resulting in 510 completed surveys.

Results

A mediation path model was developed to test the hypotheses and results of Partial Least Squares analysis showed that both support antecedents (supervisor–nurse relationships and perceived organizational support) positively led to engagement and job satisfaction. Subsequently, nurses more satisfied with their jobs were also more committed to their organizations, ultimately leading to lower intentions to quit. In addition, job satisfaction was found to mediate the relationships between organizational commitment and turnover intentions, plus between supervisor–subordinate relationships and turnover intentions.

Conclusion

In the context of a shortage of nurses and higher than average turnover rates, the findings suggest that it is important to improve nurses' job satisfaction and organizational commitment to improve retention. However, the findings also suggest that workplace relationships and organizational management are currently far from ideal.
Validity and reliability of the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale (FES) for the social, health and educational services in Finland
Authors: Vuorenmaa Maaret , Halme Nina , Åstedt‐Kurki Päivi , Kaunonen Marja , Perälä Marja‐Leena
Published: September 2013

Aim

This paper reports a study testing of the validity and reliability of the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale in family services in Finland.

Background

The role of family services in parental reinforcement is important, given their extensive reach to most families and their aim of promoting family welfare. No instruments applicable to this situation were available in Finland. The Family Empowerment Scale is a widely used instrument that measures parent's empowerment. The personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale enables an evaluation of the reinforcement of empowerment.

Design

This study used a cross‐sectional survey design.

Methods

The Family Empowerment Scale was modified to measure how family services personnel evaluate reinforcement of parental empowerment. In May 2009, a questionnaire was sent to unit heads (n = 457) in public social, health and educational services for families with children aged 0–9 years. The construct, convergent and discriminant validities, reliability and responsiveness of the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale were assessed.

Results

According to confirmatory factor analysis, the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale comprised three subscales (family, service system and community) as in the original Family Empowerment Scale. Confirmed convergent and discriminant validities supported the same construct. The reliability of the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale was acceptable. The reinforcement level of parental empowerment was high. Parental empowerment was reinforced most in health and least in educational services.

Conclusion

The psychometric properties of the personnel version of the Family Empowerment Scale were acceptable. It can serve as a generic instrument for assessing reinforcement of empowerment in family services in Finland.
Men in nursing on television: exposing and reinforcing stereotypes
Authors: Weaver Roslyn , Ferguson Caleb , Wilbourn Mark , Salamonson Yenna
Published: September 2013

Aims

To describe the results of a study of images of men in nursing on television.

Background

Previous research has highlighted stereotypical images around nursing, such as the battle‐axe, naughty nurse and handmaiden. More recent research focuses on images of nurses who are men, because of the growing numbers of men in the nursing workforce. Given that negative images can harm recruitment and retention in the profession, it is important to interrogate how men in nursing are portrayed in popular culture. Representations on television are particularly critical to explore because of the medium's wide audience.

Design

Qualitative study.

Methods

Five American medical television programmes appearing between 2007 and 2010 were analysed for their construction of men in nursing: Grey's Anatomy, Hawthorne, Mercy, Nurse Jackie and Private Practice.

Findings

Men in nursing on television were portrayed in ways that engaged with explicit and implicit stereotypes. The men were often subject to questions about their choice of career, masculinity and sexuality and their role usually reduced to that of prop, minority spokesperson or source of comedy. Thus, rather contradictorily, although the programmes often sought to expose common stereotypes about men in nursing, they nonetheless often reinforced stereotypes in more implicit ways.

Conclusion

This research has implications for better understanding not only the status of nursing in our society but also for nursing practice and education and attracting more men to the profession.
Beyond the Impasse? Systemic Consultation and Understanding Complex Cases
Authors: Rhodes Paul , Donelly Michelle , Whatson Lesley , Brearley Kate , Dikian Jack , Hansson Anders , Franic Tanya , Mora Lucinda
Published: September 2013

Background

Systemic consultation provides an oppor‐tunity for clinicians working with complex cases and behaviours of concern to reflect on interpersonal dynamics that may be inhibiting change. This approach to case review is drawn from systemic family therapy, a model that is gaining some acceptance within the field of intellectual disability.

Method

Thematic analysis was used to explore the experience of eleven clinicians attending systemic consultation. Clinicians were experienced in behaviour support, had no prior experience in family therapy and presented with complex cases described as ‘stuck’.

Results

Consultations were seen to have many benefits, including a heightened awareness of the interpersonal needs of both clients and carers and the development of a facilitative position and skills to apply to cases. Less experienced clinicians were more likely to feel overwhelmed by this less structured, more relationally oriented focus.

Conclusions

Systemic consultation has the potential to augment behaviour support, enabling clinicians to understand and negotiate problematic interpersonal dynamics when responding to behavioural difficulties. Less experienced clinicians may require additional training and support in the systemic approach.