bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Climate variability and the timing of spring raptor migration in eastern North America
Authors: Sullivan Alexis R. , Flaspohler David J. , Froese Robert E. , Ford Daena
Published: October 2015

Many birds have advanced their spring migration and breeding phenology in response to climate change, yet some long‐distance migrants appear constrained in their adjustments. In addition, bird species with long generation times and those in higher trophic positions may also be less able to track climate‐induced shifts in food availability. Migratory birds of prey may therefore be particularly vulnerable to climate change because: 1) most are long‐lived and have relatively low reproductive capacity, 2) many feed predominately on insectivorous passerines, and 3) several undertake annual migrations totaling tens of thousands of kilometers. Using multi‐decadal datasets for 14 raptor species observed at six sites across the Great Lakes region of North America, we detected phenological shifts in spring migration consistent with decadal climatic oscillations and global climate change. While the North Atlantic and El Niño Southern Oscillations exerted heterogeneous effects on the phenology of a few species, arrival dates more generally advanced by 1.18 d per decade, a pattern consistent with the effects of global climate change. After accounting for heterogeneity across observation sites, five of the 10 most abundant species advanced the bulk of their spring migration phenology. Contrary to expectations, we found that long‐distance migrants and birds with longer generation times tended to make the greatest advancements to their spring migration. Such results may indicate that phenotypic plasticity can facilitate climatic responses among these long‐lived predators.
Causes and Consequences of Disaggregating Earnings Guidance
Authors: Lansford Benjamin , Lev Baruch , Wu Tucker Jennifer
Published: October 2015

Whether managers should provide earnings guidance, especially quarterly guidance, has been a hotly debated policy issue. Influential organizations have urged firms to stop providing earnings guidance to reduce earnings fixation and short‐termism in the capital markets. Little attention has been paid to an alternative proposal: instead of ceasing earnings guidance, companies could provide disaggregated earnings guidance. No archival evidence exists regarding the determinants of disaggregated earnings guidance and its effects on the firm and its information environment. We find that once managers provide guidance, the decision to disaggregate this guidance is primarily driven by demand‐and‐supply factors that exhibit little change from year to year rather than by strategic factors. We find more timely analyst forecast revisions (with no compromise of forecast accuracy), a greater magnitude of revisions, and a larger reduction in analyst disagreement for disaggregating firms than for non‐disaggregating firms. These findings suggest that disaggregation enriches a firm's information environment. We also find that disaggregation helps managers align analyst expectations with their own, but firms are punished by investors for providing multiple performance targets but missing them.
Bankruptcy Litigation and Relationship Banking
Authors: Marini François
Published: October 2015

This paper analyzes how bankruptcy litigation affects the value of relationship banking. In our model, bankruptcy courts may make type 1 errors, i.e., they may declare that an insolvent firm is solvent; and they may make type 2 errors, i.e., they may declare that a solvent firm is insolvent. Our model provides four results. First, the cost of bank debt decreases when the probability that bankruptcy courts make type 2 errors increases. Second, the value of relationship banking increases when the probability that bankruptcy courts make type 1 errors increases. Third, the cost of credit intermediation decreases when the probability that bankruptcy courts make type 2 errors increases. Fourth, the diversification mechanism does not fully solve the delegated monitoring problem.
Financial Reporting Quality, Structural Problems and the Informativeness of Mandated Disclosures on Internal Controls
Authors: Ghosh Aloke (Al) , Lee Yong Gyu
Published: October 2015

Even before firms report internal control weaknesses under the Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX), they are characterized by structural problems, are prone to internal control weaknesses, and have low financial reporting quality. If the stock market incorporates much of this information during the pre‐disclosure years, investors are less surprised when firms subsequently report internal control weaknesses under SOX. We find that for the pre‐disclosure period, firms reporting internal control weaknesses under SOX, (1) had structural problems, (2) were prone to internal control problems, and (3) had low financial reporting quality. Further, we provide direct evidence that stock prices during pre‐disclosure years incorporate much of the information about structural problems, the likelihood of internal control weaknesses, and low reporting quality. Finally, we find that many of these value‐relevant factors are not related to announcement period returns when firms eventually disclose such problems under SOX and that limited new information about structural problems is generated around this date. Our results provide a compelling explanation for the muted stock price reaction around the mandatory disclosure date.
Analysts’ Momentum Recommendations
Authors: Muslu Volkan , Xue Yanfeng
Published: October 2015

We document that the likelihood of analyst recommendations following past stock returns decreased abruptly in 2003, coinciding with the Global Settlement and other regulatory changes designed to restrain analysts’ conflicts of interest. We also document that the likelihood of recommendations following past stock returns is abnormally high for recommendations issued after negative stock returns (but not for those issued after positive stock returns), among inexperienced and inaccurate analysts, among large brokerage houses, and for companies with high share turnover. Moreover, the recommendations that are more likely to follow past stock returns are accompanied by earnings forecast revisions that are larger in magnitude and less accurate ex post. Overall, our findings suggest that analysts with conflicts of interest and limited ability are more likely to base their recommendations on past stock returns. Finally, we document that the recommendations that are more likely to follow past stock returns (especially those that were issued before 2003 and those that are issued after negative stock returns) contribute to existing price momentum by generating incrementally stronger short‐term and long‐term stock returns.
Implementation of a System Approach for Enhanced Supply Chain Continuity and Resiliency: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Boone Christopher A. , Craighead Christopher W. , Hanna Joe B. , Nair Anand
Published: October 2015

Researchers and practitioners frequently point to inventory as a necessary component of an effective supply chain strategy. However, an undisciplined or ineffective approach to inventory can have a detrimental impact on an organization and its entire supply chain. When making inventory decisions, firms must ensure that the selected approach “fits” the overall supply chain strategy. While such an assertion seems intuitive, there is a need for empirical validation. We seek to contribute to this important body of research by investigating the impact of improved strategic alignment of inventory on resiliency and continuity. More specifically, we investigate the impact of improved strategic fit by comparing two distinct approaches to inventory management within a service parts environment. We hypothesize that a well‐aligned approach to inventory management can enhance continuity and resiliency. We test these hypotheses via a longitudinal field study involving 10 United States Air Force (USAF) locations and two years of data (approximately 650,000 inventory transactions). Results from nine test locations and one control location suggest that a well‐aligned approach to inventory management is indeed effective in improving continuity and resiliency, thus enhancing service‐based strategies—in this case, the USAF's ability to be mission‐capable. While the results of the study are derived from the USAF, we believe the implications provide broader insight into the use of inventory as a means of realizing a strategic fit.
Palifermin for the protection and regeneration of epithelial tissues following injury: new findings in basic research and pre‐clinical models
Authors: Finch Paul W. , Mark Cross Lawrence J. , McAuley Daniel F. , Farrell Catherine L.
Published: October 2015

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is a paracrine‐acting epithelial mitogen produced by cells of mesenchymal origin, that plays an important role in protecting and repairing epithelial tissues. Pre‐clinical data initially demonstrated that a recombinant truncated KGF (palifermin) could reduce gastrointestinal injury and mortality resulting from a variety of toxic exposures. Furthermore, the use of palifermin in patients with hematological malignancies reduced the incidence and duration of severe oral mucositis experienced after intensive chemoradiotherapy. Based upon these findings, as well as the observation that KGF receptors are expressed in many, if not all, epithelial tissues, pre‐clinical studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of palifermin in protecting different epithelial tissues from toxic injury in an attempt to model various clinical situations in which it might prove to be of benefit in limiting tissue damage. In this article, we review these studies to provide the pre‐clinical background for clinical trials that are described in the accompanying article and the rationale for additional clinical applications of palifermin.
Second‐Price Auctions with Different Participation Costs
Authors: Cao Xiaoyong , Tian Guoqiang
Published: October 2015

This paper studies equilibria of second‐price auctions in independent private value environments with different participation costs. Two types of equilibria are identified: monotonic equilibria in which a bidder with a lower participation cost results in a lower cutoff for submitting a bid, and nonmonotonic equilibria in which a lower participation cost results in a higher cutoff. We show that there always exists a monotonic equilibrium, and further, that the monotonic equilibrium is unique for either concave distribution functions or strictly convex distribution functions with nonincreasing reverse hazard rates. There exist nonmonotonic equilibria when the distribution functions are strictly convex and the difference of the participation costs is sufficiently small. We also provide comparative static analysis and study the limiting properties of equilibria when the difference in bidders’ participation costs approaches zero.
One‐Stop Shopping as a Cause of Slotting Fees: A Rent‐Shifting Mechanism
Authors: Caprice Stéphane , von Schlippenbach Vanessa
Published: October 2015

Consumers increasingly prefer to bundle their purchases into a single shopping trip, inducing complementaries between initially independent or substitutable goods. Taking this one‐stop shopping behavior into account, we show that slotting fees may emerge as a result of a rent‐shifting mechanism in a three‐party negotiation framework, where a monopolistic retailer negotiates sequentially with two suppliers about two‐part tariff contracts. If the goods are initially independent or sufficiently differentiated, the wholesale price negotiated with the first supplier is upward distorted. This allows the retailer and the first supplier to extract rent from the second supplier. To compensate the retailer for the higher wholesale price, the first supplier pays a slotting fee as long as its bargaining power vis‐à‐vis the retailer is not too large.
A Primer on Criminal Child Abuse and Neglect Law
Authors: Abrams Douglas E.
Published: October 2015

This article surveys major aspects of criminal child abuse and neglect law encountered by judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers, child advocates, and child care professionals. The author, whose casebook, Children and the Law: Doctrine, Policy and Practice (West 4th ed. 2010) (with Sarah H. Ramsey), is required reading in law schools throughout the United States, analyzes both constitutional and statutory law.
Adapted Tango Improves Mobility, Motor–Cognitive Function, and Gait but Not Cognition in Older Adults in Independent Living
Authors: Hackney Madeleine E. , Byers Colleen , Butler Gail , Sweeney Morgan , Rossbach Lauren , Bozzorg Aaron
Published: October 2015

Objectives

To determine the efficacy of adapted tango for improving mobility, motor–cognitive function, and gait; to determine whether former dance experience was associated with improvements; and to evaluate participant satisfaction, changes in depression, and quality of life.

Design

Quasi‐experimental, two‐group, repeated‐measures preintervention, postintervention, and 3‐month postintervention study.

Setting

Diverse senior independent living communities in an urban metropolitan area.

Participants

Individuals aged 59 to 95 (73% aged 80 and older; 31% nonwhite, 72% female) (N = 74).

Intervention

Participants were assigned to 20 sessions of 90‐minute tango (n = 62) or health education (n = 12) classes over 12 weeks.

Measurements

Mobility, motor–cognitive function, gait, cognition, and psychosocial function were evaluated before, immediately after, and 3 months after the intervention. Two (groups) by two (before and after) repeated‐measures analyses of variance with post hoc comparisons were used to evaluate differences in primary analyses. Secondary analyses from immediately after to 3 months after were used to examine the data for retention of any gains.

Results

Forty‐four tango and 10 education participants completed 20 sessions. Significant group by time interactions revealed that tango improved mobility (P = .006), backward and fast gait speeds (P < .001), and motor–cognitive function (P = .03). Education improved depression (P = .001). No relationship was noted between previous dance experience and improvements. Gains were maintained 3 months after the intervention.

Conclusion

Adapted tango may improve mobility, gait and motor–cognitive function more than health education classes in older adults. Further research is necessary to confirm these findings.
Nursing Job Rotation Stress Scale development and psychometric evaluation
Authors: Huang Shan , Lin Yu‐Hua , Kao Chia‐Chan , Yang Hsing‐Yu , Anne Ya‐Li , Wang Cheng‐Hua
Published: October 2015

Aim

The aim of this study was to develop and assess the reliability and validity of the Nurse Job Rotation Stress Scale (NJRS).

Methods

A convenience sampling method was utilized to recruit two groups of nurses (n = 150 and 253) from a 2751 bed medical center in southern Taiwan. The NJRS scale was developed and used to evaluate the NJRS.

Results

Explorative factor analysis revealed that three factors accounted for 74.11% of the explained variance. Confirmatory factor analysis validity testing supported the three factor structure and the construct validity. Cronbach's alpha for the 10 item model was 0.87 and had high linearity.

Conclusion

The NJRS can be considered a reliable and valid scale for the measurement of nurse job rotation stress for nursing management and research purposes.
Tackling the Global NCD Crisis: Innovations in Law and Governance
Authors: Thomas Bryan , Gostin Lawrence O.
Published: October 2015

To someone holding a hammer, the cliché goes, everything looks like a nail. A similar myopia often afflicts legal minds as they approach deep-seated problems in global health, as every crisis is approached by first asking how it might be litigated away. In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the limits of litigation as a tool for advancing equitable access to health — indeed of its potential, under some circumstances, to have a positively regressive impact. This very timely symposium offers us a chance to reflect more deeply on the matter.
The Debatable Role of Courts in Brazil's Health Care System: Does Litigation Harm or Help?
Authors: Prado Mariana Mota
Published: October 2015

The 1988 Brazilian Constitution establishes a right to health in two of its provisions. The first provision provides a relatively long list of social rights, which includes not only the right to health, but also the right to the determinants of health such as education, food, employment, and shelter (Art. 6). The second provision (Art. 196) recognizes the two components of the right to health, namely: (i) factors that are likely to affect a person’s health, such as access to clean water, sanitation and nutrition; and (ii) medical care or health services. This second provision establishes that the right to health “shall be guaranteed by means of social and economic policies aimed at reducing the risk of illness and other hazards and by the universal and equal access to actions and services for its promotion, protection and recovery.” It also enumerates state obligations, the first and most important one being the duty of the Brazilian state to guarantee the right to health to every citizen.
Pharmaceutical Knowledge Governance: A Human Rights Perspective
Authors: Lemmens Trudo
Published: October 2015

In recent years, the development process of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and related products and the overall market of these products have become increasingly global. This paper discusses the need for better governance of one aspect of this market: the production, distribution, and use of pharmaceutical knowledge. Various controversies, some of which will be described in this paper, highlight how industry control over pharmaceutical data production has resulted in very serious threats to public health. Different practices and regulatory fields that affect what I will refer to in this paper as “pharmaceutical knowledge production” are all too often artificially separated and dealt with in isolation, which seriously affects the quality of the available information on the safety and effectiveness of products. I will examine here how a human rights-based approach should inspire us to look more carefully not only at the significant human rights-related interests that are at stake, but also at the relations between the different interwoven regulatory, cultural, and social factors and how these play out at the various stages of knowledge production.
The High Price of “Free” Trade: U.S. Trade Agreements and Access to Medicines
Authors: Lopert Ruth , Gleeson Deborah
Published: October 2015

The United States’ pursuit of increasingly TRIPS-Plus levels of intellectual property protection for medicines in bilateral and regional trade agreements is well recognized. Less so, however, are U.S. efforts through these agreements, to directly influence and constrain the pharmaceutical coverage programs of its trading partners. The pursuit of increasing levels of intellectual property (IP) protection in successive bilateral and regional trade agreements has been driven, at least in part, by a U.S. desire to achieve standards of protection it anticipated from the TRIPS Agreement, but failed to secure. Despite the conclusion of a global agreement on IP standards that would establish significant protections in countries that had hitherto declined them, the U.S. pharmaceutical industry viewed TRIPS as falling well short of its objectives — particularly in light of the delayed introduction of patent protection in countries that are key suppliers of generic medicines, such as India.
Medical Tourism's Impact on Health Care Equity and Access in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Making the Case for Regulation
Authors: Chen Y.Y. Brandon , Flood Colleen M.
Published: October 2015

Travelling internationally to acquire medical treatments otherwise unavailable or inaccessible in one’s home country is not a novel concept. Conventionally, such medical travel largely entailed patients from developed countries or wealthy patients from the developing world seeking care in Western facilities like the Mayo Clinic in the U.S. and myriad private clinics along Harley Street in London, England. What is different about the topical phenomenon known as “medical tourism” is the growing trend of health services export in the opposite direction. The number of patients travelling from the developed world to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for treatments has ballooned in recent years, primarily driven by difficulties with accessing affordable care at home. According to a liberal estimate by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, the number of Americans travelling abroad for care rose from 750,000 in 2007 to 1.6 million in 2012. On the flip side, Thailand reportedly treated a total of 1.3 million foreign nationals in 2007, which represented a 16% leap from 2001.
Practical, Ethical, and Legal Challenges Underlying Crisis Standards of Care
Authors: Hodge James G. , Hanfling Dan , Powell Tia P.
Published: October 2015

Public health emergencies invariably entail difficult decisions among medical and emergency first responders about how to allocate essential, scarce resources (e.g., medicines, supplies, personnel). To the extent that these critical choices can profoundly impact community and individual health outcomes, achieving consistency in how these decisions are executed is valuable. Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, however, public and private sector allocation plans and decisions have followed uncertain paths. Lacking empirical evidence and national input, various entities and actors have proffered multifarious approaches on how best to allocate scarce resources to protect the public's health. Though beneficial in some jurisdictions, these approaches fail to clarify how the type and amount of care delivered in major emergencies might be curtailed. This is due, in part, to a lack of meaningful guidance on shifting standards of care in major emergencies.
Big Bad Data: Law, Public Health, and Biomedical Databases
Authors: Hoffman Sharona , Podgurski Andy
Published: October 2015

The accelerating adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems will have profound impacts on clinical care. It will also have far-reaching implications for public health research and surveillance, which in turn could lead to changes in public policy, statutes, and regulations. The public health benefits of EHR use can be significant. However, researchers and analysts who rely on EHR data must proceed with caution and understand the potential limitations of EHRs.

Much has been written about the risk of EHR privacy breaches. This paper focuses on a different set of concerns, those relating to data quality. Unlike clinical trial data, EHR data is not recorded primarily to meet the needs of researchers. Because of clinicians’ workloads, poor user-interface design, and other factors, EHR data is surprisingly likely to be erroneous, miscoded, fragmented, and incomplete. Although EHRs eliminate the problem of cryptic handwriting, other kinds of errors are more common with EHRs than with paper records.
Carrying Guns in Public: Legal and Public Health Implications
Authors: Vernick Jon S.
Published: October 2015

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Until recently, no federal appellate court had ever struck down any gun law as a violation of the Second Amendment. In fact, even laws outlawing most handgun possession, or restricting other types of firearms, had been upheld, in part, because the laws did not interfere with the functioning of state militias.

Then, in 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court — for the first time in nearly 70 years — decided a case squarely addressing the meaning of the Second Amendment. In District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court concluded that the Second Amendment protected an individual right to own handguns in the home, invalidating a Washington, D.C. law.

But Heller left many issues undecided, including the precise scope of the Second Amendment.
Outsourcing Ethical Obligations: Should the Revised Common Rule Address the Responsibilities of Investigators and Sponsors?
Authors: Shah Seema K.
Published: October 2015

Imagine a study in which HIV-infected pregnant women are given antiretroviral treatment (ART) to determine how effectively it will prevent HIV transmission during childbirth. Each mother’s involvement in this study ends with the birth of her child, at which time her access to antiretrovirals provided by the study also ceases. At the outset of the study, the investigator and sponsor agree that after the child’s birth, they will refer mothers who require treatment for their HIV to a national program that provides antiretroviral treatment and care. Assuming the Institutional Review Board (IRB) raises no objections to this plan, should the research team consider their ethical obligations to participants fulfilled? If the investigator and sponsor were to consult the Common Rule, they would find little to suggest that there are any further ethical issues to address.
Take Another Little Piece of My Heart: Regulating the Research Use of Human Biospecimens
Authors: Javitt Gail H.
Published: October 2015

Access to human biospecimens is widely regarded as essential to the progress of medical research, and in particular, to the success of “personalized medicine.” Understanding the influence of genetic variation on human health and disease requires that researchers conduct genetic and other studies on thousands of human specimens. Over the past decade, human “biobanks” — vast collections of human biospecimens — have proliferated both in the United States and internationally. These biobanks are subject to a heterogeneous mix of standards that govern the collection and use of biospecimens.
Biobanking, Consent, and Certificates of Confidentiality: Does the ANPRM Muddy the Water?
Authors: Williams Brett A. , Wolf Leslie E.
Published: October 2015

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed substantial changes to the current regulatory system governing human subjects research in its Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM), entitled “Human Subjects Research Protections: Enhancing Protections for Research Subjects and Reducing Burden, Delay, and Ambiguity for Investigators.” Some of the most significant proposed changes concern the use of biospecimens in research. Because research involving biological materials begins with an initial interaction with an individual, such research falls squarely within the human subjects research regulatory framework known as the “Common Rule,” which applies to research conducted or funded by the HHS and the other signatory agencies and departments. However, as described in detail below, much biospecimen research may fall within exemptions and exceptions under the Common Rule and, thus, may be conducted without consent. The ANPRM proposes requiring written consent for research use of biospecimens, even if the biospecimens were initially collected for a purpose other than research or have been stripped of identifiers.
Advance Directives, Dementia, and Physician-Assisted Death
Authors: Menzel Paul T. , Steinbock Bonnie
Published: October 2015

Almost all jurisdictions where physician-assisted death (PAD) is legal require that the requesting individual be competent to make medical decisions at time of assistance. The requirement of contemporary competence is intended to ensure that PAD is limited to people who really want to die and have the cognitive ability to make a final choice of such enormous import. Along with terminal illness, defined as prognosis of death within six months, contemporary competence is regarded as an important safeguard against mistake and abuse, arguably the strongest objections to legalizing PAD.

The insistence on contemporary competence is problematic. It means that someone who has dementia is ruled out as a candidate for PAD, even if she is terminally ill and suffering terrible and unrelievable pain. It also rules out individuals with strong and unwavering desires not to end their life in dementia.
Corruption of Pharmaceutical Markets: Addressing the Misalignment of Financial Incentives and Public Health
Authors: Gagnon Marc-André
Published: October 2015

This article argues that the misalignment of private profit-maximizing objectives with public health needs causes institutional corruption in the pharmaceutical sector and systematically leads firms to act contrary to public heath. The article analyzes how financial incentives generate a business model promoting harmful practices and explores several means of realigning financial incentives in order to foster therapeutic innovation and promote the rational use of medicines.
From Community to Commodity: The Ethics of Pharma-Funded Social Networking Sites for Physicians
Authors: Landa Amy Snow , Elliott Carl
Published: October 2015

In September 2006, a small start-up company in Cambridge, MA called Sermo, Inc., launched a social networking site with an unusual twist: only physicians practicing medicine in the United States would be allowed to participate. Sermo, which means “conversation” in Latin, marketed its website as an online community exclusively for doctors that would allow them to talk openly (and anonymously) about a range of topics, from challenging and unusual medical cases to the relative merits of one treatment versus another. “Sermo enables the private and instant exchange of knowledge among MDs,” the company announced in its first press release. Even better, participation was free and the site carried no advertising.
Patient Advocacy Organizations: Institutional Conflicts of Interest, Trust, and Trustworthiness
Authors: Rose Susannah L.
Published: October 2015

Patient advocacy organizations (PAOs) provide patient- and caregiver-oriented education, advocacy, and support services. PAOs are formally organized nonprofit groups that (a) concern themselves with medical conditions or potential medical conditions and (b) have a mission and take actions that seek to help people affected by those medical conditions or to help their families. Examples of PAOs include the American Cancer Society, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the American Heart Association. These organizations advocate for, and provide services to, millions of people with physical and mental conditions — such as cancer, mental illness, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease — via their outreach, meetings, counseling, websites, and published materials. A PAO usually seeks to raise public awareness of a disease’s symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options and promotes research to cure or to prevent that disease.
The State's Interest in Potential Life
Authors: Fox Dov
Published: October 2015

Most people identifyRoe v. Wadewith a single landmark judgment. It extended the constitutional right of individual privacy to a woman’s decision about whether to terminate a pregnancy. Indeed, political, judicial, and scholarly debates about the case have focused on the origin, content, and balancing of that substantive due process right to abortion.

Largely missing from these debates isRoe’sdistinct holding, on the other side of the constitutional ledger, that the government has a valid reason to regulate reproductive conduct in the name of “potential life.” Despite decades of intensive litigation and academic commentary on the metes and bounds of reproductive privacy, scholars have paid little attention to the state’s interest in potential life that it is routinely found to implicate.
Empowering Peer Group Leaders for HIV Prevention in Malawi
Authors: McCreary Linda L. , Kaponda Chrissie P. N. , Davis Kristina , Kalengamaliro Mary , Norr Kathleen F.
Published: October 2015

Purpose

Behavioral change interventions using peer group leaders are effective and widely used, but few studies have examined how being a peer group leader affects the leaders. This study describes how participants felt being a peer group leader affected their lives.

Design

This descriptive qualitative study interviewed 18 experienced peer group leaders who had conducted a multisession human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention peer group intervention in rural Malawi.

Methods

We used inductive content analysis and comparisons within and between cases.

Findings

Three major themes were identified. All leaders said they experienced personal changes in their knowledge, attitudes, or HIV prevention behaviors. They described interacting with family, neighbors, and friends, and speaking at church or community meetings, to discuss HIV prevention issues. They increased their self‐efficacy to engage others in sensitive HIV prevention issues, developed a self‐identity as a change agent, and came to be recognized in their community as trustworthy advisors about HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. These three themes, taken together, form the meta‐theme of psychological empowerment.

Conclusion

Being a peer group leader empowered the leaders as change agents for HIV prevention and had impacts in the community after the intervention ended, potentially increasing the long‐term effectiveness and cost effectiveness of peer group interventions.

Clinical Relevance

Healthcare workers and community volunteers who led HIV prevention sessions continued HIV prevention activities in the community and workplace after the program ended. Training health workers as volunteer HIV prevention leaders offers a strategy to bring HIV prevention to limited‐resource settings, despite health worker shortages.
Can Markets Discipline Government Agencies? Evidence from the Weather Derivatives Market
Authors: PURNANANDAM AMIYATOSH , WEAGLEY DANIEL
Published: October 2015

We analyze the role of financial markets in shaping the incentives of government agencies using a unique empirical setting: the weather derivatives market. We show that the introduction of weather derivative contracts on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) improves the accuracy of temperature measurement by 13% to 20% at the underlying weather stations. We argue that temperature‐based financial markets generate additional scrutiny of the temperature data measured by the National Weather Service, which motivates the agency to minimize measurement errors. Our results have broader implications: the visibility and scrutiny generated by financial markets can potentially improve the efficiency of government agencies.
Short Selling and Earnings Management: A Controlled Experiment
Authors: FANG VIVIAN W. , HUANG ALLEN H. , KARPOFF JONATHAN M.
Published: October 2015

During 2005 to 2007, the SEC ordered a pilot program in which one‐third of the Russell 3000 index were arbitrarily chosen as pilot stocks and exempted from short‐sale price tests. Pilot firms’ discretionary accruals and likelihood of marginally beating earnings targets decrease during this period, and revert to pre‐experiment levels when the program ends. After the program starts, pilot firms are more likely to be caught for fraud initiated before the program, and their stock returns better incorporate earnings information. These results indicate that short selling, or its prospect, curbs earnings management, helps detect fraud, and improves price efficiency.
Using narrow‐band imaging with conventional hysteroscopy increases the detection of chronic endometritis in abnormal uterine bleeding and postmenopausal bleeding
Authors: Ozturk Mustafa , Ulubay Mustafa , Alanbay Ibrahim , Keskin Uğur , Karasahin Emre , Yenen Müfit Cemal
Published: October 2015

Aim

A preliminary study was designed to evaluate whether a narrow‐band imaging (NBI) endoscopic light source could detect chronic endometritis that was not identifiable with a white light hysteroscope.

Material and Methods

A total of 86 patients with endometrial pathology (71 abnormal uterine bleeding and 15 postmenopausal bleeding) were examined by NBI endoscopy and white light hysteroscopy between February 2010 and February 2011. The surgeon initially observed the uterine cavity using white light hysteroscopy and made a diagnostic impression, which was recorded. Subsequently, after pressing a button on the telescope, NBI was used to reevaluate the endometrial mucosa.

Results

The median age of the patients was 40 years (range: 30–60 years). Endometritis was diagnosed histologically. Six cases of abnormal uterine bleeding (6/71, 8.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.03–0.17) and one case of postmenopausal bleeding (1/15, 6%, 95%CI 0.01–0.29) were only diagnosed with chronic endometritis by NBI (7/86, 8.1%, 95%CI 0.04–0.15).

Conclusion

Capillary patterns of the endometrium can be observed by NBI and this method can be used to assess chronic endometritis.
Morphological Findings in Typical Variant Angina Presenting as Acute Coronary Syndrome Using Optical Coherence Tomography
Authors: PARK HWAN‐CHEOL , CHOI SUNG IL , LEE JAE UNG , KIM SOON‐GIL , SHIN JINHO , KIM HYUN‐JOONG
Published: October 2015

Background

Coronary vasospasm causes variant angina, as well as acute myocardial infarction, ventricular tachycardia, and sudden cardiac death. We evaluated morphological changes due to vasospastic lesions, which may cause acute coronary syndrome (ACS), using a novel technique called optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods

Twenty patients (40–83 years old, 19 males) with vasospasm‐induced ACS who visited the emergency room because of continuous chest pain and displayed transient ST segment elevation in their electrocardiogram were enrolled in the study. None of these patients had significant coronary artery disease and all had positive results in the provocation test. OCT examinations were performed for evaluation of vasospastic lesions.

Results

Intraluminal thrombi and intimal erosion were found in 6 (33.3%) and 2 patients (10%), respectively. High‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein levels were significantly higher in patients with microthrombi (2.66 ± 3.33 mg/L) compared with those in patients without microthrombi (0.49 ± 0.30 mg/L; P = 0.022). Serum cardiac troponin‐I levels were not significantly different between patients with or without microthrombi (2.37 ± 5.31 ng/mL vs. 1.45 ± 4.68 ng/mL; P = 0.704). Other parameters, including creatinine kinase–myocardial band isoenzyme, total cholesterol, pain duration, residual stenosis, lesion length, and coronary risk factors, were not significantly different between the 2 groups.

Conclusion

In patients with vasospasm‐induced ACS, microthrombi with or without intimal erosion are major abnormal morphologic findings of OCT examinations. However, further large‐scale studies are required for validation. (J Interven Cardiol 2013;26:491‐500)
Detection of Stent Underdeployment by StentBoost Imaging
Authors: BLICQ ELODIE , GEORGES JEAN‐LOUIS , ELBEAINY ELIAS , GIBAULT‐GENTY GÉRALDINE , BENJEMAA KHALED , JERBI BASSEM , LIVAREK BERNARD
Published: October 2015

Objective

To evaluate the additional value of StentBoost® (SB), a motion‐corrected X‐ray technique that enhances stent visualization, for the assessment of stent deployment and procedure optimization during routine percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI).

Background

Underdeployment and malapposition of stents during PCI may lead to in‐stent thrombosis and restenosis. Coronary angiography (CA) is of limited value for the assessment of stent deployment. Intravascular ultrasound and optical imaging techniques are the gold standard, but are used in <10% of routine PCIs.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 260 coronary lesions treated by stent implantation and assessed by SB during 168 consecutive PCI procedures. The immediate results of SB analysis and CA were assessed by 2 independent interventional cardiologists and compared.

Results

A total of 275 stents were implanted; 45% were drug‐eluting stents (DES). Direct stenting was performed in 78%. Results of SB and angiography were concordant for 210 lesions: 194 stents were correctly deployed (75%) and 16 were underdeployed (6%), shown by both techniques. In 47 patients (18%), SB detected an underdeployment of the stent whereas the angiographic result was good. Postdilatation was performed on the basis of SB in 89% of these cases. The additional contribution of SB was higher for left main lesions and for DES, and was not affected by coronary calcifications.

Conclusions

This study confirmed the usefulness of the stent visualization enhancement technique StentBoost® in current PCI practice. SB revealed about 20% underdeployed stents not detected by CA, and allowed for optimizing PCI by ad hoc effective postdilatation. (J Interven Cardiol 2013;26:444‐453)
Design as a Rehabilitative Tool for People with Acquired Brain Injury: Mapping the Field
Authors: Smith Dianne , Macdonald Jane
Published: October 2015

People live their lives in an ongoing relationship with the physical environment. In the following review, a range of factors which may influence the design and construction as well as the occupation of an environmental setting for people with acquired brain injury (ABI), are described. During a person's rehabilitation, the environment may support his or her protection, while simultaneously promoting independence and learning. In a discussion regarding the design of built environments for people with ABI, medical, or allied health perspectives usually dominate. To design settings that support these objectives, the designer perspectives, be they interior, architectural, or landscape, must be identified. Typically, designers and architects do not adopt a linear approach to creating environments, but rather they integrate what Nigel Cross calls a designerly way of knowing. A designer–stance may broaden possibilities while supporting the appropriate models of care or philosophy of rehabilitation. The aim of this review is to map and summarize the breadth of current literature that involves or could inform the design of facilities for people with ABI. Such a review is necessary to consolidate what is known, in order to build upon it. The overall aim is to inform design professionals of the breadth of considerations when designing for people with ABI. In addition, it will inform managers, carers and allied health professionals of current understandings. Conceptualizations from different disciplinary perspectives of designing for rehabilitation of people with ABI are discussed.
Intracranial Aneurysms in Children: The Role of Stenting and Flow‐Diversion
Authors: Vargas Sergio A. , Diaz Carlos , Herrera Diego A. , Dublin Arthur B.
Published: October 2015

OBJECTIVE

To report a single‐center experience in the endovascular management of cerebral aneurysms in children with stenting and flow‐diversion techniques.

METHODS

During a 7‐year period, 5 male patients with six intracranial aneurysms (IA) were treated by endovascular therapy with stenting or flow‐diversion. The average age was 11 years (range 6‐18 years).

RESULTS

The etiology of the aneurysms was vasculopathic in 3 cases (50%), traumatic in 2 patients (33.3%), and idiopathic in 1 case (16.7%). Two‐thirds of the aneurysms were giant in size. The aneurysms were most frequently located in the anterior circulation (66.7%). Fifty percent of the aneurysms were treated with stenting and coiling, and 50% were treated with flow‐diversion stents alone. After treatment, occlusion was graded as: partial in five aneurysms (88.3%) and complete in 1 case (16.7%). Most cases (83.3%) had a good outcome after the procedure. During follow‐up, most aneurysms had progressive occlusion (80%), while the rest were unchanged (20%). Most stents and flow‐diverter devices remained patent (80%). However, one Pipeline flow‐diverter device in the Anterior cerebral artery (ACA) A2 segment had an asymptomatic occlusion.

CONCLUSIONS

In this series, device‐assisted endovascular techniques were a relatively safe and effective method of treatment of pediatric aneurysms. However, continued follow‐up is required after treatment, because there are unsolved issues regarding the durability of flow‐diverters and stents.
Why Trust Matters: How Confidence in Leaders Transforms What Adolescents Gain From Youth Programs
Authors: Griffith Aisha N. , Larson Reed W.
Published: October 2015

Youth's trust in program leaders is considered a key to the positive impact of youth programs. We sought to understandhowtrust influences youth's program experiences from their perspective. We interviewed 108 ethnically diverse youth (ages 12–19) participating in 13 arts, leadership, and technology programs. Analysis of these accounts suggested five ways in which youth's trust in leaders amplified program benefits. Trust increased youth's (1) confidence in leaders' guidance in program activities, (2) motivation in the program, (3) use of leaders for mentoring, (4) use of leaders as a model of a well‐functioning relationship, and (5) experience of program cohesiveness. Across benefits, trust allowed youth to draw on leaders' expertise, opened them to new experiences, and helped increase youth's agency.
Horribly Wrong
Authors: Bush Stephen S.
Published: October 2015

Moral horror is an extreme emotional response to that which violates things we regard as sacred. In Robert Merrihew Adams's view, horror is a response to badness and not to wrongness, and so one could properly regard some actions as horrible but not wrong. In contrast, I argue that horror, when directed toward actions, is only appropriate for wrong actions. The reason is that horror involves moral disgust, and agents who committed a horrible action would have self‐disgust, that is, they would be repulsive to themselves. I argue, with reference to killing in combat and in self‐defense, that those who have done no wrong should not be in such a state.
Particle‐association lifestyle is a phylogenetically conserved trait in bathypelagic prokaryotes
Authors: Salazar Guillem , Cornejo‐Castillo Francisco M. , Borrull Encarna , Díez‐Vives Cristina , Lara Elena , Vaqué Dolors , Arrieta Jesús M. , Duarte Carlos M. , Gasol Josep M. , Acinas Silvia G.
Published: October 2015

The free‐living (FL) and particle‐attached (PA) marine microbial communities have repeatedly been proved to differ in their diversity and composition in the photic ocean and also recently in the bathypelagic ocean at a global scale. However, although high taxonomic ranks exhibit preferences for a PA or FL mode of life, it remains poorly understood whether two clear lifestyles do exist and how these are distributed across the prokaryotic phylogeny. We studied the FL (<0.8 μm) and PA (0.8–20 μm) prokaryotes at 30 stations distributed worldwide within the bathypelagic oceanic realm (2150–4000 m depth) using high‐throughput sequencing of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (16S rRNA). A high proportion of the bathypelagic prokaryotes were mostly found either attached to particles or freely in the surrounding water but rarely in both types of environments. In particular, this trait was deeply conserved through their phylogeny, suggesting that the deep‐ocean particles and the surrounding water constitute two highly distinct niches and that transitions from one to the other have been rare at an evolutionary timescale. As a consequence, PA and FL communities had clear alpha‐ and beta‐diversity differences that exceeded the global‐scale geographical variation. Our study organizes the bathypelagic prokaryotic diversity into a reasonable number of ecologically coherent taxa regarding their association with particles, a first step for understanding which are the microbes responsible for the processing of the dissolved and particulate pools of organic matter that have a very different biogeochemical role in the deep ocean.