bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thioredoxin-1 Promotes Anti-Inflammatory Macrophages of the M2 Phenotype and Antagonizes Atherosclerosis
Authors: Hadri Khadija El , Mahmood Dler Faieeq Darweesh , Couchie Dominique , Jguirim-Souissi Imene , Genze Felicitas , Diderot Vimala , Syrovets Tatiana , Lunov Oleg , Simmet Thomas , Rouis Mustapha
Published: April 2012

Objective—

Oxidative stress is believed to play a key role in cardiovascular disorders. Thioredoxin (Trx) is an oxidative stress-limiting protein with anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic properties. Here, we analyzed whether Trx-1 might exert atheroprotective effects by promoting macrophage differentiation into the M2 anti-inflammatory phenotype.

Methods and Results—

Trx-1 at 1 μg/mL induced downregulation of p16
INK4a
and significantly promoted the polarization of anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages in macrophages exposed to interleukin (IL)-4 at 15 ng/mL or IL-4/IL-13 (10 ng/mL each) in vitro, as evidenced by the expression of the CD206 and IL-10 markers. In addition, Trx-1 induced downregulation of nuclear translocation of activator protein-1 and Ref-1, and significantly reduced the lipopolysaccharide-induced differentiation of inflammatory M1 macrophages, as indicated by the decreased expression of the M1 cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-α and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Consistently, Trx-1 administered to hyperlipoproteinemic ApoE2.Ki mice at 30 μg/30 g body weight challenged either with lipopolysaccharide at 30 μg/30 g body weight or with IL-4 at 500 ng/30 g body weight significantly induced the M2 phenotype while inhibiting differentiation of macrophages into the M1 phenotype in liver and thymus. ApoE2.Ki mice challenged once weekly with lipopolysaccharide for 5 weeks developed severe atherosclerotic lesions enriched with macrophages expressing predominantly M1 over M2 markers. In contrast, however, daily injections of Trx-1 shifted the phenotype pattern of lesional macrophages in these animals to predominantly M2 over M1, and the aortic lesion area was significantly reduced (from 100%±18% to 62.8%±9.8%; n=8;
P
<0.01). Consistently, Trx-1 colocalized with M2 but not with M1 macrophage markers in human atherosclerotic vessel specimens.

Conclusion—

The ability of Trx-1 to promote differentiation of macrophages into an alternative, anti-inflammatory phenotype may explain its protective effects in cardiovascular diseases. These data provide novel insight into the link between oxidative stress and cardiovascular diseases.
Attenuation of Early Atherogenesis in Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor–Deficient Mice by Proteasome Inhibition
Authors: Wilck Nicola , Fechner Mandy , Dreger Henryk , Hewing Bernd , Arias Aimara , Meiners Silke , Baumann Gert , Stangl Verena , Stangl Karl , Ludwig Antje
Published: April 2012

Objective—

Low and nontoxic proteasome inhibition has anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antioxidative effects on vascular cells in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesized that low-dose inhibition of the proteasome could provide antiatherogenic protection. The present study investigated the effect of low-dose proteasome inhibition on early lesion formation in low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient mice fed a Western-type diet.

Methods and Results—

Male low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient mice, 10 weeks old, were fed a Western-type diet for 6 weeks with intraperitoneal injections of bortezomib or solvent. Bortezomib was injected at a dose of 50 μg/kg body weight. Cholesterol plasma levels were not affected by bortezomib treatment. En face Oil Red O staining of aortae and aortic root cryosections demonstrated significant reduction of atherosclerotic lesion coverage in bortezomib-treated animals. Bortezomib significantly reduced vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 expression and macrophage infiltration as shown by histological analysis. Bortezomib treatment resulted in a significant reduction of superoxide content, lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation products, serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and interleukin-6. Gene expression microarray analysis showed that expressional changes induced by Western-type diet were attenuated by treatment with low-dose bortezomib.

Conclusion—

Low-dose proteasome inhibition exerts antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects and attenuates development of atherosclerotic lesions in low-density lipoprotein receptor–deficient mice.
Electrical Coupling and Propagation in Engineered Ventricular Myocardium With Heterogeneous Expression of Connexin43
Authors: Beauchamp Philippe , Desplantez Thomas , McCain Megan L. , Li Weihui , Asimaki Angeliki , Rigoli Ghislaine , Parker Kevin Kit , Saffitz Jeffrey E. , Kleber Andre G.
Published: April 2012

Rationale:

Spatial heterogeneity in connexin (Cx) expression has been implicated in arrhythmogenesis.

Objective:

This study was performed to quantify the relation between the degree of heterogeneity in Cx43 expression and disturbances in electric propagation.

Methods and Results:

Cell pairs and strands composed of mixtures of Cx43
−/−
(Cx43KO) or GFP-expressing Cx43
+/+
(WT
GFP
) murine ventricular myocytes were patterned using microlithographic techniques. At the interface between pairs of WT
GFP
and Cx43KO cells, dual-voltage clamp showed a marked decrease in electric coupling (approximately 5% of WT) and voltage gating suggested the presence of mixed Cx43/Cx45 channels. Cx43 and Cx45 immunofluorescence signals were not detectable at this interface, probably because of markedly reduced gap junction size. Macroscopic propagation velocity, measured by multisite high-resolution optical mapping of transmembrane potential in strands of cells of mixed Cx43 genotype, decreased with an increasing proportion of Cx43KO cells in the strand. A marked decrease in conduction velocity was observed in strands composed of <50% WT cells. Propagation at the microscopic scale showed a high degree of dissociation between WT
GFP
and Cx43KO cells, but consistent excitation without development of propagation block.

Conclusions:

Heterogeneous ablation of Cx43 leads to a marked decrease in propagation velocity in tissue strands composed of <50% cells with WT Cx43 expression and marked dissociation of excitation at the cellular level. However, the small residual electric conductance between Cx43 and WT
GFP
myocytes assures excitation of Cx43
−/−
cells. This explains the previously reported undisturbed contractility in tissues with spatially heterogeneous downregulation of Cx43 expression.
Depressive Symptoms, a Time-Dependent Risk Factor for Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in Middle-Aged Men
Authors: Majed Bilal , Arveiler Dominique , Bingham Annie , Ferrieres Jean , Ruidavets Jean-Bernard , Montaye Michèle , Appleton Katherine , Haas Bernadette , Kee Frank , Amouyel Philippe , Ducimetiere Pierre , Empana Jean-Philippe
Published: April 2012

Background and Purpose—

To date, the association between depressive symptoms and the risk of cardiovascular diseases remains controversial. We investigated prospectively, within the same population, the time course of the association between baseline depressive symptoms and first stroke or coronary heart disease event.

Methods—

In the Prospective Epidemiological Study of Myocardial Infarction (PRIME) Study, a multicenter, observational, prospective cohort, 9601 men from France and Northern Ireland were surveyed for the occurrence of first coronary heart disease (n=647) and stroke events (n=136) over 10 years. At baseline, the fourth quartile of a 13-item modified Center for Epidemiological Studies questionnaire was used to define the presence of depressive symptoms. We sought the best time-dependent function to assess the association between depressive symptoms and outcomes. Thus, the hazard ratios were estimated by a Cox proportional hazard model after splitting the follow-up before and after 5 years of follow-up time periods.

Results—

Depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with coronary heart disease in the first 5 years of follow-up (hazard ratio, 1.43; 1.10–1.87) and with stroke in the second 5 years of follow up (hazard ratio, 1.96; 1.21–3.19) after adjustment for age, study centers, baseline socioeconomic factors, traditional vascular risk factors, and antidepressant treatment. The association was even stronger for ischemic stroke (n=108; hazard ratio, 2.48; 1.45–4.25).

Conclusions—

The current study suggests that in healthy, European, middle-aged men, baseline depressive symptoms are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease in the short-term, and for stroke in the long-term.
What Role Do Low-Skilled Migrants Play in the Japanese Labor Markets?
Authors: Iguchi Yasushi
Published: April 2012

The author explores trends of low-skilled migrant labor in Japan before as well as after the global economic crisis, reviews the development of migration policies especially related to low-skilled migrants, and examines new empirical findings and draws some implications for migration policy reform in Japan. In the empirical analysis, the author stresses the effects of production fragmentation on low-skilled labor, the effects of the declining youth population on mismatches in the labor markets, and those of employment strategies by enterprises on the employment of nationals as well as foreigners at the local level. Finally, the author insists on the necessity for Japan to strengthen integration policy at the local level, in addition to immigration control policy at the national level, within the context of developing economic integration in the East Asian region.
Establishing a Telepsychiatry Consultation Practice in Rural Georgia for Primary Care Physicians
Authors: Jacob Maryann K. , Larson Jacqueline C. , Craighead W. Edward
Published: April 2012

Objective. One approach to solving mental health care disparity issues in rural areas is by establishing a telepsychiatry consultation practice for children, in which a psychiatrist sees a child via videoconferencing for a limited number of sessions and then provides a treatment plan to that child’s primary care physician and family. Method. The present study offered a 2-session telepsychiatry consultation clinic, consisting of a psychiatric evaluation session and a recommendation session, with patients located remotely in rural Georgia. Results. Fifteen consultations with children aged 4 to 18 years (M = 9.73, SD = 3.39) with varying diagnoses were completed. Parental satisfaction with the telepsychiatry consultation model was high, overall mean of 4.58 (SD = 0.63) on a 5-point scale (n = 11). Conclusion. Establishing a child telepsychiatry consultation practice is feasible in rural areas. This report describes the benefits and challenges of our telepsychiatry consultation clinic with rural pediatric patients.
Factors Affecting Extension Ladder Angular Positioning
Authors: Simeonov Peter , Hsiao Hongwei , Kim In-Ju , Powers John R. , Kau Tsui-Ying
Published: April 2012

Objective: The study objectives were to identify factors affecting extension ladders’ angular positioning and evaluate the effectiveness of two anthropometric positioning methods.

Background: A leading cause for extension ladder fall incidents is a slide-out event, usually related to suboptimal ladder inclination. An improved ladder positioning method or procedure could reduce the risk of ladder stability failure and the related fall injury.

Method: Participants in the study were 20 experienced and 20 inexperienced ladder users. A series of ladder positioning tests was performed in a laboratory environment with 4.88-m (16-ft) and 7.32-m (24-ft) ladders in extended and retracted positions. The setup methods included a no-instruction condition and two anthropometric approaches: the American National Standards Institute A14 and “fireman” methods. Performance measures included positioning angle and time.

Results: The results indicated that ladder setup method and ladder effective length, defined by size and extended state, affected ladder positioning angle. On average, both anthropometric methods were effective in improving extension ladder positioning; however, they required 50% more time than did the no-instruction condition and had a 9.5% probability of setting the ladder at a less-than-70° angle. Shorter ladders were consistently positioned at shallower angles.

Conclusion: Anthropometric methods may lead to safer ladder positioning than does no instruction when accurately and correctly performed. Workers tended to underperform as compared with their theoretical anthropometric estimates. Specific training or use of an assistive device may be needed to improve ladder users’ performance.

Application: The results provide practical insights for employers and workers to correctly set up extension ladders.
Language Conflicts in Social Arenas: Reflections for the Business World
Authors: Kumar Kunal Kamal , Jain Kamal Kishore
Published: April 2012

This paper argues that our understanding of the issues related to language conflicts inside business organizations would be enriched by close analysis of the conflicts that take place in the larger arena of the social sphere, of which the business organizations are a part. Taking clues from earlier studies, the paper argues that the prime reason behind linguistic conflicts is the fear of loss of linguistic identity by the linguistic minorities. It is further debated that the same factors related to the loss of linguistic identity would play a role in the business arena as well where the official language of the workplace puts its native speakers in an undue advantageous position with respect to other members who have learnt the official language as their second language.
The foamability of low-melt-strength linear polypropylene with nanoclay and coupling agent
Authors: Nofar Mohammadreza , Majithiya Kamlesh , Kuboki Takashi , Park Chul B
Published: April 2012

In this work, the feasibility of producing microcellular foam by using homopolymer linear polypropylene with an melt flow index of 18 g/10 min, a high melt flow index coupling agent (G3003, melt flow index of 380 g/min), and different nanoclay (Cloisite 20A) content was investigated. A twin-screw extruder was used to prepare the nanocomposite compounds, and an X-ray diffraction machine was used to characterize the intercalation and exfoliation of nanoclay within the matrix. A rheology test was undertaken to investigate the melt shear viscosity of the samples. A single-screw extruder was employed to produce foam by using 5% supercritical CO2 at various die temperatures. Scanning electron microscopy was used to explore the morphology of the foamed samples, and cell density was calculated by scanning electron microscopy images. Density measurement data was used to calculate the expansion ratio of the foamed samples. Extrusion foaming produced foams with high expansion ratios of about 20 and a high cell density of about 108−9 cells/cm3. The crystallinity behavior of the foamed and unfoamed linear polypropylene and linear polypropylene nanocomposites was also investigated. A high-pressure differential scanning calorimetry was used to investigate the dependency of crystallization behavior on high pressure CO2.
The Presence of IL-17+/FOXP3+ Double-positive Cells in Periodontitis
Authors: Okui T. , Aoki Y. , Ito H. , Honda T. , Yamazaki K.
Published: April 2012

Increasing evidence suggests that distinct inflammatory cytokines convert forkhead box protein P3 (FOXP3+) regulatory T-cells (Tregs) into IL-17-producing cells (Th17 cells) in vitro. However, this functional plasticity has not been examined in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. In this study, we analyzed the IL-17A+FOXP3+ cells present in periodontitis lesions to determine the association between Treg conversion and the pathogenesis of periodontitis. The immunohistochemical analysis of gingival tissues demonstrated that the numbers of Th17 cells (IL-17A+FOXP3−) and Tregs (IL-17A−FOXP3+) were greater in periodontitis lesions than in gingivitis lesions. We further identified a small number of IL-17A+FOXP3+ cells in periodontitis lesions but not in gingivitis lesions. The flow cytometry analysis of CD4+ T-cell lines established from gingival tissues and the peripheral blood of periodontitis patients showed that the proportion of Tregs was reduced and the proportion of IL-17A+FOXP3+ cells among all FOXP3+ cells was elevated in gingival tissue T-cell lines relative to the proportions in peripheral blood T-cell lines. Our findings indicate that Treg-Th17 conversion may occur in periodontitis lesions. Further studies addressing the role of Treg conversion during inflammatory responses against periodontopathic bacteria are needed.
DNA Demethylating Agent Decitabine Increases AQP5 Expression and Restores Salivary Function
Authors: Yamamura Y. , Aota K. , Yamanoi T. , Kani K. , Takano H. , Momota Y. , Motegi K. , Azuma M.
Published: April 2012

Xerostomia is the symptom of oral dryness resulting most frequently, but not exclusively, from salivary gland hypofunction. Because the prevalence of xerostomia may increase with age, it has multiple oral health consequences in aging populations. In the present study, we demonstrate that the in vivo administration of 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR; decitabine), a DNA demethylating agent, to the murine aging model C57BL/6CrSlc mice (24 wks old) increased the volumes of salivary flow compared with those of control mice. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemical staining demonstrated the augmented expression of AQP5 protein in the salivary glands of 5-Aza-CdR-treated mice compared with those of control mice. In addition, AQP5 protein expression levels in 5-Aza-CdR-treated old mice (27 wks old) were much higher than those in untreated and young mice (6 wks old). Global methylation levels in the salivary glands were significantly lower in the 5-Aza-CdR-treated mice than in the untreated mice. Moreover, the induction of demethylation in the AQP5 promoter of 5-Aza-CdR-treated mice was stronger than in the control mice. Analysis of our data therefore suggests that a DNA demethylating agent may be a useful drug for restoring hyposalivation in elderly individuals, thereby leading to the resolution of xerostomia.
Does transnational terrorism reduce foreign direct investment? Business-related versus non-business-related terrorism
Authors: Powers Matthew , Choi Seung-Whan
Published: April 2012

Although several existing studies examine the economic impact of transnational terrorism by referring to its potential to reduce foreign direct investment (FDI), they overlook possible differences in the effects of business-related and non-business-related terrorism. We argue that the former type of terror negatively affects FDI since it damages multinationals’ buildings, destroys their products, kills their employees, and causes a rise in insurance premiums. The latter type of terror, however, does not induce the same ramifications and should thus have little or less influence on a country’s FDI. In order to examine the effects of these two different types of transnational terrorism, we employ three different statistical techniques using data gleaned from the International Terrorism: Attributes of Terrorist Events (ITERATE) dataset. A cross-sectional, time-series data analysis of 123 developing countries during the period from 1980 to 2008 reveals that transnational terrorism that harms multinational businesses contributes to a decrease of foreign investment but transnational terrorism that afflicts non-business-related targets is statistically irrelevant. This implies that when countries implement counterterrorism measures that are directly intended to mitigate the impact of business-related terrorist activities, they are likely to attract more foreign capital and should therefore realize a greater degree of economic development.
Life out of Synch: How New Patterns of Further Education and the Rise of Precarious Employment Are Reshaping Young People’s Relationships
Authors: Woodman Dan
Published: April 2012

Young people increasingly mix study with variable hours of employment in a precarious youth labour market. Drawing on interview material from 50 participants (supported by questionnaire data from 1294 participants) from a longitudinal study of the post-secondary school transitions in Australia, this article explores how these patterns of work and study impact on young people’s friendships. As the participants left school they moved into new courses of study, in which timetables shifted each semester, and employment in which the hours they worked also varied, sometimes each week. This increasingly common temporal structure shaped the participants’ lives in inconsistent and singular ways that made it more challenging for many, but not all, to find regular periods of shared time to maintain close friendships and to build new acquaintances into deeper friendships. Some participants had the resources to manage this emerging variable temporal structure without it having a major impact on their relationships.
The effect of humidity and temperature on Wool ComfortMeter assessment of single jersey wool fabrics
Authors: Naebe Maryam , Yu Yao , McGregor Bruce A , Tester David , Wang Xungai
Published: April 2012

The Wool ComfortMeter provides an objective measurement of the fabric-evoked prickle discomfort rating provided by wearers. This work aimed to quantify the sensitivity of the Wool ComfortMeter over a range of different temperature and humidity conditions to determine the recommended test conditions for its operation. The design was: three temperatures (notionally 20, 25 and 30°C) at three relative humidities (RHs, notionally 50, 65 and 80%) each with two replicates, using six different wool single jersey knits (mean fibre diameter 19.5–27.0 µm). As it was difficult to achieve exactly some of the extreme combinations of temperature and RH, some combinations were repeated, providing a total of 23 different assessment conditions. Data were analysed using restricted maximum likelihood mixed model analysis. The best fixed model included RH, RH2, temperature and the interaction of temperature and RH, accounting for 95% of the variation in Wool ComfortMeter readings. Wool ComfortMeter values were almost constant at 55–60% RH. Generally, the Wool ComfortMeter value reduced with increasing RH > 60% at temperatures of 25°C and 28.5°C as the regain of the fabric increased. However, at 20°C little change was detected as RH was increased from 50 to 80% as there were only small changes in fabric regain. The observed effects were in a good agreement with existing knowledge on the effect of regain on the mechanical properties of wool fibre. Wool ComfortMeter is best operated under standard conditions for textile testing of 65% RH and 20°C.
A study of processing parameters in open-end spinning process for organic cotton (Ne 24)
Authors: Kuo Chung-Feng Jeffrey , Lan Wei Lun , Feriyonika
Published: April 2012

Organic cotton has become a popular product in recent years due to its environmental friendliness. Different from conventional cotton, the planting of organic cotton does not use pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizer, which can cause degradation in soil fertility, water and natural equilibrium. Organic cotton crop rotation can build strong soil, retain water more efficiently, maintain a balance between pests and their natural predators, and control weed growth. This study presented a yarn spinning process using organic cotton as the raw material. An open-end rotor spinning machine was used in the spinning process. To analyze the processing parameters affecting yarn qualities, the Taguchi method and response surface methodology were used to design an orthogonal array experiment and to find the relationship between controllable input parameters (i.e. feed speed, winding speed, and rotor speed) and output qualities (i.e. strength, unevenness, imperfection indicator/km, and hairiness). To find the optimal parameter combination, two popular optimization methods, particle swarm optimization and genetic algorithm, were used. The results showed that with optimal parameters (0.345 m/min, 34.717 m/min, 82,599 rpm for feed speed, winding speed, and rotor speed, respectively), the proposed method can find optimum values in all observed qualities. A confirmation experiment was conducted to validate the results.
Effect of reaction duration in the formation of superhydrophobic polymethylsilsesquioxane nanostructures on cotton fabric
Authors: Shirgholami Mohammad A , Shateri-Khalilabad Mohammad , Yazdanshenas Mohammad E
Published: April 2012

The shape and size of the surface roughness induced by nanostructured materials have a significant effect on the wetting behavior of superhydrophobic surfaces. In this work, the effect of organosilane reaction duration on the formation of polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) nanostructures on cotton fibers surface has been investigated. The reaction was performed in methyltrichlorosilane (MTCS) solution at different duration time. The surface morphology and surface chemistry were investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The wetting properties of fabrics were elucidated by means of contact angle (CA) goniometry and sliding angle (SA) measurements. The results revealed that reaction duration has a significant effect on the morphology of nanostructures and also their covering density, which can influence the hydrophobic state of the surface. For fabrics with fine nanogrooves and low surface coverage, adhesion between droplets and the surface is high so that droplets cannot slide off even when the fabric was turned upside down (‘sticky’ surface) whereas for the fabrics with the high area density of the entangles nanofilaments, adhesion is low and droplets can roll off by tilting the plate (‘slippery’ surface). Mechanical properties of fabrics as well as washing durability were carried out. These findings would be helpful in understanding the role of the surface coverage and morphology of nanostructures on the superhydrophobic behavior of fabrics and guiding the design of perfect artificial superhydrophobic textiles for extended practical application.
Military Family Attitudes toward Senior Civilian Leaders in the United States
Authors: Leal David L. , Nichols Curt
Published: April 2012

This article examines Army spousal attitudes toward senior civilian leaders in the United States. Based on the 2004 Military Families Survey, it investigates the demographic, political, and institutional factors that structured the job approval ratings of then-President George W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and Secretary of State Colin Powell. Partisanship, race and ethnicity, and opinions about the war in Iraq were consistently significant predictors; experiences directly related to the Iraq war were not. For instance, while Republicans and Latinos were highly likely to support the leadership, past and present deployments were not significant. In addition, Army spouses appear to have distinguished between the three leaders. The results have implications for researchers interested not only in military families but also the role of race and ethnicity in the armed forces, retention dynamics, the civil–military gap, and the Army in a time of war.
Pharmacists’ Impact on Improving Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Pepper Matthew J. , Mallory Natohya , Coker T. Nicole , Chaki Amber , Sando Karen R.
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a diabetes education program that includes a pharmacist as a member of the diabetes management team by assessing the change in hemoglobin A1c (A1C), cholesterol, and blood pressure for patients with type 2 diabetes in outpatient clinics.

Methods

This was a retrospective study in outpatient clinics at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center. The patients were assigned into either the pharmacist group or the nonpharmacist group, according to the presence or the absence of a pharmacist in the clinic. The primary end point was the absolute change in A1C versus baseline. Secondary end points included change in cholesterol and blood pressure and the number of patients to attain American Diabetes Association goals. End points were recorded to correlate within 3 months of the initial visit and final visit with a provider.

Results

Compared to the nonpharmacist group, patients in the pharmacist group had more advanced and uncontrolled diabetes at baseline. The pharmacist group showed a greater percent change in A1C and improvement between the initial and final clinic visits, after adjusting for baseline confounders. Despite the statistically significant improvement in A1C in the pharmacist group, there was no difference found between the 2 groups for the end points of cholesterol and blood pressure.

Conclusion

Including a pharmacist as a part of the diabetes management team may result in lower A1C in patients with more advanced and uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus versus a health care team without a pharmacist.
Characteristics and Current Practice of Parenteral Nutrition in Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Wischmeyer Paul E. , Weitzel Lindsay , Mercaldi Katie , Zaloga Gary , Hise Mary , Pontes‐Arruda Alessandro , Turpin Robin
Published: April 2012

Background: For 40 years, parenteral nutrition (PN) has provided therapeutic benefits to patients unable to receive oral/enteral nutrition. Very limited published evidence exists to describe modern PN practices or characteristics of patients receiving PN. The aim of this article was to describe the characteristics of hospitalized patients receiving PN in 196 U.S. hospitals to define patient groups at risk for PN‐related complications. This will provide researchers a baseline understanding about who is receiving hospital‐based PN to maximize generalizability and validity of future research. Methods: Claims data from the Premier Perspective database, the largest inpatient clinical database in the United States, were used to evaluate hospital‐based PN practices. Data gathered between January 2005 and December 2007 included a total of 106,374 patients receiving PN. A total of 68,984 adults (age ≥18 years), 34,307 infants (age <1 year), and 3083 pediatric patients (age 1–17 years) were evaluated. Key variables such as admitting diagnosis, infection rates, in‐hospital mortality, and costs were extracted. Results: Hospitalized patients requiring PN in the United States are older and more often white than the overall hospitalized population. Hospitalized PN patients are more likely to be admitted emergently and have a higher severity of illness. Bloodstream infection rates in adult PN patients (25.5%) were considerably higher than in pediatric (14.7%) or neonatal patients (1.7%) receiving PN. Conclusions: These findings are the first large‐scale description of “real‐world” hospital‐based PN practices in the United States, helping set a baseline for future PN research.
Tailoring Evidence-Based Interventions for New Populations
Authors: Chen Emily K. , Reid M. C. , Parker Samantha J. , Pillemer Karl
Published: April 2012

Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) are an important tool for community health practitioners, but there is often a mismatch between the population in which the EBI was validated and the target population in which it will be used. Methods of planned adaptation identify differences in the new target population and attempt to make changes to the EBI that accommodate these differences without diluting the program’s effectiveness. This article outlines an innovative method for eliciting ideas for program modifications and deciding on program changes. The Method for Program Adaptation through Community Engagement (M-PACE) uses systematic and detailed feedback from program participants to guide adaptation. The authors describe procedures for obtaining high-quality participant feedback and adjudicating recommendations to decide on program changes. M-PACE was developed as part of the adaptation of an evidence-based, arthritis self-management program for older adults. The application and results of the M-PACE method are presented using this case as an example.
Gatekeepers of Gerontological Research
Authors: Bailey K. Alysse , Baker Joseph , Spassiani Natasha A. , Meisner Brad A.
Published: April 2012

Gerontological studies note research noncompliance as a limitation of their results; however, few investigations focus on ways to minimize noncompliance. Additionally, older adults’ research participation is often controlled by other individuals such as the managers of retirement residences or community centers, where recruitment often occurs. These individuals are, in essence, the Gatekeepers of research participation among older adults. This pilot study explored ‘research participation’ through semistructured interviews with four managers. Analysis of the transcript data identified several important differences between managers of retirement residences and community center managers. Gerontologists interested in obtaining more representative samples may want to consider the contextual factors of the managerial systems and experiences that can facilitate or obstruct research participation of older adults.
Measuring researchers’ use of scholarly information through social bookmarking data: A case study of BibSonomy
Authors: Borrego Ángel , Fry Jenny
Published: April 2012

This paper explores the possibility of using data from social bookmarking services to measure the use of information by academic researchers. Social bookmarking data can be used to augment participative methods (e.g. interviews and surveys) and other, non-participative methods (e.g. citation analysis and transaction logs) to measure the use of scholarly information. We use BibSonomy, a free resource-sharing system, as a case study. Results show that published journal articles are by far the most popular type of source bookmarked, followed by conference proceedings and books. Commercial journal publisher platforms are the most popular type of information resource bookmarked, followed by websites, records in databases and digital repositories. Usage of open access information resources is low in comparison with toll access journals. In the case of open access repositories, there is a marked preference for the use of subject-based repositories over institutional repositories. The results are consistent with those observed in related studies based on surveys and citation analysis, confirming the possible use of bookmarking data in studies of information behaviour in academic settings. The main advantages of using social bookmarking data are that is an unobtrusive approach, it captures the reading habits of researchers who are not necessarily authors, and data are readily available. The main limitation is that a significant amount of human resources is required in cleaning and standardizing the data.
Content-based analysis to detect Arabic web spam
Authors: Al-Kabi Mohammed , Wahsheh Heider , Alsmadi Izzat , Al-Shawakfa Emad , Wahbeh Abdullah , Al-Hmoud Ahmed
Published: April 2012

Search engines are important outlets for information query and retrieval. They have to deal with the continual increase of information available on the web, and provide users with convenient access to such huge amounts of information. Furthermore, with this huge amount of information, a more complex challenge that continuously gets more and more difficult to illuminate is the spam in web pages. For several reasons, web spammers try to intrude in the search results and inject artificially biased results in favour of their websites or pages. Spam pages are added to the internet on a daily basis, thus making it difficult for search engines to keep up with the fast-growing and dynamic nature of the web, especially since spammers tend to add more keywords to their websites to deceive the search engines and increase the rank of their pages. In this research, we have investigated four different classification algorithms (naïve Bayes, decision tree, SVM and K-NN) to detect Arabic web spam pages, based on content. The three groups of datasets used, with 1%, 15% and 50% spam contents, were collected using a crawler that was customized for this study. Spam pages were classified manually. Different tests and comparisons have revealed that the Decision Tree was the best classifier for this purpose.
Homelessness Outcome Reporting Normative Framework
Authors: Austen Tyrone , Pauly Bernie
Published: April 2012

Homelessness is a serious and growing issue. Evaluations of systemic-level changes are needed to determine progress in reducing or ending homelessness. The report card methodology is one means of systems-level assessment. Rather than solely establishing an enumeration, homelessness report cards can capture pertinent information about structural determinants of homelessness. This information can inform the development of evidence-based strategies aimed at ending (rather than managing) homelessness. To aid in the development of homelessness report card creation, a systems-level Homelessness Outcome Reporting Normative Framework (the HORN Framework) was developed. This article provides an overview of the framework and its application.
Apprenticeship in music: A contextual study for instrumental teaching and learning
Authors: Burwell Kim
Published: April 2012

‘Master’ and ‘apprentice’ are terms more commonly coined than explained in the literature focused on instrumental teaching and learning. This theoretical paper explores apprenticeship as a way of understanding the practice of studio-based instruction, beginning with a brief historical overview, and going on to examine the assumptions lying behind references to the term in the research literature. It is argued that, while our understanding of apprenticeship may be richly textured and ambiguous, it is this complexity that makes it so useful in understanding a richly-textured and complex practice.
Local needs and national eligibility rules: The City Strategy experience of localisation
Authors: Adam Duncan , Green Anne
Published: April 2012

Welfare to work policy in Great Britain has traditionally been planned centrally to ensure even application across areas. More recently questions have been raised about the ability of such a system to address the requirements of those workless people with the most complex and severe needs. Accordingly attempts have been made to enhance local decision making and agenda setting within welfare to work. This article considers one such initiative in Great Britain – City Strategy – and examines the extent to which the initiative transferred powers to local partnerships and how and where the partnerships were able to exercise autonomy, and where there were constraints.
Welfare reform and the Single Work Programme: A local perspective
Authors: Woods-Waters Anthony
Published: April 2012

The political ideologies and economic strategies promoted since the early 1980s have created the ingrained welfare conditions that current reforms are meant to address. Behind the reforms is an ideology that not only seeks to reduce the role of the state but also implicitly blames the poor for their own condition, as evident in the threat of more sanctions on the supposedly non-compliant. We are witnessing the denouement of Thatcherism.
China’s 21st-century welfare reforms
Authors: Duckett Jane
Published: April 2012

During the first decade of the 21st century, China’s top leaders reined in the marketising, commercialising welfare reforms of the 1990s, and recommitted the State to a role in providing social goods. But the governmental and social elites who shape welfare policy are still debating the balance of market and state roles in some areas of provision. And with a change of China’s top leadership expected in 2012–2013, the future of welfare reform is unclear. Other factors, however – bureaucratic interests, the fiscal system and local economies – limit the options for policy makers and make any sudden changes in direction unlikely.
Universal Credit: Simplification or personalisation?
Authors: Spicker Paul
Published: April 2012

Current proposals for welfare reform in the UK are based on a Universal Credit, intended simultaneously to simplify the structure of benefits while offering sensitive and rapid responsiveness to personal circumstances. The two objectives are in conflict, and neither can be achieved by the proposals.
Stratified medicine in psychiatry: a worrying example or new opportunity in the treatment of anxiety?
Authors: Owen David R , Rupprecht Rainer , Nutt David J
Published: April 2012

Stratified medicine is a new term that figures highly in current MRC and NHS strategy. It has developed from the earlier terms individualised or personalised medicine and refers to the use of genetic and/or endophenotypic measures to allow better targeting of treatments. The best exemplar is HER2 positivity in breast cancer to determine the efficacy of Herceptin. Clinical trials of this anti-cancer drug were initially unpromising, but once the HER2 positive subgroup was identified it was found, in this subgroup only, to be highly effective. It is presumed that similar subgroups will be found for many common disorders not just cancers, and that these will lead to much better targeted treatments. Such an advance may be necessary to develop new treatments in certain fields where the development of broad-spectrum/blockbuster treatments appears to have reached the end of the road; a particular example of this is in psychiatry. In this paper we discuss this issue in relation to psychiatry using a new and interesting example of how genotyping might help rescue an apparently failed novel treatment in anxiety disorders.
From caging to grasping
Authors: Rodriguez Alberto , Mason Matthew T , Ferry Steve
Published: April 2012

This paper digs into the relationship between cages and grasps of a rigid body. In particular, it considers the use of cages as waypoints to grasp an object. We introduce the concept of pregrasping cages, caging configurations from which an object can be grasped without first breaking the cage. For two-fingered manipulators, all cages are pregrasping cages and, consequently, useful waypoints to grasp an object. A contribution of this paper is to show that the same does not hold for more than two fingers. A second contribution is to show how to overcome that limitation. We explore the natural generalization of the well-understood squeezing/stretching characterization of two-finger cages to arbitrary workspace dimension, arbitrary object shapes without holes, and arbitrary number of point fingers, and exploit it to give sufficient conditions for a cage to be a pregrasping cage. As a product of that generalization, we introduce grasping functions: scalar functions defined on the finger formation that control the process of going from a cage to a grasp. We finish the paper by establishing an analogy between the role of grasping functions in grasping and that of Lyapunov functions in stability theory.
When Do We Confront? Perceptions of Costs and Benefits Predict Confronting Discrimination on Behalf of the Self and Others
Authors: Good Jessica J. , Moss-Racusin Corinne A. , Sanchez Diana T.
Published: April 2012

Across two studies, we tested whether perceived social costs and benefits of confrontation would similarly predict confronting discrimination both when it was experienced and when it was observed as directed at others. Female undergraduate participants were asked to recall past experiences and observations of sexism, as well as their confronting behaviors. Path modeling in Study 1 ( N = 148) demonstrated that women were more likely to report confronting if they believed that the confrontation would make a difference (perceived benefits), or they were less concerned about social sanctions (perceived costs), and the prediction patterns were similar for both experienced and observed sexism. Study 2 ( N = 166) replicated the results of Study 1, as well as tested the moderating influence of gender identification. In situations of higher perceived social costs, women who were less strongly identified with their gender group were more responsive to the perceived benefits of the confrontation when deciding whether to confront on behalf of the self. The results of the two studies suggest that researchers should investigate methods for enhancing perceived social benefits and reducing perceived social costs when designing intervention programs aimed at increasing confrontation and decreasing the prevalence of discrimination.
Measuring Transgender Individuals’ Comfort With Gender Identity and Appearance
Authors: Kozee Holly B. , Tylka Tracy L. , Bauerband L. Andrew
Published: April 2012

Our study used the construct of congruence to conceptualize the degree to which transgender individuals feel genuine, authentic, and comfortable with their gender identity and external appearance. In Study 1, the Transgender Congruence scale (TCS) was developed, and data from 162 transgender individuals were used to estimate the reliability and validity of its scores. Two factors emerged: Appearance Congruence and Gender Identity Acceptance. TCS total and subscale scores were internally consistent. Supporting its construct validity, TCS scores were (a) positively related to life satisfaction and presence of life meaning; (b) negatively related to anxiety, depression, and body dissatisfaction; and (c) unrelated to social desirability and searching for life’s meaning. TCS scores also garnered incremental validity by predicting life satisfaction, presence of meaning in life, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms above and beyond the number of steps taken to transition. Study 2 confirmed the TCS’s factor structure with a sample of 342 transgender individuals. The final 12-item TCS is a psychometrically sound measure that can facilitate both empirical investigations and clinical applications connected to transgender identity. Additional online materials for this article are available to PWQ subscribers on PWQ’s website at http://pwq.sagepub.com/supplemental .