bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tamsulosin for Ureteral Stones: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Lu Zeping , Dong Zhilong , Ding Hui , Wang Hanzhang , Ma Baoliang , Wang Zhiping
Published: July 2012

Background/Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of tamsulosin as a medical expulsive therapy of ureteral stones. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and ISI-Science Citation Index up to December 2011. All randomized controlled trials were identified in which patients were randomized to receive either tamsulosin or standard therapy with/without placebo for ureteral stones. Outcome measures assessed were overall stone expulsion rate (primary) and expulsion time, and the number of pain episodes (secondary). Three authors independently assessed study quality and extracted data. All data were analyzed using RevMan 5.0. Results: Twenty-nine trials with a total of 2,763 patients met the inclusion criteria. The pooled analysis showed a 19% improvement in stone clearance with tamsulosin. According to the doses of tamsulosin, the pooling effects of tamsulosin were analyzed, with a higher expulsion rate obtained than in controls. Compared with calcium channel blockers, there was a higher stone expulsion rate in tamsulosin. In addition, a shorter expulsion time, fewer colic episodes and adverse effects were observed. Conclusions: Tamsulosin is a safe and effective medical expulsive therapy choice for ureteral stones. It should be recommended for most patients with distal ureteral stones before stones are 10 mm in size. In future, high-quality multicenter, randomized and placebo-controlled trials are needed to evaluate the outcome.
Morphological Evaluation of the Male External Urethral Sphincter Complex by Transrectal Ultrasound: Feasibility Study and Potential Clinical Applications
Authors: Miano Roberto , Kim Fernando J. , De Nunzio Cosimo , Mauriello Alessandro , Sansalone Salvatore , Vespasiani Giuseppe , Asimakopoulos Anastasios D.
Published: July 2012

Introduction: Previous measurement of the male external urethral sphincter complex (EUSC) length by magnetic resonance imaging and urethral pressure profilometry did not consider the intraprostatic portion, although its role for urinary continence has been demonstrated. The aim of our study was to verify the feasibility of a morphological evaluation of the EUSC by transrectal ultrasound (TRUS). Materials and Methods: Data from 52 men that underwent TRUS were prospectively collected. The EUSC was identified in the midline sagittal plane. Total and intraprostatic EUSC length and prostate volume were measured. Results: EUSC appears as a hypoechoic area surrounding the urethra. The proximal end was identified between the verumontanum and the prostate apex by the net change in prostate echo patterns, while the distal end was identified by voluntary contraction of the external anal sphincter. Mean total and intraprostatic EUSC lengths were 20.17 and 3.78 mm, respectively. Total EUSC length presented a weak correlation with prostate volume (r = 0.41; p = 0.003), while the intraprostatic portion had a stronger correlation (r = 0.60; p = 0.001). Conclusions: The evaluation of the EUSC is feasible by TRUS, and length measurement should include the intraprostatic portion. Potential clinical application should be the preoperative assessment of the risk of urinary incontinence in men undergoing radical prostatectomy.
Ethnic Variation in Emotion Regulation
Authors: Arens Elisabeth A. , Balkir Nazli , Barnow Sven
Published: July 2012

Emotion regulation (ER) via cognitive reappraisal has been shown to be superior to the use of expressive suppression regarding several aspects of mental well-being. However, a cultural perspective suggests that the consequences of emotional suppression may be moderated by cultural values. In order to examine whether this also applies to clinical samples, we investigated healthy and depressed German women and healthy and depressed Turkish immigrants living in Germany. Groups were compared in terms of frequency of ER strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and with which different aspects of mental well-being the same are associated. Healthy Turkish immigrants exhibited a greater ER balance (frequent use of suppression plus frequent use of reappraisal), which was associated with more positive outcomes of expressive suppression in Turkish than in German women. None of these differences were found in patient samples, both of which showed a greater use of emotional suppression than cognitive reappraisal. Results suggest that the cultural moderation of the link between emotional suppression and well-being is associated with a greater ER balance in healthy Turkish individuals. Depressed Turkish patients may not profit from suppression due to their more rigid use of it.
Effects of Manganese From a Commercial Multi–Trace Element Supplement in a Population Sample of Canadian Patients on Long‐Term Parenteral Nutrition
Authors: Abdalian R. , Saqui O. , Fernandes G. , Allard J. P.
Published: July 2012

Background: Long‐term parenteral nutrition (PN) can be associated with micronutrient deficiency or toxicity depending on supplementation. Recently, hypermanganesemia and potential neurological toxicity were reported. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of manganese supplementation in a sample of patients on long‐term PN receiving manganese (Mn) as part of a multi–trace element (TE) supplement. Methods: A convenience sample of 16 patients underwent clinical and blood biochemical measurements as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: The mean daily Mn supplementation was 7.28 ± 0.97 µmol/d (400 ± 53 µg/d), which was within the American Medical Association Nutrition Advisory Group guidelines of 2.73–14.56 μmol/d (150–800 µg/d) but exceeded the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) 2002 recommendations of 1.09–1.82 µmol/d (60–100 µg/d). The mean whole blood Mn level was 1.38 ± 0.29 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), and 8 of 14 patients with blood measurements had Mn levels above ULN. On MRI, 81% of patients had high signals on T1‐weighted images assumed to be Mn deposits in their basal ganglia. Two patients with positive MRI (15%) had a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson disease. Multiple neuropsychiatric complaints were reported, including depression (66%), lack of concentration (42%), memory disturbances (17%), and gait instability (8%). Conclusion: These results suggest that Mn status is elevated in these patients. Manganese supplementation should be used with caution in patients receiving long‐term PN, and attention should be paid to the Mn content of multi‐TE supplements.
Ethical Aspects of Clinical Placebo Use
Authors: Köteles Ferenc , Ferentzi Eszter
Published: July 2012

The study aimed to assess the attitudes of laypeople toward clinical placebo use. One of three imaginary stories was presented randomly in a popular news portal and participants (6,404 individuals) were asked to rate nine statements about it. In the stories, placebo therapy was used in a deceptive way. Following the success of the treatment, the patient was informed that the remedy contained no active substances. Along with self-report of attitudes, questionnaires measuring dispositional optimism, somatosensory amplification and beliefs about the scientific validity of complementary and alternative medicine and holistic health were also completed. According to participants' ratings, helping patients is more important than avoiding deception. They did not think that they would have felt deceived in the described situation or that treatment would have been successful in a fully informed case. Patients' attitude toward deceptive placebo use appears to be more pragmatic than has been previously supposed.
The patient’s use of metaphor within a palliative care setting: Theory, function and efficacy. A narrative literature review
Authors: Southall David
Published: July 2012

Background:

The modes of communication which patients use are seen as important within the sphere of palliative care and have been the focus of much research.

Aim:

This literature review aims to identify and analyse one particular mode of patient expression, namely that of the figure of speech (trope) ‘metaphor’, and ask questions regarding metaphor’s therapeutic usefulness when engaging with the life-limited patient.

Data Sources:

The investigation revolves around a literature review of academic papers which focus on the metaphorical ways in which patients speak of their condition.

Results:

This paper provides the theoretical foundations for the patient’s metaphoric utterances. It also delineates the variety and diversity of metaphors used by patients and categorises them into broad groupings which encompass metaphors of war, journeying, personhood, the natural world and existential concepts.

Conclusions:

The papers reviewed suggest that metaphoric communication allows sensitive subjects to be dealt with and provides benefits for patients. The results suggest that engaging with patients at the metaphoric level enables them to create new ways of viewing their situation and opens up the possibilities of new coping strategies. Finally, some developmental trajectories emanating from the reviewed papers are suggested, which will allow the efficacy of metaphor to be explored further within a palliative care setting.
Scenario-Based Rewards Management
Authors: Greene Robert J.
Published: July 2012

The turbulent environment of the last two decades has made it difficult to manage employee rewards well. When revenues vary while compensation costs remain fixed it impacts profitability in private sector firms and makes it difficult for public sector entities to remain within budgets. Organizations need to use scenario based planning to develop robust rewards strategies that will work reasonably well in a variety of possible futures. Current strategies and programs should be evaluated to ensure they are sustainable. Alternative approaches to rewarding employees that make rewards costs more variable enables them to be better aligned with revenues.
A combined theoretical–semiempirical penetration model of ballistic penetration of thick section composites
Authors: Haque BZ (Gama) , Gillespie JW
Published: July 2012

A combined theoretical–semiempirical penetration model of ballistic penetration of thick section composites has been developed. The penetration model is developed by breaking down the penetration event into two major phases, that is, (i) the short-time phase I shock compression and (ii) the long-time phase II dynamic penetration. Phase I shock compression considers a one-dimensional stress wave propagation theory and the rate effects on material properties. On the other hand, the phase II dynamic penetration phase incorporates a dynamic increase factor to a semiempirical quasi-static penetration resistance curve. The combined theoretical–semiempirical penetration model is compared with finite element analyses of the same problem and good correlations are obtained.
Persons with Disabilities: Entitled to Beg, not to Work. The Argentine Case
Authors: Joly Eduardo Daniel , Venturiello María Pía
Published: July 2012

The article analyzes the structural unemployment that characterizes persons with disabilities from a social, economic and political perspective. As long as persons with disabilities continue to be defined as unable to perform productive work, they will remain condemned to poverty, begging, dependency and a life without projects to fulfill. With reference to the history and struggles of the disability rights movement in Argentina, it focuses on understanding this struggle as a collective endeavor, aimed at establishing the right to earn a living by working, i.e. via paid productive employment. It concludes by positing that in the long run, social inclusion can only be realized in a society that is organized so that each individual can contribute what he or she is capable of, with the necessary means put at his and her disposal; and that in return, his and her needs (as they may evolve over time) will be met.
The Use of Simulation to Instruct Students on the Provision of Spiritual Care
Authors: Costello Margaret , Atinaja-Faller Josephine , Hedberg Maria
Published: July 2012

Providing spiritual care is recognized as a significant aspect of nursing practice. This pilot study was designed to determine if simulation is an effective method for instructing nursing students in the provision of spiritual care. Fifty-two students participated in a simulation exercise that introduced concepts of spiritual care. Simulation was successful in improving students’ attitudes toward patient spirituality, assessment of spiritual needs, ability to refer patients to the appropriate spiritual caregivers, and communication skills. Incorporating spiritual care instruction into curricula may prove to be valuable in increasing students’ awareness of spiritual care for patients and incorporation of such care into their practice.
The non-closed parts optimal fitting method based on curvature Hausdorff distance using 3D non-contact measurement points
Authors: Wang Hua , Yu Junyang
Published: July 2012

Auto-body panel fitting is an efficient way to improve dimensional quality and to give a better impression to the consumers. Optimal panel fitting has been studied by many authors, and the proposed optimization models mainly concerned the optimized fitting position for two closed parts. The fitting problem of the front and rear parts of a car is different from the closed parts fitting problem, because the fitting parts are non-closed. The purpose of this research was to develop systematic and efficient methods for optimal fitting of non-closed parts using 3D non-contact measurement points. B-spline curve fitting was employed to obtain fitting boundaries from point cloud data. A new fitting model for non-closed parts based on curvature Hausdorff distance was proposed to obtain the optimal fitting quality. The validity of the minimal curvature Hausdorff distance corresponding to optimal fitting quality was verified by a practical demonstration. A practical fitting case of the hood, headlight and fender of a car was conducted and optimal fitting quality was achieved. The results of this research will enhance the understanding of the optimal fitting of spatial curves, and help systematically adjust the non-closed fitting parts.
Genetic and Caregiving-Based Contributions to Infant Attachment
Authors: Raby K. Lee , Cicchetti Dante , Carlson Elizabeth A. , Cutuli J. J. , Englund Michelle M. , Egeland Byron
Published: July 2012

In the longitudinal study reported here, we examined genetic and caregiving-based contributions to individual differences in infant attachment classifications. For 154 mother-infant pairs, we rated mothers’ responsiveness to their 6-month-old infants during naturalistic interactions and classified infants’ attachment organization at 12 and 18 months using the Strange Situation procedure. These infants were later genotyped with respect to the serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR). Maternal responsiveness uniquely predicted infants’ attachment security. Infants’ 5-HTTLPR variation uniquely predicted their subtype of attachment security at 12 months and their subtype of attachment insecurity at 12 and 18 months. The short allele for 5-HTTLPR was associated with attachment classifications characterized by higher emotional distress. These findings suggest that 5-HTTLPR variation contributes to infants’ emotional reactivity and that the degree to which caregivers are responsive influences how effectively infants use their caregivers for emotion regulation. Theoretical implications for the study of genetic and caregiving influences are discussed.
Selection of digital material for preservation in libraries
Authors: Ravenwood Clare , Matthews Graham , Muir Adrienne
Published: July 2012

The process of selection underpins many important questions facing those libraries which have responsibility for preservation. Properties of digital material present challenges to established preservation selection drivers and practices, including the increasing volume of digital material; the complexity of some digital objects; changing forms of cultural object creation and ownership; and the need for early interventions to keep material useable over time. This paper examines relevant library and related literature to identify and conceptualise factors which affect selection decision making relating to the preservation of digital material in libraries. It describes six organisational areas of concern: resources and volume; criteria; policy; legal and ethical issues; roles and responsibility; and user aspects of selection. Particular challenges include the need to revisit criteria and develop policies for preservation and selection along with the effect of unclear roles, responsibilities and expectations of a wide range of stakeholders.
Libraries, donations and freedom of expression: The case of Scientology
Authors: Sturges Paul , Gastinger Almuth
Published: July 2012

Whilst until the late 19th century most libraries were dependent on donations for their stock, since then donations have been insignificant for the majority of libraries in comparison with purchased acquisitions. There are organisations, however, which have considerable donations programmes and the Church of Scientology is a prominent example. Scientologists suggest that their donations of sets of the works of L Ron Hubbard are frequently ignored and discarded without due consideration. They adduce information regarding the response to donations made to libraries in Germany and France to support this suggestion. Furthermore, they cite the principle of freedom of expression as a rationale for the inclusion of Scientology material in library stock. The relevance of freedom of expression in the matter of donations is assessed in relation to established library principles relating to balanced and representative collections. The importance of clear policies on collection development, derived from a respect for freedom of expression, is stressed as a basis for reasoned explanations to donors of why their donations might be accepted or rejected.
Perceptions of climate change and trust in information providers in rural Australia
Authors: Buys Laurie , Aird Rosemary , van Megen Kimberley , Miller Evonne , Sommerfeld Jeffrey
Published: July 2012

Disagreement within the global science community about the certainty and causes of climate change has led the general public to question what to believe and whom to trust on matters related to this issue. This paper reports on qualitative research undertaken with Australian residents from two rural areas to explore their perceptions of climate change and trust in information providers. While overall, residents tended to agree that climate change is a reality, perceptions varied in terms of its causes and how best to address it. Politicians, government, and the media were described as untrustworthy sources of information about climate change, with independent scientists being the most trusted. The vested interests of information providers appeared to be a key reason for their distrust. The findings highlight the importance of improved transparency and consultation with the public when communicating information about climate change and related policies.
Contested evidence: Exposure to competing scientific claims and public support for banning bisphenol A
Authors: Brewer Paul R. , Ley Barbara L.
Published: July 2012

The public controversy surrounding bisphenol A (BPA) revolves around competing claims about what scientific evidence shows regarding the effects of the chemical on human health. This study uses an experiment embedded within a public opinion survey to test the effects of exposure to such claims on public support for banning the use of BPA in products. Exposure to the claim that “there is not enough scientific evidence that BPA harms human health” reduced support, whereas exposure to the claim that there “is enough scientific evidence” failed to increase support. No effect emerged among those simultaneously exposed to both claims. The “not enough evidence” claim influenced less educated respondents and women but not college-educated respondents or men. Aspects of the underlying structure of opinion also differed depending on which claim(s) respondents received. The results illuminate how members of the public respond to competing scientific claims regarding controversial issues.
Across the Event Horizon
Authors: Radvansky Gabriel A.
Published: July 2012

The stream of action in life, virtual environments, film, and narratives is parsed into events. This parsing has consequences for memory. The transition from one event to another can impede memory in some ways but improve it in others. Whether impairment or improvement occurs depends on the nature of the information and how it is later remembered. The Event Horizon Model of comprehension and memory goes beyond more traditional accounts of the influence of context on cognition to explain these phenomena.
Monsters, playboys, virgins and whores: Rape myths in the news media’s coverage of sexual violence
Authors: O’Hara Shannon
Published: July 2012

Much of the news media’s coverage of sexual violence perpetuates myths and stereotypes about rape, rapists and rape victims (Burt, 1980). This is troubling, as the news media shapes public opinion about rape (Soothill, 1991) and can affect policy-making, not to mention the running of the legal system itself (Emmers-Sommer et al., 2006: 314). The news media frequently portray rapists using monster imagery (Barnett, 2008; Mason and Monckton-Smith, 2008; Soothill et al., 1990), their victims classed either as ‘virgins’ attacked by these so-called ‘monsters’ or instead as promiscuous women who invited the rape (Benedict, 1992). These depictions can impact upon public opinion as the more frequently rape myths are used, the more accessible they become. This can be harmful to rape victims when individuals who subscribe to these myths are involved in the criminal justice system (Franiuk et al., 2008: 304–305). Through a lexical analysis of the newspaper coverage surrounding three news events gathered from three LexisNexis searches, this article assesses the use of rape myths within the British and American news media’s reporting of such violence.
‘Times like these, I wish there was a real Dexter’: Unpacking serial murder ideologies and metaphors from TV’s Dexter internet forum
Authors: Gregoriou Christiana
Published: July 2012

The Dexter TV show, much like the literary series it is closely adapted from, features detective hero Dexter Morgan who, though a blood-spatter analyst and killer hunter, is also a serial killer himself. Unlike other killers featured in fiction though, his murderous actions are specifically code-driven; he only pursues dangerous criminals who escape the law. It is because the show encourages readers to empathise with this somewhat unusual detective that the show attracted not only academic attention from television analysts, philosophers, psychologists, linguists and cultural studies specialists, but significant opposition from such groups as the US Parents Television Council as well. Regardless of whose ideologies it is that the show implies exactly, this article turns to direct viewer-derived data instead, in the form of selected internet forum messages over the first 5 episodes of the fifth series of the show (screened in the USA in the autumn of 2010). The critical linguistic analysis of this data uncovers the ways in which real viewers actually respond to serial killer-related ideologies with respect, for instance, to attitudes toward extreme crime and victim typology in US society. Through a discussion of specific message board strings from Showtime’s online Dexter forum, the article not only accounts for evidence with respect to the show’s implied ideologies, but more particularly investigates viewer reactions to them also.
Beyond PICO
Authors: Cooke Alison , Smith Debbie , Booth Andrew
Published: July 2012

Standardized systematic search strategies facilitate rigor in research. Current search tools focus on retrieval of quantitative research. In this article we address issues relating to using existing search strategy tools, most typically the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) formulation for defining key elements of a review question, when searching for qualitative and mixed methods research studies. An alternative search strategy tool for qualitative/mixed methods research is outlined: SPIDER (Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type). We used both the SPIDER and PICO search strategy tools with a qualitative research question. We have used the SPIDER tool to advance thinking beyond PICO in its suitable application to qualitative and mixed methods research. However, we have highlighted once more the need for improved indexing of qualitative articles in databases. To constitute a viable alternative to PICO, SPIDER needs to be refined and tested on a wider range of topics.
A new method to solve time-dependent intuitionistic fuzzy differential equations and its application to analyze the intuitionistic fuzzy reliability of industrial systems
Authors: Lata Sneh , Kumar Amit
Published: July 2012

To the best of our knowledge, there is no method in the literature for solving such differential equations in which all the parameters except independent variables are represented by intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. In this article, a new method is proposed for solving such nth-order time-dependent intuitionistic fuzzy linear differential equations. To show the application of the proposed method in real-life problems, the time-dependent intuitionistic fuzzy Kolmogorov’s differential equations, obtained by Markov model of condensate system, are solved by the proposed method, and the obtained solution is used to analyze the intuitionistic fuzzy reliability of condensate system.
New Estimates of Gaps and Transitions in Health Insurance
Authors: Short Pamela Farley , Graefe Deborah R. , Swartz Katherine , Uberoi Namrata
Published: July 2012

Changes in individual or family circumstances cause many Americans to experience gaps and transitions in public and private health insurance. Using data from the 2004-2007 Survey of Income and Program Participation, this article updates earlier analyses of insurance gaps and transitions. Eighty-nine million people (one third of nonelderly Americans) were uninsured for at least 1 month during those 4 years. Approximately 23 million lost insurance more than once. The analyses call attention to the continuing instability and insecurity of health insurance, can inform implementation of national reforms, and establish a recent baseline that will be helpful in evaluating the reforms’ effects on coverage stability.
The Classroom as Rhizome
Authors: de Freitas Elizabeth
Published: July 2012

This article calls attention to the unexamined role of diagrams in educational research and offers examples of alternative diagramming practices or tools that shed light on classroom interaction as a rhizomatic process. Drawing extensively on the work of Latour, Deleuze and Guattari, and Châtelet, this article explores the power of diagramming as a creative force in research rather than a reductive one. The concepts of rhizome, assemblage, and knot are developed and applied to the study of classroom interaction. The author then shows how these concepts and their application to classroom interaction can be studied through topological knot diagrams. The author discusses the specific qualities of knot diagrams that make them suitable tools for the study of rhizomatic processes and offers some examples of such diagrams. The author offers these knot diagrams as tools that actually undermine the usual conventions of graphic representation in our field, not simply to disrupt for the sake of disruption, but to invite speculation about how one might develop different diagramming habits that better capture the entanglement of interaction.
Educational Research and Doctoral Dissertations
Authors: Alves Mariana Gaio , Azevedo Nair Rios , Gonçalves Teresa N. R.
Published: July 2012

This article presents some results arising from the meta-analysis of the educational research that has been developed at Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal). The intention was to understand the status of the educational research produced, the main thematic trends studied, affiliated scientific domains, conceptual frames mobilized, and methodological approaches used. The PhD theses that have been submitted for the doctoral degree in Educational Sciences were analyzed and for each one we searched for the research questions and/or research objectives pursued, the methodology of research developed, the entities examined (e.g., individuals, institutions, or organizations), the main theoretical perspectives assumed and the disciplinary, multidisciplinary, or transdisciplinary approach embraced. This enquiry revealed the predominance of qualitative approaches to research in education. Discovering what was done was a gateway to think about educational researchers training and to highlight some issues related to doctoral programs design, pedagogy, and teaching practices.
Who Died? The Murder of Collaterals Related to Intimate Partner Conflict
Authors: Dobash Russell P. , Dobash R. Emerson
Published: July 2012

Using data from the Murder in Britain Study, the authors focus on murders that are related to intimate partner conflict but involve the killing of a person other than the intimate partner. Intimate partner collateral murders (IPCM) include children, allies, and new partners. The findings expand the number and types of murder associated with intimate partner conflict, characterize the three main types of collaterals, compare the childhood and adulthood of the perpetrators of intimate partner murder [IPM] (n = 104) and IPCM ( n = 62), and reflect similarities and differences. Various disciplinary approaches are reflected in the research design, data collection, findings, and conclusions.
Comparison of how well conscious cats tolerate blood pressure measurement from the radial and coccygeal arteries
Authors: Cannon Martha J , Brett Jo
Published: July 2012

Hypertension is a common condition of older cats and acquiring clinically relevant and repeatable blood pressure (BP) measurements in conscious cats is important in its diagnosis and management. The most common sites for indirect BP measurement in the cat are the radial artery (RA) and the coccygeal artery (CA) but, to date, there are no published data comparing how conscious cats tolerate BP measurements from these sites. A high-definition oscillometric BP monitor was used to measure BP in 30 cats admitted to a cat-only veterinary clinic for reasons other than hypertension. Systolic arterial pressure (SAP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) were measured using the RA and CA, alternating which site was used first. The number of failed attempts and total time to achieve six measurements was recorded. Measurement of BP using the CA was better tolerated than the RA, resulting in fewer failures and shorter total time required. SAP measurements were slightly higher from the CA compared with the RA, irrespective of which site was used first. There were no significant differences in MAP and DAP. The coccygeal artery appears to be the more appropriate site to use when measuring BP in conscious cats using this oscillometric machine. Further studies are required using alternative BP monitors, including Doppler machines, to establish whether this is a consistent finding. When measuring BP in cats the site used should be recorded and the same site used for all subsequent measurements from the same cat.
Muslim women in the western media: Foucault, agency, governmentality and ethics
Authors: Vintges Karen
Published: July 2012

This article compares the ways in which Saba Mahmood’s The Politics of Piety (2005) and Cressida Heyes’ Self-Transformations: Foucault, Ethics, and Normalization (2007), unlike current governmentality studies, employ the later Foucault’s ethical theory. By explaining the theoretical framework of the ‘middle’ Foucault (governmentality and agency) and the ‘later’ Foucault (ethics and agency) and then comparing Mahmood and Heyes’ use of Foucault’s work, it is argued that Mahmood and Heyes’ analyses, though thought-provoking and incisive, overlook aspects of Foucault’s later work, ultimately preventing them from offering productive ‘feminist strategies’. The author seeks to link this discussion to contemporary debates and analyses of agency, freedom and Muslim women in the media. The article concludes with an assessment of how Foucauldian feminist perspectives might be drawn on to establish effective ‘cross-cultural feminist strategies’, and closes by presenting a case of a cross-cultural media strategy aimed at countering the stereotypical images of Muslim women in the media.
The somatechnics of perception and the matter of the non/human: A critical response to the new materialism
Authors: Sullivan Nikki
Published: July 2012

Drawing on Sara Ahmed, this article confronts the often repeated claim that feminists and/or social constructionists – even those whose work appears to focus on ‘the body’ – routinely ignore the materiality of corporeal life. This charge is often accompanied by the claim that poststructuralist feminists have, for connected reasons, also ignored ‘non-human animal’ life. This article critically interrogates the ways in which the somatechnics of perception and particular universalizing epistemic sexing practices feed into and out of one another in much contemporary work on ‘animal sex’. It also aims to build on Ahmed’s critique of the founding gestures of the new materialism in and through a close engagement with the work of a small number of theorists who identify with the new materialism.
On the march or on the margins? Affirmations and erasures of feminist activism in the UK
Authors: Dean Jonathan
Published: July 2012

In the UK, many have argued that the past five years or so have seen an increase in the radicalism and visibility of feminist activism, jarring somewhat with the strong emphasis on loss in much recent scholarship – as well as media commentary – on feminist politics. Against this backdrop, this article asks how, and to what extent, this resurgence of feminist activism has unsettled the centrality of loss within the affective economies of contemporary British feminism, by examining a range of recent texts produced within (pro-feminist) academic, activist, publishing and media spheres. After arguing that attachments to loss remain remarkably intransigent, the latter part of the article draws on Sara Ahmed’s account of ‘sticky affects’ to provide a theoretical account of why notions such as ‘young women are not feminist’ and ‘feminist activism is a thing of the past’ continue to yield such force despite empirical evidence to the contrary.
Over-nominating candidates, undermining the party
Authors: Nemoto Kuniaki , Pekkanen Robert , Krauss Ellis
Published: July 2012

Any political party has a profound interest in maximizing seats, which in turn requires running the optimum number of candidates. However, to do this presumes solving a collective action problem among self-interested party members or leaders, and is deeply conditioned by the electoral system. The case of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party under the Single Non-Transferable Vote electoral system provides a superb illustration of how party leaders, even in a famously electorally successful party, will be unable to solve these dilemmas because of key facilitating institutions: first, party president selection rules; second, prime ministerial control over allocation of positions; third, a weak party label. Contrary to existing literature, we find ambitious factions consistently nominated too many candidates – deliberately risking the party’s losing seats. We draw attention to the sources of party strength in a novel way, and to how party rules interact with electoral systems to shape both parties and politics.
Predictably exceptional
Authors: Vössing Konstantin
Published: July 2012

This article explains the outcome of American labour’s formative stage in politics between 1860 and 1921 by modelling the decision-making process of labour elites under limited and full labour inclusion. Several countries featured limited inclusion through a neutral executive and democratic institutions, but full inclusion – the incorporation of labour into the party system through entrenched partisan elites – occurred only in the United States. An analytic narrative illustrates the conclusion from my decision analysis that the failure of social democracy and the embrace of moderate syndicalism in the United States occurred as the rational response of labour elites to this unique environment.
Playing with meaning: using cartoons to disseminate research findings
Authors: Bartlett Ruth
Published: July 2012

Cartoons are a ubiquitous form of visual communication. Yet they are often overlooked in methodological debates about dissemination. In this article, the potential of cartoons as a vehicle for processing and transmitting qualitative research findings is explored and some methodological advantages and concerns of using cartoons in this way are outlined. Discussion stems from a small-scale, experimental ‘knowledge transfer’ project located within a larger qualitative study about higher functioning men and women with dementia who campaign for social change. It concludes that cartooning can bring to life in a playful way serious issues, but as form of visual communication, cartoons are not for everyone, and must therefore be used judiciously to disseminate research findings.
The haunting spectacle of crystal meth: A media-created mythology?
Authors: Ayres Tammy C. , Jewkes Yvonne
Published: July 2012

For over a decade the media have been reporting in alarmist tones that ‘crystal meth is coming’ to the UK. Using clichéd discourse (‘crazed’, ‘epidemic’, ‘horror’, etc.) and visual images of deformed and disfigured faces, the meanings attached to the drug are clear: crystal meth creates dangerous ‘others’. Yet an identifiable crystal meth problem has hitherto failed to materialise, and press reporting of the issue appears to constitute an exemplary case of what Stuart Hall has described as a double movement within ideological discourse: a movement towards propaganda and a movement towards myth. This article examines how the threat of ‘ice’, as it is commonly known, has been symbolically, aesthetically and textually constructed in the British media, and how this representation has created its own hyper-reality, influencing political debate, drug policy and public reaction. The analysis places particular emphasis on the importance of visual images as a sensory expression of cultural meaning, an aspect of media representation that has too often been theoretically and pragmatically neglected within mainstream criminology.
The future of feminist criminology
Authors: Heidensohn Frances
Published: July 2012

This paper outlines the origins of feminist criminology, tracing them to the 1960s, especially the social and cultural shifts of that period and the student movement, noting that approaches such as new deviancy theory did not provide any answers to the questions raised by pioneers in the field. The history of feminist perspectives is summarised and claims are asserted that these are the most successful developments in criminology of the second half of the 20th century. A number of cautions and criticisms are suggested, followed by several outstanding examples of recent scholarship and finally some ideas of blue sky thinking and proposals of areas which may be developed further in the future.
Who is the victim of crime? Paying homage to the work of Richard Quinney
Authors: Walklate Sandra
Published: July 2012

In this paper I take the question, who is the victim of crime, posed by Quinney in 1972, and examine the different ways in which victimology has endeavoured to answer this question since that time. In order to do this I trace the coexistence of three interrelated narratives on criminal victimisation—the academic, the cultural and the political—and suggest there are remarkable similarities between the victims we ‘see’ and the victims we fail to ‘see’ in each of these narratives, as there was in 1972. In tracing the provocative influence of the questions raised by Quinney’s work over the last forty years, I suggest that his latter preoccupation with photography and the questions that he remains interested in to date afford a window of opportunity for the further development of a cultural victimology, but only if, as victimologists, we are prepared to embrace the principle of bearing witness.
Italian-American leadership in Hollywood films: Images and realities
Authors: Warner Nicholas O , Riggio Ronald E
Published: July 2012

This study examines Italian-American immigrant leaders through the stereotyped portrayal of Italian-American leaders in film. The most influential film for representing Italian-American leadership is Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Godfather. We first review the emergence of Italian immigrant leadership in the United States and then briefly summarize typical patterns in the cinematic portrayal of Italian-Americans, followed by an in-depth examination of The Godfather’s depiction of pragmatic and ethical leadership issues against the background of Italian-American history, drawing connections to theories and conceptualizations of leadership.
Carpal tunnel syndrome: the association with occupation at a population level
Authors: Jenkins P. J. , Srikantharajah D. , Duckworth A. D. , Watts A. C. , McEachan J. E.
Published: July 2012

The aim of this study was to examine the association of occupation and gender with the incidence and severity of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). We examined 884 patients of working age, diagnosed with CTS, in a specialist hand clinic that was the only provider of hand services to a health board area. We categorized occupation using the Standard Occupational Classification 2010 (SOC2010) and used local census data to calculate the incidence in each of the nine major occupational groups. The greatest incidence was in caring and leisure occupations (197 per 100 000 population per year), while the lowest incidence was in the associate professional group (37 per 100 000). Professional occupations had a high incidence of CTS, along with skilled trades and elementary occupations. Women had a higher incidence of CTS than men in managerial, professional, skilled trades, and elementary occupations (OR 2.9–3.6). The Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) score varied across occupational groups ( p < 0.001) and was worst in the caring and leisure group. As traditional heavy industry associated with previously described occupational risks declines, new patterns of occupational association may emerge. We recommend ongoing observational research of potential occupational risk factors to identify these new trends.
Schoolwide Mathematics Achievement Within the Gifted Cluster Grouping Model
Authors: Brulles Dina , Peters Scott J. , Saunders Rachel
Published: July 2012

An increasing number of schools are implementing gifted cluster grouping models as a cost-effective way to provide gifted services. This study is an example of comparative action research in the form of a quantitative case study that focused on mathematic achievement for nongifted students in a district that incorporated a schoolwide cluster grouping model. Although previous research found that gifted students performed better in the cluster setting, this study sought to determine the effects of the cluster model on nongifted students. Findings from this research indicate that general education students in the gifted cluster classes and those not in the gifted clusters experienced similar levels of academic growth in mathematics. Data disaggregated according to grade level, gender, ethnicity, and English language learner status showed that students achieved at similar rates in mathematics in gifted cluster classrooms and those classrooms without the gifted cluster groups.
Evaluation of HLA matching in unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for nonmalignant disorders
Authors: Horan John , Wang Tao , Haagenson Michael , Spellman Stephen R. , Dehn Jason , Eapen Mary , Frangoul Haydar , Gupta Vikas , Hale Gregory A. , Hurley Carolyn K. , Marino Susana , Oudshoorn Machteld , Reddy Vijay , Shaw Peter , Lee Stephanie J. , Woolfrey Ann
Published: July 2012

The importance of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching in unrelated donor transplantation for nonmalignant diseases (NMD) has yet to be defined. We analyzed data from 663 unrelated marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplants performed from 1995 to 2007 for treatment of NMD. Transplantation from a donor mismatched at the HLA-A, -B, -C, or -DRB1, but not -DQB1 or -DPB1, loci was associated with higher mortality in multivariate analyses (P = .002). The hazard ratio for mortality for single (7/8) and double mismatched (6/8) transplants was 1.29 (0.97-1.72; P = .079) and 1.82 (1.30-2.55; P = .0004), respectively, compared with 8/8 matched transplants. HLA mismatches were not associated with acute or chronic GVHD, but were strongly associated with graft failure. After adjustment for other factors, the odds ratio for graft failure for 7/8 and 6/8 (allele and/or antigen) matched pairs compared with 8/8 matched transplants was 2.81 (1.74-4.54; P < .0001) and 2.22 (1.26-3.97; P = .006), respectively. Patients with NMD should receive transplants from allele matched (8/8) donors if possible. Unlike the case with malignancies, HLA mismatching in NMD is associated with graft failure rather than GVHD.
The gene therapy journey for hemophilia: are we there yet?
Authors: High Katherine A.
Published: July 2012

Since the isolation and characterization of the genes for FVIII and FIX some 30 years ago, a longstanding goal of the field has been development of successful gene therapy for the hemophilias. In a landmark study published in 2011, Nathwani et al demonstrated successful conversion of severe hemophilia B to mild or moderate disease in 6 adult males who underwent intravenous infusion of an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector expressing factor IX. These 6 subjects have now exhibited expression of FIX at levels ranging from 1% to 6% of normal for periods of > 2 years. This review discusses obstacles that were overcome to reach this goal and the next steps in clinical investigation. Safety issues that will need to be addressed before more widespread use of this approach are discussed. Efforts to extend AAV-mediated gene therapy to hemophilia A, and alternate approaches that may be useful for persons with severe liver disease, who may not be candidates for gene transfer to liver, are also discussed.