bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous measurement of voriconazole, posaconazole and itraconazole
Authors: Wadsworth John M , Milan Anna M , Anson James , Davison Andrew S
Published: December 2016

Background

Azole-based antifungals are the first-line therapy for some of the most common mycoses and are now also being used prophylactically to protect immunocompromised patients. However, due to variability in both their metabolism and bioavailability, therapeutic drug monitoring is essential to avoid toxicity but still gain maximum efficacy.

Methods

Following protein precipitation of serum with acetonitrile, 20  µL of extract was injected onto a 2.1 × 50 mm Waters Atlantis dC18 3  µm column. Detection was via a Waters Quattro Premier XE tandem mass spectrometer operating in ESI-positive mode. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) detected two product ions for each compound and one for each isotopically labelled internal standard. Ion suppression, linearity, stability, matrix effects, recovery, imprecision, lower limits of measuring interval and detection were all assessed.

Results

Optimal chromatographic separation was achieved using gradient elution over 8 minutes. Voriconazole, posaconazole and itraconazole eluted at 1.71, 2.73 and 3.41 min, respectively. The lower limits of measuring interval for all three compounds was 0.1 mg/L. The assay was linear to 10 mg/L for voriconazole (R2 = 0.995) and 5 mg/L for posaconazole (R2 = 0.990) and itraconazole (R2 = 0.991). The assay was both highly accurate and precise with % bias of voriconazole, posaconazole and itraconazole, respectively, when compared with previous NEQAS samples. The intra-assay precision (CV%) was 1.6%, 2.5% and 1.9% for voriconazole, posaconazole and itraconazole, respectively, across the linear range.

Conclusion

A simple and robust method has been validated for azole antifungal therapeutic drug monitoring. This new assay will result in a greatly improved sample turnaround time and will therefore vastly increase the clinical utility of azole antifungal drug monitoring.
SIM’s Directions: “Back to the Future”
Authors: Epstein Edwin M.
Published: December 2016

This essay addresses directions for the Social Issues in Management (SIM) Division from the perspective of “Back to the Future.” The author was chair of the SIM Division in 1983 to 1984 and the 1989 recipient of the SIM Division’s Sumner Marcus Distinguished Service Award. The essay reviews the general history of SIM during the 1960s and 1970s in which the University of California, Berkeley, played a key role in organizing conferences. The author explains his approach as an applied empiricist to research concerning SIM. The essentials are power, legitimacy, responsibility, rationality, and values, and understanding how they impact the ongoing day-to-day interactions within, between, and among business organizations, their leadership, and other sectors of society. SIM is a field of diverse inquiry which has been the recipient of perspectives and persons drawn not only from multiple disciplines, particularly from the social sciences, law, and management, but also from the humanities and sciences. SIM is patently multi- and inter-disciplinary.
Persistent Gaps in Appropriate Use of Empiric Acyclovir in Neonates
Authors: Wilson Peyton , Sutton Ashley G. , Nassef Christopher , Falato Christopher , Jhaveri Ravi
Published: December 2016

The use of empiric acyclovir for suspected neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection has been debated for years. To identify the gap in the decision to initiate empiric acyclovir, we performed a retrospective chart review and administered a survey to pediatricians to assess current practices regarding evaluation for possible HSV infection. Seventy infants received empiric acyclovir over a 1-year period; of these, 3 infants (4.3%) had positive HSV testing. Fourteen infants were identified as “high-risk” for HSV infection; of these, 13 infants had incomplete testing. Survey results revealed uncertainty in the decision to initiate acyclovir and in the composition of complete diagnostic testing. This study confirmed the clinical uncertainty in the decision to initiate empiric acyclovir. Using this chart review and survey as a baseline, future efforts will focus on a quality improvement project to reduce empiric acyclovir use in low-risk infants and to ensure complete diagnostic evaluation in high-risk infants.
Parental Perceptions of Pediatric Pain and POTS-Related Disability
Authors: Keating Elizabeth M. , Antiel Ryan M. , Weiss Karen E. , Wallace Dustin , Antiel Seth J. , Fischer Philip R. , Junghans-Rutelonis Ashley N. , Harbeck-Weber Cynthia
Published: December 2016

Adolescents with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) often have pain and functional impairment. This study evaluated how parental attributions of children’s symptoms relate to child functional impairment. Adolescents with chronic pain and clinical symptoms suggestive of autonomic dysfunction (fatigue, dizziness, nausea) that attended a multidisciplinary chronic pain clinic completed measures of depression, anxiety, and functioning (n = 141). Parents of 114 of these patients completed the Parent Pain Attribution Questionnaire (PPAQ), a measure indicating the extent they believe physical and psychosocial factors account for their child’s health condition. Patients were retrospectively grouped as to whether or not they had significant POTS on tilt table testing (n = 37). Greater parental attribution to physical causes was associated with increased levels of functional disability whether patients had POTS ( r = 0.45, P = .006) or not ( r = 0.25, P = .03). These results suggest that providers should advocate a more comprehensive family-oriented rehabilitative approach to treatment.
Effects of Accumulating Work Shifts on Performance-Based Fatigue Using Multiple Strength Measurements in Day and Night Shift Nurses and Aides
Authors: Thompson Brennan J. , Stock Matt S. , Banuelas Victoria K.
Published: December 2016

Objective

This study aimed to examine the effects of accumulating nursing work on maximal and rapid strength characteristics in female nurses and compare these effects in day versus night shift workers.

Background

Nurses exhibit among the highest nonfatal injury rates of all occupations, which may be a consequence of long, cumulative work shift schedules. Fatigue may accumulate across multiple shifts and lead to performance impairments, which in turn may be linked to injury risks.

Method

Thirty-seven nurses and aides performed isometric strength-based performance testing of three muscle groups, including the knee extensors, knee flexors, and wrist flexors (hand grip), as well as countermovement jumps, at baseline and following exposure to three 12-hour work shifts in a four-day period. Variables included peak torque (PT) and rate of torque development (RTD) from isometric strength testing and jump height and power output.

Results

The rigorous work period resulted in significant decreases (−7.2% to −19.2%) in a large majority (8/9) of the isometric strength-based measurements. No differences were noted for the day versus night shift workers except for the RTD at 200 millisecond variable, for which the night shift had greater work-induced decreases than the day shift workers. No changes were observed for jump height or power output.

Conclusions

A compressed nursing work schedule resulted in decreases in strength-based performance abilities, being indicative of performance fatigue.

Application

Compressed work schedules involving long shifts lead to functional declines in nurse performance capacities that may pose risks for both the nurse and patient quality of care. Fatigue management plans are needed to monitor and regulate increased levels of fatigue.
Histatin 1 Enhances Cell Adhesion to Titanium in an Implant Integration Model
Authors: van Dijk I.A. , Beker A.F. , Jellema W. , Nazmi K. , Wu G. , Wismeijer D. , Krawczyk P.M. , Bolscher J.G.M. , Veerman E.C.I. , Stap J.
Published: December 2016

Cellular adhesion is essential for successful integration of dental implants. Rapid soft tissue integration is important to create a seal around the implant and prevent infections, which commonly cause implant failure and can result in bone loss. In addition, soft tissue management is important to obtain good dental aesthetics. We previously demonstrated that the salivary peptide histatin 1 (Hst1) causes a more than 2-fold increase in the ability of human adherent cells to attach and spread on a glass surface. Cells treated with Hst1 attached more rapidly and firmly to the substrate and to each other. In the current study, we examine the potential application of Hst1 for promotion of dental implant integration. Our results show that Hst1 enhances the attachment and spreading of soft tissue cell types (oral epithelial cells and fibroblasts) to titanium (Ti) and hydroxyapatite (HAP), biomaterials that have found wide applications as implant material in dentistry and orthopedics. For improved visualization of cell adhesion to Ti, we developed a novel technique that uses sputtering to deposit a thin, transparent layer of Ti onto glass slides. This approach allows detailed, high-resolution analysis of cell adherence to Ti in real time. Furthermore, our results suggest that Hst1 has no negative effects on cell survival. Given its natural occurrence in the oral cavity, Hst1 could be an attractive agent for clinical application. Importantly, even though Hst1 is specific for saliva of humans and higher primates, it stimulated the attachment and spreading of canine cells, paving the way for preclinical studies in canine models.
Progress on Broadband Access to the Internet and Use of Mobile Devices in the United States
Authors: Serrano Katrina J. , Thai Chan L. , Greenberg Alexandra J. , Blake Kelly D. , Moser Richard P. , Hesse Bradford W.
Published: December 2016

Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) aims to improve population health outcomes through several objectives, including health communication and health information technology. We used 7 administrations of the Health Information National Trends Survey to examine HP2020 goals toward access to the Internet through broadband and mobile devices (N = 34 080). We conducted descriptive analyses and obtained predicted marginals, also known as model-adjusted risks, to estimate the association between demographic characteristics and use of mobile devices. The HP2020 target (7.7% of the US population) for accessing the Internet through a cellular network was surpassed in 2014 (59.7%), but the HP2020 target (83.2%) for broadband access fell short (63.8%). Sex and age were associated with accessing the Internet through a cellular network throughout the years (Wald F test, P <.05). The increase in the percentage of people accessing the Internet through mobile devices presents an opportunity for technology-based health interventions that should be explored.
Infectious Disease Hospitalizations Among American Indian/Alaska Native and Non–American Indian/Alaska Native Persons in Alaska, 2010-2011
Authors: Gounder Prabhu P. , Holman Robert C. , Seeman Sara M. , Rarig Alice J. , McEwen Mary , Steiner Claudia A. , Bartholomew Michael L. , Hennessy Thomas W.
Published: December 2016

Objective:

Reports about infectious disease (ID) hospitalization rates among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons have been constrained by data limited to the tribal health care system and by comparisons with the general US population. We used a merged state database to determine ID hospitalization rates in Alaska.

Methods:

We combined 2010 and 2011 hospital discharge data from the Indian Health Service and the Alaska State Inpatient Database. We used the merged data set to calculate average annual age-adjusted and age-specific ID hospitalization rates for AI/AN and non-AI/AN persons in Alaska. We stratified the ID hospitalization rates by sex, age, and ID diagnosis.

Results:

ID diagnoses accounted for 19% (6501 of 34 160) of AI/AN hospitalizations, compared with 12% (7397 of 62 059) of non-AI/AN hospitalizations. The average annual age-adjusted hospitalization rate was >3 times higher for AI/AN persons (2697 per 100 000 population) than for non-AI/AN persons (730 per 100 000 population; rate ratio = 3.7, P < .001). Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), which occurred in 38% (2486 of 6501) of AI/AN persons, was the most common reason for ID hospitalization. AI/AN persons were significantly more likely than non-AI/AN persons to be hospitalized for LRTI (rate ratio = 5.2, P < .001).

Conclusions:

A substantial disparity in ID hospitalization rates exists between AI/AN and non-AI/AN persons, and the most common reason for ID hospitalization among AI/AN persons was LRTI. Public health programs and policies that address the risk factors for LRTI are likely to benefit AI/AN persons.
Parental Deployment, Adolescent Academic and Social–Behavioral Maladjustment, and Parental Psychological Well-being in Military Families
Authors: Nicosia Nancy , Wong Elizabeth , Shier Victoria , Massachi Samira , Datar Ashlesha
Published: December 2016

Objective:

Increases in the frequency and length of military deployments have raised concerns about the well-being of military families. We examined the relationship between a military parent’s deployment and (1) adolescent academic and social–behavioral maladjustment and (2) parental psychological well-being.

Methods:

We collected data from April 2013 through January 2014 from 1021 families of enlisted US Army personnel with children aged 12 or 13 during the Military Teenagers’ Environments, Exercise, and Nutrition Study. Through online parent surveys, we collected data on deployment, adolescent academic and social–behavioral maladjustment, and parental psychological well-being. We estimated adjusted logistic and linear regression models for adolescents (all, boys, girls), military parents (all, fathers, mothers), and civilian parents.

Results:

Compared with no or short deployments, long deployments (>180 days in the past 3 years) were associated with significantly higher odds of decreases in adolescent academic performance (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.54), independence (AOR = 2.04), and being responsible (AOR = 1.95). These associations were also significant for boys but not for girls. Among parents, long deployments were associated with significantly higher odds of being depressed (AOR = 2.58), even when controlling for adolescent maladjustment (AOR = 2.54). These associations did not differ significantly between military and civilian parents and were significant for military fathers but not military mothers. Recent deployment (in the past 12 months) was not associated with either adolescent or parent outcomes.

Conclusion:

Long deployments are associated with adolescents’ academic and social–behavioral maladjustments and diminished parental well-being, especially among boys and military fathers.
Perinatal HIV Exposure Surveillance and Reporting in the United States, 2014
Authors: Brady Kathleen A. , Storm Deborah S. , Naghdi Azita , Frederick Toni , Fridge Jessica , Hoyt Mary Jo
Published: December 2016

Objective:

We sought to describe the current status of perinatal HIV exposure surveillance (PHES) activities and regulations in the United States and to make recommendations to strengthen PHES.

Methods:

In 2014, we sent an online survey to health departments in the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and 6 cities and counties (Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and San Francisco, California). We analyzed responses from 56 of the 59 (95%) jurisdictions.

Results:

Thirty-three of 56 jurisdictions (59%) reported conducting PHES and following infants to determine their infection status. Of the 33 jurisdictions performing PHES, 28 (85%) linked maternal and infant data, but only 12 (36%) determined the HIV care status of postpartum women. Themes of respondents’ recommendations for strengthening PHES centered on updating laws and regulations to support PHES, reporting all HIV test results and linking vital records with PHES data to identify and follow HIV-exposed infants, communicating with health care providers to improve reporting, training staff, and getting help from experienced jurisdictions to implement PHES.

Conclusions:

Our findings indicate that data on perinatal exposure collected through the current system are inadequate to comprehensively monitor and prevent perinatal HIV exposure and transmission. Comprehensive PHES data collection and reporting are needed to sustain the progress that has been made toward lowering perinatal HIV transmission rates. We propose that minimum standards be established for perinatal HIV exposure reporting to improve the completeness, quality, and efficiency of PHES in the United States.
An evolutionary approach to solve the dynamic multihop ridematching problem
Authors: Ben Cheikh Sondes , Tahon Christian , Hammadi Slim
Published: December 2016

The multihop ridesharing system generates a ridematching solution with an arbitrary number of transfers that respects personal preferences of the users and their time constraints with detour willingness. As it is considered to be NP-complete, an efficient metaheuristic is required in the application to solve the dynamic multihop ridematching problem. In this context, a novel approach, called Metaheuristics Approach Based on Controlled Genetic Operators ( MACGeO), which is supported by an original dynamic coding, is developed to address the multihop ridematching problem. The performance of the proposed approach is measured via simulation scenarios, which feature various numbers of carpool drivers (vehicles) and riders (passengers). Experimental results show that the multihop ridematching could greatly increase the number of matched requests while minimizing the number of vehicles required.
Did I Get the Best Discount? Counterfactual Thinking of Tourism Products
Authors: Park Jeong-Yeol , Jang SooCheong (Shawn)
Published: December 2016

Current trends in the tourism industry indicate that most potential travelers purchase tourism products from online travel agents that provide price promotions. Even though the range of price promotions often varies, the tourism literature does not address potential travelers’ perceptions after purchasing products at various discount rates. This study examined the relationships among different discount rates, temporal distance, and counterfactual thinking—a mental undoing of existing outcomes. Results showed that the relationship between discount rate and counterfactual thinking had a U-shaped curve. Furthermore, the shape differed by temporal distance. The optimal discount rate for minimizing counterfactual thinking was 29.62% when the reservation was made 15 days prior to departure but rose to 33.33% when the reservation was made three months prior to departure. This study suggested that counterfactual thinking mediates the relationship between discount rate and perceived regret.
Predicting Zambian Grandmothers’ Sensitivity Toward Their Grandchildren
Authors: Sichimba Francis , Mooya Haatembo , Mesman Judi
Published: December 2016

Whereas child care by grandmothers is widespread in the African cultural context, few studies have examined predictors of the quality of grandmaternal care in Africa. In the current study, we collected observational data to investigate predictors of the quality of grandmother–grandchild interactions in Zambia. Data were collected from 46 grandmothers and their 12 to 27-month-old infant grandchildren. The results revealed that grandmothers with fewer children and those who enjoyed the grandparenting tasks more were more sensitive in their interactions with their grandchildren. Unexpectedly, parenting beliefs favoring sensitive parenting predicted lower observed sensitivity in grandmothers. Further, grandmothers with a more individualistic cultural orientation were more intrusive toward their grandchildren. The results underscore the importance of time and emotional resources as predictors of sensitive parenting among grandmothers.
Government Consolidation in Property Tax Administration
Authors: Krupa Olha
Published: December 2016

Government consolidations remain highly controversial, and the proposition that consolidated governments operate more efficiently than smaller government units is a contested claim. This research evaluates the outcomes of Indiana property tax consolidation reform of 2008. It documents 19.0–27.0 percent cost savings from consolidated tax administration and estimates cost elasticities. The study finds that assessment costs are highly elastic to assessor workloads, wage levels, and the percentage of agricultural land, but not the assessment quality. Although these findings may assist other fragmented local government units in evaluating vertical consolidation proposals, they may not directly generalize to other areas of government.
Developing online deception literacy while looking for love
Authors: Toma Catalina L
Published: December 2016

Payal Arora and her colleagues argue that Facebook has become a widely-used tool for finding romance in the global south, especially among marginalized youth. Yet this reliance on Facebook opens users up to the possibility of deception, forcing many to develop a dynamic online deception literacy. In this response paper, I unpack the notion of online deception literacy by reviewing the existing social scientific literature on this topic. I discuss (1) the prevalence of deception in online romance: (2) people’s ability to detect online deception; (3) the cues people use to detect online deception; and (4) the usefulness of those cues in accurately gauging deception. I highlight avenues for future research, especially those inspired by the experience of marginalized users in the global south.
Democracy, protest and public sphere in Russia after the 2011–2012 anti-government protests: digital media at stake
Authors: Denisova Anastasia
Published: December 2016

The 2011–2012 Russian protest mobilisations were largely enabled by the rise of social networks. Social and technological advancements paired to pave the way for the ‘biggest protests since the fall of USSR’. Ubiquitous and uncensored social media facilitated the networking and mobilisation for this protest activity: Liberal masses were able to share and discuss their grievances, unite and coordinate online for the offline protest. The digitally savvy protest public developed to confront the government, which appeared to be astonished by the scale of protest. Those mobilisations marked an important gap between the government’s conception of the society and the real state of resistance. This article studies three main hypotheses regarding the potential of the protest movement in Russia. The hypotheses were drawn from recent sociological, political and media studies on Russian resistance. Current research aims to contribute to the debate from the digital media perspective. It therefore evaluates three main assumptions: Digital media have the potential to empower, dependent upon the relevant political, social and economic factors; digital media isolates protest publics and therefore may be more useful for the government than the resistance; and recent censorship of digital media communication signals a tightening of both formal and informal restrictions against opposition and protest politics. This article uses theoretical and factual evidence on the limitations of democracy and the public sphere and conceptualises the government’s management of resistance in Russia during and after the 2011–2012 protests. It studies how the hybrid political regime in Russia balances restrictions on freedom of speech with strengthened state propaganda and how it mediates media oppression and invites self-censorship. Finally, it examines how the state communication watchdog has recently focused its attention at the digital realm. This move confirms the importance of the online protest communication for the Russian political environment. Yet the state’s acknowledgement of digital political resistance may lead to further oppression and curbing of this emerging component of Russian politics.
Lifestyle and rights
Authors: Aytaç Ahmet Murat
Published: December 2016

The challenges facing the life-worlds of political societies in the Islamic world require a radical shift of perspective that can improve our understanding of the contemporary situation of human rights politics. Not only the classical formulation of secularism, which aims at liberating the public sphere from domination of ‘the sacred’, but also the political-theological approach, which addresses the problems of modernity within the context of a disguised and refurbished dominance of ‘the transcendence’, suffer from and share a basic insufficiency in handling human rights issues. According to these approaches, the basic issue stems from a realignment in relations between logics of the sovereign and the sacred or a redefinition of the position of state against religion. In this article, my object is shifting the scope of discussion concerning the rights beyond this logic of sovereignty by adopting an approach which provides a political ground for discussing the intermingling of religion in the life-world. From my point of view, the first step that should be taken to deepen our understanding of the argument of freedom is to unveil the nature of the sacred within the framework of a power network that longs for control over the whole lives of individuals constituting the society. In this regard, by going beyond the concepts such as fanaticism, fundamentalism or terrorism provided by ‘state mentality’, the significance of lifestyle politics for ‘rights talk’ will become more evident. From this point of view, the detection and critique of a zone of ‘weak citizenship’ constructed through restrictions stemming from the values and norms arising from the perceptions of particular communities organized through family, tradition and justice are essential. Such a critique will pave the way for a radical politicization of lifestyles by way of criteria of the demands for equal respect and dignity.
Pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma presenting with dysphagia: a rare presentation
Authors: Khan Fazal , Hamid Arsalan , Fatima Benish , Hashmi Shiraz , Fatimi Saulat
Published: December 2016

A 25-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of dysphagia and past history of pulmonary and intestinal tuberculosis. A barium swallow showed a point of constriction 42 mm above the gastroesophageal junction. Computed tomography revealed large opacities in bilateral lung fields, encroaching more on the esophagus. The lesion progressively compressed the esophagus as it moved inferiorly. A right posterolateral thoracotomy was performed for sub-anatomical resection of the mass. A biopsy revealed homogenous whirling hyalinized collagen fibers, highly suggestive of pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma, with no evidence of malignancy. Pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of longstanding dysphagia.
Prospective randomized controlled study of patient compliance in using a compression stocking: Importance of recommendations of the practitioner as a factor for better compliance
Authors: Uhl Jean-François , Benigni Jean-Patrick , Chahim Maxime , Fréderic Delinotte
Published: December 2016

Background

Patient compliance is the cornerstone of compression therapy success. However, there has been up to now no tool to assess it other than self-reporting by the patient, which is not reliable.

Material and methods

Forty active females classified C2S were enrolled to wear compression stockings (CS) providing a pressure of 15–20 mmHg at the ankle. A thermal probe was inserted in the stocking (Thermotrack®), recording the skin temperature every 20 min for four weeks. The patients were randomized in two groups of 20: – Group 1: Receiving minimal recommendations by their physician at the office. – Group 2: Receiving in-depth recommendations by the physician reinforced with SMS message which were repeated once a week for four weeks. The basic CEAP classification and the quality of life (QoL) were recorded before and after four weeks.

Results

The two groups are similar for age, symptoms and type of CS. The analysis of the thermal curves showed a significant increase (+33%) in the average wearing time daily in the group 2: 8 h vs. 5.6 h (group1) p < 0.01. The average number of days worn per week is also increased: 3.4 (group 1) vs. 4.8 (group 2), thus improving patient compliance from 48.5% to 70% as a direct result of the physician recommendations ( p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This is the first study assessing the real compliance in CVD patients of using compression. It shows that better and repeated recommendations by the practitioner result in an increase in time the compression is used by 33%. The study also suggests that the number of days the compression stocking is worn is a good criterion of patient compliance.
Epistemic geographies of climate change
Authors: Mahony Martin , Hulme Mike
Published: December 2016

Anthropogenic climate change has been presented as the archetypal global problem, identified by the slow work of assembling a global knowledge infrastructure, and demanding a concertedly global political response. But this ‘global’ knowledge has distinctive geographies, shaped by histories of exploration and colonialism, by diverse epistemic and material cultures of knowledge-making, and by the often messy processes of linking scientific knowledge to decision-making within different polities. We suggest that understanding of the knowledge politics of climate change may benefit from engagement with literature on the geographies of science. We review work from across the social sciences which resonates with geographers’ interests in the spatialities of scientific knowledge, to build a picture of what we call the epistemic geographies of climate change. Moving from the field site and the computer model to the conference room and international political negotiations, we examine the spatialities of the interactional co-production of knowledge and social order. In so doing, we aim to proffer a new approach to the intersections of space, knowledge and power which can enrich geography’s engagements with the politics of a changing climate.
Treatment for Ulnar Neuritis Around the Elbow in Adolescent Baseball Players: Factors Associated With Poor Outcome
Authors: Maruyama Masahiro , Satake Hiroshi , Takahara Masatoshi , Harada Mikio , Uno Tomohiro , Mura Nariyuki , Takagi Michiaki
Published: December 2016

Background:

Ulnar neuritis around the elbow is one of the injuries seen in throwing athletes. Outcomes of nonsurgical treatment and factors associated with failure outcomes have not been reported.

Purpose:

To investigate the outcomes of treatments for ulnar neuritis in adolescent baseball players.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

We assessed 40 male baseball players with a mean age of 15.0 years (range, 13-17 years) who presented with ulnar neuritis. There were 19 pitchers and 21 fielders whose throwing side was affected. All patients had elbow pain, and 13 patients had hand numbness on the ulnar side. The mean Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (KJOC) overhead athlete shoulder and elbow score was 52.5 at the first follow-up visit (n = 36 patients). Thirteen patients were identified with ulnar nerve subluxation, and 23 patients had concomitant elbow ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury. All patients underwent nonsurgical treatment, which included rehabilitation exercises and prohibition of throwing. If the nonsurgical treatment failed, we recommended surgical treatment. We investigated the outcomes of the nonsurgical and surgical treatments. Return to sports was evaluated, combined with factors associated with return to sports in nonsurgical treatment by univariate and multivariate statistical analysis.

Results:

The mean follow-up period was 23.6 months (range, 6-39 months). After nonsurgical treatment, 24 patients (60%) returned to the previous competition level after a mean of 2.4 months. Two patients returned to a recreational level. One patient gave up playing baseball at 2 months. The remaining 13 patients underwent surgery and returned to sports after a mean of 2.0 months postoperatively, and 12 had no limitation of sports activities. Multivariate logistical regression analysis demonstrated that hand numbness, ulnar nerve subluxation, and UCL injury were associated with failure of nonsurgical treatment ( P < .05). In addition, KJOC score of <45 at the first follow-up tended to be associated with poor outcomes of nonsurgical treatment ( P = .06).

Conclusion:

Hand numbness on the ulnar side, ulnar nerve subluxation, and UCL injury are strong predictors of poor outcomes after nonsurgical treatment for ulnar neuritis, and surgery provides excellent results.
The Impact of Accountability on Organizational Performance in the U.S. Federal Government: The Moderating Role of Autonomy
Authors: Han Yousueng , Hong Sounman
Published: December 2016

It is often assumed that a greater level of accountability will positively affect the performance of public organizations; however, this relationship has not been studied extensively in public administration. This study provides quantitative evidence regarding the impact of accountability on organizational performance in the U.S. federal government. Specifically, we examine the association between the levels of organizational performance and accountability in three functions of human resource management (HRM)—staffing, performance evaluation, and compensation—as perceived by employees of public organizations. Further, we test whether the level of autonomy perceived by the employees influences the association between accountability and performance. The findings suggest that the levels of accountability manifested in staffing, performance evaluation, and compensation all positively and significantly affect organizational performance. Moreover, employee autonomy tends to amplify the positive impact of accountability on performance in two HRM functions—staffing and compensation.
Young Children With ASD: Parent Strategies for Interaction During Adapted Book Reading Activity
Authors: Tipton Leigh Ann , Blacher Jan B. , Eisenhower Abbey S.
Published: December 2016

The purpose of this study was to identify how parents’ use of language and literacy strategies during an adapted shared book reading activity relate to social, behavioral, and cognitive skills for their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants were 111 young children (ages 4–7 years) with ASD and their mothers. A factor analysis of the items used in the coding system, yielded a four-factor model of parent-led behaviors during the shared book reading activity: clarification, feedback, teaching, and evocative techniques. In regression analyses, the frequency of parents’ use of clarification, feedback, and evocative strategies used during the shared reading task were related to certain demographic and child factors. Results have implications for the types of structure and support that parents might provide their young children with ASD during informal reading sessions.
Childhood Abuse and Current Intimate Partner Violence: A Population Study in Hong Kong
Authors: Yan Elsie , Karatzias Thanos
Published: December 2016

Previous studies have established that childhood violence victimization is associated with current experience of intimate partner violence (IPV). Existing literature, however, focused exclusively on female survivors and physical IPV and relied on non-representative samples. The present study examined the associations between life adversities and IPV using a representative sample of 1,239 men and women aged between 18 and 97. Participants provided information on their demographic characteristics, lifetime history of adverse life events, and past year IPV. Results show that IPV is common with 32.8% of the participants having reported past year psychological aggression, 4.5% reported physical abuse, and 1.1% reported injury. Various life adversities were also common with 21.7% having reported family disruption, 6% having experienced abuse or witnessing violence, and 2.1% life-threatening events. Logistic regression analyses revealed that experiencing abuse or witnessing violence in childhood is associated with a greater risk of past year psychological aggression, physical assault, and injury. Results were significant even after controlling for demographics and other life adversities. Family disruption in childhood was associated with increased risk of past year injury, but the association diminished after controlling for the rest of the variables. Experience of life-threatening events was not associated with any form of past year IPV. Altogether, our results point out that childhood victimization, especially physical abuse by parents, is associated with future long-term risk of IPV. This highlights the importance of early prevention and intervention for child abuse.
Educational and Gender Differences in Health Behavior Changes After a Gateway Diagnosis
Authors: Hernandez Elaine M. , Margolis Rachel , Hummer Robert A.
Published: December 2016

Objective: Hypertension represents a gateway diagnosis to more serious health problems that occur as people age. We examine educational differences in three health behavior changes people often make after receiving this diagnosis in middle or older age, and test whether these educational differences depend on (a) the complexity of the health behavior change and (b) gender. Method: We use data from the Health and Retirement Study and conduct logistic regression analysis to examine the likelihood of modifying health behaviors post diagnosis. Results: We find educational differences in three behavior changes—antihypertensive medication use, smoking cessation, and physical activity initiation—after a hypertension diagnosis. These educational differences in health behaviors were stronger among women compared with men. Discussion: Upon receiving a hypertension diagnosis, education is a more important predictor of behavior changes for women compared with men, which may help explain gender differences in the socioeconomic gradient in health in the United States.
The electropolymerization of N,N′-(propane-1,3-diyl)bis(2-aminobenzamide), characterization, and capacitor study
Authors: Ates Murat , Kolancilar Hakan , Caliskan Sinan , Cinar Damla
Published: December 2016

In this study, aniline-based monomer, N, N′-(propane-1,3-diyl)bis(2-aminobenzamide), (PAB), was synthesized and characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The electropolymerization of the monomer was performed on glassy carbon electrode by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The effects of solvent, dopant, scan number, and scan rate on the electropolymerization and properties of the poly(PAB) films were investigated. The modified electrode was also characterized by Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflection spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. The capacitive properties of the poly(PAB) films were firstly tested by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The highest specific capacitances ( Csp) of poly(PAB) films were obtained as Csp = 6.22 mF cm−2 in 0.1 M lithium perchlorate/acetonitrile (ACN) for [PAB]0 = 20 mmol dm−3 and Csp = 16.9 mF cm−2 in 1 mol dm−3 sulfuric acid for [PAB]0 = 5 mmol dm−3 at the scan rate of 5 mV s−1 from CV measurements. This study is novel because it was the first study on capacitance performances of poly(PAB) films in the literature.
The importance of controlling the upstream body wake in tandem cylinders system for noise reduction
Authors: Liu Hanru , Wang Yangang , Wei Jinjia , Qu Zhiguo
Published: December 2016

This work numerically investigates the importance of controlling the wake of upstream body in the tandem cylinders aiming at aerodynamics noise reduction. The two-dimensional unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes approach with the k–ω turbulence model and Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings method are employed to simulate the flow field and the aerodynamics noise, respectively. The flow in the porous media is calculated by a volume-averaged model. Analogy to the mass-spring-damper system, one preliminary model is proposed to reveal the key role of stabilizing the upstream body wake. The simulations of different porous materials coating designs are implemented to corroborate the model and provide more details of flow modification by porous materials coating. Results indicate that the porous materials coating designed on the upstream cylinder can decrease the wake impingement on the downstream cylinder via suppressing the vortex shedding. Subsequently, not only the tonal noise but also the broadband noise level of tandem system can be reduced. It is also clarified that the effects of downstream cylinder absorption and downstream cylinder wake control by porous materials coating is not comparable with the upstream cylinder wake control. The present study gives a new idea to flow control and noise reduction of the multibody systems considering efficiency and economy.
Numerical simulation of three-dimensional rotor icing in hovering flight
Authors: Wang Zhengzhi , Zhu Chunling
Published: December 2016

Rotor icing is a serious threat to helicopter flight safety and computational fluid dynamics technology is very useful in icing prediction. In this work, a numerical simulation method is presented to calculate three-dimensional rotor icing in hovering flight. The rotor flow fields are obtained using overlapping grids. According to Euler two-phase flow, the droplet trajectories and impingement characteristics are predicted. On the basis of three-dimensional ice accretion model, a new runback water distribution method based on shear force and centrifugal force is proposed to simulate liquid water flow and ice shape. The calculation results are compared with the experimental results under different conditions in order to verify the correctness of the method. Furthermore, the effects of blades rotation on the liquid water content distribution and droplet impingement characteristics are studied, and the effect of centrifugal force on ice shape is analyzed. The results show that the blade will influence others with the blade tip Mach number increasing, and centrifugal force will cause the ice thickness increases on leading edge and decreases at both frozen limitations.
A Holocene record of environmental change from Río Zeballos, central Patagonia
Authors: McCulloch Robert D , Figuerero Torres Maria J , Mengoni Goñalons Guillermo L , Barclay Rebecca , Mansilla Claudia
Published: December 2016

There are few continuous palaeoenvironmental records spanning the Holocene in Andean Southern Patagonia near the Northern Patagonian Ice Field (~47°S). Insights into the environmental context for human–landscape interactions have relied mostly on data extrapolated from distant extra-Andean locations that suggest limited environmental change during the Holocene. La Frontera (46°52′S), a high altitude site on the southern beech forest–steppe ecotone boundary in the Río Zeballos valley, provides lithostratigraphical and palaeoecological evidence, constrained by 14C dating and tephrochronology, for dynamic environmental change during the last ~8000 years. An initial amelioration in environmental conditions after c. 8210 cal. BP was followed by a reversal to colder conditions between c. 7420 and 6480 cal. BP, coincident with initial human occupation within the Paso Roballos and Lago Pueyrredón basin. Between c. 6480 and 3700 cal. BP, the woodland/steppe composition continued to fluctuate in response to climatic change. After c. 3700 cal. BP, a gradual shift to more stable and temperate conditions, punctuated by increased fire activity, is contemporary with the later phases of human occupation extending up into the Paso Roballos–Río Zeballos corridor.
Fire and human record at Lake Victoria, East Africa, during the Early Iron Age: Did humans or climate cause massive ecosystem changes?
Authors: Battistel Dario , Argiriadis Elena , Kehrwald Natalie , Spigariol Maddalena , Russell James M , Barbante Carlo
Published: December 2016

Organic molecular markers determined in a sediment core (V95-1A-1P) from Lake Victoria (East Africa) were used to reconstruct the history of human impact and regional fire activity during the Early Iron Age (~2400 to ~1100 yr BP). Fire history was reconstructed using levoglucosan and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as markers for biomass burning that demonstrate two distinct fire periods peaking at 1450–1700 and 1850–2050 cal. yr BP. A partial correlation between levoglucosan and PAHs is interpreted as different transport behaviors and burn temperatures affecting the proxies. A fecal sterol index (CoP-Index) indicates the presence of humans near the lakeshore, where the CoP-Index lags a few centuries behind the fire peaks. The CoP-Index peaks between 1850 and1950 cal. yr BP and between 1400 and 1500 cal. yr BP. Retene, a PAH that indicates softwood combustion, differs from other PAHs and levoglucosan by abruptly increasing at ~1650 cal. yr BP and remaining high until 1200 cal. yr BP. This increase may potentially signal human activity in that the development of metallurgy and/or ceramic production requires highly efficient fuels. However, this increase in retene occurs at the same time as severe drought events centered at ~1500 and ~2000 yr BP where the droughts and associated woodland to grassland transition may have resulted in more intense fires. The grassland expansion could have created favorable conditions for human activities and triggered settlement growth that in turn may have created a positive feedback for further landscape opening.
Wogonoside exerts growth-suppressive effects against T acute lymphoblastic leukemia through the STAT3 pathway
Authors: Xiao R , Gan M , Jiang T
Published: December 2016

Wogonoside is the main flavonoid of the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and has been found to induce growth suppression in myelogenous leukemia cells. However, its activity in T acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is still unclear. In this study, T-ALL cell lines MOLT-3 and Jurkat were exposed to different concentrations of wogonoside for 48 h, and cell viability, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis were measured. The involvement of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling in the activity of wogonoside was checked. The in vivo effect of wogonoside on T-ALL growth was investigated in a xenograft mouse model. Wogonoside significantly inhibited the viability of MOLT-3 and Jurkat cells, with the IC50 (the half maximal concentration) of 68.5 ± 3.8 and 52.6 ± 4.3 μM, respectively. However, healthy T lymphocytes were unaffected. Wogonoside-treated Jurkat cells exhibited a G1-phase cell cycle arrest and significant apoptosis, which was coupled with inactivation of STAT3 signaling. Overexpression of constitutively active STAT3 reversed wogonoside-mediated growth suppression and apoptosis and restored the expression of cyclin D1, Mcl-1, and Bcl-xL. In vivo studies demonstrated that wogonoside retarded tumor growth and suppressed STAT3 phosphorylation in Jurkat xenografts. In conclusion, wogonoside suppresses the growth of T-ALL through the STAT3 pathway and may have therapeutic benefits in this disease.