bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Public Health Burden of Sudden Cardiac Death in the United States
Authors: Stecker Eric C. , Reinier Kyndaron , Marijon Eloi , Narayanan Kumar , Teodorescu Carmen , Uy-Evanado Audrey , Gunson Karen , Jui Jonathan , Chugh Sumeet S.
Published: March 2014

Background—

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a leading cause of death in the United States, but the relative public health burden is unknown. We estimated the burden of premature death from SCD and compared it with other diseases.

Methods and Results—

Analyses were based on the following data sources (using most recent sources that provided appropriately stratified data): (1) leading causes of death among men and women from 2009 US death certificate reporting; (2) individual cancer mortality rates from 2008 death certificate reporting from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Program of Cancer Registries; (3) county, state, and national population data for 2009 from the US Census Bureau; and (4) SCD rates from the Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study (SUDS) population-based surveillance study of SCD between 2002 and 2004. Cases were identified from multiple sources in a prospectively designed surveillance program. Incidence, counts, and years of potential life lost for SCD and other major diseases were compared. The age-adjusted national incidence of SCD was 60 per 100 000 population (95% confidence interval, 54–66 per 100 000). The burden of premature death for men (2.04 million years of potential life lost; 95% uncertainty interval, 1.86–2.23 million) and women (1.29 million years of potential life lost; 95% uncertainty interval, 1.13–1.45 million) was greater for SCD than for all individual cancers and most other leading causes of death.

Conclusions—

The societal burden of SCD is high relative to other major causes of death. Accordingly, improved national surveillance with the goal of optimizing and monitoring SCD prevention and treatment should be a high priority.
Delayed Trans-Septal Activation Results in Comparable Hemodynamic Effect of Left Ventricular and Biventricular Endocardial Pacing
Authors: Sohal Manav , Shetty Anoop , Niederer Steven , Chen Zhong , Jackson Tom , Sammut Eva , Bostock Julian , Razavi Reza , Prinzen Frits , Rinaldi C. Aldo
Published: March 2014

Background—

We sought to compare left ventricular (LV
epi
) and biventricular epicardial pacing (BIV
epi
) with LV (LV
endo
) and BIV endocardial pacing (BIV
endo
) in patients with chronic heart failure with an emphasis on the underlying electrophysiological mechanisms and hemodynamic effects.

Methods and Results—

Ten patients with chronically implanted cardiac resynchronization devices underwent temporary LV
endo
and BIV
endo
pacing with an LV endocardial roving catheter. A pressure wire and noncontact mapping array were placed to the LV cavity to measure LVdP/dt
max
and perform electroanatomical mapping. At the optimal endocardial position, the acute hemodynamic response (AHR) was superior to epicardial stimulation, the AHR to BIV
endo
pacing and LV
endo
pacing being comparable (21±15% versus 22±17%;
P
=NS). During intrinsic conduction, QRS duration was 185±30 ms, endocardial LV total activation time 92±27 ms, and trans-septal activation time 60±21 ms. With LV
endo
pacing, QRS duration (187±29 ms;
P
=NS) and endocardial LV total activation time (91±23 ms;
P
=NS) were comparable with intrinsic conduction. There was no significant difference in endocardial LV total activation time between LV
endo
and BIV
endo
pacing (91±23 versus 85±15 ms;
P
=NS). Assessment of isochronal maps identified slow trans-septal conduction with both LV
endo
and BIV
endo
pacing resulting in activation of almost the entire LV endocardium prior to septal breakout, thereby limiting any possible fusion with either pacing mode.

Conclusions—

The equivalent AHR to LV
endo
and BIV
endo
pacing may be explained by prolonged trans-septal conduction limiting fusion of electrical wavefronts. The optimal AHR was associated with predominantly LV pre-excitation and depolarization. Our results suggest that LV pacing alone may offer a viable endocardial stimulation strategy to achieve cardiac resynchronization.
Neurological, Functional, and Cognitive Stroke Outcomes in Mexican Americans
Authors: Lisabeth Lynda D. , Sánchez Brisa N. , Baek Jonggyu , Skolarus Lesli E. , Smith Melinda A. , Garcia Nelda , Brown Devin L. , Morgenstern Lewis B.
Published: March 2014

Background and Purpose—

Our objective was to compare neurological, functional, and cognitive stroke outcomes in Mexican Americans (MAs) and non-Hispanic whites using data from a population-based study.

Methods—

Ischemic strokes (2008–2012) were identified from the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi (BASIC) Project. Data were collected from patient or proxy interviews (conducted at baseline and 90 days poststroke) and medical records. Ethnic differences in neurological (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale: range, 0–44; higher scores worse), functional (activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living score: range, 1–4; higher scores worse), and cognitive (Modified Mini-Mental State Examination: range, 0–100; lower scores worse) outcomes were assessed with Tobit or linear regression adjusted for demographics and clinical factors.

Results—

A total of 513, 510, and 415 subjects had complete data for neurological, functional, and cognitive outcomes and covariates, respectively. Median age was 66 (interquartile range, 57–78); 64% were MAs. In MAs, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living, and Modified Mini-Mental State Examination score were 3 (interquartile range, 1–6), 2.5 (interquartile range, 1.6–3.5), and 88 (interquartile range, 76–94), respectively. MAs scored 48% worse (95% CI, 23%–78%) on National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, 0.36 points worse (95% CI, 0.16–0.57) on activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living score, and 3.39 points worse (95% CI, 0.35–6.43) on Modified Mini-Mental State Examination than non-Hispanic whites after multivariable adjustment.

Conclusions—

MAs scored worse than non-Hispanic whites on all outcomes after adjustment for confounding factors; differences were only partially explained by ethnic differences in survival. These findings in combination with the increased stroke risk in MAs suggest that the public health burden of stroke in this growing population is substantial.
Neuroregeneration in the Nucleus Ambiguus After Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Avulsion in Rats
Authors: Zhao Wan , Xu Wen , Yang Wei wei
Published: March 2014

Objectives:

The objective was to investigate neuroregeneration, the origins of newborn cells and the proliferation of neuronal and glial cells in the nucleus ambiguus (NA) after ipsilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) avulsion.

Methods:

All of the animals received a CM-Dil injection in the left lateral ventricle. Forty-five adult rats were subjected to a left RLN avulsion injury, while 9 rats were used as controls. 5-Bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was injected intraperitoneally. Neuron quantification and immunohistochemical analysis were performed in the brain stems at different time points after RLN injury.

Results:

After RLN avulsion, CM-Dil labeled neural progenitor cells (NPCs) migrated to the ipsilateral NA and differentiated into astrocytes but not into neurons. In the NA, the neuronal cells re-expressed nestin. Only a small number of neuronal and glial cells in the NA showed BrdU immunoreactivity.

Conclusions:

After RLN avulsion, the NPCs in the ependymal layer of the fourth ventricle or central canal are activated, migrate to the lesion in the NA and differentiate exclusively into astrocytes. The newborn neural stem cells in the NA may arise from the mature region neurons. The presence of both cell types in the NA may play a role in repairing RLN injuries.
Effectiveness of Domain-Based Intervention for Language Development in Japanese Hearing-Impaired Children
Authors: Sugaya Akiko , Fukushima Kunihiro , Kasai Norio , Ojima Toshiyuki , Takahashi Goro , Nakagawa Takashi , Murai Seiko , Nakajima Yasoichi , Nishizaki Kazunori
Published: March 2014

Objective:

Decreasing language delay in hearing-impaired children is a key issue in the maintenance of their quality of life. Language training has been presented mainly by experience-based training; effective intervention programs are crucially important for their future. The aim of this study was to confirm the efficacy of 6-month domain-based language training of school-age, severe-to-profound hearing-impaired children.

Methods:

We conducted a controlled before–after study involving 728 severe-to-profound prelingual hearing-impaired children, including an intervention group (n = 60), control group (n = 30), and baseline study group (n = 638). Language scores of the participants and questionnaires to the caregivers/therapists were compared before and after the intervention. Average monthly increase in each language score of the control group and baseline study group were compared with those of the intervention group.

Results:

Language scores and the results of the questionnaire of the intervention group showed a significant improvement ( P < .05). The average monthly language growth of the intervention group was twice that of the control group and 3 to 4 times that of the baseline study group ( P < .05). The effect size was largest in communication (1.914), followed by syntax (0.931).

Conclusion:

Domain-based language training improved the language development and daily communication of hearing-impaired children without any adverse effects.
Predicting refeeding hypophosphataemia: insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) as a diagnostic biochemical marker for clinical practice
Authors: Goyale Atul , Ashley Sarah L , Taylor David R , Elnenaei Manal O , Alaghband-Zadeh Jamshid , Sherwood Roy A , le Roux Carel W , Vincent Royce P
Published: March 2014

Background

Refeeding syndrome (RS) is a potentially fatal condition that can occur following the re-introduction of nutrition after a period of starvation. Hypophosphataemia following the reintroduction of nutrition is often the only reliable biochemical marker of RS. Refeeding index (RI) generated from baseline insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and leptin has been proposed as a useful biochemical marker for the identification of patients at risk of developing refeeding hypophosphataemia (RH).

Methods

A prospective study included 52 patients referred for parenteral nutrition (PN). The sensitivity and specificity of IGF-1 measured using a sensitive assay was compared to the RI in predicting the development of RH (a ≥30% drop in PO4 during the first 36-h of PN administration). Leptin and IGF-1 were analysed on baseline samples using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunoassay. Daily blood samples were collected from all patients for routine biochemistry for the full duration of PN administration.

Results

High sensitivity IGF-1 measurement alone was comparable with the RI, using receiver–operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, with areas under the curve being 0.79 and 0.80, respectively, and superior to leptin alone (0.72) for predicting ≥30% drop in PO4. The cut-off value for IGF-1 that gave best sensitivity (91% [95% CI 75–98%]) and specificity (65% [95% CI 41–85%]) was 63.7 µg/L, with a likelihood ratio of 2.59.

Conclusion

Baseline IGF-1 is an objective, sensitive and specific biochemical marker in identifying patients who are at high risk of developing RH prior to PN administration and therefore may have a role in clinical practice.
The bipolar spectrum: Conceptions and misconceptions
Authors: Ghaemi S Nassir , Dalley Shannon
Published: March 2014

Objective:

This review aims to address concerns about the potential overinclusiveness and vagueness of bipolar spectrum concepts, and also, concerns about the overlap between bipolar illness and borderline personality.

Method:

Narrative review based on historical and empirical studies.

Results:

Bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) came to be separate entities with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition (DSM III), in contrast to the Kraepelinian manic-depressive insanity (MDI) concept, which included both. The bipolar spectrum concept is a return to this earlier Kraepelinian perspective. Further, very different features differentiate the disease of bipolar illness (family history of bipolar illness, severe recurrent mood episodes with psychomotor activation) from the clinical picture of borderline personality (dissociative symptoms, sexual trauma, parasuicidal self-harm). The term ‘disorder’ obfuscates an ontological difference between diseases, such as manic-depressive illness, and clinical pictures, such as hysteria/post-traumatic stress disorder/dissociation/borderline personality.

Conclusions:

Bipolar spectrum concepts are historically rooted in Kraepelin’s manic-depressive illness concept, are scientifically testable, and can be clearly formulated. Further, they differ in kind from traumatic/dissociative conditions in ways that can be both historically and scientifically established.
Impact of Educational Video on Critical Congenital Heart Disease Screening
Authors: Siefkes Heather M. , Hogan Whitnee J. , Flood Shannon M. , Ramsey Katrina L. , Reller Mark D. , Starmer Amy J. , Phillipi Carrie A.
Published: March 2014

Objective: To assess the status of pulse oximetry screening and barriers to implementing screening programs. Methods: This was a prospective pre-post intervention survey of nurse managers and medical directors of hospital-based birthing centers in Oregon, Idaho, and Southern Washington. The intervention was a 7-minute video demonstrating and discussing pulse oximetry screening for critical congenital heart disease. Results: Analysis of matched pairs showed a significant increase in the use of pulse oximetry screening during the study period from 52% to 73% ( P < .0001). Following implementation of the video, the perception of all queried potential barriers decreased significantly among individuals from hospitals self-identified as nonscreening at baseline. Viewing the educational video was associated with an increase in the percentage of individuals from nonscreening hospitals that rated screening as “very beneficial” (45% vs 90%, P = .0001). Conclusions: An educational video was associated with improved opinions of pulse oximetry screening among hospitals not currently screening.
Is there evidence that social class at birth increases risk of psychosis? A systematic review
Authors: Kwok Wingfai
Published: March 2014

Background:

In the 1950s, researchers showed an association between low socio-economic status (SES) and psychosis. Two competing theories social causation and social drift were proposed to explain the findings. In the intervening years, contrasting evidence emerged as some studies showed no association between SES and schizophrenia. At present, the nature of the relationship is still unclear; currently, there are no reviews in the literature examining the association between social class at birth and psychosis.

Aim:

To search the literature to clarify the relationship between social class at birth, measured by paternal occupation at birth, and the risk of adult-onset psychosis.

Methods:

A systematic search of the literature using a combination of keywords in Group 1 together with the keywords in Group 2 was performed in October 2012 in the following online databases: (a) MEDLINE (1946–2012), (b) PubMed, (c) Embase (1980–2012), (d) PsycINFO (1806–2012) and (e) Web of Science (1899–2012). Reference lists were also hand searched. The search provided 3,240 studies; following screening of the titles and abstracts by inclusion and exclusion criteria and quality assessment of the full text, 14 studies were identified to be appropriate for the review. The keywords used for the search were as follows: Group 1 – social class, social status, socioeconomic, socio-economic, SES; Group 2 – psychosis, psychoses, schizophrenia.

Results:

Seven studies showed an association between low SES and psychosis. Four studies showed no association, and three studies showed an association with high SES.

Conclusion:

There is not enough evidence to support the association between social class and psychosis. While some findings showed an association between low social class and psychosis, there were a number of conflicting studies showing no association or a link with higher social class. Interestingly, the results followed a temporal pattern, as all the studies conducted after 2001 supported an association between low SES at birth and psychosis. Four of the six studies employed a prospective design with large sample populations, indicating the need for further investigation.
Paradoxical Leadership and the Competing Values Framework
Authors: Lavine Marc
Published: March 2014

The development and enactment of leadership involves paradoxical tensions. Cultural and organizational forces increasingly reflect an awareness of paradox. Leadership is correspondingly understood as having paradoxical aspects. I address the relationship between leadership and paradox and explore the utility of the competing values framework as a means to develop leadership skill from a paradox perspective. The competing values framework can support the development of a more paradoxical view of leadership that encourages greater leader behavioral and cognitive complexity as well as increased leader flexibility. Furthermore, the capacities of awareness, exploration, and interpretation are identified as possible resources to advance paradoxical conceptualizations of leadership.
Impact resistance of hygrothermally conditioned composite laminates with different lay-ups
Authors: Zhong Yucheng , Joshi Sunil Chandrakant
Published: March 2014

Low-velocity impact testing was conducted on carbon/epoxy composite laminates exposed to hygrothermal environments. Besides normal laminates, staggered lay-up structures were made from unidirectional prepreg materials. The specimens were immersed in water at 80℃ for different durations before impact testing. Experimental data showed that moisture played a positive role by improving the impact resistance of composite laminates. Laminates with higher moisture level could behave elastically up to higher strain levels and retain their resistance to the striking impactor to larger deflections. After absorbing moisture, more of the impact energy was dissipated by the specimen through elastic deformation and less damage was induced to the laminate. Little degradation in the fiber/matrix interface was observed from SEM graphs. It is postulated that absorbed moisture improved the ductility of the epoxy resin by promoting chain segmental mobility of the polymer molecules, which eventually lead to the better impact response of laminates with higher moisture content.
Industrial legislation in Australia in 2013
Authors: McCrystal Shae
Published: March 2014

In respect of industrial legislation, 2013 was a year of contrasts. At federal level, the outgoing Australian Labor Party government secured substantive new rights for trade unions with respect to right of entry, while those same unions faced increased regulation of their internal affairs and onerous new reporting and disclosure requirements when changes enacted in 2012 to the Registered Organisations Act 2009 (Cth) took effect. Other changes to the Fair Work Act included the introduction of a new ‘anti-bullying’ regime and the implementation of a range of family friendly measures to encourage consultation and discussion between employees and employers. At state level, there were significant developments with respect to the regulation of public sector workers in Queensland and New South Wales. Changes to Queensland industrial relations legislation restricted the range of matters that may be contained in Queensland awards or agreements, and imposed further curtailment of the right of public sector workers to take industrial action. In New South Wales, major changes to public sector regulation saw the reduction of statutory restrictions around the employment of public sector workers and an increase in the range of discretionary matters controlled by the New South Wales Public Service Commissioner. These changes increased the managerial prerogative powers of the New South Wales and Queensland governments as employers, while reducing job security, employment conditions and the ability of state public sector workers to have a meaningful say in their working conditions.
Evaluating the Predictive Impact of an Emergent Literacy Model on Dyslexia in Italian Children
Authors: Bigozzi Lucia , Tarchi Christian , Pezzica Sara , Pinto Giuliana
Published: March 2014

The strong differences in manifestation, prevalence, and incidence in dyslexia across languages invite studies in specific writing systems. In particular, the question of the role played by emergent literacy in opaque and transparent writing systems remains a fraught one. This research project tested, through a 4-year prospective cohort study, an emergent literacy model for the analysis of the characteristics of future dyslexic children and normally reading peers in Italian, a transparent writing system. A cohort of 450 children was followed from the last year of kindergarten to the third grade in their reading acquisition process. Dyslexic children were individuated (Grade 3), and their performances in kindergarten in textual competence, phonological awareness, and conceptual knowledge of the writing system were compared with a matched group of normally reading peers. Results showed the predictive relevance of the conceptual knowledge of the writing system. The study’s implications are discussed.
Postsecondary Education Persistence of Adolescents With Specific Learning Disabilities or Emotional/Behavioral Disorders
Authors: Lee In Heok , Rojewski Jay W. , Gregg Noel , Jeong Seok-Oh
Published: March 2014

While experiences of students with disabilities transitioning from high school to college have been well documented, the influence exerted by selected factors on these experiences is less well understood. Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, the influence of selected risk and resilience factors on the short-term postsecondary educational outcomes, that is, persistence, of adolescents with specific learning disabilities or emotional/behavioral disorders was examined. A logistic model revealed group differences between individuals with disabilities and peers without disabilities. All selected risk and resilience factors significantly predicted educational persistence. No significant differences were observed between adolescents with specific learning disabilities or emotional/behavioral disorders, but three factors—grade point average, socioeconomic status, and number of friends having plans to attend a 4-year college—were significant predictors of educational persistence for adolescents with disabilities. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Psychometric Validation of the Moorong Self-Efficacy Scale in People With Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Brooks Jessica , Smedema Susan Miller , Tu Wei-Mo , Eagle Daniel , Catalano Denise , Chan Fong
Published: March 2014

The main study objective was to further evaluate the factorial validity of the Moorong Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES) with 266 Canadians with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Exploratory factor analysis yielded three reliable factors (Interpersonal, Instrumental, and Participation Self-Efficacy) building on earlier studies that extracted two factors. The MSES appears to be a promising rehabilitation assessment tool for individuals with SCI.
An outdoor-indoor coupled simulation framework for Climate Change–conscious Urban Neighborhood Design
Authors: Peng Chengzhi , Elwan Amr
Published: March 2014

Only recently, research communities and professional organizations have started to incorporate the factor of climate change in software-based environmental simulation with a view to inform climate adaptation planning and design. Based on the results from simulating a neighborhood design proposed for New Cairo, Egypt, we develop a conceptual framework and an environmental simulation workflow aimed at achieving Climate Change–conscious Urban Neighborhood Design (C3UND). Central to the C3UND approach is the coupling of neighborhood outdoor simulation and building indoor simulation and taking into account climate change scenarios as projected by today’s meteorological modeling. Utilizing two existing software systems, ENVI-met for urban neighborhood outdoor simulation and Ecotect for building indoor simulation, we demonstrate how a workflow can be implemented to play out climate change scenarios on urban neighborhoods and the buildings located within. The C3UND simulation framework and workflow was further applied to a neighborhood site at the Sheffield University campus in England with weather data input of the present day (2012) and of the 2050s generated by the CCWorldWeatherGen tool. Our current study suggests that environmental simulation of climate change scenarios at an urban neighborhood scale is currently achievable but not without considerable gaps. Use of additional three-dimensional virtual neighborhood models, for instance, is required to bring outdoor and indoor simulation outcomes together through graphic overlay to enable more intuitive and holistic understanding of potential climate change impacts. The implications of the C3UND framework for sustainable urban and architecture design are discussed, leading to a list of research questions to be further investigated.
We Need to Talk about Race
Authors: Harries Bethan
Published: March 2014

It is not easy to name racism in a context in which race is almost entirely denied. Despite a recent focus on the ‘silencing’ of race at a macro level, little has been done to explore the effects of living with these processes, including how they might be resisted. Drawing from a study with 20–30 year olds in Manchester, this article addresses this gap. It examines how respondents disavow racism they experience when to do so is counter-intuitively understood to be associated with being racist or intolerant. These narratives demand that we ask the question, why is racism denied? Or, why is it difficult to articulate? To do this, the article argues we must access narratives in ways that reveal the embeddedness of race and contradictory levels of experience and bring attention back to the meanings and effects of race in everyday life in order to challenge racism and white privilege.
Orbital tuberculosis in a paediatric population
Authors: Khurana Saurbhi , Pushker Neelam , Naik Sreedhara Shankara , Kashyap Seema , Sen Seema , Bajaj Mandeep S
Published: March 2014

Purpose

To report the clinical profile and management of orbital tuberculosis (TB) in children.

Methods

Eight cases were studied retrospectively.

Results

Ages in the range of 3–16 years. Three cases presented with discharging sinus in upper lid, three with a cystic mass and two with lid necrosis. Underlying bony changes were found in five patients. Drainage and curettage was done for five patients, needle drainage of fluid was done in one patient and in two patients local debridement was done. Polymerase chain reaction for tuberculosis was positive in four cases and acid fast bacilli (AFB) were isolated on culture in three cases. On histopathology, six cases had granulomatous inflammation with caseating necrosis in one, though AFB could not be found. A favourable response to anti-tubercular treatment was achieved in all cases.

Conclusion

High index of suspicion is required for diagnosis of orbital TB. Microbiological and pathological diagnosis may not be achieved in all cases.
Logistic Network Regression for Scalable Analysis of Networks with Joint Edge/Vertex Dynamics
Authors: Almquist Zack W. , Butts Carter T.
Published: March 2014

Change in group size and composition has long been an important area of research in the social sciences. Similarly, interest in interaction dynamics has a long history in sociology and social psychology. However, the effects of endogenous group change on interaction dynamics are a surprisingly understudied area. One way to explore these relationships is through social network models. Network dynamics may be viewed as a process of change in the edge structure of a network, in the vertex set on which edges are defined, or in both simultaneously. Although early studies of such processes were primarily descriptive, recent work on this topic has increasingly turned to formal statistical models. Although showing great promise, many of these modern dynamic models are computationally intensive and scale very poorly in the size of the network under study and/or the number of time points considered. Likewise, currently used models focus on edge dynamics, with little support for endogenously changing vertex sets. Here, the authors show how an existing approach based on logistic network regression can be extended to serve as a highly scalable framework for modeling large networks with dynamic vertex sets. The authors place this approach within a general dynamic exponential family (exponential-family random graph modeling) context, clarifying the assumptions underlying the framework (and providing a clear path for extensions), and they show how model assessment methods for cross-sectional networks can be extended to the dynamic case. Finally, the authors illustrate this approach on a classic data set involving interactions among windsurfers on a California beach.
“It’s in My Blood”
Authors: Maringira Godfrey , Gibson Diana , Richters Annemiek
Published: March 2014

This article examines the habitus of soldiers who either deserted or resigned from the Zimbabwe National Army in the post–2000 crisis in Zimbabwe and now live in exile in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is based on the information provided by forty-four former soldiers who related their life histories and participated in informal conversations and group discussions. A main finding is that these men, even though they have left the army, hold on in the extreme to their being as soldiers. This is shaped by at least four, interlinked dimensions of change in their lives: leaving the army without honorable discharge, leaving Zimbabwe itself, being exiles in an often unwelcoming South Africa, loss of family life and military status. The post-deployment dominance of military dispositions in the identity of the former soldiers is quite unique. Most former combatants worldwide have succeeded in different degrees to unmake their habituated forms of military identity or live with multiple identities.
The Battle for Equivalency
Authors: Brownson Connie
Published: March 2014

After decades of debate, a void still exists in the literature and socio-political dialog related to the unrestricted and unbiased inclusion of women in the military. The issue remains so highly charged that a fresh theoretical framework is necessary to accurately align the physical and social constraints in which military women serve. Offered here are findings of an exploratory study framed within a synthesis of evolutionary psychological and sociological theory. Distinction between the word “equivalent” as opposed to “equal” is critical in recognizing the physicality, skills, and talents both males and females bring to their Marine Corps experience. Qualitative data obtained from 67 female Marine Staff Non-commissioned Officers, Warrant Officers, and commissioned officers describe tactics to achieve levels of operational competency, respect, trust, and success in the Marine Corps. An achievable goal, the successful woman must manage her physicality, sexuality, and femininity adeptly to achieve the trust and confidence of her male as well as female colleagues.
Decolonization and Revolution
Authors: Tsui Brian
Published: March 2014

This article revisits Chinese intellectual discourse on the Indian nationalist movement during the Republican period and argues that interest in the Indian National Congress cut across ideological divides. By examining a range of published sources from the 1920s to the 1940s, this article shows that leading intellectuals took seriously the political movement Mohandas Gandhi led as a distinct model of revolutionary politics, spiritual resistance against Western industrial modernity, and an uneasy alliance between the national bourgeoisie and emerging subaltern groups. It demonstrates that unfolding events in India facilitated articulation of competing views on what decolonization entailed for China and other colonized societies. The Republican period was a unique moment when, in contrast to both the late imperial and postsocialist periods, the Chinese elite considered India as a potential exemplar of a new form of revolutionary politics that held not only national but also global significance.
Twice More—Thomas and the Synoptics: A Reply to Simon Gathercole, The Composition of the Gospel of Thomas, and Mark Goodacre, Thomas and the Gospels
Authors: Patterson Stephen J.
Published: March 2014

Whereas the recent studies by Mark Goodacre and Simon Gathercole focus on sayings in the Gospel of Thomas which have close Synoptic parallels, this review article highlights the historical and theological questions raised by a late rather than early Thomas. Furthermore, the review argues that too much credit is given to scanty or ambiguous evidence for Synoptic dependence (Gathercole), and that several cases of verbatim agreement between Thomas and the Synoptic Gospels (Goodacre) are brief, formulaic sayings which might in fact indicate familiarity with Q. Drawing on the modern analogy of how jokes circulate, ‘diagnostic shards’ (Goodacre) of shared words and phrases do not necessarily brand the author of Thomas as a plagiarist, but point in all likelihood to the author’s reliance on common oral tradition. Thomas also draws on numerous other, Synoptic-like traditions that are clearly independent of the canonical Gospels.
Boundary feedback control of open canals with a Riemann invariants approach
Authors: Cen Lihui , Xi Yugeng , Li Dewei , Cen Yigang
Published: March 2014

This paper proposes a boundary feedback control design for open canal networks using the linearization of boundary conditions. For open canal networks with any types of cross-sections, which can be modelled by the Saint-Venant equations, the characteristic form in terms of Riemann invariants has been established. Under this established characteristic form, the stabilizing boundary control law has been developed by linearizing the boundary conditions for both a single reach and the open-channel network composed by multi-reaches in a cascade. The design of the boundary feedback control laws for both a single canal and the cascaded networks is illustrated in a unified framework, which extends the results in the literature.
Observer-based finite-time passive control for a class of uncertain time-delayed Lipschitz nonlinear systems
Authors: Song Jun , He Shuping
Published: March 2014

The observer-based finite-time passive control problem of a class of Lipschitz nonlinear systems with uncertainties and time delays is studied. The nonlinear parameters are considered to satisfy the global Lipschitz conditions and the exogenous disturbances are unknown but energy-bounded. By constructing an appropriate Lyapunov function, a observer-based state feedback controller is designed to guarantee that the resulting closed-loop system is finite-time bounded and satisfies the given passive constraint condition. Some sufficient conditions for the solution to this problem are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Simulation results illustrate the validity of the proposed approach.
It Takes Two to Forgive
Authors: van der Wal Reine C. , Karremans Johan C. , Cillessen Antonius H. N.
Published: March 2014

Previous research demonstrated that perceived relationship value is a strong predictor of forgiveness. Here we suggest that relationship value may not be sufficient. Given that executive control is an important facilitator of forgiveness, we predicted that relationship value and executive control should interact toward promoting forgiveness. Using different indicators of executive control, including adults and children samples, measured or experimentally varied relationship value, and both self-report and behavioral forgiveness measures, across four studies we found support for our main prediction: Relationship value was positively associated with forgiveness; however, this association was mostly pronounced among individuals high (vs. low) in executive control. In addition, executive control was positively associated with forgiveness, but particularly in relationships of high (vs. low) relationship value. These findings suggest that relationship value and executive control in combination are associated with higher interpersonal forgiveness. Implications for the extant literature on forgiveness, and interpersonal relationships more broadly, are discussed.
The Adoption of Internationally Recognized Accounting Standards
Authors: Wu Joanna Shuang , Zhang Ivy Xiying
Published: March 2014

We examine whether the adoption of internationally recognized accounting standards is associated with a greater sensitivity of credit ratings to accounting information. We find that credit ratings are significantly more sensitive to the accounting default factor post voluntary International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)/U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principle (GAAP) adoption. Similar evidence is also found post mandatory IFRS adoption in countries with strong rules of law. Collectively, the above evidence suggests that firms’ incentives to comply are important in determining the consequences of accounting standard changes.
Power MOSFET–Diode–Based Limiter for High-Frequency Ultrasound Systems
Authors: Choi Hojong , Kim Min Gon , Cummins Thomas M. , Hwang Jae Youn , Shung K. Kirk
Published: March 2014

The purpose of the limiter circuits used in the ultrasound imaging systems is to pass low-voltage echo signals generated by ultrasonic transducers while preventing high-voltage short pulses transmitted by pulsers from damaging front-end circuits. Resistor–diode–based limiters (a 50 Ω resistor with a single cross-coupled diode pair) have been widely used in pulse-echo measurement and imaging system applications due to their low cost and simple architecture. However, resistor–diode–based limiters may not be suited for high-frequency ultrasound transducer applications since they produce large signal conduction losses at higher frequencies. Therefore, we propose a new limiter architecture utilizing power MOSFETs, which we call a power MOSFET–diode–based limiter. The performance of a power MOSFET–diode–based limiter was evaluated with respect to insertion loss (IL), total harmonic distortion (THD), and response time (RT). We compared these results with those of three other conventional limiter designs and showed that the power MOSFET–diode–based limiter offers the lowest IL (−1.33 dB) and fastest RT (0.10 µs) with the lowest suppressed output voltage (3.47 Vp-p) among all the limiters at 70 MHz. A pulse-echo test was performed to determine how the new limiter affected the sensitivity and bandwidth of the transducer. We found that the sensitivity and bandwidth of the transducer were 130% and 129% greater, respectively, when combined with the new power MOSFET–diode–based limiter versus the resistor–diode–based limiter. Therefore, these results demonstrate that the power MOSFET–diode–based limiter is capable of producing lower signal attenuation than the three conventional limiter designs at higher frequency operation.
Shariah after the Arab Spring?
Authors: Karčić Harun
Published: March 2014

Ever since the Arab Spring revolutions started, numerous journalists, academics and Middle East experts have been appearing on news channels, websites and radio talk shows warning of an impending and inevitable Islamist takeover should free elections be held in the post-Arab Spring Middle East. Their winning of free elections would almost certainly be followed with the implementation of the strictest interpretations of shariah. Was it so? The aim of this article is to answer the following question: Did the ‘Arab Spring’ pave the way for shariah-based constitutions? At the time of this writing (mid-2013) certain reversals of the Arab Spring are obviously taking place, hence this article is restricted to the immediate post-Arab Spring period.
Caregiver Burden, Health Status, and Learned Resourcefulness of Older Caregivers
Authors: Chen Meng-Chun , Chen Kuei-Min , Chu Tsui-Ping
Published: March 2014

As caregivers undertake caregiving responsibilities over a long period of time, the burdens placed on them could lead to undue stress and affect their health. This correlation study examined the current situations and relationships among caregiver burden, health status, and learned resourcefulness (LR) of older caregivers who care for disabled older adults, and predicted the important factors that affect their caregiver burden. In all, 108 older caregivers were recruited from home care services of two hospitals. Structured questionnaire interviews were applied to collect data: the Caregiver Burden Scale, the SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36), and the Rosenbaum’s Self-Control Schedule. Results indicated that the caregiver burden was negatively correlated with physical health, mental health, and LR. Physical and mental health were positively correlated with LR. The predictors of caregiver burden included LR, health status, economic status, and activities of daily living, which accounted for 58.60% of the total caregiver burden variance.
Role of Human Papillomavirus in the Pathogenesis of Laryngeal Dysplasia
Authors: Pagliuca Giulio , Martellucci Salvatore , Degener Anna Marta , Pierangeli Alessandra , Greco Antonio , Fusconi Massimo , De Virgilio Armando , Gallipoli Camilla , de Vincentiis Marco , Gallo Andrea
Published: March 2014

Objective

A synergistic effect between smoking and alcohol intake is the major cause of premalignant and malignant lesions of the larynx, but the risk factors and pathogenesis of the neoplastic transformation in nonsmokers remain poorly defined. The aim of this retrospective study is to establish the relationship between smoking habits and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in laryngeal dysplasia.

Study Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Setting

Academic university hospital.

Subjects and Methods

HPV DNA was amplified from 30 paraffin‐embedded laryngeal dysplasia tissue specimens by the polymerase chain reaction using 2 groups of different consensus primers (MYO9/MY11 and LCRF1‐4, E7R1‐4). Fifteen samples were taken from smokers and 15 from nonsmokers.

Results

The present investigation failed to demonstrate the HPV genome in all samples of laryngeal precancerous lesions, whereas HPV was detected in 4 laryngeal papilloma samples used as control to confirm the reliability of our method on paraffin‐embedded samples.

Conclusions

Although the small number of cases in our series limits the power of our statistical analysis, the absence of viral genomes in the specimens analyzed in this study suggests the lack of a relationship between HPV infection and laryngeal dysplasia in smokers as well as in nonsmokers.
Territorial Expansionism or Passion for the Lost? A Reflection on 21st-Century Mission with Reference to the Anglican Church of Nigeria
Authors: Fagbemi Stephen Ayodeji A.
Published: March 2014

The New Testament Church was born for mission and by it the gospel has reached different parts of the world today. Through the activities of the CMS, the gospel reached the shores of Nigeria and the Anglican Church of Nigeria was subsequently born. The Church in Nigeria has also employed various methods in furthering the mission of the Church. However, a critical evaluation suggests that unless the church carefully reviews its strategy, it risks abandoning NT mission for structural growth and expansionism which could have negative impact on the mission it sets out to promote. As well as reflect on biblical missions we shall reflect on the development of mission work in Nigeria with appropriate references to available materials while some will also include first- hand knowledge and information with no written document.
Understanding innovations in the evolving practice of blood and crystalloid cardioplegia
Authors: Bhakri KP , Mulholland J , Punjabi PP
Published: March 2014

The use of cardioplegia solution has substantially increased the safety of cardiac surgery. It protects the myocardium by inducing a rapid and complete diastolic arrest, minimizing myocardial energy requirements, preventing ischaemic damage during the arrest phase and minimizing or preventing reperfusion injury once coronary blood flow is restored.

This article is a summary of important information that has accumulated in the literature about cardioplegia and describes how our understanding of cardioplegia has evolved. The basic principles of myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion injury and how they relate to myocardial protection are described. Blood and crystalloid cardioplegia are compared with respect to biochemical and physiological differences.

Recent patient demographic changes, with surgeons operating on older, more complex patients who have more severe and diffuse disease, are discussed. This cohort of patients potentially requires prolonged elective ischaemia; hence, improved myocardial protection would be of benefit. We highlight areas of study that have demonstrated a new concept of myocardial protection, known as polarized arrest. Many pharmacological agents have been shown (in experimental studies) to have the ability to induce a polarized arrest and to provide improved protection.
Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) counterpulsation improves cerebral perfusion in patients with decreased left ventricular function
Authors: Pfluecke C , Christoph M , Kolschmann S , Tarnowski D , Forkmann M , Jellinghaus S , Poitz DM , Wunderlich C , Strasser RH , Schoen S , Ibrahim K
Published: March 2014

Background:

The current goal of treatment after acute ischemic stroke is the increase of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in ischemic brain tissue. Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) counterpulsation in the setting of cardiogenic shock is able to reduce left ventricular afterload and increase coronary blood flow. The effects of an IABP on CBF have not been sufficiently examined. We hypothesize that the use of an IABP especially enhances cerebral blood flow in patients with pre-existing heart failure.

Methods:

In this pilot study, 36 subjects were examined to investigate the effect of an IABP on middle cerebral artery (MCA) transcranial Doppler (TCD) flow velocity change and relative CBF augmentation by determining velocity time integral changes (ΔVTI) in a constant caliber of the MCA compared to a baseline measurement without an IABP. Subjects were divided into two groups according to their left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF): Group 1 LVEF >30% and Group 2 LVEF ≤30%.

Results:

Both groups showed an increase in CBF using an IABP. Patients with a LVEF ≤30% showed a significantly higher increase of ΔVTI in the MCA under IABP augmentation compared to patients with a LVEF >30% (20.9% ± 3.9% Group 2 vs.10.5% ± 2.2% Group 1, p<0,05). The mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased only marginally in both groups under IABP augmentation.

Conclusions:

IABP improves cerebral blood flow, particularly in patients with pre-existing heart failure and highly impaired LVEF. Hence, an IABP might be a treatment option to improve cerebral perfusion in selected patients with cerebral misperfusion and simultaneously existing severe heart failure.