bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated With Failure of Nonoperative Treatment in Lateral Epicondylitis
Authors: Knutsen Elisa J. , Calfee Ryan P. , Chen Raymond E. , Goldfarb Charles A. , Park Kevin W. , Osei Daniel A.
Published: June 2015

Background:

Lateral epicondylitis is a common cause of elbow pain that is treated with a variety of nonoperative measures and often improves with time. Minimal research is available on patients in whom these nonoperative treatments fail.

Purpose:

To identify baseline patient and disease factors associated with the failure of nonoperative treatment of lateral epicondylitis, defined as surgery after a period of nonoperative treatment.

Study Design:

Case control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A total of 580 patients treated for lateral epicondylitis at a tertiary center between 2007 and 2012 were analyzed. Disease-specific and patient demographic characteristics were compared between patient groups (nonoperative vs surgical treatment). A multivariable logistic regression model was created based on preliminary univariate testing to determine which characteristics were associated with failure of nonoperative treatment.

Results:

Of the 580 patients, 92 (16%) underwent surgical treatment at a mean of 6 months (range, 0-31 months) from their initial visit. Univariate analysis demonstrated a potential association ( P < .10) between operative management and the following factors at initial diagnosis: increased age, body mass index, duration of symptoms, presence of radial tunnel syndrome, prior injection, physical therapy, splinting, smoking, workers’ compensation, a labor occupation, use of narcotics, use of antidepressant medications, and previous orthopaedic surgery. In the final multivariable model, a workers’ compensation claim (odds ratio [OR], 8.1), prior injection (OR, 5.6), the presence of radial tunnel syndrome (OR, 3.1), previous orthopaedic surgery (OR, 3.2), and duration of symptoms >12 months (OR, 2.5) remained significant independent predictors of surgical treatment.

Conclusion:

This study identifies risk factors for surgical treatment for lateral epicondylitis. While these findings do not provide information regarding causal factors associated with surgery, these patient and disease-specific considerations may be helpful when counseling patients regarding treatment options and the likelihood of the success of continued nonoperative treatment.
Tests of high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete beams with different shear span-to-depth ratios and main longitudinal reinforcement
Authors: Alyousif Ahmed , Anil Ozgur , Sahmaran Mustafa , Lachemi Mohamed , Yildirim Gurkan , Ashour Ashraf F
Published: June 2015

Test results of 12 reinforced concrete (RC) beams having three shear span to effective depth ratios and two main longitudinal reinforcement amounts are reported. Six of the test specimens were produced with engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) and another corresponding six with ultra high-strength fiber-reinforced cementitious composite (RMC). The shear span to effective depth ratios of test specimens were selected low to investigate the shear performance of ECCs and RMC characterized by ultra high ductility-moderate strength and ultra high strength-moderate ductility, respectively. Shear-carrying capacity and ductility ratios of large-scale reinforced ECC and RMC beams were compared and interpreted for different shear spans, energy absorption capacities, and stiffnesses. The experimental results showed that for the three different shear spans, the RMC beams had higher shear capacity results than the ECC beams. Using both concrete types markedly restricted shear cracking and led to flexural failure. Overall findings suggest that RMC beams have higher shear capacity and yield stiffness than ECC beams, while ECC beams have a higher deflection ductility ratio and energy absorption capacity.
Between Contextualization and Comparison
Authors: Kubik Jan
Published: June 2015

The essay introduces five principles of an approach that helps to combine context sensitivity with generalizing ambition necessary for any serious comparative work. It also offers a list of five areas where East European experts are or should be making major contributions to the “general” knowledge while remaining attentive to the “specificities” of their region. It emphasizes a dialogue among scholars of several theoretical and methodological persuasions. Such synthetic/syncretic studies—also in the study of power and politics—may and often do begin with the work of researchers who construct panoramic vistas (via large-N statistical work) and/or reconstruct mechanisms of individual decision making (via game theoretic models). Nevertheless, they cannot do without the work of those who delve into the details of social processes (via sociological analysis); those who decipher the intricacies of meaning creation, transmission, and decoding (via interpretive work); and those who are able to place all of this in proper historical contexts.
Washington ‘Steps’ Up
Authors: Schwartz Rachel , Ellings Amy , Baisden Amy , Goldhammer Camie Jae , Lamson Erica , Johnson Donna
Published: June 2015

Background:

Breastfeeding initiation in Washington State (Northwest United States) is high, yet rates plummet by 3 months postpartum. In the United States, national quality improvement (QI) efforts to improve breastfeeding outcomes have largely focused on hospital maternity care practices through implementation of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. This framework has not extended similarly to primary care clinics, a key site for supporting continued breastfeeding following hospital discharge. This article details a pilot effort with community clinics to implement 10 evidence-based steps to support breastfeeding in the clinic setting and to evaluate the process and outcomes.

Objective:

A public-private-academic partnership developed and piloted a 10-step clinic breastfeeding support strategy and focused resources, training, and technical assistance on primary care clinics to help facilitate best-practice policy and environmental changes to improve clinic breastfeeding support.

Methods:

Eight health centers, serving predominantly Latino and Native American communities, worked to systematically implement 10 evidence-based steps developed for the community primary care setting. An evidence table, self-assessment with scoring criteria, tool kit, and provider reference documents were developed to guide clinics.

Results:

At baseline, clinics had 2 steps, on average, already in practice (range, 1-4 steps); by final assessment, an average of 7 steps was implemented (range, 5-9 steps). Within 6 months from pre-intervention to post, clinics fully operationalized between 2 and 7 steps.

Conclusion:

Catalyzing clinic QI efforts through an evidence-based 10-step model is an effective way to optimize primary care breastfeeding support and to strengthen the continuum of care for breastfeeding mothers and babies following hospital discharge.
Uncertainties, perils, and hope of an Asian century: A view from Southeast Asia
Authors: Goh Beng-Lan
Published: June 2015

Can an Asian century provide conditions for a more equal, just, and convivial global future? This article suggests that before the future can be contemplated, it is first necessary to take stock of the current state-of-affairs in Asian societies. Using current precedents in Southeast Asian societies, this article considers the prospects of an Asian Century. When seen from this sub-region, the question of finding the right balance to capitalist growth appears to be a foremost challenge as existing frameworks are buckling under the weight of capitalist, environmental, and nationalist entropies. Nonetheless, out of impotence also grew new possibilities at the everyday and intellectual levels. Repulsed by the vileness and futility observed, ordinary people, especially the young, are counteracting against power and social norms and creating alternative political strategies and public spheres in the process. Likewise, a transnational “critical Asian Studies in Asia” movement has enabled scholars to consolidate efforts to disarm hegemonies and find solutions to the complex dilemmas of the region. While no clear futuristic paradigms have emerged, state, economy, and society are all forced into gradual transformations as long as ordinary people and experts keep alive the struggle against all kinds of oppression and exclusion.
A refined Lamb wave time-reversal method with enhanced sensitivity for damage detection in isotropic plates
Authors: Agrahari Jitendra Kumar , Kapuria Santosh
Published: June 2015

In this work, we critically examine the effectiveness of the time-reversed Lamb wave based baseline-free damage detection technique for notch-type damage in isotropic plates, through finite element (FE) simulation of an integrated actuator–plate–sensor system. The FE simulation has been verified with experiments. We show that the single-mode tuning, hitherto recommended for improving performance of the time-reversal process (TRP) based technique, does not generally lead to the best reconstruction of the original input signal. The results of the TRP in the presence of notch-type damage show that the damage indices (DIs) computed using the conventional main wave packet of the reconstructed signal do not show any significant change with an increase in damage size, which is consistent with some recently reported experimental results by other groups. A new method of computing the DIs with extended signal length is proposed, which shows excellent sensitivity to damage, and also ensures a low threshold for the undamaged case, when used at the best reconstruction frequency. The same refined DIs, however, are not effective, when used at the so called sweet spot frequency exciting a single mode. Refined DIs based on correlation and similarity of the reconstructed signal reflect the true severity of damage.
Design of magnetorheological damper with short time response
Authors: Strecker Zbynek , Roupec Jakub , Mazurek Ivan , Machacek Ondrej , Kubik Michal , Klapka Milan
Published: June 2015

For efficient fast control of suspension systems with magnetorheological dampers controlled by semi-active algorithms, the time response of the magnetorheological damper is one of the most important parameters which influences the performance of the suspension system. The time response of commercial magnetorheological dampers with common controllers is in the range of tens of milliseconds, which is too long for efficient real-time control of car suspension. This article describes the ways how to design magnetorheological damper with short response time. First part describes the elimination of long time response caused by high inductance of electrical circuit of magnetorheological damper using current controller. The second part describes elimination of long time response caused by eddy currents which are induced in the magnetic circuit of magnetorheological damper. The new piston of the magnetorheological damper is designed from material with high relative permeability but low electrical conductivity (ferrite). The time responses of magnetic induction and damper forces were measured and compared to original commercial Delphi damper. Results showed rapid improvement in time response when the current controller is used and when the piston is constructed from ferrite materials.
High-pressure electrorheological valve with full pQ-functionality for servohydraulic applications
Authors: Heinken Helge , Krivenkov Konstantin , Ulrich Stephan , Bruns Rainer
Published: June 2015

Stationary and mobile hydraulic systems require switching increasing velocity, power and efficiency. Usually, their performance mainly faces physical constraints by the valves. These are in particular electrical and magnetic losses as well as various flow saturation effects. Compared to conventional valves, some of these physical constraints do not appear in electrorheological valves. However, electrorheological valves being employed as valves in conventional hydraulic systems were previously unimaginable due to the small controllable pressure differences. The presented new kind of electrorheological valve obtains a significant performance enhancement by combining the potential of conventional and electrorheological systems.
The two-way shape memory behaviour of crosslinked poly(ε-caprolactone) systems with largely varied network density
Authors: Pandini Stefano , Dioni Daniele , Paderni Katia , Messori Massimo , Toselli Maurizio , Bontempi Elza , Riccò Theonis
Published: June 2015

The two-way shape memory behaviour of semicrystalline networks was investigated on systems based on poly(ε-caprolactone) featuring significantly different network architecture. Crosslinked poly(ε-caprolactone)s were prepared by thermal curing from methacrylic end-capped linear chains having various methacrylation degrees. By conveniently reducing the methacrylation degree, the crosslink density of cured materials was varied over a range of one order of magnitude, leading to comparable changes in the material compliance in the rubbery region, but only to moderate variations in melting and crystallization temperatures (Tm and Tc) and in the crystallinity content. When subjected to constant non-zero stress and to cooling–heating cycles from above Tm to below Tc, the materials undergo a reversible two-way elongation–contraction effect, whose extent depends on material structure and applied stress. The structural changes in the crystalline phase accompanying the cooling-induced elongation were studied through differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analyses. The elongation process involves different contributions of entropy- and crystallization-driven processes, whose amounts were investigated as a function of the loading conditions and the molecular architecture. The role of the network density towards a controlled two-way response is evidenced, showing that a proper value of the crosslink density has to be identified to maximize the two-way elongation capabilities.
A Hospice-Based Bereavement Support Group Using Creative Arts
Authors: McGuinness Breffni , Finucane Niamh , Roberts Amanda
Published: June 2015

There is evidence of the value of individual creative arts (art, drama, music, etc.) in helping people to cope with bereavement. However, there is a gap in the research on the effectiveness of the intentional, combined use of creative arts activities in bereavement support group intervention for adults. This article describes an exploratory study which assessed the effectiveness of using creative arts activities in an eight session support group intervention. A waiting list, randomized control trial supplemented by limited qualitative data was used. Evidence was found that the intervention did help participants’ ability to move between loss and restoration coping when they attended at least six of the eight sessions. However, the use of creative arts activities appears to be more suitable for some people than for others.
Embodied Storytelling
Authors: Letherby Gayle , Davidson Deborah
Published: June 2015

Art, music, literature, and drama are acknowledged to have a place in the embodied experience of bereavement and increasingly are also utilized for the collection and presentation of data in the social sciences and humanities. Such work tells us much about ourselves as individuals and about our relationships with others. The concept of griefwork, which acknowledges and values the collective work the bereaved do with others, is one way to frame such endeavors during bereavement. Here, we outline some of our individual, and yet connected, creative work with reference to both our own experiences of loss and our relationship with each other. Specifically, we reflect on Deborah’s development of an online community for people with commemorative tattoos and Gayle’s exploration of new ways of writing (fiction or faction). We share examples from each project and reflect on their significance to the embodied experience of bereavement.
Loss, Bereavement and Creativity
Authors: Brennan Michael
Published: June 2015

Within the field of death and bereavement studies, the assumption that loss and bereavement provide the spur to creativity has become so widespread as to assume the status of a conventional wisdom. With this in mind, this article surveys the literature on the topic, extant, and contemporary, revealing its diffuseness as well as the multidisciplinary synergies produced by those working in disparate academic and clinical fields of practice. In so doing, the article explores what it means to be creative in the context of loss and bereavement, the potential for self-development and personal growth offered by creativity and loss, the theoretical premises linking creativity and loss, and the application and challenges for creative therapies in the institutional context of hospice and palliative care.
Partisan Politics, Financial Deregulation, and the New Gilded Age
Authors: Keller Eric , Kelly Nathan J.
Published: June 2015

This paper examines how financial deregulation and the partisan underpinnings of deregulation shaped the path of income inequality in the United States. Using time-series data from 1914 to 2010, we assess the effect of partisan politics on financial deregulation and, in turn, the effect of deregulation on income inequality. We find that financial deregulation has generally declined when Democrats attain more power in Washington and that deregulation has contributed to rising inequality. We also learn that the partisan effect on deregulation has diminished since the early 1980s, suggesting that one way partisan politics has contributed to the recent rise in inequality is related to convergence on matters of financial deregulation. We explore several potential explanations for this post–1980 partisan convergence, finding evidence supporting the idea that globalization, the increasing availability of credit, and shifts in campaign finance were contributing factors.
Linear matrix inequalities design approach for robust stabilization of uncertain nonlinear systems with perturbation based on optimally-tuned global sliding mode control
Authors: Mobayen Saleh , Baleanu Dumitru
Published: June 2015

This paper presents a novel global sliding mode control technique for the stabilization of a class of uncertain and nonlinear dynamic systems with perturbation. Using the Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequality, some sufficient conditions are deduced to guarantee the asymptotic stabilization of the system states and to modify the robustness of the system. To improve the robust performance, an innovative reaching control law is designed to guarantee a chattering-free finite time performance under the uncertainty and nonlinearities and is optimally tuned using a modified random search algorithm. Simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the suggested technique.
Unexpected Toxicology Findings in Rats Dosed With an Antihuman IL-13 Monoclonal Antibody
Authors: Martin Pauline L. , Nnane Ivo P. , Branigan Patrick , Louden Calvert
Published: June 2015

Interleukin 13 (IL-13) is a type 2 helper T cytokine involved in allergic inflammation and immune responses to parasites. CNTO5825 is an antihuman IL-13 monoclonal antibody that inhibits the pharmacological activity of human, cynomolgus monkey, and rat IL-13. Repeated dose toxicology studies of 1- to 6-month duration were conducted in both rats and monkeys at doses of 20 to 100 mg/kg/wk. A decrease in the T cell-dependent antibody response to Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin immunization was observed in monkeys but not in rats. In the 6-month rat study, there was a 2.2-fold increase in eosinophils in males at 3 and 6 months that was reversible. At necropsy (main and 4-month recovery), rats from control and CNTO5825-dosed groups were found to have pin worms, which may have contributed to the elevations in eosinophil. Testicular toxicity (dilatation of seminiferous tubules, atrophy, and degeneration of the germinal epithelium) was observed in 2 rats at 20 mg/kg and in 5 rats at 100 mg/kg (main and recovery). Brain lesions (unilateral focal accumulation of cells in the white matter of the cerebral cortex) were observed in 2 rats at 100 mg/kg, and vascular neoplasms (1 fatal multicentric hemangiosarcoma and 1 benign hemangioma) were observed at 100 mg/kg/wk. Overall, these studies show that CNTO5825 was without toxicity when administered to rats for up to 6 weeks and to monkeys for up to 6 months. However, when administered to rats for 6 months, a number of seemingly unrelated events occurred that could not be clearly linked to CNTO5825 administration, inhibition of IL-13, or to the immunological status of the animals.
Fit for work? Redefining ‘Normal’ and ‘Extreme’ through human enhancement technologies
Authors: Bloomfield Brian , Dale Karen
Published: June 2015

This article focuses on how the categories of ‘normal’ and ‘extreme’ in the context of work might be renegotiated through the development of human enhancement technologies which aim to enable the human body to be pushed beyond its biological limits. The ethical dimensions of human enhancement technologies have been widely considered, but there has been little debate about their role in the broader world of employment—nor, conversely, the recognition that prevailing employment relationships might shape the development and uptake of such technologies. Addressing the organisation of work within ‘advanced’ capitalist economies, this article considers the arguments for the potential use of cognitive enhancers, so-called ‘smart drugs’, in various domains of work such as surgery and transportation. We argue that the development of human enhancement technologies might foster the normalisation of ‘working extremely’—enabling longer working hours, greater effort or increased concentration—and yet at the same time promote the conditions of possibility under which workers are able to work on themselves so as to go beyond the norm, becoming ‘extreme workers’. Looking at human enhancement technologies not only enables us to see how they might facilitate ever greater possibilities for working extremely but also helps us to understand the conditions under which cultures of extreme work become the norm and how workers them/ourselves accept or even embrace such work.
Extreme managers, extreme workplaces: Capitalism, organizations and corporate psychopaths
Authors: Boddy Clive , Miles Derek , Sanyal Chandana , Hartog Mary
Published: June 2015

This article reports on qualitative research carried out in England in 2013. Participants were five organizational directors and two senior managers who had worked with six corporate psychopaths, as determined by a management psychopathy measure. The corporate psychopaths reported on displayed consistency in their approach to management. This approach was marked by high levels of abusive control. The corporate psychopaths were seen as being organizational stars and as deserving of awards by those above them, while they simultaneously subjected those below them to extreme behaviour, including bullying, intimidation and coercion. The corporate psychopaths also engaged in extreme forms of mismanagement characterized by poor personnel management, directionless leadership, mismanagement of resources and fraud.
The perils of project-based work: Attempting resistance to extreme work practices in video game development
Authors: Peticca-Harris Amanda , Weststar Johanna , McKenna Steve
Published: June 2015

This article examines two blogs written by the spouses of game developers about extreme and exploitative working conditions in the video game industry and the associated reader comments. The wives of these video game developers and members of the game community decry these working conditions and challenge dominant ideologies about making games. This article contributes to the work intensification literature by challenging the belief that long hours are necessary and inevitable to make successful games, discussing the negative toll of extreme work on workers and their families, and by highlighting that the project-based structure of game development both creates extreme work conditions and inhibits resistance. It considers how extreme work practices are legitimized through neo-normative control mechanisms made possible through project-based work structures and the perceived imperative of a race or ‘crunch’ to meet project deadlines. The findings show that neo-normative control mechanisms create an insularity within project teams and can make it difficult for workers to resist their own extreme working conditions, and at times to even understand them as extreme.
Extreme work/normal work: Intensification, storytelling and hypermediation in the (re)construction of ‘the New Normal’
Authors: Granter Edward , McCann Leo , Boyle Maree
Published: June 2015

The label ‘extreme’ has traditionally been used to describe out-of-the-ordinary and quasi-deviant leisure subcultures which aim at an escape from commercialized and over-rationalized modernity or for occupations involving high risk, exposure to ‘dirty work’ and a threat to life (such as military, healthcare or policing). In recent years, however, the notion of ‘extreme’ is starting to define more ‘normal’ and mainstream realms of work and organization. Even in occupations not known for intense, dirty or risky work tasks, there is a growing sense in which ‘normal’ workplaces are becoming ‘extreme’, especially in relation to work intensity, long-hours cultures and the normalizing of extreme work behaviours and cultures. This article explores extreme work via a broader discussion of related notions of ‘edgework’ and ‘extreme jobs’ and suggests two main reasons why extremity is moving into everyday organizational domains; the first relates to the acceleration and intensification of work conditions and the second to the hypermediation of, and increased appetite for, extreme storytelling. Definitions of extreme and normal remain socially constructed and widely contested, but as social and organizational realities take on ever more extreme features, we argue that theoretical and scholarly engagement with the extreme is both relevant and timely.
Coping and quality of life of patients following microsurgical treatment for breast cancer–related lymphedema
Authors: Teo Irene , Fingeret Michelle Cororve , Liu Jun , Chang David W
Published: June 2015

Breast cancer–related lymphedema is associated with numerous adverse outcomes. This study investigated the extent clinical factors, lymphedema symptoms, lymphedema-related appearance, and coping strategies predicted quality of life. Female patients who underwent microsurgical treatment for lymphedema ( n = 54) participated. Lymphedema symptoms were associated with physical and functional well-being, but not emotional and social well-being. Clinical factors and lymphedema-related appearance were not significantly associated with quality of life. Compared to adaptive coping strategies, maladaptive coping strategies (e.g. denial, venting, self-blame) were more strongly associated with quality of life. This suggests psychosocial interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive coping behaviors can potentially improve quality of life for this patient population.
‘A new and more rigorous approach’ to expert evidence in England and Wales?
Authors: Ward Tony
Published: June 2015

An amendment to the Criminal Practice Direction issued by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales lays down guidance for judges to follow in determining whether expert evidence is ‘sufficiently reliable to be admitted’. Although the guidelines are based on those proposed by the Law Commission in 2011, they do not include a definition of ‘sufficiently reliable’, such as would have been provided by the Law Commission’s Draft Bill, which the government declined to introduce. A criterion of ‘sufficient reliability’ must therefore be found within the common law. This article argues that ‘sufficient reliability’ is an aspect of ‘helpfulness’ and reflects the principle that experts should provide the jury with criteria with which to assess the weight of their evidence. Reliable evidence, in short, is evidence that provides the jury with sound reasons for relying on it. This criterion could be as rigorous as that proposed by the Law Commission, and possibly more so.
On urban reform, rights and planning challenges in the Brazilian metropolis
Authors: Klink Jeroen , Denaldi Rosana
Published: June 2015

This article provides a theoretical interpretation on the limits and potentials of the internationally highly acclaimed Brazilian urban reform as implemented since the 1990s. We argue that representations grounded in collaborative planning and neo-institutional property theory are of little help in providing insights to the somewhat disappointing progress of ‘really existing’ Brazilian urban reform. We provide a different theoretical framework based on adapted regulation theory and critical Brazilian urban scholarship. While it underlines that better plans, planning processes and redistributive land-market instruments frequently fail to produce better cities in light of a contradictory developmental state mode of production itself, it also recognizes potential progressive praxis of social movements and local governance.
Plural voting and political equality: A thought experiment in democratic theory
Authors: Latimer Trevor
Published: June 2015

I demonstrate that a set of well-known objections defeat John Stuart Mill’s plural voting proposal, but do not defeat plural voting as such. I adopt the following as a working definition of political equality: a voting system is egalitarian if and only if departures from a baseline of equally weighted votes are normatively permissible. I develop an alternative proposal, called procedural plural voting, which allocates plural votes procedurally, via the free choices of the electorate, rather than according to a substantive standard of competence. The alternative avoids standards objections to Mill’s proposal. Moreover, reflection on the alternative plural voting scheme disrupts our intuitions about what counts as an egalitarian voting system. Undue emphasis on Mill’s version of plural voting obscures three important reasons to reject plural voting in favor of strictly egalitarian voting systems: (1) that certain choices that generate inequalities of political power are morally impermissible; (2) that even chosen inequalities may undermine the potential epistemic benefits of democratic decision-making; and (3) that such choices may undermine citizens’ commitments to democracy understood as a joint project.
A pilot test of the new Swiss regulatory procedure for categorizing clinical trials by risk: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Cevallos Myriam , Züllig Stephanie , Christen Andri , Meier Brigitte E , Goetz Martin , Coslovsky Michael , Trelle Sven
Published: June 2015

Background/Aims:

Several countries are working to adapt clinical trial regulations to align the approval process to the level of risk for trial participants. The optimal framework to categorize clinical trials according to risk remains unclear, however. Switzerland is the first European country to adopt a risk-based categorization procedure in January 2014. We assessed how accurately and consistently clinical trials are categorized using two different approaches: an approach using criteria set forth in the new law (concept) or an intuitive approach (ad hoc).

Methods:

This was a randomized controlled trial with a method-comparison study nested in each arm. We used clinical trial protocols from eight Swiss ethics committees approved between 2010 and 2011. Protocols were randomly assigned to be categorized in one of three risk categories using the concept or the ad hoc approach. Each protocol was independently categorized by the trial’s sponsor, a group of experts and the approving ethics committee. The primary outcome was the difference in categorization agreement between the expert group and sponsors across arms. Linear weighted kappa was used to quantify agreements, with the difference between kappas being the primary effect measure.

Results:

We included 142 of 231 protocols in the final analysis (concept = 78; ad hoc = 64). Raw agreement between the expert group and sponsors was 0.74 in the concept and 0.78 in the ad hoc arm. Chance-corrected agreement was higher in the ad hoc (kappa: 0.34 (95% confidence interval = 0.10–0.58)) than in the concept arm (0.27 (0.06–0.50)), but the difference was not significant (p = 0.67).

Limitations:

The main limitation was the large number of protocols excluded from the analysis mostly because they did not fit with the clinical trial definition of the new law.

Conclusion:

A structured risk categorization approach was not better than an ad hoc approach. Laws introducing risk-based approaches should provide guidelines, examples and templates to ensure correct application.
Development and verification of an EnergyPlus-based algorithm to predict heat transfer through building walls integrated with phase change materials
Authors: Lee Kyoung Ok , Medina Mario A , Sun Xiaoqin
Published: June 2015

A conduction finite difference algorithm developed for EnergyPlus was used to model building walls integrated with phase change materials. The model was validated by comparing it against experimental data in terms of temperatures, wall heat fluxes, and total wall heat transfer. Experimental data, using two identical test houses of conventional residential construction, were collected for the validation and further analyses. The thermal performance of walls without phase change materials (control house) and with phase change materials (retrofit house) was evaluated. The model showed that the differences between experimental and predicted total heat transfer values were under 5%. The total heat transfer reductions produced by phase change materials could be predicted accurately using the conduction finite difference algorithm in EnergyPlus.
Translation and Symbolic Capital in the Era of Globalization: French Literature in the United States
Authors: Sapiro Gisèle
Published: June 2015

The discourse about the ‘death of French literature’ which has spread throughout the Anglo-American publishing industry since the 1990s raises the question of the conditions required for a dominant national literature to maintain its symbolic capital in the era of globalization. This discourse is a sell-fulfilling prophecy used as a weapon in the international competition and struggles within the world market of translation in a context of accrued economic constraints. The present article first confronts discourse to practice through ohHan empirical study of the circulation of French literature in the United States in the era of globalization, based on a quantitative analysis of all the literary titles translated from French in the United States between 1990 and 2003, on interviews with publishers and translators, and on archives. The symbolic capital of French literature appears to be founded not only on its past achievements (classics) but also on its present production, which accounts for 40% of the translations. Although most are novels, upmarket genres like poetry and theatre are better represented than commercial genres. The data also displays the growing diversity of translated authors, regarding gender and nationality. However, the high centralization of the publishing field in the Francophone area impacts the circulation pattern: most translated works were published in Paris. The article then turns to analyse the structure of the American publishing field, using Bourdieu’s opposition between small-scale and large-scale production: French literature is located at the pole of small-scale production, a factor that explains its growing invisibility. A network analysis displays three clusters of publishers: large conglomerates who prefer to reprint classics, university presses engaged in the canonization of modern French literature, and small independent publishers investing in living writers. A by-product of the stiffening of commercial constraints on the publishing industry, the discourse on the ‘death of French literature’ paradoxically contributes to nourishing the well-founded fiction of national literatures. On the theoretical level, using world system analysis, field theory and the concept of symbolic capital helps explain isomorphism by imitation in the global market of translation.
Monogenic diabetes and pregnancy
Authors: Murphy Rinki
Published: June 2015

Monogenic diabetes is frequently mistakenly diagnosed as either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, yet accounts for approximately 1–2% of diabetes. Identifying monogenic forms of diabetes has practical implications for specific therapy, screening of family members and genetic counselling. The most common forms of monogenic diabetes are due to glucokinase ( GCK), hepatocyte nuclear factor ( HNF) -1A and HNF-4A, HNF-1B, m.3243A>G gene defects. Practical aspects of their recognition, diagnosis and management are outlined, particularly as they relate to pregnancy. This knowledge is important for all physicians managing diabetes in pregnancy, given this is a time when previously unrecognised monogenic diabetes may be uncovered with careful attention to atypical features of diabetes misclassified as type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes.
Triumphing over evil: Edmund Burke and the idea of humanitarian intervention
Authors: Boisen Camilla
Published: June 2015

This article argues that one of the main justifications underlying Burke’s plea for a military campaign against revolutionary France was based on humanitarian considerations. With its revolutionary doctrines, France had committed an open act of aggression against the European community of states, the containment of which required a right of intervention and the immediate restitution of the ancien regime. The French Republic endangered the lives of its own citizens, those of Europeans in general, and was liable to lead to the collapse of the whole ancient order upon which the European family of states depended. The motivation and evidence for this is to be found in his understanding of the law of nations, developed from customary practices that constituted a society of states or the Commonwealth of Europe as Burke termed it. It is in this respect that Burke departs significantly from better known codifiers of the law of nations such as Grotius, Pufendorf and Vattel. As such, the basis for ‘humanitarian intervention’ in Burke’s writing is predicated upon common and customary law.
Improvement of cerebral hypometabolism after resection of radiation-induced necrotic lesion in a patient with cerebral arteriovenous malformation
Authors: Harada Yae , Hirata Kenji , Nakayama Naoki , Yamaguchi Shigeru , Yoshida Michiharu , Onodera Shunsuke , Manabe Osamu , Shiga Tohru , Terae Satoshi , Shirato Hiroki , Tamaki Nagara
Published: June 2015

A 55-year-old woman underwent radiosurgery for a left cerebral hemisphere arteriovenous malformation (AVM) and developed radiation-induced necrosis causing a massive edema in the surrounding brain tissues. Despite various therapies, the edema expanded to the ipsilateral hemisphere and induced neurological symptoms. The radiation-induced necrotic lesion was surgically removed 4 years after radiosurgery. While the preoperative FDG PET revealed severe hypometabolism in the left cerebrum, the necrotomy significantly ameliorated the brain edema, glucose metabolism (postoperative FDG PET), and symptoms. This case indicates that radiation necrosis-induced neurological deficits may be associated with brain edema and hypometabolism, which could be reversed by appropriate necrotomy.
Interrelationships of Sex, Physician-Diagnosed Arthritis, Chronic Inflammation, and Physical Functioning in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys
Authors: Beydoun Hind A. , Archer David F. , Zonderman Alan B. , Beydoun May A.
Published: June 2015

Objective: To examine whether serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen were associated with total score on a validated 12-item physical functioning scale and whether the magnitude and direction of these associations differed according to sex and physician-diagnosed arthritis. Method: Secondary analyses of cross-sectional data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were conducted using a representative sample of 4,606 older adults, 60 years and older. Results: Linear models suggested that overall physical functioning was strongly and independently associated with CRP (adjusted β = +.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [+0.42, +0.94]) and fibrinogen (adjusted β = +1.66, 95% CI = [+0.89, +2.42]); these associations were modified by physician-diagnosed arthritis status, with strongest associations observed among individuals diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis or no arthritis and weakest association observed among those diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Conclusion: CRP and fibrinogen may be associated with poorer physical functioning in older adults, especially among those having rheumatoid arthritis or no arthritis.
Live cell evaluation of granzyme delivery and death receptor signaling in tumor cells targeted by human natural killer cells
Authors: Vrazo Alexandra C. , Hontz Adrianne E. , Figueira Sarah K. , Butler Braeden L. , Ferrell Julie M. , Binkowski Brock F. , Li Jinzhu , Risma Kimberly A.
Published: June 2015

Key Points

Natural killer cell granzyme B, A, and K delivery and subsequent caspase activation is rapid after conjugation with tumor target cells. Natural killer cells also induce caspase activation through death receptor ligation that can be monitored in real time.
Correlation of mutation profile and response in patients with myelofibrosis treated with ruxolitinib
Authors: Patel Keyur P. , Newberry Kate J. , Luthra Rajyalakshmi , Jabbour Elias , Pierce Sherry , Cortes Jorge , Singh Rajesh , Mehrotra Meenakshi , Routbort Mark J. , Luthra Madan , Manshouri Taghi , Santos Fabio P. , Kantarjian Hagop , Verstovsek Srdan
Published: June 2015

Key Points

In patients treated with ruxolitinib, harboring ≥3 mutations was inversely correlated with spleen response and time to treatment discontinuation. Multigene profiling may be useful for therapeutic planning.
New fixed point theorem under R-contractions
Authors: Roldán López de Hierro Antonio Francisco , Shahzad Naseer
Published: June 2015

In this manuscript we introduce the notions of R-function and R-contractions, and we show an ad hoc fixed point theorem. We prove that this new kind of contractions properly includes the family of all Meir-Keeler contractions and other well-known classes of contractions that have been given very recently (for instance, those using simulation functions and manageable functions). As a consequence, our approach turns out to be appropriate to unify the treatment of different kinds of contractive nonlinear operators.
The beta Marshall-Olkin family of distributions
Authors: Alizadeh Morad , Cordeiro Gauss M. , Brito Edleide de , B. Demétrio Clarice Garcia
Published: June 2015

We study general mathematical properties of a new generator of continuous distributions with three extra shape parameters called the beta Marshall-Olkin family. We present some special models and investigate the asymptotes and shapes. The new density function can be expressed as a mixture of exponentiated densities based on the same baseline distribution. We derive a power series for its quantile function. Explicit expressions for the ordinary and incomplete moments, quantile and generating functions, Bonferroni and Lorenz curves, Shannon and Rényi entropies and order statistics, which hold for any baseline model, are determined. We discuss the estimation of the model parameters by maximum likelihood and illustrate the flexibility of the family by means of two applications to real data. PACS 02.50.Ng, 02.50.Cw, 02.50.-r Mathematics Subject Classification (2010) 62E10, 60E05, 62P99
A randomized clinical trial of ascorbic acid in open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
Authors: Duffy Martin J , O’Kane Cecilia M , Stevenson Michael , Young Ian S , Harkin Denis W , Mullan Brian A , McAuley Daniel F
Published: June 2015

Background

Open AAA repair is associated with ischaemia-reperfusion injury where systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction can lead to multiple organ injury including acute lung injury. Oxidative stress plays a role that may be inhibited by ascorbic acid.

Methods

A double blind, allocation concealed, randomized placebo-controlled trial was performed to test the hypothesis that a single bolus dose (2g) of intra-operative parenteral ascorbic acid would attenuate biomarkers of ischaemia-reperfusion injury in patients undergoing elective open AAA repair.

Results

Thirty one patients completed the study; 18 received placebo and 13 ascorbic acid. Groups were comparable demographically. Open AAA repair caused an increase in urinary Albumin:Creatinine Ratio (ACR) as well as plasma IL-6 and IL-8. There was a decrease in exhaled breath pH and oxygenation. Lipid hydroperoxides were significantly higher in the ascorbic acid group following open AAA repair. There were no other differences between the ascorbic acid or placebo groups up to 4 hours after removal of the aortic clamping.

Conclusions

Open AAA repair caused an increase in markers of systemic endothelial damage and systemic inflammation. Administration of 2g parenteral ascorbic acid did not attenuate this response and with higher levels of lipid hydroperoxides post-operatively a pro-oxidant effect could not be excluded.

Trial registration

ISRCTN27369400
Early Relapse of Follicular Lymphoma After Rituximab Plus Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and Prednisone Defines Patients at High Risk for Death: An Analysis From the National LymphoCare Study
Authors: Casulo Carla , Byrtek Michelle , Dawson Keith L. , Zhou Xiaolei , Farber Charles M. , Flowers Christopher R. , Hainsworth John D. , Maurer Matthew J. , Cerhan James R. , Link Brian K. , Zelenetz Andrew D. , Friedberg Jonathan W.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

Twenty percent of patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) experience progression of disease (POD) within 2 years of initial chemoimmunotherapy. We analyzed data from the National LymphoCare Study to identify whether prognostic FL factors are associated with early POD and whether patients with early POD are at high risk for death.

Patients and Methods

In total, 588 patients with stage 2 to 4 FL received first-line rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). Two groups were defined: patients with early POD 2 years or less after diagnosis and those without POD within 2 years, the reference group. An independent validation set, 147 patients with FL who received first-line R-CHOP, was analyzed for reproducibility.

Results

Of 588 patients, 19% (n = 110) had early POD, 71% (n = 420) were in the reference group, 8% (n = 46) were lost to follow-up, and 2% (n = 12) died without POD less than 2 years after diagnosis. Five-year overall survival was lower in the early-POD group than in the reference group (50% v 90%). This trend was maintained after we adjusted for FL International Prognostic Index (hazard ratio, 6.44; 95% CI, 4.33 to 9.58). Results were similar for the validation set (FL International Prognostic Index–adjusted hazard ratio, 19.8).

Conclusion

In patients with FL who received first-line R-CHOP, POD within 2 years after diagnosis was associated with poor outcomes and should be further validated as a standard end point of chemoimmunotherapy trials of untreated FL. This high-risk FL population warrants further study in directed prospective clinical trials.