bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
User-driven standards in a mutual help context: The co-emergence of subjects and standards
Authors: Keis Mille K. B. , Nymann Nielsen Asger J. , Nissen Morten
Published: April 2016

Standards entail abstractions and generalizations. The 12-step fellowships (i.e., Alcoholics, Narcotics, Overeaters Anonymous, etc.) are all grounded in the same 12 steps and 12 traditions, originally developed for Alcoholics Anonymous. Furthermore, several principles and practices can be found across different fellowships addressing different addictions. At the same time, 12-step literature and most academic analyses of the fellowships agree that the content of these standards is never definite; no one but oneself may decide whether one lives up to the standard in question. Thus, 12-step fellowships seem a pure case of how the duality of social structure and personal definition is built into the fabric of standards. Yet, with a closer attention to practices, negotiations, and performances, it is possible to disturb this neat distribution of abstract-social versus concrete-personal. Drawing on two recent studies of Copenhagen fellowships, this article aims to problematize the assumption that user-driven standards must assume the pseudo-commercial “logic of choice,” in favor of a view of subjects and standards as co-emerging.
Proportional–integral–derivative attitude control subject to dynamic rate saturation of elevator through explicit command reshaping: An engineering approach
Authors: Li Yi , Sun Mingwei , Wang Zenghui , Chen Zengqiang
Published: April 2016

In this article, an explicit pitch command governor for a kind of proportional–integral–derivative attitude control system is proposed based on the model predictive control philosophy to avoid the dynamic rate saturation in the elevator. In this command governor, the control horizon of the model predictive controller is selected as 1 such that the predicted saturations can be represented by a set of linear inequalities, which can significantly reduce the computational complexity, and the optimal solution can be calculated in real-time. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated via numerical simulations. In addition, the limitations of this pitch governor are also revealed through investigating its scope of application in terms of uncertainties, nonlinearities and coupling effects.
The importance of actual use in defining and measuring innovative behaviour: Comparison of e-book reader users and non-users
Authors: Waheed Mehwish , Klobas Jane E. , Kaur Kiran
Published: April 2016

This study introduces the concept of personal innovative behaviour and demonstrates its validity in the context of e-book reader adoption and use. Personal innovative behaviour, unlike measures of consumer innovativeness, amalgamates decisions about product adoption with reports of the product’s actual use. Quantitative methodology was used, and probability proportional stratified sampling technique was used to obtain the proportionate sample. Items to measure personal innovative behaviour for e-book readers were included in a questionnaire distributed to students at a Malaysian university. Of the 386 participants, 79% used the e-book reader, half of them for academic purposes. Confirmatory factor analysis using Amos tested the concept of personal innovative behaviour for both users and non-users. The results indicated that the underlying dimensions, (intended Adoption Behaviour and actual Use Behaviour), could be measured and combined in a structural model only for users, i.e. innovators. Good model fit confirmed the validity and reliability of the framework. The redefined construct and scale validation will be helpful to researchers to measure the individual personal behaviour in terms of their final decision to adopt and actual usage of the novel product. The personal innovative behaviour scale presented here can be used by researchers and practitioners to measure adoption and use of personal information products and devices. The two dimensional conceptualization of personal innovative behaviour (intended Adoption Behaviour and actual Use Behaviour) reconciles similarities and differences between the decision and action variables in innovation diffusion theory and the technology acceptance model.
Library metrics – studying academic users’ information retrieval behavior: A case study of an Israeli university library
Authors: Greenberg Riki , Bar-Ilan Judit
Published: April 2016

The purpose of this study is to get insights on library users’ information retrieval behavior, as reflected in log files, reports, and publishers’ counts. From the data it appears that the library’s discovery tool is not the major source for accessing full text items and the patrons often prefer other sources such as Google Scholar. Google Scholar cannot replace the library, but it can link users to resources that the patrons can access, through library subscriptions.
A New Definition of Patriarchy: Control of Women’s Sexuality, Private Property, and War
Authors: Christ Carol P.
Published: April 2016

Carol P. Christ discusses her new multi-pronged definition of patriarchy as an integral system: male dominance is enforced by violence which is a product of war; the control of female sexuality ensures the transfer private property and slaves which are the spoils of war in the male line; and the system as a whole is legitimated by religion. She argues, based on the new research on matriarchies (which are not the mirror image of patriarchies) that patriarchy is not eternal or universal, but that it arose in history, and is inseparable from the rise of warfare and other forms of domination.
Feminist Theology and Meister Eckhart’s Transgendered Metaphor
Authors: Williams Duane
Published: April 2016

This essay examines a key theme in the work of the medieval mystical theologian, Meister Eckhart, namely, the Father giving birth to the Son in the soul. It explores this theme in the light of feminist theology, and argues that Eckhart is deliberately applying to God a female act and therefore characteristic. Criticisms of the efficacy of such female imagery are considered, but countered through a defence of what is argued to be Eckhart’s incontestable qualification of the male symbol through a metaphor based on a biological fact. In turn the image of women in the limited biological role of giving birth is critically examined, while Eckhart is argued in his life and work to have risen above any position that fixes and limits the roles and identities of women. Further it is shown that Eckhart has not simply substituted female imagery for male, thereby reinforcing binary gender opposition and any negative consequences that befall. Eckhart is rather shown to employ an androgynous and transgendered metaphor in that the male Father-God is simultaneously a female Mother-God. The nature and purpose of Eckhart’s transgendered metaphor is then explored in relation to its apophatic context.
Hybridity, Postcolonialism and Asian American Women
Authors: Kim Grace Ji-Sun
Published: April 2016

Postcolonialism has made an impact in today’s world as it affects one’s understanding of self, the other and community. Colonialism has had devastating consequences on many people around the globe. It has created a sense of alienation, dislocation, exile and subordination for many women. Due to colonialism, globalization and migration, many women are living in other places than their birth places. Asian American women are not exempt from the affects of colonialism and they are experiencing the affect of being the other and the foreigner. In light of postcolonial studies, it may be important and helpful to discuss hybridity as a way of understanding identity in an ever changing world.
Race, Class, and Abortion: How Liberation Theology Enhances the Demand for Reproductive Justice
Authors: Cooper Thia
Published: April 2016

The debate over abortion tends to be framed as life versus choice. Yet, neither pole matches the actual experiences of women, especially women of colour and poor women. Using the hermeneutical circle from the perspective of Christian liberation theology, this article argues that beginning with the voices of those marginalized in the debate leads us to a broader conversation of reproductive justice, which requires an analysis of reproduction as a whole. The article focuses on what constrains the ability of women and men to choose whether to have children, across the spectrum from contraception to abortion to fetus selection.
Grace Beyond Nature? Beyond Embodiment as Essentialism: A Christological Critique
Authors: Daniels Brandy
Published: April 2016

This essay explores the relationship between nature and grace and the theological impact of this relationship on feminist anthropological debates. Engaging this debate through an examination and critique of Serene Jones’ ‘eschatological essentialism’, this essay suggests that Jones mistakenly characterizes constructivism, and thus turns too quickly to an essentialist paradigm without considering its risks. Using Judith Butler and Karl Barth, this essay proposes an account of identity that the author calls a ‘Christological constructivism’. Suggesting that the person and work of Christ instantiates a grace that disrupts nature, Daniels argues for an account of identity as ‘more-than’, suggesting that this anthropology engenders healing for women, and men, within communities religious and otherwise.
Book Review: Pritam Singh, Asha Bhandarkar and Sumita Rai, 2012, Millennials and the Workplace: Challenges for Architecting the Organizations of Tomorrow
Authors: Khera Shikha N. , Malik Sahil
Published: April 2016

Pritam Singh, Asha Bhandarkar and Sumita Rai, 2012, Millennials and the Workplace: Challenges for Architecting the Organizations of Tomorrow, New Delhi: SAGE Publications, pp. 231, ₹ 425, ISBN: 978-81-321-0898-6.
Facing the Challenge of Climate Change
Authors: Pfeiffer Alexander , Hepburn Cameron
Published: April 2016

Central Asia faces serious environmental challenges, many as a legacy of Soviet times. Many of these environmental issues involve the use and abuse of scarce water resources. The huge investments in irrigation infrastructure by Soviet planners resulted in a vast diversion of water flows from the two main rivers of the region—the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya—into arid areas to feed the rapid expansion of region-wide cotton production, and to supply the rapidly growing urban centers in Central Asia. Since water was treated as a free good, it was used wastefully and unsustainably. In addition, Central Asia has to deal with many environmental hot spots caused by industrial and mining activities initiated in Soviet times. Add to this the lack of effective treatment of industrial and residential waste water and solid wastes in the growing cities of the region, and it is clear that Central Asia faces a tremendous environmental challenge, which needs to be addressed both at a national and a regional level to ensure that by 2050 the vision of a livable and sustainable future for the region is assured. These environmental challenges, which are generally well known and understood, will further be aggravated by the likely global and regional impacts of climate change, which until recently have not been as well understood and sufficiently considered, let alone addressed. This article focuses only on the climate change impacts and possible ways for Central Asian countries to address them in the coming decades.
Prevalence and Costs of Five Chronic Conditions in Children
Authors: Miller Gabrielle F. , Coffield Edward , Leroy Zanie , Wallin Robin
Published: April 2016

The objective is to examine the prevalence and health-care costs associated with asthma, epilepsy, hypertension, food allergies, and diabetes in children aged 0–18 years. Prevalence was calculated using 2005–2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data, a population-based, nationally representative sample. Using MEPS, two-part models estimated the cost of each condition for all children while controlling for sociodemographic categories. Prevalence rates varied by race and ethnicity across conditions. Females had higher prevalence of all chronic conditions, except epilepsy. An additional US$1,377.60–US$9,059.49 annually were spent on medical expenses for children aged 0–18 years, with asthma, diabetes, or epilepsy compared to children without these conditions. This is the first study to examine the costs and prevalence of chronic health conditions in children and adolescents using a single data set. Understanding the odds of having a condition by sociodemographic categories highlights disparities that can potentially inform school nurses on the best allocation of resources to serve students.
Where’s the Tea Party? An Examination of the Tea Party’s Voting Behavior in the House of Representatives
Authors: Ragusa Jordan M. , Gaspar Anthony
Published: April 2016

Does the Tea Party affect how lawmakers vote? Given the possible spurious effect of a representative’s ideology, we leverage natural variation in the Tea Party’s existence and examine this question through the lens of party switching. Like when lawmakers change parties, representatives who (1) joined Tea Party Caucus and (2) had a large volume of Tea Party activists in their district underwent a significant shift to the right in the 112th Congress. We believe these findings support both legislative-centered and extended network theorists. An additional analysis reveals that, unlike Democrats and non-Tea Party aligned Republicans who also shifted to the extremes in the 112th Congress, Tea Party Republicans did not “bounce back” in the 113th Congress. Lastly, we find no equivalent rightward shift in comparable conservative caucuses or among Republicans with similar ideologies and districts. In the end, although the Tea Party is not a “party” in the classic sense of the word, we claim that it is having “party like” effects in Congress. In the conclusion section, we discuss the implications of these results for the stability of the current two-party system. Given our findings, a major realignment or split within the Republican Party would not be surprising.
Pain Threshold Tests in Patients With Heel Pain Syndrome
Authors: Saban Bernice , Masharawi Youssef
Published: April 2016

Background:

Pressure pain threshold (PPT) is a useful tool for evaluating mechanical sensitivity in patients suffering from various musculoskeletal disorders. However, no previous study has investigated PPT in the heel of patients experiencing plantar heel pain syndrome (PHPS). The aim of this study was to compare PPT levels and topographic presentation of sensitivity in the heel of patients with PHPS and in healthy controls.

Methods:

The reliability of PPT testing in patients with PHPS was assessed for intra- and interrater recordings. The PPT levels of 40 feet in each group were then assessed on 5 predetermined sites in the heel using a standardized measurement protocol. Patient functional status (FS) as measured by the Foot & Ankle Computerized Adaptive Test was employed as an external reference.

Results:

Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed no group differences for PPTs at all sites ( P = .406). Age ( P = .099) or BMI ( P = .510) did not affect PPT values, although there was an effect on gender ( P = .006). The analysis revealed significant differences between sites ( P < .001) demonstrating a diverse topographic distribution. In the PHPS group, PPT levels at the anterior/medial, posterior/medial and central sites were significantly lower than at the posterior/lateral and anterior/lateral sites ( P < .05). For the control group, PPT levels at the anterior/medial site were significantly lower than all other sites ( P < .001).

Conclusion:

No significant differences were found between PPT of the PHPS patients and controls, therefore, PPT cannot be recommended as an assessment tool for these patients. The topographic distribution indicated low PPT levels at the anterior/medial area of the heel in patients with PHPS and controls.

Level of Evidence:

Level II, comparative study.
Clinical and Operative Factors Related to Successful Revision Arthrodesis in the Foot and Ankle
Authors: O’Connor Kathryn M. , Johnson Jeffrey E. , McCormick Jeremy James , Klein Sandra E.
Published: April 2016

Background:

Arthrodesis is a common operative procedure used to manage arthritis and deformity in the foot and ankle. Nonunion is a possible and undesirable outcome in any arthrodesis surgery. Rates of nonunion in the foot and ankle literature range from 0% to 47% depending on the patient population and joint involved. Multiple factors can contribute to developing a nonunion including location, fixation method, tobacco use, diabetes, infection, and others.

Methods:

The case logs of 3 foot and ankle surgeons were reviewed from January 2007 to September 2014 to identify nonunion arthrodesis revision cases. The patient factors reviewed included diabetes, inflammatory arthropathy, tobacco use, history of infection, nonunion elsewhere, neuropathy, Charcot arthropathy, posttraumatic arthritis, and prior attempt at revision arthrodesis at the same site. Operative records were reviewed to identify location of the nonunion, instrumention, use of allograft or autograft bone, use of iliac crest bone marrow aspirate (ICBMA) and use of orthobiologics such as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) during the revision arthrodesis. Successful revision was defined as radiographic union on the final radiograph during follow-up. Eighty-two cases of revision arthrodesis were identified with an average follow-up of 16 months.

Results:

The overall nonunion rate was 23%. Neuropathy and prior attempts at revision were identified as significant risks ( P <.05) for persistent nonunion. Odds ratio calculated based on previous attempts at revision arthrodesis found a 2.8-fold increase in the risk of failure for each attempt at revision.

Conclusion:

Revision arthrodesis for nonunion in the foot and ankle was successful (77%) under a variety of patient and operative conditions. Neuropathy was a significant patient risk factor for persistent nonunions, and we believe it is important to identify even in the nondiabetic patient. As the number of attempts at revisions increases, there is a subsequent 3-fold increase in the risk of persistent nonunion.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, case series.
Relational Issues Within Couples Coping With Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Martin Summer C.
Published: April 2016

The ways in which Parkinson’s disease (PD) impacts, and is experienced by, the couple (i.e., the individual with PD and his or her spouse or other romantic partner) have not been fully elucidated. Such research is strongly warranted because when one member of a couple is chronically ill, it can cause major distress for not only the patient but also for his or her partner and their relationship. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine how PD affects a couple’s relationship. Data from 44 individual, in-depth interviews (with 21 persons with PD and 23 partners) revealed several challenges that PD commonly invokes in the patient–partner relationship, though most participants reported that PD had not decreased their overall relational closeness. The findings have significant practical implications for family-focused care.
The “Messiness” of Teaching/Learning Social (In)Justice
Authors: Dutta Urmitapa , Shroll Teresa , Engelsen Jennifer , Prickett Sadie , Hajjar Laura , Green Jamila
Published: April 2016

In this article, we present a performance text that grapples with the “messiness” of teaching/learning social (in)justice in the classroom. Moving away from the rhetoric of classroom safety typical of liberal individualism, we interrogate the tensions inherent in confronting embodied and unequal power relations. Through this text, we enact a pedagogy of discomfort that compels us as educators and students to enter and critically engage difficult and discomfiting spaces that are systematically unacknowledged or silenced in the classroom. Inspired by Augusto Boal’s work on theatre of the oppressed, our performance text integrates audience intervention as a collective effort to imagine more radically inclusive possibilities in the classroom.
The Girl Is Mine
Authors: Thaller Jonel , Cimino Andrea N.
Published: April 2016

Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sex work have been primarily constructed as mutually exclusive phenomena within scholarly literature, though both can be situated under the umbrella of gender-based violence and traced to male sexual proprietariness. Specialized research has resulted in deeper understanding of nuanced categorizations of sub-phenomena within both IPV and sex work, with parallel constructions along a spectrum of increasing danger. However, the scholarly construction of these continua as parallel—and thus unrelated—disguises the systemic nature of each form of violence and potentially pits victims against each other in the struggle for legitimacy. We propose a more systemic approach to understanding and researching IPV and sex work and provide examples of research already moving in this direction.
Modeling Sexual Assault Risk Perception Among Heterosexual College Females
Authors: Mitchell Jonathan C. , MacLeod Bailey P. , Cassisi Jeffrey E.
Published: April 2016

This investigation utilizes structural equation modeling (SEM) to build and test a comprehensive model of specific and global risk perception. A sample of 325 undergraduate females responded to measures of previous victimization, problematic alcohol use, and maladaptive coping. They also rated perceived risk in multiple hypothetical dating vignettes. The results revealed strong relationships between problematic alcohol use and both decreased specific and increased global risk perception. In addition, previous victimization and maladaptive coping were related to increased global risk perception and specific risk perception, respectively. These findings carry implications for theories of risk perception and point to new approaches for research.
The Impact of Power on Service Customers’ Willingness to Post Online Reviews
Authors: Wu Laurie , Mattila Anna S. , Wang Chen-Ya , Hanks Lydia
Published: April 2016

An increasing number of consumers rely on online reviews to make purchase decisions in today’s global service industry. In this article, we investigate the impact of power on a consumer’s willingness to spread word-of-mouth (WOM) by posting an online review. Drawing on self-enhancement theory, which suggests that an individual is motivated to spread WOM in order to boost his or her self-image, and the agentic versus communal theory of power, we argue that the impact of power is moderated by the valence of the customer’s service experience, and its congruity with that of other forum users. Results from three studies in hotel and restaurant contexts indicate that powerless consumers are more likely to post positive reviews when the forum consensus is also positive. Conversely, powerful consumers are more likely to post positive reviews when the overriding consensus is negative. Further, such results hold only for positive (vs. negative) service experiences. Managerially, our findings suggest that introducing power mechanisms such as influence rankings or helpful votes into online consumer forums may shape review posting behaviors. Service marketers and social media managers need to be aware that some customer segments are not inclined to post positive online reviews. As indicated by our findings, powerful consumers, such as those with high helpful ratings or elite reviewer status, are more likely to post positive reviews when the forum consensus is negative. Conversely, powerless consumers, such as those with low helpful ratings or junior reviewer status, might be more inclined to post positive reviews when the forum consensus is also positive. Based on our findings, we also discussed the theoretical contributions, limitations, and ideas for future research.
Indian elections 2014: The ‘alternative’ and ‘critical’ online
Authors: Ranganathan Maya
Published: April 2016

The Indian national election in 2014 marked the emergence of social media as a significant site of political campaigning. The sweeping of the polls by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by the party’s prime ministerial candidate, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who employed social media extensively in his campaign, has drawn further attention to the hitherto ‘alternative media’ space. ‘Alternative media’ has been positioned and studied in relation to mainstream media. This article illustrates the ways in which the perceptions of mainstream media in a liberalised economy contoured the ‘alternative media’ space, limiting its potential to lead to radical and transformative processes of communication. In the process, the article interrogates the online space occupied by political parties and activists in the context of theoretical understandings of ‘alternative’ and ‘critical’ media. The article flags the need for, and the significance of, sustained study of the emerging new media space to understand the process of reconstitution of the Indian public space.
Mindfulness training for smoking cessation: A meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials
Authors: Oikonomou Maria Theodora , Arvanitis Marios , Sokolove Robert L
Published: April 2016

Recent studies have shown that mindfulness training has a promising potential for smoking treatment. In order to examine the efficacy of mindfulness training in smoking cessation, we performed a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Four randomized controlled trials with 474 patients were included in our analysis. The results showed that 25.2 percent of participants remained abstinent for more than 4 months in the mindfulness group compared to 13.6 percent of those who received usual care therapy (relative risk, 1.88; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.04–3.40). Our results suggest that mindfulness training may have an important role to play in efforts to lower cigarette smoking rates.
Silence, mobility and ‘national values’: South Korean sex workers in Australia
Authors: Ham Julie , Jung Kyungja , Jang Haeyoung
Published: April 2016

Korean women sex workers have attracted attention from Australian border security, South Korean government officials and Korean-Australian communities. This article considers how the bodies of these women have become the ‘iconic sites’ ( Luibhéid, 2002 : ix–xxvii) on which the South Korean government and immigrant Korean-Australian communities perform ‘national values’. Within Korean-Australian communities, Korean sex workers have been perceived as threats to the immigrant project of socio-economic mobility and ‘legitimate’ citizenship. We consider the silence that is desired of sex workers within immigrant communities and how this can be co-opted by anti-trafficking discourses that are still predicated on the helpless, voiceless female victim.
Judging the actions of “whistle-blowers” versus “leakers”: Labels influence perceptions of dissenters who expose group misconduct
Authors: Rios Kimberly , Ingraffia Zig A.
Published: April 2016

Although moral and collective concerns have been found to predict expressions of dissent, little research has examined conditions under which dissenters are perceived as acting out of such concerns. Three studies tested whether judgments of dissenters who expose group misconduct can depend on subtle labeling differences. In Study 1, participants rated their actions as more morally based, and themselves as more likely to express dissent, after reading a scenario in which they were labeled a “whistle-blower” (vs. “leaker”). In Studies 2–3, participants who read a passage describing an employee of an organization (Study 2) or a well-known individual (Edward Snowden, Study 3) as a “whistle-blower,” relative to “leaker,” viewed these individuals as more morally and collectively concerned, which in turn mediated perceived deservingness of punishment. Implications for the factors that lead dissenters to be judged positively, for psychological effects of labels, and for generalizability across contexts are discussed.
Six dimensions of police accountability
Authors: Shilston Timothy George
Published: April 2016

International police development (IPD) has a poor record of success, due in large part to failures in assessing needs and planning interventions. Too often the more profound, yet complex, challenges of institutional and constitutional reform give way to the obvious and comparatively easy delivery of training and equipment. Police accountability, arguably the most important component of democratic policing, needs to be assessed in a consistent and rational manner if deployment of resources and effort on the part of donors are to result in more convincing outcomes. It is argued here that the provisions by which effective police accountability is brought about should be the first priority of IPD missions. Drawing on the academic and policy literature, this article presents a model of police accountability which can form the basis for needs assessment as an aid to IPD planning.
Classified beauty: Goods and bodies in Brazilian women’s magazines
Authors: Rocha Everardo , Frid Marina
Published: April 2016

This article analyzes women’s images in Brazilian magazines aiming to understand the logic behind the construction of notions of female beauty, health, and wellbeing. More precisely, it investigates how magazines associate an extensive array of goods to women’s bodies, sustaining a permanent logic of consumption. At the explicit level of images, magazines express novelty, promote innovations, and offer ever-new possibilities for readers to accomplish strong, slim, and forever young bodies. However, the analysis suggests the existence and operation of an underlying recurrent pattern that intends to classify products and services according to female body fragments in a process analogous to the system known as totemism. Finally, this work indicates that the ideological project of magazines is to create an unreachable woman model forever translated into consumer goods.
A Rescue Technique for Intraoperative Proximal Migration of a Nellix Stent During Endovascular Aneurysm Sealing
Authors: Torella Francesco , Scurr James R. H. , Barkat Mo , Fisher Robert K. , McWilliams Richard G.
Published: April 2016

Purpose: To describe a technique to rescue intraoperative migration of 1 of the 2 Nellix stents during endovascular sealing of abdominal aortic aneurysms (EVAS). Technique: The technique requires advancement and inflation of a 10-mm angioplasty balloon into the inlet of the migrated stent via an upper limb approach. Inflation of the balloon allows completion of EVAS without risking the contralateral endobag occluding the inlet of the migrated stent. Conclusion: This technique allows safe completion of EVAS without compromising stent patency or aneurysm seal and should be considered when intraoperative migration of a Nellix stent occurs despite appropriate precautions.
Renal Stent Crushed During Open Aneurysmorrhaphy for Endoleak After Fenestrated EVAR
Authors: Din Islah Ud , Shaikh Usman , Fisher Robert K. , McWilliams Richard G.
Published: April 2016

Purpose: To report a complication of renal stent crushing during open aneurysmorrhaphy performed 10 years after fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR). Case Report: A 67-year-old male patient underwent elective FEVAR of a juxtarenal aortic aneurysm. Uncovered balloon-expandable stents were placed through the fenestrations for the superior mesenteric and right renal arteries; the left renal artery received a Jostent covered balloon-expandable stent. The uncovered right renal stent was noted to be crushed on the first imaging after FEVAR, but was left untreated; the right kidney was thereafter significantly smaller than the left. Over several years, the aneurysm expanded, and type II endoleak involving the lumbar arteries was embolized with coils 7 years after FEVAR. Despite this, the aneurysm continued to enlarge and reached a diameter of 12.8 cm. Open aneurysmorrhaphy and selective ligation of lumbar arteries was performed 10 years after FEVAR. The first surveillance imaging after aneurysmorrhaphy demonstrated a new finding of a crushed left renal stent, which was presumed to be related to surgical instrumentation. The stent was successfully redilated percutaneously, and renal function remained stable. Computed tomography demonstrated a normal appearance of the left renal covered stent after re-expansion. Doppler ultrasound after 7.5 months showed normal renal perfusion. Conclusion: Balloon-expandable visceral artery stents are susceptible to crush injury during aortic surgery. Consideration should be given to early imaging after such surgery in FEVAR patients.
Identifying Potential Ventilator Auto-Triggering Among Organ Procurement Organization Referrals
Authors: Henry Nicholas R. , Russian Christopher J. , Nespral Joseph
Published: April 2016

Context:

Ventilator auto-trigger is the delivery of an assisted mechanical ventilated breath over the set ventilator frequency in the absence of a spontaneous inspiratory effort and can be caused by inappropriate ventilator trigger sensitivity. Ventilator auto-trigger can be misinterpreted as a spontaneous breath and has the potential to delay or prevent brain death testing and confuse health-care professionals and/or patient families.

Objective:

To determine the frequency of organ donor referrals from 1 Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) that could benefit from an algorithm designed to assist organ recovery coordinators to identify and correct ventilator auto-triggering.

Design:

This retrospective analysis evaluated documentation of organ donor referrals from 1 OPO in central Texas during the 2013 calendar year that resulted in the withdrawal of care by the patient’s family and the recovery of organs.

Main Outcome Measures:

The frequency of referrals that presented with absent brain stem reflexes except for additional respirations over the set ventilator rate was determined to assess for the need of the proposed algorithm.

Results:

Documentation of 672 organ procurement organization referrals was evaluated. Documentation from 42 referrals that resulted in the withdrawal of care and 21 referrals that resulted in the recovery of organs were identified with absent brain stem reflexes except for spontaneous respirations on the mechanical ventilator. As a result, an algorithm designed to identify and correct ventilator auto-trigger could have been used 63 times during the 2013 calendar year.
Childhood Abuse Is Associated With Worse Survival Following Lung Transplantation
Authors: Kennedy Cassie C. , Zubair Adeel , Clark Matthew M. , Jowsey-Gregoire Sheila
Published: April 2016

Context:

Psychosocial factors can impact lung transplant outcomes. However, it is currently unknown whether abuse survivorship influences lung transplant survival.

Objective:

To characterize the abuse history of adult lung transplant patients and determine whether such history is associated with mortality.

Patients and Other Participants:

Adult lung transplant recipients evaluated from 2000 to 2004.

Main Outcome Measures:

The main outcome was post-lung transplantation survival. The secondary outcomes included demographic, transplantation, or psychological assessment differences between those with a history of abuse survivorship and those without.

Results:

Thirty-three lung transplant recipients (35.5% male, median age: 55 years) were included. A history of abuse survivorship was common (24.2%) and was associated with decreased survival following lung transplantation ( P = .003). There was no difference in sex, marital status, or smoking history between abuse survivors and those who denied being the victim of abuse. Abuse survivors had a higher Personality Assessment Screener total score, a measure of maladaptive personality traits ( P = .02).

Conclusion:

Abuse survivorship is common in lung transplant patients and associated with increased posttransplant mortality and increased maladaptive personality traits. This preliminary evidence suggests that lung transplant patients should be screened for abuse history and provided with appropriate treatment of survivorship issues to potentially improve their health outcomes from transplantation.
Deep Demographics
Authors: Reibel Michael , Olmo Cathy , Andrada Sandy , Koertzen Jeff
Published: April 2016

This is the first published study to examine in detail the demographic factors associated with willingness to register as an organ donor at a state motor vehicles bureau. It uses registration counts controlling for the size of the general population as the measure of willingness. Local variation in registration levels is modeled as a function of a set of local socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and immigration characteristics; cluster analysis of social areas is used to probe the effects of nonlinear combinations of local social environment factors. Results show that residence in high minority areas, lower-income areas, and immigrant-heavy areas depresses registration levels but also that significant nonlinear combinations of factors are at work. Specifically, minority/immigrant areas tend strongly to have lower registration counts controlling for population regardless of socioeconomic status (SES), whereas registration in less prosperous areas depends largely on the racial, ethnic, and immigrant proportions in those areas. Moreover, the very highest SES neighborhoods in the study area (northern California minus greater Sacramento) have very high levels of donor registration despite high racial, ethnic, and national origin diversity.
Problematizing Qualitative Research
Authors: Masny Diana
Published: April 2016

This article problematizes the concept of data and experiments with rhizoanalysis to think data in terms of problems, questions, and concept creation. At issue is representation and interpretation, foundational blocks of qualitative research that are incommensurate with rhizoanalysis and post-qualitative research. Deleuze has problematized this issue through questions and experimentation within an asymmetrical world filled with paradoxes that gave rise to concept creation of sense and nonsense. In the Logic of Sense, sense is the event itself. Sense emerges out of nonsense. In this article, representation and interpretation are deterritorialized (virtual becoming) and reterritorialized (actualized) as nonsense–sense and palpation. Palpation is a concept that refers to data experienced indirectly. Rhizoanalysis is deployed because of its non-hierarchical and non-linear approach to data. Multiple Literacies Theory follows a similar path. It releases school-based literacy from its privileged rank to engage reading in multiplicitous and heterogeneous rhizomatic connections. Reading a data assemblage is untimely and not pre-given. It plugs into Multiple Literacies Theory, an analytic approach to reading an assemblage in rhizoanalysis. Reading a data assemblage is explored in a study on how writing systems in multilingual children function and what writing systems produce through affect. A rhizomatic approach is proposed and constituted through a research assemblage whose differential elements enter into a relationality of affect that flows through and transforms the assemblage. It produces a movement that dissolves dualisms in favor of multiplicity, uncertainty, and the untimely. It decenters the cogito human, maps assemblages, and extends experiences of a material world. Posing problems and questions open paths to a future yet to become.
Hormetic Effect of H2O2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Semchyshyn Halyna M. , Valishkevych Bohdana V.
Published: April 2016

In this study, we investigated the relationship between target of rapamycin (TOR) and H2O2-induced hormetic response in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown on glucose or fructose. In general, our data suggest that: (1) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induces hormesis in a TOR-dependent manner; (2) the H2O2-induced hormetic dose–response in yeast depends on the type of carbohydrate in growth medium; (3) the concentration-dependent effect of H2O2 on yeast colony growth positively correlates with the activity of glutathione reductase that suggests the enzyme involvement in the H2O2-induced hormetic response; and (4) both TOR1 and TOR2 are involved in the reciprocal regulation of the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glyoxalase 1.
Studying the Complex Relationships Between Physical Activity and Infertility
Authors: Evenson Kelly R. , Hesketh Kathryn R.
Published: April 2016

This article provides commentary on the accompanying review, “Modifiable Risk Factors and Infertility: What Are the Connections?” by Rossi and colleagues. This commentary focuses specifically on the association between physical activity or exercise and infertility, given the equivocal evidence summarized in the review by Rossi and colleagues. Several methodologic issues related to physical activity and infertility are discussed, including defining the components of physical activity that research studies assess in research studies (eg, type, intensity, frequency, duration), considering the optimal way to measure physical activity, and investigating important effect modifiers, including age and body mass index. Researchers should also consider sedentary behavior as another potentially important, unexplored, modifiable behavior that may be associated with infertility. Given that unexplained infertility remains of widespread global concern, identifying modifiable risk factors and how much influence they have on infertility remains an important area for research.
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in the prevention of cardiovascular disease
Authors: Walz Courtney P. , Barry Arden R. , Koshman Sheri L.
Published: April 2016

Introduction:

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have purported protective cardiovascular (CV) effects. We sought to assess the evidence available for the use of omega-3 PUFAs for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods:

A systematic literature search was conducted using MEDLINE and EMBASE from 1999 to 2015. Placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that enrolled over 1000 patients with follow-up greater than 1 year and meta-analyses of RCTs were included.

Results:

Eight RCTs and 2 meta-analyses were included. In patients with preexisting CVD, only 1 of 5 included RCTs demonstrated a reduction in CV events with omega-3 PUFAs; however, the effect size was minimal, and the study was limited by an open-label design and lack of placebo control. Two meta-analyses concluded omega-3 PUFAs do not reduce CV events in addition to standard, evidence-based therapy in patients after myocardial infarction. Of the 3 predominantly primary prevention RCTs, only 1 demonstrated a minor reduction in major coronary events; however, it was also an open-label study. Furthermore, the safety of omega-3 PUFAs should be considered. While data from RCTs have not demonstrated serious safety concerns, omega-3 PUFAs can increase the risk of bleeding and may interact with other medications that affect hemostasis, such as antiplatelet agents and warfarin.

Discussion and Conclusion:

There is currently a lack of evidence to support the routine use of omega-3 PUFAs in the primary and secondary prevention of CVD. Pharmacists are ideally situated to engage patients in the discussion of the lack of benefit and possible risk of omega-3 PUFA supplements.
Traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties of Sophora alopecuroides L
Authors: Huang Yan-Xia , Wang Ge , Zhu Jin-Shui , Zhang Rui , Zhang Jing
Published: April 2016

Sophora alopecuroides L., known as ku dou zi in China, has a long history as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of bacillary dysentery, enteritis, hepatitis, and other diseases, and exerts a critical role in anti-tumor. It contains abundant of alkaloids such as oxymatrine, matrine, and total alkaloids, which have been developed in China as anti-disease drugs related with inhibition of the angiogenesis-associated factors, anti-inflammatory response, and regulation of JNK, p38 MAP kinase, and NF-κB signal pathways and so on. The purpose of this review is to take comprehensive summary of the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties of Sophora alopecuroides L. so as to provide opportunities for further study and clinical application.
Novel perspectives on therapeutic modulation of the gut microbiota
Authors: McCarville Justin L. , Caminero Alberto , Verdu Elena F.
Published: April 2016

The gut microbiota contributes to the maintenance of health and, when disrupted, may drive gastrointestinal and extragastrointestinal disease. This can occur through direct pathways such as interaction with the epithelial barrier and mucosal immune system or indirectly via production of metabolites. There is no current curative therapy for chronic inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, which are complex multifactorial disorders involving genetic predisposition, and environmental triggers. Therapies are directed to suppress inflammation rather than the driver, and these approaches are not devoid of adverse effects. Therefore, there is great interest in modulation of the gut microbiota to provide protection from disease. Interventions that modulate the microbiota include diet, probiotics and more recently the emergence of experimental therapies such as fecal microbiota transplant or phage therapy. Emerging data indicate that certain bacteria can induce protective immune responses and enhance intestinal barrier function, which could be potential therapeutic targets. However, mechanistic links and specific therapeutic recommendations are still lacking. Here we provide a pathophysiological overview of potential therapeutic applications of the gut microbiota.
Effects of an icon-based menu labelling initiative on consumer food choice
Authors: Kerins Claire , Cunningham Katie , Finucane Francis M , Gibson Irene , Jones Jenni , Kelly Colette
Published: April 2016

Aims:

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an icon-based menu labelling initiative on consumer buying behaviour.

Methods:

This quasi-experimental study recruited a convenience sample of eight food service establishments, all with at least one menu item meeting the heart healthy criteria. Data from sales of all menu items sold over an 8-week period were collated 4 weeks prior to and 4 weeks during the display of information icons related to healthy food choices on menus.

Results:

The absolute change in menu item sales showed a non-significant trend towards an increase in healthier menu item selections. Furthermore, there was no association between the type of food service establishment and the percentage change in labelled menu item sales.

Conclusion:

The study did not find a statistically significant influence of the icon-based menu labels on consumer food choice. Given the limited amount of research that examines alternative menu labelling formats in real-world settings, more studies are necessary to confirm these results. Further research is needed to identify the optimal format, content and impact of menu labels on consumer behaviour.
Treatment of Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Talus in Skeletally Immature Population
Authors: Buda Roberto , Pagliazzi Gherardo , Castagnini Francesco , Cavallo Marco , Giannini Sandro
Published: April 2016

Juvenile osteochondritis dissecans of the talus (JOCDT) is a subchondral bone alteration and a partially or completely detached osteochondral fragment, affecting skeletally immature patients. A review of the English literature on PubMed was conducted. Conservative treatment was applied in patients up to Berndt-Harty stage III. Surgical indications were conservative management failure and loose bodies. The most performed procedures were drilling, subchondral bone grafting, fragment fixation, or excision. High rate of clinical success were achieved, whereas radiographic results were much lower. None of the surgical options demonstrated to be superior. Future long-term qualitative studies focusing on chondral tissue restoration are needed.

Levels of Evidence: Therapeutic, Level IV