bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interrogating Race
Authors: Bailey Stanley R. , Fialho Fabrício M. , Penner Andrew M.
Published: October 2015

We address long-standing debates on the utility of racial categories and color scales for understanding inequality in the United States and Latin America, using novel data that enable comparisons of these measures across both broad regions. In particular, we attend to the degree to which color and racial category inequality operate independently of parental socioeconomic status. We find a variety of patterns of racial category and color inequality, but that in most countries accounting for maternal education changes our coefficients by 5% or less. Overall, we argue that several posited divergences in ethnoracial stratification processes in the United States, compared with Latin America, might be overstated. We conclude that the comparison of the effects of multiple ethnoracial markers, such as color and racial categories, for the analysis of social stratification holds substantial promise for untangling the complexities of “race” across the Americas.
Work Uncertainty and Extensive Work Effort
Authors: Avgoustaki Argyro
Published: October 2015

Using data from the fourth and fifth European Working Conditions Surveys, the author examines how work uncertainty and the use of individual and bundled human resource practices are associated with employees’ extensive work effort. Results at both the employee and country-industry levels of analysis show that work uncertainty and several human resource practices have a direct and positive association with employee overtime as a measure of extensive work effort. Moreover, training, task rotation, teamwork, and the human resource bundle act as mediators by transmitting part of the effect of work uncertainty to employee overtime.
Toward a Psychological Atlas of the World With Mixture Modeling
Authors: Stankov Lazar , Lee Jihyun
Published: October 2015

This article presents findings based on the outcomes of research conducted with 8,883 participants from 33 countries. It employs mixture modeling (latent profile analysis) to classify countries into latent classes. The country-level analyses are based on three social attitudes factor scores of Nastiness, Religiosity, and Morality. The results indicate that the main sources of cross-cultural differences are with respect to a broadly defined Conservatism/Liberalism. Three groups of societies—that is, “psychological continents”—appear to exist in the world today. They are as follows: (a) liberal European countries plus Canada and Australia; (b) conservative countries from South and South-East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America; and (c) all other countries, including the United States, Russia, and China, that are in between liberal and conservative groups. In addition, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, cognitive test performance, and governance indicators were found to be low in the most conservative group and high in the most liberal group.
Enhanced interfacial interaction for effective reinforcement of chitosan nanocomposites at different loading of modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes with vitamin C
Authors: Mallakpour Shadpour , Madani Maryam
Published: October 2015

Chitosan-based nanocomposites (NCs) at different modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) loadings were produced by solvent casting method. The effective dispersion of the MWCNT in polymer matrix is an important factor while making its NCs. The MWCNTs intrinsically tend to bundle and/or aggregate. For this reason, the MWCNT is modified to improve the dispersibility when incorporated into polymer matrix. In this study, the MWCNTs were modified with ascorbic acid or vitamin C (VC). The combined effect of MWCNT-VC and chitosan on the structural, crystallinity, interfacial interactions, and mechanical and thermal properties of the obtained NCs was investigated. Scanning electron micrographs showed that in the NC films, MWCNTs were dispersed homogeneously throughout the chitosan matrix. The tensile strength of chitosan film increased significantly with increasing the MWCNT-VC content.
Changes in government spending on healthcare and population mortality in the European union, 1995–2010: a cross-sectional ecological study
Authors: Budhdeo Sanjay , Watkins Johnathan , Atun Rifat , Williams Callum , Zeltner Thomas , Maruthappu Mahiben
Published: October 2015

Objective

Economic measures such as unemployment and gross domestic product are correlated with changes in health outcomes. We aimed to examine the effects of changes in government healthcare spending, an increasingly important measure given constrained government budgets in several European Union countries.

Design

Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess the effect of changes in healthcare spending as a proportion of total government expenditure, government healthcare spending as a proportion of gross domestic product and government healthcare spending measured in purchasing power parity per capita, on five mortality indicators. Additional variables were controlled for to ensure robustness of data. One to five year lag analyses were conducted.

Setting and Participants

European Union countries 1995–2010.

Main outcome measures

Neonatal mortality, postneonatal mortality, one to five years of age mortality, under five years of age mortality, adult male mortality, adult female mortality.

Results

A 1% decrease in government healthcare spending was associated with significant increase in all mortality metrics: neonatal mortality (coefficient −0.1217, p = 0.0001), postneonatal mortality (coefficient −0.0499, p = 0.0018), one to five years of age mortality (coefficient −0.0185, p = 0.0002), under five years of age mortality (coefficient −0.1897, p = 0.0003), adult male mortality (coefficient −2.5398, p = 0.0000) and adult female mortality (coefficient −1.4492, p = 0.0000). One per cent decrease in healthcare spending, measured as a proportion of gross domestic product and in purchasing power parity, was both associated with significant increases ( p < 0.05) in all metrics. Five years after the 1% decrease in healthcare spending, significant increases ( p < 0.05) continued to be observed in all mortality metrics.

Conclusions

Decreased government healthcare spending is associated with increased population mortality in the short and long term. Policy interventions implemented in response to the financial crisis may be associated with worsening population health.
The associations between job insecurity, depressive symptoms and burnout: The role of performance-based self-esteem
Authors: Blom Victoria , Richter Anne , Hallsten Lennart , Svedberg Pia
Published: October 2015

Despite agreement on the negative effects of job insecurity, more knowledge needs to be generated on the health effects in terms of burnout and depressive symptoms and for whom job insecurity has these negative effects. The present study aims to investigate the associations between job insecurity and burnout and depressive symptoms respectively, by studying the moderation influences of performance-based self-esteem (PBSE), a form of contingent self-esteem. A population-based sample with 4145 twins was used. The results showed that job insecurity was significantly associated with both burnout and depressive symptoms, and that PBSE acted as a moderator, so that the associations were stronger for individuals with high PBSE than for individuals with low PBSE. The study contributes by including a personality characteristic to gain more knowledge about the mechanisms of job insecurity on mental ill-health, and by illustrating that job insecurity has an impact on severe health outcomes in terms of burnout and depressive symptoms.
Skating on thin ICE? A critical evaluation of a decade of research on the British Information and Consultation Regulations (2004)
Authors: Butler Peter , Lavelle Jonathan , Gunnigle Patrick , O’Sullivan Michelle
Published: October 2015

This article critically examines the literature dealing with the British Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations (2004). It is argued that notwithstanding significant academic interest, the implications of the legislation for employees, trade unions and managers remain under-explored and inadequately theorised. Outlining the principal deficiencies the article suggests scholars could derive much inspiration from the voluminous output relating to both the (sister) European Works Council (EWC) Directive and the continental works council format. The absence of research dealing with the interconnectedness of the ICE and EWC Regulations is similarly highlighted. It is suggested that researchers might usefully import the concept of ‘institutional complementarity’ to extend knowledge of the synergies potentially derived from the operation of both pan-European (EWC) and national (ICE) fora in those organisations where such bodies coexist.
On Computing the Key Probability in the Stochastically Curtailed Sequential Probability Ratio Test
Authors: Huebner Alan R. , Finkelman Matthew D.
Published: October 2015

The Stochastically Curtailed Sequential Probability Ratio Test (SCSPRT) is a termination criterion for computerized classification tests (CCTs) that has been shown to be more efficient than the well-known Sequential Probability Ratio Test (SPRT). The performance of the SCSPRT depends on computing the probability that at a given stage in the test, an examinee’s current interim classification status will not change before the end of the test. Previous work discusses two methods of computing this probability, an exact method in which all potential responses to remaining items are considered and an approximation based on the central limit theorem (CLT) requiring less computation. Generally, the CLT method should be used early in the test when the number of remaining items is large, and the exact method is more appropriate at later stages of the test when few items remain. However, there is currently a dearth of information as to the performance of the SCSPRT when using the two methods. For the first time, the exact and CLT methods of computing the crucial probability are compared in a simulation study to explore whether there is any effect on the accuracy or efficiency of the CCT. The article is focused toward practitioners and researchers interested in using the SCSPRT as a termination criterion in an operational CCT.
Baldwin’s Mill
Authors: Miller Reuben Jonathan , Miller Janice Williams , Djoric Jelena Zeleskov , Patton Desmond
Published: October 2015

Written in the 50th anniversary of the historic debate between author and social critic James Baldwin and the “father of American conservatism” William F. Buckley, we extract from the corpus of Baldwin’s social critique a method to grasp emergent forms of marginality in the contemporary age. Described as a mill, Baldwin shows how everyday interactions shaped the behaviors and meaning making of black Americans during the civil rights era, teaching them to repress their feelings, motivations, and desires at the threat of violence. Inspired by Baldwin, we apply this analytic to mass imprisonment and the rise of prisoner reentry as a national policy priority. Attending to the “work” of reentry in the lives of the black poor, we find that the institutional and policy arrangements that gave birth to prisoner reentry, coupled with the exclusion of the criminalized poor from full participation in the social, civic, and economic life of the city operates as a pedagogy, locating the presumed black and criminalized poor within a social hierarchy and situating them within a moral taxonomy.
Playing by the Rules: Parental Mediation of Video Game Play
Authors: Martins Nicole , Matthews Nicholas L. , Ratan Rabindra A.
Published: October 2015

This study examined parental mediation of children’s video game play in an Internet survey of 433 parents of children aged 5 to 18 years. We assessed the valence of active mediation (i.e., positive, negative, neutral) and the relationship between parental involvement and mediation techniques. Furthermore, we explored whether parental mediation was associated with child delinquency. Our results demonstrate that active mediation is generally negative or neutral in nature. Involved parents were more likely to use each mediation strategy than less involved parents; however, parental involvement did not predict negative mediation. Restrictive and negative mediation were significantly related to child delinquency. In sum, the findings show that parents are involved in monitoring their children’s use of this medium, just as they are with television.
Immunohistochemical Detection of Markers for Translational Studies of Lung Disease in Pigs and Humans
Authors: Meyerholz David K. , Lambertz Allyn M. , Reznikov Leah R. , Ofori-Amanfo Georgina K. , Karp Phil H. , McCray Paul B. , Welsh Michael J. , Stoltz David A.
Published: October 2015

Genetically engineered pigs are increasingly recognized as valuable models for the study of human disease. Immunohistochemical study of cellular markers of disease is an important tool for the investigation of these novel models so as to evaluate genotype and treatment differences. Even so, there remains a lack of validated markers for pig tissues that can serve as a translational link to human disease in organs such as the lung. Herein, we evaluate markers of cellular inflammation (cluster of differentiation [CD]3, CD79a, B cell lymphoma [BCL] 6, ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule [IBA]1, and myeloperoxidase) and those that may be involved with tissue remodeling (alpha-smooth muscle actin, beta-tubulin-III, lactoferrin, mucin [MUC]5AC, MUC5B, and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator [CFTR]) for study of lung tissues. We compare the utility of these markers between pig and human lungs to validate translational relevance of each marker. Our results suggest these markers can be a useful addition in the pathological evaluation of porcine models of human disease.
Antipsychotic efficacy in psychosis with co-morbid cannabis misuse: A systematic review
Authors: Wilson Robin P , Bhattacharyya Sagnik
Published: October 2015

The prevalence of cannabis use in patients with psychotic mental illness is known to be high and is suspected to exacerbate symptoms and worsen prognosis. We aimed to evaluate evidence of antipsychotic efficacy in reducing the burden of psychotic symptoms and cannabis use in individuals with psychotic mental illness and co-morbid cannabis use. A systematic review was conducted of antipsychotic treatment in those with psychotic mental illness and co-morbid cannabis use. Quality of evidence for each study and outcomes were rated using the ‘GRADE’ approach. Twenty-two studies were identified: 13 experimental and 9 observational, including a total sample of 1543 patients, 761 of whom had a diagnosed cannabis use disorder. The most frequent antipsychotics compared were risperidone, olanzapine and clozapine with olanzapine, risperidone and haloperidol. No clear differences between antipsychotics were demonstrated. Future studies are needed to confirm whether clozapine is superior to other antipsychotics in reducing cannabis use.
An index finger exoskeleton with series elastic actuation for rehabilitation: Design, control and performance characterization
Authors: Agarwal Priyanshu , Fox Jonas , Yun Youngmok , O’Malley Marcia K. , Deshpande Ashish D.
Published: October 2015

Rehabilitation of the hands is critical for the restoration of independence in activities of daily living for individuals exhibiting disabilities of the upper extremities. There is initial evidence that robotic devices with force-control-based strategies can help in effective rehabilitation of human limbs. However, to the best of our knowledge, none of the existing hand exoskeletons allow for accurate force or torque control. In this work, we present a novel index finger exoskeleton with Bowden-cable-based series elastic actuation allowing for bidirectional torque control of the device with high backdrivability and low reflected inertia. We present exoskeleton and finger joint torque controllers along with an optimization-based offline parameter estimator. Finally, we carry out tests with the developed prototype to characterize its kinematics, dynamics, and controller performance. Results show that the device preserves the characteristics of natural motion of finger and can be controlled to achieve both exoskeleton and finger joint torque control. Finally, dynamic transparency tests show that the device can be controlled to offer minimal resistance to finger motion. Beyond the present application of the device as a hand rehabilitation exoskeleton, it has the potential to be used as a haptic device for teleoperation.
Anticogging: Torque ripple suppression, modeling, and parameter selection
Authors: Piccoli Matthew , Yim Mark
Published: October 2015

Smooth motion is critical to some robotic applications such as haptics or those requiring high precision force control. These systems are often direct-drive, so any torque ripple in the motor output must be minimal. Unfortunately, low-torque ripple motors are expensive. Low cost brushless direct current motors are becoming more prevalent, especially from the hobby remote control community. These motors often have the required high-torque density; however, they also have significant torque ripple. This paper presents a low cost method for anticogging, the compensation of cogging torque. While other methods exist to compensate for current-based torque ripple (mutual or reluctance torque), none have addressed cogging torque, except by adding expensive force sensors. This paper presents two methods that use a position sensor (already present for servo motors) to map cogging torque to rotor position. The map is played back according to position reported from the sensor to cancel the cogging torque. The design and testing of a low cost haptic arm using anticogging shows validation; however, the approach is much broader, and can be applied to any precision force application. A model of torque ripple sources are included as a function of pulse-width modulation frequency to help choose the optimal pulse-width modulation frequency to minimize torque ripple. Test results on eleven different motors show a removal of up to 88% of torque ripple with no added cost in robotic servo applications, and in some cases having better performance than motors that are over nine times as expensive.
Fixing biodiversity loss
Authors: Dempsey Jessica
Published: October 2015

In the midst of the “sixth extinction” and declarations of the so-called Anthropocene, scientists and conservationists are debating the nature of planetary limits. They are also rethinking the very goal of nature conservation in a postnatural direction that is less oriented on saving pristine nature. To shed light on this contemporary debate, this paper looks back to examine three “circuits of power and knowledge” where biodiversity loss is constituted as an ecological crisis with humanity in its crosshairs and later as a more flexible problem of trade-offs. The paper contributes a grounded, empirical examination of the production of, and changing nature of “global biodiversity limits,” showing how they emerge through articulations between power laden and elite ecological-economic knowledge and frameworks, global biopolitical and ethical concerns, state-capital accumulative logics, and national security interests. Reaffirming a critical stance on limits and tracing a persistent ontology of scarcity in global biodiversity science and policy, the paper draws from the story of global biodiversity limits to inform the current discussion of the postnatural turn.
Religion, Delinquency, and Drug Use
Authors: Kelly P. Elizabeth , Polanin Joshua R. , Jang Sung Joon , Johnson Byron R.
Published: October 2015

Contemporary research on adolescent involvement in religion and delinquency is generally traced to Hirschi and Stark’s 1969 study, titled “Hellfire and Delinquency.” Their study surprised many by reporting no significant relationship between religious involvement and delinquency. Subsequent replications provided mixed results, but multiple reviews, both traditional and systematic, found religious involvement to be inversely related to delinquency. However, meta-analysis of the relationship remains scant with only three studies published to date. To address this research need, we conducted a meta-analysis of 62 relevant studies over four decades, which provided 145 effect sizes from 193,656 adolescents. We examined six bivariate correlations between two, attitudinal and behavioral, measures of religious involvement (religiosity and church attendance) and three indicators of delinquent behavior (alcohol use, illicit drug use, and nondrug delinquency). Our meta-analysis results indicated an inverse relationship among all correlations (range: −.16 to −.22). Stated differently, the results of this meta-analysis confirmed that religious involvement is negatively related to delinquent behaviors, regardless of measurement characteristics. The implications of this finding for future research on religion and delinquency are discussed.
Neurologic Complications Caused by Epstein-Barr Virus in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Mazur-Melewska Katarzyna , Breńska Iwona , Jończyk-Potoczna Katarzyna , Kemnitz Paweł , Pieczonka-Ruszkowska Ilona , Mania Anna , Służewski Wojciech , Figlerowicz Magdalena
Published: October 2015

We retrospectively analyzed the medical documentation of 194 children infected with Epstein-Barr virus. The diagnosis was based on clinical symptoms and the presence of the viral capsid antigen IgM antibody. Patients with severe neurologic complications also underwent neurologic examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and electroencephalography (EEG). There were 2 peaks in incidence of infection; the first one in young children aged 1 to 5 years represented 62.0% of cases. The second peak (24.6% of patients) occurred in teenagers. Febrile seizures were confirmed in 3.1% of affected children younger than 5 years and headaches in 24.2% patients, mostly older children. Ten children presented severe, neurologic complications: meningoencephalitis, acute encephalitis, acute cerebellitis, transverse myelitis, and myeloradiculitis. Our study identified a variety of Epstein-Barr virus–related neurologic complications. Epstein-Barr virus should be routinely tested for when a child presents with an apparent neuroinfection as it is a common pathogen that can induce a wide variety of signs and symptoms.
Evaluation of Parenteral Nutrition Errors in an Era of Drug Shortages
Authors: Storey Michael A. , Weber Robert J. , Besco Kelly , Beatty Stuart , Aizawa Kumiko , Mirtallo Jay M.
Published: October 2015

Background: Ingredient shortages have forced many organizations to change practices or use unfamiliar ingredients, which creates potential for error. Parenteral nutrition (PN) has been significantly affected, as every ingredient in PN has been impacted in recent years. Materials and Methods: Ingredient errors involving PN that were reported to the national anonymous MedMARx database between May 2009 and April 2011 were reviewed. Errors were categorized by ingredient, node, and severity. Categorization was validated by experts in medication safety and PN. A timeline of PN ingredient shortages was developed and compared with the PN errors to determine if events correlated with an ingredient shortage. This information was used to determine the prevalence and change in harmful PN errors during periods of shortage, elucidating whether a statistically significant difference exists in errors during shortage as compared with a control period (ie, no shortage). Results: There were 1311 errors identified. Nineteen errors were associated with harm. Fat emulsions and electrolytes were the PN ingredients most frequently associated with error. Insulin was the ingredient most often associated with patient harm. On individual error review, PN shortages were described in 13 errors, most of which were associated with intravenous fat emulsions; none were associated with harm. There was no correlation of drug shortages with the frequency of PN errors. Conclusion: Despite the significant impact that shortages have had on the PN use system, no adverse impact on patient safety could be identified from these reported PN errors.
Iodine Supplementation for Pediatric Patients Receiving Long‐Term Parenteral Nutrition
Authors: Santoro Jonathan D. , Nespor Colleen , Poole Robert L. , Kerner John A.
Published: October 2015

Background:Patients dependent on parenteral nutrition (PN) are among a group at risk of developing iodine deficiency. Supplementation with iodine in this population has been debated in a number of studies, resulting in variable clinical practices. The Committee on Clinical Practice Issues of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition recommends a dose of 1 mcg/kg/d of parenteral iodine for patients receiving PN. At our institution, PN trace elements do not include iodine, although this is not the case internationally. Our study sought to assess iodine levels and thyroid function in a cohort of PN‐dependent pediatric patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis studied 32 pediatric patients with a variety of medical diagnoses who received PN as a primary means of nutrition for 6 months or longer. Patients received variable proportions of their total caloric intake as PN, which ranged from 14%–100%. Iodine and thyroid function levels were obtained by serum sampling. Results: No patient in our cohort of 32 demonstrated thyroid dysfunction or developed iodine deficiency. The length of time on PN and the percentage of total nutrition intake as PN were not associated with iodine levels (P < .89 and P < .73, respectively). There were no significant associations between age (P < .342), clinical diagnosis (P < .46), or sex (P < .43) on iodine status. There were no incidences of abnormal iodine levels in our cohort. Our study suggests that pediatric patients older than 6 months receiving PN may not benefit from iodine supplementation, but further investigation is needed.
A new multi-objective optimization method for full-vehicle suspension systems
Authors: Tey Jing Yuen , Ramli Rahizar , Abdullah Ahmad Saifizul
Published: October 2015

The conventional approach in vehicle suspension optimization based on the ride comfort and the handling performance requires decomposition of the multi-performance targets, followed by lengthy iteration processes. Suspension tuning is a time-consuming process, which often requires the benchmarking of competitors’ vehicles to define the performance targets of the desired vehicle by experimental techniques. Optimum targets are difficult to derive from benchmark vehicles as each vehicle has its own unique vehicle set-up. A new method is proposed to simplify this process and to reduce significantly the development process. These design objectives are formulated into a multi-objective optimization problem together with the suspension packaging dimensions as the design constraints. This is in order to produce a Pareto front of an optimized vehicle at the early stages of design. These objectives are minimized using a multi-objective optimization workflow, which involves a sampling technique, and a regularity-model-based multi-objective estimation of the distribution algorithm to solve greater than 100-dimensional spaces of the design parameters by the software-in-the-loop optimization process. The methodology showed promising results in optimizing a full-vehicle suspension design based on the ride comfort and the handling performance, in comparison with the conventional approach.
Physicians of the Bear-Flag Republic
Authors: Bengtsson Bengt-Ola S
Published: October 2015

In the mid-nineteenth century, three events coincided to make California the 31st state of the USA: The Mexican-American war of 1846–1848, The Bear Flag Revolt of 1846 and the discovery of gold in 1848. Within a few years a population explosion had occurred and with it came the need for organization of the practice of medicine. This paper outlines the biographies of some physicians who were instrumental in the early years of the Golden State.
Correlation Between New Cooperative Medical Scheme Policy Design and Catastrophic Medical Payment
Authors: Zhang Linxiu , Li Shaoping , Yi Hongmei , d’Intignano Luisa Majnoni , Ding Yilei
Published: October 2015

Few studies have examined the association between the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) policy design and its achievement of providing financial protection to rural residents. This study collected data on NCMS policy design and health care spending from 25 counties and rural households in their catchment areas. It shows that on average, NCMS has a growing but small effect on the reduction of catastrophic medical payment (CMP) incidence. If outpatient spending can be reimbursed from an NCMS pooled account, the incidence of CMP before a reimbursement and that after a reimbursement will be reduced. Higher nominal reimbursement rate for inpatient spending at provincial hospitals is correlated with higher incidence of CMP before a reimbursement. Higher ceiling for annual reimbursement from NCMS is associated with lower incidence of CMP after a reimbursement. Thus, NCMS policy design can be improved to strengthen its effects on the reduction of CMP incidence.
Sport in the underlife of a total institution: Social control and resistance in Canadian prisons
Authors: Norman Mark
Published: October 2015

While it is clear from a small body of scholarly literature that sport and physical activity play important roles in the daily lives of many inmates in diverse prison contexts around the world, there remains relatively little research that sociologically explores the significance of these physical practices in correctional environments. This paper helps to address this gap by examining one of the key tensions in prison sport: its deployment by corrections policymakers and administrators as a form of social control and its simultaneous use by prisoners as a vehicle for resistance and subversion. Situating the research in Goffman’s concept of the total institution, the paper explores how prisoners, though stripped of many resources for self presentation and collective subversion, refashion sport activities, materials, and spaces to their own purposes – and, in doing so, how they resist, in a limited fashion, the prison’s social control aims. More broadly, these findings point to the potential social significance of sport and physical activity as vehicles for the limited expression of agency in situations of extreme deprivation or imposing disciplinary regimes.
‘Mastication rage’: a review of misophonia – an under-recognised symptom of psychiatric relevance?
Authors: Bruxner George
Published: October 2015

Objective:

To explore the condition of misophonia, its definition, possible neurological correlates, its associated morbidity, its possible psychiatric relevance and potential treatment.

Method:

Provision of an illustrative case vignette and a review of the limited literature.

Results:

Misophonia is a symptom associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders and may be a syndrome in itself associated with significant distress and avoidance. Treatments are not well validated.

Conclusion:

Misophonia may be an under-recognised condition of psychiatric relevance.
Incidence of Clear Cell Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma in Low-Grade Renal Cell Carcinoma Cases
Authors: Gill Simpal , Kauffman Eric C. , Kandel Sirisa , George Saby , Schwaab Thomas , Xu Bo
Published: October 2015

Clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma (CCPRCC) is a recently recognized subtype of renal cell carcinoma entity after 2004 World Health Organization classification of renal tumors. CCPRCC has unique histomorphological and immunohistochemical characteristics. The distinction of CCPRCC from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with clear cell morphology is crucial because the former is considered to have a favorable clinical outcome. CCPRCC may be interpreted in the past as other renal cell carcinomas, particularly low-grade clear cell RCC. In this study, the frequency of CCPRCC in previously diagnosed low-grade RCC and its clinicopathologic features were examined. A total of 126 cases of stage T1a with low nuclear grade RCC were identified from 625 consecutive RCCs removed by radical/partial nephrectomy over 12-year period (2000-2011). Archival tissue sections were retrospectively reviewed along with patient medical charts. Eight cases (1.3% of all RCC, 6.3% of pT1a low grade RCC) with characteristic histologic features of CCPRCC were confirmed by immunohistochemical studies. Seven cases were previously diagnosed as clear cell RCC and one as multilocular cystic RCC. Radiographically, CCPRCC favored a mid-pole location in the kidneys. At a median follow-up period of 52 months (range 20-114.5 months), there were no cases of local or distant recurrence. In conclusion, CCPRCC is not uncommon among small low-grade RCC tumors. CCPRCC can be correctly recognized by its unique histomorphological features and confirmed by immunohistochemistry studies, which is important due to the excellent clinical outcome following resection.
Alba, a Girl Who Successfully Overcomes Barriers of Intellectual Disability Through Dialogic Literary Gatherings
Authors: Molina Roldán Silvia
Published: October 2015

This article examines the biography of an 11-year-old student, Alba, who lives in a deprived social context and has an intellectual disability. With an academic proficiency 4 years behind the rest of her class, Alba was always well accepted by her classmates, but she never stood out academically. Her biography shows a turning point as a result of her participation in dialogic literary gatherings. By sharing this dialogic space, where works of classic literature are discussed and knowledge is created based on collective interpretations of the text, Alba has had the opportunity not only to learn from her classmates but also to make brilliant contributions that have sparked profound debates among her peers. Alba’s communicative biography unveils an educational action that is capable of making vulnerable students visible, not only because of what they can learn from others but also because of what they can contribute.
State Dominance in Urban Redevelopment
Authors: Wu Fulong
Published: October 2015

This article will revisit Smith’s seminal argument that gentrification is a global urban strategy. The article pays attention to the role of the state and displacement during the process of redevelopment. Through an in-depth study of a dilapidated neighborhood with concentrated migrant population in Shanghai, it is revealed that state control is behind the deterioration of the neighborhood prior to its redevelopment. Inadequate services and poor housing conditions are undeniable. Informal development has been quickly realigned by state dominance. The self-building neighborhood is eventually replaced by state-sanctioned development projects. The article echoes the debate over displacement in the West and suggests that recent urban redevelopment in China has gone beyond both the sporadic middle-class return to the city and residential changes backed up by state actions, revealing hegemonic power of the state over spatial production. Through urban redevelopment, the state attempts to regularize informal areas into new production spaces for its revenue maximization.
Evidence for the Implementation of the Early Start Denver Model for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Ryberg Kayce H.
Published: October 2015

BACKGROUND: The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is a manualized comprehensive therapy for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder. It emphasizes interpersonal engagement through synchrony, rhythms, and reciprocity to decrease symptom severity and accelerate cognitive, social-emotional, and language development. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review evidence regarding the use of the ESDM as an intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder. DESIGN: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and CINAHL were searched from 2010-2015 using predetermined inclusion criteria. Study methodology, participant characteristics, and outcomes were evaluated and quality of evidence was assigned. RESULTS: Eight articles met inclusion criteria and consisted of two randomized controlled trials, four controlled trials, and two observational cohort studies. Evidence quality ranged from low to high. CONCLUSIONS: The ESDM is an effective intervention that improves cognition, language, and adaptive behavior. ESDM strategies delivered in community group settings and in the home by parents have potential to be efficacious and feasible.
CRH as a Predictor of Preterm Birth in Minority Women
Authors: Ruiz R. Jeanne , Gennaro Susan , O’Connor Caitlin , Dwivedi Alok , Gibeau Anne , Keshinover Tayra , Welsh Tia
Published: October 2015

Objective:

To determine the predictive capability of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) as a biomarker of preterm birth (PTB) in minority women.

Study Design:

Venous blood samples were obtained at 22–24 weeks’ gestation in a prospective, descriptive study of 707 minority women experiencing low-risk pregnancies. CRH was analyzed using a radioimmunoassay and methanol extraction protocol.

Result:

CRH predicted PTB in both African American and Hispanic women. The odds ratio was 1.8 times greater for having a PTB if the CRH level was >24 pg/ml. The median CRH for African American women having a PTB was 46.6 pg/ml and for Hispanic women was 35.03 pg/ml. Using a receiver–operating characteristic curve, the threshold for CRH among the African American women was 30.6 pg/ml and among the Hispanic women was 27.4 pg/ml.

Conclusion:

CRH may be an important biomarker for predicting PTB in minority women, especially when combined with other predictors.
‘When there’s no underbrush the tree looks taller’: A discourse analysis of men’s online groin shaving talk
Authors: Hall Matthew
Published: October 2015

It seems many men continue to be obsessed with their penis and especially its size and look. Two-thirds of men in a recent UK study reported some dissatisfaction with their genitals. Arguably much of this anxiety is perpetuated by the media and marketers, but it may also follow more general trends in male body image consciousness. Marketers have been quick to offer both surgical and non-surgical remedies to help change the size, shape and image of the penis, especially online. Stepping aside from more traditional scholarly foci on culture, media, social and personal relationship issues, I focus instead on how men account for pubic hair shaving to enhance image. I use discourse analysis to examine online electronic dialogue in response to an advert promoting male groin grooming showing the complex ways in which men discursively negotiate their interest in this non-typical gender practice. The analysis shows charges of vanity are swept under the carpet in favour of heterosexual pleasure, cleanliness, self-respect and individuality. The implications for understanding traditional and contemporary masculinities are also discussed.
Poor Outcomes of Complicated Pouch-Related Fistulas after Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis Surgery
Authors: Kjaer M. D. , Kjeldsen J. , Qvist N.
Published: October 2015

Background and Aims:

Development of a pouch-related fistula tract is an uncommon but highly morbid complication to restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. Pouch failure with permanent ileostomy is reported in 21%–30% of patients, yet the factors contributing to pouch excision remain poorly defined. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and treatment results of complicated pouch-related fistula, as well as to evaluate factors involved in excision after pouch failure.

Material and Methods:

The study was conducted as a retrospective study. All patients with diagnosed pouch-related fistulas were registered with information related to fistula classification, treatments, and outcome.

Results and Conclusion:

The final analysis included 48 (10.7%) of the 447 total ileal pouch-anal anastomosis patients with complicated pouch-related fistulas. Pouch-vaginal fistulas, pouch-perianal fistulas, and other pouch-related fistulas were observed in 19 (63%), 29 (60%), and 10 (21%) patients, respectively, corresponding to an accumulated risk of 8%, 6%, and 2%, respectively. Time from ileal pouch-anal anastomosis surgery to fistula presentation was 24 (0.2–212) months. Overall pouch failure, defined as pouch excision or a diverting stoma, was seen in 34 (71%) patients, while pouch excision was seen in 23 (48%) of the patients. Patients who developed Crohn’s disease had a significantly higher risk of pouch excision, as did patients with an early onset of the fistula after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis ( P = 0.006 and P = 0.007, respectively). In conclusion, the present study demonstrated a high risk of pouch failure in patients with complicated pouch-related fistulas. Furthermore, it showed that Crohn’s disease and the development of early onset fistulas are associated with pouch excision.
Reaction-space analysis of homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion with varying levels of fuel stratification under positive and negative valve overlap conditions
Authors: Kodavasal Janardhan , Lavoie George A , Assanis Dennis N , Martz Jason B
Published: October 2015

Full-cycle computational fluid dynamics simulations with gasoline chemical kinetics were performed to determine the impact of breathing and fuel injection strategies on thermal and compositional stratification, combustion and emissions during homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion. The simulations examined positive valve overlap and negative valve overlap strategies, along with fueling by port fuel injection and direct injection. The resulting charge mass distributions were analyzed prior to ignition using ignition delay as a reactivity metric. The reactivity stratification arising from differences in the distributions of fuel–oxygen equivalence ratio ([Formula: see text]), oxygen molar fraction ([Formula: see text]) and temperature ( T) was determined for three parametric studies. In the first study, the reactivity stratification and burn duration for positive valve overlap valve events with port fuel injection and early direct injection were nearly identical and were dominated by wall-driven thermal stratification. nitrogen oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions were negligible for both injection strategies. In the second study, which examined negative valve overlap valve events with direct injection and port fuel injection, reactivity stratification increased for direct injection as the [Formula: see text] and T distributions associated with direct fuel injection into the hot residual gas were positively correlated; however, the latent heat absorbed from the hot residual gas by the evaporating direct injection fuel jet reduced the overall thermal and reactivity stratification. These stratification effects were offsetting, resulting in similar reactivity stratification and burn durations for the two injection strategies. The higher local burned gas temperatures with direct injection resulted in an order of magnitude increase in NO, while incomplete combustion of locally over-lean regions led to a sevenfold increase in CO emissions compared to port fuel injection. The final study evaluated positive valve overlap and negative valve overlap valve events with direct injection. Relative to positive valve overlap, the negative valve overlap condition had a wider reactivity stratification, a longer burn duration and higher NO and CO emissions associated with reduced fuel–air mixing.
Learning Scientific Reasoning Skills May Be Key to Retention in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Authors: Jensen Jamie L. , Neeley Shannon , Hatch Jordan B. , Piorczynski Ted
Published: October 2015

The United States produces too few Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) graduates to meet demand. We investigated scientific reasoning ability as a possible factor in STEM retention. To do this, we classified students in introductory biology courses at a large private university as either declared STEM or non-STEM majors and assessed their reasoning ability using the Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning. We then obtained their declared majors 1 to 4 years later. We found that reasoning ability correlates with high-level performance and final course grades. In addition, results indicate that STEM majors have higher reasoning skills than non-STEM majors but not until after the freshman year. However, we show that reasoning ability does not predict retention or declaration of a STEM degree and suggests instead that increased reasoning skills are a product of learning. We suggest educational interventions that may plug the leaky pipeline in STEM education.
The Burden of Brown Bodies
Authors: McCormack Jaleh V. , Burrows Lisette
Published: October 2015

Recent theorizations of biopedagogies, drawing on Foucault’s thinking about biopower and biopolitics, coupled with contemporary understandings of pedagogy as a cultural practice, provide a useful analytic for interrogating the workings of obesity discourses. In this article, we aim to extend thinking about biopedagogies through a reading of public health research texts that produce “evidence” about obesity and Brown bodies. We consider the role public health researchers may play as pedagogues in the art and practices of life. We chart how some public health research utilizes normalizing practices and produces discourses of ignorance that constitute bodies as objects to be worked on and taught. Finally, we flag up our concern that biopedagogical efforts to solve public health issues may occlude potential detrimental effects for individuals and their health.
Biopedagogical Assemblages
Authors: Leahy Deana , Malins Peta
Published: October 2015

Public health “perspectives” position school-based drug education as a key site whereby public health imperatives can be brought to life through the “empowerment” of young people to take charge of their bodies to ensure their own good health. Foucauldian governmentality scholarship has been extremely useful in the task of critically examining these attempts to govern the population’s health and drug use, drawing attention to the ways in which classrooms function as biopedagogical spaces where particular sorts of knowledge and truth are mobilized to produce subjects who are rational, autonomous, and “empowered” to make the “right” healthy, drug-free choices. Although the work of Foucault has helped in drawing attention to expert knowledges, discourses, and truths that operate in the production of “healthy” subjectivity, it has been less useful for exploring the affective, desiring, and embodied aspects of school drug education or for examining its potential side effects, including its impacts on bodily capacities, social relations, and empathy. In this article, then, we draw on the work of Deleuze and Guattari to build on and supplement these governmental approaches: to consider what actually happens, affectively, in classrooms when drug education biopedagogies are put into motion, and what implications this has for embodied relations beyond the classroom. We argue that by attending to the affective, desiring, and embodied aspects of school drug education, we get a more nuanced sense of the broader impacts of school drug education: how it functions as a biopolitical site and how it might affect upon health and well-being in ways not considered by discourses of public health nor those of governmentality.
Living One Day Is Easy, Living a Life Is Hard
Authors: Reale Michelle
Published: October 2015

The trauma of the refugee is often a persistent condition as they attempt to fit into their new home, often unwanted and without employment, while coping with the trauma of arrival and the loss of sense of self and the familiarity of a homeland. These poems attempt to explicate some aspects of Muhammad’s experiences in Sicily. Using Muhammad’s own words, I have chosen poetic inquiry to “represent actual experiences, episode, epiphanies, misfortune, pleasures in such a way that others can experience and feel them.”