bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Practical Organization of Moral Transactions
Authors: Lainer-Vos Dan
Published: July 2013

The fusion of gift giving and market exchange elements in economic transactions creates practical difficulties. How can the parties involved agree about the meaning of their engagement and the value of the exchanged objects? This article tackles the topic—an important one in economic sociology—by looking at moral transactions (i.e., transactions that combine pecuniary and ethical considerations). Through an empirical study of the issuance of Irish and Israeli diaspora bonds during the 1920s and 1950s, respectively, I identify practices that help actors overcome the difficulties inherent in moral transactions. Clarification practices allow actors to treat the exchange as either gift giving or market exchange. Blurring practices allow actors to complete a transaction without agreeing on its meaning. Blurring practices require creating a zone of indeterminacy, that is, a context in which the parties can cooperate without agreeing on their relationships. The broader implications of these practices are then discussed.
The Honored Outsider
Authors: Baehr Peter
Published: July 2013

Raymond Aron (1905–1983) assumed many guises over a long and fruitful career: journalist, polemicist, philosopher of history, counselor to political leaders and officials, theorist of nuclear deterrence and international relations. He was also France’s most notable sociologist. While Aron had especially close ties with Britain, a result of his days in active exile there during the Second World War, he was widely appreciated in the United States too. His book Main Currents in Sociological Thought was hailed a masterpiece; more generally, Aron’s books were extensively reviewed in the American Journal of Sociology, the American Sociological Review (in earlier days, it hosted a review section), Contemporary Sociology, and Social Forces. And he was admired and cited by sociologists of the stature of Daniel Bell, Edward Shils, and David Riesman. Yet despite appearing well poised to become a major force in international sociology, analogous to his younger collaborator, Pierre Bourdieu, Aron has almost vanished from the sociological landscape. This article explains why, offering in the process some observations on the conditions—conceptual and motivational—of reputational longevity in sociological theory and showing how Aron failed to meet them. Special attention is devoted to a confusing equivocation in Aron’s description of sociology and to the cultural basis of his ambivalence toward the discipline.
Constructions of “Infertility” and Some Lived Experiences of Involuntary Childlessness
Authors: Bell Karen
Published: July 2013

This article draws on data from a feminist, qualitative social work research project on women’s experiences of involuntary childlessness in the context of assisted reproduction. It argues that the dominant construction of “infertility” is partial, biased, and inaccurate and that it serves to maintain infertility as a “woman’s problem” to be addressed ideally via biomedicine and individualized approaches to the delivery of services. With reference to the background literature, women’s lived experiences of involuntary childlessness are explored. An alternative, multidimensional construction of involuntary childlessness is proposed and implications for social work in reproductive health and directions for further research are presented.
A Statewide Exploration of Bystander and Gender-Role Attitudes in New Jersey
Authors: McMahon Sarah , Postmus Judy L. , Warrener Corinne , Martinez Jennifer A. , Spencer-Linzie Andrea
Published: July 2013

The state of New Jersey has recommended the widespread adoption of bystander intervention education as a way to engage communities in the prevention of sexual violence. The study reported here gathered baseline data from a random sample of New Jersey residents about their attitudes as bystanders, gender roles, and sexual violence. The analysis of the data revealed that the women reported less support for rigid gender roles and a greater willingness to become active bystanders than did the men. Age and race were also significant in some of the scales. Implications for the development of programs to prevent sexual violence are discussed.
Mental and Physical Health Consequences of Spousal Health Shocks Among Older Adults
Authors: Valle Giuseppina , Weeks Janet A. , Taylor Miles G. , Eberstein Isaac W.
Published: July 2013

Objective: To examine how the experience of a negative health event (i.e., onset of heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, cancer, or stroke) of one spouse affects the mental and physical well-being of the other partner as measured by depressive symptoms and self-reported health. Methods: We employ latent growth curve analysis and examine adults 50+ using six waves of data (1998-2008) from the Health and Retirement Study. Results: One spouse’s health shock affects the health of the other partner. Results indicate that a spouse’s onset of a severe health condition worsens the mental health of women and the self-reported health of men. Discussion: These findings illustrate that the family context of spouses is important to consider when examining health.
The role of technical progress, professionalization and Christian religion in occupational gender segregation: a cross-national analysis
Authors: Racko Girts , Burchell Brendan
Published: July 2013

Studies have linked cross-national variations in occupational gender segregation with various economic, social and normative characteristics of countries. This study contributes to the research on the role of normative or ‘cultural’ characteristics by examining the influence of the level of technical progress, professionalization and Christian religion on cross-national variations in occupational gender segregation. The analysis is based on a sample of 33 countries. Variations in gender distribution are assessed using a reliable measure of occupational segregation, marginal matching. The analysis uses recent survey data (collected between 2002 and 2006) and a differentiated occupational classification scheme at the ISCO-88 3-digit level. Controlling for other confounding influences, the study finds higher occupational segregation of sexes in countries with higher levels of technical progress and in countries where Catholicism or Protestantism is a dominant religion.
Emotion management from the client’s perspective: the case of personal home care
Authors: Cranford Cynthia J , Miller Diana
Published: July 2013

Recent scholarship examines multiple types of emotion management but these efforts are limited by the absence of service recipients’ perspectives. Using interviews with personal home care clients in Toronto, this article extends discussions of emotion management. Both management and recipients expect the worker to respectfully meet and anticipate clients’ individual needs but this is relational service, not emotional labour, because it is motivated by relationship building. Most clients also want caring work but it is unclear if and when this is part of the job. This preferred emotion management stems neither from explicit organizational rules nor implicit social rules, but from organizational signals informally communicated to workers by recipients. Some recipients send social signals for care beyond the job, which can take the form of unpaid labour or friendship. The article offers an extended typology of emotion management that can incorporate clients, managers and workers as actors in service work.
Age and sex differences in gender role attitudes in Luxembourg between 1999 and 2008
Authors: Valentova Marie
Published: July 2013

This article uses European Values Study (EVS) data from 1999 and 2008 to examine the evolution of gender role attitudes in Luxembourg. The article focuses on three aspects of attitudinal change. First, it analyses whether the gender role beliefs have changed during the past decade. Second, it examines whether these changes have been equally experienced by men and by women of different age categories. Third, it analyses whether the gender gap in attitudes towards gender roles diminishes over time. The outcomes of the analysis reveal that during the past 10 years Luxembourg’s residents have become significantly less traditional when it comes to attitudes towards the childcare and economic aspects of gender roles. Young women are the strongest supporters of more egalitarian division of labour between the sexes, while young men lag behind their female counterparts. This gender gap appears to persist especially in the case of attitudes towards women doing homemaking.
Analysis and design of a ball joint, considering manufacturing process
Authors: Jang Byung-Hyun , Lee Kwon-Hee
Published: July 2013

A ball joint is an automobile component that connects control arm to knuckle part. The ball joint can also be installed in linkage systems for motion control applications. This work describes a simulation strategy for a ball joint analysis, considering the manufacturing process. The manufacturing process can be divided into plugging and spinning processes. The dynamic analyses for the caulking process, made of plugging and spinning, are sequentially performed. Then the interested responses are selected as the stress distribution generated between the ball and bearing and the gap displacement. In this work, DAFUL software, using an implicit integration method, is introduced to calculate the responses. In addition, optimization problems that minimize the stress distribution and axial displacement are solved, by adopting the Kriging metamodel.
‘Rape is a huge issue in this country’: Discursive constructions of the rape crisis in South Africa
Authors: Dosekun Simidele
Published: July 2013

This article considers how the issue of rape in South Africa is discursively constructed by women who have not experienced it. Taking a feminist discursive analytic approach to data from 15 semi-structured interviews, the article identifies four interpretative repertoires which the women used in their talk of rape. These are the statistics repertoire, invoking putatively objective rape statistics; crime repertoire, locating rape within a crisis of crime; race repertoire, naming the racial Other as the rapist; and gender repertoire, explaining rape in terms of normal gendered dynamics and practices. The women chiefly deployed the statistics, crime and race repertoires. These repertoires intersected to construct rape as horrifically prevalent in South Africa yet concerning a classed, raced and spatially-distanced ‘Other’. They also elided a focus on the gendered scripts and power relations which South African feminists implicate centrally in what they deem a national rape crisis.
A flexible joint modeling framework for longitudinal and time-to-event data with overdispersion
Authors: Njagi Edmund N , Molenberghs Geert , Rizopoulos Dimitris , Verbeke Geert , Kenward Michael G , Dendale Paul , Willekens Koen
Published: July 2013

We combine conjugate and normal random effects in a joint model for outcomes, at least one of which is non-Gaussian, with particular emphasis on cases in which one of the outcomes is of survival type. Conjugate random effects are used to relax the often-restrictive mean-variance prescription in the non-Gaussian outcome, while normal random effects account for not only the correlation induced by repeated measurements from the same subject but also the association between the different outcomes. Using a case study in chronic heart failure, we show that model fit can be improved, even resulting in impact on significance tests, by switching to our extended framework. By first taking advantage of the ease of analytical integration over conjugate random effects, we easily estimate our framework, by maximum likelihood, in standard software.
From Classroom to Boardroom and Ward
Authors: Barker Michelle C. , Mak Anita S.
Published: July 2013

A strategic approach to internationalize learning in higher education institutions is to use the curriculum and classroom cultural diversity to create opportunities to broaden students’ intercultural perspectives, appreciate sociocultural variability in professional practice, and improve their intercultural interaction skills. There is no clear consensus, however, on how to “link the global classroom to the global workplace.” The article examines an evidence-based approach to embed intercultural competency development in classroom teaching using an established intercultural resource (EXCELL) in an international human resource management course; a general communication course; a pharmacy course comprising only Saudi Arabian students; and a generic first year pharmacy course. Subsequently, stakeholder analyses with Business, Nursing, and Pharmacy academics and professionals led to the development of intercultural critical incidents for the curriculum. Strengths and limitations of the intercultural resource and recommendations for incorporating intercultural competency development in curriculum design in Business and Health disciplines are discussed.
Ages and Stages Questionnaires-3 Developmental Screening of Infants and Young Children With Cancer
Authors: Quigg Troy C. , Mahajerin Arash , Sullivan Paula D. , Pradhan Kamnesh , Bauer Nerissa S.
Published: July 2013

The Ages and Stages Questionnaires–3® (ASQ-3) for developmental screening in our young oncology patients was pilot tested in children 4 to 48 months of age with newly diagnosed cancer. Subjects were screened within 28 days of diagnosis (baseline), at 6 and 12 months. Twenty-six of 30 enrolled parents (87%) completed all 3 screens. Screens were completed by parents within 15 minutes. ASQ-3 screening identified unsuspected developmental delays as follows: 7 at baseline, 4 at 6 months, and 3 at 12 months. ASQ-3 developmental screening is feasible, identifies early developmental delays in young children with cancer, and helps initiate appropriate referrals.
Predictors of Suffering in Advanced Cancer
Authors: Krikorian Alicia , Limonero Joaquín T. , Román Juan Pablo , Vargas John Jairo , Palacio Carolina
Published: July 2013

Context:

Suffering is a complex experience. Identifying its predictors is useful to signal at-risk patients.

Objective:

To identify suffering predictors in patients with advanced cancer in palliative care.

Methods:

A total of 98 patients participated in the study. A semistructured interview examining suffering levels and physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects was used. Instruments included Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure (PRISM), Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), Detection of emotional distress (DED), and Structured Interview of Symptoms and Concern (SISC). Variance-based structural equation model was used for the data analysis.

Results:

All measures were valid and reliable. The structural model explained 64% of the variance. Suffering levels were directly determined by psychological and adjustment problems and indirectly determined by physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects and coping strategies.

Conclusion:

Our study supports the proposed theoretical model and signals the important mediating effect of psychological and spiritual variables between physical symptoms and suffering.
Acoustic emission detection in concrete specimens: Experimental analysis and lattice model simulations
Authors: Iturrioz I , Lacidogna G , Carpinteri A
Published: July 2013

In civil engineering, a quantitative evaluation of damage in materials subjected to stress or strain states is of great importance due to the critical character of these phenomena, which may suddenly give rise to catastrophic failure. From an experimental point of view, an effective damage assessment criterion is provided by the statistical analysis of the amplitude distribution of the acoustic emission signals generated by growing microcracks. A classical way to work out the amplitude of acoustic emission signals distribution is the Gutenberg-Richter law, characterized by the b-value parameter, which systematically decreases with damage growth. The damage process is also characterized by a progressive localization that can be modeled through the fractal dimension 2 b =  D of the damaged domain. In the framework of continuum damage mechanics, the progressive deterioration of the material that causes formation of macro-cracks is described by means of phenomenological damage variables usually introduced in classical constitutive relationships. Nevertheless, taking into account discrete damage mechanics, lattice models are particularly suitable to reproduce the generation of acoustic emission events, arising from the materials, during the different stages of damage growth. These models are also fundamental for the application of advanced statistical methods and non-standard mathematical methods, e.g. fractal theory. Starting from these considerations, in this work a b-value analysis was conducted in laboratory on two concrete specimens loaded up to failure. One was a prismatic specimen subjected to uniaxial compressive loading and the other was a pre-cracked beam subjected to a three-point bending test. The truss-like discrete element method was used to perform numerical simulations of the testing processes. The test results and the results of the numerical analyses, in terms of load vs. time diagram and acoustic emission data, as determined through b-value and signal frequency variations, are compared and are seen to be in good agreement.
Charismatic Leadership, Citizenship Behaviors, and Power Distance Orientation
Authors: Cavazotte Flávia , Hartman Nathan S. , Bahiense Erica
Published: July 2013

This article examines the connection between leadership and citizenship behaviors in a comparative study of Brazilian and U.S. employees. The influence of country and power distance orientation on the relationship between perceived charismatic leadership and follower organizational citizenship behaviors is analyzed statistically, while controlling for demographic factors. Given the ambivalent frameworks and findings in the literature, we also proposed and tested a quadratic effect of power distance orientation on citizenship behaviors, and analyzed the adequacy of the model to explain two dimensions of citizenship: altruism and generalized compliance. We found that charismatic leadership was positively associated with citizenship behaviors in the U.S. group, but not in the Brazilian group. Although the groups differed regarding power distance orientations, that cultural factor did not significantly moderate the relationship between charismatic leadership and citizenship behaviors, only country of origin did. However, we confirmed that both very high and low power distance orientation were associated with citizenship behaviors across the samples. While the tested hypotheses were confirmed when altruism was the criteria, the same was not observed regarding generalized compliance. We discuss the implications of these findings for theory, research, and practice.
Division of Primary Care Services Between Physicians, Physician Assistants, and Nurse Practitioners for Older Patients With Diabetes
Authors: Everett Christine M. , Thorpe Carolyn T. , Palta Mari , Carayon Pascale , Gilchrist Valerie J. , Smith Maureen A.
Published: July 2013

Team-based care involving physician assistants and/or nurse practitioners (PA/NPs) in the patient-centered medical home is one approach to improving care quality. However, little is known about how to incorporate PA/NPs into primary care teams. Using data from a large physician group, we describe the division of patients and services (e.g., acute, chronic, preventive, other) between primary care providers for older diabetes patients on panels with varying levels of PA/NP involvement (i.e., no role, supplemental provider, or usual provider of care). Panels with PA/NP usual providers had higher proportions of patients with Medicaid, disability, and depression. Patients with physician usual providers had similar probabilities of visits with supplemental PA/NPs and physicians for all service types. However, patients with PA/NP usual providers had higher probabilities of visits with a supplemental physician. Understanding how patients and services are divided between PA/NPs and physicians will assist in defining provider roles on primary care teams.
The Continuity and Quality of Primary Care
Authors: Maciejewski Matthew L. , Wang Virginia , Burgess James F. , Bryson Chris L. , Perkins Mark , Liu Chuan-Fen
Published: July 2013

Patients who have access to different health care systems, such as Medicare-eligible veterans, may obtain services in either or both health systems. We examined whether quality of diabetes care was associated with care continuity or veterans’ usual source of primary care in a retrospective cohort study of 1,867 Medicare-eligible veterans with diabetes in 2001 to 2004. Underprovision of quality of diabetes care was more common than overprovision. In adjusted analyses, veterans who relied only on Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) for primary care were more likely to be underprovided HbA1c testing than veterans who relied only on Veteran Affairs (VA) for primary care. Dual users of VA and Medicare FFS primary care were significantly more likely to be overprovided HbA1c and microalbumin testing than VA-only users. VA and Medicare providers may need to coordinate more effectively to ensure appropriate diabetes care to Medicare-eligible veterans, because VA reliance was a stronger predictor than care continuity.
What Happens to the Urban Periphery? The Political Tensions of Postindustrial Redevelopment in Milan
Authors: Savini Federico
Published: July 2013

This paper investigates the change of the urban periphery, exploring the tension between the socioeconomic, financial, and political implications of postindustrial transitions. It presents and elaborates an analytical framework to conceptualize the interlocked influence of different dimensions of urban development in smaller municipalities, considering in particular how political and electoral dynamics impinge on other aspects of land development. In the article, three types of challenges are thus identified. The paper adopts an explorative approach to detect how political and electoral logics of action affect urban development in the changing periphery. It thus advances that under conditions of metropolitan fragmentation, urban projects are prone to lengthy gridlocks of localistic bargaining, and local governments are unable to fully govern the fundamental challenges of land development.
Literacy Coaching in Wyoming Secondary Schools
Authors: Rush Leslie S.
Published: July 2013

In 2006, The Wyoming state legislature allocated monies to fund Instructional Facilitators (IFs) in schools around the state. This interview study, developed through situational analysis, explores the roles and responsibilities of IFs in Wyoming secondary schools, and the contextual factors of those schools that impact the work of IFs, particularly those whose work is focused on literacy coaching. Findings from the study include descriptions of common work roles, individual coaching with teachers, providing staff development to groups of teachers, and collection, analysis, management, and interpretation of data. Contextual issues of teacher enrollment and embeddedness in school professional development structure are also presented as of great importance to IFs, and recommendations for IFs’ work in schools, as well as for future research are presented.
Analysis and optimization of gyrokinetic toroidal simulations on homogenous and heterogenous platforms
Authors: Ibrahim Khaled Z , Madduri Kamesh , Williams Samuel , Wang Bei , Ethier Stephane , Oliker Leonid
Published: July 2013

The Gyrokinetic Toroidal Code (GTC) uses the particle-in-cell method to efficiently simulate plasma microturbulence. This work presents novel analysis and optimization techniques to enhance the performance of GTC on large-scale machines. We introduce cell access analysis to better manage locality vs. synchronization tradeoffs on CPU and GPU-based architectures. Our optimized hybrid parallel implementation of GTC uses MPI, OpenMP, and NVIDIA CUDA, achieves up to a 2× speedup over the reference Fortran version on multiple parallel systems, and scales efficiently to tens of thousands of cores.
Clinically isolated syndromes with no further disease activity suggestive of multiple sclerosis at the age of population life expectancy
Authors: Novakova L , Skoog B , Runmarker B , Ekholm S , Winblad S , Lisovskaja V , Andersen O
Published: July 2013

The proportion of patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) reported to convert to clinically definite multiple sclerosis varied between 30 and 75%. We studied the lifetime probability of remaining in the “CIS only” condition. The study was based on the longitudinally followed Gothenburg 1950–1964 incidence cohort ( n = 306). Survival analysis revealed that 17.8% of 236 attack onset patients remained “CIS only”. Patients with afferent (optic and sensory) symptoms had a better prognosis with approximately 30% of these patients remaining “CIS only”. Patients who had experienced no relapse during the first 25 years remained “CIS only” for the subsequent 25 years of follow-up.
Clinically diagnosed insomnia and risk of all-cause and diagnosis-specific sickness absence: A nationwide Swedish prospective cohort study
Authors: Jansson Catarina , Alexanderson Kristina , Kecklund Göran , Åkerstedt Torbjörn
Published: July 2013

Aims: Insomnia is a large health problem. In some prior studies, positive associations between insomnia symptoms and sickness absence have been observed. There is, however, no previous nationwide cohort study of clinically diagnosed insomnia and risk of incident sickness absence. Methods: Prospective nationwide cohort study based on Swedish population-based registers including all 4,956,358 individuals registered as living in Sweden on 31 December 2004/2005, aged 17–64 years, not on disability pension, old-age pension or on-going sickness absence. Those having insomnia inpatient or outpatient care, defined as having at least one admission/specialist visit with a main or secondary diagnosis of disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep [insomnias] (ICD-10: G47.0) during 2000/2001–2005, were compared to those with no such care. All-cause and diagnosis-specific incident sickness absence were followed during 2006–2010. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: In models adjusted for prior sickness absence, socio-demographic factors and inpatient and specialized outpatient care, associations between insomnia and increased risks of all-cause sickness absence (IRR 1.18, 95% CI 1.04–1.35) and sickness absence due to mental diagnoses (IRR 1.75, 95% CI 1.36–2.25) were observed. After further adjustment for insomnia medications these associations disappeared. No associations between insomnia and risk of sickness absence due to cancer, circulatory or musculoskeletal diagnoses, or injuries, were observed. Conclusions: In this nationwide cohort study, we observed increased risks of all-cause sickness absence and sickness absence due to mental diagnoses after adjustment for several potential confounders that disappeared after further adjustment for insomnia medications.
Elementary forms of the metaphorical life: Tropes at work in Durkheim’s theory of the religious
Authors: McKinnon Andrew
Published: July 2013

Scholars have not infrequently called attention to the master metaphors in Durkheim’s writing, those figures, typically drawn from biology, physics and chemistry, which structure his sociological thought. Less attention has been given to the work that metaphors do in Durkheim’s texts, or to Durkheim’s fundamental ambivalence about metaphor. This paper argues that Durkheim depends on metaphor to construct the building blocks, and not just the overall architecture, of his argument in The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1912). His conception of the ‘gods’ of totemism makes the theory relevant to modern European religion, and his construction of the concept of the sacred depends on electrical and epidemiological metaphors. I argue that Durkheim’s theory of social representation (the central argument of the book) is a theory of metaphorical relations between social organization and the organization of the cosmos.
A small-scale comparison of the relative impact of dialogic and shared book reading with an adult male on boys’ literacy skills
Authors: Pillinger Claire , Wood Clare
Published: July 2013

Dialogic Reading (DR) is a form of interactive shared book reading which promotes children’s active participation in reading. Previous studies have demonstrated that DR positively affects young children’s literacy development. This small-scale study extends existing DR research to all-male dyads to examine whether DR has a greater impact on boys’ literacy development than traditional styles of shared book reading. The sample comprised 18 boys between the ages of five and eight years and their adult male reading partners. Participants were randomly allocated to either the DR condition or regular shared reading (SR) condition. Adults were trained in the two approaches using a self-instruction training DVD. Children were pre- and post-tested on measures of receptive vocabulary, reading attainment and reading fluency. Intervention effects were assessed after six weeks by comparing the extent of pre- to post-test change in the DR and SR groups’ standardised language scores. No statistically significant differences between the DR and SR groups were found. However, effect sizes indicated that experience of DR accounted for 15% of the variance in receptive vocabulary growth. Exposure to SR accounted for 13% growth in reading attainment and 12% change in reading fluency over the course of the intervention. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed in relation to further research evaluating the use of SR methods with all male dyads.
Diabetes information technology in UK diabetes secondary care: a snapshot
Authors: Parker Vicki ER , Simmons David
Published: July 2013

Background:

Primary care in the United Kingdom primarily uses electronic record systems. We performed a national survey of electronic records systems used by secondary care diabetes centres in the UK.

Methods:

A short questionnaire on usage of electronic records was sent to secondary care diabetes centres across the UK between October 2009 and March 2010.

Results:

Responses were received from 117/193 (60.6%) centres. Among responding sites, 85 (73%) use a form of electronic records. The most frequently used electronic records were Diamond (20; 24%) or an in-house system (20; 24%). Overall, 14 different types of electronic record were in current use with ProWellness (12%) and SystmOne (9%) being the third and fourth most frequently used. Only three (3%) centres were using an electronic record with the ability to interface with hospital and primary care information technology (IT) systems. Of those who have existing electronic records, 23 (27%) were considering changing their current software. Of those without electronic records, 20 (63%) had plans to introduce an electronic records system.

Conclusions:

The importance of an IT infrastructure was highlighted in the National Service Framework for Diabetes outlined in 2001. We have identified that the majority of centres are using electronic records for diabetes care. However, only a minority have a system which has an optimal array of functions including interfacing with primary care. Furthermore, there is significant diversity in the types of electronic records in current use and this may have implications for variations in patient care and information connectivity across the NHS.
HbA1c: changing units, changing minds – mission accomplished?
Authors: Levy David
Published: July 2013

The case for a universal reference standard for glycated haemoglobin is accepted, and after many years (1995–2010) this has now been achieved through the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program/International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) initiative. In contrast, the transition between 2009 and 2012 to worldwide reporting of the new measurement in SI units (mmol/mol) has been less satisfactory because of weak rationale, divergent timescales for implementation in different countries and difficulties for patients and practitioners in using the new units in real clinical practice. To date, only the UK and New Zealand have moved to reporting in IFCC units alone, while other countries have taken a more measured view. The new reporting units are of uncertain value to patients and are unlikely to improve delivery of care, while occupying much bureaucratic and clinical time.
Is There an Alternative to the Surgical Above-Knee Bypass in Treatment of Superficial Femoral Artery Disease? Experiences With Viabahn Stent Graft
Authors: Jebran A. Fawad , Popov Aron F. , Zenker Dieter , Bireta Christian , Friedrich Martin , Danner Bernhard C. , Bougioukas Ioannis , Schoendube Friedrich A. , Stojanovic Tomislav
Published: July 2013

Objective:

We conducted a retrospective study to compare short- and mid-term patencies of Viabahn with surgical above-knee prosthetic bypass (pAKB).

Methods:

The records of 52 patients with either pAKB (n = 25) or Viabahn (n = 27) were reviewed. The majority had Rutherford clinical grade 3. Patients were followed after 3, 6, and 12 months and yearly thereafter.

Results:

For Viabahn, the short-term (1-16 months) primary patency rate was 60% with a secondary patency rate of 90%, and mid-term (1-68 months) patencies of 47% and 83.3%, respectively. In pAKB, the short-term results revealed a primary patency rate of 78% with a secondary patency of 91% and mid-term results of 65% and 90%, respectively. No statistical difference was found concerning short-term patencies. Mid-term primary patency was lower for Viabahn ( P < .05) and secondary patency proved no significant difference.

Conclusion:

Viabahn revealed similar short-term primary and secondary patencies but lower mid-term primary patency. It provides a good alternative therapy to pAKB.
Different Methods, Different Results
Authors: Costa Laura da , Remedios Richard
Published: July 2013

Achievement goal theory is one of the most popular theories of achievement motivation. Techniques researchers have used to assess goals include standardized questionnaires and interviews. One curious finding is that participants whose self-report questionnaire responses strongly indicate they operate with a performance goal do not make performance goal responses in subsequent interviews. In this article, we consider the nature of this divergence using a mixed methods approach and discuss how a third technique, the Implicit Association Test, might help address divergent goal responses. More broadly, we suggest that implicit measures may offer an additional and/or alternative technique for assessing the prevalence of psychological constructs thought to be underpinned by processes involving social cognition.
Preparing Educators to Promote and Provide Physical Activity in Schools
Authors: Castelli Darla M. , Centeio Erin E. , Nicksic Hildi M.
Published: July 2013

Today, children are at risk for disease stemming from the prevalence of sedentary behaviors. Schools are largely obesogenic environments but have the potential to promote and provide opportunities to meet the recommended daily minutes of physical activity. Yet educators must be prepared to do so. The objective of this review was to examine the strength of evidence from studies on professional development effectiveness in order to make recommendations on how to structure such experiences to prepare teachers to promote and provide physical activity in schools. Effective strategies for professional development that were confirmed in the literature focused on knowledge of subject matter, collective and collaborative participation, continual and long in duration, coherence with student learning, active learning, and the building of a community of practice. Further, research to examine the effectiveness of professional development on student physical activity participation within the school environment is warranted.
Transformational Leadership and Globalization
Authors: Alsaeedi Farraj , Male Trevor
Published: July 2013

The study explores the attitudes of a sample of school principals in a Kuwaiti local authority towards the need for transformational leadership, the use of its behaviours, whether these school leaders are ready to behave in diverse ways or whether there are barriers that prevent them from acting in such a manner. The findings of this study demonstrate that the participants agreed on the need for transformational leadership and had positive attitudes towards its behaviours. Although the participants identified some barriers to the application of this leadership style, the results indicated that the participants were generally ready to promote transformational leadership behaviours.
A Cultural Map of Turkey
Authors: Rankin Bruce , Ergin Murat , Gökşen Fatoş
Published: July 2013

There is a growing body of empirical research on national patterns of cultural consumption and how they are related to social stratification. This paper helps to broaden the basis of comparison by focusing on cultural patterns in Turkey, a developing, non-Western, and predominantly Muslim context. Our analysis of cultural tastes and activities using data from a new nationally-representative survey shows three broad cultural clusters that clearly map onto differential positions in the social structure and are largely differentiated by degree and form of engagement with Turkey’s emerging cultural diversity, particularly their orientation towards Western cultural forms. In general, local cultural modalities do not distinguish groups, attesting to the robustness of local culture. The results are discussed in light of previous work on cultural patterns in other national contexts.
Human(e) Rights and the Cosmopolitan Imagination: Questions of Human Dignity and Cultural Identity
Authors: Stevenson Nick
Published: July 2013

Here I seek to explore the cosmopolitan foundations of the idea of human rights. The argument begins by considering the popularity of the idea of human rights in a globalized and fast-moving commodified and digital culture. At this point I consider whether the idea of human rights might be considered to be a modern utopia similar to the role that art and nature played in the Romantic movements of the 19th century. Further, I defend human rights against those who simply see it as a form of neoliberalism or as largely ineffective against the power of the state. At this point I investigate some of the Durkheimian work within cultural sociology that has sought to investigate human rights as a form of moral community. The main problem with this view is that it has little to say about human freedom. However, viewed through a cultural lens, the global spread of human rights is connected to the idea of human dignity. While there is never likely to be a global consensus on this term, it does retain an important philosophical anchoring in Kantian ideas. More recently this debate has been revived by the critical reception of the work of Agamben and his idea of ‘bare life’. If human rights can indeed be connected to the struggle for a dignified and meaningful life, then the idea of ‘bare life’ remains an important conceptual advance. However, by considering the work and legacy of Du Bois, Gilroy and others, we can also see how the term dignity might take on other meanings in different settings. Finally, I argue that the idea of dignity and human rights could yet provide an important focus for resistance against the imperatives of capital and state in these neoliberal times.
Considerations for patient selection for focal therapy
Authors: Ward John F. , Pisters Louis L.
Published: July 2013

Focal therapy for prostate cancer is a nascent and emerging field. As such, the patient selection criteria for this new treatment paradigm are evolving in parallel to both the technology on which this approach depends and to our unfolding understanding of the natural history of prostate cancer. Until, and while, prospective trials of focal therapy are being reported, patient selection criteria will be flexible and very dependent on the therapeutic goals. We must carefully define the therapeutic intentions of focal therapy before engaging in the actual process of determining optimal patient selection. The therapeutic intent will define the most appropriate candidate for such therapy. Patient selection encompasses multiple complex issues including the type of prostate biopsy (12 core transrectal versus mapping transperineal) to the type of imaging (multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging or enhanced ultrasound) to the specific anatomical location of the disease within the prostate (apex, mid-prostate, base) and a comprehensive assessment of the patient’s overall health and life expectancy. It is not as simple as saying a patient with a certain grade or a certain number of cores is or is not appropriate for focal therapy. There are many more considerations for a reasonable and thoughtful approach to this new treatment.
Patients’ perceptions of hemodialysis catheter care practices at home before and after eliminating a protective dressing and implementing a showering protocol
Authors: Kear Tamara , Evans Elizabeth , Hain Debra , Schrauf Christine , Dork Leslie
Published: July 2013

Catheter-related bloodstream infection is a major cause of patient morbidity, mortality, and cost for patients undergoing hemodialysis. Healthcare personnel have control over central venous catheter care in the healthcare setting, but patient practices in the home environment may play a role in catheter-related infections. This qualitative study investigated hemodialysis catheter-related care in the home environment and developed an understanding of the experience of catheter care for which patients were responsible. The themes that emerged from the data were perceptions of catheter care practices, feelings of freedom, fear, a few frustrations, and patient empowerment. The findings from the analysis provide a snapshot of the variability in catheter care practices in the home as self-reported by the patients undergoing hemodialysis before and after involvement in a protocol that eliminated the dressing over the catheter insertion site and taught participants ways to care for the site during showering. The data may be used to inform care that decreases catheter-related infections, to describe the impact of showering on catheter-related infections, and to influence patient adherence to best practices through enhanced patient empowerment, comfort, control, and perceptions of personal hygiene.
Active surveillance: a cautionary tale
Authors: Segaran S , Jelski J , Burns-Cox N
Published: July 2013

Objective

To determine if the practice of active surveillance for prostate cancer (PCa) at the District General Hospital (DGH) level produces outcomes in keeping with those published from clinical trials.

Subjects

A cohort of 47 patients started on active surveillance for prostate cancer in 2002–2003.

Methods

Retrospective review of case notes, electronic records and the regional cancer register.

Results

This cohort of patients had significantly higher disease-specific mortality and greater progression to palliative forms of management compared to previously published studies.

Conclusion

The implementation of AS in routine clinical practice may be inconsistent, potentially leading to compromised patient outcomes.
The American Blade: Etymologies of a Newspaper Name
Authors: Adams Michael
Published: July 2013

AbstractSome American newspaper names include the element Blade, as in The Toledo Blade or The Washington Blade. One might assume that all newspaper Blades are the same, but they are, in fact, etymologically distinct, used by namers of their respective newspapers for different reasons. The residues of those etymologies figure in regional and subcultural identities, and Blade reflects various aspects of American history and culture depending on the circumstances of its use. At the finest historical scale, Blade may be a ‘lexical doppelgänger,’ used in mixed communities by immigrant populations for one etymological reason, but by the established Anglo-American strata for another. While purposeful, metaphorical uses of Blade make flamboyant iconic claims about regional or subcultural identity, doppelgänger Blade is forged in the crucible or melting pot of language contact and essentially overlooked in the history of American speech.
The Name of the State of Maine: An Irish Perspective
Authors: Coates Richard
Published: July 2013

AbstractThe three current theories of the origin of the name of the American state of Maine are reviewed and rejected. The connection of the colonist Sir Ferdinando Gorges with Ireland is explored, and a possible origin is proposed in the circumstances of the Anglo-Irish wars of 1594–1603 and their impact on his thoughts and motives.
Targeting apoptosis to induce stable mixed hematopoietic chimerism and long-term allograft survival without myelosuppressive conditioning in mice
Authors: Cippà Pietro E. , Gabriel Sarah S. , Chen Jin , Bardwell Philip D. , Bushell Andrew , Guimezanes Annick , Kraus Anna K. , Wekerle Thomas , Wüthrich Rudolf P. , Fehr Thomas
Published: July 2013

Key Points

Immunological tolerance can be achieved by direct modulation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway in peripheral lymphocytes.
Increased circulating levels of neurotrophins and elevated expression of their high-affinity receptors on skin and gut mast cells in mastocytosis
Authors: Peng Wen-Ming , Maintz Laura , Allam Jean-Pierre , Raap Ulrike , Gütgemann Ines , Kirfel Jutta , Wardelmann Eva , Perner Sven , Zhao Wei , Fimmers Rolf , Walgenbach Klaus , Oldenburg Johannes , Schwartz Lawrence B. , Novak Natalija
Published: July 2013

Key Points

Patients with mastocytosis feature increased NT serum levels and elevated expression of modified NT receptors on skin and gut MCs. NTs might contribute to mastocytosis via increased migration of MC progenitors, MC differentiation, proliferation, and/or survival.
Long-term remission of T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukemia associated with rheumatoid arthritis after rituximab therapy
Authors: Cornec Divi , Devauchelle-Pensec Valérie , Jousse-Joulin Sandrine , Marhadour Thierry , Ugo Valérie , Berthou Christian , Douet-Guilbert Nathalie , Saraux Alain
Published: July 2013

Key Points

Rituximab may be a safe and effective therapy in patients with both large granular lymphocyte leukemia and rheumatoid arthritis. LGLL in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis may be a reactive manifestation of chronic autoantigen stimulation rather than a true concomitant malignancy.
Crystal structure of the prothrombinase complex from the venom of Pseudonaja textilis
Authors: Lechtenberg Bernhard C. , Murray-Rust Thomas A. , Johnson Daniel J. D. , Adams Ty E. , Krishnaswamy Sriram , Camire Rodney M. , Huntington James A.
Published: July 2013

Key Points

The crystal structure of pro-pseutarin C reveals how the prothrombinase complex assembles and suggests a mechanism of prothrombin processing.