bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plasma Glycine and Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Patients With Suspected Stable Angina Pectoris
Authors: Ding Yunpeng , Svingen Gard F. T. , Pedersen Eva R. , Gregory Jesse F. , Ueland Per M. , Tell Grethe S. , Nygård Ottar K.
Published: January 2016

Background

Glycine is an amino acid involved in antioxidative reactions, purine synthesis, and collagen formation. Several studies demonstrate inverse associations of glycine with obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Recently, glycine‐dependent reactions have also been linked to lipid metabolism and cholesterol transport. However, little evidence is available on the association between glycine and coronary heart disease. Therefore, we assessed the association between plasma glycine and acute myocardial infarction (
AMI
).

Methods and Results

A total of 4109 participants undergoing coronary angiography for suspected stable angina pectoris were studied. Cox regression was used to estimate the association between plasma glycine and
AMI
, obtained via linkage to the
CVDNOR
project. During a median follow‐up of 7.4 years, 616 patients (15.0%) experienced an
AMI
. Plasma glycine was higher in women than in men and was associated with a more favorable baseline lipid profile and lower prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus (all
P
<0.001). After multivariate adjustment for traditional coronary heart disease risk factors, plasma glycine was inversely associated with risk of
AMI
(hazard ratio per
SD
: 0.89; 95%
CI
, 0.82–0.98;
P
=0.017). The inverse association was generally stronger in those with apolipoprotein B, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, or apolipoprotein A‐1 above the median (all 
P
interaction
≤0.037).

Conclusions

Plasma glycine was inversely associated with risk of
AMI
in patients with suspected stable angina pectoris. The associations were stronger in patients with apolipoprotein B, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, or apolipoprotein A‐1 levels above the median. These results motivate further studies to elucidate the relationship between glycine and lipid metabolism, in particular in relation to cholesterol transport and atherosclerosis.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier:
NCT
00354081.
Comparison of Basiliximab and Anti‐Thymocyte Globulin as Induction Therapy in Pediatric Heart Transplantation: A Survival Analysis
Authors: Ansari David , Höglund Peter , Andersson Bodil , Nilsson Johan
Published: January 2016

Background

Basiliximab and anti‐thymocyte globulin are widely used drugs for induction therapy after pediatric heart transplantation. The aim of this study was to determine whether any differences could be observed between basiliximab and anti‐thymocyte globulin, with respect to long‐term mortality, in a population of pediatric cardiac transplant recipients.

Methods and Results

An analysis of pediatric heart transplant patients (aged <18 years) from the United Network for Organ Sharing database was conducted that compared patients receiving basiliximab with those that received anti‐thymocyte globulin for the risk of all‐cause mortality. Secondary endpoints included death attributable to graft failure, cardiovascular causes, infection, or malignancy. Of the 2275 patients, 685 received basiliximab and 1590 anti‐thymocyte globulin. One‐year survival was similar for both groups; however, at 5 and 10 years, basiliximab was associated with poorer long‐term survival (68% versus 76% at 5 years [
P
<0.001] and 49% versus 65% at 10 years [
P
<0.001], respectively). Basiliximab was associated with higher risk of death attributable to graft failure (
P
=0.013), but not death attributable to cardiovascular causes (
P
=0.444), infection (
P
=0.095), or malignancy (
P
=0.392). After multivariate analysis, use of basiliximab (versus use of anti‐thymocyte globulin) remained significantly associated with all‐cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.57;
P
=0.030).

Conclusions

In pediatric heart transplant patients, use of basiliximab for induction therapy was associated with an increased risk of mortality, when compared with those receiving anti‐thymocyte globulin.
Design Culture and Dialogic Design
Authors: Manzini Ezio
Published: January 2016

The question of culture is virtually absent from the debate on contemporary design and especially from what in this paper I refer to as emerging design: a problem-based, solution-oriented design, the defining characteristic of which is not the products, services, and communicative artifacts it produces, but the tools and methods it uses.

But, although rarely discussed, emerging design also has its own culture—a culture that is rather limited and limiting precisely because of this lack of debate.

To go beyond this somewhat reductive culture (to which the paper refers with the expressions solution-ism and participation-ism), we need to return to the discussion on issues that are or should be typical of design: from the criteria by which to orient and assess the quality of local solutions, to the broadest visions of the world toward which we work. This discussion, and the design culture it generates, must be undertaken through a dialogic approach, in which the various interlocutors, design experts included, interact as they bring their own ideas and define and accept their own responsibilities.
Neighbourhood as a Cultural and Social Issue
Authors: Falski Maciej
Published: January 2016

Neighbourhood as a Cultural and Social IssueThe neighbourhood is a broad category, which is present throughout sociological and cultural research. Of course, articles of the latest issue of "Colloquia Humanistica" do not exhaust the problem. However, we present crucial texts that relate to rarely undertaken issues, some of which might even be considered pioneering. We hope that they will be inspiring for researchers who are interested in the humanities and cultural studies, and once again we are pleased that we have been able to create an issue that is not merely declaratively, but truly interdisciplinary, and yet consistent. We try to present an understanding of the neighbourhood that emerges from the presented texts. The connotation they are most concerned with is that of exchange and opening, of contact, which is based on upholding the borders of one’s group – and of oneself, one’s own space, but at the same time, on opening to other people and the need for communication during which communities and people define themselves. The neighbourhood and contact are also the basis for the exchange processes, the thwarting of which can lead to the most dangerous phenomena for the functioning of societies. Sąsiedztwo jako problem społeczny i kulturowySąsiedztwo jest szeroką kategorią, obecną w badaniach socjologicznych i kulturowych. Artykuły najnowszego numeru „Colloquia Hmanistica“ oczywiście nie wyczerpują zagadnienia. Przedstawiamy jednak bardzo istotne teksty, które odnoszą się do zagadnień rzadko podejmowanych i czasem wręcz pionierskich, jak w przypadku artykułów Olimpii Dragouni i Kamila Wieleckiego. Mamy nadzieję, że będą one inspirujące dla badaczy związanych z humanistyką i kulturoznawstwem, i po raz kolejny cieszymy się, że udało nam się stworzyć numer nie tylko deklaratywnie, lecz rzeczywiście interdyscyplinarny, a jednocześnie spójny.Spróbujmy przedstawić rozumienie sąsiedztwa wynikające z zaprezentowanych tekstów. Zwróćmy uwagę przede wszystkim na konotację wymiany i otwarcia, kontaktu, który z jednej strony opiera się na zachowaniu granicy grupy – jednostki, jej przestrzeni własnej, z drugiej zaś na otwarciu na innego i konieczności komunikacji, podczas której wspólnoty i osoby definiują się. Sąsiedztwo i kontakt stanowią też podstawę dla procesów wymiany, a ich uniemożliwienie prowadzi do zjawisk najgroźniejszych dla funkcjonowania społeczeństw.
Narrating the Racialization of Space in Austin, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee
Authors: Norkunas Martha
Published: January 2016

Narrating the Racialization of Space in Austin, Texas and Nashville, TennesseePeople of color in the United States have been obligated to move through public space in particular ways, dictated by law and social custom. Narrators create cognitive maps of movement in the city shaped by racial codes of behavior. The maps change over time as law and social custom changes. The fluidity of the maps is also influenced by status, gender, class, and skin tone. This paper examines a rich body of oral narratives co-created with African Americans from 2004 to 2014 focusing on how men and women narrate their concepts of racialized space. It moves from narratives about the larger landscape — the city — to smaller, more personal public places — the sidewalk and the store — to intimate sites of contact in the public sphere. Many of the narratives describe complex flows of controlled movement dictated by racial boundaries in the context of capitalism. The narratives form an urban ethnography of the power relations inscribed on the landscape by racializing movement in space. Narracje o urasowieniu przestrzeni w Austin (Teksas) i Nashville (Tennessee)Nie-Biali w Stanach Zjednoczonych byli zmuszeni do poruszania się w przestrzeni publicznej w szczególny sposób, określony przez prawo i zwyczaj społeczny. W swoich narracjach badani tworzą mapy kognitywne ruchu w mieście, kształtowane przez rasowe kody zachowania. Mapy te zmieniały się w czasie pod wpływem zmian prawnych i zwyczajowych. Na płynność tych map wpływały także status, płeć, klasa i odcień koloru skóry. W artykule przeanalizowano bogaty zbiór relacji ustnych tak zwanych Afroamerykanów, zbieranych w latach 2004-2014; uwaga skupia się na tym, jak mężczyźni i kobiety opowiadają o swoim widzeniu przestrzeni urasowionej. Omówiono narracje o szerszej przestrzeni miasta, jak i węższej, skoncentrowanej na bardziej osobistych miejscach publicznych, takich jak sklep. Wiele narracji opisuje złożone wiązki kontrolowanych ruchów, dyktowane przez granice rasowe w kontekście kapitalizmu. Narracje te tworzą etnografię miejskości o relacjach władzy wpisanych w krajobraz, opartych na urasowieniu ruchu w przestrzeni.
A Borderland in the City: Ethnic Entrepreneurship in Post-Soviet Russia
Authors: Wielecki Kamil Maria
Published: January 2016

A Borderland in the City: Ethnic Entrepreneurship in Post-Soviet RussiaAfter the dissolution of the USSR, Russian cities are popular destinations of labor migrants from the former Soviet republics, especially Central Asia and the Caucasus. One can observe a monopolization of particular sectors in the labor market and entire branches of petty trade by different ethnic and national communities. At some open-air markets, it is now the Russians who comprise the minority. Markets constitute a borderland which appears in the middle of a city – they serve as an important meeting place of people and cultures.The appearance of so-called ethnic entrepreneurship, ethnic economy and trade minorities, ethnic or otherwise, has been widely investigated in various parts of the world and in different times. It was, however, questioned whether one can speak about their existence in post-Soviet Russia. In this paper, I argue that trade minorities do indeed operate at Russian open-air markets. However, they do so in a specific manner that stems from the historical and cultural conditioning of petty trade in the former USSR. This study shows the development of ethnic entrepreneurship and appearance of different stereotypes that are tied to it. What is more, it analyzes some ways in which different minorities coexist. In general, the study deals with the extremely complex issue of interethnic relationships in post-Soviet Russia. Pogranicze w mieście: etniczna przedsiębiorczość w poradzieckiej RosjiOd czasu rozpadu ZSRR rosyjskie miasta stały się celem migracji zarobkowych osób z byłych republik radzieckich, szczególnie z Azji Centralnej i Kaukazu. Niektóre sektory rynku pracy i całe gałęzie drobnego handlu zostały zmonopolizowane przez mniejszości etniczne i narodowe. Na wielu bazarach to obecnie Rosjanie stanowią mniejszość. Bazary są pograniczem, które powstaje w przestrzeni miejskiej i w którym spotykają się przedstawiciele różnych kultur.Występowanie tzw. etnicznej przedsiębiorczości, etnicznego gospodarowania i mniejszości handlowych badano w różnych częściach świata i w odniesieniu do różnych epok. Istnienie tych zjawisk w poradzieckiej Rosji stanowiło natomiast przedmiot dyskusji. W tym artykule stawiam tezę, że na rosyjskich bazarach zawiązują się wspólnoty, które można określić mianem mniejszości handlowych. Owe mniejszości działają jednak w szczególny sposób uwarunkowany przez kulturowe i historyczne tło drobnego handlu w byłym ZSRR. Pokazuję rozwój etnicznej przedsiębiorczości i pojawienie się rozmaitych stereotypów z nią związanych. Analizuję też niektóre sposoby, jak różne mniejszości handlowe ze sobą koegzystują. Artykuł dotyka złożonej problematyki stosunków etnicznych w poradzieckiej Rosji.
Transcultural and Transcorporal Neighbors: Japanese Performance Utopias in Jerzy Grotowski, Eugenio Barba and Phillip B. Zarrilli
Authors: Rafolt Leo
Published: January 2016

Transcultural and Transcorporal Neighbors: Japanese Performance Utopias in  Jerzy Grotowski, Eugenio Barba and Phillip B. ZarrilliThis paper is mainly focused on the concept of transcultural bodily knowledge elaborated by Eugenio Barba and Nicola Savarese in their concept of theatre anthropology. Their research on pre-existent and pre-expressive values of the human movement, especially considering Asian theatre and performative practices, will be reexamined in the context of over-imposed interculturalism in Humanities and Social Studies. The focus will be thus put on the modifications of the bodily knowledge in this sense (Yuasa), as well as on the (re)appropriations of the Asian philosophical/theoretical embodiment schemes in the Western thought, not only from the standpoint of performative research made by Eugenio Barba and Phillip B. Zarrilli, but also from the standpoint of Shusterman’s pragmatic reinterpretations of Merleau-Ponty’s legacy, Schechner/Turner’s anthropology of human performativity, etc. In this context, the key idea of unique transcultural background of the human kinesis, employed mainly by Barba, will be put in an overall context of contemporary (trans)cultural utopism. The key element for interpretation will thus be an overall context of Asian martial arts practice, especially the significance of ‘iemoto principle’ (hereditary bodily technique) for the establishment of Grotowski’s, Barba’s and Zarrilli’s psychology and physiology of performance tactics. Transkulturowi i transcieleśni sąsiedzi: japońskie utopie performatywne u Jerzego Grotowskiego, Eugenia Barby i Philipa B. ZarrilliegoArtykuł skupia się głównie na pojęciu transkulturowej wiedzy cielesności, wypracowanym przez Eugenia Barbę i Nicolę Savaresego w ich ujęciu antropologii widowiska. Ich badania nad uprzednimi i przedekspresywnymi wartościami ruchu ludzkiego, zwłaszcza w kontekście teatru azjatyckiego i praktyk performatywnych, zostają wpisane w kontekst nadreprezentowanego w humanistyce i naukach społecznych interkulturalizmu. Uwaga autora skupia się na zmianach w wiedzy cielesnej w tym kierunku (Yuasa), jak też recepcji azjatyckich filozoficznych/teoretycznych schematów wcielania w myśli Zachodu, nie tylko z punktu widzenia badań performatywnych Barby i Zarrilliego, lecz również w Shustermanowych pragmatycznych reinterpretacjach myśli antropologii performatywności Merleau-Pontiego, Schechnera i Turnera itd. W tym kontekście kluczowa idea jednego transkulturowego podłoża ludzkiej kinesis, wykorzystywana głównie przez Barbę, jest wpisana w nowy kontekst współczesnego (trans)kulturowego utopizmu. Zasadniczym elementem interpretacji stają się azjatyckie sztuki walki, zwłaszcza znaczenie zadasy iemoto (dziedzicznej techniki cielesności) w ustanowieniu psychologii i fizjologii taktyk performatywnych u Grotowskiego, Barby i Zarrilliego.
The Structure of Relations among Neighbours in Croatia
Authors: Tołłoczko Barbara
Published: January 2016

The Structure of Relations among Neighbours in CroatiaThe article discusses the study carried out by Croatian researchers from the Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar. The research was realized through face-to-face interviews conducted between March and May 2014. It’s goal was to investigate the structure of local social relations by exploring the frequency and density of interactions between neighbours. Obtained data was analysed according to the demographic and socioeconomic background of the responders. The article includes a short introduction into the issue of neighbourhood patterns in Croatia which is described in the context of broader, global changes. After reviewing the research theoretical and methodological assumptions I present and discuss its findings. The summary suggests some problems and inspirations for further exploration in the matter of neighbourhood relations. Struktura relacji międzysąsiedzkich w ChorwacjiArtykuł omawia prace przeprowadzone przez badaczy z Instytutu Ivo Pilar w Zagrzebiu. Wykonano serię wywiadów bezpośrednich w okresie od marca do maja 2014 r. Ich celem było przyjrzenie się strukturze lokalnych relacji społecznych poprzez zbadanie częstotliwości i głębokości interakcji między sąsiadami. Otrzymane dane zostały zanalizowane w świetle demograficznego i socjoekonomicznego profilu badanych. Artykuł zawiera krótkie wprowadzenie w problematykę wzorów sąsiedztwa w Chorwacji w szerszym, globalnym kontekście. Po omówieniu teoretycznych i metodologicznych założeń przedstawiono i przedyskutowano rezultaty badania.
Ethics of the Sea – Experience of the Vis Archipelago Fishermen
Authors: Bozanic Josko
Published: January 2016

Ethics of the Sea – Experience of the Vis Archipelago FishermenThis paper is based on the author's years-long research of the experience of fishermen of the island of Vis, their ethics and mutual relationships in the extreme conditions of fishing at distant open sea islands of the Adriatic where they were continously exposed to pirate attacks, open sea elements, with boats powered by wind or man, in small living quarters of a boat and fiercely competing with each other for survival. In such extreme conditions the only answer to the challenge of survival was mutual solidarity, willingness to help another, the principle of egalitarianism and mutual respect. The author also speaks about the transethnic culture of people living at sea, the phenomenon of the sea as the liquid element which does not divide but rather connects different shores, cultures and languages. He speaks about the insular world whose most important social principle is - work, manufacture as the basis of survival, sacrificing for another and high value of an individual  who  deserves to be held in esteem through his work and sacrifice as the corrective of selfish interests. Etyka morza – doświadczenie rybaków z wyspy VisArtykuł opiera się na wieloletnich badaniach autora nad doświadczeniem rybaków z wyspy Vis (Chorwacja), ich etyką i wzajemnymi relacjami w trudnych warunkach na odległych wyspach adriatyckich, gdzie nieustannie byli narażeni na ataki piratów, kaprysy otwartego morza; posługiwali się łodziami żaglowymi i wiosłowymi, żyjąc na małej przestrzeni i rywalizując między sobą o przetrwanie. W tak skrajnych warunkach jedynym wyjściem, by przetrwać, była wzajemna solidarność, troska o innego, zasada równości i wzajemny szacunek. Autor mówi też o transetnicznej kulturze ludów żyjących na morzu, zjawisku morza jako płynnego elementu, który nie dzieli, lecz raczej łączy różne brzegi, kultury i języki. Opisuje wyspiarski świat, gdzie najważniejszą zasadą społeczną jest praca, poświęcenie dla innego oraz wysoka wartość jednostki, która zasługuje na szacunek dzięki pracy i ofiarności, łagodzącym indywidualne interesy.
Book Review: Lubańska Magdalena, Muslims and Christians in the Bulgarian Rhodopes. Studies on Religious (Anti)Syncretism
Authors: Bielenin-Lenczowska Karolina
Published: January 2016

Book Review: Lubańska Magdalena, Muslims and Christians in the Bulgarian Rhodopes. Studies on Religious (Anti)Syncretism"Muslims and Christians in the Bulgarian Rhodopes. Studies on Religious (Anti)Syncretism", a book by Magdalena Lubańska is a summary of her research carried out for many years among the Christian Orthodox and Muslim Pomaks in Rhodope mountains of Bulgaria. There Lubańska conducted in-depth interviews and carried out ethnographic observation about the knowledge regarding neighbours of different religion, their beliefs and religious practices. Recenzja książki: Lubańska Magdalena, Muslims and Christians in the Bulgarian Rhodopes. Studies on Religious (Anti)SyncretismKsiążka Magdaleny Lubańskiej jest podsumowaniem jej badań prowadzonych od wielu lat wśród prawosławnych oraz muzułmanów w Rodopach, w Bułgarii. Lubańska przeprowadziła pogłębione wywiady i obserwację etnograficzną, dotyczącą sąsiadowania mieszkańców różnych religii, ich wierzeń i praktyk religijnych.
Introductory Comments
Authors: Sujecka Jolanta
Published: January 2016

Introductory CommentsNeighbourhood as a Cultural and Social Problem, the central theme of the fourth volume of the annual Colloquia Humanistica, seems to be a subject of importance in all cultural contexts. This universality does indeed find its multidimensional exemplification in our current issue, which draws on cases from throughout Europe and the globe. An unexpected context for the theme of Colloquia Humanistica’s fourth issue is the pair of notions, well rooted in the world of Balkan Sephardic Jews, of baška and barabar. Baška is synonymous with maintaining the distinctiveness of one’s community in the face of assimilationist temptations. Barabar denotes integration with the outside world. In the multicultural world of the Balkans, however, both these notions constituted and indivisible pair, the meaning of one completing the sense of the other, so that together, they taught the members of the community a valuable lesson about the strength to be derived from a wise integration that does not sacrifice the group’s identity.What is most interesting in this fourth issue of Colloquia Humanistica are the paths which united, and at times tragically divided neighbours. After all, it is from these paths that the net of cultural influences is woven, influences which inspire us all. We hope you enjoy this journey. Uwagi wstępneCzwarty numer rocznika Colloquia Humanistica zawiera blok tematyczny Neighbourhood as a Cultural and Social Problem, temat, jak się wydaje, ważny w każdym kontekście kulturowym. I rzeczywiście numer przynosi jego wieloaspektową ilustrację odwołującą się do różnych regionów Europy i świata. Dla tytułowej problematyki czwartego numeru Colloquia Humanistica można odnaleźć nieoczekiwany kontekst w zakorzenionеј w świecie Żydów sefardyjskich na Bałkanach parze pojęć: baška i barabar. Baška jest synonimem zachowania odrębności wspólnoty w obliczu asymilacyjnych pokus. Barabar oznacza integrację ze światem zewnętrznym. Obydwa pojęcia jednak funkcjonowały w wielokulturowym bałkańskim świecie jako nierozdzielna para, ich znaczenie zatem wzajemnie się dopełniało, tworząc swoiste przesłanie dla każdego członka wspólnoty o sile wynikającej z rozumnej integracji, która nie niszczy odrębności własnej grupy.W oddawanym do rąk czytelnika czwartym numerze Colloquia Humanistica  najciekawsze są drogi, które łączyły sąsiadów. One przecież tworzą siatkę wpływów kulturowych, z których wszyscy czerpiemy.
Gardening the City: Neighbourliness and Appropriation of the Common Spaces in Bulgaria
Authors: Zlatkova Meglena Ivanova
Published: January 2016

Gardening the City: Neighbourliness and Appropriation of the Common Spaces in BulgariaThe paper discusses the forms of public-private space division in a postcosialist Bulgarian city as everyday practices of inhabiting and appropriation of the common spaces in one neighborhood of Plovdiv. The anthropological research of the urban spaces includes a long term observation of the everyday practices in the city of socialism, the city in transition and the changed cities nowadays, following the line of the changing boundaries, distinction and expression of the public and private, common and individual.The cases of particular interest in my research are the forms of transgression of the physical borders and social boundaries as well as establishing new ones, according to the changing identities, social hierarchies, power relations, forms of social solidarity and networking and investment in social capital. The paper presents cases of blurring borders and boundaries as urban discourses – of the socialist city, the city in transition and the other – the city after 2007 when Bulgaria joined the EU. These cases are studied on the base of the everyday practices of urban gardening in common spaces – around block of flats, on the windowed balconies and small gardens (vegetable plots) in the town outskirts. Uprawianie miasta: sąsiedzkość i zawłaszczanie przestrzeni wspólnej w BułgariiArtykuł omawia formy publiczno-prywatnego podziału przestrzeni w postsocjalistycznym mieście bułgarskim jako codzienne praktyki zamieszkiwania i zawłaszczania przestrzeni wspólnej na jednym z osiedli w Płowdiw. Antropologiczne badanie przestrzeni miejskiej koncentruje się na długookresowej obserwacji codziennych praktyk w mieście socjalistycznym, następnie przechodzącym okres transformacji, a wreszcie w mieście współczesnym, idąc za zmieniającą się linią granic, rozróżnieniem i wyrażaniem się publicznego i prywatnego, wspólnego i indywidualnego.Uwaga autorki skupia się szczególnie na formach transgresji fizycznych i społecznych granic oraz na tworzeniu nowych zgodnie ze zmieniającymi się tożsamościami, hierarchią społeczną, relacjami władzy, formami solidarności społecznej, usieciowieniem oraz inwestycjami w kapitał społeczny. W artykule omówiono przypadki naruszenia granic oraz podziały jako dyskursy miejskie – o mieście socjalistycznym, mieście transformacji i inne, tworzone po 2007 roku po wstąpieniu Bułgarii do UE. Przypadki te badano w perspektywie codziennych praktyk miejskiego ogrodnictwa prowadzonego w przestrzeni wspólnej, wokół bloków, na balkonach i w ogródkach na obrzeżach miasta.
Definition of Best Medical Treatment in Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis
Authors: Paraskevas Kosmas I. , Mikhailidis Dimitri P. , Veith Frank J. , Spence J. David
Published: January 2016

Implementation of best medical treatment (BMT) is the cornerstone of the management of patients with either asymptomatic or symptomatic carotid artery stenosis. We review the literature to define the components of BMT. Smoking cessation, maintaining a healthy body weight, moderate exercise, and a Mediterranean diet are essential lifestyle measures. Moderate alcohol consumption may also be beneficial but recommending it to patients may be hazardous if they consume too much. The importance of lifestyle measures is largely underestimated by both physicians and patients. Blood pressure and diabetes control, antiplatelet agents, and lipid-lowering treatment with statins/ezetimibe comprise the pharmacological components of BMT. Initiation of an intensive regimen of BMT is a sine qua non for patients with carotid artery stenosis whether or not they are offered or undergo an invasive revascularization procedure.
An Entropy-Based Measure for Assessing Fuzziness in Logistic Regression
Authors: Weiss Brandi A. , Dardick William
Published: January 2016

This article introduces an entropy-based measure of data–model fit that can be used to assess the quality of logistic regression models. Entropy has previously been used in mixture-modeling to quantify how well individuals are classified into latent classes. The current study proposes the use of entropy for logistic regression models to quantify the quality of classification and separation of group membership. Entropy complements preexisting measures of data–model fit and provides unique information not contained in other measures. Hypothetical data scenarios, an applied example, and Monte Carlo simulation results are used to demonstrate the application of entropy in logistic regression. Entropy should be used in conjunction with other measures of data–model fit to assess how well logistic regression models classify cases into observed categories.
The match between Leopardi, the White Knight and Severino over the destiny of mankind
Authors: Carle Barbara
Published: January 2016

Emanuele Severino’s latest book on Giacomo Leopardi’s writings, In viaggio con Leopardi: La partita sul destino dell’uomo, is seen as a ‘match’ between the Black Knight (Leopardi) and the White Knight (Western tradition) to halt the imminent destruction of mankind. A third player emerges, who, however, does not participate in the match but is capable of recognizing the catastrophic direction the game is taking, that is, threatening Western civilization itself.
Revisiting Precede–Proceed: A leading model for ecological and ethical health promotion
Authors: Porter Christine M
Published: January 2016

Background:

The Precede–Proceed model has provided moral and practical guidance for the fields of health education and health promotion since Lawrence Green first developed Precede in 1974 and Green and Kreuter added Proceed in 1991. Precede–Proceed today remains the most comprehensive and one of the most used approaches to promoting health.

Objective:

A decade after the most recent edition of the model was published in 2005, this paper examines the model’s theoretical underpinnings, history, and influence on the field of health promotion. Although the limited evidence for effectiveness of this and other models is discussed briefly, this review focuses on the socio-ecological and ethical implications of the model.

Approach:

Theory and literature review.

Results:

Precede–Proceed has promoted public health and health promotion practice in five ethically and practically important ways: (1) by advancing the ecological perspective on health that, today, has come to dominate public health practice; (2) by remaining population-centred, rather than focusing on individuals; (3) by demanding democratic and participatory approaches to health promotion; (4) by setting quality of life, rather than behaviour change or even health, as the goal for health promotion; and (5) by being deeply grounded in practice.

Conclusion:

Precede–Proceed guides practitioners in bridging health promotion goals of enabling people to control and improve their own health with larger public health goals of creating the conditions where people can be healthy. It also provides an ethical guide to promoting health in democratic and participatory ways.
Pregnancy prevention at her fingertips: A text- and mobile video–based pilot intervention to promote contraceptive methods among college women
Authors: Walsh-Buhi Eric R. , Helmy Hannah , Harsch Kristin , Rella Natalie , Godcharles Cheryl , Ogunrunde Adejoke , Lopez Castillo Humberto
Published: January 2016

Objective:

This paper reports on a pilot study evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of a text- and mobile video–based intervention to educate women and men attending college about non-daily contraception, with a particular focus on long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). A secondary objective is to describe the process of intervention development.

Setting:

Participants included undergraduate students attending a large urban US university between September and November 2011.

Design:

Using a participatory research strategy, investigators developed, delivered and evaluated a pilot mobile intervention using a texting interface, mobile videos and a contraceptive provider directory.

Method:

Descriptive statistics summarise the data collected from daily text-in analytics and web-based survey responses.

Results:

The texting interface received 1,203 visits; mobile videos were accessed 446 times. The provider directory was used by 10% of participants. Survey respondents’ ( N = 82) motivation for choosing non-daily contraception included cost (57%), side effects (55%), effectiveness (55%) and low recall effort (23%). Most participants (88%) would/might recommend these methods to others.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrated that text- and mobile video–based modalities are appropriate and feasible to deliver contraceptive education to college students. There is a critical opportunity to reach large numbers of potential users through mobile health (mHealth) interventions to disseminate accurate information and link to healthcare services.
Do Tele-Operators Learn to Better Judge Whether a Robot Can Pass Through an Aperture?
Authors: Schmidlin Elizabeth A. , Jones Keith S.
Published: January 2016

Objective:

This experiment examined whether tele-operators learn to better judge a robot’s ability to pass through an aperture, hereafter referred to as pass-ability judgments, and detailed the nature of such learning.

Background:

Jones, Johnson, and Schmidlin reported that tele-operators’ pass-ability judgments did not improve over the course of their experiment, which was surprising.

Method:

In each of seven blocks, tele-operators made pass-ability judgments about 10 apertures whose width varied. During each trial, participants drove the robot toward the aperture, answered yes or no to whether it could pass through that aperture, and then attempted to drive the robot through the aperture. Pass-ability judgments were analyzed in terms of percentage correct and absolute thresholds; the latter mimicked how Jones et al. analyzed their data.

Results:

Learning was revealed when judgments were analyzed in terms of percentage correct and not when analyzed in terms of absolute thresholds. Further analyses revealed that tele-operators only improved their pass-ability judgments for impassable apertures, and tele-operators’ perceptual sensitivity and response bias changed over the course of the experiment.

Conclusion:

The percentage correct–based analyses revealed that tele-operators learned to make better pass-ability judgments. Jones et al.’s decision to analyze their data in terms of absolute thresholds obscured learning.

Application:

The present results suggested that researchers should employ percentage correct when studying learning in this domain, training protocols should focus on improving tele-operators’ abilities to judge the pass-ability of impassable apertures, and tele-operators truly learned to better discriminate passable and impassable apertures.
Individual Markers of Resilience in Train Traffic Control
Authors: Lo Julia C. , Pluyter Kari R. , Meijer Sebastiaan A.
Published: January 2016

Objective:

The aim of this study was to examine individual markers of resilience and obtain quantitative insights into the understanding and the implications of variation and expertise levels in train traffic operators’ goals and strategic mental models and their impact on performance.

Background:

The Dutch railways are one of the world’s most heavy utilized railway networks and have been identified to be weak in system and organizational resilience.

Method:

Twenty-two train traffic controllers enacted two scenarios in a human-in-the-loop simulator. Their experience, goals, strategic mental models, and performance were assessed through questionnaires and simulator logs. Goals were operationalized through performance indicators and strategic mental models through train completion strategies.

Results:

A variation was found between operators for both self-reported primary performance indicators and completion strategies. Further, the primary goal of only 14% of the operators reflected the primary organizational goal (i.e., arrival punctuality). An incongruence was also found between train traffic controllers’ self-reported performance indicators and objective performance in a more disrupted condition. The level of experience tends to affect performance differently.

Conclusion:

There is a gap between primary organizational goals and preferred individual goals. Further, the relative strong diversity in primary operator goals and strategic mental models indicates weak resilience at the individual level.

Application:

With recent and upcoming large-scale changes throughout the sociotechnical space of the railway infrastructure organization, the findings are useful to facilitate future railway traffic control and the development of a resilient system.
Reverse engineering of RLC circuits using Matlab: An experiment for electrical circuits course
Authors: Alizadeh Tohid , Barzegari Soheila , Alizadeh Abdollah
Published: January 2016

Identifying the contents of a black-box electrical circuit is a challenging experiment. In this paper, we present an approach for identifying the topological structure of the circuit and estimating the values of the internal components, by applying input signals and measuring available signals. The black-box model is provided as a Simulink model, whose contents are not accessible to the students. The overall procedure is performed in Matlab/Simulink environment and the results are obtained for a given circuit and compared with the actual values. The experiment is performed by a group of undergraduate students and the assessment results show its effectiveness in challenging their knowledge.
A Week Is a Long Time in Politics
Authors: Scott-Samuel Alex , Bambra Clare
Published: January 2016

For more than 30 years, socialism within the UK Labour Party – which was in government from 1997 to 2010 and is currently the main UK parliamentary opposition – has been in decline. Despite its origins as a party of and for the working class, Labour has become at best a social democratic party with strong neoliberal leanings. However, in the recent leadership election that followed Labour’s general election defeat in May 2015, the socialist Jeremy Corbyn confounded all expectations by winning Labour’s leadership with a substantial majority. We describe the political context of Corbyn’s controversial victory and discuss its potential short- and medium-term impact on England’s troubled National Health Service and on the public health.
Burning Fossil Fuels
Authors: Sommer Alfred
Published: January 2016

A recent, sophisticated granular analysis of climate change in the United States related to burning fossil fuels indicates a high likelihood of dramatic increases in temperature, wet-bulb temperature, and precipitation, which will dramatically impact the health and well-being of many Americans, particularly the young, the elderly, and the poor and marginalized. Other areas of the world, where they lack the resources to remediate these weather impacts, will be even more greatly affected. Too little attention is being paid to the impending health impact of accumulating greenhouse gases.
Extreme Weather-driven Disasters and Children’s Health
Authors: Garcia Daniel Martinez , Sheehan Mary C.
Published: January 2016

Extreme weather events such as heat waves, extreme precipitation, and storm surges are likely to become more frequent and intense with climate change. Extreme weather-driven disasters (EWDDs) cause a substantial burden of childhood mortality and morbidity worldwide. We reviewed the published literature on EWDDs and their health impacts on children, and developed a conceptual model based on complex systems thinking to identify the health risks, vulnerabilities, and capacities of children in the context of EWDDs as a means of informing areas for adaptive intervention. We found that direct and indirect physical and mental impacts of EWDDs on child health are abundant and interrelate in complex ways. The literature review and modeling demonstrated the centrality of resilience at the level of the child and his or her direct environment, suggesting that mental health status may play a key role in a child’s experience of numerous other health outcomes of EWDDs. EWDDs interact with environmental and social systems and with individual children and their contexts in complex ways, the impacts of which are nonlinear and difficult to predict. Traditional perspectives on climate change-driven health impacts often overlook complex bio-psychosocial interactions, suggesting a need to work on preventive strategies to reduce vulnerability and build individual child resilience.
‘We don’t have to go and see a special person to solve this problem’: Trauma, mental health beliefs and processes for addressing ‘mental health issues’ among Sudanese refugees in Australia
Authors: Savic Michael , Chur-Hansen Anna , Mahmood Mohammad Afzal , Moore Vivienne M
Published: January 2016

Background:

The impact of trauma on refugee mental health has been a particular focal point for research and treatment in Western contexts, despite uncertainty about the degree to which this corresponds with refugees’ needs, mental health beliefs and healing mechanisms.

Aims:

This study explored the mental health beliefs of resettling Sudanese refugees in Australia.

Methods:

In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with Sudanese community representatives and with a range of health and social work professionals who were not necessarily Sudanese.

Results:

The concept of trauma was not universally considered to be salient for Sudanese refugees. Key informants, especially those in refugee-oriented services, emphasised stoicism and a desire to move forward and questioned the appropriateness of Western psychological therapies. Processes that exist within the family and the Sudanese community to deal with stressors like loss, grief and social isolation were explained.

Conclusion:

Dialogue between services and community members is needed to ensure responses to refugee mental health are sensitive to the diversity of needs and mental health beliefs of refugees. This will enable workers to ascertain how individual refugees understand their experiences of distress or sadness and to determine whether community strategies and/or professional responses are appropriate.
A population study of public stigma about psychosis and its contributing factors among Chinese population in Hong Kong
Authors: Chan Sherry Kit Wa , Tam Wendy Wan Yee , Lee Kit Wai , Hui Christy Lai Ming , Chang Wing Chung , Lee Edwin Ho Ming , Chen Eric Yu Hai
Published: January 2016

Purpose:

Public stigma is an important barrier to the recovery of patients with psychosis. This study aimed to explore public stigma associated with a newly adopted Chinese name for psychosis ‘si-jue-shi-tiao’ in a representative Chinese population in Hong Kong, focusing on factors contributing to public stigma. Exposure to mass media and its relationship with the stigma were explored in detail.

Methods:

Random telephone survey of general population in Hong Kong was conducted. Information including basic demographics, psychosis literacy, recent news recall about psychosis and stigma, measured with the revised Link’s Perceived Discrimination-Devaluation Scale (LPDDS) were obtained. Univariate analysis of LPDDS score and demographic variables, news exposure, previous contacts with people with psychosis and knowledge about psychosis were conducted. Further hierarchical regression analysis was performed.

Results:

A total of 1,016 subjects were interviewed. The sample was comparable with the whole Hong Kong population aged 18 years and above. Those of female gender, with higher educational level and better knowledge about symptoms and treatment of psychosis had higher score of LPDDS. The model significantly explained 8.3% of variance of LPDDS score ( F(7, 895) = 12.606, p < .0001, p < .0001). The negative news recall had trend significance in the model.

Conclusion:

The finding suggested that discrimination among the general public against people with psychosis was still common. Specific strategies will need to be established in targeting media news reporting about psychosis, knowledge disseminating and needs of specific population. Further researches should be conducted to understand the mechanisms of the stigma development in relation to these factors so that more focused and effective strategies could be developed.
Experiences of former child soldiers in Africa: A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis
Authors: Brownell Gracie , Praetorius Regina T
Published: January 2016

Child soldiering affects approximately 300,000 children worldwide. Abducted and forced into combat, victims experience trauma that may have life-long effects. Thus, it is important to understand child soldiers’ experiences and develop culturally appropriate interventions. Using Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis (QIMS), the authors sought to understand the lived experiences of ex-child soldiers in Sierra Leone, Northern Uganda, and Liberia. Findings revealed the experiential nuances of four phases ex-child soldiers experience: abduction; militarization; demilitarization and reintegration; and civilian life. Findings enhance current knowledge about ex-child soldiers’experiences and inform policy and program design to help ex-child soldiers cope with the aftermath of the war and civilian life.
Enduring immigrant ties: Supporting families left behind
Authors: Held Mary L , Padilla Yolanda C
Published: January 2016

This article provides a profile of the financial responsibilities of Mexican and Central American immigrants to their families back home. We outline the patterns of US immigrant remittances to Latin America, describe the toll on both immigrants and their families, and review research evidence on the provision and impact of immigrant support. We find that immigrant remittances are the sole source of household income for large proportions of families back home and are typically used to meet basic needs. The multiple responsibilities faced by immigrants, however, come with substantial hardship. Implications for social work services with immigrants are discussed.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Institutional Survival and Sustainability
Authors: Andrews Donald R. , No Sung , Powell Kimberly K. , Rey Melanie Powell , Yigletu Ashagre
Published: January 2016

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States are facing turbulent environments that include increased accountability and assessment measures, competition, state mandates, declining budgets, changes in the classroom and pedagogical landscape, and diminutive endowments. These factors are further heightened by an ongoing debate regarding the relevance of HBCUs and a paradigm shift that calls for more entrepreneurial-based leadership in the decision-making process and business-based strategies aimed at institutional survival. However, HBCU leadership, which often ascends from the faculty ranks, does not possess the business degrees or marketing experience that would equip them for the evolving and complex demands of the higher education marketplace. To assist HBCU leadership in navigating the market-driven environment in higher education, this descriptive study explores the factors and issues critical to the survival and sustainability of HBCUs from the perspective of HBCU business deans. Business-based recommendations and strategies conclude this article.
Export Diversity and Human Rights
Authors: Peterson Timothy M.
Published: January 2016

In this article, I synthesize a number of recent studies exploring how exports affect human rights, highlighting a common implication that this relationship is conditional on how exports are associated with leaders’ relative costs of repression and accommodation. Beginning with this synthesis, I develop a theory demonstrating how the composition of exports affects human rights via its impact on leader expectations. More diverse exports promote continued growth and prosperity, provide leaders with greater resources, and suggest conditions less conducive to severe dissent, all of which reduce the relative costs of accommodation. Repression is likely to threaten the benefits otherwise associated with greater export diversity; thus its relative cost increases amid greater export diversity. I test this theory using commodity-level data from the United Nations Comtrade database to create a country-year-level measure of export diversity. Statistical analyses spanning 1981 to 2009 support my expectation. My results are robust to sample restrictions and the use of instrumental variables.