bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prenatal Hypoxia Causes Long-Term Alterations in Vascular Endothelin-1 Function in Aged Male, but Not Female, Offspring
Authors: Bourque Stephane L. , Gragasin Ferrante S. , Quon Anita L. , Mansour Yael , Morton Jude S. , Davidge Sandra T.
Published: August 2013

Prenatal hypoxia can alter the growth trajectory of the fetus and cause lasting health complications including vascular dysfunction. We hypothesized that offspring that were intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) because of prenatal hypoxia would exhibit altered vascular endothelin-1 (ET-1) signaling in later life. Isolated mesenteric artery responses to big ET-1 (bET-1) and ET-1 were assessed by using wire myography. Male IUGR offspring had 3-fold greater bET-1–induced vasoconstriction compared with controls (n=7 per group;
P
<0.001); NO synthase inhibition with L-N
G
-nitro-arginine-methyl ester potentiated bET-1–induced vasoconstriction, albeit this effect was 2-fold greater (
P
<0.05) in male control compared with IUGR offspring. Vascular responses to bET-1 were similar between female IUGR and control offspring (n=9–11 per group). In the presence of L-N
G
-nitro-arginine-methyl ester, pretreatment with the chymase inhibitor chymostatin, the gelatinase inhibitor GM6001, or the neutral endopeptidase inhibitor thiorphan did not alter responses to bET-1; however, the ET-converting enzyme inhibitor CGS35066 almost completely abolished vascular responses to bET-1 in control and IUGR groups. Systolic blood pressure in IUGR male offspring was more responsive to ET-1 antagonism in vivo compared with controls (−9 versus −4 mm Hg; n=5 per group;
P
=0.02); no such differences were observed in female offspring (n=5–6 per group). These results demonstrate that vascular ET-1 function is programmed by prenatal hypoxia and provide further insights into the sex differences in the long-term vascular effects of developmental stressors.
Making Ministerial Marriage: The Social and Religious Legacy of the Dominion of New England
Authors: Hochstetler Laurie
Published: August 2013

Religion permeated all aspects of New England Puritans’ lives, but it was curiously absent from their marriage ceremonies. In response to political changes brought about by the Dominion of New England, however, colonists increasingly shunned secular weddings, now performed by Crown appointees rather than elected Bay officers, and embraced religious ceremonies performed by local ministers.
Beyond the Kariba Dam Induced Displacements: The Zimbabwean Tonga’s Struggles for Restitution, 1990s–2000s
Authors: Mashingaidze Terence M.
Published: August 2013

The colonial Southern Rhodesian government displaced the minority Tonga people from the ecologically rich Zambezi River plains due to the construction of the World Bank funded hydroelectric power generating Kariba Dam in the late 1950s. The dislocated communities were resettled in the adjoining uplands of Binga District where they did not access the electricity and waters of the Kariba Dam as well as the wild animal resources in the safaris and national game parks abutting their new villages. This state regulated decoupling from the local natural resource asset base generated a politicised sense of entitlement to those resources spearheaded by a generational cohort of educated Tonga activists that emerged in the 1990s. Besides everyday realities of socio-economic marginalisation, these activists also drew inspiration from the prevailing global discourses of indigeneity and anti-dam politics to form organisations such as Binga Development Association, Binga Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice, and Basilwizi Trust that coordinated local assertions for increased access to resources in the uplands and around the Kariba waterscape. Through these emerging networks of solidarity, I argue, the Tonga activists constructed and deployed persuasive claims for the exigency of rehabilitating their embattled people’s deprived post-relocation livelihoods. These Tonga articulations and actions reveal how marginalised ethno-class categories within countries align their claims for increased access to local resources and general socio-economic empowerment to national and international activism and discourses.
Restrictions on Right to Work for Asylum Seekers: The Case of the Scandinavian Countries, Great Britain and the Netherlands
Authors: Valenta Marko , Thorshaug Kristin
Published: August 2013

This article provides an overview of recent developments in restrictions regarding asylum seekers’ right to work in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Great Britain and the Netherlands. It is acknowledged that a distinction should be made between policies which regulate the right to work for i) asylum seekers with a pending application and ii) asylum seekers with a final refusal on their application. In the article, contemporary policies as well as recent changes in regulations in the five countries are described in detail and compared. Furthermore, the article discusses potential consequences of these policies. A review of relevant public documents, research and basic statistics are used in an attempt to answer the question whether the relative strictness of policies regarding right to work can be linked to the influx and return of asylum seekers in the surveyed countries. It is argued that access to work has little, if any, effect on variations in this respect. At the same time, it is maintained that reduced access to work has unintended consequences, inter alia, contributing to a further marginalisation of asylum seekers in both the application and return phase.
Accelerating Court Proceedings with the Dutch Crisis and Recovery Act: Direct and Indirect Effects of Procedural Provisions
Authors: de Graaf K.J. , de Graaf K.J. , Marseille A.T. , de Graaf K.J. , Marseille A.T. , Jansen F.J.
Published: August 2013

In 2008 in response to the global economic crisis the Dutch government enacted the Crisis and Recovery Act, aimed at accelerating various projects to strengthening the Dutch economy. This act contained measures to expedite appeals, introduced a ‘relativity’-principle and limited judicial review. Our evaluation, two years after coming into force of the act, shows that the measures have a negligible effect on accelerating projects and that several side-effects can be identified. We conclude that some measures should be reconsidered.
Recent Developments in EU Environmental Policy and Legislation
Authors: Mertens Kathleen
Published: August 2013

This section briefly describes the significant political initiatives and acts of legislation in the environmental field adopted from October 2012 until June 2013.
The Power of the Jama‘A: The Role of Hasan Al-Banna in Constructing the Muslim Brotherhood’s Collective Identity
Authors: al-Anani Khalil
Published: August 2013

This article explores the role of Hasan al-Banna (1906-1949) in creating the collective identity of the Muslim Brotherhood. It examines the enduring impact of al-Banna’s thoughts and legacy on the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). The article argues that al-Banna interweaved a distinctive frame of identity for the MB which is still vibrant and operative. It also contends that the MB’s identity plays a pivotal role in preserving the movement’s coherence and sustaining its political and social activism. Al-Banna, the founder and the chief ideologue of the MB, had crafted what this article calls the ‘Jama‘a’ paradigm. It refers to the cognitive system of aims and objectives, duties and means, phases and norms, symbols and meanings that encompasses and guides the MB’s members in everyday life. The Jama‘a paradigm operates as a frame of reference to the MB’s collective action. While other studies focused on the historical and chronological journey of al-Banna, this study unpacks al-Banna’s legacy and investigates its effects on the MB’s identity. Based on a field research, the article provides a fresh and nuanced account for al-Banna enduring impact on the MB.
Culture or Class? Why Islam is Neither the Question nor the Answer
Authors: Tan Jeff
Published: August 2013

The separate study of Islam prioritises religion and culture over other factors that may influence economic development. This approach ultimately focusses on the individual as the starting point and has much in common with the methodological individualism of neoclassical economics. This paper argues that there is nothing exceptional about religion and culture, or essential about Islam that warrants their separate analysis in relation to the process of economic development. It adopts a comparative approach which does not prioritise religion and culture, or essentialise Islam. Instead it seeks to explain the problems of development in Muslim countries in terms of class formations related to the nature of capitalist development, secularisation and social transformations.
Democracy and Islam: A Tale of Democratic Struggle in a Muslim Majority State
Authors: Salehin Mohammad Musfequs
Published: August 2013

The relationship between democracy and Islam is very complex, hence requires a rigorous scholarship to understand this complex interplay. The present paper examines the “success” as well as impediments in democratic consolidation in a Muslim majority state, Bangladesh. Through assessing electoral competitiveness, constitutional guarantees and implementation, women’s rights and political participation, and victory of secular party over Islamist, this paper considers Bangladesh as a “successful” Muslim democracy. Islam, this paper argues, is not a problem in democratization while there are a number of factors obstructing democratization in the Muslim majority states. To analyse the nexus between Islam and democracy, it is imperative to pay meticulous attention to explain the nature of the state and its social formation, origin, nature and practices of Islam in a particular society rather than just labelling Islam as incompatible with democracy. In the Muslim majority state like Bangladesh, as this paper argues, civil-military-bureaucratic structure leading to a symbiotic nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and military oligarchs, fragmentation, familialization and clienteistic party politics leading to neo-patrimonilism, lack of social capital and trust, and unequal distribution of economic and political resources are hindering democratic consolidation.
Crossodactylodinae Fouquet, Blotto, Maronna, Verdade, Juncá, de Sá & Trefaut Rodrigues, 2013 is an invalid junior synonym of Paratelmatobiinae Ohler & Dubois, 2012 (Amphibia, Anura)
Authors: DUBOIS ALAIN
Published: August 2013

Among the results of their survey of the phylogenetic relationships among over 2800 species of recent amphibians, Pyron & Wiens (2011) identified a new clade of frogs including the genera Paratelmatobius Lutz & Carvalho, 1958 and Scythrophrys Lynch, 1971. Both these genera were previously placed in the family Leptodactylidae Werner 1896 (1838), whether conceived as a large (e.g., Frost et al. 2006) or a more restricted family (e.g., Grant et al. 2006). Pyron & Wiens (2011) erected a subfamily “Paratelmatobiinae” for these two genera. Unfortunately, as they provided no diagnostic character for this new taxon, their nomen is a nomen nudum. Ohler & Dubois (2012) pointed this out and provided a diagnosis, thus making the nomen Paratelmatobiinae available.
Conservation, Traditional Knowledge, and Indigenous Peoples
Authors: Popova Ulia
Published: August 2013

In this study I examined examples of implementation of conservation policies initiated by the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992). I focused on the 101 conservation initiatives conducted during the period of 2002-2012 on the territories of groups classified by the international law as indigenous peoples. I assessed a degree to which conservation benefited indigenous communities as means to combat poverty and ecological degradation. I focused on the connections between the provisions of the CBD Article 8(j) that specified the importance of protecting indigenous and local communities’ traditional knowledge and practices (TK) to conservation, and the actual realities of conservation initiatives in which indigenous expertise was used. I learned that despite the wide use of elements composing TK in the projects examined, only certain communities benefited from the conservation initiatives, with a predominant part of beneficiaries located in the states that insured greater degree of legal and social protection to indigenous individuals as citizens of those states. For the most part conservation was imposed upon indigenous groups; some communities suffered displacement and poverty loosing the lands and resources to the conservation authorities. At the same time in other cases conservation projects offered an opportunity for indigenous individuals to advance their perspectives on managing traditional lands and natural environments and thus, to some degree, advanced underlining these groups’ interests. I concluded that collaborative work between indigenous groups and the outside agencies remains the key means toward improving the indigenous economies and relations with external actors while also serving as a means to care for the environment across geo-political boundaries.
The biochemical utility of chromogranin A, chromogranin B and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript for neuroendocrine neoplasia
Authors: Bech PR , Martin NM , Ramachandran R , Bloom SR
Published: August 2013

Neuroendocrine neoplasia (NEN) is a heterogeneous group of tumours and often represents a therapeutic challenge to clinicians. The peptides chromogranin A (CgA), chromogranin B (CgB) and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) are widely distributed throughout the neuroendocrine system. CgA and CgB have been used as general NEN biomarkers for many years, while CART has only recently been identified. Of these biomarkers, CgA is the most commonly used. However, circulating CgA concentrations exhibit considerable intra-individual biological variation, are altered by proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and somatostatin analogues and are elevated in non-NEN malignancies. Therefore, interpretation of CgA results must be in the context of these confounding factors. The effects of treatment and non-NEN conditions on circulating CgB and CART concentrations are less well understood. CgB is less affected by impaired renal function and PPIs than CgA; while, circulating CART concentrations lack a diurnal variation in humans and are more reliable markers of pancreatic NEN malignancy than CgA. The utility of circulating CgA measurements in NEN prognosis, surveillance and disease recurrence has been widely investigated. However, the utility of CgB and CART in NEN management is yet to be elucidated. Further studies are needed to establish whether CgB and CART are useful alternatives to CgA.
Generalized IRT Models for Extreme Response Style
Authors: Jin Kuan-Yu , Wang Wen-Chung
Published: August 2013

Extreme response style (ERS) is a systematic tendency for a person to endorse extreme options (e.g., strongly disagree, strongly agree) on Likert-type or rating-scale items. In this study, we develop a new class of item response theory (IRT) models to account for ERS so that the target latent trait is free from the response style and the tendency of ERS is quantified. Parameters of these new models can be estimated with marginal maximum likelihood estimation methods or Bayesian methods. In this study, we use the freeware program WinBUGS, which implements Bayesian methods. In a series of simulations, we find that the parameters are recovered fairly well; ignoring ERS by fitting standard IRT models resulted in biased estimates, and fitting the new models to data without ERS did little harm. Two empirical examples are provided to illustrate the implications and applications of the new models.
A Model for Screening Twice-Exceptional Students (Gifted With Learning Disabilities) Within a Response to Intervention Paradigm
Authors: McCallum R. Steve , Bell Sherry Mee , Coles Jeremy Thomas , Miller Kelli Caldwell , Hopkins Michael B. , Hilton-Prillhart Angela
Published: August 2013

The purpose of this article is to present a model for screening for twice-exceptional status (i.e., gifted students who have a learning disability). Curriculum-based measures (Monitoring Instructional Responsiveness: Reading and Monitoring Instructional Responsiveness: Math) were administered to 1,242 third-grade students within a Response to Intervention paradigm. When gifted status is tentatively defined as high performance (i.e., 84th percentile and higher) on a Monitoring Instructional Responsiveness reading probe, 5.48% of students exhibited deficits in (math) performance consistent with a significant discrepancy between reading and math (i.e., reading score – math score); 4.83% exhibited a discrepancy in reading (i.e., math score – reading). These values are based on observed scores using the following formula to define a discrepancy: 1.5( SD) × SEe. Only 2.1% exhibited a math discrepancy and 1.13% a reading discrepancy based on predicted scores, which takes regression to the mean into account. Using various cut score criteria, practitioners can select from less than 1% to about 10% for screening purposes. When using predicted (rather than observed) scores and more stringent cut score criteria, percentages decline, as expected. Recommendations for using this process for screening are provided, as are implications for best practice, particularly the impact of using more or less conservative criteria for screening twice exceptional students.
Implications of the sunk cost effect and regional proximity for public support for Canada’s mission in Kandahar
Authors: Veilleux-Lepage Yannick
Published: August 2013

Much of the literature on casualty sensitivity suggests that there is an inverse correlation between casualty levels and public support for war. It also suggests that a public will be more sensitive to local casualties. This article tests these pre-existing theses using data from Canada's participation in the war in southern Afghanistan between February 2006 and 2011. Studying the impact of both provincial and nationwide casualties, it finds no evidence to support these assumptions. Instead, this study finds strong indications that nationwide casualties led to a short-term increase in public support for the Afghan mission. This result is attributed to the sunk cost effect.
The Canadian-led Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team: A success story?
Authors: Leprince Caroline
Published: August 2013

The record of the Canadian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the efficiency of Canada’s recently adopted whole-of-government approach to conflict situations. This study maps the evolution of the interagency dynamics of Canadian departments and agencies during their six-year involvement with the PRT, and reveals that the Canadian-led PRT had to undergo significant changes before real interdepartmental collaboration actually could take place. While the first two years of the implementation of the whole-of-government approach have been described as a failure, this article argues that the publication of the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan was the turning point that significantly improved interagency collaboration in the PRT.
Advances in Culture and Manipulation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Authors: Qian X. , Villa-Diaz L.G. , Krebsbach P.H.
Published: August 2013

Recent advances in the understanding of pluripotent stem cell biology and emerging technologies to reprogram somatic cells to a stem cell–like state are helping bring stem cell therapies for a range of human disorders closer to clinical reality. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have become a promising resource for regenerative medicine and research into early development because these cells are able to self-renew indefinitely and are capable of differentiation into specialized cell types of all 3 germ layers and trophoectoderm. Human PSCs include embryonic stem cells (hESCs) derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst-stage embryos and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) generated via the reprogramming of somatic cells by the overexpression of key transcription factors. The application of hiPSCs and the finding that somatic cells can be directly reprogrammed into different cell types will likely have a significant impact on regenerative medicine. However, a major limitation for successful therapeutic application of hPSCs and their derivatives is the potential xenogeneic contamination and instability of current culture conditions. This review summarizes recent advances in hPSC culture and methods to induce controlled lineage differentiation through regulation of cell-signaling pathways and manipulation of gene expression as well as new trends in direct reprogramming of somatic cells.
The perioperative care of lambs and ewes when the former undergo major experimental (scoliotic) surgery
Authors: Clutton R Eddie , Vettoratto Enzo , Schoeffman Gudrun , Docherty Joan , Burke John , Gibson Alastair J N
Published: August 2013

The purpose of the study was to optimize postoperative comfort in lambs anaesthetized for the surgical creation of scoliosis while maintaining the ewe–lamb relationship to miminize rejection rates. The first management plan produced six scoliotic lambs but intraoperative hypoventilation and hypovolaemia followed by postoperative dyspnoea, pain, monitoring and nursing difficulties, hypothermia, hypoglycaemia and tympany were encountered. Three of eight lambs (38%) were rejected by their ewes. Perioperative management was amended which, combined with improved surgical technique, produced 16 scoliotic lambs. The lambs recovered more rapidly (mean time to standing after discontinuation of anaesthesia was reduced from 12 h to 70 min) and appeared to be more comfortable. No rejections occurred after the refinements were implemented.
Protective properties of warp-knitted spacer fabrics under impact in hemispherical form. Part I: Impact behavior analysis of a typical spacer fabric
Authors: Liu Yanping , Au Wai Man , Hu Hong
Published: August 2013

This paper presents an experimental study of the protective properties of warp-knitted spacer fabrics developed for protecting the human body on impact. A drop-weight impact tester was used to test the fabrics in a hemispherical form to simulate the use of impact protectors in real life. The study consists of two parts. The first part, presented in the current paper, focuses on the impact behavior of a typical spacer fabric impacted at different levels of energy. The analysis includes the impact process and the energy absorption and force attenuation properties of the spacer fabric. Frequency domain analysis is also used, to identify the different deformation and damage modes of the fabric under various levels of impact energy. The results show that the impact behavior of the fabric under impact in the hemispherical form is different from that in the planar form. The results also indicate that the curvature of the fabric can reduce energy absorption during the impact process and therefore reduce the force attenuation properties of the spacer fabric. This study provides a better understanding of the protective properties of spacer fabrics. The effect of fabric structural parameters and lamination on the protective properties of spacer fabrics under impact will be presented in Part II.
Three-dimensional circular various weave patterns in woven preform structures
Authors: Bilisik Kadir , Karaduman Nesrin Sahbaz , Bilisik Nedim Erman , Bilisik Havva Esra
Published: August 2013

The aim of this study was to develop three-dimensional (3D) fully interlaced representative circular woven preform structures and to understand the effects of weave pattern and number of layers on 3D circular woven structures. Various 3D circular woven preforms were developed. Data generated from these structures included yarn-to-yarn space, density, yarn angle, yarn length and crimp.

It was shown that the weave patterns affected the 3D circular woven preform structures. The yarn-to-yarn spaces in the 3D fully interlaced circular structures were high compared to the traditional 3D orthogonal circular woven structures in fabric circumference (fabric outside surface) due to the interlacement of the yarn sets. The 3D plain, twill and satin structures resulted in axial angle (θ a) in fabric length; circumferential angle (θ c), and interlaced radial angle (θ ri) in fabric circumference and fabric diameter due to the axial-circumferential and axial-radial interlacements. The weave patterns slightly affected the yarn angles. On the other hand, it was observed that the number of layers considerably affected the radial arc length and the radial length in wall thickness in the 3D circular woven structure.

The interlacement on 3D plain, twill and satin circular woven structures resulted in axial crimp, circumferential crimp and radial crimp. The crimps in the 3D fully interlaced circular woven structures slightly depended on the types of weave pattern and the number of layers.
Magnetic interferential field compensation in geomagnetic measurement
Authors: Li Ji , Zhang Qi , Chen Dixiang , Pan Mengchun , Luo Feilu
Published: August 2013

The accurate measurement of a geomagnetic field is a key technology in geomagnetic navigation. Many magnetic interferential fields on navigation vehicles, such as ferromagnetic parts and electric equipments, will seriously disturb the magnetometer, and thus should be compensated. This paper develops a new magnetic interferential field compensation method using three-axial magnetometer measurements. The method relies on a formulation derived from the difference of the measured geomagnetic magnitude and its true value. The goal is to evaluate the magnetic interferential field parameters first and then compensate the measurements with them. The trust-region method is adopted to evaluate the parameters in the formulation. A simulation is conducted to test the validity of the method. An experiment is designed and implemented on an underwater vehicle. Both simulation and experimental results indicate that vehicle magnetic interferential field can be well compensated with this method.
Modelling uniformly porous facades to predict dwelling infiltration rates
Authors: Jones BM , Lowe RJ , Davies M , Chalabi Z , Das P , Ridley I
Published: August 2013

It is important to limit dwelling infiltration to reduce energy demand and help meet national climate change commitments while concurrently providing sufficient ventilation to deliver adequate indoor air quality. DOMVENT3D is a model of infiltration and exfiltration that assumes a linear pressure distribution over any number of uniformly porous facades and integrates the airflow rate in the vertical plane to predict the theoretically correct airflow rate through them. DOMVENT3D is a new development of an existing two-dimensional model of infiltration that provides more opportunities for investigating a greater number of dwellings than was previously possible. Initial testing suggests that DOMVENT3D is mathematically robust and is suitable for modelling a wide variety of dwelling types and geometries to assist engineers and policy makers.

Practical application: The modern building services engineer may be required to model airflow networks in a building to balance the conflicting needs of energy consumption reduction and occupant health. Limiting exfiltration is one method of reducing heat losses from a building and so there is a need to model it accurately. This article presents a new model of infiltration and exfiltration through a uniformly porous facade that can be incorporated within advanced complex airflow network tools or applied using a simple spreadsheet.
A cross-national analysis of the guarantees of rights
Authors: Sommer Udi , Asal Victor
Published: August 2013

What are the predictors of rights guarantees at the level of individual countries? We examine this question within the context of what factors lead certain countries, but not others, to have legislation prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace between 1972 and 2002. In the theoretical framework, a combination of domestic forces (past inclusion of minorities, culture, and democratic conditions) and global trends (regulation by supranational bodies and globalization) predict guarantees of rights. To test the theory, generalized estimating equation time-series cross-sectional analyses are performed on data from 161 countries. The results, which are robust to changes in model specification and alternative measurement schemes, confirm our key hypotheses. We conclude by discussing the implications of this research for the study of rights generally.
The impact of diamonds on economic growth, adverse regime change, and democratic state-building in Africa
Authors: Tusalem Rollin F. , Morrison Minion K.C.
Published: August 2013

Recent studies point to how resources such as diamonds have funded insurgency movements and how their geographic presence can foment the incidence but not necessarily the onset of civil wars. Such empirical studies are based on global models; however, we believe regional effects may be present. In order to address this, we disaggregate the empirical findings based on Africa as a region. By estimating a panel study of African states, we discover that those that are secondary diamond producers are not only vulnerable to domestic strife, but also prone to lower levels of economic growth, coup d’état episodes, and state failure—conditions that inhibit democratic state-building. We also find that secondary diamond-producing states in Africa are prone to both the onset and incidence of civil wars, a finding that diverges from previous empirical work. In asking how states may obviate this curse, we affirm a claim of state developmentalism: that in order to prevent collapse, states must harness the revenue potential of diffuse resources. The regulation and legitimisation of diamond production is an effective bulwark against the potential opportunity structures that such lootables may provide to warlords, insurgents, and military factions.
Parental Status, Child Contact, and Well-Being Among Incarcerated Men and Women
Authors: Roxburgh Susan , Fitch Chivon
Published: August 2013

Using the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities, we examine the association between parenthood and distress and anger among the currently incarcerated. We show how variations in the parenting experience—such as amount of child contact—influence the mental health of incarcerated parents and how these relationships vary by gender. Our analysis indicates that parents who are incarcerated are significantly more distressed and are angrier than incarcerated nonparents. Mothers of children below 16 years of age are more distressed than other inmates. Mothers, but not fathers, report more anger than nonparent inmates. Distress among incarcerated parents is associated with child living arrangements and with frequency of phone, mail contact, and visits from children. Both mothers and fathers whose children are in foster care are significantly more distressed and report more anger than other parents. Results are discussed in terms of implications for policies and programming for incarcerated parents.
Graft anastomosis technique in the fragile aorta
Authors: Higuchi Kazuhiko , Takamoto Shinichi
Published: August 2013

Here, we describe a technique for creating a secure anastomosis between a graft and the stump of the aorta, involving the fragile aortic wall between the folded flap of the graft inside the aorta and a Teflon felt strip outside.
Aortic arch replacement with a beating heart: a simple method using continuous 3-way perfusion
Authors: Abu-Omar Y , Ali JM , Colah S , Dunning JJ
Published: August 2013

We describe a simplified 3-way perfusion strategy that could be used in complex aortic procedures, which ensures continuous end-organ perfusion and minimizes the potential risks of cardiac, cerebral and peripheral ischaemic complications.
I’ve had a good life, what’s left is a bonus: Factor analysis of the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale in a palliative care population
Authors: Goodwin Laura , Price Annabel , Lee William , Rayner Lauren , Moorey Stirling , Monroe Barbara , Sykes Nigel , Hansford Penny , Higginson Irene J , Hotopf Matthew
Published: August 2013

Background:

The Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale is an assessment tool commonly used to measure coping in cancer patients, which characterises adaptive coping under the label of ‘fighting spirit’.

Aim:

This study explores adaptation in patients with advanced cancer, by examining the factor structure of the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale. Further aims were to examine associations between types of coping and psychological outcomes measured at the same time (time 1) and 4 weeks after referral to palliative care services (time 2).

Design:

A cross-sectional study with a follow-up assessment 4 weeks later. Factor analysis examined the structure of the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale at time 1.

Setting/participants:

A total of 275 patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care, of whom 193 took part at follow-up.

Results:

This study provided evidence for the internal consistency and validity of a new scale of ‘acceptance and positivity’ for use in advanced cancer patients. Patients with a desire for hastened death had lower acceptance and positivity, and patients with higher global quality of life reported a higher level. Social support was positively associated with acceptance and positivity. Higher scores on the acceptance and positivity scale were associated with reduced odds of a desire for hastened death at time 2.

Conclusion:

Adaptation to advanced cancer differs from adaptation to early stage cancer, comprising a general acceptance of the illness and trying to make the most of the time that is left. Individuals with low social support were less likely to evidence appropriate adaptation to their illness.
Observations of professional–patient relationships: A mixed-methods study exploring whether familiarity is a condition for nurses’ provision of psychosocial support
Authors: Hill Hazel C , Paley John , Forbat Liz
Published: August 2013

Background:

There is a popular belief that the professional–patient relationship is a prerequisite in the provision of psychosocial support. Studies suggest that professionals must know, or be familiar with, a patient in order to effectively provide psychosocial support.

Aim:

To examine the association between familiarity and the provision of psychosocial care by professionals.

Design:

A mixed-methods study involving participant observation, interviews and organisational and documentary analysis was conducted over 8 months in an inpatient hospice setting.

Participants:

In total, 38 nurses (registered and auxiliary) and 47 patients were included in a maximum variation sampling strategy. Data were analysed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques.

Results:

The data disconfirm the belief that familiarity is either a necessary or sufficient condition for the provision of psychosocial support. Nurses familiar with patients did not necessarily respond to patients’ psychosocial needs, and nurses with no prior contact with the patient immediately dealt with psychosocial needs.

Conclusion:

Psychosocial support can be provided on a patient’s first contact with a clinician and does not rely on building a professional–patient relationship. This suggests that high-quality psychosocial care can be provided in the short time frame available to palliative care clinicians.
Research on psychological and social factors in palliative care: An invited commentary
Authors: Rodin Gary
Published: August 2013

Background:

Psychosocial factors are a major determinant of well-being in patients with advanced disease. However, the development of valid and reliable measures of meaningful and relevant outcomes and randomized controlled trials to assess the impact of novel interventions are relatively recent accomplishments.

Aim:

To discuss significant developments in psychosocial research, including work of the author, in palliative populations and to identify areas where uncertainty and controversy persist.

Design:

The impact of systematic research on psychosocial factors in palliative care over the past four decades is discussed. Particular attention is paid to the development of relevant measures of psychological outcomes and to the results of pilot studies and randomized controlled trials of psychosocial interventions.

Results:

A variety of factors, including methodological limitations, protective attitudes of health-care providers, and the progressive deterioration of patients with terminal disease, have presented obstacles to psychosocial research in palliative care. The more recent development of valid and reliable measures of psychological distress and psychological well-being has significantly advanced research in the field. Pilot studies and randomized controlled trials of psychosocial interventions have yielded promising results, although the demonstrated impact on primary outcomes in these studies has typically been modest.

Conclusion:

Psychosocial research in palliative care has grown in rigor and volume over the past several decades, and a variety of novel interventions have been developed and evaluated. However, the findings from this research have only begun to have an impact on clinical practice in palliative care.
The State of Public Opinion Research on Attitudes and Understanding of Science and Technology
Authors: Besley John C.
Published: August 2013

This article provides a critical and global overview of current research into public opinion about science and technology (S&T). Although several sets of high-quality data exist, there remains a lack of international coordination and irregular release of new data in forms that can be widely used. The article highlights a range of key challenges that those involved in collecting and reporting public opinion data about S&T can address to provide society with a more comprehensive and more integrated picture of attitudes and understanding about S&T around the world.
MRI findings before and after prolapse surgery
Authors: Alt Céline D , Brocker Kerstin A , Lenz Florian , Sohn Christof , Kauczor Hans-Ulrich , Hallscheidt Peter
Published: August 2013

Background

Therapeutical outcome after prolapse surgery is evaluated using a standardized grading system based on maximum prolapse extent, which might not provide the full picture of the patient’s subjective outcome. We therefore applied an evaluation method, which is detached from a grading system.

Purpose

To evaluate the impact of pelvic organ mobility in dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after mesh-repair surgery in patients with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse.

Material and Methods

To obtain measurements, we performed parasagittal T2-weighted turbo spin echo sequence at rest (TR, 3460 ms; TE, 85 ms; matrix, 512; slice thickness [ST], 5 mm), parasagittal T2-weighted true fast imaging with steady-state precession (TrueFISP) single-shot sequence during straining (TR, 397.4 ms; TE, 1.5 ms; matrix, 256; ST, 8 mm), and parasagittal T2-weighted TrueFISP sequence at maximum strain (TR, 4.3 ms; TE, 2.15 ms; matrix, 256; ST, 5 mm) at 1.5 T MRI. Pelvic organ prolapse (anatomical landmarks: bladder, cervix, pouch, rectum) was measured perpendicularly with reference to the pubococcygeal and the midpubic line. Pelvic organ mobility was defined as the difference between the measured distance at rest and at maximum strain for each anatomical landmark. All patients underwent mesh-repair procedure. Eighty patients could be included in this short-term follow-up study. Due to the physical diagnosis of pelvic organ prolapse, 51 underwent anterior mesh repair, 16 underwent posterior mesh repair, and 13 underwent total mesh repair. Surgery was performed by one surgeon, using mesh implants from several manufacturers.

Results

Median values of maximum organ prolapse for bladder, cervix, pouch, and rectum preoperatively were 2.54 cm, 0.33 cm, 2.47 cm, and 0.32 cm, respectively, and 12 weeks postoperatively 0.87 cm, −1.79 cm, 1.49 cm, and 0.49 cm, respectively. Highly significant improvement ( P < 0.001) of pelvic organ mobility was observed in the treated compartment at 4- and 12-week follow-up. Physical evaluation 12 weeks after mesh-repair showed an asymptomatic POP-Q stage I, if any.

Conclusion

Dynamic MRI is useful in visualizing the maximum extent of pelvic organ prolapse, as the evaluation of pelvic organ mobility documents the intraindividual therapeutic outcome detached from a grading system based on maximal prolapse values.
Ventricular dilatation in ex-prematures: only confined to the occipital region? MRI-based normative standards for 19-year-old ex-prematures without major handicaps
Authors: Aukland Stein M , Elgen Irene B , Odberg Morten D , Chong W Kling , Eide Geir E , Rosendahl Karen
Published: August 2013

Background

Premature birth may be associated with white matter injury later developing with widening of the ventricles. However, population-based data on normal ventricular size by age are sparse, making the evaluation of possible ventricular dilatation difficult.

Purpose

To present the linear measurements of the ventricular system, to compare these to subjectively assessed ventricular size, and to examine differences in ventricular size between ex-prematures and controls.

Material and Methods

Eligible survivors ( n = 113) from the initial birth cohort ( n = 217, born in 1986–1988, birth weight <2000g) underwent MRI during 2006–2007. One hundred and three were ex-premature and included in the study. The ventricular size was subjectively judged by a pediatric neuroradiologist, and scored as normal, mildly, moderately, or severely dilated. Objective measurements, including width and depth of the frontal and occipital horns, were performed in a blinded fashion, by a pediatric radiologist.

Results

The normative standards for different parts of the ventricular system in ex-premature young adults varied considerably. We found significant associations between the objective measurements and the subjectively classification of ventricular dilatation. Ex-prematures had smaller heads than those born term (control group). After adjustment for head circumference, there were no significant group differences regarding the frontal horns, but the occipital horns were proportionately wider among ex-prematures.

Conclusion

Young adults born prematurely, with a birth weight <2000 g, do not have larger lateral ventricles than healthy controls born term, even after correcting for a smaller head size. However, they do have larger occipital horns, confirming previous studies and strengthening our belief of a specific vulnerability of the occipital region.
Application of parecoxib in post-uvulopalatopharyngoplasty analgesia
Authors: Xie Guang-Lun , Chu Qin-Jun , Liu Chun-Lan
Published: August 2013

Objective

To investigate the postoperative analgesic effects of parecoxib for uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP).

Methods

Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome who underwent UPPP were randomly divided into two groups. In group A, the incision-local block was performed with 5 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine injected subcutaneously before the end of surgery, then 20 ml of physiological saline was injected intravenously every 12 h for 2 days. In group B, in addition to the incision-local block, 40 mg parecoxib was injected intravenously 30 min before the end of UPPP and 40 mg parecoxib was injected intravenously every 12 h for 2 days. Postoperative pain was measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Adverse reactions were recorded.

Results

A total of 40 patients were randomized ( n = 20 per group). Under resting conditions, the mean ± SD VAS pain scores were significantly higher in group A compared with group B at 24 h and 48 h after UPPP (24 h 4.0 ± 0.8 versus 2.6 ± 0.6; 48 h 3.8 ± 0.7 versus 2.4 ± 0.5; respectively). Under swallowing conditions, the mean ± SD VAS pain scores were significantly higher in group A compared with group B at 8 h, 24 h and 48 h after UPPP. Postoperative adverse reactions were similar in the two groups.

Conclusion

Intravenous parecoxib combined with incision-local ropivacaine provided effective postoperative analgesia for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, undergoing UPPP.
Rocuronium reversed by sugammadex versus mivacurium during high-risk eye surgery: An institutional anaesthetic practice evaluation
Authors: Quillfeldt Susanne von , Föhre Bettina , Andrees Nicolai , Spies Claudia D , Galvagni Daniele , Joussen Antonia M , Wernecke Klaus D , Boemke Willehad
Published: August 2013

Objective

This institutional anaesthetic practice evaluation compared patient safety with respect to residual neuromuscular blockade (NMB) at the time of tracheal extubation in patients undergoing high-risk eye surgery.

Methods

Two muscle relaxation regimens were compared: rocuronium administered via intravenous (i.v.) bolus dosing combined with reversal through sugammadex at end of surgery (group R/S; 17 patients); mivacurium administered via continuous i.v. infusion without antagonization (group M; 22 patients). Train-of-four (TOF) monitoring determined the depth of NMB.

Results

The TOF ratio at the time of tracheal extubation was greater in group R/S (median 1.03) than in group M (median 0.62). Time from end of surgery to tracheal extubation was not significantly different. The surgeons were 100% satisfied with the working conditions provided under both relaxation regimens.

Conclusions

Residual postoperative curarization at the time of extubation was frequently observed in group M, whereas there was complete recovery in group R/S. Reversal of NMB by sugammadex provides an additional safety dimension to patient care and should thus be considered especially for those at risk of airway complications or aspiration, in addition to frail patients.
The effect of blood glucose regulation on the presence of opportunistic Demodex folliculorum mites in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Gökçe Cumali , Aycan-Kaya Özlem , Yula Erkan , Üstün İhsan , Yengil Erhan , Sefil Fatih , Rizaoglu Hatice , Gultepe Bilge , Bayram Fahri
Published: August 2013

Objectives

To measure the rate of Demodex folliculorum mite infestation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to investigate if it was related to blood glucose control.

Methods

Patients with type 2 diabetes were classified according to their glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level into two groups: a well controlled blood glucose group (HbA1c ≤ 7%) and a poorly controlled blood glucose group (HbA1c > 7%). A standardized skin surface biopsy method was used to determine if the patients had D. folliculorum infestation (>5 mites/cm2 of skin).

Results

A total of 69 patients (38 female) were enrolled in the study. Seventeen (24.6%) patients had D. folliculorum infestation. There were no significant differences in age, sex or body mass index between patients with and without D. folliculorum infestations. A significantly higher proportion of patients with poor blood glucose control had D. folliculorum infestation compared with patients with well controlled blood glucose.

Conclusions

These current findings suggest that poor blood glucose regulation increases the susceptibility to D. folliculorum mite infestation in patients with type 2 diabetes.