bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cervical Vertebral Lesions in Equine Stenotic Myelopathy
Authors: Janes J. G. , Garrett K. S. , McQuerry K. J. , Waddell S. , Voor M. J. , Reed S. M. , Williams N. M. , MacLeod J. N.
Published: July 2015

Skeletal lesions in the articular processes of cervical vertebrae C2 to C7 were compared between Thoroughbred horses with cervical stenotic myelopathy (17 males, 2 females; age, 6–50 months) and controls (6 males, 3 females; age, 9–67 months). Lesions identified by magnetic resonance imaging occurred with an increased frequency and severity in diseased horses and were not limited to sites of spinal cord compression. Lesions involved both the articular cartilage and trabecular bone and were further characterized using micro–computed tomography and histopathology. The most common histologic lesions included osteochondrosis, osseous cyst–like structures, fibrous tissue replacement of trabecular bone, retained cartilage matrix spicules, and osteosclerosis. Osseous cyst–like structures were interpreted to be true bone cysts given they were a closed cavity with a cellular lining that separated the cyst from surrounding bone. This is the first report of bone cysts in the cervical articular processes of horses with cervical stenotic myelopathy. The morphology and distribution of the lesions provide additional support for the previously proposed pathogenesis that developmental abnormalities with likely secondary biomechanical influences on the cervical spine contribute to equine cervical stenotic myelopathy.
Factors associated with frovatriptan response in patients with migraine: A prospective, observational study
Authors: Seo Jong-Geun , Park Sung-Pa
Published: July 2015

Background

Almost one-third of patients with migraine do not adequately respond to triptans. We examined factors contributing to frovatriptan response in patients with migraine.

Methods

We enrolled new patients with migraine who consecutively visited our headache clinic. Eligible patients were instructed to take 2.5 mg of frovatriptan as soon as possible after migraine attack. The responsiveness was determined by whether headache was relieved or absent within 4 hours after the intake of frovatriptan. We assessed frovatriptan to be efficacious when headache responded to its administration in at least one of two successive migraine attacks and inefficacious when headache was not relieved in either attack. We included demographic, clinical and psychiatric variables in the analysis of factors associated with frovatriptan response.

Results

Of 128 eligible patients, 28 (21.9%) experienced frovatriptan inefficacy. In 24 patients with current major depressive disorder, 12 (50.0%) had frovatriptan inefficacy. Only current major depressive disorder was identified as a risk factor for inefficacy (odds ratio = 5.500, 95% confidence interval 2.103–14.382, p = 0.001).

Conclusions

Depression may be a risk factor of frovatriptan inefficacy in patients with migraine, even though half of patients with major depressive disorder respond to frovatriptan.
Fathers and flexible parental leave
Authors: Brandth Berit , Kvande Elin
Published: July 2015

Research on work-family balance has seen flexible work arrangements as a key solution for reconciling work and family, but it has given contradictory results in regard to fathers. This article focuses on flexible parental leave for fathers in Norway, which until now has rarely been studied. Based on interviews with 20 fathers, the article explores their experiences with flexible organization of the leave, which provides them with a menu of choices, and considers how it affects their caring. Findings show that it allows work to invade care, produces a double stress and promotes half-way fathering. Flexible use of the father’s quota tends to confirm fathers as secondary carers instead of empowering them as carers.
Cognitive Training Can Reduce Civilian Casualties in a Simulated Shooting Environment
Authors: Biggs Adam T. , Cain Matthew S. , Mitroff Stephen R.
Published: July 2015

Shooting a firearm involves a complex series of cognitive abilities. For example, locating an item or a person of interest requires visual search, and firing the weapon (or withholding a trigger squeeze) involves response execution (or inhibition). The present study used a simulated shooting environment to establish a relationship between a particular cognitive ability and a critical shooting error—response inhibition and firing on civilians, respectively. Individual-difference measures demonstrated, perhaps counterintuitively, that simulated civilian casualties were not related to motor impulsivity (i.e., an itchy trigger finger) but rather to an individual’s cognitive ability to withhold an already initiated response (i.e., an itchy brain). Furthermore, active-response-inhibition training reduced simulated civilian casualties, which revealed a causal relationship. This study therefore illustrates the potential of using cognitive training to possibly improve shooting performance, which might ultimately provide insight for military and law-enforcement personnel.
Sjögren’s syndrome associated with protein losing gastroenteropathy manifested by intestinal lymphangiectasia successfully treated with prednisolone and hydroxychloroquine
Authors: Liao C-Y , Chien S-T , Wang C-C , Chen I-H , Chiu H-W , Liu M-Y , Lin C-H , Ben R-J , Tsai M-K
Published: July 2015

Protein-losing gastroenteropathy (PLGE), a rare manifestation of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), is characterized by profound edema and severe hypoalbuminemia secondary to excessive serum protein loss from the gastrointestinal tract and is clinically indistinguishable from nephrotic syndrome. We report a case of a 30-year-old Taiwanese woman with PLGE-associated SS. In addition to a positive Schirmer’s test, she had eye-dryness, thirst, and high levels of anti-SSA antibodies, fulfilling SS criteria. PLGE diagnosis was highly appropriate given the clinical profile of hypoalbuminemia, hypercholesterolemia, pleural effusion, and ascites, with absent cardiac, hepatic, or renal disease. We were unable to perform technetium-99 m-labeled human serum albumin scintigraphy (99mTc-HAS). However, the patient’s edema and albumin level improved dramatically in response to a 3-month regime of oral prednisolone followed by oral hydroxychloroquine.
Student nurses’ unethical behavior, social media, and year of birth
Authors: Smith Gloria Copeland , Knudson Troy Keith
Published: July 2015

Background:

This study is the result of findings from a previous dissertation conducted by this author on Student Nurses’ Unethical Behavior, Boundaries, and Social Media. The use of social media can be detrimental to the nurse–patient relationship if used in an unethical manner.

Method:

A mixed method, using a quantitative approach based on research questions that explored differences in student nurses’ unethical behavior by age (millennial vs nonmillennial) and clinical cohort, the relationship of unethical behavior to the utilization of social media, and analysis on year of birth and unethical behavior. A qualitative approach was used based on a guided faculty interview and common themes of student nurses’ unethical behavior.

Participants and Research Context:

In total, 55 Associate Degree nursing students participated in the study; the research was conducted at Central Texas College. There were eight faculty-guided interviews.

Ethical considerations:

The main research instrument was an anonymous survey. All participants were assured of their right to an informed consent. All participants were informed of the right to withdraw from the study at any time.

Findings:

Findings indicate a significant correlation between student nurses’ unethical behavior and use of social media (p = 0.036) and a significant difference between student unethical conduct by generation (millennials vs nonmillennials (p = 0.033)) and by clinical cohort (p = 0.045). Further findings from the follow-up study on year of birth and student unethical behavior reveal a correlation coefficient of 0.384 with a significance level of 0.003.

Discussion:

Surprisingly, the study found that second-semester students had less unethical behavior than first-, third-, and fourth-semester students. The follow-up study found that this is because second-semester students were the oldest cohort.

Conclusion:

Implications for positive social change for nursing students include improved ethics education that may motivate ethical conduct throughout students’ careers nationally and globally for better understanding and promotion of ethics and behavior.
Social Support and Positive Health Practices in Black Late Adolescents
Authors: Gage Gale S.
Published: July 2015

This study constructed and tested models using the mediators of resilience and self-efficacy to help explain the relationship between social support and positive health practices (PHPs) in Black late adolescents. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used with a convenience sample of 179 Black college students, aged 18 to 23 years. Participants responded to four instruments; the five bivariate hypotheses were supported. Social support correlated positively with PHPs ( r = .45, p < .001), resilience ( r = .28, p < .001), and self-efficacy ( r = .40, p < .001). Resilience ( r = .31, p < .001) and self-efficacy ( r = .38, p < .001) correlated positively with PHPs. Regression analyses indicated that resilience and self-efficacy were partial, not complete mediators of the relationship between social support and PHPs. This research has relevance for practice involving Black late adolescents, with social support playing a role in promoting PHPs.
Performing Hypermasculinity
Authors: Bengtsson Tea Torbenfeldt
Published: July 2015

In this article, young people’s hypermasculine performances of gender in a Danish institution for young offenders are analyzed. Through the ethnographic method of detailed observations of two situations of young people, one male and one female, entering an institution for young offenders, it is demonstrated that hypermasculinity is created as a collective frame of meaning creating both possibilities and restraints in concrete situations. Hypermasculinity is often discussed in relation to criminality as an intensification of hegemonic understandings of what constitutes a “real man” and thus as part of male offender’s identity formation. In this article, the relational analysis shows that hypermasculinity is not alone to be understood as the expression of the individual young person’s performances but rather as the dominating institutional frame guiding all gender performances. The observed hypermasculine frame comprises notions of a real man based on performances of overt sexuality, the willingness to commit violence, and the limitation of subversive performances.
Evaluation of the Leptospira species microscopic agglutination test in experimentally vaccinated cats and Leptospira species seropositivity in aged azotemic client-owned cats
Authors: Shropshire Sarah B , Veir Julia K , Morris Arianne K , Lappin Michael R
Published: July 2015

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to validate the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) using feline sera, determine cross-reactivity of Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in the MAT, and evaluate if there is an association between Leptospira species seropositivity in aged (⩾10 years) client-owned cats with and without azotemia (creatinine >2 g/dl).

Methods

A four-serovar canine leptospiral vaccine was administered to two specific pathogen-free (SPF) cats on days 0 and 14. The MAT was performed intermittently until day 42 for the serovars Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Hardjo, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona and Bratislava, with a cut-off value of ⩾1:100. Five purpose-bred cats were infested with wild-caught Ixodes scapularis adults with an average B burgdorferi infection rate of 50%, and tested for antibodies against B burgdorferi C6 peptide and DNA in skin biopsies, as well as by MAT. Sera from 66 azotemic and 75 non-azotemic cats ⩾10 years of age were tested for Leptospira species antibodies using the MAT and results were compared by the χ2 test.

Results

Both SPF cats seroconverted by week 3 and formed antibodies against at least one serovar. There was no cross-reactivity in the MAT using samples from cats with antibodies to B burgdorferi. MAT results were positive for 4/66 azotemic cats and 8/75 non-azotemic cats; these results were not statistically different.

Conclusions and relevance

The MAT can be interpreted using feline serum and does not appear to cross-react in cats with B burgdorferi antibodies. There was no association between Leptospira species MAT results and azotemia in this group of aged client-owned cats but further studies are needed to determine if leptospirosis contributes to feline chronic kidney disease.
Multi-objective optimization of needle roller bearings based on fatigue and wear using evolutionary algorithm
Authors: Kalyan Meduri , Tiwari Rajiv
Published: July 2015

The important considerations for a long-lasting service of needle roller bearings (NRBs) are the long fatigue and wear lives. Keeping in mind these life factors, a design methodology has been proposed to optimize the dynamic capacity ( Cd) and the elasto-hydrodynamic minimum film thickness ( hmin). These are taken for the optimization since the fatigue life is related to Cd and the wear life to hmin. In the optimization problem, a total of seven design variables (which comprises of bearing pitch diameter, roller mean diameter, effective roller length, number of rollers and three other unknown constraint factors), two objectives and 16 constraints are considered. These two objectives are optimized individually (single objective optimization) and simultaneously (multi-objective optimization). The non-linear constrained optimization problem of NRBs has been solved using a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, called as the Elitist Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II). Optimization has been carried out on the set of standard catalogue NRBs. Data obtained from NSGA-II runs of the multi-objective optimization is used to draw the Pareto-optimal fronts (POF). Optimum bearing dimensions are selected by considering the knee point solution on the POF for the comparison with standard bearings. Results showed that optimized bearings got improved lives than standard bearings. Life comparison factors have been calculated and compared with available literatures and are found to be better. Finally, for visualization of optimized NRBs, radial dimensions of three bearings designed by optimizing Cd, hmin and Cd − hmin are shown, for one of the standard NRB. The sensitivity analysis is performed to see the sensitivity of two objectives with design variables.
The implications of assessment for learning in physical education and health
Authors: Tolgfors Bjorn , Öhman Marie
Published: July 2015

This article deals with the implications of assessment for learning (AfL) in upper secondary physical education and health (PEH). Inspired by the research field that emanates from the concept of governmentality, the study is concerned with how AfL guides teachers’ and students’ actions in certain directions. Based on teachers’ descriptions of how they integrate formative assessment in their teaching practice, the purpose of this article is to investigate the possible consequences of AfL for the teacher, the student and the subject content.

The findings highlight different implications of AfL when it is viewed as (i) governance through freedom, (ii) governance through control and (iii) a dialectic form of governance. These concepts constitute certain teacher and student subjects and imply specific conditions for the subject content. In their different roles, for example as coach, deliverer/administrator and moderator, teachers expect different things from their students. In the first instance, students are expected to reach the open goals by self-regulation, in terms of individual choice and personal responsibility. In the second instance, students are subjected to disciplinary normalisation through criteria compliance by means of conformative assessment. In the third instance, students are activated as learning resources for one another using physical activities followed by group reflection. The tension between freedom and control can be described as allowing students to make their own choices but ensuring that they do this in relation to a predetermined idea about what is correct.
Inspector Wallander’s angst, social change and the reconfiguration of Swedish exceptionalism
Authors: Pratt John , McLean Thomas
Published: July 2015

This article examines the extent to which changes in Swedish values and culture are undermining what has come to be known as the penal exceptionalism of that society. It does this by contrasting the two very different pictures of Swedish society that are to be found in the detective novels of Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, set in the 1960s and early 1970s, and those of Henning Mankell, set in the 1990s onwards. Notwithstanding the extensive social change we find reflected in them, it is argued that Sweden’s penal exceptionalism has been reconfigured rather than swept aside. It largely remains intact for those on the legitimate side of the barriers and divisions that mass immigration has constructed around it, but those whose ethnicity denies them this status are likely to find themselves excluded from it.
Optimal defense and control of dynamic systems modeled as cyber-physical systems
Authors: Niu Haifeng , Jagannathan S
Published: July 2015

With the increasing connectivity among computational cyber-connected elements and physical entities, a unified representation that captures the interrelationship between the cyber and the physical systems becomes increasingly important. In this paper, we propose a novel representation for developing cybersecurity schemes for physical systems wherein the cyber system states affect the physical system and vice versa. Subsequently by using this representation, an optimal strategy via Q-learning is derived for the cyber defense in the presence of an attack. Since the cyber system under attack will affect the physical system stability and performance, an optimal controller by using Q-learning is considered for the physical system with uncertain dynamics. As an example, cyber-attacks that increase the network delay and packet losses are considered and the goal of the proposed cyber defense and optimal controller is to thwart the attack and mitigate the performance degradation of the physical system due to increased delays and packet losses. An illustrative example is given where the proposed theory is evaluated on the yaw-channel control of an unmanned aerial vehicle. Simulation results show that on the cyber side, both the attacker and the defender gains their greatest payoff whereas on the physical system side, the optimal controller is able to maintain the linear system in a stable manner when the cyber state vector meets a certain desired criterion.
Recent advances in the development of vaccines for tuberculosis
Authors: Ahsan Mohamed Jawed
Published: July 2015

Tuberculosis (Tb) continues to be a dreadful infection worldwide with nearly 1.5 million deaths in 2013. Furthermore multi/extensively drug-resistant Tb (MDR/XDR-Tb) worsens the condition. Recently approved anti-Tb drugs (bedaquiline and delamanid) have the potential to induce arrhythmia and are recommended in patients with MDR-Tb when other alternatives fail. The goal of elimination of Tb by 2050 will not be achieved without an effective new vaccine. The recent advancement in the development of Tb vaccines is the keen focus of this review. To date, Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) is the only licensed Tb vaccine in use, however its efficacy in pulmonary Tb is variable in adolescents and adults. There are nearly 15 vaccine candidates in various phases of clinical trials, includes five protein or adjuvant vaccines, four viral-vectored vaccines, three mycobacterial whole cell or extract vaccines, and one each of the recombinant live and the attenuated Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) vaccine.
Self-Reported Back Pain among Farm Women in Southeast Louisiana
Authors: Hathorn Donna C. , Carruth Ann K. , Agosta Lucie J. , Pryor Susan K.
Published: July 2015

This cross-sectional survey details the incidence and predictors of self-reported back pain among farm women from southeastern Louisiana. The sample was obtained from a preexisting data set of a cross-sectional randomized sample of farm women who participated in the Louisiana Farm Family Injury Prevention and Health Initiative research project. The Haddon Injury Model was used as the conceptual framework. Approximately one fourth of the women in the sample reported back pain in the past year. The major findings from logistic regression analysis were that women reported back pain if they were hauling animals to market and had physical health conditions. Implications for nursing practice include assessing the risk of back pain among farm women and providing client education that includes the importance of compliance with recommended health screenings for early detection and treatment of physical health conditions associated with back pain.
Evaluation of Home Health Care Nurses' Practice and Their Employers' Policies Related to Bloodborne Pathogens
Authors: Scharf Barbara B. , McPhaul Kathleen M. , Trinkoff Alison , Lipscomb Jane
Published: July 2015

The purpose of this descriptive study was to assess home health care nurses' exposure to bloodborne pathogens, evaluate Medicare Certified Home Healthcare Agency (MCHHA) and hospice organization practices related to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, and link the two to recommend safety improvements. This study evaluated the experiences of 355 home health care nurses and 30 MCHHA and hospice employers in one mid-Atlantic state regarding bloodborne pathogen programs and practices and blood and sharps contact. An index was developed to evaluate employer compliance with OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. Employer policies and nurse practice related to the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard did not meet all requirements despite identified risk. Thirty-eight home health care nurses from 12 of the 30 employers reported needlestick injuries within the past year, yet employers reported only 18 nurse needlestick injuries within the same year. Using the bloodborne pathogen compliance index, employers can review and revise their exposure control plans to ensure compliance. This intervention should benefit both employer policies and nurse practice to improve safety and decrease the risks from bloodborne pathogens in the home health care setting.
What Makes a Successful Hearing Conservation Program?
Authors: Rogers Bonnie , Meyer Denai , Summey Carol , Scheessele Dawn , Atwell Terry , Ostendorf Judith , Randolph Susan A. , Buckheit Kathleen , Berryman Phyllis , Lukes Eileen
Published: July 2015

Although preventable, hearing impairment is one of the most prevalent disabilities in Western societies. In the United States, approximately 30 million individuals are at risk for noise-induced hearing loss and 22 million individuals between the ages of 20 and 69 have permanently damaged their hearing by exposure to loud sounds or noise in their environment. Both work-related and recreational noise exposure affect an individual's hearing. Legislation in 1969 and later in 1983 established standards mandating that all workers exposed to noise levels at or greater than 85 dBA time-weighted average be placed in a hearing conservation program that includes provision of hearing protective devices. This article discusses components of an effective hearing conservation program, and the roles and functions of interdisciplinary team members in making a hearing conservation program successful.
Summary Recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the Use of H1N1 Influenza Vaccine for the 2009–2010 Vaccination Season
Authors: Litchfield Sheila M.
Published: July 2015

This article summarizes current recommendations and the target populations to receive H1N1 vaccine once the vaccine supplies are released this fall.
Perceptions of Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards among Agricultural Workers in Washington State
Authors: Hofmann Jonathan N. , Crowe Jennifer , Postma Julie , Ybarra Vickie , Keifer Matthew C.
Published: July 2015

This study describes agricultural workers' perceptions of environmental and occupational health issues. Interviews were conducted with 389 agricultural workers in the Yakima Valley of central Washington State in the summers of 2004 and 2005. Undergraduate students from the community conducted interviews in Spanish or English. Environmental and occupational health issues were ranked by frequency of concern, and differences by demographics were evaluated using multivariate analyses. In both 2004 and 2005, agricultural workers expressed high levels of concern about working in hot weather, agricultural injuries, pesticides, and pediatric asthma. Agricultural workers' perceptions of environmental and occupational health issues differed by specific demographics, particularly age and ethnicity. Consideration should be given to these issues when designing research studies, creating educational materials, and developing interventions related to environmental and occupational hazards among agricultural workers.
Milwaukee Police Department Retirees
Authors: Ramey Sandra L. , Downing Nancy R. , Franke Warren D.
Published: July 2015

This study explored the self-reported prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and accompanying risk factors among 165 male retirees 43 years and older ( M = 56.2, SD = 7.1) from the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) compared to 671 individuals of similar age and income who responded to the 2005 Wisconsin Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). CVD and other risk factors were more prevalent in the MPD retirees than the general population (CVD 15.2% vs. 9.5%, p = .036; hypertension 51.5% vs. 36.2%, p = .001; hypercholesterolemia 62.4% vs. 44.4%, p = .001; overweight and obesity 85.1% vs. 74.7%, p = .005). In addition, other factors associated with CVD prevalence included working in law enforcement (odds ratio = 1.70; 95% confidence interval = 1.03 to 2.79). Results suggest an association between employment in law enforcement and an increase in CVD morbidity.
Evaluating Risk
Authors: Powell Julie C. , Berryman Phyllis , Lukes Eileen
Published: July 2015

Despite advances in vaccination, rabies remains a significant worldwide public health problem. Although the death rate is low in the United States, treatment and prevention costs are high. Occupational health nurses and occupational health nurse practitioners should consider rabies epidemiology, pathophysiology, and disease prevention and management when evaluating an employee's risk of exposure and subsequent infection.
Results of Examinations Conducted at a Japanese Newspaper Company and Evaluation of Changes in Metabolic Syndrome and Lifestyle Habits
Authors: Ariyoshi Hiromi , Suzaki Yoshika , Takayama Naoko , Wakeshima Ruriko , Ishitake Tatsuya
Published: July 2015

For purposes of developing effective occupational health nursing interventions, the authors clarified the long-term changes in health care data of employees in different departments at Company A, a Japanese newspaper company. Company A's clerical, sales, editing, and computer departments did not receive special occupational health activities; rather, health management centered on tertiary prevention provided through clinics. In this research, metabolic syndrome diagnostic standards were applied to all employees and changes in lifestyle risk factors over a period of 10 years were compared. The changes from 1998 to 2007 were analyzed for each occupation, and a comparison between the 1998 and 2007 groups was made using a paired t-test. Body mass index, the most significant indicator in the data, significantly increased in all departments. The researchers concluded it is essential to effectively manage employee health based on each occupation's work hours, tasks, and other work characteristics.
Occupational Health Nursing Practice through the Human Caring Lens
Authors: Noel Dianne L.
Published: July 2015

Many health care and academic centers have adopted Watson's Theory of Human Caring as their guiding principle; the theory is also used in other disciplines, such as library science. Human caring theory offers occupational health nurses a structure that not only defines a focus for practice, but also provides a basis for moral and philosophical practice analyses. In particular, nurses may find this theory useful in confirming the definition of “caring” and reconsidering what nursing is all about. More importantly, consideration and application of this theory may lead to research on its applicability to the field of occupational health nursing. This article presents the science and philosophy of human caring, specifically Watson's Theory of Human Caring. Two case studies are presented that demonstrate how the theory could be used to evaluate occupational health nursing practice. To demonstrate its possible relevance as an occupational health nursing framework, an analysis of and comparison to existing occupational health nursing guidelines are detailed and discussed.
Medical Tourism
Authors: Tompkins Olga S.
Published: July 2015

Medical tourism is becoming popular as an alternative to the high cost of health care in the United States and as an inexpensive resource for cosmetic surgery. The occupational health nurse is an excellent resource to assist in the pre-decision due diligence and post-decision travel health counseling.
Developing and Implementing a Survey to Determine Employer Satisfaction with Care Provided to Injured Workers
Authors: Buck Debbie F. , Curley Ann L.
Published: July 2015

Satisfaction surveys have become the primary means of evaluating perceptions of quality in the health care industry, including occupational health services. In occupational health, nurses need to know not only if injured workers are satisfied with their care, but also if injured workers' employers believe health care provided to their workers was satisfactory. One problem is the lack of published surveys addressing issues relevant to occupational health services. The authors describe how a satisfaction survey was developed to understand employers' satisfaction with the care provided to injured workers. The Theory of Self-Administered Questionnaire Design, a previously used survey, and input from multiple sources were used to develop the survey tool.
Sociodemographic, Epidemiological, and Clinical Risk Factors for Childhood Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Severely Malnourished Children Presenting With Pneumonia
Authors: Chisti Mohammod Jobayer , Ahmed Tahmeed , Shahid Abu S. M. S. B. , Shahunja K. M. , Bardhan Pradip Kumar , Faruque Abu Syeed Golam , Das Sumon Kumar , Salam Mohammed Abdus
Published: July 2015

We aimed to evaluate sociodemographic, epidemiological, and clinical risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in children presenting with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and pneumonia. Children aged 0 to 59 months with SAM and radiologic pneumonia from April 2011 to July 2012 were studied in Bangladesh. Children with confirmed PTB (by culture and/or X-pert MTB/RIF) (cases = 27) and without PTB (controls = 81; randomly selected from 378 children) were compared. The cases more often had the history of contact with active PTB patient ( P < .01) and exposure to cigarette smoke ( P = .04) compared with the controls. In logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for potential confounders, the cases were independently associated with working mother ( P = .05) and positive tuberculin skin test (TST; P = .02). Thus, pneumonia in SAM children is a common presentation of PTB and further highlights the importance of the use of simple TST and/or history of contact with active TB patients in diagnosing PTB in such children, especially in resource-limited settings.
Thermoelectric Properties of Nano-Meso-Micro β-MnO2 Powders as a Function of Electrical Resistance
Authors: Hedden Morgan , Francis Nick , Haraldsen Jason T , Ahmed Towfiq , Constantin Costel
Published: July 2015

Particle sizes of manganese oxide (β-MnO2) powders were modified by using a mortar and pestle ground method for period of times that varied between 15–60 min. Particle size versus ground time clearly shows the existence of a size-induced regime transition (i.e., regime I and II). Thermoelectric properties of β-MnO2 powders as a function of electrical resistance in the range of R

P
 = 10 - 80Ω were measured. Based on the data presented, we propose a model for the β-MnO2 system in which nanometer-scale MnO2 crystallites bond together through weak van der Waals forces to form larger conglomerates that span in size from nanometer to micrometer scale.
In2O3 Nanotower Hydrogen Gas Sensors Based on Both Schottky Junction and Thermoelectronic Emission
Authors: Zheng Zhao Qiang , Zhu Lian Feng , Wang Bing
Published: July 2015

Indium oxide (In2O3) tower-shaped nanostructure gas sensors have been fabricated on Cr comb-shaped interdigitating electrodes with relatively narrower interspace of 1.5 μm using thermal evaporation of the mixed powders of In2O3 and active carbon. The Schottky contact between the In2O3 nanotower and the Cr comb-shaped interdigitating electrode forms the Cr/In2O3 nanotower Schottky diode, and the corresponding temperature-dependent I-V characteristics have been measured. The diode exhibits a low Schottky barrier height of 0.45 eV and ideality factor of 2.93 at room temperature. The In2O3 nanotower gas sensors have excellent gas-sensing characteristics to hydrogen concentration ranging from 2 to 1000 ppm at operating temperature of 120–275 °C, such as high response (83 % at 240 °C to 1000 ppm H2), good selectivity (response to H2, CH4, C2H2, and C3H8), and small deviation from the ideal value of power exponent β (0.48578 at 240 °C). The sensors show fine long-term stability during exposure to 1000 ppm H2 under operating temperature of 240 °C in 30 days. Lots of oxygen vacancies and chemisorbed oxygen ions existing in the In2O3 nanotowers according to the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results, the change of Schottky barrier height in the Cr/In2O3 Schottky junction, and the thermoelectronic emission due to the contact between two In2O3 nanotowers mainly contribute for the H2 sensing mechanism. The growth mechanism of the In2O3 nanotowers can be described to be the Vapor-Solid (VS) process.
Welfare impact of adoption of improved cassava varieties by rural households in South Western Nigeria
Authors: Afolami Carolyn A. , Obayelu Abiodun E. , Vaughan Ignatius I.
Published: July 2015

Low adoption of modern agricultural technologies amongst farmers in Nigeria has been identified as one of the main reasons for the low agricultural productivity and increase in poverty level. The general objective of this study is to examine the welfare impact of farm households adoption of improved cassava varieties in Southwestern (SW) Nigeria using poverty as an indicator. It utilizes cross-sectional farm household level data collected in 2013 from a randomly selected sample of 312 cassava producing households (186 in Ogun State and 126 in Osun State). The data obtained were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis such as Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) poverty measure and Logit regression model. The results revealed that adoption of improved cassava varieties increases the annual income and the annual consumption expenditure of producing households’ thus increasing welfare in the SW Nigeria. An analysis of the determinants of adoption with logistic regression model showed that access to improved cassava cuttings within the villages, use of radio, farming experience and farming as a major occupation are significant factors influencing adoption of improved cassava varieties in the study area. In order to achieve the much desired poverty reduction and generate an improvement in farming households’ welfare in SW Nigeria, efforts should be intensified in ensuring that farmers have access to adequate improved cassava cuttings at the right time and place. All programs, strategies and policies that would promote farmers’ education on the technology and consequently lead to improved adoption should be pursued.
Stable Peptide of the Endogenous Opioid Enkephalin Precursor and Breast Cancer Risk
Authors: Melander Olle , Orho-Melander Marju , Manjer Jonas , Svensson Thomas , Almgren Peter , Nilsson Peter M. , Engström Gunnar , Hedblad Bo , Borgquist Signe , Hartmann Oliver , Struck Joachim , Bergmann Andreas , Belting Mattias
Published: July 2015

Purpose

In experimental studies, enkephalins (ENKs) and related opioids have been implicated as negative regulators of breast cancer development by enhancing immune-mediated tumoral defense as well as directly inhibiting cancer cells. We hypothesized that plasma levels of ENKs are predictive of the long-term breast cancer risk. Therefore, our objective was to measure pro-ENK A, a surrogate for mature ENK, and evaluate its predictive value for the development of breast cancer in a large population of middle-aged women and an independent study population.

Patients and Methods

We related pro-ENK in fasting plasma samples from 1,929 healthy women (mean age, 57.6 ± 5.9 years) of the Malmö Diet and Cancer study to breast cancer incidence (n = 123) during a median follow-up of 14.7 years. For replication, pro-ENK was related to risk of breast cancer (n = 130) in an older independent sample from the Malmö Preventive Project consisting of 1,569 women (mean age, 70.0 ± 4.4 years).

Results

In the Malmö Diet and Cancer study, pro-ENK was inversely related to the risk of incident breast cancer, with a hazard ratio per each standard deviation increment of logarithm-transformed pro-ENK of 0.72 (95% CI, 0.62 to 0.85; P < .001). The linear elevation of risk over pro-ENK quartiles 3, 2, and 1, with the fourth quartile as a reference, was 1.38 (95% CI, 0.73 to 2.64), 2.29 (95% CI, 1.26 to 4.15), and 3.16 (95% CI, 1.78 to 5.60; for the trend, P < .001), respectively. These results were replicated in the Malmö Preventive Project, where the continuous odds ratio for incident breast cancer was 0.63 (95% CI, 0.52 to 0.76; P < .001) and the risk over pro-ENK quartiles 3, 2, and 1, where the fourth quartile was the reference, was 2.48 (95% CI, 1.25 to 4.94), 2.94 (95% CI, 1.50 to 5.77), and 4.81 (95% CI, 2.52 to 9.18; for the trend, P < .001), respecitvely.

Conclusion

Low fasting plasma concentration of the opioid precursor peptide pro-ENK is associated with an increased risk of future breast cancer in middle-aged and postmenopausal women.
SGTA binding to Rpn13 selectively modulates protein quality control
Authors: Leznicki Pawel , Prlic Jelena Korac , Kliza Katarzyna , Husnjak Koraljka , Nyathi Yvonne , Dikic Ivan , High Stephen
Published: July 2015

Rpn13 is an intrinsic proteasomal ubiquitin receptor that facilitates substrate capture prior to degradation. Here we show that the C-terminal region of Rpn13 binds to the tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain of SGTA, a cytosolic factor implicated in the quality control of mislocalised membrane proteins (MLPs). The overexpression of SGTA results in a substantial increase in steady state MLP levels, consistent with an effect on proteasomal degradation. However, this effect is strongly dependent upon the interaction of SGTA with the proteasomal component Rpn13. Hence, overexpression of the SGTA binding region of Rpn13, or point mutations within the SGTA TPR domain, both inhibit SGTA binding to the proteasome and substantially reduce MLP levels. These findings suggest that SGTA can regulate the access of MLPs to the proteolytic core of the proteasome, implying that a protein quality control cycle involving SGTA and the BAG6 complex can operate at the 19S regulatory particle. We speculate that the binding of SGTA to Rpn13 may enable specific polypeptides to escape proteasomal degradation and/or selectively modulate substrate degradation.
Excitation Wavelength Dependence of the Solvation Dynamics of 4′-N,N-Diethylamino-3-methoxyflavon in Ionic Liquids
Authors: Kimura Yoshifumi , Suda Kayo , Shibuya Mako , Yasaka Yoshiro , Ueno Masakatsu
Published: July 2015

Time-resolved fluorescence spectra of 4′-N,N-diethylamino-3-methoxyflavon in ionic liquids have been measured by using a Kerr gate method and a streak camera at different excitation wavelengths, 370, 400, and 425 nm. Fluorescence spectra showed a shift to longer wavelength with longer delay time after photoexcitation. The peak position of the fluorescence spectrum at each delay time was evaluated by simulating the spectrum by a log-normal function. It was found that the peak shift of the fluorescence at the early delay time was larger for the shorter excitation wavelength (blue side of the absorption), and in the longer delay time they coincide to the same value. The time profile of the peak position was well simulated by the sum of an exponential function and a stretched-exponential function. The average relaxation times evaluated by the integration of the longer relaxation function were weakly dependent on the excitation wavelength, and they were correlated with the viscosity of the solvent. The relation with the excitation wavelength dependence of the excited state intramolecular proton transfer reaction of 4′-N,N-diethylamino-3-hydroxyflavon is discussed.
Assessment of metal-assisted nucleophile activation in the hepatitis delta virus ribozyme from molecular simulation and 3D-RISM
Authors: Radak Brian K. , Lee Tai-Sung , Harris Michael E. , York Darrin M.
Published: July 2015

The hepatitis delta virus ribozyme is an efficient catalyst of RNA 2′-O-transphosphorylation and has emerged as a key experimental system for identifying and characterizing fundamental features of RNA catalysis. Recent structural and biochemical data have led to a proposed mechanistic model whereby an active site Mg2+ ion facilitates deprotonation of the O2′ nucleophile, and a protonated cytosine residue (C75) acts as an acid to donate a proton to the O5′ leaving group as noted in a previous study. This model assumes that the active site Mg2+ ion forms an inner-sphere coordination with the O2′ nucleophile and a nonbridging oxygen of the scissile phosphate. These contacts, however, are not fully resolved in the crystal structure, and biochemical data are not able to unambiguously exclude other mechanistic models. In order to explore the feasibility of this model, we exhaustively mapped the free energy surfaces with different active site ion occupancies via quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) simulations. We further incorporate a three-dimensional reference interaction site model for the solvated ion atmosphere that allows these calculations to consider not only the rate associated with the chemical steps, but also the probability of observing the system in the presumed active state with the Mg2+ ion bound. The QM/MM results predict that a pathway involving metal-assisted nucleophile activation is feasible based on the rate-controlling transition state barrier departing from the presumed metal-bound active state. However, QM/MM results for a similar pathway in the absence of Mg2+ are not consistent with experimental data, suggesting that a structural model in which the crystallographically determined Mg2+ is simply replaced with Na+ is likely incorrect. It should be emphasized, however, that these results hinge upon the assumption of the validity of the presumed Mg2+-bound starting state, which has not yet been definitively verified experimentally, nor explored in depth computationally. Thus, further experimental and theoretical study is needed such that a consensus view of the catalytic mechanism emerges.
Examining stoma care guidance for nurses
Authors: Burch Jennie
Published: July 2015

There are over 100 000 people in the UK with a stoma ( Black, 2009 ), termed ostomates or ostomists. It can be assumed that adaptation to life with a stoma can be difficult, and ostomates express fears that the stoma appliance will be noisy or leak ( Salter, 1992 ; Ayaz and Kubilay, 2009 ). Ostomates may also worry about reintegrating aspects of their previous lifestyle, including work and sexual relations ( Krouse et al, 2009 ). There are many ways that people with a stoma, be it temporary or permanent, can be helped to adjust to their stoma. This article aims to examine the guidance and literature available to nurses in relation to stoma care.
Langston Hughes’s “Rejuvenation Through Joy”: Passing, Racial Performance, and the Marketplace
Authors: Retman Sonnet
Published: July 2015

This essay reads Langston Hughes’s “Rejuvenation Through Joy,” a satirical tale of passing from his short story collection The Ways of White Folks (1934), to explore how racial authenticity is produced and capitalized upon within mass-consumer culture in the interwar period. I argue that “Rejuvenation” offers a critique of racial capitalism in the age of the modern assembly-line by demonstrating the ways that race intersects with labor markets, class relations and commodity culture. In this capacity, “Rejuvenation” portends contemporary narratives of race, shedding light on the intersection of popular discourses of colorblindness, post-raciality and racial authenticity in the post-9/11 moment.
The Color of Blood: John Brown, Jean Toomer, and the New Negro Movement
Authors: Foley Barbara
Published: July 2015

The figure of John Brown was represented distinctively in the discourses, political and literary, of the New Negro Movement. In the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution and the “red summer” of 1919, Brown—and radical abolitionism more generally—came to signify present possibilities for revolutionary anti-racism. The paper examines the fear-ridden representation of Brown in Thomas Dixon’s The Man in the Gray (1921) and the inspirational role assigned to Brown in Jean Toomer’s 1922 short story, “Withered Skin of Berries.”
Words/Matter
Authors: Valens Keja , Scrimgeour J. D.
Published: July 2015

“Words/Matter” is a reflection on Barack Obama’s status as both a writer and politician through an analysis of Obama’s representation of self and his use of narrative in his memoir, Dreams from My Father . The essay asks the central questions: Can the writer and politician coexist? How might involvement in one role inform or deform the other? In the United States, the gap between politicians and writers dates back to the nineteenth century. But in the twentieth century, a vibrant Atlantic tradition of poet-politicians emerged. The essay turns to a sustained comparison of the literary and political work of Obama and Aimé Césaire. Césaire’s successes as a writer often spring from articulating complexity, ambiguity, and suspicions about language, qualities which he struggled to translate into the political realm. His example might offer an inverted mirror for Obama. Or perhaps Obama manages to confront the great “doubt” that writers must face: that words are “just words,” that their meaning is so fraught with complications—contextual, political—that any hope of poetry-engendered politics is doomed. A co-written piece, “Words/Matter” draws the distinct perspectives of the two authors into dialog about Obama’s memoir and about the differences and distances between writing and governing.
The Gangster in The Devil Finds Work as a Template for Reading the Parisian Banlieues
Authors: Craven Alice Mikal
Published: July 2015

This article argues the prescience of James Baldwin’s The Devil Finds Work , a memoir of Baldwin’s resistances and recognitions of racial codes and their intentions in the cinema. The article traces the ways in which Baldwin’s memoir successfully articulates the tensions between screen space and narrative space in terms of racial messages for selected films. Baldwin’s critique of Fritz Lang’s film You Only Live Once is used in this article to explore racial bias in national cinema industries and the impact of such bias on the construction of collective ethnic spectatorships. Finally, this article posits that the methods used in The Devil Finds Work make it a fitting template for studying the changing trends in post-2005 Parisian banlieues audiences.