bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analytical imprecision of lactate dehydrogenase in primary serum tubes
Authors: Buonocore Ruggero , Avanzini Paola , Aloe Rosalia , Lippi Giuseppe
Published: June 2015

Background

Previous studies showed high frequency of duplicate errors of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) measurement in primary lithium-heparin blood tubes. We hence evaluated imprecision of LDH testing and frequency of replicate errors in primary serum samples centrifuged at two different speeds.

Methods

Serum samples were collected from 15 healthy subjects and centrifuged at either 1300  g or 2000  g. Serum LDH was then measured on Beckman Coulter AU5800 using the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry-recommended procedure. Complete blood cell count of top layer of serum supernatant was also performed using Advia 2120. Imprecision was calculated as coefficient of variation of 10 replicates of each serum tube, whereas the frequency of replicate errors was compared to the desirable specifications for imprecision.

Results

Mean LDH values were slightly but significantly higher in serum samples centrifuged at 2000  g rather than 1300  g, whereas blood cell counts were similar. The mean imprecision of LDH was more than double in samples centrifuged at 2000  g than in those centrifuged at 1300  g (8% versus 3%). The percentage of replicate measurements exceeding the desirable specifications was more than threefold higher in samples centrifuged at 2000  g than in those centrifuged at 1300  g (30% versus 9%; P < .001).

Conclusions

The lower frequency of replicated errors in LDH measurement observed using serum samples centrifuged according to manufacturer’s instruction suggests that assay precision in serum is better if samples are centrifuged at 1300  g rather than 2000  g when the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry-recommended procedure is used.
Cell proliferation is reduced in the hippocampus in schizophrenia
Authors: Allen Katherine M , Fung Samantha J , Shannon Weickert Cynthia
Published: June 2015

Objective:

The molecular and cellular basis of structural and functional abnormalities of the hippocampus found in schizophrenia is currently unclear. Postnatal neurogenesis contributes to hippocampal function in animal models and is correlated with hippocampal volume in primates. Reduced hippocampal cell proliferation has been previously reported in schizophrenia, which may contribute to hippocampal dysfunction.

Method:

We measured the cell proliferation marker, Ki67, in post-mortem hippocampal tissue from patients with schizophrenia ( n = 10) and matched controls ( n = 16). Ki67-labelled cells were counted within the dentate gyrus and hilus on sections taken from the anterior hippocampus.

Results:

We replicated the finding of a significant reduction in Ki67+ cells/mm2 in schizophrenia cases compared to controls ( t24 = 2.1, p = 0.023). In our relatively small sample, we did not find a relationship between Ki67+ cells and age overall, or between Ki67 + cells and duration of illness or antipsychotic treatment in people with schizophrenia.

Conclusion:

Our results confirm that reduced hippocampal cell proliferation may be present in schizophrenia. Restoring hippocampal neurogenesis may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of hippocampal dysfunction in schizophrenia.
Public perceptions of adolescent mothers in need of care and protection in Jordan: Could community-based alternatives to institutional placement reduce stigma?
Authors: Brewer Kathryne B , MacKenzie Michael J , Ibrahim Rawan W , Schwalbe Craig SJ , Batayneh Jude , Gearing Robin E
Published: June 2015

Adolescent girls who become pregnant outside of marriage in the Middle East experience increased stigma, risk of social exclusion, and family violence. This study examined whether community-based foster care has the potential to reduce the stigma attached to pregnant girls placed in protective institutional care within an Arab context. Using data from a public survey of adults in Jordan, this study found that stigma was significantly lower when the pregnant girl was described as placed in foster care rather than institutional care. Findings indicate that foster care models may have the potential to lessen the stigma attached to these girls.
Forced eviction in Bangladesh: A human rights issue
Authors: Islam M. Rezaul , wa Mungai Ndungi
Published: June 2015

The objective of this article is to explore the situation of forced eviction from homes in Bangladesh and its implications in undermining poverty eradication. We argue that it should be considered as a human rights violation. Little is available in literature on forced eviction, and this article focuses on Bangladesh to illustrate a global problem. The main research question was how forced eviction from homes is related to poverty and violation of human rights. To answer this, the article focuses on the nature and causes of forced eviction and its impacts on the livelihoods of the evictees. We conclude that forced eviction arises from poverty, but is also a cause of poverty and human rights violations. We believe that while the study focuses on Bangladesh, the implications are international in scope. We outline a number of social work interventions which could address forced eviction and the struggle for respect of human rights. Our findings are relevant to policy makers, human rights practitioners, government and non-government organizations (GOs–NGOs), and social workers.
From institutional care to life in an Australian family: The experiences of intercountry adoptees
Authors: Scarvelis Beverly , Crisp Beth R , Goldingay Sophie
Published: June 2015

Intercountry adoption programmes have brought children from racially and culturally diverse backgrounds to live as Australians, including 30 Thai children from Rangsit Children’s Home who arrived in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This article provides insight into the experiences of intercountry adoptees at four key stages of the adoption process: leaving the orphanage, arrival in Australia, becoming a member of a family and reconnecting with Thai culture. As this study demonstrates, each of these phases can be challenging for both the adoptees and the families who adopt them and supports may be required long after adoptees become adults.
Three-dimensional woven forming technology and equipment
Authors: Shan Zhongde , Chen Sisi , Zhang Qun , Qiao Juanjuan , Wu Xiaochuan , Zhan Li
Published: June 2015

To meet requirements of high performance and light weight of parts in equipment, automobile and mechanical industries, etc. coupled with problems during weaving such as simple structure, small size, complex process, low machine automation, poor fiber volume fraction of products, high void fraction of resin impregnation and difficulty of making large and complex structure, a new weaving method for three-dimensional hybrid woven with composite material is provided. Fibers are weaved to structures along with a digital guide template controlled by computer and parts are formed after resin being impregnated from outside to inside. Fabric of three-dimensional hybrid woven method based on the board, method of resin impregnation from outside to inside of three-dimensional hybrid woven fabricated part, and development of test platform for three-dimensional hybrid woven parts and fabric test for typical parts are mainly studied. This new forming technology improves flexibility and operability in forming process of large parts, and has great academic value, active meaning in science study and good foreground in engineering applications.
Evaluation of revealing and quantifying techniques available for drilling delamination in woven carbon fiber-reinforced composite laminates
Authors: Vaziri Sereshk MR , Bidhendi H Mohmmadi
Published: June 2015

Delamination is the major defect for drilling of composite laminates. There exist different nondestructive tests (NDTs) to reveal delaminated zone, including digital photography, X-ray CT scanning, and ultrasonic C-Scan. Different delamination factors were presented to quantify delamination extension. In this paper, some difficulties regarding revealing damaged zone in drilling of woven carbon fiber-reinforced plastics laminates are discussed. In addition, different NDTs as well as available delamination factors are examined. For NDTs, clarity of pictures, applicability, and reliability are compared to help researchers select proper option. The result of this study demonstrates that compare to other available factors, the adjusted delamination factor Fda varies in wider ranges in normal engineering applications. It is less sensitive to the implemented NDT and it presents different values for different delamination extension patterns. Therefore, pattern-sensitive factor Fda is more suitable to quantify damaged zone. However, for cases with low circularity parameter f, like drilling of unidirectional composite laminates with extended damaged zone, Fda may be replaced by easily measured diameter delamination factor Fd.
Progressive failure analysis of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates using combined material nonlinear elasticity and continuum damage mechanics based on treatment of coupon test
Authors: Park Kook Jin , Kang Hee-jin , Choi Ik-Hyeon , Shin SangJoon , Kim Seung Jo
Published: June 2015

In this paper, predictions of the tensile strength of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminate composites are attempted using an improved continuum damage mechanics model with emphasis on the material nonlinearity of the fiber, shear stiffness reductions, the damage contribution of matrix cracks in adjacent layers, and the statistical distribution of the fiber strength due to defects. The Weibull parameter to establish a continuum damage mechanics model was extended to five parameters to satisfy multiscale compatibility and interlamina effects. These five Weibull parameters, which serve as coefficients of a damage evolution function, were investigated by using a statistical model of progressive tensile fiber failure in a composite laminate. The Newton–Raphson method was utilized to formulate a damage-estimation method via a progressive failure analysis procedure. A continuum damage analysis based on the Matzenmiller–Lubliner–Taylor model was revised to add the statistical characteristics of the material strength. The proposed continuum damage mechanics method was also used to solve laminate tension problems with various stacking sequences. The verification test articles include 16- and 20-ply IM7/8552, AS4/8552, and T700/M015 carbon/epoxy composite laminate un-notched and open-hole tensile specimens. The strength prediction of each laminate specimen is presented.
Communal Religious Practice and Support for Armed Parties
Authors: Hoffman Michael T. , Nugent Elizabeth R.
Published: June 2015

Does religion inevitably promote support for militant politics? Using a new and unique data set compiled from a nationally representative survey in Lebanon, we examine the conditions under which communal religious practice may serve to promote support for or opposition to armed parties. We argue that this relationship, far from being unidirectional and consistent, depends on the interests of the individual sectarian group. For groups engaged in conflict, communal prayer may increase support for arming political parties. For noncombatant groups, however, religion tends to promote opposition to such militarization. Using both observational and experimental evidence, we demonstrate that communal religion increases the salience of group interests through both identity and informational mechanisms. For regular worship attenders, communal religious practice increases the salience of sectarian identity. For nonattenders, informational primes about sectarian interests have the same effect. Among noncombatant groups, this increased salience leads to opposition to armed parties whose presence would threaten the livelihoods and security of those on the sidelines.
Does Second Language Experience Modulate Perception of Tones in a Third Language?
Authors: Qin Zhen , Jongman Allard
Published: June 2015

It is unclear what roles native language (L1) and second language (L2) play in the perception of lexical tones in a third language (L3). In tone perception, listeners with different language backgrounds use different fundamental frequency (F0). While English listeners use F0 height, Mandarin listeners rely more on F0 direction. The present study addresses whether knowledge of Mandarin, particularly as an L2, results in speakers’ reliance on F0 direction in their perception of L3 (Cantonese) tones. Fifteen English-speaking L2 learners of Mandarin constituted the target group, and 15 English monolinguals and 15 native Mandarin speakers, with no background in other tonal languages, were included as control groups. All groups had to discriminate Cantonese tones either by distinguishing a contour tone from a level tone (F0 direction pair) or a level tone from another level tone (F0 height pair). The results showed that L2 learners patterned differently from both control groups by using F0 direction as well as F0 height under the influence of L1 and L2 experience. The acoustics of the tones also affected all listeners’ discrimination. When L2 and L3 are similar in terms of the presence of lexical tone, L2 experience modulates the perception of L3 tones.
Appeals against detention in excessive security (outcomes of appeals against detention in conditions of excessive security in Scotland)
Authors: Slater Alexander , Bennett Daniel M , Vojt Gabriele , Thomson Lindsay
Published: June 2015

The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 introduced the right for patients in high-security psychiatric care to appeal against detention in conditions of excessive security. A previous study examined the first 100 patients to appeal under this provision. In this study we compare them with the next cohort of 110 patients to lodge an appeal, finding, contrary to expectations, no change in patient characteristics or the outcome of their appeals. The clinical, legal and demographic features of successful and unsuccessful appellants, who made up 38% and 27% of the 110 patients, respectively, were also compared. Those patients with the support of their responsible medical officer and those already included on a transfer list had a significantly better chance of success ( p = 0.00). It was also found that a history of excessive alcohol consumption was associated with successful appeals ( p = 0.002). A diagnosis of learning disability was associated with unsuccessful appeals ( p = 0.018), though the sub-sample was very small. These findings are important given the forthcoming extension of this right of appeal to other levels of security.
You Have to be Normal to be Abnormal: An Empirically Grounded Exploration of the Intersection of Asexuality and Disability
Authors: Cuthbert Karen
Published: June 2015

This article explores the intersection of asexuality and disability by means of a qualitative study with asexual-identified disabled persons. The article discusses the ways in which the asexual community is normatively constructed. Although figured as disabled-friendly, the findings suggest that this is conditional on the denial of any causal links between asexuality and disability, and that this can be thought of in terms of the construction of the ‘Gold Star’ asexual. The article also examines how coming to identify as asexual is constrained when one is already marked as ‘disabled’, and more broadly argues that alternative identities or orientations are reliant on a pre-existing ‘normality’. Looking at asexuality in tandem with disability also allows us to interrogate the asexual subject of existing asexuality research and writing, and uncover the implicit privileges being assumed.
From General Patterns to Middle-range: A Proposal for a Top-down Theorizing Strategy
Authors: Kanger Laur
Published: June 2015

While grounded theory involves many iterations between concept-building and concept-testing, the overall direction of analysis proceeds from loosely related concepts to tightly interrelated theoretical systems. Such a ‘bottom-up’ logic of analysis may lead to a number of problems, for example descriptiveness or missing out on large-scale general patterns. This paper proposes to alleviate these problems by adopting a ‘top-down’ methodological strategy. Such a strategy begins from highlighting the most general patterns in the data. With each step of analysis the patterns are gradually broken down into more specific models. Through this process the gap between the generality of concepts and the specificity of data is reduced, eventually resulting in a middle-range theory. The historical narrative of the construction of a Soviet Estonian personal computer, Juku, is used to demonstrate the strategy in practice.
Following the Book: Towards a Pragmatic Sociology of the Book
Authors: Carreira da Silva Filipe
Published: June 2015

This article offers an outline of a pragmatic sociology of the book. Whilst ubiquitous, books have received relatively little attention from sociologists. I propose to remedy this situation by drawing upon the ideas of GH Mead, namely his neo-Hegelian theory of the subject–object relationship. Mead’s chief insight is that objects such as books are first social and only then physical entities. They have agency not because of their thing-ness, so to speak, but because of their sociality. After reviewing the existing literature on the book, I discuss Mead’s most relevant contributions. In the proposal for a pragmatic sociology of the book that follows, I combine pragmatism’s focus upon the materiality of meaning-production with genealogy’s concern with power and violence. I conclude with an illustration of the approach: the simultaneous decanonization of Tocqueville’s Democracy in America among sociologists today and its canonization in political science.
Reflections on the Use of Visual Methods in a Qualitative Study of Domestic Kitchen Practices
Authors: Wills Wendy J , Dickinson Angela M , Meah Angela , Short Frances
Published: June 2015

Understanding everyday social practices is challenging as many are mundane and taken for granted and therefore difficult to articulate or recall. This paper reflects on the challenges encountered in a qualitative study underpinned by current theories of practice that incorporated visual methods. Using this approach meant everyone in a sample of 20 household cases, from children through to adults in their 80s, could show and tell their own stories about domestic kitchen practices. Households co-produced visual data with the research team through kitchen tours, photography, diaries/scrapbooks, informal interviews and recording video footage. The visual data complemented and elaborated on the non-visual data and contradictions could be thoroughly interrogated. A significant challenge was handling the substantial insight revealed about a household through visual methods, in terms of household anonymity. The paper reflects on the challenges of a visual approach and the contribution it can make in an applied sociological study.
Reputational Risk, Academic Freedom and Research Ethics Review
Authors: Hedgecoe Adam
Published: June 2015

Drawing on scholarship around academic freedom and new public management, this article explores the way in which research ethics committees in UK universities (URECs) can come to exhibit behaviour – common in their US equivalents – that prioritises the reputational protection of their host institution over and above academic freedom and the protection of research subjects. Drawing on two case studies the article shows both how URECs can serve to restrict research that may be ‘embarrassing’ for a university and how, in high profile cases, university management come to use such committees as mechanisms for internal discipline.
Characterization of dimethyl sulfoxide-treated wool and enhancement of reactive wool dyeing in non-aqueous medium
Authors: Chen Luyi , Wang Bijia , Chen Jiangang , Ruan Xinhui , Yang Yiqi
Published: June 2015

Wool pretreated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was characterized and its dyeing behavior in non-aqueous green solvents was investigated. Reactive dyeing of wool in deep shades is challenging because the mandatory alkaline aftertreatment to match the fastness of mordant dyes inevitably causes damage to wool keratin. The current study showed that the colorfastness-integrity dilemma could be solved by replacing water with organic solvents as the dyeing medium. Covalent fixation is predominantly favored in solvent dyeing so that excellent colorfastness is achievable at any given shade without alkali aftertreatment. Compared with aqueous dyeing, solvent dyeing was found to give 30% higher covalent fixation on average, which translated to better colorfastness (0.5–1 grade) at higher color depth (Δ K/ S = 1.3–4.9). In addition, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy results indicated that DMSO pretreatment induced morphological and structural changes of wool in favor of dyeability. The findings are crucial to the phasing-out of metal-containing dyes for eco-friendly wool dyeing.
How important is perception of safety to park use? A four-city survey
Authors: Lapham Sandra C , Cohen Deborah A , Han Bing , Williamson Stephanie , Evenson Kelly R , McKenzie Thomas L , Hillier Amy , Ward Phillip
Published: June 2015

Our purpose was to determine the relative importance of individual- and park-related characteristics in influencing both local park use and specific engagement in active sports, walking and sedentary pursuits. We surveyed 3815 adults living within 0.80 km of one of 24 study parks in four US metropolitan areas. Chi-square statistics and baseline-category logit models examined how perceived safety and park characteristics were related to park visitation and types of park activities, controlling for city, individual and park characteristics. Survey participants who perceived the parks as safe (88%) had 4.6 times the odds (95% CI 3.5–6.0) of reporting having visited the study park. Men and African Americans were more likely, and older individuals and those who self-reported being in fair or poor health less likely to perceive parks as safe. Parks having low incivilities scores and those with four or more different facilities, such as tennis courts, swimming pools, basketball courts, etc., were more likely than parks with fewer facilities to be perceived as safe. While park facilities had a much smaller odds ratio for predicting park visits (1.8), it affected 70% of the population. The implication is, if these associations are causal, modifying park facilities may have a greater population impact than improving perceptions of park safety. Our findings are consistent with studies suggesting that increasing the variety of park facilities and offering more organised activities may encourage physical activity among specific target groups.
Plans for pavement or for people? The politics of bike lanes on the ‘Paseo Boricua’ in Chicago, Illinois
Authors: Lubitow Amy , Zinschlag Bryan , Rochester Nathan
Published: June 2015

Over the course of the past two decades, bicycling has become increasingly popular in the USA. Although the rate of bike trips made in the USA has more than tripled since 1977, it is relatively low compared with many European cities (Pucher et al., 2011a). In urban areas throughout the USA, bicycling is increasingly being touted as an environmentally friendly way to enhance transit choice as public transportation budgets are slashed and automobile infrastructures remain congested. Discourse around the proliferation of bicycling infrastructure development in American cities often obscures complex aspects of community-level choice regarding transit, including the placement and implementation of bike lanes.

This paper seeks to explore the dynamic ways that community members and city planners make sense of bike infrastructure development in Chicago, Illinois. Qualitative interviews and participant observation were employed to clarify the community context of bike lane development in a gentrifying area of the city. We find that community engagement is a critical component of promoting the acceptance and use of bike infrastructure and discuss the role of a community bike shop in facilitating community engagement around bicycling in the neighbourhood of Humboldt Park, home to the second largest Puerto Rican community in the USA.
Deathscape politics in Colombian metropolises: Conservation, grave recycling and the position of the bereaved
Authors: Klaufus Christien
Published: June 2015

Colombian metropolises face a rapid transformation of public and private death spaces because of land scarcity, a demographic transition and a changing market for dead-disposal services. Based on case studies conducted in Bogotá and Medellín, within a Latin American context, this paper analyses the interplay between local governments and enterprises in the deathscape transformation process. The aim is to assess the effects on cemetery users, particularly the bereaved. Analytically, the paper differentiates between publicly and privately governed cemeteries and between older, inner-city graveyards and newer, suburban park cemeteries. The paper sustains that the old dichotomy of elite versus pauper cemeteries is replaced by a contrast between monumental cemeteries that are used for cultural events and suburban cemeteries that function as efficient repositories. In both cases, efficient management of the physical structures, whether as heritage or as recyclable repositories, seems to prevail over the demand for sensory connections between the dead and the living. ‘Time’ might still distinguish those illustrious dead – who are not allowed to be removed – from those who are removed or recycled. Even their relatives are gradually relegated to ephemeral space as tourist events take over. Hence, regardless of the differences between public and private cemeteries and between inner-city and suburban typologies, the rationalisation process affects the bereaved. They become bystanders in the new temporal-spatial patterns that govern Colombian metropolitan deathscapes.
Constellation work principles, resonance phenomena, and shamanism in South Africa
Authors: Mayer Claude-Hélène , Viviers Adriaan
Published: June 2015

The pioneering work of Bert Hellinger in ‘Familien-Stellen’ (constellation work) started in the 1970s in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was the beginning of the international therapeutic movement, which is contemporarily based on different theoretical and therapeutic intervention approaches. Since then, constellation work has received recognition in Europe, followed by the United States, Australia, and later Asia. Scientists and practitioners have contributed to its development. However, constellation work as a counselling and therapeutic intervention in African contexts has hardly been recognised and explored. This article explores principles and resonance phenomena in constellation work and their interlinkages with shamanism as a cross-cultural counselling intervention method. The study uses an empirical in-depth qualitative research approach within the phenomenological paradigm and semi-structured interviews with six constellation facilitators and participative observation. Findings provide insight into principles of constellation work in South Africa, explanations of the resonances and the knowing field phenomenon, the connection of constellation work and shamanism, as well as context-specific future directions. Thus, it provides theoretical and practical recommendations in African contexts and beyond.
Close Quarters Battle
Authors: King Anthony C.
Published: June 2015

Many scholars have recognized the growing likelihood of urban military operations in the future. Understandably, given the seriousness of this prospect, most commentators have focused on the operational and political difficulties of fighting in cities. At the same time, precisely because of the intense challenges of urban operations, these scholars have also emphasized that urban operations increasingly require highly professionalized infantry and especially Special Forces. Nevertheless, they have tended to ignore recent innovations at the tactical level among these specialist infantry units. This article seeks to address this oversight. It examines contemporary developments in urban micro-tactics among Western forces. Specifically, this article addresses the dissemination of Close Quarters Battle techniques, originally developed by Special Operations Forces in the 1970s, to regular infantry in the last decade as a result of urban operations Iraq and Afghanistan. In this way, this article contributes to contemporary debates about professionalization in Western armed forces today.
Open Trial of an Acceptance-Based Behavior Therapy Intervention to Engage Newly Diagnosed HIV Patients in Care
Authors: Moitra Ethan , Chan Philip A. , Stein Michael D.
Published: June 2015

Successful linkage and retention in care of newly diagnosed individuals in the United States remains a significant gap in the HIV care continuum. This study assessed the acceptability and feasibility of an acceptance-based behavior therapy (ABBT) intervention to engage patients newly diagnosed with HIV in medical care. Nine patients were recruited over 4 months for this brief ABBT intervention, which consisted of two brief sessions, each lasting less than 20 min. The intervention was developed to promote psychological acceptance of the HIV diagnosis, thereby increasing patients’ willingness to make informed disclosure of their status. Eight patients completed a 1-month follow-up assessment, and all approved of the intervention and its components. Over the 1-month period, participants showed increased acceptance, reduced perceptions of HIV stigmatization, and increased disclosure of HIV status to social supports. This pilot study provided support for the continued investigation of ABBT as an adjunctive intervention for newly diagnosed HIV patients who are at high-risk of dropping out of HIV care.
Physical Compatibility of Calcium Chloride and Sodium Glycerophosphate in Pediatric Parenteral Nutrition Solutions
Authors: Anderson Collin , MacKay Mark
Published: June 2015

Background: Calcium and phosphate precipitation is an ongoing concern when compounding pediatric parenteral nutrition (PN) solutions. Considerable effort has been expended in producing graphs, tables, and equations to guide the practitioner in prescribing PN that will remain stable. Calcium gluconate is preferred over calcium chloride when compounding PN because of its superior compatibility with inorganic phosphates. PN solutions containing calcium gluconate carry a higher aluminum load than equivalent solutions compounded with calcium chloride, leading to increased potential for aluminum toxicity. This study tested the solubility of calcium chloride in PN solutions compounded with an organic phosphate component, sodium glycerophosphate (NaGP), in place of sodium phosphate. Methods: Five PN solutions were compounded by adding calcium chloride at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mEq/L and corresponding concentrations of NaGP at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mmol/L. Each of the 5 solutions was compounded using 1.5% and 4% amino acids, cysteine, and lipids. The physical stability was evaluated by visual inspection (precipitation, haze, and color change). Solutions were evaluated microscopically for any microcrystals using U.S. Pharmacopeia <788> standards. Results: Compatibility testing showed no changes in the PN solution in any of the concentrations tested. Calcium chloride was found to be physically compatible with NaGP in PN at the tested concentrations. Conclusion: Utilization of NaGP in PN solutions would eliminate the need for precipitation curves and allow for the use of calcium chloride. Compounding with NaGP and calcium chloride allows the practitioner a mechanism for reducing the aluminum load in PN.
Selling the Object of Strategy: How Frontline Workers Realize Strategy through their Daily Work
Authors: Balogun Julia , Best Katie , Lê Jane
Published: June 2015

This paper explores how frontline workers contribute to an organization’s realized strategy. Using a workplace studies approach, we analyse the work of museum tour guides as a salient example of workers engaged in frontline work. Our findings demonstrate the subtle and intricate nature of the embodied work of frontline workers as they ‘bring into being’ the strategic aims of an organization. We identified five elements as central to this process: (1) the situated physical context; (2) audience composition; (3) the moral order; (4) the talk, actions and gestures of the guide; and (5) the corresponding talk, actions and gestures of the audience. Drawing on these categories, we find frontline workers to demonstrate ‘interactional competence’: assessing and making use of the physical, spatial and material specifics of the context and those they are interacting with, and enlisting interactional resources to uphold a moral order that brings these others in as a working audience, encouraging them to respond in particular ways. Frontline workers thus skilfully combine language, material and bodily expressions in the flow of their work. Demonstrating these dynamics gives a more central role to material in the realization of strategy than previously recognized; demonstrates that ‘outsiders’ have an important part to play in realizing strategy; and highlights the importance of frontline workers and their skilled work in bringing strategy into being.
Cell salvage during coronary artery bypass surgery and allogenic blood exposure
Authors: Al-Mandhari Said , Maddali Madan Mohan , Al-Bahrani Maher Jaffer
Published: June 2015

Aim

Our primary aim was to assess the impact of intraoperative cell saver usage on patient exposure to allogenic blood transfusion during elective coronary artery bypass. The secondary endpoint was the impact of cell savage on the units of blood and blood products transfused perioperatively.

Methods

A prospective observational cohort study with a historical cohort as a control group was performed in a single tertiary care center. One hundred and twenty-four patients undergoing primary on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting were included. Intraoperative cell salvage was performed in 60 patients (study group) but not in the control group ( n = 64). Transfusion data, intensive care unit stay, hospital stay, and postoperative complications were evaluated in the cell saver and control groups.

Results

The number of patients exposed to allogenic red blood cell transfusion was significantly less in the study group (55% vs. 82.8%; p = 0.001) and the units per patient was also less in the study group (1.10 ± 1.7 vs. 2.25 ± 2.289 units; p = 0.002). However, there was no significant difference in terms of units of purified plasma fraction, platelets, or cryoprecipitate transfused. Intensive care unit stay, total hospital stay, number of reexplorations, complications, readmissions, and 28-day mortality were similar in both groups.

Conclusions

Intraoperative cell salvage with a cell saver in patients undergoing primary elective coronary artery bypass decreases the proportion of patients exposed to allogenic red cell transfusions and the number of units of red blood cells transfused.
Unusual bronchial foreign body
Authors: Kuba Paresh Kumar , Sharma Jasvinder , Sharma Ashok Kumar
Published: June 2015

We present an unusual case of bronchial foreign body in an adult who presented with bronchiectasis more than two decades later. The patient was unaware of his accidental aspiration of the foreign body, and the final diagnosis was made intraoperatively.
Utility of a preloaded fenestrated graft in thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair
Authors: Unno Naoki , Yamamoto Naoto , Higashiura Wataru , Inuzuka Kazunori , Sano Masaki , Konno Hiroyuki
Published: June 2015

An 84-year-old man with a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm was treated using a fenestrated stent graft with a preloaded guidewire system under local anesthesia. He suffered from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We successfully placed 4 bridging stent grafts for perfusion of the celiac artery, superior mesenteric artery, and bilateral renal arteries via the 4 fenestrations. A preloaded wire system was used to insert a catheter into the celiac artery from the left brachial artery. Our findings indicate that a fenestrated stent graft with a preloaded wire system may expand the indication for treating thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms in high-risk patients.
Non-aneurysmal abdominal aortic rupture in a patient with Marfan syndrome
Authors: Ng Eugene , Tewksbury Robert , Choong Andrew MTL , Walker Philip J , Aziz Maged
Published: June 2015

Aortic rupture in the presence of aneurysmal disease is well understood and extensively described in the literature. However, aortic rupture in a non-aneurysmal aorta is far less common. In the few reported cases, perforations are believed to result from a penetrating atheromatous ulcer of the aorta. We describe a rare case of non-aneurysmal aortic rupture in a 68-year-old man with Marfan syndrome and a history of proximal aortic surgery. The urgent need for hemorrhage control precluded any consideration of an endovascular repair.
Percutaneous transhepatic portal embolization using foam ethanolamine oleate and carbon dioxide (CO2): a pilot study
Authors: Inoue Seijiro , Ikeda Osamu , Nakasone Yutaka , Beppu Toru , Masuda Toshiro , Yokoyama Koichi , Utsunomiya Daisuke , Baba Hideo , Yamashita Yasuyuki
Published: June 2015

Background

Percutaneous transhepatic portal embolization (PTPE) can induce atrophy of the embolized- and hypertrophy of the residual area. These effects are advantageous in patients scheduled for extended hepatectomy.

Purpose

To evaluate the clinical safety and effectiveness of foam sclerotherapy with foam ethanolamine oleate (EO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) for PTPE before hepatectomy.

Material and Methods

We performed sclerotherapy for PTPE in 15 patients with: hepatocellular carcinoma (HHC; n = 9), bile duct carcinoma ( n = 5), or metastatic liver tumor from colon cancer ( n = 1). The foam contained 5% EO iopamidol (EOI) and CO2 at a 1:2 ratio. We compared the percentage of the pre- and post-PTPE future liver remnant (FLR) volumes and calculated the percent FLR volume (%FLR) increase after PTPE.

Results

The amount of EOI used (range, 14–20 mL; median, 16.8 mL) was based on the volume of the target portal vein. Technical success was achieved in 14 of 15 patients (93%); the other patient presented with computed tomography evidence of recanalization 1 week after PTPE. The FLR volume before and after portal vein embolization was 599 ± 342 and 691 ± 318 cm3, respectively ( P < 0.01); the mean %FLR volume increase was 29.5%. There was no significant difference in the mean platelet count, total bilirubin, total aspartate aminotransferase, and total creatinine before and after PTPE. One patient suffered intra-abdominal bleeding that required transcatheter arterial embolization. No other patients developed major complications higher than grade 3.

Conclusion

Sclerotherapy using foam EOI and CO2 is clinically safe and effective for PTPE before hepatectomy.
Does pectoralis major flap harvesting induce upper extremity dysfunction?
Authors: Sun Qiang , Guo Shu , Wang Di , Xu Nan , Jin Shi-Feng , Wang Chen-Chao
Published: June 2015

Objective

To evaluate the effect of pectoralis major myocutaneous (PMM) flap reconstruction on upper extremity dysfunction.

Methods

Patients undergoing PMM flap reconstruction following head and neck cancer resection were enrolled. The control group comprised age-, sex- and clinical characteristic-matched patients undergoing non-PMM flap reconstruction. All patients completed the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire preoperatively and >1 year postoperatively.

Results

There was no significant difference between pre- and postoperative DASH scores in the control group ( n = 46; 2.38 ± 3.33 and 2.99 ± 4.21, respectively). In the PMM flap group ( n = 46), the postoperative DASH score was significantly higher than the preoperative score (7.00 ± 9.13 and 2.44 ± 3.50, respectively). In the PMM flap group, flap size was significantly associated with postoperative DASH score.

Conclusion

PMM flap reconstruction has a small but significant negative effect on upper extremity dysfunction.
Histologic, Clinical, and Radiologic Findings of Alveolar Bone Expansion and Osteomyelitis of the Jaws in Cats
Authors: Bell C. M. , Soukup J. W.
Published: June 2015

The objective of this study was to characterize clinical, radiologic, and histologic patterns of alveolar bone expansion and osteomyelitis in cats. Based on case materials submitted as surgical biopsy specimens, alveolar bone pathology was diagnosed in 28 cats. These cats had a total of 37 oral lesions with clinical and radiologic changes that involved bone and/or teeth, including periodontitis, bone expansion, tooth resorption, and/or chronic osteomyelitis; 32 lesions were evaluated by histopathology. Canine teeth were affected in 19 cats (27 affected teeth), with bilateral lesions in 5 (26.3%) cats. The caudal premolar and/or molar regions were affected in 10 cats (10 affected sites). All biopsy sites evaluated by a review of clinical images and/or radiographs had evidence of periodontitis. Clinical photographs showed expansion of alveolar bone in 13 of 16 (81%) biopsy sites evaluated. Radiologically, rarifying osseous proliferation of alveolar bone was seen at 26 of 27 (96%) biopsy sites, and tooth resorption occurred at 15 of 18 (83%) sites. Histologically, the tissue samples from canine sites had compressed trabeculae of mature remodeled bone, loose fibrous stroma with paucicellular inflammation, and mild proliferation of woven bone. Tissue samples from the premolar/molar biopsy sites were often highly cellular with mixed lymphoplasmacytic and chronic suppurative inflammation, ulceration with granulation tissue, and robust proliferation of woven bone. Alveolar bone expansion and osteomyelitis in cats occurs in conjunction with periodontal inflammation and frequently with tooth resorption.
Characterisation and materials flow management for waste electrical and electronic equipment plastics from German dismantling centres
Authors: Arends Dagmar , Schlummer Martin , Mäurer Andreas , Markowski Jens , Wagenknecht Udo
Published: June 2015

Waste electrical and electronic equipment is a complex waste stream and treatment options that work for one waste category or product may not be appropriate for others. A comprehensive case study has been performed for plastic-rich fractions that are treated in German dismantling centres. Plastics from TVs, monitors and printers and small household appliances have been characterised extensively. Based on the characterisation results, state-of-the-art treatment technologies have been combined to design an optimised recycling and upgrade process for each input fraction. High-impact polystyrene from TV casings that complies with the European directive on the restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) was produced by applying continuous density separation with yields of about 60%. Valuable acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/polycarbonate can be extracted from monitor and printer casings by near-infrared-based sorting. Polyolefins and/or a halogen-free fraction of mixed styrenics can be sorted out by density separation from monitors and printers and small household appliances. Emerging separation technologies are discussed to improve recycling results.
The Public Life of Secrets
Authors: Bail Christopher A.
Published: June 2015

While secrecy enables policy makers to escape public scrutiny, leaks of classified information reveal the social construction of reality by the state. I develop a theory that explains how leaks shape the discursive frames states create to communicate the causes of social problems to the public and corresponding solutions to redress them. Synthesizing cultural sociology, symbolic interactionism, and ethnomethodology, I argue that leaks enable non–state actors to amplify contradictions between the public and secret behavior of the state. States respond by “ad hoc–ing” new frames that normalize their secret transgressions as logical extensions of other policy agendas. While these syncretic responses resolve contradictions exposed by leaks, they gradually detach discursive frames from reality and therefore increase states’ need for secrecy—as well as the probability of future leaks—in turn. I illustrate this downward spiral of deception and disclosure via a case study of the British government’s discourse about terrorism between 2000 and 2008.
The Neoclassical Origins of Polanyi’s Self-Regulating Market
Authors: Gemici Kurtuluş
Published: June 2015

This article shows, through a detailed examination of Karl Polanyi’s published works and unpublished writings, that Polanyi relies heavily on the neoclassical economics of his time in his conceptualization of the market in capitalist societies. This approach is instrumental to the thesis of The Great Transformation concerning the destructive impact of the market on society. However, such an analytical perspective neglects the social character of the market economy. This perspective is also deficient in capturing why the market is destructive to the social fabric. By identifying the origins and limitations of Polanyi’s self-regulating market, this article contributes to critical reevaluations of his work that aim to expand the scope of Polanyian analysis. In particular, this article outlines how the analysis of the market’s contradictory place is not predicated on the notion of self-regulation. Polanyi’s own historical work, as opposed to his theoretical articulations, illustrates such an analysis.
Individualism as a Discursive Strategy of Action
Authors: O’Brien John
Published: June 2015

This paper reconceptualizes “individualism” as a discursive strategy of action through which everyday Americans attempt to manage the cultural dilemma of engaging in externally imposed social obligations within a broader individualistic culture. While classic formulations have treated individualism as a strong cultural force directing actors toward voluntaristic and privatized lives, my analysis—grounded in an inductive analysis of 17 qualitative studies of religious Americans—finds individualism working primarily as a discursive strategy, through which actors frame their participation in activities influenced by external authority and communal obligation in ways that emphasize their own agency and autonomy. This revised conceptualization suggests that American individualism may not be as “deep” or powerful as is often assumed. More generally, it offers a novel approach for conceptualizing and further studying the dynamic relationship between broadly “national” and more local and communal cultures.
Enteral Nutrition in Chronic Liver Disease
Authors: Hasse Jeanette M. , DiCecco Sara R.
Published: June 2015

Malnutrition is prevalent in individuals with chronic liver disease and occurs as a result of inadequate nutrient intake, altered metabolism, and malabsorption. Although limited data show benefits of enteral nutrition (EN) in this population, patients with chronic liver disease often have inadequate oral intake and are potential candidates for EN. The goals of the EN, type and severity of liver disease, and access for EN will influence the decision to initiate EN. This paper summarizes EN studies in patients with liver disease and provides practical tips regarding patient selection, EN access, and EN formula choices. Two case studies illustrate the principles and challenges of providing EN to patients with cirrhosis. The paper concludes with suggested parameters for an EN feeding protocol and recommendations for future research.