bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ensemble-Based Error and Predictability Metrics Associated with Tropical Cyclogenesis. Part I: Basinwide Perspective
Authors: Komaromi William A. , Majumdar Sharanya J.
Published: April 2014

Several metrics are employed to evaluate predictive skill and attempt to quantify predictability using the ECMWF Ensemble Prediction System during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, with an emphasis on large-scale variables relevant to tropical cyclogenesis. These metrics include the following: 1) growth and saturation of error, 2) errors versus climatology, 3) predicted forecast error standard deviation, and 4) predictive power. Overall, variables that are more directly related to large-scale, slowly varying phenomena are found to be much more predictable than variables that are inherently related to small-scale convective processes, regardless of the metric. For example, 850–200-hPa wind shear and 200-hPa velocity potential are found to be predictable beyond one week, while 200-hPa divergence and 850-hPa relative vorticity are only predictable to about one day. Similarly, area-averaged quantities such as circulation are much more predictable than nonaveraged quantities such as vorticity. Significant day-to-day and month-to-month variability of predictability for a given metric also exists, likely due to the flow regime. For wind shear, more amplified flow regimes are associated with lower predictive power (and thereby lower predictability) than less amplified regimes. Relative humidity is found to be less predictable in the early and late season when there exists greater uncertainty of the timing and location of dry air. Last, the ensemble demonstrates the potential to predict error standard deviation of variables averaged in 10° × 10° boxes, in that forecasts with greater ensemble standard deviation are on average associated with greater mean error. However, the ensemble tends to be underdispersive.
Relative worth of a bachelor degree
Authors: Matković Teo , Kogan Irena
Published: April 2014

This article considers the implications of sequential segmentation in the tertiary education set-up for stratification of labour market outcomes among university drop-outs and graduates. Building on signalling, queuing, credentialist and human capital framework, we articulate theoretical expectations about labour market entry patterns for tertiary education graduates and drop-outs emerging from two distinct types of tertiary education institutional set-up: integrated (diploma) and sequential (bachelor-master) systems. In particular, we explore whether bachelor graduates from sequentially organized systems perform substantially better in the labour market compared to drop-outs from integrated systems who have completed a comparable amount of coursework. Empirically, we rely on two recent surveys pertaining to tertiary education leavers from the Ukrainian sequential system and the Croatian integrated system. Our results indicate that, with regard to the patterns of higher-status job entry, diploma and master degree holders enjoy the most substantial advantages of quicker job entry in both countries. However, bachelor graduates from the Ukrainian sequential tertiary education system clearly have an advantage over those who dropped out, whereas in the Croatian integrated tertiary education system we observe no differences in access to salariat jobs among drop-outs, regardless of amount of coursework they have completed. Selectivity is unlikely to explain observed differences in outcomes, as both countries demonstrate very similar patterns of selection into and through academic tertiary education.
Analytical performance and clinical decision limit of a new release for cardiac troponin I assay
Authors: Moretti M , Pieretti B , Sisti D , Rocchi MB , Gasperoni S
Published: April 2014

Background

Cardiac troponins (cTns) are the ‘gold standard’ biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of acute coronary syndrome. Analytical performance is critical at low concentrations of cTn, and many of the current assays do not meet the guideline requirement of a 10% coefficient of variation (CV) at the 99th percentile concentrations. The aim of the study was to establish if the newly released Access® AccuTnI®+3 (AccuTnI+3) cardiac troponin I assay (Beckman Coulter Inc., Brea, CA, USA) reached this objective.

Methods

All AccuTnI+3 assays were performed on UniCel® DxI800 analyzer (Beckman Coulter Inc). Limit of Blank (LoB), Limit of Detection (LoD) and Limit of Quantitation (LoQ) were determined according to Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute EP17-A and EP5-A2 protocols. The 99th percentile upper reference limit (URL) was determined by analysing serum samples from 330 apparently healthy blood donors (260 men, 70 women, age range 18–70 years, median age 36 years).

Results

LoB and LoD values were 2.6 and 12 ng/L, respectively. The 10% CV was at 18 ng/L (95% confidence interval [CI] 8–25). The 99th percentile URL was 22 ng/L (95% CI 11–34).

Conclusions

The newly released assay has improved low-end analytical performance and reaches the goal of having a total imprecision ≤10% at 99th percentile of a healthy reference population (guideline acceptable). With this assay, it is now possible to utilize the 99th percentile as decision level for myocardial injury detection.
Comparing neurocognition in severe chronic schizophrenia and frontotemporal dementia
Authors: Chan Hui-Minn , Stolwyk Rene , Kelso Wendy , Neath Joanna , Walterfang Mark , Mocellin Ramon , Pavlis Alexia , Velakoulis Dennis
Published: April 2014

Objective:

Previous research has suggested cognitive similarities between schizophrenia and frontotemporal dementia. In the current study, we compared neurocognition in a group of hospitalised patients with chronic schizophrenia, who may have a more severe form of schizophrenia resembling Emil Kraepelin’s dementia praecox, with patients with frontotemporal dementia. We hypothesised minimal group differences in cognitive performance, and a large overlap in between-group score distributions in each cognitive domain.

Methods:

Retrospective neuropsychological data for 26 patients with severe chronic schizophrenia and 34 patients with frontotemporal dementia (behavioural variant) was collated. Neuropsychological measures were categorised into 16 cognitive domains. Raw scores were converted into standardised z-scores for each measure, which were then averaged across measures within each domain. In addition to difference analysis, equivalence testing was utilised, whereby overlap percentages were computed to reflect the amount of score distribution overlap in each domain between groups.

Results:

A statistically significant difference was observed only in the executive function sub-domain of Switching. Small-to-moderate and moderate effect sizes were noted in four other domains. Equivalence testing showed more than 85% of overlap in score distribution in most domains.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest that some patients with severe chronic schizophrenia have cognitive deficits similar in degree and pattern to patients with frontotemporal dementia. The few differences observed between both groups of patients are important for differential diagnostic purposes. One limitation is the retrospective nature of the study. Suggestions for future research include longitudinal follow-up studies of these two patient populations and studies of aspects beyond neurocognition. An implication of our findings is that the ‘dementia of schizophrenia’ concept may be applicable to patients with severe chronic schizophrenia.
Elementary Physical Education Teachers’ Experiences in Teaching English Language Learners
Authors: Sato Takahiro , Hodge Samuel R.
Published: April 2014

The purpose of the current study was to describe and explain the views on teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) held by six elementary physical education (PE) teachers in the Midwest region of the United States. Situated in positioning theory, the research approach was descriptive–qualitative. The primary sources of data were face-to-face interviews, and the transcript data were analyzed using NVivo 8 software and constant comparative method. The recurrent themes that emerged from the data were as follows: (a) pedagogical challenges; (b) traumatized; (c) irritations, frustrations, and expectations; and (d) cultural dissonance. These themes reflect the teachers’ positioning that teaching ELLs is difficult and complicated. There is pressing need for PE teacher candidates and practicing teachers to receive professional preparation and development training in implementing culturally and ethnolinguistically relevant pedagogies effectively.
National High School Graduation Rate
Authors: Joo Myungkook , Kim Jeounghee
Published: April 2014

Debates about the national high school graduation rate have heated up as various national high school graduation estimates based on the Common Core of Data (CCD) and the Current Population Survey (CPS) do not coincide with one another partially due to different assumptions about graduation age. This study found that (a) while graduation rate by age 18 declined, the rate by age 24 remained relatively constant, creating larger differences between the CCD- and CPS-based rates and that (b) males and minorities particularly take more time to obtain a high school degree among the recent birth cohorts.
The Interpersonal Challenges of Instructional Leadership
Authors: Le Fevre Deidre M. , Robinson Viviane M. J.
Published: April 2014

Purpose: Principals commonly struggle to have effective conversations about staff performance issues, tending to tolerate, protect, and work around such issues rather than effectively addressing them. This article evaluates principals’ effectiveness in having “difficult” conversations with parents and with teachers. Research Methodology: This article reports a partial replication of a previous study in which the theoretical framework of Argyris and Schön was used to analyze the interpersonal effectiveness of newly appointed principals in a conversation with a parent. In this study, the results of these same 27 principals are compared with those gained in a second difficult conversation, this time with a teacher. The conversations were standardized by limiting each to 7 minutes and using the same actor to play the part of the parent complainant and teacher. Findings: Overall, principals demonstrated consistently low to moderate levels of skill across the two conversations. Typically, principals were more skilled in advocating their own position than in deeply inquiring into and checking their understanding of the views of the parent or teacher. Implications: Leaders need the confidence and skills to engage in productive and respectful conversations about the quality of teaching and learning to be effective instructional leaders. Consistent low to moderate capabilities demonstrated in these conversations suggest that educational improvement demands targeted professional learning for leaders. This research contributes to a research and development agenda by identifying the patterns of reasoning and action that constrain and facilitate more effective interpersonal capabilities.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Authors: Brezicha Kristina , Bergmark Ulrika , Mitra Dana L.
Published: April 2014

Purpose: Many of the predominant leadership models acknowledge the need to support teachers’ work, but these models rarely specify how to support teachers’ implementation process. This article studies the relationship between leadership support and teachers’ sensemaking processes. It brings together three divergent bodies of literature on educational leadership, teachers’ sensemaking and implementation of reforms to conceptualize leadership that specifically addresses how leaders can provide teachers differentiated support. Research Design: This article uses case descriptions to illuminate the relationship between leadership support and three teachers’ sensemaking processes of implementing a new initiative. The empirical data consists of observations and interviews with teachers and principal in an U.S. elementary school. Findings: The findings present the need for developing a concept of leadership that increases support of teachers’ implementation work by focusing on school leaders’ understanding of individual teachers’ views and philosophy, their enabling of flexibility of a reform, their encouraging of horizontal support structures, including teacher social networks. It also considers how leaders’ influence the school’s setting and the delivery of information around new reforms. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that providing teachers with differentiated support improves teachers’ understanding of the reform and supplies teachers the necessary tools to implement the new idea, facilitate teacher voice and participation in the process.
Item Response Theory Models for Wording Effects in Mixed-Format Scales
Authors: Wang Wen-Chung , Chen Hui-Fang , Jin Kuan-Yu
Published: April 2014

Many scales contain both positively and negatively worded items. Reverse recoding of negatively worded items might not be enough for them to function as positively worded items do. In this study, we commented on the drawbacks of existing approaches to wording effect in mixed-format scales and used bi-factor item response theory (IRT) models to test the assumption of reverse coding and evaluate the magnitude of the wording effect. The parameters of the bi-factor IRT models can be estimated with existing computer programs. Two empirical examples from the Program for International Student Assessment and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study were given to demonstrate the advantages of the bi-factor approach over traditional ones. It was found that the wording effect in these two data sets was substantial and that ignoring the wording effect resulted in overestimated test reliability and biased person measures.
Writing materiality into management and organization studies through and with Luce Irigaray
Authors: Fotaki Marianna , Metcalfe Beverly Dawn , Harding Nancy
Published: April 2014

There is increasing recognition in management and organization studies of the importance of materiality as an aspect of discourse, while the neglect of materiality in post-structuralist management and organization theory is currently the subject of much discussion. This article argues that this turn to materiality may further embed gender discrimination. We draw on Luce Irigaray’s work to highlight the dangers inherent in masculine discourses of materiality. We discuss Irigaray’s identification of how language and discourse elevate the masculine over the feminine so as to offer insights into ways of changing organizational language and discourses so that more beneficial, ethically-founded identities, relationships and practices can emerge. We thus stress a political intent that aims to liberate women and men from phallogocentrism. We finally take forward Irigaray’s ideas to develop a feminist écriture of/for organization studies that points towards ways of writing from the body. The article thus not only discusses how inequalities may be embedded within the material turn, but it also provides a strategy that enriches the possibilities of overcoming them from within.
Service employees and self-verification: The roles of occupational stigma consciousness and core self-evaluations
Authors: Shantz Amanda , Booth Jonathan E
Published: April 2014

Despite the growing number and importance of service occupations, we know little about how jobholders’ perceptions of societal stigmas of service jobs influence their identification with and attitudes towards work. The present study presents a framework that accords key roles to research on occupational stigma consciousness and the verification of employees’ self-views (i.e. core self-evaluations) to understand employees’ responses to occupational stigmatization. Survey responses from call center employees revealed a negative relationship between occupational stigma consciousness and occupational identification and work meaningfulness and a positive relationship between occupational stigma consciousness and organizational production deviant behaviors for employees who have a positive self-view. Opposite patterns of results surfaced for employees who have a lower positive self-view.
Looking back to and forward from Kim Richard Nossal’s The Politics of Canadian Foreign Policy
Authors: Cooper Andrew F
Published: April 2014

Revisiting Kim Richard Nossal’s 1997 textbook on Canadian foreign policy—with its reputation as a valuable source in the analysis of the evolution of Canadian international relations enhanced by the privileging of the political component—makes for compelling reading in 2014. This review article argues that even if many of the substantive themes in Nossal’s survey with respect to Canada’s foreign policy as exhibited by the government of Stephen Harper miss the mark, the core ingredients of the domestic context showcased by Nossal’s work are even more relevant nearly 20 years on.
Crosstalk between miR-34a and Notch Signaling Promotes Differentiation in Apical Papilla Stem Cells (SCAPs)
Authors: Sun F. , Wan M. , Xu X. , Gao B. , Zhou Y. , Sun J. , Cheng L. , Klein O.D. , Zhou X. , Zheng L.
Published: April 2014

Stem cells from the apical papilla (SCAPs) are important for the formation and regeneration of root dentin. Here, we examined the expression of Notch signaling components in SCAPs and investigated crosstalk between microRNA miR-34aand Notch signaling during cell differentiation. We found that human SCAPs express NOTCH2, NOTCH3, JAG2, DLL3, and HES1, and we tested the relationship between Notch signaling and both cell differentiation and miR-34a expression. NOTCH activation in SCAPs inhibited cell differentiation and up-regulated the expression of miR-34a, whereas miR-34a inhibited Notch signaling in SCAPs by directly targeting the 3′UTR of NOTCH2 and HES1 mRNA and suppressing the expression of NOTCH2, N2ICD, and HES1. DSPP, RUNX2, OSX, and OCN expression was consequently up-regulated. Thus, Notch signaling in human SCAPs plays a vital role in maintenance of these cells. miR-34a interacts with Notch signaling and promotes both odontogenic and osteogenic differentiation of SCAPs.
The politics of sustainable development opposition: State legislative efforts to stop the United Nation’s Agenda 21 in the United States
Authors: Trapenberg Frick Karen , Weinzimmer David , Waddell Paul
Published: April 2014

The Tea Party exploded on the US political scene with President Barack Obama’s election and scholarly research focuses on its role in national issues. However, Tea Party and property rights advocates, among others, also fiercely oppose sustainability city planning issues, recently having legislation introduced in 26 US states to stop such practices. They perceive planning as directly connected to the United Nation’s 1992 document, Agenda 21: the Rio Declaration on Development and Environment. The counter-narrative suggests the UN seeks to restrict individual property rights and American sovereignty. Meanwhile, Agenda 21-related planning is favourably considered and practiced worldwide. Through a mixed-methods approach using quantitative and case-based research, we track the opposition’s emergence through the introduction and sometimes adoption of state legislation. We draw conclusions and implications for research and practice using a theoretical framework routed in scholarship from planning, geography, political science, and communications/new media.
News From Somewhere, News From Nowhere
Authors: Maynard Douglas W.
Published: April 2014

This is a comment suggesting that Jerolmack and Khan’s article in this issue embodies news from “somewhere,” in arguing that ethnography can emphasize interaction in concrete situations and what people do rather than what they say about what they do. However, their article also provides news from “nowhere,” in that ethnography often claims to prioritize in situ organization while dipping into an unconstrained reservoir of distant structures that analytically can subsume and potentially eviscerate the local order. I elaborate on each of these somewhere/nowhere ideas. I also briefly point to the considerable ethnomethodological and conversation analytic research of the last several decades that addresses the structural issue. Such research, along with other traditions in ethnography, suggest that investigators can relate social or political contexts to concrete situations provided that there is, in the first place, preservation of the parameters of everyday life and the exactitude of the local order.
Constrained distributed model predictive control for state-delayed systems with polytopic uncertainty description
Authors: Zhang Langwen , Wang Jingcheng , Ge Yang , Wang Bohui
Published: April 2014

Although distributed model predictive control (MPC) has received significant attention in the literature, the robustness of distributed MPC with respect to model uncertainties and state delays has not been explicitly addressed. In this paper, a novel approach to design robust distributed MPC is proposed for polytopic uncertain systems with state delays. The algorithm requires decomposing the entire system into M subsystems and solving M linear matrix inequality optimization problems to minimize an upper bound on a robust performance objective for each subsystem. An iterative on-line algorithm for robust distributed MPC is developed to coordinate the distributed controllers. The algorithm is a flexible structure of robust control, which allows the independent computation of the state feedback laws for the subsystems. Convergence and robust stability of the proposed distributed MPC are analysed. Two numerical examples are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Detecting Aberrant Responding on Unidimensional Pairwise Preference Tests
Authors: Lee Philseok , Stark Stephen , Chernyshenko Oleksandr S.
Published: April 2014

This study investigated the efficacy of the lz person fit statistic for detecting aberrant responding with unidimensional pairwise preference (UPP) measures, constructed and scored based on the Zinnes–Griggs item response theory (IRT) model, which has been used for a variety of recent noncognitive testing applications. Because UPP measures are used to collect both “self-” and “other” reports, the capability of lz to detect two of the most common and potentially detrimental response sets, namely fake good and random responding, was explored. The effectiveness of lz was studied using empirical and theoretical critical values for classification, along with test length, test information, the type of statement parameters, and the percentage of items answered aberrantly (20%, 50%, 100%). It was found that lz was ineffective in detecting fake good responding, with power approaching zero in the 100% aberrance conditions. However, lz was highly effective in detecting random responding, with power approaching 1.0 in long-test, high information conditions, and there was no diminution in efficacy when using marginal maximum likelihood estimates of statement parameters in place of the true values. Although using empirical critical values for classification provided slightly higher power and more accurate Type I error rates, theoretical critical values, corresponding to a standard normal distribution, provided nearly as good results.
Malnutrition and Inflammation—“Burning Down the House”
Authors: Jensen Gordon L.
Published: April 2014

A summary of my 2014 Rhoads Lecture is presented that explores our progress in understanding the complex interplay of malnutrition and inflammation. A historical perspective is provided that highlights the contributions of some of the key pioneers in the nutrition assessment field. Advances in agriculture, education, public health, healthcare, and living standards have affected traditional settings for malnutrition. The chronic disease, surgery, and injury conditions that are associated with modern healthcare are becoming prevalent settings for malnutrition. One consequence has been a growing appreciation for the contributions of inflammation to malnutrition in these clinical conditions. This recognition has driven a fresh look at how we define and think about malnutrition syndromes. An inflammatory component is included in the definitions suggested by the recent Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition consensus report that also describes characteristics recommended for the identification and documentation of malnutrition. Efforts are currently underway to evaluate the feasibility and validity of this approach. Recent advances in research highlight the profound impact of inflammation‐mediated erosion of muscle mass on clinical outcomes. Research to identify better biomarkers of inflammation and malnutrition must be a leading priority. New “omics” approaches are an especially promising avenue of biomarker investigation. Inflammation can be a good thing; let's try to keep it that way.
Gifted Children’s Relationships With Writing
Authors: Olthouse Jill M.
Published: April 2014

This collective case study represents 10 gifted children’s relationships with writing. The construct “relationship with writing” includes children’s influences, goals, values, identity, and emotions connected to writing. Overall, these students’ relationships with writing can be described as creative, responsible, and mimetic. Students benefit from intensive home enrichment. They have identities as “good students,” and these identities are compatible with efficient work habits, intrinsic motivation, and mastery goals. Practical implications include the need for diverse and complex writing models that will help young writers begin the transition from mini-c creativity to more advanced writing, as well as the need to provide more challenging revision tasks.
The riot, the people and the neighbourhood: narrative framing of social disorder in four cases
Authors: van Hulst Merlijn , Siesling Mirjam , van Lieshout Maartje , Dewulf Art
Published: April 2014

This article looks at the ways newspaper articles, through their stories, frame social disorder in urban areas. The article compares reporting on four cases – two Dutch, two Belgian – of violent confrontations between societal groups and between societal groups and the police. News articles on the riots through time widen in terms of their geographic and social scale. At the same time, stories are told about a familiar cast of characters, leaving others out. The practices of newspapers seem to reinforce this pattern. The article contributes to the understanding of the role of traditional media in narrative framing of present-day public problems.
Family and Gender Values in China
Authors: Hu Yang , Scott Jacqueline
Published: April 2014

Previous research has reported on structural changes in Chinese families. However, questions remain as to whether/how social change has influenced family and gender values and how this differs across generations, regions, and gender in China. Drawing on 2006 data from the China General Social Survey, we find that values pertaining to filial piety are traditional, whereas patrilineal and gender values are less traditional. Historic events/policies provide the context for how social change can shape differential generational, geographic, and gender perspectives. Our hypothesis that generation, region, and gender associations will differ across the various ideational domains is confirmed. We find significant interaction effects in how generation and geography differ by gender in patrilineal, filial piety, and gender values; and higher education erodes patrilineal and traditional gender values but enhances filial piety. Such findings indicate that family values should be understood in the specific sociocultural contexts governing Chinese families across time and place.
“I’ve Got No Choice”
Authors: Lavee Einat , Benjamin Orly
Published: April 2014

Many studies have shown how important it is for low-income mothers to sustain their moral identities as both good mothers and reliable workers during times of little social valuing of mothers’ caring work. Discovering how low-income mothers sustain this duality when caring crises preclude employment requires a mapping of their social worlds as reflected in their moral justifications. We used an institutional ethnographic approach that focused on situations wherein mothers decide to exit the labor market and devote themselves to their children’s caring needs. Interviews with 48 Israeli mothers revealed that they maintain their moral fitness both as good mothers and good citizens by engaging in a specific emotion management: expressing emotional devotion to their paid job, whereas child care is presented as a necessity. We argue that emotion management is particularly revealing of how macro-level institutional practices and discourses come to the fore in individuals’ daily lives.
Decisional Involvement Among Staff Nurses Based on Educational Level and Certification Status
Authors: Ugur Esra , Scherb Cindy A. , Specht Janet K.
Published: April 2014

Mechanisms to enhance the work environment are nurse decisional involvement (DI), obtainment of a baccalaureate or higher degree, and specialty certification. The purpose of this descriptive comparative study was to determine the difference between actual and preferred DI of staff nurses on the overall Decisional Involvement Scale (DIS), the differences based on its subscales, and those based on education level and certification. The sample included 163 staff nurses from a Midwestern health care organization. A statistically significant difference was found between actual and preferred DI, but no difference was found based on educational level and certification. There is a need to focus on nurses with a BSN/master’s degree or specialty certification and to conduct comprehensive studies to address the effects of education and certification on DI. An additional strategy that can be useful for organizations is to provide nurses with the empowerment structures, expectations, and mentoring/coaching to become involved in the process of decision making.
Depression in Black Single Mothers
Authors: Atkins Rahshida
Published: April 2014

The aim of this study was to test a theoretical model of depression for Black single mothers. Participants were 208 Black single mothers, aged 18 to 45, recruited from community settings. The a priori over-identified recursive theoretical model was tested via the LISREL 9.1 program using a maximum likelihood estimation for structural equation modeling. The chi-square indicated that there was an excellent fit of the model with the data, χ2(1, N = 208) = .05, p = .82. The fit indices for the model were excellent. Path coefficients were statistically significant for seven out of eight of the direct paths within the model ( p < .05). The two indirect paths were also statistically significant. The theory was supported and can be applied by health care professionals when working with depressed Black single mothers.
Examining Dose of Diabetes Group Medical Visits and Characteristics of the Uninsured
Authors: Mallow Jennifer A. , Theeke Laurie A. , Barnes Emily R. , Whetsel Tara
Published: April 2014

Type 2 diabetes is a significant problem for the uninsured. Diabetes Group Medical Visits (DGMVs) have been reported to improve outcomes. However, it is not known if the increased workload of the health care team to treat and educate patients at multiple visits has an impact on patient functioning and well-being. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of dose of DGMVs on biophysical outcomes of care in uninsured persons with diabetes. No significant correlations were found between number of DGMVs attended and biophysical outcomes of care. However, the majority of patients attended two or less DGMVs in 1 year. Dose of DGMVs did not impact outcomes and may not be enough to assure attendance. Involving patients to construct patient-centered interventions may decrease the treatment burden faced by both patients and providers. In addition, such interventions should be aimed at understanding reasons for low attendance, particularly in rural impoverished adults.
Entrepreneurial potential: The role of human and cultural capitals
Authors: Jayawarna Dilani , Jones Oswald , Macpherson Allan
Published: April 2014

Empirical evidence for links between human capital and entrepreneurship potential is equivocal despite a wide range of studies. This research draws on prospective longitudinal data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) to offer new theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence on the human capital predictors that drive entrepreneurship. The results suggest that start-up is more likely for those who demonstrate higher levels of analytical and creative abilities in childhood, benefit from a supportive family background, invest in their human capital through diverse and longer work experience and have accrued a solid basic education, albeit not strongly credentialed. This article contributes to a better understanding of human capital acquisition during the unfolding entrepreneurial life-course. Mediators and moderators of the relationship between education, human capital and entrepreneurship are also identified by accentuating the importance of family processes. In doing so, this study bridges the human capital and cultural capital literatures that have tended to evolve on separate tracks.
Exploring the Ups and Downs of Mathematics Engagement in the Middle Years of School
Authors: Martin Andrew J. , Way Jennifer , Bobis Janette , Anderson Judy
Published: April 2014

This study of 1,601 students in the middle years of schooling (Grades 5-8, each student measured twice, 1 year apart) from 200 classrooms in 44 schools sought to identify factors explaining gains and declines in mathematics engagement at key transition points. In multilevel regression modeling, findings showed that compared with Grade 6 students (upper elementary; the reference category), students in Grades 7 (typically the first secondary school year) and 8 have significantly declined in mathematics engagement from their previous year. Notably, in further analyses, these declines were found to be related to student (particularly mathematics self-efficacy and valuing), home (parent valuing of mathematics and availability of a computer for mathematics), classroom (class-average achievement and perceived climate), and school (socio-economic status and ethnic composition) factors. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Sociodemographic Moderators of Middle School Transition Effects on Academic Achievement
Authors: Akos Patrick , Rose Roderick A. , Orthner Dennis
Published: April 2014

The academic impact of the transition from elementary to middle school has significant consequences for many early adolescents. This study examines academic growth across the transition, as well as sociodemographic moderators. Rather than defining the transition effect as a decline in student achievement between fifth and sixth grade, these data demonstrate the transition effect as an interruption in students’ growth in achievement during this interval. Results confirm larger interruptions for vulnerable students (e.g., low income, special education) despite closing the gap effect over the third- to eighth-grade interval.
Role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of vitiligo with special emphasis on the antioxidant action of narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy
Authors: Karsli Neslihan , Akcali Cenk , Ozgoztasi Orhan , Kirtak Necmettin , Inaloz Serhat
Published: April 2014

Objectives

To evaluate the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of vitiligo and the effect of narrowband (NB) ultraviolet (UV) B phototherapy on oxidative stress markers.

Methods

Patients with vitiligo and healthy control subjects were included in the study. Patients in the vitiligo group were treated with an NB-UVB regimen (3 × weekly for 6 months). Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), erythrocyte malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity (GSH-Px) levels were assessed in all participants at baseline, and after NB-UVB phototherapy in patients with vitiligo.

Results

A total of 24 patients with vitiligo and 27 control subjects were included in the study. Before treatment, erythrocyte MDA levels were significantly higher, and SOD and GSH-Px levels were significantly lower, in patients with vitiligo compared with controls. NB-UVB phototherapy was associated with a significant reduction in MDA levels and a significant increase in GSH-Px levels, compared with baseline, in patients with vitiligo.

Conclusion

NB-UVB phototherapy may relieve oxidative stress in patients with vitiligo by reversing the oxidant–antioxidant imbalance that is considered to play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease.
A chin-lift mask produces a patent airway more effectively than an oropharyngeal airway using the EC-clamp technique in obese patients
Authors: Li Li , Feng Jie , Xie Shu Hua , Geng Li Cheng
Published: April 2014

Objective

To evaluate the efficiency of ventilation using a novel chin-lift mask compared with an oropharyngeal airway (OPA) with EC-clamp technique in obese patients.

Methods

Obese patients scheduled for cholecystectomy under general anaesthesia were divided into two groups: the OPA group, in which a standard mask and OPA with the EC-clamp technique were used; the CL group, in which the chin-lift mask was used. Respiratory data were compared.

Results

One hundred patients were recruited and assigned to the OPA ( n = 50) and CL ( n = 50) groups. Compared with the OPA group, expired tidal volume, peripheral oxygen saturation ( SpO2), tidal volume/peak inspiratory pressure ratio and end-tidal carbon dioxide were higher, and the peak and mean inspiratory pressures were lower, in the CL group. In the CL group, no patient had an SpO2 ≤95% and the lowest SpO2 was 99%, whereas in the OPA group, 23 patients had an SpO2 ≤95% and the lowest SpO2 was 92%. Difficult mask ventilation occurred in eight patients in the OPA group but in none in the CL group.

Conclusion

The chin-lift mask provided a patent airway and better quality mask ventilation than an OPA with EC-clamp technique in obese patients.
The Factor Structure of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (Expanded Version) in a Sample of Forensic Psychiatric Patients
Authors: van Beek Janneke , Vuijk Pieter Jelle , Harte Joke M. , Smit Bettine L. , Nijman Henk , Scherder Erik J. A.
Published: April 2014

Severe behavioral problems, aggression, unlawful behavior, and uncooperativeness make the forensic psychiatric population both hard to treat and study. To fine-tune treatment and evaluate results, valid measurement is vital. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale–Extended (BPRS-E) is a widely used scale for assessing psychiatric symptoms, with a stable factor structure over various patient groups. For the first time, its usefulness for forensic psychiatric patients was studied by means of an exploratory factor analysis on 302 patients in a penitentiary psychiatric center. A five-factor solution fitted the data best and showed large overlap with previous research done in both in- and outpatient populations with schizophrenia and mixed diagnoses. Around 45% of the patients did not fully comply. Items relying most on self-report caused the most non-adherence, possibly because of difficulty with verbalizing distress. These items loaded on the factors psychosis and affect. The BPRS-E is a suitable instrument for forensic use. Future research and clinical practice should focus on alignment with forensic patients to improve measurement, understanding, and eventually therapeutic interventions.
Unique combination of hyperintense vessel sign on initial FLAIR and delayed vasoconstriction on MRA in reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: A case report
Authors: Kameda Tomoaki , Namekawa Michito , Shimazaki Haruo , Minakata Daisuke , Matsuura Tohru , Nakano Imaharu
Published: April 2014

Background

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome is characterized by thunderclap headache and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction on angiographic findings. It can be difficult to diagnose when initial angiography is normal.

Case results

A 30-year-old woman was admitted because of sudden-onset thunderclap headache and seizure on postpartum day 7. Brain MRI on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) showed hyperintense vessel sign (HVS), which usually means slow flow due to severe proximal arterial stenosis. However, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) indicated that proximal arteries was normal. After nicardipine treatment, her symptoms improved dramatically. Follow-up FLAIR on day 7 showed complete resolution of HVS, while a series of MRAs revealed reversible multifocal segmental vasoconstriction.

Conclusions

HVS on initial FLAIR is useful for an early diagnosis of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. As the delayed vasoconstriction on MRA can be observed, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome may progress from distal small to proximal larger arteries.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Authors: Corey Rebecca L. , Rakela Jorge
Published: April 2014

Although herbs and botanicals have been available for thousands of years, detailed scientific research regarding the potential health benefits and risks of dietary supplements has been conducted only for the past 15–20 years. Millions of Americans use herbal supplements regularly, but many are not aware of the possible hidden dangers. Organ transplant recipients and patients with end‐stage organ failure awaiting transplantation are at particularly high risk for potential complications due to herbal supplement use. This review provides background information regarding complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in the United States, regulatory history of dietary supplements in the United States, and concerns and special considerations regarding the risks associated with dietary/herbal supplement use in pretransplant and posttransplant patients.
Testing Previously Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits
Authors: Fallik Seth , Wells William
Published: April 2014

Studies and local police jurisdictions have documented the existence of potentially valuable forensic evidence that have never been submitted to a crime laboratory for examination. The failure to analyze evidence is concerning because this may have prohibited case advancement in the criminal justice system. This study examines this possibility by describing investigative activities that occur after forensic screening of evidence that was not submitted for testing at the time of the original investigation. The study examines only sexual assault cases and finds that testing has a minimal impact in this sample.
How Long Must They Wait? Lackey Claims, Excessive Delay, and Evolving Standards of Decency
Authors: Burton Corey D. , Burrow John D.
Published: April 2014

An almost inherent characteristic of American death penalty jurisprudence is the long period of time that passes between the sentencing of a death-eligible defendant and the defendant’s execution. Although defendants who are sentenced to death row have a clear interest in exhausting all appeals, in many cases, the entire process may take 20 to 30 years or more, possibly exposing these individuals to undue physical and psychological harm. Such harm, when combined with the execution itself, may violate the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The current piece examines the concept of Lackey claims and examines such claims within the framework of “evolving standards of decency.” Recommendations for policy are also discussed.
Vacancies, vetting, and votes: A unified dynamic model of the appointments process
Authors: Hollibaugh Gary E
Published: April 2014

Pundits, politicians, and political scientists alike often bemoan the long delays in filling both executive and judicial vacancies. However, most political science scholarship has ignored why executives delay nomination, instead focusing on why legislatures delay confirmation. In this article, I develop a formal model that seeks to explain the causes and consequences of both types of delay. By incorporating the effects of time, nominee competence, and nonpolicy incentives, the model provides a number of important findings: (1) the passage of time exacerbates the executive’s first-mover advantage and may result in less-competent nominees; (2) confirmation delay results when the executive’s costs of searching for new nominees are sufficiently high and/or the pool of potential candidates for nomination is sufficiently incompetent; and (3) nomination delay results when the executive’s internal vetting process indicates a candidate for nomination is sufficiently incompetent relative to the pool of potential nominees.
Electoral geography and redistributive politics
Authors: Jusko Karen L
Published: April 2014

This paper offers a new electoral geography perspective on two stylized facts that do not fit easily with our current understanding of the implications of electoral rules for electoral politics and social policy: (1) proportional representation (PR) electoral rules are not always associated with more generous social spending. In some cases, we observe comparatively high levels of social spending in majoritarian single-member district (SMD) systems. (2) Contrary to our theoretical expectations, national two-party competition occurs rarely, even under SMD rules. Here, I demonstrate the importance of electoral geography through a series of analytic examples that are based on a simple model of electoral politics, and in which all possible combinations of electoral boundaries, rules, and voter locations are manipulated.
Gabriel Tarde’s publics
Authors: Niezen Ronald
Published: April 2014

The recent revival of Gabriel Tarde’s distinctive approach to the study of human interaction raises the issue of the possible reasons for his fall into oblivion, particularly given his prominence during his lifetime as an intellectual competitor of equal standing with the pioneering sociologist Émile Durkheim in the first years of the 20th century. This problem calls for an exploration of those central ideas and qualities of Tarde’s work that may once have compromised his legacy and that now provide some explanation of his revival. Consistent with Tarde’s ideas about human interaction, or ‘inter-subjectivity’, the reception of his legacy has been shaped by the forces of imitation and opinion, acting on a changeable, persuadable public.
Historical resonances of the DSM-5 dispute
Authors: Pilgrim David
Published: April 2014

This article begins with arguments evident at the time of writing about the 5th revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The historical lineages of those arguments are international and not limited to the USA (the current focus in the DSM-5 controversy). The concern with psychiatric diagnosis both internationally and in the USA came to the fore at the end of the Second World War with the construction of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual ( DSM-I) and the World Health Organization’s classification of ‘Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death’ (ICD-6). However, the linkage between categories of morbidity, assumptions about natural biological categories and treatment specificity with ‘magic bullets’ emerged in the middle of the 19th century in physical medicine. This article explores the legitimacy of current psychiatric diagnoses in the light of that international, not national, history of medical knowledge. In conclusion it explores judgements about current cultural imperialism (at times made about US psychiatry) and an older picture of Eurocentrism, which is now being refracted in more recent globalizing knowledge-claims about mental disorder.