bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flexible Coding of In-depth Interviews: A Twenty-first-century Approach
Authors: Deterding Nicole M. , Waters Mary C.
Published: October 2018

Qualitative coding procedures emanating from grounded theory were limited by technologies of the 1960s: colored pens, scissors, and index cards. Today, electronic documents can be flexibly stored, retrieved, and cross-referenced using qualitative data analysis (QDA) software. We argue the oft-cited grounded theory framework poorly fits many features of contemporary sociological interview studies, including large samples, coding by teams, and mixed-method analysis. The grounded theory approach also hampers transparency and does not facilitate reanalysis or secondary analysis of interview data. We begin by summarizing grounded theory’s assumptions about coding and analysis. We then analyze published articles from American Sociological Association flagship journals, demonstrating that current conventions for semistructured interview studies depart from the grounded theory framework. Based on experience analyzing interview data, we suggest steps in data organization and analysis to better utilize QDA technology. Our goal is to support rigorous, transparent, and flexible analysis of in-depth interview data. We end by discussing strengths and limitations of our twenty-first-century approach.
Simulating a patient’s pathway through a new surgical facility: a method to promote hospital safety in resource-poor settings
Authors: Brueton Valerie , Brueton Richard
Published: October 2018

Improving hospital safety is challenging in resource-poor countries. Before a new hospital opened in Malawi, we simulated a patient’s pathway from admission to discharge, through which we identified associated administrative and clinical activities. Newly recruited hospital personnel enacted the simulation: admission procedures; preoperative clinical assessment; patient preparation for theatre and surgery; safety checks of surgical and anaesthetic equipment; adherence to aseptic technique; postoperative care; and hospital discharge.

Hospital personnel were familiar with their clinical and administrative roles. Some essential equipment required repair/recalibration. Additional supplies of oxygen, nitrous oxide and anaesthetic drugs were needed. Policies requiring clarification, forms requiring amendment and general maintenance tasks for completion were identified.

The simulation exercise identified areas for safety improvement and thus could be replicated to promote hospital safety elsewhere.
Obedient Gentiles and Jealous Jews: A Fresh Interpretation of Paul’s Aim in Romans 11.11-14
Authors: Jeong Mark
Published: October 2018

Scholars have long been perplexed by Paul’s statement in Rom. 11.11-14 that he magniﬁes his ministry to make Jews jealous and thus save some of them. After all, why would law-observant Jews be jealous of the salvation of supposedly law-free Gentiles? The problem is accentuated when we recognize that ‘jealousy’ (παραζήλωσις) and its cognate ‘zeal’ (ζῆλος) were connected with law-observance in Second Temple Judaism. To solve this problem, I consider how two contemporaries of Paul – Philo and Josephus – describe Gentiles’ attraction to Judaism through the Jews’ careful obedience to the Law. I argue in turn that Paul christologically reverses this schema such that the Gentiles’ obedience to the law by faith, the very goal of Paul’s apostleship (1.5; 15.18), is the means by which Paul hopes to provoke the Jews to jealousy and salvation.
Traditional Renal Biomarkers and New Approaches to Diagnostics
Authors: Nabity Mary B.
Published: October 2018

Traditional biomarkers of renal disease have a number of limitations, whether evaluating veterinary patients or performing preclinical toxicity studies. Serum creatinine and urea nitrogen are affected by nonrenal influences that limit their usefulness for detecting small but significant decreases in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in veterinary patients. These nonrenal influences can be more controlled in preclinical studies than in clinical patients; however, because of its high functional reserve, these estimates of GFR are insensitive for detecting kidney injury prior to loss of a substantial proportion of functioning nephrons. Urine biomarkers can be highly sensitive for tubular or glomerular injury that might lead to irreversible damage to the nephron. Several proteins are qualified by the Food and Drug Administration for nonclinical application as urinary biomarkers of drug-induced nephrotoxicity, and many of these also have preliminary data supporting their usefulness for kidney injury in dogs and cats. In addition to these relatively recently identified biomarkers, efforts are underway to discover new renal biomarkers using a variety of techniques including liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and small RNA sequencing. Ultimately, the interplay between preclinical studies and clinical patients in discovery and validation of renal biomarkers is critical to their successful implementation.
Crystalluria and Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Cohen Samuel M.
Published: October 2018

Crystalluria can involve the kidney and lower urinary tract, can produce acute and chronic effects, and occurs in all mammalian species. Most commonly urinary crystals contain calcium. Numerous other endogenous and exogenous substances can produce crystalluria. Crystals are identified in kidneys of many species, up to 100% in certain rat strains. More severe renal disease (acute tubular necrosis and chronic renal disease) can be secondary to crystal accumulation, such as observed with melamine–cyanuric acid in cats and dogs. Aggregation of crystals leads to calculi that act as urothelial abrasives with consequent regenerative proliferation. Accumulation in the kidney pelvis or bladder can lead to partial or complete obstruction and hydronephrosis. Long-term presence of urinary tract calculi in rodents leads to increased risk of urothelial tumors, but not in humans. Crystals in the lower urinary tract can act as irritants in rodents, but not in humans. It is critical that specific procedures are followed to optimize the presence of crystals in urine for diagnosis, including not fasting the animals. Numerous factors have been identified which can enhance or inhibit crystal formation. Extrapolation from animals for the threshold toxicity of crystals/calculi is appropriate but is not relevant for cancer risk assessment.
Huge sternal chondrosarcoma: a case report
Authors: Yousefi Yousef , Sadrizadeh Ali , Sadrizadeh Sepehr
Published: October 2018

A 75-year-old man presented very late with a huge sternal mass that measured 91 × 84 mm on computed tomography. A core needle biopsy revealed atypical cartilage tissue, suggesting chondrosarcoma. The mass was resected and the defect was reconstructed with bone cement, Prolene mesh, and a muscle flap.
Invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung in a 19-year-old female
Authors: Narahari Narendra Kumar , Uppin Shantveer G , Kapoor Anu , Stalin Bala Joseph , Paramjyothi Gongati K
Published: October 2018

Lung cancers commonly occur in the sixth to eighth decades of life. They are extremely uncommon in first two decades of life. We describe the clinical, radiological, and pathological findings in a 19-year-old female diagnosed with an invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma that was initially mistaken and treated as tuberculosis. This case is being presented to emphasize inclusion of this entity in the differential diagnosis of multifocal consolidations and nodules that do not resolve or persist after treatment, and also to create awareness of the occurrence of lung cancers in young patients.
Advance Care Planning for frail older adults: Findings on costs in a cluster randomised controlled trial
Authors: Overbeek Anouk , Polinder Suzanne , Haagsma Juanita , Billekens Pascalle , de Nooijer Kim , Hammes Bernard J , Muliaditan Daniel , van der Heide Agnes , Rietjens Judith AC , Korfage Ida J
Published: October 2018

Background:

Advance Care Planning aims at improving alignment of care with patients’ preferences. This may affect costs of medical care.

Aim:

To determine the costs of an Advance Care Planning programme and its effects on the costs of medical care and on concordance of care with patients’ preferences.

Design/settings/participants:

In a cluster randomised trial, 16 residential care homes were randomly allocated to the intervention group, where frail, older participants were offered facilitated Advance Care Planning conversations or to the control group. We calculated variable costs of Advance Care Planning per participant including personnel and travel costs of facilitators. Furthermore, we assessed participants’ healthcare use during 12 months applying a broad perspective (including medical care, inpatient days in residential care homes, home care) and calculated costs of care per participant. Finally, we investigated whether treatment goals were in accordance with preferences. Analyses were conducted for 97 participants per group. Trial registration number: NTR4454.

Results:

Average variable Advance Care Planning costs were €76 per participant. The average costs of medical care were not significantly different between the intervention and control group (€2360 vs €2235, respectively, p = 0.36). Costs of inpatient days in residential care homes (€41,551 vs €46,533) and of home care (€14,091 vs €17,361) were not significantly different either. Concordance of care with preferences could not be assessed since treatment goals were often not recorded.

Conclusion:

The costs of an Advance Care Planning programme were limited. Advance Care Planning did not significantly affect the costs of medical care for frail older adults.
Metabolic regional and network changes in Alzheimer's disease subtypes
Authors: Herholz Karl , Haense Cathleen , Gerhard Alex , Jones Matthew , Anton-Rodriguez José , Segobin Shailendra , Snowden Julie S , Thompson Jennifer C , Kobylecki Christopher
Published: October 2018

Clinical variants of Alzheimer's disease (AD) include the common amnestic subtype as well as subtypes characterised by leading visual processing impairments or by multimodal neurocognitive deficits. We investigated regional metabolic patterns and networks between AD subtypes. The study comprised 9 age-matched controls and 25 patients with mild to moderate AD. Methods included clinical and neuropsychological assessment, high-resolution FDG PET and T1-weighted 3D MR imaging with PET-MR coregistration, grey matter segmentation, atlas-based regions-of-interest, linear mixed effects and regional correlation analysis. Regional metabolic patterns differed significantly between groups, but significant hypometabolism in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) was common to all subtypes. The most distinctive regional abnormality was occipital hypometabolism in the visual subtype. In controls, two large clusters of positive regional metabolic correlations were observed. The most pronounced breakdown of the normal correlation pattern was found in amnestic patients who, in contrast, showed the least regional focal metabolic deficits. The normal positive correlation between PCC and hippocampus was lost in all subtypes. In conclusion, PCC hypometabolism and metabolic correlation breakdown between PCC and hippocampus are the common functional core of all AD subtypes. Network alterations exceed focal regional impairment and are most prominent in the amnestic subtype.
Dark Dreams Are Made of This: Aggressive and Sexual Dream Content and the Dark Triad of Personality
Authors: Lyons Minna , Khan Shelley , Sandman Nils , Valli Katja
Published: October 2018

The Dark Triad (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) of personality has been associated with behaviors that facilitate a fast life history strategy, such as aggressiveness and increased interest in sex. In the present on-line study ( N = 265), we investigated the possibility that these personality traits have an association with dream content, namely, increased frequency of sexual and aggressive dreams. In regression analyses, we found that the frequency of aggressive dreams was predicted by Machiavellianism and psychopathy. The frequency of sexual dreams was predicted by psychopathy and narcissism. The results support a number of previous studies, suggesting that especially psychopathy is a manifestation of a fast life history strategy. Further, individuals high in this trait may simulate evolutionarily relevant actions in their dreams.
High pretreatment plasma D-dimer levels are associated with shorter overall survival in patients with small cell lung cancer
Authors: Fan Shanshan , Zhao Guanfei , An Guangyu
Published: October 2018

Objective

To investigate the relationship between pretreatment plasma D-dimer levels and survival in Chinese patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Methods

This retrospective study enrolled 82 patients with SCLC treated at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2012 to January 2015. All patients were followed up. Associations between pretreatment plasma D-dimer levels measured by immunoturbidimetric assay and clinical outcomes were analyzed by Kaplan–Meier and multivariate analyses, using a cut-off level of 0.55 mg/L fibrinogen equivalent units (FEU).

Results

Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly higher in patients with low D-dimer levels (≤0.55 mg/L FEU; 8.0 and 17.0 months, respectively) compared with patients with high levels (>0.55 mg/L FEU; 5.0 and 9.0 months, respectively). Plasma D-dimer levels, Karnofsky performance status, N stage, TNM stage, treatment, and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels were significantly associated with PFS, while D-dimer levels, N stage, TNM stage, and treatment were significantly associated with OS. Multivariate analysis revealed that TNM stage, treatment, and NSE levels were independently associated with PFS, while D-dimer levels and treatment were independently associated with OS.

Conclusions

Pretreatment plasma D-dimer levels were independently associated with OS in patients with SCLC.
Juvenile-onset gout and adipsic diabetes insipidus: A case report and literature review
Authors: Zhang Yun , Wang Dongmei , Feng Yiding , Zhang Wen , Zeng Xuejun
Published: October 2018

The prevalence of juvenile-onset gout has been increasing. Hereditary factors and secondary diseases should be considered in these patients. Adipsic diabetes insipidus (ADI) is characterized by arginine vasopressin (AVP) deficiency, which results in hypotonic polyuria, and dysfunction of thirst osmoreceptors, which results in failure to generate a thirst sensation in response to hypernatremia. We herein report a case of a boy with gouty arthritis, refractory hyperuricemia, prominent hypernatremia, a high creatinine concentration, and a history of surgery for a hypothalamic hamartoma. The patient was diagnosed with central diabetes insipidus after endocrine evaluation. Because he never had symptoms of thirst, the final diagnosis was corrected to ADI. This is the first report of gout due to chronic ADI in an adolescent. Volume contraction due to ADI might be one cause of hyperuricemia and renal impairment in such patients. Moreover, AVP deficiency might directly lead to low urate clearance due to the lack of vasopressin receptor 1 stimulation. Lack of polydipsia and polyuria may delay the diagnosis of ADI and lead to severe complications of a chronic hyperosmolar status. Sufficient and effective establishment of normovolemia is critical for these patients.
Comparison of postoperative lymphocytes and interleukins between laparoscopy-assisted and open radical gastrectomy for early gastric cancer
Authors: Xia Xiang , Zhang Zizhen , Xu Jia , Zhao Gang , Yu Fengrong
Published: October 2018

Objective

This study aimed to study the effects of laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy (LAG) and open radical gastrectomy (OG) on immune function and inflammatory factors in patients with early gastric cancer.

Methods

Seventy-five patients with pT1N0M0 gastric cancer in Ren Ji Hospital from August 2017 to January 2018 were studied. Lymphocytes subsets and interleukins were compared preoperatively and on the third postoperative day (POD3) and seventh postoperative day (POD7).

Results

There were no significant differences in age, sex, body mass index, duration of the operation, estimated blood loss, total gastrectomy rate, postoperative first fluid diet, and the levels of preoperative lymphocytes subsets and interleukins between the two groups. The number of CD4+ T cells and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the LAG group were significantly higher than those in the OG group on POD3. However, the number of CD8+ T cells, and interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 levels in the LAG group were significantly lower than those in the OG group on POD3.

Conclusions

Laparoscopy can effectively reduce the levels of inflammatory factors and has less effect on the immune system than OG.
Effect of pre-administration with aminophylline on the occurrence of post-dural puncture headache in women undergoing caesarean section by combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia
Authors: Yang Chao-Jie , Chen Tao , Ni Xin , Yu Wan-You , Wang Wei
Published: October 2018

Objective

To investigate the effect of the pre-administration with aminophylline on the occurrence of post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) in women undergoing caesarean section by combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia (CSEA).

Methods

The study enrolled women undergoing elective caesarean sections with CSEA and randomly allocated them into two groups; for 30 min immediately after the infant was delivered, group A received 250 mg aminophylline intravenously and group B received an equal volume of normal saline. Demographic data, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative transfusion volume and the occurrence of PDPH during the first 7 days after the operation were recorded. Side-effects such as hypersensitivity, convulsion and arrhythmia were also recorded in the patients and infants in group A within 24 h after aminophylline administration.

Results

A total of 120 patients aged 24–38 years (pregnancy range, 38–42 weeks) were randomly allocated into two groups ( n = 60). The incidence of PDPH in group A was significantly lower than group C (two of 59 [3.4%] versus 10 of 58 [17.2%], respectively). There were no related side-effects within 24 h after aminophylline administration in group A.

Conclusions

Intraoperative intravenous infusion of 250 mg aminophylline reduced the incidence of PDPH after caesarean section under CSEA with no side-effects.
The geography of skill: Mobility and exclusionary unionism in Canada’s north
Authors: Mills Suzanne
Published: October 2018

This paper explores the spatial politics of racism and inter-worker competition through a case study of Indigenous employment during the construction of the Voisey’s Bay mine in northern Labrador. Over the course of construction, the building and construction trades unions (BCTUs) sought to restrict the hiring of local Inuit and Innu workers by challenging the legitimacy of place-based entitlements to work. Inuit and Innu workers had preferential access to employment as a result of unresolved land claims and the ensuing Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBA) between the Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company and both the Innu Nation and the Labrador Inuit Association. IBA provisions that local Inuit and Innu be hired preferentially ran counter to the unions’ organizational structures and cultures, which privileged worker mobility and skill. The BCTUs used the geographic incompatibility between the scale of Indigenous claims and that of construction worker organization to justify a competitive approach to unionism and to veil racist portrayals of Innu and Inuit workers. By drawing out the relation between skill, racism and beliefs about entitlements to work, this paper explores how workers selectively use place-based and mobile identities to participate in inter-worker competition, reifying colonial patterns of labour mobility and labour market segmentation.
The paleoclimatic implication of oxygen isotopes of authigenic carbonates in loess on the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau since Last Glacial Maximum
Authors: Hu Quanxu , Wang Xianyan , Yi Shuangwen , Meng Xianqiang , Long Hao , Vandenberghe Jef , Ge Junyi , Ji Junfeng , Lu Huayu
Published: October 2018

As a significant component of the global climate system, the East Asian monsoon (EAM) is crucial in understanding general climate change. The response of sensitivity and extent of the EAM to orbital-timescale climate change remains controversial. The composition of oxygen isotopes of authigenic (pedogenic) carbonate in loess deposits from the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau was measured, which is at the modern northwestern boundary of the present-day EAM, and compared with equivalent data from northeastern China under the influence of the EAM and two selected sites in the zone under the influence of the westerlies (Bayanbulak (Xinjiang) and Kesselt (Belgium)). The data enable discussion of the paleoclimatic implication of δ18O of carbonate in loess deposits and extension (changes) of the EAM-affected area during the Last Glacial Maximum and early Holocene. The δ18O values of authigenic carbonate at the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau were close to those from the westerly climate zone, but higher than those from regions affected by the Asian monsoon during the Last Glacial Maximum and early Holocene. This indicates that precipitation moisture sources at the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau were likely not directly derived from the EAM during Last Glacial Maximum and early Holocene. In contrast, the westerlies and locally recycled or evaporated moisture were possibly the dominant influencing factors of the relatively δ18O-enriched soil water and the authigenic carbonate in Northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Further study of loess carbonate records from the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau will reveal the past climate changes in the plateau region and provide valuable clues for the interaction between the Asian monsoon and westerly climate systems.
The postentry performance of business groups’ new venture affiliates
Authors: Chen Chien-Nan , Tien Chengli , Gan Bernard
Published: September 2018

Using resource dependence theory, this study examines the determinants of firm performance among business groups’ new venture affiliates using a sample of 1512 new venture affiliates associated with 104 large-sized business groups in Taiwan. The empirical findings reveal that improved affiliate postentry performance is linked to the relative size of a business group’s new venture affiliate and the level of autonomy inherent in decision-making. Furthermore, when the product market of a new venture affiliate is resource-related to its affiliated business group’s main business, this affiliate may benefit from resource relatedness with an improved return on equity.

JEL Classification: M10, M16, M38
Digital Meritocracy: Intermediary Organizations and the Construction of Policy Knowledge
Authors: Chang Ethan
Published: October 2018

This ethnographic case investigates the relationship between the daily organizing work of one education technology “intermediary organization” (IO) in Silicon Valley, California and federal education technology policies. I argue that the IO constructed policy knowledge that reified discourses of “digital meritocracy”: a belief in digital technologies as a means of evaluating individual success, regardless of historic, place-based material inequities. To develop this concept, I trace themes of “personalization” and “everywhere” as they emerge in the IO’s daily work and in federal education technology policies. This study extends research on IOs as “brokers” of information, resources, and social ties between public schools and private service providers and argues that IOs also construct “policy knowledge,” or “definitions of what counts as education.”
Global Risks and Conflicts: The Social, Environmental, and Political Consequences
Authors: Suša Oleg
Published: October 2018

Socio-political conflicts relating to survival on this planet have become pressing over the last few decades. Global risks and conflicts are developing within the context of global capitalism with an evident conjunction of environmentally and socially destructive changes. The aim for a critical theory of globalization is to develop further analysis of this conjunction by studying social and ecological crises. Today we see a conflict between environmental justice and risk distribution related to the problems of growing social inequality and poverty. Global capitalism is characterized by an evident conjunction between destructive environmental changes, and social, economic and political (governance) crises. The complex of global transformations brings ever greater interdependence between economic, political, technological, social and environmental processes. Many negative consequences become increasingly unsustainable and less manageable.
Energy-saving control strategy design and structure realization for electromagnetic active suspension
Authors: Ding Renkai , Wang Ruochen , Meng Xiangpeng
Published: October 2018

An electromagnetic active suspension equipped with a linear motor can remarkably improve the dynamic performance of a vehicle in terms of ride comfort and handling stability. However, electromagnetic active suspensions consume a considerable amount of external energy. Therefore, an energy-saving control strategy and its corresponding realization structure are designed to reconcile the contradiction between the dynamic performance and energy consumption. The energy conservation feasibility of an electromagnetic active suspension system is investigated in this study. Subsequently, the conventional skyhook control strategy is used as a reference; a passive damping is introduced to improve the defects of the system for an active control. It can also ensure the basic dynamic performance during energy regeneration. The energy-saving control strategy is placed beside the switch between the active control and energy regeneration. The vehicle simulation manifests that the energy-saving control strategy can effectively inhibit body movement, including vibration, roll, and pitch, while exhibiting a good road holding. A single linear motor used for the suspension system deteriorates the dynamic performance during energy regeneration and cannot guarantee the system reliability because of its low passive damping. Thus, a new integrated electromagnetic actuator prototype is developed, and the bench test shows that the prototype can satisfy the control requirements of the energy-saving control strategy.
Numerical simulation of the flow around a flapping-wing micro air vehicle in free flight
Authors: Moriche M , Hernández-Hurtado E , Flores O , García-Villalba M
Published: October 2018

This study presents a computational tool to accurately simulate the flow around a flapping-wing micro air vehicle in free flight. The flow around the vehicle is obtained by solving the Navier–Stokes equations of the incompressible flow using an immersed boundary method. The motion of the vehicle subject to aerodynamic and gravity forces is obtained by solving the rigid body equations using a quaternion formulation for the vehicle’s orientation. Both sets of equations are solved in a coupled way. The methodology is illustrated by simulating the flow around a model vehicle in uncontrolled, symmetric, forward flight at low Reynolds number, where the wing kinematics is externally imposed. The analysis is performed on the initial stages after the vehicle is released, with particular emphasis on the aerodynamic forces and the flow around the vehicle.
Multi-objective evaluation of aviation-induced GHG emissions: UK domestic flight pattern
Authors: Şöhret Yasin
Published: October 2018

Energy demand associated with energy consumption (commonly fossil fuels) has increased in line with the rise in world population and this has led to a number of complications. The best known and most prominent issue induced by fossil fuel utilization is unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions released as a result of the combustion of fuels. Emitted greenhouse gases from various sources, such as industrial plants, power plants, transportation services, residential utilization and so on, are largely responsible for global warming and climate change. According to latest reports, the share of the transportation sector in total energy-related CO2 emissions is approximately 23%. As a result of a detailed investigation and dissemination of transportation-induced emissions, air transportation is found to be responsible for approximately 3–4% of total energy-related CO2 emissions. The current study introduces a different perspective in the evaluation of aircraft greenhouse gas emissions. In this manner, a thermodynamic evaluation on the basis of the first and second laws of thermodynamics and a cost evaluation of greenhouse gases emitted from domestic flights in the UK are presented in the current paper, in addition to an environmental impact assessment.
The ‘Premature Anti-fascists’? International Brigade Veterans’ Participation in the British War Effort, 1939–45
Authors: Raeburn Fraser
Published: October 2018

After fighting in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–9, hundreds of Britons returned home to an uncertain future. While the anti-fascist left saw them as heroes, their Communist Party links met with official suspicion, complicated further by the advent of war in September 1939. Popular and scholarly narratives alike have concurred that International Brigade veterans were barred en masse from the armed forces, despite their experience and demonstrable hatred for fascism. This article complicates these narratives, exploring the extent and causes of discrimination, and placing these within the context of wartime anti-communist policy.
Refining Grit in Academic Performance: The Mediational Role of Psychological Capital
Authors: Luthans Kyle W. , Luthans Brett C. , Chaffin T. Daniel
Published: October 2018

Recent popular and academic attention is being given to the role that grit plays in important student outcomes. While gritty individuals are more likely to engage in deliberate practice and maintain commitment in the face of setbacks, what remains unclear are the cognitive processes linking grit and academic performance. Identifying the cognitive processes can play an important role in helping both students and educators apply grit in productive ways. The purpose of this study is to explore the mediational role that psychological capital (PsyCap) may play in the relationship between grit and student academic performance. Drawing from a sample ( N = 176) of business students, the results indicate their PsyCap largely mediates the relationship between their grit and grade point averages. In other words, Academic PsyCap consisting of the psychological resources of hope, efficacy, resiliency, and optimism seem to help drive gritty students toward more successful academic performance. A discussion concerning the significance of these findings, as well as implications for management education, are provided.
Conflict and Courts: Civil War and Judicial Independence across Democracies
Authors: Epperly Brad , Sievert Jacqueline
Published: October 2018

Many argue that during conflict, executive power expands at the expense of the judiciary and civil liberties. Although this is a common conjecture, no systematic study of conflict and judicial independence exists. We argue that conflict, rather than strictly inhibiting independence, is instead a critical juncture that increases the possibility of institutional change, either positive or negative. We assess this claim in three ways: cross-national analyses of (1) de facto and (2) de jure judicial independence after the onset of conflict, and (3) a case study of statutory and jurisdictional changes to the federal judiciary after the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War. Each illustrates that conflict onset is associated with a higher likelihood of changing levels—both decreases and increases—rather than unidirectional decreases in judicial independence. We then present preliminary hypotheses and analyses for three factors that, given conflict onset, should be associated with either improved or worsened conditions for the judiciary. This study has implications for research on conflict, courts, and the rule of law in both political science and legal studies.
Lower Bone Density on Preoperative Computed Tomography Predicts Periprosthetic Fracture Risk in Total Ankle Arthroplasty
Authors: Cody Elizabeth A. , Lachman James R. , Gausden Elizabeth B. , Nunley James A. , Easley Mark E.
Published: September 2018

Background:

The effect of bone mineral density (BMD) on outcomes from total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) has not been studied. BMD can be estimated by measuring Hounsfield units (HU) on standard computed tomography (CT), which is frequently performed prior to TAA. We aimed to identify whether tibial and talar HU measured from preoperative CT scans were associated with periprosthetic fracture or revision risk in patients undergoing TAA.

Methods:

A prospectively collected database was used to retrospectively screen all patients undergoing primary TAA. Only patients with a preoperative CT within 1 year of surgery were included. Primary outcomes were periprosthetic fracture and prosthetic revision. HU were measured on axial CT cuts in the distal tibia and talus. Additional patient factors analyzed included age, sex, weight, body mass index (BMI), tobacco use, presence of rheumatoid arthritis, and preoperative deformity. A total of 198 ankles were included, with a mean 2.4 years of follow-up.

Results:

There were 7 intraoperative and 9 postoperative periprosthetic fractures (3.5% and 4.5%, respectively). Seven patients (3.5%) underwent prosthetic removal or revision. Lower tibial and talar HU, lower weight, and lower BMI were associated with periprosthetic fractures ( P < .05). After controlling for age, sex, and weight, only tibial HU was significantly associated with periprosthetic fracture ( P = .018). All intraoperative fractures occurred in patients with tibial HU less than 200. None of the patient factors analyzed were associated with revision.

Conclusions:

Lower tibial HU on preoperative CT was strongly associated with periprosthetic fracture risk with TAA. In patients with tibial HU less than 200, surgeons may consider prophylactic internal fixation of the medial malleolus.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, retrospective cohort study.
Laboratory Assessment of the Anticoagulant Activity of Apixaban in Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Kyriakou Elias , Katogiannis Konstantinos , Ikonomidis Ignatios , Giallouros George , Nikolopoulos Georgios K. , Rapti Evdoxia , Taichert Maria , Pantavou Katerina , Gialeraki Argiri , Kousathana Foteini , Poulis Aristarchos , Tsantes Andreas G. , Bonovas Stefanos , Kapsimali Violetta , Tsivgoulis Georgios , Tsantes Argirios E.
Published: October 2018

Our aim is to determine the most appropriate laboratory tests, besides anti-factor Xa (anti-FXa) chromogenic assays, to estimate the degree of anticoagulation with apixaban and compare it with that of rivaroxaban in real-world patients. Twenty patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation treated with apixaban 5 mg twice daily and 20 patients on rivaroxaban 20 mg once daily were studied. Conventional coagulation tests, thrombin generation assay (TGA), and thromboelastometry (nonactivated TEM [NATEM] assay) were performed in the 40 patients and 20 controls. The anti-FXa chromogenic assays were used to measure apixaban and rivaroxaban plasma levels. The NATEM measurements showed no significant difference between the 2 groups of patients. Concerning TGA, endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) was significantly decreased in patients on rivaroxaban as compared to those treated with apixaban ( P < .003). A statistically significant, strong inverse correlation between apixaban plasma concentrations and ETP ( P < .001) was observed. Apixaban significantly reduces ETP compared to controls, but to a lesser extent than rivaroxaban. Thrombin generation assay might provide additional information on apixaban exposure, which is required in order to individualize treatment especially for patients with a high bleeding risk. Our findings have to be further investigated in studies with larger sample sizes, in the entire range of apixaban exposure, with other direct oral anticoagulants, and in relation to clinical outcomes.
Building Resilience Through Collaboration Between Grassroots Citizen Groups and Governments: Two Case Studies
Authors: Morris John C. , McNamara Madeleine W. , Belcher Amy
Published: October 2018

As sea level rise grows in importance as a public policy issue, coastal communities must search for alternative strategies to develop resilience to the growing threat. One way to tap into existing resources involves partnerships between local governments and citizen-based environmental organizations to explore strategies aimed at mitigating the effects of sea level rise and recurrent flooding in coastal communities. This article presents two cases of collaboration between governments and existing citizen groups in a region among the most threatened by sea level rise in the continental United States—Hampton Roads, Virginia. We find that these efforts are quite effective in developing and implementing low-cost mitigation strategies that can protect infrastructure while applying social capital to serve as a bridge between citizens and government.
Inadvertent inferior oblique extirpation during orbital decompression
Authors: Karimi Nasser , Kashkouli Mohsen Bahmani , Sanjari Mostafa Soltan , Sianati Hamed , Sharepour Maria , Ali Hadi
Published: October 2018

Purpose:

To report a case of inadvertent inferior oblique extirpation during orbital decompression, its management, and postoperative result.

Methods:

A 38-year-old female with thyroid eye disease underwent cosmetic right orbital decompression during whichinferior oblique extirpation was noticed.

Result:

The muscle was repaired on the same session (illustrated in the article) with no postoperative diplopia at 3-month follow-up.

Conclusion:

Inferior oblique injury should be considered among the uncommon yet important complications of orbital decompression. It can be easily found and repaired in the same session as demonstrated in this case report.
There is a worm in my eye! Ocular dirofilariasis
Authors: Montesel Andrea , Bendinelli Anna , Figus Michele , Posarelli Chiara
Published: October 2018

Introduction:

To report a case of ocular dirofilariasis in Central Italy (Pisa, Tuscany) and review the previous cases of ocular dirofilariasis reported in Italy.

Case description:

A 67-year-old man complained about recurrent ocular redness and discomfort previously treated as conjunctivitis. The slit-lamp examination showed a round, translucent cystic swelling under the bulbar conjunctiva of the right eye, near the lateral canthus. Inside this lesion was observed the presence of a motile worm. A surgical procedure was immediately performed, excising a thin, segmented, greyish worm identified as Dirofilaria repens. After the excision, no recurrence of the symptomatology was recorded.

Conclusion:

Ocular dirofilariasis can lead to misdiagnosis due to its rare ocular manifestations and it is considered an emergent zoonosis in European countries. In Italy from 2001 to January 2018, seven new cases were reported in the literature. In our opinion, it is critical to record all the new cases to assess the epidemiological situation and increase the awareness of this rare infection.
The Spatial–Experiential Archetype of the “Quad”: Project Design Interpretations in New Campuses
Authors: Campos Pablo
Published: October 2018

The physical embodiment of a university is intrinsically linked to its vision, mission, and values. Historically, therefore, university architecture follows a range of archetypes. One prolific model is the “quad” whose ancestors were medieval monastic cloisters. The university colleges of continental Europe were based on that architectural pattern, and today, awe-inspiring exemplars are still to be seen. The quad—the contemporary imprint of the cloister—remains the focus of fresh architectural ventures. As an outstanding paradigm, this symbolic pattern combines a spatial solution with educational modalities, while accommodating a multiplicity of creative interpretations. Following a progressive approach (history, concept and project design), this article analyzes two recent campus projects: Salamanca (Spain) and Azogues (Ecuador). Both embody an interpretation of the quad composition, as applied to the institutional, educational, and geographical settings. One of the aims of this text is to emphasize that architecture is capable of shaping behavior—in this respect, the quad is an exceptional source to inspire campus planning and university excellence worldwide.
PM2.5 levels strongly associate with multiple sclerosis prevalence in the Province of Padua, Veneto Region, North-East Italy
Authors: Tateo Fabio , Grassivaro Francesca , Ermani Mario , Puthenparampil Marco , Gallo Paolo
Published: October 2018

Background:

Incidence and prevalence trends of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the Province of Padua, North-East Italy, suggest that environmental factors may be associated with increased MS risk.

Objective:

To investigate the association of PM2.5 with MS prevalence in one of the most polluted geographical area of Italy.

Methods:

In total, 1435 Italian MS patients residing in the Province of Padua were enrolled. The province surface was classified into urban areas, isolated villages, industrialized places, and countryside. Satellite-derived dust-free and sea salt-free PM2.5 concentrations (annual average 1998–2015, μg/m3) allowed the identification of 18 classes of territorial sections with statistically evaluable numbers of inhabitants. Possible correlations between residential locality types, PM2.5 concentrations, and MS prevalence were investigated.

Results:

MS prevalence was significantly ( p < 0.0001) higher in urban areas (ranging from 219 in Padua City to 169/100,000 in other urban areas) compared to isolated villages (116/100,000) or rural domains (109/100,000) and strongly correlated with the annual average concentration of PM2.5 ( r = 0.81, p < 0.001). Regression analysis further associated MS cases with PM.2.5 average concentration ( β = 0.11, p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

In the Province of Padua, MS prevalence is strongly associated with PM2.5 exposure suggesting that air pollutants may be one of the possible environmental risk factors for MS.
Disentangling policy convergence within the European Higher Education Area
Authors: Veiga Amélia , Magalhães António , Amaral Alberto
Published: October 2018

This paper addresses convergence as a political issue stemming from the political coordination of the European Higher Education Area. From the perspective of cultural theory, this issue relies on the fact that the influence of ways of life are not evenly influential in the political coordination of the European Higher Education Area. Convening the results of previous studies on the progress of Bologna, this paper underlines how goal displacement is challenging convergence in the ambit of the broader European Union political project. Additionally, the paper concludes that education within the European Higher Education Area is being configured by the prominence of the individualist and the fatalist ways of life.
Strategy and dialectics: Rejuvenating a long-standing relationship
Authors: Farjoun Moshe
Published: October 2018

This essay broadens the conversation on the state of organizational contradictions and paradox research by turning to dialectics—a time-honored, living perspective on social processes and relations, which continues to influence our understanding of the past, present, and future. Dialectics distinctive relational process worldview sets it apart from approaches stressing equilibrium, linearity, and coherence, making it highly relevant to a world in flux. I propose that dialectics is already present in strategy research and in contemporary business, and can become even more central to strategy, addressing core questions in the field and propelling it in new directions. Strategy scholars can draw on dialectics principles as a generative tool kit to construct new theories and managerial tools. Dialectics can also be used as a theoretical lens to understand emerging empirical phenomena such as the rapid advent of artificial intelligence. Finally, dialectics critical stance and philosophical grounding makes it a particularly attractive perspective for challenging existing theoretical models and for considering alternatives.
Adaptation by intelligent adversaries to defensive measures: framing adaptation options and demonstrating assessment of attacker preferences using proxy intelligence data
Authors: Jackson Brian A , Frelinger David R , Kavanagh Jennifer , Wallace Brett A
Published: October 2018

Addressing adaptation by intelligent adversaries and its implications for risk modeling and security planning requires understanding the ways attackers can respond to new defensive measures. Adversaries can make various types of tactical or target substitutions, seek to hide from defenses, avoid them without changing targets or locations, attack them directly, simply absorb and tolerate their effects, or make other organizational changes to compensate for them. Each of these options has distinct risk effects created directly or due to opportunity costs. Operationalizing this type of analysis requires linking the theoretical options adversaries have to what is known about their behavior. We illustrate that process by using a set of data sources to demonstrate how attacker preferences can be assessed. We use open-source historical data on past responses by al-Qa’ida and associated groups as a way to characterize the groups’ “expressed adaptation preferences.” As a prospective data set, we use a convenience sample of material from jihadist internet posting boards and a small selection of publicly released seized documents using quantitative coding for attacker preferences or decision drivers. The results of both sets of analyses demonstrate complementary ways for exploring preferences that have advantages for taking adversary adaptation into account in risk analysis and security planning.