bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A High Prevalence of Carotid Artery Stenosis in Male Patients Older Than 65 Years, Irrespective of Presenting Clinical Manifestation of Atherosclerotic Diseases
Authors: Kazemi-Bajestani Seyyed Mohammad Reza , van der Vlugt Maureen , de Leeuw Frank-Erik , Blankensteijn Jan D. , Bredie Sebastian J. H.
Published: May 2012

This study investigated the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis (CS) and the association with various risk factors in male patients (>65 years) diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases. Duplex sonography of the carotid arteries was performed in 434 of 473 eligible patients of whom 118 (27.8%) patients had significant CS ≥50%. The prevalence and severity of CS did not differ between patients who presented with neurological symptoms or acute coronary syndrome/peripheral artery disease (30.8% vs 25.9%, respectively). Among patients with CS, a higher rate of current smoking, a higher systolic blood pressure, and a lower glomerular filtration rate were observed compared with patients without CS. A history of coronary artery bypass graft was a significant predictor of the presence of CS ( P = .003, odds ratio [OR] = 2.70 [1.40-5.19]). The prevalence of CS in elderly males with manifest atherosclerotic disease is high, irrespective of presenting clinical manifestation.
In-Office Influenza Vaccination by US Pediatric Providers Varies Greatly and Is Higher Among Smaller Offices
Authors: Toback Seth L. , Rothstein Edward , Bhatt Praful , Carr William , Ambrose Christopher S.
Published: May 2012

During the 2010-2011 US influenza season, 105 pediatric and 13 family practice offices participated in a prospective observational study of in-office influenza vaccination of children. Office characteristics, influenza vaccinations, and vaccination-related activities were reported. Among pediatric offices, first dose vaccination rates (2% to 60%), 2-dose compliance (11% to 100%), the duration of vaccine availability (60-302 days), and office visit type (well vs sick vs clinic) used for vaccinations varied greatly. Pediatric offices had higher vaccination coverage than family practice offices, offered vaccine longer, and administered more vaccinations during sick visits. Smaller offices and higher staff vaccination rates were associated with higher vaccination coverage. Smaller offices and video reminders in waiting rooms were associated with enhanced 2-dose compliance among children younger than 9 years. A greater understanding of interoffice variability in influenza vaccine delivery by US pediatric providers should allow for the creation of more effective strategies to improve pediatric influenza vaccination rates.
Three Distinct Cases of Copper Deficiency in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients
Authors: Dembinski Karolina , Gargasz Anne Elizabeth , Dabrow Sharon , Rodriguez Lisa
Published: May 2012

Although copper deficiency is a rare occurrence in the developed world, attention should be given to the proper supplementation of minerals to at-risk pediatric patients. This study presents 3 distinct cases of copper deficiency in hospitalized patients aged 14 months, 6 years, and 12 years. Two patients had short bowel syndrome, requiring prolonged parenteral nutrition or complex intravenous fluid supplementation. The third patient was severely malnourished. Copper deficiency manifested in all of our patients as either microcytic anemia or pancytopenia with myelodysplastic syndrome. Copper deficiency is an important diagnosis to be considered in patients with prematurity, parenteral nutrition dependency, malabsorption, and/or those with malnutrition. More studies are needed to establish appropriate amounts of copper supplementation to replenish copper stores in deficient patients.
International Ecumenical Networking and Exchange of Resources in Theological Education: Two Innovative Models from the World Council of Churches
Authors: Werner Dietrich
Published: May 2012

International ecumenical networking and the exchange of resources in theological education is an issue for many regions in World Christianity. This article written by the International Program Coordinator of the program on Ecumenical Theological Education (ETE) in the World Council of Churches, Geneva, introduces two innovative projects which contribute to these objectives in distinct ways: one is the global digital library for theology and ecumenism (GlobeTheoLib) which provides access to a great number of full-text resources for its registered individual users and is operating in a multilingual setting. The other project is the global survey on theological education which is an international research project, born out of the Edinburgh 2010 process and the desire to have more exact empirical data on recent trends, needs and challenges for theological education in the churches within and outside the membership of WCC.
Encouraging Mexican-Heritage Youth to Intervene When Friends Drink
Authors: Kam Jennifer A. , Potocki Bridget , Hecht Michael L.
Published: May 2012

Drawing from primary socialization theory, we hypothesized that as Mexican-heritage youth engage in targeted parent-child communication against alcohol, they are more likely to disapprove of and consider the negative consequences of drinking alcohol. In turn, such antialcohol perceptions are likely to encourage them to intervene if a friend was to drink alcohol. The analyses were based on self-reported longitudinal data from 1,149 Mexican-heritage youth in sixth to eighth grades ( M = 12 years, SD = .61). As males and females engaged in targeted parent-child communication against alcohol, they were more likely to consider the negative consequences of alcohol consumption. Consequently, they reported that they would be more likely to intervene by talking to the friend or an adult. Disapproving of alcohol consumption played a minor role for male and female Mexican-heritage youth.
Mass Democracy, Class Struggle, and Remolding the Party and Government during the Land Reform Movement in North China
Authors: Li Fangchun
Published: May 2012

Through an investigation of the 1947–1948 campaign of remolding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the government, which was driven by the revolutionary idea of “mass democracy,” in the CCP-controlled “old areas” in North China, this article reveals both intrinsic connections and profound contradictions between this self-directed revolutionary movement and the discursive practices of “class struggle” in land reform. It also sheds light on a significant consequence of the movement: the birth of “rule-by-virtue democracy” and its quasi-institutionalized mode of operation of “mass-involved party rectification.”
The Making of Ethnic Yunnan on the National Mall
Authors: Li Jing
Published: May 2012

This article looks at Yunnan’s theatrical, overly professionalized minority folksong and dance performances at the 2007 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. Yunnan’s presentation presents an opportunity to explore the way a provincial government culturally and spatially imagines its governed administrative territory through ethnic performing arts on a global stage. The article argues that Yunnan’s image crafting is not only structured by the politics of international artistic exchange. It can also be viewed as a global extension of the Yunnan provincial government’s provincial identity project and economic development scheme back home. Its strategy, described as “the artifying of politics” by one of Yunnan’s cultural officials, reveals how ethnic performing arts are programmed to aestheticize Yunnan as a place and economic–cultural brand in this context, and, thus, how the Yunnan government manages both the politicization of art and the aestheticization of politics in order to carry out its economic agenda by way of aesthetic experience.
Comorbid Diabetes and Eating Disorders in Adult Patients
Authors: Gagnon Cynthia , Aimé Annie , Bélanger Claude , Markowitz Jessica Tuttman
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The lack of research concerning treatment for individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) and comorbid eating disorders (ED) contributes to the gulf between the psychosocial needs of individuals with the two conditions and the treatment they receive. Empirical evidence has established that the prognosis of patients with this comorbid diagnosis (ED-DM) is poor in the absence of a specialized DM treatment specifically adapted to ED. In individuals with DM, comorbid ED is associated with numerous complications. Despite these interactions, current knowledge about the comorbid diagnosis is limited, and eating disorders in patients with diabetes often remain undiagnosed. This article presents standard procedures for assessment and optimal therapeutic interventions for patients with ED and DM.

Conclusion

In patients with diabetes, problematic eating behaviors and symptoms should be assessed routinely. When an eating disorder is detected, diabetes management needs to be adapted, binge eating or medication misuse needs to be addressed, and eating disorder specialists should be included in the multidisciplinary team.
Effects of a Culturally Grounded Community-Based Diabetes Prevention Program for Obese Latino Adolescents
Authors: Shaibi Gabriel Q. , Konopken Yolanda , Hoppin Erica , Keller Colleen S. , Ortega Rocio , Castro Felipe González
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and preliminary effects of a culturally grounded, community-based diabetes prevention program among obese Latino adolescents.

Methods

Fifteen obese Latino adolescents (body mass index [BMI] percentile = 96.3 ± 1.1, age = 15.0 ± 0.9 years) completed a 12-week intervention that included weekly lifestyle education classes delivered by bilingual/bicultural promotoras and three, 60-minute physical activity sessions per week. Participants were assessed for anthropometrics (height, weight, BMI, and waist circumference), cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity/inactivity, nutrition behaviors, and insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance by a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test.

Results

The intervention resulted in significant decreases in BMI z score, BMI percentile, and waist circumference; increases in cardiorespiratory fitness; and decreases in physical inactivity and dietary fat consumption. In addition to these changes, the intervention led to significant improvements in insulin sensitivity and reductions in 2-hour glucose levels.

Conclusions

These results support the feasibility and efficacy of a community-based diabetes prevention program for high-risk Latino youth. Translational approaches that are both culturally grounded and biologically meaningful represent a novel and innovative strategy for closing the obesity-related health disparities gap.
Gender Differences in Chemical Carcinogenesis in National Toxicology Program 2-Year Bioassays
Authors: Kadekar Sandeep , Peddada Shyamal , Silins Ilona , French John E. , Högberg Johan , Stenius Ulla
Published: May 2012

Differences in cancer incidences between men and women are often explained by either differences in environmental exposures or by influences of sex hormones. However, there are few studies on intrinsic gender differences in susceptibility to chemical carcinogens. We have analyzed the National Toxicology Program (NTP) database for sex differences in rat responses to chemical carcinogens. We found that the odds that male rat bioassays were assigned a higher level of evidence than female rat bioassays was 1.69 ( p < .001). Of 278 carcinogenic chemicals in the database, 201 (72%) exhibited statistical gender differences ( p ≤ .05) in at least one nonreproductive organ. One hundred thirty of these 201 chemicals induced gender-specific tumors in male rats and 59 in female rats. Sixty-eight chemicals induced tumors in males but no tumors in females. Less than one third (i.e., 19 chemicals) induced tumors in females but not males. Male-specific tumors included pancreatic and skin tumors, and female-specific tumors included lung tumors. For some tumor sites, these differences in gender susceptibility can be associated with literature data on sex hormone receptor expression. In conclusion, gender-specific tumors were common. The male dominance is in line with recent human data, and the male susceptibility to carcinogens should be further studied.
Foundations for Self-Determination in Early Childhood
Authors: Palmer Susan B. , Summers Jean Ann , Brotherson Mary Jane , Erwin Elizabeth J. , Maude Susan P. , Stroup-Rentier Vera , Wu Hsiang-Yi , Peck Nancy F. , Zheng Yuzhu , Weigel Cindy J. , Chu Szu-Yin , McGrath Greg S. , Haines Shana J.
Published: May 2012

This article introduces the Early Childhood Foundations Model for Self-Determination and provides a rationale for the need to consider the foundations of self-determination behavior that begin early in life. This model is based on the premise that young children with disabilities benefit from a collaborative partnership between important adults in the lives of children to provide a supportive, stimulating, and coordinated environment between inclusive classrooms and home settings. Within partnership, the Foundations Model establishes the proposition that the basic foundational skills for developing self-determination in later life require young children with disabilities to gain skills in (a) choice-making and problem solving, (b) self-regulation, and (c) engagement. In this position paper, the authors review literature related to these three foundational constructs and present a rationale for use of the Foundations Model as a guide to developing systematic interventions to start young students with disabilities on the road to building a foundation for self-determination.
Bollywood Cinema’s Global Reach
Authors: Takhar Amandeep , Maclaran Pauline , Stevens Lorna
Published: May 2012

Using the British Sikh community as its research context, this article explores the influence of the Bollywood film genre on what Vertovic refers to as the “diasporic consciousness” in relation to this community. Bollywood attempts to speak to the diaspora by conveying a new sense of “Indian-ness,” one that is less about citizenship and more about imagined identity and community. The authors investigate what they have termed the “Indian imaginary” and how the values embedded therein impact on the lives of young British Sikhs. The findings discuss three emergent core themes: (1) reaffirming pride in Indian heritage; (2) evoking romance and longing; and (3) reinforcing family values and a sense of kinship within the British Sikh diaspora. The overall contribution of the article is twofold. First, it illustrates how the globalization of Bollywood affects the Indian diaspora at a local level. Second, it shows how Bollywood provides an important space for negotiating and reconciling various tensions between family-based and more individualistic value systems. Ultimately, then, Bollywood offers young British Sikhs a particular, hybridized representation of courtship and marriage that is both romantic and familial, and that serves to reconcile Eastern and Western marital relationship ideals and oppositional cultural discourses.
Special Issue on India
Authors: Venkatesh Alladi
Published: May 2012

This special issue focuses on India as an emergent and major global economy. The various articles selected for this issue provide an interesting set of perspectives that are facing the nation with the world’s second largest population. For macromarketing scholars, the issues addressed in this special issue are retail marketing developments; cultural issues concerning the most visible export of India, the “Bollywood” films; consumption choices in this growing economy; the rise of the middle class amid conditions of poverty; the gradual displacement of family businesses; and, finally, the branding of India for international travelers and cultural aficionados. Collectively, these articles make a significant contribution to the macromarketing literature. From a marketing standpoint, the story of resurgent India and the beginnings of a modern consumer economy begins in the early 1990s. That is, in spite of many challenges and some failed experiments, India is moving forward rather rapidly, and there are many critical signs of progress on several fronts. As observed by many, India is a land of contradictions and contrasts. While many languages are spoken in this nation, it is still able to act as a unified body politic and projects a unique national culture. Although nobody claims the country has reached a state of economic bliss, for poverty still haunts India, one can say that things are looking up and India is moving closer to self-sufficiency in some key sectors (e.g., agriculture) and is a global player in others (e.g., IT and software production). With an annual growth rate between 7 percent and 9 percent, India seems to be forging ahead. Other factors key to our analysis are the rise of the transnational elite and the emerging global Indian consumer, the large segment of youthful productive population, an inflow of foreign capital, and advancement of living conditions.
The Type-Scene Connection between Genesis 38 and the Joseph Story
Authors: Kruschwitz Jonathan
Published: May 2012

To many readers Genesis 38 seems incongruous with the Joseph story that envelops it. Yet structural and thematic elements shared between both stories reveal a type-scene connection that renders the stories' adjacent placement meaningful. In its concentrated plot replete with irony, Genesis 38 operates as a lens through which its audience might better understand the longer—but similarly shaped and irony-filled—plot of the Joseph story. In this study a preparatory review of relevant methodological concerns—including the narrative phenomena of irony, peripeteia (reversal), and anagnorisis (recognition)—facilitates in providing a basic illustration of the type-scene to which both stories adhere. This ‘counter-deceiver’ type-scene consists primarily of the following chain of events: an act of deception, an act of counter-deception, a confession or acknowledgment of wrongdoing, and a final anagnorisis. Because irony represents an ingredient integral to these events, tracing its presence in the two stories confirms as well as clarifies the contours of the type-scene.
Job's Attempt to Regain Control: Traces of a Babylonian Birth Incantation in Job 3
Authors: Langton Karen
Published: May 2012

Some have suggested that Job's ‘curse’ in ch. 3, beginning ‘Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth’ (3.1), is intended to prod God into allowing him to die (cf. 2.9) or perhaps to gain him an audience with God so that he can vindicate himself. However, the key to interpreting ch. 3 lies in understanding the womb imagery which is present in all three strophes. This article explores possible thematic and literary parallels between Job's opening speech in 3.1–10 and Akkadian birth incantations, and suggests that the opening speech is a satirical reversal of a birth incantation designed to undo his birth rather than to assist a birth.
Jezebel, Elijah, and the Widow of Zarephath: A Ménage à Trois that Estranges the Holy and Makes the Holy the Strange
Authors: Wyatt Stephanie
Published: May 2012

This article offers a dialogical examination of 1 Kgs 17–19 that deconstructs traditionally accepted characterizations of Jezebel, Elijah, and the Widow of Zarephath. This study proposes that shifting emphasis from Elijah and Jezebel as polar opposites to a literary ménage à trois that involves all three characters makes it possible for the holy man to become a stranger and the strange women to become holy. The narrative tensions thus revealed question the validity of Israel's definitive identity markers. When reading the stories of Jezebel, Elijah, and the Widow of Zarephath in the Deuteronomistic History, clear-cut distinctions between ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ continually collapse.
Micro/meso-scale damage analysis of three-dimensional orthogonal woven composites based on sub-repeating unit cells
Authors: Jia Xiwen , Xia Zihui , Gu Bohong
Published: May 2012

The mechanical responses including damage mechanisms for surface and interior parts of three-dimensional orthogonal woven composite have been analyzed by the multi-scale finite element method. Based on fabric architecture and fiber volume fraction in the three-dimensional orthogonal woven composite, the meso-scale repeating unit cells model and micro-scale repeating unit cell model are established. The periodic boundary conditions are applied to the micro-repeating unit cell and meso-repeating unit cell models. Appropriate failure criteria and a post-damage constitutive model are used to simulate the failures of fiber/fiber-bundles and resin in the micro/meso-scale repeating unit cells. A new elastic material model with damage propagation is defined with the user-defined material subroutine in commercial finite element software package ABAQUS/Standard. Mechanical behaviors including initiation and propagation of damage in micro/meso repeating unit cells under different loadings have been simulated with the user-defined material subroutine and the ABAQUS/Standard. The simulation results are compared with the experimental observations and they are in good agreement.
Chemical and sewage sludge co-incineration in a full-scale MSW incinerator: toxic trace element mass balance
Authors: Biganzoli Laura , Grosso Mario , Giugliano Michele , Campolunghi Manuel
Published: May 2012

Co-incineration of sludges with MSW is a quite common practice in Europe. This paper illustrates a case of co-incineration of both sewage sludges and chemical sludges, the latter obtained from drinking water production, in a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant located in northern Italy and equipped with a grate furnace, and compares the toxic trace elements mass balance with and without the co-incineration of sludges. The results show that co-incineration of sewage and chemical sludges does not result in an increase of toxic trace elements the total release in environment, with the exception of arsenic, whose total release increases from 1 mg tfuel−1 during standard operation to 3 mg tfuel−1 when sludges are co-incinerated. The increase of arsenic release is, however, attributable to the sole bottom ashes, where its concentration is five times higher during sludge co-incineration. No variation is observed for arsenic release at the stack. This fact is a further guarantee that the co-incineration of sludges, when performed in a state-of-the-art WTE plant, does not have negative effects on the atmospheric environment.
Resource management performance in Bahrain: a systematic analysis of municipal waste management, secondary material flows and organizational aspects
Authors: Al Sabbagh Maram K , Velis Costas A , Wilson David C , Cheeseman Christopher R
Published: May 2012

This paper presents a detailed review of municipal solid waste (MSW) and resource management in Bahrain, using the recently developed UN-Habitat city profile methodology. Performance indicators involve quantitative assessment of waste collection and sweeping, controlled disposal, materials recovery and financial sustainability together with qualitative assessment of user and provider inclusivity and institutional coherence. MSW management performance in Bahrain is compared with data for 20 other cities. The system in Bahrain is at an intermediate stage of development. A waste/material flow diagram allows visualization of the MSW system and quantifies all inputs and outputs, with the vast majority of MSW deposited in a controlled, but not engineered landfill. International comparative analysis shows that recycling and material recovery rates in Bahrain (8% wt. for domestic waste, of which 3% wt. due to informal sector) are generally lower than other cities, whereas waste quantities and generation rates at 1.1 kg capita−1 day−1) are relatively high. The organic fraction (60% wt.) is comparable to that in middle- and low-income cities (50–80% wt.), although on the basis of gross domestic product Bahrain is classified as a high-income city, for which the average is generally less than 30% wt. Inclusivity in waste governance is at a medium stage as not all waste system stakeholders are considered in decision-making. While the system now appears to be financially stable, key pending issues are cost-effectiveness, improving the standards of disposal and deployment of extensive materials recovery/recycling services.
Solid waste characterization in Kétao, a rural town in Togo, West Africa
Authors: Edjabou Maklawe Essonanawe , Møller Jacob , Christensen Thomas H
Published: May 2012

In Africa the majority of solid waste data is for big cities. Small and rural towns are generally neglected and waste data from these areas are often unavailable, which makes planning a proper solid waste management difficult. This paper presents the results from two waste characterization projects conducted in Kétao, a rural town in Togo during the rainy season and the dry season in 2010. The seasonal variation has a significant impact on the waste stream. The household waste generation rate was estimated at 0.22 kg person−1 day−1 in the dry season and 0.42 in the rainy season. Likewise, the waste moisture content was 4% in the dry season while it was 33–63% in the rainy season. The waste consisted mainly of soil and dirt characterized as ‘other’ (41%), vegetables and putrescibles (38%) and plastic (11%). In addition to these fractions, considerable amounts of material are either recycled or reused locally and do not enter the waste stream. The study suggests that additional recycling is not feasible, but further examination of the degradability of the organic fraction is needed in order to assess whether the residual waste should be composed or landfilled.
Unsafe in the Camouflage Tower
Authors: Snyder Jamie A. , Fisher Bonnie S. , Scherer Heidi L. , Daigle Leah E.
Published: May 2012

Few studies have examined sexual victimization among cadets and midshipmen at the three U.S. Military Academies. Self-report data from the 2005 Service Academy Sexual Assault Survey of Cadets and Midshipmen ( n = 5,220) were used to examine the extent of unwanted sexual attention, sexual harassment, unwanted sexual contact, sexual coercion, and rape within the last academic year and their effects on cadets’ and midshipmen’s perceptions of their leadership’s morality and intolerance for sexual victimization. About 60% of cadets and midshipmen experienced at least one type of sexual victimization and 25% reported that they had experienced polyvictimization (e.g., two or more types). Eighty-six percent of female and 42% of male cadets and midshipmen were sexually victimized. Those who were sexually victimized had significantly more negative views of their leadership’s morality and intolerance for sexual victimization than nonvictims. Cadets and midshipmen who reported experiencing polyvictimization were more likely to perceive leadership as less moral and more tolerant of sexual victimization than those experiencing a single type. This pattern also was observed for gender-specific models; both male and female victims reported more negative perceptions of leadership. Implications concerning the effects of sexual victimization on military leadership are discussed.
Force control in a parallel manipulator through virtual foundations
Authors: Bera Tarun Kumar , Merzouki Rochdi , Ould Bouamama Belkacem , Samantaray Arun Kumar
Published: May 2012

An overwhelming controller provides robustness against uncertain parameters, disturbances and un-modelled dynamics. A simplified inverse dynamics model is used in the present paper to develop an overwhelming controller for a parallel manipulator (a Stewart platform), where the controller accommodates modelling uncertainties such as the simplifications made for development of the inverse model in order to improve the computational efficiency. Such a control strategy leads to good trajectory tracking accuracy in the presence of unknown disturbances. However, in addition to trajectory tracking performance, the controller for a Stewart platform should also be able to control or limit the interaction forces in applications such as robot assisted surgery and low-impact docking. The environmental forces can be accommodated during the interaction period by modulating the impedance at the interface of manipulator and environment through virtual flexible foundations. The positional error induced during the force control phase can be recovered during the free flight or idle phase. While this approach has been used successfully in the past to control serial manipulators, the closed loop kinematic architecture in a parallel manipulator introduces many difficulties. This paper proposes a modified overwhelming control scheme for parallel manipulators with compensations for interaction force control and positional error recovery. Bond graph modelling is used as an integrated model and controller development tool. Force controlled machining on a spherical surface, which is akin to a surgical operation, is considered as an example application of the developed control strategy. The simulation results from the bond graph model of the controlled Stewart platform are presented to demonstrate the performance of the developed hybrid position force controller.
Field, capital and habitus: An oral history of women in accounting in Australia during World War II
Authors: Ikin Catherine , Johns Leanne , Hayes Colleen
Published: May 2012

In this article we provide an oral history of women who worked as accountants in Australia during World War II. We use Bourdieu’s theory of practice to identify the accounting profession as a hierarchical field, where relative positions are defined in terms of associated cultural, social and symbolic capital. Women were historically excluded from the profession as they lacked the requisite capital. However, the shortage of male accountants during World War II led to women being employed in otherwise male-dominated positions. We find that women responded positively to this opportunity and challenged the general belief that they were unsuited to accounting work. Furthermore, women received support from male accountants with whom they worked.
Re-visiting the interface between race and accounting:Filipino workers at the Hamakua Mill Company, 1921–1939
Authors: Dyball Maria Cadiz , Rooney Jim
Published: May 2012

The interface of race and accounting in Hawaiian sugar plantations is a subject that is unresolved in Accounting History (Fleischman & Tyson, 2000, 2002; Burrows, 2002). The authors interpret surviving archival material of the Hamakua Mill Company from 1921 to 1939 to shed further light on the “dark side of accounting” in the control of Filipino workers. We find that accounting was not complicit in the suppression of Filipinos’ wages and job advancement. Individual worker productivity data, the absence of which Fleischman and Tyson (2000) ascribe to the salience of race in labour control, was developed and used from the 1920s. Racialisation continued, however, in our view, driven by business imperatives to manage scarce human resources. Management knowingly used this accounting information to identify preferred workers and reduce worker turnover and meet U.S. Immigration requirements. Archival evidence also points to improved opportunities for advancement.
A genealogy of calculations at an early Queensland sugar mill
Authors: Irvine Helen
Published: May 2012

This study of a unique historic situation is sociologically framed and politically contextualized. It examines the technical and persuasive rhetorical dimensions of calculations employed at a nineteenth-century Queensland sugar plantation and mill in relation to the employment of indentured labour. Historical archival data is interpreted through the lens of the rhetoric of rationality. Queensland legislation permitted the employment of indentured Pacific islanders to assist in the development of its sugar industry. Accounting practices employed at the Colonial Sugar Refinery (CSR) Company’s Goondi Plantation and Mill focused on recording and controlling labour costs to maximize profits and maintain a healthy dividend to shareholders. The use of this single perspective, while it provides a restricted interpretation of events, nevertheless enables some unique insights about the practice of accounting in this historic context.
Evaluation of HistoGel™-embedded specimens for use in veterinary diagnostic pathology
Authors: Joiner Kellye S. , Spangler Elizabeth A.
Published: May 2012

HistoGel™ is an aqueous specimen-processing gel that encapsulates and suspends histologic and cytologic specimens in a solidified medium. HistoGel-embedded specimens can then be processed and evaluated by routine histologic and immunohistochemical methods. This methodology has been used in human diagnostic pathology and is especially useful for small, friable, or viscous tissue samples that are difficult to process. In addition, special histochemical stains or immunohistochemistry can be performed on HistoGel-embedded cytologic specimens using standardized methods developed for histopathology. The current report describes several applications for HistoGel, including use with cytologic specimens, bone marrow aspirates, retention of tissue orientation for endoscopic biopsy specimens, and evaluation of friable tissues. Samples were encapsulated in HistoGel, fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, routinely processed, paraffin embedded, and sectioned for histochemical and immunohistochemical evaluation. The results of this study support the use of HistoGel in veterinary diagnostic pathology.
Pathogenesis of nonsuppurative encephalitis caused by highly pathogenic Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus
Authors: Cao Jianbo , Li Bin , Fang Liurong , Chen Huanchun , Xiao Shaobo
Published: May 2012

Since 2006, an unprecedented epidemic of highly pathogenic Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) infection has emerged and prevailed in mainland China, causing so called high fever disease with a nervous symptom that is different from typical porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. To investigate this syndrome, the brains of pigs inoculated with HP-PRRSV were analyzed. The nucleic acid of HP-PRRSV was detected in brains by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Histological examination demonstrated nonsuppurative encephalitis with lymphohistiocytic perivascular cuffing and infiltration of these leukocytes into the neuropil. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy revealed that the HP-PRRSV that infected the endothelial cells crossed the blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system then induced cellular damage to neurons and neuroglial cells. These results provide a general insight into the pathway of HP-PRRSV invasion into brain tissue and the pathogenesis of nonsuppurative encephalitis.
Goals, Success Factors, and Barriers for Simulation-Based Learning
Authors: Dieckmann Peter , Friis Susanne Molin , Lippert Anne , Østergaard Doris
Published: May 2012

Introduction: This study describes (a) process goals, (b) success factors, and (c) barriers for optimizing simulation-based learning environments within the simulation setting model developed by Dieckmann. Methods: Seven simulation educators of different experience levels were interviewed using the Critical Incident Technique. Results: (a) The main process goals were to enhance learning, engage participants, and aid the application of what was learned during the course. (b) As success factors, educators stated their own competencies and attitudes, motivation and openness of participants, and a functional environment. (c) As barriers, educators stated a lack of willingness to actively engage in simulation by the participants and time pressure. The results emphasize the need to consider jointly the interrelated elements of simulation-based learning environments to optimize the use of educational simulation. Discussion: The results support the applicability of Dieckmann’s setting model to describe simulation-based courses and emphasize the diversity of factors that need to be considered in optimizing simulation practice. This article can serve as a practical aid for educators within health care simulation settings and in other domains.
NEGOTIATING ON POVERTY
Authors: Ansoms An
Published: May 2012

NEGOTIATING ON POVERTY is a collective game that allows participants to discover the concrete difficulties in assessing the multiple dimensions of poverty Participants are divided into groups of seven to simulate a participatory poverty assessment (a social wealth-ranking exercise) that takes place in an imaginary small village in some developing country. The game allows participants to gain an insight into the ways in which power asymmetries, economic interdependencies, gender relations, and personal affinities at the local level shape perceptions on poverty.
Innovation Diffusion
Authors: Kovalik Cindy L. , Kuo Chia-Ling
Published: May 2012

This research project investigated student reaction to playing the DIFFUSION SIMULATION GAME (DSG) and how an instructor, who is a novice in playing online games, implemented the DSG in an online higher education course. The goal of this research project was to determine whether playing the DSG helps students learn and apply course content. In addition, the authors sought to understand how to implement and use the DSG effectively as an integral part of the online Managing Technological Change course. Results indicated that student reaction to playing the game was very positive and students felt the game helped them better understand the change process. For example, students felt the DSG provided insight into school culture, the amount of time needed to implement a change, and the need for a change agent to be flexible. The instructor learned the importance of clearly identifying learning goals when using the DSG in an online course and realized that debriefing is a critical component of using games or simulations for learning.
News Framing and Public Opinion
Authors: Lecheler Sophie , de Vreese Claes H.
Published: May 2012

There is no satisfactory account of the psychological processes that mediate a news framing effect. Based on an experimental study ( N = 1,537), this article presents a mediation analysis of a news framing effect on opinion, testing for two important mediation processes: belief importance and belief content change. Results show that framing is mediated by both belief importance and belief content, with belief content being the more prominent variable. The extent to which each process takes effect depends on a person’s level of political knowledge. Knowledgeable individuals are affected to a greater extent via both belief content and belief importance change.
Invisible boundaries in the construction of ethnic identity: A systemic development perspective
Authors: Rodríguez Lilian , Rodríguez Jennifer , Mojica Ana María
Published: May 2012

The study of the construction of an ethnic identity is the central theme in the research carried out by Haan and Leander (2011) . They analyze the dialogical relationships that occur in social spaces, which serve as mediators for forging the identity of children and young people. Analysis allows them to characterize the social representations and patterns, which provide information on the personal positions (and counter-positions) constructed among different ethnic groups. However, we, being situated in the systemic perspective of development, offer a route which does not oppose the proposals of the authors, but on the contrary, we consider that it could be complementary for the understanding of this phenomenon, since we assume that the development of each person is open by nature and that it is in constant interaction with other systems (family, academic, social and cultural). This interaction generated its own dynamics which makes new forms of organization possible and contributes to the construction of identity. We support our reflections with cases of Latin American students who recount situations related to the construction of identity. Our conclusions are directed towards recognizing that this phenomenon is complex and requires analysis from different points of view, which contributes to its understanding.
European Economic and Monetary Union’s perverse effects on sectoral wage inflation: Negative feedback effects from institutional change?
Authors: Johnston Alison
Published: May 2012

Public sector unions push for unmerited wage increases, exacerbating inflation and deficits. Despite this conventional wisdom, governments in several European countries successfully limited public sector wage growth during the 1980s and 1990s. This article argues that the recent rise in public sector wage inflation in the eurozone is an unintended consequence of the shift towards Economic and Monetary Union. I argue that monetary union’s predecessors, the European Monetary System and Maastricht, imposed an institutional constraint on governments, which enhanced their ability to impose moderation: national-level, inflation-averse central banks that could punish rent-seeking sectoral wage-setters via monetary contraction. Monetary union’s alteration of this constraint weakened governments’ capabilities to deny inflationary settlements.
Distributive politics and intergovernmental transfers: The local allocation of European Union structural funds
Authors: Dellmuth Lisa Maria , Stoffel Michael F
Published: May 2012

The European Union budget is distributed primarily in the form of intergovernmental grants to sub-state governments, which invest the grants in local projects. Transfers are allocated under the auspices of the European structural funds. This article assesses the causal links between electoral incentives on the recipient side, European funding goals, and local grant allocation. Tobit regressions of the allocation patterns in 419 local districts in Germany for the period 2000–6 suggest the following: although recipient sub-state governments enjoy substantial discretion in selecting projects, their distributive choices are largely in accord with European goals. As theoretically predicted, however, there is robust evidence that sub-state governments’ electoral concerns distort the local allocation of structural funds.
Aging out: Youths’ perspectives on foster care and the transition to independence
Authors: Cunningham Miranda J. , Diversi Marcelo
Published: May 2012

Foster youth in the United States face significant barriers in a transition to independence which is markedly abrupt compared to the ‘emerging adulthood’ that is expected of most young adults. While many of the difficulties that foster youth face in this transition are known at the larger demographic level, first-person narratives of the process of ‘aging out’ of foster care are largely missing from academic literature. To date, most qualitative studies rely on methods that are not grounded in trust-based relationships between researchers and youth (e.g. hit-and-run focus groups, interviews conducted by research assistants unknown to youth, indirect assessment of youths’ emotional states). In an attempt to advance youths’ own narratives, we used critical ethnography to engage youth in sharing their perspectives on the process of ‘aging out’ of foster care. Youths expressed anxiety about their subjective experiences of ‘aging out’, including economic challenges and housing instability, loss of social support, and pressure to be self-reliant. Youths’ narratives during the early stages of transition from foster care provide insights for professionals, policy makers, and future research.
Bridging the Gap Between Problem Recognition and Treatment
Authors: Hughes Linda C.
Published: May 2012

Delayed access to physicians has been identified as a factor in preventable adverse patient events during hospitalization. Nurses as front-line providers are well positioned to provide a timely response to the needs of patients. Yet legal regulations and hospital policies limit the actions nurses can initiate without physician authorization. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe what experienced critical care nurses do when they recognize a problem that warrants treatment but lack physician authorization to intervene. The 13 nurses who participated in this study bridged the gap between problem recognition and treatment by communicating proactively, being persistent, running interference for other nurses, and, in some situations, acting without physician authorization. Revising legal regulations and hospital policies to incorporate greater acknowledgment of the overlapping functions between medicine and nursing and recognition of the knowledge and expertise of experienced nurses may be important in reducing unnecessary treatment delays during hospitalization.
Loss of Synaptophysin Immunoexpression in Primary Progressive Aphasia
Authors: Lippa Carol F. , Rosso Andrea L.
Published: May 2012

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is characterized by progressive loss of language, unassociated with generalized cognitive loss and with no uniform pathological abnormality. To address whether the issue of PPA is associated with synaptic loss, we compared immunoreactivity in Broca’s area with that in the adjacent gyrus from a case of progressive, nonfluent PPA using antibodies against synaptophysin. Using semiautomated methods, we assessed serial 0.10 mm2 diameter areas from the cortical surface to the white matter in both the case and the control. In PPA, synaptophysin immunoreactivity was significantly less in Broca’s area than in the adjacent area (optical densities of 0.16 and 0.24). The reduced synaptophysin immunoreactivity was significantly greater in the upper cortex than in the regions of cortex adjacent to the white matter (mean optical densities of 0.14 and 0.18). These data suggest that synaptic loss may be a factor underlying the language deficits in PPA.
Impact of oral simvastatin therapy on acute lung injury in mice during pneumococcal pneumonia
Authors: Boyd Angela R , Hinojosa Cecilia A , Rodriguez Perla J , Orihuela Carlos J
Published: May 2012

Background

Recent studies suggest that the reported protective effects of statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) against community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and sepsis in humans may be due to confounders and a healthy user-effect. To directly test whether statins are protective against Streptococcus pneumoniae, the leading cause of CAP, we examined the impact of prolonged oral simvastatin therapy at physiologically relevant doses in a mouse model of pneumococcal pneumonia. BALB/c mice were placed on rodent chow containing 0 mg/kg (control), 12 mg/kg (low simvastatin diet [LSD]; corresponds to 1.0 mg/kg/day), or 120 mg/kg (high simvastatin diet [HSD]; corresponds to 10 mg/kg/day) simvastatin for four weeks, infected intratracheally with S. pneumoniae serotype 4 strain TIGR4, and sacrificed at 24, 36, or 42 h post-infection for assessment of lung histology, cytokine production, vascular leakage and edema, bacterial burden and bloodstream dissemination. Some mice received ampicillin at 12-h intervals beginning at 48 h post-infection and were monitored for survival. Immunoblots of homogenized lung samples was used to assess ICAM-1 production.

Results

Mice receiving HSD had reduced lung consolidation characterized by less macrophage and neutrophil infiltration and a significant reduction in the chemokines MCP-1 (P = 0.03) and KC (P = 0.02) and ICAM-1 in the lungs compared to control mice. HSD mice also had significantly lower bacterial titers in the blood at 36 (P = 0.007) and 42 (P = 0.03) hours post-infection versus controls. LSD had a more modest effect against S. pneumoniae but also resulted in reduced bacterial titers in the lungs and blood of mice after 42 h and a reduced number of infiltrated neutrophils. Neither LSD nor HSD mice had reduced mortality in a pneumonia model where mice received ampicillin 48 h after challenge.

Conclusions

Prolonged oral simvastatin therapy had a strong dose-dependent effect on protection against S. pneumoniae as evidenced by reduced neutrophil infiltration, maintenance of vascular integrity, and lowered chemokine production in the lungs of mice on HSD. Statin therapy also protected through reduced bacterial burden in the lungs. Despite these protective correlates, mortality in the simvastatin-receiving cohorts was equivalent to controls. Thus, oral simvastatin at physiologically relevant doses only modestly protects against pneumococcal pneumonia.