bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters Complicated by Vascular Erosion in Neonates
Authors: Blackwood Brian P. , Farrow Kathryn N. , Kim Stan , Hunter Catherine J.
Published: February 2015

Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are widely used in the pediatric population, and their use continues to grow in popularity. These catheters provide a reliable source of venous access to neonatal patients but can also be the cause of life‐threatening complications. There are several well‐documented complications such as infections, catheter thrombosis, vascular extravasations, and fractured catheters. However, the complication of vascular erosion into the pleural space using both small and silicone‐based catheters is rarely described. After obtaining institutional review board approval, we identified 4 cases to review of PICCs complicated by vascular erosions in the past 2 years. Herein, we also review the current literature of PICC complications. Getting the catheter tip as close to the atrial‐caval junction as possible and confirmation of this placement are of the utmost importance. The thick wall of the vena cava near the atrium seems to be less likely to perforate; in addition, this position provides increased volume and turbulence to help dilute the hyperosmolar fluid, which seems to also be a factor in this complication. A daily screening chest x‐ray in patients with upper extremity PICCs and ongoing parenteral nutrition (PN) are not necessary at this time given the overall low rate of vascular erosion and concerns regarding excessive radiation exposure in pediatric populations. However, a low threshold for chest x‐ray imaging in patients with even mild respiratory symptoms in the setting of upper extremity PN is recommended.
Quality of Life in a Randomized Trial of Nasogastric Tube Feeding in Acute Pancreatitis
Authors: Pendharkar Sayali A. , Plank Lindsay D. , Windsor John A. , Petrov Maxim S.
Published: February 2015

Background: Recent clinical studies have shown that nasogastric tube feeding is safe in the majority of patients with acute pancreatitis. Patient‐reported outcomes are important, but the impact of nasogastric tube feeding on the quality of life has not been investigated. This study aims to compare quality of life between nasogastric tube feeding and nil‐by‐mouth groups during and after hospitalization. Methods: Patient‐reported outcomes were recorded daily in a patient diary during hospitalization. The Abdominal Surgery Impact Scale questionnaire was used to determine patients' quality of life. The patients were then followed up at 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months after discharge. Results: While 17 patients were randomized to nasogastric tube feeding, 18 were put on nil‐by‐mouth. The overall quality of life and individual domains did not differ significantly between the groups during hospitalization (P = .500) or follow‐up. For the entire cohort, individual quality‐of‐life domains during hospitalization improved significantly, including functional impairment (P < .001), pain (P < .001), sleep (P = .035), and psychological function (P < .001). Quality of life further improved for all patients from time of hospital discharge to 3 (P = .002) and 6 months follow‐up (P < .001) but not to 1 week and 1 month. Conclusions: The use of nasogastric tube feeding, in comparison with nil‐by‐mouth, does not impair patients' quality of life. Given the clinical benefits of nasogastric tube feeding, nasogastric feeding should be considered the first‐line approach in all acute pancreatitis patients requiring enteral nutrition.
From Dozy’s Source Analyses Towards an Interdisciplinary Approach to Avoiding Muslim and Christian Stereotypes
Authors: Shaban Osama , Quesada Juan Martos , Graiño Cristina Segura
Published: February 2015

European scholarship developed a strong a tradition of Oriental studies, especially from the nineteenth century. A Dutch hispanismo was born from the pioneering spirit of some scholars who realized the importance of drawing more attention to the Spanish culture and language in the late nineteenth century. Notably, the history of al-Andalus did not prompt any great interest, except for the scholar Reinhart Dozy whose work exerted a major influence both in his time and later. This article aims to examine whether Dozy’s writings on the topic of the Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula tend to stereotype both the Arab and the Christian Latin cultures as a result of his analyses of historical sources. Some of the Dozy’s source interpretations, which have been thoroughly studied elsewhere, are brought here and refuted in an attempt to raise the issue of the impact of bias in a text presentation when it comes to the reader’s assumption about Muslims and Christians from the medieval historical period. In addition, this article points out some putative determinant factors in Dozy’s analyses of the sources based on his known private and academic life. We may conclude that Dozy’s approach to the subject of Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula fails to present the account of this Iberian period in all its otherness. Nowadays, this abridgment can be overcome with an integrated approach in which perspectives emerging from different disciplines are applied in order to render interesting empirical and theoretical insights.
Reflections on the role of information retrieval for development
Authors: Sharma Ravi S
Published: February 2015

This commentary is based on the keynote address delivered at the Golden Jubilee of the Department of Library and Information Science, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. It is one of the oldest LIS programmes in the region, and was inspired by the late Professor SR Ranganathan who envisaged the information sciences as an engine to growth and development. Alas, information science programmes have not made the intended impact in India that the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have. This has been the case with most developing economies. Why? The following commentary attributes this to an era of missed opportunities.
The effects of surface neuromuscular electrical stimulation on post-stroke dysphagia: a systemic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Chen Yi-Wen , Chang Kwang-Hwa , Chen Hung-Chou , Liang Wen-Miin , Wang Ya-Hui , Lin Yen-Nung
Published: February 2015

Objective:

In this study, we intended to evaluate whether swallow treatment with neuromuscular electrical stimulation is superior to that without neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and whether neuromuscular electrical stimulation alone is superior to swallow therapy.

Methods:

We searched the PubMed and Scopus databases from their earliest record to 31 December 2014 for randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials that used neuromuscular electrical stimulation to treat post-stroke dysphagia. The Jadad scale was used to assess the quality of the included studies. We extracted the mean differences and standard deviation (SD) between baseline and posttreatment or posttreatment mean and SD for selected outcomes measured in the experimental and control groups for subsequent meta-analyses.

Results:

Eight studies were identified. For the comparison “swallow treatment with neuromuscular electrical stimulation vs. swallow treatment without neuromuscular electrical stimulation,” we found a significant standardized mean difference (SMD) of 1.27 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.51–2.02, P = 0.001) with significant heterogeneity ( I2 = 85%). The meta-analysis for the comparison of neuromuscular electrical stimulation alone and swallow therapy demonstrated a non-significant SMD of 0.25 (95% CI = –0.16–0.65, P = 0.23) without significant heterogeneity ( I2 = 16%).

Conclusion:

Swallow treatment with neuromuscular electrical stimulation seems to be more effective than that without neuromuscular electrical stimulation for post-stroke dysphagia in the short term considering the limited number of studies available. Evidence was insufficient to indicate that neuromuscular electrical stimulation alone was superior to swallow therapy.
Making concepts more explicit for geomorphology
Authors: Gregory K.J. , Lewin J.
Published: February 2015

The nature, prevalence and function of concepts in geomorphology are reviewed. Following definition of the term, we consider how and where concepts have been used, and how their usage may be structured. While geomorphology is rich in conceptual ideas, many are informally held and can often remain untested by conventional scientific methods. It is concluded that concepts should receive greater specific recognition and examination, both to enhance the science of geomorphology and also for pedagogic reasons because key conceptual ideas can inspire student interest prior to the demanding levels of technical learning that the subject now demands.
Distal Biceps Brachii Tendon Repairs
Authors: Shields Edward , Olsen Joshua R. , Williams Richard B. , Rouse Lucien , Maloney Michael , Voloshin Ilya
Published: February 2015

Background:

Distal biceps brachii tendon repairs performed with a tension slide technique using a cortical button (CB) and interference screw are stronger than those based on suture fixation through bone tunnels (BTs) in biomechanical studies. However, clinical comparison of these 2 techniques is lacking in the literature.

Purpose:

To perform a clinical comparison of the single-incision CB and double-incision BT techniques.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Distal biceps tendon ruptures repaired through either the single-incision CB or double-incision BT technique were retrospectively identified at a single institution. Patients >1 year out from surgery were assessed for range of motion, strength, and complications, and they completed a DASH questionnaire (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand).

Results:

Patients in the CB group (n = 20) were older (52 ± 9.5 vs 43.7 ± 8.7 years; P = .008), had a shorter interval from surgery to evaluation (17.7 ± 5 vs 30.8 ± 16.5 months; P = .001), and were less likely to smoke (0% vs 28.5%; P = .02) compared with the BT patients (n = 21). DASH scores were similar between groups (4.46 ± 4.4 [CB] vs 5.7 ± 7.5 [BT]; P = .65). Multivariate analysis revealed no differences in range of motion or strength between groups. More CB patients (30%; n = 6) experienced a complication compared with those in the BT group (4.8%; n = 1) ( P = .04), and these complications were predominantly paresthesias of the superficial radial nerve that did not resolve. There were no reoperations or repair failures in either group.

Conclusion:

Both the single-incision CB and double-incision BT techniques provided excellent clinical results. Complications were more common in the single-incision CB group and most commonly involved paresthesias of the superficial radial nerve.
Book Review: RONIT RICCI, Islam Translated: Literature, Conversion, and the Arabic Cosmopolis of South and Southeast Asia
Authors: Asif Manan Ahmed
Published: February 2015

RONIT RICCI, Islam Translated: Literature, Conversion, and the Arabic Cosmopolis of South and Southeast Asia (Delhi: Permanent Black), 2011, pp. 336.
Economical carbon and cellulosic sheet moulding compounds for semi- and non-structural applications
Authors: Brookbank P , Savage L , Evans KE
Published: February 2015

The use of discontinuous carbon fibre plastics (DCFP) in automotive applications is increasing. The material offers a light weight and stiff alternative to conventional short-fibre glass-reinforced composites such as sheet moulding compounds (SMC). Prohibiting factors to wider utilisation of this material are cost and formability. Carbon moulding compounds available commercially are expensive containing high fibre volume fractions (Vf) which hinders or stops flow during moulding. This study examines the flexural and impact performance of cheaper carbon fibre (CFSMC) and cellulosic SMC grades produced using a standard, polyester, SMC production route where flow during moulding has be retained.

Mechanical properties were assessed relative to increasing fibre length, volume fraction and bundle morphology. It was found that although much lower Vfs were employed, the new CFSMC grades offered superior impact strength when compared to commercially available DCFPs. The optimal impact performance achieved by CFSMC and cellulosic SMC samples were 103 KJ/m2 and 76 KJ/m2, respectively. These CFSMC and cellulosic SMCs had an average density of 1.62 g/cm3 and 1.57 g/cm3 compared to an average commercial value of 1.50 g/cm3, respectively. The developed SMCs have the potential as a cost-effective replacement to commercial carbon fibre SMC grades in semi- and non-structural applications where impact rather than stiffness is paramount.
Computer Use and Computer Anxiety in Older Korean Americans
Authors: Yoon Hyunwoo , Jang Yuri , Xie Bo
Published: February 2015

Responding to the limited literature on computer use in ethnic minority older populations, the present study examined predictors of computer use and computer anxiety in older Korean Americans. Separate regression models were estimated for computer use and computer anxiety with the common sets of predictors: (a) demographic variables (age, gender, marital status, and education), (b) physical health indicators (chronic conditions, functional disability, and self-rated health), and (c) sociocultural factors (acculturation and attitudes toward aging). Approximately 60% of the participants were computer-users, and they had significantly lower levels of computer anxiety than non-users. A higher likelihood of computer use and lower levels of computer anxiety were commonly observed among individuals with younger age, male gender, advanced education, more positive ratings of health, and higher levels of acculturation. In addition, positive attitudes toward aging were found to reduce computer anxiety. Findings provide implications for developing computer training and education programs for the target population.
Shifting to Medicaid-Managed Long-Term Care
Authors: Peterson Lindsay J. , Hyer Kathryn
Published: February 2015

Purpose: To examine and assess the adequacy of informational material provided to Florida long-term care beneficiaries being required to choose a managed care provider as part of a statewide, mandatory shift to Medicaid-managed long-term care (MMLTC). Design and Method: Informational materials provided by the state of Florida to 90,000 Medicaid long-term care beneficiaries via print mailings and a state website were examined using established content, usability, and readability criteria. Results: Overall, the presentation minimized cognitive complexity, but the information was lacking in critical areas, such as providing clear explanations of the change taking place and the significance of beneficiaries’ choices, and enabling beneficiaries to assess their own needs and preferences. Implications: A key feature of managed care is the users’ choice of plans, but amid a significant policy shift toward MMLTC in Florida, vulnerable beneficiaries may not be receiving the information necessary to make choices that best meet their needs. Our analysis offers lessons to other states shifting to MMLTC.
Ownership Status and Length of Stay in Skilled Nursing Facilities
Authors: Bowblis John R. , Horowitz John , Brunt Christopher S.
Published: February 2015

In 1998, Medicare implemented the Prospective Payment System for post-acute care provided by skilled nursing facilities. This system paid a fixed price per day above the cost of care, creating an incentive to provide longer length of stays to increase revenues. In this paper, we examine whether there are systematic differences in length of stay for post-acute care patients between for-profit and not-for-profit skilled nursing facilities. Based on the financial incentives inherent in the reimbursement system, we develop a conceptual framework that argues for-profits will provide a greater number of days of care to increase profits relative to not-for-profits. We find significant differences in length of stay by ownership, but once patient selection into a facility is accounted for using two-staged residual inclusion, there is no statistical differences in length of stay between for-profit and not-for-profit facilities.
Mexicanness and Social Order in Digital Spaces
Authors: Christiansen M. Sidury
Published: February 2015

This article explores how younger members of a multigenerational social network of transnational Mexicans of ranchero background construct their ethnic identity both in offline and online contexts. By using traditional ethnography and discourse-centered online ethnography (DCOE), this study found that members of this network use four emic criteria (language, color, transnationality, and display of culture) to construct their ethnic identity as Mexican. In the online context, members use these criteria to challenge each other’s degree of Mexicanness. By challenging other members’ degree of Mexicanness, members are indirectly re-constructing their social order, not based on age and gender but based on a hierarchy that conforms to a place of influence in the network grounded in centrality, which correlates to their perceived degrees of Mexicanness. Facebook serves as a catalyst for change, as it allows members to interact in more direct ways, slowly influencing interactions carried out in offline contexts.
Effects of airborne Aspergillus on serum aflatoxin B1 and liver enzymes in workers handling wheat flour
Authors: Saad-Hussein A , Taha MM , Fadl NN , Awad A-H , Mahdy-Abdallah H , Moubarz G , Aziz H , El-Shamy KA
Published: February 2015

Objective:

The present work aimed to investigate the relationship between occupational exposure to airborne molds, serum aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and liver enzymes of workers handling wheat flour.

Methods:

The study included 90 bakers, 100 flour milling workers, and 100 controls with no exposure to flour dust. Workplace aspects such as temperature and relative humidity were measured. Airborne fungi were collected and identified. In all subjects included, the serum levels of AFB1, serum albumin (Alb), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured.

Results:

Air temperature and relative humidity were found to be higher in bakeries than in flour mill sections. Airborne Aspergillus species were isolated in dust particles <8 µm in size. The concentration of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger were higher in bakeries than in the flour mill sections. They were higher in the grinding section than in other mill sections. The serum AFB1-Alb adduct and ALP levels were significantly higher in bakers compared to milling workers ( p < 0.0001, p = 0.05), respectively. The liver enzymes AST and ALT were significantly higher among milling workers and bakers than controls ( p < 0.05, p < 0.0001), respectively. The duration of exposure was significantly correlated with serum AFB1 in bakers. Moreover, there was significant correlation between serum AFB1, each of ALT and AST levels in bakers.

Conclusions:

chronic occupational exposure to high concentrations of Aspergillus in workplaces may cause elevations in serum levels of AFB1 and liver enzymes in workers exposed to flour dust. Hence, worker protection measures should be consistently adopted and enforced at the workplace.
Therapeutic plasma exchange in paediatric SLE: a case series from India
Authors: Prasun Giri P , Sinha R , Pal P , Sarkar B
Published: February 2015

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been reported to be a useful adjunct in severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but paediatric literature continues to be scanty. We hereby present three cases of refractory paediatric SLE (pSLE) with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), diffuse alveolar haemorrhage (DAH) and crescentic glomerulonephritis which were treated with TPE as an adjunctive therapy. TPE was carried out in haemodialysis units using the membrane filtration technique. Demonstrable benefit of TPE was seen in all three cases. In refractory pSLE, TPE may be a useful tool and should be considered. The report additionally highlights the feasibility of undertaking TPE in haemodialysis units, which is important as haemodialysis units are more readily available than dedicated apheresis units in developing countries.
Joint assessment of dependent discrete disease state processes
Authors: Engler David , Chitnis Tanuja , Healy Brian
Published: February 2015

In multiple sclerosis, the primary clinical measure of disability level is an ordinal score, the expanded disability severity scale score. In relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, measures of relapse are additionally of interest. Multiple sclerosis patients are typically assessed with regard to both the expanded disability severity scale and relapse state at each follow-up visit. As both are discrete measures, the two can be viewed as jointly dependent Markov processes. One of the main goals of multiple sclerosis research is to accurately model, over time, both transitions between expanded disability severity scale states and change in relapse state. This objective requires a number of significant modeling decisions, including decisions about whether or not the combination of specific disease states is warranted and assessment of the dependence structure between the two disease processes. Historically, such decisions are often made in an ad hoc manner and are not formally justified. We propose novel use of Bayes factors and Bayesian variable selection in the assessment of jointly dependent Markovian processes in multiple sclerosis. Methods are assessed using both simulated data and data collected from the Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center in Boston, MA.
Design and analysis of Bayesian adaptive crossover trials for evaluating contact lens safety and efficacy
Authors: Zhang Quan , Toubouti Youssef , Carlin Bradley P
Published: February 2015

A crossover study, also referred to as a crossover trial, is a form of longitudinal study. Subjects are randomly assigned to different arms of the study and receive different treatments sequentially. While there are many frequentist methods to analyze data from a crossover study, random effects models for longitudinal data are perhaps most naturally modeled within a Bayesian framework. In this article, we introduce a Bayesian adaptive approach to crossover studies for both efficacy and safety endpoints using Gibbs sampling. Using simulation, we find our approach can detect a true difference between two treatments with a specific false-positive rate that we can readily control via the standard equal-tail posterior credible interval. We then illustrate our Bayesian approaches using real data from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. contact lens studies. We then design a variety of Bayesian adaptive predictive probability crossover studies for single and multiple continuous efficacy endpoints, indicate their extension to binary safety endpoints, and investigate their frequentist operating characteristics via simulation. The Bayesian adaptive approach emerges as a crossover trials tool that is useful yet surprisingly overlooked to date, particularly in contact lens development.
Unpacking Emotion Differentiation
Authors: Kashdan Todd B. , Barrett Lisa Feldman , McKnight Patrick E.
Published: February 2015

Being able to carefully perceive and distinguish the rich complexity in emotional experiences is a key component of psychological interventions. We review research in clinical, social, and health psychology that offers insights into the adaptive value of putting feelings into words with a high degree of complexity (i.e., emotion differentiation or emotional granularity). According to recent research, upon experiencing intense distress, individuals who experience their emotions with more granularity are less likely to resort to maladaptive self-regulatory strategies such as binge drinking, aggression, and self-injurious behavior; show less neural reactivity to rejection; and experience less severe anxiety and depressive disorders. These findings shed light on how negative emotions and stressful experiences can be transformed by people’s emotion-differentiation skill. Besides basic research suggesting that emotion differentiation is an important developmental process, evidence suggests that interventions designed to improve emotion differentiation can both reduce psychological problems and increase various strands of well-being.
Moral Character in Person Perception
Authors: Goodwin Geoffrey P.
Published: February 2015

Understanding how people form impressions of others is a key goal of social cognition research. Past theories have posited that two fundamental dimensions—warmth and competence—underlie impression formation. However, these models conflate morality with warmth and fail to capture the full role that moral character plays in impression formation. An emerging perspective separates moral character (or morality) from warmth on both theoretical and empirical grounds. When morality is pitted against warmth, morality is clearly a more important driver of impression formation, as revealed by correlational, experimental, and archival studies. Yet social warmth remains important and conveys distinct information that morality does not. Alongside competence, both factors matter not only for person perception but also for other aspects of social cognition, including group perception. Important unanswered questions remain regarding the perceived structure of moral character and the way it is appraised in everyday life.
Developing Sensorimotor Systems in Our Sleep
Authors: Blumberg Mark S.
Published: February 2015

Every animal must learn how to use its limbs within the developmental context of an ever-changing body. Typically, investigations of sensorimotor development focus on waking movements. Here, I consider another class of behavior: twitching movements that occur exclusively during active (REM) sleep. Twitches are particularly abundant in early infancy, when critical sensorimotor networks are established. In light of behavioral, electrophysiological, neurophysiological, and computational investigations of this unique behavior, twitches may prove critical for the development and maintenance of the sensorimotor system, as well as its repair after injury or disease.
Social Networks in Later Life
Authors: Rook Karen S.
Published: February 2015

Social networks provide a mix of positive and negative experiences. Network members can provide help in times of need and day-to-day companionship, but they can also behave in ways that are inconsiderate, hurtful, or intrusive. Researchers must grapple with these dualities in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of how social network ties affect health and well-being. This article provides an overview of research that has examined the health-related effects of positive and negative aspects of social network involvement, with a focus on later life—a time when risks for declining health and for the loss or disruption of social relationships increase.
“Wait! Just Let Me Not Think About That for a Minute”
Authors: Newell Ben R.
Published: February 2015

The belief that in certain situations we are better off not thinking has anecdotal resonance and appeals to our tendency to follow a “law of least effort.” But is it good advice? In this review, I examine recent work from two domains of higher-level cognition—perceptual category learning and decision making—in which similar claims have been made about the benefits of disengaging explicit thought to allow for the operation of superior implicit processes. A reevaluation of this literature suggests a less appealing but perhaps also less surprising conclusion: Complex tasks appear to require explicit thought, and there is little reason to think that not thinking is optimal in these situations. Far from offering a negative conclusion, this perspective emphasizes not only the powers of human cognition but also our ability to explain our behavior without recourse to the “black box” of the unconscious.
Generalized Trust
Authors: Van Lange Paul A. M.
Published: February 2015

This article addresses generalized trust, a construct that is examined in various scientific disciplines and assumed to be of central importance to understanding the functioning of individuals, groups, and society at large. We share four basic lessons on trust: (a) Generalized trust is more a matter of culture than genetics; (b) trust is deeply rooted in social interaction experiences (that go beyond childhood), networks, and media; (c) people have too little trust in other people in general; and (d) it is adaptive to regulate a “healthy dose” of generalized trust. Each of these lessons is inspired and illustrated by recent research from different scientific disciplines.
Ludovico Maria Barbieri (1662–1728), the unknown 17th century physician
Authors: Kousoulis Antonis A , Armenis Iakovos , Papandreou Charikleia , Marinelis Alexandros , Marineli Filio , Tsoucalas Gregory , Androutsos George
Published: February 2015

During the 17th century, Ludovico Maria Barbieri from Imola, Italy, discussed the requirement of a gas, seemingly oxygen, for living beings to function. On 6 December 1680, he published his only known work ‘Spiritus nitro-aerei operations in microcosmo’ in which he reviewed the function of oxygen and the apparatus he used based on the use of experiments rather than just theory. The scarcity of information about his life and work has resulted usually in him being a neglected figure in Italy. In this manuscript we uncover the extant information about his life and reveal that he had been a restless spirit and a great example to the 17th century scientific method.
Illustrating microorganisms: Sir William Watson Cheyne (1852–1932) and bacteriology
Authors: Coutts Jane
Published: February 2015

Sir William Watson Cheyne is largely known to medical history as Lord Lister’s ‘trusted assistant’.1 He spent a lifetime defending Joseph Lister’s (1827–1912) antiseptic principle in the wake of scepticism and misunderstanding. However, his main contribution to Lister’s work was in the embryonic field of bacteriology in the 1870s–1890s, which brought him into contact with continental researchers, particularly Robert Koch (1843–1910). In this field, Cheyne built an independent reputation as an assessor, chronicler and promoter of continental laboratory methodology. He pioneered bacteriological training in British teaching hospitals and incorporated laboratory testing into case notes as standard procedure. This paper reconsiders Cheyne’s contribution to the development of bacteriology in British medicine at the end of the 19th century. It examines his motives in promoting new laboratory techniques and the methods he used to embed them in hospital procedure. It also considers how he continued to use bacteriological arguments to keep the Listerian antiseptic principle on the medical agenda well after Lister withdrew from active involvement in the field.
The Economic Burden of Inpatients With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Wang Hao , Lin Xuan , Zhang Zhi , Wang Quan , Chen Jun-Mei , Liu Jing , Yuan Li
Published: February 2015

The purpose of this research was to study the components, influencing factors, and their changing trend in a Chinese hospital, so as to reduce the economic burden of inpatients with type 2 diabetes. Data were collected from 7487 cases. There were 4368 inpatients with type 2 diabetes during 2002-2012 in a Chinese hospital. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to explore the influencing factors of hospitalization costs. The number of inpatients and their hospitalization costs had increasing trends in the study period. The medicine, test, and examination charges were the main sources of total costs. Longer hospital stays, older ages, and more times of hospitalization led to higher medical costs. Actions should be taken on all fronts to control the rapidly increasing trend of hospitalization costs and to reduce hospital stays and the number of times of hospitalization to reduce the economic burden of diabetic inpatients.
Synchronized charge extraction in galloping piezoelectric energy harvesting
Authors: Zhao Liya , Tang Lihua , Yang Yaowen
Published: February 2015

Energy harvesting from aeroelastic instabilities has attracted numerous interests with the purpose of implementing self-powered wireless sensing networks. Meanwhile, considerable efforts have been devoted to optimizing the interface circuit to boost the power output from vibration-based piezoelectric energy harvester, such as impedance matching, synchronized charge extraction, and synchronized switching harvesting on inductor. However, application of these circuits in aeroelastic energy harvesting has received far less attentions. With an experimentally validated equivalent circuit model, this article investigates the feasibility of employing the synchronized charge extraction interface for a galloping-based piezoelectric energy harvester. The performance of synchronized charge extraction circuit is compared with a standard circuit, revealing three main advantages of synchronized charge extraction in galloping-based piezoelectric energy harvester system: first, the output power from synchronized charge extraction is independent of electrical load, eliminating the requirement of impedance matching and thus ensuring the flexibility of adjusting the galloping-based piezoelectric energy harvester system for practical applications; second, the synchronized charge extraction circuit helps to save piezoelectric materials by 75% compared to the standard circuit; and third, the displacement amplitude of galloping-based piezoelectric energy harvesters with synchronized charge extraction is much smaller, alleviating the fatigue problem and enhancing the durability of the harvesting system. Finally, a theoretical criterion is proposed to determine the applicable region of synchronized charge extraction in galloping-based piezoelectric energy harvester.
Using Open Badges to Certify Practicing Evaluators
Authors: Davies Randall , Randall Dan , West Richard E.
Published: February 2015

For several decades members of the American Evaluation Association have discussed and disputed the issue of evaluator certification. Our past inability to agree on a certification solution may have been partially caused by the weaknesses of traditional certification systems, which rely on candidates obtaining a degree and completing a comprehensive exam. In this article we propose a certification system based on digital open badges. The open badge framework uses a top-down design to structure and understand the certification process as micro-certification units. These types of systems are adaptable and clearly communicate the evidence of knowledge, skill, and experience represented by the credential. The potential benefits of using an open badge infrastructure make this an enticing option and viable solution for the AEA to establish policy and practice regarding an efficient, rigorous and credible way to certify evaluators.
Shift work influences multiple sclerosis risk
Authors: Hedström AK , Åkerstedt T , Olsson T , Alfredsson L
Published: February 2015

Background:

An association between working shift at a young age and subsequent risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) has been observed.

Objective:

To investigate whether this finding could be replicated, and to further explore the influence of age at first exposure to shift work.

Methods:

Using a Swedish population-based, case-control study (2337 cases and 4904 controls), the incidence of MS among subjects whom had worked shifts was compared with that of those whom had not, by calculating odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by means of logistic regression.

Results:

The OR of developing MS was 1.5 (95% CI 1.2–1.8) among those whom started working shifts before age 20, whereas a less pronounced association was observed among those whom started working shifts at age 20 or later (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.1–1.4). The effect of shift work was more pronounced among subjects whom had been exposed at a young age, regardless of the duration between the start of shift work and disease onset.

Conclusion:

Some aspects of adolescence seem to be of great importance, regarding the impact of shift work on MS risk. Circadian disruption and sleep deprivation may contribute towards explaining the association; however, the exact mechanisms behind our observations remain to be elucidated.
Sources and level of income among individuals with multiple sclerosis compared to the general population: A nationwide population-based study
Authors: Wiberg Michael , Friberg Emilie , Stenbeck Magnus , Alexanderson Kristina , Norlund Anders , Hillert Jan , Tinghög Petter
Published: February 2015

Introduction:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with reduced work capacity, but there is limited knowledge about MS patients’ sources of income.

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to elucidate MS patients’ earnings and social benefits compared to those of the general population.

Methods:

From nationwide registers of all residents in Sweden aged 21–64 years in 2010 ( n=5,291,764), those with an MS diagnosis ( n=13,979) were compared to a propensity score matched reference group ( n=69,895). Descriptive statistics and regression models were used to estimate the percentage difference between the MS patients and the matched references regarding the following annual incomes: earnings, disability pension, sickness absence, disability allowance, unemployment compensation and social assistance.

Results:

Both MS patients and the matched references received most of their income from earnings followed by disability pension and sickness absence. MS patients that were diagnosed in 2010 had 15% lower earnings than the matched references, while MS patients diagnosed before 2005 had 38% lower earnings. Corresponding figures regarding summed social benefits were 33% and 130% higher for MS patients, respectively.

Conclusion:

The results indicate that MS patients are overrepresented, in relative and absolute terms, regarding health-related benefits and have lower levels of earnings. However, the redistributing welfare systems appear to financially compensate the MS patients considerably.
Role of membrane complement regulators in neuromyelitis optica
Authors: Saadoun Samira , Papadopoulos Marios C
Published: February 2015

Background:

It is unclear why AQP4-IgG primarily causes central nervous system lesions by activating complement, but generally spares peripheral AQP4-expressing organs.

Objectives:

To determine whether peripheral AQP4-expressing cells are protected from complement-mediated damage by expressing complement regulators.

Methods:

Human tissue and cultured human cells were immunostained for aquaporin-4 (AQP4), CD46, CD55 and CD59. We also determined the vulnerability to AQP4-IgG and complement-mediated damage of astrocytes cultured alone or co-cultured with endothelial cells.

Results:

In normal brain, astrocyte end-feet express AQP4, but are devoid of CD46, CD55 and CD59. Immunoreactivity for CD46, CD55 and CD59 is not increased in or around neuromyelitis optica lesions. In kidney AQP4 is co-expressed with CD46 and CD55, in stomach AQP4 is co-expressed with CD46 and in skeletal muscle AQP4 is co-expressed with CD46. Astrocytes cultured alone co-express AQP4 and CD59 but, in astrocyte-endothelial co-cultures, AQP4 is found in cell processes devoid of CD59. Astrocytes co-cultured with endothelial cells are more vulnerable to AQP4-IgG and complement-mediated lysis than astrocytes cultured alone.

Conclusions:

Complement regulators protect peripheral organs, but not the central nervous system, from AQP4-IgG and complement-mediated damage. Our findings may explain why neuromyelitis optica primarily damages the central nervous system, but spares peripheral organs.
The Unbearable Liveness of News Television in India
Authors: Kumar Akshaya
Published: February 2015

The last two decades in India have seen an enormous growth of satellite television. News has established itself in the meanwhile not merely as a source of information but also of entertainment. Available in all regional languages through several competing channels, and presented elaborately, television news has come to establish a mode of address, which defines one’s sense of time and space, and configures one’s sense of the dramatic situated in others’ stories. This article engages with the implications of “liveness”—as material and as affect—toward convergence of news narratives. Discussing two of the most widely covered recent stories—Aarushi Talwar’s murder and Baby Falak—the article foregrounds the class antagonism and scandalous anxieties of Indian televisual publics, and argues that news television invites us to trade liveness for news. Thus, news media not only liberates itself of the rigor of news production but also entertains us by reaffirming our deepest anxieties and competing with other modes of intertextual entertainment available on rival channels.
Simplification improves understanding of informed consent information in clinical trials regardless of health literacy level
Authors: Kim Eun Jin , Kim Su Hyun
Published: February 2015

Background:

This study evaluated the effect of a simplified informed consent form for clinical trials on the understanding and efficacy of informed consent information across health literacy levels.

Methods:

A total of 150 participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups and provided with either standard or simplified consent forms for a cancer clinical trial. The features of the simplified informed consent form included plain language, short sentences, diagrams, pictures, and bullet points.

Results:

Levels of objective and subjective understanding were significantly higher in participants provided with simplified informed consent forms relative to those provided with standard informed consent forms. The interaction effects between type of consent form and health literacy level on objective and subjective understanding were nonsignificant.

Conclusion:

Simplified informed consent was effective in enhancing participant’s subjective and objective understanding regardless of health literacy.
The anatomy of written scam communications: An empirical analysis
Authors: Carter Elisabeth
Published: February 2015

This paper examines the interactional construction of written scam communications. It draws on an empirical corpus of 52 envelopes containing letters and leaflets designed to deceive recipients into parting with their money or personal details, and presents the analysis of eight extracts in illustrating the findings. This research draws on interactional methodologies to provide in-depth insights into the underlying techniques used in scams, and to identify a wider framework that accommodates and facilitates their effect. It explores and exposes what elements of the scammers’ communicative efforts are enlisted and directed towards the performance of particular acts such as inferring legitimacy and credibility, and inspiring urgency and secrecy. These elements combine to perform a range of highly effective communicative acts that, although the communication is mass-produced with no knowledge of the recipient other than a name and address, result in the exploitation of their individual vulnerability in a highly personalised manner.
Carlyle, Freud, and the Great Man Theory more fully considered
Authors: Spector Bert Alan
Published: February 2015

Contemporary surveys of leadership scholarship will occasionally mention the Great Man theory before moving on to more rigorous academic categories. Less a theory than a statement of faith, the Great Man theory does not fit into the rigorous scholarly theory and research that makes up the contemporary canon of leadership discourse. My goal in this article is to treat the Great Man theory seriously and to present a fuller notion of the theory. My intent is not to offer a defense of the theory or to “redeem” Thomas Carlyle as a leadership theorist. Rather, I will add a hitherto unacknowledged dimension: the element of Freudian psychology. In Freud's case, the Great Man was articulated not a moral proscription for how to act, but rather an analytic description of the elemental forces that lead people to seek heroes. The article suggests that the Great Man theory is worth considering because of its contemporary relevance. To consider the theory in full, however, Freud's work on leadership needs to be examined alongside that of Carlyle. It is Freud's description of the impulses that drive us toward authority figures, more than Carlyle's proselytizing for hero worship that can, and should offer valuable insights into how we—scholars, observers, and participants in the business world—react to corporate saviors.
Mind the implementation gap? Police reform and local policing in the Netherlands and Scotland
Authors: Terpstra Jan , Fyfe Nicholas R
Published: February 2015

In 2013 the governments of the Netherlands and Scotland established national police forces, replacing a tradition of largely autonomous regional police organizations. In both jurisdictions, these radical reforms have raised concerns about the consequences of these national police structures for local policing and for relationships with local communities and local government. Drawing on documentary sources and interview material from each jurisdiction and informed by insights from the policy implementation literature, the key question addressed in this article is how has the legislation that created the new national police forces been put into effect at a local level? Focusing on the impact on the governance, organization and delivery of local policing, the article reveals how the implementation in both jurisdictions involves interpretation and discretion by multiple actors so that gaps are emerging between the national ‘policy promises’ set out in the legislation and the ‘policy products’ experienced in local contexts.
The emerging role of tacrolimus in myasthenia gravis
Authors: Cruz Jennifer L. , Wolff Marissa L. , Vanderman Adam J. , Brown Jamie N.
Published: February 2015

Objective:

To describe and evaluate the available evidence assessing the role of tacrolimus in the management of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG).

Data sources:

A literature search of MEDLINE (1946 to September 2014) and EMBASE (1947 to September 2014) was performed using the terms ‘tacrolimus’ and ‘myasthenia gravis’. Citations of retrieved articles were examined for relevance.

Study selection and data extraction:

The search was limited to prospective clinical trials focused on clinical outcomes in patients with generalized MG. Case reports, retrospective evaluations and non-English articles were excluded.

Data synthesis:

A total of 12 studies met inclusion criteria, of which seven articles evaluated tacrolimus in steroid-dependent patients and two examined the utility of tacrolimus in patients failing corticosteroids and cyclosporine. Other studies evaluated early initiation of tacrolimus after thymectomy, effectiveness of tacrolimus in de novo MG and the effectiveness of tacrolimus post-thymectomy in thymoma patients versus nonthymoma. A total of eight trials showed statistically significant improvements in quantitative MG score (QMGS) and postintervention status criteria – Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (PSC-MGFA). Of the trials examining steroid reduction with tacrolimus, two reported high rates of complete withdrawal; however, the most robust trial was unable to detect a difference in mean steroid dose. Long-term effects of tacrolimus (up to 5 years) were assessed in eight trials, which consistently showed positive effects on QMGS or reduction in adjunct therapies.

Conclusions:

There is limited yet promising information to suggest a beneficial role for tacrolimus in reducing QMGS and corticosteroid burden in patients with refractory symptoms or new-onset MG. Long-term use appears to be safe in this population.