bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sleep problems and mental health in primary school new entrants: Cross‐sectional community‐based study
Authors: Quach Jon , Hiscock Harriet , Wake Melissa
Published: May 2012

Aims:  To determine at school entry (i) the prevalence and types of child sleep problems; (ii) sleep difficulties and hygiene practices associated with sleep problems; and (iii) their associations with child health‐related quality of life, mental health and parent mental health.

Methods:  We conducted a cross‐sectional community‐based study at 22 primary schools in Melbourne, Australia. One thousand five hundred and twelve (70%) parents of children in the first 6 months of the child's first year of primary school took part. Parent report of child sleep problems (none, mild, and moderate/severe); sleep difficulties; pre‐bedtime activities (television in bedroom, television or electronic games before bedtime, television or electronic games >2 h/day) and caffeine intake; child mental health (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), health‐related quality of life (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory); and parent mental health (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale‐21).

Results:  38.6% of children had a parent‐reported sleep problem (27.9% mild, 10.8% moderate/severe). Sleep problems were characterised by problematic sleep difficulties but not poor sleep hygiene practices. Moderate/severe sleep problems were associated with poorer child mental health (mean difference −0.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) −1.1 to −0.5, P < 0.001), health‐related quality of life (mean difference −9.9; 95% CI −11.9 to −7.9, P < 0.001) and parent mental health (mean difference 9.8; 95% CI 7.7–11.9, P < 0.001).

Conclusions:  In new school entrants, sleep problems are common and associated with poorer child mental health, health‐related quality of life and parent mental health. Future research needs to determine if systematically addressing sleep problems improves these outcomes.
Paediatric follow‐up of haemodynamically insignificant congenital cardiac lesions
Authors: Smith Benjamin G , Qureshi Shakeel A
Published: May 2012

Aim:  To describe the prevailing follow‐up of haemodynamically insignificant congenital cardiac lesions (HICCL) in the UK. To suggest a rationalisation of follow‐up based on the known natural history of these lesions.

Methods:  An internet‐based survey of 170 paediatric cardiologists and general paediatricians with an interest in cardiology in the UK. Five scenarios concerning common HICCL were presented: ventricular and atrial septal defects, patent foramen ovale, mild pulmonary stenosis and persistent ductus arteriosus.

Results:  There were 52 respondents. There was a broad range of beliefs and practices. However, there were tendencies to discharge children with a patent foramen ovale and follow patients with all other lesions, often on a relatively frequent basis.

Conclusions:  The increasingly sensitive and advanced nature of echocardiography and the subsequent reliance upon it may be contributing to unnecessarily frequent review of HICCL and a reluctance to discharge patients. In the majority of patients with HICCL, no more than two assessments of HICCL are required after 2 years of age – once in late childhood and once near full growth.
Monitoring height and weight: Findings from a developmental paediatric service
Authors: Lionti Tess , Reid Susan M , Reddihough Dinah , Sabin Matthew A
Published: May 2012

Aim:  To assess the recording of weight and height in children with disabilities and identify subgroups at risk of being either underweight or overweight.

Methods:  A retrospective clinical audit was undertaken within the Department of Developmental Medicine at The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. Most recent weight and height measurements and data about the child's underlying condition were collected from the medical records of children attending a clinical appointment over a 3‐month period. Primary medical diagnosis, age, gender, mode of feeding and ability to ambulate were recorded. Body mass index was calculated and corrected for age and gender.

Results:  Study sample size was 583 (356 males), mean age was 8.25 years (range 2.8–17.4 years). Body mass index could be calculated for 48%. Height was less commonly measured in those with severe physical impairments. A survey of barriers to weight and height measurement showed that the main barrier to measuring height was practical difficulties. The percentage of children classified as overweight/obese was 26.6% and this was associated with intellectual disabilities, moderately impaired ambulation, older age and female gender; 13.5% of the study group was underweight, the majority of whom were non‐ambulant.

Conclusions:  Although significant rates of underweight and overweight were identified in children with a range of disabilities within our service, monitoring of weight status was suboptimal. Despite this, data indicate that specific subgroups of children with disability appear at risk of being either overweight or underweight. Where height cannot be measured, other anthropometric measures such as waist circumference may be useful in the assessment of children with disabilities.
Role of endobronchial ultrasound in diagnosis and molecular assessment of metastatic melanoma
Authors: JENNINGS BARTON R. , MILLWARD MICHAEL J. , AMANUEL BENHUR , MULRENNAN SIOBHAIN , JOOSTEN SIMON A. , PHILLIPS MARTIN J.
Published: May 2012

Background and objective:  Vemurafenib is a new inhibitor of the mutated BRAF oncogene. In the presence of mutated BRAF in metastatic melanoma, treatment with vemurafenib leads to a reduction in mortality and in tumour progression when compared with chemotherapy. This study describes nine cases in which endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) was used to assess mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes for the presence of metastatic melanoma and demonstrates the ability to detect mutations in BRAF on the tissue obtained.

Methods:  A retrospective review was performed of all patients who had a history of melanoma and underwent EBUS TBNA to investigate hilar or mediastinal lymphadenopathy for the presence of metastatic melanoma.

Results:  In seven of the nine cases, metastatic melanoma was confirmed on cytology. The two negative cases were proven to be true negatives by follow up or by demonstrating an alternate diagnosis. In five cases, analysis for BRAF mutation was performed. Four cases were positive for mutation and one demonstrated wild‐type BRAF.

Conclusions:  Tissue samples obtained from EBUS TBNA are adequate to diagnose metastatic melanoma in hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes and to detect the presence or absence of mutations in the BRAF gene. Our findings suggest that close collaboration between bronchoscopists and pathologists will be needed to implement BRAF testing in routine practice in the era of targeted therapy.
Anti‐inflammatory effects of moxifloxacin on rat airway smooth muscle cells exposed to allergen: Inhibition of extracellular‐signal‐regulated kinase and nuclear factor‐κB activation and of interleukin‐8 and eotaxin synthesis
Authors: LI HUITING , ZHU SHUYANG , HE SHUMIN , HAO LU
Published: May 2012

Background and objective:  Moxifloxacin (MXF) has been shown to possess immunomodulatory properties in addition to its antimicrobial effects. We investigated the effects of MXF on cytokine secretion and signal transduction mechanisms in naive control and allergen‐exposed airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) stimulated with tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α.

Methods:  An animal model was established. ASMC was derived from rat airway tissue and cultured in vitro, then incubated with 10 ng/mL of TNF‐α. Interleukin (IL)‐8 and eotaxin secretion were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, and activation of extracellular‐signal‐regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and nuclear factor (NF)‐κB p65 was measured by western blotting, with or without the addition of MXF (20 µg/mL) and/or dexamethasone (DXM) (10−6 M).

Results:  Baseline IL‐8 and eotaxin secretion did not differ between control and allergen‐exposed cells. Stimulation with TNF‐α increased IL‐8 and eotaxin secretion, with increased IL‐8 secretion by allergen‐exposed compared with naive control ASMC, post‐TNF‐α stimulation (P = 0.001). Baseline phosphorylation of ERK1/2 (p‐ERK1/2) and NF‐κB p65 was higher in allergen‐exposed than in control ASMC. TNF‐α increased p‐ERK1/2 and NF‐κB p65 levels, with higher levels in allergen‐exposed ASMC, post‐TNF‐α stimulation (P < 0.001). MXF and the combination of MXF with DXM suppressed the secretion of IL‐8 and eotaxin, but DXM alone did not affect IL‐8, post‐TNF‐α stimulation (P > 0.05). MXF, DXM and the combination of MXF with DXM inhibited TNF‐α‐stimulated p‐ERK1/2 and NF‐κB p65 levels by 34, 40 and 62%, and 33, 38 and 64%, respectively.

Conclusions:  MXF suppressed the secretion of pro‐inflammatory cytokines by allergen‐exposed rat ASMC, partly by inhibiting NF‐κB and ERK activation. DXM may have additional or synergistic effects with MXF.
Arthropod colonisation of natural and experimental logs in an agricultural landscape: Effects of habitat, isolation, season and exposure time
Authors: Gibb Heloise , Durant Ben , Cunningham Saul A.
Published: May 2012

Summary Habitat restoration is commonly conducted in agricultural landscapes with the aim of restoring biodiversity. Some species, however, might not be able to migrate to restored habitats, and vital habitat elements, such as logs, may be missing. We compared arthropod assemblages under logs amongst different land‐use types: pastures, revegetation and woodland remnants, in south‐eastern Australia. We also supplemented habitats with logs, placed out in different seasons and for different periods of time to determine how season and exposure time affect arthropod composition. We compared assemblages under logs in revegetation adjacent to and isolated from woodland remnants to test the role of habitat connectivity. Arthropod assemblages differed significantly between land‐use types, with pastures most different to remnants. These differences corresponded with differences in log microhabitat. Time was an important determinant of community composition, but habitat (remnant vs revegetated) and revegetation connectivity (adjacent vs isolated patch) were not. Time affected assemblage composition in two distinct ways: first, time of year (November vs January), and second, exposure time of logs (1 vs 3 months) affected composition. Exposure time effects may indicate dispersal limitation, but the proportion of wingless species did not depend on exposure time or connectivity. We conclude that the log fauna in this landscape responds to microenvironments and seasonal change but is not strongly dispersal limited, allowing it to respond rapidly to habitat restoration. The pre‐agricultural landscape likely shared many features with the modified landscape, such that many species possess traits and behaviours that allow them to move through and persist in the matrix.
Translocation of the Eastern Bristlebird 1: radio‐tracking of post‐release movements
Authors: Bain David , French Kris , Baker Jack , Clarke Jean
Published: May 2012

Summary  Translocating birds to a new area of habitat to restore or supplement depleted populations may pose a significant threat to the translocated individuals. While for many species, translocated individuals appear to move larger distances than resident animals, species with poor dispersal capacity may be restricted in movements and translocation methods may need to accommodate differences in movements to ensure success. In this study, designed to provide insights to inform our broader programme of translocations in New South Wales, Australia, we investigated post‐release movements in the endangered, semi‐flightless Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus). We predicted that movements would be minimal, with few differences between males and females, similar to published information for a resident un‐manipulated population. Following the release of 45 birds at a host location at Jervis Bay, NSW, over a 3‐year programme, we followed individuals for up to 2 weeks using radio‐tracking. The translocated birds had larger maximum movements and moved through much larger home ranges than non‐translocated individuals from the resident population. Translocated birds moved 300 m further after release when conspecifics were present. Males moved further than females and tended to have larger home ranges, although average daily displacement did not differ. We concluded that the semi‐flightlessness of the species does not result in minimal movements. Release at a small number of locations in the new habitat was considered appropriate for the species, as animals seem to move enough to find new unoccupied areas in a relatively short period. This work provided us with increasing confidence to continue with further translocations.
Mapping of a rare plant species (Boronia deanei) using hyper‐resolution remote sensing and concurrent ground observation
Authors: Fletcher Andrew T. , Erskine Peter D.
Published: May 2012

Boronia deanei is one of many declared rare, and potentially threatened, species of the Australian flora that occur within freshwater swamps and riparian margins. However, a lack of knowledge regarding its ecological distribution and habitat requirements may result in vulnerability to current and planned anthropogenic activities. Identification of population boundaries, numbers and locations should be highly beneficial for developing appropriate conservation approaches. This study demonstrates (i) the potential of converging hyper‐resolution remote sensing imagery with targeted ground observations to identify individual population extents and densities and (ii) proposes methods of defining and mapping suitable habitat and potential extents for rare plant species in areas potentially exposed to multiple anthropogenic impacts.
The ‘making of’ the Mulligans Flat – Goorooyarroo experimental restoration project
Authors: Shorthouse David J. , Iglesias Daniel , Jeffress Stuart , Lane Sharon , Mills Peter , Woodbridge Grant , McIntyre Sue , Manning Adrian D.
Published: May 2012

What happens when park managers and ecological researchers join forces to build an evidence‐based approach to restoring a nature reserve? This project shows how a spirit of cooperation and inventiveness overcome a range of challenges at one of the National Capital region’s most valuable examples of critically endangered box‐gum grassy woodland.
Community health‐care staff's experiences of support to prevent type 2 diabetes among people with psychosis: An interview study with health staff
Authors: Hultsjö Sally , Hjelm Katarina
Published: May 2012

The aim of the study was to describe mental health staff experiences of giving support to prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) among people with psychosis in community psychiatry. A qualitative interview study with a purposeful sample of 12 community health staff was conducted. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results show how staff reported continuously supporting people with psychosis to adapt to healthy lifestyles, but stated that support is not given until after a person becomes overweight or is diagnosed with type 2 DM. Support was described as a never‐ending process of motivation facing many reverses. Individually‐adapted support given in practical situations was perceived as most successful. Cooperation between health‐care organizations was seen as essential, but inadequate. Limitations in income and social network, and easy access to fast food and alcohol, were seen as obstacles to support. The results indicate that community health staff are in a position to make a considerable impact in motivating and supporting healthy lifestyle changes in practical situations in daily life among people with psychosis. This study raises awareness of how community health staff's support can be useful when developing nursing skills and health‐care plans for people with psychosis.
Evaluating the effectiveness of intervention in long‐term aphasia post‐stroke: the experience from CHANT (Communication Hub for Aphasia in North Tyneside)
Authors: Mumby Katharyn , Whitworth Anne
Published: May 2012

Background: Despite recognition of the need for increased long‐term support for people with aphasia following stroke, there remains limited evidence for effective service‐level interventions.

Aims: To evaluate the outcomes and experiences of people participating in the Communication Hub for Aphasia in North Tyneside (CHANT), a 2‐year partnership project between health, local authority and third‐sector services, shaped by people with aphasia, which provided a coordinated programme of support and interventions for people with long‐term aphasia following stroke.

Methods & Procedures: Quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the evaluation. Thirty‐nine participants with aphasia were recruited to the 12‐month study as they became part of CHANT, with 20 completing all measures at the end of the study. Participants had no other speech and language therapy during the study. Quantitative measures (before and after intervention) were used for quality of life, self‐report outcomes and goal attainment. Three of the participants with aphasia and three further people involved in the service (carer, volunteer, public sector worker) each agreed to a series of five semi‐structured interviews over a 9‐month period. A total of 28 interviews were collected using neutral interviewers; these were transcribed and analysed by a team within NVivo8 software, based on interpretive principles from grounded theory. Thematic analysis of the narratives explored the experience of engaging with CHANT, and the barriers and facilitators affecting quality of life.

Outcomes & Results: People with aphasia made significant gains in quality of life (in particular, in communication and psychosocial adjustment to stroke) and self‐report measures of change. A total of 82% of real‐life goals set as part of intervention were fully or partially achieved at follow‐up. Five core themes emerged from the narratives: ‘Quality of life’, ‘Barriers’, ‘Facilitators’, ‘Types of CHANT activity’ and ‘Effectiveness’. The intervention was evaluated through the theme of ‘Effectiveness’ in relation to the other themes, encapsulating emerging participant views (including the type and timeliness of activity, expectations of outcomes, resources and perceived value). The impact of the intervention was also analysed in terms of identifying barriers and providing facilitators.

Conclusions & Implications: The quantitative and qualitative (narrative) findings were complementary in demonstrating the effectiveness of the CHANT service delivery model. Moreover, the narratives, through a longitudinal perspective, provided evidence about people's experience of intervention for long‐term aphasia. The findings provide foundations for further work into long‐term recovery, intervention and adjustment to aphasia post‐stroke.
GABA transporter subtype 1 and GABA transporter subtype 3 modulate glutamatergic transmission via activation of presynaptic GABAB receptors in the rat globus pallidus
Authors: Jin Xiao‐Tao , Paré Jean‐Francois , Smith Yoland
Published: May 2012

The intra‐pallidal application of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter subtype 1 (GAT‐1) or GABA transporter subtype 3 (GAT‐3) transporter blockers [1‐(4,4‐diphenyl‐3‐butenyl)‐3‐piperidinecarboxylic acid hydrochloride (SKF 89976A) or 1‐[2‐[tris(4‐methoxyphenyl)methoxy]ethyl]‐(S)‐3‐piperidinecarboxylic acid (SNAP 5114)] reduces the activity of pallidal neurons in monkey. This effect could be mediated through the activation of presynaptic GABAB heteroreceptors in glutamatergic terminals by GABA spillover following GABA transporter (GAT) blockade. To test this hypothesis, we applied the whole‐cell recording technique to study the effects of SKF 89976A and SNAP 5114 on evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) in the presence of gabazine, a GABAA receptor antagonist, in rat globus pallidus slice preparations. Under the condition of postsynaptic GABAB receptor blockade by the intra‐cellular application of N‐(2,6‐dimethylphenylcarbamoylmethyl)‐triethylammonium bromide (OX314), bath application of SKF 89976A (10 μm) or SNAP 5114 (10 μm) decreased the amplitude of eEPSCs, without a significant effect on its holding current and whole cell input resistance. The inhibitory effect of GAT blockade on eEPSCs was blocked by (2S)‐3‐[[(1S)‐1‐(3,4‐dichlorophenyl)ethyl]amino‐2‐hydroxypropyl](phenylmethyl)phosphinic acid, a GABAB receptor antagonist. The paired‐pulse ratio of eEPSCs was increased, whereas the frequency, but not the amplitude, of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents was reduced in the presence of either GAT blocker, demonstrating a presynaptic effect. These results suggest that synaptically released GABA can inhibit glutamatergic transmission through the activation of presynaptic GABAB heteroreceptors following GAT‐1 or GAT‐3 blockade. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that presynaptic GABAB heteroreceptors in putative glutamatergic subthalamic afferents to the globus pallidus are sensitive to increases in extracellular GABA induced by GAT inactivation, thereby suggesting that GAT blockade represents a potential mechanism by which overactive subthalamopallidal activity may be reduced in parkinsonism.
Deep‐sea bacteria enriched by oil and dispersant from the Deepwater Horizon spill
Authors: Bælum Jacob , Borglin Sharon , Chakraborty Romy , Fortney Julian L. , Lamendella Regina , Mason Olivia U. , Auer Manfred , Zemla Marcin , Bill Markus , Conrad Mark E. , Malfatti Stephanie A. , Tringe Susannah G. , Holman Hoi‐Ying , Hazen Terry C. , Jansson Janet K.
Published: May 2012

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in a massive influx of hydrocarbons into the Gulf of Mexico (the Gulf). To better understand the fate of the oil, we enriched and isolated indigenous hydrocarbon‐degrading bacteria from deep, uncontaminated waters from the Gulf with oil (Macondo MC252) and dispersant used during the spill (COREXIT 9500). During 20 days of incubation at 5°C, CO2 evolution, hydrocarbon concentrations and the microbial community composition were determined. Approximately 60% to 25% of the dissolved oil with or without COREXIT, respectively, was degraded, in addition to some hydrocarbons in the COREXIT. FeCl2 addition initially increased respiration rates, but not the total amount of hydrocarbons degraded. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed a succession in the microbial community over time, with an increase in abundance of Colwellia and Oceanospirillales during the incubations. Flocs formed during incubations with oil and/or COREXIT in the absence of FeCl2. Synchrotron radiation‐based Fourier transform infrared (SR‐FTIR) spectromicroscopy revealed that the flocs were comprised of oil, carbohydrates and biomass. Colwellia were the dominant bacteria in the flocs. Colwellia sp. strain RC25 was isolated from one of the enrichments and confirmed to rapidly degrade high amounts (approximately 75%) of the MC252 oil at 5°C. Together these data highlight several features that provide Colwellia with the capacity to degrade oil in cold, deep marine habitats, including aggregation together with oil droplets into flocs and hydrocarbon degradation ability.
Dynamics of Performing and Remembering Organizational Routines
Authors: Miller Kent D. , Pentland Brian T. , Choi Seungho
Published: May 2012

abstract

This study addresses the dynamic interplay between action and memory in organizational routines. We consider three distinct forms of memory – procedural, declarative, and transactive – and examine their roles in the formation, efficiency, and adaptability of organizational routines. We introduce an agent‐based model simulating organizational routines as repeated patterns of sequential tasks accomplished by networks of individuals. We model the formation of new routines, and changes in established organizational routines resulting from loss of personnel (due to downsizing) and changes in environmental demands. We find that transactive memory enhances problem‐solving efficiency and facilitates adaptation to novel problems. Declarative memory built from past experience facilitates efficient routines in stable contexts, but obstructs efficiency gains when the organization encounters novel problems.
The US Debtfare State and the Credit Card Industry: Forging Spaces of Dispossession
Authors: Soederberg Susanne
Published: May 2012

Abstract:  Credit card debt is a ubiquitous feature of neoliberal capitalism. To explain the notable growth of credit card usage in the US, I adopt a historical materialist approach that employs two key analytical concepts—cannibalistic capitalism and the debtfare state—to capture the material, institutional and ideological dimensions of this process. Viewed within the bounds of cannibalistic capitalism, a mode of accumulation primarily based on the expansion of fictitious capital and secondary forms of exploitation, the debtfare state enhances the social power of money by allowing major credit card issuers (banks) to generate high levels of income from uncapped interest rates and policies that ensure the extension of plastic money to those who fall within Marx's category of the surplus population. While the expansion of debt subjects surplus workers to the disciplinary requirements of the market, it is unable to suspend the main tensions of cannibalistic capitalism, prompting ongoing reconstructions of the debtfare state.
Gender, Risk and Micro‐financial Subjectivities
Authors: Maclean Kate
Published: May 2012

Abstract: This article analyses the gendered contradictions of microfinance's celebrated “double bottom line” of social and financial impact. The example of microfinance is used to illustrate the gendered and colonial constructions of “risk” and “responsibility” that underpin neoliberalism and its gendered paradoxes. After revisiting the discursive critique of these terms, I draw on how indigenous women participating in a microfinance institution in Bolivia describe their experience to suggest how gendered ideas of risk and responsibility are framing their negotiation of and resistance to the market. While the gendered and colonial construction of risk creates dynamics that perpetuate indigenous women's exclusion from the market, the terms of the resistance and use of the intervention also challenge feminist critiques of neoliberal governmentality developed mostly with reference to advanced modernity and welfare regimes.
Discourses of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion: Trenchant Formulations or Transient Fashions?
Authors: Oswick Cliff , Noon Mike
Published: May 2012

Using bibliometric analysis of published work, we examine the discursive trends, patterns and implications of three different anti‐discrimination solutions (equality, diversity and inclusion) over a 40‐year period from 1970 to 2010. The findings reveal that the anti‐discrimination discourses are consistent with management fashions, in terms of both their trends and the rhetorical strategies used by proponents to establish the dominance of their favoured approach, particularly by denigrating previous approaches. Practitioner‐facing academics play a key role in the process by giving shape, exposure and credibility to the anti‐discrimination solutions, but not in creating them. Only by breaking free of the oppositional discursive patterns can the debate move on to anti‐discrimination solutions that attempt to blend together equality, diversity and inclusion.
Ambidextrous Organizational Culture, Contextual Ambidexterity and New Product Innovation: A Comparative Study of UK and Chinese High‐tech Firms
Authors: Wang Catherine L. , Rafiq Mohammed
Published: May 2012

Contextual ambidexterity is of paramount importance for new product innovation and organizational success, particularly in high‐tech firms operating in a dynamic environment. Whilst it is recognized that contextual ambidexterity is grounded in organizational culture, existing research has not crystallized what kind of organizational culture enables contextual ambidexterity and consequently new product innovation. In this paper, drawing on data from 150 UK and 242 Chinese high‐tech firms, we conceptualize ambidextrous organizational culture as a higher‐order construct consisting of organizational diversity and shared vision, and examine its impacts on contextual ambidexterity and consequently on new product innovation outcomes. Using structural equation modelling, we find significant relationships between ambidextrous organizational culture, contextual ambidexterity and new product innovation outcomes; contextual ambidexterity mediates the relationship between ambidextrous organizational culture and new product innovation outcomes. Our findings also suggest that the above relationships are robust in the UK–China comparative research context, and that contextual ambidexterity and new product innovation outcomes are dependent on business unit level heterogeneity (i.e. ambidextrous organizational culture and research and development strength) rather than industry or cross‐cultural differences.
QUANTUM PHYSICS AND THEOLOGY: JOHN POLKINGHORNE ON THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS
Authors: Fehige Yiftach J. H.
Published: May 2012

Abstract Thought experimentation is part of accepted scientific practice, and this makes it surprising that philosophers of science did not seriously engage with it for a very long time. The situation changed in the 1990s, resulting in a highly intriguing debate over thought experiments. Initially, the discussion focused mostly on thought experiments in physics, philosophy, and mathematics. Other disciplines have since become the subject of interest. Yet, nothing substantial has been said about the role of thought experiments in nonphilosophical theology. This paper discusses the role of thought experiments in Christian theology in comparison to their role in quantum physics, as mentioned by John Polkinghorne in Quantum Physics and Theology. We first look briefly at the history of the inquiry into thought experiments and then at Polkinghorne's remarks about the role of thought experimentation in quantum physics and Christian eschatology. To determine the actual importance of thought experiments in Christian theology a number of new examples are introduced in a third step. In the light of these examples, in a fourth step, we address the question of what it is that explains the cognitive efficacy of thought experiments in quantum physics and Christian theology.
A FULLER CONCEPT OF EVOLUTION—BIG BANG TO SPIRIT
Authors: Hefner Philip
Published: May 2012

Abstract The concept of evolution challenges us to an ongoing effort to interpret its significance. The challenge has several dimensions: (1) to calm the debate that divides Americans in arguing whether evolution is at odds with biblical traditions; (2) to integrate evolution into one's personal philosophy of life or religious faith; (3) to note the importance of the story form for rendering evolution; and (4) to evaluate evolution as a creation story. Evolution is portrayed as a drama in five acts: cosmic, biological, cultural, moral, and spiritual. The discussion concludes with reflection on humans as co‐creators whose task is to become the storytellers of evolution. The author presents this interpretation as a fuller concept of evolution.
HOW COULD WE GET TO A MORE PEACEFUL AND SUSTAINABLE HUMAN WORLD SOCIETY? THE ROLE OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION
Authors: Helmut Reich K.
Published: May 2012

AbstractThis call tothink, tofeel, toreadabout the title subject and toactfirst lists five hurdles on the way to a more peaceful and sustainable human society. A number of successful solutions are then presented, such as the UN Convention of theLaw of the Sea. There follow sections on potential contributions by religion and by collaboration between science and religion. My plea is for a widespread participation at all levels of society and an attitude of cautious, critical yet determined and creative advancement toward said society.
EVOLUTION AND ISLAM'S QUANTUM QUESTION
Authors: Dajani Rana
Published: May 2012

Abstract The apparent contradictory relationship between Islam and evolution is important because it has been cited as an example of contradiction between religion and science by both thinkers in the West and Muslims. Muslim scholars and scientists mainly disagree with evolution's legitimacy. Islam's Quantum Question by Nidhal Guessoum is a unique narrative providing in one of its first chapters an overview of evolution from neo‐Darwinists to creationists, including the views of scholars throughout Islamic history. Guessoum then proceeds to advocate for evolution. Drawing from Nidhal Guessoum's work, I highlight the reasons why there is an apparent contradiction between Islam and science—and, in particular, Islam and evolution—which include lack of freedom of thought and misinterpretation of the Qur’an. In doing so, I suggest setting the stage for a new Einsteinian theory of evolution, which involves the dimension of time and human cognition.
ISSUES AND AGENDAS OF ISLAM AND SCIENCE
Authors: Guessoum Nidhal
Published: May 2012

Abstract The publication of Islam's Quantum Question coincided with a burst of interest in the subject of Islam and science. This article first places the book in context (academic and cultural); in particular, an update is given on the two strong current trends of I'jaz, the “miraculous scientific content in the Qur’an” and Muslim creationism, and a note is made of the “Arab Spring” and its potential effect on science in the Arab‐Muslim world. The second part is devoted to a discussion of the views presented by the four reviewers (Brooke, Hameed, Dajani, and Bagir): my “theistic science” approach, the similarities and contrasts between Christian and Islamic approaches to the scientific exploration of the world, the importance of relating religion and science in practice, not just in theory, the need for a theology of nature versus natural theology in Islam, and so on. The article concludes with an outlook on the issues that still need to be addressed in the field of Islam and Science.
SCIENCE OF RELIGION AND THEOLOGY: AN EXISTENTIAL APPROACH
Authors: Karuvelil George
Published: May 2012

Abstract Stephen Jay Gould's NOMA (nonoverlapping magisteria) theory was meant to be an alternative to the traditional “conflict model” regarding the relationship between science and religion. But NOMA has been plagued with problems from the beginning. The problem most acutely felt was that of demarcating the disciplines of science and theology. This paper is an attempt to retain the insights of NOMA and the conflict model, while eliminating their shortcomings. It acknowledges with the conflict model that the conflict is real, but not necessarily a fight unto death. It agrees with the NOMA that the two are different kinds of disciplines, and it goes on to spell out the difference in some detail. They turn out to be so radically different that the two cannot be reconciled by keeping one away from the other's turf, as NOMA suggests, but may be reconciled through a fusion of horizons in the Gadamerian sense.
IDENTIFYING THE LINDAHL EQUILIBRIUM WITHOUT TRANSFERS AS A SOCIAL OPTIMUM
Authors: Yang Zili
Published: May 2012

The Lindahl equilibrium is an important solution concept in economies with externalities or public goods. In this paper, a ‘Negishi‐type’ theorem that connects the Lindahl equilibrium without transfers with the social optimum solution is proposed and proved. The theorem states that the solution of a social planner's problem with the social welfare weights proportional to the inverse of the private shadow prices of externalities in an auxiliary Nash equilibrium is the Lindahl equilibrium without transfers. To verify the theorem constructively, an algorithm for finding the Lindahl equilibrium is developed. Its efficacy is demonstrated through a numerical example.
THE MAKER'S MEANING: DIVINE IDEAS AND SALVATION
Authors: MCINTOSH MARK
Published: May 2012

The divine ideas tradition played a valuable but often unrecognized role in the history of Christian theology. This article investigates the possible loss to theology by examining how the divine ideas permitted a unified theology of creation and salvation, centred upon the contemplation of all things in Christ. Interpreting examples from Origen to Aquinas, the article demonstrates that leading theologians understood the full truth of all creatures to be known eternally by God in the procession of the Word, by whose incarnation, death, and resurrection the creatures are redeemed.
INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY AND MYSTICAL UNKNOWING: CONTEMPORARY INSIGHTS FROM MEDIEVAL SOURCES
Authors: STALEY ERINN
Published: May 2012

Intellectual disabilities make people vulnerable to marginalization in churches and social spaces, but theology has not sufficiently attended to the topic and promoted the flourishing of people who have cognitive impairments. This article responds to theology's inadequate attention to intellectual disability and historical resources for reflection on the topic by reading medieval sources with intellectual disability in mind. I argue that Bonaventure's Itinerarium Mentis in Deum provides a model for imagining intellectually disabled and nondisabled people sharing the journey into God and that Eckhart's view of intellect as the uncreated element in the soul includes people who are intellectually disabled among those who may be united with God.
ABSOLUTE ACTION: DIVINE HIDDENNESS IN KIERKEGAARD'S FEAR AND TREMBLING
Authors: KLINE PETER
Published: May 2012

This article reads Fear and Trembling constructively as a theological work. Abraham's faith is a lived movement irreducible to either ontology or epistemology. Faith is an action that waits upon what it alone could never accomplish. This is absolute action. In Abraham's case, he offers up Isaac to death with the absurd expectancy that Isaac will be returned. This double movement is a doxological abandonment of oneself and one's world to God that waits expectantly to receive them back as gifts. It is these dynamics of faith that show God to be hidden, precisely within the intimate drawing near of God. The article concludes with a constructive gesture toward an “apophaticism of action.”
DOES BELIEF AIM (ONLY) AT THE TRUTH?
Authors: WHITING DANIEL
Published: May 2012

It is common to hear talk of the aim of belief and to find philosophers appealing to that aim for numerous explanatory purposes. What belief's aim explains depends, of course, on what that aim is. Many hold that it is somehow related to truth, but there are various ways in which one might specify belief's aim using the notion of truth. In this article, by considering whether they can account for belief's standard of correctness and the epistemic norms governing belief, I argue against certain prominent specifications of belief's aim given in terms of truth, and advance a neglected alternative.
LESS GOOD BUT NOT BAD: IN DEFENSE OF EPICUREANISM ABOUT DEATH
Authors: SMUTS AARON
Published: May 2012

In this article I defend innocuousism– a weak form of Epicureanism about the putative badness of death. I argue that if we assume both mental statism about wellbeing and that death is an experiential blank, it follows that death is not bad for the one who dies. I defend innocuousism against the deprivation account of the badness of death. I argue that something is extrinsically bad if and only if it leads to states that are intrinsically bad. On my view, sometimes dying may be less good than living, but it is never bad to die.
CAN INSTRUMENTAL VALUE BE INTRINSIC?
Authors: DORSEY DALE
Published: May 2012

In this article, I critique a common claim that instrumental value is a form of extrinsic value. Instead, I offer an alternative dispositional analysis of instrumental value, which holds that instrumental value can, in certain circumstances, be an example of intrinsic value. It follows, then, that a popular account of the nature of final value – or value as an end – is false: the Moorean identification of final value with intrinsic value cannot properly distinguish between value as an end and value as a means.
European Bond ETFs: Tracking Errors and the Sovereign Debt Crisis
Authors: Drenovak Mikica , Urošević Branko , Jelic Ranko
Published: May 2012

This study examines the tracking performance of 31 eurozone sovereign debt exchange traded index funds (ETFs) during 2007–2010. The tracking performance is assessed by four different tracking error models. Overall, funds underperform their respective benchmarks. Active returns (net of fees) vary substantially (from +46.74 to −30.36 basis points) and are of considerable economic interest. The significant differences in the performance of swap‐based and in‐kind funds highlight the importance of appropriate (e.g. correlation vs. cointegration based) metrics required for the assessment of funds adopting different replication methods. We also document important changes in the tracking performance due to the changing characteristics of EU sovereign bonds since the start of the sovereign debt crisis.
Reflectance confocal microscopy for quantification of Sarcoptes scabiei in Norwegian scabies
Authors: Cinotti E. , Perrot J.L. , Labeille B. , Vercherin P. , Chol C. , Besson E. , Cambazard F.
Published: May 2012

Background and Objectives  In vivo reflectance‐mode confocal microscopy (RCM) can be used for the diagnosis of scabies. This study quantifies S. scabiei and its eggs and droppings in a patient affected by Norwegian Scabies (NS), and describes their distribution within the epidermis and in different body areas.

Methods  Different skin sites were randomly chosen in four sections (head, upper limbs, trunk and inferior limbs) of the body surface area (BSA) to acquire a total of 60 RCM z‐stacks. The number of mites and eggs, the presence of droppings, as well as the minimum epidermal depth at which mites, eggs and faeces were detectable, was established for each z‐stack. The total number of mites and eggs on the entire BSA was calculated considering the weighted mean for the four sections of the BSA.

Results  A total of 15.8 millions of S. scabiei and 7.2 millions of eggs were calculated. Mites, eggs and faeces were homogeneously distributed all over the body surface. Droppings, easily recognized by the RCM, were present in more than an half of the analyzed cutaneous sites and were associated with the presence of parasites (chi‐squared test, P = 0.002).

Conclusions  Our study illustrates the ability of RCM to identify, locate, and quantify the various forms of S. scabiei in human skin. NS is an extremely contagious disease, considering that the number of mites can be around 15.8 millions. Moreover, all areas of the body are parasitized in NS, including the face.
Body weight increment in patients treated with infliximab for plaque psoriasis
Authors: Florin V. , Cottencin A.C. , Delaporte E. , Staumont‐Sallé D.
Published: May 2012

Background  Psoriasis is frequently associated with overweight and obesity. Anti‐TNF‐α therapies are effective in the treatment of psoriasis. TNF‐α is highly involved in body weight regulation.

Objective  Our objective was to evaluate the increase in weight throughout the treatment with infliximab and the association of weight gain with the body mass index (BMI).

Methods  Thirty‐five patients affected with severe plaque psoriasis receiving infliximab were included. A control group consisted of 16 patients affected with severe plaque psoriasis and treated with cyclosporine, methotrexate, or acitretin. Assessment of PASI score, body weight and BMI were performed at a 1 and 3‐year follow‐up.

Results  We observed a body weight increment of 2.5 ± 4.4 kg (mean ± SD) (i.e. + 3.6% of baseline) and 0.1 ± 5 kg (i.e. + 1.2%) in patients treated with infliximab and the control group, respectively (P = 0.046), after 1 year of treatment. After 3 years of infliximab administration, weight gain was 4.8 ± 5 kg (n = 16) (i.e. + 6%) (P = 0.005). Moreover, as classified by BMI, normal weight patients experienced a 4 ± 3.7 kg weight gain (i.e. + 6%) whereas overweight and obese patients had gained 1.3 ± 4.8 kg (i.e. + 1.2%) (P = 0.039) after 1 year of anti‐TNF‐α therapy. Percentual changes in body weight were larger in normal weight patients at baseline than in overweight/obese counterparts (P = 0.0149).

Conclusion  All patients, including normal weight patients, should receive a dietary intervention.
Clinicopathological study of 81 cases of localized and systemic scleroderma
Authors: Succaria F. , Kurban M. , Kibbi A.‐G. , Abbas O.
Published: May 2012

Background  Scleroderma is a connective tissue disease that includes localized and systemic forms. Our recent encounter with a morphea case exhibiting prominent perineural inflammation microscopically prompted us to assess the features of all patients diagnosed with morphea/scleroderma at our institution.

Objective/methods  To describe the clinicopathological features of all patients diagnosed with morphea/scleroderma at American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUB‐MC) between 1999 and 2010, and compare our findings with those published in the literature.

Results  A total of 81 cases (63 women and 18 men) were identified, of which 73 were localized (morphea) and eight were systemic scleroderma. Clinically, plaque type morphea was the most common variant both in adults and children, and seven (9%) cases of morphea were associated with lichen sclerosis et atrophicus (LSA). Histopathologically, perineural inflammation was observed in 49% of cases, and may serve, in addition to other features including lichen sclerosis‐like changes (observed in exclusively nine cases of morphea), more diffuse dermal and less subcutaneous sclerosis, and intense inflammation, as clues favouring diagnosis of morphea over systemic sclerosis.

Conclusion  The features of morphea/scleroderma patients in this study are generally comparable to those published in the literature, with few differences. Clinically, plaque type morphea was the most common variant both in adults and children and LSA was a frequent association. Histopathologically, perineural inflammation was commonly observed and may serve in addition to lichen sclerosis‐like changes and intense inflammation as clues favouring diagnosis of morphea over systemic sclerosis.
Finding the words to work together: developing a research design to explore risk and adult protection in co‐produced research
Authors: Brookes Ian , Archibald Sylvia , McInnes Kerry , Cross Beth , Daniel Brigid , Johnson Fiona
Published: May 2012

Accessible Summary

Although co‐production of research with people who access support services is increasingly common, details about how people who access support services can take more of an assertive role in developing research proposals and method design remains sketchy. This article reflects on the development of a research project on adult protection practice in Scotland. We start by giving an overview of what the policy on adult protection is in Scotland, how we did our research on this topic and what people who may be affected told us they wanted. Then, we examine how our team talked through key words used in adult protection, namely, ‘risk’ and ‘abuse’. Coming to a shared understanding of the words and the concerns around them meant thinking about how words are used in many ways, from decisions about which words were used, to how these words were part of relating experience in stories, to how these stories fit into the work we were doing and how all of this shaped how we present our research to those who make and carry out services. Through doing a literature review together, we have gained a better understanding of how words are used as tools. We conclude that those who make, carry out and research services should consider using a wider range of tools than just words to help people have a say in how work to help people is done.