bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The implications of international entrepreneurial orientation, politicization, and hostility upon SME international performance
Authors: Thanos Ioannis C , Dimitratos Pavlos , Sapouna Panagiota
Published: April 2016

This article investigates the relationship between international entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) and international performance taking into account the moderating effects of politicization in internationalization decisions and international hostility. Using data from 208 Greek international small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), we found that IEO is positively related to international performance. We also found that neither politicization nor international hostility separately has any moderating effects on this relationship. However, the findings support the view that the combination of high levels of politicization and international hostility critically diminishes the effects of IEO on international performance. These findings enrich the international entrepreneurship field that has been relatively devoid of investigations examining decision-specific aspects of the firm.
Non-ischaemic mitral valve suture annuloplasty: late follow-up results
Authors: Benetis Rimantas , Orda Paulius , Vaškelytė Jolanta Justina , Ivanauskas Vytenis , Ereminienė Eglė , Jakuška Povilas , Jankauskienė Loreta
Published: April 2016

Objective:

To evaluate late outcomes after posterior mitral valve (MV) annulus double-suture annuloplasty for degenerative (non-ischaemic) MV insufficiency.

Design:

Between 2005 and 2011, 138 patients underwent MV repair using posterior MV double-suture annuloplasty and an additional 105 patients underwent tricuspid valve repair. The study protocol included operative mortality, reoperation rate and reasons, as well as echocardiographic parameters at pre- and postoperative and follow-up periods (2-9 years).

Results:

In-hospital mortality was 2/138 (1.45%). Early post operation, no regurgitation was noted in 74/136 (54.4%) patients, Io regurgitation was observed in 55/136 (40.4%), IIo was observed in 6/136 (4.4%) and IIIo was observed in 1/136 (0.7%); during late follow-up (from 2 to 9 years), no regurgitation was observed in 21.6% patients, Io was observed in 58%, IIo was observed in 17% and IIIo was observed in 3.4%. The mean preoperative anterolateral diameter of the MV annulus was 39.02±4.97 mm and, at late follow-up, it was 27.66±3.94 mm (p=0.000); at these same time points, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) was 55.74±7.29 mm and 49.17±6.01 mm (p=0.000), respectively, and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 53.08±8.93% and 50.92±6.78%, respectively (p=0.007).

Conclusions:

This study demonstrates suture annuloplasty to be an effective treatment up to 9 years for degenerative mitral valve disease. This technique enables preservation of the posterior mitral valve annulus diameter with stable long-term (up to 9 years) reduction, a competent (no regurgitation/⩽IIo regurgitation) MV in 96.6% of cases and positive left ventricular (LV) remodelling.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as an alternative therapy for dysphagia after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Liao Xiang , Xing Guoqiang , Guo Zhiwei , Jin Yu , Tang Qing , He Bin , McClure Morgan A , Liu Hua , Chen Huaping , Mu Qiwen
Published: April 2016

Objectives:

A meta-analysis and systematic review was conducted to investigate the potential effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on dysphagia in patients with stroke, including different parameters of frequency and stimulation site.

Methods:

PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE databases and the Cochrane Library, were searched for randomized controlled studies of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment of dysphagia published before March 2016.

Results:

Six clinical randomized controlled studies of a total of 163 stroke patients were included in this meta-analysis. A significant effect size of 1.24 was found for dysphagic outcome (mean effect size, 1.24; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.67–1.81). A subgroup analysis based on frequency showed that the clinical scores were significantly improved in dysphagic patients with low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment ( P < 0.05) as well as high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment ( P < 0.05). A stimulation site stratified subgroup analysis implied significant changes in stroke patients with dysphagia for the unaffected hemisphere ( P < 0.05) and the bilateral hemisphere stimulation ( P < 0.05), but not for the affected hemisphere ( P > 0.05). The analysis of the follow-up data shows that patients in the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation groups still maintained the therapeutic benefit of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation four weeks after the last session of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy ( P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

This meta-analysis indicates that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has a positive effect on dysphagia after stroke. Compared with low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation may be more beneficial to the patients. This meta-analysis also supports that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on an unaffected – or bilateral – hemisphere has a significant therapeutic effect on dysphagia.
The Role of Physicians’ First Impressions in the Diagnosis of Possible Cancers without Alarm Symptoms
Authors: Kostopoulou Olga , Sirota Miroslav , Round Thomas , Samaranayaka Shyamalee , Delaney Brendan C.
Published: April 2016

Background. First impressions are thought to exert a disproportionate influence on subsequent judgments; however, their role in medical diagnosis has not been systematically studied. We aimed to elicit and measure the association between first impressions and subsequent diagnoses in common presentations with subtle indications of cancer. Methods. Ninety UK family physicians conducted interactive simulated consultations online, while on the phone with a researcher. They saw 6 patient cases, 3 of which could be cancers. Each cancer case included 2 consultations, whereby each patient consulted again with nonimproving and some new symptoms. After reading an introduction (patient description and presenting problem), physicians could request more information, which the researcher displayed online. In 2 of the possible cancers, physicians thought aloud. Two raters coded independently the physicians’ first utterances (after reading the introduction but before requesting more information) as either acknowledging the possibility of cancer or not. We measured the association of these first impressions with the final diagnoses and management decisions. Results. The raters coded 297 verbalizations with high interrater agreement (Kappa = 0.89). When the possibility of cancer was initially verbalized, the odds of subsequently diagnosing it were on average 5 times higher (odds ratio 4.90 [95% CI 2.72 to 8.84], P < 0.001), while the odds of appropriate referral doubled (OR 1.98 [1.10 to 3.57], P = 0.002). The number of cancer-related questions physicians asked mediated the relationship between first impressions and subsequent diagnosis, explaining 29% of the total effect. Conclusion. We measured a strong association between family physicians’ first diagnostic impressions and subsequent diagnoses and decisions. We suggest that interventions to influence and support the diagnostic process should target its early stage of hypothesis generation.
The Globalisation of Resentment: Failure, Denial, and Violence in World Politics
Authors: Brighi Elisabetta
Published: April 2016

Through the lenses of contemporary terrorism, this article charts the rise of global resentment against the background of the multiplication and denial of failure. The article examines resentment and ressentiment as emotional responses to different kinds of failure: failure of justice and failure of recognition, respectively. It then investigates their place in the affective and moral economy of the global age, teasing out the key distinctions between the two emotions and assessing the strengths of the claim concerning an ever expanding diffusion of ressentiment in late modern times. Through inroads into classical and contemporary political theory, the article seeks to rescue resentment from the relative hegemony of ressentiment. The article closes with a reading of the Paris terror attacks of 7 January 2015 and 13 November 2015, that seeks to disentangle the different forms of resentment mobilised in these acts. By raising the issue of the moral value of resentment, the article ultimately seeks to address the question of how to cope with failure while holding on to emancipatory, counter-hegemonic, and self-affirming political practices.
Science as national belonging: The construction of Svalbard as a Norwegian space
Authors: Roberts Peder , Paglia Eric
Published: April 2016

This article examines how science has been employed to establish, maintain, and contest senses of belonging on Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago administered by Norway since 1925 under an international treaty. Our central argument is that the process of constructing Svalbard as a space belonging to Norway has long been intertwined with the processes of describing and representing the archipelago and that participating in those processes has also permitted other states to articulate their own narratives of belonging – on Svalbard in particular and in the Arctic more generally. We deploy the concept of belonging to capture a sense of legitimate presence and stakeholdership that we do not believe can be adequately captured by narrow concepts of sovereignty. Norway’s historic and current use of science validates (and even naturalizes) its rule over Svalbard. At the same time, other states use science on Svalbard to articulate geopolitical scripts that portray them as stakeholders in an Arctic that is of transregional relevance due to the effects of climate change.
Innovating public participation methods: Technoscientization and reflexive engagement
Authors: Voß Jan-Peter , Amelung Nina
Published: April 2016

We reconstruct the innovation journey of ‘citizen panels’, as a family of participation methods, over four decades and across different sites of development and application. A process of aggregation leads from local practices of designing participatory procedures like the citizens jury, planning cell, or consensus conference in the 1970s and 1980s, to the disembedding and proliferation of procedural formats in the 1990s, and into the trans-local consolidation of participatory practices through laboratory-based expertise since about 2000. Our account highlights a central irony: anti-technocratic engagements with governance gave birth to efforts at establishing technoscientific control over questions of political procedure. But such efforts have been met with various forms of reflexive engagement that draw out implications and turn design questions back into matters of concern. An emerging informal assessment regime for technologies of participation as yet prevents closure on one dominant global design for democracy beyond the state.
Computational modeling of wind flow over the University of Calgary campus
Authors: Mohamed MA , Wood DH
Published: April 2016

This paper describes computer simulations of the wind flow over the University of Calgary campus undertaken to assess the likely regions for siting wind turbines and photovoltaic modules. The importation and cleaning of the building geometries is discussed along with the requirements for modeling adjacent buildings on the accurate simulation over one building in particular. The effect of the terrain and the many trees on the campus is shown to be significant for the wind resource over the roof of a six-storey building. It is shown that the choice of turbulence model is not critical if the purpose of the simulation is to identify regions for further exploration via wind speed measurements.
Headache in Caucasian patients with Moyamoya angiopathy – a systematic cohort study
Authors: Kraemer Markus , Lee Sie-In , Ayzenberg Ilya , Schwitalla Jan Claudius , Diehl Rolf R , Berlit Peter , Bosche Bert , Katsarava Zaza , Obermann Mark
Published: April 2016

Background

Headache is common in patients with Moyanoya angiopathy (MMA), but usually underestimated in its management and not well characterized.

Methods

A validated self-administered headache screening questionnaire and a telephone interview were used in order to investigate headache characteristics, frequency and pain intensity in a large cohort of 55 German patients with MMA.

Results

Thirty-seven patients (67.3%) had suffered from headache in the past year. Headache intensity was rated 3.2 ± 1.3 on a verbal rating scale from 0 to 10. Seventeen patients (47.9%) reported migraine-like headache, 10 patients (27.0%) reported tension type-like headache and 10 patients (27.0%) had a combination of both. The majority of patients with migraine-like headache ( n = 10, 58.8%) described migrainous aura. Headache frequency and intensity improved significantly after revascularization surgery; however, nine patients developed new-onset headache postoperatively.

Conclusion

Headache is very common in MMA, often with a migraine-like phenotype. Tension type-like headache was also found in 27% of patients, which is a new finding that has not been reported before.
All-Inside Versus Inside-Out Meniscal Repair With Concurrent Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Meta-regression Analysis
Authors: Westermann Robert W. , Duchman Kyle R. , Amendola Annunziato , Glass Natalie , Wolf Brian R.
Published: April 2016

Background:

Meniscal tears are frequently repaired during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Purpose:

To systematically evaluate differences in clinical failures between all-inside and inside-out meniscal repairs performed during ACLR.

Study Design:

Meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

A systematic review was perfomed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The databases queried included MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. All English-language studies reporting failure rates after meniscal repair with either the all-inside or inside-out technique performed in conjunction with ACLR were identified between 1980 and 2015. Studies with a minimum 2-year follow-up were included. Reported outcomes, clinical meniscal repair failures, and complications were assessed. Studies were weighted according to the size of the clinical series and mean follow-up length. Inverse-variance–weighted mixed models were used to evaluate whether there was a significant difference in pooled reoperation rates between repair techniques.

Results:

In total, 21 studies met inclusion criteria. Of these, 13 studies reported outcomes after all-inside repair, and 10 studies reported outcomes after inside-out repair (2 studies reported both). A total of 1126 patients were included in the analysis. The mean (±SD) follow-up for all-inside repair was 58.64 ± 22.24 months versus 76.25 ± 31.69 months for inside-out repair ( P = .13). The clinical failure rate for all-inside meniscal repair performed concurrently with ACLR was 16% (121/744) compared with 10% (39/382) for inside-out repair, and this was found to be significant ( P = .016). Implant irritation and device migration were the most common complications reported for all-inside repair; complication rates did not differ between the groups.

Conclusion:

There may be fewer early clinical failures when the inside-out technique is utilized for meniscal repair at the time of concomitant ACLR. Additional long-term studies will be useful to determine the operative success of these repairs over time.
Military Occupational Outcomes in Canadian Armed Forces Personnel with and without Deployment-Related Mental Disorders
Authors: Boulos David , Zamorski Mark A.
Published: April 2016

Objective:

Mental disorders are common in military organizations, and these frequently lead to functional impairments that can interfere with duties and lead to costly attrition. In Canada, the military mental health system has received heavy investment to improve occupational outcomes. We investigated military occupational outcomes of diagnosed mental disorders in a cohort of 30,513 personnel who deployed on the Afghanistan mission.

Methods:

Cohort members were military personnel who deployed on the Afghanistan mission from 2001 to 2008. Mental disorder diagnoses and their attribution to the Afghanistan mission were ascertained via medical records in a stratified random sample ( n = 2014). Career-limiting medical conditions (that is, condition-associated restrictions that reliably lead to medically related attrition) were determined using administrative data. Outcomes were assessed from first Afghanistan-related deployment return.

Results:

At 5 years of follow-up, the Kaplan-Meier estimated cumulative fraction with career-limiting medical conditions was 40.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 35.5 to 46.4) among individuals with Afghanistan service–related mental disorders (ARMD), 23.6% (CI 15.5 to 31.8) with other mental disorders, and 11.1% (CI 8.9 to 13.3) without mental disorders. The adjusted Cox regression hazard ratios for career-limiting medical condition risk were 4.89 (CI 3.85 to 6.23) among individuals with ARMD and 2.31 (CI 1.48 to 3.60) with other mental disorders, relative to those without mental disorders.

Conclusions:

Notwithstanding the Canadian military’s mental health system investments, mental disorders (particularly ARMD) still led to a high risk of adverse military occupational outcomes. Such investments have intrinsic value but may not translate into reduced medically related attrition without improvements in prevention and treatment effectiveness.
Have the Answers to Common Legal Questions Concerning Nutrition Support Changed Over the Past Decade? 10 Questions for 10 Years
Authors: Barrocas Albert , Cohen Michael L.
Published: April 2016

Clinical nutrition specialists (CNSs) are often confronted with technological, ethical, and legal questions, that is, what can be done technologically, what should be done ethically, and what must be done legally, which conflict at times. The conflict represents a “troubling trichotomy” as discussed in the lead article of this issue of Nutrition in Clinical Practice (NCP). During Clinical Nutrition Week in 2006, a symposium covering these 3 topics was presented, and later that year, an article covering the same topic was published in NCP. In this article, we revisit several legal questions/issues that were raised 10 years ago and discuss current answers and approaches. Some of the answers remain unchanged. Other answers have been modified by additional legislation, court decisions, or regulations. In addition, new questions/issues have arisen. Some of the most common questions regarding nutrition support involve the following: liability, informed consent, medical decisional incapacity vs legal competence, advance directive specificity, surrogate decision making, physician orders for life‐sustaining treatment and electronic medical orders for life‐sustaining treatment, legal definition of death, patient vs family decision making, the noncompliant patient, and elder abuse obligations. In the current healthcare environment, these questions and issues are best addressed via a transdisciplinary team that focuses on function rather than form. The CNS can play a pivotal role in dealing with these challenges by applying the acronym ACT: being Accountable and Communicating with all stakeholders while actively participating as an integral part of the transdisciplinary Team.
Evaluation of polypropylene mesh coated with biological hydrogels for temporary closure of open abdomen
Authors: Deng Youming , Ren Jianan , Chen Guopu , Li Guanwei , Guo Kun , Hu Qiongyuan , Wu Xiuwen , Wang Gefei , Gu Guosheng , Li Jieshou
Published: April 2016

Polypropylene mesh, as a temporary abdominal closure device, may cause mechanical intestine injury and inflammatory response. Chitosan/gelatin hydrogel has excellent biocompatibility, soft and elastic properties. This work is to assess the effects of the chitosan/gelatin hydrogel coated polypropylene mesh on open abdomen wounds. Histological analysis and detection of healing-related factors were conducted to evaluate the inflammation and wound healing process. After 1-day implantation in a murine model of open abdomen, the coated polypropylene mesh, compared with simple polypropylene mesh, demonstrated well protection of the intestine serosa. After 14-day implantation, it reduced the inflammation response by down-regulating the cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, and up-regulating the anti-inflammatory factor interleukin-10. Meanwhile, the composite stimulated granulation tissue growth, and promoted matrix deposition and angiogenesis after 7 and 14 days. In conclusion, the modified temporary abdominal closure composite could significantly protect the intestines from mechanical damage and accelerate wound healing.
Antibacterial and biological properties of biofunctionalized nanocomposites on titanium for implant application
Authors: Li Peiyuan , Tong Zhangfa , Huo Lini , Yang Fang , Su Wei
Published: April 2016

Titanium implants possessing excellent antibacterial activity are highly desirable for the prevention of implant-associated infections. In this study, we demonstrate a simple one-step, water-based procedure for the fabrication of biofunctionalized nanocomposites on titanium for implant application. The formation of biofunctionalized silver nanoparticles with varied biomolecule templates is confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic, contact angle, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry analysis. Antibacterial properties of the specimens were determined by challenging them against Staphylococcus aureus. The Ag-incorporated titanium shows excellent antibacterial ability against planktonic bacteria in the suspension and ability to prevent bacterial adhesion. The specimens with optimized biomolecule/silver ratio promote osteoblast differentiation. These biofunctionalized silver nanoparticles-doped titanium specimens, with improved antibacterial activity while maintaining healthy osteoblast cellular activity, have promising application in orthopedics, dentistry, and other biomedical devices.
Sexual Harassment in Social Work Field Placements
Authors: Moylan Carrie A. , Wood Leila
Published: April 2016

Addressing sexual harassment in educational environments is integral for Title IX compliance; however, there are few estimates of prevalence of the phenomenon in social work’s signature pedagogy, field education. A survey of 515 bachelor of social work and master of social work students revealed that 55% of participants had experienced at least one incident of sexual harassment on the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire. Those participants who were younger, Latina/Hispanic, or in a committed relationship were more likely to report harassment. The most common perpetrators were other staff at the field placement and clients. Implications for social work education and practice are addressed.
The Gender Pray Gap
Authors: Schnabel Landon
Published: April 2016

Social scientists agree that women are generally more religious than men, but disagree about whether the differences are universal or contingent on social context. This study uses General Social Survey data to explore differences in religiosity between, as well as among, women and men by level of individual earned income. Extending previous research, I focus on high earners with other groups included for comparison. Predicted probabilities based upon fully interacted models provide four key findings: (1) There are no significant gender differences among high earners; (2) high-earning women are less religious than low-earning women; (3) high-earning men are more religious than low-earning men; and (4) differences among women and among men at different earnings levels are just as large as average differences between women and men. Further analyses demonstrate that the relationship between gender, earnings, and religiosity varies by race. The findings demonstrate the utility of intersectional approaches for understanding gender differences in religiosity. Beyond the implications specific to the gender differences in religiosity literature, this study also indicates that religion is an important, yet often underemphasized, aspect of our intersectional selves.
Combustion characteristics and thermal properties of high-density polyethylene/ethylene vinyl-acetate copolymer blends containing magnesium hydroxide
Authors: Ma Yonghong , Chen Man , Liu Nian , Dang Pengyu , Xu Yang , Chen Xiaolang , Wang Zhao , He Jiang
Published: April 2016

Magnesium hydroxide (MH) was added into high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/ethylene vinyl-acetate (EVA) copolymer blends with various MH contents (30–60 wt%) to improve the flame retardancy of HDPE/EVA blends. The flammability, morphology of charred residues, thermal stability, crystallization, and mechanical properties of HDPE/EVA/MH composites were investigated by UL-94 test, limiting oxygen index (LOI), cone calorimeter test (CCT), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and tensile test. The data obtained from LOI, UL-94 test, and CCT revealed that the addition of MH provided improvements in flame retardancy by increasing the LOI values, UL-94 rating, and reducing heat release, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions along with delayed ignition with increasing the content of MH. The UL-94 V-0 rating and high LOI value were achieved with the incorporation of MH at a loading level higher than 50 wt% in HDPE/EVA blends, which suggested that the formation of intact, consolidated, and thick residue structures on the surfaces of MH-filled composites prevented the underlying polymer materials from burning. DSC results showed that the crystallinity of HDPE/EVA blends increased with increasing the content of MH, resulting in the enhancement of the strength of HDPE/EVA/MH composites. The thermal stability of HDPE/EVA blends decreased due to the addition of MH.
The National Practice Patterns of Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Post-Cardiothoracic Surgery
Authors: Mathew Sheena E. , Beavers Craig J. , McNeely Elizabeth
Published: April 2016

Background:

The rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE) post-cardiothoracic surgery are not well understood. The american college of chest physicians (CHEST) guidelines report weak recommendations for starting VTE prophylaxis post-cardiothoracic surgery. It is suspected that due to the increase in bleed risk, postsurgery initiation of pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis is limited.

Objective:

The study sought to investigate the use of VTE prevention in US hospitals performing cardiac surgery and the use of mechanical/chemical prophylaxis postoperatively.

Methods:

This is a multicenter survey distributed to cardiac hospitals in the United States. The survey was distributed through 3 separate listservs. Data were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics.

Results:

The majority of the hospitals were academic and/or community and completed coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), valve replacement (mitral/aortic/tricuspid), and aortic repair. It was common for hospitals to start mechanical and pharmacologic prophylaxis post-cardiothoracic surgery on postoperative day (POD) 1 to 2. The anticoagulation most commonly used consisted of unfractionated heparin.

Conclusions:

The majority of the institutions are initiating therapy POD 1 to 2 with both mechanical and chemical prophylaxis. The full impact of early initiation of VTE prophylaxis is unknown, and more studies are needed to assess the true risks/benefits of these practices.
Treatment of Diabetic Ketoacidosis With Intravenous U-500 Insulin in a Patient With Rabson-Mendenhall Syndrome: A Case Report
Authors: Moore Megan M. , Bailey Abby M. , Flannery Alexander H. , Baum Regan A.
Published: April 2016

Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome is a rare genetic disorder resulting from mutations in the insulin receptor and is associated with high degrees of insulin resistance. These patients are prone to complications secondary to their hyperglycemia including diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). We report the case of a 19-year-old male with Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome presenting with DKA who required doses of up to 500 U/h (10.6 U/kg/h) of insulin. The patient’s insulin infusion was originally compounded with U-100 regular insulin, although to minimize volume, the product was compounded with U-500 insulin. The DKA eventually resolved requiring infusion rates ranging from 400 to 500 U/h. Although numerous opportunities for medication errors exist with the use of U-500 insulin, this case outlines the safe use of concentrated intravenous insulin when clinically indicated for patients requiring extremely high doses of insulin to control blood glucose.
A Program to Increase Research Productivity Among Hospital Pharmacists
Authors: Nazer Lama H. , Tuffaha Haitham , Jaddoua Saad
Published: April 2016

Objective:

To describe the development, implementation, and outcomes of a structured research training program that aimed to increase the research productivity among hospital pharmacists.

Methods:

The program was conducted in a step-wise approach and started with educational sessions on evidence-based medicine and research methods. After about a year, pharmacists were trained and mentored on how to conduct and publish a research project. We evaluated the number of research projects and publications for the pharmacy department before and after the implementation of the program.

Results:

In the 5 years prior to implementing the program, there were a total of 4 institutional review board (IRB) proposals, 4 abstracts, and 2 manuscripts, which had pharmacists as primary investigators. After 5 years of running the program, there were 24 pharmacist-initiated research proposals submitted to the IRB, 29 abstracts, and 11 published manuscripts. The major challenges were the lack of sufficient time and the extensive training and mentorship required.

Conclusion:

Implementing a structured pharmacy research program at a hospital setting was feasible and was associated with an increase in the pharmacist-led research and publications. The success of such a program requires training and mentorship, strong commitment, and administrative support.
Non-profits and the ‘hollowed out’ state: the transformation of working conditions through personalizing social care services during an era of austerity
Authors: Cunningham Ian
Published: April 2016

This article explores the impact of state reforms to increase customer authority in social care at a time of public sector austerity in Scotland. The article focuses on the implications of these reforms for state–non-profit relations and the latter’s employment policies. The study proposes a theoretical framework to explore these themes using insights from the ‘hollowing out’ thesis and the customer-orientated bureaucracy concept. Non-profits respond to increased customer authority from personalization and public expenditure cuts by adopting more competitive relations with each other. They also introduce contradictory ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ Human Resource Management (HRM) reforms. Workers face multiple demands to be more flexible and exhibit commitment to ‘fit’ with customer needs. Despite some increases in skills, the increasing influence of customer authority and efficiency savings mean employees experience multiple degradations in employment conditions affecting pay, job security, skills and work intensification.
A design of experiments approach to optimise tensile and notched bending properties of fused deposition modelling parts
Authors: Griffiths Chrisian A , Howarth Jack , De Almeida-Rowbotham Gabriela , Rees Andrew
Published: April 2016

As additive manufacturing expands from rapid prototyping into rapid production, it is becoming more important to consider the mechanical performance of candidate products in addition to their functional attributes as a prototype. This study demonstrates how a design of experiments approach can be used to optimise the tensile and notched bending properties of the materials used in the process, while also considering the time of production and material efficiency. Such an approach can allow manufacturers to optimise the build in terms of the time, cost and material properties according to the requirements of the product. The main conclusion of this study was that when considering the significant contributors, similar build parameters result in optimised properties for both specimen types. It was also found that the layer height, being insignificant to the mechanical properties of both specimens, was critical to the cost control in terms of build time and material usage. Thus, the maximum layer height could be used to incorporate cost control into the design without affecting final performance.
A method of implementing formalized multidisciplinary collaboration in product conceptual design process
Authors: Yan Xi-qiang , Li Yan , Chen Jian , Li Wen-qiang , Xiong Yan
Published: April 2016

Modern product design can be considered as a process, which involves intensive iteration, complex reasoning, and mutual cooperation among the design groups in different disciplinary areas. In order to meet the requirements of modern products on multidisciplinary collaboration, the traditional method, where the product conceptual design is usually solved only within a single discipline, should be improved. Based on the classic function–behavior–structure model of product conceptual design, this paper studied the collaborative mechanism of functions, behaviors and structures, and proposed a new method/system of implementing formalized multidisciplinary collaboration in the product conceptual design process. In this method, the model/system of conceptual design process with multidisciplinary collaboration was established first, and three collaboration mechanisms were developed. After the coupling relationship among the design sub-states and the disciplinary classification characteristics of the design sub-states were expressed by the mathematical ways, the particle swarm algorithm was applied for the discipline planning, next the solving process for multidisciplinary collaboration were proposed. Finally, the conceptual design process of a stylus printer was used to illustrate the application of the proposed method.
Mesh node rigid moving algorithm for the uncoated milling cutter tool wear prediction considering periodic process variables
Authors: Liu H-B , Wang Y-Q , Wu D , Hou B
Published: April 2016

Milling is a typical intermittent cutting process. As a result, tool wear is generated cyclically due to periodic process variables. However, the traditional tool wear prediction strategy based on continuous cutting model is no longer applicable. In this paper, a novel geometric approach through mesh node rigid moving for the milling cutter tool wear prediction has been developed. Firstly, a unified tool wear predictive model is established through bridging the two wear configurations before and after worn. A coupled abrasive–diffusive model is employed to calculate the tool wear volume of each point on tool face. Further, a novel iterative algorithm for tool wear prediction through mesh node rigid moving layer-by-layer and process variables redistribution is designed in discrete-time domain, which is generally decomposed into two phases according to cutting heat equilibrium state, FEM simulation and offline calculation. Last, a series of numerical and saw-milling experiments for flank wear prediction were implemented to verify the developed approach. The AISI304 and the high vanadium high-speed steel tool without coating were adopted. By comparison, the predicted results were consistent with the experimental overall. It has been proved that the proposed approach is more effective than pure FEM simulation and is suitable for long-term milling tool wear prediction.
A numerical scheme for optimizing gas liquid cylindrical cyclone separator
Authors: Ghasemi Amirhosein , Shams Mehrzad , Heyhat Mohammad Mahdi
Published: April 2016

A numerical scheme for two-phase flow in gas liquid cylindrical cyclone is developed and its performance is investigated. A three-dimensional cyclone is simulated with computational fluid dynamic methods. After choosing a suitable mesh grid for the cyclone and checking grid independency, the effect of changing geometry parameters on the gas liquid cylindrical cyclone performance such as gas carry under and liquid carry over is investigated and finally the geometry is optimized to minimize both gas carry under and liquid carry over. Geometrical parameters have great effect on optimizing cyclone separators performance. Reynold’s stress model is used for turbulence simulation of the flow and two-phase flow is simulated using Eulerian–Eulerian approach. Optimized parameters are inlet nozzle width, inlet angle, inlet altitude relative to the bottom of the cyclone, cyclone main diameter, and liquid outlet diameter. Results show that gas carry under decreases with decreasing liquid outlet diameter of the cyclone, increasing main diameter of the cyclone, increasing inlet nozzle’s width, and decreasing nozzle’s inlet angle. The optimum point for gas carry under was given with changing inlet altitude relative to the bottom of the cyclone. The optimum point for liquid carry over was obtained with changing liquid outlet diameter, main diameter of the cyclone, inlet altitude, and inlet nozzle width and increasing inlet angle causes an increase in liquid carry over.
Effect of rotational direction of triple-swirler on cold flow characteristics of a model combustor
Authors: Zhao Ziqiang , He Xiaomin , Ding Guoyu , Li Mingyu , Jiang Ping , Huanga Weidong
Published: April 2016

Triple-swirler plays an important role for aero-engine combustors to achieve high temperature rise. In this paper, experimental investigations were carried out to explore the effect of triple-swirler rotational direction on swirling flow field in atmospheric condition. Two-dimensional-planar particle image velocimetry measurements show that the central toroidal recirculation zone (CTRZ) formation is significantly affected by the swirler rotational direction combinations: an obvious CTRZ can be formed by the triple-swirler with co-rotating intermediate swirler and outer swirler, while a much smaller CTRZ was obtained by the triple-swirler with a counter-rotating intermediate and outer swirler. Furthermore, the swirl level of the mixed flow is significantly affected by the rotational direction combination, and the integrated swirl numbers were calculated to help evaluating the swirl level generated by triple-swirlers. The rotational direction combination plays a key role on the tangential velocity distribution. The tangential velocity distribution is not only closely related to rotational direction, but also the swirl number combination and mass proportion of each swirler in a triple-swirler.
Assessing methods for dealing with treatment switching in clinical trials: A follow-up simulation study
Authors: Latimer Nicholas R , Abrams Keith R , Lambert Paul C , Morden James P , Crowther Michael J
Published: April 2016

When patients randomised to the control group of a randomised controlled trial are allowed to switch onto the experimental treatment, intention-to-treat analyses of the treatment effect are confounded because the separation of randomised groups is lost. Previous research has investigated statistical methods that aim to estimate the treatment effect that would have been observed had this treatment switching not occurred and has demonstrated their performance in a limited set of scenarios. Here, we investigate these methods in a new range of realistic scenarios, allowing conclusions to be made based upon a broader evidence base. We simulated randomised controlled trials incorporating prognosis-related treatment switching and investigated the impact of sample size, reduced switching proportions, disease severity, and alternative data-generating models on the performance of adjustment methods, assessed through a comparison of bias, mean squared error, and coverage, related to the estimation of true restricted mean survival in the absence of switching in the control group. Rank preserving structural failure time models, inverse probability of censoring weights, and two-stage methods consistently produced less bias than the intention-to-treat analysis. The switching proportion was confirmed to be a key determinant of bias: sample size and censoring proportion were relatively less important. It is critical to determine the size of the treatment effect in terms of an acceleration factor (rather than a hazard ratio) to provide information on the likely bias associated with rank-preserving structural failure time model adjustments. In general, inverse probability of censoring weight methods are more volatile than other adjustment methods.
Class-imbalanced subsampling lasso algorithm for discovering adverse drug reactions
Authors: Ahmed Ismaïl , Pariente Antoine , Tubert-Bitter Pascale
Published: April 2016

Background

All methods routinely used to generate safety signals from pharmacovigilance databases rely on disproportionality analyses of counts aggregating patients’ spontaneous reports. Recently, it was proposed to analyze individual spontaneous reports directly using Bayesian lasso logistic regressions. Nevertheless, this raises the issue of choosing an adequate regularization parameter in a variable selection framework while accounting for computational constraints due to the high dimension of the data.

Purpose

Our main objective is to propose a method, which exploits the subsampling idea from Stability Selection, a variable selection procedure combining subsampling with a high-dimensional selection algorithm, and adapts it to the specificities of the spontaneous reporting data, the latter being characterized by their large size, their binary nature and their sparsity.

Materials and method

Given the large imbalance existing between the presence and absence of a given adverse event, we propose an alternative subsampling scheme to that of Stability Selection resulting in an over-representation of the minority class and a drastic reduction in the number of observations in each subsample. Simulations are used to help define the detection threshold as regards the average proportion of false signals. They are also used to compare the performances of the proposed sampling scheme with that originally proposed for Stability Selection. Finally, we compare the proposed method to the gamma Poisson shrinker, a disproportionality method, and to a lasso logistic regression approach through an empirical study conducted on the French national pharmacovigilance database and two sets of reference signals.

Results

Simulations show that the proposed sampling strategy performs better in terms of false discoveries and is faster than the equiprobable sampling of Stability Selection. The empirical evaluation illustrates the better performances of the proposed method compared with gamma Poisson shrinker and the lasso in terms of number of reference signals retrieved.
In science communication, why does the idea of a public deficit always return? How do the shifting information flows in healthcare affect the deficit model of science communication?
Authors: Ko Henry
Published: April 2016

The healthcare field contains a multitude of opportunities for science communication. Given the many stakeholders dancing together in a multidirectional tango of communication, we need to ask how much does the deficit model apply to the health field? History dictates that healthcare professionals are the holders of all knowledge, and the patients and other stakeholders are the ones that need the scientific information communicated to them. This essay argues otherwise, in part due to the rise of shared decision-making and patients and other stakeholders acting as partners in healthcare. The traditional deficit model in health held that: (1) doctors were experts and patients were consumers, (2) it is impossible for the public to grasp the many disciplines of knowledge in medicine, (3) if experts have trouble keeping up with medical research then the public surely can’t keep up, and (4) it is safer for healthcare professionals to communicate to the public using a deficit model. However, with the rise of partnerships with patients in healthcare decision-making, the deficit model might be weakening. Examples of public participation in healthcare decision-making include: (1) crowd-sourcing public participation in systematic reviews, (2) public participation in health policy, (3) public collaboration in health research, and (4) health consumer groups acting as producers of health information. With the challenges to the deficit model in science communication in health, caution is needed with the increasing role of technology and social media, and how these may affect the legitimacy of healthcare information flows away from the healthcare professional.
In science communication, why does the idea of a public deficit always return?
Authors: Raps Beth G.
Published: April 2016

Taking Isabelle Stengers’ “ecology of practices” as an inspiration, the author answers the question animating the essay competition in four ways, each (it is hoped) generating progressively more inter+est between the communities concerned.
The lure of rationality: Why does the deficit model persist in science communication?
Authors: Simis Molly J. , Madden Haley , Cacciatore Michael A. , Yeo Sara K.
Published: April 2016

Science communication has been historically predicated on the knowledge deficit model. Yet, empirical research has shown that public communication of science is more complex than what the knowledge deficit model suggests. In this essay, we pose four lines of reasoning and present empirical data for why we believe the deficit model still persists in public communication of science. First, we posit that scientists’ training results in the belief that public audiences can and do process information in a rational manner. Second, the persistence of this model may be a product of current institutional structures. Many graduate education programs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields generally lack formal training in public communication. We offer empirical evidence that demonstrates that scientists who have less positive attitudes toward the social sciences are more likely to adhere to the knowledge deficit model of science communication. Third, we present empirical evidence of how scientists conceptualize “the public” and link this to attitudes toward the deficit model. We find that perceiving a knowledge deficit in the public is closely tied to scientists’ perceptions of the individuals who comprise the public. Finally, we argue that the knowledge deficit model is perpetuated because it can easily influence public policy for science issues. We propose some ways to uproot the deficit model and move toward more effective science communication efforts, which include training scientists in communication methods grounded in social science research and using approaches that engage community members around scientific issues.
In science communication, why does the idea of the public deficit always return? Exploring key influences
Authors: Suldovsky Brianne
Published: April 2016

Despite mounting criticism, the deficit model remains an integral part of science communication research and practice. In this article, I advance three key factors that contribute to the idea of the public deficit in science communication, including the purpose of science communication, how communication processes and outcomes are conceptualized, and how science and scientific knowledge are defined. Affording science absolute epistemic privilege, I argue, is the most compelling factor contributing to the continued use of the deficit model. In addition, I contend that the deficit model plays a necessary, though not sufficient, role in science communication research and practice. Areas for future research are discussed.