bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mobility, Disability, and Social Engagement in Older Adults
Authors: Rosso Andrea L. , Taylor Jennifer A. , Tabb Loni Philip , Michael Yvonne L.
Published: April 2013

Objective: To examine cross sectional associations between mobility with or without disability and social engagement in a community-based sample of older adults. Methods: Social engagement of participants ( n = 676) was outside the home (participation in organizations and use of senior centers) and in home (talking by phone and use of Internet). Logistic or proportional odds models evaluated the association between social engagement and position in the disablement process (no mobility limitations, mobility limitations/no disability, and mobility limitations/disability). Results: Low mobility was associated with lower level of social engagement of all forms (Odds ratio (OR) = 0.59, confidence intervals (CI): 0.41-0.85 for organizations; OR = 0.67, CI: 0.42-1.06 for senior center; OR = 0.47, CI: 0.32-0.70 for phone; OR = 0.38, CI: 0.23-0.65 for Internet). For social engagement outside the home, odds of engagement were further reduced for individuals with disability. Discussion: Low mobility is associated with low social engagement even in the absence of disability; associations with disability differed by type of social engagement.
Would an Obese Person Whistle Vivaldi? Targets of Prejudice Self-Present to Minimize Appearance of Specific Threats
Authors: Neel Rebecca , Neufeld Samantha L. , Neuberg Steven L.
Published: April 2013

How do targets of stigma manage social interactions? We built from a threat-specific model of prejudice to predict that targets select impression-management strategies that address the particular threats other people see them to pose. We recruited participants from two groups perceived to pose different threats: overweight people, who are heuristically associated with disease and targeted with disgust, and Black men, who are perceived to be dangerous and targeted with fear. When stereotypes and prejudices toward their groups were made salient, overweight people (Studies 1 and 2) and Black men (Study 2) selectively prioritized self-presentation strategies to minimize apparent disease threat (wearing clean clothes) or physical-violence threat (smiling), respectively. The specific threat a group is seen to pose plays an important but underexamined role in the psychology of being a target of prejudice.
Causes and Consequences of Expectation Trajectories
Authors: Krizan Zlatan , Sweeny Kate
Published: April 2013

Although expectations are key theoretical antecedents of emotion and behavior, expectations are typically examined as static properties without deep consideration of their temporal dynamics. We surveyed residents of California over five time points, during the month preceding a public ballot initiative on cannabis legalization (California Proposition 19) and after the election, to examine both the causes and the consequences of residents’ expectation trajectories regarding the vote’s outcome. Our results point to the importance of changes in individuals’ expectations over time. Specifically, well-informed voters were likely to lower their expectations regarding the measure’s passage as the vote neared, in line with polling results, but being informed about the initiative had less impact on expectation trajectories among voters who favored the measure than among those who opposed it. Furthermore, supporters who maintained their optimism about the initiative’s outcome over time were more likely to vote and were more disappointed following the measure’s failure, compared with supporters who became more pessimistic. The findings suggest that temporal changes in people’s optimism and expectations play a unique role in social behavior.
Psychology and the death of aspiration
Authors: Williams Richard N. , Gantt Edwin E.
Published: April 2013

This paper argues that the prevailing theories, models, and explanations of contemporary psychology, in large part because they reflect the assumptions of reductive naturalism, provide an understanding of our human being such that aspiration—to the higher, the more noble, and the more meaningful—becomes not only unreasonable, but impossible. Indeed, such thinking in the discipline marks the death of aspiration. The paper further argues, following the work of Unamuno, Levinas, and Marion, that genuine aspiration is possible and reasonable only in the context of a temporal continuity of the soul, the existence of an other to whom we are obligated, and the possibility of loving with no expectation of reciprocity. Such a context, in turn, is possible only under a particular set of assumptions about our human being that operate on the ontological level. These assumptions, which include that we are innately possessed of meaningful intelligence, that we can, in fact, anticipate temporal continuity, that we are moral agents inhabiting a moral world, and that we are capable of genuine human intimacy, are presented as an alternative starting point for a psychology which does more than toll the death of aspiration.
Epratuzumab for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Wallace DJ , Goldenberg DM
Published: April 2013

Epratuzumab (EMab, UCB, Immunomedics) is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting CD22 that is being studied in clinical trials for patients with a variety of rheumatic and hematologic conditions, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). An overview of its mechanism of action is followed by a summary of completed lupus studies, and a preview of studies in progress. The agent clearly has anti-inflammatory activity and is a potentially useful agent in the management of autoimmune disorders.
ADAMTS-13 metalloprotease abnormalities in systemic lupus erythematosus: is there a correlation with disease status?
Authors: Klonizakis P , Tselios K , Sarantopoulos A , Gougourellas I , Rouka E , Onufriadou Z , Kapali P , Kyriakou D , Boura P
Published: April 2013

To clarify the role of ADAMTS-13 in the pathogenesis of thrombotic microangiopathy in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) we evaluated ADAMTS-13 profile (metalloprotease antigen levels, anti-ADAMTS-13 autoantibody levels, activity) in distinct patient groups according to disease activity, extent of cumulative tissue damage and history of antiphospholipid syndrome or end-organ damage. Forty-one lupus patients were analysed. ADAMTS-13 metalloprotease antigen levels and anti-ADAMTS-13 autoantibodies were evaluated by ELISA. ADAMTS-13 activity was measured by Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technique. ADAMTS-13 metalloprotease antigen levels were significantly decreased in patients with Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) >1 ( p < 0.05) . ADAMTS-13 metalloprotease antigen levels also exhibited a significant inverse correlation with anti-dsDNA levels ( r = −0.60, p < 0.05). Anti-ADAMTS-13 autoantibodies were marginally higher in patients with positive anti-dsDNA ( p = 0.08). Additionally, patients with positive anti-ADAMTS-13 autoantibodies exhibited the lowest activity levels ( p < 0.05). To our knowledge ADAMTS-13 profile in SLE has not been studied in regard to composite structured indices. The results of this study suggest that in patients with active SLE or considerable cumulative tissue damage, ADAMTS-13 levels may be decreased and anti-ADAMTS-13 autoantibodies may partially mediate this reduction. Further evaluation of ADAMTS-13 profile may explain its role in the pathogenesis of thrombotic microangiopathy in lupus patients and reveal a potential prognostic marker of microthrombotic manifestations in SLE.
Autoantibodies to the functionally active RING-domain of Ro52/SSA are associated with disease activity in patients with lupus
Authors: Kvarnström M , Dzikaite-Ottosson V , Ottosson L , Gustafsson JT , Gunnarsson I , Svenungsson E , Wahren-Herlenius M
Published: April 2013

The Ro52 protein of the Ro/SSA antigen was recently defined as an E3 ligase controlling cytokine production. Autoantibodies from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients targeting the Ro52-RING domain, containing the E3 ligase activity, have been shown to inhibit the E3 ligase activity of Ro52. The objective of the present study was to investigate correlations between clinical parameters in patients with SLE and levels of Ro/SSA (Ro52 and Ro60) and La/SSB autoantibodies, including autoantibodies directed towards the functional RING and B-box domains of the Ro52 protein. SLE patients ( n = 232) were clinically examined and disease activity indices collected concurrently to blood sampling. The samples were analyzed for immunological parameters including autoantibodies.

Ro52 autoantibody levels were associated with more variables than the other analyzed antibodies and were significantly associated with several individual items related to sSS and the diagnosis of sSS itself ( p = 0.004). Other associated variables were high sedimentation rate ( p = 0.0003), levels of immunoglobulins ( p = 0.0003), and an inverse correlation with levels of lymphocytes ( p = 0.003) and leukocytes ( p = 0.01). Antibodies to the RING domain of Ro52, which is the functionally active domain with E3 ligase activity, were significantly correlated with disease activity as measured by the SLAM score.

We conclude that autoantibodies against Ro52 and in particular its functional RING domain are important in lupus patients and associated with several clinical and laboratory features of the disease. The impact on disease activity of Ro52-RING specific antibodies was especially noted, and could imply a functional role for these autoantibodies in inhibiting Ro52 activity, which is important for the control of proinflammatory cytokine production, including type 1 interferons.
Assessing Nature? The Genesis of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
Authors: Granjou Céline , Mauz Isabelle , Louvel Séverine , Tournay Virginie
Published: April 2013

On the basis of an analysis of the creation of an Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), our contribution addresses the progressive stabilisation of an institutional design for assessing Nature. Social science literature has widely promoted norms of transparency, openness and participation regarding the implementation of new forms of environmental governance. But so far, few researchers have focused on the way this disclosure model now concretely weighs down on real institutions and institutionalisation processes. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the way this requirement can combine with other requirements or older models of action. In the case of IPBES, our goal is to question how the requirements of participation and transparency are put into practice. We will highlight the role of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) in the institutionalisation process of IPBES and see how the disclosure model is combined with other requirements that simultaneously involve the re-creation of ‘enclosure’ (that is, the need for academic sound–science, or the usual way in which things are done at UNEP—that is, bureaucratic practices). Our work is based on an empirical study including documentation analysis (official reports available on websites) and interviews.
Responsible Action as Embedded in Knowledge Practices: An Analysis of Forest Biodiversity Protection
Authors: Peltola Taru
Published: April 2013

Following the global concern for the loss of biodiversity, biological knowledge has become a central tool in environmental governance. Science studies has addressed the data-driven nature of biodiversity protection and explored various aspects of it, ranging from knowledge infrastructures to engagement of various social groups in knowledge production. This article focuses on how this knowledge is applied in forestry, one of the most threatening socio-economic practices to biodiversity. Drawing from a case study in Finland, carried out as an ethnography of forestry expert practices, I analyse how biodiversity has been institutionalised in forestry operations. Responsible action and pro-environmental behaviour are much debated topics in environmental governance literature. Here the focus is on how they are articulated and enacted as embedded in the expert practices. The practices and techniques of identifying and locating the biological values are thus not viewed as resources for decision making but as performative of the partnerships in environmental governance, shaping the roles of science, corporations, government and civil society. These partnerships and power relations are constituted by the uncertainty of biological knowledge and the instability of biological objects travelling between the realms of science, administration and economy.
Taming Indeterminacy: The Co-production of Biodiversity Restoration, Flood Protection and Biophysical Modelling of Rivers and Coastal Environments
Authors: Van Hemert Mieke
Published: April 2013

In this article, I compare two accounts of how biodiversity restoration, flood protection and bio-physical models are co-produced in the Netherlands. Both are historical accounts of the interplay between research practices, policy discourse and intervention practices, one focusing on rivers and the other on the coastal environment. Three questions will be central to my comparison of the two paths of co-production. First, how have institutional conditions of research contributed to shaping the bio-physical models? Second, how has epistemic indeterminacy been tamed in the two cases? Third, how do the models of rivers and coasts perform biodiversity? I conclude by arguing that adaptive approaches to biodiversity restoration require an adaptive epistemology, which implies tolerating a certain degree of epistemic indeterminacy.
Exploring the Zone of Tolerance for Internal Customers in IT-Enabled Call Centers
Authors: Hsieh J. J. Po-An , Sharma Piyush , Rai Arun , Parasuraman A.
Published: April 2013

Today, call center employees’ service encounters with external customers are extensively supported with modern information technology (IT). However, prior research on service quality and zone of tolerance (ZOT) focuses primarily on external customers with little attention paid to how internal customers (e.g., service employees) respond to services provided by internal functions, particularly IT function that supports employees’ IT use. Drawing on theory of administrative behavior and IT success literature, we conducted a study at a call center of a telecommunications firm and found that the impact of internal IT service quality (ITSQ) on employees’ service quality (ESQ) to external customers, as well as on their satisfaction with and use of the deployed technology, exhibits a positive diminishing pattern as ITSQ increases from below to within and to above the ZOT. We also found that ITSQ’s impact on ESQ employees' satisfaction with technology changes more dramatically around adequate service level than desired service level. Finally, we show that call center employees’ satisfaction with technology partially mediates ITSQ’s impact on ESQ. Besides adding to the service and IT literature, our findings suggest that managers should understand internal customers’ different levels of expectations toward internal IT service and the differential performance impacts of those levels.
The effect of microstructure and lead content on the tribological properties of bearing alloys
Authors: Ruusila V , Nyyssönen T , Kallio M , Vuorinen P , Lehtovaara A , Valtonen K , Kuokkala V-T
Published: April 2013

Owing to the presence of lead in the alloy, leaded tin bronzes have excellent seizure resistance in bearing applications where lubrication may become absent or impaired. However, ecological concerns over the toxicity of lead have caused a growing demand for a feasible substitute. This requires a thorough understanding of the role of microstructure and lead content on the tribological properties of leaded tin bronze bearings. In this study, the effect of these qualities was tested with a specialised device simulating thrust bearings in boundary lubrication conditions, as well as with conventional unlubricated pin-on-disc testing. Ball-on-disc testing was also tried to see the effect of reversing the pin-on-disc material pair on tribological behaviour in dry sliding. The presence of lead in the tested bronze alloys was found to increase the capability of the alloy to sustain a lubricant film. The effect of the actual amount of lead was small beyond 4 wt%. In pin-on-disc testing, the microstructure of the alloy was found to have a significantly higher effect on tribological behaviour than lead content. Fine microstructure and small lead globule size were found to lead to a tendency to microcracking at the lead/copper matrix interfacial boundaries, resulting in rapid wear rates and low friction coefficients in dry sliding. The capability of lead to smear between sliding surfaces was verified in ball-on-disc testing.
Effect of MoS2 on the tribological properties of in situ Fe3Al-20 wt% Al2O3-4 wt% Cr composites
Authors: Bai Yaping , Xing Jiandong , Ma Shengqiang , He Yuanyuan , Liu Zhen , Huang Qian , Gao Yimin
Published: April 2013

Fe3Al-20 wt% Al2O3-4 wt% Cr composites containing 0, 5 and 8 wt% MoS2 were subjected to mechanical alloying-inducing self-propagating high temperature synthesis with subsequent hot-pressing sintering. Microstructures of the composites were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrum analysis. Then the relative density, room temperature hardness and dry sliding wear behavior of the sintered composites at 25 °C, 500 °C and 800 °C were tested and analyzed. The results showed that composites with different amounts of added MoS2 had good microstructure with high relative density and high hardness. The MoS2 decomposes during sintering with the formation of Fe3Mo3C and Cr2S3. Cr2S3 formed from the decomposition process may form a lubricating film that can decrease the friction coefficient. At 800 °C, Fe3Al-20 wt% Al2O3-4 wt% Cr with 8 wt% added MoS2 exhibited a friction coefficient that was nearly 50% lower than that for the sample with no MoS2 addition. Addition of 8 wt% MoS2 transformed the wear mechanism from adhesive wear to microploughing.
Childhood body mass index and multiple sclerosis risk: a long-term cohort study
Authors: Munger Kassandra L , Bentzen Joan , Laursen Bjarne , Stenager Egon , Koch-Henriksen Nils , Sørensen Thorkild IA , Baker Jennifer L
Published: April 2013

Background:

Obesity in late adolescence has been associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS); however, it is not known if body size in childhood is associated with MS risk.

Methods:

Using a prospective design we examined whether body mass index (BMI) at ages 7–13 years was associated with MS risk among 302,043 individuals in the Copenhagen School Health Records Register (CSHRR). Linking the CSHRR with the Danish MS registry yielded 774 MS cases (501 girls, 273 boys). We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results:

Among girls, at each age 7–13 years, a one-unit increase in BMI z-score was associated with an increased risk of MS (HRage 7=1.20, 95% CI: 1.10–1.30; HRage 13=1.18, 95% CI: 1.08–1.28). Girls who were ≥95th percentile for BMI had a 1.61–1.95-fold increased risk of MS as compared to girls <85th percentile. The associations were attenuated in boys. The pooled HR for a one-unit increase in BMI z-score at age 7 years was 1.17 (95% CI: 1.09–1.26) and at age 13 years was 1.15 (95% CI: 1.07–1.24).

Conclusion:

Having a high BMI in early life is a risk factor for MS, but the mechanisms underlying the association remain to be elucidated.
A meta-analysis of social capital and health: A case for needed research
Authors: Gilbert Keon L , Quinn Sandra C , Goodman Robert M , Butler James , Wallace John
Published: April 2013

Social capital refers to various levels of social relationships formed through social networks. Measurement differences have lead to imprecise measurement. A meta-analysis of eligible studies assessing the bivariate association between social capital and self-reported health and all-cause mortality was performed. Thirty-nine studies met inclusion criteria, showing social capital increased odds of good health by 27 percent (95% confidence intervals [CI] =21%, 34%). Social capital variables, reciprocity increased odds of good health by 39 percent (95% CI = 21%, 60%) and trust by 32 percent (95% CI =19%, 46%). Future research suggests operationalizing measures by assessing differences by race/ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status.
Differences between users and non-users of complementary and alternative medicine among people with multiple sclerosis in Denmark: A comparison of descriptive characteristics
Authors: Skovgaard Lasse , Nicolajsen Peter Halkier , Pedersen Elena , Kant Matthias , Fredrikson Sten , Verhoef Marja , Meyrowitsch Dan
Published: April 2013

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate differences in socio-economic characteristics between CAM users and CAM non-users among people with MS in Denmark as well as differences in characteristics related to the use of CAM among CAM users and the use of conventional treatments among CAM non-users. Methods: An internet-based questionnaire was used to collect data from 3361 patient members of the Danish MS society. A letter with a personal code was sent to all respondents, asking them to fill out the questionnaire online. Reminders to non-respondents were sent twice and the final response rate was 55.5%. Statistical associations were presented as odds ratios and with respective 95% confidence intervals. Results: People with MS in Denmark use a wide range of CAM treatments for a variety of reasons. CAM users were more likely to be of female gender, 18–40 years of age, educated at bachelor level or above, and have a high income compared to CAM non-users ( p < 0.05). CAM users more often addressed non-specific/preventive treatment purposes through their use of CAM treatments, they communicated less often with a medical doctor about the CAM treatments used, and they experienced less side effects as well as less positive effects from the CAM treatments used when compared with the use of conventional treatments among CAM non-users ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: People with MS in Denmark reported use of a large range of CAM treatments. CAM users differed from CAN non-users in relation to socio-economic factors as well as treatment characteristics.
Preaching to the choir: Internet-mediated advocacy, issue public mobilization, and climate change
Authors: Hestres Luis E
Published: April 2013

Despite the impact that Internet-mediated advocacy organizations have had on American politics over the last decade, we are still learning about how they work. This is even truer for Internet-mediated issue specialists that focus on a single issue, such as climate change. Based on interviews with key staff members of two climate change advocacy campaigns, this article examines how these organizations communicate and mobilize citizens around their issue and the underlying assumptions behind their strategies. Interviews revealed a focus on like-minded issue public mobilization and online-to-offline social movement building strategies. The paper also examines how these organizations can influence policy debates by mobilizing issue publics, shifting debates to more favorable public arenas, and reframing them in ways more favorable to their causes. Implications for the future of climate policy and Internet-mediated advocacy research are discussed.
Nurses Amidst Change
Authors: McMillan Kim , Perron Amélie
Published: April 2013

This article aims to clarify the concept of change fatigue and deems further exploration of the concept within the discipline of nursing is relevant and necessary. The concept of change fatigue has evolved from the discipline of management as a means to explore organization change and its associated triumphs and failures. Change fatigue has typically been described as one and the same as change resistance, with very little literature acknowledging that they are in fact distinct concepts. Concept clarification has highlighted the striking differences and few similarities that exist between the concepts of change fatigue and change resistance. Further exploration and subsequent research on the concept of change fatigue is needed within the discipline of nursing. The concept not only presents new and alternative perspectives on the processes of organization change, but provides opportunity for theory development that recognizes the impact organizational change has on nurses’ work lives.
Changes in Sleep Patterns Following Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Ponsford Jennie L. , Parcell Diane L. , Sinclair Kelly L. , Roper Monique , Rajaratnam Shantha M. W.
Published: April 2013

Background. Sleep changes are frequently reported following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and have an impact on rehabilitation and quality of life following injury. Potential causes include injury to brain regions associated with sleep regulation, as well as secondary factors, including depression, anxiety, and pain. Understanding the nature and causes of sleep changes following TBI represents a vital step in developing effective treatments. Objective. The study aimed to investigate subjective sleep changes in a community-based sample of individuals with TBI in comparison with noninjured age- and sex-matched controls and to explore the impact of secondary factors (pain, anxiety, depression, employment) on these self-reported sleep changes. Methods: A total of 153 participants with mild to severe TBI and 128 noninjured controls completed self-report measures relating to their sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, mood, fatigue, and pain and completed a sleep diary each day for 7 days. Results. Compared with the noninjured controls, participants with TBI reported significantly poorer sleep quality and higher levels of daytime sleepiness; sleep diaries revealed longer sleep onset latency, poorer sleep efficiency, longer sleep duration, and more frequent daytime napping in the TBI group, as well as earlier bedtimes and greater total sleep duration. Anxiety, depression, and pain were associated with poorer sleep quality. Greater injury severity was also associated with a need for longer sleep time. Conclusion. These findings highlight the importance of assessing and addressing pain, anxiety, and depression as part of the process of treating TBI-related sleep disturbances.
Transformational Leadership and Career Satisfaction
Authors: Joo Baek-Kyoo (Brian) , Lim Taejo
Published: April 2013

This article examines the impact of transformational leadership and psychological empowerment on career satisfaction in a Korean conglomerate. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that employees showed higher career satisfaction when they perceived high meaning, competency, self-determination, and impact from their work (i.e., psychological empowerment) and when they perceived idealized influence from their leaders (i.e., one dimension of transformational leadership). Among the demographic variables, educational level and the length of the leader–member relationship turned out to be significant. The results of the structural equation modeling analyses showed that psychological empowerment fully mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and career satisfaction. Finally, implications, limitations, and research recommendations are discussed.
Gatekeeping and citizen journalism: The use of social media during the recent uprisings in Iran, Egypt, and Libya
Authors: Ali Sadaf R , Fahmy Shahira
Published: April 2013

This critical study focuses on three major conflicts involving protests in the Middle East and North Africa. From a theoretical perspective, this research expands the study of gatekeeping by examining the characteristics of gatekeeping practices by citizen journalists. Overall findings suggest traditional ‘gatekeepers’ continue to maintain the status quo regarding news about conflict zones.
Exploring the impact of an evolving war and terror blogosphere on traditional media coverage of conflict
Authors: Bennett Daniel
Published: April 2013

This article analyses the evolution of a war and terror blogosphere between 2001 and 2011. It identifies seven areas where blogs and related online genres could provide ‘alternative’ accounts to traditional media narratives of conflict. The article also assesses the challenges and opportunities of blogs in each area from the perspective of the working journalist in order to deepen our understanding of the changing influence of blogs on traditional media narratives of conflict. Parallel accounts and interpretations of conflict will collaborate and compete in a war and terror blogosphere in the future, but it has been significantly influenced by the adoption of blogging by military actors since 2008. The war and terror blogosphere is no longer a relatively unmonitored online space which is having an impact on both the production of ‘alternative’ accounts of conflict and the incorporation of these accounts into traditional journalism.
When media and world politics meet: Crisis press coverage in the Arab–Israel and East–West conflicts
Authors: Ben-Yehuda Hemda , Naveh Chanan , Levin-Banchik Luba
Published: April 2013

This study employs crisis press coverage (CPC) to examine the uniform reporting assertion raised in communication theories. To explain CPC, the authors outline and apply a conceptual framework that links crises diversity and reporting modes. Findings on all short crises in the Arab–Israel and East–West conflicts from 1945 to 2006 show that despite differences in crisis attributes some coverage similarities remained intact, particularly the use of text at the expense of photos and similar issues in the news agenda. Yet, most CPC characteristics support a positive link between crises diversity and variety in press coverage, casting doubt on the single coverage hypothesis.
Enemy framing and the politics of reporting religious conflicts in the Nigerian press
Authors: Musa Aliyu O , Ferguson Neil
Published: April 2013

This article is a two-part exploration of the reporting of sectarian conflicts in Nigerian newspapers. It seeks to find out how enemy images and stereotypes are created in the journalistic process; how they shape attitudes, and stoke hatred with the possibility of fuelling/amplifying sectarian violence. The authors draw examples from conflicts in Northern Nigeria, specifically the November 2008 crisis in the central Nigerian city of Jos. The first part deals with the examination, through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), of data collected from the Nigerian cities of Jos, Abuja and Kano. The second part is a study, via Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), of 160 reports by THISDAY and Daily Trust newspapers during the November 2008 violence. In a bid to correlate the findings of the main study (IPA), the article applies Teun A van Dijk’s socio-cognitive model to identify specific use of labels/rhetoric/enemy images, hyperboles, litotes and so on, in the two newspapers’ reports. The article therefore postulates that Nigerian newspapers use enemy images and stereotypes to demonise the ‘other’, reshape their readers’ impression of the ‘other’, reinforce intolerance and, possibly, spread hate and amplify conflicts.
Benchtop Comparison of a Novel Dynamic Compression Screw to a Standard Cortical Screw
Authors: Kinmon Kyle , Garzon Desiree , Tacktill Jordan , Vassello Wayne
Published: April 2013

Literature reports the incidence of failed isolated foot and ankle fusions as up to 23%. A contributing factor is the natural bone resorption, which occurs resulting in loss of compression and gapping at the fusion site when standard static compression plates and screws are used. However, an innovative dynamic compression screw may provide lasting compression despite resorption. This benchtop study shows that the FxDEVICES spring-loaded dynamic POGO screw maintains more compression and more consistent compression rate during simulated resorption, as compared with a standard compression screw. The novel screw maintained much greater compression strength within the first millimeter of simulated resorption (13.57 vs 4.38 lb) and maintained greater compression strength at the test completion (1.14 vs 0 lb). The novel screw revealed a more consistent resorption rate over the duration of the simulation. Clinically, this may result in more stability and improved fusion rates.

Levels of Evidence: Level V
Bone Wax
Authors: Hill Josh , Little Jessica , Ford Tim
Published: April 2013

Bone wax has been used for years by surgeons as a hemostatic agent to prevent bleeding from bone surfaces. Though the effectiveness of bone wax as a hemostatic agent while acting as a tamponade is well known, it is not without its complications. It has been documented in the medical literature that bone wax may remain in the body for many years as a foreign body and in some cases cause a giant cell reaction at various surgical sites. However, to the authors’ knowledge, there has not been a reported case of a foreign body giant cell reaction secondary to the use of bone wax in the current podiatric literature. Two case studies are described to bring attention to the fact that bone wax can interfere with bone healing while remaining attached to bone as a foreign body and induce a giant cell reaction and local inflammatory effects in the human foot.

Levels of Evidence: Therapeutic, Level IV, Case Study
The Impact of Servant Leadership on Hotel Employees’ “Servant Behavior”
Authors: Wu Long-Zeng , Tse Eliza Ching-Yick , Fu Pingping , Kwan Ho Kwong , Liu Jun
Published: April 2013

This study examined the link between servant leadership and hotel employees’ customer-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) by focusing on the mediating role of leader–member exchange (LMX) and the moderating role of followers’ sensitivity to others’ favorable treatment. Using time-lagged data from 304 supervisor–follower pairs in nineteen hotels in China, we found that servant leadership positively influenced customer-oriented OCB, and this influence was mediated by LMX. In addition, moderated path analysis indicated that employees’ sensitivity to others’ favorable treatment strengthened the direct effect of servant leadership on LMX and its indirect effect on customer-oriented OCB. This study extends the scope of servant leadership research and provides evidence for arguments that servant leadership matters in the hospitality industry. The study also demonstrates the importance of LMX to the relationship between managers and employees, through findings that are strengthened by a longitudinal design.
School Values Across Three Cultures
Authors: Daniel Ella , Hofmann-Towfigh Nadi , Knafo Ariel
Published: April 2013

A new typology of school-level values is reported in three cultural contexts. School values were assessed by aggregating the scores of 862 students, (ages 15-19) in 32 Jewish and Arab Israeli schools (Study 1), and 1,541 students (ages 11-21) from 8 European schools and 163 teachers from 6 of these schools (Study 2), using Schwartz’s Portrait Values Questionnaire. Six school values emerged in both studies: achievement, autonomy, egalitarianism, harmony, compliance, and dominance. The importance of studying school-level values was demonstrated by relating the values of compliance and dominance to violence, and harmony values to student support measures (Study 1). Strong (minimal r = .64) school-level correlations between students of different ages and teachers supported the validity of the findings (Study 2).
Triangulation, Emotional Reactivity, and Violence in the Niger Delta
Authors: Okonofua Benjamin Aigbe
Published: April 2013

The Niger Delta conflict, for many years, was blamed on myriad forces, including greed, economic exploitation, pollution and ecological damage, resource appropriation and distribution disputes, ethno-religious antagonisms, poverty, unemployment, large-scale infrastructural deficits, corruption, militarization of oil producing communities and election processes, sociopolitical marginalization, cultism, and weapons proliferation. While all of these issues are important, they are not nearly as important as the deliberate roles played by high-level social, economic, and political interests who activated violence as a means to secure economic advantage from the delta’s oil industry. This study shines the light on this small, exclusive, and very powerful group whose actions triggered off the violence and yet are at the center of efforts to institute peace including the current disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) program. I argue that unless the contributions of these powerful interests are carefully teased out and the structures they have built to advantage themselves from the conflict are dismantled, peace will remain elusive in the Niger Delta.
A functional BCR in human IgA and IgM plasma cells
Authors: Pinto Dora , Montani Erica , Bolli Martin , Garavaglia Guido , Sallusto Federica , Lanzavecchia Antonio , Jarrossay David
Published: April 2013

Key Points

IgA and IgM human plasma cells express a functional BCR on their cell surface and can therefore respond to antigenic stimulation.
The CXCR1/2 ligand NAP-2 promotes directed intravascular leukocyte migration through platelet thrombi
Authors: Ghasemzadeh Mehran , Kaplan Zane S. , Alwis Imala , Schoenwaelder Simone M. , Ashworth Katrina J. , Westein Erik , Hosseini Ehteramolsadat , Salem Hatem H. , Slattery Robyn , McColl Shaun R. , Hickey Michael J. , Ruggeri Zaverio M. , Yuan Yuping , Jackson Shaun P.
Published: April 2013

Key Points

Identification of a distinct leukocyte recruitment mechanism by platelet thrombi. Leukocyte migration through thrombi is partially mediated by one or more CXCR1/2 ligands, including NAP-2.
Acute and severe coagulopathy in adult mice following silencing of hepatic antithrombin and protein C production
Authors: Safdar Huma , Cheung Ka Lei , Salvatori Daniela , Versteeg Henri H. , Laghmani El Houari , Wagenaar Gerry T. M. , Reitsma Pieter H. , van Vlijmen Bart J. M.
Published: April 2013

Key Points

RNA interference of Serpinc1 and/or Proc allows for evaluation of the function of these genes, alone or in combination, in normal adult mice. RNA interference of Serpinc1 and Proc provides a novel, controlled mouse model for spontaneous venous thrombosis.
Risk factors for first venous thromboembolism around pregnancy: a population-based cohort study from the United Kingdom
Authors: Sultan Alyshah Abdul , Tata Laila J. , West Joe , Fiaschi Linda , Fleming Kate M. , Nelson-Piercy Catherine , Grainge Matthew J.
Published: April 2013

Key Points

Antepartum, we found that established risk factors only had a modest effect on rates of VTE. Postpartum, we found that among other factors, women with stillbirth or preterm birth had high rates of VTE.
Bleeding manifestations and management of children with persistent and chronic immune thrombocytopenia: data from the Intercontinental Cooperative ITP Study Group (ICIS)
Authors: Neunert Cindy E. , Buchanan George R. , Imbach Paul , Bolton-Maggs Paula H. B. , Bennett Carolyn M. , Neufeld Ellis , Vesely Sara K. , Adix Leah , Blanchette Victor S. , Kühne Thomas
Published: April 2013

Key Points

Severe thrombocytopenia is rare and major hemorrhage is uncommon in children with persistent and chronic ITP. In children with persistent or chronic ITP, there is a trend toward reserving drug therapy for those experiencing significant bleeding.
The relationship between DXA-based and anthropometric measures of visceral fat and morbidity in women
Authors: Direk Kenan , Cecelja Marina , Astle William , Chowienczyk Phil , Spector Tim D , Falchi Mario , Andrew Toby
Published: April 2013

Background

Excess accumulation of visceral fat is a prominent risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity. While computed tomography (CT) is the gold standard to measure visceral adiposity, this is often not possible for large studies - thus valid, but less expensive and intrusive proxy measures of visceral fat are required such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Study aims were to a) identify a valid DXA-based measure of visceral adipose tissue (VAT), b) estimate VAT heritability and c) assess visceral fat association with morbidity in relation to body fat distribution.

Methods

A validation sample of 54 females measured for detailed body fat composition - assessed using CT, DXA and anthropometry – was used to evaluate previously published predictive models of CT-measured visceral fat. Based upon a validated model, we realised an out-of-sample estimate of abdominal VAT area for a study sample of 3457 female volunteer twins and estimated VAT area heritability using a classical twin study design. Regression and residuals analyses were used to assess the relationship between adiposity and morbidity.

Results

Published models applied to the validation sample explained >80% of the variance in CT-measured visceral fat. While CT visceral fat was best estimated using a linear regression for waist circumference, CT body cavity area and total abdominal fat (R
2 = 0.91), anthropometric measures alone predicted VAT almost equally well (CT body cavity area and waist circumference, R
2 = 0.86). Narrow sense VAT area heritability for the study sample was estimated to be 58% (95% CI: 51-66%) with a shared familial component of 24% (17-30%). VAT area is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D), hypertension (HT), subclinical atherosclerosis and liver function tests. In particular, VAT area is associated with T2D, HT and liver function (alanine transaminase) independent of DXA total abdominal fat and body mass index (BMI).

Conclusions

DXA and anthropometric measures can be utilised to derive estimates of visceral fat as a reliable alternative to CT. Visceral fat is heritable and appears to mediate the association between body adiposity and morbidity. This observation is consistent with hypotheses that suggest excess visceral adiposity is causally related to cardiovascular and metabolic disease.
Serum sodium based modification of the MELD does not improve prediction of outcome in acute liver failure
Authors: Manka Paul , Bechmann Lars P , Tacke Frank , Sowa Jan-Peter , Schlattjan Martin , Kälsch Julia , Jochum Christoph , Paul Andreas , Saner Fuat H , Trautwein Christian , Gerken Guido , Canbay Ali
Published: April 2013

Background

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a devastating clinical syndrome with a high mortality rate. The MELD score has been implied as a prognostic tool in ALF. Hyponatremia is associated with lethal outcome in ALF. Inclusion of serum sodium (Na) into the MELD score was found to improve its predictive value in cirrhotic patients. Therefore the aim of this study was to determine whether inclusion of serum Na improves the predictive value of MELD in ALF compared to established criteria.

Methods

In a prospective single center study (11/2006–12/2010), we recruited 108 consecutive ALF patients (64% females / 36% males), who met the criteria defined by the “Acute Liver Failure Study Group Germany”. Upon admission, clinical and laboratory data were collected, King’s College Criteria (KCC), Model of End Stage Liver Disease score (MELD), and serum sodium based modifications like the MELD-Na score and the United Kingdom Model of End Stage Liver Disease score (UKELD) were calculated and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were performed regarding the prediction of spontaneous recovery (SR) or non-spontaneous recovery (NSR; death or transplantation).

Results

Serum bilirubin was of no prognostic value in ALF, and Na also failed to predict NSR in ALF. The classical MELD score was superior to sodium-based modifications and KCC.

Conclusions

We validated the prognostic value of MELD-Na and UKELD in ALF. Classic MELD score calculations performed superior to KCC in the prediction of NSR. Serum Na and Na-based modifications of MELD did not further improve its prognostic value.
Pathways through which health influences early retirement: a qualitative study
Authors: de Wind Astrid , Geuskens Goedele A , Reeuwijk Kerstin G , Westerman Marjan J , Ybema Jan Fekke , Burdorf Alex , Bongers Paulien M , van der Beek Allard J
Published: April 2013

Background

Due to the aeging of the population, there is a societal need for workers to prolong their working lives. In the Netherlands, many employees still leave the workforce before the official retirement age of 65. Previous quantitative research showed that poor self-perceived health is a risk factor of (non-disability) early retirement. However, little is known on how poor health may lead to early retirement, and why poor health leads to early retirement in some employees, but not in others. Therefore, the present qualitative study aims to identify in which ways health influences early retirement.

Methods

Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 employees (60–64 years) who retired before the official retirement age of 65. Participants were selected from the Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, a summary was made including a timeline, and the interviews were open coded.

Results

In 15 of the 30 persons, health played a role in early retirement. Both poor and good health influenced early retirement. For poor health, four pathways were identified. First, employees felt unable to work at all due to health problems. Second, health problems resulted in a self-perceived (future) decline in the ability to work, and employees chose to retire early. Third, employees with health problems were afraid of a further decline in health, and chose to retire early. Fourth, employees with poor health retired early because they felt pushed out by their employer, although they themselves did not experience a reduced work ability. A good health influenced early retirement, since persons wanted to enjoy life while their health still allowed to do so. The financial opportunity to retire sometimes triggered the influence of poor health on early retirement, and often triggered the influence of good health. Employees and employers barely discussed opportunities to prolong working life.

Conclusions

Poor and good health influence early retirement via several different pathways. To prolong working life, a dialogue between employers and employees and tailored work-related interventions may be helpful.