bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Do agglomeration economies affect the local comovement of stock returns? Evidence from China
Authors: Firth Michael , Fu Shihe , Shan Liwei
Published: March 2016

Prior studies in finance have examined the comovement of stock returns of firms headquartered in the same location. One interpretation of the results is that local investors have a ‘local bias’ due to an information advantage on local firms. We propose that localised agglomeration economies affect the fundamentals of local firms, resulting in the local comovement of stock returns. Using data for China A-share listed firms from 1997 to 2007, we find evidence of the comovement of stock returns of Chinese firms headquartered in the same city. We find inconsistent evidence for the local bias theory. The comovement of the stock returns of firms headquartered in the same city is stronger when the agglomeration economies in the city are stronger, suggesting that localised agglomeration economies provide an alternative explanation of the comovement of stock returns.
Between ‘face’ and ‘faceless’ relationships in China’s public places: Ludic encounters and activity-oriented friendships among middle- and old-aged urbanites in Beijing public parks
Authors: Richaud Lisa
Published: March 2016

Based on thorough ethnographic descriptions, this article analyses retirees’ collective activities in Beijing public parks where co-presence and interactions between formerly unacquainted individuals have evolved into achieved relations of familiarity and friendship. Focusing on how people define, enact and manage the relationships with those they ‘have fun’ with, I show that the forms of mutual knowing developed through joint participation often blur the boundaries between the private, parochial and public realms on the one hand, and between community and anonymity on the other hand. While the urban experience in the Chinese context has been viewed as constituted through both ‘face’ (i.e. communitarian) and ‘faceless’ (i.e. anonymous) interactions, I argue that these are but two conceptual poles which cannot exhaust the complex nature of social relationships that arise from urban encounters. Activity-orientated friendships in Beijing parks involve wide-ranging forms of mutual knowing, which shape a pleasurable urban experience as much as they are infused with the ‘ethics of indifference’ peculiar to city living. As retirees initiate and sustain pleasurable interactions, these forms of sociality do not entail tight reciprocal commitments. Instead of viewing the situations in which friendships are produced as an instantiation of the ‘broader contexts’ in which they are embedded, I suggest that these everyday spatial practices and convivial interactions should be considered for their intrinsic analytical value rather than as a response to external processes.
The Business Case for Women Leaders: Meta-Analysis, Research Critique, and Path Forward
Authors: Hoobler Jenny M. , Masterson Courtney R. , Nkomo Stella M. , Michel Eric J.
Published: March 2016

Since the 1990s, a growing body of research has sought to quantify the relationship between women’s representation in leadership positions and organizational financial performance. Commonly known as the “business case” for women’s leadership, the idea is that having more women leaders is good for business. Through meta-analysis ( k = 78, n = 117,639 organizations) of the direct effects of women’s representation in leadership (as CEOs, on top management teams, and on boards of directors) on financial performance, and tests that proxy theoretical arguments for moderated relationships, we call attention to equivocal findings. Our results suggest women’s leadership may affect firm performance in general and sales performance in particular. And women’s leadership—overall and, specifically, the presence of a female CEO—is more likely to positively relate to firms’ financial performance in more gender egalitarian cultures. Yet taking our findings as a whole, we argue that commonly used methods of testing the business case for women leaders may limit our ability as scholars to understand the value that women bring to leadership positions. We do not advocate that the business case be abandoned altogether but, rather, improved and refined. We name exemplary research studies to show how different perspectives on gender, alternative conceptualizations of value, and the specification of underlying mechanisms linking leadership to performance can generate changes in both the dominant ontology and the epistemology underlying this body of research.
A National Snapshot of Assistive Technology for Students With Disabilities
Authors: Bouck Emily C.
Published: March 2016

Assistive technology (AT)—included in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act since 1990—supports students with disabilities. Yet, research repeatedly suggests an underutilization of AT. This study represents a secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 focused on understanding issues of AT for secondary (i.e., high school) students with disabilities. The study presents the self-reported and educator-reported rates of AT receipt by secondary students with disabilities, both aggregated and disaggregated by disability group. The results suggest low rates of self-reported and educator-reported AT access and/or use for secondary students with disabilities but higher rates of AT for secondary students with more low-incidence disabilities than students with more high-incidence disabilities.
Using an iPad App to Improve Phonological Awareness Skills in Young English-Language Learners With Disabilities
Authors: Chai Zhen , Ayres Kevin M. , Vail Cynthia O.
Published: March 2016

This study evaluated the efficacy of using a researcher-developed iPad app that incorporated to 0-5 s constant time delay procedures to improve phonological awareness skills in young English-language learners with disabilities. A multiple probe design across three target phoneme sets and replicated with three students was used to evaluate experimental control. All students mastered their target phonemes and also learned some of the nontarget information (vocabulary) from the vocabulary models provided during instruction. Further, they generalized the skills across materials and maintained the majority of the skills after 3 weeks post-intervention. Findings are discussed with regard to using researcher-developed apps in daily instruction.
Grounded in What Works
Authors: Courduff Jennifer , Szapkiw Amanda , Wendt Jillian L.
Published: March 2016

The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to extend the theoretical foundations of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) model to generate a theoretical model explaining the process leading to exemplary integration of technology into special education instructional practice. Data were collected through demographic surveys, interviews, and observations of a purposeful selection of participants. Participants were selected based on exemplary practice criteria determined by an expert focus group. Data were analyzed using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding to gain a categorical understanding of the pedagogy used by special education teachers in successfully integrating technology into teaching and learning. Final analysis revealed a cycle of four components leading to teachers’ initial and ongoing technology adoption into classroom activities: (a) opportunities, (b) dispositions, (c) pedagogical beliefs, and (d) small steps. Skill and knowledge levels were salient themes in the process of technology integration. However, underlying these themes were key beliefs and dispositions that proved foundational in leading to exploration and exemplary integration of technology. While obstacles existed, they were ultimately overcome or overlooked due to these key beliefs and dispositions. Implications provide insight into how educators and researchers can improve preservice coursework and professional development for technology integration within special education instruction.
Double-orifice mitral valve associated with bicuspid aortic valve
Authors: Khani Mohammad , Rohani Atoosheh
Published: March 2016

Double-orifice mitral valve is a rare congenital anomaly that usually does not cause a significant hemodynamic effect. Double-orifice mitral valve and a bicuspid aortic valve were detected in a 54-year-old lady who presented with dyspnea on exertion for one year. This is a rare association. Three-dimensional echocardiography is helpful to determine the type of malformation. The patient had no significant mitral regurgitation or stenosis, but demonstrated moderate aortic stenosis. She is undergoing periodic monitoring.
An Interview with Philip Mirowski
Authors: Lash Scott , Dragos Bogdan
Published: March 2016

In this interview, Philip Mirowski, a foremost economic historian and philosopher of economic thought, discusses his research into the history of economics along with its complex relationship to the natural sciences and the recent rise of neoliberalism. The conversation starts by focusing on his early work on the birth of neoclassical economics as an imitation of modern physics via energetic metaphors. We also discuss the subsequent impact of the computer metaphor and its influence on post-Second World War economic theory. Some of the most important aspects of the informational turn in economics are discussed, such as the understanding of the market processes as a form of computation and the shift from a concern with the nature of the individual agent to the institutional framework of markets. This inevitably leads us to Mirowski’s recent work, where he takes the informational turn in economics to its ultimate conclusions, arguing for an algorithmic understanding of markets. He calls this a theory of markomata, or a computational evolutionary economics. Finally, the discussion addresses the interdependencies between the general understanding of markets as superior information processors, the rise of neoliberalism and the recent financial crisis.
A descriptive report of end-of-life care practices occurring in two neonatal intensive care units
Authors: Lam Vanessa , Kain Nicole , Joynt Chloe , van Manen Michael A
Published: March 2016

Background:

In Canada and other developed countries, the majority of neonatal deaths occur in tertiary neonatal intensive care units. Most deaths occur following the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments.

Aim:

To explore neonatal death events and end-of-life care practices in two tertiary neonatal intensive care settings.

Design:

A structured, retrospective, cohort study.

Setting/participants:

All infants who died under tertiary neonatal intensive care from January 2009 to December 2013 in a regional Canadian neonatal program. Deaths occurring outside the neonatal intensive care unit in delivery rooms, hospital wards, or family homes were not included. Overall, 227 infant deaths were identified.

Results:

The most common reasons for admission included prematurity (53.7%), prematurity with congenital anomaly/syndrome (20.3%), term congenital anomaly (11.5%), and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (12.3%). The median age at death was 7 days. Death tended to follow a decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatment with anticipated poor developmental outcome or perceived quality of life, or in the context of a moribund dying infant. Time to death after withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment was uncommonly a protracted event but did vary widely. Most dying infants were held by family members in the neonatal intensive care unit or in a parent room off cardiorespiratory monitors. Analgesic and sedative medications were variably given and not associated with a hastening of death.

Conclusion:

Variability exists in end-of-life care practices such as provision of analgesic and sedative medications. Other practices such as discontinuation of cardiorespiratory monitors and use of parent rooms are more uniform. More research is needed to understand variation in neonatal end-of-life care.
Dynamic diameter response of intraparenchymal penetrating arteries during cortical spreading depression and elimination of vasoreactivity to hypercapnia in anesthetized mice
Authors: Unekawa Miyuki , Tomita Yutaka , Masamoto Kazuto , Toriumi Haruki , Osada Takashi , Kanno Iwao , Suzuki Norihiro
Published: March 2016

Cortical spreading depression (CSD) induces marked hyperemia with a transient decrease of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), followed by sustained oligemia. To further understand the microcirculatory mechanisms associated with CSD, we examined the temporal changes of diameter of intraparenchymal penetrating arteries during CSD. In urethane-anesthetized mice, the diameter of single penetrating arteries at three depths was measured using two-photon microscopy during passage of repeated CSD, with continuous recordings of direct current potential and rCBF. The first CSD elicited marked constriction superimposed on the upstrokes of profound dilation throughout each depth of the penetrating artery, and the vasoreaction temporally corresponded to the change of rCBF. Second or later CSD elicited marked dilation with little or no constriction phase throughout each depth, and the vasodilation also temporally corresponded to the increase of rCBF. Furthermore, the peak dilation showed good negative correlations with basal diameter and increase of rCBF. Vasodilation induced by 5% CO2 inhalation was significantly suppressed after CSD passage at any depth as well as hyperperfusion. These results may indicate that CSD-induced rCBF changes mainly reflect the diametric changes of the intraparenchymal arteries, despite the elimination of responsiveness to hypercapnia.
Magnetic resonance imaging characteristics and treatment aspects of ventricular tuberculosis in adult patients
Authors: Li Duo , Lv Pingxin , Lv Yan , Ma Daqing , Yang Jigang
Published: March 2016

Background

Ventricular involvement in neurotuberculosis is rare. The literature regarding the characteristics of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in ventricular tuberculosis is very limited.

Purpose

To describe MRI characteristics of ventricular tuberculosis and discuss the medical treatment along with the clinical outcome.

Material and Methods

Ten patients (6 men, 4 women; average age, 39 years) were diagnosed with ventricular tuberculosis during a period of 3 years. Four patients had the history of pulmonary/pleural tuberculosis. The clinical and MRI features of these patients were reviewed retrospectively.

Results

On a brain MRI, three patients showed ependymitis associated with contrast enhancement of the ependymal lining of the ventricular walls. One patient had choroid plexitis associated with prominent swollen and marked enhancement of the choroid plexus. One patient had intraventricular tuberculoma associated with an intraventricular nodule. Two patients had both ependymitis and choroid plexitis. Three patients had both intraventricular tuberculoma and choroid plexitis. Four patients had hydrocephalus. All patients underwent intrathecal injection of isoniazid and dexamethasone combined with multidrug anti-tuberculosis treatment. All patients had a good clinical recovery, except for one who developed hemi-paralysis due to cerebral infarction. On the repeated MRI of eight patients after therapy, all lesions disappeared or decreased in size, apart from in one patient who showed ventricular separation.

Conclusion

MRI characteristics of ventricular tuberculosis included ependymal enhancement, swelling, and enhancement of the choroid plexus and intraventricular tuberculomas. Intrathecal injection of isoniazid and dexamethasone along with multidrug chemotherapy showed good efficacy in ventricular tuberculosis.
Preparation methods prior to PET/CT scanning that decrease uptake of 18F-FDG by myocardium, brown adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle
Authors: Shao Dan , Tian Xu-Wei , Gao Qiang , Liang Chang-Hong , Wang Shu-Xia
Published: March 2016

Background

The hypermetabolic environment of the myocardium, brown adipose tissue (BAT), and muscle will have an effect on the diagnostic accuracy of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT). A low carbohydrate, high fat, and protein-permitted diet before PET/CT scanning can reduce the degree of 18F-FDG uptake by the myocardium, brown adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle.

Purpose

To determine the effect of a low carbohydrate, high fat and protein-permitted diet on 18F-FDG uptake by myocardium, BAT, and muscle during PET/CT.

Material and Methods

A total of 126 patients who adhered to two meals before PET/CT scanning (that were prepared using a low carbohydrate, high fat, and protein-permitted diet), i.e. the diet group, were compared with 126 patients who fasted for at least 12 h prior to scanning (i.e. the fasting group). The degree of 18F-FDG uptake within the myocardium, BAT, and muscle were stratified into four grades (range, 0–3) with 0 for negligible uptake, and 3 for intense uptake. Correlations between the diet and fasting groups with respect to degree of 18F-FDG uptake within the myocardium, BAT, and muscle were analyzed.

Results

The degree of 18F-FDG uptake within the myocardium, BAT, and muscle in the diet group was significantly lower compared with the 18F-FDG uptake within myocardium, BAT, and muscle in the fasting group ( P < 0.001, P = 0.001, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

A low carbohydrate/high fat diet before 18F-FDG injection can suppress uptake of 18F-FDG within the myocardium, BAT, and skeletal muscle.
Animal Abuse and Interpersonal Violence
Authors: Lockwood R. , Arkow P.
Published: March 2016

The role of the veterinary forensic pathologist in the investigation of animal abuse or neglect can go beyond documenting the condition of animals presented as evidence. Although animal cruelty is a moral concern and a crime in itself, law enforcement response to such crimes is often enhanced by the recognition that crimes against animals can be both indicators of other ongoing crimes against people and predictors of the potential for interpersonal violence. An understanding of common motives underlying animal cruelty can aid the pathologist in asking appropriate questions. The authors review the forms of pathology evidence commonly seen in various presentations of animal cruelty. Understanding these forms of evidence can help the pathologist describe findings that can be significant for assessing the potential risks the alleged perpetrator may pose to other animals and humans.
Comparison of Two US Sheep Scrapie Isolates Supports Identification as Separate Strains
Authors: Moore S. J. , Smith J. D. , Greenlee M. H. West , Nicholson E. M. , Richt J. A. , Greenlee J. J.
Published: March 2016

Scrapie is a naturally occurring transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of sheep and goats. There are different strains of sheep scrapie that are associated with unique molecular, transmission, and phenotype characteristics. However, in the United States, very little is known about the potential presence of scrapie strains. Scrapie strain and PRNP genotype could both affect susceptibility, potential for transmission, incubation period (IP), and control measures required for eliminating scrapie from a flock. The investigators evaluated 2 US scrapie isolates, No. 13-7 and x124, after intranasal inoculation to compare clinical signs, IPs, spongiform lesions, and patterns of PrPSc deposition in sheep with scrapie-susceptible PRNP genotypes (QQ171). After inoculation with x124, susceptibility and IP were associated with valine at codon 136 (V136) of the prion protein: VV136 sheep had short IPs (6.9 months), those in AV136 sheep were 11.9 months, and AA136 sheep did not develop scrapie. All No. 13-7 inoculated sheep developed scrapie, with IPs of 20.1 months for AA136 sheep, 22.8 months for AV136 sheep, and 26.7 months for VV136 sheep. Patterns of immunoreactivity in the brain were influenced by inoculum isolate and host genotype. Differences in PrPSc profiles versus isolate were most striking when examining brains from sheep with the VV136 genotype. Inoculation into C57BL/6 mice resulted in markedly different attack rates (90.5% for x124 and 5.9% for No. 13-7). Taken together, these data demonstrate that No. 13-7 and x124 represent 2 distinct strains of scrapie with different IPs, genotype susceptibilities, and PrPSc deposition profiles.
Prevalence and risk factors for atopic disease in a population of preschool children in Rome: Challenges to early intervention
Authors: Indinnimeo Luciana , Porta Daniela , Forastiere Francesco , De Vittori Valentina , De Castro Giovanna , Zicari Anna Maria , Tancredi Giancarlo , Melengu Taulant , Duse Marzia
Published: March 2016

Background:

Allergic diseases are complex identities determined by an interplay of genetic and environmental factors, resulting in the clinical manifestation of the disease. So far in Italy, updated data about the prevalence and risk factors of respiratory and allergic diseases in preschool children are not available.

Methods:

Children aged 3–5 years, attending four different nursery schools in an urban district of the city of Rome. A standardized questionnaire developed under the SIDRIA-2 protocol was administered to the parents of the children for the assessment of the potential risk factors and the outcomes.

Results:

A total of 494 children were enrolled in the study; 289 of them (60.3%) performed a skin prick test (SPT). In the 12 months preceding the interviews, 15% of children experienced at least one episode of wheezing, 5.5% of allergic rhinitis, 11% of children had a doctor diagnosis of asthma, 12% of children who underwent the SPT were positive to at least one of the tested allergens, being diagnosed as atopic. The univariate analysis for the health outcomes of the study shows that asthma was positively associated with daycare attendance, mother’s history of atopy, siblings’ history of atopy, recurrent siblings’ bronchitis, and dermatitis. Atopy was positively associated with mother’s history of atopy and dermatitis, whereas there is a borderline protective association with recurrent siblings’ bronchitis.

Conclusions:

This study represents a first comprehensive epidemiological evaluation of prevalence of respiratory and allergic diseases in children aged 3–5 years in the city of Rome and an updating of the evolution of allergic diseases.
Identifying Trajectories of Borderline Personality Features in Adolescence
Authors: Haltigan John D. , Vaillancourt Tracy
Published: March 2016

Objective:

To examine trajectories of adolescent borderline personality (BP) features in a normative-risk cohort ( n = 566) of Canadian children assessed at ages 13, 14, 15, and 16 and childhood predictors of trajectory group membership assessed at ages 8, 10, 11, and 12.

Method:

Data were drawn from the McMaster Teen Study, an on-going study examining relations among bullying, mental health, and academic achievement. Participants and their parents completed a battery of mental health and peer relations questionnaires at each wave of the study. Academic competence was assessed at age 8 (Grade 3). Latent class growth analysis, analysis of variance, and logistic regression were used to analyze the data.

Results:

Three distinct BP features trajectory groups were identified: elevated or rising, intermediate or stable, and low or stable. Parent- and child-reported mental health symptoms, peer relations risk factors, and intra-individual risk factors were significant predictors of elevated or rising and intermediate or stable trajectory groups. Child-reported attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and somatization symptoms uniquely predicted elevated or rising trajectory group membership, whereas parent-reported anxiety and child-reported ADHD symptoms uniquely predicted intermediate or stable trajectory group membership. Child-reported somatization symptoms was the only predictor to differentiate the intermediate or stable and elevated or rising trajectory groups (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.28). Associations between child-reported reactive temperament and elevated BP features trajectory group membership were 10.23 times higher among children who were bullied, supporting a diathesis–stress pathway in the development of BP features for these youth.

Conclusions:

Findings demonstrate the heterogeneous course of BP features in early adolescence and shed light on the potential prodromal course of later borderline personality disorder.
Horse-race coverage includes candidates’ policy positions
Authors: Oh Pyeongseon
Published: March 2016

This study examines the use of policy issues within horse-race coverage of the 2012 presidential election to determine how such issues were reported in two national newspapers.
Sentencing on the Evidence
Authors: Nir Esther , Griffiths Elizabeth
Published: March 2016

The type and quantity of evidence in a case is a critical factor for deciding guilt but should have little or no influence on the sentencing determinations of judges post conviction; this is because case evidence goes to guilt decisions by triers of fact, whereas sentences are imposed upon those already convicted. This study examines the effects of evidentiary type and the total quantity of physical evidence in a case on length of custodial sentence. The results demonstrate that violent felony cases with forensic evidence and those cases with more varied pieces of physical evidence result in longer custodial sentences for convicted defendants. Thus, the findings indicate that inculpatory evidence in criminal trials has enduring effects post conviction and, more broadly, suggest that judicial discretion at sentencing is, at least in part, influenced by the judge’s confidence in the defendant’s guilt.
Predicting Employee Dissent Expression in Organizations
Authors: Zhan Mengqi (Monica) , Hample Dale
Published: March 2016

Employee dissent is understood as resulting from unsatisfying organizational states. Dissatisfaction can be felt but not expressed; dissent is the actual performance of disagreement with immediate circumstances. Constructive expression of dissent can have positive consequences, and therefore, much scholarly attention has been drawn to the phenomenon. In this article, we theorize that argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness influence employee dissent behavior. Our particular contribution is that we hypothesize that these effects are mediated by assessments of the costs and benefits of dissent. We test whether the previously reported direct effects of argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness are mediated by this cost–benefit analysis. A survey was conducted with undergraduate students and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk participants ( N = 817). Structural equation modeling showed that the apparent direct effects of verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness became insignificant after the mediators were included in the model. We conclude that cost and benefit analysis mediates the main effects.
Urinary osteoprotegerin: a potential biomarker of lupus nephritis disease activity
Authors: Gupta R , Aggarwal A , Sinha S , Rajasekhar L , Yadav A , Gaur P , Misra R , Negi V S
Published: March 2016

Objectives

Urinary biomarkers may help in identification, treatment and assessment of response in patients with lupus nephritis (LN). Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is produced by the kidneys and lymphoid cells and may reflect renal disease activity better. The data on its utility are sparse.

Methods

Fifty-eight patients with active LN (AN), 24 with active non-renal disease (ANR) and 39 with inactive disease (ID) were included. Median disease duration was 32 (1–204) months and median age was 27 (12–50) years. AN patients were followed up every three months for one year. Urine and serum samples were collected for OPG measurement by ELISA (pg/ml) and urinary values were normalised for creatinine excretion (pg/mg). Urine samples from 24 healthy individuals (HCs) and 20 patients each of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and diabetic nephropathy (DM) served as controls. Variables were expressed as median (range).

Results

At baseline, normalised urinary OPG (uOPG) was significantly higher ( p < 0.001) in AN (1229 (0–8577)) than ANR (236 (0–14713)), ID (463 (7–4253)), HCs (366 (120–2849)) and DM (350 (127–1577)) but it was not different from RA (1511 (122–8849)). uOPG correlated modestly with rSLEDAI ( r = 0.4, p < 0.001) and SLEDAI ( r = 0.31, p < 0.001) but not with serum OPG (sOPG). uOPG but not sOPG could differentiate between AN and ANR groups. In the longitudinal study, uOPG and sOPG decreased significantly with treatment at all follow-up visits but the trend of fall in sOPG was erratic. uOPG values at baseline, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months were 1229 (0–8577), 466 (3–4874), 104 (0–1598), 325 (0–4025) and 555 (6–6771) pg/mg, respectively. uOPG but not sOPG rose before conventional markers in three patients who had a relapse of LN. In two patients who developed chronic kidney disease, uOPG remained persistently high. For differentiating AN from ANR patients, uOPG performed the best on receiver operator characteristics analysis (AUC = 0.72) when compared with anti-dsDNA antibodies, C3, C4 and sOPG.

Conclusion

uOPG is derived from kidneys and helps differentiate active SLE patients with and without LN. It shows modest correlation with disease activity and has a potential to predict poor response to therapy and relapse of LN.
Book Review: Robin Banerjee, Who Cheats and How?: Scams, Fraud and the Dark Side of the Corporate World
Authors: Chatterjee Rajashri
Published: March 2016

Robin Banerjee, Who Cheats and How?: Scams, Fraud and the Dark Side of the Corporate World, New Delhi: SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, India, 2015, 300 pp. ₹ 475 (paperback). [ISSN No.: 978-93-515-0061-2].
Science for Reducing Health Inequalities Emerges From Social Justice Movements
Authors: Wing Steve
Published: March 2016

Although the health sciences have investigated economic and social inequalities in morbidity and mortality for hundreds of years, health inequalities persist and are, by some measures, increasing. This is not simply a situation in which the knowledge exists but is not implemented. Rather, science in general and epidemiology in particular have focused on quantifying the effects of specific agents considered in isolation. This approach is powerful, but, in the absence of ecological concepts that connect parts and wholes, contributes to maintaining health inequalities. By joining movements for human rights and social justice, health scientists can identify research questions that are relevant to public health, develop methods that are appropriate to answering those questions, and contribute to efforts to reduce health inequalities.
Implementing a Systematic Voiding Program for Patients With Urinary Incontinence After Stroke
Authors: French Beverley , Thomas Lois H. , Harrison Joanna , Burton Christopher R. , Forshaw Denise , Booth Joanne , Britt David , Cheater Francine M. , Roe Brenda , Watkins Caroline L. ,   on behalf of the ICONS project team and the ICONS Patient, Public and Carer Involvement Groups
Published: March 2016

We explored health professionals’ views of implementing a systematic voiding program (SVP) in a multi-site qualitative process evaluation in stroke services recruited to the intervention arms of a cluster randomized controlled feasibility trial during 2011-2013. We conducted semi-structured group or individual interviews with 38 purposively selected nursing, managerial, and care staff involved in delivering the SVP. Content analysis of transcripts used normalization process theory (NPT) as a pre-specified organization-level exploratory framework. Barriers to implementing the SVP included perceived lack of suitability for some patient groups, patient fear of extending hospital stay, and difficulties with SVP enactment, scheduling, timing, recording, and monitoring. Enablers included the guidance provided by the SVP, patient and relative involvement, extra staff, improved nursing skill and confidence, and experience of success. Three potential mechanisms of consistency, visibility, and individualization linked the SVP process with improvements in outcome, and should be emphasized in SVP implementation.
Features and Role of Minimally Invasive Palliative Procedures for Pain Management in Malignant Pelvic Diseases: A Review
Authors: Cascella Marco , Muzio Maria Rosaria , Viscardi Daniela , Cuomo Arturo
Published: March 2016

Pain is a common and debilitating symptom in pelvic cancer diseases. Failure in controlling this pain through pharmacological approaches calls for employing multimodal management and invasive techniques. Various strategies are commonly used for this purpose, including palliative radiotherapy, epidural medications and intrathecal administration of analgesic and local anesthetic drugs with pumps, and neural or plexus blockade. This review focuses on the features of minimally invasive palliative procedures (MIPPs), such as radiofrequency ablation, laser-induced thermotherapy, cryoablation, irreversible electroporation, electrochemotherapy, microwave ablation, and cementoplasty as well as their role in palliation of cancer pelvic pain. Despite the evidence of effectiveness and safety of these interventions, there are still many barriers to accessing MIPPs, including the availability of trained staff, the lack of precise criteria of indication, and the high costs.
Plasma d-Dimer as a Useful Marker Predicts Severity of Atherosclerotic Lesion and Short-Term Outcome in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Gong Ping , Yang Sheng-Hua , Li Sha , Luo Song-Hui , Zeng Rui-Xiang , Zhang Yan , Guo Yuan-Lin , Zhu Cheng-Gang , Xu Rui-Xia , Li Jian-Jun
Published: March 2016

Increased d-dimer is indicative of a hypercoagulable state and found to be associated with acute coronary syndromes. The present study aimed to evaluate whether plasma d-dimer levels could predict subsequent major clinical events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). First, 2209 angiographic-proven patients with CAD were consecutively enrolled. Then, all patients were subjected to follow up for an average of 18 months (ranged from 14 to 1037 days). The relationships of the plasma d-dimer with the severity of CAD and future clinical outcomes were evaluated. We found that plasma d-dimer was higher in patients with prior myocardial infarction (MI) than that in patients with nonprior MI ( P = .006). Multivariate linear regression analysis suggested that the plasma d-dimer was linked to the severity of CAD assessed by Gensini score (β = 0.052, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-6.84, P = .005) even after adjusting for confounding factors. During the follow-up, 42 patients underwent prespecified outcomes. After adjustment for multiple variables in the Cox regression model, the d-dimer levels remained to be a potential predictor of total outcome (hazard ratio = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.09-1.37, P = .001). Therefore, plasma d-dimer levels appeared to be a useful predictor for the severity of CAD and the subsequent major clinical events.
Brief Admissions During Prolonged Treatment in a Case Involving Borderline Personality Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Helleman Marjolein , Goossens Peter J. J. , Kaasenbrood Ad , van Achterberg Theo
Published: March 2016

BACKGROUND: This study describes the use of brief admissions to a psychiatric ward by a single patient across a period of 7 years. The patient suffered from a borderline personality disorder and a complex posttraumatic stress disorder. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe how brief admission may be used during a long-term treatment process. DESIGN: A single-case descriptive study with triangulation of the data was undertaken. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the patient and the patient’s spouse, psychiatrist, ward nurse, and community psychiatric nurse. Other data were retrieved from the medical records of the patient. RESULTS: Four phases could be distinguished in the treatment of the patient: crisis, treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder, treatment of borderline personality disorder, and recovery. The use of brief admissions positively influenced the course of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Brief admissions were initially used to prevent self-harm and suicide. The goals and functions expanded to prevention of prolonged admission, prevention of dropout from evidence-based therapy, and practicing with newly acquired skills and promotion of autonomy.
Culture Change From Tobacco Accommodation to Intolerance
Authors: Livingood William C. , Allegrante John P. , Green Lawrence W.
Published: March 2016

Broad changes in normative health behavior are critical to overcoming many of the contemporary challenges to public health. Reduction in tobacco use during the last third of the 20th century—one of the greatest improvements in public health—illustrates such change. The culture change from accommodation to intolerance of smoking is irrefutable. The role of health communication in predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing the normative social changes that ensued, however, has been less well documented with the linear, cause-and-effect methods of controlled intervention research. We examine the role of mass communication in the cultural transformation that reduced tobacco use, concluding that its influence on reduction in tobacco use follows a pathway as much through secondary transmissions within groups of people as through direct influence on individuals.
Understanding Relative and Absolute Change in Discontinuous Growth Models
Authors: Bliese Paul D. , Lang Jonas W. B.
Published: March 2016

Organizational researchers routinely have access to repeated measures from numerous time periods punctuated by one or more discontinuities. Discontinuities may be planned, such as when a researcher introduces an unexpected change in the context of a skill acquisition task. Alternatively, discontinuities may be unplanned, such as when a natural disaster or economic event occurs during an ongoing data collection. In this article, we build off the basic discontinuous growth model and illustrate how alternative specifications of time-related variables allow one to examine relative versus absolute change in transition and post-transition slopes. Our examples focus on interpreting time-varying covariates in a variety of situations (multiple discontinuities, linear and quadratic models, and models where discontinuities occur at different times). We show that the ability to test relative and absolute differences provides a high degree of precision in terms of specifying and testing hypotheses.
Teens @ Culture
Authors: Schols Marjon , de Haan Jos
Published: March 2016

Teenagers’ interest in highbrow culture like classical music, museums and plays is somewhat low, but this group’s extensive Internet use may heighten this interest and increase their cultural participation online. In contrast to previous research, we examined teenagers’ online involvement in both popular and highbrow culture. An investigation among 892 high school teenagers indicated that explanations from the fields of cultural participation and media use account for differences in online cultural involvement. Teenagers with parents who are more highly educated and culturally active, and those with culturally interested friend are in turn more interested in culture, and communicate online more about both highbrow and popular culture. In addition to interest and socialization, there appears to be a minor mobilization effect of Internet use, as those with better digital skills and spending more time online engage more in online cultural communications.
Sociocultural pressure, internalization, BMI, exercise, and body dissatisfaction in Korean female college students
Authors: Shin Kyulee , You Sukkyung , Kim Euikyung
Published: March 2016

This research investigated the differential effects of sociocultural pressures from media, peers, and parents on the thin ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction of 472 Korean female college students using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that after controlling for body mass index and exercise, media pressure exerted the largest effects, followed by peer pressure and parental pressure, on thin ideal internalization, and in turn, body dissatisfaction. Furthermore, parent and media pressures were found to exert direct effects on body dissatisfaction as well as indirect effects through thin ideal internalization. The results and implications of the study are discussed.
Play complexity and toy engagement in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder: Do girls and boys differ?
Authors: Harrop Clare , Green Jonathan , Hudry Kristelle ,   PACT Consortium
Published: March 2016

While sex differences in play have been extensively observed in typical development, only a handful of studies have explored this phenomenon in depth with children with autism spectrum disorders. This study explored sex differences in play complexity and toy engagement within caregiver–child interaction samples for preschool-aged children (2–5 years 11 months) with an autism spectrum disorder who were matched to typically developing children on sex and non-verbal development. Overall we found that girls and boys with autism spectrum disorder were largely equivalent in their play complexity. Despite similar play, girls and boys with autism spectrum disorder differed in a number of ways in their toy engagement, replicating traditional gender differences—girls played more with dolls and domestic items (though at lower rates than typically developing girls) and boys played more with the garage and cars (though at lower rates than typically developing boys). Our findings support the importance and utility of examining sex differences in autism spectrum disorder in light of those observed within typical development.
Mechanical model for complex brackets system of the Taiwanese traditional Dieh-Dou timber structures
Authors: Yeo Sok-Yee , Komatsu Kohei , Hsu Min-Fu , Que Zeli
Published: March 2016

A static test was conducted to investigate the elastic and post-yielding structural behaviour of complex brackets system along the corridor frame region of the Taiwanese Dieh-Dou timber structures. One partial fully scaled specimen was loaded horizontally under different vertical loading levels. A mechanical model, focusing mainly on the rotational behaviours of bearing blocks and timber interlocking joints, was developed to estimate the global behaviour of complex brackets of the Dieh-Dou corridor frame region. By assuming each spring stiffness to behave bi-linearly, the model is only valid for the estimation of the primary and secondary stiffnesses. The force–deformation relationship is highly dependent on the rotational spring stiffness and vertical loads. Hence, when a heavier vertical load is imposed onto the structure, yielding rotation increases and subsequently, the yielding moment of the bearing block members is improved further. Generally, the predicted model was in good agreement with the observed results, up to the post-yielding loading level.
Design bearing capacity of the initial imperfect lattice shell
Authors: Qi Lin , Zhang Xianmin , Huo Haifeng
Published: March 2016

Initial imperfections can cause evident influence on the bearing capacity of lattice shells. In this article, the member initial imperfections including the initial bending and residual stress are considered by the Marshall model which is a phenomenon model based on the hysteresis loop of the real structural imperfect member under cyclic loading. The geometrical initial imperfection of lattice shells resulting from the structure assembly deviation is represented by the normally distributed random variable. The bearing capacities of lattice shells with initial imperfections are assumed to be distributed normally, and then this assumption is proved correct by the nonparametric test. The expressions of the mean value and variance estimators of the normally distributed structural bearing capacities are derived by the maximum likelihood method. A new method to calculate the design bearing capacity of the initial imperfect lattice shell at a uniform probability level is proposed, and its error expression at certain confidence level is derived. Numerical analysis indicates that some members of the structure at the ultimate limit state get buckled as a result of the member initial imperfections. The structure bearing capacity can be markedly overestimated if the member initial imperfections are neglected. The nonlinear design bearing capacity of the lattice shell at a uniform probability level cannot be acquired by the methods suggested by the structure design code.
Linear static behavior of curved beams coupled with strings representing also fiber-reinforced masonry arches
Authors: Chirivì Sergio , Ibell Tim , Contento Alessandro , Di Egidio Angelo
Published: March 2016

A linear elastic analytical model of curved beam with constant curvature coupled with curved strings has been developed. To model the connections between the strings and the beam, a continuous distribution of tangential and orthogonal linear elastic springs have been introduced. To evaluate the behavior of the system, a numerical integration of the field equations has been performed. A parametric analysis, capable of pointing out the influence on the behavior of the system of both the stiffness of the tangential connection between strings and beam and of the geometrical characteristic of the beam, has been performed. The results of the proposed model have been compared with those obtained from a finite element model. They show that the strings, in some cases, do not work as expected.
Shear strengthening of reinforced concrete beams with hybrid composite plates
Authors: Baghi Hadi , Barros Joaquim AO , Ventura-Gouveia António
Published: March 2016

The effectiveness of hybrid composite plates for the shear strengthening of the reinforced concrete beams was assessed by executing an experimental program. Hybrid composite plate is a thin plate of strain hardening cementitious composite reinforced with carbon fiber–reinforced polymer laminates. Due to the excellent bond conditions between strain hardening cementitious composite and carbon fiber–reinforced polymer laminates, these reinforcements provide the necessary tensile strength capacity to the hybrid composite plate. Two hybrid composite plates with different inclination of carbon fiber–reinforced polymer laminates (45° and 90°) were adopted for the shear strengthening of reinforced concrete beams by bonding these hybrid composite plates to the lateral faces of the beams with an epoxy adhesive. The results showed that these hybrid composite plates have assured a significant increase in terms of load carrying capacity, mainly those with inclined laminates. The shear strengthening contribution of the hybrid composite plates was limited by the tensile strength of the concrete of the strengthened beams since their failure mode was governed by the detachment of the hybrid composite plates that included part of the concrete cover. Advanced finite element method-based numerical simulations were performed using a constitutive model, whose predictive performance was demonstrated by simulating the experimental tests carried out. Using this computer program, a parametric study was executed to evaluate the shear strengthening efficiency of the arrangement and percentage of carbon fiber–reinforced polymer laminates in hybrid composite plates, as well as the influence of using mechanical anchors to avoid premature detachment of the hybrid composite plates.