bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reliability and Validity of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Serbian Translation
Authors: Popević Martin B. , Milovanović Aleksandar P. S. , Milovanović Srdjan , Nagorni-Obradović Ljudmila , Nešić Dejan , Velaga Marija
Published: November 2016

The aim of this study was translating and exploring psychometric properties of Serbian Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in a sample of “good” and “bad” sleepers suffering from depression or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Formal translation and validation were performed on a sample of healthy controls, patients with untreated OSA, and with diagnosed major depressive disorder with evaluation of internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and construct and criterion validity. Controls and OSA subgroups were recruited from a larger sample of commercial drivers. One hundred and forty subjects, 84.3% male, 22–67 years old, were included. OSA subgroup had 59 subjects and depression subgroup had 40 subjects (22 females). Mean ± SD total PSQI was 3.5 ± 2.2 in controls, 4.9 ± 3.6 in OSA subjects, and 9.0 ± 4.9 in patients with depression. Cronbach’s α for total PSQI was 0.791. Subscale scores were significantly correlated to global PSQI in all subgroups. Intraclass correlation coefficient for global PSQI was 0.997 ( p < .001). Epworth Sleepiness Scale score was significantly correlated to global PSQI (ρ = 0.333, p < .001). Three subgroups differed significantly in total PSQI and PSQI ≥ 5, even after adjustments for age and gender ( p < .001). OSA patients had higher mean PSQI than controls but not significantly ( p = .272). PSQI-reported sleep latency did not correlate with PSG-measured sleep latency ( r = .130, p = .204). Total PSQI was significantly correlated to OSA severity (ρ = 0.261, p < .05). Serbian PSQI showed good internal consistency, test–retest reproducibility, and adequate construct and criterion validity, which supports further exploration of its use as a sleep quality screening tool in different target populations.
The Fragility of Statistically Significant Findings From Randomized Trials in Sports Surgery: A Systematic Survey
Authors: Khan Moin , Evaniew Nathan , Gichuru Mark , Habib Anthony , Ayeni Olufemi R. , Bedi Asheesh , Walsh Michael , Devereaux P.J. , Bhandari Mohit
Published: November 2016

Background:

High-quality, evidence-based orthopaedic care relies on the generation and translation of robust research evidence. The Fragility Index is a novel method for evaluating the robustness of statistically significant findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). It is defined as the minimum number of patients in 1 arm of a trial that would have to change status from a nonevent to an event to alter the results of the trial from statistically significant to nonsignificant.

Purpose:

To calculate the Fragility Index of statistically significant results from clinical trials in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery to characterize the robustness of the RCTs in these fields.

Methods:

A search was conducted in Medline, EMBASE, and PubMed for RCTs related to sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery from January 1, 2005, to October 30, 2015. Two reviewers independently assessed titles and abstracts for study eligibility, performed data extraction, and assessed risk of bias. The Fragility Index was calculated using the Fisher exact test for all statistically significant dichotomous outcomes from parallel-group RCTs. Bivariate correlation was performed to evaluate associations between the Fragility Index and trial characteristics.

Results:

A total of 48 RCTs were included. The median sample size was 64 (interquartile range [IQR], 48.5-89.5), and the median total number of outcome events was 19 (IQR, 10-27). The median Fragility Index was 2 (IQR, 1-2.8), meaning that changing 2 patients from a nonevent to an event in the treatment arm changed the result to a statistically nonsignificant result, or P ≥ .05.

Conclusion:

Most statistically significant RCTs in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery are not robust because their statistical significance can be reversed by changing the outcome status on only a few patients in 1 treatment group. Future work is required to determine whether routine reporting of the Fragility Index enhances clinicians’ ability to detect trial results that should be viewed cautiously.
Investigating Spatial Dependence and Spatial Spillovers in African Agricultural Total Factor Productivity Growth
Authors: Lukongo Onyumbe E. , Rezek Jon P.
Published: November 2016

This study improves our understanding of the spatial dependence and spillovers of war on the agricultural sector productivity. The results provided here represent the first attempt in the literature to identify the total factor productivity impacts of war in Africa. War disrupts the agricultural sector in the affected country and its borders through loss of capitals, deaths of experienced farmers, disease, insecurity, and dislocation. A war may reduce productivity in a given country—a reduction of agricultural productivity by 0.41% and 0.40% in Congo and Angola, respectively. But its real effects, which are overlooked by alternative modeling strategies, are larger.

JEL Classifications: C21, O11, O43, D24
The Global Reporting Initiative on Remuneration
Authors: Bloom Robert
Published: November 2016

On January 29, 2016, the Obama administration proposed that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission collect yearly data on remuneration based on gender, race, and ethnicity from firms having at least 100 employees. However, it so happens that the current Global Reporting Initiative framework calls for such information to be reported by organizations voluntarily. This article focuses on the remuneration and benefit items expected to be reported by organizations in the fourth version of the Global Reporting Initiative.
Relationship Among Team Temporal Leadership, Competency, Followership, and Performance in Taiwanese Pharmaceutical Industry Leaders and Employees
Authors: Yuan Chen-Chen , Lo Shih-Hui
Published: November 2016

The relationship between team temporal leadership and performance has attracted the attention of both academics and practitioners. Theories and studies of team temporal leadership have generally focused on Western teams, and there is a noticeable dearth of empirical verifications focusing on Taiwanese sales marketing teams and the relationship between team temporal leadership and performance in Taiwanese pharmaceutical companies. However, Taiwan has a unique pharmaceutical sales marketing model involving diversified competency, apprenticeship, teamwork, and time management. Thus, this study examined the relationship among team temporal leadership, competency, followership, and performance using linear structured equation modeling. Results from the 360 leader–employee dyads of the sales marketing team revealed that team temporal leadership, competency, and followership are positively related to performance and that team temporal leadership is positively related to competency and followership. According to the results of the research, suggestions for future-related studies are proposed.
Improved elliptical triangulation method for damage detection in composite material structures
Authors: Sorrentino Assunta , De Fenza Angelo
Published: November 2016

In this paper, an improvement of the elliptical triangulation method for damage detection using Lamb waves is presented. The damage is the main cause of structural failure and often occurs on structures. In order to avoid sudden failure, a special attention was given in the past decades to the damage detection in structures. In order to obtain efficient damage detection techniques, the structural health monitoring has been the main research topic of many scientists worldwide. The elliptical triangulation method, proposed in this paper, is a non-destructive method based on measurement of Lamb waves. This method, through the calculation of the time of flight of the signals and the actuator-sensor positioning, allows to identify position and dimension of the damage. The application of the method to the metallic structures and to the composite material structures is presented in this paper. The complexity connected with the uncertainty of the waves’ propagation speed due to the anisotropy of the composite materials has been explored through an iterative approach. The initialization of the wave propagation speed at first tentative iteration is the key issue for the convergence of the method. Seven different conditions were used to validate the method on both metallic and composite structures combining two damage shapes, two damage dimensions (effective damaged area), and three different positions. Upon evaluating the effectiveness, the method has been applied at two composite panels in order to detect by test the post-impact damages. Tests results have been compared with the numerical ones. The feasibility of the elliptical triangulation method to detect the damage (evaluating the damage position and area) has been proved using the ultrasonic C-Scan.
Autopedophilia
Authors: Hsu Kevin J. , Bailey J. Michael
Published: November 2016

The most salient dimension of men’s sexual orientation is gender: attraction to males versus females. A second dimension is sexual maturity: attraction to children versus adults. A less appreciated dimension is location: attraction to other individuals versus the sexual fantasy of being one of those individuals. Men sexually aroused by the idea or fantasy of being the kinds of individuals to whom they are sexually attracted have an erotic-target identity inversion (ETII). We conducted an online survey to investigate the prevalence and phenomenology of ETIIs among 475 men sexually attracted to children. Autopedophilia, or sexual arousal by the idea of being a child, was common. Furthermore, autopedophilic men tended to be sexually aroused by imagining themselves as the kinds of children (with respect to gender and age) to whom they are sexually attracted. Results support the concept of ETIIs and exemplify the simultaneous importance of three dimensions of male sexual orientation.
From asylum to action in Scotland: the emergence of the Scottish Union of Mental Patients, 1971–2
Authors: Gallagher Mark
Published: November 2016

By analysing a collection of documents authored by Thomas Ritchie, founder of the Scottish Union of Mental Patients (SUMP), this study recounts the emergence of mental patient unionism at Hartwood Hospital, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The discourse and action employed by Ritchie and SUMP are understood and situated in relation to intended audiences, social and material conditions of the asylum space, and transformations in cultures beyond the asylum, including nascent industrial strife, social liberalism, civil rights, the London ‘underground’ and counter-cultures.
What next for unions in Central and Eastern Europe? Invisibility, departure and the transformation of industrial relations
Authors: Korkut Umut , de Ruyter Alex , Maganaris Manos , Bailey David
Published: November 2016

This article examines union revitalization in Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on two countries: Hungary and Latvia. Trade unions have not only had to cope with a declining membership base, but have also had to respond to austerity programmes and government cuts in public sector employment. We argue that the inability of unions to provide a strong voice for alternative policies to the current neoliberal orthodoxy has been driven by a declining membership base, but also by weakened social dialogue mechanisms, limited industrial representation and an ageing membership profile, exacerbated by net outward migration in recent years. However, we find that unions in Latvia and Hungary have responded differently to these issues.
Work Engagement of Nurses in Private Hospitals
Authors: Dasgupta Prasanjit
Published: November 2016

This study examined the impact of organizational, personal, team, job demand factors and mediating effects of team and affective commitments on nurses’ work engagement. Health workers’ work engagement has positive effect on patient satisfaction; nurses constitute a major group among health workers. To find reliability of the instruments pilot study was conducted in three hospitals of Kolkata (India) in which 175 nurses participated. In the main study, 504 nurses from five hospitals in Kolkata participated. Correlation, regression analysis and Sobel test was used to find out the relationships. Perceived organizational support, leader–member exchange, team–member exchange, workplace friendship, all relate positively to work engagement. Nursing role stress negatively relates to work engagement. Team commitment positively mediates the relationship between leader–member exchange, team member exchange and workplace friendship with work engagement. Affective commitment positively mediates the relationship between perceived organizational support and core self-evaluation with work engagement and negatively mediates the relationship between nursing role stress and work engagement. Result of the study shall be helpful for health care managers to devise appropriate strategies for enhancement of work engagement of nurses.
Rural Transformation of a Village in Telangana, A Study of Dokur since 1970s
Authors: Reddy A. Amarender , Rani Ch Radhika , Cadman Tim , Reddy T Prabhakar , Battarai Madhusudan , Reddy Anugula N
Published: November 2016

The structural changes taking place in villages are partly due to market forces and also because of public policy. The article examines the transformation and development of a village namely Dokur in Telangana, India which has undergone changes since mid-1970s. The village was initially studied in 1975–1984 by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), but resurveyed from 2001 to 2014. There has been seen a significant change since 1980s in its livelihood diversity. Until the mid-1970s, there was more focus on green revolution technologies under the assumption that the trickle-down effect would take care of poverty. Hence, in the initial years, very few development programmes existed and were mostly focused on agriculture growth. Although public distribution system was in place from the mid 1970s, a new government initiative targeted poverty directly through a 20-point plan. From the 1990s, more specific schemes were introduced, which often targeted poor, scheduled castes and tribes (SC and ST) and other backward castes (OBC) as well as small and marginal farmers also. After realizing that most of the benefits were captured by village elites and large farmers, the focus shifted to self-targeting of various developments and social safety net programmes targeting lower castes and poorer households in the late 2000s, especially after the introduction of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). This was also an attempt to reduce gender bias in the programmes. The participation of poor, SC and ST and women increased after the self-targeting schemes were introduced in the country. The Public Distribution System (PDS), Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), pension schemes, complete sanitation programmes, agricultural input subsidy programme, million wells programmes, loan waiver scheme and the drought relief programmes had positive impacts on livelihoods, but with less targeting. Most of the gains from agricultural subsidies were enjoyed by medium and large farmers, although small SC and ST farmers benefited some what. However, all indicators show a systematic and considerable increase in living standards.
Student Outcomes of Eco-Restoration Service-Learning Experiences in Urban Woodlands
Authors: Knackmuhs Eric , Farmer James , Reynolds Heather L.
Published: November 2016

Service learning with ecological restoration projects can positively affect participants’ attitudes, behaviors, and learning, but little is known about the longevity of these effects. Furthermore, urban green spaces are an understudied, yet increasingly important, context for eco-restoration service learning. This study examined the persistence of student outcomes of eco-restoration service-learning experiences in an urban woodland. Undergraduate courses from the Departments of Biology and Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies at Indiana University partnered with the Bloomington Urban Woodlands Project (BUWP) to restore native woodland habitat and conduct public outreach. Phenomenological analysis of student interviews demonstrated that service-learning experiences improved learning outcomes and encouraged and reinforced pro-environmental attitudes up to 14 months later. Results also demonstrate the applicability of an environmental interpretation behavior change model to college-level instruction.
Non–Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung With Osteoclast-Like Giant Cells
Authors: Dahm Hans Helmut
Published: November 2016

Carcinomas of the lung with benign osteoclast-like giant cells are rare. A literature search showed only 8 previously reported examples. These tumors resemble a giant cell tumor of bone. Many of these tumors, which occur in most epithelium-containing organs, are composed of an undifferentiated, sarcomatoid component that contains benign osteoclast-like giant cells and a conventional carcinoma. In some tumors the epithelial origin may be revealed by immunohistochemistry only; others lack any evidence of an epithelial component. A 59-year-old man had an inoperable tumor in the upper lobe of the left lung. The tumor did not respond to radiation therapy, and chemotherapy resulted in minimal relief of symptoms. Light microscopy of biopsy samples showed benign osteoclast-like giant cells distributed irregularly between proliferations of undifferentiated medium-sized tumor cells. Approximately one third of the undifferentiated tumor cells were cytokeratin AE1/AE3-positive, and a minor alveolar clear cell component of the tumor was cytokeratin 7-positive. The osteoclast-like giant cells were strongly CD68-positive. The clinical and histologic findings supported the diagnosis of a non–small cell carcinoma of the lung with benign osteoclast-like giant cells. The differential diagnosis is composed of giant cell carcinoma, carcinosarcoma, and mesenchymal tumors of the lung.
The Effect of ACE I/D Polymorphisms Alone and With Concomitant Risk Factors on Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Amara Ahmed , Mrad Meriem , Sayeh Aicha , Lahideb Dhaker , Layouni Samy , Haggui Abdeddayem , Fekih-Mrissa Najiba , Haouala Habib , Nsiri Brahim
Published: November 2016

Background:

Coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as atherosclerotic heart disease, is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. The role of insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphisms of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene in the etiology of CAD remains to be more completely clarified. The aim of this study was to determine the role of the ACE I/D polymorphism in patients with CAD and to study the association together with traditional risk factors in assessing the risk of CAD.

Methods:

Our study population included 145 Tunisian patients with symptomatic CAD and a control group of 300 people matched for age and sex. All participants in the study were genotyped for the ACE I/D polymorphisms obtained by polymerase chain reaction amplification on genomic DNA.

Results:

Our analysis showed that the ACE D allele frequency ( P < 10−3; odds ratio [OR] = 5.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.6-7.6) and DD genotype ( P < 10−3; OR = 6.8; 95% CI = 4.4-10) are significantly more prevalent among patients with CAD than in controls and may be predisposing to CAD. We further found that the risk of CAD is greatly potentiated by several concomitant risk factors (smoking, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and a family history of CAD).

Conclusion:

The ACE D allele may be predictive in individuals who may be at risk of developing CAD. Further investigations of these polymorphisms and their possible synergisms with traditional risk factors for CAD could help to ascertain better predictability for CAD susceptibility.
Is Adherence to the American College of Chest Physicians Recommended Anticoagulation Treatment Duration Associated With Different Outcomes Among Patients With Venous Thromboembolism?
Authors: Spyropoulos Alex C. , Preblick Ron , Kwong Winghan J. , Lingohr-Smith Melissa , Lin Jay
Published: November 2016

Clinical and economic outcomes associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE) patient adherence to the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) anticoagulant (AC) treatment guidelines are incompletely understood. Patients with ≥1 inpatient or ≥2 separate outpatient claims for deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism, based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes, were identified from the IMS PharMetrics Plus database. Patients had continuous insurance coverage for 12 months before (baseline) and after (follow-up) the index event (first VTE claim) but no baseline VTE claims. The ACCP recommends minimum AC treatment durations (3 or ≥6 months) dependent upon patient risk profiles. Patients were grouped into study cohorts based on their adherence status (adherent vs nonadherent) to the recommended minimum treatment durations. Patient baseline characteristics, health-care resource utilization, and associated costs were evaluated. The VTE recurrence and bleed-related hospitalization were measured during follow-up. Multivariate regression analysis was utilized to compare clinical and economic outcomes of cohorts. Of the 81 827 study patients, 74% (n = 60 550) were AC adherent. After controlling for key patient characteristics, risks for all-cause hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.85, P < .0001), VTE recurrence (AOR = 0.92, P = .0014), and bleeding-related hospitalization (AOR = 0.74, P < .0001) were lower among adherent patients, as were all-cause health-care cost (−US$2121, P = .0003) and VTE-related (−US$2294, P < .0001) and bleed-related (−US$248, P < .0001) medical costs during the follow-up period. Approximately one-quarter of the study population was AC nonadherent; these nonadherent patients had more VTE recurrences, utilized more inpatient services, and had higher health-care costs.
Venous Thrombotic Events After Liver Transplantation
Authors: Blasi Annabel , Hernandez Virginia , Fernandez Javier , Colmenero Jordi , Beltran Joan , Garcia-Valdecasas Juan Carlos , Reverter Joan Carles
Published: November 2016

Thromboprophylaxis is not well defined after liver transplantation (LT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) and nonsplanchnic vein thrombosis (NSVT) after LT. Liver transplantations performed between 2009 and 2013 in our institution were reviewed. Demographic, intraoperative, and postoperative data were recorded. Low-molecular-weight heparin was only administered postoperatively if intraoperative thrombectomy was performed or in patients preoperatively anticoagulated. Of a total of 328 patients, 72% were male with a median age of 56 years, score of model for end-stage liver disease 18 (11-23), and 88% had liver cirrhosis. The incidence of postoperative venous thrombotic events was 4.6%: 8 (2.4%) patients had SVT and 7 (2.1%) patients had NSVT. After logistic regression analysis, intraoperative thrombectomy and Child A classification emerged as risk factors for SVT (odds ratio [OR]: 77, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 14-421) and NSVT (OR: 20, 95% CI: 3-170), respectively. The incidence of SVT in patients who undergo intraoperative thrombectomy was 33%, whereas the incidence of NSVT in patients grouped as Child A was 7.5%. Our results suggest that thromboprophylaxis should be considered after LT in patients with cirrhosis grouped as Child A and in patients who undergo intraoperative thrombectomy.
Race and State in the Urban Regime
Authors: Morel Domingo
Published: November 2016

Over the past four decades, cities have experienced greater oversight from state government. Why have states become increasingly involved in local affairs? How has the increasing presence of state government altered how we understand urban politics? Relying on a case study of Newark, New Jersey, this article argues that the increasing presence of state government in local affairs was a response to the growth of Black political empowerment. Furthermore, the Newark case reveals that the changing role of state actors, particularly governors, in urban regimes requires an expansion of urban regime theory as a conceptual framework. Building on the argument that urban regimes should be viewed as intergovernmental regimes, the findings from the case study suggest that local communities are best represented under cohesive state– local regimes, while localities are exposed to less desirable, even hostile, state-led policies, under disjointed state– local regimes.
Towards cloud-based parallel metaheuristics
Authors: Teijeiro Diego , Pardo Xoán C , González Patricia , Banga Julio R , Doallo Ramón
Published: November 2016

Many key problems in science and engineering can be formulated and solved using global optimization techniques. In the particular case of computational biology, the development of dynamic (kinetic) models is one of the current key issues. In this context, the problem of parameter estimation (model calibration) remains as a very challenging task. The complexity of the underlying models requires the use of efficient solvers to achieve adequate results in reasonable computation times. Metaheuristics have been the focus of great consideration as an efficient way of solving hard global optimization problems. Even so, in most realistic applications, metaheuristics require a very large computation time to obtain an acceptable result. Therefore, several parallel schemes have been proposed, most of them focused on traditional parallel programming interfaces and infrastructures. However, with the emergence of cloud computing, new programming models have been proposed to deal with large-scale data processing on clouds. In this paper we explore the applicability of these new models for global optimization problems using as a case study a set of challenging parameter estimation problems in systems biology. We have developed, using Spark, an island-based parallel version of Differential Evolution. Differential Evolution is a simple population-based metaheuristic that, at the same time, is very popular for being very efficient in real function global optimization. Several experiments were conducted both on a cluster and on the Microsoft Azure public cloud to evaluate the speedup and efficiency of the proposal, concluding that the Spark implementation achieves not only competitive speedup against the serial implementation, but also good scalability when the number of nodes grows. The results can be useful for those interested in using parallel metaheuristics for global optimization problems benefiting from the potential of new cloud programming models.
Hispanic Americans and African Americans with multiple sclerosis have more severe disease course than Caucasian Americans
Authors: Ventura Rachel E , Antezana Ariel O , Bacon Tamar , Kister Ilya
Published: November 2016

Whether disease course in Hispanic Americans (HA) with multiple sclerosis (MS) is different from Caucasian Americans (CA) or African Americans (AA) is unknown. We compared MS severity in the three main ethnic populations in our tertiary MS clinics using disease duration–adjusted rank score of disability: Patient-Derived Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (P-MSSS). The age- and gender-adjusted P-MSSS was significantly higher in HA (3.9 ± 2.6) and AA (4.5 ± 3.0) compared to CA (3.4 ± 2.6; p < 0.0001 for both). Adjusting for insurance did not change these results. These findings suggest that HA, as AA, have more rapid disability accumulation than CA.
Australian tertiary students’ attitudes towards youth obesity in educational institutions
Authors: Werkhoven Thea , Cotton Wayne , Dudley Dean
Published: November 2016

Educational institutions have been identified as ideal locations to implement health promotion strategies that aim to prevent and treat youth obesity. However, the tertiary training of future health promoters currently lacks health and nutrition instruction. This study sought to investigate attitudes towards youth obesity and perceptions of the roles of schools and educators in strategies to treat and prevent youth obesity. Participants ( n = 155) were tertiary students who enrolled in a general-level health and nutrition elective that housed an intervention to increase awareness of obesity. Baseline and post-intervention responses to the Perceptions of Youth Obesity and Health Education questionnaire were collected and compared spanning the 12 weeks. Agreement that health is linked to being of normal weight and that general educators should have a major role in school strategies did not waver over the course of the intervention. The belief that schools are ideal places for obesity prevention strategies was higher at baseline than post-intervention. It was desired that obesity awareness would increase but perceived importance of involvement of school staff in youth obesity strategies did not increase. Further research is required to investigate the influence of attitudes and perceptions held by future health promoters towards their roles in prevention and treatment strategies on professional practice.
Drivers of migration policy reform: The day off policy for migrant domestic workers in Singapore
Authors: Koh Chiu Yee , Goh Charmian , Wee Kellynn , Yeoh Brenda SA
Published: November 2016

While there has been much debate on Singapore’s migration policies, a ‘black box’ continues to surround policymaking decisions. This article examines the dynamics of migration policy reforms in Singapore, using the case study of the mandatory weekly day off policy for migrant domestic workers. Designing our analysis around the three ‘Is’ – ideas, interests and institutions – we argue that the inclusion and formalisation of migrant rights in the policy sphere entails the framing of migrant rights in a manner that appeals to Singapore’s institutional logics and cultural repertoire; prioritising the needs and interests of citizens in the policy calculus; and institutional readiness and conviction to the cause.
The erosion of the implied term of mutual trust and confidence in Australian employment law
Authors: Sundra-Karean Vanitha
Published: November 2016

Although the implied duty of mutual trust and confidence has long been established as an implied term in employment contracts under English common law, the Australian High Court has recently ruled that it is not part of the common law regulating employment contracts in Australia because the implication of such a term was better regulated under statute. While it is acknowledged that legislation is most effective in regulating substantive employment rights and obligations, a political climate which lends itself to ideologically divergent policy reforms often robs the discipline of its stability. However, if there exists a legal framework apart from legislation, which coheres with it and has the ability to initiate juridical development in the law, as is the role of the common law, the result will be an enrichment of the discipline overall. This paper traces selected English and Australian judicial approaches towards the implication of the duty of mutual trust and confidence in the context of terminations of employment within a statutory regime, culminating with an analysis of the recent Australian High Court decision in Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Barker (Barker), which has diminished common law’s interpretive role in this regard. Consequently, this paper aims to revitalize common law reasoning by utilizing Dworkin’s judicial interpretive method as the necessary theoretical framework.
From context to text in contractual interpretation
Authors: Goh Yihan
Published: November 2016

Much of the contemporary scholarship on contractual interpretation is staunchly against a textual analysis, by which a court can only depart from the plain meaning of a contract exceptionally. It is therefore no surprise that scholars have reacted negatively to the spate of recent cases where the English courts have re-emphasized the plain meaning of the text in contractual interpretation. Yet one cannot help but wonder whether a textual analysis is really so problematic when courts across the common law world have re-embraced it. Drawing from both theoretical and comparative perspectives, this paper suggests that a focus on the text in contractual interpretation, and the corresponding application of the plain meaning rule, is to be welcomed and not scorned.
Impact of Donor Recipient Gender and Race Mismatch on Graft Outcomes in Patients With End-Stage Liver Disease Undergoing Liver Transplantation
Authors: Zhang Yefei
Published: November 2016

Context:

The discrepancy between donor supply and organ demand increased the possibility of gender and race mismatch between the donors and recipients. However, the findings of their impact on graft and patient survival are outdated and mixed.

Objective:

To estimate the effects of gender and race mismatch on graft survival and patient survival among adult patients (18 years and older) with end-stage liver disease.

Design:

A total of 38 768 patients undergoing liver transplant between 2002 and 2011 were identified from United Network for Organ Sharing database. Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazard regressions with backward elimination adopting a marginal approach with a working independence assumption and stratification on recipient hepatitis C virus status were used.

Main Outcome Measures:

Posttransplantation graft survival and patient survival.

Results:

Both gender mismatch (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.12) and race mismatch (HR 1.08, 95%C: 1.04-1.12) had significantly adverse effects on graft survival and patient survival after controlling for other factors, especially among hepatitis C-positive female recipients with male donors (HR 1.13, 95%CI 1.03-1.24), black recipients with white donors (1.39, 1.29-1.49) or Hispanic donors (HR 1.48, 95%CI 1.27-1.72), and these effects were even worse among hepatitis C-positive recipients.

Conclusion:

Gender and race mismatch between donors and recipients adversely affected graft survival and patient survival among adult patients with end-stage liver disease, both independently and after the adjustment for other factors. Future research is recommended to explore other factors such as new model for end-stage liver disease sharing policy change and disparities in access to waiting-list or transplantation.
Crosstalk between microRNA-122 and FOX family genes in HepG2 cells
Authors: Kumar Subodh , Batra Ankita , Kanthaje Shruthi , Ghosh Sujata , Chakraborti Anuradha
Published: November 2016

MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) is liver specific and plays an important role in physiology as well as diseases including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Downregulation of miR-122 in HCC modulates apoptosis. Similarly, the putative targets of miR-122, the forkhead box (FOX) family genes also play an important role in the regulation of apoptosis. Hence, an interplay between miR-122 and FOX family genes has been explored in this study. Initially, an augmentation of apoptosis was noticed in HepG2 cells after transfection with miR-122. Further, the predicted miR-122 targets, the FOX family genes ( FOXM1b, FOXP1, and FOXO4) were selected via in silico analysis based on their role in apoptosis. We checked the expression of all these genes at transcript level after the transfection of miR-122 and found that the relative expression of FOXP1 and FOXM1b was significantly downregulated (p < 0.005) and that of FOXO4 was upregulated (p < 0.005). Thus, the finding indicates deregulation of these FOX genes as a result of miR-122 augmentation might be involved in the modulation of apoptosis.

Impact Statement

Here, we have investigated the crosstalk between microRNA-122 (miR-122) and selective FOX family genes in HepG2 cells. miR-122 is a prominent miRNA in liver and has been reported to be downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It has been speculated that diminished level of miR-122 during HCC might be one of the reasons for tumor progression. However, the exact molecular interactions are not clear yet. This study unravels one of the molecular mechanisms of miR-122 through which it might impact the tumorigenesis of HCC.
Secular pattern of aneurismal rupture with the lunar cycle and season
Authors: Banfield Jillian C , Abdolell Mohamed , Shankar Jai S
Published: November 2016

Background

The lunar cycle and seasons may be associated with rates of rupture of intracranial aneurysms, but the literature is mixed. Studies of the association between the lunar cycle and rates of aneurysm rupture used the eight qualitative moon phases. The purpose of this study was to assess any association of aneurysm rupture with the lunar cycle and with the season.

Materials and methods

We retrospectively reviewed all cases of subarachnoid haemorrhage secondary to ruptured intracranial aneurysm treated with endovascular coiling in our institution over a 10-year period. We included only cases with a known rupture date. We used the degree of illumination of the moon to quantitatively code the lunar cycle.

Results

A total of 212 cases were included in our analyses. The odds of aneurysm rupture were significantly greater ( p < 0.001) when the moon was least (new moon) and most (full moon) illuminated, as compared to the middle of the lunar cycle. The odds of rupture tended to be higher ( p = 0.059) in the summer, compared to autumn.

Conclusions

The odds of aneurysm rupture were greater when the moon was least illuminated (new moon) and most illuminated (full moon), compared to the middle of the lunar cycle.
Contrast-less stent placement for vertebral artery origin stenosis
Authors: Ota Shinzo , Sekihara Yoshinobu , Himeno Takahiro , Tanaka Yasue , Ohtonari Tatsuya
Published: November 2016

We performed stent placement under intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), without the use of contrast medium, in a male patient in his 70s who had vertebral artery origin stenosis and decreased renal function. Satisfactory dilatation was achieved without complications, and the patient remained asymptomatic at 2 years of follow-up. We now report the details of this procedure. Stent placement under IVUS guidance may be useful in patients in whom contrast medium is contraindicated.
Electromechanical coupling vibration characteristics of an AC servomotor-driven translational flexible manipulator
Authors: Ju Jin-yong , Li Wei , Yang Xue-Feng , Wang Yu-Qiao , Liu Yu-Fei
Published: November 2016

The nonstationary transition status of the motor start-up phase creates great threat against the stable operation of the flexible manipulator system. This article investigates the electromechanical coupling dynamics and vibration response characteristics for a flexible manipulator of an alternating current servomotor-driven linear positioning platform with considering the start-up dynamic characteristics of the motor. Based on the constructed global electromechanical coupling effect and the Lagrange–Maxwell equations, the dynamic model of the whole system is established. The electromechanical coupling vibration mechanism of the flexible manipulator is obtained by analyzing the multiphysical process and multiparameter coupling phenomenon of the whole system. The result demonstrates that the nonstationary transition status of the motor initialization phase is mainly manifested during the disturbance of the three-phase stator current. As the speed of the linear positioning platform increases, the current disturbance, arousing the change of the servo driving force of the linear positioning platform, has dominant frequency shift and frequency amplitude decrease. Then, the vibration response of the flexible manipulator is markedly affected and the variation of the high-order modes vibration response is more obvious. The analysis result is significant for improving the dynamic performance of the motor-driven flexible robot manipulator system.
Deterministic learning enhanced neutral network control of unmanned helicopter
Authors: Jiang Yiming , Yang Chenguang , Dai Shi-lu , Ren Beibei
Published: November 2016

In this article, a neural network–based tracking controller is developed for an unmanned helicopter system with guaranteed global stability in the presence of uncertain system dynamics. Due to the coupling and modeling uncertainties of the helicopter systems, neutral networks approximation techniques are employed to compensate the unknown dynamics of each subsystem. In order to extend the semiglobal stability achieved by conventional neural control to global stability, a switching mechanism is also integrated into the control design, such that the resulted neural controller is always valid without any concern on either initial conditions or range of state variables. In addition, deterministic learning is applied to the neutral network learning control, such that the adaptive neutral networks are able to store the learned knowledge that could be reused to construct neutral network controller with improved control performance. Simulation studies are carried out on a helicopter model to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control design.
A coarse-to-fine scheme for groupwise registration of multisensor images
Authors: Li Yinghao , He Zhongshi , Zhu Hao , Zou Dongsheng , Zhang Weiwei
Published: November 2016

Ensemble registration is concerned with a group of images that need to be registered simultaneously. It is challenging but important for many image analysis tasks such as vehicle detection and medical image fusion. To solve this problem effectively, a novel coarse-to-fine scheme for groupwise image registration is proposed. First, in the coarse registration step, unregistered images are divided into reference image set and float image set. The images of the two sets are registered based on segmented region matching. The coarse registration results are used as an initial solution for the next step. Then, in the fine registration step, a Gaussian mixture model with a local template is used to model the joint intensity of coarse-registered images. Meanwhile, a minimum message length criterion-based method is employed to determine the unknown number of mixing components. Based on this mixture model, a maximum likelihood framework is used to register a group of images. To evaluate the performance of the proposed approach, some representative groupwise registration approaches are compared on different image data sets. The experimental results show that the proposed approach has improved performance compared to conventional approaches.
Selective antagonism of TRPA1 produces limited efficacy in models of inflammatory- and neuropathic-induced mechanical hypersensitivity in rats
Authors: Lehto Sonya G , Weyer Andy D , Youngblood Beth D , Zhang Maosheng , Yin Ruoyuan , Wang Weiya , Teffera Yohannes , Cooke Melanie , Stucky Cheryl L , Schenkel Laurie , Geuns-Meyer Stephanie , Moyer Bryan D , Wild Kenneth D , Gavva Narender R
Published: November 2016

The transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channel has been implicated in pathophysiological processes that include asthma, cough, and inflammatory pain. Agonists of TRPA1 such as mustard oil and its key component allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) cause pain and neurogenic inflammation in humans and rodents, and TRPA1 antagonists have been reported to be effective in rodent models of pain. In our pursuit of TRPA1 antagonists as potential therapeutics, we generated AMG0902, a potent (IC90 of 300 nM against rat TRPA1), selective, brain penetrant (brain to plasma ratio of 0.2), and orally bioavailable small molecule TRPA1 antagonist. AMG0902 reduced mechanically evoked C-fiber action potential firing in a skin-nerve preparation from mice previously injected with complete Freund’s adjuvant, supporting the role of TRPA1 in inflammatory mechanosensation. In vivo target coverage of TRPA1 by AMG0902 was demonstrated by the prevention of AITC-induced flinching/licking in rats. However, oral administration of AMG0902 to rats resulted in little to no efficacy in models of inflammatory, mechanically evoked hypersensitivity; and no efficacy was observed in a neuropathic pain model. Unbound plasma concentrations achieved in pain models were about 4-fold higher than the IC90 concentration in the AITC target coverage model, suggesting that either greater target coverage is required for efficacy in the pain models studied or TRPA1 may not contribute significantly to the underlying mechanisms.
Using Smartphones to Collect Behavioral Data in Psychological Science
Authors: Harari Gabriella M. , Lane Nicholas D. , Wang Rui , Crosier Benjamin S. , Campbell Andrew T. , Gosling Samuel D.
Published: November 2016

Smartphones now offer the promise of collecting behavioral data unobtrusively, in situ, as it unfolds in the course of daily life. Data can be collected from the onboard sensors and other phone logs embedded in today’s off-the-shelf smartphone devices. These data permit fine-grained, continuous collection of people’s social interactions (e.g., speaking rates in conversation, size of social groups, calls, and text messages), daily activities (e.g., physical activity and sleep), and mobility patterns (e.g., frequency and duration of time spent at various locations). In this article, we have drawn on the lessons from the first wave of smartphone-sensing research to highlight areas of opportunity for psychological research, present practical considerations for designing smartphone studies, and discuss the ongoing methodological and ethical challenges associated with research in this domain. It is our hope that these practical guidelines will facilitate the use of smartphones as a behavioral observation tool in psychological science.