bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health-Related Quality of Life and Psychosocial Functioning in Children With Tourette Syndrome
Authors: Gutierrez-Colina Ana M. , Eaton Cyd K. , Lee Jennifer L. , LaMotte Julia , Blount Ronald L.
Published: June 2014

This study aimed to evaluate the degree of agreement between parent proxy- and child self-report on measures of child psychosocial functioning and health-related quality of life in children with Tourette syndrome. Participants included 28 children with Tourette syndrome and their parents. All participants provided ratings of children’s level of quality of life and psychosocial functioning. Results revealed strong, positive relationships between child self- and parent proxy-reports on all quality of life and psychosocial functioning domains. Parents perceived significantly higher levels of depression compared to their children, whereas children reported significantly lower Physical quality of life compared to their parents. Results suggest that assessment of quality of life and psychosocial functioning should include multiple reporters whenever feasible. Caution should be used when exclusively relying on parent proxy-reports of quality of life and psychosocial functioning, as these reports may not accurately reflect children’s difficulties or perceptions of their functioning.
Micronutrient Needs of the Elderly
Authors: Montgomery Stephanie C. , Streit Stephanie M. , Beebe Mara Lee , Maxwell Pinckney J.
Published: June 2014

Older adults are becoming a significant percentage of the world's population. A multitude of factors, from the normal aging process to the progression of chronic disease, influence the nutrition needs of this very diverse group of people. Appropriate micronutrient intake is of particular importance but is often suboptimal. Here we review the available data regarding micronutrient needs and the consequences of deficiencies in the ever growing aged population.
Culturally sustainable development: Maya culture, indigenous institutions, and alternative development in Guatemala
Authors: MacNeill Tim
Published: June 2014

Recent scholarship has highlighted the ways in which new models of international and community development have been emerging in Latin America. Many of these have been associated with the idea of indigeneity. This article is meant to contribute to the larger attempt to understand this new turn in development thinking by studying one such model—enacted on a community level under the moniker of “culturally sustainable development” by a Maya organization in Guatemala. The case study and institutional ethnography exemplify the ways in which community development can be culturally situated, yet broadly informed. It also illuminates how the post-Washington consensus development policy environment provides opportunities for alternative indigenous development models at the same time as it imposes potentially debilitating constraints. Finally, it is argued that indigenous organizations often act in ways that are transmodern as opposed to anti-modern and that this transmodern positioning has allowed for some success in asserting alternative concepts of development and shaking free some of the snares of the global post-Washington consensus development policy climate.
Establishing a criteria system for green production
Authors: Tsai Sang-Bing , Xue You-Zhi , Huang Po-Yu , Zhou Jie , Li Guo-Dong , Guo Wei-Feng , Lau Hsin , Shang Zhi-Wen
Published: June 2014

Green production is implemented to save energy, reduce energy consumption, and decrease pollution levels. Green production is associated with preventing pollution and can be used to further extend manufacturer responsibility to products and the environment, thereby achieving the goals of ecological benefits and sustainable development. Green production is a crucial part of corporate social responsibility; thus, enterprises pursuing sustainable development should determine how green production and social responsibility can be integrated with their core operation strategies. This study developed green production–based assessment indicators to establish a green production assessment framework. In addition, the decision-making trail and evaluation laboratory and analytical network process were used to create a decision-making trail and evaluation laboratory–based analytical network process model. We employed the decision-making trail and evaluation laboratory–based analytical network process to calculate the level of influence and causality between the indicators and subsequently determine the weight of the indicators. Finally, the indicators were used to establish a comprehensive assessment system for green production. The green production criteria system established in this study is both a theoretical contribution and has wide practical applications.
On the transnational social question: How social inequalities are reproduced in Europe
Authors: Faist Thomas
Published: June 2014

What are the consequences of cross-border employment and social protection practices for social inequalities in Europe? The transnational social question is a multifaceted one: it is linked not only to inequalities generated by heterogeneities such as class, gender, ethnicity, legal status and religion, but also to the perception that cross-border interdependence has grown and that transnational interactions themselves have become a criterion for differentiation. International migration is of strategic significance for an understanding of the transnational social question, because it reveals the cross-connections of the fragmented world of social protection. In particular, it provides a window into the social mechanisms that support social protection across borders and how these mitigate old and generate new social inequalities.
Measuring state de-familialism: Contesting post-socialist exceptionalism
Authors: Javornik Jana
Published: June 2014

This article offers a methodology to reveal the latent constructs that underlie policies on parental leave and childcare services. It is constructed to uncover state assumptions about the social organization of childcare and gender roles in a country-comparative perspective. Legislation is central to this analysis, and combinations of policy components take centre stage. An index of state de-familialism is proposed and its analytical potential tested on eight post-socialist European Union (EU) states. Grounded in Leitner’s conceptualization of “varieties of familialism”, it gauges three policy types: (1) Slovenian and Lithuanian supported de-familialism incentivizes women’s continuous employment and active fatherhood; (2) explicit familialism in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Estonia supports familial childcare and reinforces gendered parenting; and (3) implicit familialism in Poland, Slovakia and Latvia leaves parents without public support. These groups share core characteristics with developed welfare state regimes. This methodology has the potential to discredit claims of post-socialist exceptionalism and allows researchers to test new hypotheses.
Key steps towards a European Union homelessness policy
Authors: Gosme Liz
Published: June 2014

This article explores the impact of the European Union (EU) on homelessness policy-making. Homelessness policy has undoubtedly been influenced at different levels, but the main framework for working on homelessness at the EU level in a targeted way over the last 10 years has been the social Open Method of Coordination (OMC). The article examines the emergence, through the social OMC, of the foundations of of an EU homelessness policy by looking at key mechanisms through which homelessness emerged on the EU agenda, and the first signs of EU impact on homelessness policy dynamics. The interconnection between local actions, national measures and the EU policy arena on homelessness is increasingly evident, to the extent that the EU is now in a position to support Member States to address homelessness.
The lived experience of involuntary community treatment: a qualitative study of mental health consumers and carers
Authors: Light Edwina M , Robertson Michael D , Boyce Philip , Carney Terry , Rosen Alan , Cleary Michelle , Hunt Glenn E , O’Connor Nick , Ryan Christopher , Kerridge Ian H
Published: June 2014

Objective:

To describe the lived experiences of people subject to community treatment orders (CTOs) and their carers.

Method:

We recruited 11 participants (five mental health consumers and six carers) through consumer and carer networks in NSW, Australia, to take part in interviews about their experiences. We analysed the interview data set using established qualitative methodologies.

Results:

The lived experiences were characterised by ‘access’ concerns, ‘isolation’, ‘loss and trauma’, ‘resistance and resignation’ and ‘vulnerability and distress’. The extent and impact of these experiences related to the severity of mental illness, the support available for people with mental illnesses and their carers, the social compromises associated with living with mental illness, and the challenges of managing the relationships necessitated by these processes.

Conclusions:

The lived experience of CTOs is complex: it is one of distress and profound ambivalence. The distress is an intrinsic aspect of the experience of severe mental illness, but it also emerges from communication gaps, difficulty obtaining optimal care and accessing mental health services. The ambivalence arises from an acknowledgement that while CTOs are coercive and constrain autonomy, they may also be beneficial. These findings can inform improvements to the implementation of CTOs and the consequent experiences.
Tramadol toxicity in a cat: case report and literature review of serotonin syndrome
Authors: Indrawirawan Yenny , McAlees Trudi
Published: June 2014

Overview:

Tramadol toxicity has not previously been reported in a cat.

Case summary:

This report describes the clinical signs, diagnosis and treatment of tramadol toxicity, manifesting as serotonin syndrome, in a cat in Australia.

Practical relevance:

For any cat with suspicion of serotonin syndrome, in particular secondary to tramadol overdose, it is recommended that decontamination, monitoring and supportive care are instituted as soon as clinical signs develop. Prolonged hospitalisation may be required in the event of a severe overdose.

Literature review:

The literature relating to the pharmacology of tramadol and tramadol overdose, clinical manifestations of tramadol overdose, and serotonin syndrome in cats, humans and dogs is reviewed. Recommended treatment for tramadol overdose and serotonin syndrome is also discussed.
Variable air volume air-conditioning experiment system with advanced controls
Authors: Meng Qinglong , Yan Xiuying , Ren Qingchang , Adeli Hojjat
Published: June 2014

A heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system is a multi-variable strongly coupled large-scale system that is composed of several sub-systems. Considerable research, simulations, and experiments have been conducted on HVAC control. The optimization control of an HVAC system is now the popular issue. The ultimate goal of this paper was to achieve minimum energy consumption and improve system efficiency. Multi-zone variable air volume and variable water volume air-conditioning systems were developed. The dynamic models of HVAC sub-systems were built by the adaptive directional forgetting method. Control strategies such as the gearshift integral proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller and self-tuning PID controller were studied in the platform to improve the dynamic characteristics of the HVAC system. System performance was improved. The system saved 18.2% of energy with the integration of iterative learning control and sequential quadratic programming based on the steady-state hierarchical optimization control scheme.
Lack of association of angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism with breast cancer: An update meta-analysis based on 10405 subjects
Authors: Li Xiao-Lei , Zheng Zhi-Jian , Qu Hai-Ou
Published: June 2014

Objective:

Previous case-control studies on the relation between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and breast cancer did not reach the same conclusion. In the present study, we aimed to further evaluate the relationship between the ACE gene I/D polymorphism and breast cancer.

Methods:

We selected 13 case-control studies related to ACE gene I/D polymorphism and breast cancer by searching PubMed, EMBase, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese CNKI, and Wanfang database. To test the heterogeneity between each study, we utilized the Q-test and I2 test. To merge the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), we utilized the random effects model during the analyses.

Results:

The present study included 1997 patients with breast cancer and 8404 cancer-free control subjects. By meta-analysis, we did not find any association of ACE gene I/D polymorphism with breast cancer in different model (DD vs (ID+II): OR=1.28, 95% CI (0.90–1.81), p=0.16; II vs (ID+DD): OR=0.99, 95% CI (0.81–1.21), p=0.93; D allele vs I allele: OR=1.15, 95% CI (0.94–1.41), p=0.18).

Conclusion:

We concluded that ACE gene I/D polymorphism was not associated with breast cancer.
Angiotensin III induces signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and interleukin-6 mRNA levels in cultured rat astrocytes
Authors: Kandalam Umadevi , Sarmiento Nancy , Haspula Dhanush , Clark Michelle A
Published: June 2014

Introduction:

Recently we established that pro-inflammatory actions of angiotensin (Ang) II in astrocytes involved Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and interleukin-6 (IL-6).

Materials and methods:

In our current study, we determined in brainstem and cerebellum whether Ang III also activates STAT3 leading to IL-6 mRNA expression and astrocyte proliferation.

Results:

Ang III induced STAT3 phosphorylation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Significant STAT3 phosphorylation was rapid and was maximal within 10 min, and with 100 nM Ang III. The Ang AT1 receptor was shown to mediate this action of Ang III. Ang III also significantly induced IL-6 mRNA expression within an hour, and maximal Ang III-mediated IL-6 mRNA expression occurred in the presence of 100 nM Ang III. Ang III-mediated IL-6 mRNA expression occurred by the interaction of the peptide with the Ang AT1 receptor and was mediated by STAT3. In addition, STAT3 was shown to mediate Ang III astrocyte proliferation.

Conclusions:

These findings suggest that Ang III, similar to Ang II, has pro-inflammatory effects since it induces STAT3 leading to an induction of IL-6 mRNA expression, outcomes that lend relevance to the physiological importance of central Ang III.
Prognostic impact of renin-angiotensin system blockade in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Chen Yen-Hao , Huang Cheng-Hua , Lu Hung-I , Chen Chang-Han , Huang Wan-Ting , Hsieh Ming-Jang , Rau Kun-Ming , Chang Alice YW , Lin Wei-Che , Li Shau-Hsuan
Published: June 2014

Introduction:

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the administration of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors, angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), is associated with treatment outcome in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Materials and methods:

A total of 141 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving esophagectomy were identified, and were divided into two groups: an ACEI/ARB group ( n=20), and a non-ACEI/ARB group ( n=121). The effect of ACEIs or ARBs on cell proliferation and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, CE81T/VGH and TE2, were investigated by 3-(4.5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively.

Results:

Use of ACEI/ARB ( p=0.032), pathologic T stage ( p<0.001), pathologic N stage ( p=0.012), tumor stage ( p=0.006), and tumor location ( p=0.032) were significantly associated with superior overall survival. In multivariate comparison, use of ACEI/ARB ( p=0.006), tumor stage ( p=0.002), and tumor location ( p=0.014) represented the independent prognosticators of superior overall survival. In cell lines, ACEIs/ARBs inhibit cell proliferation and VEGF secretion in a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusions:

ACEIs/ARBs administration is independently associated with superior overall survival in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma receiving esophagectomy. Our data support further investigation of the role of RAS inhibitors as a potential therapy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Measuring the quality of life and well-being of people with dementia: A review of observational measures
Authors: Algar Katherine , Woods Robert T , Windle Gill
Published: June 2014

The dynamic nature of psychosocial interventions implies that trying to measure their effects using standardised clinical trial measures may not capture their full effects. Rich and valuable data during the sessions may be missed by using standard quality of life questionnaires. This paper compares observational measures in the context of recording the well-being of a person with dementia during and outside of a visual arts intervention. A literature search was conducted using systematic principles of searching, screening and retrieval to identify peer-reviewed English language evaluations of research projects using observational measures with people with dementia. Psychometric properties, strengths and weaknesses of 11 observational tools are reviewed in order to identify the most appropriate one for evaluating a visual art intervention for people with dementia. This review supports the Greater Cincinnati Chapter Well-Being Observation Tool as an appropriate measure to evaluate a visual art programme for people with dementia. The results of this review will help researchers plan projects to show the full range of effects for people with dementia for taking part in art sessions.
Effects of prison work programmes on the employability of ex-prisoners
Authors: Alós Ramon , Esteban Fernando , Jódar Pere , Miguélez Fausto
Published: June 2014

This paper presents the results of a study that links information from the prison system with information from the Spanish Social Security System in order to study the employability of former inmates of prisons in Catalonia, Spain. Few studies of this type have been carried out in the world and this is the first in Spain. The results show that 43.6 percent of ex-prisoners find a job after serving their sentence, but their integration in the labour market tends to be fragile, confirming that it is a very vulnerable group. It was also found that prison work has a favourable effect on employability and that vocational training has a lesser or no effect.
CDC’s Health Equity Resource Toolkit
Authors: Payne Gayle Holmes , James Stephen D. , Hawley Lisa , Corrigan Bethany , Kramer Rachel E. , Overton Samantha N. , Farris Rosanne P. , Wasilewski Yvonne
Published: June 2014

Obesity has been on the rise in the United States over the past three decades, and is high. In addition to population-wide trends, it is clear that obesity affects some groups more than others and can be associated with age, income, education, gender, race and ethnicity, and geographic region. To reverse the obesity epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) promotes evidence-based and practice-informed strategies to address nutrition and physical activity environments and behaviors. These public health strategies require translation into actionable approaches that can be implemented by state and local entities to address disparities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used findings from an expert panel meeting to guide the development and dissemination of the Health Equity Resource Toolkit for State Practitioners Addressing Obesity Disparities (available at http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/health_equity/toolkit.html ). The Toolkit helps public health practitioners take a systematic approach to program planning using a health equity lens. The Toolkit provides a six-step process for planning, implementing, and evaluating strategies to address obesity disparities. Each section contains (a) a basic description of the steps of the process and suggested evidence-informed actions to help address obesity disparities, (b) practical tools for carrying out activities to help reduce obesity disparities, and (c) a “real-world” case study of a successful state-level effort to address obesity with a focus on health equity that is particularly relevant to the content in that section. Hyperlinks to additional resources are included throughout.
Effects of lentiviral vector-mediated TRADD expression on the inhibition of hypertrophic scar formation
Authors: Yuan Yue , Peng Guiyong , Kang Xiufeng , Liu Yunjie , Dai Jianhua , Wu Hongbo
Published: June 2014

The tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated death domain protein (TRADD) regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis via tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-mediated signaling pathways. Low levels of TRADD expression may result in the excessive proliferation of hypertrophic scar fibroblasts (HSFb). This study investigated the effects of a lentiviral vector carrying the human tradd gene on the proliferation, apoptosis and type I collagen synthesis of HSFb and embryonic fibroblasts (EFb) and further explored the resulting effects on hypertrophic scars (HS). We utilized cytoimmunofluorescence and Western blotting to confirm the expression of TRADD in HSFb and EFb. A PLVX-TRADD-EGFP lentivirus was prepared and transfected into EFb and HSFb, and then the expression of a TRADD-GFP-FLAG fusion protein was detected in HSFb and EFb. After stimulation with 10 ng/mL TNF-α, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and the synthesis of type I collagen were assessed. Our results show that the expression level of TRADD was significantly lower in HSFb than in EFb. A biologically active PLVX-TRADD-EGFP lentivirus was constructed and transfected into HSFb and EFb. The TRADD-GFP-FLAG fusion protein was effectively expressed in HSFb and EFb. Either alone or in combination with 10 ng/mL TNF-α, the PLVX-TRADD-EGFP lentivirus inhibited proliferation, caused a G2/M phase arrest, induced the appearance of a sub-G1 apoptotic peak and inhibited the secretion of type I collagen by HSFb without significantly affecting EFb. These results suggest that the low expression of TRADD in HSFb is a principal reason for their excessive proliferation. The transfection of a PLVX-TRADD-EGFP lentivirus led to the normal expression of TRADD in HSFb. When combined with 10 ng/mL TNF-α, a PLVX-TRADD-EGFP lentivirus transfection could inhibit cell proliferation, promote apoptosis, and reduce the secretion of type I collagen in HSFb, thereby reducing HS formation.
Modeling the lung: Design and development of tissue engineered macro- and micro-physiologic lung models for research use
Authors: Nichols Joan E , Niles Jean A , Vega Stephanie P , Argueta Lissenya B , Eastaway Adriene , Cortiella Joaquin
Published: June 2014

Respiratory tract specific cell populations, or tissue engineered in vitro grown human lung, have the potential to be used as research tools to mimic physiology, toxicology, pathology, as well as infectious diseases responses of cells or tissues. Studies related to respiratory tract pathogenesis or drug toxicity testing in the past made use of basic systems where single cell populations were exposed to test agents followed by evaluations of simple cellular responses. Although these simple single-cell-type systems provided good basic information related to cellular responses, much more can be learned from cells grown in fabricated microenvironments which mimic in vivo conditions in specialized microfabricated chambers or by human tissue engineered three-dimensional (3D) models which allow for more natural interactions between cells. Recent advances in microengineering technology, microfluidics, and tissue engineering have provided a new approach to the development of 2D and 3D cell culture models which enable production of more robust human in vitro respiratory tract models. Complex models containing multiple cell phenotypes also provide a more reasonable approximation of what occurs in vivo without the confounding elements in the dynamic in vivo environment. The goal of engineering good 3D human models is the formation of physiologically functional respiratory tissue surrogates which can be used as pathogenesis models or in the case of 2D screening systems for drug therapy evaluation as well as human toxicity testing. We hope that this manuscript will serve as a guide for development of future respiratory tract model systems as well as a review of conventional models.
Ethanol extract of propolis protects endothelial cells from oxidized low density lipoprotein-induced injury by inhibiting lectin-like oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor-1-mediated oxidative stress
Authors: Fang Yongqi , Li Jinguo , Ding Mingde , Xu Xiaoyan , Zhang Jiajun , Jiao Peng , Han Ping , Wang Jiafu , Yao Shutong
Published: June 2014

Lectin-like oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1), as the primary oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) receptor on endothelial cells, plays a crucial role in endothelial injury, which is a driving force in the initiation and development of atherosclerosis. Our previous studies have shown that ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) promotes reverse cholesterol transport and inhibits atherosclerotic lesion development. However, the protective effects of EEP against ox-LDL-induced injury in endothelial cells and the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that EEP attenuates ox-LDL-induced endothelial oxidative injury via modulation of LOX-1-mediated oxidative stress. Our results showed that exposure of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to ox-LDL (100 mg/L) led to the decrease in cell viability and increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, caspase-3 activation, and apoptosis, whereas pretreatment with EEP (7.5, 15 and 30 mg/L) protected against such damages in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, EEP mitigated ox-LDL uptake by HUVECs and attenuated ox-LDL-upregulated LOX-1 expression both at the mRNA and protein levels. Moreover, EEP suppressed the ox-LDL-induced oxidative stress as assessed by decreased nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activation, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) generation as well as increased antioxidant enzyme activities. Similar results were observed in the anti-LOX-1 antibody or diphenyleneiodonium (DPI)-pretreated HUVECs. These data indicate that EEP may protect HUVECs from ox-LDL-induced injury and that the mechanism at least partially involves its ability to inhibit endothelial LOX-1 upregulation and subsequent oxidative stress.
Technology-Assisted Balance and Gait Training Reduces Falls in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Shen Xia , Mak Margaret K. Y.
Published: June 2014

Objective. To examine the effects of technology-assisted balance and gait training on reducing falls in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods. Eligible subjects were randomly allocated to an experimental group given technology-assisted balance and gait training (BAL, n = 26) and an active control group undertaking strengthening exercises (CON, n = 25). The training in each group lasted for 3 months. The number of fallers and fall rate were used as primary outcomes, and single-leg-stance-time, latency of postural response to perturbation, self-selected gait velocity, and stride length as secondary outcomes. Fall incidence was recorded over 15 months after the baseline assessment (Pre). Other tests were performed at Pre, after 3-month intervention (Post3m), at 3 months (Post6m), and 12 months (Post15m) after treatment completion. Results. Forty-five subjects who completed the 3-month training were included in the data analysis. There were fewer fallers in the BAL than in the CON group at Post3m, Post6m, and Post15m ( P < .05). In addition, the BAL group had lower fall rate than the CON group at Post3m and Post6m (incidence rate ratio: 0.111-0.188, P < .05), and marginally so at Post15m (incidence rate ratio: 0.407, P = .057). Compared with the CON subjects, the BAL subjects demonstrated greater reduction in the postural response latency and increase in the stride length against baseline at each assessment interval ( P < .05), and marginally more increases of single-leg-stance-time at Post3m ( P = .064), Post6m ( P = .041) and Post15m ( P = .087). Conclusions. Our positive findings provide evidence for the clinical use of technology-assisted balance and gait training in reducing falls in people with PD.
Racial Disparities in Mortality Among Middle-Aged and Older Men
Authors: Su Dejun , Stimpson Jim P. , Wilson Fernando A.
Published: June 2014

Based on longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, this study assesses the importance of marital status in explaining racial disparities in all-cause mortality during an 18-year follow-up among White and African American men aged 51 to 61 years in 1992. Being married was associated with significant advantages in household income, health behaviors, and self-rated health. These advantages associated with marriage at baseline also got translated into better survival chance for married men during the 1992-2010 follow-up. Both marital selection and marital protection were relevant in explaining the mortality advantages associated with marriage. After adjusting for the effect of selected variables on premarital socioeconomic status and health, about 28% of the mortality gap between White and African American men in the Health and Retirement Study can be explained by the relatively low rates of marriage among African American men. Addressing the historically low rates of marriage among African Americans and their contributing factors becomes important for reducing racial disparities in men’s mortality.
The case for ethics review in the social sciences: Drawing from practice at Queen Mary University of London
Authors: Robertson Maxine
Published: June 2014

This article responds directly to an article published in Research Ethics in 2011 where Schrag argued against ethics review for social science and humanities research. He argued that review committees offer solutions in search of a problem, impose silly restrictions and apply inappropriate principles. He suggests that review committees typically lack appropriate expertise and argued that the process harms the innocent. This article refutes these claims and offers a case study of the ethical review process at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) to offer counter claims. The discussion highlights the way in which the QMUL process is sensitized to the challenges posed by social science and humanities research and is a process that, rather than focusing upon avoiding harm, emphasizes notions of care to both participants and researchers.
The outcome of conservative treatment of spiral metacarpal fractures and the role of the deep transverse metacarpal ligaments in stabilizing these injuries
Authors: Khan A. , Giddins G.
Published: June 2014

We carried out a prospective study to assess the outcome of spiral metacarpal fractures treated with early mobilization even in the presence of malrotation. We treated 30 patients of whom we assessed 25. Of these, 23 had an excellent outcome and two had good outcomes. Objectively all the fractures united with some shortening of between 2–5 mm. Only two cases reported mild dysfunction: one patient had a residual malrotation of 5° and one had some discomfort when boxing. We also carried out simple biomechanical studies on a cadaver and two patients undergoing ray amputations. These showed that, as the distal fracture fragment migrates proximally, any malrotation in a closed injury with intact deep transverse metacarpal ligaments corrects with flexion, which also helps to limit the shortening. Spiral metacarpal fractures, whether central or border, whether single or multiple, can usually be treated reliably with early mobilization as any malrotation corrects with flexion and the degree of shortening is limited.

Level of evidence – IV
Modelling archers’ scores at different distances to quantify score loss due to equipment selection and technique errors
Authors: Park James L
Published: June 2014

Archers lose score through parameters that vary either linearly or quadratically with distance to the target. An archer’s arrow group on the target can be modelled using a normal distribution with the standard deviation depending upon the archer’s skill level and the distance to the target. Structuring the standard deviation to include both a component that varies linearly with distance and another that varies quadratically with distance provides a mechanism to quantify the impact on the archer’s score of various technique and equipment errors. In this article, the impact of wind drift and variable lateral bow angle (bow cant) have been quantified using the archer’s scores at target distances of 70 and 50 m, together with simulation using a Monte Carlo technique.
Sociology at Work
Authors: Quartaroli Tina A.
Published: June 2014

Sociology is often viewed as a change-the-world discipline, and indeed, AACS members and other applied and clinical sociologists continually demonstrate how the practice of sociology— sociology at work—can effect beneficial social change at micro, meso and macro levels. Unfortunately, too many sociology students complete their programs without ever learning how they can use their new knowledge to make a difference, or, worse, to make a living. This address discusses the disconnect between what sociology students learn in school and the real world that awaits them when they graduate, and calls on members to join AACS in working to mentor a new generation into the practice of real-world sociology.
Recognizing (geographic) limits/alternatives to neoliberalism
Authors: Hayter Roger
Published: June 2014

This commentary supports Weller and O’Neil’s plea for rigorous assessments of neoliberal policies that incorporate definitions of and recognition of alternative models and limits to neoliberalism. Their definition of neoliberalism is elaborated to refer to public goods, while suggestions for more explicit treatments of both markets and governments as institutions are made. An institutional stakeholder model is noted as a framework for analyzing the limits to neoliberalism that supplements the development state model outlined by the authors.
Neoliberalism in denial
Authors: Springer Simon
Published: June 2014

In responding to Weller and O’Neill’s ‘Argument with Neoliberalism’, I question the novelty of their approach and the problematics of denying the critical power and associated violence that neoliberalism continues to wield in our world. While they do raise an important epistemic challenge, a closer reading of the geographical literature on neoliberalism reveals that Weller and O’Neill tend to paint with the broad strokes of caricature. Notions of neoliberalism as inevitable or as a paradigmatic construct have long been debunked by human geographers replaced by protean notions of variegation, hybridity, and articulation with existing political economic circumstances. A discursive understanding of neoliberalism further reveals it as an assemblage and thus to hold neoliberalism to a sense of purity is little more than a straw man argument. Despite the positive desire to allow space for alternatives, Weller and O’Neill unfortunately construct their argument in such a way that positions it as part of an emerging genre of ‘neoliberalism in denial’.
Actually existing political economies
Authors: Weller Sally , O’Neill Phillip
Published: June 2014

In this response, we are prompted by the commentaries to discuss three issues: the need to be wary of malleability in the definitions of keywords like neoliberalism; the importance in economic geography of close study of the national scale and the relationships among state policies, economies, societies and national developmental trajectories; and the concern we have about the assumed political utility of the idea of neoliberalism now that its use is widespread. We conclude by reiterating our scepticism that all manner of changes are capable of being enrolled as aspects of ‘variegated’ neoliberalism. Our argument is that the important detail of political–economic change is too often overlooked as a direct consequence.
Food security, food sovereignty and the special rapporteur
Authors: Sage Colin
Published: June 2014

Over the past 6 years, the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, has vigorously defended the case for small-scale and sustainable farming and has helped to establish the political legitimacy of food sovereignty in high-level expert fora. This commentary offers brief reflections on De Schutter’s contribution focusing on the welcome shift of emphasis from food to nutritional security as well as his strong support for agroecology. It argues that he has offered a powerful and coherent alternative to the prevailing paradigm of productivism that has helped reshape food policy discourse.
The public health contribution to the discursive struggles surrounding food security and food sovereignty
Authors: Dixon Jane
Published: June 2014

This commentary adopts a public health perspective to shine further light on the different bases for legitimacy in relation to food security and food sovereignty. It describes, albeit briefly, the influential role that nutrition science has long played in the understanding of food security and in advancing a socio-technical approach to address malnutrition. The commentary then turns to the more recent public health ecology field and proposes that its framing of food security resonates with Jarosz’s call for greater attention to nature–society relationships. Along the way, the commentary argues that identifying food security with developmentalist forces is too simplistic, given the range of developmentalist positions currently being adopted. It also reflects on the actions of the state in relation to nutrition, and the as yet unclear relationship between governments and food sovereignty at household and community levels.
Food security and food sovereignty
Authors: Clapp Jennifer
Published: June 2014

The terms food security and food sovereignty originally emerged as separate terms to describe different things. The former is a concept that describes a condition regarding access to adequate food, while the latter is more explicitly a political agenda for how to address inadequate access to food and land rights. Over the past decade, the critical food studies literature has increasingly referred to these terms as being oppositional to each rather than relational to one another. This commentary reflects on the emergence and rationale behind this binary and argues that the current oppositional frame within the literature is problematic in several ways. First, critics of food security have inserted a rival normative agenda into what was originally a much more open-ended concept. Second, the grounds on which that normative agenda is assigned to food security are shaky on several points. Given these problems, the commentary argues that the juxtaposition of food security and food sovereignty as competing terms is in many ways more confusing than helpful to policy dialogue on questions of hunger and the global food system.
Comparing food security and food sovereignty discourses
Authors: Jarosz Lucy
Published: June 2014

This essay conceptualizes food security and food sovereignty as fluid and changing discourses that define the problem of hunger. I trace the discursive geohistories of food security and food sovereignty in order to identify oppositions and relationalities between them. I argue that the interpretations of, and relations between, food security and food sovereignty vary by geography and scale, as well as by the conceptual and theoretical differences within the discourses themselves. When and where these discourses develop and emerge is central to understanding their oppositions and convergences. How scale is constructed within particular discourses is also important to understanding how they co-exist relationally or in opposition. Food security and food sovereignty discourses are tied to distinctive political and economic histories, ecologies, and identities at the national and local levels. They are differentially deployed depending upon geographic context and the political economy of development and underdevelopment. Both discourses are dynamic and changing in relation to the wider political and cultural economies of food system dynamics across scale. Uniform definitions of each term should be resisted. The point is to understand the geographies of their relational overlap and their continual difference.
Engaging the productivist ideology through utopian politics
Authors: Rosin Christopher
Published: June 2014

This commentary uses Jarosz’s analysis of food security and food sovereignty discourses as a departure point for proposing a utopian politics for engagement with the current productivist ideology framing the global food system. This politics draws insight from convention theory, arguing that ideology must be recognized as a negotiated framework of social coordination that is both supported and subject to challenge by reference to ethical justifications. In order to illustrate the theoretical argument, it is applied to the context of the New Zealand agricultural sector. Rather than despair at the persistence of the productivist ideology, this commentary concludes with an exhortation to engage in performative social research facilitated through utopian perspectives, which provide a basis for critique, experimentation and alternative practice.
Mitral Valve Annuloplasty Ring Dehiscence Diagnosed Intraoperative With Real-Time 3D Transesophageal Echocardiogram
Authors: Castellon-Larios Karina , Zuleta-Alarcon Alix , Flores Antolin , Humeidan Michelle , Springer Andrew N. , Essandoh Michael
Published: June 2014

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is often a result of the accumulation of lipids around the annulus, which can lead to degeneration and calcification of the valve. Multiple risk factors have been associated with the progression of MAC and life-threatening complications such as the early mitral valve annuloplasty dehiscence. Our case describes the different risk factors for annuloplasty dehiscence in a patient with severe MAC, as well as the importance of its early recognition intraoperatively with 3D transesophageal echocardiography.
Hopefulness Fosters Affective and Cognitive Constructs for Actions to Cope and Enhance Quality of Life among People Living with HIV in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Authors: Siril Hellen , Fawzi Mary C. Smith , Todd Jim , Wyatt Monique , Kilewo Japheth , Ware Norma , Kaaya Sylvia
Published: June 2014

The aims of this study were to describe how people living with HIV (PLWH) perceive hope and illustrate implications for HIV care and treatment. This is a qualitative study done to explore perceptions and meanings of hope among PLWH attending care and treatment clinics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In all, 10 focus group discussions and 9 in-depth interviews were conducted. People living with HIV described the following 3 dimensions of hope: cognitive, positive emotions, and normalization. Being cognizant of the effectiveness of antiretroviral treatment (ART) often led to positive emotions, such as feeling comforted or strengthened, which in turn was related to positive actions toward normalizing life. Improved treatment outcomes facilitated hope, while persistent health problems, such as ART side effects, were sources of negative emotions contributing to loss of hope among PLWH. Hope motivated positive health-seeking behaviors, including adherence to ART, and this may guide interventions to help PLWH cope and live positively with HIV.
Clinical Utility of Pharmacy-Based Adherence Measurement in Predicting Virologic Outcomes in an Adult HIV-Infected Cohort in Jos, North Central Nigeria
Authors: Abah Isaac Okoh , Ojeh Victor Bazim , Musa Jonah , Ugoagwu Placid , Agaba Patricia Aladi , Agbaji Oche , Okonkwo Prosper
Published: June 2014

Objectives:

We examined the association between adherence to drug-refill visits and virologic outcomes in a cohort of HIV-infected adults on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in North Central Nigeria.

Methods:

Retrospectively, 588 HIV-infected, cART-naive adults (aged ≥15 years), initiated on first-line ART between 2009 and 2010 at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, were evaluated. Association between adherence to drug-refill visits, virologic (viral load > 1000 copies/mL), and immunologic failure was assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

Results:

After a median of 12 months on cART, 16% (n = 94) and 10% (n = 59) of patients had virologic and immunologic failures, respectively. In the final multivariable model, suboptimal adherence to drug-refill visits was a significant predictor of both virologic (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.2–2.3) and immunologic (AOR 1.92; 95% CI:1.06–3.49) failures.

Conclusion:

Adherence to drug refill is a useful predictor of successful virologic control and could be utilized for routine monitoring of adherence to cART in our clinical setting.
The Effects of Hormonal Contraceptives on Glycemic Regulation
Authors: Cortés Manuel E. , Alfaro Andrea A.
Published: June 2014

A number of side effects have been linked to the use of hormonal contraceptives, among others, alterations in glucose levels. Hence, the objective of this mini-review is to show the main effects of hormonal contraceptive intake on glycemic regulation. First, the most relevant studies on this topic are described, then the mechanisms that might be accountable for this glycemic regulation impairment as exerted by hormonal contraceptives are discussed. Finally, we briefly discuss the ethical responsibility of health professionals to inform about the potential risks on glycemic homeostasis regarding hormonal contraceptive intake.
A review of roll-to-roll nanoimprint lithography
Authors: Kooy Nazrin , Mohamed Khairudin , Pin Lee Tze , Guan Ooi Su
Published: June 2014

Since its introduction in 1995, nanoimprint lithography has been demonstrated in many researches as a simple, low-cost, and high-throughput process for replicating micro- and nanoscale patterns. Due to its advantages, the nanoimprint lithography method has been rapidly developed over the years as a promising alternative to conventional nanolithography processes to fulfill the demands generated from the recent developments in the semiconductor and flexible electronics industries, which results in variations of the process. Roll-to-roll (R2R) nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is the most demanded technique due to its high-throughput fulfilling industrial-scale application. In the present work, a general literature review on the various types of nanoimprint lithography processes especially R2R NIL and the methods commonly adapted to fabricate imprint molds are presented to provide a clear view and understanding on the nanoimprint lithography technique as well as its recent developments.

PACS

81.16.Nd