bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immunogenicity of sequential 13-valent conjugated and 23-valent unconjugated pneumococcal vaccines in a population of children with lupus
Authors: Gorelik M , Elizalde A , Wong Williams K , Gonzalez E , Cole J L
Published: November 2018

Pneumococcal vaccination is recommended as a quality indicator for management of children with systemic lupus erythematosus. Literature on the immunogenicity of pneumococcal vaccines (PCVs) in children is scant. We sought to prospectively evaluate via an observational study, the immunogenicity to sequential children with lupus. Out of a cohort of 26 patients, approximately 65% achieved > 70% vaccinated serotype antibody levels of > 1.3 mcg/dL following PCV13, and of 22 patients followed through PPSV23 vaccination, 59% achieved the same. Patients with rituximab exposure in the 6 months prior to a vaccination were more likely to not achieve protective serotype levels ( p < 0.01 for PCV13, trend p = 0.07 for PPSV23). Three of 22 patients with no apparent risk factors did not achieve protective serotype levels. Non-responders to PCV13 generally did not respond to PPSV23. Retrospective healthy controls achieved 100% protective levels in response to PPSV23 vaccination, with 95% of serotypes being > 1.3 mcg/dL. Thus, sequential 13- and 23-valent pneumococcal vaccines achieve protective status for approximately two thirds of pediatric lupus patients in our population. Lack of response to vaccine may be secondary to induced or inherent functional impairments in the patient.
Causal inference with multiple concurrent medications: A comparison of methods and an application in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
Authors: Siddique Arman Alam , Schnitzer Mireille E , Bahamyirou Asma , Wang Guanbo , Holtz Timothy H , Migliori Giovanni B , Sotgiu Giovanni , Gandhi Neel R , Vargas Mario H , Menzies Dick , Benedetti Andrea
Published: November 2018

This paper investigates different approaches for causal estimation under multiple concurrent medications. Our parameter of interest is the marginal mean counterfactual outcome under different combinations of medications. We explore parametric and non-parametric methods to estimate the generalized propensity score. We then apply three causal estimation approaches (inverse probability of treatment weighting, propensity score adjustment, and targeted maximum likelihood estimation) to estimate the causal parameter of interest. Focusing on the estimation of the expected outcome under the most prevalent regimens, we compare the results obtained using these methods in a simulation study with four potentially concurrent medications. We perform a second simulation study in which some combinations of medications may occur rarely or not occur at all in the dataset. Finally, we apply the methods explored to contrast the probability of patient treatment success for the most prevalent regimens of antimicrobial agents for patients with multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis.
Individual categorisation of glucose profiles using compositional data analysis
Authors: Biagi Lyvia , Bertachi Arthur , Giménez Marga , Conget Ignacio , Bondia Jorge , Martín-Fernández Josep Antoni , Vehí Josep
Published: November 2018

The aim of this study was to apply a methodology based on compositional data analysis (CoDA) to categorise glucose profiles obtained from continuous glucose monitoring systems. The methodology proposed considers complete daily glucose profiles obtained from six patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who had their glucose monitored for eight weeks. The glucose profiles were distributed into the time spent in six different ranges. The time in one day is finite and limited to 24 h, and the times spent in each of these different ranges are co-dependent and carry only relative information; therefore, CoDA is applied to these profiles. A K-means algorithm was applied to the coordinates obtained from the CoDA to obtain different patterns of days for each patient. Groups of days with relatively high time in the hypo and/or hyperglycaemic ranges and with different glucose variability were observed. Using CoDA of time in different ranges, individual glucose profiles were categorised into groups of days, which can be used by physicians to detect the different conditions of patients and personalise patient's insulin therapy according to each group. This approach can be useful to assist physicians and patients in managing the day-to-day variability that hinders glycaemic control.
A letter from Alexis Carrel concerning the preantibiotic treatment of war wounds: The Carrel–Dakin solution
Authors: Ambrose Charles T
Published: November 2018

The morbidity and mortality of soldiers injured during the First World War stemmed in large part from infections of battle wounds. Preventing and treating such infections was a major challenge for the medical corps. Alexis Carrel, a French-American surgeon, advocated irrigating open wounds with a hypochlorite solution (the Carrel–Dakin solution) to prevent the growth of bacteria contaminating them. His method of treatment was complicated and time consuming and was not well followed by surgeons who doubted the necessity of such an exacting protocol. In 1917, Carrel wrote a letter to an American colonel overseeing U.S. medical personnel soliciting his support in training American medical personnel in the proper use of the Carrel–Dakin solution. This letter was the stimulus for recalling here the opposition encountered by both Carrel and Joseph Lister, his predecessor in the aseptic–antiseptic treatment of open wounds, and for noting the conflicting views of contemporary surgeons over surgical sepsis.
Gilbert Kymer: Rector of the first conjoint medical college
Authors: Thompson Richard
Published: November 2018

Dr Gilbert Kymer (d. 1463) was a leading royal physician, scholar, cleric and university administrator of the first half of the 15th century. He was physician to Henry V & VI, and principally to Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, for whom he wrote an extensive Dietarium. He collected medical books and facilitated their translation, and helped to set up Duke Humfrey’s library at Oxford. He became Dean of Salisbury, and for 11 years was Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
Intelligent machines, care work and the nature of practical reasoning
Authors: Robson Angus
Published: November 2018

Background:

The debate over the ethical implications of care robots has raised a range of concerns, including the possibility that such technologies could disrupt caregiving as a core human moral activity. At the same time, academics in information ethics have argued that we should extend our ideas of moral agency and rights to include intelligent machines.

Research objectives:

This article explores issues of the moral status and limitations of machines in the context of care.

Design:

A conceptual argument is developed, through a four-part scheme derived from the work of Alasdair MacIntyre. No empirical data are used.

Ethical consideration:

No primary data were gathered for this study. Secondary sources and authorship have been acknowledged throughout.

Findings / discussion:

Certain kinds of social experience, including the narrative unity of a life, and the giving and receiving of care, are essential for moral development. Machines, no matter how advanced, cannot participate in such experiences in key respects, and thus cannot develop as practical reasoners.

Conclusion:

It follows that they cannot be moral agents and that they cannot care. There are, it seems, no such things as care robots. In view of the institutional power of tech companies and commissioning bodies, care practitioners need to take more of a lead in developing new assistive technologies which are appropriate to their practice.
Evaluation of Factors Influencing Exclusive Brand Store Choice: An Investigation in the Indian Retail Sector
Authors: Hasan Arif
Published: November 2018

This research investigated the determinant factors of store choice. The study is an effort to understand the current positions of the organized exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) among shoppers in select cities of Madhya Pradesh (MP), India. In this view, the researcher approached shoppers of select EBOs and then identified the positions and effect of identified attributes on store choice. A total of 480 participants were approached, among which 328 respondents completely filled the questionnaire. This exploratory study used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) before the psychometric test (i.e., reliability and validity) of the instrument. Further, the multidimensional perceptual maps show the pictorial positions of the eight ready-to-wear EBOs operating in MP, the central Indian market. Further, it also revealed those attributes which shoppers perceived as important with respect to store selection. It found that organized retail stores must lay emphasis on customer service, promotion, physical aspects, return policies, assortment of merchandise, physical comforts, convenience facilities, perceived risk and purchase volume. The contribution of this study is that the outcomes are extremely useful to store managers and strategy makers in understanding the Indian retail market and tailoring their marketing tactics.
A Plague of Our Time: Torture, Human Rights, and Social Work
Authors: Engstrom David W. , Okamura Amy
Published: November 2018

Social work provides services to refugees and immigrants, the groups most likely to have been tortured, and despite this, the professional literature contains little information on torture or torture treatment. In this article, the authors discuss the extent of torture worldwide, review the prevalence of torture survivors in the United States, and discuss populations most at risk and the effects of torture. In the heart of the article, they discuss treatment considerations and resources for social workers involved with torture survivors. Working with survivors requires knowledge about human rights violations; identification of symptoms of torture and survivors reluctant to reveal this part of their past; community context and treatment environments; skills in healing trauma; advocacy; and brokering necessary medical, mental health, legal, and social services.
Working with Survivors of Torture: Approaches to Helping
Authors: Engstrom David W. , Okamura Amy
Published: November 2018

Survivors of torture often have physical and psychological scars that are difficult to heal, and too few specialized organizational and professional resources are available to assist in their recovery. In working with torture survivors, social workers must extend their scope of practice beyond what is normally required. In this article, the authors present and discuss 2 case vignettes that illustrate themes and issues common to many survivors of torture.
Ending Social Work's Grudge Match: Problems versus Strengths
Authors: McMillen J. Curtis , Morris Lisa , Sherraden Michael
Published: November 2018

Some in social work have called for a paradigm shift away from a focus on problems to a focus on strengths, empowerment, and capacity building. This call sets up an unnatural dichotomy, asking social workers to identify with one side or another. In this article, we review social work history to argue that the best social work practice has always maintained a dual focus on both problems and capacity building. Throughout our history, those who championed a problem-oriented practice also emphasized strengths and growing client capacity, and today's strength-based, capacity-oriented practitioners typically advocate for the solving of consumer's presenting problems.
The Strengths-Based Practices Inventory: A Tool for Measuring Strengths-Based Service Delivery in Early Childhood and Family Support Programs
Authors: Green Beth L. , McAllister Carol L. , Tarte Jerod M.
Published: November 2018

Understanding the outcomes of strengths-based programs requires a better understanding of the extent to which programs actually provide services that are consistent with this model. To this end, we have developed the Strengths-Based Practices Inventory (SBPI). Data collected from two studies of parents participating in either an early childhood prevention program or family support program indicated that the SBPI has 4 related factors: (a) identification and use of strengths, (b) cultural competency, (c) interpersonal sensitivity and knowledge, and (d) relationship-supportive behavior. The SBPI is sensitive to differences between programs in the extent of strengths-based practice and is related to some expected outcomes, including family empowerment and social support.
Symbolic Interactionism and Social Work: A Forgotten Legacy, Part 1
Authors: Forte James A.
Published: November 2018

Social workers have forgotten their interactionist ancestors. This article is the first installment in a 2-part series designed to remedy this amnesia. Part 1 introduces the tradition of applied symbolic interactionism and reports on the historical and exemplary partnerships between social workers and interactionists. Part 1 also reviews the social work use of symbolic interactionism in the areas of human behavior theory and practice with varied size social systems. Part 2 reviews interactionist contributions to social work in varied fields of practice, to social policy and welfare, to research, and to professional education. An appraisal of the social work use of the interactionist legacy and a summary of resources from within and outside North America for revitalizing the partnership are also provided in Part 2.
Advice for those Wanting to Publish Quantitative Research
Authors: Caputo Richard K.
Published: November 2018

This essay presents practical guidelines for those who want to publish quantitative research. It is guided by my experiences as a researcher whose publications in peer-reviewed journals have relied primarily on quantitative data analysis, feedback from reviewers over the years, and feedback I give to others in my capacity as a member of editorial boards and reviewer of manuscripts for several professional journals. This essay also draws on Pyrczak (1999) and is guided by the constraints of page limitations often imposed by journal policy. It proceeds with general guidelines and presents specific guidelines for the major components of research articles: tide, abstract, introduction, literature review, method (subjects, instrumentation or measures, design, statistical procedures), results (narrative, tables, figures), discussion, and implications.
Components of an Aboriginal-Based Family Violence Intervention Program
Authors: Brown Jason , Languedoc Sue
Published: November 2018

The purpose of the study was to describe the essential elements of an Aboriginal-based family violence intervention program. Twenty-one Aboriginal family violence program administrators and service providers were asked “What program components are essential in an Aboriginal family violence prevention program?” Respondents identified the need for sound administrative structure and function, qualified and healthy staff, and consistent program funding. Coordinated service delivery with other community agencies was described. Program components should be based on traditional teachings, should create awareness of personal and family dynamics and change, and should educate about family violence. There were needs for components for partners seperately, partners and their children, partners together, and the whole family. These components coincided with Aboriginal traditional teachings. Implications for program development were described.
Families Challenged by Religious Change: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Mothers’ Images of Their Daughters
Authors: Roer-Strier Dorit , Sands Roberta G.
Published: November 2018

This paper uses the parent's “image of an adaptive adult” (Roer-Strier & Rosenthal, 2001) within an ecological, cultural framework to examine research findings from a study of Jewish families from South Africa and the United States in which an adult daughter has changed from the family's secular or moderate religious orientation to strict, Orthodox Judaism. The study found both similarities and differences in the South African and U.S. mothers’ images of their daughters that are related to the ecological contexts in the 2 countries. The partial congruence of the mothers’ images with the culture the daughters joined may explain mothers’ relatively positive coping with the religious change. The authors show that the concept of adaptive adult is a useful vehicle for practice with families coping with religious and other kinds of cultural change.
Mediating Communities and Cultures: A Case Study of Informal Helpers in an Old Order Mennonite Community
Authors: Gingrich Luann Good , Lightman Ernie
Published: November 2018

This paper reports on a qualitative case study exploring the significance of informal helpers in a closed, traditional ethno-religious Old Order Mennonite community in rural Ontario. Three key points are discussed. First, respondents expressed that a person's ability, wisdom, and usefulness to the community must be earned rather than assumed on the basis of credentials or professional status. Second, the role of informal helpers is honored by community members, regardless of whether it is recognized by the world around them. And finally, the function of informal helpers as cultural brokers is vital to the preservation of the community. When outside professional intervention is considered necessary, respect for established traditions requires primary engagement and negotiation with informal helpers.
From Sociocultural Categories to Socially Located Relations: Using Critical Theory in Social Work Practice
Authors: Keenan Elizabeth King
Published: November 2018

This article applies concepts from critical social theories to shift the profession's discourse from the center–margin relations of generalist–multicultural practice to a model of socially located cross-cultural client–worker relationships. Critical theories examine patterns and meanings enacted within and between people in specific social locations at specific points in history that express particular relations of culture, power, and identity. This framework can help social workers listen, explore, conceptualize, and intervene in a more complex and effective manner. The article summarizes key themes in critical theories, redefines how social workers can use knowledge for practice, and concludes with discussion of a case illustration.
Resiliency Capacities among Rural Low-Income Families
Authors: Vandergriff-Avery Maria , Anderson Elaine A. , Braun Bonnie
Published: November 2018

The purpose of this article is to help human service practitioners recognize and understand the stressor events and crises faced by rural low-income families as a basis for development of appropriate social support strategies. Identifying protective and recovery factors utilized by these families fills a gap in research on stress, crises, and resilience. The article is based on a study involving in-depth interviews of 34 rural mothers. Analysis revealed that these families used a variety of protective and recovery factors to manage stress and prevent crisis or cope with crises—indicators of their resiliency capacities. Implications, as corroborated by previous research for human service practitioners, are discussed.
Family Preservation Strategies for Families in Poverty
Authors: Juby Cindy , Rycraft Joan R.
Published: November 2018

Poverty adversely affects many individuals and their families. Previous research has shown that certain attributes and situations serve to moderate the negative effects of poverty. The purpose of this article is to focus on the variables associated with resiliency in poverty, mainly in relation to family preservation. Empirical studies suggest resilient families have adequate support systems, possess an inner locus of control, believe in a higher power, and practice downward comparison. By understanding the attributes and situations that increase resiliency in families, social workers can develop more effective programs and provide supportive assistance to families in poverty. Building resilient and productive families leads to a greater likelihood for family stability and preservation.
Palliative Care Consultation Trends Among Hospitalized Patients With Advanced Cancer in the United States, 2005 to 2014
Authors: Rubens Muni , Ramamoorthy Venkataraghavan , Saxena Anshul , Das Sankalp , Appunni Sandeep , Rana Sagar , Puebla Brittany , Suarez Deborah T. , Khawand-Azoulai Mariana , Medina Suleyki , Viamonte-Ros Ana
Published: November 2018

Background:

Although palliative care services are increasing in the United States, disparities exist in access and utilization. Hence, we explored these factors in hospitalized patients with advanced cancers using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS).

Methods:

This was a retrospective analysis of NIS data, 2005 to 2014, and included patients ≥18 years with advanced cancers with and without palliative care consultations. Both χ2 and independent t tests were used for categorical and continuous variables. Multivariate logistic regressions were used for identifying factors associated with palliative care consultations.

Results:

Palliative care consultations were recorded in 9.9% of 4 732 172 weighted advanced cancer hospitalizations and increased from 3.0% to 15.5% during 2005 to 2014 (relative increase, 172.2%, Ptrend < .01). Factors associated with higher palliative care consultations were increasing age, ≥80 years (odds ratio [OR]: 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38-1.56); black race (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.14-1.28); private insurance coverage (OR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.02-1.18); West region (OR: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.01-1.33); large hospitals (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.02-1.34); high income (OR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.08-1.17); do-not-resuscitate (dying patients) status (OR: 10.55; 95% CI: 10.14-10.99); and in-hospital radiotherapy (OR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.06-1.21). Palliative care consultations were lower in patients with chemotherapy (OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.60-0.84).

Conclusion:

Many demographic, socioeconomic, health-care, and geographic disparities were identified in palliative care consultations. Additionally, palliative care resources were underutilized by hospitalized patients with advanced cancers and commonly utilized by patients who are dying. Health-care providers and policy makers should focus on these disparities in order to improve palliative care use.
Validation of the Vocational Identity Status Assessment (VISA) Using Chinese Technical College Students
Authors: Zhang Jiahong , Chen Gaowei , Yuen Mantak
Published: November 2018

Developing a vocational identity is one of the most important tasks facing any adolescent, and vocational identity has become a focus of attention in career education and guidance for decades. However, few studies have been conducted on this topic in China due to a lack of relevant measures. The purpose of this study was to validate a Chinese version of the Vocational Identity Status Assessment (VISA) using 1,650 Chinese technical college students. The 30-item VISA–Chinese Version was found to have sound reliability and validity and with measurement invariance across age groups. This study contributes to the vocational identity literature by demonstrating the usefulness of VISA–Chinese Version.
Youth Reports of Parental Strategies and Sense of Coherence: Are Experiences of Being Victim of Physical Abuse Reflected?
Authors: Thulin Johanna , Nilsson Doris , Kjellgren Cecilia
Published: November 2018

This article explores adolescent’s reports of parental strategies and sense of coherence (SOC). Building on the suggested impact of child physical abuse, this study compares reports from a group of physically abused youth and a group of non-abused youth. Independent t-test, correlations and hierarchical linear regression analysis were computed. Findings indicate that parents’ use of corporal punishment could affect how youth report their parent’s parental strategies. Physically abused youth report less parental involvement and positive parenting as well as more inconsistent parenting than non-abused youth. Furthermore, physically abused youth report a significant lower SOC than non-abused youth. Being a victim of physical abuse had a unique contribution on SOC, even after controlling for other parental strategies. Taken together, the results suggest that child physical abuse affects both the youth’s inner SOC as well as their reports of parental strategies in several ways. Implications for practice are discussed in this article.
Incidence of osteonecrosis and insufficiency fracture of the hip and knee joints based on MRI in 300 renal transplant patients
Authors: Ohtsuru Tadahiko , Yamamoto Takuaki , Murata Yasuaki , Morita Yuji , Munakata Yutaro , Kato Yoshiharu , Okazaki Ken
Published: November 2018

Introduction:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of necrosis and insufficiency fracture of the hip and knee using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in renal transplant patients.

Methods:

We examined 300 consecutive renal transplant patients using MRI of the hips and knees (T1-weighted coronal MRI) preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Oblique axial-plane T1-weighted MRI and short-tau inversion-recovery T2-weighted MRI were performed parallel to the femoral neck when distinguishing the osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) from subchondral insufficiency fracture (SIF) of the femoral head was difficult.

Results:

ONFH was observed in 3 hips (3 cases, 1.0%). Osteonecrosis of the knee was observed in 2 knees (1 case, 0.3%). SIF of the femoral head was observed in 5 hips (3 cases, 1.0%). Bilateral simultaneous onset of SIF of the femoral head was observed in 2 cases (0.7%). Insufficiency fracture of the knee was observed in 2 knees (1 case, 0.3%).

Conclusions:

When it was difficult to distinguish ONFH from SIF of the femoral head, oblique axial-plane T1-weighted MRI and the short-tau inversion-recovery T2-weighted MRI parallel to the femoral neck were useful to establish the correct diagnosis.
Nested tensions and smoothing tactics: An ethnographic examination of ambidexterity in a theatre
Authors: Patrick Holly
Published: November 2018

All organisations face contradictory demands, such as exploiting existing revenue sources while exploring new opportunities. The tensions of balancing these demands are largely met by employees, yet nearly all studies focus on the managerial perspective. This article uses an ethnographic study of a UK theatre to explore the experience of employees switching between exploitation and exploration in developing a play. Adopting a paradox lens, it identifies the existence of nested tensions. The organisational level is characterised by the well-studied contradiction between exploration and exploitation. Nested within this at the project level, a series of tensions are produced around resources, power, and learning. These tensions lead to an identity-based paradox for employees. They must perform well in the project to secure their ties of belonging to the organisation, but this simultaneously distances them from established expectations, weakening their ties of belonging. The article contributes to the literature on ambidexterity by illustrating the relational and emotional challenges faced by employees balancing exploitation and exploration, identifying the nested tensions involved in delivering ambidexterity, and through illustrating how employees smooth over these tensions using humour, shared vocabulary, and self-effacing language. On this basis, it argues for a practice-based view of ambidexterity as paradox.
Assessment of computer adaptive testing version of the Neuro-QOL for people with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Healy Brian C , Zurawski Jonathan , Gonzalez Cindy T , Chitnis Tanuja , Weiner Howard L , Glanz Bonnie I
Published: November 2018

Background:

To date, the computerized adaptive testing (CAT) version of the Neuro-quality of life (QOL) has not been assessed in a large sample of people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective:

The aim of this study was to assess the associations between the CAT version of Neuro-QOL and other clinical and patient-reported outcome measures.

Methods:

Subjects ( n = 364) enrolled in SysteMS completed the CAT version of the Neuro-QOL and the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) within 4 weeks of a clinical exam that included the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite-4 (MSFC-4). The correlations between the Neuro-QOL domains and the MSFC-4 subscores and the SF-36 scores were calculated. The changes over time in the Neuro-QOL and other measures were also examined.

Results:

The lower extremity functioning score of the Neuro-QOL showed the highest correlations with MSFC-4 components including Timed 25-Foot Walk, 9-Hole Peg Test, and cognitive score. The expected domains of the Neuro-QOL showed high correlations with the SF-36 subscores, and some Neuro-QOL domains were associated with many SF-36 subscores. There was limited longitudinal change on the Neuro-QOL domains over 12 months, and the change was not associated with change on other measures.

Conclusion:

The CAT version of the Neuro-QOL shows many of the expected associations with clinical and patient-reported outcome measures.
The politics of evaluation in international organizations: A comparative study of stakeholder influence potential
Authors: Eckhard Steffen , Jankauskas Vytautas
Published: November 2018

While the political nature of evaluation is widely recognized, few attempts exist to conceptualize and compare these politics. This article develops the concept of evaluation stakeholder influence potential, which builds on four political resources for influence (agenda-setting powers, staff and budgetary resources, access to evaluation results, and access to evaluators). These resources are measured for both member states and international public administrations in 24 United Nations organizations. We find that the administration—and not member states—have the largest influence potential in almost two-thirds of the international organizations. Our findings allow classifying them into three groups for which we expect differences in political contestation about evaluation use: two extreme-case groups (either member state or administrative dominance) and a group of contested middle cases. This finding of bureaucratic dominance reinforces literature on bureaucrats as powerful evaluation stakeholders in domestic settings and speaks to nascent research on bureaucratic influence in international organizations.
English learning motivation of young learners in Danish primary schools
Authors: Fenyvesi Katalin
Published: November 2018

This study has investigated, in a quantitative survey, how the attitudes toward English lessons and the motivation for learning English as a foreign language (EFL) of 276 Danish EFL learners (starting age 7 and 9 years) changed within one year. Second, a subsample of children were interviewed. The study investigated what they liked and disliked about English lessons, and what motivated them to learn English. The results have shown that children’s positive attitudes toward their English lessons decreased significantly during the time of the study. More boys than girls described English as their favorite subject, and children enjoyed real-life situations, variation and differentiation in the English lessons. Children were strongly motivated by English being an international language, their reliance on significant others as motivators for FL learning decreased significantly with time, and high achievers, as opposed to low achievers, were motivated by engaging in gaming and watching YouTube videos in English. Pedagogical implications are discussed.
Economics, Ethics and Water Pollution Control
Authors: Howarth William
Published: November 2018

This article examines the United Kingdom government's proposals for economically formulated charges for discharges of effluent into the aquatic environment set out in the consultation paper Economic Instruments for Water Pollution (1997). Although the proposals have now been abandoned, it is suggested that the difficulties to which they gave rise indicate some deeper causes of concern in the use of economic instruments to regulate pollution control generally. The arguments for economic instruments in relation to effluent discharge are examined in the light of their potential environmental and legal implications, and it is concluded that many of the proposed justifications for such instruments lack practical validity. Ultimately, the choices to be made between legal and economic regulation have an important ethical dimension which links to the characterisations of ‘sustainable development’ and ‘environmental citizenship’. In so far as economic instruments are capable of over-riding ethical concerns in respect of the environment, their application in practice is difficult to justify. Hence, the different roles and spheres of operation of law and economics in environmental protection need to be recognised and zealously guarded.
The UK Landfill Tax: An Evaluation of the First Three Years
Authors: Morris John R. , Phillips Paul S. , Read Adam D.
Published: November 2018

The UK landfill tax has been operating since October 1996 and it is now possible to evaluate its initial impact with some certainty. It was introduced as an economic measure to discourage the use of landfill as a waste management option and to encourage a more sustainable approach in which less waste is produced and more waste is reused or recycled. A tax credit scheme was also introduced in order that a proportion of the money raised by the tax could be directed to environmental bodies to be used for approved environmental projects. Those involved in waste management, including the UK government, the landfill operators, the local authorities and the environmental bodies, have varying perceptions as to the extent to which the tax and the credit scheme is successful and the way in which it might be improved. Recent surveys of national and regional environmental organisations and landfill operators, along with the evidence given to an Environment Committee on the operation of the landfill tax, indicate that there is much to be learnt from the tax's first three years of operation and that a number of amendments will need to be made if the tax is successfully to achieve its purpose. The UK government will also need to make clear its future plans for the tax and the place of the measure in its overall policy.
Whither environmental human rights?
Authors: Stallworthy Mark
Published: November 2018

This paper explores the relevance in English law of human rights to environmental claims arising in the contested fields of public interest, policy and resource. The author argues that the balancing of individual rights against assertions of community interest should not now be regarded as solely within the purview of politician, administrator, or supply company. Whilst the administration's arguments will still generally prevail, the potential for rights infringements opens the possibility of countering public utility arguments. He also draws attention to the fact that where liability rules fail properly to address external costs, solution might require creation of a direct statutory remedy. He observes that greater progress could produce solutions analogous to a radical argument in tort law that liability should attach to ‘inadvertent losses’ of a statutory benefit unless the state could show that these were justified under the statutory framework. He, finally, considers whether human rights arguments also open up the opportunity for greater transparency throughout the system.
Liability for Damage to Public Natural Resources under the 2004 EC Environmental Liability Directive: Standing and Assessment of Damages
Authors: Brans Edward H.P.
Published: November 2018

This article focuses on the April 2004 EC Directive on Environmental Liability (Directive 2004/35/CE). It examines its measure of damages, its framework for assessing damages and its provisions regarding the issue of standing. Comparisons will regularly be made with the United States Oil Pollution Act of 1990, its natural resource damage regulations and its provisions on locus standi. Finally, a comparison is made with international civil liability conventions that cover damage to natural resources. The goal of the analysis is to show that the Directive's rules on assessing damages are inspired by the natural resource damage regulations of the US Oil Pollution Act, and secondly, to show that there is a difference between the measure of damages in the international civil liability conventions and the new Directive. *
Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation Improves Immunological Function During the Perioperative Period in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgical Lobectomy
Authors: Tu Qing , Yang Zhou , Gan Jianhui , Zhang Jian , Que Bin , Song Qiaofeng , Wang Yan
Published: November 2018

The immunological function of patients with malignant tumors may be suppressed during the perioperative period. However, details on the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on immunological function are relatively lacking. We designed this study to examine the effects of TEAS on the immunological function of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) during the perioperative period. Participants (n = 144) were enrolled and randomly assigned into group TEAS or group sham TEAS. TEAS on bilateral Feishu (BL13), Hegu (L14), and Zusanli (ST36) was performed continuously throughout the procedure. The primary outcome was the quantities of natural killer (NK) cells at 30 minutes before induction (T0), 5 minutes after intubation (T1), at the beginning of the operation (T2), at the beginning of the lobectomy (T3), at the beginning of the lymphadenectomy (T4), and immediately after extubation (T5). The secondary outcomes were the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) at T0 to T5, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR), the intraoperative consumption of propofol and remifentanil, the incidence of hypoxemia, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and the length of hospital stay. The quantities of NK cells were decreased in group sham TEAS after intubation compared to that in group TEAS, while the quantities of NK cells in group TEAS were similar at T0 to T5. Meanwhile, the quantities of NK cells in group sham TEAS at T1 ( P = .012), T2 ( P < .001), T3 ( P = .027), T4 ( P = .045), and T5 ( P = .021) were lower than those in group TEAS. In group TEAS, the serum levels of TNF-α were lower at T1 to T5, while the levels of IL-6 were lower at T2 to T5. Furthermore, the intraoperative MAP and HR were more stable, the total propofol and remifentanil consumptions were lower, and the length of hospital stay was shorter than those in group sham TEAS. The application of TEAS can effectively reverse the decrease in NK cells, decrease the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6, maintain hemodynamic stability during the perioperative period, decrease the consumption of propofol and remifentanil, and shorten the length of the hospital stay.
Radiotherapy Immobilization Mask Molding Through the Use of 3D-Printed Head Models
Authors: Pham Quoc-Viêt Vincent , Lavallée Annie-Pier , Foias Alexandru , Roberge David , Mitrou Ellis , Wong Philip
Published: November 2018

Purpose:

To evaluate the feasibility of a workflow free of a simulation appointment using three-dimensional-printed heads and custom immobilization devices.

Materials and Methods:

Simulation computed tomography scans of 11 patients who received radiotherapy for brain tumors were used to create three-dimensional printable models of the patients’ heads and neck rests. The models were three-dimensional-printed using fused deposition modeling and reassembled. Then, thermoplastic immobilization masks were molded onto them. These setups were then computed tomography-scanned and compared against the volumes from the original patient computed tomography-scans. Following translational +/− rotational coregistrations of the volumes from three-dimensional-printed models and the patients, the similarities and accuracies of the setups were evaluated using Dice similarity coefficients, Hausdorff distances, differences in centroid positions, and angular deviations. Potential dosimetric differences secondary to inaccuracies in the rotational positioning of patients were calculated.

Results:

Mean angular deviation of the 3D-printout from the original volume for the Pitch, Yaw, and Roll were 1.1° (standard deviation = 0.77°), 0.59° (standard deviation = 0.41°), and 0.79° (standard deviation = 0.86°), respectively. Following translational + rotational shifts, the mean Dice similarity coefficients of the three-dimensional-printed and original volumes was 0.985 (standard deviation = 0.002) while the mean Hausdorff distance was 0.9 mm (standard error of the mean: 0.1 mm). The mean centroid vector displacement was 0.5 mm (standard deviation: 0.3 mm). Compared to plans that were coregistered using translational + rotational shifts, the D95 of the brain from three-dimensional-printed heads adjusted for TR shifts only differed by −0.1% (standard deviation = 0.2%).

Conclusions:

Patient head volumes and positions at simulation computed tomography scans can be accurately reproduced using three-dimensional-printed models, which can be used to mold radiotherapy immobilization masks onto. This strategy, if applied on diagnostic computed tomography scans, may allow symptomatic and frail patients to avoid a computed tomography-simulation and mask molding session in preparation for palliative whole brain radiotherapy.
False Discovery Rates When Engaging in Skill Versus Performance Deficit Analysis for Academic Instructional Planning
Authors: Solomon Benjamin G. , Dawes Jillian M. , Duhon Gary J. , Poncy Brian C.
Published: November 2018

Brief experimental analysis (BEA) is a well-researched approach to conducting problem analysis, where potential interventions are pilot tested using a single-subject alternating treatment design. However, its brevity may lead to a high frequency of decision-making errors, particularly in situations where one tested condition is rarely optimal for students (i.e., the base rate). The current study explored the accuracy of a specific variant of BEA, skill versus performance deficit analysis (SPA), across different variations of the basic BEA design, score difference thresholds, and reading and math curriculum-based measurements (CBMs). Findings indicate that the ABAB design provides a reasonable control of such error rates when using reading CBM, whereas subtraction CBM required the use of an ABABAB design. Such error rates could not be controlled, regardless of design, when using multiplication CBM. Implications for best practice in the use of BEA are discussed.
The Past Is Prologue: Criminal Specialization Continuity in the Delinquent Career
Authors: DeLisi Matt , Bunga Ramate , Heirigs Mark H. , Erickson Jacob H. , Hochstetler Andy
Published: November 2018

The versatility/specialization debate in criminology has important theoretical, research, and juvenile/criminal justice ramifications. Although offenders are mostly versatile, there is important evidence of specialization, but much of this evidence is derived from highly technical statistical approaches. Drawing on data from a cohort of serious delinquents committed to the California Youth Authority, logistic regression models revealed robust evidence for criminal specialization net the effects of behavioral and demographic controls. Prior homicide was associated with a 1,467% increased likelihood of being currently adjudicated for a homicide offense. Similar prior–current involvement in robbery (294% increased likelihood), aggravated assault (200%), burglary (148%), and drug sales (736%) was found. Logistic regression with odds ratios provides intuitive, valuable estimates of specialization in offending whereby prior involvement in a specific form of delinquency dramatically increases the likelihood of current involvement in the same form of crime.
Sustained Positive Deviant Child Care Practices and Their Effects on Child Growth in Viet Nam
Authors: Mackintosh U. Agnes Trinh , Marsh David R. , Schroeder Dirk G.
Published: November 2018

Save the Children's (SC) successful integrated nutrition program in Viet Nam, the poverty alleviation and nutrition program (PANP), uses the positive deviance (PD) approach to identify key growth promoting behaviors and provides participatory adult education allowing mothers to develop skills related to these behaviors. We investigated whether improvements seen during a PANP intervention (1993–1995) were sustained three and four years after SC's departure. Cross-sectional surveys were administered to 46 randomly selected households in four communes that had previously participated in the PANP and 25 households in a neighboring comparison community in 1998 and 1999. Two children per household, an older child who had participated in the PANP and a younger sibling who had not, were measured (total n = 142 children), and their mothers were interviewed. Older SC children tended to be better nourished than their counterparts. Their younger siblings were significantly better nourished than those in the comparison group, with adjusted mean weight-for-age Z scores of −1.82 versus −2.45 (p = . 007), weight-for-height Z scores of −0.71 versus −1.45 (p < .001), and height-for-age Z scores of −2.11 and −2.37 (ns, p = . 4), respectively. SC mothers reporting feeding the younger siblings more than their counterparts did (2.9 versus 2.2 main meals per day, p < .001, and 96.2% versus 52% offering snacks, p < .01]. SC mothers reported washing their hands “often” more than comparison mothers (100% vs. 76%, p < .001). Growth-promoting behaviors identified through PD studies and practiced through neighborhood-based rehabilitation sessions persisted years after program completion. These sustained behaviors contributed to better growth of younger siblings never exposed to the program.
Comparison of a Positive Deviant Inquiry with a Case-Control Study to Identify Factors Associated with Nutritional Status among Afghan Refugee Children in Pakistan
Authors: Lapping Karin , Schroeder Dirk , Marsh David , Albalak Rachel , Jabarkhil Mohammad Zahir
Published: November 2018

We compared the positive deviance (PD) approach in Save the Children's field guide with a case-control study (CCS) to identify behaviors associated with good nutritional status in Afghan refugee children 6 to 24 months of age in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan. The positive deviance inquiry (PDI), utilizing observations and interviews with mothers, fathers, and secondary caregivers in eight households, identified 12 feeding, caring, and health-seeking behaviors that were not widely practiced. The CCS, using the same selection criteria and content as the PDI with 50 mother-child pairs not in the PDI, yielded six significant associations with good nutritional status. Both the PDI and CCS detected feeding behaviors. The PDI alone identified complex phenomena (active feeding and maternal affect). The CCS alone confirmed the beneficial use of health services. The PD approach was an affordable, participatory, and valid method to identify feeding behaviors and other factors associated with good nutrition in this context.