bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Culture and Communication Online
Authors: McKenna Kelly , McKenna Kelly , Zarestky Jill , Anzlovar Melissa
Published: October 2017

This chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities encountered by international and non-native language learners participating in distance education. With the growth of online learning and the internationalization of education, it is necessary to provide literature regarding best practices for educating a diverse student population. Culture and communication play a significant role in how students engage in their learning. This diversity is less evident in the online classroom resulting in potential misinterpretations rather than the valuing of distinctive cultures, experiences, and uniqueness of every individual learner. An exploration of diversity, identity, community, engagement, and linguistics are discussed in relation to international and non-native language speaking online learners.
Metacognitive Strategies and Student Evaluations in a STEM Field
Authors: Mariano Gina J. , Figliano Fred J. , Dempsey Chelsea A. , Johnson Reeves
Published: October 2017

This chapter reviews metacognition in relation to college settings while focusing on ways to use this information to help improve student learning outcomes. Metacognition in relation to critical thinking and student evaluations of their own learning is discussed, specifically focusing on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) area of mathematics. Next, we will elaborate on a pilot study that focuses on asking students metacognitive questions to gain a better understanding of their metacognitive skills in relation to basic statistics courses. This chapter concludes with a discussion of how incorporating metacognitive and critical thinking strategies can impact student learning.
Assessing Teacher Candidates' Professional Competence for Evaluating Teacher Education Programs
Authors: Fraefel Urban , Bäuerlein Kerstin , Barabasch Antje
Published: October 2017

The conception of teacher preparation programs in German-speaking countries usually rests on a largely normative set of professional competencies to be acquired by teacher candidates. The fact that this cluster of competencies is quite complex entails the considerable challenge of finding adequate procedures for the assessment at the end of the training. Valid and reliable information on professional competencies of teacher candidates can only be obtained by analyzing their actual teaching performance in the classroom. This chapter discusses theoretical assumptions of current assessment practices, a variety of methodological approaches, current developments, and implications for teacher education programs. A special focus is on the use of video portfolios as an assessment tool in the final stage of teacher preparation programs. The results of such assessments can provide a solid base for answering the question of whether the training program has managed to achieve its major objective, namely to qualify the candidates to teach successfully.
Academic Motivation
Authors: Petrelli Heather M. W.
Published: October 2017

What leads to academic success? Why are some students able to achieve academically and others not? A breadth of research exists supporting the notion of motivation as having a significant impact on academic success. This chapter investigated historical and theoretical developments of motivation from the Greek Philosophers, through the Industrial Revolution, to the perspective of motivation in fulfilling psychological needs. Once the general concept of motivation is fully exhausted, academic motivation is explored from theoretical foundations to current research on factors influencing academic motivation and the impact of academic motivation on academic achievement. This foundation has practical implications for assessment of motivation and curricular and program development as a result.
Big Data in Railway O&M
Authors: Galar Diego , Seneviratne Dammika , Kumar Uday
Published: October 2017

Railway systems are complex with respect to technology and operations with the involvement of a wide range of human actors, organizations and technical solutions. For the operations and control of such complexity, a viable solution is to apply intelligent computerized systems, for instance, computerized traffic control systems for coordinating airline transportation, or advanced monitoring and diagnostic systems in vehicles. Moreover, transportation assets cannot compromise the safety of the passengers by only applying operation and maintenance activities. Indeed, safety is a more difficult goal to achieve using traditional maintenance strategies and computerized solutions come into the picture as the only option to deal with complex systems interacting among them and trying to balance the growth in technical complexity together with stable and acceptable dependability indexes. Big data analytics are expected to improve the overall performance of the railways supported by smart systems and Internet-based solutions. Operation and Maintenance will be application areas, where benefits will be visible as a consequence of big data policies due to diagnosis and prognosis capabilities provided to the whole network of processes. This chapter shows the possibilities of applying the big data concept in the railway transportation industry and the positive effects on technology and operations from a systems perspective.
Predicting Behavior of Passengers Using Data Collected Through Smart Cards
Authors: Ahlawat Gaurav , Gupta Ankit , Vatsa Avimanyou K
Published: October 2017

Many attempts have been made to derive insights and any useful information about the behavior of the passengers traveling using different data analytics approaches and techniques. The different ways the researchers have tried to model the travel behavior and also their attempt to measure the behavioral changes at an individual level will be discussed in this chapter. The insights derived using these methods can help policy makers and the authorities to make necessary and important changes to the railways. The transit systems of the Railways provide us with the data, which is analysed using different techniques and methodologies and derived insights from.
Big Data and Natural Language Processing for Analysing Railway Safety
Authors: Syeda Kanza Noor , Shirazi Syed Noorulhassan , Naqvi Syed Asad Ali , Parkinson Howard J , Bamford Gary
Published: October 2017

Due to modern powerful computing and the explosion in data availability and advanced analytics, there should be opportunities to use a Big Data approach to proactively identify high risk scenarios on the railway. In this chapter, we comprehend the need for developing machine intelligence to identify heightened risk on the railway. In doing so, we have explained a potential for a new data driven approach in the railway, we then focus the rest of the chapter on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and its potential for analysing accident data. We review and analyse investigation reports of railway accidents in the UK, published by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), aiming to reveal the presence of entities which are informative of causes and failures such as human, technical and external. We give an overview of a framework based on NLP and machine learning to analyse the raw text from RAIB reports which would assist the risk and incident analysis experts to study causal relationship between causes and failures towards the overall safety in the rail industry.
Liquid Workforce
Authors: Gupta Manish
Published: October 2017

The main objectives of this chapter are to define liquid workforce, describe its characteristics, and outline its implications. This chapter would help readers understand the need for studying liquid workforce and appreciate its importance in the contemporary world. Moreover, it provides a detailed outline of the ways and means that organizations can use to build such a workforce. It highlights the steps an organization can take to enhance the effectiveness of its liquid workforce. In addition, it explores certain best practices in the industry to illustrate how well the fluidity of the workforce can be managed without compromising on organizational goals.
Creating an Instrument for the Manual Coding and Exploration of Group Selfies on the Social Web
Authors: Hai-Jew Shalin
Published: October 2017

A subgroup of the images shared as part of the “selfie” phenomenon is group selfies (aka “groupies” and “we-fies” or “us-ies”) or self-portraits of groups (three or more individuals of focal interest) that are shared on social media. These images have informational value that has thus far been only thinly explored. In this work, an instrument—Categorization and Exploration of Group Selfies Instrument (CEGSI), pronounced “segsy”—was constructed of three parts: (1) Group Selfie Content and Context, (2) Group Selfie Image Creation, and (3) Group Selfie Messaging. It was tested against two image sets: group selfies and dronies, which were scraped from Google Images. This chapter describes the work, the analytical findings, and the resulting instrument for the manual coding of group selfies, and other insights.
Examining of QoS in Cloud Computing Technologies and IoT Services
Authors: Chowdhury Akash , Mukherjee Swastik , Banerjee Sourav
Published: October 2017

The various services that are offered by IoT and Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) to the customers today feature a pay-per-use service-charging policy. Customers can choose and avail these services when they want, how they want, and from where they want on demand. Demand for these services has increased drastically over the years among individuals and enterprises worldwide, and thus, it is very important to keep up good Quality of Service (QoS). This chapter highlights the history of internet, the gradual evolution of cloud computing, the reasons behind it, evolution and concepts of the Internet of Things (IoT), CloudIoT and its necessities, and various applications and service fields of CloudIoT. This chapter also precisely highlights various concepts regarding maintenance of good QoS, controversies in QoS maintenance, different parameters that the QoS depends on, various problems faced in maintaining those parameters, and the possible solutions for overcoming those problems. Possible directions towards future works are also highlighted in this chapter.
Examining of Data Security, Privacy, and Reliability for Cloud and Internet of Things Integration
Authors: Tanque Marcus
Published: October 2017

Converging Cloud computing with Internet of Things transformed organizations' traditional technologies. This chapter examines the intersection of cloud computing and internet of things in consort with how these solutions often interact on the internet. Vendors develop CloudIoT capabilities to support organizations' day-to-day operations. IoT is a combined platform encompassing physical and virtual nodes. IoT objects comprise device-to-device data sharing, machine-to-machine provisioning, sensors, actuators, and processors. These systems may be deployed as hardware components and applications software. This chapter also emphasizes data security, reliability, resource provisioning, service-level agreement, quality of service, IoT, privacy, and device integration. This chapter also highlights operational benefits and/or security issues affecting CC and IoT technologies.
Examining Big Data Management Techniques for Cloud-Based IoT Systems
Authors: Bhati Jai Prakash , Tomar Dimpal , Vats Satvik
Published: October 2017

This chapter provides an insight into big data, its technical background, and how need for it has arisen globally. The evolution of Cloud technology provides a favorable environment for IoTs to nurture and flourish, creating an exponential increase in the amount of data. The Cloud environment provides easy access to this vast data from anywhere on the globe, but this availability has given rise to some challenges for organizations in managing big data efficiently. The chapter discusses the key concepts and technical and architectural principles of big data technologies that help to curb the challenges in managing big data generated by IoTs in the Cloud environment and identifies the important research directions in this area.
Academic Libraries' Mobile Initiatives and Research from 2010 to the Present
Authors: Blummer Barbara , Kenton Jeffrey M.
Published: October 2017

An examination of the literature from 2010 to the present reveals a variety of academic library mobile initiatives. In addition to creating mobile library websites, librarians utilized iPads to support roving reference, rounding library services, as well as information literacy instruction. IPads were also offered to patrons for circulation and librarians conducted research to enhance their understanding of students' use of iPads. Articles documented the availability of Quick Response (QR) codes in academic libraries to support students' access to materials. Despite the diversity of these mobile initiatives, academic librarians' employed similar strategies to foster their development including: obtaining support, collecting data, as well as promoting and assessing the projects. One or more of these strategies remained characteristic of libraries' mobile initiatives identified in the literature during these years.
University Library Portal
Authors: Mane Manisha B. , Panage Bhausaheb
Published: October 2017

In today's modern digital information environment, a well-defined e-platform is needed to organize, store, retrieve and dissemination of information effectively. A library portal is highly beneficial tool for web-enabled information services. Most of the university libraries are adding e-resources to their collection. The utility of these e-resources will be limited in the absence of an effective library portal that facilitates the users to exploit these to the maximum extent. Web portals are the tools that enhance access to the e-resources by providing visibility to various e-resources. This paper highlights the role of a library portal in providing effective library services in electronic environment. An attempt has been made to explain the term ‘library portal', need of university library portal, Role of Librarian in designing library portal and development of library portal literature study at national and international level.
Improving Customer Relations With Social Listening
Authors: Stewart Margaret C. , Atilano Maria , Arnold Christa L.
Published: October 2017

Strategic social media plays a crucial role in contemporary customer relationship management (CRM); however, the best practices for social CRM are still being discovered and established. The ever-changing nature of social media challenges the ability to establish benchmarks; nonetheless, this article captures and shares actions, insights, and experiences of using social media for CRM. This case study examines how an academic library at a mid-size American university located in northeast Florida uses social media to engage in social listening and to enhance CRM. In particular, the social listening practices of this library are highlighted in relation to how they influence and potentially improve CRM. By exploring the practices of this single institution, attempts are made to better understand how academic libraries engage with customers using social media as a CRM tool and ideas for future research in the realm of social media and CRM practices are discussed.
One Year Forward
Authors: Hutter James
Published: October 2017

With the prevalence of affordable e-Readers in the consumer marketplace and library users increasingly having access to lendable e-Books from their local library institutions, library administrators continue to have difficulty in determining the immediate and long term effect of these technologies on their organizations. This chapter attempts to provide administrators with a brief overview of the current e-Reader and e-Book technology landscape and describe trends and issues. To help Administrators better understand their library users' experiences and expectations with e-Readers and e-Books, the researcher conducted a survey of 70 individuals. This survey is a follow-up to 2012's E-Readers and E-Books in Public Libraries: Measuring Library Patron Expectations research project. Using the same survey questions, format and potential respondent pool, One Year Forward demonstrates that patrons are increasingly demanding access to e-Books and e-Readers. Library patrons are finding these services more easy to use than in the past. Users clearly see value in these services both now and in the future. The results of this research project should be difficult for any library administrator to ignore.
Trends and Issues in Digital Libraries
Authors: Iroaganachi Mercy A.
Published: October 2017

The study explored trends and issues in digital libraries with a view to furnish the expected audience with current happenings in this area of operations and service delivery. The chapter is a detailed review of characteristics of digital libraries considering the creation of digital collections which include conversion of retrospective materials, born digital resources and institutional repositories. The paper considered digital collections and copyright issues, benefits and issues of digital libraries, preservation of digital content. It x-rayed trends in information discovery, access and retrieval in a digital library, human-computer interaction, information organization and categorization of digital library services.
The Role of Medical Tourism in Emerging Markets
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: October 2017

This chapter reveals the role of medical tourism (MT) in emerging markets, give an overview of tourism, medical tourism, and emerging markets; discusses the advancement of medical tourism in emerging markets; the significance of medical tourism in emerging markets; and the characteristics of medical tourism in emerging markets. The execution of medical tourism is essential for modern organizations that seek to serve suppliers and customers, enhance business performance, reinforce competitiveness, and gain ordinary success in emerging markets. Thus, it is essential for modern organizations to consider their medical tourism applications, create a strategic plan to consistently investigate their dynamic promotion, and instantly respond to the needs of medical tourists in emerging markets. Understanding medical tourism will significantly improve organizational performance and achieve sustainable competitive advantage in emerging markets.
Effect of SMES Unit in AGC of an Interconnected Multi-Area Thermal Power System With ACO-Tuned PID Controller
Authors: Jagatheesan K. , Anand B. , Dey Nilanjan , Ashour Amira S.
Published: October 2017

Load changes in any one of interconnected power system that influence the system response from their nominal values. The Proportional–Integral- Derivative (PID) controller is employed to mitigate this issue as a secondary controller in addition to the Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) unit. In Automatic Generation Control (AGC), the current work proposed an Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) technique to tune PID controller gain values of multi-area interconnected thermal power system. The gain value of PID controller is tuned by using the ACO techniques. The system response is compared with and without considering SMES unit in the system. The comparative results clearly established that the system response with SMES unit improve the performance of system during sudden load disturbance.
Meta-Heuristic Algorithms in Medical Image Segmentation
Authors: Dey Nilanjan , Ashour Amira S.
Published: October 2017

Artificial intelligence is the outlet of computer science apprehensive with creating computers that perform as humans. It compromises expert systems, playing games, natural language, and robotics. However, soft computing (SC) varies from the hard (conventional) computing in its tolerant of partial truth, uncertainty, imprecision, and approximation, thus, it models the human mind. The most common SC techniques include neural networks, fuzzy systems, machine learning, and the meta-heuristic stochastic algorithms (e.g., Cellular automata, ant colony optimization, Memetic algorithms, particle swarms, Tabu search, evolutionary computation and simulated annealing. Due to the required accurate diseases analysis, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography images and images of other modalities segmentation remains a challenging problem. Over the past years, soft computing approaches attract attention of several researchers for problems solving in medical data applications. Image segmentation is the process that partitioned an image into some groups based on similarity measures. This process is employed for abnormalities volumetric analysis in medical images to identify the disease nature. Recently, meta-heuristic algorithms are conducted to support the segmentation techniques. In the current chapter, different segmentation procedures are addressed. Several meta-heuristic approaches are reported with highlights on their procedures. Finally, several medical applications using meta-heuristic based-approaches for segmentation are discussed.
On Developing and Performance Evaluation of Adaptive Second Order Neural Network With GA-Based Training (ASONN-GA) for Financial Time Series Prediction
Authors: Nayak Sarat Chandra , Misra Bijan Bihari , Behera Himansu Sekhar
Published: October 2017

Financial time series forecasting has been regarded as a challenging issue because of successful prediction could yield significant profit, hence require an efficient prediction system. Conventional ANN based models are not competent systems. Higher order neural networks have several advantages over traditional neural networks such as stronger approximation, higher fault tolerance capacity and faster convergence. With the aim of achieving improved forecasting accuracy, this article develops and evaluates the performance of an adaptive single layer second order neural network with GA based training (ASONN-GA). The global search ability of GA has been incorporated with the better generalization ability of a second order neural network and the model is found quite capable in handling the uncertainties and nonlinearities associated with the financial time series. The model takes minimal input data and considered the partially optimized weight set from previous training, hence a significant reduction in training time. The efficiency of the model has been evaluated by forecasting one-step-ahead closing prices and exchange rates of five real stock markets and it is revealed that the ASONN-GA model achieves better forecasting accuracy over other state of the art models.
States via Markets and Markets via States
Authors: Schwartz Herman Mark
Published: October 2017

Theories that the state and market are in a conflictual and binary relationship read the history of the past 30 years as a triumph of the market and a withering of the state. The underlying alleged conflict between state and market misrepresents history and reality. States and markets are commingled forms of power; each cannot exist without the other. States and markets operate on different logics and constantly mutate in response to changes in their environment. States constantly face competitive threats and need markets to generate revenue in efficient ways; market actors face competitive threats and need states to stabilize production and exchange relationships. States and market actors both need each other as a place to externalize threats to their legitimacy.
The Role of Government in a Liberal Market Economy
Authors: Joseph Claude
Published: October 2017

This essay is a critical assessment of the market failure theory and public choice theory. While the market failure theory provides a justification for government intervention in the economy, the public choice theorists are very skeptical about the role of government as a corrector of market failures. Since government failures can be worse than market failures, the imperfections in the market process, they argue, do not necessarily call for government intervention. These two theoretical perspectives, notwithstanding their difference, do share something in common. Both assume that individuals are self-interested. This essay contends that a shift from rational self-interested behavior to bounded-rational behavior provides a less contested role for the government. With bounded-rational behavior, the state should no longer be viewed as a mere surrogate of the market, but as “a choice architect,” “an entrepreneur,” and “a manager of conflict.”
Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Service Performance in Mediating Effect of Brand Equity With Reference To Banks in India
Authors: Kumar T. Praveen , Priyadarshini Kirupa
Published: October 2017

In competitive global scenario banks are very keen in branding their corporate social responsibility to enhance their service performance to compete effectively. This study was carried out to explore and assess the impact of corporate social responsibility on service performance in banking sector through reputation. To measure the corporate social responsibility, Maignan and Ferrell (2004) CSR scale, for the service performance the SERVPERF Model Parasoarman (1985), and for brand equity the brand equity (BI) index, developed by Aaker (1991) were used. The simple random sampling technique was used to collect the data from 617 banking customers. Structural Equation Modelling was used to measure the impact of corporate social responsibility on service performance through brand equity. The findings of the study indicates that CSR initiatives were linked to stronger service performance of the bank which ends stronger brand performance with the bank.
Offer Attractiveness, Decision Conflict, and Consumer Response
Authors: Rajagopal Ananya
Published: October 2017

Consumer responses to attractive offers, both in terms of consumer satisfaction with the decision process and in terms of subsequent store choice behavior, have been analyzed in this paper through a factorial analysis process, conducted in Mexico in reference to consumer choice and decision satisfaction variables. The results suggest that consumer response to attractive offer is driven to a large extent by two factors: the effect of a discount sale on the available options of goods and the degree of store loyalty. Overall, the discussion of results of the four studies presented in the paper demonstrates that consumer response to clearance sales, both in terms of decision satisfaction levels and attractiveness of retails stores, are strongly influenced by the variables of price sensitivity, attractiveness of products, loyalty and perceived value on available brands.
The Taxonomy of Methodological Approaches in Marketing Research
Authors: Upadhye Bilwa Dipak , Bandopadhyay Nirmalya
Published: October 2017

The methodological approach used in any research decides the nature of knowledge the research is creating. Understanding the cardinal importance of methodological approach used in any research, this article attempts to review some of the research papers in ‘Marketing' domain and analyses the same with respect to methodological approaches. Based on the critical assessment of these papers, the article further draws some conclusions regarding how ‘Marketing' domain has been evolved with respect to research methodologies. Literature gaps are identified. One of the major challenges for management research is that the theories or frameworks proposed by researchers in management discipline are not implemented actually in practice. As a result, there is a huge gap between academic research and industry. This article tries to propose a solution to this problem by suggesting that marketing research should focus on systems approach in addition to other approaches. Conclusions are drawn based on the analysis. The limitations of the present study are also discussed.
Tacit Knowledge Utilization for Global Impact and Organizational Practices
Authors: Janeš Aleksander , Biloslavo Roberto , Faganel Armand
Published: October 2017

The aquaculture sector stands at a crossroad because of the important changes in the business environment. Demand and competition for food is growing worldwide, fishery sector reached its limits and in this regard farmed fish sector represents a viable solution for food supply. A sustainable development of small business is recommended in order to develop knowledge and skills to support the growth of world population. In this view knowledge management for innovation is crucial to promote sustainable business models (BM) that can achieve a solid economic performance and at the same time take care of the natural environment. The purpose of this chapter is to contribute to the literature about sustainable BMs by an in-depth case study of a small fish farming company which developed competitiveness based on own tacit knowledge. The exemplary case study of a sustainable BM in aquaculture has been analyzed by use of an enhanced BM canvas that links various market oriented elements of a BM with the needs of society.
Opportunities and Challenges of Knowledge Retention in SMEs
Authors: Naidoo Vannie , Igbinakhase Idahosa
Published: October 2017

This chapter presented discussions on the opportunities and challenges of knowledge retention in SMEs. SMEs are defined as formal enterprises with less than 50-250 staff and a turnover of less or equal to10-50 million Euros or a balance sheet total of less or equal to10-43 million Euros based on the European Commission criteria among other defined characteristics while also being identified as knowledge organizations. The conceptualization of knowledge retention in SMEs provided evidence of SMEs as knowledge creators and knowledge users in their quest to effectively retain organizational knowledge as part of their knowledge management strategies to remain relevant in the society.
Entrepreneurial Knowledge-Based Strategies for Organizational Development
Authors: Saiz-Alvarez José Manuel
Published: October 2017

Combined with leadership, transformational entrepreneurship led to higher levels of creativity. In this business-related process, knowledge-based strategies have a vital role to play, as they enhance productivity, efficiency, and EBITDA. The objective of this chapter is to analyze which success factors grounded in knowledge-based strategies determine organizational development. To cope with this goal, the author examines how the Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico) achieves this objective through a complex entrepreneurial ecosystem described in the chapter. The main finding is that the creation of business incubators and accelerators in higher education institutions fosters transformational entrepreneurship, especially when are linked to technology parks.
Knowledge Dynamics in Supply Chain Management
Authors: Nedelko Zlatko , Raudeliūnienė Jurgita , Črešnar Rok
Published: October 2017

The main purpose of this paper is to examine usage and peculiarities of knowledge management in supply chain. The paper first emphasizes the role and importance of knowledge management in contemporary organizations and heightened need for management of knowledge in organizations. In nowadays business environment, there is an intensive collaboration between organizations outside their boundaries and where supply chains are becoming important element, knowledge management represent an important tool for knowledge application process among supply chain partners. The paper examines usage of knowledge in frame of supply chain and outline potentials and possible drawbacks of knowledge utilization in supply chain. Results reveal that knowledge management is not among top used management practices worldwide and well-developed areas, like North America and well-developed parts of Europe, while knowledge management is higher ranked in emerging economies from Central and East Europe (i.e., Slovenia and Croatia) than other areas, like North America, Latin America, well-developed part of Europe.
Collaborative Approaches for Communities of Practice Activities Enrichment
Authors: Fields Ziska , Atiku Sulaiman Olusegun
Published: October 2017

This chapter explores the role of communities of practice (CoPs) in knowledge management (KM) and how various collaborative practices can be used to enrich the activities of CoPs in organisations. The objectives of the chapter are firstly to define and explain the role of CoPs as a form of social and team networks in KM, secondly to identify the role and importance of collaborative approaches, specifically focusing on collective learning, creativity, innovation and problem-solving in CoPs and how these impact on the KM process, and thirdly to make recommendations to enhance the collaborative approaches to ultimately enrich the activities of CoPs in a digital age in organisations. Recommendations are made that management needs to support the forming and activities of CoPs in KM strategies, and that a suitable organisational structure and culture are needed to stimulate and support collaborative approaches to enrich the activities of CoPs.
Geigerin-induced cytotoxicity in a murine myoblast cell line (C2C12)
Authors: Botha Christo J. , Clift Sarah J. , Ferreira Gezina C.H. , Masango Mxolisi G.
Published: October 2017

Geigeria poisoning in sheep, locally known as ‘vermeersiekte’, is an economically important plant poisoning in southern Africa. The toxic principles contained by the toxic plants are believed to be several sesquiterpene lactones, such as geigerin, vermeeric acid and vermeerin, which cause striated muscle lesions in small stock. Because of ethical issues surrounding the use of live animals in toxicity studies, there is currently a dire need to establish an in vitro model that can be used to replace traditional animal experimentation. The objective of this study was to determine the cytotoxicity of geigerin in a murine myoblast cell line (C2C12) using methyl-thiazol-tetrazolium (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays, annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) flow cytometry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mouse myoblasts were exposed to 2.0 mM, 2.5 mM and 5.0 mM geigerin for 24, 48 and 72 h. A concentration-dependent cytotoxic response was observed. Apoptosis was detected by means of annexin V flow cytometry during the first 24 h and apoptotic bodies were also visible on TEM. According to the LDH and PI flow cytometry results, myoblast cell membranes were not injured. We concluded that the murine myoblast cell line (C2C12) is a suitable model for future studies planned to evaluate the cytotoxicity of other and combinations of sesquiterpene lactones, with and without metabolic activation, implicated in ‘vermeersiekte’ and to elucidate the subcellular effects of these myotoxins on cultured myoblasts.
Coccygeal Morphology on Multislice Computed Tomography in a Tertiary Hospital in India
Authors: Indiran Venkatraman , Sivakumar Vadivalagianambi , Maduraimuthu Prabakaran
Published: October 2017

Study Design

A retrospective, cross-sectional study of 213 patients who presented for abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans to assess coccygeal morphology in the Indian population.

Purpose

There have been relatively few studies of coccygeal morphology in the normal population and none in the Indian population. We aimed to estimate coccygeal morphometric parameters in the Indian population.

Overview of Literature

Coccygeal morphology has been studied in European, American, Korean, and Egyptian populations, with few differences in morphology among populations.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 213 abdominal CT scans (114 males and 99 females; age, 7–88 years; mean age, 47.3 years) was performed to evaluate the number of coccygeal segments, coccyx type, sacrococcygeal and intercoccygeal fusion and subluxation, coccygeal spicules, sacrococcygeal straight length, and sacrococcygeal and intercoccygeal curvature angles. Results were analyzed for differences in morphology with respect to sex and coccyx type.

Results

Types I and II coccyx were the most common. Most subjects had four coccygeal vertebrae; 93 subjects (43.66%) had partial or complete sacrococcygeal fusion. Intercoccygeal fusion was common, occurring in 193 subjects. Eighteen subjects had coccygeal spicules. The mean coccygeal straight length was 33.8 mm in males and 31.5 mm in females; the mean sacrococcygeal curvature angle was 116.6° in males and 111.6° in females; the mean intercoccygeal curvature angle was 140.94° in males and 145.10° in females.

Conclusions

Type I was the most common coccyx type in our study, as in Egyptian and Western populations. The number of coccygeal vertebrae and prevalence of sacrococcygeal and intercoccygeal fusion in the Indian population were similar to those in the Western population. The mean coccygeal straight length and mean sacrococcygeal curvature angle were higher in males, whereas the intercoccygeal curvature angle was higher in females. Information on similarities and differences in coccygeal morphology between different ethnic populations could be useful in imaging and treating patients presenting with coccydynia.
Central Sagittal Angle of the Sacrum as a New Risk Factor for Patients with Persistent Low Back Pain after Caesarean Section
Authors: Kazdal Hizir , Kanat Ayhan , Batcik Osman Ersagun , Ozdemir Bulent , Senturk Senol , Yildirim Murat , Kazancioglu Leyla , Sen Ahmet , Batcik Sule , Balik Mehmet Sabri
Published: October 2017

Study Design

Retrospective.

Purpose

This study investigated the possible association of persistent low back pain (LBP) with caesarean section (CS) under spinal anesthesia.

Overview of Literature

Many women suffer from LBP after CS, which is commonly performed under spinal anesthesia. However, this type of LBP is poorly understood, and there is poor consensus regarding increased risk after spinal anesthesia.

Methods

We examined two groups of patients who underwent cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia. Group I included patients who presented to a neurosurgical clinic complaining of LBP for at least 6 months. Group II was a control group with patients without LBP. We analyzed clinical and sagittal angle parameters, including age, body mass index, parity, central sagittal angle of the sacrum (CSAS), and sacral slope (SS).

Results

Fifty-three patients participated in this study: 23 (43.1%) in Group I and 30 (56.9%) in Group II. Non-parametric Mann–Whitney U-tests showed that age, parity, and CSAS significantly differed between the two groups at 6 months.

Conclusions

Age, parity, and CSAS appear to be associated with increased risk for LBP after CS under spinal anesthesia. Future prospective studies on this subject may help validate our results.
Perioperative Medical Complications after Posterior Approach Spinal Instrumentation Surgery for Osteoporotic Vertebral Collapse: A Comparative Study in Patients with Primary Osteoporosis and Those with Secondary Osteoporosis
Authors: Miyakoshi Naohisa , Kobayashi Takashi , Suzuki Tetsuya , Kikuchi Kazuma , Kasukawa Yuji , Shimada Yoichi
Published: October 2017

Study Design

A retrospective comparative study.

Purpose

To compare perioperative medical complications after posterior approach spinal instrumentation surgery for osteoporotic vertebral collapse (OVC) between patients with primary osteoporosis and those with secondary osteoporosis.

Overview of Literature

With increased aging of society, the demand for instrumentation surgery for an osteoporotic spine has been increasing. However, no studies have compared the rates or severities of perioperative complications after spinal instrumentation surgery between patients with primary osteoporosis and those with secondary osteoporosis.

Methods

Ninety-one patients with OVC aged ≥50 years (23 males and 68 females) who underwent posterior approach vertebral replacement with cages or posterior spinal fusion combined with vertebroplasty were divided into primary (n=56) and secondary (n=35) osteoporosis groups. Bone mineral density (BMD), osteoporosis treatment prior to OVC, operative invasiveness, and perioperative medical complications were compared.

Results

Diabetes mellitus (51.4%) was the most common cause of secondary osteoporosis, followed by glucocorticoid use (22.9%). No significant differences were seen in terms of age, gender, BMD, osteoporosis treatment, or operative invasiveness, including the number of levels fused, estimated blood loss, and number of patients requiring transfusion. No significant difference in the incidence of perioperative complications were observed between the primary and secondary osteoporosis groups (16.1% vs. 22.9%). However, surgical site infection (SSI) was significantly more frequently seen in the secondary osteoporosis group (11.4%) than in the primary osteoporosis group (1.8%; p<0.05). One patient in the secondary osteoporosis group developed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection that ultimately required instrument removal.

Conclusions

The overall incidence of perioperative medical complications after posterior approach spinal instrumentation surgery for OVC was comparable between the primary and secondary osteoporosis groups under conditions of similar background characteristics and operative invasiveness. However, SSI (particularly more severe cases) occurred more frequently in patients with secondary osteoporosis.
Bone Mineral Density and Physical Performance of Female Patients 27 Years or Longer after Surgery for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
Authors: Akazawa Tsutomu , Kotani Toshiaki , Sakuma Tsuyoshi , Katogi Takehide , Minami Shohei , Niki Hisateru , Torii Yoshiaki , Morioka Shigeta , Orita Sumihisa , Inage Kazuhide , Fujimoto Kazuki , Shiga Yasuhiro , Takahashi Kazuhisa , Ohtori Seiji
Published: October 2017

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Purpose

To assess bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism ≥27 years after surgery in female patients who underwent spinal fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) during adolescence and to determine their associations with physical performance.

Overview of Literature

There are no studies investigating postsurgical BMD in middle-aged AIS patients.

Methods

This study included 23 patients who provided informed consent among 229 female patients with AIS who underwent spinal fusion from 1968 until 1988. Average age at the time of observation was 48.8 years. BMD was measured at the left femoral neck, and the levels of two bone metabolism markers–procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP-5b)–were measured from blood samples. Physical performance was measured using grip strength, sit-ups, sit-and-reach, side step, and standing long jump.

Results

Mean BMD was 0.784 g/cm2. According to the World Health Organization diagnostic criteria, one subject (4.3%) had osteoporosis, whereas nine subjects (39.1%) had osteopenia. In patients with osteoporosis or osteopenia, P1NP and TRACP-5b levels were high, and BMD loss was because of high metabolic turnover. All calculated standard scores for physical performance were lower in the study cohort than in healthy individuals. There was a positive correlation between BMD and the standard score for grip strength, whereas there were weak positive correlations between BMD and the standard scores for side step and standing long jump.

Conclusions

In female AIS patients who underwent spinal fusion in adolescence, 4.3% and 39.1% had osteoporosis and osteopenia, respectively, ≥27 years after surgery. Exercise performance of these patients was poor compared with the national standards. In these patients, increased physical activity should be encouraged to prevent BMD loss in middle age.
Perioperative Evaluation of Respiratory Muscle Strength after Scoliosis Correction in Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Authors: Saito Wataru , Mizuno Kosuke , Inoue Gen , Imura Takayuki , Nakazawa Toshiyuki , Miyagi Masayuki , Shirasawa Eiki , Uchida Kentaro , Takaso Masashi
Published: October 2017

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Purpose

To investigate the effect of spinal correction on respiratory muscle strength in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Overview of Literature

Several studies have reported that scoliosis correction in patients with DMD does not improve pulmonary function. In these studies, pulmonary function was evaluated using the traditional spirometric values of percent vital capacity (%VC) and percent forced vital capacity (%FVC). However, traditional spirometry may not be suitable for patients with DMD because the results can be influenced by patient fatigue or level of understanding. Therefore, we evaluated respiratory function focusing on respiratory muscle strength using maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), and sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP), in addition to %VC and %FVC.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 16 patients with DMD who underwent spinal correction surgery between 2006 and 2011 at Kitasato University Hospital. All patients were males, and the mean age was 13.5 years. Respiratory muscle strength was evaluated using MIP, MEP, and SNIP. Measurements were obtained preoperatively and at 1 and 6 months postoperatively, and %VC and %FVC were obtained preoperatively and within 6 months postoperatively.

Results

The mean preoperative and postoperative %VC values were 54.0% and 51.7%, whereas the mean %FVC values were 53.9% and 53.2%, respectively. The mean MIP, MEP, and SNIP values obtained preoperatively and at 1 and 6 months postoperatively were as follows: MIP, 40.5, 42.7 and 47.2 cm H2O; MEP, 26.0, 28.0, and 29.0 cm H2O; and SNIP, 33.4, 33.0, and 33.0 cm H2O; respectively. The mean MIP and MEP values significantly improved postoperatively. There were no significant differences in SNIP, %VC, or %FVC preand postoperatively.

Conclusions

By focusing on respiratory muscle strength, our results suggest that scoliosis correction in patients with DMD might have a favorable effect on respiratory function.
Minimally-Invasive versus Conventional Repair of Spondylolysis in Athletes: A Review of Outcomes and Return to Play
Authors: Kolcun John Paul G. , Chieng Lee Onn , Madhavan Karthik , Wang Michael Y.
Published: October 2017

Spondylolysis from pars fracture is a common injury among young athletes, which can limit activity and cause chronic back pain. While current literature has examined the relative benefits of surgical and conservative management of these injuries, no study has yet compared outcomes between conventional direct repair of pars defects and modern minimally invasive procedures. The goals of surgery are pain resolution, return to play at previous levels of activity, and a shorter course of recovery. In this review, the authors have attempted to quantify any differences in outcome between patients treated with conventional or minimally invasive techniques. A literature search was performed of the PubMed database for relevant articles, excluding articles describing conservative management, traumatic injury, or high-grade spondylolisthesis. Articles included for review involved young athletes treated for symptomatic spondylolysis with either conventional or minimally invasive surgery. Two independent reviewers conducted the literature search and judged articles for inclusion. All studies were classified according to the North American Spine Society standards. Of the 116 results of our initial search, 16 articles were included with a total of 150 patients. Due to a paucity of operative details in older studies and inconsistencies in both clinical methods and reporting among most articles, little quantitative analysis was possible. However, patients in the minimally invasive group did have significantly higher rates of pain resolution (p<0.001). Short recovery times were also noted in this group. Both groups experienced low complication rates, and the majority of patients returned to previous levels of activity. Surgical repair of spondylolysis in young athletes is a safe and practical therapy. Current literature suggests that while conventional repair remains effective, minimally invasive procedures better clinical outcomes. We await further data to conduct a more thorough quantitative analysis of these techniques.