bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Do test design and uses influence test preparation? Testing a model of washback with Structural Equation Modeling
Authors: Xie Qin , Andrews Stephen
Published: July 2012

This study introduces Expectancy-value motivation theory to explain the paths of influences from perceptions of test design and uses to test preparation as a special case of washback on learning. Based on this theory, two conceptual models were proposed and tested via Structural Equation Modeling. Data collection involved over 870 test takers of College English Test Band 4 in China. A perception of assessment questionnaire was given at the beginning of a 10-week preparation period; a test preparation questionnaire was given eight weeks later. Test takers who endorsed high-stakes, instrumental test uses as the primary purpose for taking the test tended to value test taking; test takers who perceived test design positively tended to attach high importance to test taking and appeared more confident. Furthermore, higher endorsed task value and higher expectation of test success jointly contributed to greater engagement in test preparation. Knowledge of the test was also related to increased self-regulation in test preparation and more practice of test-taking skills.
Morning headaches in snorers and their bed partners: A prospective diary study
Authors: Seidel Stefan , Frantal Sophie , Oberhofer Petra , Bauer Thomas , Scheibel Nikolett , Albert Felix , Pacher Juliane , Casjens Tamme , Klösch Gerhard , Zeitlhofer Josef , Wöber Christian
Published: July 2012

Background: The prevalence and characteristics of morning headaches (MH) in habitual snorers are not well known, with only one retrospective study reporting MH in 23.5% of snorers. The role of MH in bed partners of snorers has not yet been examined. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess MH prospectively in habitual snorers and their bed partners.

Methods: We recruited habitual snorers and their bed partners via newspaper articles. The participants completed a semistructured interview, filled in questionnaires about sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, depression and anxiety and kept a 90-day headache and sleep diary.

Results: We included a total of 102 snorers and 63 bed partners. Seventy-six snorers (25 female) and 41 bed partners (31 female) completed the study, recording a total of 6690 and 3497 diary days, respectively. MH was present on at least 1 day in 57% of the snorers and in 61% of the bed partners and recorded on 7.2% and 3.6% of the diary days, respectively. Independent predictors of MH in snorers were pre-study headache frequency (p < 0.001), anxiety disorder (p < 0.001), waking up because of pain (p = 0.002) and waking up too early (p < 0.001); and independent predictors in bed partners were migraine (p = 0.02), difficulties breathing during sleep (p < 0.001), waking up because of pain (p = 0.01) and waking up too early (p < 0.001). The analysis of couples only (n = 41) revealed pre-study headache frequency (p < 0.001), waking up too early (p < 0.001) and nocturnal confusion (p < 0.001) as independent predictors of MH in snorers, and migraine (p = 0.02), difficulties breathing during sleep (p < 0.001), waking up because of pain (p = 0.01) and waking up too early (p < 0.001) as independent predictors in bed partners.

Discussion: MH shows a 90-day prevalence of around 60% in habitual snorers as well as in their bed partners. Predictors of MH are related to sleep, headache and psychiatric comorbidity.
Hard and Soft Obscurantism in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Authors: Elster Jon
Published: July 2012

The paper argues that the contemporary social sciences and humanities are in a deep crisis, due to the prevalence of obscurantist arguments. Whereas many have denounced the “soft obscurantism” derived from what is sometimes called “French theory”, the “hard obscurantism” of many forms of mathematical and statistical social science also deserves to be singled out for criticism. The paper further argues that obscurantism does not merely represent a waste of intellectual effort, but has caused harm to countless individuals, ranging from parents of autistic children to market investors. Finally the paper considers some of the psychological mechanisms that may sustain obscurantism and constitute obstacles to overcoming it.
The Role of the Archaeologist in Present-Day Society
Authors: Djindjian François
Published: July 2012

The present paper is aimed to reveal the useful role that the archaeologist, evading from the ivory tower of his erudition of the societies of the past, may play for the change of the societies in the future. From two examples chosen in the XIX° century, we are focalizing on the very deep impact the archaeology may have in the society at a regional scale (the museum of Lubny in Ukraine) and at a worldwide scale (the Universal Exhibitions in Paris) for the evolution of the societies. Resulting from crisis due to internal mechanisms specific to our operation, the contemporary societies may collapse like the societies of the past. Such mechanisms have a systemic and non historical nature, which are involving us to discover the main processes, responsible of collapses. Then, the archaeologist, like the climatologist, may operate the knowledge of the past to forecast the happy or unhappy evolutions of the future. The archaeologist, servicing the contemporaneous society, may be useful, not only in discovering the remains of the past but also in making the inventory of the contemporary cultures as in forecasting the evolutions of the societies.
The Humanities: Their Value, Defence, Crisis, and Future
Authors: Longxi Zhang
Published: July 2012

The humanities, particularly literature and the arts, seem always to have to justify their value and legitimacy vis-à-vis some other, more practical, more useful, or more authoritative aspects of human life and activities. In ancient Greece, Plato dismissed poetry as being untrue and irrational, but beginning with Aristotle, there has been a long tradition of defense of poetry in the West. Traditionally the most effective defense was to emphasize the moral values the humanities can teach and the exemplary significance of the classics. In the late nineteenth century, science began to challenge the value of the humanities, and in the twentieth century, that resulted in the “two cultures” debate in the 1960s. In more recent time, however, a real crisis of the humanities arises not from challenges from the outside but from within, as scholars in the humanities—particularly in literary and cultural studies—question the basic values of the humanities and “decanonize” the classics. The utilitarian tendency of modern society makes it difficult for the humanities to prove their practical use and worth. To argue for the value of the humanities, therefore, it is very important to refuse the utilitarian terms of debate, to reclaim the values of the humanities, and to re-emphasize the exemplary significance of the classic in order to work toward a better future not only of the humanities, but of our world at large.
Is biodegradable waste a porous environment? A review
Authors: Agostini Francesco , Sundberg Cecilia , Navia Rodrigo
Published: July 2012

This article presents a review of the porous physical characteristics, phenomena and simulation models so far investigated and applied in the management of biodegradable wastes (BW), summarising the main properties of porous media and the dynamics of fluids within its voids. The aim is to highlight how the description of biodegradable wastes as porous media and the use of porous media models can facilitate the development of new sustainable and affordable technologies for BW recycling. However, it is pointed out how the lack of physical experimental data and of tailored modelling tools has so far hampered the use of this approach. Therefore, it is suggested that a simpler way to design and implement modelling tools simulating BW treatment technologies is by modifying available models designed originally for other porous media, such as soil and rock.
Circulating miRNAs might be promising biomarkers to reflect the dynamic pathological changes in smoking-related interstitial fibrosis
Authors: Yuchuan Huang , Ya Dai , Jie Zhang , Jingqiu Cheng , Yanrong Lu , Dongliang Li , Changguo Wang , Kuoyan Ma , Guangneng Liao , Fang Xue , Lanlan Tan , Bo Qin
Published: July 2012

Cigarette smoking is the major risk factor for smoking-related interstitial fibrosis (SRIF). Despite recent advances, the molecular mechanisms involved in the initiation and progression of this disease remain elusive. We found 6 months of chronic mainstream smoking exposure induced SRIF in C57 mice, which was associated with pronounced enhanced oxidative stress, bronchoalveolar inflammation and fibrosis but not apoptosis of alveolar septal cell. We used Affymetrix microRNA (miRNA) arrays to determine the temporal alteration in global gene expression of peripheral blood during the progression of diffuse pulmonary interstitial fibrosis in C57 mice. Microarray analysis revealed the upregulation of 3 miRNAs (miR-92b, miR-700 and miR-668) and the downregulation of 5 miRNAs (let-7e, miR-142-5p, miR-350, miR-19a and miR191*) in the peripheral blood of mice exposed to mainstream smoking for 1, 2, 3 and 6 months. We proposed that circulating miRNAs might be promising biomarkers to reflect the dynamic pathological changes of SRIF related interstitial fibrosis.
Mercury and arsenic in green tiger shrimp from the Persian Gulf
Authors: Raissy Mehdi , Rahimi Ebrahim , Nadeali Vahid , Ansari Mahsa , Shakerian Amir
Published: July 2012

Mercury and arsenic pollution has been recognized as a potential environmental and public health problem for over 40 years. The major source of exposure to mercury and arsenic for humans is the ingestion of sea food. Concentrations of mercury and arsenic in the muscle samples of green tiger shrimp ( Penaeus semisulcatus) from the Persian Gulf were determined by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. Concentrations of metals in muscle samples were 49–115 µg kg−1 for mercury, 115–131 µg kg−1for arsenic, with means of 82.7 and 251.6 µg kg−1, respectively. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference of mercury and arsenic concentration in shrimp muscles between selected stations (Bushehr, Khuzestan, and Hormozgan provinces). No significant difference was found among heavy metal contents of male and female shrimps. The results of this study indicate that the green tiger shrimp from the Persian Gulf have concentrations well below the maximum permissible levels for mercury (500 µg kg−1) and arsenic (6000 µg kg−1), according to international standards, with no health risk of consumers.
Effect of nanosilver on blood parameters in chickens having aflatoxicosis
Authors: Gholami-Ahangaran Majid , Zia-Jahromi Noosha
Published: July 2012

This experiment is designed to investigate the positive effects of commercial nanosilver compound on blood parameters in experimental aflatoxicosis in broiler chickens. For this, 270 one-day-old broiler chickens were randomly divided into six treatment groups with three replicates. The experimental groups were group A: chickens fed with basal diet; group B: chickens fed with 3 ppm productive aflatoxin in basal diet; groups of C, D, E and F received Mycoad (2.5 g/kg diet), Mycoad (2.5 g/kg diet) + productive aflatoxin (3 ppm), Nanocid (2500 ppm), and Nanocid (2500 ppm) + productive aflatoxin (3 ppm) in basal diet, respectively. Results revealed that some of the blood parameters such as mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration lymphocytes, neutrophils, basophils, monocytes, and eosinophils percentage were not affected in this experiment; whereas, hemoglobin percentage and white blood cell (WBC) count in all the groups fed with 3 ppm aflatoxin except nanocid + aflatoxin decreased significantly ( p < 0.05). There are no significant differences between the groups that received nanocid + aflatoxin and mycoad + aflatoxin in hemoglobin percentage and WBC count parameters. The red blood cell count and hematocrit in chickens received aflatoxin were significantly lower than other groups ( p < 0.05). Therefore, this study suggests that nanocid similar as mycoad can be useful in reducing the adverse effects of aflatoxin on blood parameters in chickens affected with aflatoxicosis.
Effects of bisphenol A on the development of central immune organs of specific-pathogen-free chick embryos
Authors: Tian Jijing , Luo Dongmei , She Ruiping , Liu Tianlong , Ding Ye , Yue Zhuo , Xia Kangkang
Published: July 2012

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical estrogen widely used in the food packaging industry, especially in baby bottles. Its toxicity for the fetus has become a great concern in recent years. In the present study, the effects of BPA on the development of central immune organs in chick embryos were investigated. A total of 30 specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chick embryos were divided into BPA, control, and vehicle group. Chick embryos were exposed to BPA (250 μg per egg), saline (control), or corn oil (vehicle) on embryonic day 9 (ED9) by injection into the allantoic cavity. Thymuses and bursae of Fabricius were collected on ED22. The microscopic examination of tissue structure and ultrastructure was carried out for histopathological changes of thymus and the bursa of Fabricius morphology under light and scanning electron microscopes (SEM). In the BPA group, the weight index of the bursae of Fabricius was significantly reduced ( p < 0.01); the number of lymphatic follicles in the bursae of Fabricius was remarkably decreased ( p < 0.01); and the thickness of the thymus cortex and medulla was reduced ( p < 0.01). Light microscope and SEM examinations further showed that the lymphatic follicles and epithelial cells of the bursa of Fabricius and thymus were damaged by BPA. Our study confirms a direct toxicity of BPA at a very low-dose level on the development of the central immune organs of SPF chick embryos. However, more studies are necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
Investigating the use of coupling agents to improve the interfacial properties between a resorbable phosphate glass and polylactic acid matrix
Authors: Hasan Muhammad Sami , Ahmed Ifty , Parsons Andrew J , Rudd Chris D , Walker Gavin S , Scotchford Colin A
Published: July 2012

Eight different chemicals were investigated as potential candidate coupling agents for phosphate glass fibre reinforced polylactic acid composites. Evidence of reaction of the coupling agents with phosphate glass and their effect on surface wettability and glass degradation were studied along with their principle role of improving the interface between glass reinforcement and polymer matrix. It was found that, with an optimal amount of coupling agent on the surface of the glass/polymer, interfacial shear strength improved by a factor of 5. Evidence of covalent bonding between agent and glass was found for three of the coupling agents investigated, namely: 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane; etidronic acid and hexamethylene diisocyanate. These three coupling agents also improved the interfacial shear strength and increased the hydrophobicity of the glass surface. It is expected that this would provide an improvement in the macroscopic properties of full-scale composites fabricated from the same materials which may also help to retain these properties for the desired length of time by retarding the breakdown of the fibre/matrix interface within these composites.
Mesoporous bioactive glass scaffolds for efficient delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor
Authors: Wu Chengtie , Fan Wei , Chang Jiang , Xiao Yin
Published: July 2012

In this article, we, for the first time, investigated mesoporous bioactive glass scaffolds for the delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor. We have found that mesoporous bioactive glass scaffolds have significantly higher loading efficiency and more sustained release of vascular endothelial growth factor than non-mesoporous bioactive glass scaffolds. In addition, vascular endothelial growth factor delivery from mesoporous bioactive glass scaffolds has improved the viability of endothelial cells. The study has suggested that mesopore structures in mesoporous bioactive glass scaffolds play an important role in improving the loading efficiency, decreasing the burst release, and maintaining the bioactivity of vascular endothelial growth factor, indicating that mesoporous bioactive glass scaffolds are an excellent carrier of vascular endothelial growth factor for potential bone tissue engineering applications.
An alternative mechanism through which economic inequality facilitates collective action: Wealth disparities as a sign of cooperativeness
Authors: Johnson Tim , Smirnov Oleg
Published: July 2012

Past models treat economic inequality as an exogenous condition that can provide individuals a dominant incentive to produce collective goods unilaterally. Here we part with that tradition so as to treat economic inequality and collective action as endogenous, and to examine whether economic inequality can foster collective action even when all individuals can gain from free-riding. Using evolutionary game theory and computer simulations, we study whether cooperation can evolve when agents play multiple, one-shot prisoner’s dilemma (PD) games per generation and employ strategies that condition cooperative play on their game partners’ wealth holdings. In this game environment, we find that collective action succeeds via a strategy in which players choose to cooperate when joining a PD with an economic equal and defect when partnered with a player possessing wealth holdings unequal to their own. These results signal an alternative avenue through which economic inequality can influence the viability of collective action.
Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) and sulfonated poly(1,4-phenylene ether ether sulfone) membranes for vanadium redox flow batteries
Authors: Macksasitorn Suraluck , Changkhamchom Sairung , Sirivat Anuvat , Siemanond Kitipat
Published: July 2012

Nafion is a currently used as a proton exchange membrane in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRBs). It is an excellent proton-conducting and fully hydrated membrane, but it is costly. In order to reduce the cost of the membrane used in VRBs and to reduce vanadium permeability across the membrane, sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (S-PEEK) and sulfonated poly(1,4-phenylene ether ether sulfone) (S-PPEES) membranes were fabricated and studied as a function of the sulfonation reaction time. The increase in the degree of sulfonation from 46 to 86% induced increases in the water uptake, ion exchange capacity, proton conductivity, and vanadium permeability. The vanadium permeability coefficients of S-PEEK and S-PPEES membranes are in the range of 0–24.95 × 10–7 cm2 min–1, which are significantly lower than that of Nafion 117, which is 30.84 × 10–7 cm2 min–1. The proton conductivity of S-PEEK in our study is nine times higher than sulfonated poly(arylene ether ketone) in a previous work and more suitable for using in VRBs.
Investigations on the influence of polytetrafluoroethylene powder as a filler on physico-mechanical and wear characteristics of nylon 66/graphite composites
Authors: Basavaraj E. , Ramaraj B. , Siddaramaiah
Published: July 2012

The objective of this research article is to evaluate the physico-mechanical and tribological properties of nylon 66 and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) powder composites in the presence of graphite (Gr) particulate filler. Nylon 66 containing 2 wt% Gr powder was extruded with 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt% PTFE powder in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. The fabricated nylon 66/Gr/PTFE composites have been evaluated for physico-mechanical properties, such as tensile behaviors, impact strength, water absorption, density and void content. The thermal characteristics of the composites have been studied by using dynamic mechanical analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The effect of PTFE content, loads, sliding velocities and sliding distances on wear characteristics of the composites were evaluated using pin-on-disc equipment. The nylon 66/Gr/PTFE composites showed enhanced impact strength, thermal stability, wear resistance and reduced coefficient of friction. It was found that wear performance was greatly influenced by selected experimental parameters. Worn surfaces were examined with scanning electron microscopy to have better insight into the wear mechanism. It was observed that the PTFE played a main role in the tensile resistant and wear resistant properties of nylon 66 composites.
A phenomenological modeling of deformation during metal cutting: a modified thick shear zone analysis
Authors: Kishawy Hossam A , Pang Lei
Published: July 2012

In Oxley’s machining theory, efforts have been made to address work hardening and thermal softening effects and allow the material to flow continuously through an opened-up deformation zone. However, the strain, strain rate and temperature were calculated based on the average values. The distributions of these processing parameters, which are essential to describe the continuous flow, were not taken into account. In particular, the hodograph was adopted from the single shear plane model, in which the velocity field allowing for the continuous deformation was not described, and the issue of velocity discontinuity has not been resolved. In the current work, based on the detailed analysis on the boundary conditions of the velocity and shear strain rate fields, the thick ‘equidistant parallel-sided’ shear zone model was revisited. A more realistic nonlinear shear strain rate distribution has been proposed under the frame of non-equidistant primary shear zone configuration, so that all the boundary conditions can be satisfied. The obtained results have been compared with those obtained using the original Oxley analysis and the experimentally measured values. Although there was no significant difference in the force prediction, a clear improvement in the prediction of the deformation zone thickness was obtained.
Design and validation of a reconfiguration strategy for a redundantly actuated intelligent autonomous vehicle
Authors: Bera Tarun Kumar , Merzouki Rochdi , Bouamama Belkacem Ould , Samantaray Arun Kumar
Published: July 2012

This paper deals with the reconfiguration of an intelligent autonomous vehicle that utilizes an automatic navigation method and online supervision system and thus can be used to improve the safety, traffic management and space optimization inside the confined space of a port. The bond graph model of the vehicle’s dynamic system is developed in a modular and hierarchical modelling environment. An over-actuated intelligent autonomous vehicle with redundant actuators has four independent driven wheels, four independent braking wheels and a four-wheel steering system. This vehicle can be safely operated with appropriate control law restructuring even when some of its actuators are unusable due to a fault. For actuator fault detection, analytical redundancy relations, which are constraint relations that describe nominal system behaviour and are written in terms of the measured system variables, are derived from the bond graph model. Analytical redundancy relations are continuously evaluated to generate residual signals and the symptoms in these signals are monitored for actuator fault detection and isolation. Once one or more actuator faults are isolated, the system is reconfigured via the selection of an appropriate operating mode to prevent critical or accidental situations. This procedure is validated by considering a fault scenario with two reconfiguration options.
Framing Education for a Science of Social Work
Authors: Fong Rowena
Published: July 2012

Social work education has historically been grounded in professional practice but recent discussions have urged a reconsideration of social work as a science. Social work is progressively doing more intervention work, service systems research, implementation research, and translational research which are elevating research standards to new levels of sophistication. Because social work is also receiving greater recognition at the federal level, it seems that now is the appropriate time for the profession to review how education is done and the place that social work as a science should hold in our doctoral programs. This article critiques current literature and finds that the term social work as a science is frequently missing in the language and terminology of the social work encyclopedia and desk reference, but the term evidence-based practice replaces or makes up for missing references. Some of the key social work organizations also lack the emphasis on social work as science in the framework of their mission statements. Alternative possibilities are given in creating new mission statements, designing curriculum for doctoral education, and revamping accreditation standards for required graduate and undergraduate social work education.
A fatigue driving stress approach to damage and life prediction under variable amplitude loading
Authors: Kwofie Samuel , Rahbar Nima
Published: July 2012

A fatigue driving stress that causes fatigue damage is presented and used to predict residual fatigue life under variable loading. This fatigue driving stress is a function of the applied cyclic stress (σ), number of loading cycles ( n), and the number of cycles to failure ( N). It increases with loading cycles until the fatigue strength is reached when fracture occurs. By determining the equivalent number of cycles or life fraction at current load that yields the same fatigue driving stress as the previous loads, the remaining life can be predicted. A new damage model is derived as a function of expended life fraction of applied load, the logarithm life of applied load and the logarithm life of the initial applied load. The derived cumulative damage model indicates that [Formula: see text] for low-to-high loading sequence, and [Formula: see text], for high-to-low loading. In the case of constant amplitude loading, however, [Formula: see text]. Life predictions from the present damage model and the Miner model are compared with experimental results from literature. The comparison shows that the present model presents a good estimation of the experimental data. Furthermore life prediction using the present model is found to give better agreement with experimental data than the popular Miner model.
NF-κB Signaling Pathways
Authors: Mincheva-Tasheva Stefka , Soler Rosa M.
Published: July 2012

Intracellular pathways related to cell survival regulate neuronal physiology during development and neurodegenerative disorders. One of the pathways that have recently emerged with an important role in these processes is nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). The activity of this pathway leads to the nuclear translocation of the NF-κB transcription factors and the regulation of anti-apoptotic gene expression. Different stimuli can activate the pathway through different intracellular cascades (canonical, non-canonical, and atypical), contributing to the translocation of specific dimers of the NF-κB transcription factors, and each of these dimers can regulate the transcription of different genes. Recent studies have shown that the activation of this pathway regulates opposite responses such as cell survival or neuronal degeneration. These apparent contradictory effects depend on conditions such as the pathway stimuli, the origin of the cells, or the cellular context. In the present review, the authors summarize these findings and discuss their significance with respect to survival or death in the nervous system.
Emerging Roles of the Brain’s Default Network
Authors: Mantini Dante , Vanduffel Wim
Published: July 2012

During periods of inactivity, global metabolism does not decrease in the brain, and small but consistent increases in activity occur in a specific set of regions called the “default network”. Although much is known about the topological and connectional properties of the default network, its functions remain a matter of debate. Functional neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies have suggested two apparently contrasting functions for this network: spontaneous cognition and monitoring the environment. Spontaneous cognition, however, is by default situated in a given external context, an external milieu to which we align ourselves and which must be monitored. This review integrates recent literature suggesting that the two proposed functions of the default network functions need not to be mutually exclusive, and that spontaneous cognition and monitoring of the environment represent complementary instances of conscious experiences occurring during idle moments of daily life.
Role of Kinesin-1 in the Pathogenesis of SPG10, a Rare Form of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia
Authors: Kawaguchi Kenji
Published: July 2012

Molecular protein motors play key roles in processes such as intracellular cargo transport and brain wiring, and failure of function can give rise to serious diseases. Kinesin-1, a member of the kinesin superfamily (also known as KIFs) is a two-headed motor protein that uses energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to transport diverse types of intracellular cargo toward the plus-ends of microtubules within axons. Recent studies at the level of a single molecule have provided extensive knowledge on how kinesin-1 moves along microtubules. Further elucidation of kinesin-1 movement may shed light on its influence on axon generation, thereby leading to therapies for diseases such as spastic paraplegia type 10 (SPG10), the subject of this review. SPG10 is an autosomal dominant form of hereditary spastic paraplegia caused by mutations in KIF5A, which encodes one of the isoforms of kinesin-1 (KIF5A, KIF5B, and KIF5C). Although little is known about the cargo of KIF5A, a recent study revealed an axonal transport defect of mitochondria in a KIF5A − / − mouse model. This review discusses the consensus moving model of kinesin-1 and the pathogenicity of SPG10 caused by defective KIF5A function.
Sex ratio of infectious mononucleosis and possible relevance to multiple sclerosis
Authors: Ramagopalan Sreeram V , Giovannoni Gavin , Yeates David G , Seagroatt Valerie , Goldacre Michael J
Published: July 2012

Infectious mononucleosis (IM) is associated with the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). Using databases of hospital admissions for England (1999–2005), we investigated the female-to-male ratios (FMRs) for admission to hospital for IM and MS stratified by age. Males were more frequently admitted for IM for all age groups apart from ages 10–14 (FMR 1.50; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.36–1.64) and, borderline significantly, at ages 15–19 (FMR 1.03, 95% CI 0.99–1.08). This intriguing aspect of IM epidemiology in adolescence, the atypical female excess, may be linked to the sex ratio of MS, where females predominate from adolescence.
Navigating sociotechnical spaces: Comparing computer games and sat navs as digital spatial media
Authors: Chesher Chris
Published: July 2012

Digital media increasingly mediate everyday spatial and navigational practices. From in-car satellite navigation (sat navs) to computer games, overpowered gadgets are combining multiple sources of abstract information to give users spatial guidance and experiences of movement. For example, open world computer games such as Grand Theft Auto IV render rich fictional spaces, and include intricate maps and indicators that allow players to navigate large gamespaces. Sat navs such as the TomTom Navigator follow similar practices of automated navigation in helping to guide cars through actual spaces. Their calculated routes display on personalized maps, including live data and visualizations that complement, or even override, what the driver sees through the windscreen. Games and sat navs are harbingers of historical shifts in technosocial space, suggesting that Henri Lefebvre’s (1991) influential critical analysis of space deserves to be revised. Digital spatial media open up abstract relationships to space, but not from the distance that Lefebvre associates with ‘conceived’ spaces. Instead, they work in ‘lived space’, which is becoming dominant. They calculate space in real time, and open up new political and aesthetic questions. The article examines three characteristics of navigation with digital spatial media: (1) they reify routes as persuasive data and procedures; (2) their maps become subjective and privatized; and (3) they offer an array of spatial information that become incorporated into the user’s ‘perceived’ space. These examples show that critical understandings of social space need increasingly to incorporate readings of digitally mediated spatiality.
The First Year Inventory: a longitudinal follow-up of 12-month-old to 3-year-old children
Authors: Turner-Brown Lauren M , Baranek Grace T , Reznick J Steven , Watson Linda R , Crais Elizabeth R
Published: July 2012

The First Year Inventory is a parent-report measure designed to identify 12-month-old infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder. First Year Inventory taps behaviors that indicate risk in the developmental domains of sensory–regulatory and social–communication functioning. This longitudinal study is a follow-up of 699 children at 3 years of age from a community sample whose parents completed the First Year Inventory when their children were 12 months old. Parents of all 699 children completed the Social Responsiveness Scale–Preschool version and the Developmental Concerns Questionnaire to determine age 3 developmental outcomes. In addition, children deemed at risk for autism spectrum disorder based on liberal cut points on the First Year Inventory, Social Responsiveness Scale–Preschool, and/or Developmental Concerns Questionnaire were invited for in-person diagnostic evaluations. We found 9 children who had a confirmed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder from the sample of 699. Receiver operating characteristic analyses determined that a two-domain cutoff score yielded optimal classification of children: 31% of those meeting algorithm cutoffs had autism spectrum disorder and 85% had a developmental disability or concern by age 3. These results suggest that the First Year Inventory is a promising tool for identifying 12-month-old infants who are at risk for an eventual diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.
Anchoring the sentencing scale: A modest proposal
Authors: Lippke Richard L
Published: July 2012

This article proposes a partial solution to the anchoring problem in sentencing theory. I advance what I term the ‘commensurate harms principle’, according to which the losses and deprivations imposed on convicted offenders as punishment should be kept commensurate with the ‘standard’ harms (Von Hirsch and Jareborg, 1991: 4) their crimes cause victims. The principle is defended as an aid to setting sentences for core criminal offense types. Intelligent application of the principle requires us to gain an informed understanding of both the harms caused by crimes and the harms done by criminal sanctions, particularly imprisonment. Various objections to the principle are addressed, including claims that victim and penal harms cannot be compared and that the harms produced by crimes and criminal sanctions extend beyond victims and offenders. I contend that the commensurate harms principle would counsel the sparing use of imprisonment and often support less harsh sentences than are the norm in many countries.
Trends in out-of-hospital ischaemic heart disease deaths 1992 to 2003 in southern Sweden
Authors: Gerward S. , Persson K. , Midlöv P. , Ekesbo R. , Gullberg B. , Hedblad B.
Published: July 2012

Aims:

In western countries out-of-hospital ischaemic heart disease (IHD) deaths account for approximately 50–70% of all IHD deaths. The objective was to examine the trends in out-of-hospital IHD deaths in the Region of Skåne in southern Sweden, in different sex- and age-groups.

Methods:

All 14,347 persons (range 24–110 years) in Skåne who died out-of-hospital between 1992 and 2003 from IHD (I410–I414; I20–I25) as the underlying cause of death. Subjects with previous admission for IHD since 1970 were excluded. Data were retrieved from the Swedish National Cause of Death and Patient Register. Age-standardized IHD mortality rates and trends were calculated using Poisson regression analysis.

Results:

Age-standardized annual out-of-hospital IHD mortality rates from 1992–2003 decreased in men from 177±13 to 103±9/100,000 inhabitants (−4.7%; p<0.001) and in women from 142±11 to 96±9/100,000 (−2.7%; p<0.001). In men, the annual change in age-standardized IHD mortality rates were −5.3 % ( p<0.001), −4.0 % ( p<0.001) and −4.7 % ( p<0.001), respectively, in the age groups 20–64 years, 65–74 years and ≥75 years. Corresponding figures in women were −4.4 % ( p<0.001), −2.4 % ( p=0.003) and −2.5 % ( p<0.001). The proportion of IHD deaths occurring out-of-hospital was in these age groups 50%, 40% and 35% respectively.

Conclusions:

In Skåne, out-of-hospital mortality in IHD deaths decreased significantly between 1992 and 2003. The decrease is more pronounced in men than women, and at the end of the study period in 2003, rates were almost equal. The proportion of IHD deaths occurring outside hospital was higher in younger people than in older people.
Operative links: The importance of combining perspectives in municipal strategies aimed at children’s and adolescents’ health
Authors: Wistoft Karen , Højlund Holger
Published: July 2012

Aim:

The subject of investigation is the ways in which the Danish municipalities organize prevention and health-promotion efforts for children and adolescents. The aim is to examine how health managerial ideas have been combined with health professional ideals concerning different health educational approaches.

Methods:

Mixed qualitative design: survey based on telephone interviews with health managers ( n=72), personal and focus group interviews with health professionals ( n=84) and pupils ( n=108) from 18 school classes, and comparative case studies in five selected municipalities of various size and geographical location. The theoretical framework has three positions combining a public management perspective with a pedagogical perspective on health promotion.

Results:

The municipalities give high priority to prevention and health promotion directed toward children and adolescents and face a number of challenges at the management, collaboration, and knowledge levels. Missing links is one of the main points. Health managers and health professionals are preoccupied with some educational consequences of the health interventions, but they do not focus to the same extent on explicit health educational goals, learning content, or value clarification. Health pedagogy is often a matter of retrospective rationalization rather than the starting point of planning. Health and risk behaviour approaches override health educational approaches.

Conclusions:

Operational links between health education, health professionalism, and management strategies pose the foremost challenge. Operational links indicates cooperative levels that facilitate a creative and innovative effort across traditional professional boundaries. It is proposed that such links are supported by network structures, shared semantics, and situated pedagogical means of intervention.
Employment effects of the Danish rehabilitation benefit
Authors: Pallesen Palle B. , Lynge Elsebeth
Published: July 2012

Aims:

Social benefits aim to bring marginalised citizens back into the labour force. As benefits constitute a burden for tax payers, attention has been given to measure the effect. We used register data to assess the employment effect of rehabilitation benefit; the most liberal social benefit in Denmark.

Methods:

We used data on rehabilitation benefits paid during 1994–2004. In the study design, special care was given to overcome selection bias. We identified municipalities with most frequent (generous) and least frequent (stingy) use of rehabilitation benefit, controlling for confounders (step 1). From the generous municipalities, population subgroups where ≥10% received rehabilitation benefit (vulnerable group) were identified based on age, sex, education, cohabitation, children, and health (step 2). Outcome measure was employment rate in 2005 for vulnerable groups in generous municipalities compared with vulnerable groups in stingy municipalities, controlled for municipality employment rate, i.e. a ratio of ratios (step 3).

Results:

Use of rehabilitation benefit varied 10-fold across the 271 Danish municipalities. The employment rate in 2005 for vulnerable groups was lower in generous than in stingy municipalities. The ratio of ratios was 0.915 (95% CI 0.888–0.945) for men and 0.919 (95% CI 0.896–0.942) for women.

Conclusions:

No positive employment effect of generous use of rehabilitation benefit was found. Although residual confounding cannot be excluded, it is nevertheless remarkable that the possibly positive effect of rehabilitation benefit was not sufficiently large to become visible, even in a study particularly designed to eliminate selection biases and to control for confounding.
Immigrant women’s clubs in a health-promotion perspective
Authors: Povlsen Lene
Published: July 2012

Aims:

To gain a deeper understanding of the conditions for and perceived benefits of regular participation in an immigrant women’s club, with special focus on the women’s wellbeing and the club’s potential for health promotion.

Methods:

A qualitative research approach was applied, including semi-structured interviews, which were analysed using the constructivist Grounded Theory method. Individual interviews of 15 women aged 40–59 years and from various ethnic backgrounds were conducted in 2010/2011.

Findings:

Four categories were identified during the analysis. These were labelled “Forming a place for coping with loneliness” (core category), “Learning the rules”, “Social bonding and support”, and “A space for wellbeing and health”. The categories describe how the members deal with the club’s status as a municipal association, the structure of the meetings, and the informants’ perceptions of being members of a club, as well as the effects of the membership.

Conclusions:

Immigrant women may find support and perceive increased wellbeing from gathering in clubs with women from a similar background. In addition, the clubs may provide society an opportunity and a space for adapted health-promotion initiatives.
Risk behaviour, parental background, and wealth: A cluster analysis among Swedish boys and girls in the HBSC study
Authors: Carlerby Heidi , Englund Erling , Viitasara Eija , Knutsson Anders , Gådin Katja Gillander
Published: July 2012

Aim:

To analyse how health risk behaviours (HRB) are clustered and associated with parental background and family wealth among Swedish boys and girls.

Methods:

Data were collected from Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), a global cross-sectional survey for 1997/98, 2001/02, and 2005/06. A total of 11,972 boys and girls in grades 5, 7, and 9 participated in the study. The pupils were categorised in subgroups according to parental background: Swedish (80.0%), mixed (10.6%), and foreign (9.4%). Cluster analyses were used to identify HRB profiles. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to estimate associations between cluster allocation, parental background, and family affluence.

Results:

In total 11,232 pupils were identified and allocated to five cluster profiles, half of them in the cluster profile of low-risk behaviour. The most disadvantaged cluster was multiple HRB, which was characterised by high prevalence of smoking, drunkenness, low physical activity, and high soft-drink consumption. The cluster profile of multiple HRB was associated with both mixed background and foreign background in girls and with mixed background in boys. The cluster profile of inadequate tooth brushing was associated with foreign background in both boys and girls. The cluster profiles of multiple HRB and inadequate tooth brushing were associated with low family affluence in girls.

Conclusions:

The cluster profiles of multiple HRB and inadequate tooth brushing were associated with parental foreign extraction in boys and girls and with low family affluence in girls. Prevention programmes based on identified clusters of HRB, including consideration of impact of socio-demographic indicators, are needed.
Acute admissions to a community hospital: Experiences from Hallingdal sjukestugu
Authors: Lappegard Øystein , Hjortdahl Per
Published: July 2012

Aims:

Acute admissions to anywhere other than general hospitals are uncommon in Norway, but at Hallingdal sjukestugu, a community hospital in a rural district, this has been practiced for years. This article presents experiences from this practice.

Materials and methods:

Hallingdal sjukestugu is a decentralized, specialist healthcare service, under the administration and funding of Ringerike sykehus, the nearest general hospital, which is 170 km away. General practitioners under telephone supervision of the hospital specialists run the inpatient department. Six municipalities with 20,000 inhabitants make use of the community hospital. Statistics were obtained from the patient administration systems and from manual statistics continuously registered in 2009–10.

Results:

In 2009–10 the inpatient department, an intermediate care unit with 14 beds, had an average of 605 admissions a year, with a mean length of stay of 6.3 days. There were 455 acute admissions to Hallingdal sjukestugu. Forty per cent of these patients were younger than 67 and 36% were older than 80 years of age. Half were admitted for observation and half for treatment. The main diagnostic groups were infections, injuries and palliative care. Seventeen per cent of the acute admitted patients were later transferred to the general hospital for further work-up or treatment; 70% were discharged to their homes.

Conclusions:

The experiences from Hallingdal sjukestugu indicate that it is feasible to give a selected group of patients an alternative to acute admissions to a general hospital.
The Danish National Health Survey 2010. Study design and respondent characteristics
Authors: Christensen Anne Illemann , Ekholm Ola , Glümer Charlotte , Andreasen Anne Helms , Hvidberg Michael Falk , Kristensen Peter Lund , Larsen Finn Breinholt , Ortiz Britta , Juel Knud
Published: July 2012

Aims:

In 2010 the five Danish regions and the National Institute of Public Health at the University of Southern Denmark conducted a national representative health survey among the adult population in Denmark. This paper describes the study design and the sample and study population as well as the content of the questionnaire.

Methods:

The survey was based on five regional stratified random samples and one national random sample. The samples were mutually exclusive. A total of 298,550 individuals (16 years or older) were invited to participate. Information was collected using a mixed mode approach (paper and web questionnaires). A questionnaire with a minimum of 52 core questions was used in all six subsamples. Calibrated weights were computed in order to take account of the complex survey design and reduce non-response bias.

Results:

In all, 177,639 individuals completed the questionnaire (59.5%). The response rate varied from 52.3% in the Capital Region of Denmark sample to 65.5% in the North Denmark Region sample. The response rate was particularly low among young men, unmarried people and among individuals with a different ethnic background than Danish.

Conclusions:

The survey was a result of extensive national cooperation across sectors, which makes it unique in its field of application, e.g. health surveillance, planning and prioritizing public health initiatives and research. However, the low response rate in some subgroups of the study population can pose problems in generalizing data, and efforts to increase the response rate will be important in the forthcoming surveys.