bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immunohistochemical Profile of MYC Protein in Pediatric Small Round Blue Cell Tumors
Authors: Chisholm Karen M , Krishnan Chandra , Heerema-McKenney Amy , Natkunam Yasodha
Published: July 2017

Deregulation of MYC oncoprotein in cancers can result from multiple oncogenic mechanisms. Although MYC translocations define Burkitt lymphoma and MYC protein expression is a poor prognostic factor in undifferentiated neuroblastomas, the distribution of MYC protein (c-MYC) across other pediatric small round blue cell tumors (SRBCT) has not been well characterized. We undertook this study to assess MYC protein expression in a large cohort of pediatric lymphomas, sarcomas, and other SRBCT. Tissue microarrays containing 302 SRBCT were successfully evaluated by immunohistochemistry using anti-MYC clone Y69, with nuclear positivity scored as 0%, 1%–25%, 26%–50%, 51%–75%, or 76%–100%. MYC protein staining of >50% of lesional cells was identified in 60% of Burkitt lymphomas, 50% of B lymphoblastic lymphomas, 33% of T lymphoblastic lymphomas, 31% of rhabdomyosarcomas, 33% of Ewing sarcomas, and 25% of soft tissue sarcomas, not otherwise specified. Only 14% of neuroblastomas showed >50% staining, and of these, if known, MYCN was not amplified. No cases of Wilms tumor, synovial sarcoma, or desmoplastic small round cell tumor had >50% staining. Recurrences and metastases often had the same percentage of MYC staining (15/30). In conclusion, MYC protein exhibited variable expression across and within pediatric SRBCT subtypes. Overall, these findings provide a baseline for MYC expression in pediatric SRBCT and suggest that there may be multiple mechanisms of MYC upregulation in these different neoplasms.
Appendicular Biopsy in Total Colonic Aganglionosis
Authors: Mohanty Suravi , Kini Usha , Das Kanishka , Puttegowda Divya , Yadav Lokendra , Babu Manjally Kunjipapu , Mahadevappa Kiran , Kumar Prasanna , Mahadevaiah Shubha Attibele , Deb Mainak
Published: July 2017

Background

The reliability of intraoperative evaluation of ganglion cells in the appendix as a guide to a diagnosis of total colonic aganglionosis is unclear.

Objective

To evaluate the diagnostic utility of appendicular innervation in colonic Hirschsprung disease (HD) and TCA.

Methods

Prospective, systematic study of ganglion cells and the neural plexii in appendices from cases (HD and TCA) and age matched controls with frozen and paraffin sections, rapid acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and immunohistochemistry.

Results

A total of 48 appendices (28 controls, 20 cases; 19 frozen) were evaluated. Of these 48, 30 were neonates. Ganglion cell clusters were smaller in controls (28) and HD (6) than those in the rectum, distorted at places and mimicked lymphocytes and endothelial cells, especially in neonates. Complete study of 13 appendices in TCA showed absence of ganglion cells, hypertrophic nerves, AChE activity, and calretinin staining. In 2/13 TCA, an erroneous frozen section identification of ganglia was later corrected based on AChE histochemistry and a panel of IHC stains. Ileal biopsies guided the placement of a ganglionic ileostomy in all. One case each of skip segment aganglionosis in a TCA and variable hypoganglionosis in long segment colonic HD is reported.

Conclusion

Intraoperative characterization of appendicular innervation as a guide to the diagnosis of TCA is unreliable, in part because of the possibility of skip segment disease/variable hypoganglionosis. We propose terminal ileal biopsies for diagnosis and leveling of aganglionosis. AChE on frozen/calretinin on paraffin tissue is the best approach to avoid diagnostic errors.
Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Cell Hyperplasia in Hemoglobin Bart-induced Hydrops Fetalis
Authors: Taweevisit Mana , Theerasantipong Boochit , Taothong Kanlaya , Thorner Paul Scott
Published: July 2017

The pulmonary neuroendocrine system includes pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) and neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs) that are distributed throughout respiratory epithelium and regulate lung growth and maturation antenatally. Abnormalities in this system have been linked to many hypoxia-associated pediatric pulmonary disorders. Hemoglobin (Hb) Bart disease is a severe form of α-thalassemia resulting in marked intrauterine hypoxia with hydrops fetalis (HF) and usually death in utero. Affected fetuses can serve as a naturally occurring human model for the effects of intrauterine hypoxia, and we postulated that these effects should include changes in the pulmonary neuroendocrine system. Bombesin immunostaining was used to assess PNECs and NEBs in stillborn fetuses with Hb Bart HF ( n = 16) and with HF from other causes ( n = 14) in comparison to non-HF controls. Hb Bart HF showed a significant increase in the proportion of PNECs in respiratory epithelium ( P = .002), mean number of NEB nuclei ( P = .03), and mean size of NEBs ( P = .002), compared to normal non-HF controls. Significant differences were not observed between HF due to other causes and non-HF controls with normal lungs. Non-HF controls with pulmonary hypoplasia showed significant increases in PNECs compared to HF cases not due to Hb Bart HF, implying HF alone does not cause such increases. In contrast, no significant differences were noted between non-HF controls with pulmonary hypoplasia and Hb Bart cases. Hb Bart HF may provide a useful model for studying the pulmonary neuroendocrine system under chronic intrauterine hypoxia.
BCOR-CCNB3 Undifferentiated Sarcoma—Does Immunohistochemistry Help in the Identification?
Authors: Ludwig Kathrin , Alaggio Rita , Zin Angelica , Peron Marica , Guzzardo Vincenza , Benini Stefania , Righi Alberto , Gambarotti Marco
Published: July 2017

Recent methodology has enabled the identification of some new genetic subgroups within the melting pot of lesions presently classified by the 2013 WHO classification as “undifferentiated/unclassified sarcomas”. One of these subgroups is characterized by a paracentric inversion of the X chromosome with consequent formation of a BCOR-CCNB3 fusion. Clinical and pathological features of these tumors overlap with the Ewing sarcoma family as well as other soft tissue sarcomas, thus making them difficult to diagnose. To investigate the morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of BCOR-CCNB3 positive sarcoma, we reviewed two sarcoma series, comprising 632 and 121 cases. The 11 tumors harboring the BCOR-CCNB3 fusion, identified by CCNB3 immunohistochemistry and/or RT-PCR, were reevaluated for morphological characteristics and further immunohistochemical investigations for CCNB3, SATB2, and Pax8 were performed. Tumors harboring a BCOR-CCNB3 fusion (11/753) occured exclusively in males, with a mean age at diagnosis of 12.9 years, and were mainly axially located. In this group of either spindled or round cell tumors, vesicular nuclei with finely dispersed chromatin, inconspicuous nucleoli and an arciform vascular pattern were pathognomonic. More than 50% of cases stained positive for SATB2 and Pax8, raising the hypothesis of a potential use of these markers in the identification of BCOR-CCNB3 positive undifferentiated/unclassified sarcomas. CCNB3 was confirmed as a useful ancillary immunohistochemical marker.
Challenging Perceptions of “Straight”: Heterosexual Men Who Have Sex with Men and the Cultural Politics of Sexual Identity Categories
Authors: Persson Asha , Newman Christy E. , Manolas Pene , Holt Martin , Callander Denton , Gordon Tina , de Wit John
Published: July 2017

Research shows that some heterosexually identified men engage in sex with men; however, they remain largely hidden and little understood. Despite long-standing scholarly recognition that sexual identity and orientation do not always neatly coincide, the culturally normative heterosexual/homosexual binary tends to shape mainstream perceptions of such men as well as render them invisible in sexual health systems reliant on stable sexual identity categories. This invisibility, in turn, perpetuates the fiction of the binary. We explore perspectives on heterosexually identified men who have sex with men, drawing on recent research literature and on qualitative interviews with “key informants” in the Australian sexual health field who have frontline knowledge of these men. We consider the limitations of inventing a label to “encapsulate” these diverse men but also the significance of finding a language that meaningfully acknowledges their sexual realities and highlights heterosexuality as more varied and fluid than social attitudes and traditional sexual identity categories permit.
Effects of sedation with dexmedetomidine and buprenorphine on echocardiographic variables, blood pressure and heart rate in healthy cats
Authors: Johard Einar , Tidholm Anna , Ljungvall Ingrid , Häggström Jens , Höglund Katja
Published: July 2017

Objectives

Sedative agents are occasionally used to enable echocardiographic examination when screening cats for heart disease, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Owing to their haemodynamic effects, sedative agents may alter echocardiographic measurements. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of the sedative combination dexmedetomidine and buprenorphine on echocardiographic variables, blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in healthy cats.

Methods

Fifty healthy, client-owned cats were prospectively recruited and included after physical examination. Cats were sedated intramuscularly with dexmedetomidine and buprenorphine, according to body weight. Blood pressure and HR measurements, echocardiographic and Doppler examinations were performed prior to sedation and repeated once cats had achieved acceptable sedation.

Results

Left ventricular internal diameter at end-diastole and systole, right ventricular internal diameter at end-diastole, left atrium (LA), pulmonary artery (PA) deceleration time, and systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure increased after sedation ( P ⩽0.022). Aortic and PA maximum velocity, fractional shortening, PA acceleration/deceleration time and HR decreased after sedation ( P <0.0001). Interventricular septum at end-diastole and systole, left ventricular posterior wall at end-diastole and systole, aortic diameter (Ao), left atrial/aortic diameter (LA/Ao) and pulmonic acceleration time did not change.

Conclusions and relevance

Blood pressure increased and HR decreased post-sedation. While wall thickness and LA/Ao were not affected by sedation, indices of LA and left ventricular size increased. Further studies are needed using cats with HCM to assess the effect of this sedative combination on HCM screening results.
“Living in a Holy City Is Work”: God’s Work as the Work of Urban Place
Authors: Shani Noga , Aharon-Gutman Meirav
Published: July 2017

This article tackles a gap in our understanding of holy cities by proposing an approach that accommodates both the centrality of these cities in a religious sense and their socioeconomic peripherality from state-capitalist system perspective. Through the combined use of urban survey and ethnographic fieldwork in the case of the holy city of Safed, this article understands “center” and “periphery” not as dichotomous notions but as relational concepts that are mutually constitutive by Avodat Hamakom, a Hebrew-language concept with a double meaning that turns on the two different meanings of the word Makom—that of “place” and one of the many names for God in the Jewish tradition. So the performance of “God’s work” is the work of urban place. Avodat Hamakom strengthens the city as a religious center and simultaneously limits the ability of individuals to enter the labor market, so it brings the city to be a peripheral city in the socioeconomic sense. Adopting a critical way of thinking, this article aims to enrich our understanding of the notion of “work” and its dialectical impact on the construction of urban space.
Cross-media within the Facebook newsfeed
Authors: Mathieu David , Pavlíčková Tereza
Published: July 2017

This study investigates the role of interpretation in cross-media uses. Highlighting the specificity of cross-media uses within meta-media environments such as Facebook, we argue that interpretative processes play a crucial role in the formation of cross-media repertoires. The methodology relies on a reception analysis for which we conducted interviews with eleven expatriates using Facebook on a daily basis, in conjunction with a commented consultation of their newsfeed. In the analysis, we show that reading Facebook’s newsfeed is an activity that contributes to the construction of the user’s mediated lifeworld. Schutz’s phenomenological approach allows us to explore how users develop reading strategies to typify their experience of the social world within Facebook, to maintain the relevance of their newsfeed and to negotiate the technological features of Facebook, shedding light on how users assemble their cross-mediated experience within meta-media.
Networked publics and the organizing of collective action on Twitter: Examining the #Freebassel campaign
Authors: Wang Rong , Chu Kar-Hai
Published: July 2017

This study applied collective action theories and network theories to examine the information sharing patterns among Twitter users to obtain sociopolitical legitimacy of their collective goal. The role of Twitter in facilitating private–public boundary crossing was defined in relation to main challenges of collective action. The hypotheses and research question were examined using Twitter data collected from an online campaign, which was created to bring about the release of a detained Syrian activist. Network analysis results showed significant geographic homophily effect, that is, participants located in the same region tended to share information with each other. In addition, the results indicated that more influential Twitter users tended to connect with less influential users to help spread information on the movement. Further content analysis showed that to better mobilize potential collective action participants, Twitter users utilized strategies to draw attention from citizen news media organizations, nonprofit advocacy organizations, public figures, and corporations.
An Economic Evaluation of the Highlands and Islands Teledentistry Project
Authors: Scuffham P A , Steed M
Published: July 2017

A 12-month trial of teledentistry was conducted in two general dental practices (one in the Orkney Islands and one in the Scottish Highlands at Kingussie). The dental practices had a PC-based videoconferencing link, connected by ISDN at 128 kbit/s, to a restorative specialist at a hospital in Aberdeen. Twenty-five patients were recruited into the trial. A cost-minimization analysis was undertaken by comparing the costs of teledentistry with two alternatives: outreach visits, where the specialist regularly visited the remote communities, and hospital visits, where patients in remote communities travelled to hospital for consultation. For Orkney patients, dental teleconsultations cost the National Health Service (NHS) an additional £36 per patient compared with outreach visits, but cost-savings of £270 per patient could be achieved compared with hospital visits. For Kingussie patients, teleconsultations cost the NHS an additional £44 and there were cost-savings of £1.54 compared with outreach visits and hospitals visits, respectively. However, patients incurred additional costs for radiographs and photographs, and the general dental practitioner incurred additional preparation time costs. When the value of patient time was included, there were cost-savings of around £900 per Orkney patient compared with hospital visits, but compared with outreach visits teledentistry cost an additional £180 per patient. Based on the trial data, there were no cost-savings from teledentistry for Kingussie patients, even when the value of time was included. These results were relatively robust in a sensitivity analysis. However, we estimated that the cost-effectiveness of teledentistry would improve with greater familiarity and use of equipment. Benefits and cost-savings would be greatest in island or remote communities, where patients have to travel long distances to hospital for specialist consultations.
Automatic Voice Mail for Delivering Computer-Generated Anticoagulant Dose Advice to Patients
Authors: Cervi Paul L , Everitt Anthony S
Published: July 2017

We tested an automated system which imported computer-generated clinical data on a patient's anticoagulant medication and produced conversational voice mail messages that were dialled out automatically to patients at home. During the first 18 months of use, more than 30,000 reports were delivered by telephone. The client population was 1755 patients, 51% of whom were aged over 70 years. The telephone system was used by 1419 of the patients (81 %) and 336 (19%) were classified as non-users. The most common reasons for non-use were: inability to use the telephone (6.8%), not having a tone-dial telephone (required to access the automated system) (5.2%) and hearing impairment (3.6%). An opinion survey confirmed a high degree of user satisfaction with the service. Eighty-five per cent of patients using the telephone system received their result by 19:30 — in time to influence the same day's dose. We made operational savings of £5000 per annum in comparison with the postal method of delivering results. The system successfully helped our laboratory to deliver large quantities of computed data rapidly and safely to a vulnerable patient population in an acceptable way.
The Challenge and Importance of Defining Critical Limb Ischemia
Authors: Carter Stefan A
Published: July 2017

Patients with critical limb ischemia are at risk of limb loss and have very high cardiovascular and total mortality rates, which are greater than can be accounted for by the usual risk factors for atherosclerosis. A definition of critical ischemia is necessary to determine the natural history of the disease and to assess and compare the efficacy of various forms of therapy. The definition needs to be based on hemodynamic criteria because clinical manifestations and outcomes are not reliable. The reasons for the difficulties in arriving at a generally acceptable definition are explored. Building on the previous work of others, modified hemodynamic definitions for critical and subcritical ischemia, which include measurements of pressures and of indices of microcirculation, are proposed.
A Case of Scurvy Rarely Encountered in Japan
Authors: Haraguchi Goh , Yamada Shinpei , Tanaka Mamoru , Hashimoto Yuji , Kakuta Tsunekazu , Kishi Yukio , Maruyama Yoshiaki , Numano Fujio
Published: July 2017

We report a case of scurvy, which is rarely encountered in Japan. A 75-year-old male was hospitalized with diffuse subcutaneous hemorrhaging of both feet, pain on walking, and shortness of breath. A remarkably low serum level of vitamin C was confirmed. Administration of ascorbic acid dramatically improved his clinical symptoms. Improvement paralleled the increase of serum vitamin C level. This case underscores the important role of vitamin C on the integrity function of the vessel wall.
‘My coming out story’: Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth identities on YouTube
Authors: Lovelock Michael
Published: July 2017

Videos in which young lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people discuss their experiences of coming out are highly visible on YouTube. While work from Cultural Studies perspectives has long explored how LGB youth construct and articulate their identities online, few studies have focused on YouTube. Through a study of 35 YouTube coming out videos, this article argues that through these texts, LGB youth are able to articulate what it feels like to be queer in a straight world, and produce and circulate strategies for negotiating a contemporary cultural context defined by increased visibility of LGB identities, alongside the continued dominance of heteronormativity. These strategies, I argue, correspond with broader imperatives to ‘authentic’ self-representation which traverse contemporary social life, and which are emblematised in practices of YouTube video production. As such, YouTube coming out videos offer a unique vantage for exploring how the medium specificities of YouTube, and broader norms of selfhood, shape how LGB identities become intelligible in the digital arena.
When outgroup negativity trumps ingroup positivity: Fans of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees place greater value on rival losses than own-team gains
Authors: Lehr Steven A. , Ferreira Meghan L. , Banaji Mahzarin R.
Published: July 2017

Much research suggests that ingroup positivity is more central than outgroup negativity. We argue that this conclusion is incomplete as a description of the totality of intergroup emotions. In 4 studies, we use a novel measure of willingness to pay for intergroup gains and losses to examine the intergroup emotions of fans of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Results indicate that pleasure from a powerful rival’s losses can outstrip that from gains of one’s own group (Studies 1–2), and these patterns extend into domains not immediately relevant to the competition (Studies 3–4). A reversal in the competitive position of the two teams in the 2012–2013 season allowed us to examine whether fluctuations in competitive status moderated this pattern (Studies 3–4). Indeed, fans of the rival teams frequently valued outgroup losses more than ingroup gains, and this effect was particularly strong when one’s own team was behind in the rivalry.
Gender equality, value violations, and prejudice toward Muslims
Authors: Moss Aaron J. , Blodorn Alison , Van Camp Amanda R. , O’Brien Laurie T.
Published: July 2017

Why are people prejudiced toward Muslims? In this research, we used a value violation framework to predict that when people believe Muslims value gender equality less than reference groups, it creates a value violation that leads to prejudice. In Study 1, people believed that Muslims value gender equality less than Christians, and the more people believed that Muslims do not value gender equality, the more they reported prejudice toward Muslims. In Study 2, we manipulated perceptions of how much Muslims value gender equality by giving people evidence that Muslims either do or do not support women’s rights. Afterward, we measured people’s prejudice toward Muslims and desire for social distance. Telling people that Muslims value gender equality reduced both prejudice and the desire for social distance. These effects occurred by increasing people’s beliefs that they share values with Muslims, highlighting the importance of values as a source of prejudice.
Local buckling behavior of high strength steel welded I-section flexural members under uniform moment
Authors: Shi Yongjiu , Xu Kelong , Shi Gang , Li Yixin
Published: July 2017

Flexural tests on full-scale I-section beams built up from Q460 and Q890 high strength steel subjected to uniform moment about their major axis were carried out in this article to investigate the effects of geometric and material properties on the local buckling behavior. Failure modes, load–displacement responses, load–strain curves, critical local buckling loads, ultimate resistances, and rotation capacities of the specimens were studied. Then the test results were compared with the design results from current specifications to examine the appropriateness of extrapolating current design method to high strength steel flexural member. Three-dimensional finite element models were established and validated against the experimental results accounting for material nonlinearity, initial geometric imperfections, and welding-induced residual stresses. A parametric study was performed using the validated finite element model, which revealed the variation of normalized ultimate moment with interactive plate slenderness. And the comparisons between parametric analysis results, test results, and design results from ANSI/AISC 360-10 and Eurocode 3 were conducted.
Compression performance of thin-walled square steel tube/bamboo plywood composite hollow columns with binding bars
Authors: Zhao Weifeng , Zhou Jing , Long Zhilin , Peng Wanxi
Published: July 2017

A new type of thin-walled steel tube/bamboo plywood hollow composite column with binding bars was developed in which transverse binding bars were used as reinforcement. The compression performance of 12 specimens was tested to examine the failure modes of the steel tube/bamboo plywood hollow composite column with binding bars, and the influences of the slenderness ratio, the net cross-sectional area of the bamboo plywood, the load eccentricity distance, and the binding bars on the ultimate load-bearing capacity were analyzed. The results indicated that the compression failure modes of the steel tube/bamboo plywood hollow composite column with binding bars were mainly bamboo plywood material failure and debonding failure of the adhesion interface; the ultimate bearing capacity of the steel tube/bamboo plywood hollow composite column with binding bars increased with an increasing net cross-sectional area of the bamboo plywood and decreased with an increasing slenderness ratio and eccentricity distance. Transverse binding bars were introduced to ensure the integrity of the composite column, to effectively reduce the debonding failure of the adhesion interface, to change the life-limiting damage mode, and to significantly improve the load-bearing capacity of the steel tube/bamboo plywood hollow composite column with binding bars. Finite element numerical simulations were performed to extend the influential factor analysis based on the test results. Furthermore, based on a non-linear regression analysis of the experimental data, a model for calculating the load-bearing capacity was formulated to determine the allowable compressive capacity of an steel tube/bamboo plywood hollow composite column with binding bar for engineering applications.
Appraisal of the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire in a perinatal cohort: The APrON study
Authors: Leung Brenda , Letourneau Nicole , Bright Katherine , Giesbrecht Gerald F. , Ntanda Henry , Gagnon Lisa ,   The APrON Team
Published: July 2017

Background: Depression and anxiety are routinely screened as part of perinatal care. However, other Axis 1 disorders and specific anxiety disorders are less likely to be screened or assessed as part of obstetric care. The objective of this study was to determine whether the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire (PDSQ) is a potentially useful tool to screen for psychiatric conditions in pregnant and postpartum women in a community setting. Methods: We compared the prevalence of DSM Axis I disorders obtained on the PDSQ with: (1) the prevalence of these disorders reported in previous studies of pregnant and postpartum women, and (2) scores obtained on the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90R) anxiety scale. Data were obtained from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study. Results: The PDSQ was completed by 1575 women prenatally and 1481 postnatally. The three most prevalent PDSQ conditions were social phobia, somatic disorder, and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). The prevalence of social phobia, alcohol disorder, OCD and psychosis were higher in the APrON cohort compared with statistics in the literature. The proportion of women meeting depression and anxiety cut-offs on the PDSQ were lower than for the EPDS and the SCL-90R. The Cohens Kappa index ( k) indicated poor to fair agreement between the measures in classifying pregnant women as depressed or anxious. Conclusions: The PDSQ subscales may not be appropriate for the pregnant population. Research into instruments more specific to pregnant and postpartum women are needed to determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in this population.
On the use of the term ‘translation’ in journalism studies
Authors: Valdeón Roberto A
Published: July 2017

Starting from the consolidation of journalistic translation as a subarea of research within translation studies and the calls for interdisciplinary approaches to the analysis of news texts, this article interrogates the lack of interaction between translation and journalism studies by examining the use of the term ‘translation’ in the latter. After providing the definition in two general dictionaries and in translation studies reference works, the article explores how ‘translation’ is used in a corpus of 186 articles written by journalism studies scholars. The results show that these researchers use ‘translation’ to refer to linguistic transfer as well as to other more general transformations. The study also demonstrates that ‘transediting’, widely used in journalistic translation research, does not appear in the publications by journalism studies scholars.
Revisiting reciprocity in international volunteering
Authors: Lough Benjamin J. , Oppenheim Willy
Published: July 2017

This article critically examines reciprocity in international volunteering. It first highlights tensions and unintended consequences that can emerge when pursuing reciprocal relationships between host-country partners and international volunteers or volunteer-sending organizations. It then reconsiders how to determine equal or fair distribution of benefits between stakeholders when some benefits are material and some are intangible. It then presents a typology of different modalities of reciprocity practiced or aspired to by contemporary international volunteer organizations. The article aims to provoke more nuanced consideration of when, if or under what conditions different forms of reciprocity may be possible or even desirable.
With faith in development: Organizing transnational Islamic charity
Authors: Borchgrevink Kaja , Erdal Marta Bivand
Published: July 2017

This article examines the different roles religion can play when migrants organize for development. We focus on organizing for development, through transnational Islamic charity, formally and informally, and where religion takes on explicit or implicit roles. By taking Muslim religious practices as starting points, different forms of development engagements are revealed, than if starting with a focus on so-called ‘faith-based organizations’ (FBOs). Whereas religion is often seen instrumentally in development studies, we find that the roles of religion are not only functional, but also substantive and relational. The article draws on qualitative data collected in Norway, Pakistan and the UK.
Analysis of the effects of wall temperature swing on reciprocating internal combustion engine processes
Authors: Andruskiewicz Peter , Najt Paul , Durrett Russell , Biesboer Scott , Schaedler Tobias , Payri Raul
Published: July 2017

A thermal wall temperature swing model was built to capture the transient effects of various material properties and coating layers on the intra-cycle wall temperature of an internal combustion engine. This model was used with a thermodynamic engine simulation to predict and analyze the effects of different types of in-cylinder insulation on engine performance. Coatings that allow the surface temperature to swing in response to the gas’ cyclical heat flux enable approximately 1/3 of the energy that was prevented from leaving the gas during expansion to be recovered while improving volumetric efficiency. Reductions in compression work due to better volumetric efficiency and less heat transfer from the walls to the gas accounted for half of the improvements, while additional work extraction during combustion and expansion accounted for the other half. As load increases, the temperature swing and benefits derived from it also increase. NSFC improvements of 0.5% to 1% were seen with a highly swinging coating in the throttled regime for a realistic engine geometry and coating area, up to 2.5% at high loads.
Tracing and archiving ‘constructed’ data on Facebook pages and groups: reflections on fieldwork among young activists in Zimbabwe and South Africa
Authors: Mare Admire
Published: July 2017

This study triangulates offline and online research methods to examine how and why young activists in Zimbabwe and South Africa use Facebook for political purposes. It demonstrates that like traditional participant observation, which was popularized by classical anthropologists, algorithmically ‘occurring’ data gathered through social media ethnography provides some of the richest information to burrow into the everyday political lives of young activists (who are generally presented in mainstream literature as having disengaged from traditional forms of political participation). Building on Postill and Pink’s (2012) typology of social media ethnography, this study proposes a seven stage criteria for conducting online participant observation on Facebook in the era of data ‘deluge’. These stages include: background listening, friending/liking, interacting, observing, catching up, exploring, and archiving. Based on the author’s multi-sited fieldwork experiences in Zimbabwe and South Africa, this study argues that online like offline participant observation has context specific methodological dilemmas which require innovative flexibility and ethical sensitivity on the part of the qualitative researcher. It also discusses various ethical dilemmas which the author encountered during the multi-sited fieldwork as well practical strategies other researchers can use for delurking, archiving and safeguarding participants’ privacy and confidentiality.
The effect of nurse-to-patient ratios on nurse-sensitive patient outcomes in acute specialist units: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Driscoll Andrea , Grant Maria J , Carroll Diane , Dalton Sally , Deaton Christi , Jones Ian , Lehwaldt Daniela , McKee Gabrielle , Munyombwe Theresa , Astin Felicity
Published: July 2017

Background:

Nurses are pivotal in the provision of high quality care in acute hospitals. However, the optimal dosing of the number of nurses caring for patients remains elusive. In light of this, an updated review of the evidence on the effect of nurse staffing levels on patient outcomes is required.

Aim:

To undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the association between nurse staffing levels and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes in acute specialist units.

Methods:

Nine electronic databases were searched for English articles published between 2006 and 2017. The primary outcomes were nurse-sensitive patient outcomes.

Results:

Of 3429 unique articles identified, 35 met the inclusion criteria. All were cross-sectional and the majority utilised large administrative databases. Higher staffing levels were associated with reduced mortality, medication errors, ulcers, restraint use, infections, pneumonia, higher aspirin use and a greater number of patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention within 90 minutes. A meta-analysis involving 175,755 patients, from six studies, admitted to the intensive care unit and/or cardiac/cardiothoracic units showed that a higher nurse staffing level decreased the risk of inhospital mortality by 14% (0.86, 95% confidence interval 0.79–0.94). However, the meta-analysis also showed high heterogeneity (I2=86%).

Conclusion:

Nurse-to-patient ratios influence many patient outcomes, most markedly inhospital mortality. More studies need to be conducted on the association of nurse-to-patient ratios with nurse-sensitive patient outcomes to offset the paucity and weaknesses of research in this area. This would provide further evidence for recommendations of optimal nurse-to-patient ratios in acute specialist units.
Anxiety and self-care behaviour in patients with chronic systolic heart failure: A multivariate model
Authors: Müller-Tasch Thomas , Löwe Bernd , Lossnitzer Nicole , Frankenstein Lutz , Täger Tobias , Haass Markus , Katus Hugo , Schultz Jobst-Hendrik , Herzog Wolfgang
Published: July 2017

Background:

While comprehensive evidence exists regarding negative effects of depression on self-care behaviours in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), the relation between anxiety and self-care behaviours in patients with CHF is not clear. The aim of this study was to analyse the interactions between anxiety, depression and self-care behaviours in patients with CHF.

Methods:

The self-care behaviour of CHF outpatients was measured using the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale (EHFScBS). The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) was used to assess anxiety, the PHQ-9 was used to measure depression severity. Differences between patients with and without anxiety were assessed with the respective tests. Associations between anxiety, self-care and other predictors were analysed using linear regressions.

Results:

Of the 308 participating patients, 35 (11.4%) fulfilled the PHQ criteria for an anxiety disorder. These patients took antidepressants more frequently (11.8% versus 2.3%, p = .02), had had more contacts with their general practitioner within the last year (11.8 ± 16.1 versus 6.7 ± 8.6, p = .02), and had a higher PHQ-9 depression score (12.9 ± 5.7 versus 6.5 ± 4.7, p < .01) than patients without anxiety disorder. Anxiety and self-care were negatively associated (ß = −0.144, r2 = 0.021, p = 0.015). The explanation of variance was augmented in a multivariate regression with the predictors age, sex, education, living with a partner, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class ( r2 = 0.098) when anxiety was added ( r2 = 0.112). Depression further increased the explanation of variance (ß = −0.161, r2 = 0.131, p = 0.019).

Conclusions:

Anxiety is negatively associated with self-care behaviour in patients with CHF. However, this effect disappears behind the stronger influence of depression on self-care. The consideration of mental comorbidities in patients with CHF is important.
Romantic Love and Family Organization
Authors: de Munck Victor , Korotayev Andre , McGreevey Jennifer
Published: July 2017

We propose that romantic love is a biosocial phenomenon that may well be a universal and that its cultural aspects are a product of social conditions. This position is unique because romantic love is promoted as a cultural rather than social universal. We argue that culture, social, and psychological phenomena are too frequently conflated and their core definitional features underdefined by researchers. Culture refers to learned practices that have collectively shared meanings to the members of a society. Under social conditions in which romantic love does not confer reproductive and health advantages to a mother and child, it will often be suppressed, undeveloped, and rejected as a cultural component. Through a cross-cultural study, we show that female status and family organization are important features that help in regulating the sociocultural importance of romantic love as a basis for marriage.
The problem of rational moral enlistment
Authors: Tillson John
Published: July 2017

How can one bring children to recognize the requirements of morality without resorting only to non-rational means of persuasion (i.e. what rational ground can be offered to children for their moral enlistment)? Michael Hand has recently defended a foundationalist approach to answering this question and John White has responded by a) criticizing Hand’s solution to the Problem of Rational Moral Enlistment, and b) attempting to circumvent the problem by suggesting a Humean route which understands moral enlistment as grounded in sentiment. While I do not accept Hand’s preferred solution to the Problem of Rational Moral Enlistment, I am also unpersuaded by White’s attempt to circumvent it. Instead, making use of work by Ben Spiecker and Jan Steutel, I attempt a different solution to the Problem of Rational Moral Enlistment – one appealing to reflective equilibrium rather than to ethical foundationalism as Hand’s does. Whereas Hand hopes to ground rational moral enlistment in a single, self-evident foundational justification of some moral standards, I instead hope to facilitate rational moral enlistment through a rational procedure which starts with students’ existing moral commitments and attempts to revise or expand them through a certain kind of critical reflection.
No-excuses for character: A critique of character education in no-excuses charter schools
Authors: Dishon Gideon , Goodman Joan F.
Published: July 2017

The ‘no-excuses’ model of education has become one of the most prominent educational alternatives for urban youth. Recently, notable no-excuses charter schools have begun a concerted effort to develop students’ character strengths, striving to increase their chances of future success. In this article, we situate the no-excuses approach in the context of two prototypical positions in the history of character education: the ‘Traditional’ approach, stressing habit formation and the inculcation of virtuous character traits, and the ‘Progressive’ approach, dedicated to autonomous reasoning in determining moral codes. We identify two central limitations of the no-excuses approach. First, it combines incompatible components from both positions: the Traditional emphasis on a meticulous management of student conduct, together with the Progressive aspiration to cultivate autonomous decision-making. Second, while both Traditionalists and Progressives strive to develop character in light of moral values or principles, the no-excuses model is characterized by an instrumentalist conceptualization of character strengths as means towards achieving the goal of college completion. Consequently, this approach compromises the two central mechanisms that support the internalization of character strengths – practice in autonomous decision-making, and habituation in the service of principles. These shortcomings are further accentuated by the vast divergences between the no-excuses setting and future contexts in which character strengths are to be applied.
Evidence for an Atrial Natriuretic Peptide–-Like Gene in Plants
Authors: Vesely Matthew D. , Gower William R. , Perez-Lamboy Gloria , Overton Rose M. , Graddy Logan , Vesely David L.
Published: July 2017

The presence of a gene found in the animal kingdom expressing a peptide hormonal system in plants has never been demonstrated. However, there is at least one potential hormonal system in plants (i.e., the atrial natriuretic peptide–-like hormonal system) based upon high-performance gel permeation chromatography and radioimmunoassay evidence. In plants, atrial natriuretic–like peptides enhance the flow of water up stems to leaves and flowers. The present investigation was designed to determine within plants the presence of the atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) gene as defined by Southern blot hydridization, indicating the presence of the ANP gene sequence, and by Northern blots assessing the ability of this gene to express ANP prohormone mRNA. Southern blots of English ivy (Hedra helix) genomic DNA revealed that the ANP gene sequence was present in its roots, stems, and leaves. Northern blot analysis of total plant RNA isolated from leaves, roots, and stems of Hedra helix revealed a single 0.85-kilobase prohormone ANP transcript in stems similar to that detected in rat heart. Semiquantitative analysis suggested that ANP gene expression was less in English ivy compared with that of rat heart atria but similar to the amount found in extra atrial rat tissues when corrected for total RNA when quantitated by 2D scanning. The demonstration of the ANP gene sequences and expression of the ANP-like gene in plants suggests that plants and animals may have evolved much more similarly than previously thought.
Dietary Zinc Supplementation Inhibits NFκB Activation and Protects Against Chemically Induced Diabetes in CD1 Mice
Authors: Ho Emily , Quan Ning , Tsai Yu-Hwai , Lai Weimin , Bray Tammy M.
Published: July 2017

Zinc status in patients with Type I diabetes is significantly lower than healthy controls. Whether zinc supplementation can prevent the onset of Type I diabetes is unknown. Recent studies have suggested that the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a cause of β cell death leading to Type I diabetes. In addition, we found that activation of NFκB (a ROS-sensitive transcription factor that regulates immune responses) may be the key cellular process that bridges oxidative stress and the death of β cells. Zinc is a known antioxidant in the immune system. Therefore, this study is designed to test whether an increase in dietary zinc can prevent the onset of Type I diabetes by blocking NFκB activation in the pancreas. The results show that high zinc intake significantly reduced the severity of Type I diabetes (based on hyperglycemia, insulin level, and Islet morphology) in alloxan and streptozotocin-induced diabetic models. Zinc supplementation also inhibited NFκB activation and decreased the expression of inducible NO synthase, a downstream target gene of NFκB. It is concluded that zinc supplementation can significantly inhibit the development of Type I diabetes. The ability of zinc to modulate NFκB activation in the diabetogenic pathway may be the key mechanism for zinc's Protective effect. Inhibition of the NFκB pathway may prove to be an important criterion for choosing nutritional strategies for Type I diabetes prevention.
Effects of Aging on Luteinizing Hormone Secretion, Ovulation, and Ovarian Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator Expression
Authors: LaPolt Philip S. , Lu John K.H.
Published: July 2017

This study examined the effects of aging on LH surge magnitude, ovulation, and ovarian expression of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), a protease implicated in follicular rupture. While mean LH levels and ovulation rates were similar in middle-aged cyclic and young groups, there was a significant correlation between peak LH levels and ovulation rates in individual rats, such that females with lower LH surges ovulated fewer ova. In a separate experiment, proestrous LH levels were characterized in young and middle-aged rats, followed by in situ hybridization analysis of ovarian tPA mRNA. In young proestrous rats, tPA expression was observed in thecal-interstitial cells and oocytes, but not granulosa cells, prior to the LH surge. After the LH surge, there was a marked increase in tPA mRNA levels in granulosa cells of preovulatory, but not smaller follicles, peaking at 0200 hr estrus. By 0500 hr estrus, ovarian tPA expression declined, and ovulation had occurred. In contrast, LH-induced follicular tPA mRNA levels were dramatically lower in middle-aged rats with attenuated LH surges, and persisting preovulatory follicles were common in ovaries of these females on estrus morning. These findings suggest that age-related declines in ovulatory function result in part from altered induction of ovarian tPA expression, likely due to decreased proestrous LH secretion.
Superantigens: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Authors: Torres Barbara A. , Kominsky Scott , Perrin George Q. , Hobeika Amy C. , Johnson Howard M.
Published: July 2017

Increasing evidence suggests that superantigens play a role in Immune-mediated diseases. Superantigens are potent activators of CD4*T cells, causing rapid and massive proliferation of cells and cytokine production. This characteristic of superantigens can be exploited in diseases where strong immunologic responses are required, such as in the B16F10 animal model of melanoma. Superantigen administration is able to significantly enhance Ineffective anti-tumor Immune responses, resulting in potent and long-lived protective anti-tumor immunity. However, superantigens are more well-known for the role they play in diseases. Studies using an animal model for neurologic demy-elinatlng diseases such as multiple sclerosis show that superantigens can induce severe relapses and activate auto-reactive T cells not involved in the Initial bout of disease. This may also involve epitope spreading of disease. Superantigens have also been implicated in acute diseases such as food poisoning and TSS, and in chronic diseases such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. Viral superantigens are also involved in the disease process, including superantigens derived from human Immunodeficiency virus and mouse mammary tumor virus. Finally, immunotherapies that ameliorate the role played by superantigens in disease are discussed.