bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advancing gender equality in the construction sector through public procurement: Making effective use of responsive regulation
Authors: Wright Tessa , Conley Hazel
Published: March 2018

Labour market segregation continues to be a major barrier to gender equality, with the construction industry an example of a particularly male-dominated sector. Drawing on evidence from the Women into Construction project, established to increase women’s opportunities to work on the construction of London’s Olympic Park, the article argues that public procurement is a potentially powerful tool for breaking down gender segregation. This is particularly effective when new forms of responsive and reflexive legislation require private sector contractors to achieve social objectives. The authors argue that this could be made more effective through greater powers of engagement for stakeholders, including trade unions.
Religious and social commitment of the Bulgarian Roma migrants in Spain
Authors: Slavkova Magdalena
Published: March 2018

This paper is configured as an ethnographic discussion on the religious and social ties of different Roma/Gypsy communities from Bulgaria within their post-socialist labour migrations to Spain. It aims to add new fieldwork results and interpretations to the lacuna of studies on the interrelations between faith and migration. Most publications show the specificity of Roma economic activities in the context of their migratory movements, but the role of religious network and its social commitment is a less analysed issue. Roma migrants have different religious profile and are Orthodox Christians, Muslims, or Evangelical Christians. Bearing in mind the religious landscapes in Bulgaria and Spain, which are predominantly Orthodox or Catholic, respectively, all migrant workers have left from an Orthodox home country and settled in a Catholic destination country. The text examines Roma mobility from the early 1990s until today. While settling in Spain, Roma/Gypsies present themselves to Spanish people as ‘Bulgarians’ and they are often recognised by them in this way. In the period prior to Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union in 2007 most Roma migrants had no residence or work permits or neither. In some cases, they benefited from the services of the ‘Caritas’ Catholic organisation. However, they are not influenced by Catholicism as a faith and have only pragmatic aims in using its services. In this dynamic context, the social ties created on the basis of joining a particular religious community acquire importance for Evangelical believers, unlike the Orthodox Christians and the Muslims who rely on their family contacts mostly. Evangelical networks have a double accumulation effect and the believers employ both bridging and bonding social ties in producing their religious and social commitment. However, the social potential of the Evangelical networks is not fully used by Roma migrants in Spain.
N-Acetylcysteine rapidly replenishes central nervous system glutathione measured via magnetic resonance spectroscopy in human neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
Authors: Moss Hunter G , Brown Truman R , Wiest Donald B , Jenkins Dorothea D
Published: March 2018

Persistent oxidative stress depletes reduced glutathione (GSH), an intracellular antioxidant and an important determinant of CNS injury after hypoxia ischemia. We used standard, short echo time Stimulated Echo Acquisition Mode (STEAM) to detect GSH by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in 24 term neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), on day of life 5–6, after rewarming from therapeutic hypothermia. MRS demonstrated reliable, consistent GSH of 1·64 ± 0·20 mM in the basal ganglia immediately before intravenous infusion of N-acetylcysteine. N-acetylcysteine resulted in a rapid and significant GSH increase to 1·93 ± 0.23 mM within 12–30 min after completion of infusion ( n = 21, p < 0.0001, paired t-test), compared with those who did not receive N-acetylcysteine ( n = 3, GSH = 1.66 ± 0.06 mM and 1.64 ± 0.09 mM). In one perinatal stroke patient, GSH in the diffusion-restricted stroke area was 1.0 mM, indicating significant compromise of intracellular redox potential, which also improved after N-acetylcysteine. For comparison, GSH in healthy term neonates has been reported at 2.5 ± 0.9 mM in the thalamus. This is the first report to show persistent oxidative stress reflected in GSH during the subacute phase in neonates with HIE and rapid response to N-acetylcysteine, using a short echo MRS sequence that is available on all clinical scanners without spectral editing.
Glucose transporter 2 mediates the hypoglycemia-induced increase in cerebral blood flow
Authors: Lei Hongxia , Preitner Frédéric , Labouèbe Gwenaël , Gruetter Rolf , Thorens Bernard
Published: March 2018

Glucose transporter 2 ( Glut2)-positive cells are sparsely distributed in brain and play an important role in the stimulation of glucagon secretion in response to hypoglycemia. We aimed to determine if Glut2-positive cells can influence another response to hypoglycemia, i.e. increased cerebral blood flow (CBF). CBF of adult male mice devoid of Glut2, either globally ( ripglut1:glut2−/−) or in the nervous system only (NG2KO), and their respective controls were studied under basal glycemia and insulin-induced hypoglycemia using quantitative perfusion magnetic resonance imaging at 9.4 T. The effect on CBF of optogenetic activation of hypoglycemia responsive Glut2-positive neurons of the paraventricular thalamic area was measured in mice expressing channelrhodopsin2 under the control of the Glut2 promoter. We found that in both ripglut1:glut2−/− mice and NG2KO mice, CBF in basal conditions was higher than in their respective controls and not further activated by hypoglycemia, as measured in the hippocampus, hypothalamus and whole brain. Conversely, optogenetic activation of Glut2-positive cells in the paraventricular thalamic nucleus induced a local increase in CBF similar to that induced by hypoglycemia. Thus, Glut2 expression in the nervous system is required for the control of CBF in response to changes in blood glucose concentrations.
Real-time view of anesthetic solution spread during an ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block
Authors: Santonastaso Domenico P , de Chiara Annabella , Rispoli Marco , Musetti Giovanni , Agnoletti Vanni
Published: March 2018

Background:

Thoracic paravertebral block is a technique for perioperative analgesia in patients undergoing thoracic, chest wall, or breast surgery, or for pain management with rib fractures, which can be performed with or without ultrasound guidance. The ultrasound guidance technique can be used to identify the thoracic paravertebral space, guide needle placement, monitor the spread of local anesthetic (LA) solution, and reduce complications such as pleural puncture and pneumothorax. The possibility of assessing anesthetic spread in real time using ultrasound guidance during paravertebral block offers numerous advantages, including the immediate and accurate identification of the extent of nervous block, with a consequent reduction of LA dose. The real-time visualization of spread may be used to achieve good anesthetic cover by administering the block at a single level, thus reducing complications normally associated with the technique.

Case summary:

This case report describes the use of ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block, at thoracic (T) 4 and 5 levels, in a patient undergoing breast surgery for perioperative analgesia. The authors were able to witness cranial diffusion of LA at T3-T4 in real time, and measure the increase in space between the costotransverse ligament and pleura, as an indication of anesthetic spread, at T2-T3 and T6-T7 levels.

Conclusions:

This is the first known case in the literature of direct viewing of LA diffusion in a paravertebral space other than the one in which the block is administered and may open important scenarios for the improvement of anesthesia technique.
The Silicon Valley Novel
Authors: Eve Martin Paul , Street Joe
Published: March 2018

In this article we propose that one of the emergent, but under-charted, and as yet unnamed thematic strands in recent American fiction and that contributes to recent literary history is that of the ‘Silicon Valley novel’. The trend can be seen in the literary fiction of Tony Tulathimutte, Jarett Kobek, Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, and Dave Eggers, to name but a few, but also in the trilogy of novels by Ann Bridges dubbed, ‘The Silicon Valley Trilogy’. Silicon Valley novels are concerned with the emergent technological industry in the Bay Area but they are also of a specific periodising moment. Hence, while named for the geography, we here situate the Silicon Valley novel as more tied to time in the early twenty-first century.
Game-based learning in mechanical engineering education: Case study of games-based learning application in computer aided design assembly
Authors: Mavromihales Mike , Holmes Violeta , Racasan Radu
Published: March 2018

In our research, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of games-based learning within a computer aided design and manufacture undergraduate module. Although widely used in a selection of subject areas, there appears to be limited application of games-based learning in engineering and technology. Its effectiveness as a learning or training tool, especially in Mechanical Engineering subject area, has been unclear. This research follows on from previously presented research in novel approaches in delivery of engineering education. Games-based learning has a potential to enhance student experience and learning process. In order to evaluate the outcomes of games-based learning approach and observe its effect on students’ performance, a simple in-class game on assembly topics was designed and implemented as part of a laboratory exercise. There were two groups of students considered in this case study: the student group ‘playing’ an assembly game (experimental group) and the group which did not experience games-based learning (control group). The results of the assessment element in the experimental group were compared to the control group. Our work evaluates both the qualitative and quantitative data established from computer aided design assembly delivery using the game, and delivery using conventional method. In addition, the comparisons were made between the entry level in to Higher Education in terms of tariff points level (academic score) of participants and educational background. It thus concludes on the effectiveness of the games-based learning process in Mechanical Engineering Education.
Mapping the landscape of urban work: Home-based businesses and the built environment
Authors: Kane Kevin , Clark William AV
Published: March 2018

Home-based businesses represent a large and growing portion of the economy, though little is known beyond limited surveys. This paper describes a novel method of identifying businesses located within residences using parcel-level land use data across 15 counties in California and analyzes their evolution from 1997 to 2014, focusing on their distribution across neighborhoods. Home-based business represented nearly one in six businesses in 2014, and employment in home-based businesses outpaced overall employment growth 37 to 24% from 1997 to 2014. While home-based businesses are associated with both middle-income and wealthy neighborhoods, only in southern California were they associated with growing shares of single-family housing, low population density, and homeownership rates. While prior research emphasizes the importance of technologically and knowledge-intensive services across a variety of home working arrangements, this study reveals that the industrial composition of home-based businesses is roughly equally comprised of knowledge-intensive services and basic economic activity.
Underrepresenting neighbourhood vulnerabilities? The measurement of fuel poverty in England
Authors: Robinson Caitlin , Bouzarovski Stefan , Lindley Sarah
Published: March 2018

The vulnerabilities that enhance the likelihood of a household falling into fuel poverty are increasingly recognised as highly multidimensional and geographical. However, the most established indicators used to measure fuel poverty are primarily based upon expenditure. This paper seeks to understand to what extent expenditure-based indicators succeed in representing wider socio-spatial vulnerabilities that manifest in particular locales. Our analysis focuses upon England, where a policy review in 2012 led to the replacement of a 10% indicator with a low-income high-cost indicator. Fuel poverty estimates are scrutinized at a neighbourhood scale, considering their relationship with a range of socio-economic, demographic and socio-technical characteristics. Place-based effects upon these relationships that arise from the wider context within which each neighbourhood sits are also accounted for using geographically weighted regression. The findings suggest that a ‘one-size fits all’ expenditure-based indicator is unlikely to capture the heterogeneous socio-spatial vulnerabilities that enhance the likelihood of fuel poverty experienced between different demographics and geographical contexts.
Cracking the Egg Potential: Traditional Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in a Food-Based Nutrition Intervention in Highland Ecuador
Authors: Waters William F. , Gallegos Carlos Andres , Karp Celia , Lutter Chessa , Stewart Christine , Iannotti Lora
Published: March 2018

Background:

Food-based interventions can reduce the prevalence of undernutrition and improve household food security, but nutritious and accessible foods may be underutilized. In Ecuador, eggs are inexpensive and widely available, but while they are a valuable source of essential nutrients for infants and young children, medical advice and community-based information have limited their inclusion in infants' diets.

Objective:

A qualitative component was conducted to understand local perceptions, knowledge, and practices to complement a randomized control trial that studied the effect of introducing eggs on nutritional status and growth in infants from 6 to 9 months in rural communities in the highland province of Cotopaxi, Ecuador.

Methods:

The qualitative inquiry consisted of key informant interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and structured observations in order to understand perceptions, knowledge, and practices related to household egg consumption and to the introduction of eggs in infants’ diets.

Results:

The two principal findings were that: (i) eggs are an available and culturally acceptable food source although they are not always a part of the diet; and (ii) perceptions and practices related to household consumption and the introduction of eggs into the diet of infants are shaped by local knowledge and practices, which are shaped by biomedical information and advice provided by public health professionals.

Conclusion:

Through an effective food-based intervention that includes qualitative research and a social marketing component, the behaviors of mothers and other caregivers can be modified, enabling children to realize the nutritional advantages of early introduction of eggs into their diet.
Symptoms of massive cardiac tamponade during support of biventricular assist device
Authors: Al Shakaki Mosab , Dell’Aquila Angelo M , Rukosujew Andreas
Published: March 2018

Typical symptoms of cardiac tamponade are jugular venous distension, pulsus paradoxus, hypotension, and rest dyspnea. However, these clinical symptoms can be masked in patients with ventricular assist device and even more in patients supported with a biventricular-HeartWare ventricular assist device. Hereby, we report the case of a 30-year-old man supported with a biventricular-HeartWare ventricular assist device, who underwent a computed tomography scan due to suspect of ventricular assist device thrombosis. In the first scan, no pericardial effusion could be detected; however, a flow-limiting formation suggestive of a thrombus was localized in the outflow graft of the right ventricular assist device immediately before the anastomosis with pulmonary artery. Lysis therapy was initiated. On the same day, two episodes of sustained ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation without hemodynamic instability had to be promptly treated with antiarrhythmic drugs and electrical defibrillations. On the same day, a second computed tomography scan showed a massive pericardial effusion that required an emergency resternotomy.
Contrasting Writing Practice Formats in a Writing Strategy Tutoring System
Authors: Roscoe Rod D. , Allen Laura K. , McNamara Danielle S.
Published: March 2018

A critical challenge for computer-based writing instruction is providing appropriate and adaptive practice. The current study examined three modes of computer-based writing practice with the goal of identifying those with the greatest learning and motivational value. High school students learned about writing strategies by studying lessons within the Writing Pal tutoring system and then practiced relevant strategies via essay-based practice, strategy practice, or game-based strategy practice. Students acquired strategy knowledge regarding their assigned topics, but there were no main effects of practice format. Similar findings were observed for students’ beliefs about the value of writing practice. However, the effects of practice format depended on prior literacy ability in subtle ways. Essay-based practice appeared to be more effective for skilled readers, whereas less skilled readers benefitted more from game-based practice. Overall, multiple forms of practice opportunities may optimize benefits, although non-game forms of strategy practice are less preferable to students than game-based formats.
Determining the Validity and Accuracy of Multiple Activity-Tracking Devices in Controlled and Free-Walking Conditions
Authors: Gaz Daniel V. , Rieck Thomas M. , Peterson Nolan W. , Ferguson Jennifer A. , Schroeder Darrell R. , Dunfee Heather A. , Henderzahs-Mason Jill M. , Hagen Philip T.
Published: March 2018

Purpose:

Clinicians and fitness professionals are increasingly recommending the use of activity trackers. This study compares commercially available activity tracking devices for step and distance accuracy in common exercise settings.

Design:

Cross sectional.

Setting:

Rochester, Minnesota.

Participants:

Thirty-two men (n = 10) and women (n = 22) participated in the study.

Measures:

Researchers manually counted steps and measured distance for all trials, while participants wore 6 activity tracking devices that measured steps and distance.

Analysis:

We computed the difference between the number of steps measured by the device and the actual number of steps recorded by the observers, as well as the distance displayed by the device and the actual distance measured.

Results:

The analyses showed that both the device and walking trials affected the accuracy of the results (steps or distance, P < .001). Hip-based devices were more accurate and consistent for measuring step count. No significant differences were found among devices or locations for the distance measured.

Conclusions:

Hip-based activity tracking devices varied in accuracy but performed better than their wrist-based counterparts for step accuracy. Distance measurements for both types of devices were more consistent but lacked accuracy.
At the Intersection of Urban and Care Policy: The Invisibility of Eldercare Workers in the Global City
Authors: Strauss Kendra , Xu Feng
Published: March 2018

Demographic aging can alter physical and social infrastructures in cities, and reshape the broader dynamic processes that theories of urbanization seek to describe and analyze. We argue that both urban and eldercare policy often render paid reproductive labor and the workers who do it invisible. They are invisiblized in both policy and urban space. A neoliberal bias in urban policies, reconstructed in the rhetoric of global cities/creative cities, denies care needs. Normative approaches exacerbate this issue, as in gendered ideologies of home, care and familial responsibility. These approaches too often detach the delicate social problem of eldercare in itself from its feasibility and desirability as a site for paid labor. In that separation, the paid workforce typically disappears from the spotlight. We use comparative case studies and the concept of territorialization to refocus on the urban context of paid eldercare work in two “aspiring” global cities, Shanghai and Vancouver.
Immigrant Worker Centers, Technologies of Citizenship, and the Duty to Be Well
Authors: Grajeda Erika Denisse
Published: March 2018

Although worker centers have reenergized immigrant labor movements in the U.S., recent research points to their potential deradicalization as they expand and institutionalize. This article builds on emerging critiques of the nonprofit worker center model by interrogating this organizational form through the analytic lens of governmentality, particularly efforts to shape immigrant workers’ subjectivities, proclivities, and comportment to capacitate them for the exigencies of responsible citizenship. How do worker centers set out to make ethical subjects out of “illegal” immigrant workers? What technologies do centers rely on to redeem populations marked as criminal, deviant, and deficient? I explore these questions through a case study of a worker center in San Francisco, California, which serves immigrant day laborers and domestic workers. I focus on its “feminist wing” to highlight the technologies of empowerment and self-esteem aimed at reforming Latina immigrant women, a group historically deemed “neither ideal laborers nor ideal women.”
Sexually Transmitted Infection Review for the Acute Care Pharmacist
Authors: Mah Nathan D. , Birmingham Asha R. , Treu Cierra N. , Bodkin Ryan P. , Awad Nadia I. , Acquisto Nicole M.
Published: March 2018

Purpose:

Review selected sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and treatment recommendations for pharmacists and providers practicing in the acute care setting.

In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an updated guideline on the treatment of STIs with an emphasis on prevention and new diagnostic strategies to combat the growing problem of STIs in the United States. Despite this guidance, the incidence of infection has continued to grow. In October 2016, an in-depth analysis reported that 20 million new infections occur annually in the United States. With this growing burden of disease, it is pertinent that health-care providers optimize their treatment strategies to improve upon the management of STIs. Focusing on identification of asymptomatic- and symptomatic-infected persons, treatment, education, effective follow-up, and counseling for patients and sexual partners, emergency medicine pharmacists and providers can help minimize the negative long-term health consequences of STIs.

Conclusion

In the emergency department setting, clinical pharmacists and providers can play a crucial role in preventing and treating STIs and should continue to expand and keep current their knowledge of this topic.
Large deformation bending responses of nanotube-reinforced polymer composite panel structure: Numerical and experimental analyses
Authors: Mehar Kulmani , Panda Subrata K , Mahapatra Trupti R
Published: March 2018

The large deformation deflection responses of randomly oriented multi-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer composite structures were examined theoretically using a novel higher order shear deformation kinematic model. Moreover, the excess geometrical distortion within the structure is incorporated via the full geometrically nonlinear strain–deformation relations (Green–Lagrange strain) including all of the nonlinear higher order terms to achieve the generality. The randomly oriented nanotube-reinforced polymer composite properties were evaluated computationally via Mori–Tanaka scheme for the theoretical analysis purpose. The deflection responses were evaluated numerically using an original MATLAB program with the help of the direct iterative method and finite element steps. The performance of the currently developed numerical model was verified by solving various numerical examples for the convergence and subsequent comparison purpose. Also, the deflection values were evaluated experimentally and compared with the current numerical results using the experimentally obtained elastic properties. Finally, the generality and the applicability of the currently developed higher order nonlinear finite element model is revealed by solving various numerical examples.
Analysis of high-throughput biological data using their rank values
Authors: Dembélé Doulaye
Published: March 2018

High-throughput biological technologies are routinely used to generate gene expression profiling or cytogenetics data. To achieve high performance, methods available in the literature become more specialized and often require high computational resources. Here, we propose a new versatile method based on the data-ordering rank values. We use linear algebra, the Perron–Frobenius theorem and also extend a method presented earlier for searching differentially expressed genes for the detection of recurrent copy number aberration. A result derived from the proposed method is a one-sample Student’s t-test based on rank values. The proposed method is to our knowledge the only that applies to gene expression profiling and to cytogenetics data sets. This new method is fast, deterministic, and requires a low computational load. Probabilities are associated with genes to allow a statistically significant subset selection in the data set. Stability scores are also introduced as quality parameters.

The performance and comparative analyses were carried out using real data sets. The proposed method can be accessed through an R package available from the CRAN (Comprehensive R Archive Network) website: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/fcros .
Dynamics of Interorganizational Public Health Emergency Management Networks: Following the 2015 MERS Response in South Korea
Authors: Kim Kyungwoo , Jung Kyujin
Published: March 2018

We investigated public health emergency management networks during the recent outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus that affected more than 17 000 people in South Korea. We administered a survey to 169 organizations in order to map the pattern of communication and response networks during the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak. We also conducted 11 semistructured interviews with national, regional, and local government officials to comprehend inhibiting and facilitating factors in risk communication and response to the system. National ministries or agencies play central roles in coordinating and supporting the overall response, and local and regional governments or agencies interact with other governments and agencies. Governmental agencies coordinating and/or supporting the outbreak response had difficulties in communicating with other agencies because of the ambiguity of the nature of the infectious disease, slow information disclosure, differences in the organizational priorities, different information standards, and the limitations of the information system. To better respond to a virus outbreak, government agencies need to improve hierarchical communication among different levels of governments, horizontal communication and cooperation between same types or different types of agencies, and information systems.
The Migration of International Graduates: Intentions, Outcomes, and Implications
Authors: McGill Jenny
Published: March 2018

International students comprise an important segment of the global migrant community, yet their migration motivations, intentions, and outcomes have been understudied. Whereas past research largely considers international students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields; potential migration plans; and economic factors, this study examines international theological graduates, actual migration outcomes, and additional factors not studied. In all, 405 international students, who entered the United States to pursue advanced academic studies and graduated during 1983-2013, were surveyed. Factors related to their current geographic residence and a composite stay rate for this population are assessed. The influence of gender, length of study abroad, the economic condition of and number of visits to the country of origin, and original migration intention upon entry is evaluated for their predictive value for migration outcomes. Implications of this research are relevant for governments, educational institutions, and community organizations that wish to impact return migration or immigration for highly educated and skilled foreign-born graduates.
A Retrospective Analysis of Bloodstream Infections in Pediatric Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients: The Role of Central Venous Catheters and Mucosal Barrier Injury
Authors: Balian Chelsea , Garcia Michelle , Ward Jessica
Published: March 2018

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Indwelling central venous catheters (CVCs) increase risk for BSIs, yet mucosal barrier injury–associated laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection (MBI-LCBI) may also occur due to translocation of pathogenic organisms from the gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between stool organisms and BSIs in children with CVCs who underwent HSCT. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 78 children who received allogeneic HSCT over 3 years (2012-2014). Surveillance stool cultures were analyzed pre- and post-HSCT to assess correlations between organisms isolated from stool and CVC cultures. Results: Twenty-four of 78 children experienced 31 BSIs. Fifteen (48%) of these isolates were identified in stool within 30 days of the positive blood culture, and 11 (36%) isolates met criteria for MBI-LCBI. Conclusions: Mucosal barrier injury leads to translocation of pathogenic organisms into the bloodstream and accounts for a significant number of BSIs in children undergoing HSCT. Nursing assessment of mucosal changes during HSCT and interventions to preserve intact mucosa are essential to prevent MBI-LCBI.
An analytic narrative of Caesar’s death: Suicide or not? That is the question
Authors: Crettez Bertrand , Deloche Régis
Published: March 2018

On the Ides of March, 44 BC, in the Senate House of Pompey in Rome, Julius Caesar was assassinated by conspirators, the most famous of those being Brutus. Are there objectively valid reasons to confirm the possibility of a suicidal wish on the part of Caesar raised by Suetonius? By building and solving a two-player non-cooperative game that models the historical strategic aspects of the relationship between Caesar and Brutus, our article shows that there is no need to subscribe to the suicide thesis to explain Caesar’s death. We formulate our conclusion via the solution concept of mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium.
Images That Engage People With Sustainable Urban Water Management
Authors: Schultz Tracy , Fielding Kelly , Newton Fiona
Published: March 2018

This study explored responses to categories of images relevant to an environmental management issue—stormwater management—across three dimensions that influence engagement: emotional response, personal relevance, and topic congruence. Although images of oceans elicited positive emotions, most participants did not perceive such images as relevant to the topic. Images of traditional stormwater infrastructure evoked negative emotions and were perceived as topic congruent but not personally relevant. Images of flooding were ranked highly across all three dimensions. These findings have implications for the development of communication materials that appeal to the broader public.
Biomarkers of Inflammation, Thrombogenesis, and Collagen Turnover in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Jabati Sallu , Fareed Jawed , Liles Jeffrey , Otto Abigail , Hoppensteadt Debra , Bontekoe Jack , Phan Trung , Walborn Amanda , Syed Mushabbar
Published: March 2018

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are any differences in the levels of inflammatory, thrombotic, and collagen turnover biomarkers between individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF) and healthy volunteers. Circulating plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), CD40-ligand (CD40-L), nucleosomes (which are indicators of cell death), C-reactive protein (CRP), procollagen III N-terminal propeptide (PIIINP), procollagen III C-terminal propeptide (PIIICP), procollagen I N-terminal propeptide, tissue plasminogen activator, and von Willebrand factor were analyzed as potential biomarkers of AF. Baseline plasma was collected from patients with AF prior to ablation surgery at Loyola University Medical Center. Individuals with AF had statistically significantly increased levels of PAI-1, CD40-L, and nucleosomes, when compared to the normal population ( P < .0001). Additionally, there was a statistically significant increase in the CRP ( P = .01), PIIINP ( P = .04), and PIIICP ( P = .0008) when compared to normal individuals. From this study, it is concluded that the prothrombotic, inflammatory, and collagen turnover biomarkers PAI-1, CD40-L, nucleosomes, CRP, PIIICP, and PIIINP are elevated in AF.
Revisiting Police–Adult Probation Partnerships in Texas: Troubling Signs
Authors: Kim Bitna , Gerber Jurg
Published: March 2018

It has been almost 10 years since the Correctional Management Institute of Texas surveyed police chiefs in Texas in 2007, concluding that the overwhelming majority of police–probation partnerships in Texas were informal rather than formal. This study revisits police–adult probation partnerships in Texas using new state-wide data collected from both police and adult probation chiefs in 2016. This study found some troubling signs in the nature and extent of partnerships: The majority of police agencies in 2016 had no partnerships at all, but approximately 75 of probation agencies did, albeit mostly informal ones. Although both police and adult probation chiefs appeared to be open to future formal partnerships, they were only interested if initiated by another agency. The findings of this study highlight the importance of formalizing and institutionalizing partnerships for sustainability over the long term. The roles of regional professional organizations will be critical to expand partnerships.
A patient with arteriovenous fistula of simultaneously performed anastoplasty for excessive blood flow and graft bypass to secure an outflow tract
Authors: Miyamoto Kanyu , Matsuoka Naoya , Ono Sumihisa , Nakamura Shinya , Nagaya Kohei , Asai Nao , Nishikawa Kazuhiro , Ito Yasuhiko , Imai Hirokazu
Published: March 2018

Introduction:

We report a case in which we performed an anastomotic part septal formation surgery (anastoplasty) and artificial blood vessel replacement surgery.

Case Description:

When forearm arteriovenous fistula occlusion of a dialysis patient was observed, there was a thrombus in the vein of the whole forearm from the anastomotic part. We performed a septum formation surgery to suppress the blood flow in the vein near the anastomotic site, and artificial blood vessel replacement was performed on the high stenosis of the cephalic vein of the elbow. Postoperative blood flow was stable and hemodialysis was possible. Although there are various blood flow suppression methods for suppressing excessive blood flow, we report a case in which an anastomotic part septal formation surgery and artificial blood vessel replacement to secure an outflow passage were performed at the same time.

Conclusion:

Anastoplasty for excessive blood flow is considered to be an effective means in this case.
Endovascular bypass for salvage of vascular access in hemodialysis catheter-consigned patients
Authors: Chen Matt Chiung-Yu , Weng Mei-Jui , Liang Huei-Lung
Published: March 2018

Purpose:

This study was performed to retrospectively assess the efficacy of percutaneous creation of an intervascular bypass with or without stent graft deployment (endovascular bypass) for salvage of abandoned vascular access sites in hemodialysis catheter-consigned patients.

Methods:

Salvage of abandoned vascular access sites was attempted in 16 patients with hemodialysis catheters. These vascular access sites were salvaged using endovascular bypass techniques to redirect the access flow to a nonarterialized vein as a new outflow conduit or cannulation segment. The postintervention primary, assisted primary, and secondary patency rates of the access site and bypass were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method.

Results:

The procedural and clinical success rates were both 100%. The postintervention primary patency rate of the bypass and access site at 360 days was 75.7 ± 12.5% and 56.8 ± 14.9%, respectively. The mean follow-up period was 461.9 days (range: 121–900 days). No major complications were observed. One bare bypass tunnel rupture and one pseudoaneurysm were noted during the procedure.

Conclusion:

Salvage of abandoned vascular access sites for hemodialysis catheter-consigned patients can be technically feasible and clinically successful using endovascular bypass techniques in selected patients when surgical revision is not considered or is not possible.
Ritualised securitisation: The European Union’s failed response to Hamas’s success
Authors: Charrett Catherine
Published: March 2018

Why and how do political leaders and bureaucrats miss opportunities or make mistakes? This article explores the pressures to conform and to perform that direct securitising decisions and practices. It begins with the assertion that the European Union missed an opportunity to engage with Hamas after the movement’s participation and success in transparent and democratically legitimated elections, and instead promoted a politics of increased securitisation. The securitisation of Hamas worked against the European Union’s own stated aims of state-building and democratisation, and increased the resistance image of Hamas. This article investigates the rituals that shaped this decision, arguing that punitive and conforming dynamics implicated the knowing of the event. Performance studies and anthropology observe how rituals let participants know how to behave in a given situation, and they performatively constitute a social reality through the appearance of normalcy or harmony. Hamas was reproduced as threat through the European Union’s compulsion to repeat a policy of conditionality, which was performative of Hamas’s ability to respond diplomatically to its own securitisation. First, at a discursive level, rituals simplify or reduce the complexity of an event by allowing participants to respond to new issues through existing regimes of intelligibility. Second, at a practice level, rituals impose an imperative to perform within the workplace, which limits the possibility for dissent or for challenging hierarchy within the institution. This investigation relies on elite interviews with senior Hamas representatives conducted in Gaza, and interviews with European Union representatives who were involved in monitoring the elections and enacting a response to Hamas’s success.
Learning from the Tea Party: The US Indivisible Movement as Countermovement in the Era of Trump
Authors: Roth Benita
Published: March 2018

In this article, I chart the origins of the Indivisible movement in the United States, which began online as a response to the election of Donald Trump to the presidency in November of 2016. The Indivisible movement’s founders explicitly modeled their countermovement structurally after the Republican Tea Party that arose to obstruct Obama’s agenda, consciously using the Tea Party’s combination of decentralized organizing made possible by the Internet, its focus on local political races, and its general willingness to work with an established political party. I consider what the case of Indivisible has to tell us about some of the dynamics that movements in the Internet age will likely encounter, namely, the importance of virality and branding for mobilization and social media’s capacity for aggregating the like-minded. I conclude that while it is hard to predict whether Indivisible will be successful in obstructing the conservative Trump agenda, the movement bears watching as an example of movement mobilization in the Internet age.
Educational infrastructures and organisational memory: Observations from a Swedish perspective
Authors: Nordholm Daniel , Liljenberg Mette
Published: March 2018

This article focuses on the interplay between the concepts of ‘educational infrastructure’ and ‘organisational memory’. Using data from collaboration between a Swedish university and a local municipality, the article draws attention to the interplay between three nation-wide improvement programmes and their educational infrastructures, and the knowledge developed and stored in the local schools. The data analysis is supported by the theoretical concept of organisational memory built up by ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ forms of knowledge. The findings show that primarily soft types of knowledge were developed and stored in organisational memory in the local schools. The programmes, therefore, became highly dependent on leaders’ and teachers’ personal knowledge and commitment, in-job training, imitation and socialisation. Regarding hard types of knowledge, for example, clear guidelines, organisational routines, processes and roles for improvement work, the programmes and their infrastructures were, generally, less supportive. These findings illuminate the importance of an organisational learning perspective in successful school system improvement.
Circulation analysis of design alternatives for elderly housing unit allocation using building information modelling-enabled indoor walkability index
Authors: Lee Jin-Kook , Shin Jaeyoung , Lee Yeunsook
Published: March 2018

In retrofit-purposed projects such as building renovations, the early decision-support mechanism to determine an optimistic circulation plan and spatial allocation is strongly required for architects, owners and residents. In this paper, we introduce such a case study based on the building information modelling-enabled approach that has been explored using an actual project at Yeongwol, South Korea for resolving diverse residential types, including elderly housing units. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate an actual analysis of building remodelling design alternatives regarding indoor circulation and spatial allocation problems, especially considering elderly housing units. Another significant feature of this paper is a quantitative and explicit approach to the indoor walkability index using building information modelling. After acquiring indoor circulation data, such as metric distances between rooms, number of turns, spatial depth, vertical access, or any other BIM-enabled data, an appropriate and teleological weighting function was applied to determine the indoor walkability index. The usefulness of the approach was demonstrated in this paper, based on a Yeongwol project. building information modelling-enabled data provided prompt and reliable quantitative analysis results as soon as various design alternatives appear within the given timeframe to resolve circulation and spatial allocation problems for remodelling homes for the elderly.
“Find Your Fit”: Wearable technology and the cultural politics of disability
Authors: Elman Julie Passanante
Published: March 2018

By examining advertisements, technological design, workplace wellness programs, and legal discourses involving Fitbit activity trackers, this article examines how cultural ideas about disability infuse the representation, use, study, and implementation of wearable technology. Although Fitbit features wheelchair users prominently in advertising, Fitbit only measures movements in steps, and its use in workplace wellness programs has been accompanied by legal concerns about wellness programs’ potential weakening of workplace protections afforded to US workers by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). This article shows that inspirational and tragic representations of disability work to depoliticize wearable technology and argues that disability needs to be a more central category of analysis for cultural studies and sociological studies of the cultural impacts of fitness tracking and wellness culture.
Incidence and Risk Factors for Leukopenia in Kidney Transplant Recipients Receiving Valganciclovir for Cytomegalovirus Prophylaxis
Authors: Liang Xinyun , Famure Olusegun , Li Yanhong , Kim S. Joseph
Published: March 2018

Context:

Valganciclovir is used not only for cytomegalovirus prophylaxis after kidney transplantation but can also induce leukopenia, thereby making patients more susceptible to other infections. The epidemiology of leukopenia in patients on valganciclovir remains poorly understood.

Objective:

To determine the incidence and risk factors for leukopenia in patients receiving valganciclovir for cytomegalovirus prophylaxis after kidney transplantation.

Methods:

In this single-center, retrospective, cohort study, we included kidney recipients transplanted from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2010, to determine the incidence and risk factors for leukopenia in patients who received valganciclovir for cytomegalovirus prophylaxis. The Kaplan-Meier product limit method was used to graphically assess time to leukopenia, and risk factors were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results:

A total of 542 kidney transplant recipients were included in the study cohort. The cumulative incidence of leukopenia at 6 months posttransplant was 39.3% (11.0% for neutropenia). Low baseline white blood cell count (hazard ratio [HR] 2.34 [95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37-4.00]) and high baseline body mass index (HR 1.05 [95% CI, 1.02-1.09]) were independently associated with an increased risk of leukopenia, while higher Cockcroft-Gault creatinine clearance (HR 0.87 [95% CI, 0.78-0.97]) was significantly associated with a decreased risk of leukopenia.

Conclusions:

These data suggest that recipient baseline white blood cell count, baseline body mass index, and kidney function are clinical predictors of new-onset leukopenia after kidney transplantation. Our results may inform the approach to cytomegalovirus prophylaxis to reduce the risk of valganciclovir-induced leukopenia in kidney transplant recipients.