bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pharmacodynamics of alacepril in healthy cats
Authors: Sugimoto Keisuke , Fujii Yoko , Takubo Izumi , Shiga Toshinori , Sunahara Hiroshi , Aoki Takuma , Orito Kensuke
Published: March 2016

Objectives

The aims of this study were to investigate the pharmacodynamics of alacepril and to determine the appropriate dose for clinical usage in cats.

Methods

Six experimental cats were used. Each cat received alacepril orally at a single dose of 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg. Blood samples were collected before administration and at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 h after administration to measure serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity. Systolic blood pressure was also measured at the same time point.

Results

Dose-dependent inhibition of ACE activity was observed. Doses of 2 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg alacepril were considered to effectively inhibit ACE activity. There were no significant differences in systolic blood pressue among groups at any time point.

Conclusions and relevance

Alacepril 2–3 mg/kg q24h may be an appropriate dosage for clinical use in cats.
National culture dimensions: The perpetuation of cultural ignorance
Authors: Venaik Sunil , Brewer Paul
Published: March 2016

The Hofstede and GLOBE national culture dimensions are commonly used by business and management educators, researchers and practitioners to understand cultural differences between countries. However, there are fundamental problems in using these dimensions to learn about cross-cultural differences. First, there is a lack of face validity in many of the items used to determine the culture scores. Second, national culture scores for similar dimensions across the two models for common countries are either unrelated or negatively related, and for dissimilar dimensions are often more strongly related than for the similar dimensions. A lack of face, convergent and discriminant validity seriously undermines the credibility of the dimension scores in representing the culture phenomena that they claim to represent. Hence, using these scores to infer the broader characteristics of societies, individuals and organizations is invalid and the managerial prescriptions based on such research are misleading. As cross-cultural learning in management is largely shaped by national culture models, the blind faith in these models is perpetuating cultural ignorance.
Stability of friction fade-out at polymer-like carbon films slid by ZrO2 pins under alcohol-vapored hydrogen gas environment
Authors: Nosaka Masataka , Kusaba Ryota , Morisaki Yushi , Kawaguchi Masahiro , Kato Takahisa
Published: March 2016

Friction tests using ZrO2 (Y-PSZ: yttria partially stabilized zirconia) pin slid against polymer-like carbon film of bilayer and multilayer structures under H2 gas environment are conducted. It will be shown that friction coefficients of the level of 0.0001 (friction fade-out) is stably realized by adding alcohol vapors to H2 gas during run-in stage, then by stepping up the load from 19.8 N to 63.7 N after run-in stage. Four kinds of vapors of alcohol aqueous solutions are tested using bilayer samples, and ethanol-vapored H2 gas shows the longest friction fade-out duration. Polymer-like carbon/diamond-like carbon multilayer sample shows long-life friction fade-out of 4 h, and it will be shown that the friction trace of 4 h reflects wear process of the first layer of polymer-like carbon and the second layer of diamond-like carbon. ZrO2 surface is observed by an optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy and measured by surface profiler after friction fade-out test, and it is shown that flat contact area at the central region has many blisters and crimps, and is surrounded by peripheral bumps. It is also shown that the sliding marks are seen only at the top of crimps at the central region. Raman measurements indicate that short-chain carbons are predominant at blisters and ring carbons of small clusters are predominant at bumps. With these observations friction fade-out mechanism is discussed.
Serum ferritin levels are associated with arterial stiffness in healthy Korean adults
Authors: Ha Ji Yoon , Kim Min Kyung , Kang Shinae , Nam Ji Sun , Ahn Chul Woo , Kim Kyung Rae , Park Jong Suk
Published: March 2016

Although an association between serum ferritin and atherosclerosis has been suggested, limited epidemiologic data are available regarding the association between ferritin and arterial stiffness in healthy adults. A total of 2932 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric and biochemical profiles including ferritin were measured. The arterial stiffness was measured using brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Serum ferritin levels were classified into quartiles and baPWV values gradually increased with each ferritin quartile. Multiple regression analysis showed that ferritin levels were independently correlated with baPWV. After adjusting for multiple risk factors, as compared with the lowest quartile, the odds ratios for high baPWV (>75th percentile) were 1.15 (0.84–1.56), 1.37 (0.97–1.73), and 1.46 (1.29–2.17) among men ( p for trend < 0.05) and 1.24 (0.87–1.79), 1.53 (1.09–2.16), and 1.80 (1.25–2.82) among women ( p for trend < 0.05), for the second, third, and fourth quartiles of ferritin, respectively. In conclusion, serum ferritin levels are independently associated with arterial stiffness in healthy Korean adults.
Voluntariness of consent to HIV clinical research: A conceptual and empirical pilot study
Authors: Mamotte Nicole , Wassenaar Douglas
Published: March 2016

Obtaining voluntary informed consent for research participation is an ethical imperative, yet there appears to be little consensus regarding what constitutes a voluntary consent decision. An instrument to assess influences on participants’ consent decision and perceived voluntariness was developed and piloted in two South African HIV clinical trials. The pilot study found high levels of perceived voluntariness. The feeling of having no choice but to participate was significantly associated with lower perceived voluntariness. Overall the data suggest that it is possible to obtain voluntary and valid consent for research participants in ethically complex HIV clinical trials in a developing country context.
Towards a democratic school: The experience of secondary school pupils
Authors: Simó Núria , Parareda Alba , Domingo Laura
Published: March 2016

This article sets out to explore how young people understand and experience the notions of democracy and participation in their secondary schools. We draw on their own words to examine their perspective on participation in everyday life at school to understand what kind of democratic education they are participating in. The article forms part of the Demoskole1 project, which studies democracy and the participation of school community members in secondary schools in Catalunya (Spain). To date, our fieldwork suggests that while, in most cases, the opportunity for pupils to participate in decision-making processes is limited, there are differences between schools. Two factors, in particular, appear to have a significant impact in terms of improving pupil participation. The existence of relationships based on trust and more horizontal forms of collaboration between teachers and pupils leads to a sense of wellbeing. This, in turn, has an effect on the atmosphere within the school. The article focuses on the characteristics that distinguish the three schools that took part in the study with the aim of analysing those elements that lead to the creation of a more or less democratic atmosphere in the relations between the various members of the school community.
Multivisceral Resection in Patients with Advanced Abdominal Tumors
Authors: Hasselgren K. , Sandström P. , Gasslander T. , Björnsson B.
Published: March 2016

Background/Aim:

Multivisceral resection for advanced tumors can result in prolonged survival but may also increase the risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether extensive resections increase the severity of postoperative complications.

Materials and Methods:

A retrospective study was conducted between 2009 and 2014 at the Linköping University Hospital surgical department. All patients with a confirmed or presumed malignant disease who underwent a non-standardized surgical procedure requiring a multivisceral resection were included. The primary endpoint was 90-day complications according to the Clavien-Dindo score.

Results:

Forty-eight patients were included, with an age range of 17–77 years. A median of three organs was resected. The most common diagnoses were neuroendocrine tumor ( n = 8), gastric cancer ( n = 7), and gastrointestinal stromal tumor ( n = 6). One patient died during surgery. Complications ⩾ grade 3b according to Clavien-Dindo score occurred in 10 patients. R0 resection was achieved in 32 patients. No correlation was observed between the number of anastomoses, perioperative blood loss, operative time, and complications. Only postoperative blood transfusion was correlated with severe complications ( p = 0.046); however, a tendency toward more complications with an increasing number of resected organs was observed ( p = 0.06).

Conclusion:

Multivisceral resection can result in R0, potentially curing patients with advanced tumors. Here, no correlation between extensive resections and complications was observed. Only postoperative blood transfusion was correlated with severe complications.
Intracranial Suppurative Complications of Sinusitis
Authors: Nicoli T. K. , Oinas M. , Niemelä M. , Mäkitie A. A. , Atula T.
Published: March 2016

Background:

Intracranial complications of paranasal sinusitis have become rare due to widespread and early use of antibiotics. Potentially life-threatening intracranial complications of sinusitis include subdural empyema, epidural and intracerebral abscess, meningitis, and sinus thrombosis. Patients with intracranial complication of sinusitis can present without neurological signs, which may delay diagnosis and correct treatment.

Aims:

Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostics, treatment, and outcome of sinusitis-related intracranial infections at our tertiary referral hospital with a catchment area of 1.9 million people.

Materials and Methods:

We retrospectively collected data on all patients diagnosed and treated with an intracranial infection at the Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, during a 10-year period between 2003 and 2013.

Results:

Six patients were diagnosed to have a sinusitis-related intracranial infection. Four patients had an epidural abscess, one both an epidural abscess and a subdural empyema and one a subdural empyema. The most common presenting complaint was headache (100%) followed by fever (83%), vomiting (50%), nasal congestion (50%), forehead lump (34%), and neck stiffness (17%). All patients were managed surgically. Most (83%) patients recovered to premorbid state without neurological sequelae. One patient died intraoperatively.

Conclusion:

Patients with a sinusitis-related intracranial suppuration typically present with signs of raised intracranial pressure rather than signs of sinusitis. Most are likely to need neurosurgical intervention and evacuation of the abscess without delay.
Missed Injuries in Polytrauma Patients after Trauma Tertiary Survey in Trauma Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Tammelin E. , Handolin L. , Söderlund T.
Published: March 2016

Background and Aims:

Injuries are often missed during the primary and secondary surveys in trauma patients. Studies have suggested that a formal tertiary survey protocol lowers the number of missed injuries. Our aim was to determine the number, severity, and consequences of injuries missed by a non-formalized trauma tertiary survey, but detected within 3 months from the date of injury in trauma patients admitted to a trauma intensive care unit.

Material and Methods:

We conducted a cohort study of trauma patients admitted to a trauma intensive care unit between 1 January and 17 October 2013. We reviewed the electronic medical records of patients admitted to the trauma intensive care unit in order to register any missed injuries, their delay, and possible consequences. We classified injuries into four types: Type 0, injury detected prior to trauma tertiary survey; Type I, injury detected by trauma tertiary survey; Type II, injury missed by trauma tertiary survey but detected prior to discharge; and Type III, injury missed by trauma tertiary survey and detected after discharge.

Results:

During the study period, we identified a total of 841 injuries in 115 patients. Of these injuries, 93% were Type 0 injuries, 3.9% were Type I injuries, 2.6% were Type II injuries, and 0,1% were Type III injuries. Although most of the missed injuries in trauma tertiary survey (Type II) were fractures (50%), only 2 of the 22 Type II injuries required surgical intervention. Type II injuries presumably did not cause extended length of stay in the intensive care unit or in hospital and/or morbidity.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the missed injury rate in trauma patients admitted to trauma intensive care unit after trauma tertiary survey was very low in our system without formal trauma tertiary survey protocol. These missed injuries did not lead to prolonged hospital or trauma intensive care unit stay and did not contribute to mortality. Most of the missed injuries received non-surgical treatment.
Does the Introduction of Laparoscopic Distal Pancreatectomy Jeopardize Patient Safety and Well-Being?
Authors: Hasselgren K. , Halldestam I. , Fraser M. P. , Benjaminsson Nyberg P. , Gasslander T. , Björnsson B.
Published: March 2016

Background/Purpose:

Despite retrospective data indicating short-term superiority for laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy compared to open distal pancreatectomy, the implementation of the procedure has been slow. The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients operated with laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy during the early phase of introduction are at higher risk for complications than patients operated with open distal pancreatectomy.

Methods:

A retrospective single-center analysis of patients operated with laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (n = 37) from the introduction of the procedure and comparison regarding demographic data, preoperative data, operative factors, and postoperative outcomes to patients operated with open distal pancreatectomy was done.

Results:

Operation duration shortened (195 vs 143 min, p = 0.04) and severe complications reduced (37% vs 6%, p = 0.02) significantly in the laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy group between the first half of the study and the second half. Blood loss was significantly (p < 0.001) lower in the laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy group (75 mL) than in the open distal pancreatectomy group (550 mL), while complication rate and hospital stay as well as the percentage of radical resections were the same.

Conclusion:

Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy can be introduced without jeopardizing patient safety and well-being during the early learning curve. The procedures should be compared in a prospective randomized manner.
Intraoperatively Testing the Anastomotic Integrity of Esophagojejunostomy Using Methylene Blue
Authors: Celik S. , Almalı N. , Aras A. , Yılmaz Ö. , Kızıltan R.
Published: March 2016

Background:

Intraoperative testing of gastrointestinal anastomosis effectively ensures anastomotic integrity. This study investigated whether the routine use of methylene blue intraoperatively identified leaks to reduce the postoperative proportion of clinical leaks.

Methods:

This study retrospectively analyzed consecutive total gastrectomies performed from January 2007 to December 2014 in a university hospital setting by a general surgical group that exclusively used the methylene blue test. All surgeries were performed for gastric or junctional cancers (n = 198). All reconstructions (Roux-en Y esophagojejunostomy) were performed using a stapler. The methylene blue test was used in 108 cases (group 1) via a nasojejunal tube. No test was performed for the other 90 cases (group 2). Intraoperative leakage rate, postoperative clinical leakage rate, length of hospitalization, and mortality rate were the outcome measures.

Results:

The intraoperative leakage rate was 7.4% in group 1. The postoperative clinical leakage rate was 8.6%. The postoperative clinical leakage rate was 3.7% in group 1 and 14.4% in group 2 (p = 0.007). There were no postoperative clinical leaks when an intraoperative leak led to concomitant intraoperative repair. The median length of hospital stay was 6 days in group 1 and 8 days in group 2 (p < 0.001). One death occurred in each group. No test-related complications were observed.

Conclusion:

The methylene blue test for esophagojejunostomy is a safe and reliable method for the assessment of anastomosis integrity, especially in cases with difficult esophagojejunostomic construction.
Improved Survival in Male Melanoma Patients in the Era of Sentinel Node Biopsy
Authors: Koskivuo I. , Vihinen P. , Mäki M. , Talve L. , Vahlberg T. , Suominen E.
Published: March 2016

Background and Aims:

Sentinel node biopsy is a standard method for nodal staging in patients with clinically localized cutaneous melanoma, but the survival advantage of sentinel node biopsy remains unsolved. The aim of this case–control study was to investigate the survival benefit of sentinel node biopsy.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 305 prospective melanoma patients undergoing sentinel node biopsy were compared with 616 retrospective control patients with clinically localized melanoma whom have not undergone sentinel node biopsy. Survival differences were calculated with the median follow-up time of 71 months in sentinel node biopsy patients and 74 months in control patients. Analyses were calculated overall and separately in males and females.

Results:

Overall, there were no differences in relapse-free survival or cancer-specific survival between sentinel node biopsy patients and control patients. Male sentinel node biopsy patients had significantly higher relapse-free survival ( P = 0.021) and cancer-specific survival ( P = 0.024) than control patients. In females, no differences were found. Cancer-specific survival rates at 5 years were 87.8% in sentinel node biopsy patients and 85.2% in controls overall with 88.3% in male sentinel node biopsy patients and 80.6% in male controls and 87.3% in female sentinel node biopsy patients and 89.8% in female controls.

Conclusion:

Sentinel node biopsy did not improve survival in melanoma patients overall. While females had no differences in survival, males had significantly improved relapse-free survival and cancer-specific survival following sentinel node biopsy.
Simplifying ignition delay prediction for homogeneous charge compression ignition engine design and control
Authors: Zhou Apeng , Dong Ting , Akih-Kumgeh Ben
Published: March 2016

Advanced combustion engine concepts, such as the homogeneous charge compression ignition engine, rely on chemical kinetics for their proper operation. Accurate prediction and control of auto ignition time scales are therefore key issues. Real-time prediction and control of ignition using detailed chemical kinetic models is difficult due to the large size of such mechanisms that calls for high computational costs. Ignition models in the form of correlations can overcome these challenges, as long as they are able to predict the time scales that would be obtained using a detailed chemical kinetic model. In this work, a correlation approach based on detailed chemical models is used to simplify the determination of chemical time scales associated with kinetically controlled combustion events. Detailed combustion mechanisms for biodiesel surrogate (methyl decanoate), gasoline surrogates (isooctane/ n-heptane/toluene), bio-alcohol ( n-octanol) and ethanol/gasoline surrogate blends from the literature are used to generate ignition databases for correlation development, taking into account complex ignition behavior such as pressure-dependent limits of negative temperature coefficient kinetics. We further employ the Livengood–Wu integral method to assess the ability of the resulting correlations to predict ignition in cases where the temperature and pressure are changing prior to ignition. The integral method is compared with results of a single-zone adiabatic homogeneous charge compression ignition engine model simulation using the detailed chemical kinetic model. It is found that the simplified correlations accurately reproduce the predictions of the detailed chemical kinetic models at an insignificant computational cost relative to the detailed simulations. The correlation approach presented here can also be applied to experimental ignition data, as far as these are obtained in a manner that covers a wide range of the relevant parameters with minimal experimental uncertainties. This work enables the incorporation of realistic chemical kinetic effects in the computational analysis and control of kinetically controlled combustion systems.
The taste for the particular: A logic of discernment in an age of omnivorousness
Authors: Smith Maguire Jennifer
Published: March 2016

This article provides an analysis of two leading specialist wine magazines, Decanter and Wine Spectator, and the codification and legitimation of a ‘taste for the particular’. Such media of connoisseurship are key institutions of evaluation and legitimation in an age of omnivorousness, but are often overlooked in research that foregrounds the agency of tasters and neglects the conventionalization of tasting norms and devices. The wine field has undergone a process of democratization typical of omnivorousness more broadly: former elite/low boundaries (operationalized in the article through the Old/New World dichotomy) are ignored, and a discerning attitude is encouraged for wines from a diversity of regions. Drawing on the magazines’ audience profile and market position data, and a content analysis of advertising and editorial content from 2008 and 2010, I examine the differences in the use of four legitimation frames (transparency, heritage, genuineness and external validation) for the provenance elements of Old and New World wines. The analysis suggests that the Old World – typically French – notion of terroir, on which the traditional Old/New World boundary rested, has been democratized through the particularities of provenance. Yet, the analysis also reveals continuing differences between the two categories (including greater emphasis on the heritage and external validation of Old World context of production, and on the transparency and genuineness of New World producers), and the preservation of established hierarchies of taste through the application of terroir to New World wines, which retain the Old World and France as their master referent.
Ethics Review for a Multi-Site Project Involving Tribal Nations in the Northern Plains
Authors: Angal Jyoti , Petersen Julie M. , Tobacco Deborah , Elliott Amy J. ,   Prenatal Alcohol in SIDS and Stillbirth Network
Published: March 2016

Increasingly, Tribal Nations are forming ethics review panels, which function separately from institutional review boards (IRBs). The emergence of strong community representation coincides with a widespread effort supported by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and other federal agencies to establish a single IRB for all multi-site research. This article underscores the value of a tribal ethics review board and describes the tribal oversight for the Safe Passage Study—a multi-site, community-based project in the Northern Plains. Our experience demonstrates the benefits of tribal ethics review and makes a strong argument for including tribal oversight in future regulatory guidance for multi-site, community-based research.
Selection of the effect size for sample size determination for a continuous response in a superiority clinical trial using a hybrid classical and Bayesian procedure
Authors: Ciarleglio Maria M , Arendt Christopher D , Peduzzi Peter N
Published: March 2016

Background:

When designing studies that have a continuous outcome as the primary endpoint, the hypothesized effect size ([Formula: see text]), that is, the hypothesized difference in means ([Formula: see text]) relative to the assumed variability of the endpoint ([Formula: see text]), plays an important role in sample size and power calculations. Point estimates for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are often calculated using historical data. However, the uncertainty in these estimates is rarely addressed.

Methods:

This article presents a hybrid classical and Bayesian procedure that formally integrates prior information on the distributions of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] into the study’s power calculation. Conditional expected power, which averages the traditional power curve using the prior distributions of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] as the averaging weight, is used, and the value of [Formula: see text] is found that equates the prespecified frequentist power ([Formula: see text]) and the conditional expected power of the trial. This hypothesized effect size is then used in traditional sample size calculations when determining sample size for the study.

Results:

The value of [Formula: see text] found using this method may be expressed as a function of the prior means of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and their prior standard deviations, [Formula: see text]. We show that the “naïve” estimate of the effect size, that is, the ratio of prior means, should be down-weighted to account for the variability in the parameters. An example is presented for designing a placebo-controlled clinical trial testing the antidepressant effect of alprazolam as monotherapy for major depression.

Conclusion:

Through this method, we are able to formally integrate prior information on the uncertainty and variability of both the treatment effect and the common standard deviation into the design of the study while maintaining a frequentist framework for the final analysis. Solving for the effect size which the study has a high probability of correctly detecting based on the available prior information on the difference [Formula: see text] and the standard deviation [Formula: see text] provides a valuable, substantiated estimate that can form the basis for discussion about the study’s feasibility during the design phase.
Distribution of natural radioactivity and radiological hazard using a NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectrometric system
Authors: Shayeb M Abu , Majid A , Zobidi S
Published: March 2016

The concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K are measured in the material collected from two locations. The collected materials are analyzed using gamma-ray spectrometry. The activity concentration of the naturally occurring radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in building material varies from 12.6 to 121.4, 13.6 to 142, and 69.5 to 620.6 Bq kg−1, respectively. The radium equivalent activity, absorbed dose rate, annual effective dose, and hazard index are also calculated.
The impact of redundancy on resilience engineering in a petrochemical plant by data envelopment analysis
Authors: Azadeh Ali , Hasannia Kolaee Mansoureh , Salehi Vahid
Published: March 2016

Resilience engineering is a new and proactive attitude toward improving the safety and reliability of complex industrial systems such as oil and gas companies and petrochemical plants. This study aims to evaluate the effect of redundancy on a resilient system and determine which redundancy in different aspects including human resources and equipment items (hardware, software, and information) is more efficient in a resilient system through data envelopment analysis. Data collection was performed in a petrochemical plant through a questionnaire. Then, reliability of the data was calculated through Cronbach’s alpha test. Next, the effects of human redundancy and equipment redundancy on resilience engineering are examined by means of data envelopment analysis approach. The results show that efficiency of the resilient system is improved by considering both equipment redundancy and human redundancy. It is also revealed that human redundancy is more effective in resilient system performance compared to equipment redundancy. Hence, human redundancy plays a vital role in efficiency enhancement of resilient systems. This study is among the first ones that investigate the impact of the redundancy in resilient systems in different aspects including human and equipment redundancy by means of data envelopment analysis approach and highlights the gaps between managers and staff about the impact of equipment redundancy and human redundancy on resilience engineering.
Sheffield Hallam Staff Wellness service: Four-year follow-up of the impact on health indicators
Authors: Flint Stuart W , Scaife Robert , Kesterton Sue , Humphreys Liam , Copeland Robert , Crank Helen , Breckon Jeff , Maynard Ian , Carter Anouska
Published: March 2016

Aims:

Alongside the increasing prevalence of chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes has been an increase in interventions to reverse these ill-health trends. The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal impact of the Sheffield Hallam University Staff Wellness Service on health indicators over a five-year period.

Methods:

The Sheffield Hallam Staff Wellness Service was advertised to university employees. Of 2651 employees who have attended the service, 427 respondents (male = 162, female = 265) aged 49.86 ± 12.26 years attended for five years (4 years follow-up). Each year, participants were assessed on a range of health measures (i.e. cardio-respiratory fitness, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins, lung function and percentage body fat). Participants also received lifestyle advice (based on motivational interviewing) as part of the intervention to either improve, or in some cases maintain, their current health behaviours (e.g. increased physical activity and diet change).

Results:

The wellness service improved staff health for those with an ‘at risk’ health profile from baseline. These improvements were maintained in subsequent follow-up assessments. Improvement from baseline to 1-year follow-up was observed for all health indicators as was the maintenance of this improvement in years 2, 3 and 4.

Conclusions:

The service demonstrates that a university-based wellness service using a combination of motivational interviewing and health screening to elicit behaviour change (and subsequent improvements in health-related outcomes) was successful in improving the health of employees with an ‘at risk’ profile.
A New Angle on Object-Background Effects in Vection
Authors: Kim Juno , Tran Michael T. T.
Published: March 2016

We considered whether optic flow generated by 3D relief of a foreground surface might influence visually-mediated self-motion perception (vection). We generated background motion consistent with self-rotation, and a foreground object with bumpy relief was either rotated with the observer (ego-centric) or fixed in world coordinates (world-centric). We found that vection strength ratings were greater in conditions with world-centric retinal motion of the foreground object, despite generating flow that was opposite to background motion. This effect was explained by observer judgments of the axis self-rotation in depth; whereas ego-centric flow generated experiences of more on-axis self-rotation, world-centric flow generated experiences of centrifugal rotation around the foreground object. These data suggest that foreground object motion can increase the perception of self-motion generated by optic flow, even when they reduce net retinal motion coherence and promote conditions for multisensory conflict. This finding supports the view that self-motion perception depends on mid-level representations of whole-scene motion.
The normative role of public opinion in the republican experience of Renaissance Venice
Authors: Kittler Juraj
Published: March 2016

Challenging the traditional view that credits the emergence of public opinion to the Enlightenment era, this article claims that the modern Western roots of the concept can be already identified in the political environment of the urban communes in late medieval and Renaissance Europe. Consequently, its focus is on the role that public opinion played in the constitutional framework of one of the most prominent European city-states, the Republic of Venice. In order to capture the complexity of the issue, the study juxtaposes normative political ideals against the social praxis of Venetian political life. This historical excursion culminates with an account of the dramatic defeat at Agnadello in 1509, which serves as a backdrop illustrating not only the deep impact that public opinion exercised over Venetian domestic politics but also the extensive international role that it played in the realm of the Renaissance world of politics, economics, and warfare.
Trashing the sectarian system? Lebanon’s “You Stink” movement and the making of affective publics
Authors: Kraidy Marwan M.
Published: March 2016

During the summer of 2015, a garbage management crisis emerged in Beirut after Lebanon’s main landfill was shut down without finding an alternative, and piles of trash grew bigger on the streets, triggering a wave of contentious politics. An activist movement emerged early during the ongoing crisis: called “You Stink,” the movement is led by seasoned activists who display the usual social media savvy and artful protest tactics that echo activism in the Arab Uprisings. Based on a preliminary reading of the movement’s actions and demands, and of the state’s response, this article provides an exploratory analysis of the symbolic world of “You Stink,” focusing on affect and the body, and proffers some initial observations on the extent to which “You Stink” may contribute insights into research on social movements.
Evolving repertoires: Digital media use in contentious politics
Authors: Khazraee Emad , Losey James
Published: March 2016

The spread of the Internet coupled with knowledgeable users has led to the use of digital media as a tool for advocacy and activism. Building on theoretical foundations of eventful histories and digital formations, this article investigates the interrelated nature of contentious politics and digital technologies. Our analysis documents the eventful history of changing digital repertoires of contention in the context of messaging, blogging, and social networking sites in Iran. We argue that investigating single moments of protest offers only snapshots of how digital technologies are used in contentious politics, and entails the risk of focusing on a single platform rather than the mosaic of online and offline repertoires. We demonstrate that documenting event histories challenges the assumptions of the emancipatory nature of a specific technology by revealing the changing efficacy of repertoires during different moments of contention; therefore, we should avoid assigning stable causal relations between digital technologies and the democratization processes of societies.
Comparable metrics: Some examples
Authors: Hauser Robert M
Published: March 2016

Standardization of social measures creates common understanding, supports the accumulation of evidence, and establishes comparability. It also, necessarily, entails loss of information, which is especially costly in comparisons across populations. This essay offers numerous examples of social measures and metrics to illustrate the complex trade-offs between standardization and construct validity.
A Note on the Relationship among the Shape of the Production Possibility Frontier, ‘Returns to Scale’ and ‘Returns to Factors’ under Cobb–Douglas Production Function
Authors: Mert Merter
Published: March 2016

The purpose of this study is to examine relationship among returns to scale, returns to factors and the shape of the production possibility frontier under Cobb–Douglas production function. The study asks the following question: How can production possibility frontier be drawn (a) if returns to scale are constant, increasing and decreasing and (b) if returns to factors are constant, increasing and decreasing? The main finding of the study is as follows: When (a) returns to factors are constant or increasing or decreasing and (b) returns to scale (economies of scale internal to the firm) are constant or increasing or decreasing, the production possibility frontier can be bowed in or bowed out or be linear under certain conditions.
Community Colleges and Public Health
Authors: Riegelman Richard , Wilson Cynthia
Published: March 2016

The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health’s Framing the Future Task Force and the League for Innovation in the Community College (the League) cosponsored the Community Colleges and Public Health report. The report recommends that community colleges consider offering public health associate degrees and academic certificate programs including two prototype curricular models developed with support from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These include Public Health: Generalist & Specializations and Health Navigator. Each model includes 30 semester hours of coursework in public health core, required courses, experiential learning, and electives along with content outlines for public health core and specialty coursework. The report has been approved by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health’s Board and widely disseminated by the League. The League is currently implementing a planning and recognition process to encourage community colleges to plan associate degree and academic certificate programs consistent with the report including both prototype curricular frameworks. The Public Health: Generalist & Specializations is designed for transfer to bachelor’s degree programs in general public health, health education, health administration, and environmental health. The Health Navigator programs are designed for employment as community health workers, health care/patient navigators, and/or health insurance navigators. The rapidly expanding job market for these fields is discussed as well as the recommendation that these associate degrees be planned to enable transfer to bachelor’s degree programs in health education. Implications for the future of the health education profession are also addressed.
Community College Public Health
Authors: Beebe Samantha A. , Bortz Carolyn , Leiser John K.
Published: March 2016

The Healthy People 2020 initiative outlines the U.S. Department of Health’s vision for improving the health of all Americans and recognizes the ability of community colleges to aid in accomplishing this vision by providing cost-effective, comprehensive public health education. Developing a 2-year degree program in public health is not without its challenges, including ensuring that the curriculum is broad enough in scope to serve as a foundation for students’ continuing in their education and content-rich enough to train them adequately to enter the workforce with the associate degree. Here, we present the efforts to meet these challenges in the establishment of an associate of applied science degree in public health. We review the development of both the public health core curriculum and the courses designed to meet the learning outcomes of that curriculum. We present an example of an articulation agreement with a 4-year university and lay-out potential future directions of the associate program.
Joining the Public Health Education Continuum
Authors: de los Santos Gerardo E.
Published: March 2016

As open access institutions, community colleges offer multiple educational options for students leading to career or transfer. They educate more than half of the new nurses and health care workers, and almost half of all undergraduates in the United States. This article provides an overview of the community college role in postsecondary education, including its emerging role in preparing students for transfer to baccalaureate programs in public health and in readying students for careers or transfer in health navigation fields. With a diverse student population, community colleges promise opportunity for a more diverse public health workforce in the future.
Building Connections
Authors: Hodges Bonni C. , Salis Andrea Selena
Published: March 2016

A subcommittee of SOPHE’s Community College Task Force developed a prototype template that can be used by community colleges to develop articulation agreements with bachelor’s degree programs in health education and related areas at other institutions. The article discusses the benefits of articulation agreements, presents the template, and outlines a process to use the template to build articulation agreements for public health education.
Undergraduate Public Health Degree Programs
Authors: Lasker Grace A.
Published: March 2016

The American Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health highlighted the critical need for public health education in the community college system in its 2014 Community College and Public Health report. The report details two associate degree prototypes: (1) Public Health: Generalist & Specializations and (2) Health Navigator. The prototypes were developed for transferring into bachelor’s programs, but employability for graduates with an associate degree in public health was not addressed in the report. Yet associate degrees in public health may not be a viable option for colleges whose mission and purpose require demonstrated regional employment for all graduates. Lake Washington Institute of Technology (Kirkland, WA) developed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Health (BASPH) after a labor market needs assessment and employer surveys demonstrated little employment potential for graduates with an associate degree in public health. The BASPH is the only 2+2 program (associate degree + 2 years) in public health in Washington State and the only community or technical college obtaining Council on Education for Public Health accreditation nationwide for a stand-alone baccalaureate degree as of 2015. BASPH degree outcomes are rooted in workforce education and skills-based training, strengthened by contributions from an advisory board representing a diversity of public health employers in the Seattle area. These best practices in program development ensure that students graduate with jobs-based skills that contribute to employability and strengthens their immediate contribution to the public health workforce.
Understanding Pediatric Dentists’ Dental Caries Management Treatment Decisions
Authors: Kateeb E.T. , Warren J.J. , Gaeth G.J. , Momany E.T. , Damiano P.C.
Published: March 2016

When traditional ranking and rating surveys are used to assess dentists’ treatment decisions, the patient’s source of payment appears to be of little importance. Therefore, this study used the marketing research tool conjoint analysis to investigate the relative impact of source of payment along with the child’s age and cooperativeness on pediatric dentists’ willingness to use Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) to restore posterior primary teeth. A conjoint survey was completed by 707 pediatric dentists. Three factors (age of the child, cooperativeness, type of insurance) were varied across 3 levels to create 9 patient scenarios. The relative weights that dentists placed on these factors in the restorative treatment decision process were determined by conjoint analysis. “Cooperativeness” (52%) was the most important factor, “age of the child” (26%) the second-most important factor, followed by “insurance status of the child” (22%). For the third factor, insurance, pediatric dentists were least willing to use ART with publicly insured children (−0.082), and this was significantly different from their willingness to use ART with uninsured children (0.010) but not significantly different than their willingness to use ART for children with private insurance (0.073). Unlike traditional ranking and rating tools, conjoint analysis found that the insurance status of the patient appeared to be an important factor in dentists’ decisions about different restorative treatment options. When pediatric dentists were forced to make tradeoffs among different patients’ factors, they were most willing to use ART technique with young, uncooperative patients when they had no insurance.

Knowledge Transfer Statement: The present study suggests the feasibility of using techniques borrowed from marketing research, such as conjoint analysis, to understand dentists’ restorative treatment decisions. Results of this study demonstrate pediatric dentists’ willingness to use a particular restorative treatment option (Atraumatic Restorative Treatment in this application) when forced to make tradeoffs in a “conjoined,” or holistic, context among different factors presented in real-life patient scenarios. A deeper understanding of dentists’ treatment decisions is vital to develop valid practice guidelines and interventions that encourage the use of appropriate restorative treatment modalities.
Future treatment for asthma
Authors: Charriot Jeremy , Vachier Isabelle , Halimi Laurence , Gamez Anne-Sophie , Boissin Clement , Salama Marine , Cucu-Jarjour Alina , Ahmed Engi , Bourdin Arnaud
Published: March 2016

The landscape of asthma has considerably changed after 40 years of inhaled corticosteroid development and nearly 20 years since the first monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were approved. New members of pharmacological families and more effective drug-delivery devices have been designed but the proportion of uncontrolled patients, unfortunately, remains stable. The most promising treatments now rely on targeted therapies that encourage the improvement of the characterisation of our patients. These clinical (phenotype) or new biological (endotype) tools lead to palpable personalised medicine. This review examines not only the future of mAbs and other new ways of treating asthma but also describes futuristic views based on the paradigm shifts that are ready to occur.
Asthma in childhood
Authors: de Benedictis Fernando Maria , Attanasi Marina
Published: March 2016

Several topics on childhood asthma were addressed in the Paediatric Clinical Year in Review session at the 2015 European Respiratory Society International Congress. With regard to the relationship between lower respiratory tract infections and asthma, it emerges that is the number of respiratory episodes in the first years of life, but not the particular viral trigger, to be associated with later asthma development. Understanding which characteristics of individual patients are associated with an increased risk for asthma exacerbation is a critical step to implement strategies preventing these seasonal events. Recent data suggest the possibility that exhaled volatile organic compounds may qualify as biomarkers in detecting early signs of asthma. Adding information of exhaled volatile organic compounds and expression of inflammation genes to a clinical tool significantly improves asthma prediction in preschool wheezy children. Personal communication with children and adolescents is likely more important than the tools actually used for monitoring asthma. Systemic corticosteroids do not affect the long-term prognosis in children with first viral-induced wheezing episode and should be used cautiously during acute episodes. Finally, stress and a polymorphism upstream of a specific gene are both associated with reduced bronchodilator response in children with asthma.