bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Presupposing equality
Authors: Myers Ella
Published: October 2014

Rancière’s political thought is the object of growing fascination, particularly as a lens through which to interpret contemporary political protests, yet his conception of axiomatic equality remains unexamined. This article investigates Rancière’s account of equality as a ‘presupposition’, showing that an axiom of equality guides momentary acts of resistance, but also serves as a ‘necessary and sufficient condition’ of all societies, however hierarchical. Although this account holds some appeal, I argue that it restricts equality to two, not especially satisfying possibilities: a temporary revelation or a hidden secret. This rendering of axiomatic equality is symptomatic of Rancière’s general hostility toward institutional politics. Because Rancière tends to depict ‘institutions’ per se as oppressive, equality is positioned ‘outside’ the socio-political order – as its fleeting interruption or disavowed condition of possibility. I argue, on the contrary, that a radically egalitarian politics today should affirm a practice-centered project of institution-building.
Effectiveness of a Releasing Exercise Program on Anxiety and Self-Efficacy Among Nurses
Authors: Chen Huei-Mein , Wang Hsiu-Hung , Chiu Min-Hui
Published: October 2014

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a releasing exercise program (REP) on anxiety and exercise self-efficacy among nurses. The REP consisted of warm-up and tension-releasing exercises and mood adjustment. Ninety-nine nurses (age = 33.38 ± 7.38 years) experiencing anxiety (average Visual Analog Scale for Anxiety [VASA] score of 5.63 ± 1.44 at baseline) were randomly assigned to an experimental group ( n = 50) that received 50-min REP sessions 3 times a week or a control group ( n = 49) that did not attend REP sessions. The outcome measures were VASA, the Chinese Version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale scores. At Weeks 12 and 24, the experimental group had significantly lower anxiety levels and higher exercise self-efficacy scores than the control group. Therefore, the REP effectively reduces anxiety and enhances self-confidence in exercise capability.
Influence of service quality on consumers’ satisfaction with mobile telecommunication services in Nigeria
Authors: Olatokun Wole Michael , Ojo Folake Oyelola
Published: October 2014

Using survey design, this study assessed customer satisfaction with mobile telecommunication services in Ibadan, a Nigerian municipality. A structured questionnaire, consisting of SERVQUAL dimensions of reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibility, was used to collect data. Convenience sampling technique was used to select 431 mobile telecommunication users to measure their satisfaction level. Collected data were analyzed using frequency and percentage distribution and Logistic Regression was used to determine if there existed any relationship between the SERVQUAL dimensions and customers’ satisfaction. Findings revealed Responsiveness, Assurance and Empathy to be significant in explaining customer satisfaction. The findings may further strengthen the position of the regulatory authorities in developing policies that will address customers’ satisfaction based on defined priorities. This study recommends that mobile operators should improve the quality of mobile services offered to customers in terms of responsiveness, assurance and empathy in order to achieve high level of customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
Internet users’ attitudes toward business-to-consumer online shopping
Authors: Huseynov Farid , Yıldırım Sevgi Özkan
Published: October 2014

Rapid growth of online shopping activities in recent years has required careful identifications of key factors influencing consumers’ behaviors and attitudes toward online shopping. Identifying critical factors influencing online consumer behavior is very crucial for effective customer relationship management. It is very important that online sellers clearly understand critical factors influencing online customers’ shopping intention and take necessary actions accordingly. If identified and managed properly, those critical factors can provide competitive advantage to online sellers and also increase consumers’ satisfaction level and experiences with sellers’ website. This research investigated the attitudes toward online shopping of university students in Ankara, Turkey. Internet users’ interest, evaluation, trust, intention and concerns toward online shopping were assessed by conducting survey type research. Internet users’ concerns toward online shopping were assessed by considering financial issues, product quality issues, refund issues, product delivery issues, security issues and privacy issues. Findings of this study guide online retailers which factors to focus on in order to develop successful marketing strategies for online consumers.
Clinical characteristics and course of plantar vein thrombosis: a series of 22 cases
Authors: Czihal M , Röling J , Rademacher A , Schröttle A , Kuhlencordt P , Hoffmann U
Published: October 2014

Objectives

To evaluate the clinical presentation and disease course of symptomatic plantar vein thrombosis.

Patients and methods

Patients with a first diagnosis of symptomatic plantar vein thrombosis at our institution were retrospectively identified from a prospectively maintained database. All patients underwent complete venous compression sonography extended to the plantar veins because of local symptoms at the sole of the foot. Clinical characteristics were obtained from the medical records.

Results

Between 2005 and 2013, 22 patients were diagnosed with a first episode of plantar vein thrombosis (64% women, mean age at diagnosis 58.2 years, range 32–79 years). All patients reported moderate to heavy pain of the sole of the foot. The lateral plantar veins (96%) were more frequently affected than the medial plantar veins (41%) and extension into the deep calf veins was common (27%). Half of the episodes were idiopathic, with subsequent diagnosis of occult malignancy in two of these patients. In seven patients (32%), plantar vein thrombosis occurred in association to physical strain to the foot. All patients were treated with anticoagulation. Symptomatic pulmonary embolism was not observed and during a mean follow up of 21 months, the post-thrombotic syndrome did not occur. However, recurrences were common (27%) and frequently again affected the plantar veins.

Conclusion

Plantar vein thrombosis should be considered as an important differential diagnosis of acute foot pain.
Radiofrequency ablation of the great saphenous vein, comparing one versus two treatment cycles for the proximal vein segment
Authors: Sufian S , Arnez A , Labropoulos N , Nguyen K , Satwah V , Marquez J , Chowla A , Lakhanpal S
Published: October 2014

Objective

To evaluate the results of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the great saphenous vein (GSV) using one versus two 20 s energy cycle treatment in the proximal 7 cm segment of the GSV.

Methods

All patients who underwent RFA of the GSV from 1 May 2013 to 30 September 2013 in eight of our vein centers were included. Duplex ultrasound scans (DUSs) were performed prior to treatment on all patients and 2–3 days, and 1 month after procedure. Demographic data, GSV diameters, and other relevant data were recorded. Clinical, Etiologic, Anatomic, Pathologic (CEAP) classification and Venous Clinical Severity Scores (VCSSs) were determined prior to ablation and one month later. Patients who developed endovenous heat induced thrombosis (EHIT) were followed till resolution.

Results

A total of 205 patients had one cycle treatment (group A) and 204 had two cycle treatment (group B). The two groups were comparable in their demography, CEAP classification, and VCSS scores. The rate of failure of ablation and incidence of EHIT were also not significantly different. The incidence of complications was low, <5% in both groups and all were minor.

Conclusion

Two cycle treatment of the proximal GSV for vein ablation does not improve the success rate of vein closure in the short term, compared to one cycle treatment. It also does not increase the risks of DVT, EHIT, major bleeding, and other complications. However, we do not know at what diameter two cycles may be superior to one cycle.
Duplex investigations in children: Are clinical signs in children with venous disorders relevant?
Authors: Birgitte Maessen-Visch M , Smeets L , van Vleuten C
Published: October 2014

Objectives

Ultra sound colored duplex sonography is the preferred method in diagnosing chronic venous disease. Data in children on incidence, indications, and results are lacking.

Methods

From the total of 9180 duplex investigations performed in our hospital from 2009 to 2012, data on indication and results of the investigation as well as patient characteristics were evaluated retrospectively for the proportion of pediatric patients.

Results

Duplex investigations were performed 49 times in 38 children (6–18 years), with an average of 1.3 times (1–6 times) per child. Forty percent showed abnormalities: 17 times deep venous thrombosis was suspected; deep venous thrombosis was objectified in 18%. In the 21 investigations performed for varicosis-related complaints, varicose veins or venous malformations were objectified in 57%. Edema was never a symptom of chronic venous disease.

Conclusions

Duplex investigation is not often performed in children. In children with established deep venous thrombosis, a family history with deep venous thrombosis is common. In general, edema was not seen in children with varicose veins and, therefore, does not seem a reliable clinical sign at young age.
Genes, Parenting, Self-Control, and Criminal Behavior
Authors: Watts Stephen J. , McNulty Thomas L.
Published: October 2014

Self-control has been found to predict a wide variety of criminal behaviors. In addition, studies have consistently shown that parenting is an important influence on both self-control and offending. However, few studies have examined the role that biological factors may play in moderating the relationship between parenting, self-control, and offending. Using a sample of adolescent males drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health ( N = 3,610), we explore whether variants of the monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA) and the dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene interact with parenting to affect self-control and offending. Results reveal that parenting interacts with these genes to influence self-control and offending, and that the parenting-by-gene interaction effect on offending is mediated by self-control. The effects of parenting on self-control and offending are most pronounced for those who carry plasticity alleles for both MAOA and DAT1. Thus, MAOA and DAT1 may be implicated in offending because they increase the negative effects of parenting on self-control. Implications for theory are discussed.
All Elder Abuse Perpetrators Are Not Alike
Authors: Jackson Shelly L.
Published: October 2014

The tendency to label all elder abuse perpetrators as the “bad guys” has diminished our ability to respond effectively. A review of the literature demonstrates that elder abuse perpetrators are in fact heterogeneous with important differences across types of abuse. A reformulation of perpetrator interventions away from a singular emphasis on prosecution to meaningful alternatives that utilize criminal justice and/or therapeutic approaches tailored to the needs of the case is needed. These interventions must incorporate the needs of both victims and perpetrators, take into consideration the type of abuse involved, acknowledge the variations in perpetrator culpability, and recognize the continuum of complexity among these cases. Without addressing these nuances, intervention and prevention efforts will be futile if not harmful.
Assessing the Risk Factors of Cyber and Mobile Phone Bullying Victimization in a Nationally Representative Sample of Singapore Youth
Authors: Holt Thomas J. , Fitzgerald Sarah , Bossler Adam M. , Chee Grace , Ng Esther
Published: October 2014

This study utilized routine activity theory to examine the relationships between online behaviors, target suitability, and cyber and mobile phone–based bullying victimization in a nationally representative sample of youth from nine schools across Singapore. Key measures in all three categories—access to technology, online routine behaviors, and target suitability—were significant predictors of both forms of bullying victimization. In particular, females and victims of physical bullying were more likely to experience both forms of victimization. Access to technology and online routine behaviors predicted cyber and mobile phone–based bullying victimization differently. These findings demonstrate that routine activity theory is a viable framework to understand online bullying in non-Western nations, consistent with the existing literature on Western nations.
Improved prediction of strain distribution during mechanical and hydro-mechanical deep drawing processes using microstructure-based dynamic strain hardening and anisotropy
Authors: Vadavadagi BH , Shekhawat SK , Narasimhan K , Samajdar I
Published: October 2014

Interstitial free (IF) and drawing quality (DQ) steel sheets were subjected to conventional mechanical deep drawing and hydro-mechanical deep drawing operations. Detailed macroscopic strain measurements were made at different cup depths. These were simulated using PAM-STAMP, a commercial finite element–based software. For continuum-based finite element simulations, the required key material properties are strain hardening exponent (n) and anisotropy index ([Formula: see text]). These were kept either constant or dynamically varied during the simulation. The constant properties were taken from conventional tensile tests of the original material, while the dynamic variation in properties was extrapolated from developments in the crystallographic texture and in-grain misorientation. Considering dynamic properties during simulation provided a superior prediction of macroscopic strains. This study clearly demonstrates the need for considering evolution of critical continuum properties, such as work hardening and anisotropy index, through appropriate microstructural inputs for more realistic macroscopic predictions.
Ethnic Majority and Minority Youths’ Ascription of Responsibility for Solving Current Social Issues
Authors: Scott Zuzana , Šerek Jan
Published: October 2014

The study examined current social issues that adolescents and young adults from majority and minority groups consider to be pressing issues in society, such as the environment, racism, and unemployment. Fourteen focus groups were conducted with majority (Czech) and minority (Roma and Ukrainian) participants (15-26 years of age). The issues were discussed with an emphasis on where the participants believed the responsibility lay for finding a solution. Responses could be classified into three categories: ascribing responsibility only to the self, only to others (e.g., to the government), or to both. We used the data from the follow-up survey study to test whether internal ascription of responsibility would align with young people’s attitudes toward civic participation. The results suggest that for majority (Czech) and Ukrainian youth, willingness to participate is predicted not only by social norms that encourage civic engagement and collective efficacy beliefs but also by one’s ascription of responsibility to the self. We discuss various explanations for why this finding did not hold true for Roma respondents.
Revealing a Circadian Clock in Captive Arctic-Breeding Songbirds, Lapland Longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus), under Constant Illumination
Authors: Ashley Noah T. , Ubuka Takayoshi , Schwabl Ingrid , Goymann Wolfgang , Salli Brady M. , Bentley George E. , Buck C. Loren
Published: October 2014

Most organisms in temperate or tropic regions employ the light-dark (LD) cycle as the primary Zeitgeber to synchronize circadian rhythms. At higher latitudes (>66°33′), continuous illumination during the summer presents a significant time-keeping dilemma for polar-adapted species. Lapland longspurs ( Calcarius lapponicus), arctic-breeding migratory songbirds, are one of the few recorded species maintaining an intact diel rhythm in activity and plasma melatonin titers during polar summer. However, it is unknown whether rhythms are endogenous and entrain to low-amplitude polar Zeitgeber signals, such as daily variations in light intensity and the spectral composition of the sun (as measured by color temperature). Wild-caught male and female longspurs were brought into captivity, and locomotor activity was assessed using infrared detection. To examine if rhythms were endogenous, birds were exposed to constant bright light (LL; 1300 lux) or constant darkness (DD; 0.1 lux). All birds exhibited free-running activity rhythms in LL and DD, suggesting the presence of a functional circadian clock. Mean periods in LL (22.86 h) were significantly shorter than those in DD (23.5 h), in accordance with Aschoff’s rule. No birds entrained to diel changes in light intensity, color temperature, or both. To examine endogenous molecular clock function, the Per2 gene was partially cloned in longspurs (ll Per2) and transcripts were measured in hypothalamic tissue punches, eye, and liver using competitive polymerase chain reaction. Ocular ll Per2 gene expression was periodic in LL and elevated at ZT24 (CT24) for LD or constant conditions (LL and DD), but ll Per2 rhythmicity was not detected in hypothalamus or liver. Plasma melatonin was significantly lower in LL compared with LD or DD. In conclusion, rhythmic ocular Per2 expression and melatonin secretion may maintain the circadian activity rhythm across the polar day.
Evaluation of Early Dexmedetomidine Addition to the Standard of Care for Severe Alcohol Withdrawal in the ICU
Authors: VanderWeide Luke A. , Foster Charles J. , MacLaren Robert , Kiser Tyree H. , Fish Douglas N. , Mueller Scott W.
Published: October 2014

Purpose:

This study evaluated the impact of dexmedetomidine (DEX) administration on benzodiazepine (BZD) requirements in intensive care unit (ICU) patients experiencing alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS).

Methods:

This trial included adults admitted to the ICU for >24 hours for AWS. Early DEX was defined as receiving DEX within 60 hours of hospital admission. The primary outcome was 12-hour BZD requirement from the inflection point or DEX initiation. Secondary outcomes included 24-hour BZD requirements, symptom control, ICU and hospital length of stay, and incidence and duration of mechanical ventilation. Safety outcomes included incidence of bradycardia and hypotension.

Results:

Twenty patients receiving DEX were matched to 22 control patients. The mean 12-hour change in BZD requirement was significantly different for DEX versus control (−20 vs −8.3 mg, P = .0455) with a trend toward significance at 24 hours (−29.6 vs −11 mg, P = .06). No significant differences were noted in other secondary outcomes. Patients receiving DEX experienced significantly more bradycardia than controls (35% vs 0%, P < .01) but not hypotension.

Conclusions:

This study suggests DEX is associated with a reduction in BZD requirement when utilized as adjunctive therapy for AWS. A larger prospective trial is needed to evaluate the clinical impact of DEX for AWS.
Antibiotic Dosing in Patients With Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Lewis Susan J. , Mueller Bruce A.
Published: October 2014

Increasing evidence suggests that antibiotic dosing in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) often does not achieve pharmacodynamic goals, and the continued high mortality rate due to infectious causes appears to confirm these findings. Although there are compelling reasons why clinicians should use more aggressive antibiotic dosing, particularly in patients receiving aggressive renal replacement therapies, concerns for toxicity associated with higher doses are real. The presence of multisystem organ failure and polypharmacy predispose these patients to drug toxicity. This article examines the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic consequences of critical illness, AKI, and renal replacement therapy and describes potential solutions to help clinicians give “enough but not too much” in these very complicated patients.
Women’s Initiation of Physical Violence Against an Abusive Partner Outside of a Violent Episode
Authors: Fanslow Janet L. , Gulliver Pauline , Dixon Robyn , Ayallo Irene
Published: October 2014

This article explores women’s use of physical violence against an abusive male partner, outside of the context of a violence episode. Data were drawn from the New Zealand Violence Against Women Study, a cross-sectional household survey conducted using a population-based cluster-sampling scheme. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with women initiating physical violence against their male partners. Of the 845 women who had experienced physical violence perpetrated by their intimate partner, 19% reported physically mistreating their partner at least once outside of a male initiated violent episode, while 81% never initiated violence against their partner. Analyses showed that women’s initiation of violence under these circumstances was strongly associated with either or both partners having alcohol problems, her recreational drug use, her number of violent partners, and her mother being hit or beaten by her father when she was a child.
Using a Wellness Program to Promote a Culture of Breastfeeding in the Workplace
Authors: Magner Antoinette , Phillipi Carrie Anne
Published: October 2014

In the United States, many women stop breastfeeding within the first month that they return to work. Working mothers experience challenges in maintaining milk supply and finding the time and space to express breast milk or feed their babies in workplace settings. Changing attitudes and culture within the workplace may be accomplished in conjunction with ensuring compliance with state and federal laws regarding breastfeeding to improve breastfeeding rates after return to work. Employee wellness programs can be 1 avenue to promote breastfeeding and human milk donation as healthy behaviors.
A Multipronged Approach Is Associated with Improved Breast Milk Feeding Rates in Very Low Birth Weight Infants of an Inner-City Hospital
Authors: Dereddy Narendra R. , Talati Ajay J. , Smith Ashley , Kudumula Ravi , Dhanireddy Ramasubbareddy
Published: October 2014

Breast milk feeding has advantages over formula feeding in premature infants, but its use in them is low. We initiated measures in our inner-city hospital such as starting a dedicated lactation service, counseling the mothers prenatally and postnatally, educating hospital staff, and advocating with our state’s Medicaid insurance to provide free home breast pumps. These measures were associated with improvement in our breast milk feeding rates in very low birth weight infants from 22% to 88% over 5 years. This article describes our multipronged approach and can help encourage and guide other units with similar demographics to improve their breast milk feeding rates.
Workplace Lactation Support by New Jersey Employers following US Reasonable Break Time for Nursing Mothers Law
Authors: Bai Yeon K. , Gaits Susan I. , Wunderlich Shahla M.
Published: October 2014

Background:

Returning to an unsupportive work environment has been identified as a major reason for avoidance or early abandonment of breastfeeding among working mothers.

Objective:

This study aimed to examine the nature and extent of accommodations offered to breastfeeding employees among New Jersey employers since the US federal Reasonable Break Time for Nursing Mothers law enactment.

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to measure current lactation support in the workplace in New Jersey. Using convenience sampling, the survey was sent to managerial personnel in hospitals and nonhospitals. The level of support was assessed on company policy, lactation room, and room amenity. A composite lactation amenity score was calculated based on responses about lactation room amenities.

Results:

Respondents (N = 51) completed a 22-item online questionnaire during fall 2011. The support level was compared by type of organization: hospital (n = 37) versus nonhospital (n = 14). The amenity score of hospitals was significantly higher than nonhospitals (1.44 vs 0.45, P = .002). The mean amenity score (score = 0.95) for all employers was far below comprehensive (score = 3.0). Compared to nonhospitals, hospitals were more likely to offer lactation rooms (81% vs 36%, P = .003), have their own breastfeeding policy (35.1% vs 7.1%, P = .01), and provide additional breastfeeding support (eg, education classes, resources; P < .05).

Conclusion:

Employers, regardless of the type of organization, need to improve their current practices and create equity of lactation support in the workplace.
Associations Between Environmental Characteristics and Life-Space Mobility in Community-Dwelling Older People
Authors: Rantakokko Merja , Iwarsson Susanne , Portegijs Erja , Viljanen Anne , Rantanen Taina
Published: October 2014

Objective: To examine the association between perceived environmental barriers to and facilitators for outdoor mobility with life-space among older people. Methods: Community-dwelling, 75- to 90-year-old people ( n = 848) were interviewed face-to-face using standard questionnaires. The Life-Space Assessment (LSA), indicating distance and frequency of moving and assistance needed in moving (range 0-120), was used. Environmental barriers and facilitators outdoors were self-reported. Results: Altogether, 41% ( n = 348) of the participants had restricted life-space (LSA score < 60). Those reporting one or more environmental barriers had more than double the odds for restricted life-space compared with those reporting no barriers after adjustments for ill health, functioning, and socioeconomic status (SES) differences. Similarly, those reporting four to seven facilitators had lower odds for restricted life-space compared with those reporting three or fewer facilitators. Discussion: Perceptions of one’s environment may either constrain or extend older people’s life-space. Longitudinal studies are needed to study the causality of the findings.
T-S fuzzy model-based robust finite time control for uncertain nonlinear systems
Authors: Tran Xuan-Toa , Kang Hee-Jun
Published: October 2014

This paper presents novel Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model-based robust finite time control methods for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems. First, the nonlinear system is approximated by a suitable T-S fuzzy model in which most of the parameters can be computed offline. Then, a T-S fuzzy model-based nonsingular terminal sliding mode control (TS-NTSMC) method is designed based on a proposed nonsingular terminal sliding mode (NTSM) surface. This method not only alleviates the online computational burden, but also preserves the advantages of fast and finite time convergence, high tracking precision, and robustness to uncertainties and disturbances. However, the discontinuous function [Formula: see text] causes the chattering phenomenon, which is unavoidable. In order to attenuate the chattering, maintain the key properties of the TS-NTSMC method and achieve higher control performance, a novel T-S fuzzy model-based super-twisting higher order nonsingular terminal sliding mode control (TS-STHONTSMC) method is proposed. The global finite time stability of the resulting closed-loop systems is analytically proven herein. Two numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed control methods and to validate the theoretical results.
Analysis of Strouhal number based equivalence of pitching and plunging airfoils and wake deflection
Authors: Khalid Muhammad Saif Ullah , Akhtar Imran , Durrani Naveed Iqbal
Published: October 2014

Numerical simulations have been used to analyze the equivalence of pitching and plunging motions found in a flapping NACA0012 airfoil. Two-dimensional incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved at Reynolds number of 103 over a range of Strouhal numbers. A novel criterion based on the Strouhal number is proposed which provides equivalence of pitching and plunging motions using the length scale traversed by the trailing edge in each case. Aerodynamic coefficients are found to match well for both the kinematics in temporal as well as spectral domains. Detailed analysis provides contribution of different mechanisms, such as vortex shedding, added mass, interaction of leading and trailing edge vortices, in the overall aerodynamic forces produced by a pitching or plunging airfoil. Wake deflection is observed for a plunging airfoil at high Strouhal numbers resulting in a bias in the lift coefficient. Further investigation reveals the dominance of second harmonic of the fundamental frequency in the lift spectrum emphasizing the role of quadratic nonlinearity in the observed phenomenon.
Association of rs172378 C1q gene cluster polymorphism with lupus nephritis in Bulgarian patients
Authors: Radanova M , Vasilev V , Dimitrov T , Deliyska B , Ikonomov V , Ivanova D
Published: October 2014

Introduction

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease that can affect substantially any organ in the body. One of its most severe manifestations is lupus nephritis. Hereditary C1q deficiency is strongly related to SLE but there are very few and inconsistent studies exploring the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the C1q gene cluster in relation to the pathogenesis of SLE. In the present study we evaluated the possible association of gene variants in complement C1q gene cluster with susceptibility to lupus nephritis in a Bulgarian population, focusing on five previously associated with SLE SNPs in other populations.

Materials and methods

Thirty-eight patients with lupus nephritis and 185 healthy controls, all from Bulgaria, were genotyped for the five C1q SNPs, rs587585, rs292001, rs172378, rs294179 and rs631090, by quantitive real-time PCR methods. We also determined C1q serum levels of C1q and haemolytic activity of C1q in relation to C1q genotypes.

Results

Lupus nephritis patients and healthy controls had statistically similar frequencies of genotypes and alleles of rs587585, rs292001, rs294179 and rs631090 SNPs. Nevertheless, minor G allele in rs172378 was significantly overrepresented in lupus nephritis patients when compared with healthy controls (36% vs. 23%, odds ratio = 1.80, 95% confidence interval = 1.06–3.06, p = 0.029). The SNP rs292001 showed a trend towards lower serum C1q levels in healthy controls. Two SNPs – rs294179 and rs292001 – were in a linkage disequilibrium in patients and healthy controls with different power (healthy controls: r2 = 0.6526, D′ = 0.842; lupus nephritis patients: r2 = 0.491, D′ = 0.686). The haplotype C-A-A-T-T in the patient group was associated with lupus nephritis: 7.7% vs. 0.8%, odds ratio = 10.81, 95% confidence interval = 1.45–80.57, p = 0.002.

Conclusions

These results support the implication of the G allele in rs172378 as a risk factor for lupus nephritis in a homozygous status, at least for a Bulgarian population.
Hughes syndrome and Multiple sclerosis
Authors: Uthman I , Noureldine M H A , Berjawi A , Skaf M , Haydar A A , Merashli M , Hughes G R V
Published: October 2014

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) share common clinical, laboratory and radiological features. We reviewed all the English papers on MS and APS published in the literature from 1965 to 2014 using PubMed and Google Scholar. We found that APS can mimic antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL)-positive MS in many ways in its clinical presentation. Nevertheless, APS diagnosis, clinical manifestations and management differ from those of MS. aPL were found in MS patients with titers ranging from 2% to 88%. The distribution and volume of lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may help to differentiate MS from primary APS. In addition, atypical MS presentation can guide physicians toward an alternative diagnosis, especially when features of thrombosis and/or history of connective tissue disease are present. In that case, an anticoagulation trial could be worthwhile.
Exploring recent increases in the gender wealth gap among Australia’s single households
Authors: Austen Siobhan , Ong Rachel , Bawa Sherry , Jefferson Therese
Published: October 2014

This study uses three wealth modules from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey to explore the gender wealth gap for single Australian households between 2002 and 2010. The findings indicate a significant gender wealth gap, which has increased over the 8 years explored. Most of the increase in the wealth gap was associated with a relatively rapid increase in the value of housing assets by single men over the study period. The findings of this study challenge a wider literature that tends to emphasise that men are more prepared to invest in ‘risky’ assets such as shares and that their higher wealth is due to these investment strategies. Instead, this study emphasises how, in the Australian context at least, it was higher growth rates in the value of housing assets owned by single men that improved their wealth position relative to single women over the last decade.
Three Highly Recommended Apps
Authors: Dunbar Laura
Published: October 2014

It can be a challenge to wade through the various apps hoping to find one that works well, making it worthy to take more precious storage space on one’s phone, iPad, and so on. Despite being relatively inexpensive, there is also consideration of the possible expense of these apps. In this article, I review three favorite apps: Pro Metronome, Guitar Tuna, and DocScan.
A Principle or a Strategy? Voter Identification Laws and Partisan Competition in the American States
Authors: Hicks William D. , McKee Seth C. , Sellers Mitchell D. , Smith Daniel A.
Published: October 2014

We undertake a comprehensive examination of restrictive voter ID legislation in the American states from 2001 through 2012. With a dataset containing approximately one thousand introduced and nearly one hundred adopted voter ID laws, we evaluate the likelihood that a state legislature introduces a restrictive voter ID bill, as well as the likelihood that a state government adopts such a law. Voter ID laws have evolved from a valence issue into a partisan battle, where Republicans defend them as a safeguard against fraud while Democrats indict them as a mechanism of voter suppression. However, voter ID legislation is not uniform across the states; not all Republican-controlled legislatures have pushed for more restrictive voter ID laws. Instead, our findings show it is a combination of partisan control and the electoral context that drives enactment of such measures. While the prevalence of Republican lawmakers strongly and positively influences the adoption of voter ID laws in electorally competitive states, its effect is significantly weaker in electorally uncompetitive states. Republicans preside over an electoral coalition that is declining in size; where elections are competitive, the furtherance of restrictive voter ID laws is a means of maintaining Republican support while curtailing Democratic electoral gains.
Campaign Finance Laws, Policy Outcomes, and Political Equality in the American States
Authors: Flavin Patrick
Published: October 2014

Laws that regulate the financing of campaigns are one attempt to attenuate the role of money in politics and promote more egalitarian policy outcomes. Do states with stricter campaign finance regulations represent citizens’ interests more equally? Using data on state spending priorities from 1977 to 2008, this article finds that states with stricter campaign finance laws devote a larger proportion of their annual budget to public welfare spending in general and to cash assistance programs in particular. In contrast, there is no relationship between the strictness of campaign finance laws and spending decisions for non-redistributive policy areas. I also investigate possible causal mechanisms and uncover evidence that stricter campaign finance laws alter incentives for candidates to respond to wealthy constituents by lessening the proportion of contributions that originate from business interests. These results suggest that laws that regulate the financing of political campaigns can play an important role in promoting the interests of disadvantaged citizens and enhancing political equality.
A Rare Complication of Gastric Bypass (Weight Loss) Surgery
Authors: Ünal Betül , Uzun Özlem Ceren , Başsorgun Cumhur İbrahim , Erdoğan Okan , Elpek Gülsüm Özlem
Published: October 2014

Here, we present the case of a 31-year-old woman patient who underwent distal pancreatectomy with the history of gastric bypass surgery for obesity. The final histopathological diagnosis of the lesion was nesidioblastosis. Nesidioblastosis is the most common cause of organic persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia in newborns; however, it is rare in adults. In adults, it is difficult to diagnose nesidioblastosis with only clinical findings. The definitive diagnosis of the disease depends on the histopathological examination of pancreatic tissue and the exclusion of insulinoma.
Effect of Syndesmosis Injury in SER IV (Weber B)–Type Ankle Fractures on Function and Incidence of Osteoarthritis
Authors: Kortekangas Tero , Flinkkilä Tapio , Niinimäki Jaakko , Lepojärvi Sannamari , Ohtonen Pasi , Savola Olli , Pakarinen Harri
Published: October 2014

Background:

Syndesmosis fixation of Lauge-Hansen SER IV, Weber B ankle fractures is controversial. This study compared a matched pair of SER IV patients with stress proven syndesmotic injuries with the same number without stress proven syndesmotic injury in terms of functional, pain, and radiologic result.

Methods:

The study was based on a RCT-study comparing syndesmotic transfixation to no fixation in SER IV (Weber B)–type ankle fractures. Twenty-four patients with a syndesmosis injury found on the intraoperative 7.5 Nm standardized external rotation test were compared to 24 patients with a stable syndesmosis. The pairs were matched by fracture morphology, sex, and age. The primary outcome measure was ankle function as assessed by the Olerud–Molander score. Weight-bearing plain radiographs and 3T MRI of the injured ankle were used to assess ankle joint congruity and osteoarthritis, according to Kellgren-Lawrence classification and cartilage defects.

Results:

The Olerud–Molander score was 86 in syndesmosis injury patients and 90 in patients with normal syndesmosis ( P = .28). The incidence of ankle joint osteoarthritis on plain radiographs was not significantly different between the groups (Grade I 5% vs 21%; Grade II 86% vs 75%; Grade III 9% vs 4%; P = .34). MRI scans showed TC joint cartilage defects in 54% of the patients: 12 (56%) in the syndesmosis injury group vs 13 (54%) in the group without syndesmosis injury ( P > .9).

Conclusion:

After 4 to 6 years of follow-up, clinical and radiologic outcome were not different in patients with syndesmosis injury compared to patients with stable syndesmosis in SER IV (Weber B)–type ankle fractures.

Level of Evidence:

Prognostic Level II, comparative study.
Fixation of Distal Fibula Fractures
Authors: Mitchell Justin J. , Bailey James R. , Bozzio Anthony E. , Fader Ryan R. , Mauffrey Cyril
Published: October 2014

Level of Evidence:

Level V, expert opinion.
Assessing outcomes of adult oncology patients treated with linezolid versus daptomycin for bacteremia due to vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
Authors: Patel Khilna , Kabir Rubiya , Ahmad Samrah , Allen Steven L
Published: October 2014

Background

The incidence and severity of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus blood stream infections continue to rise and is a significant burden in the healthcare setting. Literature thus far is minimal regarding treatment outcomes in patients with malignancy and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus bacteremia. Appropriate antibiotic selection is vital to treatment success due to high rates of resistance, limited antimicrobials and mortality in this patient population. We conducted this study to determine whether treatment outcomes differed between cancer patients treated with linezolid and those treated with daptomycin for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus bacteremia.

Methods

This single-center, retrospective study included adult patients hospitalized on the oncology service with documented vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium or Enterococcus faecalis bacteremia who received at least 48 h of either linezolid or daptomycin as primary treatment.

Results

A total of 65 patients were included in the analysis. Thirty-two patients received daptomycin as primary treatment, and 33 patients received linezolid as primary treatment. Twenty-six (76.5%) patients in the linezolid cohort versus 22 (71%) patients in the daptomycin cohort achieved microbiological cure ( p = 0.6141). Median length of stay in days (30 vs. 42, p = 0.0714) and mortality (7/32 (20.6%) vs. 8/33 (25.8%), p = 0.6180) were also similar between the linezolid and daptomycin treated patients, respectively.

Conclusion

No differences in microbiological cure, length of stay or mortality were identified between the groups. This study suggests that linezolid and daptomycin are each reasonable options for treating vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus bacteremia in oncology patients. Further prospective, randomized controlled trials are needed to assess the optimal treatment for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus bacteremia in this patient population.
High-performance emulation of heterogeneous systems using adaptive time dilation
Authors: Lee Hee Won , Sichitiu Mihail L , Thuente David
Published: October 2014

Building a testbed for evaluating the performance of large-scale heterogeneous systems can be costly and inefficient. Emulation is often used to evaluate the performance of a system in a controlled environment. Time dilation allows virtual machines (VMs) to emulate higher performance than that of their physical machine. We present an approach using adaptive time dilation to emulate large-scale distributed systems composed of heterogeneous machines and Operating Systems (OSs). In our implementation, VMs are globally synchronized. To evaluate our system, distributed VMs running Linux, Windows, FreeBSD, and Junos are emulated on general-purpose physical machines.
Fragmented work stories: Developing an antenarrative approach by discontinuity, tensions and editing
Authors: Humle Didde Maria , Pedersen Anne Reff
Published: October 2014

Following a strand of narrative studies pointing to the living conditions of storytelling and the micro-level implications of working within fragmented narrative perspectives, this article contributes to narrative research on work stories by focusing on how meaning is created from fragmented stories. We argue that meaning by story making is not always created by coherence and causality; meaning is created by different types of fragmentation: discontinuities, tensions and editing. The objective of this article is to develop and advance antenarrative practice analysis of work stories by exploring how different types of fragmentation create meanings. This is done by studying the work stories of job and personnel consultants and by drawing on the results of a narrative, ethnographic study of a consultancy. The analysis demonstrates how work stories are social practices negotiated, retold, edited and performed by the storyteller in an ongoing process allowing tensions, discontinuities and editing between failures and achievements, between dreams and work realities and between home and work life. We argue that by including different types of fragmentation, we offer a new type of antenarrative practice approach that offers a contemporary method for exploring meaning creation in work stories.
An embodied approach to Second World War storytelling mementoes: Probing beyond the archival into the corporeality of memories of the resistance
Authors: De Nardi Sarah
Published: October 2014

What happens when we include materiality and corporeality into an exploration of the Second World War resistance experience? Although an understanding of veteran storytelling as ‘feeling’ and sharing of emotional memories may appear obvious in the context of a human experience like resistance, academic literature on the topic is rare. When war mementoes are considered in the context of oral sources, they are at best conceptualized as archival items, museum pieces, or memory aids. However, semi-structured interviews with Italian and British resistance activists suggest that their experience was grounded in the body and the world, and is shared through storytelling that is also perforce grounded in the body. This article explores the ‘worlds of feelings’ of veterans through their interaction with mementoes used in storytelling, and contends that these objects constitute not only sites of memory or relics, but also sites of feeling. Implicating the bodily sphere into a hitherto predominantly military narrative produces a more holistic and bottom-up understanding of conflict experience.
Robust static analysis using general-purpose multibody dynamics
Authors: Masarati Pierangelo
Published: October 2014

This work discusses the implementation of a pseudo-arc-length algorithm in general-purpose multibody formulations. Such algorithm and implementation support the analysis of static problems subjected to bifurcations and turning points, expanding the applicability of such formulations. Its application to existing free general-purpose simulation software made the analysis of nontrivial static structural problems possible. Several examples of applications are presented and compared with existing solutions obtained from state-of-the-art formulations.
Austerity and credibility in the Eurozone
Authors: McMenamin Iain , Breen Michael , Muñoz-Portillo Juan
Published: October 2014

During the euro crisis policy-makers tried to re-establish credibility with austere budgets. Studies of austerity have been plagued by measurement and endogeneity problems. We provide a direct test of the effect of austerity on confidence by calculating the immediate impact of austere budgets on government bonds. We build a unique database of budget dates and conduct event studies of 223 (future) Eurozone budgets. Since austere budgets are enacted in particular circumstances, we use a treatment effects design to measure markets’ responses. Our findings are discouraging for the argument that austerity can provide a positive credibility shock. Markets do not welcome austerity. On the contrary, austere budgets are associated with substantial interest rate increases. These results underline how constrained governments are in debt crises.