bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Case study of a humanitarian logistics simulation exercise and insights for training design
Authors: Gralla Erica , Goentzel Jarrod , Chomilier Bernard
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze a successful training exercise in detail, through both a practical and a theoretical lens, in order to identify critical aspects of its success and enable others to build upon it; and to capture insights and lessons learned in a framework that will facilitate the design of future trainings for a variety of goals and audiences.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors document and analyze the case study of a successful humanitarian logistics training exercise: the World Food Programme’s Logistics Response Team (WFP’s LRT) training. The LRT is described in detail in order to capture the extensive knowledge and experience that went into developing the full-scale, immersive exercise.

Findings

– The authors evaluate the LRT training through a theoretical lens, considering how it teaches the diverse set of skills required and identifying reasons for its success. The authors contrast the LRT with a light version developed for classroom use, and capture insights in a framework that highlights critical aspects of training design.

Research limitations/implications

– The requirements and design aspects highlighted in the framework are very high level, but they focus attention on key aspects that should be considered. Future research should develop more targeted metrics for evaluating what people learn from training exercises. More generally, a systematic approach to capturing knowledge and codifying good practices should be developed.

Practical implications

– The detailed case study and framework provide a basis for the design and improvement of simulated emergency training exercises, which are common in the humanitarian practice community.

Originality/value

– The case study of WFP’s LRT training formally documents valuable knowledge and experience that went into its development. The humanitarian community can use the proposed framework to more systematically evaluate, improve, and extend training exercises.
Engaging donors in smart compassion: USAID CIDI’s Greatest Good Donation Calculator
Authors: Özpolat Koray , Rilling Juanita , Altay Nezih , Chavez Eric
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to introduce a game-like decision tool – “Greatest Good Donations Calculator (GGDC)”, which has been collaboratively developed by scholars from the University of Rhode Island and the USAID Center for International Disaster Information.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is grounded in two streams of research – human learning through games and systems dynamics literature. The problem of “unsolicited in-kind donations” is discussed followed by the development of the GGDC.

Findings

– The GGDC is a game-like decision tool that informs users on some of the complexities associated with humanitarian supply chains, and the ineffective nature of unsolicited in-kind donations compared to monetary contributions when sent in response to international disasters.

Research limitations/implications

– The GGDC could be made more interactive and playable that could improve user engagement. The GGDC’s value to the humanitarian community and public could also be measured in other ways, such as surveys and A/B split tests after a major donation campaign.

Practical implications

– Games, simulations and game-like tools could successfully be used to educate donors about smart compassion.

Social implications

– Humanitarian researchers and scholars should consider more games to motivate/drive social change in the humanitarian world.

Originality/value

– This is the first paper to introduce the GGDC to the humanitarian logistics community with detailed content about positioning the study in the academic literature, and stages of development. Scholars, searching to adopt games or developing new games for the humanitarian world may find the information valuable. The GGDC is a unique example of federal government – academia collaboration in raising public awareness of the unsolicited good donations problem.
The participant as evolving protagonist
Authors: Pelosi Ligia
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of the participant in narrative research. Rather than a passive and static element, the participant often adds a vibrant, evolving and independent dimension to the process.

Design/methodology/approach

– The focus of this type of methodology is creative and unpredictable. Featured in the paper is the use of ethnographic fiction to examine and represent themes emerging from the data.

Findings

– The participant’s contribution to narrative research introduces an unexpected quantity to the findings, which can redefine how questions, perspectives and direction of the research are framed.

Research limitations/implications

– The research process can be viewed as a reciprocal event, a space where both researcher and participant co-exist, redefine understandings and contribute to findings in collaboration. This process relies heavily on relationships, and may be impaired if participant and researcher do not develop a suitable rapport.

Practical implications

– This particular methodology can be unpredictable. As a creative process that depends on the development of sound personal relationships between participant and researcher, reliance on the researcher’s insight, ingenuity and resourcefulness is essential.

Social implications

– This paper focuses on the participant as equal protagonist in the research process. It seeks to view the research process differently, highlighting how and why narrative research can be a significant journey of growth and discovery for the participant as well as for the researcher.

Originality/value

– Arts-based methodologies in qualitative research are still in a phase of exploration. The use of fiction writing in narrative research is a powerful way to explore issues in a way that connects researcher, participant and audience in meaningful discourse.
Winter microhabitat selection of a threatened pond amphibian in constructed urban wetlands
Authors: Garnham James I. , Stockwell Michelle P. , Pollard Carla J. , Pickett Evan J. , Bower Deborah S. , Clulow John , Mahony Michael J.
Published: April 2015

Mitigating the threat of habitat loss requires actions such as restoring and creating new habitat. In order to effectively achieve this, species habitat requirements and use patterns need to be understood. While many studies have been conducted on the habitat choice of species, these generally focused on habitat use during periods of high activity and detection probability without considering seasonal shifts in habitat use. Understanding habitat selection by frogs during the winter season of low activity may be crucial since it may differ from that used during the summer and may be overlooked as important for population success. We describe the microhabitat use of the threatened green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) using radio tracking methods during winter when detection is low and knowledge is limited. We followed 26 individuals betweenMay andJuly, 2011 to determine whether they selected specific overwintering microhabitats and related this to levels of individual exposure to predators, distance from the edge of the water and temperature of microhabitats. We found that overwintering bell frogs inhabited reeds and rock gabions more frequently than expected and that females used a reduced subset of microhabitats compared to males. Additionally, microhabitats used were more likely to conceal an individual from view, and the majority of overwintering sites were located within 5 m of the edge of the water which may be important for reducing the risk of predation and desiccation. Rock gabions had significantly warmer (1.2°C–1.8°C) mean temperatures than the other microhabitats used. The information presented here can be used in habitat creation and reintroduction programmes to provide habitat which is suitable during both the breeding and non‐breeding season for the conservation of other populations.
Intrinsically impaired platelet production in some patients with persistent or chronic immune thrombocytopenia
Authors: Rivière Étienne , Viallard Jean‐François , Guy Alexandre , Kilani Badr , Vieira‐Dias Juliana , Pons Anne C. , Couffinhal Thierry , Pellegrin Jean‐Luc , James Chloé
Published: April 2015

Persistent or chronic immune thrombocytopenias (P/C‐ITP) are acquired blood disorders lasting more than 3 months or 1 year, respectively. The pathogenesis of these disorders is thought to be immunological. We hypothesized that some patients with P/C‐ITP might have an intrinsic megakaryopoiesis defect. We identified a group of P/C‐ITP patients with acquired isolated mild thrombocytopenia (30–100 × 109/l), undetectable anti‐platelet antibodies, negative autoimmune investigations and no need for treatment. We examined in vitro megakaryocyte differentiation and compared these patients' results with those of acute‐ITP patients and healthy controls. No difference in proliferation, ploidy or expression of surface markers was found. In contrast, P/C‐ITP patients had significantly fewer proplatelet‐forming megakaryocytes. This novel observation demonstrated that some patients diagnosed with P/C‐ITP have an intrinsic megakaryopoiesis defect independent of the bone‐marrow environment. Further investigations are needed to dissect mechanisms underlying this impaired proplatelet formation in these patients.
Speaking Through Action, Acting Through Speech: Acting and Enacting in the Analytic Process
Authors: Skogstad Wilhelm
Published: April 2015

In this paper the author looks at the significance of different forms of action in the psychoanalytic situation. He traces the development of related concepts, going back to Freud's early concept of a ‘symptomatic act’ and the introduction of his concept of ‘acting out’ with the Dora case, through to more modern and complex ideas of enactment. He shows that acting out can have a defensive as well as a communicative function. Actions can be a way of ‘speaking’ to the analyst, of communicating things that cannot be thought or put into words. On the other hand, speech itself can become an action rather than a form of symbolic communication, a way of putting pressure on the analyst to fit in with a projective phantasy. Important theoretical contributions to the concept of enactment, by Sandler, Joseph, Feldman and Tuckett, are described in some detail. Looking at Freud's Dora from such a perspective, the author argues that an enactment developed between Freud and his patient. Detailed clinical material is presented to show how the author uses these concepts in his own analytic work. Finally, the relationship between enactment and containment is discussed.
Preserving the Past: An Early Interview Improves Delayed Event Memory in Children With Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: Brown Deirdre A. , Lewis Charlie N. , Lamb Michael E.
Published: April 2015

The influence of an early interview on children's (N = 194) later recall of an experienced event was examined in children with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities (CWID; 7–12 years) and typically developing (TD) children matched for chronological (7–12 years) or mental (4–9 years) age. Children previously interviewed were more informative, more accurate, and less suggestible. CWID (mild) recalled as much information as TD mental age matches, and were as accurate as TD chronological age matches. CWID (moderate) recalled less than TD mental age matches but were as accurate. Interviewers should elicit CWID's recall as early as possible and consider developmental level and severity of impairments when evaluating eyewitness testimony.
Looking again at troubled families: parents' perspectives on multiple adversities
Authors: Bunting Lisa , Webb Mary Anne , Shannon Rachel
Published: April 2015

The ‘Troubled Families’ policy and intervention agenda is based on a deficit approach that tends to ignore the role of structural disadvantage in the lives of the families it targets. In an effort to support this rhetoric, both quantitative and qualitative data have been used, and misused, to create a representation of these families, which emphasizes risk and individual blame and minimizes societal factors. This current paper presents findings from an in‐depth qualitative study using a biographical narrative approach to explore parents' experiences of multiple adversities at different times over the life‐course. Key themes relating to the pattern and nature of adversities experienced by participants provide a more nuanced understanding of the lives of families experiencing multiple and complex problems, highlighting how multiple interpretations are often possible within the context of professional intervention. The findings support the increasing call to move away from procedurally driven, risk averse child protection practice towards more relationally based practice, which addresses not only the needs of all family members but recognizes parents as individuals in their own right.
Correlation between Initial BIC and the Insertion Torque/Depth Integral Recorded with an Instantaneous Torque‐Measuring Implant Motor: An in vivo Study
Authors: Capparé Paolo , Vinci Raffaele , Di Stefano Danilo Alessio , Traini Tonino , Pantaleo Giuseppe , Gherlone Enrico Felice , Gastaldi Giorgio
Published: April 2015

Background

Quantitative intraoperative evaluation of bone quality at implant placement site and postinsertion implant primary stability assessment are two key parameters to perform implant‐supported rehabilitation properly. A novel micromotor has been recently introduced allowing to measure bone density at implant placement site and to record implant insertion‐related parameters, such as the instantaneous, average and peak insertion torque values, and the insertion torque/depth integral.

Purpose

The aim of this study was to investigate in vivo if any correlation existed between initial bone‐to‐implant contact (BIC) and bone density and integral values recorded with the instrument.

Materials and Methods

Twenty‐five patients seeking for implant‐supported rehabilitation of edentulous areas were consecutively treated. Before implant placement, bone density at the insertion site was measured. For each patient, an undersized 3.3 × 8‐mm implant was placed, recording the insertion torque/depth integral values. After 15 minutes, the undersized implant was retrieved with a 0.5 mm‐thick layer of bone surrounding it. Standard implants were consequently placed. Retrieved implants were analyzed for initial BIC quantification after fixation, dehydration, acrylic resin embedment, sections cutting and grinding, and toluidine‐blue and acid fuchsine staining. Correlation between initial BIC values, bone density at the insertion site, and the torque/depth integral values was investigated by linear regression analysis.

Results

A significant linear correlation was found to exist between initial BIC and (a) bone density at the insertion site (R = 0.96, explained variance R2 = 0.92) and (b) torque/depth integral at placement (R = 0.81, explained variance R2 = 0.66).

Conclusions

The system provided quantitative, reliable data correlating significantly with immediate postinsertion initial BIC, and could therefore represent a valuable tool both for clinical research and for the oral implantologist in his/her daily clinical practice.
On Speech Problems with Fixed Restorations on Implants in the Edentulous Maxilla: Introduction of a Novel Management Concept
Authors: Collaert Bruno , Van Dessel Jeroen , Konings Melissa , Nackaerts Olivia , Zink Inge , Slagmolen Pieter , Jacobs Reinhilde
Published: April 2015

Background

Little attention has been paid to the effect of implant restorations on speech.

Purpose

The aim of this study was threefold: (1) to find out if speech problems occur after inserting a fixed provisional restoration in the edentulous maxilla; (2) to explore speech adaptation in case articulation problems arise after rehabilitation; and (3) to describe the effect of changing the shape of the restoration on improving speech.

Materials and Methods

Ten patients with an edentulous maxilla were treated with fixed rehabilitation on implants. Speech evaluation was performed at four occasions: before implant surgery, immediately after restoration, and 3 weeks later before and after managing the speech problem by changing the shape of the restoration if speech problems occurred. Comparative three‐dimensional‐analysis of casts of the restoration before and after changing the shape of the restoration was carried out.

Results

The majority of patients (n = 7) experienced speech problems immediately after rehabilitation. Three weeks later, none of the seven patients with deteriorated speech returned to baseline speech. Then, volumetric reduction of the palatal aspects of the (pre)molars was performed, which allowed speech to return to baseline levels in five out of seven patients. In the two remaining patients, the intervention resulted in an improvement of speech without reaching their baseline levels. Three‐dimensional‐analysis showed that reducing the palatal volume of the premolars was effective in correcting speech.

Conclusions

Speech problems may frequently occur after fixed rehabilitation of the completely edentulous maxilla. A novel speech management concept, consisting of reducing the palatal volume of the (pre)molars, is introduced, demonstrating to solve speech problems in most cases.
Efficacy of Gutta‐Percha and Polytetrafluoroethylene Tape to Microbiologically Seal the Screw Access Channel of Different Prosthetic Implant Abutments
Authors: Cavalcanti Alexei Gama de Albuquerque , Fonseca Fernando Toledo Arruda , Zago Camila D'Acampora Reis , Brito Junior Rui Barbosa , França Fabiana Mantovani Gomes
Published: April 2015

Purpose

To evaluate in vitro, the efficacy of gutta‐percha (GP) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tape to act as a seal against the penetration of Escherichia coli through prosthetic implant abutments (PIA) with external hexagon (EH) and morse taper (MT) connections.

Materials and Methods

120 sets of implant analogs with their respective PIA were used. 60 sets from each system were divided into four groups (n = 15): I – GP sealing; II – PTFE tape sealing; III – no sealing (NS) and IV – negative control. Microbiological challenge was performed by placing bacterial colonies inside the titanium PIA before screwing them into their respective analogs. Each set was immersed in 5 mL of BHI and incubated for 14 days with daily checks for contamination, according to the nutrient medium turbidity.

Results

The type of seal used influenced microbial penetration at all evaluation times (p < 0.05). Compared to GP, PTFE led to an increase in turbidity and its effectiveness against microbial penetration was equivalent to group NS. When the sealing efficacy of each group was compared in terms of time, Cochran's Q test revealed that in the two groups sealed with PTFE, there was a progressive increase in the number of turbid nutrient media (p < 0.0001), while in the group sealed with GP, this was only observed in the MT system (p = 0.0310).

Conclusions

Sealing the PIA channel with GP was a significantly superior approach to sealing it with PTFE tape. PTFE tape or NS led to a progressive increase in microbiological leakage over time in PIA channels, however, this only occurred with GP in the MT system.
Progress testing in undergraduate dental education: the Peninsula experience and future opportunities
Authors: Ali K. , Coombes L. , Kay E. , Tredwin C. , Jones G. , Ricketts C. , Bennett J.
Published: April 2015

Background

Progress testing is well established as a longitudinal form of assessment in undergraduate medical programmes to measure growth in knowledge. Peninsula Dental School is the first school to use progress testing and remains the only one to do so.

Aims

To share the experience of developing progress testing in an undergraduate dental programme as a major summative assessment tool at a newly established dental school in the United Kingdom.

Methods

Data were collected for progress tests conducted from 2007 to 14. The tests were formative in the first 2 years of the programme and summative in subsequent years. Each test was based on 100 single best answer multiple‐choice items with an appropriate vignette. The students chose their answer from 5 options. A score 1 mark is awarded for each correct answer, minus 0.25 for an incorrect answer and 0 for ‘don't know’ (DK). The standard setting for each sitting was carried out using Angoff and Hofstee methods.

Results

There were two tests per year with each cohort undertaking eight tests in their 4 years of study providing a total 14 test occasions. The reliability of each test for each student cohort tests was measured using Cronbach's alpha. The average reliability over 42 test/cohort combinations was 0.753 (±SD 0.08). Data analyses show growth in knowledge of dental students across successive years with the largest increase in knowledge observed between tests 1 and 5 and concomitant reduction in DK responses.

Conclusion

This is the first study to report the establishment and use of progress testing as the principle form of written summative testing in an undergraduate dental curriculum. Progress testing is a valid and reliable tool to assess growth in knowledge longitudinally over the duration of a dental programme. Although a labour‐intensive process, progress testing merits more widespread use in dental programmes.
The effects of tai chi on measures of stress and coping style
Authors: Robert‐McComb Jacalyn J , Chyu Ming‐Chien , Tacón Anna , Norman Reid
Published: April 2015

Background

The biological response (heart‐rate variability; HRV) to an acute psychological stressor, as well as cognitive changes in anxiety and coping style following tai chi (TC) in healthy male college students, has not been investigated in the literature.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of TC on: (1) HRV biomarkers of acute psychological stress, (2) state anxiety, and (3) coping style in healthy male college students.

Methods

The study was an RCT, in which the experimental group (n=9) received TC (twice a week for 8 weeks) and the control (C) group (n=11) did not receive treatment. Reactions to an acute psychological stressor were measured by the HRV's standard deviation of normal to normal intervals (SDNN), and Spielberger's State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Four ‘trials’ (baseline; stressor; recovery 1 and recovery 2) were conducted, with pre‐tests/post‐tests performed for both study groups. The Problem‐Focused Styles of Coping (PFSOC) questionnaire was used to examine coping styles pre‐test/post‐test for both groups.

Results

Significant differences were found: (1) for group, test, and trial, the interaction of trial by group, and the interaction of test by trial for SDNN, P<0.05; (2) for test, trial, and the interaction of test by group for STAI (P<0.05); and (3) for the interaction of group and test for the suppressive coping style (P<0.05).

Conclusions

Tai chi affects biological reactions to an acute psychological stressor, perceptions of anxiety to an acute stressor and coping styles in healthy male college students.
Geoengineering: The Next Era of Geopolitics?
Authors: Dalby Simon
Published: April 2015

While geopolitics used to be about the context of global politics, now in the Anthropocene, it has become a matter of remaking that context rather than taking it as a given. What kind of planet is being made for what kind of civilization is now an unavoidable question of the global economy, as is the related political question of contemporary globalization concerning who decides the future planetary configuration. The discussion of geoengineering proceeds apace as the limited success of climate mitigation focuses attention on what comes next. Thinking about how to govern geoengineering before major experiments are tried unilaterally might be the key to preventing future conflicts over such practical issues as what temperature the planet ought to be. Such questions are the key to the new geopolitics of the Anthropocene, a debate to which geography in general and political geography in particular could have much to contribute.
Feminist Geographies “Beyond” Gender: de‐Coupling Feminist Research and the Gendered Subject
Authors: Coddington Kate
Published: April 2015

Increasingly feminist geographers are breaking the ties between feminist research and gendered subjects, envisioning feminist scholarship “beyond gender.” How did this trend emerge? This essay traces some of the significant shifts within feminist thinking that allowed the breakdown of such boundaries within feminist scholarship, and uses historical and contemporary examples primarily from feminist geography to illustrate that incomplete, and continually contested, transformation. I suggest that the history of feminist geographers' work to address critical questions about gender, race, and sexuality from outside the discipline has resulted in feminist projects that include, but are not limited to, a focus on gendered subjects. I argue that far from being finished intellectual projects, feminist geographies “beyond gender” represent new avenues for research about knowledge production, difference, and oppression. Who conducts research and what they study matters deeply for the scope and relevance of geographical scholarship as a whole, and contemporary feminist geographies point the way toward work that needs to be done especially around issues of uneven applications of intersectional analysis and the importance of race and postcolonial theory for geography.
Transient Global Amnesia Triggered by Migraine in aFrenchTertiary‐CareCenter: An 11‐Year Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Donnet Anne
Published: April 2015

Objective

The etiology of transient global amnesia (TGA) remains unclear, and flow disturbances in the mesial temporal lobes secondary to venous congestion have been proposed as a potential cause. The occurrence ofTGAduring a migraine attack is a rare condition.

Methods

This 11‐year retrospective study in one French center describes patients' characteristics, type of migraine, investigations, treatment with vasoconstrictor during theTGA/migraine attack, and outcome in patients who hadTGAduring a migraine attack.

Results

Among 8821 new patients, 6 cases of TGA occurring during a migraine attack were identified. For a majority of patients,TGAoccurs after the beginning of the attack.TGAalways occurs during a severe migraine attack, with vomiting or vomiting efforts. Vomiting or vomiting efforts always precede aTGAepisode.

Conclusions

TGA occurring during a migraine attack is rare. Since aValsalva maneuver, such as forceful vomiting, is frequently described at the origin of the attack, blocking venous return through the superior venous cava may allow brief retrograde transmission of high venous pressure from the arms to the cerebral venous system, resulting in venous ischemia to the diencephalon or mesial temporal lobes and causingTGA.
Dacarbazine, Nimustine Hydrochloride, Cisplatin and Tamoxifen Combination Chemotherapy for Advanced Malignant Melanoma
Authors: Yamazaki Naoya , Yamamoto Akifumi , Wada Takashi , Ishikawa Masashi
Published: April 2015

Melanoma is an uncommon disease in Japan. The incidence, however, has been gradually increasing in the last two decades, as in many other countries worldwide. Ten patients with metastatic malignant melanoma were treated between March of 1997 and April of 1998 in the Department of Dermatology, National Cancer Center Hospital, with a combination chemotherapy consisting of dacarbazine (DTIC), nimustine hydrochloride (ACNU), cisplatin (CDDP), and tamoxifen (TAM). The patients characteristics were as follows: four were males and six females; the age range was 33–70 years; all were Japanese; sites of primary disease: extremities 4, primary unknown 3, nasal cavity 1, anus 1, scalp 1; sites of metastases: lymph nodes 6, pulmonary system 5, skin 2, liver 3, gall bladder 1, adrenal gland 1. The chemotherapy regimen included DTIC 220 mg/m2/i.v. on days 1 through 3, ACNU 60 mg/m2/i.v. on day 1, cisplatin 25mg/m2/i.v. on days 1 through 3, and tamoxifen 10 mg p.o. twice daily. One patient achieved a complete response and 3 showed partial responses. The response rate was 40%. The four responders included those with metastases to the nodes, lung, and liver. The main toxicities were nausea, vomiting, leucopenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia. This regimen is a fairly effective combination against metastatic melanoma.
Mean body sizes of amphibian species are poorly predicted by climate
Authors: Slavenko Alex , Meiri Shai
Published: April 2015

Aim

Climate is thought to exert a strong influence on animal body sizes. We examined the relationship between amphibian body size and several climatic variables to discern which climatic variables, if any, affect amphibian size evolution.

Location

Europe and North America.

Methods

We assembled a dataset of mean sizes of 356 (out of 360) amphibian species in Europe, the USA and Canada, and tested how they are related to temperature, precipitation, primary productivity and seasonality. First, we examined the body size distributions of all the species inhabiting equal‐area grid cells (of 96.3 km × 96.3 km) using randomizations to account for the effects of species richness. Second, we examined the relationship between mean species body size and the environmental predictors across their ranges accounting for phylogenetic effects.

Results

The observed amphibian body size distributions were mostly statistically indistinguishable from distributions generated by random assignment of species to cells. Median sizes in grid cells were negatively correlated with temperature in anurans and positively in urodeles. The phylogenetic analysis revealed opposite trends in relation to temperature. In both clades most climatic variables were not associated with size and the few significant relationships were very weak.

Main conclusions

Spatial patterns in amphibian body size probably reflect diversity gradients, and relationships with climate could result from spurious effects of richness patterns. The large explanatory power of richness in the grid‐cell analysis, and the small explanatory power of climate in the interspecific analysis, signify that climate per se has little effect on amphibian body sizes.
Nutritional status, adiposity and asthma severity and control in children
Authors: Silveira Denise Halpern , Zhang Linjie , Prietsch Silvio OM , Vecchi Amilcare Angelo , Susin Lulie Rosane Odeh
Published: April 2015

Aim

To investigate association between nutritional status, adiposity and asthma severity and control in children.

Methods

We conducted a case control study at two teaching hospitals in Brazil. Cases were children (3–12 years) with persistent asthma and age‐matched controls were those with intermittent asthma. Nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (BMI). Adiposity was assessed by sum of skinfolds and waist circumference (WC). Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using conditional logistic regression or multinomial logistic regression as appropriate.

Results

Two hundred sixty‐eight cases and 126 controls were included. Obesity (>2 BMI z‐score for age) was significantly associated with persistent asthma (adjusted OR 2.62; 95% CI 1.39–4.95). There was a significant linear relationship between BMI z‐scores (≤1, >1 to ≤2, >2) and risk of having persistent asthma (P = 0.003 for linear trend). Children with WC >90th percentile had a higher risk of persistent asthma when compared with those with WC ≤90th percentile (adjusted OR 3.38; 95% CI 1.26–9.06). No significant difference was found in terms of nutritional status and adiposity between children whose asthma was controlled by inhaled corticosteroids and those requiring inhaled corticosteroids plus other medications for asthma control.

Conclusions

Obesity measured by BMI and increased abdominal adiposity are significantly associated with risk of persistent asthma but not type of controller medications.
Mapping fear of crime as a context‐dependent everyday experience that varies in space and time
Authors: Solymosi Reka , Bowers Kate , Fujiyama Taku
Published: April 2015

Purpose

There is a current need for innovation in research on the fear of crime to move on from general and static representations and instead approach it as a dynamic phenomenon experienced in everyday life, to inform or evaluate situational interventions.

Methods

This study presents a novel approach to fear of crime research using the framework of routine activities theory and environmental criminology to present it as a specific event characterized by spatial, temporal, and personal variables. We suggest and illustrate a new experience sampling approach to data collection, captured via a mobile phone application.

Results

By studying the fear of crime in the environment where it occurs, and focusing on a microscale geography with the additional dimension of time, new insight into fear of crime can be attained. Results from a data collection pilot demonstrate significant spatiotemporal variation in individuals' fear of crime levels and hence illustrate the viability of such approaches.

Conclusions

We argue that this new insight can lead to the development of situational interventions which target fear of crime hot spots as they move about in place and time, allowing limited resources to be allocated more efficiently to enhance perceptions of safety.
Clonal evolution of multidrug resistant hepatitis B virus during entecavir rescue therapy
Authors: Chon Young E. , Jin Bora , Ahn Sang H. , Kim Seungtaek , Kim Nam D. , Park Jeon H. , Nam Chung M. , Kim Kyun‐Hwan , Hong Sun P. , Choi Sung H. , Kim Do Y. , Park Jun Y. , Han Kwang‐Hyub
Published: April 2015

Background & Aims

Analysing the mutation pattern of multidrug resistance (MDR) is important in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). In this study, the evolutionary pattern of MDR mutations was investigated in patients receiving entecavir (ETV) rescue therapy.

Methods

Eight CHB patients with lamivudine (LAM)‐ and adefovir (ADV)‐resistant mutations showing suboptimal response to ETV and to subsequent ETV‐plus‐ADV therapy were enrolled. The clonal evolution of the mutation pattern was investigated through direct sequencing, multiplex restriction fragment mass polymorphism (RFMP), and clonal analysis and the utility of these methods was compared.

Results

Among 160 clones at baseline, wild‐type hepatitis B virus (HBV) was present in 62 (38.8%), LAM‐resistant mutations in 92 (57.6%) and ADV‐resistant mutations in 55 (34.4%). LAM‐resistant mutations increased to 70.6% at the end of ETV therapy and increased to 74.4% at the 12th month of ETV‐plus‐ADV therapy. During the same time periods, ETV‐resistant mutations were present in 46.3% and 38.8%, and ADV‐resistant mutations were present in 3.1% and 9.4% respectively. When 256 nucleotides from 32 samples were examined for mutations, clonal analysis detected 93 mutations (36.3%), direct sequencing detected 36 mutations (14.1%) and RFMP detected 73 mutations (28.5%). The sensitivity (73.1%, 95% CI; 64.1–82.1%) and specificity (96.9%, 95% CI; 94.4–99.4%) of RFMP were high, showing a concordance rate of 88.3% with the results from clonal analysis. All mutations exceeding 40% of the total clones detected by clonal analysis were also detected by RFMP.

Conclusions

The clonal evolution of the mutation pattern in MDR HBV showed the selection of LAM‐resistant (±ETV‐resistant) HBV during ETV rescue therapy, which may be the primary reason for patients' suboptimal response. Multiplex RFMP is a useful method for detecting MDR mutations in clinical practice.
Diverse supramolecular structures formed by self‐assembling proteins of the Bacillus subtilis spore coat
Authors: Jiang Shuo , Wan Qiang , Krajcikova Daniela , Tang Jilin , Tzokov Svetomir B. , Barak Imrich , Bullough Per A.
Published: April 2015

Bacterial spores (endospores), such as those of the pathogens Clostridium difficile and Bacillus anthracis, are uniquely stable cell forms, highly resistant to harsh environmental insults. Bacillus subtilis is the best studied spore‐former and we have used it to address the question of how the spore coat is assembled from multiple components to form a robust, protective superstructure. B. subtilis coat proteins (CotY, CotE, CotV and CotW) expressed in Escherichia coli can arrange intracellularly into highly stable macro‐structures through processes of self‐assembly. Using electron microscopy, we demonstrate the capacity of these proteins to generate ordered one‐dimensional fibres, two‐dimensional sheets and three‐dimensional stacks. In one case (CotY), the high degree of order favours strong, cooperative intracellular disulfide cross‐linking. Assemblies of this kind could form exquisitely adapted building blocks for higher‐order assembly across all spore‐formers. These physically robust arrayed units could also have novel applications in nano‐biotechnology processes.
Client experiences of motivational interviewing: An interpersonal process recall study
Authors: Jones Sarah A. , Latchford Gary , Tober Gillian
Published: April 2015

Objectives

To explore clients' experience of the therapy process in motivational interviewing (MI) for alcohol abuse.

Design

A qualitative study using grounded theory.

Methods

Interviews with nine clients were conducted using interpersonal process recall (IPR), a methodology which utilizes a video recording as a cue to aid memory recall. Clients watched a videotape of their MI session and were asked to identify and describe the important moments in the therapy session. The transcribed interviews were then analysed using grounded theory.

Results

A single session of MI is seen by the clients in this study as a complex interpersonal interaction between client and therapist, which impacts on the client's cognitive and affective intrapersonal processes.

Conclusions

The themes which emerged partly confirm processes of MI previously hypothesized to be important, but also highlight the importance of factors common to all therapeutic approaches.

Practitioner points

The aspects of therapy which clients in this study felt were important are similar to those hypothesized to underlie the effectiveness of MI, including a non‐confrontational approach, affirmation, and developing discrepancies between beliefs and behaviour.

These were embedded in aspects common to all therapies, including the qualities of the therapist and the therapeutic relationship.

Client's perspectives on therapeutic processes are an important area of research, and IPR is a particularly suitable method.
Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis in Childhood and Adolescence: A Single‐Center Experience
Authors: Gürkan Asuman , Özlü Sare Gülfem , Altıaylık‐Özer Pınar , Kurtul Bengi Ece , Karacan Can Demir , Şenel Saliha
Published: April 2015

Background

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common oral ulcerative condition in children. The objective was to describe the clinical features of RAS in children with accompanying clinical and laboratory findings.

Methods

The study included 120 patients younger than 18 years of age (mean age 9.6 ± 4.3 years) with three or more oral aphthous ulcers per year between August 2008 and February 2014. Demographic characteristics of the patients, clinical features of the ulcers, and associated clinical and laboratory findings were evaluated.

Results

The mean number of aphthae per year was 12.8 ± 8.5 and the mean duration of the disease was 3.6 ± 2.9 years. Minor aphthae were the most common type (87%), papulopustules were the most common accompanying cutaneous lesions (13.3%), and family history of RAS was the most common associated factor (35.8%). Genital scarring (p = 0.04) and pathergy (p = 0.01) were significantly more common in the adolescent group. Pathergy was significantly related to genital scarring (p = 0.04) and Behçet's disease (p = 0.02). There was no association between the number of aphthae per year and the duration of the disease and hematologic and immunologic abnormalities.

Conclusion

Our study is consistent with previous reports in terms of clinical features of aphthous ulcers, related diseases, and family history of RAS, but no associated laboratory abnormalities were noted.
Is Patch Testing with Food Additives Useful in Children with Atopic Eczema?
Authors: Catli Gonul , Bostanci Ilknur , Ozmen Serap , Dibek Misirlioglu Emine , Duman Handan , Ertan Ulker
Published: April 2015

Background

Atopy patch testing is a useful way to determine delayed‐type hypersensitivity reactions to foods and aeroallergens. Although food additives have been accused of worsening atopic eczema symptoms, according to recent studies the role of food additives in atopic eczema remains unclear. The purpose of our study was to investigate food additive hypersensitivity in a group of children with atopic eczema by using standardized atopy patch testing and to determine the role of food additive hypersensitivity in atopic eczema.

Methods

Thirty‐four children with atopic eczema and 33 healthy children were enrolled in the study. Children who consumed foods containing additives and did not use either antihistamines or local or systemic corticosteroids for at least 7 days prior to admission were enrolled in the study. All children were subjected to atopy patch testing and after 48 and 72 hours their skin reactions were evaluated by using the guidelines.

Results

Positive atopy patch test results were significantly higher in the atopic eczema group. Forty‐one percent of the atopic eczema group (n = 14) and 15.2% (n = 5) of the control group had positive atopy patch test results with food additives (p = 0.036) (estimated relative risk 1.68, case odds 0.7, control odds 0.17). Carmine hypersensitivity and the consumption of foods containing carmine, such as gumdrops, salami, and sausage, were significantly higher in the children with atopic eczema.

Conclusion

This is the first study investigating hypersensitivity to food additives in children with atopic eczema. Our results indicate that carmine may play a role in atopic eczema.
The expression and clinical significance of ribophorin II (RPN2) in human breast cancer
Authors: Ono Makiko , Tsuda Hitoshi , Kobayashi Takayuki , Takeshita Fumitaka , Takahashi Ryou‐u , Tamura Kenji , Akashi‐Tanaka Sadako , Moriya Tomoyuki , Yamasaki Tamio , Kinoshita Takayuki , Yamamoto Junji , Fujiwara Yasuhiro , Ochiya Takahiro
Published: April 2015

Ribophorin II (RPN2), part of the N‐oligosaccharyltransferase complex, is highly expressed in breast cancer stem cells and is associated with tumor metastasis through interaction with mutant p53. The clinicopathological implication of RPN2 expression is undetermined. We examined immunohistochemically the expression levels of RPN2 and p53 in primary breast cancer tissues surgically resected from 218 patients. The correlations of RPN2 expression with the intrinsic subtype defined by hormone receptors (HRs) and HER2, clinicopathological parameters, p53 expression, and patients’ clinical outcomes were examined. RPN2 was positive in 139 (64%), and the incidence of RPN2 expression was higher in the triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) (HR‐/HER2‐) (65%) and HER2‐enriched (HR‐/HER2+) subtype (95%) than in the luminal A‐like (HR+/HER2‐) subtype (58%) (P = 0.0009). RPN2 expression was also correlated with p53 nuclear accumulation (P = 0.04). The RPN2‐positive/p53‐positive patient group showed significantly poorer prognosis than the RPN2‐negative group for disease‐free survival (P = 0.05) and for overall survival (P = 0.02). By multivariate analyses, the combination of RPN2 and p53 was not an independent prognostic factor. RPN2 expression was correlated with clinically aggressive features of breast cancer. These data support the further clinical application of anti‐RPN2 therapy and the development of personalized medicine.
A quantitative hybridization approach using 17 DNA markers for identification and clustering analysis of Ralstonia solanacearum
Authors: Albuquerque P. , Marcal A. R. S. , Caridade C. , Costa R. , Mendes M. V. , Tavares F.
Published: April 2015

Ralstonia solanacearum (Rs) is a quarantine phytopathogenic bacterium accountable for heavy economic losses worldwide. Monitoring and eradication programmes required for this pathogen are dependent on the availability of time‐ and cost‐efficient detection and typing methods. However, members of the Rs species complex are characterized by a high phenotypic and genetic diversity, which requires improved diagnostics methods. The currently available full genome sequences of several Rs strains allow for the selection of novel specific DNA markers using comparative genomics tools. In this work, 17 novel markers were selected based on Rs‐specific protein domains and thoroughly validated for specificity and stability, both in silico and using ‘wet lab’ assays. Polymerase chain reaction‐ and hybridization‐based validation assays revealed that the DNA regions selected as markers were unevenly distributed amongst the tested strains, with nine markers present throughout the species complex. The distribution of the remaining eight markers was highly variable between the different analysed strains and enabled the attainment of strain‐specific dot blot hybridization patterns, particularly informative for typing. The average probability value of each strain being positive for each of the 17 markers was calculated by an algorithm and used to obtain a dendrogram representing hierarchical clustering analysis of Rs, according to the similarity of their hybridization patterns. This method should prove to be a robust and straightforward procedure for genotyping members of the Rs species complex. Furthermore, this quantitative hybridization approach will allow the construction of informative databases to determine new Rs genotypes and infer epidemiological patterns.
Effectiveness of insecticide‐treated and untreated nets to prevent malaria in India
Authors: Van Remoortel Hans , De Buck Emmy , Singhal Maneesh , Vandekerckhove Philippe , Agarwal Satya P.
Published: April 2015

Objectives

India is the most malaria‐endemic country in South‐East Asia, resulting in a high socio‐economic burden. Insecticide‐treated or untreated nets are effective interventions to prevent malaria. As part of an Indian first‐aid guideline project, we aimed to investigate the magnitude of this effect in India.

Methods

We searchedMEDLINE, Embase and Central to systematically review Indian studies on the effectiveness of treated or untreatedvs. no nets. Parasite prevalence and annual parasite incidence served as malaria outcomes. The overall effect was investigated by performing meta‐analyses and calculating the pooled risk ratios (RR) and incidence rate ratios.

Results

Of 479 articles, we finally retained 16 Indian studies. Untreated nets decreased the risk of parasite prevalence compared to no nets [RR0.69 (95%CI; 0.55, 0.87) in high‐endemic areas,RR0.49 (95%CI; 0.28, 0.84) in low‐endemic areas], as was the case but more pronounced for treated nets [RR0.35 (95%CI; 0.26, 0.47) in high‐endemic areas, risk ratio 0.16 (95%CI; 0.06, 0.44) in low‐endemic areas]. Incidence rate ratios showed a similar observation: a significantly reduced rate of parasites in the blood for untreated netsvs. no nets, which was more pronounced in low‐endemic areas and for those who used treated nets. The average effect of treated nets (vs. no nets) on parasite prevalence was higher in Indian studies (RR0.16–0.35) than in non‐Indian studies (data derived from a Cochrane systematic review;RR0.58–0.87).

Conclusions

Both treated and untreated nets have a clear protective effect against malaria in the Indian context. This effect is more pronounced there than in other countries.