bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The 2004 Tsunami in Penang, Malaysia
Authors: Krishnaswamy Saroja , Subramaniam Kavitha , Indran Tishya , Low Wah-Yun
Published: July 2012

Disasters, natural or man-made, bring numerous health care challenges. In any crisis, mental health programs are a requirement during both the acute and postemergency phases. In the Asian tsunami on December 26, 2004, some of the northwestern coastal areas of Malaysia, particularly the island of Penang, were affected with devastating effects on the residents. Such disasters can predispose to mental health problems among the affected people. An early mental health intervention program was carried out in Balik Pulau, Penang, an area badly affected by the tsunami. The objective of the intervention program was to identify the victims, counsel them, make referrals if necessary, and provide help and resources to prevent the development of mental health problems. Penang residents identified as tsunami victims by the local health authorities were recruited. A group of health care workers, school teachers, village authorities, and volunteers were trained to carry out the crisis intervention program by health care workers experienced in crisis interventions. A total of 299 adults participated in the crisis intervention program, with follow-up assessments being made 4 to 6 weeks later. At the follow-up assessment, 1% of the victims had a problem and they were then referred for further medical assessment. This indicates that the intervention program in the first 2 weeks after the tsunami disaster with referrals to medical services may have helped stabilize the victims.
Molecular and immunohistochemical diagnosis of Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues
Authors: Soto Esteban , Illanes Oscar , Hilchie David , Morales Juan A. , Sunyakumthorn Piyanate , Hawke John P. , Goodwin Andrew E. , Riggs Allen , Yanong Roy P. , Pouder Deborah B. , Francis-Floyd Ruth , Arauz Maziel , Bogdanovic Lewis , Castillo-Alcala Fernanda
Published: July 2012

Members of the genus Francisella (viz., F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis [ Fno] and F. noatunensis subsp. noatunensis) have been described as causative agents of chronic granulomatous and pyogranulomatous lesions in wild and cultured fish species. In the present study, 68 archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from several fish species, collected at different geographical locations from 2000 to 2011, were analyzed using a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of the Fno intracellular growth loci C ( iglC) gene and by immunohistochemistry for the demonstration of Fno antigens. The results revealed a high correlation between these 2 diagnostic techniques validating their use for the diagnosis of Fno infection in archived FFPE tissues and confirming the presence of Fno in fish species from the Cari y years of the present century.
Metastatic cholangiocarcinoma in a llama (Lama glama)
Authors: Taulescu Marian A. , Bolfă Pompei F. , Buiga Rareş , Gal Adrian F. , Sevastre Bogdan , Morar Iancu , Cătoi Cornel
Published: July 2012

A 2-year-old female llama ( Lama glama), from a private zoological park, with anorexia, ataxia, dyspnea, ascites, and emaciation, was necropsied. Gross inspection, and cytological, histological, and immunohistochemical analyses were performed. A firm, white, multinodular mass, 25 cm in diameter was found in the liver parenchyma. Similar nodules up to 3 cm were found in lymph nodes, lung, diaphragm, and peritoneum. Histologically, the affected organs were replaced by an infiltrative growth of undifferentiated neoplastic cells. Immunohistochemically, neoplastic cells were positive for pancytokeratin (panCK), CK20, and CK19, and negative for thyroid transcription factor 1, CK7, and carcinoembryonic antigen. A diagnosis of poorly differentiated metastatic cholangiocarcinoma was made.
Evaluation of cefoxitin disk diffusion breakpoint for detection of methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolates from dogs
Authors: Bemis David A. , Jones Rebekah D. , Videla Ricardo , Kania Stephen A.
Published: July 2012

Cefoxitin disk diffusion susceptibility testing is a recommended screening method for the detection of methicillin resistance in human isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci. A retrospective analysis of 1,146 clinical isolates of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius from dogs was conducted to determine if screening by the cefoxitin disk method can be similarly useful with S. pseudintermedius. The distribution of cefoxitin growth inhibition zone diameters within this collection was bimodal and correlated well with the results of methicillin resistance gene ( mecA) detection by polymerase chain reaction. Of the isolates, 5% had discordant results and, when retested, 84% of these were in agreement. While a greater diversity of isolates and interlaboratory comparisons must be tested, the current study suggests that an epidemiological breakpoint (of approximately ≤30 mm = resistant; ≥31 = susceptible) can be established to predict methicillin resistance in S. pseudintermedius.
The Aphasic Storyteller
Authors: Bronken Berit Arnesveen , Kirkevold Marit , Martinsen Randi , Kvigne Kari
Published: July 2012

Telling stories is essential to the continuous process of creating meaning and to self-understanding. Persons with aphasia are vulnerable to psychosocial problems by their limited ability to talk and interact with others. This single-case study illustrates how a young woman with aphasia and a trained nurse interacted to coconstruct stories within the context of a longitudinal clinical intervention aimed at promoting psychosocial well-being in the first year after a stroke. Data were collected through qualitative interviews and participant observation; they were then analyzed from a hermeneutic-phenomenological perspective. The experience of coconstructing stories made an important contribution to improving the participant’s psychological well-being. The shared construction of the participant’s story evolved as a cumulative process, and it was facilitated by the establishment of trust in the participant–nurse relationship, the systematic use of worksheets and supported conversations, and a specific focus on psychosocial topics and structural organization.
Using Goffman’s Theories of Social Interaction to Reflect First-Time Mothers’ Experiences With the Social Norms of Infant Feeding
Authors: Brouwer Marissa A. , Drummond Claire , Willis Eileen
Published: July 2012

Infant feeding, particularly breastfeeding, is an important public health issue because early feeding methods have been shown to influence health throughout childhood. We investigated how social norms influence first-time mothers’ decisions around feeding methods. We conducted two in-depth interviews with 11 first-time mothers, the first 3 weeks after birth and the second 3 months following birth. We analyzed interview data using a third-level, thematic analysis, using Goffman’s theories of social interaction to guide our analysis. Our results highlighted several issues surrounding breastfeeding in modern society. We propose that nursing mothers are conscious of adhering to social norms of being a good mother, but must also cope with societal views about presenting normal appearances when they need to feed their babies in public.
End-of-Life Care in Muslim Brain-Dead Patients
Authors: Khalid Imran , Hamad Wasfy J. , Khalid Tabindeh J. , Kadri Mazen , Qushmaq Ismael
Published: July 2012

Background:

In Muslim countries, end-of-life practices in Muslim brain-dead patients are unknown. We conducted this study to evaluate this issue.

Results:

We identified 42 brain-dead patients between 2001 and 2011. The expectant terminal extubation occurred only in 5. Largely due to family opposition, 2 patients remained “full code,” and rests were “do not attempt resuscitation” with varying usage of “life-sustaining” therapies. Only 2 out of 24 eligible patients donated organs. There was minimal involvement of social worker, palliative team, or Muslim chaplain in the end-of-life discussions.

Conclusion:

In Muslim patients, the concept of terminal withdrawal and organ donation after brain death is still not well accepted. Future multicenter studies, involving palliative teams, should focus on improving these issues.
How Tolstoy and Solzhenitsyn Define Life and Death in Cancer
Authors: Florijn Barend W. , Kaptein Ad A.
Published: July 2012

Reason for the study:

Clinicians use conserving care in their therapeutic decisions. Discussing death as part of the treatment influences patient’s perception and their acceptance of death. We compare 2 literary patients’ perceptions of cancer and death (Solzhenitsyn’s Cancer Ward and Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich), with a contemporary patient perception.

Results:

The patient interview revealed naive cancer perceptions: every treatment option should be tried. In Solzhenitsyn’s novel, the main character finds a goal in love; Tolstoy conceptualizes death as a solution for patients’ moral issues.

Conclusions:

Tolstoy’s novel shows death as an honest prospect. Solzhenitsyn’s novel shows the opposite: the prospect of love and life helps the protagonist patient psychologically through his disease. The patient interview revealed no discussion of death at all.
Synchrony and phase relation dynamics underlying sensorimotor coordination
Authors: Santos Bruno A , Barandiaran Xabier E , Husbands Philip
Published: July 2012

Synchronous oscillations have become a widespread hypothetical “mechanism” to explain how brain dynamics give rise to neural functions. By focusing on synchrony one leaves the phase relations during moments of desynchronous oscillations either without a clear functional role or with a secondary role such as a transition between functionally “relevant” synchronized states. In this work, rather than studying synchrony we focus on desynchronous oscillations and investigate their functional roles in the context of a sensorimotor coordination task. In particular, we address the questions: a) how does the informational content of the sensorimotor activity present in a complete dynamical description of phase relations change as such a description is reduced to the dynamics of synchronous oscillations? and b) to what extent are desynchronous oscillations as causally relevant as synchronous ones to the generation of functional sensorimotor coordination? These questions are addressed with a model of a simulated agent performing a functional sensorimotor coordination task controlled by an oscillatory network. The results suggest that: i) desynchronized phase relations carry as much information about sensorimotor activity as synchronized phase relations; and ii) phase relations between oscillators with near-zero frequency difference carry a relatively higher causal relevance than the rest of the phase relations to the sensorimotor coordination; however, overall a privileged functional causal contribution can not be attributed to either synchronous or desynchronous oscillations.
Assessing the Acceptability and Feasibility of a School-Located Influenza Vaccination Program With Third-Party Billing in Elementary Schools
Authors: Christensen Julie J. , Humiston Sharon G. , Long Christine E. , Kennedy Allison M. , DiMattia Kimberly , Kolasa Maureen S.
Published: July 2012

This study qualitatively assesses the acceptability and feasibility of a school-located vaccination for influenza (SLIV) project that was conducted in New York State in 2009–2011, from the perspectives of project participants with different roles. Fourteen in-depth semistructured interviews with participating schools’ personnel and the mass vaccinator were tape-recorded and transcribed. Interviewees were randomly selected from stratified lists and included five principals, five school nurses, two school administrators, and two lead personnel from the mass vaccinator. A content analysis of transcripts from the interviews was completed and several themes emerged. All participants generally found the SLIV project acceptable. School personnel and the vaccinator viewed the SLIV project process as feasible and beneficial. However, the vaccinator identified difficulties with third-party billing as a potential threat to sustainability.
Depression in Low-Income Elementary School Children in South Korea
Authors: Lee Gyungjoo , McCreary Linda , Kim Mi Ja , Park Chang Gi , Jun Won Hee , Yang Soo
Published: July 2012

This study examined depression in low-income elementary school children and identified gender differences in factors that influence depression from an ecological perspective. Participants were 262 first- to sixth-grade children recruited from six Korean community centers. Personal factors were anxiety and self-concept. Environmental factors consisted of caregiver (perceived caregiving style), school (perceived school life and quality of peer relations), and neighborhood. The outcome variable was depression. The predictors of boys’ depression were anxiety, perceived school life, and neighborhood. Predictors of girls’ depression were anxiety, self-concept, caregiving style, and neighborhood. School nurses are encouraged to screen elementary school children for depressive symptoms and consider gender differences and environmental factors when intervening in depression. School-focused interventions may be more effective for boys; family-focused interventions may be more beneficial for girls.
Association of Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells (CD14+-EPC) With Renal Function in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Li Gui-Qiong , Yang Yan , Ke Da-Zhi , Li Xing-Sheng , Wu Qing , Cao Guang-Yu , Chen Qing-Wei
Published: July 2012

Background:

The relationships between the endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs)-CD34+ and CD14+ and coronary artery disease (CAD) were reported and the association of CD34+ cells with renal function was studied previously. Another kind EPC-CD14+ cell and its association with renal function in patients with CAD have not been reported yet. Our aim was to assess CD14+ cell counts versus renal function in CAD.

Methods and Results:

We studied 242 patients with severe angiographic CAD and 30 healthy control participants. The CD14+ cells were enumerated by flow cytometry. With lowering glomerular filtration rate (GFR), CD14+ cell numbers (percentage of lymphocytes, median and interquartile range) decreased: 0.04 (0.03-0.06), 0.03 (0.02-0.05), 0.02 (0.01-0.03) for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥90, 60 to 89, and 30 to 89 mL/min per 1.73 m2, respectively ( P < .001 for trend). The CD14+ cell counts correlated with eGFR ( r = .27, P = .03). By multivariate liner regression analysis, the difference remains significant ( P = .02).

Conclusions:

The CD14+ cell depletion is associated with renal dysfunction in CAD.
Association Between Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Kaya Hasan , Ertaş Faruk , İslamoğlu Yahya , Kaya Zekeriya , Atılgan Zuhal Arıtürk , Çil Habib , Çalışkan Ahmet , Aydın Mesut , Oylumlu Mustafa , Soydinç Mehmet Serdar
Published: July 2012

The aim of this study is to investigate the association between neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and severity of coronary atherosclerosis. A total of 172 patients undergoing coronary angiography were included in the study. Control group consisted of patients with normal coronary arteries. Patients with coronary stenosis were divided into 2 groups by use of Gensini scores. The NLR was higher in severe atherosclerosis group compared with mild atherosclerosis and control groups ( P < .001). In correlation analysis, NLR showed significant correlation with Gensini score. A cutoff value of 2.5 for NLR predicted severe atherosclerosis with a sensitivity and specificity of 62% and 69%, respectively. After multivariate analysis, high levels of NLR were independent predictors of severe atherosclerosis together with glucose and high-density lipoprotein. Our study suggests that the NLR is a predictor of severe atherosclerosis that may be useful for cardiac risk stratification in patients with coronary artery disease.
Using the unified matrix polynomial approach (UMPA) for the development of the stochastic subspace identification (SSI) algorithm
Authors: Chauhan Shashank
Published: July 2012

The unified matrix polynomial approach (UMPA) was developed in order to understand and derive various experimental modal analysis algorithms (which have been developed in isolation) using a common mathematical formulation. Various commercially available algorithms – such as the polyreference time domain, least squares complex exponential, and eigensystem realization algorithm etc. – can be explained using UMPA methodology, which makes it easier to understand both the advantages and limitations of such algorithms. In view of this fundamental characteristic of the UMPA, this paper aims at using the approach to understand, explain and develop the stochastic subspace identification (SSI) algorithm - a popular time domain operational modal analysis (OMA) algorithm. The roots of SSI algorithm lie in the identification of linear dynamic systems, traditionally a communications and controls engineering area. By means of the UMPA, the SSI algorithm’s similarity to a high order time domain OMA algorithm can be shown. It can also be shown that state transition matrices identified using the SSI algorithm and UMPA formulation are related to each other through a similarity transformation, thus characterizing the same system.
Transient vibration and sound radiation of a stiffened plate
Authors: Ou Dayi , Mak Cheuk Ming
Published: July 2012

The transient vibration and sound radiation (TVSR) of a stiffened plate was investigated using the time-domain finite element method and time-domain boundary element method. A four-noded stiffened-plate element was adopted in this method; this allowed the plate to have arbitrary elastic boundary conditions and the stiffeners with any shape to be located at arbitrary positions inside the plate. The in-plane deformation of the plate was taken into account. The transient vibration predicted by the present approach showed a good agreement with earlier published results. The proposed method was subsequently applied to a parametric study that examined the effects of the stiffeners on the TVSR of a window, which is a typical plate structure. The results showed that the stiffeners (or their locations) notably influenced the window’s TVSR responses, thereby demonstrating the possibility of using appropriate stiffeners to improve the transient vibration and noise isolation performance of a practical window.
Life-Course Persistent Offenders and the Propensity to Commit Sexual Assault
Authors: Boutwell Brian B. , Barnes J. C. , Beaver Kevin M.
Published: July 2012

Moffitt’s (1993) developmental theory has garnered an extensive amount of attention from scholars across a range of disciplines, and the results generated from this body of literature have been consistently supportive. Specifically, the segment of the population predicted by Moffitt to be chronically aggressive—called life-course persistent offenders—has been found to account for a disproportionate number of serious crimes. What remains less certain, however, is whether this same group of offenders are also responsible for perpetrating acts of forced sex. The authors examined the tendency for life-course persisters to sexually assault using a nationally representative sample of individuals. Our findings suggest that life-course persisters are disproportionately more likely to be sexually coercive compared to other individuals.
Using Writing Tasks to Elicit Adolescents’ Historical Reasoning
Authors: Monte-Sano Chauncey , De La Paz Susan
Published: July 2012

One path to improving adolescents’ literacy skills is to integrate reading and writing into the content areas in which such work occurs. Although argumentative writing has been found to help students understand historical content and transform information, scholars do not know the influence of specific task structures on students’ writing or historical reasoning. To learn more, the authors administered four document-based writing tasks on the origins of the Cold War to 101 students from 10th or 11th grade. Using multiple regression, the authors found that writing tasks explained 31% of the variance in the quality of students’ overall historical reasoning after accounting for differences in students’ background. A closer analysis of different aspects of historical reasoning using a different rubric (and as analyzed using MANOVA) indicated that students’ skill in recognizing and reconciling historical perspectives significantly improved with writing tasks that asked them to engage in sourcing, corroboration, and causal analysis. The task that asked students to imagine themselves as historical agents and write in the first person was significantly different and resulted in the lowest mean essay scores.
Impact of ADHD in Adults With Neurofibromatosis Type 1
Authors: Mautner Victor-Felix , Granström Sofia , Leark Robert A.
Published: July 2012

Objective: To analyze the psychological phenotype of ADHD, and the effect of ADHD on life satisfaction and personality in adults with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Method: Adults with NF1 without ( n = 26) and with ADHD ( n = 22), and adults with ADHD only ( n = 27) completed questionnaires on personality traits and life satisfaction. Differences between groups were analyzed. Results: Participants with NF1 and ADHD present an emotionally instable psychological phenotype similar to adults with ADHD only, which differed significantly from that in adults with NF1 only. Participants with NF1 and ADHD had significantly lower overall life satisfaction than NF1 participants without such symptoms, affecting general health, self-satisfaction, sexuality, and family. Conclusion: The authors’ findings show that ADHD symptoms can persist through adulthood. These NF1 patients display problems similar to those of adults with ADHD only. This finding is highly relevant to understand the behavioral and psychological phenotype in adults with NF1 and to offer psychological and/or medical treatment.
Examining Less Lethal Force Policy and the Force Continuum
Authors: Terrill William , Paoline Eugene A.
Published: July 2012

The less lethal coercive power granted to police officers is not without its restrictions. Such limitations are delineated per the United States Supreme Court, via Graham v. Connor, applying the broad standard of objective reasonableness. A far more salient operational guide to assessing what is objectively reasonable rests within departmental use-of-force policy, which like other police policies can vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. To date, comprehensive empirical inquiries regarding this jurisdictional variation is unknown. At best, extant research has noted that many agencies tend to instruct officers via a force continuum, although the nature (i.e., various designs, levels, and ordering of force tactics, and appropriate force relative to citizen resistance) of such policies are relatively unknown. Based on a multiwave national survey of policing agencies, the following study examines not only the extent to which departments utilize a use-of-force continuum within their less lethal force policy, but also the types of continuum designs used and the ways in which various force tactics and citizen resistance types are situated along a continuum. The results reveal that more than 80% of responding agencies utilize a use-of-force continuum, of which the linear design is the most popular. However, the placement of various force tactics and consideration of suspect resistance vary greatly across departments. In essence, there is no commonly accepted force continuum used by practitioners. The implications of these findings are considered.
When an Arrest Is Not an Arrest
Authors: Hirschel David , Faggiani Donald
Published: July 2012

The authors examine a largely unexamined issue: the extent to which, and circumstances under which, police exceptionally clear cases. This is a particularly salient issue in intimate partner violence cases where this clearance category may be used to enable the circumvention of laws mandating arrest. Using NIBRS data to compare the police response to different victim-offender relationship categories, the authors examine the extent of, and circumstances under which, police officers exceptionally clear cases and whether evidence exists suggesting that the exceptional clearance category is used to circumvent mandatory arrest laws. They conclude by discussing the policy implications of the findings.
Temporal lobe epilepsy in a cat with a pyriform lobe oligodendroglioma and hippocampal necrosis
Authors: Vanhaesebrouck An E , Posch Barbara , Baker Sam , Plessas Ioannis N , Palmer Anthony C , Constantino-Casas Fernando
Published: July 2012

A 14-year-old male domestic shorthair cat presented with an acute onset of aggressive behaviour, fear and hypersalivation. Neurological examination revealed bilateral mydriasis and left-sided facial twitching and hemiparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed moderate bilateral symmetrical T2-hyperintensity along the entire hippocampus and bilateral asymmetric T2-hyperintensity in the pyriform lobes. Marked bilateral contrast enhancement of the hippocampus was evident on post-contrast T1-weighted images. The partial complex seizures were refractory to medical treatment and the cat was euthanased 4 days after admission. The clinical and MRI findings were consistent with feline hippocampal necrosis (FHN). On histopathology, neuronal necrosis and astrocytosis were present in the hippocampi and pyriform lobes. In addition, an oligodendroglioma was detected in the right pyriform lobe. Contrary to previous reports of FHN in which no underlying cause could be identified, we believe that in this case the seizure focus arose from a neoplastic lesion within the right pyriform lobe. This unique case report represents the so-called ‘dual pathology’ of temporal lobe epilepsy in humans, in which an extrahippocampal lesion within the temporal lobe results in hippocampal sclerosis.
Beyond city limits: Regional journalism and social capital
Authors: Richards Ian
Published: July 2012

This article reports a pilot study which investigated the relationship between regional journalism and social capital in two regional locations in the Australian state of South Australia, and one in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The study aimed to explore the role of local media in facilitating community communication and understanding, and, through this, to shed light on their possible contribution to regional social capital. Although social capital is a contested notion, the article argues that most definitions can be placed into one of three broad categories, and that the results of the study suggest that local media facilitate connectivity in terms of each of these understandings.

A number of themes emerged during the study which help to clarify and illuminate the role of regional media in setting the communication context for social capital. At the same time, however, the ways in which local journalists approached their work raised a number of professional and ethical issues. The article concludes that, despite these difficulties, local media at the sites studied appear to facilitate communication between different sections of the community to the benefit of that community, and to contribute to the development of social capital.
Aporias of digital journalism
Authors: Hansen Ejvind
Published: July 2012

The internet poses, in certain ways, a problem for journalists: on the one hand, it is evidently a marvellous tool for investigative work, for the rapid dissemination of information, and for creating new news platforms with new constituencies; on the other hand, these constituencies, habituated to the real time coordinates of internet communication, are impatient with the old rhythms of the news cycle, and impatient with forms of journalistic authority that were formed in the era of one-way mass medias. The very status of the journalist as reporter or opinion maker has been put into question as the bar to entry for creating a mass media audience has lowered dramatically – which was first noticed when bloggers of all types rose to prominence. This article presents an account of journalism that relates thematically to the idea that the future of journalism lies primarily in the journalist as editor, moderator and curator. We suggest, however, that these accounts need a twist in order to incorporate the critical ethos of journalism. Journalists should not be thought of merely as those who edit, moderate and curate already ongoing dialogues. Journalists should also help to show the blank spots of ongoing dialogues, in order to make the silent voices heard. Journalists should facilitate an awareness of which voices are not heard in the ongoing dialogues. To show this, we articulate a Derridean deconstruction of the situation of journalists, hereby showing that the founding aporias of journalism (the aporia of giving and denying voices) have been replaced by an aporia of giving and denying room for dialogue.
Experiences and concerns of family caregivers providing support to people with dementia: A cross-cultural perspective
Authors: Ivey Susan L , Laditka Sarah B , Price Anna E , Tseng Winston , Beard Renée L , Liu Rui , Fetterman David , Wu Bei , Logsdon Rebecca G
Published: July 2012

Abstract:

We examined experiences and concerns among caregivers of community-dwelling people with dementia from two ethnic groups. We conducted a thematic analysis of responses to the question, ‘What is your life like as a caregiver?’ in nine focus groups ( n = 75) with Filipino and non–Hispanic White caregivers. Constant comparison methods identified themes by ethnicity. Experiences and concerns expressed across groups were related to care recipient symptoms commonly associated with dementia, including severe memory loss and behavioral changes. Participants in both ethnic groups described strategies that help them cope, such as receiving help from family and friends, receiving respite support, and participating in support groups. Filipino caregivers more often emphasized positive aspects of caregiving, whereas Whites often expressed that others do not understand the daily experiences of caregiving. Filipinos more commonly described caregivers as a ‘good person’ or ‘saint’ and emphasized that caregiving made them stronger.
Fibrinogen and future cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes: Aetiological associations and risk prediction using individual participant data from nine community-based prospective cohort studies
Authors: Kengne Andre P , Czernichow Sebastien , Stamatakis Emmanuel , Hamer Mark , Batty G David
Published: July 2012

Aims:

We assessed the associations of fibrinogen levels with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks in people with and without diabetes, and quantified the value of adding fibrinogen to the established predictive algorithms for CVD.

Methods:

We used Cox models to analyse data from prospective cohorts totalling 33,091 adults (1006 with diabetes) who took part in British and Scottish general population-based health surveys. Discrimination was assessed through c-statistic.

Results:

During a median follow-up of 116 months, 351 deaths (119 CVD) were recorded in participants with diabetes and 4157 deaths (1167 CVD) in those without. After adjustment for age and sex, fibrinogen (per standard deviation loge) was positively associated with a 34% (26–42%) higher risk of cardiovascular disease and 30% (26–35%) greater risk all-cause mortality. These associations were log-linear, similar in people with and without diabetes ( p-value for interaction ≥0.21), robust to the adjustment of additional major CVD risk factors. Adding fibrinogen to a model containing conventional CVD risk factors resulted in only modest improvement in risk prediction.

Conclusions:

The associations of fibrinogen with CVD and all-cause mortality are broadly similar in people with and without diabetes status. Improvement in predictive accuracy after adding fibrinogen to established risk factors is not clinically important.
Comparing Ranking Techniques in Web Surveys
Authors: Blasius Jörg
Published: July 2012

In an experimental split ballot design, I test four different ranking techniques (drag and drop, numbering, arrows, and most–least) to explore potential effects on substantive answers, dropouts, and item nonresponse and response time between the groups. As an example, I use six items from Inglehart’s materialism–postmaterialism index. Data come from 1,225 members of an access panel who entered the set of items to be rank ordered. With respect to sex, education, and age, there are no significant differences between the four experimental groups. However, the groups differ extensively in response time, item nonresponse, and estimation of the percentage of materialists and postmaterialists. Drag and drop is shown to be the best-suited method for collecting rank data in web surveys.
Compressed loop method for the bending behaviour of coated and laminated fabrics analysis
Authors: Masteikaitě Vitalija , Sacevičienė Virginija , Čironienė Vilija
Published: July 2012

Fabric stiffness is one of the most important parameters in estimating the wear and comfort properties of multilayered textile materials. The characteristics of bending stiffness may be determined using different test methods. The aim of this work was to apply the compress hanging loop method for the evaluation of stiffness of coated and laminated fabrics. In order to achieve this purpose an extension machine appropriately equipped with a special device for specimen fixing has been used in this work. The initial and ultimate geometrical characteristics of the loop, and also the forces that were necessary to compress the loops to a certain degree were determined in this work. The investigation reveals that the force, which is necessary to compress the loop to a stated degree, is different not only for specimens cut in various directions but also for those specimens that are of different size. Therefore, the deformation properties are dependent on the material structure and testing conditions. The results indicate that coated and laminated fabrics with larger surface weight were more resistant to compression force. Also for these fabrics the larger difference of compressing force values was determined when the polymer film had been in different loop sides. It should be noted that analysis of geometrical compressed loop characteristics showed that for all tested specimens the upper and lower ratios of formed semicircles were not equal. The investigation reveals that the hanging compressed loop method allows extending the range of tested materials, which include rigid and less rigid fabrics.
“We Can’t Build Our Dreams On Suspicious Minds”
Authors: Stern Mark
Published: July 2012

Last fall, the author took his Politics and Education class to see Waiting For “Superman.” This was a movie we had been preparing to see all semester. The class focused on reading contemporary educational policy as a symptom of neoliberal economic and political ideology. We went into the movie knowing what we were going to see and how to critique it. But a funny thing happened on our way out of the theater—many of us were crying. Despite all our strong and tough ideological critiques, we were glassy-eyed and barely even able to remember who deregulation was and what Milton Friedman had to do with anything. After a semester of thinking with our heads, we were standing there feeling with our hearts. In this paper, the author reflects on these experiences by paying attention to his own pedagogy and how the critique of neoliberalism functions to both preclude and produce certain types of affects.
For Trayvon Martin
Authors: Weems Mary E.
Published: July 2012

Continuing Laurel Richardson’s call to use writing as my method and specifically utilizing poetic inquiry, “For Trayvon Martin” represents my interpretation of this tragedy filtered through a lens shaped by an epistemology of color, the history of racism, and local and national news reports both in print and on-line, as well as informal conversations with a wide variety of family, friends, and colleagues. The work’s theoretical frame incorporates critical pedagogy, critical race theory, and imagination-intellect theory. This piece investigates the impact of racial profiling and a Stand your Ground law supposedly designed to protect Florida citizens who are instead falling victim to it.
Lost in Paradise
Authors: Madsen Ole Jacob , Brinkmann Svend
Published: July 2012

This article examines the Norwegian and Danish versions of the reality television series Paradise Hotel. The reality show emulates what postmodern consumer society wants us to believe in: a kind of “second transgression” for the human being, in which she is both free and without anxiety. The guests (predominantly male in line with prevailing gender norms) at Paradise Hotel may qualify as shameless—after spells of physical and psychological revelations in front of the camera with no visible regrets—still, the price is perhaps the loss rather than the gain of freedom. The medialized shameless self demands the subordination to narrow bodily and emotional standards during filming, which postpones most of the guests’ shame and regrets until after the cameras are turned off. This particular Fall may have unwanted personal consequences that lead to a spiral ascent crueler than Adam and Eve ever underwent.
Convoking the Radical Imagination
Authors: Khasnabish Alex , Haiven Max
Published: July 2012

This article reflects critically on “The Radial Imagination: A Research Project About Movements, Social Change, and the Future,” an engaged social movement research project conducted with self-identified “radical” activists in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. In so doing, the authors explore a research strategy that seeks not merely to observe the radical imagination—the ability to envision and work toward better futures—but to convoke it: to mobilize the singular location of academic inquiry to create a research environment within which the radical imagination can be better understood. Through a critical examination of the project’s theoretical architecture and methodological framework the authors investigate the promises, possibilities, and difficulties implicated in critical social movement research carried out through a strategy of convocation, contrasting it with more conventional approaches to social movement research.
Early Screening for Risk of Reading Disabilities
Authors: Gilbert Jennifer K. , Compton Donald L. , Fuchs Douglas , Fuchs Lynn S.
Published: July 2012

Response-to-intervention (RTI) models incorporate a screening process to identify students who appear to be at risk for learning disabilities (LDs). The purpose of this position article is to incorporate what is known about screening into a flexible, yet comprehensive screening system to help school psychologists and other school administrators in establishing school-specific screening procedures. The authors begin by discussing past research on screening for reading disabilities (RDs) within the RTI framework. Then, they propose a four-step screening system advocating a short screener (Step 1), progress monitoring (Step 2), follow-up testing (Step 3), and ongoing revision of procedures and cut scores (Step 4). Their goal is to improve screening within RTI systems with practical procedures to permit schools to implement state-of-the-art screening batteries that accurately and efficiently distinguish students who are at high risk for RD.
Arm Motor Recovery Using a Virtual Reality Intervention in Chronic Stroke
Authors: Subramanian Sandeep K. , Lourenço Christiane B. , Chilingaryan Gevorg , Sveistrup Heidi , Levin Mindy F.
Published: July 2012

Introduction. Despite interest in virtual environments (VEs) for poststroke arm motor rehabilitation, advantages over physical environment (PE) training have not been established. Objective. The authors compared kinematic and clinical outcomes of dose-matched upper-limb training between a 3D VE and a PE in chronic stroke. Methods: Participants (n = 32) were randomized to a 3D VE or PE for training. They pointed to 6 workspace targets (72 trials, 12 trials/target, randomized) for 12 sessions over 4 weeks with similar feedback on precision, movement speed, and trunk displacement. Primary (kinematics, clinical arm motor impairment) and secondary (activity level, arm use) outcomes were compared by time (PRE, POST, and follow-up, RET), training environment, and impairment severity (mild, moderate-to-severe) using mixed-model analyses of variance (ANOVAs). Results. Endpoint speed, overall performance on a reach-to-grasp task, and activity levels increased in both groups. Only participants in the VE group improved shoulder horizontal adduction at POST (9.5°) and flexion at both POST (6.3°) and RET (13°). Impairment level affected outcomes. After VE training, the mild group increased elbow extension (RET, 25.5°). The moderate-to-severe group in VE increased arm use at POST (0.5 points) and reaching ability at RET (2.2 points). The moderate-to-severe group training in PE increased reaching ability earlier (POST, 1.7 points) and both elbow extension (10.7°) and arm use (0.4 points) at RET, but these changes were accompanied by increased compensatory trunk displacement (RET, 30.2 mm). Conclusion. VE training led to more changes in the mild group and a motor recovery pattern in the moderate-to-severe group indicative of less compensation, possibly because of a better use of feedback.
Slowed Exercise-Onset Vo2 Kinetics During Submaximal Endurance Exercise in Subjects With Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Hansen Dominique , Wens Inez , Kosten Lauren , Verboven Kenneth , Eijnde Bert O.
Published: July 2012

Background. Low physical activity levels in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) may reduce skeletal muscle oxidative capacity. Rehabilitation strategies might be altered by a measure of capacity that did not require invasive techniques or maximal exercise testing. For this purpose, we measured exercise onset and offset oxygen uptake (Vo2) kinetics during endurance exercise. Objective. This study compared exercise-onset and -offset Vo2 kinetics in mildly affected persons with MS with healthy matched participants. Methods. From 38 MS patients who had a mean Expanded Disability Status Scale of 3.1 and 16 healthy participants, exercise-onset and -offset Vo2 kinetics (mean response time [MRT]) were determined during two 6-minute submaximal bouts of exercise separated by a 6-minute recovery interval. Blood lactate, heart rate, expiratory volume, and Borg ratings of perceived exertion were assessed during exercise and compared between groups. Relationships between clinical characteristics and MRT were assessed. Results. During exercise, blood lactate, heart rate, and expiratory volume did not differ between groups ( P > .05), but exercise-onset MRT was significantly slower in MS versus healthy participants ( P = .007). Exercise-onset MRT was independently related to having MS ( P = .02). Exercise-offset MRT was not different between groups or was independently related to having MS ( P > .05). No independent relationships between clinical characteristics of MS and exercise-onset or -offset MRT were found. Conclusions. Exercise-onset Vo2 kinetics during submaximal endurance exercise are significantly slowed in mildly disabled persons with MS, suggesting low skeletal muscle oxidative capacity. Using mean response time testing, rehabilitation interventions for this reduction in exercise capacity can be assessed and targeted.
Acute Stimulus-Sensitive Postanoxic Myoclonus
Authors: Fernández-Torre José L. , Hernández-Hernández Miguel A.
Published: July 2012

We describe the case of a 69-year-old woman admitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) after 20 minutes of resuscitation from acute cardiopulmonary arrest. The patient developed a stimulus-sensitive postanoxic myoclonus in the following hours. The electroencephalogram (EEG) showed diffuse bursts of sharp activity against a completely suppressed background. This case report highlights the importance of carrying out a protocol of multiple and multimodal sensory stimulation when recording an EEG in comatose patients admitted to the ICU.
The Relationship Between Lifestyle, Metaflammation, and Chronic Pain
Authors: Naylor Richard , Hayes Chris , Egger Garry
Published: July 2012

Chronic pain has a significant economic and social impact on the community. The most common medical treatments for it include paracetamol, anti-inflammatory agents, and opioid analgesics. However, many of these medications cause side effects, and their long-term effectiveness is questionable. The traditional alternative to the biomedical approach is cognitive behavioral therapy. However, this has also been shown in recent studies to have only modest benefit. It is becoming clear that the effective management of chronic pain requires a more holistic, systems-based approach, hence the emerging interest in the relationship between pain and lifestyle. The authors aim to review the literature regarding the relationship between comprehensive lifestyle changes, markers of systemic inflammation, and the perception of chronic pain. An extensive search of bibliographic databases, including MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases was made. A total of 2197 articles were identified using the search strategy. Only 44 articles were retrieved for critical appraisal, of which only 2 studies met the prespecified primary inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. These data provided some evidence that a single lifestyle factor (sleep restriction or disturbance) can produce elevated levels of interleukin-6, which is associated with higher pain intensity ratings. However, this review has highlighted a paucity of research based around the relationship between lifestyle, metaflammation, and chronic pain. There is a clear need for well-designed trials examining comprehensive lifestyle interventions and their effect on both pain intensity and markers of metaflammation.
Sibling recurrence risk in Dupuytren’s disease
Authors: Capstick R. , Bragg T. , Giele H. , Furniss D.
Published: July 2012

Dupuytren’s disease is a complex condition, with both genetic and environmental factors contributing to its aetiology. We aimed to quantify the extent to which genetic factors predispose to the disease, through the calculation of sibling recurrence risk (ls), and to calculate the proportion of heritability accounted for by currently known genetic loci. From 174 siblings of patients with surgically confirmed disease, 100 were randomly selected. Controls were recruited from patients attending an ophthalmology outpatient clinic for eye conditions unrelated to diabetes. There were no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics between the case and control groups. In siblings, 47% had Dupuytren’s disease, compared with 10% of controls, giving a ls of 4.5. Currently known loci that predispose to Dupuytren’s disease account for 12.1% of the total heritability of the disease. Dupuytren’s disease was significantly more common in siblings than in controls. These results accurately quantify the magnitude of the genetic predisposition to Dupuytren’s disease.