bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining How Companies’ Support of Tourist Attractions Affects Visiting Intentions: The Mediating Role of Perceived Authenticity
Authors: Biraglia Alessandro , Gerrath Maximilian H.E.E. , Usrey Bryan
Published: December 2017

As public funding for the restoration of tourist attractions decreases, assistance is often sought from the private sector in the form of corporate social responsibility (CSR). However, research has yet to understand how such CSR activities impact the beneficiary, namely tourist attractions. Thus, extending past CSR literature, we explore whether differing company CSR motivations can influence a tourists’ visiting intentions. The results of two experimental studies show low company altruism (e.g., demanding to acquire naming rights of the site), compared to high company altruism (e.g., demanding nothing in return), decreases visiting intentions. Furthermore, we show that perceived authenticity of the site mediates this effect. Finally, we find the negative effect of low altruistic CSR is mitigated in the case of no heritage. Based on the results, we show tourist attraction managers should be wary of companies displaying nonaltruistic intentions, as such activity may have harmful consequences.
Brand Management in the Era of Social Media: Social Visibility of Consumption and Customer Brand Identification
Authors: So Kevin Kam Fung , Wu Laurie , Xiong Lina , King Ceridwyn
Published: December 2017

Despite consumers’ increasing use of social media channels to make their travel experiences more visible to people within their social networks, brand management research in the tourism literature lacks a clear understanding of how social visibility of consumption affects consumer perceptions of their relationships with the brand. Drawing upon social identity theory and the theory of conspicuous consumption, this study extends the current brand management literature by investigating the role of consumption’s social visibility in the formation of customer brand identification in the era of social media. Using the airline industry as the study context, this study suggests that social visibility of consumption leads to cognitive, affective, and evaluative identifications. The results also indicate that the three components of customer brand identification interact with each other in realizing positive word of mouth communication. The findings highlight the significant benefits of making customers’ travel experiences socially visible to people around them.
Unrealistic optimism with regard to drinking during pregnancy among women of childbearing age in a South African community
Authors: Louw Jacobus G , Tomlinson Mark , Olivier Leana
Published: December 2017

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is a risk factor in a range of adverse birth outcomes, including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and is a major health concern. For this behaviour to change one of the necessary conditions is for women to have an accurate perception of the risks drinking during pregnancy poses. A major obstacle to this is the presence of unrealistic optimism which leads to women believing they are less at risk than others. This study examined a sample of women ( N = 129) from a community in the Northern Cape Province in South Africa with a high prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder for signs of unrealistic optimism. A questionnaire about the perception of personal and general risk was administered during a one-on-one interview and responses compared. Neither a Student’s t-test ( t(115) = −1.720, p = .088, 95% confidence interval [−0.180, 0.013]) nor a Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test ( z = −1.72, p = .285) showed a significant difference. The perception of risk posed by drinking during pregnancy to others, knowledge of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and the perception of how easy it would be for the participant to quit drinking were significant predictors of the perception of personal risk. Only the perception of personal risk predicted the perception of general risk. There was no evidence that participants believed themselves to be less at risk than their peers when it came to the risks of drinking during pregnancy. Future directions for research into unrealistic optimism and drinking during pregnancy are discussed.
Network Redundancy and Information Diffusion: The Impacts of Information Redundancy, Similarity, and Tie Strength
Authors: Liang Hai , Fu King-wa
Published: December 2017

It remains controversial whether community structures in social networks are beneficial or not for information diffusion. This study examined the relationships among four core concepts in social network analysis—network redundancy, information redundancy, ego-alter similarity, and tie strength—and their impacts on information diffusion. By using more than 6,500 representative ego networks containing nearly 1 million following relationships from Twitter, the current study found that (1) network redundancy is positively associated with the probability of being retweeted even when competing variables are controlled for; (2) network redundancy is positively associated with information redundancy, which in turn decreases the probability of being retweeted; and (3) the inclusion of both ego-alter similarity and tie strength can attenuate the impact of network redundancy on the probability of being retweeted.
Social Networking Site Use and Materialistic Values Among Youth: The Safeguarding Role of the Parent-Child Relationship and Self-Regulation
Authors: Ho Hillbun , Shin Wonsun , Lwin May O.
Published: December 2017

Social networking sites (SNSs) have become common avenues for young people to share their life experience with peers, including their consumption experience. Although prior research on the media effects of SNSs has shown how online communication on SNSs promotes various volitional behaviors, current understanding is limited with respect to how young people’s use of SNSs is associated with their consumption experience and materialistic values. This study examines how SNS use related to consumption experience is associated with materialistic values among young adults and how their social perceptions mediate such association. This investigation also proposes that young adults’ self-regulation and close relationships with parents would buffer the impact of SNS use. Survey data gathered from 903 youths in Singapore lend strong empirical support to the hypotheses proposed. Implications are discussed.
Foreign Direct Investment Policy and Development in Bolivia under Morales
Authors: Paz María J. , Ramírez-Cendrero Juan M.
Published: December 2017

Since 2006, Bolivia has made major changes to its economic policy and development strategy, especially with regard to the treatment of foreign capital. Analysis of the change in foreign direct investment policy as applied to the oil and gas industry reveals that it has produced greater state involvement in and control of oil revenues but no great strides in gas investment, production, or industrialization. This result contributes to the current debate on whether foreign direct investment policy is the best means of development for resource-rich countries.

Desde 2006, Bolivia ha implementado grandes cambios en su política económica y sus estrategias de desarrollo, especialmente con relación al trato del capital extranjero. El análisis del cambio en la política sobre la inversión extranjera directa en la industria del petróleo y el gas revela que esa nueva política ha producido una mayor participación del estado en ese sector y un mayor control de los ingresos del petróleo pero no grandes avances en la inversión, producción e industrialización de esos recursos. Este resultado contribuye grandemente al debate actual sobre si la política sobre la inversión extranjera directa es el mejor medio de desarrollo para los países ricos en recursos naturales.
Making a Town: Urbanity, Rurality, and the Politics of Place in Ebersbach (Fils), 1945-1989
Authors: Thomas Marcel
Published: December 2017

Histories of modern society have often relied on a static understanding of urbanity and rurality that views both terms as inherent characteristics of places, divided along the fault lines of modernity and tradition. This article uses the example of Ebersbach (Fils), a small town in Southwest Germany, to explore urbanity and rurality as discourses through which different societal actors tried to shape the development of localities. When Ebersbach tripled its population in the first two postwar decades, local planning elites tried to redefine the industrial village as “urban” to promote its role in the rapidly modernizing West German society. Local residents, however, often challenged these plans to stay in control of the transformation of their hometown. It will thus be demonstrated that what it meant to be urban or rural became a key question in contests over the direction and outcomes of social change in modern society.
Why Is This a Good Thing for Us? Challenging Public Sculpture and Contesting Territory in 1970s New York
Authors: Wasserman Andrew
Published: December 2017

The Neighborhood Environmental Sculpture Program (NESP) oversaw the installation of five monumental public sculptures between 1972 and 1974 in the Manhattan neighborhoods of Washington Heights and Inwood. Sponsored by New York City’s Public Arts Council, the NESP joined recent experiments in neighborhood self-determination with a new approach to contemporary public sculpture. However, interagency disputes, budgetary restrictions, and compromised community involvement threatened to derail the NESP entirely. The NESP serves instructive to thinking about the values governing contemporary public sculpture when territory—on the ground, in institutional halls of power, and across disciplines—is contested.
A new methodology for an adaptive state observer design for a class of nonlinear systems with unknown parameters in unmeasured state dynamics
Authors: Oucief Nabil , Tadjine Mohamed , Labiod Salim
Published: December 2017

An adaptive state observer is an adaptive observer that does not require the persistent excitation condition to estimate the state. The usual structural requirement for designing this kind of observers is that the unknown parameters explicitly appear in the measured state dynamics. This paper deals with the problem of adaptive state observer synthesis for a class of nonlinear systems with unknown parameters in unmeasured state dynamics. The novelty of the proposed approach is that it requires neither a canonical form nor the approximation of some of the output’s time derivatives. Firstly, we establish a new matrix equality that characterizes the structure of almost all systems found in the very small literature dealing with this problem. Then, this equality is exploited in the construction of the adaptation law. This simplifies the design procedure and makes it very similar to the conventional adaptive state observer design procedure. The problem of finding the observer gains is expressed as a linear matrix inequalities optimization problem. Two examples are given to demonstrate the validity of the proposed scheme.
The Audit Market Dynamics in a Mandatory Joint Audit Setting: The French Experience
Authors: Kermiche Lamya , Piot Charles
Published: December 2017

Policy makers in France have considered joint audits as a solution to mitigate the audit market concentration and the “systemic” risk associated with Big 4 auditors. We implement a Markovian analysis where audit clients chose between different types of combinations across Big 4 and smaller auditors. Our main findings support the view that the French joint audit system is effective in maintaining market openness and in mitigating the Big 4 domination in the long run. An investigation of the determinants driving changes in joint audit combinations suggests little economic support in favor of two Big 4 combinations, whereas changes in audit clients’ agency costs (e.g., higher ownership concentration) tend to explain the performance of mixed and two non-Big 4 combinations. Overall, this study supports the European Commission’s position on the potential benefits of joint audits in mitigating the market concentration; it also suggests that it might not be necessary to impose mixed joint audits to achieve that objective.
Television production: configuring for sustainability in the digital era
Authors: Doyle Gillian
Published: December 2017

Over recent years leading independent television production companies in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe have become prime targets for corporate activity, and many have been subject to takeover, often by US media groups. Why is it that nurturing the development of television production companies which achieve scale but, at the same time, remain independent appears to be so challenging? This article considers which factors are crucial to the success of television production businesses and argues that, besides the ability to make compelling content, two key variables which strongly affect commercial success and sustainability in this sector are, first, effective management and exploitation of intellect property rights (IPRs) and, second, scale and configuration of activities. Focusing primarily on the latter, it analyses how changing technological and market conditions are affecting the advantages conferred by size and by adopting differing cross-ownership configurations thus, in turn, fuelling current processes of industrial re-structuring.
Mourning for a hacktivist: grieving the death of Aaron Swartz on a digital memorial
Authors: Martini Michele
Published: December 2017

This study examines the discursive and semantic patterns underpinning the collective mourning activity on the digital memorial for Aaron Swartz (hacker/software developer/activist). More specifically, it questions if and how online mourning for hacktivists might result in a cultural reconfiguration of cyberspace through the grassroots and collective redefinition of the limits of users’ agency. To this end, all the comments present on Swartz’s digital memorial are collected, coded and, subsequently, analysed to detect their narrative and semantic structures. The results of this linguistic analysis are interpreted through a topological information model. Accordingly, the study discusses (1) the hero-making processes underlying online mourning for hacktivists and (2) the related redefinition of the Internet as the domain of a value-based community of users.
Personal vote, spatial registration rules, and party system nationalization in Latin America
Authors: Su Yen-Pin
Published: December 2017

While many studies of party system nationalization examine the effects of various institutional factors, few take into account the impact of party formation cost. This paper aims to fill the empirical gap by focusing on the interactive effect of electoral systems and party registration rules. I argue that the effect of electoral systems on party system nationalization is conditional on spatial registration rules, a requirement that requires a party to collect signatures or organize local branches in a specified geographical manner to maintain the party’s legal status. Based on data for 97 legislative elections in 18 Latin American countries from 1978 to 2011, the empirical analysis demonstrates that a country with an electoral system that encourages a personal vote tends to have a much lower level of party system nationalization when that country does not have spatial registration requirements. The result is robust across different model specifications and estimation techniques.
Betty Crocker Versus Betty Friedan: Meanings of Wifehood Within a Postfeminist Era
Authors: Sharp Elizabeth A.
Published: December 2017

In this article, deploying Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique and the fictional American icon Betty Crocker within a poststructural feminist analysis, the author analyzes a social science data set investigating how 18 contemporary wives think about wifehood. Crocker and Friedan are emblematic of the cultural DNA that make up wifehood: The mythical Betty Crocker represents the happy, traditional housewife of the 1950s, and Betty Friedan offers a critique of the happy, traditional housewife figure. Thinking about historical trends, in the 1950s to 1960s, femininity and families were rigidly prescribed and, thus, largely unquestioned. In the 21st century, with the influx of postfeminism, prescriptions for femininity and families are thought to be less rigid—but are they? Contemporary wives’ identity negotiations mapped onto both Betty Crocker and Betty Friedan but remained anchored in the Betty Crocker image.
Life Problems and Perceptions of Giving Support: Implications for Aging Mothers and Middle-Aged Children
Authors: Bangerter Lauren R. , Polenick Courtney A. , Zarit Steven H. , Fingerman Karen L.
Published: December 2017

Giving support may be a stressful or rewarding experience, and little is known about how family members perceive giving support amid problems or crises. Using a sample of 226 mother–child dyads (mother mean age = 75.04 years; child mean age = 49.57 years), we examine how mothers and their middle-aged children perceive giving support in the context of life problems. Actor–partner interdependence models tested whether associations between problems and perceptions of support are moderated by frequency of support given and if associations were stronger for daughters or sons. Children perceived giving support to their mother as more stressful when they had more of their own problems and gave high levels of support. Daughters, but not sons, considered helping their mother more stressful when their mother had more problems and they gave high levels of support. Distinctions between mother–son and mother–daughter dyads demonstrate the merit of a dyadic approach to understanding mother–child relationships.
Family, Academic, and Peer Group Predictors of Adolescent Pregnancy Expectations and Young Adult Childbearing
Authors: Smith Chelsea
Published: December 2017

Compared with previous generations, today’s young people increasingly delay parenthood. Having children in the late teens and early 20s is thus a rarer experience rooted in and potentially leading to the stratification of American families. Understanding why some adolescents expect to do so can illuminate how stratification unfolds. Informed by theories of the life course, social control, and reasoned action, this study used the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 cohort ( n = 4,556) to explore outcomes and antecedents of adolescent pregnancy expectations with logistic regressions. Results indicated that those expectations—including neither low nor high (i.e., split) expectations—predicted subsequent childbearing. These apparently consequential expectations were, in turn, most closely associated with youth’s academics and peer groups. These findings illustrate how different domains can intersect in the early life course to shape future prospects, and they emphasize split pregnancy expectations reported in a nationally representative sample of young women and men.
Cohabitation and Intimate Partner Violence During Emerging Adulthood: High Constraints and Low Commitment
Authors: Manning Wendy D. , Longmore Monica A. , Giordano Peggy C.
Published: December 2017

In recent years, a majority of young adults experience cohabitation. Nevertheless, cohabitation is a risk factor for intimate partner violence (IPV). Drawing on social exchange and commitment theory, we analyzed young adults’ IPV experiences using the recently collected (2011-2012) Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study data ( n = 926). We found that sociodemographic characteristics, relationship commitment, quality, and constraints as well as prior experience with violence (in prior relationships and family of origin) were associated with IPV, but did not explain the association between cohabitation and IPV. We examined variation among individuals in cohabiting relationships to determine which cohabitors face the greatest risk of IPV. Serial cohabitors along with cohabitors who experienced both low commitment and high relational constraints experienced the greatest risk of IPV. These findings provided insights into the implications of cohabitation for the well-being of young adults.
Family Members’ Relationship Qualities and Prosocial Behaviors in U.S. Mexican Young Adults: The Roles of Familism and Ethnic Identity Resolution
Authors: Streit Cara , Carlo Gustavo , Killoren Sarah E. , Alfaro Edna C.
Published: December 2017

Scholars have asserted that family relationships may have a prominent role in fostering prosocial behaviors. However, there is limited research on the quality of relationships with fathers and siblings in predicting prosocial behaviors, particularly in U.S. Mexican samples. Furthermore, culture-related mechanisms are rarely considered in examining these relations. The present study examines the associations between family relationship quality and U.S. Mexican young adults’ prosocial behaviors. Participants included 186 U.S. Mexican young adults who completed measures of parental acceptance, sibling intimacy, familism values, ethnic identity resolution, and prosocial behaviors. Relationship quality was positively associated with greater endorsement of familism values. In turn, familism values were positively associated with ethnic identity resolution, and ethnic identity resolution was associated with multiple forms of prosocial behaviors. These results highlight the importance of examining multiple sources of socialization and culture-related processes as mechanisms that may predict positive social outcomes in U.S. Mexican young adults.
Nurse Satisfaction With Opportunities to Engage in Research
Authors: Hagan Joseph
Published: December 2017

Nurses should be able to participate in research and integrate evidence from research into practice; however, studies investigating factors related to nurse satisfaction with opportunities to engage in research are lacking. A questionnaire was distributed to nurses employed at two sites: a hospital and a nursing school. Only 16% of nurses reported being satisfied with opportunities to engage in research. In multivariate analysis, degree of belief that resources are a barrier to research was inversely proportional to satisfaction with nursing research opportunities (adjusted odds ratio = 0.13, p < .001), whereas perception that personal relevance is a barrier to research was associated with increased satisfaction (adjusted odds ratio = 2.38, p < .001). Satisfaction with opportunities to engage in research is low. Incentivizing nursing research and providing protected research time, training and education, and mentors to guide nurses through the research process could be effective strategies for increasing satisfaction and research productivity, thereby strengthening evidence-based practice.
Social Support, Parenting Competence, and Parenting Satisfaction Among Adolescent, African American, Mothers
Authors: Brown Sara G. , Hudson Diane B. , Campbell-Grossman Christie , Kupzyk Kevin A. , Yates Bernice C. , Hanna Kathleen M.
Published: December 2017

This secondary analysis explored how social support changed during the first 6 months postpartum and examined the relationships among social support, parenting competence, and parenting role satisfaction. Single, low-income, adolescent, new mothers ( N = 34) completed measures of perceived parenting competence, parenting role satisfaction, and four types of received social support (emotional, informational, tangible, problematic) from the entire social network at 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months postpartum. Results indicated that social support did not change over time. Emotional, informational, and tangible social support were significantly correlated, concurrently and predictively, with perceived competence and satisfaction at most data collection points. Future social support intervention studies using social support as a modifiable variable with this high-risk group of African American adolescent new mothers are advocated. Health care professionals are encouraged to examine existing social support within these mothers’ identified family units.
Association Between Parental HPV Knowledge and Intentions to Have Their Daughters Vaccinated
Authors: Mansfield Lisa N. , Onsomu Elijah O. , Merwin Elizabeth , Hall Naomi M. , Harper-Harrison Alfreda
Published: December 2017

Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and 18 causes 66% of cervical cancers (Dunne et al., 2014). Vaccination during adolescence can prevent HPV-associated cervical cancers, yet less than half of adolescent girls are vaccinated. This study examined the association between HPV knowledge and parental intentions to vaccinate daughters against HPV. A retrospective, cross-sectional, national data set from the 2006-2007 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) was used. A multivariate multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between intent to vaccinate and HPV knowledge. After controlling for other covariates, parents who were knowledgeable were more likely to intend to have their daughters vaccinated compared with those who were not knowledgeable (adjusted relative risk ratio [aRRR] = 3.96, p = .004). Having HPV knowledge would significantly increase parents’ intent for vaccination against the disease for their daughters. Health care providers should integrate HPV-related education for parents within their services, and policymakers should consider requiring HPV vaccination for school attendance.
The Effects of a Health Partner Program on Reducing Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Authors: Liu Tingting
Published: December 2017

Previous lifestyle intervention research targeting prediabetes has primarily focused on weight loss, blood glucose, and lipid abnormalities. Far less is known whether lifestyle interventions lower other biological and physical risk factors for cardiovascular disease in overweight/obese adults with or without prediabetes. The aim of the study was to determine if a health partner program reduced biological and physical cardiovascular risk factors in overweight/obese adults with and without prediabetes at 1 year. A secondary data analysis was performed using the Center for Health Discovery and Well Being database at Emory University in the United States. A total of 246 (30 prediabetics and 216 non-prediabetics) were included in the analysis. At the 1-year follow-up, compared with non-prediabetics, prediabetics had significant improvements in body mass index, fasting blood glucose, and insulin resistance. Prediabetics also had higher increases in cardiorespiratory fitness. However, the methodological limitations and predominately high socioeconomic status level prevent definitive conclusions and generalizations.
Experiences of Daily Weighing Among Successful Weight Loss Individuals During a 12-Month Weight Loss Study
Authors: Zheng Y. , Terry M. A. , Danford C. A. , Ewing L. J. , Sereika S. M. , Goode R. W. , Mori A. , Burke L. E.
Published: December 2017

The purpose of the study was to describe participants’ experience of daily weighing and to explore factors influencing adherence to daily weighing among individuals who were successful in losing weight during a behavioral weight loss intervention. Participants completed a 12-month weight loss intervention study that included daily self-weighing using a Wi-Fi scale. Individuals were eligible to participate regardless of their frequency of self-weighing. The sample ( N = 30) was predominantly female (83.3%) and White (83.3%) with a mean age of 52.9 ± 8.0 years and mean body mass index of 33.8 ± 4.7 kg/m2. Five main themes emerged: reasons for daily weighing (e.g., feel motivated, being in control), reasons for not weighing daily (e.g., interruption of routine), factors that facilitated weighing, recommendations for others about daily weighing, and suggestions for future weight loss programs. Our results identified several positive aspects to daily self-weighing, which can be used to promote adherence to this important weight loss strategy.
Pharmacotherapy for Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme Inhibitor–Induced Angioedema: A Systematic Review
Authors: Lawlor Claire M. , Ananth Ashwin , Barton Blair M. , Flowers Thomas C. , McCoul Edward D.
Published: December 2017

Objective

Angioedema is a potentially life‐threatening complication of angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) use, occurring in up to 0.5% of users. Although the pathophysiology of ACEI‐induced angioedema is attributable to elevated serum bradykinin, standard management typically includes corticosteroids and antihistamines. We sought to summarize the evidence supporting pharmacotherapy for ACEI‐induced angioedema.

Data Sources

PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase portals.

Methods

A systematic literature review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Databases were queried by 3 independent reviewers for English‐language studies published between 1980 and 2017. The initial search screened for all occurrences of “angioedema” and then was further refined to include studies of ACEI‐related cases and exclude hereditary angioedema.

Results

Five articles representing 218 cases were identified, including 3 randomized controlled trials and 2 prospective case series with historical controls. One of 2 studies of icatibant (bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist) found more rapid symptom improvement than that with a control group of corticosteroids and antihistamines. Two studies of ecallantide (plasma kallikrein inhibitor) and 1 study of C1 inhibitor replacement found no significant benefit over control. No studies were identified that compared the efficacy of corticosteroids with antihistamines, of one dose with another, of fresh frozen plasma, or of combination therapy.

Conclusion

The efficacy of treatment of ACEI‐induced angioedema with bradykinin antagonists, kallikrein inhibitor, and C1 inhibitor warrants further study. Although consistent benefit of these medications has not been demonstrated, their use has not caused harm. One study examining off‐label use of icatibant has demonstrated efficacy over control. In addition, further study is needed to establish the efficacy and mechanism of action of standard pharmacotherapy such as corticosteroids and antihistamines in treatment of this condition.
Evaluating Intracochlear Trauma after Cochlear Implant Electrode Insertion through Middle Fossa Approach in Temporal Bones
Authors: Cisneros Lesser Juan Carlos , de Brito Rubens , Queiroz Martins Graziela de Souza , Gebrim Eloisa Maria Mello Santiago , Bento Ricardo Ferreira
Published: December 2017

Objective

To evaluate cochlear trauma after cochlear implant insertion through a middle fossa approach by means of histologic and imaging studies in temporal bones.

Study Design

Prospective cadaveric study.

Setting

University‐based temporal bone laboratory.

Subjects and Methods

Twenty fresh‐frozen temporal bones were implanted through a middle cranial fossa basal turn cochleostomy. Ten received a straight electrode and 10 a perimodiolar electrode. Samples were fixed in epoxy resin. Computed tomography (CT) scans determined direction, depth of insertion, and the cochleostomy to round window distance. The samples were polished by a microgrinding technique and microscopically visualized to evaluate intracochlear trauma. Descriptive and analytic statistics were performed to compare both groups.

Results

The CT scan showed intracochlear insertions in every bone, 10 directed to the middle/apical turn and 10 to the basal turn. In the straight electrode group, the average number of inserted electrodes was 12.3 vs 15.1 for the perimodiolar group (U = 78, P =. 0001). The median insertion depth was larger for the perimodiolar group (14.4 mm vs 12.5 mm, U = 66, P =. 021). Only 1 nontraumatic insertion was achieved and 14 samples (70%) had important trauma (Eshraghi grades 3 and 4). No differences were identified comparing position or trauma grades for the 2 electrode models or when comparing trauma depending on the direction of insertion.

Conclusion

The surgical technique allows a proper intracochlear insertion, but it does not guarantee a correct scala tympani position and carries the risk of important trauma to cochlear microstructures.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Central Auditory Pathways in Patients with Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review
Authors: Tarabichi Osama , Kozin Elliott D. , Kanumuri Vivek V. , Barber Samuel , Ghosh Satra , Sitek Kevin R. , Reinshagen Katherine , Herrmann Barbara , Remenschneider Aaron K. , Lee Daniel J.
Published: December 2017

Objective

The radiologic evaluation of patients with hearing loss includes computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to highlight temporal bone and cochlear nerve anatomy. The central auditory pathways are often not studied for routine clinical evaluation. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an emerging MRI‐based modality that can reveal microstructural changes in white matter. In this systematic review, we summarize the value of DTI in the detection of structural changes of the central auditory pathways in patients with sensorineural hearing loss.

Data Sources

PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane.

Review Methods

We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis statement checklist for study design. All studies that included at least 1 sensorineural hearing loss patient with DTI outcome data were included.

Results

After inclusion and exclusion criteria were met, 20 articles were analyzed. Patients with bilateral hearing loss comprised 60.8% of all subjects. Patients with unilateral or progressive hearing loss and tinnitus made up the remaining studies. The auditory cortex and inferior colliculus (IC) were the most commonly studied regions using DTI, and most cases were found to have changes in diffusion metrics, such as fractional anisotropy, compared to normal hearing controls. Detectable changes in other auditory regions were reported, but there was a higher degree of variability.

Conclusion

White matter changes based on DTI metrics can be seen in patients with sensorineural hearing loss, but studies are few in number with modest sample sizes. Further standardization of DTI using a prospective study design with larger sample sizes is needed.
Predicting the Outcome after Acute Unilateral Vestibulopathy: Analysis of Vestibulo‐ocular Reflex Gain and Catch‐up Saccades
Authors: Cerchiai Niccolò , Navari Elena , Sellari‐Franceschini Stefano , Re Chiara , Casani Augusto Pietro
Published: December 2017

Objectives

(1) To describe the relationships among the main instrumental features characterizing an acute unilateral vestibulopathy and (2) to clarify the role of the video head impulse test in predicting the development of chronic vestibular insufficiency.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary referral center.

Subjects and Methods

Sixty patients suffering from acute unilateral vestibulopathy were retrospectively analyzed: 30 who recovered spontaneously (group 1) and 30 who needed a vestibular rehabilitation program (group 2). The main outcome measures included Dizziness Handicap Inventory score, canal paresis, high‐velocity vestibulo‐oculomotor reflex gain, and catch‐up saccade parameters. The tests were all performed between 4 and 8 weeks from the onset of symptoms.

Results

The high‐velocity vestibulo‐oculomotor reflex gain correlated with the Dizziness Handicap Inventory score (P =. 004), with the amplitude of covert and overt saccades (P <. 001), and with the prevalence of overt saccades (P <. 001). Patients in need for vestibular rehabilitation programs had a significantly lower gain (P <. 001) and a higher prevalence and amplitude of overt saccades (P =. 002 and P =. 008, respectively). Conversely, we found no differences in terms of response to the caloric test (P =. 359).

Conclusions

Lower values of high‐velocity vestibulo‐oculomotor reflex gain and a high prevalence of overt saccades are related to a worse prognosis after acute unilateral vestibulopathy. This is of great interest to clinicians in identifying which patients are less likely to recover and more likely to need a vestibular rehabilitation program.
Impact of Biopsy Modality on the Management of Cutaneous Melanoma of the Head and Neck
Authors: Namin Arya W. , Zitsch Robert P.
Published: December 2017

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine how biopsy modality affects the treatment course and outcomes of patients with cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck. Specifically, we investigated if partial biopsy techniques are associated with positive margins on definitive wide local excision (DWLE), the need for early reoperation to obtain adequate margins or sentinel lymph node biopsy, and survival.

Study Design

Retrospective case series.

Setting

Tertiary care academic center.

Subjects and Methods

Subjects (N = 170) included all patients who were surgically treated for primary cutaneous melanoma of the head and neck at the University of Missouri–Columbia between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2015. For analysis, patients were divided into 4 groups based on biopsy modality: shave (n = 61), excisional (n = 62), punch (n = 33), and incisional (n = 14).

Results

The shave biopsy group (P =. 0324) and the punch biopsy group (P =. 0479) were significantly more likely to have positive margins on DWLE. The shave biopsy group (P =. 0042) and the punch biopsy group (P =. 0479) were also significantly more likely to need early reoperation. The mean number of sentinel nodes and incidence of positive sentinel nodes detected on pathologic examination did not differ significantly across biopsy modality (P =. 3600). Overall survival (P =. 4605) and disease‐free survival (P =. 5011) did not differ significantly among the groups.

Conclusions

Patients diagnosed with shave and punch biopsy techniques are significantly more likely to have positive margins after DWLE and more frequently require early reoperation. Biopsy modality does not appear to influence the number of sentinel nodes detected, the incidence of detecting regional metastases in sentinel nodes, the overall survival, or the disease‐free survival.
Clinical Significance of Low 2‐Methoxyestradiol Levels in Serum and Tissue of Recurrent Juvenile‐Onset Laryngeal Papillomatosis
Authors: Liu Danling , Wang Jiadong , Xu Yanan
Published: December 2017

Objective

We aim to explore the correlation between serum and tissue 2‐methoxyestradiol (2‐ME‐2) levels and recurrence of juvenile‐onset respiratory papillomatosis (JORRP).

Study Design

Retrospective cohort studies.

Settings

Laboratory of Otolaryngology, Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Subjects and Methods

Sixty‐four patients diagnosed with JORRP in our department from January 2007 to December 2012 were enrolled. Patients were divided into recurrence and nonrecurrence groups, with 32 patients in each group. ELISA detected the concentration of 2‐ME‐2 in serum and tissue samples collected during the first surgical procedure. Mann‐Whitney analysis, receiver operating characteristic curves, logistic regression model, and Kaplan‐Meier method were used for data processing.

Results

There was no difference in the serum 2‐ME‐2 concentration between the groups (P =. 237), while the tissue 2‐ME‐2 concentration of the recurrent group was significantly lower than that of the nonrecurrence group (P =. 0001). When the area under the curve was 0.752, the cutoff value of tissue 2‐ME‐2 at 670.02 pg/mL yielded the highest predictive sensitivity (71.9%) and specificity (71.9%). Regrouped by this cutoff point, patients with a lower tissue 2‐ME‐2 level (n = 26) had shorter disease‐free survival and a higher recurrence odds ratio than patients with a higher tissue 2‐ME‐2 level (n = 38; P =. 0408, odds ratio = 7.667).

Conclusion

A low tissue 2‐ME‐2 level is associated with a higher recurrence rate of JORRP. Tissue 2‐ME‐2 may be an effective target for JORRP treatment and a convenient measure for recurrence monitoring.
Clinicopathologic Factors Predictive of Occult Lymph Node Involvement in Cutaneous Head and Neck Melanoma
Authors: Yalamanchi Pratyusha , Brant Jason A. , Chen Jinbo , Newman Jason G.
Published: December 2017

Objectives

Evaluate clinicopathologic factors contributing to regional lymph node (LN) metastases in cutaneous head and neck melanoma (HNM).

Study Design

Retrospective review of a national cancer database.

Setting

National Cancer Database (2004‐2012).

Methods

National Cancer Database (NCDB) cases diagnosed between 2004 and 2012 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria were head and neck cutaneous site codes, melanoma histology codes, and clinically node‐negative status. Independent, clinicopathologic factors associated with pathologic positive LN status were identified by multivariable logistic regression. Subset analysis was performed on thin melanoma cases of 0.75 to 1 mm tumor depth to determine factors predictive of LN involvement and survival.

Results

Of 66,495 cases meeting inclusion criteria, 18,882 had nodes examined pathologically with 9.7% presenting with occult positive LN involvement. Mean (SD) age was 62.9 (16.13) years, and primary sites were scalp and neck (42.2%), face (40.2%), and external ear, lip, or eyelid (7.6%). Multivariable analysis found younger age; primary site of cutaneous scalp, neck, or face; increasing thickness; mitoses; ulceration; and vertical growth phase presence were independently associated with LN positivity (P <. 001). Only 2% of 0.75‐ to 1.0‐mm Breslow thickness cases had regional LN involvement, and age >70 was negatively associated with LN involvement (P =. 002) in this subset.

Conclusion

This is the largest study examining factors predictive of occult LN involvement in patients with clinical node‐negative cutaneous HNM who may benefit from sentinel LN biopsy. Primary sites of external ear, lip, or eyelid are less likely to present with occult nodal involvement, and older patients with T1a melanoma ≥0.76 mm are unlikely to present with regional node metastasis and may not require sentinel node guided management.
Current indications for stentless aortic bioprostheses
Authors: Hegazy Yasser Y , Rayan Amr , Bauer Stefan , Keshk Noha , Bauer Kerstin , Ennker Ina , Ennker Jürgen
Published: December 2017

The best aortic prostheses have been debated for decades. The introduction of stentless aortic bioprostheses was aimed at improving hemodynamics and potentially the durability of aortic bioprostheses. Despite the good short- and long-term outcomes after implantation of stentless aortic bioprostheses, their use remains limited owing to the technically demanding implantation techniques. Nevertheless, stentless aortic bioprostheses might be of special benefit in certain indications, where they could be a valuable addition to the surgical armamentarium.
The art and science of planting seeds of mindfulness
Authors: Sisk Dorothy A
Published: December 2017

This article explores the Art and Science of Mindfulness from the perspective of a Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, an author of five books in the Mindfulness Essentials series and that of an American medical doctor, Jon Kabat Zinn, who founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) clinic at the University of Massachusetts. Mindfulness training for stress reduction is discussed with positive results in pain reduction, blood pressure reduction, and a greater sense of well-being. Mindfulness practices used with educators are examined including the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) program developed by Patricia Jennings, a professor at the University of Virginia; Stress management and Using Relaxation Techniques (SMART) designed by Margaret Cullen, a therapist and MBSR instructor; and MindUp a mindfulness program for elementary and middle school students sponsored by the Hawn Foundation. Mindfulness practices have the capacity for transformation in students and their teachers, as well as in parents and their children.
Statistical optimization and batch studies on adsorption of phosphate using Al-eggshell
Authors: Zhang Yan , Li Hui , Zhang Yuyan , Song Fengjuan , Cao Xiaoqiang , Lyu Xianjun , Zhang Yan , Crittenden John
Published: December 2017

This work provides a simple and convenient method to manufacture the sorbent of Al-eggshell. The influence of AlCl3 concentration and pH values as well as the dosage of sorbent and their interactions on adsorption of phosphate was investigated. Therefore, Box–Behnken design coupled with response surface method was adopted to explore the empirical model for phosphate species removal. It was observed that there is an optimal point, C(AlCl3)(0.29 mol/l)–pH(6.12)–dosage(6.72 g/l), for the goal of maximizing phosphate species removal. The second-order polynomial model for phosphate reduction was given as Removal(%) = 96.43 +10.82X1 + 4.29X2 − 0.70X3 + 2.06X1X2 − 1.72X1X3 +8.24X2X3 − 13.10X12 − 17.26X22 − 1.72X32. Contour pictures implied that the interaction between pH values and sorbent dosage was the strongest, followed by C(AlCl3) versus dosage and C(AlCl3) versus pH. The adsorption of phosphate data had a good agreement with the Freundlich isotherm equation at 313 and 323 K. Otherwise, Langmuir–Freundlich model described the best fitness at the temperature of 293, 298, and 303 K. The process of adsorption of phosphate on Al-eggshell fitted a pseudo-second-order kinetic equation, which indicates the exothermic reaction. In conclusion, the present work suggests Al-eggshell as an efficient and environmental friendly sorbent for phosphate species adsorption from aqueous solutions.
A moral economy of suspicion: Love and marriage migration management practices in the United Kingdom
Authors: D'Aoust Anne-Marie
Published: December 2017

This article investigates how marriage migration management practices in the United Kingdom (UK) have entered the realm of security policy by relying on a moral political economy of suspicion that notably mobilizes what I call ‘technologies of love.’ The latter refers to conceptions of ‘true love’ and its manifestations that infuse the regulation of belonging through immigration controls. I argue that this economy of suspicion builds on and partakes in a governmental regulation that result in a stratification of rights. After outlining how Western romantic love has a history that cannot be uncoupled from state concerns about race and citizenship, I detail how Didier Fassin’s notion of moral economy of suspicion relates to technologies of love in the governmentality of marriage migration. Finally, I examine recent legislation and policing practices in the UK to illustrate how technologies of love can become part of judgment formation in evaluating possibly suspicious couples, notably European citizens marrying non-European citizens.
Social connectedness and depression
Authors: Creaven Ann-Marie , Healy Amy , Howard Siobhán
Published: December 2017

The associations between volunteering and health outcomes are well established. However, little research has identified the unique association between volunteering and health outcomes over and above the contribution of related social connectedness factors, such as social contact, group or organization membership, and social support provision; variables also implicated in health outcomes. Using large-scale cross-national cross-sectional survey data from the European Social Survey, this study models the association between volunteering and depressive symptoms. Models are conducted with and without adjustment for sociodemographic variables and for a more comprehensive range of social connectedness factors than has been included in previous studies. The findings confirm previous studies demonstrating a link between volunteering and depressive symptoms. However, adjusted analyses indicate that this association can be explained by social connectedness and sociodemographic variables. The findings suggest that studies of volunteering and health outcomes should consider the broader social context in which the volunteer is located, as social connectedness and sociodemographic correlates of volunteering might be more closely tied to mental health than volunteering itself.