bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Colour preference, naturalness, vividness and colour quality metrics, Part 1: Experiments in a room
Authors: Khanh TQ , Bodrogi P , Vinh QT , Stojanovic D
Published: April 2016

In Part I of this work, observers scaled colour preference, naturalness and vividness visually on interval scales (0–100) labelled by semantic categories (e.g. ‘moderate’, ‘good’ and ‘very good’) in the context of office lighting. Five customary light sources without object saturation effect illuminated a table with coloured objects in a real room. The observers’ assessments were predicted by recent colour quality indices and selected pairs of indices combined linearly. Criterion values of the indices for ‘good’ colour preference and vividness were determined to provide a usable acceptance limit for the spectral design and evaluation of light sources. To predict colour preference, correlated colour temperature turned out to be useful. In Part 2 of this work, another experiment with the same method but using multi-LED spectra with more object saturation will be analysed and the two datasets will be merged.
Effects of structural parameters of textile substrates on the novel textile conformal half-wave dipole antenna
Authors: Kuang Ye , Yang Aiping , Luan He , Mao Hailiang , Zhang Wenwen , Yao Lan , Qiu Yiping
Published: April 2016

In the smart textile area, textile antennas integrated into people’s clothing functioning as the wireless signal transmission devices have gained increasing attention in recent decades. In this study, a textile conformal dipole antenna was designed to work at the frequency of 915 MHz. The radiation elements of the antenna were adhered directly onto the stitched polyester fabric substrate to get the conformal effect. The measured results showed that the antenna had good performance with the return loss value and typical omnidirectional radiation patterns. To investigate the effect of textile substrate on the antenna performance, models for stitched and plain weave structures were built and the value of root mean square (RMS) surface error was calculated using integration methods. Then an acceptable range of operation frequencies versus RMS was marked out for estimating the reliability of textile substrate. The calculated RMS of our designed antenna was 0.25 mm, which was in the acceptable range area indicating the proper antenna design. Finally, the relationships between the critical frequencies and fabric parameters such as yarn thickness and density were studied, which gives the direct guideline for selecting the fabric as the substrate for textile antennas.
The effect of hybridization on significant characteristics of jute/glass and jute/carbon-reinforced composites
Authors: Sezgin Hande , Berkalp Omer B
Published: April 2016

In this study, four plied jute, carbon, E-glass fabric-reinforced and their hybridized composites are manufactured. Nine composite laminates with different stacking sequences are manufactured by vacuum infusion technique. In order to understand the structure of the composites, fiber weight and fiber volume ratios in the laminate system are initially figured out. Furthermore, void fractions of samples are calculated by using theoretical and experimental densities of the composite samples to examine the impact of amount of fiber content on the void fraction. The effect of hybridizing jute fabric-reinforced polyester composite with E-glass fabric and carbon fabric and also the effect of stacking sequence of fabric layers on the mechanical properties (tensile strength, impact strength) of composite laminates are investigated. According to the outcomes of this investigation, it is realized that incorporating high impact resistant fibers to the outer layers of the composites leads to higher impact resistance, and placing high tensile strength fibers at the inner layers results in higher tensile strength at the hybrid composite laminates.
Interventions for Women With Postpartum Depression Symptoms
Authors: Ledesma Ortega Cyntianna C. , Reio Thomas G.
Published: April 2016

Using the stress-buffering hypothesis as a guide, this integrative review aims to identify how human resource development (HRD) professionals can address the issues faced by working women who are experiencing postpartum depression symptoms, in addition to identifying gaps in HRD research on this emerging topic. Most of the studies reviewed came from the nursing and psychology literature; none were found in the HRD literature. This review was undergirded by the stress-buffering hypothesis, which posits that social support can moderate the effect of a stressful event. Studies pointed to social support, especially from coworkers and supervisors, as having a positive effect on postpartum depression symptom scores. Overall, the findings of this study are entry points into HRD research and practice about how employers can support working women who are experiencing postpartum depression symptoms. Further research should examine the type of social support that is effective in helping working mothers.
A Brief Measure of Staff Commitment to Implement School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Authors: Filter Kevin J. , Sytsma Marcia R. , McIntosh Kent
Published: April 2016

Staff buy-in has been implicated as an important factor in the implementation of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SW-PBIS). However, most evidence related to buy-in is indirect and does not involve systematic measurement of buy-in. The purpose of the present study was to develop and evaluate a six-item measure of staff commitment to implement SW-PBIS. Responses were gathered from 1,218 teachers and staff working in schools at various stages of SW-PBIS implementation. Results showed strong evidence of internal consistency, construct validity, and content validity for the buy-in measure. There was a strong bias toward positive responding on the measure, but there were statistically significant differences that aligned with previous research (e.g., grade level of the school, role of respondents). In terms of concurrent validity, the relation between commitment and fidelity of implementation was as hypothesized, but the low number of schools and limited variability made the findings tentative.
Practitioner-Implemented Functional Communication Training
Authors: Andzik Natalie R. , Cannella-Malone Helen I. , Sigafoos Jeff
Published: April 2016

Although functional communication training (FCT) is an effective intervention for increasing appropriate forms of communicative behaviors and decreasing inappropriate forms of communication (i.e., challenging behavior) in students with disabilities, its effectiveness might depend to some extent on the expertise of the interventionist. The purpose of this review was to analyze the literature on practitioner-implemented FCT to (a) determine whether there is sufficient evidence to support practitioners’ ability to effectively implement FCT with fidelity and (b) assess the quality of the studies included for review. Twelve studies were identified and summarized, and the outcomes of these studies suggest that practitioners could effectively implement FCT. This generally positive finding is discussed in terms of the need to ensure fidelity of implementation and the need for additional research into the generalization and maintenance of outcomes from practitioner-implemented FCT interventions.
Xenopericardial self-made tube grafts in infectious vascular reconstructions: Preliminary results of an easy and ready to use surgical approach
Authors: Zientara Alicja , Schwegler Igor , Dzemali Omer , Bruijnen Hans , Peters Andreas Sebastian , Attigah Nicolas
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Infections are a major setback of vascular reconstruction and associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. We evaluated retrospectively our results with self-made bovine pericardial grafts in infected vessel revascularization versus standard graft material.

Basic methods

Retrospective analysis of 9 patients with bovine reconstruction and 10 patients with miscellaneous grafts (vein, homograft) for vascular infections.

Principal findings

Infection-free rate of the pericardial group was 100% in 17 months. For patients after reconstructions with miscellaneous grafts, the infection-free rate was 82% in 45 months. Overall in-hospital mortality was 10.5%. There were no in-hospital deaths in the pericardial group. Graft patency of the whole cohort was 100%. The median follow up was 11.74 months.

Conclusion

Self-made bovine pericardial tube grafts can be crafted to almost any size and adjusted to complex anatomic requirements. The use was feasible in various situations and was associated with good preliminary results concerning patency and reinfection.
Drug-induced QT interval prolongation and torsades de pointes
Authors: Tisdale James E.
Published: April 2016

Torsades de pointes (TdP) is a life-threatening arrhythmia associated with prolongation of the corrected QT (QTc) interval on the electrocardiogram. More than 100 drugs available in Canada, including widely used antibiotics, antidepressants, cardiovascular drugs and many others, may cause QTc interval prolongation and TdP. Risk factors for TdP include QTc interval >500 ms, increase in QTc interval ≥60 ms from the pretreatment value, advanced age, female sex, acute myocardial infarction, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia, bradycardia, treatment with diuretics and elevated plasma concentrations of QTc interval–prolonging drugs due to drug interactions, inadequate dose adjustment of renally eliminated drugs in patients with kidney disease and rapid intravenous administration. Pharmacokinetic drug interactions associated with the highest risk of TdP include antifungal agents, macrolide antibiotics (except azithromycin) and drugs to treat human immunodeficiency virus interacting with amiodarone, disopyramide, dofetilide or pimozide. Other important pharmacokinetic interactions include antidepressants (bupropion, duloxetine, fluoxetine, paroxetine) interacting with flecainide, quinidine or thioridazine. Pharmacists play an important role in minimizing the risk of drug-induced QTc interval prolongation and TdP through knowledge of drugs that are associated with a known or possible risk of TdP, individualized assessment of risk of drug-induced QTc interval prolongation, awareness of drug interactions most likely to result in TdP and attention to dose reduction of renally eliminated QTc interval-prolonging drugs in patients with kidney disease. Treatment of hemodynamically stable TdP consists of discontinuation of the offending drug(s), correction of electrolyte abnormalities and administration of intravenous magnesium sulfate 1 to 2 g.
Framing the Arab Spring: Partisanship in the news stories of Korean Newspapers
Authors: Ha Jae Sik , Shin Donghee
Published: April 2016

This study explored how the Arab Spring coverage by South Korean newspapers was influenced by the ideological orientations of those newspapers. Employing quantitative content analysis of the news stories, it compared the coverage by two major conservative papers ( The Chosun Daily and The Joongang Daily) and two major liberal papers ( The Hankyoreh Daily and The Kyunghyang Daily). The findings show that the partisanship of these newspapers resulted in divergence of the news framing by the conservative and liberal papers. Specifically, the liberal papers tended to present the Arab uprisings as being due to economic insecurity, including factors such as poverty, unemployment, and income inequality—more frequently than did the conservative papers. They were also somewhat critical of the U.S.’s role in the Middle East as being a facilitator of the Arab dictatorships. In contrast, the conservative papers put an emphasis on the possible impact of the Arab Spring on democratic movements in countries such as North Korea or China. This tendency may have originated from the conservative papers’ support of confrontational foreign policies toward North Korea. This study elaborated on the ‘hierarchy of influence’, in which ideology is a variable at the environmental level, while the partisanship of news outlets is a variable at the organizational level.
Treatment response according to small airway phenotypes: a real-life observational study
Authors: Marth Katharina , Spinola Monica , Kisiel Judith , Woergetter Christian , Petrovic Milos , Pohl Wolfgang
Published: April 2016

Objective:

Scant clinical data are available on the effects of current treatments for asthma on different subgroups of patients with this disease. We conducted a prospective, noninterventional, multicenter real-life study in adult patients with persistent asthma, and we specifically analyzed the effects of treatment with extrafine beclometasone dipropionate/formoterol (BDP/F) in asthma patients categorized by phenotypes related to small airways (i.e. smoking habits, disease duration, and air trapping).

Methods:

Patients received BDP/F as a fixed combination (100/6 μg), administered in 1–2 inhalations twice daily over a period of 12 weeks. Peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), number of asthma attacks, asthma control, and severity of asthma symptoms were evaluated in the overall population and in different subgroups at three different time points.

Results:

Overall, 213 patients were enrolled. In the overall population the treatment resulted in a significant increase in the proportion of well controlled patients (from 6.1% to 66.3%; p<0.001), and a reduction of uncontrolled subjects (70.3% versus 10.0%; p<0.001). BDP/F was also associated with a reduction in asthma attacks and an improvement of symptoms. These results were confirmed in specific subgroups of patients identified as small airway phenotypes: smokers, elderly patients, those with long duration of disease and air trapping.

Conclusions:

This real-life observational study indicates that extrafine BDP/F in a fixed combination improves asthma control and symptoms in the overall population as well as specific subgroups of patients.
Risk factors and management of oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Patel Akshar N. , Simone Charles B. , Jabbour Salma K.
Published: April 2016

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is an aggressive malignancy with close to half of all patients presenting with metastatic disease. A proportion of these patients with limited metastatic disease, termed oligometastatic disease, have been shown to benefit from a definitive treatment approach. Synchronous and metachronous presentation of oligometastatic disease have prognostic significance, with current belief that metachronous disease is more favorable. Surgical excision of intracranial and extracranial oligometastatic disease has been shown to improve survival, especially in patients with lymph node-negative disease, adenocarcinoma histology and smaller thoracic tumors. Definitive radiation to sites of oligometastatic disease and initial thoracic disease has also been shown to have a similar impact on survival for both intracranial and extracranial disease. Recent studies have reported on the use of targeted agents combined with ablative doses of radiation in the oligometastatic setting with promising outcomes. In this review, we present the historical and current literature describing surgical and radiation treatment options for patients with oligometastatic NSCLC.
Head Impact Measurement Devices
Authors: Williams Richelle M. , Dowling Margaret , O’Connor Kathryn L.
Published: April 2016

Context:

Concussive injuries are at the forefront of sports medicine research. Recently, researchers have used a variety of head- and helmet-based impact-monitoring devices to quantify impacts sustained during contact sport participation. This review provides an up-to-date collection of head accelerometer use at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels.

Evidence Acquisition:

PubMed was searched for articles published between 1980 and 2015 using the terms accelerometer and concussion, impact sensor and concussion, head impact telemetry system, head impact telemetry, and linear acceleration and concussion. An additional Google search was performed to capture devices without publications.

Study Design:

Clinical review.

Level of Evidence:

Level 4.

Results:

Twenty-four products track and/or record head impact for clinical or research use. Ten of these head impact devices have publications supporting their utility.

Conclusion:

Head impact measuring devices can describe athlete exposure in terms of magnitude and/or frequency, highlighting their utility within a multimodal approach for concussion assessment and diagnosis.
Leveraging Standards to Promote Program Quality
Authors: Young Michelle D. , Mawhinney Hanna , Reed Cynthia J.
Published: April 2016

Standards provide a foundation for thinking about leadership development and practice. This article explores three sets of standards that impact educational leadership preparation: (a) the recently revised Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards, which are now known as the Practice Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL); (b) the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) standards, which are currently under revision; and (c) the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) standards. In addition to reviewing each set, how they are used, and how they differ, we share findings from a survey of preparation program directors focused on how influential and beneficial these standards are in promoting leadership preparation program improvement.
War, Worries, and Religiousness
Authors: Du Hongfei , Chi Peilian
Published: April 2016

Terror management theory posits that death-related threats increase people’s investment in religious activity, dedication, and belief. Given that war usually results in deaths, the authors hypothesized that war, as a death-related threat, would be associated with greater religiousness. The present research assessed this hypothesis with a large worldwide sample ( N = 86,272). Using the Global Peace Index and World Value Survey, the authors found that people were more religious (i.e., religious practice, religious identity, and belief in God) when their countries and districts suffered from more wars/conflicts. The positive relationship between war and religiousness was partially explained by worries about war. That is, people in countries with existing war/conflict experienced higher levels of worries about war and, in turn, showed increased religiousness.
Safety of high-dose doripenem in adult patients with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Strawbridge Seth , Nailor Michael D.
Published: April 2016

Background:

High doses of β-lactam antibiotics have been advocated for acute pulmonary exacerbations caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) secondary to high minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the infecting organisms. Some β-lactam antibiotics have increased elimination in CF patients. This case series examines the safety of high-dose doripenem (HDD), 2 g intravenously every 8 hours, which is 4 times the labeled dose, in CF patients.

Methods:

This was a retrospective, single site, chart review of all CF patients given HDD during a 3-year period. Adverse events were prospectively defined using labeled definitions within the package insert and the medical literature. A standard case report form was used to collect demographic details, antibiotic lengths of therapy and adverse events.

Results:

A total of 17 patients (9 males), with a median age of 24 years, contributed 43 unique visits and 382 HDD exposure days. Mean duration of inpatient doripenem use was 8.9 days. Concurrent antibiotics were common, with a median number of additional antibiotics per admission of three. The median number of adverse effects documented was two. The most common adverse event was anemia, which was identified in 41 of 43 visits, but was present on admission in 31 instances. One patient developed leukopenia for 1 day, but returned to normal without dose adjustment. There were three instances of Clostridium difficile infection. One patient was documented to have an allergic reaction that led to discontinuation, but was ultimately rechallenged without adverse effect. Other common adverse events were gastrointestinal in origin. No other possible adverse effects led to discontinuation of the drug.

Conclusions:

In adult patients with CF, HDD in combination with other antibiotics did not lead to adverse effects necessitating discontinuation. HDD should be considered in this selected patient population, particularly when high MIC organisms are identified.
Confusing the drug facts on one nonprescription drug label with those on another: The Drug Facts Label as a text schema
Authors: Ryan Michael P , Costello-White Reagan N , Sandoval Mercedes N
Published: April 2016

The Drug Facts Label is designed to guide consumers in comparing nonprescription drugs. Undergraduates studied and recalled drug facts for three analgesic or non-analgesic labels using Drug Facts Label headings as retrieval cues. They then studied and recalled drug facts from an aspirin label. Aspirin recall was greater when the prior labels were analgesics, but prior-label intrusion errors were also greater. These two effects were associated with the number of prior drug labels on which facilitating and interfering drug facts appeared. Using the Drug Facts Label schema to read drug labels can both enhance and degrade the recall of nonprescription drug facts.
Instrumentalities for the Effectiveness of Measures of Public Accountability in Africa
Authors: U Agu Sylvia
Published: April 2016

The effectiveness of the various measures put in place by government for the promotion of public accountability in Africa using Nigeria as a case study was examined using a 12-item questionnaire. The aim was to find the importance of these measures in the promotion of public accountability in Nigeria. A total of 240 respondents, comprising 140 males (65.6%) and 100 females (34.4%), answered the questionnaire. The mean age of the respondents was 24.89 years. The result disclosed that these measures were partially implemented in the discharge of duties and this led to the achievement of very limited successes. The chi-square was also used to test the relationship between implementation of these measures and effectiveness of public accountability. The result revealed a significant relationship. Suggestions were therefore made on how to improve the use of these measures which included recognition of the importance of these measures, adequate monitoring, removal of the immunity clause, strict adherence to sanctions irrespective of whoever is involved, and compulsory accountability by leaders.
Examining Ethical Reasoning and Transformational Leadership Style in Nigeria Public Sector
Authors: Felix Chikelu Okey , Ahmad Abd Halim B. , Arshad Rosita Bint
Published: April 2016

A significant number of studies reported linkages between ethical moral reasoning and transformational leadership (TFL) style, but questioned its moral foundation based on shared values and ethics. Thus, the issue of public leaders’ and subordinates’ degree of moral judgment and TFL behavior as perceived by followers is explored. The Defining Issues Test (DIT-2) and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ X5) were completed by leaders and subordinates severely (Avolio & Bass, 2004; Rest, Narvaez, Bebeau, & Thoma, 1999). Path analysis of the structural model indicates positive significant statistical relationship between cognitive moral development (CMD) and TFL style (β = 0.120, t = 1.286, p < .10). Nevertheless, we indicate that the capacity to experience, discover, and anticipate ethical threats encourages the use of post-conventional stage in decision making, and this result adds to our understanding of the relationship between ethical reasoning and leadership style.
Preventing Juvenile Delinquency
Authors: Reis Carolina dos , Guareschi Neuza Maria de Fátima
Published: April 2016

This article aims to problematize discourses about protection and care that have surrounded compulsory hospitalization by evidencing its use as a control and punishment mechanism that increases the social vulnerability of young drug users. For such, we analyze lawsuits involving juveniles who were consigned to psychiatric institutions for drug addiction treatment as a protection measure in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil. The analysis of the materials has evidenced discourses that have circumscribed young drug users and constructed this population as potentially dangerous subjects as well as a population category at risk. In this sense, we point out how compulsory hospitalization has emerged out of the lawsuits as a tool for prevention of juvenile delinquency.
A Training Method to Improve Police Use of Force Decision Making
Authors: Andersen Judith P. , Gustafsberg Harri
Published: April 2016

Police safety and use of force decisions during critical incidents are an ongoing source of concern for both police practitioners and the public. Prior research in the area of police performance reveals that psychological and physiological stress responses during critical incidents can shape the outcome of the incident, either positively or negatively. The goal of this study was to test a training method to improve use of force decision making among police. This randomized controlled pilot study consisted of training officers to apply techniques to enhance psychological and physiological control during stressful critical incidents. Of a pool of 80 police officers, potential participants were invited based on equivalent age, years of experience, physiological characteristics (i.e., body mass index [BMI] and cardiovascular reactivity), and expertise. Results revealed that the intervention group displayed significantly better physiological control, situational awareness, and overall performance, and made a greater number of correct use of force decisions than officers in the control group (all ps < .01). The relevant improvements in use of force decision-making found in this pilot study indicate that this training method warrants further investigation. Improved use of force decision making directly translates into potential lifesaving decisions for police and the civilians they are working with.
Burglary Crime Scene Rationality of a Select Group of Non-Apprehend Burglars
Authors: Hockey David
Published: April 2016

Burglary continues to yield low detection rates, and although the characteristics of how burglaries are committed has been investigated in some detail, less is known about how burglars avoid detection generally and in particular the activities of non-apprehended burglars. To investigate this issue, one can at least in principle investigate the special case of burglars who claim to have avoided apprehension in spite of the fact that they have committed a large number of burglaries over time. The approach taken here was to thematically analyze the interview data from a previous study comparing the crime scene movements of a small group of non-apprehended burglars with experienced but apprehended burglars. The results here from a thematic analysis of that previous study revealed marked differences in the rationales between the experienced, apprehended burglars and the experienced non-apprehended burglars when implementing different crime scene behaviors. A series of techniques and strategies emerges, which appear to aid in avoiding detection around the burglary scene and are summarized with implications discussed.
Biomechanical Comparison of Parallel and Crossed Suture Repair for Longitudinal Meniscus Tears
Authors: Milchteim Charles , Branch Eric A. , Maughon Ty , Hughey Jay , Anz Adam W.
Published: April 2016

Background:

Longitudinal meniscus tears are commonly encountered in clinical practice. Meniscus repair devices have been previously tested and presented; however, prior studies have not evaluated repair construct designs head to head. This study compared a new-generation meniscus repair device, SpeedCinch, with a similar established device, Fast-Fix 360, and a parallel repair construct to a crossed construct. Both devices utilize self-adjusting No. 2-0 ultra–high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and 2 polyether ether ketone (PEEK) anchors.

Hypothesis:

Crossed suture repair constructs have higher failure loads and stiffness compared with simple parallel constructs. The newer repair device would exhibit similar performance to an established device.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Sutures were placed in an open fashion into the body and posterior horn regions of the medial and lateral menisci in 16 cadaveric knees. Evaluation of 2 repair devices and 2 repair constructs created 4 groups: 2 parallel vertical sutures created with the Fast-Fix 360 (2PFF), 2 crossed vertical sutures created with the Fast-Fix 360 (2XFF), 2 parallel vertical sutures created with the SpeedCinch (2PSC), and 2 crossed vertical sutures created with the SpeedCinch (2XSC). After open placement of the repair construct, each meniscus was explanted and tested to failure on a uniaxial material testing machine. All data were checked for normality of distribution, and 1-way analysis of variance by ranks was chosen to evaluate for statistical significance of maximum failure load and stiffness between groups. Statistical significance was defined as P < .05.

Results:

The mean maximum failure loads ± 95% CI (range) were 89.6 ± 16.3 N (125.7-47.8 N) (2PFF), 72.1 ± 11.7 N (103.4-47.6 N) (2XFF), 71.9 ± 15.5 N (109.4-41.3 N) (2PSC), and 79.5 ± 25.4 N (119.1-30.9 N) (2XSC). Interconstruct comparison revealed no statistical difference between all 4 constructs regarding maximum failure loads ( P = .49). Stiffness values were also similar, with no statistical difference on comparison ( P = .28).

Conclusion:

Both devices in the current study had similar failure load and stiffness when 2 vertical or 2 crossed sutures were tested in cadaveric human menisci.

Clinical Relevance:

Simple parallel vertical sutures perform similarly to crossed suture patterns at the time of implantation.
Exploring Cultural Influences of Self-Management of Diabetes in Coastal Kenya
Authors: Abdulrehman Munib Said , Woith Wendy , Jenkins Sheryl , Kossman Susan , Hunter Gina Louise
Published: April 2016

In spite of increasing prevalence of diabetes among Kenyans and evidence suggesting Kenyans with diabetes maintain poor glycemic control, no one has examined the role of cultural attitudes, beliefs, and practices in their self-management of diabetes. The purpose of this ethnographic study was to describe diabetes self-management among the Swahili of coastal Kenya, and explore factors that affect diabetes self-management within the context of Swahili culture. Thirty men and women with type 2 diabetes from Lamu town, Kenya, participated in this study. Diabetes self-management was insufficiently practiced, and participants had limited understanding of diabetes. Economic factors such as poverty and the high cost of biomedical care appear to have more influence in self-management behavior than socio-cultural and educational factors do. Economic and socio-cultural influences on diabetes self-management should not be underestimated, especially in a limited resource environment like coastal Kenya, where biomedical care is not accessible or affordable to all.
Atypical Antipsychotic Medications and Hyponatremia in Older Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Gandhi Sonja , McArthur Eric , Reiss Jeffrey P. , Mamdani Muhammad M. , Hackam Daniel G. , Weir Matthew A. , Garg Amit X.
Published: April 2016

Background:

A number of case reports have suggested a possible association between atypical antipsychotic medications and hyponatremia. Currently, there are no reliable estimates of hyponatremia risk from atypical antipsychotic drugs.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to examine the 30-day risk of hospitalization with hyponatremia in older adults dispensed an atypical antipsychotic drug relative to no antipsychotic use.

Design:

The design of this study was a retrospective, population-based cohort study.

Setting:

The setting of this study was in Ontario, Canada, from 2003 to 2012.

Patients:

Adults 65 years or older with an identified psychiatric condition who were newly dispensed risperidone, olanzapine, or quetiapine in the community setting compared to adults with similar indicators of baseline health who were not dispensed such a prescription.

Measurements:

The primary outcome was the 30-day risk of hospitalization with hyponatremia. The tracer outcome (an outcome that is not expected to be influenced by the study drugs) was the 30-day risk of hospitalization with bowel obstruction. These outcomes were assessed using hospital diagnosis codes.

Methods:

Using health administrative data, we applied a propensity score technique to match antipsychotic users 1:1 to non-users of antipsychotic drugs (58,008 patients in each group). We used conditional logistic regression to compare outcomes among the matched users and non-users.

Results:

A total of 104 baseline characteristics were well-balanced between the two matched groups. Atypical antipsychotic use compared to non-use was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization with hyponatremia within 30 days (86/58,008 (0.15 %) versus 53/58,008 (0.09 %); relative risk 1.62 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.15 to 2.29); absolute risk increase 0.06 % (95 % CI 0.02 to 0.10)). The limited number of events precluded some additional analyses to confirm if the association was robust. Atypical antipsychotic use compared to non-use was not associated with hospitalization with bowel obstruction within 30 days (55/58,008 (0.09 %) versus 44/58,008 (0.08 %); relative risk 1.25 (95 % CI 0.84 to 1.86)).

Limitations:

We could only study older adults within our data sources.

Conclusions:

In this study, the use of an atypical antipsychotic was associated with a modest but statistically significant increase in the 30-day risk of a hospitalization with hyponatremia. The association was less pronounced than that described with other psychotropic drugs.
Enhancement of humoral immunity by the type II heat-labile enterotoxin LT-IIb is dependent upon IL-6 and neutrophils
Authors: Greene Christopher J , Hu John C , Vance David J , Rong Yinghui , Mandell Lorrie , King-Lyons Natalie , Masso-Welch Patricia , Mantis Nicholas J , Connell Terry D
Published: April 2016

LT-IIb, a type II heat-labile enterotoxin produced by Escherichia coli, is a potent intradermal adjuvant that enhances immune responses to coadministered antigens. Although the immune mechanisms that promote this augmented immune response have not been well defined, prior intradermal immunization experiments suggested that early cellular and immunomodulatory events at the site of immunization modulated the augmentation of antigen-specific immune responses by LT-IIb. To investigate that hypothesis, mice were intradermally immunized with a recombinant ricin vaccine, a prospective toxin subunit antigen, in the presence and absence of LT-IIb. Analysis of tissue-fluid collection, coupled with histologic sections from the site of intradermal immunization, revealed that a single dose of LT-IIb induced local production of interleukin 6 and promoted a regional infiltration of neutrophils. The adjuvant effects of LT-IIb were abrogated in interleukin 6–deficient mice and when mice were depleted of neutrophils by pretreatment with anti-Ly6G. Overall, these data firmly demonstrated that LT-IIb, when used as an intradermal adjuvant, recruits neutrophils and is a potent rapid inducer of interleukin 6.
Wild and Scenic Wasteland: Conservation Politics in the Nuclear Wilderness
Authors: Cram Shannon
Published: April 2016

Nuclear weapons production has created a unique geography of irradiated open space in the United States. In recent years, many of these landscapes have been re-classified as national wildlife refuges in an attempt to transform the nation's atomic sacrifice zones into spaces of environmental salvation. However, these areas are also home to contaminated biota that migrate beyond refuge boundaries, inspiring biological vector control campaigns that frame nuclear nature as a threat that must be contained. How can these environments simultaneously embody ruin and redemption, and what work does this constitutive contradiction do? In this article, I explore the slippery subjectivities of nuclear waste and nature at Washington State's Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Beginning with the Hanford Reach National Monument, I examine how this space is framed as both pristine habitat and waste frontier. Next, I consider how Hanford's biological vector control program addresses the spread of radioactive flora and fauna. Looking specifically at one of the site's most notorious offenders (the fruit fly), I discuss how vector control uses instances of nuclear trespass to articulate the boundary between contaminated and uncontaminated. Finally, by examining the dual production of nature as both untouched wilderness and biological vector, I consider how this slippage between pure and polluted has been employed in the service of nuclear industry. I argue that in its doubling, nature is being recruited to do what the U.S. Department of Energy cannot: to solve Hanford's nuclear waste problem.
Decentralized Production and Affective Economies: Theorizing the Ecological Implications of Localism
Authors: Greear Jake P.
Published: April 2016

In this paper I examine the contemporary trend toward de-industrialized and decentralized production with a view to its implications for ecological sustainability. Specifically, I suggest we can understand the potential positive ecological implications of such trends by reconceptualizing “incomplete information” in markets, which is often understood as a key way in which markets fail to solve or forestall environmental problems. One promising aspect of decentralized production is its ability to facilitate greater flows of “information” in the market, as consumers bring themselves into closer proximity to production processes. However, posing the problem and the promise of different regimes of production in terms of information assumes fixed preferences and desires on the part of individual consumers and producers, and it ascribes to the non-human components of the production process only the potential to meet preexisting human desires. I argue for expanding the logic of “information problems” to consider how affects as well as information flow alongside materialities in cycles of production and consumption. Rather than seeing consumer “preferences” as desires inherent in individuals, I claim we should understand affects—including different modes of acquisitiveness as well as ecological and social sensibilities—as the emergent properties of specific assemblages of humans and non-humans that comprise and perform processes of production, distribution, and consumption. To help explicate this claim I first explore the ecological implications of the local food movement, and a specific attempt to capitalize on emerging technologies to decentralize production: Marcin Jakubowski's Open Source Ecology project.
Bad Flowers: The Implications of a Phytocentric Deconstruction of the Western Philosophical Tradition for the Environmental Humanities
Authors: Hamilton Jennifer
Published: April 2016

This is an experimental review essay responding to Michael Marder's Plant-Thinking: A Philosophy of Vegetal Life (New York: Columbia University Press, 2013). The essay departs from the ordinary structure of comparing three books on a similar theme. Instead three of Marder's concepts, plant “nourishment,” “desire” and “language” are explored through readings of Gabrielle de Vietri's installation The Garden of Bad Flowers (2014), the story of Daphne from Ovid's Metamorphoses (8 CE) and Alice's encounter with talking flowers in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871). In some ways this essay is like a work of applied theory whereby philosophical concepts are used to advance interpretations of works of art and literature. But, at the same time and in contrast, the works of art and literature brought into dialogue with Marder help to interpret and mobilise the philosopher's concepts. Ultimately, this essay articulates how Marder's strikingly negative critical project is both lively and useful for the Environmental Humanities, especially the fields of ecocriticism and critical plant studies. Moreover, in contrast to many book reviews that begin with summaries of the text and end with suggestions as to where the author might go next, this essay follows that formula for the opening paragraphs, but then suggests where we as readers might go with some key concepts instead.
Aerobic scope increases throughout an ecologically relevant temperature range in coho salmon
Authors: Raby Graham D. , Casselman Matthew T. , Cooke Steven J. , Hinch Scott G. , Farrell Anthony P. , Clark Timothy D.
Published: April 2016

Aerobic scope (AS) has been proposed as a functional measurement that can be used to make predictions about the thermal niche of aquatic ectotherms and hence potential fitness outcomes under future warming scenarios. Some salmonid species and populations, for example, have been reported to exhibit different thermal profiles for their AS curves such that AS peaks around the modal river temperature encountered during the upriver spawning migration, suggesting species- and population-level adaptations to river temperature regimes. Interestingly, some other salmonid species and populations have been reported to exhibit AS curves that maintain an upwards trajectory throughout the ecologically-relevant temperature range rather than peaking at a modal temperature. To shed further light on this apparent dichotomy, we used adult coho salmon (Onchorhynchus kisutch) to test the prediction that peak AS coincides with population-specific, historically experienced river temperatures. We assessed AS at 10°C and 15°C, which represent a typical river migration temperature and the upper limit of the historically experienced temperature range, respectively. We also examined published data on AS in juvenile coho salmon in relation to new temperature data measured from their freshwater rearing environments. In both cases, AS was either maintained or increased modestly throughout the range of ecologically relevant temperatures. In light of existing evidence and the new data presented here, we suggest that when attempting to understand thermal optima for Pacific salmon and other species across life stages, AS is a useful metric of oxygen transport capacity but other thermally-sensitive physiological indices of performance and fitness should be considered in concert.
Honest signaling in domestic piglets (Sus scrofa domesticus): vocal allometry and the information content of grunt calls
Authors: Garcia Maxime , Wondrak Marianne , Huber Ludwig , Fitch W. Tecumseh
Published: April 2016

The information conveyed in acoustic signals is a central topic in mammal vocal communication research. Body size is one form of information that can be encoded in calls. Acoustic allometry aims to identify the specific acoustic correlates of body size within the vocalizations of a given species, and formants are often a useful acoustic cue in this context. We conducted a longitudinal investigation of acoustic allometry in domestic piglets (Sus scrofa domesticus), asking whether formants of grunt vocalizations provide information concerning the caller's body size over time. On four occasions, we recorded grunts from 20 Kune Kune piglets, measured their vocal tract length by means of radiographs (X-rays) and weighed them. Controlling for effects of age and sex, we found that body weight strongly predicts vocal tract length, which in turn determines formant frequencies. We conclude that grunt formant frequencies could allow domestic pigs to assess a signaler's body size as it grows. Further research using playback experiments is needed to determine the perceptual role of formants in domestic pig communication.
Actinomycotic brain abscess
Authors: Rahiminejad Maryam , Hasegawa Harutomo , Papadopoulos Marios , MacKinnon Andrew
Published: April 2016

Actinomycosis is caused by Gram-positive filamentous anaerobic organisms of genus Actinomyces, which are commensals of mucosal membranes of the oropharyngeal cavity, and gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. Central nervous system involvement is rare and may present as cerebral abscess, meningitis, meningoencephalitis, subdural empyema or epidural abscess. The radiological appearances of actinomycotic brain abscesses are not well recognized. Here, we present the characteristic imaging features of an actinomycotic brain abscess.
Case Report: Multifocal biphasic squamoid alveolar renal cell carcinoma
Authors: López José I.
Published: April 2016

A multifocal biphasic squamoid alveolar renal cell carcinoma in a 68-year-old man is reported. Four different peripheral tumor nodules were identified on gross examination. A fifth central tumor corresponded to a conventional clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Biphasic squamoid alveolar renal cell carcinoma is a rare tumor that has been very recently characterized as a distinct histotype within the spectrum of papillary renal cell carcinoma. Immunostaining with cyclin D1 seems to be specific of this tumor subtype. This is the first reported case with multifocal presentation.
Representações sociais de relações de trabalho: um estudo com trabalhadores primarizados
Authors: Saraiva Luiz Alex Silva , Soares Cássia Batista de Andrade , Natt Elisângela Domingues Michelatto
Published: April 2016

Em face de efeitos negativos da terceirização, o processo inverso, a primarização, tem sido adotado por um número crescente de organizações. Nesse artigo, o objetivo é identificar as representações sociais das relações de trabalho de trabalhadores que se encontram em contexto de pós-primarização. A partir de entrevistas realizadas com profissionais que foram terceirizados e hoje são primarizados, evidenciou-se que, após a primarização, os entrevistados passaram a se sentir mais valorizados e reconhecidos, com elevação da autoestima e engajamento no trabalho. Conclui-se que o processo de primarização pode proporcionar melhorias impactantes tanto para as relações de trabalho quanto para a organização como um todo.
Agility and Proximity Considerations in Supply Chain Design
Authors: Lim Michael K. , Mak Ho-Yin , Shen Zuo-Jun Max
Published: April 2016

Strategic supply chain design decisions are critical to the long-term success of a business. Traditional facility location models for supply chain design focus on the trade-offs between the costs and benefits of proximity, i.e., the distance between facilities and customers. These strategic-focused models do not consider the supply chain’s agility, i.e., its ability to quickly respond to unexpected fluctuations in customer needs. In this paper, we study the problem of designing a supply chain distribution network under demand uncertainty and analyze how the optimal design characteristics of proximity and agility depend on various input parameters. We are able to draw managerial insights on how agility considerations may invalidate well-established and widely accepted qualitative results derived from traditional models. In particular, we show that it is optimal to increase the density of distribution centers (DCs) when the shortage penalty cost increases, and to decrease the density of DCs when a certain unit transportation cost parameter increases. Through these findings, our work conveys the message that traditional, proximity-based facility location models can be inadequate for designing modern responsive supply chains, and calls for the need to develop a new class of models for the task.

This paper was accepted by Yossi Aviv, operations management.