bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bone and Gallium Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography-Computed Tomography is Equivalent to Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis of Infectious Spondylodiscitis: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Tamm Alexander S. , Abele Jonathan T.
Published: August 2016

Objectives

Spondylodiscitis has historically been a difficult clinical diagnosis. Two imaging techniques that address this problem are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and combined bone (99mTc-methylene diphosphonate) and gallium-67 single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography (SPECT-CT). Their accuracies have not been adequately compared. The purpose of this study is to compare the sensitivities and specificities of bone and gallium SPECT-CT and MRI in infectious spondylodiscitis.

Methods

This retrospective study assessed all patients who underwent a bone or gallium SPECT-CT of the spine to assess for infectious spondylodiscitis from January 1, 2010, to May 2, 2012, at a single tertiary care centre. Thirty-four patients (23 men; average 62 ± 14 years of age) were included. The results of the bone or gallium SPECT-CT were compared against MRI for all patients in the cohort who underwent an MRI within 12 weeks of the SPECT-CT. A diagnosis of spondylodiscitis in the discharge summary was considered the reference standard, and was based on a combination of clinical scenario, response to therapy, imaging, or microbiology.

Results

Spondylodiscitis was diagnosed in 18 patients and excluded in 16. Bone or gallium SPECT-CT and MRI had similar ( P > .05; κ = 0.74) sensitivities (0.94 vs 0.94), specificities (1.00 vs 1.00), positive predictive values (1.00 vs 1.00), negative predictive values (0.94 vs 0.80), and accuracies (0.97 vs 0.95) when compared to the reference standard.

Conclusion

Although MRI remains the initial modality of choice in diagnosing spondylodiscitis, bone and gallium SPECT-CT appears diagnostically equivalent and should be considered a viable supplementary or alternative imaging modality particularly if there is contraindication or inaccessibility to MRI.
Peritoneal Malignancy in Children: A Pictorial Review
Authors: James Karl M. , Bogue Conor O. , Murphy Amanda J. , Navarro Oscar M.
Published: August 2016

Peritoneal malignancies are a rare occurrence in children, often metastatic and rarely originating primarily in the peritoneum. The imaging findings of these entities in the pediatric age have not been recently reviewed or they have been previously described or depicted mostly as part of articles discussing each entity separately. This is a review of the most relevant peritoneal malignancies in childhood emphasizing imaging features. Knowledge of these appearances may facilitate diagnosis and staging of these neoplasms.
Clinical Outcomes of Mammographic BI-RADS 3 Lesions in the Community Hospital Setting
Authors: Friedman Paul , Kerwin Lauren , Chung Jean
Published: August 2016

Objectives

Per the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) manual, a lesion designated as BI-RADS 3 should have less than a 2% chance of becoming malignancy. With this study, we evaluated the outcome of patients given a BI-RADS 3 designation in the community hospital. Specifically, whether our cancer detection rate for BI-RADS 3 lesions was less than 2% and comparable to rates obtained at other institutions.

Methods

The records of 1037 patients given a BI-RADS 3 on screening mammogram were reviewed over a 1-year period between May 2007 and May 2008. A total of 142 of these patients were lost to follow-up, leaving 885 patients. Some of these patients had more than 1 BI-RADS 3 lesion during this study period, yielding a total of 923 BI-RADS 3 lesions to evaluate out of the 885 patients remaining. Of these, 478 of the patients' lesions were biopsied. The pathology was then reviewed to determine whether the lesions were cancerous.

Results

Only 6 of the 882 lesions initially classified as a BI-RADS 3 were later diagnosed as cancer, or 0.65% of the study population. The positive predictive value of receiving a BI-RADS 3 was 99.3%, which demonstrates a high accuracy in predicting that a lesion is not cancerous.

Conclusion

Most lesions that are diagnosed as a BI-RADS 3 have a very low probability of eventually being diagnosed as cancer. The findings from this study are comparable to studies performed at other institutions.
Healthcare providers’ knowledge and practices associated with postpartum hemorrhage during facility delivery in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Authors: Carnahan Leslie R. , Geller Stacie E. , Leshabari Sebalda , Sangu Willy , Hanselman Bailey , Patil Crystal L.
Published: August 2016

Objective

To investigate healthcare providers’ knowledge and practices associated with prevention and management of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) to improve care in urban settings and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.

Methods

As part of a cross‐sectional, survey‐based study, providers from 14 government health facilities providing maternal delivery services in the Ilala Municipality, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, were surveyed about PPH‐related practices and knowledge in April 2015. The data were analyzed descriptively, and χ2 tests of independence were used to examine relationships between experience, facility type, and knowledge.

Results

Among 115 respondents, 7 (6.1%) answered all PPH knowledge questions correctly. The mean knowledge score was 63.9% ± 21.1%. Non‐calibrated methods for estimating postpartum blood loss were common; only 62 (53.9%) respondents reported direct collection. Referral of patients for PPH‐related transfer was reported by 49 (42.6%) respondents; transportation and finances were barriers to transfer. Respondents requested continued training and additional supplies to address emergencies.

Conclusion

Healthcare providers had suboptimal knowledge of PPH risk factors, diagnosis, and causes. Strategies that provide ongoing education and equip lower‐level facilities with adequate supplies might minimize PPH‐related transfers. Providing prenatal women with basic delivery items (e.g. a blood collection device) and misoprostol is a viable option to ensure that essential PPH‐prevention tools are available at delivery.
Leg Lift Valsalva Maneuver for Treatment of Supraventricular Tachycardias
Authors: Michaud Allison , Lang Eddy
Published: August 2016

Clinical question

Can conversion to sinus rhythm for a supraventricular tachycardia be enhanced by a postural modification to the Valsalva maneuver?

Article chosen

Appelboam A, Reuben A, Mann C, et al. Postural modification of the standard Valsalva manoeuvre for emergency treatment of supraventricular tachycardias (REVERT): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2015;386(10005):1747-53.1

Objective

To determine effectiveness of a postural modification of the Valsalva involving leg elevation and supine positioning.
Factors associated with choosing the emergency department as the primary access point to health care: a Canadian population cross-sectional study
Authors: Ohle Robert , Ohle Michelle , Perry Jeffrey J.
Published: August 2016

Objective

Approximately 4.3 million Canadians are without a primary care physician, of which 13% choose the emergency department (ED) as their regular access point to health care. We sought to identify factors associated with preferential ED use over other health services. We hypothesized that socioeconomic barriers (i.e., employment, health status, education) to primary care would also prevent access to ED alternatives.

Methods

Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2007 to 2008, were analysed (N=134,073; response rate 93.5%). Our study population comprised 14,091 individuals identified without a primary care physician. Socioeconomic variables included employment, health, and education. Covariates included chronic health conditions, immigrant status, gender, age, and mental health. Prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each variable were calculated. Weighted logistic regression models were constructed to evaluate the importance of individual risk factors and their interactions after adjustment for relevant covariates.

Results

The sample comprised 57.2% males from across Canada. Employment (OR 0.73 [95% CI: 0.59-0.90]), good health (OR 0.73 [95% CI 0.57-0.88]), and post-secondary education (OR 0.68 [95% CI 0.53-0.88]) reduced respondents use of the ED. The reduced odds of ED use were independent of chronic conditions, mental health, gender, poor mobility, province, and age.

Conclusions

Low socioeconomic status dictates preferential ED use in those without a primary care physician. Specific policy and system development targeting this at-risk population are indicated to alter ED use patterns in this population.
Botulinum Toxin Use in Refractory Pain and Other Symptoms in Parkinsonism
Authors: Bruno Veronica A. , Fox Susan H. , Mancini Deborah , Miyasaki Janis M.
Published: August 2016

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other parkinsonian syndromes are chronic, progressive neurodegenerative diseases. With advancing disease, both motor and non-motor symptoms represent a considerable burden and symptom relief and quality of life improvement become the main goal of treatment. Botulinum toxins (BTX) are an effective treatment modality for many neurological conditions. Methods: To understand the potential usefulness of BTX in this population, we performed a retrospective chart review of all patients with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD and atypical parkinsonism who received treatment with BTX injections in our center from 1995 to 2014 for a variety of symptoms. Response to BTX was assessed using a subjective Clinical Global Impression. Results: Records of 160 patients were reviewed. Probable idiopathic PD was the diagnosis in 117 patients (73.1%). The main indication for BTX treatment was pain (50.6% of cases). Other indications were the treatment of functional impairment resulting from dystonia (26.25%), sialorrhea (18.75%), freezing of gait, and camptocormia. Considering pain as indication, 81% of all patients with PD reported benefits after the first BTX injections. This benefit was maintained after the last recorded visit without significant difference in outcome compared with the first injection (p=0.067). Similar results were observed in patients with atypical parkinsonism. Conclusions: Our results confirm the safety and efficacy of different uses of BTX in the symptomatic treatment of patients with parkinsonism even in advanced stages of the disease, and suggest BTX treatment could have a safe and useful role in the treatment of pain in this population.
Forecasted Impact of Climate Change on Infectious Disease and Health Security in Hawaii by 2050
Authors: Canyon Deon V. , Speare Rick , Burkle Frederick M.
Published: August 2016

Objective

Climate change is expected to cause extensive shifts in the epidemiology of infectious and vector-borne diseases. Scenarios on the effects of climate change typically attribute altered distribution of communicable diseases to a rise in average temperature and altered incidence of infectious diseases to weather extremes.

Methods

Recent evaluations of the effects of climate change on Hawaii have not explored this link. It may be expected that Hawaii’s natural geography and robust water, sanitation, and health care infrastructure renders residents less vulnerable to many threats that are the focus on smaller, lesser developed, and more vulnerable Pacific islands. In addition, Hawaii’s communicable disease surveillance and response system can act rapidly to counter increases in any disease above baseline and to redirect resources to deal with changes, particularly outbreaks due to exotic pathogens.

Results

The evidence base examined in this article consistently revealed very low climate sensitivity with respect to infectious and mosquito-borne diseases.

Conclusions

A community resilience model is recommended to increase adaptive capacity for all possible climate change impacts rather an approach that focuses specifically on communicable diseases. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:797–804)
-ADIC HODGE THEORY FOR RIGID-ANALYTIC VARIETIES – CORRIGENDUM
Authors: SCHOLZE PETER
Published: August 2016

The author would like to make some changes to the previously published article [1] by correcting two definitions.
Proactive market orientation and innovation in India: The moderating role of intrafirm causal ambiguity
Authors: Lakshman C. , Kumra Rajeev , Adhikari Atanu
Published: August 2016

Despite the implication of organizational resources and the resource-based view of the firm, the market orientation literature has not examined associated constructs. Additionally, while it is recognized that emerging economies (e.g., India) are key drivers of economic growth, this literature has not paid sufficient attention to such markets, with few exceptions. We examine the impact of proactive market orientation on innovation capability, and performance in a sample of predominantly service firms, in a culture characterized by high power distance and low uncertainty avoidance. We contribute by conceptualizing and demonstrating the moderating impact of intrafirm causal ambiguity, drawn from resource-based theories of the firm. Based on Structural Equation Modelling analysis of responses to a survey of marketing managers, we find that intra-firm causal ambiguity moderates the proactive market orientation-innovation capability relationship, while this strategic orientation is linked to business performance through innovation. We discuss these findings, limitations, implications, and directions for future research.
Hepaticites iporangae Ricardi-Branco, Faria, Jasper, and Guerra-Sommer, 2011 from the early Permian of the Paraná Basin, Brazil, is not a liverwort but a tracheophyte
Authors: Uhl Dieter , Jasper André , Valerius Talyssa , Manfroi Joseline , Guerra-Sommer Margot , Ricardi-Branco Fresia Soledad
Published: August 2016

From new and more complete material, which includes frond fragments with casts of tracheid remains of the rachis, it can be demonstrated that the putative liverwort Hepaticites iporangae Ricardi-Branco, Faria, Jasper, and Guerra-Sommer, 2011, from the early Permian Rio Bonito Formation (Sakmarian) of the Paraná Basin, Brazil, is not a bryophyte but a tracheophyte. The new material was collected from the same locality and layer as the type material, in the Quitéria outcrop in the municipality of Encruzilhada do Sul, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. From the morphology of the deeply dissected pinnatifid pinnules with narrow laminar lobes, the taxon is provisionally reassigned to the genus Rhodeopteridium. Thus we propose the new combination ‘Rhodeopteridium’ iporangae new combination for this taxon. This new systematic interpretation contributes to our understanding of early liverworts (by removing Hepaticites iporangae as a possible taxon thereof) and clarifies an issue of diversity of the flora of the early Permian Rio Bonito Formation resulting from the original misidentification.
ON THE RADICALS OF A GROUP THAT DOES NOT HAVE THE INDEPENDENCE PROPERTY
Authors: MILLIET CÉDRIC
Published: August 2016

We give an example of a pure group that does not have the independence property, whose Fitting subgroup is neither nilpotent nor definable and whose soluble radical is neither soluble nor definable. This answers a question asked by E. Jaligot in May 2013.
Assessing the completeness of the fossil record: comparison of different methods applied to parareptilian tetrapods (Vertebrata: Sauropsida)
Authors: Verrière Antoine , Brocklehurst Neil , Fröbisch Jörg
Published: August 2016

As paleontological studies are generally distorted by gaps and biases in the fossil record, it is important to assess its completeness. Here we address the fossil record of Parareptilia, a Permian–Triassic amniote clade, applying two measures of specimen completeness: the skeletal completeness metric (SCM) and the character completeness metric (CCM). The SCM quantifies how much of the skeletal material of a taxon is preserved, whereas the CCM measures the amount of phylogenetic information available. The latter was implemented using two different approaches. In this study, we compare three completeness metrics. Two CCM implementations show a strong correlation with each other, but only the second implementation of the CCM correlates significantly with the SCM, possibly due to character selection in phylogenetic data sets. There is no correlation between diversity of parareptiles and their completeness, implying that the observed fluctuations in diversity are not driven by the completeness of the fossils. The mean completeness of parareptiles through time is consistently high compared with previously studied tetrapod clades, suggesting that most parareptile taxa are based on reasonably complete specimens. Clade-specific differences reveal no link between body size and completeness. However, the analyses confirm the impact of ecology, with aquatic mesosaurids being better preserved than terrestrial taxa.
Radiocarbon Dating of Early Dynastic Mesopotamia: Results, Limitations, and Prospects
Authors: Wencel Maciej Mateusz
Published: August 2016

This paper describes the results of Bayesian modeling of radiocarbon dates from Early Bronze Age contexts in Southern Mesopotamia, modern-day southern Iraq. The model uses14C dates available in the literature, employing archaeological and textual information to correlate contexts from a number of important Mesopotamian sites. The insufficient number of dates makes it impossible to precisely define the chronology of the period in question; however, the analysis allows for observing patterns of cultural change otherwise invisible in archaeological and textual records. Firstly, it is suggested that there was a hiatus of at least a century between the latest protocuneiform texts and the earliest historical writing. Furthermore, the results seem to argue against a steady, gradual evolution of literate civilizations, indicating a more complex and varied process of development.
EFFECT OF LIME AND PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZER ON ACID SOILS AND BARLEY (HORDEUM VULGARE L.) PERFORMANCE IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF ETHIOPIA
Authors: DESALEGN TEMESGEN , ALEMU GETACHEW , ADELLA AYALEW , DEBELE TOLESSA , GONZALO J. JULIÁN
Published: August 2016

Low soil pH and associated soil infertility problems are considered to be amongst the major challenges to barley production in the highlands of Ethiopia. In response to this, an experiment was conducted at low soil pH (< 5 H2O) site on the effects of different levels of lime and phosphorus (P) fertilizer on soil pH, exchangeable aluminium (Al3+), grain yield and yield components of barley during 2010 and 2011 cropping seasons. The experiment comprised factorial combinations of five lime rates (0, 0.55, 1.1, 1.65 and 2.2 t ha−1) and four P rates (0, 10, 20 and 30 kg ha−1) in a randomized complete block design in three replications. The amount of lime that was applied at each level was calculated on the basis of Al3+. Results of soil analysis after 2 years of liming showed that liming significantly (P < 0.05) increased soil pH, and markedly reduced exchangeable Al3+. Liming at the rate of 0.55, 1.1, 1.65 and 2.2 t ha−1 decreased Al3+ by 0.88, 1.11, 1.20 and 1.19 mill equivalents per 100 g of soil, and increased soil pH by 0.48, 0.71, 0.85 and 1.1 units, respectively. Amongst the liming treatments, liming at the rate of 1.65 and 2.2 t ha−1 gave significantly (P < 0.05) the highest grain yield and yield components of barley. However, grain yield obtained by applications of 1.65 and 2.2 t ha−1 lime was statistically comparable. By additions of 10, 20 and 30 kg P ha−1, grain yield of barley increased by about 29, 55 and 66% as compared to control (without P). During 2010, however, the combined applications 1.65 t ha−1 lime and 30 kg P ha−1 gave 133% more grain yields of barley relative to control (without P and lime). Therefore, sustainable barley production on acid soils in the central highlands of Ethiopia should entail combined applications of both lime and P fertilizer.
HISTORICIZING CITIZENSHIP IN POST-WAR BRITAIN
Authors: GRANT MATTHEW
Published: August 2016

Citizenship has been widely debated in post-war British history, yet historians discuss the concept in very different, and potentially contradictory, ways. In doing so, historians are largely following in the footsteps of post-war politicians, thinkers, and ordinary people, who showed that citizenship could – and did – mean very different things. The alternative ways of framing the concept can be usefully described as the three registers of citizenship. First, there are the political and legal definitions of what makes any individual a citizen. Secondly, there is the notion of belonging to a national community, an understanding of citizenship which highlights that legal status alone cannot guarantee an individual's ability to practise citizenship rights. Thirdly, there is the idea of citizenship as divided between ‘good’ or ‘active’ citizens, and ‘bad’ or ‘passive’ ones, a differential understanding of citizenship which has proved very influential in debates about British society. This article reviews these registers, and concludes by arguing that all three must be taken into account if we are to comprehend properly the nature and citizenship as both status and practice in post-war Britain.
Is pharyngeal pouch stapling superior to open pharyngeal pouch repair? An analysis of a single institution's series
Authors: Agalato E , Jose J , England R J
Published: August 2016

Background:

Endoscopic stapling has become the primary procedure for pharyngeal pouch surgery because it is quick, less invasive and safe, but less is known about long-term outcomes.

Method:

Medical records were reviewed to compare rates of morbidity, operative failure, symptom control and revision surgery between open and closed procedures.

Results:

A total of 120 pharyngeal pouch procedures, carried out on 97 patients from 2000 to 2014, were studied. These included 80 endoscopic stapling and 40 open procedures. Twelve patients had complications (15 per cent) and there was one mortality (1.2 per cent) in the endoscopic stapling group. Ten patients (25 per cent) developed complications in the open procedure group, with no mortalities. Symptom recurrence was significantly greater in the endoscopic stapling group (26 per cent) than in the open procedure group (7.5 per cent). Multiple surgical procedures were required for 22 endoscopically stapled patients (32 per cent); none were required in the open procedure group. Although the male-to-female ratio for pharyngeal pouch incidence was 2:1, the ratio for multiple surgical procedures was 10:1.

Conclusion:

Endoscopic stapling outcomes are not as good as those following an open approach on long-term follow up, and the early advantages are eliminated if pouch excision is avoided.
Age at fatherhood: heritability and associations with psychiatric disorders
Authors: Frans E. M. , Lichtenstein P. , Hultman C. M. , Kuja-Halkola R.
Published: August 2016

Background

Advancing paternal age has been linked to psychiatric disorders. These associations might be caused by the increased number of de novo mutations transmitted to offspring of older men. It has also been suggested that the associations are confounded by a genetic liability for psychiatric disorders in parents. The aim of this study was to indirectly test the confounding hypotheses by examining if there is a genetic component to advancing paternal age and if men with a genetic liability for psychiatric disorders have children at older ages.

Method

We examined the genetic component to advancing paternal age by utilizing the twin model in a cohort of male twins (N = 14 679). We also studied ages at childbirth in men with or without schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and/or autism spectrum disorder. Ages were examined in: (1) healthy men, (2) affected men, (3) healthy men with an affected sibling, (4) men with healthy spouses, (5) men with affected spouses, and (6) men with healthy spouses with an affected sibling.

Results

The twin analyses showed that late fatherhood is under genetic influence (heritability = 0.33). However, affected men or men with affected spouses did not have children at older ages. The same was found for healthy individuals with affected siblings. Instead, these men were generally having children at younger ages.

Conclusion

Although there is a genetic component influencing late fatherhood, our data suggest that the associations are not explained by psychiatric disorders or a genetic liability for psychiatric disorders in the parent.
Chronic exposure to haloperidol and olanzapine leads to common and divergent shape changes in the rat hippocampus in the absence of grey-matter volume loss
Authors: Crum W. R. , Danckaers F. , Huysmans T. , Cotel M.-C. , Natesan S. , Modo M. M. , Sijbers J. , Williams S. C. R. , Kapur S. , Vernon A. C.
Published: August 2016

Background

One of the most consistently reported brain abnormalities in schizophrenia (SCZ) is decreased volume and shape deformation of the hippocampus. However, the potential contribution of chronic antipsychotic medication exposure to these phenomena remains unclear.

Method

We examined the effect of chronic exposure (8 weeks) to clinically relevant doses of either haloperidol (HAL) or olanzapine (OLZ) on adult rat hippocampal volume and shape using ex vivo structural MRI with the brain retained inside the cranium to prevent distortions due to dissection, followed by tensor-based morphometry (TBM) and elastic surface-based shape deformation analysis. The volume of the hippocampus was also measured post-mortem from brain tissue sections in each group.

Results

Chronic exposure to either HAL or OLZ had no effect on the volume of the hippocampus, even at exploratory thresholds, which was confirmed post-mortem. In contrast, shape deformation analysis revealed that chronic HAL and OLZ exposure lead to both common and divergent shape deformations (q = 0.05, FDR-corrected) in the rat hippocampus. In particular, in the dorsal hippocampus, HAL exposure led to inward shape deformation, whereas OLZ exposure led to outward shape deformation. Interestingly, outward shape deformations that were common to both drugs occurred in the ventral hippocampus. These effects remained significant after controlling for hippocampal volume suggesting true shape changes.

Conclusions

Chronic exposure to either HAL or OLZ leads to both common and divergent effects on rat hippocampal shape in the absence of volume change. The implications of these findings for the clinic are discussed.
Ruddy-headed GooseChloephaga rubidiceps: former plague and present protected species on the edge of extinction
Authors: COSSA NATALIA A. , FASOLA LAURA , ROESLER IGNACIO , REBOREDA JUAN CARLOS
Published: August 2016

The Ruddy-headed GooseChloephaga rubidicepshas two separate and genetically distinct populations, one sedentary that inhabits the Malvinas/Falklands Islands and another migratory, which inhabits continental southern South America. New information suggests that these populations should be considered as different evolutionarily significant units. The latter population breeds in Austral Patagonia (Argentina and Chile) and overwinters in Central Argentina. It was a very common species in Austral Magellanic steppe grasslands before 1931, when it was declared an “agricultural pest” by the Argentinian government, together with other sheldgeese species. Since then, the continental Ruddy-headed Goose population has declined becoming one of the scarcest species in Austral Magellanic steppe. Nowadays, its population is categorised as critically endangered in Argentina and endangered in Chile. We present data from six road censuses conducted in the breeding areas of Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego provinces, Argentina, during 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 (>4600 km, 70 days) and review population trends of the Ruddy-headed Goose since the early 1900s. We counted a maximum of 19 individuals in Santa Cruz and 49 in Tierra del Fuego throughout the breeding season. A literature review indicates that during the last 40 years the size of continental population of Ruddy-headed Goose has been < 800 individuals, approximately 10% of the estimated population in the 1900s. This decline matches the period following the application of control techniques and the introduction of exotic predator species in the breeding grounds of Tierra del Fuego. We review and discuss formerly proposed conservation actions that may have a positive and rapid effect on sheldgoose numbers recovery. We suggest that the continental population of Ruddy-headed Goose should on a precautionary basis be treated as a critically endangered population until genetic studies determine whether we are in the presence of a new ‘Critically Endangered’ species.
Conservation of ecosystem services does not secure the conservation of birds in a Peruvian shade coffee landscape
Authors: AERTS RAF , SPRANGHERS SARAH , ŞEKERCIOĞLU ÇAĞAN H.
Published: August 2016

Agricultural intensification in shade coffee farms has strong impacts on the structure and diversity of the agroforest, with negative consequences for forest specialist birds, understorey insectivores and their associated ecosystem services. Utilising variable distance transect counts, we sampled the bird community in a multiple-certified yet changing shade coffee landscape in the Peruvian East Andean foothills, to evaluate bird functional diversity and to assess potential impacts of coffee production on avian ecosystem services. To account for incomplete detection, we also calculated expected species richness per functional group, and to evaluate the effect of future species losses, we derived reduced bird communities by subsampling our data using a Monte Carlo procedure. We compared the relative abundances of functional groups based on preferred diets in the observed, expected and reduced bird communities to global functional signatures of tropical bird assemblages of forest, agroforests and agriculture. The birds in the shade coffee landscape were predominantly birds of secondary and disturbed forest habitats, indicating, as expected, strong human impact on the forest structure. Yet, the diet signatures of the observed, expected and simulated bird communities were not significantly different from global diet signatures of forest and agroforest bird communities of mixed tropical landscapes. Our results suggest that avian ecological function can be conserved at bird community level despite intensive human ecosystem use and associated losses of forest specialist and other less resilient bird species. These results underscore that forest management strategies or certification audits focused solely at ecosystem services may be insufficient to support conservation of rare or threatened bird species and that shade coffee systems can in no way replace the role of protected natural forests.
Prehospital Ketamine is a Safe and Effective Treatment for Excited Delirium in a Community Hospital Based EMS System
Authors: Scaggs Thomas R. , Glass David M. , Hutchcraft Megan Gleason , Weir William B.
Published: August 2016

Excited delirium syndrome (ExDS) is defined by marked agitation and confusion with sympathomimetic surge and incessant physical struggle, despite futility, which may lead to profound pathophysiologic changes and sudden death. Severe metabolic derangements, including lactic acidosis, rhabdomyolysis, and hyperthermia, occur. The pathophysiology of excited delirium is a subject of ongoing basic science and clinical research. Positive associations with ExDS include male gender, mental health disorders, and substance abuse (especially sympathomimetics).

Excited delirium syndrome patients often exhibit violent, psychotic behavior and have “superhuman” strength which can result in the patient fighting with police and first responders. Continued struggle can cause a patient with ExDS to experience elevated temperature (T) and acidosis which causes enzymes to fail, leading to sudden death from cardiovascular collapse and multi-system organ failure. Therefore, effective early sedation is optimal to stop this fulminant process.

Treatment of ExDS must be focused on rapidly, safely, and effectively sedating the patient and providing intensive, supportive care. Benzodiazepines, like midazolam, may not be ideal to sedate ExDS patients since their onset takes several minutes, and their side effects include loss of airway control and respiratory depression. Injectable antipsychotic medications have a relatively slow onset and may cause prolongation of the QTc interval. Ketamine is the ideal medication to sedate patients with ExDS. Ketamine has a rapid, predictable onset within three to four minutes when given by intramuscular (IM) injection. It does not adversely affect airway control, breathing, heart rate, or blood pressure (BP).

In this retrospective case series, prehospital scenarios in which ExDS patients received ketamine by paramedics for sedation, and their subsequent treatment in the emergency department (ED) and hospital, are described. It is demonstrated that ketamine administered by paramedics in the prehospital setting of a community hospital based Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system is a safe and effective treatment for ExDS.

ScaggsTR,GlassDM,HutchcraftMG,WeirWB.Prehospital ketamine is a safe and effective treatment for excited delirium in a community hospital based EMS system.Prehosp Disaster Med.2016;31(5):563–569.
Online Wear Detection Using High-Speed Imaging
Authors: Soleimani Seyfollah , Sukumaran Jacob , Douterloigne Koen , De Baets Patrick , Philips Wilfried
Published: August 2016

In this paper, the change detection of a fast turning specimen is studied at micro-level, whereas the images are acquired without stopping the rotation. In the beginning of the experiment, the imaging system is focused on the surface of the specimen. By starting the rotation of the specimen, the diameter of the specimen changes due to wear, which results in de-focusing of the imaging system. So the amount of blur in the images can be used as evidence of the wear phenomenon. Due to the properties of the microscope, the corners of the frames were dark and had to be cropped. So, each micrograph reflects only a small area of the surface. Nevertheless, techniques like stitching of multiple images can provide a significant surface area for micro-level investigation which increases the effectiveness of analyzing the material modification. Based on the results computer vision could detect a change of about 1.2 µm in the diameter of the specimen. More important is that we could follow the same locations of the surface in the microscopic images despite blurring, uneven illumination, change on the surface, and relatively a high-speed rotation.
Visualizing Quantum Dot Labeled ORAI1 Proteins in Intact Cells Via Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy
Authors: Peckys Diana B. , Alansary Dalia , Niemeyer Barbara A. , de Jonge Niels
Published: August 2016

ORAI1 proteins are ion channel subunits and the essential pore-forming units of the calcium release-activated calcium channel complex essential for T-cell activation and many other cellular processes. In this study, we used environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) detection to image plasma membrane expressed ORAI1 proteins in whole Jurkat T cells in the liquid state. Utilizing a stably transfected Jurkat T cell clone expressing human ORAI1 with an extracellular human influenza hemagglutinin (HA) tag we investigated if liquid-phase STEM can be applied to detect recombinant surface expressed protein. Streptavidin coated quantum dots were coupled in a one-to-one stoichiometry to ORAI1 proteins detected by biotinylated anti-HA fragmented antibody fragments. High-resolution electron microscopic images revealed the individual label locations from which protein pair distances were determined. These data were analyzed using the pair correlation function and, in addition, an analysis of cluster size and frequency was performed. ORAI1 was found to be present in hexamers in a small fraction only, and ORAI1 resided mostly in monomers and dimers.
Islam and Democracy – A Dynamic Perspective
Authors: CHEN NAIWEI , YANG TSAI-CHEN
Published: August 2016

This study examines the relationship between Islam and democracy with emphasis on the issue of whether and how Islam has bearings on democratic adjustment speed. Using comprehensive data on 17 Asian countries from 1996 to 2010, the study demonstrates that religion is a significant factor for determining democracy. Results indicate that the level of democracy in Islamic countries is generally lower than that in non-Islamic countries. However, the level of democracy in Islamic countries exhibits an upward trend, whereas that in non-Islamic countries displays a downward trend. Moreover, when benchmark variables are controlled, democratic adjustment in Islamic countries is faster than in non-Islamic countries. Hence, despite the current lower level of democracy in Islamic countries, the results of this study refute the conventional wisdom that Islam hinders democracy. Instead, Islamic countries are highly malleable and exhibit a potential for faster democratic development compared with non-Islamic countries. Results further suggest that Islamic countries can effectively promote democracy by improving education, minimizing the gender gap, controlling population growth, or becoming an oil exporter similar to non-Islamic countries. However, Islamic countries likely own an additional unique advantage in effectively improving democracy – that is, promoting urbanization. This aspect is in contrast to non-Islamic countries where urbanization plays no role in determining democracy.
Exploring the Crisis of the Reform Movement in Iran (1997–2005)
Authors: NIAKOOEE SEYED AMIR
Published: August 2016

The Second Khordad Movement was a democratic social movement in contemporary Iran. Investigation of this movement revealed two images, of flourish and of decline, as the movement was first generally successful until early 2000 and thereafter began to regress from the spring of that year onwards. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive framework in which to examine the reasons behind the movement's failure and regression. To this end, the study utilizes the literature on social movements, especially the political process model, and attempts to explain the initial success and subsequent decline of the movement based on elements such as political opportunity, framing processes, mobilizing structures, and the repertoire of collective action.
The Origins of Political Trust in East Asian Democracies: Psychological, Cultural, and Institutional Arguments
Authors: CHOI EUNJUNG , WOO JONGSEOK
Published: August 2016

While the importance of social and political trust has been well documented, there is a lack of scholarly consensus over where trust originates. This article tests three theoretical arguments – social-psychological, social-cultural, and political institutional – on the origin of political trust against three East Asian democracies (Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan). The empirical analysis from the AsiaBarometer survey illustrates that political institutional theory best explains the origin of political trust in East Asian cases. Citizens of these East Asian democracies have a high level of political trust when they believe that their governments perform well in management of the national economy and political representation of elected officials. Meanwhile, social-psychological and social-cultural theories explain the origins of social trust, but not political trust. The evidence reveals that socially trusting people are not automatically politically trusting; social trust and political trust originate from different sources and do not transform from one to the other.
Kurdish Regional Self-rule Administration in Syria: A new Model of Statehood and its Status in International Law Compared to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq
Authors: RADPEY LOQMAN
Published: August 2016

Having been supressed and denied their rights by successive Syrian governments over the years, Syrian Kurds are now asserting ade factoautonomy. Since the withdrawal of the Syrian President's forces from the ethnically Kurdish areas in the early months of the current civil war, the inhabitants have declared a self-rule government along the lines of the Kurdistan regional government in northern Iraq. For Syrian Kurds, the creation of a small autonomous region is a dream fulfilled, albeit one unrecognized by the international community. Some 15% to 17% of the Syrian population is Kurdish. Whether they can achieve statehood will depend on a reading of international law and on how the international community reacts. There are certain aspects which differentiate Kurdish self-rule in Syria from its counterpart in Iraq.
“There were more decisions and more options than just yes or no”: Evaluating a decision aid for advanced cancer patients and their family caregivers
Authors: Bakitas Marie , Dionne-Odom J. Nicholas , Jackson Lisa , Frost Jennifer , Bishop Margaret F. , Li Zhongze
Published: August 2016

Objective:

Few decision aids are available for patients with a serious illness who face many treatment and end-of-life decisions. We evaluated the Looking Ahead: Choices for Medical Care When You're Seriously Ill® patient decision aid (PtDA), one component of an early palliative care clinical trial.

Method:

Our participants included individuals with advanced cancer and their caregivers who had participated in the ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends) early palliative care telehealth randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center, and affiliated outreach clinics in rural New England. ENABLE included six weekly patient and three weekly family caregiver structured sessions. Participants watched the Looking Ahead PtDA prior to session 3, which covered content on decision making and advance care planning. Nurse coaches employed semistructured interviews to obtain feedback from consecutive patient and caregiver participants approximately one week after viewing the Looking Ahead PtDA program (booklet and DVD).

Results:

Between April 1, 2011, and October 31, 2012, 57 patients (mean age = 64), 42% of whom had lung and 23% gastrointestinal cancer, and 20 caregivers (mean age = 59), 80% of whom were spouses, completed the PtDA evaluation. Participants reported a high degree of satisfaction with the PtDA format, as well as with its length and clarity. They found the format of using patient interviews “validating.” The key themes were: (1) “the earlier the better” to view the PtDA; (2) feeling empowered, aware of different options, and an urgency to participate in advance care planning.

Significance of results:

The Looking Ahead PtDA was well received and helped patients with a serious illness realize the importance of prospective decision making in guiding their treatment pathways. We found that this PtDA can help seriously ill patients prior to the end of life to understand and discuss future healthcare decision making. However, systems to routinely provide PtDAs to seriously ill patients are yet not well developed.
Actualized Utopias: The Here and Now of Transgender
Authors: Nirta Caterina
Published: August 2016

“There's no need to fear or hope, but only to look for new weapons” (Deleuze 1992, 4)

José Esteban Muñoz opens his bookCruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurityby stating that “queerness is not here yet. Queerness is an ideality … an ideality that can be distilled from the past and used to imagine a future.” Queerness, continues Muñoz, “is a longing that propels us onward … Queerness is essentially about the rejection of the here and now” (2009, 1). He identifies queer utopias with an idea of futurity as an attempt to think of something else that goes beyond the “here and now,” an act of resistance: “the present is not enough. It is impoverished and toxic for queers and other people who do not feel the privilege of majoritarian belonging, normative tastes and ‘rational’ expectations … The present must be known in relation to the alternative temporal and spatial maps provided by a perception of past and future affective worlds” (27). In this article, I aim to show just the opposite. The argument I make here is that queer utopia—transgender—is a futurity of thehereand of thenow,avirtualitythat does not belong to the past nor does it lend itself to projections of the future, but it is totally immersed in the very now of the present.
THERE IS NO FINITE-VARIABLE EQUATIONAL AXIOMATIZATION OF REPRESENTABLE RELATION ALGEBRAS OVER WEAKLY REPRESENTABLE RELATION ALGEBRAS
Authors: ALM JEREMY F. , HIRSCH ROBIN , MADDUX ROGER D.
Published: August 2016

We prove that any equational basis that defines representable relation algebras (RRA) over weakly representable relation algebras (wRRA) must contain infinitely many variables. The proof uses a construction of arbitrarily large finite weakly representable but not representable relation algebras whose “small” subalgebras are representable.
Attitudes towards seclusion and restraint in mental health settings: findings from a large, community-based survey of consumers, carers and mental health professionals
Authors: Kinner S. A. , Harvey C. , Hamilton B. , Brophy L. , Roper C. , McSherry B. , Young J. T.
Published: August 2016

Aims.

There are growing calls to reduce, and where possible eliminate, the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health settings, but the attitudes and beliefs of consumers, carers and mental health professionals towards these practices are not well understood. The aim of this study was to compare the attitudes of mental health service consumers, carers and mental health professionals towards seclusion and restraint in mental health settings. In particular, it aimed to explore beliefs regarding whether elimination of seclusion and restraint was desirable and possible.

Methods.

In 2014, an online survey was developed and widely advertised in Australia via the National Mental Health Commission and through mental health networks. The survey adopted a mixed-methods design, including both quantitative and qualitative questions concerning participants’ demographic details, the use of seclusion and restraint in practice and their views on strategies for reducing and eliminating these practices.

Results.

In total 1150 survey responses were analysed. A large majority of participants believed that seclusion and restraint practices were likely to cause harm, breach human rights, compromise trust and potentially cause or trigger past trauma. Consumers were more likely than professionals to view these practices as harmful. The vast majority of participants believed that it was both desirable and feasible to eliminate mechanical restraint. Many participants, particularly professionals, believed that seclusion and some forms of restraint were likely to produce some benefits, including increasing consumer safety, increasing the safety of staff and others and setting behavioural boundaries.

Conclusions.

There was strong agreement across participant groups that the use of seclusion and restraint is harmful, breaches human rights and compromises the therapeutic relationship and trust between mental health service providers and those who experience these restrictive practices. However, some benefits were also identified, particularly by professionals. Participants had mixed views regarding the feasibility and desirability of eliminating these practices.