bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preoperative n-3 Polyunsatured Fatty Acids Are Associated With a Decrease in the Incidence of Early Atrial Fibrillation Following Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Mariscalco Giovanni , Sarzi Braga Simona , Banach Maciej , Borsani Paolo , Bruno Vito Domenico , Napoleone Martha , Vitale Cristina , Piffaretti Gabriele , Pedretti Roberto F. E. , Sala Andrea
Published: June 2010

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, and expenditure. Controversial data exist on possible preventive effects of n-3 polyunsatured fatty acids (PUFAs) against postoperative AF. We investigated whether preoperative PUFA therapy is effective in reducing AF after cardiac surgery during the surgical hospitalization and/or the cardiac rehabilitation period. Methods: Over a 4-year period, 530 patients (363 men, 68.5%) with a mean age of 66.4 ± 10.9 years, undergoing cardiac surgery were monitored for ‘‘early AF’’ and ‘‘late AF’’ defined as AF documented in the surgical department or during the rehabilitation program, respectively. Results: The overall incidence of early AF in the whole study sample was 44.7%, whereas late AF occurred in 14.7% patients. Patients with AF had a longer length of hospital and rehabilitation stay (10.4 ± 9.8 vs 9.5 ± 9.2 days, P = .025 and 24.2 ± 15.3 vs 21.1 ± 8.3 days, P = .008, respectively). Early AF occurred in 31.0% of the patients with preoperative PUFAs compared with 47.3% of those without them (P = .006). Conversely, late AF was not influenced by preoperative PUFA regimen (11.9% vs 15.2%, P = .43). Preoperative PUFAs were independently associated with a 46% reduction in risk of early AF development (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.31-0.92), after propensity score analysis. Conclusion: Preoperative PUFA therapy is associated with a decreased incidence of early AF after cardiac surgery but not late AF. Patients undergoing cardiac surgery may benefit from a preventive PUFA approach.
Early Diagnostic Markers for Contrast Nephropathy in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography
Authors: Shaker Olfat , El-Shehaby Amal , El-Khatib Mohamed
Published: June 2010

The present work aimed to prove the usage of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as an early biomarker for kidney injury and to assess the relationship between NGAL and serum creatinine and cystatin C in patients with normal serum creatinine undergoing percutaneous coronary angiography. Thirty patients with normal serum creatinine undergoing coronary angiography were enrolled. Estimation of blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, lipid profile, creatinine, NGAL, and cystatin C were done before coronary angiography for all patients. Serum creatinine, NGAL and cystatin C were evaluated again at 4 and 24 hours after coronary angiography. There was a significant increase in serum NGAL level 4 hours and 24 hours after coronary interventions compared to the baseline value before coronary angiography. Before coronary angiography, serum NGAL was positively correlated with serum creatinine, and cystatin C. Conclusion: Serum NGAL and cystatin C could be valuable in the detection of early renal impairment after coronary angiography.
Political survival, policy distribution, and alliance formation
Authors: Kimball Anessa L.
Published: June 2010

Existing work cannot explain why countries form alliances when direct security threats are not a key political issue, though we know countries routinely do engage in that behavior. Countries form alliances to manage the essential problem that they must use finite budget resources to provide social policy and national security; the ‘guns versus butter’ dilemma. States ally to ‘contract out’ national security via the formation of alliance contracts so they can allocate more resources to domestic concerns. Alliances increase the efficiency of security policy by providing the same level of security with fewer resources, thus freeing those resources for use in other domains. Not only should alliances form when security threats do not dominate the political agenda, but also domestic political and economic demands will influence alliance decisions. In positing a domestic politics-based explanation for alliance formation, this article argues that increased demands for social policy goods increase the chances of alliance formation as leaders seek greater policy allocation efficiency. The use of a production possibilities frontier illustrates the central argument. Those claims are examined on a sample of all country-years from 1816—2000 using a probit model. Empirical results suggest changes in the demand for social policy goods, operationalized as changes in the infant mortality rate, are an important cause of alliance behavior.
Bringing Proximate Neighbours into the Study of US Residential Segregation
Authors: Friedman Samantha
Published: June 2010

The race and ethnicity of neighbours are thought to be critical in shaping household mobility underlying residential segregation. However, studies on this topic have used data at the census-tract level of analysis rather than at the proximate-neighbour level. Using a non-publicly available version of the neighbour-cluster sample within the American Housing Survey, this study incorporates data on the race, ethnicity and socioeconomic characteristics of the proximate neighbours of White, Black and Latino households and examines their impact on household residential satisfaction, out- and in-mobility. Results indicate that proximate-neighbour race and ethnicity matter in influencing endpoints of the mobility process and do not necessarily parallel those at the census-tract level. Implications of these findings are discussed as they relate to the study of residential segregation.
Customer Relationship Management in Tourism: Management Needs and Research Applications
Authors: Vogt Christine A.
Published: June 2010

This invited paper for the TIA Management Research papers provides an overview of customer relationship management (CRM) and relates this topic to the strategic marketing of and research about travel and tourism products. CRM is widely used in the tourism industry, with loyalty programs keeping customers returning and travel websites yielding a large volume of e-transactions. The question is raised whether researchers, particularly academic and government, are participating enough in industry CRM-based market research to transform consumer behavior research into more holistic consumer profiles and dynamic models of travel demand and supply. The paper ends with suggested research topics that highlight meaningful pathways and methods for further CRM implementation.
Effects of Narratives, Openness to Dialogic Communication, and Credibility on Engagement in Crisis Communication Through Organizational Blogs
Authors: Yang Sung-Un , Kang Minjeong , Johnson Philip
Published: June 2010

This study focused on individual interpretation of crisis communication messages and aimed to examine which forms of crisis narratives can enhance audience engagement in crisis communication such as reduction of negative emotions. An experimental study was conducted, simulating audience experience with blog posts written for crisis communication. Data suggest that the openness to dialogic communication is essential to creating and enhancing audience engagement in crisis communication, which, in turn, leads to positive postcrisis perceptions. Among several dimensions of audience engagement, reduction of negative emotions was a critical mediator that connected the impact of openness to dialogic communication with positive postcrisis perceptions.
Natural Rubber Blended with Polystyrene Nanoparticles Prepared by Differential Microemulsion Polymerization
Authors: Chuayjuljit Saowaroj , Boonmahithisud Anyaporn
Published: June 2010

Blends of natural rubber (NR) and polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles at 3—9 phr by latex compounding were investigated for their tensile properties, dynamic mechanical behaviors, and flammability. The nanolatex of PS was synthesized via differential microemulsion polymerization. The properties of NR were improved as a result of the incorporation of PS nanoparticles at 3 phr for tensile properties except the % elongation at break, and up to 9 phr for flammability. The results from dynamic mechanical analyzer showed that the elastic properties of NR near the glass transition temperature increased when the amount of PS nanoparticles was over 3 phr.
Reinforcing the Micro/Macro Bridge: Organizational Thinking and Pluralistic Vehicles
Authors: Rousseau Denise M.
Published: June 2010

Organizational research is less divided along micro and macro lines than is often assumed. This article addresses the developments made in bridging micro and macro organizational research over the past 30 years, in particular, the mainstreaming of multilevel organizational thinking as standard practice. Related developments include the multilevel heuristics commonly used in the field’s research designs as well as its theory and research regarding self-organizing multilevel processes and cross-level interventions. Advocating integrative pluralism, this article then recommends three approaches to expanding and deepening micro/macro integration, including active use of alternative representations in research, systematic reviews that integrate findings across levels, and computer simulations modeling cross-level complexity.
The Zimbabwean Crisis and the Unresolved Conundrum of Race in the Post-colonial Period
Authors: Muzondidya James
Published: June 2010

This article seeks to show that although economic and political factors were all important in the Zimbabwean crisis, the unresolved legacies of racial polarization and inequalities in this former white settler colony played a pivotal role in shaping the nature and form of the crisis. The emphasis is on the unresolved racial inequalities in the economy, especially in land ownership and land utilization, which contributed to the country’s economic crisis. Further, the article shows how the Zimbabwe crisis became protracted mainly because the ruling ZANU-PF successfully utilized the emotive issue of race to mobilize support internally, regionally and internationally, while both the opposition and external critics of ZANU-PF underestimated the power of race in mobilizing support for ZANU-PF, and in polarizing political opinion in Zimbabwe.
Remaining Apolitical in a Political Crisis
Authors: Pilossof Rory
Published: June 2010

This article explores the fortunes of the leading farming periodical in Zimbabwe, The Farmer magazine, and how its parent body, the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) sought to control, censor and manipulate The Farmer and the coverage it gave the deepening crises in Zimbabwe. Doing so gives voice to a part of the white experience in Zimbabwe and also shows that the farming community was far from a cohesive entity. The article also shows that there are parallels in the CFU’s attitude towards The Farmer’s post-2000, and to that it expressed in the 1980s during the years of Gukurahundi. The CFU’s policy of ‘apoliticism’ affected the freedom of The Farmer at both times and ultimately led to the magazines closure in 2002
Charles Manson and the Family
Authors: Atchison Andrew J. , Heide Kathleen M.
Published: June 2010

In 1969, Charles Manson and his “Family” of followers killed innocent people in an attempt to start a counterrevolution in the United States. Despite the notoriety of this cult leader and his followers over the past 40 years, the sociological literature on crime has not addressed the dynamics behind these seemingly senseless killings. To our knowledge, no serious attempt to apply criminological theory to these murderers and their actions has been made. In this article, labeling theory, general strain theory, and social learning theory are used to explain these murders using a case study approach. The article begins with a description of the goal of Manson’s actions. The murders that took place and their victims are briefly summarized, and several criminological theories are introduced. Charles Manson’s life is then chronicled, and the theories’ connections to events in his life are illustrated. The article also highlights the lives of three followers and how the theories relate to particular events in their past history. The article concludes with a discussion of the limitations of this study and directions for future research.
Microstructure and unit-cell geometry of four-step three-dimensional rectangular braided composites
Authors: Li Dian-sen , Li Chen  , Li Jia-lu
Published: June 2010

This article investigates the microstructure of 3D four-directional rectangular braided composites produced by the four-step 1 × 1 procedure. The planar and spatial yarn paths are analyzed systematically based on 3D braiding process. Three different types of microstructural unit cell models are established with respect to the interior, surface, and corner regions of a braided preform. These models truly simulate the microstructure of the braided composites. Furthermore, they are oriented in the same reference frame of the preform cross-section, which coincides with the actual configuration of composites and suits for the analysis of mechanical properties. The mathematical relationships among the structural parameters, such as braiding dimensions, fiber orientation, braiding pitch, the yarn packing factor, fiber volume fraction, are deduced. The calculated results are in good agreement with the measured values of the geometric characteristics of braided composite samples.
Stigma and Otherness in the Israeli Media’s Mirror Representations of Illness
Authors: Soffer Michal , Ajzenstadt Mimi
Published: June 2010

In this study we examined the social construction of stigma toward HIV/AIDS in the Israeli press by comparing newspaper articles on HIV/AIDS, a highly stigmatized illness, and heart disease, a nonstigmatized illness in Israel. We carried out thematic content analysis of 242 newspaper articles published over a 12-month period. Two counter themes emerged from the analysis. HIV/AIDS was portrayed as a “foreign illness” mainly afflicting immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. In addition, HIV/AIDS was constructed as a disease of “the deviant other,” particularly gay men, who pose risk to themselves and those around them. By contrast, heart disease was defined as a “local illness” of “ordinary” individuals, and an unpredictable phenomenon. The mirror images of HIV/AIDS and heart disease, which were involved in the stigmatizing process of HIV/AIDS, reflect the wider moral-sociocultural order of Israeli society.
Giving Patients Responsibility or Fostering Mutual Response-Ability: Family Physicians’ Constructions of Effective Chronic Illness Management
Authors: Thille Patricia H. , Russell Grant M.
Published: June 2010

Current visions of family medicine and models of chronic illness management integrate evidence-based medicine with collaborative, patient-centered care, despite critiques that these constructs conflict with each other. With this potential conflict in mind, we applied a critical discursive psychology methodology to present discursive patterns articulated by 13 family physicians in Ontario, Canada, regarding care of patients living with multiple chronic illnesses. Physicians constructed competing versions of the terms “effective chronic illness management” and “patient involvement.” One construction integrated individual responsibility for health with primacy of “evidence,” resulting in a conceptualization consistent with paternalistic care. The second constructed effective care as involving active partnership of physician and patient, implying a need to foster the ability of both practitioners and patients to respond to complex challenges as they arose. The former pattern is inconsistent with visions of family medicine and chronic illness management, whereas the latter embodies it.
Colored Illustrations of the Brain: Some Conceptual and Contextual Issues
Authors: Schott Geoffrey D.
Published: June 2010

Illustrations of the brain are increasingly often colored, both on depictions of brain structure and on displays representing brain function. As in many other areas of science, illustrations may have considerable influence on how neuroscientific concepts are envisaged and presented, and color being such a dominant feature of many illustrations of the brain, the rationale, methodology, and implications of using color merit exploration. The different ways of harnessing color depending on whether brain structure or function is being illustrated; the selection of particular colors and color scale; the advantages and disadvantages of color compared to black and white, including the detection of just noticeable differences in the display; the consequences of incorporating color and the attribution of importance; and also the contribution and perceptions of the viewer raise important issues. Consideration of these and a number of related issues, including the wider context of color in illustration, leads to the conclusion that the addition of color represents a powerful and at times unrivalled technique that can be employed in the study of the brain, yet adding color is sometimes ill considered and can prove superfluous, ambiguous, or misleading.
Sensitivity and Selectivity of Neurons in Auditory Cortex to the Pitch, Timbre, and Location of Sounds
Authors: Bizley Jennifer K. , Walker Kerry M. M.
Published: June 2010

We are able to rapidly recognize and localize the many sounds in our environment. We can describe any of these sounds in terms of various independent “features” such as their loudness, pitch, or position in space. However, we still know surprisingly little about how neurons in the auditory brain, specifically the auditory cortex, might form representations of these perceptual characteristics from the information that the ear provides about sound acoustics. In this article, the authors examine evidence that the auditory cortex is necessary for processing the pitch, timbre, and location of sounds, and document how neurons across multiple auditory cortical fields might represent these as trains of action potentials. They conclude by asking whether neurons in different regions of the auditory cortex might not be simply sensitive to each of these three sound features but whether they might be selective for one of them. The few studies that have examined neural sensitivity to multiple sound attributes provide only limited support for neural selectivity within auditory cortex. Providing an explanation of the neural basis of feature invariance is thus one of the major challenges to sensory neuroscience obtaining the ultimate goal of understanding how neural firing patterns in the brain give rise to perception.
Review: Management of Painful Vaso-Occlusive Crisis of Sickle-Cell Anemia: Consensus Opinion
Authors: Mousa Shaker A. , Abbdulkareem Al Momen  , Faisal Al Sayegh  , Soad Al Jaouni  , Nasrullah Zaki , Hussein Al Saeed  , Alabdullatif Abbas , Mohamad Al Sayegh  , Hazaa Al Zahrani  , Hegazi Maha , Amin Al Mohamadi  , Alsulaiman A. , Omer Awad , Salam Al Kindi  , Tarawa Ahamd , Fahad Al Othman  , Qari Mohammad
Published: June 2010

Sickle-cell disease (SCD) is a wide-spread inherited hemolytic anemia that is due to a point mutation, leading to the substitution of valine for glutamic acid, causing a spectrum of clinical manifestations in addition to hemolysis and anemia. Acute painful crisis is a common sequela that can cause significant morbidity and negatively impact the patient’s quality of life. Remarkable improvements in the understanding of the pathogenesis of this clinical syndrome and the role of cell adhesion, inflammation, and coagulation in acute painful crisis have led to changes in the management of pain. Due to the endemic nature of SCD in various parts of the Middle East, a group of physicians and scientists from the United States and Middle East recently met to draw up a set of suggested guidelines for the management of acute painful crisis that are reflective of local and international experience. This review brings together a detailed etiology, the pathophysiology, and clinical presentation of SCD, including the differential diagnoses of pain associated with the disease, with evidence-based recommendations for pain management and the potential impact of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), from the perspective of physicians and scientists with long-term experience in the management of a large number of patients with SCD.
Estimated Incidence of Acute Pulmonary Embolism in a Korean Hospital
Authors: Choi Won-Il , Lee Mi-Young , Oh Doyeun , Byung Hak Rho  , Hales Charles A.
Published: June 2010

Patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) were identified retrospectively from patients hospitalized during a 2-year period from 2005 to 2007. Among adult patients (≥20 years), the incidence of established acute PE was 88 (0.17%) of 50 882 in Dongsan Hospital. The incidence of acute PE at Dongsan Hospital was 26% lower than that at Henry Ford Hospital (P < .01). Among patients more than 50 years of age, PE was more frequent in women (0.32%; 95% CI, 0.24-0.4) than in men (0.15%; 95% CI, 0.1-0.21; P < .01). Among all patients with PE older than 20 years of age, 68 (0.21%) of 31 869 (95% CI, 0.17-0.26) were from the medical service and 18 (0.08%) of 23 139 (95% CI, 0.04-0.11; P < .01) were from the surgical service. The estimated incidence of PE in a university teaching hospital in Korea was 0.17%, it was about two thirds of that in North America.
Risk Factors for Heart Attack, Stroke, and Venous Thrombosis Associated With Hormonal Contraceptive Use
Authors: Zakharova Marina Y. , Meyer Rachel M. , Brandy Kyle R. , Datta Yvonne H. , Joseph Marilyn S. , Schreiner Pamela J. , Rao Gundu H. , Divani Afshin A.
Published: June 2010

The search for a safe and effective method of contraception has been ongoing for centuries. During the last century, a variety of hormonal contraceptives, including combined hormonal oral contraceptives (COCs), have been introduced into the market. COCs have evolved through modifications of different hormonal components to minimize the risk of thrombotic events including stroke, myocardial infarction, and venous thrombosis. The evolution of COC development led to the reduction in the estrogen dose, in an attempt to lower the risk of vascular diseases. Although the risk of thrombotic events due to COC use has been substantially reduced since their inception, the quest for developing safer methods of birth control continues. It is of great interest to study coagulation effects of newer COCs, as well as progestin only, as rigorously as older COCs.
Shear Deformation Effect in Flexural-torsional Vibrations of Composite Beams by Boundary Element Method (BEM)
Authors: Sapountzakis E.J. , Dourakopoulos J.A.
Published: June 2010

In this paper a boundary element method (BEM) is developed for the general flexural-torsional vibration problem of Timoshenko beams of arbitrarily shaped composite cross-section taking into account the effects of warping stiffness, warping and rotary inertia and shear deformation. The composite beam consists of materials in contact, each of which can surround a finite number of inclusions. The materials have different elasticity and shear moduli with same Poisson’s ratio and are firmly bonded together. The beam is subjected to arbitrarily transverse and/or torsional distributed or concentrated loading, while its edges are restrained by the most general linear boundary conditions. The resulting initial boundary value problem, described by three coupled partial differential equations, is solved employing a boundary integral equation approach. Besides the effectiveness and accuracy of the developed method, a significant advantage is that the displacements as well as the stress resultants are computed at any cross-section of the beam using the respective integral representations as mathematical formulae. All basic equations are formulated with respect to the principal shear axes coordinate system, which does not coincide with the principal bending one in a non-symmetric cross-section. To account for shear deformations, the concept of shear deformation coefficients is used. Six boundary value problems are formulated with respect to the transverse displacements, to the angle of twist, to the primary warping function and to two stress functions and solved using the Analog Equation Method, a BEM-based method. Both free and forced vibrations are examined. Several beams are analyzed to illustrate the method and demonstrate its efficiency and wherever possible its accuracy.
Comparison of MPI Benchmark Programs on Shared Memory and Distributed Memory Machines (Point-to-Point Communication)
Authors: Nor Asilah Wati Abdul Hamid  , Coddington Paul
Published: June 2010

There are several benchmark programs available to measure the performance of MPI on parallel computers. The most common use of MPI benchmarks software are SKaMPI, Pallas MPI Benchmark, MPBench, Mpptest and MPIBench. It is interesting to analyze the differences between different benchmark. Presently, there have been few comparisons done between the different benchmarks. Thus, in this paper we discuss a comparison of the techniques used and the functionality of each benchmark, and also a comparison of the results on a distributed memory machine and shared memory machine for point-to-point communication. All of the MPI benchmarks listed above will be compared in this analysis. It is expected that the results from different benchmarks should be similar, however this analysis found substantial differences in the results for certain MPI communications, particularly for shared memory machines.
The Role of Knowledge Management Strategies and Task Knowledge in Stimulating Service Innovation
Authors: Storey Chris , Kahn Kenneth B.
Published: June 2010

Are service firms that enact strategies to manage their new service development (NSD) knowledge able to generate a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA)? Based on analysis of data from a large survey of service companies, the answer is yes. The authors find that companies employing the knowledge management strategies of codification and personalization reflect higher levels of NSD knowledge. However, the two strategies vary in their individual performance outcomes, with codification promoting NSD proficiency (an ability to execute NSD activities) and personalization promoting greater NSD innovativeness (market perception of the company as novel and as an innovator). When used together, the two strategies magnify NSD knowledge, which when combined with NSD proficiency and NSD innovativeness, promote an SCA. Therefore, companies planning to invest in a knowledge management system should heed the outcomes desired from their NSD process. A system based on documentation exemplifies a codification strategy and will drive NSD proficiency; a system emphasizing interpersonal communication exemplifies a personalization strategy and will drive NSD innovativeness. A system that blends the two strategies appears the most advantageous for service companies’ NSD efforts aiming to build a long-term sustainable competitive advantage.
Sex, Postfeminist Popular Culture and the Pre-Teen Girl
Authors: Jackson Sue , Westrupp Elizabeth
Published: June 2010

In recent years, the proliferation of sexual content in popular culture accessed by pre-teen girls has drawn widespread debate and concern. Largely absent from the discussion thus far have been the perspectives of girls themselves. Cognisant of the knowledge gap, in this article we investigate pre-teen girls’ accounts of sexual content in a widely used popular culture form: a girls’ magazine. Their accounts are viewed through the lens of recent theorization of postfeminist sexuality discourse in popular culture. Our analyses of girls’ (11—14) focus group discussions identified the Australasian magazine Girlfriend as a postfeminist sexuality resource about diverse sexual practices, boys and safe sex. Girls variously located themselves within its postfeminist sexuality discourses as sexually sophisticated and knowledgeable and on occasion outside of it as sceptical critics. We suggest that while postfeminist popular culture may open up possibilities to be sexually savvy girls, the ‘price’ may be intensification of (hetero)sexual self-surveillance and responsibility.
Nuns, Dykes, Drugs and Gendered Bodies: An Autoethnography of a Lesbian Feminist’s Journey Through ‘Good Time’ Sociology
Authors: Ettorre Elizabeth
Published: June 2010

This article provides an autoethnographic account of my personal journey through ‘good time’ sociology. Telling my story involves recounting my experience as a Catholic nun and closeted lesbian in 1970s’ USA; providing a picture of what it was like to do the first PhD on lesbians in the UK; explaining the impact of drugs and alcohol research on my lesbian feminist sociological imagination and reflecting upon the place of ‘deviant bodies’ in the new genetics and generally in society. My stories are framed by the backdrop of being a lesbian feminist sociologist in academia and informed by a small yet, emerging body of work by LGBT scholars who use autoethnography. Autoethnography is introduced as a methodological tool for speaking and writing reflexively about being out in academia. I demonstrate that telling one’s story can become a gift — ‘a telling creating conversations that transcends our traumas’ and a way of healing ourselves and others.
The Construction, Maintenance, and Evolution of Gay SM Sexualities and Sexual Identities: A Preliminary Description of Gay SM Sexual Identity Practices
Authors: Chaline E.R.
Published: June 2010

Taking as its starting point the social construction of sexualities, this article examines the means through which men construct and perform a group of sexualities and sexual identities, referred to collectively here as gay SM. Following the presentation of the findings of a socio-historical study of gay SM in the UK from the 1950s to the present, this article gives a preliminary description of gay SM ‘sexual identity practices’ that are the mechanism that allows men not only to construct and perform their sexualities and sexual identities but also to change and discard them. The article concludes with recommendations for future research.
Remembering Foucault: Queer Theory and Disciplinary Power
Authors: Green Adam Isaiah
Published: June 2010

Popular post-structural approaches to gender and sexuality take it as axiomatic that disciplinary power constitutes subjectivities, if imperfectly, in an insidious process of domination and social control. While rejecting a project of liberation grounded in the simplistic premise of freedom from power, these formulations nevertheless propose an implicit emancipatory project anchored in the notion that identity discourse is a problem to overcome. In this article I use the sexual and gendered self in the sociological literature as a vehicle to explore more carefully the problem of disciplinary power. My discussion takes two directions. First, I argue that taxonomic discourse may, in some instances, expand upon subjectivities, opening up and empowering, rather than narrowing and setting in stone, the possibilities of self. And second, I argue that late modernity provides the conditions under which some individuals gain reflexive distance from their subject positions to a degree perhaps unparalleled in history. In this context and for these individuals, the multiplicity of available discourses and their often contradictory content come to resemble more a menu of sensitizing options than a regime of social control. Ultimately, I argue that these two observations are not anathema to Foucault’s own research but, are in fact, suggested in his thesis wherein discourse was theorized to establish the limits of self and, under certain conditions, new pathways for self-development. I argue that this more complex conception of disciplinary power is not only more effective in capturing the effects of power but also has the potential to open up important lines of inquiry regarding the sociohistorical conditions that mediate power and its effects.
Social disparities in musculoskeletal disorders and associated mental malaise: Findings from a population-based survey in France
Authors: Khlat Myriam , Chau Nearkasen ,   The Lorhandicap Group
Published: June 2010

Aims: Various types of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have comorbid mental disorders, which may in turn have a negative influence on disease course and role impairment, but the contribution of social factors to this type of comorbidity is a much under-researched area. This study investigates whether there is a socially patterned association of MSDs with different dimensions of mental malaise. Methods: The sample included 3,368 economically active participants aged 18—64 years, randomly selected from the Lorraine region in north-eastern France. Information was provided through a post-mailed questionnaire on fatigue, sadness/depression (Duke questionnaire) and cognitive disability during the last eight days. Results: MSDs were significantly more prevalent in manual workers, clerks and other occupations than in upper and intermediate professionals, and similar occupational disparities were found for cognitive disability, fatigue and sadness/ depression. Stratifying the sample, we found the occupational disparities in cognitive disability to be much stronger among participants suffering from MSDs than among participants not suffering from MSDs, and the occupational disparities in fatigue and sadness/depression to be limited to the subsample of subjects suffering from MSDs. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that the association of MSDs with mental malaise is much stronger in the lower occupational groups than in the higher groups. Given that psychological factors are implicated in disease prognosis and in the development of disabilities, awareness of the social dimension of the association and treatment of the comorbid mental disorders could open a promising avenue for reducing social inequalities in disability related to MSDs.
Compensating for non-response in a study estimating the incidence of mental disorders in long-term sickness absence by a two-phased design
Authors: Søgaard Hans Jørgen , Bech Per
Published: June 2010

Aims: The study compensates for the non-response that was observed in a previous study that estimated the frequencies of mental disorders in long-term sickness absence (LSA) (more than eight weeks of continuous sickness absence). In this study, the frequency of any mental disorder was estimated at 48% by a two-phase design and weighted logistic regression. The total non-response rate was 53.6%. This motivated the present study to compensate for non-response by applying adjustment of the weights and by multiple imputation of missing data in the estimation of the frequencies of mental disorders. Methods: The study took place in a Danish population of 120,000 inhabitants. During one year, all 2,414 incident individuals on LSA were identified. By a two-phase design 1,121 individuals were screened in Phase 1. In Phase 2, which was a subsample of Phase 1, 337 individuals participated in a psychiatric diagnostic examination applying Present State Examination as gold standard. The weighted analyses were based on scores of the screening instrument SCL-8AD compiled of SCL-8, SCL-ANX4, and SCL-DEP6 from the Common Mental Disorders Screening Questionnaire. In the present study, the variables sex, age, municipality, and social transfer income variables were used for the adjustment of weights in weighted analyses and in the imputation models. Results: The frequencies were: any mental disorder 46%—49%, depression 31%—36%, anxiety 13%—15%, and somatoform disorder 8%—9%. Conclusions: Irrespective of whether compensation for non-response was applied, the frequencies of mental disorders were similar. The variables used for the compensation were of problematic value.
The Danish Youth Cohort: Characteristics of participants and non-participants and determinants of attrition
Authors: Vinther-Larsen Mathilde , Riegels Mette , Rod Morten Hulvej , Schiøtz Michaela , Curtis Tine , Grønbæk Morten
Published: June 2010

Aims: The aim of this paper is to describe the design and methods used in the Danish Youth Cohort and to give a description of the study participants with special attention to a comparison between participants and non-participants regarding sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: A total of 1,945 schools were invited, out of which 506 participated. The participating 7th grades comprised a total of 12,498 responding adolescents. The response rate for the Danish Youth Cohort established in 2005 was 63%. The sample of 12,498 adolescents represents 18.2% of all pupils (n = 68,764) in the 7th grade (mean age: 13.4 years) in Danish schools in 2005. The cohort was followed up in spring 2006 and spring 2007, where the adolescents were in the 8th (mean age: 14.4 years) and 9th (mean age: 15.3 years) grades, respectively. Results: We found that compared with non-participants the participants were significantly more likely to be girls, to be of Danish ethnicity, and to live in one-family houses. Furthermore, participants more often came from families with two or three children, were more likely to have parents with a high occupational status, parents who were married and parents with a higher total income. Loss to follow-up was only associated with adolescents’ higher probability of drinking and use of tobacco, and none of the other factors were associated with attrition. Conclusions: The participants in the Danish Youth Cohort represent a great variety of different groups of socio-demographic factors, although they differ from non-participants as regards a range of socio-demographic factors. This should be taken into account in future analyses.
Finite element modeling of a vibrating beam with a breathing crack: observations on crack detection
Authors: Bouboulas AS , Anifantis NK
Published: June 2010

This article develops a finite element model in order to study the vibrational behavior of a beam with a nonpropagating edge crack. According to this model, the beam is discretized into finite elements while the breathing crack behavior is treated as a full frictional contact problem between the crack surfaces. The nonlinear dynamic equations of this model are solved using an incremental iterative procedure. The derived response is analyzed using either Fourier or wavelet transforms in order to determine the breathing crack effects. This study is applied to a cantilever beam subjected to dynamic loadings. Parametric studies are conducted to investigate the sensitivity of vibrational behavior to the crack angle, depth, and position. The accuracy of the results is validated through comparisons with results available from the literature.
A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Psychological Distress Among Individuals Living With HIV in Atlanta, Georgia, and Eldoret, Kenya
Authors: Shacham Enbal , Reece Michael , Ong'or Willis Owino , Omollo Otieno , Basta Tania B.
Published: June 2010

Elevated psychological distress during HIV infection has been consistently correlated with negative HIV-related health outcomes in studies conducted in various regions of the world. This study was conducted to compare the nature and range of psychological distress among HIV-infected individuals who had sought mental health care as part of their HIV care in Kenya and the United States. The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) was completed by 234 individuals with HIV in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and 284 in Eldoret, Kenya. The US-based sample expressed markedly higher levels of psychological distress symptoms on the anxiety, depression, interpersonal sensitivity, obsessive-compulsive, and psychoticism dimensions, as well as the overall global severity index. Substantial proportions of both the US and Kenya cohorts expressed higher levels of somatization and paranoid ideation that suggested further psychological evaluation. This study revealed psychological distress expression varied drastically among individuals who self-enrolled into HIV-related mental health care within two different care infrastructures.
Prevalence and Management of Intestinal Helminthiasis Among HIV-Infected Patients at Muhimbili National Hospital
Authors: Mwambete Kennedy D. , Justin-Temu Mary , Peter Sharon
Published: June 2010

Objective: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital (Tanzania) to determine prevalence of helminthiasis among in-patients with HIV/AIDS. Methodology: After signing an informed consent form, participants answered a sociodemographic and risk factor questionnaire. Fecal specimens from patients with HIV-infected and uninfected patients were screened for intestinal helminthiasis (IHLs) using coprological methods. Results: A total of 146 patients were recruited, of those 66 were HIV-negative while 80 were HIV-negative patients. Thirty-five patients (12 HIV/AIDS and 23 non-HIV/AIDS) had helminthic infections. Hookworms were the most frequently detected helminths among patients living with HIV/AIDS (13.6%) and HIV-negative patients (17.5%), followed by schistosomiasis (9%) detected among HIV-negative individuals only. Conclusion: Prevalence of helminthiases (HLs) was observed to be relatively lower among HIV-infected than uninfected patients, which is ascribable to prophylactic measures adopted for patients with HIV/AIDS. Thus, it is recommended that routine screening for HLs and prophylactic measures should be adopted for the improvement of patients’ health status.
Role of CD4 Count in Immunity Development After Hepatitis A and B Vaccination Among HIV-Infected Patients: Kentucky, 2002-2007
Authors: Armstrong Kia E. , Bush Heather M. , Collins Jana D. , Feola Dave J. , Caldwell Glyn C. , Thornton Alice C.
Published: June 2010

Purpose: To determine whether lower prevaccination CD4 counts decrease odds of immune development against hepatitis A virus/hepatitis B virus (HAV/HBV) among patients who receive the vaccine and examine the relationship between vaccine response and sex, race/ethnicity, health insurance status, tobacco use, substance abuse, or comorbidities. Methods: This study was performed among patients who received the standard dose for HAV and/or HBV vaccine. Results: Among 76 HIV-infected patients, immunity development to HAV or HBV increased as CD4 counts increased. In addition, males had greater vaccine response than females. Whites were observed to have higher rates of immunity than other races/ethnicities. Patients with private insurance had greater vaccine response than those with Medicaid, Medicare, or no insurance. Patients not experiencing hypertension and hyperlipidemia developed immunity more often than patients with these comorbidities. Substance abuse and tobacco use were also associated with lower vaccine response. Conclusions: Higher CD4 counts improved likelihood of patients developing an antibody response after vaccination.
Factors Influencing Adherence to Antiretroviral Medication in Ilorin, Nigeria
Authors: Alakija Kazeem Salami  , Fadeyi Abayomi , Ogunmodede James A , Desalu Olufemi
Published: June 2010

Background: Good adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is required for viral suppression and prevention of drug resistance. Patients’ adherence to HAART has not been determined since the commencement of HAART at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Nigeria, over 5 years ago. Objectives: To determine the adherence level of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to HAART and identify associated factors. Methodology: A semistructured questionnaire was administered to PLWHA, who were accessing treatment. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, HIV medical, and drug history were obtained from them. Adherence was self-reported. Good adherence was taking of 95% of the prescribed doses of HAART over the preceding 30 days before consultation. Results: Study participants were 253; majority, 58.5%, were females. About 70.8% of them had good adherence. Older age and male sex correlated better with adherence. Conclusion: People living with HIV/AIDS were quite adherent to HAART. Male sex and older age were positive predictors of adherence. Adherence among the young age and females needs strengthening.
A Longitudinal Examination of the Relationship Between Team Leadership and Performance
Authors: Gupta Vishal K. , Huang Rui , Niranjan Suman
Published: June 2010

The use of teams is ubiquitous and appears to be increasing in contemporary organizations. Teams allow individuals to work together and integrate their diverse knowledge and skills to deal with strategic and operational challenges confronting their organizations. In present study, the authors seek to advance scholarly knowledge on team leadership. They adopt a dynamic approach by collecting longitudinal data from teams competing in a simulated athletic footwear industry. In doing so, they examine the impact of team leadership on performance, as well as the impact of performance on subsequent team leadership, and they examine the mediating role of cohesion and conflict in the relationship between team leadership and performance. They use partial least squares to analyze the data. Finally, they discuss research and practical implications and highlight future research directions.
Subtalar Arthroscopy Using a 2.4-mm Zero-Degree Arthroscope
Authors: Siddiqui Mashfiqul A. , Keen Wai Chong  , Yeo William , Rao Mohana S. , Rikhraj Inderjeet S.
Published: June 2010

The subtalar joint is complex. With the advent of smaller diameter arthroscopes, subtalar arthroscopy has become an important diagnostic and therapeutic tool for subtalar joint disorders. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients who underwent arthroscopy for subtalar joint disorders using a 2.4-mm zero-degree arthroscope. In this prospective study, 6 patients who underwent subtalar arthroscopy from September 2008 to January 2009 in the authors’ institution were included. The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) hindfoot scores were recorded preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Mean ± SD age was 45.5 ± 16.2 years (range, 27.5-63.2). Postoperative diagnosis included arthrofibrosis, osteoarthritis, and osteochondral disease of the subtalar joint. Mean ± SD AOFAS scores improved from 49.67 ± 18.83 (range, 22-76) to 67.33 ± 14.92 (range, 53-91) at 3 months (P = .03) and 75 ± 19.74 (range, 54-100) at 6 months (P = .004). Subtalar arthroscopy using the 2.4-mm zero-degree arthroscope shows promising results in the diagnosis and treatment of subtalar pathologies. Patients have a significant improvement in their AOFAS hindfoot scores as early as 3 months and continue to improve subsequently. Usage of the zero-degree arthroscope allows the “instrumentation hand” to maneuver more easily in space and perform the operative procedure without getting in the way of the “camera hand.” It can also save on inventory costs for centers that already have the zero-degree arthroscope. The role of specialized imaging is still unclear. Diagnosis of sinus tarsi syndrome should be historical with direct visualization of the joint revealing exact etiology.
The crystal structure of Mg end-member lizardite-1T forming polyhedral spheres from the Lizard, Cornwall
Authors: Mellini M. , Cressey G. , Wicks F. J. , Cressey B. A.
Published: June 2010

The crystal structure of lizardite-1T from Gew-graze, Cornwall, has been refined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction to R1 of 0.0263 and 0.0557, for two crystals having P31m space group and lattice parameters a = 5.2905(5) Å, c = 7.2815(8) Å, and a = 5.3111(10) Å, c = 7.2907(15) Å, respectively. The Gew-graze lizardite is very close to the end-member composition, so these refinements confirm the existence of well crystallized pure Mg-lizardite and show this to be the most weakly H-bonded lizardite ever refined. With regard to its lattice parameters, Si–O bond distances and geometrical parameters controlled by interlayer interactions (i.e. H-bonding), the Gew-graze Mg end-member lizardite yields slight but observable geometrical differences compared with previous refined structures for specifically, aluminous, lizardites.