bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anatomic and histological study of the rabbit mandible as an experimental model for wound healing and surgical therapies
Authors: Campillo V-E , Langonnet S , Pierrefeu A , Chaux-Bodard A-G
Published: June 2014

The rabbit is one of the most widely used models for studying bone remodeling or dental implant osseointegration but very few data are available about the rabbit’s mandible. The aim of this work was to describe the anatomy of the rabbit mandible and to estimate the available bone volume for experimental studies. First, with a dissection, the morphology of the mandible was described and the mental foramen, the position of the main salivary glands and muscular insertions were located. Then, by X-ray imaging, the position of the inferior alveolar canal, the dental root courses and volume and bone density were described. Finally, with frontal sections of the mandible body, the rabbit’s dental and alveolar bone histological structure were assessed. Thus, the relevance of the rabbit mandible as an experimental model for wound healing or surgical therapies was discussed.
Preparation of quaternary ammonium salt of chitosan nanoparticles and their textile properties on Antheraea pernyi silk modification
Authors: Lu Yanhua , Cheng Dehong , Lu Sheng , Huang Fengyuan , Li Gang
Published: June 2014

A novel eco-friendly finishing agent of quaternary chitosan nanoparticles was prepared in two steps from a chitosan with low molecular weight. The water-soluble quaternary ammonium salt of chitosan, N-[(2-hydroxy-3-trimethylammonium)propyl] chitosan chloride (HTCC), was first synthesized in heterogeneous system by quaternization, and then HTCC was further prepared to nanoparticles via ionotropic gelation reaction in the presence of 1, 2, 3, 4-butane tetracarboxylic acid and sodium hypophosphite. The size distribution and morphology of the HTCC particles were characterized using a laser particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscope (TEM). When Antheraea pernyi ( A. pernyi) silk fabric was treated with HTCC nanoparticles by using a conventional dip-pad-dry-cure process, the modified A. pernyi silk fabric demonstrated durable wrinkle-resistant property, shrinkage-resistant property and antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, even after being exposed to 50 consecutive home-laundering conditions. However, the modification of A. pernyi silk fabric caused breaking strength loss, breaking elongation reduction and initial modulus rise to some extent.
Optimization of fast-fashion apparel transshipment among retailers
Authors: Hu Zhi-Hua , Yu Xiao-Kun
Published: June 2014

This paper studies the fast-fashion apparel transshipment problem (FATP) among allied retailers. The FATP belongs to the category of practical many–to–many transportation models and has distinct features: the flow out of and the flow into a retailer are restricted by the estimated sales volume in the next time period, the shortage of stock and excess stock for fast-fashion apparel sales all yield penalty costs and the alliance aims to maximize the profit for the retailers as a whole. Therefore, developing an optimal transshipment solution method is important for the alliance. This paper devises mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) models for the FATP. The stock levels, the estimated distribution of sales for the next decision period, the unit penalty costs for a shortage of stock or excess stock and the unit cost of transshipment are parameters that control the flows among retailers. A decision-support system (DSS) was designed based on the model for transshipment management. Experiments were performed to demonstrate the transshipment solutions and reveal the effects of parameters on the solutions for a real-world case. Some tuning methods are designed to assist the decisions of the retailer alliance. The FATP is addressed for fast-fashion apparel sales in the context of an alliance for alleviating the risk of dead stock; the FATP is also a new transportation problem with uncertain supply and demand. The proposed method is a theoretical basis for designing a practical DSS for allied fast-fashion apparel retailers.
Metrological performance of the digital image analysis method applied for investigation of textile deformation
Authors: Meškuotienė Asta , Dargienė Jovita , Domskienė Jurgita
Published: June 2014

In order to predict the behavior and properties of flexible textile materials, standard investigation methods are not always sufficient. A more detailed study is performed and additional results are obtained when the digital image analysis technique is adjusted to the standard test method. In this article, the digital image analysis method for the measurement of local deformations during uniaxial textile tension is presented and the measurement errors and reliability of the method are discussed. The mathematical model of the length change Δ lɛ measurement was estimated and the uncertainty sources were identified. The maximum values of combined standard uncertainty was estimated to be equal to 0.13 mm and the expanded uncertainty U( x) for deformation variations was equal to 0.26 mm. Experiments and obtained quantitative and qualitative parameters of the method are adequate and satisfy the requirements of accuracy applied to material science. Therefore, the proposed uncertainty evaluation can be used as a tool in decision making under the application of the image analysis method for the investigation of deformed textile materials.
Working with diversity: A geographical analysis of ethno-racial discrimination in Toronto
Authors: Ray Brian , Preston Valerie
Published: June 2014

Work is an important location for examining the heterogeneity of contemporary urban societies that are being transformed by migration, aging, and economic restructuring. At work locations, people from different ethnic and racial groups often encounter one another, regardless of whether they live in close proximity. Work is also a frequent site of discrimination, particularly for racial minorities. This study evaluates ethno-racial heterogeneity by documenting the spatial patterns of workplace location for ethno-racial groups in Toronto. We also compare and contrast the degree to which racial minorities experience discrimination at work. Based on our findings that underline a strong association between discrimination, racial minority status, and ethno-cultural group identification, we argue that it is important to examine critically the ways in which discrimination persists in racially and ethnically diverse work locations.
Learning from Las Vegas: Unions and post-industrial urbanisation
Authors: Gray Mia , DeFilippis James
Published: June 2014

Las Vegas is often portrayed as the apogee of postmodern urbanism, but we argue that you cannot understand Las Vegas without understanding the role of unions in the City’s political economy. By focusing on the social relations surrounding workplace, class, and gender we highlight alternative versions of Las Vegas’ history. The Culinary Union, a UNITE HERE local, has introduced new institutional forms and played an active role in the local growth coalition. They have set standards around work intensity, training, and job ladders. Highlighting the ability of the union to affect these issues contributes to a counter-narrative about the City which stresses the agency of labour to actively produce Las Vegas’ cultural and economic landscapes. The postmodern narrative about Las Vegas hides these important lessons. Learning from Las Vegas can transform issues of signs and symbolism to issues of union organising and institutional structures in the post-industrial economy.
Understanding continuity in sustainable transport planning in Curitiba
Authors: Mercier Jean , Duarte Fabio , Domingue Julien , Carrier Mario
Published: June 2014

The Brazilian city of Curitiba has long been recognised as an exemplary success in urban planning, particularly its sustainable urban transport, with modal splits strongly favouring public transit. Its success was achieved principally through rigorous and detailed planning, beginning in the 1970s, using policy tools that have been described, and sometimes criticised, as technocratic. After 40 years of a quite successful experience in transport planning and implementation, Curitiba, like many world cities, faces new challenges, particularly in the form of metropolitanisation and increased aspirations for citizen participation. In this paper we investigate which policy tools are being used to face these emerging challenges in Curitiba, whether they are the same as those used in the past and which led the city to be a recognised urban transport success case, or different, more flexible and participative tools presumed to be more in tune with the emerging context of metropolitanisation and increased demands for participation. The answer, coming from interviews within Curitiba transport representatives, current literature review and limited comparisons with other successful transport cities of the Americas, suggests a continuation of Curitiba’s proactive format, one which has led to its past successes, with some modest overtures to more interactive and participatory policy tools.
Suburban ways of living and the geography of income: How homeownership, single-family dwellings and automobile use define the metropolitan social space
Authors: Moos Markus , Mendez Pablo
Published: June 2014

Current research depicts suburbs as becoming more heterogeneous in terms of socio-economic status. Providing a novel analysis, this paper engages with that research by operationalising suburban ways of living (homeownership, single-family dwelling occupancy and automobile use) and relating them to the geography of income across 26 Canadian metropolitan areas. We find that suburban ways of living exist in new areas and remain associated with higher incomes even as older suburbs, as places, have become more diverse. In the largest cities the relationship between income and suburban ways of living is weaker due to the growth of condominiums in downtowns that allow higher income earners to live urban lifestyles. Homeownership is overwhelmingly more important than other variables in explaining the geography of income across 26 metropolitan areas.
The HARint Space: A methodology for compliant elevator traffic designs
Authors: Al-Sharif Lutfi , Abdel Aal Osama F , Abu Alqumsan Ahmad M , Abuzayyad Mohammad A
Published: June 2014

A previous paper introduced the concept of the HARint plane, which is a tool to visualise the optimality of an elevator design. This paper extends the concept of the HARint plane to the HARint Space where the complete set of user requirements is used to implement a compliant elevator traffic design. In the HARint Space, the full set of user requirements are considered: the passenger arrival rate ( AR%), the target interval ( inttar), the target average travelling time ( ATT) and the target average waiting time ( AWT). The HARint Space provides an automated methodology in the form of a set of well-defined steps that allow the designer to convert these four user requirements into a compliant elevator traffic design. As with the HARint plane method, the target interval is used in combination with the expected arrival rate ( AR%) and the building population, U, in order to find an initial assessment of the number of passengers expected to board the elevator. The target average travelling time is then used to select a suitable elevator speed. This is then used to calculate the round trip time and then select the optimum number of elevators. An iteration is then carried out to find the actual number of passengers, and hence the elevator capacity. A check is then carried out to ensure that the target average waiting time has been met, and if not, then a modification of the design is required (usually by increasing the speed or increasing the number of elevators). While the HARint plane provides the optimum number of elevator cars to achieve the two user requirements, the HARint Space provides the optimum rated speed as well as the optimum number of elevators to meet the four user requirements of arrival rate, target interval, target average waiting time and target average travelling time. An obvious consequence of the introduction of the average travelling time as a user requirement is that the speed becomes an outcome of the HARint Space. The method also triggers a zoning recommendation in cases where the average travelling time cannot be met by varying the speed within reasonable limits.

Practical application: The work in this paper presents a methodical procedure allowing the designer to select the number, speed and capacity of a group of elevators in a building in order to meet four user requirements: Arrival rate, target interval, target passenger waiting time and target passenger travelling time. Following this procedure ensures an optimal design. It also provides the user with a graphical method for visualising the optimality of the design.
Representation without co-determination? Participation and co-determination for semi-professional shop stewards in the collective participation system in Denmark
Authors: Caraker Emmett , Jørgensen Henning , Madsen Mogens O , Baadsgaard Kelvin
Published: June 2014

This article examines co-determination in the collective participation system in Denmark among semi-professional shop stewards and health and safety representatives in the private and the public sector. Union strategies for democratization of working life and economic democracy are no longer progressing as in the 1970s, and co-determination seems to be on the defensive, challenged by new forms of employer strategies, New Public Management principles and the neoliberal strategy for individualization. These developments call for a reappraisal of the capability of the system to secure influence and participation in decision-making. The main findings, based on comprehensive empirical investigations, are three-fold. First, a connection between new employer strategies and the level of influence and co-determination is recorded. Generally, the representatives find it harder to maintain co-determination in a change-intensive workplace context especially with regard to tactical and strategic decisions. Second, visions for democratization exist among the majority of the representatives, who wish to strengthen co-determination institutionally and at the strategic level. The obstacles call for new institutional rights of co-determination in the central cooperation agreement. Third, a broader upgrade of analytical skills is required to develop abilities to analyse and anticipate developments, to decode management strategies and see opportunities of change in the institution – a sort of politico-sociological imagination to make it possible to grasp the surrounding world’s signals as well as the opportunities to approach agenda-setting more proactively.
A Feasibility Study to Develop a Diabetes Prevention Program for Young Adults With Prediabetes by Using Digital Platforms and a Handheld Device
Authors: Cha EunSeok , Kim Kevin H. , Umpierrez Guillermo , Dawkins Colleen R. , Bello Morenike K. , Lerner Hannah M. , Narayan K.M. Venkat , Dunbar Sandra B.
Published: June 2014

Purpose

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an age-specific diabetes prevention program in young adults with prediabetes.

Methods

A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. The inclusion criteria were age 18 to 29 years and the presence of prediabetes (either impaired fasting glucose of 100-125 mg/dL [5.55-6.94 mmol/L] or A1C of 5.7%-6.4%). Fifteen participants were enrolled in the study. A technology-based lifestyle coaching program focused on diet and physical activity and incorporating a handheld device and digital platforms was developed and tested. Psychosocial factors (health literacy, illness perception, self-efficacy, therapeutic efficacy) based on social cognitive theory, changes in diet and physical activity, and cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed at baseline and week 12 after the intervention. A paired-samples t test was performed to examine changes between baseline and postintervention on each psychosocial and physical variable.

Results

Participants’ (n = 13 completers) mean age was 24.4 ± 2.2 years, 23.1% were male, and 53.8% were African American. Overall, the participants were satisfied with the intervention (mean score, 4.15 on a 5-point, Likert-type scale). Between pre- and posttesting, mean body mass index and mean A1C decreased from 41.0 ± 7.3 kg/m2 and 6.0 ± 0.5% to 40.1 ± 7.0 kg/m2 and 5.6 ± 0.5%, respectively, whereas mean fasting glucose did not significantly change (from 92.6 ± 11 to 97.6 ± 14.3 mg/dL [5.14 ± 0.61 to 5.42 ± 0.79 mmol/L]).

Conclusions

The intervention resulted in reduced A1C and a trend toward decreased body mass index in obese sedentary young adults with prediabetes after 12 weeks. Further study through a randomized clinical trial with a longer intervention period is warranted.
Feeling (Mis)Understood and Intergroup Friendships in Interracial Interactions
Authors: Shelton Nicole , Douglass Sara , Garcia Randi L. , Yip Tiffany , Trail Thomas E.
Published: June 2014

The present research investigated whether having out-group friends serves as a buffer for feeling misunderstood in interracial interactions. Across three experience sampling studies, we found that among ethnic minorities who have few White friends or are not interacting with White friends, daily interracial interactions are associated with feeling less understood. By contrast, we found that among ethnic minorities who have more White friends or are interacting with White friends, the relationship between daily interracial interactions and feeling understood is not significant. We did not find similar results for Whites; that is, having ethnic minority friends did not play a role in the relationship between daily interracial interactions and feeling understood. Together, these studies demonstrate the beneficial effects of intergroup friendships for ethnic minorities.
The Politics of Real-time: A Device Perspective on Social Media Platforms and Search Engines
Authors: Weltevrede Esther , Helmond Anne , Gerlitz Carolin
Published: June 2014

This paper enquires into the politics of real-time in online media. It suggests that real-time cannot be accounted for as a universal temporal frame in which events happen, but explores the making of real-time from a device perspective focusing on the temporalities of platforms. Based on an empirical study exploring the pace at which various online media produce new content, we trace the different rhythms, patterns or tempos created by the interplay of devices, users’ web activities and issues. What emerges are distinct forms of ‘realtimeness’ which are not external from but specific to devices, organized through socio-technical arrangements and practices of use. Realtimeness thus unflattens more general accounts of the real-time web and research, and draws attention to the agencies built into specific platform temporalities and the political economies of making real-time.
Outcomes and predictors in preschoolers with speech-language and/or developmental mobility impairments
Authors: Washington Karla N , Thomas-Stonell Nancy , McLeod Sharynne , Warr-Leeper Genese
Published: June 2014

The purpose of this article is to describe communicative-participation outcomes measured by the Focus on the Outcomes of Communication Under Six (FOCUS©; Thomas-Stonell et al., 2013) for interventions provided by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in different community settings for preschoolers with speech-language impairments (Sp/LI) with and without developmental mobility impairments (MI). The predictive relationships between communicative-participation and (1) functioning-and-disability, and (2) contextual factors, was also investigated. Sixty-one preschoolers with Sp/LI and their parents participated. Twenty-six preschoolers were identified with Sp/LI and received speech-language interventions (Group 1), 20 preschoolers were identified with Sp/LI and MI and received speech-language interventions (Group 2), and 15 preschoolers with Sp/LI awaiting intervention served as waitlist controls (Group 3). Parents completed structured interviews about children’s communicative-participation outcomes using the FOCUS© at three time points (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention) with an SLP. Only Groups 1 and 2 experienced statistically and clinically meaningful communicative-participation outcomes over time as measured by the FOCUS©. Pre- to post-intervention communicative-participation was predicted by functioning-and-disability and contextual factors, initial social skills and intervention status, respectively. Post-intervention to 3-month post-intervention scores were also predicted by functioning-and-disability and contextual factors, risk status (Sp/LI only, Sp/LI+developmental MI) and intervention status, respectively. Significant and clinically meaningful changes in communicative-participation over time are associated with speech-language interventions for preschoolers with Sp/LI.
Effectiveness of the palliative care ‘Availability, Current issues and Anticipation’ (ACA) communication training programme for general practitioners on patient outcomes: A controlled trial
Authors: Slort Willemjan , Blankenstein Annette H , Schweitzer Bart PM , Knol Dirk L , van der Horst Henriëtte E , Aaronson Neil K , Deliens Luc
Published: June 2014

Background:

Although communicating effectively with patients receiving palliative care can be difficult, it may contribute to maintaining or enhancing patients’ quality of life. Little is known about the effect of training general practitioners in palliative care–specific communication. We hypothesized that palliative care patients of general practitioners exposed to the ‘Availability, Current issues and Anticipation’ communication training programme would report better outcomes than patients of control general practitioners.

Aim:

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Availability, Current issues and Anticipation training programme for general practitioners on patient-reported outcomes.

Design:

In a controlled trial, general practitioners followed the Availability, Current issues and Anticipation programme or were part of the control group. Patients receiving palliative care of participating general practitioners completed the Palliative Care Outcome Scale, the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative, the Rest & Peace Scale, the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire–III and the Availability, Current issues and Anticipation Scale, at baseline and 12 months follow-up. We analysed differences between groups using linear mixed models. Trial registration: ISRCTN56722368.

Setting/participants:

General practitioners who attended a 2-year Palliative Care Training Course in the Netherlands.

Results:

Questionnaire data were available for 145 patients (89 in intervention and 56 in control group). We found no significant differences over time between the intervention and control groups in any of the five outcome measures. Ceiling effects were observed for the Rest & Peace Scale, Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire–III and Availability, Current issues and Anticipation Scale.

Conclusion:

General practitioner participation in the Availability, Current issues and Anticipation training programme did not have a measurable effect on any of the outcomes investigated. Patients reported high levels of satisfaction with general practitioner care, regardless of group assignment. Future research might focus on general practitioners without special interest in palliative care.
Radiologist-performed hand-held ultrasound screening at average risk of breast cancer: results from a single health screening center
Authors: Chang Jung Min , Koo Hye Ryoung , Moon Woo Kyung
Published: June 2014

Background

Ultrasound (US) screening is not currently recommended as a routine screening modality in the general population of average risk. The cancer detection yield and positive predictive value in an average risk general population who undergo breast screening by experienced radiologists is unclear.

Purpose

To determine the performance of screening breast US in women at an average risk for breast cancer undergoing breast screening by experienced radiologists.

Material and Methods

This study received institutional review board approval, and informed consent was waived. A retrospective review of our database revealed 1526 women who underwent prevalence screening US at a single health screening center and had negative findings on digital mammography (MG). The Breast Imaging and Reporting Data System (BI-RADS) final assessments of the breast US were analyzed retrospectively, with the reference standard defined as a combination of pathology and a 12-month follow-up. The cancer detection rate and positive predictive value (PPV2) of the biopsies were calculated according to breast density.

Results

The average time to perform a screening US examination was 15–20 min. Of 1526 women, 1095 (71.8%) were classified as BI-RADS category 1 or 2; 340 (22.3%) were classified as category 3; and 91 (6.0%) were classified as category 4. Five malignant lesions were found in women with dense breasts. The overall cancer detection rate was 3.3, and the cancer detection rate for dense breasts was 5.1 per 1000 screens (4.1 per 1000 screens [heterogeneously dense breast], 7.7 per 1000 screens [extremely dense breast]). The PPV2 for biopsies was 5.3%.

Conclusion

The radiologist-performed screening US offered to women with an average risk and dense breasts can detect additional mammographically occult breast cancers. In screening US, a relatively high rate of BI-RADS category 3 and 4 lesions was observed.
Lung transthoracic ultrasound elastography imaging and guided biopsies of subpleural cancer: a preliminary report
Authors: Sperandeo Marco , Trovato Francesca M , Dimitri Lucia , Catalano Daniela , Simeone Anna , Martines Giuseppe Fabio , Piscitelli Angela Pamela , Trovato Guglielmo M
Published: June 2014

Background

Despite the usefulness of elastography in assessing the stiffness/elasticity of tissues, and its proven diagnostic accuracy in thyroid, breast, and prostate cancers, among others, it is not yet applied in transthoracic ultrasound (TUS) scans to investigate lung nodules.

Purpose

To investigate the potential clinical utility of TUS elastography in diagnosing lung cancer proven by fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB).

Material and Methods

TUS elastography was performed in 95 consecutive patients (71 men, 24 women; age, 62.84 ± 7.37 years) with lesions suspected of involving the chest wall or the pleura detected on chest X-ray or computed tomography (CT). Patients with pleural effusions were not enrolled, but were further evaluated by pleural fluid cytology. Patients were excluded from the study if a diagnosis had already been made based on sputum cytology and/or bronchoscopic histology (making TUS biopsy unnecessary) or if their lung lesions could not be visualized under standard US. Under FNAB, 34 consolidations were ascribed to pneumonia and 65 to cancer. Under TUS, tissue stiffness, detected using a convex multifrequency 2–8-mHz probe and a MyLab™Twice – ElaXto, was scored from 1 (greatest elasticity) to 5 (no elasticity). Subpleural solid masses (2–5 cm) were initially detected by TUS and subsequently assessed by FNAB.

Results

Histological diagnoses were: small cell lung cancer (4/61), adenocarcinoma (29/61), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (12/61), large cell lung carcinoma (12/61), and lymphomas (4/61). Patients’ age and mass sizes (3.06 ± 0.88 cm) were not significantly associated with any histological type. A significant lower elasticity of SCC (4.67 ± 0.492) was observed versus other types of lung cancer ( P < 0.005), and versus pneumonia (2.35 ± 0.48).

Conclusion

Since only squamous cell lung carcinoma displays the feature of significantly reduced elasticity, and since no clear-cut diagnostic key is yet available, the clinical usefulness of TUS elastography is currently limited with a view to characterizing tumors. Nevertheless, it does enable good non-invasive imaging of lung nodules, providing information on their stiffness, and can improve the accuracy and yield of FNAB.
Effective factors to raise diagnostic performance of breast MRI for diagnosing pathologic complete response in breast cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Choi Bo Bae , Kim Sung Hun
Published: June 2014

Background

Although MRI is a highly effective tool in evaluating residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), there are many reports of discordance between the response of MRI and pathology. To increase MR accuracy, additional methods, which reflect post-NAC changes, should be considered in diagnosis.

Purpose

To evaluate effective methods that raise the diagnostic performance of MRI for predicting pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Material and Methods

For 98 invasive breast carcinoma patients, chemotherapeutic response to MRI was evaluated for the following parameters: tumor size, tumor distribution pattern, kinetic curve analysis, and background parenchymal enhancement pattern (BPE). BPE was categorized as “minimal”, “mild”, “moderate”, or “marked”, according to the ACR BI-RADS criteria.

Results

After NAC, the mean size of tumors decreased by 40% in non-pCR and by 59% in pCR groups, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, false positive rate and false negative rate of MRI were 96% (78/81), 53% (9/17), 47% (8/17), and 4% (3/81), respectively. At pre-NAC MRI, the most common kinetic curve was delayed washout pattern (68%, 67/98); however, at post-NAC MRI the persistent pattern (55%, 47/86). Grouped lesion was the most common tumor distribution pattern on pre-NAC MRI (28%, 27/98), while on post-NAC solitary mass (40%, 34/86). The most common BPE at pre- and post-NAC MRI was mild and minimal enhancement, respectively.

Conclusion

To improve the diagnostic accuracy of MRI, we should consider additional factors including: tumor distribution pattern, BPE, kinetic curve analysis, and tumor size.
Migraine and restless legs syndrome: A systematic review
Authors: Schürks Markus , Winter Anke , Berger Klaus , Kurth Tobias
Published: June 2014

Background

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is increasingly being reported as a comorbidity of migraine.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies investigating RLS in headache/migraine and vice versa. We calculated the prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of RLS in headache/migraine, of headache/migraine in RLS and controls, and odds ratios (ORs) of the association between the conditions. We then determined pooled effect estimates for the associations.

Results

We identified 24 studies. RLS prevalence in migraine ranged from 8.7% to 39.0% with no apparent differences based on gender and aura status. Prevalence among controls was compatible with the literature. Migraine prevalence in RLS ranged from 15.1% to 62.6%. We did not pool prevalence data because of high unexplained heterogeneity. High heterogeneity with respect to the association between any migraine and RLS could be explained by study design. Pooled analyses showed substantially higher effect estimates in case-control studies (pooled OR = 4.19, 95% CI 3.07–5.71; I 2 = 0.0%) than in cohort studies (pooled OR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.14–1.30; I 2 = 0.0%).

Conclusion

Our results support the concept of RLS as an important comorbidity of migraine. However, the degree of association appears to be strongly determined by study design. Potential effects by gender and aura status and the role of RLS in other headache disorders remain unclear.
Religiousness and headache: Is there a relation? Results from a representative sample of adults living in a low-income community
Authors: Lucchetti Giancarlo , Lucchetti Alessandra LG , Peres Mario F Prieto
Published: June 2014

Background

The use of religious behaviors to alleviate the consequences of stressful life circumstances is a frequent strategy employed by pain sufferers. Specifically in the field of headache research, to date, few studies have assessed spiritual and religious beliefs.

Objective

The objective of this article is to investigate the relation between religiousness (organizational, non-organizational and intrinsic) and headache disorders in a representative sample of adults living in a low-income community.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional, population-based study. In 2005, we conducted door-to-door interviews with 439 people, aged more than 18 years, randomly selected from a low-income community in Brazil. Four regression models were created to explain the relationships between religious involvement and headache, controlling for demographics, depression/anxiety and alcohol use and smoking.

Results

Of the 439 households contacted, at least one member from 383 (87.2%) households participated. We interviewed more women (74.4%) and more subjects aged 18–39 years. The mean age was 41.7 (SD 8.5) years. Bivariate analysis shows that high religious attendance, non-organizational religiousness and intrinsic religiousness were associated with presence of headache and presence of migraine. After the logistic regression models, only high non-organizational religiousness remained associated with presence of headache (odds ratio (OR): 1.22 (1.01–1.49)). All other religious variables were unrelated to the presence of headache and its types.

Conclusion

There is a modest relationship between high non-organizational religiousness and presence of headache. Headache sufferers may use coping strategies such as private religious behaviors to try to overcome suffering.
Outcomes of an Open Autologous Osteochondral Plug Graft for Capitellar Osteochondritis Dissecans
Authors: Maruyama Masahiro , Takahara Masatoshi , Harada Mikio , Satake Hiroshi , Takagi Michiaki
Published: June 2014

Background:

Autologous osteochondral plug grafts have been used for capitellar osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), and good clinical results have been described. However, little is known about the optimal timing of return to sports.

Purpose:

To investigate the clinical outcomes of open autologous osteochondral plug grafts for capitellar OCD and to address the timing of return to sports.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Thirty-three male patients with a mean age at the time of surgery of 13.6 years (range, 11-17 years) and with advanced lesions of capitellar OCD underwent a procedure using open autologous osteochondral plug grafts. All patients played baseball, and the lesion affected their throwing side. Thirteen lesions were arthroscopically classified as International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) OCD III and 20 lesions as ICRS OCD IV. The mean size of the lesions (sagittal × coronal) was 16 × 14 mm. One to 3 osteochondral plug grafts, with a mean diameter of 7 mm (range, 5-9 mm), were harvested from the lateral femoral condyle and transplanted to the defects. Patients were allowed to begin throwing after 3 months and to return to sports after 6 months. The mean follow-up was 28.4 months (range, 12-76 months), during which elbow pain, Timmerman and Andrews scores, return to sports, and radiographs were evaluated.

Results:

After surgery, 30 patients (91%) had no elbow pain, and 3 patients (9%) had occasional mild throwing pain. The mean total arc of elbow motion increased significantly from 116° to 133° ( P < .05). The mean Timmerman and Andrews score improved significantly from 143 to 190 ( P < .05). All except 2 patients returned to a competitive level at which they had previously played after a mean of 6.9 months (range, 6-14 months). One patient chose another sport, and another retired from baseball after high school graduation. All patients achieved graft incorporation, and there was no postoperative enlargement of osteophytes on radiographs. One patient had mild anterior knee pain at the donor site during exercise. The remaining patients had no knee pain. The mean Lysholm score was 99.8.

Conclusion:

The results of this study indicate that an open autologous osteochondral plug graft allows a return to the previous competitive level of throwing by a mean of 7 months postoperatively.
The Cost of Job Guarantee in the United States
Authors: Tymoigne Eric
Published: June 2014

From the 1960s, Minsky argued that implementing a decentralized job-guarantee policy funded by the federal government was a relevant way to promote full employment and price stability, and to alleviate poverty. This policy aims at providing a job to anybody willing to work and to pay a living wage. Over the past fifteen years, this idea has been subject to greater scrutiny and this paper contributes to that literature by estimating the gross cost of implementing a job-guarantee policy (JG). In order to calculate this cost, the paper uses the data available from the 1930s work programs. These work programs provide some interesting insights because enough data are available to determine the cost of JG under widely different rates of unemployment. The paper shows that JG would have been quite expensive during the early part of the 1930s when the unemployment rate was at 20 percent or more. Once unemployment receded to a usual level, the gross cost of JG would have been low.
Improving Science Vocabulary of High School English Language Learners With Reading Disabilities
Authors: Helman Amanda L. , Calhoon Mary Beth , Kern Lee
Published: June 2014

This study investigated the effects of a combined contextual and morphemic analysis strategy to increase prediction and analysis of science vocabulary words by three high school (9th–10th grade) English language learners with reading disabilities. A multiple baseline across participants design was used. Students analyzed science words using the Clue Word Strategy (CWS). Dependent measures examined strategy use, morpheme and knowledge, and reading comprehension. In addition, student acceptability of the strategy was assessed. Results indicated that the CWS both increased and maintained students’ proficiency in analyzing science vocabulary. In addition, students enjoyed using the CWS strategy and recommended it to peers. Implications and limitations of the findings are delineated.
Activated carbon from pyrolysis of brewer’s spent grain: Production and adsorption properties
Authors: Vanreppelen Kenny , Vanderheyden Sara , Kuppens Tom , Schreurs Sonja , Yperman Jan , Carleer Robert
Published: June 2014

Brewer’s spent grain is a low cost residue generated by the brewing industry. Its chemical composition (high nitrogen content 4.35 wt.%, fibres, etc.) makes it very useful for the production of added value in situ nitrogenised activated carbon. The composition of brewer’s spent grain revealed high amounts of cellulose (20.8 wt.%), hemicellulose (48.78 wt.%) and lignin (11.3 wt.%). The fat, ethanol extractives and ash accounted for 8.17 wt.%, 4.7 wt.% and 3.2 wt.%, respectively. Different activated carbons were produced in a lab-scale pyrolysis/activation reactor by applying several heat and steam activation profiles on brewer’s spent grain. Activated carbon yields from 16.1 to 23.6 wt.% with high N-contents (> 2 wt.%) were obtained. The efficiency of the prepared activated carbons for phenol adsorption was studied as a function of different parameters: pH, contact time and carbon dosage relative to two commercial activated carbons. The equilibrium isotherms were described by the non-linear Langmuir and Freundlich models, and the kinetic results were fitted using the pseudo-first-order model and the pseudo-second-order model. The feasibility of an activated carbon production facility (onsite and offsite) that processes brewer’s spent grain for different input feeds is evaluated based on a techno-economic model for estimating the net present value. Even though the model assumptions start from a rather pessimistic scenario, encouraging results for a profitable production of activated carbon using brewer’s spent grain are obtained.
By-products from the biodiesel chain as a substrate to citric acid production by solid-state fermentation
Authors: Schneider Manuella , Zimmer Gabriela F , Cremonese Ezequiel B , de C de S Schneider Rosana , Corbellini Valeriano A
Published: June 2014

In this study, we propose the use of tung cake for the production of organic acids, with an emphasis on citric acid by solid-state fermentation. We evaluated the conditions of production and the by-products from the biodiesel chain as raw materials involved in this bioprocess. First, we standardized the conditions of solid-state fermentation in tung cake with and without residual fat and with different concentrations of glycerine using the fungus Aspergillus niger. The solid-state fermentation process was monitored for 7 days considering the biomass growth and pH level. Citric acid production was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Fungal development was better in the crude tung cake, consisting of 20% glycerine. The highest citric acid yield was 350 g kg−1 of biomass. Therefore, the solid-state fermentation of the tung cake with glycerine led to citric acid production using the Aspergillus niger fungus.
Longitudinal Invariance of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition in a Referral Sample
Authors: Richerson Lindsay P. , Watkins Marley W. , Beaujean A. Alexander
Published: June 2014

Measurement invariance of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) was investigated with a group of 352 students eligible for psychoeducational evaluations tested, on average, 2.8 years apart. Configural, metric, and scalar invariance were found. However, the error variance of the Coding subtest was not constant across time, allowing only partial strict invariance. This indicates that the WISC-IV (a) was measuring similar constructs at both test occasions, (b) constructs had the same meaning across time, (c) scores that changed across time can be attributed to change in the constructs being measured and not to changes in the structure of the test itself, and (d) measures the same constructs equally well across time with the possible exception of Processing Speed due to the noninvariance of the Coding subtest’s residual variance. This investigation provided support for intelligence as an enduring trait and for the validity of the WISC-IV.
Large defect-tailored composite scaffolds for in vivo bone regeneration
Authors: Ronca Alfredo , Guarino Vincenzo , Raucci Maria Grazia , Salamanna Francesca , Martini Lucia , Zeppetelli Stefania , Fini Milena , Kon Elisaveta , Filardo G , Marcacci Maurilio , Ambrosio Luigi
Published: June 2014

The discovery of new strategies to repair large segmental bone defects is currently an open challenge for worldwide clinicians. In the treatment of critical-sized bone defects, an alternative strategy to traditional bone grafting is always more frequently the use of tailor-made scaffolds modelled on the final size and shape of the implant site. Here, poly-ε-caprolactone-based composite scaffolds including poly-l-lactic acid continuous fibres and hyaluronan derivates (i.e. HYAFF11®) have been investigated for the peculiar 3D architecture characterized by interconnected macroporous networks and tunable mechanical properties. Composite scaffolds were immersed in simulated body fluid solution in order to support in vivo tissue in-growth. Scaffolds loaded with autologous cells (bone marrow stromal cells) plus platelet-rich plasma and osteoconductive protein such bone morphogenetic protein-7 were also tested to evaluate eventual enhancement in bone regeneration. The morphological and mechanical properties of poly-l-lactic acid-reinforced composite scaffolds have been studied to identify the optimal scaffold design to match the implant-site requirements of sheep metatarsal defects. Dynamic mechanical tests allowed to underline the viscoelastic response of the scaffold – resulting in elastic moduli from 2.5 to 1.3 MPa, suitable to temporarily support the structural function of damaged bone tissue. In vivo preliminary investigations in a sheep model of metatarsus shaft defect also showed the attitude of the scaffold to promote osteogenesis, preferentially in association with bone marrow stromal cell and platelet-rich plasma, even if the highest amount of mature bone was reached in the case of scaffold loaded with human bone morphogenetic protein-7 released via hydrolytic degradation of HYAFF11® phases in the implant site.
Fluorescent chitosan functionalized magnetic polymeric nanoparticles: Cytotoxicity and in vitro evaluation of cellular uptake
Authors: Kaewsaneha Chariya , Jangpatarapongsa Kulachart , Tangchaikeeree Tienrat , Polpanich Duangporn , Tangboriboonrat Pramuan
Published: June 2014

Nanoparticles possessing magnetic and fluorescent properties were fabricated by the covalent attachment of fluorescein isothiocyanate onto magnetic polymeric nanoparticles functionalized by chitosan. The synthesized magnetic polymeric nanoparticles-chitosan/fluorescein isothiocyanate were successfully used for labeling the living organ and blood-related cancer cells, i.e., HeLa, Hep G2, and K562 cells. The cytotoxicity test of nanoparticles at various incubation times indicated the high cell viability (>90%) without morphological change. The confocal microscopy revealed that they could pass through cell membrane within 2 h for K562 cells and 3 h for HeLa and Hep G2 cells and then confine inside cytoplasm of all types of tested cells for at least 24 h. Therefore, the synthesized magnetic polymeric nanoparticles-chitosan/fluorescein isothiocyanate would potentially be used as cell tracking in theranostic applications.
Outcomes of Participatory Decision Making
Authors: Dauti Marsela
Published: June 2014

Citizen participation in decision making is being promoted in many countries transitioning from centralized to decentralized governance. Despite their common underlying premise, participatory programs vary in scope and nature. This study investigates the outcomes of promoting citizen participation in decision making in the municipality of Kuçova (Albania) where participation did not emerge from the community but rather was promoted by municipal leaders. Findings suggest that a top-down approach to participation in tandem with a bottom-up approach can be promising in a context that lacks a tradition of democratic participation. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the participatory program and draw several conclusions for promoting participation in decision making in a context characterized by a strong legacy of centralized governance and distrustful relationships between the local elite and community members.
Russia and the News Media in Ukraine
Authors: Szostek Joanna
Published: June 2014

The mass media are closely associated with the concept of “soft power.” In Russia, as in the West, politicians believe that favorable foreign media coverage can facilitate their foreign policy success. This article considers news coverage of Russia in Ukraine, a geopolitically important state where Russian “news exporters” have been a prominent feature of the media landscape in recent years. Using content analysis and original interviews with editorial staff, the article reveals factors that shaped reporting about Russia in Ukraine in 2010–2011. It demonstrates that news providers in Ukraine that had a Russian shareholder or partner tended to be more restrained in their criticism of Russia than comparable news providers without such Moscow connections. Yet it also reveals diversity among Russia’s news exporters: some clearly served Kremlin interests, while others were commercially driven and balanced demands from Moscow against the demands of their audience. The findings are relevant to assessments of Russian regional influence, as they highlight opportunities and challenges facing the Kremlin in its aspiration to secure an advantage from “Russian” media operating in the post-Soviet republics. More broadly, this article questions whether the conceptual framework of “soft power” is adequate to capture the complexities of Russian involvement in Ukraine’s media environment.