bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Childhood adversities: Social support, premorbid functioning and social outcome in first-episode psychosis and a matched case-control group
Authors: Trauelsen Anne Marie , Bendall Sarah , Jansen Jens E , Nielsen Hanne-Grethe L , Pedersen Marlene B , Trier Christopher H , Haahr Ulrik H , Simonsen Erik
Published: January 2016

Objective:

The establishment of childhood adversities as risk factors for non-affective psychosis has derived a need to consider alternative interpretations of several psychosis-related factors. This paper sought to examine premorbid adjustment trajectories and social outcome factors in relation to childhood adversities. Perceived support has been found to decrease the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, and we wished to compare perceived support in people with first-episode psychosis to non-clinical control persons and explore its relation to childhood adversities.

Method:

Every individual presenting with a non-affective first-episode psychosis (F20–29, except F21) in Region Zealand over a 2-year period was approached for participation and the 101 consenting participants were matched to 101 people with no psychiatric disorders. Comprehensive demographic data were collected. Assessment instruments included the Premorbid Assessment Scale, the Global Assessment of Functioning scale and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. The latter represented the childhood adversities in addition to parental separation and institutionalization.

Results:

There were no associations between number of childhood adversities and different social or academic premorbid trajectories. Those with more adversities had lower global functioning the year prior to treatment start and reported lower rates of perceived support during childhood along with less current face-to-face contact with family members. Lack of peer support remained a significant predictor of psychosis when adversities were adjusted for; peer support diminished the risk of psychosis caused by childhood adversities by 10%.

Conclusion:

Childhood adversities may not predict specific premorbid trajectories, but have an effect on global functioning when the psychosis has begun. Perceived support, especially from peers, may be important in the development of psychosis, and those with more adversities may represent a vulnerable subgroup who need more assistance to increase and maintain supportive networks.
Hyperuricaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes in a tertiary healthcare centre in sub-Saharan Africa: prevalence and determinants
Authors: Choukem Simeon-Pierre , Mengue Juliette-Amelie , Doualla Marie-Solange , Donfack Olivier-Tresor , Beyiha Gerard , Luma Henry N
Published: January 2016

Hyperuricaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been less well investigated in sub-Saharan Africans. Our study of 438 patients found that alcohol intake, body mass index ≥25 kg/m2, hydrochlorothiazide use, statin use, diabetic retinopathy and glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73m2 were independently positively associated with hyperuricaemia; whereas smoking reduced this risk. Hyperuricaemia is strongly associated with some modifiable factors, diabetic complications and certain drugs. Our results suggest that further studies should evaluate the potential cost–benefit of screening for hyperuricaemia in type 2 diabetes.
A randomised controlled trial comparing 30 mL and 80 mL in Foley catheter for induction of labour after previous Caesarean section
Authors: Manish Pushplata , Rathore Swati , Benjamin Santosh J , Abraham Anuja , Jeyaseelan Vishali , Mathews Jiji E
Published: January 2016

Inducing labour with a Foley balloon catheter rather than using oxytocin or prostaglandins is considered to be less risky if the uterus is scarred.1 It is not known if more fluid in the balloon is more effective without being more dangerous. Volumes of 80 mL and 30 mL were compared in 154 eligible women. Mode of delivery, duration of labour and delivery within 24 h were similar in both groups. However, the second group required oxytocin more frequently. Though more scar dehiscences occurred in the first group, the difference was not significant.
Aetiological spectrum of benign gastric outlet obstruction in India: new trends
Authors: Maharshi Sudhir , Puri Amarender Singh , Sachdeva Sanjeev , Kumar Ajay , Dalal Ashok , Gupta Manish
Published: January 2016

There is a paucity of data on the spectrum of benign gastric outlet obstruction in India. Our aim was to evaluate its spectrum and to identify the subgroup which would be most amenable to endoscopic therapy. We studied 64 patients whose aetiology revealed in approximately equal proportions: corrosive injury; gastroduodenal tuberculosis (TB); and peptic ulcer disease. The median number of endoscopic dilations required was two for TB, four for peptic ulcer disease and five for corrosive injury. Gastroduodenal TB and corrosive injury appear now to be more, or at least as, common as peptic ulcer disease as causes of benign gastric outlet obstruction in India. Gastroduodenal TB responds best to endoscopic therapy.
Time and Job Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study of the Differential Roles of Age and Tenure
Authors: Dobrow Shoshana R. , Ganzach Yoav , Liu Yihao
Published: January 2016

The relationship between job satisfaction and time is a fundamental question in organizational behavior. Yet given inconsistent results in the literature, the nature of this relationship has remained unresolved. Scholars’ understanding of this relationship has been limited because studies have generally not simultaneously considered the two primary time metrics in job satisfaction research—age and tenure—and have instead relied on cross-sectional research designs. In this study, we develop and test an empirical model to provide a more definitive answer to the question of how age and tenure relate to job satisfaction. Our analyses draw on longitudinal data from 21,670 participants spanning a total of 34 waves of data collection across 40 years in two nationally representative samples. Multilevel analyses indicate that people became less satisfied as their tenure within a given organization increased, yet as people aged—and transitioned from organization to organization—their satisfaction increased. We also found that job rewards, as exemplified by pay, mediated these relationships. We discuss empirical, theoretical, and practical implications of our findings.
Smoking Cessation Intervention Preferences Among Urban African Americans
Authors: Baker Cathy J. , Palmer Sheena D. , Lee Chia-Wen Vianne
Published: January 2016

African Americans suffer disproportionately from smoking-related morbidity and mortality and make more quit attempts but report less success in quitting. Smokers tend to identify more strongly with African American culture. Qualitative interviews were conducted to elicit perceptions toward smoking and intervention content. Seventy-one African American smokers recruited from community locations participated. The majority stated they would not use any cessation aids if trying to quit smoking, despite the availability of free nicotine replacement. Acculturative stress scores were significantly higher in younger participants and those with higher income. Higher African American acculturation did not predict smoking cessation intervention preference. Family and social relationships were cited as both reasons for wanting to quit and reasons for continuing to smoke. Based on these findings, interventions for urban African Americans should address household members continuing to smoke, social/family connections, stress management, and cultural identification in urban areas.
Multi-objective optimization of process parameters in an area-forming rapid prototyping system using the Taguchi method and a grey relational analysis
Authors: Chiu Shih-Hsuan , Gan Shun-Ying , Tseng Yen-Chun , Chen Kun-Ting , Chen Cheng-Chin , Su Chun-Hao , Pong Sheng-Hong
Published: January 2016

The rapid prototyping technique has been developed over several decades. As the application becomes more widespread, the qualities of the parts produced by a rapid prototyping system must be considered. The area-forming rapid prototyping system is an emerging technology. This system has the advantage of a short build time but displays a weakness in the dimensional accuracy and surface roughness. To improve these weaknesses and simultaneously maintain a short build time, this study optimizes the process parameters using the grey relational Taguchi method. From the results, the best combinations of process parameters both for each quality and for multiple qualities are discovered. The optimization of process parameters is verified using the extra samples.
Automatic experimental modal analysis of milling machine tool spindles
Authors: Bąk Piotr Andrzej , Jemielniak Krzysztof
Published: January 2016

Dynamic compliance of machine tool spindle is a necessary input for stability limit prediction. It can be determined by a single input–single output modal analysis, so called tap test. Despite methodology of modal analysis is well known for many years and there are several commercially available software packages supporting it, executing the experiments and evaluation of the results require both knowledge and skill. Therefore, there is a need for automation of all stages of data acquisition and signal processing to make this method applied in industry. This article presents the methodology, algorithms and software which execute all operations and analysis automatically; thus, they can be done directly on the factory floor without the involvement of highly qualified personnel. It enables completing of the tap test and obtaining proper results by an operator who do not have any knowledge on modal analysis. This article presents examples of the software application in factory floor conditions.
Multi-response optimization in orthogonal turn milling by analyzing tool vibration and surface roughness using response surface methodology
Authors: Babu GHV Prasad , Murthy BSN , Venkatarao K , Ratnam Ch
Published: January 2016

Turn milling is one of the machining processes used to mill circular work pieces while the work piece rotates about its own axis. Orthogonal milling is one of the turn milling processes where the bottom part of cutter removes material from the rotating work piece with high metal removal rate. In this article, tool condition was studied by analyzing surface roughness and vibration of cutter with the use of response surface methodology. According to design of experiments, 16 experiments were conducted on ASTM B139 phosphor bronze with high-speed steel end mill cutter on four-axis milling machine. The response surface methodology was used to find out significant parameters that are affecting surface roughness and amplitude of cutter vibration. A multi-response optimization technique was used to identify optimum cutting parameters for less surface roughness and amplitude of cutter vibration.
Towards the use of augmented reality techniques for assisted acceptance sampling
Authors: Franceschini Fiorenzo , Galetto Maurizio , Maisano Domenico , Mastrogiacomo Luca
Published: January 2016

Acceptance sampling is a statistical procedure for accepting or rejecting production lots according to the result of a sample inspection. Formalizing the concept of assisted acceptance sampling, this article suggests the use of consolidated tools for reducing the risk of human errors in acceptance sampling activities. To this purpose, the application of augmented reality techniques may represent a profitable and sustainable solution. An augmented reality–based prototype system is described in detail and tested by an experimental plan. The major original contributions of this work are (a) introducing the new paradigm of assisted acceptance sampling and (b) developing a preliminary application in an industrial-like environment. This application is a first step towards the realization of a complete assisted acceptance sampling system.
Acoustic emission propagation characteristics in plate structure with various materials, cracks and coating metal
Authors: He Kuanfang , Tan Zhi , Cheng Yong , Li Xuejun
Published: January 2016

The propagation characteristic of guided waves is important to acoustic emission nondestructive detection for the structural integrity of engineering components. The finite element method is introduced to study the propagation of guided waves in plate structure with different materials, cracks and coating metal. The displacement contours and wave curve at different receiving positions are examined first for the propagation characteristics of guided waves in plate structure with different homogeneous material of steel 45 and GCr15. Next, the interface reflection, refraction and diffraction characteristics of guided waves in plate structure with cracks and steel 45 with coating metal of aluminium 2024 are investigated. Finally, these FE results are compared with the mechanical pencil lead fracture experiment results. The results of this study clearly illustrate the accuracy and reasonableness of the finite element method to predict propagation characteristic of guided wave.
Pregnancies in women with systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid antibodies
Authors: Schreiber K
Published: January 2016

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has preponderance in women in their childbearing years; consequently pregnancy has always been an important issue of concern for the patient and the treating physician. Based upon numerous reports on successful pregnancy outcomes in the past decades, the initial advice against pregnancy in the 1950s has been replaced by a common understanding that women with SLE often have successful pregnancy outcomes, and clinicians therefore advise on pregnancy planning, including possible drug adjustments, timing and close surveillance. The recently published Predictors of Pregnancy Outcome: Biomarkers in Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (PROMISSE) study, so far the largest multicentre cohort study of pregnant women with underlying stable SLE, has given some important answers to long-discussed questions. Future studies on data collected from the PROMISSE cohort will hopefully identify serological biomarkers, possibly genes, and in addition, give valuable information about underlying disease mechanisms.
Quality versus quantity: The complexities of quality of life determinations for neonatal nurses
Authors: Green Janet , Darbyshire Philip , Adams Anne , Jackson Debra
Published: January 2016

Background:

The ability to save the life of an extremely premature baby has increased substantially over the last decade. This survival, however, can be associated with unfavourable outcomes for both baby and family. Questions are now being asked about quality of life for survivors of extreme prematurity. Quality of life is rightly deemed to be an important consideration in high technology neonatal care; yet, it is notoriously difficult to determine or predict. How does one define and operationalise what is considered to be in the best interest of a surviving extremely premature baby, especially when the full extent of the outcomes might not be known for several years?

Research question:

The research investigates the caregiving dilemmas often faced by neonatal nurses when caring for extremely premature babies. This article explores the issues arising for neonatal nurses when they considered the philosophical and ethical questions about quality of life in babies ≤24 weeks gestation.

Participants:

Data were collected via a questionnaire to Australian neonatal nurses and semi-structured interviews with 24 neonatal nurses in New South Wales, Australia.

Ethical considerations:

Ethical processes and procedures have been adhered to by the researchers.

Findings:

A qualitative approach was used to analyse the data. The theme ‘difficult choices’ was generated which comprised three sub-themes: ‘damaged through survival’, ‘the importance of the brain’ and ‘families are important’. The results show that neonatal nurses believed that quality of life was an important consideration; yet they experienced significant inner conflict and uncertainty when asked to define or suggest specific elements of quality of life, or to suggest how it might be determined. It was even more difficult for the nurses to say when an extremely premature baby’s life possessed quality. Their previous clinical and personal experiences led the nurses to believe that the quality of the family’s life was important, and possibly more so than the quality of life of the surviving baby. This finding contrasts markedly with much of the existing literature in this field.

Conclusion:

Quality of life for extremely premature babies was an important consideration for neonatal nurses; however, they experienced difficulty deciding how to operationalise such considerations in their everyday clinical practice.
Taxane-induced arthralgia and myalgia: A literature review
Authors: Chiu Nicholas , Chiu Leonard , Chow Ronald , Lam Henry , Verma Sunil , Pasetka Mark , Chow Edward , DeAngelis Carlo
Published: January 2016

Purpose

Arthralgia and myalgia following taxane chemotherapy has been documented in the literature. However, these two toxicities associated with taxane treatment have not been closely examined in the literature, and data remain inconsistent in terms of the reported incidences of these toxicities. The purpose of this literature review was to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the incidence of taxane-induced arthralgia and myalgia, as well as to document the risk factors and preventative and therapeutic treatments that have been investigated.

Methods

A literature search was conducted in Ovid Medline, OldMedline, Embase, Embase Classic, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials using relevant subject headings and keywords such as: “arthralgia,” “myalgia,” “muscle pain,” “joint pain,” “taxane,” “chemotherapy,” “docetaxel,” “paclitaxel.”

Results

The reported incidences of arthralgia and myalgia were variable. Taxane chemotherapy was found to be associated with greater incidences of arthralgia and myalgia than non-taxane forms of chemotherapy. Moreover, docetaxel and nab-paclitaxel seem to be associated with lower incidences of arthralgia and myalgia than paclitaxel. Finally, the literature on prevention and therapeutic treatment of taxane-induced arthralgia and myalgia is scarce.

Conclusion

More studies should be done in order to more conclusively identify optimal therapeutic and preventative treatments as well as different risk factors. We recommend that a prospective study be done in order to better understand the true incidence of arthralgia and myalgia in patients being treated with the paclitaxel, docetaxel, and nab-paclitaxel.
General and Genetic Toxicology of Guayusa Concentrate (Ilex guayusa)
Authors: Kapp Robert W. , Mendes Odete , Roy Shambhu , McQuate Robert S. , Kraska Richard
Published: January 2016

Tea from the leaves of guayusa ( Ilex guayusa) has a long history of consumption by Ecuadorian natives in regions where the plant is indigenous. The tea contains the methylxanthines caffeine and theobromine as well as chlorogenic acids, flavonoids, and sugars. Various studies were performed to evaluate the general and genetic toxicology of a standardized liquid concentrate of guayusa (GC). Guayusa concentrate was found to be negative in in vitro genotoxicity tests including the Ames test and a chromosome aberration study in human lymphocytes. The oral median lethal dose (LD50) of GC was >5,000 mg/kg for female rats. Guayusa concentrate was administered to male and female rats in a 90-day subchronic study at 1,200, 2,500, and 5,000 mg/kg/d of GC and a caffeine-positive control at 150 mg/kg/d corresponding to the amount of caffeine in the high-dose GC group. Effects observed in the GC-treated groups were comparable to those in the caffeine control group and included reductions in body weights, food efficiency, triglycerides values, and fat pad weights and increases in blood chemistry values for serum aspartate aminotransferase, serum alanine aminotransferase, and cholesterol and adaptive salivary gland hypertrophy. No signs of incremental toxicity due to any other components of guayusa were observed. The studies indicate no harmful effects of GC in these test systems.
Effect of vitamin B12 and folic acid supplementation on biomarkers of endothelial function and inflammation among elderly individuals with hyperhomocysteinemia
Authors: van Dijk Suzanne C , Enneman Anke W , Swart Karin MA , van Wijngaarden Janneke P , Ham Annelies C , de Jonge R , Blom Henk J , Feskens Edith J , Geleijnse Johanna Marianne , van Schoor Natasja M , Dhonukshe-Rutten Rosalie AM , de Jongh Renate T , Lips Paul , de Groot Lisette CPGM , Uitterlinden Andre G , van den Meiracker Ton H , Mattace-Raso Francesco US , van der Velde Nathalie , Smulders Yvo M
Published: January 2016

B-vitamin trials failed to demonstrate beneficial effects on cardiovascular outcomes, but hyperhomocysteinemia still stands out as an independent cardiovascular risk factor, particularly in elderly individuals. B-vitamins may influence early vascular dysfunction, such as endothelial dysfunction, or may have adverse effects, for example on inflammation. We investigated the effect of B-vitamins on endothelial function and inflammation within an interventional study. This study was conducted within the framework of the B-PROOF trial, which included 2919 hyperhomocysteinemic elderly individuals, who received daily vitamin B12 (500 μg) and folic acid (400 μg) or placebo for 2 years. Using an electrochemiluminescence platform, we measured intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), serum amyloid A (SAA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and C-reactive protein (CRP) at baseline and follow-up in a subsample of 522 participants (271 intervention group; 251 placebo). Treatment effects were analyzed with ANCOVA. The participants had a mean age of 72 years, and 55% of them were male. At the 2-year follow-up, B-vitamins did not change the ICAM-1 (+36% change in the intervention group versus +32% change in the placebo group; p = 0.72), VCAM-1 (+27% vs +25%; p = 0.39), VEGF (–1% vs +4%; p = 0.40), SAA (+34% vs +38%; p = 0.85) or CRP levels (+26% vs +36%; p = 0.70) as compared to placebo. In conclusion, in elderly patients with hyperhomocysteinemia, vitamin B12 and folic acid are unlikely to influence either endothelial function or low-grade systemic inflammation. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00696514
How crowdfunding discourse threatens public arts
Authors: Brabham Daren C
Published: January 2016

Crowdfunding platforms, such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, have been the focus of considerable popular press news coverage in the past few years, with stories emphasizing how crowdfunding can bring indie creative projects into being through monetary contributions from several individuals online. As a method for financing small or risky artistic products unlikely to receive mainstream corporate or government support, crowdfunding has been celebrated in press coverage for “democratizing” the arts funding process. However, these same celebratory claims about crowdfunding giving everyday people a voice in bringing art into fruition eerily echo arguments in the United States by conservative groups to de-fund public arts programs. The very language crowdfunding proponents use may well fuel politicians hoping to unravel public arts funding. This article presents a critical discourse analysis of news coverage about crowdfunding, analyzing the similarities between pro-crowdfunding sentiments and anti-public arts funding advocates. An uncritical embrace of an Internet trend may threaten public funding for the arts by aligning with neoliberal ideological language.
Planners – A silenced profession? The politicisation of planning and the need for fearless speech
Authors: Grange Kristina
Published: January 2016

With the launch of over 40 official investigations between 2010 and 2014 alone, planning is clearly an area of renewed political interest in Sweden. Drawing on Jodi Dean’s interpretation of politicisation, which entails raising the particular to the level of the universal, in this article I argue that we are currently witnessing ongoing politicisation of planning, but of a form which aims at making planners loyal to the current neoliberal politics. I situate this argument within a wider debate which contends that democracy today is characterised by trivialisation and conformity. In response to this situation and drawing on Michel Foucault’s work on the concept of parrhesia, which means fearless speech, I identify a need for planners to develop a critical ethos and shoulder the necessary role of resistance to politics.
Comparative study of treatment for distal radius fractures with two different palmar locking plates
Authors: Tanaka H. , Hatta T. , Sasajima K. , Itoi E. , Aizawa T.
Published: January 2016

Few randomized trials have shown how the placement of a palmar locking plate affects outcomes. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical and radiological outcomes of fixation using locking plates with different concepts for placement relative to the watershed line in a prospective randomized trial. Sixty-four patients with a displaced distal radius fracture were divided into two groups according to the plates used for fixation: distal-type (AcuLocTM, Group A) and proximal-type (VariAxTM, Group V). Wrist function including the range of motion and grip strength was compared at 1, 2, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Loss of reduction was assessed radiologically. Both groups demonstrated overall satisfactory function at 6 months with no significant difference found between the groups. Minimal loss of reduction was demonstrated in both groups. Internal fixation using the palmar locking plates with two different placements provided satisfactory outcomes at 6-month follow-up, but our results indicate that plates placed distal to the watershed line may delay recovery of wrist motion.
Prospect of bamboo as a renewable textile fiber, historical overview, labeling, controversies and regulation
Authors: Nayak Lopamudra , Mishra Siba Prasad
Published: January 2016

Innovation in textile has brought alternative plant based fibers such as bamboo into the spotlight and as a replacement to petrochemical based synthetic fibers. Bamboo as a raw material is a remarkably sustainable and versatile resource but the manufacturing process is where the debate really gets heated and the sustainability and green image of bamboo is tarnished. Products made from bamboo are often labeled as ‘eco-friendly’, ‘bio-degradable’ and ‘anti-microbial’ irrespective of their method of manufacturing. The claims may not always portray the products authenticity and true environmental impact. By far, viscose process is predominantly used to create fibers from bamboo but the properties of natural bamboo fibers in such bamboo viscose products have been lost. However, bamboo textiles are not yet achieved their full potential and cleaner production processes are appearing. With abundant sources of raw material, relatively low cost; and unique performance of bamboo fiber it is only a matter of time to develop green and pure bamboo textiles. This paper analyses the prospects of bamboo fibers providing a view on bamboo as a plant and processed fiber, facts regarding the antimicrobial properties of bamboo fibers, its chemical properties, morphology, anatomy, historical overview, patents and modern bamboo textile industry.
Salivary Cortisone Reflects Cortisol Exposure Under Physiological Conditions and After Hydrocortisone
Authors: Debono Miguel , Harrison Robert F. , Whitaker Martin J. , Eckland David , Arlt Wiebke , Keevil Brian G. , Ross Richard J.
Published: January 2016

Context:

Measuring serum cortisol to evaluate stress, adrenal disease, and monitor hydrocortisone replacement requires venepuncture. Conversely, salivary measurements are noninvasive.

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate measurement of salivary cortisol and cortisone as alternatives to serum cortisol.

Design and Setting:

This was a prospective cross-over study in a clinical research facility.

Patients and Methods:

Over three periods (Period 1, 24-h physiological cortisol rhythm; Periods 2 and 3, after 20 mg oral and iv hydrocortisone) 14 male volunteers had serum and saliva cortisol and cortisone, serum albumin, cortisol-binding globulin, and free cortisol measured. Data were analyzed for rhythm parameters and correlations. Linear mixed-effects modelling was performed to determine the relationship between serum cortisol and salivary cortisone.

Results:

Serum cortisol and cortisone showed similar circadian rhythms with large peak:trough ratios (cortisol median ratio, 11). Albumin and cortisol-binding globulin showed minor peak:trough ratios <1.2. When serum cortisol was <74 (SD, 29) nmol/L, salivary cortisol was not detectable but salivary cortisone was always detected. Salivary cortisol post-oral hydrocortisone produced spurious results due to contamination. Under physiological conditions, salivary cortisone correlated strongly with serum cortisol (ρ, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.89–0.93; P < .001). Similarly, following iv or oral hydrocortisone, salivary cortisone correlated strongly with serum cortisol (ρ, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.89–0.92; P < .001). A mixed-effects model showed that in this population 94% of the variation in salivary cortisone could be predicted from serum cortisol.

Conclusion:

Salivary cortisol is frequently undetectable and contaminated by oral hydrocortisone. In contrast, salivary cortisone reflects serum cortisol and provides a noninvasive alternative to measuring serum cortisol levels.
West Nile Virus Infection in the Central Nervous System
Authors: Winkelmann Evandro R. , Luo Huanle , Wang Tian
Published: January 2016

West Nile virus (WNV), a neurotropic single-stranded flavivirus has been the leading cause of arboviral encephalitis worldwide.  Up to 50% of WNV convalescent patients in the United States were reported to have long-term neurological sequelae.  Neither antiviral drugs nor vaccines are available for humans.  Animal models have been used to investigate WNV pathogenesis and host immune response in humans.  In this review, we will discuss recent findings from studies in animal models of WNV infection, and provide new insights on WNV pathogenesis and WNV-induced host immunity in the central nervous system.
Post-Indentitarian and Post-Intersectional Anxiety in the Neoliberal Corporate University
Authors: King Tiffany Lethabo
Published: January 2016

This article tracks the production and circulation of post-intersectional discourse in the neoliberal university. Focusing specifically on the ways in which a public flagship university from 2008 through 2013 produces anxious subjects (graduate students, untenured professors, adjunct faculty, and staff), the article argues that neoliberal logics and everyday speech acts within corporate universities temporalize, spatialize, contain, and ultimately seek to render intersectionality to a time and space of the “post.” It is within this neoliberal context of precarity that the article identifies and scrutinizes Jasbir Puar’s critiques of intersectionality and post-intersectional discourse as “anxious speech acts.” Finally, the article proposes a new and less anxious reading practice inspired by Jennifer Nash’s “Black feminist love politics” that rethinks intersectionality’s relationship to the subject and the neoliberal ethos of disposability.
When Margins Become Centered: Black Queer Women in Front and Outside of the Classroom
Authors: Bailey Moya , Miller Shannon J.
Published: January 2016

This article revisits the authors’ experiences as Black queer women teaching undergraduates and receiving graduate education, ultimately reflecting on these from their current professorial positions. It explores how graduate teachers and junior faculty who are Black queer women navigate the process of creating and maintaining feminist pedagogy in the college classroom while simultaneously negotiating universities that have very little space for queer women, Black women, and those at these intersections. The article asserts that feminist classrooms are arenas for discovery, liberation, and resistance of hegemonic structures, and attempts to construct these spaces both in- and outside of women’s studies departments. This task is particularly challenging when the instructor holds the very marginalized identities that exist in the content of the class and their education. Ultimately, the article argues that their unique experience has been under-theorized, even by them, and necessitates specific strategies that would not be addressed by a focus on Black women who are assumed to be straight or queer women who are assumed to be white.
Specimen Days: Diversity, Labor, and the University
Authors: Musser Amber Jamilla
Published: January 2016

Identity politics within the institution and within sexuality studies conspire to produce me, a queer Black woman, as a specimen—that is to say, a commodity, static and rare. That this feeling comes from two sources that are often assumed to speak opposing languages—one of liberation and the other of the corporation—is no longer surprising, given incisive critiques of the university and identity politics. Rather than rehearse these arguments, this article teases out the affective currents that underlie these overlapping forms of objectification. Using critical autobiography, it maps out the emotional and physical work that I perform in three different loci: university rhetoric on diversity and inclusion, women’s studies’ insistence on intersectionality and visible difference, and the dynamics of the classroom.
Affective Activism: Answering Institutional Productions of Precarity in the Corporate University
Authors: Adsit Janelle , Doe Sue , Allison Marisa , Maggio Paula , Maisto Maria
Published: January 2016

Given the context in which precarity is unevenly distributed in today’s corporate university, it is important for women’s studies to consider its role in bringing about higher education policy reform. Reporting on the findings of a national survey of chairs and directors of women’s studies departments, this article suggests strategies for performing “affective activism” within the university through research and action, guided by feminist theory—including collaborative organic theater, institutional discourse analysis, and the drafting of position statements. Drawing from a range of experiential and discursive primary-source materials, the essay suggests strategies and examples for how institutional norms can be made available for interrogation and transformation. In this work, emotion can provide a lens by which to see the institutional situation of women’s studies and its intervention in the new status quo of the corporate university.
The Scholars and the Feminists: The Barnard Sex Conference and the History of the Institutionalization of Feminism
Authors: Corbman Rachel
Published: January 2016

The history of what we now call “academic feminism” did not take place exclusively in colleges and universities. Rather, a range of infrastructure facilitated the production and dissemination of feminist knowledge in the decades following the institutionalization of the first women’s studies programs in the United States. This article looks specifically at the infamous 1982 Barnard Conference on Sexuality to trace the multiple trajectories through which feminism was gradually academicized and institutionalized in the university. This conference is a particularly instructive case study because it already exists as a locus of anxiety in which histories of grassroots activism, feminist thought, and proto–queer theory collide. The article, then, provides an archivally driven account of the conference, from its planning stages through its political fallout, with an eye toward the infrastructural and personal networks that weave inside and outside of the academy. Because knowledge production is a collaborative process, the article argues that we end up with oddly skewed accounts of feminist field formation when inclusion is dependent on proximity to recognizable forms of feminism in the university.
Lez Be Honest: Queer Feelings about Women’s Studies at a Public Regional University in the Southeastern United States
Authors: Johnson Merri Lisa
Published: January 2016

This article recounts recent legislative and administrative pressures to close the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of South Carolina Upstate, a senior comprehensive public institution in the state university system experiencing a period of instability marked by budget mismanagement, austerity cuts, and diversity initiatives that appear to serve as cover for a noticeably anti-diversity moment in the history of the institution, leading to an eventual vote of no confidence in the university’s chancellor. Working at the intersection of queerness and emotional disability and routing my story through selected ideas from lesbian-trauma theorists Sara Ahmed, Ann Cvetkovich, and Heather Love, the article conveys the personal toll exacted by the work of tilting the tower and asks whether the discipline of women’s studies offers any reprieve, revisiting meta-disciplinary disavowals of crisis rhetoric, melodrama, and besiegement mentalities that might foreclose such a narrative along the way. Moreover, the article introduces two critical terms to the field of diversity/university studies—“befuddlement” and “circum lesbian locution”—to encapsulate affective strategies that derail conversations about queerness in this particular location and more generally in higher education today.
The Legal and Social Bonds of Jewish Apostates and Their Spouses according to Gaonic Responsa
Authors: Simonsohn Uriel
Published: January 2016

This paper seeks to contribute to one of the more unresolved questions in early Islamic history, namely the social ties of converts to Islam with their former coreligionists. Not only did these ties pose a challenge to confessional leaders in their struggle to curve the tide of apostasy, but also to their lay subordinates who were forced to balance between communal discipline and personal sentiments. Through an analysis of gaonic responsa dealing with cases of Jews and their convert spouses the present discussion surveys both gaonic positions towards apostates and a variety of instances in which matrimonial arrangements remained intact despite religious dissent. Accordingly, the discussion revolves around two levels of analysis – legal and social, the former reflected in gaonic opinions and the latter deduced from the social cases which demanded gaonic attention. Thus, the primary premise adopted throughout is of interplay between law and society, with law impacting the social outlooks of its adherents and social realities playing a role in the constriction of legal approaches. However, given the limited reliability of gaonic responsa as historical informants, the historical context of individual cases is further sought in contemporary literary evidence of both Jewish and non-Jewish provenance, most notably Geniza letters, Islamic law, and Eastern Christian historiography.
Nathan Glazer’s American Judaism : Evaluating Post–World War II American Jewish Religion
Authors: Gordan Rachel
Published: January 2016

Nathan Glazer’s 1957 semi-popular book, American Judaism, was unprecedented in its academic and unapologetic approach to its topic. Even more noteworthy was Glazer’s perspective on the future of Jews and religion in America. While Glazer did not foretell the end of Jews in America, his book, unlike several “Introduction to Judaism” books of its era, also did not attempt to portray Judaism as a religion just like Christianity. Rather, Glazer noted the essential difference of Judaism: it did not fit comfortably within the category of religion. And yet, Judaism had, in recent years, attained a hallowed position among American religions. Much of Glazer’s book sought to explore this puzzle of why contemporary Judaism in America did not harmonize with Protestant notions of religion even as it was being embraced as “America’s third faith.” To understand this tension between Judaism and other religions and between Jewish intellectuals such as Glazer and the Judaism that they observed on the new suburban frontiers of American Jewish life was not resolve it. Glazer’s book sought to keep alive such tensions. In this way, Glazer shared common with some of the young Jewish novelists of his era. Glazer’s book is also distinctive in its attention to socioeconomic factors: a newly middle class status among American Jews affected their use of a religion category and the level of acceptance they received from other Americans. So too did a rise in economic status become correlated with a loss of distinctive Jewish culture, in Glazer’s telling.
In Which Case Are Russians Afraid?: Bojat’sja with Genitive and Accusative Objects
Authors: Kuznetsova Julia , Nesset Tore
Published: January 2016

The present article investigates case usage with the verb bojat’sja ‘be scared’ in Russian. Many verbs with - sja never combine with objects in the accusative case. The verb bojat’sja historically was among them, but this verb is undergoing a shift and is currently used with both genitive and accusative objects. This study examines the parameters that motivate this change. Using data from the Russian National Corpus and an experimental study, this article shows that the accusative case is more likely to appear when the object is individuated. It is furthermore demonstrated that the use of accusative objects depends on register: Less restricted registers, such as newspaper texts and answers in the experiment, show higher use of accusative objects.
A Data-Driven Analysis of Reader Viewpoints: Reconstructing the Historical Reader Using Keyword Analysis
Authors: Fidler Masako , Cvrček Václav
Published: January 2016

This study uses corpus-linguistic methods to examine the relationship between language usage patterns and divergence in text interpretation. Our target of analysis is a set of texts (Czechoslovak presidential New Year’s addresses from 1975 to 1989), which contemporary readers consider repetitious and devoid of content. These texts were statistically contrasted with corpora from two different periods: one from the totalitarian period and the other from the contemporary (post-totalitarian) period. The comparison was based on the Difference Index, the most recent effect-size estimator, which was used to enhance the interpretation of keyword analysis outcomes. The two analyses yield significantly different results: the data from the analysis using the contemporary corpus were commensurate with contemporary readers’ impressions; those from the analysis using the totalitarian corpus fluctuated in tandem with (and sometimes in anticipation of) political and social changes during the 15-year period and suggested an interpretation of the texts by a reader more familiar with totalitarian texts.
On Forming Deverbal Nouns and Adjectives in Russian
Authors: Gladney Frank Y.
Published: January 2016

Some deverbal nouns and adjectives govern their complements as nouns and adjectives. In vladelec jazykov ‘polyglot’ genitive case is assigned by the Adnominal Genitive Rule, and in zabyvčiva na imena ‘forgetful of names’ na is required similarly as in the gloss. With other deverbal nouns and adjectives, e.g., vladenie jazykami ‘a command of languages’ and zabyvajuščaja imena ‘who forgets names’, the form of the complement is governed by the embedded verb; compare vladeet jazykami and zabyvaet imena . To capture this affinity, the noun phrase is represented as a noun headed by the noun suffix /-ij/ and containing a verb phrase corresponding to vladeet jazykami , and the adjective phrase is represented as an adjective headed by the adjective suffix /-ušč/ and containing a verb phrase corresponding to zabyvaet imena . These underlying representations give syntax the task of uniting /vlad/ with /-ij/ and /zaby/ with /-ušč/, matters traditionally relegated to a morphology component of the grammar. To relegate them to syntax is to enter uncharted territory.
Promoting Justice and Autonomy in Public Policies to Reduce the Health Consequences of Obesity
Authors: Buchanan David R.
Published: January 2016

Public policies to reduce the extent of obesity in the United States have generated considerable public controversy. The paper examines the implications of proposed policies for the principles of justice and autonomy and key assumptions underlying the major contending positions with respect to the relative weight that should be assigned to them in balancing their respective claims. The analysis traces the crux of the debate regarding the ethical warrant for policies to restrict access to calorie-dense foodstuffs to two key issues: the appeal to different and conflicting theories of justice, and the conflation of autonomy with negative liberty in public debates. After clarifying the ethically relevant characteristics of autonomy that merit defense, the paper concludes with a description of how the capabilities approach to justice may offer a more coherent ethical framework for developing and evaluating policies to address the current obesity epidemic.
Personal Care in Learning Health Care Systems
Authors: Miller Franklin G. , Kim Scott Y. H.
Published: January 2016

The idea of a “learning health care system”—one that systematically integrates clinical research with medical care—has received considerable attention recently. Some commentators argue that under certain conditions pragmatic comparative effectiveness randomized trials can be conducted ethically within the context of a learning health care system without the informed consent of patients for research participation. In this article, we challenge this perspective and contend that conducting randomized trials of individual treatment options without consent is neither necessary nor desirable to promote and sustain learning health care systems. Our argument draws on the normative conception of personal care developed by Charles Fried in a landmark 1974 book on the ethics of randomized controlled trials.
Structured Development and Promotion of a Research Field: Hormesis in Biology, Toxicology, and Environmental Regulatory Science
Authors: Mushak Paul , Elliott Kevin C.
Published: January 2016

The ability of powerful and well-funded interest groups to steer scientific research in ways that advance their goals has become a significant social concern. This steering ability is increasingly being recognized in the peer-reviewed scientific literature and in findings of deliberative scientific bodies. This paper provides a case study that illustrates some of the major strategies that can be used to structure and advance a controversial research field. It focuses on hormesis, described as a type of dose–response relationship in toxicology and biology showing low-dose stimulation but high-dose inhibition, or the reverse. Hormesis proponents tout its significance, arguing that substances toxic at high doses and beneficial at lower doses should be regulated less stringently. We identify five strategies employed by hormesis proponents to foster its acceptance: (1) creating institutions focused on supporting hormesis; (2) developing terminology, study designs, and data interpretations that cast it in a favorable light; (3) using bibliometric techniques and surveys to attract attention; (4) aggressively advocating for the phenomenon and challenging critics; and (5) working with outside interest groups to apply the hormesis phenomenon in the economic and political spheres. We also suggest a number of oversight strategies that can be implemented to help promote credible and socially responsible research in cases like this one.