bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Northern Hemisphere Modes of Variability and the Timing of Spring in Western North America
Authors: Ault Toby R. , Macalady Alison K. , Pederson Gregory T. , Betancourt Julio L. , Schwartz Mark D.
Published: February 2011

Spatial and temporal patterns of variability in spring onset are identified across western North America using a spring index (SI) model based on weather station minimum and maximum temperatures (Tmin and Tmax, respectively). Principal component analysis shows that two significant and independent patterns explain roughly half of the total variance in the timing of spring onset from 1920 to 2005. However, these patterns of spring onset do not appear to be linear responses to the primary modes of variability in the Northern Hemisphere: the Pacific–North American pattern (PNA) and the northern annular mode (NAM). Instead, over the period when reanalysis data and the spring index model overlap (1950–2005), the patterns of spring onset are local responses to the state of both the PNA and NAM, which together modulate the onset date of spring by 10–20 days on interannual time scales. They do so by controlling the number and intensity of warm days. There is also a regionwide trend in spring advancement of about −1.5 days decade−1 from 1950 to 2005. Trends in the NAM and PNA can only explain about one-third (−0.5 day decade−1) of this trend.
The Probability Distribution of Land Surface Wind Speeds
Authors: Monahan Adam H. , He Yanping , McFarlane Norman , Dai Aiguo
Published: February 2011

The probability density function (pdf) of land surface wind speeds is characterized using a global network of observations. Daytime surface wind speeds are shown to be broadly consistent with the Weibull distribution, while nighttime surface wind speeds are generally more positively skewed than the corresponding Weibull distribution (particularly in summer). In the midlatitudes, these strongly positive skewnesses are shown to be generally associated with conditions of strong surface stability and weak lower-tropospheric wind shear. Long-term tower observations from Cabauw, the Netherlands, and Los Alamos, New Mexico, demonstrate that lower-tropospheric wind speeds become more positively skewed than the corresponding Weibull distribution only in the shallow (~50 m) nocturnal boundary layer. This skewness is associated with two populations of nighttime winds: (i) strongly stably stratified with strong wind shear and (ii) weakly stably or unstably stratified with weak wind shear. Using an idealized two-layer model of the boundary layer momentum budget, it is shown that the observed variability of the daytime and nighttime surface wind speeds can be accounted for through a stochastic representation of intermittent turbulent mixing at the nocturnal boundary layer inversion.
Response of a Large Stratified Estuary to Wind Events: Observations, Simulations, and Theory for Long Island Sound
Authors: Whitney Michael M. , Codiga Daniel L.
Published: February 2011

The response to wind events in the Long Island Sound (LIS), a large macrotidal estuary influenced by rotation and stratification, is studied using long-term ferry-based current observations near the mouth, unstratified and stratified numerical simulations forced with along-estuary winds, and analytic solutions based on linear barotropic theory. The observed wind-event velocity anomalies for down-estuary winds have surface-intensified downwind flows flanking a deeper central upwind flow. Response to up-estuary wind events has a weaker magnitude and a broader and thicker downwind flow. The downwind and upwind flows are more laterally aligned than vertically layered, as determined by a newly defined dimensionless lateral alignment index. Simulation results and analytic solutions share the gross spatial patterns of the observed response, though statistical measures indicate weak agreement. Along-estuary variations in the simulation results and analytic solutions follow similar trends and are strongly influenced by variations of the bathymetric cross section. Wind-event anomalies in the section-averaged dynamics are dominated by the along-estuary pressure gradient opposing wind stress. In the stratified simulation, wind-driven density advection, isopycnal straining, and stirring modify stratification, eddy viscosities, and baroclinic pressure gradients. The wind-event response of the baroclinic pressure gradient is 15% of the barotropic gradient but is dynamically linked to response differences to up-estuary and down-estuary winds. The wind-event response asymmetries near the mouth are in qualitative agreement with observations and are opposite to asymmetries closer to the head.
Protesting While Black?
Authors: Davenport Christian , Soule Sarah A. , Armstrong David A.
Published: February 2011

How does the race of protesters affect how police respond to protest events? Drawing on the protest policing literature and on theories of race and ethnic relations, we explore the idea that police view African American protesters as especially threatening and that this threat leads to a greater probability of policing. We examine more than 15,000 protest events that took place in the United States between 1960 and 1990 and find that in many years, African American protest events are more likely than white protest events to draw police presence and that once at events, police are more likely to take action at African American protest events. Additional analyses complicate these findings by showing that they vary over time. In many years, for example, African American protest events are no more likely than white protest events to be policed. While there is support for a “Protesting While Black” phenomenon, it is not invariant across the entire period of inquiry.
Constructing Citizenship
Authors: Glenn Evelyn Nakano
Published: February 2011

This Presidential Address develops a sociological concept of citizenship, particularly substantive citizenship, as fundamentally a matter of belonging, including recognition by other members of the community. In this conception, citizenship is not simply a fixed legal status, but a fluid status that is produced through everyday practices and struggles. Historical examples illustrate the way in which boundaries of membership are enforced and challenged in everyday interactions. The experience of undocumented immigrant college students is particularly illuminating. These students occupy a position of liminal legality, which transcends fixed categories such as legal and illegal. As they go about their daily lives, their standing is affirmed in some settings and denied in others. Furthermore, the undocumented student movement, which asserts that education is a human and social right, represents a form of insurgent citizenship, one that challenges dominant formulations and offers an alternative and more inclusive conception.
Seasonal Assault and Neighborhood Deprivation in South Africa
Authors: Breetzke Gregory D. , Cohn Ellen G.
Published: February 2011

Little is known about spatial and temporal variations of violent crime in South Africa. This article addresses this gap by investigating the seasonality of assault at a neighborhood level in the city of Tshwane. The authors first investigate whether assault is seasonal, and then examine the association between seasonal levels of assault and area measures of social deprivation for urban neighborhoods in Tshwane. Similar to previous international research, the authors found that assault is seasonal, with higher incidences of assault in summer. Deprived neighborhoods exhibited higher rates of assault than more affluent neighborhoods. Assault levels in urban neighborhoods were found to be socially stratified and spatially patterned regardless of the season of the year. More deprived neighborhoods had higher assault rates in summer, whereas in winter, assault rates were more equably split over neighborhoods ranging from high to low deprivation. More affluent neighborhoods typically exhibited lower assault rates in summer.
China’s New-Age Small Farms and Their Vertical Integration: Agribusiness or Co-ops?
Authors: Huang Philip C. C.
Published: February 2011

The future of Chinese agriculture lies not with large mechanized farms but with small capital-labor dual intensifying family farms for livestock-poultry-fish raising and vegetable-fruit cultivation. Chinese food consumption patterns have been changing from the old 8:1:1 pattern of 8 parts grain, 1 part meat, and 1 part vegetables to a 4:3:3 pattern, with a corresponding transformation in agricultural structure. Small family-farming is better suited for the new-age agriculture, including organic farming, than large-scale mechanized farming, because of the intensive, incremental, and variegated hand labor involved, not readily open to economies of scale, though compatible with economies of scope. It is also better suited to the realities of severe population pressure on land. But it requires vertical integration from cultivation to processing to marketing, albeit without horizontal integration for farming. It is against such a background that co-ops have arisen spontaneously for integrating small farms with processing and marketing. The Chinese government, however, has been supporting aggressively capitalistic agribusinesses as the preferred mode of vertical integration. At present, Chinese agriculture is poised at a crossroads, with the future organizational mode for vertical integration as yet uncertain.
The Origins of Extraversion: Joint Effects of Facultative Calibration and Genetic Polymorphism
Authors: Lukaszewski Aaron W. , Roney James R.
Published: February 2011

The origins of variation in extraversion are largely mysterious. Recent theories and some findings suggest that personality variation can be orchestrated by specific genetic polymorphisms. Few studies, however, have examined an alternative hypothesis that personality traits are facultatively calibrated to variations in other phenotypic features, and none have considered how these distinct processes may interact in personality determination. Since physical strength and physical attractiveness likely predicted the reproductive payoffs of extraverted behavioral strategies over most of human history, it was theorized that extraversion is calibrated to variation in these characteristics. Confirming these predicted patterns, strength and attractiveness together explained a surprisingly large fraction of variance in extraversion across two studies— effects that were independent of variance explained by an androgen receptor gene polymorphism. These novel findings initially support an integrative model wherein facultative calibration and specific genetic polymorphisms operate in concert to determine personality variation.
Adolescent Political Activism and Long-Term Happiness: A 21-Year Longitudinal Study on the Development of Micro- and Macrosocial Worries
Authors: Boehnke Klaus , Wong Becky
Published: February 2011

Utilizing latent growth modeling, the long-term development of worries among peace movement supporters is examined. Data originate from a seven-wave German longitudinal study started in 1985 with on average 14-year-olds. Waves were interspersed 3 and a half years each. Activists are assumed to have lower (self-related) microworries (Hypothesis 1) and higher macroworries (concerned with larger entities; Hypothesis 2) than nonactivists at the onset of the study. Nonactivists who appraised the threat of nuclear war as high in 1985 are assumed to report worse mental health than their activist age-mates 21 years later (Hypothesis 3). Activists are assumed to express relatively more macroworries than nonactivists in midadulthood (Hypothesis 4). All four hypotheses were confirmed. Results are interpreted in a stress-coping (Lazarus) and resource (Elder) framework, suggesting that refraining from acting out against a perceived sociopolitical threat is a long-term risk for a positive mental health trajectory.
Watching the Football Game: Broadcasting Rights for the European Digital Television Market
Authors: Evens Tom , Lefever Katrien
Published: February 2011

In Europe, heavy competition between broadcasters for sports broadcasting rights and consumer’s attention has raised policy questions concerning both competition and content issues. Exclusivity of sports broadcasting rights may foreclose new media markets and deprive the public access to major sports coverage. This interdisciplinary article is at the crossroad of media, economic, and regulatory studies, and it aims at providing a more holistic analysis of topical issues in the sports broadcasting rights industry, with particular focus on both upstream and downstream markets. It is argued that a concise regulatory framework is required to grant fair access to mediated sports in society.
Predictors of Malignancy in Patients with a Thyroid Nodule That Contains Hürthle Cells
Authors: Turanli Sevim , Pirhan Yavuz , Ozcelik Caglar Kazim , Cetin Abdullah
Published: February 2011

Objective

Fine needle aspiration cytology of a thyroid nodule with Hürthle cells can be present in both benign and malignant diseases of the thyroid. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that predict malignancy in patients who underwent thyroidectomy with a preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology that contains a predominance of Hürthle cells.

Study Design

Retrospective data collection.

Setting

Tertiary referral center.

Subjects and Methods

Medical records of 70 consecutive patients were reviewed between March 2005 and August 2010. Predictive factors, as well as age, gender, preoperative serum thyroid‐stimulating hormone level, the microscopic findings of fine needle aspiration, ultrasonographic appearance, and size and number of nodules in the pathology report, were correlated with final histopathologic diagnosis of benign or malignant disease.

Results

Patients’ final pathology showed that 21 patients (30%) had malignant disease, of whom 15 patients (71.4%) had papillary carcinoma and 6 patients (28.6%) had Hürthle cell carcinoma. Forty‐nine (70%) patients had benign disease (hyperplastic/adenomatoid nodule in 24 patients, Hashimoto thyroiditis in 18 patients, Hürthle cell adenoma in 5 patients, and follicular adenoma in 2 patients). The rate of malignancy was higher in male patients (42.9% vs 28.6%), with nodules measuring ≥2 cm (36.7% vs 25.0%), the presence of a solitary nodule (34.3% vs 27.7%), and the presence of metaplasia in fine needle aspiration (36.4% vs 27.1%), although none was found to be significant (P >. 05).

Conclusion

Thyroid nodules that are reported in cytology as Hürthle cell lesions require surgery to differentiate benign from malignant disease.
The suitability of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model in open access adoption studies
Authors: Dulle Frankwell W. , Minishi-Majanja M.K.
Published: February 2011

Technology acceptance models or theories are commonly used in studies aiming at predicting and explaining the individual behaviours towards the acceptance and usage of new technologies. This paper reports part of the findings from a doctoral research project which focused at analysing the acceptance and usage of open access within public universities in Tanzania. The study was guided by the Unified Theory of Technology Acceptance and Usage (UTAUT) model). The survey questionnaire targeted 544 respondents selected through stratified random sampling from a population of 1088 university researchers at six public universities in Tanzania. A response rate of 73 percent was achieved and the binary logistic regression statistics of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analysis. The study findings suggest support for the application of the UTAUT model in studying the adoption of open access in a research environment. Among the findings, attitude, awareness, effort expectancy and performance expectancy were established as the key determinants for the researchers’ behavioural intentions of open access usage. Similarly, age, awareness, behavioural intention, facilitating conditions and social influence were found to significantly affect researchers’ actual usage of open access. These factors should therefore be taken into account in the planning and implementation of open access projects. A further validation of the open access research model in similar research institutions in Tanzania and elsewhere is recommended.
Marketing information resources and services on the web: current status of academic libraries in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Kaba Abdoulaye
Published: February 2011

This paper seeks to analyze and describe the current status of academic library websites. It specifically targets public and private universities and colleges accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation, Ministry of High Education, United Arab Emirates. A total of 29 academic library websites were examined using a checklist of criteria developed from the previous studies and current websites. Most of the websites were visited at least two times during the assessment which started by checking the availability of direct and non-direct links from the home page of the parent institution followed by website assessment against the checklist. The study confirmed that websites are not fully utilized for marketing library resources and services. A large majority of libraries did not make any effort to provide online literacy courses, live supports, copyright documents, and online user surveys. Likewise, more than 80 percent of the websites could not be read in Arabic.
Eliciting Benefit–Risk Preferences and Probability-Weighted Utility Using Choice-Format Conjoint Analysis
Authors: Van Houtven George , Johnson F. Reed , Kilambi Vikram , Hauber A. Brett
Published: February 2011

This study applies conjoint analysis to estimate health-related benefit-risk tradeoffs in a non-expected-utility framework. We demonstrate how this method can be used to test for and estimate nonlinear weighting of adverse-event probabilities and we explore the implications of nonlinear weighting on maximum acceptable risk (MAR) measures of risk tolerance. We obtained preference data from 570 Crohn’s disease patients using a web-enabled conjoint survey. Respondents were presented with choice tasks involving treatment options that involve different efficacy benefits and different mortality risks for 3 possible side effects. Using conditional logit maximum likelihood estimation, we estimate preference parameters using 3 models that allow for nonlinear preference weighting of risks—a categorical model, a simple-weighting model, and a rank dependent utility (RDU) model. For the second 2 models we specify and jointly estimate 1- and 2-parameter probability weighting functions. Although the 2-parameter functions are more flexible, estimation of the 1-parameter functions generally performed better. Despite well-known conceptual limitations, the simple-weighting model allows us to estimate weighting function parameters that vary across 3 risk types, and we find some evidence of statistically significant differences across risks. The parameter estimates from RDU model with the single-parameter weighting function provide the most robust estimates of MAR. For an improvement in Crohn’s symptom severity from moderate and mild, we estimate maximum 10-year mortality risk tolerances ranging from 2.6% to 7.1%. Our results provide further the evidence that quantitative benefit-risk analysis used to evaluate medical interventions should account explicitly for the nonlinear probability weighting of preferences.
Testicular apoptosis and histopathological changes induced by a 2.45 GHz electromagnetic field
Authors: Saygin M. , Caliskan S. , Karahan N. , Koyu A. , Gumral N. , Uguz AC
Published: February 2011

There is a growing public concern about the potential human health hazard caused by exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR). The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of 2450 mhz electromagnetic field on apoptosis and histopathological changes on rat testis tissue. Twelve-week-old male Wistar Albino rats were used in this study. Eighteen rats equally divided into three different groups which were named group I, II and III. Cage control (group I), sham control (group II) and 2.45 GHz EMR (group III) groups were formed. Group III were exposed to 2.45 GHz EMR, at 3.21 W/kg specific absorption rate for 60 minutes/ day for 28 days. There was no difference among the groups for the diameter of the seminiferous tubules, pyknotic, karyolectic and karyotic cells. However, the number of Leydig cells of testis tissue of the rats in group III was significantly reduced comparing with the group I (p < 0.05). Estimation of spermatogenesis using the Johnsen testicular biopsy score revealed that the difference between groups is statistically significant. The level of TNF-α, Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 were compared, and no significant difference was found between the groups. When Bax apoptosis genes and Caspase-8 apoptosis enzyme were compared, there were significant differences between the groups (p < 0.05). Electromagnetic field affects spermatogenesis and causes to apoptosis due to the heat and other stress-related events in testis tissue.
Assessment of some renal indices in people occupationally exposed to lead
Authors: Onuegbu AJ , Olisekodiaka MJ , Nwaba EI , Adeyeye AD , Akinola FFS
Published: February 2011

Exposure to lead has been reported to have adverse health implications. An assessment of renal function in people occupationally exposed to lead was carried out using the following biochemical markers urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate. A total of 53 test subjects (mean age 30.9 ± 7.7) were randomly selected among some workers occupationally exposed to lead in Osogbo city and 42 apparently healthy subjects (mean age 30.1 ± 1.2) were used as controls. The plasma urea, creatinine, chloride and bicarbonate concentration were determined using modified Berthelot method, Jaffe’s reaction, Schales and Schales method and back titration methods, respectively. The plasma sodium and potassium concentrations were determined using flame emission spectrophotometry while blood lead level was also determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The result showed significant increases in mean plasma concentration of creatinine (84.9 ± 13.6—97.4 ± 28.7 μmol/L), sodium (131.9 ± 3.9—134.8 ± 3.7 mmol/L) and chloride (98.2 ± 4.0—100.4 ± 3.9 mmol/L) in test subjects when compared with controls (p < 0.05). Furthermore, significant increases (p < 0.01) were observed in mean plasma concentration of urea (4.7 ± 1.2—5.7 ± 1.3 mmol/L) and blood lead levels (18.5 ± 3.5—69.7 ± 13.2 mg/L) in test subjects in comparison with controls. In contrast, there were no significant differences observed when mean plasma potassium and bicarbonate levels in test subjects were compared with controls (p > 0.05). These results indicate that occupational exposure to lead may compromise renal function.
Cerebellar Hemorrhage in Extremely Low Birth Weight Siblings: Is There a Familial Disposition?
Authors: Sabir Hemmen , Felsberg Jörg , Liebner Stefan , Hadzik Berit , Mayatepek Ertan , Hoehn Thomas
Published: February 2011

Cerebellar hemorrhage is an underrecognized complication in the preterm neonate. It is multifactorial including combined maternal, intrapartum, and early postnatal factors. We present the case of 2 preterm brothers, 24 + 1 and 24 + 3 weeks of gestation, who both died because of cerebellar hemorrhage. We sought familial pathogenic factors predisposing to cerebellar hemorrhage. Cerebral imaging performed by ultrasonography through the anterior fontanel was normal and showed no signs of bleeding or brain edema. Postmortem neuropathologic findings confirmed cerebellar hemorrhagic lesions in both infants. Cerebellar vessels showed no signs of morphologic disorders or malformations. There might be a hint to a familial disposition. Neonatal cranial ultrasound protocols should include brainstem and posterior fossa examination with specific scans through the mastoid fontanel.
Outsourcing Self-Regulation
Authors: Fitzsimons Gráinne M. , Finkel Eli J.
Published: February 2011

Three studies demonstrate a novel phenomenon— self-regulatory outsourcing—in which thinking about how other people can be instrumental (i.e., helpful) for a given goal undermines motivation to expend effort on that goal. In Experiment 1, participants who thought about how their partner helped them with health goals (as opposed to career goals) planned to spend less time and effort on health goals in the upcoming week. This pattern was stronger for depleted participants than for nondepleted participants. In Experiment 2, participants who thought about how their partner helped them with academic-achievement goals procrastinated more, leaving themselves less time for an academic task, than did participants in two control conditions. This pattern was stronger for participants who were told that procrastinating would drain their resources for the academic task than for participants who were told that procrastinating would not drain their resources for that task. In Experiment 3, participants who decreased their effort after thinking of an instrumental significant other reported higher relationship commitment to that individual than did participants who did not decrease their effort. The possibility for shared (or transactive) self-regulation is discussed.
Visual Distortion of Body Size Modulates Pain Perception
Authors: Mancini Flavia , Longo Matthew R. , Kammers Marjolein P.M. , Haggard Patrick
Published: February 2011

Pain is a complex subjective experience that is shaped by numerous contextual factors. For example, simply viewing the body reduces the reported intensity of acute physical pain. In this study, we investigated whether this visually induced analgesia is modulated by the visual size of the stimulated body part. We measured contact heat-pain thresholds while participants viewed either their own hand or a neutral object in three size conditions: reduced, actual size, or enlarged. Vision of the body was analgesic, increasing heat-pain thresholds by an average of 3.2 °C. We further found that visual enlargement of the viewed hand enhanced analgesia, whereas visual reduction of the hand decreased analgesia. These results demonstrate that pain perception depends on multisensory representations of the body and that visual distortions of body size modulate sensory components of pain.
Holocene history of Lac des Lauzons (2180 m a.s.l.), reconstructed from multiproxy analyses of Coleoptera, plant macroremains and pollen (Hautes-Alpes, France)
Authors: Ponel Philippe , Court-Picon Mona , Badura Monika , Guiter Frédéric , de Beaulieu Jacques-Louis , Andrieu-Ponel Valérie , Djamali Morteza , Leydet Michèle , Gandouin Emmanuel , Buttler Alexandre
Published: February 2011

A 1.70 m core extracted from the Lac des Lauzons, Haut Champsaur, French Alps, at 2180 m altitude, provided a detailed Holocene record of beetles, pollen and plant macrofossils, enabling the reconstruction of local palaeoenvironmental changes during the last 10 000 years. After an early phase of colonization by plants and insects, corresponding to the Lateglacial interstadial, a long phase of relative stability of the ecosystems (at least in the vicinity of the lake) is recorded. Strikingly, there is no evidence from beetle and plant macrofossils that the treeline reached the altitude of Lauzons during the Holocene climate optimum, although this period is characterized by major forest expansion in many high-altitude sites in the southern French Alps. The uppermost part of the record is blurred by the infilling of the lake, progressively turning into a peat bog. This sequence also provides an opportunity to compare the records of coprophilous fungal spores and coprophilous beetles and to improve the interpretation of these proxies in terms of their significance as proxies for pastoralism.
How Can Education Help Latin America Develop?
Authors: Puryear Jeffrey , Goodspeed Tamara Ortega
Published: February 2011

This article analyzes the role of education in Latin America’s development over the last two decades and recommends much greater emphasis on promoting learning, particularly among the poor. It documents significant progress in getting more children into school but little progress in making sure they reach minimum levels of learning (measured by scores on achievement tests). The authors find that the chief obstacles to improving the region’s education systems are both technical (weak institutions and poor teaching) and political (teachers’ unions that cling to the status quo and little political support for fundamental reform). The authors identify twelve policies they believe will improve the contribution education makes to development.
Report on the 2008 ISAGA Summer School
Authors: van de Westelaken Marleen
Published: February 2011

This article reports on the 2008 ISAGA Summer School held in New Delhi (Gurgaon), India. This Summer School was hosted by the Institute for Integrated Learning in Management. Participants came from all over the world. This year’s theme was “The Art and Science of Simulation and Gaming Design and Facilitation for Business and Management.”
Is Vitamin D Deficiency Associated With Heart Failure? A Review of Current Evidence
Authors: Agarwal Megha , Phan Anita , Willix Robert , Barber Mickey , Schwarz Ernst R.
Published: February 2011

An estimated 1 billion people worldwide have deficient or insufficient levels of vitamin D. Even more alarming is the association of vitamin D deficiency with many types of diseases, particularly heart failure (HF). Hypovitaminosis D has been observed to be highly prevalent in the HF community with rates varying from approximately 80% to 95%. Higher rates of deficiency have been linked to winter months, in patients with protracted decompensated HF, darker skin pigmentation, and higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes. In fact, some data suggest vitamin D deficiency may even be an independent predictor of mortality in patients with HF. Traditionally obtained through UV exposure and activated in the liver and then the kidneys, vitamin D is classified as a vitamin but functions as a steroid hormone. The hormone acts through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which is expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells, renal juxtaglomerular cells, and most interestingly, cardiac myocytes. Studies have shown that the association between vitamin D deficiency and HF often manifests in the structural components of cardiac myocytes and/or through alterations of the neurohormonal cascade. In addition, vitamin D may also act rapidly through intracellular nongenomic receptors that alter cardiac contractility. Unfortunately, prospective vitamin D supplementation trials show mixed results. In rat models, successful correction of deficiency was associated with reductions in ventricular hypertrophy. In humans, however, echocardiographic dimensions did not change significantly. These results bring into questions whether vitamin D is a risk factor for HF, a marker of HF disease severity, or has a true pathologic role. This article provides a thorough review of vitamin D deficiency etiology, prevalence, and possible pathophysiologic role in HF. Furthermore, we carefully review prospective trials on vitamin D therapy in HF. We believe more trials on vitamin D therapy in HF need to be conducted before any conclusions can be drawn.
Collaborating With Police Departments: Recruitment in the Oklahoma Lethality Assessment (OK-LA) Study
Authors: Messing Jill Theresa , Cimino Andrea , Campbell Jacquelyn C. , Brown Sheryll , Patchell Beverly , Wilson Janet Sullivan
Published: February 2011

In a study to evaluate a collaborative police and social service intervention, researchers asked police officers to recruit intimate partner violence victims at the scene of domestic violence incidents. This article reviews the process of building successful partnerships with police departments as well as the strategies developed with collaborating police departments to create successful recruitment methods and enhance officer and department engagement with recruitment procedures. Over a period of 298 days, 800 victims were referred to the research study. Of these referrals, we were unable to contact 41.3%; of those contacted ( n = 471), we conducted interv iews with 67.73%.
Emerging Issues in the Measurement of Rape Victimization
Authors: Cook Sarah L. , Gidycz Christine A. , Koss Mary P. , Murphy Megan
Published: February 2011

We provide an overview of emerging directions in the measurement of rape, the most extreme form of sexual victimization. The context for our overview is how operational definitions of rape have evolved, where consensus has emerged, and where it eludes the field. We discuss two approaches to the detection of rape victimization in survey methods, namely behaviorally specific questions and a new, two-stage approach, and how each can be evaluated in terms of validity. We point out promises and pitfalls of the two-stage approach and make suggestions for its implementation and evaluation. We conclude that all empirical research to date supports the use of behaviorally specific compared to broad questions, that a standard definition of rape and its components of act, tactics, and nonconsent is imperative to move the field forward, and that research to systematically validate methods of detecting rape victimization is needed. To that end, we propose an agenda.
Advancing the Study of Violence Against Women Using Mixed Methods: Integrating Qualitative Methods Into a Quantitative Research Program
Authors: Testa Maria , Livingston Jennifer A. , VanZile-Tamsen Carol
Published: February 2011

A mixed methods approach, combining quantitative with qualitative data methods and analysis, offers a promising means of advancing the study of violence. Integrating semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis into a quantitative program of research on women’s sexual victimization has resulted in valuable scientific insight and generation of novel hypotheses for testing. This mixed methods approach is described and recommendations for integrating qualitative data into quantitative research are provided.
Prostitutes as Victims of Serial Homicide: Trends and Case Characteristics, 1970-2009
Authors: Quinet Kenna
Published: February 2011

This work includes a count of solved serial murder cases in the United States from 1970 to 2009. The number of serial murder cases has declined; the likelihood that a victim is a female has increased somewhat and although the numbers of all types of serial murder victims has declined, when a case occurs, victims are increasingly likely to be prostitutes, particularly female prostitutes. U.S. serial murder cases with prostitute victims accounted for 32% of all U.S. serial murder cases involving female victims only, 1970-2009. However, the proportion of solved cases involving female prostitute victims only increased across the study period from 16% during 1970-1979 to a high of 69% during 2000-2009. Prostitute killers amass a greater average number of victims than do nonprostitute killers and when analyzed by decade, those who kill primarily prostitutes, kill for slightly longer periods of time. The implications of findings for prevention and investigation efforts are discussed.
A global knowledge economy?
Authors: Lofgren Hans , Benner Mats
Published: February 2011

This article critiques the notion of a cross-national convergence of institutional and policy responses to science-based technologies. The continued significance of institutional legacies is demonstrated through a comparative analysis of strategies for the biopharma industry in two radically different settings: India and the European Union (EU). Tensions are evident in both the EU ‘high’ route and the mixed strategy pursued in India. State promotion of biopharma is seen in India as a pathway to economic development, framed by a vision of India as a global power. Here, the ‘low’ route of cost advantages is combined with a ‘global’ rhetoric of innovation, modeled on US experience, and uneven forays into advanced R&D. The pursuit of product innovation was reinforced by India’s adoption of TRIPS-mandated intellectual property rights. In the EU, the aim is an integrated policy and regulatory approach to sustain and legitimize European integration, with the ultimate intent of overtaking the USA.
Parental mediation of teenagers’ video game playing: Antecedents and consequences
Authors: Wonsun Shin  , Jisu Huh
Published: February 2011

This study analyzed nationally representative survey data of teenagers and parents in the USA to investigate parental mediation of teenagers’ video game playing and its influence on various types of teenagers’ gaming behaviors. Three forms of parental mediation of video game playing were examined: co-playing, game rating checking, and stopping children from playing games. A weak and negative correlation was found between teenagers’ age and parental mediation. Also, parents who presumed negative influence of video games were more likely to restrict video game playing of their teenage children. Parental mediation — particularly game rating checking — was found to be significantly related to teenagers’ game playing frequency and engagement in deceptive gaming behaviors.
Re-constructing digital democracy: An outline of four ‘positions’
Authors: Dahlberg Lincoln
Published: February 2011

There is currently a diversity of understandings of digital democracy being deployed within popular commentary, research, policy making, and practical initiative. However, there is a lack of resources clearly outlining this diversity; this article undertakes such an outline. It provides a reconstruction of four digital democracy positions. These four positions are referred to here as liberal-individualist, deliberative, counter-publics, and autonomist Marxist. The delineation of each position draws from critical-interpretative research and has been developed with respect to three elements: the democratic subject assumed, the related conception of democracy promoted, and the associated democratic affordances of digital media technology. The aim is to draw attention to different understandings of what extending democracy through digital media means, and to provide a framework for further examination and evaluation of digital democracy rhetoric and practice.
Prediction of Natural History of Neuromuscular Properties After Stroke Using Fugl-Meyer Scores at 1 Month
Authors: Mirbagheri Mehdi M. , Lilaonitkul Thanan , Rymer William Zev
Published: February 2011

Background. The link between spasticity and impaired voluntary movement after stroke remains unclear because of the lack of suitable tools characterizing properties of spastic muscles. Describing this relationship early poststroke can potentially help predict the extent and time course of recovery. Objective. To describe the time course of changes in neuromuscular properties after stroke using the upper extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) at 1 month to predict recovery patterns over 1 year. Methods.Using a parallel cascade system identification technique, this study characterized intrinsic and reflex behaviors for different mean elbow joint angles, at specified times poststroke. Then the “growth mixture” model was used to characterize recovery patterns over 1 year. Logistic regression analyses were applied to predict these patterns. The impact of patient characteristics was also investigated. Results. In 21 stroke survivors, 14 had sustained hemorrhage and 7 had thromboses. The study observed several recovery classes, relating intrinsic and reflex stiffness magnitudes with changing elbow angle at different time points. The largest group (48%) showed progressive increase in reflex stiffness over time, but 33% showed declining reflex stiffness over the same period. A third class (19%) showed invariant reflex properties. These differences were linked to the initial reflex magnitudes. The FMA at 1 month showed an inverse relationship with key reflex patterns and proved to be a strong predictor of class membership. Stroke type was also influential. Conclusions. The logistical regression class may enable us to accurately predict reflex responses during the first year, allowing us to apportion impairment between central and peripheral mechanisms.
Chronic pain in the neonate: a research design connecting Ancient Delphi to the modern ‘Dutch Polder’
Authors: van Ganzewinkel Christ-jan , Andriessen Peter
Published: February 2011

Introduction: To date research on neonatal pain has focused mainly on acute or procedural pain. It is recognised that prolonged or chronic pain exists in this age group. Studies on this subject fail to provide a clear description of chronic pain in the neonate.

Objectives: To identify the most appropriate consensus-building method in order to answer three research questions concerning the definition of chronic pain in the neonate, the etiology and the clinical signs and symptoms.

Methodology: We performed a literature search with regards to the methodology of the Delphi method, the Nominal Group Technique and the Consensus Development Conference.

Results: We found only sparse data reviewing the Nominal Group Technique and the Consensus Development Method. More data was found for the Delphi method.

Discussion: We chose to design a Delphi survey in the light of our research questions. The main arguments were the ability to include experts from all over the globe, and the low probability of introducing bias.

Conclusion: All three methods have strong and weak points. A major criterion should be the validity of the design. However, conclusions on validity are hampered by the marginal amount of papers found for two of the three designs.
Diabetic Retinopathy and Its Risk Factors in a Population-Based Study
Authors: George Masil , Harper Richard , Balamurugan Appathurai , Kilmer Greta , Bynum LaTonya
Published: February 2011

Aim: To assess the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and its risk factors among people with diabetes using a population-based survey and discuss strategies that can be used to both prevent and manage diabetes-related complications in a primary care setting. Methods: The prevalence of self-reported doctor-diagnosed diabetic retinopathy and its risk factors were estimated using data from the Arkansas Behavioral Risk Factor Survey, 2003–2007. Five years of survey data were combined and weighted to the population to assess the risk factors that predict the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy. The study involved 2477 people who reported that they have been diagnosed with diabetes. Results: Twenty-two percent of survey respondents with diabetes had been diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. Using a multivariate adjusted model, blacks (odds ratio [OR] = 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26, 2.45), those with some high school education (OR = 2.78, 95% CI, 1.80, 4.28), people with diabetes for more than 10 years (OR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.61, 2.85), people on insulin treatment (OR = 2.35, 95% CI 1.78, 3.08), those who had taken a course to manage their diabetes (OR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.20, 1.99), and those with chronic foot ulcers (OR = 2.24, 95% CI 1.62, 3.09) were more likely to have been diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. Conclusions: The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and its risk factors are evident. Novel approaches to increase the screening and treatment of these frequent complications are key to optimize diabetes care.
Patient Dose Benchmarking
Authors: Robins Jeff
Published: February 2011

With the focus on radiation dose to patients becoming more prevalent in the past few months, steps need to be taken to ensure the safe use of fluoroscopy for patients coming to the cardiovascular lab for procedures that are becoming more and more complex. Technology exists within newer imaging systems that allows providers to establish benchmarks with respect to patient dose and therefore create protocols that will automatically trigger quality review of patients who receive a relatively high dose.
Essential Managerial Skills in the Cath Lab
Authors: Pye Patricia M.
Published: February 2011

This article outlines some essential management skills needed in the cath lab today from the perspective of an experienced senior leader of a multiple hospital cath lab environment. Whether one is interested in advancing or is in management currently, the information provided in this article will help the reader better understand the complexities of the cath lab and how to juggle the many priorities necessary to be successful.
Transradial Versus Transfemoral Approach in Coronary Angiography and Intervention
Authors: Kanjanauthai Somsupha , Napier Rebecca , Raja Talat , Arora Vishal
Published: February 2011

It is still debated whether a transradial approach or a transfemoral approach is better for coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention. This article will provide a focused review on different aspects of the two approaches.
Crossing the Health Care Chasm
Authors: Beveridge Richard N.
Published: February 2011

The U.S. health care industry is standing on the precipice of an ever widening and deepening chasm. The breadth and depth of the health care chasm is affected by economics fueled by the unsustainable costs of providing services to an aging population and not having the means to pay for the costs. Reimbursement changes are driving physician-hospital integration primarily through physician employment models. Population growth primarily due to the baby-boomer population who start turning 65 years of age on January 2011 will increase demand for cardiac and vascular services. Timely and convenient access to services will be problematic as the number of physicians required may be stretched to capacity coupled with the likelihood that many cardiologists take early retirement given reimbursement changes. Augmenting the reimbursement challenges is the ever shrinking number of workers per Medicare beneficiary. Current legislation does little to address these challenges and may actually exacerbate them.
Coronary Stent Fracture
Authors: Nair Ravi N. , Quadros Kenneth
Published: February 2011

Coronary stent fracture is a relatively uncommon and rare complication of stent implantation. The reported incidence of stent fracture among drug-eluting stents ranges from 1% to 8%. Since 2003, when the use of drug-eluding stents was approved by the FDA for the treatment of coronary atherosclerosis, a number of retrospective and prospective studies and case reports have been published. We reviewed these publications to determine the incidence, predictors, clinical implications, and different management strategies for drug-eluding stent fracture in the coronary arteries. A review of the literature showed that the risk for stent fracture was higher with right coronary artery location, increased vessel tortuosity and angulation prior to stenting, use of overlapping stents, and use of longer stents. A higher risk of bare metal stent fracture was reported in saphenous vein bypass grafts. The authors also report in this issue in the Department “Case Study” a symptomatic fracture of a sirolimus-eluding Cypher® stent in the mid-left anterior descending artery.
Things Fall Apart
Authors: Hawkins Darnell F.
Published: February 2011

Using nearly three decades of major and sometimes abrupt change in U.S. crime rates as a backdrop, this essay probes the perennial question of what accounts for well-documented ethnic and racial disparities in criminal offending. The concept of internal colonialism is offered as a conceptual framework for the study and explanation of those enduring differences.