bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contextualizing Interest Scales With Emojis: Implications for Measurement and Validity
Authors: Phan Wei Ming Jonathan , Amrhein Rachel , Rounds James , Lewis Phil
Published: December 2017

The affective nature of emojis makes them suited for anchoring scales to measure the affective preferences of vocational interest. In Study 1, we conducted a content analysis to identify the five images that best represent a bipolar continuum from strongly like to strongly dislike. In Study 2, we compared the psychometric properties of traditional lexical anchors to those of the emoji anchors identified in Study 1 and tested the predictive validity of emoji-anchored scales. Results show emoji-anchored scales possess similar psychometric properties as lexical-anchored scales. Importantly, the interest-fit using contextualized emoji scales predicts job satisfaction better compared to lexical scales ( remoji (226) = .41 versus rlexical (226) = .13). Overall, this article (1) provides researchers with a validated public-domain emoji anchors, (2) demonstrates that emoji anchors possess the same the robust psychometric properties as lexical anchors, and (3) illustrates how emoji-anchored scales can be potentially better for measuring vocational interests.
Prevalence of Os Trigonum on CT Imaging
Authors: Zwiers Ruben , Baltes Thomas P. A. , Opdam Kim T. M. , Wiegerinck Johannes I. , van Dijk C. Niek
Published: December 2017

Background:

The os trigonum is known as one of the main causes of posterior ankle impingement. In the literature, a wide variation of occurrence has been reported.

Methods:

All foot and/or ankle computed tomography (CT) scans made between January 2012 and December 2013 were reviewed. CT images were assessed, blinded for patient characteristics, for the presence of an os trigonum, size of the os trigonum, and type of os trigonum. In addition, the shape of the lateral tubercle of the posterior talar process was assessed.

Results:

A total of 628 patients (1256 ankles) were included. In 32.5% of the patients of the cohort, an os trigonum was present. In 14.3% of these patients, it was present bilaterally. In a subgroup of patients without posterior ankle impingement the prevalence was 30.3%. Of the nonaffected ankles, an os trigonum was present in 23.7%. Patients with posterior ankle impingement were more likely to have an os trigonum (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.86). Afro-Caribbean/Surinamese/Central African origin was associated with a lower rate of occurrence of os trigonum (adjusted OR 0.43). In the ankles without an os trigonum, an enlarged lateral tubercle of the posterior talar process was found in 34.9% and 36.5% of the ankles.

Conclusion:

This study showed that os trigonum is a common accessory bone. With a prevalence of 30.3% in a population of patients with CT imaging of both ankles and 23.7% of the nonaffected ankles, the os trigonum is more common than previously reported. Patients with posterior ankle impingement complaints had a higher prevalence of an os trigonum. In one-third of the patients without an os trigonum, there was an enlarged lateral tubercle of the posterior talar process.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, retrospective comparative study.
Efficacy of Particulated Juvenile Cartilage Allograft Transplantation for Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus
Authors: Dekker Travis J. , Steele John R. , Federer Andrew E. , Easley Mark E. , Hamid Kamran S. , Adams Samuel B.
Published: December 2017

Background:

Particulated juvenile cartilage allograft transplantation (PJCAT) is a novel treatment option for osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs). It is typically employed as a salvage procedure after initial debridement and microfracture has failed as it is theorized to deliver viable hyaline cartilage. We hypothesized that PJCAT would be a safe and effective treatment option for OLTs.

Methods:

This is a retrospective case-control study of patients who underwent PJCAT for the treatment of OLTs at a single academic institution. Failure of the procedure was defined as no change or worsening of symptoms and/or the need for a subsequent cartilage restoration procedure. Variables recorded included preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) area and volume, intraoperative size, etiology, lesion location, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), history of prior surgery, American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society score, and foot and ankle outcome score. Fifteen patients completed a minimum of 12 months of follow-up (mean, 34.6 months).

Results:

The failure rate of PJCAT in this series was 40% (6/15). Preoperative MRI area and intraoperative OLT size along with male sex were predictive of failure ( P < .05). Age, BMI, etiology, technique (open vs arthroscopic), history of prior surgery, and location of lesion were not predictors of failure in this limited series ( P > .05). Patients with lesions greater than 125 mm2 area had a significant increased risk of clinical failure ( P < .05). Functional outcome scores were significantly better at final follow-up in the patients who had undergone successful treatment vs those who did not.

Conclusion:

These findings demonstrate the association of preoperative MRI lesion area, intraoperative lesion size, and male sex as risk factors for failure of PJCAT setting of an already difficult to treat pathology.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, retrospective case series.
Free vibration analysis of couple stress rotating nanobeams with surface effect under in-plane axial magnetic field
Authors: Ebrahimi Farzad , Barati Mohammad Reza
Published: December 2017

This paper deals with the combination of surface and couple stress theories to examine free vibrational behavior of rotating functionally graded (FG) nanobeams under axial magnetic field. The theory introduces a scale parameter based on modified couple stress theory to capture the size effects. The modified couple stress theory is a weakly nonlocal theory and introduces the stiffness-hardening effect. A power-law distribution is used to describe the graded material properties. The governing equations and the related boundary conditions are derived by Hamilton’s principle and they are solved by applying an analytical solution which satisfies clamped-free boundary conditions. A comparison study is performed to verify the present formulation with the provided data in the literature and a good agreement is observed. The parametric study covered in this paper includes several parameters such as length scale parameter, surface energy, angular velocity, magnetic field and power-law exponent on natural frequencies of rotary FG nanobeams in detail.
Living Our Research Through Indigenous Scholar Sisterhood Practices
Authors: Shotton Heather J. , Tachine Amanda R. , Nelson Christine A. , Minthorn Robin Zape-tah-hol-ah , Waterman Stephanie J.
Published: December 2017

In this article, we explore the concept of Indigenous scholar sisterhood practices and its powerful role in affirming Indigenous women to survive and thrive in the act of research and the larger academic landscape. We address how we, as Indigenous women scholars, extend beyond transactional validity practices in qualitative research and engage in a collective form of validity that is holistic and grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing. We explore what it means to live our research and reclaim academic spaces among a collective sisterhood, as we grapple with questions of what valid and rigorous research looks like from an Indigenous perspective. Recognizing that attempts to decolonize methodological spaces can be complex and tempered with struggles, we provide personal accounts of Indigenous scholar sisterhood practices of love, prayer, vulnerability, and resistance and protection used to maneuver through this space together. As Indigenous women scholars, we conclude by reimagining the value of collective work as a means to not only survive academia but lift up our communities.
Searching for Justice Court-Inspired Housing Policy as a Mechanism for Social and Economic Mobility
Authors: Anglin Roland
Published: December 2017

Recent scholarship questions the role of the judiciary in promoting social change. The author looks at the question by examining the long effort of the New Jersey Supreme Court to assure social and economic choice for urban residents through inclusionary zoning. The conclusion is that although the judiciary is constrained, the constraints are not necessarily structural. Rather, the court plays a crucial role in agenda setting and prompting other governing institutions to act. As such, the question is not whether the courts can cause social change but what the proper role of the judiciary is in the broad interplay of governing institutions.
Measuring Terrorism
Authors: Cubukcu Suat , Forst Brian
Published: December 2017

This study investigates the extent of reporting and nature of biases in open-source (OS) terrorism databases. We compare OS accounts with official accounts on terrorism events in Turkey (1996-2012). Results indicate (a) substantial systematic discrepancy between OS and official accounts, which we attribute primarily to underreporting in OS accounts; (b) the discrepancy is not random—incident characteristics (victim/target, offender, and incident types, temporal and spatial factors) and rational factors (especially newsworthiness) matter; and (c) severity is the strongest predictor of the probability of OS coverage.
Vaccine Hesitancy and Online Information: The Influence of Digital Networks
Authors: Getman Rebekah , Helmi Mohammad , Roberts Hal , Yansane Alfa , Cutler David , Seymour Brittany
Published: December 2017

Aims. This article analyzes the digital childhood vaccination information network for vaccine-hesitant parents. The goal of this study was to explore the structure and influence of vaccine-hesitant content online by generating a database and network analysis of vaccine-relevant content. Method. We used Media Cloud, a searchable big-data platform of over 550 million stories from 50,000 media sources, for quantitative and qualitative study of an online media sample based on keyword selection. We generated a hyperlink network map and measured indegree centrality of the sources and vaccine sentiment for a random sample of 450 stories. Results. 28,122 publications from 4,817 sources met inclusion criteria. Clustered communities formed based on shared hyperlinks; communities tended to link within, not among, each other. The plurality of information was provaccine (46.44%, 95% confidence interval [39.86%, 53.20%]). The most influential sources were in the health community (National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) or mainstream media ( New York Times); some user-generated sources also had strong influence and were provaccine (Wikipedia). The vaccine-hesitant community rarely interacted with provaccine content and simultaneously used primary provaccine content within vaccine-hesitant narratives. Conclusion. The sentiment of the overall conversation was consistent with scientific evidence. These findings demonstrate an online environment where scientific evidence online drives vaccine information outside of the vaccine-hesitant community but is also prominently used and misused within the robust vaccine-hesitant community. Future communication efforts should take current context into account; more information may not prevent vaccine hesitancy.
Advancing the Science of Behavioral Self-Management of Chronic Disease: The Arc of a Research Trajectory
Authors: Allegrante John P.
Published: December 2017

This article describes advances in the behavioral self-management of chronic disease from the perspective of a 25-year trajectory of National Institute of Health–funded research in arthritis and cardiopulmonary diseases that has sought to develop a transdisciplinary understanding of how applied behavioral science can be used to improve health behaviors, functional status, and health outcomes. The article traces the arc of a novel research program—conducted in collaboration with physician-scientists at Columbia, Weill Cornell Medical College, and New York University School of Medicine—that runs through social cognitive theory, behavioral economics, and the emerging science of positive psychology in an effort to develop promising new approaches to fostering the adoption and maintenance of health-related behavioral change. The article concludes with what has been learned and what the implications of the work are for advancing behavioral self-management and patient education to improve patient outcomes and achieve the compression of morbidity.
Toxicology Evaluation of Drugs Administered via Uncommon Routes: Intranasal, Intraocular, Intrathecal/Intraspinal, and Intra-Articular
Authors: Emami Armaghan , Tepper Jeff , Short Brian , Yaksh Tony L. , Bendele Alison M. , Ramani Thulasi , Cisternas Alvaro F. , Chang Jay H. , Mellon R. Daniel
Published: December 2017

As the need for nasal, ocular, spinal, and articular therapeutic compounds increases, toxicology assessments of drugs administered via these routes play an important role in human safety. This symposium outlined the local and systemic evaluation to support safety during the development of these drugs in nonclinical models with some case studies. Discussions included selection of appropriate species for the intended route; conducting nonclinical studies that closely mimic the intended use with adequate duration; functional assessment, if deemed necessary; evaluation of local tissues with special histological staining procedure; and evaluations of safety margins based on local and systemic toxicity.
The Nomadic Nenets dwelling “Mya”: the symbolism of a woman’s role and space in a changing tundra
Authors: Ravna Zoia Vylka
Published: December 2017

The official policy of the Soviet state toward nomadic populations was to change their way of life by implementation of enforced collective property (on reindeer), boarding school education, and the displacement of nomadic women to settlements. This policy, however, never totally succeeded in all the Nenets areas and among all groups; many Nenets people remain living in a nomadic community. Today, globalization in the form of modern technologies, industrial development, exploration of underground resources and climate changes are affecting the lives of the Nenets. This article draws from several ethnographic fieldwork surveys of nomadic Nenets families conducted between 2015-2017, within the area of the arctic tundra and among the Forest Nenets of Northern Russia. The author’s aim is to address one aspect of Nenets’s life impacted by modern globalization: their dwelling space. Their traditional dwelling, the “Mya” has been only marginally changed and is still in use in almost all the areas in which Nenets families and communities can be found. Can it be that the displacement of women, originally caused by official Soviet state policy, has also affected the sacred symbolism of the traditional Mya?
Vitamin D and Breast Cancer: Latest Evidence and Future Steps
Authors: Atoum Manar , Alzoughool Foad
Published: December 2017

Vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) plays a vital role in calcium homeostasis, skeletal metabolism, and immune, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems’ functions. The worldwide prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is approximately 1 billion. Vitamin D deficiency is a serious health problem with numerous health consequences; it is associated with diabetes, rheumatic arthritis, Parkinson, Alzheimer diseases, osteomalacia, osteoporosis, and fractures in adults and cancers. Many reports showed an inverse association between serum vitamin D concentration and incidence of several cancers, including breast, colorectal, kidney, lung, and pancreatic. About 20 different cancers have incidence rates inversely related to solar UV-B doses and serum vitamin D concentration. Considering the rising incidence of breast cancer and high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, this review aimed to reflect an association between serum vitamin D concentration and breast cancer risk, reveal the link between vitamin D receptor genetic polymorphisms and breast cancer risk, and review the relationship between vitamin D level, breast cancer risk, and prognostic factors such as tumor stage, grade, size, lymph node involvement, and hormone receptor status.
Burden and Management of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in Palliative Care
Authors: Datta Rupak , Juthani-Mehta Manisha
Published: December 2017

Palliative care includes comprehensive strategies to optimize quality of life for patients and families confronting terminal illness. Infections are a common complication in terminal illness, and infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are particularly challenging to manage in palliative care. Limited data suggest that palliative care patients often harbor MDRO. When MDROs are present, distinguishing colonization from infection is challenging due to cognitive impairment or metastatic disease limiting symptom assessment and the lack of common signs of infection. Multidrug-resistant organisms also add psychological burden through infection prevention measures including patient isolation and contact precautions which conflict with the goals of palliation. Moreover, if antimicrobial therapy is indicated per goals of care discussions, available treatment options are often limited, invasive, expensive, or associated with adverse effects that burden patients and families. These issues raise important ethical considerations for managing and containing MDROs in the palliative care setting.
Odorant Receptor Desensitization in Insects
Authors: Guo Hao , Smith Dean P
Published: December 2017

Insects and other arthropods transmit devastating human diseases, and these vectors use chemical senses to target humans. Understanding how these animals detect, respond, and adapt to volatile odorants may lead to novel ways to disrupt host localization or mate recognition in these pests. The past decade has led to remarkable progress in understanding odorant detection in arthropods. Insects use odorant-gated ion channels, first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, to detect volatile chemicals. In flies, 60 “tuning” receptor subunits combine with a common subunit, Orco ( odorant receptor coreceptor) to form ligand-gated ion channels. The mechanisms underlying odorant receptor desensitization in insects are largely unknown. Recent work reveals that dephosphorylation of serine 289 on the shared Orco subunit is responsible for slow, odor-induced receptor desensitization. Dephosphorylation has no effect on the localization of the receptor protein, and activation of the olfactory neurons in the absence of odor is sufficient to induce dephosphorylation and desensitization. These findings reveal a major component of receptor modulation in this important group of disease vectors, and implicate a second messenger feedback mechanism in this process.
Protection for Children Born Through Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act, B.E. 2558: The Changing Profile of Surrogacy in Thailand
Authors: Stasi Alessandro
Published: December 2017

The National Legislative Assembly of Thailand has enacted on February 19, 2015 the Protection for Children Born through Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act (ART Act). Its primary objective aims at protecting children born through assisted reproductive technologies and providing the legal procedures that the intended parents must follow. The focus of this article is to discuss the ongoing issues involving assisted reproduction in Thailand. After reviewing the past legal framework surrounding surrogate motherhood and the downsides of the assisted reproductive technology market in Thailand, the article will discuss the new ART Act and its regulatory framework. It will conclude that although the new law contains some flaws and limitations, it has so far been successful in tackling surrogacy trafficking and preventing reproductive scandals from occurring again.
Heterotopia and Actor-Network Theory: Visualizing the Normalization of Remediated Landscapes
Authors: Bowers Tom
Published: December 2017

This article analyzes the heterotopic space of Weldon Spring, Missouri, a site that juxtaposes cultural heritage and recreational activities with a publicly available radioactive and toxic waste dump. The article argues for the value of actor-network theory as a supplement to heterotopia, an addition especially productive given the highly complex networks and configurations that order many contemporary spaces. Specifically, actor-network theory can make visible the range of actors and associations that work to establish specific social orders and practices that attempt to normalize reclaimed landscapes.
Effect of crystal size on the tribological behavior of manganese phosphate coatings under lubricated sliding
Authors: Fochesatto Nicolás S , Müller Camila , Zabala Nicolás A , Castro Pablo A , Tuckart Walter R
Published: December 2017

In this study, the wear and friction behavior of manganese phosphate coatings with different crystal sizes were investigated. Crystal size was controlled modifying the chemical composition of the phosphating bath, particularly the concentration of the activator which modifies the number of nuclei for crystal growth. Activator concentration range used for this work varied from 0 to 0.7 g/L, and crystal size was measured using image analysis software on scanning electron microscopy photographs. Available volume for lubricant retention was determined measuring the phosphated surface with a 3D optical profilometer. At the same time, lubricated wear tests were carried out using a ring-on-block configuration at low speeds (23 mm/s) and high loads (14,500 N). Wear behavior was determined as the sliding distance to failure, which was noticed through signs of removal of the phosphate along with the increase of coefficient of friction. It was found that there is a competition between the availability of volume to hold the lubricant, which increases with the crystal size, and the surface coverage, which diminishes as the crystal size grows. Optimal results were obtained for an activator concentration of 0.3 g/L, which meant an average crystal size of 16 µm.
How do aggregated patient-reported outcome measures data stimulate health care improvement? A realist synthesis
Authors: Greenhalgh Joanne , Dalkin Sonia , Gibbons Elizabeth , Wright Judy , Valderas Jose Maria , Meads David , Black Nick
Published: December 2017

Objectives

Internationally, there has been considerable debate about the role of data in supporting quality improvement in health care. Our objective was to understand how, why and in what circumstances the feedback of aggregated patient-reported outcome measures data improved patient care.

Methods

We conducted a realist synthesis. We identified three main programme theories underlying the use of patient-reported outcome measures as a quality improvement strategy and expressed them as nine ‘if then’ propositions. We identified international evidence to test these propositions through searches of electronic databases and citation tracking, and supplemented our synthesis with evidence from similar forms of performance data. We synthesized this evidence through comparing the mechanisms and impact of patient-reported outcome measures and other performance data on quality improvement in different contexts.

Results

Three programme theories were identified: supporting patient choice, improving accountability and enabling providers to compare their performance with others. Relevant contextual factors were extent of public disclosure, use of financial incentives, perceived credibility of the data and the practicality of the results. Available evidence suggests that patients or their agents rarely use any published performance data when selecting a provider. The perceived motivation behind public reporting is an important determinant of how providers respond. When clinicians perceived that performance indicators were not credible but were incentivized to collect them, gaming or manipulation of data occurred. Outcome data do not provide information on the cause of poor care: providers needed to integrate and interpret patient-reported outcome measures and other outcome data in the context of other data. Lack of timeliness of performance data constrains their impact.

Conclusions

Although there is only limited research evidence to support some widely held theories of how aggregated patient-reported outcome measures data stimulate quality improvement, several lessons emerge from interventions sharing the same programme theories to help guide the increasing use of these measures.
Ghosts, tigers and landmines in the nursery: Attachment narratives of loss in Tamil refugee children with dead or missing fathers
Authors: Ratnamohan Lux , Mares Sarah , Silove Derrick
Published: December 2017

Objective:

To build an account of how bereaved Tamil refugee and asylum seeker children, resettled in Australia, had processed the loss of their dead or missing fathers.

Method:

Phenomenological and discourse analysis was applied to attachment narratives of nine children (aged 11–17 years) and their surviving mothers in families that lost fathers in war-related circumstances. The narratives were analysed through the lens of Crittenden’s Dynamic-Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation (DMM) and Klass’ cross-cultural model of grief.

Results:

Two divergent pathways — ‘burying the past’ and ‘reifying the past’ — emerged, encompassing the children’s contrasting patterns of information processing regarding loss and trauma (dismissing or preoccupying) and representation of the past (distant-buried or rich-reconstructed). Each pathway reflected a strategic compromise between the constraints and resources presented to the child by the circumstances of the loss (ambiguous or confirmed), the response of their surviving parent (stricken or stoic) and the collective narrative surrounding the loss (silenced or valorised).

Conclusion:

The DMM’s conceptualisation of attachment as self-protective strategies for navigating danger was helpful in explaining the contrasting adaptations of refugee children to loss and trauma. However, to understand the multivalent meanings of these adaptations, there was a need to situate child–parent attachment relationships within the wider sociocultural reconfigurations arising from contexts of political violence.
The Affect Regulation in Cancer framework: Understanding affective responding across the cancer trajectory
Authors: Kangas Maria , Gross James J
Published: December 2017

Affective dimensions of cancer have long been a central concern in the field of psycho-oncology. Recent developments in the field of affective science suggest the value of incorporating insights from the burgeoning literature on affect regulation. Accordingly, the objective of this article is to build on prior work in this area by applying a process-oriented affect regulation framework to the various phases of the cancer trajectory. The Affect Regulation in Cancer framework is adapted from Gross’ process model of emotion regulation, and its aim is to integrate recent advances in affective science with work in the field of psycho-oncology. The basic elements of the affect generative and affect regulatory processes are outlined across the various phases of the cancer trajectory. Our proposed model provides a useful heuristic framework in advancing research on the ways people manage their affective responses throughout the cancer trajectory.
Troubling Children’s Families: Who Is Troubled and Why? Approaches to Inter-Cultural Dialogue
Authors: Ribbens McCarthy Jane , Gillies Val
Published: December 2017

This article draws on multidisciplinary perspectives to consider the need and the possibilities for inter-cultural dialogue concerning families that may be seen by some to be ‘troubling’. Starting from the premise that ‘troubles’ are a ‘normal’ part of children’s family lives, we consider the boundary between ‘normal’ troubles and troubles that are troubling (whether to family members or others). Such troubling families potentially indicate an intervention to prevent harm to less powerful family members (notably children). On what basis can such decisions be made in children’s family lives, how can this question be answered across diverse cultural contexts, and are all answers inevitably subject to uncertainty? Such questions arguably reframe and broaden existing debates about ‘child maltreatment’ across diverse cultural contexts. Beyond recognizing power dynamics, material inequalities, and historical and contemporary colonialism, we argue that attempts to answer the question on an empirical basis risk a form of neo-colonialism, since values inevitably permeate research and knowledge claims. We briefly exemplify such difficulties, examining psychological studies of childrearing in China and the application of neuroscience to early childhood interventions in the United Kingdom. Turning to issues of values and moral relativism, we also question the possibility of an objective moral standard that avoids cultural imperialism but ask whether cultural relativism is the only alternative position available. Here, we briefly explore other possibilities in the space between ‘facile’ universalism and ‘lazy’ relativism. Such approaches bring into focus core philosophical and cultural questions about the possibilities for ‘happiness’, and for what it means to be a ‘person’, living in the social world. Throughout, we centralize theoretical and conceptual issues, drawing on the work of the philosopher François Jullien to recognize the immense complexities inter-cultural dialogue entails in terms of language and communication.
Researching the Powerful: A Call for the Reconstruction of Research Ethics
Authors: Alvesalo-Kuusi Anne , Whyte David
Published: December 2017

This article analyses the contradictions that arise when the widely accepted ethical principles we use as social researchers are applied in the context of researching the powerful. It does so in order to encourage a debate about how we might reconstruct a workable ethical framework in the context of ‘studying up’. This article draws on prolonged debates on the relevance and appropriateness of ethical codes, exploring how the concepts and the guidelines that codify them might be reframed. The people thus analyses the dominant ethical principles adopted in professional codes of conduct, foregrounding a twin obsession with professional (the social scientist) and institutional (the university) autonomy that hampers the development of a research ethics that meaningfully contributes to enhancing the public or common interest. Instead, we argue for a reconstruction of social science research ethics based on a collectivist understanding of the ‘public interest’ that is not exclusively defined for and by the academy but connects to all groups interested in knowing about the closed-off worlds of the powerful.
Understanding the impact of diet and nutrition on symptoms of Tourette syndrome: A scoping review
Authors: Ludlow Amanda K , Rogers Samantha L
Published: December 2017

Anecdotal reports frequently suggest some dietary involvement in the maintenance of tics in children with Tourette syndrome (TS). This scoping review aimed to (1) understand the possible influence of diet as a trigger of tics and (2) map out the existing studies documenting dietary interventions in children with TS. Current evidence suggests no single diet to benefit individuals with TS. However, reports from parents of children with TS suggest that certain allergens in food may exacerbate tic-related symptoms. For example, an increase in tics has been related to the consumption of caffeine and refined sugar. Moreover, oligoantigenic diets and sugar-free diets have been identified as significantly reducing tics. More research is urgently needed to develop more accurate guidance for parents and children with TS, as many have reported using dietary and nutritional supplements, despite the lack of evidence detailing any benefits, side effects and recommended doses.
The double-edged effect of intergroup similarity: Muslim and Christian immigrants’ acculturation preferences on intergroup relations in Sweden
Authors: Olsson Maria , Matera Camilla , Tip Linda K. , Brown Rupert
Published: December 2017

A 2 x 2 x 2 experiment examined effects of the acculturation orientations seen to be endorsed by immigrants (of two different religions) on intergroup relations in Sweden. Swedish majority participants ( N = 448) read interviews with Iraqi immigrants in which the immigrants’ religion (Muslim vs. Christian), desired level of contact with the host society (high vs. low), and desire to maintain their own culture (high vs. low) were manipulated. Overall, immigrants who were perceived to favour contact elicited more favourable intergroup attitudes. Desire for contact also interacted with immigrants’ religion: contact among Muslim minorities increased majority members’ support for multiculturalism. In addition, majority members identified more with being Swedish when Christian minorities appeared to endorse contact and reject their heritage culture, which corresponds to an acculturation strategy of assimilation. These findings demonstrate the complex role of religious similarity in intergroup relations. Implications for future research are proposed.
Does decentralisation make a difference? Comparing the democratic performance of central and regional governing systems in the United Kingdom
Authors: Matthews Felicity
Published: December 2017

Decentralisation is frequently justified in terms of representation and participation, with its advocates emphasising the capacity of regional institutions to remedy the democratic deficiencies of the centre. Yet empirical examinations of the democratic performance of regional governing systems are scarce, and there is no analysis that systematically compares the operation of different tiers within the same state. This article responds to this significant lacuna. Drawing upon the tools of cross-national comparison, it develops an analytical framework that evaluates the effects of regional and national institutions on the dispersal of electoral payoffs. This framework is applied to the United Kingdom, to compare the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales with Westminster. Through this analysis, the article provides important empirical insights regarding the difference wrought by decentralisation and, in turn, contributes to a burgeoning body of literature that offers a more critical assessment of the relationship between decentralisation and such democratic goods.
Prestressing bridge girders with carbon fiber–reinforced polymer: State of knowledge and research needs
Authors: Poudel Prakash , Belarbi Abdeldjelil , Dawood Mina , Gencturk Bora , Acun Bora
Published: December 2017

Prestressing concrete bridge beams with composite materials has been investigated extensively within the last two decades. The outcomes of these research efforts, however, emerged only in a limited number of representative applications in the United States. This is partly due to a lack of comprehensive design guidelines for use by bridge engineers, especially in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Load and Resistance Factor Design format. An extensive review of literature related to the prestressing of concrete bridge beams with carbon fiber–reinforced polymer strands was conducted. A database of the beams prestressed with carbon fiber–reinforced polymer was established, and the existing design methods along with the required parameters were reviewed. Based on the collected data, the flexural and shear capacity of beams was calculated and compared with the experimentally obtained capacity and that obtained from selected design guidelines. Variables related to the design of carbon fiber–reinforced polymer prestressing that need calibration with dedicated material properties were examined, and the effects of carbon fiber–reinforced polymer on long- and short-term losses were identified.
Numerical study of ultra-high-performance steel fibre–reinforced concrete columns under monotonic push loading
Authors: Xu Shenchun , Wu Chengqing , Liu Zhongxian , Li Jun
Published: December 2017

A finite element model is developed to investigate the behaviour of ultra-high-performance steel fibre–reinforced concrete columns under combined axial compression and horizontal monotonic push loading. The effects of steel fibre content, axial compression ratio, reinforcement ratio (or rebar ratio), stirrup ratio and shear span ratio on the structural behaviour of ultra-high-performance steel fibre–reinforced concrete columns are investigated in detail. The numerical model shows good agreement in bond–slip behaviour of specimens based on CEB model results and numerical results, and such behaviour should be taken into consideration in engineering practice. The results indicate that the developed finite element model could predict the structural behaviour and failure mode of ultra-high-performance steel fibre–reinforced concrete columns effectively. It is found that the reinforcement ratio, axial compression ratio, shear span ratio and volume fraction of steel fibre have a great influence on both the structural behaviour and failure modes of specimens.
Gastrointestinal Complications After Surgical Correction of Neuromuscular Scoliosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Jalanko T. , Helenius I. , Pakarinen M. , Koivusalo A.
Published: December 2017

Study Design:

A retrospective cohort study of consecutively operated neuromuscular scoliosis patients.

Background and Aim:

Surgical correction of neuromuscular scoliosis can be complicated by early gastrointestinal complications, but data on the extent and severity of them is scarce. The aim of the study was to determine the incidence, course, and risk factors of gastrointestinal complications after neuromuscular scoliosis correction.

Material and Methods:

Ninety-one patients (<21 years of age) were consecutively operated on for neuropathic neuromuscular scoliosis during 2000–2011. Patients who developed marked postoperative gastrointestinal complications were identified and clinical, operative, and radiographic records, death certificates, and post-mortem reports were examined.

Results:

The average age at surgery was 14.5 (SD 2.9) and follow-up time was 4.9 (SD 2.3) years. Gastrointestinal complications occurred in 12 (13%) patients and included prolonged paralytic ileus (7%, 6/91), dysphagia (7%, 6/91), and gastroparesis (1%, 1/91). Hospital stay was 22 (SD 11) days in patients with gastrointestinal complications and 16 (SD 20) days in non-complicated patients (p = 0.005). Dysphagia required permanent feeding gastrostomy in one patient whereas other complications were transient and none caused death. The risk factors for postoperative gastrointestinal complications were preoperative main curve correction <30% in traction/bending radiographs (Relative Risk (RR) = 28 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 4.4–180); p < 0.001), preoperative main curve >90° (RR = 5.5 (95% CI 1.3–23); p = 0.020), disturbance in intraoperative spinal cord monitoring (RR = 6.0 (95% CI 1.1–34); p = 0.043), and intravenous opioid medication over 5 days postoperatively (RR = 7.9 (95% CI 1.8–35), p = 0.006).

Conclusion:

Gastrointestinal complications occurred in 13% of patients after neuromuscular scoliosis correction. Marked gastrointestinal complications extended postoperative hospitalization period, but they were transient in majority (92%) of cases and none caused death. Rigid scoliosis was the most significant risk factor for gastrointestinal complications. Gastrointestinal complications appear to be less frequent after posterior only spinal fusion with total pedicle screw instrumentation and Ponte osteotomies.
A “matter of communication”: A new classification to compare and evaluate telehealth and telemedicine interventions and understand their effectiveness as a communication process
Authors: Colucci Massimiliano , Baldo Vincenzo , Baldovin Tatjana , Bertoncello Chiara
Published: December 2017

This article attempts to define functions and applications of telemedicine and telehealth in order to achieve a simplified and comprehensive taxonomy. This may be used as a tool to evaluate their efficacy and to address health policies from the perspective of the centrality of information in the healthcare. Starting from a lexical frame, telemedicine or telehealth is conceived as a communication means and their action as a communication process. As a performance, the communication is related to the health outcome. Three functions ( telemetry, telephasis, and telepraxis) and nine applications are identified. Understanding the mechanisms of telemedicine and telehealth effectiveness is crucial for a value-driven healthcare system. This new classification—focusing on the end effect of telemedicine and telehealth and on the type of interactions between involved actors—moves toward a new and simplified methodology to compare different studies and practices, design future researches, classify new technologies and guide their development, and finally address health policies and the healthcare provision.
Frequency spectrum of the human head–neck to mechanical vibrations
Authors: Yang Bin , Shi Zheng , Wang Qun , Xiao Feng , Gu Tong-Tong , Yin Yong-Kai , Miao Zhong-Liang
Published: December 2017

This study is based on a real finite element human head–neck model and concentrates on its numerical vibration characteristic. Frequency spectrum and mode shapes of the finite element model of human head–neck under mechanical vibration have been calculated. These vibration characteristics are in good agreement with the previous studies. The simulated fundamental frequency of 35.25 Hz is fairly similar to the published documents, and rarely reported modal responses such as “mastication” and flipping of nasal lateral cartilages modes, however, are introduced by our three-dimensional modal analysis. These additional modes may be of interest to surgeons or clinicians who are specialized in temporomandibular or rhinoplasty joint disorder. Modal validation in terms of modal shapes proposes a necessity for elaborate modeling to identify each individual part’s extra frequencies. Furthermore, it also studies the influence of damping on resonant frequencies and biomechanical responses. It is discovered that damping has an inverse proportionality between damping effect on natural frequency and that on biomechanical responses.
In the wake of the plebeian revolt: Social movements, ‘progressive’ governments, and the politics of autonomy in Latin America
Authors: Mezzadra Sandro , Gago Verónica
Published: December 2017

The article takes the debates surrounding the ‘politics of autonomy’ in Latin America as its point of departure and investigates the transformations of the political notion of autonomy against the background of developments that have characterized the so-called long decade of the new ‘progressive governments’ in the region. Moving beyond the alternative between ‘conflict’ and ‘cooptation’ that has shaped academic and political debates on the topic, the authors analyze the relations between ‘social movements’ and ‘progressive governments’ from the angle of the transformations of capitalism in Latin America and of emerging new forms of activism rooted within everyday life (particularly within ‘popular economies”). The article critically discusses such notions as neoliberalism and neo-extractivism in order to build an analytical framework within which to reconstruct the history of Latin American social movements since the early 2000s and to test the productivity and the limits of the very notion of ‘social movement’ in the present political conjuncture.
A materialist analysis of contemporary feminist movements
Authors: Casalini Brunella
Published: December 2017

Social movements on the left, such as the International Women’s Strike on 8 March 2017, see in the present moment a reorganization of capital accumulation in which gender, sexuality, race and class play significant roles. The 8 March strike, in particular, has been characterized by the willingness to emphasize and render visible the link between masculinist violence, sexism, homophobia and transphobia, and the dynamics of dispossession, privatization of common resources, and environmental destruction caused by neoliberal capitalism—dynamics that are rendering ever-wider strata of the population vulnerable to poverty, marginality and insecurity. This study draws on an analysis of the contributions that approaches such as social reproduction theory and the feminist reinterpretation of Rosa Luxemburg’s thought on primitive accumulation may make to understanding the present historical moment, in order to interrogate the nature of the contemporary struggles of feminist social movements.
The hands have it: tactile participation and maximum grip in the aviation sector
Authors: McDonough Brian
Published: December 2017

The hands involve knowing, sensing, and intuition. In our use of them as qualitative researchers, we have the capacity to enrich our understanding through our tactile engagement with things and people. Drawing on Heidegger (2003) and Merleau-Ponty’s (2014) phenomenology, this article examines the use of the hands in a qualitative study with a commercial aeroplane pilot, in which the hands were integral for understanding how to operate an aircraft simulator and fly a Cherokee aeroplane, used for training commercial pilots. By being there and engaging with things, we can attempt to acquire an optimal grasp of our research participant’s worlds, thus providing insightful ways of knowing and making sense of our qualitative data.
Detection of peptides with intact phosphate groups using MALDI TOF/TOF and comparison with the ESI-MS/MS
Authors: Jagannadham Medicharla V , Kameshwari DB , Gayathri P , Nagaraj R
Published: December 2017

A wide variety of post-translational modifications such as oxidation, phosphorylation, glycosylation, methylation, and acetylation play critical roles in cellular functions. Detection of post-translational modifications in proteins is important to understand their crucial roles in cellular functions. Identifying each modification requires special attention in mass spectral acquisition and analysis. Here, we report a mass spectral method for the detection of multiple phosphorylations in peptides by analyzing their products after fragmentation. Synthetic peptides were used to identify these modifications by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) TOF/TOF. Peptides with serine, threonine, and tyrosine were used with mono- to tetra-phosphorylation sites in different combinations to get insights into their fragmentation and identify the location of these sites. The y-ion series were observed without the loss of phosphate groups and were thus very useful in determining the localization and sequence of the phosphate residues. Acetylation of the peptides was found to be useful in detecting the b1-ion and helped in identifying the N-terminus. When a mixture of the phosphorylated peptides (from mouse protein sequences) were analyzed by LC-MS/MS on a Velos Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer and the data subjected to analysis by Sequest using the mouse database, the peptides were identified along with the parent proteins. A comparison of MALDI TOF/TOF spectra with ESI MS/MS helped in eliminating falsely discovered peptides using the database search.