bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Public Opinion and Setting the Agenda on the U.S. Supreme Court
Authors: Bryan Amanda C.
Published: January 2019

Arguably the most influential power the U.S. Supreme Court has is the power to choose which cases to decide. This power allows the nation’s only unelected branch of government to choose either to weigh in on key political controversies or avoid them completely. Here, I take one of the first case-level looks at the role of public opinion in the Court’s agenda-setting process. I argue justices vote to hear cases when they are likely to agree with public opinion on the outcome and eschew cases when they are out of step with the American people. However, the effect of public opinion depends on the political environment, especially on the level of public support the Court enjoys, the salience of the issue, and the case’s legal importance.
Criterion Validity of the Early Communication Indicator for Infants and Toddlers
Authors: Greenwood Charles R. , Buzhardt Jay , Walker Dale , Jia Fan , Carta Judith J.
Published: January 2019

The Early Communication Indicator (ECI) is a progress monitoring measure designed to support intervention decisions of the home visitors and early educators who serve infants and toddlers. The present study sought to add to the criterion validity claims of the ECI in a large sample of children using measures of language and preliteracy not previously investigated. Early Head Start service providers administered and scored ECIs quarterly for infants and toddlers in their caseload as part of standard services. In addition, a battery of language and early literacy criterion tests were administered by researchers when children were 12, 24, 36, and 48 months of age. Analyses of this longitudinal data then examined concurrent and predictive correlational patterns. Results indicated that children grew in communicative proficiency with age, and weak to moderately strong patterns of relationship emerged that differed by ECI scale, age, and criterion measure. The strongest positive patterns of relationships were between Single Words and Multiple Words and the criterion at older ages. Gestures and Vocalizations established a pattern of negative relationships to the criterion measures. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Design and simulation of artificial fish lateral line
Authors: Tang Zhijie , Feng Hao , Lei Jingtao , Lu Jiaqi , Wang Zhen , Fu Bin , Chen Weiwei
Published: January 2019

Fishes can avoid colliding with obstacles and track baits depending on the lateral distributed sense nodes which can sense the pressure variances of the surrounding flow field. Fish often uses the lateral-line system as their only means for navigation, especially under poor visual conditions. This sensing mechanism provides a new perspective for researchers and engineers to build such a sensing system that could be applied to control and near field navigation for underwater robots and vehicles. In this article, a pressure-sensing-based is proposed, with 10 pressure sensors acting as lateral line and use the three-dimensional printer to print the fish structure and install the artificial lateral line on it. Through preliminary experiments and numerical simulation, we obtain the pressure sensor data. By comparing the experimental data with the numerical simulation data, it can be verified that the pressure variation of the pressure sensor in the numerical simulation data is consistent with that in the experimental data. The artificial lateral line provides a new sense to man-made underwater vehicles and marine robots, so that they can sense like fish.
Scaling to produce size-independent indices of echocardiographic derived aortic root dimensions in elite Rugby Football League players
Authors: Oates Simon A , Forsythe Lynsey , Somauroo John D , George Keith P , Papadakis Michael , Oxborough David
Published: January 2019

The assessment of aortic root dimensions is important in cardiac pre-participation screening. Scaling of cardiac dimensions removes the impact of body size allowing meaningful inter/intra group comparisons. Developing appropriate scaling approaches, scaling variables and extending the application to major vessels is warranted so underlying pathology can be detected and managed appropriately. The study aims to define relationships between aortic root dimensions and body surface area/height. Two hundred and twenty elite Rugby Football League athletes were recruited. All participants completed anthropometric assessments, a 12-lead ECG and echocardiogram. Aortic root was measured at the aortic annulus, sinus of valsalva, sinotubular junction and the proximal ascending aorta. Linear and allometric scaling were performed on the relationship between aortic measurements and body surface area/height. Absolute aortic root measurements fell within normal population data (mean ± standard deviation (range): aortic annulus: 22 ± 2 (17–28) mm, sinus of valsalva: 28 ± 3 (20–38) mm, sinotubular junction: 22 ± 3 (14–33) mm, proximal ascending aorta: 22 ± 3 (15–31) mm). Linear scaling to height produced size-independent indices at all aortic measurement sites (P < 0.05). Conversely, linear scaling using body surface area did not produce size-independent indices at any site (P > 0.05). Allometric scaling, using both body surface area and height, produced size-independent indices at all sites (P < 0.05). We recommend linearly scaling aortic root dimensions to height in elite Rugby Football League athletes and discourage the use of body surface area as a linear scaling quantity. Allometric scaling is also effective when using both body surface area and height.
Doing Diversity: Creating Spaces, Opportunities, and Change
Authors: Jones James M.
Published: January 2019

I briefly describe my work on race and racism, and the psychology of diversity. Two key aims have been expanding graduate training for students of color and expanding the focus of scientific theorizing, research, and applications in psychology. I argue that history is important for understanding race-related conflict and progress and that cultural context is both a source of obstacles to inclusion (cultural racism) and an important asset in resisting and coping with these obstacles (resilience). I describe ways in which my career represents “doing diversity.” Specifically, I have (a) helped diversify psychological science through a Minority Fellowship Program that provided PhD training opportunities for more than 1,500 students of color, (b) contributed to understanding psychological issues by spearheading psychological science publications on HIV/AIDS, homelessness, and abortion; (c) contributed to national conversations and understanding of race by advising the U.S. Department of Defense on assessments of racial and ethnic discrimination in the military and President Clinton’s Race Initiative; and (d) helped conceive and create an institute of world-class scholarship on race (DuBois Institute for African American Research) at Harvard University. I conclude by discussing challenges I faced, what I might have done differently, and how my work was meaningful in my career and life.
The fate of redundant cues in human predictive learning: The outcome ratio effect
Authors: Uengoer Metin , Lachnit Harald , Pearce John M
Published: January 2019

In four experiments, participants were shown a sequence of pairs of pictures of food and asked to predict whether each pair signalled an allergic reaction in a hypothetical patient. The pairs of pictures were used to present two simple discriminations that differed in their outcome ratio. A rich discrimination, 3AX+ BX−, involved three trials in which the compound of two foods, AX, was followed by a reaction, for every trial in which the compound BX was not followed by the outcome. A lean discrimination, CY+ 3DY− was based on the opposite outcome ratio. Upon the completion of this training, participants were asked to rate how likely an individual food would be followed by the allergic reaction. In each experiment, the rating for X was stronger than for Y. This outcome ratio effect poses a challenge for theories of learning that assume changes in associative strength are governed by a common error term, based on the significance of all the cues present on a trial. Instead, the results are consistent with the assumption that changes in associative strength are governed by an individual error term, based on the significance of a single cue.
Can the bereaved speak? Emotional governance and the contested meanings of grief after the Berlin terror attack
Authors: Koschut Simon
Published: January 2019

Emotions that run through relations of power are complex and ambivalent, inviting resistance and opposition as much as compliance. While the literature in International Relations broadly accepts emotions as an intrinsic element of power and governance, relatively little attention has been given to situations when the emotional meanings of “the state” are openly contested. This essay highlights a situation in which emotional meanings are contested, or what I refer to as affective sites of contestation: situations and events where rules and norms about the proper expression of emotions are challenged, resisted, and potentially redefined. It is the ambivalence and alternation of particular emotional meanings, which, I will suggest, makes emotions an object of contestation in world politics. Whenever “official” emotions are contested from “below,” “the state” itself, representing a national project, is called into question, potentially transforming the relationship between citizens and the state. Building on the works of sociologist Mabel Berezin and others, this essay develops the ideal types of “the secure state” and “communities of feeling” as analytical prisms to reconstruct the political contestation of emotional meanings, pertaining to how collective grief is expressed after a terror attack.
The intestinal vitamin D receptor in inflammatory bowel disease: inverse correlation with inflammation but no relationship with circulating vitamin D status
Authors: Garg Mayur , Royce Simon G. , Tikellis Chris , Shallue Claire , Sluka Pavel , Wardan Hady , Hosking Patrick , Monagle Shaun , Thomas Merlin , Lubel John S. , Gibson Peter R.
Published: January 2019

Background:

The intestinal vitamin D receptor (VDR) remains poorly characterized in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods:

Colonoscopic biopsies and intestinal resection specimens from the terminal ileum, ascending and sigmoid colon, from patients with and without IBD, were analyzed for VDR mRNA quantification by polymerase chain reaction, and protein localization and semi-quantification by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between VDR and intestinal inflammation, serum 25(OH)D and oral vitamin D intake was elicited.

Results:

A total of 725 biopsies from 20 patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), 15 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 14 non-IBD controls who underwent colonoscopy were studied. VDR gene expression and protein staining intensity was similar across all three groups, and across the intestinal segments. Sigmoid colon VDR mRNA expression inversely correlated with faecal calprotectin ( r = −0.64, p = 0.026) and histological score ( r = −0.67, p = 0.006) in UC, and histological score ( r = −0.58, p = 0.019) in patients with CD. VDR staining intensity was higher in quiescent than diseased segments. No relationship with serum 25(OH)D or oral vitamin D intake was noted. Immunohistochemical staining of 28 intestinal resection specimens from 15 patients (5 each with CD, UC and non-IBD controls) showed diffuse VDR staining in the mucosa, submucosa and circular muscle.

Conclusions:

VDR transcript expression and protein staining intensity are inversely related to inflammation in IBD, but unrelated to serum 25(OH)D, and similar to non-IBD controls. Strategies to upregulate intestinal VDR, potentially translating to modulation of disease activity, require investigation.
Revised Infection Prevention Society (IPS) Competences 2018
Authors: Denton Andrea , Fry Carole , O’Connor Helen , Robinson Jude
Published: January 2019

Competences for infection prevention and control (IPC) practitioners were first introduced by the Infection Control Nurses Association (ICNA) in 2000. In recent years, they have been revised by the Education and Professional Development Committee of the Infection Prevention Society (IPS). The competences are a multi-purpose tool to support and inform service and workforce development and management at an operational and strategic level. They can assist in designing education programmes, help with staff appraisal, personal development plans and support revalidation alongside developing team structures and requirements. They enable the practitioner to review their own current position of progression and clinical standing from the position of assisted, supervised and independent. These terms are designed to assist the user to express the level of competence at which they work. This may differ depending on the competences that are being explored. This current version of the IPS competences (2018) have been designed to reflect the current structures and practices within the health and social care economy. They have been redeveloped within an electronic interactive framework to encourage usability and assist with manageability and record keeping. The competency framework tool is intended as a guide; the idea is for the practitioner to focus on relevant aspects of the competences and combine with organisational and individual goals and revalidation where applicable.
Therapeutic management of closed central slip injuries: Outcome of a service evaluation
Authors: Capon Annie , Watson Alexander , England Holly
Published: January 2019

Introduction

Closed central slip injuries can be difficult to manage and there is a lack of published research to support evidence-based clinical decision making in practice. This article presents the results of a service review in a busy trauma hospital hand therapy department.

Method

Following a literature review and retrospective review of outcomes, new clinical guidelines for central slip injuries were developed. These were implemented with 22 patients referred to hand therapy for conservative management of closed central slip injuries during a one-year period.

Results

The majority of patients (72%) had either an excellent or good outcome using the Strickland-Glogovac outcome measure and an average total active motion of 90% compared to their unaffected hand.

Conclusions

The outcomes following implementation of new treatment guidelines following the service review are in line with the small amount of published data currently available. They provide detailed guidelines for the conservative management of closed central slip injuries in a busy out-patient setting.
Combating incumbency advantage of network effects: The role of entrant’s decisions and consumer preferences
Authors: Gupta Agam , Mateen Arqum , Sharma Divya , Sarkar Uttam K. , Cheruvil Thomas Vinu
Published: January 2019

This article studies the competitive dynamics between an incumbent and a late entrant in a market governed by network effects. Classifying markets based on decision criterion used by majority of consumers in a market, an analytical model for the likelihood of incumbent displacement in these markets is developed and corroborated using simulations. Using product quality offered and product price charged by the entrant as managerial levers, the impact of managerial decision-making on the expected market share of the entrant is discussed. Efficacy of seeding and delayed entry by the entrant in an attempt to perfect its product is also examined.
Improving Glucose Prediction Accuracy in Physically Active Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Hobbs Nicole , Hajizadeh Iman , Rashid Mudassir , Turksoy Kamuran , Breton Marc , Cinar Ali
Published: January 2019

Background:

Physical activity presents a significant challenge for glycemic control in individuals with type 1 diabetes. As accurate glycemic predictions are key to successful automated decision-making systems (eg, artificial pancreas, AP), the inclusion of additional physiological variables in the estimation of the metabolic state may improve the glucose prediction accuracy during exercise.

Methods:

Predictor-based subspace identification is applied to a dynamic glucose prediction model including heart rate measurements along with variables representing the carbohydrate consumption and insulin boluses. To demonstrate the improvement in prediction ability due to the additional heart rate variable, the performance of the proposed modeling technique is evaluated with (SID-HR) and without heart rate (SID-2) as an additional input using experimental data involving adolescents at ski camp. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed approach is compared to that of the metabolic state observer (MSO) model currently used in the University of Virginia AP algorithm.

Results:

The addition of heart rate in the subspace-based model (SID-HR) yields a statistically significant improvement in the root-mean-square error compared to the SID-2 model ( P < .001) and the standard MSO ( P < .001). Furthermore, the SID-HR model performed favorably in comparison to the SID-2 and MSO models after accounting for its increased complexity.

Conclusions:

Directly considering the effects of physical activity levels on glycemic dynamics through the inclusion of heart rate as an additional input variable in the glucose dynamics model improves the glucose prediction accuracy. The proposed methodology could improve exercise-informed model-based predictive control algorithms in artificial pancreas systems.
Feasibility of a Low-Intensity, Technology-Based Intervention for Increasing Physical Activity in Adults at Risk for a Diabetic Foot Ulcer: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Schneider Kristin L. , Crews Ryan T. , Subramanian Vasanth , Moxley Elizabeth , Hwang Sungsoon , DiLiberto Frank E. , Aylward Laura , Bean Jermaine , Yalla Sai
Published: January 2019

Background:

Among adults with diabetes, 19-34% will develop a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), which increases amputation risk and health care costs, and worsens quality of life. Regular physical activity, when increased gradually, may help prevent DFUs. In this mixed-methods study, we examined the feasibility of a low-intensity, technology-based behavioral intervention to increase activity in adults at risk for DFUs.

Method:

Participants at risk for a DFU (n = 12; 66% female; mean age = 59.9 years) received four in-person exercise and behavioral counseling sessions over 2-3 weeks, supplemented with use of an activity monitor (to track steps) and text messages (to reinforce behavioral strategies) for an added 8 weeks. Pre- and postintervention assessments of accelerometer measured activity, daily mobility, and glycemic control (A1C) were completed. Treatment acceptability was assessed by questionnaire and via key informant interview.

Results:

The program appears feasible since all but one participant attended all four sessions, all used the activity monitor and all responded to text messages. Treatment acceptability (scale: 1 = very dissatisfied, 5 = extremely satisfied) was high; average item ratings were 4.79 (SD = 0.24). Participants increased their steps by an average of 881.89 steps/day ( d = 0.66). A1C decreased on average by 0.33% ( d = 0.23). Daily mobility did not change. Interview results suggest that participants perceived benefits from the intervention. Participant recommended improvements included providing more physical activity information, addressing pain, and intervention delivery in a podiatry clinic.

Conclusion:

Individuals at risk for a DFU might benefit from a minimally intensive, technology-based intervention to increase their physical activity. Future research comparing the intervention to usual care is warranted.
Implications of a Decentralized Postpartum Unit Design and Clinical Operations
Authors: Freihoefer Kara , Lindval Scott , Bayramzadeh Sara , Hanson Leah
Published: January 2019

Objectives:

This postoccupancy study sought to understand whether a decentralized unit design supported a postpartum care delivery model by evaluating nurses’ efficiency, staff perception, acoustical conditions, and patient satisfaction.

Background:

Today, standardization and decentralization design concepts are being applied to all types of inpatient unit. There have been many studies that investigated how these concepts influence care delivery on medical-surgical units, but no study has evaluated a postpartum unit.

Methods:

This study utilized a mixed-method approach that involved unobtrusive shadowing (roughly 25 hr) and surveying ( n = 19) of nursing staff, physical acoustic readings (eight, 24-hr readings), and comparison of patient satisfaction pre- and postmove.

Results:

On average, nurses spent roughly 36.90% of their time at charting stations. Nurses were observed mostly using the central charting station located at the entry of the unit and adjacent to the well-baby nursery rather than the five decentralized chart stations. This was due to nurses operating with old workflow habits, not fully integrating electronic medical records, and needing to be near the nursery and other nurses. Nurses were satisfied with their ability to interact and their proximity to supplies, patients, and team members while in the central charting station. Additionally, patient satisfaction significantly increased postmove, particularly with the overall hospital’s quietness and cleanliness.

Conclusion:

This study highlights the importance of aligning administrative operations of the unit with the design intent. Although standardization and decentralization design concepts aimed to improve nurses’ workflow, misalignment with the operations may not deliver the most optimal outcomes.
NASN Special Interest Groups: Their Growth and Development Through the Years
Authors: Blake Cheryl , Gordon Shirley C. , Kimel Linda , Minchella Lindsey , Shannon Robin Adair , Shepherd Rhoda
Published: January 2019

Over the past 25 years, the roles of school nurses have been both expanding and specializing in public and non–public school settings. To help meet the ever-changing and demanding challenges that specialized school nurses encounter in their unique settings, NASN embraced the idea that school nurses need a way to connect with colleagues working in similar practices. Thus, special interest groups (SIGs) were established, and the SIGs have become an integral part of NASN.
Lund–Mackay Computed Tomography Score Is Associated With Obstructive Pulmonary Function Changes in Chronic Cough Patients
Authors: Kariya Shin , Okano Mitsuhiro , Higaki Takaya , Tachibana Tomoyasu , Rikimaru Toru , Nishizaki Kazunori
Published: January 2019

Background

A remarkable relationship between upper airway conditions and lung diseases has been reported. At the same time, sinonasal findings in chronic cough patients have not been fully examined.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to show paranasal sinus findings and lung function in chronic cough patients without asthma and chest X-ray abnormalities.

Methods

A total of 1412 patients with persistent cough were enrolled in this study. Of these patients, 376 patients were evaluated for further examination, as the patients with asthma and/or chest X-ray abnormality were excluded from the study. Normal control subjects without any chronic respiratory symptoms were also recruited. Pulmonary function was examined by spirometry. A bronchial obstruction reversibility test was applied. The Lund–Mackay computed tomography (CT) score, peripheral blood eosinophil count, and immunoglobulin E concentration in serum samples were examined. The Sino-Nasal Outcome Test was used to determine the severity of clinical symptoms.

Results

The patients with an abnormal soft tissue shadow in the paranasal sinus had significant obstructive lung function. The percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1.0) and the FEV1.0/forced vital capacity ratio negatively correlated with Lund–Mackay CT scores both before and after bronchodilator inhalation. There was a statistically significant correlation between pulmonary function and eosinophil count.

Conclusion

The patients with chronic cough frequently had paranasal sinus abnormalities. The Lund–Mackay CT score may be useful for assessing the condition of the lower airway in chronic cough patients. Upper airway examinations should play a part in the management of chronic cough.
Turbinate-Specific IgE in Normal and Rhinitic Patients
Authors: Hamizan Aneeza W. , Rimmer Janet , Alvarado Raquel , Sewell William A. , Tatersall Jessica , Barham Henry P. , Kalish Larry , Harvey Richard J.
Published: January 2019

Background

Specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) within the nasal airway is likely to be the most ideal marker of allergic status, but little is known of the normative values in asymptomatic patients and those with rhinitis.

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic characteristics of inferior turbinate tissue biopsy sIgE in asymptomatic and rhinitic patients.

Methods

A diagnostic cross-sectional study was undertaken, involving patients who underwent inferior turbinate surgery with or without other surgical interventions. Inferior turbinate tissue biopsy was performed during surgery and was assessed for allergen sIgE (dust mite, grass [temperate or subtropical], and animal epithelium) using an automated immunoassay. Tissue sIgE was assessed among asymptomatic patients and those with nasal symptoms. Data were presented as median (interquartile range). A receiver operating curve was used to predict the diagnostic utility of turbinate tissue sIgE in determining allergic rhinitis.

Results

A total of 160 patients (41.89 ± 14.65 years, 36.9% females) were included. The median tissue sIgE concentration among the asymptomatic nonatopic group of patients was 0.09 (0.08–0.10) kUA/L and tissue sIgE > 0.10 kUA/L was determined as a positive threshold. Inferior turbinate tissue sIgE was shown to be a predictive test for allergic rhinitis (area under curve: 0.87, 95% confidence interval: 0.84–0.90) with 90% sensitivity and 89% negative predictive value.

Conclusion

Inferior turbinate tissue biopsy sIgE is a sensitive tool to predict allergic rhinitis. The threshold value of 0.1 kUA/L corresponded well with the asymptomatic nonatopic group of patients. This method detects sIgE in the nasal mucosa and may be a useful test for allergic rhinitis in future research.
The role of positive goal engagement in increased mental well-being among individuals with chronic non-cancer pain
Authors: Iddon Joanne E , Taylor Peter J , Unwin Jen , Dickson Joanne M
Published: January 2019

Individuals with chronic pain commonly report significant functional impairment and reduced quality of life. Despite this, little is known about psychological processes and mechanisms underpinning enhancements in well-being within this population. The study aimed to investigate whether (1) increased levels of pain intensity and interference were associated with lower levels of mental well-being, (2) increased positive goal engagement was associated with higher levels of mental well-being and (3) whether the relationships between pain characteristics and mental well-being were mediated by increased positive goal engagement. A total of 586 individuals with chronic pain participated in the cross-sectional, online study. Participants completed self-report measures to assess pain intensity and interference, mental well-being and goal motivation variables. Results showed that pain interference and positive goal engagement were associated with mental well-being. Moreover, the relationship between pain interference and mental well-being was partially mediated by positive goal engagement. The results provide tentative evidence for the protective role of positive goal engagement in enabling individuals with chronic pain to maintain a sense of mental well-being. The study develops the biopsychosocial model of chronic pain by examining the roles and relationships of relevant yet previously unexplored psychological constructs. The promotion of mental well-being through the enhancement of positive goal engagement is discussed, offering a platform for further research and clinical interventions.
Run the country like a business? The economics of Jordan’s Islamic action front
Authors: Powers Colin
Published: January 2019

The moral economics of the Islamic Action Front, the partisan wing of the original Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, is both defined and compromised by internal inconsistency. Similar to others that might be classified as a socially conservative, religiously-oriented political party, the Islamic Action Front pledges a paternalist commitment to the poor only to undermine the already limited prospects of such paternalism through the adoption of charity-based approaches to social welfare and through their more general advocacy for economic liberalization, free markets, capital mobility, and private initiative. How can one best explain both the contradictions constituting the Islamic Action Front’s economics and the political implications contained within such an economic agenda? This article will review the intersection of local class structure, party ideology, and history so to furnish an answer.
Medical research, Big Data and the need for privacy by design
Authors: Jacobs Bart , Popma Jean
Published: January 2019

Medical research data is sensitive personal data that needs to be protected from unauthorized access and unintentional disclosure. In a research setting, sharing of (big) data within the scientific community is necessary in order to make progress and maximize scientific benefits derived from valuable and costly data. At the same time, convincingly protecting the privacy of people (patients) participating in medical research is a prerequisite for maintaining trust and willingness to share. In this commentary, we will address this issue and the pitfalls involved in the context of the PEP project 1 that provides the infrastructure for the Personalized Parkinson’s Project, 2 a large cohort study on Parkinson’s disease from Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), in cooperation with Verily life Sciences, an Alphabet subsidiary.
Successful Surgical Management of a Rare Case of Mixed Type of Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection in a Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Child Using a Novel Surgical Technique
Authors: Mehta Anuj , Raju Vijayakumar , Muthukumaran Subramanian , Balakrishnan Soundaravalli , Muthuswamy Kalyanasundaram
Published: January 2019

We report a rare case of combined supra- and infracardiac type of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (mixed-type TAPVC) in a 26-day-old low birth weight (1.9 kg) infant who was admitted with respiratory distress. The child underwent successful surgical repair using a novel surgical technique and is doing well at one year follow-up.
Hammock Mitral Valve Repair in Infancy: Operative Steps Toward a Customized Reconstruction After Preoperative Planning
Authors: VanLoozen Dennis , Jensen Michael A. , Lutin William A. , Polimenakos Anastasios C.
Published: January 2019

Hammock mitral valve (MV) repair is historically technically difficult with a guarded prognosis. Surgical experience is extremely limited and variable outcomes are reported. The perioperative strategy and technical details of hammock MV repair in an infant who presented with severe mitral stenosis are described and review of the existing literature was undertaken.
Factors Affecting Entry Into Drug Abuse Among Youths in Lafia Metropolis: Implications on Security
Authors: Ikoh Moses U. , Smah Sam O. , Okwanya Innocent , Clement Uhembe A. , Aposhi Zuwaira A.
Published: January 2019

Abuse of drugs by youths and its detrimental effects on security in Lafia Metropolis have recently attracted public attention. Given this background, it is important to understand the factors that influenced youths to take to drugs and the extent to which involvement in drugs has affected security in the Metropolis and thus explore effective ways toward curbing it. A survey method was adopted with samples drawn from 10 political wards in the Metropolis. Questionnaires were administered on 520 respondents with a satisfactory response rate of 76.92%. Bivariate analysis, logistic regression, and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the responses. The findings revealed that drug abuse was significantly practiced in the Metropolis due to lack of parental control, easy access to drugs, and emerging street culture of gangsterism. The implications of these on urban security were noted on incessant scuffle and street fighting, increased confrontation with the police, accidents and injuries, and robbery and theft. The study, therefore, recommended the creation of awareness campaigns on the implications of drug use by youths, the strengthening of government institutions that are in charge of drug control to step up their strategies to curb illicit drug production and supply in the Metropolis, and ban the roaming of Almajiri boys and girls at night in the Metropolis.
From ambition to practice: An Analysis of Teachers’ Attitude Toward Learner-Centered Pedagogy in Public Primary Schools in Rwanda
Authors: Otara Alfred , Uworwabayeho Alphonse , Nzabalirwa Wenceslas , Kayisenga Beata
Published: January 2019

Learner-centered pedagogy (LCP) is one of the best approaches in developing knowledge, skills, and attitudes of learners to cope with the changing world. Implementation of LCP practices tend to vary from one context to another. It is within this perspective that this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the teachers’ attitudes toward LCP in public primary schools located in Nyarugenge District. A sample size of 165 teachers was selected from 13 public and government-aided primary schools. Simple percentages, and chi-square analysis were used to analyze data, and the findings were triangulated with questionnaire and interview responses. Results show that primary school teachers manifested negative attitude toward LCP. The study also indicates that both institutional and individual factors, such as insufficient and inadequate trainings, lack of clear indicators on LCP, and lack of prior experience on LCP among colleges and university tutors during preservice training, affect the attitude of teachers. It is further revealed that gender does not influence the attitude of teachers; however, training was found to be significant at .05 level. It is therefore important that authorities ensure proper training to head teacher, school subject leaders, and teachers on LCP and avail clear indicators on those methods.
Clinical Encounters and Treatment Initiation for Chronic Hepatitis C Patients: Applications of Adaptive Leadership Framework for Chronic Illness
Authors: Bailey Donald E. , Muir Andrew J. , Adams Judith A. , Thygeson N. Marcus , Williams Hants , Cary Michael P. , Anderson Ruth A.
Published: January 2019

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States. Patients with CHC undergoing treatment face many challenges including adherence to medications and management of symptoms; health care practitioners are well positioned to facilitate patients’ ability to address these challenges. We used the Adaptive Leadership for Chronic Illness Framework to investigate the difficulties inherent in affecting behavior change in patients undergoing treatment. We enrolled 11 patient participants and 10 provider participants. We used data from the first clinical encounter between patients and providers during which treatment was discussed. We found examples of adaptive leadership and categorized these behaviors into three themes: support for medication, coping with family/home life, and strategizing to manage employment. We also saw examples of what we termed missed opportunities for adaptive leadership. This study illustrates the contributions of adaptive leadership behaviors by health care providers and the potential risk to patients in their absence.
The Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Levels in Iranian Males With Addiction
Authors: Alamdarloo Ghorban Hemati , Khorasani Soheila Moradzadeh , Najafi Mahmoud , Jabbari Fatemeh Soosan , Shojaee Setareh
Published: January 2019

This study aimed at investigating the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy on reducing depression, anxiety, and stress levels of Iranian males with addiction. The participants included 24 Iranian males with addiction selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental ( n = 12) and control ( n = 12) groups. Then, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale was used as the pretest, posttest, and follow-up tests to assess participants’ levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The experimental group received eight sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy, while the control group did not. The findings of the study showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy was effective in reducing participants’ levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Thus, the findings indicate that the cognitive-behavioral therapy reduced the depression, anxiety, and stress of Iranian males with addiction.
Are the Speech Acts of EFL Learners Really Direct? The Case of Requests in the Omani EFL Context
Authors: Lenchuk Iryna , Ahmed Amer
Published: January 2019

The study focuses on the strategies English as a foreign language (EFL) learners choose to take on in requests without evaluating them against the norm of a native speaker, as the concept of native speaker is ideologically problematic in the time of super-diversity. The study uses cultural scripts proposed in the field of cross-cultural pragmatics to interpret the strategies of EFL learners in making requests. Seventy-six requests were elicited from twenty-six undergraduate Omani EFL learners through Discourse Completion Tasks (DCTs). The results obtained from the DCTs were supported by the results of the focus discussion group and our personal observations as faculty members and students’ advisors. The study shows that contrary to the claims made in most of the literature on requests in interlanguage pragmatics, EFL learners use indirect strategies. In addition, they use address terms and provide reasons for their requests. These strategies are shaped by cultural scripts that prioritize the values of politeness, strong family, and tribal orientation in the Omani society. Findings suggest that awareness of these communication strategies promotes tolerance and sensitivity towards the communication styles of others.
Cultural Proximity and Genre Proximity: How Do Chinese Viewers Enjoy American and Korean TV Dramas?
Authors: Lu Jia , Liu Xinchuan , Cheng Yaoyao
Published: January 2019

This article examined a transnational viewing process, in which Chinese audience watch American and Korean TV dramas. Cultural proximity and genre proximity were adopted to predict media involvement and enjoyment. A quantitative content analysis was conducted with a probability sample of 16,440 comments from 411 TV dramas. It was found that cultural proximity failed to predict enjoyment but succeeded in explaining involvement. It also revealed two different routes to enjoyment—to enjoy Korean dramas through involvement with characters and American dramas through involvement with the narrative. Genre proximity was found in action/crime but not in fantasy/adventure. The level of involvement varied in different genres, such as romance, horror/crux, and comedy.
Transgender Athletes and the Queer Art of Athletic Failure
Authors: Fischer Mia , McClearen Jennifer
Published: January 2019

Fallon Fox became the first openly transgender fighter in professional mixed-martial arts (MMA) in 2013. Her outing elicited fervent responses from the MMA community, reflecting the barriers many transgender women encounter in sex-segregated sports. Fox frequently faced pseudoscientific arguments alleging innate physical advantages over cisgender women, which are deeply entangled with sexist and racist assumptions about trans identity. For Fox, the only way to prove her “true” womanhood—that is, that she was just as biologically inferior to men as “regular” women—was by losing fights. In this article, we trouble Fox’s “damned-if-she-wins” and “damned-if-she-doesn’t” conundrum by drawing on Halberstam and Muñoz’s theorizing on the queer art of failure. In order to challenge binary logics that structure our sporting world—including male/female, winning/losing, success/failure—and that are specifically imposed upon transgender athletes such as Fox, we employ a queer methodology to center Fox’s voice as she grapples with the meanings and uses of failure. Her insights reveal a productive engagement with athletic failure, which not only challenges sex segregation in sports and the interlocking discourses of racism, (cis)sexism, and transphobia, but allows us to imagine queer modes of undoing beyond the athletic realm of the MMA cage.
Parents’ and College Students’ Perceptions of Support and Family Environment
Authors: Bartoszuk Karin , Deal James E. , Yerhot Meghan
Published: January 2019

The main objectives of this multimethod exploratory study were to compare parent and college student perceptions of communication patterns, financial/emotional support, family environment, and achieved adulthood during the transition to adulthood while in college. First, focus groups including eight parent figures and 16 students were conducted to provide feedback on important topics as well as on survey instruments. Survey responses from 152 parent figures and their college-age children were then used for the exploratory survey study. Parents reported providing more financial support, more positive family interactions, and less negative family interactions compared to their college-age children. The majority of students as well as parents did not view themselves and their children as having fully completed the transition to adulthood as indicated by the majority using the “in-between” response when asked if their child (or student himself or herself) had reached adulthood.
Mechanistic Science: A New Approach to Comprehensive Psychopathology Research That Relates Psychological and Biological Phenomena
Authors: Thomas Joel G. , Sharp Paul B.
Published: January 2019

Efforts to understand the causes of psychopathology have remained stifled in part because current practices do not clearly describe how psychological constructs differ from biological phenomena and how to integrate them in unified explanations. The present article extends recent work in philosophy of science by proposing a framework called mechanistic science as a promising way forward. This approach maintains that integrating psychological and biological phenomena involves demonstrating how psychological functions are implemented in biological structures. Successful early attempts to advance mechanistic explanations of psychological phenomena are reviewed, and lessons are derived to show how the framework can be applied to a range of clinical psychological phenomena, including gene by environment findings, computational models of reward processing in schizophrenia, and self-related processes in personality pathology. Pursuing a mechanistic approach can ultimately facilitate more productive and successful collaborations across a range of disciplines.
Decoupling Personality and Acute Psychiatric Symptoms in a Depressed Sample and a Community Sample
Authors: Fournier Jay C. , Wright Aidan G. C. , Tackett Jennifer L. , Uliaszek Amanda A. , Pilkonis Paul A. , Manuck Stephen B. , Bagby R. Michael
Published: January 2019

The association between depression and neuroticism is complex; however, because of the difficulty in assessing neuroticism during mood episodes, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain poorly understood. In this study, we sought to decompose neuroticism into finer grained elements that were uncorrelated with psychiatric symptoms and examine the incremental validity of those elements in explaining deficits in interpersonal functioning. A bifactor model with one general factor and six specific factors fit the data well in both a depressed ( N = 807) and a community ( N = 1,284) sample, and the specific factors were relatively independent of acute symptoms. Moreover, two specific factors (Angry Hostility and Self-Consciousness) accounted for incremental variance in interpersonal functioning problems in the community sample and a subgroup of depressed participants. The results demonstrate that neuroticism can be decomposed into components that are distinct from symptoms and incrementally associated with deficits in interpersonal functioning.
Genetic and Environmental Links Between General Factors of Psychopathology and Cognitive Ability in Early Childhood
Authors: Grotzinger Andrew D. , Cheung Amanda K. , Patterson Megan W. , Harden K. Paige , Tucker-Drob Elliot M.
Published: January 2019

In adults, psychiatric disorders are highly comorbid and are negatively associated with cognitive abilities. Individual cognitive measures have been linked with domains of child psychopathology, but the specificity of these associations and the extent to which they reflect shared genetic influences are unknown. In this study we examined the relationship between general factors of cognitive ability ( g) and psychopathology ( p) in early development using two genetically informative samples: the Texas “Tiny” Twin Project (TXtT; N = 626, age range = 0.16–6.31 years) and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort (ECLS-B; N ≈ 1,300 individual twins, age range = 3.7–7.1 years). The total p–g correlation (−.21 in ECLS-B; −.34 in TXtT) was primarily attributable to genetic and shared environmental factors. The early age range of participants indicates that the p–g association is a reflection of overlapping genetic and shared environmental factors that operate in the first years of life.
Visual Learning of Music through the Artistic Image: Some Reflections and Proposals
Authors: Zavala Arnal Carmen M.
Published: January 2019

Although in many cases pictures of works of art with musical iconography have been used to illustrate musical concepts, either in text books or audiovisual carriers and computer storage media, it is important to reflect on its usefulness within the field of music teaching and its correct implementation in the learning-teaching processes. For that purpose, the use of the artistic picture in the educational sphere is analyzed in this paper, as well as the general contributions of its use in music teaching. Subsequently, a series of particular contributions of musical iconography are proposed, through certain methodological premises which are going to ensure its proper use. This way, it will be concluded that the artistic image which represents musical elements is postulated as an excellent tool for musical teaching and learning in the different levels and degrees of specialization of music education.
Public Education Expenditure and Its Impact on Human Resource Development in India: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Patel Geetanjali , Annapoorna M. S.
Published: January 2019

Societal and global advancement increasingly depends upon research, invention, innovation and adaptation; all of these are products of educated mind. Education is public good in LDCs and need Government involvement to function effectively. National Education Policies of India in 1968, 1986 and 1992 (revised) have recommended 6% of GDP to spend on education which unfortunately was on an average 3.77% in last one and half decade. This insufficient funding can be considered as one of the factors for India’s low ranking in terms of Human Development Index. Descriptive and analytical methods are used to study the relationship between Public Education expenditure and Human Resource Development of India by using the secondary data collected through the reliable sources like Ministry of human resource development and Human Development reports published by UNDP. To analyse the relationship between spending by the Government on education and improvement in quality of Human resource, Granger Causality Test is applied. The results of the study show the influence of Public education expenditure on Human Resource Development in India.