bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Desigualdad e infancia: lectura crítica de la Historia de la Infancia en Chile y en América Latina
Authors: Castillo-Gallardo Patricia
Published: February 2015

En este artículo hago una revisión crítica de la historia de la infancia en Chile y en América Latina desde la época prehispánica, para desde allí aportar a la comprensión de los mecanismos de legitimación de la desigualdad social presentes hasta nuestros días. La historia de la infancia chilena es similar a la de otros países en América latina, por lo que su conocimiento puede permitir comprender de mejor forma la construcción y legitimación cotidiana del orden social.
Orígenes biológicos del poder, domesticación y naturalización de la niñez
Authors: Lagunas David
Published: February 2015

Partimos de la idea de no saber qué es aquello que resulta natural en el ser humano. Pero sí sabemos que lo más natural es la inespecificidad siendo el criterio cultural el determinante. El hombre y la mujer obtienen su racionalidad de condiciones extrañas y se inspiran para ello en la domesticación. La categoría “edad” es junto con el sexo y la “raza” la que recibe mayor número de naturalizaciones en el terreno de la domesticación humana. La biología humana, la domesticación y el ejercicio del poder, y los procesos culturales de naturalización, se aclaran mutuamente a través de la comparación entre diversas culturas, y es entonces cuando emergen las múltiples dimensiones de la construcción social de la infancia.
Frequent Physical Activity May Not Reduce Vascular Disease Risk as Much as Moderate Activity
Authors: Armstrong Miranda E. G. , Green Jane , Reeves Gillian K. , Beral Valerie , Cairns Benjamin J.
Published: February 2015

Background—

Although physical activity has generally been associated with reduced risk of vascular disease, there is limited evidence about the effects of the frequency and duration of various activities on the incidence of particular types of vascular disease.

Methods and Results—

In 1998, on average, 1.1 million women without prior vascular disease reported their frequency of physical activity and many other personal characteristics. Three years later, they were asked about hours spent walking, cycling, gardening, and housework each week. Women were followed by record linkage to National Health Service cause-specific hospital admissions and death records. Cox regression was used to calculate adjusted relative risks for first vascular events in relation to physical activity. During an average of 9 years follow-up, 49 113 women had a first coronary heart disease event, 17 822 had a first cerebrovascular event, and 14 550 had a first venous thromboembolic event. In comparison with inactive women, those reporting moderate activity had significantly lower risks of all 3 conditions (
P
<0.001 for each). However, women reporting strenuous physical activity daily had higher risks of coronary heart disease (
P
=0.002), cerebrovascular disease (
P
<0.001), and venous thromboembolic events (
P
<0.001) than those reporting doing such activity 2 to 3 times per week. Risks did not differ between hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke, or between venous thromboembolic events with or without pulmonary embolism.

Conclusions—

Moderate physical activity is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease, venous thromboembolic event, and cerebrovascular disease than inactivity. However, among active women, there is little to suggest progressive reductions in risk of vascular diseases with increasing frequency of activity.
Kubler's Sarcophagus: Cold War Archaeologies of the Olmec Periphery
Authors: Castañeda Luis M.
Published: February 2015

This article examines conflicting racial, archaeological and art historical interpretations of Olmec art produced in the United States in the early 1960s. It inscribes shifting approaches to the study of monumental Olmec art by figures like George Kubler within the contexts of violent modernization of the Olmec ‘heartland’ of Veracruz and Tabasco, the politicized display of this artistic tradition in museums and traveling exhibitions, and the unstable horizons of U.S.-Mexico diplomatic relations during that period.
Atmospheric Boundary Layer Structure and Turbulence during Sea Fog on the Southern China Coast
Authors: Huang Huijun , Liu Hongnian , Huang Jian , Mao Weikang , Bi Xueyan
Published: February 2015

Small-scale turbulence has an essential role in sea-fog formation and evolution, but is not completely understood. This study analyzes measurements of the small-scale turbulence, together with the boundary layer structure and the synoptic and mesoscale conditions over the life cycle of a cold advection fog event and a warm advection fog event, both off the coast of southern China. The measurement data come from two sites: one on the coast and one at sea. These findings include the following: 1) For cold advection fog, the top can extend above the inversion base, but formation of an overlaying cloud causes the fog to dissipate. 2) For warm advection fog, two layers of low cloud can merge to form deep fog, with the depth exceeding 1000 m, when strong advection of warm moist air produces active thermal-turbulence mixing above the thermal-turbulence interface. 3) Turbulence near the sea surface is mainly thermally driven for cold advection fog, but mechanically driven for warm advection fog. 4) The momentum fluxes of both fog cases are below 0.04 kg m−1 s−2. However, the sensible and latent heat flux differ between the cases: in the cold advection fog case, the sensible and latent heat fluxes are roughly upward, averaging 2.58 and 26.75 W m−2, respectively; however, in the warm advection fog case, the sensible and latent heat flux are mostly downward, averaging −6.98 and −6.22 W m−2, respectively. 5) Low-level vertical advection is important for both fogs, but has a larger influence on fog development in the warm advection fog case.
Predictors of Favorable Growth Patterns During the Obesity Epidemic Among US School Children
Authors: Hernandez Raquel G. , Marcell Arik V. , Garcia Janelle , Amankwah Ernest K. , Cheng Tina L.
Published: February 2015

Objective. To report the prevalence of favorable growth patterns, including healthy weight maintenance (HWM) and return to healthy weight (RHW) among US school-age children. Methods. A longitudinal analysis of childhood growth patterns from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort was completed (n = 9416). The primary outcome included describing the prevalence of HWM/RHW patterns using consecutive child growth data from kindergarten to fifth grades. Multivariate logistic regression was used to explore predictors of HWM/RHW. Incidence of RHW is calculated by grade level. Results. Seventy percent (n = 6617) of children enter kindergarten at a healthy weight and approximately 70% maintained a healthy weight through fifth grade. Among overweight/obese kindergartners, only 17.1% outgrew their weight risk (RHW) by fifth grade. Conclusions. Fewer than 1 in 5 at-risk children outgrow their weight risk during school-age yet a majority of healthy weight children can maintain healthy weight during a critical growth period. Future work should explore additional socioecologic factors associated with favorable growth.
Northeast India–Bangladesh Border Trade Practices
Authors: Dutta Gautam
Published: February 2015

In the recent years the geographical land-lockedness of the northeast India (NEI) is being looked upon differently. Efforts are being made to convert the region into the ‘land linked’ from the ‘land-locked’ so that it can make faster economic progress through effective utilization of contiguous markets of Bangladesh, Myanmar and beyond. Policy level initiatives are rolled out so that NEI, as a whole, does not remain a burdensome periphery to the country. This article, against the aforesaid background, characterizes the trade interweaving between three states of NEI and Bangladesh and empirically identifies the commodities responsible for constituting trade flow and its variation over a long period of time in respect of concerned NEI states. This article indicates that commodity diversity in NEI–Bangladesh trade has been very minimal though volume of trade increased over the years. The rise of exports from Assam and Meghalaya are almost totally dependent on trade of natural resources like coal and limestone. Characteristically, the trade pattern between Tripura and Bangladesh is different from the other two states of NEI where commodity diversity is more. In addition, only few trade points (land customs stations) across the international border are handling the bulk of trade while others are not used at all.
Lessons from the 2004 Asian tsunami: Nature, prevalence and determinants of prolonged grief disorder among tsunami survivors in South Indian coastal villages
Authors: Rajkumar Anto P , Mohan Titus SP , Tharyan Prathap
Published: February 2015

Background:

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD), previously called complicated grief, is associated with significant distress and long-term disability, and it may complicate assessments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after traumatic events.

Methods:

In order to distinguish PGD from PTSD, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among tsunami survivors in five tsunami-affected coastal villages in India, 9 months after the Asian tsunami.

Results:

Prevalence of PGD among 643 tsunami survivors was 14.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 11.5%–16.9%) and among the 351 bereaved survivors was 25.9% (95% CI: 21.3%–30.5%). Spousal bereavement, extensive damage to homes, fewer years of education, and absence of tsunami-related physical injury differentiated those with PGD, after adjusting for potential confounders ( p < .05). These factors were distinct from the factors associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among these survivors. Scores on the avoidance, hyper-arousal and intrusion subscales of the Impact of Events Scale–Revised were significantly lower in those with PGD alone than in those with PTSS or with both disorders.

Conclusion:

Our findings support the validity of PGD in a non-Western post-disaster community and its distinctness from PTSD. They have important public health implications in planning responses to natural disasters and for future revisions of diagnostic classifications.
A computational model for the sound absorption coefficients of multi-layer non-wovens
Authors: Liu Xinjin , Liu Jianli , Su Xuzhong
Published: February 2015

Using the theory of Zwikker and Kosten for sound propagation through a porous flexible media and the sound propagation boundary conditions at adjacent interfaces, a general computational model for the sound absorption coefficients of multi-layer non-wovens, αn, is presented in this paper. The iterative algorithm for calculating αn is given using the back-stepping method. In order to yield the highest sound absorption coefficients in the audible frequency range the model has been used for numerical calculation of the intrinsic characteristics of non-woven materials. The simulation demonstrates that the multi-layer structure of non-wovens can have good sound absorption over a prescribed frequency range by choosing the appropriate parameters for each layer. This model can also be used to calculate the absorption coefficients of a multi-layer non-woven comprising different non-woven components, and this can then provide a theoretical support for product design.
Effects of Conversational Involvement Cues on Understanding and Emotions in Instant Messaging Conversations
Authors: Nguyen Duyen T. , Fussell Susan R.
Published: February 2015

In today’s multitasking workplace, conversations are often carried out amid other tasks. This article explores how multitasking affects people’s levels of involvement or engagement in their conversations, and how levels of involvement in turn influence people’s language, understanding, and affective responses to the conversation. We manipulated participants’ levels of involvement in instant messaging conversations using a distraction task (an online game). We found that the distraction task lowered communication involvement. In addition, higher levels of involvement (both of the participant and of the partner) had a positive effect on understanding, emotions, and satisfaction. Moreover, a partner’s verbal cues of involvement, such as assent words and definite articles, influenced participants’ communication outcomes. We conclude by suggesting design features that might allow people to maintain appropriate levels of involvement during instant messaging conversations.
The Therapeutic Use of Clay
Authors: Brock Medina
Published: February 2015

This article is a descriptive account of using clay within the setting of a psychiatric day unit. It is Intended to act as a working guide for therapists who may be interested in setting up a similar group. The group has changed from a craft group to a therapeutic assessment and treatment group. Two case examples are provided, and the effectiveness of such a group and the types of client who may benefit are discussed briefly.
Dupuytren's Disease: Segmental Aponeurectomy — Surgical Procedure and Postoperative Splint Regime
Authors: Andrew J G , Mason Rosemarie , Wood Anne
Published: February 2015

At the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, a trial group of patients suffering from Dupuytren's contracture have undergone segmental aponeurectomy, a technique which the authors understand to be comparatively new to this country. The study is not yet complete but it was considered that a description of the technique and postoperative regime would be of Interest to those Involved in the treatment of hand problems.
Hayek and the hermeneutics of mind
Authors: Di Iorio Francesco
Published: February 2015

The article investigates the connections between Hayek’s cognitive psychology and his methodological individualism. It argues that Hayek’s theory of the sensory order, which is his less-studied scientific contribution, supports an original but largely unknown argument in favour of the Verstehen approach of methodological individualism. Hayek merges a theory of the temporality of knowledge as understood by phenomenological hermeneutics, and notably by Gadamer, with a proto-connectionist theory of mind to develop a perspective that anticipates by decades Varela’s and Maturana’s neuro-phenomenology. The article shows that Hayek uses this perspective to criticize the deterministic paradigms of action that consider action to be a mechanical effect of a pre-given reality and challenge the Verstehen approach, which is defended both by methodological individualism and phenomenological hermeneutics.
Ways and dynamics of reception of Ludwik Fleck’s work in the social sciences
Authors: Ginev Dimitri
Published: February 2015

The problem of how to access and estimate the proliferation of receptions of Ludwik Fleck’s work in domains as diverse as social geography, history of clinical medicine, and cognitive sociology has long remained vexing. The approach suggested in this paper combines the hermeneutics of effective-historical reception with a version of epistemic reconstruction of intellectual history. Special emphasis is placed upon the forms of political contextualization of Fleck’s comparative sociology of thought styles. The author argues that the heterogeneity of receptions is essentially informed by the specificity of the ‘implicit reader’ Fleck assigned to his work. Interestingly enough, it is a ‘reader’ congruent with the post-metaphysical turns in the social sciences. This claim is defended by analyzing particular trajectories of reception of Fleck’s work.
A Tale of Two Cities
Authors: Coomber Ross
Published: February 2015

Despite increasing evidence of greatly differentiated illicit drug markets, common depictions and conceptualizations of “the” drug market remain subject to overhomogenization. As regards drug market-related violence, the conceptualization of drug supply milieu as generally violent has often (sometimes unintentionally) been apparently supported by case study research reporting from particularly violent supply milieu and/or on specific groups of suppliers. Little research has focused on the relative absence of violence in supply milieu. Although some prior research has pointed toward ways in which levels of drug market violence can differ, few examples have shown this empirically by reference to comparative case studies and none have attempted to relate this to differentiation as opposed to market emergence, maturity, and decline. This article reports on two case studies of established heroin/crack markets in two separate coastal cities in England that share many characteristics but differ meaningfully in regard to drug market violence. Meaningful historical and extant differences in supply-related violence is reported and reflected upon and it is concluded that drug-related violence, rather than conforming to conventional notions privileging structural or systemic similarity, is contingent on a mix of local supply cultures, supplier rationality, local supply structures as well as supplier characteristics and that each and any supply locale is likely, if studied closely, to differ in meaningful respects across time and practice to another.
Enabling safe dry cake disposal of bauxite residue by deliquoring and washing with a membrane filter press
Authors: Kinnarinen Teemu , Lubieniecki Boguslaw , Holliday Lloyd , Helsto Jaakko-Juhani , Häkkinen Antti
Published: February 2015

Dry cake disposal is the preferred technique for the disposal of bauxite residue, when considering environmental issues together with possible future utilisation of the solids. In order to perform dry cake disposal in an economical way, the deliquoring of the residue must be carried out efficiently, and it is also important to wash the obtained solids well to minimise the amount of soluble soda within the solids. The study presented in this article aims at detecting the most important variables influencing the deliquoring and washing of bauxite residue, performed with a horizontal membrane filter press and by determining the optimal washing conditions. The results obtained from pilot-scale experiments are evaluated by considering the properties of the solids, for instance, the residual alkali and aluminium content, as well as the consumption of wash liquid. Two different cake washing techniques, namely classic washing and channel washing, are also used and their performances compared. The results show that cake washing can be performed successfully in a horizontal membrane filter press, and significant improvements in the recovery of alkali and aluminium can be achieved compared with pressure filtration carried out without washing, or especially compared with the more traditionally used vacuum filtration.
Challenges in Determining the Role of Rest and Exercise in the Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Wells Elizabeth M. , Goodkin Howard P. , Griesbach Grace S.
Published: February 2015

Current consensus guidelines recommending physical and cognitive rest until a patient is asymptomatic after a sports concussion (ie, a mild traumatic brain injury) are being called into question, particularly for patients who are slower to recover and in light of preclinical and clinical research demonstrating that exercise aids neurorehabilitation. The pathophysiological response to mild traumatic brain injury includes a complex neurometabolic cascade of events resulting in a neurologic energy deficit. It has been proposed that this energy deficit leads to a period of vulnerability during which the brain is at risk for additional injury, explains why early postconcussive symptoms are exacerbated by cognitive and physical exertion, and is used to rationalize absolute rest until all symptoms have resolved. However, at some point, rest might no longer be beneficial and exercise might need to be introduced. At both extremes, excessive exertion and prolonged avoidance of exercise (physical and mental) have negative consequences. Individuals who have experienced a concussion need guidance for avoidance of triggers of severe symptoms and a plan for graduated exercise to promote recovery as well as optimal functioning (physical, educational, and social) during the postconcussion period.
Model and performance analysis for a repair system with multiple rotable components based on a continuous-time Markov chain approach
Authors: Li Xiaobin , Wu Su
Published: February 2015

This article presents an analytical continuous-time Markov chain approach to model a repair system with rotable components for resource allocation. As an important type of repair service system, this repair system with rotable components demonstrated that rotable components can be repaired to an as-new condition and then assembled circularly with rotable-component inventories after a piece of equipment is disassembled. However, with improved efficiency, major difficulties arise in formulating a model and analysing its performance due to the complex fork–join structure and particularly the existence of rotable-component inventories. In our study, a continuous-time Markov chain stochastic model is developed for the repair system with a single rotable component, in which the characteristic constraints to generate a state space are classified as the service capacity, quantitative conservation, and independent loading. The stationary distributions are then attained with programming, and the performance analysis is performed through numerical experiments. In particular, the relationship between the key resources and selected performance indicators is studied to provide a strategy for resource allocation. Furthermore, a multi-component system is also presented based on the proposed method.
An innovative method of modeling plane geometric form errors for precision assembly
Authors: Zhang Tingyu , Zhang Zhijing , Jin Xin , Ye Xin , Zhang Zhongqing
Published: February 2015

For precision mechanical systems, different distribution characteristics of geometric form errors usually lead to different assembly contact states, and in turn, different assembly errors are formed, due to the propagation and accumulation of geometric form errors. Statistically, a batch of part machined by the same precision process possesses the identical distribution characteristics of geometric form errors. It is of great importance to improve assembly accuracy and productivity if the statistic distribution characteristics of geometric form errors can be understood. To solve the problem, two methods of modeling geometric form errors for single parts based on linear combination of basis shapes and modeling statistic geometric form errors for a batch of parts machined by the same process on the basis of principal component analysis are proposed in this article. Besides that, evaluating indicators of model accuracy are also proposed. The results of the case study imply that the two methods can model geometric form errors of single parts and statistically model geometric form errors of a batch of parts, effectively and reliably.
Numerical research on the mixing mechanism of lobed mixer with inlet swirl in linear radial distribution
Authors: Lei Zhijun , Zhang Yanfeng , Zhu Zihao , Zhu Junqiang
Published: February 2015

A detailed numerical simulation is presented to investigate the effects of inlet swirl and its radial distribution on the mixing mechanisms of a turbofan mixer with 12 lobes, by using the commercial ANSYS CFX solver and k–ω SST model. The core-to-bypass temperature ratio and pressure ratio were set to 2.59 and 0.97, respectively, giving the Mach number of 0.66 and bypass ratio of 2.65 at mixing nozzle outlet. In the core inlet, the swirl angle was raised from 0° to 30° in a uniform or linear radial distribution manner. The inlet swirl and its radial gradient did enhance the development, interaction, and dissipation of the vortices downstream of lobed mixer, resulting in accelerating the lobed jet mixing. When the inlet swirl was less than 20°, the total pressure and thrust loss increments of lobed jet were acceptable and no more than 0.26% and 1.57%, respectively, compared with the baseline case. The results also showed that the three-dimensional separation bubble on center-body and the backflows along jet axis at the rail of center-body, resulting from the swirling flow between lobes’ trough and center-body, were the dominant sources of total pressure and thrust losses for all cases with inlet swirl. And, reasonable radial distribution of inlet swirl could inhibit the aforementioned 3D separation and backflow, and thus limited the increment of jet mixing loss favorably.
A comparative analysis of the requirements for the use of data in biobanks based in Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom
Authors: Moraia Linda Briceño , Kaye Jane , Tasse Anne Marie , Knoppers Bartha M. , Mitchell Colin , Soini Sirpa , Hoppe Nils , Wallace Susan E. , Øien Morten
Published: February 2015

To understand the causes of disease and improve diagnosis and treatment regimes, biomedical researchers need access to large numbers of well-characterized data and samples. Over the past decade, biobanks have been established across Europe to collect and manage access to data and samples. The challenge that we face is how to develop the tools and collaborations to enable researchers to access samples and data from a network of biobanks, rather than applying to individual biobanks. One of the perceived stumbling blocks to achieving this is represented by the different legal requirements in each country. The aim of the BioSHaRE-European Union (EU) project is to address these challenges by developing tools and methods for researchers to access and use pooled data from different cohort and biobank studies. The purpose of this article is to identify and compare the key legal requirements regarding research use of data across biobanks based in Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK. Our investigation starts with the analysis of the key differences for the use of data between these countries. As a result, we identified three key areas where legal requirements differ across the five BioSHaRE-EU jurisdictions, namely, in the definition of personal data, the requirements regarding pseudonymization and processing for medical research purposes. This article provides an overview of these differences and describes them in the light of the proposed EU regulation on data protection.
Market Imperfections and Optimal Capital Structure: Evidence from Indian Panel Data
Authors: Basu Kaushik
Published: February 2015

This article is an attempt to answer the question: whether corporate firms in India have a tendency to adjust their financial structure to a targeted level? For this, we have focused on the partial adjustment process of long-term debt and equity. The results show evidence in favour of adjustment process towards optimal level of long-term debt and equity, but it is very slow in both the cases, especially in case of equity. Adjustment speed for long-term debt in India is similar to the speed of adjustment of developed countries, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). This finding does not support the view that economies characterized by private lending adjust faster than market-dominated economies as transaction cost of private lending is less in comparison to public lending. This study contributes to the existing literature by considering capital market regulation as one of the determinants of capital structure. It has been observed that stringency of capital market regulation exerts a negative impact on equity and debt. As the stringency of capital market regulation increases, it reduces the problem of ‘asset substitution’, and at the same time, raises the transaction cost of fund raising from the public domain. Moreover, the interaction between real and financial decisions has also been observed as the labour demand and leverage is inversely related. The impact of labour demand on leverage is transitory in nature.
Does Liquidity Determine Capital Structure? Evidence from India
Authors: Sharma Prateek , Paul Samit
Published: February 2015

We explore the relationship between liquidity of a firm’s equity and its capital structure. Firms with more liquid stocks benefit from lower costs of equity issuance. Therefore, it is hypothesized that such firms are likely to have a preference for equity in their capital structure. This article empirically investigates the relationship between liquidity and capital structure decisions on a sample of Indian firms. Contrary to the existing literature, we find no empirical evidence for an inverse relationship between liquidity and leverage among Indian firms. The results are indicative of the fact that due to distinctive features of emerging markets, namely, less sophisticated capital markets, higher information asymmetry, concentrated ownership, constrained access to debt and prevalence of family owned businesses, there are other more significant determinants of capital structure that subsume the explanatory power of liquidity variables.
Talent Management Practices in Select Organizations in India
Authors: Mathew Anita
Published: February 2015

Growing number of organizations globally and in India are implementing the concept of talent management. Talent management cannot be excluded from business strategy and neither can it be a mere sub-system in the realm of Human Resource management function. Firms will be able to achieve better results by actively engaging senior leaders along with Human Resource professionals in talent management strategies. This article throws light on how talent management practices are being pursued by some of the leading organizations, including multinational corporations in India. This research has made an attempt to probe talent management practices and processes in a sample of 30 organizations chosen on the basis of their international presence, brand identity and long-term presence. A web-based survey of Human Resource professionals (78) and senior professionals (81) in respective organizations under study identified various practices that helped them to attract, nurture and retain talent.
Is Corporate Social Responsibility in India Still in a Confused State?— A Study of the Participation of the Private Sector Companies of India in Corporate Social Responsibility Activities
Authors: Ghosh Sumona
Published: February 2015

This article aims to explore the establishment of a pattern of participation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities amongst private sector companies as reflected in the respective company documents in the public domain, taking absolute profit as the parameter. An empirical and analytical study was undertaken whereby the corporate official websites of the companies were analyzed for the time period 2006–2007 to 2008–2009. Data were then generated from such an analysis using qualitative document analysis. For this study, we used ‘number of sentences’ as the unit for measurement of CSR participation. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, multiple regression analysis and conjoint analysis were used to analyze the data. The study showed that the most preferred CSR activities were education, health and environment. Drinking water and sanitation and urban upliftment were the least preferred activities. A high level of dispersion was observed with respect to the least preferred activities; and a low level of dispersion was observed with the most preferred activities. Significant correlation was observed with respect to various CSR activities that the companies were responsive to. The activities which had a significant impact on the companies divided into deciles, at different levels, as per the multiple regression analysis were: education, health, environment, employability, rural upliftment, others and empowerment. Companies belonging to the manufacturing sector and the diversified sector have shown the highest responsiveness towards such activities. Companies have attached the highest importance (Level 1) to the following CSR activities: education, environment, health, rural upliftment and others.
Coevolution of Culture and Technology: The Business Success of Lee Kum Kee
Authors: Yu Fu-Lai Tony , Kwan Diana S.
Published: February 2015

This article attempts to examine the roles of technology and culture playing the business success of a Chinese family enterprise in Hong Kong. It argues that culture influences the adoption of new technology. Likewise, new technology changes the way people think as well as organizational culture. In the market process, business strategies are formulated according to the entrepreneurs’ stocks of knowledge which in turn are based on their everyday life experiences. Since everyday life experience is culturally embedded, culture can impede or facilitate the adoption of new technology. The ability to learn and adopt new technologies is a key factor for latecomer firm to catch up in the global market. On the other hand, new technology changes the mindset of people in general and organizational culture in particular. New technology and novel events bring about a conflict of knowledge in entrepreneurs’ minds. As a result, the entrepreneur either resists the new technology by condemning it as vice or deviance, or adapt to it by modifying his or her way of thinking. Those entrepreneurs who resist new things do not catch up with the changing world and are doomed to fail. Given new technology, most entrepreneurs learn to adopt new methods by trial and error, and experimentation. Successful strategies will be adopted and routinized as a rule of thumb, resulting in institutional change. In this article, we shall examine how changes in culture and technology influence the business strategies, and hence, the transformation of Lee Kum Kee, a well-known oyster sauce manufacturer in Hong Kong.
Hesitancies in saying ‘No’
Authors: Little John
Published: February 2015

Objective:

This paper aims to explore why staff, agencies and families, might be reluctant to use ‘no’ as a therapeutic manoeuvre.

Conclusion:

Various factors contribute to this hesitancy and when understood and acknowledged, may serve to return the clinician to the task at hand.
Surveying clinician perceptions of risk assessment and management practices in mental health service provision
Authors: Wand Timothy , Isobel Sophie , Derrick Kate
Published: February 2015

Objectives:

This study aimed to survey multidisciplinary mental health staff on their perceptions of risk assessment and management practices in a local health district in Sydney.

Methods:

The research team developed the risk assessment and management survey (RAMS) which was distributed to staff across the district from November 2013 to January 2014.

Results:

A total of 340 RAMS were distributed and 164 were returned (48% response rate). There was considerable agreement that risk assessment and management is essential to maintaining safety and delivering good mental health care, and respondents reported high levels of confidence in their judgement when carrying out such practices. Respondents identified organisational pressure in relation to risk assessment and management but also felt supported. However, 65% of respondents considered that there ‘is good evidence that risk assessment and management practices are effective in reducing risk in mental health care’, when this is not the case.

Conclusion:

The confidence that clinicians placed in risk assessment and management practices (despite an absence of evidence) is disconcerting. Given the dominance of risk assessment and management, health services mandating such practices have a duty to inform employees of the current evidence base for this approach in reducing risk.
“Thank You, Sorry, Love” (TSL) Therapy With North Korean Refugee Women
Authors: Kim Hee Jin , Kim Jae Yop , Kim Dong Goo
Published: February 2015

Objectives:

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of The “Thank You, Sorry, Love” (TSL) family therapy program in potentially improving the marital relationships and health of North Korean refugee women.

Methods:

The participants included 12 married North Korean female refugees in their 20s to 40s. Using a blinded assignment, six received the TSL family therapy program and six did not receive any treatment. Pretests (just before the program), posttests (just after termination of the program), and follow-up tests (1 month after termination of the program) were conducted.

Results:

The program participants experienced a statistically significant decrease in marital violence and an increase in their total antioxidant activity levels.

Conclusions:

TSL family therapy has the potential to contribute to improving the lives of traumatized North Korean refugee women. Larger scale replication studies involving random assignment would be a useful next step in evaluating the TSL program.
Genotoxicity of Chemical Compounds Identification and Assessment by Yeast Cells Transformed With GFP Reporter Constructs Regulated by the PLM2 or DIN7 Promoter
Authors: Bui Van Ngoc , Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen , Bettarel Yvan , Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu , Pham Thuy Linh , Hoang Thi Yen , Nguyen Vu Thanh Thanh , Nghiem Ngoc Minh , Wölfl Stefan
Published: February 2015

Yeast cells transformed with high-copy number plasmids comprising a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-encoding gene optimized for yeast under the control of the new DIN7 or PLM2 and the established RNR2 and RAD54 promoters were used to assess the genotoxic potential of chemical compounds. The activity of potential DNA-damaging agents was investigated by genotoxicity assays and by OxoPlate assay in the presence of various test compounds. The fluorescence signal generated by GFP in response to DNA damage was related to the different concentrations of analytes and the analyte-dependent GFP synthesis. The use of distinct DNA damage-inducible promoters presents alternative genotoxicity testing strategies by selective induction of promoters in response to DNA damage. The new DIN7 and PLM2 systems show higher sensitivity than the RNR2 and RAD54 systems in detecting 4-nitroquinoline- N-oxide and actinomycin D. Both DIN7 and PLM2 systems are able to detect camptothecin while RNR2 and RAD54 systems are not. Automated laboratory systems with assay performance on 384-well microplates provide for cost-effective high-throughput screening of DNA-damaging agents, reducing compound consumption to about 53% as compared with existing eukaryotic genotoxicity bioassays.
Robotic Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Abdominopelvic Tumors
Authors: Sezen D. , Gurkaynak M. , Gultekin M. , Cengiz M. , Yildiz F. , Zorlu F. , Akyol F. , Yazici G. , Hurmuz P. , Ozyigit G.
Published: February 2015

Background:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of robotic CyberKnife (Accuray Incorporated, Sunnyvale, California)-based stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in patients with recurrent or metastatic abdominopelvic tumors.

Methods and Materials:

A total of 69 patients treated between May 2008 and January 2011 were evaluated retrospectively. Indication for SBRT was persistent disease in 3 (4%) patients, local recurrence in 29 (42%) patients, regional recurrence in 13 (19%) patients, and oligometastatic disease in 24 (35%) patients. Forty-two (61%) patients were previously irradiated to the same region and 27 (39%) patients were treated for the first time. The median age was 59 years (range, 24-86 years). There were 31 (45%) male and 38 (55%) female patients. The median total dose was 30 Gy (range, 15-60 Gy) delivered with a median 3 fractions (range, 2-5 fractions). The tumor response to treatment was assessed by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or positron emission tomography.

Results:

At the 12-month (range, 2-44 months) median follow-up, local control was 65% and median overall survival (OS) was 20 months. A larger gross tumor volume (≥ 67 cm3) was significantly correlated with worse 1-year OS (81% vs 48%, P = .03). The patients with local recurrence occurring <11 months had a significantly shorter 1-year local control rate than patients with ≥11 months (31% vs 91%, P < .001). Grade 3-4 acute and late toxicities were seen in 7% and 15% of patients, respectively. The patients with previous radiotherapy history had significantly higher rate of acute toxicity (19% vs 0%, P = .019). Late toxicity was significantly higher in pelvic tumors than in abdominal tumors (3% vs 28%, P = .004).

Conclusion:

The SBRT seems to be feasible and resulted in good treatment outcomes in patients with recurrent or metastatic abdominopelvic tumors.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy as an Integrated Treatment Approach for Co-Occurring Bipolar I and Social Anxiety Disorder
Authors: Queen Alexander H. , Donaldson Deidre L. , Luiselli James K.
Published: February 2015

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is frequently comorbid with bipolar disorder (BD), yet frontline pharmacological interventions for SAD are often contraindicated for individuals with BD. We present a case report of a 29-year-old male with Bipolar I Disorder who received cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for SAD, followed by CBT and interpersonal therapy (IPT) for SAD. The patient completed standardized self-report measures of social anxiety and depressive symptoms throughout treatment and at 1-month and 3-month follow-ups. The greatest social anxiety symptom improvement occurred during the CBT phase, and the patient experienced small but additional benefit with the incorporation of IPT techniques. Although not a direct target of treatment, the patient’s depressive symptoms remained subthreshold throughout treatment. Finally, the patient reported significantly higher quality of life at 1-month and 3-month follow-ups, compared with a reference group of BD outpatients. Findings offer preliminary support for the integration of CBT and IPT in treating comorbid SAD among individuals with BD. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Treatment of complex atherosclerotic femoropopliteal artery disease with a self-expanding interwoven nitinol stent: Midterm results
Authors: Dumantepe Mert , Seren Mustafa , Fazlıogullari Osman , Ayoglu Umut , Teymen Burak
Published: February 2015

Objective

To examine the efficacy and durability of an interwoven self-expanding nitinol stent for the treatment of superficial femoral and popliteal arteries.

Method

Consecutive patients with severely diseased superficial femoral and popliteal arteries who received SUPERA® stents were retrospectively identified. The patients were followed for 12 months by Doppler ultrasound examinations, stent roentgenograms, and estimation of Rutherford–Becker class and ankle-brachial index.

Results

From July 2012 to May 2014, 42 limbs in 36 patients (mean age, 61.5 ± 7.5 years; 75% male) were treated with angioplasty and primary stenting. Total occlusions were present in 14 limbs, and 63.8% had either moderate or severe calcification. The mean (±SD) lesion length was 105 mm (±28). Primary patency was 91.4% at 6 months and 85.7% at 12 months. The ankle brachial index increased from 0.57 ± 0.19 preoperative to 0.91 ± 0.12 postoperative. There was no procedural or device-related morbidity or mortality after revascularization and only one major amputation was observed on follow-up.

Conclusions

Our experience shows that, Supera stents are safe and effective in our cohort of patients, with acceptable patency rates. There were no stent fractures so far even with stenting of the femoropopliteal segments. Stent design provides a viable option for high-grade obstructive disease in the femoropopliteal artery.
Epileptiform activity during induction of anesthesia with sevoflurane prior to elective carotid endarterectomy
Authors: Smith Denise AB , Bath Jonathan
Published: February 2015

The optimal anesthetic technique for carotid endarterectomy is still controversial. For general anesthesia, various induction agents have been used. We present two patients with asymptomatic high-grade carotid stenosis where induction with sevoflurane resulted in epileptiform discharges seen on perioperative electroencephalogram monitoring without adverse clinical sequelae. The occurrence of epileptogenic electroencephalogram during sevoflurane anesthesia has been widely described despite its popular use in pediatric anesthesia. This phenomenon, however, has not been previously described during electroencephalogram monitoring in carotid surgery. The authors suggest that induction anesthesia with sevoflurane should be avoided in this patient population especially where routine electroencephalogram monitoring is not performed.
Photo-, osmo- and phonophobia in the premonitory phase of migraine: mistaking symptoms for triggers?
Authors: Schulte Laura H , Jürgens Tim P , May Arne
Published: February 2015

Background

Certain environmental stimuli are frequently reported as typical triggers of migraine pain. Whether these so-called triggers are independent precipitators of migraine pain or mere symptoms of the premonitory phase of migraine remains to be elucidated.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study of 1010 migraine patients of a tertiary headache center we assessed the frequency of common trigger factors, premonitory symptoms and accompanying symptoms as well as basic headache characteristics and demographic data.

Results

Premonitory symptoms with an onset of 2 or more hours prior to the headache were present in 38.9% of migraine patients, the most frequent being a tense neck, phonophobia and difficulty concentrating. There was a clear overlap of certain trigger factors and the presence of corresponding premonitory symptoms: flickering or bright light as a trigger was associated with higher frequency of photophobia in the premonitory phase. The same applied to the presence of food craving and osmophobia in the premonitory phase and certain foods or odours as trigger factors.

Conclusions

Our data thus support the view that commonly reported trigger factors of migraine are not so much independent precipitators of migraine pain, but that they are most likely just misinterpreted results of enhanced attention to certain stimuli mediated by typical premonitory symptoms of migraine pain.
Dysregulation of microRNAs in breast cancer and their potential role as prognostic and predictive biomarkers in patient management
Authors: van Schooneveld Eleni , Wildiers Hans , Vergote Ignace , Vermeulen Peter B , Dirix Luc Y , Van Laere Steven J
Published: February 2015

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an emerging class of gene expression modulators with relevant roles in several biological processes, including cell differentiation, development, apoptosis, and regulation of the cell cycle. Deregulation of those tiny RNA molecules has been described frequently as a major determinant for the initiation and progression of diseases, including cancer. Not only miRNAs but also the enzymes responsible for miRNA processing could be deregulated in cancer. In this review, we address the role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of breast cancer, since there are oncogenic, tumor-suppressive, and metastatic-influencing miRNAs. Additionally, the different detection platforms and normalization strategies for miRNAs will be discussed. The major part of this review, however, will focus on the capability of miRNAs to act as diagnostic, predictive, or prognostic biomarkers. We will give an overview of their potential to correlate with response to or benefit from a given treatment and we will consider their ability to give information on prognosis in breast cancer. We will focus on miRNAs validated by more than one study or verified in independent cohorts or where results rely on preclinical as well as clinical evidence. As such, we will discuss their potential use in the personalized management of breast cancer.