bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teduglutide‐Stimulated Intestinal Adaptation Is Complemented and Synergistically Enhanced by Partial Enteral Nutrition in a Neonatal Piglet Model of Short Bowel Syndrome
Authors: Naberhuis Jane K. , Deutsch Andrew S. , Tappenden Kelly A.
Published: August 2015

Background: Teduglutide, a glucagon‐like peptide‐2 (GLP‐2) analogue, is available for long‐term use by parenteral nutrition (PN)–dependent adults to promote intestinal adaptation but is not approved for use in pediatric patients. The objective of this study was to assess teduglutide‐stimulated induced intestinal adaptation, potential synergies with partial enteral nutrition (PEN), and distinct temporal markers of adaptation in a neonatal piglet model of short bowel syndrome (SBS). Materials and Methods: Neonatal piglets (48 hours old; n = 72) underwent an 80% jejunoileal resection and were randomized to 1 of 4 treatment groups, in a 2 × 2 factorial design, with PN or PEN (80% standard PN/20% standard enteral nutrition) and teduglutide (0.1 mg/kg/d) or control. Piglets received nutrient infusions for 4 hours, 48 hours, or 7 days. Results: Teduglutide improved (P < .05) mucosal surface area (villus height: duodenum, jejunum, ileum; crypt depth: ileum, colon; proliferation: duodenum, jejunum, ileum; colon; apoptosis: jejunum, ileum, colon) and acute nutrient processing capacity (glucose: duodenum, jejunum, ileum; glutamine: duodenum, jejunum). These effects were complemented and synergistically enhanced by PEN in both site and timing of action. Structural adaptations preceded functional adaptations, but crypt depth remained a strong indicator of adaptation, regardless of time. Conclusions: The combination of teduglutide and PEN enhances intestinal adaptation beyond that of either therapy alone.
The nice thing about context is that everyone has it
Authors: Seaver Nick
Published: August 2015

In their ‘Critical Questions for Big Data’, danah boyd and Kate Crawford warn: ‘Taken out of context, Big Data loses its meaning’. In this short commentary, I contextualize this claim about context. The idea that context is crucial to meaning is shared across a wide range of disciplines, including the field of ‘context-aware’ recommender systems. These personalization systems attempt to take a user’s context into account in order to make better, more useful, more meaningful recommendations. How are we to square boyd and Crawford’s warning with the growth of big data applications that are centrally concerned with something they call ‘context’? I suggest that the importance of context is uncontroversial; the controversy lies in determining what context is. Drawing on the work of cultural and linguistic anthropologists, I argue that context is constructed by the methods used to apprehend it. For the developers of ‘context-aware’ recommender systems, context is typically operationalized as a set of sensor readings associated with a user’s activity. For critics like boyd and Crawford, context is that unquantified remainder that haunts mathematical models, making numbers that appear to be identical actually different from each other. These understandings of context seem to be incompatible, and their variability points to the importance of identifying and studying ‘context cultures’–ways of producing context that vary in goals and techniques, but which agree that context is key to data’s significance. To do otherwise would be to take these contextualizations out of context.
Deeper data: a response to boyd and Crawford
Authors: Brock Andre
Published: August 2015

Data analysis of any sort is most effective when researchers first take account of the complex ideological processes underlying data’s originating impetus, selection bias, and semiotic affordances of the information and communication technologies (ICTs) under examination.
Perioperative Management of Antithrombotic Therapy in Common Otolaryngologic Surgical Procedures
Authors: Hsueh Wayne D. , Hwang Peter H. , Abuzeid Waleed M.
Published: August 2015

Objective

The perioperative management of patients undergoing otolaryngologic procedures is increasingly complicated by the use of newer antithrombotic agents. Furthermore, with advances in anesthesia and surgical technique, otolaryngologists are presented with the challenge of operating on patients with advanced comorbid diseases. The objective of this review is to provide evidence‐based recommendations on perioperative antithrombotic management for common otolaryngologic procedures.

Data Sources

PubMed/MEDLINE.

Review Methods

Selected literature on patient‐specific thromboembolic risk, rate of bleeding complications in otolaryngologic procedures, and the interruption of antithrombotic therapy is reviewed and interpreted by expert opinion.

Conclusions

By stratifying patients into either low thromboembolic risk (≤5%) or high thromboembolic risk (>5%) and interpreting this in the context of procedural bleed risk and potential clinical consequences in the event of a bleed, otolaryngologists can make evidence‐based decisions to determine the appropriate perioperative management of antithrombotic therapy.

Implications for Practice

When the perioperative management of antithrombotic therapy is being decided, 3 critical factors must be considered systematically: the patient’s inherent thromboembolic risk, the risk and potential consequences of bleeding related to the procedure, and the timing of interruption of thromboembolic therapy.
The end game: The marketisation and privatisation of children’s social work and child protection
Authors: Jones Ray
Published: August 2015

There is a long history of voluntary and other organisations, along with the state, providing social services for children in England. But crucial assessments and decision-making about the care and protection of children have been undertaken by local authorities within the context of democratic accountability and transparency. This is changing. The government is opening up children’s social work services, including child protection investigations and assessments, decisions about initiating care proceedings in the courts to have children removed from their families, and decisions where children should then live, to the market and to the private sector with companies such as G4S and Serco expanding into children’s social services. Nowhere else in the world are profit-driven companies given these powers. This article traces how this radical change is moving forward at pace.
Institutional processes and the production of gender inequalities: The case of Australian child support research and administration
Authors: Cook Kay , Mckenzie Hayley , Natalier Kristin , Young Lisa
Published: August 2015

This article analyses the administrative and research capture of child support data as a case study of how institutional data collection processes are performative in perpetuating gendered inequalities. We compare interviews with 19 low-income single mothers and their longitudinal survey responses from the same research to reveal how low-income women strategically or inadvertently ‘smoothed’ their experiences when responding to data collection processes. This directly resulted in material and symbolic costs in the form of reduced welfare benefits and limited evidence with which to lobby for policy reform. These processes in turn provided benefits to fathers and the state in the form of reduced child support liabilities and enforcement action, and welfare outlays, respectively. We conclude that current administrative and research data collection practices provide a limited and gendered evidence base for administrative justice and policy reform.
‘Benefits broods’: The cultural and political crafting of anti-welfare commonsense
Authors: Jensen Tracey , Tyler Imogen
Published: August 2015

In the aftermath of the global banking crises, a political economy of permanent state austerity has emerged, driven by and legitimated through a hardening anti-welfare commonsense. We argue that, while there is an excellent evidence base emerging around solidifying negative public attitudes towards welfare, critical policy studies needs to attend to the cultural as well as the political economies through which an anti-welfare commonsense is formed and legitimated. We adopt a ‘cultural political economy’ approach to examine the cultural and political crafting of ‘benefit brood’ families within the wider public sphere, to examine the mechanisms through which anti-welfare sentiments are produced and mediated. Through a case study of Mick Philpott, we demonstrate how ‘benefits broods’ operate both as technologies of control (through which to manage precariat populations), but also as technologies of consent through which a wider and deeper anti-welfare commonsense is effected.
The parenting and economising practices of lone parents: Policy and evidence
Authors: Dermott Esther , Pomati Marco
Published: August 2015

UK governments have historically viewed lone parents as a political and social problem. This article argues that present-day political discourse increasingly positions lone parents as deficient parents, suggesting that they are more likely to fail to engage with good parenting practices than parents in couple households and may lack the resource management skills of successful families. We critique claims of an association between poor parenting and lone parenthood status using data from the UK Poverty and Social Exclusion (PSE) 2012 survey. We find negligible differences in the parenting behaviours of those living in lone and couple households, and lone parents (who are mainly mothers) actually cut back on their own expenditure to a greater extent than other parents in order to provide for children. These findings undermine the viability of links made between ‘poor’ parenting and family living arrangements; such claims are grounded in erroneous individualised accounts of disadvantage.
Neoliberalism and the post-hegemonic war of position: The dialectic between invisibility and visibilities
Authors: Cammaerts Bart
Published: August 2015

This article aims to understand the dialectic between the visible and the invisible in relation to the post-hegemonic nature of neoliberalism and the role of mediation in that process. The neoliberal ideological project is geared towards making itself invisible, positioning itself as quintessentially anti-ideological and natural rather than ideological. However, the post-hegemonic status of neoliberalism and capitalism requires its constitutive outsides to struggle for visibility so as to be able to make itself invisible. Mainstream media plays a pivotal role in this regard not only in terms of invisibilizing capitalist interests, but also in terms of providing (negative or positive) visibility to the constitutive outsides of capitalism. Mediation also implicates audiences and publics, who could be approached as an increasingly angry and frustrated Spivakean subaltern, distrustful of democracy and of the media. It is argued that a new democratic imaginary is needed, de-territorialized from the market imaginary and mobilizing the discontented subaltern. The question remains, however, whether it is überhaupt possible to unsettle the post-hegemonic status of the neoliberal ideological project.
Entrepreneurship and the spatial context: A panel data study into regional determinants of small growing firms in Scotland
Authors: Ross Andrew G , Adams John , Crossan Kenny
Published: August 2015

Entrepreneurship is widely recognised as a key determinant of economic growth, regional prosperity and sustainable development. Using a panel model with data from the value added tax register, this paper estimates spatial variation in small growing firms across 32 Scottish regions for the period 1998–2012. Results show there is considerable variation in small growing firms across Scottish regions and may be explained by demand, supply, policy, cultural factors and agglomeration benefits. Scotland has historically suffered from low levels of entrepreneurial activity; however, this paper provides relevant and timely findings into a form of entrepreneurial activity that until now has largely been overlooked.
Transformation of the Visual Afterimage Under Subject’s Eye and Body Movements and the Visual Field Constancy Mechanisms
Authors: Zenkin Gary M. , Petrov Alexander P.
Published: August 2015

Two types of positive afterimages differing in their structural complexity—called poor and rich—were used to investigate the visual field constancy mechanisms during eye and head movements. In the case of a poor afterimage, consistent with Emmert’s law, every eye and head movement caused the afterimage to appear moving (in exactly the same way), unlike a real object, which appeared to remain stationary during those same eye and head movements (although its retinal image moved opposite to the eye movement). However, in the case of a rich afterimage, the afterimage appeared stationary during eye movements, while a small stationary test light in the real space appeared to move, violating Emmert’s law. It is suggested that, in these two cases, the different apparent transformations reflected functioning of different constancy mechanisms. Both mechanisms implement projection of retinal images upon a hypothetical constant visual screen in strict accordance with the subject’s movements but in two different ways. The experiments have indicated that, during binocular fusion, the visual afferent system is able to use information from the structural organization of the visual flow to implement the visual field stability and to calculate gaze direction independently of proprioceptive signals.
Monocular Versus Binocular Calibrations in Evaluating Fixation Disparity With a Video-Based Eye-Tracker
Authors: Švede Aiga , Treija Elīna , Jaschinski Wolfgang , Krūmiņa Gunta
Published: August 2015

When measuring fixation disparity (an oculomotor vergence error), the question arises as to whether a monocular or binocular calibration is more precise and physiologically more appropriate. In monocular calibrations, a single eye fixates on a calibration target that is taken as having been projected onto the center of the fovea; the corresponding vergence state represents the heterophoria (the resting vergence position), which has no effect on the calibration procedure. In binocular calibrations, a vergence error may be present and may affect the subsequent measurement of the fixation disparity during binocular recordings. This study includes a test of the precision of both monocular and binocular calibrations and an evaluation of the impact of the calibration procedure on the measurement of fixation disparity during a dot scanning task. Our results show that 11 participants (out of 19) each exhibited a significant difference in fixation disparity with the two types of calibration procedures. In addition, the fixation disparity was more strongly affected by heterophoria undergoing monocular calibration, as opposed to binocular calibration. This serves as additional evidence showing that the monocular calibration produces a physiologically more plausible fixation disparity and seems to be more appropriate for studying the full extent of fixation disparity.
Beyond “Trimming the Fat”
Authors: Vandendaele Astrid , De Cuypere Ludovic , Van Praet Ellen
Published: August 2015

Thus far, professional editing has not been researched extensively in writing research. This article zooms in on sub-editing in newswriting as a form of professional editing, addressing three research questions: (a) What are the ways in which a news article’s text is altered?, (b) Are some types of news article altered more significantly than others?, and (c) Are certain news article sections more prone to alterations? Merging the contextualized insights of fieldwork with a corpus-based discourse analytic research perspective, we trace the differences (viz. additions, deletions, translocations, replacements) between the “initial” (right before sub-editing) and “final” (published) version of six different types of news article, (frontpage, headline, long, medium, short, and news wire article) in a corpus sample of 30 broadsheet articles. Our findings are first that—contrary to popular belief that sub-editors mainly “hack away” at news stories, or merely “trim the fat”—additions prevail. Second, we found that most interventions occur in high-stakes articles. Third, we discovered the largest number of interventions in the “entry points” of an article, that is, where—according to eye-tracking research—readers stop scanning and start reading. We discuss our findings in the light of training for professional newswriters.
Functionality of surface-coupled oxidised glycosaminoglycans towards fibroblast adhesion
Authors: Yang Yuan , Köwitsch Alexander , Ma Ning , Mäder Karsten , Pashkuleva Iva , Reis Rui L , Groth Thomas
Published: August 2015

Glycosaminoglycans are able to bind many growth factors and adhesive proteins, which affect cell activities such as adhesion, migration, growth and differentiation. Chondroitin sulphate, hyaluronan, sulphated hyaluronan and heparin were oxidised here (aldehyde glycosaminoglycans) to generate aldehydes on vicinal hydroxyl groups of the uronic monomers of glycosaminoglycans for subsequent direct covalent binding to amino-terminated model substrata. The properties of modified surfaces were monitored by water contact angle, zeta potential, ellipsometry measurements and atomic force microscopy showing successful immobilisation of aldehyde glycosaminoglycans. Wetting properties and zeta potentials were related to sulphate content of aldehyde glycosaminoglycans with aldehyde heparin as most wettable and negative surface and aldehyde hyaluronan as the least. The thickness of surface layers measured by ellipsometry indicated a predominant side-on immobilisation of all aldehyde glycosaminoglycans. Atomic force microscopy studies showed that immobilisation of aldehyde hyaluronan lead to a rather smooth surface coating while immobilisation of sulphated aldehyde glycosaminoglycans was characterised by a globular appearance of surfaces with higher roughness. The experiments with human fibroblast studying adhesion under serum-free conditions were carried out to learn about bioactivity of aldehyde glycosaminoglycans. It was observed that the increase in sulphation degree of aldehyde glycosaminoglycans was accompanied by increased adhesion and spreading of cells with stronger expression of focal adhesions and cytoskeletal structures. By contrast, cell adhesion and spreading were lower on aldehyde hyaluronan. Immunofluorescence staining of cells in contact with aldehyde hyaluronan revealed a stronger expression of CD44, which can represent an alternative route of cell adhesion. The results show that oxidised glycosaminoglycans can be successfully applied for the development of bioactive surface coatings. The created biomimetic microenvironment may be useful to engineer surfaces of implants and scaffolds for tissue regeneration.
Compressed air saving in symmetrical and asymmetrical pneumatic positioning systems
Authors: Endler Luciano , De Negri Victor Juliano , Castelan Eugênio B
Published: August 2015

This article presents simulation and experimental results of an alternative scheme for reducing the consumption of compressed air in pneumatic positioning systems with external loads. The circuit adds a fast-switching on/off valve interconnecting the cylinder chambers on a typical system configuration comprising a symmetrical cylinder and a 5/3 directional proportional valve. The proportional valve is operated using a proportional–integral controller with dead zone compensation, and the auxiliary fast-switching on/off valve is controlled using a pulse-width modulation technique associated with another proportional–integral controller. An algorithm based on the pressure difference and the control signal for decision-making regarding compressed air saving is proposed. The results presented in this article show that the proposed scheme reduced the compressed air consumption by 47%–54%. The simulation results show that the presented approach can also be applied to circuits using asymmetrical cylinders with or without external loads.
Centennial ties: Harvey Cushing (1869–1939) and William Osler (1849–1919) on Andreas Vesalius (1514–1564)
Authors: Toodayan Nadeem
Published: August 2015

Andreas Vesalius is often regarded as the founding father of modern anatomical study. The quincentennial anniversary of his birth – 31 December 2014 – has been very widely commemorated, and it is the purpose of this article to contrast these celebrations with what happened during the Vesalius quatercentenary year of 1914. More specifically, we look at how Vesalius was perceived a century ago by examining his influence on two of western medicine’s most iconic gentlemen – Harvey Williams Cushing (1869–1939) and his larger than life mentor, Sir William Osler (1849–1919).
India in the Changing Global Economy-Managerial Challenges
Authors: Chowdhury Subir
Published: August 2015

As we enter the 21st century, the world becomes smaller, and the fierce competition among nations has directed enormous importance to the quality and cost awareness features of any product. The philosophy of TQM has helped Japan in reversing its image of junk merchants 40 years back to its current undisputed emerging status of industrial leadership in the world. With the collapse of USSR and emergence of European Commission and NAFTA, ASEAN, SAARC and formation of WTO, India needs to analyze the mess she has made of its resources in comparison to other nations of the world. Since 1991 Indian economy has been liberalized but there are managerial challenges ahead of improving of life. This can be achieved by disciplining large labour force, moving into more thrust areas like tourism and exports.
Harnessing the Potential of Female Workforce
Authors: Sen Sujit , Saxena Shailendra
Published: August 2015

Workforces in organisations across the world increasingly are having sizeable percentage of women employees. And this trend is steadily gathering momentum. This paper examines the extent of this phenomenon and its implications particularly with an emphasis on harnessing the true collective potential of female workforce. Relevant national and international statistics have been furnished in the paper and there is a discussion on instituting “enabling measures or mechanisms” for women employees in order to enhance their contributions commensurate with their true potential. Sensitivity on the part of all managers in general, and HR professionals in particular, to gender issues has been discussed.
Assessing Competitiveness of Indian Garment Export Firms: An Investigation
Authors: Jain Sanjay K.
Published: August 2015

As per the provisions of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) currently in vogue, various quota restrictions imposed by the developed countries on the textiles and garment exports will be phased out by the year 2005. The phase-out process has already commenced and with the successive removal of quota restrictions, world trade in garments shall become very competitive. Based on a survey of the export firms and opinion of a few experts, the paper delves into a competitiveness analysis of Indian garment export firms. Though the Indian firms hold the perception that they are competitive enough to withstand the emerging competition, they are found to be lacking in respect of all the competitiveness dimensions identified through the use of factor analysis. The paper also provides suggestions for improving the export competitiveness in future.
Owners of Premium Cars and their Satisfaction Level: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Saxena R P
Published: August 2015

Today, India has become a low cost manufacturing base for MNCs. Under the process of liberalisation, economy has been opened up and various opportunities are being tapped by multinational giants. World automobile manufacturers find India as a point of attraction, both for manufacturing and marketing. Until 1983, there were limited players in the car market, but during the last 5-6 years the automobile market of India has shown a manifold growth. Looking at the immense competition ahead, each company is trying to attract customers, claiming their brand as the best brand, which offers greater value to its customers. The present study is undertaken to assess the satisfaction level of owners of premium cars; namely Maruti Esteem, Opel Astra, Ford Escort and Daewoo Cielo.
Spiral pulley negative stiffness mechanism for passive energy balancing
Authors: Woods Benjamin KS , Friswell Michael I
Published: August 2015

This article discusses the development, analysis, and testing of a mechanism designed to passively balance the energy requirements of mechanical systems and smart structures in order to reduce the size and weight of their actuation systems and to minimize the associated energy consumption. This passive energy balance is achieved by coupling a negative stiffness mechanism to the positive stiffness of the mechanical system being driven, thereby creating a net zero stiffness system which can be actuated with minimal energy requirements. The negative stiffness mechanism proposed here uses a cable spooling around a spiral-shaped pulley to convert decreasing forces in a pre-stretched linear extension spring into increasing torque output, thereby creating a torsional spring with negative output stiffness. An analytical model of the system was developed, and the geometry of the spiral pulley was optimized for a representative design case. An experimental demonstrator was then built and tested, confirming the ability of the concept to drastically reduce torque and energy required to actuate a representative load.
Integrating Levels of Analysis in Systems and Cognitive Neurosciences
Authors: Itthipuripat Sirawaj , Serences John T.
Published: August 2015

Neuroscience is inherently interdisciplinary, rapidly expanding beyond its roots in biological sciences to many areas of the social and physical sciences. This expansion has led to more sophisticated ways of thinking about the links between brains and behavior and has inspired the development of increasingly advanced tools to characterize the activity of large populations of neurons. However, along with these advances comes a heightened risk of fostering confusion unless efforts are made to better integrate findings across different model systems and to develop a better understanding about how different measurement techniques provide mutually constraining information. Here we use selective visuospatial attention as a case study to highlight the importance of these issues, and we suggest that exploiting multiple measures can better constrain models that relate neural activity to animal behavior.
Early detection of tooth crack damage in gearbox using empirical wavelet transform combined by Hilbert transform
Authors: Merainani Boualem , Benazzouz Djamel , Rahmoune Chemseddine
Published: August 2015

Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) has been renowned for its capacity to reveal fault indicating information issue from vibration signals. It uses Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) to decompose a signal accordingly to its contained information into a set of Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs). Then, the instantaneous frequencies are performed of each IMF using Hilbert Transform (HT). However, the HHT has some disadvantages which are caused by the EMD technique. The EMD has the mode mixing problem that may occur between IMFs, it causes the End Effect phenomenon, which leads to a wrong instantaneous values at both sides of the signal. Furthermore, its lack of mathematical basis. To overcome the HHT inherent problems, we propose the use of the Empirical Wavelet Transform (EWT) which designs an appropriate wavelet filter bank fully depends on the processed signal with HT in the early detection and condition monitoring of tooth crack fault. In this paper, we develop a dynamic model describing a single stage spur gear in normal and abnormal functioning. Results of analyzing the pinion’s vibration displacement show that the proposed approach denoted (HEWT) successfully detect the tooth crack at a much earlier stage of damage development even though in noisy environment. Performance evaluation and comparison between HEWT and HHT methods show that the HEWT is better sensitive to tooth crack fault detection in gearbox systems.
WhichWayNC
Authors: Clark Meredith D.
Published: August 2015

This student newsroom ethnography examines the emergent culture and values of a group-created news and information content with a mobile-first focus. Using semi-structured interviews from 12 participants working on a mobile-optimized summer news project, the study provides insights on the work practices of the digital student newsroom. Validated through the use of textual analysis and member checks, these findings offer four key values that are applicable as part of a reflexive pedagogy in student digital media production. This study offers insights that can be scaled for a journalism program of any size.
Experimental and statistical investigation on the failure of contaminated elastohydrodynamic lubrication rolling contact
Authors: Sari Mohamed Rafik , Maatallah Sabrina , Adjabi Rachid , Khochemane Lakhdar
Published: August 2015

This paper deals with the failure of an elastohydrodynamic lubrication rolling contact, operating in highly contaminated media. To achieve this goal, an original experimental device was built and then successfully used to investigate the effects of three operating parameters, called contaminant concentration ( C), rotational speed ( V), and load ( Q) on the evolution of wear, W, and arithmetic mean surface roughness, Ra. The influence of the above mentioned parameters is statistically explored using the analysis of variance (ANOVA). Mathematical models for wear and surface roughness were also established using the response surface methodology by employing multiple regression method. From this experimental research, it is clearly shown that the contaminant concentration is the major factor leading to the fast failure of machine elements. Finally, the obtained results justify and confirm the lifetime reduction of mechanisms in highly contaminated media.
Temporary sobriety initiatives as public pedagogy: Windows of opportunity for embodied learning
Authors: Robert Julie
Published: August 2015

Philanthropic temporary sobriety initiatives such as Dry July, FebFast and Ocsober have become increasingly popular in Australia and have begun to spread to other locations both for their fundraising potential and as a grassroots public health measure to promote more responsible attitudes to alcohol consumption. This article presents findings from a series of in-depth, post-campaign interviews with FebFast 2014 participants and staff about how these campaigns can be understood as a form of public pedagogy or non-traditional learning that purposefully cultivates and suggests health-promoting meanings for embodied experience. It explicates the mechanisms of public pedagogies that rely on embodiment and, importantly, considers the learner’s perspective on the pedagogical process. Temporary sobriety initiatives are found to operate thanks to (1) a structure that prescribes and facilitates short-term changes and enforces compliance with a social contract of philanthropy and (2) messaging that guides participants in their evaluation and assessment of their experience of temporary sobriety as physically and psychologically beneficial, as well as socially informative and impactful.
Beyond essentialism: On Stuart Hall and Black British arts
Authors: Jordan Glenn
Published: August 2015

Coco Fusco wrote in 2005 that the explosion of creativity in black culture in Britain in the 1980s, together with the accompanying critical debates, transformed assumptions about black art worldwide. The key senior figure in those debates was Stuart Hall. This article explores Hall as (1) an activist-intellectual who served as a mentor for artists from the African, Arab, Asian and Caribbean diasporas living in the UK and who intervened in public debates about ‘Black culture’ and ‘Black arts’ and (2) a cultural theorist whose concepts and ideas – for example, concerning modernity, diaspora, identity, subjectivity and cultural politics – facilitated transformative, anti-essentialist practices of ‘Black Art’ that started in the UK and spread internationally. Employing aspects of Hall’s method of ‘conjunctural analysis’, the article argues that, although known for its anti-essentialism, Black British arts of the 1980s and early 1990s constituted a contradictory formation – including a strong Afrocentric, essentialist trajectory that remained largely immune to Hall’s ideas.
‘What’s going on?’ in Finland: Employing Stuart Hall for a conjunctural analysis
Authors: Lehtonen Mikko
Published: August 2015

The article asks how is it possible that, while Finns continue to support welfare state values, an increasing percentage of them support at the polling booths neoliberal globalizers or populist neo-nationalists. This paradox is explored by using Stuart Hall’s thoughts on articulation, conjuncture and identification that enable the writer to ask: How do ‘economy’, ‘politics’ and ‘culture’ form a complex conjunctural whole in contemporary Finland that allows the process of neo-liberalization to proceed – albeit with uneven results? What is the role of ‘cultural’ identifications in this whole? The article discusses especially the success of populist neo-nationalism in the light of articulations of ‘economic’, ‘political’ and ‘cultural’ factors.
Pharmacoepidemiology at Nordic School of Public Health NHV: Examples from 1999 to 2014
Authors: Stålsby Lundborg Cecilia , Gyllensten Hanna , Hedna Khedidja , Hakkarainen Katja M. , Lesén Eva , Andersson Sundell Karolina
Published: August 2015

Background: Pharmacoepidemiology is a branch of public health and had a place at the Nordic School of Public Health. Courses, Master’s theses and Doctorates of Public Health (DrPH) in Pharmacoepidemiology were a relatively minor, but still important part of the school’s activities. Methods: This paper gives a short background, followed by some snapshots of the activities at NHV, and then some illustrative case-studies. These case-studies list their own responsible co-authors and have separate reference lists. Results: In the Nordic context, NHV was a unique provider of training and research in pharmacoepidemiology, with single courses to complete DrPH training, as well as implementation of externally-funded research projects. Conclusions: With the closure of NHV at the end of 2014, it is unclear if such a comprehensive approach towards pharmacoepidemiology will be found elsewhere in the Nordic countries.
“You Tweet Like a Girl!”
Authors: Evans Heather K. , Clark Jennifer Hayes
Published: August 2015

We investigate the Twitter activity of all congressional candidates leading up to the 2012 U.S. House elections to assess whether there are significant differences in the tone and content of the tweets from male and female candidates. We argue that the electoral environment will have a significant effect over whether candidates engage in negative tweeting, address political issues, and discuss so-called “women’s issues” on Twitter. We find that gender has both a direct and contextual effect on candidates’ communication style on Twitter. Female candidates tweet significantly more “attack-style” messages than their male counterparts, discuss policy issues at a significantly higher rate, and women representatives focus more on “women’s issues.” We also find strong contextual effects in races with more female candidates: There is significantly more tweeting about political issues as well as significantly more negative attack-style tweets. However, with more female candidates, the number of tweets about “women’s issues” declines.
Risk and Representation in Research Ethics
Authors: Brunger Fern , Russell Todd
Published: August 2015

This article examines Canadian policy governing the ethics of research involving Indigenous communities. Academics and community members collaborated in research to examine how best to apply the Tri-Council Policy Statement guidelines in a community with complex and multiple political and cultural jurisdictions. We examined issues of NunatuKavut (Southern Inuit) authority and representation in relation to governance of research in a context where community identity is complex and shifting, and new provincial legislation mandates centralized ethics review. We describe the politics of risk—the ways in which collective identity and research risks are co-constructed. Our case study illustrates that collective consent to research must emphasize shifting identity construction in relation to the particular risks and benefits invoked by the research question, to ascertain with which groups or individuals the negotiation of risk should take place in the first place. We conclude by describing a necessary re-imagining of policy governing research ethics involving Indigenous communities.
Creating Behavioral Vacuums
Authors: Vaughan Elizabeth M. , Moreno Jennette P. , Johnston Craig A.
Published: August 2015

Screen media use has increased dramatically in children in the past decade, contributing to increasing rates of sedentary behavior in children. Excessive screen media use is related to poor social skills and increased likelihood of being overweight and obese. Behavioral economic theory has been used to examine the relationship between sedentary behavior and physical activity and whether an increase or decrease in one leads to a reciprocal response in the other. Health care providers should be aware of the behavioral “vacuum” that is created when patients are told to decrease sedentary behavior and assist patients with filling that void with nonsedentary behaviors.
War remembrance in a sacralized space of memory: The origins and evolution of Volkstrauertag in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Authors: Kovacs Jason F
Published: August 2015

In 1970, the remains of 187 German prisoners-of-war who died in Canada during World Wars I and II were transferred from three dozen sites across the country to a central burial ground in Kitchener, Ontario. Since then, a remembrance event ( Volkstrauertag) has been organized each November by members of the local German-Canadian community at the German War Graves in Kitchener’s Woodland Cemetery. I address the initial controversy that surrounded the decision to establish a central war cemetery to German prisoners-of-war. I then explore the evolving narrative that underlies the local annual remembrance ceremony and reveal incidents where the German War Graves temporarily became a contested site of memory. I conclude by arguing that, in contrast to observations of the event in Germany, the formative tradition of commemorating all-victims-of-war rather than simply the German war dead has not only been maintained in Kitchener but has broadened in recent years.
Impact of scapholunate dissociation on human wrist kinematics
Authors: Stromps J. P. , Eschweiler J. , Knobe M. , Rennekampff H. O. , Radermacher K. , Pallua N.
Published: August 2015

Neither the complex motions of the scapholunate joint, nor the kinematic changes that occur as a result of injury to it, are fully understood. We used electromagnetic tracking within affected bones to evaluate the physiologic motions in the planes of flexion and extension, and of radial and ulnar deviation of human cadaver wrists, before and after complete transection of the scapholunate ligaments. Despite individual variance between each wrist, we were able to establish a pattern in the changes that occurred after scapholunate ligament injury. During the motions examined, the scaphoid showed an increase in translational deviation in almost all motion axes. In contrast, the movement of the lunate seemed to be impaired, especially in radial-ulnar deviation.
New insights into the immediate outcome of collagenase injections for Dupuytren’s contracture
Authors: Warwick D. J. , Graham D. , Worsley P.
Published: August 2015

Collagenase clostridium histolyticum is now established as an effective and safe option to treat patients with a single joint affected with Dupuytren’s contracture. We have extended its use to natatory and combined cords. In a prospective consecutive series of 298 cords in 237 patients, the mean total extension loss improved in cords crossing the metacarpophalangeal joint from 46° to 1°, in cords crossing the proximal interphalangeal joint from 56° to 7°, in natatory cords from 130° to 25° and in combined cords from 102° to 16°. The immediate correction of combined cords and natatory cords was less reliable than that obtained in cords crossing the metacarpophalangeal joint or proximal interphalangeal joint. Less severe pre-intervention contractures tended to correct better. We found a high complication rate, which may cause alarm. A total of 21% developed skin splits, with the risk of skin splits generally increasing with more severe pre-injection deformity. Blood blisters were only encountered after manipulation of the more severe contractures. A total of 23 patients (8%) had a spontaneous rupture and 57 patients (19%) had a partial spontaneous rupture. Only 4.9% needed a second injection. We noticed a learning curve, with seven of the first 20 cords (35%) needing a second injection to achieve a satisfactory correction and then only seven (2.5%) in the rest.

Level of evidence: IV
Narrative consultation model: ‘Mind the GAP’
Authors: Churn Peter A
Published: August 2015

As you develop as a GP, you will be continuously refining your own consultation style. Your trainer is likely to suggest several different consultation models for you to explore, and whole books for you to read. You will reflect numerous times on your own consultations using the RCGP consultation observation tool with its 13 criteria to address. However, as the clinical skills assessment (CSA) looms and you try and get your consultations down to 10 minutes it can all feel a bit overwhelming. There can simply seem to be too many tasks to complete, and too many questions to remember. I would suggest a simple model based on narrative story-telling where there are only three phases to remember; Gathering, Agreeing and Planning. And if you ‘Mind the GAP’ the consultation will flow naturally, you will find it easier to pass the CSA examination and will even shorten your consultations.
Reversible restricted-diffusion lesion representing transient intramyelinic cytotoxic edema in a patient with traumatic brain injury
Authors: Al Brashdi Yahya H , Albayram Mehmet S
Published: August 2015

We report this case to increase the awareness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of reversible white matter abnormalities in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps in a patient with traumatic brain injury (TBI). An eight-year-old girl, who was hit by a truck, was brought to the emergency department by the emergency medical service (EMS). Eleven days later, she experienced cognitive impairment requiring MRI evaluation. DWI and ADC maps showed restricted diffusion in the white matter of the corpus callosum, peri-atrial white matter, and in the right centrum semiovale. There were no significant hemorrhagic foci in these regions, which showed complete resolution on follow up DWI MRI 13 days later. This reported case revealed TBI-related transient reversible intramyelinic cytotoxic edema.
Complex aortic arch anomaly: Right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery, fenestrated proximal right and duplicated proximal left vertebral arteries—CT angiography findings and review of the literature
Authors: Tong Elizabeth , Rizvi Tanvir , Hagspiel Klaus D
Published: August 2015

Congenital aortic arch and vertebral artery anomalies are a relatively rare finding discovered on imaging either incidentally or for evaluation of entities like dysphagia or subclavian steal. Right aortic arch is an uncommon anatomical anomaly that occurs in less than 0.1% of the population, and in half of these cases the left subclavian artery is also aberrant.1 Unilateral vertebral artery (VA) duplication is rare with an observed prevalence of 0.72% in cadavers.2 Fenestration of the VA is more common than duplication, with a prevalence of approximately 0.23%–1.95%.3,4 We describe the case of a 25-year-old female who was found to have a right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery, duplicated left vertebral artery and a fenestrated right vertebral artery on CT angiography performed for evaluation of dysphagia. This combination of findings has not been reported before, to the best of our knowledge. We review the embryologic mechanism for the development of the normal aortic arch, right aortic arch, vertebral artery duplication and vertebral artery fenestration. The incidence of these entities, resultant symptoms and clinical implications are also reviewed. The increased associated incidence of aneurysm formation, dissection, arteriovenous malformations and thromboembolic events with fenestration is also discussed.
No evidence of transmission of chronic lymphocytic leukemia through blood transfusion
Authors: Hjalgrim Henrik , Rostgaard Klaus , Vasan Senthil K. , Ullum Henrik , Erikstrup Christian , Pedersen Ole B. V. , Nielsen Kaspar R. , Titlestad Kjell-Einar , Melbye Mads , Nyrén Olof , Edgren Gustaf
Published: August 2015

Key Points

Transfusion recipients’ risk of CLL is not affected by postdonation CLL in donor. Recipient CLL does not cluster to individual donors, arguing against MBL transmission.
The effects of human Wharton’s jelly cell transplantation on the intervertebral disc in a canine disc degeneration model
Authors: Zhang Yan , Tao Hui , Gu Tao , Zhou Mingyue , Jia Zhiwei , Jiang Gangqiang , Chen Chun , Han Zhihua , Xu Cheng , Wang Deli , He Qing , Ruan Dike
Published: August 2015

Introduction

Cell-based therapy was a promising treatment method for disc degenerative diseases. Wharton’s jelly cell (WJC) has been explored to cure various human diseases, while it still remains unknown about this MSC for disc repair. In our prior work, WJCs could differentiate into nucleus pulposus (NP)-like cells by co-culturing with NP cells in vitro. Thence, the aim of this study was further to investigate the survival and function of WJCs in vivo after transplantation into degenerated canine discs.

Method

WJCs were isolated from human umbilical cords and labeled with EGFP. The degeneration of L4-5, L5-6, and L6-7 discs of beagles was induced by aspirating the NP tissues. Four weeks after the operation, the injured discs were left to be no treatment at L4-5 (DS group), injected with 0.9 % saline at L5-6 (FS group), and transplanted with EGFP-labeled WJCs at L6-7 (TS group). In all animals, the intact disc L3-4 served as a control (CS group). The animals were followed up for 24 weeks after initial operation. Spine imaging was evaluated at 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks, respectively. Histologic, biomechanics and gene expression analyses were performed at 24 weeks. Immunohistochemistry for aggrecan, types II collagen, SOX-9 was employed to investigate the matrix formation in the NP.

Results

The TS group showed a significantly smaller reduction in the disc height and T2-weighted signal intensity, and a better spinal segmental stability than DS and FS groups. Histologic assay demonstrated that WJCs were specifically detected in TS group at 24 weeks and the discs of TS group maintained a relatively well preserved structure as compared to the discs of DS and FS groups. Furthermore, real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry demonstrated that expressions of disc matrix genes, aggrecan, type II collagen, and SOX-9, were up-regulated in TS group compared to DS and FS groups.

Conclusion

WJCs could not only survive in the degenerate IVDs, but also promote the disc matrix formation of aggrecan and type II collagen in the degenerate IVDs. It may have value in cell-based therapy for degenerative disc disease.