bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Clomethiazole and Diazepam in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome in Clinical Practice
Authors: Sychla Hannah , Gründer Gerhard , Lammertz Sarah Edith
Published: September 2017

Background: The objective of this retrospective study was to compare the effectivity and tolerability of diazepam and clomethiazole in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) in a large clinical sample. Methods: The data of 566 patients admitted to an intensive care psychiatric unit in Germany (2010-2014) were evaluated. The course of withdrawal was analyzed on a matched sample (n = 152) consisting of a diazepam group (n = 76) and a clomethiazole group (n = 76). Medical assessment was based on a standardized point-based symptom rating scale called AESB (Alkoholentzugssymptom-Bogen), a German modified version of the Revised Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol Scale (CIWA-Ar). Results: Although the mean daily symptom reduction did not differ significantly, patients treated with clomethiazole were treated significantly shorter and needed less concomitant antipsychotic medication. Numbers of complications and adverse events did not show significant differences. Conclusion: Both clomethiazole and diazepam were effective and equally safe in the treatment of AWS. Clomethiazole provided a faster withdrawal and required less concomitant antipsychotic medication and therefore might be the more favorable option for patients and physicians. Taken into account the methodological limitations of the study (retrospective design, secondary matching, missing randomization, use of clomethiazole as drug of first choice), further studies are needed to confirm this result.
Serial 3-Vessel Optical Coherence Tomography and Intravascular Ultrasound Analysis of Changing Morphologies Associated With Lesion Progression in Patients With Stable Angina Pectoris
Authors: Yamamoto Myong Hwa , Yamashita Kennosuke , Matsumura Mitsuaki , Fujino Akiko , Ishida Masaru , Ebara Seitarou , Okabe Toshitaka , Saito Shigeo , Hoshimoto Koichi , Amemiya Kisaki , Yakushiji Tadayuki , Isomura Naoei , Araki Hiroshi , Obara Chiaki , McAndrew Thomas , Ochiai Masahiko , Mintz Gary S. , Maehara Akiko
Published: September 2017

Background—

Optical coherence tomographic (OCT) morphologies associated with lesion progression are not well studied. The aim of this study was to determine the morphological change for untreated lesion progression using both OCT and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).

Methods and Results—

We used baseline and 8-month follow-up 3-vessel OCT and IVUS to assess 127 nonculprit lesions (IVUS plaque burden ≥40%) in 45 patients with stable angina after target lesion treatment. Lesion progression was defined as an IVUS lumen area decrease >0.5 mm
2
. A layered pattern was identified as a superficial layer that had a different optical intensity and a clear demarcation from underlying plaque. Lesion progression was observed in 19% (24/127) lesions, and its pattern was characterized into 3 types: type I, new superficial layered pattern at follow-up that was not present at baseline (n=9); type II, a layered pattern at baseline whose layer thickness increased at follow-up (n=7); or type III, no layered pattern at baseline or follow-up (n=8). The increase of IVUS plaque+media area was largest in type I and least in type III (1.9 mm
2
[1.6–2.1], 1.1 mm
2
[0.9–1.4], and 0.3 mm
2
[−0.2 to 0.8], respectively;
P
=0.002). Type III, but not types I or II, showed negative remodeling during follow-up (IVUS vessel area; from 14.3 mm
2
[11.4–17.2] to 13.5 mm
2
[10.4–16.7];
P
=0.02). OCT lipidic plaque was associated with lesion progression (odds ratio, 13.6; 95% confidence interval, 3.7–50.6;
P
<0.001).

Conclusions—

Lesion progression was categorized to distinct OCT morphologies that were related to changes in plaque mass or vessel remodeling.
Patient and Physician Perspectives on Public Reporting of Mortality Ratings for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in New York State
Authors: Fernandez Genaro , Narins Craig R. , Bruckel Jeffrey , Ayers Brian , Ling Frederick S.
Published: September 2017

Background—

Public reporting of physician-specific outcome data for procedures, such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), can influence physicians to avoid high-risk patients who may benefit from treatment. Prior physician attitudes toward public scorecards in New York State (NYS) have been studied, but the exclusion criteria have evolved. Additionally, patient perceptions toward such reports remain poorly understood. This study evaluates (1) whether exclusion of certain high-risk patients from public reporting of PCI outcomes in NYS has influenced physician attitudes, (2) current patient awareness and use of publicly reported outcome data, and (3) differences in physician and patient attitudes toward public reporting.

Methods and Results—

A questionnaire was administered to interventional cardiologists in NYS with specific emphasis on how modifications in publicly reported outcome data have influenced their practice. The results were compared with a 2003 survey administered by our group. A separate questionnaire regarding the publicly available NYS PCI Report was administered to patients referred to our center for possible PCI. The majority of interventional cardiologists indicated that the exclusion of patients with anoxic brain injury and refractory cardiogenic shock from public reporting has made them more likely to perform PCI for these subgroups. While patient awareness of the NYS PCI Report was low, patients were significantly more likely than physicians to think that publication of physician-specific mortality data can provide an accurate measure of physician quality, serve to improve patient care, and provide useful information in terms of physician selection.

Conclusions—

The study provides further evidence that public reporting of physician-specific outcome data influences physician behavior and indicates that significant discrepancies exist in how scorecards are perceived by physicians versus patients.
Sleep‐Disordered Breathing in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Mechanistic Link to Peripheral Endothelial Dysfunction
Authors: Scherbakov Nadja , Sandek Anja , Ebner Nicole , Valentova Miroslava , Nave Alexander Heinrich , Jankowska Ewa A. , Schefold Jörg C. , von Haehling Stephan , Anker Stefan D. , Fietze Ingo , Fiebach Jochen B. , Haeusler Karl Georg , Doehner Wolfram
Published: September 2017

Background

Sleep‐disordered breathing (
SDB
) after acute ischemic stroke is frequent and may be linked to stroke‐induced autonomic imbalance. In the present study, the interaction between
SDB
and peripheral endothelial dysfunction (
ED
) was investigated in patients with acute ischemic stroke and at 1‐year follow‐up.

Methods and Results

SDB
was assessed by transthoracic impedance records in 101 patients with acute ischemic stroke (mean age, 69 years; 61% men; median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, 4) while being on the stroke unit.
SDB
was defined by apnea‐hypopnea index ≥5 episodes per hour. Peripheral endothelial function was assessed using peripheral arterial tonometry (Endo
PAT
‐2000).
ED
was defined by reactive hyperemia index ≤1.8. Forty‐one stroke patients underwent 1‐year follow‐up (390±24 days) after stroke.
SDB
was observed in 57% patients with acute ischemic stroke. Compared with patients without
SDB
,
ED
was more prevalent in patients with
SDB
(32% versus 64%;
P
<0.01). After adjustment for multiple confounders, presence of
SDB
remained independently associated with
ED
(odds ratio, 3.1; [95% confidence interval, 1.2–7.9];
P
<0.05). After 1 year, the prevalence of
SDB
decreased from 59% to 15% (
P
<0.001). Interestingly, peripheral endothelial function improved in stroke patients with normalized
SDB
, compared with patients with persisting
SDB
(
P
<0.05).

Conclusions

SDB
was present in more than half of all patients with acute ischemic stroke and was independently associated with peripheral
ED
. Normalized
ED
in patients with normalized breathing pattern 1 year after stroke suggests a mechanistic link between
SDB
and
ED
.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
https://drks-neu.uniklinik-freiburg.de
. Unique identifier:
DRKS
00000514.
Marxism after Marx: Karl Kautsky’s Disputed Legacy
Authors: Lewis Ben
Published: September 2017

Today, Karl Kautsky (1854–1938) is mainly remembered for his polemics against the young Bolshevik regime or as the ‘renegade’ in Lenin’sThe Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky(1918), which pillories him for his wavering stance in opposing World War I and his (later) outright hostility to the Russian Revolution of October 1917. Kautsky’s authority as a Marxist theoretician was seriously called into question ever since Lenin’s polemic. During the Cold War in particular, a consensus emerged which suggested that Kautsky’s views of democracy, organisation and revolutionary change had little or nothing to do with the political practice of Russian Bolshevism and the Russian Revolution of 1917. Recently, however, several studies have challenged this consensus. They highlight the profound impact which Kautsky had on the development of Russian Bolshevism and make the case that – prior to his renegacy in 1914 – thinkers such as Lenin and Trotsky viewed Kautsky as the legitimate intellectual heir of Marx and Engels. This article introduces an autobiographical essay written by Kautsky in 1924 and calls for closer engagement with his œuvre as a whole.
How Capitalist Were the ‘Bourgeois Revolutions’?
Authors: Post Charles
Published: September 2017

The canonical version of the ‘bourgeois revolutions’ has been under attack from both pro-capitalist ‘Revisionist’ historians and ‘Political Marxists’. Neil Davidson’s bookHow Revolutionary Were the Bourgeois Revolutions?provides a thorough review of the intellectual history of the notion of the bourgeois revolution and attempts to rescue the concept from varied criticism. Despite distancing himself from problematic formulations of the bourgeois revolution inherited from Second-International Marxism, Davidson’s own framework reproduces many of the historical and conceptual problems of this tradition.
New species and new records of Cerambycidae (Insecta, Coleoptera) from RPPN Sanctuary of Caraça, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Authors: MONNÉ MARCELA L. , MONNÉ MIGUEL A.
Published: September 2017

A new species of Hemilophini, Adesmus lauropalui sp. nov. and a list of species of Cerambycidae from the Reserva Particular de Patrimonio Natural (RPPN) Sanctuary of Caraça are presented. The data are based on fieldwork and the MNRJ collection. Two hundred fifty-four species of Cerambycidae are recorded, of which 158 are new distribution records.
An annotated checklist of the Pericopina (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini)
Authors: LAMAS GERARDO
Published: September 2017

An annotated synonymic checklist of the subtribe Pericopina (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini) is presented, containing 332 species in 36 genera. One new replacement generic name, Myserla Lamas, is proposed for Sermyla Walker, 1854, a junior homonym of Sermyla H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854 (Mollusca). Thirteen new generic combinations are introduced, and twenty-four species-group taxa are downgraded to junior synonyms. Ten lectotypes are designated.
Scrolling through Revelation: A Note on the βιβλ- Word-Group in the Narrative Structure of John’s Apocalypse
Authors: Hay Jared W.
Published: September 2017

The narrative shape of Revelation is notoriously difficult to identify, and varies from commentator to commentator. However, there are indicators of structure, some of which are subtler than others. This textual note identifies uses of three Greek words for ‘scroll’ (belonging to the βιβλ- word-group), twenty-eight in total, and suggests that the hitherto unidentified cluster of seven uses of the word ‘scroll’ in Revelation twenty-two could form an inclusio with the seven uses in chapter five. It further proposes that in chapter ten we are alerted to the forthcoming contents of the now opened scroll by the equivalent use of ‘little scroll’ and ‘scroll.’ I argue that the opened scroll’s contents, relating a metanarrative of salvation and judgement, are narrated from 11:19 to the close of the inclusio in chapter twenty-two, where I postulate a double ending—that of the scroll eaten by John and that of the whole book.
The limits of socialization and the underproduction of military violence
Authors: Manekin Devorah
Published: September 2017

Research on socialization can obscure the agency of its targets, presenting socialization as a uni-directional process shaping beliefs and behaviors. This assumption is even stronger for the military, a totalizing institution often portrayed as fashioning its members into violence professionals through a top-down process of domination. In contrast, this article argues that even powerful socialization processes are not omnipotent, and that individuals retain a measure of agency even under pervasive social control. Drawing on the case of the Israel Defense Force during the Second Intifada, it shows that norms inculcated during military socialization can be undermined by the more ambiguous conditions of deployment. When soldiers also subscribe to competing norms and receive social support for their dissent, resistance can emerge, increase, and become more overt. Analysis of resistance to violence underscores the power of military socialization while drawing attention to its limits. It therefore challenges homogenizing views of soldiers, illuminating the processes through which military violence is produced and curbed.
Armed group institutions and combatant socialization
Authors: Green Amelia Hoover
Published: September 2017

Ex-combatants who fought with the Salvadoran Army during El Salvador’s 1980–92 civil war often recall being ‘captured’, rather than recruited, suffering beatings and humiliation in the course of training, and fighting without a sense of purpose or direction. Those who served with rebel forces, by contrast, recall fatigue and frustration with new routines, but seldom hazing or abuse; most also recalled deep, ongoing instruction about the purpose and goals of the war. This comparison highlights the broad variation in armed groups’ formal institutions for socialization, a topic that political scientists have only recently begun to examine in depth. The Salvadoran case also emphasizes some shortcomings of the existing literature, which may elide the differing effects of different formal institutions, treat individual institutions as operating independently on combatant behavior, and/or fail to map complex causal processes intervening between institutions and behavior. This article takes as its starting point the observation that many armed group institutions – including recruitment, military training, political training, and disciplinary regimes – are components of the process known more generally as ‘combatant socialization’. Examining specific institutional processes associated with combatant socialization allows for the generation of more refined and specific theories of combatant socialization as both a causal variable and an outcome. At the same time, treating armed group institutions as related elements of a broader process, rather than as fully separate institutions, may also advance understandings of the effects of these institutions. I demonstrate that the implementation and content of formal institutions for socialization varied significantly both across and within groups in El Salvador; building on this analysis, I lay out several potential directions for comparative research.
Youthfulness and immaterial labour in the new economy
Authors: Farrugia David
Published: September 2017

The focus of this article is youth and youthfulness in the contemporary economy. Drawing on theories of immaterial labour, the article moves beyond an existing focus on ‘young people’ as capital accumulating subjects to theorize the production of youthfulness as a quality that circulates through immaterial economies and that is mobilized to confer a particular form of value on consumer goods, service interactions and labouring subjectivities. The production of youthfulness is made possible through relations between the micro-level production and consumption that take place within youth cultures and modes of sociality, the production practices and marketing activities of firms, and young people whose capacities for embodiment, sociability and youthful consumption cultivated both within and outside of paid employment contribute to their constitution as labouring subjects. Within this network of relations, youthfulness is mobilized to distribute playful affects, offer the possibility of hedonistic leisure/pleasure and confer symbolic distinctions of cutting edge style. These economies of youthfulness constitute a specific means by which production, consumption, labour and leisure intersect in the labouring subjectivities and immaterial products of the contemporary service economy, and contribute to the formation of valorized and devalorized youth subjectivities in relation to the new economy.
Reification and the Human Commodity: Theorizing Modern Slavery in Brazil
Authors: Issa Daniela
Published: September 2017

Modern slavery in Brazil exemplifies the culmination of reification as theorized by György Lukács, characterized by the commodification and dehumanization of labor and the extreme objectification of workers, who become “human commodities” in the capitalist system—“commodities” that produce other commodities. The concept of reification was incorporated into the 2003 Brazilian law on slave labor, where equating a human being with a thing in the performance of labor is a crime regardless of whether a worker is confined.

A escravidão moderna no Brasil exemplifica o ponto culminante da teoria da reificação descrita por György Lukács, a qual é caracterizada pela mercantilização e desumanização do trabalho, e a extrema coisificação dos trabalhadores, que tornam-se “mercadorias humanas” no sistema capitalista—“mercadorias” produtoras de outras mercadorias. O conceito de reificação sobre o trabalho escravo foi incorporado à legislação brasileira em 2003, na qual igualar um ser humano a uma coisa, no exercício do trabalho, é crime mesmo que o trabalhador não esteja confinado.
Environmental Protection, Work, and Social Inclusion: Formalizing the Recycling of Urban Solid Waste in Buenos Aires
Authors: Bonelli Johanna Maldovan
Published: September 2017

The changes in the paradigms regarding urban solid waste management that have occurred in the past few decades have led to a reformulation of Argentine social, labor, and environmental policies. In the case of the city of Buenos Aires, the presence of thousands of “informal” recyclers dedicated to the recovery of recyclable materials for their subsistence has given a particular imprint to the design of these policies, the focus of which has been the social inclusion of these workers through the creation of cooperatives. An examination of the assumptions underlying the use of the concept of informality in the development of cooperatives for recycling from 2007 to 2013 shows that they are part of a complex process in which measures for increasing rights and protections are associated with various forms of labor instability.

En las últimas décadas, los cambios en los paradigmas de manejo de residuos sólidos urbanos han dado lugar a una reformulación de las políticas sociales, laborales y ambientales argentinas. En el caso de la ciudad de Buenos Aires, la presencia de miles de recicladores “informales” dedicados a recuperar materiales reciclables para su subsistencia le ha dado un cariz particular al diseño de dichas políticas, las cuales buscan la inclusión social de estos trabajadores a través de la creación de cooperativas. Un análisis de los supuestos que subyacen el uso del concepto de informalidad en el desarrollo de las cooperativas para reciclaje de 2007 a 2013 muestra que son parte de un complejo proceso en el que las medidas para aumentar los derechos y grado de protección de los trabajadores se asocian a diversas formas de inestabilidad laboral.
Harmonic source identification in distribution system using estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance technique-total harmonic power method
Authors: Jain Preeti , Tiwari Atul Kumar , Jain Sachin Kumar
Published: September 2017

With proliferation of power electronics devices in the distribution system, harmonic distortion has become one of the major power quality (PQ) problems. In evolving the liberalized electricity market, it becomes necessary to develop suitable methods to allocate the responsibilities for the harmonic distortion to improve the PQ. This paper presents a new technique for harmonic source identification, which is based on total harmonic power (THP) method using estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance technique (ESPRIT). Traditionally, harmonic powers for THP method is computed using Fourier transform, which inherits serious drawbacks of the discrete and fast Fourier transform, namely, inaccuracy owing to poor spectral resolution, spectral leakage, and so forth. Simulation results have been presented for different distribution system configurations and conditions, which confirms the improved capabilities of the proposed method in harmonic source identification.
Two term composite nonlinear feedback controller design for nonlinear time-delay systems
Authors: Singh Sonal , Purwar Shubhi , Kulkarni Abhijit
Published: September 2017

A two term composite nonlinear feedback (2TCNF) control technique is developed here for nonlinear time delay systems in presence of input saturation. The proposed controller consists of two terms that are conventional composite nonlinear feedback (CNF) control and delay state control. CNF control has advantage of fast transient response and delay state control improves damping characteristics. The proposed controller thus has both these advantages and it tracks the reference smoothly. The closed loop asymptotic stability is guaranteed via Lyapunov–Krasovskii analysis. The efficiency of the proposed controller is tested on exothermic chemical reactor and validated through simulation results. Its performance is compared with the conventional CNF control. The superiority of 2TCNF is established in terms of less overshoot, fast transient response and reduced steady state error.
Identifying Occupations at Risk for Laryngeal Disorders Requiring Specialty Voice Care
Authors: Mori Matthew C. , Francis David O. , Song Phillip C.
Published: September 2017

Objective

To identify occupational groups’ use of specialty voice clinic evaluation.

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Tertiary subspecialty clinic.

Subjects and Methods

We analyzed data collected on patients presenting to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Voice and Speech Laboratory over a 20‐year period (1993‐2013). The relative risk (RR) and 99% confidence interval (CI) of presentation were calculated for each occupational category in the greater Boston population using year‐matched data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Results

The records of 12,120 new patients were reviewed. Using year‐ and occupation‐matched BLS data from 2005 to 2013, 2726 patients were included in the cohort analysis. Several occupations had significantly higher risk of presentation. These included arts and entertainment (RR 4.98, CI 4.18‐5.95), law (RR 3.24, CI 2.48‐4.23), education (RR 3.08, CI 2.70‐3.52), and social services (RR 2.07, CI 1.57‐2.73). In contrast, many occupations had significantly reduced risk of presentation for laryngological disorders, for example, maintenance (RR 0.25, CI 0.15‐0.42), food preparation (RR 0.35, CI 0.26‐0.48), and administrative support (RR 0.49, CI 0.41‐0.57).

Conclusion

Certain occupations are associated with higher use of laryngological services presumably because of their vocational voice needs. In addition to confirming findings from other studies, we identified several new occupation groups with increased or decreased risk for laryngologic disorders. Understanding what factors predispose to requiring specialty voice evaluation may help in targeting preventative efforts.
Polysomnography in Pediatric Otolaryngology: If Not Obstructive Sleep Apnea, What Is It?
Authors: Heubi Christine H. , Meinzen‐Derr Jareen , Shott Sally R. , Smith David F. , Ishman and Stacey L.
Published: September 2017

Objective

To determine common polysomnographic (PSG) diagnoses for children referred by otolaryngologists.

Study Design

Retrospective case series with chart review.

Setting

Single tertiary pediatric hospital (2010‐2015).

Subjects and Methods

Review of the medical records of 1258 patients undergoing PSG by otolaryngology referral. Patients who underwent previous otolaryngologic surgery were excluded. Data distributions were evaluated using means with standard deviations for continuous variables and frequencies with percentages for categorical variables.

Results

A total of 1258 patients were included; 55.9% were male, 64.5% were Caucasian, 16.6% had Down syndrome, and 48% had public insurance. The median age at the time of PSG was 5.2 years (range = 0.2‐18.94). Indications for PSG were sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB; 69.4%), restless sleep (12.7%), airway anomalies (7.5%), and laryngomalacia (7.2%). SDB was seen in 73.4%, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in 53.2%, OSA + central sleep apnea (CSA) in 4.5%, CSA in 0.9%, and non‐OSA snoring in 15%. Other diagnoses included periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS; 7.4%), hypoventilation (6.8%), and nonapneic hypoxemia (2.6%). SDB was more common in younger children and seen in 91.4% of children <12 months and in 69.2% of children ≥24 months, while non‐OSA snoring was more common with increasing age (3.7% in children <12 months, 17.7% of children ≥24 months). PLMS were seen in 8.9% of children ≥24 months and in no children <12 months.

Conclusion

While OSA and snoring were the most common diagnoses reported, PLMS, alveolar hypoventilation, and CSA occurred in 7.4%, 6.8%, and 5.4%, respectively. These findings indicate that additional diagnoses other than OSA should be considered for children seen in an otolaryngology clinic setting who undergo PSG for sleep disturbances.
Incorporating Interpersonal Skills into Otolaryngology Resident Selection and Training
Authors: Lu‐Myers Yemeng , Myers Christopher G.
Published: September 2017

Increasing attention has been paid to the selection of otolaryngology residents, a highly competitive process but one with room for improvement. A recent commentary in this journal recommended that residency programs more thoroughly incorporate theory and evidence from personnel psychology (part of the broader field of organizational science) in the resident selection process. However, the focus of this recommendation was limited to applicants’ cognitive abilities and independent work‐oriented traits (eg, conscientiousness). We broaden this perspective to consider critical interpersonal skills and traits that enhance resident effectiveness in interdependent health care organizations and we expand beyond the emphasis on selection to consider how these skills can be honed during residency. We advocate for greater use of standardized team‐based care simulations, which can aid in assessing and developing the key interpersonal leadership skills necessary for success as an otolaryngology resident.
Analyzing Accountability Relationships in a Crisis: Lessons From the Fukushima Disaster
Authors: Kim Yoonho
Published: September 2017

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster became the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Many studies have examined the so-called “first-order causes” of the Fukushima disaster, such as economic interests and lax regulations. However, studies examining the disaster have paid little attention to how it escalated during the response phase, that is, “second-order causes.” This study examines the unresolved question using an analytic frame of accountability relationships. The results demonstrate how crisis management organizations of government faced cross-pressures within a web of accountability relationships while dealing with the disaster. In particular, these organizations’ responsiveness to hierarchical accountability had a negative effect on the political accountability relationships. It is the contribution of this research to specifically identify multiple and complex relationships between the types of accountability. Previous studies have mostly treated professional accountability as the single dependent variable. In contrast, this research argues that the other accountabilities—hierarchical and political—can be dependent variables as well. More importantly, inconsistent with the findings of previous studies, the economic pressure of political accountability had no effect on professional accountability relationships as a result of the heroic efforts of a nuclear plant manager.
Risky policies: Local contestation of mainstream flood risk management approaches in Ireland
Authors: Revez Alexandra , Cortes-Vazquez Jose A , Flood Stephen
Published: September 2017

In 2017, the idea that floods are exceptional and temporary episodes is a conviction increasingly contradicted by their growing incidence and severity across the globe. Floods have lasting consequences for affected populations and such effects can be wide-ranging depending on local context. However, prevailing misconceptions remain concerning the nature and effect of floods on populations. The advent of risk-based approaches is arguably responsible for a distinct managerial perspective on floods, which often undermines the local contexts and the impacts central to these experiences. This is observable in Ireland, the case study site for this article, where policy transitions into risk-based approaches are increasingly leading to growing discontent regarding the manner in which flooding and community vulnerabilities are represented. The matter is further complicated by the interplay between risk and conservation policy. This paper considers how these powerful discourses shape ideas and decisions around flooding. Using narrative-based data, centred on a case study in the west of Ireland, we explore the understanding and perception of flood risk and nature conservation by local communities and contrast these with the views expressed through managerial approaches linked to flood risk management and conservation. By bringing together these three distinct positions (i.e. the flood risk management approach, conservation practice and local narratives) we have found limitations in underlying assumptions informing current flood risk management approaches and we bring to light crucial human dimensions of flooding which, we argue, are consistently diluted and/or buried by fractured representations of environmental and social dynamics.
Rotator Cuff Calcific Tendinitis: Ultrasound-Guided Needling and Lavage Versus Subacromial Corticosteroids: Five-Year Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: de Witte Pieter Bas , Kolk Arjen , Overes Ferdinand , Nelissen Rob G.H.H. , Reijnierse Monique
Published: September 2017

Background:

Barbotage (needling and lavage) is often applied in the treatment of calcific tendinitis of the rotator cuff (RCCT). In a previously published randomized controlled trial, we reported superior clinical and radiological 1-year outcomes for barbotage combined with a corticosteroid injection in the subacromial bursa (SAIC) compared with an isolated SAIC. There are no trials with a midterm or long-term follow-up of barbotage available.

Purpose:

To compare the 5-year results of 2 regularly applied treatments of RCCT: ultrasound (US)–guided barbotage combined with a SAIC (group 1) versus an isolated US-guided SAIC (group 2).

Study Design:

Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods:

Patients were randomly assigned to group 1 or 2 and evaluated before and after treatment at regular time points until 12 months and also at 5 years using the Constant score (CS), the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC), and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH). The calcification location and size and Gärtner classification were assessed on radiographs. The rotator cuff condition was evaluated with US. Results were analyzed using t tests, linear regression, and a mixed model for repeated measures.

Results:

Forty-eight patients were included (mean age, 52.0 ± 7.3 years; 25 [52%] female) with a mean baseline CS of 68.7 ± 11.9. After a mean follow-up of 5.1 ± 0.5 years, the mean CS was 90 (95% CI, 83.0-95.9) in group 1 versus 87 (95% CI, 80.5-93.5) in group 2 ( P = .58). The mean improvement in the CS in group 1 was 18 (95% CI, 12.3-23.0) versus 21 (95% CI, 16.2-26.2) in group 2 ( P = .32). There was total resorption in 62% of group 1 and 73% of group 2 ( P = .45). The US evaluation of the rotator cuff condition showed no significant differences between the groups. With the mixed model for repeated measures, taking into account the baseline CS and Gärtner classification, the mean treatment effect for barbotage was 6 (95% CI, –8.9 to 21.5), but without statistical significance. Follow-up scores were significantly associated with baseline scores and the duration of follow-up. Results for the DASH and WORC were similar. There were no significant complications, but 4 patients in group 1 and 16 in group 2 underwent additional treatment during the follow-up period ( P < .001).

Conclusion:

No more significant differences were found in the clinical and radiological outcomes between barbotage combined with a SAIC versus an isolated SAIC after 5 years of follow-up.

Registration:

NTR2282 (Dutch Trial Registry).
Anterolateral Tenodesis or Anterolateral Ligament Complex Reconstruction: Effect of Flexion Angle at Graft Fixation When Combined With ACL Reconstruction
Authors: Inderhaug Eivind , Stephen Joanna M. , Williams Andy , Amis Andrew A.
Published: September 2017

Background:

Despite numerous technical descriptions of anterolateral procedures, knowledge is limited regarding the effect of knee flexion angle during graft fixation.

Purpose:

To determine the effect of knee flexion angle during graft fixation on tibiofemoral joint kinematics for a modified Lemaire tenodesis or an anterolateral ligament (ALL) complex reconstruction combined with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Twelve cadaveric knees were mounted in a test rig with kinematics recorded from 0° to 90° flexion. Loads applied to the tibia were 90-N anterior translation, 5-N·m internal tibial rotation, and combined 90-N anterior force and 5-N·m internal rotation. Intact, ACL-deficient, and combined ACL plus anterolateral-deficient states were tested, and then ACL reconstruction was performed and testing was repeated. Thereafter, modified Lemaire tenodeses and ALL procedures with graft fixation at 0°, 30°, and 60° of knee flexion and 20-N graft tension were performed combined with the ACL reconstruction, and repeat testing was performed throughout. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni-adjusted t tests were used for statistical analysis.

Results:

In combined ACL and anterolateral deficiency, isolated ACL reconstruction left residual laxity for both anterior translation and internal rotation. Anterior translation was restored for all combinations of ACL and anterolateral procedures. The combined ACL reconstruction and ALL procedure restored intact knee kinematics when the graft was fixed in full extension, but when the graft was fixed in 30° and 60°, the combined procedure left residual laxity in internal rotation ( P = .043). The combined ACL reconstruction and modified Lemaire procedure restored internal rotation regardless of knee flexion angle at graft fixation. When the combined ACL reconstruction and lateral procedure states were compared with the ACL-only reconstructed state, a significant reduction in internal rotation laxity was seen with the modified Lemaire tenodesis but not with the ALL procedure.

Conclusion:

In a knee with combined ACL and anterolateral ligament injuries, the modified Lemaire tenodesis combined with ACL reconstruction restored normal laxities at all angles of flexion for graft fixation (0°, 30°, or 60°), with 20 N of tension. The combined ACL and ALL procedure restored intact knee kinematics when tensioned in full extension.

Clinical Relevance:

In combined anterolateral procedure plus intra-articular ACL reconstruction, the knee flexion angle is important when fixing the graft. A modified Lemaire procedure restored intact knee laxities when fixation was performed at 0°, 30°, or 60° of flexion. The ALL procedure restored normal laxities only when fixation occurred in full extension.
Prospect for Knowledge in Survey Data
Authors: Weber Patrick , Weber Nicolas , Goesele Michael , Kabst Rüdiger
Published: September 2017

Policy making depends on good knowledge of the corresponding target audience. To maximize the designated outcome, it is essential to understand the underlying coherences. Machine learning techniques are capable of analyzing data containing behavioral aspects, evaluations, attitudes, and social values. We show how existing machine learning techniques can be used to identify behavioral aspects of human decision-making and to predict human behavior. These techniques allow to extract high resolution decision functions that enable to draw conclusions on human behavior. Our focus is on voter turnout, for which we use data acquired by the European Social Survey on the German national vote. We show how to train an artificial expert and how to extract the behavioral aspects to build optimized policies. Our method achieves an increase in adjusted R2 of 102% compared to a classic logistic regression prediction. We further evaluate the performance of our method compared to other machine learning techniques such as support vector machines and random forests. The results show that it is possible to better understand unknown variable relationships.
Rigid–flexible coupled dynamics analysis for solar sails
Authors: Liu Jiafu , Cui Naigang
Published: September 2017

The coupled orbit, attitude, and structural dynamics are established for the sailcraft with sliding mass, which is modeled as the Euler beam and merely experiences the pitch motion. The von Karman’s nonlinear strain–displacement relation and Kelvin–Voigt model are adopted to consider the geometric nonlinearity and damping of the structure, respectively. The torques generated by the gravity gradient of the two-body sailcraft, the center-of-mass (cm) and center-of-pressure (cp) offset, the motion of the sliding mass, and the coupled attitude-vibration motion are deduced in detail, respectively. The dynamics responses influenced by the flexibility of the sail structure are examined by analyzing the simulation results for the dynamics models with (m1) and without (m2) the geometric nonlinearity and the rigid-body model (m3), respectively. The pitch responses and corresponding torques are calculated and compared for various cases adopting a range of velocities and initial positions of the sliding mass to see how the pitch motion is affected by the parameters. The transient and steady-state dynamics responses are also identified in the simulation cases. It is suggested that the full nonlinear model should be adopted for the sailcraft in long duration missions and the restricted position of the sliding mass could be selected elaborately to utilize the resultant torque by the gravitational and cm/cp torques.
Regulatory risk assessments: Is there a need to reduce uncertainty and enhance robustness? Update on propylparaben in relation to its EU regulatory status
Authors: Snodin D
Published: September 2017

Over 10 years ago, propylparaben (propyl– p–hydroxybenzoate; PP) was withdrawn as a permitted food preservative in the EU based entirely on findings reported in a single dietary study in juvenile rats claiming to show adverse effects on male reproductive parameters [Oishi S. Effects of propyl paraben on the male reproductive system. Food Chem Toxicol 2002; 40(12): 1807 -1813]. Subsequent data reviews have cast serious doubt on the validity of the Oishi results, mainly in relation to aberrant concurrent-control values, and in two further comprehensive studies using neonatal and juvenile rats there were no adverse effects in males at oral doses up to 1000 mg/kg/day. By contrast, juvenile animal toxicity data on the two paraben preservatives currently permitted in the EU as food additives (methylparaben and ethylparaben) are non-robust and rudimentary. Although PP is a permitted preservative in cosmetics its use pattern is highly restricted based mainly on the results of a screening study in the rat using butylparaben as test material, and not taking into account the more recent data on PP. The European Medicines Agency has determined a permitted daily exposure of 2 mg/kg for PP, which applies to both adult and paediatric patients, based on an oral no-observed-adverse-effect level of 100 mg/kg/day in females, treatment-related changes suggestive of an estrogenic effect being noted at 1000 mg/kg/day. The weight of evidence strongly supports a toxicological re-evaluation of PP regarding its use in foodstuffs and cosmetics in the EU, with a view to reinstatement as a food additive, consistent with its status in other major jurisdictions.
Applying the preconception welfare principle and the harm threshold: Doing more harm than good?
Authors: Waxman Sacha R.
Published: September 2017

This article critically examines the application of the preconception welfare principle (PCWP) and the harm threshold engaged in the regulation of in vitro fertilization and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). It separates the harm threshold into two distinct categories of harm-based regulation: familial harm and genetic harm. This article opposes the intuitive aspect upon which the familial harm threshold hinges, and it is argued that the familial aspect of the PCWP assessment should be abolished. It is suggested that current laws protecting the welfare of the existing children are sufficiently responsive to the welfare risk factors included in regulation. The express provisions regulating PGD are also examined and the engagement of the genetic harm threshold is explored. It is argued that the genetic harm threshold is inconsistently applied and engages unfairly in practice. Given the lack of transparency revealed in the current framework and the draconian engagement of both harm thresholds in practice, this article achieves its overarching purpose of challenging the legitimacy of the PCWP.
Using a moot to develop students’ understanding of human cloning and statutory interpretation
Authors: Pattinson Shaun D. , Kind Vanessa
Published: September 2017

This article reports and analyses the method and findings from a 3-year interdisciplinary project investigating how the medium of law can support understanding of socio-scientific issues. Law represents one of the most important means by which society decides and communicates its values. Activities mirroring legal processes therefore have significant potential to inform, inspire and involve school students in exploring the conceptual, social and ethical issues relating to developments in biomedical science. This article focusses on an intervention-style study in which UK-based 16- to 17-year-old students role played a Supreme Court moot, developed by modifying a domestic appeal case concerned with whether the contemporary legislation covered the creation of cloned human embryos. We draw attention to how the science of cloning has been slightly misunderstood by the courts and in science materials provided to UK school students. We argue that moot-centred engagement activities offer great potential for science communication among post-16 students and, despite the limitations of the judicial process for addressing complex socio-scientific issues, such role plays aid development of scientific and sociolegal understanding, as well as enhancing students’ self-confidence and argumentation skills.
The Mediating Role of Work–Family Conflict on Role Stressors and Employee Turnover Intention Relationship in Labour-oriented Organizations
Authors: Rubel Mohammad Rabiul Basher , Kee Daisy Mui Hung , Rimi Nadia Newaz
Published: September 2017

This study works on the conception that an employee’s experience of more stress at work produces work–family conflict (WFC), and consequently, it increases his or her intention to quit the organization. In examining the effect of WFC on role stressors and turnover intention relationship, this study suggests that employees respond negatively to WFC, which mediates the three dimensions of role stressors (role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload) and turnover intention relationship. Data were collected from a sample of 365 supervisors working in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) industry. The results support the proposed relationship, which suggests that all three dimensions of role stressors increase employees’ WFC that instigates employee turnover intention. Thus, WFC is found to be a significant mediator in the relationship between role stressors and turnover intention. The implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed as well.
The Promise of Portability: CENDIT and the Infrastructure, Politics, and Practice of Video as Little Media in India 1972–1990
Authors: Kishore Shweta
Published: September 2017

Video in the form of “little media” arrived in India in the mid-1970s shortly after Wilbur Schramm proposed the concept in 1973. In this article, I investigate the ways in which the discourse and practices of “little media” were re-formulated in India through specific historical contexts and media formations that assigned it political meanings beyond its initial developmental functions. Taking the case of the important media initiative, Centre for the Development of Instructional Technology (CENDIT), this paper explores the production and circulation of “little media” and the range of context-specific interactive methods the center deployed. The historiographic account of video at this particular juncture contributes to an expansion of Indian screen history. It complicates the dominant understanding of video during this period as a medium for the circulation of commercial cinema with a parallel narrative of purposive and emancipatory video-based initiatives.
“Sun in the Belly”: Film Practice at Films Division of India 1965–1975
Authors: Kaushik Ritika
Published: September 2017

This article looks at one decade (1965–1975) in the history of Films Division of India (FD), the first state film production and distribution unit in the country. It tracks the changing political environment and several administrative, infrastructural, and policy changes of the time, along with the emerging “experimental” film and interview format films. Under the dynamic supervision of Jean Bhownagary, a constellation of film makers and artists like Pramod Pati, S.N.S. Sastry, S. Sukhdev, among others came to the fore, experiment with film form was encouraged, and dissonant voices rose against the state itself. I suggest that it is possible to study certain experiments and formal practices emerging at a particular time and space not as mere aberrations, but as something that emerges from complex shifts in institutional practice. I locate these as part of a layered body of film uses, a palimpsest, in which the filmmaker’s creative engagement needs to be situated in a bureaucratic order that could be arbitrary and inflexible but also provide for a regime of the permissible.
Book Review: Ali Khan and Ali Nobil Ahmad (Eds), Cinema and Society: Film and Social Change in Pakistan
Authors: Siddique Salma
Published: September 2017

Ali Khan and Ali Nobil Ahmad (Eds), Cinema and Society: Film and Social Change in Pakistan. Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2016, US$105 (Hardback), ISBN 978-0-19-940222-9