bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An investigation of railway sleeper sections and under sleeper pads using a box test apparatus
Authors: Safari Baghsorkhi Mohammad , Laryea Sydney , McDowell Glenn , Thom Nick
Published: November 2015

The railway sleeper, an indispensable component of most railway tracks, is made in diverse materials and geometric forms. Apart from sparse information on their mechanical behaviour, little has been documented about how different sleepers perform as regards track settlement. Box tests have been undertaken to investigate the performance of sections similar in geometry or material composition to some sleeper types used in the railway industry. In tandem, the effects of ‘soft’ and ‘stiff’ under sleeper pads (USPs) were also investigated. Resulting permanent settlements showed that with no USP, the steel section performs better than other sleeper sections. The USPs have, in general, been shown to reduce settlement and more importantly negate the differences between different sleeper sections, suggesting that the sleeper–ballast interface is an important variable for track performance prediction.
Research on generalized inertial navigation system damping technology based on dual-model mean
Authors: Hongyang He , Jiangning Xu , Fangjun Qin , Feng Zha
Published: November 2015

In order to solve the problem of the traditional damping method of navy inertial navigation system (INS) being a failure in high-maneuver applications there exists an overshoot when damping state of INS changed. A generalized damping algorithm based on dual-model mean is proposed in this paper. Two INS calculation loops are established, based on the INS arrange equations. These two loops calculate the same data of gyros and accelerometers dependently and at the same time. Insertion of certain data in one of the loops causes a phase difference between the two loops. Then the mean of the two loops’ outputs is regarded as the system output so that the Schuler oscillation errors of INS can be suppressed. The output expression based on the dual-model damping algorithm is deduced. The damping effect of the method and the advantages and deficiency of the algorithm are analyzed theoretically. In order to verify the validity of the algorithm, simulation experiments are carried out. Simulation results show that this algorithm can suppress the Schuler oscillation error effectively irrespective of the vehicle being mobilized or not. And there does not exist overshoot errors.
Time Isn’t of the Essence
Authors: Barker Jane E. , Munakata Yuko
Published: November 2015

Is it easier to inhibit inappropriate behaviors if one pauses before acting? An important finding for theory and intervention is that children’s inhibitory control improves if an adult imposes a delay before they can act. Such findings have suggested that the passage of time allows impulsive urges to dissipate passively. However, in prior studies with imposed delays, children were also reminded about what they should be doing, which may have aided their activation of goal-relevant information. We tested this possibility by independently manipulating delays and task reminders, and measuring 3-year-olds’ abilities to inhibit opening boxes in a go/no-go box-search task. Task reminders, but not adult-imposed delays, improved children’s response inhibition. However, as in prior work, children who spontaneously delayed their action longer on go trials exhibited better response inhibition on no-go trials. These results pose a challenge to the view that the passage of time plays a causal role, suggest that spontaneous delays index other processes that improve inhibitory control, and highlight the importance of goal activation in developing inhibitory control.
The Effects of Social Context and Acute Stress on Decision Making Under Uncertainty
Authors: FeldmanHall Oriel , Raio Candace M. , Kubota Jennifer T. , Seiler Morgan G. , Phelps Elizabeth A.
Published: November 2015

Uncertainty preferences are typically studied in neutral, nonsocial contexts. This approach, however, fails to capture the dynamic factors that influence choices under uncertainty in the real world. Our goal was twofold: to test whether uncertainty valuation is similar across social and nonsocial contexts, and to investigate the effects of acute stress on uncertainty preferences. Subjects completed matched gambling and trust games following either a control or a stress manipulation. Those who were not under stress exhibited no differences between the amount of money gambled and the amount of money entrusted to partners. In comparison, stressed subjects gambled more money but entrusted less money to partners. We further found that irrespective of stress, subjects were highly attuned to irrelevant feedback in the nonsocial, gambling context, believing that every loss led to a greater chance of winning (the gamblers’ fallacy). However, when deciding to trust a stranger, control subjects behaved rationally, treating each new interaction as independent. Stress compromised this adaptive behavior, increasing sensitivity to irrelevant social feedback.
Put Your Imperfections Behind You
Authors: Dai Hengchen , Milkman Katherine L. , Riis Jason
Published: November 2015

People often fail to muster the motivation needed to initiate goal pursuit. Across five laboratory experiments, we explored occasions when people naturally experience enhanced motivation to take actions that facilitate goal pursuit and why certain dates are more likely to spur goal initiation than others. We present causal evidence that emphasizing a temporal landmark denoting the beginning of a new time period increases people’s intentions to initiate goal pursuit. In addition, we propose and show that people’s strengthened motivation to begin pursuing their aspirations following such temporal landmarks originates in part from the psychological disassociation these landmarks induce from a person’s past, imperfect self.
Negotiating stance within discourses of class: Reactions to Benefits Street
Authors: Paterson Laura L , Coffey-Glover Laura , Peplow David
Published: November 2015

In this article, we examine the way that audiences respond to particular representations of poverty. Using clips from the Channel 4 television programme Benefits Street we conducted focus groups in four locations across the United Kingdom, working with people from different socioeconomic backgrounds who had different experiences with the benefits system. Benefits Street (2014) is an example of reality television where members of the public are followed by film crews as they perform everyday tasks and routines. Our choice to focus on this particular programme was prompted by the huge media response that it received when it was broadcast; Benefits Street generated 950 complaints to regulatory watchdog Ofcom and was referred to as ‘poverty porn’. We focus on the way that viewers of this programme produce assessments of those on benefits, analysing the discursive strategies used by our participants when evaluating representations of those on benefits. Specifically, we consider how the participants in our study construct their own stance and attribute stance to others through naming and agency practices, the negotiation of opinion and stake inoculation. We invited our participants to judge the people they saw on screen, but they went beyond this. They used clips of the programme as stimuli to collaboratively construct an overarchingly negative stereotype of those on benefits. We conclude that Benefits Street is not just an entertainment programme, but is rather a site for ideological construction and the perpetuation of existing stereotypes about benefit claimants. The programme (and others like it) invites negative evaluations of those on benefits and is thus a worthy site for critical linguistic analysis.
The collective need to be inside, the individual spectacle of the outer: Critical Discourse Analysis of the construction of discursive representations about transvestites on Argentinean television
Authors: Soich Matías
Published: November 2015

For many decades, the Argentinean travesti (transvestite) community has suffered appalling life conditions due to discrimination, social exclusion and (until the enacting of the Gender Identity Law) official denial of their identities. Using qualitative methodology and from the frame of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this article studies how some Argentinean television programmes from 1993 to 2010 constructed discursive representations about travestis. The analysis reveals two opposing combinations of linguistic resources (strategies) regarding the State abuses suffered by the travestis, their need for social inclusion and their collective fight for their human rights: while the travestis who participate in the programmes reinforce these aspects, the television presenters systematically mitigate them. The discursive representations thus built by the programmes tend to maintain a ‘postmodern’ status quo, which could explain why the Argentinean Gender Identity Law was not accompanied, in 2012, by a public debate as resounding as the one that accompanied same-sex marriage in 2010.
Towards a convergence of Dialogical Self Theory and Semiotic Self Theory through triadic phenomenology
Authors: Michel Mariela , Andacht Fernando
Published: November 2015

We propose a theoretical convergence between Dialogical Self Theory and Semiotic Self Theory by using C. S. Peirce’s phenomenology as a metatheoretical framework. Peirce’s categories of Firstness, Secondness, and Thirdness account for all kinds of experience; they are distinct but intertwined. Our hypothesis is that this theoretical umbrella can combine complementary aspects of both theories, such as space and time, and the multivoicedness and integrative tendencies of the self. We apply the categories to analyze the externalization of the internal conversation of a participant in a qualitative study. The dialogue was elicited through a psychodramatic instrument that is based on J. L. Moreno’s empty-chair technique. In the resulting discourse, we observed aspects of Firstness: the fluctuating multiplicity of the I; of Secondness: the dyadic relation between pairs of I-positions; and of Thirdness: the self construed as a developing sign process that generates interpretants/voiced positions, and tends towards unity.
Borrowing of strength and study weights in multivariate and network meta-analysis
Authors: Jackson Dan , White Ian R , Price Malcolm , Copas John , Riley Richard D
Published: November 2015

Multivariate and network meta-analysis have the potential for the estimated mean of one effect to borrow strength from the data on other effects of interest. The extent of this borrowing of strength is usually assessed informally. We present new mathematical definitions of ‘borrowing of strength’. Our main proposal is based on a decomposition of the score statistic, which we show can be interpreted as comparing the precision of estimates from the multivariate and univariate models. Our definition of borrowing of strength therefore emulates the usual informal assessment. We also derive a method for calculating study weights, which we embed into the same framework as our borrowing of strength statistics, so that percentage study weights can accompany the results from multivariate and network meta-analyses as they do in conventional univariate meta-analyses. Our proposals are illustrated using three meta-analyses involving correlated effects for multiple outcomes, multiple risk factor associations and multiple treatments (network meta-analysis).
A joint Bayesian approach for the analysis of response measured at a primary endpoint and longitudinal measurements
Authors: Kalaylioglu Zeynep , Demirhan Haydar
Published: November 2015

Joint mixed modeling is an attractive approach for the analysis of a scalar response measured at a primary endpoint and longitudinal measurements on a covariate. In the standard Bayesian analysis of these models, measurement error variance and the variance/covariance of random effects are a priori modeled independently. The key point is that these variances cannot be assumed independent given the total variation in a response. This article presents a joint Bayesian analysis in which these variance terms are a priori modeled jointly. Simulations illustrate that analysis with multivariate variance prior in general lead to reduced bias (smaller relative bias) and improved efficiency (smaller interquartile range) in the posterior inference compared with the analysis with independent variance priors.
What are the appropriate methods for analyzing patient-reported outcomes in randomized trials when data are missing?
Authors: Hamel JF , Sebille V , Le Neel T , Kubis G , Boyer FC , Hardouin JB
Published: November 2015

Subjective health measurements using Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) are increasingly used in randomized trials, particularly for patient groups comparisons. Two main types of analytical strategies can be used for such data: Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory models (IRT). These two strategies display very similar characteristics when data are complete, but in the common case when data are missing, whether IRT or CTT would be the most appropriate remains unknown and was investigated using simulations. We simulated PRO data such as quality of life data. Missing responses to items were simulated as being completely random, depending on an observable covariate or on an unobserved latent trait. The considered CTT-based methods allowed comparing scores using complete-case analysis, personal mean imputations or multiple-imputations based on a two-way procedure. The IRT-based method was the Wald test on a Rasch model including a group covariate. The IRT-based method and the multiple-imputations-based method for CTT displayed the highest observed power and were the only unbiased method whatever the kind of missing data. Online software and Stata® modules compatibles with the innate mi impute suite are provided for performing such analyses. Traditional procedures (listwise deletion and personal mean imputations) should be avoided, due to inevitable problems of biases and lack of power.
Evaluating the organising model of trade unionism: An Australian perspective
Authors: Barnes Alison , Markey Raymond
Published: November 2015

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Australian union movement’s Organising Works programme, this article introduces a symposium discussing potential ways forward for unions. It overviews research regarding the challenges of union organising and renewal, both in Australia and internationally. It provides a broad historical perspective on the origins and progress of the grassroots Organising Works agenda initiated by the peak union bodies, the Australian Council of Trade Unions and Unions NSW. It explores how trade unions can best generate and sustain their spirit of mobilising and organising, while also ensuring the institutional legitimacy they require to effectively represent workers. Unions have had to manage the tension between two dynamics of trade union growth – the sense of movement involved in mobilising workers, and the institutional stability and legitimacy needed to represent workers. Unions have faced both the need to confront global capital restructuring through their own restructuring, and the need to renew and maintain a strong and democratic community base. To do so, they have built new networks and campaigning approaches, in order to organise an increasingly diverse and insecure workforce and build strong community links.
Implementing Value-Based Payment Reform: A Conceptual Framework and Case Examples
Authors: Conrad Douglas A. , Vaughn Matthew , Grembowski David , Marcus-Smith Miriam
Published: November 2015

This article develops a conceptual framework for implementation of value-based payment (VBP) reform and then draws on that framework to systematically examine six distinct multi-stakeholder coalition VBP initiatives in three different regions of the United States. The VBP initiatives deploy the following payment models: reference pricing, “shadow” primary care capitation, bundled payment, pay for performance, shared savings within accountable care organizations, and global payment. The conceptual framework synthesizes prior models of VBP implementation. It describes how context, project objectives, payment and care delivery strategies, and the barriers and facilitators to translating strategy into implementation affect VBP implementation and value for patients. We next apply the framework to six case examples of implementation, and conclude by discussing the implications of the case examples and the conceptual framework for future practice and research.
Learning pre-played solos: Self-regulated learning strategies in jazz/improvised music
Authors: Nielsen Siw G.
Published: November 2015

This article reports on the self-regulated learning strategies of two advanced students in jazz/improvised music education when learning pre-played solos over well-known jazz tunes. The students were enrolled in a well-established performance degree programme in a music conservatoire, and videotaped their own individual practice sessions. In addition, stimulus-recall interviews were conducted. The findings indicated that the students used a range of cognitive strategies rather than only one particular type. They selected strategies designed to attain their goals, such as to select relevant problem areas in the pre-played solo, to join sections of the pre-played solo together to form a whole, and to facilitate memorising by developing auditory images of the solo and by relating the music to their existing knowledge. The students also made use of metacognitive strategies during the recorded practice sessions. They engaged in strategic planning, and mainly monitored and self-evaluated their strategic efforts and their performances of the solo during practice. However, the students did not always adapt their strategic activities based on their self-evaluations during practice. Further, the students’ use of learning strategies found during the first learning period appears to resemble the self-regulated learning of advanced classical students. In terms of education, developing and increasing students’ skills in instrumental practice is an important aim within higher music education, and approaching individual practice through the lens of self-regulated learning emphasises that students learn through experience and self-reflection.
Students’ perceptions of school climate as determinants of wellbeing, resilience and identity
Authors: Aldridge Jill M , Fraser Barry J , Fozdar Farida , Ala’i Kate , Earnest Jaya , Afari Ernest
Published: November 2015

This study examined the relations between school climate variables and students’ feeling of wellbeing, life satisfaction, ethnic identity, moral identity and resilience. Furthermore, the study also examined the interrelationships between these five outcome variables. Six aspects of the school climate were measured: teacher support, peer connectedness, school connectedness, affirming diversity, rule clarity and reporting and seeking help. The participants included 2202 students, the data from whom included 2122 cases that were complete and usable (1058 boys and 1059 girls) from six public high schools in Perth, Western Australia. These data were analysed by means of structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis. All six school climate factors were related to student wellbeing. These relations were primarily indirect (with the exception of teacher support, school connectedness and affirming diversity which had a direct influence), mediated through the students’ sense of ethnic and moral identity, resilience and life satisfaction.
Preference for appearance of Chinese complexion under different lighting
Authors: He J , Lin Y , Yano T , Noguchi H , Yamaguchi S , Matsubayashi Y
Published: November 2015

The method for evaluating the colour rendering of light-emitting diode sources is controversial, especially for the appearance of human complexions. A psychophysical experiment was conducted using Chinese models to examine the effect of various illumination settings, characterized by two levels of preferred skin colour index and four levels of correlated colour temperature, on preference for the appearance of the Chinese complexion. Results showed that the preferred skin colour index was an effective indicator. Taking incomplete colour adaptation into account, the preferred skin colour index was recalculated and shown to be the best colour rendering index for the appearance of the Chinese complexion. This research examined the concept of preferred skin colour index for Chinese women. This can supplement other colour quality evaluation methods, and shows promise for commercial lighting applications.
Developing and Implementing “Waupaca Eating Smart”
Authors: Escaron Anne L. , Martinez-Donate Ana P. , Riggall Ann Josie , Meinen Amy , Hall Beverly , Nieto F. Javier , Nitzke Susan
Published: November 2015

Purpose. Restaurants and food stores are suitable settings for healthy eating interventions. A community–academic partnership developed and implemented “Waupaca Eating Smart” (WES), a healthy eating program in restaurants and supermarkets of a rural, Midwest community. Previous interventions targeted either restaurants or small food stores nearly all in urban areas. Intervention design and implementation is rarely documented, making replication difficult for interested researchers and communities. In this article, we report the activities we undertook to develop and implement WES. Methods. Working with a local nutrition and activity coalition, we used evidence-based strategies guided by the social ecological model and social marketing principles to inform the content of WES. Formative assessment included a review of the literature, statewide key informant interviews and focus groups with restaurant and food store operators and patrons, a local community survey, and interviews with prospective WES businesses. WES was implemented in seven restaurants and two supermarkets and evaluated for feasibility and acceptance using surveys and direct observation of WES implementation. Findings. Prior to this intervention, only one of seven restaurants had three or more meals that met WES nutrition criteria. By the end of the program, 38 meals were labeled and promoted to restaurant customers, and the team had staffed four side salad taste tests for supermarket customers. Four and 10 months after intervention launch, the majority of the program’s strategies were observed in participating outlets, suggesting that these program’s strategies are feasible and can be sustained. Operators reported strong satisfaction overall. Conclusions. A combined restaurant- and supermarket-based healthy eating intervention is feasible and positively valued in rural communities. Further research is needed to better understand how to foster sustainability of these interventions and their impact on customer food choices.
Hispanic Preservice Teachers’ Peer Evaluations of Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development
Authors: An Song A. , Tillman Daniel A. , Zhang Meilan , Robertson William , Tinajero Josefina
Published: November 2015

This study investigated preservice teachers from two teacher education programs, elementary generalists and bilingual generalists (who will teach all subjects in both English and Spanish), about their instructional design abilities via examination of their ability to integrate interdisciplinary-themed activities into mathematics lessons. The findings illustrate the value provided by differentiating teacher preparation for preservice bilingual teachers—especially for challenging STEM-related (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects such as mathematics—based on their distinctive pedagogical, cognitive, and linguistic requirements.
Prospective Cohort Study Evaluating the Prognostic Value of Simple EEG Parameters in Postanoxic Coma
Authors: Azabou Eric , Fischer Catherine , Mauguiere François , Vaugier Isabelle , Annane Djillali , Sharshar Tarek , Lofaso Fréderic
Published: November 2015

We prospectively studied early bedside standard EEG characteristics in 61 acute postanoxic coma patients. Five simple EEG features, namely, isoelectric, discontinuous, nonreactive to intense auditory and nociceptive stimuli, dominant delta frequency, and occurrence of paroxysms were classified yes or no. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of each of these variables for predicting an unfavorable outcome, defined as death, persistent vegetative state, minimally conscious state, or severe neurological disability, as assessed 1 year after coma onset were computed as well as Synek’s score. The outcome was unfavorable in 56 (91.8%) patients. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and AUC of nonreactive EEG for predicting an unfavorable outcome were 84%, 80%, 98%, 31%, and 0.82, respectively; and were all very close to the ones of Synek score >3, which were 82%, 80%, 98%, 29%, and 0.81, respectively. Specificities for predicting an unfavorable outcome were 100% for isoelectric, discontinuous, or dominant delta activity EEG. These 3 last features were constantly associated to unfavorable outcome. Absent EEG reactivity strongly predicted an unfavorable outcome in postanoxic coma, and performed as accurate as a Synek score >3. Analyzing characteristics of some simple EEG features may easily help nonneurophysiologist physicians to investigate prognostic issue of postanoxic coma patient. In this study ( a) discontinuous, isoelectric, or delta-dominant EEG were constantly associated with unfavorable outcome and ( b) nonreactive EEG performed prognostic as accurate as a Synek score >3.
Resting State EEG in Children With Learning Disabilities
Authors: Jäncke Lutz , Alahmadi Nsreen
Published: November 2015

In this study, the neurophysiological underpinnings of learning disabilities (LD) in children are examined using resting state EEG. We were particularly interested in the neurophysiological differences between children with learning disabilities not otherwise specified (LD-NOS), learning disabilities with verbal disabilities (LD-Verbal), and healthy control (HC) children. We applied 2 different approaches to examine the differences between the different groups. First, we calculated theta/beta and theta/alpha ratios in order to quantify the relationship between slow and fast EEG oscillations. Second, we used a recently developed method for analyzing spectral EEG, namely the group independent component analysis (gICA) model. Using these measures, we identified substantial differences between LD and HC children and between LD-NOS and LD-Verbal children in terms of their spectral EEG profiles. We obtained the following findings: ( a) theta/beta and theta/alpha ratios were substantially larger in LD than in HC children, with no difference between LD-NOS and LD-Verbal children; ( b) there was substantial slowing of EEG oscillations, especially for gICs located in frontal scalp positions, with LD-NOS children demonstrating the strongest slowing; ( c) the estimated intracortical sources of these gICs were mostly located in brain areas involved in the control of executive functions, attention, planning, and language; and ( d) the LD-Verbal children demonstrated substantial differences in EEG oscillations compared with LD-NOS children, and these differences were localized in language-related brain areas. The general pattern of atypical neurophysiological activation found in LD children suggests that they suffer from neurophysiological dysfunction in brain areas involved with the control of attention, executive functions, planning, and language functions. LD-Verbal children also demonstrate atypical activation, especially in language-related brain areas. These atypical neurophysiological activation patterns might provide a helpful guide for rehabilitation strategies to treat the deficiencies in these children with LD.
Can Interpreting Nonsignificant Findings Inform the Lessons Learned From an Intervention?
Authors: Dawson Nicole , Menne Heather
Published: November 2015

Reducing Disability in Alzheimer’s Disease (RDAD) is an evidenced-based intervention for individuals with dementia and their caregivers aimed at reducing the psychosocial strain of the caregiver and improving functional ability of the individual with dementia. Overall efficacy, acceptability, and feasibility outcomes have been published regarding RDAD; however, no specific outcome information has been published on the objective physical performance measures (PPM) of gait speed, functional reach, and balance. Data from the Replication of RDAD (n = 508) was utilized to test the hypothesis that each PPM would show change for participants who completed the program. No significant changes were identified in 3 PPM: gait speed (t = .24, P =.81), balance (t = .23, P = .82), and functional reach (t = −.55, P = .58). To strengthen the research about exercise interventions for individuals with dementia, discussion and interpretation of nonfindings is important for improving intervention designs and methodologies. In the case of RDAD, the intervention protocol may require a sufficient dosage of exercise with respect to fundamental exercise science principles, or there may be misalignment between the intervention and outcome measures.
Analyses of pedestrian behavior on mid-block unsignalized crosswalk comparing Chinese and German cases
Authors: Jiang Xiaobei , Wang Wuhong , Bengler Klaus , Guo Weiwei
Published: November 2015

A large number of pedestrian fatalities are caused by the vehicle-pedestrian accidents. The application of new theory and technological approaches may hold great potential to reduce the accident frequency and severity for pedestrians. Considered the different driving cultures between China and Germany, the adaptation of such application in new market triggers an “intercultural comparison” related to the road user behavior and traffic safety. Field traffic data have been collected by video recording and image processing at unsignalized mid-block crosswalks both in Beijing, China and Munich, Germany. Centered Vehicle-Pedestrian conflict situation, pedestrian speed performance in different pedestrian categories and walking phases, pedestrian waiting behavior related to waiting decision choice and waiting time, pedestrian gap acceptance were statistically analyzed for understanding the pedestrian behavior in the conflict process. Intercultural comparisons were made between China and Germany. The research results addressed how the conflict participants (pedestrians only) behave differently and would hopefully be the impetus for further intercultural analyses from urban traffic side.
Does cryostripping add anything to the treatment of the ascending thrombophlebitis of the great saphenous vein?
Authors: Balint IB , Farics A , Manfai G , Szekely I , Menyhei G , Vizsy L
Published: November 2015

Objective

To analyse the differences of outcome between cryostripping and conservative therapy in the treatment of superficial vein thrombosis.

Patients and methods

A retrospective analysis was performed between the October of 2001 and the October of 2014. In all, 246 cases were eligible for the study. High ligation, cryostripping and local thrombectomy was carried out on 94 patients with thrombophlebitis of the proximal part of the great saphenous vein. Thromboembolic events, the presence of residual varices and time for recovery were compared to 152 cases treated conservatively because of superficial vein thrombosis.

Results

Thromboembolic events were found without significant difference (mean ± SD for surgery: 1.11 ± 0.60 and conservative therapy: 1.11 ± 0.55; p = 0.988) in each group. The presence of residual varices (mean ± SD for surgery: 1.03 ± 0.52 and conservative therapy: 1.42 ± 0.99; p = 0.001) and the time for recovery (mean ± SD for surgery: 15 ± 10.50 and conservative therapy: 26 ± 12.32; p < 0.001) were more favourable in the cryostripping group.

Conclusion

Our analysis confirmed that cryostripping does not result in a lower risk for thromboembolic complications due to superficial vein thrombosis but can be an alternative method to treat the ascending thrombophlebitis of the great saphenous vein because it has some advantages over conservative treatment on the short term.
The outcomes of digital tip amputation replacement as a composite graft in a paediatric population
Authors: Butler D. P. , Murugesan L. , Ruston J. , Woollard A. C. , Jemec B.
Published: November 2015

Limited studies exist on the outcome of replacing an amputated fingertip as a composite graft. We report the outcomes and predictors for composite graft survival along with the long-term morbidity. A retrospective review of all patients <16 years who underwent composite graft replacement of an amputated fingertip was performed. Long-term morbidity was evaluated through a standardized parental questionnaire. A total of 120 patients were identified, of whom 97 were eligible for inclusion. Parental questionnaires were completed for 42 (43%) patients. There was a 10% complete and 34% partial graft survival rate. Patients aged ⩽4 were significantly more likely to have complete graft take than those >4. Of the patients, 17% developed post-operative complications; 48% of patients reported a hook-nail deformity and 17% reported cold intolerance. Only 5% of patients reported any functional difficulties long term. The rate of complete composite graft survival in a paediatric population is low, although the long-term function of these patients is good.

Level of evidence: 3
Long-term results of syndactyly correction by the trilobed flap technique focusing on hand function and quality of life
Authors: Widerberg A. , Sommerstein K. , Dahlin L. B. , Rosberg H.-E.
Published: November 2015

Syndactyly is usually corrected surgically during the first years of life. The trilobed flap, a surgical method that does not require skin grafting, was developed in the 1990s and the short-term results were comparable with previously reported techniques. Here we report on long-term outcomes, focusing on how children perceive their hand function and quality of life when they grow up. A total of 19 patients (29 web spaces) were operated on between 1990 and 2000, and followed-up 16 years later with questionnaires and clinical tests. The patients reported low QuickDASH scores, normal sensibility and dexterity, and minor cold intolerance. Only two reoperations, due to early web creep, were needed. The condition minimally affected the choice of occupations, leisure activities and perceptions of appearance. The trilobed flap technique for release of syndactyly provides a good long-term outcome with good hand function and minimal impact on the quality of life.

Level of evidence: IV.
Clinical and ultrasound features in patients with intersection syndrome or de Quervain’s disease
Authors: Sato J. , Ishii Y. , Noguchi H.
Published: November 2015

We investigated the demographic characteristics of patients who were diagnosed with intersection syndrome and also investigated the dominance of the affected hand, duration of symptoms and any precipitating factor for pain of the wrist. These features were compared with patients who had de Quervain’s disease. Ultrasonography was used to confirm the clinical diagnosis. Intersection syndrome occurred more frequently in men and in the dominant hand than de Quervain’s disease when all the patients were compared and when peripartum women were excluded. It occurred at a younger age than de Quervain’s disease only when the comparison excluded peripartum women. Patients with intersection syndrome presented with a much shorter duration of symptoms. These results were consistent with previous reports about occupational factors in intersection syndrome, and might be helpful in the understanding of epidemiological difference between the two conditions.

Level of evidence: Level 3.
Value of preoperative 6-minute walk test for predicting postoperative pulmonary complications
Authors: Keeratichananont Warangkana , Thanadetsuntorn Chokchai , Keeratichananont Suriya
Published: November 2015

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to determine the performance of preoperative 6-minute walk test (6MWT) for predicting postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) in high risk patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia.

Methods:

A prospective cohort study was conducted in patients scheduled to undergo elective thoracic or nonthoracic surgery and indicated for preoperative pulmonary evaluation in Songklanagarind Hospital, Songkhla, Thailand. Preoperative spirometry, 6MWT were done and 30-day PPC were recorded. The multiple regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyze the variables and to compare the performance of 6MWT and spirometry tests.

Results:

A total of 78 participants were recruited into the study. 6MWT was done completely in all cases without any complications. Among these tests, 14 cases (17.9%) had contraindications to spirometry and two cases were unable to achieve the criteria for acceptable efforts. PPC developed in 17 cases (21%) with a high mortality (17.7%). A multiple regression analysis showed elderly, poor general health status, smoking history, low level of the mean value of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) % predicted (by spirometry) and shorter 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) were the independent factors associated with PPC. Patients developing PPC had a significantly lower preoperative 6MWD compared with patients without PPC (256.0 ± 48.0 versus 440.0 ± 117.1 meters, p < 0.001). 6MWD of ⩽325 meters was a threshold for predicting PPC with 77% sensitivity and 100% specificity, and had a good predictive value for PPC similar to that for the FEV1 %.

Conclusions:

Preoperative 6MWT is a very useful alternative test for predicting PPC in high risk patients scheduled to undergo surgery under GA.
Evidence for the efficacy and effectiveness of THC-CBD oromucosal spray in symptom management of patients with spasticity due to multiple sclerosis
Authors: Zettl Uwe K. , Rommer Paulus , Hipp Petra , Patejdl Robert
Published: November 2015

Spasticity, one of the main symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), can affect more than 80% of MS patients during the course of their disease and is often not treated adequately. δ-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-cannabidiol (THC-CBD) oromucosal spray is a plant-derived, standardized cannabinoid-based oromucosal spray medicine for add-on treatment of moderate to severe, resistant multiple sclerosis-induced spasticity. This article reviews the current evidence for the efficacy and safety, with dizziness and fatigue as the most common treatment-related adverse events, being mostly mild to moderate in severity. Results from both randomized controlled phase III studies involving about,1600 MS patients or 1500 patient-years and recently published studies on everyday clinical practice involving more than 1000 patients or more than,1000 patient-years are presented.
Testosterone deficiency in the aging male
Authors: McBride J. Abram , Carson Culley C. , Coward Robert M.
Published: November 2015

Treatment for hypogonadism is on the rise, particularly in the aging population. Yet treatment in this population represents a unique challenge to clinicians. The physiology of normal aging is complex and often shares the same, often vague, symptoms of hypogonadism. In older men, a highly prevalent burden of comorbid medical conditions and polypharmacy complicates the differentiation of signs and symptoms of hypogonadism from those of normal aging, yet this differentiation is essential to the diagnosis of hypogonadism. Even in older patients with unequivocally symptomatic hypogonadism, the clinician must navigate the potential benefits and risks of treatment that are not clearly defined in older men. More recently, a greater awareness of the potential risks associated with treatment in older men, particularly in regard to cardiovascular risk and mortality, have been appreciated with recent changes in the US Food and Drug Administration recommendations for use of testosterone in aging men. The aim of this review is to provide a framework for the clinician evaluating testosterone deficiency in older men in order to identify correctly and treat clinically significant hypogonadism in this unique population while minimizing treatment-associated harm.
The State of State Policies for Principal Preparation Program Approval and Candidate Licensure
Authors: Anderson Erin , Reynolds Amy
Published: November 2015

Policies for principal preparation and licensure are important levers for improving school leadership. By developing a rubric of research-based practices, this University Council of Educational Administration study aims to provide a formative tool for policy makers. Using a policy analysis frame by Roach et al., this study explores the state code, rules and regulations, and accompanying state board/department of education documents to describe state policies for principal preparation program approval and candidate licensure. There is variation in the extent to which states have adopted policies in these areas. Proportionately, more states have adopted policies for licensure despite greater empirical evidence for preparation program approval.
Ultrasonographic Assessment of the Distal Femoral Cartilage Thickness in Patients with Homozygous Sickle Cell Disease
Authors: Yildizgoren Mustafa Turgut , Helvaci Mehmet Rami , Ustun Nilgun , Osmanoglu Kasim , Turhanoglu Ayse Dicle
Published: November 2015

Objective

To compare the distal femoral cartilage thickness of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) with those of healthy subjects using ultrasonography.

Methods

The study comprised 30 patients with SCD (16 male, 14 female; mean age, 30.1 years) and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Demographic features and medications of the patients were recorded. With the knees held in maximum flexion, the femoral cartilage thickness was measured bilaterally with a 7- to 12-MHz linear probe. Using ultrasonography, 3 midpoint measurements were taken from both knees: lateral femoral condyle (LFC), intercondylar area (ICA), and medial femoral condyle (MFC).

Results

Patients with SCD had thinner femoral cartilage thickness values at LFC ( P = 0.004), at MFC ( P = 0.000), and ICA ( P = 0.002) when compared with those of the healthy subjects. Patients with SCD also had lower Hb levels ( P = 0.000) levels. Weak positive correlations were determined between Hemoglobin (Hb) levels and ultrasonographic measurements in the SCD group at MFC ( r = 0.331, P = 0.010), and ICA ( r = 0.289 , P = 0.025 ). Low levels of Hb seem to affect the femoral cartilage thickness.

Conclusion

These preliminary findings of decreased femoral cartilage thickness in SCD patients should be complemented with future studies. The possibility of early knee joint degeneration and eventual osteoarthritis in SCD should be kept in mind.
Cholera toxin B induced activation of murine macrophages exposed to a fixed bacterial immunogen
Authors: Wiedinger Kari , Romlein Heather , Bitsaktsis Constantine
Published: November 2015

Objectives:

Previous studies have demonstrated that intranasal administration of inactivated (fixed) Francisella tularensis ( iFt) live vaccine strain (LVS) in conjunction with the mucosal adjuvant, cholera toxin B (CTB), provides full protection against subsequent lethal challenge with Ft LVS and partial protection against the more virulent Ft SchuS4 strain. Understanding the mechanisms of CTB-induced immune stimulation that confer protection against Ft will be valuable to the development of an effective vaccine against this highly virulent fatal pathogen. In this study, an in vitro system was utilized to further elucidate the immunologic adjuvant effect of CTB when administered with the fixed bacterial immunogen iFt.

Methods:

The murine macrophage cell line (RAW264.7) was treated with combinations of iFt and CTB. The treated RAW264.7 cells and their supernatants were collected and assessed for cell surface marker expression and cytokine secretion. In addition, the ability of RAW264.7 cells to present bacterial antigens ( iFt or LVS) to an Ft-specific T-cell hybridoma cell line, following exposure to CTB, was analyzed.

Results:

We found that RAW264.7 cells responded to treatment with iFt + CTB by an increased secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor α and upregulation of the surface expression of toll-like receptor 4 and the costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86. Furthermore, the experimental vaccine treatment iFt + CTB enhanced the ability of macrophages to present iFt antigens to an FT-specific T-cell hybridoma cell line, although they failed to do so with LVS.

Conclusion:

The adjuvant CTB administered in conjunction with iFt showed evidence of enhancing an antigen-specific proinflammatory response in vitro. These observations allow us to define, in part, the mechanisms of immune activation conferred by mucosal administration of iFt + CTB against lethal F. tularensis challenge.
Analysing moderated mediation effects: Marketing applications
Authors: Borau Sylvie , El Akremi Assâad , Elgaaied-Gambier Leila , Hamdi-Kidar Linda , Ranchoux Charlotte
Published: November 2015

The purpose of this article is to explain and illustrate the methodological approach used to test moderated mediation effects (conditional indirect effects) in marketing. A moderated mediation effect indicates the presence, in a single model, of one or more mediating variables and one or more moderating variables. Having first described the main methodological approaches used to test moderated mediation effects, with an emphasis on their respective advantages and disadvantages, we go on to recommend the method used by Hayes, which we illustrate through several marketing applications. This method makes it possible rigorously and simultaneously to test both mediating and moderating effects. Recommendations are also made to guide marketing researchers in the analysis of moderated mediation.
Monitoring hemodynamic changes in stroke-affected muscles using near-infrared spectroscopy
Authors: MasoudiMotlagh Mohammad , Sugar Jeffrey J , Azimipour Mehdi , Linz Whitney W , Michalak Gregory , Seo Na Jin , Ranji Mahsa
Published: November 2015

The oxygenation level of a tissue is an important marker of the health of the tissue and has a direct effect on performance. It has been shown that the blood flow to the paretic muscles of hemiparetic post-stroke patients is significantly reduced compared to non-paretic muscles. It is hypothesized that hemodynamic activity in paretic muscles is suppressed as compared to non-paretic muscles, and that oximetry can be used to measure this disparity in real-time. In order to test this hypothesis, a custom-made oximetry device was used to measure hemodynamic activity in the forearm extensor muscles in post-stroke patients’ paretic and non-paretic sides and in a control population during three exercise levels calibrated to the subject’s maximum effort. The change in oxygenation (Δ Oxy) and blood volume (Δ BV) were calculated and displayed in real-time. Results show no apparent difference in either Δ Oxy or Δ BV between control subjects’ dominant and non-dominant muscles. However, the results show a significant difference in Δ Oxy between paretic and non-paretic muscles, as well as a significant difference between normalized post-stroke and control data. Further work will be necessary to determine if the observed difference between the paretic and non-paretic muscles changes over the course of physical therapy and can be correlated with functional improvements.