bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Boon or bane: Examining divergent development outcomes among oil- and mineral-dependent countries in the Global South
Authors: Edwards Zophia
Published: July 2017

Under neoliberal conditions that privilege foreign investors and call for the retreat of the state, some oil- and mineral-dependent countries in the Global South outperform others. To investigate what accounts for this variation in economic development among these countries, this study tests hypotheses derived from resource curse and dependency/world systems literatures using a dataset of 36 oil- and mineral-dependent countries in the Global South from 1984 through 2010 and panel methods of data analysis. The results show that state capacity and debt dependence shape uneven development outcomes among these countries. The implications for resource curse and dependency/world systems theories are discussed.
The emergence of post-NPM initiatives: Integrated Impact Assessment as a hybrid decision-making tool
Authors: Marchand Jean-Sebastien , Brunet Maude
Published: July 2017

Despite the criticism levelled at it, New Public Management (NPM) seems to be enduring. Post-NPM initiatives remain relatively theoretical and are slow to take root at the heart of the governmental apparatus. Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA), a tool for decision-making at national level, seems to be providing new answers. IIA has developed from NPM regulatory relief initiatives, but its objectives and effects are more in line with post-NPM principles. This article aims to explore the concept of IIA, its development and the implications of its institutionalization. A comparative analysis of IIA practice is carried out for four approaches: three at the national level (France, United Kingdom and Switzerland) and one at the supranational level (European Commission). IIA appears as a hybrid NPM and post-NPM tool, the use of which allows the implementation of certain post-NPM principles. The article concludes on future avenues for research.

Points for practitioners

Administrations often have to deal with issues related to evidence-based decision-making, transparency and the proliferation of statutory sectoral impact assessments. In a context of limited resources, Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) can be an attractive solution. However, a careful analysis of its development makes it possible to better understand what its institutionalization actually implies. The practice of IIA makes it possible to systematize consultation with stakeholders, but varies according to the methods used and the administrative structures in place. IIA could serve as a decision-making tool that adds a public interest component and better reflect public values in a decision-making situation.
Tension–tension fatigue performance and stiffness degradation of nanosilica-modified glass fiber-reinforced composites
Authors: Tate Jitendra S , Akinola Adekunle T , Espinoza Sergio , Gaikwad Swapnil , Kannabiran Vasudevan Dinesh Kumar , Sprenger Stephen , Kumar Kunal
Published: July 2017

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of nanosilica on glass-reinforced epoxy composites under static mechanical and tension–tension fatigue loading. The glass-reinforced epoxy composites were manufactured with three different concentrations of nanosilica (6, 7, and 8 wt%). Static mechanical tests include tensile, flexure and short-beam strength. 6 wt% nanosilica composites showed the greatest enhancement in tensile strength, percentage elongation, and inter-laminar shear strength compared to the other concentrations and the control. Extensive tension–tension fatigue tests (R-ratio of 0.1 and frequency 2 Hz) were conducted on the control and 6 wt% nanosilica composites. In load-controlled and constant amplitude tests, a percentage of the ultimate tensile strength was applied to the specimens. Stress applied was from 80% of UTS, and reduced in steps of 10% until specimens survived 1 million cycles. In high-cycle and low-cycle fatigue tests, 6 wt% nanosilica composites showed 10 and 3 times improvement in fatigue life, respectively, compared to the control composites. Stiffness degradation curves were explained with three stages of damage mechanisms. The final failure occurred due to fiber breakage in the third stage. Both the control and 6 wt% nanosilica composites survived 1 million cycles at a maximum stress of 46.6 MPa, but at the end of 1 million cycles, control composites lost 65% modulus compared to 45% modulus loss in the 6 wt% nanosilica composites.
The Doctrine of Identification, Causation and Corporate Liability for Manslaughter
Authors: Parsons Simon
Published: July 2017

This article examines corporate liability for manslaughter. It considers the legal effect of the ‘identification’ doctrine and how it operates as a legal barrier to potential corporate liability. The question of whether the ‘conduct’ of a corporation is a cause of death is also examined. The article maintains that the Court of Appeal in Attorney General's Reference (No.2 of 1999) had the opportunity to remove the legal fiction of identification and to overcome the problem of causation, so that a proper appraisal of an organisational structure can be made in order to ascertain whether a corporation's safety performance was grossly negligent.
Beyond Critique: The Partners for Change Outcome Management System as an Alternative Paradigm to Psychiatric Diagnosis
Authors: Duncan Barry L. , Sparks Jacqueline A. , Timimi Sami
Published: July 2017

Critics claim that current psychiatric diagnostic systems lack reliability, validity, and clinical utility; are incompatible with known evidence of how change occurs in psychotherapy; are compromised by bias; and risk harmful effects for clients. This article argues that the Partners for Change Outcome Management System (PCOMS), a transparent, egalitarian process that collects and utilizes client feedback at each session, convincingly addresses these concerns. Furthermore, it suggests that PCOMS offers a viable alternative to the reimbursement and administrative functions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Diseases. The authors propose that PCOMS represents a radical realignment of the practitioner/client relationship via full, dialogical partnership at every level of psychotherapy practice and thus constitutes a step toward a new paradigm that reconnects psychotherapy and humanistic psychology with its core relational values.
Climate change and employment relations
Authors: Goods Caleb
Published: July 2017

A central, yet overlooked, aspect of contemporary employment relations is the growing impact climate change is having on workplace relations. This research note outlines how climate change and workplace relations are linked, the minimal academic focus this important research area has received and the limited response from employment relations actors to the climate change challenge. Some examples of ‘climate bargaining’ are given to demonstrate both the connection between employment relations and climate change and to provide possible models for meaningfully advancing climate change actions in the workplace.
Growth of Word and Pseudoword Reading Efficiency in Alphabetic Orthographies: Impact of Consistency
Authors: Caravolas Markéta
Published: July 2017

Word and pseudoword reading are related abilities fundamental to reading development in alphabetic orthographies. They are respectively assumed to index children’s orthographic representations of words, which are in turn acquired through the underlying “self-teaching mechanism” of alphabetic pseudoword decoding. Little is known about concurrent growth trajectories of these skills in the early grades among children learning different alphabetic orthographies. In the present study, between- and within-group latent growth models of word and pseudoword reading efficiency were tested on data spanning Grades 1 and 2 from learners of the inconsistent English and consistent Czech and Slovak orthographies. Several language-general patterns emerged. Significant growth was observed for both skills in all languages. Growth was faster for word than pseudoword reading efficiency, and strong lexicality effects that increased over time were obtained across languages. Language-specific patterns were also found. In line with predictions about the costs of learning lower-consistency orthographies, readers of English experienced relatively slower growth on both reading skills. However, their lag was smaller, and evident only at the latter two time points for word reading. In contrast, on pseudoword reading, the English group performed considerably less well than their Czech and Slovak peers at every time point. Thus, weaker decoding skills were the main contributor to the larger lexicality effects of the English group. These findings are considered within the frame of recent theorizing about the effect of orthographic consistency on decoding as a self-teaching mechanism in alphabetic reading acquisition.
An Examination of the Relationship Between Postschool Outcomes and Autonomy, Psychological Empowerment, and Self-Realization
Authors: Shogren Karrie A. , Lee Jaehoon , Panko Pavel
Published: July 2017

This study examined, using data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2, the impact of constructs associated with self-determination (i.e., autonomy, self-realization, and psychological empowerment measured while youth were in secondary school) on postschool—(a) employment and payment/benefits, (b) education, (c) independent living, and (d) social engagement—outcomes. Findings suggest that up to 8 years after youth exited school, autonomy, self-realization, and psychological empowerment predict postschool outcomes. Psychological empowerment showed a strong relationship with employment wages and benefits, and autonomy and self-realization contributed to predicting independent living and postsecondary education enrollment. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
The Copper Ore Trade of South West England in the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Stanier Peter H.
Published: July 2017

The founders have depots in the principal ports of Cornwall and Devonshire, where the ore is stored. It is transported to Swansea in vessels of 100 to 150 tons, which draw very little water, so that they can discharge their cargoes at all states of the tide in the yards of the companies, which are nearly all situated on the edge of the river.
Book Review: Smriti Srinivas, A Place for Utopia: Urban Designs from South Asia
Authors: Kaur Kulwinder
Published: July 2017

Smriti Srinivas, A Place for Utopia: Urban Designs from South Asia. New Delhi: Orient BlackSwan, 2015, xi +207 pp., ₹725, ISBN 978-81-250-59.
Living with War, Fanaticism and the Pragmatic
Authors: Wilkes George R.
Published: July 2017

Simone Weil (1909–43) and Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929) both responded to the First World War as if it were confirmation of a philosophical, political and religious crisis. This essay shows how much their analysis of the causes and nature of warfare had in common, though Weil increasingly assimilated this analysis to a fiercely anti-Judaic Christianity, while Rosenzweig believed that Jews and other Europeans had to reappropriate their Hebraic roots. Whereas the anti-political, semipacifist agenda of both writers has been taken as evidence of a highly personal eccentricity, the similarities highlighted by this comparison suggest they were more responsive to broader intellectual currents than has been commonly assumed.
Distant friends and intimate strangers: On the perils of friendship in a Malaysian apartment building
Authors: Killias Olivia
Published: July 2017

Grounded in ethnographic fieldwork in and around a Malaysian apartment building, this paper explores discourses on and practices of friendship among young Iranian residents. The paper argues that for Iranians in Malaysia, most of them students, forming close social ties always holds the risk not only of personal betrayal but also of political infiltration, and thus making friends is informed by suspicion, anxiety and ambivalence. In the context of both formal state surveillance and informal moral policing in the high-rise, Iranian students often choose to ‘keep their distance’ from other Iranians. By analysing quotidian mutual observation and questioning, mistrust, but also forms of sociality that develop in the dense, cosmopolitan urban contact zone of an apartment building, this paper teases out conflicted narratives about intimacy and distance, and argues that these must be understood in the context of the local, material urban landscape of the high-rise, the uncertainty of life in transit as well as the political context of Post-Revolution Iran.
The Role of Tablet-Based Psychological Tasks in Risk Assessment
Authors: Ormachea Pablo A. , Lovins Brian K. , Eagleman David M. , Davenport Sasha , Jarman Anna , Haarsma Gabe
Published: July 2017

Risk assessment has become a prominent part of the criminal justice system in many jurisdictions, typically relying on structured questions and an interview. This approach, however, may not accurately assess certain psychological concepts correlated with reoffense, such as executive functioning, ability to plan, impulse control, risk-taking, aggression, and empathy. We hypothesized that using rapid-tablet-based neurocognitive tests would pay off in terms of objectivity, precision, and scalability when added to the existing risk assessment structure. We analyzed 240 observations from adult felony offenders from a large urban county in the South assessed by the Texas version of the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) risk tool. We identified significant differences in impulse control, planning, and reactive aggression between offenders and reoffenders. By combining these variables with the Texas Risk Assessment System (TRAS), we yielded significant improvements in risk prediction. We hope this will provide new inroads for actuarial assessments of reoffense risk that incorporate direct measurements of individual decision making.
Taking the lead against Reed Elsevier
Authors: Armstrong Edward
Published: July 2017

Please e-mail letters for publication to Dr Kamran Abbasi [ kamran.abbasi@rsm.ac.uk ]. Letters should be no longer than 300 words and preference will be given to letters responding to articles published in the JRSM. Our aim is to publish letters quickly. Not all correspondence will be acknowledged.
Bufale spotting, part three: assessing editorials
Authors: Jefferson Tom , Zarra Lucia
Published: July 2017

This is the third in a series of articles on making evidence-based medicine work for you. The series is based on the book ‘Attenti Alle Bufale’ by Tom Jefferson ( www.attentiallebufale.it ).
Diabetes prevalence, process of care and outcomes in relation to practice size, caseload and deprivation: national cross-sectional study in primary care
Authors: Millett Christopher , Car Josip , Eldred Darren , Khunti Kamlesh , Mainous Arch G , Majeed Azeem
Published: July 2017

Objective

To examine the association between practice list size, deprivation and the quality of care of patients with diabetes.

Design

Population-based cross-sectional study using Quality and Outcomes Framework data.

Setting

England and Scotland.

Participants

55 522 778 patients and 8970 general practices with 1 852 762 people with diabetes.

Interventions

None.

Main outcome measures

Seventeen process and surrogate outcome measures of diabetes care.

Results

The prevalence of diabetes was 3.3%. Prevalence differed with practice list size and deprivation: smaller and more deprived practices had a higher mean prevalence than larger and more affluent practices (3.8% versus 2.8%). Practices with large patient list sizes had the highest quality of care scores, even after stratifying for deprivation. However, with the exception of retinal screening, peripheral pulses and neuropathy testing, differences in achievement between small and large practices were modest (<5%). Small practices performed nearly as well as the largest practices in achievement of intermediate outcome targets for HbA1c, blood pressure and cholesterol (smallest versus largest practices: 57.4% versus 58.7%; 70.7% versus 70.7%; and 69.5% versus 72.7%, respectively). Deprivation had a negative effect on the achieved scores and this was more pronounced for smaller practices.

Conclusion

Our study provides some evidence of a volume-outcome association in the management of diabetes in primary care; this appears most pronounced in deprived areas.
Vibration control for the payload at the end of a nonlinear three-dimensional Euler–Bernoulli beam with input constraints
Authors: Ji Ning , Liu Jinkun
Published: July 2017

In this paper, the vibration control problem for the payload at the end of a three-dimensional Euler–Bernoulli beam in the presence of input constraints and input disturbances is addressed. Disturbance observers are designed to estimate the disturbances on the tip payload. Based on the disturbance observers, a boundary control scheme is designed to suppress elastic vibration for the payload at the end of the beam. The smooth hyperbolic function is applied for the proposed control scheme, which can satisfy physical conditions and input constraints. It is proved that the proposed control scheme can be guaranteed in handling input constraints and disturbances. Finally, numerical simulations illustrate the effectiveness of the results.
‘I’m not a natural mathematician’
Authors: Clark Tom , Foster Liam
Published: July 2017

There is continuing concern about the paucity of social science graduates who have the quantitative skills required by academia and industry. Not only do students often lack the confidence to explore, and use, statistical techniques, the dominance of qualitative research in many disciplines has also often constrained programme-level integration of more quantitative material. However, whilst the topic of statistical literacy is relatively well researched within the more general educational literature, the evidence-base with respect to the effectiveness of teaching and learning of quantitative research methods in the social science remains somewhat limited. This paper describes the development, integration and evaluation of a series of student-led inquiry-based quantitative workbooks within a sociology/social policy undergraduate degree. It outlines how the workbooks were constructively aligned within a ‘methods spine’ and offers some insight into quantitative teaching and learning generally. The paper also discusses some of the opportunities and challenges of taking both an aligned and IBL approach to the teaching of quantitative methods. In doing so it adds to growing evidence that ‘problem-based pedagogies’ tend to increase educational gain over and above more didactic approaches to learning and teaching. It highlights three key findings: programme-level approaches to curriculum design can be crucial in improving quantitative skills, particularly where they are tailored to student needs; a general indifference to quantitative methods is likely to be due to a process of disenfranchisement that happens before and during students’ engagement with university; and, meaningfully engaging students as partners in the process of designing, integrating and evaluating curricula can help to overcome some of the barriers associated with the learning and teaching of quantitative skills.
Anger Promotes Economic Conservatism
Authors: Kettle Keri L. , Salerno Anthony
Published: July 2017

Research suggests that certain facets of people’s political ideals can be motivated by different goals. Although it is widely accepted that emotions motivate goal-directed behavior, less is known about how emotion-specific goals may influence different facets of ideology. In this research, we examine how anger affects political ideology and through what mechanisms such effects occur. Drawing on the dual-process motivational model of ideology and the functionalist perspective of emotion, we propose that anger leads people to support conservative economic ideals, which promote economic independence and discourage societal resource sharing. Four studies support our hypothesis that anger can enhance support for an election candidate espousing conservative economic ideals. We find that anger shifts people toward economic conservatism by orienting them toward competition for resources. Implications and future research on the relationship between emotions and political ideology are discussed.
Influence of Tissue Microstructure on Shear Wave Speed Measurements in Plane Shear Wave Elastography: A Computational Study in Lossless Fibrotic Liver Media
Authors: Wang Yu , Jiang Jingfeng
Published: July 2017

Shear wave elastography (SWE) has been used to measure viscoelastic properties for characterization of fibrotic livers. In this technique, external mechanical vibrations or acoustic radiation forces are first transmitted to the tissue being imaged to induce shear waves. Ultrasonically measured displacement/velocity is then utilized to obtain elastographic measurements related to shear wave propagation. Using an open-source wave simulator, k-Wave, we conducted a case study of the relationship between plane shear wave measurements and the microstructure of fibrotic liver tissues. Particularly, three different virtual tissue models (i.e., a histology-based model, a statistics-based model, and a simple inclusion model) were used to represent underlying microstructures of fibrotic liver tissues. We found underlying microstructures affected the estimated mean group shear wave speed (SWS) under the plane shear wave assumption by as much as 56%. Also, the elastic shear wave scattering resulted in frequency-dependent attenuation coefficients and introduced changes in the estimated group SWS. Similarly, the slope of group SWS changes with respect to the excitation frequency differed as much as 78% among three models investigated. This new finding may motivate further studies examining how elastic scattering may contribute to frequency-dependent shear wave dispersion and attenuation in biological tissues.
Why Would You Say Goodnight to the Moon? Response of Young Intellectually Gifted Children to Lower and Higher Order Questions During Storybook Reading
Authors: Walsh Rosalind , Bowes Jennifer , Sweller Naomi
Published: July 2017

Research into the effect of questions asked during storybook reading in preschool settings has rarely investigated questions that elicit higher order thinking. In the current study, Blank et al.’s Four Levels of Abstraction were used to code teacher questions and child responses from 177 individual storybook reading sessions with eight intellectually gifted 3- and 4-year-old children. The aim was to investigate the level of cognitive response gifted preschoolers made to lower and higher order questions during shared book reading. As expected, lower order questions, the most frequent form of teacher questions, elicited mainly lower order responses. Significant cognitive correspondence was also found for higher order questions, which elicited higher order child responses 88% of the time. This suggests that higher order questioning would be a valuable addition to preschool storybook reading, particularly to extend the thinking of young intellectually gifted children.
Gifted Students’ Perceptions of Gifted Programs: An Inquiry Into Their Academic and Social-Emotional Functioning
Authors: Kitsantas Anastasia , Bland Lori , Chirinos David S.
Published: July 2017

The aim of the present study was to examine elementary and middle school students’ ( N = 49) perceptions of their gifted and talented program using eight focus group interviews. Qualitative analyses revealed several themes regarding students’ academic and social-emotional functioning and how teachers influenced students’ experiences within their gifted program. Findings indicated that there were differences between elementary and middle school students’ perceptions of how the gifted program affected their academic and social-emotional functioning. Suggestions for educators are provided about the importance of understanding gifted students’ experiences of schooling to support the development of these students within gifted and talented programs.
A rare case of pediatric primary cardiac tumor in a patient with Down syndrome
Authors: Okada Kimiaki , Masuoka Ayumu , Hotoda Kentaro , Uno Yoshimasa , Suzuki Takaaki
Published: July 2017

Although hematological malignancies are a known complication of Down syndrome, few reports have described cases involving solid tumors. We describe the case of a 3-year-old Down syndrome girl with a primary solid cardiac tumor. Outpatient echocardiography after intracardiac repair of a ventricular septal defect at 6 months of age revealed a highly mobile pedunculated mass (8 × 9 mm) on the free wall of the right atrium. Due to potential incarceration of the mass in the tricuspid orifice, it was excised under extracorporeal circulation and cardiac arrest. Macroscopically, the tumor closely resembled a papillary fibroelastoma, although histopathological tests were inconclusive.
Parameter-identification investigations on the hysteretic Preisach model improved by the fuzzy least square support vector machine based on adaptive variable chaos immune algorithm
Authors: Jiaqiang E , Qian Cheng , Zhu Hao , Peng Qingguo , Zuo Wei , Liu Guanlin
Published: July 2017

In order to solve the hysteretic character of the piezoelectric material for application, the initial weight factors of the hysteretic units are calculated by the Preisach theory and the first-order reversal curves test data, a hysteretic Preisach model based on the improved fuzzy least square support vector machine (improved FLS-SVM) is established. In the established model, the fuzzy least square support vector machine is introduced to calculate more weight factors of the hysteretic units and the adaptive variable chaos immune algorithm is introduced to optimize the penalty factor and the kernel parameter of the FLS-SVM (the penalty factor c = 35 and the kernel parameter σ = 1.35 are obtained). Moreover, the quadratic polynomial interpolation method is used to eliminate the sawtooth phenomenon. The validity of established model reveals that fuzzy least square support vector machine method based on adaptive variable chaos immune algorithm (FLS-SVMAVCIA) is more accurate than FLS-SVM method according to application results of the real actuators (the absolute mean error of the FLS-SVMAVCIA model is less than 1 µm and its maximum error is less than 2 µm). As a result, the hysteretic phenomenon can be effectively eliminated by the hysteretic Preisach model based on the FLS-SVMAVCIA method.
Antioxidative mechanism in the course of varicose veins
Authors: Horecka Anna , Biernacka Jadwiga , Hordyjewska Anna , Dąbrowski Wojciech , Terlecki Piotr , Zubilewicz Tomasz , Musik Irena , Kurzepa Jacek
Published: July 2017

Objective

Our objective was to evaluate the state of oxidative stress in the great saphenous varicose vein wall and blood of varicose vein patients taken from the antecubital vein.

Methods

The superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant status were measured with commercially available colorimetric kits in erythrocytes, plasma and varicose vein wall of 65 patients (second degree of clinical state classification, etiology, anatomy and pathophysiology) aged 22–70 (49 women, 16 men) in comparison to normal great saphenous vein walls collected from 10 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft and blood collected from 20 healthy individuals.

Results

A statistically significant decrease (p < 0.001) in superoxide dismutase activity in erythrocytes and the increase (p < 0.05) in superoxide dismutase activity in varicose vein has been observed. There have been no significant changes in the concentration of GSH in plasma and in varicose vein. The decreased concentration of total antioxidant status in plasma (p < 0.001) and in varicose vein wall (p < 0.05) in comparison to the control has been noticed.

Conclusion

The varicose vein patients are affected by oxidative stress. Our results indicate impaired antioxidant defense mechanism in the blood of varicose vein patients. In contrast to the blood, an increased process of antioxidant defense in the varicose vein wall was noticed.
A randomized controlled trial of a combined self-management and exercise intervention for elderly people with osteoarthritis of the knee: the PLE2NO program
Authors: Marconcin Priscila , Espanha Margarida , Teles Júlia , Bento Paulo , Campos Pedro , André Rui , Yázigi Flávia
Published: July 2017

Objective:

To assess the effectiveness of a 12-week self-management and exercise intervention (the PLE2NO program) in elderly individuals with knee osteoarthritis.

Design:

Randomized controlled trial.

Setting:

Four different community settings.

Subjects:

Eighty individuals aged 60 years or older with clinical and radiographic knee osteoarthritis enrolled in the study.

Intervention:

A combined self-management and exercise intervention (treatment group) and an educational intervention (control group).

Main measures:

The primary outcomes were pain and other knee osteoarthritis symptoms (swelling, crackling, limitation on movement, and stiffness), self-management behaviors (communication with physician and cognitive symptom management), and functional lower limb strength. Secondary outcomes were knee osteoarthritis–specific health-related quality of life, self-perceived health, aerobic capacity, lower and upper limb flexibility, and handgrip strength.

Results:

In all, 67 participants, mean age 69.1 ± 5.8 years, completed the study: 32 in the Educational Group and 35 in the Self-Management and Exercise Group. A significant group effect favorable to the Self-Management and Exercise Group was observed in the following variables: communication with the physicians ( P = .048), aerobic capacity ( P = .035), and functional lower limb strength ( P = .015). Although no significant group effect was detected, clinical improvements in pain (31%) and knee osteoarthritis symptoms (29%) were observed in the experimental group. No improvements regarding cognitive symptom management, self-perceived health, lower limb flexibility, and handgrip strength were found.

Conclusion:

This study supports the importance of a combined self-management and exercise intervention to improve functional lower limb strength and aerobic capacity in a Portuguese sample. Additionally, pain and other symptoms have improved clinically.
Comparison of patient outcomes with and without stenting tube in pancreaticoduodenectomy
Authors: Bin Xiong , Lian Bai , Jianping Gong , Bin Tu
Published: July 2017

Objective

To evaluate the clinical effect of different pancreaticojejunostomy techniques in the treatment of pancreaticoduodenectomy and investigate the applicability of pancreaticojejunostomy without pancreatic duct stenting.

Methods

From January 2012 to December 2015, 87 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy were randomly assigned to either Group A (duct-to-mucosa anastomosis with pancreatic duct stenting, n = 43) or Group B (pancreas–jejunum end-to-side anastomosis without stenting (n = 44). The operative duration of pancreaticojejunostomy, postoperative hospital stay, and incidence of postoperative complications were compared between the two methods.

Results

The operative duration of pancreaticojejunostomy without use of the pancreatic duct stent was significantly shorter in Group B than in Group A (t = 7.137). The postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in Group B than in Group A (t = 2.408). The differences in the incidence of postoperative complications such as pancreatic fistula, abdominal bleeding, abdominal infection and delayed gastric emptying were not significantly different between the two groups (χ2 = 0.181, 0.322, 0.603, and 0.001, respectively).

Conclusion

Pancreaticoduodenectomy without pancreatic duct stenting is safe and reliable and can reduce the operative time and hospital stay. No significant differences were observed in the incidence of postoperative complications.
Tumor-induced disorder of iron metabolism in major organs: a new insight from chemical speciation of iron
Authors: Chen Rujie , Chen Guangcun
Published: July 2017

Objective

To investigate the evolution of iron speciation in major organs of tumor-bearing mice and its role in cancer formation and cancer-associated complications.

Methods

The concentration and chemical speciation of iron in the spleen, liver, lung, kidney, heart, blood, muscle, and tumor tissue of healthy mice and tumor-bearing mice were studied by synchrotron radiation-based total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (SR-TXRF) coupled with X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS).

Results

The TXRF and XAS results showed that the iron content, especially the ferritin content, significantly decreased in the blood and spleen but significantly increased in the liver, lung, and muscle of mice after tumor implantation. The chemical speciation of iron in the tumor mainly comprised ferrous-sulfide-like iron and ferritin.

Conclusion

The tumors disturbed the iron metabolism in major organs, and the evolution of iron may be involved in iron deficiency anemia, cancer growth, and immunity. Additionally, iron speciation-based markers may be further developed as clinical indicators for cancer and cancer-associated complications.
The effects of musical activities on the self-esteem of displaced children in Colombia
Authors: Zapata Gloria P. , Hargreaves David J.
Published: July 2017

This article presents some of the results of a research project undertaken in a school located in a deprived neighbourhood of Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. The project investigated the effects of musical experiences on 6- to 8-year-olds’ social and musical development by means of a mixed-methods approach involving the children, their parents and teachers. The project comprised three studies, and this article reports the results of the first, an experimental intervention study which was carried out with two groups of 52 children. The experimental group followed an 18-week music programme of singing workshops involving Colombian traditional songs and musical improvisation, whereas the control group had no such musical programme. Harter’s (1999) Perceived Competence Scale for Children was administered before and after the 18-week singing programme to assess its effects on the children’s self-esteem. Analysis revealed that musical activities had a significant impact on children’s self-esteem, and especially upon its cognitive component. These results are of crucial importance in the context of forced displacement in the Colombian population as a result of violence.
Manual tracking impairs postural stability in older adults
Authors: Rossiter Anna , Allsop Matthew J , Raw Rachael K , Howard Lindsay , Holt Raymond J , Wilkie Richard M , Mon-Williams Mark
Published: July 2017

Introduction

Older adults show increased postural sway and a greater risk of falls when completing activities with high cognitive demands. While dual-task approaches have clarified an association between cognitive processes and postural control, it is unclear how manual ability, which is also required for the successful completion of cognitively demanding tasks (such as putting a key into a lock), affects this relationship.

Method

Kinematic technology was used to explore the relationship between postural sway and manual control in healthy younger and older adults. Participants ( n = 82) remained standing to complete a visual-motor tracking task on a tablet computer. Root mean square tracking error measured manual performance, and a balance board measured deviations in centre of pressure as a marker of postural sway.

Results

Older adults displayed poorer manual accuracy and increased postural sway across all testing conditions.

Conclusions

Cognitive capacity can interact with multiple task demands, and in turn affect postural sway in older adults. Improving our understanding of factors that influence postural control will assist falls-prevention efforts and inform clinical practice.
Governing Foreign Direct Investment: Post-Enron Initiatives in India
Authors: Ahmed Waquar
Published: July 2017

Since the initiation of the New Economic Policy in 1991, India’s power policy illustrates the crystallization of a form of situated rationality that relies on capitalist competitiveness and foreign investment for growth and development. This paper, using critical discourse analysis, examines the resettlement of the Enron/Dabhol Power Project to highlight how this situated rationality represents power/knowledge that “legitimizes” prioritization of international capital, erosion of national sovereignty, and facilitates capitalist exploitation.

JEL Classification: F65
Gendering Post-Keynesian Monetary Macroeconomics With Situated Knowledge
Authors: Spotton Visano Brenda
Published: July 2017

This paper suggests that the conception of fundamental uncertainty grounding post-Keynesian monetary macroeconomics is consistent with a particularly complex type of decision making characterized by the social determination of preferences and outcomes. Contrary to the argument that positivism grounds post-Keynesian analysis, such a framework of analysis reflects a world in which knowledge is situated. As a practical consideration, this paper considers briefly the implications for a gendered theory of financial instability in a Post-Keynesian monetary framework.
Obsessive—Compulsive Disorder and Psychosis
Authors: Ganesan Venkatasubramanian , Kumar TC Ramesh , Khanna Sumant
Published: July 2017

Objective:

To study the phenomenology, treatment, course, and outcome of patients with comorbid obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and psychotic features.

Method:

A retrospective chart analysis was conducted on 15 patients with OCD with psychotic features. Data were collected regarding patient demographics, psychiatric diagnosis, duration of illness, treatment details, and clinically determined outcome over time.

Results:

Obsessive doubts, washing, and checking compulsions were the most commonly seen obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms. Of the patients, 53% had first-rank symptoms, and 77% showed significant improvement on treatment with a combination of antipsychotic and antiobsessional drugs.

Conclusions:

The observed improvement on treatment with a combination of antiobsessional and antipsychotic drugs supports the use of combination treatment in patients who have both OC and psychotic symptoms.
Validation de la version française du Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS-F)
Authors: Lauzon Sylvie , Corbière Marc , Bonin Jean-Pierre , Bonsack Charles , Lesage Alain D , Ricard Nicole
Published: July 2017

Objectif:

L'objectif de l'étude consiste à valider la version française du questionnaire « Health of the Nation Outcome Scales-HoNOS » (HoNOS-F), instrument servant à évaluer la santé et le fonctionnement social de personnes souffrant de troubles mentaux.

Méthode:

La compréhension de chacun des énoncés de la version française a été vérifiée, puis le questionnaire a été administré à 3 échantillons de personnes aux prises avec des troubles mentaux graves, pour en évaluer la fidélité et la validité. Plus précisément, nous avons estimé la fiabilité sous l'angle de la cohérence interne, de la stabilité et de l'accord inter-juges, tandis que nous avons procédé à des analyses factorielles confirmatives et à la différence de moyennes selon le sexe, l'âge et le diagnostic pour vérifier respectivement la validité de construit et la validité de critères.

Résultats:

Les différents indices obtenus montrent que seul le score global du questionnaire lui confère une fidélité acceptable. Quant aux résultats d'analyses factorielles confirmatives, ils indiquent un non-ajustement des données empiriques aux 2 modèles proposés, soit un modèle à une dimension et un autre à 4 dimensions. La validité de critères est toutefois satisfaisante.

Conclusions:

Les résultats obtenus dans la présente étude de validation concordent avec ceux de la version originale anglaise qui est largement utilisée. Ainsi, sur le plan clinique, nous suggérons d'utiliser chaque énoncé du questionnaire de façon distincte sans omettre certaines caractéristiques de la personne ayant des problèmes graves de santé mentale, notamment l'âge, le sexe et le diagnostic. Dans le domaine de la recherche, nous proposons d'utiliser le score global pour l'évaluation de la santé et du fonctionnement social de la personne souffrant de troubles mentaux graves. Toutefois, nous insistons sur l'importance de rester très vigilants quant à l'interprétation du score global auprès d'une population francophone.
Serum Cholesterol Level Comparison: Control Subjects, Anxiety Disorder Patients, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Patients
Authors: Peter Helmut , Hand Iver , Hohagen Fritz , Koenig Anne , Mindermann Olaf , Oeder Frank , Wittich Markus
Published: July 2017

Objective:

To determine whether panic disorder is associated with elevated serum cholesterol levels. Serum cholesterol levels of panic disorder patients are reported to be elevated. This could explain the higher-than-expected cardiovascular mortality in this population. Some evidence exists wherein cholesterol levels are also increased in patients with general anxiety disorder and phobias. To date, there are only 2 reports on cholesterol levels of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, giving controversial results.

Method:

We compared serum cholesterol levels of anxiety disorder patients, OCD patients, and normal control subjects with each other ( n = 60 in each group). Serum cholesterol was measured in each subject before treatment. Subjects of the 3 groups were matched by age and sex.

Results:

Patients with anxiety disorders and OCD had elevated cholesterol levels, compared with normal control subjects. Cholesterol levels in OCD patients were comparable with those in patients with phobia.

Conclusions:

Our data support the assumption that elevation in cholesterol level is not a specific feature of panic disorder (as most assumed), but more generally associated with anxiety disorders. Increased cholesterol levels in patients with anxiety disorders and OCD may be of clinical relevance.
Perceptions of Intimidation in the Psychiatric Educational Environment in Edmonton, Alberta
Authors: Tibbo Phil , de Gara CJ , Blake Treena M , Steinberg Carolyn , Stonehocker Brian
Published: July 2017

Objective:

To examine the perceptions of intimidation in the psychiatric educational environment in Edmonton, Alberta.

Methods:

We distributed a 7-point modified Likert scale questionnaire that included questions with respect to intimidation perceptions and experience in psychiatry during a 1-week period to all student interns on psychiatry rotations, residents, and teaching faculty in the 5 teaching hospitals in Edmonton.

Results:

A total of 92 individuals responded, with response rates of 81% for faculty, 82% for residents, and 84% for students. Response rates did not differ among sites. While there were differences between site and group with respect to comparing the perceived intimidation in psychiatry with other specialties, respondents did not view psychiatry as worse than other specialties. Although, overall, women perceived intimidation as more prevalent at their sites than did men, the overall means reflect sites that are relatively free from intimidation. Faculty and student interns within sites, except for the university hospital, tended to disagree on management's approach to perceived intimidation. All groups, however, reported little personal experience and felt their sites had little tolerance for intimidators.

Conclusions:

Reported perceptions and personal experiences of intimidation within the psychiatric learning environment in Edmonton are low.
Rehabilitation in the United Kingdom: Research, Policy, and Practice
Authors: Holloway Frank , Carson Jerome , Davis Sarah
Published: July 2017

Objective:

To review research, policy, and practice in psychiatric rehabilitation in the UK.

Method:

We undertook a literature review and review of government policy documents.

Findings:

Most individuals with severe, disabling mental illnesses are cared for by generic community mental health services under the Care Programme Approach (CPA). Current government policy requires the introduction of assertive outreach and early psychosis services and is highly consistent with the adoption of the recovery paradigm within UK mental health services. Research and development activities have demonstrated the success of the UK hospital-closure program and have contributed to the worldwide resurgence of interest in psychosocial interventions in psychosis.

Conclusions:

A need remains to focus research and practice on those who are most disabled by their illnesses and to improve the skills of the workforce in psychosocial interventions.
Mental Health Reform and Evolution of General Psychiatry in Ontario
Authors: Swenson John Robert , Bradwejn Jacques
Published: July 2017

Objectives:

To discuss developments in Ontario mental health reform, describe general psychiatric services in contrast to tertiary services, describe guidelines for the training of general psychiatrists, and suggest what changes may be required to develop an integrated mental health system (IMHS).

Method:

We review the Ontario government's recent blueprint for mental health reform and the Canadian federal government's document on best practices in psychiatry, in the context of defining general psychiatric services and their relation to tertiary services. From this, we consider the education of general psychiatrists and make suggestions for their training.

Results:

General psychiatric services correspond to first-line and intensive psychiatric services delivered by community mental health agencies, community psychiatrists, and general hospitals for patients with moderate or serious mental illness. Many suggest that psychiatrists are not being trained to meet the needs of a reformed mental health system. An education program for general psychiatrists should include training in a wide range of community and general hospital settings, work within a multidisciplinary mental health team, and experience working in a shared care model with family physicians.

Conclusions:

Along with training general psychiatrists better, we must also develop recruitment and payment incentives, which would allow general psychiatrists who are based in the community and general hospitals to work within an IMHS.
Cognitive Pharmacotherapy of Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias
Authors: Herrmann Nathan
Published: July 2017

Objective:

The objective of this paper is to review the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the pharmacotherapy of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias and to provide evidence-based recommendations for treatment of the cognitive impairment associated with these disorders.

Method:

A Medline search was conducted for RCTs, using the following key words: Alzheimer's disease, dementia, therapy, cholinesterase inhibitor, donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine. Studies were critically appraised, followed by a review of published major clinical practice guidelines. Recommendations for treatment were made based on best available evidence.

Results:

The pharmacotherapy of Alzheimer's disease should include the meticulous management of vascular risk factors (for example, hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and stroke prophylaxis) and consideration for supplementation with folate, vitamin B complex, and vitamin E. Patients should be offered at least 1 trial of a cholinesterase inhibitor, with the possibility of another trial if the first is poorly tolerated or ineffective. Patients with vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies should also be offered treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors. At this time, we lack sufficient data to recommend the use of hormone replacement or antiinflammatory therapy for treatment of dementia as the primary indication.

Conclusion:

Reasonable evidence exists to provide recommendations for the pharmacotherapy of dementia. Treatment will likely result in modest but important benefits to patients, caregivers, and society.