bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scoring Rules for Forecast Verification
Authors: Benedetti Riccardo
Published: August 2009

The problem of probabilistic forecast verification is approached from a theoretical point of view starting from three basic desiderata: additivity, exclusive dependence on physical observations (“locality”), and strictly proper behavior. By imposing such requirements and only using elementary mathematics, a univocal measure of forecast goodness is demonstrated to exist. This measure is the logarithmic score, based on the relative entropy between the observed occurrence frequencies and the predicted probabilities for the forecast events. Information theory is then used as a guide to choose the scoring-scale offset for obtaining meaningful and fair skill scores. Finally the Brier score is assessed and, for single-event forecasts, its equivalence to the second-order approximation of the logarithmic score is shown.

The large part of the presented results are far from being new or original, nevertheless their use still meets with some resistance in the weather forecast community. This paper aims at providing a clear presentation of the main arguments for using the logarithmic score.
If human errors are assumed as crimes in a safety culture: A lifeworld analysis of a rail crash
Authors: Chikudate Nobuyuki
Published: August 2009

This study reanalyses the commuter train incident that involved the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The incident, which occurred on 25 April 2005, claimed 107 lives (passengers and the train driver) and injured 562 passengers. The delay in using the brake and the train driver’s inattention generated confusion and serious errors. The train driver’s inattentiveness may be attributed to his grave concern over reporting personal mistakes to company authorities as it is mandatory for erring JR West crew members to go through ‘learning practices’. The phenomenological analyses showed how the unintended consequences of such learning practices played a key role in the train incident. This study also draws on Foucault’s concepts on discipline to analyse the learning practices in JR West, and employs the concept of collective myopia to account for the reasoning of JR West managers.
Leveraging functionality in safety routines: Examining the divergence of rules and performance
Authors: Bruns Hille C.
Published: August 2009

This study advances our understanding of why and how the performance of standardized safety routines varies. Based on six months of field research and interviews in a molecular biology laboratory, this study examines the divergence of safety regulations and actual routine performance. It identifies distinct routine components that address different aspects of safety. While safety regulations and training aim at preventing adverse effects of hazardous substances on the scientists, the scientists are concerned about potential contamination of their experiments. This study investigates the relationship between organizational and scientific objectives. It argues that organizational objectives fall behind scientific objectives in safety routine performance to the extent that their pursuit requires a set of actions separate from those actions that suffice to meet the scientists’ professional concern.
Time scaling in PID controller tuning
Authors: Atherton Derek P. , Boz Ali F.
Published: August 2009

The paper examines the problem of tuning the parameters of a PID controller for the frequently assumed first-order plus dead time plant. The original contribution is to look at the problem from a time-scaling viewpoint so that the controller parameters can be given as a function of the time delay to time constant ratio. This enables the controller parameter results of different rules to be easily compared and reveals those that are not consistent under time scaling.
Intravascular Embolization of Venous Catheter—Causes, Clinical Signs, and Management: A Systematic Review
Authors: Surov Alexey , Wienke Andreas , Carter Justin M. , Stoevesandt Dietrich , Behrmann Curd , Spielmann Rolf‐Peter , Werdan Karl , Buerke Michael
Published: August 2009

Background: Intravascular embolization of device fragments is a rare but potentially serious complication. Method: A systematic search of the PubMed and MEDLINE databases for all articles pertaining to central catheter related embolization published in English between 1985 and 2007 was made. Results: A total of 215 cases of intravenous catheter embolization were identified. There were 143 totally implanted venous devices (TIVD) or port catheters and 72 percutaneous venous catheters (PVC). Sites of catheter fragments following embolization were the superior vena cava or peripheral veins (15.4%), the right atrium (27.6%), right ventricle (22%), and pulmonary arteries (35%). Clinical signs of catheter embolization included catheter malfunction (56.3%), arrhythmia (13%), pulmonary symptoms (4.7%), and septic syndromes (1.8%), but 24.2% of cases were asymptomatic. The causes of intravascular catheter embolization were pinch‐off syndrome (40.9%), catheter injury during explantation (17.7%), catheter disconnection (10.7%), and catheter rupture (11.6%). In 19.1% of cases, the cause of catheter embolization could not be identified. Most embolized catheter fragments (93.5%) were removed percutaneously. In 4.2% of cases, fragments were retained in the vascular bed; in 2.3%, embolized fragments were removed surgically via thoracotomy. Conclusion: Intravascular catheter embolization can go undiagnosed for prolonged periods. Patients might be asymptomatic or may develop severe systemic clinical signs. The mortality rate is 1.8%. There were no significant differences in clinical features of embolization between TIVD and PVC groups.
The Difficulty of Maintaining Positive Intervention Effects: A Look at Disruptive Behavior, Deviant Peer Relations, and Social Skills During the Middle School Years
Authors: Lochman John E. , Bierman Karen L. , Coie John D. , Dodge Kenneth A. , Greenberg Mark T. , McMahon Robert J. , Pinderhughes Ellen E.
Published: August 2009

This paper examines the effects of the Fast Track preventive intervention on youths’ functioning in three domains: disruptive behavior problems, involvement with deviant peers, and social skills during the middle school years. Eight hundred ninety-one children had been randomly assigned by sets of schools within four sites to intervention ( n = 445) or to control ( n = 446) conditions. In contrast to prior findings of the effectiveness of the Fast Track intervention during the elementary school years, the current findings indicate that Fast Track had little overall impact on children’s functioning in these domains during this age period. There were positive intervention effects on only 2 of 17 outcomes examined. Although the intervention had positive impact on children’s hyperactive and self-reported delinquent behaviors in seventh grade, there were no intervention effects on other externalizing behavior problems or on social skills, and there was a negative intervention effect on children’s involvement with deviant peers during this age period.
Youth Development in After-School Leisure Activities
Authors: Wilson Denise M. , Gottfredson Denise C. , Cross Amanda B. , Rorie Melissa , Connell Nadine
Published: August 2009

Leisure activities that occur outside of the school hours may facilitate positive youth development.The experiences of youth in three categories of activities (basketball and football, other sports, and nonsports) are examined in this study. Based on prior research, it is hypothesized that students participating in basketball and football will experience more negative outcomes (i.e., problem behaviors, fewer positive peer influences, and lower academic achievement). Furthermore, specific experiences in these leisure activities are explored as potential mediators of the effects of participation. Results indicate that basketball and football participation is related to more negative experiences and outcomes, but these differences reflect selection of more at-risk youths into these activities. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Sample Size in Obesity Trials: Patient Perspective Versus Current Practice
Authors: Allison David B. , Elobeid Mai A. , Cope Mark B. , Brock David W. , Faith Myles S. , Vander Veur Stephanie , Berkowitz Robert , Cutter Gary , McVie Theresa , Gadde Kishore M. , Foster Gary D.
Published: August 2009

Objective. To evaluate patient opinions on acceptable risks in exchange for a given degree of weight loss and their implications for sample size determination in obesity randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Design. Survey of patients entering RCTs for weight loss in a university-based clinical research setting and power calculations based on their responses. Participants. Men (n = 8) and women (n = 66) between 24 and 73 years of age with body mass indices ranging from 26.8 to 40.5 kg/m2. Measurements. Survey responses to questions assessing the added risk of serious adverse events (SAEs) or death one is willing to assume for a given degree of weight loss. Results. For 5% and 10% weight loss against risk for death per se, the mean acceptable risk tended to be about 3.5%, but the median (0.00) and mode (0.00) suggested that for most individuals, only a risk of ≤ 1% would be acceptable. Figures, estimated dropout rates, and base rates of SAEs (including deaths) from recent obesity trials indicate that 1-year 2-group obesity RCTs would need tens of thousands of participants per group to have 80% power to detect risks that are meaningful to patients at the 2-tailed 0.05 α level. Conclusion. Patient education is needed to explain which risks are realistically detectable in RCTs so that patients may provide truly informed consent, or RCT standards should be modified to meet patients’ implicit expectations.
Satisfaction with Care: A Measure of Quality of Care in Prostate Cancer Patients
Authors: Jayadevappa Ravishankar , Schwartz J. Sanford , Chhatre Sumedha , Wein Alan J. , Malkowicz S. Bruce
Published: August 2009

Background. Patients’ assessment of satisfaction with care, quality of care, and outcomes has become a central issue in patient-centered prostate cancer (PCa) care. We sought to analyze the association between patient-reported satisfaction with care and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in newly diagnosed PCa patients. Methods. Prospective cohort design was used to recruit 590 newly diagnosed PCa patients from an urban academic hospital and a VA hospital. Participants completed satisfaction with care (CSQ-8) and HRQoL (SF-36 and UCLA-PCI) surveys prior to treatment and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months’ follow-up. Cross-lagged analysis was used to ascertain the causal direction between satisfaction with care and HRQoL. Propensity scores were used to adjust for potential selection bias between treatment groups. Linear mixed models were used to analyze the association between satisfaction with care, process of care (treatment), and outcomes (generic and prostate-specific HRQoL) after adjusting for covariates. Results. Cross-lagged correlation results are consistent with a cause-effect association between HRQoL and satisfaction with care. After controlling for clinical and demographic covariates, radical prostatectomy (RP) treatment was associated with higher satisfaction with care (odds ratio [OR], 7.9; P = 0.043). Improved generic and prostate-specific HRQoL were associated with higher satisfaction with care, after adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates. Conclusion. Satisfaction with care appears to be associated with process of care and outcomes of care. Assessment of satisfaction with care is useful for evaluating the quality of PCa care. Satisfaction with care is an important arena in cancer outcomes research, whose full potential remains unexploited.
A Review of the Use of Therapeutic Communities With Sexual Offenders
Authors: Ware Jayson , Frost Andrew , Hoy Anna
Published: August 2009

Sexual offender treatment programmes are often facilitated in secure settings such as prisons or psychiatric hospitals, which are not ideal environments for such treatment. Arguably, however, when these environments are structured as therapeutic communities (TCs), opportunities are created to enhance the effectiveness of treatment. This article describes the concept of a TC, its operating principles and rationale, as well as the benefits and rationale for establishing TCs in conjunction with cognitive—behavioural treatment with sexual offenders. This is discussed in terms of the potential of TCs to improve targeting of treatment content, to enhance treatment process, to provide optimal environments for therapeutic gain, and to provide a broad therapeutic framework for treating sexual offenders. The article reviews and summarizes what evidence exists for the use of TCs with both non-sexual offenders and sexual offenders. Finally, it highlights the gaps in our knowledge of the use of TCs to inspire further empirical and conceptual consideration of these issues.
At the crossroads: critical race theory and critical geographies of race
Authors: Price Patricia L.
Published: August 2009

Critical geographers of race and critical race theory share common theoretical, conceptual, and political goals, yet we have not engaged with each other in a substantive fashion. I discuss critical race theory’s development within critical legal studies. I then discuss three points of mutually informative intersection: the all-pervasiveness of race, a difficult relationship with the black/white binary, and strategic deployment of narrative. Elián González is used to briefly illustrate these insights. In conclusion, I note that criticality, activism, and anti-racism are particularly vexed issues for critical geographers of race, and suggest further avenues of inquiry to address them.
Prophecy, Patriarchy, and Violence in the Early Modern Household: The Revelations of Anne Wentworth
Authors: Johnston Warren
Published: August 2009

In 1676 the apostate Baptist prophet Anne Wentworth (1629/30—1693?) published A True Account of Anne Wentworths Being Cruelly, Unjustly, and Unchristianly Dealt With by Some of Those People called Anabaptists, the first in a series of pamphlets that would continue to the end of the decade. Originally a member of a London Baptist church, Wentworth left the congregation and eventually her own home after her husband used physical force to stop her writing and prophesying. Yet Wentworth persisted in her “revelations.” These prophecies increasingly focused on her response to those who were trying to stop her efforts, especially within her own household. This article examines Wentworth’s writings as an effort by an early modern woman, using arguments of spiritual agency, to assert ideas about proper gender roles and household responsibilities to denounce her husband and rebut those who criticized and attempted to suppress her.
Internet Health and the 21st-Century Patient
Authors: Segal Judy Z.
Published: August 2009

Internet health—here, the public use of information Web sites to facilitate decision making on matters of health and illness—is a rhetorical practice, involving text and trajectories of influence. A fulsome account of it requires attention to all parts of the rhetorical triangle—the speaker, the subject matter, and the audience—yet most scholarship on Internet health focuses on the speaker only: it typically raises concerns primarily about the dangers of unreliable sources, suggesting that, where speakers are reliable and information is accurate, Internet health simply empowers patients. This essay turns attention to the other elements of the triangle. It argues that health information is a complex entity—not only transmitted but also transformed by the Web—and, further, that Internet-health users are a complex audience—not only informed but also transformed by the Web. Rhetorically-minded researchers are well positioned to study not simply the informed patient but rather, more comprehensively, the wired one.
Assessing Cognition in Parkinson Disease: Use of the Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test
Authors: Parashos Sotirios A. , Johnson Marjorie L. , Erickson-Davis Cordelia , Wielinski Catherine L.
Published: August 2009

Objective: To evaluate the Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test (CLQT) as a cognitive screening tool in Parkinson disease (PD). Methods: A total of 93 patients with PD were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the CLQT. The CLQT provides separate ratings for 5 cognitive domains. Descriptive statistics, correlations between the tests, and diagnostic value for dementia were analyzed. Results: Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test correlated well with MMSE. Diagnostic values for dementia were similar for the 2 instruments. Unlike the MMSE, the CLQT also provided domain-specific information on cognitive deficits. Cognitive domains were differentially affected between and within the demented and nondemented patient groups with PD: memory was the weakest domain in the demented group and attention in the nondemented. Conclusions: The CLQT is a valuable instrument in assessing cognitive dysfunction in PD. The CLQT is superior to the MMSE as it also provides cognitive domain-specific information.
Thyroid Medication Use and Subsequent Development of Dementia of the Alzheimer Type
Authors: Harper Patrick C. , Roe Catherine M.
Published: August 2009

Associations between medication use and the development of Alzheimer disease have been investigated since the late 1900s. Thyroid hormone supplementation is rarely a studied medication class in this area of research. We examined data from participants enrolled in longitudinal studies at the Washington University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center for associations between thyroid disease, thyroid hormone supplementation therapy, and subsequent development of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). Data collected between April 1992 and June 2008 from 499 participants, 184 men and 315 women, were analyzed. Mean age was 76.9 years (SD = 9.2). At baseline, 61 participants reported thyroid medication use and 87 were identified as having a history of thyroid dysfunction. These participants progressed to a DAT diagnosis more rapidly than individuals not taking thyroid medication (hazard ratios [HR]: 1.67, 95% CI: 0.99-2.78, P = .054). Although an interesting trend was seen, baseline thyroid disease was not significantly (P = .093) associated with time to DAT diagnosis. Our findings suggest that utilization of thyroid medication may be associated with the development of DAT.
How to Attract More Males to Community-Based Hospice Palliative Care Volunteer Programs
Authors: Claxton-Oldfield Stephen , Guigne Simone , Claxton-Oldfield Jane
Published: August 2009

Two separate studies were conducted to better understand why so few middle-aged and older men volunteer in hospice palliative care; only about 10% of the patient/family care volunteers in New Brunswick’s community-based hospice palliative care volunteer programs are men. In study 1, 15 (22%) of the 68 men who read a brief description about the kinds of things that hospice palliative care volunteers do expressed an interest in this type of volunteerism. The main reasons given for their lack of interest included ‘‘being too busy’’ and ‘‘not being able to handle it emotionally.’’ At least one third of the men who said ‘‘No’’ to becoming a hospice palliative care volunteer expressed an interest in 10 of 13 other common volunteer activities (eg, driving). In study 2, 59 men were presented with a list of 25 tasks that hospice palliative care volunteers might perform when providing emotional, social, practical, and administrative support. The men were asked to indicate which tasks they would be willing to perform if they were a hospice palliative care volunteer. The men were least willing to serve on the board of directors (28%), provide hands on patient care (38%), and work in the volunteer program’s office (42%); they were most willing to talk to the patient (97%), share hobbies and interests with the patient (92%), listen to the patient’s memories and life stories (90%), and provide friendship and companionship (88%). The results of these studies may have implications for the recruitment of male volunteers to work with dying patients and their families.
Buprenorphine for Neuropathic Pain—Targeting Hyperalgesia
Authors: Induru Raghava R. , Davis Mellar P.
Published: August 2009

Opioids are well known to relieve severe, acute, and chronic nociceptive pain, but neuropathic pain shows a relatively poor response to opioids. Buprenorphine, a partial mu and ORL-1-receptor agonist, kappa-delta receptor antagonist, interacts with different G proteins than potent mu agonists and hence is not cross-tolerant to standard opioids. Buprenorphine blocks central sensitization (hyperalgesia) that is commonly found with neuropathic pain. We present a patient with neuropathic pain and tactile allodynia in which buprenorphine alleviated the hyperalgesia to a greater extent than pain severity. We found buprenorphine to be effective in reducing hypersensitivity in neuropathic pain when pure mu agonists fail to produce a response or in individuals who are intolerant to pure mu agonists.
Music Therapy in an Integrated Pediatric Palliative Care Program
Authors: Knapp Caprice , Madden Vanessa , Wang Hua , Curtis Charlotte , Sloyer Phyllis , Shenkman Elizabeth
Published: August 2009

National experts have recommended that children with life-limiting illnesses receive integrated palliative and medical care. These programs offer a variety of services, including music therapy. Using survey data from parents whose were enrolled in Florida’s Partners in Care: Together for Kids (PIC:TFK) program, this study investigates parents’ experiences with music therapy. About 44% of children with life-limiting illnesses and 17% of their siblings used music therapy. For children who used music therapy, multivariate results suggest that their parents were 23 times as likely to report satisfaction with the overall PIC:TFK program (P < .05) versus parents whose children did not use music therapy. Pediatric palliative care programs should include music therapy, although recruiting licensed music therapists may be challenging.
Designing a Web Site to Share Information With Parents
Authors: White Englund Lillian
Published: August 2009

This article discusses the development and use of an on-line portfolio process. It presents a background rationale for the need and effectiveness of a communication tool that supports the use of the portfolio process throughout the education of a child with identified disabilities. The process for developing the individualized Web page is presented. Systems for teacher and administrative support of the family in the use of the portfolio are discussed.
Peroxisomes, Myelination, and Axonal Integrity in the CNS
Authors: Baes Myriam , Aubourg Patrick
Published: August 2009

Peroxisomes are ubiquitous organelles with multiple metabolic functions, but their precise role in the maintenance of tissues is not well understood. All diseases caused by partial or complete peroxisome dysfunction are characterized by a variety of neurological abnormalities, underscoring the importance of peroxisomes in nervous tissue. The interrelationship between metabolic abnormalities, histological changes, and clinical signs in these peroxisomal diseases has not yet been clarified. During the past decade, a more systematic study of the consequences of peroxisome dysfunction was possible through the generation of knockout mice with generalized or conditional inactivation of peroxisomal proteins. It appears that peroxisomes are necessary for the preservation of axonal integrity and for the formation and maintenance of myelin.
Lipid Mediators in the Neural Cell Nucleus: Their Metabolism, Signaling, and Association with Neurological Disorders
Authors: Farooqui Akhlaq A.
Published: August 2009

Lipid mediators are important endogenous regulators of neural cell proliferation, differentiation, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. They originate from enzymic degradation of glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and cholesterol by phospholipases, sphingomyelinases, and cytochrome P450 hydroxylases, respectively. Arachidonic acid-derived lipid mediators are called eicosanoids. Eicosanoids have emerged as key regulators of cell proliferation, differentiation, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. Another arachidonic acid-derived lipid mediator is lipoxin. Eicosanoids have proinflammatory effects, whereas lipoxins produce antiinflammatrory effects. The crossponding lipid mediators of docosahexaenoic acid metabolism are named docosanoids. They include resolvins, protectins, and neuroprotectins. Docosanoids produce antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects in the brain tissue. Other glycerophospholipid-derived lipid mediators are platelet-activating factor, lysophosphatidic acid, and endocannabinoids. Degradation of sphingolipids also results in the generation of sphingolipid-derived lipid mediators. Sphingolipid-derived lipid mediators are ceramide, ceramide 1-phosphate, sphingosine, and sphingosine 1-phosphate. They mediate cellular differentiation, cell growth, and apoptosis. Similarly, cholesterol-derived lipid mediators hydroxycholesterol and oxycholesterol produce apoptosis. Most of these mediators originate from the plasma membrane. The nucleus has its own set of enzymes and lipid mediators that originate from the nuclear envelope and matrix. The purpose of this commentary is to describe basic and clinical information on lipid mediators in the nucleus.
Discourse Tracing as Qualitative Practice
Authors: LeGreco Marianne , Tracy Sarah J.
Published: August 2009

This article introduces a qualitative research method called discourse tracing. Discourse tracing draws from contributions made by ethnographers, discourse critics, case study scholars, and process tracers. The approach offers new insights and an attendant language about how we engage in research designed specifically for the critical-interpretive and applied analysis of discourse. More specifically, discourse tracing analyzes the formation, interpretation, and appropriation of discursive practices across micro, meso, and macro levels. In doing so, the method provides a language for studying social processes, including the facilitation of change and the institution of new routines. The article describes the current theoretical and political landscape of qualitative methods and how discourse tracing can provide a particularly helpful methodological tool at this time. Then, drawing from a qualitative study on of school lunch policy, the authors explain how to practice discourse tracing in a step-by-step manner.
Urban Managers and Public Policy
Authors: Krebs Timothy B. , Pelissero John P.
Published: August 2009

Here the authors examine the policy behavior of urban administrators in the area of reinventing government. They argue that managers in places with institutions that tend to produce conflict will be less active in policy making than their counterparts in less conflict-prone environments. They test their model with data from a survey of urban administrators in cities with populations greater than 10,000. The findings indicate that managers are significantly less likely to propose policies where mayors are strong and in places that use partisan ballots in the selection of local elected officials, holding constant other factors likely to affect policy initiation.
The Output Effects of Labor Income Taxes in OECD Countries
Authors: Sonedda Daniela
Published: August 2009

This article considers the relationship between labor income taxes and output. An illustrative model indicates that the sign of the output effect of labor taxation policies is ambiguous and depends not only on the technology parameters but also on the taxation level. The empirical evidence for fifteen Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries over the period 1974—97 shows that the effect is heterogeneous across countries both in the short run and in the long run when considering the average tax rate. We also find a common positive and significant long-run relationship for the marginal tax rate.
Preventing evictions as a potential public health intervention: Characteristics and social medical risk factors of households at risk in Amsterdam
Authors: Van Laere Igor , De Wit Matty , Klazinga Niek
Published: August 2009

Aims: The public health problems precipitating evictions are understudied and no systemic data have been collected. We aim to identify the magnitude of evictions and the characteristics and social medical risk factors of households at risk in Amsterdam. This will help inform policies designed to prevent eviction. Methods: In 2003, case workers of housing associations dealing with rent arrears, and case workers of nuisance control care networks, were interviewed and completed questionnaires about households at risk of eviction. Questionnaires included the processes that resulted in eviction and the characteristics and social medical problems of the households involved. Evicted households were compared with non-evicted households. Results: In Amsterdam, over recent years 1,400 evictions, or four per 1,000 dwellings, took place annually. Of 275 households with rent arrears, 132 were evicted. Of 190 nuisance households, 136 were evicted. In both groups, the largest household group were single male tenants between 25 and 44 years. For those reporting rent arrears, social problems were reported in 71%, medical problems in 23%; independent risk factors for eviction were being of Dutch origin (OR 2.38 (1.30—4.36)) and having a drug-addiction problem (OR 3.58 (0.96—13.39)). For the nuisance households, social problems were reported in 46% and medical problems in 82%, while financial difficulties were a risk factor for eviction (OR: 8.04 (1.05—61.7)). Conclusions: In Amsterdam, households at risk of eviction consisted mainly of single (Dutch) men, aged between 25 and 44 years, often with a combination of social and medical problems. Financial difficulties and drug addiction were independent risk factors for eviction. Because of the social medical problems that were prevalent, for prevention practice evictions should be considered both a socioeconomic and a public health problem. Preventing evictions deserves full attention as a potential effective public health intervention.
The impact of job satisfaction on the risk of disability pension. A 15-year prospective study
Authors: Labriola Merete , Feveile Helene , Christensen Karl Bang , Bültmann Ute , Lund Thomas
Published: August 2009

Objectives: To identify the impact of job satisfaction on the risk of disability pension. Methods: A total of 8,338 employees were sampled from the total working population in Denmark. They were interviewed regarding age, gender, job satisfaction and health behaviour. Interview data were merged with national register data on granted disability pension for up to 15 years after baseline data collection. Results: The study found a statistically significant association between low job satisfaction and disability pension for women when adjusted for age, smoking status and BMI. Conclusions: Based on the results, investing in giving workers a satisfying work environment could be a low-cost way of improving employee health and prolonging labour market participation.
Do quitters have anything to lose? Changes in body mass index for daily, never, and former smokers over an 11-year period (1990—2001)
Authors: Reas Deborah L , Nygård Jan F , Sørensen Tom
Published: August 2009

Aims: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether body mass index (BMI) trajectories differed between daily smokers, never smokers, and former daily smokers among a population-based sample over an 11-year period. Methods: A cohort of 1,166 adults (n = 579 men; n = 587 women) self-reported BMI during a general health interview twice administered in two regions in Norway. Of the participants, 37.5% were never smokers, 31.6% current smokers, and 31% were former smokers. Results: Those who had quit smoking within the past five years had the highest age-adjusted BMI increase, gaining 3 kg and 5 kg more weight on average than current smokers (women and men, respectively). No significant differences in weight gain over the 11-year period existed between never smokers and former smokers who had quit ≥ five years ago. Conclusions: Our finding that former daily smokers (≥ five years since quitting) demonstrated equivalent BMI increases to never smokers (1990—2001) is in line with evidence suggesting that the average body weight of quitters tends to stabilize over time to levels of never smokers. As post-cessation weight gain often represents a barrier to successful quitting, improved knowledge about the temporal and variable effects of smoking cessation on long-term weight outcome may strengthen motivational enhancement and relapse prevention efforts.
The Macroeconomic Factors Conditioning the Impact of Identity on Attitudes towards the EU
Authors: Garry John , Tilley James
Published: August 2009

Factors relating to identity and to economics have been shown to be important predictors of attitudes towards the European Union (EU). In this article, we show that the impact of identity is conditional on economic context. First, living in a member state that receives relatively high levels of EU funding acts as a ‘buffer’, diluting the impact of an exclusive national identity on Euroscepticism. Second, living in a relatively wealthy member state, with its associated attractiveness for economic migrants, increases the salience of economic xenophobia as a driver of sceptical attitudes. These results highlight the importance of seeing theories of attitude formation (such as economic and identity theories) not as competitors but rather as complementary, with the predictive strength of one theoretical approach (identity) being a function of system-level variation in factors relating to the other theoretical approach (macro-level economic conditions).
Lifestyle Modifications for Its Prevention and Management
Authors: Bronas Ulf G. , Leon Arthur S.
Published: August 2009

Therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) are important for the prevention and management of, as well as adjuncts to, pharmacotherapy of hypertension. This article reviews relevant TLC and their effects on blood pressure (BP) levels, with emphasis on exercise and dietary habits. Regular, moderate-intensity (40%-70% of heart rate reserve) aerobic exercise training for 30 to 60 minutes, 3 to 5 times per week, can lower systolic and diastolic BP levels, with a greater reduction observed in patients with hypertension compared with those with normal BP levels. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, with a moderate intake of fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and low in saturated and total fat, sodium, and alcohol, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating pattern, also significantly reduces BP levels. A TLC program including regular exercise and dietary modifications along with weight management appears to result in a greater BP reduction than either intervention alone. TLC can also significantly reduce other risk factors for cardiovascular disease commonly accompanying hypertension. Multiple mechanisms appear to contribute to BP reduction by dietary intervention (reduced weight, sodium, and alcohol and increased calcium, potassium, and magnesium). For exercise, these include improvements in arterial endothelial function and compliance, left ventricular structure and function, and perhaps vascular blood supply with increased cardiorespiratory endurance. The available evidence is robust in support of TLC for management of elevated BP and for the primary prevention of hypertension, supporting the recommendations by the Joint National Committee Seventh Report on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.
The disappearance of Madeleine McCann: Public drama and trial by media in the Portuguese press
Authors: Machado Helena , Santos Filipe
Published: August 2009

The extraordinary media coverage regarding the disappearance of the British 3-year-old Madeleine McCann emerges as an illustrative example of a ‘public drama’ and ‘trial by media’. This article presents a comparative analysis of the perspectives and narrative devices employed by two Portuguese newspapers in establishing a dialogue with their respective audiences. High-profile mediatized criminal cases have the potential to linger in the public memory and become cultural references which may affect long-term public representations of crime and justice. Our analysis is limited to a sample of representative Portuguese newspapers. We found a basic distinction between ‘quality’ and ‘popular’ press which may be related to inherent differences of their market and implicit audiences. A distanced, neutral and reflexive style of the quality press contrasts with the construction of a sensationalistic narrative by the popular press. The latter provided the audience with a daily dose of vicarious participation in a criminal drama which developed into a trial by media, sustained by a rhetoric that encourages the audience to ‘take sides’. Sensationalist media narratives can potentially undermine the principles of fair trial and the presumption of innocence. But they can also elicit relevant collective energies directed at starting processes of change.
Coping with Ménière’s disease: experience and benefits from the use of complementary and alternative medicine
Authors: Long Andrew F. , Bennett Tony
Published: August 2009

Objectives: To identify the significant events and persons prompting search for non-biomedical/complementary and alternative (CAM) ways to cope with the impact of Ménière’s syndrome, the CAM therapies used and perceived benefits.

Methods: A narrative-based approach, with participants recruited from web sites and newsletters of two Ménière’s Societies (in the UK and in Victoria, Australia) and searches of a monthly newsletter, Spin, for letters related to the use of CAM therapies. A thematic approach to data analysis was undertaken.

Results: Twenty personal, written stories were obtained and 23 letters. Commonly, critical events or changes in the condition provided the catalyst to seek alternative treatment, and sometimes significant others (a GP, CAM practitioner, friends, family). The accounts illustrate a range and variety of journeys that participants travelled in locating satisfactory ways to manage the condition, and the essential ‘personal’ nature of the experience and perceived benefits. No single CAM solution or pathway was evident.

Discussion: The findings suggest the importance of ‘finding your own way’, having a positive outlook and being proactive in regaining control over one’s health, and the value of early recommendations to ‘perhaps try alternative/ CAM treatments’.
Simple, Effective—and Inexpensive— Strategies to Reduce Tooth Decay in Children
Authors: Holtzman Jennifer
Published: August 2009

Access to primary preventive dental care will likely decrease in a poor economy, challenging all health care providers to identify inexpensive ways to help families prevent tooth decay. The incidence of tooth decay in very young children is increasing. Tooth decay can result in death in children if the subsequent infection is untreated. However, easy, inexpensive, and effective strategies exist to improve the dental health of children, and non-dental health care providers can introduce families to very useful nutritional and dental practices.
Specialty Practice
Authors: Nevin-Folino Nancy , Hanson Corri K.
Published: August 2009

The Nutrition Care Process introduced by the American Dietetic Association in 2003 can be used within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for standardization of taxonomy for nutrition care. Using this process in the NICU will help to quantify the nutrition activities unique to the neonatal nutrition specialist, unify descriptors of nutrition delivery functions for data collection, and support registered dietician services to other health care professionals. A case study is presented, with tables explaining the 4 steps to the process, and a useful summary of nutrition diagnosis within the NICU population provides a needed reference to the neonatal nutritionist and NICU staff.
The Component Kwa- in Zulu Placenames Derived from Khoisan
Authors: Raper Peter E
Published: August 2009

AbstractThe prefix Kwa occurs in many Zulu placenames, indicating “the place of,” frequently referring to a person or personified feature. In composite placenames derived from Khoisan but adapted into the Zulu phonological and orthographic system, the component Kwa is often found to be a folk etymological adaptation of a Khoisan word, sometimes with the same lexical meaning as the other component of the name. In placenames of the latter sort, the prefix Ma- is sometimes also inserted as a result of misinterpretation of a Khoisan component phonologically similar to Kwa-. The present investigation also reveals a feature of Khoisan placename formation relating to the utilization of demonstrative adverbial locative elements that have in the past sometimes been regarded as generic terms or feature type designators.
Selling Decency and Innocence: Names of Singing Groups in the Malt Shop Memories Collection
Authors: Lee Margaret G
Published: August 2009

AbstractThis study examines the names of sixty-five male and female singing groups in the Malt Shop Memories collection and their economic, social, and cultural influences. Record companies' efforts to sell the emerging rock'n'roll to teenagers of mid-1950s to mid-1960s affluent America resulted in group names intended to reduce the negative attitudes toward the music. Non-threatening group names were designed to exude images of wholesomeness and purity to appease parents and the public who regarded rock'n'roll as chaotic, vulgar, and the cause of America's social ills. These names, reflecting such ordinary categories as Birds and Animals, Place Names, Mystique and Wonder, and more, combined with a mandated dress code to sell an image of decency and innocence in the face of a rebellious new style of music.
Implicit Egotism on the Baseball Diamond: Why Peter Piper Prefers to Pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Authors: Newman Leonard S , Hernandez William , Bakina Daria A , Rutchick Abraham M
Published: August 2009

AbstractResearch on “implicit egotism” indicates that people tend to react positively to anything that reminds them of themselves, including their own names and the letters in their names. Names can have effects (presumably unconscious ones) even on people's choices of mates and careers. Nelson and Simmons (2007) presented evidence suggesting that people are attracted to name-resembling outcomes even when those outcomes undermine their conscious goals. For example, they found that major league baseball players with first or last names starting with the letter K strike out (i.e., record a “K”) at a rate greater than that of other players. The present archival study tested the hypothesis that Nelson and Simmons's finding was due in part to pitchers (who are generally poor batters) being over-represented among players with names starting with K. Parallel analyses were run for the letter P (the first letter in the word pitcher). Results provide some support for the idea that implicit egotism has implications not only for players' performances, but also for the positions they prefer to play on the field.
Cytolytic T cells induce ceramide-rich platforms in target cell membranes to initiate graft-versus-host disease
Authors: Rotolo Jimmy A. , Stancevic Branka , Lu Sydney X. , Zhang Jianjun , Suh David , King Christopher G. , Kappel Lucy W. , Murphy George F. , Liu Chen , Fuks Zvi , van den Brink Marcel R. , Kolesnick Richard
Published: August 2009

Alloreactive donor cytolytic T lymphocytes play a critical role in pathophysiology of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). As GVHD progression involves tumor necrosis factor superfamily receptor activation, and as apoptotic signaling for some tumor necrosis factor superfamily receptors might involve acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase)–mediated ceramide generation, we hypothesized that ASMase deletion would ameliorate GVHD. Using clinically relevant mouse models of acute GVHD in which allogeneic bone marrow and T cells were transplanted into asmase+/+ and asmase−/− hosts, we identify host ASMase as critical for full-blown GVHD. Lack of host ASMase reduced the acute inflammatory phase of GVHD, attenuating cytokine storm, CD8+ T-cell proliferation/activation, and apoptosis of relevant graft-versus-host target cells (hepatocytes, intestinal, and skin cells). Organ injury was diminished in asmase−/− hosts, and morbidity and mortality improved at 90 days after transplantation. Resistance to cytolytic T lymphocyte–induced apoptosis was found at the target cell membrane if hepatocytes lack ASMase, as hepatocyte apoptosis required target cell ceramide generation for formation of ceramide-rich macrodomains, sites concentrating proapoptotic Fas. These studies indicate a requirement for target cell ASMase in evolution of GVHD in liver, small intestines, and skin and provide potential new targets for disease management.
Severe loss of invariant NKT cells exhibiting anti–HTLV-1 activity in patients with HTLV-1–associated disorders
Authors: Azakami Kazuko , Sato Tomoo , Araya Natsumi , Utsunomiya Atae , Kubota Ryuji , Suzuki Kenshi , Hasegawa Daisuke , Izumi Toshihiko , Fujita Hidetoshi , Aratani Satoko , Fujii Ryoji , Yagishita Naoko , Kamijuku Hajime , Kanekura Takuro , Seino Ken-ichiro , Nishioka Kusuki , Nakajima Toshihiro , Yamano Yoshihisa
Published: August 2009

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are unique T cells that regulate the immune response to microbes, cancers, and autoimmunity. We assessed the characteristics of iNKT cells from persons infected with human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). Whereas most infected persons remain asymptomatic carriers (ACs) throughout their lives, a small proportion, usually with high equilibrium proviral loads,develop 2 diseases: HTLV-1–associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). We demonstrated that the frequency of iNKT, NK, and dendritic cells in the peripheral blood of HAM/TSP and ATL patients is decreased. We also observed an inverse correlation between the iNKT cell frequency and the HTLV-1 proviral load in the peripheral blood of infected persons. Notably, in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood cells with α-galactosylceramide led to an increase in the iNKT cell number and a subsequent decrease in the HTLV-1–infected T-cell number in samples from ACs but not HAM/TSP or ATL patients. Our results suggest that iNKT cells contribute to the immune defense against HTLV-1, and iNKT-cell depletion plays an important role in the pathogenesis of HAM/TSP and ATL. Therefore, iNKT cell–based immunotherapy may be an effective strategy for preventing these HTLV-1–associated disorders.