bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti-inflammatory and wound healing potential of cashew apple juice (Anacardium occidentale L.) in mice
Authors: da Silveira Vasconcelos Mirele , Gomes-Rochette Neuza F , de Oliveira Maria Liduína M , Nunes-Pinheiro Diana Célia S , Tomé Adriana R , Maia de Sousa Francisco Yuri , Pinheiro Francisco Geraldo M , Moura Carlos Farley H , Miranda Maria Raquel A , Mota Erika Freitas , de Melo Dirce Fernandes
Published: March 2015

Cashew apple is a tropical pseudofruit consumed as juice due to its excellent nutritional and sensory properties. In spite of being well known for its important antioxidant properties, the cashew apple has not been thoroughly investigated for its therapeutic potential. Thereby, this study evaluated the antioxidant capacity, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing activities of cashew apple juice. Juices from ripe and immature cashew apples were analyzed for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties. Those were evaluated in murine models of xylene-induced ear edema and wound excision. Swiss mice were treated with cashew juice by gavage. Edema thickness was measured and skin lesions were analyzed by planimetry and histology. Both antioxidant content and total antioxidant activity were higher in ripe cashew apple juice (RCAJ) than in unripe cashew apple juice (UNCAJ). The UNCAJ presented the main anti-inflammatory activity by a significant inhibition of ear edema (66.5%) when compared to RCAJ (10%). Moreover, UNCAJ also showed the best result for wound contraction (86.31%) compared to RCAJ (67.54%). Despite of higher antioxidant capacity, RCAJ did not promote better anti-inflammatory, and healing responses, which may be explained by the fact that treatment increased antioxidants level leading to a redox “imbalance” turning down the inflammatory response modulation exerted by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The results suggest that UNCAJ presents a greater therapeutic activity due to a synergistic effect of its phytochemical components, which improve the immunological mechanisms as well as an optimal balance between ROS and antioxidants leading to a better wound healing process.
A highly efficient Francis turbine designed for energy recovery in cooling towers
Authors: Zhou Daqing , Chen Huixiang , Yang Chunxia
Published: March 2015

In China, cooling water entering cooling towers still retains surplus pressure between 39,240 and 147,150 Pa. In order to utilize this wasted energy, it is suggested that the surplus water energy can be harnessed to drive a type of hydroturbine installed in the inner platform of cooling tower and make the fan rotate via its coupled shafts. However, conventional hydroturbines are not suited for this job because of their low efficiency or unmatched rotating speed with that of the fan under the operating conditions of cooling towers. In this article, according to the requirements of turbine work environment in cooling towers, a new type of hydroturbine, Francis turbine with ultra-low specific speed ( ns = 50 m.kW), was designed to replace the fan motor in a cooling tower. Primarily, the shape, position, and number of runner blades were designed and optimized through theoretical analyses and computational fluid dynamics simulations. Additionally, metal elliptical volute and single-row ring guide vanes were applied to scale down the structural dimensions. Finally, the optimal scheme of the new Francis turbine was proven to have a high efficiency of 88% and good operation stability through testing of a physical model and can achieve the goal of harvesting renewable energy in the cooling tower.
Pseudogenization of CCL14 in the Ochotonidae (pika) family
Authors: Neves Fabiana , Abrantes Joana , Lissovsky Andrey A , Esteves Pedro José
Published: March 2015

The interaction between chemokines and their receptors is crucial for inflammatory cell trafficking. CCL14 binds with high affinity to CCR5. In leporids, CCR5 underwent gene conversion with CCR2. The study of CCR5 ligands in leporid species showed that CCL8 is pseudogenized, while CCL3, CCL4 and CCL5 are functional. Here, we study the evolution of CCL14 in mammals with emphasis in the order Lagomorpha. By employing maximum likelihood methods we detected six sites under positive selection. Some of these sites are located in regions crucial for CCL14 activation and binding to receptors. Sequencing of CCL14 in Ochotona species showed that O. princeps, O. pallasi, O. alpina and O. turuchanensis have a mutation at the start codon (Met > Thr), while O. hoffmanni, O. mantchurica, O. dauurica and O. rufescens present the mammalian conserved Met. Ochotona hyperborea has the two alleles. In O. pusilla, CCL14 is a pseudogene due to a seven base pair insertion. Like CCL3, CCL4 and CCL5, CCL14 is functional in all leporids but in the Ochotonidae family it underwent a pseudogenization process. This suggests that CCL14 has an important biological role in other mammals by evolving under positive selection that has been lost in Ochotonidae (subgenera Pika and Lagotona).
Reactive oxygen species-mediated bacterial killing by B lymphocytes
Authors: Kovács IstvÁn , Horváth Magdolna , Lányi Árpád , Petheő Gábor L , Geiszt Miklós
Published: March 2015

Regulated production of ROS is mainly attributed to Nox family enzymes. In neutrophil granulocytes and macrophages, Nox2 has a crucial role in bacterial killing, and the absence of phagocytic ROS production leads to the development of CGD. Expression of Nox2 was also described in B lymphocytes, where the role of the enzyme is still poorly understood. Here, we show that peritoneal B cells, which were shown recently to possess phagocytic activity, have a high capacity to produce ROS in a Nox2-dependent manner. In phagocytosing B cells, intense intraphagosomal ROS production is detected. Finally, by studying 2 animal models of CGD, we demonstrate that phagocyte oxidase-deficient B cells have a reduced capacity to kill bacteria. Our observations extend the number of immune cell types that produce ROS to kill pathogens.
Plasma GAD65, a Marker for Early β-Cell Loss After Intraportal Islet Cell Transplantation in Diabetic Patients
Authors: Ling Zhidong , De Pauw Pieter , Jacobs-Tulleneers-Thevissen Daniel , Mao Rui , Gillard Pieter , Hampe Christiane S. , Martens Geert A. , In't Veld Peter , Lernmark Åke , Keymeulen Bart , Gorus Frans , Pipeleers Daniel
Published: March 2015

Context and Objective:

Intraportal islet transplantation can restore insulin production in type 1 diabetes patients, but its effect is subject to several interfering processes. To assess the influence of β-cell loss before and during engraftment, we searched for a real-time marker of β-cell destruction. Previous studies showed that 65-kDa isoform of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD65) is discharged by chemically damaged rat β-cells. We therefore examined the utility of the GAD65 assay to detect and quantify destruction of human β-cells in vitro and in vivo.

Design and Participants:

A time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay was used to measure GAD65 discharge from β-cells after administration of toxins or after intraportal transplantation. The study in patients involved type 1 diabetes recipients of 56 implants.

Results:

GAD65 was discharged from cultured human β-cells between 4 and 24 hours after acute insult and proportional to the number of dying cells. It was also detected in plasma during the first 24 hours after intraportal transplantation of human islet cell grafts. Diabetic nude rat recipients without hyperglycemic correction exhibited higher plasma GAD65 levels than those with normalization. In type 1 diabetes recipients of grafts with 2–5 × 106 β-cells per kilogram of body weight, five of six with plasma GAD65 greater than 1 ng/mL failed to increase plasma C-peptide by greater than 0.5 ng/mL at posttransplant month 2, whereas five of six with undetectable plasma GAD 65 and 15 of 19 with intermediate levels did result in such increase.

Conclusion:

Plasma GAD65 qualifies as a marker for early β-cell loss after intraportal transplantation. Further studies are needed to extend its clinical utility.
Can crayfish take the heat?Procambarus clarkiishow nociceptive behaviour to high temperature stimuli, but not low temperature or chemical stimuli
Authors: Puri Sakshi , Faulkes Zen
Published: March 2015

Nociceptors are sensory neurons that are tuned to tissue damage. In many species, nociceptors are often stimulated by noxious extreme temperatures and by chemical agonists that do not damage tissue (e.g., capsaicin and isothiocyanate). We test whether crustaceans have nociceptors by examining nociceptive behaviours and neurophysiological responses to extreme temperatures and potentially nocigenic chemicals. Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) respond quickly and strongly to high temperatures, and neurons in the antenna show increased responses to transient high temperature stimuli. Crayfish showed no difference in behavioural response to low temperature stimuli. Crayfish also showed no significant changes in behaviour when stimulated with capsaicin or isothiocyanate compared to controls, and neurons in the antenna did not change their firing rate following application of capsaicin or isothiocyanate. Noxious high temperatures appear to be a potentially ecologically relevant noxious stimulus for crayfish that can be detected by sensory neurons, which may be specialized nociceptors.
‘Not a job for a man’: factors in the use of touch by male nursing staff
Authors: Whiteside James , Butcher Dan
Published: March 2015

While the numbers of male nursing staff are growing in both the UK and the USA, there remains a significant imbalance both in terms of the total number and the specialities in which male staff choose to work. Management, education and technology-dominated roles, characterised as ‘high-tech, low-touch’ specialities attract disproportionately larger numbers of male nursing staff.

Aim:

The aim of this narrative literature review was to explore and critically review the factors that influence the perception and use of touch by male nursing staff in contemporary healthcare settings.

Method:

A comprehensive review of the literature was undertaken using significant online databases focusing on evidence from peer-reviewed journals published in English.

Results:

Key influential factors arising from 11 selected studies included male nurses' definitions of touch; fear of touch misinterpretation; coping strategies employed; the assessment of certain groups of patients; gender-derived stressors; the emotional experiences of male staff; and the limited consideration of these issues in the pre-registration nursing curriculum.

Conclusion:

A range of factors regarding touch impact on the way male nurses use touch when caring for patients. A lack of research-based education in the preparation of male students leads to the development of various protective strategies. There is a need for the particular challenges facing male students and staff to be explicitly addressed within undergraduate and post-qualifying education and training programmes.
Applying the lessons of the Francis Inquiries: Culture Change
Authors: Tingle John
Published: March 2015

In this two-part column John Tingle discusses the Department of Health's progress report on applying the lessons learned from the tragic events at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
Electronic versus paper records: documentation of pressure ulcer data
Authors: Tubaishat Ahmad , Tawalbeh Loai I , AlAzzam Manar , AlBashtawy Mohammed , Batiha Abdul-Monim
Published: March 2015

Background:

The documentation of patient data on health records is a vital component of the care process. Accurate and complete recording of this data is a necessary practice. The adoption of electronic health records to improve the quality of nursing documentation is on the rise.

Objectives:

This study compares the accuracy and completeness of pressure ulcer data documentation between electronic and paper records.

Design:

A descriptive, comparative design with a retrospective review of patient records.

Settings and sample:

Two hospitals were chosen purposefully, one using electronic recording of patient data and the other using paper records.

Methods:

In the first phase, all hospitalised patients aged 18 years and over were inspected for pressure ulcers. In the second phase, the files of patients with pressure ulcers were audited.

Results:

Of the 52 patients with ulcers found in the hospital that used an electronic system, 43 of their records documented the pressure ulcers (83%). Of the 55 patients with pressure ulcers in the hospital using paper records, 39 files had corresponding documentation of the presence of a pressure ulcer (71%).

Conclusion:

In terms of accuracy and completeness, more comprehensive documentation practice was found on the electronic health records compared with paper records. However, both types of systems have shortcomings in the practice of pressure ulcer data documentation.
Pressure-ulcer management and prevention in acute and primary care
Authors: Newham Roger , Hudgell Lynne
Published: March 2015

This article describes a study to ascertain what it is like to follow the processes in practice for prevention and management of pressure ulcers as one aspect of care among others. The participants in this study were bands 5 and 6 staff nurses and healthcare assistants (HCAs) (n=72) recruited from two acute and two primary NHS trusts. Data were gathered from open-ended questions via an online survey (n=61) and interviews (n=11). The interviews were transcribed and all the data were analysed by thematic analysis. The findings show that participants believe there has been a high-profile imposition of guidelines and policies by management during at least the past 18 months, resulting in perceived good outcomes in the form of fewer pressure ulcers generally and less fragmentation of care, particularly within primary care. However, a number of perceived obstacles to the implementation of recommended interventions remain, notably lack of time and lack of knowledge.
Does oral health matter to systemic health?
Authors: Chande Milan
Published: March 2015

Oral health has an important role to play in the general wellbeing of patients. This article highlights the impact that oral health can have on systemic health
The evolution of the dental team: influences on oral health
Authors: Elsden Jacqui
Published: March 2015

This article will explore the evolution of the dental team in relation to our society's oral health requirements viewed through political, financial and social lenses
Communicating with patients and their families about palliative and end-of-life care: comfort and educational needs of nurses
Authors: Moir Cheryl , Roberts Renee , Martz Kim , Perry Judith , Tivis Laura
Published: March 2015

Introduction:

Effectively discussing palliative care with patients and families requires knowledge and skill. The purpose of this study was to determine perceived needs of inpatient nurses for communicating with patients and families about palliative and end-of-life (EoL) care.

Method:

A non-experimental design was used. In total, 60 inpatient nurses from one hospital in Idaho completed the End of Life Professional Caregiver Survey (EPCS), which examines three domains: patient and family-centered communication, cultural and ethical values, and effective care delivery.

Results:

The number of years’ experience nurses had (F(9,131.57)=2.22, p=0.0246; Wilk's ^=0.709) and the unit they worked on (F(6,110)=2.49, p=0.0269; Wilk's ^=0.775) had a significant effect on their comfort discussing EoL and palliative care with patients and their families. For all three domains, years of nursing experience was positively associated with comfort in communicating about EoL care. Oncology nurses were most comfortable with regard to patient and family-centered communication.

Discussion:

The success and sustainability of this service is dependent on education for health-care providers. Studies are needed to determine the most effective ways to meet this educational challenge.
Surgical repair of pulmonary vein injury from blunt trauma
Authors: Nwaejike N , Mosca R , Hooper TL , Soon SY
Published: March 2015

Pulmonary vein deceleration injury is rare and patients can be deceptively stable for a period after injury. Quick diagnosis and transfer to the operating theatre is the only way to treat this potentially lethal injury successfully. Techniques of repair are a useful addition to the cardiovascular surgeon’s repertoire.
A clinical conundrum with a radiological answer
Authors: Sutton L , Myers A , Gupte C
Published: March 2015

An 82-year-old woman with longstanding medial thigh pain presented with a 5-day history of constipation, vomiting, abdominal pain and distension. She was unable to pass flatus for the preceding 24 hours and had a past history of laparoscopic abdominal surgery. Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis revealed a right-sided obturator hernia containing a dilated loop of small bowel. She underwent emergency surgery for a right obturator hernia repair by limited laparotomy and was discharged after an extended stay complicated by postoperative atrial fibrillation.
Obstruction of an ileal urinary conduit in an incarcerated right inguinal hernia
Authors: Young MJ , Weston PMT
Published: March 2015

We present the case of a 72-year-old man with a history of anuria from his ileal conduit 15 months following its formation. That conduit had become incarcerated in a right-sided ingunial hernia. The patient presented with anuria and an acute kidney injury. A clincal diagnosis of an incarcerated hernia was made, and he was taken to theatre for reduction and repair of the hernia. On removal of the conduit from the hernial sac, it began to drain immediately. He made a full recovery, with normalisation of his renal function.
When might an operative complication be regarded as acceptable? Part 2: Judicial factors that influence the finding of fault during surgical litigation
Authors: Wheeler R , Blackburn S , Biggs H
Published: March 2015

In cases where surgeons face litigation over operative misadventure, the result of a trial is uncertain. In order to identify factors in cases of surgical litigation that have influenced the final decision of the courts, we have previously reviewed reported cases where the outcome turned on actions taken by surgeons. We now turn our attention to judicial attitudes to evidence that play a role in the determination of the case.
Accuracy of a multidisciplinary team-led discussion in predicting postmastectomy radiotherapy
Authors: Wilson M , Dordea M , Light A , Serra MP , Aspinall SR
Published: March 2015

Introduction

Immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) is performed increasingly following mastectomy for breast cancer. The literature suggests higher reconstructive failure and poorer cosmesis in the subgroup of patients receiving postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) following IBR. We set out to determine the accuracy of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion in predicting PMRT.

Methods

Preoperative MDT discussions were recorded prospectively over a 12-month period (from February 2011) in a symptomatic breast unit. The estimated need for PMRT was stratified into ‘PMRT not required’, ‘PMRT possibly required’, ‘PMRT probably required’ and ‘PMRT required’ groups.

Results

Of 156 referrals included in the study, 76 patients (49%) underwent mastectomy: 61 simple mastectomy, 10 skin sparing mastectomy (SSM) and delayed-immediate breast reconstruction, 3 SSM and implant-based IBR, and 2 mastectomy IBR with an autologous flap. The IBR rate was therefore 19.7%. The proportion of patients who received PMRT was 14% (3/21) in the ‘PMRT not required’, 30% (7/23) in the ‘PMRT possibly required’, 65% (9/14) in the ‘PMRT probably required’ and 94% (17/18) in the ‘PMRT required’ groups. Assigning a linear numerical score (1–4) to these groups (higher score representing greater likelihood of receiving PMRT), the predicted need for PMRT correlated with the proportion of patients who ultimately received PMRT (linear regression r2=0.98, p=0.01).

Conclusions

This study has examined the factors influencing MDT discussions regarding IBR, demonstrating that the MDT is reasonably accurate at predicting need for PMRT. Whether such accuracy is clinically adequate and/or reproducible across units is debatable.
Validation of a grading system for complicated diverticulitis in the prediction of need for operative or percutaneous intervention
Authors: Fung AKY , Ahmeidat H , McAteer D , Aly EH
Published: March 2015

Introduction

The current surgical management of acute complicated diverticulitis has seen a major paradigm shift from routine operative intervention to a more conservative approach. This has been made possible by the widespread availability of computed tomography (CT) to enable stratification of the disease severity of acute complicated diverticulitis. The aim of this study was to retrospectively validate a CT grading system for acute complicated diverticulitis in the prediction of the need for operative or percutaneous intervention.

Methods

Hospital and radiology records were reviewed to identify patients with acute complicated diverticulitis confirmed by CT. A consultant gastrointestinal radiologist, blinded to the clinical outcomes of patients, assigned a score according to the CT grading system.

Results

Three hundred and sixty-seven patients (34.6%) had CT performed for acute diverticulitis during the study period. Forty-four patients (12.0%) had acute complicated diverticulitis (abscess and/or free intraperitoneal air) confirmed on CT. There were 22 women (50%) and the overall median age was 59 years (range: 19–92 years). According to the CT findings, there was one case with grade 1, eighteen patients with grade 2, four with grade 3 and twenty-one with grade 4 diverticulitis. Three patients with grade 2, three patients with grade 3 and ten patients with grade 4 disease underwent acute radiological or surgical intervention.

Conclusions

The use of a CT grading system for acute complicated diverticulitis did not predict the need for acute radiological or operative intervention in this small study. Decision making guided by the patient’s clinical condition still retains a primary role in the management of acute complicated diverticulitis.
The efficacy of adjuvant imatinib therapy in improving the prognosis of patients with colorectal gastrointestinal stromal tumourss
Authors: Li Y , Meng X
Published: March 2015

Introduction

Although it has now been accepted that imatinib is a valid treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) patients in the adjuvant setting, information on its clinical efficacy in improving the prognosis for patients with colorectal GISTs is limited.

Methods

The clinical and follow-up records of 42 colorectal GIST patients who underwent surgical resection at our institution between January 2004 and December 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. The effect of postoperative imatinib treatment on recurrence free survival and overall survival time was analysed with the Kaplan–Meier method and the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model.

Results

Sixteen patients were assigned to imatinib treatment (imatinib group) after surgical tumour resection while twenty-six patients did not receive any adjuvant treatment (control group). The one, three and five-year recurrence free survival rates were 100%, 90% and 77% respectively. This was significantly higher than in the control group (92%, 53% and 36%) (logrank test, p=0.012). The one, three and five-year overall survival rates were 100%, 91% and 68% in the imatinib group compared with 96%, 77% and 39% in the control group (logrank test, p=0.021). Analysis with the multivariate Cox regression model yielded similar results on the efficacy of adjuvant imatinib in prolonging both recurrence free survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.07–0.80) and overall survival (HR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05–0.91).

Conclusions

Adjuvant imatinib therapy seems to be effective in decreasing the risk of tumour occurrence and prolonging the overall survival time in colorectal GIST patients.
Selective conservatism in the management of thoracic trauma remains appropriate in the 21st century
Authors: Kong VY , Oosthuizen GV , Clarke DL
Published: March 2015

Introduction

Selective conservatism for thoracic trauma is well established but the emergence of new technologies may cause management strategies to continue to evolve.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted on thoracic trauma patients managed in a single institution in South Africa over a 4-year period to determine the appropriateness of our current policy of selective conservatism.

Results

A total of 1,239 patients were included in the study; 112 required an emergency thoracotomy, 125 were admitted for observation and 1,002 required a tube thoracostomy (TT). Ninety-one per cent of the patients were male and the median age was 24 years. Seventy-five per cent of the cases were penetrating trauma and the remaining were blunt trauma. The indications for TT were pneumothorax (PTX) (n=382, 38%), haemothorax (HTX) (n=300, 30%) and haemopneumothorax (HPTX) (n=320, 32%). A total of 13% (127/1,002) of all chest x-rays (CXR) following tube removal demonstrated residual pathologies that precluded immediate discharge: 32 (8%) in Group A (PTX), 44 (15%) in Group B (HTX) and 51 (16%) in Group C (HPTX). All 32 patients in Group A were simply observed and did not require further intervention. In Group B, 17 patients required repeat TTs and 27 required video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for clearance of residual HTX. Twenty-nine patients in Group C required repeat TTs and twenty-two required VATS.

Conclusions

The vast majority of patients with thoracic trauma can be managed conservatively with TT alone. Residual pathology appeared to be lowest in patients with a PTX, which seldom requires treatment, while only a minority of patients required repeat TTs or VATS for a retained HTX. Selective conservatism is still appropriate in the current era in a developing world setting.
Tier 3 multidisciplinary medical weight management improves outcome of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery
Authors: Patel P , Hartland A , Hollis A , Ali R , Elshaw A , Jain S , Khan A , Mirza S
Published: March 2015

Introduction

In 2013 the Department of Health specified eligibility for bariatric surgery funded by the National Health Service. This included a mandatory specification that patients first complete a Tier 3 medical weight management programme. The clinical effectiveness of this recommendation has not been evaluated previously. Our bariatric centre has provided a Tier 3 programme six months prior to bariatric surgery since 2009. The aim of our retrospective study was to compare weight loss in two cohorts: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass only (RYGB only cohort) versus Tier 3 weight management followed by RYGB (Tier 3 cohort).

Methods

A total of 110 patients were selected for the study: 66 in the RYGB only cohort and 44 in the Tier 3 cohort. Patients in both cohorts were matched for age, sex, preoperative body mass index and pre-existing co-morbidities. The principal variable was therefore whether they undertook the weight management programme prior to RYGB. Patients from both cohorts were followed up at 6 and 12 months to assess weight loss.

Results

The mean weight loss at 6 months for the Tier 3 cohort was 31% (range: 18–69%, standard deviation [SD]: 0.10 percentage points) compared with 23% (range: 4–93%, SD: 0.12 percentage points) for the RYGB only cohort (p=0.0002). The mean weight loss at 12 months for the Tier 3 cohort was 34% (range: 17–51%, SD: 0.09 percentage points) compared with 27% (range: 14–48%, SD: 0.87 percentage points) in the RYGB only cohort (p=0.0037).

Conclusions

Our study revealed that in our matched cohorts, patients receiving Tier 3 specialist medical weight management input prior to RYGB lost significantly more weight at 6 and 12 months than RYGB only patients. This confirms the clinical efficacy of such a weight management programme prior to gastric bypass surgery and supports its inclusion in eligibility criteria for bariatric surgery.
Phantom Weapon Syndrome
Authors: Martin Travis L.
Published: March 2015

This essay explores the relationship between soldiers and their weapons. It draws upon the ideas of Sigmund Freud, Phyllis Greenacre, and D. W. Winnicott to chart the evolution of the weapon from transitional object in Basic Combat Training to fetish in combat. The author’s personal experiences as a veteran of the Iraq War, as well as testimony, literature, and artistic examples, detail the experience of the syndrome. “Phantom Weapon Syndrome” describes a symptom of the object loss that occurs when veterans return home and give up the weapons they relied upon for safety and security during combat. In Basic Combat Training, recruits must submit physically and mentally to the military institution in the first weeks, recreating elements of childhood development involved with the adoption of a transitional object. Soldiers lulled into an illusion of oneness with the military institution experience a shock when in marksmanship training “the enemy” challenges that institution’s omnipotence. The weapon emerges as the means through which recruits counter that threat and mastery of it gradually weans them from complete dependence upon their trainers. Basic Combat Training’s persecutory nature results in soldiers predisposed toward fetishizing their weapons in combat, enabling them to endure unseen and unpredictable threats psychically. Phantom Weapon Syndrome occurs when these sources of psychological safety and security are simply taken away as part of the return home.
“Teaching Somebody to Fish”: Implications for Immigrant-Serving Organizations and Employment in Edmonton and Winnipeg
Authors: Thomas Jasmine
Published: March 2015

Provincial governments increasingly develop strategies that attract immigrants to settle in the Prairie Provinces. Although considerable research examines the role of settlement services in larger cities such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, there is less information regarding mid-sized cities. Increasingly, newcomers are moving to Manitoba and Alberta due to real or perceived economic opportunities. Unfortunately, some immigrants experience difficulties during their settlement process, and their varied needs create challenges for immigrant-serving organizations as they develop programs. This study explores how philosophies of empowerment influence service providers and their programs for working with professional newcomers searching for meaningful employment. Semi-structured interviews with 21 service providers in Edmonton and Winnipeg illustrate how tensions between competing notions of empowerment and neoliberal ideologies interact to guide how service providers assist immigrants. Although empowerment is a goal of service provision, limited funding and resources may constrain the advocacy role of organizations. Les gouvernements provinciaux développent de plus en plus des stratégies qui attirent les immigrants à s’installer dans les provinces des prairies. Bien que d’importantes recherches examinent le rôle des services d’établissement dans métropoles comme Toronto, Montréal et Vancouver, il y a moins d’informations concernant les villes moyennes. De plus en plus, les nouveaux arrivants déménagent pour le Manitoba et l’Alberta en raison des opportunités économiques réelles et perçues. Malheureusement, certains immigrants rencontrent des difficultés au cours de leur processus d’intégration, et leurs besoins divers constituent un véritable défi pour les organismes d’aide aux immigrants dans l’élaboration de leurs programmes. Cette étude vise à explorer comment les philosophies d’autonomisation influencent les pourvoyeurs de service ainsi que leurs programmes dans leur travail avec les nouveaux arrivants qualifiés pour la recherche d’emplois significatifs. Les entrevues réalisées auprès de 21 pourvoyeurs de services semi-structurés à Edmonton et à Winnipeg illustrent les rivalités entre les notions d’autonomisation et les idéologies néolibérales qui interagissent pour orienter les pourvoyeurs de services afin qu’ils assistent mieux les immigrants. Bien que l’autonomisation soit l’objectif de ces prestations des services, les financements et ressources limités pourraient restreindre le rôle de plaidoyer des organismes.
Transnationalizing Home in Winnipeg: Refugees’ Stories of the Places Between the “Here-and-There”
Authors: Freund Alexander
Published: March 2015

This article asks how refugees narrate home. Based on extensive interviews (oral histories) with refugees in Winnipeg, Manitoba, who arrived from Europe after the Second World War, from Central America during the 1980s, and from Afghanistan during the 2000s, this article argues that refugees are continually engaged in the process of making home, not only in the sending and receiving countries, but also in countries along their often complex and long migration routes. Listening closely to their stories forces researchers to move beyond “methodological nationalism” and a dichotomous “here-or-there” conceptualization of home, toward a transnationalizing of home. Dans cet article je parle au sujet de comment les réfugiés racontent ce qui est, pour eux, leur maison. La recherche est basée sur les entrevues (histoire orale) avec des réfugiés à Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ceux-ci sont arrivés de l’Europe après la deuxième guerre mondiale, ainsi que de l’Amérique Centrale pendant les années 80, et d’Afghanistan pendant les années 2000. Je parle du processus de s’établir un domicile, dans lequel les réfugiés se sont continuellement engagés, pas seulement dans leur pays d’origine et d’accueil, mais aussi dans les pays tout au long de leurs voies de migration, souvent complexes et longues. L’écoute attentive de leurs histoires fait en sorte que les chercheurs se déplacent au-delà du « nationalisme méthodologique » et de l’idée des pôles opposés représentée par « ici ou là », pour aller chercher les innombrables connections entre les différents pays, ainsi qu’une transnationalisation des maisons.
(Mis)Representations of Female Slaves in Golden Age Spain: Mariana de Carvajal’s Recovery of the Black Female Slave in La industria vence desdenes
Authors: de Ramírez Carmen King
Published: March 2015

Despite the number of recent Golden Age studies that examine feminine figures, the majority of research has been dedicated to analyzing the bourgeois woman and her function as a counterpart to the male figure. However, the lavish lifestyle characteristic of this time period is not sustained through the efforts of bourgeois characters, but rather, through the labor and collaboration of ancillary characters, such as female slaves, that tend to go unperceived by critics. The present article explores the inadequacies existent in Spanish Golden Age representations of black female slaves illustrated by several male authors, and proposes that works written by female authors of the same time period provide a more complete vision of the domestic and social importance of slave women. In order to investigate this proposal more fully, this article explores Mariana de Carvajal’s novella La industria vence desdenes (1637), and suggests that Carvajal’s detailed representations of the black female slave’s contributions to domestic affairs distinguish her work from other novellas of the same time period. In this text, the female slave’s multifaceted role unfolds as she acts as a caregiver, domestic servant, cultural ambassador, and intermediary between bourgeois figures. In order to form a base from which readers can fully appreciate Carvajal’s contributions to the representations of the domestic slave, the first part of this study provides preliminary information concerning the historical and literary presence of the black female slave in Golden Age Spain as well as illustrations of this figure in works written by Carvajal’s contemporaries.
Autoficción y metalenguaje en Morir en Isla Vista de Víctor Fuentes
Authors: Villagrá Andrés
Published: March 2015

Autobiografía y ficción caracterizan Morir en Isla Vista de Víctor Fuentes pero firmada por un desconocido autor Floreal Hernández. Calificada dentro del género de la ‘autoficción’, la obra inicia la ‘trilogía americana’ de este exiliado que ejerce como profesor emérito en los Estados Unidos. Como obra que profundiza en la cuestión del género autobiográfico, el discurso literario cuestiona la capacidad del lenguaje autorreferencial para borrar los límites entre realidad y ficción y ahondar en cuestiones tan fundamentales como la figura de autor, la pretendida objetividad del género autobiográfico y el uso de múltiples recursos narrativos como el desdoblamiento de narrador/personaje y la combinación de espacios y tiempos. Asimismo, en la obra tienen cabida el cuento intercalado, la escritura automática, el testimonio y el documento histórico-político-social. La vida del autor, convertido en personaje de su propio discurso, es desvelado por su otro ‘yo’, su narrador Floreal, en esta autoficción insólita en la literatura española.
The Erotics of a Livable Life: Colonial Power and the Affective Work of Queer Desire in Monique Truong’s The Book of Salt
Authors: Wesling Meg
Published: March 2015

This essay is about the life-making place of desire in queer life. It asks what kinds of lives are made livable through the articulation of desire, and how the structures of feeling that we recognize as queer desire can be written or erased across the historical record.
Les enfants queer d’ Une saison dans la vie d’Emmanuel de Marie-Claire Blais
Authors: Scott Corrie
Published: March 2015

Si l’enfant, dans les livres québécois, fait déjà l’objet de plusieurs analyses, l’avènement de la théorie queer permet de nouvelles interprétations. D’ailleurs, de nombreux théoricien(ne)s queer s’intéressent actuellement au sujet. Cet essai propose, plus précisément, l’analyse des enfants d’Une saison dans la vie d’Emmanuel de Marie-Claire Blais.
Queer Exuberance: The Politics of Affect in Jeanette Winterson’s Visceral Fiction
Authors: Bradway Tyler
Published: March 2015

Queer theory approaches positive affects with suspicion while negative affects exemplify “queer critique.” Yet queer fiction represents more nuanced relationships between pleasure and political imagination. For Jeanette Winterson, “queer exuberance” encodes social relations and values that oppose the affective economy of heteronormative biopower.
Queering Shame and the Wound of Ethnicity
Authors: Gabrakova Dennitza
Published: March 2015

This essay attends to a question raised by a Japanese philosopher about the connection of an American anthropologist’s analysis of Japan as “shame culture” to her queerness. The question opens a poetical and conceptual wound and responding to it takes us to the interstitial areas of postcolonial critique.
“Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid”: The “Dignity of Queer Shame”
Authors: Morrison Margaret
Published: March 2015

Using the work of Walt Whitman and David Wojnarowicz, I argue that queer shame, which some LGBTs deny or repress, not only gives meaning to “queerness” but also motivates creative expressiveness in those queer writers/artists who make use of and dignify it.
Evolving Nutritional Strategies in the Presence of Competition: A Geometric Agent-Based Model
Authors: Senior Alistair M. , Charleston Michael A. , Lihoreau Mathieu , Buhl Camille , Raubenheimer David , Simpson Stephen J.
Published: March 2015

Access to nutrients is a key factor governing development, reproduction and ultimately fitness. Within social groups, contest-competition can fundamentally affect nutrient access, potentially leading to reproductive asymmetry among individuals. Previously, agent-based models have been combined with the Geometric Framework of nutrition to provide insight into how nutrition and social interactions affect one another. Here, we expand this modelling approach by incorporating evolutionary algorithms to explore how contest-competition over nutrient acquisition might affect the evolution of animal nutritional strategies. Specifically, we model tolerance of nutrient excesses and deficits when ingesting nutritionally imbalanced foods, which we term ‘nutritional latitude’; a higher degree of nutritional latitude constitutes a higher tolerance of nutritional excess and deficit. Our results indicate that a transition between two alternative strategies occurs at moderate to high levels of competition. When competition is low, individuals display a low level of nutritional latitude and regularly switch foods in search of an optimum. When food is scarce and contest-competition is intense, high nutritional latitude appears optimal, and individuals continue to consume an imbalanced food for longer periods before attempting to switch to an alternative. However, the relative balance of nutrients within available foods also strongly influences at what levels of competition, if any, transitions between these two strategies occur. Our models imply that competition combined with reproductive skew in social groups can play a role in the evolution of diet breadth. We discuss how the integration of agent-based, nutritional and evolutionary modelling may be applied in future studies to further understand the evolution of nutritional strategies across social and ecological contexts.
Book Reviews
Authors: Boyd Annita , Ferrero-Regis Tiziana
Published: March 2015

Love Objects: Emotion, Design and Material Culture, Anna Moran and Sorcha O’Brien (eds) (2014, First Edition) London/New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 166 pp., ISBN: 9781472517197, Paperback, $39.99

Fashion on Television: Identity and Celebrity Culture, Helen Warner (2014, first edition) London/New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 200 pp., ISBN: 9780857854414, Paperback, $39.99
The new Shanghai Xiaojie: Chinese fashion identities
Authors: Radclyffe-Thomas Natascha , Radclyffe-Thomas Babette
Published: March 2015

One of the key debates in contemporary fashion marketing is the local–global binary; the twenty-first-century fashion industry is increasingly international, both in terms of production and consumption, yet there is no consensus on whether globalization inevitably homogenizes cultural experiences or allows for heterogeneity. The authors argue that the historical concept of chinoiserie has informed Chinese fashion identities, and seek to challenge this perception by presenting alternative perspectives on the importance of Chinese heritage and culture to those currently working in fashion. The disrupted nature of China’s fashion history, the persistence of orientalist imaginings of her past, and the strength of China’s manufacturing industry are all factors that contribute to the complexities in defining contemporary Chinese fashion. This article is written to provide an introduction to modern Chinese fashion through an exploration of how contemporary fashion creatives understand the influence of culture on their work, and how their understandings of Chineseness and the East–West binary impact their work. Whilst this is necessarily a snapshot view of the Chinese fashion industry, the article confirms a belief in the importance of cultural identity on creative practices and shows how contemporary Chinese fashion can escape prescribed and restricted fashion identities.
How do Chinese fashion designers become global fashion leaders? A new perspective on legitimization in China’s fashion system
Authors: Lindgren Tim
Published: March 2015

In China, Shanghai’s nascent fashion system seeks to emulate the Eurocentric system of fashion weeks and industry support groups. It promises designers a platform for global competition, yet there are tensions from within. Interaction with a fashion system inevitably means becoming validated or legitimized. Legitimization in turn depends upon gatekeepers who make aesthetic judgments about the status, quality and cultural value of a designer’s work. This article offers a new perspective on legitimization. I argue that some Chinese fashion designers are on the path to becoming global fashion designers because they have embraced a global aesthetic that resonates with the human condition, rather than the manufactured authenticity of a Eurocentric fashion system that perpetuates endless consumption. In this way, they are able to ‘self-legitimize’. I contend these designers are ‘designers for humans’, because they are able to explore the tensions of man, culture and environment in their practice. Furthermore, their design ethos pursues beauty, truth and harmony in the Chinese philosophical sense, as well as incorporating financial return in a process that is still enacted through a fashion system. Accordingly, cultural tradition, heritage and modernity, while still valuable have less impact on their practice.
Risco de incêndio florestal em áreas de interface urbano-rural: o exemplo do Ave
Authors: Vieira António , Bento Gonçalves António , Lourenço Luciano , Oliveira Martins Carla , Ferreira Leite Flora
Published: March 2015

As Interfaces Urbano-Rurais apresentam características que, em Portugal, são diversas das de outros países, dificultando a sua definição e identificação, bem como a das estratégias adequadas à prevenção, protecção e combate aos incêndios florestais.Tomando como área de estudo a região do Ave, no período de 2001 a 2007, procedemos à análise e identificação das freguesias correspondentes a áreas de Interface Urbano-Rural, utilizando a tipologia do INE.
Los riesgos de incendios forestales en la zona mediterranea de chile: un caso de perturbacion ambiental permanente
Authors: Quintanilla Víctor
Published: March 2015

La zona mediterránea de Chile se localiza aproximadamente entre los 31º y 38º latitud sur, y en ella se concentra la mayor parte de la población del país. Por esta presión humana y también por el clima seco, de solo cuatro meses de lluvia y el resto del año cálido y seco, se dan condiciones favorables para la generación de fuegos forestales. Un bosque nativo específico de esta zona es el bosque esclerófilo. Se analiza un sector de colinas costeras situado alrededor de los 33º latitud sur, donde existe un bosque esclerófilo de tipo húmedo, junto al cual vive la palma más austral del mundo y endémica de Chile – Jubaea chilensis (Mol.) Baillon. Este relieve ha sido afectado desde 1962 por reiterados impactos de incendios de vegetación. Esto ha alterado la regeneración y permanencia de este bosque húmedo en Chile central, como igualmente van poniendo en peligro el hábitat de la palme chile.
Análise dos incêndios florestais em Portugal e avaliação do ICRIF (Índice Combinado de Risco de Incêndios Florestais)
Authors: Lourdes Bugalho , Pessanha Luís
Published: March 2015

Os fogos florestais são um dos mais devastadores desastres naturais que ocorrem em Portugal, especialmente durante o Verão. O Instituto de Meteorologia de Portugal (IM) calcula um Índice de Risco de Incêndio Florestal, o ICRIF, que combina condições meteorológicas com o estado da vegetação e risco estrutural. O reprocessamento de 10 anos deste índice permitiu a sua análise e validação, comparando-o com áreas ardidas e viabilizando a sua utilização operacional.
Burnout – um risco no desempenho e satisfação profissional nos bombeiros que trabalham na emergência pré-hospitalar
Authors: Vara Natália , Queirós Cristina
Published: March 2015

Procuramos conhecer o burnout e a satisfação profissional em bombeiros que trabalham na área da emergência pré-hospitalar, em diferentes zonas do país, tendo encontrado elevada satisfação profissional e reduzido burnout, apesar do trabalho decorrer em situações emocionalmente intensas.
Compreensões e ações frente aos padrões espaciais e temporais de riscos e desastres
Authors: Hidalgo Nunes Lucí
Published: March 2015

O aumento dos desastres expõe a falta de ajuste entre sociedade e ambiente físico e constitui-se em ameaça ao desenvolvimento. O EM-DAT coloca-se como o maior esforço para integrar os desastres de todo o mundo, essencial para o reconhecimento das tendências e tomada de medidas estruturais e não estruturais, mas seu confronto com as bases nacionais (algumas falhas) demonstra que ele está subestimado.