bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Profiling complex word usage in the speech of preschool children: Frequency patterns and transparency characteristics
Authors: Laws Jacqueline
Published: September 2019

This corpus-based study provides a baseline of complex word usage patterns in the spontaneous speech of English preschool children to ascertain the characteristics of their derivative vocabulary before literacy development affects language skills. Frequencies of suffixed derivatives produced by ( N = 243) children aged 2–5 and their caregivers were extracted for 58 suffix variants, yielding 558 types from the former and 1,364 from the latter. Between the youngest and oldest groups, 11 suffix categories increased significantly in type frequency, compared with 22 in the caregiver dataset. All derivative types were classified for transparency of meaning and simplicity of form on a five-point analysability scale. Around 59% of both the child and caregiver derivative vocabulary sets were classified as transparent regardless of age, suggesting that the potential analysability of the preschool child’s input remains surprisingly invariant over time. The study provides baseline data for future studies on the development of morphological awareness in English-speaking schoolchildren.
The Consideration of Future Consequences: Evidence for Domain Specificity Across Five Life Domains
Authors: Murphy Lisa , Cadogan Eimer , Dockray Samantha
Published: September 2019

The consideration of future consequences (CFC) is a cognitive-motivational construct describing the extent to which individuals consider the future outcomes of behavior during decision-making. The current research examined the extent to which CFC may be a domain-specific, as opposed to global, temporal construct. Across three surveys, adults ( n = 498; 66.9% female; 41.2% students) completed the 14-item general CFC scale, five newly adapted domain-specific CFC scales, and self-report measures of behavior in five substantive domains (work, health, the environment, money, and college). Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the two-factor model in the CFC-14, supporting the distinction between CFC-Future and CFC-Immediate in domain-specific CFC-14 scales. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that domain-specific, and not the general, CFC subscales were most strongly associated with the relevant domain-specific behavior and revealed differential patterns of association between domain-specific CFC subscales and behaviors in particular domains. The applied implications for behavioral interventions are discussed.
Proposal for preventing malnutrition in individuals on a texture-modified diet
Authors: Nakamura Tomiyo , Amano Nobuko
Published: September 2019

Background:

The energy and protein provided by texture-modified diets decreases dramatically as the stage increases. To prevent malnutrition in individuals on texture-modified diets, nutrition management detailing the amount of energy and protein required and consumed is needed; however, this has not yet progressed.

Aim:

To consider the factors responsible for the lack of progress in nutrition management.

Methods:

We reviewed the work content of the registered dietitian in Japan.

Results:

It takes over an hour a day to make calculations for the amount of energy and protein consumed for all of these patients, but it turned out that this time cannot be extracted considering the daily work of the registered dietitian.

Conclusion:

To prevent malnutrition, it is necessary to increase the number of registered dietitians.
The Effect of Perspective-Taking on Linguistic Intergroup Bias
Authors: Scaffidi Abbate Costanza , Giammusso Isabella , Boca Stefano
Published: September 2019

In this experiment, we examined the effect of perspective-taking—actively contemplating others’ psychological experiences—on linguistic intergroup bias. We asked some participants to adopt the perspective of a character (an Italian or a Maghrebian), while others did not receive similar instructions, and complete a short dialogue comprised of a series of vignettes, resulting in a 2 (perspective-taking: presence vs. control) × 2 (group: ingroup vs. outgroup) between-participants design. We analyzed the texts produced on the basis of the linguistic category model. As expected, participants were more likely to describe the outgroup member using less abstract terms when we asked them to take the perspective of a Maghrebian. Since the level of abstraction of the terms used to describe a person’s behavior is considered an index of stereotype use, one might describe Maghrebians less stereotypically when he or she can see the world from their perspective. The results extend previous findings on the role of perspective-taking as it relates to reducing intergroup stereotypes.
Paediatric Medicine in India and Bottlenecks of Development in Nurturing Demographic Assets
Authors: Shivangi
Published: September 2019

This article argues that the poor state of paediatric medicine in India still restrains and often prevents the healthy development of far too many young Indians. Infants as junior-most citizens deserve diligent care, as they have legal entitlements to specialised medical services, ensuring their survival and healthy growth, ultimately for the benefit of the entire nation. The article first traces the somewhat stunted colonial institutional development of paediatric medicine in India. It then proceeds to perform a critical analysis of the continuing harm of negligence concerning the health and upbringing of India’s vulnerable infants, challenging the state to become more committed to integrated child development.
Politics of circulation: The makings of the Berbera corridor in Somali East Africa
Authors: Stepputat Finn , Hagmann Tobias
Published: September 2019

This article explores the co-production of political order and circulation in what today is known as Berbera corridor, a trade and transport corridor that connects landlocked Ethiopia and Berbera Port in the breakaway Republic of Somaliland. We analyse the ‘politics of circulation’ that are set in motion by the articulation of different projects of making goods circulate and capturing revenue from circulation. Such politics involve a plurality of rationalities, the emergence of technologies that seek to balance circulation and security, and substantial elements of anticipation. Our empirical analysis focuses on three overarching projects of circulation: Somaliland’s foundational state-building-based-on-circulation project of the 1990s; shifting Ethiopian customs regimes and strategies to discipline and capture cross-border trading and livestock exports in the 2000s; and the transnational state-of-the-art corridor project of the 2010s. The article depicts Berbera corridor as a state-building frontier as well as a frontier of global logistical networks and rationalities, where new agents of circulation rearrange relations between former ones and cut across international as well as public/private boundaries.
Social Class, Ingroup–Outgroup Comparison, and Citizen Evaluations: Is User Satisfaction Linked to Outcome Disparities?
Authors: Song Miyeon , Kim Minjung , Favero Nathan
Published: September 2019

Research on citizen satisfaction has emphasized the role of service quality (including expectations for quality) in shaping citizens’ evaluations of public services. This article considers an understudied but important aspect of public service delivery—equity—and investigates how disparities in service outcomes between disadvantaged and advantaged groups affect citizens’ evaluations of service providers. This study also examines whether citizens with different socioeconomic status (SES) have different perceptions toward the outcome disparities. Using individual-level data from secondary schools, we find that service users appear to recognize and care about a performance gap among social strata. Even when a student’s individual outcome is held constant, satisfaction varies with the school-level performance gap between high-SES and low-SES students. This finding suggests that service users are concerned about not just their outcomes but also the relative positioning of outcomes for those of their own social group compared with other groups.
Preoperative anxiety can cause convulsion and severe hypotension immediately after spinal anaesthesia for caesarean delivery: a case report
Authors: Moon Eun-jin , Go Yoonju , Woo Gil , Seo Hyungseok , Lee Bong-Jae
Published: September 2019

Preoperative anxiety in patients under spinal anaesthesia may cause serious complications. We report a case of combined transient convulsion and severe hypotension immediately after spinal anaesthesia for caesarean delivery in a patient who presented with severe preoperative anxiety. Our patient’s consciousness and blood pressure recovered normally without any sequelae. However, preoperative anxiety can induce such complications, particularly in patients under regional anaesthesia. Therefore, early detection and deliberate management for preoperative anxiety are required for the patient’s safety and satisfaction.
‘Homosexuality is not a problem – it doesn’t do you any harm and can be lots of fun’: Students and Gay Rights Activism in Irish Universities, 1970s–1980s
Authors: McDonagh Patrick
Published: September 2019

Using primary archival material, this article explores the role of students and universities in the campaign for gay rights in Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s. At a time when few organisations in Ireland involved themselves in the campaign for gay rights, student bodies facilitated the promotion of gay rights, interaction between gay rights organisations and students and challenged the legal and societal attitudes towards homosexuality in Ireland. In doing so, universities, both north and south of the border, became important spaces of gay rights activism, both in terms of the activities taking place there, but also symbolically, as gay and lesbian students challenged their right to claim a space within their respective universities, something denied to them in the past. Moreover, through the use of the student press, conferences and campaigns to gain official recognition for gay societies, students helped to promote a broader discussion on gay rights in Ireland. This case study analysis of gay rights activism on Irish universities offers an insight into the importance of exploring the efforts of students beyond the long 1960s, arguing that students continued to be important agents in challenging the status quo in Ireland and transforming Irish social norms.
Maternal Martyrdom Unmasked: British Fatherhood and the Masculinization of War in Napoleonic Veterans’ Tales of Infant Suffering
Authors: Hurl-Eamon Jennine
Published: September 2019

Despite the growing masculinization of Europe’s armies, domestic ideals such as maternal breastfeeding and nurturing fatherhood appeared with surprising frequency in British accounts of the Napoleonic Wars. Veterans’ memoirs of the British Army’s retreat to Corunna recalled heartrending scenes of dead mothers with infants struggling to nurse at frozen breasts. Pacifist poets had eagerly seized similar stories to demonstrate the horrors of war, but this article shows the way in which mother and infant suffering could become a pro-war tool used by the Army. Officer memoirists subtly condemned Army wives for following the drum while highlighting their own fatherly compassion.
Effect of Fatty Acid–Binding Protein 4 Inhibition on Rotator Cuff Muscle Quality: Histological, Biomechanical, and Biomolecular Analysis
Authors: Lee Yong-Soo , Kim Ja-Yeon , Kim Kwang Il , Ki Se-Young , Chung Seok Won
Published: September 2019

Background:

A rotator cuff tear (RCT) induces fatty acid–binding protein 4 (FABP4) expression, resulting in ectopic fat accumulation in the rotator cuff muscle.

Purpose:

To evaluate whether FABP4 inhibition reduces fatty infiltration and improves muscle physiology after RCT in a rat model.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Human supraspinatus muscle and deltoid muscle tissues were acquired from patients with RCTs during arthroscopic surgery, and FABP4 expression in the supraspinatus muscle was evaluated as compared with the intact deltoid muscle. A rat RCT model was established by detaching the supraspinatus tendon, after which a specific FABP4 inhibitor was locally injected into the supraspinatus muscle 4 times at 3-day intervals starting 2 weeks after the surgery. Body weight and blood glucose levels were measured at 2 and 4 weeks after the RCT, and the mRNA and protein expressions of various target molecules (including FABP4), histological changes, and biomechanical tensile strength were assessed in the supraspinatus muscles at 4 weeks after the RCT.

Results:

The expression of human FABP4 was significantly increased in the torn rotator cuff muscle as compared with the intact deltoid muscle. In the rat model, the mRNA and protein expressions of FABP4 and HIF1α were significantly increased by the RCT as compared with the control. The FABP4 inhibitor treatment significantly decreased FABP4 expression when compared with the vehicle treatment; however, HIF1α expression was not significantly decreased versus the vehicle treatment. Histologically, RCT induced noticeable muscle fatty infiltration, which was remarkably reduced by the local injection of the FABP4 inhibitor. Biomechanically, the tensile strength of the rotator cuff muscle after the RCT was significantly improved by the FABP4 inhibitor in terms of load to failure and total energy to failure.

Conclusion:

RCT induces FABP4 expression in human and rat rotator cuff muscles. The FABP4 inhibitor drastically decreased the histological fatty infiltration caused by RCT and improved the tensile strength of the rotator cuff muscle.

Clinical Relevance:

FABP4 inhibitor may have a beneficial effect on the muscle quality after RCT.
Teacher–Student Working Alliance Among Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
Authors: Knowles Christen , Murray Christopher , Gau Jeff , Toste Jessica R.
Published: September 2019

Children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD; N = 182) and their teachers ( N = 76) completed an instrument designed to assess the quality of their classroom working alliance. Confirmatory factor analyses conducted on student and teacher data, based on prior research conducted with normative samples, confirmed a two-factor model of classroom working alliance among students with EBD and their teachers. Follow-up analyses of student and teacher scores on items and constructs indicated that students reported greater bonding and greater task/goal alliance than did their teachers. This finding suggests that students with EBD had more positive views of their relationship than did teachers. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed.
Explaining Spatial Variations in Residential Energy Usage Intensity in Chicago: The Role of Urban Form and Geomorphometry
Authors: Li Chaosu , Song Yan , Kaza Nikhil , Burghardt René
Published: September 2019

Understanding the spatial pattern of energy consumption within buildings is essential to urban energy planning and management. This study explores the spatial complexity of residential energy usage intensity, with a focus on urban form and geomorphometry attributes. Using spatial regression models, we find that while vegetation and isolation have more local impact on energy intensity, urban porosity and roughness length have consistent spillover effects on building electricity usage intensity in Chicago. In addition, these relationships are seasonally varied. The results highlight the importance of spatially explicit policies and clear urban design and form frameworks for improving urban energy efficiency.
Leaders’ Cultural Responsiveness in a Rural Program Serving Latinx Youth
Authors: McGovern Gina , Raffaelli Marcela , Moreno Garcia Crystal , Larson Reed
Published: September 2019

To provide examples of culturally responsive practices used by leaders of a rural Latinx-serving youth program, this case study focused on a community youth program in a small, rural Midwestern town. Program leaders (one White man and one Latinx woman) were both middle-aged and had postsecondary degrees. Nine Latinx youth participants (four girls, five boys; Mage = 15.5 years) were primarily from Mexican immigrant families. Repeated semi-structured interviews were conducted with leaders and youth. Holistic analyses used grounded theory practices and focused on a subset of questions about cultural program experiences. Leaders of Unified Youth supported the positive development of rural Latinx youth through four categories of culturally responsive practices. They cultivated a safe space that affirmed youth’s cultural values and bilingualism; served as trusted allies for youth, connecting across shared experiences and helping youth process discrimination; promoted cultural awareness and appreciation while encouraging youth to explore cultural nuances; and supported youth’s leadership development and advocacy through community events promoting cultural awareness. These rich descriptions of practices contribute to our understanding of cultural responsiveness in context and can be used to inform research, policy, and practice with Latinx youth in rural communities.
Methods for Improving Representativeness in a Web Survey on Sexual Assault Among College Students
Authors: Berzofsky Marcus E. , Langton Lynn , Krebs Christopher , Lindquist Christine , Planty Michael
Published: September 2019

Many colleges and universities conduct web-based campus climate surveys to understand the prevalence and nature of sexual assault among their students. When designing and fielding a web survey to measure a sensitive topic like sexual assault, methodological decisions, including the length of the field period and the use or amount of an incentive, can affect the representativeness of the respondent sample leading to biased or imprecise estimates. This study uses data from the Campus Climate Survey Validation Study (CCSVS) to assess how the interaction between field period length and survey incentive amount affects nonresponse, sample representativeness, and the precision of survey estimates. Research suggests that using robust incentives gives potential survey respondents a reason to complete the survey beyond their intrinsic motivation to do so. Likewise, extending the field period gives more time to people who may be less intrinsically motivated to complete the survey. Both serve to increase sample size and representativeness, minimize bias, and improve estimate precision. Schools, however, sometimes lack the time and/or resources for both a robust incentive and a lengthy field period, and this study examines the extent to which the potential negative impacts of not using one can be mitigated by the presence of the other. Findings indicate that target response rates can be achieved using a smaller incentive if the field period is lengthy but, even with a lengthy field period, the use of a smaller incentive can result in biased estimates due to a lack of representativeness. Conversely, when a robust incentive is used and weights are developed to adjust for nonresponse, a shorter field period will not have a significant impact on point estimates, but the estimates will be less precise due to fewer respondents participating in the survey.
Qualitative Research on Interpersonal Violence: Guidance for Early Career Scholars
Authors: Hardesty Jennifer L. , Haselschwerdt Megan L. , Crossman Kimberly A.
Published: September 2019

The purpose of this article is to offer early career violence scholars guidance on critical aspects of qualitative research, including methodological integrity and research procedures. Throughout this article, we center our discussion on issues of methodological fit, flexibility, safety, and ethics. We overview paradigmatic frameworks that guide methodological decisions and discuss reasons why researchers might choose to use qualitative methods. We then address decisions around recruitment, sampling, and saturation as well as predata collection preparations for conducting interview-based studies. Participant and research team safety and ethics are emphasized, as these issues should be at the core of all decisions in interpersonal violence research. Along with examples from the field of interpersonal violence, we provide references to relevant resources on paradigmatic frameworks, specific qualitative research approaches, and safety and ethics. Throughout, we draw from our lessons learned as qualitative researchers, teachers, and mentors who study intimate partner violence and young adult children exposed to marital violence.
Negotiating Participatory Research Processes With Domestic Violence Program Staff to Obtain Ecologically Valid Data
Authors: Nnawulezi Nkiru , Sullivan Cris M. , Marcus Suzanne , Young Latoya , Hacskaylo Margaret
Published: September 2019

The choice of research design affects not only internal and external validity but ecological validity as well. Ecological validity refers to the extent to which data are based in and relevant to real-world settings. One way for researchers to maximize the likelihood of achieving ecological validity is to design studies with community partners that use participatory approaches. Engaging deeply with community partners in determining what to study, how to measure constructs of interest, interpreting results, and using findings to create change is one means of conducting research that is likely to produce findings that are meaningful to communities. Conducting in-depth, participatory research within agencies providing crisis supports to individuals who have experienced trauma creates an additional level of complexity in the research process. This article presents a case example of how academic researchers and staff members of a nonprofit organization working with survivors of intimate partner violence collaborated on an evaluation of the community partner agency. As part of this process, the team members had to be continually aware of and responsive to the nature of crisis-focused work. We provide a reflexive account of the lessons learned and recommendations for future research.
How Background Relates to Perceptions of Child Sexual Abuse Prevention and Policies Related to Individuals Convicted of Sex Crimes
Authors: Socia Kelly M. , Grady Melissa D. , Bolder Tess , Cronin Kelli , Hurt Christi , Vidrine Sarah
Published: September 2019

Although research has examined perceptions of child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention and the efficacy of sex offender policies (SOPs), less research compares these perceptions between different backgrounds. We explore these perceptions among North Carolina stakeholders with backgrounds related to (a) victims of CSA, (b) individuals convicted of sex crimes (ICSCs), and/or (c) law enforcement and policymakers. Specifically, we examine how these backgrounds differ in the perceived efficacy of (a) the ability to prevent CSA, (b) containment-based SOPs, and (c) assistance-based SOPs. We find that the victim-focused background was the most optimistic that CSA prevention is possible, and the law and policy background was the most pessimistic. Furthermore, the ICSC-focused background was the least likely to believe in the effectiveness of containment-based strategies and the most likely to believe in the effectiveness of assistance-based strategies. An overlapping victim-and-ICSC background consistently fell in between the views of victim-only and ICSC-only backgrounds.
Comfort: Context for the Study Abroad Faculty Role
Authors: Davis Janet H. , Spoljoric Diane
Published: September 2019

Universities are increasingly undertaking student study abroad programs led by nursing faculty. The authors launched an inaugural study abroad nursing course. They proposed that the significance of the faculty trip role extends beyond the operational tasks required for international programs. Comfort theory was chosen as a good fit, since it offered a context for the significance of nursing faculty leading study abroad trips. It was consistent with the authors’ experiences. Nurse faculty members applying technical and coaching interventions to relieve needs can strengthen students facing the demands of international experiences. It was concluded that comfort theory provided meaningful context for the international trip leader role.
Collaboration in Teaching-Learning: Honoring the Wisdom of Diverse Perspectives
Authors: Yancey Nan Russell
Published: September 2019

As complexity challenges healthcare providers across disciplines, calls arise for greater collaboration across settings and disciplines. In this column, the importance of honoring the wisdom of the diverse perspectives of collaborators with varying educational and experiential backgrounds is explored. For authentic collaboration to be possible, collaborators must have a solid theoretical, scientific, and experiential foundation within their particular discipline. The challenge for nurse faculty is to prepare students for collaboration by providing teaching-learning opportunities for building a solid foundation in the discipline, being clear about the distinctions across disciplines as well as the distinctions among the many degree levels within nursing.
Differing Perspectives on Paradox
Authors: Bunkers Sandra Schmidt
Published: September 2019

In this article, the author describes two differing perspectives on paradox: the humanbecoming paradigm perspective and the management/organizational theory perspective. Examples of paradoxes from these two differing views are presented.
Ethics of Scholarly Collaboration
Authors: Milton Constance L.
Published: September 2019

Scholarly collaboration with others involves endeavors filled with known-unknown expectations and ambiguity in the development of projects, presentations, and publications. This article begins an exploration of potential ethics involved in situations of collaboration among scholars as potential conflicts of interest unfold. The straight-thinking ethos surrounding collaboration is highlighted from a humanbecoming leading-following model.
Thoughts About Real Nursing
Authors: Fawcett Jacqueline , Derboghossian Grace , Flike Kimberlee , Gómez Eva , Han Helen Park , Kalandjian Narineh , Tapayan Sarin , Pletcher Jennifer E.
Published: September 2019

This essay presents thoughts about what constitutes real nursing and who may be considered a real nurse.
Building Interprofessional Teams Through Partnerships to Address Quality
Authors: Cortes Tara
Published: September 2019

Interprofessional collaborative education and practice is essential in the current complex healthcare climate. Barriers to interprofessional education include difficulty scheduling joint activities amid the silos of discipline-specific curricula and the lack of urgency by faculty to find innovative ways to commit to interprofessional training. Barriers in practice include poor understanding of the roles of different professionals and lack of awareness of the concept because the people in the workforce were mostly educated before interprofessional practice and education were prioritized by national bodies representing academic professions. The author of this paper describes opportunities for interprofessional education and practice and describes a way to create an educational-practice partnership to drive quality in healthcare settings.
Leadership Opportunities for Nurses in Telehealth: A King Perspective
Authors: Fronczek Ann E. , Cowen Nannette
Published: September 2019

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are in an excellent position to provide leadership for advancing telehealth initiative. King’s social system concepts of role, status, authority, power, and decision-making may be explored in this context. The authors of this article provide insight into the leadership opportunities in telehealth that exist for APRNs in current healthcare systems through a King perspective. The authors discuss some of the major challenges for APRNs in telehealth and how leadership may overcome some of those challenges.
Prenatal BPA and its analogs BPB, BPF, and BPS exposure and reproductive axis function in the male offspring of Sprague Dawley rats
Authors: Ullah A , Pirzada M , Jahan S , Ullah H , Razak S , Rauf N , Khan MJ , Mahboob SZ
Published: September 2019

Research in the past has indicated associated long-term and low levels of exposure of bisphenol A (BPA) in early life and neuroendocrine disorders, such as obesity, precocious puberty, diabetes, and hypertension. BPA and its analogs bisphenol B (BPB), bisphenol F (BPF), and bisphenol S (BPS) have been reported to have similar or even more toxic effect as compared to BPA. Exposure of rats to BPA and its analogs BPB, BPF, and BPS resulted in decreased sperm production, testosterone secretion, and histological changes in the reproductive tissues of male rats. In the present study, BPA, BPB, BPF, and BPS were administered in drinking water at concentrations of (5, 25, and 50 μg/L) from pregnancy day (PD) 1 to PD 21. Body weight (BW), hormonal concentrations, antioxidant enzymes, and histological changes were determined in the reproductive tissues. BPA and its analogs prenatal exposure to female rats induced significant statistical difference in the antioxidant enzymes, plasma testosterone, and estrogen concentrations in the male offspring when compared with the control. Histological parameters of both testis and epididymis revealed prominent changes in the reproductive tissues. The present study suggests that BPA and its analogs BPB, BPF, and BPS different concentrations led to marked alterations in the development of the male reproductive system.
Standardization and standards in Bulgarian libraries: Current state
Authors: Krasteva Rositsa Dobreva
Published: September 2019

The article contains the results of an empirical study conducted in the early 2018 through a survey conducted among the libraries in Bulgaria. Data obtained were processed by the software product for mathematical analysis of statistical data SPSS for Windows 19.0. The aim of the study is to create a complete picture of the Bulgarian library system in terms of understanding the benefits of standardization activity and the application of specific standards in the field of library activities. The applied research methods are: research, analysis and synthesis of information received, a comparative analysis between different groups of libraries participated in the survey. In order to specify the psychometric characteristics of the methods and verification of the working hypothesis, the following methods for statistical processing were applied: descriptive statistics; correlation analysis; factorial analysis; one-way ANOVA test. This study is the first large-scale study of its kind on standardization among Bulgarian libraries. Its contributions can be assigned to those that enrich the theory and methodology of sociological studies in the field of library activities. As a result of the survey the current level of application of the specific national, branch and international standards in the Bulgarian libraries was established. Measures have been identified to promote the standardization activity in the field of library activities. Data gathered from the survey contribute to the development of methodology and curricula for online training of the library specialists, according to their specific needs and interest.
Biased Attention to Threat: Answering Old Questions With Young Infants
Authors: Burris Jessica L. , Oleas Denise , Reider Lori , Buss Kristin A. , Pérez-Edgar Koraly , LoBue Vanessa
Published: September 2019

For decades, researchers have been interested in humans’ ability to quickly detect threat-relevant stimuli. Here, we review recent findings from infant research on biased attention to threat and discuss how these data speak to classic assumptions about whether attention biases for threat are normative, whether they change with development, and what factors might contribute to this developmental change. We conclude that although there is some stability in attention biases in infancy, various factors—including temperamental negative affect and maternal anxiety—also contribute to shaping the development of biased attention.
The Effect of Diagnosis-Related Groups on the Shift of Medical Services From Inpatient to Outpatient Settings: A National Claims-Based Analysis
Authors: Lee Changwoo , Kim Ji Man , Kim Ye-Soon , Shin Euichul
Published: September 2019

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the introduction of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) shifted the medical services from inpatient to outpatient settings. Using a difference-in-difference analysis, the changes in length of stay, outpatient visit days within 30 days before hospitalization, and outpatient visit days within 30 days after hospital discharge were evaluated. The length of stay was reduced after the DRG policy, consistent with previous studies. Outpatient visit days within 30 days before a hospital admission increased significantly after the policy change. In addition, outpatient visit days within 30 days after a hospital discharge increased in all the medical institutions excluding hospitals. The study findings are consistent with the expectation that providers respond to changes in the payment system to protect or enhance their economic interests. Health care providers in Korea responded to the DRG policy by reducing the intensity of inpatient treatment and transferring costs to outpatient settings.
Developing a Typology of HIV/STI Testing Patterns Among Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men: A Framework to Guide Interventions
Authors: Tan Rayner Kay Jin , Kaur Nashwinder , Chen Mark I-Cheng , Wong Chen Seong
Published: September 2019

Although factors associated with HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing among gay, bisexual, and queer (GBQ) men are well-established in the literature, few studies have attempted to delineate the processes underlying different patterns of testing. We conducted a qualitative study involving 35 semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of GBQ men in Singapore from October 2017 to July 2018. Topics explored included formative sexual experiences, relationships, and experiences of HIV/STI testing. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. A typology comprising four distinct HIV/STI testing patterns was identified from the data, categorized based on the regularity of testing, relative to internal or external factors that motivate testing behaviors. These include triggered episodic testing, influenced episodic testing, institutionalized regular testing, and value-based regular testing. The typology highlights the preconditions that underlie different testing patterns and provides a framework for developing interventions that promote HIV/STI testing among GBQ men.
Comparison of Intermediate-term Outcomes of Total Ankle Arthroplasty in Primary and Ligamentous Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis
Authors: Lee Gun-Woo , Santoso Asep , Lee Keun-Bae
Published: September 2019

Background:

Ankle ligamentous injuries without fracture can result in end-stage ligamentous post-traumatic osteoarthritis, which may cause ligamentous imbalance after total ankle arthroplasty (TAA). However, outcomes of TAA in these patients are not well known. The purpose of this study was to evaluate intermediate-term clinical and radiographic outcomes of TAA in patients with ligamentous post-traumatic osteoarthritis and compare them with results of TAA for patients with primary osteoarthritis.

Methods:

We enrolled 114 patients (119 ankles) with consecutive primary TAA using HINTEGRA prosthesis at a mean follow-up duration of 6.0 years (range, 3-13). We divided all patients into 2 groups according to the etiology of osteoarthritis: (1) primary osteoarthritis group (69 ankles) and (2) ligamentous post-traumatic osteoarthritis group (50 ankles).

Results:

There was no significant intergroup difference in mean Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale (AOS), American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, Short Form-36 Physical Component Summary, visual analog scale pain score, ankle range of motion, or complications at the final follow-up. However, the final tibiotalar angle was less corrected to 4.2 degrees in the ligamentous post-traumatic osteoarthritis group compared to 2.7 degrees in the primary osteoarthritis group ( P = .001). More concomitant procedures were required at the index surgery for the ligamentous post-traumatic osteoarthritis group ( P = .001). The estimated 5-year survivorship was 93.4% (primary osteoarthritis group: 91.3%; ligamentous post-traumatic osteoarthritis group: 95.8%).

Conclusions:

Clinical outcomes, complication rate, and 5-year survivorship of TAA in ankles with primary and ligamentous post-traumatic osteoarthritis were comparable with intermediate-term follow-up. Our results suggest that TAA would be a reliable treatment in ankles with ligamentous post-traumatic osteoarthritis when neutrally aligned stable ankles are achieved postoperatively.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, retrospective cohort study.
Implementing Congestion Tolls on Currently Free Highways With Public–Private Partnerships: What Are the Financial and Economic Benefits?
Authors: DeCorla-Souza Patrick
Published: September 2019

A trillion dollars in Interstate highway improvement and modernization work has been deferred due to lack of funding. More than half of Interstate and other freeway and expressway lane miles are classified as urban. Therefore, one approach that could be considered to generate needed revenue for freeway improvements in urban areas is implementing congestion-based tolls on freeways during peak periods when they are congested. Such an approach has been implemented in the Washington, DC metro area, on the I-66 freeway inside the Capital Beltway in Northern Virginia. This article demonstrates how an analyst may estimate the financial and economic benefits of a concept involving imposition of congestion-based tolls on the entire urban freeway network, during peak periods only, in conjunction with transit service improvements using automated transit vehicles. Furthermore, the article evaluates potential benefits from using a public–private partnership for implementation of the concept.
Stability of corneal topography and aberrometry after hyperopic laser in situ keratomileusis with a 500-Hz excimer laser platform: A 3-year follow-up study
Authors: Plaza-Puche Ana B , Vargas Verónica , Yébana Pilar , Arba-Mosquera Samuel , Alio Jorge L
Published: September 2019

Purpose:

The aim of this study is to analyze the long-term stability of the corneal topography, the functional optical zone, and the refractive stability throughout 3 years following laser in situ keratomileusis surgery for hyperopia using a 500-Hz excimer laser system.

Methods:

This retrospective consecutive observational case series study comprised 66 eyes that underwent laser in situ keratomileusis to correct hyperopia with a postoperative follow-up of 3 years. Laser in situ keratomileusis procedures were performed using the SCHWIND Amaris 500-Hz excimer laser. Main outcomes measured were stability of the functional optical zone at corneal topography and corneal aberrometry.

Results:

Statistically significant differences were found in simulated keratometry (K2 (steep meridian) and Km (mean keratometry)) between 3 and 36 months postoperatively ( p ⩽ 0.01); these differences disappeared at 12 and 36 months ( p ⩾ 0.18). No statistically significant changes were observed in the horizontal and vertical diameter of the functional optical zone throughout the whole follow-up ( p ⩾ 0.07). A statistically significant difference was found in the spherical aberration between 3 and 36 months ( p = 0.02); this difference disappeared when compared between 12 and 36 months ( p = 0.72). Statistically significant correlations were detected between the vertical functional optical zone and coma root mean square ( r = –0.510, p < 0.01) and between the vertical functional optical zone and spherical aberration ( r = 0.441, p = 0.02) 36 months after surgery.

Conclusion:

Following 3 years of hyperopic laser in situ keratomileusis with a 500-Hz Amaris excimer laser, keratometry, functional optical zone, and corneal aberrations remain stable from 1 year after surgery. Topographical regression is not observed in hyperopic laser in situ keratomileusis with this excimer laser technology from 1 year after surgery.
Maturing arteriovenous accesses in incident haemodialysis patients and first-year outcomes
Authors: McGill Rita L , Lacson Eduardo K
Published: September 2019

Introduction:

Nephrologists have increased arteriovenous access placement in patients with chronic kidney disease. Not yet usable ‘maturing’ arteriovenous fistulas and grafts are nearly as common as mature arteriovenous fistulas or grafts. Little has been reported about patients initiating haemodialysis with unready arteriovenous fistulas or grafts.

Methods:

The United States Renal Data System records for all adult patients initiating haemodialysis with central venous catheters between July 2010 and December 2011. Patients were categorized by whether a maturing arteriovenous fistula or graft was present. Transition to working arteriovenous fistula or graft was determined from linked Medicare claims. Modality changes and survival were ascertained. A logistic model for one-year survival and a subdistribution hazards model for transition to working arteriovenous fistula or graft, accounting for the competing risk of death, were constructed.

Results:

Compared to central venous catheter-only, maturing arteriovenous fistula or graft was associated with access conversion (hazard ratio = 2.23 (2.17–2.30) and 3.25 (2.97–3.56), respectively, p < 0.001 for both). Median time to conversion, among those who transitioned, was 95 days (interquartile range = 56–139) for patients with a maturing arteriovenous graft and 135 days (98–198) with a maturing arteriovenous fistula, versus 193 days (138–256) with central venous catheter-only. Pre-dialysis nephrology care, male sex and non-Caucasian race were associated with access conversion. Patients without a maturing arteriovenous fistula or graft had decreased odds of one-year survival (odds ratio = 0.61 (0.58–0.66), p < 0.001), which attenuated with adjustment for access conversion (adjusted odds ratio = 1.06 (0.98–1.13), p = 0.2).

Conclusion:

Maturing arteriovenous fistulas or grafts were associated with enhanced first-year survival and increased opportunity for working arteriovenous fistulas or grafts, which may reflect pre-dialysis decision-making, quality of care and comorbid diseases. Central venous catheter exposure was substantial, even among patients with maturing access. Contributory factors prolonging conversion to arteriovenous access need to be identified and addressed.
Disparities in management and outcomes of myocardial infarction in multiple sclerosis: A matched cohort study
Authors: Marrie Ruth Ann , Tremlett Helen , Kingwell Elaine , Schaffer Stephen Allan , Yogendran Marina , Zhu Feng , Fransoo Randy , Garland Allan
Published: September 2019

Background:

Although multiple sclerosis (MS) confers an elevated risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), little is known about how it influences management of AMI.

Methods:

Using population-based administrative (health) data from two Canadian provinces, we conducted a retrospective matched cohort study. We identified people with MS who had an incident AMI, and up to five AMI controls without MS matched on age, sex, and region. We compared the likelihood of undergoing cardiac catheterization within 30 days of AMI, time to revascularization, use of recommended pharmacotherapy post-AMI, and mortality at 30 and 365 days post-AMI using multivariable regression models adjusting for potential confounders. We pooled findings across provinces using meta-analysis.

Results:

We identified 559 MS cases and 2523 matched controls. In the matched cohort, the MS cohort was less likely to undergo cardiac catheterization within 30 days of admission (odds ratio (OR) = 0.61; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.49–0.77), revascularization (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.69–0.88), or to fill a prescription for recommended therapy. Mortality risk was higher in the MS cohort than in the matched cohort at 30 and 365 days post-AMI.

Conclusion:

Rates of diagnostic and therapeutic care, and survival after AMI were lower in the MS population than in a matched population.
Clinical outcome measures in SPMS trials: An analysis of the IMPACT and ASCEND original trial data sets
Authors: Koch Marcus W , Mostert Jop , Uitdehaag Bernard , Cutter Gary
Published: September 2019

Background:

Still too little is known about the natural history of clinical outcome measures beyond the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), such as the timed 25-foot walk (T25FW) and nine-hole peg test (9HPT) in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS).

Objective:

To describe progression on the EDSS, T25FW, 9HPT, and their combinations. To investigate the association of the baseline characteristics age, sex, EDSS, T25FW, gadolinium-enhancing lesions, and relapse activity with EDSS and T25FW progression.

Methods:

Using original trial data from the placebo arms of the IMPACT and ASCEND randomized controlled trials, we describe disability progression (with and without 3- or 6-month confirmation). We investigated the association of selected baseline characteristics with EDSS and T25FW progression over 2 years using binary logistic regression.

Results:

T25FW was the single outcome measure with the largest proportion of patients progressing, followed by EDSS and 9HPT. EDSS and T25FW at baseline were associated with EDSS and T25FW progression in both data sets. Age and relapse activity were only mild and inconsistent predictors, while sex and gadolinium enhancement at baseline did not predict disability progression in either data set.

Conclusion:

Our analyses inform the selection of primary outcome measures as well as inclusion criteria for clinical trials in SPMS.
Connecting language proficiency to teaching ability: A meta-analysis
Authors: Faez Farahnaz , Karas Michael , Uchihara Takumi
Published: September 2019

Most English language teachers around the world speak English as an additional language, and their level of English proficiency is often a matter of concern for them and their employers who associate higher levels of language proficiency with more effective teaching skills. To this end, several studies have examined the relationship between language proficiency and teachers’ beliefs about their pedagogical capabilities, commonly known as self-efficacy. While generally studies show a positive relationship between language proficiency and self-perceived teaching ability, findings regarding the strength of the relationship, the role of specific language skills (e.g. speaking, listening), and how they interact with different teaching abilities (e.g. classroom management) are inconsistent. By combining data from 19 studies, this meta-analytic study examined the relationship between language proficiency and teaching self-efficacy and analysed the role of various moderators such as teaching degree, teaching experience, and type of self-efficacy/proficiency measures. Findings reveal a moderate relationship ( r = .37) between language proficiency and teaching self-efficacy, with some moderator variables showing significant differences across correlations. The results indicate that only a small percentage of the variance in self-efficacy can be accounted for by teachers’ language proficiency, suggesting that while language proficiency is important, there is more to self-efficacy than just language proficiency.