bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advocating Socio-Economic Justice: Some Experiences of the ICC-India Campaign and the Potential for a Law Clinic
Authors: Uma Saumya
Published: December 2012

The purpose of clinical legal education is not merely to equip the law student with lawyering skills to further the interests of his/her client; lawyers are also campaigners of socio-economic justice, policy makers, architects and influencers of law and policy, educators, counsellors and a voice for those whose human rights are trampled upon. The Indian campaign on the International Criminal Court (ICC-India campaign) is an anti-impunity campaign that worked in collaboration with various human rights groups, lawyers, law universities, academics, media persons and other like-minded individuals and groups to further socio-economic justice for marginalised sections of the society affected by mass crimes, through the use of international legal standards, from the years 2000 to 2010. Thereafter, key personnel of the erstwhile campaign, including members of its Board of Advisors as well as the present author, have continued the work of the campaign in their individual capacities. In this article, the experiences of the campaign in interacting with law students through its internship programme is extrapolated to examine the potential for a law clinic on the ICC.
Contextualising Women’s Rights and Entitlements to Land: Insights from Gujarat
Authors: Velayudhan Meera
Published: December 2012

The article examines women’s rights over land as a means of empowerment and documents the varied forms of engagements to secure that right for women in Gujarat. It analyses the position of enjoyment of rights over land by women, the forms of land holdings, changing patterns of land use and the increasing alienation from land. The changes made in land laws in Gujarat since 1970s have led to large scale land acquisition of agricultural land, common property resources and the establishment of SEZs, which in particular have resulted in erosion of rural livelihoods, with women facing the brunt of this change. The article documents the movements particularly that of the Working Group on Women and Land Ownership (WGWLO), in facilitating women’s access to land.
The Impact of Language and Response Format on Student Endorsement of Psychological Misconceptions
Authors: Hughes Sean , Lyddy Fiona , Kaplan Robin
Published: December 2012

The present study examined the possibility that the language and response format used in self-report questionnaires influences how readily people endorse misconceptions. Four versions of a 40-item misconception test were administered to European ( n = 281) and North American ( n = 123) psychology and nonpsychology undergraduates. Response format and ambiguity of phrasing were manipulated. Results indicate that misconception endorsement was strongly influenced by both question phrasing and response format, with students showing more agreement and less disagreement when misconceptions were ambiguously phrased or a 7-point rating scale used. These procedure-related effects were observed for European and North American psychology and nonpsychology students alike irrespective of the amount of time they had spent studying the subject. Implications for designing pedagogical procedures to assess student’s disciplinary knowledge and beliefs are discussed.
Teaching Generation Me
Authors: Twenge Jean M.
Published: December 2012

Today’s college students are significantly different from previous generations. On average, they are overconfident, have high expectations, report higher narcissism, are lower in creativity, are less interested in civic issues, and are less inclined to read long passages of text. They are highly confident of their abilities and received higher grades in high school despite doing fewer hours of homework than previous generations. They also believe in equality regardless of ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. Strategies for teaching Generation Me include: frequent and honest feedback on performance; interactive learning; explaining why the material is important; using images and video clips; eliminating makeup exams and exceptions; and shorter textbooks. Teachers can use self-esteem and success as an example of a correlation explained by reverse causation and/or confounding variables, and can cover cultural differences such as individualism and collectivism. Overall, the best practice may be solutions that preserve high standards for learning but accommodate this generation's preferences.
Interrupting the economy of miracles
Authors: Hengehold Laura
Published: December 2012

Diverse meanings of ‘sovereignty’ and ‘exchange’ force us to interrogate the implicit ontology of states and the associated assumptions about will, matter and spirit used by political theorists, evoking different religious and political traditions. This article contrasts the notion of ‘sovereignty’ found in Joseph Tonda’s Le Souverain Moderne (2005) with the one found in Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri’s Empire (2000). Tonda’s text, I argue, challenges and complicates the appropriateness of referring to early Christianity as a model for resistance to global capitalism in Empire. To help with this contrast, I draw on two Central African authors, Emmanuel Dongala (2006) and Joseph Mwantuali (2007), whose novels illustrate the supernatural as well as thoroughly material significance of state power, wealth and sexuality in the modern Sovereign.
The dialectic of beauty and agency
Authors: Walker Kathryn
Published: December 2012

I present Hegel’s position that beauty and moral agency cannot be paired in any productive way, demonstrating this as a culminating claim of the sixth chapter of The Phenomenology of Spirit. In this, we learn that for Hegel, beauty claims an ambiguous position, always eviscerated yet never fully put to rest. This dialectical tension requires that we attend to the place of beauty as it appears in Hegel’s thoughts on morality and marks a departure from a long-standing tradition – exemplified in the work of such thinkers as Plato, Immanuel Kant, the ‘Beautiful Souls’ of 18th-century German Romanticism and Elaine Scary – that matches moral goodness with beauty.
Concentrations of alprazolam in blood from impaired drivers and forensic autopsies were not much different but showed a high prevalence of co-ingested illicit drugs
Authors: Jones Alan Wayne , Holmgren Anita
Published: December 2012

Alprazolam is a benzodiazepine anxiolytic widely prescribed for treatment of panic-disorder and social phobias, although this medication is also subject to abuse. In this paper, the concentrations of alprazolam in venous blood samples from impaired drivers were compared with femoral blood samples from forensic autopsies classified as intoxication or other causes of death (e.g. natural, trauma). After liquid–liquid extraction ( n-butyl acetate) alprazolam was determined in blood by capillary gas chromatography with a nitrogen–phosphorous detector. The mean (median) and range of alprazolam concentrations in blood from impaired drivers ( n = 773) were 0.08 mg/L (0.05 mg/L) and 0.02–3.9 mg/L, respectively. Many traffic offenders had co-ingested ethanol (13%), amphetamine (46%), cannabis (32%), or heroin (14%), as well as other drugs. In deaths attributed to drug intoxication, the mean (median) and range of alprazolam concentrations in blood ( n = 438) were 0.10 mg/L (0.06 mg/L) and 0.02–1.6 mg/L, respectively, which were not much different from other causes of death ( n = 278); 0.08 mg/L (0.05 mg/L) and 0.02–0.9 mg/L. Median concentrations of alprazolam in blood from living and deceased persons did not seem to depend on the number of co-ingested substances. The result of this pharmacoepidemiological study suggests that alprazolam is a fairly innocent drug when used as monotherapy, but toxicity problems arise when co-ingested with illicit drugs and/or psychoactive medication.
Managerial share ownership and operating performance: Do independent and executive directors have different incentives?
Authors: Khan Arifur , Mather Paul , Balachandran Balasingham
Published: December 2012

We investigate the relationship between managerial share ownership (MSO) and earnings as a measure of operating performance in Australia. To mitigate potential earnings management, we also use discretionary accrual adjusted earnings as an alternative measure of performance. We document a negative relation between MSO and performance followed by a positive relation. We suggest that these unique results are an artefact of certain Australian institutional features and imply that the ownership–performance relation is context-specific, with the wider corporate governance systems influencing the theorised incentive effects. We also posit that executive directors and independent directors have different ownership–performance incentives. Our results are consistent with this proposition and suggest that independent directors may be immune to the theorised incentive alignment or entrenchment effects associated with share ownership.
Ethnic penalties in graduate level over-education, unemployment and wages: evidence from Britain
Authors: Rafferty Anthony
Published: December 2012

Although access to higher education has helped many minority ethnic men and women improve their labour market position compared to prior generations or the less qualified, it remains unclear to what extent higher level qualifications facilitate an equalization of labour market outcomes with comparably educated white UK born men and women. This article critically examines ethnic differences in graduate level over-education, unemployment and wages as potential markers of discrimination or broader ‘ethnic penalties’, defined as the differences in labour market outcomes persisting after accounting for observable human capital and demographic characteristics. To estimate ethnic penalties a novel approach using covariate matching is applied. The findings reveal that despite their levels of educational attainment penalties persist among several minority ethnic groups. The implications of pre-labour market social disadvantages for explaining patterns of over-education are highlighted.
Work, narrative identity and social affiliation
Authors: Foster Karen
Published: December 2012

Sociologists of work have been drawn into a conversation over work’s significance as a source of identity and social affiliation – ‘needs’ which, according to late modern theorists, are increasingly fulfilled in multiple other realms. This article enters this exchange by foregrounding the epistemological puzzle of how we can ‘know’ identity and social affiliation in narratives. As a provisional solution, Jenkins’s concepts of identification and categorization are brought into contact with Marks and Thompson’s emphasis on interests and identities and operationalized through Somers’s concepts of narrative identity, emplotment and categorization in an analysis of qualitative interviews with 52 working people and former workers in Canada.
The relevance of ideas in a union’s organization of contingent workers: ‘Here come the fairy people!’
Authors: Dean Deborah
Published: December 2012

There has been little research on the entertainment industry trade union Equity, one of the few longstanding examples of a union that organizes contingent workers as core members. An explanation for this is considered to be the perception of acting as not ‘real’ work. The article argues that this perception has analytical relevance and explores the interconnection of historical, ideological and economic issues in accounting for employment phenomena.
Bismaleimide/preceramic polymer blends for hybrid material transition regions
Authors: Bechel Vernon T. , Safriet Sirina , Brown Janis M. , Unroe Marilyn R.
Published: December 2012

In this article, initial steps were taken in the study of processing mixtures of a polymer and a preceramic polymer to produce a hybrid material that contains a region of gradual transformation from a polymer to a ceramic. It is thought to be a first step toward the eventual development of a hybrid that is graded from a polymer matrix composite to a ceramic matrix composite. Thermal analysis, elemental analysis, and morphology characterization of blends of RD-730 preceramic polymer, which converts to silicon carbide upon pyrolyzation, and Matrimid A/B polymer which is a bismaleimide were carried out as a function of cure cycles. The cure cycles were chosen to vary the resin viscosity at specific times during processing in order to affect the amount of phase separation of the two resins. These results were then used to make conclusions on how processing parameters affected the miscibility of the two resins and the likelihood of producing a hybrid having mechanical and thermal properties that fall between those of the two constituents. High RD-730 loadings were achieved without phase inversion, the glass transition temperature ( Tg) of the blended material was shown to be significantly influenced by a post-cure, and a spatial gradient in RD-730 concentration was noted.
Holocene variability in hydrology, vegetation, fire, and eolian activity in the Nebraska Sand Hills, USA
Authors: Schmieder Jens , Fritz Sherilyn C , Grimm Eric C , Jacobs Kimberly C , Brown Kendrick J , Swinehart James B , Porter Stephen C
Published: December 2012

This study combined multiple aquatic and terrestrial proxies, including diatoms, pollen, grain size, and bulk-sediment chemistry to reconstruct the history of three lake sites located in the central Sand Hills of Nebraska, USA. Long-term changes in effective moisture are evident at all sites, with significant changes occurring at ~6000, ~4000, and ~ 2000 cal. yr BP. Both aquatic and terrestrial indicators suggest that effective moisture was low between 10,000 and ~6000 cal. yr BP, and that this time interval was the driest period of the Holocene. The dominance of benthic and tychoplanktic diatom taxa indicates relatively shallow lake-level, high sand influx indicates moderately high eolian activity, and the pollen assemblage suggests xeric grasslands with abundant mud flats. About 6000 cal. yr BP, all three sites experienced an increase in effective moisture. Lake-level rise is indicated by increases in planktic and tychoplanktic diatoms relative to benthic taxa, while greater abundance of grass pollen and charcoal, and decreased eolian flux indicate stabilized dunes with dense vegetation sufficient to fuel local fires. A significant hydrologic shift recorded at all sites occurred at ~4000 cal. yr BP. This event was characterized by substantial lake-level rise, yet decreased grass cover and fire frequency, and increased eolian activity. Water-table rise may have been caused by a combination of factors including: (1) formation of dune-dams that blocked old drainage channels, (2) reduced grass cover and hence reduced evapotranspiration, and (3) changes in the frequency and duration of drought. The most likely cause(s) of the differential response of the terrestrial and aquatic systems at this time is not clear, none-the-less the late Holocene was not nearly as dry as the interval prior to 6000 cal. yr BP. The last ~2000 yr were characterized by several short-term fluctuations in lake level, including an interval of drought between 950 and 750 cal. yr BP, coincident with increased eolian activity during the latter part of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly.
Phytolith taphonomy in the middle- to late-Holocene fluvial sediments of Ounjougou (Mali, West Africa)
Authors: Garnier Aline , Neumann Katharina , Eichhorn Barbara , Lespez Laurent
Published: December 2012

In semi-arid ecosystems where lacustrine sediments are rare, bio-proxies preserved in fluvial deposits are needed to understand environmental changes. In this study, we evaluate the potential of phytoliths as a bio-proxy in the Yamé River’s deposits at Ounjougou (Mali, West Africa) covering the middle to late Holocene (7790–4000 cal. BP). In soils, phytolith assemblages result mainly from decomposition of local vegetation but in alluvial deposits, the taphonomy of phytoliths is more complex, depending on the type of transport and deposition. In order to define the spatial origin of the phytolith assemblages, either from local (valley floor) or regional vegetation (catchment area), we took the sedimentary characteristics of the deposits into account. Using a combination of general and index approaches, phytoliths of 14 modern and 29 fossil samples from the Yamé valley were analyzed. The predominant source area of represented phytoliths varies with the fluvial energy of transport. Channel deposits, carried during periods of strong fluvial activity, contain higher numbers of savanna grass phytoliths and display a lower ratio of dicotyledon versus Poaceae phytoliths (D/P) than those deposited in the floodplain where phytoliths from the local gallery forest are more strongly represented. From the 5th millennium BP onwards, higher percentages of grass short cell phytoliths (GSCP) and lower D/P values point to gradual vegetation opening due to increasing aridity. High amounts of burned phytoliths show regular fire incidence in the gallery forest and attest for human impact on the landscapes of Ounjougou from the 7th millennium BP onwards. After 4500 cal. BP, there is evidence for pearl millet cultivation.
The Höfðahólar rock avalanche (sturzström): Chronological constraint of paraglacial landsliding on an Icelandic hillslope
Authors: Mercier Denis , Cossart Etienne , Decaulne Armelle , Feuillet Thierry , Jónsson Helgi Páll , Sæmundsson Þorsteinn
Published: December 2012

The Höfðahólar rock avalanche, in the Skagafjörður area of northern Iceland, was investigated on the basis of a geomorphological analysis of its landforms and close surrounding environment. Thanks to sound chronological constraints (14C dating from birch remnants in peat areas that developed within depressions over the chaotic rock-avalanche deposit, tephrochronological sequences resulting from subsequent ash fallouts over the deposit, calibration of an age–depth model of peats and previously dated raised beaches), we define the rock-avalanche implementation with a wider timeframe between 10,200 and 7975 cal. yr BP and with a narrower frame between 9000 and 8195 ± 45 cal. yr BP. Such a well constrained timing proposes one of the most precise datings of an early-Holocene major slope failure in Iceland. This result fits well in the known chronology of the deglaciation in this area and in the prevailing Icelandic theory of a generalized phase of landsliding that occurred shortly after the deglaciation of the area. The main driver for the rock-avalanche occurrence is associated to a paraglacial origin; glacio-isostatic rebound, associated to rockwall debuttressing, is thought to be the main factor in the genesis of this Boreal major disequilibrium.
Holocene subfossil records of the auroch (Bos primigenius) in Romania
Authors: Bejenaru Luminita , Stanc Simina , Popovici Mariana , Balasescu Adrian , Cotiuga Vasile
Published: December 2012

This paper reviews identification of the auroch ( Bos primigenius) during the Holocene in Romania based on data from 190 archaeological sites, corresponding to Neolithic (including Chalcolithic), Bronze Age, Iron Age, Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The assemblages were analysed according to the geographical and historical regionalisation of the Romanian territory (i.e. Moldavia, Dobrudja, Wallachia, Banat, and Transylvania). The data reveal the rather low contribution of hunted aurochs to local economies, though with spatial and temporal variations. Although the species is currently extinct, aurochs still appear in the medieval samples from the 14–15th centuries, and the coincidence of the archaeozoological data with those from documentary sources is marked.
Climate and glacier mass balance trends from ad 1780 to present in the Columbia Mountains, British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Wood Lisa J , Smith Dan J
Published: December 2012

Climate and glacier mass balance trends from 1780 to present within the Columbia Mountains, British Columbia, Canada, were investigated using tree-ring data. Annually resolved ring width, maximum density and maximum cell wall thickness chronologies were constructed from increment core samples of Engelmann spruce ( Picea engelmannii), mountain hemlock ( Tsuga mertensiana) and subalpine fir ( Abies lasiocarpa) trees collected in Glacier and Revelstoke national parks. Proxy records of maximum June–August temperature, August precipitation and February snowpack provide insight into long-term seasonal climate changes. The intervals 1790–1810, 1850–1870 and 1930–1950 were characterized by warm summer temperatures. While overall August precipitation totals decrease over the period of record, the late 1700s, 1805–1835, the 1880s, 1960–1975 and the mid 1980s were notably wetter. February snowpacks have generally decreased in depth since 1873. The reconstructed winter, summer and net mass balance records indicate that glacier cover in the Columbia Mountains has varied primarily in response to decreased snowfall since the mid 1700s. Intervals of terminus advance and retreat were shown to reflect glaciological responses to relatively short-duration variations in summer temperature and winter snowfall. The rate of cumulative mass balance decline within the last 30 years exceeds that observed at any time over the last 250 years.
The impact of cyclophosphamide on menstruation and pregnancy in women with rheumatologic disease
Authors: Harward LE , Mitchell K , Pieper C , Copland S , Criscione-Schreiber LG , Clowse MEB
Published: December 2012

Background

While cyclophosphamide (CYC) can save the life of a young woman with severe rheumatologic disease, it may lead to the long-term side-effects of infertility and premature menopause. We compared the reproductive health histories of young women with rheumatologic disease with and without prior CYC exposure to identify the impact of this medication on this important component of health.

Methods

This research includes a case-series study of women diagnosed with SLE, vasculitis, and scleroderma prior to age 35. Each patient completed a questionnaire about desired childbearing, menstrual regularity, infertility, and pregnancy history. Women with prior CYC therapy were queried about the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH-a) for fertility preservation. The responses to this questionnaire were compared for women with and without CYC exposure.

Results

Of the 43 participants, 23 had prior CYC exposure and 20 were CYC naïve. The current age of these groups was similar (average age 32), but women with prior CYC were four years younger at diagnosis than women without CYC. More women with prior CYC had cessation of menses in the year prior to the study (30.4% vs 0%, p < 0.05). Of the women with prior CYC exposure, those with loss of menses were older at study enrollment, older at CYC treatment, and had a higher cumulative CYC dose than those with preserved menstruation. While more women with GnRH-a co-therapy during CYC had maintained menses, this difference did not reach statistical significance. Women with prior CYC without GnRH-a co-therapy had a higher frequency of nulliparity and had greater trouble conceiving than women with GnRH-a co-therapy. Few pregnancies were conceived following CYC exposure and all resulted in elective termination, miscarriage, or preterm birth.

Conclusion

In this cohort of young women with rheumatologic disease, more women with prior CYC than without had amenorrhea, nulliparity, and infertility. GnRH-a co-therapy may prevent these adverse effects of CYC.
Site differences in mild cognitive dysfunction (MCD) among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
Authors: Kozora E , Erkan D , West SG , Filley CM , Zhang L , Ramon G , Duggan E , Lockshin MD
Published: December 2012

Background

Mild cognitive dysfunction (MCD) is common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (MCD-SLE) but few studies have investigated potential site differences.

Methods

SLE patients from Denver, CO, and New York, NY, were enrolled in two different cognition studies employing similar screening methods. Using the resulting neuropsychological scores, cognitive impairment was calculated using a cognitive impairment index (CII).

Results

The rate of MCD-SLE was 24% at the Denver, CO, site and 60% at the New York, NY, site. The mean CII was 2.6 ± 2.3 versus 4.4 ± 2.7, respectively ( p = 0.005). The NY participants had a significantly longer disease duration ( p = 0.13) and higher American College of Rheumatology SLE criteria scores ( p > 0.001). NY participants had a higher frequency of impairment in semantic verbal fluency ( p = 0.005), visuomotor speed ( p = 0.013), and motor sequencing ( p = 0.001). A correlation was found between cognitive impairment and SLE disease duration ( p = 0.03).

Conclusions

The rate of MCD-SLE was greater in SLE patients from New York, NY, compared to patients in the Denver, CO, area. The greater duration of disease and higher prevalence of medical complications in the NY group might contribute to this difference. Findings suggest that MCD-SLE may differ by site, but future studies that better evaluate site or selection bias are recommended.
Increased incidence of herpes zoster among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Chakravarty EF , Michaud K , Katz R , Wolfe F
Published: December 2012

Herpes zoster (HZ) is the painful reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus infection. The incidence of HZ may be increased in some autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We examined the incidence and risk factors for HZ in a prospective cohort of patients with physician-diagnosed SLE compared to those diagnosed with non-inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions (MSK). After excluding participants with a history of prior HZ at enrollment, we followed 1485 SLE patients and 2775 MSK with semi-annual mailed questionnaires for incident HZ between 2001 and 2010. Age-adjusted incidences were calculated for each group and Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify predictors of HZ. Zostavax® vaccination rates were compared between groups.

Participants had a mean age of 60 years at enrollment, with 13.9 years of disease. SLE patients had more HZ at all ages, with an age-adjusted incidence of 12.0/1000 person-years compared to MSK (8.7/1000 person-years) and a hazard ratio of 1.7 (95% CI 1.08–2.71) for SLE. Increasing age and reduced functional status were independent predictors of HZ. In SLE, prednisone and mycophenolate mofetil use conferred additional risk. SLE had the lowest HZ vaccination rates among age-eligible subjects.
Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for systemic lupus erythematosus: data from the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation registry
Authors: Alchi B , Jayne D , Labopin M , Kotova O , Sergeevicheva V , Alexander T , Gualandi F , Gruhn B , Ouyang J , Rzepecki P , Held G , Sampol A , Voswinkel J , Ljungman P , Fassas A , Badoglio M , Saccardi R , Farge D ,   on behalf of the EBMT Autoimmune Disease Working Party members
Published: December 2012

Objectives

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) refractory to conventional immunosuppression suffer substantial morbidity and mortality due to active disease and treatment toxicity. Immunoablation followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a novel therapeutic strategy that potentially offers new hope to these patients.

Methods

This retrospective survey reviews the efficacy and safety of ASCT in 28 SLE patients from eight centres reported to the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) registry between 2001 and 2008.

Results

Median disease duration before ASCT was 52 (nine to 396) months, 25/28 SLE patients (89%) were female, age 29 (16–48) years. At the time of ASCT, eight (one to 11) American College of Rheumatology (ACR) diagnostic criteria for SLE were present and 17 (60%) patients had nephritis. Peripheral blood stem cells were mobilized with cyclophosphamide and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in 93% of patients, and ex vivo CD34 stem cell selection was performed in 36%. Conditioning regimens were employed with either low ( n = 10) or intermediate (18) intensities. With a median follow-up of 38 (one to 110) months after ASCT, the five-year overall survival was 81 ± 8%, disease-free survival was 29 ± 9%, relapse incidence (RI) was 56 ± 11% and non-relapse mortality was 15 ± 7%. Graft manipulation by CD34+ selection was associated with a lower RI ( p = 0.001) on univariate analysis. There were five deaths within two years after ASCT: three caused by infection, one by secondary autoimmune disease and one by progressive SLE.

Conclusions

Our data further support the concept of immunoablation and ASCT to re-induce long-term clinical and serologic remissions in refractory SLE patients even in the absence of maintenance therapy. This study also suggests a beneficial effect of ex vivo graft manipulation on prevention of relapses post-transplantation in SLE.
Aliskiren attenuates proteinuria in mice with lupus nephritis by a blood pressure-independent mechanism
Authors: Yen T-H , Yang H-Y , Yeh Y-H , Chu P-H , Wen C-J , Fu J-F , Wang I-K , Liang C-C , Chang C-T , Chen K-H , Tian Y-C , Hung C-C , Lin J-L , Yang C-W
Published: December 2012

This study revealed that low-dose aliskiren treatment could attenuate proteinuria by interrupting the renin-angiotensin system in mice with lupus nephritis, and the beneficial effect was beyond blood pressure control. An in and ex vivo fluorescence imaging (using a non-invasion in vivo imaging system) showed intense labeling of renin in the kidneys of female MRL/lpr mice. In the study, Alzet mini-osmotic pumps were implanted into 6-week-old female MRL/lpr mice. Pumps were filled with either phosphate-buffered saline or a solution of aliskiren dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline (20 mg/kg/day) and replaced at 28-day intervals. Mice were sacrificed at four and eight weeks. To label cells for DNA synthesis, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) (50 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally an hour prior to sacrifice. The level of renin inhibition was adequate, as aliskiren-treated mice demonstrated higher renal renin mRNA expression than controls ( p < 0.05). Although there were no significant differences in the systolic blood pressure (control versus aliskiren-treated: 127.20 ± 4.44 mmHg versus 103.80 ± 7.40 mmHg, p > 0.05) and heart rate (control versus aliskiren-treated: 680.50 ± 11.71 versus 647.80 ± 13.90, p > 0.05) of both groups after eight weeks, there was significant reduction of inflammatory cytokines (transforming growth factor-beta1, regulated on activation normal T cell expressed, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and osteopontin, p < 0.05), reduction of innate immunity (toll-like receptor 7, p < 0.05), as well as a reduction of glomerular proliferation and inflammation (BrdU-, CD45-, CD3- and F4/80-positive glomerular cells, p < 0.01) after aliskiren infusion, which might translate into an improvement in proteinuria (control versus aliskiren-treated: 493.7 versus 843.7 mg/g, p < 0.01) or weight gain (control versus aliskiren-treated: 5.65 ± 1.61 versus 8.67 ± 0.97%, p < 0.05).
Working-Class Filipino Women’s Perspectives on Factors That Facilitate or Hinder Prenatal Micronutrients Supplementation to Prevent Congenital Anomalies
Authors: Daack-Hirsch Sandra , Gamboa Henrietta
Published: December 2012

The study was conducted to plan for a community-health campaign to inform working-class Filipinos about the causes and prevention of orofacial clefting. Prenatal micronutrients may play a role in preventing orofacial clefting. Therefore, women’s practices and perspectives on barriers to and facilitators of micronutrient supplementation were elicited. A total of 43 women and 22 health care workers were interviewed. Barriers to taking supplements included side effects, late prenatal care, the view that micronutrients are medications, inadequate supply, and health care workers who were unaware that prenatal vitamin supplements prevent congenital anomalies. The main facilitator was women’s understanding that prenatal micronutrients improve the physical well-being of both mother and child. Given that women view having healthy babies as a reason to take micronutrients and that the health care workers lacked knowledge related to the use of micronutrients to prevent congenital anomalies, uptake of prenatal micronutrient supplementation programs may improve by specifically promoting the health benefit of preventing congenital anomalies.
The Characteristics of Imported Cases and the Effectiveness of Outbreak Control Strategies of Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) in China
Authors: Zhang Yi , Yang Peng , Liyanage Surabhi , Seale Holly , Deng Ying , Pang Xinghuo , Tian Lili , Liu Baiwei , Zhang Li , Wang Quanyi
Published: December 2012

The aim of this article was to describe the epidemiological characteristics of imported cases of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) and to assess the effectiveness of public health intervention measures in Beijing, China. Data on imported cases were collected via border entry screening, influenza-like illness screening in hospitals, medical follow-up of travelers from overseas, and quarantined close contacts. The characteristics of these cases were investigated. Pharyngeal swabs were collected and tested using polymerase chain reaction. A total of 609 imported cases were confirmed in Beijing from May 16 to September 30, 2009. Subjects aged <20 years accounted for 47.3%, and females represented 49.1%. Most cases were from North America and South America (27.3%). There were 21.8%, 18.7%, 3.1%, and 56.3% of cases detected separately via border entry screening, quarantined close contacts, medical follow-up of travelers from overseas, and influenza-like illness screening in hospitals, respectively. The 4 strategies were able to detect the cases efficiently but the use of resources was high.
Equity of Access to Primary Care Among Older Adults in Incheon, South Korea
Authors: Park Ju Moon
Published: December 2012

The present study examines the extent to which equity in the use of physician services for the elderly has been achieved in Incheon, Korea. It is based on the Aday and Andersen Access Framework. The results indicate that a universal health insurance system has not yielded a fully equitable distribution of services. The limitation of benefit coverage as well as high out-of-pocket payment can be a barrier to health care utilization, which results in inequity and differential medical care utilization between subgroups of older adults. Health policy reforms in South Korea must continue to concentrate on extending insurance coverage to the uninsured and establishing a financially separate insurance system for poor older adults. In addition, further research is needed to identify the nonfinancial barriers that persist for certain demographic subgroups, that is, those 80 years and older, men, those who lack a social network, and those who have no religion.
We Need a Hero! Toward a Validation of the Healthy and Resilient Organization (HERO) Model
Authors: Salanova Marisa , Llorens Susana , Cifre Eva , Martínez Isabel M.
Published: December 2012

Two studies were conducted to validate the so-called HEalthy and Resilient Organization (HERO) Model. Results from Study 1 provided validity and psychometric support for a new measure designed to assess HEROs composed by semistructured interviews with the CEOs of 14 companies as well as questionnaires for their stakeholders (710 employees, 84 work-units, their immediate supervisors, and 860 customers). In Study 2, SEM (using data aggregated at the work-unit level, which consisted of 303 teams and their supervisors from 43 companies) showed that healthy employees fully mediated the positive relationship between healthy organizational resources and practices, and healthy organizational outcomes (assessed by supervisors). Moreover, regression analyses (at the organizational level, with 2,098 customers) showed that employees’ excellent performance positively predicts customer loyalty and satisfaction with the company.
Toward an Actor-Based Measure of Supreme Court Case Salience
Authors: Black Ryan C. , Sorenson Maron W. , Johnson Timothy R.
Published: December 2012

Case salience affects nearly every aspect of Supreme Court justices’ behavior, yet a valid actor-based measure of salience has remained elusive. Researchers have instead relied on external proxy indicators, such as amicus curiae participation and media coverage, to explain justices’ behavior. We propose a novel measurement of salience in which we use justices’ differential levels of engagement to generate actor-based measures of case and justice-level salience. Focusing on justices’ behavior during oral argument, we contend that the more engaged the justices are in a case—defined by the number of words they speak—the more salient the case.
The Impact of Cardiovascular Disease and Risk Factor Treatment on Ethnic Disparities in Kidney Transplant
Authors: Taber David J. , Pilch Nicole A. , Meadows Holly B. , McGillicuddy John W. , Bratton Charles F. , Chavin Kenneth D. , Baliga Prabhakar K. , Egede Leonard E.
Published: December 2012

There is limited data on the use of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor medications following renal transplant, especially when comparing use across ethnicities. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence, treatment, and impact of CVD between ethnicities in kidney transplant recipients. This was a retrospective cohort study of adults who underwent transplant between 2000 and 2008 within our academic medical transplant center. Pediatrics, multiorgan transplants, and those lost to follow-up were excluded. Data collection included all transplant and sociodemographic characteristics, medication use, CVD risk factor management, and follow-up events, including acute rejection, graft loss, and death. A total of 987 patients were included and followed for a mean of 6.7 ± 3.0 years. The baseline demographics revealed black patients were equally likely to have preexisting CVD (24% vs 25%, P = .651), but more likely to have preexisting diabetes (35% vs 23%, P < .001) or hypertension (97% vs 94%, P = .029). Black patients had poorer treatment of CVD risk factors, with lower rates of control of diabetes (35% vs 51%, P < .05) and dyslipidemia (37% vs 42%, P < .05). Black renal transplant recipients who had preexisting CVD had reduced graft survival rates compared to white patients (10-year rate 50% vs 60%, P = .033), but similar rates of graft survival were found in those without CVD (10-year rate 70% vs 71% in white patients, P = .483). CVD is common in transplant recipients, with black patients having higher rates and poorer control of diabetes and dyslipidemia.
Maximizing the Spectral and Temporal Benefits of Two Clinically Used Sound Processing Strategies for Cochlear Implants
Authors: Won Jong Ho , Nie Kaibao , Drennan Ward R. , Rubinstein Jay T.
Published: December 2012

Previous work showed that the Fidelity120 processing strategy provides better spectral sensitivity, while the HiResolution processing strategy can deliver more detailed temporal information for Advanced Bionics cochlear implant users. The goal of this study was to develop a new sound processing strategy by maximizing the spectral benefit of Fidelity120 and the temporal benefit of HiResolution to improve both aspects of hearing. Using acoustic simulations of Fidelity120 and HiResolution strategies, a dual-processing strategy was created by combining Fidelity120 in the low frequency channels and HiResolution in the high frequency channels. Compared to Fidelity120, the dual processing provided an improvement in performance for Schroeder-phase discrimination at 200 Hz and temporal modulation detection at 200 Hz with the cost of a slightly decreased performance for spectral-ripple discrimination relative to Fidelity120. Spectral-ripple discrimination was better with the dual processing than with HiResolution. However, no benefit for speech perception in noise was found for the dual-processing strategy over Fidelity 120 or HiResolution in our preliminary tests. Some other more optimal combination of Fidelity120 and HiResolution may be required to maximize the spectral and temporal benefits to yield improved speech perception.
“Seeing” in NARCOMS: a look at vision-related quality of life in the NARCOMS registry
Authors: Salter Amber R , Tyry Tuula , Vollmer Timothy , Cutter Gary R , Marrie Ruth Ann
Published: December 2012

Background:

Research on vision-related quality of life (QOL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) is still limited. Tools such as the Visual Functioning Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25) and the Vision Performance Scale (VPS) facilitate assessments of the severity of visual impairment and its impact on daily life.

Objective:

The objective of this paper is to examine vision-related QOL, comorbid eye conditions, use of visual aids and utilization of eye-care providers in the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) population, and to explore these issues in those with a history of optic neuritis (ON) and diplopia.

Methods:

In 2008, NARCOMS registrants reported on their use of visual aids, the VFQ-25, VPS, history of ON, diplopia, refractive error conditions (REC) and comorbid eye diseases (CED). We conducted regression analyses and correlations between select variables.

Results:

The response rate for the survey was 60.4%. Of the 9107 responders, 66.7% reported visual disability measured by VPS. Of respondents, 43.1% had a history of ON and 38.6% reported prior diplopia. Frequencies of myopia (51.8%), hyperopia (26.6%), and uveitis (3.4%) exceeded those expected for the general population. Mean (SD) VFQ-25 composite score was 82.0 (14.2). A history of ON or diplopia accounted for 9.7% of the variance in the VFQ-25; 90.6% of respondents used glasses or contact lenses. Rates of utilizations of eye-care providers were lower than expected.

Conclusion:

Prior ON, diplopia, REC and CED adversely impact vision-related QOL in MS. Increased utilization of eye-care providers and use of visual aids could improve vision-related QOL in people with MS.
Smoking as a risk factor for multiple sclerosis
Authors: Salzer Jonatan , Hallmans Göran , Nyström Maria , Stenlund Hans , Wadell Göran , Sundström Peter
Published: December 2012

Background:

Smoking has been associated with an increased risk for multiple sclerosis, but no studies have measured levels of the nicotine metabolite cotinine in prospectively collected samples to assess exposure.

Objective:

To investigate the effects of laboratory defined tobacco use on the risk for multiple sclerosis using prospectively collected biobank blood samples.

Methods:

Levels of cotinine were measured in n=192 cases, and n=384 matched controls, using an immunoassay. The risk for multiple sclerosis was estimated using matched logistic regression.

Results:

Elevated cotinine levels (≥10 ng/ml) were associated with a significantly increased risk for multiple sclerosis, (odds ratio, OR 1.5, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.0–2.1). This association was only present in young individuals (below median age at blood sampling, <26.4 years), (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.3–3.8).

Conclusions:

This study confirms that smoking is a risk factor for multiple sclerosis. It has the advantage of using analyses of cotinine levels in samples that were collected several years before disease onset, thus excluding any risk for recall bias and minimising the risk for reversed causation. Our results also suggest that the smoking related immunological events that contribute to the development of multiple sclerosis occur early in life.
Month of birth as a latitude-dependent risk factor for multiple sclerosis in Norway
Authors: Grytten Nina , Torkildsen Øivind , Aarseth Jan Harald , Benjaminsen Espen , Celius Elisabeth Gulowsen , Dahl Ole Petter , Holmøy Trygve , Løken-Amsrud Kristin , Midgard Rune , Myhr Kjell-Morten , Risberg Geir , Vatne Anita , Kampman Margitta T
Published: December 2012

Objective:

We aimed to determine if the risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is associated with month of birth in Norway and to explore a possible latitudinal gradient.

Methods:

All patients with MS born between 1930 and 1979 registered in the Norwegian MS Registry or ascertained in Norwegian prevalence studies were included ( n = 6649). The latitude gradient was divided in Southern, Middle and Northern Norway, according to the estimated regional yearly mean vitamin D effective UV dose.

Results:

Risk of MS was 11% higher for those born in April ( p = 0.045), and 5% higher for those born in May ( p = 0.229), 5% lower for those born in November ( p = 0.302) and 12% lower for those born in February ( p = 0.053) compared with the corresponding population, unaffected mothers and siblings. In Southern Norway the odds ratio of MS births in April and May was 1.05 (0.98 – 1.24), in Middle Norway 1.11 (0.97 – 1.27) and in Northern Norway 1.28 (1.0 – 1.63) compared with the other months.

Conclusions:

This study confirms previous reports of increased MS births in spring and decreased MS births in the winter months. This could support the role of decreased sunlight exposure during pregnancy and vitamin D deficiency in prenatal life in MS.
Unexpected enchantment in unexpected places
Authors: Neumann Iver B
Published: December 2012

The study of religion leads a curiously secluded life within intellectual circles. This article argues that this is to our loss, particularly on the part of students of popular culture, since a number of the most widely discussed artefacts depend on religious themes for their effect. Taking note of the largely non-religious reception of one TV show, the reimagined Battlestar Galactica, the article offers a detailed reading of its constitutive religious narrative, aiming to demonstrate how this narrative owes very much indeed to Mormon theology. In conclusion, the article argues that intellectuals need to regain the skills needed to identify and analyse religious thinking, lest we miss the hermeneutic level on which religiously based artefacts are actually consumed by many viewers.
Telenovelas and society
Authors: Merayo Mar Chicharro
Published: December 2012

This study focuses on certain aspects of the socialising function exerted by the medium of television. More specifically, it examines in detail some of the televisual strategies used by Spanish public television to reinforce the idea of Spain as ‘state’ and ‘nation’. To achieve this, the study analyses two telenovelas produced in Spain, La Señora ( The Lady) and Amar en tiempos revueltos ( Loving in Troubled Times), which represent the adaptation of the genre to the cultural characteristics of its target audience. Although both series adhere to the principal rules of this melodramatic formula, they propose, in a similar way, an exercise of interpreting the country’s recent history. They explain and interpret the past of this society, thus justifying the collective present day. The analysis of both texts allows us to identify some of the semantic keys used today by the television media to evoke and legitimate the idea of the Spanish nation.
Policing the Irish
Authors: Campbell Sean
Published: December 2012

The Irish presence in England has been invoked in a range of recent accounts of ‘race’, ethnicity and immigration. However, Irish migrants were largely obscured in cultural studies’ turn to ‘race’ and ethnicity in the late 1970s and early 1980s, despite the fact that England’s Irish were the country’s largest migrant minority and intrinsically relevant to the work of cultural studies. This article explores the absence of an Irish dimension in British cultural studies’ work on ‘race’ and ethnicity, focusing on the landmark texts Policing the Crisis: Mugging, the State and Law and Order and The Empire Strikes Back: Race and Racism in 70s Britain. The article illustrates the salience of the Irish to these accounts, and shows how Irish ethnicity (despite being invoked in the formative work of E.P. Thompson) was erased at key moments. Finally, the article maps the emergence of an Irish dimension in cultural studies’ work on ‘race’ and ethnicity since the 1990s.