bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ser and estar: Corrective input to children’s errors of the Spanish copula verbs
Authors: Holtheuer Carolina , Rendle-Short Johanna
Published: March 2013

Evidence for the role of corrective input as a facilitator of language acquisition is inconclusive. Studies show links between corrective input and grammatical use of some, but not other, language structures. The present study examined relationships between corrective parental input and children’s errors in the acquisition of the Spanish copula verbs ser and estar. Spontaneous speech production data from 10 Chilean children (mean age 2;6, age range 1;10–3;4) interacting with their main caretaker at home were analyzed. The study focused on whether parents provided corrective input when their children produce erroneous ser and estar forms and whether it was beneficial for children’s acquisition of the copulas. Results revealed that parental corrective input was positively linked to grammatical copula use by children, although it was not linked to the number of errors, or to the children’s age. The findings suggest that corrective input is a potential source that may constrain the grammatical acquisition of the Spanish copulas.
Fat Overload Syndrome After the Rapid Infusion of SMOFlipid Emulsion
Authors: Hojsak Iva , Kolaček Sanja
Published: March 2013

Fat overload syndrome is a well‐known complication of intravenous lipid emulsion therapy. It is characterized by headaches, fever, jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, respiratory distress, and spontaneous hemorrhage. Other symptoms include anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, low fibrinogen levels, and coagulopathy. Several reports in the literature describe fat overload syndrome caused by rapid infusion of lipid emulsions, all with soybean‐based lipid emulsions. We report fat overload syndrome in a 2‐year‐old girl with short bowel syndrome on home parenteral nutrition. Fat overload syndrome occurred as a result of accidental, very rapid infusion of a 20% soy oil, medium‐chain triglyceride, olive and fish oil–based lipid emulsion (SMOFlipid) that showed the same complications seen with an earlier lipid emulsion (Intralipid). The patient was successfully treated with supportive care combining fluid infusion, transfusion of platelets, and substitution of serum albumin (0.5 g/kg/d) and fresh‐frozen plasma (10 mL/kg). In the next couple of days, she received extra platelets, erythrocyte transfusion, and filgrastim (Neupogen; 5 µg/kg/d) due to a very low leukocyte count. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of fat overload syndrome caused by SMOFlipid emulsion described in the literature.
Exploring Children’s Passion for Learning in Six Domains
Authors: Coleman Laurence J. , Guo Aige
Published: March 2013

Passion for learning (PFL) in children is a phenomenon that is little understood. The experience of PFL was studied with phenomenological and qualitative modes of inquiry. Case studies of six domains (acting, reading, filmmaking, spelling, math, and preaching) describe how the passion developed using the voices of children and parents. Their stories support variations in development across domains. The study demonstrates a fertile field for future research into domain-specific learning and advanced development.
Using Model-Eliciting Activities As a Tool to Identify and Develop Mathematically Creative Students
Authors: Coxbill Emmy , Chamberlin Scott A. , Weatherford Jennifer
Published: March 2013

Traditional classroom methods for identifying mathematically creative students have been inadequate. Identifying students who could potentially be mathematically creative is instrumental in the development of students and in meeting their affective and educational needs. One prospective identification tool is the use of model-eliciting activities (MEAs). Such activities require student groups to engage in authentic thought-revealing mathematical tasks. Researchers and teachers can use the Quality Assurance Guide, in coordination with components of Krutetskii’s ways of thinking, to assess students’ written products on MEAs. Through examination of group written products from 39 Grades 3 and 6 students over three MEAs, the tasks were recognized as a first step tool to identify mathematically creative students and to develop creativity. One Grade 6 student was identified as possessing mathematically creative qualities, and an analysis showed a mean change in Grade 6 class scores of 1.41 on a 5-point scale during the series of three MEAs.
Reexamining Gifted Underachievement and Dropout Through the Lens of Student Engagement
Authors: Landis Rebecca N. , Reschly Amy L.
Published: March 2013

The issue of high school dropout has long concerned policy makers, educational professionals, and the general public. In the gifted literature, this concern is no less pressing. Student engagement is becoming an increasingly discussed construct for conceptualizing the dropout phenomenon and designing appropriate interventions to prevent this phenomenon. The purpose of this literature review was to review prior findings in the gifted underachievement and dropout literature within the framework of student engagement. Specifically, academic, behavioral, affective, and cognitive indicators of student engagement are examined. Findings of the review and implications for research and practice are presented. Student engagement may prove to be an essential construct in understanding, predicting, and preventing dropout behavior among gifted students.
Closure of Large Oroantral Fistulas Using Septal Cartilage
Authors: Saleh Essam Aly , Issa Islam Ahmad
Published: March 2013

The aim of this work is to describe a relatively new technique for closure of large oroantral fistulas. Fistulas were treated surgically using autograft septal cartilage and a buccal pyramidal flap. There were 11 patients, 8 of whom had chronic oroantral fistulas. Four cases had extensive sinusitis and were managed by endoscopic sinus surgery. Complete closure of the fistula was obtained in 10 cases (90.9%), whereas 1 case (9.1%) failed. No other complications occurred. The septal cartilage and pyramidal buccal flap technique is a viable alternative for the closure of large oroantral fistulas.
Evaluating the Autonomic Nervous System in Patients with Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
Authors: Huang Wan‐Ju , Shu Chih‐Hung , Chou Kun‐Ta , Wang Yi‐Fen , Hsu Yen‐Bin , Ho Ching‐Yin , Lan Ming‐Ying
Published: March 2013

Objectives

The pathogenesis of laryngopharyngeal reﬂux (LPR) remains unclear. It is linked to but distinct from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which has been shown to be related to disturbed autonomic regulation. The aim of this study is to investigate whether autonomic dysfunction also plays a role in the pathogenesis of LPR.

Study Design

Case‐control study.

Setting

Tertiary care center.

Subjects and Methods

Seventeen patients with LPR and 19 healthy controls, aged between 19 and 50 years, were enrolled in the study. The patients were diagnosed with LPR if they had a reflux symptom index (RSI) ≥13 and a reflux finding score (RFS) ≥7. Spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis was used to assess autonomic function. Anxiety and depression levels measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI‐II) were also conducted.

Results

In HRV analysis, high frequency (HF) represents the parasympathetic activity of the autonomic nervous system, whereas low frequency (LF) represents the total autonomic activity. There were no significant differences in the LF power and HF power between the 2 groups. However, significantly lower HF% (P =. 003) and a higher LF/HF ratio (P =. 012) were found in patients with LPR, who demonstrated poor autonomic modulation and higher sympathetic activity. Anxiety was also frequently observed in the patient group.

Conclusion

The study suggests that autonomic dysfunction seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of LPR. The potential beneficial effect of autonomic nervous system modulation as a therapeutic modality for LPR merits further investigation.
Children with Deep Space Neck Infections: Our Experience with 178 Children
Authors: Cheng Jeffrey , Elden Lisa
Published: March 2013

Objective

To identify clinical features associated with unsuccessful medical therapy in children with deep space neck infections (DSNIs).

Study Design

Consecutive case series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary‐care, academic children's hospital.

Subjects and Methods

One hundred seventy‐eight pediatric patients treated for retropharyngeal or parapharyngeal infections between July 1, 2007, and May 23, 2012.

Results

Median age was 34.5 months (2.9 years; range, 2‐142 months); two‐thirds were male. Increased surgical drainage was found in children age ≤15 months (P =. 002) and for abscesses >2.2 cm (P =. 0001). Risk factors associated with increased likelihood of medical therapy failure included age ≤51 months, intensive care unit admission, and computed tomography findings consistent with abscess size >2.2 cm. Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections were found more often in younger children, with the highest incidence in those ≤15 months of age (P =. 001). All children had resolution of infection.

Conclusion

Deep space neck infections in children can often be successfully managed with medical therapy alone, but life‐threatening complications may occur. We recommend that young patients be managed cautiously.
Holy Scriptures and their Use by Christians and Muslims in East Africa
Authors: Chesworth John
Published: March 2013

Muslims and Christians have used the Bible and the Qur’an in their preaching and writing in order to convince each other of the unique truth of their own faith. Much of the writing has been produced in inexpensive booklets (tracts), whilst preaching takes place in public meetings using each others’ scripture. This paper examines the different Swahili versions of the Bible and the Qur’an and their reception. It then examines the use of the sacred texts of two world faiths, Christianity and Islam, using the local vernacular, Swahili, in East Africa.
Islam, Democracy and the Spiritual Path
Authors: Jackson Roy
Published: March 2013

Since the time of ancient Greek philosophy, the question of upholding perceived ‘higher’ values – whether they be epistemological in the case of Plato, or cultural in the case of Nietzsche – has been seen in conflict with the values of the ‘masses’. In political terms, this is translated into a battle between meritocracy (the ‘talent’ in this case being able to determine higher values) and democracy. This duality has also been a more recent phenomenon in Islamic thought, with a concern that the values of the majority threaten the spiritual values of the religion. One thinker in particular, Mawlana Mawdudi, has highlighted this concern and attempts to defend spiritual values in his call for a theo-democracy. However, as this paper will demonstrate, Mawdudi’s theo-democracy translates into a theocracy in practice, and the possibility is presented here of a compromise whereby spiritual values can be maintained whilst not having to sacrifice the inclusiveness that democracy can allow.
At the interface between language testing and second language acquisition: Language ability and context of learning
Authors: Gu Lin
Published: March 2013

This study investigated the relationship between latent components of academic English language ability and test takers’ study-abroad and classroom learning experiences through a structural equation modeling approach in the context of TOEFL iBT® testing. Data from the TOEFL iBT public dataset were used. The results showed that test takers’ performance on the test’s four skill sections, namely listening, reading, writing, and speaking, could be accounted for by two correlated latent components: the ability to listen, read, and write, and the ability to speak English. This two-factor model held equivalently across two groups of test takers, with one group having been exposed to an English-speaking environment and the other without such experience. Imposing a mean structure on the factor model led to the finding that the groups did not differ in terms of their standings on the factor means. The relationship between learning contexts and the latent ability components was further examined in structural regression models. The results of this study suggested an alternative characterization of the ability construct of the TOEFL test-taking population, and supported the comparability of the language ability developed in the home-country and the study-abroad groups. The results also shed light on the impact of studying abroad and home-country learning on language ability development.
Differential importance of language components in determining secondary school students’ Chinese reading literacy performance
Authors: Leong Che Kan , Ho Man Koon , Chang Jianfang , Hau Kit Tai
Published: March 2013

The present study examined pedagogic components of Chinese reading literacy in a representative sample of 1164 Grades 7, 9 and 11 Chinese students (mean age of 15 years) from 11 secondary schools in Hong Kong with each student tested for about 2.5 hours. Multiple group confirmatory factor analyses showed that across the three grade levels, the eight reading literacy constructs (Essay Writing, Morphological Compounding, Correction of Characters and Words, Segmentation of Text, Text Comprehension, Copying of Characters and Words, Writing to Dictation and Reading Aloud), each subserved by multiple indicators, had differential concurrent prediction of scaled internal school performance in reading and composing. Writing–reading and their interactive effects were foremost in their predictive power, followed by performance in error correction and writing to dictation, morphological compounding, segmenting text and copying with reading aloud playing a negligible role. Our battery of tasks with some refinement could serve as a screening instrument for secondary Chinese students struggling with Chinese reading literacy.
The proper delivery pressure for cardioplegic solution in neonatal cardiac surgery – an investigation of biomechanical and structural properties of neonatal and adult coronary arteries
Authors: Sikora N , Lacis A , Kasyanov V , Groma V , Ligere E , Ozolins V , Smits L
Published: March 2013

When cardioplegic solution is injected into coronary arteries with a pump in order to ensure myocardial protection, it is necessary to determine the correct delivery pressure to avoid damage of the heart. Biomechanical and structural properties of the neonatal coronary artery wall should be taken into account when determining the delivery pressure.

We investigated twelve coronary artery specimens without cardiac pathology retrieved from autopsies of neonates 9.3 ± 9.7 days old and compared them to adult specimens with no detected atherosclerosis.

There was a rapid increase in the strain until the inner pressure reached 80 – 100 mmHg, whilst the increase of stress in the wall of the neonatal coronary arteries was less rapid. When the pressure exceeded 100 mmHg, the increase in the strain slowed down, whilst the wall stress and modulus of elasticity began to increase rapidly. Morphologic examination of tensile properties revealed prominent affection of the vascular wall of the neonates, with accentuated redistribution (loosening) of medial myocytes and the adventitial vasa vasorum.

Collectively, a raised inner pressure applied to cardioplegic solution injected into the coronary artery of a neonate may increase the risk of structural damage to the vascular wall.
Does off-pump coronary revascularization reduce mortality in re-operative coronary artery surgery? A meta-analysis of observational studies
Authors: Sepehripour AH , Saso S , Harling L , Punjabi P , Ashrafian H , Athanasiou T
Published: March 2013

Background:

Re-operative coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a challenging operation that is often performed in a high-risk patient group. Avoiding cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in these patients is hypothesised to be advantageous due to the reduced invasiveness and physiological stress of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). The aims of this study were to assess whether OPCAB may improve outcomes in patients undergoing re-operative CABG.

Methods:

Twelve studies, incorporating 3471 patients, were identified by systematic literature review. These were meta-analysed using random-effects modelling. Primary endpoints were 30-day and mid-term mortality. Secondary endpoints were completeness of revascularization, mean number of grafts per patient and the effect of intra-operative conversion on mortality.

Results:

A significantly lower rate of 30-day mortality was observed with OPCAB (OR 0.51, 95% CI [0.35, 0.74]), however, no difference was demonstrated in mid-term mortality. Significantly less complete revascularization and mean number of grafts per patient were observed in the OPCAB group. Meta-regression revealed no change in 30-day mortality when the effect of conversion from one technique to the other was assessed.

Conclusions:

Off-pump techniques may reduce early mortality in selected patients undergoing re-operative CABG; however, this does not persist into mid-term follow-up. OPCAB may also lead to intra-operative conversion and, although this did not affect outcomes in this study, these results are constrained by the limited data available. Furthermore, OPCAB may increase target vessel revascularization and, consequently, incomplete revascularization which, whilst not reflected in the short-term outcomes, requires longer-term follow-up in order to be fully assessed.
Ceftriaxone, a beta-lactam antibiotic, attenuates relapse-like ethanol-drinking behavior in alcohol-preferring rats
Authors: Qrunfleh Abeer M , Alazizi Adnan , Sari Youssef
Published: March 2013

Relapse-like ethanol-drinking behavior depends on increased glutamate transmission in the mesocorticolimbic motive circuit. Extracellular glutamate is regulated by a number of glutamate transporters. Of these transporters, glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1) is responsible for the majority of extracellular glutamate uptake. We have recently reported that ceftriaxone (CEF) treatment (i.p.), a β-lactam antibiotic known to elevate GTL1 expression, reduced ethanol intake in male alcohol-preferring (P) rats. We investigated here whether CEF treatment attenuates relapse-like ethanol-drinking behavior. P rats were exposed to free choice of 15% and 30% ethanol for 5 weeks and treated with CEF (50 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) during the last 5 days of the 2-week deprivation period. Rats treated with CEF during the deprivation period showed a reduction in ethanol intake compared with saline-treated rats upon re-exposure to ethanol; this effect persisted for 9 days. Moreover, CEF-mediated attenuation in relapse to ethanol-drinking behavior was associated with upregulation of GLT1 level in prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens core. GLT1 upregulation was revealed only at the higher dose of CEF. In addition, CEF has no effect on relapse-like sucrose-drinking behavior. These findings suggest that ceftriaxone might be used as a potential therapeutic treatment for the attenuation of relapse-like ethanol-drinking behavior.
Can Writing Attitudes and Learning Behavior Overcome Gender Difference in Writing? Evidence From NAEP
Authors: Lee Jihyun
Published: March 2013

Based on eighth-grade writing assessment data from the 1998 ( N = 20,586) and 2007 ( N = 139,900) National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), this study examines the relationships among students’ writing attitudes, learning-related behaviors, and gender in relation to writing performance. Overall, the effects of attitudes were slightly larger than the effects of learning behaviors on writing performance, and gender differences were more prominent in attitudes than learning behaviors related to writing. Perhaps the most surprising finding from the 2007 NAEP data was that females with the most negative attitudes toward writing outperformed males with the most positive attitudes (i.e., writing scores based on two measures of attitudes: females, 157 and 161; males, 151 and 149). Overall, a similar pattern was observed with learning behaviors and gender differences in writing scores. Furthermore, medium effect sizes of gender difference in writing scores (females scoring substantially higher than males) were present even though the students reported to be at the same level in terms of writing attitudes and learning behaviors. The present study demonstrates that gender disparity in students’ writing performance is persistent and strong; it cannot be explained by gender differences in attitudes or behavior alone or in attitudes and behavior combined.
Co-blasting of titanium surfaces with an abrasive and hydroxyapatite to produce bioactive coatings: Substrate and coating characterisation
Authors: Dunne Conor F , Twomey Barry , O’Neill Liam , Stanton Kenneth T
Published: March 2013

The aim of this work is to assess the influence of two blast media on the deposition of hydroxyapatite onto a titanium substrate using a novel ambient temperature coating technique named CoBlast. CoBlast was developed to address the problems with high temperature coating techniques. The blasting media used in this study were Al2O3 and a sintered apatite powder. The prepared and coated surfaces were compared to plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite on the same substrates using the same hydroxyapatite feedstock powder. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the coating crystallinity was the same as the original hydroxyapatite feedstock powder for the CoBlast samples while evidence of amorphous hydroxyapatite phases and β-TCP was observed in the plasma sprayed samples. The blast media type significantly influences the adhesive strength of the coating, surface roughness of both the substrate and coating and the microstructure of the substrate. The coating adhesion increased for the CoBlasted samples from 50 MPa to 60 MPa for sintered apatite powder and alumina, respectively, while plasma spray samples were significantly lower (5 MPa) when tested using a modified pull-test. In conclusion, the choice of blast medium is shown to be a key parameter in the CoBlast process. This study indicates that sintered apatite powder is the most suitable candidate for use as a blast medium in the coating of medical devices.
The effect of plasticizers on the erosion and mechanical properties of polymeric films
Authors: Rabek Cheryl L , Stelle Rachel Van , Dziubla Thomas D , Puleo David A
Published: March 2013

Cellulose acetate phthalate and Pluronic F-127 combined together (70:30 wt:wt) create a rigid, surface-eroding association polymer. To impart flexibility into the polymer system and allow for a drug delivery film that can contour to varying wound shapes, plasticizers were added. Triethyl citrate or tributyl citrate was combined with cellulose acetate phthalate and Pluronic F-127 at 0, 10, or 20 wt%. Mechanical analysis was performed on the films as they were prepared and following a 2-h incubation in phosphate-buffered saline. Tensile tests showed that higher plasticizer content increased the % elongation but decreased the elastic modulus and ultimate tensile strength. The effect triethyl citrate had on the % elongation was twice as much than that of tributyl citrate. After incubation, % elongation, elastic modulus, and ultimate tensile strength all increased because plasticizer leached out of the films. Microcomputed tomography and scanning electron microscopy were performed on the samples both before and after incubation to determine how erosion and leaching of plasticizer affected the interior and exterior structure of the films. Porosity increased as plasticizer content increased; however, plasticizer content did not have a significant effect on the rate of erosion. The mechanical properties of cellulose acetate phthalate–Pluronic films can be adjusted by the type and amount of plasticizer added to the system and therefore can be tailored for different drug delivery applications.
The Role of Corporate Image for Quality in the Formation of Attitudinal Service Loyalty
Authors: Jha Subhash , Deitz George D. , Babakus Emin , Yavas Ugur
Published: March 2013

Drawing from signaling theory, this study investigates the processes through which corporate image (CI) for quality affects attitudinal loyalty. The research hypotheses are examined using data from a cross-sectional survey and two scenario-based experiments. Overall, findings across these three studies suggest that the effects of CI upon loyalty are channeled through customer satisfaction and perceived value. The effects of CI on perceived value and loyalty are stronger relative to the effects of employee interaction quality (IQ) when IQ is measured as an overall evaluation. However, when employee IQ is measured in reference to a specific service encounter, it becomes a stronger driver of perceived value and loyalty relative to CI. Regardless of the context of measurement (i.e., overall evaluation vs. a specific service encounter), employee IQ exerts a stronger influence on customer satisfaction than CI. CI negatively moderates the effect of employee IQ on customer satisfaction and loyalty, rendering the effect of employee IQ upon customer evaluations less critical for service providers with stronger CIs. The findings highlight the relevance and importance of CI as a signal of unobservable quality, which should be measured and closely monitored by management. Managers should also recognize the central role of customer satisfaction, especially in channeling the effects of IQ upon loyalty, and therefore, design policies that enhance frontline employee ability and motivation to deliver satisfying customer experiences.
The Service Delivery Network (SDN)
Authors: Tax Stephen S. , McCutcheon David , Wilkinson Ian F.
Published: March 2013

In this article, we introduce the concept of the service delivery network (SDN) defined as two or more organizations that, in the eyes of the customer, are responsible for the provision of a connected overall service experience. This responds to calls for frameworks recognizing that dyadic service encounters are embedded in the series of experiences customers have with complementary providers as part of the journey to achieve their desired goals. Adopting an SDN perspective presents a dramatically different set of challenges for managers and provides research opportunities challenging the current view of established service concepts. Managers must recognize that to better serve the customer they need to understand the role that they play in the customer-defined service journey and be prepared to coordinate their activities with complementary providers. Participating in helping build and manage the SDN for the customer, or understanding how they fit into customer’s self-designed SDN, becomes a central challenge, often requiring firms to develop a new set of capabilities. The SDN also challenges the way we view many of the core concepts in service research, which are anchored in the dyadic view. This provides considerable opportunity for future inquiry. We present a series of research questions, inspired by the SDN, organized into categories including building cooperative and collaborative networks, customer cocreation, systems thinking, customer relationship management, managing service failure and recovery, building capabilities, and customer-to-customer interactions.
State vocational rehabilitation services and employment in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Chiu Chung-Yi , Chan Fong , Bishop Malachy , da Silva Cardoso Elizabeth , O’Neill John
Published: March 2013

Background:

Obtaining and maintaining suitable employment can be a significant challenge for people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective:

The objective of this article is to identify what vocational rehabilitation (VR) services helped MS clients obtain and maintain employment, after controlling for the effect of demographic covariates and disability-related government benefits.

Methods:

We retrieved data from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) 911 database in the fiscal year (FY) 2009, and used VR services as predictors to predict employment outcomes of people with MS by hierarchical logistic regression.

Results:

A total of 924 out of 1920 MS clients (48.1%) were successfully employed after receiving VR services. Logistic regression analysis results indicated that cash benefits (OR =0.51, p < 0.001) and public medical benefits (OR =0.76, p < 0.01) were negatively associated with employment outcomes, whereas counseling and guidance (OR = 1.68, p < 0.001), job placement assistance (OR = 2.43, p < 0.001), on-the-job supports (OR = 1.62, p < 0.01), maintenance services (OR = 1.59, p < 0.01), and assistive technology services (OR =2.09, p < 0.001) were significant predictors of positive employment outcomes.

Conclusion:

VR services were found to be associated with employment status. MS patients experiencing problems obtaining or maintaining employment should be encouraged to pursue services from state VR agencies.
Association of vitamin D and multiple sclerosis in India
Authors: Pandit Lekha , Ramagopalan Sreeram V , Malli Chaithra , D’Cunha Anitha , Kunder Ramya , Shetty Rajesh
Published: March 2013

Background:

Vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent in India. The association between vitamin D status and multiple sclerosis (MS) has not been previously studied in Indians.

Objective:

The objective of this paper is to determine whether vitamin D status is associated with MS in India.

Methods:

In this study 110 MS patients and 108 matched controls were included. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured in 63 patients in relapse, 77 patients in remission and all controls. Quantity of sun exposure in childhood and body mass index (BMI) were calculated. Patients and controls were genotyped for HLA-DRB1*1501.

Results:

Patients had significantly lower 25(OH)D levels than matched controls ( p = 0.003), and patients in relapse had a significantly lower vitamin D level as compared to those in remission ( p = 0.001). Vitamin D deficiency (< 50 nmol/l) was seen in a higher proportion of cases (71.8%) than controls (53.7%) ( p = 0.01). Higher quartiles of vitamin D (> 58 nmol/l) showed an inverse relationship with MS (OR = 0.28, CI = 0.11–0.68, p= 0.005). This effect persisted after adjusting for sun exposure.

Conclusion:

The results of our study indicated that serum 25(OH)D shows an inverse relationship with MS in the Indian population. Reverse causality cannot be excluded.
Formulating the request for survey participation in relation to the interactional environment
Authors: Nolen Jason A , Maynard Douglas W
Published: March 2013

In this article, we analyze the practices of requesting participation in telephone survey interviews. Recent conversation analytic work on requests has focused on the interactional functions of request formats and their relationship to abstractly defined institutional and ordinary contexts. We add to this line of inquiry by demonstrating that the design features of the requests in our collection are largely shaped by and responsive to specific details of the sequences of talk in which they are embedded. We identify two types of request formats – high contingency and low contingency – and show that requests are built in such a way that addresses features of the local sequential environment. High contingency requests that present the recipient with the option of doing the interview ‘now’ or doing it ‘later’ recognize that when an interview is done may be a contingent issue and as such are produced with greater frequency in discouraging interactional environments, whereas requests that embed the single option of doing an interview ‘now’ presume a lack of contingencies and are produced less frequently in discouraging environments.
The organization of talk in school interaction
Authors: Kapellidi Charikleia
Published: March 2013

Although classroom interaction has received a great deal of focus during the last 40 years, its investigation from a conversation analytic stance is rather limited. The present article approaches talk at school from this point of view, exploring two basic dimensions that manifest participants’ orientation to the institutional character of the setting, that is, turn-taking organization and sequence organization. The above dimensions have been the subject of research in the past as well; however, additional work is needed for a more comprehensive account of their specific features that clearly affect participants’ conduct. Thus, this article contributes to the research on school interaction by shedding light on various aspects of the turn-taking and sequence organization of talk at school, and by specifying the exact constraints under which participants – and more accurately students – operate.
Between the cultural and the professional in management: The experiences of Arab public welfare agency managers in Israel
Authors: Buchbinder Eli , Siman Lama
Published: March 2013

This article examines the dilemmas and coping of Arab public welfare agency managers in Israel, who operate within a culture whose collectivist values may clash with professional social work values. The article is based on qualitative interviews with 12 welfare agency managers in Arab villages in Israel.

Findings

Analysis of the interviews revealed three focal areas of conflict. The first stems from the managers’ need to balance between their role as service providers and the politics of municipal administration. The second stems from the perception of gender in a patriarchal society. The third stems from the clients’ perception of the managers’ geographical and religious origins.

Applications

The discussion analyzes the dilemmas through social construction and culture lenses.
There are no shortcuts: Trusting the social work training process
Authors: Hantman Shira , Ben-Oz Miriam
Published: March 2013

The article explors the effects of a disrupting situation on the professional socialization process of social work students. It relates to the various phases of developing the role of consistency of the process and its effect on the student's development as a social worker. Students worked with refugees in a makeshift camp in wartime, professional identity and self-efficacy as they appear in the literature. In the absence of supervisors and other social workers, surrounded by an extremely distressed population, students confronted a series of acute, challenging problems without having had adequate academic or pratice preparation. In spite of this, students entered this activity with an enthusiastic approach wanting to provide help and support to the population of the camp.

Findings

Two months after their work at the refugee camp, students reported a sense of powerlessness and insignificance in their field placements – feelings that we think were related to the disruption of their structured training program. This incongruence created a dissonance for the students who found it difficult to bridge a connection between their academic field experiences and their wartime role. After sharing their ambivalence with faculty members through focus groups they worked through their feelings

Applications

Student social workers can be a valuable source of manpower in man-made or natural disasters; but teachers and supervisors must bear in mind their responsibility to carefully reintegrate them into the normal academic training process following such an experience.
Quantitative high-speed imaging of burned gas temperature and equivalence ratio in internal combustion engines using alkali metal fluorescence
Authors: Mosburger Michael , Sick Volker , Drake Michael C
Published: March 2013

Alkali metal atoms show an intense natural fluorescence in the burned gas region of internal combustion engines. This fluorescence offers great opportunity for spectroscopic combustion analysis in internal combustion engines without the requirement of laser excitation or image intensifiers. To quantify this fluorescence intensity, spectroscopic and thermodynamic properties of the alkali metals lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb) and cesium (Cs) and their oxidation products and ions were analyzed. Collisional energy transfer and reabsorption effects (including temperature- and pressure-dependent lineshapes) were calculated over the range of engine environments. Three compounds containing Li, Na and K, respectively, were selected as fuel additives for engine experiments. The experiments were conducted on an optical, single-cylinder, spark-ignited, direct-injection research engine, and the fluorescence of the three alkali components was recorded simultaneously using three complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor high-speed cameras. The two-component fluorescence intensity ratios (Na/K, Li/K and Na/Li) are shown to depend on temperature, pressure and equivalence ratio. However, the three-component ratio Na·Li/K2 is nearly independent of pressure and equivalence ratio in the tested range of operating conditions and can serve as a direct marker for burned gas temperature. Subsequently, equivalence ratio can be determined from any of the bicomponent fluorescence ratios.
Learning how to ‘swallow the world’: Engaging with human difference in culturally diverse classrooms
Authors: van Oord Lodewijk , Corn Ken
Published: March 2013

The perception of culture prevailing in the literature on international and intercultural education is often too limited to be effectively utilized by educators who wish to embrace the diversity in their classrooms. Only by reimagining the notions of ‘culture’ and ‘cultural diversity’ and by liberating them from the rigidities of dominant sociological models can we start adopting approaches to teaching culture in ways that genuinely prepare students for a culturally amorphous and diverse world.
Older women and chronic illness: Transitioning and learning to live with diabetes
Authors: Adili Fatemeh , Higgins Isabel , Koch Tina
Published: March 2013

The first line of treatment for people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is a change in diet and an increase in exercise. If the blood glucose level is not stabilized, then hypoglycaemic tablets and or insulin may be prescribed. People receiving a diagnosis of diabetes must absorb complex information and adopt a new lifestyle almost immediately. The purpose of this study was to explore with women, and their family members, the ways in which the women learned to live with type 2 diabetes. Using a participatory action research (PAR) methodology we explored with them, the practical ways in which they transitioned at this time. In this inquiry 11 women recently diagnosed with diabetes were asked about what it was like for them in their first year since diagnosis. In this first year we journeyed alongside the women as they and their families learned to take the consequences of this chronic condition into their lives. In this article we show how the women in this study were transitioning with their illness diagnosis. The findings from this study make a contribution to our understanding of transition theory.
The DASH and the QuickDASH instruments. Normative values in the general population in Norway
Authors: Aasheim T. , Finsen V.
Published: March 2013

We collected population-based normative data for the DASH (disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand ) and QuickDASH questionnaires in order to determine the co-morbidity to be expected in a group of patients. We also studied the correlation between the two scores. A total of 2000 DASH forms and 800 QuickDASH forms were mailed to 1400 men and 1400 women. They were selected randomly in groups of 200 men and women in each age decade from 20–29 to over 80 years old. A total of 50% of the DASH forms and 56% of the QuickDASH forms were returned ( p < 0.005). The mean DASH scores for women rose with age from 5 among those aged 20–29, to 22 among those aged 70–79 and 36 for those over 80. The corresponding mean values for men were 5, 13 and 22. The mean DASH and QuickDASH scores extracted from the DASH forms were very similar in each age decade. Spearman’s correlation coefficient for the two forms was 0.965 for all 992 forms and 0.930 for the 174 forms with scores of 30 or more. There were, however, wide confidence limits for the agreement between scores in individual patients. The high average scores in the general population, particularly among the elderly, should be borne in mind when evaluating scores among patients. The QuickDASH should be preferred to the full DASH as it gives the same information, but is shorter and completed more often.
The career journeys of health trainers in two health trainer services in England
Authors: Rahman Em , Wills Jane
Published: March 2013

Aims:

This study follows the career journeys of health trainers and explores their reasons for becoming a health trainer, their experiences of being a health trainer and where and what they go on to.

Methods:

The study used biographical research methods to explore the experiences of seven individuals in two health trainer services. Individual maps were drawn up to preserve the uniqueness and individuality of each biographical story within its social context. Semi-structured interviews explored their journey using a narrative approach, focusing on the stages of becoming, being and moving forward as a health trainer. Thematic analysis of these interviews identified common themes and differences in the experience.

Results:

The start of each health trainer’s journey is different but there is a remarkable similarity in the experience of being a health trainer. Being a health trainer affirmed the participants’ values about ‘giving back’ to their community. It resulted in improved confidence as well as improved status in the community. All expressed a similar desire to progress within a health field but expressed frustration at being unable to develop a career.

Conclusions:

This study explored the motivations for lay people to become health trainers using the concept of career anchors. It shows how the role strengthens desires to continue working within a health-related field thus creating a potential future public health workforce. However, the lack of progression routes for individuals creates an obstacle for them to progress. This study raises implications for how policy makers, commissioners and workforce planners can appropriately support this public health workforce.
Gut pain & visceral hypersensitivity
Authors: Farmer Adam D , Aziz Qasim
Published: March 2013

Visceral pain is a highly complex entity whose experience is variable in health and disease. It can occur in patients with organic disease and also in those without any readily identifiable structural or biochemical abnormality such as in the functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). Despite considerable progress in our understanding of the culpable underlying mechanisms significant knowledge gaps remain, representing a significant unmet need in gastroenterology. A key, but not universal, pathological feature is that patients with FGID often display heightened sensitivity to experimental gut stimulation, termed visceral hypersensitivity. A plethora of factors have been proposed to account for this epiphenomenon including peripheral sensitization, central sensitization, aberrant central processing, genetic, psychological and abnormalities within the stress responsive systems. Further research is needed, bringing together complementary research themes from a diverse array of academic disciplines ranging from gastroenterology to nociceptive physiology to functional neuro-imaging, to address this unmet need.
Effects of Stigmatization/Discrimination on Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence among HIV-Infected Patients in a Rural Tertiary Medical Center in Nigeria
Authors: Omosanya Olusegun Emmanuel , Elegbede Olayide Toyin , Agboola Segun Matthew , Isinkaye Ayodeji Olusola , Omopariola Olusoji Adegoke
Published: March 2013

Introduction:

Stigmatization and discrimination impact negatively on interventions and act as barriers to all HIV/AIDS activities. This study assessed the relationship between stigmatization and discrimination and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV-infected patients attending the Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was carried out among respondents selected by systematic random sampling. Structured, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data subsequently analyzed with SPSS 16.

Results:

A total of 100 respondents comprising 61 (61.0%) female participants were interviewed. A large proportion, 92.0%, had a low level of stigmatization. In all, 88 (88.0%) had a good level of antiretroviral adherence using a threshold of >95%. More people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) with low stigmatization and discrimination had good adherence to ART ( P < .001).

Conclusion:

The PLWHAs with low levels of stigmatization and discrimination are more likely to adhere to ART than those with high levels. Counseling services and health education on adherence should be a strong component of all PLWHA care.
Improved ex vivo expansion of adult hematopoietic stem cells by overcoming CUL4-mediated degradation of HOXB4
Authors: Lee Jennifer , Shieh Jae-Hung , Zhang Jianxuan , Liu Liren , Zhang Yue , Eom Jae Yong , Morrone Giovanni , Moore Malcolm A. S. , Zhou Pengbo
Published: March 2013

Key Points

The CUL4 ubiquitin ligases target HOXB4 for ubiquitination and degradation. A degradation-resistant HOXB4 variant markedly enhanced ex vivo expansion of adult hematopoietic stem cells.
No increase in bleeding identified in type 1 VWD subjects with D1472H sequence variation
Authors: Flood Veronica H. , Friedman Kenneth D. , Gill Joan Cox , Haberichter Sandra L. , Christopherson Pamela A. , Branchford Brian R. , Hoffmann Raymond G. , Abshire Thomas C. , Dunn Amy L. , Di Paola Jorge A. , Hoots W. Keith , Brown Deborah L. , Leissinger Cindy , Lusher Jeanne M. , Ragni Margaret V. , Shapiro Amy D. , Montgomery Robert R.
Published: March 2013

Key Points

D1472H sequence variation is associated with a decreased VWF:RCo/VWF:Ag ratio in type 1 VWD subjects. D1472H sequence variation is not associated with an increase in bleeding as measured by bleeding score in type 1 VWD subjects.
Clarithromycin increases linezolid exposure in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients
Authors: Bolhuis Mathieu S. , van Altena Richard , van Soolingen Dick , de Lange Wiel C.M. , Uges Donald R.A. , van der Werf Tjip S. , Kosterink Jos G.W. , Alffenaar Jan-Willem C.
Published: March 2013

The use of linezolid for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is limited by dose- and time-dependent toxicity. Recently, we reported a case of pharmacokinetic drug–drug interaction between linezolid and clarithromycin that resulted in increased linezolid exposure. The aim of this prospective pharmacokinetic study is to quantify the effect of clarithromycin on the exposure of linezolid.

Subjects were included in an open-label, single-centre, single-arm, fixed-order pharmacokinetic interaction study. All subjects received 300 mg linezolid twice daily during the entire study, consecutively co-administered with 250 mg and 500 mg clarithromycin once daily. Steady-state serum curves of linezolid and clarithromycin were analysed using validated methods, and differences between pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated.

Linezolid exposure increased by a median (interquartile range) of 44% (23–102%, p=0.043) after co-administration of 500 mg clarithromycin (n=5) compared to baseline, whereas 250 mg clarithromycin had no statistically significant effect. Co-administration was well tolerated by most patients; none experienced severe adverse effects. One patient reported common toxicity criteria grade 2 gastrointestinal adverse events.

In this study, we showed that clarithromycin significantly increased linezolid serum exposure after combining clarithromycin with linezolid in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients. The drug–drug interaction is possibly P-glycoprotein-mediated. Due to large interpatient variability, therapeutic drug monitoring is advisable to determine individual effect size.