bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors other than medical acuity that influence hospitalisation: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Giday Mellena , Hawes Meghaan , Madhavan Ann , Bann Maralyssa
Published: June 2019

Introduction

There is evidence that patients are admitted to the hospital with low-acuity medical issues, though delineation of the underlying factors has not been comprehensively explored. This scoping review will provide an overview of the existing literature regarding factors outside of acute medical illness that influence hospitalisation of adults. The review will also seek to provide a review of common language and definitions used in the research on this phenomenon.

Methods and analysis

The scoping review framework, outlined by Arksey and O’Malley and expanded on by Levacet al, will be used as the basis for this study. A systematic search of seven databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Web of Science, Sociological Abstracts and Social Science Abstracts) will be conducted to identify existing literature followed by a standardised two-phase, two-reviewer process to select relevant papers for inclusion. Relevant studies will investigate adult non-psychiatric hospital admission plus at least one additional factor unrelated to medical acuity. Details of the work will be extracted, including the terminology used and perspectives included. An assessment of methodological quality will be performed using a tool designed for mixed-methods systematic review.

Ethics and dissemination

The scoping review protocol delineates a transparent and rigorous review process, the results of which will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication and presentation at relevant local or national meetings. The study does not require ethics approval as the data will be accumulated through the review of published, peer-reviewed literature and grey literature.
Shoulder Reduction Bench Project: improving care for patients with shoulder dislocations
Authors: Dowson Philip
Published: June 2019

This paper presents the background, methodology and results of a quality improvement project undertaken at a district general hospital. The project was launched in response to the concerning results from audit data which showed significant delays in the treatment of patients with shoulder dislocations and a high percentage of patients receiving procedural sedation. Using ‘Plan-Do-Study-Act’ cycles involving training sessions, written protocols and an online video, we were able to train a large cohort of nurse practitioners in the use of the Shoulder Reduction Bench. This is a relatively novel, evidence-based technique for reducing shoulder dislocations without the need for sedation. The new shoulder dislocation protocol was successful in reducing the average time from presentation to shoulder relocation by 31 min and the average time from presentation to discharge by 52 min. It also resulted in a 68% reduction in the number of patients receiving procedural sedation over a 6-month period. This project inspired the practitioners, most of whom had never reduced a shoulder dislocation before. The success of the new shoulder reduction bench protocol prompted interest from the trust’s innovation department and has been publicised both within the trust and regionally. This publicity and the satisfaction gained by the staff from this effective new skill have helped to anchor the change in departmental culture. Link to training video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40aCqhfQXD4&feature=youtu.be
Oral anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation with valvular heart disease and bioprosthetic heart valves
Authors: Malik Aaqib H , Yandrapalli Srikanth , Aronow Wilbert S , Panza Julio A , Cooper Howard A
Published: June 2019

Objective

Current guidelines endorse the use of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, little is known about their safety and efficacy in valvular heart disease (VHD). Similarly, there is a paucity of data regarding NOACs use in patients with a bioprosthetic heart valve (BPHV). We, therefore, performed a network meta-analysis in the subgroups of VHD and meta-analysis in patients with a BPHV.

Methods

PubMed, Cochrane and Embase were searched for randomised controlled trials. Summary effects were estimated by the random-effects model. The outcomes of interest were a stroke or systemic embolisation (SSE), myocardial infarction (MI), all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiac events, major bleeding and intracranial haemorrhage (ICH).

Results

In patients with VHD, rivaroxaban was associated with more ICH and major bleeding than other NOACs, while edoxaban 30 mg was associated with least major bleeding. Data combining all NOACs showed a significant reduction in SSE, MI and ICH (0.70, [0.57 to 0.85; p<0.001]; 0.70 [0.50 to 0.99; p<0.002]; and 0.46 [0.24 to 0.86; p<0.01], respectively). Analysis of 280 patients with AF and a BPHV showed similar outcomes with NOACs and warfarin.

Conclusions

NOACs performed better than warfarin for a reduction in SSE, MI and ICH in patients with VHD. Individually NOACs performed similarly to each other except for an increased risk of ICH and major bleeding with rivaroxaban and a reduced risk of major bleeding with edoxaban 30 mg. In patients with a BPHV, results with NOACs seem similar to those with warfarin and this needs to be further explored in larger studies.
Comparison of three commonly used CT perfusion software packages in patients with acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Koopman Miou S , Berkhemer Olvert A , Geuskens Ralph R E G , Emmer Bart J , van Walderveen Marianne A A , Jenniskens Sjoerd F M , van Zwam Wim H , van Oostenbrugge Robert J , van der Lugt Aad , Dippel Diederik W J , Beenen Ludo F , Roos Yvo B W E M , Marquering Henk A , Majoie Charles B L M
Published: June 2019

Background and purpose

CT perfusion (CTP) might support decision making in patients with acute ischemic stroke by providing perfusion maps of ischemic tissue. Currently, the reliability of CTP is hampered by varying results between different post-processing software packages. The purpose of this study is to compare ischemic core volumes estimated by IntelliSpace Portal (ISP) and syngo.via with core volumes as estimated by RAPID.

Methods

Thirty-five CTP datasets from patients in the MR CLEAN trial were post-processed. Core volumes were estimated with ISP using default settings and with syngo.via using three different settings: default settings (method A); additional smoothing filter (method B); and adjusted settings (method C). The results were compared with RAPID. Agreement between methods was assessed using Bland–Altman analysis and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Accuracy for detecting volumes up to 25 mL, 50 mL, and 70 mL was assessed. Final infarct volumes were determined on follow-up non-contrast CT.

Results

Median core volume was 50 mL with ISP, 41 mL with syngo.via method A, 20 mL with method B, 36 mL with method C, and 11 mL with RAPID. Agreement ranged from poor (ISP: ICC 0.41; method A: ICC 0.23) to good (method B: ICC 0.83; method C: ICC 0.85). The bias (1.8 mL) and limits of agreement (−27, 31 mL) were the smallest with syngo.via with additional smoothing (method B). Agreement for detecting core volumes ≤25 mL with ISP was 54% and 57%, 85% and 74% for syngo.via methods A, B, and C, respectively.

Conclusion

Best agreement with RAPID software is provided by syngo.via default settings with additional smoothing. Moreover, this method has the highest agreement in categorizing patients with small core volumes.
Pseudomonas aeruginosaeradication therapy and risk of acquiringAspergillusin young children with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Harun Sabariah Noor , Holford Nicholas H G , Grimwood Keith , Wainwright Claire E , Hennig Stefanie
Published: June 2019

Background

WhileAspergillusdetection rates in adults, adolescents and older children with cystic fibrosis (CF) have increased, the risk of acquiring this fungal pathogen in young children is unknown.

Aim

To determine the risk and explanatory factors of acquiringAspergillusin children with CF by age 5 years.

Methods

Cross-sectional analysis of clinical, bronchoalveolar lavage and treatment data from the Australasian Cystic Fibrosis Bronchoalveolar Lavage study was used to identify predictive factors for detectingAspergillusat age 5 years. A parametric repeated time-to-event model quantitatively described the risk and factors associated with acquiringAspergillusandPseudomonas aeruginosafrom birth until age 5 years.

Results

Cross-sectional analysis found that the number ofP. aeruginosaeradication courses increased the odds of detectingAspergillusat age 5 years (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.12). The median (IQR) age for the firstP. aeruginosapositive culture was 2.38 (1.32–3.79) years and 3.69 (1.68–4.74) years for the firstAspergilluspositive culture. The risk ofP. aeruginosaandAspergillusevents changes with time after the first year of study entry. It also decreases forP. aeruginosaafter completingP. aeruginosaeradication (HR 0.15, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.79), but increases forAspergillusevents (HR 2.75, 95% CI 1.45 to 5.41). The risk of acquiring both types of events increases after having had a previous event.

Conclusion

In young children with CF, completingP. aeruginosaeradication therapy and previousAspergillusevents are associated with increased risk of acquiringAspergillus.
Individual Characteristics of Resilience are Associated With Lower‐Than‐Expected Neighborhood Rates of Cardiovascular Disease in Blacks: Results From the Morehouse‐Emory Cardiovascular (MECA) Center for Health Equity Study
Authors: Topel Matthew L. , Kim Jeong Hwan , Mujahid Mahasin S. , Ko Yi‐An , Vaccarino Viola , Mubasher Mohamed , Liu Chang , Dunbar Sandra , Sims Mario , Taylor Herman A. , Quyyumi Arshed A. , Baltrus Peter , Lewis Tené T.
Published: June 2019

Background

Factors promoting cardiovascular health in the face of high risk, ie, resilience, are unknown and may identify novel areas of intervention for reducing racial health disparities. We examined neighborhood perceptions and psychological attributes of blacks living in high and low cardiovascular–risk neighborhoods, as potential characteristics of resilience promoting cardiovascular health.

Methods and Results

We identified 1433 blacks residing in census tracts of Atlanta,
GA
, with higher‐than‐expected (“high” risk) or lower‐than‐expected (“low” risk) rates of cardiovascular mortality, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits during 2010–2014. Domains of psychosocial well‐being and neighborhood quality were assessed via telephone survey between August 2016 and October 2016. Using multilevel logistic regression, odds of reporting better resilient characteristics were compared between individuals living in low‐ versus high‐risk neighborhoods. Those from low‐risk (versus high‐risk) neighborhoods reported better neighborhood aesthetic quality (odds ratio [
OR
], 1.84), healthy food access (
OR
, 1.69), and absence of violence (
OR
, 0.67). Individuals from low‐risk neighborhoods reported greater optimism (
OR
, 1.38), purpose in life (
OR
, 1.42), and fewer depressive symptoms (
OR
, 0.69). After full adjustment, these associations remained significant for neighborhood factors (aesthetic quality, healthy food access, violence) and psychosocial well‐being (purpose in life). We found no evidence of differences in self‐reported cardiovascular risk factors or disease history between low‐ versus high‐risk neighborhoods.

Conclusions

Positive neighborhood environments and psychological characteristics are associated with low cardiovascular–risk neighborhoods, despite similar prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, in the census tracts studied. These factors may confer cardiovascular resilience among blacks.
Deficiency of Adipocyte IKKβ Affects Atherosclerotic Plaque Vulnerability in Obese LDLR Deficient Mice
Authors: Lu Weiwei , Park Se‐Hyung , Meng Zhaojie , Wang Fang , Zhou Changcheng
Published: June 2019

Background

Obesity‐associated chronic inflammation has been known to contribute to atherosclerosis development, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Recent studies have revealed novel functions of
IKK
β (inhibitor of
NF
‐κB [nuclear factor κB] kinase β), a key coordinator of inflammation through activation of
NF
‐κB, in atherosclerosis and adipose tissue development. However, it is not clear whether
IKK
β signaling in adipocytes can also affect atherogenesis. This study aims to investigate the impact of adipocyte
IKK
β expression on atherosclerosis development in lean and obese LDLR (low‐density lipoprotein receptor)–deficient (
LDLR
−/−
) mice.

Methods and Results

To define the role of adipocyte
IKK
β in atherogenesis, we generated adipocyte‐specific
IKK
β‐deficient
LDLR
−/−
(
IKK
β
ΔAd
LDLR
−/−
) mice. Targeted deletion of
IKK
β in adipocytes did not affect adiposity and atherosclerosis in lean
LDLR
−/−
mice when fed a low‐fat diet. In response to high‐fat feeding, however,
IKK
β
ΔAd
LDLR
−/−
mice had defective adipose remodeling and increased adipose tissue and systemic inflammation. Deficiency of adipocyte
IKK
β did not affect atherosclerotic lesion sizes but resulted in enhanced lesional inflammation and increased plaque vulnerability in obese
IKK
β
ΔAd
LDLR
−/−
mice.

Conclusions

These data demonstrate that adipocyte
IKK
β signaling affects the evolution of atherosclerosis plaque vulnerability in obese
LDLR
−/−
mice. This study suggests that the functions of
IKK
β signaling in atherogenesis are complex, and
IKK
β in different cell types or tissues may have different effects on atherosclerosis development.
Rethinking “(Under) Performance” for Black English Speakers: Beyond Achievement to Opportunity
Authors: Smith Patriann , Kumi-Yeboah Alex , Chang Rong , Lee Jaehoon , Frazier Paul
Published: June 2019

We draw on the concept of the opportunity gap explanatory framework in this study to problematize the notion of “(under)performance” of Black American (i.e., African American) and Black immigrant youth. Examining reading literacy achievement results of Black American and Black immigrant youth using a corpus of data from the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), we demonstrate the ways in which these youth self-identified as language speakers on the PISA reading literacy assessment measure, the influence of this self-identification on interpretations of their reading literacy, and the influence of other demographic factors on this achievement across subgroups. We suggest that the disaggregation of data for Black subpopulations can allow for a better understanding of the ways in which demographic, social, and cultural factors impact achievement within specific Black subgroups. We also highlight the need for reframing examinations of Black students’ literacies in ways that are humanizing. Implications for research, practice, and policy are provided.
A Cross-National Analysis of Alcohol Consumption and Suicide Rates: Variations by Population-Level Drinking Patterns
Authors: Testa Alexander , Weiss Douglas B. , Rennó Santos Mateus
Published: June 2019

This study assesses the association between the population-level consumption of different types of alcohol and cross-national suicide rates and examines whether this association is moderated by country-specific drinking patterns. We apply negative binomial regression to test whether the consumption of beer, wine, or spirits is predictive of suicide rates. Next, we use interaction terms to examine whether the effect of beverage-specific consumption on suicide rates is moderated by total alcohol consumption, prevalence of consumption, or the riskiness of drinking patterns. We find that only spirit consumption has a positive and statistically significant association with suicide rates. The effect of spirit consumption on suicide is higher among countries where the total alcohol consumption and the prevalence of alcohol consumption are lower, and patterns of drinking are riskier. Future research should continue to investigate this relationship to develop interventions that reduce suicide mortality related to alcohol use.
Embarking on Recovery: When Does Stigma End? Investigating the Experiences of Discrimination and Aspirations in Recovery From Substance Misuse
Authors: Rwatschew Faye Louise , Langan Kevin , Dent Helen
Published: June 2019

Background: Research into the impact of stigma and discrimination occurring while in treatment and recovery from substance abuse has reported that participants experience discrimination in areas such as employment, housing, and health care. Further research has suggested that there is increased anticipation of discrimination in these areas. Studies reported that fear of discrimination can impact on an individual’s willingness to disclose information about their addiction and recovery. Aim: The aim of the study is to fill a gap within current knowledge by exploring how experiences of stigma and discrimination impact on individuals’ aspirations in recovery from substance abuse. Method: A purposive sample of seven participants were recruited to take part in semistructured interviews, from which data were recorded for analysis using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: Three superordinate and 10 subordinate themes were highlighted through analysis: “Forever an Addict,” “The Broken Social Contract,” and “A New Social Identity.” Conclusion: The findings of the study raise issues in the current approach to supporting those in recovery and suggest that there is a need for increased awareness and education at various levels in society.
Effects of Pitch and Rhythm Priming Tasks on Accuracy and Fluency During Sight-Reading
Authors: Russell Christine R.
Published: June 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pitch and rhythm priming tasks on sight-reading accuracy and fluency. High school wind instrumentalists ( N = 182) were assigned to one of four experimental groups: pre-/posttest rhythm, pre-/posttest pitch, posttest-only rhythm, or posttest-only pitch. Participants sight-read selected stimulus exercises from the Watkins-Farnum Performance Scale and completed two priming treatments and a control condition as part of a repeated-measures design. A three-way repeated-measures MANOVA, with rhythm accuracy, pitch accuracy, and fluency accuracy as dependent measures, revealed a significant main effect due to priming condition. Rhythm accuracy scores were significantly lower after both perceptual and conceptual priming than after a control condition. No significant differences in pitch accuracy or fluency existed based on priming condition. No significant differences were found in rhythm, pitch, or fluency accuracy based on treatment condition (pitch or rhythm) or exposure condition (pre-/posttest or post only). Two-way repeated-measures MANOVAs revealed significant main effects based on time. Pitch accuracy and fluency each significantly improved between pre- and posttest and from the first to third study tasks. Results suggest that performing rhythm alone or pitch alone requires different cognitive processes than does performing both together.
A Systematic Review of Replicative Self-Determination Intervention Studies
Authors: Luckner John L. , Banerjee Rashida , Movahedazarhouligh Sara , Millen Kaitlyn
Published: June 2019

Current federal legislation emphasizes the use of programs, interventions, strategies, and activities that have been demonstrated through research to be effective. One way to increase the quantity and quality of research that guides practice is to conduct replication research. The purpose of this study was to undertake a systematic review of the replication research focused on self-determination conducted between 2007 and 2017. Using methods used by Cook and colleagues, we identified 80 intervention studies on topics related to self-determination, of which 31 were coded as replications. Intervention study trends, rate of replication studies, percentage of agreements between findings of original and replication studies, amount of author overlap, and types of research designs used are reported along with recommendations for future research.
Unfitness to plead in England and Wales: Historical development and contemporary dilemmas
Authors: Brown Penelope
Published: June 2019

Fitness to plead refers to a criminal defendant’s ability to participate at trial. The purpose of fitness-to-plead laws is to protect the rights of vulnerable individuals who are unable to defend themselves in court and to preserve natural justice in the legal system while balancing the needs to see justice served and protection of the public. Early legal systems treated mentally disordered defendants with leniency, but over time those found unfit to plead have been subjected to indefinite incarceration, breaching their right to liberty while protecting their right to a fair trial. Conversely, the threshold for being found unfit is high, and there are concerns that many unfit defendants are being unfairly subjected to trial. The approaches to balancing the competing demands have changed over time and have led to confusing and contradictory practices. In order to understand better how and why the current problems have come to exist, this paper analyses the historical development of the legal framework for fitness to plead from Medieval England to the turn of the 21st century. It isolates core dilemmas: (a) what the normative standard of fitness to plead is and whether the current test for determining fitness adequately reflects this standard; (b) whether fitness to plead should be disability neutral or whether unfitness requires the presence of a psychiatric diagnosis; and (c) how the courts should deal with those found unfit to plead, including insuring against the deprivation of liberty of innocents while ensuring the public are adequately protected.
Measuring low-rate gas flows of boreholes in coal mines by the needle increasing flow rate method
Authors: Wang Kai , Wang Liang , Zhang Xiang , Lou Zhou , Xin Chengpeng , Du Feng
Published: June 2019

A novel method named the needle increasing flow rate method (NIFRM) is proposed to measure the excessively low gas flow rates of extraction boreholes in coal mines. The main idea of the NIFRM is that when the flow rate of a branch extraction pipe of the borehole is lower than the minimum measurable flow rate of the gas extraction analyzer, a needle can be inserted into the branch extraction pipe to allow some air from the roadway to rush into the branch extraction pipe to increase the flow rate temporarily; then the gas parameters are measured and calculated successfully. To verify the rationality of this method and further optimize its parameters, the software FLUENT is applied to conduct a numerical simulation. The numerical simulation results show that the methane concentration will reach a satisfying equilibrium quickly after the air is introduced into the branch extraction pipe. The range and standard deviation of the methane concentration at 1.0 m downstream of the needle are 0.05% and 0.01%, respectively. The pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of the model is less than 10 Pa, indicating that almost all of the negative pressure of the gas extraction in the main extraction pipe is transmitted to the deep part of the branch extraction pipe. From the numerical simulation results, it is safe to say that the negative effect of the increasing flow rate is completely negligible by inserting the needle in the gas extraction system. Lastly, the NIFRM was applied to study the influence of coal seam permeability anisotropy on gas extraction in a coal mine, and the method was further verified.
Minority Stress, Emotion Regulation, and Executive Function: An Experimental Investigation of Gay and Lesbian Adults
Authors: McGarrity Larissa A. , Huebner David M. , Smith Timothy W. , Suchy Yana
Published: June 2019

Minority stress is associated with emotional, cognitive, and health consequences for sexual minority individuals. Mechanisms remain poorly understood. Theory and preliminary evidence suggests that stress associated with minority identity results in negative emotions and attempts at suppression, which may contribute to depletion of executive function. This study was an experimental investigation of gay and lesbian adults ( N = 141). Participants engaged in a stressful interpersonal task with a confederate with anti-gay or pro-gay attitudes. We examined how condition affected executive function, along with potential mediators (state anger, anxiety, expressive suppression). Contrary to hypotheses, participants in the anti-gay condition showed better postmanipulation cognitive performance than the pro-gay condition. This effect was partially mediated by anger. Participants in the anti-gay condition reported greater attempts at suppression, but this variable did not emerge as a mediator. This study was the first to experimentally manipulate exposure to anti-gay attitudes and measure effects on executive function.
Prefigurative Partaking: Employees’ Environmental Activism in an Energy Utility
Authors: Skoglund Annika , Böhm Steffen
Published: June 2019

The separation between an ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ of organizational politics has become untenable in a rapidly changing political landscape, where people engage in environmental activism in many different domains. To understand contemporary environmental activism, we situate ourselves empirically within an energy utility, Ordalia [pseudonym], a large corporation active across Europe and heavily criticized by external activists for its carbon emitting operations. By merging Rancière’s method of equality and notion of ‘partaking’ with literature on prefiguration in social movements, we analyse everyday green actions pursued by Ordalia’s employees, which we conceptualize as ‘prefigurative partaking’. By focusing on six characterizing themes of prefigurative partaking – aspirational, individual, professional, critical, loyal and communal – we have found that employee activism is incremental, horizontal and boundaryless. We discuss these findings in relation to recent calls for more fruitful exchanges between social movement theory and organization studies, arguing that Rancière’s conceptualization of politics can help us study actions that span civil society and business. This complements and expands our understanding of environmental activism as a dispersed set of actions that can take place anywhere, and hence also at work.
Arab students’ perceptions of university music education in the United Arab Emirates: A discussion of music education and cultural relevance
Authors: Good-Perkins Emily
Published: June 2019

The purpose of this study was to explore with five Arab young adults their perceptions of Western and Arabic musical cultures as well as their perceptions of the Western classical vocal teaching they experienced at an American-modeled university in the United Arab Emirates. Of interest were issues of cultural relevance and the role of music and music education in Arab society. Data collection methods for this study included individual, semi-structured interviews with each participant and three focus group discussions. This paper will explore the following four themes from the interviews: Theme 1: Western classical university music teaching was incongruent with Arabic classical music teaching. Theme 2: Despite the incongruencies, participants found the university music experience to be transformative. Theme 3: Participants have a strong personal connection to Arabic music. Theme 4: Lack of music education has cultural ramifications; however, it is a complex issue. Using Paris’ conception of culturally sustaining pedagogy as a theoretical lens through which to view participants’ perceptions of music and music education in the United Arab Emirates as well as the juxtaposition of heritage and emergent musical traditions within a globalized traditional society, issues of cultural relevance, personal transformation, and musical identity will be further discussed.
Universal Credit, gender and unpaid childcare: Mothers’ accounts of the new welfare conditionality regime
Authors: Andersen Kate
Published: June 2019

The introduction of Universal Credit, a new social assistance benefit for working age people in the UK, constitutes radical welfare reform and entails a significant intensification and expansion of welfare conditionality. Numerically, women are disproportionately affected by the conditionality regime for main carers of children within Universal Credit. Under this new benefit, couples have to nominate as ‘responsible carer’ the person in the household primarily responsible for the care of dependent children. Lone parents are automatically designated as the ‘responsible carer’. The responsible carer is subject to varying levels of conditionality (depending on the youngest child’s age) and faces benefit sanctions for non-compliance. To investigate the gendered implications of conditionality for responsible carers within Universal Credit, a small-scale qualitative study was carried out. The study’s findings show that the conditionality within Universal Credit devalues unpaid childcare and subjects mothers to conflicting responsibilities of mandatory work-related requirements and unpaid childcare.
Conversational Patterns and Listener Responses Associated With an Enhanced Fading Affect Bias After Social Disclosure
Authors: Muir Kate , Brown Charity , Madill Anna
Published: June 2019

The fading affect bias (FAB) is a phenomenon of autobiographical memory whereby negative emotions associated with event memories fade in intensity over time more than positive emotions. Social disclosure enhances the FAB and listener responsiveness during social disclosure is an important facet; however, little is known about the nature of listener verbal responses that facilitate an enhanced FAB. In this study, we used discourse analysis to explore listener verbal responses and conversational patterns associated with an enhanced FAB after social disclosure—backchanneling, in which the listener shows they are paying attention to the story underway; displays of understanding whereby the listener shows awareness of the speaker’s emotional state; and positive facilitation, characterized by mutual development of positive interpretations of both pleasant and unpleasant experiences. We suggest that such listener responses are similar to those described in the verbal person-centered framework, and the emotional benefits of social disclosure are in part collaboratively created by conversationalists.
Rethinking borders, violence, and conflict: From sovereign power to borderscapes as sites of struggles
Authors: Brambilla Chiara , Jones Reece
Published: June 2019

This article advances the understanding of borders with respect to their epistemological, ontological, and empirical intersections with violence and conflict, which remain understudied within critical border studies. Specifically, the article explores the potential of recent interdisciplinary research on the border–migration nexus to find critical resources that might foster a better understanding of the complex relationships between borders, violence, and conflict. From this viewpoint, the border is not only a site of the founding violence of the sovereign power, but borders – reconceived as borderscapes – can also be regarded as a site of generative struggles where alternative subjectivities and agencies could be shaped. The article concludes with a call for an applied, committed, and engaged research capable of recovering its inherently political dimension moving towards a ‘politics of hope’ and beyond the simplistic yet dominant interpretations of the border–violence–conflict intersections, which are trapped in the ‘politics of fear’.
Granuloma formation following cyanoacrylate glue injection in peripheral veins and arteriovenous malformation
Authors: Parsi Kurosh , Kang Mina , Yang Anes , Kossard Steven
Published: June 2019

Background

Cyanoacrylate adhesive closure is a technically simple alternative to endothermal ablation of peripheral veins. N-butyl cyanoacrylate is delivered via catheters or by percutaneous injection resulting in occlusion of target veins. The local tissue reaction or the systemic immune response that may follow have not been characterised.

Aim

To characterise the late local tissue reaction to N-butyl cyanoacrylate glue injected in peripheral vessels.

Methods

Biopsies were obtained from two patients. In patient one, distal tributaries of the great saphenous vein were injected with VenaBlock™ glue under ultrasound guidance. Ultrasound-guided incisional biopsies were performed at one week, six weeks and 12 months. In patient two, a peripheral arterio-venous malformation was injected with Venablock™ and biopsy was performed 12 months later. Histological analysis was performed using haematoxylin and eosin and immunofixation with CD-4, CD-31, CD-34, CD-68 and D2-40.

Results

Echogenic material with a strong shadow artefact consistent with the injected N-butyl cyanoacrylate was observed on ultrasound on all follow-up occasions. Biopsies taken at one week showed intravascular glue without histiocytes. Biopsies at six weeks showed isolated foreign body histiocytes coating intravascular fibrillary glue spicules but no granuloma formation. The one-year biopsies showed extravascular changes including fibrosis, lymphoid aggregates and multiple extravascular foreign body cavitated granulomas. Some vessel lumens contained residual spicules of glue but no intravascular granulomas. The extravascular granulomas were deeply located, asymptomatic and not complicated by clinical ulceration. Histologically, there was no evidence of transepidermal elimination.

Conclusion

Extravascular foreign body cavitated granulomas containing spicules of glue with fibrosis and lymphoid aggregates occur as a delayed finding following the use of N-butyl cyanoacrylate.
Externalizing Behavior Among Youth With a Current or Formerly Incarcerated Parent
Authors: Ruhland Ebony L. , Davis Laurel , Atella Julie , Shlafer Rebecca J.
Published: June 2019

This study examined associations between parental incarceration and youths’ externalizing behaviors (e.g., damage to property, fighting, theft, etc.). Data were drawn from the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey, a statewide sample of 126,868 youth in public schools. Logistic regression analyses examined associations between youths’ experience of parental incarceration and their self-reported externalizing behaviors, controlling for key demographic characteristics. Youth with a currently or formerly incarcerated parent reported significantly more externalizing behaviors compared with youth who never had a parent incarcerated. In addition, youth with a currently incarcerated parent reported significantly more externalizing behaviors than youth who had a formerly incarcerated parent in six out of the eight externalizing behaviors. However, youth who reported having a formerly incarcerated parent were more likely to report lying or conning and more likely to have difficulty paying attention than youth who currently had an incarcerated parent. Results illustrate that parental incarceration has important implications for youths’ own risk for delinquency and high-risk behavior.
Universal basic income and cognitive capitalism: A post-work dystopia in the making?
Authors: Mathers Alex
Published: June 2019

The rise of the gig economy and the prospect of increased automation has led to renewed calls for the implementation of a Universal Basic Income scheme from a variety of spokespeople on the left, including notable journalists, academics and politicians. Weeks, Mason, Srnicek and Williams and others suggest that such a re-orientation of welfare distribution would not only mitigate the effects of these tectonic changes to the nature of labour, but it might in fact facilitate a break away from neoliberal capitalism and towards a post-work condition. Building upon the work of Universal Basic Income detractors such as Pitts and Dinerstein, this article brings into question the likelihood of these claims. Universal Basic Income’s advocates speak of the freedom to be unlocked by Universal Basic Income: but the freedom to do what and for whom? The article addresses the increasing significance for the process of valorisation today of digital ‘free labour’, and thus explores the idea that Universal Basic Income might have presented itself at this current juncture less to be a vehicle to a utopian future and more to be a handmaid for capitalism as its mode of production evolves. After utilising Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror to depict a dystopian imaginary of what a Universal Basic Income-future might thus really look like, the article concludes by questioning how we might rescue the scheme as a leftist project: attending to Guattari’s insights into how to resist capitalism’s subjectivation, as well as Fuchs’ vision for an ‘alternative Internet’.
Prevalence and pathophysiology of post-prandial migraine in patients with functional dyspepsia
Authors: Di Stefano Michele , Pucci Ennio , Miceli Emanuela , Pagani Elisabetta , Brondino Natascia , Nappi Giuseppe , Corazza Gino Roberto , Di Sabatino Antonio
Published: June 2019

Background

Migraine is a condition frequently associated with gastrointestinal disorders. Previous reports have shown the relationship between irritable bowel syndrome and migraine, but no data are yet available in patients with functional dyspepsia. We therefore evaluated whether alteration of gastric sensorimotor activity may be related to migraine.

Methods

Sixty patients affected by functional dyspepsia, 38 with postprandial distress syndrome and 22 with epigastric pain syndrome were enrolled in a cohort study. Presence and severity of dyspeptic symptoms, migraine presence and severity, gastric sensitivity thresholds during fasting and postprandial period, gastric accommodation and gastric emptying time were evaluated.

Results

In epigastric pain syndrome, 12/22 (54%) patients suffered from migraine and this condition was never correlated with meal ingestion. In postprandial distress syndrome patients, 29/38 (76%) suffered from migraine, in 26/29 (89%) its onset was considered as meal-related, and migraine severity was significantly correlated with postprandial modification of the gastric discomfort threshold (r = −0.73; p < 0.001). In patients with postprandial distress syndrome, in the subgroup with moderate to severe migraine, the severity of fullness and early satiation was significantly higher than in patients with mild or absent migraine. In patients with moderate to severe migraine, gastric accommodation, sensitivity thresholds and gastric emptying time were similar to patients with mild or no migraine.

Conclusions

In patients with functional dyspepsia and postprandial symptoms, migraine is a very frequent comorbidity. On clinical grounds, it is associated with an increased severity of fullness and early satiation and, on pathophysiological grounds, it seems correlated with postprandial hypersensitivity.
A Simplified Method of Detecting Spot Surface Defects by using Quasi-3D Data from a Conventional Road Profiler
Authors: Eguchi Masayuki , Kawamura Akira , Tomiyama Kazuya , Shinichiro Omachi
Published: June 2019

It is important to maintain safety and ride quality for toll expressway users in Japan. However, since porous asphalt became the standard road surface, spot defects have gradually spread nationwide. To deal with the problem, this research attempted to develop a less costly but effective way of identifying surface defects. Since transverse data for rutting measurement was the only basic data available for general road profilers, first, quasi-three-dimensional (3D) profile data was successfully obtained by deleting gradient effects on the profiles in both the transverse and longitudinal directions. Among other elements, the standard deviation (SD) of the quasi-3D profile height using spot defect size was best matched for identifying spot defects, including pumping of underlying layer materials of the pavement. To improve the efficiency of detecting spot surface defects, deep learning was examined by converting the SD values into visual images. As a result, it was verified that a simplified classification with basic color information of red, green, and blue gave practically the same engineering judgement. Finally, this method of identifying irregularly emerging target defects using deep learning was validated by relearning the target visuals. A good result with high accuracy was achieved with just 150 images for each defect level. This approach may be universally applied anywhere surface profilers are used.
Examining Safety on Two-Lane and Multilane Highways in Consideration of Access Spacing
Authors: Hamzeie Raha , Megat-Johari Megat-Usamah , Thompson Iftin , Barrette Timothy P. , Kirsch Trevor , Savolainen Peter T.
Published: June 2019

Access management strategies, such as the introduction of minimum access point spacing criteria and turning movement restrictions, have been shown to be important elements in optimizing the operational and safety performance of roadway segments. The relationship between safety and these types of access policies is a complex issue, and the impacts of such features on traffic crashes is critical to the development of appropriate access management strategies. The purpose of this study was to provide a quantitative evaluation of how crash risk on multilane and two-lane highways varies with respect to access spacing in support of the development of a revised access management policy. Data were obtained for approximately 1,247 and 5,795 mi of segments across multilane and two-lane highways, respectively. Crash data were obtained for a five-year period from 2012 to 2016 and a series of random effect negative binomial regression models were estimated for each facility to examine the association between crash frequency, access point spacing, and traffic volume. For both facility types, crashes were found to increase consistently as the average spacing of access points along road segments decreased. Crash rates were highest when consecutive accesses were within 150 ft of one another and the frequency of crashes decreased substantively as spacing was increased to 300 ft and, particularly, 600 ft. With spacing beyond 600 ft, crash rates continued to decrease, although these improvements were less pronounced than at the lower range of values. These findings were generally consistent on multilane and two-lane highways.
Method for Evaluating Eco-Driving Behaviors Based on Vehicle Specific Power Distributions
Authors: Zang Jinrui , Song Guohua , Wu Yizheng , Yu Lei
Published: June 2019

Eco-driving is an effective way to reduce vehicle fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Numerous studies have been conducted on eco-driving, however, there is still a lack of quick and accurate methods for evaluating eco-driving behaviors. This paper proposes a novel method to evaluate eco-driving behaviors based on vehicle specific power (VSP) distributions. First, the baseline speed-specific VSP distributions were derived based on second-by-second vehicle activity data of driving trajectories from 159 drivers on expressways in Beijing. Then, individual drivers’ speed-specific VSP distributions were developed for comparison with the baseline VSP distributions. A model was proposed to evaluate eco-driving behaviors based on the identified differences. Additionally, an eco-driving index (EDI) was designed to quantify the ecological level of driving behaviors for different speed ranges. The consistency of individual driving behaviors across different speed ranges was assessed. The minimum sample size and the appropriate speed bins required for reliable evaluation of individual eco-driving were also determined. The results showed that the differences between individual drivers’ VSP distributions and the baseline distributions could be used to identify eco-driving behaviors, and the eco-driving behaviors of individual drivers were consistent for different speed ranges. The minimum sample size for a reliable evaluation of individual eco-driving behaviors is 420 seconds. Data for speed bins above 70 km/h and below 10 km/h were not representative of the driving behavior and the driving behavior was especially consistent in the speed bins from 20 km/h to 40 km/h.
Stochastic Multi-Objective Optimization-Based Life Cycle Cost Analysis for New Construction Materials and Technologies
Authors: Gao Jingqin , Ozbay Kaan , Nassif Hani , Kalan Onur
Published: June 2019

The sustainability of transportation infrastructure depends on the adoption of new construction materials and technologies that can potentially improve performance and productivity. However, most agencies would like to evaluate these new materials and technologies at both the project and network levels before replacing the traditional ones. It also remains a challenge to reliably estimate the costs and lifetime performance of new construction materials and technologies because of limited implementation data. To address these issues, this paper presents a comprehensive bottom-up methodology based on Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to integrate project- and network-level analysis that can fast-track the acceptance of new materials or technologies. Hypothesized improvement rates are applied to the deterioration functions of existing materials to represent the expected improved performance of a new material compared with a conventional material with relatively similar characteristics. This new approach with stochastic treatment allows us to probabilistically evaluate new materials with limited data for their future performance. Feasible maintenance and rehabilitation schedules are found for each facility at the project level and near-optimal investment strategies are identified at the network level by using a metaheuristic evolutionary algorithm while satisfying network-wide constraints. This provides an effective solution to many issues that have not been fully addressed in the past, including the trade-off between multiple objectives, effects of time, uncertainty, and outcome interpretation. A hypothetical bridge deck system from New Jersey’s bridge inventory database is used to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology in constructing a planning and management decision-support procedure.
We owe ourselves to debt: Classical Greece, Athens in crisis, and the body as battlefield
Authors: Plantzos Dimitris
Published: June 2019

Since 2009, Greece has been hit by a severe economic recession followed by harsh austerity policies, gradual impoverishment, and ultimately social collapse. This article investigates the cultural landscape of the so-called ‘Greek crisis’, focusing on Athens, the nation’s capital, and the ways the crisis discourse employs biopolitical technologies of dispossession and displacement in order to generate an intensified breed of body-politics. The article’s main case study is documenta 14, a blockbuster exhibition of contemporary art organized in Athens in 2017, seemingly elaborating on the ideas of debt – classical and modern – though in fact promoting neoliberal approaches to public economy and life. The idea of ‘classical debt’, the article concludes, continuously reiterated by both Greece’s defenders as well as its most unforgiving critics, rather than acting as an emancipatory force, ends up producing a public consisting of silent bodies, trapped in highly romanticized discourses of the past and ultimately unable to defend themselves. This tension, however, also provokes narratives and gestures made of contradictions and ambiguity, difficult to map and monitor according to established research protocols.