bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Forty years of economic growth and plummeting mortality: the mortality experience of the poorly educated in South Korea
Authors: Bahk Jinwook , Lynch John W , Khang Young-Ho
Published: October 2016

Background

South Korea has experienced rapid economic development and a substantial increase in life expectancy in an extremely short period. Whether this rapid development has been able to adequately address inequalities in health in South Korea may have important policy implications. This paper explores long-term trends in inequalities in mortality related to education in South Korea between 1970 and 2010.

Methods

We used secondary data on population size and deaths in 1970 and 1980 from a previously published study, and census and death certificate data from Statistics Korea from 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010. Trends in age-standardised mortality rates for men and women aged 25–64 according to education, as well as the rate ratio (RR), rate difference (RD), relative index of inequality (RII) and slope index of inequality (SII), were examined over the period 1970–2010.

Results

Despite overall mortality declines of 70–80% in the past 4 decades, educational inequalities have increased or been stagnant. There was minimal decline in mortality since 1970 in South Koreans with only a primary or lower level of education. The RR and RD between tertiary education and primary or lower education increased over the study period, while the RII and the SII in both genders remained stable.

Conclusions

The South Korean experience over the past 40 years suggests that plummeting mortality rates and huge advances in education at the population level do not translate into reduced educational inequalities in mortality.
Dual protection to address the global syndemic of HIV and unintended pregnancy in Brazil
Authors: Tsuyuki Kiyomi , Gipson Jessica D , Urada Lianne A , Barbosa Regina Maria , Morisky Donald E
Published: October 2016

Background

Syndemic HIV and unintended pregnancy is prevalent in Brazil, where 79% of female HIV cases occur in women of reproductive age and 55% of all pregnancies are unintended. Although increasing condom use to prevent HIV may decrease non-barrier contraception and increase unintended pregnancy, few studies focus on dual protection or dual methods (condoms with another modern contraceptive).

Aim

To describe the correlates of dual method use and consistent condom use in women of reproductive age in Brazil.

Method

Data are from the 2006 Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Mulher e da Criança, a decennial nationally representative household survey of women of reproductive age in Brazil. Multivariate logistic regression models identify the socio-demographic, sexual debut, fertility and relationship factors associated with dual method use and consistent condom use.

Results

Two-thirds of contracepting women in Brazil used dual protection (40% exclusive condoms, 27% dual methods). Consistent condom use in the past year occurred among 61% of exclusive condom users and 27% of dual method users. Dual methods (vs exclusive condoms) was associated with some high school education [relative risk ratio (RRR)=1.69,p<0.05], living in the Southern region (RRR=1.59,p<0.01), and number of children (RRR=1.22,p<0.01), net of other factors. Consistent condom use was associated with condom use at sexual debut [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.84,p<0.001], wants no (more) children (AOR=1.86,p<0.001), single/separated relationship status (AOR=2.77/2.45,p<0.001) and using exclusive condoms (vs dual methods: AOR=0.19,p<0.001).

Conclusions

Findings highlight that targeting and delivering integrated HIV and family planning services should focus on completed/large families. single/separated individuals, and promoting dual protection at sexual debut.
Cardiovascular disease risk in obese adults assessed using established values for cardiorespiratory fitness
Authors: Bostad William , Ricketts Thomas Alexander , Stotz Paula Jean , Ross Robert
Published: October 2016

The present study was designed to assess the risk of cardiovascular disease as determined by cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in a large sample of inactive, obese adults. Cardiovascular disease risk was determined using published age- and sex-adjusted values for low, moderate, and high CRF from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study (ACLS). Contrary to expectations, ACLS-CRF classifications identified approximately 60% of our inactive, obese adults as having moderate or high CRF and hence, low cardiovascular disease risk.
Effect of nutritional stress and sex on melanotic encapsulation rate in the sexually size dimorphic Cook Strait giant weta (Deinacrida rugosa)
Authors: Kelly Clint D.
Published: October 2016

Nutritional condition and sex are known to influence efficacy and investment in immune function. A poor diet is costly to immune function because it limits the resources (e.g., protein) available to effector systems (e.g., melanotic encapsulation), whereas males and females are expected to differ in how they allocate resources to fitness-related traits. Males are expected to invest less in immunity, and more in mating, than females, but this pattern could be reversed if fitness is more condition-dependent in males than in females. I tested the effects of nutritional condition and sex on melanotic encapsulation rate in the Cook Strait giant weta (Deinacrida rugosa Buller, 1871), an orthopteran insect exhibiting strong female-biased sexual size dimorphism that is, at least in part, the result of strong sexual selection for small male size. I found that male D. rugosa have a stronger encapsulation response than females, while nutritional condition has only a small positive effect on this particular effector system in both sexes. Whether the observed sex difference in encapsulation ability is due to a physiological constraint in females or whether males allocate more resources to this effector system because their fitness is more condition-dependent than female’s remains to be determined.
The quantum tetrahedron and the length spectrum
Authors: Bendjoudi Ahmida , Mebarki Noureddine
Published: October 2016

A new independent approach to the granularity of space is derived. The Bohr–Sommerfeld length spectrum is computed and discussed. Some values of the spectrum are given and compared with those found canonically elsewhere.
Sparse Representation with Nonlinear Fourier Atoms
Authors: Suter Bruce W. , Wang Yi
Published: October 2016

In this paper, we study the sparse representation of a finite energy signal with intrinsic mode functions in a dictionary consisting of nonlinear Fourier atoms. Each nonlinear Fourier atom is a mono-component with a physically meaningful nonnegative instantaneous frequency. The sparse representation is obtained adaptively by an orthogonal matching pursuit using a two-level greedy search. It is demonstrated that the representation has efficient energy decay in error compared to the Fourier expansion and wavelet expansion.
Insulin resistance in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review
Authors: Spoto Belinda , Pisano Anna , Zoccali Carmine
Published: October 2016

Insulin resistance (IR) is an early metabolic alteration in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, being apparent when the glomerular filtration rate is still within the normal range and becoming almost universal in those who reach the end stage of kidney failure. The skeletal muscle represents the primary site of IR in CKD, and alterations at sites beyond the insulin receptor are recognized as the main defect underlying IR in this condition. Estimates of IR based on fasting insulin concentration are easier and faster but may not be adequate in patients with CKD because renal insufficiency reduces insulin catabolism. The hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp is the gold standard for the assessment of insulin sensitivity because this technique allows a direct measure of skeletal muscle sensitivity to insulin. The etiology of IR in CKD is multifactorial in nature and may be secondary to disturbances that are prominent in renal diseases, including physical inactivity, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, vitamin D deficiency, metabolic acidosis, anemia, adipokine derangement, and altered gut microbiome. IR contributes to the progression of renal disease by worsening renal hemodynamics by various mechanisms, including activation of the sympathetic nervous system, sodium retention, and downregulation of the natriuretic peptide system. IR has been solidly associated with intermediate mechanisms leading to cardiovascular (CV) disease in CKD including left ventricular hypertrophy, vascular dysfunction, and atherosclerosis. However, it remains unclear whether IR is an independent predictor of mortality and CV complications in CKD. Because IR is a modifiable risk factor and its reduction may lower CV morbidity and mortality, unveiling the molecular mechanisms responsible for the pathogenesis of CKD-related insulin resistance is of importance for the identification of novel therapeutic targets aimed at reducing the high CV risk of this condition.
Breathtaking Songs: Coordinating the Neural Circuits for Breathing and Singing
Authors: Schmidt Marc F. , Goller Franz
Published: October 2016

The vocal behavior of birds is remarkable for its diversity, and songs can feature elaborate characteristics such as long duration, rapid temporal pattern, and broad frequency range. The respiratory system plays a central role in generating the complex song patterns that must be integrated with its life-sustaining functions. Here, we explore how precise coordination between the neural circuits for breathing and singing is fundamental to production of these remarkable behaviors.
Overcoming EGFR Bypass Signal-Induced Acquired Resistance to ALK Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in ALK-Translocated Lung Cancer
Authors: Miyawaki Masayoshi , Yasuda Hiroyuki , Tani Tetsuo , Hamamoto Junko , Arai Daisuke , Ishioka Kota , Ohgino Keiko , Nukaga Shigenari , Hirano Toshiyuki , Kawada Ichiro , Naoki Katsuhiko , Hayashi Yuichiro , Betsuyaku Tomoko , Soejima Kenzo
Published: October 2016

Activation of the EGFR pathway is one of the mechanisms inducing acquired resistance to anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) such as crizotinib and alectinib. Ceritinib is a highly selective ALK inhibitor and shows promising efficacy in non–small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) harboring the ALK gene rearrangement. However, the precise mechanism underlying acquired resistance to ceritinib is not well-defined. This study set out to clarify the mechanism in ALK-translocated lung cancer and to find the preclinical rationale overcoming EGFR pathway–induced acquired resistance to ALK-TKIs. To this end, ceritinib-resistant cells (H3122-CER) were established from the H3122 NSCLC cell line harboring the ALK gene rearrangement via long-term exposure to ceritinib. H3122-CER cells acquired resistance to ceritinib through EGFR bypass pathway activation. Furthermore, H3122 cells that became resistant to ceritinib or alectinib through EGFR pathway activation showed cross-resistance to other ALK-TKIs. Ceritinib and afatinib combination treatment partially restored the sensitivity to ceritinib.

Implications: This study proposes a preclinical rationale to use ALK-TKIs and afatinib combination therapy for ALK-translocated lung cancers that have acquired resistance to ALK-TKIs through EGFR pathway activation. Mol Cancer Res; 15(1); 106–14. ©2016 AACR.
Endometriotic Pain Is Associated with Adenomyosis but Not with the Compartments Affected by Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis
Authors: Perelló Maria Francesca , Martínez-Zamora Maria Ángeles , Torres Ximena , Munrós Jordina , Balasch Cortina Juan , Carmona Francisco
Published: October 2016

Background: The identification of presurgical clinical markers may be helpful to allow the staging of endometriosis severity. It has been suggested that pain characteristics orientate the gynecologist about the anatomical involvement of endometriosis. The study was performed to analyze the correlation between pain symptoms and the anatomical location of endometriosis. Methods: One hundred fifty-five consecutive patients with a complete removal of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) were included. Prior to surgery, data on patient and disease characteristics were obtained. The intensity of the pain symptoms was registered using a Visual Analogue Scale. The endometriotic lesions were categorized according to the Enzian morphological classification. Correlation and multivariate analysis were performed to assess the potential associations between pain characteristics (dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, dyschezia, dyspareunia or dysuria) and the location of endometriosis or other disease-related characteristics (hematuria, rectal bleeding or adenomyosis). Results: Pelvic pain was significantly associated with the presence of adenomyosis. Dyschezia was correlated with rectal bleeding and dysuria with the presence of hematuria. No relationship was found between other kinds of pain and the morphological location of endometriosis or other disease-related characteristics. Conclusion: Our data suggest that pelvic pain is correlated with the presence of adenomyosis in women with DIE. Further studies are required.
Successful Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection of a Large Terminal Ileal Lipoma
Authors: Noda Hisatsugu , Ogasawara Naotaka , Tamura Yasuhiro , Kondo Yoshihiro , Izawa Shinya , Ebi Masahide , Funaki Yasushi , Sasaki Makoto , Kasugai Kunio
Published: October 2016

A 78-year-old woman who had recurrent right lower abdominal pain for about 1 year underwent computed tomography (CT) because of a follow-up observation 1 year after right breast cancer surgery. CT revealed a tumor in the colon. The patient was referred to our hospital for detailed examinations. An abdominal CT showed a low-density tumor of approximately 30 mm in the ascending colon, and the CT density inside the tumor was same as that of fatty tissues. A subsequent colonoscopy showed a submucosal tumor (SMT) in the proximal ascending colon developing from the terminal ileum. A colonoscopic ultrasonography revealed that the SMT was a high-echoic mass mainly localized in the submucosal layer. Based on the findings from CT, colonoscopy, and colonoscopic ultrasonography, the SMT was diagnosed as a pedunculated lipoma originating from the terminal ileum and treated with endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) because of recurrent abdominal pain. The 40-mm tumor was resected en bloc without complications. ESD may be more appropriate than polypectomy and surgery for removal of small intestinal tumors, because ESD allows direct visualization of the cutting line and exactly dissects the submucosal layers without damaging the muscular layers. ESD is a potentially useful treatment to remove intestinal lipomas.
Interstitial NORs, Fragile Sites, and Chromosome Evolution: A Not So Simple Relationship - The Example of Melolontha melolontha and Genus Protaetia (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)
Authors: Dutrillaux Anne-Marie , Carton Baptiste , Cacheux Lauriane , Dutrillaux Bernard
Published: October 2016

In the present study, the origin of recurrent rearrangements involving chromosome 6 in 3.2% of cells of Melolontha melolontha (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) was investigated. Various chromosome staining techniques, including C-banding, Giemsa and silver staining, as well as fluorescence in situ hybridization with a human 28S rDNA probe, were applied to M. melolontha chromosome spreads. In addition, related species of the genera Melolontha and Protaetia were studied. On chromosome 6 of M. melolontha, there is a fragile site-like structure which corresponds to an interstitial nucleolus organizer region (NOR). Despite this instability, the NOR remains unique and interstitial in this species, as well as in the other species studied. It is proposed that the intercalary position of the NOR both facilitates the detection of its fragile site-like instability and correlates with its relative stability during evolution. We explain this apparent paradox by strong counter-selection for imbalances of the chromosome fragment distal to the interstitial NORs, which would recurrently occur in the progeny of translocation carriers. Thus, the frequent telomeric position of the NORs in most animal and plant taxa would have no functional rationale but would be the consequence of selection against the meiotic transmission of chromosome imbalances.
Morphological Variation of Subarcuate Artery and Canal in Atresia
Authors: Chen Keguang , Lyu Huiying , Yang Lin , Zhang Tianyu , Dai Peidong
Published: October 2016

Objectives: An aberrant subarcuate artery (SAA) and its related canal are infrequent and asymptomatic. The presence of this variation may cause untoward hemorrhages, if accidentally nicked. Therefore, it is important for otologists to be aware of this entity, and its relative anatomy, to avoid any unexpected complication. We present a case of a 7-year-old girl who presented with right-sided microtia with membranous atresia. Methods: High-resolution computed tomographic scan and three-dimensional reconstruction of the temporal bone showed bilateral enlarged SAA. Results: The width of the right-sided bone canal was between 0.76 and 1.33 mm. The left temporal bone showed the same variation, with the width of the canal consistently greater than 1.0 mm, ranging from 1.07 to 1.23 mm in greatest transverse dimension. Conclusions: The variation proposed in microtia was not previously reported in the literature, which may have important implications for the canal reconstruction.
Fraction of Auxemma oncocalyx and Oncocalyxone A Affects the In Vitro Survival and Development of Caprine Preantral Follicles Enclosed in Ovarian Cortical Tissue
Authors: Leiva-Revilla Johanna , Lima Laritza Ferreira , Castro Simone Vieira , Campello Claudio Cabral , Araújo Valdevane Rocha , Celestino Juliana Jales de Hollanda , Pessoa Otília Deusdênia Loiola , Silveira Edilberto Rocha , Rodrigues Ana Paula Ribeiro , Figueiredo José Ricardo
Published: October 2016

Background:Auxemma oncocalyx and its main component oncocalyxone A (onco A) have a high level of antioxidant and antitumor activity, but there are no studies on the action of both of these drugs regarding folliculogenesis. Material and Methods: Caprine ovarian tissue fragments were fixed (non-cultured control) or cultured for 1 or 7 days in α-MEM+ alone (cultured control) or supplemented with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO; 20% v/v), bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP-15; 100 ng/ml), doxorubicin (DXR; 0.3 g/ml), or different concentrations of A. oncocalyx (1.2, 12, or 34 g/ml) or onco A (1, 10, or 30 g/ml). We analyzed for follicular morphology and growth, apoptosis (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay), and cell proliferation (silver staining of argyrophilic nucleolus organizer regions (AgNOR) and test for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)). Results:A. oncocalyx and onco A (in a concentration-dependent manner) and DXR decreased (P < 0.05) the number of morphologically normal follicles, with no effect (P > 0.05) on follicular growth. A. oncocalyx reduced (P < 0.05) the percentage of normal follicles compared to onco A, whereas DXR, A. oncocalyx 1.2 g/ml, and onco A 1 g/ml increased (P < 0.05) the percentage of TUNEL-positive follicles. DXR decreased (P < 0.05) the number of nucleolus organizer regions. Conclusion:A. oncocalyx and onco A affected the in vitro caprine folliculogenesis in a concentration-dependent manner. Onco A (1 g/ml) has a less harmful effect than DXR on goat preantral follicle survival.
Characteristics of Homeopathy Users among Internal Medicine Patients in Germany
Authors: Steel Amie , Cramer Holger , Leung Brenda , Lauche Romy , Adams Jon , Langhorst Jost , Dobos Gustav
Published: October 2016

Background: Homeopathy use continues to grow in many European countries, and some studies have examined the characteristics of patients using homeopathy within the general population. The aim of this study was to identify predictors for homeopathy use among internal medicine patients. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among all patients being referred to the Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine at Essen, Germany, over a 3-year period. The analysis examined whether patients had used homeopathy for their primary medical complaint before, the perceived benefit, and the perceived harm of homeopathy use. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Of 2,045 respondents, 715 (35.0%) reported having used homeopathy for their primary medical complaint (diagnosis according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems), with 359 (50.2%) reporting perceived benefits and 15 (2.1%) reporting harm. Homeopathy use was positively associated with female gender, high school level education, suffering from fibromyalgia or subthreshold depression, and being fast food abstinent, while patients with osteoarthritis, spinal or other pain, smokers, and patients with a high external-social health locus of control were less likely to use homeopathy. Conclusion: Personal characteristics and health status may impact on the use and the perceived helpfulness of homeopathy.
Innate Effector-Memory T-Cell Activation Regulates Post-Thrombotic Vein Wall Inflammation and Thrombus Resolution
Authors: Luther Natascha , Shahneh Fatemeh , Brähler Melanie , Krebs Franziska , Jäckel Sven , Subramaniam Saravanan , Stanger Christian , Schönfelder Tanja , Kleis-Fischer Bettina , Reinhardt Christoph , Probst Hans Christian , Wenzel Philip , Schäfer Katrin , Becker Christian
Published: October 2016

Rationale:

Immune cells play an important role during the generation and resolution of thrombosis. T cells are powerful regulators of immune and nonimmune cell function, however, their role in sterile inflammation in venous thrombosis has not been systematically examined.

Objective:

This study investigated the recruitment, activation, and inflammatory activity of T cells in deep vein thrombosis and its consequences for venous thrombus resolution.

Methods and Results:

CD4
+
and CD8
+
T cells infiltrate the thrombus and vein wall rapidly on deep vein thrombosis induction and remain in the tissue throughout the thrombus resolution. In the vein wall, recruited T cells largely consist of effector-memory T (T
EM
) cells. Using T-cell receptor transgenic reporter mice, we demonstrate that deep vein thrombosis–recruited T
EM
receive an immediate antigen-independent activation and produce IFN-γ (interferon) in situ. Mapping inflammatory conditions in the thrombotic vein, we identify a set of deep vein thrombosis upregulated cytokines and chemokines that synergize to induce antigen-independent IFN-γ production in CD4
+
and CD8
+
T
EM
cells. Reducing the number of T
EM
cells through a depletion recovery procedure, we show that intravenous T
EM
activation determines neutrophil and monocyte recruitment and delays thrombus neovascularization and resolution. Examining T-cell recruitment in human venous stasis, we show that superficial varicose veins preferentially contain activated memory T cells.

Conclusions:

T
EM
orchestrate the inflammatory response in venous thrombosis affecting thrombus resolution.
Combination of Thrombolysis and Statins in Acute Stroke Is Safe
Authors: Montaner Joan , Bustamante Alejandro , García-Matas Silvia , Martínez-Zabaleta Maite , Jiménez Carmen , de la Torre Javier , Rubio Francisco R. , Segura Tomás , Masjuán Jaime , Cánovas David , Freijo Mar , Delgado-Mederos Raquel , Tejada Javier , Lago Aida , Bravo Yolanda , Corbeto Natália , Giralt Dolors , Vives-Pastor Bárbara , de Arce Anna , Moniche Francisco , Delgado Pilar , Ribó Marc
Published: October 2016

Background and Purpose—

The STARS trial (Stroke Treatment With Acute Reperfusion and Simvastatin) was conducted to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of simvastatin treatment in acute stroke.

Methods—

STARS07 was a multicentre, phase IV, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients with Acute ischemic stroke recruited within 12 hours from symptom onset were randomized to oral simvastatin 40 mg or placebo, once daily for 90 days. Primary outcome was proportion of independent patients (modified Rankin Scale score of ≤2) at 90 days. Safety end points were hemorrhagic transformation, hemorrhagic events, death, infections, and serious adverse events.

Results—

From April 2009 to March 2014, 104 patients were included. Fifty-five patients received intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator. No differences were found between treatment arms regarding the primary outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 0.99 [0.35–2.78];
P
=0.98). Concerning safety, no significant differences were found in the rate of hemorrhagic transformation of any type, nor symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation. There were no differences in other predefined safety outcomes. In post hoc analyses, for patients receiving tissue-type plasminogen activator, a favorable effect for simvastatin treatment was noted with higher proportion of patients experiencing major neurological recovery (adjusted odds ratio, 4.14 [1.18–14.4];
P
=0.02).

Conclusions—

Simvastatin plus tissue-type plasminogen activator combination seems safe in acute stroke, with low rates of bleeding complications. Because of the low recruitment, the STARS trial was underpowered to detect differences in simvastatin efficacy.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT01073007.
“Islamic Coins” from a Hindu Temple
Authors: Ziad Waleed
Published: October 2016

This paper examines enigmatic, small, Arabic-inscribed copper coins that were minted or circulated in the environs of a Hindu cave temple complex in northern Gandhara. Based on legends and typology, most of these issues can be attributed to the Ghaznavid period. This new numismatic evidence calls into question long-standing narratives of the Ghaznavid invasion of Hindustan, which posit that the Ghaznavids pursued a uniformly iconoclastic policy toward Hindu sacred sites. The evidence also suggests that the Ghaznavids embraced diverse modes of interaction with the Hindustani frontier zones. These went beyond the well documented raiding expeditions to realize short-term financial gains. Rather, the Ghaznavids may also have had long-term economic objectives, which necessitated preserving existing sacred institutions and their administrative and fiscal machinery and patronage networks.
“The Law of the State is the Law:” The Nature of Law in Jewish Jurisprudence
Authors: Finkelstein Baruch
Published: October 2016

This essay presents medieval Rabbinic attitudes concerning the nature of law as it is expressed in the dictum “dina demalkhuta dina”—the law of the state is regarded as the Jewish law. The essay confirms that Rabbinic attitudes concerning the nature of law are harmonious with diverse philosophical approaches in classical jurisprudence, reflected in both “natural” and “positive” law theory. Here we focus on the rational and legal justifications for accepting non-Jewish rule, asking why a religious law, claiming its origins to a divine mandate, would submit to a seemingly inferior, non-Jewish law. The answer to this question sheds light on the Rabbinic attitudes to the nature of law in general.
Postmodernist Mythic Sexual Narratives in Zakes Mda’s The Whale Caller
Authors: Oripeloye Henri
Published: October 2016

Zakes Mda’s The Whale Caller is easily identifiable as a narrative that projects the newness of South Africa in terms of literary transition. The radical shift in this novel resides in its preoccupation with the excessive passion a man has for a whale and this interest creates an unusual space for this work in contemporary African fiction; its mapping of perverted sexuality clearly sets it outside the mainstream of African prose narrative. In the universe of this socio-cultural text, the actions, characters, and signifiers are constructed to reflect a stasis of frustration or disjunction in the apprehension of psycho-social forces that favour the dismantling of cultural expectations that sexuality be recognized as sacrosanct. This essay focuses on postmodernist mythical expression in The Whale Caller, which is used to valorize the process of cultural rupture. With intense self-reflexivity, Mda sends signals about the cultural and ecological stultification characterizing the new South Africa. The Whale Caller underpins two realms of readability; its tragic tones point, on the one hand, to the neglect of ecological concerns. In the other realms of meaning, the Whale Caller as a defamiliarizing object becomes a metaphorization of cultural transformation.
Rethinking the Idiom of Transition
Authors: Ezeliora Osita
Published: October 2016

A dilemma facing those exploring the post-apartheid novel in English is how to group white and black writers in a single box, given that previous scholarship often focused on racial binaries. Debates anticipating the post-apartheid liberal order attempted to highlight areas to be privileged without equal regard for the historical reality of pain inflicted on the population. This is probably why some white academics have invoked a defacement of history in the discourse of recent fiction. Others, however, have argued that literary scholarship should remain a search for ‘social justice’. Michael Chapman, for one, appeals for “a humanism of reconstruction” and “a hermeneutics of suspicion”—a position confirmed by the work of several black scholars. This essay explores the views of Mphahlele, Mzamane, and Oliphant with respect to the emerging tradition of writing in post-apartheid South Africa. It takes into account the fact that South Africa is still a ‘transitional state’—a ‘nation’ undergoing immense transformation not only in the political arena but also in practically every facet of its social imaginary.
Re-Membered Pasts, Dismembered Families
Authors: Ocita James
Published: October 2016

The essay explores, first, the centrality of family structures in the practices and transmission of value-systems associated with Indianness; and, secondly, how material objects that are sourced from ‘India’ are fetishized and deployed through such performances to counter realities of cultural loss and alienation that follow migration and dislocation in three post-apartheid novels: Imraan Coovadia’s The Wedding (2001), Aziz Hassim’s The Lotus People (2002), and Ronnie Govender’s Song of the Atman (2006). These novels emerge in the context of the desire for a definitive history that both reassures Indians of their legitimate space in the post-apartheid formation and balances the tension between common citizenship founded on a non-racial constitution and the need to articulate Indianness in South Africa. For many scholars, the post-apartheid moment and its ‘rainbow-nation’ project simultaneously activates the past and the opportunity to articulate Indian identity that in the apartheid era had, for political reasons, been rejected in favour of a ‘black’ identity claimed by all the oppressed peoples of South Africa.
Zimbabwean Foodways, Feminisms, and Transforming Nationalisms in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions and NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names
Authors: Moolla F. Fiona
Published: October 2016

Food studies are a productive lens through which to view the impact of social, cultural, historical and political shifts on conceptions of female identity. Nervous Conditions (1988) and We Need New Names (2013) are two novels which link the coming of age of two young women with the development of nationalism, in the first case, and the forced transnationalism of Zimbabwean refugees and exiles in the second. The story of these female and national identity transformations is conveyed, in part, through food—its production, sale, preparation, consumption, and cultural significance. The replacement of sadza and mbodza by the British cuisine of the 1960s in the novel of colonialism and national independence is paralleled in the replacement of food scarcity (symbolized by NGO beans, maize, and sugar) with the fast food of American consumer culture, and its impact on the Zimbabwean diaspora in the later novel of transnationalism. The centrality of the cultivation of mealies, which paradoxically both burdens and “liberates” in Nervous Conditions, occurs only as a pastoral backdrop to caricatured indigeneity in We Need New Names. In the later novel, the nutritional and cultural significance of maize is reduced to the mealie meal handed out by NGO workers. Maize’s centrality is replaced in We Need New Names by constipation-inducing guavas. But in this novel also, maize finally holds out the symbolic possibility of new senses of belonging and home.
A Standing Investment Court under TTIP from the Perspective of the Court of Justice of the European Union
Authors: Gáspár-Szilágyi Szilárd
Published: October 2016

This article critically assesses the feasibility of the recently proposed Investment Court System (ICS) under the envisaged Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), from the perspective of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). It is argued that an ex ante assessment of the ICS by the CJEU would likely result in several incompatibilities between the ICS and EU law, since insufficient safeguards exist guaranteeing that the ICS will not interfere with EU fundamental rights and the CJEU’s exclusive jurisdiction to deliver binding interpretations of EU law. Moreover, it is not yet certain whether an incompatibility exists with Article 344 TFEU or with substantive EU values. Furthermore, no preliminary reference mechanism is envisaged with a binding ruling of the CJEU and even if such a system were included, it is uncertain whether the ICS could refer a question to the CJEU.
A Legal History of the EU’s International Investment Policy
Authors: Basedow Robert
Published: October 2016

The article traces the evolution of the legal competences of the European Union (EU) in international investment regulation from the Spaak Report (1956) to the Lisbon Treaty (2009). It focuses on the question why and how the EU gradually acquired legal competences in this key domain of global economic governance. The analysis suggests that Commission entrepreneurship and spill-overs from other EU policies were the most important factors fuelling the extension of the EU’s legal competences. The Member States, on the other hand, sought to prevent a competence transfer. European business – arguably the main stakeholder – was mostly uninterested or divided regarding the EU’s role in international investment policy. The findings have implications for our perception of business lobbying in international investment policy and potentially for the legal interpretation and delimitation of the EU’s new competences.
Canons of the Lent
Authors: Youssef Youhanna Nessim
Published: October 2016

يدرس هذا البحث ما يطلق عليه القوانين باللغة القبطية واليونانية، ويتتبع تطورها على مر العصور؛ حيث إن المخطوط المحفوظ في ليدن والذي يعود إلى القرن العاشر تقريبًا يحتوي على هذا النص. ثم نقوم بإيراد آراء كتاب العصور الوسطى، مثل: يوحنا بن أبي زكريا بن السباع، وابن كبر من القرن الرابع عشر، ثم نقدم نصوص القبطية لهذه القوانين بحسب مخطوطات ترتيب البيعة، ومخطوطات أخرى، ونقدم تعليقًا على المخطوطة والحواشي المناسبة. والنص بلغته الأصلية مع ترجمة إنجليزية مع مقارنة ما أوردته طبعة الطوخي (سنة 1736م) التي من الصعب الحصول عليها.
White Southern Memories and the Legacy of “Slave Marriage” in the United States
Authors: Parry Tyler D.
Published: October 2016

This article intersects various secondary works that analyze regional memories in the US South, slave marital practices, and the intellectual history of slavery in the United States. Following a brief analysis of the “Plantation Myth,” it examines the proslavery framework established by southern apologists in the antebellum era and gauges how postbellum authors built upon these arguments. The next part critically probes memoirists’ usage of descriptive material, scrutinizing their motivations for producing the literature, the tone conveyed through their writing, and how they used the wedding ceremony as a symbol for slavery’s benignity. Following this qualitative data, this study examines a research sample found in the collections of Herman Clarence Nixon, a prolific author in the early twentieth century who interviewed former slave owners for his research on slavery in northern Alabama. Finally, this article reveals how postbellum reminiscences portrayed a myth of gender solidarity that transcended racial boundaries.
Patient- and Visit-Level Variables Associated With Late Arrival to Pediatric Clinic Appointments
Authors: Hang Shona C. , Hassmiller Lich Kristen , Kelly Kevin J. , Howell Diane M. , Steiner Michael J.
Published: October 2016

We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate timeliness of patient arrival at a pediatric multispecialty clinic. Bivariate and ordered logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the odds of late arrival by specified patient- and visit-level characteristics. A total of 64 856 visits were available for analysis, of which 6513 (10.0%) were late arrivals. The odds of late arrival were higher for patients who spoke English (odds ratio [OR] = 1.34, P < .001) compared with those who spoke Spanish, had Medicaid (OR = 1.54, P < .001) or no insurance (OR = 1.49, P < .001) compared with those with insurance other than Medicaid, and were late to their previous visit (OR = 2.46, P < .001). Visit-level variables associated with late arrival included appointment time earlier in the day (i.e. 8-10 am, OR = 2.77, P < .001 compared with 4-6 pm), earlier in the week (i.e. on Mondays, OR = 1.21, P < .001 compared with Wednesdays), and for certain subspecialty clinics ( P < .001). Numerous variables are significantly associated with late arrival for pediatric clinic appointments.
An Investigation of the Influence of the Spatial Distribution of Neighborhood Violent Crime on Fear of Crime
Authors: Barton Michael S. , Weil Frederick , Jackson Melinda , Hickey Darien A.
Published: October 2016

Although crime rates dramatically declined during the 1990s, recent statistics indicated more than one third of the U.S. population continued to be afraid of areas within one mile of their home. Statistics such as this imply spatial dependence, but the importance of space in statistical analyses of fear of crime has remained relatively underexplored. The current study contributes to research on fear of crime by assessing the importance of crime rates in nearby neighborhood areas in addition to conventional individual- and neighborhood-level predictors of fear of criminal victimization. Results indicate that individuals who lived near neighborhoods that featured higher rates of violent crime were more likely to report being afraid of violent crime, but that the influence of violent crime rates in nearby neighborhoods was lessened after other features of their home neighborhood were controlled. In particular, the results highlight the importance of neighborhood communities as a protective factor against fear of crime.
What Constitutes Science and Scientific Evidence: Roles of Null Hypothesis Testing
Authors: Chang Mark
Published: October 2016

We briefly discuss the philosophical basis of science, causality, and scientific evidence, by introducing the hidden but most fundamental principle of science: the similarity principle. The principle’s use in scientific discovery is illustrated with Simpson’s paradox and other examples. In discussing the value of null hypothesis statistical testing, the controversies in multiple regression, and multiplicity issues in statistics, we describe how these difficult issues should be handled based on our interpretation of the similarity principle.
Doing a Bid
Authors: Middlemass Keesha M. , Smiley CalvinJohn
Published: October 2016

Juxtaposing the sociology of time with the sociological study of punishment, we interviewed 34 former inmates to explore their memories of how they constructed time while “doing a bid.” Prison sentences convey macro-political and social messages, but time is experienced by individuals. Our qualitative data explore important theoretical connections between the sociology of time as a lived experience and the temporality of prison where time is punishment. The interview data explores the social construction of time, and our findings demonstrate participants’ use of the language of time in three distinct ways: (a) routine time, (b) marked time, and (c) lost time.
Beyond the positive reinforcement of aggression
Authors: Jung Janis , Krahé Barbara , Busching Robert
Published: October 2016

Being surrounded by peers who are accepting of aggression is a significant predictor of the development and persistence of aggression in childhood and adolescence. Whereas past research has focused on social reinforcement mechanisms as the underlying processes, the present longitudinal study analysed the role of external control beliefs as an additional mediator explaining the link between peers’ acceptance of aggression and the development of aggressive behaviour. Drawing on a large community sample of N = 1,466 male and female children and adolescents from Germany aged between 10 and 18 years, results of latent structural equation modeling were consistent with the hypotheses that peer acceptance of aggression would predict external control beliefs in the social domain, which in turn, should predict aggressive behaviour over time. Additional multigroup analyses showed that the predicted pathways were consistent across gender and age groups.
Resource geographies I
Authors: Huber Matt
Published: October 2016

The relationship between value and nature has become central to critical resource geography (and other nature-society geography). While research demonstrates the problems with efforts to extend capitalist monetary value to ecosystem services or externalities, few scholars have anchored their critiques in their own theory of value. This report reviews this bourgeoning research through a theory of value anchored in Marxian political economy. Drawing from a few basic postulates, I attempt to fill some gaps and clear up some ambiguities in this research. First, I examine research on environmental valuations schemes (e.g. pricing externalities, or payments for ecosystem services). Marx’s value theory (rooted in abstract labor) can help us to explain why these projects seem so destined for failure. Second, I examine research into how resources and value flow through commodity chains or global production networks. Marx’s focus on labor and abstraction can help us to better understand the violence within these chains toward humans and nonhumans alike. Third, I examine research into the financialization of environmental goods in services. I suggest Marx’s value-theoretical approach to the ‘totality’ of capitalist social relations can better help us to theorize financial capital’s contradictory relationship to value production in the realm of production. I conclude by suggesting a unified theory of value can yield a more radical critique of the diverse failures of capitalism in dealing with our current ecological crisis.
Chronic headache with medication overuse: Long-term prognosis after withdrawal therapy
Authors: Bøe Magne Geir , Thortveit Erik , Vatne Anita , Mygland Åse
Published: October 2016

Background

Knowledge about long-term outcomes after medication withdrawal therapy for chronic headache, including tension type and migraine headache is lacking.

Methods

We re-examined 56 patients an average of nine years after they participated in a medication withdrawal study with a one-year follow-up. We collected and compared data on headache, use of medication, quality of life, quality of sleep, anxiety, depression, and labor participation one and nine years after the start of withdrawal therapy.

Results

Headache days per month decreased from 16.7 (14.0–19.3) at one year to 13.3 (10.6–15.9) at nine years (P = 0.007). The proportion of patients meeting the criteria for chronic headache decreased from 27/56 (48%) at one year to 18/56 (32%) at nine years (P = 0.004). Medication overuse was reported in seven (13%) patients at one year and 18 (32%) at nine years (P = 0.013). The majority of patients overusing medication at nine years (10/18) belonged to a group of 14 patients who had a poor early response to withdrawal therapy and had sustained chronic headache after nine years. After excluding patients receiving retirement pensions, the proportion who received disability benefits increased from 21/55 (38%) at one year to 30/49 (61%) at nine years (P = 0.003).

Conclusion

Improvements after withdrawal therapy for chronic headache last at least nine years, with a parallel increase in the use of disability benefits. However, a high proportion of patients with a poor initial response to withdrawal therapy and sustained chronic headache overuse medication.
Thermochemical erosion and thermophysical properties of phenolic resin/carbon fiber/graphite nanocomposites
Authors: Sabagh Samire , Arefazar Ahmad , Bahramian Ahmad Reza
Published: October 2016

The main objective of this work is an experimental investigation and an analytical modeling of ablation and to analyze the thermophysical properties of nanocomposites based on novolac resin/short carbon fiber/graphite nanocrystalline powders in oxyacetylene flame test. The composite consisting of 40 wt.% carbon fiber was prepared as reference sample of which matrix was modified with three different percentages (6, 9 and 12 wt.%) of nano-sized graphite powders as reinforcement. Ablation is calculated by mass balance equation. Some parameters in the ablation modeling are evaluated by simultaneous thermal gravimetric analysis technique. Results of this work show that ablation rates decrease by the addition of graphite powders. The theoretical ablation rates are 33–38% less than the experimental data analyzed by oxyacetylene flame tests. This difference is reasonable because the effect of fluid stream force of oxyacetylene flame that causes the thermomechanical erosion of the surface is omitted in theoretical calculations. Therefore the model only calculates thermochemical erosion. Also, the thermophysical properties change due to heating is analyzed. Moreover, in nanocomposite with 9 wt.% graphite nanopowders, the rate of ablation and thermal diffusivity coefficient decreased by 10% and 50%, respectively, and thermal stability increased by 12% compared to the reference sample.
What Motivates Different Groups of Public Employees Working for Dutch Municipalities? Combining Autonomous and Controlled Types of Motivation
Authors: Weske Ulrike , Schott Carina
Published: October 2016

To this day, the question what motivates public sector employees is central in public administration research. This exploratory study aims to delve into this question, arguing that different types of motives coexist and that different groups of individuals might be motivated by different motivational profiles. We use cluster analysis among public servants ( N = 475) working at two municipalities in the Netherlands to explore these notions. Our findings show that different clusters of employees with different motivation profiles are indeed present in the data. In addition, they provide some indications about who the individuals in the clusters are in terms of demographic characteristics. These findings help, among other things, to explain the mixed findings of previous studies investigating sectional differences between public and private employees’ work motivation, and to identify specific human research activities tailored at individuals’ reward preferences.