bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Newer Approaches to Identify Potential Untoward Effects in Functional Foods
Authors: Marone Palma Ann , Birkenbach Victoria L. , Hayes A. Wallace
Published: December 2015

Globalization has greatly accelerated the numbers and variety of food and beverage products available worldwide. The exchange among greater numbers of countries, manufacturers, and products in the United States and worldwide has necessitated enhanced quality measures for nutritional products for larger populations increasingly reliant on functionality. These functional foods, those that provide benefit beyond basic nutrition, are increasingly being used for their potential to alleviate food insufficiency while enhancing quality and longevity of life. In the United States alone, a steady import increase of greater than 15% per year or 24 million shipments, over 70% products of which are food related, is regulated under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This unparalleled growth has resulted in the need for faster, cheaper, and better safety and efficacy screening methods in the form of harmonized guidelines and recommendations for product standardization. In an effort to meet this need, the in vitro toxicology testing market has similarly grown with an anticipatory 15% increase between 2010 and 2015 of US$1.3 to US$2.7 billion. Although traditionally occupying a small fraction of the market behind pharmaceuticals and cosmetic/household products, the scope of functional food testing, including additives/supplements, ingredients, residues, contact/processing, and contaminants, is potentially expansive. Similarly, as functional food testing has progressed, so has the need to identify potential adverse factors that threaten the safety and quality of these products.
Optimized statistical parameters of acoustic emission signals for monitoring of rolling element bearings
Authors: Hemmati Farzad , Alqaradawi Mohammed , Gadala Mohamed S
Published: December 2015

Acoustic emission (AE) signal generated from artificial defects in rolling element bearings are investigated using experimental measurements in this paper. Rolling element bearings are crucial parts of many machines and there has been an increasing demand to find effective and reliable health monitoring technique and advanced signal processing to detect and diagnose the size and location of incipient defects. Condition monitoring of rolling element bearings, comprises four main stages which are, statistical analysis, faults diagnostics, defect size calculation, and prognostics. In this paper, the effect of defect size, operating speed, and loading conditions on statistical parameters of AE signals, using design of experiment method, have been investigated to select the most sensitive parameters for diagnosing incipient faults and defect growth on rolling element bearings.
Tourist destination perception and well-being
Authors: Reitsamer Bernd Frederik , Brunner-Sperdin Alexandra
Published: December 2015

This study investigates the impact of place perception on tourist well-being to provide an understanding of how destination attributes influence tourists’ response behaviors. Data were collected in a self-administered survey from 631 respondents in three Austrian tourism destinations. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling (Mplus 7.0) were employed to test the hypothesized relationships. Results provide empirical evidence that tourists perceive destination settings holistically and will report higher levels of psychological well-being if a destination provides an adequate combination of sensemaking (i.e. access and amenities) and exploratory attributes (i.e. attractions and activities, entertainment options, and local community). Findings also show that tourists’ well-being has a significant, positive impact on their intention to return and their desire to engage in positive word of mouth about the destination. Most importantly, an indirect-only mediation of well-being on the relationship between both sense-making and exploratory attributes and behavioral outcomes was found. An integrated view of the results can provide important considerations for tourism research and fruitful suggestions for destination management organizations.
Prophet of a new modernity: Ulrich Beck’s legacy for sociology
Authors: Woodman Dan , Threadgold Steven , Possamai-Inesedy Alphia
Published: December 2015

Ulrich Beck was one of the most influential sociologists of recent decades. Concepts he developed – including risk society, individualization, cosmopolitanization, subpolitics and the democratization of science – are among the most cited, used and contested in contemporary sociology. In the wake of Beck’s recent death, this review article revisits his key contributions and legacy. He proposed that a momentous shift to a new modernity has begun and challenged sociologists as to whether the concepts they use are up to the task of tracing this emerging dynamic. Provocatively, Beck asked whether concepts like the nation-state, family and class are functioning as ‘zombie categories’, continuing on in sociology but no longer relevant to social experience. We argue that Beck was not denying the significance of such social factors, but setting a challenge to the discipline to show how the key concepts of sociology can be reimagined in the face of social change.
In objectivity we trust? Pluralism, consensus, and ideology in journalism studies
Authors: Raeijmaekers Daniëlle , Maeseele Pieter
Published: December 2015

This article starts from the observation that the concept of objectivity, along with its twin sentries ‘balance’ and ‘impartiality’, is generally regarded as a cornerstone of journalism and, consequently, of journalism research. The aim of this article is to show that the analytical ideal of objectivity, instead of enabling, in fact inhibits media pluralism research. The first section focuses on unveiling the ideological nature of this ideal by relating it both socio-historically and analytically to a post-ideological and consensual understanding of society. Since we find this ideal only allowing for the evaluation of journalism within the limits of social consensus (pluralism ‘within the box’), the second section seeks for alternative analytical concepts to evaluate journalism about and beyond the limits of social consensus (pluralism ‘outside the box’). To illustrate the difference between both approaches, the popular concept of partisan media bias is juxtaposed to the alternative framework of de/politicization.
Rawls, self-respect, and assurance
Authors: Waligore Timothy
Published: December 2015

This article adapts John Rawls’s writings, arguing that past injustice can change what we ought to publicly affirm as the standard of justice today. My approach differs from forward-looking approaches based on alleviating prospective disadvantage and backward-looking historical entitlement approaches. In different contexts, Rawls’s own concern for the ‘social bases of self-respect’ and equal citizenship may require public endorsement of different principles or specifications of the standard of justice. Rawls’s difference principle focuses on the least advantaged socioeconomic group. I argue that a historicized difference principle (i) considers the relative standing of racial, gender, and other historically stigmatized groups; (ii) provides their members assurance by weakening incentives to manipulate justice to another group’s advantage; and (iii) may result in policies resembling reparations, though justified by forward-looking considerations of self-respect and public assurance. I then examine how disrespectful justifications were historically used to forcibly include indigenous peoples as citizens. While Rawls thinks providing citizens one package of basic liberties signals respect, indigenous self-government could better support self-respect. I invoke Rawlsian international justice, which calls for mutual respect between peoples. Indigenous peoples’ status should reflect their past and persisting peoplehood, providing assurance by weakening incentives to unjustly transform international into domestic contexts.
Problematising Advanced Liberal Youth Crime Prevention: The Impacts of Management Reforms on Irish Garda Youth Diversion Projects
Authors: Swirak Katharina
Published: December 2015

Principles of advanced liberal youth justice policy and practice have infiltrated several jurisdictions. Reflective of these developments, this article contends that Irish youth crime prevention and diversion policy has been dominated by three central rationalities: New Public Management, deficit-based explanations of young people’s behaviour and the prioritising of behaviourist types of interventions with young people. To illustrate this argument, the article analyses the Agenda of Change reform process of the multi-agency Garda Youth Diversion Projects. Paying close attention to the discursive nature of policy texts and associated technologies of government, it is suggested that advanced liberal discourses are productive of a distinctive field of youth justice work.
Sperm Competition Risk and Sexual Coercion Predict Copulatory Duration in Humans
Authors: Barbaro Nicole , Pham Michael N. , Shackelford Todd K.
Published: December 2015

A man whose romantic partner is sexually unfaithful is at risk of sperm competition and cuckoldry—unwitting investment in offspring to whom he is genetically unrelated. Men, therefore, may have evolved mechanisms to solve the adaptive problems of sperm competition and cuckoldry. The current research investigates another potential anti-cuckoldry tactic: reducing in-pair copulation (IPC) duration, thereby more quickly placing his sperm into competition. We hypothesize that IPC duration will be negatively correlated with female infidelity (Hypothesis 1). We further hypothesize that IPC duration will be negatively correlated with sexual coercion (Hypothesis 2). Results of Study 1 (men’s reports, n = 410) indicate that both men’s perceptions of female infidelity and men’s sexual coercion predict shorter IPC duration. Results of Study 2 (women’s reports, n = 455) did not provide statistical support for the study hypotheses. The current research provides an initial investigation of men’s adjustment of copulatory duration and suggests that men reduce IPC duration and ejaculate more quickly at the couple’s most recent copulation, in response to greater risk of sperm competition and in the context of sexual coercion.
Efficacy or Chaos? Parent–Child Interaction Therapy in Maltreating Populations: A Review of Research
Authors: Batzer Stephanie , Berg Teresa , Godinet Meripa T. , Stotzer Rebecca L.
Published: December 2015

Child abuse remains a serious and expensive social problem in the United States. Few evidence-based treatments (EBTs) exist for at-risk families and/or maltreating families where neglect or abuse has occurred, limiting the ability of social service agencies to comply with legislative mandates to use EBTs with clients. One promising intervention, parent–child interaction therapy (PCIT), has been tested in 11 separate trials with this population. This review of research on PCIT with abusive adults found that overall PCIT is an appropriate, efficacious intervention method to prevent future maltreatment by targeting parenting skills and child externalizing behaviors. These findings must be taken with caution, since the key factor to determine efficacy is completion of treatment, and all the studies involved showed significant problems with sample attrition. While the current studies are promising, there is a need for research that focuses on measuring parental sensitivity and attachment levels, explores use in the foster and adoptive communities, and studies that use tertiary subjects to serve as unbiased reporters of perceived levels of behavioral changes.
Linear-quadratic-Gaussian controller for truck active suspension based on cargo integrity
Authors: Xia Rong-xia , Li Jin-hui , He Jie , Shi Deng-feng , Zhang Ying
Published: December 2015

The aim of this study is to design a 4-degree-of-freedom linear-quadratic-Gaussian optimal controller for an active suspension to improve cargo integrity, under the condition of no loss of other properties. The analytic hierarchy process was used to reasonably determine the index weight, and simulation models of active and passive suspension systems were developed in the MATLAB and Simulink environment. By analyzing the time- and frequency-domain characteristics that are affected by suspension control, we observed that cargo integrity was effectively improved by the active suspension, and the road friendliness, ride comfort, and handling stability were also improved to some extent.
A hidden history
Authors: Atherton HL , Steels SL
Published: December 2015

Knowledge and understanding of how eugenics has historically affected the lives of people with intellectual disabilities is vital if professionals are to mount an effective defence against its contemporary influences. An online survey of European providers of health, social care and pedagogical education and training courses was undertaken to find out how the history of eugenics is taught to those wishing to work in services for people with intellectual disabilities. Two hundred and six educational providers were contacted with a response rate of 35.9% ( n = 74). Findings showed that the majority of educational providers recognize the importance of including the history of eugenics in their courses, although fewer feel confident that it is sufficiently well covered to prepare future professionals for their role as protector. Course content differs on both the emphasis given to the different components of this history, time dedicated to its delivery and the extent to which it is used to inform legal and ethical debate. Specific recommendations for developing the way in which this subject area is taught are outlined.
Developing young person’s Face IT: Online psychosocial support for adolescents struggling with conditions or injuries affecting their appearance
Authors: Williamson Heidi , Griffiths Catrin , Harcourt Diana
Published: December 2015

A participatory action approach with potential users and clinical experts was employed to design and evaluate the acceptability of young person’s Face IT (YP Face IT), an online intervention incorporating cognitive behavioural therapy and social skills training for adolescents with appearance-related anxiety as a result of a visible difference. Workshops with adolescents and clinicians informed a prototype YP Face IT which underwent a usability analysis by 28 multidisciplinary health professionals and 18 adolescents, before 10 adolescents completed it at home. Acceptability data obtained online and via interview were analysed using content analysis. Participants found YP Face IT acceptable and believed it would provide much needed and easy access to psychosocial support. They requested that it should be made widely available either as a self-management tool requiring minimal supervision from a health professional or to compliment therapist-led care.
An Examination of Employment and Earning Outcomes of Probationers With Criminal and Substance Use Histories
Authors: Chintakrindi Sriram , Porter Jeremy , Kim Chunrye , Gupta Suditi
Published: December 2015

There exists a strong relationship between having a criminal history and experiencing barriers to employment. Negative credentials facilitate the social and economic exclusion of individuals with criminal records. However, previous research has not concretely identified whether the stratification of economic opportunities by individual-level criminal records may be further affecting those who demonstrate substance use histories. In this study, we examine the substance use and criminal history profiles of probationers participating in an experimental drug treatment study and how probationer characteristics affect employment outcomes and gross earnings at both the 6- and 12-month follow-up periods. We hypothesize that substance use and criminal history have a main effect and interactional relationship that reduces the odds of self-reporting employment and decreases gross earnings outcomes of probationer. Our results demonstrate that substance use history and criminal history has a main effect on employment and earnings outcomes.
Regenerating Forests Through People’s Participation: How Far Has the Joint Forest Management (JFM) Worked?
Authors: Shylendra H. S.
Published: December 2015

Given the severity of natural resources’ degradation and the imminent threat to ecological security, various alternatives have been explored for the sustainable management of these resources. One such alternative includes involving communities through participatory ways to tap their agency for conserving resources like forests, water or land. Designed along participatory lines, the Joint Forest Management (JFM) happens to be the flagship programme for restoring degraded forests in India. Conceptually, only a tenuous relationship has been identified between participation and sustainable development. Participatory approaches manifest themselves either as the ‘means’ or ‘goals’ of development. In both types of participation, pitfalls are common for equity and efficiency outcomes of the intended programmes unless the process of participation is one of enabled nature. JFM, as a participatory intervention, emerges more as a top–down initiative with a rigid framework unable to break the inherent structural constraints for a more empowered process of forest regeneration. The available pieces of evidence, to a large extent, corroborate the theoretical contention that a participatory approach may not necessarily lead to improved outcomes for forest regeneration on a significant scale. This article, besides critically assessing the role of JFM, draws a few implications for its future strategies.
Book Review: Kartik B. Athreya, Big Ideas in Macroeconomics: A Nontechnical View
Authors: Gangopadhyay Kausik
Published: December 2015

Kartik B. Athreya, Big Ideas in Macroeconomics: A Nontechnical View, 2013, Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England: The MIT Press, 429 pp., ₹ 1957.
Development and Examination of a Family Triadic Measure to Examine Quality of Life Family Congruence in Nursing Home Residents and Two Family Members
Authors: Aalgaard Kelly Gina
Published: December 2015

Objective: The overall purpose of this study was to propose and test a conceptual model and apply family analyses methods to understand quality of life family congruence in the nursing home setting. Method: Secondary data for this study were from a larger study, titled Measurement, Indicators and Improvement of the Quality of Life (QOL) in Nursing Homes. Research literature, family systems theory and human ecological assumptions, fostered the conceptual model empirically testing quality of life family congruence. Results: The study results supported a model examining nursing home residents and two family members on quality of life family congruence. Specifically, family intergenerational dynamic factors, resident personal and social-psychological factors, and nursing home family input factors were examined to identify differences in quality of life family congruence among triad families. Discussion: Formal family involvement and resident cognitive functioning were found as the two most influential factors to quality of life family congruence (QOLFC).
Ultrasound Transducers
Authors: Genovese Melissa
Published: December 2015

Diagnostic medical ultrasound transducers have evolved through the years and have contributed significantly to improved patient care. This article discusses the history and types of transducers and the elements that have changed over time. There has been a sharp transition from natural to human-made elements and from one to many in a single transducer. Ergonomics also now plays a role in transducer design and will continue to do so; the grip, weight, and size of transducers are in the forefront of design considerations. The evolution of transducers has changed not only how well we visualize anatomy and what anatomy we see but also how the patient’s care is managed. Different, new, and emerging technologies certainly will continue to be identified within the sonography community.
Mechanical prophylaxis is a heparin-independent risk for anti–platelet factor 4/heparin antibody formation after orthopedic surgery
Authors: Bito Seiji , Miyata Shigeki , Migita Kiyoshi , Nakamura Mashio , Shinohara Kazuhito , Sato Tomotaro , Tonai Takeharu , Shimizu Motoyuki , Shibata Yasuhiro , Kishi Kazuhiko , Kubota Chikara , Nakahara Shinnosuke , Mori Toshihito , Ikeda Kazuo , Ota Shusuke , Minamizaki Takeshi , Yamada Shigeru , Shiota Naofumi , Kamei Masataka , Motokawa Satoru
Published: December 2015

Key Points

Patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty can develop anti-PF4/heparin antibodies without heparin exposure. Dynamic mechanical prophylaxis is a heparin-independent risk factor for anti-PF4/heparin antibody formation in this patient population.
Molecular landscape of acute myeloid leukemia in younger adults and its clinical relevance
Authors: Grimwade David , Ivey Adam , Huntly Brian J. P.
Published: December 2015

Recent major advances in understanding the molecular basis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) provide a double-edged sword. Although defining the topology and key features of the molecular landscape are fundamental to development of novel treatment approaches and provide opportunities for greater individualization of therapy, confirmation of the genetic complexity presents a huge challenge to successful translation into routine clinical practice. It is now clear that many genes are recurrently mutated in AML; moreover, individual leukemias harbor multiple mutations and are potentially composed of subclones with differing mutational composition, rendering each patient’s AML genetically unique. In order to make sense of the overwhelming mutational data and capitalize on this clinically, it is important to identify (1) critical AML-defining molecular abnormalities that distinguish biological disease entities; (2) mutations, typically arising in subclones, that may influence prognosis but are unlikely to be ideal therapeutic targets; (3) mutations associated with preleukemic clones; and (4) mutations that have been robustly shown to confer independent prognostic information or are therapeutically relevant. The reward of identifying AML-defining molecular lesions present in all leukemic populations (including subclones) has been exemplified by acute promyelocytic leukemia, where successful targeting of the underlying PML-RARα oncoprotein has eliminated the need for chemotherapy for disease cure. Despite the molecular heterogeneity and recognizing that treatment options for other forms of AML are limited, this review will consider the scope for using novel molecular information to improve diagnosis, identify subsets of patients eligible for targeted therapies, refine outcome prediction, and track treatment response.
Proximal point algorithms involving fixed points of nonexpansive mappings in $\operatorname{CAT}(0)$ spaces
Authors: Cholamjiak Prasit , Abdou Afrah AN , Cho Yeol Je
Published: December 2015

In this paper, we introduce a new modified proximal point algorithm involving fixed point iterates of nonexpansive mappings in$\operatorname{CAT}(0)$CAT(0)spaces and prove that the sequence generated by our iterative process converges to a minimizer of a convex function and a fixed point of mappings.
Not just another crapshoot development: the challenges and opportunities of modelling after Las Vegas and Macao as an economic development strategy in the 21st century
Authors: Khiatani Paul Vinod
Published: December 2015

Recent decades highlight an extraordinary growth of casino gambling all over the world. In the race to build casino-cities, particularly to reap economic and social benefits, most aspirers look to replicate the development models of the most famous casino-cities known to date, Las Vegas and Macao. Countries that have modelled after the aforementioned casino-cities have had mix results of success; e.g., Singapore, which followed Macao, yielded considerable success, while other states of the US which modelled Las Vegas, such as Atlantic City, did not have as much luck. In this respect, the countries adhere to the words of the wise; “Standing on the shoulders of the giants”. Yet, perhaps explaining why no country can really replicate the successful development experiences of Las Vegas and Macao, most countries fail to see beyond the glitz and glamor to recognize the key challenges and opportunities that helped make Las Vegas and Macao; e.g., with respect to the presence of domestic organized crime groups. This paper delves deep into identifying the key actors and circumstances that made the aforementioned cities what they are today, elucidating the integral development strategies used during their formative years. Utilizing a Marxian approach to understanding the state and state-civil society relations, the paper elucidates why no country can really replicate the development models of Las Vegas and Macao without appreciating its socio-political characteristics and the intricate ties between the upperworld and underworld during their formative years. In light of the findings, recommendations are provided for future research and pragmatic endeavours.
Biased signaling pathways via CXCR3 control the development and function of CD4+ T cell subsets
Authors: Karin Nathan , Wildbaum Gizi , Thelen Marcus
Published: December 2015

Structurally related chemotactic cytokines (chemokines) regulate cell trafficking through interactions with 7-transmembrane domain, G protein-coupled receptors. Biased signaling or functional selectivity is a concept that describes a situation where a 7-transmembrane domain receptor preferentially activates one of several available cellular signaling pathways. It can be divided into 3 distinct cases: ligand bias, receptor bias, and tissue or cell bias. Many studies, including those coming from our lab, have shown that only a limited number of chemokines are key drivers of inflammation. We have referred to them as “driver chemokines.” They include the CXCR3 ligands CXCL9 and CXCL10, the CCR2 ligand CCL2, all 3 CCR5 ligands, and the CCR9 ligand CCL25. As for CXCR3, despite the proinflammatory nature of CXCL10 and CXCL9, transgenic mice lacking CXCR3 display an aggravated manifestation of different autoimmune disease, including Type I diabetes and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Recently, we showed that whereas CXCL9 and CXCL10 induce effector Th1/Th17 cells to promote inflammation, CXCL11, with a relatively higher binding affinity to CXCR3, drives the development of the forkhead box P3-negative IL-10high T regulatory 1 cell subset and hence, dampens inflammation. We also showed that CXCL9/CXCL10 activates a different signaling cascade than CXCL11, despite binding to the same receptor, CXCR3, which results in these diverse biologic activities. This provides new evidence for the role of biased signaling in regulating biologic activities, in which CXCL11 induces ligand bias at CXCR3 and receptor-biased signaling via atypical chemokine receptor 3.
Porosity controls on secondary recovery at the Loudon field, south-central Illinois
Authors: Wagle John S. , Malone David H. , Peterson Eric W. , Tranel Lisa M.
Published: December 2015

Waterflooding has been used as an effective means to enhance oil recovery in mature oil fields for decades. The success of waterflooding is a function of geology, facies changes, and fluid dynamics, specifically, formation porosity and permeability. Within the Loudon oil field (Illinois), waterflooding has been used to increase production, but the degree of success has been variable. We have used 3D facies modeling was evaluate the variables controlling the success or failure of waterflooding. Three leases within the Loudon field exhibiting varying degrees of waterflood success were investigated. The K. Stubblefield lease, with the highest mean porosity of 13.5%, responded most favorably to waterflooding, with an increase of more than [Formula: see text]. Thick, high-porosity zones are well connected within the lease area, contributing to greater communication among the injection wells and the producing wells. The Rhodes-Williams lease, with porosity of 11.5%, had an increase in production of [Formula: see text]. The model showed that within this lease area, high-porosity zones were either orientated in directions that provided flow away from production wells or were lower porosity zones that finger with higher porosity zones restricting flow. The George Durbin lease, with porosity of 11.5%, produced only an additional [Formula: see text]. The model suggests that injector wells may be positioned in low-porosity zones and, as with the Rhodes-Williams lease, the alignment and distribution of the low porosities inhibit recovery within the producing wells. The 3D models indicated that although porosity plays an important role in the success of waterflooding, the alignment and distribution of the high- and low-porosity zones play a greater role in the success of secondary recovery techniques. Our research also demonstrated the utility and workflow of digitizing older paper well logs to incorporate into modern modeling software.
Actions of Bisphenol A and Bisphenol S on the Reproductive Neuroendocrine System During Early Development in Zebrafish
Authors: Qiu Wenhui , Zhao Yali , Yang Ming , Farajzadeh Matthew , Pan Chenyuan , Wayne Nancy L.
Published: December 2015

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known environmental, endocrine-disrupting chemical, and bisphenol S (BPS) has been considered a safer alternative for BPA-free products. The present study aims to evaluate the impact of BPA and BPS on the reproductive neuroendocrine system during zebrafish embryonic and larval development and to explore potential mechanisms of action associated with estrogen receptor (ER), thyroid hormone receptor (THR), and enzyme aromatase (AROM) pathways. Environmentally relevant, low levels of BPA exposure during development led to advanced hatching time, increased numbers of GnRH3 neurons in both terminal nerve and hypothalamus, increased expression of reproduction-related genes (kiss1, kiss1r, gnrh3, lhβ, fshβ, and erα), and a marker for synaptic transmission (sv2). Low levels of BPS exposure led to similar effects: increased numbers of hypothalamic GnRH3 neurons and increased expression of kiss1, gnrh3, and erα. Antagonists of ER, THRs, and AROM blocked many of the effects of BPA and BPS on reproduction-related gene expression, providing evidence that those three pathways mediate the actions of BPA and BPS on the reproductive neuroendocrine system. This study demonstrates that alternatives to BPA used in the manufacture of BPA-free products are not necessarily safer. Furthermore, this is the first study to describe the impact of low-level BPA and BPS exposure on the Kiss/Kiss receptor system during development. It is also the first report of multiple cellular pathways (ERα, THRs, and AROM) mediating the effects of BPA and BPS during embryonic development in any species.
Validity Evidence for the Neuro-Endoscopic Ventriculostomy Assessment Tool (NEVAT)
Authors: Breimer Gerben E. , Haji Faizal A. , Cinalli Giuseppe , Hoving Eelco W. , Drake James M.
Published: December 2015

BACKGROUND: Growing demand for transparent and standardized methods for evaluating surgical competence prompted the construction of the Neuro-Endoscopic Ventriculostomy Assessment Tool (NEVAT).

OBJECTIVE: To provide validity evidence of the NEVAT by reporting on the tool's internal structure and its relationship with surgical expertise during simulation-based training.

METHODS: The NEVAT was used to assess performance of trainees and faculty at an international neuroendoscopy workshop. All participants performed an endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) on a synthetic simulator. Participants were simultaneously scored by 2 raters using the NEVAT procedural checklist and global rating scale (GRS). Evidence of internal structure was collected by calculating interrater reliability and internal consistency of raters' scores. Evidence of relationships with other variables was collected by comparing the ETV performance of experts, experienced trainees, and novices using Jonckheere's test (evidence of construct validity).

RESULTS: Thirteen experts, 11 experienced trainees, and 10 novices participated. The interrater reliability by the intraclass correlation coefficient for the checklist and GRS was 0.82 and 0.94, respectively. Internal consistency (Cronbach's α) for the checklist and the GRS was 0.74 and 0.97, respectively. Median scores with interquartile range on the checklist and GRS for novices, experienced trainees, and experts were 0.69 (0.58-0.86), 0.85 (0.63-0.89), and 0.85 (0.81-0.91) and 3.1 (2.5-3.8), 3.7 (2.2-4.3) and 4.6 (4.4-4.9), respectively. Jonckheere's test showed that the median checklist and GRS score increased with performer expertise (P = .04 and .002, respectively).

CONCLUSION: This study provides validity evidence for the NEVAT to support its use as a standardized method of evaluating neuroendoscopic competence during simulation-based training.
Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy
Authors: Adang Laura , Berger Joseph
Published: December 2015

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a devastating demyelinating disease with significant morbidity and mortality and no effective, targeted therapies. It is most often observed in association with abnormalities of cell-mediated immunity, in particular human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, but also occurs in association with lymphoproliferative diseases, certain immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory regimens, and other conditions. The etiologic agent of PML is a small, ubiquitous polyomavirus, the JC virus (JCV, also known as JCPyV), for which at least 50% of the adult general population is seropositive. PML results when JCV replicates within cerebral oligodendrocytes and astrocytes, leading to oligodendrocyte death and demyelination. Unfortunately, no treatments have been convincingly demonstrated to be effective, though some have been employed in desperation; treatment otherwise includes attempts to restore any immune system defect, such as the withdrawal of the causative agent if possible, and general supportive care.
Case Report: Genetic analysis and anesthetic management of a child with Niemann-Pick disease Type A
Authors: Dalal Priti G. , Coleman Melissa , Horst Meagan , Rocourt Dorothy , Ladda Roger L. , Janicki Piotr K.
Published: December 2015

A 14-month-old child, recently diagnosed with Niemann-Pick disease type A, presented for a laparoscopic placement of a gastrostomy tube under general anesthesia. The disease was confirmed and further characterized by genetic testing, which revealed evidence of the presence of two known pathogenic mutations in the SMPD1 gene, and enzyme studies showed a corresponding very low level of enzymatic activity of acidic sphingomyelinase. The anesthetic management involved strategies to manage an anticipated difficult intubation and avoid post-operative ventilation.
Dynamic Incentives in Sales Force Compensation
Authors: Rubel Olivier , Prasad Ashutosh
Published: December 2015

To inform the design of sales force compensation plans when carryover effects exist, we propose a dynamic model where these effects, together with present selling efforts, drive sales. Our results show that a salesperson with low risk aversion exerts effort to decrease attrition from existing business, whereas a salesperson with high risk aversion does not. Why? Because carryover increases not only expected sales but also sales uncertainty. Consequently, the manager should incentivize the high risk-aversion salesperson with a concave compensation plan to counterbalance suboptimal customer attrition, and the low risk-aversion salesperson with a convex compensation plan that limits coasting on past efforts. We generalize our results to when the firm employs multiple salespeople, and when advertising and personal selling are budgeted together.
Attention Allocation in Information-Rich Environments: The Case of News Aggregators
Authors: Dellarocas Chrysanthos , Sutanto Juliana , Calin Mihai , Palme Elia
Published: December 2015

News aggregators have emerged as an important component of digital content ecosystems, attracting traffic by hosting curated collections of links to third-party content, but also inciting conflict with content producers. Aggregators provide titles and short summaries (snippets) of articles they link to. Content producers claim that their presence deprives them of traffic that would otherwise flow to their sites. In light of this controversy, we conduct a series of field experiments whose objective is to provide insight with respect to how readers allocate their attention between a news aggregator and the original articles it links to. Our experiments are based on manipulating elements of the user interface of a Swiss mobile news aggregator. We examine how key design parameters, such as the length of the text snippet that an aggregator displays about articles, the presence of associated images, and the number of related articles on the same story, affect a reader’s propensity to visit the content producer’s site and read the full article. Our findings suggest the presence of a substitution relationship between the amount of information that aggregators offer about articles and the probability that readers will opt to read the full articles at the content producer sites. Interestingly, however, when several related article outlines compete for user attention, a longer snippet and the inclusion of an image increase the probability that an article will be chosen over its competitors.

This paper was accepted by Lorin Hitt, information systems.
An Empirical Model of Drug Detailing: Dynamic Competition and Policy Implications
Authors: Liu Qiang , Gupta Sachin , Venkataraman Sriram , Liu Hongju
Published: December 2015

The practice of detailing in the marketing of prescription drugs is undergoing significant changes. For instance, in September 2013, the Physician Payment Sunshine Act went into full effect. The accompanying transparency requirements have prompted physician practices and hospitals to severely restrict pharmaceutical sales representatives’ direct access to their physicians. Despite all the attention in the popular press, scant scholarly research has investigated how these restrictions on physician access impact physician prescription behavior and competitive detailing to physicians. To analyze the impact of these restrictions, we develop a structural model of how pharmaceutical firms compete dynamically to schedule detailing to physicians. Detailing activities are known to have significant carryover effects that are captured in a first-stage model of physicians’ demand for prescription drugs. We also specify detailing policy functions that describe each firm’s observed detailing actions. In a second stage, we estimate a model that describes costs of detailing, assuming that the observed detailing levels are consistent with a Markov perfect Nash equilibrium. The estimated structural model is used to examine the implications of restrictions on the amount of detailing via counterfactual simulations. We find that restriction policies would increase the market share of a nondrug-treatment-only option but impact firms asymmetrically; firms that are strong in detailing and/or rely more on detailing would be hurt more. Unexpectedly, a policy that imposes a ceiling on detailing frequency could significantly reduce detailing of all firms in the market, including those firms with average detailing levels below the ceiling, and effectively would soften competition between firms and enhance their profits.

This paper was accepted by J. Miguel Villas-Boas, marketing.
A Comparative Analysis of Patent Assertion Entities in Markets for Intellectual Property Rights
Authors: Steensma H. Kevin , Chari Mukund , Heidl Ralph
Published: December 2015

The patent assertion entity is a relatively new organizational form that neither invents nor commercializes products, but acts as a distributor of intellectual property rights between inventors and commercializing entities. We combine measurement and governance branches of transaction cost theory to compare the efficiency of market intermediation by patent assertion entities to that of bilateral licensing agreements, patent pools, and firm integration. We consider the level of complementarity between patents and the breadth of their commercial applications to develop four general intellectual property configurations that depict distinct relationships between patent supply and patent demand. The costs and benefits of the various governance alternatives are then weighed for each configuration to identify when each alternative is likely to be most efficient. Our analysis suggests that patent assertion entities are most efficient in allocating intellectual property rights when there is substantial patent complementarity such that value is created through patent bundling, and these bundles are applicable across a broad range of product lines such that the costs of measuring infringement and its damages are substantial. We consider how the imperfections of patents as contracts between inventors and society in conjunction with rapid technological evolution contribute to the growth of patent assertion entities. This analysis provides some guidance for managers on how to appropriate value from intellectual property.
Reducing the pathogen burden and promoting healing with polyhexanide in non-healing wounds: a prospective study
Authors: Çeviker K. , Canikoğlu M. , Tatlıoğlu S. , Bağdatlı Y.
Published: December 2015

Objective:

Polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) is a novel wound antiseptic solution that has a broad antimicrobial spectrum and wound healing promoting effect, with minimal side effects. The aim of present study was to demonstrate the efficacy of the PHMB on the bacterial burden of non-healing wounds, the reduction in wound size or closure of the wound in comparison to Ringer's lactate solution (RLS) after 21 days of wound dressing. A second objective was to investigate the differences in the C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and white blood cell (WBC) counts between the two groups.

Method:

In this prospective and open-cohort clinical study, patients who underwent cardiac surgery between July 2006 and August 2008 were included and placed in one of two groups, PHMB or RLS, by the block randomisation method. A wound care team, consisting of two surgeons, a wound care nurse and a microbiologist, was created. Classic moist dressings and wet compresses during dressing changes were applied at least once a day or as needed. During the 21 days of hospitalisation the team collected data on the wound healing status daily, on infection parameters every third day, and wound tissue for culture weekly.

Results:

There were 40 patients recruited of which 9 were excluded, leaving 31 in the intention-to-treat analysis. Of these 15 received PHMB and 16 received RLS. Overall 17 of 31 (66.7% PHMB group, 43.8% RLS group, p=0.181) patients were treated successfully by closure of surgically sutured wounds or healing by secondary intention, the wound tissue cultures of 19 of 31 patients (47.4% PHMB, 52.6% RLS, p=0.886) were negative, and wound size of all the patients were significantly reduced in clinical observations. Although the CRP levels were reduced significantly within group comparisons in both groups (p<0.001), it was significantly lower after 12 days (p<0.05) in the PHMB group compared with the RLS group.

Conclusion:

The results of this study emphasise that the successful treatment of chronic non-healing wounds require a multidisciplinary team approach under the control of a wound care specialist. Whatever the disinfectant used, consistency in the approach to treatment may be more important. We suggest that increasing the use of PHMB and adoption of this team approach in other cardiac centres or other populations may decrease the healing period, especially in chronic non-healing wounds.
Reconstructive vascular surgery and the extent of tissue damage due to diabetic foot ulcers relates to risk of new ulceration in patients with PAD
Authors: Elgzyri T. , Larsson J. , Nyberg P. , Thörne J. , Eriksson K-F. , Apelqvist J.
Published: December 2015

Objective:

There is limited information regarding new ulceration following the healing of ischaemic foot ulcers in diabetic patients. Our aim is to study new ulcerations in the same foot as the previous ulcer(s) in patients with diabetes and severe peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Method:

Patients with diabetes and severe PAD who healed from previous ulcer(s) (Wagner grade 1–5, at or below the ankle), were recruited for the prospective study from the time of healing of their ulcer. Patients were followed up regarding new ulceration, and their treatments and ulcer status noted either directly or on examination of medical records.

Results:

We analysed the data on 602 patients with diabetes and severe PAD with healed foot ulcers, either primarily (n=443, 74%) or after minor amputation (n=159, 26%). Of these 51% (n=305) had revascularisation before healing from the previous ulcer, 34% (n=202) developed a new ulcer on the same foot within 15 months (range 0–106). Amputation was required by 22% (n=45) of patients, with a new ulcer on the same foot. The median survival time of all patients (n=602) was 54 months. By regression analysis, a low maximal Wagner grade for the previous ulcer and reconstructive vascular surgery was related to a decreased risk of developing new ulcers in the same foot.

Conclusion:

Patients with diabetes and ischaemic foot ulcers have a high-risk for developing new ulcers and amputation in the same foot after healing. The extent of tissue involvement in the previous ulcer and reconstructive vascular surgery affected the risk for development of new ulcers.
Analytic Challenges Arising from the STOP CRC Trial: Pragmatic Solutions for
Pragmatic Problems
Authors: Vollmer William M. , Green Beverly B. , Coronado Gloria D.
Published: December 2015

Context: Pragmatic trials lack the relatively tight quality control of traditional
efficacy studies and hence may pose added analytic challenges owing to the practical
realities faced in carrying them out.Case Description: STOP CRC is a cluster randomized
trial testing the effectiveness of automated, electronic medical record (EMR)-driven
strategies to raise colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates in safety net clinics.
Screen-eligible participants were accrued during year 1 and followed for 12 months
(measurement window) to assess completion of a fecal screening test. Control clinics
implemented the intervention in year 2.Implementation Challenges/Analytic Issues: Due to
limitations on how we could build the intervention tools, the overlap of the year 1
measurement windows with year 2 intervention rollout posed a potential for contamination
of the primary outcome for control participants. In addition, a variety of factors led
to a lack of synchronization of the measurement windows with actual intervention
delivery. In both cases, the net impact of these factors would be to diminish the
estimated impact of the intervention.Proposed Solutions: We dealt with the overlap issue
by delaying the start of intervention rollout to control clinics in year 2 by 6 months
and by truncating the measurement windows for intervention and control participants at
this point. In addition we formulated three sensitivity analyses to help address the
issue of asynchronization.Conclusion: This case study might help other investigators
facing similar challenges think about such issues and the pros and cons of various
strategies for dealing with them.