bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Framework for Promoting Organizational Change
Authors: Frey Gerald A.
Published: August 2018

The author presents an analytical framework to help direct service practitioners assess the potential organizational resistance to any change proposal practitioners initiate. The framework consists of a set of factors to be evaluated in relation to a specific proposal for change. The analysis provides a basis for the development of a plan of action to promote organizational change.
Correlates of Financial Counseling Outcomes: Implications for Practitioners
Authors: Wollan Barbara J. , Bauer Jean W.
Published: August 2018

A study, based on family resource management theory, revealed a positive relationship between improvements in resources and financial counseling outcomes for clients of a family service agency. No similar relationship was found for improvements in demands. Implications for practitioners who assist families with financial management are discussed.
Family Treatment with Families with Young Children
Authors: Zilversmit Charlotte Perlman
Published: August 2018

Despite the widely recognized benefits of including young children in family therapy, most often they are excluded from it. The author explores this contradiction and describes a model for working with families with young children. The approach draws on psychodynamic and systems thinking, uses direct and indirect approaches to children in the context of an awareness of children's normal developmental phases, and takes a pragmatic approach to parenting.
School-Age Child Care: The Challenge Facing Families
Authors: Seligson Michelle , Fersh Elaine , Marshall Nancy L. , Marx Fern , Baden Ruth Kramer
Published: August 2018

A survey of parents of school-age children in Boston revealed that most parents were unable to be home every day when their children returned from school and that many children spent some time every day cared for by siblings. Inflexible workplace policies and schedules often created child-care difficulties for parents. Low-income parents who paid for care used approximately 15% of their income for school-age child care. These findings indicate that government and business must become involved in providing services that will help parents avoid the “latchkey” alternative for their children.
Impact of Shift Work on Individuals and Families
Authors: Simon Barbara Levy
Published: August 2018

Shift work introduces multiple strains into the lives of working women and men. Nonstandard working hours affect sleeping and eating regimes, dating opportunities, long-term relationships, child-raising patterns, sexual life, and stress levels. This article focuses upon helping human service workers to assess the psychosocial and physiological impact of shift work and to assist clients with the development of coping strategies.
Eldercare in the '90s: Employee Responsibility, Employer Challenge
Authors: Denton Karen , Love Lois Thiessen , Slate Robert
Published: August 2018

Americans are living longer, but the family members who traditionally care for our elderly—women—now constitute well over half of all new workers. To identify trends in supports offered by employees who are caring for elderly relatives, representatives of 20 employers were interviewed. The interviews revealed that although employers appreciate the burdens of workers with eldercare responsibilities, they have not systematically examined their employees' problems or developed policies to address those needs. Policy implications of these findings are discussed.
Outreach Efforts with Dually Diagnosed Homeless Persons
Authors: Blankertz Laura E. , Cnaan Ram A. , White Kalma , Fox Jim , Messinger Karlyn
Published: August 2018

In recent years, a distinct subgroup of homeless persons, the dually diagnosed, has emerged. This group evidences both severe mental health problems and drug and alcohol abuse. According to the experience of a large mental health agency, the engagement phase is the critical phase for the provision and acceptance of care. This article utilizes the symbolic-interaction approach as a framework to explain and guide encounters of outreach workers with dually diagnosed homeless persons. Case examples are presented and practice recommendations are discussed.
Psychosocial Concerns of Women who Delay Prenatal Care
Authors: Young Christine L. , McMahon Joan E. , Bowman Virginia M. , Thompson Douglass S.
Published: August 2018

Early and continuous prenatal care is an important factor in maternal and child health. The findings of this study of 201 women who entered prenatal care during the third trimester of pregnancy indicate that psychosocial aspects of obtaining care, including denial and concealment of the pregnancy, family crises, and lack of child care, often delayed initiation of prenatal care.
A Support Group for Partners of Persons with AIDS
Authors: Land Helen , Harangody George
Published: August 2018

In the field and in the professional literature, profound concern exists about the multiple needs of persons with AIDS. Less attention has been focused on another vulnerable population: the gay partners who provide care for those with AIDS. The authors present a support-group model for lowering stress and improving functioning in members of this vulnerable group. Phases of group development, follow-up, and evaluation are examined in light of caregiver issues.
Infertility Resolution and Adoption Readiness
Authors: Daly Kerry
Published: August 2018

In much of the adoption practice literature, infertility “resolution” has been identified as an important, and in most cases necessary, precondition of adoption readiness. The findings of this research, based on interviews with 74 infertile couples, challenge this notion and suggest a reconceptualization of the relationship between infertility resolution and adoption readiness. Although some couples need to experience a sense of infertility closure before they can feel ready for adoption, others experience infertility and adoption in a concurrent manner as two ongoing, interpenetrating processes.
Bite Marks: Recognizing Child Abuse and Identifying Abusers
Authors: Wolff Jean M.
Published: August 2018

Human bite marks are part of the long list of physical signs exhibited by abused children. Techniques for evaluating the characteristics of the mark itself are being perfected in an attempt to identify and prosecute the biter, who in many cases is also the abuser. The author examines human bite marks in general and discusses their relationship to child abuse. The physical appearance of bite marks is described, and some practical advice on recognizing and documenting bite marks for later evaluation by forensic experts is offered.
The Development of Sexual Identity among Men Sexually Abused as Children
Authors: Gilgun Jane F. , Reiser Elizabeth
Published: August 2018

Men who were sexually abused in childhood often struggle with their sexual identity. Through in-depth life-history interviews, the authors present the thoughts, feelings, and misgivings of three men who were sexually abused as children and who tried to come to terms with their sexual identity. The abuse probably did not affect the sexual orientation of two of the subjects, but a third has been unsure of his sexual identity since his abuse experience.
Integrated Family Therapy: A Model for Supervision
Authors: Taibbi Robert
Published: August 2018

Although interest in integrating various clinical approaches into a unified practice model has been growing, little discussion has focused on the supervision necessary to facilitate such integration. The author describes a developmental model of clinical supervision of the novice therapist within the workplace with the goal of helping the therapist develop his or her personal integrated paradigm of family therapy. The model has multiple levels; the supervisor addresses clinical, supervisory, and developmental needs of the supervisor simultaneously as they emerge.
Parental Responsibility and Self-image of African American Fathers
Authors: Christmon Kenneth
Published: August 2018

The author investigated the relationship between self-image and parental behavior of adolescent fathers. The study included a convenience sample of 43 African American unwed adolescent fathers. Data were collected from a questionnaire. Findings indicated that attitudes regarding family of origin and sexuality as well as coping skills influenced parental responsibility.
Community-Based Services for Agoraphobics
Authors: Marcus Hanna P. , Runge Carol M.
Published: August 2018

A growing number of Americans suffer from agoraphobia and other panic disorders. Thus, there is a need to develop and provide services for this group. The authors describe a successful pilot effort to initiate a community based outreach program, utilizing trained volunteers, to provide in vivo desensitization to agoraphobic clients.
A Family-Centered Approach in Native Hawaiian Culture
Authors: Mokuau Noreen
Published: August 2018

One strategy for advancing culturally sensitive family practice is to identify family-centered approaches indigenous to the culture. The author describes a family-centered approach in native Hawaiian culture and encourages human service professionals to conceptualize family-centered models that utilize cultural values and processes.
Assessment Revisited: A Comprehensive Approach to Understanding Family Dynamics
Authors: McPhatter Anna R.
Published: August 2018

This article, the first of a series of articles developed from an assessment technology seminar conducted at Family Services of Central Maryland, presents an overview of a generic approach to assessment with particular attention to families. The author discusses worker philosophy as a prerequisite for engaging in assessment and presents a comprehensive framework for family assessment grounded in an ecological systems theoretical perspective.
Feminist-Based Social Work with Single-Parent Families
Authors: Kissman Kris
Published: August 2018

Interventions with single-parent families across the life cycle can be linked to important feminist social work tenets of networking, awareness, support, and self-help. The strength of these systems are addressed in terms of supportive internal and external structures, normalization, and advocacy for compensatory policy changes.
The Use of Single-System Design with Systemic Brief Problem-Solving Therapy
Authors: Slonim-Nevo Vexed , Vosler Nancy R.
Published: August 2018

The authors argue that there is a “goodness of fit” between brief problem-solving systemic therapy and the evaluation procedures of experimental single-system design. The model and the evaluation procedures are summarized. A case example illustrates the integration of single-system evaluation with the therapeutic process.
The Rural Branch Office: Planning, Marketing, Commitment
Authors: Waltman Gretchen H. , Czarnecki Judith C. , Miller Elroy J.
Published: August 2018

Establishing a rural branch office of an urban agency is one response to confronting the problem of inadequate human services in rural areas. The authors present the problems, issues, and opportunities involved in establishing an agency branch office in a rural community. Decisions about branch services, location, funding, marketing, personnel, professional development, and relationship with the main office are discussed.
Criteria for Selecting Practice Theories: Working with Alcoholic Women
Authors: Burman Sondra , Allen-Meares Paula
Published: August 2018

The authors analyze female alcoholics and consider the appropriateness of various theories for direct practice with this population. Criteria for the selection of theories to guide practice evolve from this analysis.
Assessment of the School-Age Child
Authors: Lucco Alfred A.
Published: August 2018

The author presents a developmental assessment for school-age children within the context of a systems–ecological perspective. Particular attention is focused on identification and evaluation of distortions in development as well as developmental delays as sources of information regarding disturbed behavior in childhood. The assessment includes development in the cognitive, social, affective, and physical domains; temperament; academic and social functioning; family functioning; and social and ecological resources and stresses. Subjective and objective approaches for these assessments are identified, and the relationship between assessment and diagnosis in childhood is considered.
Black Husbands' Economic Problems and Resiliency during the Transition to Marriage
Authors: Chadiha Letha A.
Published: August 2018

The author describes the results of a qualitative analysis of the premarital economic problems of black husbands as reported retrospectively by 64 newlywed urban black couples. After the husbands' job and financial problems were examined, couple resiliency, or the ways in which couples were able to resist and adapt to husbands' economic problems during the premarriage phase, was investigated. Couples demonstrate resiliency by delaying marriage, saving money to meet their marriage goals, growing closer and developing a sense of their interdependence, and seeking as well as receiving familial assistance. An ecological perspective is used to consider practice and policy implications.
The Role of Values in Determining Agency Policy
Authors: Linzer Norman
Published: August 2018

The author highlights the role of values in determining agency policy by analyzing an agency's policy on sexual behavior of persons with cognitive disabilities in group homes. The value orientations of the social work staff, parents, Jewish community, and state government are compared. The conflicting values placed the agency in a quandary from which it extricated itself by resorting to a policy compromise.
Genetic Disorders: Support Groups and Advocacy
Authors: Weiss Joan O.
Published: August 2018

Support groups have begun to take an active role in advocating for the planning, development, and delivery of effective services for individuals and families affected by genetic disorders. The author provides a brief history of voluntary organizations dealing with genetic disorders, describes some specific advocacy efforts assumed by these groups, and offers suggestions of ways in which human service professionals can help genetic support groups mobilize for improved and necessary genetic services and benefits.
Implementing Case Management in Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Authors: Sullivan William Patrick , Hartmann David J. , Dillon Dick , Wolk James L.
Published: August 2018

Case management has been identified as an important addition to traditional services offered in drug and alcohol treatment. Implementation of case-management services requires a new array of managerial behaviors by middle managers. The Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, introduced case management as a central component of the innovative Comprehensive Substance Treatment and Rehabilitation Program. The authors, drawing from the experience in Missouri, describe the challenge of effectively implementing case management in existing programs.
An Anger-Management Workshop for Women Inmates
Authors: Smith Larry L. , Smith James N. , Beckner Beryl M.
Published: August 2018

Approximately one million persons are in prisons and jails across the United States. For 10 years, concern has been growing about the lack of mental health services provided to these inmates. In this article, the authors describe an anger-management workshop provided to a random sample of 11 medium-security women inmates at the Utah State Prison.
Group Treatment for Sexually Abused Preadolescent Boys
Authors: Hack Thomas F. , Osachuk Timothy A. G. , De Luca Rayleen V.
Published: August 2018

Group treatment programs are a common intervention for children who have been sexually abused. However, empirical literature demonstrating their effectiveness, particularly among preadolescent males, is scarce. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of semistructured group work with six preadolescent boys who had experienced either extra- or intrafamilial sexual abuse. From pre- to postgroup, the boys experienced decreased anxiety, decreased depression, increased self-esteem, and decreased internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Further gains were generally observed from postgroup to follow-up. The success of the group-treatment program is attributed, in part, to the implementation of a reward program designed to reduce disruptive behavior.
Sexual Assault Recovery and Male Significant Others
Authors: Brookings Jeffrey B. , McEvoy Alan W. , Reed Mark
Published: August 2018

A questionnaire addressing rape crisis services for male significant others (MSOs) of rape victims (i.e., husbands, fathers, brothers, close male friends) was mailed to the directors of all 700 rape-prevention and -treatment programs in the United States. Completed questionnaires were received from 411 programs, including 162 that were identified specifically as full-service rape crisis centers. Although 97% of the center directors responded that services for MSOs facilitate victim recovery, few centers offered services to males other than referral or short-term crisis counseling. Furthermore, 85% of the directors acknowledged that males were reluctant to use these services. The authors offer strategies for involving men in the recovery process with the assistance of rape crisis centers, including groups for secondary victims and staffing and referral considerations.
Personal Psychotherapy and the Development of a Professional Self
Authors: Mackey Richard A. , Mackey Eileen F.
Published: August 2018

An important yet neglected aspect of clinical social work is the significance of personal psychotherapy to the development of a professional self. The authors used personal interviews with 15 experienced clinicians to explore the potential connection between these two variables. Five themes pertinent to understanding that connection were found: therapist as model, enhancement of empathy, understanding the therapeutic process, self-awareness, and personal/professional development.
African American Fathers and Sons: Social, Historical, and Psychological Considerations
Authors: Wade Jay C.
Published: August 2018

The author examines the father–son relationship from both ecological and psychodynamic perspectives. The sociohistorical and cultural forces influencing African American men and their families are explored with regard to the role of fathers. The author presents theory and research to challenge the view that African American fathers are absent or uninvolved and that such absence has pathological consequences for male development. Suggestions for counseling and psychotherapy with African American men and their families are provided.
Using Literature as an Aid to Practice
Authors: Ganzer Carol
Published: August 2018

Literature, both fiction and autobiography, can be used by practitioners to understand clients' moral imperatives, constructions of meaning, and subjective dimensions of caregiving. Clients' stories contain conflicts, life histories, and family traditions that influence decisions and attitudes and are not easily perceived in empirical studies.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome manifesting late in the course of pembrolizumab therapy
Authors: Hwang Andrew , Iskandar Andrew , Dasanu Constantin A
Published: August 2018

Pembrolizumab is a humanized antibody that targets programmed cell death receptor-1. This agent is approved for use in the treatment of several malignancies. While pruritus and papulo-erythematous rash are not uncommon with its use, severe reactions such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis are very rare. We present herein a case of Stevens-Johnson syndrome occurring in a patient who had previously tolerated pembrolizumab without significant side effects for seven months. Prompt recognition of Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis and discontinuation of the offending agent are paramount to ensure a favorable outcome.
Religious affiliation and the intention to choose psychiatry as a specialty among physicians in training from 11 Latin American countries
Authors: Calizaya-Gallegos Carlo , Mayta-Tristán Percy , Pereyra-Elías Reneé , José Montenegro-Idrogo Juan , Avila-Figueroa Johana , Benítez-Ortega Ingrid , Cabrera-Enriquez John , Calixto Omar-Javier , Pablo Cardozo-López Juan , Grandez-Urbina José Antonio , Moreno-Loaiza Oscar , Rodriguez Manuel A. , Sepúlveda-Morales Roxana , Sierra-Avendaño Jairo A. , Carreño Fabian , Vásquez-García Gelsing Richard , Vasquez-Sullca Roy R. , Yescas Gilberto ,   Red-LIRHUS
Published: August 2018

The worldwide scarcity of psychiatrists makes the identification of the factors associated with the intention to choose this specialty an important issue. This study aims to evaluate the association between religious affiliation and the intention to choose psychiatry as a specialty among medical students from 11 Latin American countries. We conducted a cross-sectional, multi-country study that included first- and fifth-year students of 63 medical schools in 11 Latin-American countries between 2011 and 2012. The main outcome and measures were the intention to pursue psychiatry as a specialty over other specialties (yes/no) and religious affiliation (without: atheist/agnostic; with: any religion). A total of 8308 participants were included; 53.6% were women, and the average age was 20.4 (SD = 2.9) years. About 36% were fifth-year students, and 11.8% were not affiliated with any religion. Only 2.6% had the intention to choose psychiatry; the highest proportion of students with the intention to choose psychiatry was among students in Chile (8.1%) and the lowest among students in Mexico (1.1%). After adjusting for demographic, family, academic as well as personal and professional projection variable, we found that those who had no religious affiliation were more likely to report the intention to become a psychiatrist [OR: 2.92 (95%CI: 2.14-4.00)]. There is a strong positive association between not having a religious affiliation and the intention to become a psychiatrist. The possible factors that influence this phenomenon must be evaluated in greater depth, ideally through longitudinal research.
Transradial Approach for Aortoiliac and Femoropopliteal Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Meertens Max M. , Ng Eugene , Loh Stanley E. K. , Samuel Miny , Mees Barend M. E. , Choong Andrew M. T. L.
Published: August 2018

Purpose: To present a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the transradial approach for aortoiliac and femoropopliteal interventions to the traditional transfemoral access. Methods: A search of the public domain databases MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library Databases was performed to identify studies related to the use of the transradial approach for infra-aortic procedures. Meta-analysis was used to compare the transradial to the transfemoral route in terms of procedure success, complications, procedure parameters, and hospital length of stay. Results are presented as the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Nineteen studies containing 638 patients with transradial access for lower limb interventions were selected. Lesions were treated from the aortic bifurcation down to the popliteal artery. The mean technical success rate was 90.9%, conversion to a transfemoral approach was necessary in 9.9%, and complications were reported in 1.9%. The meta-analysis included 4 comparative studies involving 114 transradial and 208 transfemoral procedures. There was no significant advantage of either approach in terms of procedure success (OR 5.0, 95% CI 0.49 to 50.83, p=0.17), but the risk of developing a complication was significantly lower (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.86, p=0.03) with the transradial approach. Conclusion: Transradial access for lower limb endovascular interventions can be performed with comparable technical success and a lower overall complication profile compared to transfemoral access.
Insights into the pathogenesis of macrodactyly
Authors: Ezaki Marybeth
Published: August 2018

Mirror-image symmetry in limbs is normal in the vertebrate phenotype. Genetic and epigenetic factors regulate the differentiation, patterning, and development of the embryo and foetus. Growth after birth is influenced by hormonal and environmental factors such as nutrition. Limb size asymmetry in a child should trigger a search for associated pathology that may include neoplastic conditions, sequelae of injury, vascular, and neurogenic factors. Macrodactyly, part of the PIK3CA Related Overgrowth Spectrum, offers the physician a clinical challenge, while at the same time an opportunity to study morphology, histology, and more recently the molecular mechanisms from which the conditions arise. Collaboration between clinicians and basic scientists offers an exceptional opportunity for coordinated study and the potential for improved patient outcomes.
Comparison of phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation outcomes between patients after transcatheter versus surgical aortic valve replacement
Authors: Imran Hafiz M , Baig Muhammad , Mujib Marjan , Beale Charles , Gaw Arlene , Stabile Loren , Shah Nishant R , Gordon Paul C , Wu Wen-Chih
Published: August 2018

Background

Referral rates and outcomes of cardiac rehabilitation have not been evaluated in patients with transcatheter aortic valve replacement or compared with surgical aortic valve replacement.

Method

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 488 patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement ( n = 199) and surgical aortic valve replacement ( n = 289) from a university-based statewide transcatheter aortic valve replacement/surgical aortic valve replacement program during 2015–2017. Cardiac rehabilitation consisted of supervised exercise, diet education, and stress and depression management. We compared changes from baseline in exercise duration and intensity during cardiac rehabilitation sessions, quality-of-life (36-Item Short-Form Health Survey), and psychosocial measures (anxiety, depression, mood, social support, and diet) between transcatheter aortic valve replacement and surgical aortic valve replacement patients using t-test and chi-square analyses.

Results

Of 488 patients, cardiac rehabilitation referral rates were similar at 41% (transcatheter aortic valve replacement 81/199 versus surgical aortic valve replacement 117/289), but enrollment rates were lower in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (27/199, 14%) versus surgical aortic valve replacement (102/289, 35%, p < 0.01). Among eligible patients, cardiac rehabilitation completion rates were lower in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (12%) than surgical aortic valve replacement (32%). Exercise intensity during cardiac rehabilitation improved in both groups in a similar fashion (transcatheter aortic valve replacement 1.03 ± 1.09 versus surgical aortic valve replacement 1.34 ± 1.15 metabolic equivalents), but increase in exercise duration was higher in transcatheter aortic valve replacement patients versus surgical aortic valve replacement patients (14.52 ± 6.42 versus 10.67 ± 8.38 min, p = 0.02). Improvement in physical composite score was higher in surgical aortic valve replacement versus transcatheter aortic valve replacement (8.72 ± 7.87 versus 2.36 ± 7.6, p = 0.02) while improvement in mental composite score was higher in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (8.19 ± 8.50) versus surgical aortic valve replacement (1.18 ± 7.23, p = 0.02). There was no significant difference between the two groups in improvement in psychosocial measures.

Conclusion

Cardiac rehabilitation enrollment was low in transcatheter aortic valve replacement patients versus surgical aortic valve replacement patients despite similar referral rates. Improvement in functional and quality-of-life performance was achieved in both transcatheter aortic valve replacement and surgical aortic valve replacement. Future studies should address obstacles for enrollment of transcatheter aortic valve replacement patients.
Psychopathy and the Regulation of Interpersonal Distance
Authors: Welsch Robin , Hecht Heiko , von Castell Christoph
Published: August 2018

Psychopathic traits are often associated with interpersonal and affective deficits. This study examined the impact of psychopathy on judgments of comfortable egocentric interpersonal distance (Experiment 1) and exocentric interpersonal distance (Experiment 2). We selected a student sample and measured psychopathy via self-report. To study spatial behavior under highly controlled conditions, these participants were immersed in a virtual environment. In Experiment 1, they approached a virtual person with angry or happy facial expression until a comfortable distance for conversation was reached. In Experiment 2, participants adjusted a comfortable distance between two avatars. Our results suggest that psychopathy alters the regulation of interpersonal distance with respect to facial expression of the approached as well as between avatars of mixed sex.
Subscapularis Insufficiency: What’s All the Fuss About?
Authors: Böhm Elisabeth , Scheibel Markus , Lädermann Alexandre
Published: August 2018

There has been increase attention to the surgical treatment of the subscapularis (SSC) tendon with risk of postoperative dysfunction and early failures following shoulder arthroplasty. Studies investigating the clinical results after shoulder arthroplasty indicate that SSC tendon detachment or incision techniques and rehabilitation concepts may impair SSC recovery and consequently the postoperative function. In response to these results, technical modifications have been proposed and evaluated anatomically, biomechanically, and clinically. The aim of this article is to give an overview of current SSC take-down approaches, subsequent repair techniques, and postoperative rehabilitation protocols as well as to present the diagnostic algorithm and clinical impacts of the increasingly acknowledged condition of SSC insufficiency following shoulder arthroplasty procedures.
A Preoperative Educational Video Improves Patient Satisfaction and Perceived Knowledge, but Not Patient Understanding for Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Randomized, Surgeon-Blinded Study
Authors: Fasulo Sydney M , Testa Edward J , Lawler Sarah M , Fitzgerald Megan , Lowe Jeremiah T , Jawa Andrew
Published: August 2018

Background

The complexity of total joint arthroplasty warrants significant patient counseling, and some surgeons are utilizing multimedia to aid in preoperative education. Our aim was to assess the effect of an educational video on patient understanding and satisfaction when supplementing a traditional office consultation for total shoulder arthroplasty.

Methods

This study was a surgeon-blinded, randomized control trial involving 60 consecutive patients undergoing primary total shoulder arthroplasty. Following a preoperative consultation by a single surgeon, patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either a control or treatment group. All participants received a 9-question true-or-false test pertaining to basic shoulder arthroplasty knowledge. The treatment group subsequently viewed a 13-minute educational video explaining glenohumeral osteoarthritis, surgery, and postoperative expectations. At a second preoperative appointment, participants of both groups were asked to repeat the same test.

Results

Fifty-two patients were available for the second preoperative appointment. There was no difference in test scores between the video (7.84/9) and no video (7.89/9) groups ( P = .75). All patients in the video group reported improved satisfaction and understanding.

Conclusion

Patients who watched an educational video supplementing a preoperative consultation for shoulder arthroplasty reported improved satisfaction but did not demonstrate increased understanding compared to those receiving a standard preoperative consultation.
Toward a postapocalyptic environmentalism? Responses to loss and visions of the future in climate activism
Authors: Cassegård Carl , Thörn Håkan
Published: August 2018

The environmental movement has stood out compared to other movements through its future-oriented pessimism: dreams of a better or utopian future have been less important as a mobilizing tool than fear of future catastrophes. Apocalyptic images of future catastrophes still dominate much of environmentalist discourse. Melting polar caps, draughts, hurricanes, floods, and growing chaos are regularly invoked by activists as well as establishment figures. This apocalyptic discourse has, however, also been challenged—not only by a future-oriented optimism gaining ground among established environmental organizations, but also by the rise of what we call a postapocalyptic environmentalism based on the experience of irreversible or unavoidable loss. This discourse, often referring to the Global South, where communities are destroyed and populations displaced because of environmental destruction, is neither nourished by a strong sense of hope, nor of a future disaster, but a sense that the catastrophe is already ongoing. Taking our point of departure in the “environmentalist classics” by Rachel Carson and Barry Commoner, we delineate the contours of apocalyptic discourses in environmentalism and discuss how disillusionment with the institutions of climate governance has fed into increasing criticism of the apocalyptic imagery. We then turn to exploring the notion of postapocalyptic politics by focusing on how postapocalyptic narratives—including the utopias they bring into play, their relation to time–space, and how they construct collective identity—are deployed in political mobilizations. We focus on two cases of climate activism—the Dark Mountain project and the International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature—and argue that mobilizations based on accepting loss are possible through what we call the paradox of hope and the paradox of justice.
In Vitro Evaluation of Cytotoxic Activities of Marketed Herbal Products in Ghana
Authors: Languon Sylvester , Tuffour Isaac , Quayson Emmanuel Ekow , Appiah-Opong Regina , Quaye Osbourne
Published: August 2018

There are numerous herbal products on the Ghanaian market that are purported to cure various ailments, including cancer. However, scientific investigations on efficacy and toxicity of most of these products are not done. The aim of the study was to assess the anticancer potentials of herbal products on the Ghanaian market. Antiproliferative effects of Kantinka BA (K-BA), Kantinka Herbaltics (K-HER), Centre of Awareness (COA), a stomach (STO) and multicancer (MUT) product were evaluated in vitro using liver (Hep G2), breast (MCF-7), prostate (PC-3 and LNCaP), and blood (Jurkat) cancer cell lines. Cytotoxicity of the medicinal products was assessed using tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay, and total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of the products were determined using Folin-Ciocalteau and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays, respectively. Phytochemical screening resulted in the detection of terpenoids and flavonoids in most of the products, and alkaloids were detected in only MUT. Tannins were absent from all the products. The highest and lowest concentrations of phenolics were recorded for MUT and K-BA, respectively. The highest and lowest antioxidant activities were measured for MUT and K-HER, respectively. Only 2 products (STO and MUT) were cytotoxic to Hep G2 cells; with MUT being the only product that was cytotoxic to MCF-7 cells. All but K-BA were cytotoxic to PC-3 cells, while all products except K-HER were cytotoxic to LNCaP and Jurkat cells. The study thus confirms that the herbal products have selective cytotoxic activities against the tested cancer cell lines. However, comprehensive toxicity studies must be conducted to establish their safety.
Cash Flow Management of Construction Projects in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Shash Ali A. , Qarra Abdulaziz Al
Published: August 2018

Cash flow management entails forecasting, monitoring, and controlling practices of the cash inflow and outflow and arrangement of deficits over a project’s duration. This article reveals, through a questionnaire survey, the techniques and practices that construction companies in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia follow to forecast and manage cash flow at the project level. The majority of the contractors perform cash flow forecasting for setting a cash flow baseline and determining the proper financing method. They use credit financing for materials, subcontract a good portion of projects, and use company assets and credit financing to pay for equipment and labor.
How to Buffer the Family Costs of Project Citizenship Behavior
Authors: Zhong Rui , Xia Nini , Hu Xiaowen , Wang Xueqing , Tiong Robert
Published: August 2018

Previous studies have mainly concentrated on the desirable aspects of project citizenship behavior (PCB) but largely ignored its dark sides. We seek to fill in this gap by exploring whether and when PCB would lead to one specific family cost—namely, work interference with family (WIF). Data were collected from a sample of 311 project employees. It was found that PCB was positively related with time-, strain-, and behavior-based WIF only when project employees possessed low levels of task self-efficacy or work meaningfulness. The theoretical and practical implications for project management are also discussed.
Clarifying questions about “risk factors”: predictors versus explanation
Authors: Schooling C. Mary , Jones Heidi E.
Published: August 2018

Background

In biomedical research much effort is thought to be wasted. Recommendations for improvement have largely focused on processes and procedures. Here, we additionally suggest less ambiguity concerning the questions addressed.

Methods

We clarify the distinction between two conflated concepts, prediction and explanation, both encompassed by the term “risk factor”, and give methods and presentation appropriate for each.

Results

Risk prediction studies use statistical techniques to generate contextually specific data-driven models requiring a representative sample that identify people at risk of health conditions efficiently (target populations for interventions). Risk prediction studies do not necessarily include causes (targets of intervention), but may include cheap and easy to measure surrogates or biomarkers of causes. Explanatory studies, ideally embedded within an informative model of reality, assess the role of causal factors which if targeted for interventions, are likely to improve outcomes. Predictive models allow identification of people or populations at elevated disease risk enabling targeting of proven interventions acting on causal factors. Explanatory models allow identification of causal factors to target across populations to prevent disease.

Conclusion

Ensuring a clear match of question to methods and interpretation will reduce research waste due to misinterpretation.
Microenvironmental regulation of cancer cell metabolism: implications for experimental design and translational studies
Authors: Muir Alexander , Danai Laura V. , Vander Heiden Matthew G.
Published: August 2018

Cancers have an altered metabolism, and there is interest in understanding precisely how oncogenic transformation alters cellular metabolism and how these metabolic alterations can translate into therapeutic opportunities. Researchers are developing increasingly powerful experimental techniques to study cellular metabolism, and these techniques have allowed for the analysis of cancer cell metabolism, both in tumors and in ex vivo cancer models. These analyses show that, while factors intrinsic to cancer cells such as oncogenic mutations, alter cellular metabolism, cell-extrinsic microenvironmental factors also substantially contribute to the metabolic phenotype of cancer cells. These findings highlight that microenvironmental factors within the tumor, such as nutrient availability, physical properties of the extracellular matrix, and interactions with stromal cells, can influence the metabolic phenotype of cancer cells and might ultimately dictate the response to metabolically targeted therapies. In an effort to better understand and target cancer metabolism, this Review focuses on the experimental evidence that microenvironmental factors regulate tumor metabolism, and on the implications of these findings for choosing appropriate model systems and experimental approaches.
Peak Ventilation Reference Standards from Exercise Testing: From the FRIEND Registry
Authors: KAMINSKY LEONARD A. , HARBER MATTHEW P. , IMBODEN MARY T. , ARENA ROSS , MYERS JONATHAN
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) provides valuable clinical information, including peak ventilation (V˙Epeak), which has been shown to have diagnostic and prognostic value in the assessment of patients with underlying pulmonary disease. This report provides reference standards for V˙Epeak derived from CPX on treadmills in apparently healthy individuals.

Methods

Nine laboratories in the United States experienced in CPX administration with established quality control procedures contributed to the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database from 2014 to 2017. Data from 5232 maximal exercise tests from men and women without cardiovascular or pulmonary disease were used to create percentiles of V˙Epeak for both men and women by decade between 20 and 79 yr. Additionally, prediction equations were developed for V˙Epeak using descriptive information.

Results

V˙Epeak was found to be significantly different between men and women and across age groups (P < 0.05). The rate of decline in V˙Epeak was 8.0% per decade for both men and women. A stepwise regression model of 70% of the sample revealed that sex, age, and height were significant predictors of V˙Epeak. The equation was cross-validated with data from the remaining 30% of the sample with a final equation developed from the full sample (r = 0.73). Additionally, a linear regression model revealed forced expiratory volume in 1 s significantly predicted V˙Epeak (r = 0.73).

Conclusions

Reference standards were developed for V˙Epeak for the United States population. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing laboratories will be able to provide interpretation of V˙Epeak from these age and sex-specific percentile reference values or alternatively can use these nonexercise prediction equations incorporating sex, age, and height or with a single predictor of forced expiratory volume in 1 s.
Prion protein gene polymorphisms in classical scrapie-affected flocks of sheep in Central Macedonia
Authors: KIOUTSIOUKIS C. , PAPADOGIANNAKIS E. , PALASKA V. , KONTOS V. , PAPAKOSTAKI D. , PARASKEVA S. , VASSALOU E.
Published: August 2018

The allele and genotype frequency distributions of the prion protein gene polymorphisms at codons 136, 154 and 171 were determined by real-time PCR for 1,456 sheep from 7 classical scrapie-affected flocks of Thessaloniki and Imathia, Central Macedonia, Greece. The blood samples were collected by official veterinarians and were examined by the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for TSEs, Veterinary Laboratory of Larisa, Greece, in the framework of the National Program for Scrapie Surveillance and Control between 2009 and 2013. Among the 1,456 sheep, 340 were of Chios breed, 633 Chios crossbred and 483 crossbred. The examined sheep showed high genotype variability, as a total of 7 haplotypes and 23 different genotypes were found. The predominant allele and the predominant genotype were ARQ and ARQ/ARQ respectively, in all breeds studied, followed by the ARR allele and the ARR/ARQ genotype. The TRQ allele was frequent in Chios and Chios crossbred, while the VRQ allele was rare for all the breeds. Interestingly, 3 genotypes (ARH/TRQ, ARR/ARK and ARK/VRQ) were detected for the first time in Greece and two of them (ARH/TRQ and ARK/VRQ) have, to our knowledge, never been previously reported. Furthermore, it is emphasized that our country outnumbers all European countries in classical scrapie cases of sheep every year. Therefore, there is an urgent need to reduce the incidence of classical scrapie through the implementation of selective breeding programs. This is supported by the fact that the prevalence of classical scrapie in the Greek sheep population is highly associated with the predominant genotype ARQ/ARQ. Therefore, the elimination of the ARQ/ARQ and the other susceptible genotypes (belonging to Risk Groups 3 and 5, according to the National Scrapie Plan of Great Britain) would reduce dramatically the incidence of classical scrapie in Greece.
Presence of endoparasites in the Greek buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) from Northern Greece
Authors: FOUNTA A. , PAPADOPOULOS E. , CHLIOUNAKIS S. , BAMPIDIS V. A. , PAPAZAHARIADOU M.
Published: August 2018

This study was conducted in order to determine the presence of parasitic infections of the Greek buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in the Prefecture of Serres, Northern Greece. During the period from February to October 2014, faecal samples from 110 buffaloes of the Greek buffalo breed (Bubalus bubalis), from 9 farms located in proximity to Lake Kerkini, in the Prefecture of Serres, Northern Greece, were examined, in order to find reproductive elements of parasites. Out of 110 faecal samples examined, 102 (92.73%) were found infected with reproductive elements (eggs, larvae, cysts and oocysts) of parasites. Specifically, the parasites found were: Eimeria spp. (40%), Entamoeba bovis (16.36%), Paramphistomum cervi (10%), Fasciola hepatica (16.36%), Dicrocoelium dendriticum (28.18%), Moniezia benedeni (27.27%), Toxocara vitulorum (11.82%), Strongylida (gastrointestinal nematodes) (31.82%) and lungworms (28.18%). The present study appears to be the first report of the detection of lungworms in buffaloes, in Greece.
Effect of natural neosporosis on levels of testosterone and thyroid hormones in bulls
Authors: BAHRAMI S. , REZA ALBORZI A. , GOORANINEJAD S. , BAKRAYI O.
Published: August 2018

Present study was aimed to investigate the effect of Neospora caninum seropositivity on testosterone and thyroid hormones levels of Iranian bulls. Two groups containing bulls with neosporosis and bulls without neosporosis were considered. To achieve bulls with neosporosis, N. caninum agglutination test (NAT) and ELISA was performed. Testosterone, thyroxin (T4) and tri-iodothyronine (T3) levels were measured and compared between infected and non-infected bulls. Testosterone of bulls with neosporosis was decreased but the difference was not significant. Serum T4 of bulls with neosporosis was decreased significantly but changes of serum T3 was not significant. The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis) impairment, direct effect of N. caninum and its antigens on testis function, interrelationships between thyroid dysfunction and hypogonadism, adaptive response of infected animals to N. caninum and occurrence of oxidative stress in testis due to the presence of Neospora may be the reasons of hormonal changes. The effect of N. caninum on hormonal changes remains incomplete at present and is an area for future research so as to better characterize the effects and mechanisms.
sPop: Age-structured discrete-time population dynamics model in C, Python, and R
Authors: Erguler Kamil
Published: August 2018

This article describes the sPop packages implementing the deterministic and stochastic versions of an age-structured discrete-time population dynamics model. The packages enable mechanistic modelling of a population by monitoring the age and development stage of each individual. Survival and development are included as the main effectors and they progress at a user-defined pace: follow a fixed-rate, delay for a given time, or progress at an age-dependent manner. The model is implemented in C, Python, and R with a uniform design to ease usage and facilitate adoption. Early versions of the model were previously employed for investigating climate-driven population dynamics of the tiger mosquito and the chikungunya disease spread by this vector. The sPop packages presented in this article enable the use of the model in a range of applications extending from vector-borne diseases towards any age-structured population including plant and animal populations, microbial dynamics, host-pathogen interactions, infectious diseases, and other time-delayed epidemiological processes.