bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new deep-water Astyris species (Buccinoidea: Columbellidae) from the southeastern Pacific
Authors: ARAYA JUAN FRANCISCO , CATALÁN RICARDO , ALIAGA JUAN ANTONIO
Published: July 2016

Marine mollusks from northern Chile and from the Región de Atacama in particular have been sparsely documented, and only a few works have reviewed the area (see Araya & Araya, 2015; Labrín et al. 2015; Araya & Valdés 2016). Mollusks from deep water and offshore areas are one of the least known groups and, apart from some classic works from the 19th century, only McLean (1970), Bernard (1983), Véliz and Vásquez (2000), Fraussen & Haddorn (2000), Houart (2003), Vilvens & Sellanes (2010), and Araya (2013) have included deep-water molluscan species from northern Chile. Among the Neogastropoda, the Columbellidae constitute a quite diverse and well-distributed family of small snails, with about seven hundred extant species distributed in 70 genera (deMaintenon, 2014). Most columbellids are active epibenthic carnivores or scavengers; their shells are small, normally between 3 and 20 mm in height and they can have determinate growth, with many adult shells presenting a thickened outer lip with denticles on the interior surface (Squires, 2015). In the southeastern Pacific off Chile this family is represented by only 14 species, all from shallow water, mostly found in the northern and central parts of the country (Valdovinos, 1999).
Morphology of Immatures of Acanthoderini (Cerambycidae, Lamiinae)
Authors: CASARI SÔNIA A.
Published: July 2016

Morphological descriptions and comparisons of immatures of five species of Acanthoderini are presented. Larvae and pupae of Psapharochrus cylindricus (Bates, 1861) and P. vetustus (Bates, 1880), larva of P. jaspideus (Germar, 1824), and pupae of Oreodera glauca (Linnaeus, 1758) and Steirastoma stellio Pascoe, 1866, from Brazil, are described; larvae of the two latter species are redescribed. Until now, immatures of 20 species of this tribe were known. Remarks on characters in Acanthoderini and genera with known immatures are also included.
New brachypterous species of Dichotomius (Selenocopris) Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) with the definition of species groups and taxonomic notes in the subgenus
Authors: NUNES RAFAEL V. , VAZ-DE-MELLO FERNANDO Z.
Published: July 2016

Five species groups of Dichotomius (Selenocopris) are defined and separated in an illustrated key in the first effective attempt of systematization of the subgenus. Four new brachypterous species of Selenocopris are described and the also brachypterous Dichotomius ingens (Luederwaldt) is redescribed. These species are diagnosed, illustrated and assigned to the quadraticeps species group. Taxonomic issues on the subgenus are discussed.
Revision of the Afrotropical genus Fernandea Melichar, 1912 (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Dictyopharidae), with description of a new species from Equatorial Guinea
Authors: SONG ZHI-SHUN , MALENOVSKÝ IGOR , LIANG AI-PING
Published: July 2016

The Afrotropical planthopper genus Fernandea Melichar, 1912 (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Dictyopharidae: Dictyopharinae: Orthopagini) is revised to include two species: F. conradti Melichar, 1912 (the type species), with material studied from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko island) and Togo, and F. latifemorata sp. nov., described as new from mainland Equatorial Guinea. A lectotype is designated and a redescription is provided for F. conradti together with habitus photographs and detailed illustrations of the male and female terminalia which are published for the first time.
New species of the genus Elachisina (Gastropoda: Elachisinidae) from northeastern Brazil
Authors: CUNHA CARLO M. , SANTOS FRANKLIN N. , LIMA SILVIO F. B.
Published: July 2016

The family Elachisinidae Ponder, 1985 includes minute marine gastropods that live predominantly in the sublittoral zone (Ponder & Keyzer 1998; Rolán & Rubio 2001; Rolán & Gofas 2003). Most elachisinids have been included in the genus Elachisina Dall, 1918 based on their shell morphology (Warén 1996; Rolán & Rubio 2001; Rolán & Gofas 2003), consequently, very little is known about the habitat and ecological niche of the species (Ponder & Keyzer 1998; Rolán & Gofas 2003). Elachisina floridana (Rehder, 1943) is the only Atlantic congener collected alive, and is known to live beneath rocks and in rocky crevices in the intertidal zone to about 1 m depth in the Bahamas and Caribbean Sea (Ponder 1985; Ponder & Keyzer 1998; Rolán & Gofas 2003; Redfern 2013). Eastern Atlantic E. canarica (Nordsieck & García-Talavera, 1979) was also collected alive from the Canary Islands, but with no information on the habitat (Rolán & Gofas 2003). The islands of the northeastern Atlantic and West Africa are the regions with the greatest Elachisina richness known, totaling nine species (Rolán & Rubio 2001; Rolán & Gofas 2003). Only E. floridana has been recognized so far to be widely distributed throughout the Western Atlantic (Rolán & Gofas 2003; Rios 2009; Redfern 2013).
Responses of Tropical Ocean Clouds and Precipitation to the Large-Scale Circulation: Atmospheric-Water-Budget-Related Phase Space and Dynamical Regimes
Authors: Wong Sun , Del Genio Anthony D. , Wang Tao , Kahn Brian H. , Fetzer Eric J. , L’Ecuyer Tristan S.
Published: July 2016

An atmospheric-water-budget-related phase space is constructed with the tendency terms related to dynamical convergence (QCON ≡ −Q∇ ⋅ V) and moisture advection (QADV ≡ −V ⋅ ∇Q) in the water budget equation. Over the tropical oceans, QCON accounts for large-scale dynamical conditions related to conditional instability, and QADV accounts for conditions related to lower-tropospheric moisture gradient. Two reanalysis products [MERRA and ERA-Interim (ERAi)] are used to calculate QCON and QADV. Using the phase space as a reference frame, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud-top pressure (CTP) and cloud optical depth (COD) are used to evaluate simulated clouds in the GISS-E2 general circulation model. In regimes of divergence over the tropical oceans, moist advection yields frequent high- to midlevel medium-thickness to thick clouds associated with moderate stratiform precipitation, while dry advection yields low-level thin clouds associated with shallow convection with lowered cloud tops. In regimes with convergence, moist and dry advection modulate the relative abundance of high-level thick clouds and low-level thin to medium-thickness clouds. GISS-E2 qualitatively reproduces the cloud property dependence on moisture budget tendencies in regimes of convergence but with larger COD compared to MODIS. Low-level thick clouds in GISS-E2 are the most frequent in regimes of near-zero convergence and moist advection instead of those of large-scale divergence. Compared to the Global Precipitation Climatology Project product, MERRA, ERAi, and GISS-E2 have more rain in regimes with deep convection and less rain in regimes with shallow convection.
Le incidenze del racconto: Le parole sono pietre
Authors: Tassoni Luigi
Published: July 2016

Per individuare la chiave di lettura del libro di Carlo Levi viaggiatore in Sicilia, edito nel 1955, occorre capire la posizione che occupa il narratore-viaggiatore rispetto alle storie che ascolta e racconta, innestate sul filone principale della narrazione che nel tempo lineare egli vive e attraversa come personaggio del proprio viaggio. I tre tempi, coincidenti con i tre diversi viaggi in Sicilia dello scrittore piemontese, costituiscono altrettante fasi di un avvicinamento progressivo alla comprensione storica del presente reinterpretato attraverso il concetto, caro a Levi, di epica moderna. Nel saggio se ne discutono le caratteristiche e si analizzano le diverse tipologie descrittive e discorsive che formano l’intreccio narrativo.
The degradation of mechanical properties in halloysite nanoclay–polyester nanocomposites exposed to diluted methanol
Authors: Saharudin Mohd Shahneel , Atif Rasheed , Shyha Islam , Inam Fawad
Published: July 2016

The degradation of mechanical properties in halloysite nanoclay–polyester nanocomposites was studied after an exposure of 24 h in diluted methanol system by clamping test specimens across steel templates. The glass transition temperature ( Tg) and storage modulus increased steadily with the increase of halloysite nanoclays before and after diluted methanol exposure. The addition of nano-fillers was found to reduce liquid uptake by 0.6% in case of 1 wt% reinforcement compared to monolithic polyester. The mechanical properties of polyester-based nanocomposites were found to decrease as a result of diluted methanol absorption. After diluted methanol exposure, the maximum microhardness, tensile, flexural and impact toughness values were observed at 1 wt% of halloysite nanoclay. The microhardness increased from 203 to 294 HV (45% increase). The Young’s modulus increased from 0.49 to 0.83 GPa (70% increase) and the tensile strength increased from 23 to 27 MPa (17.4% increase). The impact toughness increased from 0.19 to 0.54 kJ/m2 in diluted methanol system (184% increase). Surprisingly, the fracture toughness of all types of nanocomposites was found to increase after exposing to diluted methanol due to plasticization effect. Scanning electron microscope images of the fractured surfaces of tensile specimens revealed that the methanol increased the ductility of the matrix and reduced the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites.
Social Anxiety and Interpretation Bias
Authors: Wang Xiaoling , Qian Mingyi , Yu Hongyu , Sun Yang , Li Songwei , Yang Peng , Lin Muyu , Yao Nishao , Zhang Xilin
Published: July 2016

This study examined how positive-scale assessment of ambiguous social stimuli affects interpretation bias in social anxiety. Participants with high and low social anxiety ( N = 60) performed a facial expression discrimination task to assess interpretation bias. Participants were then randomly assigned to assess the emotion of briefly presented faces either on a negative or on a positive scale. They subsequently repeated the facial expression discrimination task. Participants with high versus low social anxiety made more negative interpretations of ambiguous facial expressions. However, those in the positive-scale assessment condition subsequently showed reduced negative interpretations of ambiguous facial expressions. These results suggest that interpretation bias in social anxiety could be mediated by positive priming rather than an outright negative bias.
Effects of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Intonation on Secondary Science Teachers’ Evaluation of Spoken Responses
Authors: Shepherd Michael A.
Published: July 2016

To explore the role of teachers’ biases in the underrepresentation of minorities and women in STEM, 128 secondary science teachers were asked to evaluate responses spoken with either falling or rising intonation by African American, Latino, and White ninth-grade boys and girls. Responses spoken by minority students were evaluated less favorably than identically worded responses spoken by White students, and rising intonation responses were evaluated less favorably than falling intonation responses. Female speakers have been shown to use rising intonation nearly twice as often as male speakers, so this bias against rising intonation responses disproportionately affects female students (an indirect effect of gender).
Urban land conflict in the Global South: Towards an analytical framework
Authors: Lombard Melanie , Rakodi Carole
Published: July 2016

In cities of the Global South, access to land is a pressing concern. Typically neither states nor markets provide suitable land for all users, especially low-income households. In the context of urban growth and inequality, acute competition for land and the regulatory failures of states often result in conflict, which is sometimes violent, affecting urban authorities and residents. Conflicts are often mentioned in analyses of urban land, but rarely examined in depth. This paper develops a framework for land conflict analysis, drawing on relevant literature and the papers in this special issue. In order to explore the drivers, dynamics and outcomes of urban land conflicts, diverse disciplinary perspectives are discussed, including environmental security, political ecology, legal anthropology, land governance, conflict analysis and management, and urban conflict and violence. The papers focus on conflicts in the peri-urban areas of Xalapa, Mexico, and Juba, South Sudan, and during informal settlement upgrading in eThekwini (Durban), South Africa, and Nairobi. A second paper on South Africa examines how current tenure law reflects the characteristics and outcomes of previous conflicts. We suggest that an analytical framework needs, first, to consider definitional categories, including the material and emotional dimensions of access to land, conflict and violence, and tenure. Second, it needs to identify and examine the interests and behaviour of the many actors involved in urban land conflicts. And third, it needs to analyse the interactions and relationships between those involved at different levels, from the individual/household, through the local to the citywide, national and international.
The spear point and the ground beneath: territorial constraints on the logic of Responsibility to Protect
Authors: Waters Timothy William
Published: July 2016

The doctrine of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) faces considerable criticism, of both its inefficacy – its failure to describe an effective pathway around the obstacles to humanitarian intervention in the sclerotic global security system – and its overreach, especially the risk that it enables pretextual agendas of intervention and regime change. Yet neither defenders nor critics have paid much attention to another possibility or risk incumbent in R2P: the likelihood, once intervention is undertaken, that the interveners themselves will be involved in a conflict over territory, whose likely solutions will include, not simply regime change, but partition. The doctrine as we now have it, built thoroughly on a state-centric logic, does not engage with this question, and indeed there are strategic reasons for ignoring the issue: acknowledging such a quality would be too much for R2P’s supporters to admit or its critics to accept. But whatever our normative orientation toward this rising or stumbling doctrine, we ought to be clear about where taking it seriously is really likely to lead us: sooner or later – and more often than we might wish to acknowledge – R2P interventions will force us to confront the logic of partition.
Human pulmonary dirofilariasis masquerading as a mass
Authors: Jacob Sheba , Parameswaran Ashok , Santosham Rajan , Santosham Rajiv
Published: July 2016

Pulmonary dirofilariasis, caused by Dirofilaria immitis, rarely affects humans and is usually asymptomatic, but may present as chest pain, cough, hemoptysis, wheezing, low-grade fever, and malaise. The dead and dying worms obstruct branches of the pulmonary artery, causing infarction and a granulomatous reaction. Coin lesions are apparent on radiography, raising concern of malignancy. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice and an anthelmintic can be administered if residual lesions are present or the patient is from an endemic area. We present two cases of pulmonary dirofilariasis presenting as coin lesions in the lung, which were clinically suggestive of malignancy.
Turning waste medicines to cost savings: A pilot study on the feasibility of medication recycling as a solution to drug wastage
Authors: Toh Ming Ren , Chew Lita
Published: July 2016

Background:

Unused medicines represent a major source of wastage in healthcare systems around the world. Previous studies have suggested the potential cost savings from recycling the waste medicines. However, issues of product safety and integrity often deter healthcare institutions from recycling donated medications.

Aim:

To evaluate the feasibility of medication recycling and to assess the actual cost savings from recycling waste medicines and whether reusability of waste medicines differed among various drug classes and donor sources.

Design and setting:

Donated medications from hospitals, private medical clinics and patients were collected and assessed using a medication recycling protocol in a hospice care setting from November 2013 through January 2014. Costs were calculated using a reference pricing list from a public hospital.

Results:

A total of 244 donations, amounting to 20,759 dosage units, were collected during the study period. Most donations (90.8%) were reusable, providing a total of S$5266 in cost savings. Less than 2 h daily was spent by a single pharmacy technician on the sorting and distributing processes. Medications donated by health facilities were thrice more likely to be reusable than those by patients (odds ratio = 3.614, 95% confidence interval = 3.127, 4.176). Medications belonging to Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical class G (0.0%), H (8.2%) and L (30.0%) were the least reusable.

Conclusion:

Most donated medications were reusable. The current protocol can be further streamlined to focus on the more reusable donor sources and drug classes and validated in other settings. Overall, we opine that it is feasible to practise medication recycling on a larger scale to reduce medication wastage.
Requisite ischemia for spreading depolarization occurrence after subarachnoid hemorrhage in rodents
Authors: Oka Fumiaki , Hoffmann Ulrike , Lee Jeong Hyun , Shin Hwa Kyoung , Chung David Y , Yuzawa Izumi , Chen Shih-Pin , Atalay Yahya B , Nozari Ala , Hopson Kristen Park , Qin Tao , Ayata Cenk
Published: July 2016

Spontaneous spreading depolarizations are frequent after various forms of human brain injury such as ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke and trauma, and worsen the outcome. We have recently shown that supply-demand mismatch transients trigger spreading depolarizations in ischemic stroke. Here, we examined the mechanisms triggering recurrent spreading depolarization events for many days after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Despite large volumes of subarachnoid hemorrhage induced by cisternal injection of fresh arterial blood in rodents, electrophysiological recordings did not detect a single spreading depolarization for up to 72 h after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Cortical susceptibility to spreading depolarization, measured by direct electrical stimulation or topical KCl application, was suppressed after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Focal cerebral ischemia experimentally induced after subarachnoid hemorrhage revealed a biphasic change in the propensity to develop peri-infarct spreading depolarizations. Frequency of peri-infarct spreading depolarizations decreased at 12 h, increased at 72 h and normalized at 7 days after subarachnoid hemorrhage compared with sham controls. However, ischemic tissue and neurological outcomes were significantly worse after subarachnoid hemorrhage even when peri-infarct spreading depolarization frequency was reduced. Laser speckle flowmetry implicated cerebrovascular hemodynamic mechanisms worsening the outcome. Altogether, our data suggest that cerebral ischemia is required for spreading depolarizations to be triggered after subarachnoid hemorrhage, which then creates a vicious cycle leading to the delayed cerebral ischemia syndrome.
Development of the Life Story in Early Adolescence
Authors: Steiner Kristina L. , Pillemer David B.
Published: July 2016

Life span developmental psychology proposes that the ability to create a coherent life narrative does not develop until early adolescence. Using a novel methodology, 10-, 12-, and 14-year-old participants were asked to tell their life stories aloud to a researcher. Later, participants separated their transcribed narratives into self-identified chapters. When life stories were assessed with measures of temporal and causal coherence, most participants in all age groups were able to tell a linear and coherent narrative. The 10-year-olds were more likely to start their narratives after birth and to use single event chapters in their stories, but they did not differ significantly from older participants in terms of the coherence or chronology of their chapters. This novel method for analyzing life narratives both supports and extends prior research on the development of life stories in adolescence.
What they fight for: Specific territorial issues in militarized interstate disputes, 1816–2001
Authors: Gibler Douglas M.
Published: July 2016

This paper provides a multifaceted classification of the primary issue for each state involved in territorial disputes between 1816 and 2001. I differentiate principally between cases in which ownership of the territory is disputed and cases over which status quo distributions of territory are acknowledged. I also consider the location of disputed territories—homeland vs other territories—and the types of actions in the dispute. This classification scheme produces categories such as (1) disputed ownership, (2) general border issues, (3) opportunity-based conflict, (4) state-system changes, (5) border violations, and (6) fishing rights and the hot pursuit of rebels. My analyses find that there is significant variation across types of territorial disputes, and serious conflicts are overwhelmingly concentrated in fights over bordering territories with disputed ownership claims. I suggest several ways in which this classification scheme can be used in future research.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression in Men and Women Who Perpetrate Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Breet Elsie , Seedat Soraya , Kagee Ashraf
Published: July 2016

Poor mental health is a risk factor for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Literature suggests that gender differences play a role in this association. The aims of this study were to examine the: 1) prevalence of IPV perpetrated by men and women; and 2) association between symptoms of depression or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and IPV perpetration among men and women. A convenience sample of 210 people living in three peri-urban areas in South Africa completed self-report questionnaires that assessed symptoms of common mental health disorders and IPV. Gender differences were not found with regard to perpetrating physical assault and psychological aggression, although men were more likely than women to report perpetration of sexual coercion (42.9% vs. 23.8%). Men who reported higher symptoms of PTSD were 3 times (OR = 2.63, p = .023) more likely to report perpetrating sexual coercion, when controlling for demographic characteristics and symptoms of depression, than men who reported lower levels of PTSD. Women who reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression were 4 times (OR = 3.9, p = .01) more likely to report perpetrating physical assault, when controlling for demographic characteristics and symptoms of PTSD, than women who reported minimal to mild symptoms of depression. Findings add further support for differences in rates of IPV perpetration, and poor mental health as a risk for IPV perpetration. Interventions aimed at reducing IPV perpetration in the South African setting will only be marginally effective if gender-specific interventions are not developed that consider co-occurring symptoms of PTSD and depression.
I Volunteer, Therefore I am? Factors Affecting Volunteer Role Identity
Authors: van Ingen Erik , Wilson John
Published: July 2016

Volunteer role identity has long been of interest to social scientists seeking to understand volunteer commitment and the psychological consequences of volunteering. The study reported here tests the theory that predicts that people identify more strongly with the volunteer role as compensation for the absence of other productive roles. Using a sample ( n = 572) of Dutch volunteers over the age of 50, we find a strong association between age and volunteer role identity. For older volunteers, the volunteer role is a more important part of who they are. We find that retirement plays an important role in this. The retirement effect, in turn, is accounted for by the extra time retirees invest in the role, signaling a compensation strategy. We find a similar substitution effect for the unemployed/disabled, but not for widowhood. The study makes a contribution by situating the explanation of volunteer role identity within a life-course framework.
Persistent triple antiphospholipid antibody positivity as a strong risk factor of first thrombosis, in a long-term follow-up study of patients without history of thrombosis or obstetrical morbidity
Authors: Yelnik C M , Urbanski G , Drumez E , Sobanski V , Maillard H , Lanteri A , Morell-Dubois S , Caron C , Dubucquoi S , Launay D , Duhamel A , Hachulla E , Hatron P Y , Lambert M
Published: July 2016

Introduction

The long-term risk of first thrombosis and benefit of prophylaxis in antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) carriers without history of thrombosis or obstetrical morbidity is poorly known. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term rate and risk factors associated with a first thrombosis in those patients.

Patients and methods

After a prior study ended in December 2005 and was already published, we extended the follow-up period of our cohort of aPL carriers.

Results

Ninety-eight of the 103 patients of the previous study were included. The annual first thrombosis rate was 2.3% per patient-year during a median of 13 years (6–17). None of the baseline characteristics was predictive of risk of first thrombosis, but persistent aPL over time were associated with an increased risk. The stronger association was found in triple aPL-positive carriers: OR 3.38 (95% CI: 1.24–9.22). Of note, conversely to our previous findings, no benefit of aspirin prophylaxis was observed.

Conclusion

The risk of first thrombosis in aPL carriers without history of thrombosis or obstetrical morbidity was significant, persisted linearly over time and was associated with persistent aPL. This risk was especially increased in triple aPL-positive carriers, in whom a close follow-up seems to be necessary. Nevertheless, the benefit of aspirin prophylaxis remained unclear.
A rational choice theory of religious authority
Authors: McBride Michael
Published: July 2016

The rational choice literature on religion has been noticeably silent on the nature and purpose of religious authority. I first summarize the rational choice theory of authority and offer a rational choice definition of religious authority. A primary insight is that (religious) authority exists to coordinate social action. I then argue that social coordination is a fundamental aspect of religious life, perhaps equally important as the social dilemma problems that have received attention in the literature. Finally, I apply this new rational theory to demonstrate its value. I demonstrate how rituals create religious authority; the relationship between religious authority, organizational hierarchy, and religious strictness; and how the theory creates complementarities between the two, sometimes contentious, sides of the secularization debate.
The Privatization Debate
Authors: Lindsey Andrea M. , Mears Daniel P. , Cochran Joshua C.
Published: July 2016

Although the privatization of corrections has a long history in America, debates about its merits have intensified in recent decades. The goals of this article are (a) to argue that privatized corrections is more prevalent than recognized and yet little is known about how it compares with public corrections, and (b) to provide a conceptual framework for advancing research and policy on privatized corrections. In so doing, we shed light on a wide range of unanswered questions about both public corrections and private corrections. We conclude by highlighting opportunities for informing the privatization debate and advancing research.
Investigation on the phase-based fuzzy logic controller for magnetorheological elastomer vibration absorber
Authors: Liao Guojiang , Xu Yangguang , Wei Fayuan , Ge Renwei , Wan Qiang
Published: July 2016

This article presents a phase-based fuzzy logic controller for magnetorheological elastomer vibration absorber to trace the excitation frequency rapidly. The phase difference between the relative acceleration of the vibration absorber mass and the absolute acceleration of the primary system is used as the input signal of the fuzzy logic controller to calculate the desired magnetic current. Compared with the traditional stiffness control strategy, the proposed controller does not rely on the accurate relationship between the magnetic current and the resonant frequency of the magnetorheological elastomer vibration absorber. Simulation and experiment results demonstrate that the proposed stiffness controller is efficient to make the magnetorheological elastomer vibration absorber trace the excitation frequency rapidly. When the excitation frequency varies, the magnetorheological elastomer vibration absorber can be tuned properly within several seconds.
Challenging Others’ Challenges
Authors: Fielding Nigel G.
Published: July 2016

Research funders throw down a gauntlet about the “grand challenges” of our time, like a cure for cancer, or eradicating poverty. But “normal science” is the practice of the particular. Our knowledge comes in glimpses, not the arc of the floodlight. This article argues that if we want to build a cumulative knowledge of the social, we need to synthesize, not fragment, and to talk across borders, not put up fences. Critical qualitative inquiry can be a vital corrective to the “grand challenge” mindset, but only if we help the wider research community understand our message.
Polypharmacy, Opioid Use, and Fibromyalgia
Authors: Menzies Victoria , Thacker Leroy R. , Mayer Sallie D. , Young Anna M. , Evans Shelby , Barstow Linda
Published: July 2016

The major therapeutic approach for treating fibromyalgia (FM), a chronic widespread pain syndrome, is pharmacotherapy-centered symptom management. Complexity of treatment often leads to multiple medication prescriptions. While there is no current alternative to the probable need for polypharmacy in this patient population, there remains concern related to potential side effects and adverse drug events. In this secondary analysis of data on medications taken collected from two parent studies, all medications were broken down into the following categories: opioid, nonopioid, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant, and benzodiazepine. The impact on pain severity and pain interference of these medication categories as well as perceived stress, fatigue, and depression scores was assessed. Baseline pain severity ( p = .0106) and pain interference ( p = .0002) were significantly correlated with opioid use as compared to nonopioid use. A multivariate regression with backward elimination resulted in a model for pain severity with one significant predictor variable, fatigue ( p < .0001); pain interference had three significant predictor variables: opioid use ( p = .04), fatigue ( p < .0001), and depression ( p = .04). While future studies should further address the utility of opioids and examine the role of polypharmacy as part of symptom management strategies for individuals with FM, study findings suggest that, for those who suffer chronic widespread pain as the predominant symptom experience, a challenge equally as perplexing for nurses and nursing research alike as managing the pain lies in addressing the fatigue and depression in this patient population.
Homonationalism and sexual orientation-based asylum cases in the United States
Authors: Llewellyn Cheryl
Published: July 2016

In this paper, I demonstrate that the adjudication of sexual orientation asylum is one of the processes made possible under what Jasbir Puar calls homonationalism. I make an analytical distinction between cases that employ a narrative of ‘the homosexual’ versus other less (homo)normative sexual identities. In the asylum system ‘the homosexual’ is a unitary and fixed identity characterized by visibility, coherence and linearity. These features, notably, are consistent with a homonormative identity construction, which privileges white, Western, gay male sexual politics. My analysis indicates that applicants that can adopt the narrative of ‘the homosexual’ have greater success than applicants’ identities that are not easily encapsulated by this single narrative. Moreover, applicants must also show an infliction of bodily harm to signify a need for asylum; the treatment of their bodies in their country of origin must vary significantly from the protection that the United States purports to offer.
The Effects of the Human Cost of Terror on National Income, Private Consumption and Investment in Pakistan
Authors: Shah Syed Hasanat , Hasnat Hafsa , Ahmad Mohsin Hasnain
Published: July 2016

The main focus of this article is to investigate the short- and long-run causal effects of human cost of terror on gross domestic product (GDP), private consumption and private investment in Pakistan by using autoregressive distributed lag techniques. The results confirm the long-run association between the human cost of terror, GDP, private consumption and private investment and suggest that the human cost of terror adversely affects GDP and private investment, and positively influences private consumption in the long run. Furthermore, the results in the study reveal that the human cost of terror negatively affect GDP and private investment and increases private consumption in the short run. The overall findings of the article suggest that the human cost of terror drags the economy down, discourages private investment and distorts the pattern of private consumption in Pakistan.
King’s College London Student Clinical Ethics Committee case discussion: An elderly patient wants to go home following inpatient treatment, but it is thought she may be at risk in her own home and her discharge is delayed
Authors: Johnston Carolyn , Baty Michael , Kelly Patricia
Published: July 2016

The Student Clinical Ethics Committee considered the case of an elderly woman who remained in hospital for 2 months after treatment, despite being considered medically fit for discharge, causing her great distress. The committee considered the justifications for keeping the patient on the ward in order to determine whether she was fit to be discharged to her home. The case study summarises the reflections of the committee and focuses on the capacity of the patient to make the decision to go home, the potential risks and consequences of discharging her, the concerns of the health care teams and their responsibility to make a decision.
A Randomized Controlled Study to Observe the Efficacy of External Treatment With a Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbal Ointment on Malignant Plural Effusion: Outcome Report and Design Review
Authors: Feize Wu , Meng Liu , Yanni Lou , Yuan Li , Liqun Jia , Tong Li , Guowang Yang , Huijuan Cui , Donggui Wan , Zhiqiang Cheng , Lei Zheng
Published: July 2016

Background. Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common complication in most malignancies. Despite its frequent occurrence, current knowledge of MPE remains limited and the effect of the management is still unsatisfying. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) external treatment has unique advantages, such as quicker efficacy and fewer side effects. Objective. To observe the effects and safety of Kang’ai Xiaoshui ointment (TCM herbal ointment) in MPE. Design. This was a placebo-controlled double-blinded randomized study. A total of 80 patients were enrolled, of which 72 were randomized to receive Kang’ai Xiaoshui ointment or placebo at an allocation ratio of 1:1. Kang’ai Xiaoshui ointment or placebo was applied on the thorax wall for 8 hours daily. The intervention lasted 2 weeks. Kang’ai Xiaoshui ointment consisted of Astragalus membranaces （黄芪）, Semen pharbitidis （牵牛子）, Cassia twig （桂枝）, Pericarpium arecae （大腹皮）, Curcuma zedoary （莪术）, Borneol （冰片), and other substances. In both groups, diuresis and drainages were used as needed. Outcomes covered the quantity of pleural effusion evaluation, TCM Symptom Scale, Karnofsky Performance Scale, and safety indicators such as routine blood test, blood biochemistry test, and response table of skin irritation. Results. Of 72 patients randomized to receive Kang’ai Xiaoshui ointment or placebo along with symptomatic treatment, the response rate was documented as 42.4% for the treatment group and 25.0% for the placebo group ( P = .138). As for the TCM symptom scale, the treatment group showed improvement in chest distress ( P = .003), fullness and distention ( P = .042), shortness of breath ( P < .001), no statistical significance in palpitation ( P = .237), and pain ( P = .063), whereas the placebo group did not show statistical significance in any of the 5 symptoms. Major adverse events related to the treatment, mainly skin irritation, were distributed equally. Conclusions. Kang’ai Xiaoshui ointment showed a potential of reducing MPE, and it could alleviate symptoms of dyspnea. Thus, it may be appropriate as a supplementary intervention for MPE. There were some flaws in the study design. A larger scale and better designed trial is advocated.
Non-inferiority tests for anti-infective drugs using control group quantiles
Authors: Fay Michael P , Follmann Dean A
Published: July 2016

Background/Aims:

In testing for non-inferiority of anti-infective drugs, the primary endpoint is often the difference in the proportion of failures between the test and control group at a landmark time. The landmark time is chosen to approximately correspond to the qth historic quantile of the control group, and the non-inferiority margin is selected to be reasonable for the target level q. For designing these studies, a troubling issue is that the landmark time must be pre-specified, but there is no guarantee that the proportion of control failures at the landmark time will be close to the target level q. If the landmark time is far from the target control quantile, then the pre-specified non-inferiority margin may not longer be reasonable. Exact variable margin tests have been developed by Röhmel and Kieser to address this problem, but these tests can have poor power if the observed control failure rate at the landmark time is far from its historic value.

Methods:

We develop a new variable margin non-inferiority test where we continue sampling until a pre-specified proportion of failures, q, have occurred in the control group, where q is the target quantile level. The test does not require any assumptions on the failure time distributions, and hence, no knowledge of the true [Formula: see text] control quantile for the study is needed.

Results:

Our new test is exact and has power comparable to (or greater than) its competitors when the true control quantile from the study equals (or differs moderately from) its historic value. Our nivm R package performs the test and gives confidence intervals on the difference in failure rates at the true target control quantile. The tests can be applied to time to cure or other numeric variables as well.

Conclusion:

A substantial proportion of new anti-infective drugs being developed use non-inferiority tests in their development, and typically, a pre-specified landmark time and its associated difference margin are set at the design stage to match a specific target control quantile. If through changing standard of care or selection of a different population the target quantile for the control group changes from its historic value, then the appropriateness of the pre-specified margin at the landmark time may be questionable. Our proposed test avoids this problem by sampling until a pre-specified proportion of the controls have failed.
A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Wholistic Hybrid Derived From Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Emotional Freedom Technique (WHEE) for Self-Treatment of Pain, Depression, and Anxiety in Chronic Pain Patients
Authors: Benor Daniel , Rossiter-Thornton John , Toussaint Loren
Published: July 2016

In this pilot study, a convenience sample of 24 chronic pain patients (17 with chronic fatigue syndrome/fibromyalgia) were randomized into WHEE treatment and wait-list control groups for 6 weeks. Assessments of depression, anxiety, and pain were completed before, during, and at 1 and 3 months after treatment. Wait-listed patients then received an identical course of WHEE and assessments. WHEE decreased anxiety ( P < .5) and depression ( P < .05) compared with the control group. The wait-list-turned-WHEE assessments demonstrated decreased pain severity ( P < .05) and depression ( P < .04) but not pain interference or anxiety. WHEE appears a promising method for pain, anxiety, and depression in patients with chronic pain, compared to standard medical care alone. Though a small pilot study, the present results suggest that further research appears warranted. An incidental finding was that a majority of patients with chronic pain had suffered psychological trauma in childhood and/or adulthood.
Epidemiology of Operative Procedures in an NCAA Division I Football Team Over 10 Seasons
Authors: Mehran Nima , Photopoulos Christos D. , Narvy Steven J. , Romano Russ , Gamradt Seth C. , Tibone James E.
Published: July 2016

Background:

Injury rates are high for collegiate football players. Few studies have evaluated the epidemiology of surgical procedures in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate football players.

Purpose:

To determine the most common surgical procedures performed in collegiate football players over a 10-year period.

Study Design:

Descriptive epidemiological study.

Methods:

From the 2004-2005 season through the 2013-2014 season, all surgical procedures performed on athletes from a single NCAA Division I college football team during athletic participation were reviewed. Surgeries were categorized by anatomic location, and operative reports were used to obtain further surgical details. Data collected over this 10-season span included type of injury, primary procedures, reoperations, and cause of reoperation, all categorized by specific anatomic locations and position played.

Results:

From the 2004-2005 through the 2013-2014 seasons, 254 operations were performed on 207 players, averaging 25.4 surgical procedures per year. The majority of surgeries performed were orthopaedic procedures (92.1%, n = 234). However, there were multiple nonorthopaedic procedures (7.9%, n = 20). The most common procedure performed was arthroscopic shoulder labral repair (12.2%, n = 31). Partial meniscectomy (11.8%, n = 30), arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (9.4% n = 24), and arthroscopic hip labral repair (5.9% n = 15) were the other commonly performed procedures. There were a total of 29 reoperations performed; thus, 12.9% of primary procedures had a reoperation. The most common revision procedure was a revision open reduction internal fixation of stress fractures in the foot as a result of a symptomatic nonunion (33.33%, n = 4) and revision ACL reconstruction (12.5%, n = 3). By position, relative to the number of athletes at each position, linebackers (30.5%) and defensive linemen (29.1%) were the most likely to undergo surgery while kickers (6%) were the least likely.

Conclusion:

In NCAA Division I college football players, the most commonly performed surgeries conducted for injuries were orthopaedic in nature. Of these, arthroscopic shoulder labral repair was the most common, followed closely by partial meniscectomy. Nonorthopaedic procedures nonetheless accounted for a sizable portion of surgical volume. Familiarity with this injury and surgical spectrum is of utmost importance for the team physician treating these high-level contact athletes.
Conduct problems co-occur with hyperactivity in children with language impairment: A longitudinal study from childhood to adolescence
Authors: Pickles Andrew , Durkin Kevin , Mok Pearl LH , Toseeb Umar , Conti-Ramsden Gina
Published: July 2016

Background

Language impairment is a common developmental disorder which is frequently associated with externalising problems. In this study, we investigate for the first time, joint trajectories of conduct problems and hyperactivity in children with language impairment from childhood to adolescence. We determine patterns of co-occurrence of symptoms and identify specific risk and protective factors.

Methods

We develop a trajectory grouping method to examine simultaneously the conduct and hyperactivity problem scores of 164 children with language impairment at 7, 8, 11 and 16 years of age.

Results

We identified five groups of children with distinct trajectories of symptoms. Three trajectory groups all had different conduct/hyperactivity problems: a persistent problems group (15%), an adolescent-onset group (24%) and a childhood-limited group (17%). There were two trajectory groups that did not show conduct problems.

Conclusions

Conduct problems always co-occurred with hyperactivity in children with language impairment regardless of differences in the onset of symptoms (childhood versus adolescence) or their persistence (persistent versus childhood limited). Reading difficulties were strongly associated with mixed conduct/hyperactivity problems that started early (childhood) and continued into adolescence (the persistent trajectory group). Prosocial behaviours were found to be protective against conduct problems.
Altered fibrinolysis in autosomal dominant thrombomodulin-associated coagulopathy
Authors: Burley Kate , Whyte Claire S. , Westbury Sarah K. , Walker Mary , Stirrups Kathleen E. , Turro Ernest ,   NIHR BioResource, Chapman Oliver G. , Reilly-Stitt Christopher , Mutch Nicola J. , Mumford Andrew D.
Published: July 2016

Key Points

TM-AC is a heritable bleeding disorder in which high plasma TM levels reduce thrombin generation. High plasma TM levels also delay clot lysis by enhancing TM/thrombin-mediated activation of TAFI.