bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What is the definition of successful lysis: reporting standard?
Authors: Navin Patrick , O’Sullivan Gerard J
Published: February 2016

Deep vein thrombosis, and the resultant development of post-thrombotic syndrome, is a significant health issue. Recent evidence demonstrates that the severity of post-thrombotic syndrome symptoms is directly related to the level of venous thrombosis and following treatment these subsequent symptoms are inversely related to the degree of thrombus removal. If we can improve, and preferably standardise the terminology associated with pre-treatment assessment of thrombus load and post-treatment success of thrombus removal techniques, we should then be able to choose more tailor-made techniques to greater benefit our patients. A number of scoring systems have been devised for the assessment of venous thrombus burden, with a majority impractical for everyday usage. In order to provide a more practical solution, the lower extremity thrombosis classification has been developed, using information on anatomical location for venous thrombus combined with a clinical indicator as to the likely sequelae. Anatomical success following venous thrombolysis can be defined by assessing restoration of anterograde flow in the treated vein or the percentage degree of thrombolysis, using venography. The second option is the method most frequently utilised, with the Venous Registry grading system applied. Data from recent trials have given us conflicting and confusing data mainly because we are not using standardised terminology. We urgently need to agree on a standard method of description of thrombus removal before stent placement which also incorporates the likely clinical impact of the area involved in the thrombosis.
Venous thromboembolism – prevalence and risk factors in chronic venous disease patients
Authors: Musil Dalibor , Kaletová Markéta , Herman Jiří
Published: February 2016

Aims

This study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of venous thromboembolism in patients with chronic venous disease and the impact of some intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors.

Methods

A retrospective study on 641 outpatients (489 women) with primary chronic venous disease (C0–C6). The prevalence of venous thromboembolism was evaluated according to sex, age, BMI, the presence of ≥1 first-degree siblings diagnosed with venous thromboembolism, CEAP clinical class, smoking and the use of hormone therapy.

Results

Venous thromboembolism episodes occurred in 32 patients (5%) with no gender predominance (OR 1.49, 95% CI = 0.90–2.45; p = 0.146). There was no increased RR of venous thromboembolism in the age group 46–69 years compared with patients aged ≤45 years ( p = 0.350). In persons aged ≥70 years, the risk of venous thromboembolism was 3.2 times higher than in patients aged 46–69 years and 4.78 times higher than in patients aged ≤45 years. The risk of venous thromboembolism rose very significantly in obese compared with normostenic patients ( p = 0.002). There were significantly more venous thromboembolism episodes in patients with chronic venous insufficiency (55.3%) than patients with varicose veins (44.7%) ( p < 0.001). A family history of venous thromboembolism ( p = 0.12), smoking ( p = 0.905) and hormone therapy ( p = 0.326) were not associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism. Smoking was a risk factor in obese patients ( p = 0.033), but the combination of obesity, smoking, estrogens in women did not increase the risk of venous thromboembolism.

Conclusions

The 5% prevalence of venous thromboembolism episodes in patients was comparable with the prevalence of venous thromboembolism in the general European population. Age ≥70 years and obesity were strongly associated with an occurrence of venous thromboembolism. Obese patients with chronic venous disease were at higher risk for venous thromboembolism than obese people in the general population. A family history of venous thromboembolism, smoking and estrogens alone or in combination were not revealed as significant risk factors.
Age-related brain atrophy may be mitigated by internal jugular vein enlargement in male individuals without neurologic disease
Authors: Belov Pavel , Magnano Christopher , Krawiecki Jacqueline , Hagemeier Jesper , Bergsland Niels , Beggs Clive , Zivadinov Robert
Published: February 2016

Objectives

To assess the relationship between cross-sectional area of internal jugular veins and brain volumes in healthy individuals without neurologic disease.

Methods

A total of 193 healthy individuals without neurologic disease (63 male and 130 female; age > 20 to < 70 years) received magnetic resonance venography and structural brain magnetic resonance imaging at 3T. The internal jugular vein cross-sectional area was assessed at C2–C3, C4, C5–C6, and C7–T1. Normalized whole brain volume was assessed. Partial correlation analyses were used to determine associations.

Results

There was an inverse relationship between normalized whole brain volume and total internal jugular vein cross-sectional area (C7–T1: males r = −0.346, p = 0.029; females r = −0.301, p = 0.002). After age adjustment, association of normalized whole brain volume and normalized gray matter volume with internal jugular vein cross-sectional area became positive in males (normalized whole brain volume and right internal jugular vein cross-sectional area (C2–C3) changed from r = −0.163 to r = 0.384, p = 0.002), but not in the females.

Conclusion

Sex differences exist in the relationship between brain volume and internal jugular vein cross-sectional area in healthy individuals without neurologic disease.
From unspecific to adjusted, how the BOLD response in the rat hippocampus develops during consecutive stimulations
Authors: Riemann Stephanie , Helbing Cornelia , Angenstein Frank
Published: February 2016

To determine the possibility to deconvolve measured BOLD responses to neuronal signals, the rat perforant pathway was electrically stimulated with 10 related stimulation protocols. All stimulation protocols were composed of low-frequency pulse sequences with superimposed high-frequency pulse bursts. Because high-frequency pulse bursts trigger only one synchronized spiking of granular cells, variations of the stimulation protocol were used: (a) to keep the spiking activity similar during the presentation of different numbers of pulses, (b) to apply identical numbers of pulses to induce different amounts of spiking activity, and (c) to concurrently vary the number of applied electrical pulses and resultant spiking activity. When complex pulse sequences enter the hippocampus, an unspecific default-like BOLD response is first generated, which relates neither to the number of incoming pulses nor to the induced spiking activity. Only during subsequent stimulations does the initial unspecific response adjust to a more adequate response, which in turn either strongly related to spiking activity when low-frequency pulses were applied or depended on the incoming activity when high-frequency pulse bursts were presented. Thus, only the development of BOLD responses during repetitive stimulations can predict the underlying neuronal activity and deconvolution analysis should not be performed during an initial stimulation period.
Accounting for business combinations and takeover premiums: Pre- and post-IFRS
Authors: Bugeja Martin , Loyeung Anna
Published: February 2016

The adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Australia in 2005 resulted in goodwill accounting shifting from systematic annual amortisation to impairment testing. We examine whether IFRS adoption changed the association between takeover premiums and the difference between a target firm’s pre-acquisition market and book values (pre-acquisition step-up). Our results show a negative association between takeover premiums and the pre-acquisition step-up of the target firm. This association reduces however, after Australia adopted IFRS and no longer required goodwill amortisation. Consistent with the incentives arising from contracts written around accounting numbers, our results are strongest for bidding firms which compensate their CEO using an accounting-based bonus plan. These results are robust to a battery of sensitivity tests.
Changes in Knee Osteoarthritis, Symptoms, and Function After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Risberg May Arna , Oiestad Britt Elin , Gunderson Ragnhild , Aune Arne Kristian , Engebretsen Lars , Culvenor Adam , Holm Inger
Published: February 2016

Background:

Progression of tibiofemoral (TF) and patellofemoral (PF) osteoarthritis (OA) and changes in knee function more than 15 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are not well understood.

Purpose:

To examine the progression of knee OA and changes in symptoms and function in isolated and combined injuries from 15 to 20 years after ACLR.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

A total of 210 subjects with ACLR were prospectively followed. At the 15- and 20-year follow-ups, radiographs were obtained and classified by the Kellgren and Lawrence (K-L) grading system. Symptoms and function were evaluated with the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) as well as isokinetic quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength tests.

Results:

There were 168 subjects (80%) who returned for the 20-year follow-up, with a mean (±SD) age of 45 ± 9 years, mean body mass index of 27 ± 4, and median Tegner activity level of 4 (range, 0-9). The prevalence of radiographic TF and PF OA at the 20-year follow-up was 42% and 21%, respectively. Patients with ACL injuries and other combined injuries had significantly higher prevalence of radiographic TF OA compared with those who had isolated ACL injury ( P < .0001). There was a 13% increase in radiographic TF OA ( P = .001) and an 8% increase in PF OA ( P = .015) from the 15- to the 20-year follow-up. A significant deterioration in knee symptoms and function was observed on the KOOS subscales ( P ≤ .01), with the exception of quality of life ( P = .14), as well as a decrease in quadriceps muscle strength and hamstring muscle strength ( P < .0001).

Conclusion:

The prevalence of radiographic TF and PF OA was 42% and 21%, respectively. A significantly higher prevalence of TF OA was found for subjects with combined injuries compared with those who had isolated ACL injury. The majority of the subjects were stable radiographically over the 5 years between follow-ups. A statistically significant deterioration in symptoms and function was noted, but the mean changes were of questionable clinical importance.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Does the Gut Microbiome Hold the Key?
Authors: Leclercq Sophie , Forsythe Paul , Bienenstock John
Published: February 2016

Gut bacteria strongly influence our metabolic, endocrine, immune, and both peripheral and central nervous systems. Microbiota do this directly and indirectly through their components, shed and secreted, ranging from fermented and digested dietary and host products to functionally active neurotransmitters including serotonin, dopamine, and γ-aminobutyric acid. Depression has been associated with enhanced levels of proinflammatory biomarkers and abnormal responses to stress. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appears to be marked in addition by low cortisol responses, and these factors seem to predict and predispose individuals to develop PTSD after a traumatic event. Dysregulation of the immune system and of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis observed in PTSD may reflect prior trauma exposure, especially early in life. Early life, including the prenatal period, is a critical time in rodents, and may well be for humans, for the functional and structural development of the immune and nervous systems. These, in turn, are likely shaped and programmed by gut and possibly other bacteria. Recent experimental and clinical data converge on the hypothesis that imbalanced gut microbiota in early life may have long-lasting immune and other physiologic effects that make individuals more susceptible to develop PTSD after a traumatic event and contribute to the disorder. This suggests that it may be possible to target abnormalities in these systems by manipulation of certain gut bacterial communities directly through supplementation or indirectly by dietary and other novel approaches.
Reframing the Teenage Wasteland: Adolescent Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis
Authors: McVey Neufeld Karen-Anne , Luczynski Pauline , Dinan Timothy G. , Cryan John F.
Published: February 2016

Human adolescence is arguably one of the most challenging periods of development. The young adult is exposed to a variety of stressors and environmental stimuli on a backdrop of significant physiological change and development, which is especially apparent in the brain. It is therefore unsurprising that many psychiatric disorders are first observable during this time. The human intestine is inhabited by trillions of microorganisms, and evidence from both preclinical and clinical research focusing on the established microbiota-gut-brain axis suggests that the etiology and pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders may be influenced by intestinal dysbiosis. Provocatively, many if not all of the challenges faced by the developing teen have a documented impact on these intestinal commensal microbiota. In this review, we briefly summarize what is known about the developing adolescent brain and intestinal microbiota, discuss recent research investigating the microbiota-gut-brain axis during puberty, and propose that pre- and probiotics may prove useful in both the prevention and treatment of psychiatric disorders specifically benefitting the young adult.
The Liver in the Eyes of a Chronobiologist
Authors: Zwighaft Ziv , Reinke Hans , Asher Gad
Published: February 2016

Our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of the mammalian circadian oscillator and its tight connection to physiology has progressed tremendously during the past decades. The liver is considered the prototypic experimental model tissue for circadian research in peripheral organs. Studies on liver clocks have been highly productive and yielded information about widely different aspects of circadian biology. The liver, as one of the largest organs in the body, has often been used for the identification of core clock and auxiliary clock components, for example, by biochemical purifications. Because the liver is also a major metabolic hub, studies addressing the interplay between circadian clocks and metabolism have been insightful. In addition, the use of liver-specific loss-of-function models for clock components highlighted not only specific physiological roles of the hepatic clock but also its interplay with systemic cues and oscillators in other organs. Recently, technological advances in omics approaches have been successfully applied on the liver, providing a comprehensive depiction of pervasive circadian control of gene expression and protein and metabolite accumulation. In this review, we chose to illuminate specific examples that demonstrate how different experimental approaches—namely, biochemical, metabolic, genetic, and omics methodologies—have advanced our knowledge regarding circadian liver biology and chronobiology in general.
An integrated spectral collocation approach for the static and free vibration analyses of axially functionally graded nonuniform beams
Authors: Xie Xiang , Zheng Hui , Zou Xiaoyang
Published: February 2016

A spectral collocation approach based on integrated polynomials is presented to investigate the statics and free vibrations of Euler–Bernoulli beams with axially variable cross section, modulus of elasticity, and mass density. The basic concept of the approach is the expansion of the highest derivatives appearing in the governing equations instead of the solution function itself by the truncated basis function. Then lower order derivatives and the function itself are obtained by integration. The constants appearing from the integrating process are determined by given classical or elastic restrained boundary conditions. Also, by incorporating the decomposition technique into the present approach, higher order vibration modes can be achieved even for stepped beams. Numerical examples including the statics and free vibrations of the beams with variance in geometry or material have been successfully solved, and the results are compared with those analytical or numerical solutions in the existing literature. The convergence and comparison studies show that convergent speed is rather rapid and the present approach can yield high accurate results with low computational efforts. Furthermore, the accuracy is not particularly affected by the adopted polynomials.
Aerodynamics of aero-engine installation
Authors: Stańkowski Tomasz P , MacManus David G , Sheaf Christopher TJ , Christie Robert
Published: February 2016

This paper describes current progress in the development of methods to assess aero-engine airframe installation effects. The aerodynamic characteristics of isolated intakes, a typical transonic transport aircraft as well as a combination of a through-flow nacelle and aircraft configuration have been evaluated. The validation task for an isolated engine nacelle is carried out with concern for the accuracy in the assessment of intake performance descriptors such as mass flow capture ratio and drag rise Mach number. The necessary mesh and modelling requirements to simulate the nacelle aerodynamics are determined. Furthermore, the validation of the numerical model for the aircraft is performed as an extension of work that has been carried out under previous drag prediction research programmes. The validation of the aircraft model has been extended to include the geometry with through flow nacelles. Finally, the assessment of the mutual impact of the through flow nacelle and aircraft aerodynamics was performed. The drag and lift coefficient breakdown has been presented in order to identify the component sources of the drag associated with the engine installation. The paper concludes with an assessment of installation drag for through-flow nacelles and the determination of aerodynamic interference between the nacelle and the aircraft.
Economic crisis and youth unemployment: Comparing Greece and Ireland
Authors: Papadopoulos Orestis
Published: February 2016

Both Greece and Ireland have long suffered high youth unemployment rates and have been pressured to restructure their employment and social systems under the European Employment Strategy. Problems were aggravated by the harsh conditions imposed by the Troika following bail-outs. Yet there was significant divergence in youth employment outcomes between Greece and Ireland despite a convergence of policies. In Ireland, tighter conditionality of benefits and stronger ‘activation’ were already on the agenda of the social actors, so their implementation was not forcefully contested. In Greece, the lack of effective social protection made it difficult for successive governments to build support for flexibilization, and the escalating insecurity of young Greeks and their families gave rise to social unrest and political instability. This contrast leads to a reappraisal of the convergence–divergence debate.
Sheltered Workshops: United States v. Rhode Island
Authors: Yell Mitchell L. , Katsiyannis Antonis , Prince Angela
Published: February 2016

Federal legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504, and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, mandates that individuals with disabilities be integrated in all aspects of life from education to employment to independent living. A recent development involves a settlement reached between the United States and the State of Rhode Island/City of Providence regarding sheltered workshops. States must ensure the availability of a continuum of alternative settings that span from restrictive (e.g., sheltered workshops) to fully integrated, community-based, competitive employment. The use of sheltered workshops as categorical, permanent, segregated practice is discriminatory.
Interrater Reliability of Hospital Readmission Evaluations for Surgical Patients
Authors: Trickey Amber W. , Wright Jeffrey M. , Donovan Jean , Reines H. David , Dort Jonathan M. , Prentice Heather A. , Graling Paula R. , Moynihan John J.
Published: February 2016

Value-based purchasing initiatives have helped shift attention to the accuracy of hospital readmission information at the most clinically detailed level. The purpose of this study was to determine the interrater reliability (IRR) of surgical experts in assessing surgical inpatient readmissions for categorical causes, relation to index procedure, and potential preventability. Cases were selected from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program local database. Of 1840 cases, 156 patients (8.5%) were readmitted within 30 days of the procedure. Surgical site infection was the most common readmission cause (32%), followed by obstruction or ileus (17%). IRR was moderate for readmission cause (60% agreement, κ = 0.51), substantial for readmission in relation to surgical procedure (92%, κ = 0.70), and lowest for potential preventability of readmissions (57%, κ = 0.18). Results suggest that readmission cause and relation to surgical procedure can be determined with moderate to high degree of IRR, while preventability of readmissions may require stricter definitions to improve IRR.
Evaluating the patient-perceived impact of clinical pharmacy services and proactive follow-up care in an ambulatory chemotherapy unit
Authors: Crespo Andrea , Tyszka Malgorzata
Published: February 2016

Purpose

To evaluate the patient-perceived impact of delivery of clinical pharmacy services, including a proactive follow-up program, on patient understanding, satisfaction, and toxicity management.

Methods

Patients who had received clinical pharmacy services at their initial chemotherapy treatment were identified and asked to complete a 20-point survey at the second or subsequent treatment. The services that the survey evaluated consist of face-to-face education during the first treatment and proactive telephone follow-up 3 to 7 days later.

Results

A total of 107 of the 112 respondents (95.5%) indicated that the time with the pharmacist at the first treatment was worthwhile and 92.6% of respondents reported that the interaction with the pharmacist increased their understanding of the medication regimen. Of the 113 respondents, the majority was either “Very Satisfied” or “Satisfied” with the time the pharmacist spent with them (94.7%), and the pharmacist’s ability to answer their questions (92.9%). In addition, survey results indicate that the clinical pharmacy input provided in the pharmacist call-back program is valuable, with 92.6% of the 82 respondents indicating that this service is worthwhile, and 91.4% of 93 respondents stating that the pharmacist input helped them to manage side-effects at home.

Conclusions

Survey results indicate that patients value clinical pharmacy services in the ambulatory oncology chemotherapy setting. These services contribute to improve patient understanding of the medication regimen, a high level of patient satisfaction, and self-management of treatment-related toxicities. These results support the provision of clinical pharmacy services and proactive follow-up programs in ambulatory chemotherapy units.
Rare Variants of the Serotonin Transporter Are Associated With Psychiatric Comorbidity in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Authors: Kohen Ruth , Tracy Julia H. , Haugen Eric , Cain Kevin C. , Jarrett Monica E. , Heitkemper Margaret M.
Published: February 2016

Alterations in serotonin signaling are suspected in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). By modulating the extracellular reuptake of serotonin, the serotonin transporter (SERT) acts as a key regulator of the bioavailability of serotonin. This study is the first to investigate the impact of rare SERT variants (i.e., those with a minor allele frequency of < 1%) on the risk for IBS, gastrointestinal (GI) symptom level, response to cognitive–behavioral treatment, and psychiatric comorbidity. We sequenced a 0.19 megabase chromosomal stretch containing the SERT gene and surrounding regions in a community sample of 304 IBS patients and 83 controls. We found no significant associations between rare variants in and around the SERT gene and IBS risk, GI symptom profile, or response to treatment. We found preliminary evidence, however, that IBS subjects with a history of either depression or anxiety were significantly more likely to carry multiple rare likely functional variant alleles than IBS patients without psychiatric comorbidity.
Explaining attrition: Investigating and confiscating the profits of organized crime
Authors: Kruisbergen Edwin W. , Kleemans Edward R. , Kouwenberg Ruud F.
Published: February 2016

In this article, we provide insight into a common but scarcely researched problem in the process of confiscating criminal earnings: attrition, that is, the gap between estimated criminal profits on the one hand and the actually recovered amount of money on the other. We investigate the practice and results of financial investigation and asset recovery in organized crime cases in the Netherlands by using empirical data from the Dutch Organized Crime Monitor, confiscation order court files, and the Central Fine Collection Agency. The data shed light on financial investigation in practice and give a complete picture of the confiscation order court procedures as well as the execution of those orders for 102 convicted offenders – from public prosecutors’ claims and rulings of the initial, appeal and the Supreme Court, to what offenders actually pay. The phenomenon of attrition can be explained by several factors, but an important factor turns out to be how ‘criminal profit’ is defined (determined) in law and practice.
Measurement principle and precision analysis of chamber parameters on images
Authors: Wang Hui-Feng , Yao Nai-Fu , Wang Xiao-Meng , Chen Shi-qin
Published: February 2016

A new kind of measuring principle of reading data across the diameter of a target image is proposed for high-accuracy measurements of artillery-chamber parameters. A new kind of ruler target mechanism is designed to read the cross-diameter data. The ruler target mechanism is pushed into the chamber by a driver mechanism. It moves along the axis of the chamber, and the sequence images are collected. The radial displacement of the cross-measurement claw can be obtained by processing the change of inscribed lines on the ruler target, and the current diameter, volume and conical degree of the chamber can all be acquired by referring to the demarcating annulus size. Measurement precision is analysed based on error propagation theory, with the diameter and volume parameters as examples. According to this principle, the measurement prototype is designed, and experiments are conducted on it. We show that the measurement error of the diameter is no more than 10 µm, and the volume error of the artillery chamber is less than 2‰, which satisfies the practical engineering requirement.
Mesoscale finite element model for calculating deformations of laminate composite constructions
Authors: Stadnicki Jacek , Tokarz Zbigniew
Published: February 2016

This article shows the methodology of building finite element models of composite constructions made of laminate composites reinforced with carbon fibre fabric (carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer). The models use a repeatable microstructure of a composite – a repeated unit cell – which is a three-dimensional truss built with one-dimensional beam finite elements. Thanks to this fact, the models reflect the internal structure of the composite. The model constants have been experimentally determined. Therefore, the influence of production technology of the composite on its mechanical properties has been considered. The modelling methodology has been used to calculate deflections of exemplary composite constructions. The results have been experimentally verified.
Linking user and staff perspectives in the evaluation of innovative transition projects for youth with disabilities
Authors: McAnaney Donal F , Wynne Richard F
Published: February 2016

A key challenge in formative evaluation is to gather appropriate evidence to inform the continuous improvement of initiatives. In the absence of outcome data, the programme evaluator often must rely on the perceptions of beneficiaries and staff in generating insight into what is making a difference. The article describes the approach adopted in an evaluation of 15 innovative projects supporting school-leavers with disabilities in making the transition to education, work and life in community settings. Two complementary processes provided an insight into what project staff and leadership viewed as the key project activities and features that facilitated successful transition as well as the areas of quality of life (QOL) that participants perceived as having been impacted positively by the projects. A comparison was made between participants’ perceptions of QOL impact with the views of participants in services normally offered by the wider system. This revealed that project participants were significantly more positive in their views than participants in traditional services. In addition, the processes and activities of the more highly rated projects were benchmarked against less highly rated projects and also with usually available services. Even in the context of a range of intervening variables such as level and complexity of participant needs and variations in the stage of development of individual projects, the benchmarking process indicated a number of project characteristics that were highly valued by participants.
Disclosure Management on Social Network Sites: Individual Privacy Perceptions and User-Directed Privacy Strategies
Authors: Masur Philipp K. , Scharkow Michael
Published: February 2016

The social web and specifically social network sites (SNS) have offered new opportunities for interaction and communication, but have also increased the risk of privacy violations. In this study, we investigated how far users imply different disclosure management strategies in status updates and chat conversations. We hypothesized that users perceive specific information as differently private depending on their personal privacy preference, but generally show the same disclosure management pattern: the higher the perceived privacy level of an information, the less frequently it will be shared. We tested the hypothesis using an online survey with 316 German SNS users. The findings suggest that respondents engaged in disclosure management taking both communication channel and type of information into account. We further found that trust toward SNS contacts and use of privacy settings significantly influenced disclosure management in one-to-many (status updates) but not in one-to-one communications situations (chat conversations). The results complement existing research by showing the pivotal role of individual privacy perceptions in explaining users’ privacy management in the social web.
IMPACT OF OIL POLLUTION ON TOXICITY LEVEL OF PEAT SOILS
Authors: Леднев  , Lednev Andrey , Скворцова  , Skvortsova Irina
Published: February 2016

Based on the data of the laboratory experiment it was found, that the greatest impact of oil pollution has had on test objects Paramecium caudatum and lyophilized luminescent bacteria “Ekolyum”. They recorded the appearance of toxic effects by increasing the oil content in peat soils above the level of 3035 milligram per kilogram. Thus, the oil content equal to 3035 milligram per kilogram (3.0 gramm per kilogram) may be recommended as a standard acceptable residual oil and petroleum products in the peat soils of land for forestry purposes to the conditions of the Udmurt Republic. We recommend use the norm equal to the 2.0 gramm per kilogramm of peat soil for agricultural land. When conducting toxicology tests, it is necessary to take into account that uncontaminated peat also has a certain toxic effect on some test objects (Paramecium caudatum).
MONITORING OF SUBURBAN AGRICULTURAL LANDS ON THE EXAMPLE OF SEMIOZERKA RURAL SETTLEMENT OF VYSOKOGORSKIY MUNICIPAL DISTRICT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN
Authors: Сабирзянов  , Sabirzyanov Almaz , Сочнева  , Sochneva Svetlana , Трофимов  , Trofimov Nikolay
Published: February 2016

The article presents the results of the monitoring of suburban farmland of Semiozerka rural settlement of Vysokogorskiy municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan with the aim to identify unused land.
Rare form of Permanent Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus (PNDM) due to novel mutation in EIF2AK3 gene (Wolcott—Rallison syndrome)
Authors: Tikhonovich Yulia Viktorovna , Stotikova Olga Vasil'evna , Rubtsov Petr Mikhaylovich , Tiulpakov Anatoly Nikolaevich
Published: February 2016

Wolcott—Rallison syndrome (WRS) is a rare genetic disease inherited in autosomal recessive way. Сlinical manifestations develop in early infancy with symptoms of permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus (PNDM), skeletal dysplasia, short stature and hepatic dysfunction. The condition has poor prognosis and most patients die at a young age due to episodes of acute liver or renal failure. To date about 60 genetically proved cases of WRS have been reported worldwide. The disease is most common in countries where consanguineous marriages are frequent, such as the Saudi Arabia (60% cases of PNDM patients), India, Turkey, Pakistan and North Africa. In Russian Federation WRS patients have not been described earlier.
Revista completa +E 4
Authors: Revista +E UNL
Published: February 2016

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Education as a prevention of fraud
Authors: Pospíšil Jiří , Vomáčková Hana
Published: February 2016

A critical way of thinking developed by teachings of financial audit, accounting and taxation are necessary for any graduate in economics. Combined with ethics it is the essential prerequisite for increasing the resistance of the experts to embezzlement. The aim of this study is to ascertain whether the graduates of business schools in Czech Republic are ready to recognize and expose economic crime/fraud which they might encounter at their workplace. The readiness of the graduates is bilateral as it includes the ability "to recognize" which is discussed in terms of adequate knowledge - which should be obtained especially during the bachelor and master studies, and the willingness "to expose" which is discussed in terms of moral principles of the graduates - which should be augmented during their studies as well. The article summarizes the results of research conducted among Czech universities and their graduates. The research among the Czech universities was carried out as an analysis of the study programs provided by Czech universities and the corresponding syllabi. The research among the graduates was carried out via online questionnaire distributed to graduates through their alumni organizations. This questionnaire was accessible through the Internet from November 2014 to February 2015. During this period 264 respondents undertook the survey. We formulate two theses in this paper. First thesis states that Czech graduates are not equipped with knowledge necessary to recognize economic fraud at their workplace. Second thesis states that Czech graduates don't possess the moral incentives to expose the economic crime. While we were not able to confirm the first thesis unequivocally, we concluded that there is much to improve in the structure of the study programs of Czech universities providing business education. The second thesis was confirmed though. The suggestions we made in this paper based on the research were the following: firstly, to develop a syllabus of a new teaching subject which would incorporate the basic aspects of the advanced financial accounting, auditing, tax and business law and make such subject mandatory for all business graduates at Czech universities. Similar subject - even though less extensive/complex - shall be developed for the secondary business schools as well. Secondly, to eliminate the segmented ethics of secondary school graduates through education based on case-studies and demonstration and focus greatly on raising the ethics standards at both levels of business education.This paper is not a traditional field-based research study. Rather it is a summary/conclusive report on two interconnected research projects. The aim of this paper is to summarize the results from the former research projects and to compare andto confront the findings of these projects in the attempt to find a “common denominator” of both issues raised in the preceding research projects.
Linking Customer Behaviors to Cash Flow Level and Volatility: Implications for Marketing Practices
Authors: Shah Denish , Kumar V. , Kim Kihyun Hannah , Choi Jeewon Brianna
Published: February 2016

Marketing affects customer behavior, and customer behavior in turn drives a firm's cash flows and, ultimately, valuation. In this sequence of relationships, a commonly overlooked factor by marketers is the volatility of customers' cash flows. This study links different recurring customer behaviors to the future level and volatility of a customer's cash flows. Empirical analyses of the large customer database of a Fortune 500 retailer reveal that a 1% desired change in the different types of recurring customer behaviors corresponds to a future quarterly 4.61% decrease in the cash flow volatility and $39.42 million increase in the future cash flow level of the firm. Furthermore, firm-initiated marketing is 1.9–3.2 times more effective at managing the future cash flow level and volatility when it is selectively targeted to customers with certain characteristics. Overall, the study enables marketers to manage different customer behaviors that influence customers' future cash flow level and volatility and ultimately quantify the impact of these behaviors on the shareholder value of the firm.
How China Outsmarts WTO Rulings in the Wind Industry
Authors: Oh Seung-Youn
Published: February 2016

Through a study of China’s wind turbine sector, this paper demonstrates how China liberally implements industrial policies and then removes them when the WTO disputes them. China’s convenient compliance with the WTO rulings reflects Beijing’s realpolitik navigation through the organization’s dispute-resolution process, rather than socialization to international norms.
University Geographies and Folk Music Landscapes
Authors: Blake David K.
Published: February 2016

By examining folk music activities connecting students and local musicians during the early 1960s at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this article demonstrates how university geographies and musical landscapes influence musical activities in college towns. The geography of the University of Illinois, a rural Midwestern location with a mostly urban, middle-class student population, created an unusual combination of privileged students in a primarily working-class area. This combination of geography and landscape framed interactions between students and local musicians in Urbana-Champaign, stimulating and complicating the traversal of sociocultural differences through traditional music.

Members of the University of Illinois Campus Folksong Club considered traditional music as a high cultural form distinct from mass-culture artists, aligning their interests with then-dominant scholarly approaches in folklore and film studies departments. Yet students also interrogated the impropriety of folksong presentation on campus, and community folksingers projected their own discomfort with students’ liberal politics. In hosting concerts by rural musicians such as Frank Proffitt and producing a record of local Urbana-Champaign folksingers called Green Fields of Illinois (1963), the folksong club attempted to suture these differences by highlighting the aesthetic, domestic, historical, and educational aspects of local folk music, while avoiding contemporary socioeconomic, commercial, and political concerns. This depoliticized conception of folk music bridged students and local folksingers, but also represented local music via a nineteenth-century rural landscape that converted contemporaneous lived practice into a temporally distant object of aesthetic study. Students’ study of folk music thus reinforced the power structures of university culture—but engaging local folksinging as an educational subject remained for them the most ethical solution for questioning, and potentially traversing, larger problems of inequality and difference.
AI-related BMD variation in actual practice conditions: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Rodríguez-Sanz María , Prieto-Alhambra Daniel , Servitja Sonia , Garcia-Giralt Natalia , Garrigos Laia , Rodriguez-Morera Jaime , Albanell Joan , Martínez-García Maria , González Iria , Diez-Perez Adolfo , Tusquets Ignasi , Nogués Xavier
Published: February 2016

The aim of the study was to evaluate the progression of bone mineral density (BMD) during 3 years of aromatase inhibitors (AI) therapy in actual practice conditions. This prospective, clinical cohort study of Barcelona–Aromatase induced Bone Loss in Early breast cancer (B-ABLE) assessed BMD changes during 3 years of AI treatment in women with breast cancer. Patients with osteoporosis (T score < −2.5 or T score ≤ −2.0) and a major risk factor and/or prevalent fragility fractures were treated with oral bisphosphonates (BPs). Of 685 women recruited, 179 (26.1%) received BP treatment. By the third year of AI therapy, this group exhibited increased BMD in the lumbar spine (LS; 2.59%) and femoral neck (FN; 2.50%), although the increase was significant only within the first year (LS: 1.99% and FN: 2.04%). Despite BP therapy, however, approximately 15% of these patients lost more than 3% of their baseline bone mass. At 3 years, patients without BP experienced BMD decreases in the LS (−3.10%) and FN (−2.79%). In this group, BMD changes occurred during the first (LS: −1.33% and FN: −1.25%), second (LS: −1.19% and FN: −0.82%), and third (LS: −0.57% and FN: −0.65%) years of AI treatment. Increased BMD (>3%) was observed in just 7.6% and 10.8% of these patients at the LS and FN, respectively. Our data confirm a clinically relevant bone loss associated with AI therapy amongst nonusers of preventative BPs. We further report on the importance of BMD monitoring as well as calcium and 25-hydroxy vitamin D supplementation in these patients.
Impact of Crime Tolerance in Low-Income Housing on Neighbor Cohesion and Collective Efficacy
Authors: Walker Laurie A. , Aguayo Anabel
Published: February 2016

This article focuses on determining the impact that resident crime tolerance in public housing has on other factors that predict perceptions of residents' ability to work together to address crime and call the police. Survey participants (n = 387) were recruited through door-to-door knocking in 2 redeveloping public housing neighborhoods. Study measures were validated with factor analysis before developing a structural equation model. Perceptions of neighborhood problems, neighbor cohesion, and organizational collective efficacy predict collective efficacy: working together against crime and/or calling the police. Two crime tolerance variables covary, but do not have a direct impact on their perception of their ability to address crime or call the police.
Re-Envisioning Macro Social Work Practice
Authors: McBeath Bowen
Published: February 2016

This article presents 10 recommendations supporting a re-envisioning of macro practice for the 21st century. These strategies are needed to counter a generational trend of disinvestment in macro social work practice and to support the historic vision of the social work profession as equally responsive to the needs of at-risk, disadvantaged populations and the organizational, community, and policy roots of social injustice. Before describing these recommendations and discussing their implications for the social work profession, I first briefly review the challenges facing macro practice and current initiatives promoting its renewal. The goal of this analysis is to define the essential contributions of macro practice while identifying strategies for responding to current dilemmas facing the social work profession.
Interlibrary Loan Rates for Academic Libraries in the United States of America Have Increased Despite the Availability of Electronic Databases, but Fulfilment Rates Have Decreased
Authors: Oxborrow Kathryn
Published: February 2016

Objectives – To determine the number of interlibrary loan (ILL) requests in academic libraries in the United States of America over the period 1997-2008, and how various factors have influenced these rates. These factors included electronic database subscriptions, size of print journal and monograph collections, and the presence of link resolvers. Data were collected from libraries as both lenders and borrowers. The study also looked at whether the number of professional staff in an ILL department had changed during the period studied, and whether ILL departments led by a professional librarian correlated positively with rates of ILL.

Design – Online questionnaire.

Setting – Academic library members of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) ILL scheme in the United States of America.

Subjects – A total of 442 academic library members of the OCLC ILL scheme.

Methods – An electronic questionnaire was sent to 1433 academic library member institutions of the OCLC ILL scheme. Data were collected for libraries as both lending and borrowing institutions. Data were analyzed using a statistical software package, specifically to calculate Spearman’s rank correlations between the variables and rates of ILL.

Main Results – Responses to the electronic questionnaire were received from 442 (31%) academic libraries. There was an overall increase in the number of ILL requests in the period 1997-2008. The number of ILL requests which were unfulfilled also increased during this period. There was a positive correlation between rates of ILL and all of the variables investigated, with the strongest correlations with size of print monograph collections and size of print journal collections. The numbers of staff in ILL departments remained relatively static during the period covered by the study, although the majority of staff working in ILL was composed of paraprofessionals. There was a weak positive correlation between numbers of ILL requests and whether ILL departments were headed by a professional librarian.

Conclusions – Access to full text electronic databases has not decreased the numbers of ILL requests in academic libraries in the United States of America. In fact, ILL requests have increased, probably due to the fact that students and staff of academic libraries now have access to a larger number of citations through online databases and other information sources. The authors suggest that the increase in unfulfilled ILL requests is also due to this increased access. Libraries with large print collections are more likely to receive ILL requests precisely because they have more material to lend out, and may make more ILL requests due to the research output of their presumably larger institutions. There may be a higher number of ILL requests fulfilled by departments headed by a professional librarian because a librarian has more knowledge of sources to fulfil requests.
LIRG and JIBS Student Prizes
Authors: Brettle Alison
Published: February 2016

No abstract.