bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cervical Cancer Burden and Prevention Strategies: Asia Oceania Perspective
Authors: Garland Suzanne M. , Bhatla Neerja , Ngan Hextan Y.S.
Published: September 2012

The Asia Oceania region contributes to more than 50% of cervical cancer cases worldwide. Yet cervical cancer is one of few cancers that can be prevented through comprehensive screening for precancerous lesions, with their subsequent treatment. Screening with cervical cytology, a very old technology, has reduced cervical cancer mortality and incidence when applied in comprehensive programs with high coverage and high quality assurance. However, of those countries within this region that have set up such programs, many have been opportunistic, had poor coverage, or inadequate treatment facilities for lesions found. Consequently, they have not seen large reductions in cancer incidence or mortality. Some have therefore adopted visual inspection by acetic acid (VIA) and Lugol's iodine (VILI) or human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA assays for screening.

With two safe, immunogenic and efficacious prophylactic vaccines licensed, the way forward to reduction of cervical cancer to becoming uncommon is within reach. Where governments have supported high coverage public-health vaccination programs, reductions in disease burden with shortest incubation (genital warts, high-grade abnormalities) are already being reported. One of the biggest impediments is the cost of vaccines that are affordable to resource-poor countries. Other challenges include, infrastructure for delivery of vaccines, plus general acceptance of vaccination by the community. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(9); 1414–22. ©2012 AACR.
Insulin-like Growth Factor-I Concentration and Risk of Prostate Cancer: Results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
Authors: Price Alison J. , Allen Naomi E. , Appleby Paul N. , Crowe Francesca L. , Travis Ruth C. , Tipper Sarah J. , Overvad Kim , Grønbæk Henning , Tjønneland Anne , Johnsen Nina Føns , Rinaldi Sabina , Kaaks Rudolf , Lukanova Annie , Boeing Heiner , Aleksandrova Krasimira , Trichopoulou Antonia , Trichopoulos Dimitrios , Andarakis George , Palli Domenico , Krogh Vittorio , Tumino Rosario , Sacerdote Carlotta , Bueno-de-Mesquita H. Bas , Argüelles Marcial V. , Sánchez Maria-José , Chirlaque Maria-Dolores , Barricarte Aurelio , Larrañaga Nerea , González Carlos A. , Stattin Pär , Johansson Mattias , Khaw Kay-Tee , Wareham Nick , Gunter Marc , Riboli Elio , Key Timothy
Published: September 2012

Background: High circulating insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations have been associated with increased risk for prostate cancer in several prospective epidemiological studies. In this study, we investigate the association between circulating IGF-I concentration and risk of prostate cancer over the long term in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.

Methods: In a nested case–control design, 1,542 incident prostate cancer cases from eight European countries were individually matched to 1,542 controls by study center, age at recruitment, duration of follow-up, time of day, and duration of fasting at blood collection. Conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate risk for prostate cancer associated with IGF-I concentration, overall and by various subgroups.

Results: Circulating IGF-I concentration was associated with a significant increased risk for prostate cancer [OR for highest vs. lowest quartile, 1.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.35–2.13; Ptrend = 0.0002]. This positive association did not differ according to duration of follow-up [ORs for highest vs. lowest quartile were 2.01 (1.35–2.99), 1.37 (0.94–2.00), and 1.80 (1.17–2.77) for cancers diagnosed <4, 4—7, and >7 years after blood collection, respectively (Pheterogeneity = 0.77)] or by stage, grade, and age at diagnosis or age at blood collection (all subgroups Pheterogeneity >0.05).

Conclusion: In this European population, high circulating IGF-I concentration is positively associated with risk for prostate cancer over the short and long term.

Impact: As IGF-I is the only potentially modifiable risk factor so far identified, research into the effects of reducing circulating IGF-I levels on subsequent prostate cancer risk is warranted. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(9); 1531–41. ©2012 AACR.
Exploring the Utility of Advanced Placement Participation and Performance in College Admission Decisions
Authors: Shaw Emily J. , Marini Jessica P. , Mattern Krista D.
Published: September 2012

The current study evaluated the relationship between various operationalizations of the Advanced Placement® (AP) exam and course information with first-year grade point average (FYGPA) in college to better understand the role of AP in college admission decisions. In particular, the incremental validity of the different AP variables, above relevant demographic and academic variables, in predicting FYGPA was explored using hierarchical linear modeling. The AP variables of interest included the following: the number of AP exams the student took, the number of AP exams the student took and received a score of 3 or higher, the proportion of the number AP exams the student took out of the number AP courses offered at his or her high school, and his or her average AP score, highest AP score, and lowest AP score. Results showed that the AP predictor that most improved model fit was the average AP exam score. The final model that included multiple AP variables and most improved model fit included the average AP score, the number of AP exams the student took and received a score of 3 or higher, and the AP exam proportion (which had a negative relationship with FYGPA). These results are particularly relevant and timely for college admission and measurement professionals as AP course-taking information as opposed to AP exam score information tends to be more regularly factored into admission decisions if and when AP information is considered at all.
Modelling flaming combustion in glass fibre-reinforced composite laminates
Authors: McCarthy Edward D , Kandola Baljinder K , Edwards Gerard , Myler Peter , Yuan Jifeng , Wang Yong C , Kandare Everson
Published: September 2012

A heat transfer model based on the well-known Henderson equation has been modified to allow for self-sustained ignition and the flaming combustion phenomena of E-glass fibre-reinforced epoxy composites to be predicted from first principles using known thermal-physical and thermodynamic data for their constituents. The modifications consider: (1) the assignment of thermodynamic conditions (e.g. ignition temperature and mass flux of volatiles) necessary and sufficient to trigger self-sustained ignition, and (2) the inclusion of an integrated loop allowing the heat energy generated from the flaming combustion process to be fed back into the burning laminate. The model compares moderately well with experimental results obtained from cone calorimetric measurements. The additional modelling capabilities considered in this study provide the basis for an analytical model that can more accurately predict the thermal response and flaming combustion of glass fibre-reinforced polymer composites exposed to a one-sided radiant heating environment in the presence of an ignition source.
Unpacking Everyday “Teacher Talk” About Students and Families of Color
Authors: Pollack Terry M.
Published: September 2012

Informal “teacher talk” about students is ubiquitous, but it remains largely unexamined. This study critically examines casual, everyday teacher discourse about students perceived to be racially or culturally “different.” Data were collected through participants’ journal entries, group discussion, and interviews. Findings revealed three dominant deficit-based discursive themes embedded in informal teacher talk about students of color. I argue for the need to heighten educators’ critical awareness of deficit discourse and its relationship to teaching, learning, and issues of equity. This article will likely be of interest to educational administration faculty, teacher educators, K-12 educators, and those studying school culture.
Tympanoplasty for Blast‐Induced Perforations
Authors: Sridhara Shankar K. , Rivera Arnaldo , Littlefield Philip
Published: September 2012

Objective

To review our tympanoplasty results for blast‐induced tympanic membrane perforations and evaluate the association of various clinical factors with surgical success.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Two tertiary military healthcare institutions.

Methods

This is a retrospective review of all patients who had nonrevision tympanoplasty during a 1‐year period for blast‐induced perforations by the 2 neurotologists at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval Medical Center. Various perioperative clinical factors were analyzed for relations to successful perforation closure, the need for a second operation, and postoperative hearing.

Results

Thirty‐four patients met inclusion criteria. All were male, and the average age was 24.0 years. Twenty‐two (65%) were total or near‐total perforations, of which 12 (35%) were repaired using lateral graft technique. The remainder had various medial graft procedures. Ossicular abnormalities were found in 6 (18%) patients. Cholesteatoma was discovered in 3 (9%) patients. Closure was complete in 82% of patients. The incomplete closures were with large perforations, those with foreign bodies (shrapnel), and in 1 with postoperative water exposure. There were no major complications, and the mean conductive hearing improvement was 11.3 dB.

Conclusion

Blast‐induced tympanic membrane perforations are common in our population of wounded warriors. These cases are challenging because most have total or near‐total perforations, the ossicles can be out of place, the blast itself can implant epithelium in the middle ear, and foreign bodies can create a hostile middle ear environment. However, given attention to detail, we found that standard tympanoplasty techniques work well.
Reducing falls among geriatric rehabilitation patients: a controlled clinical trial
Authors: Vieira Edgar Ramos , Berean Colleen , Paches Debra , Caveny Penny , Yuen Doris , Ballash Lauralee , Freund-Heritage Rosalie
Published: September 2012

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention programme to reduce falls among geriatric rehabilitation patients.

Design:

Pre/post-test design with independent pre-test and matched post-test samples.

Setting:

Inpatient geriatric wards in a rehabilitation hospital.

Participants:

Seventy-six matched pairs ( n = 152) of geriatric rehabilitation patients from one control and one intervention ward participated in the study, and 36 nursing staff surveys were completed.

Intervention:

The intervention programme was developed based on interviews and systematic reviews. Educational materials were distributed to patients and families, and preventive measures were implemented.

Main outcome measures:

The rates of falls before and after the intervention both within and between the wards were compared, and surveys were completed.

Results:

The matched patients presented no significant differences on age, gender or medical conditions. The falls rates, proportion of fallers and length of stay was higher among those in the control ward ( P< 0.043). The percentage of fallers and the rate of falls/1000 patient days were lower on the intervention ward after implementation: odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = −2.9 (−6.6, −1.2) and −1.8 (−6.0, 0.5). Thirty of 36 respondents considered the tool to be helpful and beneficial for use on other wards.

Conclusion:

The intervention programme was effective in reducing falls among geriatric rehabilitation patients.
Startle reactivity and prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response are modulated by catechol-O-methyl-transferase Val158 Met polymorphism in adults with 22q11 deletion syndrome
Authors: de Koning Mariken B , Boot Erik , Bloemen Oswald JN , van Duin Esther DA , Abel Kathryn M , de Haan Lieuwe , Linszen Don H , van Amelsvoort Thérèse AMJ
Published: September 2012

22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a genetic disorder caused by a microdeletion on chromosome 22, which includes the gene coding for catechol- O-methyl-transferase (COMT). High dopamine (DA) levels due to COMT haplo-insufficiency may be associated with the increased risk of developing schizophrenia in adults with 22q11DS. Reduced prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response has been associated with schizophrenia and with disrupted DAergic transmission in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). COMT Val158Met polymorphism has been shown to influence PPI. We report the first study in adults with 22q11DS to examine PPI of the acoustic startle response and its modulation by COMT Val158Met polymorphism. Startle reactivity (SR) and PPI of the acoustic startle response were measured in 23 adults with 22q11DS and 21 healthy controls. 22q11DS subjects were genotyped for the functional COMT Val158Met polymorphism. 22q11DS Met hemizygotes showed reduced SR and PPI compared with 22q11DS Val hemizygotes. The effect of COMT Val158Met polymorphism on PPI was no longer significant when controlling for baseline SR. Met hemizygosity in 22q11DS is associated with reduced SR and influences PPI indirectly. Decreased PFC functioning following excessive PFC DA levels may be one of the mechanisms by which the Met genotype in 22q11DS disrupts SR.
Technology and modernity
Authors: Roberts David
Published: September 2012

In the crisis scenarios of modernity which flourished in the Weimar Republic, technology is typically seen as destiny or fate. Thus Oswald Spengler and Ernst Jünger both construe the coming struggle for world power in terms of the integration of production and technology in the industrial-military complex. Martin Heidegger’s critique of Jünger’s blueprint for total mobilization in Der Arbeiter (1932) springs from his reading of modernity as nihilism. Just as the crisis of Western history is reaching completion in modernity, so equally metaphysics reaches completion in modern technology. Heidegger’s essay ‘The Question Concerning Technology’, written after the Second World War, is contrasted with Ernst Cassirer’s essay ‘Form and Technology’ (1930), directed against Spengler’s regression to irrationalism, in terms of two fundamental relationships to the world: Heidegger’s Greek-oriented ontology of world disclosure and Cassirer’s modern ontology of construction (the possibilization of the world) with reference to technology and art.
The culture of ‘crisis’ in the Weimar Republic
Authors: Graf Rüdiger , Föllmer Moritz
Published: September 2012

Both in scholarship on the Weimar Republic and in historical research in general, many conceptions of ‘crisis’ tend to remain vague and difficult to operationalize. These operational defects of the concept of crisis arise inevitably, we argue, from the concept’s constitutive link to human perception on the one hand and from its subsumption of complex interconnections of historical processes within different subsystems on the other. Frequently today, in both ordinary and historiographical usage, this basic openness of the concept of crisis is foreclosed when it is deployed with a solely negative connotation of ‘downfall’ and ‘decline’, or of something being thrown into question or jeopardy. Such uses obscure a way in which a crisis can evoke not only the pessimistic sense of a threat to the old order but also the optimistic scenario of a chance for renewal. A one-sidedly negative understanding of crisis as prelude to calamity, we argue here, is problematic for historical research for two reasons. Firstly, it obscures comprehension of the consciousness of actors in the relevant period who at any particular moment can have had no prior knowledge of the crisis’s outcome. Secondly, it tends to reify the relevant crisis and to occlude its basic character as something narratively constructed in the accounts of both contemporaries and subsequent historiography.
Weimar social theory and the fragmentation of European world pictures
Authors: Harrington Austin
Published: September 2012

Criticism of ‘the West’ and of ‘Western civilization’ in Germany in the early 20th century is generally most familiar today as a conservative force of the age. It is well-known that at the outbreak of war in August 1914 a longstanding German complex of resentment of the Western European powers exploded in a call to arms. Yet it needs to be stressed that not all prominent German bourgeois writers endorsed a wholly militant reading of the motif of German national-cultural ‘protest at the West’. By 1918 an array of voices could come to discern another kind of salient work of contention that refused apology for any kind of violent Kulturkrieg. The thesis defended in this article is that in sophisticated humanistic writing of the era, a German mood of antagonism with the West represents not a regressive ideology but the productive and intelligent outcome of a longstanding preeminence of philosophical questioning in German academic life since the later 19th century about European world pictures and their claims to universal validity on the stage of world history. A range of statements are shown here to anticipate debates of the present day about ‘late’, ‘reflexive’ or ‘post-Eurocentric’ conditions of Western modernity.
Coming out in Weimar
Authors: Morgan Peter
Published: September 2012

The perception of the Weimar Republic as the high-point of ‘classical modernity’ in which all areas of society were permeated by a fatal sense of crisis has been revised as an explanatory model in recent historiography. Historians have returned to this period with a new sense of the openness of the crisis environment, particularly in areas of social and cultural history. Male homosexuality emerged as a central theme of Weimar social and cultural crisis as it became possible for homosexual men to imagine an identity and a ‘life’ for the first time. These men began to understand their lives as a continuum in terms of their sexuality and to express their lives in writing. The discourse of masculinist homosexuality, which emerged during the first decades of the 20th century, was used by some homosexuals as a means to self-identification and self-validation in the open environment of post-war early Weimar. However, this speculative framework of masculine comradeship and warrior ethos became less and less tenable as the internal contradictions as well as the socio-political pressures of the Republic increased. The paper explores the internal tensions between homosexuality and masculinist identity in two literary works from the Weimar Republic, Max René Hesse’s Partenau and Thomas Mann’s ‘Mario and the Magician’.
Adorno’s view of psychoanalysis
Authors: Dahmer Helmut
Published: September 2012

Psychoanalysis sets out to solve the riddles and enigmas of the psyche. For Adorno, however, psychoanalysis itself is an enigma. Why, he asks, have both the theory and its therapeutic applications become entangled in insoluble contradictions? Adorno identifies to a certain extent with the great psychoanalytic riddle-solvers, Freud and Ferenczi, as he probes these contradictions. He hopes, however, to move beyond the limits of a theory that reduces all phenomena to psychological factors, so he also approaches the problem as a sociologist. This perspective enables him to describe the static and dynamic aspects of the social structure within which psychoanalysis developed in the first half of the 20th century. And it frees him, furthermore, from the misconception that Freud passed on to most of his followers: the belief that they were pursuing a natural science of the soul, which would generate its own rigorously scientific psychological technique.
‘How can we tell it to the children?’ A deliberation at the Institute of Social Research
Authors: Kettler David , Wheatland Thomas
Published: September 2012

To introduce an archival protocol of a ‘Debate about methods in the social sciences, especially the conception of social science method represented by the Institute’, held on 17 January 1941 at the Institute of Social Research in New York, the article focuses on certain conflicts in substance and terms of discourse among members of the Institute, with special emphasis on Franz Neumann’s distinctive approaches, notwithstanding his professed loyalty to Max Horkheimer’s theory. These are seen to arise not only from Neumann’s assignment as bargaining agent for the Institute and his distinctive relations with American colleagues, but also from their different orientations to the conflicted legacies of Weimar.
Pathogenesis of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Vargas-Lowy David , Chitnis Tanuja
Published: September 2012

Onset of multiple sclerosis in childhood occurs in 3-5% of patients. There is limited, but growing knowledge about the underlying pathobiology of pediatric MS. It is crucial to better understand this area in order to address central questions in the field: 1) Can pediatric multiple sclerosis inform us about factors related to disease initiation and propagation? 2) What are the biomarkers of disease course in pediatric multiple sclerosis; 3) Does pediatric multiple sclerosis pathogenesis differ from adult-onset multiple sclerosis; 4) How can we optimize treatment in pediatric demyelinating diseases? 5) Can pediatric multiple sclerosis provide insights into the environmental risk factors for multiple sclerosis in general? Here we review the current knowledge of the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis in children, and address the five questions raised above.
Affective Interactions in Medical Visits
Authors: Garroutte Eva Marie , Sarkisian Natalia , Karamnov Sergey
Published: September 2012

Objective: Investigate influence of ethnicity on older American Indian patients’ interpretations of providers’ affective behaviors. Method: Using data from 115 older American Indian patients, random effects ordered logit models related patient ratings of providers’ respect, empathy, and rapport first to separate measures of American Indian and White American ethnicity, then to “ethnic discordance,” or difference between providers’ and patients’ cultural characteristics. Results: In models accounting for patients’ ethnicity only, high scores for American Indian ethnicity were linked to reduced evaluations for providers’ respect; high scores on White ethnicity were associated with elevated ratings for empathy and rapport. In models accounting for provider–patient ethnic discordance, high discordance on either ethnicity scale was associated with reduced ratings for the same behaviors. Discussion: Findings support “orthogonal ethnic identity” theory and extend “cultural health capital” theory, suggesting a pathway by which ethnicity becomes relevant to experience of health care among older adults.
Thermal and mechanical properties of POSS-Cyanate ester/epoxy nanocomposites
Authors: Rakesh S. , Dharan C. P. Sakthi , Selladurai M. , Sudha V. , Sundararajan P. R. , Sarojadevi M.
Published: September 2012

A new cyanate ester functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS-Cy) monomer was prepared by reacting hydroxyl functionalized POSS-OH with cyanogen bromide (CNBr) in the presence of triethylamine (Et3N). The precursor POSS-OH and the corresponding cyanate ester POSS-Cy were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR) spectral techniques. Nanocomposites were prepared by reacting diglycidylether of bisphenol-A, POSS-Cy and 4,4’-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM). The structure of the cross-linked networks was confirmed by FT-IR. The POSS particles formed clusters in some regions leading to phase separation as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) shows that the glass transition temperature decreases from 161oC to 155oC when the POSS-Cy content was increased from 0% to 15%. But, the T10% of the epoxy resin (369oC) increased significantly (404°C) on incorporating 15% of POSS-Cy. The LOI values indicate that these blends have good flame-retardant properties.
No region without individual catalysts? Exploring region formation processes in Flanders (Belgium)
Authors: Messely Lies , Schuermans Nick , Dessein Joost , Rogge Elke
Published: September 2012

This paper focuses on the process of region formation and its interrelation with agency and regional identity. The region formation processes of two regions in Flanders (Belgium) were analysed, using a framework assessing the institutionalisation of regions. Based on semi-structured interviews and policy documents, the analysis confirmed the usefulness of the concept of institutionalisation to understand and visualise the evolution and ongoing dynamics of region formation processes. The analysis reveals the importance of the dynamic and interactive character of the different aspects of the framework of institutionalisation. The region formation processes in the two regions also indicate the importance of individual catalysts, people who stimulate synergies between the different aspects of the process, resulting in the (re)production of the region and its identity. Regional attachment or ‘regional identity’ was indispensable in the actions of these catalysts and the region formation processes.
Racial/Ethnic Perspectives on the Quality of Hospice Care
Authors: Campbell Cathy L. , Baernholdt Marianne , Yan Guofen , Hinton Ivora D. , Lewis Erica
Published: September 2012

Diversity in the US population is increasing, and evaluating the quality of culturally sensitive hospice care is important. A survey design was used to collect data from 743 patients enrolled in hospice or their family members or caregivers. Race/ethnicity was not significantly associated with any of the hospice interventions or outcomes. Patients were less likely to be satisfied with the overall hospice care (OR = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.065-0.796, P = .021) compared to other type of respondents.  Satisfaction with emotional support was substantially associated with the increased likelihood of satisfaction with pain management (OR = 3.82, 95% CI = 1.66-8.83, P = .002), satisfaction with other symptom management (OR = 6.17, 95% CI = 2.80-13.64, P < .001), and of overall satisfaction with hospice care (OR = 20.22, 95% CI = 8.64-47.35, P < .001).
The Impact of a Palliative Care Program in a Rural Appalachian Community Hospital
Authors: Armstrong Bernita , Jenigiri Bharat , Hutson Sadie P. , Wachs Peter M. , Lambe Camille Eckerd
Published: September 2012

Background:

Hospital inpatient palliative care consultation services (PCCSs) provide high-quality, comprehensive care for seriously ill patients and their families. The objective of the Palliative Care Impact Study was to evaluate the impact of a PCCS in a rural Appalachian community hospital in 4 domains: clinical, customer, operational, and financial.

Methods and Results:

A nonrandomized preintervention–postintervention study enrolled 25 patients. We collected data in the 4 domains listed above after a palliative care (PC) consultation and compared them with preconsultation data. Findings demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in pain and symptom burden scores; customer metrics produced an excellent rating of 88.5% by patients and families and physician/providers; with an associated cost savings of $521 per patient per day after PC consultation was complete.
Darexaban for the Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism in Asian Patients Undergoing Orthopedic Surgery
Authors: Fuji Takeshi , Nakamura Mashio , Takeuchi Masahiro
Published: September 2012

Objective:

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of darexaban (YM150) in Asian patients undergoing total hip or total knee arthroplasty.

Methods:

In 2 phase II/III multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group studies, patients were randomized to oral darexaban 15 mg twice daily (bid), darexaban 30 mg bid, oral placebo bid, or subcutaneous enoxaparin 20 mg bid. Primary efficacy outcome for both studies was total venous thromboembolism (VTE) incidence.

Results:

Both darexaban doses were statistically significantly superior to placebo for total VTE incidence (hip study: darexaban 15 mg bid [2.9%] vs placebo [17.1%], P < .001; darexaban 30 mg bid [5.2%] vs placebo [17.1%], P = .003; and knee study: darexaban 15 mg bid [27.2%] vs placebo [52.8%], P = .002; darexaban 30 mg bid [15.5%] vs placebo [52.8%], P < .001). In both studies, the incidence of bleeding events was low across all treatment groups.

Conclusion:

Darexaban is effective and well tolerated as VTE prophylaxis in Asian patients undergoing elective major orthopedic surgery.
Differences in Mortality for Surgical Cancer Patients by Insurance and Hospital Safety Net Status
Authors: Sabik Lindsay M. , Bradley Cathy J.
Published: September 2012

Recent research suggests hospitals serving low-income patients have poorer outcomes. However, safety net hospitals (SNHs) offering access to care regardless of insurance coverage may provide better care than low-income patients would otherwise receive. This study considers the association between insurance and mortality among surgical cancer patients and the role of SNHs. We estimate models of 1- and 5-year mortality on insurance, SNH status, patient characteristics, and hospital surgical volume for colorectal and breast cancer patients. Interaction terms between insurance and SNH status estimate how mortality differs by insurance source at SNHs. Medicaid and uninsurance are associated with significantly higher mortality for colorectal cancer patients. There is a statistically significant improvement in mortality for Medicaid colorectal cancer patients treated in SNHs relative to non-SNHs and a marginally significant improvement for uninsured breast cancer patients treated in SNHs. The results suggest a survival benefit for low-income patients treated in SNHs.
A Single “Consciousness-and-‘I’” From Childhood to Old Age
Authors: Witz Klaus G. , Goodwin David R.
Published: September 2012

This article argues that the fact that most people feel that they have always been “the same person” represents an intrinsic phenomenon of subjective experience in introspection and consciousness in life (it is not just a peculiarity of the memory of the human species as it appears from an “objective” point of view). We summarize this phenomenon by saying the individual feels herself to be a “single consciousness-and-‘I’ from childhood on.” Portraits based on interviews tend to try to give impressions of the participant’s “single consciousness-and-‘I’” at the time of the interviews. We suggest that this “single consciousness-and-‘I’” represents a new, extremely powerful way of understanding subjectivity.
Exploring and Implementing Participatory Action Synthesis
Authors: Wimpenny Katherine , Savin-Baden Maggi
Published: September 2012

This article presents participatory action synthesis as a new approach to qualitative synthesis which may be used to facilitate the promotion and use of qualitative research for policy and practice. The authors begin by outlining different forms of qualitative research synthesis and then present participatory action synthesis, a collaborative approach to data analysis, synthesis, interpretation and knowledge construction, enabling individual data generation and its analysis to be offered for communal analysis. The principles and practice of participatory action synthesis are presented prior to a short case study which illustrates how it has been used to date. The final section of the article outlines the challenges and opportunities of this approach, suggesting that it can facilitate the raising of the profile of qualitative synthesis among the disciplines.
Toward an Intersectional Understanding of Process Causality and Social Context
Authors: Anderson Gary L. , Scott Janelle
Published: September 2012

Maxwell and Donmoyer both argue in this issue of Qualitative Inquiry that narrow definitions of causality in educational research tend to disqualify qualitative research from influence (and funding) among policy makers. They propose a process view of causality that would allow qualitative researchers to make causal claims more grounded in the thick description of practice settings. In this article, we build on this notion of process causality, but further argue that unless we also broaden traditional notions of context in qualitative research, we will continue to seek policy solutions primarily at individual, local institutional, and cultural levels. Although qualitative researchers have made progress in acknowledging the intersectionality of race, class, and gender at the cultural level, this intersectionality seldom extends to macro level structures and forces, in part because current notions of causality make such links difficult at low levels of inference. Borrowing on Donmoyer’s notion of preponderance of evidence, we suggest a way to use process causality as a scaffolding for multilevel analysis.
Agents, trustees, and international courts: The politics of judicial appointment at the World Trade Organization
Authors: Elsig Manfred , Pollack Mark A.
Published: September 2012

Scholars have increasingly theorized, and debated, the decision by states to create and delegate authority to international courts, as well as the subsequent autonomy and behavior of those courts, with principal–agent and trusteeship models disagreeing on the nature and extent of states’ influence on international judges. This article formulates and tests a set of principal–agent hypotheses about the ways in which, and the conditions under which, member states are able use their powers of judicial nomination and appointment to influence the endogenous preferences of international judges. The empirical analysis surveys the record of all judicial appointments to the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) over a 15-year period. We present a view of an Appellate Body appointment process that, far from representing a pure search for expertise, is deeply politicized and offers member-state principals opportunities to influence Appellate Body members ex ante and possibly ex post. We further demonstrate that the Appellate Body nomination process has become progressively more politicized over time as member states, responding to earlier and controversial Appellate Body decisions, became far more concerned about judicial activism and more interested in the substantive opinions of Appellate Body candidates, systematically championing candidates whose views on key issues most closely approached their own, and opposing candidates perceived to be activist or biased against their substantive preferences. Although our empirical study is specific to the WTO, our theory and findings have implications for the judicial politics of a large variety of global and regional international courts and tribunals.
Using slippage theory to analyze shear behavior of loop-formed fiber reinforced soil composites
Authors: Hejazi Sayyed Mahdi , Sheikhzadeh Mohammad , Abtahi Sayyed Mahdi , Malekian Vahid , Mahmoodi Safieh
Published: September 2012

Since composite structures with soft-material matrix do not have adequate pullout resistance with flat-type reinforcements such as fibers, there are increasing cases where reinforcements with passive resistance are used in conjunction. So, loop-formed polyethylene fibers were used to reinforce soil against shear loading. Afterward, shear behavior of both fiber and loop-formed fiber-reinforced soil composite samples was modeled by using “force-equilibrium method” and “slippage theory” of short fiber composites. The proposed model indicated that both fiber parameters and ambient conditions determine shear strength of a fiber-soil composite. In the next step, a set of laboratory direct shear tests was performed on different samples including neat soil, loop-formed fiber and fiber-reinforced treatments. Thus, it was found that the performance of polyethylene looped fibers in shear strength improvement of soil composite is more than that of the ordinary polyethylene fibers. In addition, a novel apparatus based on fiber pullout test was designed to determine the interfacial shear stress between fiber and soil. Finally, an artificial neural network technique and least square method were used to calculate “fiber reinforcing amplitude” and “slippage ratio”, as input parameters required for the model. Consequently, both the proposed models and established artificial neural network adequately predicted shear behavior of loop-formed fiber and fiber reinforced soil composite.
Aquatic Exercise for Treatment of Low-Back Pain
Authors: Olson Daniel A. , Kolber Morey J. , Patel Chetan , Pabian Patrick , Hanney William J.
Published: September 2012

Low-back pain (LBP) is a medical condition that affects most people at some point in their lives. Exercise therapy has been found to be efficacious in treating LBP in some individuals; however, it is unclear which form of exercise demonstrates superior outcomes. It has been postulated that exercise combined with the unique properties of water may demonstrate favorable outcomes. Moreover, studies have evaluated the effectiveness of aquatic therapy as an intervention for patients with LBP. This review aims to explore the efficacy of aquatic therapy as an intervention for LBP. The findings from this review suggest that aquatic therapy is superior to no treatment; however, it did not always prove more effective when compared with other forms of conservative treatment. Whereas the outcome of this review supports aquatic therapy as an effective treatment for LBP, further research is needed to determine if it is superior to other interventions.
Governing through meth: Local politics, drug control and the drift toward securitization
Authors: Linnemann Travis
Published: September 2012

The enduring social anxieties surrounding the illicit drug, methamphetamine (meth), offer a useful lens to view processes of criminalization and control as they unfold outside major population centers. Focusing on one year and an anti-meth legislative campaign, this paper maps the problematization of meth in the unique context of the rural Midwestern United States. Relying primarily on news media accounts, it illustrates various political and cultural currents constituting what is described as the “illicit methamphetamine industry.” The paper illustrates how, by overstating realities of use, politicizing official statistics and reframing key events, authorities discursively link meth control to the wars on drugs and terror and broader securitization projects. The paper concludes with a theoretical discussion of how control of one drug, in one state, fundamentally alters everyday life—even in small towns of the rural Midwest.
Splenic proliferative lymphoid nodules distinct from germinal centers are sites of autoantigen stimulation in immune thrombocytopenia
Authors: Daridon Capucine , Loddenkemper Christoph , Spieckermann Simone , Kühl Anja A. , Salama Abdulgabar , Burmester Gerd R. , Lipsky Peter E. , Dörner Thomas
Published: September 2012

To understand more specific abnormalities of humoral autoimmunity, we studied 31 spleens from immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients and 36 control spleens. Detailed analysis identified at least 2 different splenic structures accommodating proliferating B cells, classic germinal centers (GCs), and proliferative lymphoid nodules (PLNs). PLNs were characterized by proliferating Ki67+ B cells close to follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) and lacked polarization into dark and light zones. As opposed to cells in GCs, proliferating B cells in PLN lacked expression of Bcl6. In both PLNs and GCs of ITP spleens, the density of T cells was significantly reduced. Both T follicular helper cells (TFH) and regulatory T cells were reduced within PLNs of ITP spleens suggesting a defect of tolerance related to a loss of T-cell control. Within PLNs of ITP, but not controls, abundant platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa autoantigens was found in IgM containing immune complexes tightly bound to FDCs and closely approximated to proliferating B cells. GPIV was found less often, but not in the same PLNs as GPIIb/IIIa. Autoantigens were not found in the GCs of ITP or controls indicating that PLNs are the sites of autoantigen stimulation in ITP potentially related to a lack of control by T cells and/or the present autoantigen.
Gene expression profiling of microdissected Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg cells correlates with treatment outcome in classical Hodgkin lymphoma
Authors: Steidl Christian , Diepstra Arjan , Lee Tang , Chan Fong Chun , Farinha Pedro , Tan King , Telenius Adele , Barclay Lorena , Shah Sohrab P. , Connors Joseph M. , van den Berg Anke , Gascoyne Randy D.
Published: September 2012

In classical Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL), 20%-30% of patients experience relapse or progressive disease after initial treatment. The pathogenesis and biology of treatment failure are still poorly understood, in part because the molecular phenotype of the rare malignant Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells is difficult to study. Here we examined microdissected HRS cells from 29 CHL patients and 5 CHL-derived cell lines by gene expression profiling. We found significant overlap of HL-specific gene expression in primary HRS cells and HL cell lines, but also differences, including surface receptor signaling pathways. Using integrative analysis tools, we identified target genes with expression levels that significantly correlated with genomic copy-number changes in primary HRS cells. Furthermore, we found a macrophage-like signature in HRS cells that significantly correlated with treatment failure. CSF1R is a representative of this signature, and its expression was significantly associated with progression-free and overall survival in an independent set of 132 patients assessed by mRNA in situ hybridization. A combined score of CSF1R in situ hybridization and CD68 immunohistochemistry was an independent predictor for progression-free survival in multivariate analysis. In summary, our data reveal novel insights into the pathobiology of treatment failure and suggest CSF1R as a drug target of at-risk CHL.
Cytosolic re-localization and optimization of valine synthesis and catabolism enables increased isobutanol production with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Brat Dawid , Weber Christian , Lorenzen Wolfram , Bode Helge B , Boles Eckhard
Published: September 2012

Background

The branched chain alcohol isobutanol exhibits superior physicochemical properties as an alternative biofuel. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae naturally produces low amounts of isobutanol as a by-product during fermentations, resulting from the catabolism of valine. As S. cerevisiae is widely used in industrial applications and can easily be modified by genetic engineering, this microorganism is a promising host for the fermentative production of higher amounts of isobutanol.

Results

Isobutanol production could be improved by re-locating the valine biosynthesis enzymes Ilv2, Ilv5 and Ilv3 from the mitochondrial matrix into the cytosol. To prevent the import of the three enzymes into yeast mitochondria, N-terminally shortened Ilv2, Ilv5 and Ilv3 versions were constructed lacking their mitochondrial targeting sequences. SDS-PAGE and immunofluorescence analyses confirmed expression and re-localization of the truncated enzymes. Growth tests or enzyme assays confirmed enzymatic activities. Isobutanol production was only increased in the absence of valine and the simultaneous blockage of the mitochondrial valine synthesis pathway. Isobutanol production could be even more enhanced after adapting the codon usage of the truncated valine biosynthesis genes to the codon usage of highly expressed glycolytic genes. Finally, a suitable ketoisovalerate decarboxylase, Aro10, and alcohol dehydrogenase, Adh2, were selected and overexpressed. The highest isobutanol titer was 0.63 g/L at a yield of nearly 15 mg per g glucose.

Conclusion

A cytosolic isobutanol production pathway was successfully established in yeast by re-localization and optimization of mitochondrial valine synthesis enzymes together with overexpression of Aro10 decarboxylase and Adh2 alcohol dehydrogenase. Driving forces were generated by blocking competition with the mitochondrial valine pathway and by omitting valine from the fermentation medium. Additional deletion of pyruvate decarboxylase genes and engineering of co-factor imbalances should lead to even higher isobutanol production.
3D constraints and finite-difference modeling of massive sulfide deposits: The Kristineberg seismic lines revisited, northern Sweden
Authors: Dehghannejad Mahdieh , Malehmir Alireza , Juhlin Christopher , Skyttä Pietari
Published: September 2012

The Kristineberg mining area in the western part of the Skellefte ore district is the largest base metal producer in northern Sweden and currently the subject of extensive geophysical and geologic studies aimed at constructing 3D geologic models. Seismic reflection data form the backbone of the geologic modeling in the study area. A geologic cross section close to the Kristineberg mine was used to generate synthetic seismic data using acoustic and elastic finite-difference algorithms to provide further insight about the nature of reflections and processing challenges when attempting to image the steeply dipping structures within the study area. Synthetic data suggest processing artifacts manifested themselves in the final 2D images as steeply dipping events that could be confused with reflections. Fewer artifacts are observed when the data are processed using prestack time migration. Prestack time migration also was performed on high-resolution seismic data recently collected near the Kristineberg mine and helped to image a high-amplitude, gently dipping reflection occurring stratigraphically above the extension of the deepest Kristineberg deposit. Swath 3D processing was applied to two crossing seismic lines, west of the Kristineberg mine, to provide information on the 3D geometry of an apparently flat-lying reflection observed in both of the profiles. The processing indicated that the reflection dips about 30° to the southwest and is generated at the contact between metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks, the upper part of the latter unit being the most typical stratigraphic level for the massive sulfide deposits in the Skellefte district.
3D imaging challenges in steeply dipping mining structures: New lights on acquisition geometry and processing from the Brunswick no. 6 seismic data, Canada
Authors: Cheraghi Saeid , Malehmir Alireza , Bellefleur Gilles
Published: September 2012

We have analyzed and processed a [Formula: see text] nonorthogonal 3D surface reflection seismic data in the Brunswick no. 6 area to better understand the effect of acquisition geometry on the resultant image and to provide 3D information about the main geologic structures hosting the mineralization. The 3D data were processed using a conventional prestack dip moveout (DMO) and poststack migration algorithm with special focus on refraction static corrections, velocity analysis, and DMO corrections that are important for the data recorded in crystalline environment. However, the nonorthogonal nature of the 3D data combined with its narrow-azimuth, irregular offset distributions, and 2D nature of midpoint distribution in common depth point bins resulted in a lower quality seismic image than those observed on a series of 2D seismic profiles collected in the area prior to the 3D data acquisition. 2D wavenumber spectrum of the data suggests acquisition footprint associated with the data. Most of the noise associated with the acquisition footprint manifested itself as short-length, high-amplitude shallow reflections but largely were attenuated using a dip filter running in the wavenumber domain. Various bin size and geometries were tested, and the best result was obtained using rectangular bins aligned in the orientation of the shot lines. The processing results indicated that the highly prospective and mineralized Brunswick horizon is part of a continuous reflective package that could guide future deep mineral exploration in this mining camp.