bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What Differentiates Symptomatic from Asymptomatic Women with Lichen Sclerosus?
Authors: Vieira-Baptista Pedro , Lima-Silva Joana , Cavaco-Gomes João , Beires Jorge , Martinez-de-Oliveira José
Published: October 2014

Aims: To investigate the differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic women with vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS). Methods: Data on file concerning 228 LS patients was retrospectively reviewed. Results: Most patients were symptomatic (193/228; 85%). Worsening of symptoms related to specific food intake was experienced by 26% (48/182) and pork was the most frequently cited (25/48; 52%); worsening at night was reported by 47% (87/185). Being over 50 years at the time of diagnosis or being menopausal were associated with being symptomatic (RR = 2.47, 95% CI: 1.15-5.29 and 6.55, 2.05-20.91, respectively). The same was true for urinary incontinence (UI) (5.23, 1.78-15.42), the use of absorbents (without UI) (3.59, 1.05-12.34) and dyspareunia (5.28, 1.64-17.0). All patients with a family history of LS were symptomatic. There was no association with hormonal factors or specific vulvar anatomical changes. Conclusions: Pork consumption may be involved in the worsening of symptoms. UI and the use of absorbents are more commonly present in symptomatic LS patients. Dietary changes and correction of UI might be useful in the control of LS symptoms.
Citric Acid Cycle Intermediates in Cardioprotection
Authors: Czibik Gabor , Steeples Violetta , Yavari Arash , Ashrafian Houman
Published: October 2014

Over the last decade, there has been a concerted clinical effort to deliver on the laboratory promise that a variety of maneuvers can profoundly increase cardiac tolerance to ischemia and/or reduce additional damage consequent upon reperfusion. Here we will review the proximity of the metabolic approach to clinical practice. Specifically, we will focus on how the citric acid cycle is involved in cardioprotection. Inspired by cross-fertilization between fundamental cancer biology and cardiovascular medicine, a set of metabolic observations have identified novel metabolic pathways, easily manipulable in man, which can harness metabolism to robustly combat ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Implementation of a Pilot Accountable Care Organization Payment Model and the Use of Discretionary and Nondiscretionary Cardiovascular Care
Authors: Colla Carrie H. , Goodney Philip P. , Lewis Valerie A. , Nallamothu Brahmajee K. , Gottlieb Daniel J. , Meara Ellen
Published: October 2014

Background—

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) seek to reduce growth in healthcare spending while ensuring high-quality care. We hypothesized that accountable care organization implementation would selectively limit the use of discretionary cardiovascular care (defined as care occurring in the absence of indications such as myocardial infarction or stroke), while maintaining high-quality care, such as nondiscretionary cardiovascular imaging and procedures.

Methods and Results—

The intervention group was composed of fee-for-service Medicare patients (n=819 779) from 10 groups participating in a Medicare pilot accountable care organization, the Physician Group Practice Demonstration (PGPD). Matched controls were patients (n=934 621) from nonparticipating groups in the same regions. We compared use of cardiovascular care before (2002–2004) and after (2005–2009) PGPD implementation, studying both discretionary and nondiscretionary carotid and coronary imaging and procedures. Our main outcome measure was the difference in the proportion of patients treated with imaging and procedures among patients of PGPD practices compared with patients in control practices, before and after PGPD implementation (difference-in-difference). For discretionary imaging, the difference-in-difference between PGPD practices and controls was not statistically significant for discretionary carotid imaging (0.17%; 95% confidence interval, –0.51% to 0.85%;
P
=0.595) or discretionary coronary imaging (–0.19%; 95% confidence interval, –0.73% to 0.35%;
P
=0.468). Similarly, the difference-in-difference was also minimal for discretionary carotid revascularization (0.003%; 95% confidence interval, –0.008% to 0.002%;
P
=0.705) and coronary revascularization (–0.02%; 95% confidence interval, –0.11% to 0.07%;
P
=0.06). The difference-in-difference associated with PGPD implementation was also essentially 0 for nondiscretionary cardiovascular imaging or procedures.

Conclusion—

Implementation of a pilot accountable care organization did not limit the use of discretionary or nondiscretionary cardiovascular care in 10 large health systems.
Hypertension Accelerates the Progression of Alzheimer-Like Pathology in a Mouse Model of the Disease
Authors: Cifuentes Diana , Poittevin Marine , Dere Ekrem , Broquères-You Dong , Bonnin Philippe , Benessiano Joëlle , Pocard Marc , Mariani Jean , Kubis Nathalie , Merkulova-Rainon Tatyana , Lévy Bernard I.
Published: October 2014

Cerebrovascular impairment is frequent in patients with Alzheimer disease and is believed to influence clinical manifestation and severity of the disease. Cardiovascular risk factors, especially hypertension, have been associated with higher risk of developing Alzheimer disease. To investigate the mechanisms underlying the hypertension, Alzheimer disease cross talk, we established a mouse model of dual pathology by infusing hypertensive doses of angiotensin II into transgenic APPPS1 mice overexpressing mutated human amyloid precursor and presenilin 1 proteins. At 4.5 months, at the early stage of disease progression, only hypertensive APPPS1 mice presented impairment of temporal order memory performance in the episodic-like memory task. This cognitive deficit was associated with an increased number of cortical amyloid deposits (223±5 versus 207±5 plaques/mm
2
;
P
<0.05) and a 2-fold increase in soluble amyloid levels in the brain and in plasma. Hypertensive APPPS1 mice presented several cerebrovascular alterations, including a 25% reduction in cerebral microvessel density and a 30% to 40% increase in cerebral vascular amyloid deposits, as well as a decrease in vascular endothelial growth factor A expression in the brain, compared with normotensive APPPS1 mice. Moreover, the brain levels of nitric oxide synthase 1 and 3 and the nitrite/nitrate levels were reduced in hypertensive APPPS1 mice (by 49%, 34%, and 33%, respectively, compared with wild-type mice;
P
<0.05). Our results indicate that hypertension accelerates the development of Alzheimer disease–related structural and functional alterations, partially through cerebral vasculature impairment and reduced nitric oxide production.
Trends in the Clinical and Pathological Characteristics of Cardiac Rupture in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Over 35 Years
Authors: Honda Satoshi , Asaumi Yasuhide , Yamane Takafumi , Nagai Toshiyuki , Miyagi Tadayoshi , Noguchi Teruo , Anzai Toshihisa , Goto Yoichi , Ishihara Masaharu , Nishimura Kunihiro , Ogawa Hisao , Ishibashi‐Ueda Hatsue , Yasuda Satoshi
Published: October 2014

Background

There is little known about whether the clinical and pathological characteristics and incidence of cardiac rupture (
CR
) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (
AMI
) have changed over the years.

Methods and Results

The incidence and clinical characteristics of
CR
were investigated in patients with
AMI
, who were divided into 3 cohorts: 1977–1989, 1990–2000, and 2001–2011. Of a total of 5699 patients, 144 were diagnosed with
CR
and 45 survived. Over the years, the incidence of
CR
decreased (1977–1989, 3.3%; 1990–2000, 2.8%; 2001–2011, 1.7%;
P
=0.002) in association with the widespread adoption of reperfusion therapy. The mortality rate of
CR
decreased (1977–1989, 90%; 1990–2000, 56%; 2001–2011, 50%;
P
=0.002) in association with an increase in the rate of emergent surgery. In multivariable analysis, first myocardial infarction, anterior infarct, female sex, hypertension, and age >70 years were significant risk factors for
CR
, whereas impact of hypertension on
CR
was weaker from 2001 to 2011. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (
PPCI
) was a significant protective factor against
CR
. In 64 autopsy cases with
CR
, myocardial hemorrhage occurred more frequently in those who underwent
PPCI
or fibrinolysis than those who did not receive reperfusion therapy (no reperfusion therapy, 18.0%; fibrinolysis, 71.4%;
PPCI
, 83.3%;
P
=0.001).

Conclusions

With the development of medical treatment, the incidence and mortality rate of
CR
have decreased. However, first myocardial infarction, anterior infarct, female sex, and old age remain important risk factors for
CR
. Adjunctive cardioprotection against reperfusion‐induced myocardial hemorrhage is emerging in the current
PPCI
era.
Influence of Race and Sex on Thrombogenicity in a Large Cohort of Coronary Artery Disease Patients
Authors: Lev Eli I. , Bliden Kevin P. , Jeong Young‐Hoon , Pandya Shachi , Kang Kelly , Franzese Christopher , Tantry Udaya S. , Gurbel Paul A.
Published: October 2014

Background

It is uncertain whether sex and race affect thrombogenicity in patients with coronary artery disease. We evaluated the effects of sex and race on thrombogenicity in patients with coronary artery disease treated with aspirin.

Methods and Results

Patients on aspirin therapy for 1 week or longer with known or suspected coronary artery disease undergoing nonurgent cardiac catheterization (n=1172), of whom 924 were on aspirin and clopidogrel therapy, were studied. The primary end point was thrombin‐induced platelet‐fibrin clot strength (

MA
KH

) measured by thrombelastography. Secondary end points included coagulation index, a measure of overall coagulation; G, another measure of clot strength; and maximal platelet aggregation. Women had greater

MA
KH

, G, and coagulation index than men, both with and without clopidogrel therapy (with clopidogrel: 68.3±6 versus 65.8±6 mm,
P
<0.0001; 11.4±3 versus 9.5±4 dyne/cm
2
,
P
<0.0001; and 0.12±3 versus −0.7±3,
P
=0.003, respectively). Platelet aggregation (induced by
ADP
, thrombin receptor activating peptide, or collagen) did not differ between sexes. Black patients had greater

MA
KH

and G than white patients (with clopidogrel: 67.8±7 versus 66.4±6 mm,
P
=0.005; 11±4 versus 10±3 dyne/cm
2
,
P
=0.02, respectively). Black women had the highest

MA
KH

levels. By multivariate analysis, sex, race, diabetes, platelet count, and hemoglobin level were independently associated with

MA
KH

.
Sex, but not race, was also associated with the frequency of

MA
KH

≥72 mm (a threshold related to ischemic event occurrence in patients undergoing coronary intervention).

Conclusions

Sex and race independently influence platelet‐fibrin clot strength. Black women appear to have the highest thrombogenicity profile, potentially conferring a high‐risk phenotype for thrombotic event occurrence.
Complementarity and Cultural Sensitivity: Decision-making by the International Criminal Court Prosecutor in the Darfur Situation
Authors: Fouladvand Shahrzad
Published: October 2014

This article argues that the normative basis of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is heavily influenced by a European Kantian interpretation of universal justice which, through the Court’s complementarity regime, comes into direct conflict with other global jurisprudential traditions such as that of Islam. Since the institutional architecture of the ICC has excluded any non-European or oriental concepts of universal jurisdiction, the encounter with Islam and more particularly Shari’ah, has become the most important confrontation which the Kantian ICC has had to face. It goes on to examine the reaction of the Islamic world to the Court as a Western instrument for great power influence. It takes the Darfur situation in Sudan as an example of prosecutorial insensitivity towards local culture and tradition in the operation of complementarity, concluding that the Court needs to decentralise its power to make it acceptable and justifiable to all nations. Furthermore, it suggests that dialogue and negotiation can play a crucial role to provide mutual understanding among different participants.
An Imperfect Success – The Guatemalan Genocide Trial and the Struggle against Impunity for International Crimes
Authors: Bosdriesz Hanna , Wirken Sander
Published: October 2014

On 10 May 2013, a Guatemalan trial court rendered a historic judgment, convicting former President José Efraín Ríos Montt to an 80-year prison sentence for genocide and war crimes. On 20 May 2013, in a 3–2 majority decision, Guatemala’s Constitutional Court annulled the trial judgment on procedural grounds. The Constitutional Court’s annulment decision, decried by international observers as a defeat of justice, seems to reaffirm the impossibility of successful domestic prosecution of powerful leaders for international crimes and reinforce the need for international prosecutions. However, such a conclusion does not do justice to the profound meaning the genocide trial against Ríos Montt has had for Guatemalan society. This article aims to give a more complete picture. It discusses how the trial could come about, in spite of the apparent inability and unwillingness of the Guatemalan state to prosecute the serious crimes of the civil war era. It looks at the role that the international community and international law played in the trial. Finally, it assesses the trial’s significance, in the face of the Constitutional Court’s annulment decision, for both Guatemalan society and the international community.
Mapping Interdisciplinary Communication Between the Disciplines of Religion and Public Health in the Context of HIV/AIDS in Africa
Authors: Olivier Jill
Published: October 2014

While there has been a massive surge of interest and grey literature publication on religion and development and religion and health, especially at an international advocacy level, the academic disciplinary processes for such work remains poorly clarified – and largely uncritical. This paper examines the interdisciplinary intersection of religion and public health (using the example of research on HIV/AIDS in Africa), and considers lingering clashes of disciplinary cultures and power that continue to make collaboration in this space a challenge.
Religion and Displacement in Africa
Authors: Lauterbach Karen
Published: October 2014

This article is about the role of religion in contexts of displacement. The article looks at the role churches and church leaders play in the lives of refugees and more particularly the assistance that these actors provide. The analytical approach is to take into consideration both religious ideas and experiences as well as the everyday practices of people and the socio-economic structures within which they live. The empirical focus is on Congolese Christian congregations in Kampala, Uganda that for the most are founded and attended by refugees. I analyse the forms of assistance that are provided to refugees, how this is conceptualised as well as the practices in a perspective that includes the intersection between religious ideas (compassion and sacrifice) and ideas around social relationships, gift-giving and reciprocity.
Water mites from Mount Kinabalu and the Crocker Range, Borneo, Malaysia (Acari: Hydrachnidia), with the description of 34 new species
Authors: SMIT HARRY , PEŠIĆ VLADIMIR
Published: October 2014

Descriptions are presented of new species of water mites from two mountains in the Malaysian part of Borneo. A new subgenus of the genus Javalbia (Hygrobatidae), i.e. Megapes n. subgen., and 34 new species are described: Limnocharidae: Limnochares (Limnochares) spinosa n. sp.; Oxidae: Oxus (Oxus) fuscus n. sp.; Hydryphantidae: Protzia borneoensis n. sp.; Sperchontidae: Sperchon kinabaluensis n. sp., Sperchonopsis orientalis n. sp.; Hygrobatidae: Hygrobates (Hygrobates) acutipalpis n. sp., H. (Hygrobates) hamatoides n. sp., H. (Hygrobates) striatus n. sp., Atractides (Atractides) neospatiosus n. sp., A. (Atractides) sabahensis n. sp., A. (Atractides) crockerensis n. sp., A. (Atractides) curtisetus n. sp., A.(Tympanomegapus) borneoensis n. sp.; Frontipodopsidae: Frontipodopsis suturalis n. sp.; Aturidae: Javalbia (Javalbia) montana n. sp., J. (Javalbia) solitaria n. sp., J. (Javalbiopsis) borneoensis n. sp., J. (Javalbiopsis) kinabaluensis n. sp., J. (Javalbiopsis) magniseta n. sp., J. (Javalbiopsis) reticulata n. sp., J. (Megapes) uncinata n. sp., Albaxona mahuaensis n. sp., Axonopsis (Axonopsis) longigenitalis n. sp., A. (Axonopsis) rugosa n. sp., A. (Paraxonopsis) truncata n. sp., A. (Brachypodopsis) latipalpis n. sp., A. (Vicinaxonopsis) caeca n. sp., Erebaxonopsis kipungitensis n. sp., Ljania inconspicua n. sp., L. obliterata n. sp., Albia (Albiella) crocker n. sp., Aturus borneoensis n. sp.; Athienemanniidae: Africasia acuticoxalis n. sp.; Arrenuridae: Thoracophoracarus uniacetabulatus n. sp.        A key is presented for the Javalbia species of Borneo. New records are given for 10 further species.        In the course of revisional work, lectotypes are designated for the following species: Atractides cognatus (K. Viets) and A. propatulus (K. Viets).
Revision of the taxonomy of Polycirrus Grube, 1850 (Annelida: Terebellida: Polycirridae)
Authors: GLASBY CHRISTOPHER J. , HUTCHINGS PAT
Published: October 2014

The large polychaete genus Polycirrus (Terebellida: Polycirridae) is revised based on a morphological study of the type material of most of the approximately 74 nominal species; 59 species, including a new species, P. coibensis n.sp., from the Pacific coast of Panama, are accepted as valid. All characters are reanalysed and discussed in the light of recent phylogenetic studies of terebellomorph taxa, and a standard set of characters is developed. Most of the 59 accepted species are redescribed and illustrations provided in order to facilitate future identifications of members of the genus. We designate a neotype for the type species of the genus, Polycirrus medusa Grube, 1850, and a lectotype for P. elisabethae McIntosh, 1915, in order to stabilize the concept and type locality of these taxa. A replacement name is proposed for Polycirrus kerguelensis McIntosh, 1885, which is a secondary junior homonym of Ereutho kergulenesis McIntosh, 1885, viz. Polycirrus macintoshi new name. Two species are newly synonymised: Polycirrus insignis Gravier, 1907 (senior synonym P. antarcticus (Willey, 1902)) and Polycirrus habitats Carrerette & Nogueira, 2013 (senior synonym, P. clavatus (Kinberg, 1867)). In addition, several previously synonymised species are reinstated. All available names in the genus are tabulated with type species and type localities and their taxonomic status is assessed. A key to all valid species is provided.
Surface Temperature Probability Distributions in the NARCCAP Hindcast Experiment: Evaluation Methodology, Metrics, and Results
Authors: Loikith Paul C. , Waliser Duane E. , Lee Huikyo , Kim Jinwon , Neelin J. David , Lintner Benjamin R. , McGinnis Seth , Mattmann Chris A. , Mearns Linda O.
Published: October 2014

Methodology is developed and applied to evaluate the characteristics of daily surface temperature distributions in a six-member regional climate model (RCM) hindcast experiment conducted as part of the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP). A surface temperature dataset combining gridded station observations and reanalysis is employed as the primary reference. Temperature biases are documented across the distribution, focusing on the median and tails. Temperature variance is generally higher in the RCMs than reference, while skewness is reasonably simulated in winter over the entire domain and over the western United States and Canada in summer. Substantial differences in skewness exist over the southern and eastern portions of the domain in summer. Four examples with observed long-tailed probability distribution functions (PDFs) are selected for model comparison. Long cold tails in the winter are simulated with high fidelity for Seattle, Washington, and Chicago, Illinois. In summer, the RCMs are unable to capture the distribution width and long warm tails for the coastal location of Los Angeles, California, while long cold tails are poorly realized for Houston, Texas. The evaluation results are repeated using two additional reanalysis products adjusted by station observations and two standard reanalysis products to assess the impact of observational uncertainty. Results are robust when compared with those obtained using the adjusted reanalysis products as reference, while larger uncertainties are introduced when standard reanalysis is employed as reference. Model biases identified in this work will allow for further investigation into associated mechanisms and implications for future simulations of temperature extremes.
Dynamically Downscaled High-Resolution Hydroclimate Projections for Western Canada
Authors: Erler Andre R. , Peltier W. Richard , D’Orgeville Marc
Published: October 2014

Accurate identification of the impact of global warming on water resources in major river systems represents a significant challenge to the understanding of climate change on the regional scale. Here, dynamically downscaled climate projections for western Canada are presented, and impacts on hydrological variables in two major river basins, the Fraser and Athabasca, are discussed. These regions are both challenging because of the complexity of the topography and important because of the economic activity occurring within them. To obtain robust projections of future conditions, and to adequately characterize the impact of natural variability, a small initial condition ensemble of independently downscaled climate projections is employed. The Community Earth System Model, version 1 (CESM1), is used to generate the ensemble, which consists of four members. Downscaling is performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model, version 3.4.1 (WRF V3.4.1), in a nested configuration with two domains at 30- and 10-km resolution, respectively. The entire ensemble was integrated for a historical validation period and for a mid-twenty-first-century projection period [assuming representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) for the future trajectory of greenhouse gases]. The projections herein are characterized by an increase in winter precipitation for the mid-twenty-first-century period, whereas net precipitation in summer is projected to decrease, due to increased evapotranspiration. In the Fraser River basin, a shift to more liquid precipitation and earlier snowmelt will likely reduce the seasonal variability of runoff, in particular the spring freshet. In the Athabasca River basin, winter precipitation and snowmelt may increase somewhat, but increasing evapotranspiration may lead to reduced streamflow in late summer.
The Large-Scale Climate in Response to the Retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Authors: Justino F. , Silva A. S. , Pereira M. P. , Stordal F. , Lindemann D. , Kucharski F.
Published: October 2014

Based upon coupled climate simulations driven by present-day conditions and conditions resembling the Marine Isotope Stage 31 (this simulation is called WICE-EXP), insofar as the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) configuration is concerned, it is demonstrated that changes in the WAIS orography lead to noticeable changes in the oceanic and atmospheric circulations. Compared with the present-day climate, WICE-EXP is characterized by warmer conditions in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) by up to 5°C in the polar oceans and up to 2°C in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). These changes feed back on the atmospheric circulation weakening (strengthening) the extratropical westerlies in the SH (northern Atlantic). Calculations of the southern annular mode (SAM) show that modification of the WAIS induces warmer conditions and a northward shift of the westerly flow; in particular, there is a clear weakening of the polar jet. These changes lead to modification of the rate of deep water formation, reducing the magnitude of the North Atlantic Deep Water but enhancing the Antarctic Bottom Water. By evaluating the density flux it is found that the thermal density flux has played a main role in the modification of the meridional overturning circulation. Moreover, the climate anomalies between the WICE-EXP and the present-day simulations resemble a bipolar seesaw pattern. These results are in good agreement with paleorecontructions in the framework of the Ocean Drilling Program and Antarctic Geological Drilling (ANDRILL) project.
How to write a good article
Authors: Martín Eloísa
Published: October 2014

This article presents the main challenges of academic writing and publication in scientific journals. It reveals some of the most common mistakes in the process of manuscript submission and review, and offers some possible solutions.
Parental Attitudes Toward the Inclusion of Children With Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities in General Primary Education in the Netherlands
Authors: de Boer Anke A. , Munde Vera S.
Published: October 2014

Despite the growing introduction of inclusive education, children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) are barely included. Because an underlying factor here may be the attitudes of those directly involved, the present study focuses on the attitude of parents and relating variables concerning experience with individuals with disabilities. A self-report questionnaire was completed by 190 parents of children attending general primary schools in the north of the Netherlands. Although parents showed an overall positive attitude, they were most negative about the inclusion of children with PIMD. In addition, no “experience with individuals with disabilities” was slightly negatively associated with the parents’ attitudes. To overcome barriers of the inclusion of children with PIMD, such as negative parental attitudes, the outcomes of the present study are discussed in the light of possible interventions.
Critical Incidents in Sustaining School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Authors: Andreou Theresa E. , McIntosh Kent , Ross Scott W. , Kahn Joshua D.
Published: October 2014

The purpose of this study was to identify, categorize, and describe practitioners’ perspectives regarding factors that help and hinder sustainability of Tier I (universal) systems within School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS). Seventeen participants involved in sustaining Tier I SWPBIS over several years within a school district were interviewed and asked what events affected its long-term implementation through a qualitative approach called the Critical Incident Technique (CIT). A total of 227 critical incidents were recorded and sorted into emergent unitary clusters based on content analysis. These categories then underwent rigorous reliability and validity checks, including expert analysis, inter-rater agreement, and participant feedback. This process yielded 13 categories that represent the participants’ experience of sustainability: Continuous Teaching, Positive Reinforcement, SWPBIS Team Effectiveness, Staff Ownership, School Administrator Involvement, Adaptation, Community of Practice, Use of Data, Involving New Personnel, Access to External Expertise, Maintaining Priority, Staff Turnover, and Conflict of Personal Beliefs/Mistaken Beliefs.
The Ties That Bind
Authors: Wachhaus Aaron
Published: October 2014

This article examines cases of municipal dissolution and the impact of the loss of government on a place, its people, and the surrounding area. A framework of three components of municipal community—people, place, and government—is presented. The interrelation of these elements is explored through cases where not all elements are present. Particular attention is given to the removal of government from community through municipal dissolution. The impacts of dissolution on community, and its potential as a governance strategy, are addressed.
Determinants of Information and Communication Technology Adoption in Municipalities
Authors: Wang Shu , Feeney Mary K.
Published: October 2014

Local governments use various technologies to enhance responsiveness to citizens’ demands and to improve efficiency. However, the determinants for technology adoption may vary by the type of technology used. We separately examine the adoption of two different types of information and communication technologies (ICTs): intranet, which increases efficiencies within an organization, and e-services, which aim to increase efficiencies for the public and government agencies. Using 2012 data collected from a national random survey of the managers in 500 municipal governments with populations ranging from 25,000 to 250,000, we find that organizational centralization, work routineness, and personnel constraints are related to the adoption of both intranet and e-services, but that these relationships are mediated by an organization’s risk-taking culture. We also find that external stakeholder influence is positively related to ICT use. Governmental stakeholder influence is related to intranet adoption, and non-governmental stakeholder influence is related to the adoption of e-services. Our study highlights the importance of understanding the dynamics by which different ICTs are adopted. A main contribution lies in the finding that risk-taking culture mediates the relationship between structural constraints and ICT adoption in municipal governments.
The Impact of Employee Compensation and Financial Performance on Nonprofit Organization Donations
Authors: Yan Wenli , Sloan Margaret F.
Published: October 2014

This study focuses on the complex interaction between employee compensation and organizational financial performance. In particular, we investigate the impact of higher than median employee compensation on nonprofit donations and whether such impact is conditional on the financial performance of the organization. Using recent panel data from 10,206 nonprofit organizations across multiple tax designations, we test the hypotheses with Tobit maximum likelihood estimation that incorporates measures of employee compensation, financial performance, financial capacity, and controls for state factors and nonprofit type. Findings demonstrate that employee compensation above the median is unfavorable for donations overall; however, the negative effect is mitigated by sound financial performance. This study highlights the collective impact that exists between financial performance and employee compensation on organizational donative resources, directly speaks to an organization’s internal capacity to raise private revenue, and adds subtlety to the ongoing discussions of how much is enough compensation for high-quality nonprofit leadership.
Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of tubercular arthritis of the ankle and foot
Authors: Prakash Mahesh , Gupta Pankaj , Sen Ramesh Kumar , Sharma Aman , Khandelwal Niranjan
Published: October 2014

Background

Ankle and foot tuberculosis is relatively uncommon. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is highly sensitive in detecting the changes but there is limited experience with MRI evaluation and differentiation from other mono-articular arthritis, particularly pyogenic arthritis, is a challenge.

Purpose

To report MRI findings in ankle and foot tuberculosis.

Material and Methods

MRI was performed in 17 selected patients with ankle and foot tuberculosis. T1-weighted, proton density (PD) weighted, T2-weighted, and postcontrast sequences were performed in multiple imaging planes. Recorded findings included: number of bones involved; specific bones involved; extent of involvement; erosions; joint effusion, synovial thickening, tenosynovitis; joint effusion; adjacent soft-tissue changes; and involvement of sinus tarsi. Clinical data of all patients were also reviewed. Radiographic correlation at the time of MRI was available in selected patients.

Results

The most common abnormality was synovial thickening. Signal abnormality was noted most frequently in the talus ( n = 14). Erosions and intra-osseous abscesses were noted in 10 (58%) and eight (47%) patients, respectively. Tenosynovitis was present in eight (47%) patients. Soft tissue changes were noted in all patients, including abscesses in 13 patients (76%).

Conclusion

A multiplicity of findings (both osseous and extra-osseous) on MRI favors the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Three findings (intra-osseous abscess, soft tissue abscess, tenosynovitis), when present together, have a high sensitivity and specificity.
Prognostic significance of admission levels of cardiac indicators in patients with acute ischaemic stroke: Prospective observational study
Authors: Liu Xuan , Chen Xiangjun , Wang Hairong , Pan Shuming
Published: October 2014

Objective

The performance of cardiac indicators as determinants of stroke outcomes remains debatable, therefore the present study focused on the short-term prognostic value of cardiac indicators in patients who had experienced acute ischaemic stroke.

Methods

Consecutive patients with acute ischaemic stroke were enrolled in a prospective stroke registry. Data on demographics, clinical characteristics and cardiac indicator levels (including troponin I, creatine kinase-MB, myoglobin and brain natriuretic peptide) were prospectively collected. Receiver operating characteristic curves and binary logistic regression models were used to examine the performance of variables in predicting poor functional outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score 2–6).

Results

Out of 337 patients with acute ischaemic stroke, myoglobin had the greatest power for predicting poor outcomes among the cardiac indicators. Forward stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that myoglobin could independently predict short-term outcomes. Spearman’s rank correlation tests indicated a positive correlation between myoglobin levels and stroke severity.

Conclusions

Among cardiac indicators, myoglobin may be an independent predictor of short-term outcomes in patients with acute ischaemic stroke.
Congenital Visual Impairment and Progressive Microcephaly Due to Lysyl–Transfer Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) Synthetase (KARS) Mutations
Authors: McMillan Hugh J. , Humphreys Peter , Smith Amanda , Schwartzentruber Jeremy , Chakraborty Pranesh , Bulman Dennis E. , Beaulieu Chandree L. ,   FORGE Canada Consortium, Majewski Jacek , Boycott Kym M. , Geraghty Michael T.
Published: October 2014

Aminoacyl–transfer ribonucleic acid (RNA) synthetases (ARSs) are a group of enzymes required for the first step of protein translation. Each aminoacyl–transfer RNA synthetase links a specific amino acid to its corresponding transfer RNA component within the cytoplasm, mitochondria, or both. Mutations in ARSs have been linked to a growing number of diseases. Lysyl–transfer RNA synthetase (KARS) links the amino acid lysine to its cognate transfer RNA. We report 2 siblings with severe infantile visual loss, progressive microcephaly, developmental delay, seizures, and abnormal subcortical white matter. Exome sequencing identified mutations within the KARS gene (NM_005548.2):c.1312C>T; p.Arg438Trp and c.1573G>A; p.Glu525Lys occurring within a highly conserved region of the catalytic domain. Our patients’ phenotype is remarkably similar to a phenotype recently reported in glutaminyl–transfer RNA synthetase ( QARS), another bifunctional ARS gene. This finding expands the phenotypic spectrum associated with mutations in KARS and draws attention to aminoacyl–transfer RNA synthetase as a group of enzymes that are increasingly being implicated in human disease.
Citizen cartography, strategies of resistance to established knowledge and collective forms of knowledge building
Authors: Sannazzaro Jorgelina
Published: October 2014

Cultivation of genetically modified soybeans with the use of herbicides is now becoming widespread in Argentina. This work addresses an emblematic case of knowledge articulation between experts, professionals and communities, namely, the case of an association of people affected by fumigation Grupos de Pueblos Fumigados (GPF). The GPF warns against agrochemical spraying in urban areas, and its activists collect and disseminate information about its impact with a view to banning the practice. Here, we apply Parthasarathy’s framework, used to analyse the strategies employed by activists to break the expertise barrier, to the case of the GPF, adding a new category to her original four strategies. There is an institutionalizing potential in these social and environmental movements, many of which are organized in the form of Civic Assemblies. The composition of the assemblies reflects a heterogeneous and multi-sectorial character; they articulate a new kind of knowledge that can be an appropriate interlocutor for traditional expert knowledge.
Is Transnational Labour Migration Empowering for Women? Re-evaluating the Case of Married Sri Lankan Domestic Maids
Authors: Handapangoda W.S.
Published: October 2014

The empowerment potential of transnational labour migration by women has been debated in the field of women’s migration studies. This paper examines the case of women from Sri Lanka, a key home country of low-skilled female labour migrating to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Using the methodological approach of the case study, the survey found that labour migration does ensure that access to productive resources leads to a measure of economic empowerment in the household. Yet, many women migrants faced intra-household socially disempowering experiences that in turn downplayed their economic contributions. Empowerment as a consequence of migration rested upon a complex interplay of economic factors and contextspecific non-economic factors; the latter were found to be more powerful determinants of women’s empowerment.
Challenging Social Attitudes and Making a Change: The Struggle of Feminist Organisations in Turkey and India against Incest
Authors: Misra Akanksha
Published: October 2014

While it has become easier to find statistics of incest and child sexual abuse and other such ‘data’ from countries of the Global South such as Turkey and India, academic analyses of the issue from the perspective of organisations fighting against it and supporting survivors remain scarce. The purpose of this article is to lay out the existing discourses on gender, family, childhood, innocence and virtue alongside the social and media explosion on the issue, in order to locate the contradictions in social commentary within and against which three feminist organisations function: Mor Çatı Kadın Sığınağı Vakfı [Purple Roof Women’s Shelter Foundation] (Mor Çatı) and KA-MER (Kadın Merkezi) Vakfı [Women’s Center Foundation] (KAMER) in Turkey and Recovering And Healing from Incest (RAHI) in India. Based on interviews with psychologists, lawyers and activists, this article looks at how these organisations challenge the prejudices that allow such abuses to thrive, creating new methods of resistance against incest in the process. In spite of Mor Çatı and KAMER being more involved in developing a feminist critique of the public discourse on incest and challenging existing laws on the issue and RAHI focusing more on mental healing of survivors, all three organisations provide support for survivors and criticise patriarchal structures in similar ways in their attempts to break the silence surrounding incest.
Distributional Effects of Adopting Carbon Tax in India
Authors: Rathore Pooja , Bansal Sangeeta
Published: October 2014

In international forums discussing ways to address climate change, carbon tax has been proposed as a policy instrument to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The cost of implementation of the policy, however, may be distributed differently across different sections of the society. Existing studies from developed and developing countries found mixed results of distributional effects of a carbon tax, and the effect of carbon tax on a developing country like India is still unclear. This study examines the distributional effects of adopting carbon tax in India. It uses the 2009–10 national sample survey data covering over 100855 households and analyses the rural and urban areas separately. A budget share approach with a summary measure of Suit Index has been applied to examine the direct effect of carbon tax on Indian households. We find that carbon tax in India is mildly progressive and this progressivity is higher in rural sector as compared to urban sector. The progressivity also varies between different fuels. In comparison to electricity and LPG, carbon tax is regressive for kerosene in India.
VaMoS
Authors: Gessnitzer Sina , Schulte Eva-Maria , Kauffeld Simone
Published: October 2014

Knowing our values, motives, and skills enables us to achieve a better match of person and job characteristics, which leads to satisfaction and well-being. However, discrepancies between one’s individual values, motives, and skills occur frequently and entail strain and lower satisfaction. We developed an instrument to address this problem systematically, VaMoS (Affective Values, Cognitive Motives and Skills) (1) provides an efficient way to assess important characteristics with only one questionnaire and (2) detects conflicts between them, which can be solved using career counseling to enhance satisfaction and improve work–life balance. A first online study ( n = 341) was used to reduce the initially developed items based on statistical properties. A second sample ( n = 574) confirmed the statistical model and gave initial evidence of the validity of the theoretical model: A discrepancy between affective values, cognitive motives, and skills was positively related among others with strain and negatively related to work–life balance and satisfaction.
The Importance of Gossip Across Societies
Authors: Demerath Loren , Korotayev Andrey V.
Published: October 2014

This article presents a cross-cultural analysis that explores the relationship between the importance of gossip and institutionalization. It is reasoned that as institutionalization increases, so does the difficulty of attaining direct information about events and people that would be consequential for any given individual. As a result, gossip should increase with institutionalization, and complexity generally. This general hypothesis is tested against data from a sample of recent and historical societies. The analysis finds support for the hypothesis and also explores the relationship between gossip and gender autonomy. The results are discussed in terms of understanding gossip as a strategy for attaining information when direct information gathering is inhibited by one’s social structural circumstances. The article closes with a discussion of possible implications for contemporary societies.
The relationship between symptom severity, stigma, illness intrusiveness and depression in Mal de Debarquement Syndrome
Authors: Arroll Megan A , Attree Elizabeth A , Cha Yoon-Hee , Dancey Christine P
Published: October 2014

Mal de Debarquement Syndrome is a neurological disorder of motion perception, triggered by external motion. This study aimed to determine the importance of psychosocial factors in relation to depression and quality of life in Mal de Debarquement Syndrome. A total of 66 participants with self-reported Mal de Debarquement Syndrome completed quality-of-life, symptom severity, stigma, depression, and illness intrusiveness measurements in this naturalistic correlational study. Mal de Debarquement Syndrome was associated with high levels of depression and illness intrusiveness. Illness intrusiveness mediated between stigma and quality of life; also the level of stigma moderated the effect of illness intrusiveness on quality of life. Targeted interventions aimed at alleviating psychological distress may improve quality of life in Mal de Debarquement Syndrome.
Medications, youth therapeutic cultures and performance consumptions: A sociological approach
Authors: Lopes Noémia , Clamote Telmo , Raposo Hélder , Pegado Elsa , Rodrigues Carla
Published: October 2014

This article analyses performance consumptions among young people. The theme is explored along two main axes. The first concerns the social heterogeneity in this field, considered on two levels: the different purposes for those investments – cognitive/mental and physical performance; and the different social contexts – university and work – where performance practices and dispositions may be fostered. The second axis explores the roles of pharmacological and natural consumptions, and their interrelationship, in the dissemination of these practices. The empirical data for this analysis were drawn from an ongoing research project on performance consumptions among young people (aged 18−29 years) in Portugal, including both university students and young workers without university education. The results correspond to the stage of extensive research, for which a questionnaire was organised at a national level, using non-proportional quota sampling. On the one hand, they show that (a) there is a hierarchy of acceptance of consumptions according to their purposes, with cognitive/mental performance showing higher acceptance and (b) both pharmaceuticals and natural products are consumed for every type of performance investment. On the other, the comparison between students and workers introduces a certain heterogeneity in this general backdrop, both in terms of the purposes for their consumptions and their opting for natural or pharmacological resources. These threads of heterogeneity will prompt a discussion of the dynamics of pharmaceuticalisation within the field of performance, in particular how therapeutic cultures may be changing in terms of the way individuals relate to medications, expanding their uses in social life.
Resilient moves: Tinkering with practice theory to generate new ways of thinking about using resilience
Authors: Aranda Kay , Hart Angie
Published: October 2014

Recent public health policies have re-endorsed the key role all health and social care professionals have in tackling the social determinants of health inequalities. With inequalities firmly entrenched, and much theorising focused on reproduction rather than transformation, sustaining practitioner commitment and engagement with this work and maintaining confidence in achieving change is challenging. One increasingly popular way to intervene in practice to begin to address inequalities has been the use of resilience, even though resilience is frequently critiqued for its collusion with neoliberal imperatives in favouring individualised rather than socio-political responses. This article examines these concerns through the use of the practice turn and specifically ‘slim-line’ practice theory and ‘tinkering’ to explore the potential for reframing resilience theory and practice. Using an original data set derived from evaluations of resilience-based programmes, held with parents and practitioners between 2008 and 2012, this article re-examines participants’ understandings of resilience. We show how practice theory reveals entangled and emergent meanings, competencies and materials that constitute resilience as a social practice comprised of resilient moves. The implications of this reframing are discussed in relation to ontology, agency and change; but also for resilience theory and practice and public health practices more generally. In conclusion, we argue practice theory’s attention to context as more than mere backdrop to action helps shift inequality theorising beyond the individual and reproduction towards deeper, detailed social understandings of transformation and change.
Understanding a housing cooperatives' reasons for rejecting energy-efficient outdoor lighting
Authors: Johansson M , Küller M , Pedersen E
Published: October 2014

Interviews with board members and surveys of residents in a Swedish housing cooperative revealed that their choice to partly reject new energy-efficient outdoor lighting for their outdoor environment (retrofit with light emitting diods) was motivated by multiple goal frames. The board weighed the normative goal of perceived safety and the subordinate hedonic goal of the perceived quality of the light against gain goals. The final choice could be attributed to the normative goal of perceived safety for the elderly. This was consistent with the view of the residents who rated all goal frames high, but perceived safety as the most important. Adoption or rejection of new energy-efficient lighting technology is determined by both cost and energy savings, and people's expectations and perceptions of the light and the lit environment.