bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and Analysis for Quantitative Research in Music Education
Authors: Miksza Peter , Elpus Kenneth
Published: March 2018

This book is an introduction to quantitative research design and data analysis presented in the context of music education scholarship. The book aims for readers to come away with a familiarity of prototypical research design possibilities as well as a fundamental understanding of data analysis techniques necessary for carrying out scientific inquiry. The book includes examples that demonstrate how the methodological and statistical concepts presented throughout can be applied to pertinent issues in music education. For the majority of Part I, the strategy is to present traditional design categories side by side with explanations of general analytical approaches for dealing with data yielded from each respective design type. Part II consists of chapters devoted to methodological and analytical approaches that have become common in related fields (e.g., psychology, sociology, general education research, educational policy) but are as yet not frequently exploited by music education researchers. Ultimately, this work is motivated by a desire to help scholars acquire the means to actualize their research curiosities and to contribute to the advancement of rigor in music education research throughout the profession at large.
Design and Analysis of Experimental Research II
Authors: Miksza Peter , Elpus Kenneth
Published: March 2018

This chapter introduces the reader to more possibilities for thinking about causal questions and for laying the foundational concepts necessary for conducting data analyses that correspond to more complex experimental designs. The discussion of experimental design types presented in chapter 8 is expanded to include within-subjects designs, factorial designs, mixed designs, and designs for multivariate outcomes. Prototypical examples of each design type are presented along with the typical analysis tools used for testing the associated experimental hypotheses. Hypothetical examples of research designs that are suitable for illustrating analyses with repeated-measures ANOVA, factorial or multiway ANOVA, and MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance).
From the Jaito Morchā to the Gurdwara Legislation
Authors: Grewal J.S.
Published: March 2018

The removal of Maharaja Ripudaman Singh from Nabha in July 1923 was seen by the SGPC as an indirect attack on its movement for Gurdwara Reform. On the issue of his restoration, protest meetings began to be held. An Akhand Pāṭh in Gurdwara Gangsar in Jaito was disrupted by the Nabha police. Jathās began to be sent from the Akal Takht to perform AkhandPāṭh in Gurdwara Gangsar. In October, the Punjab Government declared the SGPC to be an unlawful association, and all the members of its executive committee were arrested and charged with ‘treason against the King-Emperor’. The Jaito morchā continued for nearly two years. Eventually, with the help of the moderate leaders of the SGPC, the Punjab Government passed the Sikh Gurdwaras Act in 1925 without any reference to restoration of the Maharaja of Nabha.
Master Tara Singh Emerges as the Foremost Sikh Leader
Authors: Grewal J.S.
Published: March 2018

The Akalis joined the civil disobedience movement, and Master Tara Singh was arrested while leading an Akali jathā to Peshawar and sent to jail. The Communal Award of August 1932 recommended statutory Muslim majority in the Punjab Legislative Assembly. The leaders of Sikh parties formed the Khalsa Darbar to resist implementation of the Award. But the Akali leadership was soon divided. Master Tara Singh’s agitation against the Maharaja of Patiala in 1935 led to a compromise. Master Tara Singh took a firm stand against the Muslim leaders of the Shahidganj agitation. In 1936, he took serious interest in the Dalits of the south. Though unhappy with the neutrality of the Congress towards the Communal Award, he was willing to align with the Congress for the forthcoming elections of 1937.
Facing New Challenges
Authors: Grewal J.S.
Published: March 2018

The elections of 1936–7 under the new constitution made the Unionists more powerful. The Sikander–Jinnah Pact strengthened the position of the Muslim League in Indian politics. Sunder Singh Majithia tried to settle his scores with Master Tara Singh but the charge of embezzlement of funds against him was set aside by the court. Professor Niranjan Singh, Master Tara Singh’s younger brother, and some other professors of Khalsa College, Amritsar, were expelled from the College. They founded Sikh National College at Lahore. The issue of Shahidganj was raised again in April 1937, but the Sikh claim was upheld by the highest judicial authorities. The Lahore Resolution, popularly known as the Pakistan Resolution, was passed by the Muslim League in March 1940. Seeing no future for the Sikhs in Pakistan, Master Tara Singh declared that the Sikhs wanted freedom and ‘not a change of masters’.
‘Betrayal of the Sikhs’
Authors: Grewal J.S.
Published: March 2018

In a formal announcement on 16 May 1946, the Cabinet Mission proposed the formation of a Constituent Assembly to frame the constitution for the Indian Union. It was to have 216 Hindu, 78 Muslim, and 4 Sikh members. All decisions were to be taken by majority vote. Safeguards were to be provided for Muslims but not for the Sikhs. On 16 June 1946, the Cabinet Mission made its announcement on the formation of Interim Government. It was to consist of fourteen individuals, including Baldev Singh (who was not a formal representative of the Sikhs). Master Tara Singh looked upon the Cabinet Mission proposals as a ‘betrayal of the Sikhs’. The Sikh leaders decided to boycott the Interim Government and the Constituent Assembly. The Congress Working Committee recognized that injustice had been done to Sikhs. The Akalis decided to join the Constituent Assembly and the Interim Government.
The Akali–Congress Confrontation
Authors: Grewal J.S.
Published: March 2018

The movement for the Punjabi Suba was gaining momentum after the general elections of 1952. Nehru became anxious now to ensure that the Punjab Government had its indirect control over the SGPC. This became almost a policy matter for the Punjab Government. Master Tara Singh rightly blamed ‘the secular sarkar’ for interference in the religious affairs of the Sikhs. He was keen to re-establish the control of the Akalis over the SGPC. He succeeded in winning the SGPC elections towards the end of 1954 on the issue of Punjabi Suba. The success of his morchā in 1955 resulted in great popularity of the demand for a unilingual state. Nehru put an end to what he called the ‘Sikh ministry’ in Pepsu by imposing President’s rule rather unconstitutionally.
At Last a Unilingual Punjab State
Authors: Grewal J.S.
Published: March 2018

Prime Minister Shastri was not willing to deviate from the policy of Nehru. Sant Fateh Singh declared that he would go on fast unto death on 10 September 1965. But in view of the war with Pakistan he decided to postpone his fast. The Home Minister, Gulzari Lal Nanda, announced the creation of a Cabinet Sub-Committee to advise a Parliamentary Consultative Committee for ‘a co-operative solution’. Before this Committee could present its report, the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution on 9 March 1966 in favour of constituting a Punjabi-speaking state. Due to the terms of reference given to the Boundary Commission using the census of 1961, the Bhakra Dam and Chandigarh fell outside the Punjab. Subsequently, Chandigarh was made a union territory and the Bhakra Dam was placed under the Government of India. A ‘crippled’ state was inaugurated on 1 November 1966.
Introduction
Authors: Shamshad Rizwana
Published: March 2018

This introductory chapter sets the problem, provides a preview of nationalist thought in India and migration from Bangladesh and various nationalist thoughts. The politicization of migration of Bangladeshis into India operates at the intersection of religion, ethnicity, and discourses on nationalism in India. For the Hindu nationalists operating at the All-India level Muslims are ‘infiltrators’ and Hindus are ‘refugees’, for the Assamese ethnic nationalist both Hindu and Muslim Bengalis are ‘foreigners’. For the Bengalis in West Bengal, the ethnicity Bengaliness comes to the fore. The study sets three questions for three states. The chapter discusses these questions and the methodology to derive the answers. The chapter further discusses the field cities and the interviewees.
The Parliamentary Debates on Bangladeshi Migrants (1971–2009)
Authors: Shamshad Rizwana
Published: March 2018

The chapter on parliamentary debates analyses the continuing debates about Bangladeshis that took place in the national parliament of India and how their presence was viewed and debated by different sectarian and secular regional and national political parties’ representatives. The Lok Sabha debate texts from 1971 to 2011 have been analysed in this chapter. It discusses the debates on Bangladeshi migrants before, during and after the previous NDA regime. The parliamentary debate provides a window to the readers through which it is possible to obtain a picture of what has been going on over the years in the main arena of Indian politics. It also gives a sense of the lively debates conducted by Indian politicians on the issue of Bangladeshi migration into India, the opponents and their allegations and the proponents who defended and sympathised with the migrants.
Swadharma and Svabhava in Gandhi’s Social Philosophy
Authors: Rao Koneru Ramakrishna
Published: March 2018

This chapter discusses Gandhi’s social philosophy. The focus in this chapter is on the concepts of svabhava and swadharma from which we attempt to formulate a synthetic notion of righteousness. We discuss varnashrama dharma and Gandhi’s views on gender, social discrimination, and communal harmony. Gandhi abhorred the caste system but saw merit in varnashramadharma, which posed challenges of interpretation. His views on gender equality, the crusade against untouchability, and his relentless efforts to bring about communal harmony are some of Gandhi’s significant contributions to social change with varying degrees of success.
Nai Talim
Authors: Rao Koneru Ramakrishna
Published: March 2018

This chapter discusses Gandhi’s ideas on education. Gandhi recognized that education is both culture-relevant and culture-dependent. Education in the shape of formal schooling is an important and necessary resource for knowledge. Knowledge, however, is not an end in itself. Rather, it is an instrument and a tool that adds value to life. In Gandhi’s educational scheme, education, above all, involves moral development and the building of the character of the child. This chapter discusses not only the philosophy of Nai Talim and the attempts to implement it during his lifetime, but also the reasons for the inability of the national government to put Gandhi’s vision into practice.
Shanti
Authors: Rao Koneru Ramakrishna
Published: March 2018

This chapter contains extended discussion on matters relating to war and peace and the relevance of Gandhi’s ideas to perpetual peace; it reveals how Gandhi’s ideas complement and go beyond those espoused by thinkers like the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. For example, both Kant and Gandhi agree that egoistic tendencies need to be checked and controlled for peace to prevail. Kant hoped that reason would accomplish this because the prohibitive costs of war and destructive potentialities posed by it make war repugnant to reason. Gandhi goes beyond reason to cultivate peace of mind in the place of ‘armed peace’ to get as close as possible to perpetual peace. The state, according to Gandhi, subsists on the power of force and, therefore, it cannot ensure peace. More significantly, Gandhi emphasized non-violence as the right means to achieve peace within the individual as well as between individuals, groups, and states.
Dalit Environmental Visions
Authors: Sharma Mukul
Published: March 2018

This chapter attempts to broaden the definitions of environmental thought by adopting a Dalit lens. It conceptualizes environmental thought as ideas and actions encompassing the relationship between humans and nature, including the social norms that govern this conjunction. In contrast to the model of Sulabh, Dalits question some of the major premises of eco-casteism—caste system as an ecological model, laws of nature as guiding principles of society, uniqueness and specificity of an ecosystem, and sanctity of a supposedly given, natural order—by underlying their environmental knowledge and experiences. Issues of labour, space, past, memory, sacrifice, bondage, and differential access to nature and its resources, provide a distinguishing focus to Dalit ecological insights.
Roots of the Organic Challenge
Authors: Barton Gregory A.
Published: March 2018

The introduction briefly surveys the developments that have taken place in the last 500 years relating to the growth of crown capitalism, monoculture, the rise of international trading regimes, the impact of industrial farming, and the scientific and romantic reaction that gave birth to organic farming. Organic farming merged romanticism, holism, ecology, science, and desiccation theory, and fitted within the larger environment movement that spanned from the nineteenth century to the present. It placed an emphasis on wholeness and change that inverted or rejected the main philosophical assumptions underlying scientific rationalism realism and re-introduced into mainstream European culture elements of immanence and mysticism.
The Globalization of Organic Farming
Authors: Barton Gregory A.
Published: March 2018

Between 1950 and 1980 the organic movement increasingly integrated with an environmental movement that emphasized a link between ecology and human health, informing a new emphasis on air pollution, water pollution, and the further protection of wildlife. In Britain, the Soil Association advanced the cause of organic farming under the leadership of Lord Bradford, Eve Balfour, and then E. F. Schumacher. In the United States, J. I. Rodale acted as a conduit for the ideas of Albert Howard. In Japan, Torizō Kurosawa and Frank S. Booth, among others, introduced organic farming into the already extensive “teikei” movement that brought farm goods directly into local cooperative organizations. These examples alone do not capture the whole global story of organic farming in this period; societies throughout the non-communist blocks often boasted individual farmers, plantations, and certainly gardeners who practiced organic protocols.
The 1980s to the Present
Authors: Barton Gregory A.
Published: March 2018

While a few positive stories on organic farming appeared in the 1970s most mainstream press coverage mocked or dismissed organic farmers and consumers. Nevertheless, the growing army of consumer shoppers at health food stores in the United States made the movement impossible to ignore. The Washington Post and other newspapers shifted from negative caricatures of organic farming to a supportive position, particularly after the USDA launched an organic certification scheme in the United States under the leadership of Robert Bergland. Certification schemes in Europe and other major markets followed, leading to initiatives by the United Nations for the harmonization of organic certification through multilateral agencies. As organic standards proliferated in the 1990s the United Nations stepped in to resolve the regulatory fragmentation creating a global market for organic goods.
QCD to All Orders
Authors: Campbell John , Huston Joey , Krauss Frank
Published: March 2018

This chapter centres around the treatment of QCD emissions to all orders. After introductory remarks about the analytic properties of the radiation pattern, some of the most striking phenomenological consequences of non-trivial quantum effects, in particular, the angular ordering property of QCD, are highlighted. Next, analytic resummation techniques are considered, expanding on the treatment of transverse momentum resummation from Chapter 2, and introducing the idea of threshold resummation. BFKL resummation, which resums large logarithms emerging in the high-energy limit, is also introduced. In the second part of this chapter, the probabilistic simulation of QCD radiation through the parton shower is discussed. After a detailed introduction to different schemes and algorithms, the discussion of the combination of the parton shower with fixed-order matrix elements beyond the Born approximation is considered, with a discussion of matching with NLO calculations and the merging with multijet matrix elements.
Communes, Signori, and Empire
Authors: Lee Alexander
Published: March 2018

In the sixth canto of the Purgatorio, Dante Alighieri lamented the pitiable condition of Italy. Though once the donna di provincie, it was now the ‘dwelling place of sorrow’. Bereft of peace, its cities were wracked by constant strife. Attributing this to the absence of imperial governance, he called on Albert of Habsburg to right Italy’s woes with all haste. As this chapter shows, the earliest humanists embraced the imperial cause for much the same reasons. Although aware of the condition of the regnum Italicum, they were concerned primarily with the affairs of individual cities, and used their classical learning to rationalize the character of urban life. Worn down by civil strife, they too called upon kings and emperors to restore their peace and liberty. But while some associated the Empire with signorial government, the most striking and persistent appeals to imperial authority came from humanists living under communal regimes.
The Bounds of Empire
Authors: Lee Alexander
Published: March 2018

Scholars have long believed that ‘medieval’ universalism was supplanted by ‘Italian’ nationalism over the course of the fourteenth century. As this chapter demonstrates, however, nothing could be further from the truth. Although the humanists were often more concerned with the fate of Italy, or of individual cities, than of mankind as a whole, they did not waver in their belief that the Holy Roman Empire enjoyed universal dominion. Only at the very end of the Visconti Wars, when the Empire was seen to threaten the peace and liberty of the peninsula did ‘Italianness’ at last begin to come to the fore. Yet this is not to say that their universalism was unvarying. Depending on whether they chose to view it more as the successor of the ancient imperium Romanum or as an instrument of providence, they could paint it in idealistically ‘Roman’ colours, or endow it with a more ‘hegemonic’ tinge.
Sovereignty at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919
Authors: Smith Leonard V.
Published: March 2018

We have long known that the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 “failed” in the sense that it did not prevent the outbreak of World War II. This book investigates not whether the conference succeeded or failed, but the historically specific international system it created. It explores the rules under which that system operated, and the kinds of states and empires that inhabited it. Deepening the dialogue between history and international relations theory makes it possible to think about sovereignty at the conference in new ways. Sovereignty in 1919 was about remaking “the world”—not just determining of answers demarcating the international system, but also the questions. Most histories of the Paris Peace Conference stop with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles with Germany on June 28, 1919. This book considers all five treaties produced by the conference as well as the Treaty of Lausanne with Turkey in 1923. It is organized not chronologically or geographically, but according to specific problems of sovereignty. A peace based on “justice” produced a criminalized Great Power in Germany, and a template problematically applied in the other treaties. The conference as sovereign sought to “unmix” lands and peoples in the defeated multinational empires by drawing boundaries and defining ethnicities. It sought less to oppose revolution than to instrumentalize it. The League of Nations, so often taken as the supreme symbol of the conference’s failure, is better considered as a continuation of the laboratory of sovereignty established in Paris.
The Agents and Structures of Peacemaking
Authors: Smith Leonard V.
Published: March 2018

This chapter provides a chronological overview of peacemaking after the Great War according to a constructivist interpretation of the “agent-structure problem.” Agents are simply the characters of the story; structures, that which determines the plot. Peacemaking began with the armistices of 1918, as recognizably realist states sought a new realist structure for security. However, Wilsonianism provided a radically new discursive structure which the allies and Germans accepted at the time of the armistice. Accepting Wilsonianism as the ideological foundation of the peace had real consequences, whatever the intentions of the statesmen who had done so. Wilsonianism legitimized the successor state, a new ethno-national agent that would seek to unify ethnic and national boundaries. Great Powers guided by Wilsonianism had created an identity they could not control. Successor states would do much to demarcate the authority of the conference in Europe and in the domains of the defeated empires.
Mastering Revolution
Authors: Smith Leonard V.
Published: March 2018

Revolution in various forms had been endemic to the Great War. The Paris Peace Conference sought not so much to oppose revolution as to master it in the formation of a new international system. It created the International Labour Organization to institutionalize a transnational approach to labor relations, and thus head off worker unrest as a source of revolution. The Mandate Principle put all mandates at least theoretically on the path to independence, however indefinite the period of tutelage. The Mandate Principle, at least discursively, provided a means of pre-empting anti-colonialism as a source of international instability. The conference also sought to master revolution in successor states. Recognizing Czechoslovakia as a model liberal democracy provided a template ill-suited to recognizing the other successor states. The war between Romania and Hungary in 1919–20 left the Supreme Council with recognition as its only means to control the behavior of successor states.
Sovereignty and the League of Nations, 1920–23
Authors: Smith Leonard V.
Published: March 2018

Sovereignty according to the radicalized liberalism of Wilsonianism would exist in the international system after the Great War, or it would not. If it would not, the League was never going to become anything but what it was, an institutionalized means for state cooperation. The League continued the “laboratory” of sovereignty established at the Paris Peace Conference. It articulated a certain configuration of agents and structures in attempts to redefine a system of international security. While assiduously avoiding self-designation as any kind of “world state,” the League tried to complete a good deal of unfinished business bequeathed to it by the conference, notably in the “unmixing” of lands and peoples. It would try to draw boundaries, administer plebiscites, enforce minorities treaties, supervise mandates, and avoid blame for the population exchanges. But in the end, the League was always what states made of it.
Twentieth Century Legislative Proposals—Federal Incorporation and Related Efforts
Authors: Steinberg Marc I.
Published: March 2018

This chapter addresses the dozens of bills introduced in Congress as well as other proposals to mandate federal incorporation or to require the establishment of federal minimum standards. Indeed, at no point in U.S. history was the concept of federal incorporation more debated in Congress than the 1903–1914 period. Hence, the concept of federalizing corporate governance in the United States has been advocated, with varying degrees of vigor, for well over a century. Although none of these bills were enacted, they nonetheless play an ongoing role in the corporate governance dialogue. By providing this historical presentation in conjunction with analysis of the modern-day relevance of these legislative proposals, the chapter significantly contributes to the development of the law with respect to the federalization of corporate governance. The chapter also contains Appendices that provide highlights of the key legislative proposals as well as pertinent legislative history.
The SEC’s Impact on the Federalization of Corporate Governance—A Traditional Perspective
Authors: Steinberg Marc I.
Published: March 2018

This chapter examines, from a traditional perspective, several areas where the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has impacted corporate governance in a meaningful way. By way of example, these subjects include insider trading, qualitative materiality, the role of gatekeepers (such as outside directors, attorneys, and accountants), the Commission’s use of disclosure to influence conduct, the implementation by subject companies of undertakings pursuant to SEC enforcement proceedings, and mergers and acquisitions (including tender offers and going-private transactions). This chapter’s focus is on the manner in which the SEC for well over 50 years has impacted corporate governance by means of exercising its rule-making and oversight authority.
Future Federalization of Corporate Governance
Authors: Steinberg Marc I.
Published: March 2018

This concluding chapter focuses on the future federalization of corporate governance. From proposals to require federal incorporation and federal minimum standards early in the twentieth century to present times (such as the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank Acts), the presence of federal mandates as an essential component of the corporate governance landscape is clear. Although future federalization of corporate governance is uncertain, the impression remains that this federalization process is firmly entrenched. As in the past, the federalization of corporate governance is a process that will evolve and adapt to changing circumstances as they arise. This federalization process will remain as a key determiner for the continuing stability of the U.S. capital markets and the protection of investors.
Femoral head wedge resection for the treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head after pediatric femoral neck fracture: a case report
Authors: Kim Ha Yong , Cha Yong Han , Choy Won Sik , Jeung Sang Wook , Min Yeon Seung
Published: March 2018

This research focuses on femoral head wedge resection for the treatment of avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head. A 9-year-old girl presented to the emergency room complaining of right hip pain that occurred after a pedestrian car accident. After 8 months of internal fixation using cannulated screws for Delbet-type 2 fracture of the femoral neck, AVN of the femoral head developed in the patient. Even though valgus-derotation-extension intertrochanteric osteotomy was performed for the treatment of AVN, it progressed further and femoral head wedge resection was performed to recover the femoral head sphericity. After 3 years of follow-up, radiograph results showed appropriate and satisfactory congruency and containment. This research shows that the treatment of AVN of the femoral head using femoral head wedge resection is an effective method that can yield excellent results.
Serum uric acid and cancer mortality and incidence: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Dovell Frances , Boffetta Paolo
Published: March 2018

Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) is a marker of chronic inflammation and has been suggested to be associated with increased risk of cancer, but its antioxidant capacity would justify an anticancer effect. Previous meta-analyses did not include all available results. We conducted a systematic review of prospective studies on SUA level and risk of all cancers and specific cancers, a conducted a meta-analysis based on random-effects models for high versus low SUA level as well as for an increase in 1 mg/dl SUA. The relative risk of all cancers for high versus low SUA level was 1.11 (95% confidence interval: 0.94–1.27; 11 risk estimates); that for a mg/dl increase in SUA level was 1.03 (95% confidence interval: 0.99–1.07). Similar results were obtained for lung cancer (six risk estimates) and colon cancer (four risk estimates). Results for other cancers were sparse. Elevated SUA levels appear to be associated with a modest increase in overall cancer risk, although the combined risk estimate did not reach the formal level of statistical significance. Results for specific cancers were limited and mainly negative.
CD34 and BerEP4 Are Helpful to Distinguish Basaloid Tricholemmoma From Basal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Turnbull Nicholas , Ghumra Waseem , Mudaliar Vivek , Vella Josefa , Sanders D. Scott A. , Taibjee Saleem , Carr Richard
Published: March 2018

Tricholemmoma, a benign follicular neoplasm with outer root sheath differentiation, typically comprises clear or pale cells, and when multiple is pathognomic of Cowden's syndrome. The tumor is probably underrecognized and in basaloid examples can be difficult to distinguish from basal cell carcinoma (BCC). We studied 55 tricholemmomas (including 15 basaloid cases) and compared immunohistochemical profile with nodular BCC from our archives. Basaloid and non–basaloid tricholemmomas had similar staining characteristics. BerEP4 was focally positive (range 10%–20%) in only 3/39 (7.7%) tricholemmomas compared with widespread positivity in BCC (90.8%, 139 of 151 cases with ≥50% tumor area stained). CD34 was expressed, usually focally (median 20%, range 10%–90%), in 52/53 (98.1%) tricholemmomas and was negative in all 21 BCCs stained. EMA staining lacked sensitivity or specificity in differentiating tricholemmoma from BCC. Five or more Merkel cells were found in 7/17 (40.1%) tricholemmomas and 1/23 (4.3%) nodular BCCs studied. In summary, immunohistochemistry is helpful in distinction between tricholemmoma, including difficult basaloid examples (BerEP4 negative or focal, CD34 positive) compared with BCC (BerEP4 widespread in most cases, CD34 negative). The presence of 5 or more Merkel cells is a relatively specific but not a particularly sensitive discriminator.
Small Vessel Vasculitis in Herpes Zoster—Discussion of Current Aspects of Varicella Zoster Virus Vasculopathy
Authors: Burgard Barbara , Smola Sigrun , Vogt Thomas , Müller Cornelia S. L.
Published: March 2018

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) vasculopathy was initially described as herpes zoster ophthalmicus with contralateral hemiplegia in 1896. VZV is able to infect endothelial cells directly, leading to a thickened intima and vascular remodeling due to inflammation. Therefore, a spectrum of vasculopathies is induced, ranging from a discrete capillaritis-to-granulomatous vasculitis and obliterative angiitis. Cutaneous vasculitic changes sui generis with leukocytoclasia, cell debris, vascular damage, and endothelial swelling are very rare feature of herpetic infections in skin biopsies. We report an immunocompetent patient who presented with a rare form of cutaneous VZV infection of the upper leg characterized by vasculitic changes of the small vessels without typical herpetic epidermal features or neural involvement. Intriguingly, the vasculitis appeared prior to the characteristic vesicular rush without any pain symptoms. Because VZV can cause vasculopathic damage mainly within the central nervous system in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients, we recommend continuous clinical controls to recognize central symptoms that are related to VZV vasculopathy or giant cell arteriitis.
One-stage Pelnac Reconstruction in Full-thickness Skin Defects with Bone or Tendon Exposure
Authors: Lou Xianghong , Xue Hang , Li Gongchi , Wang Kun , Zhou Pan , Li Binghui , Chen Jianghai
Published: March 2018

Dermal regeneration template, such as Integra and Pelnac, was originally designed for treating large area burn injury by inducing regeneration of dermis. To date, it has been widely applied in various acute and chronic wound sites. The present study demonstrated that application of artificial dermis alone induced 1-stage wound healing for wounds with bone or tendon exposure that should usually be repaired by flap surgery. Eight patients who presented with skin defects with bone and/or tendon exposure were treated by 1-stage Pelnac approach. All wounds healed within 20 weeks without skin graft or flap surgery. The wound area was reconstructed by nearly normal skin structure and linear scar. In the case of scalp defect, evidence of hair follicle cell migration and regeneration during healing process was observed. Thereby, the 1-stage Pelnac reconstitution can be considered as a novel method for inducing regrowth of epidermis and hair follicles to cure large full-thickness skin defect with bone and tendon exposure in 1 stage.
Optimizing Accessibility of a Hand-wash Gel to Infant’s Cradle
Authors: Smolkin Tatiana , Roth-Ahronson Ella , Kranzler Michal , Geffen Yuval , Mashiach Tanya , Kugelman Amir , Makhoul Imad R.
Published: March 2018

Background:

In our recent study in 2015, we showed a significant relationship between increased rate of clinical neonatal conjunctivitis (CNC) and performance of eye red reflex examination. Our study aim was to assess whether improved accessibility of staff to disinfectant gel (via attaching the gel bottle to infant’s cradle) will increase the caring staff compliance with hand hygiene and decrease the rate of CNC.

Methods:

Our intervention included attaching bottles of alcohol-based gel to newborns’ cradles to ensure full availability and accessibility of hand-wash disinfectant. We included all newborn infants who were born beyond 35 weeks’ gestation and stayed in the well-baby nursery. We compared 2 periods: pre-intervention period (n = 9380) versus an intervention period (n = 8087). Three variables were recorded: (1) rate of CNC: number of conjunctival swabs sampled per 1000 newborns whenever an eye discharge was noted, (2) rate of bacterial conjunctivitis: number of positive swabs per 1000 newborns and (3) percentage of positive swabs out of all sampled swabs.

Results:

Compared with pre-intervention period, the rate of CNC dropped significantly during the intervention period: 28.6/1000 versus 21.3/1000, respectively, P < 0.01. However, the number of positive bacterial swabs per 1000 newborns (3.2 vs. 2.5) and the percentage of positive bacterial swabs of all sent samples (11.6% vs. 10.8%) were not different between the 2 periods. The majority of pathogens in swabs were Gram-negative sp. without difference between study periods (77.4% vs. 80%), respectively. Univariate analysis showed significant association between rate of CNC and longer length of stay >5 days (P < 0.001) and vaginal delivery. Logistic stepwise regression analysis showed that 4 variables were significantly and independently associated with higher rate of clinical conjunctivitis. These include birth during pre-intervention period [P = 0.018, odds ratio (OR) = 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04–1.54], length of stay 4–5 days (P < 0.001, OR = 2.23, CI: 1.63–3.06), length of stay >7 days (P < 0.001, OR = 6.51, CI: 4.24–10.02), vaginal delivery (P = 0.004, OR = 1.6, CI: 1.17–2.2) and male gender (P = 0.006, OR = 1.31, CI: 1.08–1.59).

Conclusions:

Accessibility of a disinfectant gel within each newborn’s cradle raised hygiene awareness among the caring staff and contributed to the reduction of CNC rate in the newborn nursery.
A Rare Complication of Giardiasis in Children
Authors: Akkelle Bilge Sahin , Tutar Engin , Sengul Ozlem K. , Celikel Cigdem A. , Ertem Deniz
Published: March 2018

Protein-losing enteropathy may develop as a complication of a wide spectrum of diseases. Three cases of giardiasis that presented with acute onset of hypoalbuminemia were documented, and resolution of protein loss after treatment was also confirmed. Thus, chronic enteric infections should be considered as an etiology of severe intestinal protein loss, particularly in children.
Vulvovaginal Disease Education in Canadian and American Gynecology Residency Programs: A Survey of Program Directors
Authors: Edwards Christine , Dogra Nupur , Antanrajakumar Annet , Sarangapani Aparna , Selk Amanda
Published: March 2018

Objective

The aims of the study were to assess and describe the current vulvovaginal curriculum in gynecology residency training programs in Canada and the United States and to compare this with national training objectives.

Materials and Methods

A 22-question electronic survey was sent to 252 gynecology program directors in Canada and the United States between September 2015 and July 2016 using the platform SurveyMonkey.com. Survey responses were entered into SPSS Version 23, and analysis was performed using descriptive statistics.

Results

Overall, 58 (23%) of 252 programs directors responded. Nearly all of the sites provided formal teaching on pain disorders (54/58, 93%), vulvar dermatoses (54/58, 93%), and vulvovaginal infections (57/58, 98%). Exposure to vulvovaginal clinics varied widely. On average, program directors estimated that residents spend a median of 10 hours (0–200) in vulvar pain clinics, 9 hours (0–200) in dermatology clinics, and 50 hours (0–480) in colposcopy clinics during residency training. Most program directors (53/57, 93%) believed that all general gynecologists should be able to manage vulvar disorders in practice. Reported obstacles to treating vulvar disorders included lack of training (41/58, 71%) and lack of interest (35/58, 60%).

Conclusions

While most residency programs provided formal education on vulvovaginal diseases, clinical exposure is extremely variable between sites. When it is not possible to increase clinical exposure to vulvovaginal disorders, traditional training methods (lectures, textbooks) should be supplemented with online modules and other means of learning to improve resident knowledge of vulvovaginal diseases.
Gastric Emptying of Elemental Liquid Diets Versus Semisolid Diets in Bedridden Gastrostomy-fed Patients
Authors: Horiuchi Akira , Sakai Ryosei , Tamaki Michio , Kajiyama Masashi , Tanaka Naoki , Morikawa Akio
Published: March 2018

Background:

Aspiration is a common problem in bedridden gastrostomy-fed patients. We compared gastric emptying of an elemental liquid diet and a commercial semisolid diet in bedridden gastrostomy-fed patients.

Methods:

Study 1: from January 2013 to December 2016, consecutive bedridden patients receiving percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) semisolid feeding hospitalized due to aspiration pneumonia were switched to elemental liquid diet feedings. The frequency of defecation, tube feed contents aspirated from the trachea, and aspiration pneumonia during hospitalization were retrospectively reviewed. Study 2 was a randomized, crossover trial comparing 13C sodium acetate gastric emptying of a commercial elemental liquid or a commercial semisolid diet in bedridden PEG patients and controls.

Results:

Study 1: 18 patients were enrolled. Elemental liquid diet was aspirated from the trachea in 1 (5.6%) (once in 24 observations); neither aspiration pneumonia nor diarrhea developed during elemental liquid diet feeding over 2 weeks observation. Study 2: 8 PEG patients and 8 healthy subjects were separately randomized to assess gastric emptying of the commercial elemental and semisolid diets. The elemental liquid diet was associated with a significant decrease of the 10%, 30%, or 50% emptying (excretion) time (P<0.05) and an increased the area under the curve (% dose/h) compared with the commercial semisolid diet (P<0.05). In healthy subjects there was no significant difference in gastric empting between the 2 diets.

Conclusions:

Elemental liquid diets emptied more rapidly from the stomach than semisolid diets in bedridden PEG patients. They may prevent or reduce aspiration pneumonia compared with semisolid diets.
First case report of human infection with Mycobacterium stomatepiae
Authors: Weston Jared , Pandey Sushil , Matthews Evan , Bursle Evan
Published: March 2018

Introduction. We describe the first detailed case report of human infection with Mycobacterium stomatepiae. Infection with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) related to M. stomatepiae is well described, despite the lack of previous confirmed reports of M. stomatepiae-related human disease. Localised cervical lymphadenitis is the most common NTM disease in children, with species closely related to M. stomatepiae, such as Mycobacterium triplex and Mycobacterium florentinum, having been shown to be rare causative agents.

Case presentation. A 19-month-old girl presented with persistent unilateral neck lumps which developed following a facial laceration. Both lumps were fluctuant with overlying erythema and no fistulae present. Incision and drainage with curettage was performed. The operative sample of purulent fluid revealed pleomorphic bacilli on Ziehl–Neelsen staining. The isolate cultured was referred for further genotypic identification via 16S rRNA gene sequencing, identifying the organism as M. stomatepiae.

Conclusion. We describe the first detailed case report of human infection with M. stomatepiae. This organism can now be added to the growing list of NTM that are opportunistic human pathogens, though it is likely to remain a very rare causative agent of this clinical syndrome. Early diagnosis relies on clinical suspicion by the treating doctor, flagging potential cases to the microbiology laboratory and hence allowing correct specimen set-up. Laboratory diagnosis requires incubation of cultures at lower temperatures, and definitive identification is best performed by sequencing methods, including 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The description of novel species of NTM causing human disease is likely to increase with further advancements in diagnostic methods.
Murine SEC24D Can Substitute Functionally for SEC24Cin vivo
Authors: Adams Elizabeth J. , Khoriaty Rami , Kiseleva Anna , Cleuren Audrey C. A. , Tomberg Kärt , van der Ent Martijn A. , Gergics Peter , O’Shea K. Sue , Saunders Thomas L. , Ginsburg David
Published: March 2018

The COPII component SEC24 mediates the recruitment of transmembrane cargoes or cargo adaptors into newly forming COPII vesicles on the ER membrane. Mammalian genomes encode fourSec24paralogs (Sec24a-d), with two subfamilies based on sequence homology (SEC24A/B and C/D), though little is known about their comparative functions and cargo-specificities. Complete deficiency forSec24dresults in very early embryonic lethality in mice (before the 8 cell stage), with later embryonic lethality (E 7.5) observed inSec24cnull mice. To test the potential overlap in function between SEC24C/D, we employed dual recombinase mediated cassette exchange to generate aSec24cc-dallele, in which the C-terminal 90% of SEC24C has been replaced by SEC24D coding sequence. In contrast to the embryonic lethality at E7.5 of SEC24C-deficiency,Sec24cc-d/c-dpups survive to term, though dying shortly after birth.Sec24cc-d/c-dpups are smaller in size, but exhibit no obvious developmental abnormality. These results suggest that tissue-specific and/or stage-specific expression of theSec24c/dgenes rather than differences in cargo function explain the early embryonic requirements for SEC24C and SEC24D.
Cost-effectiveness of telephone-based weight loss support for patients with knee osteoarthritis: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial
Authors: O’Brien KM , van Dongen JM , Williams A , Kamper SJ , Wiggers J , Hodder RK , Campbell E , Robson EK , Haskins R , Rissel C , Williams CM
Published: March 2018

Background

Telephone-based support offers a promising option to provide widely accessible and cost-effective weight loss care to the people with knee osteoarthritis who are overweight. While telephone-based interventions targeting weight loss are used routinely in the general populations, the cost-effectiveness of referring patients with knee osteoarthritis to these is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of referral to a telephone-based weight management and healthy lifestyle service for patients with knee osteoarthritis, who are overweight or obese, compared to usual care.

Methods

We randomised 120 patients with knee osteoarthritis to an intervention or usual care control group in a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the intervention group received a referral to an existing non-disease specific 6-month telephone-based weight management and healthy lifestyle service. The primary outcome of the study was quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Secondary outcomes included pain intensity, disability, weight, and body mass index (BMI). Costs included intervention costs, healthcare utilisation costs (healthcare services and medication use) and absenteeism costs due to knee pain. The primary cost-effectiveness analysis was performed from the societal perspective.

Results

Mean cost differences between groups (intervention minus control) were, $454 (95%CI: −2735 to 4206) for healthcare costs, $-36, (95%CI: −73 to 2) for medication costs, and $-13 (95%CI: −225 to 235) for absenteeism costs. The total mean difference in societal costs was $1022 (95%CI: −2201 to 4771). For all outcomes, the probability of the intervention being cost-effective compared with usual care was less than 0.33 at all willingness-to-pay values.

Conclusion

From a societal perspective, telephone-based weight loss support, provided using an existing non-disease specific 6-month weight management and healthy lifestyle service was not cost-effective in comparison with usual care for overweight and obese patients with knee osteoarthritis for QALYs, pain intensity, disability, weight, and BMI.
A novel microtubule nucleation pathway for meiotic spindle assembly in oocytes
Authors: Romé Pierre , Ohkura Hiroyuki
Published: March 2018

The meiotic spindle in oocytes is assembled in the absence of centrosomes, the major microtubule nucleation sites in mitotic and male meiotic cells. A crucial, yet unresolved question in meiosis is how spindle microtubules are generated without centrosomes and only around chromosomes in the large volume of oocytes. Here we report a novel oocyte-specific microtubule nucleation pathway that is essential for assembling most spindle microtubules complementarily with the Augmin pathway, and sufficient for triggering microtubule assembly in oocytes. This pathway is mediated by the kinesin-6 Subito/MKlp2, which recruits the γ-tubulin complex to the spindle equator to nucleate microtubules in Drosophila oocytes. Away from chromosomes, Subito interaction with the γ-tubulin complex is suppressed by its N-terminal region to prevent ectopic microtubule assembly in oocytes. We further demonstrate that the Subito complex from ovaries can nucleate microtubules from pure tubulin dimers in vitro. Taken together, microtubule nucleation regulated by Subito drives spatially restricted spindle assembly in oocytes.
Ancient Fennoscandian genomes reveal origin and spread of Siberian ancestry in Europe
Authors: Lamnidis Thiseas C. , Majander Kerttu , Jeong Choongwon , Salmela Elina , Wessman Anna , Moiseyev Vyacheslav , Khartanovich Valery , Balanovsky Oleg , Ongyerth Matthias , Weihmann Antje , Sajantila Antti , Kelso Janet , Pääbo Svante , Onkamo Päivi , Haak Wolfgang , Krause Johannes , Schiffels Stephan
Published: March 2018

European history has been shaped by migrations of people, and their subsequent admixture. Recently, evidence from ancient DNA has brought new insights into migration events that could be linked to the advent of agriculture, and possibly to the spread of Indo-European languages. However, little is known so far about the ancient population history of north-eastern Europe, in particular about populations speaking Uralic languages, such as Finns and Saami. Here we analyse ancient genomic data from 11 individuals from Finland and Northwest Russia. We show that the specific genetic makeup of northern Europe traces back to migrations from Siberia that began at least 3,500 years ago. This ancestry was subsequently admixed into many modern populations in the region, in particular populations speaking Uralic languages today. In addition, we show that ancestors of modern Saami inhabited a larger territory during the Iron Age than today, which adds to historical and linguistic evidence for the population history of Finland.