bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Controversy of Heparin Therapy as an Adjunct to Thrombolysis in Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Thompson Dennis F. , Raebel Marsha A. , Chow Moses S.S. , Wu Tuck S. , Chan Cheng L.
Published: January 2017

Heparin is used routinely in the US as adjunct therapy for prevention of reocclusion after thrombolysis during acute myocardial infarction. A review of the literature shows controversy over the efficacy of heparin following thrombolysis. Both beneficial and a lack of beneficial effects have been reported with heparin. From a pathophysiologic viewpoint, there appears to be a need for full heparinization in the postlytic period because the residual stenosis is highly thrombogenic. However, optimal dose, time, and mode of heparin therapy has not been defined. Despite a lack of definitive data, it seems reasonable to administer intravenous heparin immediately after thrombolytic therapy to achieve a partial thromboplastin time 1.5–2.0 times control that is concurrent with an antiplatelet agent such as aspirin. These recommendations are consistent with the consensus opinion of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.
Three-Point versus Two-Point Method for Early Individualization of Aminoglycoside Doses
Authors: Robinson J. Daniel , Jameson John P. , Lewis John A.
Published: January 2017

An approach using two serum concentrations following the initial dose of an aminoglycoside was retrospectively evaluated using the first and third samples from all three-point studies conducted by the pharmacokinetic consult service in 1988. The same Sawchuk and Zaske method was used for the three-point and two-point studies. Although the predicted peaks and troughs from the two-point study were statistically different from those of the three-point study, it is the authors' opinion that the root mean squared error of 0.38 mg/L (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.31–0.45) for the peaks and 0.09 mg/L (95% CI 0.06–0.11) for troughs is well within the limits of acceptable clinical error for gentamicin and tobramycin. Eliminating one-third of initial aminoglycoside concentrations could result in significant time and cost savings.
Optimizing Drug Delivery from Metered-Dose Inhalers
Authors: Milavetz Gary , Kelly H. William , Whelan Anne Marie , Hahn Nancy W.
Published: January 2017

Metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) are being used with increasing frequency to administer medication used in the treatment of respiratory tract disorders. Inhaled medication is delivered directly to the tracheobronchial tree, allowing for a rapid and predictable onset of action. Studies show that only about ten percent of the dose from an MDI actually reaches the lung. The site of deposition within the lung is influenced by the aerosol characteristics, interpatient variability, and the technique by which the patient uses the inhaler. Spacer devices have been designed to overcome some of the problems encountered with MDIs and may be beneficial in certain groups of patients. The studies reviewed in this article suggest ways to alter the variables affecting inhalation in order to optimize drug delivery so that the patient will obtain the most benefit from the inhaled medication.
Validation of a New ELISA-Based Vasodilator-Associated Stimulated Phosphoprotein Phosphorylation Assay to Assess Platelet Reactivity Index in a Chinese Population
Authors: Ding Peng , Wei Yujie , Chen Nana , Liu Huiliang
Published: January 2017

The level of platelet reactivity during P2Y12-adenosine diphosphate receptor antagonist is associated with ischemic and bleeding risks following percutaneous coronary intervention in acute coronary syndrome. Determining platelet reactivity inhibition may be valuable for confirming effective platelet inhibition for individual patients and identifying patients at risk of bleeding. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) assay offers unique advantages over other methods and has not been used in the Chinese population. We enrolled 10 healthy volunteers and 54 patients with acute coronary syndrome. The volunteers received no treatment, and patients were administered a loading dose of clopidogrel or ticagrelor. The platelet reactivity index (PRI) was measured using flow cytometry (FC)-VASP and ELISA-VASP at baseline and 8-hour postloading dose. Blood samples of healthy volunteers and clopidogrel- or ticagrelor-treated patients were frozen and stored for 1, 2, and 4 weeks after initial activation. All frozen samples were tested using ELISA-VASP. The PRI assessed by FC-VASP and ELISA-VASP correlated well showing a high degree of consistency in identifying high or low on-treatment platelet reactivity. No significant time-dependent changes in PRI results were observed in frozen samples stored up to 4 weeks compared to nonfrozen samples. The PRI of ticagrelor-treated patients was lower than that of clopidogrel-treated patients. The ELISA-VASP effectively assesses the PRI, and results obtained from frozen specimens are unaffected by storage and shipment prior to assay. Ticagrelor was superior to clopidogrel in decreasing the PRI.
Validity as Research Praxis: A Study of Self-Reflection and Engagement in Qualitative Inquiry
Authors: Dennis Barbara
Published: January 2017

This article continues explorations into the concept of validity by looking closely at the notion of praxis as it might be involved in establishing validity through the doing of qualitative inquiry. Departing from thinking of the qualitative researcher as an instrument to thinking of the engagement of the researcher in the research process as praxis-oriented, new ways of thinking about how validity is established intra-actively are articulated. I report on an in-depth qualitative interview study of nine Christian women talking about their faiths. Instead of focusing on the substantive findings of the article, I analyzed the researcher–participant interactions using the concept of praxis to articulate five distinct ways validity was established through the researching process. These findings challenge correspondence theories of truth as the basis for validity and, instead, engage in a dialogic, complex notion of truth-telling as the point of resonance for validity.
Civic Life in the Divided Metropolis: Social Capital, Collective Action, and Residential Income Segregation
Authors: Wichowsky Amber
Published: January 2017

Social capital is presumed to help individuals who lack financial or human capital achieve collective action through their social ties and networks of relationships. But does it help individuals overcome their socioeconomic disadvantages relative to their wealthier neighbors, or does the accumulation of social capital merely reproduce socioeconomic disparities, particularly in economically segregated places? Leveraging data from the Current Population Survey, I test whether residential income segregation is associated with larger income differences in social capital investments and collective action. I find that in more economically segregated places, wealthier residents are more likely to be members of neighborhood organizations and report working with other community members to address local issues. These results are robust to the inclusion of other potential confounders, including income inequality, racial context, and racial residential segregation. This research has implications for policy makers and stakeholders interested in building a more inclusive civic arena.
Hesitating at the Altar
Authors: Frazier Nick , McKeehan Margaret
Published: January 2017

This article provides evidence that the US tax code’s dependence on marital status continues to generate an implicit marriage tax and distort marital decisions. By looking at the timing of marriage rather than the decision to marry, we capture a specific distortion while allowing for heterogeneity in other costs of marriage. Using data on couples from the Panel Study on Income Dynamics between 1986 and 2011, we find that a 1 percent rise in the size of the marriage tax relative to a couple’s income increases the probability of delay by 1.2 percentage points. We further demonstrate the robustness of this result across a variety of alternative specifications and assumptions regarding tax-filing behavior.
Frequency, clinicopathological features and phylogenetic analysis of feline morbillivirus in cats in Istanbul, Turkey
Authors: Yilmaz Huseyin , Tekelioglu Bilge K , Gurel Aydin , Bamac Ozge E , Ozturk Gulay Y , Cizmecigil Utku Y , Altan Eda , Aydin Ozge , Yilmaz Aysun , Berriatua Eduardo , Helps Chris R , Richt Juergen A , Turan Nuri
Published: January 2017

Objectives

The aim of the study was to investigate feline morbillivirus (FmoPV) frequency, phylogeny and associated pathology in cats in Istanbul, Turkey.

Methods

Samples from sick (n = 96) and dead ( n = 15) cats were analysed using reverse transcription PCR. Blood and urine analyses and histopathology were also performed.

Results

FmoPV RNA was detected in six cats (5.4%), including three sick (in the urine) and three dead cats (tissues). A significantly greater proportion of FmoPV RNA-positive cats had street access compared with non-infected cats. Blood samples from the morbillivirus-positive cats were negative for morbillivirus RNA. Tubular parenchymal cells, lymphoid and plasma cells in kidney and hepatocytes, lymphoid and plasma cells in liver from dead cats were also positive by immunohistochemistry for the viral N protein. Two FmoPV-positive cats were also positive for feline coronavirus RNA and one cat for feline immunodeficiency virus RNA and feline leukaemia virus proviral DNA. Phylogenetic analysis of the six FmoPV-positive cats showed that the strains were grouped into cluster D and had high similarity (98.5–100%) with strains from Japan and Germany. In the three FmoPV RNA-positive sick cats, respiratory, urinary and digestive system signs were observed as well as weight loss, fever and depression in some cats. Similar clinical signs were also seen in the morbillivirus RNA-negative sick cats. FmoPV RNA-positive cats had lower median red blood cell count, haemoglobin, albumin, albumin/globulin and urobilinogen and higher alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin compared with non-infected cats. Significant histopathology of FmoPV RNA-positive dead cats included tubulointerstitial nephritis characterised by severe granular and vacuolar degeneration of the epithelial cells of the cortical and medullary tubules as well as mononuclear cell infiltrates. Widespread lymphoid cell infiltrates were detected in the renal cortex and medullary regions of the kidneys. Cellular infiltration, cholangiohepatitis and focal necrosis in the liver were also found. Although virus-infected cells were found in the kidney and liver of FmoRV RNA-positive cats, tubulointerstitial nephritis, cholangiohepatitis and focal necrosis seen in FmoRV RNA-positive cats were similar to those observed in FmoRV RNA-negative cats.

Conclusions and relevance

This is the first study to show the presence of FmoPV infection in cats in Turkey. Sick cats, particularly those with kidney disease, should be tested for this virus. The genotypes found in this study were similar to previously reported strains, indicating that circulating morbilliviruses in Turkey are conserved.
The Illusion of Pure Entertainment
Authors: Richardson Donald
Published: January 2017

There is no such thing as a television program that is ‘purely entertainment’. All entertainment programs are also educational programs in a very real sense. A way of regulating all television which recognizes this fact is suggested.
Effect of lubricant rheology on friction in coated elastohydrodynamic lubricated contacts
Authors: Habchi W , Bair S
Published: January 2017

This work investigates the effect of lubricant rheology on friction in coated elastohydrodynamic contacts. Two lubricants with relatively different properties are selected and two coating configurations are considered. The first coating type consists of a soft material with a low thermal inertia while the second is a hard material with a high thermal inertia. The former is known to decrease friction while the latter increases it compared to uncoated contacts. The original expectation was that the lubricant with higher P–T dependence of viscosity would exhibit higher relative friction deviation from the uncoated case. It turned out that this is only true in the linear and thermoviscous friction regimes at low and high slide-to-roll ratios, respectively.
A microfluidic device for three-dimensional wear debris imaging in online condition monitoring
Authors: Peng Yeping , Wu Tonghai , Wang Shuo , Du Ying , Kwok Ngaiming , Peng Zhongxiao
Published: January 2017

Three-dimensional morphologies of wear particles are important information sources for machine condition assessment and fault diagnosis. However, existing three-dimensional image acquisition systems, such as laser scanning confocal microscopy and atomic force microscopy, cannot be directly applied in condition-based maintenance of machines. In order to automatically acquire three-dimensional information of wear debris for online condition monitoring, a microfluidic device consisting of an oil flow channel and a video imaging system is developed. This paper focuses on the control of particle motions. A microchannel is designed to ensure the continuous rotation of particles such that their three-dimensional features can be captured. The relationships between running torque and channel height and particle size are analysed to determine the channel height. An infinite fluid field is considered to make sure that the particles rotate around the same axis to capture 360 degree views. Based on this, the cross section of the microchannel is determined at 5 mm × 0.2 mm (height × width) to capture the wear debris under 200 µm. A CMOS sensor is used to image the particles in multiple views and then three-dimensional features of wear debris (e.g. thickness, height aspect ratio and sphericity) are obtained. Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the performances of the designed system. The results demonstrate that (1) the microfluidic device is effective in capturing multiple view images of wear particles various in sizes and shapes; (2) spatial morphological characteristics of wear particles can be constructed using a sequence of multi-view images.
Effect of applied pressure on high-stress abrasive wear behavior of hybrid Al–Mg–Si composites
Authors: Kaushik N Ch , Rao RN
Published: January 2017

In this experimental investigation, the effect of applied pressure on high-stress abrasive wear resistance characteristics of stir-cast Al 6082-5 wt% SiC-5 wt%Gr (Al–SiC–Gr) hybrid metal matrix composites was studied and compared with its unreinforced matrix alloy and 10 wt% SiC-reinforced (Al–SiC) composites. The tests were carried on pin-on-disc equipment at applied pressures of 0.1–0.3 MPa, sliding distance of 75 m, and SiC abrasive grit size of 100 µm and 200 µm. It was noted that the wear resistance decreases with increase in applied pressure in both as-cast and T6 conditions. The improvement in wear resistance was 1.63 (alloy) to 3.29 m/mm3 (Al–SiC–Gr) in case of lower grit size and applied pressures. However, the marginal improvement of wear resistance was observed i.e. 0.67 (alloy) to 1.05 m/mm3 (Al–SiC–Gr) at higher grit size and applied pressures. Relative wear resistance plots indicate that hybrid composites conceded better wear resistance properties compared to SiC-reinforced composites. The evaluation of wear mechanisms, worn surfaces of the pins, emery papers, and debris was also studied using scanning electron microscopy.
Ethical dilemmas associated with clinicians’ decisions about treatment in critically ill infants born in Córdoba, Argentina
Authors: Silberberg Agustín Alfredo , Gallo Juan Eduardo
Published: January 2017

The objective of this article is to examine end of life decisions made by neonatologists of Córdoba, Argentina. An anonymous questionnaire was designed to investigate neonatologists’ decisions on when to initiate or withdraw treatment in critical neonates. All neonatologists who take care of critically ill neonates in Córdoba participated in the survey. More than 75% of them would initiate treatment in preterm infants with uncertain prognosis based on the viability of the newborn. Because it is common to find that critically ill neonates lack sufficient diagnostic information at birth, this attitude seems to manifest a certain therapeutic activism. However, more than 80% of physicians withdraw futile treatments that do not produce benefits. Cordoban neonatologists initiate medical treatment based on the current clinical conditions of neonates, applying a certain degree of therapeutic activism. Doctors withdraw neonatal treatment when it is considered futile.
The AIDS Epidemic in Sweden: Changes in Awareness, Attitudes and Behavior
Authors: Brorsson Bengt , Herlitz Claes
Published: January 2017

Questionnaire surveys concerning awareness, attitudes and beliefs about HIV virus and AIDS in Sweden were conducted in March/April of 1986, February/March of 1987, and May 1987. The number of individuals compared in the three surveys were 2622, 1805 and 707 respectively. The surveys indicate that the general public views the AIDS epidemic with growing concern. They feel that researchers and public officials cannot effectively combat the problem. To a growing extent they feel that it is up to individuals to appropriately adapt their behavior if we are to slow the spread of the disease, and to a certain extent changes in sexual practices also seem to have happened. Changes in awareness, attitudes and beliefs have accelerated since the start in March, 1987 of the Swedish AIDS information campaign.
A Study of the Relationship between Social Network, Perceived Ill Health and Utilization of Emergency Care: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Andrén Kjerstin Genell
Published: January 2017

Several studies have shown that persons who repeatedly turn to somatic emergency departments, besides having ailments also often have social and psychological problems. It has also been shown that this group of patients differs from the general population and can be considered a psycho-socially exposed group. In the present study a group of recurrent users (4 + yearly visits) was compared to a group of first-time visitors to the general emergency department of a middlesized metropolitan hospital. Both patient groups were asked to complete a questionnaire that contained 45 items, covering socio-demographic and social network variables, social and personal problems, perceived state of health and contacts with other caregiving institutions. The results showed that the first-time visitors were significantly younger than the recurrent users, and more often actively employed. Only 2 percent of the first-time visitors developed a behaviour of recurrent use of the ED. The recurrent users were well-known at the hospital, not only in the emergency department but also at the out-patient clinics and the social work department. The multiple Odds ratio showed that alcohol abuse, lack of close friend, general health problems and deteriorating health were important risk factors for recurrent ED use. It is suggested that an individual treatment plan including medical, social and societal measures could be one alternative in an attempt to more efficiently treat these patients.
Health Careers—a Method of Health Education at School for Adolescents
Authors: Levin Jan E. , Persson Harald , Bjurulf Per , Bremberg Sven
Published: January 2017

An innovative health education curriculum, “Health Careers”, intended for adolescents leaving school, was evaluated using a quasi-experimental pre-/post control group design. The objective of the project was the modification of knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in relation to health. Attempts were made to counteract factors restricting the effect of traditional health education at school. Changes were estimated using questionnaires. Two types of schools were studied, schools A and B, student age averaged 17.3 years and 15.5 years, respectively. The number of students in the experimental groups was 220 and 112, respectively. At school B, in addition, 35 parents participated voluntarily in evening courses arranged by the project staff. Significant improvement was shown in two variables of a possible 60 at school A and in four variables at school B. Analysis by subgroups, however, demonstrated improvements in merely one variable at school B. It is evident that the innovative curriculum did not induce significant behavioural improvement in relation to health. Frame factors of the school—obligatory student participation and teacher role perception—may explain this outcome.
Alcohol Consumption and Complaints from the Musculoskeletal System among Engine Drivers—an Epidemiological Study
Authors: Gerdle Björn U. C. , Hedberg Gudrun E.
Published: January 2017

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a positive correlation exist between level of alcohol consumption and complaints from the musculoskeletal system. 150 randomly selected engine drivers from Sweden were interviewed about complaints from the musculoskeletal system during the last 12 months. In this study the complaints from the neck, shoulders and lower back were investigated. An index counting number of regions with complaints was computed. The subjects were asked to report their level of alcohol consumption during the last month (beer, wine and spirits). The total alcohol cornsumption was calculated expressed in terms of 40% pure alcohol. The median consumption was 39.5 cl/month. The engine drivers reporting complaints from the neck had a significantly higher consumption of alcohol than those without such complaints. A positive significant correlation existed between the number of complaints (index) and alcohol consumption.
Children of Mentally Ill Mothers: Mental Development, Somatic Growth and Social Outcome
Authors: Bågedahl-Strindlund M.
Published: January 2017

A two-year cohort of children of parapartum mentally ill mothers born in Stockholm during the mid-70s was studied with regard to mental development, somatic growth and social outcome. The observation period covered the pre-school-age period and the study was based on Well-Baby-Clinic (WBC) data. The findings were compared with those of matched controls. Nearly 40% of the children of the mentally ill mothers, compared to 3% of the controls, did not live with their biological mothers during the pre-school ages. No difference was found in somatic growth between the index and control children. However, more index children—especially those of addicts and neurotic or temporarily insufficient mothers—than controls suffered from developmental ( p<0.05) and behavioural ( p<0.001) disturbances. Fifteen per cent of the index children compared to 5% of the controls were judged by the staff of the WBC to be in need of treatment for psychological problems ( p<0.01). The results of the present study emphasize the fact that children of mentally ill mothers constitute a high-risk group regarding mental and behavioural development. The study supports earlier research reports claiming that, while parental mental illness constitutes an important indicator of psychiatric risk for the children, the main risk stems from associated psycho-social disturbances in the family.
Radon concentration in water, soil and sediment of Hemavathi River environments
Authors: Shivanandappa Kaliprasad C. , Yerol Narayana
Published: January 2017

The present paper discusses the systematic study on gamma dose rate, radon exhalation, radium content in soil and sediment and radon concentration in water of Hemavathi River environments. The Gamma dose rate in the air in the study area varied from 98 to 202 nGy h−1 with mean value 145 nGy h−1. The measured dose rate was above the world and Indian average. The mean value of radium activity in soil and sediment was found to be 366.61 and 328.36 mBq kg−1, respectively. The mean value of radon in soil and sediment was found to be 373.90 and 334.90 Bq m−3, respectively. The radon concentration of water ranges from 0.20 to 1.60 kBq m−3 with an average value of 0.67 kBq m−3. The radon in water contributes to dosage in stomach and lungs. The effective doses of radon were calculated and compared with international recommended values. The results show that sediment and water are safe to use for construction and drinking purpose.
Media freedom and responsibility in South Korea: The perceptions of journalists and politicians during the Roh Moo-hyun presidency
Authors: Gong Qian , Rawnsley Gary
Published: January 2017

This article analyses the perceptions of media freedom and responsibility by journalists and politicians in South Korea during the Presidency of Roh Moo-huyn (2003–2008). It draws on in-depth interviews with 10 journalists and 10 politicians with different political affiliations and interests. Findings suggest that both groups had positive appraisals of the country’s media democratisation. For them, the media could function as a watchdog on political power without having to fear direct political reprisals for doing so. However, the political press remained partially shackled to specific legacies and economic conditions. The most pressing example is the way the paternal power of conservative media owners challenged the editorial independence of journalists. While the Internet media offered some hope to rebalance the power relationship between the conservative and progressive forces, the sensational and hyper-adversarial media motivated by market and political competition emerged as more worrying concerns for the consolidation of democratic political communication in post-transition South Korea. Setbacks in press freedom since 2008 have undermined some of the positive evaluations of the political communication in South Korea, suggesting that the democratic transition in this country resembles ‘a circle rather a straight line’.
Real scrutiny or smoke and mirrors: The determinants and role of resolutions of national parliaments in European Union affairs
Authors: Hoerner Julian M
Published: January 2017

The role of national parliaments in scrutinising their governments in European Union affairs has been at the forefront of debates on democratic accountability in the European Union for the past two decades. Resolutions are the legislative instruments most clearly associated with government control. This article finds that party political strategies, and especially the different constraints and incentives for mainstream/government parties and issue entrepreneurs on Europe, are the most important factors determining the activity of national parliaments in the form of resolutions on European Union affairs. Issue entrepreneurs are parties which are Eurosceptic and for which Europe is salient. Motions initiated by issue entrepreneurs are numerous but limited to criticising the government and contain little technical detail, while the resolutions of mainstream government parties mostly support the government’s position. Resolutions and motions in European Union affairs are thus used rather as instruments of ‘position taking’ than as a form of government control, but could still help to foster accountability by bringing European Union issues and government policy to the citizens’ attention.
A comparative method for themes saturation (CoMeTS) in qualitative interviews
Authors: Constantinou Costas S , Georgiou Maria , Perdikogianni Maria
Published: January 2017

Saturation of data has been acknowledged by many social scientists as evidence of rigor in qualitative research. Though there is a consensus about its definition and usefulness in qualitative research, the methods for achieving saturation are scarce while the social scientists who mention data saturation in their research methodologies do not adequately describe how this is achieved. This paper describes a new method for achieving saturation in studies that use interviews. The method is called Comparative Method for Themes Saturation (CoMeTS). CoMeTS is comparative in two ways. First, all themes from all interviews are compared with each other. Second, the sequence of interviews is reordered multiple times in order to check saturation again. This is because the sequence of interviews during the check makes saturation vary and, therefore, reordering helps confirming saturation. This paper concludes that CoMeTS is a simple, comparative and holistic method for achieving saturation and that it can be used in complicated qualitative studies.
Using social work theory to engage with gatekeepers in researching the sensitive topic of intra-familial homicide
Authors: Johnson Carolyn H
Published: January 2017

In approaching the topic of intra-familial homicide with a view to prevention, it is important to understand the long-term patterns of behaviour in families pre-existing the offence. This article explains why it is appropriate for social workers to undertake researching this sensitive issue. It describes a method of using social work theory to engage with gatekeepers to access data and to overcome some of the difficulties that may be encountered in researching closed systems. It concludes by emphasising the need for social work researchers to be creative by incorporating theory in methodology to explore ways of navigating complex systems and enhancing data collection.
Aleglitazar, a dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α and -γ agonist, protects cardiomyocytes against the adverse effects of hyperglycaemia
Authors: Chen Yan , Chen Hongmei , Birnbaum Yochai , Nanhwan Manjyot K , Bajaj Mandeep , Ye Yumei , Qian Jinqiao
Published: January 2017

Purpose:

To assess the effects of Aleglitazar on hyperglycaemia-induced apoptosis.

Methods:

We incubated human cardiomyocytes, cardiomyocytes from cardiac-specific peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ knockout or wild-type mice in normoglycaemic or hyperglycaemic conditions (glucose 25 mM). Cells were treated with different concentrations of Aleglitazar for 48 h. We measured viability, apoptosis, caspase-3 activity, cytochrome-C release, total antioxidant capacity and reactive oxygen species formation in the treated cardiomyocytes. Human cardiomyocytes were transfected with short interfering RNA against peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ.

Results:

Aleglitazar attenuated hyperglycaemia-induced apoptosis, caspase-3 activity and cytochrome-C release and increased viability in human cardiomyocyte, cardiomyocytes from cardiac-specific peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ knockout and wild-type mice. Hyperglycaemia reduced the antioxidant capacity and Aleglitazar significantly blunted this effect. Hyperglycaemia-induced reactive oxygen species production was attenuated by Aleglitazar in both human cardiomyocyte and wild-type mice cardiomyocytes. Aleglitazar improved cell viability in cells exposed to hyperglycaemia. The protective effect was partially blocked by short interfering RNA against peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α alone and short interfering RNA against peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ alone and completely blocked by short interfering RNA to both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ.

Conclusion:

Aleglitazar protects cardiomyocytes against hyperglycaemia-induced apoptosis by combined activation of both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ in a short-term vitro model.
The Hexane Fraction of Bursera microphylla A Gray Induces p21-Mediated Antiproliferative and Proapoptotic Effects in Human Cancer–Derived Cell Lines
Authors: Adorisio Sabrina , Fierabracci Alessandra , Gigliarelli Giulia , Muscari Isabella , Cannarile Lorenza , Liberati Anna Marina , Marcotullio Maria Carla , Riccardi Carlo , Curini Massimo , Robles Zepeda Ramon Enrique , Delfino Domenico V.
Published: January 2017

Bursera microphylla (BM), one of the common elephant trees, is widely distributed in the Sonoran desert in Mexico. The Seri ethnic group in the Sonoran desert uses BM as an anti-inflammatory and painkiller drug for the treatment of sore throat, herpes labialis, abscessed tooth, and wound healing. Dried stems and leaves of BM are used in a tea to relieve painful urination and to stimulate bronchial secretion. Furthermore, BM is used for fighting venereal diseases. To investigate the effects of the hexane fraction of resin methanol extract (BM-H) on cell growth, the acute myeloid cell line (OCI-AML3) was treated with 250, 25, or 2.5 µg/mL of BM-H. The first 2 concentrations were able to significantly decrease OCI-AML3 cell number. This reduced cell number was associated with decreased S-phase, blockade of G2/M phase of the cell cycle, and increased cell death. Similar results were obtained on all tested tumor cell lines of different origins. We found that blockade of the cell cycle was a result of upregulation of p21 protein in a p53-independent way. Increase of p21 was possibly a result of upstream upregulation of p-ERK (which stabilizes p21 protein) and downregulation of p-38 (which promotes its degradation). Regarding cell death, activation of caspase-3, but not of caspase-8 or -9, was detectable after BM-H treatment. In conclusion, these data suggest that BM-H inhibited proliferation of cell lines mainly by a p21-dependent, p53-independent mechanism and promoted apoptosis through activation of caspase-3 but not caspase-8 or -9.
Type B Dissection Resulting in Acute Limb Ischemia in a Patient With a History of EVAR
Authors: Jayakumar Lalithapriya , Lombardi Joseph V. , Caputo Francis J.
Published: January 2017

Type B aortic dissection (TBAD) can be complicated due to visceral and limb malperfusion. We present the case of a patient with a TBAD 5 months after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for an infrarenal aortic aneurysm, which resulted in a right leg acute limb ischemia due to impingement of the EVAR from to the dissection. In the following discussion, we will review the literature and describe our technique for the treatment of this infrequent problem.
Metaphor and intertextuality in media framings of the (1984–1985) British Miners’ Strike: A multimodal analysis
Authors: Hart Christopher
Published: January 2017

The British Miners’ Strike of 1984–1985 represents one of the most pivotal periods in British industrial relations. The significance of media stance towards the miners remains a controversial issue today, as attested by recent publications looking back at the strike (Williams, 2009a, 2014). Here, authors including miners, journalists and other commentators argue that media coverage of the strike followed a consistently anti-trade union agenda in which the media sought to destabilise the strike. An internal British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report, only recently made public, shows that the BBC themselves had concerns over possible imbalances in their coverage of the so-called ‘Battle of Orgreave’ (Harcup, 2014). Despite the weight attached to media coverage in this context, however, surprisingly little research has been conducted from a discourse-analytical perspective to show systematically and empirically how such an agenda may have been manifested across media texts. In this article, drawing on Cognitive Linguistic Critical Discourse Studies (CL-CDS), I show how one particular metaphorical framing of the strike, which construed the strike as a war between the State and the National Union of Miners, persisted through the year-long period and consider the potential ideological functions of this framing in media strategies of (de)legitimation. I show how this metaphor featured in linguistic, visual and multimodal forms of media representation.
Achieving service recovery through responding to negative online reviews
Authors: Ho Victor
Published: January 2017

The beginning of the 21st century witnesses a trend for business and leisure travelers to make accommodation decisions by referring to online reviews of hotel accommodation services and the hotel management’s responses to such reviews. The responses, termed review response genre in this study, have since attracted considerable research attention. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it aims to identify the moves present in the review response genre; second, it aims to explore how the hotel management attempts to achieve service recovery with the moves of the genre. A total of three obligatory moves are identified: Acknowledging Problem, Expressing Feeling and Thanking Reviewer. The findings will have significant implications for the hospitality and wider service industry practitioners responsible for handling negative online reviews.
Gendered dimensions of Catalan nationalism and identity construction on Twitter
Authors: Iveson Mandie
Published: January 2017

Support for independence in Catalonia has been rapidly increasing since 2010. Civil organisations have been instrumental in the secessionist movement and have used social media to mobilise the Catalan public and raise national consciousness. Drawing on theories of national identity, gender and nation, and the discursive construction of national identity, this article examines constructions of national identity and the gendered dimensions of these constructions in a Twitter corpus collected in the week up to the public consultation on independence held in Catalonia in November 2014. Analysis of the contrasting representations of men and women found in the data suggests that, among both the elites and the public, the contemporary Catalan nationalist project continues to be built on traditional gender normative models of nationalism. The study concludes that this type of nationalism has now become so banal that it has been naturalised and suggests that a more inclusive approach may be needed in future campaigns or in the Catalan nationalist project as a whole.
Numerical analysis of an annular water–air jet pump with self-induced oscillation mixing chamber
Authors: Deng Xiaogang , Dong Jingliang , Wang Zhentao , Tu Jiyuan
Published: January 2017

This paper presents an improved annular water–air jet pump concept design through integrating a self-induced oscillation mixing chamber with the conventional annular jet pump (AJP). The internal flow characteristics for both conventional and improved AJP were numerically investigated and compared by a validated computational fluid dynamics model. The numerical comparison demonstrated an approximately 10% pumping performance increase compared with the conventional pump, which is mostly attributed to the improved mass and energy transfer along the oscillating phase interface. Furthermore, transient flow analysis was conducted to resolve the unsteady self-introduced oscillation. The results revealed the self-introduced oscillation induces a continuous break-up and formation of fresh water–air interfaces, which exhibits a periodic feature with a dominant frequency of 147 Hz for the current design under given operational conditions. This study contributes toward a better understanding of the internal annular water–air jet pump flow patterns, and also demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating self-introduced oscillation chamber into AJP design.
Baricitinib in rheumatoid arthritis: evidence-to-date and clinical potential
Authors: Kuriya Bindee , Cohen Marc D. , Keystone Ed
Published: January 2017

Biologics have changed expectation and outcomes for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the optimal duration and sequence of therapy for this disease has yet to be determined. Also, a significant number of patients do not satisfactorily respond to currently available therapies. The Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors represent a new class of therapies for RA. These drugs work uniquely by inhibiting intracellular pathways thought to be important in the pathogenesis of RA. They are available as oral agents, which is also different from the currently available biologics. Baricitinib has now been evaluated in four phase III clinical trials, and although safety concerns cannot fully be answered until the drug is studied over longer periods of time, the data to date suggest that this drug with its once daily dosing, rapid onset of action and efficacy as monotherapy represents an important addition to the RA therapeutic armamentarium. Further study and experience will better define how baricitinib will be used and by which patients.
Bring the Noise
Authors: Brooms Derrick R. , Brice Darryl A.
Published: January 2017

In this article, we use autoethnography to reflect critically on our experiences, teaching race and White privilege at the collegiate level. Given our experiences as two Black male professors, we argue that teaching about race along with variations of race talk is treated as and translated into ideologies of “noise.” Thus, race as subject matter along with our raced and gendered identities all contribute to how students hear, receive, and respond to our teaching. In our pedagogical approach, we desire to “bring the noise” by using critical pedagogy and asserting White privilege as the cornerstone for understanding social, cultural, and structural realities in the United States. Additionally, we unravel some of the nuances of our experiences in teaching White privilege and the ways that some students resist within the classroom setting. We find that many students contest our race and gendered presence in the learning environment, seek to reframe conversations about race and privilege, and resist discussions that focus on White privilege. In offering our experiences, this article is intended to encourage educators to (a) incorporate critical pedagogy that challenges and confronts student resistance and (b) better understand how their roles and identities contribute to classroom learning and instruction.
Inequalities Regimes in Policing: Examining the Connection Between Social Exclusion and Order Maintenance Strategies
Authors: Schuck Amie M. , Rabe-Hemp Cara
Published: January 2017

The purpose of this article is to evaluate how the intersection of race, class, and gender within law enforcement influences the utilization of public safety strategies grounded in the broken windows policing philosophy. Drawing from Acker’s inequality regime framework, we hypothesize that greater workplace inequalities produce institutionalized systems of social processes that increase the likelihood that organizations will implement aggressive enforcement of order maintenance offenses as a strategy for sustaining public safety. Using data collected from 1,218 U.S. police departments, the results suggest that stronger inequality regimes are associated with higher arrest rates for disorder offenses, marijuana possession, and liquor law violations. Further, the results suggest that stronger inequality regimes are related to higher arrest rates for Black community members. As many law enforcement agencies across the nation face a legitimacy crisis, prompted by concerns about how police interact with people of color, the results from this study suggest that increasing representation and reducing inequality in law enforcement should result in agencies becoming less reliant on large-scale arrest-driven order maintenance strategies by including more diverse perspectives in the decision-making process and developing alternative models for maintaining public safety.
Tableside Justice: Racial Differences in Retributive Reactions to Dissatisfaction
Authors: Brewster Zachary W. , Brauer Jonathan R.
Published: January 2017

Existing evidence indicates that racial discrimination is a common, if not pervasive, feature of Black Americans’ experiences in U.S. consumer markets. However, few studies have quantitatively explored specific social psychological and interactional consequences of consumer racial discrimination. In response, we draw from literatures on experiences, attributions, and reactions to racial discrimination to posit and test for Black-White differences in consumers’ behavioral responses to dissatisfactory dining experiences. Specifically, past research shows that Black Americans’ dissatisfactory experiences in consumer markets are more often perceived to be the result of consumer racial discrimination. Given their increased exposure to racial discrimination in consumer markets and the United States more broadly, we posit that Black customers will react more punitively to dissatisfactory restaurant experiences than White customers. We test this notion using a within-subject experimental design and regression analyses of survey data collected from a consumer panel of White and Black U.S. adults (n = 307). Results indicate that Black respondents in this sample are more likely than White respondents to penalize their server’s tips and lodge a complaint when dissatisfied with restaurant food and/or service. These findings are consistent with the prediction that Black American consumers tend to react more punitively on average to dissatisfactory consumer experiences than Whites and are consistent with prior scholarship linking coercive and unjust experiences to retributive behaviors. We conclude by discussing implications of these results and the need for further research on racial discrimination in U.S. restaurants and related consumer markets.
Diagnosis of Tuberculosis Following World Health Organization–Recommended Criteria in Severely Malnourished Children Presenting With Pneumonia
Authors: Chisti Mohammod Jobayer , Salam Mohammed Abdus , Shahid Abu S. M. S. B. , Shahunja K. M. , Das Sumon Kumar , Faruque Abu Syed Golam , Bardhan Pradip Kumar , Ahmed Tahmeed
Published: January 2017

Evidences on diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) following the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria in children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are lacking. We sought to evaluate the WHO criteria for the diagnosis of TB in such children. In this prospective study, we enrolled SAM children aged <5 with radiological pneumonia. We collected induced sputum and gastric lavage for smear microscopy, mycobacterial culture, and Xpert MTB/RIF. Using the last 2 methods as the gold standard, we determined sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of WHO criteria (n = 388). However, Xpert MTB/RIF was performed on the last 214 children. Compared to mycobacterial culture–confirmed TB, sensitivity and specificity (95% confidence interval) of WHO criteria were 40 (14% to 73%) and 84 (80% to 87%), respectively. Compared to culture- and/or Xpert MTB/RIF-confirmed TB, the values were 22% (9% to 43%) and 83 (79% to 87%), respectively. Thus, the good specificity of the WHO criteria may help minimize overtreatment with anti-TB therapy in SAM children, especially in resource-limited settings.
Managing Biases in Product Development Teams: A Tale of Two Rocks
Authors: Keene Michael A.
Published: January 2017

The management of product development teams is a challenging task, especially when success hinges on the ability to guide technical and nontechnical personnel through an effective decision-making process. The “Tale of Two Rocks” exercise illustrates how differing motivations and beliefs about new technologies can affect the decisions developers and managers make in the product development process. In the exercise, the instructor provides a narrative about two very different new products: a novel, nontoxic cleaning solution and a simple rock with amusing packaging. When students complete a questionnaire about the market and profit potential of these new products, individuals with technical backgrounds prefer the high-tech solution, even when they sense that the market is more likely to accept the low-tech alternative. During the debriefing, students learn to both distinguish between a technical accomplishment and a business opportunity and better understand the mind-set of their colleagues.
Kenneth E. Bailey: An Ambassador Serving the Middle East and the West
Authors: Burge Gary M.
Published: January 2017

Kenneth E. Bailey (1930–2016) was an internationally acclaimed New Testament scholar who grew up in Egypt and devoted his life to the church of the Middle East. He also was an ambassador of Arab culture to the West, explaining through his many books on the New Testament how the context of the Middle East shapes the world of the New Testament. He wed cultural anthropology to biblical exegesis and shaped the way scholars view the Gospels today.