bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In the Soviet Shadow
Authors: Myadar Orhon
Published: April 2017

The article aims to broaden the understanding of Soviet politics as a form of colonialism and to deploy the same conceptual tools used in post-colonial critiques that have been typically reserved for critiquing European control of ‘distant’ lands, both in temporal and spatial dimensions. Closely examining Soviet politics in Mongolia, the article conceptualises the Soviet policies across the vast Soviet-sphere with the post-colonial theoretical framework. Conceptually, the article juxtaposes the post-colonial treatment of the Soviet politics with high modernism. Under Soviet direction and control, Mongolia was profoundly transformed over seven decades from an impoverished pastoral society at the beginning of the twentieth century to a highly ordered and structured society. This social, spatial, administrative transformation was more vivid and radical than in many former Soviet-sphere countries, especially those countries that had long been settled and urbanised.
The Power of Faulty Paperwork
Authors: Plueckhahn Rebekah
Published: April 2017

While Mongolian citizens have a ‘right’ (erh) to receive a plot of urban land from their government, accessing and keeping land in Ulaanbaatar is not necessarily a clear-cut process. Situated in the confluence between the two main property regimes of temporary possession (ezemshil) as well as ownership (ömchlöl), this paper traces the slippages that occur as people attempt to make and hold onto land plots. It does this by ethnographically charting one person’s quest to secure legal ownership of their land. Here, the importance of cadastral mapping emerges as an essential but fraught practice that can either build or break the bridge between socially acquired land and the formation of its bureaucratic legitimacy. Securing the right map of this land forced a number of social, economic and bureaucratic issues into view, revealing how people negotiate uncertain bureaucratic processes, difficult physical terrain and fluctuating value in Ulaanbaatar’s commercialised land market.
We Eat Whom We Love
Authors: Peemot Victoria Soyan
Published: April 2017

This paper examines hippophagy among Tyvan pastoralists. Horse-meat eating practice is defined by herder-horse relationships, the horse’s not-quite-livestock position and its instrumental and symbolic values. Complexity of influencing factors engenders a ritual which regulates slaughtering and eating meat of the most appreciated horses. As a result of this, ritual transformation of animals into meat does not turn them into the absent referent; rather, as I show in this article, the reference is always present.
Hair: Practices and Symbolism in Traditional Muslim Societies
Authors: Hirsch Hadas
Published: April 2017

This study examines Muslim legal discussion of head and body hair by uncovering their symbolic meanings as found in written descriptions, as these reflect both reality and expected norms. The use of symbols and symbolizing processes, together with a wider conception of the way Muslims perceive themselves, their appearance and the human interactions they have in daily life and during ceremonies, confirms the multiplicity of meanings which exist in the legal discussion of head and body hair. Thus, these societies entertained several levels of meaning for hair, some of them contradictory and complementary at the same time.
Optimizing twisted yarn structure for natural fiber-reinforced polymeric composites
Authors: Zaidi Badar Munir , Zhang Jin , Magniez Kevin , Gu Hongbo , Miao Menghe
Published: April 2017

Natural plant fibers need to be spun into yarns to produce textile preforms for structural composites. The twist in the spun yarn causes fiber misalignment. This paper reports the construction of a two-ply yarn from such twisted yarn with improved fiber alignment to maximize the mechanical performance of resulting composites. This is achieved by twisting two twisted singles yarns in the opposite direction. The level of opposite-direction ply twist as a percentage of the twist in the initial singles yarn has shown a significant influence on the tensile and flexural properties of the final composites. The maximum performance is achieved when the ratio between the ply yarn twist and the singles yarn twist was approximately 0.3, which coincides with the ratio for achieving maximum Krenchel fiber orientation factor for the two-ply yarn as predicted by a geometrical model. This ply yarn twist/singles yarn twist ratio can be used as a design guideline for natural fiber yarns used as reinforcement for load-bearing composites.
A Multilevel Longitudinal Nested Logit Model for Measuring Changes in Correct Response and Error Types
Authors: Suh Youngsuk , Cho Sun-Joo , Bottge Brian A.
Published: April 2017

This article presents a multilevel longitudinal nested logit model for analyzing correct response and error types in multilevel longitudinal intervention data collected under a pretest–posttest, cluster randomized trial design. The use of the model is illustrated with a real data analysis, including a model comparison study regarding model complexity and cluster bias. Two substantive research questions regarding the intervention effect on correct response probability and error patterns are investigated using the proposed model. The recovery of item parameters for the proposed model using two sample size conditions is examined via a simulation study. The accuracy of the parameter estimates is comparable with those found in previous studies for the same family of models, except for the intercept parameters of correct responses. Finally, the impact of ignoring cluster membership in the model on the parameter estimation is also studied by fitting a single-level model to multilevel data. Ignoring cluster membership in the model adversely affects the estimation of intercept parameters in correct and error responses.
A systematic surgical approach to hepatoblastoma with intracardiac extension
Authors: Sayed Sajid , Prabhu Sudesh , Fawcett Jonathan , Choo Kelvin , Alphonso Nelson
Published: April 2017

Hepatoblastoma is very uncommon in children, and intracardiac extension is rare. The SIOPEL-4 regime for metastatic hepatoblastoma has extended the surgical options with good results. We successfully treated a boy aged 2 years and 9 months with hepatoblastoma, using a multidisciplinary surgical strategy involving an extended left hepatectomy, left adrenalectomy, biopsy of the paraaortic and coeliac lymph nodes, and resection of the inferior vena caval-right atrial extension of the hepatoblastoma, under cardiopulmonary bypass and deep hypothermia.
Region-specific disruption of the blood-brain barrier following repeated inflammatory dural stimulation in a rat model of chronic trigeminal allodynia
Authors: Fried Nathan T , Maxwell Christina R , Elliott Melanie B , Oshinsky Michael L
Published: April 2017

Background

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been hypothesized to play a role in migraine since the late 1970s. Despite this, limited investigation of the BBB in migraine has been conducted. We used the inflammatory soup rat model of trigeminal allodynia, which closely mimics chronic migraine, to determine the impact of repeated dural inflammatory stimulation on BBB permeability.

Methods

The sodium fluorescein BBB permeability assay was used in multiple brain regions (trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC), periaqueductal grey, frontal cortex, sub-cortex, and cortex directly below the area of dural activation) during the episodic and chronic stages of repeated inflammatory dural stimulation. Glial activation was assessed in the TNC via GFAP and OX42 immunoreactivity. Minocycline was tested for its ability to prevent BBB disruption and trigeminal sensitivity.

Results

No astrocyte or microglial activation was found during the episodic stage, but BBB permeability and trigeminal sensitivity were increased. Astrocyte and microglial activation, BBB permeability, and trigeminal sensitivity were increased during the chronic stage. These changes were only found in the TNC. Minocycline treatment prevented BBB permeability modulation and trigeminal sensitivity during the episodic and chronic stages.

Discussion

Modulation of BBB permeability occurs centrally within the TNC following repeated dural inflammatory stimulation and may play a role in migraine.
3D layer-to-layer orthogonal interlock woven composites under monotonic loading: Multiscale modeling
Authors: Muthukumar M , Prasath J , Sathish S , Ravikumar G , Desai YM , Naik NK
Published: April 2017

Multiscale modeling of 3D layer-to-layer orthogonal interlock woven composite structure for elastic and strength behavior is presented. Due to the inherent nature of weaving, 3D woven composites can be represented by repetitive unit cells at the meso level. The present study focuses on identifying different types of repetitive unit cells considering both the geometry and the boundary conditions. For a typical 3D layer-to-layer orthogonal interlock woven composite, there are eight types of meso repetitive unit cells taking into account both the geometry and the boundary conditions. Additionally, for a practical situation, fiber volume fraction (Vf) in the impregnated strand is not uniform throughout the cross-section. In other words, Vf would be different for different micro repetitive unit cells. The properties of the macro structure, i.e. the 3D woven composite structure has been determined by applying periodic boundary conditions at micro and meso levels and iso-strain conditions at the macro level using finite element analysis. The continuity between the blocks is provided by merging the nodes in the intersection regions. The effect of different Vf at different locations in the transverse cross-section of the strand on the elastic and the strength properties of 3D layer-to-layer woven composite structure is presented.
Flow-control and hybridization strategies for thermoplastic stiffened panels of long discontinuous fibers
Authors: Visweswaraiah Swaroop B , Ohlmann Nicolas , Lessard Larry , Hubert Pascal
Published: April 2017

The current research aims at mitigating the flow-induced manufacturing issues (strand waviness and swirling of strands) encountered in complex parts of randomly oriented strands, through the hybridization of randomly oriented strands with continuous fibers, while emphasizing the ease of manufacturing and repeatability. Three hybridization strategies are proposed for T-stiffeners that represent the generalized intersecting junctions of stiffened panels. The strategies include: flow-control element, flange reinforcements, and rib reinforcements. A quantitative assessment of pull-out strengths of five T-stiffener configurations is made. Flow-control element improves the strand flow at the junction, reduces variability, and enhances the pull-out b-basis design allowable by about 24%. A quasi-isotropic laminate as flange reinforcement with a flow-control element produces 12.5% pull-out strength improvement. Rib reinforcement causes reinforcement delamination from the randomly oriented strands part, dropping pull-out strength by about 6%. A transient heat transfer analysis of the tooling set-up was simulated using finite elements to devise a preferential cooling strategy that minimizes porosity in randomly oriented strands panels with T-stiffeners.
An elastic phenomenological material law for textile composites and it's fitting to experimental data
Authors: Hegyi Dezső , Halász Marianna , Molnár Kolos , Szebenyi Gábor , Sipos András A
Published: April 2017

Constitutive description of deformations in technical textiles mostly requires some highly nonlinear material law because of the interaction between the orthotropic yarns and the effect of the matrix. Phenomenological models aim to capture the overall (macro level) behaviour needed in engineering applications. This paper introduces a new, two-dimensional phenomenological model for technical textiles, accompanied by a data acquiring strategy to determine the material parameters involved in the model. It handles the nonlinear stress–strain relation observed in uniaxial tests and takes the interactions in the two, orthogonal directions into account. As we aim to introduce a solution applicable at the service level of the loads, our model is inherently elastic, no time dependent or plastic behaviour are introduced and no cyclic loading is taken into consideration. The model can be solidly fit to the measured data.
On the mechanical properties of functionally graded materials reinforced by carbon nanotubes
Authors: Rouhi Saeed , Alavi Seyed H
Published: April 2017

In this paper, the elastic properties of functionally graded materials reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes are studied. Three different matrices, including steel-silicon, iron-alumina and alumina-zirconia are considered. Besides, the effects of nanotube length, radius and volume fraction on the Young’s modulus of functionally graded matrices reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotubes are investigated. It is observed that short nanotubes not only cannot increase the longitudinal elastic modulus of the matrices, but sometimes decrease their elastic modulus. Of the three selected matrices, steel-silicon matrix would have the most enhancement. Investigation of the effect of nanotube volume fraction on the mechanical properties of nanocomposites shows that increasing the volume fraction of long single-walled carbon nanotube results in increasing the elastic modulus of the nanocomposites.
Effect of textured surface on the frictional noise under line contact and sliding–rolling conditions
Authors: Li Zhi , Chen Jian , Li Jiazhu , Liu Kun
Published: April 2017

Line contact and sliding–rolling movements exist widely in gears and bearings. In order to investigate the influence of surface microstructure on the frictional noise, a numerical study on the frictional noise generated by textured surfaces under line contact and sliding–rolling conditions by the use of finite element method is presented. The finite element model is established based on real surface topography. To improve the analysis reliability, friction coefficients used in the simulation are measured for different textured surfaces under various loads and speeds. The relationship between the 3D surface topography parameters and the frictional noise are analyzed. Results show that the frictional noise under line contact sliding–rolling conditions increases with load and speed, which can be explained from an energy dissipation perspective. Moreover, the 3D surface topography parameters of mean peak curvature and peak density influence the frictional noise during sliding–rolling under line contact significantly.
Immunomodulation in systemic lupus erythematosus: induction of M2 population in monocyte-derived macrophages by pioglitazone
Authors: Mohammadi S , Saghaeian-Jazi M , Sedighi S , Memarian A
Published: April 2017

Macrophages have recently gained attention in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pathogenesis for their role in the anti-inflammatory clearance of apoptotic cells. The M1/M2 polarization of macrophages improves efferocytic capability. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ is proposed to function in the expansion of the M2 subpopulation. Pioglitazone is a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ agonist with a variety of anti-inflammatory effects. In this paper, we investigated the ex vivo alterations of monocyte-derived macrophages of 15 newly diagnosed SLE patients and 10 normal subjects triggered by apoptotic cells among SLE patients following pioglitazone treatment. The phagocytosis capacity of macrophages and M1/M2 polarization (CD86/CD163) was evaluated. The supernatants were also analyzed for the expression of interleukin (IL)-10, IL-12, transforming growth factor β1 and TNF-α. The mRNA expression of IL-1β and mannose receptor C-type 1 were also quantified among treated and non-treated monocyte-derived macrophages. We found that efferocytosis is defective among monocyte-derived macrophages of SLE patients and might be a major underlying mechanism involved in the sustained inflammation. Pioglitazone could enhance alternative activation of monocyte-derived macrophages and consequently immunomodulation in these patients.
The tyranny of clock time? Debating fatigue in the US truck driving industry
Authors: Snyder Benjamin H
Published: April 2017

Social theorists frequently claim that clock time—a cold, mechanical, and intensifying culture of time reckoning—has the tendency to dominate “process time”—a warm, humane, and leisurely culture of time-reckoning. This article interrogates this “tyranny of clock time” narrative through an in-depth examination of the fatigue debate in the US truck driving industry. I find that trucking regulators use clock time to encourage rest and recovery. Drivers, meanwhile, are committed to process time in ways that encourage intensification and overwork. Process time culture involves its own forms of time discipline that are related to power, exploitation, and overwork in surprising ways. Yet even though the normative ends of the two time orientations are reversed in this case, I still find that clock time is tyrannical in a certain limited sense. Clock time disrupts the rhythms of the labor process leading to work scenarios that drivers find fatiguing. In their efforts to use clock time to regulate fatigue, then, trucking regulators have actually created new kinds of fatigue. The tyranny of clock time narrative is thus challenged and supported in ways that refine our understanding of both clock time and process time.
Optimization of the French cystic fibrosis newborn screening programme by a centralized tracking process
Authors: Munck Anne , Delmas Dominique , Audrézet Marie-Pierre , Lemonnier Lydie , Cheillan David , Roussey Michel
Published: April 2017

Objectives

To evaluate the French cystic fibrosis newborn screening algorithm, based on data tracked by a centralized monitoring process, from 2002 to 2014. The programme aimed to attain European Standards in terms of positive predictive value, sensitivity, the ratio of screen positive patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis to infants who screen positive but with inconclusive diagnosis (CFSPID), and time to diagnosis.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of programme performance, compliance with the algorithm, and changes in screening strategy.

Results

Modifications in the flow chart protocol improved the positive predictive value to 0.31 while maintaining the sensitivity at 0.95. Among infants diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, or identified as CFSPID, sweat test results were obtained for 94%, and two mutations were identified after exhaustive screening for the gene, when applicable, in 99.6%. The rate of pending diagnosis was very low (0.5%). The ratio of infants with cystic fibrosis:CFSPID was 6.3:1. Age at initial visit at the CF centre was ≤ 35 days, respectively, in 53%/26%.

Conclusion

Performances were in agreement with European standards, but timeliness of initial visit needed improvement. Our data complement an accumulating body of evidence demonstrating that attention must be paid to such ethical considerations as limiting carrier detection and inconclusive diagnosis. Newborn screening programmes should have a rigorous centralized monitoring process to warrant adjustments for improving performance to attain consensus guidelines.
Internationalization Management in Japanese Universities: The Effects of Institutional Structures and Cultures
Authors: Yonezawa Yukako
Published: April 2017

This study examines approaches to the internationalization of Japanese universities by focusing on the effects of institutional structures and cultures. Using a qualitative case study method, the research examines the following question: “How do institutional structures and cultures affect the internationalization of education in Japanese universities?” While its philosophical importance has acquired wider recognition, institutional trials for internationalization vary extremely. By considering different factors, the study’s findings shed light on the internationalization strategies, approaches, and management techniques suited to different university types in Japan. Three arguments are advanced. First, four possible patterns of approaches to institutional internationalization are explored based on structural approaches and patterns of cultural behaviors. Second, senior leadership, the roles of international offices, and internal communication are examined as important factors in the practice of institutional internationalization. Third, a more intensive effort to interrelate structural and cultural aspects is required for the further advancement of institutional internationalization.
Contextual “Readiness” for Institutional Work. A Study of the Fight Against Corruption in Brazil
Authors: Castro Armando , Ansari Shaz
Published: April 2017

While existing research has explained how actors can disrupt even deeply entrenched practices, we focus on the role of the context in fueling these efforts. To do so, we analyze one of the largest anticorruption operations ever launched in Brazil: the “Lava Jato” (Car Wash Operation) and its antecedents, the contextual enablers of change, and the institutional work of agents involved in this operation. We find that the confluence of jolts, gradual changes in the field, and the cumulating work of purposeful actors were essential for anticorruption actions to gain traction across the country and lead to a breakthrough in the fight against corruption. We develop a model to explain how actors seeking institutional change are contextually empowered, and their efforts yield breakthroughs only at particular points in time when the context is “ripe” for change. Our findings contribute both to institutional theory and the corruption literature.
Arthroscopic Correlates of Subtle Syndesmotic Injury
Authors: Guyton Gregory P. , DeFontes Kenneth , Barr Cameron R. , Parks Brent G. , Camire Lyn M.
Published: April 2017

Background:

Arthroscopic criteria for identifying syndesmotic disruption have been variable and subjective. We aimed to quantify syndesmotic disruption arthroscopically using a standardized measurement device.

Methods:

Ten cadaveric lower extremity specimens were tested in intact state and after serial sectioning of the syndesmotic structures (anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament [AiTFL], interosseous ligament [IOL], posterior inferior tibiofibular ligament [PiTFL], deltoid). Diagnostic ankle arthroscopy was performed after each sectioning. Manual external rotational stress was applied across the tibiofibular joint. Custom-manufactured spherical balls of increasing diameter mounted on the end of an arthroscopic probe were inserted into the tibiofibular space to determine the degree of diastasis of the tibiofibular joint under each condition.

Results:

A ball 3 mm in diameter reliably indicated a high likelihood of combined disruption of the AiTFL and IOL. Disruption of the AiTFL alone could not be reliably distinguished from the intact state.

Conclusion:

Use of a spherical probe placed into the tibiofibular space during manual external rotation of the ankle provided an objective measure of syndesmotic instability. Passage of a 2.5-mm probe indicated some disruption of the syndesmosis, but the test had poor negative predictive value. Passage of a 3.0-mm spherical probe indicated very high likelihood of disruption of both the AiTFL and the IOL.

Clinical Relevance:

The findings challenge the previously used but unsupported standard of a 2-mm diastasis of the tibiofibular articulation for diagnosis of subtle syndesmotic instability.
Effect of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy on Cellular Fibronectin and Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Expression in Diabetic Foot Wounds
Authors: Yang Shao Ling , Zhu Lv Yun , Han Rui , Sun Lei Lei , Dou Jing Tao
Published: April 2017

Background:

Chronic diabetic foot wounds are a leading cause of amputation, morbidity, and hospitalization for patients with diabetes. Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) can putatively facilitate wound healing, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Cellular fibronectin (cFN) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) play an important role in wound healing. This prospective randomized controlled trial evaluated the effects of NPWT on the production of cFN and the expression of TGF-β1 in diabetic foot wounds of patients.

Methods:

From January 2012 to January 2015, 40 patients with diabetic foot wounds were randomly and equally apportioned to receive either NPWT or advanced moist wound therapy (control) for 7 days. Granulation tissue was harvested before and after treatment. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were performed to evaluate protein levels of cFN and TGF-β1, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to measure corresponding mRNA expressions.

Results:

NPWT facilitated the expression of cFN and TGF-β1 in diabetic foot wounds. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed higher levels of cFN and TGF-β1 in the NPWT group than in the control group. Western blot and real-time PCR analysis further showed that protein and mRNA levels of cFN or TGF-β1 were higher in the NPWT group than that in the control group ( P < .01, both).

Conclusion:

Our results showed that NPWT facilitated the production of cFN and the expression of TGF-β1 in granulation tissue in diabetic foot ulcers.

Level of Evidence:

Level I, randomized controlled study.
Validity in Phallometric Testing for Sexual Interests in Children: A Meta-Analytic Review
Authors: McPhail Ian V. , Hermann Chantal A. , Fernane Stephanie , Fernandez Yolanda M. , Nunes Kevin L. , Cantor James M.
Published: April 2017

Valid assessment of pedohebephilic interests (i.e., sexual interest in children) is fundamental to forensic clinical practice. Phallometric testing—which measures changes in penile circumference or volume, while stimuli depicting different ages and sexual activities are presented—is widely used in clinical and research settings to detect such interests. This meta-analysis summarizes studies comparing sexual offenders against children and various types of controls on phallometric tests for pedohebephilic interests (37 samples; N = 6,785) and studies examining the relationship between phallometric test scores and sexual reoffending (16 samples; N = 2,709). The findings suggest that several phallometric testing procedures are valid indicators of pedohebephilic interest. Certain methodological features of phallometric tests were associated with greater validity, such as, slide or audio-plus-slide stimuli and z-score-based indices. In addition, phallometric tests for pedohebephilic, pedophilic, and hebephilic interests predicted sexual reoffending which provides further evidence that phallometric test scores are valid indicators of sexual interest in children. In general, the interpretation of phallometric test scores as indicators of pedohebephilic interests is supported.
Gender Invariance and Psychometric Properties of the Nonproductive Thoughts Questionnaire for Children
Authors: Kocsel Natália , Mónok Kata , Szabó Edina , Morgan Antony , Reinhardt Melinda , Urbán Róbert , Demetrovics Zsolt , Kökönyei Gyöngyi
Published: April 2017

Perseverative cognitions—rumination and worry—can contribute to mental and somatic health problems in adolescence. Girls usually report stronger rumination or worry than boys even in earlier years across the development age spectrum. Our aim was to test the gender invariance and psychometric properties of the Nonproductive Thoughts Questionnaire for Children (NPTQ-C). Study 1 involved 1,572 students (mean age = 15.39 years, SD = 2.26; 49% boy) recruited representatively from local schools. We applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the measurement model of perseverative cognitions. The gender invariance of the measurement model and the convergent validity were analyzed as well with CFA with covariates model. The original one-factor structure of NPTQ-C was supported in our adolescent sample. Gender invariance was also confirmed. The NPTQ-C indicated high convergent validity: showing positive correlations with emotional instability and emotional symptoms. In Study 2 (385 students; mean age = 16.05; SD = 1.23; 34% boy), we tested the construct validity of NPTQ-C. The applied CFA with covariates model supported the construct validity. In summary, NPTQ-C proved to be a good instrument for measuring ruminative and worrying thoughts of adolescents, which reliably measures perseverative cognitions across genders.
Assessment of adherence and relative dose intensity with oral chemotherapy in oncology clinical trials at an academic medical center
Authors: Engle Jeff A , Traynor Anne M , Campbell Toby C , Wisinski Kari B , LoConte Noelle , Liu Glenn , Wilding George , Kolesar Jill M
Published: April 2017

Background/Aims

Oral chemotherapy is increasingly utilized leaving the patient responsible for self-administering an often complex regimen where adverse effects are common. Non-adherence and reduced relative dose intensity are both associated with poorer outcomes in the community setting but are rarely reported in clinical trials. The purpose of this study is to quantify adherence and relative dose intensity in oncology clinical trials and to determine patient and study related factors that influence adherence and relative dose intensity.

Methods

Patients were identified from non-industry-funded clinical trials conducted between 1 January 2009 and 31 March 2013 at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. Data were extracted from primary research records. Descriptive statistics and linear regression modeling was performed using SAS 9.4.

Results

A total of 17 clinical trials and 266 subjects were included. Mean adherence was greater than 97% for the first eight cycles. Mean relative dose intensity was less than 90% for the first cycle and declined over time. Male gender, a performance status of 1 or 2, metastatic disease, and traveling more than 90 miles to reach the cancer center were associated with higher relative dose intensity.

Conclusions

Patients with cancer enrolled in clinical trials are highly adherent but unlikely to achieve protocol specified relative dose intensity. Given that determining the phase II dose is the primary endpoint of phase I trials, incorporating relative dose intensity into this determination should be considered.
Prediction of cardiovascular risk in cancer patients of South India using WHO/ISH risk prediction charts and Framingham score – A prospective study
Authors: Rajanandh MG , Suresh S , Manobala K , Nandhakumar R , Jaswanthi G , Neha S
Published: April 2017

Objective

Despite the fact that cancer and heart diseases are interconnected, there is lack of information about the prevalence of cardiovascular risk in cancer patients in the South Indian population. With this background, the present study sought to predict the cardiovascular disease in cancer patients.

Methods

A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Medical Oncology, Sri Ramachandra University and Hospital, India. Patients’ demographic details, medical information, height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were measured. Two risk prediction tools, namely World Health Organization/International Society of hypertension (WHO/ISH) risk prediction charts and Framingham score were used to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk over 10 years.

Results

A total of 70 patients were included for the study. Breast and stomach cancer were found to be most among the study patients. Cardiovascular disease was assessed using WHO/ISH and Framingham risk assessment tool. With respect to WHO/ISH risk, there is a significant difference in gender, type of cancer, smoking status and age between the risk groups. Males have a high risk compared to females, and smokers have a high risk compared to non-smokers. With respect to Framingham score, there is a significant difference in gender, smoking status and systolic blood pressure between the risk groups. Males have a high risk compared to females, and smokers have a high risk compared to non-smokers. A moderate degree of agreement exists between the two risk prediction tools.

Conclusion

The findings of the study revealed that there is a low risk of cardiovascular disease in cancer patients.
Nurse–Patient Interaction as a Treatment for Antepartum Depression: A Mixed-Methods Analysis
Authors: Evans Emily C. , Deutsch Nancy L. , Drake Emily , Bullock Linda
Published: April 2017

BACKGROUND: The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force guidelines recommend pregnant women be screened for depression and adequate systems be in place to treat this condition. OBJECTIVE: This study examines a nurse-delivered telephone support intervention provided to low-income, pregnant women living in rural settings. DESIGN: This study had a complementary mixed-methods design, using secondary data. Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations was used as a framework to guide the study. RESULTS: The phases of Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations were evident in the interactions. Underserved women at high risk for depression appreciated this type of support, with the women at highest risk for depression utilizing more of the nursing support provided. On average, Mental Health Index–5 scores improved from 45 to 66. CONCLUSION: A nurse-delivered telephone support intervention, modeled around Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations, may be an effective way of providing support to underserved women and has the potential to treat or offset antepartum depression.
Navigating the Faculty–Student Relationship: Interacting With Nursing Students With Mental Health Issues
Authors: Kucirka Brenda G.
Published: April 2017

BACKGROUND: There is an increase in students enrolled in higher education diagnosed with mental illness or experiencing symptoms suggestive of mental health issues (MHI). This has a significant impact on the faculty–student relationship. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify the basic social psychological process that occurs when nursing faculty interact with students with MHI. DESIGN: Grounded theory methodology was implemented to identify the basic social psychological process that occurs when faculty encounter students with MHI. Thirteen nursing faculty were interviewed. Data were analyzed using line by line coding and constant comparative analysis. RESULTS: The resulting substantive theory, navigating the faculty–student relationship in the context of student MHI, is an iterative four-phase process: noticing, responding, experiencing, and reflecting. CONCLUSION: This theory provides a framework for understanding how nursing faculty recognize and address student MHI. The theory can be used to establish interventional strategies and best practice guidelines.
A multivariate adaptive regression splines based damage identification methodology for web core composite bridges including the effect of noise
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Tanmoy
Published: April 2017

A novel computationally efficient damage identification methodology for web core fiber-reinforced polymer composite bridges has been developed in this article based on multivariate adaptive regression splines in conjunction with a multi-objective goal-attainment optimization algorithm. The proposed damage identification methodology has been validated for several single and multiple damage cases. The performance of the efficient multivariate adaptive regression splines-based approach for the inverse system identification process is found to be quite satisfactory. An iterative scheme in conjunction with the multi-objective optimization algorithm coupled with multivariate adaptive regression splines is proposed to increase damage identification accuracy. The effect of noise on the proposed damage identification algorithm has also been addressed subsequently using a probabilistic framework. The multivariate adaptive regression splines-based damage identification algorithm is general in nature; therefore, in future it can be implemented to other structures.
Comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of four smartphone-compatible blood pressure monitors in post-myocardial infarction patients
Authors: Treskes Roderick W , Wolterbeek Ron , van der Velde Enno T , Eindhoven Daniëlle C , Schalij Martin J
Published: April 2017

Introduction

Smartphone-compatible blood pressure devices may be a good alternative to enable self-measurement of blood pressure by patients. Furthermore, automatic transferral of data to the hospital allows for remote monitoring. To our knowledge, no study has compared four of these smartphone-compatible blood pressure devices.

Methods

Patients who were followed up for acute myocardial infarction were asked to participate during their outpatient clinic visit. After five minutes of rest, six blood pressure devices were applied. The order was randomised. Four devices were smartphone-compatible. One device was an automated oscillometric device. One device was a handheld aneroid sphygmomanometer (reference device). All measurements were compared using a linear mixed model.

Results

A total of 43 patients (62.7 ± 11.3 years, 79% male) were included. Compared to the reference device, four blood pressure monitors yielded a significant higher mean systolic blood pressure and four monitors yielded a significant higher diastolic BP. One device yielded a non-significant lower mean systolic blood pressure and one device yielded a non-significant higher mean diastolic blood pressure. Except for one blood pressure device, all mean differences were smaller than 5 mmHg.

Conclusion

In this study, average inter-device variability was shown to be statistically significant, however four devices remained within the predefined range of 5 mmHg for both systolic and diastolic blood pressures.
Mediating home in an age of austerity: The values of British property television
Authors: McElroy Ruth
Published: April 2017

Lifestyle television provides a dramatic space in popular culture where the values of neoliberalism are articulated, enacted and sometimes contested. The ideological reliance of this consumer-driven form of television on financial markets and economic growth has posed a significant challenge for programme-makers in the post-crisis recessionary era. This article explores the myriad ways in which British property television has responded to the global financial crisis, particularly as it has been framed discursively as a new age of austerity. Austerity is understood here as an ideological formation that mobilises a selective version of 20th-century British history in order to establish continuity of national values of thrift, poverty and collective stoicism that are seen to characterise a cohesive, British response to a crisis that emerges from external forces. The article charts the contradictions that become evident when the financial and ideological system upon which the property TV genre is reliant are being undermined. Although UK consumers’ access to mortgages has been a casualty of the crisis, the aspiration to home-ownership in Britain has survived relatively unscathed. This article illustrates how these contradictions are played out on-screen in diverse iterations of the property TV genre transmitted by British public service broadcasters, including new domestic craft series presented by property gurus. It argues that the genre, as a cultural and industrial artefact, is remarkably adaptable to new economic and ideological circumstances.
Re-locating media production
Authors: Parmett Helen Morgan , Rodgers Scott
Published: April 2017

It was arguably easier in the past to pin down media production in medium- or content-specific locales, such as the studio, the newsroom or the set. Contemporary processes of media convergence have dramatically opened up the ‘what’ and ‘where’ of media production to include all manner of quotidian practices and ephemeral places. This special issue, however, pushes back against the idea that contemporary landscapes of media production have been flattened. Each of the articles collected here accounts for significant transformations in media practices near to those that we would conventionally associate with media production, yet which are also potentially left behind in the rush to describe, theorize, celebrate and critique trends such as ‘produsage’, ‘prosumption’ and participatory media culture. Taken together, the articles in this special issue provide new insights into the locations and relocations of contemporary media production across new and under-researched liminal and peripheral geographies, and around new and unexpected objects.
Acoustic insulation performance of a honeycomb panel using a transfer matrix method
Authors: Jung Jae-Deok , Hong Suk-Yoon , Song Jee-Hun , Kwon Hyun-Wung
Published: April 2017

Honeycomb panels have good mechanical properties and are widely used in various industries because of their high strength-to-weight ratio. However, more research into their acoustic insulation is needed. In this study, a transfer matrix was derived for the acoustic insulation performance prediction of a honeycomb panel. To properly derive the transfer matrix for the model, it should be configured from the relationship between the pressure and particle velocity of the front and rear sections of the honeycomb panel. Each type (fluid, solid, etc.) consisting of a layer was analyzed by a continuous pressure and velocity condition. The numerical results were verified through experimental results using the intensity method. We confirmed that the two results (numerical and experimental result) were in good agreement within approximately 2 dB. Finally, the acoustic insulation performance was studied in relation to the honeycomb thickness, cell size, cell-wall thickness, and cell shape. We observed that smaller cell sizes and thicker cell walls improved the insulation performance. We confirmed that acoustic insulation performance of honeycomb panels can be improved by changing the cell design.
Participatory action research in the design, construction and evaluation of improved cook stoves in a rural Yucatec Maya community
Authors: López-Martínez Octavio , Cuanalo de la Cerda Heriberto Emilio
Published: April 2017

Different initiatives have promoted the use of improved cook stoves around the world. Their goal has been to eradicate cooking over open flame inside dwellings because it is associated with health problems, inefficient resource use and greenhouse gas emissions. Most of these improved cook stoves initiatives depend heavily on expert-generated solutions, treating users as mere recipients. However, they have had little success in terms of adoption rates. Their failures are due to myriad factors, highlighting the complexity of this problem. In the rural community of Yaxcabá, Mexico, most households use wood as a cooking fuel in small fire pits. As an alternative approach to this problem, we proposed a project to create an improved cook stoves based on dialogue with community members. We used a systems approach to analyze the large number of variables involved in the problem. Following participatory action research approach, we worked with 17 participants forming two groups in a process of self-diagnosis, design, construction and evaluation of two improved cook stoves models. The participants stated that the resulting improved cook stoves offered multiple advantages over previous devices, particularly in sociocultural, environmental and comfort aspects.
Closing Down and Cashing In: Extremism and Political Fundraising
Authors: Oklobdzija Stan
Published: April 2017

Can politically polarizing events bear dividends for extremist lawmakers? Evidence from California legislative financial disclosures suggests they can. During the state's numerous budget shutdowns of the last 30 years, extremist legislators outside their party median could expect greater fund-raising hauls than their more centrist counterparts. The results suggest that polarizing events such as California's perennial budget impasses can make extremist positions more appealing to the polarized political elites who generally fund political campaigns. Regardless of the motivation, however, these results suggest a strong incentive to prolong political discord by extremists—a troubling outcome in cases where supermajority votes are required.
Efficacy of Citalopram on Acute Ischemic Stroke Outcome: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Savadi Oskouie Daryoush , Sharifipour Ehsan , Sadeghi Bazargani Homayoun , Hashemilar Mazyar , Nikanfar Masoud , Ghazanfari Amlashi Saeed , Abbaszade Zahra , Sadeghihokmabadi Elyar , Rikhtegar Reza , Golzari Samad E. J.
Published: April 2017

Background and purpose. Ischemic stroke (IS) is one of the main causes of death and disability in the adult population, and recovery from it is a major health concern worldwide. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of citalopram on 3-mounth outcome of nondepressed acute IS patients. Methods. In a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 144 patients with acute IS were studied for 3 months. In one group, the patients received oral citalopram 20 mg (once daily), and in the other group, they received placebo. All patients received standard care, including physiotherapy. Patients with depression were excluded throughout the study. The primary outcome of the study was set to a 50% reduction in the 3-month National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale compared with the baseline scores (Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.irct.ir ; Unique identifier: IRCT201203192150N2). Results. The mean age of patients was 66.4 years. Of 144 eligible patients, 15 patients died (4 in the citalopram and 11 in the placebo group), and 21 patients did not complete the study follow-up period (10 in the citalopram and 11 in the placebo group). The primary outcome of the study was achieved in 57 patients (79%) in the citalopram and 39 patients (54%) in the placebo group ( P < .001), with risk ratio and number needed to treat of 2 (CI = 1.2-3) and 4 (CI = 2.5-8.6), respectively. No major adverse events were found in either group. Conclusions. Citalopram is a safe and tolerable medication in patients with acute IS, which could improve the outcome in these patients.
How the Influence of Unethical Leaders on Followers Is Affected by Their Implicit Followership Theories
Authors: Knoll Michael , Schyns Birgit , Petersen Lars-Eric
Published: April 2017

Our research examines the role of followers in unethical leadership. Drawing on a social–cognitive approach to leadership and recent research in the field of behavioral ethics, we focus on how leader behavior and follower information processing interact to produce unethical outcomes. In two experimental studies simulating a personnel selection context, we examine to what extent individual implicit assumptions regarding the follower role (i.e., implicit followership theories, IFTs) relate to employees’ tendency to comply with leader unethical suggestions. In Study 1, controlling for possible alternative explanations such as personal need for structure, romance of leadership, and moral disengagement, we found that the IFT Good Citizen increased and the IFT Insubordination decreased followers’ tendencies to contribute to unethical leadership. In Study 2, we varied the leader’s unethical suggestions to further investigate the conditions under which these effects occur and included authoritarianism as an additional control variable. Overall, our findings suggest that IFTs make a unique contribution to our understanding of the role of followers in unethical leadership, and that this contribution depends on the way leaders frame their unethical request. Interaction effects suggest that follower characteristics need to be considered as they are embedded in specific situational settings rather than as isolated traits.