bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating an Adjunctive Mobile App to Enhance Psychological Flexibility in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Authors: Levin Michael E. , Haeger Jack , Pierce Benjamin , Cruz Rick A.
Published: October 2017

The primary aims of this study were to evaluate the feasibility and potential efficacy of a novel adjunctive mobile app designed to enhance the acquisition, strengthening, and generalization of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) skills being taught in therapy. A sample of 14 depressed/anxious clients receiving ACT used the ACT Daily app for 2 weeks in a pre–post, open trial design. Participants reported a high degree of program satisfaction. Clients significantly improved over the 2-week period on depression and anxiety symptoms as well as a range of psychological inflexibility measures. Analyses of mobile app data indicated effects of ACT Daily skill coaching on in-the-moment measures of inflexibility and symptoms, with unique effects found for acceptance and mindfulness. Adjunctive ACT mobile apps appear promising in enhancing therapy effects on psychological inflexibility and outcomes. A tailored skill coaching approach like ACT Daily based on randomly prompted assessments may be especially promising.
Bone Marrow Findings Secondary to Antineoplastic Compounds: Hematopoietic, Bone, and Cytokine Cross Talk
Authors: Loberg Lise I. , Logan Michael , Barnhart Kirstin , Fossey Stacey , Whitney Katharine
Published: October 2017

New medullary bone formation has been observed in rats administered a variety of antineoplastic compounds. Similar effects reported in rats administered granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) were attributed to exaggerated pharmacology of G-CSF as a cytokine and growth factor, resulting in stromal proliferation in addition to the intended hematopoietic effects. Similar phenomena of marrow stromal change are reported among other species in association with various growth factors. Case study summaries of test item–related histopathologic changes in bone marrow, reflecting trabecular and/or endosteal new bone formation, are presented. In each of these cases, it was concluded that the new medullary bone and stromal proliferation did not reflect a primary target–related toxicity; rather, the mesenchymal changes were attributed to nonspecific, secondary effects of cytokines elaborated in response to primary cytotoxic effects on hematopoietic cells with subsequent impact on circulating blood cells. The common features associated with marrow stromal changes in the case studies, as well as with a variety of pharmacologic compounds across several species described in the literature, are hematologic effects and/or changes in growth factor levels and cytokine expression.
Does the Life Story Interview Make Us Make Sense? Spontaneous and Cued Redemption and Contamination in Life Story Scenes
Authors: Alea Nicole
Published: October 2017

The life story interview directions may be subtly encouraging the narration of affective themes, like redemption and contamination. The current study thus had men and women ( N = 121) simply recall the details of turning, low, and high points and then separately asked them to make sense of the event. This allowed for redemption and contamination to emerge either spontaneously or after being cued. Redemption was spontaneous in 75% of turning points and 50% of the low points. There were no age differences overall or gender differences in the spontaneous narration of themes. When cued, however, women were more likely than men to narrate affective themes. Frequent rehearsal of the event also predicted spontaneous narration of themes. More work needs to be done to distinguishing who, under what circumstances, and why some individuals spontaneously make sense of their life whereas others need a cue to do so.
Self-Event Connections in Life Stories, Self-Concept Clarity, and Dissociation: Examining Their Relations with Symptoms of Psychopathology
Authors: Holm Tine , Thomsen Dorthe Kirkegaard
Published: October 2017

Constructing a coherent life story through the formation of self-event connections may help maintain unity in the self. We examined how positive and negative self-event connections were related to symptoms of psychopathology when controlling for two other measures of self-unity: self-concept clarity and dissociation. While most studies of life stories use content coding, we used a self-report method and hence provide a rationale for this method. One hundred five young adults identified life story chapters and rated them on self-event connections, including questions of positive or negative self-change and self-stability connections. They also completed scales measuring self-concept clarity, dissociation, and symptoms. Higher ratings of positive and lower ratings of negative self-event connections in life stories were related to fewer symptoms of psychopathology. Positive self-change was related to fewer symptoms when controlling for self-concept clarity and dissociation. The results suggest that positive and negative self-event connections are differentially related to symptoms of psychopathology. In addition, the results indicate that self-report measures of life stories may be a useful supplement to coding of narratives.
Cognitive Response Styles and the Construction of Personal Narratives: Implications for Psychopathology in Young Adults
Authors: Banks Megan V. , Salmon Karen
Published: October 2017

We investigated the concurrent relationships among life story variables (autobiographical reasoning), cognitive variables (negative explanatory style, cognitive reappraisal strategies, and rumination), and psychopathology (symptoms of depression and anxiety). Narratives of life story high, low, and turning points were collected from 164 young adults. Findings for negative self-event connections are reported here. Young adults who made some, as opposed to no, negative self-event connections reported greater symptoms of depression and anxiety and were more likely to report higher levels of ruminative thinking and less likely to use adaptive cognitive reappraisal strategies. Whether participants drew negative self-event connections predicted depression over and above the variance explained by negative explanatory style and cognitive reappraisal strategies and interacted with explanatory style to predict depression. In contrast, negative self-event connections did not incrementally predict anxiety over and above the cognitive variables. Results are discussed in terms of our current understanding of the factors that predict psychological distress.
Mapping II: News media mapping, new mediated geovisualities, mapping and verticality
Authors: Dodge Martin
Published: October 2017

This report considers the role for cartographic visualization in the news media in relation to issues around its effectiveness and ethics. I consider extended notions of the map as geovisualities, with a focus on work analysing the significance of location-based services, spatial media and playful mapping praxis. The notion of geovisualities also has utility in relation to the challenge to ‘flat’ cartography from the new focus on verticality in human geography. Various elevations grant differential viewpoints, lead to interesting kinds of mapping, driven forward largely by technical and commercial imperatives, but they are also ripe for critical scholarship.
Raisz’s physiographic method of landform mapping
Authors: Bianchetti Raechel A
Published: October 2017

Maps are powerful modes of communication between scientists and novices. Cartographer Erwin Raisz understood just how powerful maps could be for visualizing the broad landscape. His physiographic method of landscape representation merged pictorial representation with large-scale cartography to generate some of the most vivid images of the physical landscape in the early part of the 20th century. Today, despite our ability to represent the landscape with increasingly realistic representations, there is a fondness for those traditional style line drawings. Thus, it is important to take time and reflect on the impact of Raisz’s physiographic map on modern terrain representation. Here we look at Raisz’s own body of work and his influence on modern cartographers, and finally we look at non-photorealistic representation’s potential for replicating early line drawing methods like Raisz’s.
Corbynism’s conveyor belt of ideas: Postcapitalism and the politics of social reproduction
Authors: Pitts Frederick Harry , Dinerstein Ana Cecilia
Published: October 2017

In this reflection, we assess the theoretical faultline running through the contested current of Corbynist thought and politics at present. On one hand, we find a techno-utopian strand preoccupied with automation and the end of work. On the other hand, a nascent politics of social reproduction with a foreshortened potential to realise the promise of a continental-style solidarity economics in the United Kingdom. Both represent the latest in a series of left attempts to confront the crisis of social democracy that rages across Europe, a crisis to which the British Labour Party has not been alone in succumbing despite recent appearances otherwise. Deindustrialisation collapsed labour’s role in everyday life, and a crisis in the society of work eventually passed over into its representative party’s electoral decline. Subsequent financial crisis and subsequent austerity have only made things worse. A poverty of ideas prevails that all sides of social democracy’s unsteady compromise seek desperately to solve. However, the recent UK General Election shows evidence that Corbynism has renewed Labour’s fortunes to some extent. Surveying the competing intellectual currents behind its rise, we suggest that the politics of social reproduction offer a better route forward for the Labour Party than the popular siren call of postcapitalism, and reflect on what the recent general election result suggests for their future development.
A robust analysis of hospital efficiency and factors affecting variability
Authors: Leleu Herve , Al-Amin Mona , Rosko Michael , Valdmanis Vivian G
Published: October 2017

The objectives of this paper are to use data envelopment analysis to measure hospital inefficiency in a way that accounts for patient outcomes and to study the association between organizational factors, such as hospital–physicians integration level and teaching status, and market competition with hospital inefficiency. We apply the robust data envelopment analysis approach to a sample of private (both not-for-profit and for-profit) hospitals operating in the United States. Our data envelopment analysis model includes mortality and readmission rates as bad outputs and admissions, surgeries, emergency room, and other visits as good outputs. Therefore, our measurement of hospital inefficiency accounts for quality. We then use a subsampling regression analysis to determine the predictors of hospital inefficiency. For-profit, fully integrated and teaching hospitals were more efficient than their counterparts. Also hospitals located in more competitive markets were more efficient than those located in less competitive markets. Incorporating quality in the measurement of hospital efficiency is key for producing valid efficiency scores. Hospitals in less competitive markets need to improve their efficiency levels. Moreover, high levels of hospital physician integration might be instrumental in ensuring that hospitals achieve their efficiency goals.
Near infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRS) applied to differentiation between chilled and frozen/thawed meat
Authors: Reis MM
Published: October 2017

The ability of Vis-NIRS to differentiate between only chilled and frozen and thawed meat from pork, lamb, beef and goat is investigated in this study. Samples were purchased as retail ready package from seven different local supermarkets. Partial least squares discriminant analysis and double cross-validation were used for analysis of the data. The discrimination between the two groups achieved an accuracy of 93%. There is 92% probability that a chilled sample is predicted correctly as chilled and 96% that frozen/thawed is a true frozen/thawed event, which demonstrates reasonable performance, i.e. independent of the species (pork, lamb, beef and goat) and source. It was possible to detect the difference between only chilled and frozen/thawed meat. The regression coefficients suggest that the differences between the two treatments are likely to be associated to changes in structure and chemical composition of samples due to the process of freezing/thawing.
Adapting Perception, Action, and Technology for Mathematical Reasoning
Authors: Goldstone Robert L. , Marghetis Tyler , Weitnauer Erik , Ottmar Erin R. , Landy David
Published: October 2017

Formal mathematical reasoning provides an illuminating test case for understanding how humans can think about things that they did not evolve to comprehend. People engage in algebraic reasoning by (1) creating new assemblies of perception and action routines that evolved originally for other purposes (reuse), (2) adapting those routines to better fit the formal requirements of mathematics (adaptation), and (3) designing cultural tools that mesh well with our perception-action routines to create cognitive systems capable of mathematical reasoning (invention). We describe evidence that a major component of proficiency at algebraic reasoning is Rigged Up Perception-Action Systems (RUPAS), via which originally demanding, strategically controlled cognitive tasks are converted into learned, automatically executed perception and action routines. Informed by RUPAS, we have designed, implemented, and partially assessed a computer-based algebra tutoring system called Graspable Math with an aim toward training learners to develop perception-action routines that are intuitive, efficient, and mathematically valid.
Rapid analysis of chemical composition in intact and milled rice cookies using near infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Wimonsiri Latthika , Ritthiruangdej Pitiporn , Kasemsumran Sumaporn , Therdthai Nantawan , Chanput Wasaporn , Ozaki Yukihiro
Published: October 2017

This study has investigated the potential of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to predict the content of moisture, protein, fat and gluten in rice cookies in different sample forms (intact and milled samples). Gluten-free (n = 48) and gluten (n = 48) rice cookies were formulated with brown and white rice flours in which butter was substituted with fat replacer at 0, 15, 30 and 45%. With regard to gluten cookies, rice flour was substituted with wheat gluten at 1, 3 and 5%. Partial least squares regression modeling produced models with coefficient of determination (R2) values greater than 0.88 from NIR spectra of intact samples and greater than 0.92 for milled samples. These models were able to predict the four components with a ratio of prediction to deviation greater than 2.7 and 3.8 in intact and milled samples, respectively. The results suggest that the models obtained from the intact samples can be successfully applied for chemical composition of rice cookies and are reliable enough use for potential quality control programs.
Evaluation of the higher heating value, volatile matter, fixed carbon and ash content of ground bamboo using near infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Posom Jetsada , Sirisomboon Panmanas
Published: October 2017

This research aimed to determine the higher heating value, volatile matter, fixed carbon and ash content of ground bamboo using Fourier transform near infrared spectroscopy as an alternative to bomb calorimetry and thermogravimetry. Bamboo culms used in this study had circumferences ranging from 16 to 40 cm. Model development was performed using partial least squares regression. The higher heating value, volatile matter, fixed carbon and ash content were predicted with coefficients of determination (r2) of 0.92, 0.82, 0.85 and 0.51; root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 122 J g−1, 1.15%, 1.00% and 0.77%; ratio of the standard deviation to standard error of validation (RPD) of 3.66, 2.55, 2.62 and 1.44; and bias of 14.4 J g−1, −0.43%, 0.03% and −0.11%, respectively. This report shows that near infrared spectroscopy is quite successful in predicting the higher heating value, and is usable with screening for the determination of fixed carbon and volatile matter. For ash content, the method is not recommended. The models should be able to predict the properties of bamboo samples which are suitable for achieving higher efficiency for the biomass conversion process.
Determination of resin and moisture content in melamine-formaldehyde paper using near infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Henriques Ana , Gonçalves Miguel , Paiva Nádia , Ferra João , Martins Jorge , Magalhães Fernão D , Carvalho Luísa H
Published: October 2017

This paper describes the use of near infrared spectroscopy as a tool for the determination of moisture and resin content on papers impregnated with melamine-formaldehyde resins for high-pressure laminate production. The papers had different colours and grammages. The near infrared analysis range comprised wavelengths between 12,000 cm−1 and 4000 cm−1. Several multivariate calibration procedures and pre-processing techniques were tested for selection of the best spectral interval, including interval partial least-square, forward interval partial least-square and synergy interval partial least-square. The performance of calibration models was evaluated computing the root mean-squared error of cross-validations and the coefficient of determination (R2). An external validation procedure was done using different decorative papers (red, pearl, yellow, violet and pale green). The performances of the best models were compared using the statistical criterion root mean square error of prediction. It was shown that the developed models can be applied in the determination of resin content independently of the grammage and colour of the papers. However, regarding the volatile content, the models seemed to be affected by external factors, such as the presence of dyes and pigments, and were only applicable to papers having spectra similar to those used in the calibration model.
Keep Silent, Keep Sinful: Mainstream Newspapers’ Representation of Gay Men and Lesbians in Contemporary China
Authors: Chang Jiang , Ren Hailong
Published: October 2017

From a critical discourse analysis of all gay-related news reports in five mainstream Beijing newspapers between 2010 and 2015, this article distils four dominant categories of images of gays and lesbians represented by the news media: gays as crime victims because of their presumed inherent weakness, as violent subjects, as enemies of traditional values and as a source of social instability. This means that despite legal and official recognition of homosexuality in China, it is still tainted with sin and perversion in the mainstream public discourse. The way in which the Chinese news media and journalists construct the image of the homosexual person notably differs from that in the West. Newspapers treat gay men and lesbians separately, with the former deemed socially destabilising elements of violence and promiscuity and the latter seen as closer to ‘normal’ heterosexuals in the way they think and act. In addition, Chinese news reports almost completely silence gay people who are rarely interviewed, and the few who are see only their expressions of shame or regret published. This article discusses and interprets such discursive strategies within the specific sociocultural context of Chinese society.
Climate-induced Gender Vulnerabilities in Northwestern Bangladesh
Authors: Tanny Nishith Zahan , Rahman M. Wakilur , Ali Rafiqun Nessa
Published: October 2017

Risks and vulnerabilities arising out of climate change are exacerbated by unequal gender relations. The current study examines climate-induced vulnerabilities to which men and women are exposed and explores the factors that affect women more than men. This study was conducted in purposively selected Kurigram district as a representative of Northern Bangladesh, where people experience climatic divergence and extreme poverty. Data were collected from 100 randomly selected participants from three villages of Kurigram district through questionnaire survey and focus group discussions. The gender vulnerability index was used to measure the extent of vulnerability and the factors influencing vulnerability. The results show that 72.2 per cent are highly vulnerable with females being almost more than twice as vulnerable as males. The analysis indicates that the amount of land, difficulty in bathing when the basic bathroom structure was destroyed and use of borrowed money were the main determinants of gender vulnerability in changing climatic conditions. The findings of this study might help to integrate gender into climate change policy discourse and find appropriate adaptation strategies in Bangladesh, particularly in Northwestern Bangladesh.
Setting Sail for Lakshadweep: Leela Dube and the Study of Matrilineal Kinship
Authors: Abraham Janaki
Published: October 2017

In this article I engage with Prof. Leela Dube’s fascinating work on matriliny in Lakshadweep which addressed critical questions in anthropology/sociology and feminist studies. Her discussion about the disjuncture between codified Islamic law and practice in relation to marriage and property devolution, her elaboration on the way law was manipulated strategically, and the image of flexibility in kinship practices are all important for a contemporary understanding of matriliny and kinship in general. Similarly, her discussion of what matriliny meant for women and more broadly the intersections of gender and kinship remain important concerns in the study of kinship. Furthermore, I point to the shifts in her work as she engaged with feminist politics and scholarship.
Doing Kinship and Gender in a Comparative Context
Authors: Uberoi Patricia
Published: October 2017

Leela Dube (1923-2012) was an Indian social anthropologist / sociologist whose primary interest was in the field of family and kinship studies. This essay traces the zig-zag process of her intellectual evolution over five decades into one of the leading feminist anthropologists of her day – in India, in the Asian region, and indeed globally. Crucial turning points in this evolution were: (i) her self-initiated field study of the accommodation of the matrilineal kinship system of the Lakshadweep islanders with the androcentric legal apparatus of Islam; (ii) her role as the ‘sociologist’ member of the famous Committee on the Status of Women in India, an experience that convinced her that the best contribution she could make to the emerging women’s studies discourse was through the conceptual and methodological resources of her own discipline, anthropology; and (iii) her self-conscious deployment of the so-called ‘comparative method’ of anthropology to explore the contrasting patterns of gender relations in strongly ‘patrilineal’ South Asia versus ‘bilateral’ Southeast Asia. She saw this ambitious comparative exercise, largely ignored by both her admirers and her critics, as enabling an emancipatory rethinking of some of the dominant paradigms of Western feminism. It was also, incidentally, a bold step in the disciplinary evolution of Indian social anthropology.
Muslim Women’s Marriage, Pregnancy, Abortion and Spacing of Children
Authors: Raja Ariffin Raja Noriza , Talib @ Abdul Mutalib Muzalwana Abdul , Satar Nurulhuda Mohd , Hanafi Hanira , Othman Azmah , Tumin Makmor , Zahari Rustam Khairi
Published: October 2017

Background:

This study investigates the decisions on marriage, pregnancy, abortion and spacing of children among Muslim women (MW) residing in the United States, Iran and Malaysia to explore the occurrences as well as socio-demographic characteristics associated with the likelihood of making an independent decision regarding sexual and reproductive health rights.

Methods:

A total of 1140 MW in Washington, D.C. (the United States), Tehran (Iran) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) participated in this study, and the number of respondents were equally distributed across the three cities. To examine the occurrences of sexual and reproductive rights violation, we report the descriptive statistics from the responses given by MW in these cities.

Results:

On the decision to solemnize marriage, 84.5 per cent of MW in Malaysia reported that the marriage decision is made jointly with their husbands, but this figure stands at only 30 per cent in Iran and 47.9 per cent in the United States. More than 80 per cent and 72 per cent of MW in Malaysia and Iran, respectively, make decisions on pregnancy, abortion and spacing of children jointly with their husbands.

Conclusions:

Policymakers should promote jointly made (made by wife and husband together) decisions among Muslims, which accords with Islamic teachings and is considered as good practice among Muslims.
Transforming Dubai Logistics Corridor into a Global Logistics Hub
Authors: Sundarakani Balan
Published: October 2017

The case discusses the various factors that bolstered positioning Dubai as the ideal location for a logistics hub, located at the crossroads of international trade and commerce between the Eastern and Western worlds. Dubai is also regarded as the gateway to the world’s most progressive markets which include Greater Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the East European countries. The case illustrates some of the critical challenges faced by the city in particular and the country as a whole, in the past decade, thereby evaluating the issues and risks that can hinder its strategic logistics developmental roadmap.

The case can be taken up for subjects such as logistics and supply chain management, operations management, global logistics systems, warehouse management and strategic management, and to enrich concepts related but not limited to facility location strategy, logistics network expansion strategy, country analysis, distribution hub location strategy, etc.
Performance Appraisal Challenge at Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
Authors: Khurshid Anwar , Khan Abdul Karim , Alvi Sara
Published: October 2017

The case discusses the multitude of challenges that CAA faces with respect to its performance appraisal system. Sumair Saeed, Chief Human Resource CAA, feels that problems lie in the implementation of the current appraisal system. Firstly, the system of targets and objectives between and the appraiser and the appraisee at the start of the year is not being followed. This leads employees to feel unfairly treated because no criteria for performance appraisal for their evaluation have been agreed upon. Secondly, Sumair feels there is no buy-in for the performance appraisal system since supervisors regard appraisal as extra workload and an uneasy time of the year. Supervisors consider it to be a confrontational rather than developmental/feedback exercise with the subordinate. Moreover, supervisors lack training in providing feedback on appraisals. It is felt that the culture of the organisation develops hostility and distrust when the appraisals are being conducted. The appraisal system doesn’t differentiate between performers or non-performers; thus decisions on promotions or career progressions can’t be based on appraisals. The problem of demotivation among employees is also a result of an ineffective performance appraisal system, as no differentiation exists between star performers and non-performers. Sumair is now contemplating the changes in the design or the implementation of the performance appraisal system which are required to rectify the process of performance appraisal at CAA.
Statins induce apoptosis through inhibition of Ras signaling pathways and enhancement of Bim and p27 expression in human hematopoietic tumor cells
Authors: Fujiwara Daichiro , Tsubaki Masanobu , Takeda Tomoya , Tomonari Yoshika , Koumoto Yu-ichi , Sakaguchi Katsuhiko , Nishida Shozo
Published: October 2017

Recently, statins have been demonstrated to improve cancer-related mortality or prognosis in patients of various cancers. However, the details of the apoptosis-inducing mechanisms remain unknown. This study showed that the induction of apoptosis by statins in hematopoietic tumor cells is mediated by mitochondrial apoptotic signaling pathways, which are activated by the suppression of mevalonate or geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate biosynthesis. In addition, statins decreased the levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 and mammalian target of rapamycin through suppressing Ras prenylation. Furthermore, inhibition of extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 and mammalian target of rapamycin by statins induced Bim expression via inhibition of Bim phosphorylation and ubiquitination and cell-cycle arrest at G1 phase via enhancement of p27 expression. Moreover, combined treatment of U0126, a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2 inhibitor, and rapamycin, a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, induced Bim and p27 expressions. The present results suggested that statins induce apoptosis by decreasing the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, increasing the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, enhancing Bim expression, and inducing cell-cycle arrest at G1 phase through inhibition of Ras/extracellular signal–regulated kinase and Ras/mammalian target of rapamycin pathways. Therefore, our findings support the use of statins as potential anticancer agents or concomitant drugs of adjuvant therapy.
The social management of medical ethics in sport: confidentiality in English professional football
Authors: Waddington Ivan , Scott-Bell Andrea , Malcolm Dominic
Published: October 2017

This paper examines one of the major ethical challenges in the practice of sports medicine, confidentiality. Drawing on interview and questionnaire data with doctors and physiotherapists working in English professional football clubs, it explores the degree to which ethical compliance has improved since the publication of, and publicity surrounding, an earlier study of medical practice in professional football conducted by Waddington and Roderick. Thus, it provides an updated empirical examination of the management of medical ethics in sport. The data illustrate how the physical and social environmental constraints of sports medicine practice impinge upon the protection of athlete-patient confidentiality, how ethical codes and conflicting obligations converge to shape clinician behaviour in relation to lifestyle and injury issues, and the ethically problematic contractual constraints under which clinicians and athletes operate. It demonstrates that medical ethical practice continues to be very variable and draws on Freidson’s work on medical ‘work settings’ to argue that there is a need to augment existing confidentiality policies with more structurally oriented approaches to ensure both professional autonomy and medical ethical compliance in sport.
The national judge and judicial independence
Authors: Guerra Luis López
Published: October 2017

In many international jurisdictions, including the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), one of the judges taking part in the proceedings must be a ‘national judge’, that is, a judge appointed in respect of a state that is party to the proceedings before the ECtHR. The mere presence of these national judges, their role and the way they are appointed have been the subject of much discussion, and doubts have been cast over their impartiality and independence. This article examines arguments that can be made for and against this practice, with particular emphasis on the role of national judges on the ECtHR.
Clinical research in an academic psychiatry department: some general principles and case studies
Authors: Keightley Philip , Maguire Paul , Reay Rebecca E , Cubis Jeffrey C , Craigie Peggy , Looi Jeffrey CL
Published: October 2017

Objective:

This paper gives guidance for developing collaborative clinical research within an academic psychiatry department.

Methods:

We describe the experience at the Australian National University Medical School, and present three case studies.

Results:

The results reveal that general principles include, but are not limited to, intellectual curiosity, mentorship, collaboration and protected time.

Conclusions:

We conclude that a particular strength of a new research department at a medical school may be close collaborative research within clinical settings.
Suicide of Australians during the Vietnam War
Authors: Pridmore Saxby , Ahmadi Jamshid , Pridmore William
Published: October 2017

Objectives:

National suicide rates fall during times of war. This fits with the notion of the population coming together against a common foe. But, what happens in the case of a war which is not fully supported, which draws the population and families apart? We consider this question by examining the Australian suicide rates during the divisive Vietnam War.

Methods:

We graphed and examined the Australian suicide figures for 1921–2010.

Results:

We found clear evidence of a decrease in the suicide rate for World War II (consistent with other studies), but a marked elevation of suicide during the Vietnam War.

Conclusions:

The elevation of the Australian suicide rate during the Vietnam War is consistent with Durkheim’s social integration model – when social integration is lessened, either by individual characteristics or societal characteristics, the risk of suicide rises.
I Can’t/Can I Touch Him? Erotic Subjectivity, Sexual Attraction, and Research in the Field
Authors: Waling Andrea
Published: October 2017

Sexual attraction and desire in the field have long been taboo subjects, where the researcher is expected to remain an objective observer, devoid of sexuality. Recently, scholars have advocated for the acknowledgment of sexual attraction and desire in the field as a way to think reflexively about the research process and subsequent impacts, known in anthropology as “erotic subjectivity.” This article reflects on the ethical dilemma of the female feminist researcher doing ethnographic fieldwork in such a space where sexual performativity and active desiring is demanded of them by the research subjects themselves. Based on an ethnographic account of professional men’s strip-tease show, this article details the dilemmas concerning the need to remain objective and distanced from such acts as a researcher, the feminist discomfiture in the blatant objectification and sexualization, both physically and visually of men, and the expectation to publicly perform sexuality by peers and research subjects alike.
Writing Post Qualitative Inquiry
Authors: St. Pierre Elizabeth Adams
Published: October 2017

This article explains how writing served the author as a method of inquiry for several decades and how a long preparation using Derrida’s deconstruction, Foucault’s historical approaches, and Deleuze and Guattari’s experimental concepts slowly deconstructed conventional humanist qualitative methodology enabling post qualitative inquiry. The author encourages those who inquire now, after the ontological turn, to break the habit of rushing to preexisting research methodologies and, instead, to follow the provocations that come from everywhere in the inquiry that is living and writing.
The Relationship Between Domestic Partner Violence and Suicidal Behaviors in an Adult Community Sample: Examining Hope Agency and Pathways as Protective Factors
Authors: Chang Edward C. , Yu Elizabeth A. , Kahle Emma R. , Du Yifeng , Chang Olivia D. , Jilani Zunaira , Yu Tina , Hirsch Jameson K.
Published: October 2017

We examined an additive and interactive model involving domestic partner violence (DPV) and hope in accounting for suicidal behaviors in a sample of 98 community adults. Results showed that DPV accounted for a significant amount of variance in suicidal behaviors. Hope further augmented the prediction model and accounted for suicidal behaviors beyond DPV. Finally, we found that DPV significantly interacted with both dimensions of hope to further account for additional variance in suicidal behaviors above and beyond the independent effects of DPV and hope. Implications for the role of hope in the relationship between DPV and suicidal behaviors are discussed.
In a Genomic Era, Placental Pathology Still Holds the Key in the Nondysmorphic Stillbirth
Authors: Campbell Jamie , Armstrong Kristy , Palaniappan Nithiya , Maher Eddy , Glancy Mary , Porteous Mary , Mckenzie Kathryn J , Evans Margaret J
Published: October 2017

Objective

To explore the relative utility of genetic testing in contrast to placental pathology in explaining causation of death in the structurally normal stillborn population.

Methods

A retrospective review of a structurally normal stillborn infant cohort in South East Scotland between 2011 and 2015, defined by death at or after 24 weeks of gestation. We reviewed pathology reports and collected demographic data on cases. This information was collated with genetic test results (quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction and microarray analysis) and placental pathology to create a database for analysis.

Primary Results

Within the structurally normal population (n = 131), there were 125 genetic tests performed and 11 abnormal results. Sixty-six microarray analyses were performed, and 2 (3%) of the results were thought likely to reflect cause of stillbirth (1 case of incomplete trisomy 4 and 1 case of deletion of chromosome Xp in a female). Analysis was significantly limited in 2 cases as parental samples were not available. The placental pathology was available in a total of 129 cases; significant findings were identified in 100 cases; 79 (61%) showed changes that were considered to have caused death (including cord “accidents”), and a further 21 (16%) showed findings likely to influence the management of subsequent pregnancies.

Conclusions

We reaffirm the utility of placental examination in the investigation of stillbirth. In cases of nondysmorphic stillbirth where placental pathology does not explain the cause of stillbirth, microarray analysis of fetal DNA can add further diagnostic information in 3% of cases but can add further diagnostic confusion, and it is important that parental bloods are taken to minimize this risk.
Hematoxylin Bodies in Pediatric Bone Marrow Aspirates and their Utility in the Diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Xu Min , Chisholm Karen M , Fan Guang , Stevens Anne M , Rutledge Joe C
Published: October 2017

In our recent case report, the finding of lupus erythematosus (LE) cells in a bone marrow aspirate led to the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and appropriate treatment, although the patient was not clinically suspected to have SLE. To determine whether LE cells are present in the bone marrow aspirates of SLE patients, but overlooked in routine bone marrow morphology review, bone marrow aspirates from 30 pediatric patients (15 with SLE and 15 with other diagnoses) evaluated by rheumatologists were reviewed. LE cells were found in the bone marrow aspirates of only 1 SLE patient and none in non-SLE patients. However, hematoxylin bodies were identified in 53% (8/15) of SLE patients. Neither hematoxylin bodies nor LE cells were found in the aspirates from patients with other disorders. Three additional pediatric patients identified prospectively were found to have hematoxylin bodies in the bone marrow aspirates. Although the diagnosis was not initially suspected, 2 of the 3 patients were subsequently diagnosed with SLE. All patients with hematoxylin bodies and SLE had antinuclear antibody titers ≥1:640 with a homogeneous staining pattern. In addition, bone marrow aspirates of 9 adult patients were reviewed, and neither LE cells nor hematoxylin bodies were identified. In summary, hematoxylin bodies were present in the bone marrow aspirates of many pediatric SLE patients, while LE cells were rare. The finding of hematoxylin bodies in pediatric bone marrow aspirates is a helpful and specific diagnostic clue that may lead to the diagnosis of SLE when other clinical features are nonspecific.
Estimating the Proportion of True Null Hypotheses for Multiple Comparisons
Authors: Jiang Hongmei , Doerge R.W.
Published: October 2017

Whole genome microarray investigations (e.g. differential expression, differential methylation, ChlP-Chip) provide opportunities to test millions of features in a genome. Traditional multiple comparison procedures such as familywise error rate (FWER) controlling procedures are too conservative. Although false discovery rate (FDR) procedures have been suggested as having greater power, the control itself is not exact and depends on the proportion of true null hypotheses. Because this proportion is unknown, it has to be accurately (small bias, small variance) estimated, preferably using a simple calculation that can be made accessible to the general scientific community. We propose an easy-to-implement method and make the R code available, for estimating the proportion of true null hypotheses. This estimate has relatively small bias and small variance as demonstrated by (simulated and real data) comparing it with four existing procedures. Although presented here in the context of microarrays, this estimate is applicable for many multiple comparison situations.
Bayesian Mass Spectra Peak Alignment from Mass Charge Ratios
Authors: Liu Junfeng , Yu Weichuan , Wu Baolin , Zhao Hongyu
Published: October 2017

Proteomics studies based on mass spectrometry (MS) are gaining popular applications in biomedical research for protein identification/quantification and biomarker discovery, especially for potential early diagnosis and prognosis of severe disease before the occurrence of symptoms. However, MS data collected using current technologies are very noisy and appropriate data preprocessing is critical for successful applications of MS-based approaches. Among various data preprocessing steps, peak alignment from multiple spectra based on detected peak sample locations presents special statistical challenges when effective experimental calibration is not feasible due to relatively large peak location variation. To avoid intensive tuning parameter optimization, we propose a simple novel Bayesian algorithm “random grafting-pruning Markov chain Monte Carlo (RGPMCMC)” that can be applied to global MS peak alignment and to follow certain modelbased sample classification criterion for using aligned peaks to classify spectrum samples. The usefulness of our approach is demonstrated through simulation study by making extensive comparison with other algorithms in the literature. Its application to an ovarian cancer MALDI-MS data set achieves a smaller 10-fold cross validation error rate than other current large scale methodologies.
Constructing Tumor Progression Pathways and Biomarker Discovery with Fuzzy KernelKmeansand DNA Methylation Data
Authors: Liu Zhenqiu , Guo Zhongmin , Tan Ming
Published: October 2017

Constructing pathways of tumor progression and discovering the biomarkers associated with cancer is critical for understanding the molecular basis of the disease and for the establishment of novel chemotherapeutic approaches and in turn improving the clinical efficiency of the drugs. It has recently received a lot of attention from bioinformatics researchers. However, relatively few methods are available for constructing pathways. This article develops a novel entropy kernel based kernel clustering and fuzzy kernel clustering algorithms to construct the tumor progression pathways using CpG island methylation data. The methylation data which come from tumor tissues diagnosed at different stages can be used to distinguish epigenotype and phenotypes the describe the molecular events of different phases. Using kernel and fuzzy kernel kmeans, we built tumor progression trees to describe the pathways of tumor progression and find the possible biomarkers associated with cancer. Our results indicate that the proposed algorithms together with methylation profiles can predict the tumor progression stages and discover the biomarkers efficiently. Software is available upon request.
What Does PLIER Really Do?
Authors: Therneau Terry M. , Ballman Karla V.
Published: October 2017

Motivation

Our goal was to understand why the PLIER algorithm performs so well given its derivation is based on a biologically implausible assumption.

Results

In spite of a non-intuitive assumption regarding the PM and MM errors made as part of the derivation for PLIER, the resulting probe level error function does capture the key characteristics of the ideal error function, assuming MM probes only measure non-specific binding and no signal.
BeadDatapackR: A Tool to Facilitate the Sharing of Raw Data from Illumina BeadArray Studies
Authors: Smith Mike L. , Lynch Andy G.
Published: October 2017

Microarray technologies have been an increasingly important tool in cancer research in the last decade, and a number of initiatives have sought to stress the importance of the provision and sharing of raw microarray data. Illumina BeadArrays provide a particular problem in this regard, as their random construction simultaneously adds value to analysis of the raw data and obstructs the sharing of those data.

We present a compression scheme for raw Illumina BeadArray data, designed to ease the burdens of sharing and storing such data, that is implemented in the BeadDataPackR BioConductor package ( http://bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/BeadDataPackR.html ). It offers two key advantages over off-the-peg compression tools. First it uses knowledge of the data formats to achieve greater compression than other approaches, and second it does not need to be decompressed for analysis, but rather the values held within can be directly accessed.
Perceived risks and use of psychotherapy via telemedicine for patients at risk for suicide
Authors: Gilmore Amanda K , Ward-Ciesielski Erin F
Published: October 2017

Introduction

Suicide is a major public health problem and its human, emotional, and economic costs are significant. Individuals in rural areas are at highest risk for suicide. However, telemedicine services are typically not rendered to individuals who are actively suicidal. The goals of the current study were to identify the risks of using telemedicine for mental healthcare from the perspective of licensed mental health providers and to determine factors associated with the use of telemedicine with patients who are at high risk for suicide.

Methods

A total of 52 licensed mental health providers were recruited online through several professional organization listservs and targeted emails. Providers completed online questionnaires regarding demographics, caseload of suicidal patients, perceived risks for using telemedicine with patients at risk for suicide, attitudes towards telemedicine, and use of telemedicine with patients at risk for suicide.

Results

Three key perceived risks associated with using telemedicine were identified, including assessment, lack of control over patient, and difficulties triaging patients if needed. It was also found that individuals who had more positive attitudes towards telemedicine, younger providers, and more experienced providers were more likely to use telemedicine with patients who are at high risk for suicide.

Discussion

To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the perceived risks and use of telemedicine with patients at high risk for suicide. It is essential to continue this line of research to develop protocols for the provision of evidence-based therapy via telemedicine for this high-risk group.