bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Long Should Parental Leave Be? Attitudes to Gender Equality, Family, and Work as Determinants of Women’s and Men’s Parental Leave in Sweden
Authors: Duvander Ann-Zofie
Published: February 2014

A more equal division of parental leave use between parents has been a major political goal in Sweden for a long time, as it is assumed to lead to gender equality in the labor market, as well as in the homes. The assumed correlation between gender equality and shared parental leave has many aspects, but it has been investigated only in part. In this study, we investigate the determinants of men’s and women’s parental leave use with a focus on attitudes toward family, work, and gender equality. We use the Young Adult Panel Study with surveys conducted in 1999, 2003, and 2009. The findings indicate that gender equality orientation matters for parental leave for fathers. Mothers’ parental leave length is primarily influenced by family orientation, whereas fathers’ is influenced by the economic dimension of work.
Desperate Housework
Authors: Aassve Arnstein , Fuochi Giulia , Mencarini Letizia
Published: February 2014

This article investigates cross-national patterns in the gender division of housework in coresident couples. By using Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) data, we assess four key hypotheses proposed in the literature: namely, the relative resources approach (the partner who earns less does more housework), the time availability perspective (the partner who spends less time doing paid work does more housework), the economic dependency model (the partner who contributes proportionally less to the household income does more housework), and the gender ideology perspective (the beliefs on gender roles influence housework sharing in a couple), thereby verifying the presence of gender display. Our results reaffirm the significance of gender ideology, though with important differences across countries. Time availability and relative resources matter in the most egalitarian countries, whereas economic dependency matters in countries where partners contribute more unevenly to the household income.
Military Otolaryngology Resident Case Numbers and Board Passing Rates during the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars
Authors: Scalzitti Nicholas , Brennan Joseph , Bothwell Nici , Brigger Matthew , Ramsey Mitchell , Gallagher Thomas , Maturo Stephen
Published: February 2014

Objective

During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US military has continued to train medical residents despite concern that postgraduate medical education at military training facilities has suffered. This study compares the experience of otolaryngology residents at military programs with the experience of their civilian counterparts.

Study Design

Retrospective review.

Setting

Academic military medical centers.

Subjects and Methods

Resident caseload data and board examination passing rates were requested from each of the 6 Department of Defense otolaryngology residency programs for 2001 to 2010. The American Board of Otolaryngology and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education provided the national averages for resident caseload. National board passing rates from 2004 to 2010 were also obtained. Two‐sample t tests were used to compare the pooled caseloads from the military programs with the national averages. Board passing rates were compared with a test of proportions.

Results

Data were available for all but one military program. Regarding total cases, only 2001 and 2003 showed a significant difference (P <. 05), with military residents completing more cases in those years. For individual case categories, the military averages were higher in Otology (299.6 vs 261.2, P =. 033) and Plastics/Reconstruction (248.1 vs 149.2, P =. 003). Only the Head & Neck category significantly favored the national average over the military (278.3 and 226.0, P =. 039). The first‐time board passing rates were identical between the groups (93%).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that the military otolaryngology residency programs are equal in terms of caseload and board passing rates compared with civilian programs over this time period.
Nanofiber-reinforced myocardial tissue-construct as ventricular assist device
Authors: Guhathakurta Soma , Mathapati Santosh , Bishi Dillip Kumar , Rallapalli Suneel , Cherian Kotturathu Mammen
Published: February 2014

Objectives

This study aimed to create a myocardial tissue construct by tissue engineering to repair, replace, and regenerate damaged cardiac tissue.

Methods and results

Human cardiac muscles harvested from a homograft heart retrieval system were decellularized followed by coating with electrospun nanofibers to make them amenable to scaffolding. These processed cardiac tissues were nourished in modified media having ischemic cardiac tissue conditioned media in 6 separate experimental variants, and cord blood mononuclear cells were injected into 4 of them. On the 17th day of culture, the nanofiber-coated scaffolds injected with mononuclear cells and/or reinforced by electrical and mechanical forces, started contracting spontaneously at varying rates, while the control remain noncontractile. Histological staining confirmed the pre-culture acellularity as well as post-culture stem cell viability, and revealed expression of troponin I and cardiac myosin. The acellular processed scaffold when implanted into sheep ischemic myocardial apex revealed transformation into sheep myocardium after 4 months of implantation.

Conclusion

These results provide direct evidence for the re-cellularization of decellularized cardiac tissue grafts reinforced with a polymer nanofiber coating, by human mononuclear cells injection, leading to generation of a tissue-engineered myocardial construct.
Which is the best graft for the right coronary artery?
Authors: Parissis Haralabos , Ramesh Bandigowdanapalya Channaiah , Al-Alao Bassel
Published: February 2014

Bilateral internal mammary arteries directed to the left coronaries are gaining popularity; an increasing level of evidence nowadays supports this surgical strategy. On the other hand, composite right internal mammary artery, radial artery, and gastroepiploic artery targeting high-grade stenotic lesions in the right coronary artery system may confer improved mid- and long-term patency compared to long saphenous veins. This analysis looks into the evidence comparing data of the third best available conduit for grafting the right coronary artery, and by extrapolating this report, compares total arterial revascularization vs. conventional coronary artery bypass grafting.
A case of primary effusion lymphoma diagnosed by open cardiocentesis
Authors: Miura Naoko , Ito Kensaku , Senba Mayuko , Kajiwara Koutarou , Oshiro Yumi , Yokoyama Hideki
Published: February 2014

Primary effusion lymphoma is a type of B-cell lymphoma that is primarily related to human immunodeficiency virus. Thoracic surgeons rarely encounter this disease because of its rarity. We herein report a case of primary effusion lymphoma which required surgery for successful treatment. An 83-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with signs of cardiac tamponade. A radiological examination revealed a pericardial effusion. Performing percutaneous pericardiocentesis was difficult due to the patient’s anatomical features. We performed open cardiocentesis under general anesthesia. A cytologic examination revealed primary effusion lymphoma. The patient underwent chemotherapy, resulting in complete remission.
How to make democracy self-enforcing after civil war: Enabling credible yet adaptable elite pacts
Authors: Durant T. Clark , Weintraub Michael
Published: February 2014

While many recommend electoral democracy as a way to avoid or resolve civil conflict, the empirical record of electoral democracy as an alternative to civil conflict is decidedly mixed. We apply recent work from new organizational economics on the nature of elite pacts to add to both sides of the debate. On the one hand, we argue that we should be more pessimistic about the ability of existing electoral institutions to help rather than hurt the prospects for a stable peace. We argue that the new organizational economics reveals a design dilemma—a forced trade-off between the credible commitment to an elite pact in the short term and the adaptability of an elite pact in the long term—that plagues the most commonly considered alternatives. On the other hand, we tentatively argue for optimism if institutional designers work with criteria that explicitly take the dilemma into account. We propose novel design criteria that would allow a polity to address the design dilemma.
Pontine Microbleeds and Depression in Stroke
Authors: Tang W. K. , Liu X. X. , Chen Y. K. , Abrigo J. , Chu Winnie C. W. , Mok V. C. T. , Ungvari Gabor S. , Wong K. S.
Published: February 2014

Objectives:

Depression is the most common affective disorder following stroke yet the neuroanatomical model of poststroke depression (PSD) remains unclear. This study examined the association between PSD and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and hypothesized that CMBs in specific regions would be associated with PSD.

Methods:

Of the 4766 patients with first ever or recurrent acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Acute Stroke Unit of the Prince of Wales Hospital between June 2004 and October 2010, 229 met the entry criteria and formed the study sample. Patients with a Geriatric Depression Scale score of 7 or above were classified as having PSD. The presence and location of CMBs were evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging.

Results:

Compared to the non-PSD group, patients with PSD were more likely to have pontine CMBs (32.0% vs 18.2%; P = .019). The presence of pontine CMBs remained an independent predictor of PSD in the multivariate analysis, with an odds ratio of 2.2 ( P = .016).

Conclusion:

The results suggest that pontine CMBs are associated with a higher risk of developing PSD.
Genital discoid lupus: a rare manifestation of cutaneous lupus erythematosus
Authors: Romiti R , Anzai A , Nico MM
Published: February 2014

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus classically presents as sharply demarcated plaques with pigmentary changes and varying degrees of scarring typically affecting the face and scalp. Genital manifestations of lupus erythematosus have rarely been described in literature. Here we report two cases of discoid lupus erythematosus affecting the genital area. Both patients were equally affected by widespread discoid lesions on the head. Although rare, genital involvement of lupus erythematosus must be considered in the differential diagnosis of genital lesions.
Colonial Rebels in Indian Cinema
Authors: Raj Sony Jalarajan , Sreekumar Rohini
Published: February 2014

Historical films are a widely discussed genre of visual narration as it poses the challenge of a reliable balance between history, myth and truth. Indian history and independence have been one of those themes that have been adapted into filmic narration, not only as a national oration, but from an international lens. Unlike any other historical moment, Indian Independence is the most celebrated and recurring themes of historical movies and still continuous to be a vibrant subject for Indian film makers. Dealing with the narration of a nation, often these films are looked at with a skeptical attitude, mostly because of its colonizer’s view of the colonized. This article addresses Bhabha’s ( 1994 ) interstitial perspective and mimicry of ambivalence positing that these films neither dominate nor propagate certain colonial ideologies, nor does it make the colonizer as a virtuous subject, but rather create an ambivalent identity, which is neither colonizer nor colonized, but a hybrid of it. Apart from some English productions on Indian colonial rule and independence, some Indian films are also taken as a case study to elucidate the concept of hybridity in cultural meaning. When the ‘object’ of history or the colonized reacts with their perception, it creates an ambivalence that is far different from the colonizer’s perception.
Communication, Power and Resistance in the Arab Spring
Authors: Dutta Mohan
Published: February 2014

This article articulates the processes of resistance that were constituted in participation of the youth in online and offline spaces in the Arab Spring. Through an online ethnography of the various sites of resistance, the article foregrounds the complementary roles played by communication spaces, the broader economic context of neoliberal policies and the ways in which resistance offered entry points for alternative imaginations. The theoretical discussion in the article puts forth the argument that the struggle for voice rooted in the politics of the global South is also a struggle for economic opportunity, economic decision-making and economic participation, working with culturally-rooted expressions that find global presence through interlinkages of resistance in regional-global networks.
The Blazon Call of Hip Hop
Authors: Menon Bindu
Published: February 2014

Hip hop and Rap has been available to various musical cultures all over the world inspiring the imagination of youth and politicizing them along the process. The release of a series of YouTube videos in India particularly in Kerala represents distinct response to the Rap music culture. In distinct yet interlocked ways these videos signal a changing musical culture in Kerala, one that is enabled by new networks and a rapidly changing techno social soundscape and its accompanying listening practices and music culture. This article is an attempt to map and analyze these practices through the video texts of some of these hip hop videos, websites and interviews with the artists and key actors. It analyzes the post globalization musical cultures in Kerala, mapping its techno-social and aesthetic practices and how they bear upon listening practices. It also maps the meaning of rap and hip hop in the Indian sub continent and its relationship to power and hegemony in the musical soundscape of Kerala. The article tries to theorize the emergence of a rap music video culture in Kerala and the Internet publics through the debates on public sphere and how they are caught up with questions of historical memory and identity.
How are ICTs Transforming Civic Space in Singapore?
Authors: Sadoway David
Published: February 2014

Urban voluntary associations and activists have long sought open civic space for articulating their ideas and ideals. With the advent of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), civic associational practices have arguably been significantly altered and these changes are in turn transforming civic space—particularly in cities with advanced digital infrastructure and uptake.

This research examines two civic environmental groups in order to understand how and why ICTs are transforming civic space in the island city-state of Singapore. The article employs a case comparison of two age-distinct civic associations—Nature Society (Singapore) and Green Drinks Singapore—in order to distinguish the digital activities of established versus nascent civic environmental groups. The article employs a three-part socio-technical framework—focusing on ‘organizational, participatory and spatial’ transformations—for unpacking ICT-linked practices amongst civic associations.

The article will also examine the recent rise of informal civic-cyber green groups that both work with and yet paradoxically remain autonomous of established civic associations. The case studies provides evidence of the changing tactics of civic (and cyber) environmentalism and insights into the changing nature of civic space in Singapore.
The role of coping strategy and experience in predicting music performance anxiety
Authors: Biasutti Michele , Concina Eleonora
Published: February 2014

Music performance anxiety (MPA), a condition common among musicians, consists of an anxious state characterized by cognitive, psychological, and physiological arousal. Musicians often establish strategies for coping with MPA. The aim of the current study is to analyze the correlation between MPA factors and coping strategies, and to determine the relevance of coping strategies and other variables, such as gender, experience, and weekly hours of individual music practice, in predicting MPA. Data on MPA and coping strategies were collected using two questionnaires: the Performance Anxiety Inventory (PAI) and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced-New Italian Version (COPE-NVI). The participants were 171 musicians divided into the following two groups: 97 advanced music conservatory students and 74 professional musicians. The results indicate that coping strategies based on demand of social support and avoidance strategies have a positive correlation with MPA. Advanced students reported higher levels of MPA than professional musicians. In addition, regression analysis provides evidence that variance in MPA can be explained in part by experience (professional musicians versus advanced students), hours of individual practice per week and coping strategies based on social support and avoidance strategies. The findings underscore the importance of understanding processes involved in MPA and the need to learn adaptive strategies for coping with stressful events.
How Network Properties Affect One’s Ability to Obtain Benefits
Authors: Trefalt Špela
Published: February 2014

Networks and the social capital that they carry enable people to get things done, to prosper in their careers, and to feel supported. To develop an effective network, one needs to know more than how to make connections with strangers at a reception; understanding the consequences of network properties on one’s ability to obtain benefits is essential. Such understanding enables students to better assess who to connect to. The simulation described herein enables participants to experience and therefore better understand the consequences of their position within a network and to overcome potential aversion to networking by recognizing its benefits and potential for reciprocity. It has been used effectively with undergraduates, MBA students, and executive audiences.
Locus of Control
Authors: Neal Maya , Weeks Gerald , DeBattista Jerusha
Published: February 2014

Locus of control (LOC) is a fundamental construct of individual psychology and has been researched extensively. However, the clinical application of the LOC construct to couple’s therapy has not yet been examined. A review of the literature fails to provide clinicians with adequate direction regarding how to engage with LOC in couple’s therapy. The authors present an informal and collaborative way in which LOC might be assessed in couple’s therapy: an LOC-focused genogram. Possible uses and benefits of the LOC-focused genogram along with a case example are provided.
Race and Masculinity
Authors: Shaw Ping , Tan Yue
Published: February 2014

This study examines how men of different races are displayed in terms of masculinity types and product types by analyzing the content of 636 ads collected from the three most popular men’s lifestyle magazines in Taiwan, China, and the United States between 2008 and 2010. Western models were found more frequently portrayed as Tough, Macho, and Androgynous, but less frequently than Asian models as Vigorous and Sunny. Global marketers use more Asian models when targeting Asian markets than when targeting American markets. Racial difference was also revealed in types of advertised products.
(Re)Calling London
Authors: Billings Andrew C. , Angelini James R. , MacArthur Paul J. , Bissell Kimberly , Smith Lauren R.
Published: February 2014

All sixty-nine hours of National Broadcasting Company’s (NBC) 2012 primetime Summer Olympic telecast were analyzed, revealing significant gender trends. For the first time in any scholarly study of NBC’s coverage of the games, women athletes received the majority of the clock-time and on-air mentions. However, dialogues surrounding the attributions of success and failure of athletes, as well as depictions of physicality and personality, contained some divergences by gender.
How Satisfaction Is Achieved in the Implementation Phase of Large Transportation Infrastructure Projects
Authors: Verweij Stefan , Gerrits Lasse M.
Published: February 2014

In the implementation phase of transportation infrastructure projects, unplanned events will inevitably occur. Although this is increasingly acknowledged, little systematic research has been conducted into what management strategies are best for dealing with these unplanned events. This article investigates how managers respond to unplanned events that occur in the context of a project during implementation, and which management responses produce satisfactory outcomes. To evaluate what strategies work in what contexts, we introduce multi-value Qualitative Comparative Analysis (mvQCA) and apply it to the Dutch A2 Maastricht transportation infrastructure project (the Netherlands). We produced systematic evidence that (a) internally oriented private management is associated with low satisfaction; (b) externally oriented management is associated with high satisfaction in responding to social, local unplanned events; and (c) that internally oriented management is associated with high satisfaction, depending in particular on the nature of the cooperation between principal and contractor in the project.
Masculinities in Interaction
Authors: Lainer-Vos Dan
Published: February 2014

This article examines how different groups of men negotiate and produce distinct masculinities in actual encounters. The article studies the establishment of the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) during the 1940s and focuses on how American and Israeli Jews interacted in fund-raising events. It identifies the threats to the masculine faces of these groups that arose in this setting and examines the organizational practices that were developed in order to allow these groups to cooperate and coproduce their distinct models of masculinity. Exploring masculinities in interaction highlights the importance of concrete organizational practices and monetary transactions, in particular, for the construction of masculinities. Specific discursive and organizational arrangements allow actors to act in a masculine manner and receive affirmation for their masculine claims. In the case examined here, specific discursive practices and the temporal and spatial organization of fund-raising events eased the tensions between two distinct groups of men and allowed them to maintain their distinct and potentially conflicting masculinities.
An investigation into musicians’ thoughts and perceptions during performance
Authors: Clark Terry , Lisboa Tânia , Williamon Aaron
Published: February 2014

Given the current state of understanding surrounding musicians’ experiences while performing, this study sought to investigate musicians’ thoughts and perceptions during performances and the perceived impact their evaluation of those thoughts and perceptions has on their subsequent musical activities. Twenty-nine student and professional classical musicians were interviewed concerning factors perceived to contribute to the quality of performances, experiences prior to and during performances, and their responses to performances. Self-perceived successful performances were often connected with feelings of sufficient preparation and positive mind-sets, and presented a high yet attainable level of challenge. Less successful performances were typically linked with inadequate preparation, negative mental outlooks, frustration, and lack of enjoyment during the performance itself. Furthermore, the results pointed to the relevance of facilitative versus debilitative perfectionism, locus of control, interpretation of anxiety symptoms, and the interaction between self-talk, self-efficacy, and performance quality to musicians’ performance experiences and satisfaction.
Spaces of possibilities: workers’ self-management in Greece
Authors: Kokkinidis George
Published: February 2014

This article focuses on the process of workers’ self-management brought about by a wave of experimentation with alternative organizational forms taking place in Greece since the beginning of the current financial crisis. The discussion is supported by empirical evidence from qualitative fieldwork conducted in three workers’ collectives. Drawing on the findings of my research, I argue that the members’ values and everyday practices give shape and meaning to their aspirations of creating a space that not only critiques the existing forms of work but also puts into practice other possibilities that give emphasis to reciprocal relationships and prioritize collective working, egalitarianism and autonomy. I also argue that their established consensus-based decision-making models, far from representing a state of agreement, allows—within collectively determined boundaries—the creation of a space where diverse opinions flourish rather than being suppressed.This encourages the development of more inclusive models of participation and the construction of rule-creating rather than rule-following individuals.
Identification of infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder and developmental language delay prior to 12 months
Authors: Samango-Sprouse Carole A , Stapleton Emily J , Aliabadi Farhad , Graw Robert , Vickers Rebecca , Haskell Kathryn , Sadeghin Teresa , Jameson Robert , Parmele Charles L , Gropman Andrea L
Published: February 2014

Studies have shown an increased head circumference and the absence of the head tilt reflex as possible risk factors for autism spectrum disorder, allowing for early detection at 12 months in typically developing population of infants. Our aim was to develop a screening tool to identify infants prior to 12 months at risk for autism spectrum disorder and developmental learning delay, not affected by literacy or primary parental language, and provide immediate determination of risk for autism spectrum disorder. An abrupt head circumference acceleration and the absence of head tilt reflex by 9 months were used to identify infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder. Stability of early findings was then investigated when compared to comprehensive standardized neurodevelopmental assessment results and complete neurological and genetics evaluations. A total of 1024 typically developing infants were enrolled by 9 months, with 14 identified as at risk for autism spectrum disorder and 33 for developmental learning delay. There was a good positive predictive value for the identification of autism spectrum disorder prior to 12 months. This study demonstrates an efficient means to identify infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder by 9 months of age and serves to alert primary care providers of infants who are vulnerable for autism spectrum disorder before symptoms are discernible by clinical judgment of primary care providers, parental concerns, or by screening questionnaires.
Green crime and victimization: Tensions between social and environmental justice
Authors: Davies Pamela Ann
Published: February 2014

In 2011, Rio Tinto Alcan, one of the world’s largest producers of aluminium, announced the closure of the smelter at Lynemouth, Northumberland, north-east England. The plant, a major local employer, finally closed in March 2013. This article examines global concerns about environmental emission standards and the costs of compliance. This plant’s closure is a success in green terms. However, where closure is officially considered a compliance option, costs to deprived communities are high. From a (green) victimological perspective, the article contemplates the hidden costs of closure on already deprived local and regional communities. The discussion focuses on how green crime and green compliance creates victimization and reflects on the moral and ethical challenges this presents for a green criminology.
Evidence-based evaluation of information: The centrality and limitations of systematic reviews
Authors: Järvholm Bengt , Bohlin Ingemar
Published: February 2014

This introductory paper considers the value and limitations of the methodology of systematic reviews especially according to the evidence-based movement. It explains some terms and organisations producing systematic reviews. It also discusses controversies. The first concerns the criteria by which the quality of individual studies is assessed, the second the possible effects of the affiliation of some reviewers, and the third the value of formalisation of procedure (i.e. the tensions between formal tools and professional judgments). The article contrasts the evidence-based formalism with other formalisms as those by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It discusses systematic reviews in social science where interventions are complex, difficult to blind, and depend on context. Systematic reviews in working life research are often focusing on prevention. The formal evidence-based process may devaluate or disregard findings from mechanistic and observational studies. Hence such reviews may falsely conclude that existing knowledge about the risk of the factor is limited or nonexistent.
Evidence-based knowledge in the context of social practice
Authors: Mullen Edward J
Published: February 2014

Aims: Social practitioners require evidence-based knowledge as a guide to the development of social policies and practices. This article aims to identify: (1) knowledge domains needed for the development and use of evidence-based knowledge in social practice; (2) promising research methods for such knowledge development; (3) a framework for linking evidence-based practice, systematic reviews, and practice guidelines, as well as standards for systematic reviews and guidelines; (4) issues influencing use of evidence-based knowledge in social practice. Methods: This analysis is based on examination of conceptualisations of social practice in a transdisciplinary, evidence-based practice context. Also examined are recent national level reports pertaining to comparative effectiveness research. Results: This review identifies key knowledge domains pertinent to a transdisciplinary systems conceptualisation of evidence-based practice and promising comparative effectiveness research methods pertaining to those domains. An integrative conceptualisation of evidence-based practice is proposed including linkages to systematic reviews and practice guidelines. Conclusions: The development of evidence-based knowledge for social practice can benefit from the use of comparative effectiveness research strategies using a range of research methods tailored to specific questions and resource requirements, and which examine effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. An integrating conceptualisation of evidence-based practice that includes a linked process including planned and targeted systematic reviews and guideline development for decision making is needed to facilitate knowledge development and use. Evidence-based research regarding social intervention outcomes can benefit by using conceptual models that view intervention effects as contingent on sets of interacting domains including environmental, organisational, intervener, client-system, technology, and technique variables.
Methodological pluralism in the age of evidence-informed practice and policy
Authors: Shlonsky Aron , Mildon Robyn
Published: February 2014

The use of evidence in practice and policy in public health and social services is a tricky endeavour. While virtually every practitioner, manager, or policy maker would agree that evidence should be used, there is disagreement about the nature of evidence and which evidence should be used, how, when, in what circumstances, and for whom. Within these disagreements, however, can be found some essential truths: (1) scientific knowledge evolves over time; (2) different types of evidence are needed for different purposes; (3) evidence has a range of quality; (4) synthesising multiple forms of evidence is difficult and inevitably includes some level of subjectivity; and (5) effective implementation of evidence is as important as the decision to use evidence in the first place. This paper will discuss the use of evidence in practice in what is arguably the most complex helping environment – social services – detailing the emergence and evolution of evidence-informed practice, dispelling some myths about its structure and application, and linking it to the broader origins and structure of the social and governmental systems in which it operates. Using this expanded view, the paper will then describe some useful approaches for incorporating these larger considerations into the use of evidence in practice.
Musculoskeletal disorders and occupational exposures: How should we judge the evidence concerning the causal association?
Authors: Punnett Laura
Published: February 2014

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affecting the back, upper and lower extremities are widespread in the general population, implying a variety of causal factors. Multiple causes are not mutually exclusive, and a high background rate does not preclude associations with specific factors that are uncommon in the general population. MSDs have well-documented associations with occupational ergonomic stressors such as repetitive motion, heavy lifting, non-neutral postures, and vibration. Organizational features of the work environment, such as time pressure and low decision latitude, may also play a role, at least by potentiating the effects of physical loading. Numerous systematic reviews have mostly concurred with these overall findings. Nevertheless, some continue to debate whether MSDs are sometimes work-related, even for those performing jobs with repetitive and routinized tasks, heavy lifting, and/or pronounced postural strain. This article discusses (1) some epidemiologic features of MSDs that underlie that debate; and (2) the question of what should appropriately be considered a gold standard for scientific evidence on an etiological question such as the health effects of a non-voluntary exposure, such as an occupational or environmental agent. In particular, randomized clinical trials have little relevance for determining the health effects of non-therapeutic risk factors.
Hybrid simulation: bringing motivation to the art of teamwork training in the operating room
Authors: Kjellin A. , Hedman L. , Escher C. , Felländer-Tsai L.
Published: February 2014

Background and Aims:

Crew resource management–based operating room team training will be an evident part of future surgical training. Hybrid simulation in the operating room enables the opportunity for trainees to perform higher fidelity training of technical and non-technical skills in a realistic context. We focus on situational motivation and self-efficacy, two important factors for optimal learning in light of a prototype course for teams of residents in surgery and anesthesiology and nurses.

Material and Methods:

Authentic operating room teams consisting of residents in anesthesia (n = 2), anesthesia nurses (n = 3), residents in surgery (n = 2), and scrub nurses (n = 6) were, during a one-day course, exposed to four different scenarios. Their situational motivation was self-assessed (ranging from 1 = does not correspond at all to 7 = corresponds exactly) immediately after training, and their self-efficacy (graded from 1 to 7) before and after training. Training was performed in a mock-up operating theater equipped with a hybrid patient simulator (SimMan 3G; Laerdal) and a laparoscopic simulator (Lap Mentor Express; Simbionix). The functionality of the systematic hybrid procedure simulation scenario was evaluated by an exit questionnaire (graded from 1 = disagree entirely to 5 = agree completely).

Results and Conclusions:

The trainees were mostly intrinsically motivated, engaged for their own sake, and had a rather great degree of self-determination toward the training situation. Self-efficacy among the team members improved significantly from 4 to 6 (median). Overall evaluation showed very good result with a median grading of 5. We conclude that hybrid simulation is feasible and has the possibility to train an authentic operating team in order to improve individual motivation and confidence.
The domestication of digital games in the lives of older adults
Authors: De Schutter Bob , Brown Julie A , Vanden Abeele Vero
Published: February 2014

The current study aims to integrate the findings of previous research on the use of video games by older adults by applying the domestication framework developed in the 1990s. A qualitative study was performed with 35 participants aged between 49 and 73, who were targeted purposefully from a larger sample of 213. The analysis revealed how older adults appropriated digital games using pre-existing, public and co-constructed meanings, as well as how such meanings influence the incorporation of digital games in their daily routine. The study also reveals how the transformation of personal meanings into the public realm can be obstructed by social factors. Finally, the usefulness of the domestication framework for this topic of study as well as implications for future research are discussed.
Re: Search
Authors: Graham Mark , Schroeder Ralph , Taylor Greg
Published: February 2014

Search has assumed a position of central importance in the way that people access and use online information and services. In this introduction we summarize the four articles constituting this themed section, and in so doing explore the ascendancy of search, the power it bestows upon those who control it, its role in shaping access to information, and its capacity to function as a mirror for society. We point to important outstanding questions and suggest some avenues for future work in this area.
Call and response: An anatomy of religious practice
Authors: Loeb Laura
Published: February 2014

Since Durkheim, the importance of collective rituals in creating meaningful religious experience has been recognized. This article argues that to understand the outcomes of collective rituals, researchers should first understand the structure and dynamics of the rituals themselves. This article details the interactional practices of ‘call and response’ using conversation analysis (CA) to analyze video data gathered from Bible study meetings. Four fundamental responsive practices are identified: ‘continuing’, ‘agreeing’, ‘assessing’, and ‘confirming’. It is argued that these practices are resources through which religious doctrine is made relevant in the interpretation of personal experience, in a process that is both public and collective. Simultaneously, these practices are a mechanism through which religious faith is publicly proclaimed and validated. These practices thus form a fundamental link between religious culture and personal experience within a context of shared religious understandings.
Paving the way for crisis exploitation: The role of journalistic styles and standards
Authors: Olsson Eva-Karin , Nord Lars W
Published: February 2014

Crises tend to be crucial political events with the ability to determine the public’s faith in political actors. If well managed, crises provide windows of opportunities for political actors to show action, strengthening credibility and pushing through new policies. This article explores one such instance of successful crisis exploitation: the Swedish government’s management of the financial crisis in 2008. During the worst turbulence, the government was able to successfully frame the event, without being challenged by contrasting frames, as a crisis managed with great competence and in the best interest of ordinary citizens. We explain this phenomenon through journalistic styles and standards. The article concludes by discussing the findings where we propose that issue framing, in combination with descriptive journalism, contributes to portraying political actors as credible crisis managers rather than tactical politicians, with the result being that they appear more trustworthy and competent. Moreover, due to unbalanced coverage, actors who are framed as competent crisis managers succeed in further strengthening their positions.
Editorial power and public participation in online newspapers
Authors: Ihlebæk Karoline Andrea , Krumsvik Arne H
Published: February 2014

The Internet has radically increased the opportunity for the public to take part in debate and deliberation, challenging the hegemonic position of the established media as the facilitators of such debate. As new forums for participation have entered the market, traditional players in television, radio and the press have also transformed their services, strategically aiming to facilitate new forms of participatory services where citizens can engage in discussions. In this article we explore how the participatory trend raises important questions concerning how editorial standards and editorial control are maintained in online newspapers. Based on a mapping of the available services, surveys of newspaper executives, and in-depth interviews with online editors, we investigate attitudes and practices with regard to editorial control and its attempt to balance the new ideals of participation in the online world with maintaining the editorial standards of print media.
Virtual visual sensors and their application in structural health monitoring
Authors: Song Yi-Zhe , Bowen Chris R , Kim Alicia H , Nassehi Aydin , Padget Julian , Gathercole Nick
Published: February 2014

Wireless sensor networks are being increasingly accepted as an effective tool for structural health monitoring. The ability to deploy a wireless array of sensors efficiently and effectively is a key factor in structural health monitoring. Sensor installation and management can be difficult in practice for a variety of reasons: a hostile environment, high labour costs and bandwidth limitations. We present and evaluate a proof-of-concept application of virtual visual sensors to the well-known engineering problem of the cantilever beam, as a convenient physical sensor substitute for certain problems and environments. We demonstrate the effectiveness of virtual visual sensors as a means to achieve non-destructive evaluation. Major benefits of virtual visual sensors are its non-invasive nature, ease of installation and cost-effectiveness. The novelty of virtual visual sensors lies in the combination of marker extraction with visual tracking realised by modern computer vision algorithms. We demonstrate that by deploying a collection of virtual visual sensors on an oscillating structure, its modal shapes and frequencies can be readily extracted from a sequence of video images. Subsequently, we perform damage detection and localisation by means of a wavelet-based analysis. The contributions of this article are as follows: (1) use of a sub-pixel accuracy marker extraction algorithm to construct virtual sensors in the spatial domain, (2) embedding dynamic marker linking within a tracking-by-correspondence paradigm that offers benefits in computational efficiency and registration accuracy over traditional tracking-by-searching systems and (3) validation of virtual visual sensors in the context of a structural health monitoring application.
HDL cholesterol levels and weight are the main determinants of subclinical atherosclerosis in the young with type 1 diabetes and suitable glycaemic control
Authors: Pinto Camila S , Lana Janaina M , Gabbay Monica AL , de Sa Joao R , Dib Sergio A
Published: February 2014

The aim of this study was to evaluate subclinical atherosclerosis and related factors in young type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients and healthy peers. Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and anthropometric/laboratorial data were obtained for 83 T1D patients (mean age 19.5 ± 4.0 years, disease duration 9.8 ± 4.8 years) and for 36 matched healthy subjects. Considering all the participants as one group, male sex ( p = 0.008), weight ( p = 0.016) and T1D ( p < 0.001) were positively associated with a higher cIMT. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) ( p = 0.036) was negatively associated with cIMT in T1D. In the male T1D patients, HDL ≤47.5 mg/dL had a sensitivity of 87.5% and specificity of 57% ( p = 0.035) in detecting those belonging to a higher cIMT tercile. In conclusion, weight and T1D were associated with increased cIMT. HDL levels ≤47.5 mg/dL were related to a higher cIMT in male T1D patients.
New York Can be Our Nation’s Center for Alzheimer’s Research
Authors: Vann Allan S.
Published: February 2014

More than 5 million people in this country have Alzheimer's disease, and more than 300,000 of those with Alzheimer's live in New York. By 2025, it is estimated that there will be 350,000 residents living with Alzheimer's in New York. Congressman Steve Israel and New York Assemblyman Charles Lavine issued a joint proposal in June, 2013 suggesting that New York become this country's center for Alzheimer's research. Obviously, they would both like to see increased federal funding, but they also know that we cannot count on that happening. So Israel and Lavine have proposed a $3 billion state bonding initiative to secure sufficient funding to tackle this disease. It would be similar to the bonding initiatives that have made California and Texas this nation's centers for stem cell and cancer research. The bond would provide a dedicated funding stream to support research to find effective means to treat, cure, and eventually prevent Alzheimer's, and fund programs to help people currently dealing with Alzheimer's and their caregivers.

New York already has some of the major “ingredients” to make an Alzheimer's bond initiative a success, including 3 of our nation's 29 Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers and some of the finest research facilities in the nation for genetic and neuroscience research. One can only imagine the synergy of having these world class institutions working on cooperative grants and projects with sufficient funding to attract even more world class researchers and scientists to New York to find ways to prevent, treat, and cure Alzheimer's.
Bitter Ironies of History
Authors: Jasper James , Demszky Gábor
Published: February 2014

Former Budapest mayor Gábor Demszky talks with scholar James Jasper about his life as a publisher of samizdat literature before 1989, and his life as mayor afterward. Demszky also grimly assesses Hungary’s future under Fidesz.
When Property Values Rule
Authors: McCabe Brian J.
Published: February 2014

Sociologist Brian J. McCabe explains how homeowners are often more involved in their neighborhoods, but their participation doesn’t always make for stronger communities.
We Are Family
Authors: Acosta Katie L.
Published: February 2014

Sociologist Katie L. Acosta explores the centrality of family in lesbian, bisexual and queer Latinas’ lives and the efforts they make to integrate their families of choice and origin into one supportive kin network
Allah in China
Authors: Chen Xi , Kerr Keith
Published: February 2014

Sociologists Xi Chen and Keith Kerr explore Hui-Muslim double identities.
The Poverty of Policy
Authors: Roy Kevin
Published: February 2014

Family scientist Kevin Roy reviews the books So Rich, So Poor and Ain’t No Trust. The books examine the consequences of welfare reform policy for low-income families and the next steps in dealing with rising social inequality.
Malaria: prevention and treatment
Authors: French Laura , Gray Thomas , Natarajan Pavithra
Published: February 2014

Malaria is the most important of all tropical parasitic diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 3.3 billion people in the world are at risk of malaria. There are approximately 220 000 000 cases of malaria worldwide each year, with 660 000 deaths. It is widely distributed across tropical and sub-tropical areas. However, malaria is not only seen in the tropics: in 2011 there were 1677 imported cases of malaria diagnosed in the UK and there were eight deaths from malaria. This article aims to describe the lifecycle of the malaria parasite, and clinical features of malaria, summarise current recommendations about malaria prevention in travellers from the UK to malaria-endemic regions, and also to offer guidance on diagnosis and treatment of infection in the returning traveller, with a particular focus on the role of GPs.