bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From Tonsils to Scopes
Authors: Sun Gordon H.
Published: June 2015

Variation in medicine and surgery is a critical contemporary health policy issue. Recent research demonstrates that variation in Medicare payments to otolaryngologists in a single metropolitan area was attributable to differences in health care resource utilization among physicians and that the hospital with the highest Medicare payments per physician had a higher proportion of office endoscopy‐related relative value units than that of other providers, relying less on evaluation and management office visits for revenue. This study is the latest in a line of fascinating case records of variation in otolaryngology and other surgical specialties dating back to the work of J. Alison Glover in 1938.
Knowledge, perception and attitude of Nigerian students to plagiarism
Authors: Ibegbulam Ijeoma J. , Eze Jacintha U.
Published: June 2015

This study investigated the knowledge, perception and attitude of Nigerian students to plagiarism. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire which was self administered by the researchers to the respondents. The respondents were 282 first year students in the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. The collected data was analyzed with frequency counts and percentage. The major findings show that the knowledge of plagiarism among the students prior to their being taught the subject was very low. However, after being exposed to the subject through teaching, their knowledge increased significantly. The respondents perceived some reasons as significant to the incidence of plagiarism among students. These included: fear of being scored poorly, awareness that other students were doing it, the opportunities for copying offered by the Internet, and the absence of punishment for plagiarism-related offences. The attitude of respondents to strategies for curbing plagiarism showed that respondents favoured corrective measures over punitive measures. The study concluded that university administrations should pay close attention to this problem by developing strategies that can help resolve it.
Local rhBMP-12 on an Absorbable Collagen Sponge as an Adjuvant Therapy for Rotator Cuff Repair— A Phase 1, Randomized, Standard of Care Control, Multicenter Study
Authors: Greiner Stefan , Ide Junji , Van Noort Arthur , Mochizuki Yu , Ochi Hiroshi , Marraffino Shannon , Sridharan Sudhakar , Rudicel Sally , Itoi Eiji
Published: June 2015

Background:

Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein–12 (rhBMP-12) has been shown to induce tendon and ligament formation in rats and to improve tendon healing; however, the safety and feasibility of implanting rhBMP-12/absorbable collagen sponge (ACS) in humans are not known.

Purpose:

To investigate the safety and feasibility of rhBMP-12 on an ACS as an adjuvant therapy in open rotator cuff repair.

Study Design:

Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

This study consisted of 20 patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears. Patients were randomized either to standard of care (SOC) treatment (open rotator cuff repair) or to receive 0.015 mg/mL rhBMP-12/ACS and SOC treatment during their open rotator cuff repair (rhBMP-12/ACS group) at a rate of 1/4 SOC/rhBMP-12/ACS. The feasibility of implanting the product and the safety of the product were evaluated during the 1-year follow-up period. The evaluation involved up to 10 postoperative visits, which included physical examinations, radiographs, computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans with an emphasis on heterotopic ossification (HO), pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, laboratory evaluations, and local and systemic adverse events at specified time points.

Results:

Small amounts of HO were seen on follow-up CT scans in 10 of 16 patients in the rhBMP-12/ACS group and in 2 of 3 patients in the SOC group. HO did not increase at 26 weeks and was not associated with any adverse events or unsatisfactory clinical outcomes. Pharmacokinetics demonstrated that circulating levels of rhBMP-12 were not detectable after administration. Five of 16 patients showed a postoperative immunogenic response but did not show any correlating adverse events. Complete healing of the rotator cuff was observed in 14 of 16 patients; 2 of 16 imaging results could not be analyzed because of artifacts in the rhBMP-12 group on MRI scans. In the SOC group, 1 of 4 patients showed a retear at 12 weeks after surgery.

Conclusion:

The use of rhBMP-12/ACS has been shown to be feasible and safe in a concentration of 0.015 mg/mL when used in open rotator cuff repair. Higher dose concentrations of rhBMP-12 should be evaluated in the future to evaluate their safety and potential to increase rotator cuff healing after open surgical repair.
The Politics of Defining and Building Equity in the Twenty-First Century
Authors: Brand Anna Livia
Published: June 2015

This research interrogates the meaning of equity in the twenty-first century and analyzes how residents’ ideas about the meaning of equity reflect different material and political agendas, divided between neoliberal and redistributive approaches to redevelopment. Drawing on qualitative research conducted in three neighborhoods in post-Katrina New Orleans, this research compares residents’ conceptualizations of equity and argues that the meaning of equity itself varies significantly across different groups in the city and that these varying definitions of equity promote different outcomes in planning. This research offers grounded approaches to equity planning in unequal urban settings.
A protocol to reduce police wait times in the emergency department
Authors: Pizzingrilli Barb , Hoffman Ron , Hirdes Daniel Pearson
Published: June 2015

Healthcare organizations are increasingly tasked with implementing change initiatives that improve the patient experience and target priorities such as Emergency Department (ED) volumes. This article describes the development, implementation, and outcomes of a collaborative protocol between the Niagara Health System and the Niagara Regional Police Service that resulted in a 57% reduction in police wait times in the ED. Six critical success factors contributed to the outcomes that were achieved and are detailed for those organizations interested in engaging in a similar change initiative.
Competence of Trauma Social Workers
Authors: Ben-Porat Anat
Published: June 2015

In recent years, there has been growing interest in examining role competence and the factors that can contribute to a sense of role competence among social workers. In the present study, we used the occupational competence model (OCM) as a basis for examining the contribution of the personal dimension (mastery, self-esteem, and secondary traumatization),environmental dimension (support systems),-and occupational dimension (exposure to the field of family violence) to the social worker’s subjective sense of role competence. Participants in the study were 214 social workers employed at centers for prevention of family violence, at shelters for victims of violence against women, and at social service bureaus. The findings indicate that in the occupational dimension, the contribution of exposure to work in the field of family violence contributed significantly to two components of the participants’ subjective sense of role competence: general sense of role competence and task knowledge/problem solving. In the personal dimension, the contribution of secondary traumatization and mastery to a sense of role competence was significant. In the environmental dimension (i.e., support systems), the specific contribution of managerial support to the participants’ sense of role competence was significant. In light of these findings, practical recommendations for developing a sense of role competence among social workers are provided.
Age of Crime/Substance Onset and Crime/Drug Versatility as Dimensions of the “Worst of Both Worlds” Effect
Authors: Walters Glenn D.
Published: June 2015

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether age of crime and substance use onset and prior crime and substance versatility (variety of crimes committed or drugs used) could help define the “worst of both worlds” effect. Analyses were conducted on 2,539 children and young adults from a nationally representative sample of private households in England and Wales. As predicted, the early onset crime/substance group achieved the worst future crime and substance outcomes, the late onset crime/substance group achieved the second worst outcomes, the crime or substance alone group achieved the third worst outcomes, and the no crime and substance group achieved the best outcomes. Likewise, the high crime/drug versatility group achieved the worst outcomes, the low crime/drug versatility group achieved the second worst outcomes, the crime or drug alone group achieved the third worst outcomes, and the no crime and drug group achieved the best outcomes.
Approaches for dealing with various sources of overdispersion in modeling count data: Scale adjustment versus modeling
Authors: Payne Elizabeth H , Hardin James W , Egede Leonard E , Ramakrishnan Viswanathan , Selassie Anbesaw , Gebregziabher Mulugeta
Published: June 2015

Overdispersion is a common problem in count data. It can occur due to extra population-heterogeneity, omission of key predictors, and outliers. Unless properly handled, this can lead to invalid inference. Our goal is to assess the differential performance of methods for dealing with overdispersion from several sources. We considered six different approaches: unadjusted Poisson regression (Poisson), deviance-scale-adjusted Poisson regression (DS-Poisson), Pearson-scale-adjusted Poisson regression (PS-Poisson), negative-binomial regression (NB), and two generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) with random intercept, log-link and Poisson (Poisson-GLMM) and negative-binomial (NB-GLMM) distributions. To rank order the preference of the models, we used Akaike's information criteria/Bayesian information criteria values, standard error, and 95% confidence-interval coverage of the parameter values. To compare these methods, we used simulated count data with overdispersion of different magnitude from three different sources. Mean of the count response was associated with three predictors. Data from two real-case studies are also analyzed. The simulation results showed that NB and NB-GLMM were preferred for dealing with overdispersion resulting from any of the sources we considered. Poisson and DS-Poisson often produced smaller standard-error estimates than expected, while PS-Poisson conversely produced larger standard-error estimates. Thus, it is good practice to compare several model options to determine the best method of modeling count data.
Thermo-mechanical strain rate–dependent behavior of shape memory alloys as vibration dampers and comparison to conventional dampers
Authors: Gur Sourav , Mishra Sudib K , Frantziskonis George N
Published: June 2015

A study on shape memory alloy materials as vibration dampers is reported. An important component is the strain rate–dependent and temperature-dependent constitutive behavior of shape memory alloy, which can significantly change its energy dissipation capacity under cyclic loading. The constitutive model used accounts for the thermo-mechanical strain rate–dependent behavior and phase transformation. With increasing structural flexibility, the hysteretic loop size of shape memory alloy dampers increases due to increasing strain rates, thus further decreasing the response of the structure to cyclic excitation. The structure examined is a beam, and its behavior with shape memory alloy dampers is compared to the same beam with conventional dampers. Parametric studies reveal the superior performance of the shape memory alloy over the conventional dampers even at the resonance frequency of the beam-damper system. An important behavior of the shape memory alloy dampers is discovered, in that they absorb energy from the fundamental and higher vibration modes. In contrast, the conventional dampers transfer energy to higher modes. For the same beam control, the stiffness requirement for the shape memory alloy dampers is significantly less than that of the conventional dampers. Response quantities of interest show improved performance of the shape memory alloy over the conventional dampers under varying excitation intensity, frequency, temperature, and strain rate.
The Illicit Use of Prescription Stimulants on College Campuses
Authors: Bavarian Niloofar , Flay Brian R. , Ketcham Patricia L. , Smit Ellen
Published: June 2015

The illicit use of prescription stimulants (IUPS) is a substance use behavior that remains prevalent on college campuses. As theory can guide research and practice, we provide a systematic review of the college-based IUPS epidemiological literature guided by one ecological framework, the theory of triadic influence (TTI). We aim to assess prevalence, elucidate the behavior’s multietiological nature, and discuss prevention implications. Peer-reviewed studies were located through key phrase searches (prescription stimulant misuse and college, “prescription stimulant misuse” and “college,” illicit use of prescription stimulants in college, and nonmedical prescription stimulant use in college students) in electronic databases (PubMed, PubMed Central, and EBSCO Host) for the period 2000 to 2013. Studies meeting inclusion criteria had their references reviewed for additional eligible literature. Statistically significant correlates of IUPS in the 62 retrieved studies were organized using the three streams of influence and four levels of causation specified in the TTI. Results show that the prevalence of IUPS varies across campuses. Additionally, findings suggest the behavior is multifaceted, as correlates were observed within each stream of influence and level of causation specified by the TTI. We conclude that IUPS is prevalent in, but varies across, colleges and is influenced by intrapersonal and broader social and societal factors. We discuss implications for prevention and directions for future research.
Investigation of structural and tribological properties of electroless Ni–B coated pure titanium
Authors: Çelik İlhan , Karakan Mehmet , Bülbül Ferhat
Published: June 2015

In the present study, the surface of commercial pure (Grade 2) titanium was coated with electroless Ni–B and, then, it was subjected to heat treatment for an hour at 400 ℃. The surface morphology, microstructure and phase identification were analysed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. Wear behaviour characterisation was carried out using a ball-on-disc tribometer. The results of the analyses showed that the electroless Ni–B coating had a significantly amorphous structure in the as-deposited condition. It was also determined that the coating structure crystallised after the heat treatment and wear resistance of pure titanium increased after electroless Ni–B coating. Particularly, upon the heat treatment, it was observed that wear resistance and surface hardness of pure titanium considerably increased.
Characterizing the fungal and bacterial microflora and concentrations in fitness centres
Authors: Ramos Carla A. , Viegas Carla , Verde Sandra Cabo , Wolterbeek Humbert T. , Almeida Susana M.
Published: June 2015

Fitness centres are special places where conditions for microbiological proliferation should be considered. Moisture due to human perspiration and water condensation as a result of human physical activities are prevalent in this type of buildings. Exposure to microbial contaminants is clinically associated with respiratory disorders and people who work out in polluted environments would be susceptible to contaminants. This work studied the indoor air contamination in three gymnasiums in Lisbon. The sampling was performed at two periods: at the opening (morning) and closing (night) of the three gymnasiums. The airborne bacterial and fungal populations were sampled by impaction directly onto Tryptic Soy Agar (for bacteria) and Malt Extract Agar (for fungi) plates, using a Merck MAS-100 air sampler. Higher bacterial concentrations were found at night as compared to the morning but the same behaviour was not found for fungal concentrations. Gram-negative catalase positive cocci were the dominant bacteria in indoor air samples of the studied gymnasiums. In this study, 21 genera/species of fungal colonies were identified. Chrysosporium sp., Chrysonilia sp., Neoscytalidium hialinum, Sepedonium sp. and Penicillium sp. were the most prevalent species identified in the morning, while Cladosporium sp., Penicillium sp., Chrysosporium sp., Acremonium sp. and Chrysonilia sp. were more prevalent at night. A well-designed sanitation and maintenance program for gymnasiums is needed to ensure healthier space for indoor physical activity.
Mutation analyses in pedigrees and sporadic cases of ethnic Han Chinese Kallmann syndrome patients
Authors: Gu Wei-Jun , Zhang Qian , Wang Ying-Qian , Yang Guo-Qing , Hong Tian-Pei , Zhu Da-Long , Yang Jin-Kui , Ning Guang , Jin Nan , Chen Kang , Zang Li , Wang An-Ping , Du Jin , Wang Xian-Ling , Yang Li-Juan , Ba Jian-Ming , Lv Zhao-Hui , Dou Jing-Tao , Mu Yi-Ming
Published: June 2015

Kallmann syndrome, a form of idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, is characterized by developmental abnormalities of the reproductive system and abnormal olfaction. Despite association of certain genes with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, the genetic inheritance and expression are complex and incompletely known. In the present study, seven Kallmann syndrome pedigrees in an ethnic Han Chinese population were screened for genetic mutations. The exons and intron–exon boundaries of 19 idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism)-related genes in seven Chinese Kallmann syndrome pedigrees were sequenced. Detected mutations were also tested in 70 sporadic Kallmann syndrome cases and 200 Chinese healthy controls. In pedigrees 1, 2, and 7, the secondary sex characteristics were poorly developed and the patients’ sense of smell was severely or completely lost. We detected a genetic mutation in five of the seven pedigrees: homozygous KAL1 p.R191ter (pedigree 1); homozygous KAL1 p.C13ter (pedigree 2; a novel mutation); heterozygous FGFR1 p.R250W (pedigree 3); and homozygous PROKR2 p.Y113H (pedigrees 4 and 5). No genetic change of the assayed genes was detected in pedigrees 6 and 7. Among the 70 sporadic cases, we detected one homozygous and one heterozygous PROKR2 p.Y113H mutation. This mutation was also detected heterozygously in 2/200 normal controls and its pathogenicity is likely questionable. The genetics and genotype–phenotype relationships in Kallmann syndrome are complicated. Classical monogenic inheritance does not explain the full range of genetic inheritance of Kallmann syndrome patients. Because of stochastic nature of genetic mutations, exome analyses of Kallmann syndrome patients may provide novel insights.
Increments of Transformation From Midnight to Daylight
Authors: Arroyo Andrew T. , Kidd Angel R. , Burns Susan M. , Cruz Ivan J. , Lawrence-Lamb Judy E.
Published: June 2015

Drawing from the qualitative tradition of narrative inquiry, and situated in an online learning environment at a historically Black college or university, this study explores the potential transformative impact of an original teaching philosophy from the perspectives of a tenure-track assistant professor and four former, nontraditional undergraduate students of age 28–62. We use our experiences to investigate (a) how we made practical meaning of the teaching philosophy? (b) what we learned about ourselves? and ultimately (c) whether we might have been (trans)formed in the process? When analyzed through the framework of Jack Mezirow’s theory of transformative learning, our narratives offer evidence of transformative learning that is at least incremental in nature.
Journeys to school leadership
Authors: McCulla Norman , Degenhardt Leoni
Published: June 2015

The need to identify and suitably prepare teachers to undertake school leadership roles especially as principals is now well documented in the literature. Similarly documented is the general concern about the lack of suitable applicants willing to consider the role. This study raised the question of what might be learnt when a purposefully-selected cohort of 31 teachers drawn from executive, non-principal roles participated in a year-long, multi-phased leadership development program: The Flagship Program of the Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales, Australia (AIS). The design of the program was informed by internationally acknowledged principles of good practice in leadership preparation. Evaluation of the program combined action learning methodologies working with participants with more formal evaluation of each of the program’s stages to investigate participant growth and program effectiveness. The action learning component undertaken with the direct involvement of all participants and with the support of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) was able to pinpoint what the participants themselves saw as important and what was less so at this stage of their preparation for school leadership roles. In so doing, the study adds a valuable participant perspective to the overall literature on leadership preparation.
Rapid vascular uptake of contrast during a retrograde urethro-cystogram in a cat with chronic lower urinary tract disease
Authors: Huizing Xander , Bowlt Kelly , Pivetta Mauro
Published: June 2015

Case summary

A 9-year male neutered domestic longhair cat was referred to our hospital for investigation of recurrent urinary tract obstruction. The clinical signs had started 12 months earlier and the cat had been catheterised on multiple occasions. Clinical examination and abdominal ultrasound of the abdomen was unremarkable but examination of the penis revealed it to be prolapsed and extremely erythematous and friable. A retrograde contrast urethrocystogram was performed, showing extravasation of the contrast medium and establishing the presence of partial leakage or a tear of the urethra. In subsequent radiographs, the contrast was seen being rapidly absorbed into the pelvic and systemic vasculature via the penile veins, internal and external pudendal veins, internal and external iliac veins, and, ultimately, the caudal vena cava. Later, the contrast medium was seen within the renal pelves. Retrograde urethrocystography revealed stenosis and irregularities of the caudal urethral mucosa consistent with strictures. A routine perineal urethrostomy was performed and the cat recovered well.

Conclusions and relevance

Rapid vascular absorption of extravasated contrast medium has not been reported before. In this case, the increased blood supply to the distal urethra and penis is likely secondary to (chronic) inflammation, as demonstrated by the urethral strictures and the friable, oedematous nature of the penis. Whether the inflammation was caused by chronic obstruction or repeated iatrogenic trauma, or a combination of these factors, will remain debatable. Nonetheless, this case demonstrates that when a retrograde contrast urethrocystogram is considered, it is imperative that a contrast medium (or other intraurethral medication such as local anaesthesia) is chosen that is safe for intravascular use. Equally, an absolute aseptic technique is essential considering the potential for contaminants to be absorbed quite rapidly into the systemic circulation. Multiple catheterisations should be avoided when there is chronic inflammation, and alternative options should be considered when chronic disease is suspected.
Needlestick and Sharps Injuries Among Nurses at a Teaching Hospital in China
Authors: Zhang Xujun , Gu Yue , Cui Mengjing , Stallones Lorann , Xiang Huiyun
Published: June 2015

Needlestick and sharps injuries (NSIs) are a major occupational injury to health care workers worldwide. This study aimed to report the prevalence and risk factors of NSIs among nurses working at a Chinese teaching hospital. From 463 nurses, 402 completed questionnaires were obtained. A total of 261 (64.9%) nurses reported needlestick or sharps injuries. NSIs were more common among females, young nurses, surgical nurses, and junior nurses. Logistic regression analysis suggests that age and work department were independent risk factors for NSIs. By type of devices, syringe needles accounted for the highest proportion of all NSIs (59%), followed by glass items (22%), and trocar core/catheter wires (4%). NSIs remain an important occupational hazard issue or Chinese nurses. Programs must be developed to prevent injuries caused by needlesticks and sharps.
Mutations in CHD2 cause defective association with active chromatin in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Rodríguez David , Bretones Gabriel , Quesada Víctor , Villamor Neus , Arango Javier R. , López-Guillermo Armando , Ramsay Andrew J. , Baumann Tycho , Quirós Pedro M. , Navarro Alba , Royo Cristina , Martín-Subero José I. , Campo Elías , López-Otín Carlos
Published: June 2015

Key Points

Somatic mutations alter nuclear distribution and association of CHD2 with actively transcribed genes in CLL. CHD2 is the most frequently mutated CLL driver in the IGHV-mutated prognostic subgroup.
Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol attenuates allogeneic host-versus-graft response and delays skin graft rejection through activation of cannabinoid receptor 1 and induction of myeloid-derived suppressor cells
Authors: Sido Jessica M , Nagarkatti Prakash S , Nagarkatti Mitzi
Published: June 2015

Immune cells have been shown to express cannabinoid receptors and to produce endogenous ligands. Moreover, activation of cannabinoid receptors on immune cells has been shown to trigger potent immunosuppression. Despite such studies, the role of cannabinoids in transplantation, specifically to prevent allograft rejection, has not, to our knowledge, been investigated previously. In the current study, we tested the effect of THC on the suppression of HvGD as well as rejection of skin allografts. To this end, we studied HvGD by injecting H-2k splenocytes into H-2b mice and analyzing the immune response in the draining ingLNs. THC treatment significantly reduced T cell proliferation and activation in draining LNs of the recipient mice and decreased early stage rejection-indicator cytokines, including IL-2 and IFN-γ. THC treatment also increased the allogeneic skin graft survival. THC treatment in HvGD mice led to induction of MDSCs. Using MDSC depletion studies as well as adoptive transfer experiments, we found that THC-induced MDSCs were necessary for attenuation of HvGD. Additionally, using pharmacological inhibitors of CB1 and CB2 receptors and CB1 and CB2 knockout mice, we found that THC was working preferentially through CB1. Together, our research shows, for the first time to our knowledge, that targeting cannabinoid receptors may provide a novel treatment modality to attenuate HvGD and prevent allograft rejection.
Increased seismicity in Kansas
Authors: Buchanan Rex C.
Published: June 2015

Most people, including those who live there, regard Kansas as a seismically quiet place. Until a couple of years ago, hardly anyone I met from Kansas had felt an earthquake that had originated within the state. That all changed about 18 months ago. In the fall of 2013, the state experienced several events, reported by the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS), including a magnitude 4.2 earthquake in December 2013. In 2014, the USGS National Earthquake Information Center reported more than 100 events with epicenters inside Kansas. The largest was a magnitude 4.9 in November 2014.
Shaking intensity from injection-induced versus tectonic earthquakes in the central-eastern United States
Authors: Hough Susan E.
Published: June 2015

Although instrumental recordings of earthquakes in the central and eastern United States (CEUS) remain sparse, the U. S. Geological Survey's “Did you feel it?” (DYFI) system now provides excellent characterization of shaking intensities caused by induced and tectonic earthquakes. Seventeen CEUS events are considered between 2013 and 2015. It is shown that for 15 events, observed intensities at epicentral distances greater than ≈ 10 km are lower than expected given a published intensity-prediction equation for the region. Using simple published relations among intensity, magnitude, and stress drop, the results suggest that 15 of the 17 events have low stress drop. For those 15 events, intensities within ≈ 10-km epicentral distance are closer to predicted values, which can be explained as a consequence of relatively shallow source depths. The results suggest that those 15 events, most of which occurred in areas where induced earthquakes have occurred previously, were likely induced. Although moderate injection-induced earthquakes in the central and eastern United States will be felt widely because of low regional attenuation, the damage from shallow earthquakes induced by injection will be more localized to event epicenters than shaking tectonic earthquakes, which tend to be somewhat deeper. Within approximately 10 km of the epicenter, intensities are generally commensurate with predicted levels expected for the event magnitude.
Predictors of Discontinuation of Adjuvant Hormone Therapy in Patients With Breast Cancer
Authors: He Wei , Fang Fang , Varnum Catherine , Eriksson Mikael , Hall Per , Czene Kamila
Published: June 2015

Purpose

To identify predictors of discontinuation of adjuvant hormone therapy in patients with breast cancer.

Patients and Methods

We conducted a record-linkage study based on data from Stockholm-Gotland Breast Cancer Register, Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, and self-reported questionnaire. Women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2005 and 2008 in Stockholm, Sweden, were prospectively followed for 5 years until 2013, starting from their first prescription of tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors (N = 3,395).

Results

Family history of ovarian cancer (hazard ratio [HR], 1.55; 95% CI, 1.19 to 2.02); younger (< 40 years; HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.78) and older (≥ 65 years; HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.28) age; higher Charlson comorbidity index (≥ 2 v 0; HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.76); and use of analgesics (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.52), hypnotics/sedatives (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.43), GI drugs (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.43), and hormone replacement therapy (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.49) were identified as baseline predictors for hormonal treatment discontinuation. Use of analgesics (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.37), hypnotics/sedatives (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.37), antidepressants (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.40), or GI drugs (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.43), and switching therapy between tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors (HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.23 to 1.83) during the first year of hormonal treatment were associated with increased risk of discontinuation during the next 4 years.

Conclusion

Predictors identified in our study can be used in developing targeted intervention to prevent adjuvant hormone therapy discontinuation and subsequently to improve breast cancer outcomes.
Notes of a Gentrifier
Authors: Lightweis-Goff Jennie
Published: June 2015

Within days of the breach of the levees in New Orleans, a second man-made disaster—the “recovery” efforts—began to transform the city’s institutions, leaving many urban partisans afraid that New Orleans would be rebuilt along the model of other, more expensive, less habitable cities. In the decade since Hurricane Katrina, debates about gentrification have emerged to frame nativity—rather than class—as the chief indicator of pernicious neighborhood change. Part memoir, part polemic, this essay seeks to unsettle and critique that framing.
Ghost Music
Authors: Johnson T. R.
Published: June 2015

This essay narrates an experience of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans to reflect on jazz, blues, slavery, race, community, diaspora, memory, and gentrification. It contextualizes itself through details of a particular neighborhood in New Orleans known as the Bywater, through scholarly accounts of the function of music in the slave trade, through reports on the singing of survivors in the immediate aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and in terms of the ongoing efforts of some New Orleanians to minimize the sound of live music in the streets of the city.
Eve’s Triangles, or Queer Studies Beside Itself
Authors: Wiegman Robyn
Published: June 2015

Responding to the theme of the special issue, Queer Theory without Antinormativity, “Eve’s Triangles” returns to the work of one of queer theory’s most important foundational figures to consider critical sensibilities that are incompatible with the dyadic approach to power and politics now institutionalized in queer studies under the rubric of antinormativity. By focusing on Sedgwick’s appetite for incoherence, the double bind, and nondialectical understandings of contradiction, this essay studies the elegant and cogent model of reading found in Sedgwick’s work in order to value queer critical intuitions that have been subordinated to antinormativity’s allure.
Universalism and Partition: A Queer Theory
Authors: Menon Madhavi
Published: June 2015

This essay argues that the politics of partition encourages an ever specialized particularism that also undergirds identity politics. In such a world of particulars, we become what our identities proclaim us to be. While accepting that differences exist, universalism interrupts the ontological claim of particularity in order to posit a noncausal relation between what we do, think, eat, wear, profess, on the one hand, and what we are, on the other. This interruption of ontology leads also to an eruption of the many layers in which we live our lives—across sexes, genders, religions, and borders of all kinds. Arguing that differences are universal while ontological identities are not, this essay considers the role of Muslims in relation both to the Partition of India and the concentration camps at Auschwitz. In addition to making the case for a non-Enlightenment notion of universalism, this argument also expands the ambit of what we consider “queer.” Partitions of all kinds are premised on a binary opposition of the norm and the antinorm. By suggesting that we reconsider the discourse of partition in relation to the lived reality of universalism, this essay makes the case for a queer universalism that haunts the seemingly rigid binaries of identitarian partitions.
Type species or typical species?
Authors: Zijlstra Gea
Published: June 2015

The idea that Schimper in his Synopsis muscorum mentioned nomenclatural types, is rejected.
Citizen Bankruptcy Law: in Interests of Market and Person
Authors: Смирнов  , Smirnov E.
Published: June 2015

On July 1, 2015 the Federal law of December 29, 2014 No. 476-FZ allowing settle problems of the person’s debt

before creditors by restructuring of debts under the court control or in the course of person’s property realization also

under the court control, or on the basis of settlement agreement conclusion, comes into force.
Audit in Formation in the Republic of Tajikistan
Authors: Гоибназаров  , Goibnazarov Kh.
Published: June 2015

The history of auditor activity formation in the Republic of Tajikistan, legal framework of this activity’s

development, organizational forms for audit organizations existence in the Republic are considered in this paper.
About Topical Issues related to Correction of Mistakes in Accounting and Taxation Management
Authors: Турищева  , Turishcheva Tatyana
Published: June 2015

Topical issues related to correction of mistakes in accounting and taxation management are considered in this

paper, a conclusion that application of Accounting Regulations 22/2010 demands the professional approach focused on

formation of information satisfying queries from interested internal and external users of accounting (financial) reports

is drawn.
Tax Administering: Evaluation, Problems, and Solutions
Authors: Манушина  , Manushina O.
Published: June 2015

The article reviews tax administering issues at subfederal level in Russia. The interconnection of tax administering and tax collection is considered. It is highlighted that complexity and antipathy of problems in this sphere of financial management needs appropriate measures to solve them. Measures to improve organizational, legal, and information support of tax administering are suggested.
Pragmatyka w klasyfikacji słowotwórczej rzeczownika
Authors: Kurdyła Tomasz
Published: June 2015

Pragmatics in word-formative classification of nouns

The article presents a classification of Polish nominal word formations with a particular regard to derivatives with a categorial pragmatic (expressive) element. It discusses some of the existing proposals of classification, and suggests the author’s own. The highest floor of the classification contains: I. nominations (mutations) and II. renominations; the latter being divided into 1. transpositions, 2a. type modifications (feminitives, diminutives, names of young beings, etc.), and 2b. pragmatic modifications: emotional-evaluative, and stylistic derivatives. Also distinguished are III. mixed derivatives: 1. nominational-modificative, and 2. compound renominations. The general classification of derivatives counts transpositions and modifications as a single word-formative type that stands in opposition to mutations. Moreover, the paper makes more precise the understanding of the poetic function of word-formative affixes and word-formation in general. This function can be viewed as a variety of the pragmatic function, and more literally, as the function that tightly binds the derivative with the poetic language and with the “reality” it creates.
O wariantywności w Psałterzu floriańskim
Authors: Kuźmicki Marcin
Published: June 2015

On variation in Saint Florian Psalter

The paper is a part of the stream of research in which particular attention is being paid to the very process of creation of mediaeval text and reveals the strata that arose through the influence of such elements as the role of copyists, work by ear or from the source, the memory factor, and the bilingualism of the writers. The author’s interest is in the relation between two languages, Polish and Latin. He analyzes those places where identical Latin fragments correspond to different portions on the Polish side. This variation can be seen at each level of language, from the phonetic-graphical, through the inflexional and word-formative, up to the syntactic and lexical. One needs to bear in mind the possibility of various Latin redactions, and the fact that certain features of the translation mirror not the Latin source but a Czech, German, or an older and not preserved Polish version. Then, referring to Latin is purely a convention.
Elementy informacji gramatycznej w słowniku pod red. Tadeusza Lehra-Spławińskiego jako przykład uwarunkowań socjokulturowych w leksykografii
Authors: Rudnicka Ewa
Published: June 2015

Elements of grammatical information in the dictionary edited by T. Lehr-Spławiński, as an example of socio-cultural factors in lexicography

The paper examines the convention of formulating the inflectional information, especially pertaining to grammatical cases, in Trzaska, Evert, and Michalski’s Dictionary of Polish that was edited in the interwar period by T. Lehr-Spławiński. The author attempts to determine what factors informed the use of a lexicographically innovative solution that nonetheless did not upset the linguistic tradition, and has proven both very functional and influential for future conventions in Polish lexicography. The analysis of nominal inflection presented in the dictionary is compared to analyses in numerous academic and popular grammars, mostly from the interwar period or widely known at the time, and in the context of the publishing layout of the editor who contracted Lehr-Spławiński. The aim of the paper is to highlight the significant role that research on the sociocultural context plays in metalexicographical studies and in a better understanding and interpretation of dictionaries, not so much as linguistic compendia, but also as texts of culture.
Book Reviews
Authors: Shen Wenjing
Published: June 2015

In Book Reviews, we review an extensive and diverse range of books. They cover theory and applications in operations research, statistics, management science, econometrics, mathematics, computers, and information systems. In addition, we include books in other fields that emphasize technical applications. The editor will be pleased to receive an email from those willing to review a book, with an indication of specific areas of interest. If you are aware of a specific book that you would like to review, or that you think should be reviewed, please contact the editor.

The following books are reviewed in this issue of Interfaces, 45(3), May–June 2015: Predictive Analytics, Data Mining and Big Data: Myths, Misconceptions and Methods, Steven Finlay; and Modeling Techniques in Predictive Analytics: Business Problems and Solutions with R, Thomas W. Miller.
Financial Distress Risk and New CEO Compensation
Authors: Chang Woo-Jin , Hayes Rachel M. , Hillegeist Stephen A.
Published: June 2015

We examine how ex ante financial distress risk affects CEO compensation. To disentangle the joint effects of performance on compensation and distress risk, we focus our analyses on new CEOs. Our results indicate that financial distress risk affects compensation through two channels. First, new CEOs receive significantly more compensation when financial distress risk is higher. This finding is consistent with CEOs receiving a compensation premium for bearing this risk since CEOs experience large personal costs if their firms later become financially distressed. Second, financial distress risk is associated with the incentives provided to new CEOs; distress risk is positively associated with pay-performance sensitivity and equity-based compensation and is negatively associated with cash bonuses. Further, financial distress risk is positively associated with pay-risk sensitivity for new CEOs. These findings suggest that financial distress risk alters the nature of the agency relationship in ways that lead firms to provide CEOs with more equity-based incentives. We also build on research that finds a positive relation between forced turnover risk and CEO compensation. Our analyses suggest the compensation effects of forced turnover risk appear to be mainly attributable to financial distress risk. Overall, our results indicate financial distress risk is an economically important determinant of new CEO compensation packages.

This paper was accepted by Mary Barth, accounting.
AN ImageJ-BASED ALGORITHM FOR A SEMI-AUTOMATED METHOD FOR MICROSCOPIC IMAGE ENHANCEMENT AND DNA REPAIR FOCI COUNTING
Authors: Klokov Dmitry , Suppiah Roopa
Published: June 2015

Proper evaluation of the health risks of low-dose ionizing radiation exposure heavily relies on the ability to accurately measure very low levels of DNA damage in cells. One of the most sensitive methods for measuring DNA damage levels is the quantification of DNA repair foci that consist of macromolecular aggregates of DNA repair proteins, such as γH2AX and 53BP1, forming around individual DNA double-strand breaks. They can be quantified using immunofluorescence microscopy and are widely used as markers of DNA double-strand breaks. However this quantification, if performed manually, may be very tedious and prone to inter-individual bias. Low-dose radiation studies are especially sensitive to this potential bias due to a very low magnitude of the effects anticipated. Therefore, we designed and validated an algorithm for the semi-automated processing of microscopic images and quantification of DNA repair foci. The algorithm uses ImageJ, a freely available image analysis software that is customizable to individual cellular properties or experimental conditions. We validated the algorithm using immunolabeled 53BP1 and γH2AX in normal human fibroblast AG01522 cells under both normal and irradiated conditions. This method is easy to learn, can be used by nontrained personnel, and can help avoiding discrepancies in inter-laboratory comparison studies examining the effects of low-dose radiation.
Spencer-Brown, Peirce, Girard, and the Origin of Logic
Authors: Rosa António Machuco
Published: June 2015

This article will show how René Girard’s hypothesis of the scapegoat victim is the indirect basis of the discipline that unfolds the necessary consequences of the distinction between two possible states; that is, formal logic. To support this unusual view on the foundation of logic, two systems of formal logic will be analyzed: the calculus of indications created by George Spencer-Brown in the 1960s and the system of existential graphs created by Charles S. Peirce in the late nineteenth century. The first system shows that logic is based on elemental difference, and the second displays that logic is based on an original act of expulsion, the expulsion of the opposite of logic, which will be called the illogical. It will then be argued that Girard’s theory allows the full understanding of the expulsion of the illogical; that is, the emergence of the elemental difference upon which logic is based. It is not argued that logic, as a symbolic system of inferences, is directly based on Girard’s theory. It is rather argued that, as shown by the work of Spencer-Brown, formal logic is based on elemental distinction and negation from where they had their roots in the scapegoat mechanism. Finally, concerning a real and specific pattern of inference, a link is suggested between apagoge and the founding murder.
The p-Royden and p-Harmonic Boundaries for Metric Measure Spaces
Authors: Lucia Marcello , Puls Michael J.
Published: June 2015

Let p be a real number greater than one and let X be a locally compact, noncompact metric measure
space that satisfies certain conditions. The p-Royden and p-harmonic boundaries of X are constructed by using
the p-Royden algebra of functions on X and a Dirichlet type problem is solved for the p-Royden boundary.
We also characterize the metric measure spaces whose p-harmonic boundary is empty.
LQR design of synchronizing controllers for multi-agent systems
Authors: Mosebach Andrej , Lunze Jan
Published: June 2015

The goal of synchronization of multi-agent systems is achieved, if for any initial condition the agents asymptotically follow a common
trajectory. Besides asymptotic synchronization this paper considers the transient behavior of the synchronization errors between
agents. A good transient behavior is expected for networked controllers that minimize an LQ-like performance index. For this type of
objective functions the standard observability assumption of the linear quadratic regulator theory is not fulfilled and hence the
optimization problem can not be solved directly. It is shown that the optimal networked controller requires an all-to-all coupling
between the agents. To overcome the limitation of such a complete coupling, an approximation method is developed that ensures
synchronization of the agents with a given structure of the communication network. For the case of a complete communication it is shown
that the approximate networked controller is also optimal.
Bestimmung der Leistungsflussrichtungen in verlustbehafteten Antriebssystemen
Authors: Herchenhan Michael
Published: June 2015

Mechanische Verluste in Antriebssystemen sind in vielen Simulationsaufgaben Gegenstand der Betrachtung. Wesentliche Anteile der
Verluste in Zahnradgetrieben müssen dabei in Abhängigkeit der internen Leistungsflussrichtungen berechnet werden. Deshalb stellt die
Bestimmung interner Leistungsflussrichtungen eine wichtige Aufgabenstellung bei analytischen Untersuchungen und bei der Entwicklung
dynamischer Simulationsmodelle dar. In diesem Beitrag wird aufgezeigt, worin die Schwierigkeiten dieser Aufgabe bestehen und eine
geeignete Methode zu deren Überwindung vorgestellt. Die nachfolgende Diskussion dieser Methode liefert Erkenntnisse über einen anderen
Lösungsansatz, der bereits in früheren Beiträgen vorgestellt wurde.