bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increased Sarcolipin Expression and Adrenergic Drive in Humans With Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction and Chronic Isolated Mitral Regurgitation
Authors: Zheng Junying , Yancey Danielle M. , Ahmed Mustafa I. , Wei Chih-Chang , Powell Pamela C. , Shanmugam Mayilvahanan , Gupta Himanshu , Lloyd Steven G. , McGiffin David C. , Schiros Chun G. , Denney Thomas S. , Babu Gopal J. , Dell’Italia Louis J.
Published: December 2013

Background—

There is currently no therapy proven to attenuate left ventricular (LV) dilatation and dysfunction in volume overload induced by isolated mitral regurgitation (MR). To better understand molecular signatures underlying isolated MR, we performed LV gene expression analyses and overlaid regulated genes into ingenuity pathway analysis in patients with isolated MR.

Methods and Results—

Gene arrays from LV tissue of 35 patients, taken at the time of surgical repair for isolated MR, were compared with 13 normal controls. Cine-MRI was performed in 31 patients before surgery to measure LV function and volume from serial short-axis summation. LV end-diastolic volume was 2-fold (
P
=0.005) higher in MR patients than in normal controls, and LV ejection fraction was 64±7% (50%–79%) in MR patients. Ingenuity pathway analysis identified significant activation of pathways involved in β-adrenergic, cAMP, and G-protein–coupled signaling, whereas there was downregulation of pathways associated with complement activation and acute phase response. SERCA2a and phospholamban protein were unchanged in MR versus control left ventricles. However, mRNA and protein levels of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca
2+
ATPase (SERCA) regulatory protein sarcolipin, which is predominantly expressed in normal atria, were increased 12- and 6-fold, respectively. Immunofluorescence analysis confirmed the absence of sarcolipin in normal left ventricles and its marked upregulation in MR left ventricles.

Conclusions—

These results demonstrate alterations in multiple pathways associated with β-adrenergic signaling and sarcolipin in the left ventricles of patients with isolated MR and LV ejection fraction >50%, suggesting a beneficial role for β-adrenergic blockade in isolated MR.
Incidence, Determinants, and Prognostic Significance of Hyperkalemia and Worsening Renal Function in Patients With Heart Failure Receiving the Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Eplerenone or Placebo in Addition to Optimal Medical Therapy
Authors: Rossignol Patrick , Dobre Daniela , McMurray John J.V. , Swedberg Karl , Krum Henry , van Veldhuisen Dirk J. , Shi Harry , Messig Michael , Vincent John , Girerd Nicolas , Bakris George , Pitt Bertram , Zannad Faiez
Published: December 2013

Background—

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists improve outcomes in patients with systolic heart failure but may induce worsening of renal function (WRF) and hyperkalemia (HK). We assessed the risk factors for mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist–related WRF and for HK, as well as the association between HK and WRF with clinical outcomes in the Eplerenone in Mild Patients Hospitalization and Survival Study in Heart Failure (EMPHASIS-HF).

Methods and Results—

Serial changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate and in serum potassium were available in 2737 patients during a median 21-month follow-up. HK variably defined as serum K >4.5, 5, or 5.5 mmol/L occurred in 74.7%, 32.5%, and 8.9% patients enrolled in EMPHASIS-HF, respectively. WRF defined as a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate >20% or >30% from baseline occurred in 27% and 14% of patients, respectively. Patients assigned eplerenone displayed modest and early but significant and persistent (1) rise in serum potassium and (2) reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate when compared with those assigned placebo. In multivariate analyses, eplerenone was associated with a higher incidence of WRF and HK, which were interrelated and also associated with baseline patient characteristics (eg, age ≥75 years, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, nonwhite race, ejection fraction <30%, and treatment with an antiarrythmics drug or loop diuretic). Eplerenone retained its survival benefits without any significant interaction with the association between HK >5.5 mmol/L only and WRF and worse outcomes.

Conclusions—

In patients with heart failure receiving optimal therapy, WRF and HK were more frequent when eplerenone was added, but their occurrence did not eliminate the survival benefit of eplerenone.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00232180.
Glutathione Peroxidase-1 Deficiency Potentiates Dysregulatory Modifications of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase and Vascular Dysfunction in Aging
Authors: Oelze Matthias , Kröller-Schön Swenja , Steven Sebastian , Lubos Edith , Doppler Christopher , Hausding Michael , Tobias Silke , Brochhausen Christoph , Li Huige , Torzewski Michael , Wenzel Philip , Bachschmid Markus , Lackner Karl J. , Schulz Eberhard , Münzel Thomas , Daiber Andreas
Published: December 2013

Recently, we demonstrated that gene ablation of mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase and aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 markedly contributed to age-related vascular dysfunction and mitochondrial oxidative stress. The present study has sought to investigate the extent of vascular dysfunction and oxidant formation in glutathione peroxidase-1–deficient (
GPx-1
−/−
) mice during the aging process with special emphasis on dysregulation (uncoupling) of the endothelial NO synthase.
GPx-1
−/−
mice on a C57 black 6 (C57BL/6) background at 2, 6, and 12 months of age were used. Vascular function was significantly impaired in 12-month-old
GPx-1
−/−
-mice as compared with age-matched controls. Oxidant formation, detected by 3-nitrotyrosine staining and dihydroethidine-based fluorescence microtopography, was increased in the aged
GPx-1
−/−
mice. Aging per se caused a substantial protein kinase C– and protein tyrosine kinase–dependent phosphorylation as well as S-glutathionylation of endothelial NO synthase associated with uncoupling, a phenomenon that was more pronounced in aged
GPx-1
−/−
mice. GPx-1 ablation increased adhesion of leukocytes to cultured endothelial cells and CD68 and F4/80 staining in cardiac tissue. Aged
GPx-1
−/−
mice displayed increased oxidant formation as compared with their wild-type littermates, triggering redox-signaling pathways associated with endothelial NO synthase dysfunction and uncoupling. Thus, our data demonstrate that aging leads to decreased NO bioavailability because of endothelial NO synthase dysfunction and uncoupling of the enzyme leading to endothelial dysfunction, vascular remodeling, and promotion of adhesion and infiltration of leukocytes into cardiovascular tissue, all of which was more prominent in aged
GPx-1
−/−
mice.
Normotensive Blood Pressure in Pregnancy
Authors: Gennari-Moser Carine , Escher Geneviève , Kramer Simea , Dick Bernhard , Eisele Nicole , Baumann Marc , Raio Luigi , Frey Felix J. , Surbek Daniel , Mohaupt Markus G.
Published: December 2013

A successful pregnancy requires an accommodating environment. Salt and water availability are critical for plasma volume expansion. Any changes in sodium intake would alter aldosterone, a hormone previously described beneficial in pregnancy. To date, it remains ambiguous whether high aldosterone or high salt intake is preferable. We hypothesized that increased aldosterone is a rescue mechanism and appropriate salt availability is equally effective in maintaining a normotensive blood pressure (BP) phenotype in pregnancy. We compared normotensive pregnant women (n=31) throughout pregnancy with young healthy female individuals (n=31–62) and performed salt sensitivity testing within the first trimester. Suppression of urinary tetrahydro-aldosterone levels by salt intake as measured by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and urinary sodium excretion corrected for creatinine, respectively, was shifted toward a higher salt intake in pregnancy (
P
<0.0001). In pregnancy, neither high urinary tetrahydro-aldosterone nor sodium excretion was correlated with higher BP. In contrast, in nonpregnant women, systolic BP rose with aldosterone (
P
<0.05). Testing the impact of salt on BP, we performed salt sensitivity testing in a final cohort of 19 pregnant and 24 nonpregnant women. On salt loading, 24-hour mean arterial pressure rose by 3.6±1.5 and dropped by –2.8±1.5 mm Hg favoring pregnant women (
P
<0.01; χ
2
=6.04;
P
<0.02). Our data suggest first that salt responsiveness of aldosterone is alleviated in conditions of pregnancy without causing aldosterone-induced hypertension. Second, salt seems to aid in BP lowering in pregnancy for reasons incompletely elucidated, yet involving renin suppression and potentially placental sensing mechanisms. Further research should identify susceptible individuals and clarify effector mechanisms.
Art, Virtual Worlds and the Emergent Imagination
Authors: Doyle Denise
Published: December 2013

This paper presents a framework for the emergent imagination that arises out of the transitional spaces created in avatar-mediated online space. Through four categories of transitional space identified in artworks created in virtual worlds, the paper argues that, as the virtual remains connected to time, the imagination becomes connected to space. The author’s analysis of the imaginative effects of artworks presented in the two virtual (and physical) gallery exhibitions of the Kritical Works in SL project demonstrates a mode of artistic exploitation of the particular combination of user-generated and avatar-mediated space.
New species of Cymbella and Placoneis (Bacillariophyta) from late Pleistocene Fossil, China
Authors: GONG ZHIJUN , LI YANLING , METZELTIN DITMAR , LANGE-BERTALOT HORST
Published: December 2013

This paper describes five new Cymbella, one new Cymbopleura and one new Placoneis species from the late Pleistocene of the Jianghan Plain in China, based on light–and scanning electron microscopy of valve morphology. The characteristic morphological features of the seven new species differ from known established taxa by valve shape, both the central portion and apices, length/breadth ratio, shape of the central area and presence or absence of stigmata. All six cymbelloid taxa are as yet found only in fossil deposits of the Jianghan Plain. The Placoneis species, however is apparently conspecific with an extant population observed in Northern Myanmar (Burma, Southeast Asia).
Civil Society and Sustainable Cities
Authors: Portney Kent E. , Berry Jeffrey
Published: December 2013

In the modern American city, who determines environmental policy? Cities have undergone fundamental change in both their economies and populations. In terms of political forces, our expectation is that across a range of cities, where nonprofit environmental groups have been included or incorporated into the local policymaking process, there is greater commitment to environmental protection, and more extensive adoption and implementation of local policies and programs designed to protect the environment. To test this idea, we draw on our own research that combines two original data sets. First, we have collected information on what programs and policies are in place in America’s large cities. Second, for 50 large American cities, we have also surveyed top city administrators. We find that inclusion of environmental groups in city policymaking is strongly linked to city administrators’ perceptions of city commitment to environmental protection. The number of local environmental protection policies and programs also demonstrates a strong relationship to inclusion of environmental groups in city policymaking.
The Restorative Effects of Redesigning the Schoolyard
Authors: Kelz Christina , Evans Gary William , Röderer Kathrin
Published: December 2013

Contact with nature can have numerous beneficial effects for children. As the school is a place where children spend a lot of time, the physical environment of the school has considerable potential to influence children. This study investigated the influence of a redesign (greening) of a schoolyard on pupils’ physiological stress, psychological well-being, and executive functioning. A pre–post, quasi-experimental design with a multimethod approach was applied. One-hundred thirty-three middle school pupils ( M = 14.4 years) of three middle schools in a rural area in Austria were assessed. The renovated schoolyard significantly diminished pupils’ physiological stress levels and enhanced their psychological well-being. Pupils in the renovated schoolyard setting also perceived the environment as more restorative following the redesign. However, it did not affect executive functioning as hypothesized. Limitations of the study and future research opportunities are discussed.
Efficacy of the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation to Predict Risk of Low-Back Pain Associated With Manual Lifting
Authors: Lu Ming-Lun , Waters Thomas R. , Krieg Edward , Werren Dwight
Published: December 2013

Objective:

The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of the Revised National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lifting equation (RNLE) to predict risk of low-back pain (LBP).

Background:

In 1993, NIOSH published the RNLE as a risk assessment method for LBP associated with manual lifting. To date, there has been little research evaluating the RNLE as a predictor of the risk of LBP using a prospective design.

Methods:

A total of 78 healthy industrial workers’ baseline LBP risk exposures and self-reported LBP at one-year follow-up were investigated. The composite lifting index (CLI), the outcome measure of the RNLE for analyzing multiple lifting tasks, was used as the main risk predictor. The risk was estimated using the mean and maximum CLI variables at baseline and self-reported LBP during the follow-up. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using a logistic regression analysis adjusted for covariates that included personal factors, physical activities outside of work, job factors, and work-related psychosocial characteristics.

Results:

The one-year self-reported LBP incidence was 32.1%. After controlling for history of prior LBP, supervisory support, and job strain, the categorical mean and maximum CLI above 2 had a significant relationship (OR = 5.1–6.5) with self-reported LBP, as compared with the CLI below or equal to 1. The correlation between the continuous CLI variables and LBP was unclear.

Conclusions:

The CLI > 2 threshold may be useful for predicting self-reported LBP. Research with a larger sample size is needed to clarify the exposure–response relationship between the CLI and LBP.
Debt and depression among the Dibao population in northwestern China
Authors: Gong Yanhong , Zhang Xiulan , Zou Hong , Tian Donghua , Qu Zhiyong , Zhang Weijun , Chu Yongqiang
Published: December 2013

Background:

With the rapid development of economy, depression disorder is not only a public health issue but also a socioeconomic problem and attracting more and more attention in China.

Aims:

The target of this study is to examine the prevalence of depression and the related risk factors in the Dibao population in northwestern China.

Method:

A cross-sectional analysis in a random sample survey conducted in three northwestern Chinese cities in 2007. The data from 4459 respondents with completed Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression (CES-D) scales were evaluated to explore the key risk factors for depression. Using depression as a binary variable according to the cutoff of the CES-D score and then as a continuous variable, multiple logistic and line regression analysis were performed to compare the odds ratio and the weight of different risk factors for depression.

Results:

The prevalence of depression in non- Dibao population was 34.7% but that in the Dibao population was 50.0% ( p < .001). After adjusting for important confounders, Dibao population had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.38 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16–1.63) to have possible depression compared to those non- Dibao people. Furthermore, depression was associated with a higher OR of indebtedness (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.31–1.93), and a small amount of debt would increase the possibility of depression for Dibao people (OR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.28–2.23). In addition, gender, body mass index (BMI), tobacco use and social network were also important risk factors for depression in the Dibao population. Using depression as a continuous variable, being a member of the Dibao population and being indebted will add 2.06 and 1.83 to the CES-D score, respectively, compared with the non- Dibao population and not being indebted. A comparison of the odds ratios of depression between the Dibao and the non- Dibao population showed that factors such as gender, BMI, tobacco use, social network and indebtedness were statistically significant in the Dibao population but were not statistically significant in the non- Dibao population. Additionally, having a savings account was statistically significant in the non- Dibao population but not in the Dibao population.

Conclusions:

It was not surprising, as proved by other studies, that gender, obesity and social network were risk factors associated with depression in the Dibao population. Our findings indicated that a small amount of indebtedness was also closely related to depression in the Dibao population.
On Biafra: Subverting Imposed Code of Silence
Authors: Ejiogu EC
Published: December 2013

Biafra and the tragedy it represents for humankind is compounded by the official code of silence that Nigeria’s military decreed in the 1970s to ensure that the Biafra–Nigeria war is not taught in schools in Nigeria. Scholars and intellectuals are obligated to subvert that code of silence in order to educate humanity on the tragedy and the atrocities that led to it. Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra (Penguin, 2012) and his transition March 21 2013 provided one such opportunity for scholars and concerned intellectuals alike.
Kenya’s Colonial Judges: The Advocates’ Perspective
Authors: Swanepoel Paul
Published: December 2013

Colonial legal historiography has tended to focus on customary tribunals rather than ‘European’ courts. This article offers a new vantage point from which to view Kenya’s legal system by looking at colonial judges through the eyes of the trial lawyers who appeared before them. By the late 1950s, Asian lawyers were numerically superior to Europeans and there was only a handful of African advocates. The focus of this article is these advocates’ day-to-day court experiences, and their assessment of individual judges’ competence, roles and attitudes. Their oral testimony adds to our understanding of the function of Kenya’s superior courts and the characters and outlook of the judges and lawyers who staffed them.
The influence of microstructure randomness on prediction of fiber properties in composites
Authors: Ballard M Keith , McLendon W Ross , Whitcomb John D
Published: December 2013

Elastic properties were predicted for AS4, IM7, T300, and T650-35 graphite fibers. An inverse method was employed using lamina and epoxy properties taken from literature. Fiber properties predicted using finite element analysis based on a hexagonal microstructure, finite element analysis based on a random microstructure, and the Mori-Tanaka averaging scheme were compared. It was observed that the Mori-Tanaka averaging scheme and finite element analysis based on a hexagonal microstructure predicted nearly identical fiber properties. In contrast, randomness in the arrangement of fibers results in significantly different predictions for the longitudinal shear modulus of the fiber. The three microstructural models were also used to predict properties for isotropic E-glass 21xK43. It was observed that the three models predicted nearly the same properties for the glass fibers.
Temperature dependence of longitudinal tensile strength in unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced plastic
Authors: Tsugiyuki Okuya , Nakada Masayuki , Miyano Yasushi
Published: December 2013

This paper is concerned with the characteristics of the temperature-dependent tensile strength along the longitudinal direction of the unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. The temperature-dependent tensile strength of the unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced plastic was evaluated using resin-impregnated carbon fiber strand (carbon fiber-reinforced plastic strand) specimens with highly reliable co-cured tabs developed by the authors. The tensile strength of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic strand was measured at three constant temperatures below the glass transition temperature of the matrix resin for 50 specimens at each temperature. The results showed that the tensile strength of the unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced plastic has a Weibull distribution at each temperature. The shape parameter of the tensile strength does not change with the temperatures and the scale parameter decreases clearly with increasing temperature. The degradation rate of the tensile strength of the unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced plastic by the temperature raise against that of the viscoelastic modulus of the matrix resin agrees well with the predicted results based on the Rosen’s strength analysis.
Effect of graphene nanoplate addition on the tribological performance of Ni3Al matrix composites
Authors: Zhai Wenzheng , Shi Xiaoliang , Wang Mang , Xu Zengshi , Yao Jie , Song Siyuan , Wang Yufu , Zhang Qiaoxin
Published: December 2013

The main objective of this work has been the characterization of wear behavior of the graphene nanoplates (GNPs) in Ni3Al matrix composites (NMC). The friction and wear behaviors of NMC with the addition of 1 wt.% GNPs against Si3N4 ball are tested under different loads using a constant speed of 0.2 m/s. Tribological test results have revealed that small amounts of GNPs are able to drastically improve the antifriction and antiwear properties of NMC. A possible explanation for these results is that, the GNPs not only provide an enhanced effect for NMC to produce better wear resistance, but also form a local protective layer on the contact surfaces to reduce the friction. The investigation shows that GNPs hold great potential applications as an effective solid lubricant for Ni3Al matrix composites and possibly other alloys.
Se convertir et re-convertir au Ratanakiri (Cambodge). À propos du pentecôtisme en contexte pluriethnique et plurilinguistique
Authors: Jammes Jérémy
Published: December 2013

Cambodian society, which is mainly Khmer and Buddhist, faces an inevitable diversification of its religious landscape. With one-third of its population below the poverty line, Cambodia has become a favoured target of Pentecostal churches with their salvation theology. The author will focus on analyzing both the temporary and structural limits of the penetration mode of Foursquare Church into Ratanakiri, a multiethnic and multilinguistic province in north-eastern Cambodia. The socialization, various types of proselytism and conversion trajectories performed by this Pentecostal church all reveal different facets of how to study the individuation process and the adaptation of the initial signs of this religious identity group (speaking in tongues, preaching, etc.).
‘We aim to provide excellent service to everyone who comes to church!’: Marketing mega-churches in Singapore
Authors: Yip Jeaney , Ainsworth Susan
Published: December 2013

The discourse and techniques of marketing have permeated many non-business areas of social life, including religion. In this paper, we explore the implications of this trend for the practice of the Christian church. Using two cases of mega-churches in Singapore, we show how marketing fosters a re-conceptualization of religion where religious organizations seek to build their ‘brands’ through diversified offerings. Marketing may enable religious organizations to grow, but the cases also show how it can fundamentally change the practice of religion itself.
Creating sacred space by walking in silence: Pilgrimage in a late modern Lutheran context
Authors: Davidsson Bremborg Anna
Published: December 2013

In Sweden, pilgrimages have emerged as new, re-created, late modern rites, taking advantage of historical roots and contemporary international developments. Yet, the Swedish pilgrimages have their own specificities. Pilgrimages are arranged as group activities with a focus on walking, and the place to which the pilgrimage is made has lost its significance as a holy place. Instead, nature, outdoor life and especially silence are important means for spiritual experiences, and holy places are perceived in an individualized manner along the trail. The highly appreciated silent walk creates a sacred space during the pilgrimage where experiences of spirituality as well as of self-transformation can take place. The author discusses pilgrimage concepts such as structure, place, space and spirituality from a Swedish perspective.
The survival of religious peace movements: When mobilization increases as political opportunity decreases
Authors: Keogh Stacy
Published: December 2013

Research on social movement life-cycles specifies four stages of movement progression: emergence, rise, decline, and dormancy. This article challenges conventional perspectives on the final stage of the movement life-cycle, arguing that movement trajectories do not always follow this pattern. At times, social movement organizations (SMOs) within a social movement campaign survive, or even thrive, even when the opportunity for mobilization declines. Using the Central American Solidarity Movement (CASM) campaign and the School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) social movement organizations as examples of this phenomenon, I argue that there are important characteristics of movement infrastructure that warrant movement survival. By sustaining the spirit of the CASM, the SOAW remains the organizational foundation for religious constituents of the peace movements. Moreover, the SOAW has also extended its frame, expanding its networks into broader, secular organizational support and framing it within non-CASM movement campaigns. Though scholars have suggested that the CASM has disappeared, the SOAW has kept the movement alive as it transitions into another movement campaign to secure its longevity.
Managing minority religious and ethnic groups in Australia: Implications for social cohesion
Authors: Richardson James T
Published: December 2013

The author examines Australia’s growing religious pluralism and change within religious communities, including Muslim communities. The meaning of those developments for the concepts of social cohesion and citizenship is considered, as are the possible effects on social cohesion deriving from the lack of a federal bill of rights protecting minority individuals and groups in Australia. Also discussed are the aftereffects of the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York, with the attendant focusing of attention on Muslim communities in Australia and around the world. The passage of dozens of anti-terrorism laws in Australia, and the implications of those laws for limiting the personal and group freedoms of religious minorities, especially Muslims, are examined in terms of concerns about social cohesion. Finally, the debate over whether to allow the development of Shari’a law in Australia and its potential impact on social cohesion are discussed.
The Effects of Mediated Exposure to Ethnic-Political Violence on Middle East Youth’s Subsequent Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms and Aggressive Behavior
Authors: Dvir Gvirsman Shira , Huesmann L. Rowell , Dubow Eric F. , Landau Simha F. , Shikaki Khalil , Boxer Paul
Published: December 2013

This study introduces the concept of chronic (i.e., repeated and cumulative) mediated exposure to political violence and investigates its effects on aggressive behavior and post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms in young viewers. Embracing the risk-matrix approach, these effects are studied alongside other childhood risk factors that influence maladjustment. A longitudinal study was conducted on a sample of youth who experience the Israeli-Palestinian conflict firsthand ( N = 1,207). As hypothesized, higher levels of chronic mediated exposure were longitudinally related to higher levels of PTS symptoms and aggression at peers independently of exposure to violence in other contexts. In the case of aggressive behavior, structural equation analysis (SEM) analyses suggest that, while it is likely there are causal effects in both directions, the bigger effect is probably for exposure to violence stimulating aggression than for aggression stimulating exposure to violence. Both the longitudinal effects on aggression and PTS symptoms were especially strong among youth who demonstrated initially higher levels of the same type of maladjustment. These results support the conceptualization of the relation between media violence and behaviors as “reciprocally determined” or “downward spirals” and highlight the contribution of the risk-matrix approach to the analysis of childhood maladjustment.
Evidence-Based Health Care Management
Authors: Jaana Mirou , Vartak Smruti , Ward Marcia M.
Published: December 2013

In light of increasing interest in evidence-based management, we conducted a scoping review of systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) to determine the availability and accessibility of evidence for health care managers; 14 MAs and 61 SRs met the inclusion criteria. Most reviews appeared in medical journals (53%), originated in the United States (29%) or United Kingdom (22%), were hospital-based (55%), and targeted clinical providers (55%). Topics included health services organization (34%), quality/patient safety (17%), information technology (15%), organization/workplace management (13%), and health care workforce (12%). Most reviews addressed clinical topics of relevance to managers; management-related interventions were rare. The management issues were mostly classified as operational (65%). Surprisingly, 96.5% of search results were not on target. A better classification within PubMed is needed to increase the accessibility of meaningful resources and facilitate evidence retrieval. Health care journals should take initiatives encouraging the publication of reviews in relevant management areas.
Improving Our Ability to Evaluate Underlying Mechanisms of Behavioral Onset and Other Event Occurrence Outcomes
Authors: Fairchild Amanda J. , Abara Winston E. , Gottschall Amanda C. , Tein Jenn-Yun , Prinz Ronald J.
Published: December 2013

The purpose of this article is to introduce and describe a statistical model that researchers can use to evaluate underlying mechanisms of behavioral onset and other event occurrence outcomes. Specifically, the article develops a framework for estimating mediation effects with outcomes measured in discrete-time epochs by integrating the statistical mediation model with discrete-time survival analysis. The methodology has the potential to help strengthen health research by targeting prevention and intervention work more effectively as well as by improving our understanding of discretized periods of risk. The model is applied to an existing longitudinal data set to demonstrate its use, and programming code is provided to facilitate its implementation.
Prior thoracoscopic surgery may improve reoperative pulmonary resection
Authors: Hamaji Masatsugu , Cassivi Stephen D , Shen K Robert , Allen Mark S , Nichols Francis C , Deschamps Claude , Wigle Dennis A
Published: December 2013

Objectives

although video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for pulmonary resection appears to be associated with more favorable postoperative outcomes than thoracotomy, no reports have discussed its benefit at subsequent reoperative pulmonary resection.

Methods

between January 2000 and December 2009, 144 patients underwent reoperative pulmonary resections for benign and malignant nodules at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester. Their data were evaluated retrospectively. Twenty-three (16%) patients had prior video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and 121 (84%) had undergone a prior open thoracotomy. Intraoperative and short-term postoperative outcomes were analyzed and compared between the two groups, using the chi-square test or Mann-Whitney test.

Results

overall reoperative mortality was 1.38% and morbidity was 49.3%. Intraoperative factor analysis showed that the prior video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery group more often underwent anatomical resection ( p = 0.0011) and showed a tendency towards a lower conversion rate from video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery to thoracotomy at reoperative pulmonary resection ( p = 0.051). Short-term postoperative outcomes showed that the prior video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery group had a significantly lower morbidity rate ( p = 0.013), significantly shorter hospital stay ( p = 0.002), and a tendency for a shorter duration of chest tube drainage ( p = 0.09).

Conclusion

our results suggest that prior video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery may lead to improved postoperative outcomes at subsequent reoperative pulmonary resection. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery may be favored for future potential reoperative pulmonary resections.
Teachers’ beliefs and practices for nurturing creativity in students
Authors: Chan Serene , Yuen Mantak
Published: December 2013

The long-term aim of fostering creativity in all students is specifically included in Hong Kong’s curriculum guidelines. However, implementation of teaching strategies to achieve this aim has presented difficulties for many teachers. It is likely that teachers with experience in gifted education are in the best position in this respect, because they may have studied aspects of giftedness in more depth, and may possess essential knowledge and skills to promote creativity. The aim of this exploratory study was to focus on this sub-set of teachers, to investigate their beliefs about creativity and their creativity-fostering practices. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 primary school teachers. Findings included the teachers’ beliefs about creativity and gifted education, and cognitive and personal aspects in their creativity-fostering practices. Implications for teacher education are discussed.
Iloprost reduces myocardial edema in a rat model of myocardial ischemia reperfusion
Authors: Caliskan A , Yavuz C , Karahan O , Yazici S , Guclu O , Demirtas S , Mavitas B
Published: December 2013

Objective:

Myocardial ischemia severely reduces myocyte longevity and function. Extensive interstitial edema and cell damage occur as a result of myocardial reperfusion injury. Current therapies are directed at prevention of ischemia-induced damage to cardiac tissue. Iloprost is a novel pharmaceutical agent for the treatment of ischemia.

Methods:

Twenty rats were segregated into four experimental groups. The procedure control group consisted of four rats undergoing a sham operation. The remaining 16 rats were divided into two equal groups. The first group (control group) received a continuous intravenous infusion of physiological serum immediately prior to the procedure. Iloprost was administered by a continuous intravenous infusion into the right jugular vein at an infusion rate of 100 ng/kg/min for 30 minutes prior to reperfusion in the experimental group (study group). Following the infusion treatments, ligation of the left coronary artery was conducted for 30 minutes to induce myocardial ischemia. The rats were euthanized 24 hours after reperfusion and cardiac tissue was harvested from all specimens for analysis.

Results:

Histological examination revealed three myocardial tissue specimens with grade II damage and five myocardial tissue specimens with grade III reperfusion injury in the control group. However, the study group consisted of two grade III myocardial tissue specimens, five grade II myocardial tissue specimens and one grade I myocardial tissue specimen. Moreover, a statistically significant reduction in myocardial edema was observed in the study group (p=0.022).

Conclusion:

Our results support the hypothesis that iloprost enhances protection against cardiac ischemia reperfusion injury. This protective effect may be associated with vasodilation, antioxidant or anti-edema mechanisms.
Compromising conventions: attitudes of dissonance and indifference towards full-time maternal employment in Denmark, Spain, Poland and the UK
Authors: O’Reilly Jacqueline , Nazio Tiziana , Roche José Manuel
Published: December 2013

The article examines cross-national variations in attitudes towards gender roles and the extent to which they map onto regime types. It explores intra-national variation in attitudes to non-traditional gendered behaviour drawing on the theoretical approach of the ‘economy of conventions’, informed by feminist perspectives from comparative research. Data from the European Social Survey are used to map where there is a strong degree of resonance or dissonance between societal and individual attitudes and how these are attenuated by sex and employment status. The results expose unexpected national and intra-national similarities and differences. Societies characterized by a traditional male breadwinner model, such as Spain, indicate a higher degree of permissive values than expected; more liberal countries like the UK show high degrees of indifference, as well as a strong element of traditionalism. Dissonance and indifference compromise traditional gendered conventions and illustrate underlying tensions at the individual and societal level in resolving gender conflicts.
A Manuscript History of Ethiopic Enoch
Authors: Erho Ted M. , Stuckenbruck Loren T.
Published: December 2013

While many scholars of the Bible and Second Temple Judaism have an at least passing acquaintance with 1 (Ethiopic) Enoch, few recognize the developments that led to and undergird the editions and translations upon which they rely. This article attempts to rectify this in part via a brief historical survey of the growth of the Ethiopian manuscript tradition of the book as it has become available to Western scholars. The first half focuses on manuscripts previously studied in the context of Enochic scholarship, primarily with respect to the acquisition of these exemplars and the various means by which they made their way into libraries and collections in the West since the eighteenth century. The second part offers descriptions of more than twenty further copies of Ethiopic Enoch, most of which are located in Ethiopia today and which represent the rich living heritage of the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwaḥәdo Church. Given the large number of manuscript holdings in Ethiopia's monasteries and churches yet to be examined, this discussion underscores the need for further efforts towards the digitization of additional important witnesses of Ethiopic Enoch for the study of the text.
The Book of Enoch and the Ascension of Moses in Reformation Europe: Early Sixteenth-Century Interpretations of Jude 9 and Jude 14–15
Authors: Langstaff Beth
Published: December 2013

This article explores the way in which Roman Catholic and Protestant interpreters of the early Reformation era (1516–1553) explained and evaluated the use of apocryphal and/or extra-biblical sources in the Epistle of Jude. These interpreters were agreed in identifying two cases of such use: (1) the dispute between Michael and Satan concerning the body of Moses in Jude 9; and (2) the prophecy of Enoch in Jude 14–15. Drawing heavily on patristic testimony, they voiced strikingly diverse opinions, however, regarding the sources themselves and the consequences of such citation for Jude's apostolic authority and status within the New Testament canon. Early sixteenth-century exposition of Jude 9 and Jude 14–15 not only sheds light on the reception history of the book(s) of Enoch and the Ascension of Moses (as it was called) in early modern Europe; it also reflects broader Reformation debates concerning the authority of Scripture, tradition (written and unwritten), the church, and the church fathers.
“Top-Down” Effects Where None Should Be Found
Authors: Firestone Chaz , Scholl Brian J.
Published: December 2013

A tidal wave of recent research purports to have discovered that higher-level states such as moods, action capabilities, and categorical knowledge can literally and directly affect how things look. Are these truly effects on perception, or might some instead reflect influences on judgment, memory, or response bias? Here, we exploited an infamous art-historical reasoning error (the so-called “El Greco fallacy”) to demonstrate that multiple alleged top-down effects (including effects of morality on lightness perception and effects of action capabilities on spatial perception) cannot truly be effects on perception. We suggest that this error may also contaminate several other varieties of top-down effects and that this discovery has implications for debates over the continuity (or lack thereof) of perception and cognition.
Performative shamelessness on young women’s social network sites: Shielding the self and resisting gender melancholia
Authors: Dobson Amy Shields
Published: December 2013

In this paper, I ask what the self-representations of young women on social network sites can tell us about the conditions and experience of inhabiting femininity in the digitally mediated post-feminist context. First, I outline four conditions of post-feminist girlhood that I suggest young women must navigate in the processes of subjectivity construction. I then describe some of the common kinds of performativity found on a small selection of social network site profiles owned by young Australian women. I suggest that a ‘shameless’ affect may be a necessary form of self-protection for these young women, operating in contexts that appear to require copious amounts, and intense forms, of self-display. The kind of ‘shameless’ affectations we can see on young women’s social network site profiles may also be a way of resisting the dominant terms by which contemporary femininity is understood as normatively ‘melancholic’ or damaged.
Associations of clinical features and prognosis with age at disease onset in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Feng X , Zou Y , Pan W , Wang X , Wu M , Zhang M , Tao J , Zhang Y , Tan K , Li J , Chen Z , Ding X , Qian X , Da Z , Wang M , Sun L
Published: December 2013

The objective of this study is to evaluate the association of clinical features and prognosis with age at disease onset in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a large, multicenter Chinese cohort. Medical records of 1898 SLE inpatients from 15 hospitals were reviewed and classified into three groups according to their ages at disease presentation. Categorical data were analyzed by chi-square test and potentially associated factors were tested by multinomial logistic regression. Among the patients studied, 259 (13.6%) were juvenile onset (≤18 years), 1444 (76.1%) were early onset (>18 and ≤45 years) and 195 (10.3%) were late onset (>45 years). Whenever manifestations occurred, most patients (>80%) were diagnosed within two years. Juvenile-onset patients were more likely to be untreated before admission ( p < 0.001) and have mucocutaneous manifestations ( p < 0.001), but musculoskeletal symptoms ( p < 0.05) and leukopenia ( p < 0.05) were less frequent, while comorbidities were much higher in patients with late-onset SLE ( p < 0.001). Neuropsychiatric, cardiopulmonary, renal and gastrointestinal involvement, disease activity index and damage scores were similar among three groups. Anti-Sm antibodies were less prevalent in late-onset patients ( p < 0.05) and antimalarial drugs were more often applied to juvenile-onset patients ( p < 0.001). As expected, mortality was elevated in the late-onset SLE group ( p < 0.05), in which nearly half died of infections, which was much higher than those in the other two groups ( p < 0.001). Logistic regression confirmed that patients with juvenile- and early-onset disease were associated with high incidence of being untreated prior to admission, and with low incidence of comorbidities as well as deaths caused by infection compared to patients with late-onset lupus. Interestingly, our data showed that more patients with late-onset disease had a SLEDAI score change of >7 at discharge. In conclusion, age at onset has an impact on SLE disease status, and infection is the main cause of death in those with late-onset lupus. Considering that the late-onset patients had simultaneously easily controllable diseases and high incidence of comorbidities, a different treatment strategy from younger patients should be considered.
A Proposal for Clustering the Dimensions of National Culture
Authors: Maleki Ammar , de Jong Martin
Published: December 2013

Since Hofstede introduced his approach to understanding cultural differences through dimensions of national culture, various authors have presented their own dimensions, sometimes similar, sometimes different, and sometimes partially overlapping. The status quo in the development of research on cultural dimensions can now be qualified by two words: enriched and messy. Some scholars have attempted to bring the most likely common denominators of the dimensions together in an overview, but these attempts were based on ad hoc considerations and common sense. The goal of this article is to come to a synthesis of the insights from relevant authors and present a set of clusters of cultural dimensions based on systematic theoretical and statistical analysis. This is done by testing the conceptually established clusters through an ecological factor analysis. We included the work produced by Hofstede, Inglehart, Schwartz, GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness), Minkov, and a number of well-known qualitative authors, ending up with nine exclusive clusters: Individualism versus Collectivism, Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance (UA), Mastery versus Harmony, Traditionalism versus Secularism, Indulgence versus Restraint, Assertiveness versus Tenderness, Gender Egalitarianism, and Collaborativeness.
From dusk to dawn
Authors: Dinas Elias , Georgiadou Vassiliki , Konstantinidis Iannis , Rori Lamprini
Published: December 2013

A marginal racist organization, Golden Dawn, managed to attract first the votes of almost one out of 14 Greek voters and then global media and public attention. How did an extreme right groupuscule invade the political terrain of an EU-10 member state? Existing attempts to account for this phenomenon point to demand-side explanations, related to the political turmoil that followed the notorious debt crisis and the accompanying austerity measures. These explanations, however, fail to account for the genesis of this trajectory. We delve into this exact question, focusing on the election that marked the emergence of the Golden Dawn and permitted further electoral penetration. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, we show that the party took advantage of favourable political circumstances developing a grassroots network of protection that helped it enter the central political arena.
Coping mediates the relationship between disease severity and illness intrusiveness among chronically ill patients
Authors: Hundt Natalie E , Bensadon Benjamin A , Stanley Melinda A , Petersen Nancy J , Kunik Mark E , Kauth Michael R , Cully Jeffrey A
Published: December 2013

Reducing perceptions of illness intrusiveness may improve quality of life and mental health among patients with cardiopulmonary disease. To better understand relationships between coping style, locus of control, perceived illness intrusiveness, and disease severity, we analyzed data from 227 older Veterans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or congestive heart failure. Regressions revealed illness intrusiveness to be associated with younger age and greater disease severity, less internal locus of control, and avoidant/emotion-focused coping. Avoidant/emotion-focused coping but not active coping mediated the relationship between illness severity and illness intrusiveness. Findings suggest that supportive psychological interventions may reduce illness intrusiveness by targeting an avoidant/emotion-focused coping style and associated behaviors.