bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Corporate Scam, Indictment and Reform: Louis Berger’s Values-based Approach to Reform
Authors: Bhasa Malla Praveen
Published: May 2016

Corporate improbity and greed invariably impact a multitude of stakeholders both within the rogue corporation and beyond. Codes of conduct when breached violate the principles of morality and cause a lot of dismay to those impacted. A novice student of corporate governance might struggle to articulate the boundaries of morality. In situations where there is a conflict between corporate morals and corporate profits, what should take precedence – values or benefits?

Louis Berger is a US based international consulting behemoth that provides infrastructure and economic development services across 80 countries globally. Embroiled in a whistle blower’s litigation and subsequent investigation by the Department of Justice it was caught defrauding the US taxpayers for well over a decade between 1997 and 2007. The company is a good example of how a global corporation enmeshed in indictments of wilful fraud by its former CEO and reckless violation of penal statutes by its senior employees is trying to reinvent itself to become a model corporate citizen. Its success or failure in becoming so will largely depend on the robustness of its corporate governance mechanisms and its willingness to leave behind its historic blunders.
Association of Eating Behavior With Nutritional Status and Body Composition in Primary School–Aged Children
Authors: Tay Chee Wee , Chin Yit Siew , Lee Shoo Thien , Khouw Ilse , Poh Bee Koon ,   on behalf of the SEANUTS Malaysia Study Group
Published: June 2016

Problematic eating behaviors during childhood may lead to positive energy balance and obesity. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the association of eating behaviors with nutritional status and body composition in Malaysian children aged 7 to 12 years. A total of 1782 primary schoolchildren were randomly recruited from 6 regions in Malaysia. The multidimensional Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) was reported by parents to determine the 8 different dimensions of eating styles among children. Body mass index (BMI), BMI-for-age Z-score, waist circumference, and body fat percentage were assessed. Linear regression analyses revealed that both food responsiveness and desire to drink subscales were positively associated with a child’s body adiposity, whereas satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, and emotional undereating subscales were negatively associated with adiposity (all P < .05). A multidimensional eating style approach based on the CEBQ is needed to promote healthy eating behaviors in order to prevent excessive weight gain and obesity problems among Malaysian children.
Public Space, Public Waste, and the Right to the City
Authors: Chikarmane Poornima
Published: June 2016

I draw on my experiences as an organizer with a waste-pickers collective, Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat in Pune, India, to reflect on the power dynamics in control of public space. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), a public body, has used public resources to facilitate and enable accumulation by private companies, who have not been able to produce what they had committed to in the processing of waste. The waste pickers, in alliance with affected village-based land agitation committees, have mobilized against the dumping that is ruining their way of life, environments, and health, and are fighting for their own integration into waste value chains. The article uses the frame of David Harvey’s1 “right to the city”; a key part of the mobilizing work with waste pickers has been Freirean conscientization methods to spread awareness of the economic importance, to the city and to the planet, of waste recycling.
Public Opinion Regarding Financial Incentives to Engage in Advance Care Planning and Complete Advance Directives
Authors: Auriemma Catherine L. , Chen Lucy , Olorunnisola Michael , Delman Aaron , Nguyen Christina A. , Cooney Elizabeth , Gabler Nicole B. , Halpern Scott D.
Published: June 2016

Background:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently instituted physician reimbursements for advance care planning (ACP) discussions with patients.

Aim:

To measure public support for similar programs.

Design:

Cross-sectional online and in-person surveys.

Setting/Participants:

English-speaking adults recruited at public parks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July to August 2013 and online through survey sampling international Web-based recruitment platform in July 2015. Participants indicated support for 6 programs designed to increase advance directive (AD) completion or ACP discussion using 5-point Likert scales. Participants also indicated how much money (US$0-US$1000) was appropriate to incentivize such behaviors, compared to smoking cessation or colonoscopy screening.

Results:

We recruited 883 participants: 503 online and 380 in-person. The status quo of no systematic approach to motivate AD completion was supported by 67.0% of participants (63.9%-70.1%). The most popular programs were paying patients to complete ADs (58.0%; 54.5%-61.2%) and requiring patients to complete ADs or declination forms for health insurance (54.1%; 50.8%-57.4%). Participants more commonly supported paying patients to complete ADs than paying physicians whose patients complete ADs (22.6%; 19.8%-25.4%) or paying physicians who document ACP discussions (19.1%; 16.5%-21.7%; both P < .001). Participants supported smaller payments for AD completion and ACP than for obtaining screening colonoscopies or stopping smoking.

Conclusions:

Americans view payments for AD completion or ACP more skeptically than for other health behaviors and prefer that such payments go to patients rather than physicians. The current CMS policy of reimbursing physicians for ACP conversations with patients was the least preferred of the programs evaluated.
GLP-1 Agonists in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Janzen Kristin M. , Steuber Taylor D. , Nisly Sarah A.
Published: June 2016

Objective: To review the use of GLP-1 agonists in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Data Sources: A search using the MEDLINE database, EMBASE, and Cochrane Database was performed through March 2016 using the search terms glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists, incretin, liraglutide, exenatide, albiglutide, dulaglutide, type 1 diabetes mellitus. Study Selection and Data Extraction: All English-language trials that examined glycemic end points using GLP-1 agonists in humans with T1DM were included. Data Synthesis: A total of 9 clinical trials examining the use of GLP-1 agonists in T1DM were identified. On average, hemoglobin A1C (A1C) was lower than baseline, with a maximal lowering of 0.6%. This effect was not significant when tested against a control group, with a relative decrease in A1C of 0.1% to 0.2%. In all trials examined, reported hypoglycemia was low, demonstrating no difference when compared with insulin monotherapy. Weight loss was seen in all trials, with a maximum weight loss of 6.4 kg over 24 weeks. Gastrointestinal adverse effects are potentially limiting, with a significant number of patients in trials reporting nausea. Conclusion: The use of GLP-1 agonists should be considered in T1DM patients who are overweight or obese and not at glycemic goals despite aggressive insulin therapy; however, tolerability of these agents is a potential concern. Liraglutide has the strongest evidence for use and would be the agent of choice for use in overweight or obese adult patients with uncontrolled T1DM.
Predicting Online Political Participation
Authors: Feezell Jessica T.
Published: June 2016

Although we have a broad understanding of the factors that predict traditional forms of political participation, we know comparatively less about the determinants of online political participation. Among the limited research that explores the predictors of online political participation, news seeking is often found to be an important factor; however, many studies fail to consider selective exposure and the distinct influence of differing types of information. In this study, I ask, “What factors predict online participation, and what role does selective exposure play in this relationship?” Using a nationally representative sample ( N = 2,250) and a selection model to correct for biased estimates of online political participation, I find that online political participation is not well predicted by the same resource-related determinants that influence traditional participation; specifically, income and age are unrelated to online political participation among Internet users. Second, I find that exposure to political information that reinforces one’s point of view predicts higher levels of online political participation when compared with differing information or information with no point of view. Finally, I conduct a subset analysis of partisan identifiers to examine differences in these relationships among Republicans and Democrats.
Effect of antibrowning dips and controlled atmosphere storage on the physico-chemical, visual and nutritional quality of minimally processed “Rojo Brillante” persimmons
Authors: Sanchís Elena , Mateos Milagros , Pérez-Gago María B
Published: June 2016

The combined effect of antibrowning dips and controlled atmosphere storage on fresh-cut “Rojo Brillante” persimmon quality was investigated. Persimmon slices were dipped in 10 g L−1 ascorbic acid, 10 g L−1 citric acid or water and were stored in different controlled atmospheres at 5 ℃. Controlled atmosphere conditions were 21 kPa O2 + 10 kPa CO2 (Atm-B), 21 kPa O2 + 20 kPa CO2 (Atm-C), 5 kPa O2 + 10 kPa CO2 (Atm-D) and 5 kPa O2 in the absence of CO2 (Atm-E). Air (Atm-A) was used as a control. Atmospheres with high CO2 concentrations induced darkening, associated with a flesh disorder known as “internal flesh browning”. Only the samples placed in Atm-E, and treated with 10 g L−1 ascorbic acid or 10 g L−1 citric acid, controlled enzymatic browning, reduced firmness loss and prevented the “internal flesh browning” disorder. The maximum limit of marketability was achieved in the samples treated with 10 g L−1 citric acid and stored in Atm-E for nine storage days at 5 ℃. The total vitamin C, free radical scavenging activity, total phenolic content and total carotenoids of the fresh-cut “Rojo Brillante” persimmons were affected by maturity stage at harvest, whereas antibrowning dips and controlled atmosphere storage had no clear effect.
Geysers or Bubbling Hot Springs? A Cross-Cultural Examination of Customer Rage From Eastern and Western Perspectives
Authors: Patterson Paul G. , Brady Michael K. , McColl-Kennedy Janet R.
Published: June 2016

There is compelling evidence that incidents of customer rage are on the rise and not just in Western, individualistic societies. Changing social and economic conditions in collectivist societies (e.g., emerging consumerism and rising wealth in China) have spawned the emergence of customer rage in Eastern countries. To this end, we examine how customer rage–associated emotions, expressions, and outcomes differ across Eastern and Western cultures. Results drawn from 982 frontline service customers from two Eastern (China and Thailand) and two Western (Australia and United States) countries show that although consumers from Western cultures are more likely to exhibit rage emotions, consumers from Eastern cultures are more likely to report a desire for revenge and express their emotions in both overt and more subtle ways. That is, customers from Eastern cultures, while slow to display anger, once initiated, their rage expressions toward frontline service workers tend to be physical and vengeful. This result contradicts generally held beliefs that Eastern consumers are reticent to express negative emotions. With these findings in mind, and to minimize damaging customer rage incidents, firms regularly engaged in cross-cultural service encounters need to provide intercultural awareness and communications training that equip frontline employees to understand customs, manners, etiquette, and expectations of Eastern and Western cultures in general and even specific cultural segments.
‘Wogball’, or the World Game? Race and Soccer in Australian Journalism
Authors: Bahfen Nasya
Published: June 2016

This article applies theories of news values and print nationalism to the media coverage of the takeover by a foreign consortium based in the Middle East of a Melbourne-based national league football (soccer) club in Australia. In the Australian media, football (soccer) competes for attention with more established or dominant codes such as Aussie Rules and rugby league. Where coverage is accorded to football, it is underpinned by negative contexts. In addition to associating football with violence and hooliganism, Australian sports journalism’s overriding theme when it comes to football is to portray the code as foreign, a sport followed by migrants, and a code mired in cultural division. This is despite attempts by the sports’ administrators to nationalize the sport and move it away from the ethnic origins of several community and state level clubs—efforts that have been criticized as ‘whitewashing’ the Australian grassroots of the world game. News values as described by Galtung and Ruge (1965) and nationalism through an imagined community as espoused by Anderson (1991) are mainstays of journalism and media curriculum. This article examines how race, nation and ethnicity are present, reinforced and contested in the discourse of football (soccer), as engaged in by Australian journalism.
Media Coverage of Taliban: Is Peace Journalism the Solution?
Authors: Hussain Shabir
Published: May 2016

This article combines quantitative and qualitative analysis to investigate the reporting of the Taliban conflict in Pakistan media and finds the coverage escalatory and elitist from the peace journalism perspective. While the security-related aspects of the conflict are highlighted, the problems of victims are ignored. The data for this study were collected through content analysis, discourse analysis and interviews with conflict reporters and analysts. The key findings of this study are quite consistent with the existing peace journalism scholarship that in conflict where national interests are involved, media become nationalistic and patriotic, leaving behind the considerations of quality and good journalism.
Steel bridge long-term performance research technology framework and research progress
Authors: Wang Chunsheng , Duan Lan , Zhai Musai , Zhang Yuxiao , Wang Shichao
Published: June 2016

To ensure structural sustainability, it is necessary to conduct steel bridge long-term performance study, including bridge design, evaluation, maintenance, and reinforcement technology. The research on steel bridge long-term performance is introduced in four aspects: (1) fatigue performance experimental study for full-scale orthotropic steel bridge decks in laboratory to study its fatigue failure mechanism, in order to improve fatigue design methodology and find rational reinforcement and maintenance method; (2) conducting steel bridge out-of-plane distortion-induced fatigue performance study, and developing cold reinforcement method; (3) performance study for base material and typical joint under long-term vehicle and environmental effect in aging steel bridges, and safety assessment and maintenance of existing steel bridge; (4) temperature gradient monitoring for steel box girder model to build the temperature design mode. Meantime, in-situ tests and monitoring are conducted for steel bridge long-term performance detection, assessment, and maintenance. The study results in this article build the research framework of steel bridge long-term performance preliminarily, which is the basis for steel bridge sustainable design, maintenance, and cold reinforcement methodology system.
Experimental study on cyclic behavior of cast steel connectors for beam-to-column joints
Authors: Chen Yingzhi , Tong Lewei , Chen Yiyi , Zhou Xin
Published: June 2016

This article presents an experimental study on two innovative types of cast steel connectors, which would be used as a replaceable energy-dissipating component in the beam-to-column joint. The main aim was to use the connectors as the main source of deformation and energy dissipation, and to realize rapid repair of the joints by simple replacement of these connectors after earthquakes. A total of eight cyclic tests under two loading procedures were conducted on three types of connectors, namely, traditional welded T-stubs W, C1 type cast steel connectors, and C2 type cast steel connectors. The new cast steel connector specimens were observed to have good energy dissipation capacity with stable and plump hysteretic curves, and the equivalent viscous damping could achieve up to 43.7%. The ductility, which was governed by fracture of energy-dissipating elements, was shown to be satisfactory. The L/ t ratio (the length of energy-dissipating element to its thickness ratio) was found to be an important factor influencing the cyclic performances of C2 connectors. The accumulated plastic damage of C2 connector caused by bidirectional reversed tension and compression actions did not significantly weaken its energy dissipation capacity, which demonstrated the feasibility of employing C2 connector only in the beam bottom flange of a beam-to-column joint.
Progressive collapse analysis of a steel frame subjected to confined explosion and post-explosion fire
Authors: Ding Yang , Chen Ye , Shi Yanchao
Published: June 2016

Fire is a common secondary disaster following blast events. Because the strength of steel is sensitive to temperature, the steel structure that survives an explosion threat may collapse in the post-explosion fire. Thus, it is significant to investigate the progressive collapse mechanism of steel structures subjected to explosion and post-explosion fire. This article presents an accurate analytical model for evaluating the progressive collapse potential of a steel frame subjected to a confined explosion and post-explosion fire. The macro-model of the shear tab connection is established, and a material model that can reproduce the nonlinear dynamic behaviour of connections under combined hazard is compiled as subroutines. The finite element package AUTODYN is adopted to calculate the internal blast load to accurately analyse the effect of blast-induced damage on the fire resistance of the steel structure. The analytical results indicate that the gravity columns and columns in the interior moment resisting frames are key components for structural stability under combined hazards. The blast not only results in geometrical damage to the structural members, improving the load–displacement effect, but also leads to failure of the shear tab connections which increases the effective length of the column. Therefore, the failure time of the column under the combined hazard of blast and fire is earlier than the fire only case. Blast damage to the connection may also result in connection failure before column buckling in a fire, leading to local collapse prior to progressive collapse. Moreover, the collapse time–charge weight interaction diagram is generated to determine the weakest area of the steel frame. The membrane action of the floor is the only mode to redistribute load after the failure of the damaged column in a fire. Thus, increasing the reinforcement ratio in the floor may help mitigate the progressive collapse potential of the steel frame.
Three-dimensional elastoplastic damage concrete model by dissipation-based arc-length method
Authors: Ma Cheng , Chen Wei-zhen
Published: June 2016

This article presents a three-dimensional isotropic elastoplastic damage model for concrete structures. The plasticity of concrete is described by a nonassociated flow rule, using a three-parameter yield function as well as a modified Drucker–Prager-type potential. The damage of concrete is seen as a contribution work of tensile and compressive damage, with the evolution histories driven by the internal tensile and compressive variables, respectively. The iterative solution of plasticity and damage is carried out according to the concept of operator split, where a return-mapping algorithm as well as a substepping strategy is used. The consistent tangent stiffness considering the recursive relationship among substeps is derived. For the solution of global iteration, a dissipation-based arc-length method is employed. Good agreements are found in comparisons between numerical results and experimental data on both elementary and structural levels. Furthermore, the sensitivities of parameters that control strain softening are investigated.
Stiffness study of inner concave cable–arch structure based on an efficient method
Authors: Jiang Youbao , Cao Qing , Kong Xuan , Liao Guoyu
Published: June 2016

As a new long-span steel structure, the inner concave cable–arch structure has been applied in several roof structures in China. The mechanical performance of such structure has been intensively analyzed with the widely used finite element method. However, each component of the global stiffness (e.g. bending stiffness) cannot be directly presented in a finite element analysis. For this sake, an efficient method based on the force method is proposed to calculate the global stiffness of such structure. A main advantage of this method is that it can explicitly give the ratio of each type of deformation (e.g. bending deformation) to the total deformation through a simplified analysis. Then, the stiffness analyses of multiple different models are carried out with the proposed method. The results validate that the proposed method is almost as accurate as the finite element method. Finally, to explore the contributions of the arch, the cable member, and the crossing struts to the global stiffness, the relevant analyses of stiffness are investigated in detail for models with different parameters. The results show that (1) the bending deformation dominates the total deformation for an inner concave cable–arch structure, (2) the global stiffness is more dependent on rise-to-span ratio and cross section of the arch than those of the cable, and (3) an inner concave cable–arch structure with crossing multiple struts at a node can present a better mechanical performance than the one with a single strut at a node.
Recent advances in the technologies of connection for panel structures: Design and cost analysis of different solutions with X-shaped dissipative connectors
Authors: Latour Massimo
Published: June 2016

In this work, a recently patented seismic damper to be applied to structures composed by systems of panels is presented. In particular, the article is devoted to characterize the behaviour of the proposed connector by means of an experimental and numerical analysis and to provide some information about the cost of the elements needed to realize the damper, accounting for the manufacturing process. The experimental analysis has regarded five specimens tested under different loading conditions, and it has been used as a term of comparison with the classical systems of connection currently employed in these structures. Afterwards, in the article, a design criterion able to control the capacity and ductility of the device by simply varying the shape of the damper is presented and its accuracy is evaluated by performing finite element analyses. The results of the experimental and finite element analyses are very promising in terms of cyclic behaviour and energy dissipation capacity and reveal that the design of the element can be accurately controlled by means of the proposed approach. Furthermore, the cost estimate has revealed that the proposed damper is also cheaper than the classical solutions with a cost reduction of about 40%.
Predicting drug-free days among at-risk youth
Authors: Cheung Chau-kiu , Ngai Steven Sek-yum
Published: June 2016

Whether or not at-risk youth eschew illicit drugs because of its expected harm remains uncertain. In theory, expectancy is influential when the harm is valuable to the youth. Hence, to examine this possibility, this study employed a prospective design to collect data from 169 at-risk youths identified by social workers in Hong Kong, China.

Findings

Results revealed that when a youth has higher expectancy and valuation of harm in the baseline survey, he/she had considerably more drug-free days in the follow-up survey. However, neither the expectancy nor valuation alone introduced an effect on drug-free days.

Applications

These results sustained approaches to fostering the expectancy and valuation of harm for effective drug rehabilitation. Specifically, the approaches required to raise the expectancy of youth on the harm of drug abuse to their vigour and the value of sustaining their vigour simultaneously.
Racial- and ethnic-sensitive practice: From the practitioners’ perspective
Authors: Hall Ebony L , Rammell Kelsi
Published: June 2016

This qualitative study supports a necessary movement that prepares future generations of social workers to come to the fullest terms of race and ethnicity to produce effective client outcomes. Participants were provided with questions centered on race and ethnicity. A three-level coding analysis was used to determine themes. All qualitative data were converted into numerical values using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.

Findings

Seventy-two licensed social workers participated in the study. Majority of participants were white, female, and had been in practice for four or more years. Results indicated over 50% of participants reported having different experiences when working with clients of color and over 20% reported they do not consider race a factor when working with clients of color, which increased to 39% when referring to white clients. Twenty-nine percent of participants reported having different experiences with clients who are white. Several differences between groups emerged in how clients of color and clients who are white build rapport and acknowledge culture and family.

Applications

These findings support a need for an inclusive approach to cultural competency that involves teaching racial- and ethnic-sensitive practices to future practitioners. The results also speak to a concern of the current practitioners who are operating from a “color blind” philosophy or those who feel as if race and ethnicity are irrelevant to their work with clients. As the profession builds on the notion of embracing cultural competency, it must intentionally continue to acknowledge factors of race and ethnicity.
Delivering social work education on inquiry reports addressing harm to vulnerable people: An exploratory study
Authors: Houston Stan , McColgan Mary
Published: June 2016

This article outlines a research study examining how social work education, in relation to case reviews and inquiry reports, was structured and delivered to a range of social work students in Northern Ireland. Adopting a qualitative design, nine social work educators in the region were interviewed and asked about their approach to presenting findings from the reports to social work students and the issues this raised for the research sample. The results revealed three key themes: the salience of the organizational context; how learning was structured and organized; and the various attempts to build social work competence.

Findings

These themes showed that the co-ordinators were delivering a complex area of knowledge. It was clear that they had given considerable thought to the essential messages from the reports even though the constraints of time and setting were apparent. Moreover, they employed a range of innovations in the way the reports were theorized and how the knowledge coming from them was disseminated. The importance of the ‘fear factor’ within students was a primary issue affecting teaching and learning strategies.

Applications

The findings can be used as a foundation for further research into this area, looking at student feedback, the attainment of learning outcomes and, importantly, ways of enhancing teaching and learning approaches on this sensitive area. The research can also contribute to the identification of social work educators' learning needs and how to approach emotionally laden case studies of significant harm to vulnerable individuals.
Attractive Female Romantic Partners Provide a Proxy for Unobservable Male Qualities
Authors: Rodeheffer Christopher D. , Proffitt Leyva Randi P. , Hill Sarah E.
Published: June 2016

Previous research indicates that women find men more desirable when they appear to be desired by other women than in the absence of such cues—an effect referred to as female mate choice copying. Female mate choice copying is believed to emerge from a process whereby women use the presence of a man’s mate as a cue to his own quality. Here, we test this hypothesis explicitly by examining whether the desirability enhancement effect conferred on men by the presumed interest of an attractive female (a) emerges only when the female is described as being a man’s current romantic partner (Experiment 1) and (b) is mediated by women’s belief that men partnered to attractive women possess unobservable qualities that women value in their romantic partners (Experiment 2). The results of our two experiments found support for these hypotheses, shedding new light on the processes influencing human female mate choice copying.
The Effect of Gender Norms in Sitcoms on Support for Access to Abortion and Contraception
Authors: Swigger Nathaniel
Published: May 2016

Can ostensibly nonpolitical television programming affect policy opinions? In this article, I use a laboratory experiment to test whether the gender norms portrayed on two primetime sitcoms can alter political attitudes on gender issues, specifically access to abortion, and contraception. Though the shows in the experiment did not explicitly discuss any policy, I find that sitcoms can influence policy opinions, particularly when the show conveys a “boys will be boys” mentality toward sexual behavior. This finding has important implications for public opinion scholars because it suggests that there may not be such a thing as apolitical programming, and pop culture may have a profound, overlooked effect on public opinion.
A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial to Study the Impact of a Nutrition-Sensitive Intervention on Adult Women With Cancer Cachexia Undergoing Palliative Care in India
Authors: Kapoor Neha , Naufahu Jane , Tewfik Sundus , Bhatnagar Sushma , Garg Rakesh , Tewfik Ihab
Published: June 2016

Purpose. Advanced cancer patients with disease progression develop cachexia. Nevertheless, cancer patients at nutritional risk have shown improved body weight and quality of life with oral nutritional supplements. Method. This was a randomized controlled trial in adult female cancer patients (n = 63) attending palliative clinics, with symptoms of cachexia. Eligible patients were randomly distributed into control (n = 33) and intervention (n = 30) groups. Both groups were provided with nutritional and physical activity counseling, but the intervention group received an additional 100 g of Improved Atta (IAtta) for 6 months daily consumption. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of IAtta (with counseling) in enhancing the health status of cachexic patients. Anthropometric measurements, dietary intake, physical activity level and quality of life parameters were assessed at baseline, after 3 months, and at the end of 6 months. Results. Patients in the control group (n = 15) had significantly decreased body weight ( P = .003), mid–upper-arm circumference ( P = .002), and body fat ( P = .002) by the end of intervention. A trend of body weight gain in the intervention group (n = 17; P = .08) and significant increase of body fat ( P = .002) was observed; moreover, patients reported a significant improvement in fatigue ( P = .002) and appetite scores ( P = .006) under quality-of-life domains at the end of intervention. Conclusions. Embedding a nutrition-sensitive intervention ( IAtta ) within Indian palliative care therapy may improve quality of life and stabilize body weight in cancer cachexia patients.
Ascribing Meaning to Occupation
Authors: Avrech Bar Michal , Forwell Susan , Backman Catherine L.
Published: June 2016

Ascribing meaning to occupation is a multifaceted process. Understanding this process is illusive, yet fundamental to theory and practice. The objective is to describe the meaning that mothers ascribe to their occupations. A secondary analysis was conducted with data from a convenience sample of 35 Israeli mothers, ages 25 to 45 years. Data were collected using the Occupational Performance History Interview as part of a larger study. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and content analysis applied. Two main categories emerged: the meaning of “giving” (investing values) and the meaning of “receiving” (ensuring needs are met). Values such as responsibility require mothers to do occupations they find less desirable than others associated with the mothering role. The study illustrates how values and needs are intertwined to contribute to the meaning of occupation. Moreover, meaningful occupations can be undesirable but doing them arises from the values that drive mothers to fulfill this role.
Teaching Poetry Through Collaborative Art
Authors: Wandera David B.
Published: June 2016

This study is anchored on two positions: that every communication is multimodal and that different modalities within multimodal communication have particular affordances. Written and oral language and other modalities, such as body language and audio/visual media, are interwoven in classroom communication. What might it look like to strategically deploy particular modalities whose affordances predispose them to visualizing certain kinds of knowledge in the classroom? I propose that educators purposefully employ multimodality for transformative learning. Through ethnographic approaches and multimodal interactional analysis, I analyze a possible link between multimodal pedagogy and transformative education, focusing on image-language entwinement, within an International Baccalaureate poetry classroom in Nairobi, Kenya. This article offers an illustrative resource for educators interested in the intersections of transformative learning and multimodality.
Research Ethics Committees and Participatory Action Research With Young People
Authors: Yanar Zeynep M. , Fazli Mehria , Rahman Jahanara , Farthing Rys
Published: May 2016

Participatory action research (PAR) is a methodological approach that seeks to maximize the participation of people whose lives it researches. It is underpinned by an ethical concern to research “with” people, rather than “on” people. However, this ethical approach to research is often, paradoxically, problematized by universities’ research ethics committees (RECs). This article explores one site of tension between PAR and RECs—the requirement for anonymity for below 18-year-olds. It explores this tension by exploring a case study of a peer-to-peer research project undertaken by young women in East London, and using our own experiences and perspectives, it argues that anonymity can be unjust, disempowering, and unnecessary, and can reduce “pride.” Without wanting to develop specific recommendations, given the limited scope of our case study, this article uses firsthand experiences to add weight to the broader discussions calling for a critical rethink of REC guidelines.
Association between bibliometric parameters, reporting and methodological quality of randomised controlled trials in vascular and endovascular surgery
Authors: Hajibandeh Shahab , Hajibandeh Shahin , Antoniou George A , Green Patrick A , Maden Michelle , Torella Francesco
Published: June 2016

Purpose

We aimed to investigate association between bibliometric parameters, reporting and methodological quality of vascular and endovascular surgery randomised controlled trials.

Methods

The most recent 75 and oldest 75 randomised controlled trials published in leading journals over a 10-year period were identified. The reporting quality was analysed using the CONSORT statement, and methodological quality with the Intercollegiate Guidelines Network checklist. We used exploratory univariate and multivariable linear regression analysis to investigate associations.

Findings

Bibliometric parameters such as type of journal, study design reported in title, number of pages; external funding, industry sponsoring and number of citations are associated with reporting quality. Moreover, parameters such as type of journal, subject area and study design reported in title are associated with methodological quality.

Conclusions

The bibliometric parameters of randomised controlled trials may be independent predictors for their reporting and methodological quality. Moreover, the reporting quality of randomised controlled trials is associated with their methodological quality and vice versa.
Deviant divas: Lindy Chamberlain and Schapelle Corby and the case for a new category of celebrity for criminally implicated women
Authors: Middleweek Belinda
Published: June 2016

In the field of celebrity studies much has been written about the superficiality of contemporary celebrity culture in which ordinary individuals are recognised as exceptional or worthy of public attention in the absence of any particular talent, contribution or achievement (Bell, 2010; Boorstin, 1972; Gamson, 1994; Langer in Edgar, 1980; Marwick and boyd, 2011; Redmond, 2013; Rojek, 2001; Turner, 2004, 2014; Turner et al., 2000). Much less has been written about the link between celebrity and criminality and the types of categories into which celebrified criminals fall (Jenks and Lorentzen, 1997; Penfold-Mounce, 2009). In the scant studies that do exist there is a thinness of attention to gender despite persuasive arguments within feminist criminological studies that crime is a gendered concept in news discourse (Jewkes, 2011; Smart, 1977). Using a qualitative content analysis of a selection of news articles on two high profile cases involving women convicted of a crime, Lindy Chamberlain (now exonerated) and Schapelle Corby, as well as recent work in the sociology of risk on desire and transgression, this research suggests that the current naming practices surrounding criminally implicated women do not adequately capture the constellation of gender-inflected media messages and the meanings with which they are imbued by sections of news workers. The implications of this research warrant a re-think of the customary labels ascribed to women convicted of a crime and the addition to existing taxonomies of a new category of celebrity, the ‘deviant diva’.
Distinct TLR-mediated cytokine production and immunoglobulin secretion in human newborn naïve B cells
Authors: Pettengill Matthew A , van Haren Simon D , Li Ning , Dowling David J , Bergelson Ilana , Jans Jop , Ferwerda Gerben , Levy Ofer
Published: June 2016

Neonatal innate immunity is distinct from that of adults, which may contribute to increased susceptibility to infection and limit vaccine responses. B cells play critical roles in protection from infection and detect PAMPs via TLRs, that, when co-activated with CD40, can drive B-cell proliferation and Ab production. We characterized the expression of TLRs in circulating B cells from newborns and adults, and evaluated TLR- and CD40-mediated naïve B-cell class-switch recombination (CSR) and cytokine production. Gene expression levels of most TLRs was similar between newborn and adult B cells, except that newborn naïve B cells expressed more TLR9 than adult naïve B cells. Neonatal naïve B cells demonstrated impaired TLR2- and TLR7- but enhanced TLR9-mediated cytokine production. Significantly fewer newborn naïve B cells underwent CSR to produce IgG, an impairment also noted with IL-21 stimulation. Additionally, co-stimulation via CD40 and TLRs induced greater cytokine production in adult B cells. Thus, while newborn naïve B cells demonstrate adult-level expression of TLRs and CD40, the responses to stimulation of these receptors are distinct. Relatively high expression of TLR9 and impaired CD40-mediated Ig secretion contributes to distinct innate and adaptive immunity of human newborns and may inform novel approaches to early-life immunization.
A case of Degos disease in pregnancy
Authors: Sharma Sapna , Brennan Barbara , Naden Ray , Whelan Patrick
Published: June 2016

Degos disease is characterized as a rare systemic vaso-occlusive disorder, although the exact pathophysiology is uncertain. Fewer than 200 patients have been reported in the literature, and only two reports describe the course of the disease during pregnancy. Here, we present the first reported case of the course of pregnancy in a woman with the systemic form of Degos disease. The patient had been diagnosed with Degos prior to pregnancy and was monitored throughout the duration of the pregnancy. Her presentation and treatment are described. There was no further exacerbation secondary to the pregnancy itself; the pregnancy course was uncomplicated and the baby unaffected to date.
Exploring the diffusion of tweets designed to raise the road safety agenda in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Albalawi Yousef A. , Sixsmith Jane
Published: June 2016

This study demonstrates the importance of understanding the diffusion process in social media such as Twitter as an example of the relationship between new media platforms and health promotion interventions. Evidence-informed tweets were developed, pilot tested and distributed to all followers of the Ministry of Health’s Twitter account with the aim of influencing the agenda on road safety in Saudi Arabia. The dissemination pattern and influence of this health communication was assessed. We collected 70 tweets into two groups (29 intervention tweets and 41 additional supported tweets) extracted from the Tweetreach data set and then analysed them using Microsoft Excel and SPSS.

Using the concept of innovation/imitation as defined in the Bass Model, we classified retweeting by direct followers as innovation and retweeting by users who were not followers as imitation. In the study, we identify an informative indicator of successful diffusion and propose a novel procedure to measure innovation/imitation coefficients ( p and q). We also provided a statistical procedure for evaluating tweet adoption by innovators (influentials) and imitators. In addition, we also assessed the use of message design tools for new media messages. The resulting information can be used to improve public health and health promotion interventions at the levels of planning, design, implementation and evaluation.
Thickness Distribution of Glenohumeral Joint Cartilage
Authors: Schleich Christoph , Bittersohl Bernd , Antoch Gerald , Krauspe Rüdiger , Zilkens Christoph , Kircher Jörn
Published: June 2016

High-resolution 3-dimensional cartilage-specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at 3 T to test the following hypotheses: (1) there is a nonuniform cartilage thickness distribution both on the proximal humerus and on the glenoid surface and (2) the glenohumeral joint as a combined system is congruent with the level of the joint cartilage surface without substantial radial mismatch. Inclusion of 38 volunteers (19 females, mean age 24.34 ± 2.22 years; range 21-29 years) in a prospective study. Measurements of: cartilage thickness in 3 regions and 3 zones; radius of both circles (glenoid and humeral cartilage) for congruency calculation using 3-T MRI with 3-dimensional dual-echo steady-state sequence with water excitation. A homogenous mean cartilage thickness (1.2-1.5 mm) and slightly higher values for the glenoidal articulating surface radii both in the mid-paracoronar section (2.4 vs. 2.1 cm, P < 0.001) and in the mid-paraaxial section (2.4 vs. 2.1 cm, P < 0.001) compared with the humeral side were observed. The concept of a radial mismatch between the humeral head and the glenoid in healthy human subjects can be confirmed. This study provides normative data for the comparison of joint cartilage changes at the shoulder for future studies.
‘Guru’ Culture in South Asia: The Case of Chinmaya Mission in India
Authors: Pandya Samta P.
Published: June 2016

Guru culture is a prominent phenomenon in contemporary South Asia. The guru is a charismatic figure and the bedrock of the concerned institution, which very often assumes the form of a movement. Recognition of the power of that charisma is the central aspect in the social and psychological dynamics of guru-led movements. They attract a large number of followers and social service engagements are a part of their common repertoire, reflecting and furthering the guru’s multiple societal entanglements. In this article, I focus on a prominent guru movement which originated in India, the Chinmaya Mission (CM), specifically with respect to its basic character and its interface with the Indian sociocultural fabric through compelling praxis, which I schematise through dimensions of its unique philosophical repertoire, sociality and habitus. Sociality in practice for CM is its mandate of social service. Social service is justified through the faith ideals. Habitus is generated by the Mission’s associates as an unconscious formation. Both sociality and habitus of the CM movement make a case for the resurgence of religion and the postsecular in Indian public discourse.
Phenotype and immune function of lymph node and peripheral blood CLL cells are linked to transendothelial migration
Authors: Pasikowska Marta , Walsby Elisabeth , Apollonio Benedetta , Cuthill Kirsty , Phillips Elizabeth , Coulter Eve , Longhi Maria Serena , Ma Yun , Yallop Deborah , Barber Linda D. , Patten Piers , Fegan Chris , Ramsay Alan G. , Pepper Chris , Devereux Stephen , Buggins Andrea G. S.
Published: June 2016

Key Points

LN-derived CLL cells have increased capacity for T-cell activation and superior immune synapse formation compared with those from PB. Enhanced CLL cell immunologic function is also linked to PB circulating cells with the propensity to migrate.
Prediction of aptamer-protein interacting pairs using an ensemble classifier in combination with various protein sequence attributes
Authors: Zhang Lina , Zhang Chengjin , Gao Rui , Yang Runtao , Song Qing
Published: May 2016

Background

Aptamer-protein interacting pairs play a variety of physiological functions and therapeutic potentials in organisms. Rapidly and effectively predicting aptamer-protein interacting pairs is significant to design aptamers binding to certain interested proteins, which will give insight into understanding mechanisms of aptamer-protein interacting pairs and developing aptamer-based therapies.

Results

In this study, an ensemble method is presented to predict aptamer-protein interacting pairs with hybrid features. The features for aptamers are extracted from Pseudo K-tuple Nucleotide Composition (PseKNC) while the features for proteins incorporate Discrete Cosine Transformation (DCT), disorder information, and bi-gram Position Specific Scoring Matrix (PSSM). We investigate predictive capabilities of various feature spaces. The proposed ensemble method obtains the best performance with Youden’s Index of 0.380, using the hybrid feature space of PseKNC, DCT, bi-gram PSSM, and disorder information by 10-fold cross validation. The Relief-Incremental Feature Selection (IFS) method is adopted to obtain the optimal feature set. Based on the optimal feature set, the proposed method achieves a balanced performance with a sensitivity of 0.753 and a specificity of 0.725 on the training dataset, which indicates that this method can solve the imbalanced data problem effectively. To evaluate the prediction performance objectively, an independent testing dataset is used to evaluate the proposed method. Encouragingly, our proposed method performs better than previous study with a sensitivity of 0.738 and a Youden’s Index of 0.451.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the proposed method can be a potential candidate for aptamer-protein interacting pair prediction, which may contribute to finding novel aptamer-protein interacting pairs and understanding the relationship between aptamers and proteins.