bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Falls part 3: environmental risk factors
Authors: Nazarko Linda
Published: September 2014

Older people are especially at risk of falls when they are unwell and when they move to a new environment. The environment where the older person is cared for can reduce or increase the risk of falls and injury. This article, the third in a series, explains how staff can minimize the risk of falls in hospitals, care homes and the person's own home.
Restraint part 2: Categories
Authors: Hughes Rhidian
Published: September 2014

The first article in this series on restraints discussed definitions of restraint and the broader health and social policy context (Hughes, 2008). This second article examines the wide range of ways in which people's freedoms may be restricted and uses case examples to emphasize how restraints should only be used as a last resort.
Writing assignments: reading and critical thinking skills
Authors: Powell Sarra Saffron
Published: September 2014

This is the third in a four-part series of study skills articles that will help you write better assignments (Saffron Powell, 2008a, 2008b). Moving on from the last article which aimed to develop research skills, this article will offer students effective strategies to improve reading and critical thinking skills.
Monitoring movement: detecting impaired mobility
Authors: Swann Julie
Published: September 2014

Healthcare assistants and assistant practitioners can help patients to improve their mobility in many ways. Impaired mobility can be caused by a range of factors from joint injuries and lethargy to cognitive and sensory problems. This article focuses on how movement is achieved and problems that can arise which prevent patients doing functional activities successfully.
Differentiating between pressure ulcers and moisture leisons
Authors: Jones Menna Lloyd
Published: September 2014

Pressure ulcers cause a lot of pain and suffering for the patient. In 2000, the estimated cost of pressure ulcers for the NHS was in the region of 1.4–2.1 billion pounds (Posnett and Franks, 2007). However, not all skin damage on and around the sacrum and buttocks is due to pressure damage. There is often confusion between a pressure ulcer and a moisture lesion, and the treatment for each differs. Therefore, in order to ensure that appropriate treatment is given, it is essential to be able to tell the difference between the two. The aim of this article is to give healthcare assistants an understanding of pressure ulcers and moisture lesions, and the differences between them in their appearance and treatment.
Management of constipation
Authors: Foxley Susan , Vosloo Riette
Published: September 2014

Constipation refers to difficulty in passing stool, accompanied by excessive straining, or complaint of infrequent bowel movements. Caring for patients who experience constipation is a common aspect of working as a healthcare assistant (HCA) or an assistant practitioner (AP). For some patients, the treatment of constipation is essential to their medical management. It is important for HCAs to know that constipation is often caused by underlying anatomical or functional problems.
Assistant practioners: identity, responsibilities and development
Authors: Spilsbury Karen , Bloor Karen , Bartlett Chris , Carr-Hill Roy
Published: September 2014

Assistant practitioners (APs) are ‘higher-level’ support workers who complement the work of registered professionals. This article discusses the first national survey of APs in acute hospital wards in England, forming part of a national study surrounding the introduction and development of AP roles in acute settings. Survey findings and their implications are reported, as well as AP responsibilities, characteristics, career progression and integration with nurses.
Partnership working and the assistant practitioner
Authors: Thurgate Claire , Jackson Carolyn
Published: September 2014

This article outlines the benefits and challenges of partnership working while developing and implementing the assistant practitioner (AP) role. A programme was implemented by a higher education institute (HEI), an acute trust and a strategic health authority (SHA) in the south east of England, to discover new ways of working. The trust created job descriptions, while the HEI provided undergraduate nursing programmes. Work-based learning was studied and developed.
Nursing home placements: the benefits and challenges
Authors: Andrew Lisa
Published: September 2014

This article is a follow-up to a brief presentation given to nursing home managers and Thames Valley University faculty of Health and Sciences lecturers on a personal experience of a recent nursing home placement over a duration of 8 weeks. The nursing home placement included rotation between two units, where one was a specialist dementia nursing home unit and the other a nursing home unit consisting of elderly residents with general health needs. This account will incorporate the benefits of the placement, challenges, proposed improvements and an overall summary.
NVQs: Keeping you up to date
Authors: Eaton Anne
Published: September 2014

Skills for Health is urging healthcare staff and training providers to begin preparing for the introduction of new health and health-related vocational qualifications for the sector from January 2011.
Reducing emergency admissions
Authors: Hughes Rhidian
Published: September 2014

Thirty five per cent of NHS hospital admissions are emergency-based and cost the country around 11billion pounds per year (Blunt et al, 2010). Currently, an upward trend is being seen in the number of people who are repeatedly admitted to the hospital for emergency consultations.
Nonagon talents: the geometry of perfect management?
Authors: Lilley Roy
Published: September 2014

Competition out, co-operation in. With faint echoes of Orwell's slogan in Animal Farm of four legs being good and two legs bad, the new Labour NHS reforms are starting to take effect. Nowhere in the NHS are the changes being felt more than in primary care, as Primary Care Groups (PCGs) and their cousins Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) begin to emerge
Partnership IT practice: new system live at Leeds
Authors: Kerr Eric , Haley Robert
Published: September 2014

A Private Finance Initiative project enabled a partnership between Leeds Community Mental Hospital and a consortium of consultants led by IT Services for IT support. We examine their progress as the project reaches half-way, and look at the lessons to be learnt.
Sabotage: the biggest threat to online health services
Authors: Harvey Trevor
Published: September 2014

CNN, eBay, the Yahoo! search engine, Amazon online books and the University of California — five organizations whose computer systems were overloaded with disabling junk from ‘hackers’ last month. Hitherto, hacking was defined as an invasive process, usually designed to corrupt data on distant computers after a breech of the server firewall, commonly via an obvious backdoor.These server saboteurs, seen by some as cyberspace freedom fighters, currently use less sophisticated but equally cunning methods to disrupt e-business and online public service resources.
Spend, spend, spend?
Authors: Roth's Andrew
Published: September 2014

On a recent weekend in Somerset, my daughter, Terry, told me the good news that my beautiful granddaughter, Lauren, has decided to become a psychiatrist instead of a fat-kitten commercial lawyer. Her choice of psychiatry owes much to my daughter's complaint that her own profession, clinical psychology, is very much undervalued in the NHS.
Scotland's joined-up working delivering community care
Authors: Bruce Allan , Forbes Tom
Published: September 2014

This article looks at the ways in which joined-up working has affected the delivery of community care in Scotland
The failure of public debate on commissioning
Authors: Bell Andy
Published: September 2014

Since August, the biggest subject of debate within NHS management has been the Department of Health's decision to reform primary care trusts. Illustrious publications such as this one and Health Service Journal have featured lively debate on the topic.
Trading conditions in a Blurred competitive market
Authors: Maynard Alan
Published: September 2014

The Prime Minister's metamorphosis into Margaret Thatcher in drag is coming along nicely. What were rubbish policies, derided by the Labour opposition in 1997, have been rebranded and reintroduced as the Government has rightly sought to make the public sector “act smarter”.
Dead elephants and life expectancy
Authors: Ainsworth Steve
Published: September 2014

Steve Ainsworth, freelance healthcare writer, muses on medical advances over the past 200 years and the influence they have had on life expectancy.
James Barbour
Authors: Barbour James
Published: September 2014

James Barbour OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Lothian, reflects on his successful career from humble beginnings.
Limitations of the HRG tariff: the trim point
Authors: Jones Rod
Published: September 2014

Rod Jones, Statistical Advisor, discusses why the trim point will lead to increased financial instability in 2009/10.
Communication and PCTs
Authors: Redding Don
Published: September 2014

Don Redding, head of policy at the Picker Institute, discusses the need for primary care trusts to put more resources into communications, especially when communicating with the public.
Whitehall blunders: the price of doctors
Authors: Maynard Alan
Published: September 2014

Alan Maynard, professor of health economics at the University of York, discusses the high pay of GPs and whether thet are really needed to deliver the bulk of care.
Who do you think you are?
Authors: Roth Andrew
Published: September 2014

Political commentator Andrew Roth considers the pros and cons of IVF and sperm donation, and the genetic ethics of such practices.
Correnspondence
Authors: Wheeler Mike , Carter Hazel , Peters Katherine
Published: September 2014

Standards are reliant on clinical support

Sister/charge nurse role is changing

General care needs as much attention
Health Service Ombudsman report: decline in quality of nursing care?
Authors: Tingle John
Published: September 2014

A number of cases of failures in nursing care have been revealed in the recent Health Service Ombudsman (HSO) Annual Report for England 2000–01. This article highlights some cases from the report as well as recent HSO investigations carried out over the past 4 months.
Legal aspects of consent 9: when parents are overruled
Authors: Dimond Bridgit
Published: September 2014

Case scenario

David has been separated from his wife Julie for several years. Their 6-year-old son, Jonathan, is in hospital and doctors have advised that he needs a tonsillectomy. David has said that he is not prepared to give consent to such an operation because he had a similar operation when he was 8 years old and believed that it was carried out simply because tonsillectomies were fashionable at the time. Julie wants the operation to proceed and is prepared to sign the consent form. What is the law?
Government must allow NHS managers to manage
Authors: Parrish Alan
Published: September 2014

All Government institutions, in one way or another, affect our lives and general welfare, but none more so than the NHS. Therefore, the way in which the NHS is controlled and managed is crucial and of utmost importance. At present, it would seem that those who want more central Government control of the NHS are out-manoeuvring those who want the freedom to manage services at a local level.
Enforcement of statutory duties for health and safety at work
Authors: Dimond Bridgit
Published: September 2014

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 some new institutions responsible for ensuring the implementation of health and safety laws across the country were established. These included the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Health and Safety Inspectorate.
Reflections on communicating with non-English-speaking patients
Authors: Ledger Sylvia Dianne
Published: September 2014

Nursing patients who speak no English has ethical, legal and professional implications for patients, relatives and healthcare staff. Appropriate communication between a patient and members of the healthcare team demonstrates respect, and empowers the patient to make healthcare decisions. Without appropriate translation, the patient who speaks no English is extremely vulnerable. Healthcare professionals have a duty to provide appropriate care for all patients, irrespective of nationality and ability to speak English. Issues such as empowerment, advocacy and confidentiality need to be considered in relation to caring for non-English-speaking patients. The author of this article reflects on her lecturer exchange at the University of Barcelona, Spain, and how her limited ability to speak Spanish gave rise to considering the needs of non-English-speaking patients in the medical directorate at the Royal London Hospital. This reflection gave rise to working with clinical and university colleagues in an attempt to improve communication with non-English-speaking patients, thus combining the author's role as a nurse, ethics lecturer and link lecturer. Working with clinical and university colleagues gave rise to the development of an advocacy/translation box file for use in clinical practice, and the formation of a staff–student liaison committee working party to review the possibility of student nurses becoming volunteer translators for non-English-speaking patients.
All nurses should be able to provide first aid
Authors: Castledine George
Published: September 2014

The new Code of Professional Conduct of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) supports the argument that all nurses and midwives:

‘In an emergency, in or outside the work setting…have a professional duty to provide care. The care provided would be judged against what could reasonably be expected from someone with your knowledge, skills and abilities when placed in those particular circumstances’ (NMC, 2002: Clause 8.5).
An analysis of predictors of morbidity after stab wounds of the pancreas in 78 consecutive injuries
Authors: Krige JEJ , Kotze UK , Sayed R , Navsaria PH , Nicol AJ
Published: September 2014

Introduction

Penetrating injuries of the pancreas may result in serious complications. This study assessed the factors influencing morbidity after stab wounds of the pancreas.

Methods

A retrospective univariate cohort analysis was carried out of 78 patients (74 men) with a median age of 26 years (range: 16–62 years) with stab wounds of the pancreas between 1982 and 2011.

Results

The median revised trauma score (RTS) was 7.8 (range: 2.0–7.8). Injuries involved the body (n=36), tail (n=24), head/uncinate process (n=16) and neck (n=2) of the pancreas. All 78 patients underwent a laparotomy. Sixty-five patients had AAST (American Association for the Surgery of Trauma) grade I or II pancreatic injuries and thirteen had grade III, IV or V injuries. Eight patients (10.3%) had an initial damage control operation. Sixty-nine patients (84.6%) had drainage of the pancreas only, six had a distal pancreatectomy and one had a pancreaticoduodenectomy. Most pancreas related complications occurred in patients with AAST grade III injuries; eight patients (10.2%) developed a pancreatic fistula. Four patients (5.1%) died. Grade of pancreatic injury (AAST grade I–II vs grade III–V injuries, p<0.001), RTS (odds ratio [OR]: 5.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.46–17.19, p<0.007), presence of shock on admission (OR: 3.31, 95% CI: 1.16–9.42, p=0.022), need for a blood transfusion (OR: 6.46, 95% CI: 2.40–17.40, p<0.001) and repeat laparotomy (p<0.001) had a significant influence on the development of general complications.

Conclusions

Although mortality was low after a pancreatic stab wound, morbidity was high. Increasing AAST grade of injury, high RTS, shock on admission to hospital, need for blood transfusion and repeat laparotomy were significant factors related to morbidity.
Leiomyosarcoma of the inguinal canal
Authors: Patel R , Chana P , Armstrong J , Lawrence R
Published: September 2014

We describe a rare case of a leiomyosarcoma in the inguinal canal in a patient presenting clinically with an inguinal hernia. The clinical details, histological findings and surgical management are reviewed.
The incidence of postoperative urinary retention in patients undergoing elective hip and knee arthroplasty
Authors: Fernandez MA , Karthikeyan S , Wyse M , Foguet P
Published: September 2014

Introduction

Postoperative urinary retention requiring urethral catheterisation increases the risk of joint sepsis following arthroplasty. Spinal anaesthesia with opiate administration is used widely in lower limb arthroplasty. We sought to establish whether the choice of opiate agent had any effect on the incidence of postoperative retention and therefore the risk of joint sepsis.

Methods

A total of 445 consecutive patients who underwent primary elective lower limb arthroplasty were reviewed retrospectively. Patients had general anaesthesia and femoral nerve block (GA+FNB), spinal anaesthesia and intrathecal fentanyl (SA+ITF) or spinal anaesthesia and intrathecal morphine (SA+ITM).

Results

Urinary retention was observed in 14% of male and 2% of female patients with GA+FNB, 9% of male and 3% of female patients with SA+ITF, and 60% of male (p=0.0005) and 5% of female patients with SA+ITM. Men who experienced retention were older (68 vs 64 years, p=0.013) and had longer inpatient stays (6.7 vs 4.6 days, p=0.043). Fewer patients in the SA+ITM group required breakthrough analgesia (28% vs 58%, p=0.004).

Concusions

The use of ITM in men significantly increases the incidence of urinary retention requiring urethral catheterisation and subsequently increases the risk of deep joint sepsis. Its use should be rationalised against the intended benefits and alternatives sought where possible.
Intramuscular haemangioma of the tongue
Authors: Babu D , Bhamre R , Katna R , Pai P
Published: September 2014

Haemangiomas are one of the most common benign tumours. Clinicians come across haemangiomas of different subtypes at different locations in the body. They are often faced with the question of whether to treat them or leave it to the natural history of the disease. We present a case of the intramuscular variety of haemangioma found in the unusual location of the tongue in a 60-year-old woman. Fine needle aspiration was inconclusive and on magnetic resonance imaging, it mimicked a malignancy, which prompted treatment. We also review the unique pathology of this variety of haemangioma, which defines their treatment. The radiological attributes of the disease and recurrence rates of surgery are also discussed.
Gallbladder agenesis
Authors: McCallum I , Jones MJ , Robinson SJ
Published: September 2014

This case report describes unusual congenital biliary anatomy encountered at a routine laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Imaging obtained prior to surgery (ultrasonography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography) had been misleading. The case highlights the importance of careful dissection even with anticipated normal anatomy.
ICBSE: who are we and where are we going?
Authors: Brennan Peter A , Smith Lee , Sherman Kevin P
Published: September 2014

The Intercollegiate Committee for Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) is responsible for the continued development, quality assurance and standards of the Intercollegiate MRCS and the Diploma in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (DO–HNS). As with the other two intercollegiate committees – namely the Joint Committee for Intercollegiate Examinations (JCIE) and the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) – the chairperson is appointed following an interview process by the four college presidents. The committees are accountable to all four royal colleges of surgeons in the UK and Ireland and the General Medical Council (GMC).
The RCS accreditation network portal
Authors: Lamont Peter , Yerokhina Anna
Published: September 2014

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) have a strategic partnership for the promotion of accreditation in medical education around the world. They have developed accreditation guidelines, which recommend establishing accreditation that is effective, independent, transparent and based on criteria specific to medical education. So far, only a minority of countries have quality assurance systems based on external evaluation and the majority use only general criteria when approving or evaluating an educational activity.
Using Scaffolded Self-Editing to Improve the Writing of Signing Adolescent Deaf Students
Authors: Appanah Thangi M. , Hoffman Nancy
Published: August 2014

T he authors investigated the impact of the Deaf Student Editing Rubric (DSER) as a self-editing tool on the writing performance of prelingually profoundly deaf adolescent students whose first language is American Sign Language. The DSER was developed by the first author. The study participants included 15 Deaf students in 4 classrooms in grades 7–12. Writing samples were analyzed for all students, and the level of rubric use was assessed. Eight of the students were interviewed about their use of the DSER. Although all students in the sample increased their mean scores in word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions, results indicated that only the interviewed group showed significant improvement in their writing. Students’ writing performance indicated that the DSER was most effective when students talked with an adult about their use of the rubric.
Recent Work on Tibullus
Authors: Damer Erika Zimmermann
Published: August 2014

This introduction provides an overview of Tibullus’ life, his poetry, and his style, and offers a bibliographical survey of emerging critical trends in interpreting this relatively neglected Roman elegist.
Metrical Feet on the Road of Poetry: Foot Puns and Literary Polemic in Tibullus
Authors: Henkel John
Published: August 2014

Throughout his two books, Tibullus cultivates feet, chains, and related images as metapoetic symbols to express both his literary program and his involvement in contemporary literary polemic between elegy and epic. Unlike Propertius and Ovid, Tibullus engages only minimally in explicit programmatics and polemics, but metapoetic symbolism reveals literary concerns analogous to those of the other elegists. In Tibullus 1.1, these symbols allow the speaker’s rejection of riches and soldiering to function also as a recusatio from writing panegyric epic for Messalla.
Gender Reversals and Intertextuality in Tibullus
Authors: Damer Erika Zimmermann
Published: August 2014

This paper argues that Tibullus’ practice of altering the gender of his intertextual references destabilizes gender as a biological, social, and even grammatical category in his elegies. In 1.8, Tibullus draws on images of women’s adornment from Callimachus, Philitas, and Propertius to create the opening image of the puer Marathus. In 2.6, Tibullus draws from Catullus’ lament for his brother in carmen 101 as he describes Nemesis’ dead young sister and demonstrates his technical skill in manipulating the flexibility of grammatical gender in Latin.
Sexual Promiscuity of Non-Greeks in Herodotus’ Histories
Authors: Wenghofer Richard
Published: August 2014

This paper examines Herodotus’ characterization of the sexual customs and habits of barbarians (i.e., non-Greeks) in the Histories . The argument to be advanced in this study is that Herodotus describes non-Greek populations as sexually promiscuous and implies that, at least by Greek standards, their marital relations constitute a sort of μοιχεία (i.e., adultery/corruption). Moreover, since the μοιχός (adulterer/corrupter) was typically seen as an un-manly or emasculated figure in the Classical Greek imagination, this paper further argues that Herodotus is utilizing prevailing notions of gender and sexuality as a way of more broadly articulating non-Greek cultures as essentially unmanly in general.
Ending Our Expertise: Feminists, Scholarship, and Prison Abolition
Authors: Lawston Jodie M. , Meiners Erica R.
Published: August 2014

The article has four goals. First, we point to the field of “women and incarceration” and this current carceral moment to identify the current context within US prisons and the nation, and to outline the strong interdisciplinary research that identifies why women, including those who identify as transwomen, are locked up. Second, building from this survey of what we know about women who are locked up, we argue that one central and problematic way that “women and prison” scholarship has informed public policy is through frameworks related to gender responsive programming. Third, we draw on abolition as a framing tool for feminist scholarship and organizing surrounding women in prison. Last, cognizant that the practices of teaching and research are contested and potentially valuable sites for abolition struggles, we explore our “home” site of the university to imagine what shifts at our sites could contribute to building abolition futures. We consider how we may continue to deepen this teaching and learning work within our classrooms.
Challenging Assumptions: Crossing Disciplinary Divides to Make Knowledge about Gender and Finance
Authors: Serido Joyce , Joseph Miranda
Published: August 2014

What happens when a qualitative/theoretical scholar of gender/sexuality and cultural studies and a quantitative behavioral scientist step outside the boundaries of our respective disciplines, risking disruptions to our normal procedures and cherished political and theoretical commitments? Our unlikely collaboration allowed each of us to explore and challenge the possibilities, limitations, and consequences of our approaches to the study of gender and finance and, ultimately, to make new knowledge. The occasion for this collaboration is the Arizona Pathways to Life Success (APLUS) study, a longitudinal study of a group of young adults to understand how financial practices develop and the factors that shape those practices. We begin by presenting our respective research agendas and our concerns about “engaging the opposition.” We then narrate the sequence of our efforts: to talk and think together, generate analyses and interpretations, and then interrupt ourselves—only to begin again. Ultimately, despite (or perhaps because of) our divergent backgrounds, our final set of findings, which reveals the changeability of participation in gendered constellations of financial attitudes and behaviors over time, challenges dominant scientific and popular understandings of the relation of gender to financial behavior and attitudes, with implications across many domains of research, policy, and educational practice.
The Magnifying Effect of Privilege: Earnings Inequalities at the Intersection of Gender, Race, and Nativity
Authors: Nawyn Stephanie J. , Gjokaj Linda
Published: August 2014

Feminist concerns about the epistemological problems of quantitative methods have resulted in an underdevelopment of quantitative approaches that could contribute to existing intersectional theory. Further, feminist scholars commonly consider the effects of gender as it intersects with race or class, but relatively little of this research has included nativity (being either an immigrant or native-born to a society). This article addresses these shortcomings by examining patterns of earnings inequality at the intersection of gender, race, and nativity, comparing cohorts of African-born Black and white immigrants to their US-born counterparts over multiple time-points. Further, the depressive effects of gender are large enough so that while there are differences in women’s earnings across race and nativity, nearly all groups of men still earn more than nearly all groups of women. The article’s results demonstrate that privilege has a magnifying effect, with the advantages conferred from one privileged status increasing the effects of other privilege statuses, which become larger over time. These findings contribute to how feminists understand privileges and oppressions emerging from the intersections of gender with other social statuses, and how such intersections shape economic inequality.
Clearing Sacred Ground: Women-Centered Interpretations of the Indian Epics
Authors: Luthra Rashmi
Published: August 2014

This article examines a few appropriations of the main women characters in the Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata , by ordinary women in their folk songs, as well as by women writers and artists in the feminist domain. The appropriations dip into already existing associations about the epic heroines, but rearticulate these to create greater space for the elaboration and positioning of postcolonial Indian feminisms. While the appropriation of the epics carries certain risks, such as unintentional complicity with right-wing conservative projects and the positioning of Indian feminism as exclusive of caste and class concerns, it is contended here that the risk is worth taking because the epics continue to be an important and contested part of the cultural field, and because the feminist appropriations are able to absorb and respond to the critiques to some degree. The appropriations in the folk domain are juxtaposed with those in the feminist domain: those of Sita from the Ramayana are juxtaposed with those of Draupadi from the Mahabharata . In addition, all appropriations are placed within the debate in Indian feminism over the use of traditional narratives in order to garner insight into the potential of the narratives as a resource for feminist projects.
Hume’s Skeptical Politics
Authors: McCormick Miriam Schleifer
Published: August 2014

I argue that there is a unity between Hume’s philosophical reflection and his political views and that many interesting connections can be found that illuminate both aspects of his thought. This paper highlights two of these connections. First, I argue that the conclusions Hume comes to in his political writings are natural outgrowths of his skepticism, a skepticism that recommends limitation of inquiry, modesty, moderation and openness. Most scholars who view Hume’s skepticism as informing his political views see it as supporting a conservative politics, one which is concerned above all to preserve the status quo. I reject the idea that the kind of philosophical skepticism embraced by Hume leads to such conservatism. The second main aspect of the unity of Hume’s thought I discuss concerns that way in which he addresses normative questions in the epistemological and political realms. The question of what resources Hume has to evaluate some beliefs or philosophical systems as better than others, given his skeptical conclusions, is one that has been of central concern for Hume scholars. His evaluations of political systems and governments can be understood in a similar way; the principles we use to evaluate personal beliefs can also be applied in the evaluation of political systems.
Skeptical Realism and Hume on the Self
Authors: Pitson Tony
Published: August 2014

The skeptical realist interpretation of Hume has in recent years become the focus of considerable debate. Many of the arguments both for and against this approach to Hume—in particular, regarding his view of causal power and also the continued and distinct existence of body—have been well rehearsed and explored in the literature. So far, however, the possibility of applying the skeptical realist approach to Hume’s discussion of the self in “Of Personal Identity” (T 1.4.6) has not received the same critical attention. In light of the distinctive issues that arise in this context, I shall, in the following, address the skeptical realist interpretation of Hume on the self provided by recent commentators like Edward Craig and Galen Strawson. I attempt to show that there are particular problems with this approach to Hume on the self, and I defend the alternative rejected by it, namely, that Hume presents his bundle or system view in Treatise 1.4.6 as an ontological claim about the nature of the mind or self. I further place this understanding of Hume within the wider context of his views about the different aspects of personal identity and the nature of the mind’s relation to body.
Hume’s Uses of Dialogue
Authors: Clark Samuel
Published: August 2014

What does David Hume do with the dialogue form in the Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion ? I pursue this question in the context of a partial taxonomy of uses for dialogue in philosophy in general, distinguishing uses out of playfulness, for self-concealment, to tame opponents, for self-effacement, for causal operation, for self-discovery, and for dramatizing a political ideal. I argue for Hume’s use of the last two and investigate the expressions of selfhood and politics which these uses reveal in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion : for Hume, the self is multiple, and sociable pleasure in company is more important than winning arguments or gaining knowledge. This reading of the Dialogues reveals Hume as aiming to transform our individual and collective self-understanding and action and proposes a more political engagement with his thought generally.
The Tweet Life of Erin and Kirk: A Gendered Analysis of Professional Sports Broadcasters’ Self-Presentation on Twitter
Authors: Weathers Melinda , Sanderson Jimmy , Matthey Pauline , Grevious Alexia , Warren Samantha , Tehan Maggie
Published: August 2014

Social media have been embraced by the sports world at an extraordinary pace and, as such, have become a viable avenue for sports broadcasters to redefine their roles as celebrities. However, given the differences in the ways females and males are utilized in sports broadcasts, it is plausible that differences also exist in how they present themselves. This study employed content analyses, guided by Goffman’s (1959) seminal theory of self-presentation to compare Erin Andrews and Kirk Herbstreit’s tweets during the 2012–2013 college football season. Findings indicate that both broadcasters’ self-presentation fell along traditional gender lines, as Andrews primarily discussed personal items, whereas Herbstreit largely provided sports-related commentary and analysis. The results suggest that although Twitter provides an avenue for female sports broadcasters to break down gender barriers, it currently serves to reify their subordinate sports-media roles.
Bypass and Broadcast: Utilizing Parasocial Interaction to Examine @ nhl Communication on Twitter during the 2012–2013 Lockout
Authors: Frederick Evan , Hamrick Marion E. , Clavio Galen
Published: August 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine @ nhl communication on Twitter during the 2012–13 lockout within the theoretical framework of parasocial interaction ( psi ). A thematic analysis was conducted using grounded theory and constant comparative methodology. Four themes emerged from the analysis, including hope for the future, reminders of the past, information and reassurance, and media engagement. These themes indicated an active effort by @ nhl to foster identification and involvement among followers. Additionally, tweets from @ nhl attempted to tap into fans’ emotions regarding the sport. Overall, Twitter was found to provide @ nhl with a platform for connectivity and information dissemination during an uncertain time. The implications of these and other findings will be discussed further.
“A Female in a Man’s World”: New-Media Discourse around the First Female nfl Referee
Authors: Antunovic Dunja
Published: August 2014

In August 2012 the National Football League ( nfl ) announced that a female referee would be officiating for the first time in the league’s history. Shannon Eastin took the field as a replacement referee, as she gained this opportunity amid a labor dispute between the nfl and the referees’ union. This paper examines new-media discourse surrounding Eastin’s debut in the nfl as a pioneer woman. Conducting the analysis from a feminist perspective, I found that the journalists, bloggers, and fans celebrated Eastin’s accomplishment and hailed the moment as an important milestone for women in sports. Sexist and paternalistic comments remained concealed on the message boards. Present in the discourse, but barely visible, were critical analyses on the institutional issues that prevent women from breaking the barrier of male hegemony. I recommend that feminist scholars continue to engage with the ways in which gendered power relations manifest in the online environment, particularly in the sphere of sports, which, despite the growing participation of women, remains a male domain in US society.
“It Just Makes Good Business Sense”: A Media Political Economy Analysis of espnW
Authors: Wolter Sarah
Published: August 2014

The first business subsidiary of espn , Inc. marketed specifically to female athletes and fans is espnW , asserting its mission is “to serve women as fans and athletes. espnW.com provides an engaging environment that offers total access to female athletes and the sports they play, takes fans inside the biggest events, and shares a unique point of view on the sports stories that matter most to women” (espnW, n.d.a, espnW …). Political economy analysis reveals that espnW is a manifestation of espn , Inc.’s spurious interest in women’s sports as a means to garner profit. Being part of the Disney Corporation sets up espnW as a revenue generator for its parent company. Participants in espnW ’s planning retreats and the two women at the helm of espnW further reinforce that espn , Inc. is using espnW for profit, not for promoting women’s sports. Additionally, creating a website dedicated to anything related to women, with espn , Inc.’s history of discrimination, exploits women. Lastly, presenting espnW as a separate site for female fans yields women less respect as sports fans.
SEARCH FOR ISOLATED BLACK HOLES: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
Authors: Karpov Sergey , Beskin Grigory , Plokhotnichenko Vladimir
Published: September 2014

The critical property of a black hole is the presence of an event horizon. It may be detected only by means of a detailed study of the emission features of its surroundings. The temporal resolution of such observations has to be comparable to rg /c, which is in the 10−6–10 s range, depending on the mass of the black hole. At SAO RAS we have developed the MANIA hardware and software complex, based on the panoramic photon counter, and we use it in observations on the 6m telescope for searching and investigating the optical variability of various astronomical objects on time scales of 10−6–103 s. We present here the hardware and methods used for these photometric, spectroscopic and polarimetric observations, together with the principles and criteria for object selection. The list of objects includes objects with featureless optical spectra (DC white dwarfs, blazars) and long microlensing events.
BEYOND THE STANDARD MODEL OF THE DISC–LINE SPECTRAL PROFILES FROM BLACK HOLE ACCRETION DISCS
Authors: Sochora Vjaceslav , Karas Vladimír , Svoboda Jirí , Dovciak Michal
Published: September 2014

The strong gravitational field of a black hole has distinct effects on the observed profile of a spectral line from an accretion disc near a black hole. The observed profile of the spectral line is broadened and skewed by a fast orbital motion and redshifted by a gravitational field. These effects can help us to constrain the parameters of a system with a black hole, both in active galactic nuclei and in a stellar-mass black hole. Here we explore the fact that an accretion disc emission can be mathematically imagined as a superposition of radiating accretion rings that extend from the inner edge to the outer rim of the disc, with some radially varying emissivity. In our work, we show that a characteristic double-horn profile of several radially confined (relatively narrow) accretion rings or belts could be recognized by the planned instruments onboard future satellites (such as the proposed ESA Large Observatory for X-ray Timing).
An automatic saccadic eye movement detection in an optokinetic nystagmus signal
Authors: Pander Tomasz , Czabański Robert , Przybyła Tomasz , Pojda-Wilczek Dorota
Published: September 2014

A saccade is one of the characteristic types of eye movements. The accurate detection and location of saccades in the signal representing the movement activity of the eyes are essential in medical applications. The main purpose of this paper is to present a new, robust approach to the detection of saccadic eye movements. The procedure is based on a so-called detection function, which is the result of the electronystagmographic (ENG) myriad signal filtering, nonlinear operation, and fuzzy median clustering. Smooth peaks of the detection function waveform correspond to the location of saccades in the ENG signal. The median fuzzy clustering-based method allows for calculating the amplitude threshold of the detection function, which improves the accurate saccade recognition. Both of these robust methods provide a two-step protection against outliers. The proposed algorithm was tested using artificial as well as real optokinetic nystagmus signals under different noise conditions. The results show the usefulness of the procedure when the precise detection and location of saccades are necessary.
Study of a novel injectable hydrogel of human-like collagen and carboxymethylcellulose for soft tissue augmentation
Authors: Liu Bowen , Ma Xiaoxuan , Zhu Chenhui , Mi Yu , Fan Daidi , Li Xian , Chen Lan
Published: September 2014

A novel injectable hydrogel was fabricated by human-like collagen (HLC) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and adipic acid dihydrazide (ADH) as cross-linkers. The morphology and structure of the hydrogels were characterized by scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that the HLC and CMC were successfully cross-linked through amide bonds and HLC could enhance the pore size of the composite, whereas CMC could be a strong backbone in the hydrogel to keep its appearance. The results of thermogravimetric analysis showed that the thermostability of HLC/CMC was strengthened significantly as compared with that of CMC. The tests of the equilibrium swelling ratio and in vitro degradability indicated that the HLC/CMC hydrogel possesses good water absorbing ability and slow degradability in vitro. Finally, biocompatibility test provided the possibility that HLC/CMC hydrogels are suitable for biomedical applications such as soft tissue augmentation for their good biocompatibility.
Trans-illumination fluorescence imaging of deep-seated tumors in small animals
Authors: Kleshnin Mikhail , Shirmanova Marina , Fiks Ilya , Orlova Anna , Plekhanov Vladimir , Zagainova Elena , Lukyanov Sergey , Turchin Ilya
Published: September 2014

Background:

Fluorescence diffuse tomography (FDT) is the most accurate technique for the imaging of labeled tumors in the small animal body. However, the procedure for reconstruction of the spatial distribution of the fluorophore requires a high signal-to-noise ratio due to the ill-condition of the inverse problem. Therefore, the FDT technique is ineffective for imaging tumors of small size or with dim fluorophores because of the low intensity of their fluorescence compared with the high level of tissue autofluorescence. In these cases, the size and position of a marked tumor in the animal body can be estimated from two-dimensional fluorescence images obtained using trans- or epi-illumination techniques.

Material and methods:

A versatile system for small animal fluorescence imaging which combines planar epi- and trans-illumination geometries of the light source and of the fluorescence receiver was created and tested. For epi-illumination imaging, light-emitting diode sources were used to provide homogeneous and stable illumination of the experimental animal, in combination with a cooled CCD camera which covers the entire illuminated area. For trans-illumination imaging, mechanical raster-scanning devices modulated at a low frequency were used for the laser source, together with a cooled photomultiplier tube, which provided outstanding sensitivity.

Results:

Monitoring the orthotopic tumor growth in animal bodies has demonstrated the efficacy of trans-illumination imaging in comparison with the epi-illumination technique. The results obtained also showed that the effective use of the trans-illumination technique requires Born normalization of the fluorescence signal and the exclusion of lateral illumination by surrounding the animal with additional light absorption material using light-absorption pads on both sides of the body.
Review of Christopher Hookway, The Pragmatic Maxim: Essays on Peirce and Pragmatism
Authors: Jacquette Dale
Published: September 2014

n/a
Low rate of germline AIP mutations in patients with apparently sporadic pituitary adenomas before the age of 40: a single-centre adult cohort
Authors: Preda Veronica , Korbonits Márta , Cudlip Simon , Karavitaki Niki , Grossman Ashley B
Published: September 2014

Aim

To study the prevalence of germline mutations of the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) gene in a large cohort of patients seen in the Oxford Centre for Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM), UK, with apparently sporadic pituitary adenomas, who were either diagnosed or had relevant clinical manifestations by the age of 40 years.

Patients

We prospectively investigated all patients who were seen at Oxford University Hospital, OCDEM, and a tertiary referral centre, between 2012 and 2013, and presented with pituitary tumours under the age of 40 years and with no family history: a total of 127 patients were enrolled in the study.

Methods

Leukocyte-origin genomic DNA underwent sequence analysis of exons 1–6 and the flanking intronic regions of theAIPgene (NM_003977.2), with dosage analysis by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.

Results

AIPvariants were detected in 3% of the 127 patients, comprising four of 48 patients with acromegaly (8%), 0 of 43 with prolactinomas, 0 of the 20 patients with non-functioning adenomas, 0 of 15 with corticotroph adenomas and 0 of one with a thyrotroph adenomas. Definite pathogenetic mutations were seen in 2/4 variants, comprising 4.2% of patients with acromegaly.

Conclusions

This prospective cohort study suggests a relatively low prevalence ofAIPgene mutations in young patients with apparently sporadic pituitary adenomas presenting to a tertiary pituitary UK centre. Those with somatotroph macroadenomas have a higher rate ofAIPmutation. These findings should inform discussion of genetic testing guidelines.