bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self-Regulation and the Legitimacy of Voluntary Procedural Standards
Authors: Giannoumis G. Anthony
Published: August 2014

Human rights obligations require legislation and standards to ensure access to the web. To understand how standards support human rights obligations, this article uses a framework that differentiates the legal or practical use of mandatory and voluntary standards. This article demonstrates how voluntary web accessibility standards emerged from legislation in the United Kingdom, which suggests standardization processes mediate a standard’s use in law. Data from policy analyses and semistructured interviews demonstrate the association among policy actors, social institutions, and the use of a standard in law. This article recommends evaluating the impact of standardization processes in realizing human rights obligations.
Elastography in the Differential Diagnosis of Thyroid Nodules
Authors: Çakal Erman , Şahin Mustafa , Ünsal İlknur Öztürk , Güngüneş Aşkın , Akkaymak Esra , Özkaya Evrim Çakır , Bozkurt Nujen Çolak , Özbek Mustafa , Delibaşı Tuncay
Published: August 2014

Despite the publication of a recent meta-analysis of elastography in thyroid nodules, further work is necessary on this issue in different populations. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical value of elastography on nodular goiters in mild iodine-deficient regions without excluding patients according to nodule characteristics. This prospective study was conducted between April 2010 and December 2011 in Yıldırım Beyazıt Dıskapı Research Hospital Endocrinology outpatient clinic. Five hundred twenty-eight nodular goiter patients who underwent thyroid fine-needle aspiration biopsy were included in our study. Elastography scores and indexes were measured with real-time ultrasound elastography (Hitachi® EUB 7000 HV machine with 13 MHz linear transducer). There were 471 females and 57 males and their ages ranged from 45 years to 78 years. A total of 601 nodules were evaluated in these patients. The area under the curve (AUC) for the elasto score was 0.91 ( p < 0.0001) and AUC for the strain index (SI) was 0.96 ( p < 0.0001). We suggest that the SI reflects malignancy better than the elasto score. We conclude that elastography scores greater than 3 have 76% sensitivity and 96% specificity for diagnosing malignancy. For SI, we conclude that 3.75 (83% sensitivity and 95% specificity) is the cutoff point. Elasto score and SI measurements of thyroid nodules in our population are efficient and increase the diagnostic performance of the sonography.
Finding the silver lining
Authors: Slotter Erica B. , Ward Deborah E.
Published: August 2014

The present research sought to identify a novel factor that reduces the emotional impact of relationship dissolution. Specifically, we examined individuals’ use of redemptive narratives—a form of narrative focused on positive outcomes in negative situations—in post-dissolution journal entries written over the course of a 4-day diary study. An interaction emerged, that is, individuals reported reduced emotional distress to the extent that they had used more, versus fewer, redemptive narratives the day before (a lagged effect), but only at the end, not the beginning, of the study. This effect was independent from similar effects predicted by greater cognitive processing. These findings suggest that redemptive narratives may reduce individuals’ post-dissolution distress.
Postoperative outcomes following preoperative inspiratory muscle training in patients undergoing cardiothoracic or upper abdominal surgery: a systematic review and meta analysis
Authors: Mans Christina M , Reeve Julie C , Elkins Mark R
Published: August 2014

Objective:

To evaluate whether preoperative inspiratory muscle training is effective in preventing postoperative pulmonary complications and reducing length of hospital stay in people undergoing cardiothoracic or upper abdominal surgery.

Data sources:

Medline, CINAHL, AMED, PsychINFO, Scopus, PEDro, and the Cochrane Library.

Review methods:

A systematic review and meta analysis of randomized controlled trials (or quasi-randomized controlled trials) investigating a form of preoperative inspiratory muscle training, compared with sham or no inspiratory muscle training. Participants were adults (16 years and over) awaiting elective open cardiac, thoracic, or upper abdominal surgery. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro scale.

Results:

Eight studies involving 295 participants were eligible for inclusion. The trained group had significantly higher maximal inspiratory pressure at the end of the preoperative training period (mean difference: 15 cm H2O, 95% confidence interval (CI): 9 to 21). This benefit was maintained through the early postoperative period, when lung function also recovered significantly more quickly in the trained group. Inspiratory muscle training also substantially reduced postoperative pulmonary complications (relative risk 0.48, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.89). Although not statistically significant, length of hospital stay also tended to favour the trained group. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups for the remaining outcomes. Participant satisfaction with inspiratory muscle training was high.

Conclusion:

Preoperative inspiratory muscle training significantly improves respiratory (muscle) function in the early postoperative period, halving the risk of pulmonary complications. The training does not increase length of stay, but more data are required to confirm whether it reduces length of stay.
Trajectory tracking with collision avoidance for nonholonomic vehicles with acceleration constraints and limited sensing
Authors: Rodríguez-Seda Erick J. , Tang Chinpei , Spong Mark W. , Stipanović Dušan M.
Published: August 2014

Nowadays, autonomously operated nonholonomic vehicles are employed in a wide range of applications, ranging from relatively simple household chores (e.g. carpet vacuuming and lawn mowing) to highly sophisticated assignments (e.g. outer space exploration and combat missions). Each application may require different levels of accuracy and capabilities from the vehicles, yet, all expect the same critical outcome: to safely complete the task while avoiding collisions with obstacles and the environment. Herein, we report on a bounded control law for nonholonomic systems of unicycle-type that satisfactorily drive a vehicle along a desired trajectory while guaranteeing a minimum safe distance from another vehicle or obstacle at all times. The control law is comprised of two parts. The first is a trajectory tracking and set-point stabilization control law that accounts for the vehicle’s kinematic and dynamic constraints (i.e. restrictions on velocity and acceleration). We show that the bounded tracking control law enforces global asymptotic convergence to the desired trajectory and local exponential stability of the full state vector in the case of set-point stabilization. The second part is a real-time avoidance control law that guarantees collision-free transit for the vehicle in noncooperative and cooperative scenarios independently of bounded uncertainties and errors in the obstacles’ detection process. The avoidance control acts locally, meaning that it is only active when an obstacle is close and null when the obstacle is safely away. Moreover, the avoidance control is designed according to the vehicle’s acceleration limits to compensate for lags in the vehicle’s reaction time. The performance of the synthesized control law is then evaluated and validated via simulation and experimental tests.
p62/Sequestosome-1
Authors: Rich T. , Dean R. T. G. , Lamm C. G. , Ramiro-Ibañez F. , Stevenson M. L. , Patterson-Kane J. C.
Published: August 2014

Canine cutaneous mast cell tumors (MCT) are common, frequently malignant neoplasms that are currently graded histologically for provision of prognostic information. Continuing evidence of subsets of MCT within certain grades (with differing survival times) indicate the need for biomarkers that will facilitate better patient stratification and also provide further information on the biological processes involved in progression. We decided to investigate the expression of p62/sequestosome-1 (p62/SQSTM1), a stress-inducible “hub protein” found in all cell types that shuttles rapidly between the nucleus and cytoplasm and is known to play important roles in protein handling and tumorigenesis. The identity of canine p62/SQSTM1 was confirmed in silico and by validation of a commercial antibody using both Western blotting and functional (pharmaceutical-based) analyses in cell culture. Using immunohistochemistry, 3 patterns of p62 expression were identified based on the predominant intracellular localization, that is, nuclear, mixed (nuclear and cytoplasmic), and cytoplasmic. There was a highly significant association with the 2-tier (Kiupel) grade ( P < .0001), with all p62-nuclear immunoreactivity being associated with low grade and most p62-cytoplasmic immunoreactivity (93%) with high grade. Most but not all mixed nuclear-cytoplasmic labeling occurred in low-grade MCT; in other (human) tumor types, this pattern has been interpreted as borderline malignant. These data indicate that there is a shift in protein-handling stress from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in association with increasing malignancy in MCT. Studies to identify the processes and drug-able targets involved in this progression are ongoing.
Management of Acute Calcific Tendinitis Around the Hip Joint
Authors: Park Sang-Min , Baek Ji-Hoon , Ko Young-Bong , Lee Han-Jun , Park Ki Jeong , Ha Yong-Chan
Published: August 2014

Background:

Although the natural history of calcific tendinitis within the rotator cuff of the shoulder is established, the natural history of calcific tendinitis around the hip joint remains unknown.

Purpose:

To examine the duration of symptoms including pain, the location of calcific tendinitis around the hip joint, the radiologic course of calcium phosphate crystals, and the proportion of patients who required surgical treatment.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Thirty hips (29 patients) with acute calcific tendinitis were treated between January 2010 and December 2012. Level of subjective hip pain using the visual analog scale pain score, radiologic type, and the location and size of calcium deposits were measured during a follow-up period of 12 to 32 months.

Results:

The 29 patients included 7 men (24%) and 22 women (76%) with a mean age of 51.5 years (range, 28-78 years). All visual analog scale pain scores significantly improved from a mean of 7.1 to 0.8 at the latest follow-up ( P < .001). The most common site of calcium deposition was the tendon of the gluteus medius. During follow-up, calcium deposition completely resolved in 5 of 20 hips. Symptoms in 23 patients (24 hips) responded to nonoperative treatment. Two patients (2 hips) were treated with ultrasound-guided local anesthetic and steroid injection. Four patients (4 hips) with long duration (>3 months) of severe pain, solid type, and large size (range, 96-416 mm2) were treated with arthroscopic excision.

Conclusion:

Nonoperative treatment in patients with acute calcific tendinitis of the hip joint might be successful in most patients. Surgical treatment is of value for patients experiencing prolonged severe pain, solid type, and large size.
Lumbopelvic Control and Days Missed Because of Injury in Professional Baseball Pitchers
Authors: Chaudhari Ajit M.W. , McKenzie Christopher S. , Pan Xueliang , Oñate James A.
Published: August 2014

Background:

Recently, lumbopelvic control has been linked to pitching performance, kinematics, and loading; however, poor lumbopelvic control has not been prospectively investigated as a risk factor for injuries in baseball pitchers.

Hypothesis:

Pitchers with poor lumbopelvic control during spring training are more likely to miss ≥30 days because of an injury through an entire baseball season than pitchers with good lumbopelvic control.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

A total of 347 professional baseball pitchers were enrolled into the study during the last 2 weeks of spring training and stayed with the same team for the entire season. Lumbopelvic control was quantified by peak anterior-posterior deviation of the pelvis relative to the starting position during a single-leg raise test (APScore). Days missed because of an injury through the entire season were recorded by each team’s medical staff.

Results:

A higher APScore was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of missing ≥30 days ( P = .023, χ2 test). When divided into tertiles based on their APScore, participants in the highest tertile were 3.0 times and 2.2 times more likely to miss at least 30 days throughout the course of a baseball season relative to those in the lowest or middle tertiles, respectively. A higher APScore was also significantly associated with missing more days because of an injury within participants who missed at least 1 day ( P = .018, ANOVA), with participants in the highest tertile missing significantly more days (mean, 98.6 days) than those in the middle tertile (mean, 45.8 days; P = .017) or lowest tertile (mean, 43.8 days; P = .017).

Conclusion:

This study found that poor lumbopelvic control in professional pitchers was associated with an increased risk of missing significant time because of an injury.
A water budget model for operating landfills: An application in Greece
Authors: Komilis Dimitrios , Athiniotou Angeliki
Published: August 2014

The goal of the work was to develop and verify a one-dimensional monthly water budget model (MWBM) to predict leachate generation rates from operating landfills. Although there has been a considerable modelling work on the hydraulic behaviour of landfills after they reach closure, less attention has been given on such modelling for operating landfills that have a continuously changing geometry. A MWBM was developed here that accounted for landfill cell development, precipitation and evaporation, the change of the water holding capacity of a waste cell and waste decomposition. The MWBM was verified using a two-year leachate generation rate database from a new operating sanitary landfill in Greece. The MWBM results showed a very good agreement with field data whilst it was observed that peak precipitation rates followed a parallel trend with peak leachate generation rates. A distinct two-month lag phase between the model results and actual values was observed during a certain period, which is a likely indication of the presence of channelling within the waste mass. A sensitivity analysis performed in the MWBM showed that the leachate is affected by the initial municipal solid waste moisture content as well as by the precipitation rates. A linear regression empirical model showed that precipitation can still be an adequate predictor of leachate generation rates in operating landfills.
Does Minority Status Increase the Effect of Disability Status on Elementary Schoolchildren’s Academic Achievement?
Authors: Wu Qiong , Morgan Paul L. , Farkas George
Published: August 2014

We investigated whether children’s reading and mathematics growth trajectories from kindergarten to fifth grade inter-related, and to what extent disability and minority status interacted to predict their achievement trajectories. We conducted secondary data analysis based on a nationally representative sample of 6,446 U.S. schoolchildren from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K). Results indicated that children’s reading and mathematics achievement were highly correlated in both initial status and growth. Being disabled or a racial/ethnic minority independently predicted lower academic achievement. However, and contrary to what might be expected from prior research on minority children’s special education experiences, disability status was associated with similar academic disadvantages for minority and White students from kindergarten to fifth grade. Growth mixture models identified a group of children with lower and lagging achievement in both reading and mathematics from kindergarten until fifth grade.
Porous ovalbumin scaffolds with tunable properties: A resource-efficient biodegradable material for tissue engineering applications
Authors: Luo Baiwen , Choong Cleo
Published: August 2014

Natural materials are promising alternatives to synthetic materials used in tissue engineering applications as they have superior biocompatibility and promote better cell attachment and proliferation. Ovalbumin, a natural polymer found in avian egg white, is an example of a nature-derived material. Despite the availability and reported biocompatibility of ovalbumin, limited research has been carried out to investigate the efficacy of ovalbumin-based scaffolds for adipose tissue engineering applications. Hence, the current study was carried out to investigate the effect of different crosslinkers on ovalbumin scaffold properties as first step towards the development of ovalbumin-based scaffolds for adipose tissue engineering applications. In this study, highly porous three-dimensional scaffolds were fabricated by using three different crosslinkers: glutaraldehyde, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide and 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether. Results showed that the overall scaffold properties such as morphology, pore size and mechanical properties could be modulated based on the type and concentration of crosslinkers used during the fabrication process. Subsequently, the efficacy of the different scaffolds for supporting cell proliferation was investigated. In vitro degradation was also carried on for the best scaffold based on the mechanical and cellular results. Overall, this study is a demonstration of the viability of ovalbumin-based scaffolds as cell carriers for soft tissue engineering applications.
Experimental investigation on the hybrid motor using HTPB/AP composite fuel and hydrogen peroxide oxidizer
Authors: Ghassemi H , Meibody MNP , Shaabani Lakeh K
Published: August 2014

This paper deals with the results of an experimental investigation of a small laboratory hybrid motor performance using oxidizer particles embedded fuel. A uniform blend of hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) and a small amount of ammonium perchlorate (AP) have been used as the solid fuel. Hydrogen peroxide with mass concentration of 90% was used as liquid oxidizer. The presence of solid oxidizers on the evaporating surface of solid fuel results to a monopropellant combustion on the surface. It changes the burning mechanisms and interior ballistics of the motor. It causes the improvement in regression rate by factor of 2. It is also shown that adding some solid oxidizer reduces the required mass flow rate of liquid oxidizer.
Knowledge-building in adaptation management: concertación processes in transforming Lima water and climate change governance
Authors: Miranda Sara Liliana , Baud Isa
Published: August 2014

Recently, three processes were used to analyze the consequences of plausible climate change scenarios for urban water governance in Lima. The first process, led by a German-financed research team, developed climate change scenarios using innovative tools. The second, Chance2Sustain, brought spatial perspectives to urban development and water governance, mapping spatial inequities in water-related vulnerabilities and including community-based knowledge. The Metropolitan Municipality of Lima (MML) initiated the third process, to prepare a city development and Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. This paper examines how these processes of knowledge construction contributed to transitions in water governance and climate change adaptation strategies. Although all processes used concertación(1) in their knowledge construction, the actors and the incorporated knowledge differed considerably. While the first example was dominated by professional groups and technical–professional knowledge, the Chance2Sustain and city processes included a wider range of actors and shifted thinking about adaptive management towards including contextual-embedded knowledge.
Detecting re-infection in patients after an initial diagnosis of gonorrhoea: is routine recall for re-screening useful?
Authors: Fernando KA , Fowler T , Harding J , Flew S , Caley M , Phattey J , Ross JDC
Published: August 2014

To assess the outcome of routine sexually transmitted infection re-screening after a three-month interval in unselected patients diagnosed with gonorrhoea, we sought to assess whether this active approach would result in an increase in the number of people attending clinic and subsequently diagnosed with gonorrhoea re-infection, compared with normal re-presentation rates. A recall group of patients were invited for re-screening three months after their initial diagnosis of gonorrhoea. Permission was sought to send a reminder two weeks prior to their scheduled recall appointment. Comparisons were made with a historical control group of patients with gonorrhoea in the absence of any formal recall. Of the 242 patients in the intervention arm, 96 (40%) re-attended within six months, and 15 (6%) tested gonorrhoea positive. Two hundred and two patients were assessed in the control group, of whom 45 (22%) re-attended within six months, and 13 (6%) tested gonorrhoea positive. Women were more likely than men to re-attend following active recall, but they were not at higher risk of re-attending while re-infected with gonorrhoea. Active recall following a gonorrhoea diagnosis significantly increases re-attendance rates for repeat screening but did not result in an increased number of subsequent gonorrhoea diagnoses.
Successful treatment of refractory Trichomonas vaginalis infection using intravenous metronidazole
Authors: Hawkins Isobel , Carne Christopher , Sonnex Christopher , Carmichael Andrew
Published: August 2014

Trichomonas vaginalis is a sexually transmitted protozoan infection resulting in a vulvo-vaginitis and altered vaginal discharge in symptomatic women. Since its introduction in the 1960 s, metronidazole has been the first-line drug for trichomonal infection. Other nitroimidazoles, such as tinidazole, are used as alternative regimens with similar activity but at a greater expense. Treatment failure usually represents patient non-compliance or reinfection, although metronidazole resistance has previously been documented. Sensitivity testing is currently not available in the UK. Patients with disease unresponsive to first-line treatments pose a major challenge, as therapeutic options are limited. This case looks at a patient with refractory disease over an 18-month period, where intravenous infusion of metronidazole resulted in cure after multiple previous therapy failures. There is limited evidence to endorse the use of intravenous metronidazole, and this case report provides further support for its efficacy.
Carotid atherosclerosis is not associated with lower bone mineral density and vertebral fractures in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Mendoza-Pinto C , García-Carrasco M , Jiménez-Hernández M , Sánchez-Pérez R , Escárcega R O , Nava-Zavala A , Munguía-Realpozo P , López-Colombo A , Jara L J , Cervera R
Published: August 2014

Background

Low bone mineral density (BMD) and vertebral fractures (VF) have been associated with atherosclerosis in the general population. We sought to investigate the relationship between BMD and VF and carotid atherosclerosis in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

We studied 122 women with SLE. All patients had BMD, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and carotid artery atherosclerotic plaque assessment by ultrasound.

Results

Mean age at study entry was 44 years and mean disease duration was 11 years. Carotid plaque was found in 13 (11%) patients (9 postmenopausal and 4 premenopausal). Patients in the highest IMT quartile were more likely to be older ( p = 0.001), have a higher body mass index ( p = 0.008), and exhibit dyslipidemia at study entry ( p = 0.041), compared with the lower three quartiles. BMD at the lumbar spine was lower in patients in the highest IMT quartile compared with the lower quartiles in the multivariate logistic analysis, however, there was no association between lumbar or total hip BMD and IMT ( p = 0.91 and p = 0.6, respectively). IMT measurements did not differ according to the presence or absence of VF (0.08 ± 0.12 vs. 0.06 ± 0.03 mm, p = 0.11). A trend towards higher incidence of VF was found in patients with carotid plaque compared with those without (33% vs. 21%; p = 0.2).

Conclusions

In patients with SLE, the presence of carotid atherosclerosis is not associated with low BMD or VF.
Ignorance or bias? Evaluating the ideological and informational drivers of communication gaps about climate change
Authors: Nisbet Erik C. , Cooper Kathryn E. , Ellithorpe Morgan
Published: August 2014

Does the relationship between media use and learning about climate change depend more on audiences’ scientific literacy on their ideological biases? To answer this question, we evaluate both the knowledge gap and belief gap hypotheses as they relate to climate change. Results indicate belief gaps for news and entertainment content and a knowledge gap for edutainment content. Climate change knowledge among conservatives decreased with greater attention to political news, but increased with greater attention to science news. TV entertainment was associated with a significant decrease in knowledge about climate change among liberals to similar levels as conservatives. Edutainment was associated with a widening gap in knowledge based on respondents’ scientific literacy. Implications for informal learning about controversial science through the media are discussed.
Producing urban industrial derelict places: The case of the Solventul petrochemical plant in Timişoara
Authors: Voiculescu Sorina , Jucu Ioan Sebastian
Published: August 2014

This paper unveils the logic behind urban industrial derelict places connected to the petrochemical industry in the cities of Romania and specifically draws from the post-socialist experience of the Solventul petrochemical plant in Timişoara. In the context of transition from state socialism to capitalism and globalization, huge areas of debris stand as proof of a once flourishing socialist industry forced into controversial cases of privatization and re-privatization. The most important petrochemical plants in Romania have been the object of post-socialist economic restructuring. The reasons are due to the loss of the communist market, the cessation of government subsidies, and the growth of international competition, all in the face of aging production facilities. In the process, more than 30,000 workers were forced into intra-urban or urban–rural migration pushed by an emerging privatized housing market. The authorities acted with secrecy with regard to the process of privatization as well as to the ecological hazards posed by these industrial ruins. Created through a process of industrial decline paired with a general legal framework permeated by neoliberal influences, these urban industrial derelict places have caused hot spots of controversy for urban policies and practices for more than 20 years since the fall of communism in Romania.
Using PETTLEP imagery to improve music performance: A review
Authors: Wright David J. , Wakefield Caroline J. , Smith Dave
Published: August 2014

Imagery is commonly used by both athletes and musicians as an additional training aid to enhance performance. Although considerable research attention has been paid to this psychological intervention technique in sporting settings, studies investigating the beneficial effects of imagery on musical performance are less common. Imagery research that has been conducted in musical settings has tended to show that imagery is beneficial in improving performance, although few guidelines exist in the music literature regarding how musicians could use imagery to improve their performance. In this article, we review the research which has investigated the use of imagery as a performance enhancing technique in musical settings to date. We then outline a model for designing imagery interventions (known as the PETTLEP model) which has produced beneficial performance effects when implemented in sporting settings, and discuss how it could be used by musicians to enhance performance.
Mechanical properties of shape memory polymer composites enhanced by elastic fibers and their application in variable stiffness morphing skins
Authors: Sun Jian , Liu Yanju , Leng Jinsong
Published: August 2014

Shape memory polymers are temperature-controlled variable stiffness materials, which have potential for use as morphing skins. Shape memory polymer skins undergo large strain in their flexible, rubbery state and resist aerodynamic loads in their stiff, glassy state. However, pure shape memory polymers are brittle in their glassy state, and in their rubbery state, they tear rapidly along micro-cracks formed under tension. Due to these disadvantages, the shape memory polymers are not safe and reliable enough for application. In this article, elastic fibers were mixed into pure shape memory polymers to solve these problems. The mechanical properties of the shape memory polymer composites were investigated. The strength and Young’s modulus of pure shape memory polymers at high temperature were improved by elastic fibers, and the toughness of pure shape memory polymers at room temperature (glassy state) was enhanced with acceptable reduction in Young’s modulus. The tear strength of shape memory polymers was significantly improved by elastic fibers, especially at high temperature. Recovery properties and thermal performance were also discussed. Finally, shape memory polymer composite skins were used in a variable camber wing structure to demonstrate their application.
Punishment for Homicide in Europe
Authors: Liem Marieke , Campbell Michael
Published: August 2014

This study examines punishments for homicide in Europe by compiling national-level data and presenting a descriptive account of variation. We present original data collected from various European data sources and individual researchers and highlight the problems associated with cross-national data on homicide and the limitations this poses for research. Based on available data, we offer some preliminary observations regarding regional trends in homicide and incarceration rates for homicide. Finally, we provide some suggestions for how these problems might be overcome moving forward.
Extended-Release Hydrocodone
Authors: Schweighardt Anne E. , Juba Katherine M.
Published: August 2014

Opioid abuse in the United States increased significantly over the past decade, leading to opioid-related deaths. Approval of Zohydro ER, a product that lacks an abuse-deterrent formulation, has provoked media controversy and aggressive legislative action from multiple stakeholders. Only the American Academy of Pain Management has released a position statement on this medication, and individual opinion varies. Additional single-entity extended-release hydrocodone formulations are in the pipeline, and Zohydro ER’s limited clinical utility may make the controversy associated with its approval a moot point. As with other opioids, providers will need to assess individual patient risk versus benefit when prescribing Zohydro ER.
Memantine for the Prevention of Primary Headache Disorders
Authors: Huang Linda , Bocek Michael , Jordan Joseph K. , Sheehan Amy Heck
Published: August 2014

Objective: To describe the current data evaluating the efficacy and safety of memantine for the prevention of primary headache disorders. Data Sources: A literature search using MEDLINE (1966-July 2014) and EMBASE (1973-July 2014) was conducted using the search terms memantine, headache, migraine, glutamate, and NMDA. References of identified articles were reviewed for additional, relevant citations. Study Selection and Data Extraction: All English-language articles dealing with the use of memantine for prevention of primary headache disorders were included. Data Synthesis: Data from several retrospective reports and 2 prospective clinical trials suggest that memantine may be a useful treatment option for the prevention of primary headache disorders. The majority of available literature focuses specifically on chronic migraine prevention in refractory patients who had failed multiple previous prophylactic therapies. In these patients, 10 to 20 mg of memantine daily reduced the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches and was generally well tolerated, with few adverse events. Data regarding the efficacy of memantine for other primary headache disorders such as chronic tension type and cluster headaches are limited. Conclusion: Although further studies evaluating the efficacy of memantine for prevention of primary headache disorders are warranted, memantine may be a reasonable option, used either as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy, in the refractory chronic migraine prophylaxis setting.
Radiation Exposure in Total Ankle Replacement
Authors: Angthong Chayanin , Adams Samuel B. , Easley Mark E. , DeOrio James K. , Nunley James A.
Published: August 2014

Background:

Radiation exposure from diagnostic imaging procedures is associated with increased cancer risk. No published data currently exist regarding ionizing radiation exposure in total ankle replacement surgery. This study quantified intraoperative fluoroscopic dose and duration during ankle replacement surgery and examined patient and technical factors affecting the level of exposure.

Methods:

Fifty-five patients underwent ankle replacement using STAR, Salto-Talaris, or INBONE total ankles. Intraoperative fluoroscopic dose and duration, patient demographics, implant design, and accompanying additional procedures were documented for each case. The relationship between each relevant variable and radiation dose and time was determined.

Results:

The mean fluoroscopic dose and duration for all cases were 1.15 ± 0.84 milliGray per case and 77 ± 34 seconds per case, respectively. There was a positive correlation between the absorbed radiation dose and the duration of fluoroscopy ( r = .50, P < .001). The mean fluoroscopic doses were 1.53 milliGray, 0.99 milliGray, and 0.88 milliGray for INBONE, STAR, and Salto-Talaris prostheses, respectively. Fluoroscopic dose was significantly influenced by implant design ( P = .035), with implants using an intramedullary referencing guide associated with higher radiation doses. After excluding cases requiring additional procedures, the fluoroscopic time and radiation dose associated with intramedullary referencing guide implants continued to exceed those of the other implants, but the differences were no longer statistically significant ( P = .22, P = .09, respectively).

Conclusion:

The average patient radiation dose during total ankle replacement was approximately one-fifth the recommended maximum yearly radiation exposure. The radiation dose was positively associated with fluoroscopy duration. Among factors controllable by the surgeon, selection of an implant with an extramedullary alignment system and conscious effort to minimize duration of fluoroscopy can reduce harmful radiation exposure and decrease cancer risk in total ankle replacement patients and associated operating room personnel.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, comparative series.
Challenges in Using Medicaid Claims to Ascertain Child Maltreatment
Authors: Raghavan Ramesh , Brown Derek S. , Allaire Benjamin T. , Garfield Lauren D. , Ross Raven E. , Hedeker Donald
Published: August 2014

Medicaid data contain International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes indicating maltreatment, yet there is a little information on how valid these codes are for the purposes of identifying maltreatment from health, as opposed to child welfare, data. This study assessed the validity of Medicaid codes in identifying maltreatment. Participants ( n = 2,136) in the first National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being were linked to their Medicaid claims obtained from 36 states. Caseworker determinations of maltreatment were compared with eight sets of ICD-9-CM codes. Of the 1,921 children identified by caseworkers as being maltreated, 15.2% had any relevant ICD-9-CM code in any of their Medicaid files across 4 years of observation. Maltreated boys and those of African American race had lower odds of displaying a maltreatment code. Using only Medicaid claims to identify maltreated children creates validity problems. Medicaid data linkage with other types of administrative data is required to better identify maltreated children.
Government Decentralization and Prevalence of the Shadow Economy
Authors: Goel Rajeev K. , Saunoris James W.
Published: August 2014

This article examines the effects of various types of decentralization of government functions on the cross-national prevalence of the shadow economy. Do countries with different prevalence of the shadow economy respond differently to government decentralization? We consider four dimensions of decentralization: (1) the tiers of government, (2) subnational government expenditures, (3) subnational government revenues, and (4) subnational government employment. While baseline results show decentralization to reduce the shadow economy, we uniquely find differences in the effectiveness across physical and fiscal decentralization—greater physical decentralization is more effective at reducing widespread shadow economies, while fiscal decentralization is more effective with small shadow sectors.
Best Practice Recommendations for Designing and Implementing Experimental Vignette Methodology Studies
Authors: Aguinis Herman , Bradley Kyle J.
Published: August 2014

We describe experimental vignette methodology (EVM) as a way to address the dilemma of conducting experimental research that results in high levels of confidence regarding internal validity but is challenged by threats to external validity versus conducting nonexperimental research that usually maximizes external validity but whose conclusions are ambiguous regarding causal relationships. EVM studies consist of presenting participants with carefully constructed and realistic scenarios to assess dependent variables including intentions, attitudes, and behaviors, thereby enhancing experimental realism and also allowing researchers to manipulate and control independent variables. We describe two major types of EVM aimed at assessing explicit (i.e., paper people studies) and implicit (i.e., policy capturing and conjoint analysis) processes and outcomes. We offer best practice recommendations regarding the design and implementation of EVM studies based on a multidisciplinary literature review, discuss substantive domains and topics that can benefit from implementing EVM, address knowledge gaps regarding EVM such as the need to increase realism and the number and diversity of participants, and address ways to overcome some of the negative perceptions about EVM by pointing to exemplary articles that have used EVM successfully.
Service Brand Relationship Quality
Authors: Nyffenegger Bettina , Krohmer Harley , Hoyer Wayne D. , Malär Lucia
Published: August 2014

Customers' long-term brand relations are crucial drivers of a service brand's sustainable competitive advantage. This research empirically examines the quality of customer-service brand relationships in the context of an airline's frequent flyer program. The authors show that service brand relationship quality (BRQ) involves both a hot (based on emotions) and a cold (based on object-relevant beliefs) component. They find that these two components have different implications for a service brand's performance and are at least partially driven by different antecedents whose relative importance changes over time. Specifically, cold BRQ is important for word-of-mouth behavior and is strongly driven by partner quality (i.e., the generalized assessment of the brand in its role as a relationship counterpart). Hot BRQ, on the other hand, has a stronger impact on willingness to pay a price premium and consideration set size. In early stages of a customer-brand relationship hot BRQ is more strongly driven by self-congruence (i.e., consumer's perception of the fit between his/her self and the brand's personality), in later stages partner quality becomes more relevant. The authors discuss the implications of their findings for the development of BRQ and the implementation of alternative growth strategies in a services context.
Pregnancy and fetal outcomes following natalizumab exposure in pregnancy. A prospective, controlled observational study
Authors: Ebrahimi Neda , Herbstritt Sandra , Gold Ralph , Amezcua Lilyana , Koren Gideon , Hellwig Kerstin
Published: August 2014

Background:

Safety data on first-trimester natalizumab exposure are scarce, as natalizumab is usually withdrawn three months before pregnancy.

Objective:

The objective of this paper is to investigate the fetal safety of exposure to natalizumab (Tysabri®) during the first trimester of pregnancy using disease-matched (DM) and healthy control (HC) comparison groups.

Methods:

A total of 101 German women with RRMS exposed to natalizumab during the first trimester of pregnancy were identified. Birth outcomes in the exposed group were compared to a DM group ( N = 78) with or without exposure to other disease-modifying drugs, and an HC group ( N = 97).

Results:

A total of 77, 69 and 92 live births occurred in the Exposed, DM and HC groups, respectively. The rates of major malformations ( p = 0.67), low birth weight (<2500 grams) ( p = 1.0) and premature birth ( p = 0.37) did not differ among groups. Higher miscarriage rates ( p = 0.002) and lower birth weights ( p = 0.001) occurred among the Exposed and DM groups, as compared to the HC; however, there was no significant difference between the Exposed and DM groups.

Conclusion:

Exposure to natalizumab in early pregnancy does not appear to increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in comparison to a DM group not exposed to natalizumab.
Strategies of critique in International Relations: From Foucault and Latour towards Marx
Authors: Koddenbrock Kai Jonas
Published: August 2014

Critique is back on the scholarly agenda. Since the financial crisis, critique has been debated in philosophy and sociology with renewed rigour. International Relations is currently picking up on these developments. Yet, the critique of capitalism is largely absent in International Relations. This article argues that the theoretical resources deployed among ‘radical’ International Relations help explain this phenomenon. In order to rectify this, the article aims to resituate Marx at the centre of the debate about critique. Based on a discussion of the understandings of critique by Michel Foucault and Bruno Latour, the article shows that their conscious focus on the small and the contingent has prevented a more totalizing strategy of critique from taking hold. The article illustrates this unwillingness to situate social life in our capitalist social whole by zooming in on ‘resistant’ intervention scholarship. Speaking to the nature of International Relations more broadly, in a second step, the article shows that this lack of ‘totalizing’ analysis has been present in International Relations and International Political Economy since their inception. Taking into account Marxian and Critical Theoretical understandings of totality, the article outlines a totalizing strategy of critique. This strategy has two components: it takes capitalism as such seriously; and it offers a methodology to implement this substantial shift using Marx’s dynamic method of ‘concretization’.
What drives modern Diogenes? Individual values and cosmopolitan allegiance
Authors: Bayram A. Burcu
Published: August 2014

Why do some individuals see themselves as world citizens? A significant number of individuals around the world view themselves as world citizens. This is a curious phenomenon that merits attention. Yet despite a growing body of work on cosmopolitanism, the literature lacks a clear explanation of what moves individuals to see themselves as citizens of the world. This article explicates the psychological underpinnings of cosmopolitan allegiance by bringing in personal values. Multinomial logistic regression analysis using World Values Survey data (2005–2008) shows that self-transcendence, self-enhancement (except power), and openness-to-change values as defined by the Schwartz Value Theory lead to cosmopolitan allegiance, while conservation values hinder this attachment. This finding indicates that world citizenship on the ground is a multifaceted role attractive to individuals with varied outlooks on life. In people’s perceptions, world citizenship is congruent with morality, diversity, and liberty as well as with self-interest. By offering a psychological account of cosmopolitan allegiance, this study adds the missing micro-foundations to macro theories of cosmopolitanism and provides the needed empirical evidence. By illuminating what drives contemporary world citizens, this research contributes to a richer understanding of the bottom-up cosmopolitanism crucial for democratic and efficacious global governance.
After taste: Culture, consumption and theories of practice
Authors: Warde Alan
Published: August 2014

Multi-disciplinary studies of consumption have proliferated in the last two decades. Heavily influenced by notions of ‘the consumer’ and tenets of ‘the cultural turn’, explanations have relied preponderantly upon models of voluntary action contextualised by webs of cultural meanings which constitute symbolic resources for individual choice. Arguably, the cultural turn has run its course and is beginning to unwind, a consequence of internal inconsistencies, misplaced emphases and the cycle of generational succession in theory development in the social sciences. Theories of practice provide a competing alternative approach which contests the colonisation of consumption by models of individual choice and cultural expressivism. To that end, this article explores the use of theories of practice as a lens to magnify aspects of common social processes which generate observable patterns of consumption. It is suggested that theories of practice might provide a general analytic framework for understanding consumption, one whose particular emphases capture important and relevant aspects overlooked by previously dominant approaches to consumption as culture. This article reviews reasons for the emergence of theories of practice and isolates some of their distinctive emphases. Strengths and weaknesses of the theory of practice as an approach to consumption are discussed.
Back to those walls: The women’s memory of the Maze and Long Kesh prison in Northern Ireland
Authors: Aguiar Laura
Published: August 2014

The Prisons Memory Archive holds 23 filmed interviews of women who visited relatives or worked in the Maze and Long Kesh Prison during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. This article investigates what experiences are remembered when interviewees are brought back to a place of memory and whether such memories can challenge dominant views of women having a secondary role within the prison’s history. I analyse the recordings of loyalist and republican relatives, an Open University Tutor and Probation Workers. My findings show that the materiality of the site stimulated the process of recalling and enabled participants to re-enact past experiences. They also reveal that the remembering process varied according to the level of traumatic experiences of each participant and that some places are associated with specific events. The findings also show that women played a key role not only within the prison walls but also in the wider conflict context.