bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The dynamic capabilities perspective: from fragments to meta-theory
Authors: Schweizer Lars , Rogbeer Shalini , Michaelis Björn
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to show how researchers can overcome problems of fragmentation and eclecticism in an important strategy paradigm, namely, the Dynamic Capabilities (DC) perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

– First, the explanandum of the theory of DC, conceptualized as a theory of strategic change, is generates. Second, four main constituent theoretical perspectives of DC were selected and their explanans on the explanandum of a theory of strategic change was mapped. Third, the explanans of a theory of strategic change was parsed out to derive the critical fragmentation sources as illustrated by the classical papers in DC.

Findings

– First, consistent explanans of a theory of strategic change are integrated to build a meta-theory of strategic change. Second, testable propositions based on the meta-theory, in the context of industry convergence, a context which requires the development of dynamic capabilities in an uncertain and changing environmental context are developed.

Originality/value

– By developing a meta-theory of strategic change, researchers are provided with the tools to overcome the confusion of fragmentation and eclecticism, specifically in the field of strategy research.
Management of public sector records in Ghana: a descriptive survey
Authors: Akussah Harry , Asamoah Catherine
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to survey and evaluate the management of public sector records in Ghana with a view to making constructive recommendations to ensure efficiency in public administration.

Design/methodology/approach

– Published and unpublished works, in addition to institutional reports, acts and conference materials, were used for the survey and evaluation.

Findings

– Public sector records management has been a very topical issue in Africa and Ghana. It has remained a very fundamental subject in Ghana since the institution of public sector reforms in the 1990s. Before the institution of the reform programme, critical records were inaccessible due to unstructured records systems in the ministries, departments and agencies and other government establishments. It was found out that the reform programme had brought on board immense capital injection into the records management sector which enabled an overhaul of the system. All registries in the public sector were restructured, a new legislative framework was put in place, a functional records centre was established, an omnibus retention schedule was developed and a number of records staff were trained and re-trained. It was however found out that Act 535, having been in operation for 17 years, the needed regulation to make it more operational has not yet been put in place. It is the hope that with adequate funding and structural support, the new system will be sustained to the benefit of efficiency and productivity of the Ghana public sector.

Research limitations/implications

– Being a descriptive survey, the research engaged in very little evaluation of the impact of the new system put in place on the levels of efficiency and productivity in the public sector. This should be the focus of further research to be carried out.

Practical implications

– This paper has established the importance of how structures must be sustained and systems continuously re-tooled to accommodate changing trends in records management for good governance.

Originality/value

– The paper is a descriptive survey of literature, manuals reports and some degree of personal observations. It is more of a situation paper and its value resides in the precedence and the evidential value of system intervention and re-tooling.
A plant strategy approach to understand multidecadal change in community assembly processes in Australian grassy woodlands
Authors: Cross Erika L. , Green Peter T. , Morgan John W.
Published: June 2015

The mechanisms of community assembly underpinning plant invasion are contested; limiting similarity predicts divergence in the traits of native and alien species whilst habitat filtering predicts trait convergence. Using site‐based floristic data collected three decades apart, we ask whether the competitor–stress tolerator–ruderal (CSR) strategies of herbaceous alien and native plant species in Australian woodlands show evidence of divergence (indicating limiting similarity) or convergence (indicating habitat filtering). We also ask whether increasing dereliction between the two sampling periods, as a result of declining fire frequency, has influenced habitat filtering processes.

Null models were used to assess the similarity in CSR strategies of native and alien species in order to identify the community assembly processes driving woodland invasions. The observed frequencies of CSR types were also compared to randomly assembled communities from null models for species experiencing increases, decreases or static abundance changes between the two surveys to assess the impacts of dereliction on habitat filters.

The spectrum of CSR strategies of the most common aliens (n = 25) was highly convergent with the strategies of the most common natives (n = 51). Competitive–ruderal species dominated the flora (> 30% of all species), and strict competitors were absent. No aliens exhibited a stress‐tolerant strategy, and ruderals were more common in the alien flora (i.e. 36% vs. 18% of native species). Null models revealed differences in the CSR strategies of increaser and decreaser species at three of the ten sites examined, although none of these trends were consistent across the sites, indicating that increasing dereliction has not dramatically altered the habitat filters determining species admission.

Synthesis. The similarity of CSR types between alien and native species indicates that habitat filtering is the principal community assembly process operating in the study region. We discuss our findings with respect to suggestions that limiting similarity and environmental filtering may be occurring simultaneously to structure plant communities. Species abundance changes due to dereliction were not evident as a coordinated shift in the functional composition of woodland dominants suggesting that time lags between altered management regimes (dereliction) and the functional response of species to habitat filters may still be playing out.
Memory Transmission and Political Socialization in Post-Socialist Hungary
Authors: Sik Domonkos
Published: June 2015

This article examines and critically evaluates the processes of institutional memory transmission and political formation in post-socialist Hungary utilizing the critical theories of Habermas, Giddens and Bourdieu. In the first part of the article, a discourse analysis of the public debates about two distinctive ‘lieux de memoires’ – the House of Terror and the Holocaust Memorial Center – is elaborated. The concept of ‘memory vacuum’ is introduced to express the lack of minimal consensus between political actors about distinctive 20th-century Hungarian political traumas: the Holocaust and state socialist terror. In the second part of the article, focus groups conducted with high school visitors (n = 49) to these museums are analysed to explore the relationship between their interpretations of the past and evaluations of current political issues. In the final section of the article, an attempt is made to elaborate ideal typical patterns of collective memories and ensuing political cultures. It is concluded that the recent antidemocratic transformations in Hungarian political culture might be explained as a failure of both institutional and family transmission of collective memories to embed democratic principles.
Political Discussions with Family and Friends: Exploring the Impact of Political Distance
Authors: Levinsen Klaus , Yndigegn Carsten
Published: June 2015

Young people's engagement in political discussions with parents and friends represents a significant component of the political socialization process and can be seen as an activity where they learn some very basic democratic skills. Based on data from qualitative interviews and a questionnaire survey, this article explores how young people experience political discussions in their everyday life. Our data indicate that young people who feel that their father, mother or friends, respectively, hold more distant political views are less likely to engage in political discussions with each of them. These findings support previous studies in political communication suggesting that people tend to avoid social situations where political disagreements are likely to appear. Furthermore, the results show that there are significant gender differences when analysing the role of the parents as political discussion partners.
Two Worlds of Participation: Young People and Politics in Germany
Authors: Busse Britta , Hashem-Wangler Alexandra , Tholen Jochen
Published: June 2015

Germany's political system is, in large part, based on John Stuart Mill's (1958) idea of a representative democracy, which aims to involve people in policy-forming processes. However, the constitution of a parliamentary democracy fosters tendencies towards a professionalization of participation, which leads to a strong cleavage between elites and other citizens. Drawing on original, quantitative and qualitative, empirical data we seek to show that this political culture fosters the existence of two parallel worlds: one is characterized by statutory regulated forms of engagement and qualified members; the other is inhabited by young people who engage rather in self-organized projects and institutions distant from patterns of conventional political engagement. There is, moreover, relatively little mutual exchange between these two worlds, which potentially endangers the essence of democracy. In this article a typology of different forms of political engagement is developed in order to better explain such parallel worlds and their consequences.
The Madness that is the World: Young Activists' Emotional Reasoning and their Participation in a Local Occupy Movement
Authors: Mizen Phil
Published: June 2015

The focus of this paper is young people's participation in the Occupy protest movement that emerged in the early autumn of 2011. Its concern is with the emotional dimensions of this and in particular the significance of emotions to the reasoning of young people who came to commit significant time and energy to the movement. Its starting point is the critique of emotions as narrowly subjective, whereby the passions that events like Occupy arouse are treated as beyond the scope of human reason. The rightful rejection of this reductionist argument has given rise to an interest in understandings of the emotional content of social and political protest as normatively constituted, but this paper seeks a different perspective by arguing that the emotions of Occupy activists can be regarded as a reasonable force. It does so by discussing findings from long-term qualitative research with a Local Occupy movement somewhere in England and Wales. Using the arguments of social realists, the paper explores this data to examine why things matter sufficiently for young people to care about them and how the emotional force that this involves constitutes an indispensable source of reason in young activists' decisions to become involved in Local Occupy.
An interim framework for assessing the population consequences of disturbance
Authors: King Stephanie L. , Schick Robert S. , Donovan Carl , Booth Cormac G. , Burgman Mark , Thomas Len , Harwood John
Published: June 2015

Changes in natural patterns of animal behaviour and physiology resulting from anthropogenic disturbance may alter the conservation status of a population if they affect the ability of individuals to survive, breed or grow. However, information to forecast population‐level consequences of such changes is often lacking.

We developed an interim framework to assess the population consequences of disturbance when empirical information is sparse. We show how daily effects of disturbance, which are often straightforward to estimate, can be scaled to the disturbance duration and to multiple sources of disturbance.

We used expert elicitation to estimate parameters that define how changes in individual behaviour or physiology affect vital rates and incorporated them into a stochastic population model. Model outputs can be used to evaluate cumulative impacts of disturbance over space and time. As an example, we forecast the potential effects of disturbance from offshore wind farm construction on theNorthSea harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) population.

Synthesis and applications. The interim framework can be used to forecast the effects of disturbances from human activities on animal populations, to assess the effectiveness of mitigation measures and to identify priority areas for research that reduces uncertainty in population forecasts. The last two applications are likely to be important in situations where there is a risk of unacceptable change in a species' conservation status. The framework should, however, be augmented with empirical data as soon as these are available.
An approach to estimate short‐term, long‐term and reaction norm repeatability
Authors: Araya‐Ajoy Yimen G. , Mathot Kimberley J. , Dingemanse Niels J.
Published: June 2015

Evolutionary ecologists increasingly study reaction norms that are expressed repeatedly within the same individual's lifetime. For example, foragers continuously alter anti‐predator vigilance in response to moment‐to‐moment changes in predation risk. Variation in this form of plasticity occurs both among and within individuals. Among‐individual variation in plasticity (individual by environment interaction or I × E) is commonly studied; by contrast, despite increasing interest in its evolution and ecology, within‐individual variation in phenotypic plasticity is not.

We outline a study design based on repeated measures and a multilevel extension of random regression models that enables quantification of variation in reaction norms at different hierarchical levels (such as among and within individuals). The approach enables the calculation of repeatability of reaction norm intercepts (average phenotype) and slopes (level of phenotypic plasticity); these indices are not specific to measurement or scaling and are readily comparable across data sets.

The proposed study design also enables calculation of repeatability at different temporal scales (such as short‐ and long‐term repeatability), thereby answering calls for the development of approaches enabling scale‐dependent repeatability calculations.

We introduce a simulation package in the R statistical language to assess power, imprecision and bias for multilevel random regression that may be utilised for realistic data sets (unequal sample sizes across individuals, missing data, etc).

We apply the idea to a worked example to illustrate its utility. We conclude that consideration of multilevel variation in reaction norms deepens our understanding of the hierarchical structuring of labile characters and helps reveal the biology in heterogeneous patterns of within‐individual variance that would otherwise remain ‘unexplained’ residual variance.
Management of postpartum haemorrhage with uterine balloon tamponade: The way forward
Authors: Marasinghe Jeevan P. , Du Plessis Jacobus , Epitawela Dinesh , Umstad Mark P.
Published: June 2015

Uterine balloon tamponade has rapidly gained popularity in the management of postpartum haemorrhage. It is a conservative method often utilised before embarking on advanced surgical interventions. The mechanism of action, complications and long‐term outcomes are discussed.
Accuracy of information on medication use and adverse drug reactions recorded in pregnancy hand‐held records
Authors: Nash Lauren , Dixon Rowena , Eaton Vaughn , Grzeskowiak Luke E
Published: June 2015

Background

Pregnancy hand‐held records (PHR) are a personally controlled health record utilised in the promotion of continuity of care across pregnancy by providing a single resource for the recording of pregnancy‐related health information.

Aims

To determine the accuracy of the PHR in relation to information on medications and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and to examine the frequency and nature of any identified discrepancies.

Materials and Methods

A 12‐week prospective clinical audit of 300 women admitted to either the antenatal or postnatal ward at a tertiary‐level maternity hospital. A detailed medication history was completed for each woman by a pharmacist, with women interviewed about medication use prior to and during their pregnancy as well as any ADRs. The medication history and PHR were compared to identify discrepancies.

Results

Medication discrepancies were extremely common, with 254 (84.7%; 95% CI 80.6–88.8%) women having at least one or more medication‐related discrepancy involving 686 (55%; 95% CI 52.2–57.8%) prescription and nonprescription medications. Most common reasons for prescription medication discrepancies included the medication details being incomplete (44%), missing (29%) or incorrect (17%). ADRs and allergy discrepancies were also common, identified among 59 (20%; 95% CI 15.5–24.5%) women.

Conclusions

The PHR is of low accuracy in relation to the recording of medications and ADRs. This warrants further research to examine the impact of these discrepancies on patient care and outcomes. The identification of strategies for improving the recording of information on medications and ADRs in the PHR is also required.
Investigation of cancer mortality inequalities between rural and urban areas in South Korea
Authors: Choi Kyung‐Mee
Published: June 2015

Objective

Little is known about rural–urban cancer disparities, particularly in South Korea, and this study is to identify cancer‐specific mortality inequalities between the rural and urban areas of the country.

Design, setting, and participants

For 11 specific cancer sites, age‐standardised mortality rates were analysed for the rural and urban administrative districts of South Korea during 2006–2011.

Main outcome measures

The Poisson log linear regression models were employed to estimate cancer‐specific mortality rates, and Bonferroni comparison method was used to identify rural–urban disparities.

Results

There were significant rural–urban disparities observed for all cancer sites except prostate, pancreas and leukaemia. The mortality rates of lung, liver and stomach cancers, the three most common cancers in the country, were observed to be significantly higher in rural areas than in metropolitan areas. In contrast, the reverse relationship was observed for the reproductive system (breast and uterus) and colon cancers. Central nervous system cancer mortality was observed to be significantly higher in rural areas than in non‐metro urban areas.

Conclusions

For the first time ever, significant rural–urban disparity patterns in cancer mortality rates in South Korea have been identified in this paper. Future investigations on cancer risk factors for the country should address these disparity patterns.
Estimation of the optimum standardized ileal digestible total sulfur amino acid to lysine ratio in late finishing gilts fed low protein diets supplemented with crystalline amino acids
Authors: Ma Wenfeng , Zhu Jinlong , Zeng Xiangfang , Liu Xutong , Thacker Philip , Qiao Shiyan
Published: June 2015

A total of 90 gilts were used to investigate the effects of various standard ileal digestible (SID) total sulfur amino acid (TSAA) to lysine (Lys) ratios on the performance and carcass characteristics of late finishing gilts receiving low crude protein (CP) diets supplemented with crystalline amino acids (CAA). Graded levels of crystalline methionine (Met) (0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8 or 1.1 g/kg) were added to the basal diet to produce diets providing SID TSAA to Lys ratios of 0.48, 0.53, 0.58, 0.63 or 0.68. At the termination of the experiment, 30 gilts (one pig per pen) with an average body weight (BW) of 120 kg were killed to evaluate carcass traits. Increasing the SID TSAA to Lys ratio increased average daily gain (ADG) (linear and quadratic effect, P < 0.05), improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) (linear and quadratic effect, P < 0.05) and decreased serum urea nitrogen (SUN) concentration (linear and quadratic effect, P < 0.05) of finishing gilts. No effects were obtained for carcass traits. The optimum SID TSAA to Lys ratios to maximize ADG as well as to minimize FCR and SUN levels were 0.57, 0.58 and 0.53 using a linear‐break point model and 0.64, 0.62 and 0.61 using a quadratic model.
The trials and hopes for drug development in sickle cell disease
Authors: Ataga Kenneth I. , Stocker Jonathan
Published: June 2015

Although sickle cell disease (SCD) is highly prevalent worldwide, it is a rare disease in the United States and Europe. Over the past decade, there has been an increased understanding of the pathophysiology of SCD. While multiple drugs have been tested, only one drug, hydroxycarbamide, is approved by the relevant regulatory agencies specifically for this disease. Due to the combination of an improved understanding of disease pathophysiology, governmental support and the success of several recently approved drugs for other orphan diseases, there is an increased interest in the development of targeted drugs for SCD. Novel drugs that are currently being evaluated include haemoglobin F inducers, anti‐sickling agents, anti‐oxidants, anti‐adhesive agents, anti‐inflammatory agents, anticoagulants and anti‐platelet agents. In addition to the evaluation of acute pain crisis as a study endpoint, clinical trials employing other SCD‐related complications, exercise capacity, as well as patient reported outcomes are warranted and necessary in order to advance the development of these novel therapeutic agents. Finally, despite the availability of multiple biomarkers, many of these are of limited clinical value in SCD and require further assessment in prospective studies to validate their prognostic importance before they are acceptable as surrogate endpoints.
Recent advances in the pathobiology and management of Kasabach–Merritt phenomenon
Authors: O'Rafferty Ciara , O'Regan Grainne M. , Irvine Alan D. , Smith Owen P.
Published: June 2015

Kasabach–Merritt Phenomenon (KMP) refers to the clinical constellation of thrombocytopenia, consumptive coagulopathy and purpura associated with Kaposiform haemangioedothelioma or tufted angioma, but not the more common infantile haemangioma. It shows a variable and unpredictable response to traditional pharmacological agents, such as steroids, vincristine or interferon alpha 2a or 2b. More recently, the interaction between platelets and endothelial cells and the proangiogenic phenotype that results has been recognized to underly the pathogenesis of this disorder. Recent efforts have attempted to target the platelet by using antiplatelet agents and by the withholding of platelet transfusions even in those patients who have significant thrombocytopenia and laboratory evidence of coagulopathy. Excellent response rates and prompt results have been achieved by combining antiplatelet therapy with vincristine, without the need for steroid use. This synergistic approach moves away from the conventional wisdom of treating the underlying lesion to control the coagulopathy. Sirolimus, which is directed against the PI3/AKT/mTOR downstream signalling pathway involved in lymphangiogenesis, has also shown promising results, although further study is needed.
Anti-citrullinated-protein-antibody-specific intravenous immunoglobulin attenuates collagen-induced arthritis in mice
Authors: Svetlicky N , Kivity S , Odeh Q , Shovman O , Gertel S , Amital H , Gendelman O , Volkov A , Barshack I , Bar-Meir E , Blank M , Shoenfeld Y
Published: June 2015

Administration of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is a recognized safe and efficient immunomodulation therapy for many autoimmune diseases. Anti-idiotypic antibody binding to pathogenic autoantibodies was proposed as one of the mechanisms attributed to the protective activity of IVIg in autoimmunity. The aim of this study was to fractionate the anti-anti-citrullinated protein anti-idiotypic-antibodies (anti-ACPA) from an IVIg preparation and to test it as a treatment for collagen-induced arthritis in mice. IVIg was loaded onto an ACPA column. The eluted fraction was defined as ACPA-specific-IVIg (ACPA-sIVIg). Collagen-induced-arthritis (CIA) was induced in mice. Mice were treated weekly with ACPA-sIVIg, low-dose-IVIg, high-dose-IVIg and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Sera-ACPA titres, anti-collagen anitbodies and cytokine levels were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); antibody-forming-cell activity by enzyme-linked imunospot (ELISPOT) assay; and expansion of regulatory T cell (Treg) population by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). ACPA-sIVIg inhibited ACPA binding to citrullinated-peptides (CCP) in vitro 100 times more efficiently than the IVIg compound. ACPA-sIVIg was significantly more effective than the IVIg-preparation in attenuating the development of collagen-induced arthritis. Splenocytes from CIA mice treated with ACPA-sIVIg reduced the ACPA and anti-collagen-antibody titres, including the number of anti-collagen and ACPA antibody-forming cells. In parallel, splenocytes from ACPA-sIVIg treated mice secreted higher levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines and lower proinflammatory cytokines. The ACPA-sIVIg inhibitory potential was accompanied with expansion of the Treg population. Low-dose IVIg did not affect the humoral and cellular response in the CIA mice in comparison to the PBS-treated mice. Based on our results, IVIg may be considered as a safe compound for treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis by neutralizing pathogenic autoantibodies, reducing proinflammatory cytokines and expanding the Treg population.
Participation as a leader in immersion weight loss treatment may benefit, not harm, young adult staff members
Authors: Schaumberg K. , Anderson D. A. , Kirschenbaum D. S. , Earleywine M.
Published: June 2015

Despite the success of weight‐management programmes, some researchers caution that participation in an aggressive approach to weight management could promote the development of eating pathology. The current study evaluated the risks and benefits for young adults of serving as staff members in an immersion treatment of adolescent obesity over the course of a summer. Participants included weight loss staff members (n = 108) along with a comparison group of young adults with similar demographic characteristics (n = 136). Participants completed assessments of eating disorder and obesity risk at three time points: the beginning of the summer, the end of the summer and a 6‐week follow‐up. Weight loss leadership participants who were initially overweight lost weight over the course of the summer, but those at healthy weights maintained their weight. Comparison participants also maintained their weight during the summer. Weight loss staff members also increased dietary restraint over the summer, and increases in dietary restraint appeared to facilitate appropriate weight reduction. Participation as a leader in an immersion weight loss programme seemed to benefit, not harm, young adults; this suggests potential advantages for using weight controlling interventions in a wide range of individuals, including as an obesity prevention strategy.
Retracted: Lgr5 positive stem cells sorted from small intestines of diabetic mice differentiate into higher proportion of absorptive cells and Paneth cells in vitro
Authors: Zhong Xian‐Yang , Yu Tao , Zhong Wa , Li Jie‐Yao , Xia Zhong‐Sheng , Yuan Yu‐Hong , Yu Zhong , Chen Qi‐Kui
Published: June 2015

Intestinal epithelial stem cells (IESCs) can differentiate into all types of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and Leucine‐rich repeat‐containing G protein‐coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) is a marker for IESC. Previous studies reported enhanced proliferation of IECs in diabetic mice. In this study, the in vitro differentiation of Lgr5 positive IESCs sorted from diabetic mice was further investigated. The diabetic mouse model was induced by streptozotocin (STZ), and crypt IECs were isolated from small intestines. Subsequently, Lgr5 positive IESCs were detected by flow cytometry (FCM) and sorted by magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS). Differentiation of the sorted IESCs was investigated by detecting the IEC markers in the diabetic mice using immunostaining, quantitative real‐time reverse–transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT–PCR), and Western blot analysis, which was compared with normal mice. We found that the proportion of Lgr5 positive cells in the crypt IECs of diabetic mice was higher than that of control mice (P < 0.05). Lgr5 positive IESCs could be significantly enriched in Lgr5 positive cell fraction sorted by MACS. Furthermore, the absorptive cell marker sucrase‐isomaltase (SI) and the Paneth cell marker lysozyme 1 (Lyz1) were more highly expressed in the differentiated cells derived from Lgr5 positive IESCs of diabetic mice in vitro (P < 0.05). We demonstrate that the number of Lgr5 positive IESCs is significantly increased in the small intestines of STZ‐induced diabetic mice. Lgr5 positive IESCs sorted from the diabetic mice can differentiate into a higher proportion of absorptive cells and Paneth cells in vitro. We characterized the expression of Lgr5 in the small intestine of diabetic mice, and sorted Lgr5 positive intestinal epithelial stem cells (IESCs) for investigating their differentiation in vitro. We proved that the quantity of Lgr5 positive IESCs was significantly increased in the small intestines of diabetic mice. IESCs sorted from the diabetic mice can differentiate into a higher proportion of absorptive cells and Paneth cells in vitro.
Carotid Ultrasound Maximum Plaque Height–A Sensitive Imaging Biomarker for the Assessment of Significant Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Johri Amer M. , Behl Pearl , Hétu Marie‐France , Haqqi Mohammad , Ewart Paul , Day Andrew G. , Parfrey Brendan , Matangi Murray F.
Published: June 2015

Objectives

We investigated the use of carotid intima–media thickness and carotid plaque in predicting significant angiographic coronary stenosis.

Methods

Three hundred eighteen consecutive outpatients underwent angiography and carotid ultrasound on the same day. The extent of coronary stenosis was determined using an established scoring system. Mean far distal carotid intima–media thickness of the common carotid artery, maximum plaque height, and total plaque area in the bulbs were measured by ultrasound. Cutoff values were identified using a receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting and ruling out coronary artery disease.

Results

The mean ± SD carotid intima–media thickness (≥50% stenosis = 0.91 ± 0.23 mm, <50% stenosis = 0.82 ± 0.18 mm), maximum plaque height (≥50% stenosis = 2.64 ± 0.85 mm, <50% stenosis = 1.72 ± 1.04 mm), and total plaque area (≥50% stenosis = 39.1 ± 27.7 mm2, <50% stenosis = 22.2 ± 23.4 mm2) were significantly higher in patients with coronary artery disease (P ≤ 0.001 for all three comparisons). Increased CIMT, plaque height, and area correlated with increased number of affected vessels. Plaque height had the best negative likelihood ratio for ruling out disease (0.15). The optimal threshold values for predicting coronary disease were 0.82 mm for carotid intima–media thickness, 1.54 mm for plaque height, and 25.6 mm2 for total plaque area.

Conclusion

Increased carotid intima–media thickness and plaque measurements are indicative of the presence of epicardial coronary stenosis. Plaque burden is a more sensitive imaging biomarker for ruling out significant coronary artery disease, including in younger individuals.
A colonial legacy of African gender inequality? Evidence from Christian Kampala, 1895–2011
Authors: Meier Zu Selhausen Felix , Weisdorf Jacob
Published: June 2015

The colonial legacy of African underdevelopment is widely debated but hard to document. In this article, occupational statistics from Protestant marriage registers of historical Kampala are used to investigate the hypothesis that African gender inequality and female disempowerment are rooted in colonial times. We find that the arrival of Europeans in Uganda ignited a century‐long transformation of Kampala involving a gender Kuznets curve. Men rapidly acquired literacy and quickly found their way into white‐collar (high‐status) employment in the wage economy built by the Europeans. Women took somewhat longer to obtain literacy and considerably longer to enter into white‐collar and waged work. This led to increased gender inequality during the first half of the colonial period. However, gender inequality gradually declined during the latter half of the colonial era, and after Uganda's independence in 1962 its level was not significantly different from that of pre‐colonial times. The data presented here also support Boserup's view that gender inequality was rooted in indigenous social norms: daughters of African men who worked in the traditional, informal economy were less well‐educated, less frequently employed in formal work, and more often subjected to marital gender inequality than daughters of men employed in the modernized, formal economy created by the Europeans.
Mutations in KCNT1 cause a spectrum of focal epilepsies
Authors: Møller Rikke S. , Heron Sarah E. , Larsen Line H. G. , Lim Chiao Xin , Ricos Michael G. , Bayly Marta A. , van Kempen Marjan J. A. , Klinkenberg Sylvia , Andrews Ian , Kelley Kent , Ronen Gabriel M. , Callen David , McMahon Jacinta M. , Yendle Simone C. , Carvill Gemma L. , Mefford Heather C. , Nabbout Rima , Poduri Annapurna , Striano Pasquale , Baglietto Maria G. , Zara Federico , Smith Nicholas J. , Pridmore Clair , Gardella Elena , Nikanorova Marina , Dahl Hans Atli , Gellert Pia , Scheffer Ingrid E. , Gunning Boudewijn , Kragh‐Olsen Bente , Dibbens Leanne M.
Published: June 2015

Autosomal dominant mutations in the sodium‐gated potassium channel subunit gene KCNT1 have been associated with two distinct seizure syndromes, nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (NFLE) and malignant migrating focal seizures of infancy (MMFSI). To further explore the phenotypic spectrum associated with KCNT1, we examined individuals affected with focal epilepsy or an epileptic encephalopathy for mutations in the gene. We identified KCNT1 mutations in 12 previously unreported patients with focal epilepsy, multifocal epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, and in a family with sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), in addition to patients with NFLE and MMFSI. In contrast to the 100% penetrance so far reported for KCNT1 mutations, we observed incomplete penetrance. It is notable that we report that the one KCNT1 mutation, p.Arg398Gln, can lead to either of the two distinct phenotypes, ADNFLE or MMFSI, even within the same family. This indicates that genotype–phenotype relationships for KCNT1 mutations are not straightforward. We demonstrate that KCNT1 mutations are highly pleiotropic and are associated with phenotypes other than ADNFLE and MMFSI. KCNT1 mutations are now associated with Ohtahara syndrome, MMFSI, and nocturnal focal epilepsy. They may also be associated with multifocal epilepsy and cardiac disturbances.
Recognition and quantification of pain in horses: A tutorial review
Authors: Gleerup K. B. , Lindegaard C.
Published: June 2015

Pain management is dependent on the quality of the pain evaluation. Ideally, pain evaluation is objective, pain‐specific and easily incorporated into a busy equine clinic. This paper reviews the existing knowledge base regarding the identification and quantification of pain in horses. Behavioural indicators of pain in horses in the context of normal equine behaviour, as well as various physiological parameters potentially useful for pain evaluation, are discussed. Areas where knowledge is sparse are identified and a new equine pain scale based on results from all reviewed papers is proposed. Finally, the most important considerations in relation to the implementation of a pain scale in a hospital setting are discussed.
We‐ness and the Cultivation of Wisdom in Couple Therapy
Authors: Skerrett Karen
Published: June 2015

Wisdom has played a key role in the attempt to understand the positive nature of human behavior since the time of Aristotle. In the past decade, psychology and related fields have experienced an expanding interest in the empirical and theoretical pursuit of wisdom. The relational dimension of wisdom has received less attention, although it may be viewed as embedded in the practice of all couple therapists. This article integrates previous work on resilience and positive functioning in committed partnerships and proposes relational wisdom to be a master virtue of relationship development, one that can be cultivated across the lifespan of the partnership. The aspects of relational wisdom such as self‐reflection, attunement to self and other, balancing conflicting partner aims, the interpretation of rules and principles in light of the uniqueness of each situation and the capacity to learn from experience point to couples therapy as an ideal context for such skill building. Wisdom is built through dialog and the resulting individual and couple stories can serve as touchstones to what is most precious and vital in the relationship as well as guides for action through challenges and conflict. A clinical case is described to illustrate selected aspects of relational wisdom and implications for therapeutic practice.
Oncogenic mutations weaken the interactions that stabilize the p110α‐p85α heterodimer in phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase α
Authors: Echeverria Ignacia , Liu Yunlong , Gabelli Sandra B. , Amzel L. Mario
Published: June 2015

Phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) α is a heterodimeric lipid kinase that catalyzes the conversion of phosphoinositol‐4,5‐bisphosphate to phosphoinositol‐3,4,5‐trisphosphate. The PI3Kα signaling pathway plays an important role in cell growth, proliferation, and survival. This pathway is activated in numerous cancers, where the PI3KCA gene, which encodes for the p110α PI3Kα subunit, is mutated. Its mutation often results in gain of enzymatic activity; however, the mechanism of activation by oncogenic mutations remains unknown. Here, using computational methods, we show that oncogenic mutations that are far from the catalytic site and increase the enzymatic affinity destabilize the p110α–p85α dimer. By affecting the dynamics of the protein, these mutations favor the conformations that reduce the autoinhibitory effect of the p85α nSH2 domain. For example, we determined that, in all of the mutants, the nSH2 domain shows increased positional heterogeneity as compared with the wild‐type, as demonstrated by changes in the fluctuation profiles computed by normal mode analysis of coarse‐grained elastic network models. Analysis of the interdomain interactions of the wild‐type and mutants at the p110α–p85α interface obtained with molecular dynamics simulations suggest that all of the tumor‐associated mutations effectively weaken the interactions between p110α and p85α by disrupting key stabilizing interactions. These findings have important implications for understanding how oncogenic mutations change the conformational multiplicity of PI3Kα and lead to increased enzymatic activity. This mechanism may apply to other enzymes and/or macromolecular complexes that play a key role in cell signaling.
Evidences of Reduced Antioxidant Activity in Patients With Chronic Migraine and Medication‐Overuse Headache
Authors: Lucchesi Cinzia , Baldacci Filippo , Cafalli Martina , Chico Lucia , Lo Gerfo Annalisa , Bonuccelli Ubaldo , Siciliano Gabriele , Gori Sara
Published: June 2015

Background

Migraine is a complex multifactorial, neurobiological disorder, whose pathogenesis is not fully understood, nor are the mechanisms associated with migraine transformation from episodic to chronic pattern. A possible role of impaired oxidative mitochondrial metabolism in migraine pathogenesis has been hypothesized, and increased levels of peripheral markers of oxidative stress have been reported in migraine patients, although the literature data are limited and heterogeneous.

Objectives

The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to determine plasmatic levels of advanced oxidation protein products, ferric‐reducing antioxidant power and total plasmatic thiol groups, all plasmatic markers related to oxidative stress, in a sample of chronic migraine patients and medication‐overuse headache, compared to a control group of healthy subjects.

Methods

Thirty‐three patients with a diagnosis of both chronic migraine and medication‐overuse headache (International Classification of Headache Disorders,3rd edition, beta version) and 33 healthy, headache‐free subjects were enrolled. Patients with comorbid/coexisting conditions were excluded, as well as patients in treatment with migraine preventive drugs. Plasmatic levels of advanced oxidation protein products, ferric‐reducing antioxidant power, and total thiol groups were determined in migraine patients and controls; moreover, oxidative stress biomarkers were compared in migraine patients with triptan compared to non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug overuse.

Results

The statistical analysis showed significantly lower levels of ferric‐reducing antioxidant power and total plasmatic thiol groups, both expression of antioxidant power, in patients with chronic migraine and medication‐overuse headache compared to controls (respectively, ferric antioxidant power median [interquartile range] 0.53 [0.22] vs 0.82 [0.11] mmol/L, P < .001; total thiol groups 0.25 [0.08] vs 0.51 [0.11] μmol/L, P < .001). Moreover, no statistically significant differences in oxidative stress biomarkers were detected between patients with triptan and nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug overuse.

Conclusions

The data from the present study suggest that antioxidant capacity is lower in chronic migraine patients and medication‐overuse headache compared to healthy headache‐free subjects, with no differences between patients with triptan or nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug overuse. Further investigation is certainly necessary in order to define the causal or consequential role of an imbalance between pro‐oxidants and antioxidant defenses in migraine pathogenesis and “chronification” and the possible therapeutic implications in clinical practice.
The Course of Headache in Patients With Moderate‐to‐Severe Headache Due to Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Retrospective Cross‐Sectional Study
Authors: Hong Chang‐Ki , Joo Jin‐Yang , Kim Yong Bae , Shim Yu Shik , Lim Yong Cheol , Shin Yong Sam , Chung Joonho
Published: June 2015

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the course of headache in patients with moderate‐to‐severe headache due to aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and to identify its predisposing factors.

Background

Little is known about the long‐term course of headache in patients with aSAH.

Methods

Since September 2009, patients with aSAH have had their headaches prospectively rated using a numeric rating scale (NRS). From this database containing 838 patients, 217 were included and all included patients met the following criteria: (1) presence of ruptured intracranial aneurysms on computed tomography angiography or magnetic resonance angiography; (2) alert consciousness (Glasgow Coma Scale 15); (3) newly onset moderate‐to‐severe headache (NRS ≥ 4) due to ruptured intracranial aneurysms; and (4) good clinical outcome at discharge (modified Rankin Scale 0, 1, or 2). We observed the changes in NRS scores from initial to 12‐month follow‐up and identified the predisposing factors of NRS changes.

Results

Of the 217 patients, 182 (83.9%) experienced improvement in NRS score ≤ 3 upon discharge. The NRS scores at discharge were significantly lower than those on admission (P < .001). The independent predisposing factors for headache improvement included previous stroke (odds ratio [OR] = 0.141; 95% CI 0.051‐0.381; P < .001), previous headache treated with medication (OR = 0.079; 95% CI 0.010‐0.518; P = .008), and endovascular treatment (EVT; OR = 2.531; 95% CI 1.141‐5.912; P = .026). The NRS scores tended to decrease continuously until the 12‐month follow‐up. EVT and symptomatic vasospasm were independently associated with a decrease of NRS in the follow‐up periods.

Conclusions

The course of headache in patients with aSAH continuously improved during the 12 months of follow‐up. Headache improvement might be expected in patients who were treated with EVT and in those who did not have previous stroke or headache.
Editorial – Avoiding Unethical Helicobacter pylori Clinical Trials: Susceptibility‐Based Studies and Probiotics as Adjuvants
Authors: Graham David Y.
Published: June 2015

As a general rule, any clinical study where the result is already known or when the investigator(s) compares an assigned treatment against another assigned treatment known to be ineffective in the study population (e.g., in a population with known clarithromycin resistance) is unethical. As susceptibility‐based therapy will always be superior to empiric therapy in any population with a prevalence of antimicrobial resistance >0%, any trial that randomizes susceptibility‐based therapy with empiric therapy would be unethical. The journal Helicobacter welcomes susceptibility or culture‐guided studies, studies of new therapies, and studies of adjuvants and probiotics. However, the journal will not accept for review any study we judge to be lacking clinical equipoise or which assign subjects to a treatment known to be ineffective, such as a susceptibility‐based clinical trial with an empiric therapy comparator. To assist authors, we provide examples and suggestions regarding trial design for comparative studies, for susceptibility‐based studies, and for studies testing adjuvants or probiotics.
Reduce Ourselves to Zero?: Sabina Lovibond, Iris Murdoch, and Feminism
Authors: Hämäläinen Nora
Published: June 2015

In her bookIris Murdoch, Gender and Philosophy, Sabina Lovibond argues that Iris Murdoch's philosophical and literary work is covertly dedicated to an ideology of female subordination. The most central and interesting aspect of her multifaceted argument concerns Murdoch's focus on the individual person's moral self‐scrutiny and transformation of consciousness. Lovibond suggests that this focus is antithetical to the kind of communal and structural criticism of society that has been essential for the advance of feminism. She further reads Murdoch's dismissal of “structuralism” as proof of Murdoch's alleged conservatism and neglect of feminist concerns. In this article I will argue that this line of argument—though not completely off‐base concerning the awkwardness of Murdoch's relation to feminism—(1) gives a misleading picture of Murdoch's philosophical and ideological position, and (2) establishes a problematic (though not unusual) antagonism between moral self‐scrutiny and social criticism, which a closer look at Murdoch's work can help us overcome.
The Border Thickens: In‐Securing Communities after IRCA
Authors: Rosas Gilberto
Published: June 2015

This article analyses a certain ‘thickening of the border,’ a term I coin to underscore a certain blurring of the insides and the outsides of the United States with respect to Latin American, primarily Mexican, immigration. In making this intervention, the article underscores the linkages among a dark legacy of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), the militarization of Border Patrol policing practices in the southwestern United States, and “Secure Communities,” a mammoth immigration policing program across much of the United States.
Commentary on: Hegedüs A. and Kozel B. (2014). Does adherence therapy improve medication adherence among patients with schizophrenia? A systematic review. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, doi: 10.1111/inm.12089
Authors: Gray Richard , Bressington Dan , von Bormann Surparpit , Schulz Michael , Brown Ellie , Anderson Kathy , Jones Martin
Published: June 2015

See commentary by Hegedüs A. and Kozel B.