bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gendered Patterns of Remitting and Saving among Mexican Families with U.S. Migration Experience
Authors: Aysa-Lastra María
Published: July 2019

This article explores patterns of remittance sending among male and female migrants from Mexico to the United States, and patterns in the use of remittances among receiving households in Mexico. It also identifies variables that determine remittance sending and saving behaviors in migrants’ most recent U.S. trip. Results reveal gendered differences in the investment and consumption strategies adopted by families in communities of origin. Despite marked differences in the capacity of women to generate remittances and savings compared with men, patterns of remittance use by families in communities of origin are not substantially distinct, though female migrants are more likely to send remittances for investments in human capital than male migrants. In addition, remittances and savings sent by male migrants are more likely to be used in housing improvements and investments in productive capital than those sent by women. These differences do not necessarily reflect migrants’ preferences, but mirror the sociocultural contexts in which decision-making about remittances, savings, and spending take place.
Who Goes Next? The Gendered Expansion of Mexican and Senegalese Migrant Sibling Networks in Space and Time
Authors: Riosmena Fernando , Liu Mao-Mei
Published: July 2019

The migration literature shows that individuals whose siblings have migrated abroad are more likely to migrate, yet we know little about sibling migrant networks. We use MMP and MAFE-Senegal survey data to compare migration patterns in two very disparate contexts (Mexico and Senegal) in an attempt to assess the scope, manner, and generalizability of sibling network migration patterns. Our results show that while Senegalese families are likely to have one international migrant, Mexican families are likely to send two or more members abroad. Sibling migrations from Mexico fall closer together in time than do those from Senegal, suggesting joint sibling migration. Also, while Mexican sibling networks did not seem to contribute to the expansion of Mexican migrant destinations, Senegalese sibling networks did contribute (slightly) to the expansion of Senegalese migration. Sibling networks in both settings contributed considerably to the feminization of migration.
A Quick End to a Long Story: Networks and Mexican Migration during the Great Recession
Authors: Mora Téllez Ricardo
Published: July 2019

During times of economic recession, migrants face long periods of unemployment or underemployment in destination countries. This information is transmitted to migrant-sending households via networks that link communities of origin and destination, letting potential migrants know that if they were to migrate they would likely experience low and unstable earnings, and that remittances normally expected from international migration might be placed at risk. In this event, there are few incentives for other household members to migrate. This study examines the effect that information sent through networks during recessionary times has in reducing the likelihood of out-migration, thereby explaining why Mexico-U.S. migration fell so suddenly with the onset of the Great Recession in the United States.
Continuities and Changes in the Processes of Mexican Migration and Return
Authors: Parrado Emilio A. , Ocampo Angie N.
Published: July 2019

This article examines continuities and changes in the prevalence and determinants of first migration and return between Mexico and the United States. The results show a dramatic decline over time in the likelihood of migrants’ making a first trip. The empirical design distinguishes processes affecting migrating cohorts from those emanating from period conditions, paying particular attention to changes in educational selectivity and the legal status of the flows. The definition of cohort and period corresponds roughly to changes in U.S. migration policy and the American economy. We find that the likelihood of return migration also declined in conjunction with period conditions that are related to border enforcement. The drop in the likelihood of return was particularly sharp for undocumented migrants, and, over time, return flows increasingly consist of documented migrants. The implications of these findings for immigration policy in the United States and for the incorporation of returnees in Mexico are discussed.
Debacles on the Border: Five Decades of Fact-Free Immigration Policy
Authors: Durand Jorge , Massey Douglas S.
Published: July 2019

Since 1987, the Mexican Migration Project (MMP) has compiled extensive data on the characteristics and behavior of documented and undocumented migrants to the United States, and made them publicly available to users to test theories of international migration and evaluate U.S. immigration and border policies. Findings based on these data have been plentiful, but have also routinely been ignored by political leaders, who instead continue to pursue policies with widely documented, counterproductive effects. In this article, we review prior studies based on MMP data to document these effects. We also use official statistics to document circumstances on the border today, and draw on articles in this volume to underscore the huge gap between U.S. policies and the realities of immigration. Despite that net positive undocumented Mexican migration to the United States ended more than a decade ago, the Trump administration continues to demand the construction of a border wall and persists in treating Central American arrivals as criminals rather than asylum seekers, thus transforming what is essentially a humanitarian problem into an immigration crisis.
Evolution of the Mexico-U.S. Migration System: Insights from the Mexican Migration Project
Authors: Durand Jorge , Massey Douglas S.
Published: July 2019

Since 1987, the Mexican Migration Project (MMP) has collected and disseminated representative survey data on documented and undocumented migration to the United States. The MMP currently includes surveys of 161 communities, which together contain data on 27,113 households and 169,945 individuals, 26,446 of whom have U.S. migratory experience. These data are used here to trace the evolution of the Mexico-U.S. migration system from the late nineteenth to the early twenty-first century, revealing how shifts in U.S. immigration and border policies have been critical to the formation of different eras of migration characterized by distinctive patterns of migration, settlement, and return in different legal statuses. The current era is characterized by the repression of the large population of undocumented migrants and their U.S. citizen children by an ongoing regime of mass detention and deportation and the simultaneous recruitment of Mexican workers for exploitation on short-term temporary visas. As the dynamics of Mexican migration to the United States continue to change, they will be monitored and analyzed in subsequent waves of data collection by the MMP.
Temporary Workers in the United States and Canada: Migrant Flows and Labor Outcomes
Authors: Pren Karen A. , González-Araiza Luis Enrique
Published: July 2019

This article analyzes migratory flows and labor outcomes for temporary migrants from Mexico who participate in the H-2A visa program in the United States and the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in Canada. Using data from the Mexican Migration Project, we analyze the determinants of taking a first trip to each country with temporary work documents, the financial and labor circumstances that migrants experience while working abroad, and the factors that determine the likelihood and amount of money sent home to Mexico as remittances or held onto and brought home to Mexico as savings. We find that temporary agricultural workers migrating to both countries come from rural backgrounds, but those working in the United States earn higher wages and experience shorter workdays than those in Canada. Nevertheless, total annual work hours and earnings are quite similar for both groups of migrants. We observe few differences between the two groups in remittance amounts sent home, but find that temporary workers in the United States return home with more savings than do those working in Canada.
Critical Race Theory and Empirical Sociology
Authors: Christian Michelle , Seamster Louise , Ray Victor
Published: July 2019

We argue that empirical sociology would benefit from a greater engagement with critical race theory (CRT). In this introduction, we outline four steps to the empirical application of CRT in sociology: (1) understanding that social science is not value neutral, (2) using CRT to inform research design and methodology, (3) investigating racism at multiple levels of analysis, and (4) empirical data and analysis should uncover the relational aspect to racism. The studies in this special issue demonstrate how CRT and social science cross empirical boundaries in fruitful collaboration to document the reproduction of racism in the 21st century.
Between Tolerant Containment and Concerted Constraint: Managing Madness for the City and the Privileged Family
Authors: Gong Neil
Published: July 2019

How do public safety net and elite private mental health providers cope with a key dilemma since psychiatric deinstitutionalization—managing madness when people have the right to refuse care? I observed two approaches to voluntary community-based services, one that tolerates “non-compliance” and deviant choices, and another that attempts to therapeutically discipline clientele. The puzzle, given theories of the paternalistic governance of poverty, is that select poor patients are given autonomy while the privileged are micro-managed. Drawing on comparative fieldwork in Los Angeles, I show how contrasting ecological pressures and resource bases shape divergent practices. In the context of urban poverty governance, mental health care and low-barrier housing offer a way to remove problem people from public space. This “tolerant containment” is linked to limited therapeutic capacity and the construction of clients as beyond transformation. In the context of family systems governance, elite private mental health care is a project to reform wayward relatives and equip them with respectable futures. A “concerted constraint” of deviance, akin to Lareau’s theory of privileged childrearing, is reserved for those who can afford rehabilitation and conceivably recover. Using these cases, I contribute to theories of social control and inequality in advanced liberal societies.
Reading and re-reading the Vasu-caritramu
Authors: Shulman David
Published: July 2019

Bhaṭṭumūrti’s mid-sixteenth-century masterpiece, Vasu-caritramu, is a tour de force of linguistic and poetic experimentation. Its complex verses, many of them paronomastic (śliṣṭa), require decoding by the adept listener of reader; but such decoding never exhausts their expressive potential, much of which depends upon powerful sonic, musical and rhythmic effects. This essay attempts to reconstruct the (lost) protocols of reading for this complex work, including the pervasive links to earlier intertexts, the magic of combining syllables to work upon both the world and the reader’s mind, and the focus on conspicuous themes such as the processes of perception (always informed by language) and the domain of the natural world seen as rule-bound and autonomous. These features appear to belong to a specific Rāyalasīma sensibility evident not only in poetry but also in graphic arts such as the great temples of Lepakshi and Tadipatri. We find them operative throughout the second wave of Telugu prabandha composition, for example, in Piṅgaḷi Sūranna’s narrative novel, the Kaḷāpūrṇodayamu, also composed in Rāyalasīma.
Fluoride Revolution and Dental Caries: Evolution of Policies for Global Use
Authors: Whelton H.P. , Spencer A.J. , Do L.G. , Rugg-Gunn A.J.
Published: July 2019

Epidemiological studies over 70 y ago provided the basis for the use of fluoride in caries prevention. They revealed the clear relation between water fluoride concentration, and therefore fluoride exposure, and prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis and dental caries. After successful trials, programs for water fluoridation were introduced, and industry developed effective fluoride-containing toothpastes and other fluoride vehicles. Reductions in caries experience were recorded in many countries, attributable to the widespread use of fluoride. This is a considerable success story; oral health for many was radically improved. While previously, water had been the only significant source of fluoride, now there are many, and this led to an increase in the occurrence of dental fluorosis. Risks identified for dental fluorosis were ingestion of fluoride-containing toothpaste, water fluoridation, fluoride tablets (which were sometimes ingested in areas with water fluoridation), and infant formula feeds. Policies were introduced to reduce excessive fluoride exposure during the period of tooth development, and these were successful in reducing dental fluorosis without compromising caries prevention. There is now a much better understanding of the public perception of dental fluorosis, with mild fluorosis being of no aesthetic concern. The advantages of water fluoridation are that it provides substantial lifelong caries prevention, is economic, and reduces health inequalities: it reaches a substantial number of people worldwide. Fluoride-containing toothpastes are by far the most important way of delivering the beneficial effect of fluoride worldwide. The preventive effects of conjoint exposure (e.g., use of fluoride toothpaste in a fluoridated area) are additive. The World Health Organization has informed member states of the benefits of the appropriate use of fluoride. Many countries have policies to maximize the benefits of fluoride, but many have yet to do so.
YAP-Induced Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Oral Submucous Fibrosis
Authors: Li J. , Yao M. , Zhu X. , Li Q. , He J. , Chen L. , Wang W. , Zhu C. , Shen T. , Cao R. , Fang C.
Published: July 2019

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a potentially malignant disorder. Current studies have shown that chewing areca nut is considered the main cause of OSF, and endothelial-mesenchymal transformation (EndMT) participates in the occurrence and development of the fibrotic lesion. However, the specific molecular mechanisms and treatments remain unclear. Here, we report the mechanism of arecoline-induced EndMT and the importance of this mechanism in OSF, and we also identify potential therapeutics for decreasing OSF incidence. We demonstrate the overexpression of Yes-associated protein (YAP) in human samples and that it was significantly associated with OSF pathologic stage. Arecoline activated YAP by increasing reactive oxygen species levels and inducing the PERK pathway (eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha kinase 3), resulting in the initiation of EndMT and leading to OSF. Verteporfin, a YAP–TEA domain pathway inhibitor, suppressed EndMT and decreased collagen accumulation, resulting in the alleviation of OSF in mice. These data indicate that arecoline regulates the activity of YAP and highlight an alternative method for treating OSF.
The Function of Wnt Ligands on Osteocyte and Bone Remodeling
Authors: Du J.H. , Lin S.X. , Wu X.L. , Yang S.M. , Cao L.Y. , Zheng A. , Wu J.N. , Jiang X.Q.
Published: July 2019

Bone homeostasis is continually maintained by the process of bone remodeling throughout life. Recent studies have demonstrated that Wnt signaling pathways play a fundamental role in the process of bone homeostasis and remodeling. Intracellular Wnt signaling cascades are initially triggered by a Wnt ligand–receptor complex formation. In previous studies, the blocking of Wnt ligands from different osteoblastic differentiation stages could cause defective bone development at an early stage. Osteocytes, the most abundant and long-lived type of bone cell, are a crucial orchestrator of bone remodeling. However, the role of Wnt ligands on osteocyte and bone remodeling remains unclear. In our present study, we found that, besides osteoblasts, osteocytes also express multiple Wnt ligands in the bone environment. Then, we used a Dmp1-Cre mouse line, in which there is expression in a subset of osteoblasts but mainly osteocytes, to study the function of Wnt ligands on osteocyte and bone remodeling in vivo. Furthermore, we explored the role of Wnt ligands on osteocytic mineralization ability, as well as the regulatory function of osteocytes on the process of osteoblastic differentiation and osteoclastic migration and maturity in vitro. We concluded that Wnt proteins play an important regulatory role in 1) the process of perilacunar/canalicular remodeling, as mediated by osteocytes, and 2) the balance of osteogenesis and bone resorption at the bone surface, as mediated by osteoblasts and osteoclasts, at least partly through the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and the OPG/RANKL signaling pathway.
Safe Injection Sites: A Moral Reflection
Authors: Bozza Steven , Berger Jeffrey
Published: July 2019

This article addresses the issue of safe injection sites (SIS) that municipalities in the United States and elsewhere in the world propose to save lives by curbing the instances of fatal overdoses and provide addicts with healthcare services and opportunities for detoxification and social rehabilitation. Drawing on current clinical science and the medical facts regarding substance abuse and addiction, widely accepted bioethical principles, Catholic social teaching, and the common good, it shows the administration and consumption of illicit recreational drugs in an SIS is not a suitable medical intervention and a violation of the core principles of Catholic social teaching and Catholic healthcare ethics. More importantly, municipal governing bodies and the clinicians who staff these facilities cooperate in the evil of illegal drug abuse.

Safe injection sites are morally illicit.
Civilian oversight of the police: The case of Kenya
Authors: Hope Kempe Ronald
Published: July 2019

Although more and more countries across the globe are moving toward independent civilian oversight of their police, that is not the case in Africa, where only Kenya and South Africa have followed that route. This work offers an analytical review and assessment case study of the practice of civilian oversight of the police and its application in Kenya. It quantitatively evaluates the performance of civilian oversight, set against the practice of civilian oversight of the police, and drawing heavily also on the background and field experience of the author, who served in Kenya in various policy adviser capacities.
Readmission Rates and Their Impact on Hospital Financial Performance: A Study of Washington Hospitals
Authors: Upadhyay Soumya , Stephenson Amber L. , Smith Dean G.
Published: July 2019

This longitudinal study examines whether readmission rates, made transparent through Hospital Compare, affect hospital financial performance by examining 98 hospitals in the State of Washington from 2012 to 2014. Readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), pneumonia (PN), and heart failure (HF) were examined against operating revenues per patient, operating expenses per patient, and operating margin. Using hospital-level fixed effects regression on 276 hospital year observations, the analysis indicated that a reduction in AMI readmission rates is related with increased operating revenues as expenses associated with costly treatments related with unnecessary readmissions are avoided. Additionally, reducing readmission rates is related with an increase in operating expenses. As a net effect, increased PN readmission rates may show marginal increase in operating margin because of the higher operating revenues due to readmissions. However, as readmissions continue to happen, a gradual increase in expenses due to greater use of resources may lead to decreased profitability.
“The Rabbis Maintained that it was Flaxseed”: The Identification and Interpretation of Unidentified Biblical Plants in Aggadic Homilies
Authors: Shemesh Abraham Ofir
Published: July 2019

The current study discusses proposals for identifying biblical vegetative terms in the literature of the midrash. The study follows the literary phenomenon of proposed identifications of general vegetative terms, such as “tree” (etz), “shrubs” (siḥim), or “fruit of the earth” (pri ha'adama), namely plants which the biblical narrator chose to avoid explicitly identifying as belonging to a specific species, and their identification does not seem to have been important for the story or for conveying its message. It seems that the midrash has two goals in identifying biblical vegetative terms: adding realistic details and connecting the reader to the text and to the location of the events related, and presenting religious concepts and educational messages. In several cases the identification of an anonymous plant is intended to enhance the conceptual and educational messages of the story or to stress other important messages. like social identity.
Diversity in unity in post-truth times: Max Weber’s challenge and Karl Jaspers’s response
Authors: Dege Carmen Lea
Published: July 2019

Max Weber famously diagnosed both an excess and a subordination of meaning in modernity when he coined the term disenchantment next to the fragmentation and irreconcilability of value spheres. Unlike Weber, however, who sought to keep the ideological and the rationalist sides of the modern divide together, his immediate followers capitalized either on his decisionism (i.e. Carl Schmitt) or on his universalism (i.e. Jürgen Habermas). In an attempt to develop a constructive perspective on the question of how we can conceive of irreconcilable values within a larger normative horizon, this article introduces Karl Jaspers’s interpretation and refinement of Weber’s work. Most fundamentally, Jaspers’s existentialist philosophy of communication sought to turn Weber’s warring gods into a source of solidarity rather than divisiveness. I argue that Jaspers did so in rooting human freedom not in the decision or the law but in an experiential uncertainty and the knowledge not to know. The article closes with a discussion of some practical and theoretical implications of Jaspers’s thought for our understanding of diversity in unity in post-truth times.
An IQ Consortium Perspective on The Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks Final Opinion on the Need for Nonhuman Primates in Biomedical Research, Production and Testing of Products and Devices (Update 2017)
Authors: Adams Khary , Clemons Donna , Impelluso Lynn Collura , Lee Donna , Maguire Sean , Myers Alexis , Petursson Christopher , Schulingkamp Robert , Trouba Kevin , Wright Matthew
Published: July 2019

The recent Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks Final Opinion on “The need for nonhuman primates in biomedical research, production and testing of products and devices” (2017 SCHEER) highlights approaches that could significantly contribute to the replacement, reduction, and refinement of nonhuman primate (NHP) studies. Initiatives that have the potential to affect NHP welfare and/or their use are expected to be appropriate, fair, and objective and publicly disseminated information focused on NHPs in biomedical research, which includes toxicologic and pathologic research and testing, should be objectively evaluated by stakeholder scientists, researchers, and veterinarians. Thus, IQ Consortium member companies convened to develop an informed and objective response, focusing on identifying areas of agreement, potential gaps, or missing information in 2017 SCHEER. Overall, the authors agree that many positions in the 2017 SCHEER Opinion generally align with industry views on the use of NHPs in research and testing, including the ongoing need of NHPs in many areas of research. From the perspective of the IQ Consortium, there are several topics in the 2017 SCHEER that merit additional comment, attention, or research, as well as consideration in future opinions.
Perspectives From the 12th Annual Minipig Research Forum: Early Inclusion of the Minipig in Safety Assessment Species Selection Should be the Standard Approach
Authors: Jones Keith , Harding Joanna , Makin Andy , Singh Pramila , Jacobsen Björn , Mikkelsen Lars Friis
Published: July 2019

Over the last decade, the minipig has been established as a species which can be used in biomedical research, including drug development safety assessment. There are no mandatory regulatory guidelines regarding species selection strategy for safety assessment; hence, choice is at the discretion of companies responsible for drug development. A survey of member companies by IQ DruSafe (2016) highlighted inconsistent and low use of the minipig. At the 12th Annual Minipig Research Forum in 2018, presentations and a workshop examined current practices and considered if the minipig could be utilized more from earliest drug development stages. Despite the agreed utility of scientific data and validity of the minipig, especially for small molecules, each company has its own approach in nonrodent species selection, without consistent rationale. The overall objective should be to ensure the most appropriate species is selected and is scientifically based, with the minipig systematically included from early screening stages.
A qualitative study of physicians’ conscientious objections to medical aid in dying
Authors: Bouthillier Marie-Eve , Opatrny Lucie
Published: July 2019

Background:

Under Quebec’s Act respecting end-of-life care, physicians may refuse to provide medical aid in dying because of personal convictions, also called conscientious objections. Before legalisation, the results of our survey showed that the majority of physicians were in favour of medical aid in dying (76%), but one-third (28%) were not prepared to perform it. After 18 months of legalisation, physicians were refusing far more frequently than the pre-Act survey had anticipated.

Aim:

To explore the conscientious objections stated by physicians so as to understand why some of them refuse to get involved in their patients’ medical aid in dying requests.

Design/participants:

An exploratory qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with 22 physicians who expressed a refusal after they received a request for medical aid in dying. Thematic descriptive analysis was used to analyse physicians’ motives for their conscientious objections and the reasons behind it.

Results:

The majority of physicians who refused to participate did not oppose medical aid in dying. The reason most often cited is not based on moral and religious grounds. Rather, the emotional burden related to this act and the fear of psychological repercussions were the most expressed motivations for not participating in medical aid in dying.

Conclusion:

The originality of this research is based on what the actual perception is of doing medical aid in dying as opposed to merely a conceptual assent. Further explorations are required in order to support policy decisions such as access to better emotional supports for providers and interdisciplinary support.
Differential rewarding effects of electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus and parabrachial complex: Functional characterization and the relevance of opioid systems and dopamine
Authors: Simon Maria J , Zafra Maria A , Puerto Amadeo
Published: July 2019

Background:

Since the discovery of rewarding intracranial self-stimulation by Olds and Milner, extensive data have been published on the biological basis of reward. Although participation of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system is well documented, its precise role has not been fully elucidated, and some authors have proposed the involvement of other neural systems in processing specific aspects of reinforced behaviour.

Aims and methods:

We reviewed published data, including our own findings, on the rewarding effects induced by electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and of the external lateral parabrachial area (LPBe) – a brainstem region involved in processing the rewarding properties of natural and artificial substances – and compared its functional characteristics as observed in operant and non-operant behavioural procedures.

Results:

Brain circuits involved in the induction of preferences for stimuli associated with electrical stimulation of the LBPe appear to functionally and neurochemically differ from those activated by electrical stimulation of the LH.

Interpretation:

We discuss the possible involvement of the LPBe in processing emotional-affective aspects of the brain reward system.
Refractory autoimmune haemolytic anaemia following allogenic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: successful treatment of rituximab
Authors: Li Xiaofan , Huang Jiafu , Zhu Zhijuan , Li Nainong
Published: July 2019

Objective

To investigate the effectiveness and safety of rituximab in treating autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

Methods

Patients with refractory AIHA following allo-HSCT were treated once-weekly with rituximab 375 mg/m2 for a total of four doses. In an animal study, recipient CB6F1 mice were conditioned with busulfan/fludarabine and transplanted with splenocytes and T-cell-depleted bone marrow from C57Bl/6 mice. In this animal model, anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) was evaluated to see if it could prevent graft versus host disease (GVHD). GVHD was monitored by body weight loss, GVHD clinical scores and the survival of each group of mice. Histopathological analyses of the skin, intestine, liver and lung were used to analyse the severity of GVHD.

Results

After rituximab therapy, refractory AIHA was resolved in all four patients as shown by increased haemoglobin levels. B-cell proportions were reduced with a relative increase of the proportions of T-cells following rituximab treatment. None of the four patients experienced chronic GVHD. In the animal model, anti-CD20 mAb treatment reduced GVHD.

Conclusions

Rituximab therapy deserves consideration for the treatment of post-HSCT patients with refractory AIHA. Further studies are needed to define the therapeutic role of this anti-CD20 mAb.
Impact of thyroid hormones on asthma in older adults
Authors: Bingyan Zhan , Dong Wei
Published: July 2019

Objective

Thyroid hormones affect airway contraction, but the specific effects of thyroid hormones on airways are controversial.

Methods

We divided 78 advanced-age men with asthma into 3 groups: type I respiratory failure (RF1), type II respiratory failure (RF2), and no respiratory failure (NRF). Pulmonary function was measured after asthma stabilization.

Results

The free triiodothyronine (FT3) level was significantly higher in the RF1 than RF2 group, but the free thyroxine (FT4), total thyroxine (TT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were not significantly different. In the RF1, RF2, and NRF groups, the correlation coefficients between FT3 and the forced expiratory volume in1 s (FEV1) were 0.317, 0.627, and 0.213; those between FT3 and the FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio were 0.287, 0.412, and 0.156; those between FT4 and FEV1 were 0.214, 0.231, and 0.167; and those between FT4 and the FEV1/FVC ratio were 0.211, 0.215, and 0.218, respectively. In the RF1 and RF2 groups, the correlation coefficients between the sum activity of peripheral deiodinases (SPINA-GD) and the FEV1/FVC ratio were 0.164 and 0.421, and those between SPINA-GD and FEV1 were 0.284 and 0.491, respectively.

Conclusion

The correlation between FT3 and pulmonary function is likely caused by changes in thyroid enzymology.
Surgical treatment of intravenous leiomyomatosis involving the right heart: a case series
Authors: Luo Guangze , Pan Hongrui , Bi Jiaxue , Luo Yudong , Zhu Jiechang , Feng Zhou , Fan Hailun , Zhang Yiwei , Dai Xiangchen
Published: July 2019

Objective

This study was performed to investigate the surgical treatment of intravenous leiomyomatosis involving the right heart.

Methods

The clinical data of five patients with intracardiac leiomyomatosis treated from April 2002 to October 2017 at a single center were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

All five patients underwent successful intravenous and right atrial tumor removal via abdominal and inferior vena cava incisions. In three patients, these incisions were combined with thoracotomy and a right atrial incision, and in two patients, they were combined with uterine and bilateral fallopian tube and ovarian resection. One patient with advanced disease underwent a one-stage procedure and died thereafter. Of the remaining four patients who underwent follow-up for 1.5 to 12.0 years, one developed recurrence at 1 year postoperatively. The recurrent tumor, which was pathologically confirmed to be an intravenous leiomyoma, was removed via inferior vena cava and internal iliac vein incisions without subsequent recurrence.

Conclusions

The main treatment goal for inferior vena cava leiomyomas involving the right heart is to first address the severe obstruction of cardiac blood flow and then pursue second-stage surgery. Concurrent thoracotomy appears unnecessary because moderately sized right heart tumors can be gently removed via the inferior vena cava.
Comparative Evaluation of the Force and Load Deflection Rate for Different Loop Springs with Varying Designs, Wire Dimensions, and Materials: A Finite Element Method Study
Authors: Jadhav Bhagyashree S. , Krishnan Ravindranath V. , Patni Vivek J. , Karandikar Girish R. , Karandikar Anita G. , Pardeshi Swapnil D.
Published: July 2019

Objective: To evaluate and compare the force and load deflection rate generated by differing unit displacement through 1 to 4 mm of springs that vary in design (Double Delta Closing Loop, Double Vertical T Crossed Closing Loop, Double Vertical Helical Closing Loop and Ricketts Maxillary Retractor), constituting wire materials (stainless steel and beta titanium), and wire dimensions (0.017" × 0.025" and 0.019" × 0.025").

Materials and methods: Computer-assisted design (CAD) model of the said loop springs was created and converted to the finite element method (FEM). The boundary conditions assigned were restraining anterior segment of the loops in all the 3 axes and displacement of the posterior segment progressively only along the x-axis in increments of 1, 2, 3, and 4 mm. Force and load deflection rate were calculated for each incremental displacement.

Results: For all loop designs, force and load deflection rate increased with incremental displacement. Loop springs of beta titanium and 0.017" × 0.025" dimension showed lesser force and load deflection rate than those of stainless steel and 0.019" × 0.025", respectively. Ricketts Maxillary Retractor showed the least force and load deflection rate. Comparable force and load deflection values were found for 0.017" × 0.025" Double Vertical T Crossed Loop and 0.019" × 0.025" Double Vertical Helical Closing Loop.

Conclusions: Variations in wire dimensions, materials, and designs have a profound effect on force and load deflection rate of the different loop springs studied.
The importance of public libraries in education for health literacy: A case study on diabetic patients
Authors: Pirialam Hamed , Kazerani Maryam , Shekofteh Maryam , Razzaghi Zahra
Published: July 2019

Public libraries can play a major role in improving health literacy of clients by offering special services. Educating diabetic patients through public libraries can improve the dissemination of health information. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of education on the level of health literacy among diabetic patients referring to a public library, and the relationship between health literacy level, age and gender of patients. This research is a quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test. The study population included 48 diabetic patients referring to the public library. The research tool is a nationalized adult health literacy questionnaire in Iran. Results showed that 14.5% of samples had the maximum access to the required information in terms of accessibility. In terms of reading skill, 20% of samples had the maximum skill needed to read the information resources. In terms of information comprehension, 27% of samples had a maximum comprehending of the information they needed. In terms of evaluation, 13.5% of samples had completely correct evaluation of the information they needed. In terms of decision making, 24.5% of the people made decisive decisions about their information demands. The mean health literacy of diabetic patients before and after education showed a significant difference. In addition, no significant relationship was found between the level of health literacy and the age of diabetic patients referring to the public library before and after education (r <0.05). The health literacy level of diabetic patients increased before and after education in both males and females. It was concluded that as one of the tasks of public libraries is teaching citizens, the use of educational capacities in public libraries in the health sector can improve community health.
Towards new ways of assessing the impact of local medical journals: A proposal and call for change
Authors: Kanyengo Christine Wamunyima , Monde Mercy Wamunyima , Akakandelwa Akakandelwa
Published: July 2019

The relevance of research output to the local community is critical to changing practice. Research relevance has to be determined using measurements that show that the knowledge that arose from that research has made an impact on society. This paper, based on a literature review and preliminary research results, advocates for research impact measurements which take account of local contexts when evaluating the relevance of a journal article or indeed any research output. It concludes that a journal should go beyond traditional measurement metrics of citation analysis and bibliometrics alone as a measure of research impact. Although it is important to standardise measurements, it is also important that local communities should be encouraged to choose measurements of research output that matter to them. The proposed ways of assessing research impact are: (a) change in policies in the health sector, (b) effect on local medical treatment guidelines, (c) effect on case management, (d) use in continuous professional development, and (e) impact on local knowledge production.
Medical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia: Where do we stand?
Authors: Rossanese Marta , Crestani Alessandro , Inferrera Antonino , Giannarini Gianluca , Bartoletti Riccardo , Tubaro Andrea , Ficarra Vincenzo
Published: July 2019

Male lower urinary tract symptoms are frequently due to benign prostatic enlargement. Medical therapy is strongly recommended in patients with moderate to severe symptoms. Lower urinary tract symptoms may require a different medical approach using drugs with different mechanisms of action. Alpha-1 blockers, muscarinic receptor antagonists and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors are the most frequently used drugs. 5-Alpha reductase inhibitors are commonly prescribed to reduce prostate volume and to prevent benign prostatic hyperplasia progression. Currently, medical treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic enlargement can be tailored according to different symptom characteristics and severity, and to different patient comorbidities and preferences. For this reason, the decision-making process should be based on an accurate patient counselling with detailed clarification of potential benefits and, above all, potential side effects of different drugs. This non-systematic review of the literature presents an update of the current options for medical treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic enlargement, helping urologists in the decision-making and counselling process.
Effects of a Robot-Enhanced Intervention for Children With ASD on Teaching Turn-Taking Skills
Authors: David Daniel O. , Costescu Cristina A. , Matu Silviu , Szentagotai Aurora , Dobrean Anca
Published: July 2019

Among social skills that are core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, turn-taking plays a fundamental role in regulating social interaction and communication. Our main focus in this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a robot-enhanced intervention on turn-taking abilities. We aim to identify to what degree social robots can improve turn-taking skills and whether this type of intervention provides similar or better gains than standard intervention. This study presents a series of 5 single-subject experiments with children with autism spectrum disorder aged between 3 and 5 years. Each child receives 20 intervention sessions (8 robot-enhanced sessions—robot-enhanced treatment (RET), 8 standard human sessions—standard human treatment, and 4 sessions with the intervention that was more efficient). Our findings show that most children reach similar levels of performance on turn-taking skills across standard human treatment and RET, meaning that children benefit to a similar extent from both interventions. However, in the RET condition, children seemed to see their robotic partner as being more interesting than their human partner, due to the fact that they looked more at the robotic partner compared with the human partner.
Gyroscope fault accommodation based on dedicated Kalman filters
Authors: Li Liliang , Liu Chuan , Zhang Yanzhao , Wang Zhenhua , Shen Yi
Published: July 2019

To improve the reliability of the attitude determination system with redundant gyroscopes, this article proposes a gyroscope fault accommodation method using a bank of dedicated Kalman filters. The redundant gyroscopes are divided into several groups and then a dedicated Kalman filter is designed for each group of gyroscopes. The residuals generated by the dedicated Kalman filters indicate the consistency levels between the measurements of the star sensor and the gyroscopes. Based on the estimation results provided by the Kalman filters, a fault accommodation method using online selection strategy is proposed to attenuate the effect of the fault. Numerical simulations are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Ultrastructural evaluation of urine alkalinization versus hydration on colistin-induced nephrotoxicity
Authors: Korucu B , Unal I , Pekcan M , Inkaya AC , Yeter H , Cetinkaya MA , Kaymaz FF , Unal S , Akova M , Erdem Y
Published: July 2019

Objectives:

Colistin is a vital antibiotic used in multidrug-resistant infections. Its most important side effect is nephrotoxicity. Colistin is a weak acid. This study aims to evaluate whether urine alkalinization is protective in the nephrotoxicity of colistin.

Methods:

Twenty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into groups. Group I ( n = 4) was injected with intramuscular distilled water twice a day for 7 days. Group II ( n = 8) was injected with 750,000 IU/kg/day colistin for 7 days. Group III ( n = 8) was injected with the same dose of colistin after their urinary pH was ≥7 through the addition of bicarbonate in their drinking water. Group IV ( n = 8) was injected with the same dose of colistin after their urine density fell below 1010 through the addition of NaCl molds in their food and 12.6 mg/L NaCl in their drinking water.

Results:

According to tubular degenerations (scored 0–5), group I scored 0, group II scored 4.25, group III scored 2, and group IV scored 1.5. In groups III and IV, protection was achieved ( p = 0.001). The bicarbonate group was not superior to the NaCl group ( p = 0.789). In transmission electron microscopy, group III had more microvilli integrity and autophagic vacuoles compared to group IV. Group IV had mitochondrial swelling and cristae lysis. A lower urine density was related to lower tubular scores ( p = 0.001).

Conclusions:

Colistin was highly nephrotoxic without protection. Light microscopy findings revealed that urinary alkalinization and NaCl hydration were similarly protective. Urine alkalinization further prevents ultrastructural changes as revealed by electron microscopy.
From classroom to library: What are the transferable knowledge and skills teachers bring to library work
Authors: Agyemang Franklin Gyamfi
Published: July 2019

This paper explores the transferable knowledge, experience or skills second-career librarians with a teaching background bring to bear or utilize in the discharge of their library work. It also explores how the transferable knowledge helps librarians and teaching librarians to discharge the roles delineated by ACRL’s (2017) document. Snowball sampling method was used to locate 17 participants for this study in Ghana. Mixed methods were used for data collection; questionnaire (open-ended questions) and interview. The data were analyzed using the thematic analysis technique. The study found the following transferable knowledge, skills and experiences to library work: methodology of teaching, questioning and listening skills, knowledge of courses content, presentation, communication and good public speaking skills and human relational skills. The study found that transferable knowledge from the teaching profession help second-career (teaching) librarian to discharge to their library role effectively.
Prevalence of Smoking Among 4 Licensed Types of Nursing Personnel in Japan: An Epidemiological Study
Authors: Jike Maki , Nakaita Ikumi , Uchiyama Makoto , Yokose Hiromi , Kubota Satomi , Sezai Izumi , Muranaka Mineko , Ohida Takashi , Kamata Kumiko
Published: July 2019

There is a high prevalence of smoking among nursing personnel, despite the fact that nursing is a health care profession. In Japan there are 4 types of licensed nursing professionals. However, the prevalence of smoking among different types of licensed personnel has not been clarified. We attempted to clarify the prevalence of smoking among the various types of licensed nursing personnel and the factors associated with it. Among the members of the Japanese Nursing Association, 6000 nurses were randomly selected. The participants were sent a questionnaire on smoking habits, personal characteristics, lifestyle habits, and employment status by mail. Current smokers accounted for 1.3% of public health nurses, 4.0% of midwives, 8.2% of registered nurses, and 16.3% of assistant nurses. The license type of nursing personnel was a factor significantly associated with current smoking.
Pacific models of mental health service delivery in New Zealand: Part I: What do we know about Pacific mental health in New Zealand? A narrative review
Authors: Mulder Roger , Sorensen Debbie , Kautoke Staverton , Jensen Seini
Published: July 2019

Objective:

To update measures of mental disorders and service use in Pacific people living in New Zealand.

Method:

A narrative review was conducted of available data on the prevalence of mental disorder, psychotropic drug prescribing and service use by Pacific people.

Results:

The 12-month prevalence of mental disorders in Pacific people was similar to European/Other in 2004. Currently Pacific people report high rates of psychological distress but lower levels of psychiatric disorders. Pacific adults have low rates of drinking but many who drink have a hazardous pattern. While Pacific people previously accessed services less than half the rate of European access, access rates in secondary care are now similar. Pacific people have relatively low rates of psychotropic drug use but these are increasing.

Conclusion:

There is limited evidence about Pacific people’s mental health in New Zealand. Patterns of psychopathology and service use may be different from other ethnic groups. Protective factors in Pacific culture should not be undermined when delivering mental health services.