bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Analysis of the Feasibility of Private Land Assembly for Special Economic Zones in India
Authors: Seshadri Triyakshana
Published: November 2011

India has used export processing zones as a development strategy since the mid 1960s. The performance of these zones did not meet expectations and, in 2001, the government changed the rules and the name, and recast them as special economic zones. Indian special economic zone policy was formulated to facilitate the private development of big industrial townships. This is a significant departure from the typical export zone model, where governments usually develop the zone and invite entrepreneurs to start firms within it. However, the zone policy is unlikely to achieve its objective because of land acquisition problems. This paper analyses the effect of land laws such as land ceiling and land use clauses, and the political nature of land dealings in the context of special economic zone development in India, and concludes that private land acquisition is not possible with the current structure of land laws in India, and that this is a primary problem for the private development in special economic zones in India.
Pregnancy Outcomes Following Use of Escitalopram: A Prospective Comparative Cohort Study
Authors: Klieger‐Grossmann Chagit , Weitzner Brenda , Panchaud Alice , Pistelli Alessandra , Einarson Thomas , Koren Gideon , Einarson Adrienne
Published: November 2011

Escitalopram is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor prescribed for depression and anxiety. There is a paucity of information regarding safety in pregnancy. The objective of this study was to determine whether escitalopram is associated with an increased risk for major malformations or other adverse outcomes following use in pregnancy. The authors analyzed pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to escitalopram (n = 212) versus other antidepressants (n = 212) versus nonteratogenic exposures (n = 212) and compared the outcomes. Among the escitalopram exposures were 172 (81%) live births, 32 (15%) spontaneous abortions, 6 (2.8%) therapeutic abortions, 3 stillbirths (1.7%), and 3 major malformations (1.7%). The only significant differences among groups was the rate of low birth weight (<2500 g) and overall mean birth weight (P = .225). However, spontaneous abortion rates were higher in both antidepressant groups (15% and 16%) compared with controls (8.5%; P = .066). There were lower rates of live births (P = .006), lower overall birth weight (P <.001), and increased rates of low birth weight (<2500 g; P = .009) with escitalopram. Spontaneous abortion rates were nearly double in both antidepressant groups (15% and 16%) compared with controls (8.5%) but not significant (P = .066). Escitalopram does not appear to be associated with an increased risk for major malformations but appears to increase the risk for low birth weight, which was correlated with the increase in infants weighing <2500 g. In addition, the higher rates of spontaneous abortions in both antidepressant groups confirmed previous findings.
The natural ventilation performance of buildings under alternative future weather projections
Authors: Barclay Michael , Sharples Steve , Kang Jian , Watkins Richard
Published: November 2011

Different climate change projections, such as UK Climate Impacts Program (UKCIP02) and 2009 UK Climate projections (UKCP09), have generated a large quantity of data that represent a range of possible future weather scenarios. This article investigates the potential consequences of alternative scenarios for the natural ventilation of non-domestic buildings. The article considers future natural ventilation rates in example buildings, the risk of summer overheating and whether natural ventilation will be a viable thermal control option for future summers. The wind is obviously a key driver of natural ventilation, and a necessary component of building simulation weather files. Problems associated with the generation of wind data from UKCP09 for the natural ventilation analyses are discussed and the influence of differences in weather files on predicted performance considered. These differences are important to the understanding of the consequences for the wider use of UKCP09 derived weather data for building energy evaluation.

Practical applications: Weather data are widely used in practice to evaluate the potential and performance of natural ventilation in non-domestic buildings. The predicted differences in future weather data will have direct implications for the design of naturally ventilated buildings, and engineers will need to be aware of the possible implications these climatic differences will create.
Factors Correlating with Burnout in Practicing Otolaryngologists
Authors: Fletcher Aaron M. , Pagedar Nitin , Smith Richard J. H.
Published: November 2011

Objective

This study sought to determine which demographic and practice characteristics were predictive of professional burnout in otolaryngologists.

Study Design

Cross‐sectional survey.

Setting

Tertiary care hospital.

Subjects and Methods

Postal mailings, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), were sent to alumni of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics otolaryngology program. Participants completed the MBI according to the enclosed instructions. In addition, they answered a brief questionnaire comprising 8 items designed to collect demographic information. The MBI was then scored and subjects were classified according to their degree of burnout. Statistical analysis was then performed, and correlations were used to summarize associations between continuous variables.

Results

This study had a response rate of 49% to the survey. Of the respondents, 3.5% met criteria for burnout syndrome, and 16% were classified as having high levels of burnout according to the MBI. Young age, number of hours worked per week, and length of time in practice were found to be statistically significant predictors of burnout. In addition, the length of time married and the presence of children in the home were also significant predictors of burnout.

Conclusion

The authors report an investigation of burnout in practicing otolaryngologists using a validated instrument with correlation to potentially modifiable risk factors. The experience of burnout was found to correlate significantly with both personal and professional factors, each of which can potentially be addressed to curb the incidence of burnout. Further understanding of the potential risk factors for burnout is necessary to minimize and prevent burnout among practicing otolaryngologists.
Qualitative evaluation of a problem-solving intervention for informal hospice caregivers
Authors: Washington Karla T , Demiris George , Parker Oliver Debra , Wittenberg-Lyles Elaine , Crumb Edith
Published: November 2011

Background:

Informal hospice caregivers may experience compromised well-being as a result of significant stress. Although quite limited, problem-solving interventions with this population have garnered empirical support for improved caregiver well-being.

Aim:

Researchers sought to answer the following question: which specific intervention processes impacted informal hospice caregivers who participated in a problem-solving intervention?

Design:

Researchers conducted a thematic analysis of open-ended exit interviews with informal hospice caregivers who had participated in a structured problem-solving intervention.

Setting/participants:

Participants were friends and family members who provided unpaid care for a home hospice patient receiving services from one of two hospice agencies located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

Results:

During their participation in the problem-solving intervention, caregivers actively reflected on caregiving, structured problem-solving efforts, partnered with interventionists, resolved problems, and gained confidence and control.

Conclusions:

The study findings provide much needed depth to the field’s understanding of problem-solving interventions for informal hospice caregivers and can be used to enhance existing support services.
Factor Structure of the Escala de Autoeficacia para la Depresión en Adolescentes (EADA)
Authors: Díaz-Santos Mirella , Cumba-Avilés Eduardo , Bernal Guillermo , Rivera-Medina Carmen
Published: November 2011

The current concept and measures of self-efficacy for depression in adolescents do not consider developmental and cultural aspects essential to understand and assess this construct in Latino youth. We examined the factor structure of the Escala de Autoeficacia para la Depresión en Adolescentes (EADA), a Spanish instrument designed to assess this construct as experienced by this population. Participants were 116 Puerto Rican adolescents aged 13 to 17 years who completed the EADA and two other self-report measures. An exploratory factor analysis yielded a two-factor solution (Personal Self-Efficacy for Depression and Interpersonal Self-Efficacy for Depression) accounting for 37.57% of the total variance. Results revealed that EADA factors have excellent internal consistency as well as concurrent and construct validity, supporting its adequacy to assess Latino adolescents’ self-efficacy for depression. The conceptual meaning of the factors was consistent with the distinction between aspects of this construct hypothesized to be important among Latino youth.
Motion control and coordination in the development of a conceptual gait rehabilitation system
Authors: Manna Yazan A , Du Fen , Ji Zhiming
Published: November 2011

A conceptual gait rehabilitation system was developed to generate the coordinated motion of the hip and knee joints according to normal physiological gait pattern with a pair of linkage mechanisms (one for each leg). This article presents the design of a mechanical timing mechanism for the motion control and coordination of the linkage mechanisms in the system. The desired motion of the input crank of the linkage mechanism is first obtained for the control purpose. To facilitate the implementation of different modes of operation of the gait rehabilitation system, a combination of cam and planetary gears is developed to achieve both timing and coordination through mechanical means. Motion simulation of the new timing mechanisms shows that the proper timing of the gait mechanisms, thus the hip and knee joints, is achieved with a constant speed input.
It’s Not All About Me
Authors: Grant Adam M. , Hofmann David A.
Published: November 2011

Diseases often spread in hospitals because health care professionals fail to wash their hands. Research suggests that to increase health and safety behaviors, it is important to highlight the personal consequences for the actor. However, because people (and health care professionals in particular) tend to be overconfident about personal immunity, the most effective messages about hand hygiene may be those that highlight its consequences for other people. In two field experiments in a hospital, we compared the effectiveness of signs about hand hygiene that emphasized personal safety (“Hand hygiene prevents you from catching diseases”) or patient safety (“Hand hygiene prevents patients from catching diseases”). We assessed hand hygiene by measuring the amount of soap and hand-sanitizing gel used from dispensers (Experiment 1) and conducting covert, independent observations of health care professionals’ hand-hygiene behaviors (Experiment 2). Results showed that changing a single word in messages motivated meaningful changes in behavior: The hand hygiene of health care professionals increased significantly when they were reminded of the implications for patients but not when they were reminded of the implications for themselves.
Peripheral blood dendritic cells in alcoholic and autoimmune liver disorders
Authors: Zwolak A , Jastrzębska I , Surdacka A , Kasztelan-Szczerbińska B , Łozowski CT , Roliński J , Skrzydło-Radomańska B , Radwan P , Daniluk J
Published: November 2011

Little is known about effects of alcohol consumption on dendritic cell (DC) function and resultant immune response. However, quantitative and qualitative disturbances of DCs are speculated to be involved in alcohol-related as well as in other liver pathology. The present study aimed to evaluate changes in circulating DC subsets in alcoholic liver disease ( N = 43), autoimmune hepatitis ( N = 26) and primary biliary cirrhosis ( N = 20). DCs isolated from the peripheral blood of recruited participants were stained with monoclonal antibodies against blood dendritic cell antigens (BDCAs) and estimated using the flow cytometry. Myeloid DCs were defined as BDCA-1+/CD19− cells, and lymphoid DCs as BDCA-2+/CD123+ cells. Total numbers of circulating DCs in subjects with some liver diseases were markedly lower than in the healthy participants ( p = 0.03). There was a significantly lower percentage of circulating BDCA-2+/CD123+ ( p = 0.02), and a tendency for the percentage of circulating BDCA-1+/CD19− cells to decrease in patients with liver diseases compared to the controls ( p = 0.09). These results may suggest that decreased numbers of DCs may be responsible for reduced adaptive immune responses and increased susceptibility to infections and cancer development observed in patients exposed to alcohol. Moreover, numerical abnormalities of DCs may contribute to the breakdown of self-tolerance, a feature of autoimmune diseases.
Perceptual Mapping of Hindi News Channels
Authors: Krishnatray Pradeep , Roy Subhadip , Gadekar Rahul
Published: November 2011

There has been a veritable television explosion in India in the last 10 years or so. And nowhere is this better seen than in the Hindi language television space where a number of national and regional channels have emerged vying for the audience’s share of attention. Conducted in two towns (Jaipur and Patna), this article maps the relative position of seven leading Hindi news channels (HNCs) vis-à-vis 10 editorial attributes of news. The study found channel Aaj Tak enjoying a considerable lead over its rivals in both the cities. In addition, the study answers the question: Who watches what channel and what is their demographic profile? The study found differences in the demographic profile of viewers from the two cities emphasizing that viewers’ tastes and preferences have to be examined more deeply than what Television Rating Points (TRPs) indicate.
Ladies of Besiktas: A dismantling of male hegemony at Inönü Stadium
Authors: Erhart Itir
Published: November 2011

Founded by four friends in 2006, the fan group Ladies of Besiktas are supporters of one of the largest football clubs in Turkey, with hundreds of active members and representatives in almost all Turkish cities as well as in Germany and Japan. On their official Facebook page their mission is listed as reconciling the three seemingly contradictory concepts of ‘women’, ‘football’ and ‘fandom’ in Turkey. Their main fight is directed against the gender inequality and violence inside the stadia. They march into Besiktas’s Inönü Stadium dressed in identical black and white scarves and jackets and blow whistles to mute the male fans who use foul language. This article will link the emergence of the fan group Ladies of Besiktas to the political changes in the first half of the 20th century in Turkey and elaborate on its effect on the disruption of gender norms.
Reasons Parents Exempt Children From Receiving Immunizations
Authors: Luthy Karlen E. , Beckstrand Renea L. , Callister Lynn C. , Cahoon Spencer
Published: November 2011

School nurses are on the front lines of educational efforts to promote childhood vaccinations. However, some parents still choose to exempt their children from receiving vaccinations for personal reasons. Studying the beliefs of parents who exempt vaccinations allows health care workers, including school nurses, to better understand parental concerns which may, in turn, help prepare school nurses for effective communication with these parents. The objective of the study was to explore personal beliefs of parents living in Utah, who exempted their children from receiving vaccinations. A cross-sectional, descriptive design was implemented. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 287 parents responding to an open-ended question about why they exempted their children from receiving at least one vaccination. The qualitative data included parental comments, concerns, or suggestions regarding childhood vaccinations. Five categories were identified regarding reasons for personal exemptions: parental perceptions, health care systems issues, chronic disease concerns, immune system concerns, adverse reaction concerns and other reasons not classified. The number of parents refusing childhood vaccinations remains relatively low; however, despite public health efforts, the percentage increases each year.
An Autoethnography of a Face
Authors: Kaufmann Jodi
Published: November 2011

Deleuze and Guattari (1987) suggest that one is a hacceity, an individuation that is not an individual, and a Body without Organs (BwO), multiplicities on a plane of immanence. Hacceities and BwOs flow unimpeded. Without direction they continually change. But on earth, hacceities and BwOs often fold into a singular face as they submit to a machine of faciality, an abstract system that totally integrates signification and subjectification. In this poststructural autoethnography, the author plays with these ideas. Following flows and coagulations, the author uses prose, theory, and drawing to bring to the fore faces and bodies of herself.
The Aesthetics of Qualitative (Re)search
Authors: Noy Chaim
Published: November 2011

The author offers a reflexive recount of an ethnography conducted at a tourist heritage site. Inspired by critical writings on the aesthetics of (social) scientific practices and texts, the author examines ethnographic practices that take place in the conjoined coercive contexts of tourism and national commemoration. A number of affinities between ethnographic, touristic, and commemoration practices are highlighted, and so are the epistemologies on which they rest and types of knowledge(s) that they help produce. These affinities include the role of authenticity and unmediated encounters, collecting and documenting practices, and lastly practices involved in presentation of artifacts (data vs. souvenirs). The narrative account/recount that the author offers involves visual images, and an examination of the technologies that produce and process them. These present the centrality if visuality in both contexts of tourism (photography, gaze, seeing) and contemporary ethnographic practices and the ways that visual images tell and conceal stories concerning the production of knowledge in social science research.
Constituting the Field
Authors: Dimitriadis Greg
Published: November 2011

This article critically explores Harry Torrance’s four-volume edited collection Qualitative Research Methods in Education. The author argues that this text is an important intervention in the constitution of a meta-discourse on qualitative research today. Torrance pays particular attention to the field of education, providing much needed historical and genealogical perspectives on contemporary discussions in the field.
Taking Refuge in the Branches of a Guava Tree
Authors: Mannay Dawn
Published: November 2011

Issues of anonymity of place, participants, and visual images are well documented in social science research (Wiles et al., 2008). However, in this article, I move beyond issues of the immediate concerns of anonymity to a wider application that encompasses the position of research participants, the researcher, and that of individuals who are unaware that they are a focus of research. The research study focused on the experiences of mothers and daughters residing in a marginalized housing area in urbanized South Wales, United Kingdom. The article draws specifically on data that present the darker side of family life and explores the affective landscapes of trust, confidentiality, silence, and the unintended consequences that encroach upon, and beyond, research relationships in indigenous qualitative inquiry.
Race, School, and Seinfeld
Authors: Wamsted John O.
Published: November 2011

Applying the Deluzoguattarian concept of the trace, this article explores interactions between a White teacher and his Black students and the way race is coconstructed therein. Using a short story by the Argentine mystery writer Jorge Luis Borges as a frame, the author connects the poststructural philosophy of the trace to current notions of postracial color blindness. His own experience, however, as demonstrated through autoethnographic sketches, is posited as experiential evidence that contests the chimerical nature of such color-blind claims. A caesura, rather than a conclusion, is reached through a gloss of an episode of the television series Seinfeld. The author believes this piece of pop culture demonstrates the tensions existing between the idealism of postracial color blindness and the realities of the trace.
Long-term stability study of clofarabine injection concentrate and diluted clofarabine infusion solutions
Authors: Kaiser Jeanette , Krämer Irene
Published: November 2011

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical stability of clofarabine (CAFdA) injection concentrate and ready-to-use CAFdA infusion solutions over a prolonged period of 28 days.

Methods: To determine the stability of CAFdA infusion solutions, the injection concentrate (Evoltra®, 1 mg/mL, Genzyme) was diluted either with 0.9% sodium chloride or 5% glucose infusion solution. The resulting concentrations of 0.2 mg/mL or 0.6 mg/mL, respectively, were chosen to represent the lower and upper limit of the ordinary concentration range. Test solutions were stored under refrigeration (2–8°C) or at room temperature either light protected or exposed to light. CAFdA concentrations and pH values were determined at different time intervals throughout a 28-day storage period. Compatibility of diluted CAFdA infusion solutions (0.1–0.4 mg/mL) with different container materials (polyvinyl chloride (PVC), glass, and polypropylene/polyethylene (PP/PE)) was tested over a 48-h storage period. CAFdA concentrations were measured by a stability-indicating reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay with ultraviolet detection.

Results: CAFdA injection concentrate and CAFdA infusion solutions remained physicochemically stable (>90% CAFdA) for 4 weeks. Results are independent of storage conditions, drug concentrations (0.2, 0.6, and 1.0 mg/mL) and diluents (0.9% sodium chloride, 5% glucose infusion solution). Adsorption of CAFdA to container material can be excluded.

Conclusions: CAFdA injection concentrate and diluted infusion solutions in commonly used vehicles are stable for at least 28 days either refrigerated or at room temperature. Physicochemical stability favors pharmacy-based centralized preparation. Due to microbiological reasons, strict aseptic handling and storage of the products under refrigeration is recommended.
Loading profile of topotecan into polyvinyl alcohol microspheres (DC Bead™) over a 7-day period
Authors: Kaiser Jeanette , Krämer Irene
Published: November 2011

Purpose: DC Bead™ is successfully used for chemoembolization of various liver cancers. The purpose of this study was todetermine the loading capacity of the semi-synthetic topoisomerase-1 inhibitor topotecan into the DC Bead™ microspheres under static or agitated conditions and to assess the physicochemical stability over a period of 7 days.

Methods: Commercially available topotecan hydrochloride powder (Hycamtin®) was reconstituted with water for injection to yield a nominal concentration of 1 mg/mL topotecan. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based microspheres (DC Bead™, 300–500 µm, 2 mL/vial) were mixed with 4 mL of the reconstituted topotecan solution. Vials were stored light protected at room temperature under static or agitated conditions for 7 days ( n = 3, for each loading condition). At different time intervals, samples were taken from the excess solution and assayed via a stability-indicating HPLC assay. Drug-loading profiles were determined by measuring the remaining topotecan concentration in the excess solution.

Results: Under agitated conditions, topotecan was loaded into the microspheres rapidly after mixing. After 5 min 86.4 ± 0.1% of topotecan was loaded. Under static conditions, drug uptake was slower. Only 65.0 ± 0% were loaded after 5 min; 86.6 ± 0.1% drug uptake was achieved not until 1 h. Over a storage period of 7 days, topotecan remained loaded in the DC Bead™ microspheres at a level of >90%.

Conclusion: Drug uptake of 4 mg topotecan (1 mg/mL solution) into DC Beads™ was faster under agitated loading conditions. Nevertheless, after 1 h, ∼90% of topotecan was loaded into the DC Bead™ microspheres independent from the type of loading condition. The loading rate remained >90% over the observation period of 7 days and light-protected storage at room temperature. Loading and stability of topotecan-loaded DC Beads™ is suitable and convenient for preparation in a pharmacy-based cytotoxic preparation unit.
Reduced time for urinary alkalinization before high-dose methotrexate with preadmission oral bicarbonate
Authors: Kintzel Polly E , Campbell Alan D , Yost Kathleen J , Brinker Brett T , Arradaza Nicole V , Frobish Daniel , Wehr Alison M , O’Rourke Timothy J
Published: November 2011

Purpose: Hydration and urinary alkalinization are essential for reducing renal dysfunction with high dose methotrexate (HDMTX). This report presents an analysis of institutional methods used to achieve adequate urinary alkalinization and output for patients receiving single agent HDMTX. Renal and metabolic parameters of tolerance were examined.

Methods: Medical records of adult patients receiving HDMTX during the calendar years of 2008–2009 were retrospectively reviewed to determine the time to achieve urine pH > 7. Number of hospital days, bicarbonate dose, ordered hydration rate, urine output, and urine pH were assessed. A survival analysis model was run for time to urine pH > 7 using preadmission oral bicarbonate as a predictor variable and including a frailty term. Observational statistics were performed for other parameters.

Results: The analysis included 79 encounters for ten patients. Urine pH > 7 was achieved more rapidly in patients receiving preadmission oral bicarbonate (P = 0.012). The number of patients receiving HDMTX on the same day as admission was greater for those receiving preadmission oral bicarbonate (47%) in comparison to those who did not (2%), and they spent less time in the hospital. A standard regimen for hydration and urinary alkalinization based on this project is reported. The nature and frequency of adverse events were as expected for this treatment.

Conclusion: At our institution, the time to achieve urinary alkalinization was reduced for patients receiving preadmission oral bicarbonate which facilitated chemotherapy infusion on the same day as admission and decreased the number of calendar days that patients stayed in the hospital.
Change in self-efficacy, autonomous and controlled motivation predicting smoking
Authors: Cupertino Ana-Paula , Berg Carla , Gajewski Byron , Hui Siu-kuen Azor , Richter Kimber , Catley Delwyn , Ellerbeck Edward F.
Published: November 2011

Although motivational interviewing (MI) has been shown to be effective in changing health behaviors, its effects on smoking cessation have been mixed. The purpose of the present study is to assess factors of motivation and self-efficacy as they mediate the relationship between MI and smoking cessation. This is a secondary analysis of an MI based smoking cessation randomized trial. MI counseling was associated with change in smoking behaviors during a 12 months intervention but was not related to autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, or self-efficacy at baseline and 6 months, the hypothesized mediators. This study confirmed the pathway to quit smoking through increase in self-efficacy.
Traveling style: Aesthetic differences and similarities in national adaptations of Yo soy Betty, la fea
Authors: Mikos Lothar , Perrotta Marta
Published: November 2011

The global television landscape in the first decade of the 21st century is a complex terrain of contradictory developments and trends. Since the early years of television the United States has been the most important exporter of TV series, TV serials and game shows. But nowadays times have changed. Admittedly the USA is still the leading nation in selling TV fiction all over the world, but since the deregulation of the TV market in Western Europe in the 1990s Great Britain and the Netherlands are the leading exporters of non-fiction formats like reality shows, Australia sells its soap operas all over the world and Latin American countries are important exporters of telenovelas. At the beginning of the 21st century the Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea made its way around the world. Several countries bought the rights to produce a local adaptation of the format. For example ABC produced Ugly Betty in the United States, the German channel Sat.1 produced Verliebt in Berlin, and there is a Russian adaptation Ne Rodis’ Krasivoy. This article compares several local adaptations of the telenovela: the Colombian original and the adaptations in Germany, Russia, Spain and the USA. It looks at the dramaturgical and narrative proximities and differences of the adaptations and focuses on the textual conditions of international success.
Performance of a perforated submerged semicircular breakwater due to non-breaking waves
Authors: Dhinakaran Govindasamy , Sundar Vallam , Sundaravadivelu Renganathan , Graw Kai U
Published: November 2011

The present experimental research work focused on how a semicircular breakwater performs hydrodynamically under submerged conditions. In the field, a submerged semicircular breakwater may be preferred in front of the vertical breakwater to mitigate the wave forces and to minimize coastal erosion on its lee side. Various parameters affect the hydrodynamic performance of a semicircular breakwater such as the reflection and transmission characteristics, the dimensionless pressures, the horizontal forces and the vertical forces, and these are considered in the present study. Experiments were performed for three different perforations, namely 7%, 11% and 17%, of the exposed surface area with perforations on its sea side (sea-side perforated) and on both sides (fully perforated) owing to regular and random waves. The effect of the water depth was also studied in addition to the effect of perforation. All the hydrodynamic characteristics considered for the present study on the semicircular caisson are presented as functions of the relative water depth, and optimal conditions were determined. The results on the above-stated variables for sea-side-perforated semicircular breakwaters and fully perforated semicircular breakwaters are compared with the results of an impermeable semicircular breakwater.
Trans-Areola Single-Site Endoscopic Parathyroidectomy
Authors: Kang Jie , Fan Youben , Guo Bomin , Wu Bo , Zheng Qi
Published: November 2011

This study presents a case report of parathyroid adenoma, which was managed by trans-areola single-site endoscopic parathyroidectomy. Two incisions were made along the right areola margin. The single subcutaneous narrow tunnel from the areola to neck was bluntly dissected in the right anterior chest. The authors successfully removed the adenoma through this channel. The intraoperative quick parathyroid hormone was decreased to a great extent. The operative time for the whole procedure was 110 minutes. The patient experienced transient postoperative hypocalcemia without recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy. She was very satisfied with the cosmetic results.
A Noncontact Laser-Guided System for Endoscopic Computer-Assisted Sinus Surgery
Authors: Khan Martin , Kosmecki Barotsz , Reutter Andreas , Özbek Christopher , Keeve Erwin , Olze Heidi
Published: November 2011

The limited size of the nose leads to frequent instrument changes in navigated endonasal sinus surgery. Tracked instruments provide limited accuracy, and the pointer gives no navigation information during tissue removal. To overcome information loss, laser triangulation was integrated into navigation information. Accuracy and reliability of the laser-assisted distance-measuring system were evaluated within the distance of 0 and 20 mm. System accuracy of the laser endoscope was compared with a standard pointer using registration via bone screws and surface matching. Accuracy of the laser was 0.12 mm ± 0.12 mm with a reliability of 0.2 mm. The system accuracy of the laser endoscope was 0.59 mm ± 0.16 mm using bone screw registration and 0.64 mm ± 0.22 mm using surface matching. Additionally, laser endoscope is more accurate compared with the pointer using bone screw registration. Overall, navigation information was successfully integrated into an endoscope by laser triangulation with encouraging results.
The Elements of a Good Case
Authors: Fossey Richard , Crow Gary M.
Published: November 2011

When writing a case for submission to the JCEL, the case writer should always keep in mind the four essential elements of a good teaching case: context, complexity, ambiguity, and relevance.
Amarillo Independent School District
Authors: Broyles Breier Betsy
Published: November 2011

This case, set in the high plateau of the Texas Panhandle, covers the years 1998-2004. The focus is on voting rights. The Amarillo board members, like board members in most Texas districts, were elected at large. Faced with a voting rights lawsuit filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, they opted for cumulative voting rather than creating single-member districts. The case shows how the board maintained unity and avoided ethnic discord by accepting a compromise. Many districts in areas with growing Hispanic populations have or will face voting rights lawsuits. This case sheds light on this challenge and offers an option that most boards may not otherwise consider.
Theory in the organizational sciences
Authors: Ferris Gerald R. , Hochwarter Wayne A. , Buckley M. Ronald
Published: November 2011

In this essay, we further delineate the defining characteristics of theory as well as what constitutes a theoretical contribution in organizational research cultivated by our collective experiences in the field. Additionally, we offer our views regarding the fragmented state of thinking that currently exists, how this view has come about, as well as available remedies. Unfortunately, an accurate and honest treatment requires the realization that many of the problems facing the field are not likely be solved without radical shifts in its philosophy. In our identification of issues and subsequent discussions, we err on the side of candor, which may offend some readers. Others may simply view our beliefs as unduly cynical. However, our intention throughout this essay is merely to “call-em-like-we-see-em” and not to overstate the case or elicit strong emotions or negative reactions. On the other hand, we view it as a disservice to simply reiterate the “party line,” which presents an existing knowledge base that is both robust and accommodating. Clearly, it is neither.
Topologies and the multiplicities of space-time
Authors: Latham Alan
Published: November 2011

Over the past couple of decades, human geography has seen a proliferation in its empirical reach. This proliferation has been associated with a series of ongoing attempts to reconsider the kinds of time-spaces through which the world is made. Responding to Allen (2011) , this article argues that thinking topologically about time-space does not simply add one more spatial register to existing framings of time-space. Rather, in all sorts of ways it challenges these understandings.
C-change? Geographies of crisis
Authors: Larner Wendy
Published: November 2011

It is now widely accepted that this is a period of crisis, although commentators differ as to the appropriate comparisons. This article begins by emphasizing that this is not the first time that social scientists have invoked claims of crisis and qualitative change, then examines geographical accounts of neoliberalism to see how crisis is analysed in this literature. It asks if the geographical frameworks and modes of analysis that emerged are adequate to analyse the current period, identifying the significance of five Cs; namely the ‘credit crunch’, climate change, China and the other ‘BRIC’ economies, crusades or the resurgence of religion, and cyborgism. The article concludes that in order to examine the changing terrains of the five Cs, both individually and collectively, it will be important to carefully consider the processes through which heterogeneous elements are being configured into new political assemblages, the mutations and transformations that happen as an integral part of these redeployments, and the objects and subjects that are being constituted in these new governmental terrains.
Crisis, change, and continuity
Authors: Mansfield Becky
Published: November 2011

This commentary responds to Wendy Larner’s (2011) article regarding contemporary crisis, in which she asks whether the present is a period of change or continuity, and what forms of analysis are appropriate for both understanding and responding to the current situation. A non-essentializing approach to the present allows us to recognize continuity (of, for example, capitalism, racism, or environmental change) while also remembering that patterns and processes of the past are never reproduced exactly. This is crucial for analysis and for more practical responses, which must be premised not on a politics of purity but a politics of messy engagement that proliferates new ways of thinking and being.
Geographies of crisis
Authors: Tamásy Christine
Published: November 2011

This commentary is a response to Larner’s (2011) article ‘C-change? Geographies of crisis’. It applauds her arguments while suggesting that it might be helpful to (re)consider development in the recent period of global(izing) crisis. Furthermore, it discusses what economic geography as a subfield of geography can contribute to better understand C-change.
Choices of crisis
Authors: Baeten Guy
Published: November 2011

This comment on Larner's (2011) article deals with the political power of certain conceptualisations of neoliberalism and questions the Anglo-American ways of reading the history of neoliberalism. The inclusion of key moments of neoliberalisation and crisis outside the Anglo-American world would provide different readings of the processes of neoliberalisation. The ‘choice’ of crises matters for our understanding of the contemporary neoliberal condition.
Lab Accreditation and Credentials in Sonography
Authors: Having Karen M. , Barwick Lee Anne , Collins Kevin Scott
Published: November 2011

There is an increasing demand for sonographer credentials and facility accreditation associated with federal reimbursement of sonography examinations. Therefore, a national survey was conducted to identify the education/certification status of sonographers currently performing studies that receive federal reimbursement. The survey, addressed to sonography administrators, also investigated the sonography laboratory accreditation status. Results indicated that approximately 12% of the sonographers were reported to have no sonography-specific credentials. The primary age range of this group was 25 to 34 years, and 64% were graduates of a two-year (minimum) allied health education program other than sonography. Forty-two percent indicated their sonography lab was not accredited. Should the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) require facility accreditation, there may be a significant impact on sonographer requirements as a condition of employment.
Temporal patterns of occupational asbestos exposure and risk of pleural mesothelioma
Authors: Lacourt Aude , Leffondré Karen , Gramond Céline , Ducamp Stéphane , Rolland Patrick , Gilg Soit Ilg Anabelle , Houot Marie , Imbernon Ellen , Févotte Joëlle , Goldberg Marcel , Brochard Patrick
Published: November 2011

Asbestos is the primary cause of pleural mesothelioma (PM). The objective of this study was to elucidate the importance of different temporal patterns of occupational asbestos exposure on the risk of PM using case–control data in male subjects.

Cases were selected from a French case–control study conducted in 1987–1993 and the French National Mesothelioma Surveillance Program in 1998–2006. Population controls were frequency matched to cases by year of birth. Occupational asbestos exposure was evaluated with a job–exposure matrix. The dose–response relationships were estimated using restricted cubic spline functions in logistic regression models.

A total of 2,466 ever-asbestos-exposed males (1,041 cases and 1,425 controls) were used. After adjustment for intensity and total duration of occupational asbestos exposure, the risk of PM was lower for subjects first exposed after the age of 20 yrs and continued to increase until 30 yrs after cessation of exposure. The effect of total duration of exposure decreased when age at first exposure and time since last exposure increased.

These results, based on a large population-based case–control study, underline the need to take into account the temporal pattern of exposure on risk assessment.
Non-CPAP therapies in obstructive sleep apnoea: mandibular advancement device therapy
Authors: Marklund Marie , Verbraecken Johan , Randerath Winfried
Published: November 2011

Mandibular advancement devices (MADs) represent the main non-continuous positive airway pressure (non-CPAP) therapy for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). The aim of the European Respiratory Society Task Force was to review the evidence in favour of MAD therapy. Effects of tongue-retaining devices are not included in this report.

Custom-made MADs reduce apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) and daytime sleepiness compared with placebo devices. CPAP more effectively diminishes AHI, while increasing data suggest fairly similar outcomes in relation to symptoms and cardiovascular health from these treatments. Patients often prefer MADs to CPAP. Milder cases and patients with a proven increase in upper airway size as a result of mandibular advancement are most likely to experience treatment success with MADs. A custom-made device titrated from an initial 50% of maximum mandibular advancement has been recommended. More research is needed to define the patients who will benefit from MAD treatment compared with CPAP, in terms of the effects on sleep-disordered breathing and on other diseases related to OSA.

In conclusion, MADs are recommended for patients with mild to moderate OSA (Recommendation Level A) and for those who do not tolerate CPAP. The treatment must be followed up and the device adjusted or exchanged in relation to the outcome.
Telemedicine enhances quality of forced spirometry in primary care
Authors: Burgos Felip , Disdier Carlos , de Santamaria Elena Lopez , Galdiz Batxi , Roger Núria , Rivera Maria Luisa , Hervàs Ramona , Durán-Tauleria Enric , Garcia-Aymerich Judith , Roca Josep
Published: November 2011

Forced spirometry is pivotal for diagnosis and management of respiratory diseases, but its use in primary care is suboptimal. The aim of the present study was to assess a web-based application aiming at fostering high-quality spirometry in primary care.

This was a randomised controlled trial with 12 intervention primary care units (PCi) and six control units (PCc) studied over 12 months. All 34 naïve nurses (PCi and PCc) received identical training. The PCi units had access to educational material and remote expert support. Quality of spirometry and usability of the web application were assessed.

We included 4,581 patients (3,383 PCi and 1,198 PCc). At baseline, quality was similar (PCi 71% and PCc 67% high-quality tests). During the study, PCi showed higher percentage (71.5%) of high-quality tests than PCc (59.5%) (p<0.0001). PCi had 73% more chance of high-quality performance than PCc. The web application was better for assessing quality of testing than the automatic feedback provided by the spirometer. Healthcare professionals’ satisfaction and usability were high.

The web-based remote support for primary care by specialists generated a sustained positive impact on quality of testing. The study expands the potential of primary care for diagnosis and management of patients with pulmonary diseases.
Molecular targets and oxidative stress biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma: an overview
Authors: Marra Monica , Sordelli Ignazio M , Lombardi Angela , Lamberti Monica , Tarantino Luciano , Giudice Aldo , Stiuso Paola , Abbruzzese Alberto , Sperlongano Rossella , Accardo Marina , Agresti Massimo , Caraglia Michele , Sperlongano Pasquale
Published: November 2011

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex and heterogeneous tumor with multiple genetic aberrations. Several molecular pathways involved in the regulation of proliferation and cell death are implicated in the hepatocarcinogenesis. The major etiological factors for HCC are both hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus infection (HCV).

Continuous oxidative stress, which results from the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by environmental factors or cellular mitochondrial dysfunction, has recently been associated with hepatocarcinogenesis. On the other hand, a distinctive pathological hallmark of HCC is a dramatic down-regulation of oxido-reductive enzymes that constitute the most important free radical scavenger systems represented by catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase.

The multikinase inhibitor sorafenib represents the most promising target agent that has undergone extensive investigation up to phase III clinical trials in patients with advanced HCC. The combination with other target-based agents could potentiate the clinical benefits obtained by sorafenib alone. In fact, a phase II multicenter study has demonstrated that the combination between sorafenib and octreotide LAR (So.LAR protocol) was active and well tolerated in advanced HCC patients.

The detection of molecular factors predictive of response to anti-cancer agents such as sorafenib and the identification of mechanisms of resistance to anti-cancer agents may probably represent the direction to improve the treatment of HCC.
Piezoelectric-assisted removal of a benign fibrous histiocytoma of the mandible: An innovative technique for prevention of dentoalveolar nerve injury
Authors: Wagner Maximilian EH , Rana Majeed , Traenkenschuh Wolfgang , Kokemueller Horst , Eckardt André M , Gellrich Nils-Claudius
Published: November 2011

In this article, we present our experience with a piezoelectric-assisted surgical device by resection of a benign fibrous histiocytoma of the mandible.

A 41 year-old male was admitted to our hospital because of slowly progressive right buccal swelling. After further radiographic diagnosis surgical removal of the yellowish-white mass was performed. Histologic analysis showed proliferating histiocytic cells with foamy, granular cytoplasm and no signs of malignancy. The tumor was positive for CD68 and vimentin in immunohistochemical staining. Therefore the tumor was diagnosed as primary benign fibrous histiocytoma. This work provides a new treatment device for benign mandibular tumour disease. By using a novel piezoelectric-assisted cutting device, protection of the dentoalveolar nerve could be achieved.
The geometry of canal surfaces and the length of curves in de Sitter space
Authors: Langevin Rémi , Solanes Gil
Published: November 2011

We find the minimal value of the length in de Sitter space of closed space-like curves with non-vanishing non-space-like geodesic curvature vector. These curves are in correspondence with closed almost-regular canal surfaces, and their length is a natural magnitude in conformal geometry. As an application, we get a lower bound for the total conformal torsion of closed space curves.