bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Association Between Home Parenteral Nutrition and Patients With FAP‐Associated Intra‐Abdominal Desmoids
Authors: Shatnawei Abdullah , Habib Monica , Hamilton Cindy , Steiger Ezra , Kirby Donald F. , Speerhas Rex , Quintini Cristiano
Published: January 2013

Background: Intra‐abdominal desmoid tumors (IADTs) are a common complication of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Treatment is not standardized for advanced disease. Medical and surgical treatments may be ineffective in preventing complications, which can cause intestinal failure. Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) can be a life‐saving treatment in these patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the association with HPN in FAP‐IADTs. Methods: A retrospective review of FAP patients with IADTs at the Cleveland Clinic (CC) between 1980 and 2009 was performed. Patients and tumor characteristics were retrieved from the CC Jagelman Registry for Inherited Neoplasms and CC HPN database. Inclusion criteria were FAP‐IADTs and 6‐month follow up at CC. Exclusion criteria were <6‐month follow‐up, lack of 3‐dimensional lesion or sheet desmoid, and/or incomplete medical records. Kaplan‐Meier curves were analyzed for HPN and non‐HPN groups. Results: One hundred fifty‐four patients were included and divided into 2 groups: HPN (n = 41, 26.6%) and non‐HPN (n = 113, 73.4%). The HPN group was more likely to have advanced‐stage disease and significantly higher incidence of chronic abdominal pain, narcotic dependency, bowel obstruction, ureteral obstruction, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, fistulae, and sepsis (P < .05). The need for HPN represented a strong predictor of mortality (5‐year survival HPN = 72% vs non‐HPN = 95%), but duration of HPN did not affect mortality. Conclusion: HPN, although a life‐saving treatment, is an independent poor prognostic factor associated with high morbidity and mortality.
Anatomical Facial Nerve Findings in 209 Consecutive Atresia Cases
Authors: Goldsztein Hernan , Roberson Joseph B.
Published: January 2013

Objective

Describe intraoperative facial nerve findings in 209 consecutive atresia cases. Identify preoperative and intraoperative anatomical variants that should alert the surgeon to potential high‐risk facial nerve anatomy.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary care subspecialty private practice.

Methods

Retrospective review of 209 consecutive atresia cases treated between 2007 and 2011. Descriptive analysis of intraoperative findings. Logistical regression models with generalized estimating equations were used to examine the effect of preoperative variables over the operative findings.

Results

Two hundred and nine consecutive patients (ages 2‐48) underwent atresia repair between 2007 and 2011. Preoperative Jahrsdoerfer Scale was 9 (23%), 8 (42%), 7 (19%), 6 (2%), 5 or less (2%). The facial nerve was found to have an abnormal course in 39% of the cases and not identified in 1%. It was congenitally dehiscent in 53% of cases and was surgically exposed in 10%. The most common site of congenital dehiscence was in the tympanic segment (57%). Facial‐stapes contact was found in 11% of cases. The stapedius tendon was absent in 30% of cases. A single patient had a mild transient postoperative paresis (House‐Brackmann 2).

Conclusion

Atresia repair remains one of the most challenging procedures in otology. In spite of modern preoperative imaging, the facial nerve remains at risk. When performing surgery on patients with preoperative facial nerve paresis and/or lower Jahrsdoerfer scores, the surgeon should be aware of a higher incidence of facial nerve abnormalities. Thorough knowledge of anatomical variations and meticulous surgical technique are mandatory to safely perform these surgeries.
Good News for All? Reflections on the Pentecostal Full Gospel
Authors: Lord Revd Dr Andy
Published: January 2013

Pentecostals have a gospel to proclaim and yet in the rush to share don’t often stop to reflect on the nature of the gospel. This article reflects on the ‘Full gospel’ that is proclaimed by many within classical Pentecostalism, against historical and contemporary considerations. It suggests that there are limits to who the Full gospel is good news for, particularly given the diversity within pentecostalism.
Analysing frequency and temporal reliability of children’s morphosyntactic production in spontaneous language samples of varying lengths
Authors: Tommerdahl Jodi , Kilpatrick Cynthia
Published: January 2013

Spontaneous language samples are a useful tool in studying the nature of morphosyntactic production in both clinical and academic settings. However, little work has been done on typical frequency of occurrence of morpheme production and even less on the degree of temporal reliability of morpheme frequency between samples. This study compares two language samples recorded within a week of each other under similar conditions in a test–retest paradigm for each of 23 typically developing children aged 2;6–3;6 to examine the production of the following morphemes associated with specific language impairment: contracted auxiliary, copula, do as an uncontracted auxiliary, be as an uncontracted auxiliary, third person singular and past tense. Also analyzed were all utterances containing more than one verb. Frequency and reliability of four different sample lengths ranging from 50 to 200 utterances were tested. Results showed generally low degrees of reliability at 50 and 100 utterances, with only limited improvement for most targets at 200 utterances. Clinical implications of these results are discussed.
Apostasy versus legitimacy: Relational dynamics and routes to resource acquisition in entrepreneurial ventures
Authors: Stringfellow Lindsay , Shaw Eleanor , Maclean Mairi
Published: January 2013

This article explores the relational dynamics of legitimation within a professional service venture context, using a Bourdieusian framework to elucidate the struggles for capital and legitimacy that characterise the venture development process. Two profiles of individual business owners who renounce or adhere to established norms of the professional field are identified: apostate and traditional. Small accounting ventures may benefit from improved access to resources if they concentrate on fitting in with prevailing small firm professional logics, eschewing logics from outside the focal field associated with apostates. A model of legitimacy is developed that accounts for the efficacy of institutional and strategic modes of legitimacy relative to the maturity of the field and objectification of its social formations. We propose that entrepreneurial habitus mediates field-level conditions and capital formations that, when combined, create symbolic capital and resource acquisition possibilities.
The older, the wiser? Profiles of string instrument teachers with different experience according to their conceptions of teaching, learning, and evaluation
Authors: López-Íñiguez Guadalupe , Pozo Juan Ignacio , de Dios María José
Published: January 2013

Recent research on music teaching and the curricula proposed in different countries increasingly insists on moving towards teaching centered on managing students’ mental processes according to the constructivist approach. However, studies on conceptions and practices of teaching–learning show that these still largely focus on transmitting the musical and technical knowledge needed to produce the correct sound. Our main aim was to study the conceptions of teaching–learning held by 53 string teachers at elementary levels, and to test how they are affected by the variable teaching experience (in three groups: [a] less than 7 years; [b] 7–14 years; and [c] more than 14 years). We also wanted to determine whether these conceptions give rise to consistent profiles in three pedagogical dimensions: teaching, learning, and evaluation. We collected data by means of a multiple-choice questionnaire, and applied cluster analysis, correlations, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and post hoc tests. Agreeing with prior research, we found three distinct profiles in the answers to the questionnaire: direct, interpretative, and constructive. Teachers’ beliefs were more constructive regarding teaching and evaluation than regarding learning, although younger teachers held more complex positions regarding teaching and learning music, in contrast to much research on teaching-expertise.
A comparative study of polymethylmethacrylate/cellulose nanocomposites prepared by in situ polymerization and ex situ dispersion techniques
Authors: Sain Sunanda , Bose Mousumi , Ray Dipa , Mukhopadhyay Aniruddha , Sengupta Suparna , Kar Tanusree , Ennis Christopher J , Rahman Pattanathu KSM , Misra Manjusri
Published: January 2013

Polymethylmethacrylate/cellulose nanocomposites were prepared by in situ polymerization and ex situ dispersion techniques with 10 wt% loading of cellulose nanoparticles. Cellulose nanoparticles were prepared from jute fibers by acid hydrolysis. The suspension polymerization of methylmethacrylate was carried out in presence of cellulose nanoparticles, which were dispersed in water medium and in situ polymethylmethacrylate/cellulose nanocomposite granules were formed. These granules were dissolved in chloroform, sonicated and films were prepared by solution casting method (IPC). Polymethylmethacrylate granules were prepared by similar suspension polymerization process and made into films by solution casting method. Another set of polymethylmethacrylate/cellulose nanocomposite films were prepared by dispersing nanocellulose powder (10 wt%) in polymethylmethacrylate solution and casting into films (EPC). The unreinforced polymethylmethacrylate and polymethylmethacrylate extracted from IPC films were subjected to size exclusion chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance study. The average molecular weights of neat polymethylmethacrylate and polymethylmethacrylate from IPC were quite close, but the ‘dispersity’ was slightly higher in IPC than that in neat polymethylmethacrylate. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed some shifts in EPC. X-ray diffraction study showed a similar nature of X-ray diffraction curves in all the samples. Transmission electron microscopy of IPC and EPC showed a better dispersion of fillers and formation of a network structure in IPC, whereas in EPC, the fillers were agglomerated. Surface morphology of the films was examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. IPC exhibited a much smoother surface compared to that of EPC indicating a more homogeneous dispersion of fillers. IPC showed a higher modulus of elasticity compared to PMMA and EPC. Differential scanning calorimetry showed a shift of glass transition temperature to a higher one (125°C) in IPC compared to that of polymethylmethacrylate (118°C). Thermogravimetric analysis was done to study the thermal degradation behavior of the composites.
Pharmacological Treatment of Neonatal Seizures
Authors: Slaughter Laurel A. , Patel Anup D. , Slaughter Jonathan L.
Published: January 2013

Pharmacologic treatment options for neonatal seizures have expanded over the past 2 decades, and there is no consensus on optimal treatment strategy. We systematically reviewed the published literature to determine which medication(s) are most effective for treating neonatal seizures, by retrieving trials and observational investigations via PubMed (through August 2011) that focused on pharmacological seizure treatment of neonates (≤ 28 days old) and utilized continuous or amplitude-integrated EEG to confirm seizure diagnosis and cessation. Our search identified 557 initial articles and 14 additional studies after reference reviews, with 16 meeting inclusion criteria. Of these, 2 were randomized trials and only 3 additional investigations included comparison groups. We found limited evidence regarding the best pharmacologic treatment for neonatal seizures, but were able to devise a treatment algorithm from available data. These findings have the potential to serve as a clinical reference and to inform the design of comparative effectiveness investigations for neonatal antiepileptics.
The Role of Identification in Giving Sense to Unethical Organizational Behavior
Authors: Ploeger Nicole A. , Bisel Ryan S.
Published: January 2013

This language production experiment investigates communication’s role in defending, and therefore giving sense to, organizational wrongdoing. The study suggests identification may possibly reduce organizations’ moral learning capacity by encouraging highly identified members to engage in ethical sensegiving of their organizations’ wrongdoing in defensive ways. Working adults ( N = 318) responded to an organizational outsider regarding a gender discrimination lawsuit filed against their organization in one of two scenarios, which presented the organization’s guilt as either ambiguous or certain. Highly identified members used more linguistic defense mechanisms and reported more intense feelings. Additionally, participants in the ambiguous condition used more linguistic defense mechanisms than those in the certain condition. Veteran members reported higher levels of organizational identification and used more linguistic defense mechanisms than newcomers.
When Dual Identity Becomes a Liability
Authors: Simon Bernd , Reichert Frank , Grabow Olga
Published: January 2013

This article examines the role of dual identity in political radicalism among migrants. Dual identity is defined as identification with both one’s ethnocultural minority in-group and one’s society of residence. We employed a longitudinal research design using members of the two largest migrant groups in Germany (Turkish migrants and Russian migrants) as participants. We reasoned that when dual identity is burdened with incompatibility between component identifications, it may foster controversial or even destructive forms of political mobilization, such as radicalism. Multiple regression analysis controlling for other influences confirmed the hypothesized moderated relationship between dual identification and sympathy for radical action. When accompanied by high, as opposed to low, perceived identity incompatibility, dual identification predicted increases in sympathy for radical action among both Turkish migrants and Russian migrants. The implications for public life in ethnically and culturally heterogeneous societies are discussed.
Within-Cohort Age-Related Differences in Cognitive Functioning
Authors: Salthouse Timothy A.
Published: January 2013

It is widely accepted that the level of cognitive functioning can be influenced by characteristics of the environment that change over time. Many developmental researchers have referred to these influences as cohort effects, and have used year of birth as the basis for determining cohort membership. Furthermore, age-related differences in cognitive functioning are sometimes assumed to be primarily attributable to cohort differences, which implies that differences between birth cohorts should be much larger than differences within birth cohorts. Comparisons of composite scores for five cognitive abilities in different people tested at different ages in different years revealed that within-cohort differences across ages were often as large as between-cohort differences across ages. These results lead to questions about the practice of relying on birth cohort to represent influences on cognitive functioning associated with temporal shifts in characteristics of the environment.
‘We’re Finns here, and Russians there’: A longitudinal study on ethnic identity construction in the context of ethnic migration
Authors: Varjonen Sirkku , Arnold Linda , Jasinskaja-Lahti Inga
Published: January 2013

In this article, we examine how ethnic Finnish migrants construct their ethnic identities before and after migrating from Russia to Finland. We use a discursive psychological (DP) approach to analyse our longitudinal focus group data. In the analysis, we focus on the ways in which the participants use category labels, rhetorical devices, interpretative repertoires and other discursive resources in accounting for their identities. We also consider the social functions these identity constructions have over the course of migration. In the pre-migration data, participants mostly presented themselves as Finns. In the post-migration data, a larger variety of self-labels was used and the Finnish identity was explicitly problematized. The three main interpretative repertoires used when constructing identities both in Russia and in Finland were the biological repertoire, the repertoire of socialization and the repertoire of intergroup relations.
Denial of racism and its implications for local action
Authors: Nelson Jacqueline K
Published: January 2013

Literature on modern racism identifies denial as one of its key features. This article examines the discourses of denial that feature in the talk of local anti-racism actors in Australia, and asks what drives these discourses. The research draws on qualitative interviews undertaken with participants involved in local anti-racism in two case study areas, one in South Australia and the other in New South Wales. This article explores the way local participants in the case study areas deployed four discourses to deny or minimise racism: temporal deflections; spatial deflections; deflections from the mainstream; and absence discourses. Place defending and the desire to protect one’s local area from being branded a racist space is discussed as a driver of those local denial discourses. Local denial of racism is also linked to national politics of racism and anti-racism. In particular, the Australian government’s retreat from multiculturalism, and the preference for ‘harmony’ rather than ‘anti-racism’ initiatives, was linked to the avoidance of the language of racism within participants’ responses. The way denial discourses narrow the range of possibilities for local anti-racism is discussed, as is the importance of acknowledgement of racism, particularly institutional and systemic racism. Public acknowledgement of these forms of racism will broaden the scope of local anti-racism.
Feel force control incorporating velocity feedforward and inverse model observer for control loading system of flight simulator
Authors: Zhao Jinsong , Shen Gang , Yang Chifu , Liu Guangda , Yin Liyi , Han Junwei
Published: January 2013

Flight simulator is an essential rig for training pilot, and the control loading system is one of its important components to simulate control force feel of flying in actual airplane. This article states the key factor of control loading system: the disturbance of the flight control displacement on the accuracy of the force loop, that is, the inner loop of control loading system, which affects the fidelity of control force feel simulation. To reduce the disturbance effectively in the inner loop of control loading system, a new strategy, combining velocity feedforward with inverse model observer, is proposed, and the corresponding robust stability analysis is also provided. A transfer function of nonminimum-phase system inverse model, as the inverse model observer, is designed. In order to verify the practical feasibility of the proposed control strategy, experiment is conducted with hardware-in-the-loop-simulation platform based on RT-LAB rapid control prototype. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed control strategy improves the performance of the control loading system effectively.
Modified Smith predictor design for unstable processes with step and periodic disturbances
Authors: Karanam Krishna C , Sivalingam Selvanathan , Ambati Seshagiri R
Published: January 2013

In this article, a modified Smith predictor control scheme is proposed for step and periodic disturbance rejection for unstable processes with time delay. The scheme consists of three controllers: first one for set-point tracking, second one for nonperiodic disturbance rejection, and the third one for rejecting the periodic disturbances and improving the robustness. The set-point tracking controller is designed using the classical direct synthesis method based on the process model without considering the time delay. The nonperiodic disturbance rejection controller is also designed using the direct synthesis method. For further improved disturbance attenuation, a periodic disturbance rejection controller is designed. An analysis for the selection of the closed-loop tuning parameters of the controllers is carried out with the peak value of sensitivity function ( MS) as a robustness measure. The present method gives improved nominal and robust performances for step and periodic disturbances and also improved closed-loop performances when compared to recently reported methods.
Sensitivity of piezoelectric sensors fabricated with various types of commercial PZT powder
Authors: Ha Giap , Hale Jack M
Published: January 2013

This article describes the research on the characteristics of various grades of PZT ceramic powder for use in the manufacture of piezoelectric paint. Batches of water-based acrylic paint were made using these lead zirconate titanate powders and evaluated according to their effectiveness as a paint and the quality of the piezoelectric sensors made from them. Four types of nominally similar PZT (Navy type II) were tested, and a clear conclusion drawn that Piezo Kinetics PKI-502 was the best in this application.
Life Expectancy, Fertility, and Women’s Lives
Authors: Low Bobbi S. , Parker Nicholas , Hazel Ashley , Welch Kathleen B.
Published: January 2013

Women’s reproductive lives vary considerably around the world, yet there are patterns to this variation. We explore reproductive patterns in 177 nations using the framework of human behavioral ecology. In humans, as in other species, there is a normally strong relationship between life expectancy at birth (e0) and age at first birth (AFB). However, in studies of nonhuman species, this relationship is subject to two implicit assumptions: (a) that any population will be representative of the species, demonstrably untrue for humans (Low et al., 2008), and (b) that the relationship between e0 and AFB is at equilibrium. What happens if, as is common in humans, changes occur rapidly in life expectancy? Here we explore the factors influencing how patterns of female life expectancy at birth (e0) have changed since 1955. We examine the world’s worst-off countries (in which e0 did not predict AFB) to see what predicts life expectancy, age at first birth, and total fertility rate (TFR), and discuss how these features of human biocultural diversity may have policy implications for women’s fertility and societal roles.
Biomechanical Performance of a New Device for Medial Malleolar Fractures
Authors: Patel Tejas , Owen John R. , Byrd William A. , Graves Ryan B. , Chande Ruchi D. , Mounasamy Varatharaj , Adelaar Robert S. , Wayne Jennifer S.
Published: January 2013

Background:

Displaced medial malleolus fractures require surgical repair because of the critical role the structure plays in normal joint function. Various approaches exist, but options are limited for small fragment fractures. This study compared repair with the Medial Malleolar Sled fixation system (Trimed, Inc, Valencia, CA) to lag screws in 2 modes of biomechanical loading in a cadaveric model.

Methods:

A Müller type B medial malleolus fracture was simulated on matched pairs of cadaveric lower extremities and repaired with the sled or 2 cancellous lag screws. Tibial distraction (tension, n = 10) or internal rotation (torsion, n = 11) was applied. Fragment movement was measured in the sagittal (tension and torsion) and transverse (torsion-only) planes. Fragment movement at 1 mm and 2 mm (clinical malunion) of gapping during tension and at 2, 4, 6, and 8 N-m during torsion was analyzed via paired t tests.

Results:

In tension, the load at the 2-mm gap was statistically lower for screws ( P = .026). Opening angle was statistically larger for the sled at the 1-mm ( P = .0004) and 2-mm ( P = .008) gap. In torsion, gapping was statistically lower for the sled (ranging from P = .0013 at 4 N-m to P = .0187 at 8 N-m). No differences were detected for opening angle or transverse plane movement.

Conclusion:

The sled appeared stronger in tension and as effective as lag screws in torsion. The sled may be a viable option for fractures too small for 4.0- or 3.5-mm lag screws.

Clinical Relevance:

The sled may be suitable in applications where a tension band would normally be considered and may provide stronger fixation in osteoporotic bone compared with lag screw fixation.
Costs and Benefits of Routine Histopathological Examination of Hammertoe Specimens
Authors: Malzberg Andrew B. , Vulcano Ettore , O’Malley Martin J. , Deland Jonathan T. , Ellis Scott J.
Published: January 2013

Background:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost and benefit of routinely submitting hammertoe specimens for histopathological examination. We hypothesized that such examination rarely shows a new diagnosis and seldom alters postoperative care.

Materials and Methods:

Three hundred and fourteen proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint and 37 extensor tendon specimens from 187 consecutive hammertoe correction surgeries were submitted by 2 surgeons for histopathological examination between January 2009 and December 2011. Each patient’s chart was reviewed to determine whether the histopathological examination revealed a diagnosis other than degenerative joint or degenerative tendon and whether subsequent patient management was altered. The total reimbursements for professional charges were calculated using the average reimbursement from common insurance providers for two Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes: 88304 (soft tissue examination) and 88311 (decalcification).

Results:

Almost all of the specimens were diagnosed as degenerative: 97.5% (307/314) of the PIP specimens and all (37/37) of the tendon specimens. Seven PIP specimens (2.2%, 7/314) from 5 patients (2.7%, 5/187) and no tendon specimens had other diagnoses. These diagnoses were rheumatoid arthritis (5/314, 1.6%), osteomyelitis (1/314, 0.3%), and pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) (1/314, 0.3%). Only the PVNS was a new diagnosis. A total of $56,750 was spent to determine 1 new diagnosis.

Conclusion:

The routine submission of hammertoe specimens for pathological evaluation was not cost-efficient. Our analysis showed that new diagnoses were rarely found and patient management was not affected.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, retrospective case series.
Severity of Diabetic Foot Infection and Rate of Limb Salvage
Authors: Wukich Dane K. , Hobizal Kimberlee B. , Brooks Maria Mori
Published: January 2013

Background:

Foot infections are limb-threatening complications in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), and proper classification of the severity of diabetic foot infection (DFI) is important in determining an effective antibiotic regimen, the need for hospitalization and surgery, and the risk of amputation. Our hypothesis was that patients with severe DFI would have a longer hospitalization than those with moderate DFI. The purposed of this study was 2-fold. The first purpose was to define DFI using readily available clinical information and objective parameters outlined by consensus statements. The second purpose of this study was to assess rates of amputation and limb salvage for hospitalized patients with DFI.

Methods:

The database of a single academic foot and ankle program was reviewed for patients who were hospitalized for a DFI from 2006 to 2011. Inpatient and outpatient electronic medical records identified 100 patients. Severe DFI was defined as having 2 or more objective findings of systemic toxicity and/or metabolic instability at the time of initial assessment.

Results:

The length of stay was significantly shorter for patients with a moderate infection than for those with a severe infection (median 5 days vs 8 days, P = .021). A nonsignificant trend was observed that indicated higher rates of limb salvage in patients with moderate infections compared with patients with severe infections (94% vs 80%, P = .081).

Conclusion:

Patients with severe DFI had a median hospital stay that was 60% longer than that of patients with moderate DFI. In this sample, 55% of patients with a severe DFI required some type of amputation compared with 42% of patients with a moderate DFI.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, retrospective control cohort study.
Assessing the Safe Direction of Instruments During Posterior Ankle Arthroscopy Using an MRI Model
Authors: Yoshimura Ichiro , Naito Masatoshi , Kanazawa Kazuki , Ida Takahiro , Muraoka Kunihide , Hagio Tomonobu
Published: January 2013

Background:

The safety of posterior ankle arthroscopy is still the subject of debate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anatomical relationship between the posterior portals and the neurovascular structures using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the safety of posterior portals in posterior ankle arthroscopy.

Methods:

Forty ankles from 38 patients who had undergone MRI scanning for ankle disorders were assessed (18 males, 20 females). For each ankle, the angles of the presumed position of the portals to the posterior neurovascular structures and the malleoli were measured on 4-mm proximal slices from the anterior tip of the fibula. The shortest distance from the sural nerve and the tibialis posterior neurovascular bundle to the position of the posterior portals was measured.

Results:

The average distance between the posteromedial portal and the tibialis posterior neurovascular bundle was 18 ± 3 mm, whereas the average distance between the posterolateral portal and the sural nerve was 15 ± 3 mm. In 100% of ankles, there were no neurovascular structures lying within the region between the anterior tip of fibula and the posteromedial portal or between the posterior tip of fibula and the posteromedial portal. In 32 ankles (80%), the medial neurovascular structures were present on the medial side of the line running between the anterior tip of medial malleolus and the posteromedial portal.

Conclusion:

The posterior neurovascular structures were not in immediate proximity to where we estimated the posteromedial and posterolateral portals to be located.

Clinical Relevance:

The findings of the present MRI-based study suggest that arthroscopic instruments oriented toward the fibula may be safely introduced into the posterior ankle without injuring the neurovascular structures.
Influence of Approach and Implant on Reduction Accuracy and Stability in Lisfranc Fracture-Dislocation at the Tarsometatarsal Joint
Authors: Schepers Tim , Oprel Pim P. , Van Lieshout Esther M. M.
Published: January 2013

Background:

Besides early diagnosis, an anatomical and stable reduction is paramount for obtaining a favorable outcome. The current study looked at the influence that the type of approach for tarsometatarsal injuries has on the accuracy of the reduction and the effect that the type of fixation has on stability.

Methods:

Consecutive patients treated surgically for an acute Lisfranc injury were included. All radiographs were reassessed for accuracy and secondary displacement following either a closed or an open approach and in terms of the type of fixation (Kirschner wires alone or a combination of screws and plates and Kirschner wires). A total of 28 patients were included. Six patients were treated with closed reduction and percutaneous fixation and 22 with open reduction internal fixation. Sixteen patients were treated with Kirschner wires only (6 closed, 10 open), 7 with screws with or without Kirschner wires, and 5 with medial plating with or without Kirschner wires.

Results:

In the closed reduction group, 2 of 6 (33%) reductions were considered acceptable versus 19 of 22 (86%) in the open group ( P = .021). All 6 secondary displacements occurred in the Kirschner wire fixation group (37.5%) versus none in the rigid fixation group ( P = .024).

Conclusion:

The results demonstrate that open reduction and internal fixation with screws or plate resulted in better reduction and better maintenance of reduction in both low- and high-energy Lisfranc injuries. These results should be further evaluated in light of functional outcome.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, retrospective comparative case series.
Scholastic Journalism Teacher Use of Digital Devices and Social Networking Tools in a Poor, Largely Rural State
Authors: Plopper Bruce L. , Conaway Anne Fleming
Published: January 2013

Research showing adolescents’ ever-increasing use of digital devices, combined with calls from governmental officials to incorporate more technology into classroom activities, prompted this survey of Arkansas scholastic journalism advisers. The goal was to determine how they used digital communication devices in their teaching. Results showed lack of funding, lack of teacher experience, and lack of administrative permission suppressed use of several devices, while student-owned devices were used for a variety of journalism-related purposes.
Update on reproductive safety of current and emerging disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis
Authors: Cree Bruce AC
Published: January 2013

For physicians who care for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), the use of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) during the conception period and pregnancy raises important safety considerations. All DMTs have potential adverse effects on fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and breastfed infants. Although physicians are reluctant to prescribe DMTs to MS patients who are contemplating having a family or are already pregnant, treatment can be warranted in those who have active disease. This review assembles the most current information on the reproductive safety of approved and emerging DMTs drawn from the literature and information supplied by the manufacturers.
The quest for homosexual freedom in Africa
Authors: Jonas Obonye
Published: January 2013

For too long, homosexuals have been considered as failed heterosexuals without the rights to self-realisation that other groups in society have. Persons who exhibit emotional and erotic attraction to members of their own sex have been persecuted both by private individuals in society and by the state. They are punished for not what they have done but simply for their perceived deviance. Their freedom of sexual expression is repressed for its perceived symbolism rather than because of its proven harm. Africa has seen the enactment of a great deal of homophobic violence and drama. This article argues that the persecution of homosexual people violates their fundamental rights and denies them the opportunity to enjoy their full personhood. The article also makes the point that efforts by homosexual people in Africa to secure their recognition and respect of their rights are undercut by the denunciation of gay and lesbian rights by some African leaders. The article further laments the inaction of the African Commission in the struggle for recognition by gay men and lesbians. It argues that the African Commission has a crucial role to play in promoting and protecting gay and lesbian rights, and in particular in seeking to change social convictions and attitudes of African people by embracing homosexuality and appealing to African countries that still legally prohibit the practice to decriminalise it. The article also contends that the African Commission must be the centre of research around this issue to benefit policy makers and other role players to make informed decisions on this highly contentious and emotive issue.
YouTube and the social archiving of intangible heritage
Authors: Pietrobruno Sheenagh
Published: January 2013

Since 2003, UNESCO has promoted and protected the function and values of intangible heritage. A method of safeguarding employed by UNESCO is the storage of videos of immaterial heritage on YouTube. Individuals have also been producing videos of the very practices sanctioned by UNESCO and uploading them to this website. The combining of UNESCO and user-generated heritage videos is producing informal archives of digital heritage. This exploration of YouTube as an archive of intangible heritage examines whether social archiving has the potential to counter official heritage narratives that can reproduce distinctions based upon gender. The capacity of social archiving to challenge gendered divisions is examined through the Mevlevi Sema (or whirling dervish) ceremony of Turkey, safeguarded by UNESCO in 2005. This research, which integrates social media and archive studies with actual and virtual ethnography, considers technical aspects including algorithms as well as social and cultural facets of digital media.
Copyright infringement online: The case of the Digital Economy Act judicial review in the United Kingdom
Authors: Mansell Robin , Steinmueller W Edward
Published: January 2013

The proportionality of the UK Digital Economy Act 2010 which aims to curtail illegal peer-to-peer file-sharing is examined in this paper in the light of changes in online norms and culture. Based on an analysis of recent studies and a critical reflection on the nature of changes in digital media production and file-sharing behaviour, we conclude that the Digital Economy Act introduces disproportionate social costs for UK Internet users, with uncertain prospects for improving creative industry revenues. The wider implications of these developments for the emerging online culture are also considered.
The politics of identity and methodology in African development ethnography
Authors: Geleta Esayas B
Published: January 2013

Since the reflexive turn in sociology and social anthropology, ‘identity negotiation’ and the ‘insider/outsider’ dilemma have been central topics of ethnographic literature. Much of the writings have exposed how the sociocultural biography and the identity of Western researchers interact, contradict and collaborate with the constructed ‘self’ of the participants of research. However, African development researchers have largely focused on describing the substantive component, with only scant analysis of the research process. In this article, illustration of the author’s experiences in the process of undertaking fieldwork on Amhara Credit and Savings Institution, a microfinance institution located in Ethiopia, and its clients, demonstrates that African development ethnographers’ interaction with participants of research is affected by their methodological preference and by their political and cultural identity. The article exemplifies that African development ethnographers are partially inhibited in research process and interpretation by boundaries imposed by their own research orientation and by their political and cultural identity.
Imagining the nation: Symbols of national culture in England and Scotland
Authors: Bechhofer Frank , McCrone David
Published: January 2013

In the UK, the diversity of ‘national’ experiences provides a comparative framework for understanding the salience of national symbols. Using survey data, this article examines which symbols people in England and Scotland see as important to British culture, and to English/Scottish cultures; how their own national identity affects those choices; and the relationship between political and cultural aspects of their national identity. The English and the Scots agree broadly on what constitute important symbols of British culture, but their perceptions of English and Scottish culture differ considerably. The key finding, however, is that people’s sense of their own national identity makes little difference to their perceptions of the important symbols of British culture, whereas at the national level feeling strongly English or Scottish is associated with seeing the ‘national’ flag, the flag of St George and the Saltire respectively, as important. ‘Britain’ remains an important and meaningful concept in symbolic terms even though increasing numbers of English as well as Scots do not define themselves primarily as British.
Chinese Main Melody TV Drama
Authors: Ma Weijun
Published: January 2013

This article analyzes main melody TV drama—an official genre that has emerged in the context of China’s most recent social and cultural transformations when the old socialist TV drama was losing viewership. Focusing on the TV drama Provincial Party Secretary as a case study, the author argues that main melody TV drama reconstructs socialist TV drama with a Hollywoodized creative strategy through which the didactic tradition of socialist TV drama has been transformed from direct propaganda to ideological persuasion. The development of main melody TV dramas since the 1990s indicates that a soft and repackaged propagandistic model has been developed in contemporary Chinese television with the aim of revitalizing the Party’s ideological control over society.
Wrinkle-resistant finish of foam technology for cotton fabric
Authors: Li Ke , Zhang Jianfei , Gong Jixian
Published: January 2013

The cotton fabrics with the character of anti-crease were obtained by introducing foam technology. It is observed from experimental results that cross-linking agent, curing temperature and curing time all have significant effects on the wrinkle recovery angle and the mechanical property of fabrics. In addition, foam ratio plays an important role in the process of one-side finished fabric. We found that in the case of same weight gain of cross-linking agent, wrinkle recovery angle of foam technology is bigger than that of conventional finish, while the strength loss of foam finish is smaller as compared to conventional finish.
Silver nanoparticles loaded thermosensitive cotton fabric for antibacterial application
Authors: Bajpai Sunil Kumar , Bajpai Manjula , Sharma Leena , Yallapu Murali Mohan
Published: January 2013

Cotton fabric with improved antibacterial properties is always invited for effective use in wound dressing and healing applications. In this study, poly( N-isopropyl acrylamide) network has been produced in situ in porous cotton cellulose fabric by photo polymerization using UV-radiation. The thermoresponsiveness of the resulting fabric has been used to entrap silver nanoparticles with the fabric. The presence of silver nanoparticles in the fabric has been characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering analysis. The fabrics have been found to possess fair mechanical properties. The individual and aggregation particle size of the silver nanoparticles was found to be in the range 13–20 nm and 140–220 nm. This aggregation phenomenon was also confirmed by dynamic light scattering measurement, i.e. 256 nm. The silver nanoparticles exhibits polydispersity index 0.18 and zeta potential −2.86 mV. The fabric exhibited fair biocidal action against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, thus indicating its possible utility in medicinal application.
A study of human reaction during the initial stages of a dwelling fire using a Bayesian network model
Authors: Matellini Dante B , Wall Alan D , Jenkinson Ian D , Wang Jin , Pritchard Robert W
Published: January 2013

Probabilistic modelling under uncertainty within the field of fire safety is examined in this article through the application of the Bayesian network technique. A Bayesian network model has been built to represent the initial stages of fire development within a dwelling and the associated events leading to human reaction. The model incorporates both hard and soft data, delivering posterior probabilities for selected outcomes. Case studies demonstrate how the model functions and provide evidence that it could be used for planning purposes and accident investigation. Finally, following a sensitivity analysis, discussion is undertaken on how the model could be further developed to investigate specific areas of interest and how they affect dwelling fires.
Estimating bearing lower bound reliability without past failures
Authors: Lim Chi Keong Reuben , Mba David
Published: January 2013

For operators and maintainers, extension of maintenance intervals is desired to alleviate costs. For aircraft and helicopter components, traditional failure time-based reliability assessment methods can seldom be applied as the reliability is often very high and failure data are often not available. In this article, different approaches using Nelson’s method, Weibull plot equation and probabilistic damage model to estimate a rolling element bearing’s reliability without failure data are reviewed. Two methods are then proposed to improve the reliability assessing the Weibull plot equation and the probabilistic damage model approaches by estimating their lower confidence bounds. In the first proposed method, Monte Carlo simulation is applied with the Weibull plot equation to obtain the variation in the Weilbull slope parameter and then estimate the lower confidence bound. In the second proposed method, probabilistic damage accumulation model is applied to assess the bearing reliability and bootstrap techniques are applied to obtain the lower confidence bound. Both methods are used to assess the reliability of extending the replacement interval of a helicopter gearbox bearing from 2000 to 3000 h and are shown to perform better with the use of Nelson’s method.
Patterns of serum laboratory monitoring for safety and efficacy in patients on chronic statin therapy
Authors: Lowe Rachel N. , Marrs Joel C. , Saseen Joseph J.
Published: January 2013

Objective:

To describe safety and efficacy laboratory monitoring of statin therapy at the University of Colorado Hospital Outpatient Clinics over a period of 3 years prior to the revised United States Food and Drug Administration statin labeling.

Methods:

This retrospective, observational study evaluated serum laboratory monitoring for safety and efficacy of statin therapy between July 2008 and June 2011. Adult patients prescribed chronic statin therapy were included. The primary objective of this study was to describe the frequency of outpatient liver function tests, lipid panels, and creatine kinase for patients on chronic statin therapy.

Results:

A total of 143 patients met study criteria. Over a 3-year period, the mean maximum frequency of measurements per patient of serum hepatic transaminases, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was higher than lipid panel measurements (5.2 ± 4.4 and 4.2 ± 2.0 respectively, p = 0.021). Only 22 of 143 patients (15.4%) had an elevation in ALT or AST. All elevations were less than three times the upper limit of normal and statin therapy was continued without changes in response to these elevations. Creatine kinase, though not a routine monitoring test, was infrequently measured (mean maximum frequency of measurements per patient 0.3 ± 0.8).

Conclusion:

Serum hepatic transaminases were routinely monitored in patients treated with chronic statin therapy. Given the absence of significant serum hepatic transaminase elevations, and clinician response to minor elevations, our data indicate that routine serum laboratory evaluations for statin toxicity are excessive.
Oxidation behaviour of cast Ni–Cr alloys in steam at 800°C
Authors: Essuman E , Walker L R , Maziasz P J , Pint B A
Published: January 2013

To evaluate the steam oxidation resistance of cast Ni base alloy candidates for advanced steam turbine casings, laboratory experiments were conducted at 800°C. Alloys ranged from weaker, solid solution strengthened alloys 230 and 625 to stronger, precipitation strengthened alloys 105, 263 and 740, which are more difficult to fabricate and join. In general, these Ni–Cr based alloys exhibit low mass gains and form thin, protective Cr rich external oxides in 17 bar steam or 1 bar air. However, Al and Ti in these alloys internally oxidise in all cases. After 5000 h exposures, the average and maximum internal oxide penetration depths were measured, and the values were ranked based on the alloy Al+Ti contents. The middle range of Al+Ti compositions investigated, such as for alloys 617, 263, 282 and 740, showed the deepest penetrations. Further characterisation of the reaction products by electron microprobe showed a complex behaviour including significant Ti incorporation into the scale formed in both steam and air, and Ti rich oxide at both the gas and metal interfaces. Based on the Al and Ti contents, the internal oxidation observed in these alloys in steam was atypical.