bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fetal Growth Restriction Is Worse than Extreme Prematurity for the Developing Lung
Authors: Soudée Sophie , Vuillemin Lucie , Alberti Corinne , Mohamed Damir , Becquet Odile , Farnoux Caroline , Biran Valérie , Baud Olivier
Published: August 2014

Background: Perinatal lung growth is highly vulnerable to inflammation and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), two major risk factors for chronic lung disease (CLD) in preterm neonates. However, the balance between extremely low gestational age (ELGA) and IUGR in very preterm infants as risk factors for CLD and co-morbidities remains poorly explored. Objectives: This single-center study aims to compare neonatal morbidity (including CLD) and mortality among ELGA infants with normal birth weight (ELGA-AGA), very preterm infants with IUGR <3rd percentile (VLGA-IUGR) and very preterm infants with a birth weight appropriate for gestational age (VLGA-AGA), matched with VLGA-IUGR infants. Methods: Selected characteristics of the perinatal and neonatal periods were recorded and retrospectively compared among the three groups. Infants with major congenital anomalies were excluded. The diagnosis of CLD was based on whether the infant was receiving supplemental oxygen and/or non-invasive ventilation at a postmenstrual age of 36 weeks. Results: We found that, despite a median difference of 3 weeks in gestational age at birth between VLGA-IUGR and ELGA-AGA infants, neonatal mortality was 35% higher in neonates who had experienced fetal growth restriction, and that VLGA- IUGR was five times more predictive of CLD than was ELGA-AGA. These differences persisted after adjustment for confounding factors such as antenatal steroids, gender and respiratory distress syndrome. Conclusions: This study reports that VLGA-IUGR infants are at higher risk of neonatal mortality and CLD than both ELGA-AGA and VLGA-AGA infants.
The Metabolic Syndrome and Cognitive Decline in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC)
Authors: Dearborn Jennifer L. , Knopman David , Sharrett A. Richey , Schneider Andrea L.C. , Jack Jr. Clifford R. , Coker Laura H. , Alonso Alvaro , Selvin Elizabeth , Mosley Thomas H. , Wagenknecht Lynne E. , Windham Beverly G. , Gottesman Rebecca F.
Published: August 2014

Background: Midlife metabolic syndrome (MetS) may impact cognitive health as a construct independently of hypertension, hyperlipidemia and other components. Methods: 10,866 participants aged 45-64 years at baseline were assessed for MetS and completed cognitive testing at two later time points (3 and 9 years from the baseline visit). Results: MetS is associated with increased odds of low cognitive performance in the domains of executive function and word fluency, but not with 6-year cognitive decline. Individual MetS components explained this association (hypertension, diabetes, low HDL, elevated triglycerides and increased waist circumference). Conclusions: A focus on the individual risk factors as opposed to MetS during midlife is important to reduce the incidence of cognitive impairment in later life.
Necrotizing Enterocolitis: The Mystery Goes On
Authors: Neu Josef
Published: August 2014

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) has largely been present in neonatal intensive care units for the past 60 years. NEC prevalence has corresponded with the continued development and sophistication of neonatal intensive care. Despite major efforts towards its eradication, NEC has persisted and appears to be increasing in some centers. The pathophysiology of this disease remains poorly understood. Several issues have hampered our quest to develop a better understanding of this disease. These include the fact that what we have historically termed ‘NEC' appears to be several different diseases. Animal models that are commonly used to study NEC pathophysiology and treatment do not directly reflect the most common form of the disease seen in human infants. The pathophysiology appears to be multifactorial, reflecting several different pathways to intestinal necrosis with different inciting factors. Spontaneous intestinal perforations, ischemic bowel disease secondary to cardiac anomalies as well as other entities that are clearly different from the most common form of NEC seen in preterm infants have been put into the same database. Here I describe some of the different forms of what has been called NEC and make some comments on its pathophysiology, where available studies suggest involvement of genetic factors, intestinal immaturity, hemodynamic instability, inflammation and a dysbiotic microbial ecology. Currently utilized approaches for the diagnosis of NEC are presented and innovative technologies for the development of diagnostic and predictive biomarkers are described. Predictions for future strategies are also discussed.
Acute Isolated Dysarthria Is Associated with a High Risk of Stroke
Authors: Beliavsky Alina , Perry Jeffrey J. , Dowlatshahi Dar , Wasserman Jason , Sivilotti Marco L.A. , Sutherland Jane , Worster Andrew , Émond Marcel , Stotts Grant , Jin Albert Y. , Oczkowski Wieslaw J. , Sahlas Demetrios J. , Murray Heather E. , MacKey Ariane , Verreault Steve , Wells George A. , Stiell Ian G. , Sharma Mukul
Published: August 2014

Background: Isolated dysarthria is an uncommon presentation of transient ischemic attack (TIA)/minor stroke and has a broad differential diagnosis. There is little information in the literature about how often this presentation is confirmed to be a TIA/stroke, and therefore there is debate about the risk of subsequent vascular events. Given the uncertain prognosis, it is unclear how to best manage patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with isolated dysarthria. The objective of this study was to prospectively identify and follow a cohort of patients presenting to EDs with isolated dysarthria in order to explore their natural history and risk of recurrent cerebrovascular events. Specifically, we sought to determine early outcomes of individuals with this nonspecific and atypical presentation in order to appropriately expedite their management. Methods: Patients with isolated dysarthria having presented to 8 Canadian EDs between October 2006 and April 2009 were analyzed as part of a prospective multicenter cohort study of patients with acute neurological symptoms as assessed by emergency physicians. The study inclusion criteria were age ≥18 years, a normal level of consciousness, and a symptom onset <1 week prior to presentation without an established nonvascular etiology. The primary outcome was a subsequent stroke within 90 days of the index visit. The secondary outcomes were the rate of TIA, myocardial infarction, and death. Isolated dysarthria was defined as slurring with imprecise articulation but without evidence of language dysfunction. The overall rate of stroke in this cohort was compared with that predicted by the median ABCD2 score for this group. Results: Between 2006 and 2009, 1,528 patients were enrolled and had a 90-day follow-up. Of these, 43 patients presented with isolated acute-onset dysarthria (2.8%). Recurrent stroke occurred in 6/43 (14.0%) within 90 days of enrollment. The predicted maximal 90-day stroke rate was 9.8% (based on a median ABCD2 score of 5 for the isolated dysarthria cohort). After adjusting for covariates, isolated dysarthria independently predicted stroke within 90 days (aOR: 3.96; 95% CI: 1.3-11.9; p = 0.014). Conclusions: The isolated dysarthria cohort carried a recurrent stroke risk comparable to that predicted by the median ABCD2 scores. Although isolated dysarthria is a nonspecific and uncommon clinical presentation of TIA, these findings support the need to view it first and foremost as a vascular presentation until proven otherwise and to manage such patients as if they were at high risk of stroke in accordance with established high-risk TIA guidelines.
Critical Role of the GM-CSF Signaling Pathway in Macrophage Pro-Repair Activities
Authors: Bernasconi Eric , D'Angelo Fabrizia , Michetti Pierre , Velin Dominique
Published: August 2014

Objective: Macrophages play a critical role in intestinal wound repair. However, the molecular pathways that regulate macrophage wound repair activities remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of GM-CSF receptor signaling in the wound repair activities of macrophages. Methods: Murine macrophages were differentiated from bone marrow cells and human macrophages from monocytes isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of Crohn's disease (CD) patients. In vitro models were used to study the repair activities of macrophages. Results: We provide evidence that GM-CSF receptor signaling is required for murine macrophages to promote epithelial repair. In addition, we demonstrate that the deficient repair properties of macrophages from CD patients with active disease can be recovered via GM-CSF therapy. Conclusion: Our data support a critical role of the GM-CSF signaling pathway in the pro-repair activities of mouse and human macrophages.
Can Serum Pin1 Level Be Regarded as an Indicative Marker of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis and Fibrotic Stages?
Authors: Cengiz Mustafa , Ozenirler Seren , Yücel Aysegul Atak , Yılmaz Guldal
Published: August 2014

Background: We aimed to investigate serum Pin1 as an indicator of the presence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and its association with the histopathological liver fibrosis stages. Methods: Serum samples were collected from consecutive biopsy-proven NASH patients and healthy controls, and then serum levels of Pin1 were measured. The correlations between clinical and histopathological features of NASH and Pin1 were evaluated. Patients who had fibrotic stages <2 were termed mild fibrosis group and those who had ≥2 as advanced fibrosis group. We performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to evaluate the independent predicting factors for the presence of liver fibrosis caused by NASH. Results: Fifty-six consecutive NASH patients and 56 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Serum Pin1 levels were significantly higher in NASH patients (39.24 ± 30.94) than in controls (27.7 ± 9.56, p < 0.001). In NASH patients, serum Pin1 levels were correlated with the histopathological features. Patients with advanced fibrosis had higher serum Pin1 levels than the mild fibrosis group (53.42 ± 33.8 vs. 33.24 ± 20.90, respectively; p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, Pin1 remained an independent predicting factor of advanced liver fibrosis (OR: 1.051, 95% CI: 1.013-1.089, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Serum Pin1 level can be used as a potential independent marker of the presence of the NASH and advanced fibrotic scores.
Quantification of Left Ventricular Interstitial Fibrosis in Asymptomatic Chronic Primary Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation
Authors: Edwards Nicola C. , Moody William E. , Yuan Mengshi , Weale Peter , Neal Desley , Townend Jonathan N. , Steeds Richard P.
Published: August 2014

Background—

The optimum timing of surgery in asymptomatic patients with chronic severe primary degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR) remains controversial, and further markers are needed to improve decision-making. There are limited data that wall stress is increased in MR and may result in ventricular fibrosis. We investigated the hypothesis that chronic volume overload in MR is a stimulus for myocardial fibrosis using T1-mapping cardiac MRI.

Methods and Results—

A cross-sectional study of 35 patients (age 60±14 years) with asymptomatic moderate and severe primary degenerative MR (mean effective regurgitant orifice area, 0.45±0.25 cm)

2

with no class I indication for surgery were compared with age and sex controls. Subjects were studied with cardiopulmonary exercise testing, echocardiography, and cardiac MRI.

Longitudinal and circumferential myocardial deformation was reduced with MR when left ventricular ejection fraction (67%±10%) and N-terminal pro B Natriuretic peptide (126 [76–428] ng/L) were within the normal range. Myocardial extracellular volume was increased (0.32±0.07 versus 0.25±0.02,
P
<0.01) and was associated with increased left ventricular end-systolic volume index (
r
=0.62,
P
<0.01), left atrial volume index (
r
=0.41,
P
<0.05) but lower left ventricular ejection fraction (
r
=−0.60,
P
<0.01), longitudinal function (mitral annular plane systolic excursion,
r
=−0.46,
P
<0.01), and peak V
O
2 max
(
r
=−0.51,
P
<0.05). In a multivariable regression model, left ventricular end-systolic volume index and left atrial volume index were independent predictors of extracellular volume (
r
2
=0.42,
P
<0.01).

Conclusions—

Patients with asymptomatic MR demonstrate a spectrum of myocardial fibrosis associated with reduced myocardial deformation and reduced exercise capacity. Future work is warranted to investigate whether left ventricle fibrosis affects clinical outcomes.
Corporate and State Responsibilities in Conflict-Affected Areas
Authors: Mares Radu
Published: August 2014

Some of the emblematic cases of corporate-related infringements of human rights have appeared in unstable and violence-ridden zones, including armed conflict and other contexts with lower levels of conflict, internal disturbances, widespread violence and latent tensions. Businesses have been involved in different ways, as direct perpetrators, accomplices or mere trading partners. This article tracks the issue of conflict-affected areas as elaborated in the United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights during the Special Representative’s mandate (2005–2011) and the post-mandate period of 2011–2014, especially by looking at the UN Working Group on business and human rights and the emerging National Action Plans. Conflict was a theme of high priority during John Ruggie’s UN mandate but lost visibility in the post-2011 period. What could explain this change? This article analyses in depth the relevant provisions in the UN Guiding Principles, particularly Principle 7, and how stakeholders have responded to the Special Representative’s policy recommendations. The results of this analysis indicate that, contrary to appearances, Principle 7 is not merely an operational, context-specific principle limited to conflict-affected zones where the host state is incapacitated by conflict; rather Principle 7 should be seen as a foundational principle about gross abuses, about the responsibilities of home states to act preventively and reactively when ‘their’ companies are involved in gross abuses in conflict-affected areas and beyond.
The Fulfilment of Norway’s International Legal Obligations to the Sámi – Assessed by the Protection of Rights to Lands, Waters and Natural Resources
Authors: Ravna Øyvind
Published: August 2014

During the two last decades of the 20th century, Norway has undertaken several commitments pursuant to international law that protect Sámi lands, culture, language and way of life. Norway’s 1988 constitutional amendment framed after the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Article 27 and the ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention no. 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries in 1990 are the most prominent of these. The adoption of the 1999 Norwegian Human Rights Act incorporating the ICCPR as internal Norwegian law should also be mentioned. This article examines how Norway complies with the international legal obligations the country has undertaken to protect the indigenous Sámi culture, in relation to land-based renewal resources, marine resources, and mineral resources.
Thucydides in Wartime: Reflecting on Democracy and its Discontents
Authors: Lee Christine
Published: August 2014

The challenge of democratic statecraft is a recurring subject matter in twentieth- and twenty-first century wartime expositions of Thucydides’ History. This article examines the readings of two American scholars with great public presence, Donald Kagan and Victor Davis Hanson, showing how they reflect enduring anxieties about the promise and perils of liberal democracy in a hostile world. I engage in close analysis of their pre- and post-9/11 interpretations of Thucydides in order to ascertain their judgments about democracy. Kagan and Hanson both use the History to defend democracy, but in ways that are at odds with their implicit criticisms of democratic politics. We can make sense of this tension by appreciating the performative dimension of their readings of Thucydides. Beyond distilling Thucydides for a general audience, their readings enact a response to concerns about democratic weakness with an account of democratic virtues. Their hermeneutic strategies are thus implicated in rhetorical politics that may have deleterious, if unintended, consequences for the democracy they seek to defend. I conclude by illustrating how Kagan and Hanson are paradigmatic rather than idiosyncratic. Their democratic exceptionalism finds echoes in leftist interpretations of ancient Greece and post-Cold War empirical political science.1
Who’s Happy in Plato’s Republic?
Authors: Culp Jonathan
Published: August 2014

Plato’s Republic suggests that everyone is better off being just than unjust, yet scholars have disputed whether Plato actually proves it. It is especially unclear whether the Republic shows that non-philosophers are better off being just. I argue that, despite appearances to the contrary, Plato knowingly offers no convincing proof of this, though it is reasonable to infer from the text that Plato genuinely believes it. Thus, the Republic comes to light as a complex piece of protreptic rhetoric: offering an exhortation (‘Be just!’) while withholding the rational basis for that exhortation – thus provoking philosophic inquiry rather than concluding it.
Jefferson’s Platonic Republicanism
Authors: Holowchak M. Andrew
Published: August 2014

That Jefferson execrated Plato in an 1814 letter to friend John Adams. In it, he expresses an unsympathetic, hostile view of Plato’s Republic, and the reasons are several. Nonetheless, Plato’s views on what makes government fundamentally sound are, at base, remarkably similar to Jefferson’s both in substance and sentiment, so much so that it is inconceivable to think that Plato’s Republic had little effect on Jefferson’s political thinking. That makes his execration of Plato difficult to understand.

This paper is an attempt to show that Jefferson, despite the tenor of his letter to Adams, had much more than a dilettante’s grasp of the political content of Plato’s major work. Jefferson was very likely quite familiar with the work, since his own political philosophy assimilates key substratal Platonic political principles of good, stable governing. His disavowal of the work and execration of Plato, then, is due to a constellation of other factors: Adams’s feelings toward Plato, Jefferson’s views on the corruptions of Jesus’s teachings, his deep-dyed detestation of metempiricism, his view that Plato was an unoriginal thinker, and strong disagreement with Plato’s means to instantiate substratal political principles.
An annotated Checklist of the Italian Butterflies and Skippers
(Papilionoidea, Hesperiioidea)
Authors: BALLETTO EMILIO , CASSULO LUIGI A. , BONELLI SIMONA
Published: August 2014

We present here an updated checklist of the Italian butterflies (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea) organised in the following sections (tables):1. Introduction, providing a broad outline of the paper.2. Checklist proper, summarised in a table, listing, in separate columns:a. Indications of endemicity (sub-endemic, Italian endemic).b. The relevant Annex in the Habitats Directive (legally protected species).c. Threat levels (in Europe: for threatened species only).d. A serial number (whose format is uniform across all Italian animal groups). This number runs throughout all the following tables (see 3, 4).e. Name, author, date of publication.f. Schematic overall indication of each specie’s Italian range (N[orth], S[outh], Si[icily], Sa[rdinia]).3. Nomenclature, containing basic nomenclatural details for all listed genera, species and some of the generally or historically recognised subspecies and synonyms.4. Notes, where a variety of other information is provided, on a name by name (family, subfamily, genus, species, subspecies) basis. All remaining doubts as concerns each individual case are clearly stated.                The number of nominal species listed in the previous edition of this checklist, published almost 20 years ago, was 275, whereas it has raised to 290 in the current list. The status of about a dozen of these remains controversial, as discussed in the text. The present checklist is meant to provide an update of the Italian butterfly fauna, taking into account all relevant publications, and tries to explain all nomenclatural changes that had to be introduced, in the appropriate section. Many detailed comments are offered, when necessary or useful, in the notes.
Intercomparisons of CloudSat and Ground-Based Radar Retrievals of Rain Rate over Land
Authors: Matrosov Sergey Y.
Published: August 2014

Experimental retrievals of rain rates using the CloudSat spaceborne 94-GHz radar reflectivity gradient method over land were evaluated by comparing them with standard estimates from ground-based operational S-band radar measurements, which are widely used for quantitative precipitation estimations. The comparisons were performed for predominantly stratiform precipitation events that occurred in the vicinity of the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) KGWX and KSHV radars during the CloudSat overpasses in the vicinity of these ground radar sites. The standard reflectivity-based WSR-88D rain-rate retrievals used in operational practice were utilized as a reference for the CloudSat retrieval evaluation. Spaceborne and ground-based radar rain-rate estimates that were closely collocated in space and time were generally well correlated. The correlation coefficients were approximately 0.65 on average, and the mean relative biases were usually within ±35% for the whole dataset and for individual events with typical rain rates exceeding ~2 mm h−1. For events with lighter rainfall, higher biases and lower correlations were often present. The normalized mean absolute differences between satellite- and ground-based radar retrievals were on average ~60%, with an increasing trend for lighter rainfall. Such mean differences are comparable to combined retrieval errors from both ground-based and satellite radar remote sensing approaches. Evaluation of potential effects of partial beam blockage on the ground-based radar measurements was performed, and the influence of the choice of relation between WSR-88D reflectivity and rain rate that was utilized in the ground-based rain-rate retrievals was assessed.
The Parity Penalty in Life Course Perspective
Authors: Abendroth Anja-Kristin , Huffman Matt L. , Treas Judith
Published: August 2014

Research documents a wage penalty for mothers compared to childless women. We demonstrate there is also an occupational status penalty to motherhood. Interrogating supply- and demand-side explanations of the motherhood penalty from the life course perspective, we formulate and test original hypotheses about the short-term and long-run career implications of parity-specific births. We analyze longitudinal data from the European Community and Household Panel for 13 European countries and eight time points between 1994 and 2001. Our fixed-effects models show that status losses for a first birth are not just short-term but accumulate over the career. The timing of a birth in a woman’s life course matters only for older women, who experience a significant penalty to third births. Although the personal strategies that women use to minimize the career costs of motherhood (e.g., having only one child) prove ineffective, our cross-national evidence shows that public policies are linked to the motherhood penalty in occupational status.
Unique Migration of a Dental Needle Into the Parapharyngeal Space
Authors: Okumura Yuri , Hidaka Hiroshi , Seiji Kazumasa , Nomura Kazuhiro , Takata Yusuke , Suzuki Takahiro , Katori Yukio
Published: August 2014

Objectives:

The first objective was to describe a novel case of migration of a broken dental needle into the parapharyngeal space. The second was to address the importance of simulation elucidating visualization of such a thin needle under X-ray fluoroscopy.

Methods:

Clinical case records (including computed tomography [CT] and surgical approaches) were reviewed, and a simulation experiment using a head phantom was conducted using the same settings applied intraoperatively.

Results:

A 36-year-old man was referred after failure to locate a broken 31-G dental needle. Computed tomography revealed migration of the needle into the parapharyngeal space. Intraoperative X-ray fluoroscopy failed to identify the needle, so a steel wire was applied as a reference during X-ray to locate the foreign body. The needle was successfully removed using an intraoral approach with tonsillectomy under surgical microscopy. The simulation showed that the dental needle was able to be identified only after applying an appropriate compensating filter, contrasting with the steel wire.

Conclusion:

Meticulous preoperative simulation regarding visual identification of dental needle foreign bodies is mandatory. Intraoperative radiography and an intraoral approach with tonsillectomy under surgical microscopy offer benefits for accessing the parapharyngeal space, specifically for cases medial to the great vessels.
Breastfeeding in African Americans May Not Depend on Sleep Arrangement
Authors: Kadakia Ashaini , Joyner Brandi , Tender Jennifer , Oden Rosalind , Moon Rachel Y.
Published: August 2014

Background. Despite high bedsharing rates, breastfeeding rates are low among African Americans. Objective. Describe the association between breastfeeding and bedsharing; elucidate barriers to breastfeeding in African Americans. Methods. African American mothers with infants <6 months were recruited for this cross-sectional, mixed-methods study and completed an infant care practices survey. A subgroup participated in focus groups or individual interviews. Results. A total of 412 completed the survey; 83 participated in a focus group or interview. Lower socioeconomic status mothers were more likely to breastfeed exclusively or at all if they bedshared ( P = .02 and P = .01, respectively). Bedsharing was not associated with breastfeeding among higher socioeconomic status mothers. Breast pain, lack of support, and maternal skepticism about breastfeeding benefits were barriers; the latter was a recurrent theme among nonbreastfeeding mothers. Conclusions. While bedsharing is associated with breastfeeding in lower socioeconomic groups, it is not in higher socioeconomic African American groups. Skepticism about breastfeeding benefits may contribute to low breastfeeding rates in African Americans.
Disaster politics or disaster of politics? Post-tsunami conflict transformation in Sri Lanka and Aceh, Indonesia
Authors: Klitzsch Nicole
Published: August 2014

Recent conflict research acknowledges the long-ignored intertwined nature of social conflict and environmental vulnerability; findings show that natural disasters affecting conflict regions can catalyse pre-disaster conflict developments. It is, however, unclear why disasters sometimes contribute to conflict escalation and sometimes to mitigating conflict. Drawing from the contrasting post-tsunami experiences of Sri Lanka and the Indonesian province of Aceh, this article investigates the tipping effects and asymmetrical impact of international relations, political participation and economic sustainability on post-disaster peacebuilding. Evidence shows that the domestic capacity for peacebuilding critically depends on the nature of international support. While Sri Lanka and Indonesia have many similarities, the latter’s major geopolitical relevance guaranteed sufficient, credible and targeted peacebuilding support, while the former received limited support and faced competing internal demands from Tamil and Sinhalese areas, thereby further restricting the potential for effective peacebuilding.
Perceived barriers to hearing protection use by employees in amplified music venues, a focus group study
Authors: Kelly Aoife C , Boyd Sara M , Henehan Gary TM
Published: August 2014

Objective:

It is a legal requirement for employees in noisy workplaces such as nightclubs to be provided with suitable information regarding their noise exposure risks, used a focus group approach to examine employees’ attitudes to workplace noise and to hearing protection use. The subsequent analysis was based on an adapted Health Belief Model.

Design/Setting:

A total of five focus group interviews were conducted in three nightclubs between July and October 2011. The 32 participants were employees in nightclubs that were shown to have daily noise exposures in excess of 80 dBA.

Method:

A tailor-made noise-training programme was designed using the combined Health Belief Model and Health Promotion Model as a framework.

Results:

The focus groups provided a deeper level of understanding of the barriers faced by the employees to hearing protection use and issues with management engagement. Participants were fatalistic, and although they acknowledged that exposure to noise in nightclubs could lead to hearing loss in the distant future, they felt there was very little that they could do to prevent it from happening.

Conclusion:

The focus groups offered insight into the barriers faced by the employees, especially relating to hearing protection use and management engagement. Findings from this study may be used to design sector-specific noise awareness training content designed to address the adapted Health Belief Model constructs identified here.
Reducing adult obesity in childhood: Parental influence on the food choices of children
Authors: Watkins Francine , Jones Sue
Published: August 2014

Objective:

The aim of this study was to identify the complexities and pressures faced by parents when trying to embed knowledge of healthy eating in their children’s lifestyles.

Design:

Qualitative design using focus groups with parents and children aged 10 to 11 years.

Methods:

The research was conducted in two phases. The first phase involved five focus groups with 47 children. The results of these focus groups then informed the development of a second phase consisting of three focus groups with 15 parents of these children. The findings from the children’s focus groups were then discussed with parents to explore their understandings and perceptions of how children perceived health, diet and lifestyle.

Results:

Parents are one of the main influences when it comes to shaping their children’s decisions in relation to healthy eating. Children, but also parents, appeared to only have a partial knowledge about food and diet, and parents did not know how to translate this knowledge into decisions about healthy eating. Parents in this study felt under pressure when trying to incorporate healthy messages within the context of their own lives and they also wanted to feel more confident about the role they can play in the nutritional choices of their children.

Conclusion:

Healthy eating strategies may need to move away from focusing solely on parents as conduits of knowledge but instead see both them and their children as playing an active part in designing interactive strategies about making healthy food choices.
Engendering two solitudes? Media representations of women in combat in Quebec and the rest of Canada
Authors: Chapman (née Carrier) Krystel , Eichler Maya
Published: August 2014

This article brings gender into the two-solitudes debate in Canadian foreign and defence policy by analyzing English- and French-Canadian newspaper coverage of women in combat in Afghanistan. We argue that there are no “two solitudes”—no national divisions are apparent between Quebec and the rest of Canada (ROC) when it comes to media representations of women in combat. Our findings confirm what other scholars have recently argued, which is that differences between the two solitudes on issues of defence policy may be less significant than often stated. The narrative of female combat soldiers presented in the media helps construct a pan-Canadian identity around the idea of Canada’s progressiveness on military gender integration. We also found that the extent to which the death of a female combat soldier received media attention was largely based on her origin from Quebec or the ROC. These differences lead us to conclude that a selective heroization of soldiers on the basis of their origins affects Canadian media coverage of the war.
Multiphasic Scaffolds for Periodontal Tissue Engineering
Authors: Ivanovski S. , Vaquette C. , Gronthos S. , Hutmacher D.W. , Bartold P.M.
Published: August 2014

For a successful clinical outcome, periodontal regeneration requires the coordinated response of multiple soft and hard tissues (periodontal ligament, gingiva, cementum, and bone) during the wound-healing process. Tissue-engineered constructs for regeneration of the periodontium must be of a complex 3-dimensional shape and adequate size and demonstrate biomechanical stability over time. A critical requirement is the ability to promote the formation of functional periodontal attachment between regenerated alveolar bone, and newly formed cementum on the root surface. This review outlines the current advances in multiphasic scaffold fabrication and how these scaffolds can be combined with cell- and growth factor–based approaches to form tissue-engineered constructs capable of recapitulating the complex temporal and spatial wound-healing events that will lead to predictable periodontal regeneration. This can be achieved through a variety of approaches, with promising strategies characterized by the use of scaffolds that can deliver and stabilize cells capable of cementogenesis onto the root surface, provide biomechanical cues that encourage perpendicular alignment of periodontal fibers to the root surface, and provide osteogenic cues and appropriate space to facilitate bone regeneration. Progress on the development of multiphasic constructs for periodontal tissue engineering is in the early stages of development, and these constructs need to be tested in large animal models and, ultimately, human clinical trials.
Performing Modularity: Competing Rules, Performative Struggles and the Effect of Organizational Theories on the Organization
Authors: D’Adderio Luciana , Pollock Neil
Published: August 2014

We address the effect of organizational theories on the organization by focusing on how modularity, a widespread and influential organizational theory, performs a modular organization. While scholars have offered opposing arguments for the influence of this theory—i.e. that it either succeeds or fails to “produce” modular organizations—we show just how and how far modularity is enacted and shapes the organization, and how it may be shaped in turn. Drawing on recent advances in performativity theory we thus contribute to modularity by showing how the modular organization emerges over time as the outcome of performative struggles among competing and complementary theories and how these struggles contribute to modifying the theory and “designing” organizations. We also add to performativity by theorizing the competition between multiple theories, the emergence of unexpected consequences or “errors”, and their implications for organizational practices and boundaries.
The Constitutive Role of Conventions in Accomplishing Coordination: Insights from a Complex Contract Award Project
Authors: Gkeredakis Emmanouil
Published: August 2014

This article advances understanding of how coordination is accomplished in organizations. It builds on and extends recent research, which suggests that coordination is an emergent process of situated interaction aiming to realize a collective performance. In particular, the paper focuses on deliberate efforts to coordinate and contribute to objectives of large-scale integration in practice (e.g., orchestrated, year-long delivery of a megaproject). Such efforts give rise to a novel form of interdependencies, which organizational actors experience as “external” to local activities and group interactions. Drawing on recent developments in social theory, the paper proposes a framework to study coordinative action in situations where organizational actors are faced with a multitude of task-specific and “external” interdependencies. Further, through an in-depth study of a contract award project, it sheds light on the ways ongoing project coordination was adjusted to address interdependencies arising from the deliberate pursuit of two objectives: the concerted delivery of a construction megaproject and the large-scale procurement policy coordination targeted at safeguarding market competition across the European Union. Findings highlight that the situated management of external interdependencies entailed a distinctive type of agency, mediated by formalized industry-wide and policy conventions, and concerned with developing relevant evidence of coordinated contributions. The article explains how and why actors may adjust coordination efforts by alternating between coordination modes. Implications are drawn for studying coordination dynamics in other organizational settings
Dasanami Sannyasis: Polity and Economy in the Eighteenth-Century India
Authors: Bhattacharyya Ananda
Published: August 2014

The present article seeks to explore the multidimensional activities of the Dasanami Sannyasis, a religious order founded by the disciples of Shankaracharya in the tenth century. As the name implies, the order was composed of the ten sections—Giri, Puri, Bharati, Saraswati, Ban, Aranya, Parbat, Tirtha, Ashram and Sagar; while materials on the first three are abundantly available, those on the last seven are scarce. Although primarily religious ascetics, they were also involved in financial, administrative (both civil and military) and diplomatic affairs. Alignment with state powers strengthened their power and resources. They amassed large tracts of rent-free land. Resources derived from land and monetary privileges sanctioned by the Indian powers helped them to extend their influence in the economy, especially in moneylending and trade. As a result, they began to act as semi-independent chiefs and warlords. The rise of the Dasanamis began to decline after the coming of the British in the Bengal Presidency, eventually, leading to a conflict with the local Zamindars, peasants and the newcomer East India Company. This is known as the Sannyasi Rebellion in the records of the East India Company; though called a rebellion, it would be simplistic to describe it as a nationalist uprising because various complex factors were at work. But considering the disruptive impact it had in the administrative network of the East India Company, the Sannyasi Rebellion was certainly an important episode in its early years. This event has been variously interpreted, often wrongly by different schools of historians.
Investigating the learning experiences of student physiotherapists with visual impairments: An exploratory study
Authors: Frank Helen , McLinden Mike , Douglas Graeme
Published: August 2014

This article discusses the exploratory phase of a study to understand the learning experiences of physiotherapy students with visual impairments (VI) in higher education (HE). The purpose of the study was (1) to explore semi-structured interview as a data collection method for this population, (2) to identify barriers and enablers to learning physiotherapy for students with VI, and (3) to identify individual strategies for tackling barriers in physiotherapy education. Three purposively sampled participants consented to be interviewed; two were recent physiotherapy graduates and one was a current physiotherapy student. The findings identified that physiotherapy students experienced similar barriers and enablers to learning that students with disabilities experience in HE, and that they had developed similar and specific strategies to enable learning in physiotherapy. Staff behaviours, resources, and the time and effort of being a visually impaired student were identified as the main barriers. Staff behaviours and resources were also identified as enablers to learning physiotherapy. Specific physiotherapy and VI-related barriers were identified that will be explored further in the main phase of data collection and will be disseminated through future publications.
Causes and Risk Factors for Revision Hip Preservation Surgery
Authors: Ricciardi Benjamin F. , Fields Kara , Kelly Bryan T. , Ranawat Anil S. , Coleman Struan H. , Sink Ernest L.
Published: August 2014

Background:

Identifying causes and risk factors for failure of hip preservation surgery is critical to properly address residual pathological abnormalities in the revision setting and improve outcomes in this subset of patients.

Purpose:

To identify the structural causes of failure in both open and arthroscopic hip preservation procedures and to identify demographic and radiographic risk factors that correlate with the need for revision surgery.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A single-center hip preservation registry was reviewed (N = 1898 procedures in 1600 patients) to identify 147 patients (n = 152 procedures) who had undergone previous pelvic surgery. Exclusion criteria included residual deformity from pediatric hip disease (n = 5 patients). Preoperative demographics, intraoperative findings, radiographic data, and clinical outcome scores were compared between cohorts with and without revision surgery in the registry. Postoperative, short-term patient-reported outcome scores for the revision cohort were described.

Results:

The most common reason for revision was residual intra-articular femoroacetabular impingement (74.8%), followed by extra-articular impingement (9.5%). The majority of revision cases (78.9%) could be addressed with arthroscopic surgery, with the exception of extra-articular impingement or residual acetabular dysplasia, which necessitated open approaches. Patients who underwent revision were more likely to be female, were younger in age, and had worse preoperative outcome scores than did those in the primary cohort. Abnormal femoral version and the presence of acetabular dysplasia were not significantly different between the revision and primary cohorts. Short-term improvements in patient-reported outcome scores were found in the revision cohort at a mean of 15.0 months from the last revision surgery.

Conclusion:

Residual intra- and extra-articular impingement were the most common reasons for revision in this cohort. Patients who underwent revision tended to be younger in age, were female, and had worse preoperative hip functional outcomes than did those in the primary cohort. Abnormal femoral version or acetabular coverage was not increased in our revision cohort.
California’s Public Safety Realignment
Authors: Gerlinger Julie , Turner Susan F.
Published: August 2014

This study examines the potential impacts on public safety of a sentencing policy focused on offense, as opposed to risk. We utilize a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation 2005-2006 recidivism dataset to simulate recidivism patterns of newly realigned state and local supervision groups under California’s “Public Safety Realignment.” The distinction between high- and low-stakes (offense-based) offenders is analyzed through arrest and conviction rates, as well as returns-to-prison. We find that corrections policies based on stakes, as opposed to risk, may produce adverse results regarding public safety. The findings from this study suggest that policy makers should consider risk to recidivate before making large changes to sentencing or supervision policies. Most low-stakes offenders are not at low risk to reoffend, and the types of offenses for which released offenders recidivate are not predictable based on current offense. Thus, risk assessment using criminal histories may be necessary to protect the public and produce better recidivism results.
Factors Associated with Exclusive Breastfeeding at Hospital Discharge in Rural Western Australia
Authors: Cox Kylee , Giglia Roslyn , Zhao Yun , Binns Colin W.
Published: August 2014

Background:

Breastfeeding is accepted as the best way of feeding infants, and health authorities recommend exclusive breastfeeding to around 6 months of age, but despite the evidence of its benefits, few mothers meet this goal. Infants who are exclusively breastfed in the early postpartum period are more likely to continue breastfeeding at 6 and 12 months, reinforcing the role that Baby-Friendly hospital practices play in supporting exclusive breastfeeding.

Objectives:

This study aimed to determine the rate of breastfeeding initiation and identify the factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding at discharge from hospital for rural mothers.

Methods:

The prospective cohort study recruited 489 women from hospitals in regional Western Australia following the birth of their infant. Breastfeeding exclusivity at discharge was assessed based on mothers’ self-reported infant feeding behavior during her hospital stay. The self-administered baseline questionnaire was completed by 427 mothers.

Results:

Breastfeeding was initiated by 97.7% of the mothers in this cohort, with 82.7% exclusively breastfeeding at hospital discharge. The odds of exclusive breastfeeding at discharge were more than 4 times higher for women whose infants did not require admission to the special care nursery (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.98-9.99). Demand feeding (aOR = 3.33; 95% CI, 1.59-6.95) and 24-hour rooming-in (aOR = 2.31; 95% CI, 1.15-4.62) were also significant positive factors.

Conclusion:

The findings suggest that hospital practices are strong predictors of exclusive breastfeeding. Greater emphasis on Baby-Friendly hospital practices in the early postpartum period may help the establishment of exclusive breastfeeding, assisting rural mothers to reach established international breastfeeding recommendations.
Rethinking Ethnographic Comparison: Two Cities, Five Years, One Ethnographer
Authors: Picker Giovanni
Published: August 2014

In this article I show that the ethnographer can be a heuristic source of comparison. I reflexively discuss the ways in which I learnt from the problems behind my comparative ethnography of everyday representations of Roma in both a Romanian and an Italian city. As a priori detecting a homogeneous group called Roma in Europe can be problematic, my comparison lacked the necessary condition of similarity between the two contexts. Once I came back from the field, I understood how my differently perceived selves influenced my informants’ articulations of their own representations of local Roma. This and further observations made me understand that I had not carried out a comparison; rather, I established a series of “partial connections” through “juxtaposition.” In the Conclusion, I encourage more reflexive research on the heuristic validity of taking ourselves-ethnographers as heuristic units of comparison.
Preparing for Parenthood?
Authors: Bass Brooke Conroy
Published: August 2014

This article explores how anticipations of parenthood differentially affect the career aspirations and choices of women and men who have not (yet) had children. Drawing from in-depth interviews conducted separately with 60 coupled young adults (30 heterosexual couples), I find that women in my sample were disproportionately likely to think and worry about future parenthood in their imagined work paths. Moreover, women were more likely than men to alter or downshift their present-day career goals in anticipation of the changes in preferences and responsibilities that accompany new parenthood. Because men were unlikely to engage in the mental work of anticipating parenthood, they were also free from its emotional and behavioral consequences. In this way, gendered anticipations of parenthood, which begin relatively early in an individual’s career path, are likely to play a key role in reproducing patterns of labor market inequality even before the real constraints of parenthood have set in.