bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Urbanization on the Temperature Inversion Breakup in a Mountain Valley with Implications for Air Quality
Authors: Rendón Angela M. , Salazar Juan F. , Palacio Carlos A. , Wirth Volkmar , Brötz Björn
Published: January 2014

Many cities located in valleys with limited ventilation experience serious air pollution problems. The ventilation of an urban valley can be limited not only by orographic barriers, but also by urban heat island–induced circulations and/or the capping effect of temperature inversions. Furthermore, land-use/-cover changes caused by urbanization alter the dynamics of temperature inversions and urban heat islands, thereby affecting air quality in an urban valley. By means of idealized numerical simulations, it is shown that in a mountain valley subject to temperature inversions urbanization can have an important influence on air quality through effects on the inversion breakup. Depending on the urban area fraction in the simulations, the breakup time changes, the cross-valley wind system can evolve from a confined to an open system during the daytime, the slope winds can be reversed by the interplay between the urban heat island and the temperature inversion, and the breakup pattern can migrate from one dominated by the growth of the convective boundary layer to one also involving the removal of mass from the valley floor by the upslope winds. The analysis suggests that the influence of urbanization on the air quality of an urban valley may lead to contrasting and possibly counterintuitive effects when considering temperature inversions. More urban land does not necessarily imply worse air quality, even when considering that the amount of pollutants emitted grows with increased urbanization.
North Sea Storminess from a Novel Storm Surge Record since AD 1843*
Authors: Dangendorf Sönke , Müller-Navarra Sylvin , Jensen Jürgen , Schenk Frederik , Wahl Thomas , Weisse Ralf
Published: January 2014

The detection of potential long-term changes in historical storm statistics and storm surges plays a vitally important role for protecting coastal communities. In the absence of long homogeneous wind records, the authors present a novel, independent, and homogeneous storm surge record based on water level observations in the North Sea since 1843. Storm surges are characterized by considerable interannual-to-decadal variability linked to large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns. Time periods of increased storm surge levels prevailed in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries without any evidence for significant long-term trends. This contradicts with recent findings based on reanalysis data, which suggest increasing storminess in the region since the late nineteenth century. The authors compare the wind and pressure fields from the Twentieth-Century Reanalysis (20CRv2) with the storm surge record by applying state-of-the-art empirical wind surge formulas. The comparison reveals that the reanalysis is a valuable tool that leads to good results over the past 100 yr; previously the statistical relationship fails, leaving significantly lower values in the upper percentiles of the predicted surge time series. These low values lead to significant upward trends over the entire investigation period, which are in turn supported by neither the storm surge record nor an independent circulation index based on homogeneous pressure readings. The authors therefore suggest that these differences are related to higher uncertainties in the earlier years of the 20CRv2 over the North Sea region.
Robust Response of the East Asian Monsoon Rainband to Solar Variability
Authors: Zhao Liang , Wang Jing-Song
Published: January 2014

This study provides evidence of the robust response of the East Asian monsoon rainband to the 11-yr solar cycle and first identify the exact time period within the summer half-year (1958–2012) with the strongest correlation between the mean latitude of the rainband (MLRB) over China and the sunspot number (SSN). This period just corresponds to the climatological-mean East Asian mei-yu season, characterized by a large-scale quasi-zonal monsoon rainband (i.e., 22 May–13 July). Both the statistically significant correlation and the temporal coincidence indicate a robust response of the mei-yu rainband to solar variability during the last five solar cycles. During the high SSN years, the mei-yu MLRB lies 1.2° farther north, and the amplitude of its interannual variations increases when compared with low SSN years. The robust response of monsoon rainband to solar forcing is related to an anomalous general atmospheric pattern with an up–down seesaw and a north–south seesaw over East Asia.
Reliability of Regression-Corrected Climate Forecasts
Authors: Tippett Michael K. , DelSole Timothy , Barnston Anthony G.
Published: January 2014

Regression is often used to calibrate climate model forecasts with observations. Reliability is an aspect of forecast quality that refers to the degree of correspondence between forecast probabilities and observed frequencies of occurrence. While regression-corrected climate forecasts are reliable in principle, the estimated regression parameters used in practice are affected by sampling error. The low skill and small sample sizes typically encountered in climate prediction imply substantial sampling error in the estimated regression parameters. Here the reliability of regression-corrected climate forecasts is analyzed for the case of joint-Gaussian distributed ensemble forecasts and observations with regression parameters estimated by least squares. Hypothesis testing of the regression parameters provides direct information about the skill and reliability of the uncorrected ensemble-based probability forecasts. However, the regression-corrected probability forecasts with estimated parameters are systematically “overconfident” because sampling error causes a positive bias in the regression forecast signal variance, despite the fact that the estimates of the regression parameters are themselves unbiased. An analytical description of the reliability diagram of a generic regression-corrected climate forecast is derived and is shown to depend on sample size and population correlation skill, with small sample size and low skill being factors that increase overconfidence. The analytical reliability estimate is shown to capture the effect of sampling error in synthetic data experiments and in a 29-yr dataset of NOAA Climate Forecast System version 2 predictions of seasonal precipitation totals over the Americas. The impact of sampling error on the reliability of regression-corrected forecast has been previously unrecognized and affects all regression-based forecasts. The use of regression parameters estimated by shrinkage methods such as ridge regression substantially reduces overconfidence.
South Africa’s Key Challenges
Authors: Bernstein Ann
Published: January 2014

The article looks at the “tough choices” (per the National Development Plan) South Africa has to make to be a successful country. It provides policy recommendations and prescriptions for many of the critical issues facing South Africa. The most urgent policy challenges revolve around high levels of unemployment, the regulation of the labor market and the role of unions, the shortage of skills, and the education system. The solutions proposed include the relaxation of labor laws, which hinder entry into the labor market, especially for young people; the introduction of special economic zones; the adoption of an open migration regime for skilled migrants; and the establishment of low-fee private schools and private tertiary education providers. The article calls for bold and visionary leadership in South Africa to ensure that the “tough choices” needing to be made are implemented.
South Africa and Africa
Authors: Saunders Chris
Published: January 2014

This article examines aspects of the complex relationship between South Africa and the rest of Africa from the presidency of Nelson Mandela through those of Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, showing how the relationship changed over time and exploring the influences that shaped South Africa’s policy on and toward the continent—a policy that has largely been determined by the presidency rather than the Department of Foreign Affairs/International Relations and Co-operation. To understand the changing relationship between South Africa and the rest of the continent, it is necessary to consider, first, the history before 1994, then the dramatically altered situation that the transfer of power in South Africa brought about, Thabo Mbeki’s interventionist approach to Africa in general, and Jacob Zuma’s ambiguous involvement in continental affairs. The article concludes with some speculative thoughts on the role that South Africa may play on the continent in the future.
Accountability and the Media
Authors: Harber Anton
Published: January 2014

Two decades of contestation over the nature and extent of transformation in the South African news media have left a sector different in substantive ways from the apartheid inheritance but still patchy in its capacity to fill the democratic ideal. Change came fast to a newly open broadcasting sector, but has faltered in recent years, particularly in a public broadcaster troubled by political interference and poor management. The potential of online media to provide much greater media access has been hindered by the cost of bandwidth. Community media has grown but struggled to survive financially. Print media has been aggressive in investigative exposé, but financial cutbacks have damaged routine daily coverage. In the face of this, the government has turned its attention to the print sector, demanding greater—but vaguely defined—transformation and threatened legislation. This has met strong resistance.
How You Downsize Is Who You Downsize
Authors: Kalev Alexandra
Published: January 2014

Scholars and pundits argue that women and minorities are more likely to lose their jobs in downsizing because of segregation or outright discrimination. In contrast, this article explores how the formalization and legalization of downsizing affect inequalities. According to bureaucracy theory and management practitioners, formalization constrains decision-makers’ bias, but neo-structural and feminist theories of inequality argue that formalization can itself be gendered and racially biased. Accountability theory advances this debate, pointing to organizational and institutional processes that motivate executives to minimize inequality. Building on these theories, and drawing on unique data from a national sample of 327 downsized establishments between 1971 and 2002, I analyze how layoff formalization and actors’ antidiscrimination accountability affect women’s and minorities’ representation in management after downsizing. Results demonstrate that, first, downsizing significantly reduces managerial diversity. Second, formalization exacerbates these negative effects when layoff rules rely on positions or tenure, but not when layoff rules require an individualized evaluation. Finally, antidiscrimination accountability generated by internal legal counsels or compliance awareness prods executives to override formal rules and reduce inequalities. I conclude that although downsizing has been increasingly managed by formal rules and monitored by legal experts, this has often meant the institutionalization of unequal, rather than equal, opportunity.
Enhancement of Pediatric Ophthalmologic Diagnosis With a Handheld Polarized Dermatoscope
Authors: Naimer Sody A. , Urkin Jacob
Published: January 2014

Objective. In pediatric primary care, an adjunct for ophthalmology diagnosis and monitoring of treatment could be of great advantage. The portable polarized dermatoscope can readily fit the purpose as an alternative to the classic slit lamp device. Methods. We describe and demonstrate our clinical experience using the dermatoscope for diverse ocular conditions. Main message. Beyond its effective primary role as an examination tool for detecting dermatopathology, the dermatoscope proves its worth in a variety of separate ophthalmologic clinical states where intricate details need recognition. From corneal or subtarsal foreign body identification, to tear gutter assessment, this instrument can facilitate our work whenever magnification and illumination is beneficial. Conclusion. The technique described raises the option of using a substitute for usually lacking, cumbersome equipment for many therapeutic situations, rural clinics and home visits, easily available for the busy pediatrician, demanding little training, and at a reasonable cost.
The effects of suicide prevention measures reported through a psychoeducational video: A practice in Japan
Authors: Sakamoto Shinji , Tanaka Eriko , Kameyama Akiko , Takizawa Tohru , Takizawa Shiho , Fujishima Satoko , Nara Mieko , Sakashita Tomoe , Oyama Hirofumi , Ono Yutaka
Published: January 2014

Background:

As the suicide rate in Japan has remained high since 1998, various suicide prevention measures have been implemented in Japanese local communities.

Aims:

To report our findings on the effect of a psychoeducational video as a suicide prevention measure in a Japanese rural town.

Methods:

Questionnaires were randomly mailed to 2,000 residents aged between 30 and 79 years. Within 4 weeks, volunteers in the town visited the residents individually and collected the questionnaires. The variables reported in this study are demographics, awareness of suicide prevention measures available in the town, whether the residents watched the video, help-seeking from advisers regarding suicidal ideation and financial problems and attitudes towards suicide.

Results:

We analysed data collected from 1,118 people who reported their demographics (i.e. sex, age, and job) and whether they had watched the video. By conducting a series of logistic regression and multiple regression analyses and controlling for demographic variables, we found that watching the video had substantial psychoeducational effects.

Conclusion:

Despite conducting a cross-sectional study, our new suicide prevention measures were considered effective for psychoeducation. However, further studies using a longitudinal design are needed.
Chaperones for intimate examinations in family medicine: findings from a pilot study in Melbourne, Australia
Authors: Jones Kay , Biezen Ruby , Beovich Bronwyn , van Hecke Oliver
Published: January 2014

Background

The use of medical chaperones during clinical examinations is important whether one practises as a specialist, nurse, medical student or generalist. Chaperone use in general practice remains largely unknown in most countries across the world and, what is known is limited to a handful of countries. Their use in Australian general practice remains unknown.

Objective

To explore the attitudes and practices of a cohort of general practitioners in urban Melbourne regarding the use of chaperones in their daily clinical practice.

Methods

Self-administered postal questionnaire to pilot group of general practitioners in urban Melbourne, Australia. Main outcome measures: Frequency of chaperone use; views on chaperone use itself; preferred choice for the role of chaperone; main reasons for using chaperones.

Results

The majority (95% respondents) had never or occasionally used a chaperone. The use of chaperones correlated with general practitioner gender – male general practitioners were more likely to use a chaperone. General practitioners preferred choice as chaperone was the practice nurse. There was no association found between chaperone use and the respondents’ age, practice size or the availability of a practice nurse. The most highly rated influence by general practitioners for using a chaperone was because of anticipated patient embarrassment and/or distress.

Conclusion

This is the first step in understanding attitudes and experiences of general practitioners in general practice in Australia. The results of a larger, national study would provide further insight into this important issue taking into account the realities of general practice in Australia and relationship between general practitioners and patients.
Understanding Study Attrition in the Evaluation of Jail Diversion Programs for Persons With Serious Mental Illness or Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders
Authors: Crisanti Annette S. , Case Brian F. , Isakson Brian L. , Steadman Henry J.
Published: January 2014

Study attrition is a problem in all community-based intervention studies using longitudinal research designs, but is compounded with hard to reach populations. High attrition poses threats to internal and external validity and may result in an inadequate sample size. The purpose of our study was to determine the characteristics associated with attrition. The study employed data from a cross-site evaluation of jail diversion programs. A self-report interview was conducted at baseline for 1,289 individuals. A 33% and 52% attrition rate was observed at the 6-month and 12-month follow-up interviews, respectively. The characteristics associated with loss to follow-up were male gender, part-time or full-time employment, drug offenses, jail days, baseline interview location, community supervision, and community geography. Knowing which individuals are more likely to attrit allows evaluators to develop targeted sampling strategies and participant engagement strategies.
Job insecurity among temporary workers: Looking through the gender lens
Authors: Rigotti Thomas , Mohr Gisela , Isaksson Kerstin
Published: January 2014

Based on the gender model and the life context model, the financial and domestic responsibilities and expectations associated with getting a new assignment are tested as potential gender specific moderators of the link between job insecurity and commitment, performance, and depressive moods. In a cross-sectional international questionnaire study of 1981 temporary workers’ three-way interactions between job insecurity, gender, and the moderators were tested. Expectations play a moderating role for women only, intensifying the negative relationship between job insecurity and commitment. Financial responsibility strengthened the negative relationship of job insecurity with commitment, as well as its positive relationship with depressive moods for women and men alike. Domestic responsibility plays a moderating role in the link between job insecurity and depressive moods and performance for women, aggravating depressive moods and reducing performance. For men, domestic responsibility had a buffering effect on the relationship between job insecurity and commitment.
Difficult Airway Management for Novice Physicians: A Randomized Trial Comparing Direct and Video‐Assisted Laryngoscopy
Authors: Ambrosio Art , Pfannenstiel Travis , Bach Kevin , Cornelissen Chris , Gaconnet Cory , Brigger Matthew T.
Published: January 2014

Objectives

To detect a difference in (1) intubation success and (2) successful intubation times between novice physicians using a Macintosh‐style or video‐assisted laryngoscope on a difficult airway manikin.

Study Design

Prospective randomized trial.

Setting

Academic, tertiary medical center.

Methods

Forty first‐year residents across a variety of disciplines with fewer than 5 total live intubations were recruited for the study. Testing took place during orientation prior to commencement of clinical duties. The entire group was provided training by faculty otolaryngologists and anesthesiologists using both laryngoscope types on a manikin airway simulator in a standard intubating scenario. Subjects were then randomized into 2 testing groups, using either a Macintosh laryngoscope or video‐assisted laryngoscope in a difficult intubation scenario. The difficult airway simulation entailed oral cavity/oropharyngeal obstruction using inflation of the tongue, as well as cervical spine immobilization with a rigid collar preventing extension and elevation of the head and limiting oral cavity opening. Success was defined as a confirmed endotracheal intubation by the testing instructor in 120 seconds or less.

Results

The Macintosh laryngoscope group (n = 19) had an intubation success rate of 47.4% with a mean intubation time of 69.0 seconds (95% confidence interval [CI]: 52.7, 85.2). The video‐assisted group (n = 21) demonstrated a significantly higher success rate of 100% (P <. 0001) and a decreased mean intubation time of 23.1 seconds (95% CI: 18.4, 27.8; P <. 0001). The mean difference in success rate between groups was 52.6% (95% CI: 30.0%, 75.3%).

Conclusions

Novice physicians with little to no prior intubation experience showed significantly higher intubation success with lower intubation times using a video‐assisted laryngoscope in a difficult airway manikin simulator.
Pre-employment training for the unemployed: A case study of a call centre foundation programme
Authors: Clarke Julian
Published: January 2014

This paper examines a single pre-employment training programme for the unemployed. The training aimed to prepare unemployed participants for work on the front-line of telephone call centres. Drawing on participant observation and semi-structured interviews, the paper analyses one area in particular; the training participants received to enhance their soft skills, particularly as they relate to the concept of ‘aesthetic’ labour. Through providing an in-depth account of the training the paper offers a critique of the programme and identifies the potential drawbacks associated with offering this form of ‘employability’ training for those who face many barriers to employment.
The impact of nicotine lozenges and stimulus expectancies on cigarette craving
Authors: Schlagintweit Hera E , Good Kimberley P , Barrett Sean P
Published: January 2014

Reduced craving associated with nicotine replacement therapy use is frequently attributed to the effects of nicotine pharmacology, however non-pharmacological factors may also play a role. This study examined the impact of nicotine pharmacology and non-pharmacological components of an acute nicotine lozenge (4 mg) on cigarette craving, mood and heart rate in 70 daily smokers (36 male). Smoking-related stimuli were used to assess cue-induced craving. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a balanced placebo design where half the participants were provided deceptive information regarding the nicotine content of a lozenge. Subjective ratings of craving and mood were collected and heart rate was assessed before and after neutral and smoking cues. Nicotine expectancy reduced withdrawal-related craving ( p=0.006) regardless of actual nicotine administration while combined nicotine expectancy and administration reduced intentions to smoke ( p=0.046) relative to each of the other conditions. Exposure to smoking-related stimuli increased cigarette craving ( p≤0.001) and negative affect ( p≤0.001) regardless of expectancy or pharmacology. Following the smoking cue, women reported a greater increase in withdrawal-related craving than men ( p=0.027). Findings suggest that both pharmacological and non-pharmacological components of nicotine lozenge administration contribute to its acute effects on craving, yet neither appears effective in preventing craving triggered by exposure to environmental smoking stimuli.
Modeling and Calibration for Exposure to Time-Varying, Modifiable Risk Factors
Authors: Goldhaber-Fiebert Jeremy D. , Brandeau Margaret L.
Published: January 2014

Background. Risk factors increase the incidence and severity of chronic disease. To examine future trends and develop policies addressing chronic diseases, it is important to capture the relationship between exposure and disease development, which is challenging given limited data. Objective. To develop parsimonious risk factor models embeddable in chronic disease models, which are useful when longitudinal data are unavailable. Design. The model structures encode relevant features of risk factors (e.g., time-varying, modifiable) and can be embedded in chronic disease models. Calibration captures time-varying exposures for the risk factor models using available cross-sectional data. We illustrate feasibility with the policy-relevant example of smoking in India. Methods. The model is calibrated to the prevalence of male smoking in 12 Indian regions estimated from the 2009–2010 Indian Global Adult Tobacco Survey. Nelder-Mead searches (250,000 starting locations) identify distributions of starting, quitting, and restarting rates that minimize the difference between modeled and observed age-specific prevalence. We compare modeled life expectancies to estimates in the absence of time-varying risk exposures and consider gains from hypothetical smoking cessation programs delivered for 1 to 30 years. Results. Calibration achieves concordance between modeled and observed outcomes. Probabilities of starting to smoke rise and fall with age, while quitting and restarting probabilities fall with age. Accounting for time-varying smoking exposures is important, as not doing so produces smaller estimates of life expectancy losses. Estimated impacts of smoking cessation programs delivered for different periods depend on the fact that people who have been induced to abstain from smoking longer are less likely to restart. Conclusions. The approach described is feasible for important risk factors for numerous chronic diseases. Incorporating exposure-change rates can improve modeled estimates of chronic disease outcomes and of the long-term effects of interventions targeting risk factors.
Estimation of proliferative potentiality of central neurocytoma: correlational analysis of minimum ADC and maximum SUV with MIB-1 labeling index
Authors: Sakamoto Ryo , Okada Tomohisa , Kanagaki Mitsunori , Yamamoto Akira , Fushimi Yasutaka , Kakigi Takahide , Arakawa Yoshiki , Takahashi Jun C , Mikami Yoshiki , Togashi Kaori
Published: January 2014

Background

Central neurocytoma was initially believed to be benign tumor type, although atypical cases with more aggressive behavior have been reported. Preoperative estimation for proliferating activity of central neurocytoma is one of the most important considerations for determining tumor management.

Purpose

To investigate predictive values of image characteristics and quantitative measurements of minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCmin) and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) for proliferative activity of central neurocytoma measured by MIB-1 labeling index (LI).

Material and Methods

Twelve cases of central neurocytoma including one recurrence from January 2001 to December 2011 were included. Preoperative scans were conducted in 11, nine, and five patients for computed tomography (CT), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), respectively, and ADCmin and SUVmax of the tumors were measured. Image characteristics were investigated using CT, T2-weighted (T2W) imaging and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1W) imaging, and their differences were examined using the Fisher's exact test between cases with MIB-1 LI below and above 2%, which is recognized as typical and atypical central neurocytoma, respectively. Correlational analysis was conducted for ADCmin and SUVmax with MIB-1 LI. A P value <0.05 was considered significant.

Results

Morphological appearances had large variety, and there was no significant correlation with MIB-1 LI except a tendency that strong enhancement was observed in central neurocytomas with higher MIB-1 LI ( P = 0.061). High linearity with MIB-1 LI was observed in ADCmin and SUVmax ( r = −0.91 and 0.74, respectively), but only ADCmin was statistically significant ( P = 0.0006).

Conclusion

Central neurocytoma had a wide variety of image appearance, and assessment of proliferative potential was considered difficult only by morphological aspects. ADCmin was recognized as a potential marker for differentiation of atypical central neurocytomas from the typical ones.
Anatomic variants of arteries often coil-occluded prior to hepatic radioembolization
Authors: Powerski Maciej J , Erxleben Christoph , Scheurig-Münkler Christian , Geisel Dominik , Hamm Bernd , Gebauer Bernhard
Published: January 2014

Background:

Prior to radioembolization (RE) treatment of malignant liver lesions, many interventionalists occlude the right gastric artery (RGA), the cystic artery (CA), and the gastroduodenal artery (GDA) to prevent radioactive microspheres from entering non-target vessels.

Purpose:

To systematically analyze anatomic variants of arteries that are important to know for the interventional radiologist performing RE of the liver.

Material and Methods:

The computed tomography (CT) angiographies and conventional angiographies of 166 patients evaluated for RE were retrospectively analyzed for the presence of anatomic variants of the RGA, GDA, and CA.

Results:

The RGA was found to arise from the left hepatic artery in 42% of cases, from the proper hepatic artery in 40%, from the GDA in 10%, from the right hepatic artery in 4%, and from the common hepatic artery in 3% of cases. The GDA originated in the common hepatic artery in 97% of cases, in the left hepatic artery in 2%, and in the celiac trunk in 1% of cases. The CA arose from the right hepatic artery in 96% of cases and from the GDA in 2% of cases; in 2% of our study population, the gallbladder was supplied by small branches from the liver parenchyma.

Conclusion:

Variant anatomy of the RGA is common, while it is quite rare for the GDA and CA. Knowledge of the variations of liver supplying arteries helps the interventionalist to embolize necessary vessels prior to RE.
Pathology of Articular Cartilage and Synovial Membrane From Elbow Joints With and Without Degenerative Joint Disease in Domestic Cats
Authors: Freire M. , Meuten D. , Lascelles D.
Published: January 2014

The elbow joint is one of the feline appendicular joints most commonly and severely affected by degenerative joint disease. The macroscopic and histopathological lesions of the elbow joints of 30 adult cats were evaluated immediately after euthanasia. Macroscopic evidence of degenerative joint disease was found in 22 of 30 cats (39 elbow joints) (73.33% cats; 65% elbow joints), and macroscopic cartilage erosion ranged from mild fibrillation to complete ulceration of the hyaline cartilage with exposure of the subchondral bone. Distribution of the lesions in the cartilage indicated the presence of medial compartment joint disease (most severe lesions located in the medial coronoid process of the ulna and medial humeral epicondyle). Synovitis scores were mild overall and correlated only weakly with macroscopic cartilage damage. Intra-articular osteochondral fragments either free or attached to the synovium were found in 10 joints. Macroscopic or histologic evidence of a fragmented coronoid process was not found even in those cases with intra-articular osteochondral fragments. Lesions observed in these animals are most consistent with synovial osteochondromatosis secondary to degenerative joint disease. The pathogenesis for the medial compartmentalization of these lesions has not been established, but a fragmented medial coronoid process or osteochondritis dissecans does not appear to play a role.
Analysis of Irradiation on the Clinical Effectiveness of Allogenic Tissue When Used for Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Park Sam Si-Hyeong , Dwyer Tim , Congiusta Francesco , Whelan Daniel B. , Theodoropoulos John
Published: January 2014

Background:

It is unclear whether the use of low-dose irradiation or other tissue-processing methods, such as preservation by fresh-frozen (FF), freeze-drying (FD), or cryopreservation (CP) methods, affects the clinical outcomes of primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) using allograft.

Hypothesis:

Low-dose gamma irradiation (<2.5 Mrad) and method of allograft preservation do not affect subjective and objective clinical outcomes after primary ACLR in studies reviewed between November 2010 and September 2012.

Study Design:

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A computerized search of multiple electronic databases was conducted from November 2010 to September 2012 for prospective and retrospective studies involving primary allograft ACLR. Inclusion criteria were English-language publications with a minimum average of 2 years’ follow-up. Studies were excluded if they involved revision surgery, open surgery, multiple ligament procedures, autograft, xenograft, meniscal allograft, skeletally immature patients, or grafts treated with ethylene oxide, Tutoplast, or irradiation >2.5 Mrad or if the tissue-processing methods were not specified. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Lysholm score, Tegner score, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, KT-1000/2000 arthrometer score, Lachman test, and pivot-shift test, as well as by assessing complications related to graft rupture, revision surgery, and infections.

Results:

A total of 21 publications met the criteria, involving a total of 1453 patients, with 415 irradiated and 1038 nonirradiated allografts. Mean follow-up was 49.8 months (range, 12-170 months). Mean age of the patients was 32.2 years. Knees with nonirradiated allografts had higher mean Lysholm scores (89.8 vs 84.4; P < .05), and a higher proportion of <5-mm difference on KT-1000/2000 arthrometer (0.97 vs 0.84; P < .0001), grade 0 and 1 pivot-shift (0.99 vs 0.94; P < .0001), and grade 0 and 1 Lachman (0.94 vs 0.89; P < .01) than those with irradiated grafts. Knees with irradiated allografts had a higher proportion of grade A and B IKDC outcomes (0.91 vs 0.86; P < .05) and revision surgery (0.0250 vs 0.0022; P < .001) compared with those with nonirradiated allografts. The lack of data for FD and CP allografts meant no statistical analysis could be made comparing FF versus FD versus CP allografts. The effect of irradiation was similar within FF allografts. The effect of graft type and surgical technique could not be determined because of insufficient data.

Conclusion:

These results suggest that primary ACLRs using nonirradiated allografts may provide superior clinical outcomes than those using low-dose (<2.5 Mrad) irradiated grafts.
“No Time for Friendship”
Authors: Zhao Xu , Gao Minghui
Published: January 2014

What is the relation between parents’ views of their own friendships and their beliefs and practices about their children’s friendships? Do parents who enjoy high-quality adult friendships understand and support adolescent friendships in ways different from parents who do not have close adult friendships? Relying on systematic analysis of interview data, this article demonstrates discrepancies between six Shanghai mothers’ perceptions of their own friendships and their beliefs, attitudes, and concerns about their adolescent children’s friendships. The article also presents five themes underlying the mothers’ ideas about adolescent friendship: (a) no time for friendship, (b) good friends must have good grades, (c) it is important to make new friends, (d) ambiguous feelings and contradictory attitudes, and (e) weariness of peers and society. The findings are interpreted from three cultural and contextual perspectives: The Chinese tradition of emphasizing academic learning and proper behavior during adolescence, the collectivist philosophy and practice of using peer pressure to improve social behavior, and Chinese parents’ anxiety over their children’s gaining edges in intense academic and job competition.
Values-Based Supply Chains
Authors: Hardesty Shermain , Feenstra Gail , Visher David , Lerman Tracy , Thilmany-McFadden Dawn , Bauman Allison , Gillpatrick Tom , Rainbolt Gretchen Nurse
Published: January 2014

Values-based supply chains (VBSCs) have emerged as a structure to enhance the viability of mid-scale farms while preserving jobs and rural economies. They involve partnerships between producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and food service operators who share environmental, economic, and/or social values. We developed case studies and interviewed key informants to analyze the impacts of access to capital, regulations, infrastructure, and business acumen on the success of VBSCs. Communicating the benefits of VBSCs’ products to customers, as well as to the VBSC partners, was instrumental to the success of the VBSCs in our case studies. However, our key informants emphasized that additional communications are needed to develop markets for VBSCs’ products. Scale-appropriate infrastructure is also required, but funders are not convinced that these investments are secure. Successful VBSCs operate with economies of scale to broaden demand for their products while also generating fair returns to producers and other supply chain partners.
The Dark Matter: Race and Racism in the 21st Century
Authors: Winant Howard
Published: January 2014

Race and racism may be termed the ‘dark matter’ of the modern epoch. Race was invented along with the modern era. It was central to the liftoff of capitalism, a big bang itself. The dark matter then – the darker peoples of that time – was not complete: in fact they were not invisible as ‘matter’, as something that mattered. They were invisible as people. Empire, slavery, augmented state power, and the dialectic of enlightenment as well, can all be seen as racial dynamics in which absolutism’s grasping and violent claws tore at these ‘others’, seeking to dominate their bodies and their lands. Today the ‘dark matter’ persists in the form of disregard from above. An institutionalized forgetting of the meaning of race (‘colorblindness’) disguises this coercion and violence, these assaults, this war. Race and racism also continue from below, as matters of resistance and as frameworks for alternative identities and collectivities.
Toward a Critical Race Theory of State
Authors: Bracey Glenn E.
Published: January 2014

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a broad theoretical framework created by synthesizing the main themes of scholars who have challenged dominant contemporary understandings of race and the law. Although a theory of state tacitly undergirds much critical race scholarship, no one has yet aggregated the literature’s disparate assertions into a unified theory of state. This article represents an initial contribution toward that effort. Through comparison with Omi and Winant’s (1994) Racial State Theory (RST), I identify six central tenets – racialization of the state; state as white institutional space; instrumentalism; interest-convergence; fluid boundaries; and permanent racist orientation – that characterize the CRT of State for the United States. I close by entertaining three questions Omi and Winant (2012) argue demonstrate the utility of RST and use them to illustrate where the CRT of State I outline achieves greater analytical purchase than RST.
Producing State Space in Chiapas: Passive Revolution and Everyday Life
Authors: Hesketh Chris
Published: January 2014

This article examines processes of state formation in Chiapas, Mexico, from the time of the Revolution (1910–17) to the present. The purpose of the article is threefold. First it demonstrates how differing modes of production attempt to alter the production of space, yet at the same time, how pre-capitalist spaces and social relations, as well as movements of resistance, both alter the topography of capitalism as it unfolds. Second it explores ‘everyday’ processes of state formation linked to localized class cultures. In doing so, it makes claims to originality by providing a spatially sensitive account of Antonio Gramsci’s notion of hegemony, and indeed breaks new ground by demonstrating a sub-national articulation of passive revolution as a means of constructing state space. Finally, it considers the importance of counter-spaces formed in opposition to the state and what the response has been in turn to these ‘spaces of resistance’.
Ginger Therapy for Osteoarthritis
Authors: Therkleson Tessa
Published: January 2014

Purpose: To describe a treatment for osteoarthritis known as ginger therapy applied by anthroposophic nurses for a specific personality type. Background: Ginger has been used medicinally in Asia since ancient times to bring inner warmth. Ginger therapy is part of the tradition of anthroposophic nursing, when managing chronic inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a progressive disease of the synovial joint tissue that primarily affects those older than 65 years, causing pain on movement. Design: A patient with specific characteristics suffering osteoarthritis received 7 consecutive days of ginger therapy by anthroposophic nurses at an integrative medical center. Two weeks after the therapy, education was given to enable self-treatment in the home for a further 24 weeks. Data were obtained using body physiological recordings, a case diary and pain scale, and self-report arthritis Health Assessment Questionnaire. Findings: Ginger therapy activated a marked relief of osteoarthritis symptoms that progressively improved over the 24 weeks, with no negative effects reported. Ginger therapy needs to be considered by nurses caring for specific personality types with osteoarthritis.
A novel high precision inertial measurement scheme and its optimization method for high-speed rotating ammunition
Authors: Wu Qingya , Jia Qingzhong , Shan Jiayuan , Meng Xiuyun
Published: January 2014

A novel inertial measurement unit scheme with five accelerometers and two gyros (5A2G) is proposed in this paper to achieve high precision measurement in high dynamic environment. The three channels are decoupled during the angular velocity calculation procedure to ensure the precision and efficiency. The yawing and pitching angular velocities are directly measured by gyros, while only the rolling angular velocity is inferred indirectly from the rolling angular information vector composed of rolling angular acceleration and quadratic component of rolling angular velocity. Based on the proposed scheme, the configuration ascertainment problem for acquiring the required installation parameters of accelerometers is transformed into a constraint optimization problem with the objective of minimizing the error of rolling angular information vector. A single channel rolling angular velocity calculation model is then established on the basis of the optimal configuration and the extended Kalman filter algorithm is utilized for state estimation. Simulations are implemented and results indicate that the optimal 5A2G scheme is feasible for high-speed rotating ammunition.
Reversible hepatic decompensation following cessation of antiretroviral therapy in a patient with HIV and hepatitis C co-infection
Authors: Croucher Adam P , Main Janice
Published: January 2014

We report the case of 47-year-old man with HIV and hepatitis C virus-associated cirrhosis who, following discontinuation of his antiretroviral therapy (ART), rapidly developed hepatic decompensation. On restarting his ART there was a noticeable improvement in his liver function, which was attributed to regaining good HIV virus control. Further data on the effects of restarting ART after ART cessation-associated hepatic decompensation are needed.
The librarian 2.0: Identifying a typology of librarians’ social media literacy
Authors: Vanwynsberghe Hadewijch , Vanderlinde Ruben , Georges Annabel , Verdegem Pieter
Published: January 2014

This article reports on the identification of librarians’ social media literacy profiles. These profiles were developed through the construction of scales measuring social media competencies. An online questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample of 184 librarians working in Flemish public libraries. Cluster analysis revealed four social media literacy profiles: (1) social media workers; (2) social media laggards; (3) social media literates; and (4) social media spare-time users. This typology of social media literacy profiles is necessary information when developing a successful social media literacy strategy in libraries. Our research results further indicate that librarians who fit the social media literate or social media worker profiles are expected to play a central and facilitating role in the adoption and implementation of social media within public libraries.
Inside the tent: Community and government in refugee camps
Authors: Bulley Dan
Published: January 2014

Refugee camps are increasingly managed through a liberal rationality of government similar to that of many industrialized societies, with security mechanisms being used to optimize the life of particular refugee populations. This governmentality has encompassed programmes introduced by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to build and empower communities through the spatial technology of the camp. The present article argues that such attempts to ‘govern through community’ have been too easily dismissed or ignored. It therefore examines how such programmes work to produce, manage and conduct refugees through the use of a highly instrumentalized understanding of community in the spatial and statistical management of displaced people in camps. However, community is always both more and less than what is claimed of it, and therefore undermines attempts to use it as a governing tactic. By shifting to a more ontological understanding of community as unavoidable coexistence, inspired by Jean-Luc Nancy, we can see how the scripting of and government through community in camps is continually exceeded, redirected and resisted. Ethnographies of specific camps in Africa and the Middle East enable us both to see how the necessary sociality of being resists its own instrumentalization and to view the camp as a spatial security technology. Such resistance does not necessarily lead to greater security, but it redirects our attention to how community is used to conduct the behaviour of refugees, while also producing counter-conducts that offer greater agency, meaning and mobility to those displaced in camps.
Private security companies in the Czech Republic: Rearticulating the security field and transforming politics
Authors: Bureš Oldřich
Published: January 2014

This article examines the impact of the practices of private security companies (PSCs) upon the fields of security and politics in the Czech Republic. It focuses on the scandalous case of the largest Czech private security company, Agency of the White Lion (ABL)/Mark2 Corporation (M2.C), whose founder attempted to create a business-firm-party by performing a hostile takeover of an existing minor political party. By applying the global security assemblages model and drawing on the recent literature on the commodification of security, this article situates the case of ABL/M2.C within the larger socio-political-legal-economic context of the booming private security industry, whose extensive linkages with Czech politics are best characterized as a ‘reverse revolving door’ phenomenon. This phenomenon in turn suggests a possibility that the continuing absence of specific legislation to regulate the activities of PSCs is due to too much, rather than too little, political interest in the activities of these organizations. This is problematic because the practices of PSCs have already contributed to a significant rearticulation of the Czech security field by enhancing the commodification of security, while ABL’s use of security methods for political purposes has rearticulated the field of politics in a number of profoundly negative ways.
Only human? A worldly approach to security
Authors: Mitchell Audra
Published: January 2014

Harm does not happen to humans in isolation, but rather to worlds composed of diverse beings. This article asks how worlds and the conditions of worldliness should be framed as ‘subjects of security’. It explores three possible pathways: rejecting anthropocentrism; expanding existing ethical categories; and adopting ‘new materialist’ ontology and ethics. Ultimately, it argues for a fusion of the key elements of each of these pathways. This offers the basis for a new concept of harm (‘mundicide’) specifically intended to reflect harms to worlds and the conditions of worldliness. The value of this concept is demonstrated in the light of an empirical example: the ‘Rainforest Chernobyl’ case. The article concludes that a worldly approach is necessary if we are to capture the full enormity of the harms confronted by international security.