bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Residential Injuries in U.S. Children and Adolescents
Authors: Phelan Kieran J. , Khoury Jane , Kalkwarf Heidi , Lanphear Bruce 
Published: January 2017

Objectives. Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for U.S. children, but little research exists on injury in the home environment. The purpose of this study was to estimate the rate and severity of and trends in unintentional residential injury for U.S. children <20 years for 1993–1999. Methods. Data on emergency department (ED) visits were obtained from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). Rates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using SUDAAN. Chi-square analysis was used to test for differences among proportions. Time trends were analyzed using linear regression. Results. Residential injuries accounted for an average of 4.01 million (95% CI 3.50 million, 4.56 million) ED visits each year for U.S. children, representing 39% of unintentional injury ED visits. There were an average of 531,000 (95% CI 456,000, 606,000) visits with moderate-to-severe injuries, resulting in 73,680 (95% CI 59,715, 87,645) hospital admissions annually. The rate of residential injury visits (excluding unknown locations) was 5.6 per 100 (95% CI 4.9 per 100, 6.4 per 100). The visit rates for children <5 years of age were higher than those for children >9 years ( p<0.0001). Males had a higher rate of visits than females ( p=0.01). Falls were the leading mechanisms, resulting in 1.5 million ED visits per year (95% CI 1.3 million, 1.8 million). Residential injury rates decreased by 28% over time ( p<0.02), from 6.3 per 100 (95% CI 3.4, 9.2) in 1993 to 4.5 per 100 (95% CI 2.3, 6.7) in 1999. Conclusions. The predominant location of injury for U.S. children is the home, accounting for 4.01 million ED visits and more than 70,000 hospitalizations each year. Efforts targeted to the home environment are needed to reduce morbidity and mortality from unintentional injury in U.S. children.
Determining the Effect of Newborn Hearing Screening Legislation: An Analysis of State Hearing Screening Rates
Authors: Green Denise R. , Gaffney Marcus , Devine Owen , Grosse Scott D. 
Published: January 2017

Objective. This study was conducted to determine the effect of state Universal Newborn Hearing Screening legislation on the percentage of infants having their hearing screened within one month of birth. Methods. Hearing screening data for 2000–2003 were obtained from state hearing screening programs. States with Universal Newborn Hearing Screening legislation were categorized according to legislation type and implementation status, and hearing screening rates were compared between states with implemented legislation and states with no legislation. Results. Hearing screening rates among states that implemented Universal Newborn Hearing Screening legislation were significantly higher than rates in no-legislation states throughout the study period, although the mean screening rate among no-legislation states increased substantially from 2000 through 2003. The percentage of states attaining a 95% national screening quality indicator in each year was substantially greater among states with implemented legislation. In 2003, 76% of states with implemented Universal Newborn Hearing Screening legislation reported screening at least 95% of infants, compared with 26% of states without legislation. Although there is a greater likelihood of meeting the national screening target with Universal Newborn Hearing Screening legislation than without, other factors such as collaborative relationships and federal funding can also influence this outcome. Conclusion. State legislation has had a positive effect on hearing screening rates and is one tool states can use to help ensure that infants are screened for hearing loss.
Outcomes in Men Denied Access to a California Public Assistance Program for Prostate Cancer
Authors: Anger Jennifer T. , Maliski Sally L. , Krupski Tracey L. , Kwan Lorna , Gore John L. , Fink Arlene , Connor Sarah E. , Orecklin James R. , Litwin Mark S. 
Published: January 2017

Objectives. To improve access to prostate cancer treatment for low income uninsured men, California initiated a program called IMPACT: Improving Access, Counseling and Treatment for Californians with Prostate Cancer. The program administered free treatment, case management, counseling, and educational materials to all eligible men until budget cuts led to a state-mandated suspension of enrollment and the establishment of a temporary waitlist in February 2005. To assess the effect of suspension of enrollment on patient outcomes, the authors compared health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in waitlisted and enrolled men. Methods. Eighty-three men in each group were matched on disease stage, age, and race. HRQOL was captured with the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index short form (PCI-SF), the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12 (SF-12), and McCorkle and Young's Symptoms and Degrees of Distress in Patients with Cancer Scale (SDS). Self-efficacy was measured with the Perceived Efficacy in Patient-Physician Interactions (PEPPI) Questionnaire. Results. At intake, waitlisted men demonstrated significantly more symptom-related distress (2.9; p=0.04) and less perceived self-efficacy (2.5; p=0.005) compared to enrollees. Waitlisted men were significantly less likely to have access to a doctor or nurse case manager, treatment medications, nutrition information, or counseling services ( p<0.0001). Conclusions. Men denied enrollment into the IMPACT program exhibited significantly worse symptom distress and self-efficacy compared to enrolled men at initial assessment. The multivariate model suggests that HRQOL in the waitlisted men may be related to their lack of access to medical services. This data illustrates the importance of ongoing public assistance for low income men with prostate cancer.
Behavioral Surveillance among People at Risk for HIV Infection in the U.S.: The National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System
Authors: Gallagher Kathleen M. , Sullivan Patrick S. , Lansky Amy , Onorato Ida M. 
Published: January 2017

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with 25 state and local health departments, began the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System (NHBS) in 2003. The system focuses on people at risk for HIV infection and surveys the three populations at highest risk for HIV in the United States: men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, and high-risk heterosexuals. The project collects information from these three populations during rotating 12-month cycles. Methods for recruiting participants vary for each at-risk population, but NHBS uses a standardized protocol and core questionnaire for each cycle. Participating health departments tailor their questionnaire to collect information about specific prevention programs offered in their geographic area and to address local data needs. Data collected from NHBS will be used to describe trends in key behavioral risk indicators and evaluate current HIV prevention programs. This information in turn can be used to identify gaps in prevention services and target new prevention activities with the goal of reducing new HIV infections in the United States.
Avian Flu School: A Training Approach to Prepare for H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Authors: Beltran-Alcrudo Daniel , Bunn David A. , Sandrock Christian E. , Cardona Carol J. 
Published: January 2017

Since the reemergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1 HPAI) in 2003, a panzootic that is historically unprecedented in the number of infected flocks, geographic spread, and economic consequences for agriculture has developed. The epidemic has affected a wide range of birds and mammals, including humans. The ineffective management of outbreaks, mainly due to a lack of knowledge among those involved in detection, prevention, and response, points to the need for training on H5N1 HPAI. The main challenges are the multidisciplinary approach required, the lack of experts, the need to train at all levels, and the diversity of outbreak scenarios. Avian Flu School addresses these challenges through a three-level train-the-trainer program intended to minimize the health and economic impacts of H5N1 HPAI by improving a community's ability to prevent and respond, while protecting themselves and others. The course teaches need-to-know facts using highly flexible, interactive, and relevant materials.
Companion Animals as Sentinels for Community Exposure to Industrial Chemicals: The Fairburn, GA, Propyl Mercaptan Case Study
Authors: Maciejewski Ross , Glickman Nita , Moore George , Zheng Cheng , Tyner Benjamin , Cleveland William , Ebert David , Glickman Larry 
Published: January 2017

Objectives. This study utilized the electronic medical records of six veterinary hospitals (operated by Banfield, The Pet Hospital®) in the vicinity of Fairburn, Georgia, to assess the health of dogs and cats following the unintentional release of propyl mercaptan from a waste-processing facility. Methods. Standardized electronic medical records were used to define clinical syndromes (eye inflammation, gastrointestinal, respiratory, fever, general weakness/change in mental state) in dogs and cats. The frequency and geographic distribution of each syndrome was evaluated before, during, and after the chemical release, using control charts, density maps, change in average mean distance from a suspected point source of chemical release, space-time statistics, and autoregressive integrated moving averages. Results. No consistent pattern of change in syndromic events was observed following the suspected release of propyl mercaptan. Some syndromes, including respiratory syndrome in cats, gastrointestinal syndrome in dogs, and eye inflammation syndrome in both cats and dogs, showed a change in time and spatial patterns following the release of propyl mercaptan into the community. These changes were consistent with clinical signs observed in people during a previous propyl mercaptan release in California as well as the release in Fairburn. Conclusions. A systematic review of electronic medical records of dogs and cats exposed to release of propyl mercaptan showed no conclusive and consistent evidence of adverse health effects. Methods for the use of medical records of pets for detecting environmental hazards require further development and evaluation.
Do Obese Adults Have a Higher Risk of Asthma Attack When Exposed to Indoor Mold? A Study Based on the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Authors: Wen Xiao-Jun , Balluz Lina , Mokdad Ali 
Published: January 2017

Objective. Some studies show an association between asthma and obesity, but it is unknown whether exposure to mold will increase the risk of asthma attacks among obese people. This study examined whether obese adults have a higher risk of asthma attacks than non-obese adults when exposed to indoor mold. Methods. We used data from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to conduct a cross-sectional analysis among 9,668 respondents who reported exposure to indoor mold. Results. With exposure to indoor mold, weighted prevalence of asthma attacks among obese respondents was 11.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.0, 20.6], which was 2.3 times as high as among the exposed non-obese respondents (5.0%, 95% CI 2.8, 8.8). This ratio was almost the same as the ratio of 2.0:1 between the obese respondents (5.7%, 95% CI 4.6, 7.2) and the non-obese respondents (2.8%, 95% CI 2.3, 3.9) when neither group had exposure to mold. The odds ratio of asthma attack among obese people was 3.10 (95% CI 1.10, 8.67) for those with exposure to mold and 2.21 (95% CI 1.54, 3.17) for those without exposure to mold after adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and smoking status. Conclusion. Our study suggests that obese adults who have been exposed to indoor mold may not necessarily have a higher risk of asthma attack than obese adults who have not been exposed, even though obesity and exposure to indoor mold are both major risk factors for asthma attack. Medical professionals should not only incorporate weight-control or weight-reduction measures as the components of asthma treatment plans, but also advise asthma patients to avoid exposure to indoor mold.
Use of Insurance Claims Data to Determine Prevalence and Confirm a Cluster of Sarcoidosis Cases in Vermont
Authors: Cragin Lori A. , Laney A. Scott , Lohff Cortland J. , Martin Brennan , Pandiani John A. , Blevins Lynn Z. 
Published: January 2017

Objectives. In 2006, the Vermont Department of Health was asked to respond to a potential cluster of sarcoidosis cases related to a Vermont office building. Sarcoidosis prevalence has not been formally described for the United States. A range of <1–40/100,000 is commonly reported; however, we have not identified primary sources supporting this conclusion. Because of the wide prevalence range and lack of a local estimate, confirming existence of a cluster was difficult. Methods. We ascertained the prevalence of sarcoidosis cases in Vermont by using insurance claims data to determine whether or not a cluster of sarcoidosis cases was related to the office building. We calculated county and state annual prevalence proportions for sarcoidosis for 2004 and 2005 and annual building prevalences for 1992–2006. Results. The pooled sarcoidosis case prevalence for Vermont was 66.1/100,000. The pooled building annual prevalence (1,128/100,000) was statistically different from the county in which the building is located (odds ratio = 15.5, 95% confidence interval 3.0, 50.3). Conclusions. We reported the first statewide sarcoidosis prevalence in the United States. This prevalence exceeded previous limited and unsubstantiated U.S. reports. Even with Vermont's elevated sarcoidosis prevalence, the presence of a cluster in this building was apparent.
Conversations
Authors: Stark Rodney 
Published: January 2017

In the 34 years since earning a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, Rodney Stark has written almost a book a year (27 at last count). One of them resulted in a Pulitzer Prize nomination ( The Rise of Christianity), and “distinguished book awards” dot his resume for many of the others. In a field where the scholarly article is as important as the book, he has written, often with colleagues, over 140. All of his work is interesting. Some of his more recent work, however, on the origins and growth of Christianity from a sociological perspective, is of special interest to missiologists. Missiology asked him to respond to some questions about his work and Christian mission.
Identification — Symptom or Sublimation?
Authors: Reyburn William D. 
Published: January 2017

Two years ago, Dr. Reyburn presented an article entitled “Identification in the Missionary Task.”1 There he described personal experiences in the field and pointed out some of the limitations encountered in identifying. That article emphasized the need for close contact between sender and receiver in the process of communication. There was a protest launched against pietism which tends to put man out of touch with the world about him. In his present paper Reyburn focuses upon some of the motivations for identification, particularly guilt, as experienced consciously or unconsciously by middle-class American missionaries. In so doing he is not trying to discourage missionaries from identification. Looking at the problem from another point of view does not make the first view untrue, but it is simply another perspective on complex behavior. Why do some people seem driven to identification while others shun it?
Changing Consumption in Indian Guatemala
Authors: Tax Sol 
Published: January 2017

The Indians of Guatemala1 are among the economically underdeveloped peoples, popularly called “backward” and “unprogressive” and by implication static or at least slow to change. Whatever justification may lie in such appellations, as regards the total resulting society, it should not be inferred that individual Indians are less prone to change than individuals in faster changing societies. Change in an individual is a function of alternatives presented to him; and when given realistic choices, nothing in my experience with Indians indicates that they are slower than we are to accept the ones which seem to them to be in their interest. The difference is of course in the alternatives presented; and if in contrast to us, Indians have changed little from one generation to the next, a sufficient reason is that (in the same contrast) few acceptable novelties are presented. The moral of this observation is that one should not speak of people as conservative, or use the term progressive as a personal characteristic, until it can be demonstrated that they are averse to accepting alternatives that are clearly (and by their own definition) advantageous. I have never seen this demonstrated and must assume that Indians in Guatemala are in this respect no different from people in New York, and that to alter consumption patterns one need only make available new alternatives that from their point of view are worth the cost. It is the purpose of this paper to show that consumption patterns of the Indians of Guatemala do change in expectable ways, provided one's expectations do not violate this rule, and to show why they do not change more.
Organic Approaches to the Treatment of Paraphilics and Sex Offenders
Authors: Greenfield Daniel P. 
Published: January 2017

Emphasizing the power and fundamental nature—comparable to the basic mammalian drive for food—of sex drives and urges in almost everybody, including paraphilics and sex offenders, this article gives an overview of biologically-based, or “organic” approaches to the treatment of paraphilics and sex offenders. Organic treatment approaches for this population may be divided into surgical and pharmacotherapeutic categories. Surgical approaches include castration (orchiectomy), sterotactic (brain) surgery and estrogen implants, the latter two approaches are not used in the United States (U.S.). All surgical approaches act hormonally, in reducing or blocking the amount of circulating androgens in the subject. Pharmacotherapeutic approaches include: (1) Indirect-acting and direct-acting antiandrogen hormones, also intended to reduce or block the amount of circulating androgens in the subject. (2) Psychotropic medications for primary treatment of male aggressive hypersexuality, for treatment of co-occurring psychiatric symptomatology, or for both. (3) An experimental pharmacologic approach to the treatment of this population consists of the use of antiepileptic drugs, or “AED's” to stabilize the impulsivity/compulsivity of these subjects, in reducing the hypothesized “kindling” that may occur during impulsive/compulsive periods in these individuals. Whatever organic approach may be used for paraphilics and sex offenders, such an approach alone is not sufficient treatment for this population. Psychotherapeutic and cognitive/behavioral approaches must also be included in these individuals' treatment regimens. A companion piece to this article, giving an overview of psychotherapeutic and cognitive/behavioral treatment approaches to this population will be published in a future issue of this Journal.
Managerial Competence: Do Technical Capabilities Matter?
Authors: Rajadhyaksha Ujvala 
Published: January 2017

Globalization and rapid technological change is a reality for companies today. It has changed the manner in which business has been routinely conducted and has brought into focus delivery of results in real time. Newer forms of organizational structures have emerged that are flatter with fewer hierarchical levels. Career paths are no longer linear and unbroken but are spiralling and lateral in nature. The traditional employment contract between employees and organization has altered. While earlier it was normal to assume a life time of security in exchange for doing a good job, now employees are increasingly looking for opportunities for professional development that will enhance their future employability. All these changes have had implications for HR departments and performance appraisal in the new business context. Instead of evaluating primarily on the basis of quantitative results and on what is achieved, the focus is shifting to how it is achieved as an indication of an employee's ability to keep performing well in the future. It has made ‘competencies’ the new mantra for the HR departments aiming to effect change within organizations. Based on a sample data of over 250 executives in one of India's largest vehicle manufacturing companies, this paper reviews the concept of competency, how it is assessed, and brings out the need for assessing technical competency. The final model that emerges from the study goes beyond managerial competencies — a model of techno-managerial competency that may be better suited to emerging jobs in a more technology-driven future. This model consists of four factors: technical skills comprising of knowledge fundamentals, engineering drawing appreciation, manufacturability appreciation, materials choice appreciation, knowledge of emerging trends, etc. group problem-solving skills comprising of problem analysis, creativity and originality, technical leadership ability, communication ability, people management skills, etc. managerial skills comprising of perseverance, quest for learning, business understanding, visualization, attention to detail, etc. aptitude comprising of analytical ability, creativity, risk-taking orientation, etc.