bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teaching traditions in physical education in France, Switzerland and Sweden: A special focus on official curricula for gymnastics and fitness training
Authors: Forest Emmanuelle , Lenzen Benoît , Öhman Marie
Published: June 2017

The aim of this paper is to identify and discuss similarities and differences between the curricula for physical education (PE) in secondary schools in Sweden, France and the canton of Geneva (Switzerland) in the light of PE teaching traditions (PETTs). Teaching traditions concern ideas about the goals of school disciplines and therefore about the kind of learning pupils are expected to acquire. The paper focuses more specifically on two subjects, gymnastics and fitness training, because these physical activities are liable to highlight the similarities and differences across contexts in terms of didactic transposition. A content analysis of current curriculum materials of the three countries was conducted taking the following dimensions into account: (a) the general structure of the curriculum texts; (b) the general recommendations; and (c) the learning outcomes expected from the pupils in terms of knowledge and values, with examples of contents in gymnastics and fitness training. The results show the entanglement of various PETTs in each country: PETT as Sport-Techniques primarily shapes French and Swiss-Genevan curricula, PETT as Health Education is more present in Sweden and, to a lesser extent, in Switzerland, while PETT as Physical Culture Education tends to be more visible in France.
Effect of alkali and enzymatic treatments of banana fibre on properties of banana/polypropylene composites
Authors: Vishnu Vardhini KJ , Murugan R , Surjit R
Published: June 2017

Banana fibres are among the natural fibres obtained from the waste pseudostem of the banana plant, which can be used as reinforcement in the manufacture of thermoplastic composites due to its high specific strength compared to that of glass fibres and are sustainable alternatives. To improve the adhesion of natural fibres with the matrix material, the surface is usually modified using alkali. Surface modifications can also be done through eco-friendly enzymatic treatments. In this work, banana fibres were treated with alkali, laccase and xylanase enzymes at various treatment concentrations separately to modify the surface. Banana/polypropylene needle punched nonwovens were produced from each of these treated fibres and polypropylene fibres separately. Banana/polypropylene composites have been produced from these nonwovens using compression moulding technique and properties such as volume fractions, hardness, tensile strength, scanning electron microscope analysis, flexural strength and impact resistance were determined for all the composite samples. The densities and the void contents of these developed composites ranged between the range of 1.038–1.043 and 2.2% to 3.6%, respectively. The various treatments have increased the hardness by 8–21%, tensile strength by 24–69% with the highest for 20% xylanase enzyme treatment. The scanning electron microscope analysis of the tensile test samples also aids the tensile test results. The 100% polypropylene had a flexural strength of 25.43 MPa and that for banana fibre reinforced composites the improvements was in the range of 42 to 80%. Impact strength also showed similar trend as tensile with a highest impact strength of 120% for 20% xylanase enzyme treatment.
Wound Healing and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Topical Hyaluronic Acid Injection in Surgical-Site Infection Caused by Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Park Jin Hyung , Park Eon Ju , Yi Hyung Suk
Published: June 2017

Surgical-site infection (SSI) is a common postoperative complication, primarily caused by Staphylococcus aureus. S aureus produces hyaluronidase which degrades hyaluronic acid (HA). HA prevents bacterial proliferation and has anti-inflammatory effects to promote wound healing. We evaluated the effect of HA injection with systemic antibiotics for prevention and treatment of SSIs caused by S aureus. An open wound was created on the dorsum of 40 rats. The wound bed was sutured with S aureus inoculated thread. The test group was injected with HA (HA group), and the control group received a subcutaneous injection of normal saline (NS group). All groups were then treated with intraperitoneal cefazolin injection. The sutures were removed 2 days after the procedure. Gross pathology, bacterial count, and wound histology were assessed at days 2, 4, 6, and 8 postprocedure. The HA group showed a significant reduction in the wound area compared with the control group on gross pathology (at days 8 postprocedure, 36.54% ± 6.12% vs 50.59% ± 5.50%, P < .001). The HA group showed significantly better wound healing than the control group on histological analysis, including assessment of abscess, neutrophilic infiltration, and necrosis (4.2 ± 1.2 vs 11.5 ± 2.1, P < .001). The HA group showed a lower bacterial count compared with the NS group, but the result was not significant statistically (at days 6 postprocedure, 5.11 ± 0.31 vs 5.91 ± 0.35 logCFU/mL, P = .706). In conclusion, immediate local injection of HA in wounds can reduce SSI occurrence and promote wound healing in an animal model.
Cancer-Related Fatigue and Muscle Quality in Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Survivors
Authors: de Lima Filipe Dinato , Bottaro Martim , de Oliveira Valeriano Ritielli , Cruz Lorena , Battaglini Claudio L. , Vieira Carlos Alexandre , de Oliveira Ricardo Jacó
Published: June 2017

The purpose of this study was to compare fatigue, strength, body composition, muscle thickness, and muscle quality between Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivors (HLS) and apparently healthy subjects matched by age, gender, and physical activity levels (CON). Twelve HLS (32.16 ± 8.06) and 36 CON (32.42 ± 7.64) were enrolled in the study. Fatigue was assessed using the 20-item Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, muscle strength using an isokinetic dynamometer, body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and thickness and muscle quality using B-mode ultrasound. Differences between HLS and CON were analyzed using independent samples t tests. No significant differences were observed between groups for any demographic characteristics: age ( P = .922), weight ( P = .943), height ( P = .511), body mass index ( P = .796), fat mass ( P = .688), fat-free mass ( P = .520), and percent body fat ( P = .446). No significant differences were observed for strength (peak torque; P = .552), relative peak torque ( P = .200), muscle thickness ( P > .05) and muscle quality ( P > .05). However, self-perceived fatigue was significantly higher in HLS than in CON ( P = .009). It appears that when HLS are matched by age and physical activity levels to CON, no significant difference in body composition, muscle thickness, muscle quality, or strength is observed. Self-perceived fatigue, as predicted, is higher in HLS, which may have implications and should be considered when prescribing exercise training to this cancer population.
The predictive influence of headteachers’ task-oriented managerial leadership behaviours on teachers’ retention intentions in Ghana
Authors: Semarco Stanley KM , Cho Seokhee
Published: June 2017

The study examined if significant dynamic and reciprocal relationships exist among the task-oriented managerial behaviours of headteachers, and how these behaviours specifically and jointly influence teachers’ retention intention. Out of the multistage sampled 350 schools, suitable questionnaires from 279 schools representing 558 questionnaires filled by teachers provided data on 279 headteachers. The analysis showed that headteachers’ problem-solving behaviour, clarifying behaviour and monitoring operations behaviour influenced their planning activities as leaders. The planning behaviour significantly predicted retention intention and had a significant mediating effect on the relationships between clarifying, monitoring, and problem- solving behaviours on one hand and teachers’ retention intention on the other. The implications of the study’s findings and future research directions are discussed.
Televising the revolution as cultural policy: Bolivarian state broadcasting as nation-building
Authors: Zweig Noah
Published: June 2017

This article examines the role of the Caracas-based, pan-Latin American state broadcaster, TeleSUR, in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Drawing on Manuel Castells’ communication theory of the information age, in which global society has become a series of interlinked ‘networks’, and the ‘information economy’ has displaced manufacturing, the article argues that the Bolivarian Revolution, led by the late Hugo Chávez (1954–2013), is a network state, and as such is to be understood as a network of interconnected political, economic and communication interests. As an integral part of this network state, then, the TeleSUR broadcaster sets the agenda in the international sphere via satellite, cable and the Internet. Since petroleum is one of Venezuela’s main commodities – the country produces little in the way of manufacturing – and its main export, one of the ways in which Venezuela projects itself to the world is not with material commodities (oil notwithstanding), but images such as those that regularly appear on TeleSUR. This exportation of images of Chavismo and of Chávez himself, the article concludes, has become both a cultural policy and a form of incipient nation-building.
Are preterm-born survivors at risk of long-term respiratory disease?
Authors: Kaczmarczyk Katarzyna , Wiszomirska Ida , Szturmowicz Magdalena , Magiera Andrzej , Błażkiewicz Michalina
Published: June 2017

Background:

To evaluate the long-term impact of preterm birth on respiratory function in female patients born preterm, we undertook spirometric examinations twice, as they reached the age of puberty, then follow-up examinations of part of the same cohort in adulthood. We sought evidence that preterm birth is correlated with poorer spirometric results into adulthood.

Methods:

A total of 70 girls (aged 12.2 ± 1.5 years in 1997) who had been born preterm (at 34.7 ± 1.86 weeks, none having experienced bronchopulmonary dysplasia) took part in spriometric examinations in 1997 and again in 1998. Of those, after a gap of 17 years, a group of 12 were successfully recontacted and participated in the 2015 examination as adults (then aged 27.6 ± 2.6 years, born at 34.5 ± 1.92 weeks). We compared spirometric results across the adolescent and adult examinations, and compared the adult results with an adult reference group.

Results:

The percentage values of FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 s), FVC (forced vital capacity) and MVV (maximal voluntary ventilation) showed significant improvement between the two examinations in the early adolescent period. In adulthood, FEV1%pred (percentage predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s) showed no statistically significant difference. The mean values of both FVC and FVC%pred (percentage predicted forced vital capacity) for the preterm-born group were lower than for the reference group, but this was not statistically significant. The preterm-born group showed lower values of such parameters as forced expiratory flow at 25–75% of FVC, MEF25 (maximal expiratory flow at 25% of forced vital capacity) and FEV1/FVC as compared with the reference group, but again without statistical significance.

Conclusions:

(1) A somewhat below-norm level of respiratory parameters among preterm-born girls entering pubescence may attest to continued negative impact on their respiratory system. (2) A significant improvement in their spirometric results 1 year later may indicate that pubescence helps compensate for the earlier negative effect of preterm birth. (3) No significant differences were seen in lung function in preterm-born adults as compared with a reference group of adults, although the preterm-born group did exhibit lower values of all parameters studied and more frequent obstructive disorders.
Social Referencing: Defining and Delineating a Basic Process of Emotion
Authors: Walle Eric A. , Reschke Peter J. , Knothe Jennifer M.
Published: June 2017

Social referencing informs and regulates one’s relation with the environment as a function of the perceived appraisals of social partners. Increased emphasis on relational and social contexts in the study of emotion makes this interpersonal process particularly relevant to the field. However, theoretical conceptualizations and empirical operationalizations of social referencing are disjointed across domains and populations of study. This article seeks to unite and refine the study of this construct by providing a clear and comprehensive definition of social referencing. Our perspective presents social referencing and social appraisal as coterminous processes and emphasizes the importance of a relational and interpersonal approach to the study of emotion. We conclude by outlining possible lines of research on this construct.
Functions of Positive Emotions: Gratitude as a Motivator of Self-Improvement and Positive Change
Authors: Armenta Christina N. , Fritz Megan M. , Lyubomirsky Sonja
Published: June 2017

Positive emotions are highly valued and frequently sought. Beyond just being pleasant, however, positive emotions may also lead to long-term benefits in important domains, including work, physical health, and interpersonal relationships. Research thus far has focused on the broader functions of positive emotions. According to the broaden-and-build theory, positive emotions expand people’s thought–action repertoires and allow them to build psychological, intellectual, and social resources. New evidence suggests that positive emotions—particularly gratitude—may also play a role in motivating individuals to engage in positive behaviors leading to self-improvement. We propose and offer supportive evidence that expressing gratitude leads people to muster effort to improve themselves via increases in connectedness, elevation, humility, and specific negative states including indebtedness.
Comment: Respecifying Emotional Influence
Authors: Parkinson Brian
Published: June 2017

To what extent does the level of overlap between social appraisal and social referencing depend upon the particular definitions adopted when following different research agendas? I argue that processes of both kinds fall under the more inclusive heading of relation alignment. Relation alignment also covers emotional influence that is not mediated by the communication of appraisal. Similarities, interdependences, and distinctions between these various relation-alignment processes warrant further investigation.
Comment: Reframing the Conceptual Diversity of Social Appraisal and Social Referencing
Authors: Holodynski Manfred
Published: June 2017

The comment discusses the common ground and differences of the contribution of Walle, Reschke, and Knothe (2017), as well as that of Clément and Dukes (2017) in their efforts to conceptually connect an important concept from infancy research, namely that of social referencing, with an important one from emotion research on adults, that of social appraisal. The distinction between social referencing and affective observation under the generic concept of social appraisal could be worthwhile for differentiating implicit and explicit impacts of a model’s behavior on a child’s emotional development.
Social Referencing and Social Appraisal: Commentary on the Clément and Dukes (2016) and Walle et al. (2016) articles
Authors: Manstead Antony S. R. , Fischer Agneta H.
Published: June 2017

We comment on two articles on social referencing and social appraisal. We agree with Walle, Reschke, and Knothe’s (2017) argument that at one level of analysis, social referencing and social appraisal are functionally equivalent: In both cases, another person’s emotional expression is observed and this expression informs the observer’s own emotional reactions and behavior. However, we also agree with Clément and Dukes’s (2017) view that (at another level of analysis), there is an important difference between social referencing and social appraisal. We also argue that they are likely to occur at different stages of emotion process.
Self-Transcendent Emotions and Their Social Functions: Compassion, Gratitude, and Awe Bind Us to Others Through Prosociality
Authors: Stellar Jennifer E. , Gordon Amie M. , Piff Paul K. , Cordaro Daniel , Anderson Craig L. , Bai Yang , Maruskin Laura A. , Keltner Dacher
Published: June 2017

In this article we review the emerging literature on the self-transcendent emotions. We discuss how the self-transcendent emotions differ from other positive emotions and outline the defining features of this category. We then provide an analysis of three specific self-transcendent emotions—compassion, gratitude, and awe—detailing what has been learned about their expressive behavior, physiology, and likely evolutionary origins. We propose that these emotions emerged to help humans solve unique problems related to caretaking, cooperation, and group coordination in social interactions. In our final section we offer predictions about the self-transcendent emotions that can guide future research.
Comment: The Science of Positive Emotion: You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby/There’s Still a Long Way to Go
Authors: Shiota Michelle N.
Published: June 2017

After decades of neglect, positive emotion is now the focus of a rich, diverse, and rapidly growing field. Basic research has advanced understanding of positive emotions’ neural mechanisms, nonverbal expression, and implications for cognition and motivation, with increasing appreciation of positive emotion differentiation, as well as cultural and contextual moderators of positive emotions’ effects. Much research has also addressed ways positive emotions can be leveraged to improve the human condition, and the mechanisms by which interventions have beneficial effects. As always, new knowledge raises more questions, and we still have a long way to go before the promise of this field can be fully realized. This comment reviews major developments in positive emotion science and offers recommendations for the future.
Comment: Frameworks for Theory and Research on Positive Emotions
Authors: Roseman Ira J.
Published: June 2017

Contributions to this special section on positive emotions are summarized and integrated within a framework for organizing theory and research on particular emotions. Emotions are conceptualized as evolved strategies for coping with crises and opportunities, elicited by situational and appraisal antecedents–with phenomenological, physiological, expressive, behavioral, and emotivational goal components. Within this framework, theories are compared, inconsistencies and gaps in knowledge are identified, and issues in emotion theory are discussed.
Treatment of advanced, metastatic soft tissue sarcoma: latest evidence and clinical considerations
Authors: In Gino K. , Hu James S. , Tseng William W.
Published: June 2017

Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a biologically heterogeneous malignancy with over 50 subtypes. Historically, there have been few systemic treatment options for this relatively rare disease. Traditional cytotoxic agents, such as anthracyclines, alkylating agents, and taxanes have limited clinical benefit beyond the first-line setting; across all high-grade STS subtypes, median overall survival remains approximately 12–18 months for advanced metastatic disease. The development of targeted therapies has led to recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of four new treatments for high-grade STS in the advanced metastatic setting. Among these, olaratumab is most notable for its improvement in overall survival for patients with anthracycline-naïve disease. Further progress in STS management will rely on novel trial design, subtype-specific therapies and validation of biomarkers to tailor therapy. Immunotherapy has shown promise as a new, but yet undiscovered frontier in the management of STS.
Complications Following Operatively Treated Ankle Fractures in Insulin- and Non–Insulin-Dependent Diabetic Patients
Authors: Haddix Kevin P. , Clement R. Carter , Tennant Joshua N. , Ostrum Robert F.
Published: June 2017

Background: Diabetics with ankle fractures experience more complications than the general population, but it is unclear whether complications differ between type 1 and 2 diabetics and between insulin- and non–insulin-dependent diabetics. This study aims to determine if there is a difference in postoperative complication rates between these groups. Methods: An administrative health care database from a large commercial insurer was queried to identify operatively treated ankle fractures in patients with type 1 (T1D), type 2 (T2D), type 2 insulin-dependent (T2ID), and type 2 non–insulin-dependent (T2NID) diabetes. Postoperative complications were identified to include postoperative stiffness, posttraumatic arthritis, amputation, implant removal, and infection. Subgroup analysis was performed to control for comorbidities. Results: A total of 20 703 closed and 2873 open operatively treated ankle fractures were identified. Patients with T1D experienced higher rates of amputation, postoperative infection, and total complications than patients with T2D (P < .05). Patients with T2ID experienced higher rates of amputation, infection, and total complications than those with T2NID (P < .0001). Subgroup analysis controlling for comorbidities showed a higher total complication rate for T1D compared with T2D in closed ankle fractures (P < .02) and for T2ID compared with T2NID in both open and closed ankle fractures (P < .0001). Conclusions: Patients with T1D and T2ID have higher complication rates than patients with T2D and T2NID, respectively. Foot and ankle surgeons should be cautioned not to classify diabetics as one cohort and should use these findings to stratify risk among this patient population.

Levels of Evidence: Level III: Diagnostic
Systematic Review of the Effect of Taping Techniques on Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
Authors: Logan Catherine A. , Bhashyam Abhiram R. , Tisosky Ashley J. , Haber Daniel B. , Jorgensen Anna , Roy Adam , Provencher Matthew T.
Published: June 2017

Context:

Taping is commonly used in the management of several musculoskeletal conditions, including patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). Specific guidelines for taping are unknown.

Objective:

To investigate the efficacy of knee taping in the management of PFPS. Our hypothesis was that tension taping and exercise would be superior to placebo taping and exercise as well as to exercise or taping alone.

Data Sources:

The PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane, Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Source, and CINAHL databases were reviewed for English-language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of various taping techniques that were published between 1995 and April 2015. Keywords utilized included taping, McConnell, kinesio-taping, kinesiotaping, patellofemoral pain, and knee.

Study Selection:

Studies included consisted of RCTs (level 1 or 2) with participants of all ages who had anterior knee or patellofemoral pain symptoms and had received nonsurgical management using any taping technique.

Study Design:

Systematic review.

Level of Evidence:

Level 2.

Data Extraction:

A checklist method was used to determine selection, performance, detection, and attrition bias for each article. A quality of evidence grading was then referenced using the validated PEDro database for RCTs. Three difference comparison groups were compared: tension taping and exercise versus placebo taping and exercise (group 1), placebo taping and exercise versus exercise alone (group 2), and tension taping and exercise versus taping alone (group 3).

Results:

Five RCTs with 235 total patients with multiple intervention arms were included. Taping strategies included McConnell and Kinesiotaping. Visual analog scale (VAS) scores indicated improvement in all 3 comparison groups (group 1: 91 patients, 39% of total, mean VAS improvement 44.9 [tension taping + exercise] vs 66 [placebo taping + exercise]; group 2: 56 patients, 24% of total, mean VAS improvement 66 [placebo taping + exercise] vs 47.6 [exercise alone]; and group 3: 112 patients, 48% of total, mean VAS improvement 44.9 [tension taping + exercise] vs 14.1 [taping alone]).

Conclusion:

This systematic review supports knee taping only as an adjunct to traditional exercise therapy for PFPS; however, it does not support taping in isolation.
A Snapshot of the Life as Lived
Authors: Brown Nicolas A. , Blake Andrew B. , Sherman Ryne A.
Published: June 2017

Recent advances in mobile sensing technology provide innovative methods for understanding how individuals think, feel, and behave in vivo. Despite the utility of these new methods, as of yet, researchers have not been able to see the environments people encounter in their daily lives. In this article, we introduce wearable cameras as a new tool for sampling from participants’ everyday situations. Wearable cameras are small devices that capture pictures on a fixed interval (e.g., 30 s). This article discusses the benefits and disadvantages of incorporating wearable cameras into personality and social psychological research. Drawing on our experiences using wearable cameras in research, we provide insights into ethical and legal considerations when designing studies using these devices. Lastly, we report data on situation change and perceived obtrusiveness from, to our knowledge, the first wearable camera study in personality and social psychology.
Black Groups Accentuate Hypodescent by Activating Threats to the Racial Hierarchy
Authors: Cooley Erin , Brown-Iannuzzi Jazmin L. , Brown Christia Spears , Polikoff Jack
Published: June 2017

One reason White people categorize Black–White Biracial people as Black (called hypodescent) is to maintain the existing racial hierarchy. By creating a strict definition of who can be White, the selectivity, and thus status, of White people increases. Given that racial hierarchies are about the relative status of groups, we test whether perceiving Black groups increases hypodescent by activating fears about shifts in the racial hierarchy (i.e., a majority/minority shift). Indeed, White people rated (Study 1) and stereotyped (Study 4) Black–White Biracial people as more Black in Black groups (but not White groups; Study 2) than when alone. Critically, this pattern was driven by White people relatively high in fear of a majority/minority shift (Study 3a) or those experimentally led to feel this threat (Study 3b). We conclude that Black groups increase hypodescent by activating fears about shifts in the racial hierarchy, posing consequences for racial stereotyping.
Hispanic Population Growth Engenders Conservative Shift Among Non-Hispanic Racial Minorities
Authors: Craig Maureen A. , Richeson Jennifer A.
Published: June 2017

The racial/ethnic diversity of the United States is increasing, yet recent social psychological research has focused primarily on White Americans’ reactions to this demographic trend. The present research experimentally examines how members of different racial minority groups perceive increasing diversity, driven by Hispanic population growth, focusing on downstream consequences for political ideology and policy preferences. Four studies reveal that making Hispanic population growth salient leads non-Hispanic racial minorities to identify as more conservative and support more conservative policy positions, compared with control information. The policy preferences of Hispanics, however, were not affected by exposure to information about their in-group’s growth. Considered in tandem with previous research, the present studies suggest that Hispanic population growth may motivate greater support for conservative ideology among members of both racial majority and minority groups.
Religion and unemployment benefits
Authors: Alidadi Katayoun
Published: June 2017

When employees are dismissed or resign because of a conflict between their religion and job duties or expectations, how does this affect their claims to unemployment benefits? How do European countries address this question? The answer has significant consequences for many jobseekers and employees belonging to religious minorities and in many ways excluded from the mainstream labour market, yet the role of religion in the adjudication of European unemployment disputes has so far received limited attention. This article focuses on the role of religious dress in unemployment benefits disputes in Belgium, the Netherlands and Great Britain. It also assesses whether the messaging in relevant case law in the area of unemployment benefits has been sufficiently interlocking with employment law. Finding a level of disconnect, it is argued that an explicit duty of reasonable accommodation in employment would appropriately address the interplay between unemployment benefits and employment law in Europe.
The law concerning the election of employees’ representatives in company bodies
Authors: Mulder Bernard Johann
Published: June 2017

This paper assesses the juridical aspects of the right to vote for, and be elected as, employee representative in company bodies. The assessment is made in the light of the pending case Konrad Erzberger v TUI AG, C 566/15 before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The case was referred to the CJEU by the Kammergericht Berlin (Germany) and it was lodged on 3 November 2015. In the case, two issues related to the provisions of the Treaty of Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) are addressed to the CJEU. One is if it is discrimination on grounds of nationality, another is if national legislation is incompatible with the provisions on freedom of movement for workers, when the national legislation does not permit inviting employees outside a country’s borders to vote or stand as a candidate for the employee representation in that company’s supervisory body. In this paper it is argued that national law in the case at issue is not incompatible with European Union (EU) law. Consequently, there is no discrimination on grounds of nationality, and there is no obstacle to free movement for workers. Instead, it is a matter of what law shall apply.
Humor Styles as Moderators in the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Physical Health
Authors: Richards Kirsten , Kruger Gert
Published: June 2017

This study examined the moderating role of four humor styles, namely, self-enhancing, affiliative, self-defeating, and aggressive humor, in the relationship between perceived stress and physical health. The sample comprised 954 undergraduate students of both genders between the ages of 18 and 43 years ( M = 20 years) from various ethnic backgrounds (68.2% Black African, 19.1% White, 7.3% Colored, and 5.3% Indian). Three self-report measures were administered to assess humor styles, perceived stress, and physical health. Results showed that the self-defeating humor style moderated the relationship between stress and physical health with higher use of this humor style associated with an increase in reported physical health symptoms. The results highlight the role of a self-directed, detrimental humor style in the deterioration of physical health during the perceived experience of stress, thus indicating that one’s habitual way of using humor could influence whether physical health outcomes are positive or negative.
Analysis of Special Education Due Process Hearings in Texas
Authors: Schanding G. Thomas , Cheramie Gail M. , Hyatt Hannah , Praytor Sarah E. , Yellen Jessica R.
Published: June 2017

In total, 139 Texas special education due process hearings that occurred between 2011 and 2015 were examined. Cases were coded with regard to the student’s special education disability category; the number of hearings in which a specific party prevailed; the primary, secondary, and/or tertiary issues of the case; the number of issues in these hearings held for the student/family, the district, and issues held in part for the student/family and in part for the district. Overall, the primary student eligibilities involved in these cases were autism, emotional disturbance, and other health impairment. In addition, the most common issues involved in the dispute included the Individualized Education Program (IEP), evaluation, and placement. Districts prevailed in approximately 72% of cases. Findings are compared with previous data, and implications are discussed.
Simultaneous bilateral correction of genu varum with Smart frame
Authors: Özkul Barış , Çamurcu Yalkin , Sokucu Sami , Yavuz Umut , Akman Yunus Emre , Demir Bilal
Published: June 2017

Purpose:

The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical and radiological results of simultaneous bilateral correction of genu varum with Smart frame.

Methods:

Between 2011 and 2015, a total of 25 patients (10 females, 15 males) who had bilateral genu varum deformity were operated bilaterally with tibial and fibular osteotomy in the same session, using Smart frame. The mean follow-up period was 28.7 (range, 13–45) months. All patients had bilateral tibial varus deformity. Femoral deformity was corrected in an earlier session in nine patients. Mechanical axis deviation (MAD), mechanical lateral distal femoral angle, mechanical medial proximal tibial angle (mMPTA) and posterior proximal tibial angle (PPTA) were measured preoperatively and postoperatively. Short Form-36 questionnaire was filled by the patients preoperatively and during the last follow-up.

Results:

The mean preoperative MAD was 37.6 mm (range, 9–98 mm), which improved to 8.4 mm (range, 3–44 mm) postoperatively ( p < 0.05). The mean preoperative mMPTA was 76°, which improved to 89° ( p < 0.05). The mean preoperative PPTA was 75.5°, which improved to 80.3 ( p < 0.05). Ten problems (20%), two obstacles (4%) and no sequelae occurred in 50 legs of 25 patients.

Conclusions:

In conclusion, Smart frame is an accurate and reliable method for performing bilateral simultaneous deformity correction in patients with bilateral genu varum deformity. It can be applied for various childhood-induced severe tibial deformities such as achondroplasia, rickets, skeletal dysplasia and Blount’s disease.
A novel surgical approach for treating distal radial extraarticular malunion: Oblique osteotomy with buttress plate stabilization
Authors: Wu Chi-Chuan
Published: June 2017

Purpose:

Distal radial extraarticular malunions are not uncommon. However, requirements of surgical correction depend on multiple conditions. Traditionally, surgical techniques include closing or opening wedge osteotomies. Each has unique advantages and disadvantages. An oblique osteotomy was developed to simplify the revision surgery.

Methods:

Forty-eight consecutive adult patients with 48 malunions were surgically treated. An oblique osteotomy of 45° vertical to the radial longitudinal axis was performed from medio-distally to latero-proximally. Consequently, the osteotomized fragments were compressed with a bone clamp. The proximal part of the distal fragment was pushed backward to correct the dorsal tilt. A 7-hole buttress plate was inserted volarly and cancellous bone graft was packed. Postoperatively, a short-arm splint or brace without restriction of all five metacarpophalangeal joints was applied for 6 weeks.

Results:

Forty-one patients were followed for an average of 2.8 years (range, 1.1–5.8 years). All malunions healed within 6 weeks. The union rate was 100% and no complications occurred. Radiographically, ulnar variance, volar tilt of radial articulation, and radial inclination restored to acceptable criteria in all patients. Patients with Modified Mayo Wrist Score (MMWS) improved from 17% to 80% ( p < 0.001) and Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Score improved from 0% to 80% ( p < 0.001). The relationship between MMWS and DASH Score was highly correlated (correlation coefficient = −0.90).

Conclusion:

The described approach may be an excellent alternative for treating distal radial extraarticular malunions. The technique is not difficult but the satisfactory rate is high.
Effectiveness of Two-Talker Maskers That Differ in Talker Congruity and Perceptual Similarity to the Target Speech
Authors: Calandruccio Lauren , Buss Emily , Bowdrie Kristina
Published: June 2017

Previous work has shown that masked-sentence recognition is particularly poor when the masker is composed of two competing talkers, a finding that is attributed to informational masking. Informational masking tends to be largest when the target and masker talkers are perceptually similar. Reductions in masking have been observed for a wide range of target and masker differences, including language: Performance is better when the target and masker talkers speak in different languages, compared with the same language. The present study evaluated normal-hearing adults’ sentence recognition in a two-talker masker as a function of the perceptual similarity between the target and each of the two masker streams. The target was English, and the maskers were composed of English, time-reversed English, or Dutch. These three masker types are known to vary in the informational masking they exert. The two talkers within the two-talker maskers were either congruent (e.g., both English) or incongruent (e.g., one English, one Dutch). As predicted, mean performance was worse for the congruent English masker than the congruent time-reversed English or congruent Dutch maskers. Incongruent two-talker maskers, with just one English masker stream, were only modestly less effective than the congruent English masker. This result indicates that two-talker masker effectiveness was determined predominantly by the one masker stream that was most perceptually similar to the target. Speech recognition in a single-talker masker differed only marginally between the English, Dutch, and time-reversed English masker types, suggesting that perceptual similarity may be more critical in a two-talker than a one-talker masker.
Word Recognition and Learning: Effects of Hearing Loss and Amplification Feature
Authors: Pittman Andrea L. , Stewart Elizabeth C. , Willman Amanda P. , Odgear Ian S.
Published: June 2017

Two amplification features were examined using auditory tasks that varied in stimulus familiarity. It was expected that the benefits of certain amplification features would increase as the familiarity with the stimuli decreased. A total of 20 children and 15 adults with normal hearing as well as 21 children and 17 adults with mild to severe hearing loss participated. Three models of ear-level devices were selected based on the quality of the high-frequency amplification or the digital noise reduction (DNR) they provided. The devices were fitted to each participant and used during testing only. Participants completed three tasks: (a) word recognition, (b) repetition and lexical decision of real and nonsense words, and (c) novel word learning. Performance improved significantly with amplification for both the children and the adults with hearing loss. Performance improved further with wideband amplification for the children more than for the adults. In steady-state noise and multitalker babble, performance decreased for both groups with little to no benefit from amplification or from the use of DNR. When compared with the listeners with normal hearing, significantly poorer performance was observed for both the children and adults with hearing loss on all tasks with few exceptions. Finally, analysis of across-task performance confirmed the hypothesis that benefit increased as the familiarity of the stimuli decreased for wideband amplification but not for DNR. However, users who prefer DNR for listening comfort are not likely to jeopardize their ability to detect and learn new information when using this feature.
Individual differences in autistic children’s homograph reading: Evidence from Hebrew
Authors: Brock Jon , Sukenik Nufar , Friedmann Naama
Published: June 2017

Background and aims

On average, autistic individuals make more errors than control participants when reading aloud sentences containing heterophonic homographs—written words with multiple meanings and pronunciations. This finding is widely interpreted within the framework of “weak central coherence” as evidence for impaired sentence-level comprehension resulting in a failure to disambiguate the homograph meaning. However, consistent findings at the group level belie considerable individual variation. Our aim here was to determine whether that variation was reliable and whether it could be predicted.

Methods

We developed a Hebrew version of the homograph-reading test, containing many more items than is possible in English. The test was administered to 18 native-Hebrew speaking autistic children and adolescents, along with a battery of reading and language assessments.

Results

Participants with autism showed wide individual variation in performance on the homograph-reading task. Using a mixed random effects logistic regression analysis, we showed that measures of autism severity, single word reading, and single word comprehension all left reliable individual variation unaccounted for and none accounted for variation beyond that associated with the child’s age. Instead, homograph reading was best predicted by performance on a picture naming task, which accounted for unique variation beyond age and each of the other predictors.

Conclusions

Poor performance of autistic individuals on the English version of the homograph-reading task has until now been characterized as evidence for a comprehension deficit in autism. However, the results of the current study lead us to propose a new working hypothesis—that difficulties affecting some autistic individuals reflect impairment in the use of semantics to guide the selection of the appropriate phonological form during speech production. This hypothesis is consistent with the strong association between homograph reading and picture naming. It may also help explain the inconsistent pattern of results across studies using different measures of linguistic “central coherence.”

Implications

The results of this preliminary study should be replicated before firm conclusions are drawn. Nonetheless, the study serves to emphasize the importance of considering within-group as well as between-group variations in studies of autism. It also provides a worked example showing how mixed random effect analyses can be used to explore individual differences, distinguishing between genuine variation and psychometric noise.
How systemic imbalance shapes migration patterns
Authors: Lu Peng
Published: June 2017

It has been found that migration flows follow the power-law distribution in terms of travel distances, and this work testifies that the distributions of origins and destinations fit the power-law as well, based on data collected during 1949–2012 in China. A social network model is conceptually built to measure each county’s out-degree (origins) and in-degree (destinations). It shows that both the distributions of origins and destinations follow the power-law distribution, and they are in the middle range of verified power-law exponents. With socio-economic implications, the power-law exponent measures the unbalance of resources and opportunities. Since the beginning of the reform and opening-up policy, China has experienced a transition from a redistributive economy to a market economy, i.e. from a centralized state to a decentralized state. The market or economy mechanism brings vast and in-depth development in various fields, and therefore continually reduces this inequality in mainland China. As long as the market plays the core role in the economy, exponents of origins and destinations will decline gradually, and they will both increase when the market is interrupted or weakened after the global financial crisis (2008–9). The distribution of resources and opportunities governs the migration flows. The market mechanism facilitates the balanced distribution of resources and opportunities, and therefore renders the more balanced trend of migration flows in China.
Reflections on the use of 10 IARC carcinogenic characteristics for an objective approach to identifying and organizing results from certain mechanistic studies
Authors: Trosko James E
Published: June 2017

To find a scientifically based method for evaluating mechanistic data related to risks to human beings, a new protocol for identifying, organizing, and summarizing mechanistic data for decision-making on cancer hazard identification was proposed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and by an international working group of multidisciplinary experts. This Commentary examined the 10 key carcinogens’ characteristics proposed in the context of several paradigms assumed in the using of these 10 characteristics. These characteristics were assumed to represent a “carcinogen’s” mechanism of action but what was ignored were characteristics of the mechanisms of the “initiation,” “promotion,” and “progression” carcinogenic process. Challenges were made to the interpretation of genotoxicity data as well as from concepts and findings related to the promotion phase and the role of adult human stem cells. Reliance of interpretation of “genotoxicity” data (molecular-DNA lesions in DNA; induction of free radicals/oxidative stress markers; phenotypic surrogates of gene mutations), as well as from lesions in genomic versus mitochondrial DNA, or in the target cells for the carcinogenic process in either in vitro cultures or in vivo tissues, makes this “objective” use of the data questionable. A challenge to the “dedifferentiation” hypothesis of cancer was made. Because of an agent being misclassified as “genotoxic”—rather than an “epigenetic”—agent (which works by threshold levels; can be blocked; and must be present at critical times during development and at regular, sustained chronic exposures) could lead to unwise policy decisions.
What construct one’s familiar area? A quantitative and longitudinal study
Authors: Zhang Wen , Ahmad Termida Nursitihazlin , Susilo Yusak O
Published: June 2017

There is a lack of understanding of how certain characteristics of the urban environment influence an individual’s spatial cognition and familiarity with surrounding areas, and, subsequently, their travel behaviours and how these change over time. This paper aims to address this research gap in exploring the dynamics of individuals’ spatial cognitions by observing the changes of respondents’ familiar areas over time, and investigating the possible determinants that constitute respondents’ familiar areas. Panel data, containing two-week travel diaries and maps of familiar areas, were collected in four different waves over a seven-month period for 55 individuals in Stockholm, Sweden. The reported familiar areas for each individual were digitised into quantifiable variable form and further analysed by applying dynamic binary probit and linear regression models. The results show that, while familiar area is largely influenced by one’s previous knowledge of the area, it is also continuously corrected by events in between. Different land use characteristics have different impacts on different social groups’ travel patterns, thus contributing to the variability in the size of one’s familiar areas.
Male Portraits by Assamese Women Writers
Authors: Raimedhi Indrani
Published: June 2017

This article reflects how women writers in Assam create their male characters from the standpoint of their own vulnerable and precarious existence in a patriarchal society. The author has interviewed prominent Assamese women writers Mamoni Raisom Goswami, Anuradha Sharma Pujari, Rita Chowdhury, Arupa Patangia Kalita, Manorama Das Medhi, Leena Sarma, Moushumi Kandali and Karabi Deka Hazarika over the years to write this piece.