bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Informacja o badaniach terenowych w rejonie postawskim obwodu witebskiego na Białorusi
Authors: Гущева  [Gushcheva] Ольга [Ol'ga]
Published: July 2015

Information about field research in Postavsky district of Vitebsk region in BelarusThe article begins with a brif presentation of this multiethnic and multicultural region (main historical events, towns and villages, churches of different religions). An interdisciplinary field research in Postavsky district was conducted in July–August 2011. The aim of the research was gathering data concerning sociocultural aspects of local Polish community life, such as identity, historical memory, sociolinguistic situation, national stereotypes, system of values. The main method was an interview. We based on two dialectological questionnaires while examining the local Polish and Belarusian vocabulary. The interview records with a brif description of contents will be available on internet site of Fundacja Slawistyczna and it will be useful for different humanists such as dialectologists, sociolinguists, etnologists, sociologists, historians. Информация о полевых исследованиях в Поставском районе Витебской областиВ начале статьи коротко представлена основная информация, касающаяся этого полинационального и поликультурного региона (основные исторические события, основные местечки и деревни, святыни разных конфессий). Интердисциплинарное исследование в Поставском районе Витебской области проводилось в июле–августе 2011 года. Целью исследования был сбор материала, касающегося социокультурных аспектов функционирования представителей польского меньшинства в данном регионе, таких как идентичность, историческая память, социолингвистическая ситуация, национальные стереотипы, система ценностей. Основным методом исследования являлось интервью; лексика местного польского и белорусского говоров опрашивалaсь по двум диалектологическим опросникам. Аудиозаписи интервью с коротким описанием их содержания будут размещены на интернет странице Славистического фонда (Fundacja Slawistyczna). Содержащийся в них материал может быть полезен представителям различных гуманитарных дисциплин: диалектологам, социолингвистам, этнологам, социологам, историкам.
Changes in Tropical Cyclone Activity over Northwest Western Australia in the Past 50 Years and a View of the Future 50 Years
Authors: Ren Diandong , Leslie Lance M.
Published: July 2015

In the first half of this research, this study examines the trend in tropical cyclone (TC) activity over the economically important northwest Western Australia (NWA) TC basin (equator–40°S, 80°–140°E) based on statistical analyses of the International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) and large-scale environmental variables, which are known to be closely linked to the formation and longevity of TCs, from NCEP–NCAR reanalyses. In the second half, changes in TC activity from climate model projections for 2000–60 are compared for (i) no scenario change (CNTRL) and (ii) the moderate IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) A1B scenario (EGHG). The aims are to (i) determine differences in mean annual TC frequency and intensity trends, (ii) test for differences between genesis and decay positions of CNTRL and EGHG projections using a nonparametric permutation test, and (iii) use kernel density estimation (KDE) for a cluster analysis of CNTRL and EGHG genesis and decay positions and generate their probability distribution functions.

The main findings are there is little difference in the mean TC number over the period, but there is a difference in mean intensity; CNTRL and EGHG projections differ in mean genesis and decay positions in both latitude and longitude; and the KDE reveals just one cluster in both CNTRL and EGHG mean genesis and decay positions. The EGHG KDE is possibly disjoint, with a wider longitudinal spread. The results can be explained in terms of physical, meteorological, and sea surface temperature (SST) conditions, which provide natural limits to the spread of the genesis and decay points.
Diagnosing Rain Occurrences Using Passive Microwave Imagery: A Comparative Study on Probabilistic Graphical Models and “Black Box” Models
Authors: Wei Chih-Chiang , Jiing-Yun You Gene , Chen Li , Chou Chien-Chang , Roan Jinsheng
Published: July 2015

Rainfall is a fundamental process in the hydrologic cycle. This study investigated the cause–effect relationship in which precipitation at lower frequencies affects the amount of emitted radiation and at higher frequencies affects the amount of backscattered terrestrial radiation. Because the advantage of a probabilistic graphical model is its graphical representation, which allows easy causality interpretation using the arc directions, two Bayesian networks (BNs) were used, namely, a naïve Bayes classifier and a tree-augmented naïve Bayes model. To empirically evaluate and compare BN-based models, “black box”–based models, including nearest-neighbor searches and artificial neural network (ANN)-based multilayer perceptron and logistic regression, were used as benchmarks. For the two study regions—namely, the Tanshui River basin in northern Taiwan and Chianan Plain in southern Taiwan—rain occurrences during typhoon seasons were examined using passive microwave imagery recorded using the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder. The results show that although black box models exhibit excellent prediction ability, interpretation of their behavior is unsatisfactory. By contrast, probabilistic graphical models can explicitly reveal the causal relationship between brightness temperatures and nonrain/rain discrimination. For the Tanshui River basin, 19.35-, 22.23-, 37.0-, and 85.5-GHz vertically polarized brightness temperatures were found to diagnose rain occurrences. For the Chianan Plain, a more sensitive indicator of rain-scattering signals was obtained using 85-GHz measurements. The results demonstrate the potential use of BNs in identifying rain occurrences in regions with land features comprising various absorbing and scattering materials.
The Influence of the Ocean on Typhoon Nuri (2008)*
Authors: Sun Jingru , Oey Lie-Yauw
Published: July 2015

Typhoon Nuri (2008) was 1 of approximately 120 typhoons in the past 60 years that passed through a narrow gap, the Luzon Strait, connecting the western North Pacific and the South China Sea (SCS). In total 70% of these storms, including Nuri, reached their maximum intensities over the warm waters east of Luzon and in the Kuroshio, then rapidly weakened in the SCS. Numerical experiments were conducted to understand the intensity change of Nuri. Westward across the Kuroshio in the Luzon Strait, the 26°C isotherm shallows rapidly by half. This and stronger mixing by wind–ocean resonance preferentially cooled sea surface temperature and weakened the typhoon in SCS. A positive-feedback mechanism is then described to explain the intensification of Nuri over the western North Pacific.
Endoscopic Assessment of Swallowing After Prolonged Intubation in the ICU Setting
Authors: Scheel Rebecca , Pisegna Jessica M. , McNally Edel , Noordzij Jacob Pieter , Langmore Susan E.
Published: July 2015

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to identify the frequency of swallowing dysfunction after extubation in a sample of patients with no preexisting dysphagia.

Methods:

Mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU with no prior history of dysphagia received a flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) exam within 72 hours after extubation. The FEES was then analyzed for variables related to swallowing patterns and laryngeal pathology. Univariate analyses were performed to identify relationships between variables.

Results:

Fifty-nine patients were included in this study. After extubation, 21 (35.6%) penetrated and 13 (22.0%) aspirated. The mean days intubated was 9.4 ± 6.1. Various forms of laryngeal injury were associated with worse swallowing scores, and delayed onset of the swallow was a common finding in all patients post extubation. Of the 44 participants evaluated ≤24 hours post extubation, 56.8% penetrated/aspirated. Of the 15 patients evaluated >24 hours post extubation, 60.0% penetrated/aspirated.

Conclusions:

This study found a high frequency of dysphagia after prolonged intubation in patients with no preexisting dysphagia. Important variables leading to dysphagia are often overlooked, such as swallowing delay and laryngeal pathology. The timing of swallowing assessments did not reveal any difference in dysphagia frequency, suggesting that it might not be necessary to wait to perform dysphagia screens or evaluations.
Trends in Inpatient Pediatric Polysomnography for Laryngomalacia and Craniofacial Anomalies
Authors: Tawfik Kareem O. , Sedaghat Ahmad R. , Ishman Stacey L.
Published: July 2015

Objective:

Increasingly, laryngomalacia and craniofacial anomalies are recognized as risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea. We sought to determine whether children with these diagnoses have become more likely to undergo inpatient polysomnogram (PSG) over time and to identify evolving trends in PSG utilization.

Methods:

Retrospective analysis of the Kids’ Inpatient Database from 2003 to 2012. Children <21 years who underwent PSG were included. Weighted comparisons of clinical/demographic characteristics of patients undergoing PSG were performed, as were associations between clinical and demographic patient characteristics and performance of inpatient PSG.

Results:

Between 2003 and 2012, PSG procedures decreased from 1266 to 829 ( P < .001). Among children who underwent PSG, mean age decreased from 3.9 ± 5.1 to 3.1 ± 5.2 years ( P = .001), and the frequency of age <1 year increased from 47.8% to 59.5% ( P < .001). The frequency of laryngomalacia increased from 2.5% to 14.3% ( P < .001), while the frequency of craniofacial anomalies increased from 6.2% to 19.4% ( P < .001). Laryngomalacia and craniofacial anomalies were predictive of undergoing inpatient PSG in both timeframes.

Conclusion:

Despite decreasing PSG volumes, diagnoses of laryngomalacia and craniofacial anomalies comprised increasing fractions of children undergoing inpatient PSG between 2003 and 2012. Laryngomalacia and craniofacial anomalies were also predictive of inpatient PSG use in both timeframes.
Using environmental criminology theories to compare ‘youth misuse of fire’ across age groups in New South Wales
Authors: Pooley Kamarah , Ferguson Claire E
Published: July 2015

Youth misuse of fire is a substantive community concern. Despite evidence which indicates youths account for a significant proportion of all deliberately lit fires within Australia, an absence of up-to-date, contextually specific research means the exact scope and magnitude of youth misuse of fire within Australia remains unknown. Despite research suggesting commonalities exist between youth misuse of fire and juvenile offending more broadly, misuse of fire is rarely explained using criminological theory. In light of this gap, a descriptive analysis of youth misuse of fire within New South Wales was performed. Routine Activity Theory and Crime Pattern Theory were tested to explain differences in misuse of fire across age groups. Results suggest these environmental theories offer useful frameworks for explaining youth misuse of fire in New South Wales. It is argued that the Routine Activity Theory and Crime Pattern Theory can be employed to better inform youth misuse of fire policy and prevention efforts.
Runnable Cities
Authors: Ettema Dick
Published: July 2015

This article investigates the impact of the running environment on perceived satisfaction, restoration, and running participation based on a questionnaire distributed to 1,581 novice runners. The most frequently experienced impediments on running routes are poor lighting, unleashed dogs, and encounters with cyclists and cars. Regression analyses reveal that attractiveness and restorativeness are positively associated with the quality of the running surface and running in parks or outside towns and negatively by running on public roads in town, by running in larger cities (>250,000 inhabitants), and by other road users. However, attractiveness and restorativeness of running routes play only a minor role in the decision of how frequently to run. Practical considerations (proximity, threats) appear to have a larger impact on running frequency. Importantly, the most frequently mentioned impediments (poor lighting, cars, unleashed dogs) do not affect running frequency, whereas infrequent impediments (threats by other people) significantly affect running frequency.
Characterization of piezoelectric composites with mechanical and electrical imperfect contacts
Authors: Rodriguez-Ramos Reinaldo , Guinovart-Diaz Raul , Lopez-Realpozo Juan C , Bravo-Castillero Julian , Sabina Federico J , Lebon Frederic , Dumont Serge , Würkner Mathias , Berger Harald , Gabbert Ulrich
Published: July 2015

The aim of the present work is to study the influence of the mechanical and electrical imperfections in reinforced piezoelectric composite materials with unidirectional cylindrical fibers periodically distributed in rhombic cells under mechanical and electrical imperfect contacts. The behavior of the composites is studied through two approaches: the two-scale asymptotic homogenization method and the finite element method. The asymptotic homogenization method is applied to a two-phase composite with mechanical and electrical imperfect contacts and to a three-phase composite with perfect contact in the interphase. The constituents of the composite are homogeneous piezoelectric materials with transversely isotropic properties. The local problems are formulated for the spring-capacitor and three-phase models by the asymptotic homogenization method. The solution of each plane local problem is found using potential methods of a complex variable and the properties of doubly periodic Weierstrass elliptic functions. Closed-form formulae are obtained for the effective properties of the composites with both types of imperfect contacts and different configuration of the cells. The finite element method is implemented for analysis of piezoelectric composite materials with unidirectional cylindrical fibers periodically distributed in rhombic cells under mechanical and electrical imperfect contacts. Some numerical examples are given under the presence of both imperfect contacts and different arrangement of the cells. Comparisons between the numerical results reported by asymptotic homogenization method and finite element method are provided.
Oil Wealth, Post-conflict Elections, and Postwar Peace Failure
Authors: Keels Eric
Published: July 2015

New research has emerged that suggests there is a troubling relationship between elections and civil wars; primarily, elections increase the risk of civil war recurrence. I investigate this relationship further by examining the economic factors associated with the connection between postwar elections and peace failure. Specifically, how does the presence of oil wealth impact the risk posed by postwar elections. Drawing on previous findings in the democratization literature, I suggest the immobility of oil wealth dramatically increases the stakes associated with postwar elections. As postwar elites use irregular electioneering to consolidate their control of oil revenue, it increases the incentives for postwar opposition to use violence as a means to achieve their objectives. Using post-civil war data from 1945 to 2005, I demonstrate that postwar elections that occur in oil-rich economies dramatically decrease the durability of postwar peace. Once controlling for petro elections, though, I demonstrate that subsequent postwar elections actually increase the durability of postwar peace.
Dependence Networks and the Diffusion of Domestic Political Institutions
Authors: Goodliffe Jay , Hawkins Darren
Published: July 2015

How and to what extent do states influence the level of democracy and autocracy in other states? We argue that states exist internationally in dependence networks with each other and that those networks provide pathways for influence on a state’s domestic institutions. For any given state, a dependence network is a set of partner states with whom it regularly engages in exchanges of valued goods, where those exchanges would be costly to break. We find that an index of three such networks–trade, security and shared international organization membership–significantly influences the domestic political institutions in a given state. These changes are substantively large in the long run, similar in size to regional and global levels of democracy. State capabilities figure heavily in our network measures, thus emphasizing the role of power in the diffusion of domestic political institutions. We also find that network-influenced change works both ways: states can become more autocratic or more democratic.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Authors: Jayawardena Asitha D. L. , Shearer A. Eliot , Smith Richard J. H.
Published: July 2015

Objective

To determine how practicing clinicians evaluate patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and to analyze the cost‐effectiveness of current algorithms in the evaluation of these patients.

Study Design/Setting

An interactive online survey allowing respondents to order diagnostic testing in the evaluation of 4 simulated patients with SNHL across 2 testing encounters per patient.

Subjects and Methods

The survey was distributed to clinician members of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology and the American Society of Human Genetics between May and August 2014. Statistical tests included chi‐square and nonparametric testing with Mann‐Whitney U test.

Results

Otolaryngologists were significantly more likely than other clinicians to order repeat audiometric testing and significantly less likely to order genetic testing. Respondents who completed training more recently were significantly more likely to order magnetic resonance imaging and electrocardiogram. On average, respondents spent $4756 in the evaluation of a single patient, with otolaryngologists spending significantly more than other clinicians. Computed tomography of the temporal bone (40%), ophthalmology consultation (39%), and genetics consultation (37%) were ordered most frequently in the first encounter. Comprehensive genetic testing was ordered least frequently on the first encounter (20%) but was the most frequently ordered test on the second encounter (30%).

Conclusion

Recent guidelines advocate comprehensive genetic testing in the evaluation of patients with SNHL, as early genetic testing can prevent uninformative additional tests that otherwise increase health care expenditures. Results from this survey indicate that comprehensive genetic testing is now frequently but not uniformly included in evaluation of patients with SNHL.
Trends in Utilization of Vocal Fold Injection Procedures
Authors: Rosow David E.
Published: July 2015

Office‐based vocal fold injections have become increasingly popular over the past 15 years. Examination of trends in procedure coding for vocal fold injections in the United States from 2000 to 2012 was undertaken to see if they reflect this shift. The US Part B Medicare claims database was queried from 2000 through 2012 for multiple Current Procedural Terminology codes. Over the period studied, the number of nonoperative laryngoscopic injections (31513, 31570) and operative medialization laryngoplasties (31588) remained constant. Operative vocal fold injection (31571) demonstrated marked linear growth over the 12‐year study period, from 744 procedures in 2000 to 4788 in 2012—an increase >640%. The dramatic increased incidence in the use of code 31571 reflects an increasing share of vocal fold injections being performed in the operating room and not in an office setting, running counter to the prevailing trend toward awake, office‐based injection procedures.
Book Review: Prakash Kumar, Indigo Plantations and Science in Colonial India
Authors: Nadri Ghulam A.
Published: July 2015

Prakash Kumar, Indigo Plantations and Science in Colonial India, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2012, xix + 334 pp., ₹995.
Book Review: Anne Murphy, The Materiality of the Past: History and Representation in Sikh Tradition
Authors: Snehi Yogesh
Published: July 2015

Anne Murphy, The Materiality of the Past: History and Representation in Sikh Tradition, Oxford University Press, New York, 2012, xiii + 309 pp., ₹1245.
Purifying the River: Pollution and Purity of Water in Colonial Calcutta
Authors: Chakrabarti Pratik
Published: July 2015

This article explores the river as a site of urban modernity in India. At the heart of this article is the colonial project of purifying the water of the river Hooghly for the domestic supply of Calcutta. The British built the first water purification system for the city around the middle of the nineteenth century at Pulta. Around this theme, the article explores the various discourses and practices of pollution, purity and purification taking place at the time. The debates were not just about whether the river was polluted or suitable for the supply of water to the city but also about whether piped water itself was pure. At one level, the science of purity confronted Hindu ritualistic ideas of purity. At another level, the very idea of purity itself was on trial. One of the main sites of examination for this article is, thus, the various notions of purity at play in Calcutta at this time, within both western science and Hindu scriptural deliberations. These were accentuated by the fact that in Calcutta and several other colonial cities, water was conceptualized through multiple semantic and spatial tropes. The article situates the project of purification at the heart of this entangled reality and discourse of purity of water.
Vibrant Thalassographies of the Indian Ocean: Beyond Nation States
Authors: Chakravarti Ranabir
Published: July 2015

This review essay delves into three major works on maritime history, especially of—but not merely limited to—the Indian Ocean. Two of the three works relate to new kinds of primary source materials, viz. inscriptions (1st to 5th centuries CE) in Hoq cave in the island of Socotra in the western Indian Ocean and about 450 letters of Jewish ‘India Traders’ (c. 1000-1300 CE). The two sources have immensely lit up the pre-1500 CE Indian Ocean scenario and therefore, demand sustained attention and close scrutiny of maritime historians. The third work, an edited volume emerging out of an important conference, deals primarily with the port-cities which are mostly seen from the point of view of the network theory and understanding of space. The third work does not limit itself to any particular temporal and spatial frame. The review essay weaves several other important themes and issues of maritime history, especially on the formation of ports, to highlight the possibilities of new openings and interventions in thalassography.
Painting the full picture: The conversion of economic, cultural, social and symbolic capital
Authors: Pret Tobias , Shaw Eleanor , Drakopoulou Dodd Sarah
Published: July 2015

This article explores how and why entrepreneurs convert their available economic, cultural, social and symbolic capital. We utilise Bourdieu’s theory of practice as a conceptual framework to explore the lived experiences of 10 craft entrepreneurs. This study reveals that transforming capital is a natural and enjoyable process, with our findings highlighting the convertible, multifaceted nature of different forms of capital. We also uncover previously unidentified forms of capital conversions and demonstrate that the conversion process can involve multiple forms of capital. Furthermore, our findings show that craft entrepreneurs give no primacy to economic capital, whose transformations form part of a larger process of capital conversion.
Multisystemic Listeriosis in a Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and Two Common Ringtail Possums (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)
Authors: Sangster C. R.
Published: July 2015

A single free-ranging common brushtail possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula) and 2 captive sibling common ringtail possums ( Pseudocheirus peregrinus) from a zoological facility in Sydney, Australia, were diagnosed with multisystemic listeriosis. The brushtail was found dead in an animal enclosure while the ringtails presented with signs of cardiovascular collapse and died shortly thereafter. All 3 animals were culture positive for Listeria monocytogenes and demonstrated focal suppurative lesions within the brainstem in addition to fulminant disease in other areas of the thorax and/or abdomen. Listeriosis in phalangeriformes species has rarely been reported, and brainstem lesions have not previously been described. It is speculated that access to the brainstem by the organism may have occurred hematogenously or via retrograde migration along cranial nerves. Sources of infection and the possibility of transmission between animals are also discussed.
Social Structure, Anomie, and National Levels of Homicide
Authors: Schaible Lonnie M. , Altheimer Irshad
Published: July 2015

Merton’s “Social Structure and Anomie” seeks to explain how “socio-cultural” influences exert “definite pressures” to engage in non-conformity. Despite having a significant influence, few studies have assessed the degree to which Merton’s propositions explain cross-national variation in levels of crime. Using data on national levels of homicide, data from the World Values Survey, and other structural controls, the present study assesses the degree to which deinstitutionalization, demoralization, and blocked opportunity interact to explain crime cross-nationally. Results provide a high degree of support for Merton’s assertion that societal types characterized by relatively high levels of materialism and/or demoralization or deinstitutionalization suffer from higher levels of homicide. However, there is less support for Merton’s assertion that inequality interacts with various societal patterns of means/ends integration in a meaningful way. Findings and implications for the utility of classical anomie as a general macro-level theory are discussed.
Choice and Hope
Authors: Law Fang Mei , Guo Gwo Jen
Published: July 2015

Hope theory identifies goal, pathway, and agency as essential elements of hope that promote and maximize the effectiveness of treatment. Much significant evidence has indicated that hope is a strong predictor of substance involvement recovery. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of choice-based reality therapy in strengthening hope in recovery for women convicted of drug offences in Taiwan. The participants in the substance involvement treatment program were 44 incarcerated women convicted of drug offences, who were randomly selected and randomly assigned to equal-sized experimental and control groups. The results of the study, obtained by ANCOVA analysis, showed significant differences between the two groups in the posttest scores for sense of hope as measured in the subscales of goal setting and pursuing, adequate energy, and controlling pathway. The effect size values of the three variables suggested a moderate practical significance. The evidence provided in the present study indicates that, upon completion of the choice-based reality therapy for substance involvement, when compared with those who had not yet attended the program, Taiwanese women convicted of drug offences reported a significantly higher level of hope. Hope was measured by their ability in setting goals and overcoming obstacles and persistence in pursuing the goals they had set up, energy for recovery, and their capacity to set up pathways based on their goals. The findings highlight the value of choice-based reality therapy in enhancing hope of recovery for women convicted of drug offences.
Crossing Boundaries
Authors: Bedford Olwen
Published: July 2015

Business socializing may be a critical hindrance to career advancement for many women. Chinese societies place particular emphasis on the development of personal relationships ( guanxi), and the workplace is no exception. Work relationships are often built through after-hours socializing ( ying chou). For a woman to succeed in business socializing, she must cross out of the office and into a context in which workplace expectations for professional conduct may not apply. She must also cross traditional gender role boundaries that conflict with the requirements of business socializing. Like her male counterparts, she achieves the long-term benefits of socializing by crossing interpersonal boundaries to turn professional contacts into personal ones. This exploratory study investigated women’s business socializing through in-depth interviews with 36 professional women in a Chinese society. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed the challenges of socializing and the tactics women used to overcome them, highlighting how women leverage gender stereotypes and social norms to build relationships for work. I make cross-cultural comparisons of the challenges encountered by Chinese and Western women engaged in work-related relationship development and discuss cross-cultural differences that may be important in conceptualizing future investigations of gender and workplace relationships. The findings have implications for managers and corporate policies in and outside Taiwan and for foreign business people conducting business in Chinese societies.
“Enjoy Your Sexuality, but Do it in Secret”
Authors: Trinh Sarah L.
Published: July 2015

In the current study I used mixed methods to explore the messages that undergraduate women ( n = 415) reported receiving from their male and female friends regarding sex and romantic relationships. Reports of friends’ messages varied widely and entailed both support for and criticism of sexual gatekeeping, sex positivity (e.g., sexual agency), and advice regarding sex and romantic relationships. Four individuals, including the author, developed codes to examine this wide range of responses to sexual expectations and prohibitions and independently and reliably coded the data. Response patterns illustrate that reports of female friends’ messages were typically longer and more nuanced than reports of male friends’ messages. Sex-positive messages and sexual gatekeeping messages were frequently reported simultaneously, and this pattern of co-occurrence illustrates the tensions between diverse discourses regarding women’s sexuality. The diversity in reports of friends’ messages challenges popular notions that friends’ influences are wholly problematic and highlights a need for more gender-focused sex education curricula.
Flexural performance of glazed hollow bead reinforced concrete beams
Authors: Zhang Yu , Ma Gang , Liu Yuanzhen , Li Zhu
Published: July 2015

Flexural static tests are conducted on glazed hollow bead reinforced concrete beams (referred to as GBLs) with a range of properties. The test variables included concrete material type and cross section depth as well as longitudinal reinforcement ratio of the flexural beams. The test results were analyzed in terms of damage mechanism, ductility, stiffness, and energy dissipation in the flexural beam. The addition of the glazed hollow bead as the lightweight aggregate was to obtain higher ductility and slower degradation of strength and stiffness. It was shown in the tests that the mechanical properties of the GBLs were better than that of normal concrete beams. A finite element model was developed for the beams and the lateral force–displacement curves obtained from analyses were compared with the experimental data. The results of this study are useful in the design and application of glazed hollow bead insulation concrete bending members.
Characterization of compatibilized blends of nylon 66/poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether)/high-impact polystyrene filled with phosphinate-based flame retardants: Mechanical property, rheological behavior, and flame retardancy
Authors: Kim Do Kyun , Song Kwang Ho , Koo Chong Min , Hong Soon Man , Chae Dong Wook
Published: July 2015

The optimum weight ratio of each component in the compatibilized blends of nylon 66/poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether)/high-impact polystyrene with polystyrene-co-maleic anhydride and styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene block copolymer grafted with maleic anhydride was determined in terms of exhibiting balanced mechanical properties. The mechanical strength of the blends was deteriorated with increasing phosphinate-based flame retardant content while the tensile modulus increased. For UL94V test, the addition of ∼10 wt% phosphinate did not have a significant effect on the flame retardancy showing V2 grade while further addition gave rise to char formation resulting in V0 grade. Limiting oxygen index values increased greatly by ca. 34% at 5 wt% phosphinate, followed by mild increase by further addition. Heat release rate peaks of the blends were reduced and broadened with increasing phosphinate content showing little difference from 15 wt%. The complex viscosity increased with phosphinate content, but its increasing extent decreased at a high frequency. In the Cole–Cole plot, the presence of the phosphinate shifted the plot from unfilled blends without showing a single master curve depending on its loading level.
Indirect Abuse Involving Children During the Separation Process
Authors: Hayes Brittany E.
Published: July 2015

Separation is believed to be an antidote to risk abusers pose to their partners and children and underlines many interventions in family, juvenile, and criminal court proceedings. Countering this belief is the claim that many abusers respond to the felt loss of power and control occasioned by separation by changing or escalating abusive tactics. This study complements research on post-separation by asking whether separation is associated with an increase in threats of indirect abuse, which relies on third parties to manipulate the victim. Children, and threats made against them, can be used as a proxy to control or intimidate the victim. Using data from the Chicago Women Health Risk Study ( N = 339), the current study examined whether mothers who were separated were at greater risk of abuse through threats against the children when compared with mothers who were still in a relationship with their abuser. Results indicated that separated mothers were four times more likely to report threats to take and threats to harm the children, Exp(B) = 4.05, p < .05; Exp(B) = 3.93, p < .05, than non-separated mothers. Findings can be used to inform child custody procedures and the design of Family Justice Centers.
Experimental investigation of the noise, vibration and harshness performances of a range-extended electric vehicle
Authors: Guo Rong , Cao Chong , Mi Yi , Huang Yongchao
Published: July 2015

The electrification of vehicles has caused a great change in the characteristics of noise, vibration and harshness. A range-extended electric vehicle has complicated noise and vibration problems because it behaves both like a traditional vehicle and like a battery electric vehicle as well as having its own specific noise, vibration and harshness properties. Therefore, increasing attention should be paid to these issues. This paper is intended as a contribution to the current research on the noise, vibration and harshness of a range-extended electric vehicle. The electric driveline, the auxiliary power unit and the accessories, including the power steering pump, the electric vacuum pump and the air conditioner compressor, are tested and their noise, vibration and harshness performances are analysed. The results indicate that the high-frequency noise of the electric driveline and the vibrations of the auxiliary power unit and the air conditioner compressor are crucial noise, vibration and harshness issues of a range-extended electric vehicle. Some improvement methods are implemented or proposed for better comfort in the passenger compartment. Application of a material which is sound insulating and sound absorbing proved to be an effective countermeasure. The design and refinement of a vibration isolation system for the auxiliary power unit and the air conditioner compressor are of great importance. A reduction in the low-frequency torsional resonance of the auxiliary power unit shaft during a start–stop process is a new problem compared with that of a conventional engine. It is necessary to find a well-balanced compromise between the expected acoustic feedback and the power demand.
Participation: Structural and relational power and Maasai women’s political subjectivity in Tanzania
Authors: Grabe Shelly
Published: July 2015

Across the world, women remain seriously underrepresented in governmental politics. Moreover, limited opportunities for political participation and decision-making reflect a widespread societal problem substantiated and perpetuated through gender inequities that operate at numerous levels of society. Challenging and ending systemic gender-based power imbalances is critical to understanding the potential for women’s political participation worldwide. The current study uses a liberation psychology approach to test a model that examines how the dynamics of structure, power, and agency enable (or limit) women’s political participation. In particular, the study examines how women’s landownership influences the dynamics of relational power and individual agency that enable political participation among Maasai women in Tanzania. Surveys conducted among 225 women in northern Tanzania revealed that landownership was related to relationship power which predicted individual agency and, in turn, higher levels of women’s participation at political meetings. The findings suggest that when women have access to structural resources, they gain power within their marital relationships and are thereby more likely to become engaged in political participation and decision-making. Implications for the discussion of women’s political participation worldwide are addressed.
Evaluation of School of health students' ethics position in Turkey
Authors: Şen Emine , Dal Nursel Alp , Üstün Çağatay , Okursoy Algın
Published: July 2015

Background:

The advances in science and technology increasingly lead to the appearance of ethical issues and to the complexity of care. Therefore, it is important to define the ethics position of students studying in health departments so that high quality patient care can be achieved.

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to examine the ethics position of the students at Shool of Health of an University in western Turkey.

Methods:

The study design was descriptive and cross-sectional. The study population included 540 first, second, third, and fourth year students from the Departments of Nursing, Midwifery, and Rescue and Disaster Management in the 2013–2014 academic year. Data were collected with a Personal Identification Form and The Ethics Position Questionnaire. Obtained data were analyzed with Chi-square test, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Nested Analysis of Variance.

Ethical considerations:

Before conducting the research, approval was obtained from Ege University Clinical Research Ethics Committee in İzmir and written informed consent was taken from all the participants.

Findings:

There was no significant difference in the mean scores for the Ethics Position Questionnaire between the students in terms of years and fields of study. Although the mean scores for the subscale idealism did not differ between fields of study, the mean scores significantly differed between years of study. However, the mean scores for the subscale relativism did not differ in terms of years and fields of study.

Discussion:

Whether students are idealistic or relativistic in terms of ethical judgment will be effective in ethical decision-making skills during patient care. Therefore, we need to define the factors that influence students’ ethics position in the future.

Conclusion:

It is suggested that the courses and practices that teach students to be aware of their ethics position to create an ethical outlook can be placed in the curriculum in health schools.
Lymphocytic Infiltration as a Prognostic Factor in Patients With Colon Cancer
Authors: Braha Michal , Chikman Bar , Habler Liliana , Shapira Zahar , Vasyanovich Sergey , Tolstov Gleb , Halevy Ariel , Sandbank Judith , Lavy Ron
Published: July 2015

Host-defense mechanisms may have an important role in predicting the outcome of colorectal cancer patients. We designed our study to evaluate the possible prognostic significance of the presence of lymphocytic infiltration (LI) and subgroups of lymphocytes (CD3 and CD20) in the primary tumors. We randomly selected 195 patients operated for colorectal carcinoma from a larger cohort of 1527 patients with colorectal cancer. Histological slides were blindly reevaluated for the presence of LI that was graded 0 to 3. Immunohistochemical phenotyping of the lymphocytes was performed only for tumors with LI score 3 and included antibodies CD3 and CD20. CD3 and CD20 immunostaining were graded in the same manner as LI. The mean duration of follow-up was 63.8 months. The distribution of patients with colorectal cancer according to LI scores was as follows: score 0, 20/195 (10.2%); score 1, 61/195 (31.3%); score 2, 78/195 (40%); and score 3, 36/195 (18.5%). There was no correlation between any clinicopathological pattern and LI. Score 3 staining for CD3 was more common than for CD20 (64.7% vs 8.8%, P < .0001). Prominent lymphocytic infiltration (score 3) was associated with better disease-free survival ( P = .062). Recurrence was diagnosed among 2/22 (9.1%) patients with prominent CD3 staining versus 62/171 (36.2%) of all other patient groups ( P = .054) and they correspondingly had better disease-free survival ( P = .018). It seems we can identify a group of patients with colorectal cancer who have an excellent prognosis according to a single immunological test unrelated to other known prognostic factors.
An urban laboratory for the multicultural nation?
Authors: Wilson Helen F.
Published: July 2015

At a time when urban space is considered central to understanding how multicultural societies cohere, this paper examines how the urban and the nation are related. To do so, the paper focuses upon Birmingham, UK, which has been presented as a testing ground for national responses to difference and as a model for other European cities. Drawing on narratives of city boosterism, urban policy, local and national news articles, academic writing and resident accounts, the paper deals with three inter-related concerns. First, with discussions on how the city responds and adapts to national framings of diversity and its socio-political conditions of possibility, second, with claims that the city might be understood as epitomising the state of the nation and third, with questions concerning how Birmingham might actively work to shape, challenge or re-write understandings of the nation. Drawing on recent work urban experimentation, the paper asks what Birmingham's position as a laboratory for new social imaginaries and ways of belonging might mean, both for the city and its residents, and for national policy on cultural diversity.
Amnesiology: Towards the study of cultural oblivion
Authors: Plate Liedeke
Published: July 2015

It is generally accepted that memory is a dialectic involving both remembering and forgetting. Also, there is agreement among cultural memory scholars that acts of memory seek to counter the effects of forgetting: they serve the imperative to remember and impede the work of forgetting. This article develops the concept of amnesiology to explore forgetting and forgetfulness not as a failure of memory but as a made condition, produced and reproduced. Focusing on Jonathan Safran Foer’s Tree of Codes, a book which was carved out of Bruno Schulz’s The Street of Crocodiles, it inquires into the relationship between memory performance and the production of oblivion and explores the role of language and literature in it. As I argue, the die-cut pages of Tree of Codes invite reflection on the narrative and technological dimensions of memory as well as on the role silence, repression and absence play in it as technologies of forgetting.
Brain gliomas presenting with symptoms of spinal cord metastasis
Authors: Mariniello Giuseppe , Peca Carmela , Del Basso De Caro Marialaura , Carotenuto Biagio , Formicola Fabiana , Elefante Andrea , Maiuri Francesco
Published: July 2015

Three patients with brain gliomas (aged 41, 37, and 43 years) presented spinal cord symptoms as first neurological presentation (two cases) or at anaplastic progression (one case).

Histologically, two cases were anaplastic (WHO III) astrocytomas and one anaplastic (WHO III) oligodendroglioma. The spinal surgery consisted of partial tumor resection in two cases with localized spinal cord metastasis, and tumor biopsy in another with diffuse spreading to the conus and cauda. Spinal irradiation was performed in one case. The time interval between the spinal surgery and the appearance of brain symptoms was very short (1 month or less). Two patients underwent brain surgery (tumor resection in one and stereotactic biopsy in another). The survival time was very short (2 and 3 months) in the two patients with anaplastic astrocytoma, whereas the patient with anaplastic oligodendroglioma survived 1 year after the spinal surgery.

Brain gliomas may exceptionally present with symptoms of a spinal cord metastasis. The magnetic resonance imaging finding of a spinal cord enhancing lesion, particularly if associated with root enhancement, should suggest the presence of a brain glioma. In cases with a localized spinal lesion, an early spinal surgery is advised for both diagnosis and decompression of the nervous structures. However, the clinical outcome is poor and the survival time is short.
The rhetorical work of a partnership coordinator in mega-project construction
Authors: Foster William M , Soebbing Brian P , Seifried Chad
Published: July 2015

Over the past six decades, owners of sport teams and municipalities have been involved in the shared construction of new, state-of-the-art sport facilities. The negotiation and acceptance of these Private–Public Partnerships (PPPs) has often been contentious and unsuccessful. There are, however, other examples where team owners and cities enter into productive business relationships. We argue that one reason for a PPP being successful is that there are certain key actors, partnership coordinators, who are involved in this process. In particular, their skilful “work” at using rhetoric helps characterize the PPP in a specific way whereby the perception is that the risk of the project is distributed evenly amongst all the parties. To explore these ideas, a case study is presented of the successful negotiations in Canada between the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League and the City of Edmonton to build a new downtown arena.
Interwoven Statesmanship and Sports Fandom
Authors: Devlin Michael B. , Billings Andrew C. , Brown Kenon A.
Published: July 2015

Social identification–based theories (fan identification and nationalism) were used to delineate whether degrees of sports fandom and/or national identity are significant predictors for television consumption of the 2014 Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup. A national survey of 490 respondents was conducted at three different time periods (10 weeks before the start of the World Cup, the start of the World Cup, and immediately following Team USA’s first World Cup match) to determine whether planned media consumption of the World Cup shifted based on levels of fan identification and nationalized qualities. Using structural equation modeling, increased nationalized qualities across two of the factors (nationalism and internationalism) increased World Cup fan identification, resulting in predicting higher planned television consumption of this international megasporting event. Nationalized identity alone had no significant result on predicting television consumption of international sport. Ramifications for theory, as well as conclusions related to deciphering the complex formulation of national identity and sports fandom, are offered.