bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigations: Vehicles for Learning and Doing Mathematics
Authors: Greenes Carole
Published: December 2017

Professional organizations of mathematics educators and mathematicians are calling for major reforms in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Among those reforms are a shift in emphasis in curriculum from mastery of lists of unrelated mathematical concepts and skills to exploration of rich mathematical topics and problem situations, and a shift in learning from memorizing and replicating algorithmic procedures to investigating and solving complex problems. To help students achieve proficiency in solving problems, the curriculum must focus on development of the major concepts of mathematics, the enhancement and enlargement of students' repertoires of problem-solving strategies and reasoning methods, and the refinement of communication and collaboration skills. Because they present intriguing problems whose solutions or solution methods are not immediately obvious, and require the application of concepts from different areas of mathematics, and, in some instances, knowledge from other content areas, investigations are powerful vehicles for helping students achieve expertise in solving problems. The nature of investigations and their educational benefits are described. Three types of investigations, whimsical, real, and mathematical, are defined and illustrated. For each investigation, the mathematical content and problem-solving strategies are identified, and a solution method is presented. The responsibilities of the teacher, before, during and after an investigation are described.
Encountering Socrates in the Apology
Authors: Tucke James
Published: December 2017

Socrates' defense of his life and work as recounted in Plato's Apology is an ideal work for moving young people to consider their moral responsibilities to themselves and others. When read as a biography of Socrates, it invites reflection on the importance of character formation and encourages the belief that we can make of ourselves the kind of persons we would like to be.
Improving History Education for All Students: The Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework
Authors: Stern Sheldon M.
Published: December 2017

The commitment of Massachusetts to strive for the highest standards in history education is now inextricably linked to the implementation of the History and Social Science Curriculum Framework completed in 1997. The author writes that teachers and other educators, parents and students, should consider carefully the concepts and principles contained in the Framework and, particularly in American history, try to understand how the Massachusetts Framework differs in substance and approach from the controversial national history standards first proposed in 1994.
Implementing Elementary History and Social Science: A Three-Step Plan of K-4 Curriculum Design
Authors: Goldsmith Susan Secor
Published: December 2017

Massachusetts' History and Social Science Curriculum Framework emphatically describes history and social science as a core academic subject at the elementary school level, devoting a separate section to its study in primary grades. It carries out a provision of the 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act for standards-based improvement, calling for more substantive study in elementary schools. The Framework's appearance should result in serious new attention being given an area of school study that, as social studies, has had little or no demonstrable academic effect and has left students largely indifferent. But teachers and schools charged with bringing existing elementary curricula into alignment with the Framework's Core Knowledge requirements in history and social science may face both a departure from what is currently done and an encounter with unfamiliar subject matter and resources. “What's a teacher to do?” The author addresses curriculum and course design by organizing some chief considerations of elementary history and social science study into a three-step plan for implementation that discusses the selection and organization of topics for elementary study, their classroom presentation, and the resources available to support the alignment effort.
History's Special Challenges to Teachers: Selection, Breadth, and Depth
Authors: Ribar Joseph P.
Published: December 2017

History by its very nature confronts teachers with problems of topic selection and of balancing breadth and depth that are unlike, and more demanding than, those of other academic subjects taught in middle and high school. But these special problems can be much reduced, the author argues, if teachers are authorized to pursue four curricular strategies. First, to segment United States and world history into era-limited courses across the grades, instead of repeating origins-to-the-present surveys. Second, to direct students' attention to the most vital episodes, ideas, and personalities in each of the several spheres of human activity and history. Third, to collaborate with colleagues across the grades on common key questions to be revisited at rising levels of sophistication. Finally, by stressing always those matters that are most important in preparing students for public, civic life and for personal cultivation and integrity. Each recommended strategy is spelled out in some detail.
A New Professionalism for Massachusetts Teachers: Six Constituencies at Work
Authors: Reed Elaine Wrisley
Published: December 2017

The movement for school improvement based on common academic standards for all students cannot succeed, the author argues, without raising teachers to a new level of professionalism that equips them not only for effective teaching to higher standards in the classroom but for active public leadership of statewide school reform efforts. In turn, such professionalism will be possible only when six different constituencies put an end to their relative isolation and come together, to educate each other to the changes needed and to collaborate in bringing them about: teachers themselves; education school deans and faculties; chairs and members of university arts and sciences departments; local school administrators and school committee members; state departments of education; and lay members of state education and university governing boards.
Children with Special Needs: A Postmodern Perspective
Authors: Elkind David
Published: December 2017

This article describes and analyzes changing concepts of childhood and of special needs education in what the author sees as two distinct eras: the modern, from the seventeenth century through the Second World War, and the postmodern, beginning in the middle of the twentieth century. Tracing and evaluating theories, views, and discoveries of a host of scientists and philosophers from Hobbes to Freud to Erikson, David Elkind defines the postmodern era as the time when childhood was reinvented, and submits that this reinvention included children with physical special needs. The philosophical/scientific shift to inclusionism has been largely responsible for the passage of legislation that insures a free and public education for all children. It has resulted in the reinvention of classroom organization (mainstreaming); the development of the concept of individually appropriate practice; and the broadening of the classification of conduct and emotional disorders.
The Child at Risk: The Case for the Youthful Offender
Authors: Cottle Thomas J.
Published: December 2017

Several years ago in a conversation among young people in jail, a boy of seventeen recounted a chilling tale of murder. Late on a hot, still, Friday evening in the middle of summer, a large group of kids had gathered at a basketball court not far from the local middle school. Most of the kids knew each other, but there were some there who were “outsiders,” as it were. Suddenly, without any warning, this seventeen-year-old boy pulls a gun and fires two bullets into the head of a twelve-year-old whose name he does not know.

“I was just standing there, talking to my friends, figuring out what we were going do that night, right, when I see this kid, kind of over my shoulder, you know, and I notice he's standing on my shadow. There's this long black shadow, you know, you couldn't miss it, everybody could see it, and he's standing on it. So I tell him, ‘Would you mind getting off my shadow.‘ The kid doesn't move. I don't know if he doesn't hear or he hears me and he doesn't care. So I tell him again, loud, ‘Would you get off my shadow.’ This time he's just looking at me, but he still doesn't move. Third time. ‘Hey, man, get off my shadow.’ The kid just looks at me. So, I did it. I warned him three times, right, and I shot him.”
Relativism and Pluralism in Ancient Greece
Authors: Kovacs David
Published: December 2017

In the relations of the Greek city-states to each other, David Kovacs finds situations analogous to those that arise in a multicultural society. He tells us how the Greeks at first achieved harmony and then lost it, an experience close to our own. The question that remains is, how are we to re-establish a moral matrix that will bring social peace without sacrificing individual and group distinctiveness?

Even though Greek city-states were frequently warring with one another, they managed to achieve a degree of cooperation and commonality. Kovacs believes that equilibrium was maintained because of the bond provided by nomos, customs whose force derived ultimately from religion. He cites evidence from the writings of Herodotus and Euripides to show the extent and strength of this unwritten code. But its strength was diminished over the years, notably by the teachings of Sophists, relativistic philosophers who became the educators of Greek youth. Even though other philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle attempted to counter the influence of the Sophists, relativism—and the ravages of war and plague—caused Greeks to lose faith in their touchstone.

Kovacs sees in the loss of nomos a parallel to present-day social and moral disintegration resulting from the ascendancy of relativism and deconstructionism. He believes that we need to develop a new kind of nomos—shared beliefs in objective right and wrong—that will provide social glue and moral guidance.
The Replication of Lessons Learned (ROLL) Program in Russia: A Reputational Case Study
Authors: Bayerl Elizabeth
Published: December 2017

The following reputational case study characterizes the collaborative process used in the Replication of Lessons Learned (ROLL) Program currently active in Russia. ROLL is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the chief bilateral agency for foreign assistance in the United States, and coordinated by the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), a not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization with headquarters in Montpelier, Vermont. In October 1998, Janet Ballantyne, Mission Director of USAID Russia, recommended the ROLL Program as USAlD's most successful program in Russia. The strategic intent of the program is described and unique characteristics of its organizational structure are highlighted.
The Founding of Colegio Menor San Francisco de Quito
Authors: Lannak Jane
Published: December 2017

This article, which consists of two interviews, tells the story of the creation of a remarkable school in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. In the first segment, Professor Gerald Abegg of Boston University, who played a significant role in the design and development of Colegio Menor, recounts his experience. The second segment is drawn from an interview with Ana María Chacón, an Ecuadorian preschool teacher who became director of Colegio Menor's Early Childhood Program. Both interviews were conducted and recorded by lane Lannak.
National College Entrance Examinations: The Dynamics of Political Centralism in China's Elite Education
Authors: Feng Yuan
Published: December 2017

This paper examines the relationship between the National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE) and political centralism in China's higher education. A brief history of the NCEE system is provided; its purposes, the characteristics of its administration, its influence on secondary and elementary education, its strengths and limitations, and its future are then discussed. Recognition is made of the ways this system has served the political needs of both commoners and the power class and has contributed to the continuity of political centralism in contemporary China. By way of conclusion, necessary reforms facilitating enhanced efficiency, greater access, and universal literacy are suggested.
A Teacher's Perspective on Technology in the Classroom: Computer Visualization, Concept Maps and Learning Logs
Authors: Hurwitz Charles L. , Abegg Gerald
Published: December 2017

THE USE OF COMPUTER SOFTWARE IN THE CLASSROOM HAS CHANGED THE WAY that a teacher can approach chemistry education at the high school level. Through the use of concept maps, electronic learning logs, and computer simulations, students can be provided a deeper understanding of chemistry and research methods than previously possible, while avoiding rote learning. At the same time, the teacher can engage in on-going formative assessment of the class's progress. We report on the methods that we have studied which support these changes in the classroom.
Introducing the UCDP Peacemakers at Risk dataset, sub-Saharan Africa, 1989–2009
Authors: Lindberg Bromley Sara
Published: December 2017

This article introduces new event data on violence against peacekeepers deployed to conflict-affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa between 1989 and 2009. While the practice of peacekeeping is often described as fraught with risk, a shortage of data has left scholars poorly equipped to study this important phenomenon. The Peacemakers at Risk (PAR) dataset records reported incidences of violence resulting in direct peacekeeping personnel fatalities, injuries and kidnappings. Information on the timing, location, outcomes and actors implicated is provided for each recorded event, including information on the nationalities of violence-affected peacekeepers. The dataset also charts reports of fatal violence by peacekeepers. This enables the study of peacekeepers’ use of force and provides a new lens for examining wider questions related to peacekeeping effects and conflict dynamics. Peace operations deployed by the UN as well as other peacekeeping actors are included, allowing for a rich dataset that reflects today’s diverse peacekeeping landscape. The PAR dataset makes possible the evaluation of reigning assumptions regarding peacekeeping intervention and risk, and allows scholars to pose research questions regarding the causes, characteristics and consequences of peacekeeper violence, within and across interventions. This article introduces the criteria and procedures guiding the data collection and presents the data. The article also highlights key patterns emerging from the dataset and identifies a number of potential applications and avenues for future research.
Food in Captivity: Experiences of Women in Indian Prisons
Authors: Chatterjee Debolina , Chatterjee Suhita Chopra
Published: December 2017

This article demonstrates how prison food is controlled by the state through denying female prisoners’ choices in food consumption and excluding them from active roles in cooking. Narratives of women in three prisons of India have been used to analyze their experiences with prison food. A majority of inmates perceived food as negatively affecting their health during imprisonment. Some were found to use it as a medium to recreate special identities for themselves, contesting the power of the prison. The study suggests the need for better articulation of the intricate relationship between power, health, and food in Indian prison settings.
The Life and death of Anene Booysen: Colonial discourse, gender-based violence and media representations
Authors: Boonzaier Floretta
Published: December 2017

This article makes the argument that representations of gendered and sexual violence, its perniciousness and its persistence need to be traced historically, not just to the recent history of apartheid but to a longer colonial history, which has continued relevance for the ways in which bodies and subjectivities are coded. Media reportage on the death of Anene Booysen in 2013 is read through a decolonial feminist lens to argue that it tells us something of the enduring legacy of coloniality, to illustrate how gendered violence is made meaningful in our collective consciousness, and to show that it demands a rethinking of our framing of gendered violence in the present.
Community social psychologies for decoloniality: an African perspective on epistemic justice in higher education
Authors: Kessi Shose
Published: December 2017

The decolonisation of higher education in South Africa is closely linked to questions of knowledge production. The epistemic violence of the colonial encounter has put into question the possibilities and modes of doing research in marginalised communities. In this article, I argue that praxis in community social psychology can lead to more relevant and just research methods, especially when rooted in liberation thinking. In the South African and African context, this requires an engagement with the particularities of Blackness and the Black experience. Drawing on examples of participatory action research projects with young Africans using Photovoice methods, and the establishment of the Black Academic Caucus at the University of Cape Town, the article shows the links between praxis and epistemic justice as exercised within the cultural practices of the university, and between researchers and participants from marginalised communities.
The rise and fall of academic community psychology in Palestine and the way forward
Authors: Makkawi Ibrahim
Published: December 2017

In this article, I examine the inception of a decolonised community psychology programme in the Palestinian colonial context and its subsequent decline and setback. I describe the background to the Palestinian colonial condition, and the theoretical inspiration for the programme by the short-lived experience of grassroots organising during the first Palestinian Intifada is illustrated. Specific pedagogical and research activities, marked by the influence of the Latin American liberation psychology model, are presented and discussed. These include a focus on praxis, dialogical education, conscientisation and community participatory action research. I consider the influence of the South African experience on the programme principally in reference to Steve Biko’s notion of Black Consciousness, which translated to Palestinian collective-national identity, as well as relevance in psychological knowledge. In the concluding section, I appraise the setback of the programme in light of administrative and epistemological debates with related disciplines that shifted from psychological-individualistic reductionism to social-cultural reductionism. I conclude with the assertion that unless framed within the context of the broader anti-colonial national liberation movement, a decolonised community psychology has minimal chances to survive and thrive.
Community psychology and its (dis)contents, archival legacies and decolonisation
Authors: Seedat Mohamed , Suffla Shahnaaz
Published: December 2017

This article serves as the introduction to the Special Issue on Liberatory and Critical Voices in Decolonising Community Psychologies. The Special Issue was inspired by the Sixth International Conference on Community Psychology, held in South Africa in May 2016, and resonates with the call for the conscious decolonisation of knowledge creation. We argue that the decolonial turn in psychology has re-centred critical projects within the discipline, particularly in the Global South, and offered possibilities for their (re)articulation, expansion, and insertion into dominant and mimetic knowledge production. In the case of Africa, we suggest that the work of decolonising community psychologies will benefit from engagement with the continent’s multiple knowledge archives. Recognising community psychologies’ (dis)contents and the possibilities for its reconstruction, and appealing to a liberatory knowledge archive, the Issue includes a distinctive collection of articles that are diverse in conceptualisation, content, and style, yet evenly and singularly focused on the construction of insurgent knowledges and praxes. As representations of both production and resistance, the contributions in this issue provide the intellectual and political platforms for social, gender, and epistemic justice. We conclude that there are unexplored and exciting prospects for scholarly work on the psychologies embedded in the overlooked knowledge archives of the Global South. Such work would push the disciplinary boundaries of community psychologies; help produce historicised and situated conceptions of community, knowledge, and liberation; and offer distinctive contributions to the global bodies of knowledge concerned with the well-being of all of humanity.
An aspectual account of ba and bei constructions in child Mandarin
Authors: Deng Xiangjun , Mai Ziyin , Yip Virginia
Published: December 2017

This study examines the ba and bei constructions in Mandarin using data from the Tong corpus, a new multimedia longitudinal child language corpus. A unified aspectual account of the two constructions is proposed: both require telic predicates, and should thus correlate with the perfective rather than imperfective aspect for learners. Analysis of corpus and diary data reveals that Tong is generally sensitive to the telic requirement when he begins to use the two constructions around 2;0. His ba and bei sentences occur far more frequently in perfective than imperfective aspect, consistent with the Aspect Hypothesis. However, while the majority of the child’s bei passives are perfective, the majority of his ba sentences are produced without overt aspect markers, among which most are irrealis (imperatives, modal sentences, etc.). The difference mirrors the pattern in adult input. These findings are corroborated by additional child Mandarin corpora. The acquisition of the aspectual properties of the ba and bei constructions is influenced by inherent knowledge, input and language-specific features of Mandarin, consistent with the multi-factorial account proposed by earlier studies.
A Systematic Review of Parent-Implemented Functional Communication Training for Children With ASD
Authors: Gerow Stephanie , Hagan-Burke Shanna , Rispoli Mandy , Gregori Emily , Mason Rose , Ninci Jennifer
Published: December 2017

Supporting parents in reducing challenging behavior of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires the identification of effective, feasible, and sustainable interventions. Functional communication training (FCT) is one of the most well-established interventions in the behavioral literature and is used increasingly by parents. However, there is a need for additional evaluation of the literature related to parent-implemented FCT. In the present review, we identified 26 peer-reviewed studies on parent-implemented FCT. We conducted systematic descriptive and social validity analyses to summarize the extant literature. Across studies, parent-implemented FCT was effective in reducing child challenging behavior, and in some cases, intervention outcomes maintained and generalized to novel settings and implementers. However, few studies reported fidelity data on parent implementation of FCT, and data regarding sustained use of FCT by parents were limited. Results of the social validity analysis indicate that while FCT is often implemented by natural change agents in typical settings, parent training is often provided by professionals not typically accessible to parents. These findings suggest that future research is warranted in the areas of parent training and long-term sustainability of parent-implemented FCT.
A discourse-aware neural network-based text model for document-level text classification
Authors: Lee Kangwook , Han Sanggyu , Myaeng Sung-Hyon
Published: December 2017

Capturing semantics scattered across entire text is one of the important issues for Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks. It would be particularly critical with long text embodying a flow of themes. This article proposes a new text modelling method that can handle thematic flows of text with Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) in such a way that discourse information and distributed representations of text are incorporate. Unlike previous DNN-based document models, the proposed model enables discourse-aware analysis of text and composition of sentence-level distributed representations guided by the discourse structure. More specifically, our method identifies Elementary Discourse Units (EDUs) and their discourse relations in a given document by applying Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST)-based discourse analysis. The result is fed into a tree-structured neural network that reflects the discourse information including the structure of the document and the discourse roles and relation types. We evaluate the document model for two document-level text classification tasks, sentiment analysis and sarcasm detection, with comparisons against the reference systems that also utilise discourse information. In addition, we conduct additional experiments to evaluate the impact of neural network types and adopted discourse factors on modelling documents vis-à-vis the two classification tasks. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of various learning methods, input units on the quality of the proposed discourse-aware document model.
Is the use of hydroxyethyl starch as priming solution during cardiac surgery advisable? A randomized, single-center trial
Authors: Svendsen Øyvind S. , Farstad Marit , Mongstad Arve , Haaverstad Rune , Husby Paul , Kvalheim Venny L.
Published: December 2017

Introduction:

The use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) leads to increased fluid filtration and edema. The use of artificial colloids to counteract fluid extravasation during cardiac surgery is controversial. Beneficial effects on global fluid loading, leading to better cardiac performance and hemodynamics, have been claimed. However, renal function and coagulation may be adversely affected, with unfavorable impact on outcome following cardiac surgery.

Methods:

Forty patients were randomly allocated to study groups receiving either acetated Ringer’s solution (CT group) or hydroxyethyl starch (HES group, Tetraspan®) as CPB priming solution. Fluid balance, bleeding and hemodynamics, including cardiac output, were followed postoperatively. The occurrence of acute kidney injury was closely registered.

Results:

Two patients were excluded from further analyzes due to surgical complications. Fluid accumulation was attenuated in the HES group (3374 (883) ml) compared with the CT group (4328 (1469) ml) (p=0.024). The reduced perioperative fluid accumulation was accompanied by an increased cardiac index immediately after surgery (2.7 (0.4) L/min/m2 in the HES group and 2.1 (0.3) L/min/m2 in the CT group (p<0.001)). No increase in bleeding could be demonstrated in the HES group. Three patients, all of them in the HES group, experienced acute kidney injury postoperatively.

Conclusions:

CPB priming with HES solution lowers fluid loading during bypass and improves cardiac function in the early postoperative period. The manifestation of acute kidney injury exclusively in the HES group of patients raises doubts about the use of HES products in conjunction with cardiac surgery. ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01511120 )
Do We Expect Women to Look Happier Than They Are? A Test of Gender-Dependent Perceptual Correction
Authors: Steephen John Eric , Mehta Samyak Raj , Bapi Raju Surampudi
Published: December 2017

Feminine facial features enhance the expressive cues associated with happiness but not sadness. This makes a woman look happier than a man even when their smiles have the same intensity. So, to correctly infer the actual happiness of a woman, one would have to subtract the effect of these facial features. We hypothesised that our perceptual system would apply this subtraction for women, but not for men. This implies that this female-specific subtraction would cause one to infer a man to be happier than a woman if both are matched for facial appearance and expression intensity. We tested this using androgynous virtual faces with equal expression intensity. As predicted, happy men were inferred to be happier than happy women, but sad men were not inferred to be sadder than sad women, supporting our hypothesis of a gender- and emotion-specific perceptual correction.
Putting Out Fires: Understanding the Developmental Nature and Roles of Inmate Gangs in the Philippine Overcrowded Jails
Authors: Narag Raymund E. , Lee Sou
Published: December 2017

Utilizing intensive interview data from inmates in one of the most overcrowded and underresourced jails in Metro Manila, Philippines, this article explores the origins and roles of inmate pangkats (a derivative of gangs) in jail management. Responding to institutional deficiencies, such as police misconduct and court case delays, and structural shortages, such as lack of space, operational resources, and personnel, this article investigates how the pangkats supplement jail management and help keep the jail operations afloat. Specifically, this article documents how the pangkats put out fires: their intricate roles in mitigating pains of imprisonment, conflict mediation, order maintenance, and instilling discipline among their members. This article also details the emergence of a give-and-take relationship that develops between and among the pangkats and jail officials that are reflective of the Philippine sociocultural realities. Implications to theory on prison community and policy on gang management in a developing country context are discussed.
Review of natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composites
Authors: Dong Chensong
Published: December 2017

Natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composites which contain one or more types of natural reinforcement are gaining increasing research interest. This paper presents a review of natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composites. Both thermoplastic and thermoset composites reinforced by hybrid/synthetic fibres or hybrid/hybrid fibres are reviewed. The properties of natural fibres, the properties and processing of composites are summarised.
Educating Boundary Crossing Planners: Evidence for Student Learning in the Multistakeholder Regional Learning Environment
Authors: Oonk Carla , Gulikers Judith , Mulder Martin
Published: December 2017

The regional learning environment (RLE) embeds planning student learning in a real-world participatory planning process. This study investigates the effectiveness of the RLE and its “boundary crossing” design characteristics with respect to student learning. The quasi-experimental study combines a quantitative competence test ( N = 225) with qualitative student and teacher learning reports. The RLE, in general, stimulates planning students’ learning. “Working in multidisciplinary student groups” and “high coaching intensity” have specific added value for learning. “Intense student–stakeholder collaboration” does not significantly improve learning; however, qualitative data indicate this to be a powerful boundary crossing design principle of the RLE.
Right to Counsel in Misdemeanor Prosecutions After Alabama v. Shelton: No-Lawyer-Courts and Their Consequences on the Poor and Communities of Color in St. Louis
Authors: Harvey Thomas B. , Rosenfeld Jared H. , Tomascak Shannon
Published: December 2017

Under U.S. Supreme Court cases Argersinger v. Hamlin and Alabama v. Shelton, the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires the provision of defense counsel to an indigent defendant for any charge that, if proved, actually leads to imprisonment or is punished by a suspended sentence that subsequently could lead to imprisonment. This article uses St. Louis as a case study to demonstrate that unconstitutional criminal procedures and underfunded public defender’s offices create no-lawyer-courts—courts that unconstitutionally allow defendants to go unrepresented. In a period of observation spanning 2014-2016, we found that St. Louis courts violated the right to counsel in misdemeanor prosecutions through lengthy confinements and exorbitant bonds, abusive plea bargaining practices, invalid waivers, and unconstitutional sentences. Drawing from court observations and electronic data, this study highlights how constitutional doctrine’s grant of procedural discretion to lower courts imposes injustice on poor and minority communities in practice.
A multi-level damage and creep behaviour of material subjected to high pressure: metal versus composite – A micromechanics approach
Authors: Kathavate VS , Pawar DN , Adkine AS
Published: December 2017

This current study reports on multi-level damage and creep behaviour of metal and composite material under external high pressure using finite element concept. A fatigue damage model with microcracks with improper interface has been portrayed in the present investigation. In addition, the overall elastic properties and damage evaluation are also studied and comparative study of mechanical properties has been outlined. Further thermo-elastic creep response of materials based on Norton’s law is also presented. The results showed that the proposed nonlinear constitutive model and overall elastic damage behaviour of composite material are in agreement. Implemented nonlinear constitutive model is secured by comparing predicted stress–strain curves with experimental data available in the past literature under uniaxial tension. The time-dependent behaviour creep stresses and displacements are studied and plotted. The analysis provides significant new insights of micromechanical damage, creep and collapse behaviour of composite material. For the structural composites, some notable techniques have been developed over the past three decades; review of these techniques is also outlined here in this paper and state of art is established together with insights for upcoming development.
Converging epidemics of sexually transmitted infections and bacterial vaginosis in southern African female adolescents at risk of HIV
Authors: Barnabas Shaun L , Dabee Smritee , Passmore Jo-Ann S , Jaspan Heather B , Lewis David A , Jaumdally Shameem Z , Gamieldien Hoyam , Masson Lindi , Muller Etienne , Maseko Venessa D , Mkhize Nonhlanhla , Mbulawa Zizipho , Williamson Anna-Lise , Gray Clive M , Hope Thomas J , Chiodi Francesca , Dietrich Janan , Gray Glenda , Bekker Linda-Gail ,   for the Women’s Initiative in Sexual Health (WISH) study team
Published: December 2017

Adolescents in Africa are at high risk for HIV infection, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and bacterial vaginosis (BV). Since behavior and burden of STIs/BV may influence HIV risk, behavioral risk factors and prevalence of STIs/BV were compared in HIV-seronegative adolescent females (n = 298; 16–22 years) from two South African communities (Soweto and Cape Town). STIs ( Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, Mycoplasma genitalium, herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1, HSV-2, Treponema pallidum, and Haemophilus ducreyi) were detected by multiplex polymerase chain reaction, human papillomavirus (HPV) by Roche Linear Array, and BV by Nugent scoring. Rates of BV (Nugent ≥7; 46.6%) and HPV (66.8%) were high in both communities. Prevalence of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae were >2-fold higher in Cape Town than Soweto (Chlamydia: 42% [62/149] versus 18% [26/148], p < 0.0001; gonorrhoea 11% [17/149] versus 5% [7/148], p = 0.05). Only 24% of adolescents with vaginal discharge-causing STIs or BV were symptomatic. In South African adolescents, clinical symptoms compatible with vaginal discharge syndrome had a sensitivity of 23% and specificity of 85% for the diagnosis of discharge-causing STI or BV. In a region with high HIV prevalence and incidence, >70% of young women with treatable conditions that could enhance HIV risk would have been missed because they lacked symptoms associated with syndromic management.
2017 European guideline for the management of pelvic inflammatory disease
Authors: Ross Jonathan , Guaschino Secondo , Cusini Marco , Jensen Jorgen
Published: December 2017

The European guideline for the management of pelvic inflammatory disease includes evidence-based advice on the investigation and treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). It has been updated to acknowledge the role of Mycoplasma genitalium as an important cause of PID with testing now recommended for women presenting with possible PID and for the male partners of women with confirmed M. genitalium infection. Recent evidence suggests that serious adverse events are uncommon when using moxifloxacin and its use is now recommended as a first-line therapy, especially in those women with M. genitalium PID. The potential utility of MRI scanning of the pelvis in excluding differential diagnoses has been highlighted. The use of doxycycline is now suggested as empirical treatment for male partners of women with PID to reduce exposure to macrolide antibiotics, which has been associated with increased resistance in M. genitalium.
Improving the coverage of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services in Nigeria: should traditional birth attendants be engaged?
Authors: O Olakunde Babayemi , Wakdok Sabastine , Olaifa Yewande , Agbo Francis , Essen Uduak , Ojo Mathews , Oke Maria , Ibi Sarah
Published: December 2017

Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) play an important role in the provision of care to pregnant women in rural parts of Nigeria, but they are barely engaged by the formal healthcare system in expanding the low coverage of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services. Using a systematic approach, we engaged TBAs in Abia and Taraba States to scale-up PMTCT services under the National Agency for Control of AIDS Comprehensive AIDS Program with States. We conducted mapping of the TBAs, built their capacities, obtained their buy-in on mobilization of their clients and other pregnant women for HIV testing service outreaches, and established referral and linkage systems. A total of 720 TBAs were mapped (Abia 407; Taraba 313). Three hundred and ninety-nine TBAs who participated in the capacity-building meeting were linked to 115 primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in Abia State, while 245 TBAs were linked to 27 PHCs in Taraba State. From July 2016 to March 2017, the outreaches contributed 20% to the overall total number of pregnant women counseled, tested and received results, and 12% to the total number of HIV-infected women identified. There was a considerable yield of HIV-infected pregnant women among those tested in the TBA outreaches in comparison with the supported antenatal facilities (2% versus 3%, respectively). Engaging TBAs has the potential to improve the coverage of PMTCT services in Nigeria.
Equine renal hemangiosarcoma: clinical presentation, pathologic features, and pSTAT3 expression
Authors: Hughes Katherine , Scott Victoria H. L. , Blanck Maximilian , Barnett Timothy P. , Spanner Kristiansen Jannie , Foote Alastair K.
Published: December 2017

Hemangiosarcoma is an uncommon tumor in horses. We characterized 3 cases of equine renal hemangiosarcoma, focusing on clinical and pathologic features, and describe occurrence of the epithelioid variant of hemangiosarcoma in one of these cases. Nuclear expression of phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) was assessed to analyze potential inappropriate STAT3 activation as a component of tumor pathogenesis. Clinical signs in the 3 horses included insidious weight loss, followed in one case by serosanguineous nasal discharge and terminal epistaxis, and nonspecific signs of abdominal pain. Two of the hemangiosarcomas had a classical histopathologic appearance; in the other, neoplastic cells were polygonal and were arranged in densely packed sheets, resembling the epithelioid variant. Cross-reactivity of a pSTAT3 antibody was established by demonstration of pSTAT3 expression in the epithelium of glabrous skin by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. In the epithelioid hemangiosarcoma, ~40% of neoplastic cells exhibited nuclear pSTAT3 expression, but in the other 2 cases, expression was weak and variable in the neoplastic population, although stromal cell pSTAT3 activity was evident in pulmonary metastases in one case.
Evaluating Franchise Investment Opportunities using Probability-Tree Analysis
Authors: Pohl Norval F. , Pohl Barbikay B. Bissell
Published: December 2017

A franchise investment opportunity is normally evaluated by the prospective investor in terms of financial ratio analysis, simple break-even analysis, and cash and capital budget analysis of average sales and profit figures or ranges provided by the franchising organization.

In addition to this basic evaluation of the venture, a prospective investor can, using a probability-tree analysis, take into account the probabilities of occurrence of various profit levels based on his subjective judgment ratings of proposed locations and of proposed managerial ability. Such an analysis allows the franchise investor to gain maximum decision-making information from available sales and profit data.
Identification of Planning, Attitudinal, and Operational Differences among Types of Exporters
Authors: Tesar George
Published: December 2017

Multivariate discriminate analysis was used to identify differences among heavy exporters, light exporters, and nonexporters based on planning, attitudinal, and operational factors. A total of 423 small and medium-sized manufacturing firms were studied. The results clearly indicate that differences exist between the heavy exporters and the nonexporters. The discriminant function developed on the basis of these differences can be used to classify other firms into the appropriate category given the necessary information about them. Consequently, this study offers a step in the direction of developing a method for systematic identification of potential exporters.
A Model for Managing Seasonal-Style Goods Inventories
Authors: Dempsey William A. , Chandran Rajan
Published: December 2017

The benefits of quantifying or modeling inventory problems have been well recognized in business management. Many retail businesses, including a substantial portion of small retailers, handle seasonal or style goods. However, in the retailing, marketing and small business management literature there is little or no discussion of models for handling seasonal-style goods inventory management problems. The purpose of this article is to present a basic model which has been developed in the management science/operations research literature.
Applying the Community Development Corporation (CDC) Concept to the Funding of Small Business in Today's Environment
Authors: Brewerton Francis J. , Callahan Elias R. , Gober R. Wayne
Published: December 2017

This paper explains the concept of the Community Development Corporation (CDC), the primary purpose of which is to help small businesses create jobs by providing initial funding along with technical and managerial advice in geographic areas that are economically depressed. A typical Community Development Corporation is used to demonstrate the actual operation of this concept in a rural environment focusing on the improvement of the Corporation's methodology of defining activities, operations, and flow charts. Adjustments in one of these activities precipitates significant improvements in other CDC operations and in the ability of a CDC-aided business to succeed over the long term.
Dimensions of SBIC and Venture Capital Financing
Authors: Johnson James M.
Published: December 2017

Financing the small business can be both frustrating and time consuming. A large part of the problem stems from the lack of information available to the entrepreneur concerning the investment policies and objectives of potential financiers.

As a step toward filling this information gap, the present study reports some key characteristics of the investment behavior of Small Business Investment Corporations and Venture Capital firms. The data provided are designed to enable the entrepreneur to determine whether such sources of funding might be profitably pursued.
Cash Management for the Small and Medium Sized Business
Authors: Schweser Carl
Published: December 2017

This paper reviews the importance of cash management for the small and medium sized business. Until recent changes in the banking laws and money markets, practical cash account management was economically infeasible for most small businesses. This paper reviews these recent changes and shows how they enable small businesses to establish a practical cash account management system.
The Goal Setting Process within Small Businesses
Authors: Tuggle Francis D.
Published: December 2017

Current theories of organizational goals are shown to have significant shortcomings. A process theory is utilized to overcome the methodological and empirical difficulties of descriptive theories, and to avoid the roadblock posed by Arrow's Impossibility Theorem and the strained assumptions made by prescriptive theories to counter it. The process theory consists of four propositions (with ten parts) concerning the processes used by chief executive officers of organizations to establish goals, revise goals, and manage conflict over goals. Data gathered from field interviews conducted with four small business firms are consistent with the propositions.
A Systems Approach to Water Pollution Abatement for Small Business
Authors: Montgomery Austin H.
Published: December 2017

Water pollution abatement costs are relatively high for small, isolated industrial plants. The authorities in Germany's Ruhr Valley have adopted a system wherein each discharger participates in economies of scale throughout the valley. The feasibility of a similar plan for the Kanawha River of West Virginia was studied using a separable programming computer model which produced optimal solutions under appropriate constraints. Depending on how costs are distributed, small industrial firms save between 12 and 61 per cent of the cost accruing under the typical non-optimal plan. New governmental regulations are needed to implement such a systems approach.
Manager Effect on Customer Behavior: An Unobtrusive Assessment
Authors: Banks William W. , Coan George , Gertman David
Published: December 2017

The present study sought to determine the effect of personalizing customers’ experience in a service organization by having a senior management staff member greet customers in a “warm, friendly manner.” It was hypothesized that manager behavior would significantly influence customer spending and retention time. Male customers were randomly chosen from the client population of a service organization and randomly assigned to either a control or experimental condition. Experimental group members had the opportunity to interact socially with management, whereas the control group did not. The total amount of time and money spent by customers was recorded in an unobtrusive fashion. Statistical analyses revealed that a significant difference existed between the behavior of the two groups of customers.
Product Safety Legislation and the Small Retailer
Authors: Busch Paul , Hair Joseph F.
Published: December 2017

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been given the mandate to insure the safety of consumer products. Retailers have a very important role to fulfill in meeting this mandate. Are retailers, particularly small ones, aware of their responsibilities to inform customers about dangerous products, to refund customer's money, and to post in-store signs on product recalls? How do small retailers evaluate the CPSC's performance? What actions can small retailers take to improve the safety of the products they sell? Answers to these questions are provided in this empirically based study.