bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Holocene lake level fluctuations and environmental changes at Taro Co, southwestern Tibet, based on ostracod-inferred water depth reconstruction
Authors: Guo Yun , Zhu Liping , Frenzel Peter , Ma Qingfeng , Ju Jianting , Peng Ping , Wang Junbo , Daut Gerhard
Published: October 2015

Lake level change is an important indicator of changes in the hydrological status of lakes triggered by the influence of atmospheric circulation systems. Previous studies show that the interaction of the Indian monsoon and the Westerlies, and their influence on environmental changes in the Tibetan Plateau region, remain unclear. Here, we reconstruct the Holocene lake level history of a lake, Taro Co, in southwestern Tibet, based on the relationship between ostracod assemblages and water depth from 34 surface sediment samples spanning the depth range 0 to 125 m. Measurement and analysis of multi-proxy data from a 310 cm sediment core from Taro Co lead to the following conclusions: (1) From 10,200 to 9400 cal. a BP, the lake received large inflows of freshwater (mainly glacial melt water) resulting in a rapid rise in lake level. Following a cold and dry interval and low lake level from 9400 to 8800 cal. a BP, the lake maintained a high level between 8800 and 7500 cal. a BP. This was followed by a less warm and wet period until 6400 cal. a BP. From 6400 to 1200 cal. a BP, the lake probably overflowed after reaching a high level, and after 1200 cal. a BP, the lake level decreased and fluctuated around the modern depth of 60 m at the coring site. (2) The region experienced warm and wet conditions from 10,200 to 6400 cal. a BP, with a cold event at around 9000 cal. a BP, which probably resulted from the influence of the Indian monsoon. However, the inferred wet conditions between 6400 and 1200 cal. a BP are not observed in other records from the monsoon region; they are consistent with numerous records from the regions under the influence of the Westerlies, which probably indicate an interval of Westerlies-domination in the Taro Co region.
The Ache of Exile
Authors: Raguram R.
Published: October 2015

Stigma associated with mental illness is one of the major impediments in evolving effective treatment interventions to address the burden associated with these disorders. Research enquiries in the Indian context have explored various facets of the phenomenon. While providing an overview of these studies, the present paper draws attention to the fact that stigma of mental illness is not solely a reflection of the social determinants of the problem. It is equally indicative of structural inequalities of power which result in rejection, marginalisation and social exclusion of the individuals afflicted with mental illness.
Mental Health Problems in Culturally Changing Adivasi Communities
Authors: Mishra R.C.
Published: October 2015

Adivasi communities represent a section of the Indian society, which suffers from many disadvantages, including social exclusion. Changes in the lives of Adivasi people taking place through development programmes have not succeeded in their integration with the mainstream society. In this paper we examine mental health problems of Adivasi people with reference to a series of studies carried out with groups whose economic activities range from hunting-gathering through agriculture to wage employment, and who experience different degrees of acculturation. Studies generally indicate that Adivasi people show strong attitude towards ‘integration’ with the mainstream society, but there are also individuals and groups who display some degrees of ‘marginalisation’. A relatively complex relationship of mental health with acculturation experiences of groups is brought out due to the interplay of a set of factors, which moderate this relationship. It is argued that the life of Adivasi people can be less stressful and relatively free from mental health problem if development programmes can facilitate their integration with and participation in the cultural life of other groups.
Social Exclusion, Mental Health, Disadvantage and Injustice
Authors: Krishnan Lilavati
Published: October 2015

Social exclusion is a global multi-dimensional phenomenon that highlights the need for an extended inclusionary attitude in society. The present paper discusses some under-explored components of social exclusion. The major features of social exclusion as laid out in diverse approaches are described. The ways in which exclusion of the mentally ill and disabled, a relatively neglected group, differs from other forms of exclusion are examined. Attention is drawn to the relationship between social exclusion, disadvantage, deprivation and injustice. It is pointed out that poverty, disadvantage and deprivation may lead to social exclusion, but these factors alone do not constitute the dynamics of exclusion. The bilateral relationship between mental health/ill-health and exclusionary factors is discussed, taking into account elements such as stigmatisation, ‘othering’ or ‘otherness’. The injustice aspect of social exclusion is emphasised, and a case is made for redressal of distributive, procedural and interactional injustice with regard to the mentally ill as well as other excluded groups. A different approach is required in the case of the mentally ill and disabled as an excluded group, with greater action-orientation in policy-making. The discussion concludes with the view that remedying the problem of social exclusion in Indian society needs a multidisciplinary approach, with a focus on ‘ the people as the core’.
The Association between Discrimination and Psychological and Social Well-being
Authors: Castaneda Anu E. , Rask Shadia , Koponen Päivikki , Suvisaari Jaana , Koskinen Seppo , Härkänen Tommi , Mannila Simo , Laitinen Kari , Jukarainen Pirjo , Jasinskaja-Lahti Inga
Published: October 2015

Background

Discrimination is known to negatively affect the psychological well-being of migrants. Less is known on the association between discrimination and social well-being.

Aim

We examined the association between experienced discrimination and psychological (mental health, quality of life) and social well-being (loneliness, feelings of safety, trust towards society) in Russian, Somali and Kurdish migrants in Finland.

Methods

We used data from the Finnish Migrant Health and Wellbeing Study (Maamu). The participants comprised 1795 persons of Russian, Somali or Kurdish origin aged 18–64 years. Experiences of discrimination, loneliness, safety and trust towards society were measured using interview questions. Mental health symptoms were measured using the HSCL-25 and quality of life using EUROHIS-QOL. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the associations between discrimination and psychological and social well-being, separately for the three ethnic groups.

Results

Discrimination increased the odds for mental health symptoms and decreased the odds for quality of life among Russian and Kurdish migrants, but not Somalis. Discrimination was associated with feeling unsafe and decreased trust towards society among all migrants. Among Kurds, discrimination increased the odds also for loneliness.

Conclusions

Discrimination is an essential threat to the psychological and social well-being of Russian, Somali or Kurdish migrants.
‘Welcoming the Other’: psychodrama in an acute inpatient unit
Authors: Michael Lorraine
Published: October 2015

Objective:

In this article, the author uses the leitmotifs inherent in a critically acclaimed film and in the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas as a backdrop for discussion around how we encounter the humanity in the Other and its particular relevance for psychiatry. She proceeds to describe the existential underpinnings of psychodrama and demonstrates how she has been directing a psychodrama group, ‘Theatre of Life’, which has been operating for well over a decade within a public mental health system, acute inpatient unit. Through the ensuing discussion, she illustrates how the humanistic ethic of ‘welcoming the Other’ is actualised in the ‘here-and now’ of the psychodrama group psychotherapy process.

Conclusions:

A thematic analysis derived from group-members’ evaluation of each session illuminates their felt sense depicting the ethic in action.
Buckling and post-buckling analysis of delaminated piezo-composite material under electro-mechanical loading
Authors: Chitsaz Nasim , Ovesy Hamid R , Kharazi Mahsa
Published: October 2015

In this article, an analytical investigation of the stability behavior (i.e. buckling and post-buckling) of rectangular cross-ply piezo-laminate through the width delamination is performed. The piezo-layers act as an actuator in this study. The Rayleigh–Ritz method is used, and the displacement fields are obtained by incorporating polynomial series. The minimum potential energy principle is applied to achieve the equations analytically which are subsequently solved by using the Newton–Raphson iterative procedure. Comparison is made between the obtained results with those gathered by finite element analysis, and good agreement is observed. This method is demonstrated to be quite capable of predicting buckling and post-buckling analysis of delaminated piezo-composite materials.
A novel rate-dependent hysteresis modeling and position control technique for piezo-actuated bimorph beams
Authors: Ghanbarbakhsh Manadis , Rezaei Seyed Mehdi , Zareinejad Mohammad , Tivay Ali , Sarhan Ahmed Aly Diaa Mohammed
Published: October 2015

Piezoelectric cantilever actuators are widely used in micro/nano-positioning applications due to their relatively accurate response and large operating bandwidth. One of the main obstacles in the way of implementing high-accuracy position tracking in high frequencies is the piezoelectric hysteresis phenomenon. It is known from previous research that piezoelectric materials exhibit a rate-dependent hysteresis loop. The purpose of this article is to obtain a novel hysteresis model that can accurately describe the output of the piezoelectric actuator. This is done by introducing a hysteresis model in the form of an actuated linear dynamic system. This model provides the ability to capture both rate-dependence and magnitude characteristics of the system, and it is simple and easy to implement in real-time. As a result, the proposed method accurately predicts the position of the piezo-actuated beam in a wide range of input frequencies and amplitudes. To demonstrate its effectiveness, the proposed hysteresis model is used along with a robust control loop to track the position of a piezo-actuated beam plant. It is shown using experimental results that utilizing this model leads to accurate position control in a wide range of frequencies.
School Nurses’ Experiences in Dealing With Bullying Situations Among Students
Authors: Pigozi Pamela Lamarca , Jones Bartoli Alice
Published: October 2015

School nurses have an important role in helping students to deal with bullying. However, most of the previously undertaken studies do not have nurses as the subjects, considering their experiences around this theme. This study used a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with 12 school nurses (SNs). The thematic analysis was employed and supported by NVivo 10 software. Five main themes arose from the analysis: (1) understanding about bullying, (2) how they identified bullying, (3) strategies, (4) support at the workplace, and (5) SNs’ role. SNs have a reasonable knowledge about this issue and are capable of helping students through dialogue. However, there is a need to be trained and have more time to be able to give proper help to the students, also using other different strategies. SNs must work more actively on this issue with schools and be supported in terms of staff numbers.
Measuring Media Reputation
Authors: Zhang Xiaoqun
Published: October 2015

This study tested the construct validity and predictive power of seven measures of media reputation, which is the overall evaluation of the media coverage of a firm. The test was based on a content analysis of 2,817 news articles about nine large U.S. food companies from 2007 to 2011. The measures of media reputation had a high convergent validity, but only a few of them had significant correlations with corporate reputation. Various measures had different predictive powers for corporate reputation, and a measure combining media favorability and media visibility had a higher predictive power than other measures only focusing on media favorability.
Prevalence and Factors Associated With Severe Physical Intimate Partner Violence Among U.S. Black Women
Authors: Lacey Krim K. , West Carolyn M. , Matusko Niki , Jackson James S.
Published: October 2015

This study explored prevalence rates and factors associated with lifetime severe physical intimate partner violence among U.S. Black women. Data from the National Survey of American Life were examined. Rates of severe physical intimate partner violence were higher among African American women compared with U.S. Caribbean Black women. Risk factors associated with reported abuse were similar to those found in earlier studies but differed by ethnic backgrounds. Demographic, resource, and situational factors were associated with severe physical intimate partner violence among U.S. Black women in general but made unique contributions by ethnic group. Implications and suggestions for future studies were discussed.
The Diffusion of State Tax Incentives for Business
Authors: Leiser Stephanie
Published: October 2015

Tax competition scholars are increasingly recognizing that states compete with each other not only by manipulating tax rates but also by adopting tax incentives. However, there is a comparative lack of empirical literature exploring why states adopt different types of tax incentives. This article draws on the literatures on tax competition and policy diffusion to develop hypotheses about what factors motivate states to adopt business tax incentives, paying particular attention to the influence of other adopting states. It uses event history analysis methods to test hypotheses regarding the adoption of four state tax incentive policies: investment tax credits, apportionment formula changes, research and development tax credits, and job creation tax credits. Regression results show that factors that influence adoption decisions are largely inconsistent across the four incentive types. However, analyses of duration dependence find evidence consistent with the idea that states are “racing to the bottom.”
Age-Related Alterations in Blood Biochemical Characterization of Hepatorenal Function in the PCK Rat
Authors: Shimomura Yuichi , Brock William J. , Ito Yuko , Morishita Katsumi
Published: October 2015

PCK rats develop age-related polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and liver disease and have been used to investigate pharmacotherapies to ameliorate hepatorenal lesions for patients with PKD. The PCK rat may be useful to understand the possible susceptibility to hepatotoxicity observed in the patient with PKD having hepatic polycystic lesions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the background blood biochemical changes that reflect the hepatorenal function of PCK rats as well as the terminal histopathology in order to determine whether this model would be suitable for extrapolating the susceptibility of hepatotoxicity in patients. The blood biochemical parameters of hepatorenal function and histopathology were investigated in PCK rats at ages 5 to 19 weeks and compared to those outcomes in the Sprague Dawley (SD) rat. There were notable blood biochemical changes possibly due to biliary dysgenesis in the PCK rat as early as 5 weeks of age. High levels of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and total bile acids persisted throughout the study compared to the SD rat. Increased aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and hyperlipidemia and a decrease in albumin were also evident at 10 to 19 weeks of age possibly due to progression of cholestatic liver dysfunction secondary to age-related liver cystic progression. Increased liver weights generally correlated with the severity of biliary and hepatic histopathological changes. In male PCK rats, age-related increases in blood urea nitrogen and creatinine at 10 to 19 weeks of age were observed, and the cystic progression was more severe than that in females. These data indicate that the PCK rat showed notable blood biochemical changes reflecting alteration of the liver function compared to the SD rat. Also, there was a large individual variation in these parameters possibly due to variable progression rate of biliary dysgenesis and subsequent liver damages in PCK rats.
GridPACKTM: A framework for developing power grid simulations on high-performance computing platforms
Authors: Palmer Bruce , Perkins William , Chen Yousu , Jin Shuangshuang , Callahan David , Glass Kevin , Diao Ruisheng , Rice Mark , Elbert Stephen , Vallem Mallikarjuna , Huang Zhenyu
Published: October 2015

This paper describes the GridPACKTM framework, which is designed to help power grid engineers develop software capable of running on high-performance computers. The framework makes extensive use of software templates to provide high-level functionality while still providing flexibility to easily implement a broad range of models and algorithms. GridPACKTM contains modules for setting up distributed power grid networks, supporting application-specific bus and branch models, creating distributed matrices and vectors and using parallel linear and non-linear solvers. It also provides mappers to create matrices and vectors based on properties of the network and functionality to support Input/Output (IO) and to manage errors. The goal of GridPACKTM is to substantially reduce the complexity of writing software for parallel computers while still providing efficient and scalable software solutions. The use of GridPACKTM is illustrated for a simple powerflow example and performance results for the powerflow and dynamic simulations are discussed.
Cultural Landscapes of the Yoruba of South-Western Nigeria Demystified as Solidified Time in Space
Authors: Fadamiro Joseph Akinlabi , Adedeji Joseph Adeniran
Published: October 2015

Cultural landscapes are historical documents in the natural and built environment. They are memorable spaces imbued with the “spirit of place” despite the negative effects of modernization on them. The cultural landscapes of the Yoruba occupying the South-Western Nigeria can be perceived to be no less significant in this regard. In a time-series and at varying spatial scales, they represent the civilization periods of the Yoruba nation as a continuum. The study aims to understand and analyze the significance of these cultural landscapes as solidified time in space. Analysis of qualitative data reveals a time–space significance of the landscapes. The study concludes with recommendations on the strict enforcement of traditional conservation strategies like mythological approaches and legal frameworks that have been effectively used in the past toward the sustainability of the landscapes.
Spin echo transverse relaxation and atrophy in multiple sclerosis deep gray matter: A two-year longitudinal study
Authors: Uddin Md Nasir , Lebel R Marc , Seres Peter , Blevins Gregg , Wilman Alan H
Published: October 2015

Background:

Deep gray matter (DGM) is affected in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and may be studied using short-term longitudinal MRI.

Objective:

To investigate two-year changes in spin-echo transverse relaxation rate (R2) and atrophy in DGM, and its relationship with disease severity in RRMS patients.

Methods:

Twenty six RRMS patients and 26 matched controls were imaged at 4.7 T. Multiecho spin-echo R2 maps and atrophy measurements were obtained in DGM at baseline and two-year follow-up. Differences between MRI measures and correlations to disease severity were examined.

Results:

After two years, mean R2 values in the globus pallidus and pulvinar increased by ~4% ( p<0.001) in patients and <1.7% in controls. Two-year changes in R2 showed significant correlation to disease severity in the globus pallidus, pulvinar, substantia nigra, and thalamus. Multiple regression of the two-year R2 difference using these four DGM structures as variables, yielded high correlation with disease severity ( r=0.83, p<0.001). Two-year changes in volume and R2 showed significant correlation only for the globus pallidus in multiple sclerosis (MS) ( p<0.05).

Conclusions:

Two-year difference R2 measurements in DGM correlate to disease severity in MS. R2 mapping and atrophy measurements over two years can be used to identify changes in DGM in MS.
Ethics, economics and power in the Cambridge Apostles’ internationalism between the two world wars
Authors: Donnini Macciò Daniela
Published: October 2015

This article reviews the rich internationalist literature produced by a group of Cambridge Apostles in the interwar years, and evaluates it in the context of contemporary British idealist thought. John Maynard Keynes, Bertrand Russell, Ralph Hawtrey, Leonard Woolf, Gerald Shove, Hugh Meredith, Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson, Julian Bell, Dennis Robertson and Hugh Dalton not only wrote extensively on international relations, but were widely read and politically influential. Although they never constituted a formal advocacy group or organization, their views on the First World War, the League of Nations, the British Empire and international trade were significantly similar. They also unanimously opposed conscription when it was introduced in Britain in 1916. Their approach appears original especially as far as its ethical foundation, based on Moore’s Principia Ethica, is concerned. The central role played by economic arguments in their reflections is also pointed out.
Status insecurity and temporality in world politics
Authors: Freedman Joshua
Published: October 2015

International Relations scholars concerned with explaining status-seeking behavior in the international system draw heavily from social comparison theory and its observations that individuals judge their worth, and accordingly derive self-esteem, through social comparisons with others. According to this logic, states become status seekers because, like individuals, they have an innate desire for favorable social status comparisons relative to their peers. Thus, the great power status literature is often framed in the language of accommodation, and adjustment, which presupposes that status insecurities develop from unfavorable social comparisons and can be resolved through relative social improvements. This article challenges these assumptions by noting, as psychology has acknowledged for some time, that individuals use both social and temporal forms of comparison when engaging in self-evaluation. Where social comparisons cause actors to ask “How do I rank relative to my peers?” temporal comparisons cause actors to evaluate how they have improved or declined over time. This article advances a temporal comparison theory of status-seeking behavior, suggesting that many of the signaling problems associated with status insecurity emerge from basic differences in how states evaluate their status, and whether they privilege temporal over social comparisons. The implications are explored through China’s contemporary struggle for status recognition, situating this struggle within the context of China’s civilizational past and ongoing dispute over Taiwan.
Coordination and presidential coattails
Authors: West Karleen Jones , Spoon Jae-Jae
Published: October 2015

Parties often enter pre-election coalitions (PECs) in presidential elections while remaining independent in legislative races. Parties that support a presidential candidate should see legislative gains given the increase in their national electoral profile. Yet fewer presidential candidates often leads to fewer legislative parties, suggesting that participation in PECs reduces parties’ independent legislative representation. In this article, we examine how specific strategies in the presidential race affect parties’ legislative vote share. Using an original dataset of over 2300 party-level observations in 23 democracies across Europe and South America from 1975 to 2010, we show that the benefits of a party’s presidential strategy are conditional on its size. We find that smaller parties benefit from coattails when they run on their own or lead a PEC, while no parties benefit from joining a PEC. Our findings have important implications for understanding how parties’ presidential strategies influence their legislative success and system-level legislative fragmentation.
A trial of an iPad™ intervention targeting social communication skills in children with autism
Authors: Fletcher-Watson Sue , Petrou Alexandra , Scott-Barrett Juliet , Dicks Pamela , Graham Catherine , O’Hare Anne , Pain Helen , McConachie Helen
Published: October 2015

This study evaluated a technology-based early intervention for social communication skills in pre-schoolers in a randomised controlled trial. Participants were 54 children aged under 6 years with a diagnosis of autism, assigned to either intervention or control conditions. The app engaged children, who played consistently, regardless of developmental level, and was rated highly by parents. There were no significant group differences in parent-report measures post-intervention, nor in a measure of parent–child play at follow-up. Therefore, this intervention did not have an observable impact on real-world social communication skills and caution is recommended about the potential usefulness of iPad™ apps for amelioration of difficulties in interaction. However, positive attitudes among participants, lack of harms and the potential of apps to deliver therapeutic content at low economic cost suggest this approach is worth pursuing further, perhaps targeting other skill domains.
Children with autism spectrum disorder have an exceptional explanatory drive
Authors: Rutherford MD , Subiaul Francys
Published: October 2015

An “explanatory drive” motivates children to explain ambiguity. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders are interested in how systems work, but it is unknown whether they have an explanatory drive. We presented children with and without autism spectrum disorder unsolvable problems in a physical and in a social context and evaluated problem-solving and explanation-seeking responses. In the physical context (but not the social context), the children with autism spectrum disorder showed a stronger explanatory drive than controls. Importantly, the number of explanatory behaviors made by children with autism spectrum disorder in the social context was independent of social and communicative impairments. Children with autism spectrum disorder did not show an exceptional explanatory drive in the social domain. These results suggest that children with autism spectrum disorder have an explanatory drive and that the explanatory drive may be domain specific.
Practice among novice change agents in schools
Authors: Blossing Ulf
Published: October 2015

The aim of the article is to understand practice as negotiation of meaning among novice and internal change agents in school organisations. The research question is as follows: What themes of participation and reification/management occur among the change agents? The study was qualitative in design using the social learning theory of community of practice, as well as organisation development theory in the analysis. Primarily, the data source comprised 36 change agents’ journals during 3 years from 2009 to 2011. Four themes of participation and reification were identified in the agents’ negotiation of meaning in their new role: (1) daily work management, (2) emotional supervision, (3) role development and (4) community development. The change agents reified or managed the problems with various micro-processes to structure the work with the teachers. Over time, more macro-processes became visible. The article concludes that the core of practice is the following question: How should the change agent’s role be developed and built upon? This is the question that nurtures the negotiation in the ongoing participation and reification process of being a change agent.
When new media make news: Framing technology and sexual assault in the Steubenville rape case
Authors: Pennington Rosemary , Birthisel Jessica
Published: October 2015

The 2013 Steubenville, Ohio, rape case featured a sadly familiar story of juvenile acquaintance rape involving star football players; what captured national interest in the case, however, was how the rapists and peer witnesses alike captured video and photos of the sexual assault and disseminated them swiftly and publicly via social media sites. This qualitative textual analysis utilizes framing theory to explore how national news coverage framed new media technology in relation to the Steubenville rape case, particularly how technology was framed as witness, galvanizer, and threat during the rape and its aftermath. Implications of these frames, as well as a lack of broader sexual assault context in the media coverage, are considered.
Meshing strategies in the absolute nodal coordinate formulation-based Euler–Bernoulli beam elements
Authors: Valkeapää Antti I , Matikainen Marko K , Mikkola Aki M
Published: October 2015

The absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) is a finite-element-based formulation developed for large deformation analysis in multibody applications. During the course of progress of the ANCF, a number of beam, plate and shell elements are introduced. Numerous different kinematic and strain energy definitions have been considered. However, the convergence behavior of ANCF-based beam elements has been investigated in the past primarily only with uniform mesh refinement. The objective of this paper is to study numerically the effects of different mesh refinement strategies within an Euler–Bernoulli beam-type problem solved with two-dimensional ANCF-based beam elements. To this end, h- and p-refinement meshing strategies are implemented for two-dimensional ANCF beam elements. The p-refinement is achieved by adding internal degrees of freedom to the elements. In addition, another p-refinement strategy is studied that employs higher-order derivatives as nodal coordinates. The rates of convergence for the different meshing strategies are calculated based on the known iteratively solved extensible elastica analytical solution. The numerical results indicate that the p-refinement strategy, with increasing number of higher-order derivatives at the element interfaces, in conjunction with h-refinement improves the rate of convergence. For the studied numerical example, this mesh strategy leads to better absolute error of displacement convergence than the uniform h-refinement or the p-refinement with internal nodes. The improvement in rate of convergence results from the use of higher-order derivatives that impose continuity to the bending and axial deformations across the elements, which may smooth the oscillations of bending and the axial strain fields.
The spatiality of geography teaching and cultures of alternative education: the ‘intuitive geographies’ of the anarchist school in Cempuis (1880–1894)
Authors: Ferretti Federico
Published: October 2015

As part of current studies focusing on geographies of education and spatiality of teaching and learning, this article addresses the didactic experiences of historical anarchist schools, which opened in several countries at the end of the 19th century. The article deals especially with the example of the Cempuis School (1880–1894) in France, which was run by the anarchist activist and teacher Paul Robin. The aim here is twofold. First, the article clarifies the function of space and spatiality in the teaching and learning practices of the anarchist schools, at least according to the available sources; second, it reconstructs the international cultural transfer, still little known, of the geographical knowledge produced by scholars like Reclus and Kropotkin in the field of educational practices. Finally, the article hopes to contribute to the understanding of spatial educational practices in current alternative, democratic and radical schools.
Using Latent Profile Analysis to Harness the Heterogeneity of Nonretained College Students
Authors: Sulak Tracey N. , Massey Jennifer , Thomson David
Published: October 2015

Universities struggle to raise retention rates among first-year students. Traditional analyses have not only focused on large-scale issues and addressed the needs of the majority but also done little to change overall retention numbers. The current study demonstrates the benefit of using a person-centered approach to retention research. Latent profile analysis was used to examine all nonretained, first-year students ( n = 515) from the 2011 cohort at a private, research-intensive university. The larger population of nonretained first-year students appeared to contain several smaller, subpopulations, and these smaller groups differed on key variables collected by the university. The differences in the subpopulations indicate a need for greater specificity in retention programming.
Place-making and Its Impact on International Graduate Student Persistence
Authors: Terrazas-Carrillo Elizabeth , Hong Ji Y. , McWhirter Paula T. , Robbins Rockey , Pace Terry M.
Published: October 2015

This study explored the impact of place-making activities on the persistence of graduate international students at an American university. Sixteen international graduate students over the age of 18, attending an American university and living in the community for at least 1 year, participated in an in-depth interview about their experiences of places in the Midwestern state where they are currently enrolled as students. The study used a qualitative research method with the goal of uncovering the unique experiences of the participants. The study results indicate that international students benefit from having access to a combination of places that foster growth, social interaction, restoration, and safety. This research contributes to the knowledge of factors impacting international student persistence in graduate education. Results are discussed in the context of strategies that universities can implement to facilitate adjustment among their graduate international students.
Factors Associated With Student Academic Achievement at Community Colleges
Authors: Yu Hongwei
Published: October 2015

Student retention has garnered increased attentions in higher education. Drawing from various theoretical perspectives, researchers have developed multiple theoretical models to explain or predict student retention. Most models, however, were intended for traditional aged, full-time students at 4-year colleges or universities. The rapid growth of student enrollment at 2-year community colleges calls for further studies concerning student retention at these institutions. Built upon prior studies, I developed a conceptual framework to understand student credential completion at 2-year community colleges. Drawing data from Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS: 04/09) Longitudinal Study, I utilized multilevel modeling to identify variables that explain students’ likelihood of credential completion.
The significance of regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation values and limb-to-arm ratios of near-infrared spectroscopy to detect critical limb ischemia
Authors: Boezeman Reinout PE , Boersma Doeke , Wille Jan , Kelder Johannes C , Visscher Mareije I , Waanders Frans GJ , Moll Frans L , de Vries Jean-Paul PM
Published: October 2015

This study examines the application of near-infrared spectroscopy to noninvasively detect critical limb ischemia using regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation in percentage values and regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to-arm ratios. The regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation values and regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to-arm ratios were calculated in 61 patients with critical limb ischemia (group A). Measurements were performed in rest at four fixed spots at the most affected lower limb and at a reference spot at both upper arms. Similar measurements were performed in the left lower limb of 30 age-matched control patients without peripheral arterial disease (group B). The regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation values and regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to-arm ratios were significantly different at all measured spots between the groups (all p < 0.001), except for the regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to-arm ratios of the distal vastus lateralis ( p = 0.056). However, a broad overlap of individual regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation values and regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to-arm ratios was found in both groups, which resulted in poor discriminative predictive value of single measurements. Single measurements of regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation values and regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to-arm ratios at all measured spots have poor discriminative predictive value in detection of critical limb ischemia. Measurement of regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation values and regional hemoglobin oxygen saturation limb-to-arm ratios at any of the measurement spots has no added value in detecting lower limb ischemia in individuals compared with current diagnostic modalities.
Information Processing and Creative Thinking Abilities of Residential and Non-Residential School Children
Authors: Mohanty Atasi
Published: October 2015

This study attempts to assess and compare the residential and non-residential schoolchildren in information-processing skills and creative thinking abilities. A sample of 80 children from Classes 5 and 7 were selected from two types of schools, residential/ashram (02) and non-residential/formal schools (02) in Bolpur subdivision of West Bengal in India where the medium of instruction is Bengali language/mother-tongue. All the children were individually administered the PASS (Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, Successive), Stroop, Matching Familiar Figure Test (MFFT-20), and creative thinking tasks. The residential school children were found to perform better both in information processing and creative thinking tasks. The developmental trend could not be clearly observed due to small sample size, but with increasing age, children were using better processing strategies. Due to ashram environment, creative pedagogy, and various co-curricular activities, the residential school children were found to be more creative than their formal school counterparts. Moreover, some significant positive correlations were found among information processing skills and creative thinking dimensions.
A New Observation of an Atypical and Severe Variant of the Guillain-Barre Syndrome in a Child
Authors: Pons Linda , Manel Véronique , Ville Dorothée , Javouhey Etienne , Bordet Fabienne
Published: October 2015

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare acute polyradiculoneuropathy. Several variants and unusual presentations have been described, particularly in pediatrics. In most cases, making an early diagnosis is challenging due to the treatments that consist in the rapid administration of intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange. The authors present the case of a 7-year-old boy with an atypical and severe axonal Guillain-Barré syndrome, associated with Mycoplasma pneumonia. When he was admitted, febrile respiratory failure was the main focus, and then he presented signs of acute polyneuropathy with cranial nerve palsy and brief hyperreflexia. Mechanical ventilation was required for 48 days as well as 2 cycles of intravenous immunoglobulin. The authors describe all the medical challenges that the authors encountered. This case highlights the fact that respiratory distress can be the main clinical symptom in children. This delays the establishment of a correct diagnosis, even more so when neurological manifestations are abundant and unusual.
Vagal Nerve Stimulation in the Treatment of Drug-Resistant Epileptic Encephalopathies in Inborn Errors of Metabolism
Authors: Grioni Daniele , Landi Andrea , Gasperini Serena , Trezza Andrea , Fiori Leonardo , Rigoldi Miriam , Parini Rossella , Sganzerla Erik Pietro
Published: October 2015

Patients affected by inborn errors of metabolism can develop catastrophic epilepsies ineligible for resective surgery. Few reports concerning vagal nerve stimulation in patients with epileptic encephalopathy in the context of metabolic diseases have been published in the literature. Drug-resistant epilepsies in metabolic disease could be a specific target for vagal nerve stimulation, although the efficacy of this technique in these patients still needs to be proved. The authors report our experience in treating refractory epilepsy with vagal nerve stimulation in 2 patients affected by inborn errors of metabolism. The first patient is a 23-year-old patient affected by glutaric aciduria type II, the other one is a 16-month-old child with nonketotic hyperglycinemia. Vagal nerve stimulation reduced seizures up to 50% in the first case and up to 90% in the second one.
Interleukin-27: a novel biomarker in predicting bacterial infection among the critically ill
Authors: Hanna William J. , Berrens Zachary , Langner Travis , Lahni Patrick , Wong Hector R.
Published: October 2015

Introduction

A continued need exists for effective diagnostic biomarkers in bacterial sepsis among critically ill patients, despite increasing use of available biomarkers such as procalcitonin (PCT). Interleukin-27 (IL-27) has shown early promise in a recent preliminary study, exhibiting high specificity and positive predictive values for bacterial infection in critically ill children. This validation study was performed to assess the value of IL-27 in predicting bacterial infection among patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit and to compare its performance with that of PCT.

Methods

A single-center (n = 702) prospective study was performed comparing both IL-27 and PCT levels between bacterially infected and uninfected cohorts in the pediatric intensive care unit. Infected status was determined by a chart review by an intensivist blinded to biomarker results. Formal performance comparisons included calculations of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for IL-27 and PCT individually in addition to a combination strategy using a decision tree generated by classification and regression tree (CART) methodology. Secondary analysis focusing on subjects with documented bloodstream infections was performed.

Results

The overall infection rate was 27 %. ROC curves for the primary analysis yielded areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.64 (0.59 to 0.68) for IL-27 and 0.61 (0.56 to 0.65) for PCT. Secondary analysis defining infected status exclusively through positive blood cultures yielded AUCs of 0.75 (0.68 to 0.81) for IL-27 and 0.64 (0.57 to 0.71) for PCT, with a specificity of 95 % (92 % to 97 %) for the prior established IL-27 cut-point value of at least 5.0 ng/ml. Similar AUCs were found for the subset of immunocompromised patients. In a CART-derived analysis taking immunocompromised status into consideration, a combination of IL-27 and PCT yielded an AUC of 0.81 (0.75 to 0.86), statistically improved from either IL-27 or PCT alone.

Conclusions

Despite having a modest predictive value for infection independent of source, IL-27 may serve as a useful biomarker in estimating risk of bacterial infection among critically ill pediatric patients with bloodstream infections. In particular, among immunocompromised subjects, this diagnostic biomarker may be helpful either alone or using a combination strategy with other available biomarkers.
Biomarkers from distinct biological pathways improve early risk stratification in medical emergency patients: the multinational, prospective, observational TRIAGE study
Authors: Schuetz Philipp , Hausfater Pierre , Amin Devendra , Amin Adina , Haubitz Sebastian , Faessler Lukas , Kutz Alexander , Conca Antoinette , Reutlinger Barbara , Canavaggio Pauline , Sauvin Gabrielle , Bernard Maguy , Huber Andreas , Mueller Beat ,   for the TRIAGE Study group
Published: October 2015

Introduction

Early risk stratification in the emergency department (ED) is vital to reduce time to effective treatment in high-risk patients and to improve patient flow. Yet, there is a lack of investigations evaluating the incremental usefulness of multiple biomarkers measured upon admission from distinct biological pathways for predicting fatal outcome and high initial treatment urgency in unselected ED patients in a multicenter and multinational setting.

Method

We included consecutive, adult, medical patients seeking ED care into this observational, cohort study in Switzerland, France and the USA. We recorded initial clinical parameters and batch-measured prognostic biomarkers of inflammation (pro-adrenomedullin [ProADM]), stress (copeptin) and infection (procalcitonin).

Results

During a 30-day follow-up, 331 of 7132 (4.6 %) participants reached the primary endpoint of death within 30 days. In logistic regression models adjusted for conventional risk factors available at ED admission, all three biomarkers strongly predicted the risk of death (AUC 0.83, 0.78 and 0.75), ICU admission (AUC 0.67, 0.69 and 0.62) and high initial triage priority (0.67, 0.66 and 0.58). For the prediction of death, ProADM significantly improved regression models including (a) clinical information available at ED admission (AUC increase from 0.79 to 0.84), (b) full clinical information at ED discharge (AUC increase from 0.85 to 0.88), and (c) triage information (AUC increase from 0.67 to 0.83) (p <0.01 for each comparison). Similarly, ProADM also improved clinical models for prediction of ICU admission and high initial treatment urgency. Results were robust in regard to predefined patient subgroups by center, main diagnosis, presenting symptoms, age and gender.

Conclusions

Combination of clinical information with results of blood biomarkers measured upon ED admission allows early and more adequate risk stratification in individual unselected medical ED patients. A randomized trial is needed to answer the question whether biomarker-guided initial patient triage reduces time to initial treatment of high-risk patients in the ED and thereby improves patient flow and clinical outcomes.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01768494. Registered January 9, 2013.
Genomic information of the arsenic-resistant bacterium Lysobacter arseniciresistens type strain ZS79T and comparison of Lysobacter draft genomes
Authors: Liu Lin , Zhang Shengzhe , Luo Meizhong , Wang Gejiao
Published: October 2015

Lysobacter arseniciresistens ZS79T is a highly arsenic-resistant,rod-shaped, motile, non-spore-forming, aerobic, Gram-negative bacterium. In this study, four Lysobacter type strains were sequenced and the genomic information of L. arseniciresistens ZS79T and the comparative genomics results of the Lysobacter strains were described. The draft genome sequence of the strain ZS79T consists of 3,086,721 bp and is distributed in 109 contigs. It has a G+C content of 69.5 % and contains 2,363 protein-coding genes including eight arsenic resistant genes.