bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of a Standardized Treatment Panel on Hypoglycemic Events in Hospitalized Acute Hyperkalemic Patients Treated With Intravenous Regular Insulin
Authors: Zuern Allison , Probst Luke A. , Darko William , Rosher Peter , Miller Christopher D. , Gordon Lori , Seabury Robert
Published: April 2019

Purpose: Regular insulin is a commonly utilized treatment option for acute hyperkalemia. Despite its benefit, hypoglycemia and associated morbidity/mortality remain important concerns. This institution recently created a treatment panel to standardize regular insulin dosing (0.1 unit/kg) and blood glucose (BG) monitoring in patients with acute hyperkalemia. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the order panel reduces hypoglycemic events in adults treated with intravenous (IV) regular insulin for hyperkalemia and to determine the effect the treatment panel has on regular insulin dosing, serum potassium, BG monitoring, and dextrose supplementation. Methods: This retrospective study was performed at a single academic medical center. Adults receiving IV regular insulin for acute hyperkalemia were included if BG was assessed prior to and following regular insulin administration. Primary outcome was hypoglycemia within 4 hours of regular insulin administration. Secondary outcomes were the change from baseline serum potassium, frequency of severe hypoglycemia, BG checks within 30 minutes prior to and within 4 hours following insulin administration, regular insulin dosing, and administration of dextrose 50% in water (D50W) following regular insulin administration. Hypoglycemia and severe hypoglycemia were defined as a BG concentration of <70 mg/dL and <50 mg/dL, respectively. Results: One hundred sixty-five patients were included; 75 using the treatment panel and 90 not. Patients using the treatment panel received a lower median (interquartile range [IQR]) regular insulin dose (.10 [0.09-0.10 unit/kg] vs 0.11 [0.09-0.14 unit/kg], P = .004) and had more frequent BG checks during the 4 hours following regular insulin administration (median [IQR]: 4 [3-5] vs 2 [1-3], P < .001). Hypoglycemia (13.3% vs 27.8%, P = .024) and severe hypoglycemia (2.7% vs 11.1%, P = .038) occurred less frequently with the treatment panel. Similar decreases in serum potassium were noted following IV regular insulin administration. Conclusions: Acute hyperkalemic patients utilizing a standardized treatment panel for the dosing and monitoring of IV regular insulin experienced fewer hypoglycemic and severe hypoglycemic episodes and had similar potassium lower effects. The treatment panel decreased regular insulin dosing and increased BG monitoring prior to and following regular insulin administration.
Effect of fiber type, fiber content, and compatibilizer on two-body abrasive wear performance of HDPE matrix composites
Authors: Savaş Soner , Gurbanov Nurlan , Doğan Mehmet
Published: April 2019

This study puts forth the synergistic effect of fiber concentration and maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene (PE-g-MA) compatibilization on the abrasive wear properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites. Composites including carbon, basalt, jute and coconut short fibers with different weight ratios were processed by melt blending and then tested by using a pin-on-disc abrasive wear tester in dry sliding conditions. The test rig was also equipped with a vacuum system, for the first time, to promote two-body abrasive wear of the composites by reducing the wear debris which may be trapped in the wear track and alter the wear properties. In addition, fiber and coupling agent concentrations and test parameters were investigated using L16 full-factorial experimental design and the relationships between these parameters and wear behaviors of the composites were analyzed on the basis of the findings. This work clearly shows that high rigidity obtained by fiber contribution was not beneficial from the abrasive wear resistance point of view, due to repeated plowing effect of the counterpart material under the test conditions. Nevertheless, basalt fiber-reinforced composites showed higher wear resistance than other composites. Except for coconut fibers, PE-g-MA exhibited good miscibility between fibers and matrix, and thus an enhancing effect on the hardness values, and also wear resistance of the samples. Briefly, the rigidity and miscibility of the composites were found in balance for optimum wear rates.
Imagination, Brokers, and Boundary Objects: Interrupting the Mentor–Preservice Teacher Hierarchy When Negotiating Meanings
Authors: Canipe Martha M. , Gunckel Kristin L.
Published: April 2019

The mentor–preservice teacher hierarchy, that privileges mentor teacher talk and experience, often dominates mentor–preservice conversations. To realize the full potential of teacher education approaches designed to engage preservice and mentor teachers together in shared learning and teaching tasks, attention is needed to better understand the dynamics and implications of mentor–preservice teacher interactions. We analyzed how and when preservice and mentor teachers introduced ideas to group conversations and whose ideas were taken up by the group during a co-learning task. We found that mentor teachers tended to dominate group sense-making. However, preservice teacher use of imagination, the actions of teacher educators as brokers, and the use of boundary objects temporarily interrupted the dominant hierarchy. We conjecture that these moments raised preservice teacher status within the group so that mentor teachers took up preservice teachers’ ideas. Implications for promoting more equitable preservice teacher participation in sense-making with mentor teachers are discussed.
Barriers to Inquiry-Based Instruction: A Longitudinal Study of History Teachers
Authors: Martell Christopher C.
Published: April 2019

While there has been an increased focus on inquiry-based learning in teacher preparation programs, little is known about the influences of these programs on teacher development over time. Using activity theory as its theoretical framework, the researcher employed a longitudinal interpretative case study design to examine the development of three history teachers’ conceptual and practical tools from their methods course through their fifth year or exit from the classroom. The findings revealed that, while the teachers had inquiry-aligned beliefs and developed inquiry-related conceptual tools, a lack of practical tools and support during teacher preparation and within their eventual communities of practice had a major impact on their ability to frequently implement inquiry in their classrooms. Recommendations are offered for teacher preparation and inservice professional development programs.
‘These people are vulnerable, they aren’t criminals’: Mental health, the use of force and deaths after police contact in England
Authors: Baker David , Pillinger Claire
Published: April 2019

This paper considers deaths after police contact 1 in England of people experiencing mental health issues. It uses rich qualitative data from interviews with the families of nine people who died after police contact to examine how they died. The paper aims to assess the police role in providing a de facto service for people undergoing mental health crises and how the use of force might affect the outcomes of such encounters. The paper aims to examine the manifest tensions when an enforcement agency is tasked with providing a duty of care to vulnerable people in society. Key findings are that force is disproportionately more likely to be used on people with mental health issues, and also disproportionately more likely to be used on people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities. Further findings provide insight on the use of mechanical restraint and the way in which inappropriate transportation can exacerbate the effects of restraint.
‘No action required’: A historical pattern of inaction and discretion towards child sexual abuse in Queensland policing
Authors: Bleakley Paul
Published: April 2019

Throughout much of the 20th century, the Queensland Police Force were led by an administration of senior officers more engaged with corrupt practices than with the prosecution of child sexual abuse. An unwillingness within the police force to take action against suspected child sex offenders on many occasions could be perceived to obstruct investigations and provide a layer of protection to this kind of criminal behaviour. Examination of archival material suggests that Queensland police were motivated by an anomic condition within the force that led to deviance from established social norms governing attitudes towards child sexual abuse cases.
Accelerometer and Survey Data on Patterns of Physical Inactivity in New York City and the United States
Authors: Bartley Katherine F. , Eisenhower Donna L. , Harris Tiffany G. , Lee Karen K.
Published: April 2019

Objective:

Inactive lifestyles contribute to health problems and premature death and are influenced by the physical environment. The primary objective of this study was to quantify patterns of physical inactivity in New York City and the United States by combining data from surveys and accelerometers.

Methods:

We used Poisson regression models and self-reported survey data on physical activity and other demographic characteristics to predict accelerometer-measured inactivity in New York City and the United States among adults aged ≥18. National data came from the 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. New York City data came from the 2010-2011 New York City Physical Activity and Transit survey.

Results:

Self-reported survey data indicated no significant differences in inactivity between New York City and the United States, but accelerometer data showed that 53.1% of persons nationally, compared with 23.4% in New York City, were inactive ( P < .001). New Yorkers reported a median of 139 weekly minutes of transportation activity, compared with 0 minutes nationally. Nationally, 50.0% of self-reported activity minutes came from recreation activity, compared with 17.5% in New York City. Regression models indicated differences in the association between self-reported minutes of transportation and recreation and accelerometer-measured inactivity in the 2 settings.

Conclusions:

The prevalence of physical inactivity was higher nationally than in New York City. The largest difference was in walking behavior indicated by self-reported transportation activity. The study demonstrated the feasibility of combining accelerometer and survey measurement and that walkable environments promote an active lifestyle.
(Un)making ‘extreme’ and ‘ordinary’ whiteness: Activists’ narratives on antiracist mobilisation in Finland
Authors: Seikkula Minna
Published: April 2019

This article analyses narratives of antiracist mobilisation against anti-immigration racism and the far and extreme right in Finland. The antiracist mobilisation narrative is, first, analysed against the backdrop of critical theorisation of racism and antiracism, which has critiqued conceptions of racism that link the term exclusively to the far and extreme right as too narrow. Second, the analysis builds upon the heuristic distinction between ‘extreme whiteness’ and ‘whiteness as ordinariness’ (or ‘ordinary whiteness’) made in the field of critical whiteness studies. Drawing on empirical data on activists’ narratives on grassroots antiracist engagement in Finland, the article explores the distinct positionalities and perspectives in the antiracist mobilisation narrative. In other words, the article discusses the consequences of grasping racism primarily as anti-immigration propagation and right-wing populism – or, as extreme whiteness – in antiracist activists’ narratives on mobilisation. By locating the aspects of extreme and ordinary whiteness in the mobilisation narrative, the article shows how the antiracist narrative risks reproducing white-normativity. The article argues that to overcome white-normativity, antiracist narratives are required to grasp extreme and ordinary whiteness as interrelated parts of the same power structure.
The 2014 World Cup and the Construction Workers: Global Strategies, Local Mobilizations
Authors: Rombaldi Maurício
Published: April 2019

An action developed by the Building and Wood Workers’ International during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil internationalized the country’s construction unions. The strategies adopted, aimed at large-scale sports events, the efforts to negotiate with the World Cup organizers, and the lack of national coordination among Brazilian unions all contributed to the willingness of the latter to take part in the international campaign and strengthen their ties with the global federation. The result was an unprecedented national agenda of negotiations that influenced the development of local bargaining. The outcomes of this campaign demonstrate that the priority that unions give to local negotiations may not just hinder the internationalization of union practices but also enhance the possibilities for such internationalization.

Uma ação desenvolvida pela Internacional dos Trabalhadores da Construção e da Madeira durante a Copa do Mundo no Brasil impulsionou a internacionalização dos sindicatos da construção no país. A experiência na adoção de estratégias voltadas a megaeventos esportivos, a busca por negociações junto dos organizadores do campeonato e a falta de articulação nacional entre sindicatos brasileiros resultaram na predisposição destes à adesão na campanha internacional e ao estreitamento dos vínculos com a federação sindical internacional. Com esta experiência, uma inédita pauta nacional de negociações foi constituída entre os sindicatos brasileiros, o que interferiu nos desdobramentos das negociações regionais. Os resultados desta campanha evidenciam que as prioridades dadas às negociações de caráter local podem implicar não apenas em freios à internacionalização de práticas sindicais, mas, também, em potencialidades.
Neurobiologically Poor? Brain Phenotypes, Inequality, and Biosocial Determinism
Authors: Pitts-Taylor Victoria
Published: April 2019

The rise of neuroplasticity has led to new fields of study about the relation between social inequalities and neurobiology, including investigations into the “neuroscience of poverty.” The neural phenotype of poverty proposed in recent neuroscientific research emerges out of classed, gendered, and racialized inequalities that not only affect bodies in material ways but also shape scientific understandings of difference. An intersectional, sociomaterial approach is needed to grasp the implications of neuroscientific research that aims to both produce and repair neurobiological difference. Following Benjamin’s critique of the “carceral imagination” of technoscience, this article considers how such research may fix in terms of helping, or in contrast, fix by classifying and reifying, vulnerable subjects. I address the potential for biosocial determinism in linking neural phenotypes and social problems. I use an intersectional approach to consider the presence and absence of race in this body of research and explore how some methodological and conceptual framings of the “brain on poverty” mark poor and minority children for intervention in concert with neoliberal approaches to poverty.
Creating Romanestan: A Place to be a Gypsy in Post-Nazi Europe
Authors: Sierra María
Published: April 2019

This article examines the political formula of Romanestan as conceived by Ionel Rotaru (1918–1982), a Romanian refugee in France after the Second World War. Romanestan is the most visible aspect of an ambitious plan demanding rights for those labelled Gypsies throughout the world. This study is of interest because it sheds new light on the problems of social and political readjustment after the Second World War from the standpoint of racial exclusion. Rotaru’s project was both the response to longstanding historical racist aggression and also a crucial turning point in the formation of Romani ethnic identity. What makes its study interesting is that the formula of the Romanestan wove the right to exist of those regarded as Gypsies into a creative transnational political project. Based on classified documents, this article highlights the political nature of processes of ethnicization and assesses the performative power of symbols.
Vinculin expression in non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Yu Qiuli , Xu Liqin , Chen Long , Sun Baier , Yang Zhiyun , Lu Kunqin , Yang Zhiyong
Published: April 2019

Objective

This study aimed to explore the expression of vinculin in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to analyze its correlation with clinical features and prognosis of NSCLC.

Methods

The expression of vinculin in cancer tissues and paracancer tissues was detected by real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Correlations between vinculin-positive expression and clinical features were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis, and those between vinculin expression and prognosis were analyzed by Cox multivariate analysis.

Results

Vinculin expression was significantly lower in cancer tissues than in paracancer tissues. Pearson correlation analysis showed that vinculin expression was significantly correlated with tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) stage and lymph node metastasis in NSCLC. Cox multivariate analysis showed that vinculin-negative expression and TNM stage were independent risk factors for NSCLC prognosis. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 20.51% for all NSCLC patients, and was significantly higher for vinculin-positive patients with NSCLC than vinculin-negative patients.

Conclusions

Vinculin gene transcription is inhibited in NSCLC, and low vinculin expression promotes malignancy in NSCLC. Therefore, vinculin could be used as a prognostic marker for NSCLC and a potential target for its treatment.
An Updated Sexual Homicide Crime Scene Rating Scale for Sexual Sadism (SADSEX-SH)
Authors: Myers Wade C. , Beauregard Eric , Menard William
Published: April 2019

The Sexual Homicide Crime Scene Rating Scale for Sexual Sadism (SADSEX-SH) is a rating scale which dimensionally measures the degree of offender sexual sadism in suspected sexual homicide cases. Scoring is accomplished using crime scene and related investigative information. Preliminary norms for the SADSEX-SH prototype indicate that it correctly classified offenders with and without sexual sadism. This study further assessed SADSEX-SH sensitivity, specificity, and inter-rater reliability by comparing a larger sample of male sexual homicide offenders with ( n = 20) and without ( n = 20) sexual sadism. Two items generally undetectable at crime scenes were removed from the originally proposed 10-item scale, resulting in a final 8-item version. SADSEX-SH total scores for the two groups significantly differed (7.7 ± 3.5, range = 2-14 vs. 2.6 ± 2.0, range = 0-7, t = 5.58, p < .001). Inter-rater reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs] = 0.6-1.0). Using a revised cutoff score of 6, sensitivity was 70.0% and specificity was 90%. This revised scale may prove useful for investigators, clinicians, and institutional professionals in helping to identify and address sexual sadism in sexual homicide offenders.
Urban climate zone classification using convolutional neural network and ground-level images
Authors: Xu Guang , Zhu Xuan , Tapper Nigel , Bechtel Benjamin
Published: April 2019

Urban climate risks have a wide range of impacts on the health of more than 50% of the world’s population, which is a critical issue relating to climate change. To support urban climate study and categorise different urban environments and their atmospheric impacts in a consistent way, the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification scheme has been developed. The World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools project aims to map the LCZ of cities across the globe. However, previous classification approaches based on satellite images have limitations regarding the characterisation of three-dimensional features such as building heights. This study aims to apply convolutional neural networks to classify LCZ types based on ground-level images, which can provide more detail of the urban environments. Validation results have shown an overall accuracy of 69.6%. The new method outperformed previous satellite-based studies for classifying the LCZ types Compact Mid-rise, Sparsely Built, Heavy Industry, and Bare Rock or Paved.
Application of Machine Learning to Two Large-Sample Household Travel Surveys: A Characterization of Travel Modes
Authors: Chapleau Robert , Gaudette Philippe , Spurr Tim
Published: April 2019

Even in a context of rapidly evolving transportation and information technologies, household travel surveys remain an essential source of information for transportation planning. Moreover, as planning authorities become increasingly concerned with reducing the use of the private car, travelers’ mode choice patterns should be reexamined. In this study, a machine learning algorithm (Random Forest) was employed to characterize the use of eight different travel modes observed in two consecutive household travel surveys undertaken in Montreal, Canada. The analysis incorporated roughly 160,000 observed trips. The Random Forest algorithm was trained on the 2008 survey data and applied to the 2013 survey. The usefulness of the algorithm was evaluated using two numerical representations: the confusion matrix and the importance matrix. The results of this evaluation showed that the Random Forest algorithm could generate a detailed and precise characterization of travel submarkets for four of the most commonly observed modes of travel (auto-drive, public transit, school bus, and walk) using 11 attributes of households, persons, and trips. However, the auto-passenger mode was difficult to characterize because of its dependence on unobserved intra-household interactions. The algorithm also had difficulty identifying users of rarely observed modes (park-and-ride, kiss-and-ride, bicycle), but performed better in this regard than a traditional mode choice model. Finally, traveler’s age and the spatial orientation of origin–destination pairs were found to be decisive factors in the use of the auto-drive mode. This finding, combined with the stability of mode choice patterns observed over 5 years, highlights the difficulty of significantly reducing automobile use.
Evaluation of Not-At-Fault Assumption in Quasi-Induced Exposure Method using Traffic Crash Data at Varied Geographical Levels
Authors: Zhao Shanshan , Wang Kai , Jackson Eric
Published: April 2019

Acquiring real-world driver distribution data on roadways is a challenge. The quasi-induced exposure (QIE) method is a promising alternative as it only requires the available crash data. The question to be answered through this study is whether the not-at-fault driver assumption of the QIE still holds when the population is broken down to smaller geographical levels, such as counties, towns, or routes. This is important because the result will provide statistical support to choose for or against the application of QIE at disaggregate levels. In this study, the distributions of driver gender, age, and vehicle type between four groups of drivers in the crash data were examined, using data obtained from the state of Connecticut from 2015 to 2017. Namely, they are the not-at-fault drivers and at-fault drivers in two-vehicle crashes (NF2 and AF2) and the not-at-fault drivers and at-fault drivers in three-or-more vehicle crashes (NF3 and AF3). Chi-square tests and Wilcoxon Mann–Whitney tests were used to provide statistical evidence of whether the driver groups come from the same population. The evidence shows that there are no statistical differences between the distributions of NF2 and NF3. The QIE assumption of not-at-fault drivers is valid at all tested geographical levels. Driver characteristic distribution in the NF2 (and NF3) groups in the crash data should be a good representation of the driving population. The results also revealed the similarities of distributions between AF2 and AF3 and the significant differences between the not-at-fault drivers (NF2 and NF3) and at-fault-drivers (AF2 and AF3).
Analysis of Driving Simulator Sickness Symptoms: Zero-Inflated Ordered Probit Approach
Authors: Nickkar Amirreza , Jeihani Mansoureh , Sahebi Sina
Published: April 2019

Driving simulators can provide safe real-world driving conditions that may help researchers study driving behavior; however, driving simulator sickness (DSS) has been recognized as one of the most frequent challenges associated with using driving simulators. The DSS issue may affect the validity and reliability of results obtained during the driving simulator experience. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the potential consequences of DSS in the virtual environment of a driving simulator. The goal of this study is to analyze DSS symptoms among participants of a driving simulator by their demographics. The samples of four simulator studies were combined, including a total of 259 participants who were recruited from different socio-demographic backgrounds and drove a fixed-base driving simulator. All these studies used the same proportion of mixed urban and suburban content in designing the simulation environments of the experiments. A DSS questionnaire based on the standard Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) has been used to measure the severity of DSS symptoms—general discomfort, fatigue, headache, eyestrain, blurred vision, salivation, sweating, dizziness, and nausea—among participants. This study applies zero-inflated ordered probit and ordered probit models to evaluate the possible statistical relationships between demographic characteristics and experiment duration, and DSS symptoms. The results show that there is a positive direct statistical relationship between the duration of the experiment and DSS. Also, older participants have more general discomfort, fatigue, blurred vision, and headache symptoms with DSS than do younger ones. Similarly, female participants experience headache and nausea symptoms more than men do.
Relative Capacity and Performance of Fixed- and Moving-Block Control Systems on North American Freight Railway Lines and Shared Passenger Corridors
Authors: Dick C. Tyler , Mussanov Darkhan , Evans Leonel E. , Roscoe Geordie S. , Chang Tzu-Yu
Published: April 2019

North American railroads are facing increasing demand for safe, efficient, and reliable freight and passenger transportation. The high cost of constructing additional track infrastructure to increase capacity and improve reliability provides railroads with a strong financial motivation to increase the productivity of their existing mainlines by reducing the headway between trains. The objective of this research is to assess potential for advanced Positive Train Control (PTC) systems with virtual and moving blocks to improve the capacity and performance of Class 1 railroad mainline corridors. Rail Traffic Controller software is used to simulate and compare the delay performance and capacity of train operations on a representative rail corridor under fixed wayside block signals and moving blocks. The experiment also investigates possible interactions between the capacity benefits of moving blocks and traffic volume, traffic composition, and amount of second main track. Moving blocks can increase the capacity of single-track corridors by several trains per day, serving as an effective substitute to construction of additional second main track infrastructure in the short term. Moving blocks are shown to have the greatest capacity benefit when the corridor has more second main track and traffic volumes are high. Compared with three-aspect signal systems, much of the benefits of moving blocks can be obtained from adding signals and implementing a four-aspect signal system. Knowledge of train delay performance and line capacity under moving blocks will aid railway practitioners in determining if the benefits of these systems justify the required incremental investment over current PTC overlay implementations.
A Qualitative Exploration of Parental Separation and Coping: Attachment Disruptions Among Newcomer Immigrant Adolescents
Authors: Muller Holly A. , Brewer Thomas A. , Patel Sita G. , Desai Dhru
Published: April 2019

Qualitative interview data were used to explore parental separation and coping strategies among newcomer immigrant adolescents. Participants included 58 newcomer immigrant adolescents from 21 countries of origin. Authors used archival data from students enrolled in two public high schools in a large northeastern city in the United States that exclusively serve international students. The qualitative data were collected from an in-depth semi-structured interview. Interviews were analyzed using a directed content analysis approach with Lazarus and Folkman’s model of coping as the initial framework to identify key themes. Qualitative analysis explored two themes of coping strategies, emotion-focused and problem-focused; subtheme analysis identified six distinct emotion-focused and four distinct problem-focused strategies. A chi-square test of independence showed no significant difference in use of coping strategies between participants who had been separated from their families compared with those who had not. Findings suggest that the types of coping strategies newcomer immigrant adolescents use may be highly influenced by a multitude of individual and environmental factors. Results support the need for interventions that bolster culturally congruent coping strategies such as social support and activity engagement.
Sustainability drivers of Canada’s most health-promoting hospital
Authors: Graham J. Ross , Naylor Patti-Jean
Published: April 2019

Sustaining large health promotion interventions in hospitals is notoriously difficult, and our understanding of sustainability enablers remains peripheral. This case study examined sustainability of Canada’s largest hospital based health promotion facility: The Wellness Institute at Seven Oaks General Hospital in Winnipeg. Seven sustainability enablers were identified: (1) Community support and ownership; (2) Consistent, supportive, visionary leadership; (3) Well-managed operations; (4) Limited service overlap and duplication; (5) Alignment with the healthcare system; (6) Consistent, professional staffing; (7) Leading-edge facilities and services. Four sustainability barriers were identified: (1) Alignment with the healthcare system; (2) Limited funding; (3) Service duplication; (4) Sub-optimal location. Results can support leaders with future planning and implementation of health promotion programming.
Process to practice: The evolving role of the academic middle manager in English further education colleges
Authors: Wolstencroft Peter , Lloyd Catherine
Published: April 2019

The English further education sector has undergone significant change since the Further and Higher Education Act (1992) encouraged a culture of entrepreneurship, competition and the use of what was seen as best practice from the commercial sector. This led to a cultural shift and the introduction of many new initiatives – a situation that still exists now. The implementation of these initiatives was often delegated to middle managers – a group of people who occupied the gap between the senior leaders and the lecturers in the classroom. Current austerity measures, restructuring and the shift towards the creation of larger organizations have resulted in reorganizations that could present opportunities for middle managers to participate in the strategic processes and leadership of the organization, further developing their role ( Greatbatch and Tate, 2018 ). The purpose of this article is to investigate the leadership and management aspects of the middle-manager’s role within the context of further education in England. Although many managers in the sector are reluctant to identify as leaders ( Briggs, 2006 ), our research shows that their role has evolved so that they are undertaking a range of activities that could be classified as leadership. We suggest that using ‘practice’ rather than ‘process’ as a descriptor of the role would reframe, identify and bring forward the leadership aspects of what they do. Encouraging a focus on a holistic, practice-based approach, rather than a succession of process-driven tasks, could help managers to perform their role more effectively. Findings taken from interviews with 32 participants and a questionnaire with 302 responses are used to illustrate our argument.
The use of technology to enable school governors to participate remotely in meetings: A solution to skilled governor shortages in schools?
Authors: Dobson Tom , Rose Anthea
Published: April 2019

Governor recruitment in England is increasingly difficult, with schools in remote locations struggling to recruit skilled governors. Set against a global context of e-governing, this article evaluates Lloyds Banking Group’s (LBG) potential solution – volunteer LBG employees who attend governing board meetings remotely. Interview data collected from five governors and key school stakeholders is analysed using Young’s (2017) categorization of governor knowledge as ‘managerial’, ‘educational’ and ‘lay’. Schools value governors’ managerial knowledge more than the governors do, and this is owing to the difficulties governors face in acquiring both ‘educational’ and ‘lay’ knowledge – a problem exacerbated by technology and outdated practices. This article recommends ways in which remote attendance of governor meetings could be improved in order to provide a more effective solution to skilled governor recruitment shortages.
A Review of the Literature on the School-Work-Life Interface
Authors: Choo Casey Ee Kiang , Kan Zi Xiang , Cho Eunae
Published: April 2019

As term-time employment for college students has rapidly increased worldwide, the topic of multiple role engagement among employed students has attracted much research attention. Nevertheless, how paid employment might affect student outcomes remains unknown. With this in mind, we provide a critical synthesis of the school-work-life (SWL) interface literature that focuses on undergraduate students who engage in term-time employment because the SWL interface, when considered as a psychological experience emerging from multiple role engagement, may shed light on the complex relationship between engagement in multiple roles and outcomes. Supporting the notion that the SWL interface is an underlying mechanism in the relationship between the multiple role engagement and outcomes, our review suggests that (a) demands and resources in each domain relate to positive/negative inter-role interface and (b) positive/negative inter-role interface predicts various outcomes in working undergraduates. We conclude with practical implications for multiple stakeholders and directions for future research.
Social Engagement and Cognitive Impairment in Older Chinese Adults: The Mediating Role of Psychological Well-Being
Authors: Zhou Zi , Mao Fanzhen , Han Yaofeng , Fu Jian , Fang Ya
Published: April 2019

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the association between social engagement and cognitive impairment with psychological well-being (PWB) as a mediator in older Chinese adults and to further test the gender differences in this association. Method: Data were drawn from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey of older Chinese adults, aged 65 and older ( N = 6,998). The total effect was decomposed into direct and indirect effects by logistic regression based on the Karlson, Holm, and Breen method. Results: Higher social engagement was significantly associated with lower odds of cognitive impairment, odds ratio (OR) = 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [0.82, 0.97]. Moreover, a better PWB would decrease the odds of cognitive impairment (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = [0.94, 0.98]). The mediating effect was 15.4% in the full sample and 13.1% in the men subsample. However, mediation was not significant in the women subsample. Discussion: Higher social engagement was associated with a decreased odds of cognitive impairment in older men, and this association was mediated by PWB.
How Replicable Are Links Between Personality Traits and Consequential Life Outcomes? The Life Outcomes of Personality Replication Project
Authors: Soto Christopher J.
Published: April 2019

The Big Five personality traits have been linked to dozens of life outcomes. However, metascientific research has raised questions about the replicability of behavioral science. The Life Outcomes of Personality Replication (LOOPR) Project was therefore conducted to estimate the replicability of the personality-outcome literature. Specifically, I conducted preregistered, high-powered (median N = 1,504) replications of 78 previously published trait–outcome associations. Overall, 87% of the replication attempts were statistically significant in the expected direction. The replication effects were typically 77% as strong as the corresponding original effects, which represents a significant decline in effect size. The replicability of individual effects was predicted by the effect size and design of the original study, as well as the sample size and statistical power of the replication. These results indicate that the personality-outcome literature provides a reasonably accurate map of trait–outcome associations but also that it stands to benefit from efforts to improve replicability.
Happy Believers and Sad Skeptics? Affective Influences on Gullibility
Authors: Forgas Joseph P.
Published: April 2019

How does affect influence gullibility? After a brief consideration of the nature of gullibility, I describe a series of experiments that explored the prediction that in situations in which close attention to stimulus information is required, negative mood can reduce gullibility and positive mood can increase gullibility. The experiments examined mood effects on truth judgments, vulnerability to misleading information, the tendency to uncritically accept interpersonal messages, the detection of deception, and the tendency to see meaning in random or meaningless information. In all of these domains, positive mood promoted gullibility and negative mood reduced it. The practical and theoretical significance of these convergent findings are discussed, and the practical implications of affectively induced gullibility in real-life domains are considered.
Reconceptualizing Representation: Interconnections of Experience and Space in the Production of Knowledge
Authors: Bhattacharyya Urmi
Published: April 2019

Recognizing the centrality of representation in philosophy and social sciences as constitutive of knowledge concerning the interpretation of social reality, this article highlights on the need to engage in a reconceptualization of the notion of representation in order to comprehend the contextual nature of knowledge production in society. Acknowledging the significance of space in the production of discourses of power as well as resistance, it looks at how representation, fundamental to the formation of knowledge, can also be seen as cognitive categories or objects symbolizing hegemonic discourses as well as alternative ideas, challenging the dominant structures of authority. Stressing on the related categories of experience, representation and social space, this article therefore throws light on the complex interaction between representation, human cognition, social structures and counter-hegemonic processes in the continual production of knowledge.
What Makes the Indian Youths to Engage with Online Retail Brands: An Empirical Study
Authors: Bhattacharya Subhajit , Anand Vijeta
Published: April 2019

The consumer shopping principles have transformed exceptionally in digitized marketing environment. In India, online buying is the latest development among the fellow youngsters. The online shopping culture has brought the change in a modern market-oriented lifestyle. It also increases the challenge of online marketers to know more about the changing lifestyle of the new age customer. This guides the online marketers in delivering better customer value with improved service for ensuring customer retention. This research explores the linkage among economic values, functional qualities and emotional connections in the formation of brand engagement at online retail marketplace with the help of a proposed model. A sample survey of 182 online youth buyers was conducted across three cities in India, namely Bangalore, Kolkata and Delhi. Exploratory factory analyses and confirmatory factor analysis have been performed to examine the proposed conceptual model in the present study. The upshot of this present research would cast light on the idea through which an effective online retail platform could be generated for the Indian youths that would generate a better consumer value to enhance the online retail brand equity.
Low Cost Private Schools: How Low Cost Really Are These?
Authors: Endow Tanuka
Published: April 2019

Private schools account for a high and rising share of school enrolment at the elementary level in India. Among various types of private schools, low cost private schools (LCPS) are a segment which charge relatively low fees compared to other private schools. However, the students attending such schools are typically from households in low economic strata and with poor educational levels. This commentary shows how even the “low” fees charged in such schools account for a substantial share of the earnings of these families, given their limited earning ability. The commentary is based on a primary survey based in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR).
Work-Related Symptoms, Safety Concerns, and Health Service Utilization Among Korean and Chinese Nail Salon Workers in the Greater New York City Area
Authors: Seo Jin Young , Chao Ying-Yu , Strauss Shiela M.
Published: April 2019

The purpose of this study was to determine similarities and differences in health effects, safety concerns, and health service utilization among Korean and Chinese immigrant women working in nail salons in the Greater New York City area. In this cross-sectional study, analyses involved descriptive statistics, t tests, and χ2 tests. Koreans had longer work experience and more work-related health effects and concerns, but were less likely to use personal protective equipment than Chinese workers. Although Koreans reported better socioeconomic status than Chinese workers, they were less likely to have health care access and utilized less health services. To prevent prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals, nail salon employees need education regarding the importance of personal protective equipment use. Reducing structural barriers and increasing health care access for all nail salon workers are especially important in improving their health service utilization.
Multiplex detection of six swine viruses on an integrated centrifugal disk using loop-mediated isothermal amplification
Authors: Yuan Xiangfen , Lv Jizhou , Lin Xiangmei , Zhang Chunyan , Deng Junhua , Wang Caixia , Fan Xiaopan , Wang Yonggui , Xu Hui , Wu Shaoqiang
Published: April 2019

Advances in molecular testing and microfluidic technologies have opened new avenues for rapid detection of animal viruses. We used a centrifugal microfluidic disk (CMFD) to detect 6 important swine viruses, including foot-and-mouth disease virus, classical swine fever virus, porcine reproductive and respiratory swine virus–North American genotype, porcine circovirus 2, pseudorabies virus, and porcine parvovirus. Through integrating the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method and microfluidic chip technology, the CMFD could be successfully performed at 62℃ in 60 min. The detection limit of the CMFD was 3.2 × 102 copies per reaction, close to the sensitivity of tube-type LAMP turbidity methods (1 × 102 copies per reaction). In addition, the CMFD was highly specific in detecting the targeted viruses with no cross-reaction with other viruses, including porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and porcine rotavirus. The coincidence rate of CMFD and conventional PCR was ~94%; the CMFD was more sensitive than conventional PCR for detecting mixed viral infections. The positive detection rate of 6 viruses in clinical samples by CMFD was 44.0% (102 of 232), whereas PCR was 40.1% (93 of 232). Thirty-six clinical samples were determined to be coinfected with 2 or more viruses. CMFD can be used for rapid, sensitive, and accurate detection of 6 swine viruses, offering a reliable assay for monitoring these pathogens, especially for detecting viruses in widespread mixed-infection clinical samples.
Home Palliative Sedation Using Phenobarbital Suppositories: Time to Death, Patient Characteristics, and Administration Protocol
Authors: Setla Judith , Pasniciuc Silviu Valeriu
Published: April 2019

Background:

Most people in the United States and other countries cite their preferred location of death as their homes. However, intractable symptoms sometimes require hospitalization, especially if significant sedation becomes necessary. For over a decade, Hospice of Central New York has been using compounded phenobarbital suppositories with individuals in whom adequate sedation has not been achieved using sufficient doses of antipsychotics or benzodiazepines but prefer to remain in their homes.

Objectives:

(1) Describe the use of phenobarbital suppositories in homes for the purpose of sedation. (2) Understand patient characteristics of potential users and those in whom suppositories were actually used. (3) Measure time to death after initiating the phenobarbital suppositories.

Setting:

Medicare-certified not-for-profit hospice organization in New York State.

Method:

Retrospective case series.

Results:

Of 1675 patients enrolled in hospice over an 18-month period, phenobarbital suppositories were placed in the homes of 90 patients for potential use. Suppositories were initiated in 31 of the 90 patients. Agitated delirium was the major symptom for which suppositories were placed and initiated. Both groups had a greater prevalence of cancer diagnoses than the target population. The mean time to death after initiation of phenobarbital suppositories was 38.8 hours. None of the users were hospitalized.

Conclusion:

The use of compounded phenobarbital suppositories for the purpose of palliative sedation is an alternative for patients and families who desire to remain home despite refractory symptoms.
TRENDS: Leaders, Private Interests, and Socially Wasteful Projects: Skyscrapers in Democracies and Autocracies
Authors: Gjerløw Haakon , Knutsen Carl Henrik
Published: April 2019

Political leaders often have private incentives to pursue socially wasteful projects, but not all leaders are able to pursue these interests. We argue that weaker accountability mechanisms allow autocratic leaders to more easily realize wasteful projects than democratic leaders. We focus on one particular project, skyscraper construction, where we obtain objective measures comparable across different contexts. We test different implications from our argument by drawing on a new dataset recording all buildings exceeding 150 m, globally. We find that autocracies systematically build more new skyscrapers than democracies. Furthermore, autocratic skyscrapers are more excessive than democratic ones, and—in contrast with democracies—autocracies pursue skyscraper projects to about the same extent in rural/poor and urban/rich societies. When investigating different mechanisms entailed in our argument, the link between regime type and skyscraper construction seems due in large part to stronger vertical accountability mechanisms and more open information environments in democracies.