bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human wetness perception in relation to textile water absorption parameters under static skin contact
Authors: Raccuglia Margherita , Hodder Simon , Havenith George
Published: October 2016

Skin wetness perception (WP) greatly affects thermal and sensorial discomfort in clothing and as such is of great interest to the clothing industry. Following neurophysiological studies of WP, this study looks at textile parameters affecting WP. Twenty-four fabrics varying in thickness, fiber type and absorption capacity were studied. Using 12 participants (males/females), the WP induced was studied in four wetness states: 1. Dry; 2. absolute (ABS), all having the same absolute water content of 2400 µL per sample (=0.24 µL mm−2); 3. 100REL, saturated with water to their individual absorption capacity; 4. 50REL, to 50% of the value in 3. As total absorption capacity was highly correlated ( r = 0.99) to fabric thickness, conditions 3 and 4 were equivalent to having the same water content per volume of textile, i.e. 0.8 and 0.4 µL mm−3, respectively. Samples were applied to the upper back statically to minimize the contribution of surface roughness/friction. WP was highly correlated to drop in skin temperature induced by the wet fabric, and increased with application pressure of the fabric. No effect of fiber type was observed. In REL, with equal µL mm−3, WP showed a positive correlation to total fabric water-content-per-area (µL mm−2), and thus also to thickness, given the correlation between the latter two, with saturation above 1.5 µL mm−2. In ABS, on the other hand, with equal µL mm−2, and thus with relative water content (µL mm µL mm−3) inversely proportional to thickness, WP was also inversely proportional to thickness. Thus WP showed opposing responses depending on the wetting type, indicating that the methodology of manipulating water content should be selected in relation to the product end-use.
APMJ – Chronicling 25 years of migration in Asia and the Pacific
Authors: Huguet Jerrold W
Published: October 2016

When the Asian and Pacific Migration Journal was launched in 1992, it was the only journal in the region devoted exclusively to the study of migration. At that time, temporary labor migration from and within the region was already significant and it has continued to grow in volume, and national migration policies have evolved to cope with it. International migration has also received increasing attention from the United Nations and several targets of the Sustainable Development Goals explicitly refer to it. APMJ has chronicled most of these changes and emphasized such themes as migration and macro-level development, the human rights of migrants, women in migration, the social impacts of migration, national policy-making, multiculturalism and transnationalism.

As migration research has been strengthened in universities and institutes within Asia, coverage by countries has shifted from articles about the region as a whole and Australia to a preponderance of articles concerning East Asia, especially China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and a similar shift has been observed in the origin of the lead authors. Because the Journal largely reflects the research being conducted in Asia and the Pacific, gaps in coverage relate to migration from South Asia and to the Middle East, the Central Asian migration system, forced migration, the role of private recruitment agencies and methodological approaches to migration research.
Learning from experience
Authors: van der Steen Martijn , Van Twist Mark , Frissen Paul
Published: October 2016

Senior-level civil servants can learn a lot from methods such as theory-lectures and case-teaching, but there is another resource of knowledge and insight that can be utilized more for teaching public administration: the professional experience of participants in training programmes. This paper argues that it is possible to use the professional experience of participants in training programmes as didactical building blocks for training. This helps participants to overcome the divide between theory and practice, which is a recurring theme in the debate about how to design good education programmes for seasoned practitioners that work in the continuously developing ‘real world’ of public administration. However, apart from teaching there is yet another possibility to utilize the practical experience of participants in executive education. To further develop the field of public administration research it is possible to also use the professional practice that is opened up by education programmes as a basis for research. The classroom of public administrating training then also becomes a space for interpretative research in public administration. Education and research are often considered worlds apart that only come together when theory from research is taught in education. In this paper, we present a format that intertwines education and research, by using the professional experiences of practitioners as the building block for training and for interpretative public administration research. In doing so, this didactical format, which we call learning atelier, turns the classroom in to a place for learning, a place of practice and a place for research.
The diversity of romantic pathways during emerging adulthood and their developmental antecedents
Authors: Shulman Shmuel , Seiffge-Krenke Inge , Scharf Miri , Boiangiu Shira Bezalel , Tregubenko Valerya
Published: October 2016

The present study examined patterns of romantic pathways in 100 Israeli emerging adults (54 males) who were followed from age 22 to 29 years. Analyses of interviews at age 29 yielded four distinctive romantic pathways differing in stability and ability to learn from romantic experiences: Sporadic, Lengthy Relationships but Absence of Experiential Learning, Moving from Casual to Steady Involvements, and Steady Relationships. Low efficacy, immature dependency, and level of maternal support measured 7 years earlier, predicted less optimal romantic pathways; Sporadic, and Lengthy relationships but absence of experiential learning. Distinctive gender pathways suggested that men are more likely to embark on a sporadic romantic pathway, while women tend more to prefer a stable romantic pathway. Findings of the study suggest that gender, intrapersonal capabilities, and maternal support can predict the pattern of the romantic pathway on which young people embark during their twenties.
Why do online consumers experience information overload? An extension of communication theory
Authors: Li Chia-Ying
Published: October 2016

People surfing the Internet are faced with an onslaught of messages from multiple sources, which can overwhelm receivers. In contrast to previous studies, which have used ‘choice overload’ to represent the amount of information provided to consumers, this study used ‘information overload’ theory to represent the abundance of information received by consumers in online shopping environments. Borrowing from the concepts of the communication model, this study investigated the antecedents of perceived information overload, including information characteristics (message), the information source, the system interface (channel) and recipients’ motivation (receiver). A total of 15 adults with more than 3 years of online shopping experience participated in a focus group discussion. By integrating focus group results and the results of previous studies into a theoretical framework, this study developed and empirically tested a structural equation model of online information overload among 456 PChome customers. The results indicated that the complexity and ambiguity of information characteristics, number of brand alternatives offered by the information source and system interface all positively affect consumers’ perceived information overload. Furthermore, information recipients’ motivation not only negatively affected consumers’ perceived information overload but also moderated the relationship between the number of brand alternatives and consumers’ perceived information overload.
There’s no shortcut: Building understanding from information in ultrarunning
Authors: Gorichanaz Tim
Published: October 2016

Now that information proliferates, information science should turn its attention towards higher order epistemic aims, such as understanding. Before systems to support the building of understanding can be designed, the process of building understanding must be explored. This article discusses the findings from an interpretative phenomenological analysis study on the information experience of participants in a 100-mile footrace which reveal how these participants have built understanding in their athletic pursuits. Three ways in which ultrarunners build understanding – by taking time, by undergoing struggle and by incorporating multiple perspectives – are described. The ensuing discussion leads to three questions that can guide the future development of information systems that support understanding: First, how can information science slow people down? Second, how can information science encourage people to willingly struggle? And, third, how can information science stimulate analogical thinking?
A Resource Dependence Perspective on Low-Power Actors Shaping Their Regulatory Environment: The Case of Honda
Authors: Shu Ei , Lewin Arie Y.
Published: October 2016

The central focus of this paper is a largely unexplored research domain relating to how low-power for-profit actors can shape their political and regulatory environment and create economic opportunities that affect their survival and growth. The paper builds on and extends the concept of “negotiating the environment” and on how organizations create their environment, with an emphasis on low-power actors. Resource dependence theory (RDT) has been very influential in exploring the many ways in which firms can decrease or overcome resource vulnerabilities in their environment with a focus on high-power actors (large companies, resource-rich companies, industrial associations, and political power of highly endowed companies). However, whether and how low-power actors can shape their political, regulatory, and economic environment was not central to RDT analysis, which is the focus of this paper. The empirical context for this research is the emergence and enactment of automobile emissions standards in Japan following the adoption in the United States of the Clean Air Act in December 1970. The focal firm is the Honda Motor Company, which, at that time, was a negligible competitor in the Japanese automobile industry and had no legitimate political or institutional standing. Yet the company was successful in undoing the cartel-like dominance of the two largest Japanese automobile manufacturers and the Japanese Environmental Protection Agency. The focus of this paper is describing the phenomenon and developing new theoretical insights relating to how low-power for-profit actors are able to negotiate their environment.
Sources of agricultural information for women farmers in Tanzania
Authors: Isaya Elizabeth L. , Agunga Robert , Sanga Camilius A.
Published: October 2016

Women farmers constitute the vast majority of agricultural producers in Tanzania; however, it is not clear where they obtain information on modern farming innovations. Knowing these sources will enable the government and international aid organizations to more effectively channel information for increased productivity, leading to national food security, increased incomes for farm families and promoting gender parity in Tanzania. This study, which was carried out among 300 women farmers in Hai and Kilosa districts of Kilimanjaro and Morogoro regions respectively, aimed at identifying their sources of agricultural information. The theory that guided this study was Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations, especially Rogers and Shoemaker’s Source-Message-Channel-Receiver-Effect (SMCRE) model. The study, which yielded a high response rate of 96%, found that radio and agricultural extension workers were the primary sources of agricultural information for women farmers. Therefore, the researchers recommend that the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives (MAFC) should focus on community radio as the primary source of information dissemination to farmers and supply rural households with solar-powered radios free of charge or at subsidized cost. The finding that extension workers are women farmers’ second main source of information on farming innovations also defeats the general contention that male extension workers are inaccessible to female farmers. A peculiar finding was that even though women farmers have access to mobile phones they do not use them to obtain agricultural information, perhaps, because the MAFC does not have a system for farmers to call in for information.
American College of Phlebology Guidelines – Treatment of refluxing accessory saphenous veins
Authors: Gibson Kathleen , Khilnani Neil , Schul Marlin , Meissner Mark
Published: October 2016

The American College of Phlebology Guidelines Committee performed a systematic review of the literature regarding the clinical impact and treatment of incompetent accessory saphenous veins. Using an accepted process for guideline developments, we developed a consensus opinion that patients with symptomatic incompetence of the accessory great saphenous veins (anterior and posterior accessory saphenous veins) be treated with endovenous thermal ablation (laser or radiofrequency) or ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy to eliminate symptomatology (Recommendation Grade 1C).
Review Article: International Political Theory Today
Authors: Brown Chris
Published: October 2016

The four books under review offer very different takes on the nature of International Political Theory, but still display certain, cross-cutting, similarities. The books under review are:

Jack L. Amoureux, A Practice of Ethics for Global Politics: Ethical Reflexivity (London: Routledge, 2016, 268pp. £90).

Michael W. Doyle, The Question of Intervention: John Stuart Mill & the Responsibility to Protect (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015, 272pp. £58.99).

Renée Jeffery, Reason and Emotion in International Ethics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014, 252pp. £69.99).

Michael Walzer, The Paradox of Liberation: Secular Revolutions and Religious Counterrevolutions (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015, 172pp. £16.99).
Measuring urban segregation based on individuals’ daily activity patterns: A multidimensional approach
Authors: Li Fei , Wang Donggen
Published: October 2016

This paper develops a methodology to measure urban segregation based on individuals’ sociospatial experience of daily life. Since segregation can be considered as the isolation of people from those unlike themselves, its degree increases with the similarity in ethnicity, economic status, or other sociodemographic dimensions of interest between individuals and people who they are exposed to in their daily usage of urban space. Based on this perspective, we propose a regression estimator that measures segregation by assessing similarity or likeness between people and the social environments they experience in daily activity spaces. Compared to traditional segregation measures, the proposed estimator is not restricted to measuring residential segregation, but recognizes and assesses segregation as a dynamic process that unfolds in the daily life routines of individuals in a society and depends on the different ways individuals or social groups use urban space. It can be applied to various segregation factors, categorical or continuous, as well as to examine their interactions in a society. An empirical study in Hong Kong is used to demonstrate the proposed approach.
Policy transfer or policy churn? Institutional isomorphism and neoliberal convergence in the transport sector
Authors: Monios Jason
Published: October 2016

While the features of successful policy transfer are well known, there is some evidence that increase in policy transfer is associated with convergence of not just policies but institutional and organisational forms. Institutional isomorphism is often a result of copying organisational form as a way of securing legitimacy rather than seeking successful policy outcomes. It is also influenced by the convergence of the neoliberal paradigm over recent decades which decreases the likelihood of selecting or implementing disruptive policies. This paper interrogates policy transfer as both a normative process of sharing ‘best practice’ and a mimetic process of copying organisational form in order to secure legitimacy. There is a danger that, rather than focusing on good implementation of existing policies, new policies are continually sought, which is often encouraged by isomorphic institutional forms driven by political motivations to reduce public responsibilities for unsuccessful or unpopular policies. The aim of this paper is to develop the conceptual tools for analysis of how and when policy transfer becomes policy churn and the role of institutionally isomorphic tendencies in this transition.
Municipal statecraft
Authors: Lauermann John
Published: October 2016

The entrepreneurial city is no longer (only) a growth machine: recession and austerity, new forms of financialization, and diverse experiments in urban policy have diluted local elites’ focus on growth. But entrepreneurial urban governance remains remarkably resilient despite its inability to deliver growth. Indeed, in many cities entrepreneurial tactics – e.g. municipal speculation, place branding, and inter-urban competition – are simply standard operating procedure. Recent scholarship on entrepreneurial urban governance demonstrates a need for re-theorizing the assumed interdependence between entrepreneurial practices and growth politics. This calls into question the nature of the ‘entrepreneurs’ of the entrepreneurial city, that is, the nature of municipal states. They increasingly (i) apply entrepreneurial practices to multiple governance agendas in parallel to growth, (ii) evaluate their portfolios in both speculative and more broadly experimental ways, and (iii) challenge top-down narratives about inter-urban competition through inter-urban diplomacy. Each of these characteristics shows the disruptive potential of interventionist forms of municipal statecraft.
The Reliability and Factorial Validity of the Swedish Version of the Revised Controlling Behaviors Scale
Authors: Jansson Billy , Sundin Örjan
Published: October 2016

This study focused on the factor structure of the victimization form of the revised Controlling Behaviors Scale (CBS-R). Data from 1,218 women and men were analyzed in the study. Results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) failed to find support for the proposed five-factor structure of the scale, as the items on the scale were better represented by one common factor. In addition, when examining if controlling behaviors are distinct from psychological aggression, the CFA indicated that the items on the CBS-R are clearly distinguishable from the items on the psychological aggression (as measured with the subscales of the revised Conflict Tactic Scales [CTS2]), and that this holds for both males and females. Implications for the general use of the CBS-R and for use in conjunction with psychological aggression and physical aggression in intimate partner violence were discussed.
Neural-network-based real-time trajectory replanning for Mars entry guidance
Authors: Zheng X , Huang H , Li W
Published: October 2016

The real-time trajectory replanning method which is used for the guidance of Mars entry is investigated in this paper. Comparing with the traditional Mars entry guidance methods, such as the reference-trajectory tracking guidance and predictor–corrector guidance, the real-time trajectory replanning method can increase the reliability of the mission remarkably. When faults occur during the Mars entry phase, a replacement trajectory will be planned quickly. Due to the limited onboard computing capacity, replanning the trajectory onboard is a challenging task. Corresponding to this problem, the neural network is trained to approximate the dynamics of the atmospheric entry. The uncertain factor of the atmospheric density is also included in the neural network. Then, by using the characters of the neural network, the analytical expressions of the Jacobian which are needed in trajectory optimization are derived. Finally, an estimation-replanning guidance procedure is introduced. The numerical simulation shows that the proposed guidance strategy can decrease the error of final states effectively, and the neural network approximation improves the computational speed of the nonlinear programming solver remarkably, which makes the method more suitable for use onboard.
Experimental investigation on flow unsteadiness during spike stall suppression process in an axial compressor via air injection
Authors: Taghavi Zenouz R , Ababaf Behbahani MH , Rousta F , Khoshnejad A
Published: October 2016

Stall recovery process for performance enhancement of an axial compressor has been experimentally carried out using air injection at its rotor blade row tip region. Twelve air injectors had been mounted evenly spaced around the compressor casing upstream the rotor blade row. Instantaneous flow velocities at various radial and circumferential positions were measured simultaneously utilizing hot wire anemometry. These unsteady results, separately presented in frequency and time domains, provided to distinguish stall inception process and consequent flow induced fluctuations. Time-dependent responses of the flow field properties within the compressor passage and progressive alleviation of stall cells are demonstrated during the tip injection process. Blade tip air injection worked effectively and enhanced the compressor stall margin about 9%. This attractive result occurred for the case where the total mass flow rate passing through the air injectors was as small as 0.8% of the compressor main flow rate. In addition, this augmentation in the stall margin was accompanied by increase in the compressor delivery total pressure. Air injection at the blade row tip region caused its beneficial effects to extend throughout the blade whole span, especially while working at the near-stall conditions.
Hemin, a heme oxygenase-1 inducer, restores the attenuated cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning in isolated diabetic rat heart
Authors: Gupta I , Goyal A , Singh NK , Yadav HN , Sharma PL
Published: October 2016

Background:

Attenuated cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) by reduced nitric oxide (NO) is a hallmark during diabetes mellitus (DM). Recently, we reported that the formation of caveolin–endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) complex decreases the release of NO, which is responsible for attenuation of IPC-induced cardioprotection in DM rat heart. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) facilitates release of NO by disrupting caveolin–eNOS complex. The activity of HO-1 is decreased during DM. This study was designed to investigate the role of hemin (HO-1 inducer) in attenuated cardioprotective effect of IPC in isolated diabetic rat heart.

Methods:

DM was induced in male Wistar rat by single dose of streptozotocin. Cardioprotective effect was assessed in terms of myocardial infarct size and release of lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase in coronary effluent. The release of NO was estimated indirectly by measuring the release of nitrite in coronary effluent. Perfusion of sodium nitrite, a precursor of NO, was used as a positive control.

Result:

IPC-induced cardioprotection and increased release of nitrite were significantly attenuated in a diabetic rat as compared to a normal rat. Pretreatment with hemin and daidzein, a caveolin inhibitor, alone or in combination significantly restored the attenuated cardioprotection and increased the release of nitrite in diabetic rat heart. Zinc protoporphyrin, a HO-1 inhibitor, significantly abolished the observed cardioprotection and decreased the release of nitrite in hemin pretreated DM rat heart.

Conclusion:

Thus, it is suggested that hemin restores the attenuated cardioprotective effect in diabetic rat heart by increasing the activity of HO-1 and subsequently release of NO.
The purgatorial shadows of war: Accounting, blame and shell shock pensions, 1914–1923
Authors: Miley Frances , Read Andrew
Published: October 2016

This research analyses the role of accounting in British disablement pensions awarded to men who sustained shell shock during their Army service in the First World War. In this context, “accounting” refers to the classification of medical conditions when determining pension eligibility and awards. Pension classifications were prejudiced towards men with physical disabilities and against men with shell shock. Accounting classification’s ability to make a medical condition invisible is central to this research. The invisibility of shell shock as a medical condition in the pension classification system led to financial discrimination against men with shell shock. The immorality of this discrimination was hidden by a system of accounting classification that distanced decision-makers from the ramifications of their decisions. In addition, the Minister of Pensions adopted blame avoidance techniques to protect his Ministry and the British government from criticism occasioned by the discriminatory treatment of men with shell shock.
Three-dimensional analysis for functionally graded piezoelectric semiconductors
Authors: Lu Hubert Hsueh-Hsien , Young DL , Sladek Jan , Sladek Vladimir
Published: October 2016

This article presents numerical analyses of functionally graded piezoelectric beam with piezoelectric semiconducting material properties using meshless method. Unlike piezoelectric dielectric materials, electron density and electric current are additionally considered in constitutive equations for piezoelectric semiconductors. Mutual coupling of elastic displacements, electric potentials, and electron density increases the complexity of the analyzed problem. For the solution of the set of partial differential equations with non-constant coefficients, the local radial basis function collocation method is proposed in this work. Approximating the spatial variations of all physical fields in the partial differential equations by the multiquadric radial basis function entails an ensuing system for time-dependent problems solved by the Houbolt finite-difference scheme as a time-stepping method. The presented local radial basis function collocation method is verified using the corresponding results obtained using the finite element method. The influence of material parameter gradation and initial electron density is then investigated, along with transient analyses.
A comparative analysis of different shape memory alloy actuator configurations
Authors: Monteiro Paulo Cesar C , da Silva Monteiro Luciana Loureiro , Savi Marcelo A , Netto Theodoro Antoun , Pacheco Pedro MCL , de Paiva Tamara
Published: October 2016

Shape memory alloys are attractive engineering materials due to their potential application as actuators using the ability to memorize shapes through a thermomechanical loading. This article develops a numerical investigation of different shape memory alloy actuator configurations considering bias and antagonistic arrangements. Numerical simulations are carried out using the finite element method together with a constitutive model for shape memory alloys. Parametric analysis is carried out evaluating the performance of each actuator configuration based on stress and strain. Basically, four representative configurations of general actuators are treated: shape memory alloy wire, linear spring connected to a shape memory alloy wire, two elastic springs connected by a shape memory alloy wire, and two shape memory alloy wires connected by a spring.
Strategy for enhancing the active harvesting of piezoelectric energy
Authors: Yoshimizu Kenji , Yamamoto Yuta , Asahina Kei , Makihara Kanjuro
Published: October 2016

This article proposes new methods for enhancing the active harvest of piezoelectric energy using the synchronized switch harvesting on inductor (SSHI) technique. It was experimentally confirmed that the energy harvested by the original synchronized switch harvesting on inductor technique was decreased by the suppression of the vibration amplitude, and this critical problem was solved by developing new control strategies, namely, switch harvesting considering vibration suppression (SCVS) and adaptive SCVS (ASCVS). The SCVS technique was designed to intentionally skip some of the switching actions of the original synchronized switch harvesting on inductor technique, while the ASCVS technique enables more flexible variation of the number of skipped switching actions. The skipping of the switching actions facilitates the recovery of the vibration amplitude produced by the excitation force, and the developed strategies thus maintain the vibration amplitude at the highest possible level, resulting in increased energy harvest. The results of the experimental implementation of the proposed strategies showed that they enabled the harvesting of as much as 10.5 times the energy harvested by the original synchronized switch harvesting on inductor technique. The ASCVS technique particularly enables flexible enhancement of the harvested energy under various vibration conditions.
Consensus-based multi-piezoelectric microcantilever for scanning probe microscopy
Authors: Omidi Ehsan , Mahmoodi S Nima
Published: October 2016

A new multi-piezoelectric microcantilever sensor is introduced in this article for replacing laser sensors in atomic force microscopes. This microcantilever consists of multiple piezoelectric layers over its surface, and a consensus algorithm is designed to provide a robust and accurate estimation of the deflections at the tip of the microcantilever. The dynamic equation set of the microcantilever is developed first and then the consensus observer is designed. A set of Riccati equations is used to obtain the optimal gains for the observer, and the robustness of the microcantilever is considered by designing a H∞ norm constraint. A set of numerical simulations is conducted to evaluate the performance of the microcantilever. Results show that the consensus-based multi-piezoelectric microcantilever can successfully provide an accurate estimation of the deflections at the tip of the microcantilever. It is also shown that the robustness of the design can positively improve the estimation performance in the presence of noise. Additionally, a comparison with a single-layered design shows the advantages of the new sensor.
Interlocking electro-bonded laminates
Authors: Heath Callum JC , Bond Ian P , Potter Kevin D
Published: October 2016

Novel, structurally integrated, interlocking electrode elements are presented in this article. Electro-bonded laminates are structures that utilise the electrostatic force of attraction, generated between closely spaced electrode elements when subject to high potential difference (~2 kV), to control internal structural coupling. Control of internal connectivity allows for flexural stiffness modulation, with significant potential applications including vibration suppression and morphing applications. Existing electro-bonded laminate devices use parallel planar electrode elements. For this study, polyurethane core structures were cast with interlocking geometries based on a simple cosine wave form. By introducing this additional complexity to the electrodes, additional electrode–electrode contact area is available within a set external geometric profile, while also introducing directional resistance to sliding motion between the two surfaces. Interlocking electro-bonded laminate devices are demonstrated with electrostatic holding force capabilities similar to equivalent planar devices, with the added benefit of alignment and sliding restrictions provided by the directional elements. A novel enhancement to the existing electro-bonded laminate technology has thus been demonstrated.
Just Desserts? Exploring Constructions of Food in Women’s Experiences of Bulimia
Authors: Churruca Kate , Ussher Jane M. , Perz Janette
Published: October 2016

Bulimia, an eating disorder that affects more women than men, involves binging and compensatory behaviors. Given the importance of food in experiences of these behaviors, in this article, we examine constructions of food in accounts of bulimic behavior: how these constructions relate to cultural discourses, and their implications for subjectivity. Fifteen women who engaged in bulimic behaviors were interviewed. Through a thematic decomposition of their accounts, we identified six discursive constructions of food: “good/healthy” or “bad/unhealthy,” “contaminating body and soul,” “collapsed into fat,” “pleasurable reward,” “comfort,” and “fuel for the body.” Many constructions were consolidated through participants’ embodied experiences, but made available through discourses in public health, biomedicine, and femininity, and had implications for subjectivity in terms of morality, spirituality, and self-worth. Thus, despite women deploying these constructions to make sense of their bulimic behaviors, they are culturally normative; this point has implications for therapeutic and preventive strategies for bulimia.
An Intersectional Analysis of Women’s Experiences of Smoking-Related Stigma
Authors: Triandafilidis Zoi , Ussher Jane M. , Perz Janette , Huppatz Kate
Published: October 2016

In this article, we explore how young women encounter and counter discourses of smoking-related stigma. Twenty-seven young Australian women, smokers and ex-smokers, took part in interviews. A sub-sample of 18 participants took photographs to document their smoking experience, and took part in a second interview. Data were analyzed through Foucauldian discourse analysis. Four discourses were identified: “smoking as stigmatized,” “the smoking double standard,” “smoking as lower class,” and “smokers as bad mothers.” The women negotiated stigma in a variety of ways, shifting between agreeing, disagreeing, challenging, and displacing stigma onto “other” smokers. These experiences and negotiations of smoking-related stigma were shaped by intersecting identities, including gender, cultural background, social class, and mothering, which at times, compounded levels of stigmatization. It is concluded that tobacco control measures should consider the negative implications of smoking-related stigma, and the potential for women to experience compounding levels of stigma.
Unlocking Women’s Leadership Potential
Authors: Knipfer Kristin , Shaughnessy Brooke , Hentschel Tanja , Schmid Ellen
Published: October 2016

Women in academia face unique challenges when it comes to advancing to professorship. Using latest research about gender and academic leadership, we present a training curriculum that is sensitive to the unique demands of women in and aspiring to leadership positions in academia. The context-specific and evidence-based approach and a focus on self-directed leadership development are unique characteristics of the training. It aims to enhance women’s motivation to lead, increase their knowledge about academic leadership, and empower them to seek the support they need to proactively work toward appointment to a professorship. We also delineate an evaluation framework, which addresses these targeted outcomes. The findings from a pilot program in Germany confirmed that the curriculum is effective in developing women as academic leaders. The discussion highlights the significance of a context-specific and evidence-based approach to women’s leadership development in academia.
Mother–Child Relational Quality of Women in Substance Abuse Treatment
Authors: Lewin Linda , Farkas Kathleen , Niazi Maryam
Published: October 2016

BACKGROUND: Mothers who abuse substances are more likely to have impaired parenting and lose custody of their young children. OBJECTIVE: The pilot study described mother–child relational quality of women in substance abuse treatment. The identification of mothers’ perceptions of being parented, current level of depression, discrete and potentially modifiable mothering behaviors, and self-appraisals of their role. DESIGN: The descriptive study implemented audio-video–recorded mother–child interactions for coding. RESULTS: Twenty-nine dyads participated with children age 4 weeks to 5 years. Mothers had lower levels of caring from their parents and moderate depression that was correlated with many of the relational quality behaviors. Eleven of 29 maternal behaviors were coded as concerning. Reflections by mothers revealed modest, yet confident self-appraisals of their maternal role. CONCLUSIONS: Women who experienced higher depression demonstrated lower maternal quality. Some maternal behaviors were identified as less optimal although many were strengths.
The Use of Response Prompting and Frames for Teaching Sentence Writing to Students With Moderate Intellectual Disability
Authors: Pennington Robert , Flick Allison , Smith-Wehr Kendra
Published: October 2016

In the current study, we examined the effects of response prompting strategies (i.e., constant time delay, system of least prompts) and frames on sentence writing for three participants, ages 7 to 12, with moderate intellectual disability. We used a concurrent multiple probe across behaviors design to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention package and posttest probes to assess generalized responding to untrained stimulation. During intervention, the teacher taught two students to construct sentences using selection-based software and another to generate handwritten responses across three different writing frames (i.e., I want _________, I see _____, The _____ is ______). Our findings suggest that the package was effective and produced variable levels of maintenance and generalized responding for all three participants.
Evaluating the iPad Mini® as a Speech-Generating Device in the Acquisition of a Discriminative Mand Repertoire for Young Children With Autism
Authors: Lorah Elizabeth R.
Published: October 2016

There has been an increased interest in research evaluating the use of handheld computing technology as speech-generating devices (SGD) for children with autism. However, given the reliance on single-subject research methodology, replications of these investigations are necessary. This study presents a replication with variation, of a method for the acquisition of picture-symbol discrimination during mand training, while using the iPad® and application Proloquo2Go™ as an SGD in young children with autism. In a four-phased training procedure, three children with a diagnosis of autism acquired the ability to mand and discriminate between four picture-symbols on the screen of the device, while using the iPad Mini® as an SGD. In addition, for all three participants, the acquired repertoires maintained following the discontinuation of training. These results provide continued support for the use of handheld computing devices as SGD for children with autism.
Age and disability drive cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis across disease subtypes
Authors: Ruano Luis , Portaccio Emilio , Goretti Benedetta , Niccolai Claudia , Severo Milton , Patti Francesco , Cilia Sabina , Gallo Paolo , Grossi Paola , Ghezzi Angelo , Roscio Marco , Mattioli Flavia , Stampatori Chiara , Trojano Maria , Viterbo Rosa Gemma , Amato Maria Pia
Published: October 2016

Background:

There is limited and inconsistent information on the clinical determinants of cognitive impairment (CI) in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective:

The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence and profile of CI across MS disease subtypes and assess its clinical determinants.

Methods:

Cognitive performance was assessed through the Brief Repeatable Battery and the Stroop test in consecutive patients with MS referred to six Italian centers. CI was defined as impairment in ⩾ 2 cognitive domains.

Results:

A total of 1040 patients were included, 167 with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), 759 with relapsing remitting (RR), 74 with secondary progressive (SP), and 40 with primary progressive (PP) disease course. The overall prevalence of CI was 46.3%; 34.5% in CIS, 44.5% in RR, 79.4% in SP, and 91.3% in PP. The severity of impairment and the number of involved domains were significantly higher in SP and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) than in CIS and RR. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, the presence of CI was significantly associated with higher Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and older age.

Conclusion:

CI is present in all MS subtypes since the clinical onset and its frequency is increased in the progressive forms, but these differences seem to be more associated with patient age and physical disability than to disease subtype per se.
Reasons for requests
Authors: Baranova Julija , Dingemanse Mark
Published: October 2016

Reasons play an important role in social interaction. We study reasons-giving in the context of request sequences in Russian. By contrasting request sequences with and without reasons, we are able to shed light on the interactional work people do when they provide reasons or ask for them. In a systematic collection of request sequences in everyday conversation ( N = 158), we find reasons in a variety of sequential positions, showing the various points at which participants may orient to the need for a reason. Reasons may be left implicit (as in many minimal requests that are readily complied with), or they can be made explicit. Participants may make reasons explicit either as part of the initial formulation of a request or in an interactionally contingent way. Across sequential positions, we show that reasons for requests recurrently deal with three possible issues: (1) providing information when a request is underspecified, (2) managing relationships between the requester and requestee and (3) explicating ancillary actions implemented by a request. By spelling out information normally left to presuppositions and implicatures, reasons make requests more understandable and help participants to navigate the social landscape of asking assistance from others.
Gender and/in indigenous methodologies: On trouble and harmony in indigenous studies
Authors: Olsen Torjer A
Published: October 2016

Gender and indigeneity themselves are contested terms and fields of conflict. In this article, I bring the fields of gender studies and indigenous studies into conversation with each other. Starting from indigenous studies, I aim to let insights and perspectives from gender studies challenge and shed light on the methodology of indigenous studies. An outspoken gender perspective would contribute to, as well as challenge, the research on indigenous issues and thus, also, indigenous methodologies. I argue that gender and, following gender, also intersectional perspectives, are important in order to bring difference and disharmony to the table.
Quantification of systemic renin-angiotensin system peptides of hypertensive black and white African men established from the RAS-Fingerprint®
Authors: van Rooyen JM , Poglitsch M , Huisman HW , Mels CMC , Kruger R , Malan L , Botha S , Lammertyn L , Gafane L , Schutte AE
Published: October 2016

Objective:

The objective of this study was to make use of a quantitative and qualitative approach comparing the systemic renin-angiotensin system (RAS) of hypertensive black and white African men by using RAS equilibrium analysis.

Materials and methods:

This sub-study involved 23 black ( n = 15) and white ( n = 8) hypertensive men aged 39.5–41 years, living in the North West Province of South Africa. The RAS-Fingerprinting was determined with LC-MS/MS quantification of angiotensin peptides. Blood pressure and other variables were determined with known methods.

Results:

The main finding of this study was the significant lower Ang I (<5.0 and 45.1 pg/ml; p = 0.005) and Ang II (15.6 and 123.9 pg/ml; p ⩽ 0.001) encountered in the hypertensive black African men compared to their white counterparts. Levels of Ang 1-5 (downstream metabolite of Ang 1-7) (1.8 and 3.0 pg/ml), were detected in black and white hypertensive men, respectively.

Conclusions:

The observed differences between circulating RAS components, which are reflected via equilibrium angiotensin levels, point to a distinctive molecular regulation of the RAAS in the two study cohorts. The increased peripheral resistance observed in hypertensive black individuals might take over a dominant role in control of blood pressure in this study population. A novel highly sensitive LC-MS/MS method resolved the issue of peptide recovery variations during sample preparation by using internal standards for each individual angiotensin metabolite.
The SHARE program for dementia: Implementation of an early-stage dyadic care-planning intervention
Authors: Orsulic-Jeras Silvia , Whitlatch Carol J , Szabo Sarah M , Shelton Evan G , Johnson Justin
Published: October 2016

This article describes the implementation of SHARE (Support, Health, Activities, Resources, and Education), a counseling-based care-planning intervention for persons living with early-stage dementia and their family caregivers (CGs). The foundation of SHARE is built upon assessing and documenting the person living with dementia’s care values and preferences for future care. Using the SHARE approach, CGs are given an opportunity to achieve an understanding of their loved one’s desires before the onset of disease progression when the demand for making care decisions is high. Through working together with a SHARE Counselor, the care dyad begins to identify other sources of support, such as family and friends and service providers, in order to build a more balanced and realistic plan of care for the future. Data were collected from 40 early-stage dementia care dyads to determine the acceptability of having structured discussions about future care in the early stages of dementia. Findings from this study demonstrate the importance of planning in the early stages when persons with dementia can voice their care values and preferences for future care. Finally, this paper illustrates the use of supportive strategies such as rapport building, establishing buy-in, and communication to initiate care-related discussions with care dyads in the early stages that will help lead to more effective decision making in the future.