bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Causality Relationship between Advertising Expenditure and Sales: A Study of Indian Service Sector
Authors: Sharma Sneha , Kapur Deepak
Published: July 2015

Advertising plays a major role in marketing for the companies. The conventional approach suggests that advertising by the company helps in increasing the sales. This article investigates the relationship between advertising expenditure and sales with reference to Indian service sector. It is analyzing the long-run and short-run properties of the sales–advertising expenditure relationship for 106 companies. Data from year 2000 to 2012 have been used. Augmented Dickey–Fuller test (ADF), Engle–Granger two-step cointegration, Granger causality test and the vector error correction model (VECM) have been used to test the relationship. The results of the five groups based on the size of the companies showed varied results. The companies in the first and second quintiles were analyzed using error correction models since the variables were found to be cointegrated. For the companies in the third, fourth and fifth quintile, the variables were not cointegrated, and these were analyzed using VAR. The causality between sales and advertising expenditure was tested using Granger causality test. The results show that the relationship between advertising expenditure and sales varied with the size of the company. The larger companies showed a bidirectional relationship between advertising and sales, whereas in smaller companies a long-run increase in sales led to a decrease in advertising expenditure.
Impact of Socio-economic Variables on Teenagers’ Influence in Family Buying Decisions
Authors: Singh Vakil , Kumar Sanjeev
Published: July 2015

In the present study, the researcher tried to trace out the impact of socio-economic variables, for example, area of residence, type of family, parent employment status, caste system and the annual household disposable income of the family on teenagers’ influence in family buying of selected products. The present study is focused on to get an insight into role of teenagers in buying decision-making process of families in Haryana. A total of 234 households were visited, and responses of teenagers were taken from four villages, and two cities, Hisar and Kaithal. The data were collected between March and July 2013. The study is confined to three decision stages during buying decision-making process of television and cell phone. ANOVA and t test have been used to achieve the objectives of the study. Study reveals that 98 per cent of respondents have television set at their home in which 30 per cent families are having TV of LG brand followed by Samsung and Videocon. Every family (100 per cent) is having a cell phone and 36.6 per cent of teenagers have personal cell phone. Nokia is the most possessed brand among families (54 per cent) followed by Samsung, Tata Indicom and Spice. While analyzing the influence of teenagers in family buying decision-making process across decision stages, majority of them participated in it. Caste and income have significant impact on teenagers influence in cell phone-buying decision stages but not in the case of TV. This might be because TV is common and a family product and cell phone is a more personalized product. Rural teenagers of scheduled caste and general caste were significantly more influential in buying decision-making process of cell phone than did those in urban backward caste. It was found that with an increase in annual disposable income of the family, they were significantly more influential than teenagers from lower-income families.
Social Media WOM: Definition, Consequences and Inter-relationships
Authors: Ghosh Angshuman , Varshney Sanjeev , Venugopal Pingali
Published: July 2015

Social media is the latest buzzword in the world of marketing and communication. Billions of people are using different social media sites on a daily basis. A significant proportion of consumers refer to reviews of products and services posted on social media before making their purchase decisions. In the process, the word of mouth or WOM messages posted by fellow users on social media sites play an important role. In this research article, we study how social media WOM influences the decision making of the recipient consumer. Based on study of the extant literature and consequent analysis, we present a set of research propositions and a conceptual model. The main relationships that we study are the impact of social media WOM on consumer purchase intention and brand attitude. We also study the role of key correlates in the context namely perceived risk, source credibility, social media website, perceived product knowledge and involvement level. The primary contributions of this research article are distinguishing the roles of positive and negative WOM, bringing WOM to the context of social media and studying the roles of key correlates.
Stenting for chronic obstructive venous disease: A current comprehensive meta-analysis and systematic review
Authors: Wen-da Wang , Yu Zhao , Yue-xin Chen
Published: July 2015

Objectives

The aim of this article was to summarize the efficacy and safety of venous stents in chronic obstructive venous disease (COVD) including postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) and nonthrombotic iliac vein lesions (NIVL).

Methods

We searched PubMed for case series (prospective and retrospective) that focused on venous stents in the treatment of COVD published between 1st January, 2000 and 15th July, 2014. Then, we analyzed the perioperative complications, subsequent antithrombotic treatment, clinical outcomes, and long-term patency of this procedure.

Results

Overall, 1987 patients from 14 studies were included in our study. The incidence of the 30-day thrombotic events was 2.0% (4.0% in PTS vs. 0.8% in NIVL, p = 0.0002). The rates of access site complications and stent migration were 1.7% and 1.3%, respectively. The incidence of retroperitoneal bleeding and contrast extravasation was 1.8%. Back pain was more common with a rate of 62.9%. With stent placement, there was a significant pain and edema relief in COVD patients and the clinical–etiology–anatomy–pathophysiology scores declined. The rate of ulcer healing was 72.1% (70.3% in PTS vs. 86.9% in NIVL, p = 0.0022), and the ulcer recurrence rate was 8.7%. The primary, assisted primary, and secondary patency rates were 91.4%, 95.0%, and 97.8%, respectively, at 12 months and 77.1%, 92.3%, and 94.3%, respectively, at 36 months; however, the patency rates in PTS were lower than those in NIVL.

Conclusions

Stents may be a relatively effective and safe approach for PTS and NIVL patients because of the low incidence of perioperative complications and satisfying long-term patency. Some outcomes of stents in NIVL patients may be better than those in PTS patients.
Bending characteristics of delaminated cross-ply composite shallow conical shells in hygrothermal environment
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Tanmoy , Karmakar Amit
Published: July 2015

In the present study, the influence of temperature and moisture concentration on the bending characteristics of delaminated rotating composite conical shells has been investigated. The shells with initial twist are considered for moderate rotational speeds wherein Coriolis effect is assumed to be absent. The effects of rotary inertia and transverse shear deformation have been incorporated in the present finite element formulation along with the multi-point constraint algorithm for modeling the delamination. Graphical results have been presented depicting the contours of deflection and relative moment along the planform of the conical shell resulting from centrifugal and hygrothermal forces taking into account the influence of twist angle, stacking sequence, rotational speed, and size of delamination present inside the laminate.
Affect in Embodied Pedagogical Agents
Authors: Guo Yan Ru , Goh Dion Hoe-Lian
Published: July 2015

Over the past decade, computer games and other interactive technologies have shown great potential when used in innovative ways to enhance learning. It is now known that learning is associated not only with cognitive ability but also with affect. The incorporation of affective embodied pedagogical agents (EPAs) in computer programs for learning can significantly influence learner beliefs and efficacy. However, there have been a number of criticisms and contradictory empirical findings calling into question earlier results and theoretical claims on the effectiveness of using EPAs. Therefore, this paper reviewed studies that evaluated the effectiveness of affect in EPAs in a computer-based learning environment (CLE). The statistical meta-analytic review ( k = 30, n = 2,150) found that the use of affect in EPAs has a significant and moderate impact ( r = .35) on students’ learning motivation and a relatively smaller impact on knowledge retention ( r = .29) and knowledge transfer ( r = .26). The effect sizes of the three outcome variables in this review are stronger compared with previous meta-analysis on the impact of the embodiment level of EPAs, indicating that the use of affect is more desirable and effective in CLEs. Finally, implications for both designers and researchers of using affective EPAs in CLEs are discussed.
The Oregon Way
Authors: Young Robert F.
Published: July 2015

This article explores Oregon’s attempts to transcend the boom/bust cycles of its historically natural resource–based economy to establish a more diversified, resilient economy based upon advanced manufacturing and sustainable technology and practices. Drawing upon Fredrick Turner’s and Harold Innis’s theses of North American development, I explore Oregon’s economic dynamics through state and federal data and Oregon’s recent economic initiatives. Results reflect an Oregon still reliant upon natural resource and industrial commodities, leaving it highly vulnerable to global markets. Efforts toward “greening” the state’s economy, although embryonic, show signs of setting Oregon on a more independent, self-reliant economic trajectory.
Braided tubular superelastic cables provide improved spinal stability compared to multifilament sublaminar cables
Authors: Tremblay Jaëlle , Mac-Thiong Jean-Marc , Brailovski Vladimir , Petit Yvan
Published: July 2015

This study investigates the use of braided tubular superelastic cables, previously used for sternum closure following sternotomy, as sublaminar fixation method. It compares the biomechanical performance of spinal instrumentation fixation systems with regular sublaminar cables and proprietary superelastic cables. A hybrid experimental protocol was applied to six porcine L1–L4 spinal segments to compare multifilament sublaminar cables (Atlas, Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Memphis, TN) with proprietary superelastic cables. First, intact total range of motion was determined for all specimens using pure moment loading. Second, pure moments were imposed to the instrumented specimens until these intact total ranges of motion were reproduced. Compared to the intact specimens, the use of superelastic cables resulted in stiffer instrumented specimens than the use of multifilament cables for all the loading modes except axial torsion. Consequently, the superelastic cables limited the instrumented segments mobility more than the multifilament cables. Spinal instrumentation fixation systems using superelastic cables could be a good alternative to conventional sublaminar cables as it maintains a constant stabilization of the spine during loading.
A multicenter photoprovocation study to identify potential biomarkers by global peptide profiling in cutaneous lupus erythematosus
Authors: Calderon C , Zucht H-D , Kuhn A , Wozniacka A , Szepietowski J C , Nyberg F , Weichenthal M , Piantone A , Budde P
Published: July 2015

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is an inflammatory autoimmune skin disease in which abnormal photosensitivity is an important pathogenetic factor but is difficult to predict, creating a challenge in determining treatment efficacy. Although photosensitivity in CLE patients may change over time, photoprovocation testing with ultraviolet (UV) A and UVB irradiation can be a helpful tool to explore differences between responders and nonresponders during photoprovocation. To identify biomarkers that could substitute for the clinical endpoint lesion development, we performed a global peptidomics profiling analysis of CLE subjects in a controlled photoprovocation study. Plasma and skin biopsy samples were collected before and after UV-irradiation from 13 healthy volunteers and 47 CLE subjects. Twenty-two of the 47 CLE subjects developed skin lesions. The samples were analyzed using a label-free quantitative peptidomics workflow combined with univariate and multivariate statistical analyses. The primary finding was identification of a specific plasma peptide signature separating responders versus nonresponders at baseline. The peptide signature consisted of beta 2-microglobulin (B2MG), human beta-defensin-1, and peptides derived from CD99, polymeric immunoglobulin receptor, and immunoglobulin kappa light chains. In skin, elevated B2MG levels correlated with lesion formation. Our results show that the peptidome is a rich source of potential biomarkers for predicting photosensitivity in CLE.
The pace of life and temporal resources in a neighborhood of an edge city
Authors: Paiva Daniel , Cachinho Herculano , Barata-Salgueiro Teresa
Published: July 2015

Recently, the phenomenon of social acceleration, which has profound impacts on everyday life, has attracted some attention from social scientists. At the same time, an increased engagement with social practices that are related to slowing down has also been highlighted, thereby unveiling an inherent tension between fast and slow times in contemporary societies. However, little attention has been paid to how fast and slow times are spatially dispersed and rooted.

This study contributes to current discussions on the pace of life by considering the dynamics of speeding up and slowing down in the everyday life of residents in a neighborhood of an edge city and the role played by local resources in the performance of everyday life practices. We undertook our study in the Colinas do Cruzeiro neighborhood, in the municipality of Odivelas in the North of Lisbon’s metropolitan area, where we conducted 21 in-depth narrative interviews with residents with the purpose of understanding the spatiotemporal organization of their daily lives and the role of the neighborhood’s resources.

Our results identify four different timestyles among the interviewees, all of them fluctuating between fast and slow temporalities in different ways. Thereafter, we identify and describe the main practices of speeding up and slowing down in the interviewees’ everyday life and the local resources, which are mobilized in Colinas do Cruzeiro in order to perform these practices. We give some conclusions after a brief discussion of the results. Our main argument is that local resources play a vital role in an individual’s ability to speed up or slow down and therefore more attention must be paid as to how local resources can become temporal advantages.
Chromatology of security: Introducing colours to visual security studies
Authors: Andersen Rune S , Vuori Juha A , Guillaume Xavier
Published: July 2015

The agenda of this article is to highlight how security becomes intelligible, is enacted, contested and (re)appropriated in part through colour use. Even though colours are a natural phenomenon, their meanings are societal products, and part of our constructed visibilities. These can be investigated through chromatology, the study of colour in relation to people. We illustrate this by applying multimodal social semiotics to view highly securitized sites, those of concentration and enemy-combatant camps. We show that the colour uses instituted to classify and govern prisoners not only structure the inmates socially, but also become vehicles for resisting the security discourses associated with them. The aim of the article is to highlight how security and international relations are intersemiotic relations, and to open up the study of security to an expanded range of semiotic modalities and methods of inquiry.
Working Capital and Profitability in Manufacturing Firms in Malaysia: An Empirical Study
Authors: Wasiuzzaman Shaista
Published: July 2015

Working capital is an important area of finance that has not been studied as widely as it deserves. This study aims to contribute to the literature on working capital by analyzing its relationship with profitability. This study uses a sample of 160 manufacturing firms in Malaysia, and uses the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression technique, to achieve this aim. The results of this study present negative relationships between working capital (and its components) with profitability. Except for the negative relationship of payables with profitability, the other relationships follow general expectations based on popular finance theory. The results of this study (in comparison with other studies) show that the relationship of working capital (and its components) with profitability may not be as easy as it seems and may be dependent on other influences such as economic policies.
Consumers’ Repurchase Intention Towards a Mobile Phone Brand in Qatar: An Exploratory Study Utilizing Theory of Reasoned Action Framework
Authors: Isaid Emad Naji , Faisal Mohd. Nishat
Published: July 2015

The aim of this study is to analyze the influencing factors on consumers’ repurchase intention towards a brand of a mobile phone. The theory of reasoned action has been used in this study to measure consumer repurchase intention. This theory considers consumer attitude towards action and subjective norms as influencing factors on consumer purchase intention. In this study, past behaviour is also added to the model to measure consumers’ repurchase intention. The exploratory study was conducted in the State of Qatar and the results showed that peoples’ attitudes toward action, subjective norms and past behaviour tend to have a significant influence on their repurchase intention. However, the analysis reveals that there is a negative relationship between consumers’ repurchase intention and mobile phone price, size and consumers’ past behaviour. Results of this study can be used by the marketing managers to devise strategies to attract consumers by understanding the factors that affect repurchase intentions.
An Empirical Investigation on the Impact of Marketing Communication Expenditure on Firms’ Profitability: Evidence from India
Authors: Banerjee Neelotpaul , Siddhanta Somroop
Published: July 2015

This study attempts to put forth the causal relationship between integrated marketing communications (IMC) and profit before depreciation interest and tax (PBDIT) of firms operating in the personal care industry, in India, as categorized by the Capitaline database, while also trying to study their long-term and short-term relationships so as to understand the impact of one variable on another. The choice of the industry is due to the fact that this is an industry where a substantial amount of money is spent on advertising and sales promotion. The results reveal there is unidirectional causality running from IMC to PBDIT and there is a long-term co-integrating relationship between the two. The vector error correction, impulse response function and forecast error variance decomposition results reinforce that marketing communications take time in building the image of a brand in the mind of the prospects and hence the impact of IMC on profits comes with a time lag. This study will help brand managers to strategize budget allocation decisions by informing them the duration of the return on such investments.
Supply Chain Network Design Based on Integration of Forward and Reverse Logistics
Authors: Bhaumik Pradip K.
Published: July 2015

This article describes a mathematical model for the design of supply chain network for a company that sells its products through a set of retail stores that integrates both the movement of fresh products and the returns from the customers. Specifically, the company faces a situation where, given the location and demand from the set of retail stores, it wishes to decide where to locate the warehouses (or distribution centres) and test centres and the routes to be used in transporting the fresh products from warehouses to stores, returned products from stores to test centres and finally, re-stockable returned products from test centres to warehouses. This is formulated as a binary integer linear programming problem. The problem is solved using LINGO and then, an analysis is performed to determine the sensitivity of the optimal solution to different parameters, including sales volumes, return rates, costs of operation and transportation and the various prices.
Competitiveness: Review, Reflections and Directions
Authors: Bhawsar Pragya , Chattopadhyay Utpal
Published: July 2015

Competitiveness has now become a buzzword like globalization. It has received attention from researchers, governments and business organizations because of its close association with the success of an entity. In the past decades, many works on competitiveness with different perspectives have been published. But competitiveness is yet an elusive concept, the relevance of which is changing with time. There is a need for a comprehensive review of extant literature on the subject. This review article presents the state-of-the-art development of competitiveness research. To begin with, the article lays the foundation for basic understanding on competitiveness at various levels, such as nation, industry and the firm. After elaborating on the theories of competitiveness that have evolved over the years, it gives insight on the measurement models. The plethora of studies that signify different approaches to measure competitiveness are discussed at length. The future direction of competitiveness research is also suggested.
Control of a shape memory alloy–actuated rotary manipulator using an artificial neural network–based self-sensing technique
Authors: Narayanan Pavanesh , Elahinia Mohammad
Published: July 2015

Shape memory alloys are a class of smart materials that can recover their original shape by heating above a temperature called austenite transformation temperature when subjected to deformation at low temperature. This property enables the shape memory alloy to be used as a unique actuator. Also, the material’s resistance changes during transformation. Thus, the change in resistance and other electrical properties can be used to sense the deformation, which eliminates the requirement of additional sensors. An artificial neural network, described in our earlier study, was able to accurately model the relationship between the electrical properties and manipulator position. This study aims to develop a control methodology of a shape memory alloy–actuated rotary manipulator using the feedback signal from the previously developed artificial neural network model, thus eliminating the need of any external position sensor. The control methodology using variable structure control technique is experimentally tested under different conditions. Also, the effect of environmental temperature on the ability of artificial neural network to predict manipulator position is analyzed using phenomenological model simulations. It is concluded that this system gives a robust performance with a small tolerance (less than 5°) and can operate well even when the ambient temperature changes considerably.
A Group-Level Conceptualization of the 2 × 2 Achievement Goal Framework
Authors: Van Mierlo Heleen , Van Hooft Edwin A. J.
Published: July 2015

While achievement goal theory is well-represented in the individual motivation literature, we know little about its role in groups. In 2001, Elliot and McGregor proposed a 2 × 2 achievement goal framework, which consists of a mastery-performance goal distinction and an approach-avoidance goal distinction. In the present study, we define this 2 × 2 framework at the group level and examine antecedents and collective motivational outcomes of group-level achievement goals in a longitudinal study among 125 small student groups engaged in a debating course. Results support the group-level 2 × 2 framework, although the shared nature of group-level performance-avoidance requires further attention. Individual dispositional achievement goals, measured before group formation, predicted subsequent group-level achievement goals. Concerning group-level motivational outcomes, a group climate focused on learning and improvement seems especially beneficial, as it related positively to sustained collective effort, group reflexivity, and group task strategy effectiveness, and mitigated adverse effects of group performance-approach achievement goals.
Constituency Deliberation
Authors: James Michael Rabinder
Published: July 2015

How do we distinguish legitimate, democratic representation from illegitimate, undemocratic elite rule? Empirical scholars of representation typically rely on the “bedrock norm” that democratic representatives must respond to the antecedent interests of their constituents, but empirical studies of public opinion suggest that constituents’ interests emerge following engagement with their representatives. The result is the “constituency paradox”: representatives are supposed to respond to constituent interests, interests that representatives themselves help to create. Deliberative democratic theories seek to circumvent this paradox by distinguishing between representatives who communicatively educate their constituents from those who strategically manipulate them, but it is empirically impossible to distinguish legitimate education from illegitimate manipulation. Nondeliberative criteria requiring elite competition and popular contestation also fail to ground legitimate democratic representation. In response, I develop a model of constituency deliberation that does not rely on the bedrock norm, accepts strategic as well as communicative action, acknowledges the asymmetric but reciprocal relationship between constituents and representatives, and uses a systemic approach to assess democratic representation. This deliberative model leads to institutional reforms that avoid the bedrock norm and seek to mitigate representative manipulation by creating space for constituents to respond to representatives’ claims to represent their interests.
Science Exemplars in the Eye of the Beholder
Authors: Knobloch-Westerwick Silvia , Johnson Benjamin K. , Silver Nathaniel A. , Westerwick Axel
Published: July 2015

Drawing on exemplification theory and confirmation bias, this study examined exposure to online science information and subsequent attitude impacts. Participants freely browsed online messages manipulated to feature (a) either exemplar or numeric information and (b) opposing viewpoints, resulting in a 2 (exemplar vs. numeric) × 2 (supporting vs. opposing technology) within-subjects design. Online search findings pertained to four different topics: fracking, biofuels, genetically modified foods, and nanotechnology. Attitudes toward science topics were measured before and after exposure. Exemplar messages fostered longer reading among high-empathy individuals but less exposure among high-numeracy individuals. Participants preferred attitude-consistent messages, which produced attitude shifts.
Fibrinolytic Dysregulation in Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients
Authors: Guler Nil , Burleson Andrew , Syed Daneyal , Banos Andrew , Hopkinson William , Hoppensteadt Debra , Rees Harold , Fareed Jawed
Published: July 2015

Background:

The alterations of the fibrinolytic components in osteoarthritic joint disease and their postsurgical modulation are not clearly understood. Preexisting hemostatic dysfunction may lead to both thrombotic and bleeding events in these patients.

Aim:

To profile fibrinolytic parameters in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty prior to and on postoperative day 1.

Methods:

A total of 98 total joint arthroplasty patients were included in this study. Blood samples were drawn preoperatively and on postoperative day 1 status posttotal knee or total hip arthroplasty surgery. d-Dimer, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) were measured using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Antiplasmin activity was measured by using a functional method.

Results:

Preoperative PAI-1, d-dimer, and tPA levels were significantly higher in arthroplasty patients compared to healthy controls. Preoperative antiplasmin level was lower than controls. Postoperative levels of PAI-1 and d-dimer were increased compared to preoperative values. Postoperative antiplasmin values were lower than preoperative levels. Changes in tPA was not significant. There was no correlation between preoperative PAI-1 and d-dimer levels. Pre- and postoperative percentage changes in each individual were calculated for PAI-1, d-dimer, tPA, and antiplasmin. There was a positive correlation between d-dimer and PAI-1. Negative correlations between antiplasmin and d-dimer and between antiplasmin and PAI-1 were noted.

Conclusion:

These results confirm the perturbation in the fibrinolytic system of patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty surgery. Surgical intervention may also enhance the observed changes. The alterations in the fibrinolytic system may lead to the observed hemostatic complications such as bleeding, hematoma formation, or potential need for blood transfusion.
Four-Group Classification Based on Fibrinogen Level and Fibrin Polymerization Associated With Postoperative Bleeding in Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Kawashima Shingo , Suzuki Yuji , Sato Tsunehisa , Kikura Mutsuhito , Katoh Takasumi , Sato Shigehito
Published: July 2015

Fibrinogen and fibrin formation have a key role in perioperative hemostasis. The aim of this study is to examine the association of postoperative hemostasis with a combined evaluation of the fibrinogen level and fibrin polymerization in cardiac surgery. We retrospectively classified 215 consecutive cardiac surgery patients into 4 groups (Fuji-san classification) that were divided by fibrinogen level <150 mg/dL (ie, hypofibrinogenemia) and fibrinogen thromboelastometry value at 10 minutes with rotational thromboelastometry <6 mm (ie, low fibrin polymerization) at the warming of cardiopulmonary bypass. Four groups resulted; group I, the acceptable range (n = 85); group II, only hypofibrinogenemia (<150 mg/dL, ≥6 mm, n = 63); group III, hypofibrinogenemia and low fibrin polymerization (<150 mg/dL, <6 mm, n = 60); and group IV, only low fibrin polymerization (≥150 mg/dL, <6 mm, n = 7). The risk of chest tube drainage volume greater than 500 mL within the first 24 hours after surgery (with group I as the reference) was increased in group II (odds ratio [OR], 3.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-7.4; P < .01) and group III (OR, 8.5; 95% CI, 3.5-21.7; P < .01), and the risk greater than 1000 mL (with group I as the reference) was increased in group III (OR, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.1-17.3; P = .03) and group IV (OR, 23.1; 95% CI, 3.2-201.0; P < .01). Intraoperative blood transfusions were decreased by 24.5%, after stratifying the starting amount of fresh frozen plasma by the 4-group classification in the recent consecutive 65 (30.2%) patients ( P < .01). The 4-group classification is associated with postoperative bleeding and may improve the quality of perioperative blood transfusion in cardiac surgery.
Washington Confidential
Authors: Mellinger Gwyneth
Published: July 2015

After more than 20 years of holding regular off-the-record briefings with government officials, the American Society of Newspaper Editors abandoned the practice in favor of a new commitment to freedom of information, signified most prominently by the organization’s sponsorship of Harold Cross’s 1953 book The People’s Right to Know. This article draws on archival research to trace the evolution of daily newspaper editors’ commitment to the public interest, after stridently defending their desire for secret information from federal and military leaders.
Where Children With ADHD Direct Visual Attention During Emotion Knowledge Tasks: Relationships to Accuracy, Response Time, and ADHD Symptoms
Authors: Serrano Verenea J. , Owens Julie Sarno , Hallowell Brooke
Published: July 2015

Objective: Inattention may contribute to emotion recognition deficits in children with ADHD. In the current study, we compared the viewing patterns for emotion stimuli between children with and without ADHD and examined the relationship between viewing patterns, emotion knowledge accuracy, response time, and ADHD symptoms. Method: Eye-tracking technology recorded viewing patterns for emotion stimuli among 45 children (60% male; control n = 26, ADHD n = 19). Results: Overall, viewing patterns of children with and without ADHD were strikingly similar; however, small to large effect sizes (Cohen’s d = −0.73 to 0.93) across emotions suggest that, for some emotions, children with ADHD spend less time viewing relevant areas of images and take longer to respond (i.e., detect an emotion) compared with children without ADHD. Conclusion: Children with ADHD view some emotions differently from children without ADHD. The results provide an important foundation for additional work in this area.
Community Prevention Coalition Context and Capacity Assessment
Authors: Brown Louis D. , Chilenski Sarah M. , Ramos Rebeca , Gallegos Nora , Feinberg Mark E.
Published: July 2015

Effective planning for community health partnerships requires understanding how initial readiness—that is, contextual factors and capacity—influences implementation of activities and programs. This study compares the context and capacity of drug and violence prevention coalitions in Mexico to those in the United States. Measures of coalition context include community problems, community leadership style, and sense of community. Measures of coalition capacity include the existence of collaborative partnerships and coalition champions. The assessment was completed by 195 members of 9 coalitions in Mexico and 139 members of 7 coalitions in the United States. Psychometric analyses indicate the measures have moderate to strong internal consistency, along with good convergent and discriminant validity in both settings. Results indicate that members of Mexican coalitions perceive substantially more serious community problems, especially with respect to education, law enforcement, and access to alcohol and drugs. Compared to respondents in the United States, Mexican respondents perceive sense of community to be weaker and that prevention efforts are not as valued by the population where the coalitions are located. The Mexican coalitions appear to be operating in a substantially more challenging environment for the prevention of violence and substance use. Their ability to manage these challenges will likely play a large role in determining whether they are successful in their prevention efforts. The context and capacity assessment is a valuable tool that coalitions can use in order to identify and address initial barriers to success.
Scheduling DAG-based workflows on single cloud instances: High-performance and cost effectiveness with a static scheduler
Authors: Taufer Michela , Rosenberg Arnold L.
Published: July 2015

The problem of achieving high-performance cost-effectively in cloud computing is challenging when workflows have Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)-structured inter-task dependencies. We study this problem within single cloud instances and provide empirical evidence that the static Area-Oriented DAG-Scheduling (AO) paradigm, which predetermines the order for executing a DAG’s tasks, provides both high performance and cost effectiveness. AO produces schedules in a platform-oblivious manner; it ignores the performance characteristics of the platform’s resources and focuses only on the dependency structure of the workflow. Specifically, AO’s schedules strive to enhance the rate of rendering tasks eligible for execution. Using an archive of diverse DAG-structured workflows, we experimentally compare AO with a variety of competing DAG-schedulers: (a) the static locally optimal DAG-scheduler (LO), which, like AO, is static and platform-oblivious but chooses its DAG-ordering based on tasks’ outdegrees; and (b) five dynamic versions of static schedulers (including AO and LO), each of which can violate its parent static scheduler’s prescribed task orders to avoid stalling. Our results provide evidence of AO’s supremacy as compared with LO and its essential equivalence to dynamic-AO: neither competitor yields higher performance at an lower cost than AO does. Two aspects of these results are notable. Firstly, AO is platform-oblivious, whereas dynamic-AO is intensely platform-sensitive; one would expect platform sensitivity to enhance performance. Secondly, AO outperforms LO by an order of magnitude, together with lower costs; one would not expect such a performance gap.
Flank attacks
Authors: Rooduijn Matthijs , Akkerman Tjitske
Published: July 2015

How is populism distributed over the political spectrum? Are right-wing parties more populist than left-wing parties? Based on the analysis of 32 parties in five Western European countries between 1989 and 2008, we show that radical parties on both the left and the right are inclined to employ a populist discourse. This is a striking finding, because populism in Western Europe has typically been associated with the radical right; only some particular radical left parties have been labeled populist as well. This article suggests that the contemporary radical left in Western Europe is generally populist. Our explanation is that many contemporary radical left parties are not traditionally communist or socialist (anymore). They do not focus on the ‘proletariat’, but glorify a more general category: the ‘good people’. Moreover, they do not reject the system of liberal democracy as such, but only criticize the political and/or economic elites within that system.
Reported literacy, media consumption and social media use as measures of relevance of Spanish as a heritage language
Authors: Velázquez Isabel
Published: July 2015

Aims and objectives:

This paper explores one dimension of language maintenance among college-aged heritage speakers of Spanish (HSS) in three communities of the U.S. Midwest. The aim was to understand whether Spanish was relevant at a point in life in which they were developing their own networks away from their families. Research questions: Were reading and writing in Spanish relevant for the participants? Did they use Spanish when on social media? Did they text in Spanish? Was Spanish relevant for them when consuming content on electronic media?

Methodology:

This analysis is part of a larger study on HSS in communities of recent Latino settlement. Respondents participated in an oral interview and responded to an online survey.

Data and analysis:

Results presented here come from a study designed to gather data on reported interlocutors, reading and writing, electronic media consumption, and social media use. Respondents were 71 HSS between the ages of 19 and 29. Results were compared with two control groups: 23 L2 speakers and 24 native speakers attending the same schools. Higher relevance was assumed when an event was reported closest to the moment of response. Reading and writing were classified as school, personal interest, employment, other. Relevance as related to social media, music, and internet use was determined by reported frequency.

Findings:

Highest relevance was reported for texting and listening to music; lowest was reported for consumption of internet content. Results for texting, social media and personal interest reading/writing suggest that for these speakers Spanish was viable for accrual of bonding social capital. Reading/writing reports suggest that for many, Spanish was also viable to attain specific academic goals. Environmental pressures to shift are evidenced in the uses not (or barely) reported: reading/writing related to work, religion and daily living, and consumption of internet content.

Originality:

This paper focuses on maintenance of relevance of a heritage language in the first stage of adult life.

Implications:

Results suggest that in using Spanish, respondents were not bound by physical context or immediate availability of interlocutors, but by their perceptions of viability.
The social dynamics of antibiotic use in an Australian hospital
Authors: Broom Alex , Broom Jennifer , Kirby Emma , Adams Jon
Published: July 2015

Misuse of antibiotics in hospitals in Australia and internationally is common. The combination of multi-resistant organisms and continued misuse of antibiotics is contributing to a predicted ‘antimicrobial perfect storm’ in the coming decades. Attempts to influence doctors’ use of antibiotics have seen limited success internationally, yet few studies have explored the potential social factors driving current practices within hospitals and the interpersonal processes that underpin persistent ‘suboptimal’ antibiotic use. In this qualitative study of hospital-based Australian doctors we explore some of these dynamics including: the role of clinical uncertainty and ambivalence; experiences of immediate risk; interpersonal and intra-professional pressure; and the role of localised norms and ‘craft groups’ in driving antibiotic practices. We argue that the development of a sociological understanding of antibiotic misuse in the hospital sector (and beyond) is vital for progress to be made in protecting antibiotics for future generations.
Differential social distance and confidence in the police
Authors: Lee Joongyeup , Lim Hyeyoung , Lee Hoon
Published: July 2015

Despite the emphasis on community relations in recent developments in policing, the importance of social distance between citizens and the police has not been explored. In the current study, we examine the effect of social distance on public attitudes toward the police using data from a sample of college students in a mid-sized State university. The findings from path analysis suggest that students’ familiarity with and interest in the police promote confidence in the police, even when controlling for variables such as negative contacts and exposure to media coverage of police misconduct. The findings are discussed in reference to recent policing initiatives that are designed to facilitate amicable citizen–police relationships.
Looking through the magnifying glass: A duoethnographic approach to understanding the value and process of participatory action research with LGBTQ youth
Authors: Wagaman M Alex , Sanchez Ira
Published: July 2015

Participatory action research is a method intended to shift the power of the “researcher” and “researched.” This paper presents the results of a duoethnographic exploration and analysis of experiences working on a participatory action research team. The authors participated in a research team, made up primarily of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer -identified young adults, which studied intra-community bigotry. Duoethnography is a qualitative method that reflects on a shared experience or cultural event from two different viewpoints in order to juxtapose perspectives without attempting to resolve differences or converge into conclusions. Through duoethnography, the authors identified three praxes that offer guidance for qualitative social work researchers. The praxes include negotiating power, engaging in iterative learning and knowledge production, and sharing the burden of vulnerability. These praxes create an opportunity for qualitative researchers to consider the value of participatory action research as a reflective research process that aligns with social work principles of self-awareness and social justice, and to identify participatory and reflexive strategies that can be incorporated into a variety of qualitative methods.
Two concepts of liberal developmentalism
Authors: Marwah Inder S.
Published: July 2015

“Developmentalism” is often regarded as the bête noire haunting liberal political theory, justifying modern civilizational hierarchies and liberal imperialism. But are all developmentalisms equally tied to Eurocentric, imperialist philosophies? I consider this question through a close reading of two of the most prominent, influential, and divisive modern accounts of historical development: those of Kant and J. S. Mill. I argue that Kant's philosophy of history is embedded in an Enlightenment idealism treating non-Europeans as bound to either adopt Western norms or fade into obscurity. Conversely, the influences of Romanticism and sociology led Mill to recognize cultural differences as indelibly affecting any society's development. Given this, I argue, against much of the current literature, (1) that Mill provides us with a significantly more capacious liberalism than Kant's; (2) that his developmentalism holds the conceptual resources to understand progress as a pluralistic and culturally differentiated process; and so, more broadly, (3) that not all liberal developmentalisms are equally bound to imperialist politics.
Wollstonecraft and the political value of contempt
Authors: Carroll Ross
Published: July 2015

In her Vindication of the Rights of Men, Mary Wollstonecraft accused Edmund Burke of having contempt for his political opponents. Yet she herself expressed contempt for Burke and did so unapologetically. Readers have long regarded Wollstonecraft’s decision to match Burke’s contempt with one of her own as either a tactical blunder or evidence that she sought merely to ridicule Burke rather than argue with him. I offer an interpretation and defence of Wollstonecraft's rhetorical choices by situating the Vindication within eighteenth-century debates about the dangers of elite contempt and the best methods for stifling it. Rather than countering Burke’s contempt with more of the same, Wollstonecraft’s Vindication marks a distinction between two forms of contempt. The first expresses the false sense of superiority experienced by elites who owe their social elevation to arbitrary differences of wealth or family. As such, it represents both an abuse of privilege and an anxious recognition among elites that their claims to dignity may be unfounded. By contrast, the contempt Wollstonecraft directs at Burke represents a dignified withdrawal of esteem which signals that one’s opponent is unworthy of the dignity to which they lay claim. If Wollstonecraft appeared to treat Burke abusively it was because she came to consider this second form of contempt as an antidote to the abusive contempt of the privileged. I conclude by spelling out some implications of Wollstonecraft’s analysis of contempt for recent debates in political theory over the importance of dignity to democracy.
Culture, neutrality and minority rights
Authors: Bardon Aurélia
Published: July 2015

Alan Patten’s Equal Recognition offers a new and powerful argument to support the ‘strong cultural rights thesis’. Unlike other culturalist arguments, his argument is not based on a problematic and essentialist conception of culture but on a particular understanding of liberal neutrality as fair treatment and equal recognition. What justifies the existence of such rights is not culture itself but what culture means for people and the negative consequences it can have for them when they form a cultural minority. Patten’s argument, however, faces another challenge: I argue that culture and neutrality cannot be fully reconciled, and that, ultimately, the concept of culture might not be playing any significant role in his argument for minority rights.