bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Blended Soundproof-to-Compressible Numerical Model for Small- to Mesoscale Atmospheric Dynamics
Authors: Benacchio Tommaso , O’Neill Warren P. , Klein Rupert
Published: July 2014

A blended model for atmospheric flow simulations is introduced that enables seamless transition from fully compressible to pseudo-incompressible dynamics. The model equations are written in nonperturbation form and integrated using a well-balanced second-order finite-volume discretization. The semi-implicit scheme combines an explicit predictor for advection with elliptic corrections for the pressure field. Compressibility is implemented in the elliptic equations through a diagonal term. The compressible/pseudo-incompressible transition is realized by suitably weighting the term and provides a mechanism for removing unwanted acoustic imbalances in compressible runs.

As the gradient of the pressure is used instead of the Exner pressure in the momentum equation, the influence of perturbation pressure on buoyancy must be included to ensure thermodynamic consistency. With this effect included, the thermodynamically consistent model is equivalent to Durran’s original pseudo-incompressible model, which uses the Exner pressure.

Numerical experiments demonstrate quadratic convergence and competitive solution quality for several benchmarks. With the inclusion of an additional buoyancy term required for thermodynamic consistency, the “p–ρ formulation” of the pseudo-incompressible model closely reproduces the compressible results.

The proposed unified approach offers a framework for models that are largely free of the biases that can arise when different discretizations are used. With data assimilation applications in mind, the seamless compressible/pseudo-incompressible transition mechanism is also shown to enable the flattening of acoustic imbalances in initial data for which balanced pressure distributions are unknown.
The Making of Higher Education Inequality
Authors: Tam Tony , Jiang Jin
Published: July 2014

We extend the theoretical contributions of Alon (2009) by proposing and testing two hypotheses about the context dependence of inequality of educational opportunity (IEO). Alon offers a model of IEO that incorporates class adaptation and organizational exclusion as two test-score-based mechanisms that perpetuate class inequality. She hypothesizes that the changing level of IEO depends on trends in competition. Through a secondary analysis of Alon’s numerical results, we clarify her results and demonstrate that the causal structure of IEO (e.g., the explanatory roles of adaptation and exclusion) depends on trends in competition and college selectivity. Additionally, changes in competition for college admission from 1972 to 1992 had little to do with enrollment rates, but appear to be driven largely by changes in college wage premiums.
Physico-mechanical behaviour of thermoplastic co-polyester elastomer/polytetrafluroethylene composite with short fibers and microfillers
Authors: Hemanth R , Suresha B , Sekar M
Published: July 2014

Short fibers and particulate fillers are known to enhance the mechanical properties of the polymers. The type of fiber and filler morphology, size, loading, and dispersion homogeneity influence extensively the composite’s performance. In the present study, various amounts of short fiber (glass and carbon) and micro-scale particles (silicon carbide, alumina and molybdenum disulphide) were systematically introduced into thermoplastic copolyester elastomer/polytetrafluroethylene (TCE/PTFE) composite for reinforcement purpose. The influence of these fibers and fillers on the tensile, flexural, and impact properties was investigated. All composite samples were fabricated using twin-screw extruder followed by injection molding. The incorporation of short glass fiber (SGF) yielded an effective improvement in mechanical properties of TCE/PTFE composite at a fiber loading of 20 wt.%. Choosing the 20 wt.% SGF-reinforced TCE/PTFE composite, short carbon fiber and microparticles were further added in order to achieve additional improvement in the mechanical properties. In fact, synergistic effects were in the form of a further increase in hardness, tensile modulus, flexural and impact strength. Various reasons to explain these effects in terms of reinforcing mechanisms were discussed. Also, dispersion of the fiber and fillers were studied using scanning electron microscopy.
From white shoes to bold future: The neoliberalisation of local government in an Australian city?
Authors: Burton Paul
Published: July 2014

The City of Gold Coast in Australia has grown rapidly over the last half century to become the sixth largest city in the country and the second largest local government by population. It is seen by many to have become the epitome of neoliberal local government in Australia. This paper critically reviews this assumption of neoliberalisation through an analysis of the changing nature of governance in the city which draws on Saunders’ dual state thesis. This uses three dimensions: institutional structures, forms of politics, and ideological underpinnings, and considers a number of exemplary policies. It concludes that, apart from a brief period in which a set of Keynesian principles of intervention flourished, the city has indeed proceeded along a broadly neoliberal path but will face growing pressures in the future to develop programmes of social as well as economic intervention.
Tenure social mix and perceptions of antisocial behaviour: An Australian example
Authors: Baum Scott , Arthurson Kathy , Han Jung Hoon
Published: July 2014

Antisocial behaviour including littering and graffiti, crime and social disorder pose an important social problem within contemporary cities. Perceptions regarding the extent of antisocial behaviour are likely to differ not only along socioeconomic and demographic lines of the individual but importantly are also likely to differ depending on the type of neighbourhood or community one resides in. In particular, it is often assumed that antisocial behaviour, both real and perceived, will be higher in localities characterised by higher levels of public housing. Situated broadly in the antisocial behaviour and neighbourhood effects/social mix literature this paper examines perceptions of antisocial behaviour reported in a large sample survey in Australia focusing specifically on how responses differ by the housing social mix characteristics of the neighbourhood the respondent lives in.
Use of Indigenous African Healing Practices as a Mental Health Intervention
Authors: Ojelade Ifetayo I. , McCray Kenja , Meyers Joel , Ashby Jeffrey
Published: July 2014

The current study used a qualitative design informed by indigenous research methodologies to describe how indigenous African healers and their clients address Western-defined mental health problems. Healers for this study included Orìsà priests initiated within the Yorùbá-based system of Ifá. Two research questions guided this inquiry: (1) How do Orìsà priests and their clients conceptualize issues and concerns associated with mental health problems in Western psychology (2) What methods and techniques do Orìsà priests and their clients use to address issues and concerns associated with mental health problems in Western psychology? Data were collected during semistructured individual interviews with Orìsà priests in a three-phase model. The study also included focus groups with informants who sought the services of Orìsà priests. A combined total of 18 interviews were conducted that included 22 separate respondents residing within the southeastern United States. The following steps were employed to enhance methodological rigor: (1) bracketing of assumptions by the research team members, (2) use of a reflexive journal, (3) member checking, and (4) an audit trail. Data analysis consisted of a recursive process divided into multiple steps including codebook development, code application, and data analysis. Three major themes emerged from the data: (1) Conceptualization of Mental Health Problems as Spiritual Matters, (2) Origins of Mental Health Problems, and (3) Addressing Mental Health Problems. Results of this study indicate that respondents primarily conceptualize mental health problems as spiritual matters and seek to address these concerns with an Orìsà priest first. Practice and research implications for psychologists are discussed.
Spanish-speaking children’s production of number morphology
Authors: Arias-Trejo Natalia , Abreu-Mendoza Roberto A. , Aguado-Servín Oscar A.
Published: July 2014

Infants across cultures need to identify the characteristics of their native languages in order to become competent speakers. The means by which Spanish-speaking children learn to produce number-gender linguistic markers has not been sufficiently investigated. Thirty-eight three-year-olds were tested in Berko-like production tasks, in which they were asked to pluralize or singularize familiar and novel words, with controls for allomorph, number of syllables, and word familiarity. Children found it easier to pluralize and singularize words with the allomorph /-s/ than those requiring /-es/, independent of their familiarity or syllable length. Children also produced a wide variety of noun phrases in which they tended to mark number information in more than one element. These data suggest that Spanish-speaking children’s inflectional abilities are mainly influenced by phonological features such as word-endings and not, as previously reported, by the familiarity of the word or syllable length.
Risk of Malignancy Associated with Head and Neck CT in Children: A Systematic Review
Authors: Chen Jenny X. , Kachniarz Bart , Gilani Sapideh , Shin Jennifer J.
Published: July 2014

Objective

To perform a systematic review to evaluate the risk of malignancy associated with computed tomography (CT) of the head and/or neck in infants, children, and adolescents.

Data Sources

Pubmed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were assessed from the date of their inception to January 2014. Additionally, manual searches of bibliographies were performed and topic experts were contacted.

Review Methods

Data were obtained from studies measuring or estimating the risks of malignancy associated with radiation from head and/or neck CT in pediatric populations according to an a priori protocol. Two independent evaluators corroborated the extracted data.

Results

There were 16 criterion‐meeting studies that included data from n = 858,815 patients. The radiation‐related risk of malignancy was estimated using primary patient data for both the exposure and outcome in a minority of studies, with most analyses utilizing mathematical modeling techniques. The data regarding otolaryngology‐specific studies were limited and suggested a borderline significant increase in the risk of all combined cancers after facial CT (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.14; 95% CI, 1.01‐1.28) and neck/spine CT (IRR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.00‐1.28). Cohort data suggest that 1 excess brain malignancy occurred after 4000 brain CTs (40 mSv per scan) and that the estimated risk in the 10 years following CT exposure was 1 brain tumor per 10,000 patients exposed to a 10 mGy scan at less than 10 years of age.

Conclusion

Detailed understanding of any potential malignancy risk associated with pediatric imaging of the head and neck furthers our ability to engage in rational, shared, informed decision making with families considering CT scan.
Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery via minithoracotomy and direct cannulation
Authors: Nezafati Mohammad H , Nezafati Pouya , Hosseinzadeh Mahmoud , Tehrani Sahar Omidvar
Published: July 2014

Background

To reduce the morbidity of mitral valve operations, a right anterolateral minithoracotomy under direct vision was introduced. We report our experience with this procedure.

Methods

From July 2001 to December 2013, 320 consecutive patients underwent direct minimally invasive mitral valve surgery through a right anterolateral minithoracotomy at our institution. Evidence of rheumatic disease was observed in 231 (72%) patients, and 89 (28%) repaired valves had myxomatous changes. Tricuspid valve repair was performed in 80 (25%) patients and radiofrequency ablation in 80 (25%) with chronic atrial fibrillation. All cannulas were introduced through the thoracotomy incision, eliminating femoral cannulation. No new instruments, retractors, or ports were used. Pleural and pericardial drainage was accomplished through a single drain.

Results

There was no hospital death. Conversion to sternotomy was needed in 3 patients because we were unable to obtain satisfactory arterial cannulation. Eight patients required reoperation: 7 for mitral insufficiency and one for postoperative bleeding. Mean cardiopulmonary bypass and crossclamp times were 55.3 ± 17.0 and 43.0 ± 13.4 min, respectively. Mean intensive care unit stay was 29 h, and hospital stay was 4.3 days.

Conclusions

Based on our experience, this minimally invasive approach is safe, rapid, cost-effective, and more comfortable for the patients, in addition to its cosmetic benefits. It may be the preferred approach in young females.
Information heroes
Authors: Dick Archie L
Published: July 2014

Through their brave actions, information heroes have assured access to information in times of social conflict, revolution, and war. They deserve to be recognized, and their achievements remembered.
Renal function, acute kidney injury and hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Liao Ying , Dong Xingmo , Chen Kaihong , Fang Yong , Li Weiguo , Huang Guoyong
Published: July 2014

Objectives

To examine retrospectively the relationship between acute kidney injury (AKI) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and the association between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at admission and AKI outcome.

Methods

AKI was defined as an increase in serum creatinine (SCr) by ≥0.3 mg/dl within 48 h or an increase in SCr to ≥1.5 times baseline within the first 7 days of hospitalization. Patients with AMI were divided into subgroups according to their eGFR at admission and the development of AKI.

Results

This study enrolled 396 patients with AMI; 48 (12.1%) developed AKI. In-hospital mortality was 39.6% (19/48) for patients with AKI compared with 7.5% (26/348) in those without AKI (odds ratio [OR] 8.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.02, 16.39). The mortality rate was 35.7% (five of 14) in the eGFR ≥ 60 ml/min/1.73m2 with AKI group (OR 6.21, 95% CI 1.50, 25.69) and 41.2% (14/34) in the eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73m2 with AKI group (OR 12.62, 95% CI 5.54, 28.74).

Conclusions

AKI development was common and associated with mortality in AMI patients with either preserved or impaired eGFR levels.
Pathological Features and Proposed Diagnostic Criteria of Porcine Periweaning Failure-to-Thrive Syndrome
Authors: Huang Y. , Harding J. C. S.
Published: July 2014

Porcine periweaning failure-to-thrive syndrome (PFTS) is a clinical syndrome characterized by anorexia and progressive debilitation of newly weaned pigs. The objectives of the current case-control study were to describe the histopathologic features of PFTS in North America and test for selected pathogens in case and control pigs on 8 farms allegedly fulfilling the clinical definition of PFTS. Based on observations during farm visits, 5 farms fully met the case definition (PFTS farms), whereas 3 farms only partially fulfilled the definition (NON-PFTS farms). Necropsy and histopathologic examination were performed on case (n = 8 or 9) and control (n = 4) pigs from each farm. Superficial gastritis, which was mainly localized in the fundus and characterized by attenuation of superficial foveolar cells, was significantly more frequent in case pigs from PFTS farms compared with all the other pigs (odds ratio [OR], 16.7). The same was found for thymic atrophy (OR, 30.1) and small intestinal (SI) villous atrophy in the duodenum (OR, 28.7), jejunum (OR, 67.4), and ileum (OR, 56.3). All pigs with PFTS had at least 2 of these 3 lesions: gastritis, thymic atrophy, and SI villous atrophy. PFTS was not associated with any relevant porcine pathogen tested. We propose the diagnosis of PFTS be based on the fulfillment of the clinical case definition, the presence of the above lesions, and exclusion of other common swine diseases and pathogens. However, PFTS can be ruled out if debilitated pigs do not have at least 2 of the above 3 lesions.
Hyperleptinemia increases the susceptibility of the cortex to generate cortical spreading depression
Authors: Kitamura Eiji , Kanazawa Naomi , Hamada Junichi
Published: July 2014

Background

Obesity is a risk factor for episodic migraine to develop into chronic migraine; hence, it is speculated that obesity and hyperleptinemia are associated with migraine. We hypothesized that leptin is involved in the mechanisms of cortical spreading depression (CSD). Therefore, we examined whether leptin affected a rat model of CSD to clarify the relationship between leptin and migraine.

Methods

We evaluated the effect of intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of leptin on a rat CSD model. We then examined whether once-a-day intraperitoneal administration of leptin for seven days (as a chronic hyperleptinemia model) affected rat CSD models. Finally, we induced CSD in Zucker fatty (ZF) rats, which is a well-known model of obesity.

Results

In the parietal cortex, the percent change in cerebral blood flow and direct current (DC) potential decreased after ICV administration of leptin. A similar decrease in DC potential was observed in rats treated with intraperitoneal leptin. The number of CSDs increased significantly in rats given intraperitoneal leptin and in ZF rats.

Conclusions

The present study suggests that leptin is involved in the mechanisms of CSD.
Headache and sleep: Shared pathophysiological mechanisms
Authors: Holland Philip R
Published: July 2014

Objective

The objective of the current article is to review the shared pathophysiological mechanisms which may underlie the clinical association between headaches and sleep disorders.

Background

The association between sleep and headache is well documented in terms of clinical phenotypes. Disrupted sleep-wake patterns appear to predispose individuals to headache attacks and increase the risk of chronification, while sleep is one of the longest established abortive strategies. In agreement, narcoleptic patients show an increased prevalence of migraine compared to the general population and specific familial sleep disorders have been identified to be comorbid with migraine with aura.

Conclusion

The pathophysiology and pharmacology of headache and sleep disorders involves an array of neural networks which likely underlie their shared clinical association. While it is difficult to differentiate between cause and effect, or simply a spurious relationship the striking brainstem, hypothalamic and thalamic convergence would suggest a bidirectional influence.
Phantom Stock Executive Compensation Plans
Authors: Ellig Bruce R.
Published: July 2014

Unlike the popular market-value stock options, stock awards and stock appreciation plans, phantom stock plans do not involve ownership of publicly-traded stock, although market-based stock may be used as a measurement of the phantom stock plan. Another popular method for valuing phantom stock plans is book value (i.e. assets minus liabilities). It is important to note that phantom stock plans can incorporate any design features of a market-based plan. However, under FAS 123R, phantom plans will be treated as a liability award and subject to a variable accrual, unlike market based plans which are considered equity awards and fixed accounting using a pricing model. The company has a tax deduction at time of the recipient having taxable income in the same amount of such income.
An Examination of the Effect of a Policy Change on Police Use of TASERs
Authors: Bishopp Stephen A. , Klinger David A. , Morris Robert G.
Published: July 2014

The role that department policy plays in shaping how police officers exercise their discretionary powers to use physical force against citizens is a critical issue in the American justice system. Research has established that department policies regarding officers’ use of deadly force effected firearm use and led to reductions in incidents of officers discharging their weapon. There is a noticeable lack of similar evidence on the effects of policy changes regarding the use of non-lethal force. This study describes the results of an assessment of the effect that a change in policy governing a specific type of non-lethal force—TASERs—in one major police department had on officers’ use of the device. The results show that a move to a more restrictive TASER policy led to a reduction in TASER use. The study also reports on the role that factors besides policy play in officers’ TASER usage.
Validation of a basic combined-slip tyre model for use in friction estimation applications
Authors: Bruzelius Fredrik , Hjort Mattias , Svendenius Jacob
Published: July 2014

Tyre modelling is an important part of understanding and estimating the tyre–road friction. In this paper a basic steady-state tyre model for the combined-slip case is derived. The model is intended to be used in friction estimations applications, where the model complexity is of high priority. The model, described using only two parameters, is validated with measured data from various conditions and tyre types using mobile measurement equipment. The performance from the measurements suggests that only two parameters are sufficient for the combined-slip case.
Gear shift schedule design for multi-speed pure electric vehicles
Authors: Zhu Bo , Zhang Nong , Walker Paul , Zhou Xingxing , Zhan Wenzhang , Wei Yueyuan , Ke Nanji
Published: July 2014

As pure electric vehicles are considered to be a major growth trend in the automotive industry, research into and development of efficient electric powertrain systems and related control technologies have become popular research topics. The growing importance and use of multi-speed transmissions in these vehicles make shift schedule design and research a crucial aspect of the powertrain systems design of pure electric vehicles. This paper provides a gear shift schedule calculation method for pure electric vehicles, which includes a dynamic shift schedule and an economic shift schedule calculation method, demonstrating how to optimize the shift points and to produce the upshift and downshift lines based on the motor efficiency map. Through the establishment of a pure electric vehicle model, simulation results show that a properly designed shift schedule can improve the working region of the motor and can refine the dynamic performance and the economic performance of the vehicle. Finally, rig testing results are demonstrated to be comparable with simulations and indicate the correctness of the method.
Simulations of the diesel engine performance with a two-stage sequential turbocharging system at different altitudes
Authors: Shi Xin , Wang Tengteng , Ma Chaochen
Published: July 2014

The turbocharging system of a six-cylinder diesel engine is analysed. It shows that the original single-stage turbocharger cannot meet the requirement that the engine should maintain a certain power output at different altitudes owing to the significant differences in the air density. A two-stage sequential turbocharging system is proposed, and the specific parameters of this turbocharging system are determined on the basis of the required power recovery of this engine. The engine performances at different altitudes with this two-stage sequential turbocharging system are simulated. The results show that, through switching between single-stage turbocharging and two-stage turbocharging, the engine power output can remain the same as that at sea level up to 2000 m and it can be recovered to 80% at 5500 m.
Calibration of a small size hexapod machine tool using coordinate measuring machine
Authors: Zhang Guoqing , Du Jianjun , To Suet
Published: July 2014

Hexapod machine tool (HMT) is a device designed for micro milling; however, the deviations of the HMT’s kinematic parameters due to manufacture and assembly errors can definitely affect its running accuracy. To identify the real kinematic parameters so as to improve the running accuracy of the HMT, a novel calibration test was performed on a bridge-type coordinate measuring machine. In the present research, a mathematical model was derived to present the relationship between pose errors and the errors of kinematic parameters of the HMT, the measurement method based on coordinate measuring machine was designed and a calibration experiment was carried out subsequently. The experimental results reveal that after calibration, both the position errors and orientation errors of the HMT decreased significantly, the symmetrical errors were improved as well. In addition, it is found that the running accuracy of the HMT is running direction dependent, which depends on the HTM’s structures. The present research provides researchers with a new and effective calibration method to improve the running accuracy of HMTs.
The Spontaneous Formation of Stereotypes via Cumulative Cultural Evolution
Authors: Martin Douglas , Hutchison Jacqui , Slessor Gillian , Urquhart James , Cunningham Sheila J. , Smith Kenny
Published: July 2014

All people share knowledge of cultural stereotypes of social groups—but what are the origins of these stereotypes? We examined whether stereotypes form spontaneously as information is repeatedly passed from person to person. As information about novel social targets was passed down a chain of individuals, what initially began as a set of random associations evolved into a system that was simplified and categorically structured. Over time, novel stereotypes emerged that not only were increasingly learnable but also allowed generalizations to be made about previously unseen social targets. By illuminating how cognitive and social factors influence how stereotypes form and change, these findings show how stereotypes might naturally evolve or be manipulated.
The Pre-Anschluss Vienna School of Medicine – The medical scientists: Karl Landsteiner (1868–1943) and Otto Loewi (1873–1961)
Authors: Shaw Lily BZL , Shaw Robert A
Published: July 2014

Two famous medical scientists are described whose major advances were made largely from laboratory-based research. Karl Landsteiner, who received the Nobel Prize in 1930, was the discoverer or co-discoverer of the blood groups and the Rhesus factor. He contributed to the understanding of poliomyelitis, syphilis and typhus. He made major contributions to immunology, inter alia by isolating haptens. After World War I, he left Austria and continued his work initially in the Netherlands and then at the Rockefeller Institute in the USA. Otto Loewi, a pharmacologist, received his Nobel Prize (jointly with his life-long friend, Sir Henry Dale) in 1936 for his discovery that acetylcholine was the chemical agent for the stimulation of autonomic nerves to transmit to the organs they govern. He also made numerous other contributions including the demonstration that amino acids could be converted by animals to proteins. He left Austria after the Anschluss and settled in the USA.
Development of a broadband nonlinear two-degree-of-freedom piezoelectric energy harvester
Authors: Wu Hao , Tang Lihua , Yang Yaowen , Soh Chee Kiong
Published: July 2014

Vibration energy harvesting using piezoelectric material has received great research interest in the recent years. One important concern for the development of piezoelectric energy harvesting is to broaden the operating bandwidth. Various techniques have been proposed for broadband energy harvesting, such as the resonance tuning approach, the frequency up-conversion technique, the multi-modal harvesting, and the nonlinear technique. A recently reported linear 2-degree-of-freedom harvester can achieve two close resonant frequencies both with significant power outputs, using its unique cantilever configuration. This article proposes to incorporate magnetic nonlinearity into the linear 2-degree-of-freedom system, aiming at further broadening its operating bandwidth. Experimental parametric study is carried out to investigate the behavior of such nonlinear 2-degree-of-freedom harvester. Among different configurations, an optimal configuration of the nonlinear 2-degree-of-freedom harvester is obtained to achieve significantly wider bandwidth. A lumped parameter model for such nonlinear 2-degree-of-freedom harvester is developed, and the results provide good validation for the experimental findings.
Romantic Love and Gender Violence
Authors: Yuste Montserrat , Serrano M. Angeles , Girbés Sandra , Arandia Maite
Published: July 2014

Some prevention programs start from the assumption that romantic love triggers gender violence. This assumption has no scientific basis; no links have been found in the literature between romantic love and gender violence. This study explains how the communicative organization of research allows us to challenge discourses that claim the existence of a link between gender violence and romantic love without any evidence. Among other elements, the communicative organization of research implies the existence of an advisory committee, composed, in this case, of adolescents. In this committee, voices heard during fieldwork are contrasted with the literature, including theories on romantic love from the Middle Ages or theories on platonic love, as well as current scientific research. By so doing, examples of romantic love that refute the links to gender violence have been identified.
What Students Say About Gender Violence Within Universities
Authors: Vidu Ana , Schubert Tinka , Muñoz Beatriz , Duque Elena
Published: July 2014

Gender violence in Spanish universities remains a taboo that is in the process of transformation. The first research on this issue was conducted between 2005 and 2008. The main objective was to “break the silence” about violence against women in Spanish academia. To achieve this aim, data collection was conducted through mixed communicative methods. For the interviewees, the context created by this research made it possible for the first time to establish a space to speak openly about this problem, in contrast to the existing context in which aggressors have remained unpunished. The inclusion of students’ voices together with those of administrative staff and professors allowed for the identification of situations of gender violence. This research has had a significant impact on Spanish universities’ policies. Despite some institutional barriers that make the implementation of structural changes more difficult, many offices for equality and protocols against gender violence have been created.
Zero Violence Since Early Childhood
Authors: Oliver Esther
Published: July 2014

Whether it is necessary to intervene in front of violent behaviors since early childhood or not has turned out to be a highly controversial debate. While non-scientific-based discourses are well spread among families and professionals, leading to a process of naturalization and tolerance of any type of violence, research shows that permissive attitudes can lead to a socialization in which violence and gender violence are normalized, with serious and devastating long-term consequences. In this article, a dialogic recreation of knowledge performed in this area is analyzed as an example of how researchers can contribute to dismantle myths and false assumptions by engaging in dialogue with the end-users (i.e., teachers, families, professionals). As a result of this dialogue, not only scientific knowledge is enriched but also a process of thorough problematization of long-standing and embedded social practices can lead to important social transformations.
Contributions for Eradicating Gender Violence
Authors: Valls-Carol Rosa
Published: July 2014

In this article, we analyze the case of a women’s group that works within a democratic adult education movement that uses some principles of the Communicative Methodology as their methodological foundation. In this group, housewives, domestic workers, women without university degrees, and immigrant women meet with researchers and academic women to engage in egalitarian dialogue and reflect together about the causes of gender violence and the strategies to overcome it. The communicative basis of the group’s organization reflects how the dialogic turn of societies has moved through diverse spaces and contexts of human interaction and knowledge creation, such as feminism. In this group, knowledge of both daily life and international research are integrated through women’s dialogue. Critical thoughts and knowledge emerge and have a transformative impact on preventing and overcoming gender violence.
The Relation of Familiarity With Sexual Abusers to Subsequent Developmental Adaptation in Youths Who Have Sexually Offended
Authors: Berman Ariel K. , Knight Raymond A.
Published: July 2014

The present study explored the effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) on the adaptation of male juveniles who subsequently sexually offended (JSOs; n = 178; age, M = 16.05 years, SD = 0.27, range = 12-22). It examined multiple levels of interpersonal closeness between the perpetrators of sexual abuse and their JSO victims. JSOs who were sexually abused by older children or adults who cohabitated with them for at least 3 months reported higher levels of emotional dysregulation, callousness/manipulativeness, and sexualization than did both JSOs who were sexually abused by someone they had never lived with and JSOs who reported no experiences of sexual abuse. Implications of these findings are discussed.
‘We are all responsible now’: Governmentality and responsibilized subjects in corporate social responsibility
Authors: Siltaoja Marjo , Malin Virpi , Pyykkönen Miikka
Published: July 2014

The corporate social responsibility promise is a fascinating one: companies are able and willing to regulate themselves, and self-regulation is manifested in collaborative efforts that promote individual well-being. Yet, this macro-level promise has a silenced flip side in organizational contexts. We argue that corporate social responsibility has diffused the idea of employee responsibilization into organizational environments, so it entails a dual role for employees: employees become both the objects and the subjects of corporate social responsibility. The primary aim of this article is thus to develop a theoretical understanding that acknowledges the role of individual members of the organization in communicating and defining corporate social responsibility while taking into consideration the well-being perspective. We draw on critical management studies as a form of counter-conduct towards mainstream theorizing and seek an alternative to Freirean critical dialogue as a tool to promote empowerment alongside ethics in corporate social responsibility.
Cost-utility analysis of a telehealth programme for patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treated with long-term oxygen therapy
Authors: Jódar-Sánchez Francisco , Ortega Francisco , Parra Carlos , Gómez-Suárez Cristina , Bonachela Patricia , Leal Sandra , Pérez Pablo , Jordán Ana , Barrot Emilia
Published: July 2014

We conducted a cost-utility analysis of a telehealth programme for patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared with usual care. A randomized controlled trial was carried out over four months with 45 patients treated with long-term oxygen therapy, 24 in the telehealth group (TG) and 21 in the control group (CG). The analysis took into account whether the severity of comorbidity (defined as the presence of additional chronic diseases co-occurring with COPD) was associated with differences in costs and/or quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Results of cost-utility analysis were expressed in terms of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). The average total cost was €2300 for the TG and €1103 for the CG, and the average QALY gain was 0.0059 for the TG and 0.0006 for the CG (resulting an ICER of 223,726 €/QALY). For patients without comorbidity, the average total cost was €855 for the TG and €1354 for the CG, and the average QALY gain was 0.0288 for the TG and 0.0082 for the CG (resulting in the telehealth programme being the dominant strategy). For patients with comorbidity, the average total cost was €2782 for the TG and €949 for the CG, and the average QALY gain was −0.0017 for the TG and −0.0041 for the CG (resulting an ICER of 754,592 €/QALY). The telehealth programme may not have been cost-effective compared to usual care, although it could be considered cost-effective for patients without comorbidity.
Showing engagement or not: The influence of social identification and group deadlines on individual control strategies
Authors: Woltin Karl-Andrew , Sassenberg Kai
Published: July 2014

People often work together in groups that have to reach goals in a given time frame. Nonetheless, the impact of deadlines on group members’ self-control has not been studied so far. Here this topic is addressed by integrating the action-phase model (Heckhausen, 1999), which postulates the use of different self-control strategies during individual-level goal pursuit, with the social identity approach. It was predicted and found in two studies that highly identified group members, in contrast to those who were only weakly identified, responded to a group’s deadline phase (pre vs. post) by showing phase-appropriate patterns of engagement and disengagement. Study 1 measured identification and assessed intentions and behavioral indicators of self-control. Study 2 manipulated identification and assessed self-reports of intended self-control strategies. Overall, the findings corroborate the notion that the social self can serve as a basis for self-regulation.
A Critical Reexamination of the Effect of Antiabortion Legislation in the Post-Casey Era
Authors: Medoff Marshall H. , Dennis Christopher
Published: July 2014

Michael J. New, in a recent article in this journal, argues that a major reason for the decline in the incidence of abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court's 1992Caseydecision was the increased number of antiabortion laws—parental involvement laws and informed consent laws—enacted at the state level. However, New's analysis contained critical data, measurement, methodological and estimation errors. This article details all the errors and then reexamines the effect of restrictive state abortion laws on the incidence of abortion over the period 1985–2005. The empirical results find little evidence that the decline in the number of abortions performed since the U.S. Supreme Court's 1992Caseydecision was due to the increase in the number of informed consent and parental involvement laws enacted.
Another Critical Review of New's Reanalysis of the Impact of Antiabortion Legislation
Authors: Medoff Marshall H. , Dennis Christopher
Published: July 2014

In New's response to our article he concedes that (1) his dataset had over 150 misclassification errors, (2) used an incorrect weight to correct for heteroscedasticity, (3) did not control for interstate travel by women to an out-of-state abortion provider, and (4) some of his empirical results are numerically implausible. Unfortunately, in New's reanalysis he makes many of the same errors as in his original article. Ironically, New's empirical evidence in Table 3 of his reassessment article corroborates our findings that informed consent laws (all statistically insignificant in his Table 3) had no measurable impact on the abortion rate of all women of childbearing age, adult women or teen minors over the period 1985- 2005. Moreover, New fails to acknowledge that he has a conflict of interest. He is an adjunct scholar with the self-proclaimed antiabortion Charlotte Lozier Institute. In addition, on September 15, 2012 at the annual meeting of Value Voters sponsored by the antiabortion Family Research Council, he told an audience of social conservatives that to stop abortions they should support legislation in states that would length the waiting period to have an abortion to nine months (audio available).
Should We Measure Professionalism with an Index? A Note on Theory and Practice in State Legislative Professionalism Research
Authors: Bowen Daniel C. , Greene Zachary
Published: July 2014

Legislative professionalism has played a prominent role in state politics research for decades. Despite the attention paid to its causes and consequences, recent research has largely set aside questions about professionalism's conceptualization and operationalization. Usually measuring it as an aggregate index, scholars theoretically and empirically treat professionalism as a unidimensional concept. In this article, we argue that exclusive use of aggregate indices can limit state politics research. Using a new dataset with almost 40 years of data on state legislative resources, salary, and session length, we reconsider the validity of using an index to study professionalism across the states. We evaluate the internal consistency of professionalism components over time, the relationship between components and the Squire Index, and the degree to which professionalism components are unidimensional using classical multidimensional scaling. We find enough commonality and enough variation between professionalism components to support a range of measurement strategies like the use of unidimensional indices (such as the Squire Index), disaggregating the components and analyzing their effects individually, or formulating multidimensional measures. Scholars should take care to choose the appropriate measure of the concept that best fits the causal relationships under examination.
Simulator-Based Assessment of Haptic Surgical Skill
Authors: Singapogu Ravikiran B. , Long Lindsay O. , Smith Dane E. , Burg Timothy C. , Pagano Christopher C. , Prabhu Varun V. , Burg Karen J. L.
Published: July 2014

The aim of this study was to examine if the forces applied by users of a haptic simulator could be used to distinguish expert surgeons from novices. Seven surgeons with significant operating room expertise and 9 novices with no surgical experience participated in this study. The experimental task comprised exploring 4 virtual materials with the haptic device and learning the precise forces required to compress the materials to various depths. The virtual materials differed in their stiffness and force-displacement profiles. The results revealed that for nonlinear virtual materials, surgeons applied significantly greater magnitudes of force than novices. Furthermore, for the softer nonlinear and linear materials, surgeons were significantly more accurate in reproducing forces than novices. The results of this study suggest that the magnitudes of force measured using haptic simulators may be used to objectively differentiate experts’ haptic skill from that of novices. This knowledge can inform the design of virtual reality surgical simulators and lead to the future incorporation of haptic skills training in medical school curricula.
Thought self-leadership and effectiveness in self-management teams
Authors: Quinteiro Pedro Marques , Passos Ana , Curral Luís
Published: July 2014

This study empirically examines the multilevel nature of thought self-leadership at work. Furthermore, this study tests the relationship between team level thought self-leadership and team effectiveness (i.e. performance and viability) through collective efficacy. A total of 103 self-management teams (453 individuals), enrolled in a five-week management competition participated in the study. The results from multilevel confirmatory factor analysis suggest that thought self-leadership is functionally equivalent across levels of analysis (i.e. individuals and teams). In addition, we found an indirect effect of team level thought self-leadership on team effectiveness criteria, through collective efficacy. These findings extend previous work on thought self-leadership and team effectiveness, and open new roads for research in self-managing work teams. Finally, this study also provides guidelines for organizations in case they wish to foster team performance and viability in their work force.
Interrupting the Courtroom Organism: Screaming Bodies, Material Affects and the Theatre of Cruelty
Authors: Brooks Victoria
Published: July 2014

This article offers a method of reading the courtroom which produces an alternative mapping of the space. My method combines a reading of Antonin Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty with a Deleuzian theoretical analysis. I suggest that this is a useful method since it allows examination of the spatial praxes of the courtroom which pulsate with a power to organize, terrorize and to judge. This method is also able to conceptualize the presence of ‘‘screaming’’ bodies and living matter which are appropriated to build, as well as feed the presence and functioning of the courtroom space, or organism. By using a method that articulates the cry of these bodies in the shadow of the organism, it becomes clear that this cry is both unwelcome and suppressed by the courtroom. The howl of anxious bodies enduring the process and space of the law can be materialized through interruptions to the courtroom, such as when bodies stand when they should not and when they speak when they should be silent. These vociferous actualizations of the scream serve only to feed the organism they seek to disturb, yet if the scream is listened to before it disrupts, the interruption becomes-imperceptible to the courtroom. Through my Artaudian/Deleuzian reading, I give a voice to the corporeal gasp that lingers before the cry, which is embedded within the embodied multiplicity from which it is possible to draw a creative line of flight. The creative momentum of this line of flight produces a sustainable interruption to the courtroom process, which instead of being consumed by the system, has the potential to produce new courtroom alignments. My text therefore offers an alternative reading of the courtroom, and in doing so also offers a refined understanding of how to productively ‘‘interrupt’’ the courtroom process.
Gender Victimization
Authors: Ayodele Johnson Oluwole
Published: July 2014

Badagry is the first community to receive the Christian religion in Nigeria. For this, every good reason exists to suppose that its coming into early contact with the missionaries should have caused the Ogu people to acquire a healthier understanding of fair play in the context of widowhood practices. Regrettably, they seem to respond more slowly to change in their attitudes to widows. Thus, despite the overwhelming presence of Christian relics in the ancient town of Badagry, traditional customs such as wife inheritance and widowhood rites have continued to appear significantly associated with violence against which women are not well-protected. “Gender Victimization: A Study of Widowhood Practices” among Ogu People of Lagos is the focus of this study. Quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted for the study. Thus, five in-depth interviews and three focus group discussion instruments were used to collect primary data, which were used to complement quantitative data. Although quantitative data were subjected to univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses, qualitative data were cleaned, reorganized into themes and analyzed. The study found that much as the Ogu people of Lagos acknowledge the position of the scriptures on society’s non-criminal relation with widows, they still believe that their culture comfortably drives the greater proportion of their widow-friendly interactions. This study suggests that the adoption of cultural best practices in handling women and their peculiar issues will tone down violence in customary widowhood practices and enable women who lost their husbands in circumstances beyond their controls access community-based support.