bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Positive Effects of Customers’ Power on Their Behavioral Responses After Service Failure
Authors: Sembada Agung , Tsarenko Yelena , Tojib Dewi
Published: May 2016

Challenging the conventional perception that “power corrupts,” the authors assert that activation of customer power before a service encounter can lead to less negative behavioral manifestations toward a service provider after a service failure. Three experimental studies help substantiate this contention. Study 1 shows a sequential mediation process of how increased power leads to a more positive secondary appraisal and lessens the perceived severity of a failure. This process ultimately leads to (1) lower intentions for revenge and (2) lower demanded compensation. Study 2 solidifies these findings using stimuli for power inducement easily replicable by service managers. Study 3 establishes the boundary conditions and finds that the positive effects of power in postservice failure only holds for a single service failure context but not a double deviation context. This research offers an integrated explanation of how power leads to more positive behavioral actions through a sequential mediation effect involving cognitive appraisals. In doing so, this research sheds light on the nuances of power in affecting customer behavior. The practical method of activating perceived power may motivate service managers to apply it to buffer the potential negative effects of service failure. However, caution is advised, as such effects may diminish in the context of a series of failed resolution attempts.
A Search for Missing Links
Authors: Auh Seigyoung , Bowen David E. , Aysuna Ceyda , Menguc Bulent
Published: May 2016

We search for “missing links” in how the different social exchange relationships employees have with supervisors (i.e., leader-member exchange [LMX] differentiation) affect their unit service climate perceptions. Drawing on a social comparison perspective, we propose a model in which the different relationships service employees establish with supervisors negatively impact unit service climate through elevated unit relationship conflict. We further suggest that unit relationship conflict plays a mediating role as customer variability increases. Using data from head nurse-nurse relationships in 56 units of two major hospitals, our findings support the proposed linkages as well as reveal that employee perceptions of customer variability strengthen the troublesome positive link between LMX differentiation and unit relationship conflict. The results also indicate that unit relationship conflict mediates the relationship between LMX differentiation and unit service climate when customer variability is high but not low. Our results paint a more nuanced picture of the missing link in the leadership-climate interface by studying the dark side of leadership, a perspective that has yet to receive much scholarly attention. Findings reveal that managers who desire to keep relationship conflict in check need to keep LMX differentiation to a minimum, especially when customer variability is high compared to low.
Fatigue and Oxidative Stress in Children Undergoing Leukemia Treatment
Authors: Rodgers Cheryl , Sanborn Chelse , Taylor Olga , Gundy Patricia , Pasvogel Alice , Moore Ida M. (Ki) , Hockenberry Marilyn J.
Published: May 2016

Fatigue is a frequent and distressing symptom in children undergoing leukemia treatment; however, little is known about factors influencing this symptom. Antioxidants such as glutathione can decrease symptom severity in adult oncology patients, but no study has evaluated antioxidants’ effects on symptoms in pediatric oncology patients. This study describes fatigue patterns and associations of fatigue with antioxidants represented by reduced glutathione (GSH) and the reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio among children receiving leukemia treatment. A repeated measures design assessed fatigue and antioxidants among 38 children from two large U.S. cancer centers. Fatigue was assessed among school-age children and by parent proxy among young children. Antioxidants (GSH and GSH/GSSG ratio) were assessed from cerebrospinal fluid at four phases during leukemia treatment. Young children had a steady decline of fatigue from the end of induction treatment through the continuation phase of treatment, but no significant changes were noted among the school-age children. Mean antioxidant scores varied slightly over time; however, the GSH/GSSG ratios in these children were significantly lower than the normal ratio. Mean GSH/GSSG ratios significantly correlated to fatigue scores of the school-age children during early phases of treatment. Children with low mean GSH/GSSG ratios demonstrated oxidative stress. The low ratios noted early in therapy were significantly correlated with higher fatigue scores during induction and postinduction treatment phases. This finding suggests that increased oxidative stress during the more intensive phases of therapy may explain the experience of fatigue children report.
Association of the Genetic Polymorphisms RRM1 −756T>C and −269C>A With Cervical Neoplasia
Authors: Chang Ching-Wen , Yang Shun-Fa , Wang Po-Hui , Chang Hsiu-Ju , Liu Wen-Chi , Tsai Hsiu-Ting
Published: May 2016

Cervical neoplasia is one of the most prevalent malignant neoplasms worldwide. Ribonucleotide reductase 1 (RRM1) is thought to play an essential role in modulating the development and progression of cervical neoplasia. Two novel genetic polymorphisms, RRM1 −756T>C and −269 C>A, are significantly correlated with RRM1 expression. Some epidemiological studies have demonstrated that genetic variants play a crucial role in susceptibility to cervical cancer. The present study aimed to identify the genetic polymorphisms RRM1 −756T>C and −269 C>A in patients with cervical neoplasia and healthy controls. In total, 493 subjects, comprising 324 healthy controls and 169 patients with cervical neoplasia, were enrolled for this study. The allelic discrimination of the RRM1 −756T>C (rs11030918) and −269C>A (rs12806698) polymorphisms was assessed using the ABI StepOne™ real-time polymerase chain reaction system and analyzed using Software Design Specification (SDS), Version 3.0, software with TaqMan assays. The risk of cervical cancer was examined, revealing adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of 1.25 [0.51, 3.08] and 1.09 [0.43, 2.78] for individuals with CC alleles of RRM1 −756T>C and for individuals with AA alleles of RRM1 −269C>A genetic polymorphisms, respectively, compared to individuals with wild-type RRM1 genetic polymorphisms. No significant genetic interaction effect was observed in susceptibility to cervical neoplasia, and no association was found between genetic polymorphisms and clinical statuses of invasive cervical cancer. The genetic polymorphisms RRM1 −756T>C and −269C>A may not be a factor for susceptibility to cervical neoplasia.
Iranian homosexuals; social identity formation and question of femininity
Authors: Karimi Aryan
Published: May 2016

Homosexuality and homosexual subjects have been oppressed during the sociocultural transformations of contemporary Iran while femiphobic attitudes have been central to this marginalization. Notwithstanding the profound distortion of the concepts of femininity and masculinity in the course of the modernization and islamization of the country, defeminization of the public space and prioritization of the masculinity in gender discourses have been crucial to all social transitions that intend to feed their desired social-ideal identity. Iranian homosexuals, who are condemned both for their sexuality and nonconformist gender effeminacy, have recently formed fictive kinships and backstage friendship groups in order to negotiate and attain a new social identity. In this paper I will examine the basic reasons behind the rejection of homosexuality in Iran and the ventures of the Iranian gays into cyberspace and back to society, while struggling to construct a new feminine-admissive social identity. The final part of this study is devoted to the discussion of the seat of femininity, particularly effeminacy, among Iranians. The paper concludes with demonstrating the incomplete social identity formation of gays, but also envisages a rising divergence in Iranian youths’ gender behaviors which grants the likelihood of negotiating the newly developed social identity to homosexuals.
The borderland
Authors: Marsico Giuseppina
Published: May 2016

People travel for tourism, for working, for escaping from the home country, for missionary reasons or for exploring new lands. By so doing, they cross borders which make their own identity different from the previous state becoming a migrant, an exiled, a tourist, a helper or a conqueror. Border shows its difficulties in being unambiguously defined. For instance, to which of the contiguous areas it belongs? Neither one of the single-bounded regions is sufficient for that. Border is not just a non-place, but is a space with its own characteristics that makes living there very specific, regulating the dynamic with the surroundings and even the way of thinking, acting and feeling. Living in a borderland makes the identity of the inhabitants and their meaning-making process very peculiar. The way in which the border residents perceive the relationship between the self, the others and the environment, as well as their process of meaning-making is unavoidably linked with the existence of the border itself, with all its ambivalent theoretical features and practical implications in settling the daily activities and the human psychological functioning.
Ambulance-based assessment of NIH Stroke Scale with telemedicine: A feasibility pilot study
Authors: Barrett Kevin M , Pizzi Michael A , Kesari Vivek , TerKonda Sarvam P , Mauricio Elizabeth A , Silvers Scott M , Habash Ranya , Brown Benjamin L , Tawk Rabih G , Meschia James F , Wharen Robert , Freeman William D
Published: May 2016

Background

Ischemic stroke is a time-sensitive disease, with improved outcomes associated with decreased time from onset to treatment. It was hypothesised that ambulance-based assessment of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) using a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)–compliant mobile platform immediately prior to arrival is feasible.

Methods

This is a proof-of-concept feasibility pilot study in two phases. The first phase consisted of an ambulance-equipped HIPAA-compliant video platform for remote NIHSS assessment of a simulated stroke patient. The second phase consisted of remote NIHSS assessment by a hospital-based neurologist of acute stroke patients en route to our facility. Five ambulances were equipped with a 4G/LTE-enabled tablet preloaded with a secure HIPAA-compliant telemedicine application. Secondary outcomes assessed satisfaction of staff with the remote platform.

Results

Phase one was successful in the assessment of three out of three simulated patients. Phase two was successful in the assessment of 10 out of 11 (91%) cases. One video attempt was unsuccessful because local LTE was turned off on the device. The video signal was dropped transiently due to weather, which delayed NIHSS assessment in one case. Average NIHSS assessment time was 7.6 minutes (range 3–9.8 minutes). Neurologists rated 83% of encounters as ‘satisfied’ to ‘very satisfied’, and the emergency medical service (EMS) rated 90% of encounters as ‘satisfied’ to ‘very satisfied’. The one failed video attempt was associated with ‘poor’ EMS satisfaction.

Conclusion

This proof-of-concept pilot demonstrates that remote ambulance-based NIHSS assessment is feasible. This model could reduce door-to-needle times by conducting prehospital data collection.
Endovascular intervention for deep venous thrombosis in patients with inferior vena cava filters
Authors: Karageorgiou John , Fowler Kathryn , Vedantham Suresh , Saad Nael
Published: May 2016

Patients with inferior vena cava (IVC) filter-associated deep venous thrombosis (DVT) are a challenging subset of patients for endovascular intervention. Given the lack of available data pertaining to this clinical scenario, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the authors’ experience with the use of endovascular treatment for DVT in patients with IVC filters. Primary aims included assessing the technical and clinical success, complications, and clinical patency in these patients. This was a retrospective single-center review of adult patients with IVC filters undergoing endovascular treatment of DVT between 1/2005 and 4/2014. Patient electronic medical records were reviewed for demographic data, anticoagulation status, symptoms, symptomatic extremities, extent of thrombosis, therapies received, technical and clinical success, and complications. Query yielded 82 patients (mean 53 years, range 18–96; 66% male), all of whom were included in our analysis. The majority of patients presented with lower extremity pain and swelling, with extensive clot burden despite the use of anticoagulant medication. Treatment elements utilized included pharmacologic lysis in 92%, mechanical thrombectomy in 77%, angioplasty in 63% and stent placement in 50% of patients. Interventions were technically successful in restoring flow in 87% of patients, and clinically successful in improving presenting symptoms in 79% of patients. By SIR criteria, 24% of patients experienced complications (categorized as 10% minor and 14% major). There were two deaths from intracranial hemorrhage. The probability of thrombosis-free survival at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months was 0.85 (CI 0.74–0.93), 0.81 (CI 0.69–0.89), 0.74 (CI 0.62–0.83), 0.70 (CI 0.57–0.8) and 0.70 (CI 0.57–0.8), respectively. Endovascular interventions are usually effective in relieving symptoms in patients with DVT and pre-existing IVC filters. However, these outcomes are achieved with significant complication rates that may exceed those observed when endovascular therapy is provided for other DVT populations.
Social analogical reasoning in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing peers
Authors: Green Adam E , Kenworthy Lauren , Gallagher Natalie M , Antezana Ligia , Mosner Maya G , Krieg Samantha , Dudley Katherina , Ratto Allison , Yerys Benjamin E
Published: May 2016

Analogical reasoning is an important mechanism for social cognition in typically developing children, and recent evidence suggests that some forms of analogical reasoning may be preserved in autism spectrum disorder. An unanswered question is whether children with autism spectrum disorder can apply analogical reasoning to social information. In all, 92 children with autism spectrum disorder completed a social content analogical reasoning task presented via photographs of real-world social interactions. Autism spectrum disorder participants exhibited performance that was well above chance and was not significantly worse than age- and intelligence quotient–matched typically developing children. Investigating the relationship of social content analogical reasoning performance to age in this cross-sectional dataset indicated similar developmental trajectories in the autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children groups. These findings provide new support for intact analogical reasoning in autism spectrum disorder and have theoretical implications for analogy as a metacognitive skill that may be at least partially dissociable from general deficits in processing social content. As an initial study of social analogical reasoning in children with autism spectrum disorder, this study focused on a basic research question with limited ecological validity. Evidence that children with autism spectrum disorder can apply analogical reasoning ability to social content may have long-range applied implications for exploring how this capacity might be channeled to improve social cognition in daily life.
Untended wounds: Non-suicidal self-injury in adults with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Maddox Brenna B , Trubanova Andrea , White Susan W
Published: May 2016

Recent studies have examined non-suicidal self-injury in community and clinical samples, but there is no published research on non-suicidal self-injury in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. This lack of research is surprising, since individuals with autism spectrum disorder have high rates of risk factors for non-suicidal self-injury, including depression and poor emotion regulation skills. Using an online survey, we examined non-suicidal self-injury methods, frequency, severity, functions, and initial motivations in adults with autism spectrum disorder ( n = 42). We also compared their non-suicidal self-injury characteristics to those of a gender-matched group of adults without autism spectrum disorder ( n = 42). Of the participants with autism spectrum disorder, 50% reported a history of non-suicidal self-injury. This proportion is higher than non-suicidal self-injury rates previously reported for college students, adult community samples, and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, which suggests that adults with autism spectrum disorder have increased risk for engaging in non-suicidal self-injury. Women with autism spectrum disorder were significantly more likely to endorse non-suicidal self-injury, relative to men with autism spectrum disorder. A history of non-suicidal self-injury was not related to current depression or emotion dysregulation for the participants with autism spectrum disorder. Non-suicidal self-injury characteristics among the adults with autism spectrum disorder were similar to non-suicidal self-injury in adults without autism spectrum disorder. These preliminary findings highlight the need for increased awareness and further research about non-suicidal self-injury within autism spectrum disorder.
Interaction in Spanish–English bilinguals’ acquisition of syllable structure
Authors: Keffala Bethany , Barlow Jessica A. , Rose Sharon
Published: May 2016

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions:

This study investigated whether language-specific syllable type frequency and complexity exerted cross-language influence on Spanish–English bilingual children’s acquisition of syllable structure.

Design/methodology/approach:

We compared the accuracy of bilingual and monolingual children’s singleton coda and onset cluster productions from Spanish and English single words elicited via a picture-naming task. Task stimuli provided multiple opportunities to produce all possible singleton coda and onset cluster types in each language.

Data and analysis:

Ten typically developing Spanish–English bilingual children (ages: 2;01–4;08) completed the task in each language. Five Spanish and 12 English age-matched monolingual peers completed the same task in their respective languages. Data were analyzed using mixed effects logistic regression. Analyses compared bilinguals’ Spanish and English singleton coda and onset cluster production accuracy rates to those of monolinguals.

Findings/conclusions:

Our results indicate that interaction occurred in bilinguals’ syllable structure acquisition in both languages. Bilinguals’ acquisition of singleton codas was accelerated relative to monolinguals’ in Spanish. Furthermore, bilinguals’ acquisition of complex onsets was accelerated in both Spanish and English. Results did not suggest that bilinguals’ acquisition of English singleton codas was delayed.

Originality:

This is the first study to show that exposure to patterns of linguistic complexity specific to each language can accelerate bilinguals’ acquisition of phonological structure in both languages.

Significance/implications:

Our findings demonstrate that cross-language differences in complexity influence how interaction appears during bilinguals’ phonological acquisition, and suggest further investigation regarding the influence of frequency.
WITHDRAWN: Vocabulary acquisition in Moroccan- and Turkish-heritage children: A comparative study
Authors: Vanbuel Marieke , Boderé Anneleen , Torfs Karen , Jaspaert Koen
Published: May 2016

This article was accidentally published in Volume 22 Issue 1 with two different DOIs.

The incorrect version of the article with DOI: 10.1177/1367006916648412 ( International Journal of Bilingualism; 22 (1): 3–15) has been withdrawn.

The correct and citable version of the article is as follows: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1367006916652139 ( International Journal of Bilingualism; 22 (1): 38–50).
Living the good life: Muslim women’s magazines in contemporary Russia
Authors: Rabinovich Tatiana
Published: May 2016

Muslim women’s magazines are an emerging genre of media production in today’s Russia. They represent a venue where a gendered Muslim subject is constituted, and discourses about national and transnational belonging are articulated. These processes take place against the backdrop of complex post-Soviet nation building, the resurgence of nationalism and xenophobia, gendered moralization campaigns, the promotion of an urban middle-class modernity, general decline in income levels of ordinary people and political instability in the larger Muslim world. This article examines the narratives that circulate in Muslim Magazine and Musulmanka and analyzes the modes of belonging and recognition that they espouse. I argue that the magazines depict respectable and productive Muslim citizens of Russia who are normalized and assimilated through the replication of privileged consumption norms and of labor and leisure practices. The intimate juxta-political publics that flourish on the pages of these magazines endorse a disciplined minority citizen who adheres to dominant gender norms. This incorporates difference into legible similarity and relegates contentious politics of gender, class and racial privilege to the private domain. Along with the (unrequited) desire for national belonging, these magazines demonstrate affiliations with the global ummah. These discourses are frequently saturated with depoliticizing emotion and operate through exclusions. Hence, through the disciplining power of the market and intimacy, these magazines articulate desires for national belonging. Simultaneously, they reveal affective transnational attachments, which although expanding the possibilities of belonging significantly constrain them.
The post-secular
Authors: Fordahl Clayton
Published: May 2016

In the twentieth century, the social scientific study of religion was dominated by debates surrounding secularization. Yet throughout its reign, secularization theory was subject to a series of theoretical and empirical challenges. Pronouncements of a forthcoming revolution in theory were frequent, yet secularization theory remained largely undisturbed. However, recent years have seen secularization theory decreased in status. Some have located its heir in the post-secular, yet the concept has invited fractious debate. This article surveys a range of engagements with the post-secular, seeking to identify convergences that sit beneath an otherwise divided field. While this survey reveals the failure of the post-secular to fully supplant secularization theory, it does find that central debates in the field today have departed significantly from earlier generations of scholarship, particularly in a reflexivity toward the field’s basic concepts, a skepticism of teleological theories of history, and a renewed focus on the relationship between religion and politics.
The effect of emotional intelligence on police officers’ work–life balance
Authors: Kumarasamy Mokana Muthu , Pangil Faizuniah , Mohd Isa Mohd Faizal
Published: May 2016

Work–life balance is a main concern for employees and employers alike, because a work–life imbalance can cause stress and health-related problems among workers. This study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence and work–life balance among police officers, and also the impact of organizational support as a moderator in this relationship. The data were collected from 1566 police officers in Peninsular Malaysia. Data was analyzed using the Partial Least Square (PLS) method. The results showed a significant and positive relationship between emotional intelligence and work–life balance. Organizational support was also found to moderate this relationship. These findings suggest that to achieve a work–life balance, police officers must have emotional intelligence, and the presence of organizational support would strengthen this relationship. Hence, in managing police officers’ work–life balance, it is important to enhance their emotional intelligence and implement organizational support policies.
An approach for bicycle’s kinematic analysis
Authors: Huang L
Published: May 2016

This article presents an approach for the kinematic analysis of a bicycle. The kinematic model is established to show rigorously the effects of the steering and roll actions on the positions (linear and angular) and velocities of the main parts of the bicycle. Their relations with the key parameters of bicycle’s motion including trail and the effective steering angle are also established.
Improvement in impact resistance performance of glass/epoxy composite through carbon nanotubes and silica nanoparticles
Authors: Naghizadeh Zahra , Faezipour Mehdi , Pol Mohammad Hossein , Liaghat Gholam Hossein , Abdolkhani Ali
Published: May 2016

Experimental studies are presented on the high velocity impact behavior of nanomaterial dispersed resin viz laminates made using E-glass fabric with epoxy resin. The nanomaterials used are silica nanoparticles and carboxyl functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (COOH-MWCNT) for polymer matrix composites. The composites' ballistic limit ( Vbl) and impact energy absorbed ( Eab) were determined by subjecting the material to impact loading of 85, 100, and 112 m/s by conical nose projectile. It was found that the high velocity impact response of epoxy composites improved when a nanomaterial was used as reinforcement. COOH-MWCNTs reinforced composites exhibited better energy absorption than silica nanoparticles composites. Moreover, the damage pattern for different types of materials studied is presented. It is observed that the damage size on the target around the point of impact decreases on addition of nanoparticles especially COOH-MWCNTs. Quantitative data are presented for high velocity impact behavior of the seven types of specimens studied.
Breast cancer patient access to social work
Authors: Abbott Yuko K
Published: May 2016

This study was conducted to understand the impact of oncology social work office location on breast cancer patients’ access and utilization of social work services. It also explored the current status of oncology social work offices and the perceptions among Association of Oncology Social Work Listserv members. The frequency and types of interventions and referral time were determined retrospectively. Association of Oncology Social Work Listserv members were surveyed.

Findings

From 461 new breast cancer patient charts, 52 were referred to social work during study period. Face-to-face interventions decreased by 0.8 contact ( p = .0221) and telephone interventions increased by 1.8 contacts ( p = .0293) after social work office was relocated away from clinical area. Referral time to social work services decreased unexpectedly by 14.5 days ( p = .076) after office relocation. Association of Oncology Social Work Listserv survey results identify an office location as possible barrier, though most respondents have a private office in clinical area, accessible to patients. Survey finding is limited due to low response rate.

Applications

There are many challenges to ensuring timey and effective delivery of social work services to breast cancer patients. Social Ecological framework is used to understand the impacts of office location on access to social work services. Study results suggest that office relocation has had mix impacts on patients. Raising awareness of social worker services among patients early in cancer trajectory is needed for patient empowerment and to ensure access to social work services. Further research is needed to understand barriers, identify effective strategies in order to guide and improve clinical practice.
‘Theatre as an eye-opener’: How theatre may contribute to knowledge about living close to persons with dementia
Authors: Gjengedal Eva , Lykkeslet Else , Sæther Wigdis Helen , Sørbø Jan Inge
Published: May 2016

The aim of the study was to show how theatre may yield insight into living close to persons with dementia. Six focus group interviews with health providers and close relatives were conducted. The informants, recruited by the local dementia associations and nursing homes in three Norwegian towns, were invited to see the theatre play Our Wonderful World. Further, they were asked to send written reflections from during and after the play to the project group within one week. Transcripts from the interviews and reflection notes were analysed inspired by a phenomenological approach. After discussion and reflection on each member’s preliminary themes, a common meaning of the informants’ experiences were gained. Informants gave written informed consent and The Norwegian Social Sciences Data Services assessed the project. Data showed that the two groups of informants had different knowledge of the patients’ earlier life and thoughts of the future. They became aware of how different they experienced their responsibility, and they expressed different attitudes as to how open one should be about the illness. Findings are summarised in four themes: Bright memories and sombre views of the future, Life responsibility versus professional responsibility and Shielding versus openness. The drama creates emotional engagement that enabled the informants to transcend their personal experiences and gain new knowledge.
Travelling concepts in national curriculum policy-making: the example of competencies
Authors: Nordin Andreas , Sundberg Daniel
Published: May 2016

In this paper we will address the impact of Europeanisation on national curriculum reforms with empirical reference to the Swedish compulsory school, and based on the concept of competence discuss the question of transnational curriculum convergence. The main interest is directed towards how the answers to the question of what counts as knowledge and skills are changing in national curricula. The analysis shows that the recent Swedish compulsory school reform converges to the broader European knowledge discourse on the underlying level of philosophical ideas, but also that several core concepts used in European policy texts are being reconceptualised and given a different meaning when recontextualised in the national arena.
Curriculum history or the educational construction of Europe in the long nineteenth century
Authors: Tröhler Daniel
Published: May 2016

Although it is generally acknowledged that the building of mass schooling systems must be considered in close relation to the emerging nation-states of the long 19th century, few published studies discuss the interrelation between the actual foundation of the (nation-) states and the introduction of the modern school. This article examines the role that constitutions play in the construction of national citizens as an expression of a particular cultural understanding of a political entity, and then discusses European examples, indicating how the particular constitutional construction of the citizens of European countries almost immediately triggered the need to create new school laws designed to organize the actual implementation of the constitutionally created citizens. The focus is on the specific need to ‘make’ loyal citizens by creating the symbiosis between the nation and the constitutional state and by emphasizing the cultural differences between the individual nation-states and their overall curricula. The article concludes with a formulation of research desiderata which envision a transnational curriculum history that is emancipated from both national and global research agendas, enabling a European education history that respects cultural distinctions rather than levelling them into one grand narrative.
A preliminary study of brain macrovascular reactivity in impaired glucose tolerance and type-2 diabetes: Quantitative internal carotid artery blood flow using magnetic resonance phase contrast angiography
Authors: Selvarajah Dinesh , Hughes Timothy , Reeves Josie , Boland Elaine , Marques Jefferson , Gandhi Rajiv , Griffiths Paul D , Tesfaye Solomon , Wilkinson Iain D
Published: May 2016

Objective:

The aims of this study were (1) to examine cerebrovascular autoregulation in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes and (2) to clarify whether cardiovascular autonomic nerve function is associated with abnormal cerebrovascular autoregulation.

Research design and methods:

Totally, 46 subjects were recruited (12 = impaired glucose tolerance, 17 = type 2 diabetes and 17 = healthy volunteers). Arterial blood flow was assessed within the internal carotid artery at baseline and 20 min after intravenous pharmacological stress (1 g acetazolamide), using quantitative magnetic resonance phase-contrast angiography. Internal carotid artery vascular reactivity and pulsatility index was determined. All subjects underwent baroreceptor reflex sensitivity assessment.

Results:

Subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes had significantly lower internal carotid artery vascular reactivity [40.2%(19.8) and 41.5%(18.7)], respectively, compared with healthy volunteers [57.0%(14.2); analysis of variance, p = 0.02]. There was no significant difference in internal carotid artery vascular reactivity between type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance groups ( p = 0.84). There was a significant positive correlation between baroreceptor reflex sensitivity (low frequency:high frequency) with cardiac rhythm variability (ρ = 0.47, p = 0.04) and PI (ρ = 0.46, p = 0.04).

Conclusion:

We have demonstrated significant cerebrovascular haemodynamic abnormalities in subjects with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance. This was associated with greater sympathovagal imbalance. This may provide an important mechanistic explanation for increased risk of cerebrovascular disease in diabetes. It also highlights that these abnormalities may already be present in prediabetes.
Program Implementation Approaches to Build and Sustain Health Care Coordination for Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Fitzgerald Tania M. , Williams Pam A. , Dodge Julia A. , Quinn Martha , Heminger Christina L. , Moultrie Rebecca , Taylor Olivia , Nelson Belinda W. , Lewis Megan A.
Published: May 2016

Background: As more people enter the U.S. health care system under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it is increasingly critical to deliver coordinated, high-quality health care. The ACA supports implementation and sustainability of efficient health care models, given expected limits in available resources. This article highlights implementation strategies to build and sustain care coordination, particularly ones consistent with and reinforced by the ACA. It focuses on disease self-management programs to improve the health of patients with type 2 diabetes, exemplified by grantees of the Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes. Method: We conducted interviews with grantee program representatives throughout their 5-year programs and conducted a qualitative framework analysis of data to identify key themes related to care coordination. Results: The most promising care coordination strategies that grantee programs described included establishing clinic–community collaborations, embedding community health workers within care management teams, and sharing electronic data. Establishing provider buy-in was crucial for these strategies to be effective. Discussion: This article adds new insights into strategies promoting effective care coordination. The strategies that grantees implemented throughout the program align with ACA requirements, underscoring their relevance to the changing U.S. health care environment and the likelihood of further support for program sustainability.
From Screwdriver to Dildo
Authors: Pramaggiore Maria
Published: May 2016

This essay examines the depiction of labor in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, paying specific attention to gender and race. It argues that the program’s interest in the historical link between coerced prison labor and enslavement in the United States, as well as the more recent implication of prison privatization in the neoliberal assault on labor rights, is undermined by its privileging of affective and interpersonal dynamics over political solidarity.
The Imperial Legacies of Television within Europe
Authors: Imre Anikó
Published: May 2016

The article argues for creating a mutually beneficial connection between postcolonial and television studies in order to understand how imperial legacies have shaped contemporary television regions. What it contributes to this work, more specifically, is the beginnings of a postcolonial account of intra-European broadcast regions. As both the original center of colonialism and the site of recent global economic, social and cultural crises, Europe is a major reference point in such attempts to re-historicize “empire” in order to understand industrial and ideological configurations within present-day media regions. I zoom in on three examples to highlight the imperial layers that have informed television in Europe: industrial collaborations between East and West, the imperial vestiges of 1960s to 1970s historical adventure series, and the imperial connections that tie together forms of TV comedy across Europe. The three examples demonstrate an opportunity to bypass the obligatory nation-state framework and begin to write the region’s history of television in a postcolonial, regional, and European perspective, outlining the imperial legacies of aesthetic, infrastructural and economic factors that underscore all cultural industries in the region.
Original Research: Metabolic alterations from early life thyroxine replacement therapy in male Ames dwarf mice are transient
Authors: Darcy Justin , Fang Yimin , Hill Cristal M , McFadden Sam , Sun Liou Y , Bartke Andrzej
Published: May 2016

Ames dwarf mice are exceptionally long-lived due to a Prop1 loss of function mutation resulting in deficiency of growth hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone and prolactin. Deficiency in thyroid-stimulating hormone and growth hormone leads to greatly reduced levels of circulating thyroid hormones and insulin-like growth factor 1, as well as a reduction in insulin secretion. Early life growth hormone replacement therapy in Ames dwarf mice significantly shortens their longevity, while early life thyroxine (T4) replacement therapy does not. Possible mechanisms by which early life growth hormone replacement therapy shortens longevity include deleterious effects on glucose homeostasis and energy metabolism, which are long lasting. A mechanism explaining why early life T4 replacement therapy does not shorten longevity remains elusive. Here, we look for a possible explanation as to why early life T4 replacement therapy does not impact longevity of Ames dwarf mice. We found that early life T4 replacement therapy increased body weight and advanced the age of sexual maturation. We also find that early life T4 replacement therapy does not impact glucose tolerance or insulin sensitivity, and any deleterious effects on oxygen consumption, respiratory quotient and heat production are transient. Lastly, we find that early life T4 replacement therapy has long-lasting effects on bone mineral density and bone mineral content. We suggest that the transient effects on energy metabolism and lack of effects on glucose homeostasis are the reasons why there is no shortening of longevity after early life T4 replacement therapy in Ames dwarf mice.
Classification Preictal and Interictal Stages via Integrating Interchannel and Time-Domain Analysis of EEG Features
Authors: Lin Lung-Chang , Chen Sharon Chia-Ju , Chiang Ching-Tai , Wu Hui-Chuan , Yang Rei-Cheng , Ouyang Chen-Sen
Published: May 2016

The life quality of patients with refractory epilepsy is extremely affected by abrupt and unpredictable seizures. A reliable method for predicting seizures is important in the management of refractory epilepsy. A critical factor in seizure prediction involves the classification of the preictal and interictal stages. This study aimed to develop an efficient, automatic, quantitative, and individualized approach for preictal/interictal stage identification. Five epileptic children, who had experienced at least 2 episodes of seizures during a 24-hour video EEG recording, were included. Artifact-free preictal and interictal EEG epochs were acquired, respectively, and characterized with 216 global feature descriptors. The best subset of 5 discriminative descriptors was identified. The best subsets showed differences among the patients. Statistical analysis revealed most of the 5 descriptors in each subset were significantly different between the preictal and interictal stages for each patient. The proposed approach yielded weighted averages of 97.50% correctness, 96.92% sensitivity, 97.78% specificity, and 95.45% precision on classifying test epochs. Although the case number was limited, this study successfully integrated a new EEG analytical method to classify preictal and interictal EEG segments and might be used further in predicting the occurrence of seizures.
Psychological comorbidities and compliance to interventional treatment of patients with cutaneous vascular malformations
Authors: Kenny Stephanie A , Majeed Nevin , Zhand Naista , Glikstein Rafael , Agid Ronit , dos Santos Marlise P
Published: May 2016

Purpose

The aim of this study was to assess qualitatively the psychological stressors affecting patients with cutaneous vascular malformations and hemangiomas (CVM-H) and their impact on compliance to interventional treatment.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was conducted of all patients with CVM-H treated by interventional neuroradiology at a single academic institution during a five-year period (2009–2014). Psychological complaints were documented during each clinic visit by a neuroradiologist. Compliance to interventional treatment was defined by adherence to the scheduled treatment sessions. Fisher’s exact test was used to assess for associations between psychological complaints and compliance.

Results

Seventy-five patients were assessed, of whom 49 (65.3%) were female, with an age range of 2–78 years (mean age 30.2 years). All except one patient older than seven years of age ( n = 71; 94.6%) had a psychological complaint, including fear of negative appearance ( n = 53; 70.6%), dissatisfaction with appearance ( n = 46; 61.3%), low self-esteem ( n = 35; 46.6%), anxiety ( n = 16; 21.3%), stress ( n = 13; 17.3%), bullying ( n = 5; 6.6%), and low mood ( n = 4; 5.3%). Twenty-three (31%) patients were non-compliant. Low self-esteem was significantly associated with non-compliance ( p = 0.0381).

Conclusion

There is a high prevalence of psychological comorbidities among patients treated for CVM-H. This has potential implications for interventional treatment, as it was found that low self-esteem is significantly associated with non-compliance. These results suggest the need for early psychological support in these patients in order to maximize compliance to interventional treatment.
Alternating current electrothermal micromixer with thin film resistive heaters
Authors: Zhang Feng , Chen Han , Chen Bo , Wu Jiankang
Published: May 2016

Alternating current electrothermal flow has been extensively used for mixing of fluids in microfluidic systems. This work presents a novel approach to mixing two laminar flow streams in microchannels. The micromixer consists of a pair of asymmetric planar alternating current electrodes disposed along a fluidic channel and a thin film resistive heater below the electrode. Multiphysics (fluid flow, temperature, electrical, and concentration fields) in the micromixer is studied by numerical simulation method. The results indicate that external heating by the thin film resister leads to flow body forces that are proportional to the temperature gradient and chaotic stretching and folding of fluid material lines. Enhancement of mixing is demonstrated by numerical simulation results. Effects of size and location of the thin film resistive heater on mixing efficiency are also investigated.
Numerical study on condensation heat transfer of trapezoid grooved surfaces
Authors: Qi Baojin , Song Zheli , Li Xiang
Published: May 2016

This article presents a numerical analysis and experimental study on condensation heat transfer and fluid flow for filmwise condensation on trapezoid grooved surfaces. First, a physical model was properly simplified based on some reasonable assumptions. Then, the coupled non-linear governing equations for the mass transfer, fluid flow, and two-dimensional thermal conduction were developed. The relationship between z-coordinate and heat transfer was obtained by solving the equations numerically. The influences of groove length and basic angle were discussed. The calculation results showed that the heat flux decreased with increase in groove length, and the decline range also decreased gradually. The calculation results also suggested that the heat flux through groove with α = 60° was lower than the groove with α = 75° at the top of the groove, while the opposite conclusion was obtained at the low parts. The distributions of wall temperature and heat flux on trapezoid groove were also studied systematically. The distribution of surface temperature and heat flux presents obvious lateral inhomogeneity, and the maximum wall temperature and heat flux were both obtained in region II. The thermal resistance of groove with α = 60° was lower but the liquid-discharged ability was better than that of groove with α = 75°. In order to validate the feasibility and reliability of the present analyses and to further investigate the heat transfer performance of trapezoid grooved surfaces, experiments were carried out with three condensing plates including two trapezoid grooved surfaces in different physical dimensions and one smooth surface. The experimental data obtained under various schooling were compared with the calculations, and the experimental results for different condensing plates are all in good agreement with the numerical model, with a maximum deviation less than 15%. Moreover, the trapezoid grooves can enhance the condensation heat transfer by 1.5–2.5 times higher than the smooth surface. The present analyses are feasible and can be used in the parameter design and heat transfer calculation of trapezoid grooved surfaces.
India is eating the US manufacturer’s lunch
Authors: Sharma Abhishek , Jeewani Rahul
Published: May 2016

Indian pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities have been under regulatory spotlight in recent times. Several large Indian facilities have been issued Warning Letters by the US regulator, creating significant supply chain uncertainty for the companies and the sector. The increasing regulatory action by the United States and other country regulators has also posed a perception problem for Indian companies; as a result long-term prospects for sourcing from India may come under question. In this report, we counter the concerns by comparing generic manufacturing footprint in the United States versus India. We conclude that large-scale plain-vanilla manufacturing has definitively moved to India for the long term with most “non-Indian” generic companies following the trend. In some more complex dosage forms such as injectables, the number of Indian sites are already close to what we have in the United States. Through acquisitions, several Indian companies are also establishing a small manufacturing base in the United States to de-risk their supply chain. We believe that companies with Indian manufacturing base are playing for a long-term sustainable competitive advantage. As the report shows, development of an eco-system of this scale will be hard to replicate anywhere else in the world. We also believe that Indian manufacturing will evolve to incorporate capabilities that are more complex.