bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Superfluous Neuroscience Information Makes Explanations of Psychological Phenomena More Appealing
Authors: Fernandez-Duque Diego , Evans Jessica , Christian Colton , Hodges Sara D.
Published: November 2014

Does the presence of irrelevant neuroscience information make explanations of psychological phenomena more appealing? Do fMRI pictures further increase that allure? To help answer these questions, 385 college students in four experiments read brief descriptions of psychological phenomena, each one accompanied by an explanation of varying quality (good vs. circular) and followed by superfluous information of various types. Ancillary measures assessed participants' analytical thinking, beliefs on dualism and free will, and admiration for different sciences. In Experiment 1, superfluous neuroscience information increased the judged quality of the argument for both good and bad explanations, whereas accompanying fMRI pictures had no impact above and beyond the neuroscience text, suggesting a bias that is conceptual rather than pictorial. Superfluous neuroscience information was more alluring than social science information (Experiment 2) and more alluring than information from prestigious “hard sciences” (Experiments 3 and 4). Analytical thinking did not protect against the neuroscience bias, nor did a belief in dualism or free will. We conclude that the “allure of neuroscience” bias is conceptual, specific to neuroscience, and not easily accounted for by the prestige of the discipline. It may stem from the lay belief that the brain is the best explanans for mental phenomena.
Valence Asymmetries in the Human Amygdala: Task Relevance Modulates Amygdala Responses to Positive More than Negative Affective Cues
Authors: Stillman Paul E. , Van Bavel Jay J. , Cunningham William A.
Published: November 2014

Organisms must constantly balance appetitive needs with vigilance for potential threats. Recent research suggests that the amygdala may play an important role in both of these goals. Although the amygdala plays a role in processing motivationally relevant stimuli that are positive or negative, negative information often appears to carry greater weight. From a functional perspective, this may reflect the fact that threatening stimuli generally require action, whereas appetitive stimuli can often be safely ignored. In this study, we examine whether amygdala activation to positive stimuli may be more sensitive to task goals than negative stimuli, which are often related to self-preservation concerns. During fMRI, participants were presented with two images that varied on valence and extremity and were instructed to focus on one of the images. Results indicated that negative stimuli elicited greater amygdala activity regardless of task relevance. In contrast, positive stimuli only led to a relative increase in amygdala activity when they were task relevant. This suggests that the amygdala may be more responsive to negative stimuli regardless of their relevance to immediate goals, whereas positive stimuli may only elicit amygdala activity when they are relevant to the perceivers' goals. This pattern of valence asymmetry in the human amygdala may help balance approach-related goal pursuit with chronic self-preservation goals.
Neural Correlates of Perceived Confidence in a Partial Report Paradigm
Authors: Graziano Martín , Parra Lucas C. , Sigman Mariano
Published: November 2014

Confidence judgments are often severely distorted: People may feel underconfident when responding correctly or, conversely, overconfident in erred responses. Our aim here was to identify the timing of brain processes that lead to variations in objective performance and subjective judgments of confidence. We capitalized on the Partial Report Paradigm [Sperling, G. The information available in brief visual presentations. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 74, 1, 1960], which allowed us to separate experimentally the moment of encoding of information from that of its retrieval [Zylberberg, A., Dehaene, S., Mindlin, G. B., & Sigman, M. Neurophysiological bases of exponential sensory decay and top–down memory retrieval: A model. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, 3, 2009]. We observed that the level of subjective confidence is indexed by two very specific evoked potentials at latencies of about 400 and 600 msec during the retrieval stage and by a stationary measure of intensity of the alpha band during the encoding period. When factoring out the effect of confidence, objective performance shows a weak effect during the encoding and retrieval periods. These results have relevant implications for theories of decision-making and confidence, suggesting that confidence is not constructed online as evidence is accumulated toward a decision. Instead, confidence attributions are more consistent with a retrospective mechanism that monitors the entire decision process.
Tolerance of Macaque Middle STS Body Patch Neurons to Shape-preserving Stimulus Transformations
Authors: Popivanov Ivo D. , Jastorff Jan , Vanduffel Wim , Vogels Rufin
Published: November 2014

Functional imaging studies in human and nonhuman primates have demonstrated regions in the brain that show category selectivity for faces or (headless) bodies. Recent fMRI-guided single unit studies of the macaque face category-selective regions have increased our understanding of the response properties of single neurons in these face patches. However, much less is known about the response properties of neurons in the fMRI-defined body category-selective regions (“body patches”). Recently, we reported that the majority of single neurons in one fMRI-defined body patch, the mid-STS body patch, responded more strongly to bodies compared with other objects. Here we assessed the tolerance of these neurons' responses and stimulus preference for shape-preserving image transformations. After mapping the receptive field of the single neurons, we found that their stimulus preference showed a high degree of tolerance for changes in the position and size of the stimulus. However, their response strongly depended on the in-plane orientation of a body. The selectivity of most neurons was, to a large degree, preserved when silhouettes were presented instead of the original textured and shaded images, suggesting that mainly shape-based features are driving these neurons. In a human psychophysical study, we showed that the information present in silhouettes is largely sufficient for body versus nonbody categorization. These data suggest that mid-STS body patch neurons respond predominantly to oriented shape features that are prevalent in images of bodies. Their responses can inform position- and retinal size-invariant body categorization and discrimination based on shape.
Interim Trust: A Qualitative Research on an Ecclesial Practice of Trust
Authors: Brouwer Rein
Published: November 2014

This article reports on an explorative, qualitative-empirical research on the meaning of trust between church boards of Dutch protestant congregations and the interim ministers they temporarily employ in-between incumbent ministers. Trust, or the perception of trustworthiness, is analyzed as a social constructed, multi-dimensional phenomenon. Research shows the coherence of several theoretical variables (Risk, Accountability, Encapsulated interest, Autonomy, Reciprocity, Credentials, Performance, and Context) that constitute trust in this particular and specific context. A theological evaluation of the data analysis suggests the emergence of another variable, the ‘givenness’ of trust. In the particular context of the pastoral profession, trust is induced by how the trustee, i.e., the interim minister, in his performance embodies the social identity of the trustor, i.e., the church board, but there is also a dimension grounded in faith in the presence of God.
Understanding Belief: Some Qualitative Evidence
Authors: Salazar Carles
Published: November 2014

The purpose of this paper is to explore the question of religious belief by bringing in some qualitative evidence about the meaning of religious behaviors and ideas. Whereas mainstream cognitive approaches to the study of belief have traditionally focused their attention on the memorability of religious ideas, the problem of meaning has been somehow left unexamined. New approaches have emphasized the role of the so-called “Credibility-Enhancing Displays” in the actual production of religious beliefs. But still there is no clear explanation as to what makes those displays enhance credibility. With the help of data coming from an ethnographic research conducted in an Irish Catholic community, this paper attempts to address the question of religious belief by turning it into a question of meaning, of the transmission of religious meanings and of the constitution of religious beliefs through meaning-producing practices.
The Dependence of Radiative Forcing and Feedback on Evolving Patterns of Surface Temperature Change in Climate Models
Authors: Andrews Timothy , Gregory Jonathan M. , Webb Mark J.
Published: November 2014

Experiments with CO2 instantaneously quadrupled and then held constant are used to show that the relationship between the global-mean net heat input to the climate system and the global-mean surface air temperature change is nonlinear in phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) atmosphere–ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs). The nonlinearity is shown to arise from a change in strength of climate feedbacks driven by an evolving pattern of surface warming. In 23 out of the 27 AOGCMs examined, the climate feedback parameter becomes significantly (95% confidence) less negative (i.e., the effective climate sensitivity increases) as time passes. Cloud feedback parameters show the largest changes. In the AOGCM mean, approximately 60% of the change in feedback parameter comes from the tropics (30°N–30°S). An important region involved is the tropical Pacific, where the surface warming intensifies in the east after a few decades. The dependence of climate feedbacks on an evolving pattern of surface warming is confirmed using the HadGEM2 and HadCM3 atmosphere GCMs (AGCMs). With monthly evolving sea surface temperatures and sea ice prescribed from its AOGCM counterpart, each AGCM reproduces the time-varying feedbacks, but when a fixed pattern of warming is prescribed the radiative response is linear with global temperature change or nearly so. It is also demonstrated that the regression and fixed-SST methods for evaluating effective radiative forcing are in principle different, because rapid SST adjustment when CO2 is changed can produce a pattern of surface temperature change with zero global mean but nonzero change in net radiation at the top of the atmosphere (~−0.5 W m−2 in HadCM3).
Effect of Lake Surface Temperature on the Spatial Distribution and Intensity of the Precipitation over the Lake Victoria Basin
Authors: Sun Xia , Xie Lian , Semazzi Fredrick , Liu Bin
Published: November 2014

A series of sensitivity experiments are performed to investigate the response of precipitation over the Lake Victoria basin (LVB) to the changes of lake surface temperature (LST) using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. It is shown that the default LST initialized from NCEP FNL (Final) Operational Global Analysis is deficient for simulating the rainfall over the LVB. Comparative experiments demonstrate the unambiguous impact of LST on the intensity and pattern of the precipitation over LVB. Intensification/weakening of precipitation over the lake occur with increasing/decreasing LST for both uniform and asymmetrical LST distribution. However, the relationship between rainfall anomalies and LST variations is nonlinear. Replacing the LST directly derived from global weather forecast models by the mean area-averaged LST of Lake Victoria (approximately 24°C) leads to improved rainfall simulation. However, LST with realistic cross-basin gradient is necessary to obtain a rainfall pattern consistent with the observations. The fact that rainfall and wind patterns over the lake are sensitive to LST distribution suggests the need to monitor the mesoscale LST pattern for accurate weather and climate prediction over LVB. It is also found that although the LST distribution exerts significant impact on the observed rainfall pattern, the area and location of the rainband are quite persistent under different LST forcing. This suggests that although the details of the rainfall pattern over LVB are strongly influenced by LST, the broad rainfall pattern is likely controlled by the atmospheric circulation and orography in the region.
Acute Coronary Syndrome in Indian Subcontinent Patients Residing in the Middle East
Authors: Panduranga Prashanth , Sulaiman Kadhim J. , Al-Zakwani Ibrahim , Alhabib Khalid F. , Hersi Ahmad , Suwaidi Jassim Al , Alsheikh-Ali Alawi A. , Almahmeed Wael , Saif Shukri Al , Al-faleh Hussam , Al-Lawati Jawad , Asaad Nidal , Al-Motarreb Ahmed , Amin Haitham
Published: November 2014

We compared baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, and in-hospital outcomes between Middle Eastern Arabs and Indian subcontinent patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Of the 7930 patients enrolled in Gulf Registry of Acute Coronary Events II (RACE II), 23% (n = 1669) were from the Indian subcontinent. The Indian subcontinent patients, in comparison with the Middle Eastern Arabs, were younger (49 vs 60 years; P < .001), more were males (96% vs 80%; P < .001), had lower proportion of higher Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events risk score (8% vs 27%; P < .001), and less likely to be associated with diabetes (34% vs 42%; P < .001), hypertension (36% vs 51%; P < .001), and hyperlipidemia (29% vs 39%; P < .001) but more likely to be smokers (55% vs 29%; P < .001). After multivariable adjustment, the Middle Eastern Arabs were less likely to be associated with in-hospital congestive heart failure (odds ratio [OR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.50-0.86; P = .003) but more likely to be associated with recurrent ischemia (OR 1.33; 95% CI: 1.03-1.71; P = .026) when compared to the Indian subcontinent patients. Despite the baseline differences, there were largely no significant differences in in-hospital outcomes between the Indians and the Middle Eastern Arabs.
Discours commémoratif Muriel Driver 2014
Authors: Dubouloz Claire-Jehanne
Published: November 2014

Description.

L’apprentissage transformateur nécessite une réflexion critique qui agit comme un moteur pour transformer les valeurs, les croyances, les connaissances et les sentiments et pour découvrir le nouveau sens de la vie quotidienne à la suite d’une lésion majeure ou d’une maladie importante. Dans différentes disciplines, la transformation a été conceptualisée comme une expérience transcendante, un processus de renaissance, un processus de recherche de sens et, en ergothérapie, comme un processus lié aux perspectives de sens.

But.

Ce discours commémoratif Muriel Driver explore le concept de la transformation et présente le nouveau modèle du Processus de transformation des perspectives de sens construit à partir de recherches menées auprès de différents groupes de clients en réadaptation.

Question clés.

Le modèle est caractérisé par trois phases : la phase du déclenchement, la phase du changement et la phase des résultats. La réflexion critique d’un client agit comme un catalyseur lui permettant de se déplacer entre les phases et elle est décrite dans ce modèle comme un moment d’ouverture au changement, conduisant à de nouvelles possibilités dans l’agir.

Conséquences.

Le modèle du Processus de transformation des perspectives de sens procure aux ergothérapeutes un outil pour être un ergothérapeute efficace, tout en les incitant à être davantage à l’écoute pour cerner l’affaiblissement et l’émergence des perspectives de sens chez leurs clients et favoriser ainsi leur évolution et leur transformation occupationnelles.
Reducing Bias and Error in the Correlation Coefficient Due to Nonnormality
Authors: Bishara Anthony J. , Hittner James B.
Published: November 2014

It is more common for educational and psychological data to be nonnormal than to be approximately normal. This tendency may lead to bias and error in point estimates of the Pearson correlation coefficient. In a series of Monte Carlo simulations, the Pearson correlation was examined under conditions of normal and nonnormal data, and it was compared with its major alternatives, including the Spearman rank-order correlation, the bootstrap estimate, the Box–Cox transformation family, and a general normalizing transformation (i.e., rankit), as well as to various bias adjustments. Nonnormality caused the correlation coefficient to be inflated by up to +.14, particularly when the nonnormality involved heavy-tailed distributions. Traditional bias adjustments worsened this problem, further inflating the estimate. The Spearman and rankit correlations eliminated this inflation and provided conservative estimates. Rankit also minimized random error for most sample sizes, except for the smallest samples ( n = 10), where bootstrapping was more effective. Overall, results justify the use of carefully chosen alternatives to the Pearson correlation when normality is violated.
Critiquing global capital and colonial (in)justice: Structural violence in Leonard Woolf’s The Village in the Jungle (1913) and Economic Imperialism (1920)
Authors: Davies Dominic
Published: November 2014

By drawing on theories of structural violence and applying them to Leonard Woolf’s first novel, The Village in the Jungle (1913), this article argues that the fictional work allowed Woolf to think through certain political, legal, social, and cultural issues that would later inform and enhance his extensive engagement with, and critique of, global capital and colonial and international judicial systems. Whilst some critics have argued that The Village in the Jungle’s perspectival infiltration into the daily lives of colonized subjects operates as an extension of colonial discourse, this article argues that in fact it is this unusual if not, at the time of its publication, unique perspectival orientation that enables the novel’s interrogation of structural violence. Written from a victim-oriented perspective, the novel excavates the varying layers of structural violence as they are spread both socially and also geographically to show how the colonial administration and its legal system are complicit with, if not actively facilitating, the exploitation of Ceylon by the structures of global capitalism, as well as highlighting the ramifications of the unevenly developing capitalist economy that slowly sutures the island into these cross-national networks. The article concludes by arguing that the novel’s excavation of structural violence is directly related to, and lays important foundations for, Woolf’s thought on exploitative imperialisms and the international judicial system, The League of Nations (of which he was an architect) — as articulated in his later polemic work, Economic Imperialism (1920).
Of greasy notebooks and dirty newspapers: Reading the illegible in The Village in the Jungle
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Priyasha
Published: November 2014

This essay examines the proliferation of colonial bureaucratic documents in Leonard Woolf’s The Village in the Jungle (1913). With these ranging from account-books to gun permits and legal notices, the essay argues that documents play a fundamental yet mundane role in the lives of the novel’s characters. In the varied responses to these documents, from the confusion of the illiterate peasants to the sly manipulations of the village headman, it is their materiality that is highlighted, revealing them to be objects that are modified, circulated, handled and left unread. The essay goes on to argue that the novel also presents us with examples of documents and colonial spaces that simply cannot be read, thus exposing the limits of any colonial bureaucracy’s efficiency.
TLR2 Promoter Hypermethylation Creates Innate Immune Dysbiosis
Authors: Benakanakere M. , Abdolhosseini M. , Hosur K. , Finoti L.S. , Kinane D.F.
Published: November 2014

Periodontitis is a common chronic inflammatory disease that is initiated by a complex microbial biofilm that poses significant health and financial burdens globally. Porphyromonas gingivalis is a predominant pathogen that maintains chronic inflammatory periodontitis. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in periodontitis by recognizing pathogens and maintaining tissue homeostasis. Deficiencies in TLR expression and downstream signaling may reduce the host’s innate defenses against pathogens, leading to bacterial persistence and exacerbated inflammation, which are now being better appreciated in disease pathologies. In the case of periodontitis, gingival epithelial cells form the first line of defense against pathogens. Innate immune dysregulation in these cells relates to severe disease pathology. We recently identified a blunted TLR2 expression in certain gingival epithelial cells expressing diminished cytokine signaling upon P. gingivalis stimulation. Upon detailed analysis of the TLR2 promoter CpG Island, we noted higher CpG methylation in this dysregulated cell type. When these cells were treated with DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, TLR2 mRNA and cytokine expression were significantly increased. If TLR2 expression plasmid was ectopically expressed in dysfunctional cells prior to P. gingivalis stimulation, the cytokine expression was increased, confirming the requirement of TLR2 in the P. gingivalis–mediated inflammatory response. We designed a chronic in vitro infection model to test if P. gingivalis can induce DNA methylation in normal gingival epithelial cells that express higher TLR2 upon agonist stimulation. Chronic treatment of normal epithelial cells with P. gingivalis introduced de novo DNA methylation within the cells. In addition, increased DNA methylation was observed in the gingiva of mice infected with P. gingivalis in a periodontitis oral gavage model. Moreover, tissues obtained from periodontitis patients also exhibited differential TLR2 promoter methylation, as revealed by bisulfite DNA sequencing. Taken together, DNA methylation of TLR2 can modulate host innate defense mechanisms that may confer increased disease susceptibility.
The war that wasn’t there
Authors: Kreutz Joakim
Published: November 2014

When collecting data, some observations will always be hard to confidently classify in accordance with stated definitions of war, civil conflict, or political violence. This research note draws on the experiences of the Uppsala Conflict Data Program in the last decade in managing such unclear cases. After explaining the difference between unclear and non-cases, I describe the data generating process and how this uncertainty is distributed over time in the data. This exercise reveals that the 1980s may have been more conflict-filled than the 1990s, challenging arguments about the stability of the bipolar global order as well as the sudden ‘rise’ of warfare in the immediate post-Cold War era. The final section suggests different ways that researchers may use existing information regarding unclear cases as a way to conceptualize the nature of civil strife without having to engage in additional data collection.
Oil, domestic conflict, and opportunities for democratization
Authors: Colgan Jeff D
Published: November 2014

The resource curse literature suggests two stylized facts about oil-producing states (‘petrostates’) that are not easily reconciled with each other. On one hand, petrostates experience more frequent civil wars than non-petrostates. On the other hand, petrostates have more robust and long-lasting autocratic regimes. This is puzzling because one might expect that one form of instability would lead to the other, as is typical in non-petrostates. If petrostates are more prone to domestic conflict than non-petrostates, and conflicts are opportunities for regime transition and democratization, why do we not observe such transitions more frequently in petrostates? I argue that despite frequent conflicts, rebels rarely succeed in violently overthrowing a petrostate regime or otherwise forcing regime transition. This is because oil generates financial resources that can be used by both an incumbent government and rebels to fund armed conflict, and an incumbent government typically has greater access to these resources. In an analysis of non-democracies for 1946–2004, I also find that oil inhibits democratization in petrostates, but only in the context of violent domestic conflicts. Peaceful pathways to democracy remain open in petrostates. These findings significantly alter our understanding of resource curse. Many scholars argue that oil inhibits democracy because of rentier politics, but this standard interpretation is incomplete. Oil appears to inhibit democratization only in the context of violent domestic conflicts. Ten of the eleven transitions to democracy in petrostates since 1945 occurred without significant domestic conflict.
Créativité et incertitude dans les nouveaux rituels contemporains
Authors: Fedele Anna
Published: November 2014

This paper is based on fieldwork among Portuguese, Italians, Catalans and Spaniards influenced by the transnational Goddess spirituality movement. Through an analysis of ritual narratives the author analyses the role of doubt and uncertainty in contemporary rituals created within Goddess spirituality. She will show that contemporary crafted rituals offer a privileged window on the uncertainty intrinsic in ritual because participants feel less constrained by a long-standing religious tradition and talk more openly about their doubts and their strategies to neutralize them than in the case of secular ceremonies. Drawing on Simon Coleman’s analysis of pilgrimage and ritual (2009, 2013) she suggests that uncertainty may play an important role not only in rituals created in the context of ‘New Age’ spirituality but also in other contemporary rituals created in plural and increasingly secularized Western contexts.
À l’épreuve des certitudes : récits d’une sanctification locale (Ceará, Brésil)
Authors: Clerc-Renaud Agnès
Published: November 2014

In Brazil, the cult of saints brings into focus differences between formerly hegemonic Catholics and an increasing number of Evangelicals. In the context of a small town where a vernacular saint is worshipped, the practice of hagiographic narratives is viewed as a means of testing certainty. Analysis of these narratives (motifs or plots), the order of their episodes and the situations in which they are spoken reveals differing ways of exploring doubt and certainty. The missing elements that leave the story open are seen as ‘commonalities’, which contribute to social cohesion, allowing for creative reinterpretations of past and present events. The paper concludes with a brief comparison of the implications of exchanges of goods and exchanges of words, which demonstrates the role of the latter in the construction of the group’s social temporality.
Certainty and uncertainty in contemporary spirituality and Catholicism: Finding proof versus destabilizing certainties in popular religion in the Netherlands
Authors: Knibbe Kim
Published: November 2014

This article is based on several years of ethnographic research in the Netherlands on contemporary spirituality and Catholicism. The emphasis within the networks of contemporary spirituality discussed here is on finding ‘proof’ of ‘the other side’. This quest for certainty is compared to another religious context, dominated by a discourse of liberal Catholicism, where the emphasis is on learning to deal with uncertainty (previously discussed in this journal: see Knibbe, 2008). Here, uncertainty is experienced as liberating. This comparison is the basis for the development of a theoretical approach to understanding both the quest for certainty and the quest for uncertainty, based on Jackson’s essay ‘Minima ethnographica’ (1998). The article ends with a reflection on the implications of these findings in relation to the tendency within the sociology of religion to look for causal links between societal changes and changes in religion.
Assessing and predicting the subjective wetness sensation of textiles: subjective and objective evaluation
Authors: Tang Ka-po Maggie , Kan Chi-wai , Fan Jin-tu
Published: November 2014

Wetness sensation is a crucial factor affecting wear comfort. In this study, a measurement method that is capable of characterizing the subjective wetness sensation of various textile products, such as sportswear, leisurewear, uniforms and health-care products, was developed. A subjective rating scale was adopted for response measurement and 20 different fabrics varying in fiber composition, yarn type and fabric structure were evaluated by 22 subjects. The testing procedure was standardized, ensuring within-subject reliability and between-subject consistency. This method also displays high sensitivity and the result is rational with barely to slightly wet sensation for the absorbing fabrics and very wet feeling for the hydrophobic ones. In addition, an objective measurement method for evaluating the horizontal wicking area of fabrics utilizing the image analysis technique was developed. Using conventional testing instruments, such as the Gravimetric Absorbency Testing System, Moisture Management Tester, international standard testing methods and the proposed horizontal wicking tester, various objective water absorption and transport properties were measured and their correlation with the subjective wetness rating was studied. Horizontal wicking area and water absorption capacity of fabrics were found to have strong correlation with subjective wetness sensation.
Synthesis of a novel flame retardant phosphorus/nitrogen/siloxane and its application on cotton fabrics
Authors: Zhou Tianchi , He Xuemei , Guo Chao , Yu Jian , Lu Dalian , Yang Qun
Published: November 2014

A novel flame retardant containing phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon was synthesized in this study. Its structure was characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectrometry and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance. The flammability and thermal stability of the cotton fabric treated by the flame retardant was systematically evaluated by the limiting oxygen index (LOI) method, vertical combustion method and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The breaking strength, tearing strength and wrinkle recovery angle (WRA) of the treated fabric were also investigated to analyze the effects of the flame retardant on the original cotton fabric. The optimal parameters of the anti-flame finishing process conditions were flame retardant phosphorus/nitrogen/siloxane of 200 g/L, catalyzer of 25 g/L, curing temperature of 170℃, curing time of 3 min, pH 5.The results showed that the treated fabric was an excellent flame retardant, LOI was improved from 18.0 to 27.1 and its anti-crease property was obviously improved, as WRA increased from 80° to 98°. The TGA curves also suggested that the flame retardant had a good ability of char formation due to the synergistic effect of phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon. Through the wash fastness analysis, the LOI value of the treated sample remained at 23.3 compared with 18.0 of the untreated sample, which meant a durability flame-retarding effect.
Walter Benjamin’s Black Flashlight
Authors: Martel James R.
Published: November 2014

Many theorists promote a decentralized politics but very few of them practice this decentralization textually. In this essay, I engage with three techniques Benjamin employs to decenter his authority in the text: allegory, montage and the production of text as “pure means.” Taken together, these practices amount to what I am calling Benjamin’s use of a “black flashlight.” Rather than illuminate his text with his own knowledge, seeking to win the reader over by persuasion and textual authority, Benjamin seeks to obscure and complicate any meaning. He attempts to have his text fail to deliver a final verdict to the reader. The obscure, pitch black light Benjamin sheds on his own and other texts leaves us as readers to our own devices, deprived as we are of the usual guidance of the author. In this way, Benjamin not only encourages but requires the reader’s own intervention, a model for the anarchist politics he also describes in the text.
Attitudes Toward Organizational Change Among Public Middle Managers
Authors: Giauque David
Published: November 2014

Positive attitudes toward change (PATC) are an important current issue in public organizations facing profound financial and managerial reforms. This study aims to identify social and organizational antecedents of PATC. The investigated population is composed of middle managers working in Swiss public hospitals ( N = 720), which are currently being confronted by major reforms. Partial mediation effects of organizational commitment (OC) in the relationships between independent variables and PATC are also controlled. The findings show that perceived social support (work relationships with colleagues and supervisors) as well as perceived organizational support (employee voice and participation, information and communication, work–life balance) are positively and significantly related to PATC. Stress perception is shown to have a negative impact on PATC. This article provides valuable contributions with respect to antecedents of attitudes toward change in a population of public middle managers.
Parenting and preschoolers’ executive functioning
Authors: Rochette Émilie , Bernier Annie
Published: November 2014

A growing body of theoretical and empirical work has been attempting to answer the questions of how and how much of the effects of children’s early experience may depend on their inner characteristics. Theory and evidence suggest that some children, notably those with difficult temperaments, are more susceptible to both negative and positive aspects of parenting. The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether child temperament moderated the links between the quality of mother-infant interactions, observed when children were 1 year of age, and two components of child executive functioning (EF) at 3 years, namely impulse control and conflict EF, among 74 mother–child dyads. The results were consistent with the notion that children with more difficult temperaments may be more susceptible to maternal behaviors than children with less difficult temperaments, but only regarding the development of impulse control abilities. There was no clear evidence of such moderation for conflict EF. These results support the idea that distinct mechanisms may underlie the development of different dimensions of child EF.
An Electronic Conversation between Thomas Hirschhorn and Jacques Rancière: Presupposition of the Equality of Intelligences and Love of the Infinitude of Thought
Authors: Hirschhorn Thomas
Published: November 2014

This article is an email conversation between the artist Thomas Hirschhorn and the philosopher Jacques Rancière that took place from December 2009 to February 2010. The images of ‘The Bijlmer Spinoza-Festival’, an artwork by Thomas Hirschhorn that occurred in the outskirts of Amsterdam in 2009, portray the levels of engagement by the local participants and the interaction with invited speakers and performers. The interview with Jacques Rancière addresses the problem of classifying collaborative art projects within the conventional categories of art and politics. It explores the vital function of artistic presence and the possibility of establishing a mode of aesthetic exchange that proceeds from the experience of equality.
Can we forget the Mini-Mental State Examination? A systematic review of the validity of cognitive screening instruments within one month after stroke
Authors: Van Heugten Caroline M , Walton L , Hentschel U
Published: November 2014

Objective:

To review systematically studies investigating the convergent, criterion, and predictive validity of multi-domain cognitive screening instruments in the first four weeks after stroke.

Data sources:

Electronic databases (Pubmed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase) were searched until June 2014.

Review methods:

Studies concerning screening for cognitive dysfunction in stroke patients using multi-domain instruments, within four weeks postinfarct or haemorrhagic stroke, using tests taking no longer than one hour. Convergent, criterion, and predictive validity were examined.

Results:

A total of 51 studies investigating 16 cognitive screening instruments were identified. None of the instruments covered all of the most affected cognitive domains. Only one study investigated the convergent validity of a multi-domain test during the (sub)acute phase after stroke. A total of 15 studies examined the criterion validity of cognitive measurements during the acute phase after stroke. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Higher Cortical Function Deficit Test had good criterion validity. A total of 24 studies examined the predictive ability of multi-domain cognitive instruments applied in the acute phase after stroke. The Cognistat, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and Functional Independence Measure-cognitive showed good predictive validity. The Mini-Mental State Examination is the most widely used cognitive screening instrument, but shows insufficient criterion validity.

Conclusion:

None of the existing instruments fulfils all criteria. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is the best candidate at present, provided items measuring speed of information processing are added, and further studies investigating the optimal cut-offs are conducted.
A multicentre study of intentional behavioural responses measured using the Coma Recovery Scale–Revised in patients with minimally conscious state
Authors: Estraneo Anna , Moretta Pasquale , Cardinale Viviana , De Tanti Antonio , Gatta Giordano , Giacino Joseph T , Trojano Luigi
Published: November 2014

Objective:

To investigate which conscious behaviour is most frequently detected using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised in patients with minimally conscious state.

Design:

Multicentre, cross-sectional study.

Setting:

One intensive care unit, 8 post-acute rehabilitation centres and 2 long-term facilities.

Subjects:

Fifty-two patients with established diagnosis of minimally conscious state of different aetiology.

Main measures:

All patients were assessed by the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised.

Results:

In most patients (34/52) non-reflexive responses were identified by two or more subscales of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised, whereas in 14 patients only the visual subscale could identify cortically-mediated behaviours, and in the remaining 4 patients only the motor subscale did so. The clinical signs of intentional behaviour were most often detected by the visual subscale (43/52 patients) and by the motor subscale (31/52), and least frequently by the oromotor/verbal subscale (3/52) of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. This clinical pattern was observed independently from time post-onset and aetiology.

Conclusions:

Non-reflexive visual behaviour, identified by the visual subscale of Coma Recovery Scale-Revised, is the most frequently detected intentional sign consistent with the diagnosis of minimally conscious state, independently from aetiology and time post-onset.
Cortical vs. afferent stimulation as an adjunct to functional task practice training: a randomized, comparative pilot study in people with cervical spinal cord injury
Authors: Gomes-Osman Joyce , Field-Fote Edelle C
Published: November 2014

Objective:

To assess single-session effects of three different types of stimuli known to increase cortical excitability when combined with functional task practice.

Design:

Randomized cross-over trial.

Participants:

A total of 24 participants with chronic cervical spinal cord injury.

Interventions:

One 30-minute session of each, applied concurrently with functional task practice: transcranial direct current stimulation, vibration, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

Measurements:

Nine-hole Peg Test, pinch force, visuomotor tracking, and cortical excitability were collected at pretest, posttest and late posttest (30 minutes after). Early effects (posttest minus pretest) and short-term persistence (late posttest minus pretest) were assessed using a general linear mixed model. Magnitude of effect size was assessed using the Cohen’s d.

Results:

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation was associated with moderate, significant early effects and short-term persistence on Nine-hole Peg Test performance (1.8 ±1.8, p = 0.003, d = 0.59; 2.0 ±2.5, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.65, respectively). Transcranial direct current stimulation (1.8 ±2.5, p = 0.003, Cohen’s d = 0.52) was also associated with significant short-term persistence of moderate size on Nine-hole Peg Test performance (1.8 ±2.5, p = 0.003, Cohen’s d = 0.52) and visuomotor tracking performance ( p = 0.05, d = 0.51). Early effects on corticomotor excitability were significant for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation ( p = 0.003), approached significance for transcranial direct current stimulation ( p = 0.07), and only vibration was associated with significant short-term persistence ( p = 0.006).

Conclusions:

Meaningful improvements in aspects of hand-related function that persisted at least 30 minutes after intervention were observed with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation, when combined with functional task practice.
Transactional Relationships Between Latinos’ Friendship Quality and Academic Achievement During the Transition to Middle School
Authors: Sebanc Anne M. , Guimond Amy B. , Lutgen Jeff
Published: November 2014

This study investigates whether friendship quality, academic achievement, and mastery goal orientation predict each other across the transition to middle school. Participants were 146 Latino students (75 girls) followed from the end of elementary school through the first year of middle school. Measures included positive and negative friendship quality, mastery goal orientation, and grade point averages (GPAs) at three time periods. In general, Latino adolescents showed stable academic achievement and did not decline in any of the measures from elementary school to middle school. Cross-lagged path analyses revealed a bidirectional and negative relationship between negative friendship quality and academic achievement across the transition to middle school. Positive friendship quality predicted mastery goal orientation decreases for girls. Both gender and bilingual status were analyzed and showed significant relations in our models. Results supported the social interaction perspective more than the social bonding perspective of friendship quality.
Testing the Predictive Validity of the LSI-R Using a Sample of Young Male Offenders on Probation in Guangzhou, China
Authors: Zhang Jinwu
Published: November 2014

This study explored the predictive validity of the Level of Service Inventory–Revised (LSI-R) with 112 young male probationers on recidivism for new offense and rearrest in Guangzhou, China, from 2010 to 2013. Using bivariate correlations, logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis, the LSI-R total score was found to be a stable and significant predictor of recidivism. The LSI-R total score and subscales of Criminal History and Leisure/Recreation were significantly correlated to recidivism. There was significant association between time at risk and recidivism. Increase in the LSI-R total score was associated with greater likelihood that recidivism would occur. There was no recidivism in low-risk group, and higher recidivism rates were found in moderate-and high-risk groups. The LSI-R was effective in specifying recidivists and non-recidivists with area under the curve (AUC) coefficient of .733. The current study supports the utility of the LSI-R, which is applicable to different cultural and social contexts, as a risk/need assessment instrument for young male probationer recidivism in Guangzhou. Sufficient training and accumulated experience of administering the LSI-R would be necessary to reduce regional variation. Future studies with larger samples across different offender groups are needed. Limitations and implications for offender assessment in China are discussed.
Graft Extrusion in Both the Coronal and Sagittal Planes Is Greater After Medial Compared With Lateral Meniscus Allograft Transplantation but Is Unrelated to Early Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Lee Dae-Hee , Lee Chang-Rack , Jeon Jin-Ho , Kim Kyung-Ah , Bin Seong-Il
Published: November 2014

Background:

Graft extrusion after meniscus allograft transplantation (MAT) may be affected by horn fixation, which differs between medial and lateral MAT. Few studies have compared graft extrusion, especially sagittal extrusion, after medial and lateral MAT.

Hypothesis:

In patients undergoing medial and lateral MAT, graft extrusion is likely similar and not correlated with postoperative Lysholm scores.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

Meniscus graft extrusion in the coronal and sagittal planes was compared in 51 knees undergoing medial MAT and 84 undergoing lateral MAT. Distances from the anterior and posterior articular cartilage margins to the anterior (anterior cartilage meniscus distance [ACMD]) and posterior (posterior cartilage meniscus distance [PCMD]) horns, respectively, were assessed on immediate postoperative magnetic resonance imaging and compared in patients undergoing medial and lateral MAT. Correlations between coronal and sagittal graft extrusion and between extrusion and the Lysholm score were compared in the 2 groups.

Results:

In the coronal plane, mean absolute (4.3 vs 2.7 mm, respectively; P < .001) and relative (39% vs 21%, respectively; P < .001) graft extrusions were significantly greater for medial than lateral MAT. In the sagittal plane, mean absolute and relative ACMD and PCMD values were significantly greater for medial than lateral MAT ( P < .001 each). For both medial and lateral MAT, mean absolute and relative ACMDs were significantly larger than PCMDs ( P < .001 each). Graft extrusion >3 mm in the coronal plane was significantly more frequent in the medial (78%) than in the lateral (35%) MAT group. In the sagittal plane, the frequencies of ACMDs (72% vs 39%, respectively) and PCMDs (23% vs 4%, respectively) >3 mm were also significantly greater in the medial than in the lateral MAT group. Coronal and sagittal extrusions were not correlated with postoperative Lysholm scores for both medial and lateral MAT.

Conclusion:

The amount and incidence of graft extrusion were greater after medial than lateral MAT in both the coronal and sagittal planes. In the sagittal plane, graft extrusion was greater and more frequent on the anterior than the posterior horn in both medial and lateral MAT. However, graft extrusion was not correlated with early clinical outcomes after both medial and lateral MAT.
Taking Training to Task
Authors: Halldén Karin
Published: November 2014

This study examines the effect of the sex of the immediate supervisor on the length of time men and women spend in initial on-the-job training (OJT). Using the 2000 Swedish Level of Living Survey and matched employer registry data, this study indicates that men have greater chances of receiving long initial OJT compared with women. In addition, for women employed in the private sector, the chances of receiving long initial OJT are higher if the immediate supervisor is male. For women with a public sector job or for men irrespective of sector, time in initial OJT is independent of the sex of the immediate supervisor.