bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Who Wrote 2 Thessalonians? A Fresh Look at an Old Problem
Authors: Foster Paul
Published: November 2012

In light of the New Perspective on Paul, recognition of apocalyptic as a central category in Pauline theology, and the crumbling consensus concerning seven authentic epistles of Paul, it is time to reconsider the arguments for the authenticity of his letters. Here the specific question of the authorship of 2 Thessalonians is re-examined. It is noted that many of the standard arguments for or against the authenticity of 2 Thessalonians are either irrelevant or inconclusive. This discussion seeks to reveal the slender evidential basis of certain ‘classic’ arguments against the authenticity of the letter, and also to present some fresh reasons why the epistle should be regarded as written by Paul. The implications of including 2 Thessalonians among the authentic Pauline writings are then examined. In particular, it is suggested that the development in Paul’s thinking as reflected in 2 Thessalonians reveals that his theological formulations developed in response to situations in his fledgling communities. In this regard, Paul’s theological positions emerged through a negotiated response to pressing pastoral situations.
An Intercalation Revisited: Christology, Discipleship, and Dramatic Irony in Mark 6.6b-30
Authors: Miller Geoffrey David
Published: November 2012

The intercalation in Mk 6.6b-30 deals with many themes, including suffering, discipleship and martyrdom. Its primary focus, however, has been overlooked by most commentators, namely Christ’s identity. At the beginning of the inserted ‘B’ story, Mark offers several candidates who, to varying degrees, resemble Jesus: John the Baptist, Elijah, a prophet like no other and Herod. Ultimately, though, it is the disciples in the framing ‘A’ story who best exemplify Christ. They replicate his ministry in remarkable ways by teaching, preaching and healing, yet their depiction is also ironic since they fail to understand the man they emulate. The intercalation therefore serves as an important stepping stone in the readers’ understanding of Christ and the disciples. Mark 6.6b-30 summarizes Christ’s identity at the point in the Gospel and prefigures his ultimate fate while simultaneously portraying the disciples in favorable terms in order to accentuate their fall in subsequent episodes.
Herb Sellers’ Knowledge on Climate Change and Attitudes toward Sustainable Herbal Harvesting in Nigeria
Authors: Agunbiade Melvin Ojo , Opatola Mustapha , Titilayo Ayotunde
Published: November 2012

Herbal sellers play a functional role in providing qualitative health care at the primary health care level in Nigeria. However, their attitudes and those of other stakeholders toward sustainable herbal harvesting in the light of the growing effects of climate change may threaten the functional roles of herb sellers and the traditional medical system as a whole. This study explored herb sellers’ knowledge on climate change, attitudes toward sustainable herbal harvesting, and the networking strategies of herb sellers in sourcing for herbal resources in the midst of supply shortages. This was with a view to providing a situational analysis through which herb sellers could be empowered and encouraged into biodiversity and sustainable herb farming at the grassroots. Relevant data were captured using a video vignette on climate change and environmental consequences in eight focus group discussion sessions with wholesalers and retailers of herbal plants in Oyingbo and Mushin Markets in Lagos State. Findings showed low level of knowledge on threats of climate change on herbal plants and lack of commitment to herbal farming, but many of the participants expressed high concern on the dwindling rate of herbal plants in southwestern Nigeria. In this setting, biodiversity culture and herbal farming could be encouraged and adopted as poverty alleviation strategies among this populace, and thus contribute to mitigating the consequences of climate change on herbal plants and boosting health care delivery in Nigeria.
Disaster Social Service Volunteers
Authors: Lueck Michelle Meyer , Peek Lori
Published: November 2012

This article presents the results of an evaluation of a volunteer training program that prepares participants to enter postdisaster settings to work with affected children and families. The evaluation, which uses a knowledge-skills-attitudes (KSA) approach, draws on the results of a telephone survey with 46 randomly selected program volunteers. Volunteers reported statistically significant knowledge gains in the three primary training areas: program-specific knowledge, disaster-specific knowledge, and child-specific knowledge. The respondents who had deployed to a disaster after becoming a certified volunteer connected three major training goals to their skills in the field. Specifically, they recalled and used training materials in terms of helping facilitate children’s play, setting up and running a disaster child care center, and remaining flexible and adaptable in the highly uncertain postdisaster context. The research also revealed uniformly positive attitudes toward the trainers who conduct the 27-hour training sessions and high levels of satisfaction with the program itself. The article concludes with recommendations for further improving the program and discusses ways that universities can work with nonprofit disaster relief organizations to ensure timely and effective program evaluations.
Beyond Personal Feelings and Collective Emotions: Toward a Theory of Social Affect
Authors: Seyfert Robert
Published: November 2012

In the Sociology of Emotion and Affect Studies, affects are usually regarded as an aspect of human beings alone, or of impersonal or collective atmospheres. However, feelings and emotions are only specific cases of affectivity that require subjective inner selves, while the concept of ‘atmospheres’ fails to explain the singularity of each individual case. This article develops a theory of social affect that does not reduce affect to either personal feelings or collective emotions. First, I use a Spinozist understanding of the ‘body’ to conceptualize the receptivity and mutual constitution of bodies, to show how affects do not ‘belong’ to anybody; they are not solely attributable either to the human or to any kind of body alone, but emerge in situations of the encounter and interaction (between bodies). Next I build upon Jean-Marie Guyau’s concept of transmissions to show how we can theorize affect as an emerging transmission between and among bodies. Finally, I demonstrate how we now have a complete conceptual frame for theorizing affect in relation to all bodies in any given social scene, the grand composition of which I call affectif.
The New Hunter-gatherers: Making Human Interaction Productive in the Network Society
Authors: Schwarz Ori
Published: November 2012

The article discusses a set of emerging techno-social practices that transform interpersonal interactions into acts of production of valuable, durable objects such as SNS-posts and videos. These practices rely on (and enhance) a new attentiveness towards the world (including social interactions, communication and quasi-autotelic activities) as Bestand/resource, from which value may be extracted. The rise of these practices and modes of attention obviously relies on new production and dissemination of technological infrastructures, but it also relies on and contributes to the evolution of hyperrational subjectivity, which is compatible with the demands of late-modern economies. Like corporations, ordinary people come to view leisure time interpersonal interactions as sites for the extraction of (often non-monetary) value through their objectification. The article demonstrates how the objectification and productivization of events remoulds both common everyday practices and extreme forms of criminality, all sharing a common cultural logic.
Raters’ L2 background as a potential source of bias in rating oral performance
Authors: Winke Paula , Gass Susan , Myford Carol
Published: November 2012

Based on evidence that listeners may favor certain foreign accents over others (Gass & Varonis, 1984; Major, Fitzmaurice, Bunta, & Balasubramanian, 2002; Tauroza & Luk, 1997) and that language-test raters may better comprehend and/or rate the speech of test takers whose native languages (L1s) are more familiar on some level (Carey, Mannell, & Dunn, 2011; Fayer & Krasinski, 1987; Scales, Wennerstrom, Richard, & Wu, 2006), we investigated whether accent familiarity (defined as having learned the test takers’ L1) leads to rater bias. We examined 107 raters’ ratings on 432 TOEFL iBTTM speech samples from 72 test takers. The raters of interest were L2 speakers of Spanish, Chinese, or Korean, while the test takers comprised three native-speaker groups (24 each) of Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. We analyzed the ratings using a multifaceted Rasch measurement approach. Results indicated that L2 Spanish raters were significantly more lenient with L1 Spanish test takers, as were L2 Chinese raters with L1 Chinese test takers. We conclude by concurring with Xi and Mollaun (2009, 2011) and Carey et al. that rater training should address raters’ linguistic background as a potential rater effect. Furthermore, we discuss the importance of recognizing rater L2 as a possible source of bias.
Urban economies, urban livelihoods and natural resource-based economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa: The constraints of a liberalized world economy
Authors: Potts Deborah
Published: November 2012

There is much speculation today about how rapid economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa is transforming development prospects in the region. However, in terms of a broad, multi-dimensional, understanding of the term ‘development’, into which social justice must be factored, there are real concerns about whether the undoubted improvements in GDP growth in many countries are strongly connected to urban-located investment and job growth. Many African countries remain poorly placed, in terms of global comparative advantage, to attract significant foreign investment except in primary sectors. The extreme inequality in the ways in which the benefits of current growth are being shared in many countries is another huge problem for the creation of urban employment growth. This article relates these issues to evidence about levels of economic (in)security in many African cities, and to how these have been reflected in a slowing in the rate of urbanization in many countries. It also reviews the evidence about the distribution of incomes in sub-Saharan Africa, and argues that the development of middle classes with their associated higher consumption patterns is minimal as yet. Finally it reflects on the links between internal economic stimuli from, for example, natural-resource based activities including mining and agriculture, and African urban economic development and growth.
3D Mapping for high-fidelity unmanned ground vehicle lidar simulation
Authors: Browning Brett , Deschaud Jean-Emmanuel , Prasser David , Rander Peter
Published: November 2012

High-fidelity simulation is a key enabling technology for the widespread deployment of large unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). However, current approaches for lidar simulation leave much to be desired, particularly for scenes with vegetation. We introduce a novel 3D mapping technique that learns high-fidelity models for geo-specific lidar simulation directly from pose tagged lidar data. We introduce a novel stochastic, volumetric model that captures and can reproduce the statistical interactions of lidar with terrain. We show how to automatically learn the model directly from 3D mapping data collected by a UGV in the target environment. We extend our approach using terrain-classification techniques to develop a hybrid surface–volumetric model that combines the efficiency of surface modeling for areas that are well approximated by large surfaces (e.g. roads, bare earth) with our volumetric approach for more complex areas (e.g. bushes, trees) without sacrificing overall fidelity. We quantitatively compare the performance of our approach against more conventional methods on large outdoor datasets from urban and off-road environments. Our results show significant performance gains using our volumetric and hybrid approaches over the state-of-the-art, laying the ground work for truly high-fidelity simulation engines for UGVs.
Advanced perception, navigation and planning for autonomous in-water ship hull inspection
Authors: Hover Franz S , Eustice Ryan M , Kim Ayoung , Englot Brendan , Johannsson Hordur , Kaess Michael , Leonard John J
Published: November 2012

Inspection of ship hulls and marine structures using autonomous underwater vehicles has emerged as a unique and challenging application of robotics. The problem poses rich questions in physical design and operation, perception and navigation, and planning, driven by difficulties arising from the acoustic environment, poor water quality and the highly complex structures to be inspected. In this paper, we develop and apply algorithms for the central navigation and planning problems on ship hulls. These divide into two classes, suitable for the open, forward parts of a typical monohull, and for the complex areas around the shafting, propellers and rudders. On the open hull, we have integrated acoustic and visual mapping processes to achieve closed-loop control relative to features such as weld-lines and biofouling. In the complex area, we implemented new large-scale planning routines so as to achieve full imaging coverage of all the structures, at a high resolution. We demonstrate our approaches in recent operations on naval ships.
More Than a Feeling
Authors: Posick Chad , Rocque Michael , Rafter Nicole
Published: November 2012

Empathy is related, directly or indirectly, to important elements in criminology such as the enactment of harsh penalties for repeat offenders, antisocial behavior, feelings of legitimacy toward the law, and attitudes toward the death penalty. Although empathy is beginning to find its way into criminological discourse, it is still not well understood nor often incorporated into quantitative research. This is likely due to issues regarding the conceptualization and measurement of empathy as well as the lack of measures of empathy incorporated into contemporary data sets. This study discusses the importance of empathy for criminology and uses a set of research examples to exemplify the relationships between empathy and outcomes important to criminology. Empathy emerges as an important predictor of criminal behavior, support for harsh laws, and perceptions of police effectiveness. Future research should incorporate measures of empathy when seeking to understand individual feelings and behaviors as they relate to important facets of criminology and criminal justice.
Not a geography of what doesn’t exist, but a counter-geography of what does
Authors: Fall Juliet J. , Minca Claudio
Published: November 2012

The shaping of geography as a discipline has been the result of a combination of productive and successful communication and missed opportunities, of presence and absence, of fluid travels of ideas and projects, but also of closures, impediments, good lessons that got lost. This paper suggests that using a counterfactual approach to draw attention to specific geographies that remained unfulfilled and poorly known helps to think beyond linear genealogies. By discussing a particular book called Le Metafore della Terra by Giuseppe Dematteis, published in Italian in 1985 but largely unknown in English-language geography, we reflect on what happened when it was published – and also specifically what did not happen and, cautiously, what might have happened. In his book, Dematteis took issue with geography and geographers’ past and contemporary mistakes, suggesting that the depoliticization of geographical knowledge had served merely powerful interests, rendering the imagining of alternative worlds impossible. He picked apart sacred tenets of the geographical tradition: escapist fantasies of exploration and conquest, the poorly problematized use of scale, the faith in the power of cartographic reason, the metaphysics of organicism, and the magical belief in the power of the market. Here, by extending the idea of counterfactual histories to look inwards to the discipline of geography itself, we choose to engage with what might have happened if this particular critical approach to geography had become better known, exploring why this radical project for the discipline was cast aside, including by the author himself. In so doing, we consider how scholars are located in so-called ‘peripheral’ places of production of geographical knowledge, discussing how this helps to understand the circulation and non-circulation of certain ideas. We use these alternatively rewritten geographies to show how dominant linear narratives of the emerging of critical thinking in the 1980s tell us an incomplete story, suggesting instead a tangled, multiple history of the discipline. We are interested in how scientific knowledge is communicated and received, how this exposes both the multi-sited nature of knowledge production and circulation, and cultural and national differences in the reception of science, and what this says about the possibility of critical thinking and progressive ideas having real impact.
Fabrication and thermal properties of self-assembled silver multilayer films on poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate
Authors: Cheng Deshan , Liu Xiaoyan , Wu Jihong , Yu Weidong
Published: November 2012

This article uses the layer-by-layer self-assembly method to fabricate multilayer film on poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate. The hydrolization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) film was primarily performed with sodium hydroxide aqueous solution to produce a carboxyl-enriched surface. The multilayer films were fabricated by the alternate adsorption of the oppositely charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and silver nanoparticles on poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate. The assembly process was monitored by UV–VIS spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma. The surface topography and chemical composition of the self-assembly films was characterized by atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The images indicated that the silver nanoparticles were successfully assembled and well distributed on the substrate. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the presence of metallic silver on the poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate. The thermal properties of the multilayer films were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical analyser. The results revealed that the storage modulus of ten-bilayer films decreases with temperature increasing and the glass transition temperature of ten-bilayer films have been found to be 99.3°C, whereas it is 94.8°C for the original poly(ethylene terephthalate) film.
Influence of oxidation and distribution of carbon nanotube on mechanical properties of buckypaper/epoxy composites
Authors: Guo Jing , Li Min , Liu Qianli , Gu Yizhuo , Li Yanxia , Zhang Zuoguang
Published: November 2012

In order to elucidate the effects of carbon nanotube surface modification and carbon nanotube distribution on mechanical properties of the buckypaper composites, two oxidation processes were developed to prepare functionalized buckypapers. The tube geometries, the entanglement, and stacking state of the carbon nanotubes were characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and atom force microscopy. Surface morphology and volume density of the buckypapers indicate that denser and homogeneous carbon nanotube skeletons are achieved by acidification on carbon nanotube powders, while only slight change can be observed from the oxidized buckypaper. The contact angles suggest that both oxidation and carbon nanotube distribution can affect the wettability of buckypapers with epoxy at 120°C, in which homogeneous and dense carbon nanotube skeleton exhibits relatively low wettability. The tensile moduli and strengths of the functionalized buckypaper composites are increased by 20–37% and 42–68%, respectively, with respect to the pristine buckypaper composite. Further analysis demonstrates that the mechanical property improvement is caused by dense carbon nanotube network and strong adhesion of oxidized carbon nanotube to the matrix. Moreover, dynamic mechanical analysis shows that the order of magnitude of storage moduli is consistent with that of the tensile Young’s moduli for different buckypaper composites.
The impact of hazardous waste leachate on performance of clay liners
Authors: Mosavat Nasim , Nalbantoglu Zalihe
Published: November 2012

Penetration of hazardous liquids through waste containment barriers exerts contamination and considerable alterations in geotechnical properties of clay liners. In general, these changes are attributed to the variation of the dielectric constant and the chemistry of the pore fluids which cause changes in soil structure. In the present study, a series of laboratory tests were performed on natural and contaminated clay soil permeated with different hazardous liquids: ethylene glycol and toluene which are generally found in petroleum-contaminated sites, possessing intermediate and low dielectric constants. Toluene was used in its pure form and ethylene glycol was used at various percentages of 0, 20, 40 and 60% by the volume of distilled water. In addition, natural sea water was also utilized as an inorganic fluid for permeation and salinization of the clay soil. The overall test results indicated that plasticity, sedimentation time, unconfined compressive strength, swell and compressibility generally decreased with increasing organic fluid/water concentration, while a slight increase in the permeability values was observed. Pure toluene resulted in diminution of plasticity and considerable flocculation of the particles which caused the soil to become granular. Sea water also caused particle flocculation and reduction in plasticity, swell potential and unconfined compressive strength, although it was noted that compressibility properties remained unchanged compared to distilled water. Finally, the correlation between the electrical resistivity and plasticity index values suggested that the electrical resistivity measurements can be used as a detecting technique for subsurface soil and waste barrier contamination.
Response surface optimization of methane potentials in anaerobic co-digestion of multiple substrates: dairy, chicken manure and wheat straw
Authors: Wang Xiaojiao , Yang Gaihe , Li Fang , Feng Yongzhong , Ren Guangxin
Published: November 2012

Dairy manure (DM), chicken manure (CM) and wheat straw were used to investigate the possibility of optimizing the methane (CH4) potentials in anaerobic co-digestion of multiple substrates. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the individual and interactive effects of four variables [carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, the feeding composition (DM/CM), initial substrate loading and inoculum-to-substrate ratio (ISR)] in the digestion process. All four variables had significant effects on CH4 potentials. Interactive effects of C/N and DM/CM ratios, C/N ratio and ISR, initial substrate loading and ISR were significant The optimum conditions were a C/N ratio of 26.31, a DM/CM ratio of 42.96:57.04, an initial loading of 15.90 g volatile solids (VS)/l and an ISR ratio of 2.34, with the maximum CH4 potential being 394 ml/g VS. The RSM model was appropriate for optimizing CH4 production in the process of anaerobic co-digestion of multiple substrates.
Examining the Effects of Mexican Serial Migration and Family Separations on Acculturative Stress, Depression, and Family Functioning
Authors: Rusch Dana , Reyes Karina
Published: November 2012

This study examined the role of parent-child separations during serial migration to the United States in predicting individual- and family-level outcomes in Mexican immigrant families. We assessed parents’ subjective appraisals of their family’s separation and reunion experiences to explore associations with self-reported acculturative stress, depression and family functioning. Data were collected from an urban, low-income community sample of Mexican immigrant parents ( N = 53). Seventy percent ( N = 37) of the parents experienced a separation from at least one child during immigration. Separated status parents reported significantly higher levels of acculturative stress, but no significant differences were found between separated and nonseparated status parents on depression or family functioning. Findings also revealed that negative appraisals of the family’s reunion experience were associated with higher levels of acculturative stress, depression, and unhealthy family functioning. We discuss the implications for future research to address the mental health of Mexican immigrant families in the United States.
DNA damage in human lymphocytes exposed to four food additives in vitro
Authors: Yilmaz Serkan , Ünal Fatma , Yüzbaşıoğlu Deniz , Çelik Mustafa
Published: November 2012

In vitro genotoxic effects of antioxidant additives, such as citric acid (CA) and phosphoric acid (PA) and their combination, as well as antimicrobial additives, such as benzoic acid (BA) and calcium propionate (CP), on human lymphocytes were determined using alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis. There was a significant increase in the DNA damage in human lymphocytes after 1 h of in vitro exposure to CA, PA, BA and CP (200, 25–200, 50–500, 50–1000 μg/mL, respectively). The combination of CA and PA significantly increased the mean tail intensity at all the concentrations used (25–200 μg/mL) and significantly increased the mean tail length mainly after higher concentrations (100 and 200 μg/mL). Data in this study showed that the concentrations of food additives used induce DNA damage and PA was the most genotoxic and CA was less genotoxic additives among them.
Thyroid function in newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients
Authors: Noureldeen Amani FH , Qusti Safaa Y , Khoja Gelan MS
Published: November 2012

Background:

A variety of HIV-related endocrine dysfunctions including adrenal, gonadal and thyroid disorders have been reported. We aimed to compare between the markers of thyroid function in newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients and healthy volunteers as a control group. The prevalence of the thyroid abnormalities in HIV-infected patients was assessed and the levels of thyroid autoantibodies were also determined.

Methods:

A total of 100 newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients having a CD4 cell count of 180–350 cells/mm3 were enrolled in the study. Same number of healthy volunteers were also included for comparison. Measurements of thyroid function tests including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxin and free triiodothyronine levels beside thyroid autoantibodies, including antithyroglobulin (ATBG) and antithyroid peroxidase (ATPO), were carried out for all patients and volunteers.

Results:

In total, 70% of HIV-infected patients had normal thyroid function tests when compared with control individuals, while 30% of HIV-infected patients had abnormal thyroid function. Of the 30 cases, 11 cases had abnormal TSH values, with increased TSH predominant (7% of HIV cases) than decreased TSH (4% of patients) values. Incidence of thyroid abnormalities ranging from hypothyroidism (subclinical and overt: 6% and 1%, respectively) to hyperthyroidism (2%) and nonthyroidal illness (9%) were estimated in HIV-infected patients. The values of thyroid autoantibodies were almost normal in HIV-infected patients, except the three cases presented with elevated ATBG, indicating that thyroid abnormalities were not due to elevated ATBG and ATPO.

Conclusions:

Thyroid hormones are of great importance and due to high prevalence of thyroid function abnormality, it is recommended that thyroid function tests should be monitored in all HIV-infected patients before starting the treatment.
Structure elucidation, protein profile and the antitumor effect of the biological active substance extracted from sea cucumber Holothuria polii
Authors: Omran Nahla EE , Khedr Abdalla M
Published: November 2012

Holothuria polii (Delle Chiaje, 1823) (Holothuriidae) is a sea cucumber inhabiting Mediterranean Sea coast of Egypt. The bioactive compound of its tegument has antifungal, antibacterial and antiparasitic effects. The present study aims to elucidate the structure of the bioactive material of H. polii for pharmacological and chemotaxonomic purposes. Furthermore, the study demonstrates its efficacy as a cytotoxic agents against two tumor cell lines HCT116 (colon adenocarcinoma cell line) and MCF7 (breast adenocarcinoma cell line). The biological active compound of the ethanol extract has been characterized by means of infrared (IR), proton-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) and mass spectra. Protein profile was carried out using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Cytotoxic activity was carried out according to sulforhodamine-B assay. IR, 1H NMR, UV–Vis and mass spectra showed that the extracted bioactive material is a nonsulfated hexaosides called bivittoside. This glycoside is composed of aglycone and a glycosidic chain (carbohydrate chain) enclosed with six sugar units, including xylose, glucose, 3- O-methylglucose and quinovose. There were no traces of dissolved proteins. The preliminary cytotoxic assay of bivittoside exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against two types of cultured tumor cell lines of HCT116 and MCF7. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration was 17.4 µg/ml and 18 µg/ml for MCF7 and HCT116, respectively. Although H. polii belongs to the genus Holothuria, the lacking of sulfate group and the fact that it contains up to six monosaccharides make it different from this genus. The present study suggests separation of H. polii from its genus to a new one. On the other hand, results support the hypothesis that H. polii bioactive compound has an antitumor effect.
Special Education & School Choice
Authors: Jessen Sarah Butler
Published: November 2012

This article begins to unpack the complex effects of the policies of both the small schools and choice on students with special needs. Drawing on qualitative data collected throughout the 2008-2009 academic year and a range of quantitative data from New York City’s public high schools, the author shows that while small schools and choice are intended to expand schooling options for all, students with special needs often find that when entering the public high school choice process, their selection set is narrowed. For families of students with special needs, the lack of adequate special needs resources can preclude schools from being considered as viable options. In addition, schools of choice engage in practices to deter higher need students from applying. The combined influences of parent decision and school choice processes result in between-school sorting, with larger institutions receiving the bulk of the higher need population of students, which is reflected in the city’s enrollment data. The findings raise questions about not only the effects of the small school reforms, but also about the role of choice policies in the public educational system.
The Evolution of National Fundraising Campaigns in Spain
Authors: Rey-García Marta , Álvarez-González Luis Ignacio , Valls-Riera Ricard
Published: November 2012

The general aim of this article is to analyze the evolution of national fundraising campaigns for charitable causes in Spain. Qualitative and quantitative perspectives are combined to contextualize features specific to Spain while allowing for comparisons with the other large international emergency campaigns. Main conclusions of the research confirm the historical and continuing importance of the role played by the State while explaining the basic change in the national campaigns. That change embodied a transition from an oligopolistic model of deeply rooted institutions enjoying corporatist agreements with the State that facilitated them privileged access to charitable lotteries, to a model of increasing competition. According to that more modern model, new nonprofit organizations have grown in importance by tapping into emerging philanthropic markets, both through State-mediated mechanisms such as campaigns related to tax-designation schemes, and through direct competition for donations to international aid campaigns from both individual and corporate donors.
Transient aerodynamic pressures and forces on trackside and overhead structures due to passing trains. Part 1: Model-scale experiments; Part 2: Standards applications
Authors: Baker Christopher , Jordan Sarah , Gilbert Timothy , Quinn Andrew , Sterling Mark , Johnson Terry , Lane John
Published: November 2012

This is the first part of a two-part paper that describes the results of an experimental investigation to measure the aerodynamic pressure forces on structures in the vicinity of railway tracks. The investigations were carried out in order to obtain a fundamental understanding of the nature of the phenomenon and to obtain data for a variety of railway infrastructure geometries of particular relevance to the UK situation, in order to provide material for a National Annex to the relevant Eurocode. The experiments were carried out on the moving model TRAIN Rig, with models of three different sorts of trains with different nose types, and a variety of infrastructures types: vertical hoardings, overbridges, station canopies and trestle platforms. The transient loads that were measured had a characteristic form: a positive pressure peak followed by a negative pressure peak. In general the magnitudes of the two peaks were different, and varied with infrastructure type and position, as well as with train type. As would be expected, the more streamlined the train, the lower were the magnitudes of the pressure transients. A comparison of the experimental results was made with a variety of existing model- scale and full-scale data and a broad consistency was demonstrated, within the limits that the rather different experimental conditions in the various cases would allow. An analysis of the scaling of these pressure transients was carried out, and it was shown that whilst there was a reasonable coalescence around a theoretical formulation, the complexity of the flows involved meant that a general scaling formulation could not be achieved. Part 2 of this paper will consider the application of the results to the development of revised standards formulations.
Low-Dose Risk Assessment for Arsenic
Authors: Begum Munni , Horowitz John , Hossain Md. Irfan
Published: November 2012

We conducted a meta-analysis to explore dose–response relationships for bladder and lung cancers when people are chronically exposed to low doses of arsenic. We searched electronic databases for articles published through 2010. Ten studies on bladder cancer and ingested arsenic exposure and five studies on lung cancer and ingested arsenic exposure fit our selection criteria. We also investigate the sensitivity of the absolute risk of lung and bladder cancer under different underlying prevalence measures. Males have a higher risk of bladder cancer than do females at all maximum contamination levels. The absolute risk of bladder cancer and lung cancer from ingested arsenic correlates highly with smoking rates. For a maximum contamination level of 10 µg/L, we estimate that there are about 2.91 additional bladder cancer cases per 100 000 people and, considering studies since 2000, we estimate that there are about 4.51 additional lung cancer cases per 100 000 people.
Walkable Area Within Which Destinations Matter
Authors: Sugiyama Takemi , Inoue Shigeru , Cerin Ester , Shimomitsu Teruichi , Owen Neville
Published: November 2012

Adults’ walking for transport is important for health benefits and can be associated with availability of destinations such as shops and services within a walking distance of 10 to 15 minutes from home. However, relevant evidence is mostly from Western countries. This study examined associations of destinations with walking for transport in Australian and Japanese cities. Data were collected from Adelaide, Australia (n = 2508), and 4 Japanese cities (n = 1285). Logistic regressions examined associations of self-reported walking for transport with the number of destination types within walk-distance categories. Walking was significantly associated with the number of destination types within a 10-minute walk from home for Australia and with the number of destination types within a 6- to 20-minute walk for Japan. Further research is needed on why walking by residents of Japanese cities can be influenced by more distant local destinations than in Australia to inform physical activity–related environmental and policy initiatives.
Who are we? My club? My people? My state? The dilemma of the Arab soccer fan in Israel
Authors: Porat Amir Ben
Published: November 2012

This paper deals with the problematic identity of the Arab male fans of Bnei Sakhnin F.C., which is an Arab soccer club in the city of Sakhnin, Israel. Seemingly, the Bnei Sakhnin F.C. male fan identifies with his club for the same reasons as every other football fan in Israel. However, as an Arab and minority in a state that is in continuous strife with his people – the Palestinians – his fandom and hence his identity as a fan is inevitably affected. The Arab fan of Bnei Sakhnin cannot rest his identity on the club alone. The Arabs’ status in Israel, which is imported to the football stadium, stems from identity being heavily connected to ethnicity/nationality. In essential ways, the Arab male fan cannot separate his identity with the club from his ethnicity/nationality. He is foremost an Arab and then a football fan. Consequently, the football league becomes a constant dilemma of identification by posing the question of “Who are we?”
Manufacturing conflict narratives in Real Madrid versus Barcelona football matches
Authors: Lopez-Gonzalez Hibai , Guerrero-Sole Frederic , Haynes Richard
Published: November 2012

The aim of this article is to understand how the online sport journalism in Spain manufactures conflict narratives on Real Madrid versus Barcelona football matches. The clásico has been frequently framed as a clash between two national identities that goes beyond its sportive dimension. Following Whannel’s concept of ‘vortextuality’ in relation to ‘celebrity culture’ and Boyle’s concept of ‘quote culture’, and by means of a case study, this paper challenges the presumed national identity approach in journalistic discourse and frames the rivalry as a narrative dispute between their main characters. Contrary to the common belief, the results suggest the self-sufficiency of the sporting competition to create conflict and the comparatively minor role the social context plays in media narratives.
Public Engagement Through Shared Immersion
Authors: Tang Jessica Janice , Maroothynaden Jason , Bello Fernando , Kneebone Roger
Published: November 2012

Recently, the literature has emphasized the aims and logistics of public engagement, rather than its epistemic and cultural processes. In this conceptual article, we use our work on surgical simulation to describe a process that has moved from the classroom and the research laboratory into the public sphere. We propose an innovative shared immersion model for framing the relationship between engagement activities and research. Our model thus frames the public engagement experience as a participative encounter, which brings visitor and researcher together in a shared (surgical) experience mediated by experts from a range of domains.
Neutrophils/Lymphocytes Ratio in Patients With Cardiac Syndrome X and Its Association With Carotid Intima–Media Thickness
Authors: Demirkol Sait , Balta Sevket , Unlu Murat , Arslan Zekeriya , Cakar Mustafa , Kucuk Ugur , Celik Turgay , Arslan Erol , Turker Turker , Iyisoy Atila , Yokusoglu Mehmet
Published: November 2012

Neutrophils and lymphocytes (N/L) ratio and carotid intima–media thickness (C-IMT) value have been studied as new predictors of cardiovascular risk. We aimed to investigate N/L ratio and C-IMT value in patients with cardiac syndrome X (CSX) and compare patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and normal participants. A total of 288 participants were enrolled in the study. The N/L ratio and C-IMT value were compared among the 3 groups. There were no statistically significant differences in N/L levels between CSX and CAD groups. The N/L ratio was found significantly increased in patients with CSX and CAD, compared to the control group. Patients with CAD and CSX had significantly higher C-IMT value compared to control participants. Significant positive correlation was found between C-IMT value and plasma level of N/L ratio. The relationship among CSX and higher N/L ratio level and C-IMT suggests that endothelial dysfunction may contribute to the etiopathogenesis of the CSX.
Models of thin interphases with variable moduli in plane-strain elasticity
Authors: Benveniste Y
Published: November 2012

Two approximate models of thin interphases are formulated in plane-strain elasticity for the case in which the elastic moduli of the interphase are non-constant. The models make it possible to determine the elastic fields in the adjacent media without solving the fields within the interphase itself. They are of O( h) is the constant thickness of the interphase. The first model, in which the geometry of the interphase is left intact, is characterized by conditions on the displacements and tractions pertaining to the adjacent media that are evaluated at both sides of the interphase. In the second model, the interphase is replaced by an interface that comes into direct contact with the media that are adjacent to the interphase, and on which appropriate interface jump conditions are derived for the displacements and tractions. The conditions characterizing the models depend on the moduli of both the interphase and the adjacent media. It is shown that in systems containing interphases for which the Reciprocal Theorem of Elasticity holds in the exact setting, this theorem will continue to be true when the interphases are replaced by either one of the developed approximate models. The consistency of those models in regard to the so-called ‘self-adjointness’ property of the system is therefore established.
On Korn’s constant for thin cylindrical domains
Authors: Paroni Roberto , Tomassetti Giuseppe
Published: November 2012

We consider an ε-parametrized collection of cylinders of cross section εω, where [Formula: see text], and of fixed length ℓ. By Korn’s inequality, there exists a positive constant Kε such that [Formula: see text] provided that [Formula: see text] satisfies a condition that rules out infinitesimal rotations. We show that Kε∕ε2 converges to a strictly positive limit, and we characterize this limit in terms of certain parameters that depend on the geometry of ω and on ℓ.
Treatment with Suprelorin in a pregnant cat
Authors: Goericke-Pesch Sandra , Georgiev Plamen , Atanasov Anatoli , Wehrend Axel
Published: November 2012

Suppression of oestrus is of major interest in feral cat populations, but also in breeding queens temporarily not intended for breeding. Slow release gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist implants are a new off-label approach for reproduction control in cats. However, initially, oestrus induction may occur and no data exist regarding what happens if previously mated queens are treated. This case report presents a queen mismated 9 and 8 days before treatment with a 4.7 mg deslorelin implant. The queen delivered four healthy kittens 66 days after mismating, but showed no interest in the kittens and lactation was not adequate. Progesterone and oestradiol concentrations were monitored and the queen was followed until the return of oestrus and subsequent breeding. The next oestrus was observed 498 days after treatment and the queen was mated in the second oestrus afterwards, became pregnant and delivered two healthy kittens, both of which were raised successfully by the queen. This case report clearly shows that pregnancy following a GnRH-agonist implant may go to term, but maternal care might be influenced owing to hormonal changes induced by treatment. In addition, this is the first report demonstrating reversibility of effects induced by long-term treatment with a deslorelin implant (return to oestrus, fertility and normal maternal care).
Body dissatisfaction during pregnancy: A systematic review of cross-sectional and prospective correlates
Authors: Fuller-Tyszkiewicz Matthew , Skouteris Helen , Watson Brittany E , Hill Briony
Published: November 2012

This article systematically reviews the literature pertaining to correlates of body dissatisfaction during pregnancy. A total of 8 electronic databases were searched and 251 papers identified, 56 of which met inclusion criteria. Full text scrutiny of these papers reduced the final list of reviewed papers to 22. Results of the review highlight that psychological factors were associated with body dissatisfaction during pregnancy, and noted the surfeit of studies examining the relationship was between body dissatisfaction and depression. It is concluded that the prevention of heightened body dissatisfaction during the reproductive phase will only be effective when models of risk factors have been examined systematically and rigorously.
Footwear choices made by young women and their potential impact on foot health
Authors: Branthwaite Helen , Chockalingam Nachiappan , Grogan Sarah , Jones Marc
Published: November 2012

Modern footwear has been associated with the development of foot pain and pathology in the ageing adult. Yet this foot health issue does not seem to alter the footwear purchases made by younger women. In total, 162 teenage girls were questioned regarding shoes purchased over a 6-month period. The results indicated that footwear choices are activity specific and participants chose the style and design of shoes related to the image they wanted to portray. Association of footwear choice to foot function and health was not found to influence choice of footwear.
‘Man up!’: Discursive constructions of non-drinkers among UK undergraduates
Authors: Conroy Dominic , de Visser Richard
Published: November 2012

This study adopted a discursive approach to explore how not drinking alcohol (non-drinking) is construed in relation to masculine identity among 12 undergraduate interviewees. Three prominent discourses were revealed. First, non-drinking was constructed as something strange requiring explanation. Second, contradictory discourses constructed non-drinking as, simultaneously, unsociable yet reflective of greater sociability. Third, non-drinking was constructed as something which has greater negative social consequences for men than for women. Opportunities for challenging traditional gender role expectations are considered.
An assessment of the mental health care needs and utilization by families of children with a food allergy
Authors: Annunziato Rachel A , Shemesh Eyal , Weiss Christopher C , Izzo Genevieve N , D’Urso Christine , Sicherer Scott H
Published: November 2012

The present study aimed to examine whether caretakers of children with a food allergy experience distress and to determine their family’s mental health-care needs and utilization. An anonymous survey was given to a sample of 454 caretakers during conferences hosted by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. Overall, 32 percent of caretakers reported above threshold levels of distress while 70 percent stated that mental health support would have been helpful, but only 23 percent sought it. Even when mental health support was desired and available, few received it. Routine discussion of mental health needs with families receiving medical care may help address barriers to utilization.