bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scientific Results of the BRYOTROP Expedition to Zaire and Rwanda. 3. Photosynthetic gas exchange of bryophytes from different forest types in eastern Central Africa

Authors: Lösch R. , Mülders P.
Published: September 2015

During the BRYOTROP-Expedition to Zaire and Rwanda bryophytes were collected from a rainforest habitat at 800 m a.s.l. and from bamboo forest and tree-heath environments between 2200 and 3200 m. The microclimates influencing the mosses are different at the altitudinally separated locations. Conditions are rather constant with 24 °C, 100 % rel. hum. and PAR below 100 μmol photons m-2 sec-1 at the lowland station, rather versatile in the mountains with six times higher daily sums of PAR, temperatures between 10 and 25 °C and relative humidities between 60 and 1oo %. In the bamboo forest epiphytic mosses dry out during the day to less than 70 % of their water content, but regain saturation from the vapor-saturated air during night.
On the bryogeography of Western Melanesian Lejeuneaceae, with comments on their epiphyllous occurrence

Authors: Piippo Sinikka
Published: September 2015

The phytogeography of Western Melanesian (Papua New Guinea, West Irian and the Solomon Islands) Lejeuneaceae was studied on the basis of previous literature and the Huon Peninsula material from the Koponen-Norris expedition. The largest portion of the Lejeuneaceae belong to Western Melanesian and Malaysian endemics. The number of Western Melanesian endemic Lejeuneaceae (20.5 %) is, however, somewhat lower than generally in hepatics (38.2 %). This is apparently due to the large number of epiphyllous taxa in the Lejeuneaceae, a group especially widespread in lowland rainforests.
Hygrocybe rubroalba (Hygrophoraceae, Agaricales), a new species of sect. Firmae from Brazil
Authors: Vizzini Alfredo , Picciola Paolo , Battistin Eliseo , Ercole Enrico
Published: September 2015

A new Hygrocybe species with dimorphic basidia and spores, H. rubroalba, is described based on morphological and molecular data. Its peculiar features are a dry, bright red to purplish red, not or very slightly depressed pileus surface, and pure white lamellae that are adnate or emarginate rather than decurrent. It is phylogenetically close to H. martinicensis in sect. Firmae.
Smithiomyces dominicanus (Agaricales: Agaricaceae), a new species from the Dominican Republic
Authors: Justo Alfredo , Angelini Claudio , Bizzi Alberto
Published: September 2015

Smithiomyces dominicanus is described as new, based on collections made in the Dominican Republic. Morphologically this taxon is very similar to S. mexicanus, but differs in the non-umbonate pileus, the broad stipe base and the smooth basidiospores as seen under light microscope, but with isolated, small warts under SEM. Molecular (nrITS) data also supports the recognition of this taxon as a separate species.
The microlepidopterous natural enemy Brachymeria subrugosa Blanchard, 1942 (Hymenoptera, Chalcididae): identity, hosts and geographic distribution
Authors: AQUINO DANIEL ALEJANDRO , TAVARES MARCELO TEXEIRA , BALDUCCI EZEQUIEL , BACA VERÓNICA , QUINTEROS SARA QUINTANA DE
Published: September 2015

A lectotype is designated for Brachymeria subrugosa Blanchard 1942 (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae). The species is diagnosed, redescribed, and compared to B. subconica Bouček, both of which are illustrated by macrophotography. Taxonomic notes, new parasitoid/host associations and new geographical records are also given for B. subrugosa. Brachymeria annulipes (Costa Lima 1919), a junior secondary homonymy of Chalcis annulipes Walker 1834, is proposed as a junior synonym of B. subrugosa syn. nov.
Aquatic Hemiptera (Heteroptera) of Kazakhstan, with notes on life history, ecology and distribution
Authors: ESENBEKOVA PERIZAT ABDYKAIROVNA , NURUSHEV MURAT ZHUSUPBEKOVICH , HOMZIAK JURIJ
Published: September 2015

Based on extensive field collections (2000-2014) in Kazakhstan and a review of the material in the National Institute of Zoology of Kazakhstan, we identified 68 species of aquatic Hemiptera from 11 families. Most species have broad zoogeographic distribution, dominated by West Eurasian fauna (18 species) and West Palearctic fauna (10 species). Details of habitats, feeding types, and life history are included for the described species.
PLusiinae (Excl. Abrostolini) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) of Ethiopia. A faunistical survey with biogeographical comments
Authors: KRAVCHENKO VASILIY D. , RONKAY LASZLO , BEHOUNEK GOTTFRIED , MÜLLER GÜNTER C.
Published: September 2015

The extensive survey in different regions of Ethiopia between 1987–1990 and 2005–2011 resulted in the recognition of 39 species of Plusiinae. The majority of the species belong to two large genera, Ctenoplusia (15 species) and Thysanoplusia (16 species). A new synonymy is established, Plusiotricha gorilla (Holland, 1894) is proved to represent the female sex of Plusiotricha livida Holland, 1894 (syn. nov.). The present paper does not include the records of the species of the tribe Abrostolini. Eighteen species are recorded for the first time from Ethiopia. Twenty species of the identified taxa are known only from tropical and subtropical Africa, while the areas of ten species extend from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula or even further to the north. Eight species are widespread not only in Africa but also in the Palearctic and Oriental regions. One species—Autographa gamma, a well-known Palearctic pest of different vegetables—is found in the Afrotropical region only in Ethiopia, at medium and high mountain elevations but not in the tropical lowlands.
Towards completion of the early Eocene aviary: A new bird group from the Messel oil shale (Aves, Eopachypterygidae, fam. nov.)
Authors: MAYR GERALD
Published: September 2015

A new avian species is described from the early Eocene Messel fossil site in Germany. Eopachypteryx praeterita, gen. et sp. nov. is a small bird and exhibits a characteristic morphology with a short and robust beak, a distinctively shaped coracoid, stout humerus, robust pectoral girdle skeleton, and short hindlimbs. Although similarities to the Paleogene Eocuculus as well as to some extant telluravian and strisorine taxa are noted, the phylogenetic affinities of the new species are unresolved. To account for the fact that the new species is clearly distinguished from any of the known fossil or extant avian taxa, it is here assigned to the new taxon Eopachypterygidae, fam. nov.. Eopachypteryx praeterita is represented by three partial skeletons. A further partial skeleton from Messel belongs to a second, unnamed species, which is tentatively referred to Eopachypteryx.
The Convective Precipitation Experiment (COPE): Investigating the Origins of Heavy Precipitation in the Southwestern United Kingdom
Authors: Leon David C. , French Jeffrey R. , Lasher-Trapp Sonia , Blyth Alan M. , Abel Steven J. , Ballard Susan , Barrett Andrew , Bennett Lindsay J. , Bower Keith , Brooks Barbara , Brown Phil , Charlton-Perez Cristina , Choularton Thomas , Clark Peter , Collier Chris , Crosier Jonathan , Cui Zhiqiang , Dey Seonaid , Dufton David , Eagle Chloe , Flynn Michael J. , Gallagher Martin , Halliwell Carol , Hanley Kirsty , Hawkness-Smith Lee , Huang Yahui , Kelly Graeme , Kitchen Malcolm , Korolev Alexei , Lean Humphrey , Liu Zixia , Marsham John , Moser Daniel , Nicol John , Norton Emily G. , Plummer David , Price Jeremy , Ricketts Hugo , Roberts Nigel , Rosenberg Phil D. , Simonin David , Taylor Jonathan W. , Warren Robert , Williams Paul I. , Young Gillian
Published: September 2015

The Convective Precipitation Experiment (COPE) was a joint U.K.–U.S. field campaign held during the summer of 2013 in the southwest peninsula of England, designed to study convective clouds that produce heavy rain leading to flash floods. The clouds form along convergence lines that develop regularly as a result of the topography. Major flash floods have occurred in the past, most famously at Boscastle in 2004. It has been suggested that much of the rain was produced by warm rain processes, similar to some flash floods that have occurred in the United States. The overarching goal of COPE is to improve quantitative convective precipitation forecasting by understanding the interactions of the cloud microphysics and dynamics and thereby to improve numerical weather prediction (NWP) model skill for forecasts of flash floods. Two research aircraft, the University of Wyoming King Air and the U.K. BAe 146, obtained detailed in situ and remote sensing measurements in, around, and below storms on several days. A new fast-scanning X-band dual-polarization Doppler radar made 360° volume scans over 10 elevation angles approximately every 5 min and was augmented by two Met Office C-band radars and the Chilbolton S-band radar. Detailed aerosol measurements were made on the aircraft and on the ground. This paper i) provides an overview of the COPE field campaign and the resulting dataset, ii) presents examples of heavy convective rainfall in clouds containing ice and also in relatively shallow clouds through the warm rain process alone, and iii) explains how COPE data will be used to improve high-resolution NWP models for operational use.
Diagnosis of Middle-Atmosphere Climate Sensitivity by the Climate Feedback–Response Analysis Method
Authors: Zhu Xun , Yee Jeng-Hwa , Cai Ming , Swartz William H. , Coy Lawrence , Aquila Valentina , Garcia Rolando , Talaat Elsayed R
Published: September 2015

The authors present a new method to diagnose the middle-atmosphere climate sensitivity by extending the climate feedback–response analysis method (CFRAM) for the coupled atmosphere–surface system to the middle atmosphere. The middle-atmosphere CFRAM (MCFRAM) is built on the atmospheric energy equation per unit mass with radiative heating and cooling rates as its major thermal energy sources. MCFRAM preserves CFRAM’s unique feature of additivity, such that partial temperature changes due to variations in external forcing and feedback processes can be added to give a total temperature change for direct comparison with the observed temperature change. In addition, MCFRAM establishes a physical relationship of radiative damping between the energy perturbations associated with various feedback processes and temperature perturbations associated with thermal responses. In this study, MCFRAM is applied to both observations and model output fields to diagnose the middle-atmosphere climate sensitivity. The authors found that the largest component of the middle-atmosphere temperature response to the 11-yr solar cycle (solar maximum vs solar minimum) is the partial temperature change due to the variation of the solar flux. Increasing CO2 cools the middle atmosphere, whereas the partial temperature change due to changes in O3 can be either positive or negative. The application of MCFRAM to model dynamical fields reconfirms the advantage of introducing the residual circulation to characterize middle-atmosphere dynamics in terms of the partial temperature changes. The radiatively driven globally averaged partial temperature change is approximately equal to the observed temperature change, ranging from −0.5 K near 25 km to −1.0 K near 70 km between solar maximum and solar minimum.
Large-Scale Surface Responses during European Dry Spells Diagnosed from Land Surface Temperature
Authors: Folwell Sonja S. , Harris Phil P. , Taylor Christopher M.
Published: September 2015

Soil moisture plays a fundamental role in regulating the summertime surface energy balance across Europe. Understanding the spatial and temporal behavior in soil moisture and its control on evapotranspiration (ET) is critically important and influences heat wave events. Global climate models (GCMs) exhibit a broad range of land responses to soil moisture in regions that lie between wet and dry soil regimes. In situ observations of soil moisture and evaporation are limited in space, and given the spatial heterogeneity of the landscape, are unrepresentative of the GCM gridbox scale. On the other hand, satelliteborne observations of land surface temperature (LST) can provide important information at the larger scale. As a key component of the surface energy balance, LST is used to provide an indirect measure of surface drying across the landscape. To isolate soil moisture constraints on evaporation, time series of clear-sky LST are analyzed during dry spells lasting at least 10 days from March to October. Averaged over thousands of dry spell events across Europe, and accounting for atmospheric temperature variations, regional surface warming of between 0.5 and 0.8 K is observed over the first 10 days of a dry spell. Land surface temperatures are found to be sensitive to antecedent rainfall; stronger dry spell warming rates are observed following relatively wet months, indicative of soil moisture memory effects on the monthly time scale. Furthermore, clear differences in surface warming rate are found between cropland and forest, consistent with contrasting hydrological and aerodynamic properties.
Large-Scale Baroclinic Instability of the Mean Oceanic Circulation: A Local Approach
Authors: Hochet Antoine , Huck Thierry , Colin de Verdière Alain
Published: September 2015

Large-scale baroclinic instability is investigated as a potential source of Rossby waves and large-scale variability in the ocean. This baroclinic instability is first reviewed in a 2.5-layer model. As already noticed by several authors, the instability arises in westward surface mean flow when the phase velocities of the two vertical modes are made equal by mean flow influence. This large-scale instability is stronger at low latitudes and thus is likely to happen in the westward return flow of the subtropical gyres. Further investigations with a continuous stratification quasigeostrophic model show that the instability is stronger where the mean flow projects negatively on the second baroclinic mode (imposing positive vertical modes at the surface). The linear stability calculation is then performed on Argo-derived mean flow along with mean stratification data. The results show that the unstable regions are situated at low latitudes in every oceanic basin, in western boundary currents, and in some part of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The location of these unstable regions is well correlated with the region of negative projection of the mean flow on the second baroclinic mode. Given that the unstable mode growth times are generally smaller than 6 months at low latitudes, these unstable modes are likely to be observable in satellite altimetry. Therefore, results of the present article suggest that the large-scale instability is indeed a source of large-scale variability at low latitudes.
The sociology of the body
Authors: Adelman Miriam , Ruggi Lennita
Published: September 2015

Although classical sociology was not always oblivious or indifferent to the embodied dimensions of social relations, contemporary sociology has developed new perspectives and frameworks for understanding the body as a social and cultural construct and fundamental element in material and symbolic processes of power and conviviality. What do contemporary sociological approaches contribute to our understanding of corporeality and embodiment? What kind of changes does this represent in relation to classical perspectives? How do different theoretical approaches connect to contemporary interests and empirical research? The present article attempts to answer these questions, looking at the development and diversification of sociological approaches to the body, from Elias and Bourdieu to contemporary feminist, Foucauldian post-structuralism and queer theories. The authors highlight current research that is intersectional, international and path-breaking. They also pay particular attention to connections between the social, cultural and the political, as expressed in and through bodies, and point to the unresolved nature of the relationship between narrative, discourse and the materiality of the body.
Investigating curing kinetics and structural relaxation phenomena of unsaturated polyester resin containing silanized silica
Authors: Poorabdollah Mehdi , Beheshty Mohammad Hosain , Atai Mohammad
Published: September 2015

The effect of the incorporation of silica nanoparticles on structural relaxation and curing kinetics of unsaturated polyester resin was investigated. The evaluations were made monitoring the curing behavior of the neat unsaturated polyester resin and the resin containing 3 wt% SiO2 nanoparticles using dynamic differential scanning calorimetry at heating rates of 2, 2.5, 3, and 3.5℃ min−1. Results revealed a salient increase in the redox activation energy of the unsaturated polyester resin containing silica, while the activation energy of thermal decomposition of peroxide did not show any change. On the interface of nanoparticles and matrix resin, the dissociation reaction of cobalt naphthenate reduced the effect of the promoter. Differential scanning calorimetry was also used to estimate the average size of cooperative rearrangement region of the nanocomposite. Results revealed the possible grafting of unsaturated polyester onto the nanoparticle surface. The attractive interaction between the matrix and nanoparticle hindered segmental relaxation of the polymer chains.
Political Succession
Authors: Bueno de Mesquita Bruce , Smith Alastair
Published: September 2015

In addition to everyday political threats, leaders risk removal from office through coups and mass movements such as rebellion. Further, all leaders face threats from shocks such as downturns in their health, their country’s economy, or their government’s revenue. By integrating these risks into the selectorate theory, we characterize the conditions under which each threat is pertinent and the countermoves (purges, democratization, expansion of public goods, and expansion of private benefits) that best enable the leader to survive in office. The model identifies new insights into the nature of assassins; the relative risk of different types of leader removal as a function of the extant institutions of government; and the endogenous factors driving better or worse public policy and decisions to democratize or become more autocratic. Importantly, the results highlight how an increase in the risk of deposition via one means intensifies other removal risks.
Successful or Counterproductive Coercion? The Effect of International Sanctions on Conflict Intensity
Authors: Hultman Lisa , Peksen Dursun
Published: September 2015

Despite the frequent use of economic and military-specific sanctions against countries affected by civil conflicts, little is known about the possible impact that these coercive tools have on conflict dynamics. This article examines how threats and imposition of international sanctions affect the intensity of civil conflict violence. We formulate and test two competing views on the possible effect of economic and military-specific sanctions on conflict dynamics by combining data on fatalities in battle-related violence in all internal armed conflicts in Africa from 1989 to 2005 with data on economic sanctions and arms embargoes. The results indicate that threats of economic sanction and arms embargo are likely to increase the intensity of conflict violence. Similarly, imposed economic sanctions are likely to contribute to the escalation of conflict violence. Imposed arms embargoes, on the other hand, are likely to reduce conflict violence. We conclude that international sanctions appear to be counterproductive policy tools in mitigating the human cost of civil conflicts unless they are in the form of imposed arms embargoes attempting to limit the military capacity of the warring parties.
Dynamics of Strategies-based Language Instruction: A Study of Reading Comprehension and Problem Solving Abilities via Structural Equation Modeling
Authors: Ghahari Shima , Basanjideh Mahin
Published: September 2015

The study aimed at exploring the psychological as well as educational outcomes of strategies awareness and use. We set out to examine the effect of reading strategic investment on language achievement and problem solving ability (PSA). The participating EFL learners were heterogeneous in terms of reading instruction; two of the intact groups had received normal instruction studying selected short stories with a primary focus on vocabulary development and comprehension check, whereas the second group had been trained under a strategies-based instruction over two consecutive semesters by one of the researchers. A descriptive data collection procedure and follow-up exploratory and confirmatory analyses revealed metacognitive and cognitive strategies positively affect the enhancement of PSA and reading comprehension achievement (RCA). It was found, however, that metacognitive strategies are more effective for the development of PSA whereas cognitive strategies contribute to RCA more than their metacognitive counterparts.
Does It Pay to Be Green? The Case of French Ski Resorts
Authors: Goncalves Olga , Robinot Elisabeth , Michel Hélène
Published: September 2015

This article aims to measure the influence of two environmental strategies: “concerned citizen” and “proactive” strategies on firms’ performance. A two-step data envelopment analysis (DEA) procedure is therefore used on a sample of 38 French ski resorts. First, the DEA method is used to evaluate ski resorts’ operational performance. Second, the impact of environmental strategies on their performance is analyzed via a bootstrapped truncated regression model. Contrary to findings of current studies, these results show that a “proactive” environmental strategy is not more positively correlated with firms’ performance than a “concerned citizen” strategy. The research highlights an inflection point on the correlation between environmental strategy and organization’s performance. By clarifying which green initiatives lead to performance improvements, this study helps managers defining their most advantageous environmental investments.
Two Models of Teacher Accountability: Toward an Explanation for the Disappointing Results of Some Market-Based School Reforms
Authors: O’Connell Lenahan , Yusuf Juita-Elena (Wie)
Published: September 2015

Accountability is a pivotal concern of applied social science. This article asserts that in many situations a full explanation of the sources of accountability requires the application of concepts from sociology and management science, in addition to those from the market-based approaches inspired by economics. The article describes the market-based approach to accountability exemplified by agency theory, applies it to school reform and derives several predictions about the likely success of market-based approaches to school reform, and documents the lack of evidence supporting the contention that programs for school choice will markedly improve teacher work effort and performance (as measured by student test scores). The social actor approach, rooted in sociological and management theories, is introduced and used to describe the pressures and norms operating in the public schools that foster accountability even in the absence of competition between schools for students. The article concludes with some implications for practice and research on public sector accountability.
Collaboration between teachers and speech and language therapists: Services for primary school children with speech, language and communication needs
Authors: Glover Anna , McCormack Jane , Smith-Tamaray Michelle
Published: September 2015

Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) are prevalent among primary school-aged children. Collaboration between speech and language therapists (SLTs) and teachers is beneficial for supporting children’s communication skills. The aim of this study was to investigate the needs of both professional groups and their preferences for service delivery when working with mainstream, primary school-aged children with SLCN. This study was undertaken within one education region in New South Wales, Australia, using a mixed-methods research design. In Phase 1, all teachers (schools n = 156) and all SLTs ( n = 36) working within the region were invited to complete a questionnaire. Responses were obtained from 14 teachers and 6 SLTs. In Phase 2, a subsample of participants ( n = 4) contributed to a focus group. Within the study sample, minimal collaborative practice was reportedly occurring. Teachers and SLTs expressed a desire for increased training and knowledge and more collaborative practice. Teachers and SLTs also expressed frustration at perceived systemic inadequacies with regard to funding, personnel and resources. Findings from this study suggest that change to service delivery needs to be considered at an individual, interpersonal and organizational level to enable better outcomes for children with SLCN and increased support for their families and the professionals who work with them.
Mass Media as a Discursive Resource and the Construction of Engineering Selves
Authors: Cousineau Matthew J.
Published: September 2015

There have been different approaches to the study of the relations between mass media on the one hand and science and technological activities on the other. In this article, I summarize consumption approaches, point out some of their limitations, and then show how these limitations can be addressed by drawing on an ethnographic study I conducted of an academic engineering research laboratory. I analyze the discursive practices lab members use to interpret mass media. One practice treats media as reference points that mark a lab member’s growing alignment with the profession of electrical and computer engineering, and this constructs an engineering self by providing an opportunity for lab members to display knowledge of the prevalence and shapes of robots and align themselves with the firsthand knowledge prized in engineering culture. Another practice uses the discourse-in-practice of religion to construct an engineering self by aligning the speaker with things that are valued in engineering culture such as objectivity, science, evolution, and literature reviews. The final practice I analyze involves repurposing media technologies in ways that are helpful for both current and future lab research projects, which constructs selves by giving lab members an opportunity to show they know which features of media are relevant for engineering and how these features can be used to address engineering problems. I conclude with a discussion of how this contributes to studies of engineering identity and the relations between science, technology, and media.
The effect of extraction angle on endotracheal tube extubation force: Simulation and randomized clinical trial
Authors: Mihara Ryosuke , Komasawa Nobuyasu , Matsunami Sayuri , Minami Toshiaki
Published: September 2015

Objective

To evaluate the extraction force generated at different extubation angles using a manikin simulation and a randomized clinical trial.

Methods

Simulations were performed on a manikin to assess the force generated at extubation angles of 0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90° and 120° relative to the ground. The trial compared extraction force and changes in vital signs in patients undergoing general anaesthesia with tracheal intubation followed by extubation at 60° or 90°.

Results

The simulation study found that the extubation force was significantly lower at 45° and 60° than at all other extraction angles. In the trial, extubation at 60° resulted in significantly lower extraction force and systolic blood pressure elevation ( n = 23) than extubation at 90° ( n = 23).

Conclusion

Findings in a manikin simulation were confirmed by those of a randomized clinical trial, where extubation at 60 ° required less force than 90 °, and was accompanied by less SBP elevation. Extubation at 60 ° is less invasive than extubation at 90 °.
Diffuse non-aneurysmal SAH in spontaneous intracranial hypotension: Sequela of ventral CSF leak?
Authors: Schievink Wouter I , Maya M Marcel
Published: September 2015

Background

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension due to a spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak has become a well-recognized cause of headaches. Recently, various unusual neurological syndromes have been described in such patients with chronic ventral CSF leaks, including superficial siderosis and an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-like syndrome. The authors now report two patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension due to a chronic ventral CSF leak who suffered a diffuse non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

Description of cases

A 62-year-old woman underwent uneventful microsurgical repair of a ventral thoracic CSF leak that had been present for 13 years. Seventeen months after surgery, she was found unresponsive and CT showed a diffuse intracranial SAH. Cerebral angiography and spine and brain MRI did not reveal a source of the SAH. A 73-year-old woman was found unresponsive and CT showed a diffuse intracranial SAH. Cerebral angiography and brain MRI did not reveal a source of the SAH, although superficial siderosis was detected. Spine MRI showed a ventral thoracic CSF leak that by history had been present for 41 years. She underwent uneventful microsurgical repair of the CSF leak.

Discussion

The authors suggest that patients with a ventral spinal CSF leak of long duration may be at risk of diffuse non-aneurysmal SAH.
The crisis of regionalization
Authors: Marchildon Gregory P.
Published: September 2015

Currently in Canada, there is no consensus concerning the efficacy of regionalization, a reversal of the strong commitment in favour only a decade earlier. Instead, provincial governments are either dismantling regional health authorities in favour of highly centralized structures under the control of ministries of health or actively considering more centralized approaches. There is a general feeling among political leaders that regionalization has failed to achieve its original objectives. However, by not including physicians and primary care within regionalized governance, provincial governments have never given regionalization a real chance. Moreover, given the fact that the status quo prior to regionalization was far from an ideal state and would be almost impossible to return to in any event, some provincial governments should consider implementing a more full-blooded version of regionalization before abandoning the approach.
Strategic clinical networks in Alberta
Authors: Noseworthy Tom , Wasylak Tracy , O’Neill Blair
Published: September 2015

In June 2012, Alberta Health Services introduced Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs) as engines of innovation. The SCNs are collaborative clinical teams, with a provincial strategic mandate and with goals of achieving best outcomes, seeking greatest value for money and engaging clinicians in all aspects of the work. The SCNs are led by clinicians, driven by clinical needs, based on measurement and best evidence, and supported by research expertise, infrastructure, quality improvement, and analytic resources. Eleven SCNs are operational, with five others planned. Early measurable value is demonstrable in each. Examples include improving care and outcomes following stroke, reducing use of anti-psychotics in Long-Term Care (LTC), and improving surgical safety through effective implementation of the Safe Surgery Checklist.
Climate, Environmental Health Vulnerability, and Physical Planning
Authors: Rosen Jovanna
Published: September 2015

Climate change is expected to alter human health in important ways, with significant regional variations. To understand these effects, I review the climate change health forecasting literature and connect it to planning. I find that this literature indicates that local contexts deeply influence health outcomes, with implications for planning practice. However, this literature is fragmented by place and topic and prevents planners from anticipating the cumulative impacts on individuals and places. Future research should consider physical environment, socioeconomic and political characteristics, and interactions with health effects, to present a comprehensive understanding of the health effects of climate change.
Intimate Partner Violence, Childhood Abuse, and In-Law Abuse Among Women Utilizing Community Health Services in Gujarat, India
Authors: Kamimura Akiko , Ganta Vikas , Myers Kyl , Thomas Tomi
Published: September 2015

Previous studies in India suggest high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), childhood abuse, and abuse from in-laws. Yet few studies examined IPV, childhood abuse, and abuse from in-laws together. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between IPV, childhood abuse, and abuse from in-laws, and types of abuse (physical, sexual, and emotional abuse) among women utilizing community health services for the economically disadvantaged in India. This study contributes to expanding the literature on abuse experience and providing knowledge for developing intervention programs and research projects to improve health and safety of economically disadvantaged women. The data were collected from women aged 18 years old or older at 18 community health centers that are primarily for the economically disadvantaged in Gujarat, India, in October and November 2013. Of the 219 women who completed a self-administered survey, 167 participants, who had ever been married and indicated whether they had been abused by their spouse or not, were included in analysis. More than 60% of the participants experienced IPV, childhood abuse, and/or abuse from in-laws, often with multiple types of abuse. Physical abuse is a major issue for IPV, childhood abuse, and in-law abuse. Emotional abuse potentially happens along with physical and/or sexual abuse. Abuse from in-laws requires greater attention because all types of abuse from in-laws were associated with IPV. Community health centers should provide abuse prevention and intervention programs that have involvement of family members as well as women who are at risk of being abused.
Women’s Religious Authority in a Sub-Saharan Setting
Authors: Agadjanian Victor
Published: September 2015

Western scholarship on religion and gender has devoted considerable attention to women’s entry into leadership roles across various religious traditions and denominations. However, very little is known about the dynamics of women’s religious authority and leadership in developing settings, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, a region of powerful and diverse religious expressions. This study employs a combination of uniquely rich and diverse data to examine women’s formal religious authority in a predominantly Christian setting in Mozambique. I first use survey data to test hypotheses regarding the prevalence and patterns of women’s formal leadership across different denominational groups. I then support and extend the quantitative results with insights on pathways and consequences of women’s ascent to formal congregation authority drawn from qualitative data. The analysis illustrates how women’s religious authority both defies and reasserts the gendered constraints of the religious marketplace and the broader gender ideology in this developing context.
Embracing Discursive Paradox
Authors: Mease Jennifer J.
Published: September 2015

This article addresses how diversity consultants manage the dual demands of social justice and organizational goals or priorities. I suggest that navigating this “discursive paradox” is one of—if not the—defining feature of diversity work. To investigate this discursive paradox, I analyze diversity work as a process (rather than a collection of products) as evidenced in interviews with 19 diversity consultants. The results offer two derivative discursive paradoxes that emerged in consultants’ talk about diversity work: the tension between broad and narrow constructions of human differences and the tension between emphasizing change at the organizational and individual levels. Rather than framing these tensions as inherently problematic, I examine how consultants use them to create possibilities for change. Consequently, this work offers a promising approach for understanding and facilitating other forms of socially motivated organizational change, such as organizational sustainability or health and well-being campaigns.
The role of material model in the finite element simulation of high-speed machining of Ti6Al4V
Authors: Gao Chong-Yang , Zhang Liang-Chi , Liu Peng-Hui
Published: September 2015

This paper provides a comprehensive assessment on some commonly used thermo-viscoplastic constitutive models of metallic materials during severe plastic deformation at high-strain rates. An hcp model previously established by us was improved in this paper to enhance its predictability by incorporating the key saturation characteristic of strain hardening. A compensation-based stress-updating algorithm was also developed to introduce the new hcp model into a finite element program. The improved model with the developed algorithm was then applied in finite element simulation to investigate the high-speed machining of Ti6Al4V. It was found that by using different material models, the simulated results of cutting forces, serrated chip morphologies, and residual stresses can be different too and that the improved model proposed in this paper can be applied to simulate the titanium alloy machining process more reliably due to its physical basis when compared with some other empirical Johnson–Cook models.
Broiler chickens exposed to melamine and cyanuric acid-contaminated diets
Authors: Zapletal D , Straková E , Novák P , Suchý P
Published: September 2015

The objective of this study was to investigate whether melamine (MEL) is biotransformed into cyanuric acid (CYA) in male broiler chickens. The effects of the dietary addition of MEL and CYA alone and in combination on the growth performance and mortality of the chickens were also investigated. The chickens were divided into six experimental groups and were fed diets with an addition of 50 or 100 mg/kg MEL or 50 or 100 mg/kg CYA of diet, with the contaminants added separately or in combination. The control group was fed a diet without MEL or CYA. At the end of the experiment (day 40), samples of liver, kidney and breast and thigh muscles were collected from 12 birds per treatment group and were analysed for the presence of MEL and CYA. This study showed that MEL is biotransformed into CYA in broilers. Higher concentrations of MEL or CYA in the diet increased the presence of their residues in tissues, and the CYA residue concentration was several times higher in the respective tissues than the MEL residue concentration. The dietary addition of MEL and CYA did not affect the mortality rate, feed conversion ratio or body weight of the chickens.
Renal tubular acidosis type IV as a complication of lupus nephritis
Authors: Sánchez-Marcos C , Hoffman V , Prieto-González S , Hernández-Rodríguez J , Espinosa G
Published: September 2015

Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) is a rare complication of renal involvement of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We describe a 24-year-old male with type IV lupus nephropathy as a presenting manifestation of SLE. He presented with improvement of renal function following induction therapy with three pulses of methylprednisolone and 500 mg biweekly pulses of cyclophosphamide. However, a week after the first pulse of cyclophosphamide, the patient presented with a significant increase in legs edema and severe hyperkalemia. Type IV RTA associated with hyporeninemic hypoaldosteronism was suspected in the presence of metabolic acidosis with a normal anion gap, severe hyperkalemia without worsening renal function, and urinary pH of 5. RTA was confirmed with a transtubular potassium concentration gradient of 2 and low levels of plasma aldosterone, renin, angiotensin II, and cortisol. Intravenous bicarbonate, high-dose furosemide, and fludrocortisone were administered with normalization of potassium levels and renal function.
Mass media constructions of ‘socio-psychological epidemics’ in sub-Saharan Africa: The case of genital shrinking in 11 countries
Authors: de-Graft Aikins Ama , Dzokoto Vivian A. , Yevak Earl
Published: September 2015

Genital shrinking is a recurring phenomenon with about 180 reported cases in sub-Saharan Africa over the last two decades. Transcending national boundaries, it results in distress for victims, mob violence against accused perpetrators and mass panic which law enforcement agencies struggle to contain. This article examines mass media construction and framing of genital shrinking within a social representations theory framework. Our analysis suggests the following: (1) mass media reports are informed by lay and expert perspectives; (2) three stocks of knowledge are drawn on interchangeably, with culture constituting a core representation; (3) lay and expert perspectives overlap on cultural and common-sense explanations of genital shrinking; and (4) scientific explanations are limited to individual pathophysiology and psychopathology and do not inform public opinion. We consider the implications of understanding genital shrinking for improving mass media constructions and dissemination of information on ‘socio-psychological epidemics’ that may have scientific explanations.
Citizen science on a smartphone: Participants’ motivations and learning
Authors: Land-Zandstra Anne M. , Devilee Jeroen L. A. , Snik Frans , Buurmeijer Franka , van den Broek Jos M.
Published: September 2015

Citizen science provides researchers means to gather or analyse large datasets. At the same time, citizen science projects offer an opportunity for non-scientists to be part of and learn from the scientific process. In the Dutch iSPEX project, a large number of citizens turned their smartphones into actual measurement devices to measure aerosols. This study examined participants’ motivation and perceived learning impacts of this unique project. Most respondents joined iSPEX because they wanted to contribute to the scientific goals of the project or because they were interested in the project topics (health and environmental impact of aerosols). In terms of learning impact, respondents reported a gain in knowledge about citizen science and the topics of the project. However, many respondents had an incomplete understanding of the science behind the project, possibly caused by the complexity of the measurements.
The Systems Theory Framework of career development: Applications to career counselling and career assessment
Authors: McMahon Mary , Watson Mark , Patton Wendy
Published: September 2015

Since its inception, the Systems Theory Framework of career development has afforded ready translation into practice, especially into career counselling and qualitative career assessment. Through its clearly articulated constructs and the clarity of its diagrammatic representation, the Systems Theory Framework has facilitated the development of qualitative career assessment instruments as well as a quantitative measure. This article briefly overviews these practical applications of the Systems Theory Framework as well as its application in career counselling through a story telling approach. The article concludes by offering a synthesis of and considering future directions for the Systems Theory Framework’s practical applications.
Clinical career supervision in independent practice: A counselor- and supervisor-learning system perspective
Authors: Hall Michael E , LaCroix Julie
Published: September 2015

An emerging counselor and an established counseling psychologist, in separate independent practices, collaborate in this Practice Application Brief on clinical career supervision. Three core elements from Systems Theory Framework (i.e. creating a learning environment, the content of learning, and reflection on learning) guide the anecdotal analysis of their conjoint clinical supervision experience. The counselor’s and supervisor’s respective career development impact and implications for other practitioners beyond the pre-professional counselor-in-training level are highlighted.
High school students’ educational and career interest (science–technology–mathematics) and career adaptabilities
Authors: İzzet Kurbanoğlu N , Arslan Serhat
Published: September 2015

Career interest is an educational construct that consists of the resources an individual uses to respond to tasks and challenges of vocational development. The purpose of this research was investigated whether high school students’ career interest scores differ depending on gender and grade level, and whether there is a significant relationship between students’ career interests and career adaptabilities. The Educational and Career Interest Scale and the Career Adaptabilities Scale were used as the data collection tools in this study. The participants were 702 high school students (357 female, 345 male) who attended high schools in Sakarya. The research data were analyzed with a t-test, ANOVA, the Pearson Moment Correlation, and multiple regressions. The results showed that there is no significant difference between the gender of high school students and their educational and career interest scores. It was observed that there is a statistically significant difference between students’ grade level and educational and career interest scores. Furthermore, it was indicated in this study that there is a positive and significant relationship between students’ educational and career interest scores and their career adaptabilities scores.
Pain Outcomes in Patients Undergoing CT-Guided Celiac Plexus Neurolysis for Intractable Abdominal Visceral Pain
Authors: Edelstein Mark R. , Gabriel Ryan T. , Elbich Jeffrey D. , Wolfe Luke G. , Sydnor Malcolm K.
Published: September 2015

The purpose of this study was to assess outcomes in patients who have undergone celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN) as treatment for refractory abdominal visceral pain at a tertiary care medical center. This study involved retrospective analysis of all patients who had undergone computed tomography (CT)-guided CPN over a 7-year period, as identified in the medical record. Cases were categorized into 1 of 3 groups—group 1: patients getting at least moderate improvement in pain but with improvements subsiding within 2 days; group 2: patients with some sustained pain relief but still requiring heavy doses of narcotics; group 3: patients with major or complete sustained reduction in pain where the narcotic dose was able to be reduced. One hundred thirty-eight cases were identified, 51 of which had no or insufficient follow-up, leaving 87 cases for analysis. Of the 87 cases, 31 (36%) were categorized as group 1, 21 (24%) as group 2, and 35 (40%) as group 3. There were no statistical differences in outcomes based on patient age, gender, time since diagnosis, or type of cancer. Documented postoperative complications were diarrhea (11 cases) and 1 case each of obtundation, hypotension, and presyncopal event. We conclude that patients undergoing CT-guided CPN for abdominal visceral pain achieve moderate or major short-term pain relief in a majority of cases. The procedure is safe with minimal complications.