bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring School Climate in High Schools: A Focus on Safety, Engagement, and the Environment
Authors: Bradshaw Catherine P. , Waasdorp Tracy E. , Debnam Katrina J. , Johnson Sarah Lindstrom
Published: August 2014

BACKGROUND

School climate has been linked to multiple student behavioral, academic, health, and social‐emotional outcomes. The US Department of Education (USDOE) developed a 3‐factor model of school climate comprised of safety, engagement, and environment. This article examines the factor structure and measurement invariance of the USDOE model.

METHODS

Drawing upon 2 consecutive waves of data from over 25,000 high school students (46% minority), a series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses examined the fit of the Maryland Safe and Supportive Schools Climate Survey with the USDOE model.

RESULTS

The results indicated adequate model fit with the theorized 3‐factor model of school climate, which included 13 subdomains: safety (perceived safety, bullying and aggression, and drug use); engagement (connection to teachers, student connectedness, academic engagement, school connectedness, equity, and parent engagement); environment (rules and consequences, physical comfort, and support, disorder). We also found consistent measurement invariance with regard to student sex, grade level, and ethnicity. School‐level interclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.04 to .10 for the scales.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings supported the USDOE 3‐factor model of school climate and suggest measurement invariance and high internal consistency of the 3 scales and 13 subdomains. These results suggest the 56‐item measure may be a potentially efficient, yet comprehensive measure of school climate.
Pharmacological characterisation of the mechanisms underlying the relaxant effect of adrenomedullin in the rat carotid artery
Authors: Passaglia Patrícia , Gonzaga Natália A , Tirapelli Daniela P C , Tirapelli Luis F , Tirapelli Carlos R
Published: August 2014

Objectives

We investigated the mechanisms underlying the relaxant effect of adrenomedullin (AM) in the rat carotid artery and verified the expression of AM system components in this tissue.

Methods

The carotid artery was isolated from male Wistar rats and immunohistochemical, Western immunoblotting, real-time polymerase chain reaction and functional assays were conducted.

Key findings

Protein and mRNA expression of AM, calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CRLR) and receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMP)1, 2, 3 were detected in carotid segments from male Wistar rats. Immunohistochemical assays showed that AM and CRLR receptors are expressed in the endothelium and smooth muscle cells. Functional assays showed that AM concentration dependently relaxed carotid rings with intact endothelium. Endothelial removal reduced, but not abolished, the relaxation induced by AM. AM22–52 (selective antagonist for AM receptors) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)8–37 (selective CGRP receptor antagonist) reduced AM-induced relaxation in endothelium-intact rings. Pre-incubation of endothelium-intact rings with N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one or Rp-8-Bromo-?-phenyl-1,N2-ethenoguanosine 3′,5′cyclic monophosphorothioate reduced AM-induced relaxation. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-1 and protein kinase A (PKA) reduced AM-induced relaxation. The relaxation induced by AM was attenuated by the K+ channel blockers apamin and glibenclamide. AM increased nitrate levels and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α (stable product of prostacyclin) in the rat carotid. In endothelium-denuded rings, AM22–52, glibenclamide and PKA inhibition by H89 reduced AM-induced relaxation.

Conclusions

The novelty of this work is that it first demonstrated functionally that AM-induced relaxation is mediated by AM and CGRP receptors located on the endothelium and AM receptors located on smooth muscle of rat carotid arteries. AM-induced relaxation involves the nitric oxide-cGMP pathway, a vasodilator prostanoid, the opening of K+ channels and the activation of PKA.
Effects of two different rearing protocols for Holstein bull calves in the first 3 weeks of life on health status, metabolism and subsequent performance
Authors: Maccari P. , Wiedemann S. , Kunz H.‐J. , Piechotta M. , Sanftleben P. , Kaske M.
Published: August 2014

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of weight gain of calves within the first 3 weeks of life on health status and subsequent performance. Holstein bull calves were reared either intensively (IR; individual hutches and ad libitum milk feeding for the first 3 weeks of life; n = 24), or according to the established protocol [ER; 4 l milk/day in hutches during week 1 and 720 g/day milk replacer (MR) from day 8 to 21 in a group pen; n = 24]. Water, hay and concentrates were freely available to all calves. From week 4, calves of both groups were housed together in a group pen and fed 720 g MR/day; step‐down weaning was performed between week 5 and 10. Key metabolic blood parameters were analysed on day 2, 12, 21 and 70 of life. After weaning, all animals were fed concentrates and corn silage until slaughter at an age of 8 months. Within the first 3 weeks, average daily weight gain was threefold higher in IR calves in relation to ER calves (1.28 vs. 0.38 kg/day, p < 0.001). Neither incidence nor duration of scouring differed significantly between groups. Starter intake (week 4–10) was higher in IR calves in relation to ER calves (49.7 vs. 38.0 kg/calf, p = 0.006). Serum glucose, urea, albumin and insulin were higher at an age of 21 days in IR calves in relation to ER calves; no differences were obvious at an age of 70 days. Plasma GH and IGF‐I concentrations revealed an uncoupling of the somatotropic axis in ER calves within the first 3 weeks of life. At slaughter, body weight of IR calves tended to be higher than that of the ER calves (320 vs. 309 kg, p = 0.07). In conclusion, intensive feeding and individual housing during the first 3 weeks of life had positive long‐term effects on subsequent performance.
Perceived group identity of outgroup members and anticipated rejection: People think that strongly identified group members reject non‐group members
Authors: Nawata Kengo , Yamaguchi Hiroyuki
Published: August 2014

Many studies of intergroup relations have examined the effects of group identity on various types of intergroup cognition and behavior. However, few studies have focused on the perceived group identity of outgroup members. This study examined the effects of perceptions of outgroup identity on anticipated rejection by an outgroup. In Study 1, we administered a questionnaire pertaining to 30 social groups to Japanese undergraduate and vocational students. The collective images and intra‐individual processes relating to perceived outgroup identity were investigated by applying correlation analysis and multilevel structural equation modeling. In Study 2, we conducted an experiment in which we manipulated the participants' perceptions of relative levels of outgroup members' identity. Both studies demonstrated, as predicted, that people anticipated rejection by strongly identified outgroup members more than by weakly identified outgroup members. Furthermore, in Study 2, anticipated same‐group favoritism mediated the relationship between the manipulation of perceived outgroup identity and anticipated rejection. These findings suggest the important role of perceived outgroup identity in intergroup cognition.
Can home heal worn out parents?
Authors: Hata Tomoko Doi , Hanyu Kazunori , Kawata Manabu
Published: August 2014

The purpose of this study was to explore the conditions that make residences function as restorative environments for parents with young children. We analyzed how perceived restorativeness factors (being away, fascination, coherence, scope, and compatibility), the evaluation of the residence, interpersonal support, and the number of children contribute to actual psychological restoration in the residence using stepwise multiple regression. The results showed that perceived restorativeness factors needed for actual psychological restoration in residences depend on the working status and parental role. For nonworking mothers, fascination and interpersonal support significantly contributed to the prediction of their actual psychological restoration in the residence. For working mothers, only being away contributed significantly to predicting actual psychological restoration in the residence. For fathers, only compatibility contributed significantly to predicting actual psychological restoration in the residence. A need for future studies to examine whether the differences were caused by the fact that one is engaged in paid work or by the fact that potential stressors are distributed both inside and outside the residence was discussed.
Toward Defining the Causal Role of Consciousness: Using Models of Memory and Moral Judgment from Cognitive Neuroscience to Expand the Sociological Dual‐Process Model
Authors: Vila‐Henninger Luis Antonio
Published: August 2014

What role does “discursive consciousness” play in decision‐making? How does it interact with “practical consciousness?” These two questions constitute two important gaps in strong practice theory that extend fromPierreBourdieu's habitus toStephenVaisey's sociological dual‐process model and beyond. The goal of this paper is to provide an empirical framework that expands the sociological dual‐process model in order to fill these gaps using models from cognitive neuroscience.In particular, I use models of memory and moral judgment that highlight the importance of executive functions and semantic memory. I outline each model as it pertains to the aforementioned gaps in strong practice theory. I then use the models from cognitive neuroscience to create an expanded dual‐process model that addresses how and when conscious mental systems override and interact with subconscious mental systems in the use of cultural ends for decision‐making. Finally, using this expanded model I address the sociological debate over the use of interview and survey data. My analysis reveals that surveys and interviews both elicit information encoded in declarative memory and differ primarily in the process of information retrieval that is required of respondents.
Hibernation alters the diversity and composition of mucosa‐associated bacteria while enhancing antimicrobial defence in the gut of 13‐lined ground squirrels
Authors: Dill‐McFarland Kimberly A. , Neil Katie L. , Zeng Austin , Sprenger Ryan J. , Kurtz Courtney C. , Suen Garret , Carey Hannah V.
Published: August 2014

The gut microbiota plays important roles in animal nutrition and health. This relationship is particularly dynamic in hibernating mammals where fasting drives the gut community to rely on host‐derived nutrients instead of exogenous substrates. We used 16S rRNA pyrosequencing and caecal tissue protein analysis to investigate the effects of hibernation on the mucosa‐associated bacterial microbiota and host responses in 13‐lined ground squirrels. The mucosal microbiota was less diverse in winter hibernators than in actively feeding spring and summer squirrels. UniFrac analysis revealed distinct summer and late winter microbiota clusters, while spring and early winter clusters overlapped slightly, consistent with their transitional structures. Communities in all seasons were dominated by Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, with lesser contributions from Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Tenericutes and Actinobacteria. Hibernators had lower relative abundances of Firmicutes, which include genera that prefer plant polysaccharides, and higher abundances of Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia, some of which can survive solely on host‐derived mucins. A core mucosal assemblage of nine operational taxonomic units shared among all individuals was identified with an average total sequence abundance of 60.2%. This core community, together with moderate shifts in specific taxa, indicates that the mucosal microbiota remains relatively stable over the annual cycle yet responds to substrate changes while potentially serving as a pool for ‘seeding’ the microbiota once exogenous substrates return in spring. Relative to summer, hibernation reduced caecal crypt length and increased MUC2 expression in early winter and spring. Hibernation also decreased caecal TLR4 and increased TLR5 expression, suggesting a protective response that minimizes inflammation.
A γ‐butyrolactone‐sensing activator/repressor, JadR3, controls a regulatory mini‐network for jadomycin biosynthesis
Authors: Zou Zhengzhong , Du Deyao , Zhang Yanyan , Zhang Jihui , Niu Guoqing , Tan Huarong
Published: August 2014

Two regulatory genes, jadR2 and jadR3, in the jadomycin (jad) biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces venezuelae encode homologues of γ‐butyrolactone receptor. JadR2 was previously shown to be a pseudo γ‐butyrolactone receptor. jadR3 is situated at the upstream of jadW123 encoding putative enzymes for γ‐butyrolactone biosynthesis. Disruption of jadR3 resulted in markedly decreased production of jadomycin. Transcriptional analysis revealed that JadR3 represses jadW1, jadR2 and jadR3 but activates jadR1, the key activator gene for jadomycin biosynthesis. DNase I footprinting showed that JadR3 has four binding sites in the intergenic regions of jadR2–jadR1 and jadR3–jadW1. A JadR3 interactive molecule, SVB1, was purified from a large‐scale fermentation and its structure found to be the same as SCB3, a γ‐butyrolactone from Streptomyces coelicolor, and was absent from a jadW123 mutant lacking jadomycin production. Addition of SVB1 or extract from S. coelicolor to the mutant restored jadomycin production. Overall, our results revealed that the association of JadR3 and SVB1 plays an important role in controlling a regulatory mini‐network governing jadomycin biosynthesis, providing new insights into the ways in which γ‐butyrolactone/receptor systems modulate antibiotic biosynthesis in Streptomyces.
Nursing and the new biology: towards a realist, anti‐reductionist approach to nursing knowledge
Authors: Nairn Stuart
Published: August 2014

As a system of knowledge, nursing has utilized a range of subjects and reconstituted them to reflect the thinking and practice of health care. Often drawn to a holistic model, nursing finds it difficult to resist the reductionist tendencies in biological and medical thinking. In this paper I will propose a relational approach to knowledge that is able to address this issue. The paper argues that biology is not characterized by one stable theory but is often a contentious topic and employs philosophically diverse models in its scientific research. Biology need not be seen as a reductionist science, but reductionism is nonetheless an important current within biological thinking. These reductionist currents can undermine nursing knowledge in four main ways. Firstly, that the conclusions drawn from reductionism go far beyond their data based on an approach that prioritizes biological explanations and eliminates others. Secondly, that the methods employed by biologists are sometimes weak, and the limitations are insufficiently acknowledged. Thirdly, that the assumptions that drive the research agenda are problematic, and finally that uncritical application of these ideas can be potentially disastrous for nursing practice. These issues are explored through an examination of the problems reductionism poses for the issue of gender, mental health, and altruism. I then propose an approach based on critical realism that adopts an anti‐reductionist philosophy that utilizes the conceptual tools of emergence and a relational ontology.
Geographical imaginaries: Articulating the values of geography
Authors: Howie Bill , Lewis Nick
Published: August 2014

This paper explores the concept of ‘geographical imaginaries’ in New Zealand geography. It reflects on the genealogy of the concept and on the work it might perform in the world. At a time when the purpose and contribution of geography in schools is under question and the discipline is under severe strain at universities, we ask whether the idea of ‘geographical imaginaries’ offers a conceptual platform for demonstrating the potential for geography to offer meaning in the complex world of 21st‐century New Zealand and whether it will help teachers to foster geographic thought in classrooms. In short, we argue for the merits of working with the idea of geographical imaginaries in classrooms and for utilising it to interrogate accounts of the geographical gaze and its values. This, we argue, offers opportunities to catalyse geographical thought, highlight the potential of thinking geographically, and open up a thinking space in which geography teachers can examine their pedagogy and enhance the purpose of their work. This would provide a platform for building a more imaginative and more politically and culturally relevant geography at school.
Teaching physical geography at university with cartoons and comic strips: Motivation, construction and usage
Authors: Gomez Christopher
Published: August 2014

This article presents the cartoons and comic strips that the author draws and has used in his teaching of physical geography at the undergraduate level since 2011. In the context of an image‐based culture, this article discusses the pedagogic goals that cartoons and comic strips fulfil: enhancing learning and creativity, associating pleasure with learning, pushing students to think ‘outside the box’ and relating the students' learning experience to a media framework popular with students. Cartoons and comic strips also answer particular necessities related to the teaching of physical geography. Using characters placed in hypothetical situations, they explain the process of doing geography and being a physical geographer.
Can trained volunteers make a difference at mealtimes for older people in hospital? A qualitative study of the views and experience of nurses, patients, relatives and volunteers in the Southampton Mealtime Assistance Study
Authors: Robison Judy , Pilgrim Anna L. , Rood Gemma , Diaper Norma , Elia Marinos , Jackson Alan A. , Cooper Cyrus , Aihie Sayer Avan , Robinson Sian , Roberts Helen C.
Published: August 2014

Background

Malnutrition is common amongst hospitalised older patients and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Poor dietary intake results from factors including acute illness and cognitive impairment but additionally patients may have difficulty managing at mealtimes. Use of volunteers to help at mealtimes is rarely evaluated.

Objectives

To obtain multiple perspectives on nutritional care of older inpatients, acceptability of trained volunteers and identify important elements of their assistance.

Design

A qualitative study 1 year before and after introduction of volunteer mealtime assistants on one ward and parallel comparison with a control ward in a Medicine for Older People department at a UK university hospital.

Participants and methods

Semi‐structured interviews and focus groups, in baseline and intervention years, with purposively sampled nursing staff at different levels of seniority; patients or close relatives; and volunteers.

Results

At baseline staff felt under pressure with insufficient people assisting at mealtimes. Introducing trained volunteers was perceived by staff and patients to improve quality of mealtime care by preparing patients for mealtimes, assisting patients who needed help, and releasing nursing time to assist dysphagic or drowsy patients. There was synergy with other initiatives, notably protected mealtimes. Interviews highlighted the perceived contribution of chronic poor appetite and changes in eating patterns to risk of malnutrition.

Conclusions

Improved quality of mealtime care attributed to volunteers’ input has potential to enhance staff morale and patients’/relatives’ confidence. A volunteer mealtime assistance scheme may work best when introduced in context of other changes reflecting commitment to improving nutrition.

Implications for practice

(i) A mealtime assistance scheme should incorporate training, supervision and support for volunteers; (ii) Good relationships and a sense of teamwork can develop between wards staff and volunteers; (iii) Impact may be maximised in the context of ‘protected mealtimes’.
Biology of advanced uveal melanoma and next steps for clinical therapeutics
Authors: Luke Jason J. , Triozzi Pierre L. , McKenna Kyle C. , Van Meir Erwin G. , Gershenwald Jeffrey E. , Bastian Boris C. , Gutkind J. Silvio , Bowcock Anne M. , Streicher Howard Z. , Patel Poulam M. , Sato Takami , Sossman Jeffery A. , Sznol Mario , Welch Jack , Thurin Magdalena , Selig Sara , Flaherty Keith T. , Carvajal Richard D.
Published: August 2014

Uveal melanoma is the most common intraocular malignancy although it is a rare subset of all melanomas. Uveal melanoma has distinct biology relative to cutaneous melanoma, with widely divergent patient outcomes. Patients diagnosed with a primary uveal melanoma can be stratified for risk of metastasis by cytogenetics or gene expression profiling, with approximately half of patients developing metastatic disease, predominately hepatic in location, over a 15‐yr period. Historically, no systemic therapy has been associated with a clear clinical benefit for patients with advanced disease, and median survival remains poor. Here, as a joint effort between the Melanoma Research Foundation's ocular melanoma initiative, CURE OM and the National Cancer Institute, the current understanding of the molecular and immunobiology of uveal melanoma is reviewed, and on‐going laboratory research into the disease is highlighted. Finally, recent investigations relevant to clinical management via targeted and immunotherpies are reviewed, and next steps in the development of clinical therapeutics are discussed.
Clinical behavior of Japanese community pharmacists for preventing prescription drug overdose
Authors: Shimane Takuya , Matsumoto Toshihiko , Wada Kiyoshi
Published: August 2014

Aim

Prescription drug abuse, including benzodiazepines, is a growing health problem in Japan. This study examined the community pharmacist's clinical behavior regarding patients who overdose on prescribed drugs, and explored the possibility of overdose prevention by community pharmacists.

Methods

We surveyed all registered community pharmacies with dispensing functions (n = 1867) in the Saitama Pharmaceutical Association. An anonymous self‐administered questionnaire was mailed to each pharmacy. Respondents were asked about clinical behavior such as medication counseling and referral to the prescriber if prescription drug overdose was identified.

Results

Among respondents, 26% of community pharmacists reported clinical experience of working with patients who overdosed on prescribed drugs in the previous year. Half of respondents evaluated their practice such as medication counseling and referral to the prescriber as ‘good’. On multivariate analysis, a ‘poor’ self‐evaluation of referral to the prescriber was significantly associated with the following perceptions: ‘insufficient confidence in communication with prescribers’ (odds ratio [OR], 2.7; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.4–5.3), and ‘to avoid trouble with prescribers’ (OR, 1.7; 95%CI: 1.0–2.7).

Conclusion

Japanese community pharmacists could prevent prescription drug abuse in their practice, but the pharmacists who have insufficient confidence in communication with prescribers and who are afraid of trouble with a prescriber, reported poor self‐evaluation for referral to the prescribers. All prescribers should understand the importance of referral by community pharmacists, to assist community pharmacists in playing a critical role in prevention of prescription drug abuse.
Four pediatric patients with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease developed new‐onset diabetes after renal transplantation
Authors: Carter S. A. , Kitching A. R. , Johnstone L. M.
Published: August 2014

NODAT is increasingly prevalent. Compared with adult recipients, NODAT is less prevalent in pediatric renal transplant recipients; however, some risk factors for its development in young patients have been defined. We report four pediatric renal transplant recipients with ARPKD who developed NODAT. We review the current pediatric NODAT literature and hypothesize that ARPKD may be an additional risk factor for NODAT.
Photodynamic Inactivation of Bacterial and Yeast Biofilms With a Cationic Porphyrin
Authors: Beirão Sandra , Fernandes Sara , Coelho Joel , Faustino Maria A. F. , Tomé João P. C. , Neves Maria G. P. M. S. , Tomé Augusto C. , Almeida Adelaide , Cunha Angela
Published: August 2014

The efficiency of 5,10,15,20‐tetrakis(1‐methylpyridinium‐4‐yl)porphyrin tetra‐iodide (Tetra‐Py+‐Me) in the photodynamic inactivation of single‐species biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans and mixed biofilms of S. aureus and C. albicans was evaluated. The effect on the extracellular matrix of P. aeruginosa was also assessed. Irradiation with white light up to an energy dose of 64.8 J cm−2 in the presence of 20 μm of Tetra‐Py+‐Me caused significant inactivation in all single‐species biofilms (3–6 log reductions), although the susceptibility was attenuated in relation to planktonic cells. In mixed biofilms, the inactivation of S. aureus was as efficient as in single‐species biofilms but the susceptibility of C. albicans decreased. In P. aeruginosa biofilms, a reduction of 81% in the polysaccharide content of the matrix was observed after treatment with a 20 μm PS concentration and a total light dose of 64.8 J cm−2. The results show that the Tetra‐Py+‐Me causes significant inactivation of the microorganisms, either in biofilms or in the planktonic form, and demonstrate that polysaccharides of the biofilm matrix may be a primary target of photodynamic damage.
Italy: The Triumph of Personalist Parties
Authors: Pasquino Gianfranco
Published: August 2014

The fall of the Berlin Wall, a major anticorruption investigation in 1992, and the electoral referendum of April 1993 provoked the collapse of the Italian party system and led to the disappearance of the parties that had governed Italy since December 1946. Acting as a political entrepreneur, the media magnate Silvio Berlusconi founded, shaped, and led his own personalist party. Providing social, economic, and political representation to a wide variety of sectors of the middle class, small entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, and artisans, Berlusconi has dominated Italian politics for almost 20 years. One way or another, all Italian parties have followed suit, becoming personalist and personalized. A product of the merger between the former Communists and left‐wing Christian Democrats, the moderately progressive Democratic Party (PD) had resisted the trend until recently. With Matteo Renzi's unstoppable ascent to the offices of party secretary and prime minister, even the PD became personalistic.
Leaf‐shape remodeling: programmed cell death in fistular leaves of Allium fistulosum
Authors: Ni Xi‐Lu , Su Hui , Zhou Ya‐fu , Wang Feng‐Hua , Liu Wen‐Zhe
Published: August 2014

Some species of Allium in Liliaceae have fistular leaves. The fistular lamina of Allium fistulosum undergoes a process from solid to hollow during development. The aims were to reveal the process of fistular leaf formation involved in programmed cell death (PCD) and to compare the cytological events in the execution of cell death to those in the unusual leaf perforations or plant aerenchyma formation. In this study, light and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the development of fistular leaves and cytological events. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays and gel electrophoresis were used to determine nuclear DNA cleavage during the PCD. The cavity arises in the leaf blade by degradation of specialized cells, the designated pre‐cavity cells, in the center of the leaves. Nuclei of cells within the pre‐cavity site become TUNEL‐positive, indicating that DNA cleavage is an early event. Gel electrophoresis revealed that DNA internucleosomal cleavage occurred resulting in a characteristic DNA ladder. Ultrastructural analysis of cells at the different stages showed disrupted vacuoles, misshapen nuclei with condensed chromatin, degraded cytoplasm and organelles and emergence of secondary vacuoles. The cell walls degraded last, and residue of degraded cell walls aggregated together. These results revealed that PCD plays a critical role in the development of A. fistulosum fistular leaves. The continuous cavity in A. fistulosum leaves resemble the aerenchyma in the pith of some gramineous plants to improve gas exchange.
Coalition Structures and Policy Change in a Consensus Democracy
Authors: Fischer Manuel
Published: August 2014

This paper studies the relation between coalition structures in policy processes and policy change. While different factors such as policy images, learning processes, external events, or venue shopping are important to explain policy change, coalition structures within policy processes are often neglected. However, policy change happens as a result of negotiations and coordination among coalitions within policy processes. The paper analyzes how conflict, collaboration, and power relations among coalitions of actors influence policy change in an institutional context of a consensus democracy. Empirically, I rely on a Qualitative Comparative Analysis to conduct a cross‐sector comparison of the 11 most important policy processes in Switzerland between 2001 and 2006. Coalition structures with low conflict and strong collaboration among coalitions as well as structures with dominant coalitions and weak collaboration both facilitate major policy change. Competing coalitions that are separated by strong conflict but still collaborate strongly produce policy outputs that are close to the status quo.
Renewable Energy Politics: Policy Typologies, Policy Tools, and State Deployment of Renewables
Authors: Yi Hongtao , Feiock Richard C.
Published: August 2014

This paper investigates the competing forces driving the development of renewable energy in the American states. We formulate a framework of state renewable energy politics and develop a set of hypotheses regarding the role of politics, policies, and prices in renewable energy development. We test these hypotheses with a fixed effect vector decomposition model using a panel data set for the U.S. states from 1990 to 2008. The results indicate that renewable energy development is influenced by regulatory institutions, the party affiliations of the governor and legislators, and the professionalism of the legislature, accompanied by the effects of various policy instruments.
Expertise in video game playing is associated with reduced valence‐concordant emotional expressivity
Authors: Weinreich André , Strobach Tilo , Schubert Torsten
Published: August 2014

In carefully selected groups of video game playing (VGP) experts and nonexperts, we examined valence‐concordant emotional expressivity. We measured electromyographic (EMG) activity over the corrugator supercilii muscle while participants viewed pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant pictures. Potential group differences concerning valence‐concordant expressivity may arise from differences concerning the participants' emotional reactivity. To control for such differences, we concomitantly measured skin conductance response (SCR) and, in a separate affect misattribution procedure (AMP), valence transfer from the same set of stimuli. Importantly, we found attenuated valence‐concordant EMG activity over the corrugator supercilii muscle in VGP experts compared to nonexperts, but no differences were evident concerning SCR or valence transfer in the AMP. The findings suggest that expertise in VGP is particularly associated with reduced valence‐concordant emotional expressivity.
Implementation and Compliance under the Minamata Convention on Mercury
Authors: Templeton Jessica , Kohler Pia
Published: August 2014

What contributed to the consensus to establish an implementation and compliance mechanism during the negotiations of the 2013 Minamata Convention on Mercury? This outcome was inextricably linked to consensus on establishing a financial mechanism that was satisfactory to both developed and developing country parties. However, given the complex interlinkages between these issues, the history of discussions of compliance in closely related multilateral environmental agreements, and the wide range of interests and preferences among parties to the negotiations, the path to consensus was not clear until late in the negotiating process. While the compatibility between the proposed mechanism and States' interests was crucial to the outcome, the role of individuals in crafting the treaty text and facilitating negotiations was also essential. Thus, a complete analysis of the path to that agreement must consider the role of individual leaders in strategically guiding delegates to identify the points at which their interests converged.
Regina (Buckinghamshire County Council and others) v. Secretary of State for Transport
Authors: Maurici James , Mills Alistair
Published: August 2014

The United Kingdom Supreme Court has considered the requirements of environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment in the context of a high speed rail scheme to be introduced by parliamentary procedure. The case is important for its detailed analysis of how parliamentary processes relate to the requirements of European Union environmental law. The Supreme Court has also made revealing comments about its view of the proper relationship between the domestic and European legal order.
Chemicals as Regulatory Objects
Authors: Fisher Elizabeth
Published: August 2014

This reflective article explores how different regulatory regimes concerned with the industrial use of chemicals conceptualize chemicals as regulatory objects in different ways. The United States Toxic Substances Control Act characterizes chemicals as risky objects, the European Union's REACH regime characterizes chemicals as market objects and the Californian Green Chemistry Initiative characterizes chemicals as scientific objects. The malleability of chemicals as regulatory objects has implications for debates about international chemicals regulation, including the need for a more nuanced debate and greater regulatory imagination.
The Chemicals and Waste Regime as a Basis for a Comprehensive International Framework on Sustainable Management of Potentially Hazardous Materials?
Authors: Kummer Peiry Katharina
Published: August 2014

Since the 1980s, the international legal framework governing the management of chemicals and wastes has developed in an ad hoc and piecemeal fashion. As the international community became aware of a problem, the response was to negotiate a treaty to address it. The 2013 Minamata Convention is the latest example. The result is an international legal framework that addresses some substances and some aspects of their management, leaving others unregulated. In today's globalized world, there is a need for a coherent and comprehensive legal framework that reflects the ‘life cycle’ or ‘circular economy’ approach to materials management. Taking into account previous efforts, including the 2006 Strategic Approach to Chemicals Management and the synergies process of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, and considering the approach adopted by the Minamata Convention to regulate the upstream as well as the downstream aspects of the substances it addresses, this article explores ways to achieve a comprehensive and coherent global legal framework on the management of potentially hazardous materials, concluding that the current chemicals and waste regime can serve as a basis for such a framework.
Seroepidemiology of human T‐cell lymphotropic virus among Iranian adult thalassemic patients
Authors: Keshvari M. , Hajibeigi B. , Azarkeivan A. , Keyvani H. , Behnava B. , Saiedi Hosseini S. Y. , Sharafi H. , Alavian S. M.
Published: August 2014

Background

A large number of transfusion‐dependent thalassemic patients is at a substantial risk for transfusion‐transmitted infections. Human T‐cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) is a blood‐borne pathogen and can be transmitted via cellular products. We aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of HTLV in transfusion‐dependent thalassemic patients referred to Tehran Adult Thalassemia Clinic.

Methods

From 2008 to 2010, 257 transfusion‐dependent thalassemic patients who referred to Tehran Adult Thalassemia Clinic were enrolled. The seroprevalence of HTLV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV were assessed using enzyme‐linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Also, the samples with positive result for anti‐HTLVAb (by ELISA) were reassessed using Western blot for HTLV.

Results

Among the 257 transfusion‐dependent thalassemic patients who were tested for anti‐HTLVAb, 29 (11·3%, 95%CI = 7·8–15.6%) were found to be anti‐HTLVAb positive by ELISA and Western blot. No case was detected to be HBsAg positive, whereas 16% had HBV seroconversion criteria, and more than 95% had anti‐HBsAb in their sera. Also, 103 (40·1%) patients were HCV seropositive, 13 (5·1%) patients of which were co‐infected with HCV/HTLV. Among the HTLV‐infected patients, 44·8% were co‐infected with HCV, whereas 39·5% of HTLV‐seronegative individuals were HCV mono‐infected (P > 0·05).

Conclusion

This study showed that transfusion‐dependent thalassemic patients were in higher risk for transmission of different blood‐borne pathogens such as HTLV. The screening of HTLV in Iranian blood donors is recommended.
Plerixafor is effective given either preemptively or as a rescue strategy in poor stem cell mobilizing patients with multiple myeloma
Authors: Cheng Jian , Schmitt Michael , Wuchter Patrick , Buss Eike C. , Witzens‐Harig Mathias , Neben Kai , Hundemer Michael , Hillengass Jens , Alexi Renate , Goldschmidt Hartmut , Chen Bao‐an , Ho Anthony D. , Schmitt Anita
Published: August 2014

Background

Harvest of more than one CD34+ stem cell transplant has become the standard, to ensure the option for a second autologous transplantation in patients with relapsed or progressive multiple myeloma (MM). Additional administration of the CXCR‐4 inhibitor plerixafor has been shown to increase the efficiency of CD34+ stem cell harvest. However, the algorithm when to apply plerixafor is still under debate.

Study Design and Methods

In this retrospective study, 46 MM patients were categorized into four groups according to their CD34+ stem cell count in peripheral blood (PB) and mobilization with or without plerixafor: Group A comprised poor mobilizers with CD34+ cell counts of fewer than 20 × 106/L in PB. Group B included inadequate mobilizers with CD34+ cell counts of 20 × 106/L or more in PB and a low CD34+ stem cell yield in the first leukapheresis session. Patients receiving plerixafor preemptively (Group A1) and as a rescue strategy (Group B1) were compared to patients continuing stem cell collection with granulocyte–colony‐stimulating factor alone (Groups A2 and B2).

Results

In both, the preemptive and the rescue settings, plerixafor enhanced the CD34+ stem cell yield significantly. Poor mobilization and administration of plerixafor was not associated with delayed engraftment.

Conclusion

Our data demonstrate that administration of plerixafor is safe and effective and facilitates a significantly higher CD34+ stem cell harvest. Based on the presented data, we propose an algorithm for the use of plerixafor for CD34+ stem cell mobilization and harvesting in poor mobilizing myeloma patients.
Modeling Oscillatory Behavior of Electrical Submersible Pump Wells Under Two-Phase Flow Conditions
Authors: de Melo Vieira Rinaldo Antonio , Gargaglione Prado Mauricio
Published: August 2014

The effect of free gas on electrical submersible pump (ESP) performance is well known. At a constant rotational speed and constant liquid flow rate, a small amount of gas causes a mild head reduction when compared to the single phase liquid head. However, at higher gas rates, a drastic reduction in the head is observed. This critical condition, known as the surging point, is a combination of liquid and gas flow rates that cause a maximum in the head performance curve. The first derivative of the head with respect to the liquid flow rate changes sign as the liquid flow rate crosses the surging point. In several works on ESP two-phase flow performance, production conditions to the left of the surging region are described or reported as unstable operational conditions. This paper reviews basic concepts on stability of dynamical systems and shows through simulation that ESP oscillatory behavior may result from two-phase flow conditions. A specific drift flux computation code was developed to simulate the dynamic behavior of ESP wells producing without packers.
A New Three-Dimensional Numerical Model of Rough Contact: Influence of Mode of Surface Deformation on Real Area of Contact and Pressure Distribution
Authors: Jourani A.
Published: August 2014

Surface roughness causes contact to occur only at discrete spots called microcontacts. In the deterministic models real area of contact and pressure field are widely evaluated using Flamant and Boussinesq equations for two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D), respectively. In this paper, a new 3D geometrical contact approach is developed. It models the roughness by cones and uses the concept of representative strain at each asperity. To discuss the validity of this model, a numerical solution is introduced by using the spectral method and another 3D geometrical approach which models the roughness by spheres. The real area of contact and the pressure field given by these approaches show that the conical model is almost insensitive to the degree of isotropy of the rough surfaces, which is not the case for the spherical model that is only valid for quasi-isotropic surfaces. The comparison between elastic and elastoplastic models reveals that for a surface with a low roughness, the elastic approach is sufficient to model the rough contact. However, for surfaces having a great roughness, the elastoplastic approach is more appropriate to determine the real area of contact and pressure distribution. The results of this study show also that the roughness scale modifies the real contact area and pressure distribution. The surfaces characterized by high frequencies are less resistant in contact and present the lowest real area of contact and the most important mean pressure.
Effects of the Etna Uphill Ultramarathon on Energy Cost and Mechanics of Running
Authors: Lazzer Stefano , Salvadego Desy , Taboga Paolo , Rejc Enrico , Giovanelli Nicola , di Prampero Pietro E.
Published: August 2014

Purpose:

To investigate the effects of an extreme uphill marathon on the mechanical parameters that are likely to affect the energy cost of running (Cr).

Methods:

Eleven runners (27–59 y) participated in the Etna SuperMarathon (43 km, 0–3063 m above sea level). Anthropometric characteristics, maximal explosive power of the lower limb (Pmax), and maximal oxygen uptake were determined before the competition. In addition, before and immediately after the race, Cr, contact (tc) and aerial (ta) times, step frequency (f), and running velocity were measured at constant self-selected speed. Then, peak vertical ground-reaction force (Fmax), vertical downward displacement of the center of mass (Δz), leg-length change (ΔL), and vertical (kvert) and leg (kleg) stiffness were calculated.

Results:

A direct relationship between Cr, measured before the race, and race time was shown (r = .61, P < .001). Cr increased significantly at the end of the race by 8.7%. Immediately after the race, the subjects showed significantly lower ta (–58.6%), f (–11.3%), Fmax (–17.6%), kvert (–45.6%), and kleg (–42.3%) and higher tc (+28.6%), Δz (+52.9%), and ΔL (+44.5%) than before the race. The increase of Cr was associated with a decrement in Fmax (r = –.45), kvert (r = –.44), and kleg (r = –.51). Finally, an inverse relationship between Pmax measured before the race and ΔCr during race was found (r = –.52).

Conclusions:

Lower Cr was related with better performance, and athletes characterized by the greater Pmax showed lower increases in Cr during the race. This suggests that specific power training of the lower limbs may lead to better performance in ultraendurance running competition.
The Coaching Needs of High Performance Female Athletes within the Coach-Athlete Dyad
Authors: Norman Leanne
Published: August 2014

Within the research literature there is little work that has examined how coaches (and coaching) can positively influence female athletes’ continued participation and development in performance sport. One barrier that has been recently cited that prevents more women from progressing in sport is the inability of coaches to understand how to engage their female athletes. With this in mind, utilising a phenomenological approach, the current study focused on the coaching preferences of female athletes within the elite coach-athlete dyad. Through interviews with 27 current high performance female athletes, four major coaching needs were found. These were: to be supported as a person as well a performer, coaching to be a joint endeavour, the need for positive communication, and recognition of the salience of gender within the coach-athlete dyad. The findings highlight the complexities and contradictions that are inherent within such a relationship, but ultimately provide evidence that the relational expertise of coaches is at the forefront of these women’s coaching needs. The present study also demonstrates that gender is a salient influence on the coach-athlete relationship. Such findings hold practical significance through demonstrating the need for gender-responsive coaching practitioners.
Distance Running Events and Life Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Sato Mikihiro , Jordan Jeremy S. , Funk Daniel C.
Published: August 2014

The current study examines whether a distance running event has the capacity to promote participants’ life satisfaction. The construct of psychological involvement was used to investigate the impact of attitude change through event preparation and subsequent activity. Data were collected four times through online surveys from running event participants (N = 211) over a five-month period. Latent growth modeling analyses revealed that participants’ life satisfaction peaked immediately after the event before receding, indicating that event participation exerted a positive impact on participants’ evaluations toward their lives. A positive significant association was also found between change in pleasure in running and change in life satisfaction. Findings from this study provide empirical support that a distance running event can serve as an environmental determinant that enhances participants’ life satisfaction by providing positive experiences through event participation and forming psychological involvement in physical activity.