bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Statistical–Dynamical Seasonal Forecast for Tropical Cyclones Affecting New York State
Authors: Kim Hye-Mi , Chang Edmund K. M. , Zhang Minghua
Published: December 2014

This study attempts, for the first time, to predict the annual number of tropical cyclones (TCs) affecting New York State (NYS), as part of the effort of the New York State Resiliency Institute for Storms and Emergencies (RISE). A pure statistical prediction model and a statistical–dynamical hybrid prediction model have been developed based on the understanding of the physical mechanism between NYS TCs and associated large-scale climate variability. During the cold phase of El Niño–Southern Oscillation, significant circulation anomalies in the Atlantic Ocean provide favorable conditions for more recurving TCs into NYS. The pure statistical prediction model uses the sea surface temperature (SST) over the equatorial Pacific Ocean from the previous months. Cross validation shows that the correlation between the observed and predicted numbers of NYS TCs is 0.56 for the June 1979–2013 forecasts. Forecasts of the probability of one or more TCs impacting NYS have a Brier skill score of 0.35 compared to climatology. The statistical–dynamical hybrid prediction model uses Climate Forecast System, version 2, SST predictions, which are statistically downscaled to forecast the number of NYS TCs based on a stepwise regression model. Results indicate that the initial seasonal prediction for NYS TCs can be issued in February using the hybrid model, with an update in June using the pure statistical prediction model. Based on the statistical model, for 2014, the predicted number of TCs passing through NYS is 0.33 and the probability of one or more tropical cyclones crossing NYS is 30%, which are both below average and in agreement with the actual activity (0 NYS TCs).
Social Justice Mentoring
Authors: Neville Helen A.
Published: December 2014

In this address, I honor my ancestors for their commitment to social justice. I pay tribute to my mentors and students who have inspired me to join with others to struggle for justice and liberation. I share stories of my journey and I encourage social justice mentors in counseling psychology to consider: (a) identifying core dimensions of social justice, (b) clarifying one’s social justice position, (c) modeling social justice values and practices, (d) providing meaningful learning and training opportunities, (e) working to transform learning and training spaces, and (f) encouraging students and trainees to create mentoring networks.
Sexual health promotion programme: Participants’ perspectives on capacity building
Authors: Keogh Brian , Daly Louise , Sharek Danika , De Vries Jan , McCann Edward , Higgins Agnes
Published: December 2014

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to evaluate a Health Service Executive (HSE) Foundation Programme in Sexual Health Promotion (FPSHP) with a specific emphasis on capacity building.

Design:

A mixed-method design using both quantitative and qualitative methods was used to collect the data.

Setting:

The FPSHP was delivered to staff working in health, education and community settings and was designed and facilitated by sexual health promotion staff who are part of the Irish HSE.

Methods:

A survey, designed by the researchers, as well as individual telephone interviews with past participants was used to evaluate the programme. Out of a possible 200 participants, 97 completed the questionnaire (response rate 49%), and a total of 22 telephone interviews were completed.

Results:

There was generally a high level of satisfaction with the FPSHP. Participants reported high levels of individual and intra-organisational capacity-building activities, but apart from networking, inter-organisational capacity-building activities were reported less frequently and tended to be ad hoc in nature. Satisfaction with the programme was high and so was the perception of its sustained impact. Motivation, satisfaction with the programme and attending of further training were strong predictors of reported sustained impact.

Conclusion:

Capacity building in sexual health promotion was affected positively by participation in the programme. Nonetheless, a greater emphasis on capacity building at an inter-organisational level needs to be considered. It is recommended that participants need to be motivated, guided and supported in the use of strategies to achieve this.
A Method of Measuring Inequality Within a Selection Process
Authors: Bulle Nathalie
Published: December 2014

To explain the inequalities in access to a discrete good G across two populations, or across time in a single national context, it is necessary to distinguish, for each population or period of time, the effect of the diffusion of G from that of unequal outcomes of underlying micro-social processes. The inequality of outcomes of these micro-social processes is termed inequality within the selection process. We present an innovative index of measurement that captures variations in this aspect of inequality of opportunity and is insensitive to margins. We applied this index to the analysis of inequality of educational opportunity by exploring the effects of the British 1944 Education Act, of which various accounts have been offered. The relationships between the measure of inequality within a selection process presented and classical measures of inequality of opportunity are analyzed, as well as the benefits of using this index with regard to the insight it provides for interpreting data.
Reading Interventions With Behavioral and Social Skill Outcomes
Authors: Roberts Garrett J. , Solis Michael , Ciullo Stephen , McKenna John W. , Vaughn Sharon
Published: December 2014

Research findings have suggested that reading deficits and problem behaviors are positively related. This synthesis investigated how reading interventions impact behavioral/social skill outcomes by reviewing studies that included (a) a reading intervention without behavioral/social skill components, (b) behavioral/social skill dependent variables, and (c) students in Grades K-12. Fifteen articles were evaluated by the type of reading intervention, associations between positive reading effects and behavioral/social skill outcomes, and The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) determinants of study ratings. Findings suggested that reading interventions tended to have positive reading outcomes, while behavioral/social skill outcomes were small or negative. Research did not suggest an association between improved reading and behavioral performance, regardless of the WWC study determinants rating. Implications include reading instruction may not be sufficient to improve behavioral and social skill outcomes. Additional research is warranted to investigate the long-term impact of reading on behavioral and social skill outcomes.
Effects of interactive visual feedback training on post-stroke pusher syndrome: a pilot randomized controlled study
Authors: Yang Yea-Ru , Chen Yi-Hua , Chang Heng-Chih , Chan Rai-Chi , Wei Shun-Hwa , Wang Ray-Yau
Published: December 2014

Objective:

We investigated the effects of a computer-generated interactive visual feedback training program on the recovery from pusher syndrome in stroke patients.

Design:

Assessor-blinded, pilot randomized controlled study.

Participants:

A total of 12 stroke patients with pusher syndrome were randomly assigned to either the experimental group ( N = 7, computer-generated interactive visual feedback training) or control group ( N = 5, mirror visual feedback training).

Main outcome measures:

The scale for contraversive pushing for severity of pusher syndrome, the Berg Balance Scale for balance performance, and the Fugl-Meyer assessment scale for motor control were the outcome measures. Patients were assessed pre- and posttraining.

Results:

A comparison of pre- and posttraining assessment results revealed that both training programs led to the following significant changes: decreased severity of pusher syndrome scores (decreases of 4.0 ±1.1 and 1.4 ±1.0 in the experimental and control groups, respectively); improved balance scores (increases of 14.7 ±4.3 and 7.2 ±1.6 in the experimental and control groups, respectively); and higher scores for lower extremity motor control (increases of 8.4 ±2.2 and 5.6 ±3.3 in the experimental and control groups, respectively). Furthermore, the computer-generated interactive visual feedback training program produced significantly better outcomes in the improvement of pusher syndrome ( p < 0.01) and balance ( p < 0.05) compared with the mirror visual feedback training program.

Conclusions:

Although both training programs were beneficial, the computer-generated interactive visual feedback training program more effectively aided recovery from pusher syndrome compared with mirror visual feedback training.
In vitro efficacy of various antibiotic combinations against Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates
Authors: Nazli Ebru , Zer Yasemin , Eksi Fahriye
Published: December 2014

Objective

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the leading causes of nosocomial infection. The present study tested the in vitro efficacy of ceftazidime or imipenem combined with amikacin, levofloxacin and colistin in P.aeruginosa isolates.

Methods

P.aeruginosa strains, isolated from clinical samples, were assessed for antibiotic susceptibility using the disc diffusion method. Antibiotic combination tests were performed using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test strips and the sum of the Fractional Inhibitory Concentration (ΣFIC) index was used to assess synergy.

Results

Out of 60 isolated P.aeruginosa strains, 100% were susceptible to colistin and 26.7% (16 strains) were multidrug resistant. MIC50 and MIC90 values were 2 and 32 µg/ml for imipenem; 1.5 and 24 µg/ml for ceftazidime; 3 and 8 µg/ml for amikacin; 0.38 and 32 µg/ml for levofloxacin; 1 and 1.5 µg/ml for colistin, respectively. Antagonism was not found in any of the antibiotic combinations tested. The amikacin–ceftazidime combination was found to have a synergistic effect in 15% of the strains, but no synergistic effect was detected for other combinations.

Conclusions

In Pseudomonas infection, alternative treatment options using different antibiotic combinations should be tested in vitro and findings should be confirmed by clinical studies.
Historical Demography for Late Marriage in China
Authors: Guo Chao , Pang Lihua , Zhang Lei , Zheng Xiaoying
Published: December 2014

Some phenomena that occur in the present day may have also occurred a long time ago. In this study, we examined the relationship between education attainment and late marriage in modern society as well as in ancient China. To this end, we analyzed demographic data reported by 2010 Census statistics and data recorded by historical documents of Chinese dynasties. We concluded that the current delay in the age at marriage has historical roots, as late marriage in the Song Dynasty era and today’s society have a common cause—namely, education, which impacts the age that people choose to marry.
First-cousin Marriage in Tudor and Stuart England: 1540-1688
Authors: Wiebracht Ben
Published: December 2014

The early history of cousin marriage in England is a story of royal passion and religious zeal. Beginning with the complex marital career of Henry VIII and focusing on the fierce Protestant–Catholic debate over the “prohibited degrees” of marriage, this article tells the story of how cousin marriage became not just a legal fact in England, but a crucial aspect of the country’s early Protestant identity. The article closes by assessing popular attitudes toward cousin marriage in the late Tudor and Stuart periods. It concludes that while cousin marriage was accepted quickly by theologians, particularly those of a strong Reforming or Puritan bent, popular opinion was still firmly against it by the end of the seventeenth century.
A “Paired Cases Contrast” Method in the Absence of Reliable Metrics in Organizational Research
Authors: Powers Charles , Fernandez Marilyn
Published: December 2014

We offer initial proof for a “contrast of paired cases” method for arriving at statistically reliable insights about innovation, which, our data demonstrated, has the potential for being generalized to many types of organizations, rather than being restricted to organizations of a particular size, type, or sector. Our method relied on making sure respondents drew sharp contrasts between two different organizations with which they were intimately familiar. We analyzed the results of 165 different paired contrasts. Patterns emerged which were statistically significant and generally consistent with case literature on organizations. The proof we offer for this “paired cases contrast” method, if found generalizable to a larger sample of organizations, offers a cost-effective approach to organizational research. Very importantly, the method works even in the absence of metric scales for comparing widely varied organizations and overcomes the problem of intercoder reliability in the process.
Formation Stories and Causality in Sociology
Authors: Hirschman Daniel , Reed Isaac Ariail
Published: December 2014

Sociologists have long been interested in understanding the emergence of new social kinds. We argue that sociologists’ formation stories have been mischaracterized as noncausal, descriptive, or interpretive. Traditional “forcing-cause” accounts describe regularized relations between fixed entities with specific properties. The three dominant approaches to causality—variable causality, treatments and manipulations, and mechanisms—all refer to forcing causes. But formation stories do not fit the forcing-causes framework because accounts of formation violate the assumptions that ground forcing-cause accounts and instead emphasize eventfulness, assemblage, and self-representation. Yet these accounts are, we argue, fundamentally causal. In particular, formation stories provide the historical, empirical boundaries for the functioning of forcing-cause accounts. We catalog the breadth of formation stories in sociology and use examples from diverse literatures to highlight how thinking of formation stories as causal accounts can improve our understanding of the relationship of history and culture to causal analysis.
The Socioemotional Foundations of Suicide
Authors: Abrutyn Seth , Mueller Anna S.
Published: December 2014

Durkheim’s theory of suicide remains one of the quintessential “classic” theories in sociology. Since the 1960s and 1970s, however, it has been challenged on theoretical and empirical grounds. Rather than defend Durkheim’s theory on its own terms, this paper elaborates his typology of suicide by sketching suicide’s socioemotional structure. We integrate social psychological, psychological, and psychiatric advances in emotion research and argue that (1) egoistic, or attachment-based suicides, are driven primarily by sadness/hopelessness; (2) anomic/fatalistic, or regulative suicides, are driven by shame; and (3) mixed-types exist and are useful for developing a more robust and complex multilevel model.
The Birth of the Gods
Authors: Maryanski Alexandra
Published: December 2014

Emile Durkheim’s ideas on religion have long served as foundational blocks for sociological theories. Yet, a mystery remains over where Durkheim’s insights into religion came from and especially the event that opened his eyes to religion’s importance in social life. Durkheim never supplied details on this conversion, but he did credit Robertson Smith for his new understanding. Did Smith really play the key role in Durkheim’s turn to religion? This essay examines Durkheim’s revelation in 1895 by starting from a novel angle—the first edition of The Division of Labor and his original stage model with the “cult of nature” as the starting point for religion. Tracing the implications of his initial choice of naturism as the elementary religion, a choice he would later soundly reject as “the product of [a] delirious interpretation,” offers new insights into why Durkheim found Smith’s ideas so inspirational. It also sheds light on why Durkheim overhauled his theory of solidarity, discarding his famous distinction between mechanical and organic solidarity. In Robertson Smith’s work, Durkheim discovered a more inclusive and enduring basis of solidarity in the social universe.
The High of Cultural Experience
Authors: Benzecry Claudio , Collins Randall
Published: December 2014

Does the experience of cultural consumption have its own sui generis attraction and value in itself, or is it an index of external social ranking? Four criteria are proposed that are observable in microsociological detail: (1) bodily self-absorption in the cultural experience, creating an intense internal interaction ritual; (2) collective effervescence among the audience; (3) Goffmanian front-stage self-presentation in settings of cultural consumption; and (4) verbal discourse during and around the cultural experience. Data from highly committed opera fanatics in Buenos Aires are used to document the extreme pole of cultural consumption that rejects external social hierarchies in favor of pure musical experience. This individualized and internal style of music consumption resembles religious mysticism, and what Weber in his typology of orientations to religious experience called virtuoso religiosity, as distinct from typical social class orientations to religion and to music.
Nutrition Adequacy in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery
Authors: Gillis Chelsia , Nguyen Thi Haiyen , Liberman A. Sender , Carli Francesco
Published: December 2014

Background: A prospective observational study was initiated to determine the prevalence of nutrition risk before surgery and assess nutrition adequacy of food choices after elective colorectal surgery. Materials and Methods: Patient‐Generated Subjective Global Assessment was used to screen all preoperative clinic patients (n = 70) scheduled for elective colorectal surgery. Adequacy of dietary intake (n = 40) was determined for the first 3 postoperative days by estimating total energy and protein intake from leftover food at each meal based on standard hospital portions with food composition tables. Food access questionnaire provided a rationale for observed food intake. All patients received Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) and room service system care. Results: Before surgery, 63% of patients were considered well‐nourished, 29% suspected or moderately undernourished, and 8% severely undernourished. Fifty‐one percent of patients scored > 4 on the Patient‐Generated Subjective Global Assessment, indicating requirement for dietary intervention or symptom management. On average, 77% ± 27%, 63% ± 28%, and 92% ± 39% of energy requirements were met on postoperative days 1, 2, and 3, respectively; conversely, 55% ± 24%, 43% ± 16%, and 45% ± 12% of protein requirements were met. Most common reasons for missed meals included loss of appetite and feelings of fatigue or worry. Preoperative nutrition risk tended to result in a greater 30‐day hospital readmission rate compared to well‐nourished patients (P = .07). Conclusions: A third of patients scheduled for elective colorectal surgery were at nutrition risk. An acceptable intake of dietary protein was not achieved during the first 3 days of hospitalization. Preoperative nutrition education, as part of Enhanced Recovery Programs, may be useful to optimize nutrition status before surgery to mitigate clinical consequences associated with undernutrition and empower patients to make adequate food choices for recovery. NCT 01727570.
The Map, the Territory, and the Impossibility of Painting a Priest
Authors: Diken Bülent
Published: December 2014

The article focuses on the relationship between capitalism and religion through an allegorical double reading of social theory and fiction. Theoretically it discusses capitalism as religion. Empirically it analyses Michel Houellebecq’s recent novel The Map and the Territory. Houellebecq’s is a late modern world in which capital tends to replace, like a map, the actual experience of life, the territory. A world in which everything is modelled on the logic of businesses and capitalism has taken the place of religion. However, The Map and the Territory distils the relationship between religion and capitalism anew, and this relationship, together with the political questions it invites, is the leitmotiv for the considerations here.
Nonprofit Financing to the Rescue? The Slightly Twisted Case of Local Educational Foundations and Public Education in New Jersey
Authors: Abzug Rikki , Olbrecht Alexandre , Sabrin Murray , DeLeon Erwin
Published: December 2014

Scholars have suggested myriad characterizations of the relationship between organizations of the nonprofit sector and government. We expand upon Young’s “slight twist” of the economic supplementary view of government/nonprofit partnership to develop a model to explain the variation in levels of funding by local educational foundations (LEFs) in New Jersey public school districts. Seeking to better understand this private financing of public education, we empirically test for correlates of these funding variations using Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990 data. Although we could not empirically verify an inverse relationship between state aid to education and level of LEF granting, we did find some evidence of a direct relationship between such private financing and median household income. Our analysis supports a more historically nuanced explanation of the role of LEFs in New Jersey public education.
Legislative organization and ideal-point bias
Authors: Krehbiel Keith , Peskowitz Zachary
Published: December 2014

Four pure types of legislative organization are characterized as data-generating processes for commonly used measures of preferences or, in the spatial vernacular, ideal points. The types of legislative organization are differentiated by their partisan versus nonpartisan nature of agenda formation, and by whether the amendment process is open or closed. For each organization, roll call voting data are Monte Carlo generated and used as input for four different ideal-point measures: standard percent-correct interest-group ratings; linear factor analysis scores; W-NOMINATE ratings; and Markov chain Monte Carlo measures. Three questions motivate and are addressed in the analysis. Do estimated ideal points differ significantly across forms of legislative organization? Are some ideal-point estimates consistently more accurate than others? Are there patterns of substantively relevant, persistent bias in ideal-point estimates? The answers are all affirmative.
Steady-state response of a curved beam on a viscously damped foundation subjected to a sequence of moving loads
Authors: Dai Jian , Ang Kok Keng
Published: December 2014

In this paper, an analytical solution to the steady-state response of a curved beam resting on a viscously damped foundation and subjected to a single or sequence of moving loads is presented. Trigonometric functions are employed as the trial functions in approximating the displacement of the curved beam. The accuracy of the solution is gauged through comparison against available analytical results in the literature. To further examine the accuracy of the proposed analytical method, a computational study of the problem was carried out using the moving element method based on piecewise straight beam elements. Excellent agreement is found between all these results.
Innovation in medicine through degeneration in law? A critical perspective on the Medical Innovation Bill
Authors: Hoppe Nils , Miola José
Published: December 2014

The current debate surrounding the Medical Innovation Bill purports to be aimed at improving the normative framework to the extent that innovation is more likely. A closer look at the mechanisms of the proposed legislation and a more detailed assessment of the reasons given for initiating the legislative process in this instance reveal that the Bill seem to rest on a significant misunderstanding of the current law of medical negligence. This article analyses the provisions of the Bill, puts them into the wider context of medical negligence and critically reviews the utility of the proposed legislation.
Alternatives for the enforcement of the right to health in Brazil
Authors: Ventura Carla AA , Junior Rubens C , Gutier Murillo S , Mendes Isabel AC
Published: December 2014

In this article, the right to health is discussed as a social right and an essential requisite in the construction and guarantee of human rights, more precisely human dignity, considering this right as a complex but effective process in the transformation of the social reality. In the first place, the activities of the public power and its difficulties to guarantee universal access to health are highlighted. This scenario ends up inhibiting the practice of the right to health and prevents users from enjoying and using it. In that sense, this article challenges and explores some alternatives to solidify and put in practice the right to health in Brazil. Departing from the analysis of the Unified Health System (SUS) and social participation in Brazil, this article discusses the judicialization of health in the country, highlighting the difficulties the State faces to equitably offer universal healthcare to society. This context offers an opportunity for reflection and a paradigm change, from the “judicialization of health” to the “judicialization of health policies.” Finally, the public health policies adopted by other countries are emphasized, in the attempt to construct the empowerment of human beings in the practice of their rights, particularly social participation and the discussion about the States’ responsibility to put their citizens’ right to health in practice. In conclusion, the political and collective construction of the right to health needs to be encouraged, distinguishing the legitimate interests of the different interlocutors involved.
Extended finite element method analysis for shielding and amplification effect of a main crack interacted with a group of nearby parallel microcracks
Authors: Wang Heng , Liu Zhanli , Xu Dandan , Zeng Qinglei , Zhuang Zhuo
Published: December 2014

The shielding and amplification effects of transverse array of microcracks on a main crack are investigated using extended finite element method. The interaction between macrocracks and microcracks is quantitatively characterized in terms of the stress intensity factor which is calculated by the interaction integral method and the complete stress field in the entire domain could be given without remeshing. Various distributions of microcracks with different number, location, and density are considered. For a microcrack collinear to the main crack, the numerical results agree quite well with the analytical solution. Interestingly, the shielding and amplification effects display periodicity when the main crack is placed inside the microcrack rows. In particular, the minimum stress intensity factor of the main crack which refers to the maximum shielding effect is primarily determined by the nearest microcracks. However, the maximum stress intensity factor is largely affected by the distribution and density of microcracks and even could be turned from enhancement to shielding. The results are consistent with the microcrack-toughening phenomenon observed in the experiments and are meaningful for the design of new microstructure-toughening materials.
Fracture analysis of the long-deep semielliptical internal circumferential cracks grow from surface to fully through-wall crack in tubular members
Authors: Yang Yang , Kou Kun Pang , Lam Chi Chui
Published: December 2014

This paper concerns the fracture analysis of the internal circumferential semielliptical surface crack penetrating the tube thickness subjected to axial tension by means of finite element method. The stress intensity factors for a wide range of long-deep semielliptical surface crack, semielliptical partly through-wall crack, and fully through-wall crack are presented. Since the stress intensity factors for deep surface crack with a/T ratio larger than 0.8 and partly through-wall crack are rarely presented in literature before, refined finite element models were prepared and analyzed for obtaining the stress intensity factors from the stage of semielliptical surface crack to partly through-wall crack. By applying neural network, a comprehensive set of equations for stress intensity factors have been produced. Based on these equations, all SIFs within the range of parameters can be obtained.
Perspectives of Young Emerging Adults With Serious Mental Health Conditions on Vocational Peer Mentors
Authors: Klodnick Vanessa V. , Sabella Kathryn , Brenner Christopher J. , Krzos Izabela M. , Ellison Marsha L. , Kaiser Susan M. , Davis Maryann , Fagan Marc A.
Published: December 2014

For early emerging adults with serious mental health conditions, vocational services with peer mentors are a promising adaptation of adult system evidence-based practices. Peer mentors were added to the Individual Placement and Support model of supported employment for 17- to 20-year-olds receiving residential and psychiatric care. To explore the feasibility of vocational peer mentors, open-ended satisfaction surveys and the Working Alliance Inventory were administered to mentees at 12 months. Thematic analysis of surveys reveals the importance of peer mentor authenticity, flexibility, and being a graduate of the mental health program where vocational services were based. Valued relational processes include the act of talking in the community, feeling understood, and forming a bond with peer mentors. Mentees with positive peer mentoring experiences reported stronger working alliances. This study sheds light onto near-age mentoring relational processes for this population, which can inform future research of mentoring processes and intervention design.
Lobbying from Inside the System
Authors: Loftis Matt W. , Kettler Jaclyn J.
Published: December 2014

Why do cities spend scarce resources lobbying the federal government? The hierarchy of U.S. government provides various pathways for local representation. Nevertheless, cities regularly invest in paid representation. This presents a puzzle for American democracy. Why do cities lobby, and do they lobby strategically? We quantify for the first time the extent of this phenomenon and examine its determinants using new data on 498 cities across forty-five states from 1998 to 2008. We find that economic distress pushes cities to lobby, but does not impact expenditures. Cities in competitive congressional districts, and therefore crucial to national politics, spend more on lobbying.
From Agrarian Dreams to Democratic Realities
Authors: Hanagan Nora
Published: December 2014

Wendell Berry’s claim that local food economies are the only viable alternative to an agro-food system that cares more about profit than either environmental health or human well-being has generated considerable controversy. The strengths and limitations of Berry’s vision, I argue, stem from its indebtedness to Jeffersonian republicanism. Furthermore, I demonstrate that John Dewey’s The Public and Its Problems offers an alternative to Jeffersonian republicanism that embraces the third president’s faith in popular rule but lacks his preoccupation with economic self-sufficiency. Dewey gives contemporary citizens a framework for resisting the industrial food system that is more open to diverse perspectives and experiences, and more attentive to human interdependency. He also provides criteria that can be used to differentiate romantic and potentially reactionary forms of localism from efforts to build communities capable of challenging undemocratic concentrations of power.
Impact of Medicare Part D on Coverage, Access, and Disparities Among New Jersey Seniors
Authors: Chakravarty Sujoy , Gaboda Dorothy , DeLia Derek , Cantor Joel C. , Nova Jose
Published: December 2014

The authors used a population-based survey of New Jersey residents to assess outcomes associated with implementation of the Medicare Part D program. Between 2001 and 2009, there was a 24% increase in prescription drug coverage among elderly individuals, but also an increase in cost-related access problems. Compared with the pre–Part D period, seniors reporting access problems post–Part D were less likely to be uninsured and more likely to be publicly insured. Cost-related access disparities among elderly Blacks and Hispanics relative to elderly Whites persisted from 2001 to 2009, and were partly driven by ongoing disparities related to low income. Such cost-based access problems 3 years into implementation implies that they are not transitory and may reflect inadequate subsidy levels alongside the importance of physician advice about prescriptions in ensuring low-cost medication options for vulnerable patients. Finally, the findings, may also reflect success in enrolling high-need seniors into Part D.
Economic Abuse in the Lives of Women Abused by an Intimate Partner
Authors: Sanders Cynthia K.
Published: December 2014

This article presents qualitative findings of a study that examined the role of financial issues and economic factors in the lives of women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). Eight themes emerged in discussions with women about the ways in which money and economic issues played a role in their experiences of abuse. Taken together, women’s discussions clearly support an “economic abuse” dimension of IPV. Implications for safely advancing the economic well-being of low-income survivors are discussed.
Where in the World? A Geographic Analysis of a Decade of Research in Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure Journals
Authors: Shen Ye , Morrison Alastair M. , Wu Bihu , Park Jinah , Li Cong , Li Mengjiao
Published: December 2014

This study examined research focus countries and regions in 4,654 articles published in 32 tourism, hospitality, and leisure academic journals from 2002 to 2011 inclusive. Applying a variety of analysis methods, the research showed the spatial distribution, co-occurrence relationships among countries, and the most popular topics of research focus and types of tourism by countries. There was a broad geographic focus of the research in tourism, hospitality, and leisure journals in the decade from 2002 to 2011 spanning 126 countries. It was found that a significant number (70) of countries were not covered in this 10-year snapshot of the academic journal research and require more attention from scholars in the future. Some major countries were underrepresented including France, Germany, and Russia. However, the predominance of the research focus on the Asia-Pacific region and particularly on China was a major finding in this analysis, as was the sparse coverage of South and Central America.
Plasma Estrogen Levels Are Associated With Severity of Injury and Outcomes After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Crago Elizabeth A. , Sherwood Paula R. , Bender Catherine , Balzer Jeffrey , Ren Dianxu , Poloyac Samuel M.
Published: December 2014

Background:

Biochemical mediators alter cerebral perfusion and have been implicated in delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and poor outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Estrogens (estrone [E1] and estradiol [E2]) are mediators with neuroprotective properties that could play a role in DCI. This study explored associations between plasma estrogen levels and outcomes following aSAH.

Methods:

Plasma samples from 1–4, 4–6, and 7–10 days after hemorrhage from 99 adult aSAH patients were analyzed for estrogen levels using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. DCI was operationalized as radiographic/ultrasonic evidence of impaired cerebral blood flow accompanied by neurological deterioration. Outcomes were assessed using the Modified Rankin Scale at 3 and 12 months after hemorrhage. Statistical analysis included correlation, regression, and group-based trajectory.

Results:

Higher E1 and E2 levels were associated with higher Hunt and Hess grade (E1, p = .01; E2, p = .03), the presence of DCI (E1, p = .02; E2, p = .02), and poor 3-month outcomes (E1, p = .002; E2, p = .002). Trajectory analysis identified distinct populations over time for E1 (61% E1 high) and E2 (68% E2 high). Patients in higher trajectory groups had higher Fisher grades (E1, p = .008; E2, p = .01), more frequent DCI (E1, p = .04; E2, p = .08), and worse 3-month outcomes (E1, p = .01; E2, p = .004) than low groups.

Conclusions:

These results provide the first clinical evidence that plasma E1 and E2 concentrations are associated with severity of injury and outcomes after aSAH.
Another tool in the party toolbox? Tracing the strategic expansion of committee size in the US House, 1947–2010
Authors: Brady Michael C , Lee Daniel
Published: December 2014

We consider whether the manipulation of committee sizes can serve as a strategic tool of the majority party to further its influence over policy outcomes in the US House. Previous research notes the influence of the majority party’s preferences on the composition of committees but takes the size of committees as exogenous. We argue that the determination of sizes is an important first step and potential tool to shape committee composition, given vacancy constraints like the property rights norm. Using assignment and revealed legislator ideology data from the 80th to 111th Congresses, our results support this view of strategic expansion as a majority party strategy particularly for “prestige committees,” which are most central to a party’s agenda. Expansion indeed results in committees that are ideologically closer to the majority caucus median.
Teaching young adults with disabilities through service learning
Authors: Woodruff Elizabeth A , Sinelnikov Oleg A
Published: December 2014

While many scholars agree that service learning is beneficial to both the student and the community, the research on service learning in the physical education setting is limited. However, there are courses that can be aligned with the professional preparation needs of students and the broader needs of the community. Drawing on theory which has guided experiential education, the study examined what the students learning to teach young adults with disabilities consider meaningful when teaching, and how perceptions regarding disabilities evolve during a field experience that incorporates service learning and critical reflection. Fifty undergraduate students enrolled in an Adapted Physical Education course partnered with 24 young adults with disabilities for 10 weeks of biweekly cardiovascular and strength and conditioning instruction. Data were collected qualitatively and grounded theory approach guided the analysis of the critical incident reports, reflections, interviews, and direct observations. When analysing data, three distinct stages of development emerged illustrating students’ progression during service learning: anticipation, familiarization, and commitment. The duration of each phase seemed to be unique to each student. Establishing and developing relationships were perceived as the most meaningful experience while communication and effective teaching strategies were most challenging. Critical reflection ensures that students advance from anticipation and familiarization to commitment, which constitutes change, not only in attitude and understanding, but in behaviour.
The “not yet” horizon: Understandings of the future amongst couples living with dementia
Authors: Hellström Ingrid , Torres Sandra
Published: December 2014

The way in which persons with dementia and their spouses regard the future could influence how they experience the disease itself. This study aims to explore how the future is understood by couples living with dementia. The analysis reveals different ways in which couples understand the future. The findings show that persons with dementia describe the here and now in ways that take the gloomy future they dread as a point of reference, and as a result of this, they operate in what we term “the not yet horizon”. But while they take for granted that there is a horizon that they have not yet reached, their spouses always seem to focus on the horizons that they have already crossed. The article discusses the findings in relation to ideas such as critical periods, existential coordinates and possible selves, and problematizes the implicit assumptions about the future that dementia researchers tend to operate from.
What’s in a Name? Probabilistic Inference of Religious Community from South Asian Names
Authors: Susewind Raphael
Published: December 2014

Fine-grained data on religious communities are often considered sensitive in South Asia and consequently remain inaccessible. Yet without such data, statistical research on communal relations and group-based inequality remains superficial, hampering the development of appropriate policy measures to prevent further social exclusion on the basis of religion. The open-source algorithm introduced in this article provides a workaround by probabilistically exploiting the communal connotations of names; it transforms name lists—which are readily available—into a new source of demographic data. The algorithm proves highly accurate in identifying Muslim population shares in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, but could be employed more widely across South Asia. It potentially enables more detailed analyses in economics, development studies, and political science as well as better sampling procedures in sociology and anthropology. This article describes the algorithm, evaluates its accuracy, reflects on ethical implications, and introduces a sample data set; the software itself is available in an online supplement to this article.
White Knights: Leadership as the heroicisation of whiteness
Authors: Liu Helena , Baker Christopher
Published: December 2014

This article draws on critical race theory to interrogate whiteness in dominant discourses of leadership. We conducted a discourse analysis of the media representations of 12 business leaders engaged in philanthropy in Australia to demonstrate how white practices of normalisation, solipsism and ontological expansiveness underpin the construction of white leaders as speaking for society, mastering all environments and self-sacrificing for the greater good. Our analysis suggests that ‘doing leadership’ is inextricably linked to ‘doing whiteness’, while the invisible presence of whiteness in leadership discourses sustains white power and privilege. By ‘naming’ whiteness and its practices, we aspire to unhinge it from its location as transparent, dominant and ordinary, and begin theorising leadership in ways that are conducive to the goals of racial equality.
Obtaining Reimbursement in France and Italy for New Diabetes Products
Authors: Schaefer Elmar , Schnell Gerald , Sonsalla Jessica
Published: December 2014

Manufacturers launching next-generation or innovative medical devices in Europe face a very heterogeneous reimbursement landscape, with each country having its own pathways, timing, requirements and success factors. We selected 2 markets for a deeper look into the reimbursement landscape: France, representing a country with central decision making with defined processes, and Italy, which delegates reimbursement decisions to the regional level, resulting in a less transparent approach to reimbursement. Based on our experience in working on various new product launches and analyzing recent reimbursement decisions, we found that payers in both countries do not reward improved next-generation products with incremental reimbursement. Looking at innovations, we observe that manufacturers face a challenging and lengthy process to obtain reimbursement. In addition, requirements and key success factors differ by country: In France, comparative clinical evidence and budget impact very much drive reimbursement decisions in terms of pricing and restrictions, whereas in Italy, regional key opinion leader (KOL) support and additional local observational data are key.
The Importance of Ethical Leadership in Employees’ Value Congruence and Turnover
Authors: Tang Guiyao , Cai Zhenyao , Liu Zhiqiang , Zhu Hong , Yang Xin , Li Ji
Published: December 2014

This study investigates the relationship between leadership, value congruence, and employees’ intention to leave in China’s hospitality industry. We test the moderating effect of cultural values on the relationships between these factors using data gathered from employees at ten branches of a major restaurant chain in South China. Our results show (1) a positive relationship between ethical leadership and leader–follower value congruence, (2) a significant moderating effect of collectivism on the relationship between ethical leadership and leader–follower value congruence, (3) a negative relationship between leader–follower value congruence and employees’ intention to leave, and (4) a significant mediating effect of value congruence on the relationship between ethical leadership and employees’ intention to leave. Although these findings apply only to the restaurant industry, it is clear that ethical behavior by group leaders builds value congruence and discourages employee turnover.
On the liveness of mobile phone mediation: Youth expectations of remittances and narratives of discontent in the Cameroonian transnational family
Authors: Tazanu Primus M.
Published: December 2014

Drawn from multisited fieldwork conducted among Cameroonians in Germany and Cameroon, the article reveals that the liveness of mobile phone communication influences expectations and narratives of remittances in Cameroonian transnational social relationships. These expectations are meaningful within a cultural context where economic resources are expected to flow from migrants to nonmigrants. As this case demonstrates, the general belief in nonmigrants’ entitlement to the achievements of those who migrate regardless of their status abroad, also means migrant students are involved in remittances practices. The students are expected to remit and at the same time, they are conscious of their obligation to support people who stay back in the home country. As such, the mobile phone ideally provides an infrastructure through which monetary resources could be coordinated and channeled to Cameroon. While exploring this possibility of remittances transfer, I argue that instant communication contradictorily generates and fuels conflicts mainly as a result of unmet expectations of deploying the phone to directly request money from abroad.