bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of training changes on the stability of specialty choices of UK medical graduates: surveys of the graduates of 2002 and 2008
Authors: Svirko Elena , Lambert Trevor W , Goldacre Michael J
Published: January 2015

Objectives

To explore the impact of Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) training on the stability of medical career choices in the UK.

Setting

UK

Participants

Graduates of 2002 and 2008 from all UK medical schools, 1 and 3 years postgraduation.

Design

Questionnaire surveys were conducted of 2002 and 2008 graduates from all UK medical schools 1 and 3 years post graduation.

Main outcome measures

Doctors gave their specialty choice(s) and rated the influence of each of 11 factors on their career choice.

Results

2008 graduates were a little more likely than graduates of 2002 to retain their year 1 choice in year 3 (77.3% vs. 73.3%; p = 0.002). Among 2008 graduates, the percentage retaining their year 1 choice varied between 42% (clinical oncology) and 79% (general practice). Enthusiasm for a specialty, student experience and inclinations before medical school were associated with choice retention; consideration of domestic circumstances and hours/working conditions were associated with changes of choice. 2008 graduates were more likely than 2002s to be influenced by enthusiasm for a specialty, self-appraisal of their skills, working hours and their domestic circumstances; and less likely to be influenced by their experience of jobs, a particular teacher/department or eventual financial prospects.

Conclusions

Post-MMC, graduates were less likely to change their career choice and more likely to be motivated by personal factors and self-assessment of their suitability to a particular area of work.
The effect of physician gender on length of patient consultations: observational findings from the UK hospital setting and synthesis with existing studies
Authors: Jefferson Laura , Bloor Karen , Hewitt Catherine
Published: January 2015

Objectives

To investigate the effect of physician gender on consultation length in UK hospital outpatient clinics and compare this, through meta-analysis, with previous studies outside the UK.

Design

Observational data on clinic times were analysed and findings were combined in a meta-analysis with existing studies investigating the effect of physician gender on consultation length.

Setting

UK hospital practice.

Participants

A total of 174 observations of outpatient consultations with 10 hospital specialists (consultants) from different specialties in two UK hospital trusts.

Main outcome measures

Clinic times were recorded and analysis of consultation length was undertaken with physician gender as a covariate. Data were then synthesised through meta-analysis with 10 existing studies in this field.

Results

No statistically significant difference was found in the length of consultations for male and female doctors in these UK hospital settings. When pooled with existing studies, consultations with women doctors were found to be approximately two minutes longer than with men ( p = 0.01).

Conclusions

Findings from this analysis of clinic consultations in the UK National Health Service do not support previous studies, which were undertaken predominantly in North America and primary care settings. Overall, meta-analysis suggests doctors’ gender may influence consultation length. Gender differences in communication should be considered in training clinicians and in overall clinical practice.
Exploring gender differences in the working lives of UK hospital consultants
Authors: Jefferson Laura , Bloor Karen , Spilsbury Karen
Published: January 2015

Objective

Internationally, increasing numbers of women are practising medicine. Gender differences in doctors’ working hours, specialty choices and communication styles are well documented, but studies often neglect contextual factors such as the role of socialised gender expectations on behaviours in the workplace and the medical profession. These may be important as recent studies have reported gender differences in doctors’ activity rates that cannot be explained by specialty or contracted hours, suggesting other sources of variation. This study sought to explore the working lives of hospital doctors and how their work is negotiated according to gender and context.

Design

Gender differences in the day-to-day work of hospital specialists (consultants) in the NHS were investigated using a qualitative approach, including observation and interview methods. Data were analysed inductively using qualitative observation and interview methods.

Setting

Two NHS hospital trusts in England.

Participants

Data were collected from 13 participants working in a variety of specialties and in a range of clinical and non-clinical settings.

Main outcome measures

Various behaviours, attitudes and experiences were explored, such as doctor–patient communication, interactions with colleagues and workload.

Results

Influences at both individual and situational levels, appear to affect differentially the work of male and female doctors. Female consultants described awareness of the impact of behaviours on relationships with colleagues, and their interactions appeared to be more carefully performed. Nurses and other colleagues tend to demonstrate less cooperation with female consultants. Gender differences also exist in patient communication, feelings of work–family conflict and barriers to career progression.

Conclusions

These variations in hospital consultants’ work may have implications for both the quantity and quality of care provided by male and female consultants. This is timely and of importance to the medical workforce as the gender composition approaches parity.
Estimating the prevalence of aero-allergy and/or food allergy in infants, children and young people with moderate-to-severe atopic eczema/dermatitis in primary care: multi-centre, cross-sectional study
Authors: Dhami Sangeeta , Sheikh Aziz
Published: January 2015

Objective

We sought to determine the primary care-based prevalence of moderate-to-severe atopic eczema/dermatitis in children and to estimate what proportion had co-morbid aero-allergy and/or food allergy that was contributing to their atopic eczema/dermatitis.

Design

Multi-centre, cross-sectional study.

Participants

Infants, children and young people aged between 0–17 years.

Setting

Primary Care.

Methods

General practice electronic health records were interrogated to identify children (0–17 years) with current moderate-to-severe atopic eczema/dermatitis. Eligible children were assessed by an allergy specialist nurse, this involving a detailed allergy history, examination and, if appropriate, measurement of total IgE and specific IgE to relevant aero-allergens and/or food allergens.

Main outcome measures

Prevalence of atopic eczema, moderate to severe atopic eczema, IgE-mediated atopic eczema.

Results

We recruited eight practices, which together enrolled 16,877 children. Of these, 4331 (25.7%; 95% CI 25.0, 26.3) children had a recorded diagnosis of atopic eczema/dermatitis and 1316 (7.8%; 95% CI 7.4, 8.2) had treatment indicative of current moderate-to-severe atopic eczema/dermatitis. We recruited 159 children for clinical assessment, and complete data were available for 157. The clinical assessment revealed that 130/157 (82.8%) had no indication of IgE-mediated allergy contributing to their atopic eczema/dermatitis; the remaining 27/157 (17.2%; 95% CI 12.1, 23.9) were on clinical assessment considered to possibly have underlying IgE-mediated disease. Specific IgE tests were positive in 14/27 (51.9%; 95% CI 34.0, 69.3) children. Of the 14 children who tested positive, six (42.9%; 95% CI 21.4, 67.4) were positive to food allergens and six (42.9%; 95% CI 21.4, 67.4) to aero-allergens; the remaining two (14.3%; 95% CI 4.0, 40.0) were positive to both food and aero-allergens.

Conclusions

Although atopic eczema/dermatitis is a very common diagnosis in children in primary care, most appear to be relatively mild and/or transient. Only a small proportion of children had evidence of ongoing underlying IgE-mediated atopic eczema/dermatitis.
Ego Depletion in Color Priming Research
Authors: Bertrams Alex , Baumeister Roy F. , Englert Chris , Furley Philip
Published: January 2015

Colors have been found to affect psychological functioning. Empirical evidence suggests that, in test situations, brief perceptions of the color red or even the word “red” printed in black ink prime implicit anxious responses and consequently impair cognitive performance. However, we propose that this red effect depends on people’s momentary capacity to exert control over their prepotent responses (i.e., self-control). In three experiments ( Ns = 66, 78, and 130), first participants’ self-control strength was manipulated. Participants were then primed with the color or word red versus gray prior to completing an arithmetic test or an intelligence test. As expected, self-control strength moderated the red effect. While red had a detrimental effect on performance of participants with depleted self-control strength (ego depletion), it did not affect performance of participants with intact self-control strength. We discuss implications of the present findings within the current debate on the robustness of priming results.
Shared Perceptions
Authors: Carnes Nate C. , Lickel Brian , Janoff-Bulman Ronnie
Published: January 2015

Morality helps make social life possible, but social life is embedded in many social contexts. Research on morality has generally neglected this and instead has emphasized people’s general beliefs. We therefore investigated the extent to which different moral principles are perceived as embedded in social contexts. We conducted two studies investigating how diverse social contexts influence beliefs about the operative moral principles in distinct group types. Study 1 examined these perceptions using a within-subjects design, whereas Study 2 utilized a between-subjects design. We found a high degree of consensus among raters concerning the operative moral principles in groups, and each group type was characterized by a qualitatively distinct pattern of applicable moral principles. Political orientation, a focus of past research on morality, had a small influence on beliefs about operative moral principles. The implications of these findings for our understanding of morality and its functional role in groups are discussed.
A Patient With Parenteral Nutrition–Dependent Short Bowel Syndrome and Cardiovascular Disease With 4‐Year Exposure to Teduglutide
Authors: Compher Charlene , Levinson Katherine Boothe , Cambor Carolyn L. , Stoner Nancy , Boullata Joseph I. , Piarulli Amanda , Kinosian Bruce
Published: January 2015

Clinical trials of the glucagon‐like peptide 2 analogue teduglutide resulted in approval of the drug by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012 as a treatment for parenteral nutrition–dependent short bowel syndrome in adults. This report presents the case study of a man with short bowel syndrome caused by portal vein thrombosis who had 4 years exposure to the drug at the time of his death due to cardiovascular disease.
Almighty Dollar or Root of All Evil? Testing the Effects of Money on Workplace Behavior
Authors: Beus Jeremy M. , Whitman Daniel S.
Published: January 2015

Across cultures, the idea of money has dual positive and negative connotations. Consistent with this notion of duality, money-priming theory posits that the salience of money makes individuals work harder for themselves while also reducing the concern they have for others. Although research has tended to support these expectations, it has almost exclusively done so using between-persons designs in controlled lab settings. To address these limitations in the literature, we used a within-persons design in two work settings to test individual behavior change as a function of the salience of money. We did so using two samples of professional athletes and tested the extent to which priming individual pay affected both self-serving and cooperative behaviors. We operationalized the money prime in these samples as the final year of individuals’ employment contracts—a time when money is made particularly salient relative to surrounding years. Consistent with money-priming theory, within-persons analyses using a sample of basketball players from the National Basketball Association revealed that self-serving behaviors significantly increased in the final contract year relative to surrounding years. However, we did not find that cooperative behaviors decreased during the final contract year. This pattern of results was replicated using a sample of professional hockey players in the National Hockey League. These findings cumulatively suggest that although the salience of money is associated with increases in self-serving behaviors, it is not adversely associated with cooperation or team success.
The Role of Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Elastography in the Differentiation of Infectious and Neoplastic Liver Lesions
Authors: Goya Cemil , Hamidi Cihad , Yavuz Alpaslan , Hattapoglu Salih , Uslukaya Omer , Cetincakmak Mehmet Guli , Teke Memik , Urakci Zuhat
Published: January 2015

We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography in differentiating between hepatic lesions. The prospective study included 117 patients with liver masses. Shear wave velocity (SWV) values for lesions were determined by ARFI imaging and compared statistically. The difference between SWV values for benign and malignant hepatic masses was significant ( p < 0.01). The threshold SWV value for malignant hepatic lesions was established at 2.52 m/s, and the sensitivity and specificity of this cut-off value were 97% and 66%, respectively. We concluded that ARFI elastography provides supplementary data that aid in the differential diagnosis of liver masses.
Hiring Domestic Help in Hong Kong
Authors: Cheung Adam Ka-Lok , Lui Lake
Published: January 2015

The associating factors of hiring domestic help have not been thoroughly studied in a non-Western context. Using household survey data ( N = 974), this article investigates the interactive role of gender attitude and women’s income on the decision to hire domestic help in Hong Kong. Some previous studies fall short in finding a significant association between respondents’ gender attitudes and the hiring of domestic help, while wives’ income is a consistent factor in the hiring of domestic help across a number of studies. In this study, we found that husbands’ traditional gender attitudes and wives’ high income sharply increase the likelihood of hiring domestic help. However, their associations with the hiring of domestic help are conditional on each other. In addition to women’s socioeconomic status, ideational factors should be taken into account in projecting local demand for domestic help and in understanding the increasing trend of domestic outsourcing.
Delaying Divorce
Authors: Moore Elena
Published: January 2015

A period of separation is a ground for divorce in some countries. During this waiting period, some parents live apart in two separate residences, while other parents live apart in one residence. In this article, I examine the experiences of fathers who remain living in the same residence as their former partners and the experiences of a number of fathers who had to move out of the family home and live in a separate residence after the decision to separate. The findings show that restrictive divorce policies that delay divorce potentially create a situation of prolonged boundary ambiguity which complicate the process of renegotiating boundaries between parenting and former spousal relationships on divorce. The article argues that for a sample of divorced fathers, the policies that require a prolonged waiting period relate in some way to issues of unclear boundaries.
Perceptions of Influencing Factors and Satisfaction With the Timing of First Childbirth Among Women of Advanced Age and Their Partners
Authors: Guedes Maryse , Canavarro Maria Cristina
Published: January 2015

The transition to first-time parenthood at advanced maternal age has become a rising challenge for families in the 21st century. The present study aimed to examine the perceptions of influencing factors and the satisfaction with child-timing among older first-time mothers and their partners (older parents) compared with younger first-time mothers and their partners (younger parents) and to explore the relationships between these variables, depending on age group. A total of 105 older parents and 93 younger parents were recruited in a Portuguese urban referral maternity and completed self-report scales during pregnancy. Both age groups perceived that a shared desire to have children and a suitable partnership were the most influential factors. However, older parents were less satisfied with the timing of first childbirth than younger parents. Aside from some perceptions of influencing factors, advanced maternal age was the most consistent predictor of lower satisfaction with child-timing.
Daring the Truth: Foucault, Parrhesia and the Genealogy of Critique
Authors: Folkers Andreas
Published: January 2015

This paper draws attention to Foucault’s genealogy of critique. In a series of inquiries, Foucault traced the origins and trajectories of critical practices from the ancient tradition of parrhesia to the enlightenment and the (neo)liberal critique of the state. The paper will elucidate the insights of this history and argue that Foucault’s turn to the genealogy of critique also changed the valence of his theoretical assumptions. Foucault developed a more affirmative practice of genealogy that not only discredits truth claims by tracing them back to their inglorious origins. Rather, he presents a politics of truth as a complex interaction of (governmental) power-knowledge and critique that questions the power effects of truth and rationality. This genealogy of critique contributes to current problematizations of critique by thinkers like Boltanski, Latour and Rancière in highlighting the role of epistemological and technical critique of social rationalization and political reason.
Statistical Practice: Putting Society on Display
Authors: Mair Michael , Greiffenhagen Christian , Sharrock W.W.
Published: January 2015

As a contribution to current debates on the ‘social life of methods’, in this article we present an ethnomethodological study of the role of understanding within statistical practice. After reviewing the empirical turn in the methods literature and the challenges to the qualitative-quantitative divide it has given rise to, we argue such case studies are relevant because they enable us to see different ways in which ‘methods’, here quantitative methods, come to have a social life – by embodying and exhibiting understanding they ‘make the social structures of everyday activities observable’ ( Garfinkel, 1967 : 75), thereby putting society on display. Exhibited understandings rest on distinctive lines of practical social and cultural inquiry – ethnographic ‘forays’ into the worlds of the producers and users of statistics – which are central to good statistical work but are not themselves quantitative. In highlighting these non-statistical forms of social and cultural inquiry at work in statistical practice, our case study is an addition to understandings of statistics and usefully points to ways in which studies of the social life of methods might be further developed from here.
The processing of case in near-native Spanish
Authors: Jegerski Jill
Published: January 2015

This article reports a study that sought to determine whether non-native sentence comprehension can show sensitivity to two different types of Spanish case marking. Sensitivity to case violations was generally more robust with indirect objects in ditransitive constructions than with differential object marking of animate direct objects, even among native speakers of Spanish, which probably reflects linguistic differences in the two types of case. In addition, the overall outcome of two experiments shows that second language (L2) processing can integrate case information, but that, unlike with native processing, attention to a case marker may depend on the presence of a preverbal clitic as an additional cue to the types of postverbal arguments that might occur in a stimulus. Specifically, L2 readers showed no sensitivity to differential object marking with a in the absence of clitics in the first experiment, with stimuli such as Verónica visita al/el presidente todos los meses ‘Veronica visits the[ACC/NOM] president every month’, but the L2 readers in the second experiment showed native-like sensitivity to the same marker when the object it marked was doubled by the clitic lo, as in Verónica lo visita al/el presidente todos los meses. With indirect objects, on the other hand, sensitivity to case markers was native-like in both experiments, although indirect objects were also always doubled by the preverbal clitic le. The apparent first language / second language contrast suggests differences in processing strategy, whereby non-native processing of morphosyntax may rely more on the predictability of forms than does native processing.
Production and on-line comprehension of definiteness in English and Dutch by monolingual and sequential bilingual children
Authors: Chondrogianni Vasiliki , Vasić Nada , Marinis Theodoros , Blom Elma
Published: January 2015

The present article examines production and on-line processing of definite articles in Turkish-speaking sequential bilingual children acquiring English and Dutch as second languages (L2) in the UK and in the Netherlands, respectively. Thirty-nine 6–8-year-old L2 children and 48 monolingual (L1) age-matched children participated in two separate studies examining the production of definite articles in English and Dutch in conditions manipulating semantic context, that is, the anaphoric and the bridging contexts. Sensitivity to article omission was examined in the same groups of children using an on-line processing task involving article use in the same semantic contexts as in the production task. The results indicate that both L2 children and L1 controls are less accurate when definiteness is established by keeping track of the discourse referents (anaphoric) than when it is established via world knowledge (bridging). Moreover, despite variable production, all groups of children were sensitive to the omission of definite articles in the on-line comprehension task. This suggests that the errors of omission are not due to the lack of abstract syntactic representations, but could result from processes implicated in the spell-out of definite articles. The findings are in line with the idea that variable production in child L2 learners does not necessarily indicate lack of abstract representations (Haznedar and Schwartz, 1997).
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation for thromboprophylaxis: A systematic review
Authors: Hajibandeh S , Hajibandeh S , Antoniou GA , Scurr JRH , Torella F
Published: January 2015

Objective

To evaluate the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on lower limb venous blood flow and its role in thromboprophylaxis.

Method

Systematic review of randomised and non-randomised studies evaluating neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and reporting one or more of the following outcomes: incidence of venous thromboembolism, venous blood flow and discomfort profile.

Results

Twenty-one articles were identified. Review of these articles showed that neuromuscular electrical stimulation increases venous blood flow and is generally associated with an acceptable tolerability, potentially leading to good patient compliance. Ten comparative studies reported DVT incidence, ranging from 2% to 50% with neuromuscular electrical stimulation and 6% to 47.1% in controls. There were significant differences, among included studies, in terms of patient population, neuromuscular electrical stimulation delivery, diagnosis of venous thromboembolism and blood flow measurements.

Conclusion

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation increases venous blood flow and is well tolerated, but current evidence does not support a role for neuromuscular electrical stimulation in thromboprophylaxis. Randomised controlled trials are required to investigate the clinical utility of neuromuscular electrical stimulation in this setting.
Guanfacine enhances inhibitory control and attentional shifting in early abstinent cocaine-dependent individuals
Authors: Fox Helen , Sofuoglu Mehmet , Sinha Rajita
Published: January 2015

Objectives:

Attenuation of adrenergic drive and cognitive enhancement, via stimulation of alpha2 pre- and post-synaptic receptors, may selectively enhance executive performance in early abstinent cocaine-dependent individuals. As these cognitive processes underpin important treatment-related behaviors, the alpha2 agonist, guanfacine HCl, may represent an effective pharmaco-therapeutic intervention.

Methods:

Twenty-five early abstinent cocaine-dependent individuals were administered a battery of neurocognitive tasks on entry into treatment (baseline) and again following 3 weeks of either placebo or guanfacine treatment (up to 3 mg). Tasks included: Stop Signal, Stroop, 3-Dimentional Intra-dimensional/Extra-dimensional (IDED) task, Spatial Working Memory (SWM), Paired Associates Learning (PAL), Verbal Fluency and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT).

Results:

Compared with placebo, the guanfacine group demonstrated attenuated anxiety and negative affect as well as improved performance on selective executive tests. This included fewer directional errors on the stop signal task, fewer errors on the extra-dimensional shift component of the IDED task and better attentional switching during verbal fluency. Guanfacine did not improve strategic working memory or peripheral memory.

Conclusion:

Guanfacine improves selective cognitive processes which may underlie salient treatment-related regulatory behaviors. Alpha2 agonists may therefore represent important agents for cocaine dependence.
Functional brain connectivity phenotypes for schizophrenia drug discovery
Authors: Dawson Neil , Morris Brian J , Pratt Judith A
Published: January 2015

While our knowledge of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia has increased dramatically, this has not translated into the development of new and improved drugs to treat this disorder. Human brain imaging and electrophysiological studies have provided dramatic new insight into the mechanisms of brain dysfunction in the disease, with a swathe of recent studies highlighting the differences in functional brain network and neural system connectivity present in the disorder. Only recently has the value of applying these approaches in preclinical rodent models relevant to the disorder started to be recognised. Here we highlight recent findings of altered functional brain connectivity in preclinical rodent models and consider their relevance to those alterations seen in the brains of schizophrenia patients. Furthermore, we highlight the potential translational value of using the paradigm of functional brain connectivity phenotypes in the context of preclinical schizophrenia drug discovery, as a means both to understand the mechanisms of brain dysfunction in the disorder and to reduce the current high attrition rate in schizophrenia drug discovery.
Dementia praecox redux: A systematic review of the nicotinic receptor as a target for cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia
Authors: Rowe Arann R , Mercer Louise , Casetti Valentina , Sendt Kyra-Verena , Giaroli Giovanni , Shergill Sukhwinder S , Tracy Derek K
Published: January 2015

Most individuals with schizophrenia suffer some cognitive dysfunction: such deficits are predictive of longer-term functioning; and current dopamine-blocking antipsychotics have made little impact on this domain. There is a pressing need to develop novel pharmacological agents to tackle this insidious but most disabling of problems. The acetylcholinergic system is involved in cognitive and attentional processing, and its metabotropic and nicotinic receptors are widespread throughout the brain. Deficits in acetylcholinergic functioning occur in schizophrenia, and high rates of tobacco smoking have been posited to represent a form of self-medication. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) has emerged as a putative target to improve cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, and this study systematically reviewed the emerging data. Nineteen studies were identified, covering three compound classes: agonists at the α7 and α 4β2 nAChRs, and positive allosteric modulators. Overall data are underwhelming: some studies showed significant improvements in cognition but as many studies had negative findings. It remains unclear if this represents drug limitations or nascent study methodology problems. The literature is particularly hindered by variability in inclusion of smokers, generally small sample sizes, and a lack of consensus on cognitive test batteries. Future work should evaluate longer-term outcomes, and, particularly, the effects of concomitant cognitive training.
The Impact of Reading to Engage Children With Autism in Language and Learning (RECALL)
Authors: Whalon Kelly , Martinez Jose R. , Shannon Darbianne , Butcher Colleen , Hanline Mary Frances
Published: January 2015

A multiple baseline across participants design was used to investigate the impact of RECALL (Reading to Engage Children With Autism in Language and Learning) on the correct, unprompted responding and initiations of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). RECALL is an adapted shared reading intervention based on dialogic reading. RECALL embeds systematic instructional procedures and supports known to facilitate the learning of children with ASD (e.g., prompting hierarchy and visual supports). Interventionists read aloud with a child with autism and a peer 3 days a week for approximately 2.5 months. Following intervention, all four participating children decreased the frequency of incorrect responding and gradually improved their correct, spontaneous responding to fact- and inference-based questions about story content. In addition, three of the four participants increased the frequency of their initiations. Findings suggest that young children with ASD can participate in and benefit from shared reading interventions with supports. Implications for the implementation of shared reading interventions with young children with ASD are discussed.
Inclusion of Children With Special Needs in Early Childhood Education
Authors: Lee Frances Lai Mui , Yeung Alexander Seeshing , Tracey Danielle , Barker Katrina
Published: January 2015

Whereas the inclusion of children with special needs in regular classrooms has gained increasing advocacy, teachers’ attitudes vary. Previous studies examining teacher attitudes have focused on primary and secondary schools in the Western world, and little is known about early childhood settings in Eastern countries. This study used MANOVA to examine preschool teachers’ attitudes in Hong Kong ( N = 410). Teachers reported only modest support for inclusion. Teachers with training in special education were stronger advocates of inclusion, irrespective of their professional roles (administrator or class teacher), for children with intellectual disability, or visual, hearing, and speech and language impairments. However, neither teacher training nor professional role made a significance difference to teachers’ support of including children with physical disability, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specific learning difficulty, and the gifted and talented. Implications for practice and further research are explored.
György Márkus’s concept of high culture
Authors: Heller Ágnes
Published: January 2015

In the first part of this essay I sum up the theoretical genesis and foundations of Márkus’s theory of culture as a theory of modernity. Central to the high culture of modernity, defined in terms of the future-oriented creation of the new, is the structure of authorship, work, and reception that pertains across the sciences, philosophy, the humanities, and the arts. In the second part I question the scope of the concept in relation to the arts and philosophy in the present and point to the inconsistency internal to Márkus’s conception that manifests itself in his neglect of the Romantic tradition in philosophy from Schelling to Heidegger, despite the integral role that the opposition between Enlightenment and Romanticism plays in his theory of cultural modernity.
Mass, energy and material balances of SRF production process. Part 3: Solid recovered fuel produced from municipal solid waste
Authors: Nasrullah Muhammad , Vainikka Pasi , Hannula Janne , Hurme Markku , Kärki Janne
Published: January 2015

This is the third and final part of the three-part article written to describe the mass, energy and material balances of the solid recovered fuel production process produced from various types of waste streams through mechanical treatment. This article focused the production of solid recovered fuel from municipal solid waste. The stream of municipal solid waste used here as an input waste material to produce solid recovered fuel is energy waste collected from households of municipality. This article presents the mass, energy and material balances of the solid recovered fuel production process. These balances are based on the proximate as well as the ultimate analysis and the composition determination of various streams of material produced in a solid recovered fuel production plant. All the process streams are sampled and treated according to CEN standard methods for solid recovered fuel. The results of the mass balance of the solid recovered fuel production process showed that 72% of the input waste material was recovered in the form of solid recovered fuel; 2.6% as ferrous metal, 0.4% as non-ferrous metal, 11% was sorted as rejects material, 12% as fine faction and 2% as heavy fraction. The energy balance of the solid recovered fuel production process showed that 86% of the total input energy content of input waste material was recovered in the form of solid recovered fuel. The remaining percentage (14%) of the input energy was split into the streams of reject material, fine fraction and heavy fraction. The material balances of this process showed that mass fraction of paper and cardboard, plastic (soft) and wood recovered in the solid recovered fuel stream was 88%, 85% and 90%, respectively, of their input mass. A high mass fraction of rubber material, plastic (PVC-plastic) and inert (stone/rock and glass particles) was found in the reject material stream.
Effective solidification/stabilisation of mercury-contaminated wastes using zeolites and chemically bonded phosphate ceramics
Authors: Zhang Shaoqing , Zhang Xinyan , Xiong Ya , Wang Guoping , Zheng Na
Published: January 2015

In this study, two kinds of zeolites materials (natural zeolite and thiol-functionalised zeolite) were added to the chemically bonded phosphate ceramic processes to treat mercury-contaminated wastes. Strong promotion effects of zeolites (natural zeolite and thiol-functionalised zeolite) on the stability of mercury in the wastes were obtained and these technologies showed promising advantages toward the traditional Portland cement process, i.e. using Portland cement as a solidification agent and natural or thiol-functionalised zeolite as a stabilisation agent. Not only is a high stabilisation efficiency (lowered the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure Hg by above 10%) obtained, but also a lower dosage of solidification (for thiol-functionalised zeolite as stabilisation agent, 0.5 g g−1 and 0.7 g g−1 for chemically bonded phosphate ceramic and Portland cement, respectively) and stabilisation agents (for natural zeolite as stabilisation agent, 0.35 g g−1 and 0.4 g g−1 for chemically bonded phosphate ceramic and Portland cement, respectively) were used compared with the Portland cement process. Treated by thiol-functionalised zeolite and chemically bonded phosphate ceramic under optimum parameters, the waste containing 1500 mg Hg kg−1 passed the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure test. Moreover, stabilisation/solidification technology using natural zeolite and chemically bonded phosphate ceramic also passed the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure test (the mercury waste containing 625 mg Hg kg−1). Moreover, the presence of chloride and phosphate did not have a negative effect on the chemically bonded phosphate ceramic/thiol-functionalised zeolite treatment process; thus, showing potential for future application in treatment of ‘difficult-to-manage’ mercury-contaminated wastes or landfill disposal with high phosphate and chloride content.
Narratives and Traces
Authors: Bidart Claire , Dupray Arnaud
Published: January 2015

Dans cette brève introduction nous rappelons les objectifs de ce double dossier : explorer de nouvelles voies dans la combinaison des méthodes qualitatives et quantitatives. La dimension temporelle et l’articulation des échelles sont présentes également dans l’ensemble de ces travaux. Ici la focale est portée plus précisément sur les articulations entre données objectives et subjectives.
L’analyse statistique des tables de contingence carrées - L’homogamie socioprofessionnelle en France - I, L’analyse des correspondances
Authors: Bouchet-Valat Milan
Published: January 2015

Statistical Analysis of Square Contingency Tables - Sociovocational Homogeny in France - I. Correspondence Analysis: Correspondence analysis (CA) is a powerful technique, commonly used by sociologists to summarize the structure of the association observed in a contingency table (also known as cross-table). In contrast, approaches derived from CA, or similar in their use, but offering superior properties, are only known by a restricted audience in France: the CA of incomplete contingency table and log-multiplicative association models. This first article uses classic CA and CA of incomplete contingency table to analyze a socioeconomic homogeny table (based on the two-digit catégories socioprofessionnelles of the spouses) from the INSEE Labour Force Surveys conducted between 2003 and 2010. It shows the interest of giving a special status to endogamous couples (in which the spouses belong exactly to the same group), in order to represent better the social space.
Bioactive polymethylmethacrylate bone cement modified with combinations of phosphate group-containing monomers and calcium acetate
Authors: Liu Jinkun , Shirosaki Yuki , Miyazaki Toshiki
Published: January 2015

Bone cement from polymethylmethacrylate powder and methylmethacrylate liquid has been successfully demonstrated as artificial material to anchor joint replacements in bone. However, it lacks the capability to bond directly to bone, so long-term implantation leads to an increased risk of loosening. Bioactive materials show better performance in fixation to bone, and the chemical bonding depends on bone-like apatite formation. This is triggered by surface reactions with body fluid. For these reactions, superficial functional groups like silanol (Si–OH) are ideal sites to induce apatite nucleation and the release of Ca2+ ions accelerates the apatite growth. Therefore, incorporation of materials containing these key components may provide the cement with apatite-forming ability. In this study, phosphoric acid 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate ester or bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] phosphate supplying a phosphate group (PO4H2) was added into methylmethacrylate liquid, while calcium acetate as a source of Ca2+ ions was mixed into polymethylmethacrylate powder. The influences of the combinations on the setting time and compressive strength were also investigated. Apatite was formed on the cements modified with 30 mass% of phosphoric acid 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate ester or bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] phosphate. The induction period was shortened with increased amounts of Ca(CH3COO)2. The setting time could be controlled by the Ca(CH3COO)2/monomer mass ratio. Faster setting was achieved at a ratio close to the mixing ratio of the powder/liquid (2:1), and both increases and decreases in the amount of Ca(CH3COO)2 prolonged the setting time based on this ratio. The highest compressive strength was 88.8 ± 2.6 MPa, higher than the lowest limit of ISO 5833 but was lower than that of the simulated body fluid-soaked reference. The increase of additives caused the decline in compressive strength. In view of balancing apatite formation and clinical standard, bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] phosphate is more suitable as an additive, and the optimal modification is a combination of 30 mass% of bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] phosphate and 20 mass% of Ca(CH3COO)2.
Feeling Labor
Authors: Korkman Zeynep Kurtulus
Published: January 2015

This article approaches commercial divination as a lens to examine the gendered contents and discontents of labor and intimacy in the neoliberal era. While coffee divinations have long been a feminized medium of socializing and caring in Turkey, they were recently transformed into a commodified service that recruits women, youth, and LGBTQ individuals as workers and consumers. In dialogue with scholarship on emotional and affective labors, I conceptualize divination as “feeling labor” that produces an affective intersubjective space for the incitement, experience, and articulation of emotions. The feeling labors of divination create commodified intimacies through which women, youth, and LGBTQ individuals explore their feelings. However, these intimacies are produced at the expense of devalued labors of those who are feminized along the heteropatriarchal hierarchies of gender, age, and sexual orientation. Attending to the gendered production and consumption of feeling labors and the intimacies they create are central to understanding the relationships between gender and labor in postindustrial capitalism.
Structural reform
Authors: Howland Gill
Published: January 2015

This article provides a narrative which illustrates the experiences of one group of UK schools as they have attempted to introduce innovation in order to achieve their collective vision of improving educational opportunity for all pupils in their care. It considers the findings of a small-scale research project which follows, over a 3-year period, the proposed development of an all-age hard federation of ten schools, the vision and plans for which were conceived and developed by the schools’ leaders. The article considers the factors that have enabled or constrained the collaboration of the schools, and focuses on the evolution of the schools’ initial proposal in response to the changing requirements of central government. The article ends with a reflection upon the purposes, intentions and roles of each of the key players, and concludes that, in an era of freedoms and flexibilities, unintentional blockages and forces are at play that serve to undermine the policy intention.
The Co-operative
Authors: Coates Max
Published: January 2015

The article is a summary of a small-scale research project which considers the formation of Co-operative Trust Schools. This was carried out in 2013 at a time when the number of schools becoming Academies and Trust Schools through the Co-operative College was burgeoning. Through questionnaire, interview, documentary analysis and exploration of websites, the research has sought to build up a picture of this Movement. A number of emergent issues are identified. These include the nature of new spaces for schools to form networks which provide a half-way house between the much tighter academy chains and the individual stand-alone academies and trust schools and the ‘places’ within the governance landscape within which they can do this. Perhaps the most challenging is the sometimes tenuous link between the value-centric Co-operative Movement and the values declared by these academies. It is suggested that the development of these academies with a connection with Co-operativism is more an association than a movement.
Synthesis and analysis of spatial CS-3SS mechanism for body guidance
Authors: Chung Wen-Yeuan
Published: January 2015

This work presents a new spatial mechanism for three-dimensional body guidance. The moving platform of this mechanism is supported by a C–S leg and three S–S legs. Driving unit is the cylindrical joint and has two input parameters. The strategy for synthesizing the C–S leg is proposed and at most eight positions of the spherical joint can be prescribed, while at most seven positions can be prescribed in designing each S–S leg. This CS-3SS mechanism can thus be synthesized by prescribing at most seven precision poses. For this multi-loop spatial mechanism, both noticeable works that are the analysis of configurations and strategy for evaluating branch defects are carried out. The mechanism by giving two inputs has zero degrees of freedom and is analogous to a spherical kinematic chain with five links. At most eight configurations can be obtained and the criterion of double configurations is derived successfully. These results are based on to develop the strategy for evaluating branch defects. This strategy has three stages which are calculating the values of criteria, checking properties of other branches and final verification. Two numerical examples are presented to illustrate the design, the evaluation of defects, and the performance of the proposed mechanism.
Non-Newtonian pulsating blood flow-induced dynamic instability of visco-carotid artery within soft surrounding visco-tissue using differential cubature method
Authors: Arani A Tabatabaie , Ghorbanpour Arani Ali , Kolahchi Reza
Published: January 2015

The high blood rate that often occurs in carotid arteries may play a role in artery failure and tortuosity which leads to blackouts, transitory ischemic attacks, and other diseases. However, dynamic analysis of carotid arteries conveying blood is lacking. The objective of this study was to present a biomechanical model for dynamic instability analysis of the embedded carotid arteries conveying pulsating blood flow. In order to present a realistic model, the carotid arteries and tissues are assumed viscoelastic using Kelvin–Voigt model. Carotid arteries are modeled as elastic cylindrical vessels based on Mindlin cylindrical shell theory (MCST). One of the main advantages of this study is considering the pulsating non-Newtonian nature of the blood flow using Carreau, Casson, and power law models. Applying energy method, Hamilton’s principle and differential cubature method (DCM), the dynamic instability region (DIR) of the visco-carotid arteries is obtained. The detailed parametric study is conducted, focusing on the combined effects of the elastic medium and non-Newtonian models on the dynamic instability of the visco-carotid arteries. It can be seen that with increasing the tissue stiffness, the natural frequency of visco-carotid arteries decreases. The current model provides a powerful tool for further experimental investigation about arterial tortuosity.
Experimental study on P-V diagram and valve displacement of a HC290 rotary compressor
Authors: Wu Jianhua , Wang Gang , Li Yuyong , Chen Ang , Gao Qiang , Chen Zhenhua , Jiang Bo
Published: January 2015

HC290 is a substitute for R22 and R410A for small heat pumps, room air conditioners, and light commercial refrigeration equipment since it has a negligible environmental impact and high efficiency. The performance, P-V diagram and valve dynamic displacement of a rotary compressor using R22 and R290 as the refrigerant, under five different operating conditions, were measured and analyzed in this paper to help understand the characteristics of internal thermodynamic process and the distribution of indicated power losses. Further, a new method for analyzing the P-V diagram of a rotary compressor was proposed. Compared with the R22 compressor, some conclusions about the discharge process starting angle, dynamic variation of pressure in the cylinder, volumetric efficiency, indicated efficiency, and loss distribution of the R290 rotary compressor under high efficiency conditions were given. The performance variation of the R290 compressor under other conditions was explained. Several measures to increase the energy efficiency of the R290 rotary compressor were proposed.