bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does Your Lab Use Social Media?: Sharing Three Years of Experience in Science Communication
Authors: Pavlov A. K. , Meyer A. , Rösel A. , Cohen L. , King J. , Itkin P. , Negrel J. , Gerland S. , Hudson S. R. , Dodd P. A. , de Steur L. , Mathisen S. , Cobbing N. , Granskog M. A.
Published: January 2018

Effective science communication is essential to share knowledge and recruit the next generation of researchers. Science communication to the general public can, however, be hampered by limited resources and a lack of incentives in the academic environment. Various social media platforms have recently emerged, providing free and simple science communication tools to reach the public and young people especially, an audience often missed by more conventional outreach initiatives. While individual researchers and large institutions are present on social media, smaller research groups are underrepresented. As a small group of oceanographers, sea ice scientists, and atmospheric scientists at the Norwegian Polar Institute, we share our experience establishing, developing, and maintaining a successful Arctic science communication initiative (@oceanseaicenpi) on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. The initiative is run entirely by a team of researchers with limited time and financial resources. It has built a broad audience of more than 7,000 followers, half of which is associated with the team’s Instagram account. To our knowledge, @oceanseaicenpi is one of the most successful Earth sciences Instagram accounts managed by researchers. The initiative has boosted the alternative metric scores of our publications and helped participating researchers become better writers and communicators. We hope to inspire and help other research groups by providing some guidelines on how to develop and conduct effective science communication via social media.
Ultraclean Layers and Optically Thin Clouds in the Stratocumulus-to-Cumulus Transition. Part I: Observations
Authors: Wood Robert , O Kuan-Ting , Bretherton Christopher S. , Mohrmann Johannes , Albrecht Bruce. A. , Zuidema Paquita , Ghate Virendra , Schwartz Chris , Eloranta Ed , Glienke Susanne , Shaw Raymond A. , Fugal Jacob , Minnis Patrick
Published: January 2018

A common feature of the stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition (SCT) is the presence of layers in which the concentration of particles larger than 0.1 μm is below 10 cm−3. These ultraclean layers (UCLs) are explored using aircraft observations from 14 flights of the NSF–NCAR Gulfstream V (G-V) aircraft between California and Hawaii. UCLs are commonly located in the upper part of decoupled boundary layers, with coverage increasing from less than 5% within 500 km of the California coast to ~30%–60% west of 130°W. Most clouds in UCLs are thin, horizontally extensive layers containing drops with median volume radii ranging from 15 to 30 μm. Many UCL clouds are optically thin and do not fully attenuate the G-V lidar and yet are frequently detected with a 94-GHz radar with a sensitivity of around −30 dB Z. Satellite data indicate that UCL clouds have visible reflectances of ~0.1–0.2 and are often quasi laminar, giving them a veil-like appearance. These optically thin veil clouds exist for 1–3 h or more, are associated with mesoscale cumulus clusters, and likely grow by spreading under strong inversions. Active updrafts in cumulus (Cu) clouds have droplet concentrations of ~25–50 cm−3. Collision–coalescence in the Cu and later sedimentation in the thinner UCL clouds are likely the key processes that remove droplets in UCL clouds. UCLs are relatively quiescent, and a lack of mixing with dry air above and below the cloud may help to explain their longevity. The very low and highly variable droplet concentrations in UCL clouds, together with their low geometrical and optical thickness, make these clouds particularly challenging to represent in large-scale models.
Burn Survivors’ Near-Death Experiences: A Qualitative Examination
Authors: Royse David , Badger Karen
Published: January 2018

Persons who come close to death but survive catastrophic accidents sometimes report very vivid experiences during times when their survival was in doubt, when they were believed to be dead, and during resuscitation efforts. This qualitative study builds upon existing research on near-death experiences (NDEs) by focusing on the oral accounts from a sample of individuals with large and life-threatening burns. The NDE accounts were obtained from burn survivors attending the Phoenix Society’s World Burn Congress and are similar to reports by notable researchers ( Greyson, 2003 ; Moody, 1975 ; Ring, 1980 ) while reflecting the uniqueness of the individual survivor’s experiences. Six major themes are reported. Counselors and health professionals need to be aware of and educated about NDEs as these experiences can have profound effects upon the individual. Patients who have had NDEs may need to discuss them but fear professionals will reject their stories as being crazy.
Saving for a Better Retirement: How Risk Attitudes Affect Choice of Retirement Scheme
Authors: Wong Ricky S. , Osman Magda , Wong Wai Hung , Lin Yiling , Ho Kasper
Published: January 2018

Over 3 million people in Hong Kong and 21 million people in the UK are saving for retirement under the mandatory provident fund and individual savings account schemes, respectively. Yet, we know little about how individual preferences, such as risk attitudes (risk-seeking and risk-averse) that are known to impact highly consequential decisions in a variety of real-world contexts, impact retirement investment choices. In two experimental studies (Study 1—Hong Kong sample and Study 2—United Kingdom sample), we show that personal risk attitudes were a strong predictor of the profile of retirement investment portfolios. Specially, risk-averse people allocated more of their savings to low-risk funds than risk-seeking people. The pattern of findings is consistent in both Hong Kong mandatory and the UK voluntary retirement investment schemes. These findings are considered in light of policy decisions made in Hong Kong retirement and UK pension schemes.
Investigating the Relationships Among Resilience, Social Anxiety, and Procrastination in a Sample of College Students
Authors: Ko Chen-Yi Amy , Chang Yuhsuan
Published: January 2018

This study investigated the relationships among resilience, social anxiety, and procrastination in a sample of college students. Specifically, structural equation modeling analyses were applied to examine the effect of resilience on procrastination and to test the mediating effect of social anxiety. The results of this study suggested that social anxiety partially mediated the relationship between resilience and procrastination. Students with higher levels of resilience reported a lower frequency of procrastination behavior, and resilience had an indirect effect on procrastination through social anxiety. The results of this study clarify the current knowledge of the mixed results on resilience and procrastination behaviors and offer practical learning strategies and psychological interventions.
The stability analysis of nonlinear switched systems with time delay in input and states with stable and unstable subsystems
Authors: Echreshavi Zeinab , Roosta Alireza
Published: January 2018

Time delay and sampling appear in many industrial systems. It is irrefutable that applying measurement delay with controls can cause the sampling of control laws with the delay in the behavior of nonlinear control systems. As a result, in this paper, the stability of nonlinear time varying switched system with time delay in the input and the states of the system is studied in two modes by a new Lyapunov Krasovskii functional (LKF). Firstly, if all subsystems of the proposed nonlinear switched system with time delay are stable. Then, if some of the subsystems of the proposed switched system are unstable. This paper is organized in two steps. In the first step, the upper bound for the time delay under sufficient conditions in the nonlinear systems with time delay in input and states is obtained. In this step, the Uniformly Globally Asymptotic Stability is proved for nonlinear systems with the presence of time delay. In the second step, with a proper Lyapunov Krasovskii functional, the global exponential stability of the proposed switched system is proved. Also, finally a proper observer is designed for our proposed switched system in two stable and unstable modes.
The cost of becoming a neo-liberal welfare state: A cautionary case of Lithuania
Authors: Atas Natalija
Published: January 2018

This article reveals the extent to which western-driven neo-liberal policies have influenced and shaped the current state of the national welfare policies, and consequent socio-economic conditions, in Lithuania. It looks at different stages of welfare state development following the independence of Lithuania before providing an overview of the current national institutional settings and policies. First, it discusses policy reforms that occurred during the transformation from planned to market economy. This part deliberates ideological changes characteristic to that period along with socio-economic impacts of the transformation. Then, it evaluates the more recent welfare state developments that began after Lithuania’s accession to the European Union (EU). The article concludes with an assessment of the key features of contemporary welfare policies and their wider socio-economic outcomes.
The use of augmentative and alternative communication in Cyprus: Findings from a preliminary survey
Authors: Pampoulou Eliada , Theodorou Eleni , Petinou Kakia
Published: January 2018

Whilst augmentative and alternative communication has been used for over sixty years across many countries, in Cyprus it remains underdeveloped. The current study seeks to investigate the current AAC practices in Cyprus. Data were collected through electronically distributed questionnaires to all registered speech and language therapists ( n = 330), contacted by the Cyprus Speech Therapy Association. The questionnaire comprised 12 questions, which were categorized into three sections: background information (educational level and clinical experience), training undergone (during or after completion of tertiary education) and participants’ AAC practices (caseload, assessment and intervention). The findings from the analysis of the returned data ( n = 59) reveal that training provision on augmentative and alternative communication has positively influenced practice. Most of the participants received training in the specific field during their bachelor’s degree, rather than during later education. Life-long training on different language systems (including different assistive technology tools, such as symbols and talking products as well as methods such as the Picture Exchange Communication System) also played a pivotal role in their work. Regarding the assessment process, the findings show that whilst there are a number of standardized language assessment tools, the participants relied heavily on non-standardized tools and/or their clinical judgment. Regarding intervention, they reported using different language systems and a variety of Assistive Technology equipment. Several recommendations are made aimed at raising the profile of AAC services in Cyprus, especially with regards to training and assessment, as the findings show that these areas have not been addressed systemically thus far.
Instructional strategies used in direct AAC interventions with children to support graphic symbol learning: A systematic review
Authors: Lynch Yvonne , McCleary Muireann , Smith Martine
Published: January 2018

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) refers to a wide range of aided and unaided modes that are employed with a diverse group of people to support a range of language and communication outcomes. Children whose comprehension of spoken language greatly exceeds their ability to express themselves within that modality can be described as expressive users of AAC.

Interventions are important in promoting language acquisition and the expressive use of graphic symbols. Instructional strategies employed within interventions have an important impact on treatment effectiveness. A systematic review was undertaken to identify instructional strategies that have demonstrated effectiveness in supporting graphic symbol learning and aided language development in direct interventions with children aged 0–18 years who are expressive users of aided AAC (including children without learning difficulties and those with mild-moderate learning difficulties). A comprehensive search strategy was carried out and all studies meeting the inclusion criteria were quality appraised. A data extraction procedure was conducted on the studies meeting the quality appraisal criteria. Fifteen studies were included in the review investigating four instructional strategies used to support graphic symbol learning. The most studied instructional strategy, aided modeling, can be considered an evidenced-based practice. There is also strong research evidence to support the use of both narrative-based interventions and mand-model procedures to facilitate graphic symbol learning and aided language acquisition in children who are expressive users of aided AAC. However, across the literature reviewed, a lack of consistent terminology hampered the ability to compare studies and draw conclusions. More consistent use of terminology would enhance the utility of the evidence base.
The impact of family ownership on capital structure of firms: Exploring the role of zero-leverage, size, location and the global financial crisis
Authors: Ramalho Joaquim JS , Rita Rui MS , da Silva Jacinto Vidigal
Published: January 2018

In this article, we investigate the influence of family ownership on firm leverage across different subgroups of family and non-family firms. In addition, we examine the influence of firm size, geographical location and the 2008 global financial crisis on the capital structure of family firms. In both cases, we study the probability of firms using debt and, conditional on its use, the proportion of debt issued. We find that family ownership affects both decisions positively, namely, when the firm is large or located in a metropolitan area. For small firms located outside metropolitan areas, there is no clear family ownership effect. We also find the 2008 crisis had a substantial, but diversified, impact on family firm leverage. On the one hand, all family firms were more prone to use debt after 2008; on the other, the proportion of debt held by levered family firms decreased for micro and small firms, but increased for large firms. Overall, the crisis effects on family firm leverage seem to be the result of both supply- and demand-side factors, with the former particularly affecting the availability of debt to micro and small firms.
Growing pains: Property taxation and revenue incentives in English local government
Authors: Mor Federico , Sandford Mark
Published: January 2018

Devolution of business rate revenue to English local authorities has been cast as a far-reaching act of fiscal devolution, with the explicit aim of enhancing local economic growth by providing financial incentives to local authorities. The system is based on three tacit assumptions: that local authorities can systematically increase their business rate revenue via local policy decisions, that increasing business rate revenue correlates with growth in the local economy, and that the structural effects of the business rate system upon local authority behaviour and revenue outcomes are negligible. This article makes the first known attempt to analyse the outcomes of the Business Rate Retention Scheme since its inception in 2013, using previously unavailable data from the 2010–17 valuation list for England. Findings indicate that all three of the tacit assumptions can be challenged. Links between local policy and revenue growth are subject to macroeconomic confounders, links between rate revenue and economic growth are ambivalent, and the structure of the system has a decisive effect on individual authority outcomes. The system is not a game of chess, with outcomes based on skill; it is more akin to cards, where results are dependent in part on the cards dealt.
Gender analysis of spending on the Scottish Modern Apprenticeship programme
Authors: Campbell Jim , Gillespie Morag
Published: January 2018

Occupational gender segregation remains an enduring challenge everywhere and a key contributor to the gender pay gap. Gender Impact Analysis tools are an important aid for evaluating the impact of social and economic policies from a gender perspective. In particular, gender budget analysis can help to show the impact of public spending and the extent to which it can reinforce or break down persistent gender inequalities. A key component of the Scottish Government’s employability strand of its Economic Strategy has been additional investment in the Modern Apprenticeship Programme. As part of a project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the authors undertook an assessment of the Modern Apprenticeship programme in Scotland using Gender Disaggregated Public Expenditure Incidence Analysis. This is a gender budget analysis tool that shows the gender responsiveness of budgets and specific policies by assessing the distribution of expenditure on men and women. Analysis of the investment in different occupational frameworks and at different levels of training found that, despite an increase in women’s participation in Modern Apprenticeships, significant occupation gender segregation persists. Men predominate in the higher level training programmes and women in the lower level apprenticeships, resulting in a substantial gender gap in public investment in the Modern Apprenticeship Programme. This kind of approach to gender analysis has the potential to be an important tool for policymakers and practitioners to improve understanding of the implications of spending decisions and priorities and to contribute to developing strategies to tackle them in relation to gender, but also other protected characteristics such as disability, ethnic origin and age.
Narrative of the night-out: Student engagement in the night-time economy of Kingston upon Thames
Authors: Gant Robert , Terry Philip
Published: January 2018

In the past twenty years the number of people drinking alcohol in the UK has fallen; the average level of consumption has also declined. Meanwhile, a shift in expenditure and preferred drinking venues has been noted among young people in particular: from ‘pub-club’ to ‘home-pub-club’, with connotations of ‘pre-loading’, binge-drinking and intoxication. In response, The Department of Health has reviewed its guidelines on safe drinking. This study focuses on the self-reported drinking behaviour of 604 Kingston University students during a recent night-out. The narrative is set within the policy context and management of the local night-time economy. Evidence from the online survey revealed differences by gender and ethnicity in ‘pre-loading practices’, travel behaviour, the pattern and timing of visits to licensed town centre venues, expenditure on alcohol (pre-loaded and venue-based) and preferred brands. Units of alcohol consumed and travel patterns are related to perceptions of personal safety, experiences of victimisation and use of support services in the night-time economy.
Sea Harvest: Back(fish)bone in Saldanha Bay’s local and regional economy?
Authors: Welman Lesley , Ferreira Sanette LA
Published: January 2018

The fishing industry is the socio-economic base of coastal towns in the West Coast region of South Africa. Regional development focussed on Saldanha Bay is locked into a tight relationship between the Port (oil, gas and iron ore), the local government and two industrial sectors, namely steel and maritime fishing. This paper examines the role Sea Harvest Corporation (Pty) Ltd has played in the evolution and development (socio-economic transformation) of the Greater Saldanha Bay region. 1 First, the literature on the roles of institutions in regional development in general and fishing in particular is reviewed. Second, the state of fish resources at global, national and local levels is discussed to provide the wider context. Third, a mixed-method approach is used in a case study of Saldanha Bay’s deep-sea trawling industry where the evolution of Sea Harvest as a company in the Greater Saldanha Bay region and its role in the region’s development are treated. Sea Harvest is shown to play an important role in the local and regional economies – where more than 2000 permanent jobs have been sustained over the last 10 years and at least 25% of all households in the Greater Saldanha Bay region have benefitted from involvement with the company. Last, some lessons from this highly specific case study are shared.
Priority sectors in city regions? Some issues from a study of the Cardiff Capital Region
Authors: Crawley Andrew , Munday Max
Published: January 2018

The City Region is becoming the spatial focus for economic development policy across many parts of the European continent. But these functional regions have taken on a new impetus in the UK with the introduction of ‘city deals’ aimed at improving network and coordination of actors in local authorities. One of the goals of city regions is to improve industrial policy particularly lacking since the abolition of many of the Regional Development Agencies across the UK. However, city regions in developing policy appear to be following in an unquestioning manner the industrial priorities of earlier institutions, and nowhere is this more obvious than in the case of the identification of priority industry development sectors. Too often the selection of industries and clusters for special support has been undertaken in an unquestioning manner. In this paper we focus on the case of the Cardiff Capital Region. We review approaches to identify priority sectors in this case and the problems associated with this policy approach.
Using monitoring data to assess community development: Evidence from Ireland
Authors: McGuinness Seamus , Bergin Adele , Whelan Adele
Published: January 2018

Data relating to community development activities are often decentralised in nature and does not easily facilitate any national-level analysis. Given non-trivial spending in this area and increased pressure to show value for money in all areas of government expenditure, there is increased pressure for some measurement and assessment of community-level spending. In Ireland, a single body, Pobal, coordinates a large proportion of community development activity under a national community development programme. The Local and Community Development Programme represented a central component of Ireland’s funding for community development which aims to tackle poverty, social exclusion and long-term unemployment through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector agencies. This ‘bottom-up’ structure aims to enable participation by citizens in the design, planning and implementation of interventions at a local level. Organisations in receipt of funding under Local and Community Development Programme must record their activities within a single database. The availability of this data provides a unique opportunity to address a number of key questions, in a unified framework, regarding community development spending that will help inform policy both in Ireland and elsewhere. Specifically, the paper explores the relationship between community development training and goals and the links between provision and social deprivation, geography and cost. It also considers the extent to which the general requirement to demonstrate value for money in the public finances could, and/or should, be extended into the community development realm.
Enclosure and recommoning in Wanchai, Hong Kong: The struggle of local community development in Asia’s World City
Authors: Mee Kam NG
Published: January 2018

Wanchai, situated east of the Central Business District of Hong Kong, Asia’s World City, is a highly accessible and mixed community with old and new buildings constructed over the years through successive waves of reclamation. The less well-off population in the District was hard hit by the Asian Financial crisis in the late 1990s, followed by another wave of redevelopment as the economy recovered. This paper examines how the local stakeholders have worked together to resist wholesale redevelopment (‘enclosure’) as well as the interrelated practices of ‘recommoning’. With the help of a local charity, St James Settlement (set up in 1949 modelled after the Settlement Movement in UK), local residents have succeeded in saving a heritage building cluster, the Blue House, and are using it as a hub to further develop their community and rebuild the socio-economic network within a rapidly gentrifying area.
They never said ‘Come here and let's talk about it’: Exclusion and non-decision-making in the rebuild of Christchurch, New Zealand
Authors: Amore Alberto , Michael Hall C , Jenkins John
Published: January 2018

Decision-making in urban contexts is increasingly characterized by a depoliticized environment that has normalized neoliberal urban policies. These are further pursued in post-disaster contexts across the globe with narratives that overshadow the views and demands of the affected communities. Spatial contestation, exclusion of certain groups from key decisions and episodes of non-decision-making thus shape urban redevelopment through top-down governance. This paper provides a Lukesian narrative on post-earthquake Christchurch, where the redevelopment of the city has been characterized by a strong command-and-control rebuild agenda emanating from the national government, regardless of the feedback and criticisms from the affected community.
Localising the impact of techno-entrepreneurship in Eastern Iran: Birjand's Science and Technology Park as a local innovation community
Authors: Farzin Farnaz
Published: January 2018

In peripheral cities, economies are dependent upon local enterprises, entrepreneurship and innovation to support growth locally. This paper focuses on the case of Birjand, Iran and the community of techno-entrepreneurs who are based in the city's Science and Technology Park (which opened in 1992). Relating to the Triple Helix model, this paper aims to better understand connections and limitations that interconnect industry, government and education through interviews with techno-entrepreneurs, government policymakers and academics. The analysis of this paper is organised into three sections: the first section considers government policies and support based on insight from entrepreneurs and policymakers to understand differing expectations. The next section addresses local economic impacts and the role of techno-entrepreneurs to understand the contribution they make in peripheral areas despite Iran being impacted by sanctions. The final section considers local entrepreneurship education initiatives in Birjand offered by the local Science and Technology Park and links with a local university to add perspective on the role of education to increase local initiatives and support the improvement of business practice.
Towards a new local tourism economy: Understanding sense of community, social impacts and potential enterprise opportunities in Podgrađe Bač, Vojvodina, Serbia
Authors: Wise Nicholas , Mulec Ivo , Armenski Tanja
Published: January 2018

Serbia's Vojvodina Region has been discussed in recent research as a region with much tourism potential. Numerous studies have assessed different tourism opportunities in Vojvodina, but there is a need to understand how local residents perceive tourism to address how they see their destination developing. This paper focuses on the rural community of Podgrađe Bač. The community is directly adjacent is the Bač Fortress, which is currently under review with UNESCO to be recognised (and protected) as a World Heritage Site. There is a need to consider how social impacts and social change are about altering peoples' outlook and attitude, as well as gaining support to encourage cohesive involvement among members of the community. Data were collected for this study through a Likert Scale survey with associated open-ended questions. Given the micro-locale case study focus, 29 surveys were collected from one participant in each household. The results and analysis are based on understanding sense of community in Podgrađe Bač, assessing the attractiveness of Bač Fortress and subsequent local tourism developments, and assessing resident perceptions of tourism, by considering social impacts, enterprise opportunities, and overall potential.
Contesting displacement and the struggle for survival: The case of subsistence fisher folk in Durban, South Africa
Authors: Maharaj Brij
Published: January 2018

In keeping with the ‘neoliberal assault’, public spaces in many cities of the global North and increasingly in the South have been appropriated and privatized for the benefit of the consumption needs of the urban elite, while simultaneously excluding and expelling the poor, and depriving them of their livelihoods. This paper analyses the displacement and struggles of subsistence fisher folk during upgrading of the port entrance, and the regeneration of Durban's beachfront in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and their exclusion from what was once public space which they had used for decades. Coastal zones provide opportunities for recreation and subsistence fishing, and Durban was no exception. As preparations for FIFA 2010 advanced, traditional public fishing zones along Durban's beachfront were declared private property, and subsistence fisher folk were denied access in order to make the area attractive for international tourists, with serious implications for their livelihoods. The reaction of the fisher folk to the various restrictions included protest marches; vigils at the prohibited sites; defying the authorities; as well as appeals to the Transnet National Port Authority, Durban Municipality and provincial and central governments to resolve the impasse. As a result of these various forms of public activism, and engagement with the authorities, the fisher folk were able to reclaim some of their lost space.
Porto Alegre’s sociopolitical urbanism and neoliberal economic dynamics: Perspectives from a local community in the Afro-Brazilian periphery
Authors: Polidoro Maurício , Canavese Daniel
Published: January 2018

Over the last four centuries, the urbanization of Latin America has created inequalities that manifest themselves distinctly within the scales observed. From global to local and from local to global, the changes provoked by globalization and neoliberalism have imposed new forms and strategies of reproduction, life and capital on the agents that produce these spaces. This article looks at the urbanization process in Brazil and its southernmost metropolis (Porto Alegre) from this perspective. Rising from a colonial economy supported by the exploitation of slaves, there is a significant level of inequality in the city with respect to race and social class. The global and local contexts are studied in order to investigate the forms of spatial, economic and political organization in an area on the periphery of Porto Alegre—the Restinga neighborhood. The results show that although the state is only partially present in the region, the forms of governmentality reveal the important role played by public authorities and community self-organization, based on the intense use of information technology, solidarity, and female leadership.
Rescaling the suburban: New directions in the relationship between governance and infrastructure
Authors: Morphet Janice
Published: January 2018

This paper explores the emerging changes in the relationships between cities and their suburbs driven by international institutional. This paper discusses these trends within the new tropes of integration and multi-level governance that are serving to redefine and implement new city/suburban relationships with an emphasis on the role of functional economic areas. This shift suggests a fundamental re-conceptualisation of the power relationships with city dominance dependent on suburban success not serendipity. The underlying re-conceptualisation of this relationship is explored through a discussion of international institutional drivers as they are being implemented throughout states that are OECD members and then considers how these changes are being nudged into effect using statecraft and scalecraft practices. It further examines practices in the UK and concludes with a discussion of these new negotiated relationships between cities and suburbs.
E-government: Accessing public services online: Implications for citizenship
Authors: Hardill Irene , O’Sullivan Roger
Published: January 2018

In this Viewpoint we wish to stimulate debate concerning the impact on citizens of the move to deliver more and more public services online (e-government) in urban and rural areas. It is now widely accepted that we are moving more and more online as society. However, there has been a lack of discussion about the implications of the government’s strategy to move services online especially for those most disadvantaged. The increasing focus and use of Information and Communication Technologies is changing the ways we can access public services, goods and services and health information. There is an increasing separation between those who have the skills, knowledge and economic resources to do so with those who do not – how we ensure full citizenship for all remains unanswered if not too often unconsidered.
The flavonoid, 2′-methoxy-6-methylflavone, affords neuroprotection following focal cerebral ischaemia
Authors: Clarkson Andrew N , Boothman-Burrell Lily , Dósa Zita , Nagaraja Raghavendra Y , Jin Liang , Parker Kim , van Nieuwenhuijzen Petra S , Neumann Silke , Gowing Emma K , Gavande Navnath , Ahring Philip K , Holm Mai M , Hanrahan Jane R , Nicolazzo Joseph A , Jensen Kimmo , Chebib Mary
Published: January 2018

Tonic inhibitory currents, mediated by extrasynaptic GABAA receptors, are elevated at a delay following stroke. Flavonoids minimise the extent of cellular damage following stroke, but little is known about their mode of action. We demonstrate that the flavonoid, 2′-methoxy-6-methylflavone (0.1–10 µM; 2′MeO6MF), increases GABAA receptor tonic currents presumably via δ-containing GABAA receptors. Treatment with 2′MeO6MF 1–6 h post focal ischaemia dose dependently decreases infarct volume and improves functional recovery. The effect of 2′MeO6MF was attenuated in δ−/− mice, indicating that the effects of the flavonoid were mediated via δ-containing GABAA receptors. Further, as flavonoids have been shown to have multiple modes of action, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of 2′MeO6MF. Using a macrophage cell line, we show that 2′MeO6MF can dampen an LPS-induced elevation in NFkB activity. Assessment of vehicle-treated stroke animals revealed a significant increase in circulating IL1β, TNFα and IFγ levels. Treatment with 2′MeO6MF dampened the stroke-induced increase in circulating cytokines, which was blocked in the presence of the pan-AKT inhibitor, GSK690693. These studies support the hypothesis that compounds that potentiate tonic inhibition via δ-containing GABAA receptors soon after stroke can afford neuroprotection.
Diaphragmatic dysfunction in sepsis due to severe acute pancreatitis complicated by intra-abdominal hypertension
Authors: Liao Wei-Chao , Chen Yan-Hong , Li Hang-Yang , Wang Ting-Ting , Lan Peng , Pan Kong-Han , Ge Hui-Qing , Xie Qiang-min , Zhou Jian-Cang
Published: January 2018

Objective

This study aimed to examine the mechanism of diaphragmatic dysfunction in sepsis due to severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) with intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) in a rat model.

Methods

The rats were assigned at random to four groups: (1) control (n = 5), (2) SAP (n = 5), (3) SAP+IAH (n = 5), and (4) SAP+IAH+SS-31 (n = 5). Length and force output of the diaphragm were analysed in vivo. Histopathological examinations were performed by haematoxylin–eosin. Oxidative stress levels related to protease in diaphragmatic mitochondria were detected with a colorimetric technique.

Results

In the septic rat model due to SAP complicated by IAH, myofibres were increased. Muscle contractile function was significantly lower in the SAP+IAH group compared with the SAP and control groups. Glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase levels were significantly lower and malondialdehyde levels were higher in the SAP and SAP+IAH groups compared with the control group. Notably, SS-31 could reverse atrophy of myofibres in SAP+IAH rats, as well as contractile dysfunction and mitochondrial dysfunction in the diaphragm.

Conclusions

Diaphragmatic structure and biomechanics are altered in septic rats due to SAP and IAH. This finding is mainly due to an increase in release of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species.
Physical Activity of Adults with Mental Retardation: Review and Research Needs
Authors: Temple Viviene A. , Frey Georgia C. , Stanish Heidi I.
Published: January 2018

Objective

To characterize physical activity levels of adults with mental retardation and identify limitations in published research.

Data Sources

Key word searches for “mental retardation, ” “intellectual disability, ” “learning disability, ” or “developmental disability” combined with “physical activity” or “habitual exercise” identified articles from MEDLINE, Academic Search Elite, Psych Articles, Health Source, and SPORT Discus. This produced a total of 801 citations.

Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Published English-language literature that quantitatively measured physical activity levels of adults with mental retardation was included in this review. Fourteen articles met this criterion.

Data Extraction

Characteristics of participants, study design, outcome measures, methods of analyses, and findings in terms of percentages, step counts, and acceleromeler output were extracted.

Data Synthesis

Data were synthesized to identify the percentage of adults with mental retardation who met published health-related physical activity criteria and compare them with adults without mental retardation and to examine study limitations.

Results

The studies with the greatest rigor indicate that one-third of adults or fewer with mental retardation were sufficiently active to achieve health benefits. However, data are insufficient to determine whether adults with mental retardation are less active than the general community.

Conclusions

Future research would be enhanced by including appropriately powered representative samples, by including comparison groups, by validating physical activity questionnaires, and by determining the accuracy of proxy respondents.
Psychosocial Factors Associated with Young Elementary School Children's Intentions to Consume Legumes: A Test of the Theory of Reasoned Action
Authors: Folta Sara C. , Bell Rick , Economos Christina , Landers Stewart , Goldberg Jeanne P.
Published: January 2018

Objective

The purpose of this study was to test the utility of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) in explaining young elementary school children's intention to consume legumes.

Methods

A survey was conducted with children in an urban, multicultural community in Massachusetts. A total of 336 children participated. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the strength of the relationship between attitude and subjective norm and intention.

Results

Although attitude was significantly associated with intention, the pseudo-R2 for the regression model that included only the TRA constructs was extremely low (.01). Adding demographic factors and preference improved the model's predictive ability, but attitude was no longer significant.

Conclusion

The results of this study do not provide support for the predictive utility of the TRA with young elementary school children for this behavior, when demographic factors are accounted for. Hedonic factors, rather than reasoned judgments, may help drive children's intentions.
Factors Associated with Smoking Cessation Counseling at Clinical Encounters: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2000
Authors: Lucan Sean C. , Ratz David L.
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Characterize factors associated with smoking-cessation counseling in clinical encounters.

Design

Cross-sectional analysis of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2000 data.

Setting

U.S. households.

Subjects

10,582 smokers (aged ≥ 18 years) reporting one or more clinical encounters during the prior year.

Measures

Multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for quit advice associated with respondent and encounter variables.

Results

Almost 55 % of respondents were advised to quit smoking. Young men were advised to quit least often. Increasing age (18–24, 25–39, 40–64, ≥65 years) was associated with increasing odds of receiving quit advice (OR = 1.33, CI 1.10–1.61) for men. Other positive associations with quit advice included patient education, BMI, diagnosis of asthma, and private health insurance. Patients seeing physicians had greater odds of being advised to quit smoking (OR = 3.29, CI 2.13–5.06) than those seeing dentists. There was a 4% to 23% chance of receiving quit advice at any given nondental clinical encounter; the odds of such counseling did not rise significantly with the number of visits.

Conclusion

Smoking cessation counseling may be provided preferentially on the basis of patient demographics, and often is not provided at all. In a given year, just over half of smoking patients are advised to quit, and such counseling is provided at less than a quarter of clinical encounters.
Both Obesity and Lack of Physical Activity are Associated with a Less Favorable Health-related Quality of Life in Hong Kong Chinese
Authors: Ko Gary T.C.
Published: January 2018

Purpose

To investigate the relationships among obesity, physical activity and quality of life (QOL) in Hong Kong Chinese adults.

Methods

A cross-sectional study involving 876 subjects (32.9% men and 67.1% women, mean age: 34.8 ± 7.9 years) from a nonmanual working population. The Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 (SF-36, Chinese version) was used for health-related QOL. Level of physical activity was assessed with self-reported questionnaire. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2.

Results

31% of men and 9% of women were obese (overall 16.0%). Obese subjects had lower scores on some of the SF-36 subscales. As the level of physical activity decreased, mean scores on most SF-36 subscales also progressively decreased. Obese women who had no regular physical activity had lower scores on some QOL subscales than obese women who had some regular physical activity.

Discussion

Among this Hong Kong Chinese sample, both obesity and lack of physical activity are associated with lower scores on QOL.
Feature-based five-axis path planning method for robotic additive manufacturing
Authors: Zhao Gang , Ma Guocai , Xiao Wenlei , Tian Yu
Published: January 2018

Additive manufacturing has been developed for decades and attracts significant research interests in recent years. Usually, the stereolithography tessellation language format is employed in additive manufacturing to represent the geometric data. However, people gradually realize the inevitable drawbacks of the stereolithography tessellation language file format, such as redundancy, inaccuracy, missing of feature definitions, and lack of integrity. In addition, it is almost impossible to apply the simple polygonal facet representation to the five-axis manufacturing strategy. Hence, there are quite few researches and applications on the five-axis additive manufacturing, in spite of its common applications in the subtractive machining. This article proposes a feature-based five-axis additive manufacturing methodology to enhance and extend the additive manufacturing method. The additive manufacturing features are defined and categorized into two5D_AM_feature and freeform_AM_feature. A feature extraction method is proposed that can automatically recognize the additive manufacturing features from the input model. Specially for the freeform_AM_feature, a five-axis path planning method is proposed and split into three stages: (1) offset the reference surface, (2) spatially slice the freeform layers, and (3) generate the toolpaths for each freeform layer. Real additive manufacturing five-axis toolpaths can be obtained using the proposed algorithm that performs as a secondary developed plug-in in the CATIA® environment. A robotic additive manufacturing system is constructed for the implementation of the five-axis additive manufacturing tasks, which are generated by the proposed algorithms and post-processed after simulation and off-line programming. Some examples are printed to validate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed method.
The Role of Experimenter Belief in Social Priming
Authors: Gilder Thandiwe S. E. , Heerey Erin A.
Published: January 2018

Research suggests that stimuli that prime social concepts can fundamentally alter people’s behavior. However, most researchers who conduct priming studies fail to explicitly report double-blind procedures. Because experimenter expectations may influence participant behavior, we asked whether a short pre-experiment interaction between participants and experimenters would contribute to priming effects when experimenters were not blind to participant condition. An initial double-blind experiment failed to demonstrate the expected effects of a social prime on executive cognition. To determine whether double-blind procedures caused this result, we independently manipulated participants’ exposure to a prime and experimenters’ belief about which prime participants received. Across four experiments, we found that experimenter belief, rather than prime condition, altered participant behavior. Experimenter belief also altered participants’ perceptions of their experimenter, suggesting that differences in experimenter behavior across conditions caused the effect. Findings reinforce double-blind designs as experimental best practice and suggest that people’s prior beliefs have important consequences for shaping behavior with an interaction partner.
‘Keep strong, remember everything you have learnt’: Constructing support and solidarity through online interaction within a UK cancer support group
Authors: Baxter Judith
Published: January 2018

This article analyses the linguistic and multimodal interactions of a group of seven cancer patients and two carers, who had previously met on a residential course and subsequently set up an online support group. I explore how this group of participants constructs relationships of support and solidarity online over 7 months using a range of multimodal resources including web links, video clips, avatars and songs. This is a semi-ethnographic case study that arose from my own experiences as a participant in the support group. I gathered the data directly from the WhatsApp facility on a ‘smartphone’ and then analysed the interactions and their use of diverse resources by means of Interactional Sociolinguistics analysis. The article finds that participants construct support and solidarity in highly inventive ways: by using diverse modes and types of expression, by means of humour, building a ‘special’ sense of in-group togetherness, and biographical work, that is, recasting ‘who they are’ in light of their illness.