bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Religion and Diplomacy
Authors: Thompson Livingstone
Published: June 2015

Many flashpoints of violence and conflict around the world involve religious actors both as part of the crisis and potentially part of the solution. Until recently, however, states have been slow to see a role for religion in diplomacy. In this article, which is taken from a lecture that he delivered to the London Academy of Diplomacy, the author explores the notion of faith-based diplomacy and delineates the characteristics of a faith-based diplomat. The argument is that a religious view of the world functions as a Gestalt through which events and data in the public arena are filtered. The faith-based diplomat is one whose religious knowledge and skills allow the diplomat to decode the religious rhetoric by which crises are often articulated. As in the case of Northern Ireland, peace has a chance when the rhetoric is decoded and when local religious actors are party to the diplomatic process.
The Application of ‘life cycle thinking’ in European environmental law: theory and practice
Authors: Dalhammar Carl
Published: June 2015

Increasingly, environmental policies and laws in the European Union (eu) refer to ‘life cycle thinking’ as an important guidance for policy. The concept of life cycle thinking however has no formal definition in eu law, making its application and relevance open to interpretation. This contribution explores the concept of life cycle thinking by looking at various policy documents, and by examining how life cycle thinking has influenced lawmaking in four legal processes at the eu and member state levels. We find that life cycle thinking contributes positively to the development of environmental law, but that it may be applied in ways that limit its potential, or may even lead to undesired outcomes from a sustainability perspective.
The eu regulation on invasive alien species
Authors: Köck Wolfgang
Published: June 2015

The new eu regulation on invasive alien species constitutes a further key European legislative act – alongside the Habitats Directive – aimed at achieving biodiversity conservation. As such it will be of highly practical significance in the years to come, given that the obligations arising from it will necessarily be connected with impacts on trade and transportation. The following article provides information about the problems invasive alien species (ias) cause for biodiversity as a protected resource. It also elucidates and assesses the new European regulation and, taking German law as an example, also discusses its consequences for national-level strategies aimed at protecting against ias.
A Legal Capacity View of China’s Social Organizations
Authors: Yu Xiang , Li Wei , Li Na
Published: June 2015

Chinese social organizations are influenced by a variety of factors, including their relatively short history of development, the complex environment in which they grow, and their daunting mission of innovation. Viewing them from different perspectives leads to different conclusions. This paper examines the legal status of social organizations, exploring what they ought to be, could be, and are not. It finds that today, Chinese social organizations already have a certain capacity for behaving autonomously, the capacity for endorsement, and the capacity for public service. At the same time, there are imbalances in the development of the capacities of different types of social organizations. To build social organizations, there should be a full range of diagnostics regarding their capacities, relevant legal guidelines, concentration of resources to optimize their capacity structures, enlargement of their capacity reserves, and the endeavor to propel social organizations to play a greater role in social development and social management.
Gridding, Mass Line and Social Management Innovation
Authors: Wu Qiang
Published: June 2015

Since July 2011, when thecpcCentral Committee and the State Council issued the “Proposals for Reinforcing Social Management Innovation,” gridding management, as an experiment that began as early as 2004 and as the core content of the innovative social management framework, is gaining increasing attention from the international community and the academia. Based on Mary Douglas’ grid-group theory and my own field surveys, this paper examines four distinct cases comparatively, including the 50-year-old Fengqiao Experience which was recently highlighted by President Xi Jinping and the earliest gridding model of Beijing’s Dongcheng District, concluding that the gridding development process highlighted the need for maintenance of political stability in and after 2011. Since then, the mass line or social management innovation tilted towards a surveillance society characterized by institutionalized control.
Mounted Archery and Firearms
Authors: Hacker Barton C.
Published: June 2015

David Ayalon’s classic and highly influential 1956 study of Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom left some surprising questions unexamined. He attributed Ottoman victory primarily to Ottoman firearms, while Mamluks stubbornly clung to the arms of the mounted archer. But despite the technological underpinnings of his thesis, Ayalon discussed the technology of neither the traditional warfare of mounted archery nor the newfangled warfare of gunpowder weapons. Was Mamluk mounted archery actually inferior to Ottoman firearms? This essay addresses the technical basis both for the mounted archery central to Mamluk military prowess and the characteristics of late-fifteenth and early-sixteenth century firearms adopted by the Ottomans, both in the context of the social technology of Muslim military slavery. By opening the black box of Mamluk and Ottoman military technology, this essay seeks to show more precisely in what ways military technology did and did not shape the outcome of the struggle.
The Modern Chinese State and Strategies of Control over Uyghur Islam
Authors: Castets Rémi
Published: June 2015

Faithful to the principle of democratic centralism, the Chinese Communist Party does not tolerate alternative thinking or anti-colonial movements that contest its policies and its will to integrate Uyghur society into the Chinese nation-state. Over recent decades, it has implemented a wide range of policies aimed at eliminating any interpretation or instrumentalization of Islam that conflicts with its own policies. More recently, it has implemented a new set of rules through the “judiciarization” of religious activities. These rules are aimed at eradicating all forms of politicization of Islam in Uyghur mosques and the Koranic teaching system, and at defining the limits of “modern and patriotic Islam.”
Uyghurs on Chinese Social Networking Sites: The Creation and Destruction of Ethnic Youth Culture
Authors: Light Nathan
Published: June 2015

The Chinese social networking website Fenbei.com was started in 2003 by a young Chinese software engineer. By 2006 it provided an important online community for tens of thousands of Uyghurs, who developed an online culture and communication genres through which they creatively engaged in a virtual world with thousands of others who shared their interests. By 2010 the site was closed, stranding these Uyghurs and millions of other Chinese citizens without the online site that had become their virtual community and connected them to other users around China and even abroad. This article attempts to uncover a small part of what Fenbei meant for young Uyghur Internet enthusiasts and fills some of the gaps in research on popular Internet use in China.
Confucian Tradition, Modernization, and Globalization
Authors: Xinzhong Yao
Published: June 2015

Drawing on important theories on tradition and modernization that developed in the past few decades, this article is intended to argue against two extreme views concerning tradition and modernity, one propagating that modernization intrinsically precludes tradition and the other claiming that, to uphold tradition, we must reject modernity. Applying the “circular model” of tradition and modernity and the paradigm of “long tradition,” we contend that tradition and modernity comprise and supplement each other and that, together, they form a continuum in the process of modernization, in contrast to the widespread view that modernization breaks away from tradition. We further examine critically various proposals on the usefulness of tradition for modern life and on the value of Confucian ethics for modernization in China. By arguing that tradition must not be separated from modernity and must be seen as part of modernization, this article concludes that only by including tradition will modernization be sustainable and that Confucian ethics can play an important role in reshaping the moral landscape of China in the rapidly modernized and globalized age.
Communicating Civilization Through Rituals: Mount Tai Pilgrimages in Song China, 960-1279
Authors: Han Lifeng
Published: June 2015

This paper examines the imperialfeng封 andshan禪 ritual at Mount Tai in 1008 and its connection with popular pilgrimages among the Mount Tai cult. It aims to demonstrate how ritual can be used as a tool of the imperial state in communicating its political and cultural agenda.

Placing the imperial pilgrimage within its historical context at the turn of the eleventh century, it can be understood as an effort to secure mass identification with the state and its authority. More importantly, it could be used to establish ownership of Chinese civilization by the Song dynasty (960-1279) in its competition with the Khitan, who had long adopted Chinese institutions and ideology. Various strategies were deployed by the throne to communicate the imperial symbolism of the mountain. The mountain, therefore, had become valuable symbolic capital. Through the composition of temple inscriptions, the literati were able to redefine the popular ritual practices of the Mount Tai cult and brought them into a hegemonic discourse on the mountain. This facilitated the construction of an imperial cultural identity accessible to all social groups and allowed an abstract concept of Chinese culture to be communicated through the fabric of society.
Rethinking “Traditions”: Reading the Classics as Ritual
Authors: Shen Yang
Published: June 2015

How do generations of Chinese remain connected across history? How do the anthropological studies of religion help us to reconceptualize the realm of sociality and historicity? This paper argues that reading the classics is a ritual to bring together many heterogeneous traditions in a subjunctive historical community. In the Chinese context, reading is first done aloud in the presence of other people, in what can be broadly envisioned as a teacher-student relationship. Reading as such is rhythmic, public, and historical, by which both the deceased and the yet-to-be-born are brought together by readers’ embodied acceptance of “sages.” Thus “traditions” in China could be discussed more in terms of orthopraxy than orthodoxy. This perspective of reading suggests one is capable of understanding by “doing” rather than by “thinking” alone; and reading activities serve not only to regenerate but also to create new relationships among and between contemporaries and their historical relatives.
A morphometric diagnosis using continuous characters of Pinnunavis edkuensis, sp. nov. (Bacillariophyta: Bacillariophyceae), a brackish-marine species from Egypt
Authors: EDGAR ROBERT K. , SALEH AMAL I. , EDGAR STACY M.
Published: June 2015

Pinnunavis edkuensis is reported as a new diatom species from Egypt from brackish and marine habitats. Its description and diagnoses focus on 12 continuous morphological characters: valve breadth, valve mantle shape and surface area, axial-central area shape and surface area, axial area breadth, distal and proximal interstriae distances, striae slopes, magnitude and position of maximal slope along a semivalve transect, and inter-raphe distance. These characters are considered along their ontogenetic trajectories, using a size vector, by means of regression analyses. Shape was assessed using geometric morphometric methods. Diagnostic comparisons of P. edkuensis were made with P. yarrensis, for which a lectotype was chosen and Grunow’s unpublished description and drawings presented, and P. zalatii, a new name replacing the illegitimate name, Navicula aegyptiaca. P. edkuensis was demonstrated to be a distinct group compared to these two similar species using 11 of the 12 characters. The diagnoses emphasize species recognition by means of anova, regression and randomization analyses and specimen determination primarily by means of regression-based prediction intervals. Additional comments are made on the statistical nature of gaps associated with characters described by discrete or continuous variables, the importance of reporting sample sizes as part of diatom diagnoses and other comparisons, and the role of size in specimen comparability and taxon identification. The generic distinctness of Pinnunavis and Pinnularia is discussed based on a preliminary cladistic analysis of morphological characters.
A new species of Sedum (Crassulaceae) from northwest Michoacan, Mexico
Authors: Costea Mihai , García-Ruiz Ignacio
Published: June 2015

A new species of Sedum, S. moniliforme (Crassulaceae) is described and illustrated from the Canyon La Gloria, Municipio Jiquilpan, State of Michoacan, Mexico. The closest morphological affinities of this taxon are with Sedum longipes from which it differs through its moniliform or markedly articulate stems with whorled leaves, 3–4 at each node, sepals that are not imbricated at the base, as well as smaller flowers, pollen grains, and sterile rosettes.
Validation of Large-Eddy Simulation Methods for Gravity Wave Breaking
Authors: Remmler Sebastian , Hickel Stefan , Fruman Mark D. , Achatz Ulrich
Published: June 2015

To reduce the computational costs of numerical studies of gravity wave breaking in the atmosphere, the grid resolution has to be reduced as much as possible. Insufficient resolution of small-scale turbulence demands a proper turbulence parameterization in the framework of a large-eddy simulation (LES). The authors validate three different LES methods—the adaptive local deconvolution method (ALDM), the dynamic Smagorinsky method (DSM), and a naïve central discretization without turbulence parameterization (CDS4)—for three different cases of the breaking of well-defined monochromatic gravity waves. For ALDM, a modification of the numerical flux functions is developed that significantly improves the simulation results in the case of a temporarily very smooth velocity field. The test cases include an unstable and a stable inertia–gravity wave as well as an unstable high-frequency gravity wave. All simulations are carried out both in three-dimensional domains and in two-dimensional domains in which the velocity and vorticity fields are three-dimensional (so-called 2.5D simulations). The results obtained with ALDM and DSM are generally in good agreement with the reference direct numerical simulations as long as the resolution in the direction of the wave vector is sufficiently high. The resolution in the other directions has a weaker influence on the results. The simulations without turbulence parameterization are only successful if the resolution is high and the level of turbulence is comparatively low.
Comparison of NLDAS-2 Simulated and NASMD Observed Daily Soil Moisture. Part I: Comparison and Analysis
Authors: Xia Youlong , Ek Michael B. , Wu Yihua , Ford Trent , Quiring Steven M.
Published: June 2015

Soil moisture observations from seven observational networks (spanning portions of seven states) with different biome and climate conditions were used in this study to evaluate multimodel simulated soil moisture products. The four land surface models, including Noah, Mosaic, Sacramento soil moisture accounting (SAC), and the Variable Infiltration Capacity model (VIC), were run within phase 2 of the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS-2), with a ⅛° spatial resolution and hourly temporal resolution. Hundreds of sites in Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, West Texas, and Utah were used to evaluate simulated soil moisture in the 0–10-, 10–40-, and 40–100-cm soil layers. Soil moisture was spatially averaged in each state to reduce noise. In general, the four models captured broad features (e.g., seasonal variation) of soil moisture variations in all three soil layers in seven states, except for the 10–40-cm soil layer in West Texas and the 40–100-cm soil layer in Alabama, where the anomaly correlations are weak. Overall, Mosaic, SAC, and the ensemble mean have the highest simulation skill and VIC has the lowest simulation skill. The results show that Noah and VIC are wetter than the observations while Mosaic and SAC are drier than the observations, mostly likely because of systematic errors in model evapotranspiration.
Street-Scale Modeling of Storm Surge Inundation along the New Jersey Hudson River Waterfront
Authors: Blumberg Alan F. , Georgas Nickitas , Yin Larry , Herrington Thomas O. , Orton Philip M.
Published: June 2015

A new, high-resolution, hydrodynamic model that encompasses the urban coastal waters of New Jersey along the Hudson River Waterfront opposite New York City, New York, has been developed and validated for simulating inundation during Hurricane Sandy. A 3.1-m-resolution square model grid combined with a high-resolution lidar elevation dataset permits a street-by-street focus to inundation modeling. The waterfront inundation model is a triple-nested Stevens Institute Estuarine and Coastal Ocean Hydrodynamic Model (sECOM) application; sECOM is a successor model to the Princeton Ocean Model family of models. Robust flooding and drying of land in the model physics provides for the dynamic prediction of flood elevations and velocities across land features during inundation events. The inundation model was forced by water levels from the extensively validated New York Harbor Observing and Prediction System (NYHOPS) hindcast of that hurricane.

Validation against 56 watermarks and 16 edgemarks provided via the USGS and through an extensive crowdsourcing effort consisting of photographs, videos, and personal stories shows that the model is capable of computing overland water elevations quite accurately throughout the entire surge event. The correlation coefficient (R2) between the watermark observations and the model results is 0.92. The standard deviation of the residual error is 0.07 m. Comparisons to the 16 flood edgemarks suggest that the model was able to reproduce flood extent to within 20 m. Because the model was able to capture the spatial and temporal variation of water levels in the region observed during Hurricane Sandy, it was used to identify the flood pathways and suggest where flood-preventing interventions could be built.
Women With Early Menopause Have Higher Rates of Target Lesion Revascularization After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Zhang Linlin , Wang Zhijian , Liu Xiaoli , Zhou Zhiming , Zhao Yingxin , Shi Dongmei , Liu Yuyang , Liang Jing , Yang Lixia , Chai Meng , Zhou Yujie
Published: June 2015

Early menopause has been found to be associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Our objective was to investigate the impact of early menopause on clinical outcomes for women undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We observed female patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing PCI and found that women with early menopause (≤46 years old) were more likely to have CAD risk factors and more severe coronary lesions. During the 18-month follow-up, early menopause was associated with similar risk of death and myocardial infarction but higher risk of target lesion revascularization (TLR; 7.8% vs 5.3%, P = .003) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs; 11.3% vs 9.0%, P = .007). After adjustment, early menopause was an independent risk factor for 18-month MACEs (hazard ratio [HR], 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-2.00) and TLR (HR 1.61; 95% CI 1.21-2.13). In conclusion, for women undergoing PCI, early menopause is associated with higher risk of MACE, which is mainly driven by risk of TLR.
Quantification of Trapezius Muscle Innervation During Neck Dissections
Authors: Svenberg Lind Clara , Lundberg Bertil , Hammarstedt Nordenvall Lalle , Heiwe Susanne , Persson Jonas K. E. , Hydman Jonas
Published: June 2015

Objectives:

Despite increasing use of selective, nerve-sparing surgical techniques during neck dissections, the reported rate of postoperative paralysis of the trapezius muscle is still high. The aim of the study is to measure and compare motor inflow to the trapezius muscle, in order to better understand the peripheral neuroanatomy.

Methods:

Intraoperative nerve monitoring (electroneurography) in patients undergoing routine neck dissection (n = 18). The innervation of the 3 functional parts of the trapezius muscle was mapped and quantified through compound muscle action potentials.

Results:

In 18/18 (100%) of the patients, the spinal accessory nerve (SAN) innervated all parts of the trapezius muscle. In 7/18 (39%) of the patients, an active motor branch from the cervical plexus was detected, equally distributed to all functional parts of the trapezius muscle, at levels comparable to the SAN.

Conclusions:

Compared to the SAN, branches from cervical plexus provide a significant amount of neural input to all parts of the trapezius muscle. Intraoperative nerve monitoring can be used in routine neck dissections to detect these branches, which may be important following surgical injury to the SAN.
Victimization among high school students in Thailand
Authors: Pradubmook-Sherer Penchan , Sherer Moshe
Published: June 2015

Victimization rates in home, school, and community were studied, among high school students aged 13–18, in three regions of Thailand: Bangkok (urban region), the West (rural region), and the South (Muslim region). The random sample consisted of 1305 high school students: 542 (41.5%) males and 763 (58.5%) females. Results indicated that the southern provinces had the highest victimization rates in all the studied categories. Males were victimized more than females. The reasons behind these results are being dealt with in light of the political and cultural characteristics of Thailand. Recommendations to ease the victimization rates of youth in Thailand are suggested.
From Cultural Discordance to Support for Collective Action
Authors: Brylka Asteria , Mähönen Tuuli Anna , Schellhaas Fabian M. H. , Jasinskaja-Lahti Inga
Published: June 2015

Support for collective action, an initial step in challenging social inequalities, can have important implications for intergroup relations in contemporary plural societies. The present study, conducted among majority Finns ( n = 274) and Russian immigrants in Finland ( n = 228), investigated the relationship between perceived cultural discordance (i.e., disagreement between majority and minority groups about the importance of cultural maintenance for minority members) and support for collective action benefiting the minority. Specifically, it was expected that the association between cultural discordance and collective action would be at least partially mediated by intergroup anxiety and outgroup trust, and that both the direct and indirect effects of cultural discordance would depend on group status (i.e., majority vs. minority). The results showed that among majority group members, the association was negative and mediated by high intergroup anxiety and low outgroup trust, whereas among minority group members, the association was positive and mediated by only low outgroup trust.
Body temperature measurements in pigs during general anaesthesia
Authors: Musk G C , Costa R S , Tuke J
Published: June 2015

The aim was to compare rectal, pharyngeal and oesophageal temperature measurements in anaesthetized pigs. Data were compared using the Bland–Altman method, and correlation coefficients and error measures were calculated. Sixty-six sets of data were collected from 16 pigs weighing 16.2 ± 4.2 kg. The bias (and 95% limit of agreement) for rectal and pharyngeal compared with oesophageal temperature were 0.69 (–1.18 to 2.57) ℃ and 0.22 (−0.84 to 1.28) ℃, respectively. The correlation coefficients for rectal and pharyngeal compared with oesophageal temperature were 0.47 and 0.87, respectively. The absolute error for rectal and pharyngeal compared with oesophageal temperature was 0.7 ± 0.9℃ and 0.2 ± 0.5℃, respectively. Pharyngeal temperature measurement may be more suitable than rectal temperature measurement for estimation of oesophageal temperature during general anaesthesia of pigs.
A New Project in Systematic Theology
Authors: Doran Robert M.
Published: June 2015

The article explores the possibility of a new collaborative venture in systematic theology based in the work of Bernard Lonergan and Robert Doran. A prospectus is offered of five volumes intended as texts to be used at the level of MA and MDiv students.
Tactical Ecumenism
Authors: Durheim Benjamin , Turnbloom David Farina
Published: June 2015

The article examines the relationship between ecumenical dialogues and embodied ecumenical practices. By utilizing Michel de Certeau’s theory of strategy and tactics, the authors construct a hermeneutic that aims at forming ecumenists and clarifying the object of their discourse. Specifically, unauthorized practices of collaboration between denominations (i.e., ecumenical tactics) are seen as a formative source for ecumenical dialogue (i.e., strategic ecumenism).
Paul Would Be Proud: The New Testament and Jewish–Gentile Respect
Authors: Peppard Michael
Published: June 2015

The article analyzes Jewish–Catholic relations with respect to New Testament interpretation, the apostle Paul, and theology. In the New Testament era, Paul promoted God’s openness to Gentiles. In recent decades, increasing numbers of Jewish scholars have engaged the New Testament and specifically Paul’s letters. This has called forth, for the most part, Christian hospitality toward Jewish interpretations. But the opportunities of this renewed relationship also bring new challenges for cultivating respect; the latter part of this article addresses four of these contemporary biblical, liturgical, legal, and theological topics.
A Church That Can and Cannot Change: The Dynamics of Tradition
Authors: Sanks T. Howland
Published: June 2015

After reviewing some previous contributions to the discussion of continuity and change in the Christian tradition, the article suggests another way of thinking about the problem by using Pierre Bourdieu’s analytic notion of habitus.
Gender Inequality: Challenges of Educating the Girl Child
Authors: Kaul Rekha
Published: June 2015

Education today has become an arena of conflict where struggles of the marginalised are taking place. These conflicts relate to aspects of caste, class and, more significantly, gender; girls constitute a larger proportion of the disadvantaged child population in India.

The article attempts to grasp the intersecting process of exclusion of the several girl children from the school system. The strategies adopted by the state to address these issues have tended to be isolated and fragmented. The mere presence of girls in schools is an inadequate indicator of the difficulty they face owing to gender disparities within schools or the gendered environment beyond. A holistic, multi-sectoral development needs to address their specific vulnerabilities.
Manual Scavenging: Issues of Caste, Culture and Violence
Authors: Shahid Mohd.
Published: June 2015

Manual scavenging—a despised vocation of manually sweeping household dry latrines and carrying human excreta—still exists in many parts of India. This inhuman practice has traditionally been enforced on a specific group of people labelled manual scavengers. More painful is the audacity and the deliberate dereliction of duty by the state machinery that blatantly denies the existence of inhuman practice of manual scavenging. The position of the Jajmans (patrons), rather comfortable with the fact that fellow human beings clean their excreta, is not very different. While the worst are the cultural constructions that legitimise this inhuman practice by changing what Galtung called moral colour from red/wrong to green/right or at least to yellow/acceptable. In the rural Indian social matrix, the task of manual scavenging has been mostly enforced on women. This article aims to map how the practice of manual scavenging sustains on the hegemonic relationship built around gender, caste and culture. Johan Galtung’s typology of violence—direct, structural and cultural—is used to demystify the issues of violence in manual scavenging.
Natural Disaster and Women’s Mental Health
Authors: Parida Pradeep Kumar
Published: June 2015

Based on a case study in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, this article examines women’s vulnerability to the June 2013 floods in constructing mental health outcomes. By means of qualitative research and diverse vulnerability approaches such as entitlement, livelihood and political economy, the study draws attention to the initial well-being, livelihood resilience, self-protection, societal protection and social capital of women and underlines how their lack of capacity to avoid, cope with and recover from disasters increased mental health exposure to risk. To this point, women’s vulnerability and mental disorders are reciprocally related to each other. In conclusion, while physical exposure to the flood was a necessary element, it was women’s pre-existing symptoms and developmental processes that were most influential in generating mental health consequences after the disaster.
Tradition and Technology in Precluding Girl Child in India
Authors: Dasthagir K. Gulam
Published: June 2015

Antifemale bias permeating across the world has perhaps percolated in the perpetuation of the awful practices of gendered selection at birth in India. In the backdrop of pervasive vulnerability of women in the globalising world, this article interrogates into the roots of the practice of female infanticide and foeticide in Indian society.

This article elucidates the continuum of female infanticide to female foeticide as the transmission of the tendency to eliminate females from after birth to before birth despite legal proscriptions through modern methods of infanticide and globalisation of gender selection technology in contemporary Indian society. Premised on certain sociological propositions on social change, this article argues that female infanticide and female foeticide are collective gendered crimes entrenched in the detraditionalised continuum of the tendency of women preclusion at birth from rural to urban and traditional to modern society.
Book Review: Ramgopal Agarwala, INDIA 2050: A Roadmap to Sustainable Prosperity
Authors: Jadhav Narendra
Published: June 2015

Ramgopal Agarwala, INDIA 2050: A Roadmap to Sustainable Prosperity, New Delhi, SAGE, 2014, xxxv + 350 pp., ₹ 995, ISBN 978-93-515-0043-8 (HB).
Book Review: Anil Kumar Vaddiraju, Sisyphean Efforts? State Policy and Child Labour in Karnataka
Authors: Thomas P. Mini
Published: June 2015

Anil Kumar Vaddiraju, Sisyphean Efforts? State Policy and Child Labour in Karnataka, Newcastle, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013, xii + 149 pp., price not mentioned (hb), ISBN 978-1-4438-4974-6.
Pathan Committee Report: Undermining the Idea of a University
Authors: Rai Dhananjay
Published: June 2015

This article deals with the preliminary draft Bill of the Central Universities of India (Teaching, Research and Administration) Bill (2013) also known as ‘Pathan Committee Report’ (PCR). The draft Bill was circulated in September 2013 for the wider discussion. The draft Bill, particularly its single act provision for all central universities, was discussed in retreat of vice chancellors at Chandigarh (12–13 September 2014). This article attempts to highlight crucial provisions of the Bill which, if implemented, may change the idea of a university. Moreover, the response of the academic community has not been forthcoming on the Bill despite much discussed single act provision for all central universities. This article attempts to fill the gap.
Grooved Pegboard for adult employed South Africans: normative data and human immunodeficiency virus associations
Authors: van Wijk Charles H , Meintjes WAJ
Published: June 2015

The Grooved Pegboard is a widely used test of psychomotor speed, and currently is used in particular to assess HIV-associated neurocognitive decline. To accurately interpret any assessment, appropriate reference norms are required. Although South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV and AIDS, no local large scale reference data are available for the Grooved Pegboard. The main objective of the study was to formulate reference data for healthy adult South Africans in formal employment; two secondary objectives aimed to statistically explore the available Grooved Pegboard performance data, as well as its association with HIV status. Data were collected as part of multi-disciplinary occupational health screening, and included healthy HIV− adults ( N = 3118), and 70 HIV+ participants. This article presents normative reference data stratified across age and gender categories. The South African scores differ from other reported samples, emphasising the need to develop local norms that are context based, to facilitate clinical interpretation of psychomotor performance. Furthermore, in this sample, the Grooved Pegboard differentiated significantly between asymptomatic HIV+ persons, and those with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, although with poor predictive ability. In conclusion, large-sample reference data for healthy employed adult South Africans (age 19–59) are reported across gender and age categories, and may assist in more accurate screening of psychomotor speed generally, and HIV-associated neurocognitive decline in particular.
Chronicle of a Dispossession Foretold
Authors: Ibarra García María Veronica , Salas Circe Badillo
Published: June 2015

The production of a tourist space on the Bahía de Banderas, on Mexico’s Pacific coast, has required converting the land, the river, and the bay into private property, dispossessing the citizenry of its access to them and interfering with the right of free transit. The production of this unequal and exclusive space demonstrates the absence of democracy in spatial production and the defenselessness of the citizenry in the face of the neoliberal project.

La producción del espacio turístico de Bahía de Banderas, en la costa del Pacífico mexicano, require convertir en propiedad privada el suelo, el río y las playas, lo cual implicó despojar a la ciudadanía de su acceso al río, al mar y al derecho del libre tránsito. Tal producción de un espacio desigual y de exclusión social evidencia el alto déficit de democracia en la producción espacial, así como la indefensión de la ciudadanía que conlleva el neoliberalismo.
Related General-Vocabulary Knowledge Transfers to Learning Technical Terms
Authors: Balch William R.
Published: June 2015

In a classroom experiment during the first week of an introductory psychology course, randomly assigned students received a pretest and then a brief training on the definitions of general-vocabulary words either related (e.g., “facilitation”) or unrelated (e.g., “rendition”) to 16 technical terms (e.g., “social facilitation”). Two days later, after briefly studying the technical-term definitions, all participants took a test requiring recognition of both definitions and novel examples of the technical terms. The group trained on related general-vocabulary words averaged significantly higher on the technical-terms test than did the group trained on unrelated words. Thus, knowledge of related general vocabulary transferred to the learning of technical terms. The discussion focuses on both research related and educational implications of the results.
Skolsköterskans rolltransformering till den nya hälsofrämjande positionen
Authors: Holmström Malin Rising , Häggström Marie , Kristiansen Lisbeth
Published: June 2015

Aim

The aim of this study was to describe the role transformation of school nurses towards primary health promotion, and secondary preventive and health treatment work.

Background

According to the Swedish educational act, the school nurse profession has changed towards being mainly health promotion and secondary preventive and health treatment work.

Method

The study consisted of a qualitative study design with content analysis inspired by Elo and Kyngäs. Sixteen individual interviews were conducted with school nurses from across one county.

Findings

The role transformation towards a more health promotion was described by school nurses’ statements. The process of the transformation differed among the school nurses. Three categories illuminated their work; professional approach, student-centred and collaboration.

Conclusion

The role transformation process required enhanced relation and communicational skills. Structured collegial supervision might support the process.
Comparing You = Comparing Me
Authors: Thai Sabrina , Lockwood Penelope
Published: June 2015

We examine whether individuals respond to comparisons involving romantic partners as they would to comparisons involving the self. Four studies ( N = 2,210) using recalled (Studies 1-3) and actual (Study 4) comparisons about attractiveness (Study 1) and relationship skills (Studies 2-4) demonstrated that individuals high in self-other overlap decrease domain relevance following upward but not downward comparisons to protect their positive partner perceptions. This strategy was absent among those low in self-other overlap. Study 2 demonstrated that this effect extends to best friends, but not casual friends, due to the degree of self-other overlap. Furthermore, when reminded of their partner’s inferiority in a domain, high overlap participants maintained positive global partner perceptions, whereas low overlap participants’ global perceptions were negatively affected (Study 3). These results suggest that individuals do experience partner-other comparisons as if they were directly involved, but only if their partner is incorporated into their self-identity.
Geographic Location of the Firm and Credit Rating Accuracy
Authors: Jaggi Bikki , Tang Leo
Published: June 2015

We document in this study that lack of soft information as a result of longer distance between the firm and rating agency headquarters leads to higher errors in bond ratings, reflected by Type I and Type II errors for missed defaults and false warnings, respectively. Our results show that for each 100 km in terms of the distance between a firm’s and the rating agency headquarters, the likelihood of missed defaults (Type I error) increases by 4.9% and false warnings (Type II error) increases by 2.1%. In addition, our analyses show that the downgrades are less timely for firms that are further away from the rating agency headquarters. The results also show that missed defaults are especially higher, and timeliness of downgrades is lower for firms with higher complexity, lower analyst following, and lower accessibility to the rating agency headquarters. Although analysts adjust their ratings lower when soft information is lacking as a result of longer distance, their adjustments do not fully compensate for the lack of soft information.
Stopping the Drama
Authors: Shepherd Hana , Paluck Elizabeth Levy
Published: June 2015

Drawing on theories of social norms, we study the relative influence of female and male students using a year-long, network-based field experiment of an anti-harassment intervention program in a high school. A randomly selected subset of highly connected students participated in the intervention. We test whether these highly connected females and males influenced other students equally when students and teachers considered the problem of “drama”—peer conflict and harassment—to be associated with girls more than with boys. Exposure to male, but not female, intervention students caused decreased perceptions of the acceptability of harassment and decreased participation in negative behavior. Status beliefs became activated through the intervention program: gender differences in influence stem from higher levels of respect afforded to highly connected males in the program. The results support an account of social influence as it occurs across time in conjunction with other group processes.
Is Trust Rigid or Malleable? A Laboratory Experiment
Authors: Paxton Pamela , Glanville Jennifer L.
Published: June 2015

An important debate within the trust literature is whether trust is modified by social experiences or resistant to change despite changing social circumstances. We address this debate by designing and implementing an experiment that exposes participants to a high or low trust environment and compares their change in generalized trust. We find that the experimental condition influences change in generalized trust, particularly for participants whose prior level of trust was mismatched with their experimental condition. The implications of these results for theories on the sources of trust are discussed.
Young adult females’ relationship work and its links to romantic functioning and stability over time
Authors: Jensen Jakob F. , Rauer Amy
Published: June 2015

We examined the frequency with which 67 young adult females from the Southeastern U.S. discussed romantic relationship problems with their partners and their best friends, a process referred to as “relationship work” (RW). Results from data collected over two time points revealed that females engage in more frequent RW with partners than with friends and that RW with partners increases over time. Path analyses revealed early RW patterns did not predict changes in love or conflict, yet RW with partner and love were concurrently positively linked at both time points. Women reporting greater conflict reported decreases in RW with partners. Results suggest that discussing romantic challenges with one’s partner likely has a positive impact both immediately and over time.
Increasing early childhood educators’ use of communication-facilitating and language-modelling strategies: Brief speech and language therapy training
Authors: McDonald David , Proctor Penny , Gill Wendy , Heaven Sue , Marr Jane , Young Jane
Published: June 2015

Intensive Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) training courses for Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) can have a positive effect on their use of interaction strategies that support children’s communication skills. The impact of brief SLT training courses is not yet clearly understood. The aims of these two studies were to assess the impact of a brief SLT training course on ECEs’ interaction behaviour, and to explore ECEs’ views and experiences of the course. In Study 1, eight ECEs took part in a multiple-baseline study of a brief SLT training course. Video-recordings of interactions with children were used to evaluate ECEs’ interaction behaviour using the Conversational Responsiveness Assessment and Fidelity Tool. In Study 2, seven ECEs took part in semi-structured interviews about this training course. Template analysis was used to identify key themes. In Study 1, the group of trained ECEs showed a statistically significant increase in their use of one communication-facilitating strategy (using comments to cue turn-taking) and a statistically significant decrease in their use of one conversation-hindering behaviour (asking yes/no, testing or rhetorical questions). Analysis at the individual level showed a modest increase in some ECEs’ use of language-modelling strategies and a more generalized decrease in conversation-hindering behaviours. In Study 2, ECEs more consistently reported learning and using communication-facilitating strategies than language-modelling strategies. ECEs identified several features of the training course that facilitated learning: the practical, interactive nature of the group training sessions, the use of video feedback, and the repetition of key strategies in several training sessions. We conclude that brief SLT training for ECEs can lead to increased use of some interaction strategies that help children’s communication skills develop. Further research is needed to evaluate brief SLT training more thoroughly.
Agency as a construct for guiding the establishment of communication-friendly classrooms
Authors: Alper Rebecca M , McGregor Karla K
Published: June 2015

Educators face the challenge of creating classroom environments that are physically, socially, and didactically ‘communication friendly’ for children with diverse communication needs and differences. In this article we propose that (1) communication and the development of agency are bi-directionally linked and, therefore, (2) the promotion of agency through physical and social-didactic strategies will support the establishment of communication friendly classrooms. We draw upon evidence from the developmental and intervention literatures to illustrate the relationship between communication and agency. Further, we provide examples of specific strategies for promoting a child’s agency through physical and social-didactic approaches in the classroom. These strategies are applicable to children with varying communication needs, differences, delays, and/or disorders.
Femoral cannulation: a safe vascular access option for cardiopulmonary bypass in minimally invasive cardiac surgery
Authors: Saadat Siavash , Schultheis Molly , Azzolini Anthony , Romero Joseph , Dombrovskiy Victor , Odroniec Karen , Scholz Peter , Lemaire Anthony , Batsides George , Lee Leonard
Published: June 2015

Femoral cannulation during cardiopulmonary bypass has become a common approach for many cardiac procedures and serves as an important access option, especially during minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Opponents, however, argue that there is significant risk, including site-specific and overall morbidity, which makes the use of this modality dangerous compared to conventional aortoatrial cannulation techniques. We analyzed our institutional experience to elucidate the safety and efficacy of femoral cannulation. All data were collected from a single hospital’s cardiac surgery database. A total of 346 cardiac surgeries were evaluated from September 2012 to September 2013, of which 85/346 (24.6%) utilized a minimally invasive approach. Of the 346 operations performed, 72/346 (20.8%) utilized femoral cannulation while 274/346 (79.2%) used aortoatrial cannulation. Stroke occurred in 1/72 (1.39%) after femoral cannulation, specifically, in a conventional sternotomy patient, while it occurred in 6/274 (2.19%) [p=0.67] after aortoatrial cannulation. When comparing postoperative complications between the femoral cannulation and aortoatrial cannulation groups, the rates of atrial fibrillation [10/72 (13.9%) versus 46/274 (16.8%), p=0.55], renal failure [2/72 (2.78%) versus 11/274 (4.01%), p=0.62], prolonged ventilation time [4/72 (5.56%) versus 27/274 (9.85%), p=0.26] and re-operation for bleeding [3/72 (4.17%) versus 13/274 (4.74%), p=0.84] showed no significant difference. Selective femoral cannulation provides a safe alternative to aortoatrial cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass and is especially important when performing minimally invasive cardiac surgery. When comparing aortoatrial and femoral cannulation, we found no significant difference in the postoperative complication rates and overall mortality.