bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transcription: Imperatives for Qualitative Research
Authors: Davidson Christina
Published: January 2017

Transcription is a practice central to qualitative research, yet the literature that addresses transcription presents it as taken for granted in qualitative studies. In this article the author provides a review of three decades of literature on transcription between 1979 and 2009. The review establishes core understandings and issues that have informed the transcription literature, including the ways it is said that transcription is overlooked in qualitative research. Discussion of the literature raises the need for more empirical studies that examine transcription in qualitative research, and suggests specific questions that qualitative researchers might address in relation to transcription and its reporting.
Conducting Qualitative Metasynthesis Research: Insights from a Metasynthesis Project
Authors: Paterson Barbara L. , Dubouloz Claire-Jehanne , Chevrier Jacques , Ashe Brenda , King Judy , Moldoveanu Mirela
Published: January 2017

The need to synthesize qualitative research in order to inform fields of study has been highlighted as a critical imperative in recent years. Since that time, there have been a number of attempts to identify methodological approaches to achieving such a goal. Despite some notable efforts in this regard, the metasynthesis research approach continues to be somewhat elusive with regard to its steps and procedures. The authors of this article describe their experience conducting a metasynthesis of qualitative research regarding transformation in chronic illness and disability. The particular emphasis of the article will be the practical strategies and procedures that assisted them in conducting the project in a rigorous and meaningful way. The authors emphasize the need for continued dialogue about strategies and procedures in metasynthesis that will aid researchers who are contemplating this complex research approach.
Transactional Analysis: Conceptualizing a Framework for Illuminating Human Experience
Authors: Stewart Trevor Thomas
Published: January 2017

Myriad methods exist for analyzing qualitative data. It is, however, imperative for qualitative researchers to employ data analysis tools that are congruent with the theoretical frameworks underpinning their inquiries. In this paper, I have constructed a framework for analyzing data that could be useful for researchers interested in focusing on the transactional nature of language as they engage in Social Science research. Transactional Analysis (TA) is an inductive approach to data analysis that transcends constant comparative methods of exploring data. Drawing on elements of narrative and thematic analysis, TA uses the theories of Bakhtin and Rosenblatt to attend to the dynamic processes researchers identify as they generate themes in their data and seek to understand how their participants' worldviews are being shaped. This paper highlights the processes researchers can utilize to study the mutual shaping that occurs as participants read and enter into dialogue with the world around them.
A Place for Theoretical Inconsistency
Authors: Newbury Janet
Published: January 2017

The current article articulates how the expectation of theoretical consistency can be constraining for qualitative researchers. The author considers the origins of the tradition of theoretical consistency, and suggests that postmodern research - particularly that which focuses on social justice - might in fact be served by considering possibilities that emerge from multiple theoretical perspectives. To illustrate the application and contribution of theoretical inconsistency, three concrete examples of how these ideas have been applied within qualitative studies are discussed. By pragmatically drawing connections across theoretical differences, it is hoped that researchers will engage critically with their own theoretical commitments and assumptions, thus opening themselves up to new possibilities and to new and creative ways of coming together.
Planning for Spontaneity: The Challenges of Disaster Communication Fieldwork
Authors: Horsley J. Suzanne
Published: January 2017

This methodological article explores the intersection of qualitative fieldwork methods in crisis communication and disaster management. While crisis communication is a popular topic of research in the public relations genre, there is relatively no methodological work to serve as a precedent for a participant-observation study of communication during an unfolding disaster event. Likewise, disaster management literature that is based in qualitative fieldwork methods has not examined the communication practices of a disaster response organization. This article explores the various challenges in conducting fieldwork in real-time disaster communication and describes how the researcher overcame those challenges to conduct a participant-observation study of the American Red Cross' communication efforts during the 2009 Red River Valley floods in Fargo, North Dakota, United States.
Using the Delphi Method for Qualitative, Participatory Action Research in Health Leadership
Authors: Fletcher Amber J. , Marchildon Gregory P.
Published: January 2017

Current pressures on public health systems have led to increased emphasis on restructuring, which is seen as a potential solution to crises of accessibility, quality, and funding. Leadership is an important factor in the success or failure of these initiatives. Despite its importance, health leadership evades easy articulation, and its study requires a thoughtful methodological approach. We used a modified Delphi method in a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project on health leadership in Canada. Little has been written about the combination of Delphi method with PAR. We offer a rationale for the combination and describe its usefulness in researching the role of leadership in a restructuring initiative in “real time” with the participation of health system decision makers. Recommendations are provided to researchers wishing to use the Delphi method qualitatively (i.e., without statistical consensus) in a PAR framework while protecting the confidentiality of participants who work at different levels of authority. We propose a modification of Kaiser's (2009) post-interview confidentiality form to address power differentials between participants and to enhance confidentiality in the PAR process.
Photo-Elicitation with Autodriving in Research with Individuals with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease: Advantages and Challenges
Authors: Shell Lynn
Published: January 2017

Recent research indicates that people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) can meaningfully report on their life. As a result, there is an increasing interest in finding ways to involve persons with AD in qualitative research to ensure their perspectives and experiences are included. However, researchers have largely depended on interview or observation methods to inform their study, acknowledging concern regarding capacity for expressive language. This article reports on the use of photography, specifically photo-elicitation with autodriving, in a qualitative study of happiness in persons with mild to moderate AD, and it explores the opportunities and challenges of using this methodology in this population. Results demonstrate that while photo-elicitation can be an effective tool for the researcher to use to understand the world of the individual with AD, it also presents practical challenges. Thoughtful application of this methodology can overcome these challenges, providing a richer level of understanding than interview alone can generate.
Cinemagoing in District Six, Cape Town, 1920s to 1960s: History, politics, memory
Authors: Maingard Jacqueline
Published: January 2017

Drawing on recorded and transcribed life history interviews conducted during the 1980s and 2000s, this article discusses the cinemagoing experiences of District Six residents in Cape Town from the 1920s to the 1960s, before the South African apartheid government began, from 1966, to demolish District Six. Cinemagoing was the chief leisure-time activity in District Six in these years, and when recollections of cinemagoing in the interviews are analysed as discourses of memory, three key themes emerge – cinema and place; cinema, culture, and identity; and films, film shows, and stars – with residents’ remembered experiences revealing the peculiarities of cinemagoing in this very particular locale. Cinema was so thoroughly intertwined with everyday life that residents might be regarded not so much as ‘going to’ the cinema as already being there. They were part of a global seam of filmgoers – ‘cinema citizens’ whilst in every other respect stripped of citizenship rights.
Film at the border: Memories of cinemagoing in Laredo, Texas
Authors: Lozano José Carlos
Published: January 2017

This article addresses the memories of 28 filmgoers between the ages of 64 and 95 in Laredo, Texas – a city located on the border between the United States and Mexico. It explores respondents’ memories of US and Mexican films, actors and local venues against the historical background of a fluid and complex border. In particular, it examines the negotiation of cultural identities among residents with strong connections to Mexican heritage but who are also influenced by the structural characteristics of the American political, economic and educational systems.
‘Feel the film’: Film projectionists and professional memory
Authors: Česálková Lucie
Published: January 2017

Deploying concepts of professional memory and communities of practice, this article draws on interviews with two generations of film projectionists in Brno in the Czech Republic to investigate the profession of film projectionist as a phenomenon at the boundaries of memory studies, sociology, social anthropology and film history. From this standpoint, a study of cinema employees’ professional memory revises and refines the concept of cinema memory as examined from the cinemagoer’s perspective. The article sets out the key tropes of projectionists’ memories and discusses them in the context of the legal background, professional status, standards of good practice and relationships within the professional community. Analysing the conditions under which the professional identity of film projectionist has been formed, it takes into account the current obsolescence of traditional screening techniques and analyses the significance of film screening quality and the related perception of the projectionist as a creator of a screening as significant motifs in projectionists’ memories.
Comparison Between Individually and Group-Based Insulin Pump Initiation by Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing
Authors: Ridderstråle Martin
Published: January 2017

Background:

Depending on available resources, competencies, and pedagogic preference, initiation of insulin pump therapy can be performed on either an individual or a group basis. Here we compared the two models with respect to resources used.

Methods:

Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) was used to compare initiating insulin pump treatment in groups (GT) to individual treatment (IT). Activities and cost drivers were identified, timed, or estimated at location. Medical quality and patient satisfaction were assumed to be noninferior and were not measured.

Results:

GT was about 30% less time-consuming and 17% less cost driving per patient and activity compared to IT. As a batch driver (16 patients in one group) GT produced an upward jigsaw-shaped accumulative cost curve compared to the incremental increase incurred by IT. Taking the alternate cost for those not attending into account, and realizing the cost of opportunity gained, suggested that GT was cost neutral already when 5 of 16 patients attended, and that a second group could be initiated at no additional cost as the attendance rate reached 15:1.

Conclusions:

We found TDABC to be effective in comparing treatment alternatives, improving cost control and decision making. Everything else being equal, if the setup is available, our data suggest that initiating insulin pump treatment in groups is far more cost effective than on an individual basis and that TDABC may be used to find the balance point.
Creating a Culture of Accurate and Precise Data
Authors: Bergren Martha Dewey , Maughan Erin D. , Johnson Kathleen H. , Wolfe Linda C. , Watts H. Estelle S. , Cole Marjorie
Published: January 2017

There are many stakeholders for school health data. Each one has a stake in the quality and accuracy of the health data collected and reported in schools. The joint NASN and NASSNC national school nurse data set initiative, Step Up & Be Counted!, heightens the need to assure accurate and precise data. The use of a standardized terminology allows the data on school health care delivered in local schools to be aggregated for use at the local, state, and national levels. The use of uniform terminology demands that data elements be defined and that accurate and reliable data are entered into the database. Barriers to accurate data are misunderstanding of accurate data needs, student caseloads that exceed the national recommendations, lack of electronic student health records, and electronic student health records that do not collect the indicators using the standardized terminology or definitions. The quality of the data that school nurses report and share has an impact at the personal, district, state, and national levels and influences the confidence and quality of the decisions made using that data.
Theorizing the global urban with ‘global and world cities research’
Authors: Robinson Jennifer
Published: January 2017

The new generation of global and world city research has expanded the range of cities and the kinds of firms and economic circuits explored, with interesting insights for global urban studies. I raise a few issues for debate: why synechdoche continues to be invoked; why power hierarchies are still proposed, in the face of a more network-oriented form of power; and where alternatives to the powerful (and usually negative) real-world political effects of the ‘global city’ term might come from?
The subaltern stays silenced
Authors: Johnson Louise
Published: January 2017

Global cities research is a lively field. It may well benefit from an ‘engaged pluralism’, though such a call still suggests a tolerance of difference by those who remain in positions of power to admit or reject such a challenge and to shape its form as well as to judge its veracity. This response argues further that in this case the ‘straw man’ – or the postcolonial woman – has not been adequately registered, heard or adequately responded to.
The Straw man speaks in Dubai
Authors: Rangan Haripriya
Published: January 2017

This comment argues that postcolonial critiques of the Global Cities literature need to articulate more robust analytical frameworks for empirical research of globalized urbanism. It supports the call for comparative frameworks that focus on how key ‘genetic’ features of cities mutate within different geographical configurations, conditions and processes to evolve into ‘global’ cities.
The role of public relations in ethnic advocacy and activism: A proposed research agenda
Authors: De Moya Maria , Bravo Vanessa
Published: January 2017

This essay proposes a research agenda for exploring public relations’ role in ethnic advocacy and activism, as a way to build the field’s knowledge of ethnic public relations. To highlight the potential contribution of public relations to ethnic organizations, and to describe the particular challenges that ethnic public relations faces in societies that sometimes marginalize ethnic groups and issues, this article describes two advocacy efforts by Latino-serving organizations, one in favor of immigration reform and the other in response to the offensive statements against Mexican immigrants stated by politician and entrepreneur Donald Trump. Additionally, the authors propose a research agenda for exploring how public relations is used by ethnic organizations to advance their goals.
Towards a theory of rent-seeking in activist public relations
Authors: Thompson Gareth
Published: January 2017

This interdisciplinary conceptual essay offers critical reflection on the adoption of activism as a domain of public relations practice. This article examines the possibility of a relationship between the concept of economic rent-seeking from public choice theory and the practice, institutions and outcomes of activist public relations. The conclusion is an outline of three counter-narratives that theorise activist public relations as a practice that seeks to extract rents in the form of benefits from the political arena as a result of persuasive activity. The hope is that these theoretical counter-narratives may suggest future research questions which could be addressed to develop and test this line of inquiry and also broaden the study of activist public relations.
Advocating for reconciliation: Public relations, activism, advocacy and dialogue
Authors: Toledano Margalit
Published: January 2017

Traditionally, the public relations (PR) literature on activism tended to focus on organisational perspectives and organisational responses to activist group pressure. More recent studies looked also at PR practitioners as activists within their organisations or at their role in the service of activist groups. Ihlen and Verhoeven (2009) admitted that they ‘would like to see studies of this practice [activist PR] also become a “natural” part of public relations’ (p. 334). This article responds to them by researching the complex and diverse practice of activist PR. Using narrative inquiry to study a professional case, it demonstrates how, even when performed by the same practitioner, advocacy, persuasive strategy and facilitation of genuine dialogues may be used at the same time and ethically to achieve organisational goals and to seek social change. Through a case study, it foregrounds specific features of activist practice, practitioners’ motivation and their willingness to pay high costs for promoting a social cause. Although based on a PR activist experience in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the article suggests that the conclusions would be relevant to activist PR in many parts of the world.
Hormone replacement therapy use in UK general practice: Duration, discontinuation and women’s experience
Authors: Anderson Pippa , O’Leary Caroline , Moffat Margaret , Luo Xuemei
Published: January 2017

Objective

Investigate characteristics of women treated with combined estrogen and progestogen hormone replacement therapy (study-HRT); HRT patterns; reasons and outcomes associated with HRT discontinuation.

Study design

Retrospective observational study using The Health Improvement Network database examining women’s characteristics and treatment patterns (Database). Postal questionnaire exploring reasons and outcomes associated with HRT discontinuation (Survey).

Main outcome measures

Database: Demographic and clinical characteristics. HRT patterns, time from diagnosis to treatment, duration of treatment, type of treatment and change of treatment (switch, add-on, re-start and discontinuation). Survey: HRT therapy status, menopause rating scale and reasons for discontinuation.

Results

Database: 8968 women prescribed study-HRT between January 2006 and January 2010 were matched 1:1 on GP practice and age with women not prescribed HRT. Women prescribed study-HRT were more likely to be a current/past smoker ( p<0.05) and experienced higher levels of co-morbidities related to menopause ( p < 0.05) versus women not prescribed HRT. Treatment duration was approximately 14 months and 95% changed treatment during the study. Survey: 116 respondents. Women on HRT had lower MRS scores ( p < 0.05) than women who discontinued HRT. Main reasons for discontinuation were medical advice, side-effects/potential side-effects. Fear of breast cancer was also stated as a reason.

Conclusions

Duration of HRT was relatively short, with 95% of women changing treatment. HRT discontinuation was associated with more severe menopause symptoms. Medical advice and concerns about side-effects were major reasons for the discontinuation, suggesting that there was a need for a balanced dialogue with women about risks and benefits of HRT, as emphasised by NICE guidance.
The perception of global hierarchies: South-Eastern European patterns in comparative perspectives
Authors: Melegh Attila , Kiss Tamás , Csánóová Sabina , Young-DeMarco Linda , Thornton Arland
Published: January 2017

In this paper we examine the views of ordinary people in Hungary and Romania about developmental trajectories and developmental hierarchies. Our work extends research on perception of global hierarchies as we include the views of ordinary people in the countries of Hungary and Romania. In addition, our research makes a unique contribution to the development and developmental hierarchy literature by examining, for the first time, how individuals define development. Although the main focus of this paper is the developmental views of Hungarians and Romanians, at times we add to our discussion results from a survey in Bulgaria and another from Albania. In this paper we conclude that developmental models are widespread among ordinary people in Hungary and Romania; we also find that the South-East European region does show some specificities in terms of the over- and under-positioning of certain countries relative to the dominant international rating system. China and, to a lesser degree, Russia were over-positioned by respondents relative to the developmental index scores of those countries. Within the region, unlike Bulgarians and Albanians, who severely underrated themselves, Hungarian and Romanian respondents put themselves in a middle position on the developmental scale. Concerning developmental items with some differences between the two countries, our data show that the economy is the most important development criterion in the minds of Hungarians and Romanians, followed by democracy, science and technology, and education.
Reproducibility of pulmonary blood flow measurements by phase-contrast MRI using different 1.5 T MR scanners at two institutions
Authors: Iraha Rin , Tsuchiya Nanae , Yamashiro Tsuneo , Iwasawa Tae , Murayama Sadayuki
Published: January 2017

Background

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be beneficial for diagnosis of disease by offering quantitative information. However, reproducibility can be a major problem when there is a numerical threshold in multi-institution, multi-vendor situations.

Purpose

To measure pulmonary blood flow with phase-contrast (PC) imaging using two different MR scanners (1.5 T) at different institutions in the same participants and to examine the reproducibility of the measurements.

Material and Methods

Participants were 10 healthy volunteers (5 men; age range, 27–36 years). The measurements included the mean and maximal blood velocities, the mean blood flow volume, and the acceleration time and volume (AT and AV), derived from the time-flow curve of the PC-MRI. Simultaneously obtained maximal, minimal, and mean areas from regions of interest set in the pulmonary artery were also calculated. In order to calculate the reproducibility of the quantitative variables, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were employed. When an adequate ICC was obtained, Bland–Altman analysis was conducted to identify any systematic bias.

Results

The ICCs were almost perfect for the mean blood flow volume and the AV (r = 0.82 and 0.80), and were substantial in the mean and maximal areas, and the AT (r = 0.63, 0.74, and 0.64, respectively). However, there was a fixed bias in the area measurement between the two scanners. Also, the AV had a proportional bias.

Conclusion

Our results reveal that various indices derived from PC-MRI on different MR scanners are promising as common indices for pulmonary flow assessment. Research and clinical use of PC-MRI for the pulmonary artery is expected to extend to multi-institution situations.
How Wii Teach Physical Education and Health
Authors: Almqvist Jonas , Meckbach Jane , Öhman Marie , Quennerstedt Mikael
Published: January 2017

The use of educational computer games in physical education (PE) has become more popular in recent years and has attracted research interest. The aim of the article is to investigate how physical activities and images of the human body are offered by the game. The results show how the “teacher” constituted in the games is one who instructs and encourages the players to exercise and think about their bodies, but not a “teacher” who can help students to investigate, argue, or discuss images of health and the human body. We argue that the use of a wide range and variety of ways of teaching would make the teaching richer and offer a deeper understanding about the body and health.
Application of the Theory of Self-Organized Criticality to the Investigation of Historical Processes
Authors: Zhukov Dmitry S. , Kanishchev Valery V. , Lyamin Sergey K.
Published: January 2017

The article demonstrates heuristic possibilities of the theory of self-organized criticality (SOC) in the investigation of historical processes. Key SOC concepts and ideas are explained. Specifically, tools that can be used for identifying pink noise, an attribute of a critical state, are described. The results of spectral analyses of historical demographic data (i.e., birth and death rates in Russian settlements in the 19th and 20th centuries) and historical market data (i.e., grain prices in regions of Russia in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries) are presented. It was found that noise color in the data series differed substantially across different periods. Based on these observations, the assumption that a change in noise color can serve as an indicator of changes in historical processes was made. In some cases, this indicator can enable one to establish the time, speed, and direction of state changes in historical processes. Pink noise was discovered in the examined birth and death rate dynamics, as well as in the dynamics of prices across periods. The described methods have the potential to be used beyond the limits of the presently considered historical subjects, including in investigations of different types of social transformation.
Scenario-Based Instruction Design as a Tool to Promote Self-Regulated Language Learning Strategies
Authors: Seker Meral
Published: January 2017

The study investigated the impact of scenario-based instruction on language learners’ awareness and use of self-regulated language learning (SRL) strategies to provide an instructional design to successfully promote them. The scenario-based SRL strategy instruction design developed in the study was based on Oxford’s Strategic, Self-Regulation (S2R) Model. Following an experimental design, the data were gathered from foreign language learners ( N = 125) at a state university through three instruments: the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, whole-class discussions, and semistructured interviews. Although the quantitative data from the inventory helped determine the level of reported strategy use by learners, the additional qualitative data were gathered to elicit learners’ reflections to determine SRL awareness during and following the training experience. Analyzing pre- and posttraining results from the control and the experimental groups indicated significant differences with an increased awareness and a higher reported use of strategies for the experimental group. The results are meant to help guide future directions in strategy instruction for foreign language learning.
SELCO India: Solar Energy for the Underserved
Authors: Pai V.S. , Hiremath Chetan V.
Published: January 2017

Solar Electric Lighting Company (SELCO) was established in 1995 to serve the energy needs of people living at the base of the pyramid in Karnataka, India. The CEO, Dr Satish Hande, focused on developing need-based customized solar energy products for off-grid customers. During the initial years, the company faced financial problems to meet its operational needs, which was eventually overcome. Solar Electric Lighting Company came up with several innovative products that increased productivity of customers. Though the products sold were priced low, care was taken to ensure that product quality was not compromised. The company subsequently faced several challenges. The appointment of dealers in lieu of its own branches did not deliver desired results. Increase in input costs landed SELCO in losses. Pressure from investors for profits when the company was facing financial crisis was the toughest of them all. Having overcome the obstacles, SELCO became profitable, expanded operations in six states of India and installed 200,000 solar lighting systems in a period of two decades. Several growth options presented themselves to Dr Hande. The most prominent being the need to make a choice of staying focused on customized products for the poor or cater to the upmarket, high-growth and profitable segment.
ZEE Zindagi: Offering Value through Distinct Approach
Authors: Islam Jamid Ul , Rahman Zillur
Published: January 2017

The case ‘‘ZEE Zindagi: Offering Value through Distinct Approach’ illustrates the strategic move by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) to launch the channel Zindagi in India. The case describes how Zindagi responded to research findings and audience feedback so as to offer what the existing Indian soap operas were either not offering at all or not offering it the way audience wanted them to. The case also explores how the channel focused on some strategically important factors and mixed those in such a way that it created a paradigm shift in the way serials were shown and viewed in India, thereby, applying blue ocean strategy by breaking and reconstructing industry boundaries.

The case scrutinizes the strategic move by Zindagi using ‘eliminate–reduce–raise–create grid’ and ‘strategic canvas’ of blue ocean strategy and discusses the important lessons to be learned from Zindagi experience.
Sports Retailing in India: A Case of Sports Retailer Decathlon India
Authors: Manikandan M.K.M. , Ganesan S.
Published: January 2017

This case discusses about the Indian retail sector with special reference to sports retailing. Though India is the world’s second largest country in population, the importance given to the sports activity was not significant until the early 2000s. Of late, sporting is seen as a profession and many youth are actively seeking a career in sports. Many new leagues have been started, providing an opportunity to the younger generation to excel and have a career in sports and sports-related fields. This case details about the company Decathlon India on how they entered into the market and their strategies to offer value to the customers.
Implementing New Age Performance Management System in IT MNC: Leveraging Communication and Training
Authors: Devarajan R.  , Maheshwari Shweta , Vohra Veena
Published: January 2017

Performance management system has been used since decades to measure and manage employee performance. Over the years, changing business scenario, shorter cycle times, changing workforce demographics, ever-increasing demand on performance has pushed organizations to come up with innovative ways to measure and manage employee performance. In order to manage these challenges, performance management system has emerged as a powerful workforce management tool especially in new age growing multinational organizations. Along with the associated process, system and practices, well-implemented programmes are used strategically to create ‘value’ for the organization, managers and employees. Many organizations are redesigning their performance management system in order to make it more meaningful for business. Instead of a backward-looking process with once-in-a-year goal setting and feedback process, organizations are looking at a more forward-looking programmes and practices. The challenge is in designing and implementing performance management programmes that are real time, continuous, consistent and intuitive. More often, internal communication and training are the HRM levers that play an important role. This case of a fast-growing multinational IT firm, 1 undergoing change describes how performance management system was developed and implemented through use of communication and training. The article highlights the purpose, process, challenges and insights from developing and deploying the new performance management tool.
Understanding Operations of Floating Schools: A Case of Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha in Bangladesh
Authors: Ahmed Jashim Uddin , Ashikuzzaman N.M. , Nisha Nabila
Published: January 2017

Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change since it is a delta formed by the confluence of major rivers. Making sure that schools are resilient against such natural disasters in Bangladesh should be a priority for any disaster risk reduction preparedness and planning. To address this challenge, Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha (SSS) found an innovative way to deliver information and primary education to residents of wetland area in Bangladesh. It operates 111-vessel fleet of floating schools, libraries, health clinics and training centres, equipped with wireless Internet access, serving over 1,00,000 families. This case captures a clear picture of this rapidly growing non-governmental organization (NGO) of Shidhulai and its extensive activities leading to the transformation of the region’s waterways into pathways for education, information and technology in Bangladesh. Although the case partly focuses upon the role of NGOs and the operational concept of floating schools across the world, an examination of SSS’s growth, challenges, current and plans ahead strategies is the main emphasis here. All these discussions ultimately pave a clear way as to which steps the NGO could take to strengthen its position, and support the development of socio-economic infrastructure of Bangladesh.
Local Communities’ Responses towards Land Dispossession in Nepal
Authors: Maharjan Kabin
Published: January 2017

No land development is achieved without the support of local people. Ongoing politics of land commercialisation and strategic land deals can sometimes underestimate the impact on locals. This article thus examines the dominant concentration of land by emerging actors in Nepal, often resulting in dispossession. It studies its continuum consequences through identifying the nature of contradiction on land induced by dispossession, how it shapes the locals’ perceptions and in turn shaping ways of spatial and cultural resistance in their daily lives. Despite some positive aspects, the article reflects on how resistance stems from outweighed negative consequences, often from the strategic nature of land deals, intrusion of local resources and cultural spaces and irreversible damage of agriculture land.
Majlis al-Shura Elections in Oman, 2015
Authors: Kumar Jatin
Published: January 2017

The 2015 Omani Shura Council elections came amidst a crucial time with down economic trend and continuing uncertainty over succession. Regular council elections are an important takeaway but declining interests among voters reflected in a sharp fall in turnout. In fact, the 2011 elections had recorded a high participation rate due to the Arab Spring. Issues such as corruption, job creation, and improvement of the living standard were most important as was the case in 2011. While one finds numerous changes and evolution of the electoral process, including use of technology and participation of women, the democratization process remains slow and uncertain.
Beyond privatization: pension reform in the Czech Republic and Slovenia
Authors: Muller Katharina
Published: January 2017

Research on the political economy of pension reform has focused on the recent wave of pension privatizations in the post-socialist region. This paper is motivated by the need to shed more light on cases where radical reform was rejected. Pension privatization did not proceed when the World Bank and the Ministry of Finance - important advocates of radical reform - were absent from the pension reform arena and the Ministry of Social Affairs was the only relevant reform actor. Moreover, unions need not be secondary actors, but may effectively veto pension privatization. The paper highlights the importance of the specific political and economic conditions that may constrain the leeway of pension reform actors, while also discussing the global politics of attention.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Poisson-type inequalities for growth properties of positive superharmonic functions
Authors: Luan Kuan , Vieira John
Published: January 2017

In this paper, we present new Poisson-type inequalities for Poisson integrals with continuous data on the boundary. The obtained inequalities are used to obtain growth properties at infinity of positive superharmonic functions in a smooth cone.
High quality draft genome of Nakamurella lactea type strain, a rock actinobacterium, and emended description of Nakamurella lactea
Authors: Nouioui Imen , Göker Markus , Carro Lorena , Montero-Calasanz Maria del Carmen , Rohde Manfred , Woyke Tanja , Kyrpides Nikos C. , Klenk Hans-Peter
Published: January 2017

Nakamurella lactea DLS-10T, isolated from rock in Korea, is one of the four type strains of the genus Nakamurella. In this study, we describe the high quality draft genome of N. lactea DLS-10T and its annotation. A summary of phenotypic data collected from previously published studies was also included. The genome of strain DLS-10T presents a size of 5.82 Mpb, 5100 protein coding genes, and a C + G content of 68.9%. Based on the genome analysis, emended description of N. lactea in terms of G + C content was also proposed.
Cellular strain avoidance is mediated by a functional actin cap – observations in an Lmna-deficient cell model
Authors: Tamiello Chiara , Halder Maurice , Kamps Miriam A. F. , Baaijens Frank P. T. , Broers Jos L. V. , Bouten Carlijn V. C.
Published: January 2017

In adherent cells, the relevance of a physical mechanotransduction pathway provided by the perinuclear actin cap stress fibers has recently emerged. Here, we investigate the impact of a functional actin cap on the cellular adaptive response to topographical cues and uniaxial cyclic strain. Lmna-deficient fibroblasts are used as a model system because they do not develop an intact actin cap, but predominantly form a basal layer of actin stress fibers underneath the nucleus. We observe that topographical cues induce alignment in both normal and Lmna-deficient fibroblasts, suggesting that the topographical signal transmission occurs independently of the integrity of the actin cap. By contrast, in response to cyclic uniaxial strain, Lmna-deficient cells show a compromised strain avoidance response, which is completely abolished when topographical cues and uniaxial strain are applied along the same direction. These findings point to the importance of an intact and functional actin cap in mediating cellular strain avoidance.
THE VEGETATION OF LAMBUSANGO FOREST, BUTON, INDONESIA
Authors: POWLING ANDREW , PHILLIPS AURORA , PRITCHETT ROSIE , SEGAR SIMON T. , WHEELER REBECCA , MARDIASTUTI ANI
Published: January 2017

POWLING, A., PHILLIPS, A., PRITCHETT, R., SEGAR, S. T., WHEELER, R. & MARDIASTUTI, A. 2015. The vegetation of Lambusango Forest, Buton, Indonesia. Reinwardtia 14(2): 265 - 286. - Lambusango Forest is a tropical rainforest on the island of Buton, which lies close to south east Sulawesi. The forest covers an area of about 95.000 ha, with different parts of the forest having different levels of conservation protection. It lies on rocks of both calcareous (limestone) and non-calcareous (sandstone, conglomerate, peridotite and chert) nature, which give rise to soils with varying pH values, nutrient levels and water-holding capacities. The climate is seasonal, with a dry season of three months and considerable year-to-year variability due to El Nino and La Nina events. The vegetation on the different soils and in different habitats has been studied. Over 300 species of vascular plants found in the forest and surrounding areas are listed, including trees and shrubs, herbs, climbers, epiphytes, ferns and club-mosses. Two genera, Calamus with 18 species and Ficus with 29 species, are particularly species-rich, apparently due to their ability to occupy numerous edaphic and ecological niches. Species of these two genera are also good colonists and so better able to reach Buton in the recent past than other species. The plants of the forest indicate that Buton is floristically very similar to Sulawesi, with at least 83% of the species found in the forest also being known from Sulawesi. Most of the plant families and genera present on Buton are common in SE Asia, indicating colonisation primarily from that continent. Many fewer families and genera have colonised from the Australasian continent. The conservation of plant diversity is necessary for the forest to continue as a functioning ecosystem, to the benefit of the animals of the forest and also the local people.
TWO NEW SPECIES OF ALPINIA (ZINGIBERACEAE) FROM SULAWESI, INDONESIA
Authors: ARDI WISNU H. , ARDIYANI MARLINA
Published: January 2017

ARDI, W. H. & ARDIYANI, M. 2015. Two new species of Alpinia (Zingiberaceae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia. Reinwardtia 14(2): 311 - 316. - Two new species of Alpinia section Alpinia subsection Cenolophon, Alpinia macrocrista Ardiyani & Ardi, and Alpinia pusilla Ardi & Ardiyani, from Sulawesi, Indonesia, are described. Colour plates are provided, and four-locus DNA barcodes have been generated for the purpose of identification. Tabulated key to species of Alpinia subsection Cenolophon in Sulawesi is also presented.
Efficacy of complex pathogenic therapy of diabetic distal neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Dubinina Inessa I. , Berstneva Svetlana V. , Baranov Vadim V. , Azimkova Larisa V.
Published: January 2017

Aim. To study the influence of combined therapy on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and neurological status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic neuropathy (DN).Materials and methods. Seventy-eight patients with type 2 DM and DN were examined. The first group included 58 patients who were prescribed alpha-lipoic acid drugs (Octolipen, Thioctacid, Thiogamma and Berlithion) at 600 mg/day dropwise as antihyperglycemic therapy and B group vitamins (combilipen and milgamma) at 2 mL/day with further oral intake of octolipen, thioctacid HR and berlithion at 600 mg/day and liposoluble formulations, such as combilipen tabs, milgamma compositum or benfogamma, for 12 weeks. The second group included 20 patients with type 2 DM and DN who received antihyperglycemic therapy. All of the patients were comparable in age, DM status, DN duration, body mass index and concomitant diseases. The third group (control) included 18 healthy individuals. The efficacy of therapy was determined by assessing HbA1c dynamics, glycaemic control, lipid spectrum and sensorimotor symptoms under the TSS and NIS-LL scales; measuring pain levels with the McGill Pain Questionnaire and visual analogue scale (VAS); and performing stimulation electroneuromyography of n. tibialis and n. peroneus to analyse M-wave characteristics, nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and residual latency (RL). All analyses were performed before the administration of combined therapy and at the completion of the 12-week treatment.Results. Comparative analysis of the combined therapy of patients with type 2 DM and DN demonstrated an improvement in positive neurological symptomatology according to the TSS scale and reduced negative symptoms according to the NIS-LL scales as well as reductions in neuropathy symptoms according to the McGill Pain Questionnaire and trends toward M-wave growth with reduced RL and increased NCV. Furthermore, individual-targeted glycaemic control (HbA1c 7.5%) was achieved of 78% with consistent reduction in the atherogenicity index. Correlation analysis determined an average direct link between the HbA1c level and negative neurologic manifestations on the NIS-LL scale (r = 0.42, p = 0.027) and an inverse link between the McGill Pain Questionnaire score and NCV (r = -0.36, p = 0.019).Conclusions. The complex diagnostics of neurological changes (TSS, NIS-LL, McGill and VAS scales) allows the assessment of the severity of distal DN after combined therapy with alpha-lipoic acid drugs (600 mg) and liposoluble forms of B group vitamins. These methods are also recommended for use in outpatient settings for the early detection and prevention of the diabetic foot development.
Equitable leadership on the ground: Converging on high-leverage practices
Authors: Galloway Mollie K. , Ishimaru Ann M.
Published: January 2017

What would leadership standards look like if developed through a lens and language of equity? We engaged with a group of 40 researchers, practitioners, and community leaders recognized as having expertise on equity in education to address this question. Using a Delphi technique, an approach designed to elicit expert feedback and measure convergence around a question of interest, these leaders participated in three rounds of data gathering. In Rounds One and Two, the 40 participants described and then rated leadership practices they believed to be most likely to mitigate race, class, and other group-based disparities between dominant and nondominant students. In Round Three, 14 of these experts participated in focus group sessions, using the findings from the first two rounds to ultimately converge around 10 high-leverage leadership practices for equity. Findings highlight the importance of leadership centered on countering systemic and structural barriers that maintain disparities, with implications for leadership preparation, policy, and tools to support organizational leadership for equity.
Molecular design and synthesis of thermotropic liquid crystalline poly(amide imide)s with high thermal stability and solubility
Authors: Wang Yanbin , Lu Guangming , Wang Wenjie , Cao Meng , Luo Zhonglin , Shao Ningning , Wang Biaobing
Published: January 2017

A series of thermotropic liquid crystalline poly(amide imide)s (PAIs) with well-defined structure were prepared by the Yamazaki-Higashi phosphorylation method. To obtain the target polymers, several diimide diacid monomers (DIDAs) as mesogenic units were synthesized by the dehydration cyclization of aromatic anhydride with aliphatic 11-aminoundecanoic acid (AU). The chemical structure of these DIDAs and PAIs was confirmed via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy. Thermotropic liquid crystalline characteristics of the DIDAs and PAIs were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing light microscopy (PLM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Encouragingly, all of these liquid crystalline PAIs exhibited good thermal stability, in which the decomposition temperatures are much higher than the melting temperatures of PAIs. Furthermore, the liquid crystalline PAIs can be dissolved into some common solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and m-cresol, which indicates these liquid crystalline PAIs could be processed not only by melting-processing but also by solution spin-coating.
Intermolecular hydrogen bonding H···Cl− in the solid palladium(II)-diaminocarbene complexes
Authors: Kinzhalov Mikhail A. , Novikov Alexander S. , Chernyshev Alexander N. , Suslonov Vitalii V.
Published: January 2017

Weak intermolecular non-covalent H···Cl− interactions in the solid chelated palladium(II)-diaminocarbene complex cis-[PdCl(CNXyl){C(NHXyl)=NHC6H2Me2
NH2}]Cl (3; Xyl=2,6-Me2C6H3) were studied by XRD followed by appropriate DFT calculations. The N–H···Cl contacts for both NH groups in the carbene moiety are different (N1–H···Cl2 3.5258(19), N2–H···Cl2 3.0797(17) Å). The DFT calculations and topological analysis of the electron density distribution within the formalism of Bader’s theory (QTAIM method) were performed for a model cluster of the carbene complex 3. The theoretical data confirmed that the strength of intermolecular HB H···Cl− is different for two NH-protons of the carbene fragment. The influence of crystal packing effects on the formation of hydrogen bonds in the cluster of 3 is noticeable.