bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Una reseña de Trastornos Pragmáticos
Authors: Alvarez E. Carlos
Published: July 2017

En el tercer volumen de la serie Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology de la editorial Springer, Louise Cummings nos presenta un valioso trabajo académico que tiene por objeto dar cuenta del estado del arte de una subdisciplina que, en las últimas décadas, ha experimentado un considerable desarrollo teórico-práctico en relación con las alteraciones que pueden afectar la competencia pragmática de un ser humano. Esta subdisciplina se denomina pragmática clínica.
Análisis del proceso de innovación curricular en la Escuela de Fonoaudiología de la Universidad de Chile
Authors: Arancibia S. Claudia , Coloma T. Carmen Julia , Peñaloza C. Christián
Published: July 2017

El proceso de innovación curricular de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Chile ha implicado un desafío importante para autoridades, académicos y comunidad estudiantil. La universidad ha adoptado un modelo basado en las competencias que el estudiante debe demostrar en los distintos ámbitos de la disciplina, para dar cuenta del perfil del egreso. En este sentido, la carrera de Fonoaudiología ha construido una nueva malla curricular constituida por competencias, subcompetencias e indicadores de logro para cada uno de los dominios de formación. El rediseño curricular conlleva una renovación de las metodologías didácticas y una nueva mirada en relación con el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje, situando al estudiante en un rol más activo. Gracias al levantamiento de demandas y necesidades formativas, se construyeron cinco dominios correspondientes a los ámbitos de realización del egresado en Fonoaudiología. En este artículo se describen y explican los elementos constituyentes del nuevo currículum, detallando ámbitos relevantes y su justificación en el plan formativo global de la Escuela de Fonoaudiología.
Características acústicas de las vocales del español de Chile producidas por sujetos residentes en la ciudad de Santiago
Authors: Díaz A. Susane , Cisternas L. Pamela , López B. Ilse
Published: July 2017

El presente estudio tuvo por objetivos describir las características acústicas de las vocales aisladas en jóvenes chilenos residentes en Santiago, comparar en ellos los resultados obtenidos para hombres y mujeres y también realizar una comparación con datos de hablantes en Río de la Plata (Argentina) y de Concepción (Chile). Se seleccionó una muestra de 117 estudiantes universitarios en quienes se descartó patología vocal y auditiva. Se registraron las voces de los sujetos produciendo las vocales aisladas y, posteriormente, se analizaron sus registros vocales con el software PRAAT. En general, en las comparaciones se advierte que en los sujetos de Santiago las mujeres presentan mayor frecuencia que los hombres en los formantes analizados (F0, F2, F3 y F4) excepto en F1. A su vez, las mujeres y hombres de Santiago evidencian una F0 mayor que sus pares rioplatenses. Por último, no se advierten diferencias importantes en la comparación con hablantes de Concepción. En cada comparación, se comentan también en forma detallada los formantes de cada una de las vocales.
Efectividad de los abordajes terapéuticos aplicados en docentes con alteraciones vocales funcionales
Authors: Jerez Rodrigo Maximiliano
Published: July 2017

El presente trabajo constituye una revisión bibliográfica acerca de la efectividad de la terapia/entrenamiento funcional aplicada a docentes con alteraciones vocales funcionales. Se desarrolla un diseño de investigación observacional y retrospectivo, bajo la metodología de revisión sistemática, a partir de publicaciones de revistas en las bases de datos PubMed, SciELO, Scopus y Cochrane, así como en revistas especializadas como la de la American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Journal of Voice, CEFAC y Redalyc. La revisión del material evidencia resultados positivos para los distintos abordajes abarcados. En diversas proporciones, cada uno contribuye a mejorar la calidad vocal, sostener el equilibrio entre los componentes que construyen la emisión y prolongar la armonía que debe sustentar la voz.
Parents’ Social Validity Appraisals of Early Childhood Intervention Practice Guides
Authors: Dunst Carl J.
Published: July 2017

Findings from three field-tests of parents’ ratings of early childhood intervention practice guides are reported. Results from the first field-test were used to inform changes to the practice guides in the second field-test, and results from the second field-test were used to inform changes to the practice guides in the third field-test. Parents’ judgments of the practice guide designs and their social validity appraisals of the practice guide intervention activities and child outcomes were correlated with parent-informed improvements in the intervention materials. The results add to the knowledge base in terms of how parent-informed improvements to the practice guides are related to product design judgments and the social validity appraisals of the importance and acceptability of early childhood intervention materials.
‘Een verdrag met potentieel vérstrekkende gevolgen’
Authors: Pulles G.J.W.
Published: July 2017

‘Een verdrag met potentieel vérstrekkende gevolgen’: De toepassing van het VN-verdrag Handicap door de Nederlandse rechter

De toetreding van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden tot het VN-verdrag Handicap zal leiden tot nieuwe rechtsontwikkelingen op het gebied van bescherming van de rechten van personen met een handicap. Een belangrijke rol zal daarbij zijn weggelegd voor de rechter, die immers over de toepassing en interpretatie van het Verdrag zal gaan oordelen in concrete gevallen. De rechter zal daarbij rekening moeten houden met de regels die gelden voor de toepassing van internationaal recht. Dit artikel handelt over de wijzen waarop de rechter het Verdrag kan toepassen en op die manier kan laten doorwerken in de Nederlandse rechtsorde. Het gaat in op de Nederlandse regels voor rechtstreekse, indirecte en horizontale toepassing. Daarbij wordt aandacht besteed aan de uitspraak van 10 oktober 2014 van de Hoge Raad, waarin een hele nieuwe maatstaf voor rechtstreekse toepassing van internationaal recht werd aangelegd. Daarnaast komen de rol en de invloed van Europese rechtspraak van het EHRM en van het HvJ EU en van uitspraken van internationale verdragscomités aan de orde. Het artikel verschaft praktijkjuristen daarmee hopelijk extra argumenten om bij te dragen aan een wezenlijke bescherming van de rechten en waardigheid van personen met een handicap.
De Lex Michiels
Authors: Woldendorp H.E. (Hans Erik)
Published: July 2017

De Lex Michiels. Handhaving van de asbestregelgeving: met effect en op niveau?

Auteur behandelt in zijn bijdrage de handhaving van de asbestregelgeving. Deze regelgeving behoort volgens de Rekenkamer tot de slechtst nageleefde regelgeving. Auteur gaat vanuit de invalshoek van de wetgevingsjurist in op de vraag of integratie van de versnipperde regelgeving iets kan bijdragen aan een betere handhaving.
Voordeelstoerekening: leuker kunnen wij het niet maken, wel inzichtelijker
Authors: Engelen S.S.Y. , Keirse A.L.M.
Published: July 2017

Voordeelstoerekening: leuker kunnen wij het niet maken, wel inzichtelijker

De Hoge Raad heeft op 8 juli 2016 in zijn arrest TenneT/ABB een nieuwe maatstaf geformuleerd voor voordeelstoerekening. Hierbij komt hij expliciet terug op zijn eerdere rechtspraak over dit leerstuk, zoals neergelegd in artikel 6:100 BW. De nieuwe maatstaf geeft niet alleen meer houvast bij de beoordeling van een beroep op voordeelstoerekening, maar schakelt het leerstuk van voordeelstoerekening bovendien gelijk met de wijze waarop de omvang van de aansprakelijkheid op grond van artikel 6:95 tot met 6:98 BW dient te worden vastgesteld. In deze bijdrage bespreken de auteurs de inhoud en implicaties van de nieuwe maatstaf voor personenschadezaken.
HR 7 oktober 2016, NJ 2017/73, m.nt. J. Spier (Vennemans-Kropmans/Gemeente Nijmegen)
Authors: Rijnhout R.
Published: July 2017

HR 7 oktober 2016, NJ 2017/73, m.nt. J. Spier (Vennemans-Kropmans/Gemeente Nijmegen)

In Vennemans-Kropmans/Gemeente Nijmegen oordeelt de Hoge Raad dat voorwerpen die niet behoren tot de weg in de zin van artikel 6:174 BW een weg niet gebrekkig kunnen maken. Hij bevestigt daarmee de lijn in lagere rechtspraak. In de literatuur werd echter door sommigen verdedigd dat ieder voorwerp een weg gebrekkig kan maken, mits de weg daardoor niet meer voldoet aan de eisten van redelijk onderhoud. Die opvatting volgt de Hoge Raad niet, maar de vraag is of – met de komst van een directe verkeersverzekering – dat criterium niet toch weer aan betekenis zal gaan winnen.
Aansprakelijkheid voor schade door gasboringen
Authors: Emaus J.M. , Gijselaar E.C.
Published: July 2017

Aansprakelijkheid voor schade door gasboringen. Rb. Noord-Nederland 1 maart 2017, ECLI:NL:RBNNE:2017:715 (Eisers/NAM en Staat)

Op 1 maart 2017 besliste de Rechtbank Noord-Nederland dat de NAM aansprakelijk is voor door inwoners van het Groningenveld geleden en nog te lijden immateriële schade en vermogensschade in de zin van gemist ongestoord woongenot waarvoor uitgaven zijn gedaan die vanwege de aardbevingen doel hebben gemist. De Rechtbank Noord-Nederland besliste voorts dat de Staat onzorgvuldig en aldus onrechtmatig heeft gehandeld jegens de 127 eisers in deze gevoegde zaak. Een schadevergoedingsverplichting heeft dat laatste oordeel echter niet opgeleverd. In deze bijdrage staat dit vonnis centraal en wordt zowel de beslissing in de verhouding eisers/NAM als die in de verhouding eisers/Staat bezien in het licht van rechtspraak van de Hoge Raad en het EHRM.
Making Classroom Implementation an Integral Part of Research
Authors: Cai Jinfa , Morris Anne , Hohensee Charles , Hwang Stephen , Robison Victoria , Hiebert James
Published: July 2017

In our May editorial (Cai et al., 2017), we argued that a promising way of closing the gap between research and practice is for researchers to develop and test sequences of learning opportunities, at a grain size useful to teachers, that help students move toward well-defined learning goals. We wish to take this argument one step further. If researchers choose to focus on learning opportunities as a way to produce usable knowledge for teachers, we argue that they could increase their impact on practice even further by integrating the implementation of these learning opportunities into their research. That is, researchers who aim to impact practice by studying the specification of learning goals and productively aligned learning opportunities could add significant practical value by including implementation as an integral part of their work.
European Insurance Markets in Face of Financial Crisis: Application of Learning Curve Concept as a Tool of Insurance Products Innovation â€“ Discussion
Authors: Sliwnski Adam , Karmanska Anna , Michalski Tomasz
Published: July 2017

The paper aims to present the results of an assessment of development of insurance sector in chosen European countries like Poland, UK, Germany and France over the financial crisis especially from product's innovation point of view. The comparison between the level of taxonomic measures in two points in time let the Authors to write main conclusion that insurance markets have been not so innovative in chosen countries. The level of innovations have been especially law in terms of insurance offer (Products). The first part of the paper ends with a short description of so called new risks that impose a level of innovations within an insurance sector. The second part contains a discussion about possibility of using learning curve concept for the process of insurance product innovation especially products â€œwithout claims historyâ€.
Social Cognitive Theory Correlates of Physical Activity in Inactive Adults with Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Uszynski Marcin Kacper , Casey Blathin , Hayes Sara , Gallagher Stephen , Purtill Helen , Motl Robert W. , Coote Susan
Published: July 2017

Background:

There is a growing body of evidence that physical activity (PA) improves symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite the benefits of PA, people with MS are relatively inactive compared with their healthy counterparts. This study investigated associations between social cognitive theory (SCT) constructs and energy expenditure (EE) as an objective measure of PA in a sample of inactive people with MS.

Methods:

Participants (n = 65) completed several questionnaires and were assessed using standardized outcome measures as part of a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a randomized controlled trial (Step it Up).

Results:

The bivariate correlation analysis indicated that of all SCT constructs, only exercise self-efficacy was significantly correlated with EE (r = 0.297, P = .022). Multiple linear regression analysis found that exercise self-efficacy independently explained 9% of the variance in EE (R2 = 0.088). A model including exercise self-efficacy, exercise goal setting, exercise planning, and exercise benefits explained 17% of the variance in EE (F4,54 = 2.741, P = .038, R2 = 0.169). In this model, only exercise self-efficacy was significantly associated with EE scores (Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale β = .320, P = .016).

Conclusions:

The constructs of SCT explained little of the variance of objectively measured PA in a sample of inactive people with MS who volunteered for an exercise trial. The only significant variable was exercise self-efficacy, which confirms the importance of enhancing it through PA interventions.
Differend in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye
Authors: Amiri Mehdi
Published: July 2017

Through the process of passage of man's life, there are some conditions and situations wherein he remains silent and he cannot do anything in the response of others. A postmodern French thinker, Jean-François Lyotard articulates that man is forced to be silent in confronting to some situations and conditions. Lyotard states that man is incapable of representing and expressing his own inner emotions and thoughts in some conditions. This situation of unrepresentability and unanswerability is named differend by Lyotard. Due to Lyotard's differend, through reading Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, the reader can notice that there are some conditions in which some characters are unable to represent and state their own feelings and ideas. In this sense, some black people or characters of the novel are surrounded by the conditions that they cannot utter themselves when they face others, especially white people.
A Critical Discourse Analysis of Donald Trump’s Language Use in US Presidential Campaign, 2016
Authors: Mohammadi Mohammad , Javadi Javad
Published: July 2017

The present study reports on the latest and newest hot topic in the world, the United States Presidential Election. So, this is the newest attempt to explore and discover interrelation of discourse structures and ideological structures of Donald Trump’s acceptance speech in the United States Presidential Election, 2016 as a good sample of his language use in presidential campaign. In so doing, the current study utilizes Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) model to unmask the use of power and hidden strategies through language use. Also we analyze and uncover the experiential, relational and expressive values of the wordings, metaphors and grammatical structures of Trump’s language use.  Furthermore, this study tries to show that there are linguistic traces that depict the strategy and ideology in the text as well. The findings of the present study can be provocative for English foreign language learners to promote their analytical skills. Therefore, findings of the present article can be applied to English Reading Comprehension and Reading Journalistic Texts classes.
Silence and Blindness in Richard Wright’s Native Son
Authors: Onunkwo Chibuzo , Okolie Mary J.N. , Andrew Chigbu Chigbu , Christian Uzoma Ginikachi
Published: July 2017

Richard Wright’s Native Son has often been read as a socially-oriented text, seemingly neglecting its existence as a literary construct. Such readings gear towards identifying the text with such societal ills as racism and environmental impact on the individual, as if these are the only business of the text.In this paper, however, attention shifts from such external referents to the text itself, deconstructing the meaning of blindness already ascribed to the text as well as the meaning of silence as it is denotatively known. The uncovering of the textual meaning of each of these concepts will also serve either to compliment a character or to disparage same, and then the interweave of both concepts will result in reading the text as a tragedy. This study will be anchored on the provisions of Derrida’s deconstructive criticism.
Self-efficacy and Its Relation to ESL Writing Proficiency and Academic Disciplines
Authors: Raoofi Saeid , Gharibi Jalal , Gharibi Hassan
Published: July 2017

Writing is an essential skill for academic development within any disciplinary area. Despite the rapidly growing body of research on the various aspects of second language writing, research on writing self-efficacy remains scarce. This study investigated the relationship the between writing self-efficacy and writing proficiency in English as a second language. In this cross-sectional study, 304 Malaysian undergraduate students completed a writing self-efficacy questionnaire. The participants’ writing proficiency was assessed using two different writing tasks. The results showed that there was a significant difference in writing self-efficacy among the three writing proficiency groups. It was also found that science students had significantly higher writing self-efficacy than those in social sciences. Limitations of the study and Implications for second language writing instruction are also discussed.
Plural Marking in Spoken and Written Narratives: A Corpus-based Study of Japanese Learners of English
Authors: Yamaguchi Yumiko , Usami Hiroko
Published: July 2017

This paper aims to present the results of a learner corpus study on spoken and written narratives by Japanese learners of English using Processability Theory (PT) (Pienemann, 1998). PT assumes that there is a universal hierarchy of second language (L2) development and many studies (e.g., Di Biase, Kawaguchi, & Yamaguchi, 2015; Pienemann, 1998) have shown support for PT stages for English L2. However, few PT studies have addressed the issues of whether learners use linguistic structures in the same way in spoken and written tasks. The current study focuses on learners’ use of plural marking on nouns, since contradictory results have been reported for the developmental sequence of lexical plural -s and phrasal plural -s (Charters, Dao, & Jansen, 2011). The participants in this study comprised 291 university students learning in English programs in Japanese universities. Each of them performed spoken and written narratives using a picture book titled Frog, where are you? (Mayer, 1969) containing 24 wordless pictures. The learner corpus including both 291 audio-recorded and transcribed spoken narratives and 291 written narratives was compiled. The results of the analyses showed a connection between learners’ use of plural marker -s in speaking and that in writing, while a small number of students were found to perform differently in two different tasks. Moreover, this study demonstrated support for the developmental sequence of lexical and phrasal plural marking predicted in PT.
Comparison of Personal Pronoun between Arabic and Its Indonesian Translation of Koran
Authors: - Markhamah , Ngalim Abdul , Muinudinillah Basri Muhammad , Sabardila Atiqa
Published: July 2017

The system of pronoun in Indonesian language and Arabic is diverse. This becomes the main consideration of the emergence of the current study. This comparative-descriptive-qualitative study aims at comparing the Indonesian translation of Quran with its Arabic version to differentiate pronouns of both languages in relation to gender (male, female, neutral), grammatical categories of number (singular, plural, dual), and tenses (past, present, and future). Al-Qur’an which is written in Arabic is then compared to the Indonesian translation of it. Moreover, the objects of the research are personal pronouns and the data are all linguistic units consisting of personal pronouns in the Indonesian translation of Quran compared to its Arabic version. The data were collected through content analysis. Then, the comparative and distributional methods were employed to analyze the data. The findings show that in terms of gender, personal pronoun has different translation in the two languages. Indonesian does not distinguish the personal pronoun that refers to male or female, while Arabic does. In terms of quantity, Indonesian first person pronoun kami ‘we’ is commonly used for plural. However in the translated verses, kami ‘we’ refers to both singular and plural. Furthermore, in terms of tenses, Indonesian and Arabic utilize different systems. Indonesian does not distinguish the pronoun in terms of past, present, or future act, while Arabic adjusts the grammatical conformity between the verb and the subject or between the adverb and the subject in relation to number, person, and gender to express an element of tense.
Does the Syntax of Modern Persian Allow the locative Verbs to Participate in Alternation?
Authors: Yakhabi Masoume , Lotfi Ahmadreza
Published: July 2017

Some locative verbs enjoy the possibility of appearing in more than one syntactic pattern. There is, however, controversy on whether locative verbs in modern Persian can participate in alternation or not. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the issue, analyzing basic syntactic word order of double object constructions in Persian, syntactic and semantic features of specific and nonspecific objects in Persian and syntactic word formation process. The point that the basic word order in Persian allows only one thematic object (either specific or non-specific object) and the fact that the non-specific objects in double object constructions can join the verb and create one syntactic and semantic unit that saturates one argument position, all indicate that locative verbs cannot alternate in this language. The main argument here is that when the non-specific object joins the verb, it becomes a part of the verb and is not anymore a participant in the action of the verb. All the evidence provided are in favor of the absence of alternating locative verbs in Persian.
Investigating the Effect of Team-teaching Approach on ESP Students’ English Proficiency; Evidence from Students’ Attitudes
Authors: Besharati Mohammadhossein , Mazdayasna Golnar
Published: July 2017

The current study was an attempt to investigate EFL students’ attitudes regarding team-teaching approach. In addition, it explored to what extent the team-teaching approach was effective in terms of enhancing Electrical Engineering Students' English proficiency in an English for Specific Academic Purpose (ESAP) program. To this end, 60 university students studying Electrical Engineering at the faculty of Engineering in Yazd University enrolled in the ESP course participated in this study. Prior to the instruction, the students were randomly divided into two groups as control and experimental. The experimental group was instructed based on the team-teaching approach while the control group was taught based on the traditional approach. The data was gathered through a pretest, posttest, and a questionnaire. The analysis of data via independent sample t-test and descriptive analysis revealed that most of the students had a positive attitude toward utilizing team-teaching approach. Furthermore, the findings indicated that Electrical Engineering students who were taught through team teaching approach performed better than those taught by a single instructor.
Iranian EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on SLA Research and EFL Pedagogy: Do Majors Matter?
Authors: Soltanpour Fatemeh , Valizadeh Mohammadreza
Published: July 2017

Considering the issues of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher education, recruitment, and supervision system in Iran, this study investigated the Iranian EFL teachers’ familiarity, involvement with, accessibility to, and their judgments about usefulness of SLA (Second Language Acquisition) research. The sources the teachers consult about teaching and SLA research were also explored. Moreover, the mentioned issues were explored in terms of the teachers’ majors in order to find any significant associations between the teachers’ majors and the raised issues or any significant differences between the two participating groups of teachers’ perspectives in the above-mentioned subjects. Quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire. 142 participating Iranian EFL teachers were divided into two groups of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and Non-TEFL majors based on their university degrees and their opinions were compared. Significant associations were found between the teachers’ majors and their familiarity with and their access to SLA research and materials. Moreover, significant differences were found between the opinions of two groups of teachers about the relevance and usefulness of SLA research for classroom teaching as well as two of the items under the topic of teacher-researcher relationship. However, both groups of the Iranian EFL teachers seemed to be willing to cooperate with the SLA researchers and no significant difference was revealed between them. To improve the condition, creating a culture of collaboration as well as the amending of the language teacher education programs and supervision system are vital steps to be taken in Iran.
Steady State and Equilibrium in Reversible Copolymerization at Constant Comonomer Concentrations
Authors: Szymanski R. , Sosnowski S. , Cypryk M.
Published: July 2017

Selected aspects of copolymerization processes carried on at constant comonomer concentrations are analyzed theoretically and modeled by Monte Carlo method. It is confirmed that some combinations of initial parameters lead to stationary conditions of copolymer formation for both irreversible and reversible systems which can be regarded as the first‐order Markov chain process. However, this study shows that for many copolymerization systems the stationary conditions are attained only at high number‐average degree of polymerization DPn, and for some reversible copolymerizations, attaining equilibrium, stationary conditions are not observed at all. The analysis shows that the chain length distribution (CLD) for copolymerization carried out under steady state conditions at constant comonomer concentrations, equal to equilibrium concentrations for infinitely high DPn, is approximately described by the modified Bessel and exponential functions. This type of CLD is analytically proved and confirmed by the Monte Carlo simulations for the analogous homopolymerization process.
GEMPIC: geometric electromagnetic particle-in-cell methods
Authors: Kraus Michael , Kormann Katharina , Morrison Philip J. , Sonnendrücker Eric
Published: July 2017

We present a novel framework for finite element particle-in-cell methods based on the discretization of the underlying Hamiltonian structure of the Vlasov–Maxwell system. We derive a semi-discrete Poisson bracket, which retains the defining properties of a bracket, anti-symmetry and the Jacobi identity, as well as conservation of its Casimir invariants, implying that the semi-discrete system is still a Hamiltonian system. In order to obtain a fully discrete Poisson integrator, the semi-discrete bracket is used in conjunction with Hamiltonian splitting methods for integration in time. Techniques from finite element exterior calculus ensure conservation of the divergence of the magnetic field and Gauss’ law as well as stability of the field solver. The resulting methods are gauge invariant, feature exact charge conservation and show excellent long-time energy and momentum behaviour. Due to the generality of our framework, these conservation properties are guaranteed independently of a particular choice of the finite element basis, as long as the corresponding finite element spaces satisfy certain compatibility conditions.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY DISINVESTMENT WORLDWIDE: OVERVIEW OF PROGRAMS AND POSSIBLE DETERMINANTS
Authors: Orso Massimiliano , de Waure Chiara , Abraha Iosief , Nicastro Carlo , Cozzolino Francesco , Eusebi Paolo , Montedori Alessandro
Published: July 2017

Objectives:In the past decade, there has been a growing interest in health technology disinvestment. A disinvestment process should involve all relevant stakeholders to identify and deliver the most effective, safe, and cost-effective healthcare interventions. The aim of the present study was to describe the state of the art of health technology disinvestment around the world and to identify parameters that could be associated with the implementation of disinvestment programs.

Methods:A systematic review of the literature was performed from database inception to November 2014, together with the collection of original data on socio-economic indicators from forty countries.

Results:Overall, 1,456 records (1,199 from electronic databases and 257 from other sources) were initially retrieved. After analyzing 172 full text articles, 38 papers describing fifteen disinvestment programs/experiences in eight countries were included. The majority (12/15) of disinvestment programs began after 2006. As expected, these programs were more common in developed countries, 63 percent of which had a Beveridge model healthcare system. The univariate analysis showed that countries with disinvestment programs had a significantly higher level of Human Development Index, Gross Domestic Product per capita, public expenditure on health and social services, life expectancy at birth and a lower level of infant mortality rate, and of perceived corruption. The existence of HTA agencies in the country was a strong predictor (p= .034) for the development of disinvestment programs.

Conclusions:The most significant variables in the univariate analysis were connected by a common factor, potentially related to the overall development stage of the country.
Area‐Preserving Parameterizations for Spherical Ellipses
Authors: Guillén Ibón , Ureña Carlos , King Alan , Fajardo Marcos , Georgiev Iliyan , López‐Moreno Jorge , Jarabo Adrian
Published: July 2017

We present new methods for uniformly sampling the solid angle subtended by a disk. To achieve this, we devise two novel area‐preserving mappings from the unit square [0,1]2 to a spherical ellipse (i.e. the projection of the disk onto the unit sphere). These mappings allow for low‐variance stratified sampling of direct illumination from disk‐shaped light sources. We discuss how to efficiently incorporate our methods into a production renderer and demonstrate the quality of our maps, showing significantly lower variance than previous work.
Application of Rho Kinase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Corneal Endothelial Diseases
Authors: Okumura Naoki , Kinoshita Shigeru , Koizumi Noriko
Published: July 2017

ROCK (Rho kinase) signaling regulates a wide spectrum of fundamental cellular events and is involved in a variety of pathological conditions. It has therefore attracted research interest as a potential therapeutic target for combating various diseases. We showed that inhibition of ROCK enhances cell proliferation, promotes cell adhesion onto a substrate, and suppresses apoptosis of corneal endothelial cells (CECs). In addition, we reported that a ROCK inhibitor enhances wound healing in the corneal endothelium in animal models and in pilot clinical research. We also demonstrated the usefulness of a ROCK inhibitor as an adjunct drug in tissue engineering therapy as it enhances the engraftment of CECs onto recipient corneas. In 2013, we initiated a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of injection of cultured human CECs into the anterior chamber of patients with corneal endothelial decompensation. This paper reviews the accumulating evidence supporting the potency of ROCK inhibitors in clinical use, both as eye drops and as adjunct drugs in cell-based therapies, for the treatment of corneal endothelial decompensation.
Removal of Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn Present in Aqueous Solution Using Coupled Electrocoagulation-Phytoremediation Treatment
Authors: Ferniza-García Francisco , Amaya-Chávez Araceli , Roa-Morales Gabriela , Barrera-Díaz Carlos E.
Published: July 2017

This study presents the results of a coupled electrocoagulation-phytoremediation treatment for the reduction of copper, cadmium, lead, and zinc, present in aqueous solution. The electrocoagulation was carried out in a batch reactor using aluminum electrodes in parallel arrangement; the optimal conditions were current density of 8 mA/cm2 and operating time of 180 minutes. For phytoremediation the macrophytes, Typha latifolia L., were used during seven days of treatment. The results indicated that the coupled treatment reduced metal concentrations by 99.2% Cu, 81.3% Cd, and 99.4% Pb, while Zn increased due to the natural concentrations of the plant used.
The Effect of Low Frequency Whole Body Vibration and Impacts on Human Tracking Performance
Authors: Hall L.C.
Published: July 2017

The crew of a military vehicle driven at speed across country is subjected to a high level of low frequency random vibration with impacts of variable severity superimposed at random intervals. Crew members are frequently expected to perform tasks whilst on the move.

An experiment was carried out at the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS) to compare the effect on human response of three levels of whole body random z-axis acceleration, and of the lowest of these levels with two levels of randomly occuring impacts superimposed. The tracking errors generated by twelve subjects attempting a z-axis zero order compensatory tracking task whilst exposed to these vibrations were measured. The results suggest that for the random vibration inputs the mean absolute error increases linearly with rms acceleration, but that the additional error due to the impacts increases in proportion to the peak acceleration raised to the power 2.5.
Unity and Diversity in the Church: Transformed identities and the peace of Christ in Ephesians
Authors: Campbell William S.
Published: July 2017

The question the author explores in this paper is whether Paul's stance on retaining one's ethnic identity which eventually was lost when the church became predominantly gentile was already lost by the time the letter to the Ephesians was written around 90 CE at the latest. The point is that Christ does not merely bring peace of mind, psychological well-being, but shalom, the total health and well-being of being right with God and finding peace even with enemies. It is a real political and social peace that Christ enables and demands of those who truly belong to His kingdom. As Eph. 1-2 indicates, through the power of Christ hostility arising from difference can be turned into a cause of celebration of the blessings of God in Christ.
Religious Freedom in Latin America
Authors: Deiros Pablo A.
Published: July 2017

The problem of religious freedom in Latin America is focused on the distinction between religious liberty and religious toleration. Religious freedom, by definition, must exclude the principle of toleration in religion. In most countries in Latin America, the power and prestige of the State is behind the Roman Catholic Church. Other beliefs and religions are merely tolerated to varying degrees. This and other factors are indications of religious coercion. God has not given any State the power to compel human beings to religious observance. Equal rights to all and special privileges to none is the ideal which, in Latin America, seems to be neither explicitly nor implicitly evident.
Comprehension strategies: the bridge between literal and discourse understanding
Authors: Marinac Julie V. , Ozanne Anne E.
Published: July 2017

Compensatory comprehension strategies may be a bridge between literal comprehension and understanding of language in discourse. An original method for assessment of such strategies in children aged 3;0-4;5 years is presented. Analysis of incorrect responses, given during administration of a frequently used standardized test, in this instance the Reynell Developmental Language Scales - Verbal Comprehension A (1987 version), permits assignment of such responses to previously established comprehension strategies. The analysis method found a developmental hierarchy for comprehension strategy use that is supported by previous research. This hierarchy (with the earliest appearing first) is ‘random answering’, ‘probable reasoning’ and ‘semantic probability’. This analysis of incorrect responses allows replicable, documentable and objective data to be presented to demonstrate development of receptive language prior to the achievement of full language comprehension.
Comparison of Attitudes of Editors and Public toward Mental Illness
Authors: Grierson Don , Scott Randall
Published: July 2017

Editors are less likely than the public to consider the mentally ill dangerous and unpredictable, but also less likely to hire former mental patients.
Experience and Development in Catholic Moral Theology
Authors: Brown Neil
Published: July 2017

The Roman Catholic moral tradition appears completely to ignore contemporary human experience. Yet, there is a growing recognition by the tradition that such experience does lead to change. The 1993 encyclical, Splendour of Truth, acknowledged such development as integral to the moral teaching of the Catholic Church, while, at the same time, insisting on the preservation of the identity of “faith and morals” in the midst of diversity and change. The author explores what is involved in safeguarding this “identity” of the moral law in the many-layered reality of the moral teaching and life of the Church. A solution is sought in a clearer understanding of how Christian morality, which must preserve its own “integrity” as practical reasoning, receives its distinctive “character” from the faith in Christ on which it is founded. It is this “character”, then, that acts as the final court of appeal for the insights gained in ongoing human experience.
Religion, Science, and Environment
Authors: Seigel Michael T.
Published: July 2017

Much theological discussion of ecology has focussed on responding to criticism such as that of Lynn White, but there are aspects of Christian tradition that need more attention: the loss of a sense of symbiotic relationship between humanity and nature, and the belief that human beings can effectively and harmlessly manipulate nature to their own ends. The viewpoint of White and many other ecological thinkers that our behaviour derives from our world-views and religiosity has set substantial portions of the environmental movement in search of a new world-view and a new religiosity. If, however, our world-views and religiosity derive, even in part, from our social structures and therefore ultimately from our behaviour, then we must also focus on changing these. The question of science then is not only whether it is sufficiently holistic but also whether it can contribute to determining appropriate behaviours and social structures. Dialogue between science and religion has already come a long way in terms of developing new world-views. It is necessary now that they work together to guide and motivate the real decisionmaking processes in politics, economics, and so forth.
The Demise of the Two-Document Hypothesis? Dunn and Burkett on Gospel Sources
Authors: Neville David
Published: July 2017

Two recently published books by James Dunn and Delbert Burkett, Jesus Remembered and Rethinking the Gospel Sources, pose critical challenges to the two-document hypothesis. Dunn's advocacy of oral tradition(s) to account for a significant proportion of the synoptic tradition militates against the two-document hypothesis, despite his continuing adherence to it. Burkett's arguments against direct literary relations between any of the synoptic gospels and his hypothetical reconstruction of a number of pre-canonical gospel sources, including three separate written versions of Proto-Mark, constitute a direct assault on the two-document hypothesis. Despite significant differences between Dunn and Burkett, the combined effect of their respective challenges to re-conceive the interrelations between the synoptic gospels is the inadequacy of the two-document hypothesis as traditionally understood and taught.
Leaving Culture at the Door: Aboriginal Perspectives on Christian Belief and Practice
Authors: Dodson Patrick L. , Elston Jacinta K. , McCoy Brian F.
Published: July 2017

Pat Dodson and Jacinta Elston offer perspectives on the relationship between the Christian church and Aboriginal culture with Brian McCoy. Both Pat and Jacinta grew up in very different regions, culturally, historically and geographically in north Australia. Their relationship to Aboriginal culture and Christian expression is compared and contrasted. Brian, work colleague and friend to Pat and Jacinta, continues to work with Aboriginal people around issues of health. Their contribution begins with Pat and Jacinta offering early memories of growing up within a church and its particular Christian and social context. It then moves to their reflections on current church practice, and how problematic the connection between Aboriginal culture and Christian practice can become. This leads to a focus on the conduct of funerals where culture and belief, Aboriginal and Christian, so often meet and sometimes collide. The article concludes with some challenges that face the Christian churches today.
From Stages to Strands: Re-Interpreting the Liturgical Movement
Authors: Brown Gavin
Published: July 2017

This study proposes a new model for interpreting the liturgical movement in the Christian denominations of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Most historians have argued that the liturgical movement evolved through clearly defined stages before having a decisive impact on the churches in the 1960s and 1970s. This essay moves away from a “stages model” in favour of a “strands model” of interpretation, arguing that the liturgical movement was always constituted by antagonistic strands of ecclesiastical discourse which effected shifts in the outlook of the movement as the configuration of these strands altered. The pre-Vatican II Australian Church is used as a case study in applying the strands model of interpretation.
Cyprian and Church Unity
Authors: Hamilton Andrew
Published: July 2017

Cyprian of Carthage is often mentioned in discussions of church unity and at times the impression is that he simply counsels both the avoidance of formal schism and passive obedience to the local bishop. Yet he is a more complex figure than this. His life and writing suggest that when we reflect on the unity of the church we should ask first in quite concrete terms what is demanded by the following of Jesus Christ and the living of the Gospel. When we have identified the contemporary shape of living the Gospel, we need then to ask how we might express it in a harmonious way. Unity with the bishop will be one part of this public expression of a demanding discipleship. The article considers what might be some other parts of this public expression in the Australian situation.
Clinical Evaluation of a Finger Oscillometric Blood Pressure Device
Authors: Sesler Jefferson M. , Munroe Wendy P. , McKenney James M.
Published: July 2017

An oscillometric blood pressure (BP) device designed for recording systemic BP from a finger was compared with a random-zero, mercury-column sphygmomanometer in 76 subjects recruited from the patient population and staff of a primary-care center. After both devices were placed on the left arm or finger of the left hand, three BP readings were obtained with each device in alternating fashion, thereby according random assignment. The mean for all measurements was 119.2/72.4 mm Hg for the finger device and 118.6/75.3 mm Hg for the random-zero sphygmomanometer, systolic readings were not different (p=0.53) but diastolic readings were different (p=0.001). There were considerable differences among the readings obtained with the two devices in individual patients: the mean differences ± tolerance limits for readings obtained with the finger device compared with the random-zero device were 0.6 ± 33.5 mm Hg for systolic and −2.9 ± 25.3 mm Hg for diastolic readings. There was also considerable variability in the readings obtained with the finger device; the minimum to maximum differences in 39 systolic (51 percent) and 26 diastolic readings (34 percent) were greater than 10 mm Hg with the finger device; 24 systolic (32 percent) and 11 diastolic readings (14 percent) differed by this amount with the random-zero device. The variability in measurements made with the finger device was significantly different from the random-zero device for diastolic pressures (p=0.0048) but not for systolic pressures (p=0.8729). Based on the experience obtained in this study, devices to measure BP from the finger cannot be recommended for routine use.
Introduction to this special section: Unmanned autonomous vehicles
Authors: Lane John W. , Stoll Johannes B.
Published: July 2017

Over the past decade, enormous improvements have been made in the capabilities, performance, and applications of unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) systems (airborne, marine, and terrestrial). Although unmanned underwater vehicle systems are used extensively in the oil and gas industry and have been around for decades, the advent of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), popularly referred to as drones, is relatively new. Previously the exclusive purview of military and high-tech civilian agencies, small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) are widely available today and are used increasingly in the public and commercial sectors. The price tag for a capable UAS system now ranges from less than US$5000 to more than US$1 million, with sustained flight times (endurance) ranging from about 20 minutes to five hours.
Safety and Efficacy of Nivolumab in Combination With Ipilimumab in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: The CheckMate 016 Study
Authors: Hammers Hans J. , Plimack Elizabeth R. , Infante Jeffrey R. , Rini Brian I. , McDermott David F. , Lewis Lionel D. , Voss Martin H. , Sharma Padmanee , Pal Sumanta K. , Razak Albiruni R. Abdul , Kollmannsberger Christian , Heng Daniel Y.C. , Spratlin Jennifer , McHenry M. Brent , Amin Asim
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Combination treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors has shown enhanced antitumor activity compared with monotherapy in tumor types such as melanoma. The open-label, parallel-cohort, dose-escalation, phase I CheckMate 016 study evaluated the efficacy and safety of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in combination, and nivolumab plus a tyrosine kinase inhibitor in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Safety and efficacy results from the nivolumab plus ipilimumab arms of the study are presented.

Patients and Methods

Patients with mRCC received intravenous nivolumab 3 mg/kg plus ipilimumab 1 mg/kg (N3I1), nivolumab 1 mg/kg plus ipilimumab 3 mg/kg (N1I3), or nivolumab 3 mg/kg plus ipilimumab 3 mg/kg (N3I3) every 3 weeks for four doses followed by nivolumab monotherapy 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks until progression or toxicity. End points included safety (primary), objective response rate, and overall survival (OS).

Results

All patients in the N3I3 arm (n = 6) were censored at the time of analysis as a result of dose-limiting toxicity or other reasons. Forty-seven patients were treated in both the N3I1 and the N1I3 arm, and baseline patient characteristics were balanced between arms. Grade 3 to 4 treatment-related adverse events were reported in 38.3% and 61.7% of the patients in the N3I1 and N1I3 arms, respectively. At a median follow-up of 22.3 months, the confirmed objective response rate was 40.4% in both arms, with ongoing responses in 42.1% and 36.8% of patients in the N3I1 and N1I3 arms, respectively. The 2-year OS was 67.3% and 69.6% in the N3I1 and N1I3 arms, respectively.

Conclusion

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab therapy demonstrated manageable safety, notable antitumor activity, and durable responses with promising OS in patients with mRCC.